SE Asia in 12 Days

SE Asia Itinerary

24 Hours in New Orleans

This week Mom and I made our way south for a quick visit in New Orleans and to see Gramps in Covington. We arrived in New Orleans at 2:30pm on Tuesday, and by 3:30 on Wednesday we were on our way across Lake Ponchetrain towards Covington. Although we only had 24 hours in New Orleans, we made sure we experienced the best the town has to offer, from "World-Famous" French Quarter bars to traditional French-Creole cuisine, Oysters on the half shell to Shrimp Po' Boys, we made the most of a short trip. Here's how the trip broke down:

2:30PM Halloween comes early in Uptown

We checked into the Hampton Inn, Garden District, on St. Charles Avenue, conveniently located about halfway between Uptown and the French Quarter. We took a drive around the area, through Tulane and Loyola's neighboring campuses, through Audubon Park, past Audubon Zoo, and past many traditional Uptown homes. A city known for cemeteries and Voodoo culture, New Orleans takes Halloween seriously! Many of the homes had decorations on porches, in yards, on the house, and these were not amateur, store-bought cobwebs and such, but rather well thought out Halloween experiences. A yard full of Skeletons all with clever names, or a haunted house that had transformed its entranceway into dilapidated columns, with a sign "Nightmare on State Street" across the front. Halloween decorations were not limited to Uptown, and in fact, were more prevalent and canny in the Quarter.

5PM My First Hurricane

Mom made sure that our trip included a visit to the famous Pat O'Briens bar on St. Peter Street in the French Quarter. She also made sure to let me know a trip to Pat O'Briens wasn't complete without a Hurricane. I wasn't sure what was in a Hurricane, but it was 26 oz of something very sweet, so sweet that I was unable to finish it!

Pat O'Brien's Hurricane:
In a 26 oz. Hurricane glass, mix
4 oz. of Pat O'Brien's Hurricane Rum or a good Dark Rum
4 oz. of Pat O'Brien's Hurricane Mix
Fill with crushed ice
Garnish with an orange and cherry

Pat O'Briens has been around since the days of Prohibition, but in 1933, it was converted into a legitimate establishment. In the 1940's, the Hurricane Drink was created, due to a shortage of Whiskey. Since Rum was available, and bartenders began creating new drink

We sat outside at tables in a beautiful courtyard, with a large fountain that had a fire coming out of it in addition to water! The clientele was a mix of locals and tourists, eager to experience the tradition. Inside, there is still dueling pianos, with a show either during the day or at night, every day of the week.

6:30 An Oyster Appetizer

From one New Orleans tradition to another...Mom and I walked a few blocks to the Acme Oyster House in search of some Oysters before heading to our 7:30 dinner reservation. the original Acme Café was opened on Royal Street in the French Quarter in 1910, but moved to Oberville Street in the 20's. As their website says,"Acme has been pleasing the palates of discriminating diners ever since." When we arrived, there was a long line outside, but we jumped to the front in hopes of getting a seat at the bar. Just our luck, there were 2 seats available!

We each ordered martinis and a dozen chargrilled oysters on the half shell. The cafe was packed, with trays of fresh seafood being carried around, and men shucking oysters just a few feet away. These men were truly showmen, chatting up those sitting at the oyster bar, showing off their mastery of shucking an oyster - of finding the best place to insert the blade and pry open the shell in a matter of seconds.

Our oysters arrived within 15 minutes, steaming hot with a gorgeous aroma of butter and cheese! The recipe is simple, and effective:
Top raw oysters with Creole Seasoning (Tony's or similar), garlic butter and Romano cheese. Grill on high 2-3 minutes, add more garlic butter, grill ad additional 2-3 minutes and serve hot with lemon and french bread.


7:30PM The Tradition of Galatoire's

I grew up hearing stories about the famous restaurants in New Orleans that my mom and her family frequented while growing up. Places such as Antoine's, where walls are filled with memorablilia and dining rooms have themes, such as the Rex Room, named for the elite Mardi Gras Krewe, featuring pictures of my grandfather and other family members hang.

