These Boots are Made for Walking

Since arriving in Perth there has been the undeniable urge to explore and discover. These adventurous pursuits, however, are heavily dependent upon access to transportation, especially in the remote state of Western Australia. Presently, we do not own an airplane, train, car, or bicycle. As absurd as that may sound, it's the truth. Until that fatefully day, when we purchase a second hand bicycle or private jet, we will have to rely on public transit.

Steph and I have been very fortunate to have found an apartment within a couple hundred metres from two different train lines. Along with the public busing service, we have been able to navigate the greater Perth region with relative ease. One thing that I have noticed about the passengers that use public transit is that they are often engaged in using some piece of technology. Whether it be a phone, iPod, or iPad they have engrossed themselves into the digital world and do not wish to be disturbed. There's no denying that these technological devices have established themselves as essential tools in society and have revolutionized the way we think about social networks and communication. But, occasionally, we should turn our noses away from our 'toys' and participate in a classic awkward human-to-human interaction with a stranger or observe peculiar human behaviour in the 'real' world.

For instance, one early morning on my walk to work, I heard music being played from a harmonica. It took me a few moments to locate the source, and when I eventually did I was glad. The musician was a man resembling Gandalf from The Lord of the Rings, wearing an ice hockey helmet, riding a bicycle, steering with one hand while holding the harmonica with the other. No doubt an odd occurrence and something I may have missed if I was too preoccupied with my phone. Shortly thereafter, a cyclist who had witnessed the same scene rode past me and, amidst the laughter, exclaimed, "Now I've seen everything!" I hadn't imagined it!

Semi-final women's match.

Steph and I are also becoming more familiar with the distances between certain landmarks. We are less inclined to use public transit if we feel walking is a more viable option. On one such occasion, we decided to walk to City Beach. We covered 9 kilometres of rolling terrain in roughly an hour and a half. Once we finally got to the beach we were much too tired to swim. Instead we sat in the shade cast by a tree and enjoyed spectating a beach volleyball tournament. After some time, we had convinced ourselves that we were well rested, and confident that we could complete the walk home. I'm not sure if it was our aching muscles, the heat, or the fact that we have been watching too much Dexter as of late, but Steph was convinced that there were blood streaks on the footpath leading into the nearby Bold Park. Before realizing the blood-like marks were caused by sap dripping down from overhanging tree branches, Steph almost had me believe there was some sort of animal preying on the unsuspecting. Evidently showing signs of dehydration, we stopped at the closest Subway and replenished our bodies with fluids.

Who knows what adventures we'll get up to once we have bicycles at our disposal? I think an airplane would be too much for us to handle at the moment; baby steps.