Heard from my wife that yesterday during lunch time, no one accompanied her to eat. They all had prepacked food and they just heated it up and ate in office.
Which pretty much confirms yesterday's post that the food here is really very very expensive.
Either that or people are lazy to go out to eat, which I think isn't really possible cos there are free buses around Perth. So it's quite convenient.
So I packed food for my wife for her lunch. I bring plastic containers with me nowadays. It's a Freegan habit. So I had some plastic containers to pack lunch for my wife. Some bread, ham, canned corn and instant soup.
Will probably continue to do so for the next few days when she's working. Not so much due to the cost, but rather she doesn't want to walk to go out to eat.
Today I bought a day pass which is AUD12.80 and I can take train the whole day. I think I can take all buses as well, but I didn't try it.
Took to some suburban areas... They really are what we see in TV shows. Just rows and rows of houses.
Not many shops in sight.
I kinda appreciate how Singapore clusters the homes. We have a central mrt station, like bedok and there's a mall there and food and groceries and the HDBs are all around the mall and shops.
It's not like that in Perth. When I come out of the train station, it's a parking lot. A big one. Cos people drive from their homes to the train station and take train to work.
Beyond the carpark are the homes. Usually 1-2 floors. Some people have converted their homes into shops. But it's mainly a quiet town.
And I realize it's all around...
That's what's life in Perth is about.
It's not about kangaroos and koalas, or sand dunes or wine...
Just like every country, people work and struggle. And there are very few fun places. There are a attractions... But mainly people work. They go home, and go to work. So the train stations stop at places where people stay.
That's life.
The percentage of entertainment areas vs housing and work areas... Of course there's significantly more housing and working areas.
As I grow older I tend to see the normalcy of life across all countries. It's not fun and games all the time. People work everywhere. Most of the time when people travel, they just see the attractions, and fail to realize. Life is the same everywhere.
I know people who are so infatuated with Japan cos they only see the stuff they see during trips and on TV, and they fail to realize that life there is a struggle as well.
It's the same in every country.
I do think countries that have a lot of land tend to squander the land. When I see 100 houses side by side and this means the last guy needs to walk quite far from the train station. I'm thinking, hey why not build a tall apartment and everyone can stay just beside the train station.
But oh well, it's a different life here. People like to have their garden and such.
The lifestyle here is pretty nice too. It's really common for people to say, "hi how're you doing?" No people aren't waiting for a reply, it's just a greeting.
But it's nice. Like I walked past people in the park and they smile and say "hi". It's nice.
Cars drive slower. There are less traffic lights in the suburbs. There are less cars and they tend to give way to pedestrians.
That's it for today. It was pretty tiring travelling from suburb to suburb and seeing the same thing... Dinner is just going to be a sandwich with some chicken mayo spread from the super market and some instant soup. What to do... Food so expensive. Wife is eating with colleagues tonight. I'll probably spend more on those days when my wife isn't working.
*Add on
I went to a couple of supermarkets.
It's not significantly cheaper than in Singapore. Some things are cheaper. Some things are more expensive. So I would say groceries cost about the same as in Singapore depending on what you buy.
That's expected.
In Singapore, if you prepare your own food, vs going to eat at the hawker center, it's about the same cost.
However, in Perth, if you compare and say you prepare your own food, then yes, food is definitely a lot cheaper if you prepare your own food as compared to eating out.
Pictures are below of the prices of items in a super market in the middle of town. It is crowded and shelves are often emptied by shoppers. So don't say I shouldn't be comparing such prices. Cos people, like many of us, don't have time or are lazy to go to other places to buy.
Why don't Singaporeans go Pasir Panjang Wholesale center to buy cheap food in bulk? Same reasons ok.
You all can compare prices yourself via the pictures below, cos some people eat more meat, or more veg. Or for people like me. I don't even spend money on groceries.
So everyone is different in their consumption. So best for readers tp compare for themselves.
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