Movin' Cross Country!

Manly Beach

2010-06-10T18:51:00.000-07:00

Of course, the weekend before I left Sydney was absolutely gorgeous! Well, at least on the Saturday... I woke up after sleeping in and sunny! Blue skies!

Of course I had to make use of the sun so I decided to head back to Manly Beach which was a bit gray and dismal the last time I went. I am glad I went - it was seriously beautiful out there and the surfers were out in force.

On the way to Manly, in Sydney Harbour:

Manly Beach

Bird preening in the sun

Surfers waiting (wading?) in Paradise

Doesn't this look like a dragon?

Sunset over Sydney Harbour Bridge

Interesting social experiment brewing...

2010-06-04T04:47:00.000-07:00

And so far, Sydney people (Sydney-ian? Sydney-siders?) have been... interesting.

We'll leave it at that. For now.

Slightly off topic...

2010-06-02T04:44:00.000-07:00

I just remembered that I have been wanting to let whoever reads this blog know about one of my favorite new products! I have only used it 2-3 times, but it has already made me happy.

About 1 year ago, I discovered the Vinturi Wine Aerator which made life with wine so much better. Who can predict when they will want to open a bottle of wine? So that little number would aerate the wine making it drinkable as soon as opening the bottle. (Drinkable, not ideal). The negatives? You have to hold the aerator and pour for each glass = messy. Slightly too frothy when wine poured through. But overall, quite decent. But, I started a fad and now many of the Peds Residents at UCSF have one.

Well, then, to give credit where credit is due, I was watching America's Test Kitchen on PBS one day and they were doing a little test of wine aerators out there. Most were crap but then along came the Wine Finer! I was immediately intrigued and America's Test Kitchen liked it best, so I got on my computer, went straight to Amazon and purchased one. I LOVE it! So much easier to use, just fits in the bottle neck, no frothiness, good aeration.

I wonder if I'll start a new shopping fad in the Peds Department at UCSF? :)

I made it to...

2010-06-02T03:16:00.001-07:00

...the Blue Mountains! Specifically to Katoomba to see the Three Sisters. It was gorgeous out today and considering the rainy weather forecast for the remainder of my stay in Sydney, I thought I better make the effort to get out there!

I was worried I wouldn't get enough time up there - there was a fallen tree on the tracks which was really delaying the train ride up and I spent a good half hour waiting at a train station. Considering it takes 2+ hours to get there, every minute counted. But what a good deal travelling by train - $10.80 round trip!

Luckily the weather hung in there for me...

I decided against the Skyway and to walk the trail instead. It was wet and muddy on the trail given the almost nonstop rain we've been having. Luckily I only had one shaky moment.

Katoomba Cascades:

Three Sisters from the Cliff Walk Outlook:

Three Sisters from Echo Point:

View from Gordon Falls:

Back O' Bourke

2010-06-01T05:33:00.000-07:00

Here in Sydney there is a saying that when you are "Back O' Bourke", you are somewhere out there, i.e. in the Outback where it is remote and deserted. See here for proof. Well, today, I went to Bourke! To see patients with the Flying Doctors.

We left early from Bankstown airport and had to make one stop before landing in Bourke. And actually, we lucked out - we were actually delayed because there had been a lot of fog earlier in the AM and they weren't sure we would be able to land. Luckily, the fog burned off and we were able to land.

Here is our plane:

Then we heard a story from our host physician. Apparently, green frogs like it damp and dark and where is the perfect place to relax? In the local toilet at the Bourke Airport! Makes you think twice before you decide to just sit down on the toilet, hunh? Well, lucky us, when we arrived at Bourke, we decided to have a look:

Awesome!!!

Seeing patients there was lovely and having the experience to get out to Bourke for the day was absolutely wonderful.

On the way back from Bourke (who's that flying the jet???)

Weekend in Adelaide Part Deux

2010-06-01T05:09:00.000-07:00

This time I went with my sis and we did some wine tasting. Weather wise, it was pretty wintery - watery wintery, I mean, à la San Francisco.

But, it was still beautiful and more, the wine was mostly divine.

