The Road Forks

elephant beauty at patara elephant farm

Thu, 04 Feb 2010 03:21:09 CDT

at patara elephant farm

Bo Chang and his mother

Two weeks ago, we had the opportunity to be "elephant owners for the day" at Patara Elephant Farm, an organization devoted to the care, conservation, and breeding of elephants, in Chiang Mai. To do this amazing day justice, today's post is a pictoral view of these gorgeous animals and, in my next post, I will tell you all about our experiences bathing, feeding, riding, and swimming with our elephants.

Bo Chang, a 7-year old male

"If anyone wants to know what elephants are like, they are like people, only more so."

Peter Corneille, in Theatreprint

Elephant gathering grass at Patara Elephant Farm

Sai Thong, a female adult

"Writing a book is like washing an elephant: there is no good place to begin or end and it's hard to keep track of what you have already covered."

Anonymous

Elephant swimming and drinking water

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thai feast: asia scenic cooking class

Fri, 29 Jan 2010 05:39:02 CDT

asia scenic cooking class

Chicken satays

Thailand threatens to make us terribly chubby. We can't help ourselves in this country. On every street corner, in every tiny storefront, and in every market, we find vendors selling noodles, curries, satays, vivid fruit, and coconut water.

Roses, morning glory, chile pepper plant, vegetable spring rolls, fried insects, shallots at Chiang Mai market

We spend our days meandering through markets filled with fresh vegetables, fruit, smelly fish, and other . . . interesting . . . items. We have found vendors selling fried insects and yesterday we found one selling huge live frogs, tiny white rats, and splashing eels.

Chiang Mai Night Market

In the evenings, we haunt the night markets, searching out the stalls with the freshest ingredients and best looking marinades. On our third day, we decided that we needed to learn why the food here is about ten times better than the Thai food we get in the United States.

Asia Scenic cooking stations; miang kham

We booked a class at Asia Scenic Thai Cooking school, one of about fifteen cooking schools in Chiang Mai. After a visit to their organic garden and the local market, we began cooking.

Making spring rolls

Por pia tod (vegetable spring rolls)

We cooked seven --- yes, SEVEN --- courses and learned much about Thai cuisine in the process.

Cooking pad thai and pad see ew

Most Thai noodles, stir fries, and curries are seasoned using a simple formula: 1 teaspoon of sugar, 2 teaspoons of fish sauce (or soy sauce), and 3 teaspoons of oyster sauce (or mushroom sauce).

Som tum (green papaya salad)

We learned that Thais consider just one chile pepper in a dish to be merely "decorative." Our mouths disagreed when we tried two peppers in the green papaya salad.

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unexpected funeral at wat chedi luang

Tue, 26 Jan 2010 21:50:55 CDT

at wat chedi luang

Wat Phra Singh

We have observed that all long-term travelers have at least one common trait. And, no, it is not poor fashion sense, or a total disregard for a "responsible lifestyle," or even an interest in adventure sports. Rather, all backpackers seem to be glass-half-full sort of people who subscribe to the mantra that today is a good day and tomorrow is another good day waiting to happen.

Lighting a lotus candle; monk meditating amongst golden monk statues (he never moved!)

This strange, almost giddy sense of optimism is most apparent when you start talking to backpackers about the weather: on a rainy day, the long-term traveler will shrug and smile that he is glad to have the chance to relax and work on the computer; in the blistering heat, they smile and agreeably remark that at least it isn't raining; and in the wintry cold, they smile and talk about how great it is that they aren't hot and sweating. And, now, it has happened to us. I don't know exactly when or how our mindset shifted but we have now become those cheery people we used to mock.

Wat Chedi Luang

A prime example is our attitude over this last week. We left Chennai with the souvenir of a chest cold, one of those brutal affairs where our bodily organs fought to escape through our throats and exhaustion seeped into our skin and bones when we did anything more than walk for a few minutes. This should have embittered our spirits, annoyed us, and left us yearning to go home. Instead, we kept referring to the cold as a blessing in disguise.

Inside Wat Chedi Luang; reclining Buddha; monks receiving tribute; festival-goers

It happened like this. On Sunday, we planned to go to two of the most famous temples, or wats, in Chiang Mai: Wat Phra Sing and Wat Chedi Luang, located about five minutes from each other. Instead, after a thirty-minute walk around Wat Phra Sing, we were so dead tired that it was all we could do to get some lunch and grab a tuk-tuk to take us back to our hotel. We spent our afternoon nursing our throats and lungs with equal parts Robitussin and Strepsils, irritated that we had not been able to see much of Chiang Mai that day.

Hamsa (goose with elephant head)

The next morning, we walked to Wat Chedi Luang, expecting to quickly walk through the grounds and spend the rest of the day seeing other wats. At first, we didn't understand why the wat was packed with people inside and out, why everyone was in either strictly black or white, and why pictures of an older monk stood throughout the complex. We were amazed by a gorgeous mammoth statue that looked like a goose with the head of an elephant. At the back of the temple grounds, an endless series of tents had been constructed with plates among plates of food, offered free to all who entered the temple.

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pongal at mahabalipuram

Fri, 22 Jan 2010 22:06:31 CDT

at mahabalipuram

Pongal pot, boiling over

Last week, we celebrated the harvest festival Pongal, India’s version of Thanksgiving. It wasn’t the type of Thanksgiving we have in the United States where we gorge ourselves on turkey, sweet potatoes, and apple pie, and spend the afternoon watching football. Instead, on Thursday, the temple bells started clanging at 5:00 a.m., marking the start of this year’s holiday. Rangoli, elaborate chalk drawings in vibrant colors, laid at the entrance of every home and incense greeted us as we walked to the neighborhood temple.

Young coconuts

My grandmother filled the Pongal pot with pongal, a combination of rice, water, and lentils, that is as integral to the holiday as turkey is to Thanksgiving. The minute it boils, we all cried out, “Pongalo, Pongal, Pongalo, Pongal.” If the boiling water spills to the south, it marks good luck for the coming year; only after we saw it boil over, did we realize that my grandmother’s cookstove tilts suspiciously to the south as well. At lunch, we ate the pongal, a sweet pongal made with jaggery, and seven types of vegetables, to celebrate the bounty that the year has given us.

