Living the high life

 It's Saturday 19th July and I've just spent my first of two nights in Adelaide. 

Yesterday I left Ararat on the train to this lovely city (so everyone tells me). At around 11:15 the huge diesel loco drew up to the station and the conductor and her assistant got off. The passengers , about 20 of us, were herded into two groups as she and her assistant ticked off our names on a sheet of paper. I do like the Australian's sense of informality. 

With a window seat and 7 hours ahead of us, I settled down to read my book on William Buckley, an escaped convict who in the 1820s spent 30 years living with the Aboriginals in the area around what was to become Melbourne and the very expensive real estate down the coast on the Great Ocean Road. 

Food was served as well as drink, and as usual I fell asleep, waking up occasionally as we halted at a number of stations to drop off and/or pick up the solitary passenger. Most of the towns were no more than a couple of thousand strong, with small tin roofed bungalows set in what seemed to an Inner London boy a disgraceful amount of land. Here and there were early colonial houses with elaborately fringed verandas and impressive drive ways and names. In between these towns was acres and acres of grasslands, sheep and cattle. Edging these fields were the eucalyptus and on either side of the single line railtrack. These trees are magnificent, and in many a field there would stand alone one of these giants - seeded when Buckley was around?

We were told as the train drew into Adelaide Parklands Terminal that taxis had been ordered to ferry us to our destinations. There were SUVs picking up families and friends, Uber taxis, but no Taxis, with yellow lights on their roofs. With age grows impatience and I was about to explode when a taxi drew up and whisked me off to my Majestic Rooftop Hotel in the centre of the town. My taxi driver was Asian, moved to Australia with his parents 20 years ago. After that introduction he continued lambasting the traffic and the Australian Uber drivers - below contempt. He said England was in deep trouble. I asked why - he said all the illegal immigrants. I asked if he'd been to London; he said once but would never go there again.

I was thankful when we reached the hotel. After handing over A$100, I was allowed to go to my room and after a shower (but no change of clothes!) I headed for Adelaide's night and quickly retreated. The streets round the hotel were full of people and kids! All the restaurants and bars were full and overflowing onto the streets. Nowhere was quiet and I ended up at a Burger Bar which had gluten free buns. The pattie (I think that's the term) was delicious, as was the filling - it just took an age to arrive. So I complained and suggested they needed more staff.

This morning after a hearty breakfast - the highlight of the day - using the hotel's laundry and after that a walk round the town in the day light so I don't get lost.

Today, I'll order a taxi for 10 am tomorrow to take me back to the station so I can catch the Ghan at 12:15. I'm having to pack

strategically because I can't take my large case in the cabin. That means 3 days of clothes, etc in my rucksack, the other clothes etc in the train's luggage department.

Assorted pics