After quite a long hiatus from blogging and about a year since I was last stateside I am back to blogging. I would love to use the excuse that the country in which I reside cut off internet access to both Blogger and Flickr, which is entirely true, but I was so busy in the spring that I do not think it would have been possible.
We returned to Nebraska this past Monday and I am so happy to be here. I think the most exciting thing about being here (other than seeing my Dad) is that I am bound and determined to take it easy and have a relaxing 4 weeks here. I have caught up on reading my friends blogs, practiced yoga and started reading "The Guernsey Literary and Potato Peel Society ". I just keep I can keep on the relaxation route for the next 4 weeks. So far so good!
Thursday, June 25, 2009
Friday, March 06, 2009
Shark's Fin and Sichuan Pepper by Fuchia Dunlop
Tonight I am over the moon with excitement! I have been asked to moderate the book talk of Fuchsia Dunlop the cookery book writer from England. As most people know food is my passion and I have found a new affinity for Sichuan Cooking! Although I have dabbled a bit in Sichuan cooking the past 3 1/2 years since we have lived here "Shark's Fin & Sichuan Pepper" by Fuchsia Dunlop has given me much inspiration for this sassy food. I have been on an eating adventure the past month while reading this book and cooking many recipes from her "Sichuan Cookery" book. I looking forward to spending the next couple days at moderating Fuchsia's book talk and attending a lunch at her favorite Chengdu restaurant Yu Jia Chu Fang (Yu Family Kitchen). This will be my third trip there and I am looking so forward to hear an in depth discussion on what we are eating and how it was prepared.
Wednesday, January 21, 2009
新年快乐！
Chinese New Year is just around the corner and we are getting ready to head to Koh Tao, Thailand for a week of rest and relaxation. Koh Tao was just listed in the new Lonely Planet's 2009 World's Best places as one of the top places to visit in the world. From what I understand from others who have been there and the Lonely Planet is that this little island is unspoiled and excellent for diving and snorkeling. The kids are looking forward to it because you can snorkel right from the beach.
Angus has 2 weeks off from school so the two of us are staying on a bit longer and heading to Yoga Thailand for a few days. If you haven't gathered by the amount of Thailand pictures from my blog I call Thailand my home away from home away from home!!! I can't say enough good things about Thailand and highly recommend putting this amazing country on your travel list! Especially for those of you who are foodies like myself.
Thursday, January 01, 2009
Swimming with the Fur Seals on New Year's Day
Happy 2009 to everyone!!! We have been really enjoying our time in New Zealand and I hope to get my pictures and commentary posted sometime when I return to Chengdu next Monday.
Today we were scheduled to go whale watching at 11:45 am. It was beautiful outside, but when we arrived at the place of departure they told us that children under 5 were not allowed on the trip. We were pretty disappointed and rescheduled for later in the day. We decided to check out what other activities we could do instead of our whale watch and we found out that we could go swimming with fur seals. I had already seen some of these beautiful creatures on the way down from Picton and was able to get up close to these friendly seals. I was thrilled to hear that we could swim with them and the kids could go to.
We all suited up in wet suits for the trip. The kids actually had to wear 3 suits to keep them warm and buoyant in the water. We took a 10 minutes boat ride to the place we were going to swim with the seals and it was quite bumpy. Angus was quite freaked out by all the splashes and bumps, so this didn't really get him in the mood for the swim. Gemma didn't mind the boat ride, but as soon as we got in the water both the kids were too cold to swim. We put them on the raft and they were able to see the seals on the rocks and swim by them in the water. Jonny and I were able to take turns snorkeling and checking out the sea life in the ocean. The seals were incredibly playful and they would come right up to you as if they were going to swim right into you. One of them got really up close to Jonny and grabbed his flipper with his mouth as if he wanted to play.
After swimming for about 20 minutes the seals seem to get bored with us, so we tried a new area. Unfortunately I think most of the seals were bored with us and we didn't see anymore in the water. It was really great to get so up close and personal to nature and to have the kids see it first hand.
Tomorrow we are hoping to go on our whale watch, but it all depends on the weather. We heard that after we were turned away today that the cancelled all of the tours for the rest of the day due to rough waters. I hope it is smooth sailing tomorrow!
Today we were scheduled to go whale watching at 11:45 am. It was beautiful outside, but when we arrived at the place of departure they told us that children under 5 were not allowed on the trip. We were pretty disappointed and rescheduled for later in the day. We decided to check out what other activities we could do instead of our whale watch and we found out that we could go swimming with fur seals. I had already seen some of these beautiful creatures on the way down from Picton and was able to get up close to these friendly seals. I was thrilled to hear that we could swim with them and the kids could go to.
