Hitting the Rail

[28/12/06]

Once again, we find ourselves on a lengthy train ride, all the way from Brisbane to Sydney, where we have elected to spend New Year's Eve. A coach gets us at Roma Street around 2 PM, and it's a 3-hour drive before we get a short break in Casino, going straight to the local McDonald's to fill up on a little food and coke before hopping on our 12-hour long train ride. It's an overnight journey once again, and there's nothing to do in those long hours but try to lay down and sleep, curling up into a ball, squeezing our bodies beneath the seats, cramming them up against the window, snatching a precious few hours of rest here and there, folding up clothes under our heads to give the illusion of a pillow. We're getting better at this strange business, but it's still a lousy night.

In Sydney, we get a rail pass and head to our new home in Hornsby, a little under an hour away from the city centre. For a fortnight or two, we'll be staying with Jacqui and Matthew. Jacqui is gentle and soft-spoken as she comes pick us up from the train station. Her son Matt's got Down Syndrome, and it'll be part of our job to go out with him to the movies, zoo and all. We soon meet him in person, complete with mustache and cap, and share interest in movies, which he loves, and a bit about travel, the lad telling us about their trip to Sicily as we go through the photo album.

It's a beautiful day outside, but we still miss most of it catching up on our much forsaken sleep. Well, tomorrow will be another day.

A day to hit Sydney.