Hi, friends!
I’ve been working more and more now that I have a job, but as I mentioned in last week’s post, I’m going to try and do fun things on my days off (within reason). Within the past week, I went hiking at Kalamunda National Park and also went to City Beach to hang out and relax.
City Beach
City Beach was my first adventure of the week. It’s about an hour by bus from my hostel. The weather didn’t seem too warm, so I wanted to go there for the sole purpose of reading and relaxing – I didn’t intend to go in the water or lay out in the sun. However, after arriving at the ocean, it felt much warmer than I anticipated. It probably would have been a great beach day had I planned better.
Instead, I hid in the shade and read my book. My former boss bought me Fathoms: The World in the Whale as a going away present. She knows I love whales and the book was written by a woman from Perth, so it was the perfect gift. Thanks, Gretchen!
The waves at City Beach were very large. Groups of kids were out swimming all day long, using their boogie boards to catch the big waves.
It was a nice, relaxing day. I stayed until the sun was setting and then had to catch the bus back into town. I would have stayed later to look at the stars, but I was hungry and wanted to get back to my hostel. I’m looking forward to seeing the stars in a remote area out here. You can see them quite clearly from the city, but I’m sure they look spectacular out in more remote areas. One day soon!
The sunset was very orange-y. I noticed the air had gotten quite smoky and after chatting with my friend Liam about it, he said they sometimes do controlled burns to help prevent wildfires. I think the smoke in the air contributed to the orange look of the sunset. Very pretty.
As I’ve mentioned before, I’m really looking forward to it getting a little warmer so I can finally go snorkeling out here. I’m sure in the next few weeks, it will be warm enough. I’ve probably said that every post so far hahaha.
Kalamunda National Park
Next up for me was Kalamunda National Park. Again, an hour bus ride got me almost to the park itself. I had to walk for 25 minutes from the bus stop, but I was able to hike through a really nice trail that lead into the national park – so I was exploring pretty much the whole time.
My destination for the day was “Rocky Pool,” which is essentially this natural swimming pool surrounded by boulders. It was quite famous in the 60s before there were local swimming pools put in around Perth.
Along the way, I heard a rustle in the bush and then a kangaroo popped up its head. It observed me for a moment and then hopped across the trail and down the side of the hill. I saw another kangaroo later that day as well. No pictures of those, unfortunately.
The hike was tranquil, but the sunglasses I was using were annoying the hell out of me. They’re these cool steampunk-esque sunglasses, but the sunglass frames lift up to reveal clear glasses. One of the frames kept lifting up every time I looked down because the hinge wasn’t tight enough… driving me crazy. No worries, though, because after the ocean ate my Rx sunglasses last week, my new ones arrived yesterday. Hopefully, no more complaining about sunglasses from me for a while!
Alas, I made it to Rocky Pool. The pictures don’t really do it justice – but also, it was only a small natural pool with a little waterfall. Still pretty, and great for a hot day. I laid down and rested for a while before heading back to the city. I ended up taking what I thought was a “shortcut” back to the bus stop by taking one of the streets as opposed to a hiking trail… and it was a mistake haha. There was a huge incline and it took me farther to get back than I originally anticipated. That’s part of the fun, though, right?
Reflections
I am now out of my hostel and renting a room from my friend Kory. It is SO nice to be able to have some space to myself again. There are certainly things we take for granted when having our own place. Having to take your toiletries to and from the bathroom every day was certainly an inconvenience. Living out of a backpack was certainly an inconvenience. It’s awesome to have a closet with hangers for my things. Of course, I’ll be living in hostels again in the future as I travel around, but for now it’s great to have a little break from that as I “settle down” in Perth for the moment.
I haven’t been listening to music much since I’ve been in Australia, but I’ve started listening to it again more frequently. On shuffle, David Bowie’s “A New Career in a New Town” came on, which was a lovely surprise. When I first moved to Chicago, my roommate Mike got Bowie’s “Low” album and we would listen to it and dance around the apartment. It felt very fitting at the time, and feels fitting again now that I’m literally starting a new career in another new town… for the first time in a while.
Speaking of music – it’s such a time warp here. Hearing the radio, or walking through malls, or encountering music in any kind of way is so bizarre. They play lots of songs I forgot about from the past fifteen or so years. I find myself re-adding music I haven’t heard in ages to my Spotify. So much of it is American music. In a weird way, it makes me feel a sense of home in a foreign place.
There is this song played sometimes at Australian weddings called Eagle Rock… and my roommate Kory was telling me that the men drop their pants to their ankles and dance around during the song hahaha. Love that.
I also learned that Western Australia had such a strict lockdown that during the pandemic, they only had something like 88 days of total lockdown. The people here were really able to enjoy a pretty lax lifestyle.
On my way to work one day, I saw a spider on the sidewalk and stopped to get a closer look at it. Sure enough, it was a redback spider. If these suckers bite you, you can be sick for months. If you’re not in the best physical shape, they can even kill you. Seeing the redback kind of signaled that spring has officially sprung. Maybe I’ll be seeing a snake, too, before I know it.
I wanted to mention that while I am working out here and work is lame… it has been cool to meet Australians and interact with them in a way that I probably wouldn’t if I was just passing through. For me, travel has mostly been about nature and wildlife up until this point. I know everyone always says “culture,” but I never really got that. And yet, here I am, being immersed in Australian culture – learning things about Australia, meeting the people, etc. It’s pretty cool.
I got my first physical cash the other day – the $20 was getting my hostel deposit returned, and the coin was part of a tip I got from bartending a wedding reception. I love the kangaroos on the $1 coin!
A few random things… “Bell peppers” here are called “capsicums.” And a phrase I’ve heard more and more lately is “[he’s] a dog” – which I find so funny.
Lastly, I wanted to share some anxiety stuff. I’ve always known you can’t run away to escape your problems – and that’s definitely not why I came to Australia or the purpose of this travel at all. With that said, it’s been interesting to see how certain anxieties have remained with me while over here. Leading up to this trip, I was constantly asking myself things like “Will I have enough money to be okay? Have I saved enough?” etc. It can be quite obsessive at times and I’ve learned that it is very much a control-based thing for me. If I have enough money, I am in control, I am safe, I am secure. And that line of thinking has stayed with me here in Australia. I certainly have saved enough and I know I’m not going to wind up homeless and penniless – but it is just this THING that I have engrained in me. I’m hoping that over the coming months, I can ease up on those thoughts and know that – sure, while I do have to budget if I want to travel long term, I am likely going to be just fine and don’t need to penny pinch at every opportunity. I’m here to enjoy myself!
Anyway, I hope that’s not a bummer to share, but it’s a real anxiety of mine and as I mentioned before, I’m trying to be transparent when chronicling this adventure.
Art of the Week
Here is some art from this past week. I think I’m going to explore a more abstract look for a little while – it feels quite therapeutic.
That’s all for now! Sending you all my love. Until next time!