John Kenny's World Cup Diary
Entry 11 - 26 March
So Jamaica is behind us and it's off to Guyana for Ireland's next three games in the Super 8s. We have games against England, South Africa and New Zealand to come at the Providence Stadium in the South American country which is nevertheless considered part of the Caribbean.
Jamaica gave us a nasty send-off on Sunday when my two companions and I headed into Ocho Rios for a little shopping as we took a break from the hotel surroundings.
Signs located at points outside the hotel warn that guests are at their own risk should they leave the area. Outside the hotel, tourists are hassled at every turn and when I asked one to back off, he produced a knife. Not in a threatening way, as he just showed it to me. He pronounced himself as 'crazy' and I believed him.
We, needless to say, went back to the hotel compound as quickly as we could. Even then, as we approached the gates, we were hustled by a guy who claimed he had been deported from Miami after spending 24 years in the US. They just kept on coming before we got back to the hotel and the encounters added to our experiences of Jamaica.
It's also hard to know what I am heading into in Guyana as I cross the Blue Mountains back to Kingston to catch my flight to Miami and then onto South America.
Many of my press collegues are already there but have been trapped in their hotels by non-stop rain. It also rained a lot in Jamaica, by the way.
According to local sources in Guyana, the World Cup organisers have warned of potential chaos at matches there his week because the Providence Stadium is still not ready despite the fact that the first match between South Africa and Sri Lanka is due to take place there on Wednesday.
Amongst the many problems are apparent failures to provide security and crowd control turnstiles, accreditation facilities which are not ready, and power shortages are also expected at the stadium.
Apparently the Queen's Park Oval in Trinidad, and Jamaica's Trelawny Stadium which hosted the opening ceremony, are on stand-by to stage the six matches planned for Georgetown.
That's the last thing I need to hear.
After Ireland qualified for the Super 8s, my collegues back in RTÉ have been working to get lines and match tickets sorted out in time for Friday's game against England. There were some problems with our lines in Kingston and hopefully that won't happen in Guyana but the portents are not good.
RTÉ TV's Robbie Irwin went with the Irish squad to Georgetown on Saturday and intends to go to the stadium on Monday to check out the venue. Let's hope it's good news.
