To Fossa

Scott and I boarded the bus early in the morning Aug 1 and drove toward Kilarney. We had a slight layover in Limerick. The bus station in Limerick was small but very busy. We arrived in Kilarney and decided to go upstairs for a meal. We were basically in a mall with a bus station on the end. The bus driver arrived early and told us we would have time to look around. When we returned for the bus, it had gone. We now had to wait a couple hours for the next bus out of town. Scott at this point, was dissapointed that I was injured. With two hours in a new town, the best option is to walk and explore. I was in no shape. I told him to go ahead. As I read in the bus station, Scott found a market, a place to rent bikes, our hostel for the next night, and a basic understanding for the layout of the city. A nice woman sat by us and talked with us when Scott returned and it was pretty much our first interaction with a local other than someone we were doing business with. We finally boarded the bus and drove a few miles out to Fossa. We got off at our hostel which was on a major highway with nothing else really around. We noticed the awesome land scape to the south.

The highest mountains in the country are near Kilarney as well as the largest National Park. Across the road from our hostel was a little souvenier shop filled with over priced and upscale sweaters and clothing.
Our hostel also was a campground. The last two we stayed at, were treated as a home away from home, a chance to mix with others, and a warm place to live for a day. This one was all business. We had to pay deposit on the keys, the man wasn't there 24 hour, internet was charged by the hour, the kitchen was very sterile and industrial. We decided to stay in and write some postcards and read. We did stop next door at a small convenience store and bought some pasta, wine, and pain killers.


We made a nice pasta dinner and decided to walk around the campground. It was basically for RVs, but they also had public showers, a game room with pool table and arcade, and a small take out restaurant. The arcade room had a claw game with plush dolls in it. I looked and thought they were the most unattractive prize ever.

I then recognized them as characters from BBC Comedies. Not my favorite.
After wine and some pain killers, we decided we could walk down the road and find a pub. Scott and I slowly moved down the highway and found a great little liquor store with bar. We had a pint and a shot of Jameson Whiskey. We decided to check the next bar down for music and then go home. We walked in and there was a guitar and us. It was great. We sat at the bar and ordered black and tans. The bartender was not sure what it was, so we described them. I was surprised, until a man asked for a soda and a glass of ice, and Rachael asked him, when handing him a soda and a glass of ice, " Like this?" She was very pretty.

We sat at the pub and delved deep into life, relationships, growing up, and the future. It was the best conversation I had had with Scott in a long time. I then hobbled back to the hostel (Scott walked) and we went to bed.