Road sign
beetroot
refreshingly delicious
Chinatown, Sydney
Bondi surfer boys
He didn't choose me cuz I'm cute - he chose me cuz of my yute! (real bumper stick)
28 January 2006
Oz specialities
Road sign
beetroot
refreshingly delicious
Chinatown, Sydney
Bondi surfer boys
He didn't choose me cuz I'm cute - he chose me cuz of my yute! (real bumper stick)
Days 14-16 Shoal Bay (Nelson Bay/Port Stephens)
This beach resort is about a 2.5 hour drive north of Sydney. Note - the drive takes longer with kids! We went to several beaches with great names including Zenith and Wreck Beaches . Jason tried to teach me the difference between dumping and non-dumping waves and how to body surf. Not sure I really got it – all the waves looked similar to me.
Even though this is not the Great Barrier Reef, the beaches were beautiful, the waves were plentiful and tall (making some beaches too dangerous to swim) and we had the best weather - not a cloud in the sky! I even got Dylan - a.k.a. Rudie Nudie - who doesn't like the seaside water to jump baby waves with me (I'll spare you the fotos of me in a bathing suit).
Wreck Beach
Zenith Beach1
Zenith Beach2
Birubi Point & Stockton Beach sand dunes
Rudie Nudie
Jason lent me his car (not a yute unfortunately), so I stayed an extra day in Nelson Bay. Slept in a tent at this great backpackers place in hopes of seeing a koala in the trees. I didn't. :(
Woke up with heavy downpour and decided to leave town to hit the Hunter Valley vineyards. Very sad to not spend the morning swimming at the beach.
Hunter Valley - Bimbadgen Estates
A few vineyards and back roads later, I headed back to Sydney to have dinner in Darlinghurst with Hanish and Jane. Driving on the left side on the Pacific Highway (busy, curvy road in north Sydney) during rush hour was no easy feat!
Even though this is not the Great Barrier Reef, the beaches were beautiful, the waves were plentiful and tall (making some beaches too dangerous to swim) and we had the best weather - not a cloud in the sky! I even got Dylan - a.k.a. Rudie Nudie - who doesn't like the seaside water to jump baby waves with me (I'll spare you the fotos of me in a bathing suit).
Wreck Beach
Zenith Beach1
Zenith Beach2
Birubi Point & Stockton Beach sand dunes
Rudie Nudie
Jason lent me his car (not a yute unfortunately), so I stayed an extra day in Nelson Bay. Slept in a tent at this great backpackers place in hopes of seeing a koala in the trees. I didn't. :(
Woke up with heavy downpour and decided to leave town to hit the Hunter Valley vineyards. Very sad to not spend the morning swimming at the beach.
Hunter Valley - Bimbadgen Estates
A few vineyards and back roads later, I headed back to Sydney to have dinner in Darlinghurst with Hanish and Jane. Driving on the left side on the Pacific Highway (busy, curvy road in north Sydney) during rush hour was no easy feat!
27 January 2006
Day 11 to 13 - Sydney
I made it to Sydney
After a long weekend in Wellington for Jo Style's wedding to Darrin Cornes (she kept her name...), I continued my journey alone to Sydney where I met up with my friends Sara and Jason and their two kids Dylan (3.5) and Sam (8 months). I haven't seen them since before they had children and they haven't changed a bit. They live in a beautiful old ranch-style home in a western suburb of downtown Sydney.
The weather has been crap for the first three days of my stay and finally cleared up on my last day in Sydney (day 13) before our departure towards Shoal Bay. On Day 11, I wandered around the downtown in a permanent drizzle reminiscent of London. I am puzzled by Sydney. I don't know what I was expecting, but I am surprised by the large number of skyscrapers.
