Explore with Fran

Join me on the journey as I travel, eat, and drink my way around the world

Blog

Hunter Valley wine tour with Kangarrific Tours

by Leave a Comment

Like wine?  Then come with me on a Hunter Valley wine tour with Kangarrific Tours.
Australia is a country blessed with good wine growing regions, a fact probably borne out by the amount of wine that gets exported, ending up in the supermarkets of the UK.  From the Margaret River in Western Australia, Barossa Valley in Adelaide, South Australia and the Hunter Valley, outside Sydney.
The Hunter was where we were visiting, and after a search on the internet we found Kangarrific Tours.  A relative newcomer to the tour scene, Sam of Kangarrific had already started to build up a solid reputation as somebody who provided an excellent day out.  We would see.
We got picked up in the Central Business District (CBD) of Sydney at around 8.00am, ready for the drive north, across the famous Harbour Bridge and up to the Hunter Valley region. 
First stop was at just after 9am, for morning coffee at the Australian Walkabout Wildlife Park, in Calga on the outskirts of the Central Coast.  Entrance fee being included in the very reasonable $99 full day trip price, we were able to get up very close and personal with some of our favourite Aussie wildlife.  Stroking the Koalas, petting the Kangaroos, and keeping a wary distance from the Emus.  This is the sort of place you could spend much longer at be we had somewhere to be and at around 11.15 we got to Lovedale, home of the Hunter Valley Chocolate factory.  A chocolate lovers dream.  Yet still not the highlight of my day.  My reason for coming today was just around the corner, the grapes.  Or more specifically, the stuff that comes from fermenting them.
Meaning “hillside”, Warraroong winery was the first we visited.  A boutique winery giving us the opportunity to sample wines that you wouldn’t find in either the bottle shops, or the big supermarkets, in Australia or overseas.  However, for $10 they do ship to Sydney.  Hmm, hold that thought.
Whilst here we got to try some very good Semillon Sauvignon Blanc (2010 on the Tin Soldier label), Long Lunch white, a 2009 sparkling Moscato, a 2010 Merlot and a Shiraz, finishing with an exquisite Sticky Semillon dessert wine.  The day had officially started for me.
And so we were off to winery number 2.  Much more mainstream, Tempus Two is the sort of winery that does supply the places you are more likely to pick up a bottle of wine on the way home to have with the evening BBQ.  A very corporate affair, the winery incorporates the excellent “Smelly Cheese Shop”, where we had the opportunity to taste some delicious, locally made cheeses.  We were then set free in the deli/shop and I succumbed all too easily to the lure of parting with my dollars.  That said, the cheeses I had picked up would no doubt be perfectly complemented by the Tin Soldier Shiraz I had purchased earlier.
In the afternoon we had winery number three, Wynwood Estate.  Another boutique winery it was here that I tasted, and thoroughly enjoyed, a wine I hadn’t had before.  Originally grown to blend into Shiraz, Chambourcin was now being made and sold as a wine in its own right.  And a bloody good wine it is too, evidenced by my immediate purchase of a bottle.  We also sampled a 2012 Verdelho, a white wine that sits somewhere between a Semillon and a Sauvignon Blanc.  Another purchase was in the form of a Plum Blossom Shiraz, lighter in style than a usual full-bodied Shiraz, so much so that it can be lightly chilled.  Finishing at Wynwood with a dessert wine, an Old Jack Muscat, I was starting to feel the effects of lunch and the amount of wine we had imbibed.  Had there been a hammock knocking about, I could have happily had a snooze in the early afternoon sunshine.
However, we had somewhere else to be and off to the only brewery in the Hunter we went.
The Hunter Beer Company, located at Potters Hotel Brewery resort is open to the public between 10am and 5pm, seven days a week for tastings.  Sam, the amiable and very knowledgeable owner of Kangarrific Tours had arranged a special deal for us and we were able to get two tastings of the various beers for only $3.  I don’t think the lime and coriander infused beer is something that I will be drinking many schooners of.  After a final sour cherry beer it was time to call “last orders” on a very enjoyable day and jump in the bus for the ride back to Sydney.
So my verdict?  An excellent, reasonably priced day out, visiting the Hunter Valley in air conditioned comfort, with a friendly tour guide who obviously knows his beans when it comes to wines.
What are you waiting for?  Salud!

