茶碗蒸

Ok~ at last here's the much delayed article for our trip to the fant-ee-st-ee-c country of Oz!! Just a couple of weeks ago my parents and I were finally fortunate enough to go on a long overdue trip to Australia (since we've lived so close for so many years!) for a two-week holiday... and it was no doubt one of the most enjoyable and inspiring experiences I've had in a long time! First of all, I finally had the opportunity to listen to some of the infamous Aussie accent that has been so frequently joked about in New Zealand... and I can tell you quite confidently, fellows, that the whole "fish and chips" becoming "feesh and cheeps" is not just an exaggeration after all XD Then there were the people - whom I quite surprisingly found to be generally colder and more distant than Kiwis (or maybe it's not so surprising?? Being a sort-of patriotic Kiwi that I am XD). Not so much the pedestrians from whom we asked for directions, but some of the take-away counter servers and shopkeepers simply lacked the enthusiastic aura often seen on New Zealand streets. I do wonder if it's just one of those big-city syndromes though…

Of course, the last thing I'd want to do is to bore the hell out of everyone who is reading this right now by rattling off a long list of everything we did in the ten days we spent in Aussie. So let's pick out a few tastey highlights to savour again (ahh life sure is full of tough choices)...

Let's start with our first stop - Melbourne, where we spent three days and four nights in a splendid hotel called the Crown Promenade - part of a huge entertainment centre including a luxurious cinema, casino, and a massive multi-storied restaurant complex. Melbourne was truly a lively, bustling city with a population of four million (which equals the whole population of NZ ==|||). Just walking from our hotel to the city centre and back basically drained all our energy that first day... and I'm sure we probably would have been quite happy staying in the hotel if it wasn't for Dad's unbearable craving for Oriental food XD. The main schedule for that night was, of course, the Colonial Tramcar Restaurant which was exactly what it sounded like... a restaurant in a tram.

We were booked in for the early dinner; hence the tram was scheduled to begin its journey at 5:30pm from a very classy old-fashioned tram stop not far from our hotel. Now if you had imagined it to be like eating bento boxes on Taiwanese Railway, you'd have to think again. For the experience was... a much more amazing one. Simply marvelous, in fact, with its separated carriages coated with a rich shiny scarlet paint and the retro "Restaurant" sign bordered with softly glowing light bulbs - it was as if the passengers instantly glided into a different era from the moment they stepped through the wooden doors into the carriage. The interior furnishings were even more magnificent - with luxurious seats cushioned with velvet padding, cozy wooden tables covered with snowy tablecloths and already neatly set with bread dishes, polished cutlery, wineglasses, and a generous platter of appetizer made up of chicken liver and cognac pate with roasted red capsicum dip - both served with a fan of crispy crackers and bread, with another silver dish of golden butter. And let's not forget the romantic Victorian-style curtains, the mirrored walls creating an illusion of a more spacious dining area, and the elegant vase of carnations completing the picturesque image of the restaurant... I was completely speechless! The beauty and elegance of the design was leagues beyond my imagination and I was afraid to make any large movements in fear of knocking over or ruining any intricate detail of this lovely room. So of course this eye-boggling speculation was soon followed by a mad storm of photo-taking - although, to my disappointment, most didn't turn out well due to the dim romantic lighting (hence giving people a reason to revisit I guess!).

As for the food itself, there were two choices for each of the main dishes and dessert and the guests could also choose from a selection of liqueurs and red or white wines. The Macadamia Chicken with sweet potato mash and baby spinach which I ordered was wonderfully delicious. The crunchiness of the macadamia nuts and pesto sauce matched the grilled chicken breast perfectly and it didn't turn out dry or chewy like many other chicken breasts I've had before. The dessert of warm sticky date pudding was also pretty good - although I have to say the butterscotch sauce was a little on the sweet side. The after meal coffee also came with a small platter of chocolate which was quite a thoughtful service... and, of course, the city night views constantly rolling past outside the tram window simply added to the whole spectacular experience. Now I’m sure this is a definite must-do for not just tourists, but locals as well.

