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| Erin's Western Australia Journals - 11-23-02 Saturday, our first day in Perth, we were privileged to have local guides. Adele and Ken had some great ideas about what to show us, but of course we slept late and put off their plan of action a bit. The time difference between South Africa and Perth is 5 hours, so to wake up at 9am still felt like 4am to me. Still, eyes burning, I got up and had breakfast on the back porch, listening to the local birds screech their various songs, and enjoyed the cool breeze. I'd thought the weather would immediately be an intolerable 40C (about 98F), but it was only about 24C, in the low 70's. We packed a lunch before heading out to downtown Perth. The city is bisected by the Swann River, so named by the black swans that breed there. It is beautiful, although Adele and Ken told us that the city has been indescriminately tearing down historical buildings to put up modern skyscrapers and highrises. We parked near a mall and the train station, then walked around a bit. We wanted to get a guide book for Australia, and the closest bookstore had an overwhelming supply of choices. After much debate, we picked up a few books and headed on to the main street. Here, Adele and I found a bridal store to investigate, but found nothing really suitable for a beach wedding. We traded in a few books (finally) at a 2nd hand bookstore, then explored a couple of local stores. I found a great white dress in one, and ended up picking my wedding dress in Perth! After our victory at the mall, we went on to King's Park to have lunch and view the huge crowd of sailboats on the river. We then walked along the park for photo opps and a bit of shopping before heading home along the waterfront to meet Paul and his kids. Paul, oldest child of Ken and Adele, looks nothing like Glenn but had the red hair for sure! We had fun with their two kids though, as they'd brought videos - I watched one with them after we showed off some Africa photos! When they were ready for bed, I talked with the 'adults' for a bit before Glenn and I retired ourselves. |
| Later in the week, we visited the Ngigli Cave, where this section is called the Pixie Cave (all in miniature proportions) |