Sydney at night, aerial view:

Day One Barossa Valley:

Two Hands - solid, lots of Shiraz
Torbreck - meh. it got crowded too which didn't help.
Laughing Jack - named after the Kookaburra bird and its laugh. A small family own/run winery which was fantastic for the experience of tasting wine with the winemaker, trying some of their just-put-in-the-barrels-2010 wintage. Definitely a winner.
Langmeil - solid. Oldest vines in the valley here!
The Willows - meh

Then we went to see some wild kangaroos and to Mengler's Hill for the lookout!

One the way back to Adelaide:

Just of note - we went to a nice restaurant that night called Assaggio. The interesting part was finding out that apparently in Adelaide, you need a special "Take Away" license in order for guests to take their leftovers home. So, when in Adelaide and going to dinner, definitely go hungry or be prepared to lose your meal and pay good $$ for it.

Day Two McLaren Vale:

Gemtree - meh. not worth going back.
Spring Hills - again with the winemaker which was fun. Good value for wine. Mourvedre very nice
Samuels Gorge - unexpectedly nice. would go back.
Alpha Box and Dice - see my previous blog. But I will say - the winemaker Justin Lane has an awesome memory - remembered my co-worker and thus me. Great fun that day watching their kids and other kids having fun and trying to bring a lion piñata down!
Olive Grove - for their fantastic olive products - yummmmmmmmm
Olivers' Taranga - lovely wines
De Lisio - one of our absolutely favorite wineries/experiences this trip. Kristina sat down with us and was absolutely fantastic to speak with - too bad we only had 1.5 hours to chat with her! Definitely will be looking for this wine in the US - especially the Catalyst.

Sunny Day in the City with my Sis

2010-06-01T04:40:00.000-07:00

Friday 5/28 was a lovely day in the city and my sister got to explore a lot of it! Thankfully, I did get to enjoy some of it with her. Unfortunately, she didn't get to try Mamak, that lovely Malaysian restaurant - oops, I got the hours wrong which wouldn't have been too disastrous except that I was also running late from work! Oh well, next time. :)

I think Je's favorite thing was actually the bike lanes. :)

But we walked through the canopied trees in Hyde Park which was quite beautiful:

And then saw this guy making gigantor bubbles! One came right at me! (Not this monstrous one)

But we found the giant chess set in the park - sadly, for Je, the pieces were only about 2 feet tall, not life size. Too bad! (Photo courtesy of J Lau)

St. Mary's Cathedral in Hyde Park was quite lovely with the shadows:

And then on our way back, we took some photos of the 2 sisters enjoying their walk in Sydney:

Rainy Day has It's Bright Side!

2010-06-01T04:38:00.001-07:00

Rainy Day in Sydney

2010-05-26T04:00:00.001-07:00

It was a rather rainy day in Sydney when I decided to check out the QVB. Along the way over, I walked through Hyde Park, but didn't spot the elusive giant chess board. It must be further north in the park!

Then, there it was, the QVB!

It was very pretty, a bit out of my price range though. :)

I then walked several blocks away to try some Malaysian food. It's hard to find good Malaysian food in San Francisco, sadly. Since I am out here, I decided I better get as much as I can. :) I went to Mamak, and it was lovely. Affordable first of all. The Roti canai was delicious and flaky. The satay was to die for - tender, and the peanut sauce it came with! The Mee Goreng was also lovely. Of course I left with leftovers - perfect for my lunch tomorrow! (All three dishes = $23.50) I think I may need to come back before I leave Sydney.

I can't believe that I only have about 10 days left. I don't want to go back to the US.

Masterchef Australia!

2010-05-25T03:07:00.000-07:00

So good this week that I have to post about it.

Marion is my fave to win and she beat the Masterchef this week! Yay!

And the next challenge looks awesome!

I better be able to watch MA once I get back to the states.

Sydney Harbour and Manly Beach

2010-05-25T00:18:00.000-07:00

I started the day with a migraine but after loads of caffeine (in the form of espresso) and ibuprofen (Neurofen here in Australia) and Tylenol (Panadol here in Australia), I managed to make it upright. As the day sort of cleared up - I decided I should make use of the ferries and check out some of the Sydney sights.

