Perth, WA

Lazyness

Ok, so i've completely abandoned the travel blog thing but heres a quick snippet of what i got up to!!

Arrival in Perth

Love it love it love it! Its more of a big town than a city but theres something so cool about the fact that its one of the most isolated cities in the world - the nearest city is Adelaide which is over 2000km away!!

Accom

I stayed at the Witches Hat in Northbridge which is often referred to a "flashpackers" by those staying in slightly cheaper but considerably dodgier accom closer to the CBD (Central business district). So i showed up absolutely shattered after it being nearly 24 hours since i'd slept in a bed :O only to be told by Hopper (the man about the house) that i should have been there yesterday and my bed had been given away! DUH i forgot about the whole loosing a day travelling thing and booked the wrong date dammmmn. Luckily he took pity on me and let me have the private double bedroom all to my self for the same price... aaah it was sweeeeeeeeet. They have quilts!! Yes, i say again QUILTS!! OH OH and free pasta and rice so we don't starve to death :) OH OH OH and a whole fridge dedicated to alcohol :P

I arrived on a friday which meant hostel BBQ night. The hostel has a really good outdoor area with large picnic benches so i joined the smokers section (always more chat and craic in the smokers!!) and met the whole hostel on my first night which was pretty sweet (also the BBQ was yum yum yum - apparently Hopper used to be a chef!). Met a really cool gang of 5 from Blackpool who I came to annoy for the rest of the week :P

First impressions

Once I slept off a wee bit of time difference I went out exploring. By god are Aussies friendly!! They say the Irish are friendly but thats only when we want mula off the tourists in fairness :P I just went into a sports shop to look at runners and the dude starts up a big convo asking how my days going, where I'm from etc. etc. and he didn't even try to sell me anything! Very wierd...

I then went to buy some nail varnish for my disastrously shabby toe nails and the girl offers to help me pick it out (seriously, its frickin nail varnish!) and says "oh wow you paint your toes, thats so cute! I haven't done that since i was about 10! I hear guys find it very sexy"... seriously, are they on commission for selling nail varnish???

Everything is so organized and clean - there's even a free bus service around the CBD during the day and its not destroyed in graffiti or anything (Blue Cat, Red Cat and umm some other kind of cat!!)!

Travel time!

Seeing as hopper was also a tour guide in a former life i enlisted his help on planning my couple of weeks in WA (yes, he was also horrified that thats all the time I set aside for the ENTIRE state of WA - he's so obsessed with WA all his maps only show that half of the country). Came up with a 5day tour south from Perth through Margaret River, Albany, Agusta and finally onto Esperance. Theres also a lot of day trips from perth like Rottnest island, Fremantle (Freo) or just head to kings park, cottesloe beach, the harbour, SHOPPING, the zoo etc etc. He also insisted I will just HAVE to come back to the "Hat" around april to take the tour up the north coast! Of course for my benefit not his own.. :P

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