perth

perth: the capital of WA; the 4th largest city in australia. it is incredibly sprawled, with the 1.54 million people living in approx 90kmx40km (compare london at 8 million, 39kmx39km). and even with such a small population, it somehow manages to have 5 major universities. it is also the most isolated capital city in the world, closer to east timor, jakarta and singapore then to sydney.

for the easter weekend - for any long weekend or school holidays, for that matter- the people of perth migrate south to margaret river. all of them. john and i had planned to migrate further south-east to avoid the crowds. alas, turns out that easter was also the start of (one of the many) school holidays, meaning perthites had migrated anywhere within a 6 hour drive. note- there are not that many places to go within 6 hours...

and thus, john and i decided to buck the trend and went into the city for the weekend. having scored a fantastic online deal on a hotel downtown, or CBD (central business district), we packed our overnight bags and got out of our house. we decided to make a proper tourist weekend out of it and took the ferry in from freo. an amazingly long journey on the river, thanks in part to the incredibly slow cruising speed. luckily, it was sunset and we didn't care.

after we checked in, we ventured down to the waterfront for some dinner. clients and friends had recommended a vegetarian spot for us. it was a "pay as you feel" indian restaurant and it couldn't have been better! we rolled out of the restaurant and spied the "wheel of perth". no, it's not a game. it is a shameful mockery of the london eye, big enough to be shiny on the waterfront but small enough to not be worth the 15$ fee. instead, we strolled about the streets before we realized / were reminded of the fact that perth CBD has no nightlife. none. it's like a ghost town after 5pm. a drink on the patio of the hotel bar had to do.

the next day, in full tourist mode, we hit up the west australian museum. a donation-only entry provided us with a few hours of educated entertainment, though be it said, it was not the most amazing museum i've ever been to. later, a lazy walk through the pedestrian mall (the only street in the city open on sundays) led us back to the hotel for some pool and spa action. realizing that the probability of anything being open on a sunday night was slim to nil, we opted to stay at the hotel for a quite night.

we left the next morning after a scrumptious buffet, satisfied from a weekend away from home. there is so much potential for perth to be a much cooler city, but no one seems to capitalize on it. as such, we're happy to stay in freo instead.
xo

the leeuwin

the leeuwin (pronounced lou-in) is a 55m tall ship, launched in 1986. it's main mast is 33m high and when it's fully rigged, the ship carried 810m of sails! it sails along the west coast of australia and offers 1-12 day sails for the adventurous. the ship is mainly run by volunteers whom have all completed at least one 3-day sail, learning the ins and outs of sailing a tall ship.

my friends and i were lucky enough to be invited aboard as guests of the captain, who happens to be a client at the clinic. myself and 2 others showed up for our twilight sail on tuesday (a few weeks ago). having only heard that it was a working ship, none of us knew exactly what to expect. we were hoping for champagne and cocktails but expecting to be put to work. instead we found a happy medium.

our sail left the fremantle port around 4:30pm. we ventured south first, then turned and headed north. turned around again and came back to the port. while this sounds like a quick ride, i assure you this was a solid 3 hours of sailing. the sea was rather rough, but didn't pose a problem to any of us. many other passengers were not so lucky! it's a bit disconcerting when, during the announcements at the beginning, the crew informs one how to get sick over the side of the boat. there is a correct and a not-so-correct manner. ie, clean vs. messy.

my friend gen got involved as we were pulling out of port. she helped to heave the sails. we found it interesting that the crew uses the following to keep time: "2, 4, heave". why not 1,2? or "ready, set". my theory is related to old-english being bastardized to "2,4" vs. perhaps what it actually meant in the past. gen's theory was that sailors couldn't count.

the rest of the sail was rather enjoyable. snacks were passed around, songs were sung (mostlyl by the crew) and we had a jolly good time. when we pulled back into port, we were presented with the opportunity to climb the mast! uhm, yes. yes i will. the 3 of us got geared up in a harness with some clasps and clips. the crew wear these harnesses the entire time, i suppose in case they need to climb the mast in a hurry or something. they're not the most flattering harnesses, and let's just say that a few of the crew left verrrry little to the imagination when the harness was secured. once we were geared up, we had to pass the "strength test" before they'd let us climb. it was a check to be sure that we could hold ourselves up for 10 seconds, just in case our clasp let go. we passed.

i scurried up the mast first, but imagine my disappointment when i reached the first plank and was told to head back down. what?! that was it. we were only allowed to climb up a few meters. urgh.

it was a good adventure overall, but i won't be signing up for the 12 day voyage just yet.
xo