Galatoire's celebrated 100 years in 2005, and six years after Katrina, it has remodeled and received a face lift, but the menu, service and ambiance are exactly the same and full of time honored customs and traditions. Located at 209 Bourbon Street, the French-Creole restaurant has a nondescript facade, no neon signs or loud music, no tourist drink offerings or cabaret girls lingering outside - instead, patrons arrive in dresses and jackets and often come for lunch, and stay for dinner.

We

Fall in Highlands, NC

Atlanta finally starts to cool off in late September and the mornings become cool and crisp. However, even in October temperatures can soar into the 80's and it seems that we go straight from summer to winter without much opportunity to enjoy the transitional weather (and clothes!). I have found a solution. Well, actually my parents are the ones who have, but I have taken advantage of the situation. They are building a home in Highlands, North Carolina about 2h15 north of Atlanta, close to the GA/NC border. Temperatures are 10-20 degrees cooler in summer and fall, and a perfect retreat from the Atlanta heat, and to enjoy magnificent fall foliage!

At 4,118 feet above sea level, Highlands is a mountain town in the southern Appalachian Mountains, and a neighbor of Cashiers. Highlands was founded in 1875 and by the 1930's it had become a golfing mecca when Bobby Jones and friends founded Highlands Country Club. I have had the opportunity to play the course many times, as my parents are members. It is a beautiful course, with tight fairways, beautiful vistas and sometimes you'll even see the family of black bears between the 5th and 6th fairways!





In addition to the spectacular views around Highlands Country Club, the area boasts many hiking trails, located in The Nantahala National Forest. One of my favorites, is the easy hike up Satulah Mountain, where the summit is part of the 1909 Highlands - Cashiers Land Trust. The 1,700 acres are protected from any development for all time.




I also really enjoy the short Glen Falls hike, which is a steep trail descending to great mountain views, and zig zags along a waterfall, so you stop at the top, middle, and bottom to see different views of the cascading falls. At the bottom section, visitors are advised not to go over the railings, but because water levels were low, we sometimes break the rules and got closer to take pictures.



If we get up early enough, we'll drive towards Cashiers and do the 2.5 mile loop hike up Whiteside Mountain. It's a great way to start the day, before the mid day and afternoon crowds flood the trail. The trail leads to a ridge with magnificent views, and on a clear morning you can see many miles. As we hike the ridge, we always make sure not to get close to the edge, as the cliffs drop straight down. There are several overlooks along the trail, and sometimes we'll even see rock climbers repelling.





A couple weekends ago, I visited my parents at their temporary residence, a condo at Highlands Mountain Club. It had cooled off some in Atlanta, but reached low 30's in the mountains! We spent Saturday on the golf course, and although it was in the mid 40's, the sky was a deep blue and the sun was out. Later that afternoon we played croquet, layered in every piece of white clothing we had!


Sunday, I decided to take Franklin road out of town, to follow the Cullasaja river past the waterfalls and to explore an area of the National Forest I had not seen in a while. The road is steep at times, with hairpin turns, but a wonderful drive for those interested in following the Cullasaja river, seeing the waterfalls and enjoying fall colors Bridal Veil Falls is a small waterfall located on a curve off Franklin Road, that offers visitors the chance to walk behind the falls and stay dry. These falls are the first of a series of waterfalls on a 9 mile stretch of the road, ending in Cullasaja Falls. .



I continued north west towards Franklin and stopped a few times before getting to Dry Falls. Recently, they added a large parking lot and toilets to encourage visitors to stop and walk down to the falls. It is a little too touristy for me, but it is very family friendly and a pleasant activity for anyone who likes standing behind a waterfall and being sprayed with mist!



On my way back to Highlands, I stopped on the side of the road a few times just to step into the woods and get a closer view of the Cullasaja River. On one such exploration, I stumbled upon two fly fishermen who were waist deep in the river, having a conversation about work. They were surrounded by the changing colors of fall, in a serene place, with only the sound of cars passing on the highway, and yet they still couldn't seem to escape from their work.



