London - An Aside

More stories from New Zealand (and now, Italy!) to come, but for now, a rant.

I just got off the London Tube feeling completely defeated and befuddled. At 4:30 PM, the platforms of both tube stations I utilized were packed with dark wool coats and a blur of bags. People were trying to get on the train, but no one was getting out (to accommodate the folks going in and out), and everyone huddled and packed themselves against each other in a 4 by 4 feet area by the doorsdumb sheep style. There should be a law against that. There should also be laws against massive people whose flesh spill over into the adjacent seats. And another law against people who don't remove their backpacks to make space for one more person in the train. I've given this subject a lot of thought. Mostly on the Bedford station platform of the L train when it was 8:30 AM, and three trains had passed by me with ostensibly no space for one more. I get furious, a quiet fury that makes me imagine doing unspeakable and bloody deeds to MTA officials and the apathetic MTA employees who threaten to strike for more wages and benefits, and the heartless MTA officials who have to placate riotous parties on both sides by hiking up the fare for struggling New Yorkers who don't seem to have any representation in this entire discussion, it's not even up for discussion, it just is, and prices just go up (much like gas), suddenly, on a date as final as Judgement Day as deemed by the MTA. (This may not really be an accurate representation of MTA issues, but this is just my interpretation.) I want to hurt them all.

I haven't had to deal with the MTA in months as I've been traveling and breathing fresh air under clear blue skies and dipping my toes in cold, babbling brooks and all that crap, but being in London brought it all back in one rush-hour trip. Public transportation during rush hour, anything during rush hour, makes me hate all of humanity.

Anyways.

On an utterly girly note, I got my eyebrows done by an artist (whose talents I would equate to Michelangelo or Titian), and I have never been so pleased. She spent an entire half hour on them! They're fabulous. I look like a pampered celebrity from my forehead to my browline.

Sleeping, or lack thereof

I hate being awake when the birds start to chirp. You know you are up way too early when the birds have the streets all to themselves.

New Zealand - A Wellington Birthday

13 February, 2009

Thanks for all the lovely birthday wishes on facebook and via email!! I can't tell you how much I miss everyone in the States (and everywhere) despite the wonderful adventures I'm having. And a big thank you for reading my blog. As I've said to a few of you, it's incredibly encouraging to know I have a few readers out there, and that my thoughts don't just float out and die in the Great Interwebspace.

I'm spending today lounging around in my bathrobe in a beautiful Wellington hotel room. A glitterly bouquet of roses and a huge English breakfast were delivered earlier today. I am spoiled rotten, indeed. Pictures to come.

Shameless Plug #2 - Te Anau Lodge

2 -5 February, 2009

I can't rave enough about this place. If you find yourself in New Zealand, I URGE you to stay a few nights here especially if you badly need a break from your claustrophobia-inducing campervan or if you're aching and sore from oh, I don't know, say a 4 day-3 night hike through the fjordlands (Milford Track).

This place is a beautiful new and old little lodge with just 8 rooms, 2 of the most hospitable and friendly people in NZ, and 1 very sweet black Labrador named Josie.

The property is a large stretch of well-tended lawn with a rustic herb garden of basil, some dehydrated mint, and rosemary roughly framing a brick patio. A rusty bicycle leans against the laundry room (open to guests). On a clear day, the lake and its surrounding mountains are shades of blue and perfectly visible. Amid this peaceful atmosphere, you'll find clean, bright, welcoming rooms and 2 hosts, Matt and Chloe, who invite you into the lodge like it's their home. It's the little things that you'll find irresistible and fantastic here, and you'll also probably find yourself booking a room for another two nights (like Stu and I). Stu and I were supposed to spend just one night here to relax and recover and then jump back on the road to our next destination. Instead, we shifted around the rest of our itinerary for South Island, and begged Matt to let us vagabonds stay for two more nights.

What was it exactly that made us stay? It was a combination of the following listed below in no particular order:

1) Pieces of freshly baked, homemade cakes in the beautiful library/lounge upstairs (the carrot cake was delicious) with as much coffee and tea as you like.

The Library/Lounge

Delicious Carrot Cake!

