Even though we're in Oz, India still looms large for us - our taxi driver from Perth airport is about to head home to Delhi the next day to meet the girl who his parents have chosen for him to marry for the first time, and as long as they like each other the wedding will follow soon afterwards. We've been on a proper flight with Qantas who provide free booze that we've tucked into so are full of excitement chatting to him.
Once we're checked into the Youth Hostel, which is basically student halls of residence accommodation, we call up my long lost family - my mam's cousin Peter lives near Perth with his wife Marie, and they promptly come and collect us and take us out for Chinese supper with their eldest daughter Ellie and her husband Michael. Its great to meet them all, and they are truly kind and welcoming - back at Peter's house, he has a photo album from his childhood in India (he is 85) where his father was stationed. Its fascinating, the pictures from 1928 - 1931 and passports from the same era - including a photo of my grandfather as a chubby schoolboy. They also to offer to drive us around the next day, which we are thrilled to accept.
Perth is a compact city, with a couple of skyscrapers and a great park on a hill looking over it all. Its great to see it all from the air-conditioning of Peter's car, as its over 40 degrees outside. After a run up the coast to Scarborough (much nicer than the one in N Yorks) Peter and Marie drop us in Fremantle for a wander around and some fush and chups. Its the Sunderland/Newcastle match that evening, and the cheating Geordies cheat a draw.
The next day we hire a car and head further south to Margaret River. Its about a 3 hr drive, and we stop off for lunch at one of the best beaches we've seen - Cape Naturaliste. I was hoping for some naturalists, but the few bathers who were there were fully dressed.
We're signed up with Wine for Dudes for a tour of the local vineyards, which is a great day out, getting slowly and slowly less interested and capable of distinguishing the wines from the 3 vineyards. The guy John who is driver and guide is a good laugh, and the whole tour is definitely to be recommended - as is the rose from one of the vineyards. Cant remember which one, but we had a bottle of it back at our hostel with dinner, and then some vodka, so the next morning we werent feeling quite the ticket for a 730 drive back up to Perth airport to fly over to Alice Springs...
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