"Lost"

I have always wanted to travel.
Even as a child I dreamed of adventures that took me to other countries.

I had a 'thing' about 'Red Indians' as we called them back then.  Native Americans now.  I wanted to go to America and live with them!  I have no idea why!
Oh, actually, I do... I used to attend Primary School in England with a little boy called Johnny 'Running Bear' something or other.  I don't recall his family name.  He spoke with an American accent and had brown skin and we played every lunch time at cowboys and Indians.  He said he was from a Sioux Indian tribe. He certainly looked like a red Indian.
He was there only for a short time so I guess he could have been genuine.  Anyhow, I was left with a lifelong love for them.

I never did get to America.  Half a century later I am an east coast Australian Citizen and I couldn't really have travelled any further away from my homeland. But never, in the intervening years, did I manage to explore another other country in any depth.  A quick day trip with a school to Boulogne when I was 15 and a pretty horrible soggy kiss on the quay from a French boy, whose name I still recall was Alain, was all I experienced. It put me off French men for life!

I grew up in an age when an overseas trip was for the rich and famous and the usual, long awaited family holiday, was a day trip to the seaside.  I remember well, the pebble beaches that crunched awkwardly underfoot and the chilly waters of the English Channel lapping over my little bare feet.

So, coming to Australia was a monumental journey for me. I came for love, and grew to love this country too.
Though sometimes, I manage to explore bits of it I don't actually intend....

One evening, after a long tiring day at work, I waited as usual for my red metro bus to take me home and suddenly remembered my ticket had expired .
I hurried into a nearby shop to buy a new one and seeing my bus arrive at the stop, dashed out and straight onto the bus.

I made myself comfortable in a side facing seat and was soon immersed in watching an episode of my favourite series 'Fringe', on my iPad.
Being winter, the darkness quickly grew outside and I occasionally looked up to see the lights of the buildings in George St and the increasing dazzle of traffic.

My episode of Fringe was enthralling and I was lost in the intrigue and excitement.
People got on and off the bus and I eventually came to the end of the episode.

When next I looked up, the world outside seemed strange.  I had expected to see the familiar surroundings of Anzac Parade by this time and yet I didnt recognise anything that I could see.  I craned forward to look out of the front of the bus and to my utter horror, saw a huge roadsign that said words to the effect: 'Freeway- Liverpool'!

I was on the wrong bus!
Quickly thrusting my iPad into my bag, I scuttled up the gangway to the driver and announced, with a calmness I didn't feel, that I was 'on the wrong bus'!  I had meant to catch the M10 !
"You're on the M30, which goes to Spit Junction" he told me with a chuckle! He seemed to find the whole episode highly amusing.  My calamity was probably the highlight of his day!
He grinned at me and said I could travel with him to the end of the route and then return to the city or I could get off at the next stop -Neutral Bay - and catch a bus back into the city myself.
I chose the latter!  I'd not heard of Spit Junction let alone had a clue where it would be!
I didn't want to end up any further away from the comfort of a city known to me, than I needed to be!

"Didn't you notice when we crossed the HUGE Harbour bridge" he asked? 
'I was between two worlds at the time' I told him weakly; indicating my iPad and made reference to the Fringe Sci-Fi series!

A short journey on and we reached  the next stop. He wished me well as he set me down in the middle of a strange town on a dark and frankly alarming, night!!
It was a long time since I had been truly lost!  I was probably about 3 the last time and had wandered away from my mum in a shop, only to grab what I thought was her coat and look up into a the face of a complete stranger.  My subsequent screams brought my real mum running to claim me!
I wasn't about to scream but definitely felt the pangs of alarm as I crossed the busy highway to the bus stop opposite.  I was definitely out of my comfort zone!

Once I was sure I was in the right place and only had minutes to wait for my bus back to the city; I called other half and told him of my mis-adventure.
 
When he had stopped laughing - which seemed a considerable length of time - he kindly offered to pick me up!  I thought I could manage the trip into Sydney so we finally agreed; I would find my way back to the city and he could collect me from there.

"Didn't you notice you were crossing a HUGE bridge" he asked, still laughing

I just sighed and waited patiently for the next bus.

Last laugh!

I had to run 100yds for the bus this morning! 

Most mornings I drive to the local town to catch the bus.
I don't use the bus stop nearest to the car park by the library; but walk, some 2-300 yards back, to the first stop for the Metrobus. 
Not only does it give me a little morning exercise but I'm more likely to get my favoured front seat at this stop.