Mandapam at Shore Temple; relief carving on hill

In the early afternoon, we left the city, reveling in the empty unclogged streets, to enjoy the holiday at the nearby World Heritage Site, Mahabalipuram. Also known as Mamallapuram, Mahabalipuram was a major seaport and second capital of the Pallava kings in the seventh century. Today, carved statues and reliefs of the Hindu gods and goddesses are stunningly preserved into dozens of rock temples.

Five Rathas

The Five Rathas, meant to resemble the chariots for the five brothers in the epic Mahabarata, are each monolithic temples, meaning that each temple is carved from a single boulder. The exterior is carved in geometric designs with sculptures of curved women and strong men.

Shore Temple

The Shore Temple sits at the ocean's edge and its stonework has been weathered by the pounding wind and water. When the 2004 tsunami struck Chennai, the receding waters revealed several other temples beneath the ocean.

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kozhakattai (sweet coconut dumplings)

Mon, 18 Jan 2010 03:56:01 CDT

Kozhakattai

We cannot disagree with Lonely Planet that “[n]o matter how determined you are, you’d be pretty hard pressed to find much to gush about when it comes to Chennai.” Heat pounds the city year round and it is not uncommon for temperatures to reach 90 degrees Fahrenheit in the “cool” winter season. Mangy dogs and cows graze from the trash that lines the clogged streets. And, in the thirty years I have been coming to Chennai, the mingling odor of sweat, diesel fumes, sewage, and urine has never failed to greet me.

Cotton candy at Marina Beach

It is not the place but the people who draw us here. At Marina Beach, I see more than the immensely wide beach ravaged by the 2004 tsunami because I remember childhood summers spent running into the water and searching for shells with my uncle and aunt. We do not brave the sweltering midday sun and, instead, spend the time chatting with our relatives under the swirling ceiling fans. And, of course, because it is impossible for Indians to socialize without food, we eat.

Patti at Marina Beach

I can trace my passion for food and cooking directly to my childhood spent at my grandmother’s table. When I am with my patti, the Tamil word for grandmother said with an emphasis on the “tt”, I revert to my ten-year-old self, as she presses dish upon dish upon me, making the same complaint that I always used to make, “Enough, Patti, enough. I am so full already.”

Coconut, grated coconut, jaggery, coconut and jaggery heated, filling, filling in balls

I have never met anyone who enjoys cooking more than she. Now in her seventies, she still spends most of her day in the kitchen, concocting a myriad of dishes for every meal. Her food stuns and entices: dosas so thin that they crackle, buttery parathas with a tender potato stuffing, and baby mango pickles that literally make my mouth water when I think about them.

Kozhakattai dumpling batter

This time, when we visited patti in Chennai, I was bound and determined to learn how to make kozhakattais, sweet coconut dumplings, properly. Patrick still struggles with the pronunciation---it sounds something like “korakatai” but the “r” is said by hitting the tongue to the back of the roof of your mouth and the emphasis is on the “tt”---but they are the only Indian sweet that he loves.

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new zealand: the low-down

Mon, 11 Jan 2010 08:54:02 CDT

a wrap up

What we did: 27 days spent as follows: 21 days in the South Island, making our way from Christchurch through the Otago Peninsula, to Milford Sound, Queenstown, up through the west coast to Abel Tasman National Park, then over to the Marlborough wine region. 7 days in the North Island, starting in Wellington, up to Rotorua, over to Matamata, then Waitomo, and finally flying out of Auckland.

Would we do it the same way? No. We needed a lot more time in New Zealand. If we had it over to do again, we would spend one month in the South Island and one month in the North Island.

Indispensable item/gear: Warm clothing in layers. We recommend purchasing merino wool sweaters once you reach New Zealand because popular thermal clothing lines like Icebreaker (my favorite) are New Zealand based and offer excellent deals in gear shops around the country.
Best food: A toss-up between the creamy sweet potatoes cooked on the campfire and the pricey but delicious dinner at the Redcliff Inn in Te Anau.

Pancake rocks

Worst food: Several people recommended that we try Lone Star, a chain restaurant found throughout New Zealand, that turned out to be the New Zealand take on American food. Like Outback uses random Australian words to describe its food, Lone Star has "Cajun Chicken" and "Redneck Ribs" on their menu. Their "Dixie Chicken," a poached chicken breast in a wine and vegetable cream sauce, must have been named by someone who didn't know much about Southerners' propensity for butter and fried food.
Our favorite part of New Zealand: The ability to exercise our inner adrenaline-junkies and find adventure sports that suited our every mood.
The best deal: The Internet Access Company (IAC). We purchased a $50 internet access account that lasted a month at over 250 locations (including campervan parks and hostels) across New Zealand.

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hangi in rotorua

Tue, 05 Jan 2010 09:00:05 CDT

geothermal steam and mud baths

Artist's Palette at Wai-o-Tapu

When we told people we were going to Rotorua, they reponded, "Oh, you are going to the smelly place." Forty miles outside of the city, we started rolling up the windows on the campervan, shutting off the ventilation system, and covering our noses with our hands, as the smell of rotten eggs invaded our noses. While in Rotorua, one of Patrick's shirts fell into sulphurous water and, after three washings, we realized that Tide could not handle such awfulness and threw the shirt away.

Opal Pool and Oyster Pool at Wai-o-Tapu; Hell's Gate

Despite the assault to the olfactory senses, tourists have flocked to Rotorua for over a century. At first, physicians and tour agents touted the city's geothermal springs and mud pools as a cure-all for the real and imaginary diseases of wealthy European invalids. Then, in the 1940s, the city changed its focus and, now, is unaffectionately called Rotorvegas because it serves as the launching pad to nature walks, spas, Maori cultural events, geothermal parks, and every other activity imaginable.

