Sorry I have not updated in a few days. It seems that I caught a nasty stomach bug and have been getting very well aquainted with the bathroom at the Downhill Hostel. Anyhow, today has been the first day that I have felt well enough to even go anywhere. I am sure you understand.

Well, I left Galway on Thursday morning. I embarked on a five and a half hour bus ride to Derry and several points in between. I saw some beautiful area along the coast, in Donegall and Sligo. But, after that long on the bus, I was ready to go insane. Not to mention that I was starting to feel really rotten.

When I got to Derry, I took the bus to the Train station. I was excited 1.) because I was off the bus and 2.) because I had never been on a train before. The subway and the El don't count. The girl next to me had to reassure me as we went along that nothing was happening when the train started to rock as we went down the track. I took her word for it. I was a neophyte to the whole train travel world. I told her I had never been on a train. She looked at me like I was from Mars. She said "You've never been on train? (think heavy german accent) "I thought all people ride the train." I told her my city wasn't really big enough to have a train system and well, most people in the States have cars. She thought I was a freak. Oh, by the way, I get a triple word score for using neophyte in a sentence!

The train ride from Derry to Castlerock was absolutely amazing. It runs right along the coast and my written description could not do it any justice. I got to Castlerock in just over 30 minutes. Thankfully, it was short because I was feeling like a kid who needed some ritalin otherwise. I was ready to explode from sitting so long.

Well, it seems that Castlerock is a very small village. Yep, small enough to not have an ATM. Normally, this wouldn't have been a problem, but I didn't get any money changed before I left Galway. The North uses Pounds, not Euro. I had plenty of Euro, but no pounds.

I walked down to the grocery store, hoping against hope that they had an ATM, or as they call it, A money till. Nope, no money till. They told me I should try the hotel. They had a till. So, I walked to the hotel. Yeah, the money till was out of order. Okay, this is really beginning to be a bad day. As luck would have it, a nice girl who works at the hotel came out as I was leaving. I told her I had no pounds and no way to call the hostel. Then, I started crying. I was hungry and cold and lugging around two bags. I had been on a bus all day and I was just exhausted.

She called the hostel for me, but William, the owner didn't have the car. So, he told me to wait for the bus. Yeah, it would be coming along any minute now. I cried again. Julie, the girl from the hotel said she would call her dad and see if he could come and take me to the hostel. She rang him and asked, but her mum had the car and her dad couldn't come. Then, she did the most amazing thing. She called a cab for me and paid for it out of her pocket. She was my new hero. I thanked her a million times and promised to come and see her before I left so I could give her back the £2.50 for the cab.

So, I get the the Downhill Hostel, which is amazing, by the way. It sits right on the beach. You can check it out at www.downhillhostel.com . Anyhow, I got settled in my room and William gave me the grand tour. The place has views of the beach from just about every room. I was totally in love with the place.

I sat down with the bus schedule so I could figure out how to get someplace where I could get money and groceries. I thought I had it all figured out, but the bus schedule in the North doesn't run as smoothly or on time as Bus Eireann in the Republic. I did catch a bus, which was late, but since they don't tell you what the stop is, I got off too early.

I started walking, hoping to find a bank or a store. I did run into a person and she told me the Costcutters was at the top of the hill and they had a money till. Yeah, I don't know what planet she was from, because there was no Costcutters at the top of the hill. I kept walking and walking, hoping that maybe I could find someone outside who could tell me where the store happened to be. It started to rain and as the day was getting worse, I started to cry again.

DISCLAIMER....Never get into a car with someone you don't know, unless they offer you a ride and it is raining and you are crying

Okay, so I flagged down this guy who was pulling out of a farm yard. He stopped and I asked him where the store was. He said it was right down the road. I told him I was lost. He said to hop in and he'd take me to the store and then back to the hostel. He was in the Coast Guard and he patrolled the area around the hostel. I knew that he had to be okay.

Unfortunately, the money till at the store didn't like my card and wouldn't give me any money. But, the store did take Visa, and well, I could get food. So, I got some food and my coast guard pal took me back to the hostel. He told me that I wasn't lost, I just didn't know where I was. That is the Irish way of saying you're lost.

I settled down at the hostel with a nice cup of tea by the fire and watched the storm that was brewing roll in. It wasn't a storm with thunder and lightening, but lots of wind and rain. I was happy I was inside and not out in the storm.

Yesterday, I was feeling not so great. But, since the weather had cleared up, the rain had passed on and the sun was out, I decided to go out and walk on the beach. There were lots of Jelly Fish on the beach that had washed up during the night. I got close enough to get my feet wet....brrr, the water was frigid. Yeah, I won't be doing that again. I walked along and took pictures of the area. It is amazing.

But, then my stomach decided that it was in control and I spent the rest of the day in bed and in the bathroom. No fun I tell you and not a laughing matter. Finally, Lily, the other girl in my room, came up to see where I was. I told her of my plight and she had some imodium in her bag. Thanks be to God!

So, I spent the evening by the fire relaxing and watching the ocean. Life is hard. Yeah, right.

Today I came into Coleraine, which is a nice sized town. I found an ATM that liked my card, I got some more medicine for my stomach and I got to this fantastic library that has internet access. I know that you were all worried that I had fallen off the face of the earth, but no, I am here. And, feeling much better.

Tomorrow is laundry day! Hopefully, I can find a church to go to Mass either today or tomorrow. I don't think that will be hard. Monday, I think I might go to Derry or the Giant's Causeway. I have to see what schedule works out the best. I wanted to see both and go to Belfast, but being sick kind of changed all that.

Well, I have been typing forever! I will probably update again on Monday or Tuesday, depending on where I am at. Tuesday, I leave for Drogheda, just north of Dublin. I'll be back in the Republic and back to Euro's. Moral to the story, always get your money changed before you leave from one country to the next and keep some imodium with you all the time. Otherwise, you get very familiar with the bathroom. And, well, that's no fun. Love ya all, Heather