Okay, now that the first group of NZ pics are up, I can get to sharing with you guys the things that have happened since then. I got up to a few things the past 2 weekends that have been documented in photos for all of you to enjoy. Observe:
Last weekend, I had the opportunity to enjoy some yummy Xiaolongbao at a Chinese Restaurant in the Cupertino/Mountain View area. Sadly, this only marks the third time I've eaten at a Chinese restaurant in the Bay Area. Hopefully I'll continue to have more opportunities to eat more Chinese in the future. Anyhow, the dinner party included Myself, Raymond, Diana, Nick, Jeff & MaryAnn.
Foxhollow's Finest.
We also made it down to Palo Alto the next day to try the food at the Creamery in Palo Alto. Here's my Corned Beef & Scrambled eggs in the foreground plus my strawberry shake in the background. Great breakfast food & shakes means I'll be back here at some point to enjoy some more tasty food.
And finally, to conclude what was a most entertaining weekend, we gathered at Nick & Diana's for Chinese Hot pot (and some American Idol/Rock Band gaming). L->R (and alternating rows): Linda, Raymond, Diana, Yatman, MaryAnn, Me, Jeff & Nick. Below the group, you can see the food simmering away nicely as we prepare to devour it.
So, with all that fun last weekend, this recently concluded weekend had a lot to live up to. It delivered quite well in different ways. First off, on Saturday Travis & I did a mini bike tour of the Presidio. Here we are at the northern end of San Fran looking into the Bay (behind me, you can see the Golden Gate Bridge).
Since I blocked it out in the last pic, here's a better view of it before we decided to ride our bikes across it.
And on the other side of the Golden Gate Bridge, we have a beautiful view across the Bay to SF city.
And one of the Bridge looking back towards the SF side. We rode back across the bridge and wanted to continue to Bakers Beach but sadly Travis' front tire deflated spectacularly on a downhill section prematurely ending our bike tour. No matter as we were pretty hungry at that point and we met up with Kim for some tasty sushi @ Red Box in SF city (apologies, it was really dark in there and not too suitable for pics). Since I can't seem to avoid it here in the Bay Area, after our seemingly authentic (and delicious mind you) sushi meal, we discovered that the sushi chef spoke Cantonese. Go figure. More power to the Bay Area and another minus point for LA.
And finally earlier today, it was the annual Bring Your Own Big Wheel race which happens every year on Easter Sunday. If you're not sure what a big wheel is, Daniel is sitting on one on the left and Erin, on the right, has a similar style of trike that lacks the signature big, front wheel. People in this race don't need to ride a big wheel, but the general rule is that the vehicle of choice should have plastic wheels to maximize the lack of turning ability. What might participants in this race do you ask?
They ride it down a twisty, steep hill in a large pack. Check out the video below if you require further explanation.
Daniel in full flight down hill during the first heat.
Daniel racing down hill in heat two (he's the last guy in the group of three led by the pink wheeled dude).
Daniel waving at the camera in heat three while other competitors walk up the hill.
In heat four, Daniel's friend Bill decided to chuck a frisbee at him and miraculously, he caught it. Just imagine how good Daniel is at catching frisbees when he's not busy guiding a big wheel down a steep & windy road!
Look at all these crazy people who have nothing better to do on Easter! It was pandemonium and also one of the most interesting things I've ever had the privilege of witnessing in person.
And on the final, encore run, Daniel does a shaka for the camera. You can't really see it cuz he's moving so damn fast.
I bet you've never seen roof racks used in this manner before. Wicked ride Dan. Not only did he survive without serious injury, his big wheel lives to race another year! Hopefully it will be back next Easter bigger, badder and more carbon fibered!
To top off the day, we BBQ'd at Bill's place in the city. The grill was on the roof and while we were up there, I got a chance to have a look at this breathtaking view. The city is quite lovely in the twilight (more minus points for LA).
I hope you all enjoy this post because I sure did enjoy all the things that you've seen above. Until next time, take care folks!
Howdy everyone. Apologies for the delay in getting these pics up. I came back from NZ and got sick so it just kept getting pushed back. Now that I've got a bit of time, here's the first portion of pictures that I've got from my big trip to NZ! Enjoy!
