The overland tour (2)
Feb 19th
Wagga Wagga went out of the sight very quickly. After a few minutes from saying goodbye with Ashley, there is only grassland out of the window again -- classic look of Australian outbacks. I'll have another five hours to go until the train reach Melbourne Southern Cross Station -- the terminal.
I do not have much time to miss Ashley, although I intend to do so -- you cannot have no feelings when you and a long-lost friend were at a very tiny and beautifully-built railway station, and a noisy, old-style train was coming to pick you up, and you have to say goodbye to each other although you had only stay with each other for only a short while, it may reminds you the usual occasions in a 19th-century novel. All right, but I have a big challenge ahead of me: getting alone with westerners for quite some hours for the first time, could be a big game for me to play -- basically because of I have to speak foreign language.
The train speeded up and arrived Melbourne on time. It would be the southest city I have ever been for quite a long time, I think. Just like a smaller version of Sydney. I met Mike and his to-be-wife Angela in the station, and my language sense tensed -- I cannot use "excuse me" or "pardon" too much or it would be a big shame for a university student! Thanks god, such thing did not happen. "Your english is not too good, but is okay." Mike noted. He and Angela speak slowly, thus I can understand easily.
Mattiazzo couple drove me to the Southbank area of Melbourne (yeah, to the south of the Yarral River), then he asked if I am interest to try barbecue kangaroos. "What!?" I cried, "isn't that inlegal?" "Certainly not," Mike laughed, "I suggest you to have a try, barbecure kangaroos can only be served in Australia." Although I'm not in favour in eat, I was very curious about the taste kangaroo meats and I accepted Mike's offer. Well, not even as good as a decent chicken, it's "just kangaroo meats" and it costs $26 for one dish -- a considerable price.
After taking the kangaroo meat as dinner, Mike drove us to Castlemaine, a town more than a hundred kilometers from Melborne, where he and Angela lived. "You might see kangaroos along side on the road." Mike said, but we did not met one until we reach Castlemaine. Mike make a turn from the road and head the carlight directly at the kangaroos. "Here are they." I cannot believe my eyes: kangaroos do appear in the town? "Yeah," Mike said, "quite often." But the kangaroos have no interest at us at all, they fixed their eyes on the grass and jump away before I was able to take a clear image of them.
We arrived the house in no time, and the Mattiazzo couple introduced another member of their family -- Angela's cat Hedwig. He is very naughty, always lied in front of you and play with his tail. And then, Mike showed me his equipments and point his large binocular to the treasures of southern sky. "You should get up at about 4 a.m. after the moon had set, the sky would be much better." He suggested.
But I was already too excited to sleep even when the moon is up, simply because there are too many southern sky treasures to see.
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