Day 88
December 30, 2021:
I had to reach Sligo by early evening for an appointment, so I had to get going early and stay moving throughout the day. I packed up just after dawn, riding back to Ballina to get back on the Wild Atlantic Way. Definitely not the most direct route, but following WAW wouldn’t cost me much time, and it’d keep me closer to the coast, which would be nicer. My Strava recording glitched on the way to Enniscrone. There, David had recommended I stay for a seaweed bath, but I decided against it given the time crunch to reach Sligo today.
Enniscrone was a much larger town than I had expected, with not dozens but hundreds of houses. From there, I headed north to Easky. I was a little hungry, but was on a roll in Enniscrone and didn’t want to stop. It wasn’t too bad. If I was really hungry, I would have stopped, since you never know how big the next town is going to be. I learned that lesson the day I departed from Galway and got stuck in the middle of nowhere without food. Easky didn’t have much, and I didn’t feel like getting a sit-down meal at the pub there. They did have a pottery studio though, and that looks like a place I could spend some time if I ever go back. After Easky, the wind changed, and it felt much more difficult to cycle. I motivated myself by picking a distant point and vowing not to stop cycling until I reached it, barring some other unexpected event. Repeat this, and you’ll make progress. It gives you something to focus on.
I rejoined the main road (N59) before Drumard, then followed it through Beltra to Ballysadare. That put me in striking distance of Sligo with a few hours to spare. I didn’t want to push my luck by going out to Strandhill, so I skipped that section of the WAW to ride the 10 clicks to Sligo. Easy as!
I made it in time before the lab closed, then spent some time trying to figure out where to stay. Most places in Sligo looked really expensive. I made some calls, asking small blue dot B&B owners on google maps to see if they were open, and what rates/availability to expect. One hostel had a name exactly the same as the terrible hostel I had experienced in Killarney: The Railway Hostel. I called anyway, just to see. 25 Euro/night, mixed, shared room. I dropped by, wanting to get a look at the rooms. They are not in any way affiliated with the Killarney Hostel. “Can I see the rooms?” “Sure.” Paddy knocked, then opened the downstairs room up. One gent was inside. The beds looked clean, and smelled nice. “Clean sheets?” “No, we change them once per year.” I just looked at Paddy with a mixture of horror and disgust. The other guy looked up and smiled. I knew this was too good to be true. Fuck. And yet I hesitated. Maybe I could just sleep on the floor with my sleeping bag or something? I just sort of looked at him, shocked. Finally, he pulled me out and said: “Who do you think I am? Do you know anything about Ireland?” He walked outside and showed me the three-leaf clover Irish Quality stamp of approval sign. “What level of education do you have?” “A university degree…” “Well, clearly they didn’t teach you anything important. They’d shut me down if I didn’t clean the sheets. Of course, the sheets are cleaned daily.” “Well, you could have just said so. You’re too sassy for me, Paddy.” We walked back in. “Alright, I’ll take the bed.” Paddy showed me where to stow my bike, but wanted me to lift it through the hallways so he wouldn’t have to mop the floor. He showed me the upstairs common room, and that there was tea, coffee, and cereal there available for everyone. He handed me my key and collected 25 Euro in cash. I put my bags inside, hoping no one would steal any of my stuff.
I packed a small bag, including my computer, and headed out to explore Sligo. Maybe I’d find a pub somewhere where I could plug it in and either play or work. I’m not sure if carrying my computer around with me is safer than leaving it in the hostel, unlocked. I think Ireland is pretty safe. Odds of getting mugged are slim. In hindsight, it would nevertheless have been safer to leave it behind, I think.
Sligo downtown after dark, off season, with covid restrictions is nice, but a lot of shops close early. I went to a board game shop called Serious Business to see if I could find anyone to play games with. Unfortunately, much like my experience in Galway with Dungeons & Donuts, I didn’t come with anyone, so I just ended up looking at their games selection. It was pretty minimal here. There was one small group - including the shop owner - who were playing Magic, and didn’t pay me much heed. I don’t like Magic much, so I left.
I went to dinner at a burger shop and ordered a chocolate malt and a burger with grilled jalapenos. It was this weird sweet + spicy combo that really wasn’t great.
I wandered around for a while. I passed an outdoor store and went in. I asked about cook fuel, and they had exactly the mid-size tier of canister I needed. They also had freeze-dried food kits. These were from a Norwegian company, and similarly expensive like the Backpacker’s Pantry ones I had purchased back at the REI near Madison, WI. Still, very much worth having just in case I fail to plan accordingly and find myself stuck without other food. It’s a great backup to have. I bought four packs.
I looked around for a print shop to laminate my covid cert. The photo shop didn’t have a laminator. Google recommended I try a bookstore. Fat chance. But the lady there directed me to a Hertz car rental place - according to her, they weirdly have a laminator. At the bookstore, I saw a book called the Coastal Atlas of Ireland. That might make for a nice coffee-table book for me someday.
I went to the Hertz. It was next to the Tesco in town. There was another print shop near there that was closed. I wondered if she had meant that. Well, there was the Hertz. So I went in, and yes. They do have laminators. Apparently it doubles as the Sligo business center, a place where locals can get help with various issues. They laminated my covid cert for 1 Euro, which I thought was alright. The cert was still so wet that the plastic didn’t really form a proper bond to the paper, but did still seal around the outside. This is probably a plus, actually, since I might be able to get it back out if I ever need to.
Then I went back to the hostel. I hung out in the common room upstairs until around midnight, mostly talking to the other folks there. Adamo is an Italian traveling bard. He’s 41 years old, and says he probably won’t get married. There was another Irish bard there, but I forget his name, unfortunately. Wayne was the guy I saw in the room earlier. He’s visiting Sligo from the UK. Sean was a conspiracy theorist obsessed with the extinction of the dinosaurs, the moon landing, and the famous two-slit experiment. I talked with Sean for a little while, figuring I may as well answer some of his questions, given my background. I shouldn’t have bothered. The guy’s nuts. He gave me his website and youtube channel, and asked that I share them with my friend studying physics at CalTech. Sure! This’ll be fun.
