Weekend Treats

Weekend Treats



I've been having a great ole time exploring. I went down to Wollongong for one weekend, Melbourne for another and last weekend walked the Bronte to Bondi Beach stretch again.



The train to Wollongong takes about one half hours - just enough time to leave the city behind and dream about visiting a new place by the sea. I had a beaut time catching up with Mum and Dad and other relatives. Mum had been there for 3 nights already so she had a favourite cafe and it quickly became my "fav" too. The coffee was excellent; the food a tasty mix of Greek and Australian. We were spoilt for cafe choice in this vibrant seaside community.



Back in Sydney I went to see My Fair Lady. Ooh what a treat. We had really great seats and the show was as foot tappingly wonderful as ever. I first saw it as a child and it was lovely to become re-acquainted with it. This production was very professional and fast moving with fantastically beautiful costuming.



Last weekend it was Melbourne's turn and of course the main reason for being in town was to see the netball....but I've already written about that.



They take the arts and coffee very seriously in this sophisticated city. Fantastic sculptures of all sorts are dotted around the walk ways and parks. As it was close to Melbourne Cup time, I was interested to see the magnificently crafted hats in the shops. They were noticeable in cafes too as women sat to rest awhile, their meticulous white hat boxes taking pride of place on the table top. I was not game enough to ask for a peep but it was ever so tempting!



Where to take my coffee stops was a constant challenge because there are many to choose from and I didn't want to waste a break in a sub-standard cafe. My sister introduced me to one. I am glad she accompanied me to My-ko cafe which is in a little back street off Bourke and close to King Street. They are very proud to serve fair trade coffee. My cappuccino was lovely with sweet notes on the palate. The hosts are very friendly and I loved the booth style table seating.



My other coffee find was Brother Baba Budan at 359 Little Bourke Street http://www.brotherbababudan.com.au/. Coffee IS their business. The crema on my long black looked (and was) thick and caramelly. The coffee was rich with complex flavours alighting my taste buds. Although the coffee was the highlight, being in the cafe itself was not an overly pleasant experience because it was too crowded. I was extremely impressed to note though, that when the barista changed, she brewed a "taster" for the manager to critique.



Then last weekend I was again on the Bronte to Bondi Beach walk to see the annual Sculpture by the Sea exhibition. What a joy! Such wonderful creativity presented in harmony with the cliff faces, parks, sea and rock-scape. I loved it. This is its twelfth year anniversary and it's on for about three weekends so if you're planning a trip to Sydney around this time next year, I would definitely recommend trying to combine it with this exhibition. Pam and Allan and I finished off (as you do) with a long lunch at Bondi Beach. What a great way to finish a superb day.



It's an interesting life and I haven't even had time to tell you about the course I am doing in Aborigine Culture. It is confronting; it's fascinating; it's extremely interesting.....maybe another time......



I'm missing........good bread. I can't find any - even the Baker's delight is different.



I'm loving........how close I am to everything here at my wee little place in Bondi Junction.

The newspapers are full of..........various scandals, news about how broke the NSW Government is and - last week the Melbourne Cup (from days and days before the event), the US elections etc



I'm surprised.........how much attention is given to the execution and comment around and about regarding the Bali bombers....I find it quite, quite offensive.



I'm reading..........Nothing!!!

Photos: My-Ko coffee
Images from Sculpture by the Sea

Nine Lives - The Road trip between Vang Vieng and Luang Prabang

If I were a cat I would most likely have used up at least eight of my nine lives on the road trip from Vang Vieng to Luang Prabang. The road is extremely windy, narrow and the driver of my mini bus a maniac of the first order!

But before surviving that trip I had three nights in Vang Vieng at the Ban Sabai Cottages http://www.xayohgroup.com/ in a magical spot on the bank of the Nam Song River. High cliffs form a dramatic backdrop. The tall mountains are angular, have mysterious looking valleys and are tucked one behind another in layers. When I was there the heat created a haze adding to the mystery but I am told that during the rainy season they are clear.

The river level is low and from the deck of the hotel, I spent several hours watching the water flow languidly past as I nursed a wine or BeerLao. It all makes for an extremely restful place to spend some time.

