September 8 - The Deliverance Train

At Lutan's suggestion, Mary and I took the train from Bendigo to Melbourne instead of driving. Lutan convinced us that taking the train would be so much easier than driving, and we wouldn't have to worry about parking, etc. So we agreed to take the train. We kicked ourselves later - we both had rental cars, and the drive is easy - only about an hour and a half.  The train ride was horrible! The train was packed with people, and it seemed to stop every 10 minutes and pick up more people! The 'country folk' really came out of the woodwork. Some were scary, some were smelly, and some were just gross. Mary said we were on the Deliverance Train!

So we called Lutan and complained that his idea was a very bad one, and we were not happy! He agreed to pick us up in Melbourne at 4pm on Sunday so we wouldn't have to take the train back. But when we got to the hotel at 4pm on Sunday, no Lutan. He didn't show up at 4, or at 4:30, and he didn't answer his phone. Finally he called, and said he fell asleep and was still in Bendigo. He said he could leave soon, and pick us up in Melbourne at 7pm. But that was too late for us, so Mary and I decided to risk taking the train back to Bendigo. Lutan agreed to pick us up at the Bendigo train station at six.

This time the train ride wasn't so bad. The train wasn't crowded, and it wasn't like the Deliverance train at all. It was a quiet ride, and Mary and I both took a little nap on way back. However, when we got to the station at Bendigo, Lutan wasn't there, and he didn't answer the phone (again). So we took a taxi from the train station back to the motel. Lutan's excuse was that he fell asleep again! He really caught a lot of grief from me & Mary, and from the whole team (because of course we told everyone) for leaving us, not once but twice!