My final stop that day was on the shoulder of the road, right at a sharp turn (probably not the best place to park) where sunlight bouncing off rocks and a waterfall hit my eye. I swerved off the road, jumped out of my car and climbed over several huge rocks until I found the perfect vantage point. From onlookers, it may have appeared like I was a little crazy: balancing on the edge of a boulder, halfway across the creek, switching lenses on my camera and hunched down to get the right angle. I don't care, though :-)



As I wait for the leaves on trees outside of my apartment window to loose their chlorophyll, change to yellows and reds and embrace fall, I wonder if all of the leaves have changed in Highlands. Have I missed it? Will all the leaves be gone by the next time I visit? Only time will tell. Until then, I'll be patient and wait for the cool nights and shorter days that bring Autumn colors

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Welcome to Miami...

We were long overdue for a W&L girls reunion, and after much debate on locale, Kara finally won with her choice of Miami Beach. We planned our trip for June 24-24, 2011- a long weekend in South Beach! I have never been, and while Miami isn't on my travel wish list, it was sure to be a great weekend with my favorite girls. The 6 of us settled on a boutique hotel in the Art Deco area of Miami Beach called The Blue Moon Hotel. When the trip got closer, we soon found out Elizabeth was pregnant, and would not be able to make the trip. Slammed with work, Rebecca also had to bow out so the magnificent 6 shrunk to 4.





I met Kara on Friday evening and quickly realized that we did not fit in with the South Beach crowd. Perhaps we were better suited for West Palm or Naples? Due to bad weather on the east coast, Audrey and Allison had delayed flights and Audrey didn't make the trip. Allison arrived at the hotel at 4am! So, Kara and I spent Friday evening walking the most touristy strip, up Ocean Drive past restaurants that started to look the same. One after another, we were stopped by hostesses with eastern European accents who did their best to convince us that we should eat at their establishment, and they each had an offer for us - 20% off all drinks, 30% off dinner, etc. None of which we fell for, but ultimately our stomachs won and we stopped at one that felt the least touristy. I cant even remember the name of it, but the food wasn't memorable and the drinks were too big!

Saturday we spent a couple hours at the beach but it was very hot so we decided to walk around town and grab lunch and window shop on Lincoln Lane. The street is blocked off to pedestrians and is essentially an open air mall with restaurants sprawling on the sidewalks. This was a great opportunity for people watching, and we were amazed by the colorful array of personalities, ethnicities, and wardrobe choices that pranced in front of our front row spot on the promenade!




We decided on the Big Pink for dinner, part of a family of restaurants that came highly recommended. We should have selected one of the sister restaurants, as this diner had a menu the size of my bed, with every dish under the sun - obviously they had no specialties.

We left dinner hoping that we would have better luck on our 3rd night! We had been told that Nikki Beach Club was THE place to see and be seen, so we walked over there around 10pm and it was empty. Well, maybe 10 people leftover from afternoon drinking, but that was all. We quickly found out that Nikki Beach Club has events on Sundays and that is the day to go!

Strike 2.

We asked the bartender for a recommendation and she looked us up and down and said "try the Delano Hotel". Bingo. It was the most spectacular hotel I have seen in a while. The lobby was a bar in itself, with well dressed men and women sipping cocktails and eating sushi. We made our way through the lobby and out back down staris that descended into a large backyard of palm trees, lifesize Chess sets and finally, a pool with lounges and bungalos and a tikki bar. It was wonderful. We sipped our mojitos and danced in the shallow pool and lounged on beds. Until the thunderstorm came and we luckily made it inside before we got soaked!




Sunday we spent most of the day at the beach, despite heavy clouds and a looming thunderstorm. We rented an umbrella and it was very peaceful with the breeze from the ocean. We made a reservation at BLT Steak for dinner, knowing that we would be happy with our final dinner choice, and also aware of the price we would pay for it! It was absolutely delicious! The wine was overpriced, beginning at $12 a glass, upwards of $20! The steak was perfection. All three of us ordered the small filet, an appetizer salad and plenty of sides to share. And the sauces..oh the sauces!




After dinner we moved outside to the patio for dessert and coffee. What a wonderful meal - so wonderful that we decided not to try out a club, but instead return to the hotel!

