Matt Down Under

Trip Start Aug 28, 2008
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Trip End Feb 28, 2009


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Flag of Australia  , Western Australia,
Wednesday, January 7, 2009

Well, I have finally arrived back into the western world, and I must say, I feel more confused than ever. First off, let me say that Perth and western Australia are beautiful. Its a bit like so. California but much smaller with fewer people. For a capital city, Perth was one of the smallest, quietest, and cleanest cities I've been to, looking more like a small town in CO than a major city. I'm interested to see what the rest of the outback looks like.

But I guess the real reason it feels strange here is that much like getting off a treadmill, my legs are still going even though my surroundings are somewhat at rest: no more touts, taxi drivers, rickshaws, food stalls and aggressive shops. I guess I'm just feeling a bit underwhelmed. I'm also out of the loop here as most travelers are not travelers at all. They are kids with day laboring jobs, living anywhere from 2 to 5 months out of one hostel. In some ways, I feel like a disturbance in their world. But that said, its still a really nice place, maybe even too nice and clean for a New York native. Its almost Disney here.

The other thing is prices. Welcome back to 10 dollar meals. Fortunately for me, I've befriended some Asians who can cook and don't mind sharing their delicious dishes with me, provided I chip in of course. This is still a good way to budget dinner>

So far the biggest attraction for me has been the beaches. I've never seen nicer, cleaner beaches within a city limit before. And the ocean is powerful, too much to body surf. So I've taken up to doing a bit of running on the beach to keep my fitness up.

Last thing is that I purchased a cell phone for the rest of my trip. Feel free to call/text, always happy to hear from you. The number is: 0415503967 (country code not included, though I think it is 61)
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