Hiking: The Anti-pole

After 43 hours of travel time, including 28 hours in the air, I made it to Perth in the far west of Australia. According to my friend Craze, it is almost exactly on the other side of the earth from Boston (i.e. the anti-pole)- 12,500 miles away. But it didn't seem that far actually. I would have guessed something like 12, 495. But it does seem like it is at the western edge of the world (it is west of the Philippines and most of Indonesia).

I was worried about driving the rental car from the airport into downtown Perth on the 'wrong' side after my last flight, but found I was too tired to really care. Wished I had rented a bigger car, tho. The Aussies seem to honk at me a lot... not sure why exactly. Maybe that's a sign of affection here.

Saw a sign on the way advertising 'indoor skydiving'. I realize things are a little upside down here, but that seemed very odd, as the building was only 4-5 stories high. How do they even get the plane in there? Or fly it around? Not a lot of airspace. Plus, I would think you would go 'splat!!!' long before your chute opened. Maybe it is a world like that old Disney movie- Honey I Shrunk The Kids'- where everything is somehow miniaturized.

The hotel where I am staying has free bike rentals. Somehow the whole 'free' thing just appeals to me, so I took a morning bike ride along the Swan River and through much of Perth.

But I had to be careful from getting up to much a head of steam on the bike path as this sign was along the way-

So I watched my speed, but others took little heed as they flew by me... which of course would not have happened if I hadn't been so restrained.

It was a pleasant ride with great views of the city all the same.

Perth is quite a bit bigger than imagined. It appears as a modern, clean and pretty affluent place, with thousands of high rise apartments overlooking the pretty Swam River.dotted with sailing boats.