Go West Young Man!

A popular joke in New Zealand:
Why do birds in Australia fly upside down?
Because the sky is more interesting!

Crossing the expansive desert and observing nothing but scrub bushes for thousands of kilometers, I'd have to agree with those Kiwi jokesters. The Nullarbor Plain in south and western Australia is one of the flattest places on earth. The Nullarbor Plain is also home to the longest straight stretch of railway in the world spanning 478 km without a single bend.


Nullarbor is an Aboriginal term meaning "treeless plain."

My solo hitchhike adventure from Sydney to Perth took four days, minus a few days spent with friends along the way. One night I was caught at sunset without a place to crash. I pulled out my trusty sleeping bag for one freezing night in the South Australian desert.


Perth re-union with fellow Japanese English teacher Glen and girlfriend/student Emiko.

Finally arriving in the Western Australian capital city of Perth, I came in contact with several old friends from Japan. They put me up, showed me around, and my Japanese girlfriend and I picked up right where we left off. The perfect welcoming. After a week it was time for me to leave for India. One chapter ends, another begins ...


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