A first trip ‘round the world, part 22

In the early Sunday morning hours, before sunrise, it felt just unbelievably cold. We were simply desperate and began to worry.

No lift in sight and even though the thin week-end traffic, was picking up some, no one would stop. 

Finally at about 10 am, a small VW minibus, after slowing down and hesitating, stopped ahead of us. We ran towards it as fast as we could. Inside, the driver was the sole occupant headed up to Sydney, and moving all of his possessions. 

Space was so tight that we had to lay on top of a mattress inside the small vehicle with just enough head-room to move around. It was all but comfortable, but we finally had a lift all the way to Adelaide, distant more than 1,340 miles away! 

JP had also spent the night alone, on the side of the road, but as the afternoon came, he began to realize that he might never make the ship when he’d get to Adelaide, if he ever made it all the way there. 

So he walked to the bus station and with whatever money he still had in his pockets, managed to purchase a ticket to get to Adelaide, with the regular scheduled coach service.