Indian Pacific 2

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Monday 17th Dec. While the on-train sleeping experience was good with a comfortable but narrow bed, and a gentle rocking motion, I did not sleep well. Too much food probably but I did manage about 5 hours.
On waking the scenery had not changed... Empty, open and endlessly flat. We made a couple of brief off train excursions, just to stretch and look about, but there was little to see... that's the whole point! Our second stop was at the appropriately named "Cook". Why appropriate? Because the temperature there was 44 degrees C. It was a dry heat so not that difficult but the wind was blowing so it felt like standing in front of a fan over with the door open and the fan still running. Wow that was hot!
The second evening was again enjoyable with excellent food, good company swapping travel stories (very like an Exodus trip in that respect) and then some musical entertainment in the lounge car. Lots of rock 'n' roll, old dears having a dance and everybody having a riot. Great fun. After several glasses of Cab Sauv (from the Margaret River region, which of course I had sampled last week), I slept much better!!
Suddenly we were approaching Adelaide in the morning of 18th Dec and the trip was already over half way complete. I have not been bored for a second.

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