The Traveller and the Attendant

Thursday 13 August 2009

AM

Least: By 10:20am, I was marvelling once again about the longness and straightness of the Hume Freeway. The land on either side is so flat and lacking in changing features that it often feels like the car is on some kind of treadmill. The McDonalds at Glenrowen was slow as usual. Also as usual was the over made-up bottle blonde chugging on a Muggacino. Amazingly, I saw her in the PM in an incredibly uninteresting shopping mall in Melbourne.

Most: Sometime close to 8:00am, I was being driven through on of the highest roads in Australia. Mt Hotham was covered in wet, dirty snow and cloaked by very thick cloud. Despite the incredible views of Mt Feathertop and Mt Buffalo being obscured, it is this part of the five hour drive from Omeo to Melbourne that makes it bearable. It is incredible to think of the contrast between this remote area and the vast sprawl of Melbourne.

PM

Least: At about 2:20pm, I overheard a woman at Oakleigh Station ask the attendant "Does the next train stop at Southern Cross station?" The attendant groaned back "I don't know". This brief is not in the least bit interesting because it probably happens every day. The customer is too lazy to look at the schedule and the attendant is bored witless by his job. It is also uninteresting to tut tut and compare Melbourne's and Osaka's public transport system so I will end here.

Most: Not too long after 6:30opm, I sat with friends and family at an excellent Italian 'straunt in Brunswick. The company and La Bussola delivered the goods. I had been thinking about this particular pizza and veal scallopini for a number of months. The veal was tender and the pizza outstanding. Well worth the long journey from Japan. It is surprising that not more people escape Japan simply to obtain acceptable Italian food. Pizza and pasta in Japan is often very strange and inexplicably covered in corn kernels. Something should be done.

Skis. Rain. Lamb.

AM

Least: By 11:15am, my enfeebled quadriceps were screaming at the top of their voice against any further skiing. My snap decision to ski over snowboarding turned out to be a foolish one. I hadn't been skiing since about 1990 and have been largely inactive since the turn of the century. Keeping up with several school students proved to be difficult. The basic skills were there, but the strength and desire to try hard were not. Skiing in the rain was far less interesting than I had imagined. The coffee cost $4.70.

Most: As early as 10:30am it became obvious that my largely intermittent trips to the slopes had left large gaps in my awareness of snowboarding culture. When I had begun snowboarding at the end of the 1980s, I was the target of both keen interest and vitriol from skiers. Since those heady days, snowboards have become ever more symmetrical, probably shorter and relatively less expensive. The swarms of boarders now pass by unnoticed, unless the bogans aboard are causing a ruckus with snowboards or dangerous accidents. I even saw multiple offenders carrying large balls of snow onto the lift to use as ammo against their chums. How times and my levels of tolerance have changed. Helmets are ubiquitous.

PM

Least: Close to 2:00pm, the rain had really started to fall on Mt Hotham, on me, and onto the snow. The snow conditions were worsening with each new millilitre of drizzle that fell. My clothing's defences held up valiantly, but were steadily eroded by a series of wet chairlift seats and leaks around the neck area. By 2:50pm, I retreated into a steamy ski hire centre. The 'Buster Bacon' hotdog I bought at 'The Kennel' cost a sweet $6:50.

Most: Close to 7:00pm I achieved my primary goal for my trip to Australia. I was able to eat heartily from a leg of lamb roasted in an oven. Inexplicably, the Japanese haven't taken to eating lamb on a grand scale. Perhaps it's the strong delicious aroma and taste that deters them. The lamb was expertly cooked and arrived on the table with a generous cluster of roasted vegetables. It is amazing how smells and flavours trigger strong memories. Already it feels like I'd never left for Japan, although the reports of quakes and storms quickly pique the interest. I'll miss the lamb more than ever upon my return to the Far East.