You are in Sydney, now what to do?

by 1 Comment

So, you have just arrived in Sydney and are raring to go explore this beautiful city.
What’s first?
1)    Sleep and adapting to jetlag – don’t underestimate it.  My first experience of it, with a flight not broken by a stopover was incredible.  I slept like the dead.  Even when I woke up, I couldn’t move any part of my body other than my eyes.  Completely fruitless, all I could do was surrender and go back to sleep.  First lesson, do NOT have an afternoon disco/nanna nap.  Do NOT. 
 
 
 
2)   Get out and walk the city.  For the first time tourist, all roads lead to Circular Quay, the transport hub and also home to the beautiful Port Jackson harbour, better known as Sydney Harbour.  Well at least I thought they did but a friend who recently arrived from the UK seems to have problems navigating the city and when heading there, usually ends up at the other side of town completely. Framed on one side by the Harbour Bridge and the other, the Opera House (opened by Queen Elizabeth II on October 20, 1973), Circular Quay is a magnet for tourists.
 
3)  Watsons Bay – being English, fish and chips is something of an obsession.  Finding good fish and chips is very difficult in Australia.  Believe me, I’ve tried.  And tried.  And keep trying.  Doyle’s takeaway shack at Watson’s Bay is probably the closest I’ve come.  And the trip there is amazing alone.  Get the ferry from Circular Quay, take in world beating views of the harbour, and join the queues on arrival.  Once you have your food, go and sit on the grass like all the locals, eating your fish and chips, looking back across the sparkling azure waters to the city.  When you are ready to return, jump on the bus and try to count the number of homes fit for millionaires as you journey through the suburb of Vaucluse.
 
 
 
4)  Manly beach – very popular, for good reason, Manly is one of the best beaches in Sydney for tourists to easily get to.  Once again, head to Circular Quay and jump on a famous green and gold ferry for the 30 minute ride across to Manly.  On arrival, don’t make the mistake of somebody I know who thought the tiny strip of beach he could see on arrival at the ferry wharf was the “famous Manly beach”  Utterly unimpressed, he spent a short time soaking up some rays before deciding it was the most overrated beach he had been to.  Now, had he walked from the ferry, across the Corso, he would have arrived at the “real” Manly beach, surely garnering much improved memories of his little day out.
 
5)  Bondi to Coogee coast walk –  The easiest way to get to the start of this walk is a “train and bus” combination ticket.  Train to Bondi Junction and then a bus from the interchange to Bondi beach.  Usually a 333, 380, or 381 bus.  Don’t hang around in the very faded elegance of Bondi, but head along past the fabulously located Bondi Icebergs outdoor swimming pool, and onto the coastal path walk to Coogee, taking in delights such as Tamarama, Clovelly and Bronte on the way.  All worthy of return visits in their own right.  On arrival in Coogee who can resist fish and chips (I told you I was obsessed) at Chish and Fips on the beach.  Washed down with a cold schooner from the Coogee Bay hotel.
 
 
 
6)  The Blue Mountains – take the train from Central station out to the Blue Mountains, a journey of just over 2 hours from Sydney, but a world away on arrival in Katoomba.  Do a walk, jump on one of the tour buses, explore.  Discover why it is in fact called the “Blue” mountains, which is as a result of the blue haze given off by all the eucalyptus leaves.  Breathe in the fresh mountain air and marvel at the thought you are so close to a bustling city yet so far away in the mountains.
 
7)  Spit to Manly walk – If you are feeling energetic, do the 10kms Spit to Manly walk.  You will not be disappointed.  If you were paying me for this recommendation I would give you a “no quibbles” money back guarantee.  Get the bus to Spit bridge from the city and start the walk along the Middle Harbour shoreline. See the Heads, north and south, from a different perspective.  Visit a historical site of Aboriginal rock engravings.  Make friends with one of the many iguanas you will inevitably see on the way.  Reward yourself at the end with a cold cider at the New Brighton Hotel on the Corso and lunch at one of the many cafes and restaurants lining the sea front.
 
