I actually did it. I still can’t believe that I went to Australia. I have been home about three weeks now and it still hasn’t sunk in. It was always a dream that I had that I thought would never come true, a goal I never thought I would real and a plan I never thought I’d pursue. But I did. And I still feel so overwhelmed, jet lagged and sleepy, but also so damn proud of myself. It really was an experience I could never fully put into words. I could talk and talk about it all day, but nothing could ever do justice to have mind blowing it all was.

It is something you would really have to experience to understand the true beauty of it all. But, luckily for everyone, I wrote a journal for most, if not all days that I was there. I was there for 27 days, or 28 if we are counting the first day, that was mainly travelling. I wrote about my days and took lots of pictures which I will try to add in the correct order. All images are mine, I took them all, therefore they all belong to me.

Some days have a lot of pictures, some days have none at all, but I made sure all the pictures I took stay with the writings on the exact days I took them. During the last week or so of my trip, I didn’t write any physical journal entries and just made voice notes, which I now deeply regret. I will try my best to scribe them for this blog, but some days there really isn’t much to say, so apologies in advance.

In case I didn’t mention, these are (very edited and improved) versions of my journal entries from the daily journal I kept while I was in Australia. I may pop in a few times while editing this for my blog, to add notes etc, but, apart from MANY spelling and grammatical changes, these are my raw thoughts and words from my trip.

My Australian Journal 2022

(16 September – 13 October 2022)

Day One (Friday 16th September 2022)

People kept saying that I would be jet-lagged, but I really don’t feel it. As I am writing this, I have just arrived at the cottage that I’ll be staying in for the next month. it’s very pretty, it’s just such a shame that the host is the absolute worst!

The actual journey on the planes were okay to be honest. I had never been on a plane before, and never even stepped foot inside of an airport until this trip, so needless to say, I was slightly overwhelmed. There were a few occasions where I did feel like it was all a bit too much and I just wanted to run for the hills, but I stayed, I was determined.

I had to change planes at Doha, which was extremely confusing. I remember when I was sat in the travel agents a few months ago booking this trip, and there was a man that came in; I can’t remember where he was going, but he was adamant that he didn’t want a plane transfer at Doha, I was confused at the time, but now I understand why. It is so big, it even has an indoor train to take you to different parts of the airport!

I actually made some friends on the second plane though! A woman called Angela and her husband Clive. they even gave me their number and they dropped me off at my accommodation, I realised even before leaving the airport that this country was going to be full of super kind people, and nothing like what I was used to back in England. It kind of makes me sad, the last thing I wanted to do was fall more in love with the country only to be ripped away from in a month.

A woman a row or so in front of me on the plane puked for the last hour, its weird that it was only as we were landing after an 11-hour flight. I guess it gets too much for other people, too. I don’t actually know what I did for the 11 hours of the last plane, but sleep wasn’t something I did at all. And because I didn’t sleep, these past 2 days just feel like they’ve been one incredibly long day.

I cannot believe I am here, I am in the same timezone as the person I love. Finally. I don’t know if this feeling will ever sink in. Tomorrow I plan on going out and exploring, but not until I have text her saying good morning, as it will finally be the morning for both of us! Ah, this really is a dream come true. But I am exhausted, so now I shall sleep.

Before I sleep though, I shall finish posting the pictures I took today. They’re are really just of the view outside my plane window, and some other things that I saw along the way that I just needed to snap a picture of. I can’t express enough how surreal it all felt. I watched the sunset over the Perth horizon as we were about to land- and everyone knows how much I love sunsets!

I paid actual money for those seats on the plane, so that I could finally, after so many years, take the aesthetic plane window picture for my Instagram! I am so so excited for everything, and I really have never felt happiness like this in my life, its a feeling I never want to end.

Day Two (Saturday 17th September 2022)

I didn’t realise until today how big everything actually is. Everything is so spread out and very far away from each other! It’s going to take a while for a British person who is used to everything being at arms reach to get used to, that’s a guarantee!