I very much enjoyed being with Kara and Allison, but wish Audrey, Elizabeth and Rebecca had been with us. I did not love South Beach, and probably will not return, but it was a nice escape from the ordinary, and definitely an adventure!

Back To Sydney For One Day!

January 8th, 2010

Kangaroo: it tastes like beef

Today Sarah and I said good-bye to New Zealand and left on an early flight back to Sydney. In case you have never travelled to NZ, they have a very strict policy on weight limits for both checked luggage and carry on. Well, Delta had a 50 lb limit on my checked baggage, so I clocked in around 49.5 when i was wearing jeans and a sweater and my backpack was pretty light. Well, between Australia and NZ, the limit is 20 kg checked and 7kg carry on. So, somehow I had to ditch 6 lbs of my checked luggage and stick it into my backpack. It was also about 80 degrees in Sydney so the option of putting on all of my clothes was the last resort. Luckily the airport has scales in the check-in line so i managed to get my suitcase up there and then started unpacking the heaviest crap. I hid my 348245 lb backpack from the attendant so she wouldn't weigh it and then ran once she gave me my boarding pass. Needless to say, whenever Sarah and I looked for souveniers to bring back to friends and family, we thought outloud "I love this! but it looks heavy" or "Hey Sarah, we should bring this back! "No McQueen, we can't, it sounds heavy"

Other weird things about traveling into or out of NZ:

1) The entry card you show to customs agents has the usual questions like passport number, nationality, did you bring any food, etc. But on the back page there is a box for visitors that asks "are you coming to New Zealand to give birth?" apparently they have a problem with pregnant ladies coming to give birth so that they can become citizens and don't have to leave!!

2) When passing through customs, they have a very thorough inspection of tents, shoes, and anything that may have soil on them. So I unpacked my hiking shoes which I had worn once, walking around the park in Atlanta. So the guy said "oh these are definitely dirty" and so he took them to a washing station and scrubbed the hell out of them! When he gave them back I jokingly said "It was just Georgia clay" to which he gave a quick, not joking remark "we don't want it!!!" followed by an under the breath "we should charge an extra fee to do this"! WHAT!

3) When you enter the country you must provide proof of exit. They need to be sure you have a set date to leave. We were required to show our actual departure tickets!

4) When you are finally ready to leave, and they are ready for you to leave, and you have taken NZ soil with you, they charge you. what? Yep, after you check in for your flight you are instructed to walk over to the currency exchange booth where you pay $20 or so in order to leave! Some exit fee thing. I guess they do charge for cleaning my boots!

So, we arrived in Sydney around lunch and checked into Wake Up! Sydney which was a really great hostel south of Darling Harbour. Now I know what you're thinking, a "really great hostel"??! The only reason I allowed Sarah to drag me back into a hostel was because i knew we had a private room and a private bathroom. So I figured I would take a chance. Turns out Wake Up! is really a cool place to stay! The hostel was in a 9 story really old building on the corner of an X intersection with great views and close to lots of transportation. The lobby was huge and full of computers, big screen TV and couches, then there was a cafe and bar. We stayed on the 2nd floor and our room had HUGE windows over looking the main intersection. Our room is on the 3rd floor on the right with the arch window!

Our big plans for the last day in Sydney consisted of a walk across the Harbour Bridge, drinks with Sarah's friend Francis and a show at the Opera House. It was really hot, so after we walked across the bridge, we wanted some ice cream. SHWEBACOOTIE!!! Unfortunately the only place serving cones was inside Luna Park, an amusement show right under the bridge on the North side of Sydney. the sign was really freaky!

We got our ice cream, and then headed back to Wake Up! to get cleaned up. We met up with Francis and his friend Bill for drinks and then headed to a tapas place that we never would have found without locals. The only way in was through a super small door in the middle of a wall on some dark street. But it was so great! We ordered kangaroo carpaccio and a couple pizzas. The kangaroo was actually really good! It was drizzled with balsamic vinegar and it tasted like steak.