2) Delicious continental and cooked breakfasts in the Chapel room in the mornings.

Continental breakfast spread


Cooked Breakfast

3) The fact that the lodge was a converted convent from 1936. It was literally moved, piece by piece, from a place called Nightcaps in South Dunedin to the town of Te Anau. There are photos and a little album of the entire process and its careful restoration displayed in the library.

4) Matt standing at the door to the patio and calling for his dog Josie.

5) Usually I don't care about this stuff, but little touches like the brightly polished timber wood floors, rimu wood panels and framing, bathroom tiles with paua shell details, and vintage suitcases as doorstops convinced me that a lot of work and thought had been invested in this place.

Suitcase Doorstop

I'm sure I can go on and on, but I think you get the idea. Plus I should leave the rest to be discovered first-hand.

Thanks to our wonderful hosts Matt and Chloe at Te Anau Lodge.

Shameless Plug #1 - Kapiti Ice Cream

The best ice cream in the world is in New Zealand. Well, I don't have the research to back up that statement, but I'm working on it.

Kapiti Ice Cream, made by Kapiti Fine Foods Ltd., is incredibly delicious and creamy, deserving all the gold awards it received from the NZ Ice Cream Awards. (Sidenote: Kiwis seem to have awards for everything. We saw a tiny residential street awarded with "Best Street 2007" in Taupo.) The source of the name Kapiti is this beautiful region which was shrouded in low clouds and pouring rain when we drove through.

Bush Fires

I understand now why New Zealand has these signs posted along the state highways all across the nation. It's mostly a good thing, I think, that one can sense the heavy presence of the NZ government's hand. But that's wandering into another topic altogether.

For this entry, I just want to acknowledge all the brave firemen and rescue workers (some sent by NZ's prime minister) and the victims of the tragic bushfires in Australia. I hope all your friends and family down under are safe.

New Zealand - Skydiving

13 January, 2009

We were picked up at 9 AM to go skydiving by a "Kane" who had spiky brown hair with sandy blond highlights which was carefully swept over with plenty of hair gel like a contemporary interpretation of Mike Score from A Flock of Seagulls. He drove the van (which was empty of clients except us) fast and kept using his cell phone to call his base and make worrisome comments like "Do you know of a petrol station by here? I'm running out of petrol, yeah?" He was dressed like a skater but had an inordinate fondness for top 40 pop songs - we heard it all - Britney Spears, Pink, and Katy Perry to indiscernible, angry techno. I fell asleep only because I was so exhausted by jet lag.

Next thing I know, we were off the main motorway and on a windy, two-way road that undulated between rolling hills and valleys. It felt like he was driving really fast at this point, and the music was turned up louder since the engine was working harder, and suddenly, we arrived at a sign - NZ Skydive.

The place seemed like a hangout for skaters or truants. The office was a reinterpreted 2 bedroom home with shabby furnishings - worn, dirty carpeted hallway, a bare bathroom with no soap and a suspicious dark brown hand towel. Although there were anywhere from 10 to 15 guys milling about, nobody really spoke to us save the fat receptionist with pasty thick eyeliner and badly highlighted hair. She was relatively friendly until you started requesting things from her like a cup of water, then she became rather unhelpful and dismissive.

The guys all looked like aging skaters, others looked like they were barely out of high school, and a few looked like they were trying really hard to fit in. Four guys sat on an old velor couch watching videos of skydiving. Three or four more guys were gathered around a large Mac computer monitor watching more skydiving footage.

Finally, a guy named Jari took us aside with a curt "Let's get you in your jumpsuits" (in a thick Finnish accent) and didn't bother to introduce himself until Stu was in his jumpsuit and ready for the harness. I guess he thought it was best to introduce himself right before he got nice and intimate with us on the plane. Then we sat around in a stifling, air condition-less room until an older man came in with a colorful canopy (parachute) bag. The attention of the lounging guys turned, and several guys went over to talk to the man. This was Tony - the chief safety officer with over 12,000 jumps under his belt. He was my man. I was going tandem with this guy, the top dog. He was probably only in his late forties but his face was weathered like an old sailor's.

