We arrived safely in Perth yesterday at 2 am, though Donny’s bag was again MIA.  It arrived a day late, delivered by the airport courier…but the bad luck of having the bag go missing 3 times in a row is really unbelievable!

Perth is lovely city, and we’re just starting to explore.  With the closest big city over 1300 miles away (Adelaide), Perth still feels like a bit of an outpost.  That being said, it’s a bright, modern city with plenty to offer.  Being here feels like being in on a secret. Getting used to prices here, especially just having come from Africa, is tough, and I have a feeling we’ll be losing some weight (which might not be so bad) as we haven’t been able to find any main under $10.  Two pints at the local pub last night was $17!

This is BEFORE Donny started drinking his AU$8 coffee.

Yesterday was spent walking around downtown and by the river, while today we passed a rainy afternoon at the Museum of Western Australia.  There were more exhibits than we were able to cover, all quite interesting and informative, especially “Western Australia, Land and People,” with both lots of history and good coverage of current issues.  We planned to visit the Art Gallery of West Australia, with Indigenous and West Australian art, but we ran out of time.  The best thing: the museums are free or by donation.  While we gladly contributed, it was nice to get some culture without breaking the budget wide open. Kings Park, near the Financial District, reminded us of NYC’s Central Park, but on a much bigger scale!

Perth is quirky and offbeat, with lots of fun bars and restaurants. Favorite neighborhood to eat around? Northbridge, with treats from Perth’s many immigrant groups, including Singapore, Malaysia, China, Taiwan, Cambodia, Burma, Brunei, India, Sri Lanka, Indonesia and the Philippines.

We’re renting a car tomorrow to do a little exploring outside the city, so we’ll update when we can.  Our first stop will be Fremantle, the fist European settlement in Western Australia, and still a fun port town.  We’re looking forward to meeting relatives in Adelaide next week as well!

Click HERE for more Perth photos.