After dinner we cabbed it to the Opera House to see the Tom Tom Crew, which was showing in the Playhouse. It was wonderful! There were 4 acrobats, a DJ, a drummer and a beat boxer Tom Thumb. Everyone was absolutely unreal. Especially Tom Thumb! Such a fun show to see in the Opera House. After the show we headed back home because we tried to go meet up with the boys again, but it ended up taking an hour to get close and we gave up!

Off to bed early for our 6am wake up for the airport. Sad for vacation to be over, but we had an unforgettable time and have 500+ photos and videos to remember the wonderful adventure we went on. I can't believe a simple shot in the dark question back in July "McQueen, do you want to go to New Zealand over Christmas break?" turned into a reality. I am very blessed to be able to explore like I have and with such great friends.

THANKS SARAH!!!

New Zealand Day 6: Waipara Valley and Christchurch

January 7th, 2010

is 12 different wines too many to taste?

For our last day in New Zealad, Sarah and I wanted to explore the Waipara Valley for some wine tasting and touring. We had an idea of a few places we wanted to see, based on recommendations from people down there and some research we had done before the trip. The Valley is only about 50km north of where we were staying, so it was a very easy drive. Once we got there we realized how close all of the vineyards really were! One after another all off of the main road. So per the recommendation of several people, our first stop at 11am was the Mud House. This was a fantastic building that had a gift shop, wine tasting room, dining areas and offered a tour of the vineyard and the winery. We had missed the 11am tour, so we booked ourselves on the 2pm tour and headed up the road. Our next stop was Waipara Springs Winery where we had a reservation for lunch.

This was recommended as a great place to have lunch, but we were dissapointed by the overall experience of the visit. The eating area was mostly outside and our table was nestled amongst the trees, set off from the road, however that was about all there was to enjoy. They offered no vineyard or winery tours, as the facility and acreage were both quite small. Instead we started drinking!

There was a family with two girls tasting when we arrived and it was pretty obvious where they were from . Jersey. Not Jersey Shore, but definitely looked like a Jersey crowd. They moved along and we started tasting as many as possible. The area is known for Whites, especially Rieslings so we tasted a Riesling, Chardonnay, Pinot Gris and a Pinot Noir.

Izel came up with baby Daniel to join us for lunch which was actually quite yummy. It was after lunch that we found out that in New Zealand, you don't tip. wait what? you don't tip?!

Apparently GST and gratuity are included in the menu price of the item, so if you order $24 worth of food, the bill is $24 and thats all you leave! When Izel told us this, as we took our tip off of the table I thought back to the other meals we have had since being in this country...(dream sequence begin)

Queenstown pub lunch and dinner: The menu said 'order at bar' and we had to pick up drinks at the bar. All the wait staff did was deliver the meal when it was ready.

Lake Tekapo dinner - I paid with a credit card and there was no room for gratuity on the receipt

So, in reality we did not lose too much money tipping, but when Sarah and I got back into the car, I immediately reached for my guide book and flipped to the "getting around New Zealand" section. Sure enough there is a sentence or two on tipping and it says in more words, tipping is not customary, unless it is exceptional service and in such a case, 10% is more than sufficient.

Our next stop was back to the Mud House where Sarah and I began our tasting before the tour. This was a very strategic and well planned move, because we had been pretty tipsy after Waipara Springs, so lunch sobered us up, and we justified the Mud House tasting with the 45 minute tour afterwards that should do the trick! The wine was very good, and we tasted everything from Riesling to Chardonnay to Pinot Noir and Merlot. We tasted several of the Mud House wines, but also Waipara Valley wines which are made elsewhere in the region.

After tasting we went into the Vineyards for what ended up being a private tour. We saw the grape vines and then moved into the winery. It was my second trip to a winery, with the first and only being at Mont Redon in the Chateau-Neuf-du Pape region in southern France. In memory of the Mud House I purchased a set of 5 X 7 post cards from original watercolors that a local artist painted depicting the Mud House. They are paintings of pigs going through the wine making process from harvesting to pressing to tasting! So cute!! Ill have to find a good place to display the series of 6 post cards.

