Austin, Texas

10.1.09

 

Rise and shine after just 4 hours sleep, and out into the COLD - oh my, it was so cold!!! I'd become used to this slightly warmer weather so quickly!!!! Bus, another bus, walk, greyhound station. On the bus for the 4 hour trip to Austin. It's at this point that I commence typing this entry. I've dozed for a bit, and watched a lot of the highway pass by out the window.

 

Now entering Austin's outskirts, and it just looks like a city in Australia - no tall buildings in sight yet, just big shopping and commercial centres, car yards etc. Houses and apartment blocks, hotels. Much bigger cars down here than in Dallas, or more of them, I guess is the better way to clarify that. It's funny looking into cars and seeing, it's just the same over the world. Dad drives, mum dozing in passenger seat, or dealing with the kids in the back. Take away packaging, coke bottles etc litteriing the console area. Young girls in snazzy young cars only holding the steering wheel by the bottom, with just one hand. Young guys switching lanes without indicating. Old people driving slowly and seriously.

 

Anyway, arrived Austin, out to the bus and dared ask someone at the bus stop how much the fare would be and would I be able to use a note to pay for it. Well, he talked my ear off the entire bloody trip. No peace, just his running commentary about god only knows what - I had to tune out so i could enjoy looking out the window and matching everythig up to my map.

 

Hostel a cut lunch and water bag away from the main road that the stop was at, so I was surely glad to get my bag off. Hostel quite nice and a glorious view out over the Colorado River which was dammed to be the Town Lake which more recently is known as the Lady Bird Lake - after Lady "Bird" Johnson, LBJ's wife who was responsible for all the parkland along the river bank becoming useable.

 

Enjoyed a nice afternoon resting my weary head looking out the window at the cold - watching some guys from somewhere launch a homemade raft then nick off with the hostel's bbq and take themselves downstream to camp for the night. They weren't from the hostel, but obviously local and knew they could - however we were all watching in shock, that they just blatantly and openly came along and took the bbq! Someone called the hostel worker to see what he was going to do and he said, "Oh well, i presume they'll bring it back." pmsl!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!