The Gabby mobile adventure

Gabby was my ride from Brisbane to Sydney.

I met her through the Gumtree.com.au ad website, similar to Craigslist but Aus oriented and much better looking.


We were supposed to meet before the travel. It is pretty obvious that a first meeting to evaluate my "psycho killer" factor and determine if I'd be safe to ride with, is part of the process. We ended up meeting when she picked me up. An initial phone call and the links to this blog and my CS profile served as a valid visit card:D


Sitting on the outside bench of the train station we set to meet earlier and sipping on an early morning coke (my easy coffee replacement) I only noticed her when she called me while jumping out of her car, all active, awaken and bubbly. The first impression was good but the 2 day ride was fabulous!


It took us 2 days to drive the 1000km down from Brissy, we stopped a couple of times and overnighted at a motel. She's a Brissy girl which made it quite easy for her to tell me all that sits around the HWY 1 although we did not visit anything, we were on a mission and it was no time to do touristy stuff!




We had heaps of fun on the way but the real treat was to finally meet someone who can literally sing while driving. Most of the people I know (including myself) only sing (scream...) when alone, but she has no problems with an audience! I got an introduction to some aussie and kiwi names, mostly female, but the really fun act was the musical Avenue Q's (wikipedia) soundtrack. How can one not like it? A bunch of puppets (or people dressed up) sing about adult themes, like homosexuality, racism, pornography, etc...

The "internet is for porn" song was one of my favorite ones; while a girl sings about what she uses the internet for, some guy adds "for porn" to every sentence. They are not telling anything new but it's a treat. "... let's grab our dick and double-click... for porn..."

Now imagine a girl happily singing to musical songs like those with a voice perfectly fitting the whole ensemble. It's difficult to find a better travel companion quality than that:) (she was too good to sing "Raindrops are falling on my head" like I did and massacred Heydi with)

On the way, the marvels of RSLs were shown to me by G, a good place to get cheap beer and if the heart is falling for it, have fun with retired people:P I am happy as long as there is no goon around - that stuff is guaranteed headache the morning after. Only members are allowed in such a place, but after writing down an address and a little signature on a detachable piece of document they provide, a temporary membership is obtained. Every day, at a certain time, a little recorded speech in honour of those lost in the war is proclaimed through the speakers. I did not notice until I saw an old woman standing straight and staring silent on the top of the stairs. Fortunately no one got offended by my little accidental lack of respect.

We passed through so many little towns. Although all different, they have the same bases, a pub, a petrol station, a motel... At some point I imagined that aussies don't really "need" to do the poethical-trendy american coast-to-coast car ride. All imaginable kind of sceneries can be found here too, deserts, rain forests, lost-in-time and space little towns... so why bother:)

I actually recorded little time-lapse movies about our arrival to Sydney. They're REALLY short, I promise.







We arrived in Sydney well and sound a little bit after 14. Although I did spend more $$$ than I would have if I'd taken a bus or a plane, making a new friend totally surpasses that thought. I was bedazzled by her smiles, some of the most sincere ones I have ever seen.

It was hard to enter the city, there are lots of suburbs to (slowly) cross before being able to reach the city center!

We said goodbye after she took me to Central Station. I took a train to Bondi to then reach Martin's place, my 1st CSer in Sydney.


Scenes of the next episodes:

• Martin and I rockin hard;
• Sydney's weather has been shit;
• the super cool and lose house where Bonnie, Eliza and Thomas host CSers;
• The Opera House and so on...;
• my first Kangaroo meat experience;

N.-