Here is the first ferry I took leaving from Circular Quay:

Finally - proof I am indeed in Sydney! :)

Pretty Sydney Opera House and Sydney Harbour Bridge:

I then went to the famous Manly Beach where pro-surfers from around the world come to surf here. It was a bit gloomy out but I did see some surfers out. The surf didn't seem very high. But what do I know?

Then, I went to a fantastic restaurant at the end of the walking path - Le Kiosk. Seriously? Best meal in Australia so far. I started with Sydney Rock Oysters and a glass of Australian Chandon Brut. 2 were natural and 2 were warm - all were excellent. I then had the Blue Crab Tagliatelle (entree portion) 'cause I couldn't eat too much more, but darn if I didn't wish I got the main portion size! :) The crab melted in your mouth, the tagliatelle was just perfect. Mmmmm.

Btw, I love my Kindle - I take it EVERYWHERE!

On my way back to the ferry, I saw this:

I can't believe the mother let her kids climb this 1) because it probably shouldn't be climbed on and 2) her kids were little and this thing was high - with nothing but concrete below! What if they fell head first???!!!

Daintree Rainforest

2010-05-24T01:45:00.000-07:00

On Sunday, we head off to the Daintree Rainforest to engage in some Jungle Surfing - ziplining in the forest!

The drive there was pretty - very rural, sugarcane plantation after plantation. Kind of like Hawaii was back in the day! Once we hit Daintree Rainforest, we saw lots of signs warning us of the Cassowary bird, a flightless bird. The best was this one:

Again, because of Jocelyn's excellent research, we went with the Jungle Surfing company. We got geared up in a harness and a helmet - all with their own name on it. Je was Tinkerbell (she was almost Stifler's Mum!!!), Sean was Spiderman, and I was Cinderella.

There was a total of 4 platforms. I think we expected the distance between the platforms to be longer, but no matter - it was still fun! Especially when they let us go fast or upside down. :)

After, we drove back but stopped along the road to check out the beaches. It was relatively low tide so we got to see some cool things. Like this:

Obviously something was under the sand, oxygenating, and thus sending up piles of wet sand - almost seemed like gross worms! Ewwww!

Je and me on the Beach:

Later, we stopped at another beach and this time, we saw these sections covered in little sand balls!

But they made beautiful patterns.

We also happened upon the Daintree Ice Cream Company. Mmmm. They have a gorgeous orchard of all different fruits in front and they make ice cream with what is in season. They had Black Sapote, Wattleseed, Mango, and Coconut. We all had our favorites - mine was wattleseed and je's was mango - but honestly, they were all very tasty!

Cane Toad Racing

2010-05-24T01:36:00.001-07:00

My former co-worker Toby had told me that we had to check out the Ironbar in Port Douglas to see the Cane Toad Racing.

Cane Toad Racing you say? I know. But the host, Nick, is hilarious, and watching audience members race the toads is hilarious. Except when drunk people are so obnoxious it makes the evening uncomfortable (ahem, at least the lady in question was NOT American - phew!). Cane toads are feral and a huge problem in Queensland, originally brought from Hawaii to Australia to combat the cane beetle - too bad the cane toad couldn't jump high enough to reach the beetle so instead Queensland had 2 problems.

Anyhow, enough of the history lesson. The cane toads are brought in by Nick for racing. Here were the names of the toads:

The Funny Owner and a Toad (I believe Jerry Springer)

Once the audience members are chosen, the toads, in the middle of the table, are to be encouraged to move by using a noisemaker (you know, blow into it and the long tube of paper gets blown out while maker noises). In theory, this scares/encourages the toad to move and once you get the toad to jump off the table into your hand, you then drop them back into a bucket - first one in wins!

At the races... (these guys definitely didn't win!)

Too much fun, I must say. If you are ever in Port Douglas, check it out. It starts at 8 pm.

Port Douglas and Intro to Diving!