Oops think I got a bit carried away with the tram car restaurant there… (How on earth am I going to finish this article at this rate??) The second morning in Melbourne was when we did - in my opinion - one of the most unforgettable events in Aussie on this trip (even though it had nothing to do with Aussie), which was the Titanic artefact exhibition in Melbourne Museum. I could not believe my luck when I saw the advertisement in the tourist pamphlet we took from the information centre... Titanic! Real artefacts!! (Near~ Far~ WherEVER *voice breaks* you are~) So of course I convinced my parents to join the queue with me very early in the morning (Crazy! I’ve never seen so many people lining up for a museum exhibition ==|||) and the exhibition itself definitely did not disappoint me. It was simply unbelievable looking at some of the real objects people on the Titanic actually used – I remember seeing a small box with a tiny amount of white powder still in it and finding out that it was foundation for a female passenger! To think that the powder had survived eighty years miles under the ocean was almost impossible to believe! And there was also a very tattered white uniform top that a waiter on the titanic used to wear – with his name still clearly written on the label. Sadly though, its owner was one of the hundreds of Titanic staff lost at sea, so seeing that was both a chilling and mournful experience for me, and I could not help but frown and linger for a moment longer in front of the display cabinet to sympathize for the tragic fate of the innocent waiter.

One of the most special things about this exhibition though, was part of the Grand Staircase that was rebuilt and provided for the “passengers” (for we did each have a unique “boarding pass”) to have a professionally-taken photo opportunity. Well, who could blame me for immediately replaying bits from the movie in my mind when I let out a gasp and saw that life-size version of the scene in front of my very eyes!! I mean, it was so real that I could almost see Jack kissing Rose’s hand by the bronze angel statue… So anyway, of course we took the chance to have our photos taken at one of Titanic’s most magnificent architectural features! I was also thrilled to see some of the First-class rooms and corridors they reconstructed (I deliberately slowed my pace as I strolled down the corridor too XD) and also the unmistakably real “ice wall” in the Iceberg Gallery (how on earth did they manage to keep it from melting!?). Seeing some of the belongings of real passengers was very sad though – especially after reading the stories of each in the description panels alongside. Judging from the heaviness I felt after I had left that gallery, I thought it was indeed a very successful way of getting across the message that we should remember everyone who went down with Titanic individually and not just as a figure. It was very clever also how they handed each guest a Titanic boarding pass with a name of a real passenger who was onboard the Titanic and thus all the guests would attempt to find the name of their assigned passenger on the wall of “alive” and “died” passengers in the Memorial Gallery. This gave perhaps a very vague but nevertheless meaningful idea of how dreadful and terrifying the family of the Titanic passengers must have felt when they had to find the names of their loved ones amongst the hundreds of other names to verify the tragic news.

The third day in Melbourne was spent on a very enjoyable day-tour journey involving many activities including bird-feeding, Wildlife Park, a very nice roast lunch at a winery, and the puffing billy. The puffing billy was quite an intriguing experience, to be honest. Even though it was obviously very “touristy”, the trip was fun as it was apparently the only train where you could swing both your arms and legs out the side of the carriage. I certainly enjoyed the rare opportunity of feeling the cool breeze on your face and arms as the train was puffing through the forests and past gaping or waving local residents!

Now moving onto Sydney – an even larger city with a population of four and a half million. Here we stayed at the very luxurious Shangri-La hotel (we constantly had a feeling that we didn’t fit in somehow XD) in a room where there was a breathtaking view of the Sydney Harbour – including the Harbour Bridge and the Opera House.

I have to say the most memorable event we did in Sydney was going to the symbolic landmark of Sydney Opera House for a concert, lunch, and tour. The concert was definitely an impressive experience – the acoustics of the huge concert hall brought out the rich tones of the organ and brass beautifully. Even though it was somewhat a shame that there were no orchestral performances that we could book in for, this concert gave us a sufficient taste of the splendor and high level of performance standard within the sails (or shells) of the Opera House. What's funnier was the fact that we didn't know the ticket included a free morning tea before the concert – hence Dad and Mum certainly looked very pleased when they joined the queue and accepted a cup of coffee with a few small nibbles!