We were driven to the plane on the back of a truck like a hayride to our impending deaths. The driver/pilot looked like a 'Nam vet with a leathery, wrinkled face, aviator glasses (probably hiding his glass eye), and long greasy salt and pepper hair tucked under a trucker hat. He wore a long sleeved camouflage top and black denim cut-off shorts showcasing his hairy tanned legs.

Getting ready for the thrill of my life

We boarded (more like climbed and crawled) into the tiniest airplane I've ever seen. It was possibly the first plane ever manufactured, something straight out of Casablanca. We sat completely squished together so I didn't know whose limbs I was pressed against. Tony sat in the back, I sat facing him with our legs intertwined. Jari sat next to me with Stu between his legs, like lovers on a beach. My right leg lost feeling, not that it mattered before my fall to what seemed like sure death.

I expected the flight to be nauseating but it was quite pleasant to fly thousands of feet above the rolling hills and farms outside of Auckland - the same view we had flying into Auckland. Then I remembered that I wasn't just taking a ride, and my only way back was to jump out of that plane. We flew up to 12,000 feet which didn't really sound like too much in the brochure but definitely felt like a lot when saw farmhouses turning into tiny dots.

Stu jumped out first with Jari. There were several parts that were equally terrifying but each seemed to trump its predecessor. The first part was when Jari unlatched the flimsy plastic door which immediately snapped open and let the cold air blast in. It was misty and gray. We were in the middle of a cloud. The second most terrifying moment was when Stu hung off the side of the plane, his legs swinging beneath the side of the plane, and then suddenly disappeared into the gray mist. The third came when Tony started scooting us (I was attached to him by this point) towards the open door, effectively pushing me towards the edge. For a split second, I saw swirling mist and the absolute nothing beneath my feet. As instructed, I immediately tilted my head back (I didn't want to see what was or wasn't beneath me anyway) and held my arms in a cross against my chest like the sign language for "I love you". I didn't have time to be scared. I just remember my mind going blank and Tony saying, "Ready, darling"? I think I nodded and all I felt was his heaving stomach and barrel chest pressing against my back. He pushed off, and we spun through the frigid air in the most terrifying way. I forgot to breathe, but my mouth was open, and at one point in mid-tumble to earth, I felt my ears popping really, really painfully. The pressure made these sharp, painful snaps in my ears. I noticed that my mouth had become completely dry, and I finally shut it. At some point, Tony tapped my shoulder and I was free to release my arms and legs into a frog position. Apparently, we experienced about 45 seconds of free fall which was both an eternity and a flash. Tony pulled a cord, and I was violently jerked upright, the harness dug into my legs. While we were free falling, Tony had tapped my shoulder and pointed out the scenery which boggled my mind. How can you pay attention to some damn hills and cows when you're hurtling to the earth at god knows what speed? But, once we were floating with the parachute, I was able to close my mouth and look around. It was peaceful and extremely breathtaking. The only distractions I had were my popping ears, headache, and straps digging into my legs. But what a view!

It's a shame that we didn't opt for any pictures or video, but I'll be skydiving again in the near future, I'm sure. It's a highly recommended activity!

http://www.nzskydive.co.nz/

I Heart NY

Missing New York, family, and friends.

Creative Interpretations of NY

Thanks to my old roommate Helen for the link.

**Erratum: Please note a correction to the first draft of this entry. The above should be "Thanks to my old beloved roommate Helen for the link." Apologies to all offended parties (Helen). Love!

New Zealand - Day of Firsts cont'd

13 January, 2009 continued.

I left off with the promise of detailing more exciting firsts. I drove on the left side of the road for the first time in my life. I was extremely nervous, thinking that I might somehow forget what I was doing and wander into the other side of the road when making a turn. But you quickly get the hang of it. The trick is to focus on staying as close as possible to the right side since we American drivers have a tendency to wander to the left, dangerously approaching the curb or another car. Though everything feels pretty much the same, the one thing I really dislike is passing cars going the other direction on a State Highway. Despite its grand title, New Zealand's state highways are more like long, winding, 2-lane country roads. When you pass cars or trucks going the other way at a 100 kmph, it feels like you're going to scrape the right side against the other vehicle's but just narrowly miss! I do not like that feeling at all. I don't know what it is, but it seems different when the driver's seat is on the left side.

