Arrival in Westport (part two)
1-29-06 – The Arrival – part 2
It was a very tight area to pull into. The taxi driver got out and looked at a note on the door, but none were addressed to me. The notes said the hostel would be closed till Monday evening. It was only Saturday and no one was around. I wonder where she is? The driver said, is someone coming to meet you? I said yes, but she didn’t know when I would be arriving. He asked if I wanted him to call someone. I said that would be great. We tried the phone numbers that were on the notes on the door, but no answer. I had no idea what to do, nor did the driver. I felt that he didn’t know what to do with me; he had to get back for the next train. So I said, just let me out here, I’ll figure it out. He was a bit reluctant just leaving me here, but did as I asked. He drove off and I was alone. I didn’t have any idea what I would do. I sat in this alley way.
I figured that it was going to be dark soon and with how cold it was currently, I in no way wanted to still sitting in this ally. I couldn’t leave my bags so I put them all on and walked up the hill to the street. I wanted to die! Again I cursed these bags and went to the only other place that I knew that had rooms. If I could just get a room, I could then dump this stuff and attempt to find the owner of the hostel.
I drag and pull and push the bags and myself up the hill to Dunnings and got inside. No one is around; it’s a very old two-story building. I try to get my bags in the doors and get stuck in the narrow hallway. I see a sign to the pub and go in and a girl comes around and asks if she can help. I ask if she has a bed tonight. She says they are 35 euro a night and she would check for me. She returns and says they are full. I could try the red door down the hill; they have a few beds down there. I was so defeated; I asked if I could leave my bags here as I look for a bed? She said I could leave them in the computer room. The computer room is a very small front parlor. It has 4 computers smashed into it, sided by side. I put the big red monster backpack behind the door and take the rest with me. I go back out the narrow doors and make my way back down the hill to the red door. I buzz and a young man comes out. I tell him that I need a single room for the night. He said there are no singles. I said I’d take anything. He says he has nothing for the night. He suggests that I go back up the hill past Dunnings and across the Octagon to the first street to McCarthy’s, they might have a room. I later find that because it is so early in the year, a lot of places aren’t yet open for the season – and the Irishmen around the area all come into Westport for a weekend of drinking and they stay in the available beds. I am exhausted as I pull the bags into McCarthy’s pub. It’s dark and full of men of all ages and they are around the bar. I come around to the side and a woman is behind the bar. I ask if she has a room? She says she has none. I was so done. She said that at this time of year….and she told me to try these 2 or 3 other places. I said, is there a phone book? I would rather have my fingers do the walking rather then my feet. She looked confused at that statement and pulls out a single plastic coated sheet of paper and looks over it. Apparently it has all the rooms on it. She looks perplexed, as she looks this over. She is trying to decide where I could call.
I take off my wool coat, I was panting and sweating my ass off and I just needed to sit for a minute. I can feel the panic coming up in my throat. And I don’t think that I was hiding it very well. She asked how did I come without a room? I said that I was to meet the owner of the Old Mill Hostel and they weren’t there. I needed to find them, but I couldn’t keep caring my luggage with me. She said that I could leave it here; she would keep an eye on it. I said “thank you so much!” (Now I had a bag at Dunnings and one at McCarthy’s….I’m all over the place! She kept looking at a man at the bar and he got up and took my roll behind and put it somewhere. She asked if I had a number for the person that I’m looking for? I said I did, but there was no answer. She took the paper from me and I said, I wasn’t sure what she said on the recording, but these are the numbers that I think she said. She picked up the phone and dialed them. I guess someone answered and she said, can you hold? She handed the phone to me. I was shocked and said “hello?” It was a woman. I told her what my name was and I said I talked to Alfia and he said that I could come and barter for a room with laundry? She was a bit confused and said, “Oh, you mean Alfia- that’s not a man- it’s a woman!” I apologized and she said, I thought you were coming in on Sunday? I said that I had to come in early due to the schedule- and I wrote back. I never thought she wouldn’t have gotten it. She said, no problem, she could meet me in a bit. I asked what was a bit? She said, I’m about 10 minutes from the hostel; I’ll meet you there. I thanked her so much and then thanked the God-Gift woman behind the bar and gathered my things and made my way back to Dunniings to get my other bag.