This morning, I saw the bus approaching as I had begun my walk, so I turned around, judging the library stop to be the nearest and legged it!
The bus pulled in to the stop and waited with his front doors open.  I'm certain it was waiting for me, since I was the only one around and they don't usually stop unless waved down.
I thought, 'How nice!'  'How observant of the driver!'
I almost reached the open doors of the bus - when the doors closed and the bus pulled away from the kerb! 
In the side mirror, I could just see the smirking face of 'Bruce Willis', the dreaded driver of ill repute and subject of my first blog and he was looking straight at me!
I just knew it would be him.  He was playing his 'game'!

Any other driver would have allowed me on.  Would have waited the last two seconds for a late comer.
Especially one gasping for breath and in danger of having a heart attack at 7.30 am on a chilly morning!

Not being one to dwell on things, I simply shrugged, turned back and decided to walk the distance to my usual bus stop. Besides, I wouldn't give him the satisfaction of seeing me waving an angry fist or jumping up and down with annoyance! Though I would, quite happily, have shot him!
I read somewhere ' There are a lot of people in the world that annoy us simply because we're not allowed to shoot them!'
Anyway, I was quite chuffed that I had managed the run to be honest!
I'd just had a really lazy weekend where I had hardly moved from my computer- except to raid the fridge of Mother's day chocolates and goodies.

After about a ten minute wait - during which time a strange and very overweight woman with short white, sticky up hair, a large striped T shirt, slippers and nothing else, approached me for 50cents (reasonable I thought but still not forthcoming) - the next bus came along and I was pleased to see a friendly and animated driver who kept up a cheerful banter with all the passengers throughout the journey. AND he waited for passengers who ran to catch him.
When I finally got off at my stop and thanked him, he even wished me a 'pleasant week ahead' !

But my moment of triumph was when we first reached the city. 
There, ahead of us, was the bus I had missed! It had been held up by the rush hour traffic and we had caught up with it as it idled at a bus stop!
Our driver carried on past and as we drew level, I made a point of looking straight at the driver.
Yes, it was him. It was 'Bruce Willis' and I swear, when he looked right back at me, he recognised me - and there was no smirk on his face then!!

I grinned broadly and laughed at him.  I had the last laugh!

Blue Moon!

The recent warm weather has brought out all the early morning 'would be fit' and the fit people alike.
The joggers bounce or stagger (according to their fitness) along the footpaths on their way to uni or work and the cyclists have increased in numbers.
The seasoned cyclists on their racing bikes, with their lycra outfits and waxed legs are not so bad, as they zip in and out of the traffic and keep up with the flow, but the 'not so fit' on their mountain bikes, with their Kmart shorts and furry legs, puff along in the bus lanes and are the bane of every bus drivers daily life.
They either pedal along aimlessly, seemingly out for a 'nice ride' or pedal furiously to try to keep up with the traffic and getting nowhere; mainly because they haven't yet learned the art of gear changing!
The bus driver is forced to either dawdle along behind them until he reaches the next bus stop - which will give them time to get ahead - or he has to overtake by pulling into the next lane, which only necessitates his having to pull in again for the next stop.
I have to say that, on the whole, the bus drivers are remarkably patient!
But it does have its amusing moments....

Sitting in my usual front seat and travelling along the Anzac Parade, early one cold but sunny morning, the bus dawdled patiently behind one slightly overweight and labouring cyclist, whose T-shirt had parted company with his shorts showing a glimpse of his back. 
'He'll get a cold in his kidneys' I thought...

By the time we got to Kensington, his shorts had slipped down a couple of inches showing a 'bottom cleavage'. Not the best of sights at any time of the day!
The bus driver nodded his head in the cyclist's direction and smirked.  I smiled politely and tried not to look!

As we approached the Moore Park turn off, the shorts had decided they no longer wanted to be part of his attire and had slipped down to bike seat level; exposing almost all of his rear end!
It was a chilly morning, despite the clear blue sky and sunshine, but the cyclist didn't seem to notice the increasing cold draft at all!

By this time, the driver didn't know where to look and neither did I.  For once, I had neither ereader nor iPad in which to safely immerse myself. 
I felt a real compulsion to laugh out loud and the driver, creased with laughter, had tears in his eyes - from laughing or looking - I'm not sure!

Eventually, unable to cope any longer, the driver pulled into the next bus stop even though no one wanted to get on or off, to simply allow the cyclist to get ahead and hopefully out of sight.

The last view we had was of a bright, white bum, wobbling in the sunlight and disappearing along the Anzac parade towards the city.

I just hope no one crashed as a result!

Skin Deep

I thought she would be beautiful!
Long blonde hair that looked well conditioned and soft. She wore a smart black suit and had a neat figure. The young girl sat in front of me on a side seat but was turned away from me as she applied her morning make up; pausing between stops and waiting for the bus to come to a halt at traffic lights to execute the tricky bits.