The next first experience was skydiving, but that definitely deserves its own entry.

New Zealand - Day of Firsts

13 January, 2009

We picked up the Spaceship on this day. What is the Spaceship you ask? Why, it's only our home for the next 5 weeks. It is the campervan of all campervans: bright orange, fully visible from any point in New Zealand, fully decked with a mini fridge that freezes your produce and a gas stove that dangerously swings out from the back of the passenger seat while preventing the passenger from comfortably leaning back on long rides (due to the large gas tank tucked behind the seat), and and and, a full mattress bed in the back where you can stretch out your legs (but don't sit up!) and watch a DVD at your leisure. We were blessed with the Eclipse on our first leg (one week in North Island).

The Eclipse (Yes, it's missing a hubcap.)

So this day was the day of many firsts for me. It was the first day I had ever driven on the left side of the road! Actually, back up. This day was the first day I've ever driven a van so old and yet so brightly painted. For your edification, the van's other awesome features include a moon roof and a sun roof for the illusion of added space, full sets of cutlery and cookware for two, as well as a little pantry for your food, a solar shower, and awnings for the side and the back. Anyone jealous yet? But the best feature has to be, and still is, its ability to attract the attention of other Spaceships on the road (thanks to its blindingly orange hue) so you can wave and smile in secret society solidarity that only truckers and bus drivers have had the privilege to do. Awesome.

More to come on my day of firsts, and please stay tuned for future entries such as "3 Day, 2 Night Kayak Trip in Abel Tasman National Park", "New Zealand Phrases for $400, Alex", "4 Day, 3 Night Great Walk on Milford Track", "Holy Crap Strap", and "Character Sketch - Lake Matheson"!

Pooped. Going to bed. Shong out.

New Zealand - Auckland Jan 12

My first incident in New Zealand (and trust me, not the last). It happened on the first day, well, first hour, of arrival, if you want to be technical. I ran the luggage cart into the damn curb, sending our bags flying everywhere. That curb came out of nowhere I tell you! Apologies to that Toyota.

On a separate note, those are the only pieces of luggage I have until April! And two of those bags aren't even mine. Not bad, huh?

At the Auckland Airport

New Zealand Jan 12 - Feb 17

I'm in Queenstown (starting drafting this entry there, now I'm in Te Anau) at the moment, and it feels a bit strange to be writing about these places and days past. Time has been flying by, but it also seems like we've been traveling for a long time. Being on the road, on the go all the time, and living out of a soccer mom van (a Toyota Estima) makes one lose sense of time and place. Every holiday park, communal kitchen, public toilet, and dairy (deli/convenience store) starts to blend in and look the same, not to mention most of the tiny villages dotting the lengths of New Zealand's gritty state highways.

Auckland is a really nice city, although parts of it remind me of other cities. A friend said, after some extensive travel, that cities started to blend together for her, and they started to look the same. Auckland, Sydney, San Francisco, Honolulu, Buenos Aires, Lima are beginning to blur into one big urban entity for me these days. But language, faces, particular nooks, and especially, cleanliness are what make places unique in my memory. Auckland, and New Zealand in general, is extremely clean, and trash in public spaces is few and far between.

The below is a public park in Sydney. It's a bit hard to tell in this picture, but all the white dots are white plastic grocery bags. The entire park was covered in these plastic bags blowing in the wind everywhere like in American Beauty except it wasn't beautiful, it was just plain dirty.

In any case, New Zealand is pristine and beautiful so far (starting week 4). It's a very developed country that is quite under-developed at the same time. That thought to be explained in future entries...

First view of New Zealand


First view of Auckland

Sydney Jan 11 - 12

We didn't have more than a full day and night here, unfortunately, but definitely a town on my list to visit properly. After all, I didn't have enough meals in one day to really experience the city.