Mud bath sign and tubs at Rotorua Museum; boiling mud pool; us in mud bath

The first item on our agenda was experiencing a mud bath. I know it sounds gross to go and sit in a bathtub filled with mud, especially with the smell of sulphur surrounding us, but it was wonderful. The mud felt like velvet, smooth and silky, and not gritty or heavy. After warming up in the mud bath, we rinsed ourselves off in freezing cold water and then enjoyed a long soak in a pool filled with hot mineral water. At the end of our spa day, my skin was softer than a puppy's belly (if you don't have dogs, feel free to insert "velvet" or "baby's bottom" instead of "puppy's belly," but if you have a dog, then you can imagine how soft my skin was from the mud bath.)

Mud bath and mineral bath; Hell's Gate management has a sense of humor (pools exceed 300 degrees Fahrenheit); boiling mud pool

Because all the geothermal parks in Rotorua are privately owned, they are pricey, and we had to choose which ones to visit. There are four major geothermal parks: Whakarewarewa Thermal Reserve; Hell's Gate; Waimangu Volcanic Valley; and Wai-o-Tapu. We visited Hell's Gate because admission to the park is included in the price of a mud bath. If you don't fancy getting dirty in Rotorua, Hell's Gate is not worth the cost because the park is not as impressive as the other three sites.

Wai-o-Tapu Champagne Pool; Geyser

Wai-o-Tapu, on the other hand, is gorgeous. We arrived at 8:30 a.m. before the crowds reached the park (a tactic we highly recommend) and were greeted by the bubbling pools of black and white in the Devil's Ink Pot. Craters hiss and gurgle beside the rainbow of colors spreading across the Artist's Palette. Steam rises from my favorite, the Champagne Pool, an effervescent bottle-green bowl fringed with a burnt-orange ledge. Lady Knox Geyser ignominiously spouts up to 50 feet of water every morning at 10:00 a.m. when an attendant pours soap flakes into its mounded cavity.

Chicken, sweet potatoes, and meat cooked in hangi steam cooker at Mitai

The third "must do" activity in Rotorua was eating food cooked in a hangi, or Maori earth oven. I would have never considered cooking food in geothermal steam --- I mean, the noxious smell is enough to suppress my appetite --- but the Maoris wrapped meats and vegetables in leaves, placed them in the ground, and, ta da, had a meal. At Mitai, a Maori cultural performance where we watched dances and songs lost to their culture years ago but now reproduced nightly for an eager tourist audience, we ate kumura (sweet potato), potatoes, chicken, and lamb cooked in the hangi for five or more hours, though the Maoris now wrap the food in aluminum foil rather than leaves. Surprisingly, that offensive sulphurous odor enhances the flavor of the food; the sweet potatoes, in particular, tasted mellow, a touch salty, with an almost-lemony aftertaste.

Vegetables in curry sauce; lifting hangi steamer; hangi steam cooker; sweet potatoes and beets in Thai sauce

If you ask us, though, we would suggest skipping Mitai and instead use the hangi steamer at Cosy Cottage International Holiday Park. This humble little holiday park is full of geothermal coolness: it is across the street from the beautiful (and free) Kirau Park with over fifty mud and thermal pools; it sits about two minutes from the lake shore where you can dig your own hot pool in the sand; and the tent sites are thermal heated. What sold us was the hangi steam cooker that any guests may use. We chopped and tossed half a cauliflower, three potatoes, two carrots, a large onion, and a handful of dehydrated peas into a pot with a store-bought Indian curry sauce. We peeled and cubed beets and sweet potatoes, mixed them with a refrigerated Thai herb sauce and some dollops of butter and wrapped it in foil.

Sweet potatoes and beets cooked by hangi

Then, we soaked in the mineral hot tubs, showered, played on the computer, and three hours later, dinner was served. The verdict: we forgive the town's stinkiness because it results in food like this. Yum.

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lavender ginger creme brulee

Fri, 01 Jan 2010 13:20:31 CDT

Lavender ginger creme brulee

One year ago, we were in Jacksonville, Florida, dreaming, planning, and preparing for our round-the-world adventure. In April, we took our first tangible step when we purchased plane tickets to Sydney. Then, there was no turning back and we rushed into the trip headlong, worried about the risk to our careers, the financial burden, and the "scary, unknown, and consequential" journey we were about to take.

Vanilla, lavender sugar, and ginger

But, once we left in September, those fears melted into the Australian sun. We just stopped stressing. That doesn't sound like an earth-shattering event but, for us, it was. I, the quintessential Type A personality known to my friends as the planner, found myself walking into towns without reservations or agendas and simply an open mind.

Cracked eggs

I stopped worrying that our careers wouldn't wait for us because we are able to make money while on the road. Instead of hours spent on treadmills or using our Wii Fit, we hiked mountains hanging over brilliant blue lakes. Through Skype, the internet, and this website, we felt close to our family and friends though we were thousands of miles away; we even were able to "talk to" our puppies, Chewy and Abby, via Skype webcams.

Ginger and vanilla strained

Despite the worries we have for friends and family hit by the recession, we are happy. Really, really, gosh darn happy. So, yesterday, I struggled to find a dessert that would be light and joyful, yet serious enough to express the enormity of the changes that we have made in the last year and expect to find in the next year. It's a lot to ask of a dessert, right?

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hobbit hunting across new zealand

Tue, 29 Dec 2009 15:41:38 CDT

across new zealand

Bag End at Hobbiton movie set

In case we haven't confirmed that we are total geeks, what with the thirty pounds of electronics we carry, let me now prove it to you by posting about our adventures hobbit hunting in New Zealand. We didn't set out planning to look for hobbits but once we got here, the Lord of the Rings references popped out everywhere. After a bit, the Tolkien spirit leaked into Patrick and, when I tripped over a root on a pathway and our backpack rattled around, Patrick exclaimed, "Fool of a Took!"

Hobbiton signs; View of Alexander Farm; hobbit holes for The Hobbit movie marked

Matamata takes Lord of the Rings tourism to the next level because it is the location of Hobbiton and the only filming site in the country left in its filming state. Rather than digitally constructing the town, the producers constructed an entire town of hobbit holes, mills, and bridges in about three acres of a working sheep farm.

Hobbit holes at Hobbiton

Upon completion of the movies, the production crew began dismantling Hobbiton but heavy rains flooded the area and they left several of the hobbit holes standing. The owners took advantage of this opportunity and, after much negotiation with the studio, began allowing visitors into the farm to view the hobbit holes. Today, it is a peaceful place where sheep roam about the picturesque whitewashed holes peeping out from the grassy hills.