Flying foxes (a.k.a. bats) in the middle of downtown Sydney
On Day 13, I toured the eastern suburbs from Bronte and Bondi beaches to Paddington and Darlinghurst. A lot of walking. The views on the beach were great (path from Bronte to Bondi) and I really love the terrace homes in the bourgeois suburbs. They remind me of a neighborhood in downtown Houston (fuzzy child memory) or perhaps it’s just like the French quarter in New Orleans.I have a much more favourable opinion of Sydney now, especially since it was 26 today and sunny. Another bonus: beaches are free, clean and well guarded and they are easily accessible by relatively inexpensive public transportation.
Terrace homes in Paddington
26 January 2006
Wife - husband: 1-0
Husband thought that by spending time with two infants I would increase my interest in having children from 0 to 1 (on a scale of 100). No such luck. They are very cute and loveable, but they are also not mine!
24 January 2006
Day 7 cont. - Alpine flowers and a big bug
Alpine flower with a small coin
about 20 cm long
Edelweiss?
macro photo
Day 7 - Arthur's Pass
I hiked the Temple Basin path. Most tramps (hikes in Kiwi language) are several days long and take you to wondeful glaciers and such. I only had three hours to play as we were passing through this town and my friends were waiting for me. The path was all steep uphill on stone and gravel - not so easy on the knees coming down. Beautiful view at the top near ski lodges of the Arthur’s Pass valley. Meet an Australian family with three kids from Cairns doing the hike. I went up to the Temple Basin (1774m, beginning at 920m) but you can go further another hour or so wlak minimum up a steeper bit with rope to guide you and see the valley behind. The views I had were on Avalanche Peak (1833m), Mount Lancelot (2112m) and Mount Rolleston (2275m) which all had some snow coverage. I'll put up my panoramic photos when I get my cable back for my camera (left it in Wellie and getting it back in Sydney soon).
View from Temple Basin (1774m)
After a fast hike up...
Leaving Arthur's pass
View from Temple Basin (1774m)
After a fast hike up...
Leaving Arthur's pass
21 January 2006
Day 6 - Franz Joseph and Fox Glaciers
View of Fox Glacier from a helicopter
Cloudy day so never managed to see Mount Cook. Too bad - the glaciers were spectacular though.
Close up of Franz Joseph - about the size of a football field...
Day 5 - Nelson to Hokitika
We stropped in three spots. First, the Buller Gorge Swingbridge which crosses the Buller River and is near a fault line where there was a big earthquake (7.8 on Richter scale I believe) in the 1920s. Also a centre for gold digging on the west coast. From there we drove through to Cape Foulwind to do a hike. However, we hadn’t picked up lunch and by the time we got there we were starving. There was pretty much nothing on the road so we ended up eating a really nice lunch at this pseudo fancy place called Bay Café. Only house on the bay. I had a white bait (local fish) burger with some Kumara (sweet potato-like) vegetable fries. Drank an Aussie bundaberg ginger beer (no alcohol). After that did a one hour walk along the coast via the seal colony – they really stink - up to the lighthouse. Third stop was Punakaiki home of the "pancake rock formations." There is supposed to be a spray of water that comes up from a "blow hole" after a wave gets sucked in and up. But I didn’t see it and it seemed like I would have had to wait for a while before seeing it. The postcards were good enough for me.
Cape Foulwind
Cape Foulwind
Day 3 - Kaikoura to Nelson
This is from our second day on the road.
We swam with dolphins.
Next morning, we woke up early and undid the tents before heading to Dolphin Encounters (monopoly operator) where the four of us were booked to swim with dolphins. I put on his full body wet suit – head gear included and loaded onto a bus then a boat to head off to the coast just south of Kaikoura. About a 30 minute ride. The first swim was not so enjoyable for me. I was quite cold and I think the shock of swimming in that temperature water made me hyperventilate a bit. Plus the water was slightly cloudy from the wind/current. I was not breathing well through the snorkel so ended up staying above water a lot. The dolphins swam around each one of us, quite close. They told us to sing or make sounds, dive into the water to attract them. So imagine a bunch of fools (all 13 of us) making uncoordinated gestures and singing through a snorkel. Quite an image. After 15 minutes there at the first spot, we moved to another spot with at least 100 dolphins. Made the second dive much better. I was less cold I think and less fearful maybe? They really get close and you can see them looking at you with their tiny eyes. Ne sachant pas chanter, I was more humming stuff. Tried 1060 (by Panama), but couldn’t remember all the words (I think my brain froze despite the head protection). La Marseillaise, par contre, a très bien marché. The dolphins kept swimming right under and around me.
