Pints, Cuddles and Village Fete's.

It is lovely to be back in England. This is the best time of year to be here, the sun has been intermittent but delightful and the garden and my parents is so stunningly beautiful with corn flowers and bright pink roses.
We have cuddled the kids, drank with friends and been to village fete’s, introduced the bald man to loads of people and enjoyed watching him putting faces to names. Today we are going to London to Madame Tassuads and to visit my lovely cousin. Can’t wait!!!

HongKongaDingDong

We woke surprisingly fit and healthy, no hangovers just a need for liquid and by 9.30 we were in the taxi to the MRT. The MRT is clean and very efficient, it took few little time to get to out into the Hong Kong heat and onto The Bald Man’s favourite method of transport...... a tram! It was a fabulous way to travel through the city, slow and clunky giving you lots of time to look through the streets to the Kowloon hills and sitting at the on the top at the back gave us loads of scope to really enjoy the ride. Our mission was to find Mark’s favourite restaurant for lunch which just happened to also be in the Time Magazine top 10 things to do in Hong Kong. Mark had found out that morning he had be offered a new job, so with much joy in the air we met in on of the busiest little restaurants I have seen in the world. The Tsui Wah cafe is a cha chan teng restaurant which were made popular by traders in the boom times wanting places to eat that mixed Asian and European cuisines. Unlike the popular fusion restaurants of our times which are predominately Asian lead, the Cha Chan Teng style was to add a sweet/sour sauce to spaghetti or Pork Chop, apple sauce and steamed rice. Tsui Wah’s is an insight into passionate eating. Tables were piled high with take away dishes that get couriered out to the high rises offices where the bankers can get their fill without having to leave their desks. We got in early and we needed to, 10 minutes later the place filled like a flash flood. I chose a pork dish with fried (crisp) noodles, mushroom and onion. Mark had a firm favourite, the brisket stew, Claire, Hainese Chicken Rice and the Bald Man went straight in for Chowder and Roti. The thick sweet milk tea was as awful as I remembered it to be, but it was so right to drink it. We ate with gusto and headed back into the heat with a group of girls jumping straight into our table before we had even moved away from it.

We left Mark to skip his way back to work and the 3 of us took the travelators up hill to have our foot massage at Happy Feet. One look at our sleeping baby and we were up two floors into a private room for 50 minutes of pure luxury feet pampering. The little lady doing the Bald Man’s feet took one look and called a Farrier in to attend to the Kiwi feet in front of her. The oldest man i’d seen in Hong Kong arrived with a tool kit, sucked through his teeth and said “bad, very bad” before getting a large razor out to start his attack. The lovely Bald man looked somewhat frightened at what was about to happen, but the result made him skip a little and pronounce he had “new feet”

Next on our agenda was Kowloon via the Star Ferry which at $0.40NZD is the cheapest transport ever. 5 minutes later and stunning views of Hong Kong Island we disembarked at pottered our way to the Peninsula hotel to see if we could get to Felix bar and to gaze at the glory of their lobby. High tea was in full swing and as fantastic as it looked I wasn’t prepared to hang around. Instead we went to Hullet House to the Parlour bar and supped on cocktails and a plate of fabulous sandwiches (must remember to put anchovy in my egg mayonnaise when we get home...) From there we went to the Bar at Aqua, 29 floors up and looking out across the harbour. A view to amaze. However the waitress decided the Bald Man wasn’t colourful enough and threw a tray of drinks over him, much to his digust and mine when he leapt around trying to dry off for 5 minutes. Still the replacement chocolate martini was as superb as expected.

Lamma Island, a trip away from the bustle of Hong Kong Island on a little Rainbow ferry through the busiest shopping channel in the world. Huge Containers laden with goods ploughed through the waters knocking the smaller ferries from side to side. We headed west around the coast, Claire pointing out the ridiculously ugly housing that reaches millions just for the view. I caught the sunset as perfect as it could only be, a simple orange ball glowing and dropping quicker than I wanted. It was a moment I wanted to capture for ever. 

