'In the world of writing about travel, there is often a journey that begins before the journey itself. I have broken myself into the Shannon's embrace, balanced my chakras and survived a fall. The thought-provoking ceremony of the geomancers sets me up for my trip, for these women, the river is the embodiment of grace and beauty. There is a certain sadness at the parting of our ways. I lag behind for a few moments of serenity as a shadowy melancholy prevails, and listen to the underlying sound of the landscape, but it is so quiet you could almost hear a tear drop from a weeping willow.' Book jacket.