My Travels in Australia

Getting used the driving on the wrong side of the road isn't a big deal - it feels like it makes sense, because you drive with the driver closest to the oncoming traffic. The weird part is walking on the opposite side. I constantly am reminding myself to walk on the left haha.

I've arrived safely in Perth, and it was probably the best flight I've had haha. We were on a 747, and those things are huge! You know you they look like they are going really slowly when they land? I swear it was going as slowly as it landed as the other planes I took were after serious slowing down on the runway after landing! When I first got my boarding pass they had bumped me from my aisle seat into a middle seat. When I dropped off my bags I had to pay for my second bag, since you apparently only get one bag on domestic flights here (but the weight limit is almost double from home, so it only cost $10, because they called it one bag) - I explained I had come internationally, but they can only waive it if you've flown here internationally on Qantas. I asked if any aisles were available while I was paying, and the lady at Qantas told me she found one and gave me a new boarding pass. When I got to the plane and gave the flight attendant my ticket he said, "Ah, first class, just up the staircase in the middle of the plane." Ummm...first class? So I got a free upgrade (or I guess it was $10), which included a glass of champagne before we even left the gate (which is somewhat weird at 8:00 in the morning) and a breakfast including a 3 cheese and mushroom omelet, hashbrowns and sausage (served on real plates!). If that wasn't enough, we had our own TV systems with satellite TV, so I watched a movie, and then some hockey to remind myself of the cold haha.

Either lifting one of my bags the wrong way in Sydney, or just from my carry-on, which is abnormally heavy, I managed to pull a muscle in my side. It's getting better slowly, and it really only hurts briefly in the morning now, because it tightens up when I'm not moving around. I'm not letting it hinder my plans to see Perth though, so I headed out to see some of the places close to my hotel. Perth actually reminds me a lot of Toronto.

The Swan River is about 5 minutes away, so I checked out Riverside Park, the Swan River and the Swan Bell Tower. Fremantle is down the river at the ocean, south Perth is across the river, while West Perth and King's Park sits a little higher than the Perth Central Business District, or 'CBD' as it's known here (obviously to the west). I'm hoping to get to King's Park while I'm here, so I'll hopefully tell you more about it later.

The Swan Bell Tower was really busy, so I only got a couple pictures, but I'll hopefully go back at night, because the whole tower lights up and looks incredible. The bell tower includes the twelve bells from St. Martin-in-the-fields, which are reportedly from before the 14th century (and then recast by Queen Elizabeth I in the 16th century). King George II ordered the bells to be recast three times between 1725-1770, and they are the only "royal bells" that are known to have left England. According to the brochure I picked up, the bells, while in Trafalgar Square, celebrated occasions like England's win over the Spanish Armada in 1588, James Cook's return in 1771 and various World War II victories. The bells were presented to Perth when Australia celebrated its bicentennial.




I then headed to the Hay Street Mall - basically Hay Street stops being an actual road for about 5 blocks, and the mall is completely outdoor (with stores like Target, Woolworth's [their big grocery store] and brand-name stores like an outlet mall). Australian prices for foods, etc. are actually more expensive, but my cab driver this morning told me that his sister lives in Canada and the minimum wage here is higher and that leads to higher prices in general.

Well, I pay for my internet at this hotel based on how much I download / upload, so I may limit my picture content for the next few days. I plan to head to Joondalup, where my campus is and where I'll be living while I'm here (about 20 minutes north of Perth by high-speed train - which goes about 100 km/hr), and I should be able to use the internet there for free once I organize my student card, etc. during my first visit.

Talk to you all soon!

Labels: Perth, Things to See