Endless high rise apartment blocks did Mexican waves and we bobbed our way across the  bay towards an island that rose out of the water with undulating shape. As we docked Claire pointed out all the tribal flags that waved to welcome us down the jetty. Our dinner destination was a restaurant called Rainbow where all sorts of seafood was in glass tanks fresh for our picking. My only request was crab and I let Mark chose the rest and boy what a job he did. Scallops so big and plump they were more than a mouthful, served with glass noodles and crushed garlic. We muddled it with soy and chilli and the sweetness of the scallops still shone through. A steamed fish with Soy and ginger was soft and flavorsome.  The Bald man said it was a snapper but not as we would no it in NZ. 

My request for crab was dually noted with a flower crab so amazingly sweet and another that was cooked in garlic and chilli with fried puff rice and coconut. SO incredible. Little lobsters with cheese sauce were hoovered up by the bald man at speed and we ordered more prawns in chilli and garlic to finish off. The Bald Mans favourite Sauvignon Blanc was on offer by the bottle so we quaffed a couple of those to help all the seafood go down. The flags waved, the plastic chairs were bright and beautiful and the staff attended our every demand. 

We all slept soundly on the ferry on the way back and all awoke again at the house when the taxi dropped us off. A wee scotch later and we were in bed. An amazing day in HongKongaDingDong. Our huge thanks to Claire and Mark for a fabulous couple of days

Bumping all the way.....

We left the house with  mixed emotions, both very nervous about the trip and a little snappy. I have learnt as I have grown up that I am not very good with leaving places and seeing the most miserable cat in the world hiding under the table wasn’t helping me get out of the door. The Jimjam arrived to take us to the airport and we left getting excited about what lay ahead. A few swift wines in the Koru lounge and we were on our way.

And on our way we were, mostly up and down ferociously for 7 hours. I have never been through such incredible turbulence that even the staff were anxious.  You know its bad when one says out loud “bollocks to this” after being dragged by a meal tray into the air and down again. The cabin manager said very calmly as we landed in Hong Kong “that was the worst I had in 23 years.” The Bald Man managed to sleep pretty much from the first seatbelt sign on for the majority of the journey. Desperate for sleeping pills I waited until some poor battered steward made it within 3 foot of me, demanded water, slung some tablets down my neck and managed to miss a very scary dive the plane made just as Barry work up.  Good Luck Auckland you have some amazing weather about to hit you.

Once in a taxi on the way to Claire’s in Clearwater Bay, I relaxed. Hong Kong looked thoroughly miserable as we drove from the airport, grey, dirty and overcast. I’m pretty sure that was just my 6.30am eyes not appreciating they were still alive and within an hour we’d managed to fine Claire’s house. The view from the Balcony is of rolling hills, super rich green foliage and identical houses. All the houses in the area are the same three story flat roof divided into “tribal” villages of two or three streets. Most are split into flats, Claire and Mark’s being 2 storeys with huge amounts of space. And huge amounts of space will be needed for Claire’s adorable daughter Danielle, who kept us all entertained yesterday with bouncing legs and a huge smile, such a content little baby.

We qwaffed down coffee and toast before showering and heading straight into town. The house is a good 30minute cab ride out of town but it gave us huge insight into HK living rather and the suburbs, something you wouldn’t usually get if you stayed on the island or in Kowloon. We met Mark in a beautiful Dim Sum Restaurant, Maxim’s at City Hall which compared to Auckland Yum Cha restaurants was incredible. The food was exquisite, delicate and throbbing with taste. We tried numerous new dishes not usually available to us in NZ, one being a marinated and fired cuttlefish which I could have eaten all day. Claire recommended a milky black rice pudding which was delicious even though the texture wasn’t for me. Ornate silver pots of green tea were forever replaced and the Bald Man and Claire had amazing fresh apple juices which looked exactly like as they should do, deep green and frothy.

From Dim Sum to the Peak on a rather nerve wracking tram which at one points feels at right angles to the rest of the world. The view from the top, breath taking, empowering and enormous. Looking down you know that squillions of billions of millions of dollars were being made, sold or lost and we were just standing on a mountain above it all having a bit of a break. Coffeed up to the gills we descended to the Chinese wet markets, somewhere I was really looking forward to. And it held up to expectations. Ginger the size of my arm falling out of buckets there was so much, fish and crabs so colourful in polythene boxes, they looked floral. Huge strands of herbs hung from the stalls like big green curtains and scarlet tomatoes on their vines were as round as gob stoppers. Yet to be named pink and orange fruits with curly spikes added more texture and I slowly caused a little chaos stopping every second moment for a photo. We pottered for an hour of more in and out of tiny alley ways which were flooded with smells and tastes. I was a little surprised that Claire said very few ex pats use the wet markets, I thought they were sensational.