The town itself I hated. This really is back-packer town and anyone over 30 (oh gosh is that me!) is seriously outnumbered. The bars and cafes all look the same. I’m not joking when I say that within a 30 metre stretch of the road I walked past three cafes with people laying (wasted….“happy” pizzas perhaps?) on axe shaped cushions watching re-runs of the TV show Friends! I couldn’t wait to leave it. But before I did I had two memorable days away from the crassness in the township.

Tubing down the river on an inflated tractor tyre is a rite of passage for back packers and I joined the ranks. It was great fun. The trip is only 3.5 kms but it took us hours, mostly because one of the people I’d joined decided that this was his day to get drunk and so we stopped many times along the way! I hate to think about how much alcohol he consumed but he began the day with three or four mojitos. Each one is served in a small plastic bag with a straw so its nice and easy to take on the tube! At the last stop he got a small bucket of lao lao which is a strong local spirit, but before that beer and other spirits!

So can you imagine the state he was in? Thankfully we had a guide (Xeng – pronounced Sang) and he took care of the five year old and the drunks antics.

Meanwhile, I drifted slowly down the river away from him, enjoyed being cool and drank in the scenic mountains towering above us. It is a spectacular sight and sometimes, depending upon which view was the best, I tubed backwards so I could enjoy more of the mountains rising above me. We reached our destination some six hours after leaving the hotel. The trip was most enjoyable, but not the company.

One of the reasons the backpackers love this river is the music blaring out, the bars and the rope swings across the river and many choose to stop, imbibe and leap into the river. The people I went down the river with had visited Vang Vieng five months earlier but they were surprised at how many more bars (with accompanying loud music) and swings there were. It seems that someone gets a good idea (whether that be tee shirts, bars, swings, cushion covers or whatever) and then everyone else copies.

I booked the guide, Xeng, for the following day to take me out into the countryside. I left the hotel on the back of his scooter and we went through villages, rice fields, caves, rode across narrow bamboo bridges (yikes!), saw a Buddha in a cave and some bats too among other things.

We stopped for lunch at Pha Tang Resort which is right on the edge of the river and about 17 kms out of town. It’s quiet and beautiful, again with mountains rising right up in front of us. It’s hard to imagine a more perfect place to rest awhile.

I loved the day and enjoyed racing around the countryside. It was an extremely interesting day and having the company of Xeng awesome because he took me to places that would otherwise have been difficult for me to get to. I plied him with questions about the people and customs. It also meant I could stop and take photos when I wanted to. The photo of the four girls (probably about four or five years old) was taken in a village. They just played very happily together by the river without an adult in sight.

Xeng is a very special young man and I would use him (photo attached) again in a heartbeat, except I doubt I will visit Vang Vieng again. He can be contacted through the company he works for - www.laokim.com.

I’d heard all sorts of horror stories of the trip between Vang Vieng and Luang Prabang and now that I’ve done it, I agree with them. Everyone! The scenery on the trip is beautiful but in terms of motoring, it is one six hour journey I do not want to repeat.

The road winds up and up and around and around. Just when I thought that we couldn’t climb any higher we continued our journey up and up and up.

There are many very tight bends and not many straight stretches of road so when we got behind a slow vehicle, the driver would just overtake. The blind corners didn’t hinder his overtaking too often. It was hair raising.

I didn’t know whether to sleep so I wouldn’t know what was going on or stay awake to drink in all of the wonderful scenery. Of course I chose the latter option. But that meant I saw a couple of narrow escapes. Once I screamed as a truck came around the corner on the wrong side of the road and of course we were also on the wrong side; both drivers swerved and I swear the huge cab missed me by about 20 cm if that! It took several deep breaths to slow my heart beat. There were other close calls but not quite as close. If you were forced over the edge there would be no surviving it as barriers are few and very far between.

We had to stop or slow almost to a stand still many times for a variety of things:

Big articulated trucks on the side of the road, broken down or having a rest stop – very common and no warning – you would just come around the corner and there they were!

Wandering across the road:
A big fat goose
Mrs Pig and her piglets, curly tails held high and proud
A dog – it could hardly walk it was so fat along with numerous other dogs
Chickens and fluffy babies following behind, single file.
Cows
Goats
Children in dirty clothes or naked
Rocks piled on the side of the road – sometimes blocking one of the two narrow lanes.

