Wanderlust

Maybe it's the studying I'm (finally) doing right now that's getting me more and more excited for when the semester ends, or maybe it's the fact that the semester ends in a week and a half. Either way, I can't stop thinking, and mentally planning, for the few weeks I'll have after the semester ends. I always knew that this would be a completely different part of my time away from home, but it's really hitting me now just what an adventure this is going to be. I'm going to have just over three weeks to leave Perth behind and go check out the east coast of Australia.

I'm already excited to go check out some of the films at the Sydney Film Festival and some of the local shops recommended by Frankie while in Melbourne, and of course celebrate my 21st at the Little Creatures Dining Hall. But I'm most excited to just get out and travel (there's no link for that one). I know I love to plan my days and know exactly what I'm going to do before I even get on the plane, but I'm starting to get better at just going off and exploring. And that's what I can't wait for.

I was reading one of the Frugal Traveler columns today where Matt Gross talks about his travels over the years and what he's taken out of them. And while he appreciates the global connections that travel has to offer, I've come to the appreciate the sense of exploration that travel brings. Some of my favorite times in New Zealand were spent searching out good breakfast spots early in the morning or heading to the local cinema in Te Anau and watching the great local doco about the surrounding area. I could have never planned for those while still in Perth.

Maybe I'm not making any sense. And neither does Bjork sometimes. But maybe this time she does.


I'm excited to call my own shots everyday and see the cities as I want to see them. I'm excited to see the more typical Australian sites, as well as some of the more off the beaten path ones. I'm dreading excited to live out of my pack for three weeks. And I'm excited to just stop planning and let the travels begin.

Margaret River

Classes have ended for the semester and now I have a week off before finals start. No big trips planned for this week, but I did manage to get away for a few days and head south to Margaret River. Margs is a few hours south by car, a little more by bus, and is known for the wine and surf.

I headed down on Sunday morning by train to Bunbury and then caught a bus further south to Margaret River.

Sights of Freo

The streets, the places, and the town I'll miss most.
Slowly but surely I've learned my way around, discovered new cafes, and come to love my little day trips into Freo. The first time I headed into Freo I had the bus route map unfolded in my lap and could not have looked more lost. But after another few trips, I had the bus route down. Another few trips after that I was discovering cafes. Then came leaving the center of Freo and adventuring into South Freo. And now going into Freo is my favorite excuse not to do homework, my favorite way to spend a lazy Friday afternoon, and the place I now associate this study abroad experience with.
So here are some of the sights of Freo-some new, some old.

The view when you get off the bus-the beginning of Capuccino Strip

the heart of Cappucino Strip

the Fremantle markets

the heart of the tourist strip

Market Street

Kakula's Sister

High Street

the park before you get to Little Creatures

Little Creatures

Fishing Boat Harbour

South Freo-La Vespa Cafe

the staple 'no worries' van of South Terrace

Lucy in the sky...

Today my friend Leah and I headed into Freo for some parasailing, and luckily the weather cooperated! Though it was a bit chilly, about 65 degrees, the sun was out and it was a clear, calm day to be on the water. Although our parasailing ride was only about 10-15 minutes, we were on the boat for about an hour and a half. It was the first time I've been on a boat out in the Perth area and that alone would have made for a great trip. We decided to do the tandem parasail as a way to save a little money and have someone to share the experience with.

smooth sailing

lucy in the sky...

We decided to take a disposable camera up with us and grab some shots of the surrounding area, and ourselves of course. We couldn't see quite as far inland into Freo as we thought we would be able to, but the views of the ocean were amazing.

looking out to sea

looking back to Freo

It was a fun little trip, and yet another thing that can get checked off my to-do list! We spent the rest of the day, while waiting for our photos to get developed, at Little Creatures just soaking up the sun and writing postcards. Another great Saturday afternoon in Freo!

Yesterday the CIEE study abroad group headed out to Yanchep National Park for the Aboriginal Experience tour. We were shown some of the native plants and their uses, weapons and how they are made, learned a dance, and got a didgeridoo performance.

The park is on a lake and there is ample room to spread out and have a picnic on the grassy area around the lake. We brought all the supplies to have, what will probably be my last, barbi.

views of the lake

After the barbi we went on a tour of the crystal caves, and seeing as how I love caves, this was probably the highlight of the day for me.

The caves used to have water in them, as most caves do and require water for their formation. But because of the drought-like conditions over the last 20 years, the huge population growth in the Perth area, and just a general increase in water usage....there is no water here. The water issue is a pretty big one here, but there aren't usually such apparent signs of how much of a crisis it is. I don't think I've ever been in a cave where they have had to pump some water in both for the tourists, but also to support an endangered species of amphipod that requires water to live in the cave.

This last set of photos was taken of the same area in the cave, where the roof gets much lower to the ground really quickly. We were only allowed to get so close, but they showed us the view with two different lighting effects. The one on the left uses more energy efficient lighting that also doesn't produce as much heat, and the one on the right is the standard lighting found throughout the rest of the cave.

The study abroad diet

Forget the Tim Tams. Forget the Toblerone you can get out of a vending machine. Forget the fake soy ice cream. This these last few weeks (read: semester) have been all about the real food finds. From cafes in Freo to restaurants in Subi to my very own kitchen.

