Tuesday, March 13, 2018

Laugh

Hi,

The weather in Perth was warm/hot today.  The usual afternoon wind didn’t arrive so it was hotter than normal.  

‘Easy Monday’ was easy for a few.  Here’s a little more, to get you in the mood:  “__, __, can’t trust that day.  __, __, sometimes it turns out that way.  Oh, __ __, you gave me no warning of what was to be.  Oh, __, __, how could you leave and not take me?  Clue:  Start your week with repe ition.  This song does just that.

Our flight from Bangkok to Perth was about what we expected.  We arrived at 7:30am sleepy and hungry.  Australia is very protective of it’s plant and animal life, and I suppose the people too.  In order to enter the country one must have a visa, and fill out a declaration regarding what you are bringing and where you’ve been.  The immigration part was fairly digital.  Then we went to an area where they had about 20 people at a time stand at a white line.  A dog was brought out to first sniff around us.  Our carry-on luggage was on a line about 10 feet in front of us and the dog then went down the line checking out the bags.  On average, about 2 bags per line-up got extra attention from the dogs and their owners then had discussions with the officers.  We had no such discussions.  

Claire met us at the airport and took us to the ATM to get Australian dollars and then to the Vodafone shop for SIM cards for our phones.  Before our plane landed I called myself setting the local time to Australian time and pushed the wrong button.  Ooops, ‘we are now resetting your phone’.  Nooooo, I didn’t mean to do that.  Technology doesn’t care what you meant to do.  Push the button, pay the price.  Actually, by this afternoon everything was worked out, but I was sweating it for awhile.  

‘Aloft' is a boutique hotel with a very attentive staff, good food, and comfortable rooms.  We are on the 12th floor, looking out on the Margaret River.  When we arrived, Stephen greeted us and once we got settled in our room, we went down for breakfast.  After breakfast we crashed for a couple of hours.  Even though the flight was ‘only’ 7 hours, the travel day began at 2:30pm on Monday and ended at 7:30am Tuesday.  Lunch was next, followed by a trip via Uber to a beach on the Indian Ocean where there are sculptures on the sand.  Our driver gave us a little tour on the way, explaining the finer points of Perth and it’s history.  At the beach there were lots of locals as well as travelers like us.  



This evening, before dinner, we met Claire and Stephen’s puppy Peggy.  She’s a dachshund who is a rescue.  She was a little shy on the first meeting, but I think we’ll make friends.  We had a fun dinner at the hotel and discussed some of the other activities they planned for us.  Tomorrow we will go to a gallery exhibit of indigenous art in the morning and see a first-run movie at an outdoor theater event.  

Have a Happy Tuesday.

                Peace,
                          Danny

“A good laugh is sunshine
in the house.”
~William Makepeace Thackary

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