The problem with Australia is that it’s perfect. Whenever someone tells me of a difficulty while traveling, I always remind them that those make the best travel stories. No one ever writes about how their trip went perfectly; so I find myself at a loss when trying to write about Australia.

Australia is the way I often wanted Asia to be: Perfect beaches with coffee shops serving mochas, cappuccinos, and lattes with great views of the sea; boardwalks and well marked trails taking you to all the highlights. Roads are well paved and signed and not a scrap of litter along the highway. Australia was everything Asia was not, but it comes at a hefty price tag. Australia is the most expensive country I’ve ever traveled to.

Something I often ask myself when thinking about east versus west is whether the conveniences of western culture are worth the price. Certainly the clean trains, litter free roads and well developed hiking trails are something I enjoy about living in America, but are they worth the cost?

I took the train once from San Francisco International Airport to downtown, and it cost me almost $10. The same trip from Mexico City’s airport to downtown cost me only 40 cents. There is no question that San Francisco’s train was the cleaner, more civilized experience, but was it worth the $9.60 extra for the trip?

Australia also lacks the energy of Asia. There are so few people that most streets are deserted, even in the middle of the afternoon. It is so ordered, it borders on dull. Everything is in its place. I’ve always thought, “ I don’t want to go to heaven because I think it would bore me”. That’s Australia. Too perfect.

So I struggle between wanting to spend an eternity exploring paradise and my desire for the grit that is Asia. In the end, I believe I will choose the grit, because while it may not have all the conveniences, it certainly generates the more vivid memories.