Some jumps...
My new friends
We swam with dolphins.
Next morning, we woke up early and undid the tents before heading to Dolphin Encounters (monopoly operator) where the four of us were booked to swim with dolphins. I put on his full body wet suit – head gear included and loaded onto a bus then a boat to head off to the coast just south of Kaikoura. About a 30 minute ride. The first swim was not so enjoyable for me. I was quite cold and I think the shock of swimming in that temperature water made me hyperventilate a bit. Plus the water was slightly cloudy from the wind/current. I was not breathing well through the snorkel so ended up staying above water a lot. The dolphins swam around each one of us, quite close. They told us to sing or make sounds, dive into the water to attract them. So imagine a bunch of fools (all 13 of us) making uncoordinated gestures and singing through a snorkel. Quite an image. After 15 minutes there at the first spot, we moved to another spot with at least 100 dolphins. Made the second dive much better. I was less cold I think and less fearful maybe? They really get close and you can see them looking at you with their tiny eyes. Ne sachant pas chanter, I was more humming stuff. Tried 1060 (by Panama), but couldn’t remember all the words (I think my brain froze despite the head protection). La Marseillaise, par contre, a très bien marché. The dolphins kept swimming right under and around me.
Some jumps...
My new friends
Day 3 - cont.
Arrived quite late in the day in the Marlborough Valley so we weren't too picky with where we stopped to taste some local wines. Stopped at Herzog which had a really nice Pinot Noir at $59 or so a bottle. Also went to Mud House to taste some Sauvignon blanc. J’ai pas trop aimé ça.
Vineyards in Marlborough district
Vineyards in Marlborough district
15 January 2006
Day 1 Christchurch
It’s a blur. An interesting one. The man sharing the three-seater with me on the way to Tokyo, travelling for work with hair in his ears that is longer than anything I have ever seen and who snored in such a way that I was never able to fall asleep. The bad (yes as in not fresh!) sushi at the Tokyo airport – my only expected redeeming value in transiting via Tokyo - was a big disappointment. The number of Narita airport stores that sold gadgets to attach to cell phones. The way the duty free on the flight to Tokyo lasted about half the flight – ie about 7 hours, rolling carts back and forth. I always wondered who bought their diamonds and pearls on these flights. Now I know.
I wish I had known that the Christchurch street I took to walk home at night – 11pm – was THE hooker street. Granted it wasn't crawling: I passed a total of 7 or 8 teenage girls over the span of a good 15 minute walk. If I had seen only one, I might not have known since they were not dressed much differently than clubbing girls. (Oh that makes me feel young to write that!) It felt off to walk past them and then see their colleagues in parked cars along this major road outside of the city centre. I wish the B&B I was staying at had told me. I would have walked the parallel street (or maybe that was the street reserved for gay prostitutes?). I was just noted to Graham a couple of days ago that I find men who sit in parked cars sketchy. We saw one in Paris, which sparked the comment. Graham didn’t really agree. I hadn’t even thought about prostitution at the time.
Don’t think I am naïve – I know these things exist.
This morning my B&B host told me prostitution was legalised about two years ago here.
I wish I had known that the Christchurch street I took to walk home at night – 11pm – was THE hooker street. Granted it wasn't crawling: I passed a total of 7 or 8 teenage girls over the span of a good 15 minute walk. If I had seen only one, I might not have known since they were not dressed much differently than clubbing girls. (Oh that makes me feel young to write that!) It felt off to walk past them and then see their colleagues in parked cars along this major road outside of the city centre. I wish the B&B I was staying at had told me. I would have walked the parallel street (or maybe that was the street reserved for gay prostitutes?). I was just noted to Graham a couple of days ago that I find men who sit in parked cars sketchy. We saw one in Paris, which sparked the comment. Graham didn’t really agree. I hadn’t even thought about prostitution at the time.