The villages we passed through are very pretty. Most of the houses are flimsy and simply constructed with sheets of woven bamboo and roofs of palm leaves. Sometimes they are made of concrete and occasionally wood. The yards are dirt but are swept clean. There is no litter around (unlike southern Cambodia where, for much a trip through the countryside, you could be forgiven for thinking it was one big rubbish tip).

Sometimes on this trip north we passed through big villages. Many times though, high up in the hills, where extra dirt had been pushed when excavating the road, houses have been built on this reclaimed land – sometimes just a few of them, sometimes a dozen or so. Some of these dwellings are precariously cantilevered over the edge of the mountain with a huge drop down into the valley below. The children play in the only flat land available to them; right beside the road. People bathe within a metre of the roadside too.

The road through the villages was often straight so our driver sped on past, honking his horn to scatter a variety of animals and people out of our way.

Aside from traveling on the wrong side of the road and passing on blind corners, the other scary part of the trip for me was seeing, high up in the mountains, young men in the uniform of the youth, holding sub machine guns. Sometimes these weapons were held casually by their side, sometimes slung over their shoulder. At times these youths were alone, sometimes in pairs but once I saw a group of about a dozen. They were lounging, their guns menacingly arranged at the edge of the road, tee pee style, butts pointing skywards.

A lot of the land is being denuded, (even very steep mountains) and we passed many fires burning making the air thick with smoke. The smoke reaches Luang Prabang later in the day creating a haze over the town.

Now that I’ve arrived here, I am carrying on the tradition of telling horror stories about my trip between these two Laos towns along route 13. Having said that, it’s not a trip to be missed and I am still encouraging travelers heading south to consider taking it at least once because of the outstandingly beautiful scenery.

Luang Prabang is a delight and again I will probably stay longer here than originally planned. It is Lao New Year here so everyone is excited, accommodation in the town is full, and there is much celebration and festivals. I will tell you more in my next article.


I’m missing……..not understanding the customs. Much of what’s happening here is beyond my comprehension and I find that confusing.

Best coffee…..At Saffron by the Mekong in Luang Prabang. Its grown here too and is organic. The Arabica beans are grown especially for the café as a replacement crop for subsistence farmers who turned to growing opium poppies before it was outlawed and now coffee.

I’m loving…….wandering around the township taking photos here and there. It is very photogenic.

Bargain of the moment……..the lunch I bought for Xeng and me. It was more food than we could eat and two nice cold beers all for about $4.

Travelers love……tables in toilets or at least good hooks to hang the junk we carry around while going about what you need to do in these small spaces. Sometimes I've resorted to hanging my "hold-all bag" around my neck!

Taste sensation…….Iced teas – I’ve especially enjoyed watermelon of apple teas.

I’m reading……..Nights of Rain and Stars by Maeve Binchy. Unlikely plot and so, so perfect – all wrapped up in a fluffy pink paper with big exquisite bows and ribbons of cascading stars! Puerile. Not even good escapism.

Eating in Vientiane, Laos

Eating Places in Vientiane

Finally on the eve of my departure from Vientiane, people in the street are recognizing me; acknowledging me. The Lao people are shy and its taken time but slowly they “see” me.

I’ve changed breakfast spots – just for this morning. I’m at Le Banneton a french cafe and I’ve ordered a cappuccino and as always with a new place I wait, in anticipation for its delivery. Will it be a good coffee or one I want to leave? It arrives quickly and is presented with a flourish. The flavour is divine. It is smooth and flavorsome with a pleasant aftertaste which lingers on my palette. But the cappuccino itself is not well made. The pastry and bread selection here is superb and it inspires me to take a piece back to my hotel for a snack later. And I wonder why I’m not losing weight!

Their coffee is organic and fair trade coffee from the Jhai Estate. This is located in Bolaven Plateau which is in Southern Laos. Coffee was introduced to Laos by the French in the 1930’s. Coffee production went into decline with the war but is now a huge business. Whenever I read anything about Lao coffee they proudly proclaim its Fair Trade status. I’m all for Fair Trade – everyone has a right to be paid fairly for their efforts.

