Down Under and Beyond

I've been in Perth for almost a week now. It's really been quite the shock coming back to "civilization". The lights are bright, the streets are wide and the people speak English. Not only is Perth visually the quantum opposite of where I've been living, but the temperature is also a drastic change to the extremely hot and humid climate I've been living in. My flip flops and dresses have been replaced with hoodies and slippers. It's winter down under, after all. And I'm loving it.

For once in my life, it's really nice to be all cozy knowing it's chilly outside. I also managed to catch a cold on the plane, so have been resting and relaxing for the last 3 days. Books, slippers and tea have been my friend. I'm living with a lovely girl friend and her dog in their funky, creaky-floored bungalow house right in the heart of Perth. We took her dog to Swan River the other day, which is just down the road. Perth is beautiful, from what I have seen so far, with lots of rivers and residential parks.

Looking back and thinking where I've been, I keep reminding myself I have spent the last 6 months cruising around Bali on my scooter wearing a dress, flip flops, a backpack and sunglasses. My memories of Bali echo with magnificent temples, lush green rice fields, funky Balinese bungalows, stray dogs, street-side chickens and old men and women with beautiful old weathered faces and barefeet, walking along the street and carrying huge loads of grass and sticks atop their heads.

The smells. Ah the smells. Smoke and incense. Frangipani and fried banana's. The pure dirtiness of it all. The street-side-garbage-eating stray dogs have been replaced with perfect green garbage bins wheeled out to the street for collection the next morning. I am looking at it all with new eyes. A part of me misses Bali already, buzzing around on my scooter at dusk and having bugs fly into my face, yet another part of me is really happy to see a first world country again and revel in this surburban utopia of cleanliness and convenience.

It's a total shock to see urban sprawl and English signs, but it's comfortable and welcoming. I was in a KMart over the weekend, and almost had a heart attack due to the convenience and availability of everything. Being in a mall was absolutely surreal! How could a place like this exist? All plastic and glass with coloured signs and so much to buy. What a concept. Trust me, I had fun shopping. Everything was so easy to get, with no miscommunications or language barriers with what I was looking for. However, in light of this convenience, I sure do miss Bali prices!

I'm off to "the mall" again today. I will tell you, a mall is a mall is a mall. I won't go into judgements here, but let's just say malls seem to attract a certain demographic of teenagers, pregnant women and older people. I've got a pretty random list of stuff to pick up. First in order is to go back to where I got the new SIM card for my blackberry, and get my email up and running. Not really a huge priority, but definitely a convenience. I've enjoyed almost a week of being pretty much internet-less. Other things to pick up: A hoodie, leggings and socks! Told you it was cold!

If it's not raining this afternoon, I will take the doggie for a walk along Swan River. My first level of priority is to kick this travel cold to the curb, so I can start kicking some serious ass and see as much of Perth as I can before I head to Singapore!

Again, if you have any ideas of what I can check out, friends I can meet, places to go - Please leave a comment or shoot me an email! Thanks :)

Lots of Love, Kate