Seeing travel from both sides now
In these times of restricted journeys, I’ve decided to take to heart the words of Joni Mitchell.
To get the best view of the Himalaya flying into Bhutan’s Paro airport, rated one of the world’s most dangerous, sit on the left-hand side of the plane. Don’t take my word on that because I’ve never been. It was the advice of fondly remembered politician and enthusiastic (some may say eccentric) traveller Tim Fischer in an article for T+I just two years ago.
In these times of restricted journeys, I’ve decided to shake up the party and take to heart the words of Joni Mitchell, “I’ve looked at life from both sides now”, ignoring perhaps her conclusion that having done so she “really [doesn’t] know life at all”.
Here’s my simple act. On a work commute from the NSW central coast to Sydney Central via the Hawkesbury River, my train carriage is empty. In the past, this service has had regular passengers sitting in chosen spots. To break protocol and sit out of place would have drawn an audible tut-tut inappropriate in a quiet carriage.
Now the masked me is at liberty to plonk down where I please; I can dart around, this side or that, facing forwards or backwards. Each journey offers a fresh perspective. I see things — buildings, signs, parks and gardens, even a wind turbine — I’ve never noticed.
On a recent trip to Orange, in the NSW Central Tablelands, I decide to vary the diet by taking the Dubbo XPT rail service. After a hitch in which a booked first-class seat turns out to be economy “because they didn’t give us the right carriage” (some elements of the reawakening tourism industry need to get on track), I’m in for a trip over the Blue Mountains and on to the Bathurst plains that reveals marvels I have missed on car journeys.
While it can be enriching to observe the world from altered angles, I’m not denying there is a right and wrong side at times, as per Tim’s advice. I fluked it once on a flight to New York via Japan. There it was, a window view of perfection: snow-capped Mount Fuji on a blue-sky day. Alas, that’s the last time I’ll be so lucky. More recently I have booked an aisle seat for ease of access to an exercise route and the bathroom. That’s a little sad.
By popular belief (but challenged by etymologists), the word “posh” is derived from the initials of “port out, starboard home”, the preferred cabin position on P&O ships sailing from Britain to India. That designation afforded the genteel traveller more shade. But I like the sun to shine in too, so count me down as both posh and “soph”.