To Perth and beyond! Into the unknown!

As you know from my previous post, we arrived Tuesday morning, March 17 and began disembarkation at 10 am. By about 11:30 a.m. our number and color was called and from the blue bus to the Marriott it was a new adventure.

When we took a walk after a quick lunch with fellow passengers, we enjoyed the CBD where most stores were open but people kept their distance. We kept trying to think what we might need as we stay into the southern hemisphere fall. Tea shops, luggage shops, shoe shops, winter clothes etc. But..whatever we buy we have to haul along with us or use up along the way.

We did walk through the Hay Street Mall and to the budget rental car place to set up a Toyota Kluger which is much like a Highlander. We didn’t need the passenger capacity but the luggage capacity. We wanted the car for Monday morning for our trip to the beach and Margaret River.

On the walk back, “Diagon Alley” was one of our fun stops. The only store closed for Covid-19 down this little alley was the Rock shop ….what a shame for my School Of Mines Geologic Engineering grad!

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We decided to get some dollars exchanged into Aussie dollars. Of course now no one wants real cash only credit cards due to germs on the bills. We’ll survive! I still try to pull out my own pen to sign transactions. One less germ contact point. The guard at the bank said he wears gloves so he won’t touch his face!

So this is the beginning of our newest adventure/journey. What to do before Western Australia closes more places to see.

We are not on a quest…we are definitely on an adventure because we are not sure where we can go in Western Australia AND also a journey since this trip of staying safe in this covid-19 time is more important than the destination.

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Wednesday afternoon Larkin and I walked down to the waterfront in Perth and bought tickets on the Rottnest Express ferry for Friday morning. It was a gorgeous day as you can see by the clouds. We walked across the pedestrian bridge which is behind the white sculpture and Larkin. There are many new buildings going up that, I imagine, will change the waterfront skyline. We enjoyed the painted walls to hide the construction.

By Thursday most of our friends were gone to points east like Perth or Melbourne to fly home to the west coast and the states. Some went to Abu Dhabi and flew north and west toward the east coast. We had a late check out and headed to what is called East Perth or just about 5 blocks east on Hay Street. Michael went with the taxi and luggage, Larkin and I walked. Larkin and I found a great little Thai restaurant a block or so away from our new digs and had a great little lunch after we settled in – there were few tables occupied and lots of distancing. During our five days in the Mantra on Hay we were able to eat breakfast in the hotel, lunch wherever our travels took us for the day and dinners across the street at the Blue Rock which was actually pretty good and a great little Asian restaurant called Red Opium.

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I have read that the US is also doing hand sanitizers at wineries. I think the Aussie beer places started it first. The editorial cartoons took advantage of the situation and made us laugh. Imagine the USA was in the middle of football season. Well, they cancelled footy down here after playing a few games to empty stadiums mostly because they stopped allowing any movement between any states. The cutest play was when a ball went into the empty stands but found the camera man – score! We are enjoying the Aussie news stations.

Again the Aussies love shortening things hence football if footy. Breakfast is Brekky. Cabernet Sauvignon is Cab Sav. An Esky keeps things cold. A Flannie or Flanno is a flannel shirt. We bought one of those for sure as its getting colder! Lollies are sweets. Thongs are our flip flops not underwear! Counties are Shires. Slot it in…means put your card in the card reader. Push bikes are bicycles. Not a bad drop can mean the wine tastes pretty good. Kindy is kindergarten. Pre-kindy is preschool.

A sign at the beach said “don’t drink and drown”. In Australia they are adamant about putting up alcohol check points almost every day until this virus and now they don’t want their police to get the virus. They are stopping people at borders and making them do a 14 day isolation immediately however. No restaurant is serving at night so less alcohol is consumed away from your own home anyway.

Next blog up is Rottnest Island before it became a quarantine location for Aussie cruise ship passengers. As Michael takes notes on the great wines we can consume down here at dinner, we will post the info. I buy many simply on the adorable labels. 6ft6 anyone?