yummy!

Maggie and I had already found rides to Byron Bay and Sydney respectively. Well maybe I want to go to Melbourne again, so I can go to the GOR. Eric and I wake up and go swimming again in the river and then have breakfast with Jan where she tells us about the Bangkok bombings, which is really news seeing how there's no connection to the outside world here, not to mention that I havent read the news in, oh, a month. Getting back to camp, the dudes from the rainbow tree say that they're gonna be leaving for Melbourne today, and so I decide to tag along, as compared to waiting for Sydney tomorrow. Now it looks like I'm gonna give Sydney the big miss this time round.

Maggie and I have a long drawn farewell ranging from the trite see you in Austria/Singapore to the I'm glad I did this with you and pitched the tent there because of you talk. Sitting on the tree trunk waiting for the van to go, lo and behold, there is Kate walking past, and everything's okay this time. So I go to her where she smears mud over my face and I give them my number (0448657427), emphasising the utility of it, especially for Marty who happens to be swimming au naturel in the river.

Finally, after farewells, the Magic Bus leaves at 4pm, a little (four hours) behind schedule but quite an achievement considering that we left on the right day at all. Luke is at the wheel, Amanda beside him, Stefan, Willow and I in the backseat, with Willow on the wool rug, the most comfy seat in the bus. As we pull out of the campsit, I orchestrate a hugeass cosmic sigh before we break out into an upbeat number of Shalom/Salam. On the road, we're sharing Sufi and Donne poems, debating on the Aboriginal state, screaming at emus, lusting at horses, quoting ND, and talking to birds.


Amanda from Brazil. When she was young, here dad used to bring her for barbies at The Girl from Ipanema's house, who was in her 50's or something by then.

Lunch is at Rochester and we're shopping in IGA barefoot, braless, muddy-faced, dreadlocked and topless. We're horrified because there're traffic signals (!), aircon, and rows and rows of packaged schtuff (eek!) after what feels like an eternity in nature. I start craving for meat in a can, while Amanda lustily peers at sausages. Everyone else vetoes us and we go to the deli section for a gorgeous trio of dips, yoghurt, and roti instead. Stefan is the most militant of all (frickin' German) because he vetoes anything with sugar inside, so we cant get peanut butter unless we go for the gross Sanitarium one. The loot leads us to the town park where we sit on the grass right beside the gazebo with a picnic table. There's a diner overlooking the park and women are staring us through its glass windows. Willow reads their lips and they're saying, "Ooh, hippies, how sexy." Okay, I made the last bit up. Lunch is out of the way and we're on the road again and everyone takes turn screaming are we there yet.

The sun sets around the road and our magic bus and before long we can see the city lights of Melbourne, which is a bit enchanting. We drop Willow off at the train station because he's flying off to Thailand for the rainbow gathering. Im next and they drop me off at Victoria St, Prahran, where I'm sposed to make my way to Dave's place. Turns out that I'm sposed to go to Vic St, St Kilda's and my mobile's dead so I'm stuck in a little bit of a rut. The guy at the gelateria doesnt want to lend me his phone so I'm left standing on the street corner with all my stuff feeling for the first time that im not enjoying myself. But no worries, a guy comes up to me and lets me sit down with his mates. They buy me a huge cone of gelato and as we speak I realise that they're going to the Easter ConFest. This is fantastic so I give them the tent I bought in Perth because it'd be great for them. I call Dave on their mobile and before long, Dave has come to pick me up so I bid these dudes adieu.