I woke up this morning and for a few seconds I forgot everything. Then, it suddenly clicked. I was in Australia. It feels so surreal. I actually did it. So, there was no time to waste, I got up, had a shower and got dressed for the day. I then remembered me and the girl who I love were now finally in the same time zone. I said good morning to her, it was the morning for both of us!

After a bit of fussing about, I went out, but this is where my problems for today began. “Oh, I’ll just get the bus into Perth!” I said to myself. Oh Alex. Gullible, silly Alex. I walked out of the complex that I’m staying in, and I looked to my left and low and behold, there was a bus stop right there that goes to Perth city! Brilliant! No, Alex, it’s not time to celebrate yet.

The bus stops here face the wrong way. Like, you literally have your back to the road. So, how are you meant to see the busses coming? That’s right, you can’t. Hence why one drove right passed me! They’re every hour on the weekend, so amongst my frustration I decided it would be easier to walk to Perth. Okay, Alex. Whatever.

I didn’t know it then, it it was about an hour and a half walk. Thus, I got about half way before I gave up and googled the closest bus stop to take me the rest of the way. Oh, but you thought my terrible day ends here? No, no, you are simply wrong! Upon boarding the bus, I went to pay for my ticket with my currency card and, well, I found out all Perth busses only accept cash! Like, what!? As a Brit who hasn’t used cash in YEARS, this is very bizarre to me. Keep up with the times, Perth.

You know a bus station is big when it’s called a bus-port. Yes, like an airport. And that is exactly what I arrived in upon getting into the city. I left this oversized bus mansion and in that moment a wave of panic came over me and I felt so very overwhelmed. I sat on some concrete steps in total shock for over an hour! I knew it would be big, but I never expected it to be THIS big. I cried to my mum over Snapchat for a while as I sat opposite a food-court thing, where there was a KFC, McDonald’s and Burger Ki- wait, sorry, Hungry Jacks.

I eventually composed myself and came to the realisation very quickly that I was here now, I had to suck it up and get on with it. Then, I went to eat my feeling away at KFC. after this, I thought I would take a little stroll up to Kings Park. Also, lol. You don’t take a ‘little stroll’ anywhere in Perth. It was another entire bus ride away.

Here, they have CAT busses, I can’t remember what the CAT stands for though. But they’re different colour-coded busses that all loop together in an ever-so-confusing circle. But, they’re free! You just walk on and off them as often as you’d like. I thought this was great at first, but when I realised how far away the park, and pretty much everything else was, I understood very quickly why these busses had to exist.

I had a really lovely day at Kings Park, though. And I got the picture of the skyline that I wanted. Apart from seeing the love of my life, that skyline was a big reason why I came here. I found the bus stop somewhat easily and got the wonderful free bus back to the… bus-port. Imagine if England had free busses?! Like not just free bus passes for old people, but like, for everyone? They would be taken advantage of so quickly.

Once I was back in the bus-port , I looked around to see if they had any ticket machines that would allow me to pay for a ticket via my card but low and behold, they didn’t. Totally weird. So I went to the information desk to see if they could get me like, a weekly ticket or something. He told me that they didn’t do weekly or monthly tickets (also totally weird but anyways) though he told me about something called a SmartRider card.

It’s essentially a card that costs $10 which you can top up ON A MACHINE! And you simply bleep it on and off busses. Finally, a decent modern invention. They remind me of the ones for the trams back in Manchester. I put $50 on it for now, which should last me at least half of my time here. When getting on the bus back to the complex, the bus driver laughed at me because I didn’t know how to use my new card. Like okay Steve calm down. Though, once he taught me what to do, I happily sat down. The fact I now never have to speak on busses again made me immensely happy.

After returning home, I did some organising of my bags. I hate the packable backpack that I have, tomorrow I will try to go somewhere in which I can buy an actual bag. As well as a wallet for my Australian money and my new SmartRider card. I need somewhere to keep them safe, you know?

When people told me to watch out for spiders, they weren’t wrong. Saw one today, it was the size of my fingernail. Woah! Though, honestly, I thought they would be bigger by how fearful people sounded. I ate the nicest McDonald’s ever and the McFlurry was something I would actually die for, no joke there! I will be sleeping soon, tomorrow I must buy actual food, as I can’t imagine what eating fast food everyday will do to my waistline!