I'm always surprised to come across Korean diaspora around the world. It's always a bit unexpected when I run into a Korean restaurant in places I'd never think Koreans could adapt to or adopt. But one's nostalgia for home never seems to disappear, and so far, I've been able to locate a Korean food joint wherever I go - Prague, Cuzco in Peru, Queenstown in New Zealand, and Sydney.

I must have gone to the wrong Korean restaurant in Sydney because my dolsot bibimbop (the hot stone bowl bibimbop - not going to bother explaining it here because my blog is for lovers of all foods, but especially Korean food) was seriously lacking the mysterious vegetables my mom had dubbed "mountainvegetablesjusteati,it'sgoodforyou" and no bulgogi meat! Perhaps the restaurant was serving up the recession special bibimbop. At least they didn't skimp on the gochujang sauce and gave me the whole bottle. Disappointed.

Dinner, although much more expensive, wasn't too much better. What I should've had were the massive crayfish that were suspended in large tanks at the Sydney Aquarium. What I had instead was the 7 course tasting menu at Aria. The executive chef of this place is Matthew Moran who didn't let you forget it with his autographed cookbooks prominently and tackily displayed everywhere for sale. And (surprise!) he reminded you that they were available for purchase ($40) on his menu and with your bill. The best courses were an entree of this incredibly savory and silky Peking duck consomme with shaved abalone, mushrooms, and dumplings, all enveloped by a shiny coat of truffle oil, and the dessert of a chilled peach soup with a raspberry ice cream cannelloni and ginger gelee bits. I've noticed that cool fruit soups for dessert is really popular, and I'm all for this trend. It's really refreshing in the summer.

Peking Duck Consomme



Chilled Peach Soup

I'd say the most winning aspect of the restaurant was the view of the majestic Sydney Opera House, and the most lackluster was its spotty service. I felt rushed to get out, understandable since it was late on a Sunday night, but our server had to be reminded several times to bring around cocktail menus and a copy of the tasting menu. All chalked up to an "ok" experience for the price. I'm definitely coming back for Tetsuya, a fabled unforgettable experience for a gourmand (or just a little ol' food lover like me).

Aria Restaurant

View of Sydney Opera House from our table



Sydney Harbour Bridge at Night



Sydney Opera House at Night

JAL Jan 9 - Jan 11

Sweet Jesus, JAL, where have you been all my life? If I had known, if only, if only I had known about the food on this airline. I would have gone out of my way to fly JAL everywhere! I took photos for your viewing pleasure, of course.

The presentation was impeccable, delicate, and precise, in a very Japanese fashion. To the left is a little amuse bouche of beef and salmon sashimi, and some kind of roe I can't remember now. Of course, the food wasn't nearly as good as a meal freshly prepared in a restaurant, but it's as good as you can get some 30,000-odd feet in the air. JAL fed us extremely well with a constant supply of rice crackers, soybean snacks, and a sort of gourmet selection of steaming hot cup o' noodles (your choice of soba, udon, or ramen noodles) whenever we so desired! Not to mention the extensive beverage selection of shochu, sake, beer, liquor, and delightfully fizzy Japanese sodas.

the Japanese Omakase dinner


Mango Dessert and Green Tea

The Menu


A Snack

I took a long hot shower in the Japan Airlines lounge which felt great after a 1o hour flight from Honolulu to Tokyo. The best part(s) about flying JAL besides their food was the attentive service and the little amenities - refreshing eye mask, face mask (so your nose and throat don't dry out while sleeping, and it can also be worn around Tokyo so you blend in with everyone else wearing a face mask).

Badass

Honolulu Jan 6 - Jan 9 Part II

I can't leave Hawaii without touching upon its food. To sum up, Hawaii's cuisine is general fatty goodness. I don't want to know what they put in their meat products, and I really don't care. It is tasty all-American stuff with an Asian twist. Chili, Spam, "all beef" franks come with a side of rice and some processed cheese, and gravy too if you request the heart-attack special.

The "fanciest" meal we had was at Alan Wong's in Honolulu. Located on a major street of 3 lanes and tucked away on the 3rd floor of a nondescript office building, I didn't have very high expectations. I was especially disappointed in the restaurant's choices of chain restaurant decor (like muted pastel green and mauve colors), orangy lighting, creaky metal restroom doors, cheap paper towels and an unsightly plastic soap dispenser. I know, I know I sound snotty, but at the prices this place was charging, this "fine" dining establishment had taken a lot of liberty downgrading the details.