Party Tree; sheep in front of hobbit holes (bottom hole is original plywood); view from Bag End

Even if you hate Lord of the Rings and hobbits, you should still go on this tour to experience a working sheep farm. We had no idea how skilled sheep shearers need to be; they apprentice for four years and, to make a living, most shear over 200 sheep per day.

As you can see from the above video, our sheep shearer slowed down the shearing process so we could videotape and photograph it, but even slowed down, he sheared this large sheep in under two minutes. The sheep did not struggle or squirm while being sheared and the wool cut from the sheep felt soft and surprisingly oily.

Bottle-feeding lambs

And, then, we bottle fed lambs! Imagine a very cute thing---say playing with the toes of a six month old baby, watching a kitten tangle itself in yarn, or getting kisses from a newborn puppy---and now multiply by two. Fluffy little lambs came rushing out of the gate like bats out of hell and demanded that we feed them. They sucked the bottles hard until every droplet of milk was gone and then they wandered around looking for head scratches and pets. We couldn't stop laughing and smiling for about 45 minutes afterwards.

Bottle feeding lambs

Anyway, let's get back to hobbit hunting, shall we? In Waitomo, we stayed at the Woodlyn Park Hobbit Motel, with a sloping roof, rounded windows and door, and rustic touches like a carved wooden table and canvas window curtains laid on oak curtain rods.

Woodlyn Park Hobbit Motel

After a month living in our cramped campervan, it was sheer luxury to spread out on a comfortable bed, walk into a big clean bathroom, and use our own tiny kitchenette. And, if hobbits aren't your thing, you could also stay in motel rooms built into a plane, train, and ship.

Interior of Hobbit Motel

As if hand feeding lambs and staying in a kitschy motel didn't make us feel like kids, we acted like ten-year olds at Puzzling World in Wanaka. We worked our way through the giant maze to find all four corners and towers, played with games at the main cafe area, and pretended that we were Ents and hobbits in the room of illusion.

Patrick as an ent, Akila as a hobbit in the room of illusion

We didn't find any hobbits this time in New Zealand so the search continues.

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spiced chocolate + glacier hiking

Mon, 11 Jan 2010 02:16:29 CDT

Turquoise blue lake in front of Fox Glacier

I hate the cold. My toes despise being shut away in woolen socks and heavy shoes, I feel bulky and overstuffed in sweaters and scarves, and my always-cool hands freeze through the winter. But, I do love the holidays and the contrast of warm melting food with the cool crisp air.

Ice on the glacier

When we first began discussing hiking Fox Glacier, my worry was not whether I would be able to physically endure hiking for eight hours up steep ice and across a mountain, but whether I would be warm enough to last the day. It turns out that climbing up a glacier is pretty hard work; I was not only warm but hot and began shedding layers of thermal sweaters as we hiked. We started by trudging 900 steps from the bottom of the glacier to the point where the ice crawled down the mountainside. There, we strapped our heavy hiking boots to crampons, a fancy word for metal spikes hooked to straps which could double as a medieval torture device.

Hiking Fox Glacier

At the beginning, we walked on steps carved into the ice every day with pickaxes by the ultra-fit folks at Fox Glacier Guides. Then, we went off the beaten path following our guides Jenny and Jerm who sprayed ice chips behind them as they notched small footholds for our feet to cling in the slippery ice.

Steps on Fox Glacier; pickaxe

The scenery, ever varying, ever beautiful, was like nothing we had ever seen before. Every guidebook lists Fox and Franz Josef glaciers as a "must see" and they are --- we felt like insignificant insects in the columns and hills of ice that twirled and whirled around us. As we went into each gully and crevice, we felt like we could chance upon Superman's Fortress of Solitude at any moment.

Ice cliff

It was about two o'clock when we started thinking about chocolate. I blame the cold and the white fluffy clouds that look like marshmallows and the pit in my stomach developing from constantly climbing up and down ice.

Bittersweet chocolate

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jaded in hokitika: power tools and jewelry

Mon, 21 Dec 2009 15:48:23 CDT

power tools and jewelry

Paper template and final jade necklace carved at Bonz 'n Stonz, Hokitika

Power tools. I will never fully understand the male fascination with gadgets, gizmos, large blades and moving parts. I have witnessed that the allure of diamond tipped saws and rapid sanders will entice grown men to spend their day carving delicate feminine jewelry, pendants, and knick knacks, that they would otherwise be ashamed to purchase.

Raw, unpolished pounamu found at the Araharu River, near Hokitika

We were in Hokitika, a beachside town where jade necklaces and paua shell earrings hang from every second storefront. The Araharu River near Hokitika is the primary source of pounamu, or nephrite jade, a gemstone prized by the Maori for its beauty and luster. Today, under the Treaty of Waitangi and Ngai Tahu Settlement Claims (an inordinately complicated issue that I may discuss in another post), the Ngai Tahu tribe owns all pounamu found and recovered in the South Island and much of the greenstone sold in Hokitika is imported from Asia or Canada.

Steven Gwaliasi, Bonz n' Stonz tutor and owner

Bonz n' Stonz is the only place in the city (and one of two workshops in the country) where you can carve jade, paua shell or bone. We worked under the tutelage of Steven Gwaliasi, a native of the Solomon Islands, who moved to Hokitika after he married his wife in the midst of a terrible economic downturn. Steven attended a class on jade carving in Hokitika, offered by the New Zealand government to spur the economy, and was hired by Mountain Jade Factory in Hokitika. After ten plus years of carving jade, Steven seized upon the influx of backpackers in the early 21st century and opened up Bonz n' Stonz to teach others to carve jade. While some students are residents of Hokitika, many glide through the town for a single day like we did to take his class and move on.

Pendant template drawn on jade slab

We began by drawing our templates on sheets of paper and then transferred those templates to blocks of jade. I chose a variant of the Maori koru, representing the New Zealand fern frond unfurling, to symbolize the new beginnings that Patrick and I share this year.

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marlborough wines: why did we leave?

Sun, 20 Dec 2009 20:46:06 CDT

why did we leave?