Day Three (Sunday 18th September 2022)

I woke up far too early this morning. I wanted to be able to get a head start on my day… until I realised it was Sunday and nothing was going to be open until 11am! So I didn’t do much in the morning, though at about 10:30am I did a grocery delivery that came to over $100 for not very much food! I wasn’t impressed, but now I have snacks in for when I’m home.

After that I got the bus (smoothly and correctly this time) into Perth, where I hunted for HOURS for a backpack. Yet, it’s like nowhere sells them! It’s like Australians don’t like them or something, they are very few and far between indeed. I did, however, find an Australian souvenirs store. I went in to see if they sold backpacks, but as my luck would have it, they sold EVERYTHING… except backpacks, obviously.

Though, I was in my element. I ended up paying, like $84 for an Australian Rugby shirt, a hoodie and a hat that all matched with each other. I really wanted the shorts too, and maybe some socks of the same colour but I didn’t want to carry it all back with me in one day. I also got a cute little pin that is in the shape of Australia that says ‘Perth’ on it. I got it for my bag… when I finally get one, that is.

After a LOT of googling, I found out that target in an area called Morley had backpacks. But like everything around here, it was another entire bus ride away. So, after figuring out which bus to get, I went to the McDonalds across the road and got a drink and ice cream! Only once I had consumed that, was I then ready for the bus.

Once I got there I walked around and around looking for backpacks, and then I finally found them. they had a few on the very back wall. Though, shopping in the shops in Australia is a lot less daunting than you would think. Well, at least a lot less scary than I thought it was going to be. That is probably because I noticed that Australians are so much more friendly than any of the Brits back home.

Sadly, they didn’t have any black or grey bags, and so I had to choose between green or blue. I ended up choosing blue as it was a dark navy kind of blue and was the closest to black. I mean, considering it was only $20 from Target, it feels like good quality. After that, I went back to Morley bus station where I vigorously googled what bus went down my road so I didn’t either have to walk miles or change busses. I found out that the 999 bus service that goes to Fremantle goes down my road so I got on that one. And this time, I pressed the bell at the right stop, directly opposite my complex!

After that I came home and I fell to sleep pretty much straight away! I must have been so exhausted after waking up so early this morning. I slept for a few hours and at about 8pm I text the girl I love very much to see what day she wanted to see me, she told me she was feeling unwell so she would see me Tuesday. I have missed her so much much and I can’t believe I’m actually going to meet her after so long, it really doesn’t feel real, but, in a good way.

I think we got a little too excited when we decided we would go to the cinema to watch the new Orphan movie. It’s like she read my mind because I noticed that coming to the cinema before I left England and I remember thinking how much I wanted to watch it. I guess great minds really do think alike. I told her it would be my treat, but she insisted it would be hers… my heart. Thinking about her gives me butterflies. She also told me she would pick me up, which I know is such a small detail, but she is perfect.

I ordered some food after that, let’s just say, Australian’s versions of kebabs are bizarre. And they forgot to give me the chips and the drink that I ordered! but I got one of my weirdly sized cans of coke from the fridge that I got earlier this morning and drank that instead while watching criminal minds.Coke cans here are like 40ml bigger. they look so weird, but I kind of like it!

I didn’t really take any pictures today, just a picture of the Target I went to because it did make me super excited as it was very American or Australian. Tomorrow’s plans is to find a wallet or something. I paid for my clothes today with the cash I had so that I would have some change, so I need somewhere to put that, as well as my cards and bus pass. I might take a stroll into Woolworths after breakfast tomorrow and see what they have. Unless I die on the way there as we don’t ‘take strolls’ in Australia remember, no no.

Day Four (Monday 19th September 2022)

Today I don’t really have any pictures to share, but I got up nice and early. I ordered a McDonalds breakfast which tasted weird and different to what I’m used to, I don’t know what to make of it yet. Then I caught the bus into Morley with the aim of going to Kmart. I was determined that that I wasn’t leaving until until I had bought something to put my cards and money into, which I did end up finding. I don’t really like it, but it’ll do for now.

