TRAIN

The small town of Lara
is connected to
the city of Melbourne, (population 3.6 million), by an expressway and a high speed rail link.

The freeway suffers from congestion over the 10 km long West Gate Bridge, which carries traffic over the estuary of the Yarra River.

The railway has been upgraded, and new diesel cars travel at 160 kph (100 mph) over the faster sections.
These blurry pictures were taken this morning on the Warrnambool express into Melbourne.

Wednesday 28 February 2007

Today, Ai travelled by bus to Tacloban.

But it was a difficult day. The compulsive sickness returned.
Needing to throw up every few minutes. but an empty or dry feeling.

So in Tacloban, I asked to meet her on Yahoo Messenger.
This allows us time to exchange ideas without the high cost of
the phone. It also enables an exchange of webcam pictures.
- Ai does not have a camera, and in santa Rita,
she does not have access to the internet.



Feeling unwell, Ai sked not to do the webcam.
But I persuaded her to meet.
She appeared looking very good, her face and lips just a little fuller.
We sat online almost two hours.
For two people who have had only a few days together,
it was satisfying to have this webcam link, however fragile.

It's a train station! ......is it?

This was melbourne's oddball Southern Cross Station
this morning,
as I arrived there on the Warrnambool train,
which I boarded at Lara.
["Where's warrnambool?????", you say!]










Daylight enters through panels in the curvaceous roof,
which are cushions,
plastic cushions,
maybe 5o metres long.















The view out of the station is the end of Bourke Street, Melbourne's central shopping street.
It is almost the ninth month in the sun's solstice,
and you can see the autumnal effect.
Sun losing its brilliance.
Trees ready to turn golden
before losing their leaves.
The winter in Melbourne can be bleak!

ANMUM

"Am here drinking milkfor the baby's brain development.
It's branded ANMUM - high in folate. Choco flavoured but doesn't taste good.

Good night honey, this is last load. Mwah!"

f

The Mom Factor

"They don't care how i feel. That's my Mom when I no have money to give them.
My salary is on Wedesday, end of month.
Am tired and moody hon.
I sleep now.
Goodnight!

"Maybe it is better to obey your mom, sweet?
If she feel you can work. And that at your age you are strong
enough and can ignore pains and cough, and not act like a baby?"

Gossips!

"They knew thru gossips. thats why they want to confirm it from me. I fel ashame coz I was the respected Aileen but now preg and not married yet. Tummy still small." "Ya honey. Tummy small now but they will see it grow bigger every day! Coz you been seriously XXXX'd? That's why they want to see how you answer!" "Just tell them in the the street that it was an accident and more careful in future but you enjoyed being XXXX'd?"

Saturday 24 February 2007

Instead of taking the bus to Tacloban to buy food, Ai is at a special meeting called by the mayor to work out her coming election campaign.

The headache has now cleared after two weeks. There is some lower abdominal discomfort but the sickness has calmed down. She is in good spirits, with lots of fun text messages.

We have the difficulty of obtaining a certificate of no impediment. This has to state that I have no
previous marriage or unresolved divorce. It has to meet Philippine requirements, but is issued by the Australian Embassy in Manila. Then checked by the Philippine Foreign Office. each step involves expense.

But hopefully, we can get a visitor's visa in time for Ai to travel with me to Melbourne on 17 April, so that the babe will be born here in October.

Peter keeps urging me that she will be bored here at Lara, and to move into Melbourne.
--- So I will post a few pictures of Lara to give the general idea. --- And then some pictures of melbourne.

Huh?