Road Trip
Ahhh, it's been a while since I've been able to write. I've been on a bit of a road trip. (Didn't mean to insult your intelligence there, I just felt compelled to state the obvious.)
Anyway - due to an unexpected last minute cancellation of my original romantic holiday plans (unexpected on my part, not on his unfortunately...) I decided to drive my shiny new car down to Melbourne and spend Christmas with my brother, his wife, my niece and the extended in-law family. (I was invited before my brother realised just how miserable and sulky I actually was... Hmmm, the things you do for family)
So, I knew it'd be a long drive from Sydney to Melbourne - I had done it before - but somehow I managed to forget what driving for 900kms was actually like. You know, I planned on starting early so I would miss the morning rush hour through the city (apparently crossing the Spit Bridge from Manly into the city is like taking up residence in a parking lot if attempted after 7 am) and also so I wouldn't need to rush.
6 am.
For those of you who know me - 6 am has never been very kind to me... So, imagine that I got up at 5:15 am and piled myself and all my belongings that I thought I needed (which, of course, was five times what I used) and began the long trek.
Well, 15 minutes into the drive I had my first unscheduled stop. One would think I might have looked at the gas gauge before leaving, but no, somehow I still believe in faeries and thought the gas faeries would ensure my tank was full all on their own.....
So once stopped, I realised I hadn't had any caffeine yet. Now, whether I realised that then because I was just beginning to come out of my early morning fugue state or perhaps because I had subconciously noticed the Starbucks sign across the street, we'll never really know. But hey, once spotted, Starbucks was added to my 'must-do' itinerary.
A two minute drive to my next unscheduled stop to find out that Starbuck wasn't open yet. But my mind was made up (and that's a scary thing when that happens) and I simply waited outside the door until they opened. Now, their hours of opening sign read 7 am - but somehow they let me in at 6:35 am. Maybe my pitiful face pressed up against the glass windows on Christmas Eve made the staff take pity on me and open early or maybe they were just so excited about being at work they couldn't wait to start serving customers - again - we'll never know. Whichever. In the end, I got my green tea that I seemingly couldn't live without and I started off again.
So 7:30 rolls around and I'd just gotten through to the other side of the city. Traffic was heavy but moving - so things were going well. I was just starting to feel comfortable about the whole road trip idea and had slipped Sheryl Crow's Greatest Hits CD (an oxymoron of sorts, I know, but very singable music - which is the ONLY criteria for road trip music) into the CD player and turned up the volume when I read the highway sign that said 'Canberra'. I was sure I was going the right way - but with each passing exit from the highway and the continued signs indicating the highway I was on was going to Canberra and not Melbourne, my niggling sense of unease was growing into full anxiety. The directions I had printed out from www.whereis.com.au were not proving too useful and in fact led me to exit the highway.
In a classic driving move that - had there been traffic cameras - would have got my license pulled - I overshot the toll booth. Backing up (yes, backing up on an off-ramp...lovely) to the right spot, I then discovered the toll booths were unmanned and required exact change - or alternatively nothing bigger than a $20 note. Wisely, I had used all my remaining change at Starbuck's, but as luck would have it, I had just been to the bank machine - so thankfully had money (which is not necessarily a sure thing with me) but only had $50 notes. As I sat and pondered what I should do while watching the line behind me become increasingly longer, a metallic voice sounded from the toll booth. Seems big brother operates everywhere over here... I shouldn't make fun, but the nice invisible lady listened to my predicament and solved it by agreeing to send a bill to my home. Hmmm, $1.00 in postage to get $3.30 in tolls, hardly seems worth it, but then this country is a bureaucrats heaven....
Once off the highway I went into the closest petrol station to buy a real map. The guy behind the counter informed me that they didn't sell maps. My look of sheer and utter disbelief coupled with a sneer of complete disgust mixed with what was the beginnings of despair, caused him to frantically start searching behind the counter for maps. Luckily for both him and I, he had one.
Opening the map, I discovered that I had been on the right road all along, so with relief I got back in my car and found my way back to the highway....only to discover that the toll highway ended 500 metres down the road and I had to pay the $3.30 toll once again. (Apparently it doesn't matter how far you travel...just that you did travel....) At least this time I had change!
Things were looking up. 8:30 am. Three unscheduled stops and only just on the outskirts of Sydney with only 850 kms to go. At that pace, I'd be lucky to make Melbourne before New Year's...
