Hitchhike Attempt #1

So I'm walking Downtown, and the sun is threatening to set. I started late and I'm worried no one is going to pick me up after dark. But as I pass by the University of New South Wales, I can't resist the urge to check out the campus. I don't even consult the die this time. I'm rewarded with an amazing view of the city at sunset from the 10th floor of the library.

By the time I leave, it's dark of course. I hunt around for the on-ramp to the highway for hours. It turns out to be hitchhike proof. I don't even know where to begin to stand. I walk around Kings Cross alternately scoping out cheap hostels (the cheapest costs $3 more than I've got), thinking of ways to come up with a few extra bucks, scavaging for food scraps, and getting propositioned by the same prostitute on 3 separate occasions. The best I can come up with is half a bottle of beer someone sets down on a curb when they jump in a cab. Beer is so expensive here (2 or 3 times what I'm used to paying) that I don't think twice about pouncing on it. Around 3 AM, it's so cold and windy that I can't walk around indecisively any longer. I go to the 24 hour McDonalds on the main drag and spend $6 on a burger and coffee. I plan on staying till daybreak and resuming hitchhiking attempts under more favorable conditions. As I search around for an available seat, a girl gets my attention and directs me to the one next to her and her friend. Zoe and Cal proceed to ask me what I'm up to. They are friendly and kind and I immediatley feel like something amazing is about to happen. They tell me to come with them. I can stay at a friend's house. We catch a cab. The friend is not as welcoming as we'd hoped. Cal stays behind, and Zoe calls another friend. This friend is more welcoming. Another cab ride, some running and hiding, and a few blocks of walking in the freezing cold and we're finally there. It's about 4 AM at this point, I'm totally delerious from lack of sleep and walking several miles with all my belongings strapped to my back. I'm greeted by the big, friendly grin of Eddie, in a huge house with graffiti and young unprofessionals passed out on couches generously sprinkled throughout. Eddie puts me up in his room and I sleep like a baby. In the morning, Zoe is gone. Eddie sets me up with a shower and a washing machine for all my filthy laundry. It's the first time I've washed my clothes in over a week. I soon learn that many of the people I saw on arrival live in the house. About 10 in all. We clean up the back yard. James takes me to the markets in Chinatown, where all the fruit and veg is half price. We get supplies for Abe's birthday BBQ on Sunday.

At the BBQ, I stand around awkwardly until I realize that no one is manning the bar. I take charge and soon I'm mixing "Abe Specials" for the B-day boy and whoever is on the VIP list. At some point I pass out on the couch with a beer in my hand. In the morning I make a big pancake breakfast. No one knows what to do with the potatoes o'brien. I scavage around for sign supplies and find a big peice of cardboard, some tape and a marker. Either James or Eddie has mention Coffs Harbour as a good destination. I scrawl it on my sign in huge letters, thank everyone for the hospitality, and hit the road once more.