2010-05-24T01:31:00.000-07:00

On Saturday, I got to participate in an Introduction to Diving Package with Poseidon Outer Reef Cruises. Jocelyn had (of course) done some great research on the different operators out in Port Douglas and what she found was that they 1) didn't take too many people out, usually max 80 and more importantly, 2) they were supposedly very very good with the intro divers. Her research was right - this company was fantastic and their instructors were the best - patient, funny, always mindful of us. We always had 1:4 instruction and when the other girl and I were getting caught in the currents on our first dive, our instructor (Ross) held us by our hands and helped us navigate the beautiful reef and showed us lots of stuff.

Port Douglas Marina

The Great Barrier Reef from above

I decided to concentrate on diving and not photos, so no wonderful underwater photos of what I saw, but the highlights included petting of the gigantic fish under his - chin? You can see a photo of him here on page 4, look at the upper left, lots of fishes including Nemo, seeing huge giant clams that were maybe 4-5x bigger than this one:

I don't think I will ever be able to settle with snorkelling after this! This definitely goes on my list of some of the best things I have ever done (some other things: walking up Huayna Picchi to see Machu Picchu, kayaking Doubtful Sound, walking the Great Wall of China). I think I may need to 1) get certified and 2) come back to the Great Barrier Reef at some point!

------
New addition to post:

Just so you have an idea of how far away Cairns (closest airport to Port Douglas) is from Sydney

My sister has arrived!

2010-05-24T01:22:00.001-07:00

Jocelyn and Sean arrived Friday and after work, I met up with them at the Circular Quay! They saw more of the classic Sydney sights in 8 hours of being in Sydney compared to me - here for almost 2 weeks!

Je and me! With the Sydney Harbour Bridge behind us!

There is always a Didgeridoo band playing in Circular Quay. The one we saw on the Friday was better than the one I got to see later on.

Next post, we'll be in Port Douglas - easy access to the Great Barrier Reef!

Sydney Aquarium

2010-05-19T04:23:00.000-07:00

So. I asked around 'cause I knew it was pricey to go to the Sydney Aquarium. $34.95AUD expensive. Everyone said go, so I went! Too bad, because the Baltimore Aquarium blows this one away. In fact, the California Academy of Sciences Aquariums blew this one away. It wasn't the worst - the National Aquarium (aka baby fish tanks in a basement) in DC wins the worst award. But this definitely was disappointing for me, and especially considering their tariff.

Oh well, on the the day. It started off POURING rain this AM and I was not relishing the idea of trudging in my slightly-too-long-pants-which-LOVE-to-soak-up-dirty-rain-water to the train station. But as I went down stairs, my building manager was in the house and about to leave - and he offered me a ride to the train station! Yippee! I managed to stay nice and dry and actually got dropped off at the more convenient train station.

Then, the clouds parted and the sun shone - and stayed! It was beautiful this afternoon and so I decided to make use of it and explore Sydney. I looked at my list of things to do (TTD) and decided that I would check off the Sydney Aquarium and a place multiple websites list as having "the best dumplings!"

In order for me to feel like I got something out of the #35 entry free, I decided to take lots of pictures. I mean LOTS. Now granted, I had my point and shoot which is good, but not so great with 1) no flash use and 2) quickly moving fish. I was lucky to get a few decent shots.

Someone's bored!

Peek-a-boo!

I see you!

And seriously, I was not joking about the quality of the aquarium. Check out exhibit A, Sydney Aquarium jellyfish:

Exhibits B and C, California Academy of Sciences jellyfish:

I rest my case. There is nooooo comparison.

Now, as for the second part of my night adventure, the dumplings. I took the monorail and got off at Paddy's Market. I was a little worried about safety, but tuens out the stop is right next to the University of Technology, Sydney. It was busy and safe.

