I was sad to leave a 3rd world country and go back to Western living, and the depression set in shortly after I landed. The traffic was too organized, the people spoke English, and the prices were through the roof. The hostel experience seemed quite different, with more close minded people and almost worse amenities than some of the Asian hostels I stayed at. Oddly enough, this whole trip stemmed from one destination in mind, Australia, but it’s the one I was least excited for – at least at this point. I had to persevere though, and make an effort to see the place. I went to Perth first since I heard that the West coast is less travelled, but I realize in hindsight that just going to perth city doesn’t do the West coast justice – you really need a car to see everything you want to, similar to the states.
The first day I went to a beach with some of the boys at the hostel that just bought surf boards and a car and were looking to find some surf. It felt a bit better to be back on a beach, even if the water was 10 degrees cooler. I searched the attractions and found they had an island off the coast of Perth, Rottnest Island, and had to take the chance to be back on an island – even though it was a $100 return trip.
This island is a bicycle only island, but very different than the Asian ones. It felt very commercialized, like the government had decided how everything should be. I brought my newly purchased mask and snorkel, and jumped in to follow their “snorkel paths” – literally they had numbered concrete slabs at the bottom to show the route.
However, I didn’t get to slab 6 before I was too cold, and barely saw anything exciting. Bonded with some other people at the beach at how cold the water was and then rode on to the next beach – the one with the view:
I rode up to the lighthouse to get a pano and then back down to where I started. There was quite a bit of wildlife on here, with Rottnest being the only island with Quokka on it, which look like miniature kangaroos:
They had pelicans and peacocks too:
Back on the mainland, had to do some grocery shopping since food prices at restaurants are pretty outrageous (min $20 for a small takeout meal). I couldn’t resist going back to what I already missed – Thai food, but this was the best I could come up with:
Still, delicious. Sometimes it’s the little things!
I had decided it was time to get out of Perth and booked a flight for Melbourne as soon as I could. My last day in Perth I decided to rent a bicycle to actually see most of the city and ride around the bay. Right after renting the bike and riding across the first bridge, I turned to look out at the water to see this:
Dolphins were jumping up and down in the water, playing with each other. It looked like 3 dolphins, probably a mom and two kids. I followed them along the river for a bit and talked with a local who said he’d always wanted to see them but never had. Apparently they regularly come into the bay/river to raise their young, as it’s a safer environment.
Last stop, I rode to the Perth Zoo to have a look at my first kangaroo, some koalas and of course, say hi to the giraffes.
According to one of the signs there, this famous photo was taken at the Perth zoo:
I went out for a beer with a hostel-mate for a bit and was quite interested to see how the social scene in Australia is. Just watching one table of women get hit on by multiple groups of guys throughout the night was entertaining. People seem more open to just opening up random conversation without judgment and just more friendly overall. Could have to do with how much Aussies drink in general…
I said bye to Perth and was on my way to Melbourne to say hi to cousin Dan as well as meet some friends of friends of my mom, who turned out to be like a 2nd family instantly. I would like to give West Coast Australia another shot when I have time to get a car and actually drive outside of Perth and see the more nature-y stuff. Add it to the travel list!
Pictures are here
