From Perth Airport To The Hostel…Not Asia Prices Anymore!!! :(

After landing and sorting ourselves out to readjust to the fact that we were no longer in Asia we had to figure out what to do for accommodation in Perth for a couple of nights before we headed off to see Ashleigh in Ravensthorpe in the deep south of Western Australia. We couldn’t get any Wi-Fi on our phones at Perth International airport but we did see three spare ‘FREE WIFI’ computers sitting there near the exit just as we came through the arrivals section. We checked out some local bus, train and flight fares to Ravensthorpe and the prices were astonishing. For the train it was around 200 Australian Dollars, the internal plane flight was 270 Australian Dollars and the bus was obviously the longest but by far the cheapest at 73 Australian Dollars each. We booked these after no deliberation and set our booking for 8AM on the Tuesday 7^th August knowing that the bus journey was around 7 hours – Luckily for us this was small fry in terms of journey lengths compared to some of the mammoth excursions we have undertaken in Asia.

Next up was booking a hostel…We typed in ‘cheap hostels in Perth’ and went to the third one down on Google which was www.hostelbooker.com where there was a twin room listing for $24 per person per night at the Rainbow Lodge situated in East Perth. We didn’t bother with booking in online as we were not in advance in any way shape or form so we relied on the plead and hope technique which has done us justice so far throughout our travels.

There is an interlink bus shuttle situated just outside the exit doors to Perth International which links this airport with the internal flights Perth Airport and also the city of Perth. We lobbed our bags in the back with only minutes to spare and sat in darkness on the bus before the driver approached us for the fare of $16 dollars each to take us all the way to the doorstep of our lodge. This is a very decent price considering how personal and friendly the service is so I would highly recommend this option over a taxi which I’m sure would charge astronomical prices. The journey was no longer than 25 minutes which was more than enough time for me to abuse Scott and give him a classic dead arm on the bus…he cried, made a meal of it and eventually dealt with it, it’s a form of payback for all his moaning he has done along the way 😉

We thanked the bus driver and ambled into the Rainbow Lodge to be greeted by a young lad telling us that unfortunately all the double rooms were taken however, they did still have two beds in either a 14 birth dorm or an 18 birth dorm (which is the one we opted for). Unlike most of Asia, they demand passport details, mobile numbers, credit card details (for damages), addresses etc alongside the cash up front for the two nights we intended to stay. We also handed over a $40 deposit which is standard practice and something we are certainly accustomed to. With all the rules and small talk out of the way we were given a pillow and a duvet and guided via a map to find our dorm where we could choose whichever beds were available. The room is huge and the walls are lined with bunk beds and in the very middle of the room is a small work station where a guy of around 30 was using an ork to fight a unicorn or something on Dungeons and Dragons. That is how not to travel guys in case you were wondering, another classic example of how to piss away your life with no style and can be enjoyed in any smeggy teenage adolescent’s bedroom across the globe ;). On the Brightside he didn’t ask us to join in so we walked around him with caution to find our beds. I took the top bunk and basically messed around on my phone for a bit before passing out (I know this is not how to travel in style either but to be fair I was shagged so I’m letting myself off here).

Ok that’s about all I can say on that one so if anyone has a question as ever then don’t hesitate to ask…

Until then take it steady

Thomo x