Today was "leave Medford travel to Portland" day. An 8.45 am Greyhound bus will take 6 hours. Mr Jammies - the taxi driver - picked me up again and as he had to get out of the cab to put my bags in the boot, I will confirm they are DEFINITELY pyjamas. TMI!!
The sunrise was amazing - so strange after yesterdays pea souper.
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| Beautiful |
Random - this area is called the Rogue Valley - what a great name. Pirates and swashbucklers and snake oil men all spring immediately to mind. Probably nothing to do with any of that but it's my story and I'll stay with it :)
I hurried into the bus and secured the "safe" seat and at the first stop I stocked up with necessary travel supplies.
The trip itself went well and I didn't suffer from "sea" sickness this time round. Time went fast with a couple of naps and I was also listening to podcasts of crime shows that involved serial killers in the North-West (where I'm going - think Ted Bundy and Green River killer). lol
It was very foggy most of the way and it seemed to get dark shortly after 3:30 pm - maybe it was just the clouds. I had previously heard negative things about Greyhound Buses but I was pleasantly surprised. It was new and roomy with wi-fi and a plug to keep my phone charged.
Another first - using the toilet on the bus. My word - it did seem strange sitting on the throne, travelling up the I5 with cars speeding by at 60 mph. I was concerned about performance anxiety but I thought of Pyjama Man and all was well.
I finally arrived in Portland and disembarked at the bus station. This area reminded me very much of San Francisco with many homeless people and a distinct aroma of soothing herbs. Mr Uber took me to my hotel where I immediately extended my stay from 3 to 5 days. This hotel is more expensive than my budget allows but I have some "chores" to catch up on, the wi-fi is better and I want to be out of the way of the anti Trump protesters in the city areas. More on that later.
Random - the stock market seems to have rallied so I'm relieved my funds may not be decimated. I'm determined not to follow them on a day to day basis - that would ruin my trip.
Next door to the hotel is a Mongolian BBQ restaurant. You go in and fill up bowls with all sorts of veggies and or meat/chicken/fish and the chef tosses them onto a big round hot bizzo (I believe thats the technical name for it) and he cooks your food with some very theatrical flourishes. The food tasted amazing and was extremely healthy. Perfect for you Angie Depee :)
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| The guy on the left pirouetted with full plates before delivering them to the diner |
Now! - these anti Trump protesters. There have been marches for the last few nights resulting in damage to shop windows, cars stopped and windscreens broken, lots of arrests and one shooting. Definitely a situation to avoid and I will. Hence the nicer hotel. There were 1500 protesters tonight and cops in riot gear and more in reserve. A powder keg. To be fair it seems the protesters have been infiltrated by some anarchists who started the violence by shooting off flares. I pray for safety for cops and marchers.
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