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Day 21 - Friday 13th July 2012 - to Adelaide
Today is the last day on The Ghan and I am sad about that.
When we woke up (the speaker music came on at 7:30) Merv said he had hardly slept and we stopped for about 5 hours over night. I told him there were scheduled stops and he had slept between them. I slept really well. I got up and went to the lounge car to give Merv room. I heard that the train had stopped for 5 hours so we were running 5 hrs late. The brakes on one of the engines had jammed on and they had to get another engine from Port Augusta, with a driver who knows that track.
We had arranged to meet our friends, Marg and Kevin from Ardrossan, and we were just leaving phone coverage, so I went bacteria to our cabin (4 carriages back) to see if Merv's phone had any service. We tried to contact them before they left home but couldn't. Merv kept trying and sent a text about 10mins later.
We had fruit and a cooked breakfast and went to the lounge. I was happy because my holiday just got extended another 6 hours and we got to see country we otherwise wouldn't have seen.
The staff were wonderful, they were checking everyone (marking us off their list) to see if we had connecting flights, and we're doing everything they could to help. There was one couple who were due to fly out at 6pm. The staff got their luggage out at Port Augusta and arranged for a taxi for them in Adelaide to take them straight to the airport. Then they rang the airline to let them know they wouldn't be there until 15mins before the flight was due to leave.
They had to spit together another lunch, which was a choice of chicken curry or beef casserole with rice (this was from the Red Class kiosk) and apple pie or caramel pie for dessert. All really good.
When we were having lunch I could smell something really funny. The brakes had jammed on again and we lost another 3/4hr. We could see Port Pirie in the distance. It is Friday 13th.
The staff helped the passengers who had connecting flights again, and all through this were very cheerful. We didn't see anyone really upset or angry. We heard that one couple had a 3pm connecting flight to Perth and had to stay overnight in Adelaide because there wasn't another flight that night. I hope they had travel insurance - it would have been very expensive if they didn't.
We were given afternoon tea (it was going to be morning tea) with plenty of pastries and muffins. It was amazing how many people came out of their cabins for this! We don't know why they didn't spend more time in the lounge. Then they went back again.
Our new ETA into Adelaide was 6:30pm.
After lots of texts to Marg and Kevin, and Merv's sister Lois, who we were staying with, and who was organizing the restaurant for dinner (changed from lunch) to keep them up to date with what was happening we arrived in Adelaide. I was sad it was over.
But, it was FANTASTIC to see Marg and Kevin.
The cars were unloaded fairly quickly and I was very glad to see that the broken window had stayed covered over. It was cold and drizzly rain and the car only had one headlight (that blew ages ago and we decided to fix it in Adelaide because we wouldn't be driving in the dark before then!).
We set the GPS and Marg and Kevin followed us to the restaurant where Lois was waiting.
The food was great and the company was better.
Then it was back to Lois' to watch the end of the footy.
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