Marlborough wine region

We feel like wusses but, the truth is that we are tired. New Zealand works our muscles hard. We kayak, hike, canyon swing, hike some more, hike up a glacier, and then sleep on a hard mattress in our campervan. End result: gorgeous places, fun times, very sore bodies. You can imagine that we have been looking forward to the Marlborough wine region where we planned to spend a day soaking in the scenery, guzzling down world-class wines, and eating indulgent foods.

Marlborough vines and scenery; bikes with wine carriers

Well, that day came and went and we wanted more. We wanted a week of this sort of decadence where we wake up in the morning, cook breakfast, taste sensational wines all day, stop for lunch under hanging vines, and end with a glass of chocolate in the evening. So, we stayed for another day. And, we would have stayed another day except that we had pre-booked our Interislander Ferry to take us from the South Island to the North Island for the next day.

Wairau River Pinot Noir

It wasn't just the ambience and the food that made us want to linger here. The wines, themselves, were uniformly superb. Marlborough white wine took our breath away and we found nothing in the Barossa Valley or Tuscany to match the whites we drank in New Zealand.

Gibson Bridge Pinot Gris Cellar Section 2008

Take Gibson Bridge, for example. This tiny boutique winery, started in 2007 by husband and wife team Howard and Julie Simmonds, only has six acres of vineyards or 5,500 vines in total. The couple concentrates on producing quality Pinot Gris and pour their soul into their wines, in accordance with their motto, "excellence through passion."

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an electronics junkie's round-the-world packing list

Sun, 20 Dec 2009 20:45:37 CDT

An Electronics Junkie's Round the World Packing List from theroadforks on Vimeo.

One of us is obsessed with buying organizational systems, packages, and bags which leads to this sort of packing list; the other of us is mad about gadgets, electronics, and the newest toys which leads to the packing list below. It is a bit of a problem that our electronics bag weighs more than all my clothes, toiletries, and miscellaneous equipment and that we carry nearly $9,000 on our backs.

But, here's the thing: we use all of it every single day. Though this list is long, we would not give up any of our electronics because they keep us connected, working, and able to capture the best parts of our travels. If you want the quick and dirty version of our electronics gear, watch this short 2-minute video which captures how we pack in our electronics, including weight and total costs.

Or, if you want the nitty gritty details, come walk through our electronics packing list with us.

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stacked beets and goat cheese

Sun, 20 Dec 2009 20:46:27 CDT

Beets are alien vegetables with long hairy tendrils, green and red leaves, and fuchsia stalks. The bright red stains everything: the knife, the cutting board, the countertop, the floor, my hands, and my clothes.

But, during the holidays, the red and green perfectly match Christmas colors and they form the base of so many sweet, comforting dishes.

Several years ago, every restaurant in the country seemed to seize on beets and goat cheese as the new it-salad. I ate countless beet and goat cheese salads and loved some and hated others. In Los Angeles, the Wolfgang Puck restaurant stacked layers of beets with goat cheese and a sprinkling of balsamic vinegar. I liked the idea but hated the execution because the boiled beets ended up flavorless.

This version is equally elegant but tastier because roasting seals in the beets' sweetness which then melds with a thin bit of tart goat cheese. Because we normally make the salad hours before we are ready to eat it, it is perfect for any holiday table.

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three foodie travel secrets

Sun, 20 Dec 2009 20:48:24 CDT

Melbourne outdoor seating for restaurants

Like a cold making its way through a kindergarten class, the meme started by Katie of Tripbase, where bloggers list out three best kept travel secrets, has quickly spread through the travel blogverse. But, this is a good sort of virus that doesn't involve Kleenex, runny noses, or sneezing and, instead, when compiled together, will be a Creative Commons document with hundreds of interesting and unique travel secrets. Melanie from the fantastic site Travels With Two tagged us and, so, today, we are going to share with you three of our best kept food-related travel secrets (because we're all about the food, as you know).

1. Talk to people and follow the trail of good food to find hidden gems, like the French Pantry, in Jacksonville, Florida.

In towns like Jacksonville, Florida, where food gems lay hidden beneath a profusion of chain restaurants and strip mall mediocrity, you have to talk to people who love food to find the best restaurants. We found the French Pantry by picking up a loaf of delicious french bread at a small gourmet food market. We went back to the market the next day to find out where they purchased their bread and learned about the French Pantry, a bakery that supplies restaurants in Jacksonville. The restaurant is located in a windowless concrete industrial building next to car parts manufacturers with no attempt made at producing ambience. But, the smell of fresh baking bread drew us into the shabby little storefront.

Tomatoes and basil

When I had my first taste of their bruschetta, a composition of soft, toasted french bread layered with pesto and bufala mozzarella, surrounded by a sweet tomato salad, I couldn't stop smiling. Their cheesecake is what I dream of when I dream of cheesecake, velvety, smooth, and soft with a hint of cream cheese and sour cream, atop a buttery graham crust. The French Pantry is one of our all-time favorite restaurants in the world but the only way to find it is by talking to people who know and love food in that area. Don't sell your trip short by being shy; talk to people who love food to find the best restaurants.

Spices at the Rialto Market, Venice

2. To market, to market: the best way to experience local food and local people.

We are obsessed with farmers markets. It seems right that food should grow in the soil, be picked by a farmer, and then pass from his hands to ours. In Maui, we found honey-sweet pineapple at the Honokowai Farmers Market and, the fish in the Rialto Market in Venice were the freshest Patrick has ever seen. At the Montepulciano Farmers Market, we watched elderly women purchase cotton tablecloths and pass time at the butcher's cart. On the advice of a farmer who claimed that his grapes were "dolce," we purchased grapes that tasted like nectar from the gods. While we could have purchased equivalent food at the grocery stores, the market adds personality to what we eat because we met the people who grew those products. In fact, we would say that the Montepulciano Farmers Market should be a must-see destination for any tourist visiting that region.

