Grand Adventure Part 5 (Isle of Man)

We (Paddye and I) got to work right away on finishing up event entries and worked until it was time for opening ceremonies. It was a wee bit chilly but pretty cool to see all the young athletes parade into the opening. Some of them were so little (gymnasts)! It was a pretty impressive show; of course, youth driven. All the performers, dancers, and parkour artists were youth (except for the Vikings, that is ... whom we learned were actual members of a local Viking club).

The grand finale of the opening ceremonies. 

The following days were filled with results. We based ourselves at the NSC where badminton and swimming were taking place and the track was right next to it. We found a little corner in the cafe and called it home for about 12 hours each day ... to the point that a few volunteers came to see us each day to say hello and have a little chat!

Achini and Upuli - Sri Lanka Womens Doubles Team (white) in action against the Aussies;

The volunteers were remarkable. Everywhere we went they were so friendly and so helpful. If they didn't have an answer, they were certainly going to find it. If we looked alone, they'd sit with us to chat and tell us all about the Isle of Man. I love volunteers!



I wish I could say that I witnessed some pretty amazing sport performances, but truth was that we barely got any time away from our computers. I did manage to sneak away and see the final few points in the badminton match which Sri Lanka won the bronze medal in women's doubles. We got glimpses of the track as there were floor to ceiling windows in the cafe. It's amazing how disciplined, intense, and in shape these young athlete are! I most certainly was not at that point when I was 16 and maybe it was just that I didn't know what high performance sport really meant.

Everyday, having arrived with little rest, we got more and more exhausted. Our giggles and uncontrollable fits of laughter got more frequent as some of the littlest silly mistakes or forgetfulness became hilarious. There were times we laughed so hard I couldn't remember the last time I was in stitches like that! The long hours glued to our computers resulted in some pretty rewarding moments though. When we ran our first report to look for mistakes it was amazing how much data we had entered and how easily we could manipulate it in Zeus. Even cooler was that even as we were updating throughout the days of competition, someone at CGC was able to see our updates real-time while she was looking for Canadian results. Basically, any CGA using Zeus had access to these results as soon as we could enter them and run their own customized reports for their needs. Additionally, these results automatically updated to their databases of athletes so they don't have to do any data entry. The results are linked to the athletes forever so if an athlete competes these results stay with that name in Zeus. Cool, eh? Maybe not ... but I'm a bit of a geek.

And for your enjoyment, some photos! 

Grand Adventure Part 4 (Ireland to Isle of Man)

Sorry for the hiatus! I was prepping for, then attended the South Asian Beach Games in Hambantota the last two weeks. But, to pick up where I left off...

We had our tickets booked from Dublin to Douglas, Isle of Man departing roughly around 10am to arrive in Douglas at 1pm. We got up and left the hostel just after 9am to catch a bus to the ferry terminal, only to find they don't run a bus service for the Isle of Man Steam Packet ferry (they only do for Irish Ferries and maybe the Stena Line). So we paid an exorbitant amount for a cab to get to the Dublin Ferry Port where we immediately found out our ferry had been cancelled due to rough seas.

Now, this doesn't happen very often. They gave us our alternative route to which we went O.O and :O We looked for a way we could call Richard, our CGF Zeus guru and supervisor at the Games (and with all things related to Zeus). I had no credit left on my mobile phone and there was no free wi-fi. Paddye ponied up her credit card and used their public phone to call (the bill, we later found out, was also exorbitant) and find out what we should do. Booking last minute flights turned out to be way too expensive so the alternative route we would travel. Here is our journey, documented in photos:

Leg 1: Dublin Ferry Port to Dun Lagohaire Ferry Terminal @11:30am

Leg 2: Dun Lagohaire to Holyhead, Wales @1:15pm

Leg 3: Holyhead to Liverpool @3:45pm

We had dinner in Liverpool in this awesome little pub in the downtown/financial district (which was deserted by 6pm, by the way). It was cheap (i.e. less than 10 pounds for dinner) and DELICIOUS. And the staff were so nice ... they got the ingredient list for the things I wanted to eat and just really understood that an allergy is not to be taken lightly. They were concerned when their bread didn't have an ingredients list. So sweet. In the end we tipped them a little bit and they were so shocked that we would want to do that for them. They had to ask if we were sure we wanted to leave a tip and we were both like, "yeah!".

Leg 4: Liverpool to Heysham @ 9pm

Leg 5: Heysham to Douglas, Isle of Man @ 2:15am

Leg 6: Douglas Ferry Terminal to Hotel @ 6:15am (luckily this was only 2 minute ride).There's no photo here because we were so exhausted from the cold on and off again napping on the ferry and well, I think I just simply forgot.

By the way, we didn't shower that morning because we were staying in a hostel in Dublin and just couldn't be bothered to. We thought that we'd be just a few hours away from a posh hotel with an awesome shower and decided we'd just wait. We were so wrong in that decision! So what was supposed to be a simple, 3 hour, ferry trip turned into a 19 hour journey. Needless to say, were exhausted and feeling rather gross. We checked into the hotel, showered, took a 2 hour nap, then went straight into our work! 

