The Misinformation Mission

This post begins in Sligo City a largish town in northern Connacht. I had free internet at one of the hostels so I figured I would make reservations for the day after next. The second I began to do just that the hostel manager came in hot and told me my time was up and that checkout was fifteen minutes previous. I tried to point out that being packed and in the common room totally by myself seemed checked out enough and asked for a few minutes to finish the booking. In those few minutes I managed to waste many hours. So after booking a spot at Green Door Hostel in Drogheda (Droe-hey-da), a place I had heard a lot about but was not available through either of the major sites, I skimmed through the directions and hustled out the door with Erica and the grumpy German manager in tow. We stayed that night at a hostel down the street where they had had a bad experience with grease fires???? and therefore had only microwaves. This provided an opportunity for discovering very creative ways to prepare eggs. None of which are worth mentioning. The next morning after exploring Sligo Abbey we hopped on the mother of all bus rides. Ok they got nothin on Jeevon but 4 hours is a while for me. Once in Drogheda it was about 9:30 and we were a bit tired. We got off the bus and looked for the little brown signs that most cities of relatively ok size have pointing to hostels. This had none. We then check a map which didnt have it listed. It was nowhere to be found. So we wandered a bit till we found where the taxi drivers rest. These guys are pros you walk past two times and your shadow will wake them. We ask one of these guys for directions and head off...no hostel. We hale a cab and ask again...same spot but I see a Green Door! Posted in the adacent window is a sign that the building is no longer a hostel. great. We go back to sleepingtaxiland and ask around they all think it must be there. One of them is happy to help us find an alternative in a town with two hotels and two B&Bs. We roll up to the B&B at half ten and fell immediately asleep in our massive super comfy beds and awake to a delicious Irish Breakfast with granola and juice! Now refreshed we leave for Dublin and eventually Cork where I email them about there nonexistence. Turns out they closed that location four years ago and are just up the street. They tell me they have a strict policy (which I did read) on refunds I just don't cut it. They also make it sound as if they have made every citizen in Co. Louth aware of their location change and inform me that the taxi drivers I met must be retarded. "If you knew the lengths we'd gone to to inform of our location change you woould question the IQs of those you asked for directions" really really almost direct quote. We are now in Cashel, home of the rock of Cashel. And I highly recommend it. We did not visit Blarney Castle while in Cork but we will visit Connemara when we reach Galway! I can't decide if I like Munster (SW Ireland) or Connacht (the remainder of Western Ireland) better but Leinster has proven highly irritating (except Dublin of course). Best wishes to all we're off to a Chinese dinner (big treat)...