5:30 wake up call. I checked my email one last time and pieced together the rest of my luggage. I said goodbye to Daisy who was lying very sadly in the hallway. She knew I never got up that early and she saw all my bags, something was up. All she knows is that when she sees bags someone goes away for a long time. Poor girl.
Kat drove me to the Amtrak Station. No sad farewells from us…last time we said goodbye it was on a random street corner in Wellington…
You don’t realise how much stuff you have until you put it on your back…
I had six things to worry about…my pack, daybag, laptop, handbag, reading material (that I couldn’t fit into my pack) and my snow jacket. Argh!
I did manage to meet some nice people on Amtrak though. It’s funny how once you start carrying a pack around how many people start asking you questions!
The first lady was wondering if she was waiting for the right train. Then we chatted for half an hour about there I’m going, where I’ve been, where she had been, what she used to do for a living…
Then on the train I met a guy who was on his way back from San Diego. Turns out his family is from Guadalajara. Oh how I miss it.
Once he was gone an older couple came and sat with me. they asked me where I was going and I said I was flying out today so they asked me more questions. The lady did most of the talking and it was funny when she asked me where I was flying to. I said London and she said, “Ah, I thought so.” And I thought, how could anyone possibly guess. I’m not British, ya know. But I was polite and said that I was a Kiwi.
One interesting question she did ask me was, “Do you depend on a higher power? Or do you just depend on yourself?”
I explained that I didn’t “depend” on a higher power, I relied on forethought and planning and saving. It turns out that they do depend on a higher power. I didn’t have time to discuss the finer points of the definition of the word “depend”. Higher power or not, I still believe you should look after yourself, not wait around for something to happen, wait for money to fall into your lap… In any case, no amount of believing in anything would have made my luggage any lighter which seems to be my main worry of the day!
I took the Flyaway bus from Union Station to LAX for only $3. A relatively painless experience.
I did the whole Amtrak thing for $13 and bus for $3 to save money. I cold have had a door-to-door shuttle for $60 with much less effort, but hey…I’m a cheap ass! And I’m glad I did it. not to sound all weird and tv special like, but it’s good to test yourself every now and then. Lugging your crap from the OC to LAX is a good way.
Having said all this I still maintain I’m NOT a girl. Even though somehow 20% of my pack consists of shoes…in my defense they were REALLY cheap! 25% is taken up by snow gear, including a helmet. And about 20% are gifts that I will drop off in the next week.