A young, fresh faced soldier in his camouflage uniform, standing by the doors, watched her. Attracted by her hair I thought, as it swayed with her motions and by the pretty crossing of her legs as she changed position but sat, still turned away from us to catch the light for her on-going work of art.

I hadn't noticed her get on. I only spotted her as I glanced up from the latest novel that kept me occupied on the hour long journey.
Ruth Rendell and yet another crime for Wexford to solve.

By comparison, the young woman who sat next to her and who kept giving her sideways glances, wore no make up at all and I desperately wanted to say to her that she would have benefited from a little colour in the drab, colourless face that seemed to be in need of moisturiser at least; for it was an attractive face with good features but oh so dull and neglected. I wondered why she didn't bother. Was it just that she didn't feel the need to enhance her features? Or that she didn't care?
Was it my imagination or did the woman look uncomfortable as she caught glimpses of the young girl's cosmetic routine?

The masterpiece in the making continued throughout most of the journey.  A brush fluttered across her cheeks at Surrey Hills and a lipstick kissed lips that were full and wide at Monument.  This I watched through the tiny mirror she held. A teasing glimpse of nose or eye but never a full face...

An old man, leaning his gnarled hands on a walking stick which he balanced between his knees, sat staring.  His view better than mine; his rheumy eyes flitted across her face and settled on the array of brushes in her hands with a bemused expression and then lost interest and stared out of the window.

At Town Hall the finished work of art alighted and I was afforded my first viewing - and was disappointed; as one so often is when expectations are high.  The young face was too long for beauty and the make up too thick and inexpert and therefore, the illusion of perfection was spoiled. 
Maybe without make up she would have been beautiful... ?
Maybe the other woman had the right idea after all but just hadn't taken care of herself.  Or maybe her life was a trial that had left its story in the lines of her face.

The young girl's place was taken by an ageing man who looked like an old Rocker.  His long grey hair, thinning now, parted in the middle and tied back.  Tattoos peeped above his worn shirt collar and his features looked haggard and worn with age and life in general. 
He totally ignored his surroundings and immediately sat and began prodding impatiently at his phone, the screen seemingly unresponsive and I thought -

'You should have bought an iPhone'!

Double Take

I took my camera on the bus with me this morning.  I often see things unusual or snap worthy but typically, because I had my camera, there was nothing of note to shoot.
There are always great characters on the bus itself but I dont want to annoy anyone and end up with my camera wrapped around my neck or find myself ejected before I actually want to get off!

Perched on a bus is really a great way to see life and the people and objects that make it interesting.
Passing through the suburbs and into the city; the surroundings are teaming with great characters, beautiful old buildings and some unbelievable sights!

One in particular I recall because it was one of those moments where you do a double take in disbelief and then wish that you hadn't!

One morning, travelling into the city around 7am and surprisingly wide awake, I looked up from reading a book on my iPad, about life in North Korea (a bit heavy for so early in the day I admit) and saw a man, a derelict, hunched between two vans just across the road.  I glanced back at him to see what he was up to - and then, because I didnt believe what I seeing,  I did the regrettable double take...
Having no access to the usual 3 'S's"  The shower and shave being the first two - he was observing the third option and taking a dump!
In the doubtful privacy of the space between the two vans and seemingly oblivious of passers by who didnt seem to notice him either, he squatted, native style!

Scarred for life, I shuddered and returned to my reading....
I have no idea what I read for the rest of journey!!

Dark Passenger!

Sometimes a journey through life can be a bit like taking a bus in a strange city.  You know where you want to end up - but you're unsure which route to take and what changes you have to make on the way.
Sometimes we just take a chance and hope its the right one.

I met a wonderful young woman a year ago who is my inspiration.  She made a life changing decision far greater than any I could make and managed to stay on track and weather all the set backs and delays, all the heartaches, and the doubts and the dark moments, with a fortitude and grace only few could muster.
She had a goal and persisted. She had a dream and made it come true!
She's a very private person; which only adds to her poise and I wish her every happiness throughout her wonderful future.
I hope I can apply such strength in my dreams!

But you know some of us take the most ridiculous risks with no thought to others.
Many times have I sat in my seat at the front of the bus and witnessed the craziness of other drivers in regard to the buses.
How many times have I lurched forward as the bus executes an emergency stop because an idiot has veered his car in front of the bus so that he can make a left turn, just as the bus pulls away from a stop!  Do they have a death wish? 
Its like a scene from a movie where the baddie does a handbrake turn in front of a truck to avoid the cops!
Have they any idea of the momentum of the bus and how hard it is to stop dead!
Do they realise how much carnage they could cause?
Besides the risk to all the passengers. Especially me,perched in the front there; avoiding my travel sickness only to be wiped out by an idiot who can't wait 10 seconds for the bus to pull away safely!
I feel such compassion and yes, anger for the bus drivers who deal with these idiots day in and day out.
The front of a metro bus is made so that it will collapse on impact to absorb the collision. But it will still be decorated with your brains if you persist in doing this crazy manoeuvre?

