Leaving Melbourne, Arrival in Perth and an Introduction To Vera…

Hey guys I'm currently sitting in the back of a 1988 ford sedan called Vera on route to Manjimup... But I will start from where I finished off last time to make it a bit easier to follow… I can't remember how I actually ended my blog and no internet in a car funnily enough so can't check but yeah it was my last day in the world of call centre life that is known as Salmat. Brid got me a pink donut and a homemade leaving card, which was amazing I love that Irish crazy who is convinced she's called Brid but we all know for a fact she is really called Bree… I also have spent the past 2.5 months drinking out of my beloved Salmat mug so obviously I took that with me to home in the hardware lane flat!! And being a backpacker it is almost my duty to take what I can. So on my way out I told my quite hot boss I wanted a job if and when I come back so he gave me his card with a wink and said anytime I need anything to call him no matter where he is. Obviously working in there means there is a massive chance he likes boys not girls but still I took this card to mean I'd essentially pulled a little bit too late in the office dammit. I did my last walk to Melbourne Central with Brid where I'd leave her every day and said our emotional goodbyes which was sad I love that girl! She has been my Salmat Saviour!! I got in the house and my tea was almost ready which was exciting, so we all went and got ready as it was ghost walk night. So eventually me, Jim, Danny, Char and Tommo sat down to our last family meal together. It was so very sad. We had corned beef hash and cabbage and carrots, it was lovely I was most happy with our last supper. We had some drinks and talked about the good times then we left to meet Steph, Andrea and Karen in Fed Square for the ghost walk. We meet the guide with about 25 others it was massive tour group and it was such a massive pile of s*** no ghosts or anything it was mainly the man talking us round telling us where people 'might' have died. And also he showed us a building that had something to do with bird s*** and not even dead birds so it was pointless. So we left mid tour as it was that crap I was very disappointed. When I get WIFI again I plan on complaining as it was a massive waste of money. It was only $25 but that's not the point it was pants. So we went to a nice bar called the Lounge for a drink then went and met Kyle and Tom in Campari House so we could drink our cheap drink as we have the corporate cards and it has a lovely rooftop terrace. Obviously it was mine and James last night so we wanted a quiet drink and an early night. Clearly that didn't happen… $4 champagnes in Campari and everyone was buying me drinks at one point Tom got me 2 at once accidently - oh well. So we all ended up a wee bit tiddly. Which is obviously most unlike me and James but never mind what's that really famous American phrase… s*** Happens!!

So we obviously decided to invite everyone back for a Hardware Lane Party after Campari. On route there me and Tom went to McDonalds for a 'date' Tom said I could anything I wanted… off the $ saver menu haha. So he splashed out and got me a McDouble and Chips which was so canny bless him he's a good un! So we got our food and headed back to the party where we were forced to dance before we could our food. How rude!! We all danced around like d*** for a bit then I fell asleep on the sofa then woke up and the party was over and we kicked everyone out, well not really Kyle and Tom decided to leave so off we all went to bed, it was awful saying bye to Tom and Kyle as I've known them since day 1 in Salmat they have been some of my best mates here we have loadsa memories together but know I'll see them again somewhere! They are good lads indeed! Kyle also said he'd try visit us in Perth which would be wicked! So we went to bed at around 2am ish which was not in the plan as we still needed to make sure our backpacks shut! Oh well. I woke up and I felt amazing due to some sort of Christmas Miracle. So I got myself ready made some crumpets with peanut butter and felt almost ready apart from my bag wouldn't shut. So I had to repack oh well. We eventually said bye to Charl and Steph as they were left. I'd Said bye to Tommo at 7am when he woke me up to say bye and I swear he was wearing a butlins uniform…? And also bye to Danny when I woke up and he went to work. I bloody love them guys the hardware lane crew Danny, Charl and Tommo and I'm so glad James is coming with me! They have well looked after me past few weeks it's been lush living in the Scouse house! And I have never eaten so well as a backpacker!! They are good friends and can't wait to see them all again soon!! I think me and Tommo might end up doing Ayres Rock together and Charl and Danny say they might visit us so that will be lush!!