First things first. You all know I like food. So, it's obligatory that I have fish in chips at some point during this trip. I might as well take a pic of it early on! Sausage, snapper & chips aplenty. From Browns Bay Fisheries...a definite favourite of mine!
A couple days in Auckland and then it was time to embark on the trip to the South Island w/mum, Aunty Karen, Gung Gung (Granddad) and Po Po (grandma). Here's Gung Gung, Aunty Karen & Po Po in front of our plane from AKL to CHC (I got scolded for taking the pic...oh well).
Po Po, Mum & Gung Gung on the plane. It was a pretty no frills flight so I just slept through the whole thing...(much thanks to my iPod & noise canceling headphones).
First time back in Chch (Christchurch) since 2005 and what do I see? A vintage Meadow Gold sign with everyone's favourite dairy mascot: Lani Moo!!!
A lot of the times you'll see some fancy foods and the like on my blog but here's a pic of one of the simplest, most common things you'll find: a McDonald's apple pie! But not just any mind you, one from NZ! The Timaru McD's to be exact. We had to stop for a snack on the drive down to Dunedin from Chch.
Another stop on State Highway 1 from Chch to Dunedin was the Moeraki Boulders! Aunty Karen, Po Po, Mum & Gung Gung with one of the famously round boulders.
Me on one of those boulders. If you can't tell from these pics, it's pretty darned windy!
After arriving to Dunedin, we were all hungry as and it was definitely time to eat. So, we headed to Filadelfio's to enjoy some yummy food. L->R: Wedges, Roasted Vegie Pizza w/Feta and Seafood chowder. Bottom center is all that's left of the garlic bread.
Can you tell I'm enjoying the food?
The next day yielded a trip out to Outram (by the Dunedin airport for those of you who were with me down at Otago) where my grandparents used to live and farm. It was here that my mum grew up!
Mother & son at the site of much of mum's early childhood.
Gung Gung surveying his old farm land.
The driver and the wheels. You'd be surprised how quickly that big, ole Toyota van was able to cruise around the roads of the South Island.
Gung Gung, Po Po, Aunty Reona (who's husband worked w/my Gung Gung on the previously seen farm and whom I visited back when I was last in Dunedin), Aunty Karen, Mum & Myself at Aunty Reona's house in Mosgiel. My grandparents hadn't seen her since they left the South Island roughly 50 years ago, though my Po Po stays in touch via snail mail.
We went out to lunch w/Aunty Reona after stopping by for a yarn. Here's my crumbed hoki, chips & fresh greens.
Cheese & bacon on a thick loaf that Mum shared w/Po Po.
Some sort of soup that Aunty Karen had. I probably would've remembered it better if I got to try some but she finished it all before I had a chance!!! [*Ed: According to her, it was a tasty chicken & corn soup.]
Gung Gung's grilled chicken & veges.
Apple pie ala mode that we all shared for dessert. It had a soft, crumbly shell and was amazingly tasty. It was not exactly what one might expect of a typical apple pie but I think that's part of why it was so yummy.
On the way back from Outram & Mosgiel, we drove out to the Peninsula and visited Larnach Castle!!! Here I am with Aunty Karen out front of the only castle (left standing...since Cargill's one is in ruins) in NZ.
Po Po, Gung Gung & I outside the dance hall that Larnach built beside his castle and gifted to his daughter. If you ask me, I like the tunnel that Cargill blasted into the mountain to give his daughter access to a private beach. But that's just me...
Mum & Aunty Karen posing for a pic on the top of Larnach's Castle. The hat that mum is wearing was one that Aunty Reona knitted and gave to her just after lunch because she was worried about the wind! The wind was pretty fierce and Aunty Karen is keeping her face warm by wrapping mum's scarf around it.
What a beautiful view of the Peninsula. That's looking out from Larnach Castle towards Otago Harbour and out towards Taiaroa Head (and the albatross colony) where we stopped by next.