I found the place - not as easy as it seems as apparently it had been known as the Chinese Noodle Restaurant or Cho Dumpling King. But now, it is the Silk Road Chinese Restaurant, noted only because of the fake grapes hanging from the ceiling - WTF? Anyhow, I went in and ordered the Potstickers - good thing I asked about the meat, because all they had was beef/lamb or veggie. I opted for Veggie which was egg and chives only. Again, WTF?? No pork? For dumplings? That's just plain weird. As I was waiting, this other table had this dish that looked like stir fried bamboos and so I asked the server about the dish. Turns out it was potatoes, spicy and sour. I decided to try it because it was just plain different. Here it is:

Considering she asked me twice if I could handle spicy and I said yes both times, it wasn't very spicy. Garlicky, yes. It was definitely interesting, but there was no way I could eat it all and certainly a bit too garlicky for me to want to eat it again. But it was good to try. The potstickers? Just ok. I've had better (ahem, *cough* my mom's and dad's! *cough*). Makes me want to make some myself when I get back to SF. Needless to say, not my favorite.

BTW, the 2 dishes + tea = $16.76

Oh, and I'll just end this post with one observation - the Australians smoke WAY more than we in the US do. I swear. I smell it EVERYWHERE. Very blech.

Billu's Eatery

2010-05-18T02:40:00.000-07:00

I was told the other day that Harris Park, a suburb of Sydney was THE place to go for authentic delicious (South) Indian food. Of course I needed to check this place out. One place that I heard mentioned quite a few times was Billu's Eatery. I decided to check it out.

The eatery was bright and sunny and clean. I talked to the staff and told them to tell me if i was ordering too much. I wanted to try their samosa, so i got one of those ($2) and then their masala dosa ($9.90) and then went on to try and order a chicken main (either the vindaloo or the tikka masala). The staff told me, whoa! The samosa and the dosa would be more than enough.

The samosa was too bready on the outside and heavy. The innards were fine, but the tamarind sauce it came with was very watery and not sweet enough for me. Then the dosa came out. Holy moly!

Thank goodness they stopped the ordering from there. Because as it was, I barely ate 1/2 of it. It was... okay. I still remember the dosa from the indian restaurant in Singapore... Mmmmm...

Fun and Furry Animals in Adelaide Part Deux!

2010-05-18T01:57:00.000-07:00

So, on exciting day 2 of my trip to Adelaide, we went to Cleland Wildlife Park! I was promised Furry Animals and it didn't disappoint! I got to see wombats, loads of kangaroos (so soft!), emus, various birds, koalas (also so soft!) and more! The kangaroos were the best and I got to feed a ton of them and then the koalas were of course super cute and we got to meet Vincent up close and were lucky enough to pet him.

Then we went off to a Footy (Football, Australian style) in the afternoon, the Port Adelaide Power against the Carlton Bears. It was a fun game and definitely addictive to watch. Faster than American football and kinda like rugby (not as violent) and kinda like soccer (ball usually being held in arms though and tossed, sometimes kicked, but definitely airborne). Too bad Port lost, but at least it was an exciting and fun match up!

Fun in Adelaide!

2010-05-17T04:41:00.001-07:00

All because of the lovely Coates family who, of course, I met while in Angus' lab.

I travelled out to Adelaide on Friday and spent a relaxing night in with Eleanor and Hugh, Penny and Toby's now grown up children! We watched Masterchef (highly addictive reality television!!!) and then off to bed in my gorgeous guest room which was in the Japanese Garden house!

The next day, we headed off to McLaren Vale and just decided off the cuff to stop at Alpha Box and Dice Winery. Thank goodness, because it was great fun! Not only was the winemaker knowledgeable and just plain fun to talk to, but the decor was funky (pinball machines!) and most of all, the wine was very very good.

Then off to D'Arenberg which had lovely views and good wine (their sweet and sticky wines were best). Then, one more stop along the way to lunch. We stopped off at Paper Eagle Winery. At first, we were very scared as the pourer, gave us the "$10 house wine" which was definitely not what we were looking for. We were all a bit scared to try the next wines, but the manager/owner came out and ran over - "I don't pour that wine usually! I promise the next wines will be better!" And, they were! Delicious - the Rarefied wine was $90 and tasted that much. The Linchpin was $30 and a good value.

Then off to the Salopian Inn which had a lovely menu and was just the right amount of food. I got a soup and the prawns which was lovely. Off for Eleanor's net ball coaching and then to Glenelg to walk the boardwalk. And what did I see? Camels at the seaside. Who would have thunk? They imported them to use in the desert in central Australia, which makes sense. Still wouldn't have expected it.