So me and James then got the worst tram ride ever to get to Janine's as she had us a lift sorted… busiest tram ever, actually boiling hot for once and I had my jeans on and trainers which is not nice attire in the heat I was sweating like mad!! My backpack was soo heavy! And my front backpack was a nightmare the tram felt like it took hours to get there then we had a good old 10 minute walk to Janine's, and when we got there she said our lift had fell through and we nearly cried. So we got a taxi to the airport. We got there we had 20kgs each allowance. Mine was 18.5kg heaviest it's ever been and I've had to leave stuff in Melbs but I have so much farmer gear I will be dumping when it's over. I actually own a flipping fleece jacket for farming… sexy as fook! James was 19.9kg and Janine as always won with 20kg exactly!! What a nutter!! After successfully getting though security with no hassle for first time in my life ever we went straight to Hungry Jacks for our lunch… just like going to Ibiza from the town always time for a burger king in the airport haha. At this point Janine realised she'd lost her phone somewhere between security and hungry jacks. Oh dear. So off she went on the hunt for it and amazingly it had been handed in so she got it back. In Hungry Jacks the girl who served us was so rude and didn't even ask what drink we wanted and just gave us full fat coke anyways so obviously I sent that back in exchange for diet! And Jim sent his back for Fanta. She was so happy. Cheeky b*****, and then in the middle of hungry jacks when we were eating our dinner half the staff were having a massive fight in the middle of the floor which was nice. Very strange airport staff here. We then went for a beer as we were going on our holidays… and at the bar was so very famous Australian either rugby or AFL playing from Melbourne, they had their uniform on but had no idea who they were unfortunately as I'm not up on my sports in any country! But anyways they were very famous! Probably haha. We finally made it on the plane and it had a whole under 18 ladies (ahem) AFL team from WA on it they were Radge!! And I swear there was an Albino Abbo on the team which was mad! Janine said she looked like she was straight from the cave. Oh dear. We had Red wine and Cheese and Crackers on the plane and mixed nuts it was brilliant best flight ever and was about a 4 hour flight where I did also manage to get some nice sleep on it too which is always nice!!

We arrived in Perth WA how exciting. The excitement soon ended and we realised we hated Perth it was a teeny tiny place with 3 people. Janine's friend met us there in the hostel as she was here for a few days holiday. The hostel was ok but a bit weird and I got a top bunk without a ladder which really pisses me off to be honest! Bloody nightmare trying to get on your top bunk with no ladder let me tell you. You can climb on it via the bottom of the bed but someone's bag is always there so you have to either stand on the bag to get up to use the bed below which can only be done when that person is not there as it's a bit rude standing all over some strangers bed. But yeah anyways we arrived in Perth and hit the streets in search of a bar. We ended up at Mustang which was quite cool American kinda set up. It was huge and me, Janine and Katie were the only females apart from the bar staff when we got there. So we got some pints and sat down and watched the magic. The staff in Mustang were most unfriendly and unhelpful. We soon started to realise everyone in the bar was miserable and hated their lives. We figured it was because Perth isn't that good and is actually a bit s***. Oh dear bad start. We tried to order food. That took about 30 mins just trying to order it, and eventually at the bar when the bar maid stopped serving the locals over us she informed us that we had to order food at the kitchen part. Oh great, I tried to order hot dog n chips and there was no hot dog so I got a chicken burger (2nd burger of the day - great) the man serving was so unhappy and miserable, shame on him. He said he would bring them over so we went back to the table. Janine got nachos that were advertised to have a lot of cheese on them and there was a tiny amount on the bottom of the box they came in haha. He kinda threw our burgers at us and when Katie asked for mayo for me he looked furious! So yeah it was really nice in there. Not! Eventually it started filling up with people both men and women on dates and couples and old people. It was buzzing a live band were playing and people started swing dancing at the front it was like the actual swinging 60s, madness for sure. There was a massive man who clearly worked out he was well huge and muscly on a date with a teeny woman they didn't speak once in 2 hours it was brilliant. I figured they weren't dating and actually married which is why they weren't talking and hating life forcing a night out on themselves to appear like the best couple ever but boy did that backfire they need a divorce asap haha. Then there was an older lady (70s) who was dressed in a sequin dress she looked half glamorous and half like a prostitute. I decided by the end she was def trying to sell her body as she was well on the lookout for a hick on the hunt! Hilarious. She looked like Jessica Lange too which was a bit weird! The best thing about this bar was the entertainment value and the cider was $7.50 a pint which is quite good for a pint of the good stuff so we were quite happy. We were all shattered though as no one had much sleep the night before so we retreated for a early night. Which was obviously a disaster in the hostel as half our room and then half the hostel who were not in our room were playing cards and drinking right in the middle of our room so we went to bed haha, apparently Katie told them all to shut up at midnight but I was well dead I think I fell asleep as soon as I lay down I was so tired.

