I have arrived in Lightning Ridge

Wow, what a bloody long trip that was. I'd forgotten how draining it was to be travelling for 12 hours. The train trip wasn't so bad but by the time I got on the bus my back was aching from the last few days and it seemed like the bus had no suspension at all, although Simon assures me that it's the roads not very good rather than the bus suspension. 

At one point the bus got full and someone sat next to me so I had to put my carry on bag on the floor, and the bus was bouncing and jerking around so much I had to hold the bag with my legs to stop it from moving across the bus floor. At the end of the trip I felt sort of stunned from it all.

There was hardly any phone reception all the way out here, until you got into a town. As soon as you left it went back to nothing again. I texted Simon when at Walget, which is about an hour away from the Ridge, and he was there when the bus finally arrived. There  were only 2 of us left on the bus at that stage, and the other bloke the driver let off near his home rather than taking him to the actual stop.

After a trip like that my head feels sort of numb. All I could come out with to Simon was "Fuck I feel like a beer". Then he asked if I wanted to go to the club or just go home with a six pack. All too much of a decision with a numb head. We went home with a six pack, he decided. Had a meal and a long chat and went to bed. Wasn't very cold here last night, and I was very warm.

Here's a couple of pictures along the way. This one at Central Station in Sydney:

This one at Dubbo, and the buses next to the train platform. This was the bus I got on for Lightning Ridge, and the towns that it stopped at along the way. Was about a 5 hour bus ride, the last stop:

And I wasn't going to take this but was rather fascinated by the colours of the sunset. Is near Lightning Ridge after leaving Walget. It gave a real sense of space somehow. This was after the sun went down, but the colours got even more deep. I guess the redness is somehow to do with further west and the red desert. A bit blurry as it's just out the bus window bouncing around like fuck:

Somehow after you leave Walget something changes. There's a different atmosphere. Is hard to explain. 

The internet is working marvellously here. I don't even need the little aerial, a bit disappointing as I think it looks very cute.