a lot of general inforation

Date: 16 June 2009, writing for yesterday
Location: Doolin to Corofin
Event of the Day: no ATM
Accomadation: Corofin Village Hostel
Cribbage: even w/Lauren, still way ahead of Dad (but he almost skunked Lauren and I in 3-hand cribbage)

A very “uhh” day—not much excitement. We had a very short bike from Doolin to Lisdovarna (5km), Lisdovarna to Kilforna (8km), and Kilforna to Corofin (13km). Somewhat hilly. More tiring than biking was seeing the Burren Centre exhibit and film. No sights of the real Burren yet.
Reme,ber Dad telling us we’d go to an Ireland so rural that they wouldn’t have ATMs? So forget internet? Well, we do have a wireless connection here at the hostel. But there isn’t an ATM. And Dad’s low on cash. The nearest ATM is in Ennis or maybe, maybe Ballybunnion.
Another day without rain while biking. Success. (Rained a lot after arriving and all night. Bits of sympathy for the campers outside…).

Concerning…
Irish traffic: Overall, drivers have been generally courteous about being patient and giving us space when passing. I still think someone’s going to get hit. I have gotten used to biking on the left side. We are debating the origins of driving on the left/right hand sides of the road.
Irish roads: Like I mentioned earlier, roads that aren’t city, regional, or national roads aren’t numbered or marked. Makes navigating rather difficult (especially for Dad). These roads also tend to be steeper than the regional and national roads.
Irish traffic circles: Ireland has started using “mini” traffic circles at what is just an irregular intersection (usually can ride through). These traffic circles however, contrary to convention, are just painted circles in the road. I don’t like this; the government skimping out on decorating.
Irish road signs: The road signs are generally clear and intuitive, but what I find peculiar is the written instructions on the road. When approaching a sharp bend or junction, in elongated text, is the word “SLOW”. If it’s a really sharp bend or dangerous junction, then “SLOWER” or “VERY SLOW” appears. Sometimes all three. There are also “Dangerous Accident Blackspot” areas.
Irish castles: Ireland has a lot of castles leftover. We see partial remnants all over the place. The best tour so far has been the partial castle in Listowel—very informative. For example, a threshold was a ledge in the doorway to “hold” the hay (“thresh”) that was in the room for soldiers to sleep on. Clockwise wrapped stairs were advantageous because the soldier coming down could easily use his sword in his right hand whereas the invading enemy coming up was forced to use his left hand. I didn’t realize how many castles in Ireland there were till I saw a poster of about 20-30 intact castles here at the Corofin Village Hostel. Lauren and I are hoping to see Bunratty Castle (but not attend the medieval dinner) and the Rock of Cashel.
Irish food: To my disappointment, frying seems to be a common theme of Irish cuisine. Fried fish with fried chips. Lots of fried fries, etc. Assume it’s fried unless otherwise indicated. Our meals are usually budgeted to <10€, so we haven’t had the finer foods, mainly just fast food. Fried fatty fast food.
Irish Hostels: Overall, hostelling has been successful. Top favorites so far are Rainbow Hostel (Dingle), Killarney Railroad Hostel, and Rainbow Hostel (Doolin). Top rated hostels usually have nice, accommodating common areas. Some have light breakfasts (cereal, milk, toast), but it’s also very easy and cheap to buy cereal and breakfast. Cooking (usually pasta) is a great, simple, cheap alternative to the fried fatty fast food. The best so far has been the Bailey’s cheese cake at Danny Mac’s in Lahinch.
Beer: Guinness is good, but the first sip is a bit bitter. After that, the rest is good. Baulmer’s cider is good, not overly sweet like other ciders. Still need to try Smithwick’s (don’t pronounce the W). I’m surprised to see Budweiser in the pubs—suspected that no Irishman would order it. But not the case. Upon asking, the waitress at MacDermott’s pub (Doolin) told us that a lot of the younger Irish (20s) order Budweiser; it’s a lot easier to drink a lot of as opposed to Guinness.
Tea: I’ve taken a liking to tea, but only from a pot. It does warm you up, typically when we’re “sitting in” from the rain. But no individual cup of tea for me. And not a lot of sugar (Dad and Lauren add a lot.) I also could appreciate the subtle caffeination of tea, after about 7-10 cups last night before bed.
Remaining days: Dad and I have argued multiple proposals of what to do/where to go for our remaining week in Ireland. I’m of the philosophy that we should have a plan, be doing something rather than waste time sitting around because we don’t have a plan. Dad likes the philosophy of loose planning. The debate right now is how to get to Galway and its Saturday market. But at least now Galway and the Connemare (we’ll rent a car) are in the PLAN. Just have to be back to Shannon by Wednesday night.
My left knee: It’s been inflamed for the last week or so, probably tendonitis or early way onset arthritis. Anti-inflammatories seem to help. I’m expecting it’ll go away after all this biking.
This computer: For a computer/laptop only 4 years old, it sure seems to have degraded a lot. The battery can support the computer only for 50min (it says 50min is the max, but I think it can be longer, especially when the wireless is turned off). The B key is a bit disconnected but (obviously works). The trackpad had also been finicky—won’t recognize finger movement. But if it’s plugged into a power source and has a mouse (can be wireless), it should function adequately. At least adequately for Dad (probably the new owner, I’ll see how much I can get for it, probably no more than $250).
Things Lauren and I have to do before leaving: Generally, we want to digest things. Like Irish Coffee and Bailey’s Coffee. One of the guide books described a “banoffee”, a combination of banana and coffee. Drink Smithwick’s. Go to a large Saturday market (Galway or Limerick). See Bunratty and Rock of Cashel. No hope on Dublin. A small accomplishable list for our last week.