Perth....the beginning of the oz experience!

So after my embarasing flight, i arrived in Perth absolutely knackered to then get interviewed 3 times by immigration and my bags searched by sniffer dogs, i think maybe now i must look like a dodgy traveller??!!


My friend Tom and Katie that i went to uni with are now living in perth so i plan on seeing them whilst in perth. Tom is teaching English at an international school and told me to stay in the hostel next to his work, so when i arrived i went to meet Tom. It was so good to see him and catch up about uni, he walked me into perth city and showed me the sights. Perth was a lot smaller than what i expected but a lovely city with a chilled out vibe. There is one little street that looks like it has been dropped straight from England, its like a traditional old english street where you can buy branston pickle, marmite etc.Athough it is a very pretty city, with qute a lot of atomsphere. Tom introduced me to all his students (they all are adults) and we went out for the evening. Tom has his friend Shelley from uni staying so the next day we all went t meet katie down on scarbourough beach, it was nice but the beach is nothing like asia, it was quite windy and the waves were really big with loads of people surfing or kite surfing, not the typical placid sea id been used to but at least it was a sunny day and could top up the tan.

The following day we went to a place called Joondoloop to go to a 'beach'party, but when we got there it was a bar with sand in it! But we had such a good time and probably drank far too much!!! alcohol is really expensive too! They call an off liciense a bottle shop here and you could drive through a town and there will be a drive through bottle shop!!....not promoting drink driving at all, right?!

The nest day was my adventure day to rocknest island. I got the train to a place called freemantle - its such a lovey little town, it looks like its set in a time frame years ago, with really gorgeous old buildings. I caught the bus to Rocknest island, which is absolutely beautiful, not cars are allowed on the island so i hired a bike and went riding for the day! now they say you never forget how to ride a bike, and i suppose thats technically true, i didnt fall off but i couldnt remember how to use the gears! And i definatelt forgot how uncomfortable those seats are!!! I went for a snorkel at one of the beach spots but came quickly out of the water as it was so cold!! after i dried off i went to get back on my bike and someone had bloody knicked it....so what did i do.....knick someone elses of course!

My perth trip was coming to an end and on my last day i met up with katie and tom and went out for dinner. We went to this vegetarian indian restaurant whihc is ran by volunteers, you can eat as much as you want and pay whatever you like??!! the best invention ever!we then took a walk to kings park, which is a lovely park set quite high up and it overlooks perth city, the view at night was gorgeous!

I really enjoyed perth, it has taken me a little while to get into the swing of oz, i am really missing not being in asia, i just loved it so much!everything is just so expensive here and not as much culture as i have been used too! Im looking foward to going to sydney and seeing sam and meeting back up with amy and chris, they have been in cambodia and vietnam so will be good to catch up! oh and yeah we are travelling the east coast in a camper....definately could be an interesting trip!

Singapore the city of lights!