The next day was Sunday we got up had breakfast and got the train to Freemantle which is also known as Freo. We got to the markets which were probably the best markets I've ever encountered in my life as there was so much free stuff to eat which as a backpacker is brilliant. There was bread and olive oil, spicy salami and meats, nachos, smoothies, fruit juice and even free fruit - plum, apple and oranges. It was bloody amazing. We were well happy, I sampled some kangaroo and beef salami sausage which was horrible urgh. We also managed to get a free neck and shoulder massage from the Chinese massage people which to be fair absolutely killed me as my shoulders are always really tense I have terrible posture and issues with my shoulders he found instantly like 100 knots in my shoulders and said I needed a minimum of a 25 minute treatment but no chance would I be paying $50 for a massage, only in SE Asia are they worth getting for cost reasons. We went to a food court for lunch where I got an Indian selection of lamb and potato curry, biryani rice, lentil curry and some tasty potatoes accompanied by an onion bhaji which was all totally lush and made me so happy as I bloody love Indians! It was only $10 too so even better. So after a good feeding, Janine and Katie went to the jail or something and me and James went for a wander round the harbour and went to some old building the name of which I forget but it was on the top of a hill and we got put in the stocks when we got up there which was quite fun!! We then hit the harbour and decided to go for a small beverage whilst checking the boats out so we got some beers and watched the world go by. We then headed to a microbrewery called little or small creatures (the small details have by passed me in Freo somehow) and we sat in the beer garden and had a lovely pint of pale ale which was gorgeous and it was a nice day so we were well enjoying a sunshine moment. Janine and Katie then called to say they were out of jail and weren't allowed in the microbrewery as they had no ID haha so we went and met them in a fish bar on the harbour so they could get fish n chips and we got some red wine and decided we would watch the sunset there as it was prime positioned on the beach end so we were well ready for it. We got through a few bottles of red they were so cheap here it was brilliant and then Janine went and got some fish and chip flavour ice cream which was really weird not as bad as it sounds but you def wouldn't want to eat loadsa it. After seeing an amazing sunset we headed back to the hostel via the bottle shop where we picked up a classy box of red wine goon and some plastic cups and went back to the room to continue our party. Jess from the bed below me and an American whose name I forget I'm gonna call him Chris anyways, joined in with our little party. Chris was drinking some well expensive bottles of wine, he was very humorous indeed. He had tons of stories about how he hated kids and he'd told people on planes that he didn't think their children should be allowed to live and more insults. He was pretty funny with it though to be honest, and his main points about not liking kids was the bad parenting which is a very fair point. He was like 'why do people have kids to hand them straight over to grandma to watch so they can go out?'And also he issues with parents who allow their kids to do anything like kick his chair and scream as much as they can on aeroplanes for 12 hour flights haha good points indeed I loved his crack. He also called lasagne sheets noodles which we all well shot him down for haha. Jess never really speaks bless her she is travelling alone and is so shy and quiet. I have no idea how people can be so timid when they are travelling solo. You would never make friends that way, although we have forced friendship on her so maybe you do!?! Either way she is a lovely girl bless her. We eventually made Jim, Chris and Jess do the Maccas run as I'd had no tea just wine and goon and the pizza shop was shut so off they went for a smoke and Maccas mission bless them. Happy days. We then went to bed after food I think? It ended up as being a bit of a blur to be honest .

