Parallel Universe

When we lived in London we both worked with a lot of Aussies, one of our favourites was Hannah, from Perth, who Genevieve worked with in Putney. Perth is pretty far out of the way and given the length of our trip we probably would've skipped it had Hannah not moved back as well. Luckily we didn't because I had an amazing time.

I landed about 5 hours before Gen so after writing the last blog I saw that the Swan River that runs through Perth was only a couple km's away so I figured I'd carry all my belongings down there in 35 degrees. While I was sitting at the edge with my feet in the water I noticed a dorsal fin about 30 feet away. Being that I've never seen a dolphin or a shark, and I was about 40km up river, I was pretty startled. Luckily it was a beautiful bottle nosed dolphin that ended up coming within about 10 feet of me. I've always wanted to see a dolphin and that was completely unexpected. 

Gen was sick for a while before getting here and the flights only made it worse so she's had a rough go to start this trip.

She did manage to tough it out for a trip to Rottnest Island, about 20km off the coast. The weather was perfect and we cycled around the island to a few incredible beaches for some snorkelling. It was so good to get back in the water and look at the fishes, I can't wait to do more. The other highlight of Rottnest is the Quokkas, small marsupials with funny little faces that are all over the island. We also saw a pod of Dolphins at the mouth of the river from the ferry back. 

Hannah was an amazing host, her parents welcomed us into their home and it was so nice to meet them and hear their stories. She took us to the port town of Fremantle where we wandered the beaches and city before meeting up with her siblings and friends for a night out. We went to a quiz night hosted by a cross dressing friend of theirs that was a hilarious good time that you could only find yourself at with locals. Nights like those with friends in new places are the fucking best. 

Gen and I spent the better part of a day in Kings Park overlooking the city. There are so many common birds there that are so exotic to me and I just love it. All of Perth was like that. Hannah and Toby met us there with beers for sunset which is always a treat. 

One thing that really stood out about Perth was how much it reminded me of Canada. The mining industry is most prominent in West Australia and by listening to Hannah and Toby describe their city and people they knew, as well  as seeing the expensive utes (SUVs) and the sprawling suburbia I couldn't help but see similarities. Australia makes me think of Canada in a parallel universe where everything is completely different and exactly the same all at once. 

On our last night Hannah invited us down south to Yallingup Beach near Margaret River on a camping trip with a bunch of her friends. It was really cool to see a little more of WA. The bit we saw really made me wish we had time to do more. The beaches and reef and tropical northern parts of the state will have to wait for the next trip. 

It was so great to see Hannah and Toby, and meet her friends and family. I liked Perth and the area around it more than I expected and hope to get back for sure. 

A land down under

As anyone reading this already knew, we are in the middle of a long awaited jaunt around Australia. I'm just sitting in the Perth airport waiting for Gen's plane to land after her version of the epic 2 day journey to get here. My pilot informed us that the 16 hour Dallas to Brisbane flight I had is the longest commercial flight, so there's one for the bucket list. 

I've just spent 8 days exploring Sydney since I had a little more time off than she could get from work and I really wanted a chance to get to know the city a bit better.

I've wanted to visit Australia for a very long time, when we were feeling a little bored in Vancouver the choices for a working holiday were either London or here. I kinda felt like Australia wouldn't offer enough of a change since it's basically a warmer Canada. I think we made the right choice going to London, but since getting the snub back then Australia hasn't really left my mind. The unexpected move to Montreal nearly threw a wrench in the plans, and though it's not exactly the lengthy meandering adventure I'd envisioned I am really glad that we were able to get here in some capacity. 

As I often do, I planned and researched the absolute hell out of this trip. In reading about Captain Cook and idolizing the crazy adventurous spirit the explorers and early settlers had I couldn't help but laugh at the irony, considering all the google maps and street views and trip advisor reviews I've used to make the trip more seamless. I couldn't be further from an explorer.

I stayed at a dirty old hostel in the somewhat offensive area of Kings Cross. I think it's safe to say that my backpacker hostelling days are very nearly over so I guess it was a last hurrah of sorts. Luckily I don't look my age so I think I was able to pull it off. I did meet a few good people, almost all of them Brits, but my days were entirely solo missions to various beaches and skate parks and spots. Manly and Bondi were both beautiful beaches, and if those are the city beaches I can't wait to see what a little exploring find us. 

Hyde Park had a little plaza area that a bunch of skateboarders take over in the evening so I found myself there most nights. I couldn't believe how friendly the guys I met there were, typically I find skateboarders can be pretty cliquey in Canada but that wasn't the case at all in Sydney.

I knew Sydney was a beautiful city from all the photos I've seen, but it never really occurred to me how big it is. At over 4 million people it's a huge city with a massive downtown skyline and tons of diverse neighbourhoods to explore. It's funny but shouldn't be surprising how much parts of it remind me of London. The English really made themselves at home here. 

While I was taking some photos of the harbour bridge one night I heard some rustling in the bushes that I assumed was a little rat or something, then shortly afterwards a possum about the size of a small dog ran and jumped right over my legs as it scampered along the rocks. This was while the evening congregation of thousands of giant fruit bats was taking place in the trees above me. Add the fact that every bird is a new species to me, and I haven't even seen the animals I had hoped to yet, I think I am really going to enjoy the wildlife encounters here. 

I'm really looking forward to sharing the rest of the trip with Genevieve, and seeing some friends from London here in Perth.