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Traveling to Western Australia

Writer's picture: Haley LaineHaley Laine


After about twenty five hours in the air and fifteen hours of hanging out in airports, I finally arrived in Perth, Australia. 


To start from the beginning, my journey began once I stepped foot in the Denver airport; just me, my boarding pass, passport, and two excessively full bags. After getting checked in and through security, I proceeded to get drunk off of three espresso martinis and one peach paloma. It felt nice being on the other side of the bar for once. I spent the eight months prior to me leaving, serving drinks at DIA. This made for a great start as I got drinks for free instead of having to take out a loan for the cost of airport cocktails.


While drunkenly boarding my plane, I was still coherent enough to embrace the high and adrenaline that bled through my bones. I sat in seat 30C ruminating the six month adventure that laid ahead; 183 days of unemployment and exploring the Southern hemisphere. 


It didn’t take long for the initial high to wear off when I experienced a five hour layover in Vegas followed by a six and a half hour flight to Honolulu. I arrived in Hawaii at roughly 5:30am and had two and a half hours to check in for my international flight and get to the other side of the airport before boarding my eleven hour trip to Melbourne. 


It wasn’t until this eleven hour flight that I discovered I might be claustrophobic.. Thank God for an aisle seat. Sitting in airplane seats for that long isn't for the weak and makes me think that maybe a desk job will never be for me.


Stepping off the plane after my arrival was a surreal and gruesome experience all at the same time. I desperately wanted to soak in this moment of being in another country for the first time, but all I could think of was getting to a restroom to change out of these sweaty clothes and brushing my teeth. This is the actuality of traveling, embracing moments while also going about your daily habits, like hygiene. 


Once I got all checked into my flight and past Melbourne security, I decided to hang out at a cafe for the remaining four hours. I ordered a vanilla latte, but fun fact, sugar isn’t exactly advertised in other countries the same way it is in America. Therefore, I drank my latte bitter, with just oat milk and espresso; and that’s become my usual order here in Australia.


I arrived in Perth at about 10:30 pm on Thursday, the 22nd. The gal that’s hosting me waited for me in baggage claim. Aimee is twenty six, so roughly the same age as me. We met at a weightlifting gym in Denver about a year and a half ago while she was venturing her way through the States with her boyfriend. She’s lived here in the outbacks her entire life, and while we were strangers at the time, she still offered for her family to host me if I ever made my way to downunder. 


Well, here we are.. I’m currently living with Aimee and her family in the beautiful suburbs called Hillarys that sits fifteen minutes walking distance from Whitfords beach. 


I woke up at about 6:30 am the morning after a late trek in, and she took me for a walk along the shore. There’s a cute coffee truck that sits at Whitfords until 12:00 pm everyday, so we both pleasured ourselves with espresso while talking and leaving footprints in the sand. 


The remainder of the day was spent just getting settled in and experiencing a bit of jet lag. The fifteen hour time difference was quite an adjustment. 


The first few days of me traveling were really just a blur as all my days felt mixed into one. It was bizarre to even process that this was my new reality, but the following week, I knew it would all soak in as I started exploring a new side of the world.


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dmeyers144
Mar 04, 2024

Living vicariously through you! Praying and rooting for all the growth, and all the experience! You get one life and you’re doing the dang thing!

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