We all suited up in wet suits for the trip. The kids actually had to wear 3 suits to keep them warm and buoyant in the water. We took a 10 minutes boat ride to the place we were going to swim with the seals and it was quite bumpy. Angus was quite freaked out by all the splashes and bumps, so this didn't really get him in the mood for the swim. Gemma didn't mind the boat ride, but as soon as we got in the water both the kids were too cold to swim. We put them on the raft and they were able to see the seals on the rocks and swim by them in the water. Jonny and I were able to take turns snorkeling and checking out the sea life in the ocean. The seals were incredibly playful and they would come right up to you as if they were going to swim right into you. One of them got really up close to Jonny and grabbed his flipper with his mouth as if he wanted to play.
After swimming for about 20 minutes the seals seem to get bored with us, so we tried a new area. Unfortunately I think most of the seals were bored with us and we didn't see anymore in the water. It was really great to get so up close and personal to nature and to have the kids see it first hand.
Tomorrow we are hoping to go on our whale watch, but it all depends on the weather. We heard that after we were turned away today that the cancelled all of the tours for the rest of the day due to rough waters. I hope it is smooth sailing tomorrow!
Saturday, December 27, 2008
The Agrodome, Rotorua
After our trip to Te Puia we headed over to the Agrodome to see the Sheep Sheering Show. We knew there would be other things to see, but we didn't realize how many entertaining things there would be at this attraction.
Gemma and Angus jumped on the sheep dog as soon as we arrived.
And then on the Kiwi!!
Angus was waiting patiently for the farm tour to begin.
Our first stop was to feed the ostriches and emus. I have to say interacting with the animals is always a highlight of any trip for me.
They also have an organic farm in the Agrodome where they grow kiwis, olives, and feijoa. This picture is of the kiwi vines. It is summer here, so you can see the small fruits on the vines which will be ready for picking in a couple months.
We also got to see this deer which has over bred itself in New Zealand. They now raise them for the velvet from their antlers to make medicine and for their meat. Here are a few of the deer resting in the pasture.
On a side note it has been wonderful to see all of the sheep and cows in the pastures grazing across the country. I rarely see that even in my home state of Nebraska.
Angus and Lily checking out the sheep and alpacas.
They also had alpacas which I absolutely adore! Their coats are so soft and it makes the most divine wool for knitting. There was on alpaca that was quite friend and I was able to run my fingers through its wool a few times.
Three very sweet alpacas.
We also saw several varieties of cows. The black one is none other than the Black Angus!
Here is a gorgeous Highland Cow that came to New Zealand from Scotland.
The sheep sheering show was extremely entertaining and also a tongue twister (you don't even want to know what Jonny kept calling it!). The sheep shearer brought out 20 different varieties of sheep to the stage. I didn't even know there were that many and that probably would explain why I thought all the sheep in Ireland looked so different from our American sheep! The sheep that was in the top row center was a Merino sheep, which has almost as divine of wool as an alpaca.
The Sheep Shearer and his victim. They put them on their back to shear so they cannot get away.
It took him about 2 minutes to shear one sheep and he will receive US$1.75 for the wool off 1 sheep.
Jonny and a Drysdale.
I was extremely impressed with the Agrodome and would highly recommend it to anyone who was visiting Rotorua. I think as a knitter you really can appreciate a place like this, but it is also great for city kids to see how things are done on the farm.
Gemma and Angus jumped on the sheep dog as soon as we arrived.
And then on the Kiwi!!
Angus was waiting patiently for the farm tour to begin.
Our first stop was to feed the ostriches and emus. I have to say interacting with the animals is always a highlight of any trip for me.
They also have an organic farm in the Agrodome where they grow kiwis, olives, and feijoa. This picture is of the kiwi vines. It is summer here, so you can see the small fruits on the vines which will be ready for picking in a couple months.
We also got to see this deer which has over bred itself in New Zealand. They now raise them for the velvet from their antlers to make medicine and for their meat. Here are a few of the deer resting in the pasture.
On a side note it has been wonderful to see all of the sheep and cows in the pastures grazing across the country. I rarely see that even in my home state of Nebraska.
Angus and Lily checking out the sheep and alpacas.
They also had alpacas which I absolutely adore! Their coats are so soft and it makes the most divine wool for knitting. There was on alpaca that was quite friend and I was able to run my fingers through its wool a few times.
Three very sweet alpacas.
We also saw several varieties of cows. The black one is none other than the Black Angus!
Here is a gorgeous Highland Cow that came to New Zealand from Scotland.
The sheep sheering show was extremely entertaining and also a tongue twister (you don't even want to know what Jonny kept calling it!). The sheep shearer brought out 20 different varieties of sheep to the stage. I didn't even know there were that many and that probably would explain why I thought all the sheep in Ireland looked so different from our American sheep! The sheep that was in the top row center was a Merino sheep, which has almost as divine of wool as an alpaca.
