new adventures in backpacking

I have a confession to make. I've never stayed at a hostel before. I missed the prime backpacking age of late teens/early twenties by not traveling much during those years, and then once my wanderlust set in, I could afford hotels and never thought of staying in hostels for the sake of doing so.

Well, my days of being a hostel virgin have come to an end here in Perth. As of today, I'm a resident of Pirates Backpackers in Fremantle (aka. Freo), a vivacious harbor town located a few kilometers south of Perth. My original plans for accommodations in Perth were to stay with my friend Vaughan, whom I met a few years ago when we were both visiting Antigua. Back then, Vaughan worked in the police force here in Perth, but just over one year ago, Vaughan left the police and bought Pirates. After spending a couple of nights at his place in Cotts, he thought it would be more fun for me to stay here, and so here I am, sleeping in a bunk bed, sharing a common bathroom, and paying $23 a night, just like everyone else.

I have to admit that I was nervous about the hostel thing. For one, I thought that I was too old, but, moreover, I was not sure if I'd be able to cope with a bad cleanliness situation. Well, shortly after arriving at Pirates, my fears were allayed on both of these counts. Not surprisingly, most of the backpackers are in their young 20s. However, there are more than a handful of 30 somethings like me and a good number of other non-traditional backpackers, including a father and son traveling duo and an older French couple. I expected to feel singled out, but actually feel quite average, which in this context is great!

As for my cleanliness issues, the real test is the state of the bathrooms. There are 3 bathrooms here--one larger communal bathroom with 2 sinks, 2 toilets, and 3 showers; and two smaller single toilets with showers. For what I believe are hostel standards, all of the bathrooms are quite clean, meaning no bugs or bad odors (but a heavy dose of Tilex would do wonders!). If Pirates is any indication of what staying in a hostel can be like, then I am totally sold. Although my low tolerance for grungy living conditions persists, that will inevitably change once I get used to the thrill of the bargain that comes with backpacking.