Sleep patterns aren't really improving, so here I am again, with yet another post - this time of Mandurah.
But before we start, here's 2 pictures of some random graffiti in the ladies' bathroom in uni. Someone apparently decided to draw mushrooms above the toilet paper casing. There's so much graffiti in the bathroom, but some of them are really, really entertaining! There was one that even said 'Good luck on your impending bowel movement' - that seriously cracked me up!
Today's post will be focused on Mandurah, which is the 2nd-largest city in Western Australia, and is a very popular place for tourists. Went to Mandurah with my buddy from Melbourne - Jill. It was such fun being with her!
Many people often go to Mandurah for the cruises, where they get to go around the Peel Inlet (part of Mandurah) and of course - see adorable bottlenose dolphins! When I was there, I saw many of them, and some even had babies. Besides dolphins, there were LOTS of rich people living in Venetian-inspired canals, and many even had their own boats! Each house had a "parking lot" for the boat, and the canals were built such that each person had a view of the sea.
Some of the houses were a little smaller, but others were worth at least 6 million AUD or more! This was one of them - apparently one of the biggest in the area.
This house here was reportedly the most expensive (from what I remember!) - it had 6 bathrooms and many, many rooms. It even had its own swimming pool! I reckon you probably won't need a swimming pool if you're surrounded by water, but nah - the owners decided to make one anyway.
The house was apparently designed as the owner had a big family, but I dunno who's owning it now.
These houses are the more "standard" sized houses we saw - but each had their own boat of course. The ground floor of the houses had to be either empty space or unused, as the water could rise pretty high during high tide or during the rainy season.
Tourists on the boat - looking enviously out at the rich peoples' houses. I don't think I'd want to live in such a house, it's pretty hard to get around!
More houses as we moved along the canals. Even the poles to tie the boats on are Venetian-inspired.
We basically went one round around the sea, but didn't go too far out from the Peel Inlet. Along the way, there were some kids engaging in some colouring activities.
While the adults sat back, relaxed and enjoyed the view. I wonder - if they were envious of the rich people living in these houses?
As we looped back, we passed by some of the more "conventional houses"...
And we spotted some "designer" houses along the way too. Some of them were holiday homes for celebrities, others were specially designed. And of course - you can spot the colossal house (the one with 6 bathrooms) in one of the pictures :)
These houses are probably good for retirement and for relaxation, but not for everyday living - unless the person has some way to go back to the Mainland, from the canals! I dunno how the roads are designed here, but apparently the network of canals seems to be the main transport.
There were also apartments near the city centre - and they looked extremely posh and high-class!
We then had some hunger satisfactions from San Churros - after the cruise - and after snapping pictures of dolphins! :D
These are some shots of the city centre, and some of the apartment blocks around the inner part of the city. The street names were pretty cool - there was a Vivaldi Drive, a Marco Polo Drive and a Galileo Drive! Pretty cool huh?
And of course, each person had their own boat. I wonder how it'll be like to live in Mandurah - it seems so modern, idealistic and sensational! I wonder if these are all designer apartments or something. Of course, they'll definitely cost A LOT.
The city centre had a tiny beach around the cafes/restaurants, and people often went there to chill out. It was also child-friendly, as the tide was low and there weren't many waves. It's very common to see people swimming in there and splashing around. No diving was allowed, as the water was shallow.
Went on the famous Mandurah Ocean Marina Bridge in order to get to the city centre...
And took one round around the city centre before ending up where we came from.
I also had one of the BEST prawn spaghetti dishes...EVER! There were lots of olive oil, chilli, fat and juicy prawns and of course, basil - one of my favourite Italian herbs. It was definitely worth it!
Some additional pictures from the boat - because the sky was SO blue that day! It was around 33 degrees Celsius that day. My camera just made the sky look even more blue.
Honestly I find this post super super blue! It's just that many of the pictures included the sky and the waters (well - totally unavoidable because of the canals!), and that the sky was just so clear that day!
I hope to go back to Mandurah to capture more pictures of dolphins. I love dolphins so much!
Till then, back to studying...!!!