Feeling a Little Lonely (Perth, Australia)
Sometimes you just don't realize something until you're there. As I walked the streets of Perth, Australia this afternoon I had a somewhat empty feeling. Sure there were business people milling about and a fair number of people in the pedestrian mall but something didn't feel right. The answer became clear when I flipped through the pages of a tourist brochure here. It shows that Western Australia (1/3 of the country) is bigger than Germany, UK, and Japan combined with plenty of room left over, yet with only 1.8 million people. Obvious if I looked on a map, but like I said, I didn't realize it until I got here.
I think my timing of my traveling Australia could have been a little better. I wonder if I could have gone to Asia first then Australia. As I want to see more people, not less right now. Some of the adventures here don't sound terribly interesting ...that is for someone who just drove across the USA and then some. 4WD through the outback (Desert). Big deal. Interesting rock formations. Big deal - I saw plenty of geological things driving in the USA. I admit even the waterfall pictures in the Northern part I'm looking at don't ring my bell. After seeing Iguassu Falls in Brazil / Argentina in March. I mentioned this symptom of traveling some time ago in an earlier journal. There are the multi-billion year old Stromatolites coming
up though!
I am looking forward to alot of diving over the next 1.5 months though. While the reefs of Australia are over promoted by the Australian Tourism industry (Based on 2 dives (Ok - not a great sample set!) in the past and dive book readings) they should provide a good setting to gain more experience before I head into the more interesting and challenging dive sites of SE Asia and Micronesia. Or at least this is my expectation anyway. I'm keeping it low right now.
Cold!
This past week has seen me stay now in a widely different variety of accommodations. I started off in a Melbourne hostel where I met some other great backpackers. As I went to Adelaide I stayed at the home
of a woman I met on Global Freeloaders (www.globalfreeloaders.com). One of the nights I spent in a hostel while on tour of Kangaroo Island. The common thread between all of these places was that they were cold at night! Other than the latter, I had enough blankets though. Not sure if it is an energy saving idea or what. The Melbourne hostel had a warm lounge, but the actual sleeping dorm was
cold! I recall the memory of my first night on the road in Southern California (January 2003 Journal!).
Needless to say I've had enough and have splurged on better digs for the next two nights while in Perth, Australia (www.riverview.au.com). I like my privacy too. Most people think of young around the world travelers as budget backpackers. I admittedly do not fit that category. I don't even wear a big backpack. Usually only my computer pack - everything else is wheeled around. I like my creature comforts. Am I asking too much to have a warm room when I go to sleep and wake up? If I want cold I'll go back to camping. Having one's own bathroom and private desk area is nice too. I don't need these things everyday - but often enough.
Fortunately, I'm not confined to a backpacker budget. Then again I can't afford to stay at places like I'm at now everyday either - at least not in Australia. Besides, I've thought that to understand a culture one needs to experience it at different economic levels. Where one stays will convey different feelings - both comfort level and surroundings. The comparison of how I traveled in Melbourne 2 years ago and just recently is a great example. Back then I rented a new Saab convertible and stayed at a place called the Sebel in Melbourne downtown (www.mirvac.com.au). Definitely not the Lord's Lodge Hostel. And this time,
I did not have a car - only public transport.
My last note -- I'm finally starting to get into a mental traveling groove now. The weather is good here in Perth - that is helping. Onward!
I think my timing of my traveling Australia could have been a little better. I wonder if I could have gone to Asia first then Australia. As I want to see more people, not less right now. Some of the adventures here don't sound terribly interesting ...that is for someone who just drove across the USA and then some. 4WD through the outback (Desert). Big deal. Interesting rock formations. Big deal - I saw plenty of geological things driving in the USA. I admit even the waterfall pictures in the Northern part I'm looking at don't ring my bell. After seeing Iguassu Falls in Brazil / Argentina in March. I mentioned this symptom of traveling some time ago in an earlier journal. There are the multi-billion year old Stromatolites coming
up though!
I am looking forward to alot of diving over the next 1.5 months though. While the reefs of Australia are over promoted by the Australian Tourism industry (Based on 2 dives (Ok - not a great sample set!) in the past and dive book readings) they should provide a good setting to gain more experience before I head into the more interesting and challenging dive sites of SE Asia and Micronesia. Or at least this is my expectation anyway. I'm keeping it low right now.
Cold!
This past week has seen me stay now in a widely different variety of accommodations. I started off in a Melbourne hostel where I met some other great backpackers. As I went to Adelaide I stayed at the home
of a woman I met on Global Freeloaders (www.globalfreeloaders.com). One of the nights I spent in a hostel while on tour of Kangaroo Island. The common thread between all of these places was that they were cold at night! Other than the latter, I had enough blankets though. Not sure if it is an energy saving idea or what. The Melbourne hostel had a warm lounge, but the actual sleeping dorm was
cold! I recall the memory of my first night on the road in Southern California (January 2003 Journal!).
Needless to say I've had enough and have splurged on better digs for the next two nights while in Perth, Australia (www.riverview.au.com). I like my privacy too. Most people think of young around the world travelers as budget backpackers. I admittedly do not fit that category. I don't even wear a big backpack. Usually only my computer pack - everything else is wheeled around. I like my creature comforts. Am I asking too much to have a warm room when I go to sleep and wake up? If I want cold I'll go back to camping. Having one's own bathroom and private desk area is nice too. I don't need these things everyday - but often enough.
Fortunately, I'm not confined to a backpacker budget. Then again I can't afford to stay at places like I'm at now everyday either - at least not in Australia. Besides, I've thought that to understand a culture one needs to experience it at different economic levels. Where one stays will convey different feelings - both comfort level and surroundings. The comparison of how I traveled in Melbourne 2 years ago and just recently is a great example. Back then I rented a new Saab convertible and stayed at a place called the Sebel in Melbourne downtown (www.mirvac.com.au). Definitely not the Lord's Lodge Hostel. And this time,
I did not have a car - only public transport.
My last note -- I'm finally starting to get into a mental traveling groove now. The weather is good here in Perth - that is helping. Onward!
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