I am starting a series of posts on the recent Road Trip Holiday/Photography Assignment for Oneshift.com and Tourism Western Australia. It will definitely feature my experiences and photos from the trip. If there’s any questions on how certain shots are taken, feel free to ask. There will be travel photography talks on Western Australia and will be organised prior to the SPIN trip to Manado in mid-March (which will include a basic manual camera class) and also to Cambodia from April 28 to 1st May (that means take one day leave).
So here goes!
Day 1 – Perth
Sun. Cloudless. Hot. There’s isn’t a shade left that says that we are in the middle of the passing spring. It is really full blown summer right now in Perth as the Qantas flight touched down through flight number 72. Given the industrial action against Qantas, we are pretty worried if British Airways will be sending in a plane to get us to our destination. Good thing common sense prevailed at the right moment.
Immigration went through without a hitch since me and Michelle are well oiled ex-Melbournians for at least a few years when it comes to bringing ‘contrabands’ (as in bak kuas, kaya jams and the occasional pandan leaves). And no, we did not bring anything in this time! Picking up the car is simple enough too. Red Spot rental desk is quite prominant more so when it is beside the bigger players such as Hertz, Avis, Budget and Thrifty.
Thanks to George and Lisa, orientation was given on Perth and promptly collected the Diesel Engined Holden to start the journey. A huge car, some what like the Toyota Camry or Nissan Cefiro, it swallowed our luggage cases with ease. The best thing about driving diesel in Australia? It is very fuel efficient (its consumption is the same as my Honda 1.5litre Jazz) and is a good thing while exploring the wide and beautiful country side. The car drives well with enough torque but the steering is a tad light. Equipped with the TomTom car navigation system, the journey to Perth Ambassador hotel was easy enough though there are numerous traffic lights to cross that dots the Perth Suburbs.
One can’t really compare the Ambassador’s namesake in Hong Kong but the hotel is just a couple of blocks away from the Mall Streets, Banks and some nice eateries in and around the CBD. The rooms are comfrotable , the toilet seemed a bit dated but well maintained. On hindsight, the nights spent at the Ambassador were very comfortable. And to top it all off, the Internet access is free!
We made our way to Northbridge where we chanced upon Asian eateries, upmarket italian restaurant fares and we finally settled down to a Vietnamese Pho Shop “What The Pho?”. Hungry we chowed down our sumptous beef noodle soup and the delicious pork chop, broken rice garnished with eggs, chinese sausage and ngoh hiong. There’s something about eating in Australia. The food just tastes so much better here! Even better than the Pho I ate in Vietnam! After dinner, a quick shop around town at Woolsworth to stock up on road trip food and then passed by a Korean eateries which we made a mental note to visit in about a week’s time.
Tomorrow a visit the Harbourtown Outlet Centre (shoppers’ paradise) and then on to Frementle.
For more information:
Car Rental: Red Spot (http://www.redspotrentals.com.au) Car: Holden Epica Diesel (http://www.drive.com.au/editorial/articledetail.aspx?ArticleID=57456) Hotel: Perth Ambassador (http://www.ambassadorhotel.com.au/)
Photos Highlights:
Perth Ambassador: Great bed, great location and best of all, FREE Internet!
Perth’s Architect: The Statue is just next to Dome.
Kangaroo In Town.
Point Zero: The corner of the old General Post Office building where the distances of locations are measured.
Along Hay Street Mall, there is an alley way that is Tudor Themed Alley Way Called London Court. It is not particularly long but is fodder for good photography.
Street Culture is more evident at Northbridge with the people there more relaxed
The hunt for food: American Fare Hog’s Breath and What The Pho! (Viet for Glass Noodles)
I really missed a great plate of Broken Rice and Pork Chop especially those from Melbourne (it has a substantial number of Vietnamese Immigrants) and the food in Perth is not far from what I remembered. The pork chop was well cooked with the seasoning done well. Mild BBQ taste and sauce caps off the saliva index. The soup of the Beef Pho is awesome too. Good broth and a hearty helping of Beef pieces just round off the taste buds nicely.
Over at the Art Museum. I guess there’s a free Internet Wi-Fi Connection somewhere as they are sitting down on the bench accessing the Internet.
Perth’s Night scene along Hay and Murrey. Well endowed for the Festive Seasons.
Along Riverside Drive and the Bell Tower
Comments