‘The Wild Wild West’ – Adventures in Western Australia

We touched down at Perth airport on a sunny afternoon at the end of March. The first hostel we stayed in was located in Northbridge – which is a popular backpackers area and a really nice suburb. The first thing which overwhelmed us was the sheer size of W.A. (as the Aussie’s call it). You can fit Japan, UK and Germany into this state alone, so hopefully that gives you an idea of how big it is. We decided that due to time and financial constraints we would stick to Perth and the surrounding coastal areas, although I think that we both agree even spending a year in W.A. alone, you’d struggle to fit everything in!

Perth as a city has a lot to offer – it’s cosmopolitan, but soooo relaxed, not like your typical big city. Plenty of pubs and clubs (although pub prices are not the cheapest over here), so we stuck to ‘the Goon’ (cheap wine) – only joking, not that desperate, yet! We had a few lazy days strolling around King’s Park feeding the ducks and fighting off the crows and did some of the Botanical Garden walking trails. The views of the city from here were amazing. In addition to this we ventured out to one of the suburbs for a true Aussie/Scottish style BBQ and a few beverages.

After spending a few days in and around Perth, we travelled a bit further south of Perth to Fremantle – this place is a definite must see. A lovely coastal city with a lot of character and history, plus there was plenty of day trips to do from here. We visited Rottnest Island for the day - stunning scenery and we got to meet the local ‘Quokkas’ – sooooo cute! (Bryan wanted to add that in). We hired bikes and cycled around the entire island, now that was a sight. I resembled Mary Poppins with my dress and satchel on the front of my bike and Bryan was like an advert for safety wear (the helmet)! This was a great experience and a superb way of getting around, although our backsides were aching for a few days after words with all the cycling.
We headed back to Perth at the weekend for the V-Festival and this was a great laugh. Different to the festivals back home (much smaller), although good all the same, and a great way to end our time in Western Australia.

Overall, we had a great time here, great weather and plenty to see and do. If we had more time in Oz, we would have definitely tried to fit in a trip to Broome and perhaps see the Northern Territory, although in and around Perth left us with a good lasting impression of what Australia has to offer. Next stop – Melbourne, the home of Neighbours…

N.B. we haven’t seen any snakes or spiders yet, although there are a few questionable insects flying around, massive bee-sized flies which sting. Ouch!

To view some pictures from our trip through Western Australia CLICK HERE

Singapore Slingin’ It

After spending the best part of 2 and a half weeks travelling between Thailand and Malaysia, we reached the last stop on our tour of South-East Asia – Singapore. We had heard sooo much about this place before we left and weren’t disappointed, although note; for those of you who haven’t been before, you definitely need a huge pocket full of cash to take full advantage of this place! Cheap Chang beer and cocktail buckets were no more…

Our first hostel in Singapore was top notch, well classy place with a nice roof-top terrace to lounge around on and you get free internet here! The things you take for granted back home. Plenty to see and do, even for the budget traveller if you plan ahead carefully. We had a Singapore Sling cocktail at the Raffles hotel – which was very posh, the drink cost 27 Singapore dollars (about £13) though, so you had to savour every last drop! We also took a walk along Clarke Quay which is the hub of activity in Singapore; hundreds of bars and clubs, place was packed over the weekend and we also visited the usual tourist sights, did a night safari at Singapore Zoo (well recommended, although you aren’t allowed to take pictures, as the flash frightens/angers the animals), walked down Orchard Road (shopping district) and got pics of the Merlion (half lion/fish thing) which is a national emblem here. There was even a Hooters bar, which Bryan was pleased about. Sadly our tour came to an end after spending two days here and we said our ‘goodbyes’ to some of the people we met, hoping to keep in touch with most of them though.

Bryan and I had booked a few extra nights in Singapore and moved to another hostel in Little India – definitely a lot cheaper down there and although we’ve never been to India, it gives you a good idea of what it would be like. We visited Sentosa Island for the day – definite must-see, although we got well-burnt! They are in the process of building a Universal Studios Resort over here and it looks like its going to be massive. Our last day in Singapore was on my birthday which was nice to be away for, but a little strange all the same not having family and friends around. The best and cheapest way of getting around here was using the MRT (similar to London underground) – so efficient and fairly cheap too.

So there you have it that about sums up our goings on in Singapore, would recommend this place for a stop-over for a day or two in order to see the main sights and be able to splash out a little. One thing to note though is that you get fined for everything here – jay-walking; not using pedestrian crossings to cross the road, eating and drinking in the MRT stations and chewing gum in the street, unless you have a medical reason to do so, madness! With the South-East Asian leg of our travels complete, next stop Down Under!!!

To view some pictures from our trip through Singapore CLICK HERE