Grand Adventure - Part 3 (Ireland)

After a relaxing and scenic journey by train, ferry, tram, and train again, I get to Limerick where I find my colleague Paddye, her friend Lisa, and Lisa's friend Kate just arriving at the same time I did. Perfect timing! We load my giant backpack into Lisa's car and just a few minutes later we're at her family's place. Our amazing hosts, the Buckleys, had put Paddye and I in their guesthouse for our stay. We just chatted a bit, made some dinner, then went to the bar briefly after. I passed out that evening in what probably was the comfiest bed of my month long trip. I had buried myself so well in the duvet/blanket that night that when Paddye came in she didn't even know I was in the bed!

Blarney Castle

Kissing the Blarney Stone.

The next day, Kevin (Lisa's bro) and Kate took us to see the Blarney Castle as I really wanted to kiss the Blarney Stone (nope, no gift of gab yet). The castle is pretty cool but I had no idea it was such a large ground with all sorts of gardens and other little remnants of what life was like here a few hundred years ago. I almost wish I had more time to just wander around the grounds! They were so well kept and it was so peaceful ... not a lot of people which was so unlike to what I've been accustomed to the last 4.5 months and all the sights in India.

We headed back to Limerick in the afternoon to quickly pack up our stuff and make the trip to Kilkee where the Buckleys have a weekend home right on the coastline. We went for a walk to where the cliffs were (gorgeous!), then went back where we changed into our swimsuits (yes, swimsuits in 15 degree weather) for a "dip" in the Atlantic. Little did we know on our chilly walk down that we were being brought to the diving boards at swimming spot nicknamed "Newfie". The original plan had been to go to the Pollock Holes, three "swimming pools" exposed in the rocks at low tide.

Paddye and I were definitely hesitant. Here we are, standing at the edge of the Atlantic in fall weather, with diving boards that were probably 4m above the water. Without hesitation, Kevin goes first, followed shortly by Lisa. "How is it?" Paddye and I ask. "Refreshing" they reply. They climb out so they can man the cameras for Paddye and my turn. Paddye steps on to the diving board with quite a bit of doubt ... after some self-convincing she goes for it. In she goes, and we wait for her to come back up. When she does, she exclaims that "this is NOT refreshing, it's coooold!". Now it's my turn. I step on to the diving board. It's cold under my feet. I look down ... the water is clear but it's dark. It looks really cold. I think "heck, who knows when I'll be on a coast of the Atlantic again". I look back and think, "here goes". I walk to the edge and knowing that if I stop I probably will never make the jump so I leap right off the edge. It seemed like forever before I hit the water, but when I did it was FREEZING cold. I swam as fast as I could to the surface which seemed like an endless swim. When I made it, my first words were "OH MY GOSH IT IS SO COLD" and made a beeline for the ladder out of the water.

Lisa and Kevin made a couple more jumps, then we headed back to the house where we all had warm showers then started cooking the most amazing meal ever. Fresh greens, lightly blanched broccoli (crunchy broccoli ... I get limp stuff here which I don't buy), bbq corn on the cob, bbq chicken, and mashed potatoes. Yum! It was also Lisa and Kevin's parent's anniversary so Lisa baked a cake while I made a apple crumble. We socialized a bit, watched some X-Factor, then brought the treats over to her parents who were hanging out with some of their friends. We celebrated and they took turns singing popular and Irish songs acapella (such musical people!). When it came to Paddye and I we really had nothing. We don't really sing ... and well, we both suck at memorizing lyrics. =P

The Cliffs of Moher

The next day we slept in a bit, had a really chill breakfast, then made the trip to the Cliffs of Moher. We got drenched in a downpour, but the most amazing rainbows (yes, I saw a double rainbow), Irish Stew, a half pint of Guinness and the best jam ever made it all better. We drove through The Burren, through all sorts of farm land and fields stopping at old churches and castles (and whatever looked awesome) along the way. It was one of the most scenic drives I have ever been on and was wishing I could do it on bike (although the winds would make it HARD). Eventually, we made it back to Limerick, had an easy night then got ready for our train trip next morning to Dublin.

The Temple Bar in Dublin. 

Dublin was nice ... but not as nice as Limerick and the countryside so we didn't feel too inspired to snap a lot of shots. However, like London, I loved that there were old buildings everywhere and the sites were so well preserved. Paddye and I also did a bit of shopping at Penney's which is kinda like H&M but has a way better accessories section. In the evening we met up with one of Paddye's friends who just moved from Canada to Dublin, chatted at the pub and enjoyed the live Irish music in the background.



The next morning we were ready to depart for the Isle of Man! But that alone, is a story for my next entry.

Check out my Ireland photos here. I'm too lazy to upload them to my Picasa account =P. If a pop up tells you that you need to log in, just click cancel and you can continue to view my photos!

Look closely and you'll find the double rainbow. Unfortunately this photo did not do the rainbows justice!