Memories from the Greyhound

I rode the greyhound down the East coast of Australia, listening to Blind Pilot's Oviedo - The thrill here is quicker than you'd think- and sleeping on my sweatshirt, beach towns made for backpackers with nothing in between except a coastline lunch spot, fish and chips I never ate wafting through the gas station area. Not a local in site except the fry cook and cashier. Greyhound city. Population 2.

My trip was planned by a backpacking travel agent expert. One of a million my trip was exactly the same but different than everyone else's. - I left all my doubts on the airplane -

Pull into Rainbow Beach. Unload from the bus. Food bag from overhead compartment. Check. Backpack. Check. Carry on suitcase. Check. Do I walk to the hostel are they picking me up?There was the Yongala Dive, no one else got off the bus. I sat at the depot on the outskirts of the agriculture town. Dusty roads and a shaded bench I sat reading. Wondering. Listening to Blind Pilot - I didn't know, I didn't know I'm not in control - thinking what brought me here? I got here by greyhound but how did I get to this town, Aire, where no one is on the street, going to do the 7th dive of my life in the middle of now where Australia. By myself. The truck pulled up and Dave from San Diego threw my suitcase in the back and drove me to my accommodation, a house converted to a dive shop/hotel. We ate roasted chicken, 7 of us, and walked through the neighborhood in the warm night air. Strangers. Friends. We dove together the next day, drank around an old picnic table under a yellow light listening to electronic music on speakers hooked to the dive instructors ATV. And the next day Dave drove me to the bus depot, dropped me off with well wishes and memories for life. Except I can't remember if his name really is Dave. And the greyhound pulled into the depot out of now where and a new driver loaded my suitcase into the under car storage, checked my ticket and let me on as another girl got off. - I didn't know, I'm not invincible - And I sat down rested head on sweatshirt and listened to Blind Pilot.