Then I went back home to get a drink or something, as I was planning on going to Fremantle. I had heard in a YouTube video that it was a really lovely place to visit but, halfway there my signal on my phone went away mysteriously. At first I thought it was just the area I was in, but after a while, I realised it wasn’t.

I really couldn’t risk being in a strange place that I had never been to before with no way of accessing maps, the busses, Uber or even anyone to call or text, so I had no choice but to get off the bus at the next stop and get another bus back the other way, to go home to see if that would make my signal come back.

I got home and low and behold, my signal did not come back. I obviously had internet at home though, so I was okay. I googled it to see if anyone else was having a similar issue to me, but no one else was, all the website of the provide in using in Australia said, was they were doing maintenance so some peoples service may be disrupted. I just assumed it was that and came to the conclusion I was one of the unlucky ones who’s service was effected.

After that I had a nap, then I woke up to a text from the girl I love, we were talking about our plans for tomorrow, as we’re going on a date!!! I think it’s a date, I hope it is! Though, I am so scared. She is picking me up at 1:30pm and our film starts at 2:30pm. I even asked that she knocks on my door so that I can give her a proper hug, and she said she will! I’ve waited far too many years to hug her, to meet her, to be this close to her and it still doesn’t feel real!

We are both nervous, but I can’t imagine anyone being as scared as me right now. She keeps telling me it’ll all be okay but I can’t stop over thinking. It feels so amazing though, it’s definitely, for the first time in my life, the good kind of scared. A type of scared that I want to feel everyday. It feels so weird to be planning a day out with her though, but deep down, it feels so… normal. So perfect.

I am tired, as I have spent many hours planning out my outfit tomorrow and I have done my hair and decided how I will have my hair tomorrow. I have never tried this hard to look nice in my entire life. But, right now, my bed is calling so I must go.

Day Five (Tuesday 20th September 2022)

Everything about today was worth every penny I spent on this darn trip. Nothing felt real for the whole day, but in the best possible way. But still, even now, it all feels surreal.

My, *cough* date, picked me up. She knocked on my door and I finally got to see her! In person! Like, there she was! She is real! I wrapped my arms around her and didn’t want to let go. We drove in her… VERY CLEAN AND ORGANISED car (she’ll understand that, don’t worry) to the cinema to watch Orphan.

I couldn’t really tell you much of what happened in it though because all I could think about was the fact that I was SAT NEXT TO HER! Then, I thought she was just going to drive me home and tell me to “have a nice life” or something as I couldn’t imagine her actually liking me in person, but NO!! She came into my house!

We sat on the sofa and she took a liking to the fake grapes on the coffee table, I then put the tv on but was totally useless because I didn’t have a streaming stick of any kind. I lifted her arm up and put it around me and she didn’t move it away! And we held hands! How perfectly her hand fit in mine! I really do feel like a giddy child again.

I looked at her, she looked back at me, and I kissed her. I really didn’t know what to expect, nor do I know why I did it. Not because I didn’t want to, oh how I did. But I am so socially shy, but not with her, never with her. She kissed me back and it was a magical feeling that I could never put into words. It’s all I’ve ever wanted. She’s all I’ve ever wanted.

For the past year before my trip I was working on a book for her, hand writing and hand decorating a book full of all the poems and writings I have ever made for her in the seven plus years I’ve known her and it was a rush in the last month to get it completed in time, but I did, and I gave it to her today, along with the half of a heart necklace where I have the other half. She loved them both so much, at least I hope she did.

“Can I keep this?!” She said. Her eyes filled with admiration. She turned to the next empty page of the book and placed the movie ticket from today’s date on it. “We can put all our memories in here!” She said. “It can be… our book”

My. Heart. Right. There.

We spoke about so much, I told her everything I’d been up to in the past year or so, and I had never felt so comfortable with someone. She had to leave after that, as it was getting late. But I’ve been on cloud nine all night. The next time I’ll see her will hopefully be Friday. I want her, forever. I couldn’t be more happy. And tonight, I shall sleep with a smile on my face for the first time in many years.

