Down Under

Regarding the last posts cliffhanger ending, the plug holes and toilets seem to drain clockwise down here but as I did not conduct a similar test under the same laboratory conditions back home I'm afraid I cannot draw any definitive conclusions.

Outside of the bathrooms, Perth is a very pleasant city - modern, clean and with a relaxed aura. On my first day I had a good ole city walk, passing through Perth's various cultural centres, impressive skyscrapers and also lots and lots of green spaces. I ended up in Kings Park which offered great views across the cityscape. Perth has an impressive skyline, although I'm glad to report I've not yet seen any domed structures to rival my native Perth's Bell's Sports Centre (2nd largest in the UK after London's Millennium Dome).

Overwhelming initial impression is how expensive everything is. The equivalent of £4 a pint seems extortionate when the same money fed me well for an entire day in Asia. Also different is the type of traveller, my hostel is full of long-termers, folks who have stayed here for months on end, some even locals of Perth who cannot not afford to rent or buy an apartment. I'm not sure staying in a rip off backpackers hostel is the most economically efficient route around this problem but how would I know. But I like Australia everything is very easy and seems to be a hybrid of the UK and USA, many big cars and trucks but they have lots of points of reference that are familiar to the British eye.

For example, I've been doing my food shops in Woolworths, which is a supermarket over here but with similar branding to the late British institution - unfortunately they do not sell pick n' mix. It has been strange getting into the habit of cooking cheaply for myself again after eight weeks of dining out for every meal. I am reminded of my student days every time I shop and cook, trying hard to keep costs down but not wanting to eat pasta and ketchup every night,. It's tough when your only variation is the shape of the pasta used. You can try to convince yourself that bowties taste different to penne which taste different to spaghetti but you are fighting a losing battle.

With this new found economic condition in mind I decided to use my skill set to earn some money in a pool competition. So after three beers to get me to my perfect place on the 'Beer Parabola' (Y-axis is 'pool ability', X-axis is 'number of beers', not enough = unrelaxed, to many = uncoordinated), I walked away with $50. I do not see this as a long-term job prospect but it help get me through the weekend.

Another oddity round these parts is that Australian Burger King is called Hungry Jacks. I am told this is because the original Aussie Burger King, probably a solitary burger van in the outback, refused all offers of compensation to change its name, so Hungry Jacks was formed. I recall a similar story with a sausage vendor in South Africa called McDonalds, but cannot remember the outcome, I hope its true and means McDonalds usual World Cup advertising will have to be more imaginative.

In other news, and not many people from the UK can say this, I went to Scarborough in December and it was sun drenched. A massive beach teeming with surfers and not a tea dance in sight. Also, met some old friends from Perth, Scotland in Perth, Australia which was odd.

I've been torn the last week as to what to do with myself with Christmas and New Year on the horizon and lots of talk of the job situation in Perth being illiquid. So I made the decision to sacrifice the West Coast and head East for a classic festive time in and around Sydney. Slightly disappointed that I only got a week in Western Australia but as ever there is too much to see and unfortunately I can't see it all so a week is better than nothing. But now I am uber-excited about the prospect of New Year in Sydney and hopefully meeting up with a few friends for Christmas.

So my last remaining days West were slightly hurried as I tried to squeeze in as much as possible which included Fremantle, a sleepy place south of Perth with a big music, arts and cultural scene. As I walked past the oldest building in Freo, The Roundhouse, where everyday at 1pm they fire a canon and drop a timeball so the ships in dock have an accurate time to set their clocks by. Just as I was looking at my watch (12:53), i was nabbed by a lady who worked there an made gunnery assistant for the day. I was charged with firing the canon on her say so, and at as 1pm came around I pressed the big red button!! Almost deafened myself and covered everyone with smoke. I was warned afterward that I was now covered in explosive material so if I'm flying anywhere in the next couple of days I may be in for some awkward questions at airport security. Luckily I've got my gunnery assistant certificate in case any such problems arise. After this I walked directly into a statue of a man standing on an amplifier, with a large microphone and larger lunch-box. It was a statue of Bon Scott, the original singer for AC/DC who although born in Kirriemuir spent much of his life in Fremantle. There was even Bon Scott themed tours on offer visiting his old homes, schools, prison, cemetery and more!!

I also visited Cottesloe beach which was picturesque with a sea full of kite surfers – which looked like a lot of fun. I stayed there until the evening as before I left I wanted to see one of the West coasts legendary sunsets over the Indian Ocean. And I was not let down, probably the best sunset I've ever seen, but as I was being snap-happy my camera unfortunately ran out of battery before the sky turned its fantastic shade of orangey-pink.

Currently writing this in Perth airport. My flight to Sydney is at 6am so ingeniously to save a little money I decided to forgo a nights accommodation in favour of the departures lounge carpet. It's presently 1am so I have a fair wait but luckily I've got The Times Book of the Decade ('The Road' by Cormac McCarthy) and The Times Album of the Decade ('Kid A' by Radiohead) to keep me sufficiently entertained...