"Don't DO that! You never hitchhike on your own, especially a young woman. It's so dangerous. Very, very dangerous. Have you seen the movie Wolfe Creek? You don't even know how many people go missing every year." As I stood there with my thumb out, I could feel volunteer firefighter lady's scolding eyes upon me; her words echoeing on repeat through my ears. I watched the cars pass by, and my thoughts were filled with all the terrible things that could happen to me. One horrific situation after another flickered before my eyes, when finally, my mind was so muddled with terrifying visions. I put my thumb away. I stood there looking really pointless on the side of the road outside of Broome.
Over 1500 miles (2500 kms) from Broome to Perth, down the west coast of Australia. That's like going halfway across the United States, from Boston to Iowa. It was a long way to hitchhike. Many things could happen to me in 1500 miles. The thought was daunting.
But the road was calling me. It felt right. I just knew I could do it. And Good Judgement [my trusty buddy] was going to be right beside me all the way. So I stuck my thumb out again. Loud and proud. And I started singing: 'I'm headed down south to the land of the pines, thumbin' my way to North Caroline…[I mean, Perth]' The cars passed by and I smiled to each of them. A Greyhound bus rushed passed, and I chuckled at how boring traveling on Greyhound must be. I couldn't contain my excitement for my very own newest adventure! Down on the corner, out in the streets! Willie and the Poorboys are playing, bring a nickel tap your feet! Classic Creedence Clearwater Revival had kicked in.
A few minutes later, I turn around to see the Greyhound bus blocking up the entire highway. What in the world is it doing? It was making a U-turn. Not an easy task for a big big bus on a small small road. Silly bus driver, must've forgot something in Broome. The bus gets back on the road and makes a right turn—again, creating a minor traffic jam because I remind you, it was a big big bus on a small small road. Nope, silly bus driver just missed the turn. A few moments later, the bus emerges from behind the bushes, and was charging towards me again. To my utter surprise, the bus screeched to a halt in front of me. The driver and his Greyhound supervisor opened the door and made a friendly wave: Come on!
My heart stopped. What?! No Way! Greyhound picking up hitchhikers! And that gigantic traffic-blocking 360-turn…all that was just to pick me up! So I hopped on. From that moment, I knew, that nothing is ever impossible. And Greyhound, is so not boring.
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The bus left me at the roadhouse, where they turned off to head North. I swung my backpack on, and skipped along to the road junction. Rollin' rollin' rollin' on the river… Except there were no rivers; only me and my backpack in the hot, dry, red outback. But I was so free…If only I could do cartwheels! I would do cartwheels under the big arrow to Port Hedland!
In the distance a vehicle emerged; the first car in awhile. It was an old Wicked Campervan. I rolled my eyes: just another group of party backpackers. I was sure they would just carry on…
But, they stopped! I was greeted by three bright young smiles. 'Where are you going?' 'South. Where are you going?'
'Perth. We can take you!'
Just my second ride out of Broome, and I had a ride all the way to Perth! This hitchhiking thing was far easier than I expected. Too easy, mate!
In fact, they weren't 'just another group of backpackers.' They were three PhD students on a study break. Two Czech guys (Tom & Jerry) and a Mexican girl (Ikerne). Studying computer science, international relations, and human migration, respectively. I was more than impressed.
'You know, I would never have the patience to do a PhD,' I confessed. I thought about how long ago it was since I finished the studying thing. It seemed so far away.
Tom laughed. 'Patience? We're not actually patient. Really, we're just procrastinating from the real world. You know, a real job, a house, a family.'
Then Tom asked, 'So America. What's a very American saying?' I thought for a moment. These questions about culture are hard sometimes.
'Like totally awesome dude!' We all laughed for a long time. Night eventually fell upon us, so we stopped at a rest area. The sky was clear, the wind was breezy, and the kangaroos were hopping about. As we laid out the tarp, mattresses and pillows under the starry sky, Ikerne smiled at me and said, 'It's nice to have another girl around.' Jerry pulled out his guitar and serenaded us with Czech folk songs. And with a deep sigh, I fell asleep between the stars, sweet dreams, and my new friends.
'This world is like SO totally awesome!'
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It seemed too simple to go all 1500 miles to Perth in just two rides. I wanted to meet more people on this epic adventure. So as heartbreaking as it was to leave my PhD friends, I left them after four days.
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I walked up to the rest area with my backpack. There were two guys already sitting at the table. I nodded to greet them, and strolled away to find a good tent site. I walked around for a long time, as there were ants everywhere, and these ants are no good: they chew through your gear and bite you. But I must've looked quite lost.
'Are you alright?' A voice startled me from behind. A young guy [English, from his accent] was standing there with a beer in his hand. 'Hey, yeah, I'm just looking for a good spot,' I replied.
'Where did you come from? Because you just, like, popped out of nowhere. I mean, one minute there's just a road, and the next, there's this random girl walking with big bags. I've heard of people biking or roadtripping around Australia, but walking? Like, what the hell? You must be superwoman or something.'
I burst into laughter. 'No no no. I've been hitchhiking, and the guy dropped me off at the Roadhouse across the road.'
'So you're not like, a witch or something. You're real. You didn't perform some crazy magic. Because the closest town is more than 60 miles (100 kms) away.'
'No, I swear I'm real. I'm sorry I scared you.'
'Nah, we were just making sure you're alright. We were just like, what's going on? You look one way down the road: nothing. You look the other way down the road: nothing. But you are here. Weird.'
That's how I met Ben. In the end, Ben and Stefan took me all the way from the Minilya rest area to Perth. Almost the whole time, they just smoked and drank beer. There was a simplicity in their lifestyle that I admired and enjoyed. Just beer and cigarettes, and everything was all good.
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And so I made it to Perth. Nearly 3000 kms in 14 days. A brand new hitchhiking-on-my-own record for myself. One that will be hard to beat. Who knows if I'll ever go that distance again? All I know is, this time: Mission accomplished!
"Find out what you want; find something you really care about. When you know what you want, the rest follows. But don't just drift into something because it offers security. Security is never worth a damn. We're meant to live, and to live, means to live dangerously, half on the edge of trouble, half on the edge of achievement." –Hammond Innes
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