Trip 2015-16. Day 60. Ireland, Roosky. Ирландия: Руски

Two months on the road

Today I hitchhiked in Ireland. The first lift gave me a very sweet young lady with two beautiful blond daughters in the back seat. They were going from the ballet school to the fiddle lesson. She asked my name, where I was from, where I was heading to and then said:
- And... you're hitching here, do you feel alright?
- Yes, absolutely. Why?
- I don't want to scare you but didn't other people warn you?
- Yes, they said it might be difficult and ineffective in some areas.
- I mean, there used to be a hitchhiking culture here. I myself spent a lot of time on the side of the road. But then... there were a lot of disappearances. Ten women disappeared. And people stopped hitching in Ireland. Now it's very rare and unusual to see hitchhikers here especially girls...
And she took me to the bus stop.
So, the next ride I got was with two weird looking men. One of them turned out to be Chechen and the other Polish. I drove with them in the midlands where very few people actually live (leave alone hitchhike). Forests, lakes, distant cottages... We spoke in Russian about immigration, jobs and languages. They took me to my final destination and warned me that this “couchsurfing thing” might be dangerous and not suitable for girls.
I smiled.
Now I'm here, in Roosky, in the middle of nowhere being hosted by an amazing guy, musician and story-teller, with a big fluffy dog. He doesn't seem to be either an axe-murderer or a strangler. And he still didn't lock me up in the basement...

Safe travels everybody!