It’s very pleasant sitting here on a crudely constructed bench seat and wooden table watching the world go by. This is a quiet street traffic wise but the number of people wandering by keep it interesting; a mixture of locals and tourists.

Women wearing conical hats come past pushing big flat topped wheel barrow type contraptions loaded up with fresh vegetables. They have a set of scales ready to weigh the produce. Women from the shops and houses nearby come out and greet the seller and then they smell, feel and maybe buy. If it weren’t for the motor vehicles parked on the street or that I’m sitting at a café with a digital SLR camera in front of me, you could think it a scene from a bye-gone era.

A woman carrying baskets of food which hang from a sagging rod slung over her shoulder walks by. I’ve seen this a lot throughout my travels. They have an unusual gait, these vendors, which I imagine is attributed to the weight they carry every day. The gait is similar to the road walkers I’ve seen in the Olympic Games. The attached photo (sorry neither is the best quality – you just have to point and shoot or the moment is lost) is of a lady in Cheong Mon Beach, Thailand cooking my lunch. If the photo is clear enough you can see how much she carries – including fire.

My other favourite breakfast place is the Scandanavian Bakery which is by the fountain. I say breakfast place, but the set meal of cappuccino, fresh fruit salad and my choice of roll, cinnamon bun or croissant is enough for lunch as well. All for around $2.40 (and yes, I just checked my conversion). The quality of the food is extraordinarily good and it has a very pleasant atmosphere. By the way, the toilets at this Cafe are spotlessly clean. I might write an article about the toilets here in Asia sometime....but lets not mix it with food!

On my first day here I went to a river front place called SaBai Dee Café (actually this is the local greeting) and they have an extremely extensive menu. I got very excited when I saw their coffee menu and although it looked extremely good (and they served it with a cinnamon stick and a crockery spoon) the taste wasn’t very good. But…the fruit shakes here are superb and well worth another visit.

The other day I went to Sticky Fingers Café and Bar. My guide says it has the atmosphere of a Sydney café and describes it as being one of the best places to eat here, noting the cuisine as modern international. The first time I went I ordered a feta salad with balsamic dressing. It was my first salad for months and I thought I was in heaven. The taste was so fresh, the blend of flavours so perfect it sent my taste buds into orbit. But, I didn’t like the atmosphere. I’m not sure why. I gave them the benefit of the doubt and put down to me (perhaps I was out of sorts, hot or whatever) or that the staff were having a bad day. I went back a second time but I experienced the same feeling so although I loved the food, I’m not going to try it again.

Of course the JoMa Bakery Café is a favourite haunt and the food and coffee consistently excellent. They serve their own blend of coffee and both the cappuccino and espresso are very good. They offer small or large options. Once I tried a large cappuccino. It was indeed large and served in a mug. Three quarters of the mug was thick frothy milk – probably the thickest I’ve had. The only complaint is that they serve them with a sprinkle of cinnamon. Yuk! One day I tried asking for chocolate on top but my request was not understood. When in Rome….. and it’s a no fuss place to while away some time, people watching, writing or reading.

The police presence on the street is very noticeable today. They are standing around all of the corners in large groups. They are tense too. Occasionally I see young men with automatic guns. They hold their guns loosely by their sides. I’ve seen that on the streets and at the markets, here in Vientiane and Phnom Penh. It always unnerves me. What would it take for them to fire I always wonder?

People tell me that Vientiane is very busy and hot at present. They say it’s much nicer during January. But to me it doesn’t seem busy at all. I find it rather sleepy and that’s just fine by me. I love it here. I feel deliciously relaxed and comfortable here. So much so that I am sure I'm wandering around with a grin on my face all the time. Up until yesterday, I toyed with the idea of staying longer but tomorrow I leave for Vang Vieng – a four hour bus ride north. I’ve booked a place on the Song River – the Ban Sabai Bungalows. This area is famous for its caves and stunning limestone scenery.

After that I’m off to Luang Prabang which is even further north and then I’ll fly to Hanoi in Vietnam. But you’ll be hearing from me before that because I plan to be in Laos until my visa expires on the 23rd April.