The Sheep Shearer and his victim. They put them on their back to shear so they cannot get away.
It took him about 2 minutes to shear one sheep and he will receive US$1.75 for the wool off 1 sheep.
Jonny and a Drysdale.
I was extremely impressed with the Agrodome and would highly recommend it to anyone who was visiting Rotorua. I think as a knitter you really can appreciate a place like this, but it is also great for city kids to see how things are done on the farm.
Te Puia, Rotorua
After we left the beach we headed to the tourist city of Rotorua which is know for its Maori culture and geysers. When we were driving into the city there was a horrible smell which I immediately blamed Jonny for, but to our surprise Rotorua just smells like this due to all the geothermal activity. We checked into our hotel and started to plan our time there. We checked out the hours of some of the sights and activates.
We went to Te Puia to see what they had to offer in regards to Maori culture and decided to come back in the morning for one of their tours and Maori Cultural shows. We also went to a Polynesian Spa, where there was a family area.
The next day we were up early and headed to Te Puia. We began our day with a tour of the grounds which sit in a geo-thermal valley.
The geyser was beautiful. Each color on the rocks represented oxidation of different chemicals.
Gemma really thought this was really stinky!!!
Gemma and Lily trying to escape the smell.
Gemma and Angus with the geyser.
We also went to this mud pool which was boiling hot.
Te Puia also had a Maori carving and weaving school located on site. Here is one of the carvers hard a work. Even though he was carving with an axe he was amazingly accurate.
This woman was an incredible speaker taught us about Maori weaving in a very short amount of time. They use flax to weave with and the finished product was once compared to Irish Linen.
The Cultural Show is about to begin. We are going to be invited into their community house.
I didn't find the invitation very inviting and Angus was definitely a bit freaked out, but we went with it anyway.
Lily was one of the first volunteers for the first dance they performed.
Jonny also volunteered to learn how to do the Haka.
Some of the performers in the Cultural Show.
We went to Te Puia to see what they had to offer in regards to Maori culture and decided to come back in the morning for one of their tours and Maori Cultural shows. We also went to a Polynesian Spa, where there was a family area.
The next day we were up early and headed to Te Puia. We began our day with a tour of the grounds which sit in a geo-thermal valley.
The geyser was beautiful. Each color on the rocks represented oxidation of different chemicals.
Gemma really thought this was really stinky!!!
Gemma and Lily trying to escape the smell.
Gemma and Angus with the geyser.
We also went to this mud pool which was boiling hot.
Te Puia also had a Maori carving and weaving school located on site. Here is one of the carvers hard a work. Even though he was carving with an axe he was amazingly accurate.
This woman was an incredible speaker taught us about Maori weaving in a very short amount of time. They use flax to weave with and the finished product was once compared to Irish Linen.
The Cultural Show is about to begin. We are going to be invited into their community house.
I didn't find the invitation very inviting and Angus was definitely a bit freaked out, but we went with it anyway.
Lily was one of the first volunteers for the first dance they performed.
Jonny also volunteered to learn how to do the Haka.
Some of the performers in the Cultural Show.
Thursday, December 25, 2008
Christmas Day at Waihi Beach
On Christmas Eve we took a leisurely stroll into downtown Hamilton for brunch and to do a little last minute Christmas shopping and also to kill time until Lily finished work so we could caravan up to Waihi Beach to spend Christmas with the MacDonald Clan.
We had an incredible greeting when we arrived with lots of hugs and kisses when we arrived. It was such a warm greeting and it helped us feel right at home. Mark's parents rented a beach house to get the entire family together for Christmas. Mark is the youngest of 5 and we had the pleasure of spending the holidays with his parents, 3 brothers, 1 sister, their partners, 1 cousin and 14 nieces and nephews. Needless to say Gemma and Angus were so happy to have such a large group of kids to spend Christmas with.
A view of Waihi beach from the house where we spent Christmas.
The New Zealand Christmas tree, the Pohutukawa tree. These trees live along the coastline and they have gorgeous red flowers.
Yeah!!! Lily and Mark!
On Christmas Day morning I did my best to help Mark's family prepare the Christmas feast. When I was trying to come up with things to add to their Christmas menu it was a bit difficult since I was so used to making Christmas dinner in a cold climate I was trying to think of things that were a bit more beachy and bbqy. I helped out with a few of my recipes which included my bruchetta, guacamole, and potato salad which I think by the warm reception turned out well. Dinner was absolutely amazing! We had cold leg of lamb that was raised by the MacDonald family, the best smoked ham I have ever tasted, white bait fritters, chicken mignon, boiled potatoes, green bean salad, and glazed carrots.