My impressions continued to be negative. I noticed a dirty fork by my chair that had been carelessly overlooked by the staff. The uniforms were mismatched bargain bin ties with equally mismatched white button-down dress shirts. Clearly, the staff were given loose guidelines and had been told to supply their own uniforms. The service was friendly but a bit harried, and I think I remember my silverware was from different sets, but I may just be imagining things.

The cuisine was a sort of Pacific Rim-European fusion. The first dish appeared. I held my breath expecting to food to be equally disappointing. It was... shockingly good! Although everything was a bit too salty (even for a savory, salt-lick loving lady like me), the food was well prepared with each bite savory, layered, flavorful. My main course of seared Ahi steak was perfectly seared and seasoned, and the middle was a cool, raw pink.

The below was my starter of kimchi spring rolls, lettuce and shiso leaves (to be eaten like a Vietnamese spring roll), cucumber kimchi, and fried tofu (or maybe it was a seafood cake). The most delightful course was the dessert. We didn't even get a shot of it because it was gobbled up before we remembered to get out the camera. It was the Haupia Tapioca "Halo Halo" which was like the best fruit cup I've ever had. The tapioca came with a mini fruit salad of Hamakua Springs apples, bananas, pineapples, mango kanten, sweet corn, Azuki beans, and coconut shaved ice. It was so refreshing.

Everything was ono at Alan Wong's!!

Honolulu Jan 6 - Jan 9 Part I

I met Stu's parents for the first time which I thought would have defined my entire stay in Honolulu, but the effect of that experience didn't hit me until much later. Stu and I were so busy catching up with friends, snorkeling, sightseeing, and eating our meals out that we barely ran into his folks. His house was very quiet, very much the empty nest with the absence of 3 grown children. I made sure to tiptoe around and close doors quietly lest I disturb the peace. Part of what made it so quiet was the beautiful garden and yard around Stu's house. There were fruit-laden tangerine, pear, pomelo trees, blooming lavender and white hydrangeas, lush avocado and lychee trees, bamboo for fencing, and these massive, majestic ceramic urns dark with water plants and tiny fish.

Each morning of my stay, I was woken up by the sound of insistent quacking outside the window. As Stu had warned me, ducks appeared up the side of a small hill to get their daily bread that Stu's father threw out the master bedroom window every morning. They waddled around, assembling themselves in some sort of rehearsed order and looked up expectantly. Sure enough, pieces of stale white bread fell from the sky. Though it was 7 AM, I was on my great adventure, and perfectly content to put up with their happy noise.

That evening was my first walk on Hawaii's beaches. We drove to Waikiki and walked on the sand on our way to dinner.

The next day we went snorkeling out in Hanauma Bay. I'm actually pretty terrified of water although completely in love with beaches and the ocean. The thought of drowning in bottomless, dark water conjures up a stomach-dropping feeling in me. Though we were snorkeling in shallow water with no large animals, it was difficult to manage the most menial or automatic tasks like standing or breathing in and out of my mouth. Transitioning from a swimming position to a standing position and going in and out of the water proved to be tricky as I tended to panic like a fish out of water.

There weren't too many fish, but I think the conservation effort will reverse that in the future. Where locals used to drive straight up to the bay and snorkel, a parking lot was created with a specific entrance and fees as well as the mandatory viewing of an informational 9 minute film about the Bay's delicate coral reef. Basically, you're not supposed to step on it, making most of the Bay's floor a landmine-like environment. Whatever it takes to keep Hawaii beautiful.

The Bay Area

I couldn't believe how cold the Bay Area was! California always makes me think of sun and warmth and people with fake or real tans. But SF/Oakland didn't seem too much warmer than blustery New York. Of course it was actually a lot warmer, but I don't think I was dressed appropriately in a t-shirt and a thin jacket.