The next day was Monday. Janine and Katie went to Rottnest Island for the day and I and Jim hit the job hunt seriously. We'd called loadsa working hostels the day before which wasn't successful. But we did ring a hostel in a place called Manjimup where the owner said he should be getting work in very soon and there was room for us and its $150 per week to stay there. He said call when you decide you are gonna come so he could reserve our beds. After some serious deliberating we decided we would do that the next day. So we went to Woolworths for picnic stuff for that day and also to buy for us and our new hostel so we got sandwich stuff, noodles, pasta, tuna and chopped tomatoes and of course breakfast biscuits. We went to the job shop on route to the hostel and no jobs there so went back made vegemite and cheese toasties for dinner and made picnic food for the next day as the coach to Manjimup is 5hours. So we then booked our coach there and we called the hostel back and told him we were coming the next day so he dropped the bombshell that we couldn't come the next day as he was going away. Oh great. So we frantically tried to cancel the bus tickets as we didn't want to wait until Thursday incase something else came up. However we couldn't cancel them just change them to open tickets that are valid for 8 weeks .Great. Our bad luck continues. By this point I have plans to meet Kate and I am so ill with man flu and feel so stressed, pissed off, head done in and blocked nose I am not feeling good at all. So I have a nana nap and me and Jim decide to go meet Kate (my old friend from when I was a wee lass) and get a wee bit drunken to cheer ourselves up. So off we went and we took Jess with us as she was just sitting in the dorm reading again which I swear is all she does here.

We meet Kate at Monkey Brass which Kate describes as being like the Tavern in Concord haha she has a point like but it's canny bar anyways. It's so lovely to see someone from home and she says canny all the time which makes me feel at home!! We figured we'd not seen each other in 6 years approximately. So we had a good old catch up!! Hopefully I will get to see Ben (her bro) soon too. We end up having a good few bottles of wine and champagne as obviously it's cheaper than wine - did I ever mention I bloody love this country? Not much eh?! Janine and Katie finally turn up after their nice stress free day out. Completely opposite day to me and Jim. Kate accidently gets drunk with us and ends up leaving really late to get home and she has a job trial in a coffee shop in the morning bless her. In the bar were in is also a man on the didgeridoo which is wicked! You def don't get that in Concord! Me and Jim walk her to the station and go home to the hostel and have our cheese sandwiches that we were going to have on the bus tomorrow that is now not happening haha as yet again we have had no tea. So we have them then hit bed ready for a fresh start tomorrow and hopefully a job succession.

On Wednesday we wake up and go for breakfast and the farming 3 (me, Jim and J9) head out for a job hunting day out. We take the laptops so we can get WIFI to look properly as phone 3G searching is a nightmare for sure. So we decide to head to a coffee shop make sure it has WIFI so we can abuse it. So instead what happens is we find one I sit outside and set up and Janine gets a juice and Jim a Coffee and Muffin combo and then he goes and asks about WIFI and it's not on today. What a joke. So now we have stuff we don't even want and still no WIFI. We eventually head to Maccas where I get a apple pie and hot chocolate and their WIFI is s*** anyways so this has been a joke journey. The gods are against us dammit. So frustrating. We end up heading to Kings Park which is absolutely gorgeous big park with amazing views for miles as it's quite high up. So we sit there and explore our options by this point I am in great need of a nap again I am so full of flu it's horrible I feel s***. Jim then gets a phone call from a man in Mildura who tells him he definitely has work for us, so we get really excited apart from the fact Mildura is in Victoria and we just left there. Oops. So we don't know what to do, we sit and debate for a bit then figure we probably have to go there as we don't have any other option so we start looking at flight prices and buses from Melbourne to Mildura. The man told James it would be $150 per week 2 weeks upfront and $150 deposit. We then message Tracey our friend who was in Mildura doing her regional the other week to ask her what the crack with Mildura is as we weren't sure what the work situation really is. As we wait for her to reply, Janine was having a massive radge attack and then called the harvest hotline to find out what the crack with Mildura was. The lady on the phone told her basically there was no work there and she wouldn't recommend going there at all. Then Tracey replies basically saying the same, saying everyone is leaving there at the moment as all the work is ending so she advises that we don't go there. When the man spoke to James he didn't tell him what the working hostel was called so instead I go Google the telephone number he called from and the response was a disaster. This man is basically a conman who robs backpackers blind promises them work and there never is any and by the time you realise you've already paid for 2 weeks anyways and he never returns the deposits so by this point we have obviously decided this is not an option. We also decide we hate Australians and especially their government for making us do this bloody regional work for our 2nd year visa. It's a bloody nightmare looking for this work so we all feel anger towards them currently. We then get over our major stress and decide to look for a car as we figure car will equal more chance of work. Janine was speaking to the hostel in Manjimup who promised us work who we booked the bus tickets for so we figure if we get a car we can drive there and hope for the best which is basically the best plan we could think of as there appears to be no flipping farm work anywhere. Oh dear. We searched high and low for a car. Well actually Janine and James did, I actually slept on the grass due to my severe man flu which was in full swing by now. They then found a lady selling a car for $900 she said she would bring it round to our hostel as she lived quite far away and by the sounds of it she was desperate to get rid of it. So we headed back to the hostel and I had a nap while they went and viewed the car with a lad from our dorm who knew more about cars than us. So off they went, I woke up and we owned a car and James and Janine were taking her home as they got the car for $850 apparently she bought the car for her son who got done for DUI and car was impounded which cost her $1000 to get back out and god knows how much she paid for the car originally bless her. When they get back I make us a celebration meal of tomato pasta and tuna. Oh joy. And we actually don't have a drink that night which is a lovely change from the backpacker lifestyle.