Our New Zealand Christmas Buffet!
Santa Lily
After I ate more than my fair share of food I took Angus for a little nap because he was over tired from playing so hard and not in the best of moods. I fell asleep with him for 2 hours and it was the best little post Christmas dinner nap I have ever had! We were happy to see dessert was on the table and that we didn't miss out on our Christmas sweets.
The MacDonald clan having drinks on the deck! That is my kind of Christmas!
Gemma catching some waves!
Gemma made a ton of friends on our two days at the beach. Here are her with her new friends Paige, Skye and Brie.
Us with the MacDonalds! We are looking forward to hosting them all in Chengdu in the very near future!!!
The entire Christmas Clan. What a fabulous Christmas we had and what welcoming hosts!!!
We had an incredible greeting when we arrived with lots of hugs and kisses when we arrived. It was such a warm greeting and it helped us feel right at home. Mark's parents rented a beach house to get the entire family together for Christmas. Mark is the youngest of 5 and we had the pleasure of spending the holidays with his parents, 3 brothers, 1 sister, their partners, 1 cousin and 14 nieces and nephews. Needless to say Gemma and Angus were so happy to have such a large group of kids to spend Christmas with.
A view of Waihi beach from the house where we spent Christmas.
The New Zealand Christmas tree, the Pohutukawa tree. These trees live along the coastline and they have gorgeous red flowers.
Yeah!!! Lily and Mark!
On Christmas Day morning I did my best to help Mark's family prepare the Christmas feast. When I was trying to come up with things to add to their Christmas menu it was a bit difficult since I was so used to making Christmas dinner in a cold climate I was trying to think of things that were a bit more beachy and bbqy. I helped out with a few of my recipes which included my bruchetta, guacamole, and potato salad which I think by the warm reception turned out well. Dinner was absolutely amazing! We had cold leg of lamb that was raised by the MacDonald family, the best smoked ham I have ever tasted, white bait fritters, chicken mignon, boiled potatoes, green bean salad, and glazed carrots.
Our New Zealand Christmas Buffet!
Santa Lily
After I ate more than my fair share of food I took Angus for a little nap because he was over tired from playing so hard and not in the best of moods. I fell asleep with him for 2 hours and it was the best little post Christmas dinner nap I have ever had! We were happy to see dessert was on the table and that we didn't miss out on our Christmas sweets.
The MacDonald clan having drinks on the deck! That is my kind of Christmas!
Lily and me enjoying the beach.
The great thing about NZ in the summer is that it stays dark really late. The kids went to the beach in the early evening to do some boogie boarding and Gemma really loved it! She really took to the sea water last Christmas and she keeps getting more and more daring. Here are a few shots of her with the board.
Gemma catching some waves!
Gemma made a ton of friends on our two days at the beach. Here are her with her new friends Paige, Skye and Brie.
Us with the MacDonalds! We are looking forward to hosting them all in Chengdu in the very near future!!!
The entire Christmas Clan. What a fabulous Christmas we had and what welcoming hosts!!!
Tuesday, December 23, 2008
Waitomo Caves
The family inside Ruakuri Cave.
Today we went to Waitomo Caves to see the glow worms, stalactites and stalagmites. I do have to mention that on our way to the Caves we stopped in a small little village on the way to have an Original Kiwi Pie. Now I have had meat pies in my life, but I had the best chicken pie I have ever had! The crust was flaky and light and the chicken filling was extremely tasty.
We had a nice day at Waitomo Caves. We opted for the two cave package of the Glowworm Cave and Raukuri Cave. There are so many things that you can actually do at Waitomo Caves, but it is definitely for people who are more adveturous (than me anyway) and someone with adveturous older kids (10 & up). You can do everything including caving, black water rafting, abseiling, and much more. The Glow Worm Cave was a 45 minute tour with a 10 minute boat ride out of the cave. We were able to see thousands of glow worms. It was a cool thing to do around Christmas because it looks like the cave is lit up with thousands of Christmas lights.
The second cave was a longer tour of Raukuri Cave which included a close up look at the Glow Worms along with amazing stalagtite and stalagmite formations. Here are a few pictures of our day.
A column, when a stalagtite and stalagmite join together.
One interesting fact was that it takes 300 years for a stalagtite to grow one cubic inch!
This is how they grow. There are minerals in the water which cling to the existing formation.
I thought these stalagtites were the most beautiful. They reminded me of icicles and what a better place to see icicles than at Christmas in a country where it is summer!
Here are the fishing lines (as our guide called them) of the Glow Worm Larvae. This how they catch their food.
Glow Worm hanging from the rock formation.
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