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Tale
1 - Australia - by Malik
28th June, 2003.
"Twelve thousand kilometres on buses in 40 days!! Are
you crazy?" shouted my friend, Zahid, when he saw my
travel plan for Australia. He was right. Information gathered
from Greyhound Pioneer (bus company) was staggering. It would
take at least 190 hours (roughly 8 days) of bus ride round
the clock.
My proposed bus trip around Australia!
I have faced it before. Of course, there is a price to be
paid: neck stiffens, shoulders ache, back pains and ass burns.
A night journey brings in more miseries: hostels' checkout
time being 11 a.m. or earlier, one has to drag his gear till
evening to board a bus. It follows by a sleepless night. More
troubles are in store as one arrives at a new place in the
early hours only to find that a bed or room would only be
available after 12 o'clock midday.
I was warned about Australia being quite expensive. So, scarping
together all my sources, I collected US$3,000 to cover the
tour costs. In addition, I had access to another US$3,000
through cash/credit cards. With light luggage, high spirits
and deep pockets, I landed at Kingsford-Smith Airport, Sydney
on 28th of June 2003.
"Have you any food with you", an immigration officer
asked me. When I showed him a small packet of cheese, pinched
away from the airline breakfast tray, he directed me to the
Red Channel. I had to wait for a while as the line was progressing
slowly. When my turn came, I laid down all I had on the table,
piece by piece. A lady customs officer looked at them and
threw away the cheese instantly. When she went for my medicine
box, my heart sank. "What is this for?" she enquired
picking up a wrapper of Zoften. "It is anti-allergy medicine
for sinus, ma'am," I told her pointing out to my stuffed
nose to establish my bona-fide. She smiled and cleared me.
Once out of the terminal, I took a sigh of relief. I was in
Australia, a dream had come true.
In the next 40 days, I covered 12,900 miles by travelling
to Brisbane, the Gold Coast, Cairns, Mount Isa, Darwin, Kakadu
Park, Ayers Rock, Kings Canyon, Alice Springs, Coober Pedy,
Melbourne and, by ship, to Tasmania. I returned home lighter
by 3 kg and US$4,000. Never before have I spent so much on
my annual tours. I could not have done with less as I was
already living on the edge: staying in dorms and travelling
by night buses saving room-rent. I tried other ways, too.
I stayed free-of-cost with my nephew in Sydney. But, eventually,
it proved futile. His three kids forced me to take them to
the zoo, fish aquarium and Olympic Park where tickets alone
were in the vicinity of US$100 each time. As a grandfather,
I could not have escaped.
A common sight for me. The bus counter!
Ignoring cost and fatigue, my travels in Australia was very
successful. I was able to move as I liked. Firstly, it's a
very safe country. Secondly, there's a variety of transport
everywhere. Thirdly, all were time conscious. Only on one
occasion, a boat, "Spirit of Tasmania" stopped midway
in Bass Strait for about four hours. This was compensated
by a sumptuous breakfast the next day. On another occasion,
a bus broke down but an alternate bus was provided within
half an hour. By taking a shorter route, it arrived in Sydney
on schedule. Food was always good, fresh and dandy. Food Courts
in railway stations and bus centres remained opened 24 hours.
So were Chain Stores like Coles and Seven-Eleven. Prices were
fixed and well displaced. Chances of being cheated were remote.
Greyhound Bus staff were well informed and well mannered.
At one time, I was going up the Kings Canyon. It was a steep
ascent. I felt pain and stiffness in my legs and had to take
a break occasionally. I found the Greyhound driver all the
time trailing two steps behind me as if to catch me should
I fall down.
Australia provided me an opportunity to see tropical wetlands,
rain forests, coral reefs, red-soiled deserts, ghost towns,
road-trains, ant hills, mighty rocks changing colour at sunrise
and sunsets. Above all, I found people friendly, informal
and helpful.
Though the trains, throughout the country, are perfectly safe,
all stations had marked areas for waiting at night. Taxis
have glass separating drivers from passengers, though muggings
and stickups were unheard of. The public toilets have condom
dispensers and bins for disposal of syringes. I never saw
a junky or love displays on the streets. These were indeed
precautionary steps taken by the government to forestall decay
in morality which other western countries are going through.
I will now devote time in narrating my visit to all the 14
places, one by one.
Hafeez ur Rahman Malik, Karachi-Pakistan.
Submitted: 28 August 2003
Next: Tale 2 - Sydney-Australia
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