2004 TOUR OF IRELAND Ben Oostdam

page 17

Thursday, June 3:
I woke up pretty late and would have missed breakfast, but my new Thai friends were kind enough to serve a fine "brunch". After that, I saw Sakorn busy cleaning the kitchen floor slopping bucketsful of water. I did not want to bother her, so I went to pack up quickly. Then I went to the backdoor of what I thought was the kitchen - because the water was still gushing out. But no, I had been wrong, and now she was standing there taking a shower and screaming her head off . . I apologized, in Thai even, and left quickly while she recovered her clothes and composure, and said the magic phrase; "Mai pen rai", or 'Nevermind'. Strange ending . . .the way I left Fanore at noon and not a minute before!

The weather cleared up a bit, 14.5O C. Passed a quarry, a couple on a bike, 4 cows on the road and chapel before the fine views from Blackhead and Ballyvaughan across Galway Bay - sorry to miss the Aran Islands this time! By 13:00 it rained again in picturesque Kinvara. (right)

After a long search involving the help of a mailman-on-lunchbreak I got to world-famous Moran's at 2 p.m. It was worth it.

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Their guest-list includes Woody Allen, Pierce Brosnan, Julie Roberts and the Emperor and Empress of Japan.