Then, Penny and Toby hosted a fantastic dinner - sooooo delicious and the food just kept coming out! The dessert... chocolately yumminess and then... the truffle creamy cheese - divine! And the wines! Yummy! Needless to say, it was a long, wonderful night...

Day 2 of Adelaide tomorrow! (Furry Animals! Footy!)

My first 2 forays into dining in Sydney

2010-05-13T02:29:00.000-07:00

So. I mentioned I am a bit incapacitated right now with my torn tendons. :(

And, with the lack of a real kitchen, I have been microwaving dinner and trying some restaurants nearby by housing. So far I have gotten pretty lucky.

La Pesa Trattoria

It's literally 15 steps from my lodging. Can't get more convenient than that. It looked quaint and I had been eye-ing it since I arrived on Monday. It serves Milanese style. They had a couple things on the menu I wanted to try but overall it wasn't a menu that I was salivating over. Probably because I tend to go towards vegetarian and fish dishes. Most of the menu was meat, meat and more meat.

There was an appetizer, a burata mozzarella, that I wanted to try but thought that that plus an entree would be too much, so I still need to go back and check that appetizer out. I let the waiter choose my meal (prosecco - which I REALLY wanted to try with a gnocchi - I know, not the best pairing! - vs. a nebbiolo with the beef ravioli). Not too surprisingly, he chose the nebbiolo/ravioli pairing, BUT the management gave me a free aperitif - the prosecco! So really, the best of all worlds. :) The olives they served with the bread were divine, the bread, not so divine but tolerable. The raviolis were good. Don't get me wrong, delicious and full of pull beef. But I'm just not that into meat!

I of course couldn't say no to dessert, particularly the tiramisu. Served in a martini glass, which I hate, but delicious. I would definitely get that again.

All in all, service - 5 stars (although they didn't refill my water very quickly). Food - 3.5 stars. Wine - 3.5 stars (wine nothing super stellar and only a few available for glass tasting). I will go back for the service and to try that burata.

Wine + Entree (Ravioli) + Tiramisu = $60 (with 10% tip)

Simizu

I had seen a lot of people in this sushi/Japanese restaurant the other day and made me start craving sushi again. It got decent reviews and since it was only 30 steps away from my lodging, I decided to give it a try! :)

I went kinda early cause I am jetlagged in general. Kinda a mistake because the staff stared at me eating the entire time which kept me from 1) feeling comfortable and 2) made me self-conscious so I didn't take a picture of the most gorgeous and delicious appetizer! Continuing on that statement, I will say that it was difficult to really communicate my needs/allergies - that I am allergic to soy! - as they all were obviously more comfortable with speaking Japanese.

One of my favorite dishes in the US is the Agedashi Nasu from Sushi Kazu. I think their dish is pretty fantastic. I finally got this restaurant to agree to make me the Agedashi Nasu instead of their special Nasu Simizu dish which I can't eat because it is served with a Miso sauce. DEAR LORD! Thank goodness I insisted, because not only was it the MOST BEAUTIFUL dish (this is where I am so sad that I didn't just the guts to take out my camera and start snapping away!), but delicious! They had deep fried to perfection an entire HALF of an eggplant and served that. I know my description doesn't give it justice, so I will just HAVE to go back there to get it again. I know, it'll be really hard for me to have to do that for the sake of this blog. :)

I also got a hand roll and a rainbow roll. Too much food. They use a ton of rice and the sushi roll was HUGE. But in all seriousness, delicious. Warm, not too hot, rice perfect. The only thing that would have made it to die for would have been more vinegar in the rice. But now I am just nit-picking.

Forget about the sake. Not good.

Sake (120 ml) + Agedashi Nasu + Rainbow Roll + Tuna/Avocado hand roll= $45 (and I got leftovers out of it!)

Definitely will be returning!

My new workplace!

2010-05-13T02:23:00.001-07:00

It's nice to be in a stand-alone Children's Hospital again. And everyone is so super nice!