On Wednesday we decide as we aren't heading to Manjimup until the next day we will have a nice day at the coast with Kate. We also make Jess come with us as she seemed to be having another day in the hostel reading bless her. So we head on out in our lovely grey ford sedan. We go to Cottesloe beach first to meet Kate; we go via Woolies to pick up our backpacker picnic of plastic cheese, bread and nachos. Cottesloe beach was lush; we weren't allowed to sit on the beach though for some reason as James didn't want the sand to go everywhere…? So we sat on the grass area in front of the sand. It was a lovely hot day so we were having a good old sunbathing session. The waves were mental at the beach that day so a lot of surfers were out. It's a beautiful view and good company and lovely weather, so a good day out. We then head on over to Scarborough Beach where I and Jim decide it's time to get in the sea as we've not been in the sea in WA. So off we go and its bloody strong waves. It's mental how big and powerful they are. We get knocked over a million times. The water is not cold though it's lovely but you could not swim in this water as it's so rough. There are way more surfers at this beach which is always wicked to watch. It's a lovely way to spend the day. We then head for fish and chips to have watching the sunset. We get them from Hillarys Marina which is a cute little place to visit. We head to Trigg Beach to watch the sunset; there are signs for snakes all over the beaches in Perth which is a little scary! We didn't see any though. So we had our fish and chips and tartar sauce watching the amazing sunset it was beautiful. No better way for sure to spend our last day in Perth with good friends watching that. I live a very lucky life over here; I have probably seen more beautiful sunsets this year alone than most people see in their lifetime. Being a backpacker really makes you appreciate life and the small things you fail to notice on a day to day basis. The big things in life that people get all caught up in are just not that important in reality. I hardly have any possessions clearly as I need to carry all I own round with me but I don't need anything apart from the basics in life to get by to be honest. Home comforts aren't all that. I have a very simple life and living the dream and the life you really want is very liberating. I am a happy girl at the moment and I am loving my life. I love how I am always seeing and experiencing new things, visiting new places and sharing it all with good friends I have met on route. I think you form very close friendships with other backpackers way more quickly than you would in the so called real world. I continuously want to see more and travel further afield. With this current mindset I may never be able to settle anywhere again. My life is going just the way I want it and I'm happy and my tattoo means beautiful life which is exactly what I want my life to be and it totally is. So good times. And yeah sorry for getting all sentimental over here. A lot of time to think now I'm living in the middle of nowhere with no entertainment apart from Janine and James. So anyway back to the story… after sunset we said our goodbyes to Kate, it was so lovely seeing her and a familiar face and voice. Bless her. We had a good old catch up while I was here I'm sure I will see her on my way back through Perth. She also says she might come visit us for a weekend which would be wicked. We went back to the hostel had a cuppa as despite how hot it was during the day it was now freezing so we was Baltic and then off to bed for an early night as it's a tough life being a backpacker beach bum. When I started writing this blog I was in the car on route to Manjimup - now know as Manji. I am now in Manji. Been here for 6 nights now and we have well settled in to the life. We are in a 4 bed dorm with a lad called Ryan who is from Canada and he is lovely we have a canny little family going on here, we have well bonded. So more about that when I write again. So speak soon lovelies xxxxxxxxx