Don’t think I am naïve – I know these things exist.
This morning my B&B host told me prostitution was legalised about two years ago here.
11 January 2006
best load of msn crap...
so one checks hotmail, there is a little banner in the left hand column with several articles. i admit. in some cases, i am intrigued. today, i skimmed the "10 absolute worst foods you can eat." so first define food - something that people and animals eat, or plants absorb, to keep them alive (Cambridge dictionary). Well, humans don't make it to this ABSOLUTE top 10 list, but oysters do. Yummy oysters. MSN (well actually IVillage) tells you to COOK them - quelle horreur! Then alcohol makes the list:
No note of its positive cholesterol-reduction effects. Let's be a little more scientific here (silly puritan MSN) - read AHA's info.
Here's a revised top 10 absolute worst foods to eat:
1. Humans (haven't tasted them)
2. Cats (too cute - refuse to taste them)
3. Most animals that aren't already shrink wrapped in our deli counter or boucherie.
4. Brussel sprouts (no redeeming value for that taste)
4 1/2. Escargots (if desperate, not so bad when swallowed whole)
5. Olestra (who wants to eat something that comes right back out)
6. Spaghetti carbonara in Avoriaz
7. Any seafood mix, especially from Pizza Pino
8. Processed deli meats that smell funny
9. Papaya (again, nothing can make it worth that smell)
10. The Schmitter® at the new Phillies ballpark (very tasty, but very bad for you)
This one item has created more problems than all the rest put together. Of course, it is possible to consume alcohol wisely and safely and enjoy it immensely, such as a fine glass of wine with a delicious dinner. But even if you exercise caution in no other area of your diet, this is the area where you should.
No note of its positive cholesterol-reduction effects. Let's be a little more scientific here (silly puritan MSN) - read AHA's info.
Here's a revised top 10 absolute worst foods to eat:
1. Humans (haven't tasted them)
2. Cats (too cute - refuse to taste them)
3. Most animals that aren't already shrink wrapped in our deli counter or boucherie.
4. Brussel sprouts (no redeeming value for that taste)
4 1/2. Escargots (if desperate, not so bad when swallowed whole)
5. Olestra (who wants to eat something that comes right back out)
6. Spaghetti carbonara in Avoriaz
7. Any seafood mix, especially from Pizza Pino
8. Processed deli meats that smell funny
9. Papaya (again, nothing can make it worth that smell)
10. The Schmitter® at the new Phillies ballpark (very tasty, but very bad for you)
time to be honest
ok so this is a blog. i don't have anything to say on a daily basis - esecially not to the virtual world.
sorry it took so long to write about yummy foods.
sorry it took so long to write about yummy foods.
yummy holiday food 2
Right after Christmas and the New Year, just when you feel like you can eat no more, there is the epiphany holiday on January 6th. In France, we celebrate it by eating la galette des rois - traditionally a dessert made with puff pastry as a bottom and top layer and filled with frangipane or an almond paste mix. Regional variations exist but they do not compare to the frangipane version: it is absolutely delicious! Families, friends and colleagues get together to tirer les rois (drawing the king), the galette has a fève (originally a dried bean, now pâtisseries compete with fun icons for kids and adults). The youngest person in the group goes under the table and names who gets all the slices, while someone cuts and distributes them. If you end up with the fève, you are the selected king and have to wear a beautiful paper crown. You can choose your queen if you are so inclined. In any case, the dessert is the best thing this side of the new year. Who cares about crowns?
Note - I have been eating these nearly daily for a straight week - still not tired of the galette. Except for the one that was dubiously made with orange flower extract. Yuck!!
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