But perhaps they'll function better in jar anyhow?

Magical Mystery Tour

Life in general has its twists and turns. We don't always take the right route or make the right decisions and faced with an unknown turn in life, its probably best to keep going straight ahead - unless you're sure of a way back...

I've faced a lot of life changing decisions as I've lurched from one adventure to another but one thing I know, is that I expect my bus to go where its says its going and for the bus driver to know where his bus is going too!

A few weeks ago, one bright and sunny morning, I settled into my seat at the front of the bus for the hour long trip to work; within five minutes, I knew the trip was going to be different!
Accustomed, as I am, to the familiar straight route into the city; I was a little surprised when the bus suddenly turned right, across the dual carriageway and into a residential street. The driver continued driving for a few seconds and slowly ground to a halt.  He sat motionless and then turning sheepishly to me, gave a little laugh and said, he thought he was driving the 373!

Since the 373 is a small green bus and not a double length red bus and doesn't go this way either, I wasn't quite sure what to expect.
He slowly drove the length of the street until he realised he would have to turn around as there was no other way out except via a small, narrow lane.
With a resigned shrug he said "Bugger, have to turn around" like he was driving a minibus

Have you ever seen an 18 metre metro bus executing a thirty-three point turn? Fascinating! 
Thank goodness the people in this street have garages and don't park their cars on the road!
We took out a couple of bins during the manouvres that followed and, though a lot of its twigs travelled some distance with us, we deftly avoided uprooting a tree, by a hair! 
I almost clapped!

I certainly breathed a sigh of relief as we approached the dual carriageway once more.
Other passengers in the bus just looked on in bewilderment; heads bobbing from side to side like at a tennis match. Too early for lucid thought i supposed!

The remainder of the journey was almost dull by comparison!

Footnote:

Last night, whilst happily listening to an 'Hercule Poirot' audiobook on my ipod, on my friday night journey home through the city, the bus stopped in Castlereagh St and the bus driver turned to me and asked "Do I turn left down here or keep going?"
I winced slightly, then replied kindly, "Yes, turn left here and then right at the lights and then, just keep going"!
He smiled and nodded and I sighed and went back to my ipod.

Life is never dull on a bus!

Ticket to Ride

I called this Blog site 'Life is a bus ride' because I thought it had a lot of connotations. Not only do I spend two hours a day on a bus in a work week and see a lot of life from its murky windows that I would otherwise miss - but life in general has a lot of parallels to those bumpy rides.......

When i first started taking the big red M10 bus, the drivers seemed to be regulars. "Good Morning', 'Have a nice day', 'Thank you Driver' became the norm; and though they varied in character and temper as people do; they were, on the whole, pleasant and there have often been amusing moments. Though there was one exception...!

Bruce Willis is the one I could never forget.  My heart sinks if i see him at the wheel nowadays; though thankfully, his shifts have changed and he rarely darkens our route.
Not really Bruce Willis of course, but the resemblence is remarkable, especially when he wears a hat...
Does Bruce Willis wear a hat?
Anyway, he does look like him but I'm sure thats where the resemblance ends.  The first inkling one gets that he's a tad touchy is the scowl he wears when he has to let passengers on the bus.
Up to that point, sitting in his layby having a rest, he seems quite happy!
But once he starts up the bus, his animus takes over...
A friendly 'Good Morning' is totally ignored. No one gets on if they have a drink or food. School children get a lecture on standing - even if the bus is empty and woe betide you if you attempt to get off via the front doors!
Depending on his mood, he will let you off at your desired stop - or, he may just carry on to the next one and watch you trudging back, with a triumphant gleam in his eye!
Often, when he approaches a stop where a prospective passenger is waving him down, he will carry on past, gaily waving back at them.  The look on their faces is priceless!
He hates Taxi drivers with a vengeance and curses them regularly. Cyclists are his nemesis!  He edges the bus as close to their back wheel as he dares and then follows them like a kerb crawler.  He throws them curses out of his side window and on one occassion yelled "Change F***ing gear!!" before blasting the bus horn at which point the cyclist wobbled precariously and shot up onto the pavement and relative safety!
His favourite trick takes place when the bus is 'standing room only' He kindly allows passengers on to the bus and then takes off at a wheel spin, smirking in his rear view mirror as the people stagger towards the back of the bus like falling dominoes!

How does he keep his job?  I can only imagine everyone is too stunned to complain!