Perth is one of the most isolated cities in the world.
People from the eastern states consider it to be "probinsya." in a way its true. may "town" mentality pa din sila.
most of the stuff in Perth come from the east coast so things are more expensive.
In the east coast, you can get a good take away meal from an average resto or from a stall in a food court for 7-8 dollars. A similar sized dish in Perth can costs 10-11 dollars.
a 100 dollar pair of merrell shoes in Manila can cost almost 300$ in WA and a little less in the east.
Perth is also a little bit laid back. people would sometimes say, "if Melbourne and Sydney is 6 months behind the US, Perth is at least 6 months behind Melbourne and Sydney." bottom line, huli sila sa trends.
Perth public transpo is bad. you'll have to wait almost an hour in between trips during non rush hour periods. some routes have buses that run at 2-4 hour intervals (not that many if you're near the core of Perth.)
there is also a bigger population of whites, so less tolerance when it comes to you know....compared to other states na sobrang multicultural na.
stores generally close at 5-6pm. some stores have already changed their business hours but a lot follow the old way - can't blame them. a w.austraians would like to "maintain" how Australia "use" to be. at maraming stores or retail chains sa east coast na wala sa WA.
you can go to all the famous places in WA in a few weeks time.
now the suburbs are still not that crowded in terms of buildings and a lot of houses are of the bungalow type. Perth is definitely not yet like Melbourne or Sydney. may mafefeel ka pang "space" but slowly this is changing. In the past 3 years they have been widening roads and lowering speed limits. traffic is now a little bit annoying (compared to how it used to be mid 2000s.) so in WA, its the space and open feel that you will be enjoying. life is much simpler. if you enjoy the simple life, simple things, a less material life, family relationships, sunday BBQ....typically the stuff that most oldies/old fashioned people like, then WA is the place for you.
people take it easy minsan border line tamad. some of them hindi mo na mahahagilap pag 5pm ng friday. monday mo na lang sila makakausap. if this is your thing, then WA is for you. but if you're after a more metropolitan na may hawig sa US, you should go to the east coast. hawig lang pero malayo pa din.
Perth CBD has only 3 streets. maliit lang. and China town is just 1 small street. it shouldn't be called China town IMHO. dapat Asia street. hehe.
Bicton is close to Fremantle and has one side facing the river. It's a normal neighborhood, not bad. its not like Cottesloe or Peppermint grove. you know, minsan ang basehan nila ng good neighborhood is yung malayo sa aboriginals. btw, never leave your things inside your car na nakikita from the outside.
if you plan to stay in WA, highly advisable mag drive ka as soon as possible. cuz commuting will eat your time. lalo na pag 2-3 sakay ka to your destination (one way). plus some bus stops sa Perth area, lalo na sa suburbs and outskirts, ay one small post na parang 2x1 inch, waist high, at may numero lang. kung umulan or bumagyo, sorry. basa ka. pag maaraw, grabe ang init. maiinit talaga sa Perth, reaching 42-43 during summer is not surprising and can even last weeks.
and oh, Perth buses, sometimes a bus will not run its time slot. so say nasira yung bus na yun, walang kapalit. so kung 1 hr ang interval, you will have 2 wait 2 hours or so. depends sa route. pag rush hour, buses come and go every 15-20 min or 30. not as frequent sa progressive cities. some routes will only have one bus number going through it. ganun ka backward ang transpo dun. may maloko pang bus drivers na hindi sumusunod sa time pag hindi timed stop. they will rush all the way to the next timed stop which can be monitored via gps. ganito na lang, ang taong galing east coast napapamura sa inis pag nagcocommute sa WA.
minsan ang exams sa Uni, can go 6-9pm or 7-10pm. may mga bus routes na wala na by 9pm. so kung ganun set up, you might have to take a cab "expensive" or ask your friend to drive you home and just chip in for the gas.
normal lang maglakad ng malayuan. people walk even uner 42 degree heat. kaya hindi pwede arte arte.
as for your cousins moving to Canada...good move!! haha yun lang masasabi ko.
