October 26, 2002 - Canberra YHA, 8:30 pm

The Greyhound bus ride from Sydney to Canberra was uneventful. Got into Jolimont Center (main bus depot in City Center Canberra) quarter to two in the afternoon and promptly got info on how to get to the Canberra YHA from the tourist info phone inside the main concourse. Dickson bound bus #35. Good. Now where do I catch the darned bus? Along Bunda Street? Where? Hahahah, anyway, after first heading into the wrong direction, I still managed (finally!) to get my bearings correct. I met a truly pleasant surprise while waiting for the crosswalk light to change. His name, Paul.

He is my chat buddy and I left him a VM message about my expected arrival in Canberra, night before I left, but I was not expecting him to meet me at the bus station. Sweet, sweet guy. He gave me a ride to the YHA and in top guy-form, he did not ask for directions so we had to turn around and backtrack a couple of times. I'll cut him some slack because he is new to Canberra himself. He is originally from Melbourne and he moved here for a job with the Australian Immigration. Exactly what he does for the agency, I don't know. My first impressions of him…he is one cool guy with Major Hoolihan's hot lips. I mean, his lips remind me of "hot lips Hoolihan's" - the way it's full and moist and yes, kissable. (Oh and whatever ideas you might have swimming in your head, the answer is N.O., no. Got it? NO! Moving along...)

He's got Bruce Lee and John Coltrane on his walls plus nice BW photos of Indian subjects. He is interested in the Asian sub-continent culture. In his own words, he is a white boy with an Asian soul. More power to him! I hope he realizes his dream of working and living in India someday.

So the YHA in Canberra, in a word, quiet. As in, sedate as a bungalow type-house in suburbia. Well, it is in the burbs. Not real convenient for backpackers relying on public transport, but real good deal for those who drive. Bus 35 does stop in front of the hostel but apart from that, one can get stranded.

Because of its rather isolated location, I feared that I would need to schlep back to city center to get supplies or find a decent café. But once again, I was pleasantly surprised by what I found. YHA reception informed me that within a 10-15 minute walk is a café and market type of place. So armed with a Canberra ACT map, I hiked down towards the place. The weather was nice, sunny and cool at the same time. Trees line both sides of the street. Passed by a nice garden with benches, a Girl Guides house, a couple (I can only assume, hey, it's the sentimental fool in me!) making a go at landscaping their first home... The scenery and the weather lent themselves to making this short jaunt through the burbs a charming one.

And the sub-urban charm continued when I found Tilley's. It's a bar/café/patio restaurant. You order from the bar, waitress serves your food and you can sit anywhere you like, outside for a nice sunny setting or inside and in wooden cubicles. Inside feels like a small town English pub…my type of place. Bossa Nova music playing, sunlight streaming through the windows and I ordered what I can only describe as the best thing on the menu (but what might make Craig hurl and gag). I had a vegetarian foccacia sandwich with homemade mayo. Grilled Portabello mushroom, red bell pepper, zucchini, eggplant, onions and spinach with vinegriette dressed greens on the side! Yum! This is my first rewarding sandwich of the trip. And I am thankful. It nourished my body and plastered a smile on my face as I enjoy every single bite.

I am Mary Grace, enjoying a forced quiet time in Canberra