I have already discovered so much about the Australian medical training here - so much nicer in many ways compared to the USA! They realize that 80 hour work weeks are still not very humane. The registrars (like a resident+) work 40 hours a week, get paid OVERTIME!, have most weekends off, 4 week vacations, and most importantly, have NEVER HEARD OF q4 call (I had to explain!). WTF??!!!???

I'll get a better picture soon!

Land of the Barbie!

2010-05-13T01:45:00.000-07:00

I've arrived! OK, technically, I have been here for DAYS, but I've been held up in posting by 1) the gimpy right ankle, 2) jetlag, 3) jetlag, and 4) a frightful lack of photos. Mostly no photos because I just go to work everyday and back (that gimpy right leg!) and also because I just don't have the asian tourist in me which will photograph anything at any time!

So. Here's my place! I didn't photograph the outside yet, but you can see it on the website: 55 Yurong Street

It started off not so great as I was on crutches and arrived and NO one was around to let me know. Thankfully, after asking 5 random strangers to help a girl on crutches out by calling the management for me, a nice man came to my rescue! 15 minutes later, the manager came to let me in and I proceeded to hand over $1760 in AUD. Man!

But here is my place:

Ok, will tell you more later! Well, in a new blog entry. :)

Up, up and away!!!

2010-02-05T23:03:00.000-08:00

Day 4:

Today was the day we explored Abel Tasman National Park. It started off with me going on my Paragliding adventure, and boy did I luck out – the weather was in ideal conditions for the flight, good temp, little wind. In short, perfect! I was still sad that mom didn’t want to go, but oh well! I tried a couple more times before I went up, to no avail.

The flight in one word was spectacular. We flew around the mountains over Khangerei Park to the left and Abel Tasman on the right. From there, after seeing the famous sinkholes, we flew to the coast and started down the coastline. The park from the air on a clear day was awesome. The water was clear and a lovely azure, teal, it changed depending on the depth of water. We saw stingrays below the water and some black dots that were maybe the fur seals? But basically saw the beautiful beaches and got stories. A Bark Bay, there was the 85-yo man who back in the day squatted on the land and now has a lovely house with a new roof just replaced last year. How sad that when he dies, the house will then be owned by the National Park who plans to tear the house down. We flew over Split Apple Rock – cute! – and then back to the hangar… where, what a surprise, mom all dressed up in a flight suit! Yippee! Mom decided that she just couldn’t pass up on the beautiful weather and the content faces of the people who went before her (there was a German guy who went up before me). She had a lovely time and is glad she went!

After that experience, we decided to go on the scenic boat tour along the coastline. It afforded us views completely different from the flight which was great. And this time we saw a seal! Ok, maybe we saw TWO seals. After that, we decided to make it a restful day and just head back to the hostel to make ourselves a delicious dinner on the grill then bed! Tomorrow we head off to see some pancake rocks and some glaciers. I think.

Land of the Hobbits… and Sheep

2010-02-05T00:32:00.000-08:00

Mom, Dad, and I have arrived in New Zealand! Well, we’ve been here a couple days and it’s definitely been busy starting from day 1. I arrived after my 14 hour flight (complete with crying baby) and met up with Mom and Dad at Christchurch airport. From there, we rented our hatchback and then we were off!

Left, left, left – this has become our daily chant as we drive around South Island. Along with Baa, Baa, Baa… and Moo, Moo, Moo… you can guess what our most frequent sightings have been.

Day One:

We drove from Christchurch to Kaikoura where we had a lovely lunch (dad chose the best thing that day, the black cod). We stopped by one Marlborough winery, Montana Winery, which also produces Brancott wines. I bought a lovely Sauvignon Blanc. From there, we went to the Queen Charlotte Sounds area where we stayed at Anakiwa at a lovely Hostel. It was definitely not your typical hostel and was very very nice. We drove to Havelock for dinner where, since they are famous for their green lipped mussels, we had, yup, you guessed it, green lipped mussels for dinner! Delicious! And also delicious were the Nelson scallops which had the muscle-thingy still attached – it was beautiful looking and delicious!