Then of course there was the amazing lunch at the very expensive but incredibly delicious French restaurant within the Opera House building… I think I almost suffocated when my eyes landed on the price of each of the dishes listed on the menu, but the duck leg I ordered was absolutely perfect – juicy, tender, and just crispy enough as to give it the crunchy texture it needed. And then there were the exquisite tea sets with a long platter of sweets to match, and Dad's warm apple tart with the richest cinnamon ice-cream any of us had ever tasted… it was absolute heaven!! (Or maybe it was… perhaps I HAD choked upon seeing the price of those delicacies XD) The tour was extremely intriguing too – we were delighted to find how informative and interesting it was, complete with a tour around all the halls not in the process of a performance and several videos explaining the history of the Opera House itself. I was especially intrigued by how the Denmark architect Jørn Utzon designed the building so that there were reflective surfaces on the exterior to give an impression of being surrounded by ocean everywhere you see – just like Denmark itself.

 Sydney Opera House...

 Sydney Harbour Bridge...

   A very happy Mum at the French Restaurant in Sydney Opera House...

We spent the second to last day in Sydney doing another day tour involving very outdoor activities like dolphin-watching, sand-dunning (?), and visiting another wildlife park. The tour was taken by a very cheerful and talkative Kiwi chap, in fact, so Mum and I simply couldn't stop exchanging amused glances and smirks when he started rambling on about something related to New Zealand…(such as when we were signing a form for sand dunning he said “don’t loose that pen! It’s very special because it’s from New Zealand.” Haha) ahh how wonderful and homey it is to feel the Kiwi spirit outside New Zealand! XDD He was truly a guide with a splendid Kiwi sense of humour though (apart from the fact that he really did spend a lot of time chuckling at his own jokes ==|||… once he looked in the mirror at the rows of dozing passengers after talking for an hour and then said “Oops think I’ve lost a few people there!” and I nearly died smothering my laugher). The wildlife park was very interesting indeed – although we had alot less time to look around on our own than when we were in the one in Melbourne. But nevertheless we were allowed to be closer to the koala (God it’s the cutest animal ever!! Its fur looked just as warm and soft as a soft-toy and felt a hundred times thicker to touch XDD)

...and the kangaroos (whom we attempted to feed but soon discovered that they had all long lost interest in the food tourists were allowed to feed them with… instead the young kangaroo I was feeding snatched the whole paper bag which contained the food, dumped all the white popcorn-looking things onto the ground, and ripped a bite out of the paper bag itself! Even though I was quite alarmed, he looked so content with the brown paper bag clutched between his paws that I simply laughed XD Hopefully the caretaker didn't discover a gagging kangaroo after we left...).

There was also a pool where a crocodile was resting and it had quite a curious warning sign on it… it did make me wonder about an Aussie's basic common sense? XD

The sand dunning was a very unique experience too… despite the fact that I was half-dragged, half-pushed down the sand slope on the plastic board by Dad and the instructor… ==|||. It was fun though, apart from the fact that I got sand in my eyes (and contacts) and it also made my mouth taste very gritty for a while XD.

Before I conclude, I do have one small amusing fact to share with you. And that's Dad's amazing ability to scent food and be drawn to it. Quite often Mum and I would be walking down a street with Dad right behind us, then the next instant he would disappear and we would find him staring intently and longingly at a tank of crabs or a slab of raw meat hung up on a hook in a restaurant window XDD Then he would walk a few steps and be drawn to another restaurant or cake shop across the street – this was especially hilarious in the restaurant complex of the Crown entertainment centre in Melbourne where there were a lot of Asian restaurants… I swear Dad's eyes glowed so brightly that they almost caught on fire!

So yeah… that just about concludes our trip to Aussie I guess! Although I have to say there were hundreds of other fantastic things and experiences which I wish I could put down but that would, of course, never be as good as experiencing it yourself. So I'd like to give my biggest thanks to my lovely parents for bringing me on this trip, and for going on the memorable adventures together within the country of Oz… it's a miracle we always somehow managed to find our way back to the hotel though, isn't it? ^^