Irish Music is Great

Another month... pinch and a punch for the first day of the month and no returns! Don't you hate that saying?

Another pic of me enjoying the scenery.

I can't believe I'm approaching the half way point of my trip RTW. How time flies. But I sure am looking forward to getting to Perth now. I do hope this visit back home re-juvenates my desire to continue travelling because I'm losing interest. Maybe I should get to my preferred countries (Spain, Portugal and Peru) asap. I've since learnt that I prefer the radically different countries to Australia (bar China perhaps???)... I feel awkward travelling alone in Western countries such as Ireland (but love the anonymity so it doesn't really matter). It's just not the same as travelling through Thailand. My dorm room is testament to that... it is empty bar 1 other. Maybe young backpackers have become quite astute in bypassing those countries that are extremely pricey and/or hold little interest for them?

Beautiful coastal scenery, Irish style.

But I am enjoying most aspects of Ireland... last night was great. I went to a very Irish pub with traditional music and had quite a few Murphy's beers and enjoyed listening to and moving to the Irish music... I think I should be collecting more CDs as I travel so I have at least something to share with my students! I've found the women in the pub are friendlier... had a few that said 'hello'. The Irish are definitely friendlier than the British but to tell you the truth, the accent is VERY difficult to understand. Half the time, I just nod my head as to say I understand when in fact I don't!

This morning, I spent 5 hours driving around the Ring of Kerry. Whilst beautiful in parts, I sure have done better drives (south Island of NZ being a prime example). The drive I did today didn't really have much for the tourist except the National Park which was ordinary by world standards. The interior of the ring is rocky. I passed through many towns - very small, narrow streets which makes driving hazardous. The driving was slow as well... the roads were littered with other travellers. It's a long weekend here so that didn't help.

Irish coastal town around Ring of Kerry

So here I am... I'm a bit bored this afternoon so may go out for another round of Murphys before heading back to Cork tomorrow night. Cork is the best town for w/end entertainment, bar Dublin and Belfast. I don't really want to go back but will for the nightlife. After Cork, I will return to the west coast (maybe Limerick and Galway). The days are ticking by quickly... so I want to make the most of my short time here in Ireland. At this stage, I doubt I will go out of my way to return.

Killarney National Park

Ring of Kerry scenery