I completely zoned out on my Singapore Airlines flight to Perth. The brand-new plane was very comfortable, with good food on offer and funny movies. When the pilot announced that we were starting our descent, I realized that I'd been missing out on the scenery! I opened the window shade and a huge smile spread across my face: red desert, green coast and deep blue sea. Sweet Australia, back in my arms again. It was a beautiful reunion.
I was visiting Cosmo and Sharon, who live in Cottlesloe Beach. Cosmo grew up down the road from me back home and he married a lovely Aussie woman from Perth. Sharon's family is Burmese and they settled in Perth after they fled Burma when Sharon's mother was pregnant with her. After picking me up at the airport and giving me a short tour of the city, we enjoyed a glass of wine from Cos and Sharon's balcony overlooking the Indian Ocean. Amazing. It was just the beginning of a week of breathtaking sunset after breathtaking sunset.
The good times were rolling during my visit: a community gathering with Burmese food and funky music, a house party full of Colombians shooting tequila and dancing salsa, many pints with Cos at the Little Creatures Brewery in Fremantle (or Fre-o, as the locals call it). I spent a day or three at groovy Cottlesloe Beach (called Cott by the locals), alternately lounging on the hot white sand and plunging into the cool, clear blue water. Another day, I rode the ferry out to Rottnest Island, about a 30-minute sail from Fre-o. The little island is a parkland paradise with the most beautiful beaches I've seen on my whole trip. The only way to get around Rotto is to rent a bike, so I tootled around checking out beach after beach, cooing over the quokkas (little marsupials that only live on Rotto) and just marveling at my surroundings. I don't think I've ever said "Wow" so many times in one day in my whole life.
Perth is likely the most isolated city in the world - a green strip of civilization wedged between the blue expanse of the Indian Ocean and the massive desert that makes up Australia's Red Centre. I enjoyed the wide open spaces and sense of isolation because it gives the city a relaxed pace, like there was a lot of breathing room. The weather in Perth was invariably hot, but there was always a cool breeze to take the edge off. I was told that the famous afternoon southerly is called the Fre-o Doctor, a breeze coming up from the south to soothe the intensity of the heat.
Cos and Sharon were the best hosts: they left me little notes when they went off to work and called me during the day to see how I was doing. They seemed so earnestly determined to show me a good time, and they certainly succeeded! Cosmo picked me from the Rottnest ferry on his hot motorcycle and took me on a tour of the beautiful bays and gorgeous neighbourhoods around the Swan River. And we all know how much Asiana loves riding! It felt glorious. Then, on my last day, Sharon surprised me with a gift: a massage at her favourite spa. How sweet is that!
My Perth visit was over way too soon. It was one of my favourite Australian places so far and I'm determined to get back there to live for a year or two someday. For now though, the road continues. Next stop: the great, hot Northern Territory of Oz. Lots of love to everyone back home.
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