(Hello! Editing Alex here, I just wanted to add that by the end of my trip, me and her were dating. So if I mention her from here, I’ll refer to her as my girlfriend, mainly because calling her “the girl I love” constantly was getting a bit cheesy, and I respect her privacy to put her actual name here, and because she actually is my girlfriend! It’s been over two months since our first kiss and I still can’t believe it!)

Day Six (Wednesday 21st September 2022)

Today I woke up DETERMINED to get a new SIM card so that I’ll be able to go outside again. So I left at 8:30am, without any data, maps, internet access, to way to look up the bus timetables or call an Uber, and I was, so impressed with myself.

The fact I have only been here for four full days, with two of them being days I didn’t really go outside, I was somehow still able to memorise an area I had been to once, to find a store there that I had never been to, still confuses me. I have said it before and I’ll say it again, I’m sure I was from around here in a past life or something. I got on the right bus, went all the way to Perth bus-port and walked outside to start my mission.

I did everything from some memory that I didn’t even know I had I never once had to ask for help and I didn’t once take a wrong turn. It was just like my subconscious knew where to go. I still don’t know if I’m amazed or creeped out. But, nevertheless, I got my SIM card and then somehow got the right bus back from the many busses I saw on the on the departure board.

I then knew what bus stop to get off at even though there’s never any road names visible and all of the roads look the same! It’s again like my subconscious knew when to press the button. Like I had been in that area for my whole life or something. But this bus didn’t just take me to somewhere on my road, no, I managed to click the button so it stopped RIGHT OUTSIDE MY HOUSE!

I spent the next hour trying to work out how the SIM card works. I hadn’t got a new SIM card for most of my life, as back home I have had the same card for most of my life. So, I was frantically messaging my girlfriend for help, but then I realised I just had to activate it! I gave my girlfriend my new number and then I could finally carry on with todays plans.

I decided that today I was going to do what I was meant to do the other day, go to Fremantle. I got on the bus and bleeped my SmartRider card and oh gosh, I didn’t realise how long it would actually take! Nearly two hours! I finally got there and I took a few pictures and had a walk around but I really needed to pee and nowhere had toilets! So I had to cut my little day-trip short, which was sad.

After the agonisingly long bus ride back, I bleeped off but the machine made a different noise and came up with a yellow light. From what I remembered the information dude telling me, that meant my balance was low, which I don’t know how that’s possible when I checked this morning when going to get my SIM card and it said I have $33! I’m so confused. I don’t know what I’ll do tomorrow, probably not much, though I figured out very quickly that I don’t like being a tourist here, I just want to live here. More than anything. Maybe one day, Alex, hopefully one day.

Day Seven (Thursday 22nd September 2022

Today was a pretty boring day. I’ve spent the majority of my time today counting down the hours until I get to see my girlfriend tomorrow. I went to be bed super early last night, at like 8pm. Which meant I was up and about by… wait for it… 2am! I don’t know why my sleeping schedule is so messed up. People are saying it’s jet lag but it’s not even England’s time zone that my mind is still in, it’s just everywhere!

I waited until about 6:30am to make a grocery order that came to far too much money than it was worth but then I made a ham sandwich with bread that was just a little out of date. After that I had a shower and did my hair, put on clean clothes and then started my walk into Morley.

It’s seems like seconds away on the bus. I literally think it’s only 12 minutes away or something like that. But, it took forever to walk to. I walked around and around in circles, visiting the same few stores multiple times looking for an Amazon Fire Stick. I wanted one so me and my girlfriend could watch criminal minds tomorrow. But to no avail, so after buying some little pots to put some yogurt and fruit in, I ventured back home.

Then. I. Saw. A. Bug.

I was sat in the living room, innocently, and there it was. Just chilling on the curtain in all it’s Australian glory. Mocking my wimpy British existence. Ravishing in my fear. I decided to consult the best expert on these… matters… I knew. My girlfriend. I took a picture and promptly sent it to her, and she informed me it was… wait for it… an earwig. I’m fairly sure we have those in England, but, moving on.

