Perth - The Capital City

It was an arduous process before we finally scaled the glorious Kings Park, set on high ground in central city. Having stubbornly refused to hop onto the Perth Tram for the City Explorer tour (which would have cost us $15 each), we valiantly marched onto the roads armed with only a skimpy map, searching hopefully for the grand entrance to the popular tourist spot. The scorching temperature of 41 degrees with the sun rays blazing furiously through the gigantic hole in the ozone layer did not help with our futile venture. We reached the Lookout summit of the park at the second attempt, not before treading through some barren bushlands via an indirect isolated route. The sweeping views of the central city, the south bank of the Swan River straddling through it, and the hill escarpment that surrounded Perth, all made our toil and sweat worthy of the cause. The pictures of my parents struggling with the trek, complete with a makeshift walking stick from the tall branch of a tree and leaves to swap the summer flies away, were actually quite hilarious. Of course, I should be feeling more guilty for failing to consider their fitness levels and arthritic conditions, on top of the merciless weather. So much for filial piety....(2 slaps for me)

The other must-see landmark would be the Swan Bells Tower which was erected right at the end of Barrack Street in the city, and included twelve bells of St Martin-in-the-Fields from England which were in existence since the 14th century. We caught a quick glimpse of its magnificence before moving on to stroll the Stirling and Supreme Court Gardens.

Nothing is complete in any tour without shopping, our favourite pastime. The city offered much pleasure and relaxation with boutiques and major department stores galore, forming 2 wide spacious malls, intersected by 3-dimensional shopping arcades linking the malls, traversing the streets and constructed in multi-levels. We could almost memorise each and every shop and location at the end of our one-week holiday there, with our constant visits and wanderings there.

I particularly liked Subiaco, which is 10 minutes' train ride from the city, and is the classier spectrum of a shopper's paradise. The boutiques and galleries that lined the streets were eye-catching and worth a photo shot. The sassy ambience and the weekend market were absorbing, forming a major highlight of our whole trip.

My impression of Perth: Rather cosmopolitan, clean, very self-sufficient, enough city life but less cultural than Melbourne and Brisbane, and full of Singaporeans and Malaysians (Deja vu...)! The last point is enough to stear me clear from an extended stay in this idyllic city. Just within this trip alone, I have bumped into 3 other doctors from Singaland (all consultants with their families) having a chillout at this relaxed destination as well. It would thus be one of my less favourable choices of tourist precincts in Australia for this reason.