We drove back into Christchurch to return our car and then took Izel, Russell and Daniel out for an early dinner (so baby could join). We posed in front of the Art Center with Daniel for some photos while he was still smiling and awake! For my last dinner in New Zealand I chose lamb shank and lamb chops and a local beer. The lamb chops were really good, but the shank was a little too lamby for me. After dinner Russell drove Sarah and I to the beach for a good view, and then we got ice cream on the way home. Quite night in was just the way to spend the last night. Oh, and of course I asked for a glass of Amarula. damn that stuff is goooood!!

New Zealand Day 5: Christchurch

January 6th, 2010

we would like the triple deal: Punting, Gondola and Tram

Sarah and I decided that today would be our full day in Christchurch, so we drove into town early in the morning and looked for a place to purchase a triple deal so that we could experience the three great deals of the city. We were not able to reserve a punt until later in the day so we signed up and then voted to find the gondola first. Somehow, Sarah and I find ways to make things more complicated than they should be, and the start of the day ended up being a little more stressful than we planned for.

What had happened was...

The first issue was we were not properly equipped to handle a driving excursion. We had an inner city map and a driving route map but what we needed was a map that had street names on it that extended past 1 square kilometer and showed us how to get to the base of the gondola. Anyways, we started out of town per the instructions of one of the driving routes (which did have "Gondola" as stop 7 of 13 or so). The first sign that we were doing something wrong was the huge mountain we started to drive up. It was most definitely a scenic drive, but how does a gondola start at the top of a mountain? I figured we must be going over a mountain and would find the basin on the other side. Nope. Sure enough, after 40 km up a mountain that had no guard rail and was barely wide enough for a truck we saw the gondola station at the top of the mountain. I was getting tired of keeping my eyes on the road, gripping the wheel so tightly so as to prevent us flying down the side of the mountain that I was probably driving too fast. I did kind of feel like a race car driver, maybe Lightning McQueen! vrrrrrrrrrrroooom!

We pulled off the road and sat staring at it. We discussed how on earth we would get to it, perhaps there was a pathway from the road up the 100m or so to the building. Should we start walking, and take the gondola down and then back up? At this point I was very hungry and it was almost not worth the gondola ride, but we had already paid for it!

So Sarah and I got back into the car and tried to find our way down the mountain to where the start of the gondola was. Somehow we made it down the mountain and ended up having a nice drive by the beach! We took the gondola back up the mountain and had a little lunch. From the top of the mountain we were able to see Lyttelton Harbour, a sea-filled crater of a volcano that erupted more than 11 million years ago. Additionally, it is the place Ernie Shackleton came to port before his trip of true "endurance" down to Antarctica. Lots of history I didnt know about!

After the gondola, adventure we headed back into Christchurch and took the tram around the inner square (about a 2mile track). The historic trams were built during the 20's and 30's and are more of a tourist attraction than local transportation vehicle. The hop on, hop off trams go in circles and pass most of the key spots in Christchurch. Sarah and I were entertained in the city square by Maori dancers as well as a market of sorts which offered paintings, clothing, sculpture and more from local artists.

We finished the day with a 30 minute punt ride through the botanical gardens. A traditional English punt hold 6-10 people and has a man with a pole standing on the back! We took the front seats and he pushed the boat up and back and gave us some history of the gardens. I admit, however, it would have been substantially more fun if he had sung to us, but instead of being a really hot Italian or Kiwi, he was an expat from Quebec! Boring.

Izel and Russell hosted a BBQ for us that evening with friends who were also from South Africa. The meal was pretty traditional for them, and of course I cannot remember the names of everything, but we had a lot of meat (beef sausage, steak and kebabs) and pap, which is basically loose polenta topped with a thick marinaira-like sauce. It was very very yummy! We finished the meal with a glass of Amarula which is a South African liquor which Russell served over a bit of ice. It was so good I had some more the next night, and secretly wanted to bathe in it every day of my life, and eat it on everything! It's made from the fruit of the marula tree - aka the Elephant Tree which is why the bottle has an elephant on it - native to the plains of South Africa.

mmmmm I want some right now!!!