When my Los Angeles flight landed in Australia, I was in the city of Melbourne.
I start pedaling in Perth, which is still on the other side of Australia. So how come Melbourne?
In truth, I really didn’t need to be in Melbourne; my destination was Perth. But the flights to Perth all seemed to stop in Melbourne (or Sydney) first. That required stopover gave me the idea to simply get off in Melbourne and ride the train to Perth in order to see some country I was not passing through on the bicycle. I also knew that I had to get rid of my jet lag before I even start pedaling. A body needs a few relaxed days to adapt to the current time zone, so spending a few extra days in Melbourne would help me adjust.
Besides, there were some people I wanted to see.
The train-to-Perth idea didn’t work out. But what did work out was being to able to stay with a very warm and congenial cycling family I met during my Great Divide tour in 2017. We had met in a stopover in Lima, Montana. They were heading south while I was heading north, and we were both holed up in the tiny-town motel on account of a snowstorm that suddenly hit the area. Through that encounter, they later came to stay with me for several days in Los Angeles (my home turf) and now I get to enjoy their company again in Melbourne (their home turf). While I was there (and at other times previous to this), my friend Darren, being a cycle tourer, helped assess the ride to make sure the necessary details were covered and gave me ample information for the ride. It is always reassuring to have a second eye. On top of that, his wife Bron and the whole family (everyone in the family are also cycle tourers) pampered me so well that I felt like a spoiled kid, as they drove me around for a tour of the city and fed me so much scrumptious food. I just love cycle touring because of the affable friendships that develop.
Makes one not want to go and suffer in the desert. 😊
But of course, in the end, I headed to Perth after a few days to prepare for the ride.
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On your way. You make friends and meet the right everywhere, as usual for you!
Wow, great video! Looks like you’re off to a great start. Can’t wait for your next check-in.
We adored having you Thuan!!! You hold a very special place in our hearts!!! We will be following you like Hawks!!!!
Congratulations on the start of an amazing adventure! Can’t wait to follow your blog and see the trip through your eyes…Have a glorious ride!!
So glad to hear that you were able to to recover from jet lag with such awesome people in Melbourne. The video tour was great…having never been there, it was a treat to see your perspective of daily life there.