After leaving James at 3am, I caught a rickshaw to the airport, heading for Amman. I landed just ten minutes before my connecting flight to Dublin, so I ended up spending yet another day in Jordan. Not that I don’t like the country, I am just a little bored of it. I spent a little extra on a room with television and air conditioning, and whiled the day away catching up on my sleep and the Olympics.
The next morning I went back to the airport and flew to London, then Dublin. I stopped in a World of Whiskeys Shop in Heathrow, and got a good sample and lesson in the different types of that lovely nectar. Finally arriving in Dublin, I left my bags at the airport and found my way to town without too much trouble. Ruth recommended the Four Courts Hostel, and it is quite nice. I wandered over to the Brazen Head, the oldest pub in Ireland (established 1198). I quaffed a thick and hearty Irish stew and a pint of Guinness, but soon found out that my stomach was not yet up to the challenge. I spent the night in between the bed and the toilet; surely not the first time that this particular hostel has seen sick travelers. However, it was not the evening out on the town that I had planned for myself. The next morning I walked over to the Guinness Storehouse at St James Gate, but was disinclined to pay 15 euros for a tour. The smell of beer and the sight of the brewery was enough for me. So, back to the airport, through US customs in Dublin (strangely enough), and then back on a plane to the states.