After returning from Dubai we had a few weeks to tie up some loose ends in Singapore. 1) Get the condo ready to move out (first looked like a tornado hit it, then a warehouse with all the boxes). 2) Hand in my work computer (an all day process, but worth the measure of freedom it provided). 3) Hit up a few of our favorite restaurants and food (Chili Crab, La Petite Cuisine and plenty of Hawker Food and sugar cane juice). 4) Check into the Marriott for a few nights since almost everything we owned in the world was back on a boat (this may have been the oddest experience - being treated like visitors in the country we had spent the past 2 years living in). Finally though, everything was settled and we were headed south of the equator for the land down under. Yes, you know exactly what song Sarah was singing this time.
Our red-eye flight landed in Perth right when the sun was coming up so the customs agent was a little bleary eyed and surprised that 2 Americans were only staying for 4 days on the West Coast of Australia. We got the feeling not a lot of Americans made it that way period as just about every other major city is on the east coast. We all had a good laugh when she realized we had been living in Singapore and hadn't flown halfway around the world to only see the area surrounding Perth. Our room wasn't ready, but we dropped off our bags and set out to explore the city via foot and find some breakfast. Down to the Swan River we went and filled up on bacon, eggs, toast and some tiny cups of coffee. The sun was just beginning to peak out above the buildings, so we strolled down the river path to warm up and see who else was out and about at this hour. Quite a bit of noise was coming from the trees along the path and imagine our surprise when we looked up and saw row after row of colorful red and green parrots. It was only about 60 degrees so it was hard to remember we were still in a sub-tropical region.
Up and down the river we went, but our energy was waning and we needed more caffeine. First though, a stop at Target! Apparently eons ago, the Minnesota company had allowed this Australian retailer to use the name, never imagining the US Company would grow so large. It was kind of like walking into Bizarro World, the store was smaller, but the racks looked the same, the lighting was the same, terminology was similar, etc. We sat down at local Australian coffee chain afterwards to refuel and shake off the weird feeling of being at home, but not really.
Next up - Australian game park. It would simply be improper to venture this far south and not hang out with some kangaroos, koala's and wallabies. Was it touristy and contrived, kind of, but neither one of us really cared as you walked around and got up close and personal with all the animals you had only seen on TV. We finished off our day by having an early dinner at a local brew pub. This was going to become the theme for the next few days of the trip. The weather was pleasant enough, but mid 60's was proving a little chilly for these tropical kids. Ironically we now had access to local microbrews and cozy pubs, just as we were about to head back to the States. Even more fitting, the microbrewery was named after one of the historical settlers/convicts, ticking off another of our stereotypical thoughts of Australia. Full, warm and happy, we crashed before 10.... we had a bus to catch prior to 7 AM the next day to take us into wine country.
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