Home Again/Day One

I did it! Somehow I completed a trip by train, car, and plane. But before jumping into what's going on in the here and now, the next series of posts will outline the journey. I recorded the journey, from the train ride up until landing back in Sydney. One of the most incredible journeys and one of the best weeks I've ever had. Here is the tale as it unfolds (unedited):

Day One
Hour Zero: We’re on the train in Central Station, waiting to begin the trip. I’m not sure what to expect. The entire trip is scheduled to take 68 hours, culminating with an arrival in Perth Tuesday morning at 9:30 AM. It’s going to be a long journey. There’s a group of American girls who are studying abroad at UNSW who are sharing the same car as Becca, Dave, and myself.

The layout of the train is neat. There are two cars with about 40 or 50 seats each. Behind that is the lounge car, which is a outfitted with couches and tables that will hopefully be a relief from the chairs we sit in all day and night. Next after that is the diner car. The design of it reminds me of a diner from the 50’s or 60’s that you see in the movies. It’s awesome.
Saturday, March 22 2008, 2:55 PM

Hour Three: On the train, already in the middle of a hilly country. Not a soul in sight, and the only indicated of humanity are a few barbed wire fences and sets of powerlines running parallel to the track. My head slightly hurts, and I’m hoping that won’t interfere with sleeping.

The weather outside is poor. Rainy and a bit foggy out. When we passed through the Blue Mountains, visibility was all for naught.
Saturday, March 22 2008, 6:36 PM

Hour Six: On the train. Still. Ate a train-created dinner—not too bad—and played another game of scrabble. Can’t see anything anymore, although the scenery from a couple of hours ago was brilliant. Feeling confident about the trip, although a bit of a headache. Shrek 3 is playing on the video entertainment that is provided. The big test is coming up shortly as I prepare to sleep in these seats. T-minus 20 minutes to sleeping pills, so I doubt that I’ll have anything to say until tomorrow morning, when I wake up to look at Kangaroos and Emus frolicking outside the car. Or at least that’s what they say might happen.
Saturday, March 22 2008, 9:11 PM