One final shot of Larnach's Castle. As you can see, there's a row of ducks marching across the lawn heading from one end of the gardens to just beside the front of the castle where they were to be fed. That was quite a humourous sight!
There are about 10 of these fellas per person residing in NZ (updated from a figure that used to be 20:1). This guy (or gal) was munching away on grass outside of a fenced area and right about the road leading to/from Taiaroa Head and the Albatross colony.
That night, we ate out at the Chinese restaurant depicted above (which is about 3-4 houses down from where I used to live in Dunedin). It used to be called New Dynasty (or something like that) and I never ate there because whenever I peeked in, I rarely saw any Chinese people! Now called Blue Sky, it's actually pretty darn good and I enjoyed the food the served. Too bad I didn't go eat there more often considering there really isn't much in the way of true Asian cuisine down in Dunedin! And, I lived so close by!!!
Now begins the flashback tour of Dunedin. Cat's old flat on Moat Street. I swear I saw Kendall's brown civic (and her in the driver's seat) on the road the day before I took this photo. Cat, does she still live in Dunedin?
Cousin Nat's old flat on Duke Street.
Me & the Otago University Clocktower. Iconic.
Ryan's flat on Leith Street.
The Capt. Cook Tavern. Vibrant night life and popular hangout for Scarfies (the name given to Otago Uni Students). Best wedges ever and a great place to watch the Tour de France Live in the wee hours of the morning.
Finally, 543 George Street. Home to Yotzin, Lily, Billy, Jen, Stu and myself. Good memories. That was a wonderful semester. I miss you guys.
Those of you guys who remember our favourite dessert spot, Tull, here's what is in its location. I was hugely disappointed that I wouldn't get to taste the amazing dessert creations at that little restaurant again. *Tear*
Before leaving Dunedin, we toured the Cadbury Chocolate factory. Here we are in the store pre-tour.
And here I am with an old delivery truck post-tour (notice the goodie bag full of chocolates in my left hand?).
We left Dunedin later than we would've liked so we had to hurry on over to Queenstown. We made a short pit stop in Roxburgh for ice cream. After eating my ice cream, I ran up this hill to try and work it off. Can you see me up there?
I also found a bit of time to sit in this tractor in the park before we got back on the road.
We also stopped a bit out of the town to check out the Roxburgh Hydroelectric dam. I built this little rock stack.
We made it to Arrowtown (just outside of Queenstown) with plenty of sunlight left, so we were able to visit the old Chinese Settlement. Here are my grandparents beside the sign.
Aunty Karen & I with the old piece of farming equipment at the Chinese Settlement.
Gung Gung, Po Po & Mum outside the first little shack. Some poor guy used to live in there!!! It gets really cold down here in the deep, deep south...
Mum & Aunty Karen inside the little shack. Can you tell they're sisters?
Me, Aunty Karen, Po Po & Gung Gung inside another shack. This one's a bit roomier. Still must've been cold as living in there...
Whoever lived here had the brilliant idea of building his shack into the rock. It's not super big but it seems to be well sheltered. Mum & Aunty Karen pose for a quick pic.
Fresh blackberries growing in the Chinese Settlement. They were actually quite sweet (the ripe ones were). Yum!
And here we are at our residence in Queenstown: a unit in the Garden Court. Pretty fancy place. Noelle & her family stayed here way back when I visited them in Q-town (and that's how I remembered the place). Lovely.
Dinner that night was at the Speight's Ale House (I insisted since we didn't have a chance to go to the one in Dunedin). Here's my dish: Ribeye steak w/chips & veges.
Speight's (beer) battered fish & chips for Mum & Aunty Karen.
Kumara (sweet potato) fries for us all to share and a grilled tofu (or was it chicken?) wrap for my grandparents.
Finally, in this first part of the NZ blog, I'm standing in front of the "finish line" at the supermarket in Queenstown. They were sponsoring a mini-triathlon later this month and had this up in the store to help promote it.
That's it for now. More pics to come that include the last leg of the South Island trip (Q-town back to Chch) and a few from Auckland as well. Keep an eye out for it. At this very minute, though, it's time for me to catch some ZZZ's. Laters folks!
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