Tuesday, 30-09-2014. Day 41.
Overnight Trains, Land Yachts
Remember that bus ride we took across Costa Rica into Panama? This was kind of like that, only slightly less miserable. But as far as means of transportation go, we had not yet traveled by train (and fare for the girls was only $1.00 each!), so we saved a few bucks by going overland via rail.
The train departed the night before right at 8:30 p.m. and clicked along through the night, stopping occasionally at stations along the way. We skipped the evening meal on the train and slept fitfully until the sun came up when we visited the cafe car for a little breakfast (yogurt) and got some coffee ... or something that sort of looked like coffee.
Coffee on a train. Not good.
The train tracks were under repair for the last 30 or so kilometers, so we had to transfer to a bus at Broadmeadows and ride it in the rest of the way to Melbourne Southern Cross station. We had a few hours until we could show up at what would be our home for five days, so we killed time with a little breakfast.
We hired a taxi to take us out of the city center to West Footscray, where we'd be spending the next five days sleeping and relaxing inside a vintage Airstream camper parked in our hosts' backyard.
People love Airstreams.
After six days in a house, we had to re-learn how to maneuver around each other in a cramped space, but we got the hang of it soon enough. We spent the day chilling out, reading, and napping a little to make up the for poor sleep we'd gotten the night before. Oh, and right outside the door of the Airstream, there's a trampoline (springless!), and our hosts had three kids they could play with. So that turned out to be a major bonus for the girls.
Trampoline! Bonus!
As it started to get dark, we pried the girls out of the trampoline and walked over to a section of town that was jammed with Indian restaurants, groceries, and Bollywood fashion shops. Our host (who had lived in India for a while) suggested one called Aangan, so that's where we went. We were the first people in the door, but it filled up quite rapidly, and by the time we left it was packed. The food was quite delicious. We waked back to the Airstream, and we couldn't help but notice that all the other restaurants on the street were almost empty.
After a brief stop off at the local market for some basic supplies, we turned in for the night. I had a moment of déjà vu back to the days of camping in New Zealand as we turned the Airstream's kitchen table into a bed, but the Airstream was a lot more user-friendly.
Notable Statistics
Hours on a train: 11
Minutes on a bus: 35
Minutes in a cab: 22
Hours trampolining: 1
Tom Fassbender is a writer of things with a strong adventurous streak. He also drinks coffee.
