Bus Rides Pt. 2 - Day 023

After getting into Belfast, I walked to the train station and waited there.  A security guard let me in and I asked him where I needed to go to take the ferry.  He showed me a map and told me directions.  I walked a nice walk to the ferry station.  It was perfect timing for an early morning ferry.

Going through customs at the docks was more trouble than when I got into Ireland.  Many more details about where I was going, why, and how long were inquired than before.  The man even called someone on the phone while looking over my passport to do a background check or something.  Everything cleared, thankfully, and he let me on.  The ferry ride wasn't too long, but I slept the whole way.  Quite a nice sleep too, I got to sprawl out on a long leather couch.

I arrived in Stranraer and fancied myself a huge breakfast of eggs, sausage, and bacon.  After that I walked to the Tourist Information place and learned which bus to take to get to Edinburgh.  The bus stop was outside and just across the street from a police station.  A ways past the bus stop was a terminal where passengers could wait.  It was raining and I preferred to wait inside so I walked on past the bus stop.  From previous walks around the city, I noticed many public toilets that require a small fee to use them.  Walking past one I saw a lady waiting at the door to use one.  I didn't think anything of it at the moment.

After waiting in the terminal where I brushed my teeth in the bathrooms, and charged my laptop and iPod, I headed on back to the bus stop for my 1:06 bus.  A police officer walked directly across the street to question myself and some of the folks around me waiting at the bus stop.  He asked how long we had been there and if we had seen a purse.  I told him I waited there previously for a short while and then just returned.  He told us of a lady who waited at the bus stop, then used the toilets, and somewhere lost her purse.  Since I was the only one who had possibly seen the lady, he wanted my name and my home address and stuff.  It wasn't really a big deal, but it was kind of entertaining to me.  The officer was very nice and asked me about my holiday and everything.

From the town of Stranraer I took the bus to Ayr, then to Glasgow and finally, my last bus for a while, to Edinburgh.  In two days it was 7 bus rides and 1 ferry ride.  This is going to be the hardest part of the budget to remember, but I will attempt to recall the prices.  I think I still have some receipts too.

I got to my hostel in Edinburgh and finally did laundry.  I had some time to walk around the city, too.  I loved everything about Scotland right from the start.

Budget: Currency change!

Food in Belfast: £3.75 ($7.41)

Ferry ride: £25 ($49.41)

Food in Stranraer: £4 ($7.91)

Bus rides 1 & 2: £8 ($15.81)

Bus ride 3: £5.10 ($10.08)

Hostel: £18 ($35.59)

Laundry: £3 ($5.93)

Food in Edinburgh: £2.80 ($5.54)

Total (this is gonna be bad): £69.65 ($137.66) Ouch!