Ah, For Sure!

Trip Start Feb 04, 2010
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Trip End Feb 12, 2011


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Flag of Ireland  , Leinster,
Wednesday, November 3, 2010

With alarming regularity during our African travels,  the lure of a foaming pint of Guinness or the swirl of an Italian red - enjoyed with our good friends in Ireland - beckoned us to make an ever so slight detour from our original round-the-world flight plan.  Leaving Lilongwe behind, we boarded the first of three flights that took us via Johannesburg, then London, to the city of Dublin.  Upon arrival on the emerald isle, we were greeted by rain, wind and the two smiling faces of our friends, they were kind enough to take us the remaining one hour drive south to their home in Delgany, near the base of the Wicklow Mountains. 

The cool, dare we say brisk, air was a welcome change to the abundance of sweltering days that we have had experienced over the past few months in Africa.  The down fleeces and wool sweaters which had been packed away for months - squished at the bottom of our backpacks - made a sudden reappearance and gave us a seemingly new wardrobe from the worn clothing we had been wearing endlessly since leaving Tibet in May.  With the leaves changing colours, it was an ideal time to walk or bike along the local pathways, take in a Wicklow Forest Walk or the Greystones-to-Bray seaside pathway as an outing granted incredible views of the crimson and golden coloured forests, framed by green paddocks, while the greyish Atlantic waters completed the ensemble.

Between our regular walks and catching up on the latest in international news, we also ventured into Dublin centre on more than one occasion.  The local Dart train carried us all into Dublin city centre where we meandered through the streets, visited a favourite Chinese grocery store to find essential ingredients for experimental Laos recipes, we sampled the wares at Ely's underground wine bar and relished a delicious dinner at Bang Cafe.  On another occasion, we savoured the wares from Ely's Brasserie before attending a Simply Red concert, part of their Farewell tour at the futuristic O2 Stadium, where Mick Hucknall gave an impressive performance and rekindled music from our younger days.

We had a fantastic visit and it felt good to be back in the company of close friends.  The days passed too quickly such that our departure date seemed to sneak up on us like an unwelcome vervet monkey's daily raid of the campsite. 
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