I was exhausted on my way to SF. I probably had frog eyes and a swollen face from my last hurrah in New York. Thanks to everyone who came out and humored me through my drunken stupor - especially when I couldn't control the volume of my voice in the diner, post-drinking.

SF was exactly the stop I needed before heading any further away from home. It was a moment to catch up with old friends, eat good food (I mean really good food), and sleep. My amazing hostess Kim let me do just that by stuffing me with fresh, delicious grub (every meal was memorable), and letting me sleep and sleep and sleep.

We started off the weekend with a really entertaining and informative tour through a chocolate factory which wasn't unlike Willy Wonka's chocolate factory. If only the pipes running along the ceiling were clear so the sweet dark brown liquid could be seen traveling above our heads! Oh, and there weren't any Oompaloompas. What a disppointment. The tour seemed pretty rehearsed, but there were moments of genuine enthusiasm from our guide, like when she passed around a sample of chocolate made from cacao beans grown by Japanese farmers in Brazil. This particular variety, called Tome-Acu, is grown in the Brazilian Amazon and is considered to be the closest in flavor to what the Mayans may have cultivated and consumed. Did you know that the first substance to be served to the public was theobromine in the form of chocolate (not caffeine in coffee or tea) in London back in 1657? Good stuff. Check it out: Scharffen Berger

After a little amuse bouche(s) of chocolate samples, we had dinner at the very fresh, very reasonably priced Pizzaiolo in Oakland. The chicken liver pate crostini was my favorite as well its castmates on the Winter Antipasti plate - hearty lentils and verdant kale. Runner up was the papperdalle with a really tasty chicken and pork ragu. Yum!

The next day, we had a homemade brunch and a walk through the colorful neighborhood of Mission. For dinner, we had a meal that always makes me feel at home - a Korean feast at Brothers in SF. But I have to say, the highlight of the meal was not the food. The highlight was watching Toronto Alex suddenly turn into a human vacuum, silently and methodically sucking up every last bit of meat off each rib, reaching across the 6 person table for the untouched banchan, and asking me if I was going to finish my oxtail soup. After having witnessed Alex eat 3 normal portioned meals more out of hunger and necessity, he was a sight to behold. He ate like it was his last meal. I guess you can take a boy out of Korea, but you can't take Korea out of the boy. We left reeking of kalbi, a scent I couldn't get out of my jacket until I did a load of laundry in Honolulu.

The rest of the weekend was filled with more sleep, more great meals, prolific chats, unexpected adventures and an unplanned trip to Berkeley Bowl.

Many thanks to Kim, Kirk, Alex, Meej, and Chinaka & Nate for the right start to my adventure that filled the tummy and the soul. ;) I left SF fully sated.

Great Adventure!

I'm off, I'm off!! The GREAT Adventure begins, has already begun! I've never traveled so extensively in my life, and I wasn't really sure what to expect. Everything sounds doable in theory, but what does "communal toilet/shower facilities" or "campervan" or "self-contained unit" really mean? Although it has only been two weeks, I've discovered living out of a suitcase gets old, fast. And let me tell you, living out of a van is especially tiring. Traveling has made time fly out of my grasp, and I can't seem to find a moment to sit down and catch my breath. BUT what I've seen and done in the last two weeks is more than I've done in a very long time with my life. I feel like I've accomplished a lot, that I've been really living.

My itinerary:

Jan 3 - Jan 6 --> San Francisco/Oakland/Bay Area
Jan 6 - Jan 9 --> Honolulu
Jan 9 - Jan 11 --> in the air, crossing the International Date Line/Narita Airport, Tokyo, Japan
Jan 11 - Jan 12 --> Sydney, Australia
Jan 12 - Jan 19 --> North Island Part I, New Zealand
Jan 19 - Feb 9 --> South Island, New Zealand
Feb 9 - Feb 17 --> North Island Part II, New Zealand
Feb 17 - Feb 18 --> in the air, crossing International Date Line/Hong Kong International Airport, Hong Kong
Feb 18 - Feb 20 --> London, UK
Feb 20 - Feb 26 --> Italy
Feb 26 - April ?? --> London, UK/To Be Determined
April?? --> Officially move to Hong Kong

More on my adventures in the next post...