Let's Go Outback Tonight!

Watching this commercial makes me laugh at all the Australian stereotypes. There's so much more to the Land Down Under than "a koala in a gumtree." Though I am craving a steak and a blooming union now.

Cheers for now,

Kim

Nelson & Abel Tasman

{Live* from New Zealand}

* Change of plans. The Internet is more accessible than I was expecting and with long bus rides I've been able to write all my posts. Plus this way you don't have to read two posts that are pretty much the same thing :)

Thursday:

Ah I can't believe I'm 3 days into my NZ adventure! Nelson was a charming little town at the top of the South Island. Although Katie, Bekah and I were only there for 2 days, we made a lot of memories and a few friends.

After a long day of traveling from Christchurch, we arrived in Nelson. We had a dinner of cheese and crackers accompanied by a local Sauvignon Blanc. The Marlborough area which includes Nelson is known for its wineries. During the harvest season, you can walk down the street and sample wine at the restaurant's cellar door.

We were in bed by 9 p.m.-so exhausted plus we had an early morning departure to Abel Tasman National Park. Named after the Dutch explorer who first came to this area, Abel Tasman is the second most visited national park even though it is the smallest. The park is known for its turquoise water, golden sand and rain forest habitat. 

For our tour, we were transported to Motueka, a small town at the base of the national park. From there we took an hour long water taxi ride to Bark Bay. One of the highlights was Split Apple Rock. When Captain James Cook came to this area, he shot off one of his cannons. The cannonball hit this perfectly round rock. The rock being made of granite (extremely brittle) split in half, leaving what I saw today. Another interesting thing I learned from our boat driver was that the ocean tidal differences along the Abel Tasman coast are among the biggest in the country. There is about a 4.8 meter difference between high and low tide! During low tide you could walk out to Split Apple Rock and during high tide you could kayak through the split.

It was cloudy and I was freezing in my Nike shorts. Luckily it soon turned into a lovely, blue-sky weather. Plus I warmed up on our six hour hike back to Motueka, a total of 24 km or 14.1 miles. The hike was gorgeous. The 2 hour hike from Bark Bay to Torrent Bay was my favorite because it offered the most variety in scenery. I came up with three distinct "ecosystems" at Abel Tasman:

1. Leaves- rain forest, large canopy trees, brooks, GREEN

2. Sticks- tall, slender trees with few leaves, transition ecosystem to the

3. Beach- bush and sandy coves, right on the turquoise water

In Torrent Bay, we found a picnic table and had lunch overlooking the water. The hike back to base was predominantly rain forest. It took four hours though the signs said five. We were starting to freak out because the last bus left at 5 p.m. and we couldn't stay overnight. The signs ended up being wrong and we arrived an hour early. The last 3 km took us probably an hour because we were so tired.

Another early night and leaving for Franz Joseph in the morning.

Cheers for now,

Kim

{Hostel Review: An old boarding house, we stayed at Paradiso and were absolutely spoiled. They provided free wireless, breakfast, and a soup dinner which was perfect when it got cold at night. Really comfortable beds. Residential area so it was quiet. Hot tub and sauna. Reading lights and hooks in the room. $22 a night.}

Roll Up the Sleeves, it's Recipe Time

After a long day of op shopping and laying at the beach, the Baking Bunch (Kellee, Bekah, Katie, Emma and I) dove into making the amazing Australian dessert of Lamingtons. I talked about making some about a month ago and have final amassed the baking supplies needed. The process was super quick and super fun to make; all you need is cake mix, icing sugar, cocoa powder and coconut.

You start off with a regular white cake mix and bake the cake as directed. Once cooled, cut the cake into 2 in. by 2 in. squares.

Kellee whipping up the chocolate icing

Next, make a chocolate icing mixture by mixing icing sugar, cocoa powder and hot water together until it's a runny consistency. Dip the cake piece into the mixture, completely covering all the sides. Squeeze the excess chocolate out.

  

Assembly line

Last, coat the cake in coconut. I noticed that the coconut here is a lot finer than coconut from back home. You might have to put it in a food processor to achieve smaller flakes.

The finishing touch

 Kellee, the mastermind behind the Lamingtons, says it's best to leave them overnight so the chocolate seeps through the cake but we could wait that long. They still tasted delicious. I had two :)

The finished product

Emma reckons that I'm starting to become more Australian now that I can make Lamingtons. I'll definitely be bringing this recipe back to the U.S. with me.

The Baking Bunch from left to right: Bekah, Kellee, me, Emma and Katie

Let me know if you make it; I'd love to hear some feedback.

Cheers for now,

Kim

P.S. It's my half birthday ;) 21 & 1/2

Tim Tam Yum Yum

As I stated earlier in my Australian dessert post, I had yet to have the famous Tim Tam chocolate biscuits. Well that's changed. While grocery shopping with the boyfriend, I caved in and bought some. Man, I was eating relatively well before he got here. It was just as delicious as my Aussie friends have made it out to be. I also endulged my sweet tooth by making Milo milkshakes one night. Yummy!

