I was going to give you all a break from the blog today, since we’re just traveling by bus from Bunclody to Dublin, but then I ended up with a story to tell so here I am.
I tried to take some photos from the bus but they just didn’t turn out. Here are a couple of sunrise pics anyway.
After breakfast, our hostess drove us back to town where we got on the bus from Bunclody to Dublin. It’s a 2 1/2 hour trip but the scenery is smashing so it wasn’t bad. While we were waiting for the bus a young girl from Germany (fellow Wicklow Way hiker) walked up and wanted to know if it was the right spot for the bus to Dublin. We found out she had also met Joe and Lucy a couple of times on the walk. It’s amazing how many people you meet and run into more than once along the way.
Ok, to my story…
When the bus rolled into Dublin, my phone was probably lounging in my lap, blissfully unaware of its impending adventure. I hopped off, grabbed my bag from the storage area, and off we went in search of our hotel. A few blocks later, I had that heart-sinking moment when I realized my phone was MIA. You know the one—like a mini existential crisis in public.
We made it to the hotel, and I informed the receptionist that my phone had decided to pull a Houdini on the bus. She sprang into action, trying to reach the bus station but got crickets in response. So, she called Ireland Transit and handed me her personal cell phone to file a claim. Let me tell you, filling out that form was like writing a novel, but I persevered. Meanwhile, I was mentally calculating the odds of Kim tracking my phone, but it was the wee hours back home, and his phone was probably on silent, snoring away in the living room. If I called, it might ring, but Kody? Not on the VIP list.
We gave it a shot anyway, but as expected, no answer. Just a couple of minutes later, though, Kody’s phone rang—it was Kim calling back, probably thinking I’d fallen into a leprechaun trap or something. I explained the saga and asked him to work his tracking magic.
He pinpointed my phone at a big bus depot, stationary and hopeful. So, we opted for a taxi to the depot, which turned out to be less of a bus station and more of a bus parking lot for tired drivers and buses. The taxi breezed through the security gate like it owned the place, then dropped us off, leaving us to wander aimlessly like lost sheep in a place where we probably weren’t supposed to be.
We spotted two drivers in their high-visibility vests, and Kody asked if they could help us locate my phone left on bus 132. They sprang into action, checking where bus 132 was parked, only to find it had just gone back into service. One of them whisked us to the supervisor’s office, where we had to recount our bus seating arrangement. The supervisor promised to call the bus driver, who agreed to pull over and search for my phone—no small feat in Dublin traffic, mind you.
After what felt like an eternity, the supervisor returned with a classic “good news, bad news” spiel. Naturally, I opted for the bad news first. He said the bad news was that my phone was at a downtown bus station, but the good news? They found it! Honestly, in my book, that was a win-win situation.
Picture this: we were a few miles from the station, scratching our heads about calling another taxi, when the supervisor swooped in like a superhero. With a sprinkle of charm and about 20 minutes of finagling, he had one of the drivers fetch a bus just for us. And guess what? Another supervisor hopped on board, and that out-of-service bus whisked us straight to our destination free of charge. Talk about Irish hospitality at its finest!
Everyone involved really went the extra mile. If you think God is not in the details, think again!
- The lovely lady at the hotel reception was on the phone like a detective on a case, making sure someone picked up, and even lent me her cellphone to file my claim.
- Kim did NOT silence his phone last night and was jolted awake by the ringing.
- Just before I left home I set him up to track my whereabouts.
- That bus was parked long enough for him to play detective.
- My phone? Still chilling on the bus—nobody had swiped it.
- The two drivers at the depot jumped into action, like knights on a quest, to locate the bus.
- The supervisor was on the case, too, calling the driver.
- In the midst of chaotic traffic, the bus driver pulled over, searched high and low, and found my phone, returning it like a hero.
- The supervisor didn’t rest until he tracked it down and arranged our ride to the station. He even called ahead to let the inspector know we were on our way.
Now that’s God at work!
I filed that claim with the transit system, and they promised to email Kody if they found it. But guess what? She’s still waiting for that email.
And another plus? We didn’t have anything planned for the day anyway! How’s that for a little adventure?
