Like Adelaide, Perth was more like another rest leg of my Australia trip, an opportunity to sit down, relax, and recover from all that occurred the week before. I don’t think I would even be including Western Australia in my itinerary if I had no family to visit there, not to mention the cheapo flight ticket I got from Air Asia X. And so that is clear, I did not go to Perth for sightseeing, although we still managed to squeeze in an attraction or two in the form of Kings Park and Botanic Garden.
What about Perth? Well, it lies within the same time zone as Manila, and is considered to be the most remote city in the world. I don’t know if that’s true. I think I read that somewhere online. If you consider distances, though, a simple glance at the map of Australia will show you how isolated and far away this city is from all the other state capitals down under. It’s as if all of their ancestors scrambled to get a piece of land on the eastern seaboard, and just realized later on that there’s still a lot of real estate left in the west.
In
terms of creature comforts, I’d say that Perth is just fine. It is not, in any
way, a hassle to live there. The residents seem to be well taken care of by the
government just like everywhere else in the country, although I understand that
there seems to be some sort of discrepancy in terms of business and job
opportunities which I heard from some news bits on television. Will I relocate
to Perth given the chance? Yes. Will I die of boredom there? Probably. But hey,
anywhere that is more convenient than Metro Manila is better, no?
And
so in between sleeping, catching up with family I haven’t seen in almost a
decade, and watching the latest episode of Game of Thrones despite the fact
that I’m not even done with Season 3 yet, we found ourselves driving to the
park, which is not bad at all. It was cloudy and raining, which is always a
bummer, but the drizzle gave way when we got out of the car and allowed us to
explore the place. It was wet and slippery alright, but it was a nice stroll
nonetheless.
One
of the good things to note about Kings Park is that it is located on elevated
ground which grants you a good panoramic view of the CBD and the quay right next
to it. If you love cityscapes and panoramic shots, then you will be getting
both as a bonus if ever you decide to go there. As for the park itself, well
there are shops, cafes, toilets, and even restaurants if my eyes weren’t
tricking me. Everything you need for a family day break not far from the city
can be conveniently found there.
We
went there during ANZAC Memorial Day so there were traces of the celebration
that happened earlier that morning, as well as preparations for the commemoration
later in the arvo. At the middle of the area close to the parking lot was a
blazing flame surrounded by colorful flowers. An obelisk had been erected right
by the viewing deck to commemorate Australia’s war heroes. The background
consists of the skyscrapers of the CBD to the left, and the vast body of water
right next to it to the right. All in all, the view is really pretty.
The
drive through the CBD going back home reminded me of San Francisco. Well, just
a little bit! Perhaps it was the ambiance and the relatively colder temperature
that day because of the rain. I remember wanting to go back to the CBD the next day
to explore, but it rained really hard and I opted for more sleep before the
early and rather long flight waiting for me the next day. In a way, this Perth
trip just gave me a glimpse of life in WA, and I am definitely coming back. I
mean, hello, Air Asia X is always on sale!
Just
a week before I arrived, a friend on Instagram kept posting photos of WA, but not particularly
Perth. It seems as though there is a lot to see for nature lovers, but it involves
driving for around two to three hours to get there. And so if I may suggest, do
yourself a favor and rent a car. If you can drive anyway, I’m sure you’re bound
to find good spots scattered across the state without trying too hard. I don’t
drive, so I guess I’ll drag someone else who does when I go back!
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