Last Saturday afternoon I found myself in Subi, the super posh district of Perth, on a hunt for some dinner with some friends. Should we try that great pizza place? Or the gourmet burger restaurant? Wait?? No one's been to Nando's yet?

late afternoon and the livin's easy

Nando's is that upscale type of fast food you would only expect to find in a place like Subi. The chicken is marinated for 24 hours before being cooked when you order it and the fries are so good you know they can only come from a fast food joint. And my 'chicken meal' (so fast food) came with a Coke, quite the luxury out here.

But a big dinner on a late Saturday afternoon was well deserved that day. We had to make our way out to the Subi Oval for another footy game, nearly bake in the stands on one of the last hot days of the year (don't you love that though? when you're just getting used to the fall weather, with its crisp, cool days, and then all of a sudden it feels like summer again?) and cheer on our team to victory.

the perfect day for footy

A couple of weeks earlier I headed into Freo to do some studying at a cafe right on the main tourist drag of the town. Hush Espresso was surprisingly hard to find-maybe the Subway next door hid it? It somehow manages to get tucked away in one the busiest streets of Freo and is a great little study oasis. And their all day breakfast menu is just what you need to get through your readings on seagrasses that week.

yeah, the banana nut waffles were great, but see the books??

And sometimes the food adventures happen at home, too. One of my flatmates and I have both been baking a lot more these past few weeks, after realizing that our oven isn't so horrible after all. Sure, the temperature is never constant, or even guessable, and the gas flames in back tend to die out sporadically, but it is capable of making muffins. But, when the oven fails to impress, there is always chocolate mousse. My flatmate made this one, not me, but was kind enough to share the love and it was the best mousse I've ever had. And I've had plenty of chocolate mousse to compare. Maybe it had something to do with the block of Cadbury chocolate she used to make it?

But not everything has to be about sugars and sweets. My other flatmate has turned our walkway/awkward patio into a garden. And the basil was finally harvested last week, just in time for my homemade hummus kick.

distance from farm to plate of less than 30 meters?

And today I headed to another cafe, which has become my favorite one out here, to get some homework done and to cuddle up with some hot chocolate on this rainy day.

eclectic, homey, and just plain comfortable

I've passed Wild Poppy heaps of times on the bus into Freo all semester and have just now discovered how great it is. They have free Wifi, which is quite the find out here, and a combination of tables and super comfy couches/rocking chairs. The first time I went I felt more productive than I had all semester, and it felt great!

So I headed back today with the friend who recommended it to me in the first place, but got distracted by my new favorite magazine (of which they have the last 3 issues) and just people watching on a rainy day in Freo. As soon as the weather shows any signs of cooling down and raining, out come the closed toed shoes and wool sweaters! And the so-chic-you-know-they-never-get-used umbrellas that everyone totes around. The change in weather was nice, but can it clear up for the weekend please? I have some parasailing to do on Saturday!

T-minus one month....

I have just about one month left here in Perth. Actually, make that one month to do the day. It's crazy to think that I've been here for three months already and that the semester is already winding down. I think everyone is feeling the time crunch now and trying to pack in as much as possible over the weekend. At points it can feel like there isn't enough to keep you busy and that you've seen everything, and at other points it seems like there are just some things that will slip through the cracks.
So these last couple of weekends, and assorted school days, have been packed full of activities. Everything from visiting the Maritime Museum in Freo to another King's Park visit (this time during normal hours). All were things on my to-do list before leaving Perth, but just as I crossed these off I was adding more things to the list.

Maritime Museum

walkway at King's Park

view of Perth CBD during the day

One of the things that I've wanted to check out all semester was AQWA-the Aquarium of Western Australia. Our study abroad group has a few activities planned throughout the semester to show us around Perth, and we headed over to AQWA this afternoon. It's a great aquarium that focuses solely on the coastlines of Western Australia. And after taking a marine biology class out here, I can assure you that this coastline is amazing. You follow a loop throughout the aquarium, moving from southern Australia up north along the coast. It's a great showcase of all things local and how diverse the 12,000 km coastline is.

I found Dory

some tame looking jellies

One of the features of the aquarium is Shipwreck Coast, Australia's largest walk through aquarium. You walk (or get on the moving sidewalk) through a tunnel where you can get up close and personal with sharks, stingrays, turtles, and heaps of fish.

underwater tunnel

The rays were by far the coolest part-they were huge first of all (10 feet across??) and would just glide over the top of the tunnel, hovering above you. I kept thinking back to the first study break when we were at Ningaloo Reef and got to swim with a Manta Ray, and how this is as close as I'm going to get to that for a while.

walking with the rays?

There were sharks everywhere, and they too would swim right alongside you as you moved through the tunnel. We were lucky enough to go through the tunnel at the end of feeding time and so all the fish were out.

The rest of the aquarium was devoted to the Perth coast and farther north. Lots of coral exhibits, saltwater crocodiles, jellyfish, and octopus.

jellies

moray eels

corals galore

They even have a section devoted to all the poisonous/deadly marine life of WA, and I've finally been here long enough that they don't really phase me anymore. The 'Danger Zone' features blue-ringed octopi (thank god I never saw one of those, however), stonefish, coneshells, sea snakes, and the list goes on.

The rest of this weekend will be spent checking things off my to-do list. I have this weekend and next weekend, a 10 day study break, finals week, and then I'm off to Adelaide! Where has the time gone??