Round The World and other travels
A frequent flyer's collection of trip diaries
This is: Round The World 2004
Bound for South Australia
(Link to flight log in side panel)
The immigration formalities at ADL
seemed to be quite thorough, even to the extent of having sniffer
dogs in use to detect illicit imports of foodstuffs, but Australian
friendliness was in evidence throughout. Formalities completed, I
visited an ATM, then called at Travelex to change my leftover
Japanese yen and then got a taxi to the hotel. They were very
helpful in finding me an available room, even though I was way ahead
of the normal check-in time
I sorted myself out, changing into shorts for
the first time since Singapore, and set out once more.
Without wishing to be in any way disrespectful,
Adelaide is probably not one of the more obvious tourist honey pots
of Australia. But I thought that using a ticket like the One World
Explorer afforded me the ideal opportunity to see one of the, let's
say secondary, destinations. I only had a few hours to play
with and I had three objectives : a look around the city centre, a
ride on the O-Bahn and a trip to Glenelg on the famous Glenelg Tram.
But before all that, I couldn't resist a boyish urge to dash into
the bathroom, fill the sink with water, pull out the plug and watch
gleefully as it spiralled clockwise down the plughole.
It was true : I really was down-under
City Centre
Adelaide city centre is, I suppose like many others, a blend of the ultra-modern and the historic ... and doesn't it look good in this sunshine?
The O-Bahn
Is it a bus? Is it a train? No, it's the O-Bahn! Adelaide is home to the world's most extensive and successful guided busway, named after the original Omnibusbahn in Essen, Germany. It's an extremely flexible system : buses run as normal in the city centre and the suburbs, but operate at high speed on a segregated track between the two. Very strange to watch the driver with his hands off the wheel!
Glenelg
The venerable Glenelg Tram runs from Adelaide city centre to the seaside resort of Glenelg, which features, among other seaside attractions, camels! Er, let me see - I bought my One World Explorer in Cairo. Oh heck, this trip's turning into one giant, mixed-up kaleidoscope of images! By the way, award yourself 10 bonus points if you spotted that Glenelg is a palindrome.