Day Two:

The theme of the day: Splish, Splash, I was taking a bath…

So we opted to head out to try and find Sawcut Gorge which, from pictures seen in a tour guide, was AWESOME – stand at the entrance of a narrow gorge and then walk in ankle deep water within the gorge. We looked it up, and according to the directions on the NZ DOC website, drive 12 km on gravelly road, go thru private land (so leave the gates as found) and then from there, it would be a 1.5 hour one-way trip to the Gorge. It would require Waima River crossing. With these detailed directions, we started on our trek and all was going well until we hit a fork in the road… and yup, you guessed it, we chose POORLY. So, we went for quite a few km driving through lots of tall grass and brush up until we hit the big drop off in the road that would require a 4WD car – which we didn’t have. So we turned around, sad that we chose the wrong road. We decided to drive out to the main Hwy to make sure we were even at the right river (we were!) and on this detour, we went to the beautiful beach and had our picnic sandwich lunch out of the hatchback. Refueled, we decided to try again for Sawcut Gorge.

We drove out and made it and despite the not-so-excited (not so impressed with the Gorge apparently) caretaker of the visitor log, we headed out on our hike! After several river crossings where Mom and Dad faithfully took off and re-put on their hiking shoes, they finally, fed up, decided to hike the remaining crossings in their hiking shoes. I finally caved too. Pants hiked to above our knees, we crossed the river at least 12 times, climbed up a rocky path, endured Mom getting stabbed in her shin by a dead branch, but we finally made it to… a lovely view. We were so exhausted by this point, and after dad and I went off on a scouting mission and found that the Gorge itself was still at least a good 20-30min hike over many boulders, we decided to forgo the Gorge itself.

Headed back, we were doing well but a little hypoglycemic. I should have eaten the darn powerbar in my bag, but I kept telling myself, “I’m fine, it’s just a little longer.” Well, as I waded through the mid-calf clear river water, I could feel myself starting to lose my balance. Everything moved in slow motion, and as I kept taking steps left to try and prevent the inevitable fall, I had only one thought in my head, “SAVE THE CAMERA AND CAMERA BAG!” Which, as I landed flat on my butt in the river, in JEANS mind you, I waved my Rebel and camera bag in the air and yelled at mom and dad, “Forget me, SAVE THE CAMERA!!!!!” Repeatedly. Mom and Dad, as a mom and dad, were of course more concerned with getting me out of the water. And, of course, by this time I was laughing my wet ass off which didn’t help matters. Poor mom, she got pulled into the river too trying to pull me out of the water. Sorry Mom! Luckily, my camera and its attachments survived, and I walked around in wet jeans the rest of the day. :) Too bad there wasn’t a video or camera of these events!

**Audrey, after the jump. Or rather, the slip, fall, whatever.**

Day Three:

We drove from Anakiwa to Motueka in anticipation of our Abel Tasman National Park explorations. We arrived around 11:30 AM and decided to drive up to Totaranui and the Pupu Springs. After a nice curvy mountain road (apparently 365 turns!), we ended up at the Mussel Inn and had an all-organic lunch (they even make their own sodas – and beer!) and then off to Totaranui! The beach was lovely and we arrived there safely despite crazy 4WD-driving maniacs who drive WAY too insanely on gravel unsealed roads with sheer cliffs on one side. Home-made dinner at the hostel and our day was done…

On a side note, I LOVE my Canon Rebel XSi. Best purchase EVER. And so is the telephoto zoom lens. And my filter. I think I may have converted my parents. :)

Hawaii...

2009-09-07T21:22:00.001-07:00

Much needed relaxation and rest in the wonderful state of Hawai'i! I'd like to believe I am Kama`aina but let's be honest, I'm a malihini!

The first week on the big island was wonderful not only for all the stuff we saw, but all the wonderful people I got to see again after moving away 28 years ago!!! Most of call, Auntie Nishimoto and her daughter (and our wonderful host), Bev:

Uploading is slow, so only a couple more pics for now... This first one is for my sis!

Green Sand Beach:

The beautiful water of Southpoint:

Shannon and me!