Northern Ireland is wicked cool …. Just ignore the terrorist and bombing and you’ll be fine

Graveyard Stone With Cool Markings

Now entering Free Derry ….

First stop was Derry or London Derry or Free Derry. We did stop at small sites along the way seeing a graveyard and a small town for lunch. That’s the thing about tours … you don’t get to choose … you just follow. Plus since the bus had almost all Australians with the exception of me from Malaysia and two girls from Canada …. I was practically on a party bus of GET DRUNK EVERY NIGHT TOUR.

I remember Derry as a the place we went to spend a night and got drunk. We went to a  pub where there were so many locals and I practically stood out. Locals just came up and started talking and one even grab me for a dance. I also got introduce to the one song that everyone somehow knows how to sing … or will know how to sing if you ever set foot in Ireland … Galway Girl … now downloaded and saved in my mp3 list.

Looking back I realized Derry was a solemn place … coming from a multiracial community back home Derry was a sad place to me.

Free Derry

Rope Bridge

Day two on the tour was Belfast … but along the way we visited the giant causeway seeing natural forms of hexagonal pillars from volcanic lava cooled rapidly by the sea forming basalt stone structures… there was of course a mythic story to it like a fairytale which I was still a bit hangover to read the full story off the post. The view in one word astonishing. One small thrill was crossing a small wobbly wooded rope bridge which had a huge drop to the ocean.

Belfast was late in the evening and almost all of us hop on the black cab taxi tour. The black cab taxi tour was one of the best of the trip. We had these cabs which took us around Belfast explaining to us how much the catholic and protestant there hate each other and built a wall to separate their community and that there was only 3% of mixed community. The black cabs was used during the old days as a hitman vehicle hence if you see one normally you go running …. But now they use it to ferry tourist who will shoot you down with photographs. Like Derry there was also amazing murals painted all over the city with the recent peace agreement on 1998.

The Monalisa of Belfast ... That Eye will follow you while you walk from left to right

The three old chaps taxi drivers that took us around and told us stories was a blast . One even started the tour guide with safety instructions …

“If I RUN ,…. YOU RUN !!”

We all came from peaceful place hence we did not thought much about it … it wasn’t until all the history and stories of the terrorism in Belfast and the reason behind it that we realized he was f*cking serious. 1998 is only quite recent if you think about it … still 1st generation …. They still hate each other I guess
The unforgettable was the dung poop joke.

“Stand off the grass! You want to keep that leg you héar me”
“Here in Belfast they mixed gunpowder into the dog food so becareful where you step .. Coz if you step on dog poop you might just loose a leg” 

* After two minutes* His partner says …

“Dun believe that bloke … he’s full of crap”

Belfast was a slow night still we did drink quite a bit. I for that one day retired early .. 1 am

My uncle’s quote when I met him a few weeks later back in England

“ I told you whatever you do, don’t go to Northern Ireland for its not safe …. and what do you do …. Go to bloody northern Ireland …. Well you are back and safe now at lease”

I told him it look pretty nice and safe while I was there …. He cited a bombing reported in the newspaper the day after I left Belfast …. Oh well ….