Perth
Loading Map
Perth,
Australia
Wednesday, November 14, 2007
I arrived in Perth late on Friday with no hostel booked. This was deliberate: I was keen to establish where the rest of the self-described "best tour group ever" which had accompanied me from Broome to Perth, were staying, so that I could stay somewhere else. Preferably at least 2 miles away, which should be far enough away to avoid the penetrating screeches which the woman from Rotherham was keen on emitting. The problem was that Perth was really booked for the Northbridge festival. So I ended up in the smelliest, noisiest dorm that I've been in yet, which I was sharing with 15 other snorers. This included a group of thick, lazy, drunk Irishmen. (And by thick, lazy and drunk, I mean even thicker, lazier and drunker than normal Irishmen). They had a tendency to burst into the dorm at 4am, turn the lights on, and have a shouting match. I would have told them to shut up, but they were bigger than me.
I spent one evening at the Northbridge festival. The Northbrigde festival is not one of those Glastonbury type things you get in England. There's no Rolf Harrises here. It's more of a freak show for people who describe themselves as "artistic". Or autistic. There are are mime artists, clowns and people on stilts making faces at you. My book had picked it out as a highlight. But my book is wrong.
Perth is an ok city in general. I haven't really done very much. But then there isn't much to do. I went to Kings Park, and tried to get the ferry out to Rottnest Island, but I was too late and missed it.
I met a 19 year old Aussie guy in the hostel, called Cain. He thinks that I'm god for some reason. At fist this was nice - I've never met anyoned who thinnks that I'm god before. Apart from me, obviously. But it got a bit wearing after a while. I went to the park. He followed me. I went to the shops. He followed me. I went to the toilet. He followed me. I resorted to not taking a shower for the last 3 days so that I would smell so much that he would go away. But he just seemed to copy that as well, and by Wednesday, he stunk too. At least he isn't following me to Singapore.
Inpreparation for the next month, I've bought myself a pack of steaks here (one for each night I'm here) and some oven chips. I'm not a big fan of rice and noodles, and I'm facing a month of it ahead. So I need to indulge. I don't know how I'm going to manage without potatoes. I might have to come home early.
