Sydney is in my eyes! Today would mark the start of an epic nearly-4000 km journey across Australia from Perth to Sydney, about the same distance as Los Angeles to Miami. Whilst I'll admit by the end of the journey I will not have hitchhiked clearly from coast to coast, as I took public transport as far east as possible. This morning, Dave would take me to the store to pick up some provisions: a large container of water, a bottle of wine, and some snacks. Water is absolutely essential for an Outback crossing no matter what form of transport you're using or what time of year it is. Even if it's heavy it's much safer to lug it around than to not have enough. Dave dropping me off proved helpful since I could buy just a 3-hour ticket rather than an all-day one. I staunchly predicted when I talked to Jo a few days ago that I'd get from Perth to Sydney in one lift. Would that happen? I took the train to Midland, the last stop and had to wait an hour for a bus to Glen Forrest. There's another bus that runs somewhat further east to Sawyers Valley but it doesn't run on Sundays. I wasn't sure how far I'd get today. An advantage I had is that it's Sunday and people would likely be driving back to Kalgoorlie after driving to Perth for the weekend. One short lift would get me a few km up the road before I was picked up by a nice couple named Kevin and Fiona, along with their daughter. "We'll buy you a feed" they said so I opted for chicken and chips with a coffee. They were heading to Northam, nearly 100 km east of Perth. They told me if I got stuck to give them a call and they'd put me up for the evening. There really is something about the people you meet when you travel. Very often I find myself returning to places for the people even more than the place itself. We pulled into a truck stop in Northam, and Kevin asked various truckies where they were heading. One of them was heading to Sydney but said he wasn't allowed to take passengers. Another had agreed to take me to Adelaide and I said goodbye to Kevin and Fiona. They would eventually call me to ensure I was alright. Due to a problem with one of the trailers, I had to get dropped at the corner on the drive into Northam. The truckie had to drive all the way back to Perth which he was upset about because it was his birthday two days later and wanted to spend the day with his children at their home in Adelaide. As disappointing as that was I'd get a lift that would shatter my record for my longest lift. Iain, an expat from the UK, would pick me up only minutes later and he'd be driving all the way to Coff's Harbour! What's most amazing is all the coincidences when thinking of Jo. Last year she picked me up whilst towing a caravan with two small dogs with one named Murphy, and she's a retired courier driver. Iain is towing a caravan, has two small dogs with one named Murphy, and his wife is a courier driver. I had said to Jo before that I might get lucky twice and be picked up by a lady with a caravan but the only difference is that a male driver picked me up. Iain stops driving by sundown because he gets tired easily and kangaroos come out at night. In Australia it's extremely difficult to hitchhike at night since most normal vehicles won't drive at night due to kangaroos and road trains won't stop once they're on the road. Iain lives somewhat south of Perth and he's already driven for several hours today so we'd stop at a rest area just east of Merredin. Iain said he has plenty of food, so he cooked up some chicken schnitzels along with mixed veggies.
After a light tea he'd crack open a few beers and I'd have a few glasses of sauvignon blanc. Outback sunsets are some of the best in the world!
In addition to the Outback, Belize and Norfolk Island have the most gorgeous sunsets I've ever seen. With my tent set up I'd go have a rest, and I'm set for day #2 of this grand hitchhiking adventure.