Plantains

3. Eat local.

Perhaps this isn't a secret because finding locally grown ingredients seems obvious to us. Yet, we continue to be surprised when we see desert restaurants offering "fresh fish" or northern restaurants offering tropical platters of fruit. In New York, we seek out apples. In regions with abundant cattle, like the Barossa Valley, we always find cheese platters to be a cheap and delicious light lunch. In Hawaii, we opt for platters of sliced mangos, papayas, and bananas. In India, we fill ourselves with fresh coconut milk, and in Puerto Rico, we enjoy plantains to our hearts' content. Eating locally grown food is cheap, healthy, and tasty and allows us to best experience the variety of the world's produce and meats.

I am now tagging five other travel bloggers to share their top 3 best kept travel secrets:

Manali and Terry, a couple who have transformed themselves from yuppies to hippies on their around-the-world honeymoon

Gourmantic, a blog where travel and culinary passions meet

Sending Postcards, Mina and Alex also head off on their honeymoon beginning in Mexico City

Fake Food Free, Lori's blog about real food from every corner of the world

Legal Nomads, a blog devoted to proving that even lawyers can have fun as Jodi describes her round the world travels since 2008

What are your best kept travel secrets? We would love to hear them, especially if you have tips for India and Southeast Asia, as we are heading there in less than a month!

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canyon swinging: queenstown adrenaline junkies

Sun, 20 Dec 2009 20:47:36 CDT

queenstown adrenaline junkies

Canyon swinging over the Shotover River

Like most of the crazy things we do, including going on a round-the-world trip, canyon swinging was my idea. Patrick was entirely against the idea. "Why risk your life by jumping off a canyon? I like my life. No thank you." I, on the other hand, well, there is just no accounting for my insanity. I have wanted to go bungy jumping for years now but refused to bungy jump in the U.S. because U.S. adventure sports companies always build bungy sites in parking lots. Somebody please explain to me the point of jumping in a parking lot because I just don't get it. When I do something as insane as jumping off a ledge with nothing but a rope tied to my waist, I want it to be somewhere beautiful, over a river or off a cliff. So, our first bungy jumping experience had to be in New Zealand.

Location of canyon swing

AJ Hackett, a Kiwi, invented commercial bungy jumping and, in Queenstown, there are no less than five bungy jumping sites (including three AJ Hackett sites) within a ten mile radius. Each site is more beautiful than the next but I decided to go for the all-out-thrill and canyon swing over the Shotover River. I knew that the jump was 357 feet high, taller than the Statue of Liberty, off a canyon and that I would free fall for 196 feet. At the end of the free fall, a second attached rope smoothly pulls the jumper into a swing for 656 feet at 90 miles per hour across the river. On paper, it sounded amazing and not scary at all.

Distances for the canyon swing

Patrick, then, succumbed to his macho pride and decided that he didn't want to just be an "observer" as I took the leap. There were three of us canyon swinging at that time and I was the first. For seven minutes, I stood at the ledge, looking down at the yawning space between me and the river, working up my courage. There was a minute when I thought I wouldn't be able to do it. Suddenly, my mind went completely blank and all the voices around me seemed to fade like static on a radio station. I remember squatting to jump off as far as I could.

Me coming back up from my second swing

As I leapt, for a moment, my heart was in my throat but then I saw what I was doing and felt like I was flying. That feeling . . . that wonderful, wonderful feeling of defying gravity and seeing the world through a birds' eyes --- I didn't want it to stop. I glided into the swing and remembered saying, "Wow. Frick. Wow," as I floated over the teal river and wide canyon.

. . . Keep reading canyon swinging: queenstown adrenaline junkies on The Road Forks

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milford sound (and the fury)

Sun, 20 Dec 2009 20:47:55 CDT

and the fury

Panorama of Milford Sound

I was not entirely sure how I found myself swimming in the frigid waters of Milford Sound, clinging to a kayak, and desperately kicking my feet to keep myself warm. I worried that the cold would seep through my thermal layers to my chest, that our camera had made its way to the bottom of the Sound, and mostly, I worried that we wouldn't be able to get back into the kayak.

Road from Te Anau to Milford Sound; Lake Manapouri

But, I am getting ahead of myself. Our Milford Sound adventure began on a surprisingly crystal blue day, beating the odds, because the Fiordland region receives over 200 days of rain per year. As we drove from Te Anau to the Southern Alps, superlatives fell forth from our mouths and, at times, we were too astonished for words.

Snow-capped peaks and waterfalls

Mere words and pictures cannot capture the awesomeness and grandeur of 360 degree snow-capped mountains, vivid blue lakes, and undulating hills. We are not the first to be mesmerized by the stupendousness of this region (see, the superlatives are still dropping from my fingers --- I just can't help it) and the United Nations has bundled up the entire region into the Te Wahipounamu World Heritage Area.

Mountains reflected in Mirror Lakes

Because we are slow pokes and have to stop and see everything, we took nearly the full day to reach Milford Sound. We stopped in a green, green field and swung round and round like Maria at the beginning of Sound of Music, a feat that, luckily for you, we did not videotape. We spent a full forty minutes at the Mirror Lakes watching the reflection of the mountain peaks in the still, clear waters.

Mountains reflected in clear waters of Mirror Lakes

Then, we hiked the 3-mile Key Summit hike, a steep 1/4 mile (or 400 meter) ascent, to a breathtaking panoramic vista---breathtaking both literally and figuratively because the climb became so difficult as the air thinned that we nearly stopped and turned around.

Panoramic view from Key Summit hike

At the top, we stood in the sky and felt the snow-capped peaks and iridiscent lakes surround us. But, on the return downhill, though fortified by the purest coldest water we have ever tasted taken from mountain streams, our calves screamed in agony and seemed ready to begin a silent protest.

Crystal clear, pure mountain spring water; icy-snow from the mountains

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sweet potatoes, three ways

Sun, 20 Dec 2009 20:48:40 CDT

Sweet potatoes, three ways

I don't know if the Native Americans brought sweet potatoes to the first Thanksgiving, but it is certainly an integral part of every Thanksgiving feast today. And, lately, we seem to be swimming in sweet potatoes, or what New Zealanders call the kumara.

Sweet potatoes, fire charred

A few weeks ago, we directly roasted sweet potatoes in a fire, letting the skins shrivel to a charred ash to surround the tender and creamy flesh.

