Basketball

On Sunday we went to watch the NZ Breakers take on the Perth Wildcats at Challenge Stadium. NZ went into the tournament as favourites to take out 1st spot, and Perth has been playing really well at home lately, so we were hoping for a pretty good game. I had not been to a game of basketball before, so I was looking forward to it, and while it was certainly not on the same scale as US games, it was still pretty exciting. There were the all important cheerleaders, who ran on at every break to do their little dances and wave about their pompoms. There was the remote controlled inflatable advertising blimp and the half time auction for a signed Wildcats top. If Perth reached 88 point (which they did) then everyone there got a free coffee voucher. And being basically on the other side of the world from NZ (well, almost) we seemed to be the only two Kiwis in the place. The mother sitting in front of me scowled every time I gave the Breakers a cheer, because of course the visitor's supporters have no right making any noise.


Well, I can tell you that by half time I had toned down my cheering significantly, as the Wildcats led by almost 20 points, and the entire second half was somewhat tiresome as they almost increased the margin to 30 points and it was obvious that NZ was not going to get close to winning. We couldn't land a 3-pointer to save ourselves, their defense was all over us like a bad rash, and at the other end our defense left huge gaps that allowed them to score point after point (or rather 3-points after 3-points). Perth ended up winning by 20, and I have to say that New Zealand didn't look in it from the start. I was pretty disappointed as I was hoping for a good close game, but I guess that's just the way of it sometimes. Don't think I'd fork out another $30 to see them over here. I am hoping for more luck when Wellington Phoenix play Perth Glory in the footie early next year though...


Check out some photos here

Perth - first impressions

I like Perth.

Today it's another pearler. Literally not a cloud in the sky (we've had a few days like this). Directly overhead it's a beautiful deep blue, getting paler towards the horizon. Just earlier I looked up and high overhead was a flock of about a dozen white birds circling and cartwheeling. Pretty damn cool.

Well, there are things about Perth that I think are pretty cool, some not so cool. Here's a bit of a run down on some of those things.

Taxis
Our first experience of Perth, after the train station, was the taxi to our hostel. The driver was in a shitty mood because he missed out on a $120 fare and instead got us, for $10. Then he took us to the wrong street because he was all worked up. Whoops. The next time we caught a cab it was the same company. The driver didn't know the way (and our street is hardly a back alley) so relied on his GPS. Of course this took him the wrong way and we ended up on a one-way street heading in the wrong direction. We got out and walked the rest of the way. We were assured by friends that this was still the company to cab with, so we tried them one more time. We gave the driver $22 for a $12 fare, and he gave us a 5er change, instead of a 10er. We had had a few drinks so didn't realise 'til the next morning. Damn you Swan Taxis!

Beaches
On our first day in Perth we went to Cottesloe Beach, and headed to Scarborough beach on the second day. GREAT beaches here. Good for body surfing (or just surfing, but I'm not doin' that just yet). Warm water (and that's not Oriental Bay warm, I'm talking hopping in a bath warm) and great sand make them ideal for almost anything. Well done the beaches.

Roads
I mentioned a one-way street earlier - there is an extensive one-way system in Perth, which seems to work but would be confusing for new drivers here (or some taxi drivers, apparently). I don't like the phasing of the traffic lights (an odd complaint I know), and drivers are pretty bad with letting other cars change lanes etc, and someone seems to be honking their horn at every intersection. There are cycle lanes everywhere which is really good, and in some less built up areas the speed limit is 60 rather than 50.

Public transport
Is good inner city. Buses are free in the inner city, and there are 3 loop routes in the city (the CATs) that have dedicated buses on them. They have a screen that tells you the next stop coming up, and even a friendly robot voice that announces the current bus stop in an inoffensive manner. At the bus stops there is a display telling you when the next bus is expected (and the CATS run every 7 minutes, so it is very easy getting around the city). I have not caught a train or bus out of the inner city yet, although I am told it is not quite as good as the inner city transport. To get to the beaches you really do need a car, but I guess it is worth it. I caught a ferry across the river the other day, and it is only $1.60 for the 7 minute trip, which I thought was pretty decent.

Food and beverage
You can not buy dozens here. You buy either a half-doz or a carton (2 doz). It is a bit odd I find. Booze is also dearer, which I think everyone probably already knows. They love their flavoured milk here. There are lots of brands and some random flavours (spearmint...).

Accommodation
Our hostel is not brilliant for the price. I have a few complaints but will not bore you with them here. We used the interweb to find a flat, posting ads and searching other people's ads. We were contacted by a guy that had 2 rooms available - one for $265 and one for $295. We went and met him and looked at the 295 room. It was a bit of a shitter. We found it odd that the landlord was finding tenants rather than the flatmates looking for people. It would seem that he looks for people new to Perth and rips them off, basically. We didn't bother looking at the 265 room. Tell him he's dreaming. On the way back to the hostel we looked at a room for 175 incl power and gas. It was great, with nice flatmates, so on Tuesday we move in. Yuss. And screw you Rolf with your overpriced dumps.

Yeah so that's Perth in a nutshell for me so far. A lot of that was negative I just realised but I actually do really like the city. We are in an area with lots of crazy Vietnamese supermarkets, and heaps of restaurants. The city is quite compact and there seem to be a few nice parks around. I haven't met many Aussies yet, but people seem nice enough. The weather is usually sweltering, and the sun is piercing, so you have to be careful not to burn. I will take some photos of a sunset over the Indian Ocean. They are absolutely off the hook.

'Til next time.