Lancelin & a trip to Perth

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Some bits about booking flights from Perth to South Africa, but mostly a work diary. If this bothers you or you are looking for a real TravelBlog don’t read this.

July 2nd – flights to SA

Working for Kim today collecting branches from houses and running them to the dump. I’m meant to spend the afternoon helping him to fix the truck, but it doesn’t happen so I clock off at lunch. Helen show’s up for a chat whilst I make food.

Look online for flight details to SA. Cheapest I can find is $1,000 for August 1st with Emirates. I need to decide if I want to fly to Durban or Cape Town. I think I’ll book this tomorrow.

Take the bike for a ride and spend a little too long sat on the beach with my book listening to the waves. Go see Kim to tell him I’m leaving in a month and then head to the Lodge to get details for the Perth YHA and the bus back.



July 3rd – working from home

Working for Doug today fixing up the donga and surround. Doug’s late turning up, but I know what the jobs are and get a few done already. Ree (Doug’s wife) cooks me Thai rice for lunch and Winnie brings me vegetable soup for my dinner. I’m filthy by the time I finish; diesel grease from removing a hydraulic pump from under a truck on top of paint from covering rust spots. The grease will wash off, eventually, the paint wont.

Try to book my flight to SA, but I can’t use my Bendigo account and here isn’t enough in my Westpac. Something to fix tomorrow. No dorm beds at the Perth YHA and I can’t afford a private room. A call from Eagle Boys to say they’ll look sending me my group certificate. They don’t sound overly optimistic. Kim comes around with an envelope full of cash. That’ll cover the cost of my flight.

I need to write a shopping list for tomorrow.



July 4th – day off

My day off and it’s an early start. Kim’s picking me up at eight. I don’t expect he’ll get here until half past, but better safe than sorry. I’ve washed, dressed, breakfasted and had a 20 minute nap by the time Kim knocks on the door.

Australia is making me soft. The idea of spending a few days in the city fills me more with dread than excitement. And once I’m in the car with Kim I realize how out of practice I am with hostels; I haven’t packed a towel or a padlock.

The ride to Perth is just over an hour and Kim gives me a few things to think about before I buy my ticket out of the country. Shopping at the cash & carry (I don’t buy a toothbrush) and then to Fiori for coffee beans.

Kim drops me off on the corner of Rokeby and Bagot. I find a tree to sit under and look pretty. And along comes a Regan. A bank drop and grilled chips. Coffee and a train ride into the city. A walk to the park (Regan doesn’t like walking). Regan falls over in the park and gets her face licked. If it’d been a dog that’d done it she’d have thought it was cute and asked me to take a photo, instead she threatens my person. Back into the mall to find peanut butter. A late lunch/early dinner and I walk Regan to the train station. The bus back to Lano leaves at half five and costs $18.

Regan seems a little irked that I can change my mind about which continent I want to be on at a whim, but she isn’t adverse to me hanging around a little longer than the start of August. My visa is good until November so tomorrow I want to look at finding some work in Perth for when I finish in Lano.

A call to my Ma. And a call to my sister.



Juliy 5th – dead mouse

It’s noon by the time I’ve finished my book, showered, dressed and had breakfast, Almost time for lunch. It’s good to have days off. I send some CVs out to Perth recruitment agencies and head to my spot on the beach to read. Too windy for shorts and too sunny for jeans. Crash out in front of a movie and eat the last of Winnie’s soup. A call from Kim saying they weren’t expecting me back in time for work tomorrow so they have nothing for me, and maybe I should talk to Doug.



July 6th

A message from Regan confirming she’s not coming back to Lano. If I see her again it’ll be in Perth in three or four weeks time. Which means she won’t be coming back for her dried food; two tea bags, a handful of pasta, a squirt of lemon juice, half a jar of jam, a bottle of squash and two wheat biscuits. No doubt she’ll make me pay. If she catches me I’ll be happy to. A call from Kim saying I’ll be helping Doug out again today. A splinter, curry egg sandwiches and I get to drive the Hummer.

A cycle along the beach to my usual reading spot. I catch-up with Helen along my way back. Kim comes by to ask for a lift from the garage and later I go over to collect tomorrows orders/money.



July 7th

I wake at dawn and watch the [b[sun rise over the sandsfrom my bed. The weather’s overcast so at least it’s warm. Bead run and the café. Steady stream of people until about one. Julie lets me try one of the new min-burgers. I just about manage it; no way I could eat the full sized version. No customers by two so Julie sends me home. Apparently it gets busy right after I leave.

I help Doug put some numbers on his building and the take the bike for a ride. I want to head out to the sand quarry, but it’s too late so I explore the back beach. I’ve never been here before and it’s an amazing beach. Probably why it has more people on it than my usual spot.

I mix one the wheat biscuits into my pasta to give it some bulk. And forgo the planned glass of red. Somewhere between watching the sun go down and sipping Milo with a book I find a happy place.



July 8th

I’m neat to be starting at half nine. Kim calls me at twenty to and asks if I can be there by nine. It’s a 15 minute drive and I’m not even dressed. The queue in the bakery means that even with my head start I still don’t get there until 09h25. People come and go, but there’s a dead spot one till two and Julie wants Kim to do some work instead of chatting so she sends me home.

I call Regan in response to her text message and it makes me miss having someone to talk to, even if it’s about nothing or a grumble about the day. And I miss her company for other reasons.

A ride around town and I find a spot on a beach to read for a bit. I haven’t been into the town part of Lancelin much since I gotback; stopping in the have-a-chat the woman in there remembers me from Christmas and asks where I’ve been. Run an errand for Kim, steal some chilies from Julie and find another spot on another beach to read some more. It's going to be a cold night.

The price of a flight to Africa on August 1st hasn’t changed since Monday. It hasn’t changed since I looked it up a month ago. After speaking to Lisa (my step-sister) I’m in no hurry to leave Australia before my visa expires. I don’t think Kim and Julie have enough work to keep me here after the school holidays, but there’s enough in WA to keep me entertained if I can find a cheap place to stay and enough hours to cover rent. I also look up the cost of a flight from Darwin; a road trip through the Northern Territories might be fun.

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