It is the end of a rather long day. Up "early" (that is a relative word, here on summer vacation) and out the door - on the bike, to the bus, to the train to downtown Melbourne to run a few errands and back again. The errands included signing up the family for a year of healthcare and dental care ($490 USD), seeing whether we could salvage Sky's cello (uh ... no), and picking up a vacuum cleaner (to suck up spiders more rapidly).
The transportation has become an adventure unto itself - and certainly the talk of many locals. The other day my tag-a-long cart flipped in the middle of the road leading up to our house sending groceries all across the road. I was particularly upset that our desserts from the local pie shop got a bit mangled. The local pie shop is really quite special and their desserts are quite beautiful - not something you like seeing fly across the road. It was sort of like having ice cream fall off a cone.
Yet, my wife wrote up a piece that I thought you would all enjoy to truly capture the essence of our no car existence. Here goes from Margaret ...
This was my day today ...
My errand was to pick up my new bike at the bike shop.
Please keep in mind that it was 102 degrees today.
Leave the house at 9am. Walk to the bus station. It is already blazing hot. This takes 45 minutes. The bus station is "just around the corner" according to the original reports. Get on the bus with lots of teenagers and tourists. Ride for 45 minutes. Get to mall, change buses, take another bus ride / route, and ultimately arrive at bike shop.
Total time since I left the house ... 2 hours ... total accomplished so far ... nothing.
Get lovely new bike. Go back to bus stop and attempt to ride the bus with the bike and get denied by bus driver ... despite the fact that the first bus driver of the day assured me that I am allowed to put my bike underneath the bus in a special compartment.
I realize now that I must walk the bike along a highway back to bus number one and hope that another bus driver will be nicer. Please keep in mind it is almost noon and it has gone from blazing hot to ridiculous. It is not an insignificant walk back to bus number one.
Walk for 45 minutes ... dripping with sweat hoping that a snowstorm will blow through at any minute. Arrive at bus stop. Thank goodness, this bus driver allows me to put my bike underneath the bus and I get on the bus towards home and pass out. I, of course, have no water or anything at all to drink.
Back at bus stop "near" house. Get on bike and attempt to ride home. Did I mention it was REALLY hot? Get attacked by bugs (monster swarming flies) that live here in the Yarra Valley. Try to ride bugs and swat flies at the same time, realize that I am swerving wildly, and decide to give up swatting flies in favor of safety on the road.
Finally arrive back home.
Sunburned, bug bitten, exhausted with new bike in tow.
Total time away from house ... 5 hours ... number of errands completed ... one.
hmmm .....
I hope you appreciate your car next time you toot off to do an errand.
Margaret.
There are a couple of items of note ....
1 - Teenagers - they do ride public transportation a lot. The driving age is 18 and the teenagers see public transportation as incredibly freeing and affordable. With gas at over $4.00 per gallon over here, car travel is rather expensive. It is always entertaining to watch the teenagers on the bus ... but it certainly is comforting to know they are doing it on the bus rather than driving and acting the way they do.
2 - Ride Through The Country - Guy and Helen who own our home here have been extraordinarily nice and have been our own personal Australian Ambassadors. They took us up into the hills yesterday - realizing our limited transportation options. The tour through the hills was breathtaking. The eucalyptus trees are massive. It felt very much like a drive through the redwood forests in California
Stay warm / cool.
Cheers,
Nord
1 comment:
Have you read "Poisonwood Bible," by Barbara Kingsolver? There's a particular scene in the book, about which I want to tell you. There was a moment in the story where mosquitoes were so thick, that they plugged up all the body's exposed orifices. (I remember the scene so vividly, because we were living in Scarborough at the time--I could relate.) The solution is to wear goggles and breath through your teeth. That's right, Margaret, just breathe through your teeth the next time you hit bugs. Plus, and this comes just from me, not a book, you should always carry a backpack full of water, some nuts (for sustenance) and a pair of goggles. Just breathe through your teeth, man.
Thank you for keeping me in touch with your life.
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