My girlfriend wanted me to kill it, but what she didn’t understand was, IT WAS ON A CURTAIN! I couldn’t squash it, nor trap it. When I slightly swished the curtain, he scurried out of my reach. So, his name is Edmund. He now lives with me. He owns the living room, he can have it. I’ll take the bedroom, which is where I stayed all night. This is Edmund:

I ordered some food and text my girlfriend about tomorrows plans. She wanted to know what we were doing, but have you ever just wanted to do nothing with someone? But just be close to them. I didn’t want to do anything exciting, being next to her was all I wanted. Thus, that was now our plan.

That is all for tonight. I really like it here. Not in a breathtaking “omg look at that!” Kind of way, but in a “I’m finally home.” Kind of way. And it’s sad that I’m going to be ripped away from it in three weeks. But, that’s okay. I want to make the most of every second I have here.

Day Eight (Friday 23rd September 2022)

Bit of a short entry tonight, as I didn’t do much except see my girlfriend. I am feeling on cloud nine and very in love right now, I didn’t even know I could fall more in love but my mind likes to prove me wrong every time. Today I woke up and eagerly watched my girlfriend travel to my house as she shares her location with me through her car? I don’t know. Something to do with us both having iPhones.

She is quick to make herself at home on my sofa, like that. I like that a lot. I’m not as nervous around her anymore because she is in fact, not very scary at all. She’s actually so wonderful. But, I already knew that. She came clenching a coffee today though. That, I don’t like. Ew. She said yesterday after my failure to get an Amazon Fire Stick, that she would bring her Google… whatever-googles-version-of-a-fire-stick-is… Thingy. But, I knew she would forget the remote.

I wanted to remind her, but then I wouldn’t be able to prove myself right. I do really need to work on my ego if I want to make a life with this girl, which I do. I really really do. So, we ended up not doing much today. When she holds me, or kisses me, it feels like all the missing pieces of my life have finally been found.

She’s so funny, and I’m not even just saying that- she’s genuinely hilarious. I don’t even think she tries to be, she’s just naturally so funny and that, in my opinion, is one of the best and most attractive traits in the world. She brings so much light into my days, I love her so much. Always have, always will.

Day Nine (Saturday 24th September 2022)

Today, like always, I didn’t do much. I had fruit for breakfast and then I went to KFC for lunch. It was a pretty slow and boring day but I am feeling overly tired and I have no idea why. My girlfriend says it’s jet-lag though, i just didn’t know it could be this prolonged.

I came home hours ago but I have pretty much only just noticed that my blind has moved significantly up. I don’t even know how to put it up! I hope SOMEONE isn’t coming in while I’m not here. Yes, that is a dig at my Airbnb host, who is… a character. That’s the politest way I can describe her. I should really leave my iPad on a voice recorder when I go out next, see if I can hear anyone come in. Sure, camera footage would be better but I don’t think my iPad would have the space for all that video footage.

Plus, I can carry on voice recording even with a locked iPad, so she wouldn’t be able to delete it if she noticed. That’s not the same for a video, so I would have to hide the iPad, but it would be super hard to conceal that thing somewhere.

Day Ten (Sunday 25th September 2022)

Today, upon coming back from my walkabout outside, I tried to open my front door. Yet, it wouldn’t budge. I had never had any trouble with it prior to this point, so all of a sudden my paranoid brain thought that the host had placed listening devices inside and had been listening to me talk about her all week and on this fine Sunday, she had enough of my antics and cancelled all her plans to vigorously watch the security cameras, waited for me to go out, snuck in and then changed the code.

But no, that is not what happened, the door was just incredibly stiff. Though, my synopsis is not all that weird, she seems like that kind of person. It’s only three sleeps until I can see my girlfriend again, can you tell I’m excited? Because I am. I have never felt such happiness and tranquility like this before, it’s such a blissful and wonderful feeling. I feel so blessed and grateful right now.

I bought an Australian Animals colouring book today, it’s meant for kids but I really love colouring! I find it so relaxing, just what I need after the VERY stressful door debacle.

