How best to spend our 'extra' time in Perth was not a difficult decision. We barely scratched the surface of Kings Park yesterday. Today we went to one of the non-Jacobs Ladder entrances on the western side of the city - an altogether easier entry point.
It's Monday so most people are at work. This huge space is almost deserted and we have a chance to walk round much more of it. Most of the park is actually an enormous botanic garden. It is broken up into dozens of separate areas all linked by attractive walks and pathways. Each mini-park within the park features all the flora and fauna from a different part of Western Australia. Given that WA is larger than Texas and Alaska put together, that's a lot of botanic garden. The two main routes or walks around the whole thing are 'Lover's Walk' and 'Law Walk' - the first dovetailing neatly into the second......'twas ever thus!
It's another glorious day naturally, the temperature hitting 31c by early afternoon. With a few high clouds today, I can't resist photographing the view again.......oh no, not another view!
Although we entered the park via an easy route, we decided to check out Jacobs Ladder again. Despite it being a Monday, there are even more fitness fanatics jogging up the 242 steps, doing a few press-ups and sit-ups and then jogging down them again, then repeating the process. Talking briefly to another devotee, it seems that three circuits is just about an acceptable minimum. The guys who work out this way all wear shorts and t-shirts, drenched in perspiration by the time they complete the first circuit. The girls who do this, and there are plenty of them, seem to favour very tight Lycra. If ever I need an innovative way to crack a lot of walnuts, I'll know where to come! I need a lie down just watching.
Lunchtime approaches and there are no prizes for guessing how Aussie office workers spend it. They are divided into two groups.... One group off to a bar showing sport on TV for a few stubbies...the other group stripped off into running gear, iPods in their ears and off to exercise. How do they not melt in the heat!?
Having descended Jacobs Ladder, we climb aboard one of the CAT buses that run around the centre of the city. There are three routes, red, blue and yellow and all three are free. They are a great way to get around, but being free, they attract not only tourists and office workers, but also those who are a little less able to afford other buses and trains. Some of this latter group can't afford deodorant either or soap or razors. One particularly heavily bearded individual boarded the bus. Behind him a wave of smell! He looked around. The only remaining seat was next to a slight blonde girl sitting quietly, iPod on, book open. Slight though she was she still had to move further along the seat as our new bearded traveller was also quite heavily built. Having accomodated him on the seat next to her, she settled back to her book and her music. Then, as her face, body language and reactions all showed, the smell wave arrived! She rose, smiled as politely as was possible and moved into the aisle; as did the four or five other other people nearest to our hygienicly challenged passenger. Before long he had 'clear water' for several feet around him. We alighted at that point, because the smell had begun to overwhelm us too. We didn't wait to watch the bus clear completely, but I wouldn't be surprised if he was the only passenger by the following stop.
We have explored all the places to which the CATs travel. It doesn't take long to become familiar with the routes. Hey, we're almost natives! Well the natives themselves seem to think so. It's a real surprise how often other people ask us for directions. It's also a surprise that as soon as it's clear we're English, they indulge their predeliction for pommie-bashing! 'What's the best kind of pommie?' one hilarious character asked us. Before we could respond, he answered the question himself....'a pommie dragging his bat behind him walking off the WACA with a duck!' - the WACA of course being Perth's main cricket ground. When we retorted with 'Who holds the Ashes then?', he was back, quick as a flash...'Who taught ya? Have a great holiday'.
We certainly are.
It's Monday so most people are at work. This huge space is almost deserted and we have a chance to walk round much more of it. Most of the park is actually an enormous botanic garden. It is broken up into dozens of separate areas all linked by attractive walks and pathways. Each mini-park within the park features all the flora and fauna from a different part of Western Australia. Given that WA is larger than Texas and Alaska put together, that's a lot of botanic garden. The two main routes or walks around the whole thing are 'Lover's Walk' and 'Law Walk' - the first dovetailing neatly into the second......'twas ever thus!
It's another glorious day naturally, the temperature hitting 31c by early afternoon. With a few high clouds today, I can't resist photographing the view again.......oh no, not another view!
Although we entered the park via an easy route, we decided to check out Jacobs Ladder again. Despite it being a Monday, there are even more fitness fanatics jogging up the 242 steps, doing a few press-ups and sit-ups and then jogging down them again, then repeating the process. Talking briefly to another devotee, it seems that three circuits is just about an acceptable minimum. The guys who work out this way all wear shorts and t-shirts, drenched in perspiration by the time they complete the first circuit. The girls who do this, and there are plenty of them, seem to favour very tight Lycra. If ever I need an innovative way to crack a lot of walnuts, I'll know where to come! I need a lie down just watching.
Lunchtime approaches and there are no prizes for guessing how Aussie office workers spend it. They are divided into two groups.... One group off to a bar showing sport on TV for a few stubbies...the other group stripped off into running gear, iPods in their ears and off to exercise. How do they not melt in the heat!?
Having descended Jacobs Ladder, we climb aboard one of the CAT buses that run around the centre of the city. There are three routes, red, blue and yellow and all three are free. They are a great way to get around, but being free, they attract not only tourists and office workers, but also those who are a little less able to afford other buses and trains. Some of this latter group can't afford deodorant either or soap or razors. One particularly heavily bearded individual boarded the bus. Behind him a wave of smell! He looked around. The only remaining seat was next to a slight blonde girl sitting quietly, iPod on, book open. Slight though she was she still had to move further along the seat as our new bearded traveller was also quite heavily built. Having accomodated him on the seat next to her, she settled back to her book and her music. Then, as her face, body language and reactions all showed, the smell wave arrived! She rose, smiled as politely as was possible and moved into the aisle; as did the four or five other other people nearest to our hygienicly challenged passenger. Before long he had 'clear water' for several feet around him. We alighted at that point, because the smell had begun to overwhelm us too. We didn't wait to watch the bus clear completely, but I wouldn't be surprised if he was the only passenger by the following stop.
We have explored all the places to which the CATs travel. It doesn't take long to become familiar with the routes. Hey, we're almost natives! Well the natives themselves seem to think so. It's a real surprise how often other people ask us for directions. It's also a surprise that as soon as it's clear we're English, they indulge their predeliction for pommie-bashing! 'What's the best kind of pommie?' one hilarious character asked us. Before we could respond, he answered the question himself....'a pommie dragging his bat behind him walking off the WACA with a duck!' - the WACA of course being Perth's main cricket ground. When we retorted with 'Who holds the Ashes then?', he was back, quick as a flash...'Who taught ya? Have a great holiday'.
We certainly are.
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