Sweet potato, roasting in fire

Then, in Rotorua, we dabbled in traditional Maori methods by steaming Thai-infused sweet potatoes and beets in a hangi-style oven. I will tell you all about it sometime soon but, essentially, the geothermal activity omnipresent in Rotorua creates pockets of naturally created steam which we used to cook our vegetables. The vegetables were delicious and tinged with a faint odor of sulphur that clings to the city's air.

Sweet potatoes and beets cooked in a hangi steamer

Today, we indulged in tradition and made sweet potato souffle, a necessity for our Thanksgiving table. This is my mother-in-law's recipe, a dish that Patrick grew up with and one that we both love.

Sweet potato souffle

No matter how you serve up sweet potatoes today, we hope you have a very happy Thanksgiving.

Fire-Roasted Sweet Potatoes

Time: 1-2 hours
Serves: 2 people

Ingredients
2 sweet potatoes
1 really crackling fire

Directions:

1. Build a fire. We use the teepee method because that is what I was taught in Girl Scouts but it really doesn't matter how you get it going. You want the coals to be hot.

2. Place sweet potatoes in the fire under the hot coals.

3. In about 30 to 45 minutes, check your sweet potatoes by carefully removing them from the hot coals. The exterior should be charred but the interior should be tender. If they are not done, place them under the hot coals again until cooked.

Sweet Potatoes in a Hangi

hangi recipe posted here

Sweet Potato Souffle

Time: 45 minutes
Serves: 6 people

Ingredients for souffle:
2 small cans of yams in syrup, mashed
1 teaspoon vanilla
1/4 teaspoon salt
3/4 cups sugar
1/4 cup softened butter or margarine
2 teaspoons baking powder
3 eggs

Ingredients for topping:
1/3 cup softened butter or margarine
1/2 cup packed brown sugar
3 cups crushed corn flakes

2 cups mini marshmallows

Directions:

1. Preheat oven to 400 degrees F.

2. Beat eggs and then add in all other ingredients for souffle. Place mixture in a 9 by 11 baking dish for 20 minutes or until firm and inserted knife comes out clean.

3. Mix topping ingredients together and sprinkle on top of souffle.

4. Top souffle with mini marshmallows and bake about 10 minutes or until marshmallows are golden brown.

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mujadara + our new digs

Thu, 19 Nov 2009 03:42:02 CDT

Mujadara

We fell in love with New Zealand the moment our plane crossed the Pacific Ocean and we set our eyes on what the Maoris named Aotearoa, the land of the clouds. We had seen Lord of the Rings and heard from Kiwis and foreigners alike that we would be amazed by New Zealand, but, still, we did not expect the raw unimagined beauty of this nation.

New Zealand Western Alps From the Plane

Don't worry. This post is not going to be me rhapsodizing on and on about crystal clear waters, snow-capped mountains, and the lush green valleys. Nor, am I going to tell you about the bizarre places that make New Zealand unique, like the granite boulders that resemble dinosaur eggs on the coast of Moeraki.

Moeraki boulders

Instead, I am going to tell you about our new digs. If it looks small from the pictures that is because it is. We now drive, live, cook, and eat in a 20-foot campervan, inexplicably named "Doc." There are mornings when I wake up and my back aches from sleeping on the thin foam cushions that constitute our bed and I tell Patrick, "I hate this thing. I don't want to sleep here anymore." And, because I am blissfully ignorant as to the ways of manual shift, Patrick spends long, tiring days driving our “bus,” as we have come to call it, through mountainous passages and rounded valleys.

Our campervan

But, then, there are days when it is all worthwhile. On Patrick's birthday, when the brightest rainbow we had ever seen crossed above our campervan, at a site that nestled between a river and a ridge, we were happy that we chose this way of traveling through New Zealand.

Nature's birthday present to Patrick

We also love having a "kitchen," consisting of a miniscule fridge, a two-burner stove, and a baby sink over a cupboard that contains our pantry. Often, we cook in the commercial-grade kitchens found in New Zealand holiday parks but, sometimes, we cook over a campfire.

All you need for mujadara: a knife, cutting board, skillet, pot with lid, measuring cup, and spoon

This leads me to my dilemma. I desperately want to help some of our fellow campers who don't seem to know how to cook. The other night, we saw a woman make for dinner a plate of unseasoned boiled carrots with three boiled eggs while her husband ate a plate of plain boiled pasta with butter. I wanted to go over and share some of our food but I thought that would be quite rude. Instead, I will share with you our hostel/campfire/really-darn-easy recipes in the hopes that when you are stuck out in a hostel in the middle of New Zealand, you won't resort to rabbit food.

Lentils and brown rice

One of our favorite cheap and easy standbys is the Egyptian mujadara, a humble concoction of brown rice, lentils, and caramelized onions. The rice and lentils match perfectly together resulting in a dish that far exceeds its individual parts.

Caramelized onions, oh baby

And, people, even if brown rice and lentils sound unappealing to you, just think about onions slowly sautéing in a pat of silken butter, melding into rich brown, almost-burnt slivers of caramelized goodness. Mmmmm.

The best part of this meal is that no one will believe that you put it together in less than an hour, with minimal ingredients and minimal kitchen tools. I promise, I won’t tell.

Mujadara

Adapted from Lentils and Rice with Caramelized Onions from Mark Bittman's How to Cook Everything
Time: 45 minutes
Serves: 4 people

Ingredients

3 tablespoons olive oil
2 medium onions, thinly sliced (Bittman only recommends one onion caramelized but we really love the caramelized onion on top)
1/2 medium onion, diced
1 teaspoon minced garlic
1 teaspoon ground cumin (optional) (I consider this an optional ingredient because we have made it with and without and, though it tastes better with the cumin, the cumin is not essential to the dish.)
Salt and freshly ground pepper
2 cups French green lentil or other firm lentil such as beluga
6-8 cups vegetable stock
1 cup brown rice (Mujadara is traditionally made with brown rice and I would not substitute white rice in this dish)

Directions

1. In a large, deep stockpot or saucepan, heat 1 tablespoon olive oil. Add half a chopped onion and cook until onion becomes translucent, about five minutes. Add garlic, cumin, and season liberally with salt and pepper for about two minutes or until garlic becomes fragrant. Add lentils, stir, and add about four cups of stock. Cover with a tight lid. Cook the lentils for about 20 minutes, stirring occasionally to ensure that the lentils don't stick to the bottom of the pan.

