Posted by Jason
On May 3rd we took a bus from Penang to Kuala Lumpur, then a red-eye flight to Perth in Western Australia. We weren't able to check in to our Airbnb apartment on the morning of May 4th because it was still occupied by the previous guest, but our hosts Fanny and Stephane were kind enough to let us drop off our backpacks and freshen up. Once we looked half decent, but still half asleep, we took a bus to the Central Business District (or CBD, at least that's what the cool kids call it down there).
Before arriving, we were prepared to raise our budget for Australia, but it was still difficult to get used to how expensive everything was. Our 30 minute taxi ride from the airport to the apartment was $55 AUD (Australian dollar is more or less on par with Canadian dollar)! A simple breakfast for two was $30. Now that may not seem absurd for most Vancouverites since Vancouver is also notorious for its high living expense, but having just spent the previous 4 months in Asia, this was a bit of a shock for us.
Before arriving, we were prepared to raise our budget for Australia, but it was still difficult to get used to how expensive everything was. Our 30 minute taxi ride from the airport to the apartment was $55 AUD (Australian dollar is more or less on par with Canadian dollar)! A simple breakfast for two was $30. Now that may not seem absurd for most Vancouverites since Vancouver is also notorious for its high living expense, but having just spent the previous 4 months in Asia, this was a bit of a shock for us.