Cheers for now,

Kim

Beach & Beer

Now that classes are over for the week, I can actually entertain my guest. Since it was a nice day, we headed into town for a beach day. The water at Nobby's Beach was a little cold but the sun felt relaxing. I would have enjoyed laying out all afternoon, but Ryan soon grew restless. What is a boy to do on the beach? He decided it would be fun to bury his girlfriend alive. Not fun considering I got a mouthful of sand.

Afterward we headed to Queen Wharf and had lunch at The Brewery. We sampled some local beers like Pure Blonde and Carlton's while looking out into the bay. I wish I was more of a beer connoisseur because every thing tasted the same to me.

Cheers for now,

Kim

Restaurant Review: Chat Thai

My favorite part about being in Australia is the opportunity to experience new things. That being said, I've had Thai food before but the boyfriend hasn't. Oh, well, when in Rome. . .  or Sydney. . . anyways. . .

Over the course of our wanderings, we kept passing this restaurant called Chat Thai (20 Campbell St., Haymarket). It must have been the local favorite because the wait was out the door every time. So for our last meal in Sydney we went to see what the buzz was all about.

We were seated at a table with delicate silver drinking glasses. At first we didn't know if they were even meant to be drunk out of. After looking at the menu, we ordered the following:

Appetizers:

Mu Bhing-pork skewers with dipping sauce, well seasoned and delicious

Main Meal:

Gaeng Keaw Gai-chicken curry in spicy green paste and coconut milk, curry is my favorite especially with steamed rice

Pad Thai-a classic Thai dish of chicken, peanuts and noddles, Ryan's new favorite

Dessert:

Coconut Ice Cream-a Chat Thai specialty with peanuts and jellied rice, interesting combination that works

We were celebrating our last night in Sydney, my Study in Australia blogger position and Ryan's first Thai experience. We joked that we should have told them I was a published Australian blogger so we could get a free meal in exchange for a food review :) Overall I walked out there having only spent $50 and feeling extremely full. If you are ever in Sydney, I would definitely give this restaurant a Sratty Star of Approval. Good food and amazing atmosphere-what more could you ask for.

Cheers for now,

Kim

Mardi Gras & other Sydney Shenanigans

Ryan & I at Mardi Gras

Yay he's finally here! After waiting at the airport for two hours, Ryan finally made his way through customs. My initial thought was that he got in trouble for all the Reese's I asked for.

The Easter Koala came early!

First up on Ryan and my weekend in Sydney was Mardi Gras. After checking into our hostel Wake Up! Sydney (definitely recommend and located right next to Central Station), we made our way to Oxford Street for the parade. The Sydney Mardi Gras is put on by the gay and lesbian community. The overall effect was a lot of feathers, sequins and leather. We were about three people back from the guardrail, but still had a decent view. People were selling foot stools to get a better view of the parade and at $10 a pop were making quite a profit.

The next day, we decided to explore the city. Seizing the day bright and early, we walked up George Street toward the Harbour. Our first quest of the day was finding Pancakes on the Rocks, a delicious 24-hour pancake restaurant. Although Ryan ordered the ribs, I went for the Strawberry Patch pancakes with chocolate sauce instead of strawberry sauce. Pancakes with cream, ice cream, strawberries and chocolate sauce sounds more like dessert than breakfast but YUMMY!

The Rocks is the historical part of Sydney; it's where the first European settlers-British convicts-landed in Australia. We walked along the boardwalk around the Sydney Harbour and took the typical tourist pictures in front of the Opera House.

We sat on a bench in the Royal Bontanical Gardens, taking in the sights and trying to decide what to do. We wanted to do the Sydney Harbour Bridge climb, but the steep price didn't seem worth it. So we opted for the Taronga Zoo instead. Great decision; I made a whole seperate post just about it. 

After a long day exploring, we headed to a local fav for some dinner: Chat Thai.

Overall, Ryan and I enjoyed ourselves. Be on the lookout for a guest post from Ryan about his time in Australia.

Cheers for now,

Kim 

Pavlova, Tim Tams & Lamingtons

Anyone who knows me knows I love sweets! Luck for me Australia has its own dessert confections to feast on.

The first dessert I had was pavlova, a meringue pie with custard and fresh fruit. Apparently it was created in 1935 in Perth, Western Australia, to celebrate the visit of the great Russian ballerina, Anna Pavlova. The meringue was extremely light and very sugary. The custard on the side was a nice contrast in texture.



Pavlova: Sorry for the poor quality photo

Tim Tams are the equivalent to Oreo's in Australian popularity. It's a chocolate-covered chocolate biscuit with filling. I had it mixed in ice cream a la Marble Slab style. Whether it was the ice cream or the Tim Tams, my ice cream was delicious. Can't wait to try them solo or in a thickshake like its website suggests.

Lamingtons are the final dessert I need to try. I had a store bought one and was quickly told it wasn't the same. I have a date with Kellee to make them. She's obsessed and has just as much fun making them as eating them (sounds familiar). Lamingtons are sponge cake dipped in chocolate and rolled in coconut. I'll put up pictures of the real thing when we get around to making them.

Don't worry family and friends from home. I will bring back recipes and make you an Australian dessert bar to die for.

Cheers for now,

Kim