While I was travelling there was often music people were playing that reminds me of a time, place or people. I can’t think of a good song for these events but this song was stuck in my head a lot just before I left.
There’s a bit of an overlap with this post and
Day 1 and
Day 2 & 3. I hope it’s not too much. I wrote it trying to keep myself awake one night shift on the boat.
I’d spent my last few nights (or weeks I believe) at Paz’s house with Dougy and Esu. I’d had a really great few weeks with them. Actually, I had a great time with everyone I stayed with before I left. (I may have slipped past the point that I’d been “homeless” for my last year before I left Perth. Well, I was living out my car. Mostly housesitting or renting short term). I’d convinced Paz, Dougy and Esu all to drive me north (Much to Dougy’s chagrin since his car was on it’s last legs) to drop me off just west of Joondalup so that I could start hitching out of Perth. Miraculously, this fine Saturday morning there was a break in the rain.
I said goodbyes waved and watched the car leave before heading off north. I like to walk when I’m hitch hiking. There’s something about walking that I find relaxing. It also gives a sense of achieving something, which is a nice contrast to everyone driving past. So I walked. And walked. And doubted. It had been a while since I was hitch hiking and I’d forgotten the golden rule. Just after you start to doubt and wonder if this was a good idea or will anyone stop, someone does and so someone did. Off I was. One of the things hitchhiking is that everyone has a story. I’d like to list them here but they go in some other posts.
I find that keeping up your end of the bargin (entertaining the driver) is the hardest part of hitchhiking for me. Not because it’s hard, but because often you’ve just woken up from the side of the road with a few hours sleep. And this is what happened that first night. I’d turned down the offer of going somewhere to sleep and decided to trek on. Next thing I knew there are howling dogs, a cold breeze and no windbreak and all my clothes were wet because I’d decided to leave instead of waiting for them to dry. Did I mention that I’d decided last minute that the tent and sleeping back weren’t needed and were to large to bother with in the pack? Then the only bush i could find to supplement my pack as a windbreak with was filled with rats. Well… that was day one over. And yet, being free and travelling these things weren’t a problem.
The next day brought me the rest of the way to Carnavon where I’d planned on catching up with one of the Taiwanese backpackers that had worked on the vineyard my dad manages. There hospitality was amazing I took a day off here to set up the pack (and you know, dry out the washing).
Setting out from there I made it a while before getting a lift from a Mauritian bloke going to Coral Bay. He was nice guy. We talked easily for most of the trip. He offered to take me into Coral Bay and I turned down the lift so he dropped me at the turn off and I tried to get a lift the rest of the day. No luck.
That night I walked back to the road house to get some food and then hit the bush to find a place out of the view of oncoming traffic to get some shut eye. In Carnarvon I’d buckled and bought a cheap sleeping bag. The next morning it was wet and I was cold. Dammit! :P After getting up I walked to the road house to get some food and it was here I saw a guy looking lost. I don’t usually hang out at road houses and harass the customers but two days sleeping ill prepared on the side of the road was enough for me at the time. Then just as I was about to ask him for a lift, he drove off. Thankfully he didn’t drive too far before he pulled over. I ran over to him to ask where he was going. It turned out to be Coral Bay. Great! I wanted to get to Darwin as fast as possible. There were three boat races heading north and the first was starting now. There was only a short window. I was desperate though. “Where are you going after that?” I asked. “Karijini” he said in a French accent. This was the one place I did want to see heading north (I spent a fair amount of time growing up growing up nearby and I still have quite an attachment to the place) but I didn’t think I would have the time to spare and hitchhiking there was (I assumed) fair from simple or easy. I decided that if he was going back onto my route after this then it would be worth the delay. He was. Port Hedland and then Broome. Even better, he had a plane flight he had to catch in Darwin so we wouldn’t be delayed too long. It was further in the future than ideal, but I would be able to see Karajini!! I exchanged names with Romain and jumped in the van. It turned out that he was travelling with four other cars. So now, including myself, nine people in total. We hung out in Coral bay for the rest of the day playing soccer and swimming. He was a decent guy and I didn’t know it then but we were going to become good friends.