I got everything back to the hostel and just dropped like a sack of potatoes onto the big red monster and just waited. A woman came down the alley way and said “Kym, aren’t you freezing?” I struggled to get up and she said Alfia isn’t here yet? Don’t worry, she knows you’re here she’ll be along in at bit. I dropped back down. Not her- but whom was this woman? And this woman just kept on walking.
A minute or two later, a young girl came running down the alleyway. She had a colorful earmuff on her head and a sweat jacket and she was tiny. She said, “Kym, you must be freezing!” Do you need help as she leaned down and picked up my bag and went to the back of the building.
We entered the hostel through really old oval doorway. It was huge room (for Irish standards). It had build in counters on almost 2 on the 4 sides to the room. It had 2 refrigerator (small), 2 sinks, and a water boiler – for hot water, a couple ovens and cook tops. The upper cabinets had no doors, which gave the impression that they were just boxes on the wall. The box’s are for you to put your food while you are staying at the hostel. It had 2 long 12-person picnic tables. In one corner are a smaller 6-person table and a pay phone. The other corner is a small sitting area for 4 and a wonderful old linen cabinet that I would love to have. There is one green door to the reception office. The whole space was very clean and neat.
The whole hostel is really 2 different buildings and 2 floors of each. The first building holds the “common room and reception” on the first floor. You then go outside and in another door up to the male and female dorms. They are housed on 2 different floors the men being the 1st floor and the woman on the second. Each floor has a very large bathroom with individual stalls for the toilet and separate stalls for showers. It has 3 sinks in each bathroom. Down the long hall with exposed stone from the original mill, which is very cold – being all the stone. It has 2 very old character wood windows that are original. You enter into the dorm area. There are 2 doors – one-room houses 6 bunk beds and 1 single and the other has about 20 bunk beds. Each of the rooms has a few walls of the original stone and the character windows. They have an industrial carpet through out and 1 or 2 heaters per room. On the beds are down quills with a topper and a clean sheet and pillow with case. The beds cost 16.50 euro per night.
The other building houses the staff room, which is a mid size, room with a few odd seats and a single bed, a very nice hot shower and a washer and dryer. It’s the overflow room and has assorted items stored in there. Then you go out that door and up stairs to a small floor that has the single rooms. There are only 2 and they each hold a metal bunk bed the bottom bunk is a double and the top is a single. There is a toilet and sink that each room shares. She put in one of the rooms. Here too, two walls are exposed stone, but they have been painted – which is so sad. They are both very cold and have one low putout heater in each room.
There is one more room that you can only get in from the alleyway. It is a large room that is a bathroom. It’s very cold.
So the entire complex consists of 2 buildings and 2 floor each and lots of steps and in and out and in and outs. There are also other shops in this little alleyway including apartments. I haven’t quite figured it all out. But I will. There is an herb store next to a flower shop/garden center. They are housed in a building that is much newer then the hostel- but where built to be an exact replica of the mill. So I thought it was all one mill. But it is not owned by Alfia’s parents- they are separate buildings. My main thought is – are they any warmer? This is a very old building and they couldn’t have the more modern conviences as a new building.
They are also building another building in replica to the Mill, which will be attached to the Mill. I was impressed that someone is smart enough to build new with such detail to the look of old. I am very impressed.
She apologized that she hadn’t made up my room yet- thinking that I wouldn’t be in till Sunday. I said I was sorry- I never thought she didn’t get the reply about my early arrival. She gave me sheets and she talked a mile a minute. She was so friendly and trusting! She gave me skeleton keys to the Common room and the staff room and the outside entrance bathroom. She gave me the codes to the 2 entrances to the dorms and my floor. I was shocked! She just gave a virtual stranger key and codes and she was leaving me for the night! She was like a world-wind and then she was gone.
I put my stuff in my room and went to the Common room and just dropped into the seating area and finally breathed. I was finally here- now what?
Kym
Tags: hostels, Travel, Westport Ireland
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