In the evening after a brief trip home to get changed, Mark took us to Lin Heung Tea House for dinner. It was a very unflash local restaurant full to the brim with locals. My determination for evening had been for Roast Goose which was arrived plump and juicy. Mark chose the rest with huge lumps of pork ribs, scallops and broccoli and beautiful eggplant just some of the dishes we washed down with a Marlborogh Sav byo and litres of green tea. An amazingly devine place! Tummies full and the Bald Man and I a little weary, a small scotch at home, ear plugs and eye masks and there endth the first day.

3am....

And awake! One earplug wrapped in my hair the other stuck to my cheek. The dulcet tones of the one man symphony snorchestra were in full flow, in a more minor key than normal. By the time I'd actually focused on the dark, my noisy little head kicked into action.
"So you fed everyone but you didn't get the accommodation in Lyon sorted, you haven't spoken to Danna, booked flights to SF, sorted out SF accommodation. Where are you going to park the car in Venice, how do you get the car out of Paris. Paris.... must pack wine for Uncle Chris. George Clooney will not be in Lake Como because you haven't sorted out accommodation there, and no he isn't likely to drive past you both asleep on the road and offer you a bed. AND you still have to find the document for the house sitter, sort out the insurance, the electricity etc etc. AND what are you doing leaving the country for 8 weeks when you haven't sorted out some Foody stuff blah blah blah blah blah. And what time am I due at the Doctor?"
The bald man woke up with my endless turning, announced I smelt nice, wrapped his arms around me and carried on with the "Air from my nostrils" Overture in Cminor. A few drugs later and the little voice had gone back to sleep until 20 mins before I was due to be at the Quacks.
Reality hasn't kicked in yet. I am leaving on a jet plane tomorrow for 8 glorious weeks of Asia, Europe and the US. Food, wine, friends and research. Food tours, wine tours, West End shows, Fish and Chips in Devon, watching one of favourite people get married, hugging my brother, arguing with my brother and probably drinking with my brother. I'm most excited about a week in Devon, doing very little but walking and staring into the view!
Thankfully the house will be less naked this evening with the hooks for the curtains now returned. I'm sure I can find someone to hook them all back together................. someone, anyone?

3 Days Till Take off

So the house is in chaos, the sitting room curtains called to me last week "clean us, clean us...." Being the obedient house owner I am, I unhooked the curtains and trotted off to the dry cleaners, expecting the words "pick up on Wednesday?" Instead the lovely Cheryl said "I'm sorry Elle but these curtains won't clean up, they're too delicate, I'd invest in some more" Half expecting her to flip a curtain brochure out in front of me, I threw the filthy suspects into the car and drove home grumbling about the thought of having to spend hours at the curtain warehouse.

The house therefore is now naked without its window dressings, my plan of tidying the piles of paper and magazines into organised reference material has turned into a major carpet rug and the endless pots of nicnacks that sit on top of every surface are now spread out over every table. Somehow by 4pm I have to get this shipshape to be able to feed 11.5 of us Roast Pork.

Mounds of washing need tidying away or packing into suitcases, last minute bills need paying and for once in my life I'm concerned about the cleanliness of the windows. However the one task I was most frantic about has been achieved. 12 boxes of cat food now in the house to keep the little beast's full while we are away!

Two more locations to book accommodation, a couple of flights and a train ticket and we're done. Right roast pork here we come.

Us and our venture

The Bald Man and I met a year ago across a crowded room full of Microsoft raving geeks. Love at first sight............ well almost! A year later we are commencing our travels around the world to visit amazing cuisine and start our own memories. We are going to the UK to see my friends and family, to enjoy a couple of warm pints in the beer garden and to enjoy the English summer (fingers crossed.)

Our journey takes us through Hong Kong, England, France, Italy, Austria and the US where we will laugh, eat and enjoy the next 8 weeks.