Arriving in Australia – um, honey, I don't think we're in Southeast Asia anymore...

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We got into Perth after traveling overnight from Cebu to Kuala Lumpur, which meant that by the time we got to our hostel, we hadn't slept for over 30 hours. We were already in shock at the fact that the bus ride from the airport had cost us 35 dollars (each!), and our arrival at our hostel did nothing to lighten the mood. Having been without internet for a few weeks, and not knowing we were arriving in the middle of Perth's high season (in late February? who knew?) we had ended up having to book a room at Aberdeen Lodge, which was the only thing available within Perth town that was under 80 dollars a night and only described by 50% of its previous users as a fleabag flophouse (the rest were so described by over 75% of its previous inhabitants, one can only assume the rest of them didn't care because they were so drunk).



As soon as we set foot there, we realized we were in for some serious adjustment from Southeast Asia. The place was filthy, to the extent that putting anything down anywhere seemed highly risky, and sitting on the toilet seat was a definite health hazard. Most of the people staying there seemed to live there, and spent most of their time drunk and stoned on the front porch. The managers woke around noon and walked around in a daze in their underwear, surely making sure no one had stolen any of the plastic chairs (which had bolts on them) during the night. For the pleasure of staying there we paid 450 for 7 nights, and were lucky enough to get a room to ourselves without bed bugs (apparently that was the only room which did not have them!) but which also faced the sun throughout the day, which meant that after a couple of 45° days, the little ceiling fan was not helping much... The people were nice, though, we must admit, and our stuff was pretty safe in the room as no one would ever rob anyone who would dare to stay there... As soon as it became apparent that we needed more than a week to find a car and get ready for our road trip, we promptly booked a room at Underground Backpackers, where the same price got us cleanliness, adult reception staff,and glorious AC.



Our time in Perth was mostly spent frantically trying to find a car that would be suitable for our trip, and researching everything to do with it (even this was difficult, as free wifi became a thing of the past, and the Perth State Library became our base), which included the ever-challenging cross-state vehicle re-registration system in Australia, and finding as much as possible of what we needed (spare tyres, camping gear, 4x4 recovery gear, jerry cans, etc) through Gumtree, the Craigslist of Australia. It took us two frantic, expensive, heat-stricken weeks of bussing, training, and walking all over greater Perth to collect what we needed. During this time, the Perth Fringe Festival was going on (we wanted to see the Blue Burlesque show but it was sold out), the Perth Festival provided loud music at all hours of the evening, and the heat during the daytime provided the perfect excuse for the rare Perth phenomenon of wearing shorts and skirts that in any other part of the world would be considered thong underwear. Due to some remaining degree of decency on our part, we did not photograph any extreme (and highly usual) cases, but let the record show that these were abundant. Baring half an ass cheek was not only acceptable, but also widespread, independent of body shape or size, or even age or, dare we say it, cellulite (this part we found rather refreshing).



Another thing about Perth (or the Northbridge area, where we were staying) is the amount of people who walk around barefoot. Do we need to remind you it was over 45°? The asphalt must have felt like lava. But nothing could deter those wanting to pretend like they were living the hippie lifestyle (while staying in hostels that cost over 30 bucks a night).



Indeed, Perth was a shocker. We liked the vibe, but were not prepared by the expenses and how complicated things get when things get both expensive and modern, and after a few unexpected expenses back home, we suddenly realized that, while we had a lot of money tied up in our car, we did not have enough cash left over to get on the road for any considerable amount of time. Yes, we despaired, fought a little bit and felt sorry for ourselves. And then we did what Øyvind didn't want to and Sadie thought best: we asked Sadie's parents for a loan on the car. And they said yes! So thanks to them, we took a few deep breaths, made up, packed up and fixed up, and were able to finally leave Perth, its stoners and drunks, its bare butt cheeks and bare feet behind, and move on up the coast to explore the true nature of this vast, enchanting, and also unforgiving, country.



- Best way to get free internet in Perth: sign up for a free card at the State Library in Northbridge (though computers can only be booked one hour at a time); free wi-fi, when available, is so slow as to be nonexistent...





- Best coffee (and cheapest iced coffee to be had) in Northbridge is the frappe at Kosta's cafe, run by a lovely Greek family... those sips of cold frappe took us back to our honeymoon in Santorini...



- Best bubble tea: Øyvind says Easy Way, Sadie says Utopia (they have non-dairy milk and chocolate sago)



- Cool free stuff: Outdoor cinema on the lawn on Francis street. There is also free wi-fi there. But beware of the cockroaches, they are everywhere!



- Nicest train ride we took to see a car: to Mandurah, across the water, lovely!



- Repairs done on the car: building a bed in the back, fitting new back tyres, re-gased AC, sanding and converting of rust, filling of holes, and redoing the paint job...

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Photos

Getting ready
Before we could leave town, all our belongings had to get a new place in our car, that meant a fair bit of packing and repacking the car

The backyard
while staying at Aberdeen lodge we did see a lot of strange things, like this guy who decided that the backseat of a car, in the sun, covered with silver foil was the best way to get out of the heat...

Cheek flash
We got quite knocked out by all the bare butts we saw in Perth, and Sadie decided that this had to be documented for the rest of the world to see, so - here you are world

Upgrade
The car we bought, a 1987 Toyota Land Cruiser, had a bit of rust in some places, so we decided to fix it up. That meant working wherever we could find electricity and standing in the middle of the streets

Fringe mermaids
The Fringe festival was taking up a lot of space in Perth while we were there, and it was a lot of fun things to see, like the mermaid... and merman?

Clothes drawer
We have on drawer each where all our clothes is placed, and above that is our master bed

Clean out
Sadie prepared the car very well by washing, shampooing, cleaning and hoovering the car all over while Øyvind was building and doing the exteriors

Bubble bonanza
During our hunt for our new car, bubble tea became our savior when commuting all over greater Perth area