So after the islands i caught a flight back to KL and then KL to singapore, i flew with air asia, and if anyone has ever flown with them before, they will understand what im talking about here.....the air is smokey! like if your at a disco and they pump that smoke out, v strange on a plane!You also notice the lack in security with internal asia flights, they dont even look in your bag.
I arrived in Singapore which i had reserved a room at a hostel but forgot to write the address done but had a vague memory it was in little india, so thats where i headed!...i totally got lost walking around with my backpack on in the heat is definately not my idea of fun!I finally found the hostel and checked in, by this time my insects bited were seroiusly multiplying, i think i was nearing on 40 bites on my legs....got attatcked in the rainforest! so not feeling my best!
I got up early and went for a wander, i ended up walking all day to, Orchard road, little india, china town, boat quay, clarke quay, raffles and the singapore flyer. The city amazed me, there is so much to see and do and mostly all free, raffles is a definate must do, they have a tiffanys in the courtyard. They also have a forever 21 (bloody love it!) oh and topshop :) so did invest in a few new things!
I went back out to walk the city at night, and this is where Singapore really comes alive! I went to the esplanade, boat and clarke quay and went on a boat ride to see the sights! I had great fun taking pictures of all the buildings as everything is lit so well and looks so magical. The night mode and self timer came in handy as im sure youve seen my pictures!
I also went to visit Santosa island whilst i was there, its not quite what i expected as South East Asia most southernly point...its like a man made beach and has the atomsphere of disney land, in that everything is quite fake and american! I went here with 2 people id met from the hostel and we just lazed around, definately did not compare to the beaches i had just come from!
That evening i had arranged to meet Roger, Nisha and Omar for dinner (Emma's brother and family) Although we had only briefly met at Steve and Emma's wedding it was nice to see a familar face and they are a lovely family. We went our for dinner and they ordered the food, i tried chilli and pepper crab, which you have to peel whilst its in all the sauce, no so easy but Omar seems to be a pro at this!tasted delicious though! I arranged to meet Nisha for lunch the next day and they dropped me back to the hostel where i had planned to have an early night but ended up going out to a bar with everyone from the hostel (it was quite small) and the owner bought us all a drink. It was really nice to sit around and talk to everyone about their experiences travelling....lots of different characters!
Nisha took me to a traditional malay restaurant for lunch which she ordered everything, not too sure what i ate but i know that it all tasted soooo good! I went back to their flat and chilled out before my flight! Watched Omar have a mandarin lesson, a very clever child! They are such a lovey family and it was so nice to be with someone from the area, i dont think i would have tried half the food if it hadnt been for Nisha ordering.
Singapore by far had been my favourite city, it somewhere i would love to visit again, especially if i had more money! All in all Malaysia had beat all my expectations and it was so nice to travell around, its not as touristy as thailand can be, its like a hidden treasure, a definate must do for anyone going to asia! Im looking forward to Australia but in a way im not looking forward to leaving Asia at all, ive had such a good time here.
The flight to Perth was good, i had 2 seats to myself and i think the air hostess felt sorry for me as she just kept giving me more wine and cheese and biscuits...not that i was complaining! But i learnt a valuable lesson, DO NOT watch a sad movie on a plane, lol its just not a good way to be crying in close proximity of strangers lol never mind eh! at least i learned a valuable lesson!

Perihtian islands.....honestly a place like heaven!

So after our rainforest adventure I was looking forward to chilling out on a beach again, it felt like it had been too long! We had another long journey to the other side of the main land and then a speed boat over to the smaller island. The speed boat was so fast, couldnt even look up and had to hold onto everything so it didnt fly off the boat....but got their in one piece, so a successful journey! We booked into a resort called Sharila and ended up getting a twin air con room with its own bathroom for 4 quid each a night! now thats what i call a bargain! We went for a quick dip in the sea, just felt so good to be back by a beach again, we ate in a small little taverna called Amelias, half the tables were actually sat in the sea. I tried shark off the BBQ for the first time, tasted bit like tuna steak, but was just so nice to have a change of food after our noodles and rice overload the last couple of days! The next 2 days were just filled with relaxation, long lies is what was needed. We went to the main beach called long beach which is by far the most idylic beach i have ever seen, your typical white sand, blue sea picture! The islands have only just re opened after monsoon season so no one is on the islands. which means no one on the beach...perfect for us! and glorious weather! Amelia's became our restaurant we ate in daily and we got to know the locals quite well. The told us to go to this secluded beach as the snorkelling was good, so the next day we took a little wander and found this little bay with again no one in sight! Went for a quick snorkel and there were just so many fish and so clear, after a couple of minutes i was swimming with black tip reef sharks, absolutely amazing! .....and had eaten one for my dinner the night before! One of the best snorkelling sights i have ever seen, beat thailand anyway!
The evenings on this island we really chilled there are only a couple of restaurants and no bars, people just gather on the beach and someone will play guitar and sing, totally the perfect chill out vibe. So me and Selina sat with some of the locals drinking vodka listening to live music.....heaven!
The time came to leave this beautiful place, a definate place i will want to go back to in the future.....next stop.......Singapore!