Day Eleven (Monday 26th September 2022)

So I am still trying to keep myself busy until I get to see my girlfriend again. Today she is a little sad as she has to work a 21 hour long shift or something. That can’t be legal, right? Nevertheless, I told her I’m proud of her but I don’t think she’ll ever realise how proud of her I actually am, you know?

Today I decided to go to the beach to see this wonderful blue ocean people back in England kept so enviously telling me about. So, off I went. Now, this beach was NOT a nudist beach, there were even families with small children frolicking around in the grass. But there were also topless people, and by that, I do not mean exclusively men.

I was not a happy bunny, you definitely wouldn’t find this back in England. You could pay a brit all the money in the world and we still wouldn’t take our kit off! No matter the temperature. All I went there to do was to take pictures of the beach and the lovely blue ocean (which was very blue by the way, it was like nothing I’ve ever seen before!), yet I felt… odd… having my camera app open around all this… nakedness. How were people acting like this was normal?! This couldn’t be legal, right?!

I still tried to get as many pictures as I could. Despite my love for Australia, beaches have never really been a place that’s struck my fancy. Probably because I’m more of a hoodie wearing vampire-like human that doesn’t go outside all that much back home. But that is all for today!

Day Twelve (Tuesday 27th September 2022)

Last night I must have fallen asleep super early, because once again I was awake at two o’clock in the morning! That would be the time I’d be just heading to bed back in England. I decided I was going to make the most of it and stay awake though!

At 5am I got an Uber down to the blue boat house to take some aesthetically pleasing pictures. It was well worth it. I even got a Timelapse video of the sun rising, which meant I had to hold my phone out for over half an hour, and my gosh, it made my arms ache.

My girlfriend was working last night, and I would have loved for her to watch the sunrise with me, so instead I recorded it for her. she will forever be worth my arm aching for.

After that I came home and slept for the rest of the day, pretty much. I get to see my wonderful pickle (aka my girlfriend- isn’t pickle such a cute word?!) tomorrow, and I’m oh so super excited! Seeing her is always the best day of the week by far!!

These are the pictures and videos I took today, I walked home via Kings Park so the last few pictures are of that.

Day Thirteen (Wednesday 28th September 2022)

Not much to write about today, but I got to see my girlfriend not for very long today but that is okay! Once she left I went to the store and bought a fire tv stick. I set it’s region to Australia (obviously) so when I take it back to England, it’ll still display the Australian time hopefully!

I feel so comfortable around my girlfriend though, it’s like I have known her my entire life. Considering I have only met her a few times, I am amazed with how comfortable I have became with her. I am never like this, and I have never been like this with anyone in my life. I am not surprised though, she has been my dream for so long.

After I set up the Fire TV Stick, I wanted a way to watch the Simpsons in my bed, as the sofa in my AirBnB is the most uncomfortable thing ever! So first I tried to move the mattress from the second bedroom into the living room, so I could lounge out on that, but when I realised I was a little weakling, I had to result in moving the TV into my bedroom, which I didn’t want to do as I was scared of breaking it! The host wouldn’t be happy if she knew I have moved it, but I don’t care and what she won’t know won’t hurt her.

Day Fourteen (Thursday 29th September 2022)

Today I saw my girlfriend again and gosh, I fall more and more in love every single day! We didn’t do much, we laid in bed and watched Criminal Minds together. But oh my! while my girlfriend was on her way to my house, the very strange host text me at 1:01pm today asking if she can “come and see me” which might seem totally innocent and polite at first, but there more I thought about it, while staring at my phone rather puzzled, a few questions popped into my head, with the first and main one being… How did she know I was home? she didnt say “are you home?” she just assumed, or knew that I was home, at 1pm on a beautiful hot and sunny Thursday.

This has rubbed me the wrong way all day, and I even told my girlfriend and called my mum about it and they both seem just as creeped out as me. For context, she does have multiple security cameras around “every inch of the perimeter” her words, not mine. But I didn’t think for one second that she would watch me intentionally coming and going in the middle of the day. So, I don’t know if I have mentioned this already, but when I first arrived there- 9pm after just getting off the flight in a strange (but perfectly beautiful) country, she was already shouting at me for “talking too loud”. I should add here I have autism, which I told her about as soon as I booked the reservation, months prior.

