Lisa P and Patrick D - 4

Once we had returned home and sufficiently slept in, our plan for the day was to sit around and watch movies. We figured it would be a great way to just relax and enjoy each other's company. But, as we got prepared to head to the movie store the clouds parted and we figured an even better way to enjoy the day was at the beach. I was really hoping that we would be able to spend some time at the ocean because we have such beautiful beaches, and a trip to Perth isn't complete without it. And since it's winter and warm sunny days only happen once or twice a week, we took advantage.

The cool thing about the ocean here is that the temperature only fluctuates about 2 degrees (Celsius) the entire year. So no matter the wind temperature, the ocean seems nice and warm, even without swimming through where someone peed themselves. Lisa really enjoyed herself as she got to see what Perth is all about, even though she wouldn't go in the water. Once we had our fill of swimming and wanted something new, it was off to the parking lot to teach Lisa to drive stick. She did a great job and only killed the car a few times; much better than myself. I didn't lose my patience once and really enjoyed riding in the passenger seat for a change. Eventually though, the clouds rolled and it was my turn to drive down to Scarborough Beach to watch the sun set. We ended the night with a great Mexican feast complete with Corona, tacos, nachos, and quesadillas. Chef Lisa was the star of the night.

The following day we spent the majority of our time at the Aquarium of Western Australia (AQWA). This aquarium is very unique because it only houses species that are native to Western Australia. It was really interesting to see all the different varieties of animals that are in our ocean. Lisa and I got to walk through an underwater tube and watch sealife from the ocean floor, pet sting rays, port jackson sharks, starfish, and watch sea lions from an underwater viewing window. it was a thrill viewing and interacting with the animals. Lisa and I got some great pictures of us petting them too!! Funny story, when I picked up the starfish (after we had played with it) a toddler walked up and looked at it, so I held the starfish for him to pet. He slowly reached down, picked it up, and threw it back into the water as far as he could.