Anyway - due to an unexpected last minute cancellation of my original romantic holiday plans (unexpected on my part, not on his unfortunately...) I decided to drive my shiny new car down to Melbourne and spend Christmas with my brother, his wife, my niece and the extended in-law family. (I was invited before my brother realised just how miserable and sulky I actually was... Hmmm, the things you do for family)
So, I knew it'd be a long drive from Sydney to Melbourne - I had done it before - but somehow I managed to forget what driving for 900kms was actually like. You know, I planned on starting early so I would miss the morning rush hour through the city (apparently crossing the Spit Bridge from Manly into the city is like taking up residence in a parking lot if attempted after 7 am) and also so I wouldn't need to rush.
6 am.
For those of you who know me - 6 am has never been very kind to me... So, imagine that I got up at 5:15 am and piled myself and all my belongings that I thought I needed (which, of course, was five times what I used) and began the long trek.
Well, 15 minutes into the drive I had my first unscheduled stop. One would think I might have looked at the gas gauge before leaving, but no, somehow I still believe in faeries and thought the gas faeries would ensure my tank was full all on their own.....
So once stopped, I realised I hadn't had any caffeine yet. Now, whether I realised that then because I was just beginning to come out of my early morning fugue state or perhaps because I had subconciously noticed the Starbucks sign across the street, we'll never really know. But hey, once spotted, Starbucks was added to my 'must-do' itinerary.
A two minute drive to my next unscheduled stop to find out that Starbuck wasn't open yet. But my mind was made up (and that's a scary thing when that happens) and I simply waited outside the door until they opened. Now, their hours of opening sign read 7 am - but somehow they let me in at 6:35 am. Maybe my pitiful face pressed up against the glass windows on Christmas Eve made the staff take pity on me and open early or maybe they were just so excited about being at work they couldn't wait to start serving customers - again - we'll never know. Whichever. In the end, I got my green tea that I seemingly couldn't live without and I started off again.
So 7:30 rolls around and I'd just gotten through to the other side of the city. Traffic was heavy but moving - so things were going well. I was just starting to feel comfortable about the whole road trip idea and had slipped Sheryl Crow's Greatest Hits CD (an oxymoron of sorts, I know, but very singable music - which is the ONLY criteria for road trip music) into the CD player and turned up the volume when I read the highway sign that said 'Canberra'. I was sure I was going the right way - but with each passing exit from the highway and the continued signs indicating the highway I was on was going to Canberra and not Melbourne, my niggling sense of unease was growing into full anxiety. The directions I had printed out from www.whereis.com.au were not proving too useful and in fact led me to exit the highway.
In a classic driving move that - had there been traffic cameras - would have got my license pulled - I overshot the toll booth. Backing up (yes, backing up on an off-ramp...lovely) to the right spot, I then discovered the toll booths were unmanned and required exact change - or alternatively nothing bigger than a $20 note. Wisely, I had used all my remaining change at Starbuck's, but as luck would have it, I had just been to the bank machine - so thankfully had money (which is not necessarily a sure thing with me) but only had $50 notes. As I sat and pondered what I should do while watching the line behind me become increasingly longer, a metallic voice sounded from the toll booth. Seems big brother operates everywhere over here... I shouldn't make fun, but the nice invisible lady listened to my predicament and solved it by agreeing to send a bill to my home. Hmmm, $1.00 in postage to get $3.30 in tolls, hardly seems worth it, but then this country is a bureaucrats heaven....
Once off the highway I went into the closest petrol station to buy a real map. The guy behind the counter informed me that they didn't sell maps. My look of sheer and utter disbelief coupled with a sneer of complete disgust mixed with what was the beginnings of despair, caused him to frantically start searching behind the counter for maps. Luckily for both him and I, he had one.
Opening the map, I discovered that I had been on the right road all along, so with relief I got back in my car and found my way back to the highway....only to discover that the toll highway ended 500 metres down the road and I had to pay the $3.30 toll once again. (Apparently it doesn't matter how far you travel...just that you did travel....) At least this time I had change!
Things were looking up. 8:30 am. Three unscheduled stops and only just on the outskirts of Sydney with only 850 kms to go. At that pace, I'd be lucky to make Melbourne before New Year's...
posted by lala at
10:20 PM
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