Advised by a local Perther from the transcontinental rail journey, I visited the Kings Garden and the Australian Botanical Garden in Perth. It is larger in size than Central Park! A lovely crystal clear day for enjoying the serenity of the park and its harbor views, despite a gaggle of chirpy birds in the trees!

My fellow traveler from Perth described the wildflowers that can be enjoyed at the Botanical Garden. Unfortunately, the peak period has passed, since we are in an alternate universe. The late spring period had the best display, where the flowers can be seen all over Perth. There were only a few to be found at the garden by time I arrived, but I’m sure they would have been magnificent in this beautiful seaside setting.

Perth’s urban environment felt very sprawling and left alot to be desired from the walkability standpoint. There are still vestiges of Australia’s colonial past to remind everyone, tucked in between the boom days of the seventies and modern nondescript high-rises. Huge blocks of high rises and bad low to midrise commercial buildings look half abandoned.

Huge bus and transit terminals seem so big and clustered together it’s difficult to find your way around. I did manage to catch a free bus to the park that seemed to loop around in numerous directions before reaching its final destination. I haven’t been able to crack the bus system yet. I must be losing the killer instinct or wearing down from too many years of being an old dog learning new tricks. Maybe my trip to Freemantle, about an hour away this morning, will prove to be a smooth and seamless experience.

Food in general in Australia has been innovative and tasty. In Perth, the hotel area where I am staying is laden with alot of bad ethnic fast food shops, from shawarma to Korean bbq to Indian to Chinese. You name it, they are here.

I did venture into a Chinese bakery that did seem to speak to outside the box thinking. They expanded their repertoire to include pork floss buns, salad trimmings, and meat mixed in pastry combinations. I indulged in a mini sesame rice ball and hors-d’oeurvre sized lo por being with cha sis inside.

After a few more days in the Perth area, I will be heading back to Sydney for a week before returning to San Francisco. Stay tuned!