Planes and trains...and a Harley Davidson!

MANILA, Philippines - Philippine Airlines flies its new flagship Boeing 777-300ER to three cities in Australia – Melbourne, Sydney and Brisbane – a total of seven times a week. The planes, originally intended for the longer-haul trans-Pacific routes, provide such a comfortable ride that the surprising – but frequent – comment is that the seven-hour trip to Australia is too short to fully enjoy the aircraft’s amenities and PAL’s notable inflight hospitality.

The long range, twin-engine, 370-seat aircraft is also more fuel efficient and requires a shorter takeoff field length. The plane’s interiors are in calming, soothing shades of aqua, and it is easy to doze off soon after takeoff, especially in the Mabuhay Class seat that allows you to fully recline or adjust to any position of your choice.

The 9 p.m. departure for Melbourne is most convenient for people who work, allowing for ample time to get to the airport from work, check in and enjoy the arroz caldo at the Mabuhay Lounge before boarding. You get a good sleep after dinner, but they really shouldn’t wake everyone up for breakfast so early!

We got in to Melbourne at a little after 6 a.m. – which is just 4 a.m. in Manila – and got a warm welcome from PAL station manager Lito Cruz. How anyone can be so efficient and so pleasant so early on a winter morning is beyond me.

This train takes you right back to where you started – after three hours and five delicious courses of a sit-down dinner. The Colonial Tramcar restaurant is a real working tram that runs on the same tracks as the city’s regular trams.

There are three cars that can each sit 36 people, in booths for two or four. The tram has a lunch run from 1 to 3 p.m., and two dinner runs – an early three-course dinner from 5:45 to 7:15 p.m., and a five-course dinner from 8:35 to 11:30 p.m.

We boarded at tram stop #25 next to the Melbourne Exhibition Center, and in the three hours we went around the city and out to the suburbs of St. Kilda, Albert Park and South Melbourne. It was a nice, leisurely way to see the city, although because it was dark we couldn’t see much. So we concentrated on the food.

We started with chicken liver paté and crisp bread, with a roasted capsicum dip. Entree was a choice of Tasmanian ocean trout or Jerusalem artichoke soup (our choice, and happily it was the right one), and the main course was a choice of macadamia chicken or Victorian farmed eye fillet of beef (when in Victoria, of course we chose Victorian). Dessert was the iconic sticky date pudding – which we have since learned to make – or a poached pear, and there was a selection of Australian cheeses. Each course naturally had its complement of Australian wines.

Despite the many long Manila lunches we’ve had, spending three hours sitting down for dinner in a rather cramped tramcar was a bit tiring, but it was, overall, a unique and enjoyable experience, particularly seeing John Kelly’s iconic “Cow up a tree” sculpture at the Docklands.

There it was – a 1600 cc mean machine, a shiny black and chrome Harley Davidson – waiting for me, with biker John – skinhead, scruffy beard, weather beaten black leather jacket and boots – inviting me to hop on.

I put on my helmet and a leather jacket that is two sizes too big and way too heavy and get on behind John, who is director of Harley Rides. They are a group of experienced – at least five years riding; some, like John, have been riding for 15 years – and “knowledgeable riders who have an intimate understanding of Melbourne and its history” who offer a different way of seeing the sights of Melbourne. Whether solo on a motorcycle with your rider/guide or in a sidecar (where’s the fun in that?), you can go on riding tours that last from an hour to ten hours, around the city or further up to the Dandenong Ranges and the Yarra Valley and even to the Great Ocean Road.

Our one-hour ride took us to the Inner City, around the Albert Park Lake that is the Formula 1 race circuit, over the Westgate Bridge to Williamstown, along the beachfront at Beaconsfield Parade and finally to the Docklands, which is being redeveloped into eight precincts for residential, entertainment, commercial and technology uses.

These Harley riders though are no Hells Angels; they (unfortunately) keep to the speed limit, they are all licensed by the Victorian Taxi Directorate, and most of them don’t even have tattoos (“It hurts to get a tat!” one of them said – what a wimp!). What they are though are great guides offering a great way to see this beautiful city.

Oh, and did I mention a shiny new Lexus IS convertible that is our guide Geoff Reynolds’ new ride? He graciously agreed to drive us to the Aquarium – all of three blocks away!