Observe observe…

Its the forth week now, almost a month. I’ve seen and observed alot of things while in perth. Let me share a little bit for you guys:

1. When you alight the bus, it is very courteous to say thank you to the bus driver.

2. Most people follow quite strictly to the 9 to 5 work schedule regime. Even shops.

3. Perth is very car dependent. They depend alot on thier cars to get to and from places.

4. The bus services follows very strict timetables on the arrival and deperature times. Most of the time, they are on time.

5. Bus arrival frequency can range from 10 minutes, to an hour, depending on the day.

6. Bus service has 3 modes of payment. Cash, Multirider cards, made of paper with a black strip, and the new one, Smart Rider, equivalent to EZlink cards.

7. There is no starbucks in Perth City. Thier most popular cafes are usually Gloria Jeans, or Dome.
8.There is no 7-11 in Perth City. Most convenient stores are family owned.

9. Orchard Road shopping is far better than Perth City’s Hay Street Mall.

10. Thier buses have 2 security cameras. Say cheese.

11. Thier buses are also equipped with a DNA identification kit in them. Think twice about spitting.

12. They also have bendy buses.

13. There is no Long John Silvers.

14. Hungry Jacks is our equivalent to Burger King.

15. KFC has a competitor, Red Rooster and Chicken Treats.

16. A signification percentage of people are owners of Ipods.

17. Bikers are rare… But if you see one, they truly look like a true biker.

18. Fast food here may be cheaper than normal food.

19. They do have foodcourts too.

20. They have Borders bookshop, but no coffee bean and tea leaf outlet. Its dominated by Gloria Jeans.

21. Perth is culturally and racially diverse.

22. They mobile phones are pretty outdated. Even the latest models feature on glass showcases are already available in singapore months ago. Ive yet to see another Samsung X820 that i own anywhere.

23. Vandalism (or graffiti, because some do look very nice) is quite widespread. You see them big and small anywhere you go.

24. At night, the suburbs are dead quite. Some of the houses are not lit. Possible reasons include:

– Not occupied

– Not at home

– Has gone to sleep. I bet on the first.

The streets that wound through from the main road to the neighbourhood suburbs are sparsely lit. Its common to see an entire stretch of road in total darkness and only a lamppost shining a dim white light at the end of the road. Its freaky.

25. The suburbs have a lot of parks. Thier parks have lots of open spaces, compared to lush and thick trees back home.

26. Milk is cheap.

27. Bottled drinks are expensive!! (exclusive of 1.5 litre or 2 litre bottle, where they may be cheaper than a 500ml bottle.

28. Perth is very friendly to the disabled.

29. A significant portion of people ride bikes to work. Perth is friendly to bicycles.

30. The suburbs is full of low buildings, you rarely see that much sky back at home.