Then she asked me, and I quote: “why are you not a boy?!” at this point, we hadn’t even made it into the house yet. Oh, “we”? you ask. Yeah, we. I had a PIN code that she had sent to me the week prior in order to get into the property. but upon reaching the front door, it was locked with a key, which I obviously did not have. My friends from the plane who drove me here were stood with me, walking around the house checking to see if the was indeed the right door. They were like my plane-parents that night. Shout out to you, Angela and Clive. I hope they’re doing okay.

Then out of no where, literally, like she just vaporised into existance and came storming up to me asking who “all these people” were. I understand that hosts need to protect themselves but that isn’t the first thing I would say to a guest who I know is disabled when she is QUIETLY standing with two parental-looking people. It was when I was explaining, quite panicked, due to how angry she seemed, when she then yelled at me for being too loud. she really scared me, right from the off.

“YOU DIDN’T RESPOND TO ME!” she, ironically, yelled.

“Huh? When?” I anxiously asked.

She then proceeded to shout at me some more, even before Angela and Clive had chance to escape, about how I didn’t respond to her message 19 hours ago about a deposit. by this point, my wonderful plane-parents said their farewells to me and my host unlocked the door for me, she had the key.

“I’ve literally just landed after a 22-hour long flight, I don’t have data so I couldn’t have read your message!” I explained.

“Don’t you have a SIM card yet?!” She snapped.

I had just landed in the first foreign country I had ever been to, of course I didn’t have a SIM card yet.

“WELL!! The german boys before you came with one!” she scoffed.

Good for them? They’re probably more versed in the travelling life then I am. She then told me I owed her the money for the deposit which was not in her listing.

Trust me I was so excited for the trip that a read up about everything to do with it for weeks prior, there was not a single mention of a deposit. Nor had she messaged me about this at all, anywhere between me booking the accommodation and the text she had sent to me while I was literally already on the plane.

Then she told me that she will let me off the deposit, because, and I quote “You’re not a black guy throwing parties, you seem like a quiet girl, I like that” I don’t know why she had to bring race into it. That just wasn’t okay. I just ignored her uncalled for disgusting remark.

She then proceeded to order me to follow her around the house, telling me all the rules and what doors to leave open, what switches to NEVER EVER TOUCH, and I, who hadn’t slept in over 24 hours at this point, nodded, yet not remembering a thing.

Then she used one of her many keys to unlock the cupboard in my airbnb where she kept the toilet paper and washing powder and clean towels, and gave me my rations. Literally, she gave me so little I had to buy replacements myself a day or so later, rather than ask her to unlock the cupboard as she made me so so uncomfortable.

She left after that, but I always feel like she’s watching me. Also, the third day into my trip, technically the second night, I was still very jet lagged and my sleep schedule was all over the place, so I decided to wash the clothes I had worn on the plane, as I only had a backpack with me, and those clothes were my comfort clothes.

I didn’t know how to work the washing machine, so I text her at about 9pm. she responded with such a nasty and sarcastic remark I got upset. “Oh Alex”, she said “normal people sleep at night, and wash in the day”… right. okay. I eventually figured it out for myself.

Remember when I said she text me at 1:01 pm about her coming to “see me”? She was at my front door by 1:07pm, 6 minutes later. She knew I was there. I don’t know how, but I don’t want to know. I also don’t want to know how she got there so quickly.

She proceeded to tell me that I wasn’t allowed in my own airbnb tomorrow all day, as she was having an open house as she is selling the place. I knew nothing of this until I had arrived in her house a few nights prior, even though she signed the contract with her letting agent MONTHS after my reservation was booked, so I should have been made aware, right?

I am not allowed to be there while the open house takes place, so me and all my valuables are going to have to go out and find something to do. I don’t know whether to go to the zoo or go into the city. It is two weeks today until I go home and I want to leave knowing I have done and seen everything that I want to do and see.

Today I took selfies with my girlfriend, which I won’t share publicly out of respect for her and her privacy, but when I tell you I have waited my life and longer for this day, I mean it.