On the Ghan, vol. 2
12.-13.08.2007
Sunday arvo. ‘Welcome back onboard the Legendary Ghan,’ says a voice on the load speakers. The train is about to depart for Adelaide 1600 km south from Alice Springs. The famous Red Kangaroo Daynighter carriage is fully packed this time and we spend a fair bit of time trying to find our two seats (17 and 18) amongst the other passengers and their hundred bags. Ann grabs the window seat and is evidently disappointed to find out that only half of her rocking chair is in front of the window and the other half remains behind the wall, and spends half of the journey snoozing away wrapped in a sleeping bag from top to bottom. 90% of the co-passengers in our half of the carriage are in their best age and move around in slow motion between their seats and the rest rooms. Regularly. The other half is occupied by a 10-headed aboriginal family whose youngest members run around the train half naked playing a monkey-game. And we are trapped in the middle. Ann escapes to the lounge area soon after the train’s taken off and leaves me to listen to a lively discussion that starts more or less like this: ‘Back in the times of the Old Ghan when we travelled from Adelaide to Alice Springs, …’ About an hour into the sunset, my co-passengers start moving around. Actively making their way through the lounge area to the diner car (it’s dinner time!) and return ‘home’ soon after the darkness kicks in. Early birds. One after another they hop into something that resembles to a pajamas, watch a movie ‘Around the World in 80 Days’ (great choice, guys!) and hit the sack in their rocking chairs. I’m horrified thinking that 99% of them will be snoring my dreams away tonight, but they behave themselves surprisingly well till the morning arrives and they need to roll up all the blinds to admire the sunrise. No offence, guys, I’ve had a great journey with you! :) And the landscape is beautiful, yellow-green hills with cattle chewing their brekky. The wild has turned overnight into the civilized. The desert has turned into the meadows. The red has become green, and the Outback has remained behind. We’ve made it back.. back to the civilization! Next stop: Adelaide. And I’m acclimatizing. From 28*C/sunny in Alice Springs to 15*C/partly cloudy in Adelaide. Good-bye, thongs! :(
Sunday arvo. ‘Welcome back onboard the Legendary Ghan,’ says a voice on the load speakers. The train is about to depart for Adelaide 1600 km south from Alice Springs. The famous Red Kangaroo Daynighter carriage is fully packed this time and we spend a fair bit of time trying to find our two seats (17 and 18) amongst the other passengers and their hundred bags. Ann grabs the window seat and is evidently disappointed to find out that only half of her rocking chair is in front of the window and the other half remains behind the wall, and spends half of the journey snoozing away wrapped in a sleeping bag from top to bottom. 90% of the co-passengers in our half of the carriage are in their best age and move around in slow motion between their seats and the rest rooms. Regularly. The other half is occupied by a 10-headed aboriginal family whose youngest members run around the train half naked playing a monkey-game. And we are trapped in the middle. Ann escapes to the lounge area soon after the train’s taken off and leaves me to listen to a lively discussion that starts more or less like this: ‘Back in the times of the Old Ghan when we travelled from Adelaide to Alice Springs, …’ About an hour into the sunset, my co-passengers start moving around. Actively making their way through the lounge area to the diner car (it’s dinner time!) and return ‘home’ soon after the darkness kicks in. Early birds. One after another they hop into something that resembles to a pajamas, watch a movie ‘Around the World in 80 Days’ (great choice, guys!) and hit the sack in their rocking chairs. I’m horrified thinking that 99% of them will be snoring my dreams away tonight, but they behave themselves surprisingly well till the morning arrives and they need to roll up all the blinds to admire the sunrise. No offence, guys, I’ve had a great journey with you! :) And the landscape is beautiful, yellow-green hills with cattle chewing their brekky. The wild has turned overnight into the civilized. The desert has turned into the meadows. The red has become green, and the Outback has remained behind. We’ve made it back.. back to the civilization! Next stop: Adelaide. And I’m acclimatizing. From 28*C/sunny in Alice Springs to 15*C/partly cloudy in Adelaide. Good-bye, thongs! :(
posted by kairike at 11:28 AM
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