2. In the meantime, heat two tablespoons olive oil in a saute pan over medium-low heat. Add sliced onions and slowly cook onions for 40 to 50 minutes. Stir onions occasionally and let them become a deep, dark, golden brown that almost looks burnt. If the onions finish cooking before the rice and lentils, turn the heat to low and cover to keep warm.

3. After the lentils have cooked for 20 minutes, add in the rice and the remaining stock. Cover with a tight lid. Cook for 20 minutes, stirring occasionally to ensure that the rice and lentils don't burn. If the liquid appears to be getting low, add a half cup of stock.

4. After 20 minutes, check the rice and lentils to ensure that they are cooked through and tender and the liquid has evaporated. If they are not tender, add 1/2 cup of stock and cook for additional time until the rice and lentils are tender and the liquid has evaporated. If the rice and lentils are tender but the liquid has not evaporated, remove the lid and raise the heat to evaporate the liquid cookly.

5. Check seasonings and add salt and pepper if necessary.

6. To serve, spoon the rice and lentils into a bowl with a heap of the caramelized onions on top.

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australia: the low-down

Sun, 20 Dec 2009 21:19:53 CDT

a wrap up

What we did: Five weeks in Australia split up into: 10 days in Sydney, 5 days in the Whitsundays, 2 days in Magnetic Island, 4 days in Port Douglas, 6 days in Alice Springs and the Outback, and 7 days driving from Adelaide to Melbourne.
Would we do it the same way? We thought five weeks was the perfect amount of time. It wasn't enough time to see everything but we feel comfortable with the country and know what we would want to see if we came back. If we had to do it over again, we would skip the Whitsundays, and add on an extra couple of days to Port Douglas and the Adelaide to Melbourne segment.
Indispensable item/gear: In the Outback, convertible pants because we wanted long pants in the morning and shorts in the afternoon. Our underwater camera was awfully handy in the Great Barrier Reef.
Favorite food: The fantastic cheap Asian cuisine in Sydney, especially Mamak.
Worst food: The ubiquitous french fry.
Our favorite part of Australia: The incredibly cute wildlife that we happened across everywhere.
The best deal: The free wine tasting in the Barossa Valley and the $15 cheese platter at Barossa Valley Cheese Company and the Apostle Whey Cheese Company off the Great Ocean Road.
Best new experience: Seeing the sun rise and set on the Outback and sleeping, literally, under shooting stars when we pulled our sleeping bags out of our tent.
Worst new experience: Renting from freakin' Europcar. We dropped our rental car off at the Adelaide airport, in pristine (though dirty) condition, and the guy walked around the car for about 10 minutes to ensure that there was no damage to the vehicle. Two weeks later, my parents get a letter in the mail and we get a $4,000 charge on our credit card claiming that they found an 8-inch scrape on the car AFTER we dropped the car off and they took it to the cleaners. Moreover, they claimed that they couldn't get in touch with us because we gave them our international cell phone number (as if they don't have a method to call internationally). After nearly a week of e-mailing and calling them, we still haven't heard a peep from them, and, online research indicates that they frequently scam people by overcharging them after they have dropped off the car. We are still dealing with these idiotic people but, suffice it to say, we don't plan on renting from Europcar ever again.

The must see attraction: The Great Barrier Reef. It totally blew us away.
Most over-hyped attraction: Great Ocean Road. The part that the tourists drive isn't that amazing, especially in comparison to the road to Hana in Hawaii. But, the parts outside the touristed area are well worth seeing.
Best city: Sydney, no contest. The well-planned city exudes charm, cleanliness, and fantastic outdoor spaces.
Worst city: Airlie Beach, which is an overrun college/backpacker town with grungy "tobacco" shops and innumerable souvenir stands.
Best surprise: The super-nice Aussies. Aussies, generally, tended to be gregarious, genuine, straight-talk sort of people, who meshed well with our American personalities. I can imagine that their brashness may be a bit disconcerting to more shy or introverted cultures but we got along really well with them.
Biggest disappointment: Australia's similarity to the United States. Like the United States, Australia is a huge land mass that was occupied by native peoples and then despoiled by the British. Eventually, both the Americans and the Aussies achieved independence but the countries' vast sizes resulted in discrete dissimilar regions. Like California is a whole different world from Alabama, Queensland is the near opposite of Victoria in climate, culture, and attitudes. Both countries have well-maintained infrastructures and, as we drove around, we often felt like we were in America, seeing McDonalds, Targets, and Woolworth's by the side of the highway and finding out that the Whitsundays look pretty much like Florida (except for Whitehaven Beach) and Melbourne looked like Philadelphia.
Language lesson: thongs = sandals or flip flops; bikkie = cookie; Macca's = McDonald's; brekkie = breakfast; mate = everyone other than you, whether male or female; cheers = hi, hello, thanks, goodbye, see you later, bottoms up; footy = Australian Ruby League, the national sport of Australia

The big test, would we come back? Probably not. Australia is a great country and we really enjoyed our time here. However, the excruciating distance from the U.S. plus the fact that it feels just like the U.S. made this a less "exotic" location and we would probably spend our vacation time in more exotic locales like New Zealand, Fiji, or Tahiti.
And, now, we're off to: New Zealand! Four weeks meandering through the South and North Islands in a campervan should make for some fun stories.

This trip to Australia was made, in part, possible with the support of: our very awesome families - we love you all and special mention goes to my parents for taking care of our precious babies; Ben for making our Sydney trip full of fun and laughter; Gail and Howie for warmly hosting us in the Blue Mountains (which was quite a challenge considering the weather); Dianne, Jason, Kate, Georgia, Joanna, and Maria for welcoming us to Australia and putting up with our antics in Sydney; Shankar Mama, Sunitha Mami, and Bhairavi for graciously hosting us and (more importantly) feeding us in Melbourne and giving invaluable advice for New Zealand; and Kishore Mama, Latha Mami, Priyanka, and Anuja for stuffing us with good food and hanging out with us in Melbourne.

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