 
 
8)  Taronga Zoo – And we are back to Circular Quay again for the ferry over to Taronga Zoo.  I told you Circular Quay would be an important spot for the visitor to Sydney.  Now, some people like zoos.  Some don’t.  I’m in the “do” camp and not just because Taronga surely the best view from any zoo in the world.  It also has an overall experience to rival that of even the great Singapore Zoo.  Believe me, even the animals look to be smiling.  And as you meander through the many exhibits, seeing all the animals, looking back across the water, seeing the sun reflected off the sails of the Opera House, you will understand why.
 
9)  Harry’s Café de Wheels – Another food related recommendation, but who doesn’t like a good pie and peas?  And where better to get them than the world renowned Harry’s Café de Wheels, at Woolloomooloo.  Really.  That is not made up.  Google it and check.  You can either walk here, through the Royal Botanic gardens (recommended) or jump one of the very frequent Sydney buses.  Treat yourself to a Harry’s Tiger, which is your choice of pie, served up with peas, mash and gravy.  They even have HP sauce to complement/finish the experience.  Feeling like a bit of exercise after?  Cross the road and tackle the very steep, very numerous steps up to Potts Point and have a wander through some beautiful leafy streets, lined with Victorian architecture.
 
 
 
10)  The North Shore – Yes, there is life across the water too.  Get out and explore some of Sydney’s lesser seen, and lesser known North Shore suburbs.  Neutral Bay with it’s great bar and dining scene.  Mosman with achingly cool cafes and Balmoral Beach just down Raglan Road (one of my favourite Sydney beaches).   Kirribilli and Milsons Point with it’s eclectic mix of places to eat, and also home to the excellent theme park, Luna Park, a throw back to a more innocent time, when fun was fun.  Take a bus up the Northern beaches.  Check out Curl Curl (so good they named it twice), Narrabeen and beautiful Whale Beach.  Finish up at Palm Beach, made famous by “Home and Away” and have lunch, drinks, or both at the Boat Shed café.  This, my friends, is a gem.
What have I missed off your quintessential SYDNEY EXPERIENCE?  What are your “go to” activities on arrival in this beautiful harbour city? 
Let me know.

What happened to Peru? – part 2

by Leave a Comment

What happened to Peru, I ask myself? My last post had us at the end of my short stay in Arequipa, my first stop in Peru. I had heard so much about Peru, that I came with very high expectations. Maybe too high. Depending on which direction people were travelling in, seemed to influence their thoughts on the countries they had visited in South America.

Peru – Great sights, great food

This wasn’t just the case for Peru. Everywhere I went, and the travellers I met, whether they were coming south from Colombia, or north from Chile, people could not say enough good things about the place. Everywhere else it seemed paled into comparison. Bumping into road weary travellers who had come from Bolivia, they told me that anywhere that had a good bus service and decent food was Utopia.

The Best of South America

I had travelled around and up through Argentina, a country that I absolutely love. A couple of weeks in Chile, including a blissful 4 days in Iquique, combined with Argentina probably wasn’t the best preparation for my introduction to Peru. I had become spoiled by two of the jewels of South America. So Peru didn’t make the immediate impression on me that I expected.

Puno, from afar

Puno – not good for the senses of a tired traveller

And things didn’t get any better when rocking into Puno after a 6 hour bus journey from Arequipa. What a hole Puno is and if it wasn’t for the fact that it nestles the shores of Lake Titicaca, I doubt it would get any visitors at all.

Budget accommodation In Peru at its “best”

I got a taxi from the bus station and joylessly stared out the windows as I was driven to my hostel, Pirwa Backpackers. As with a lot of “budget” accommodation, I got a bad first impression of Pirwa, but the two days I had there were uneventful enough for me to forget my initial negative impression of the place. That said, there were no social areas so I didn’t see any other backpackers, and the breakfast was beyond perfunctory.

Lake Titicaca and the floating villages

But the purpose of my visit was to get out to Lake Titicaca and see the floating villages, which I did on day 2. A half day boat trip ticked all my boxes and I thoroughly enjoyed the excursion, and knowing that this is how the islanders make their money, I had fun bartering with the locals as they displayed their wares. I did think to myself though, “Who would ever buy one of those mobile decorations?”, and I had my answer later that evening when meeting Vix and Hannah for dinner. You dumped them yet girls?

Where has the guinea pig gone? First time eating cuy

Whilst in Puno I also managed to tick off another item off my South American “must do” list. Eat cuy. Or more commonly known at home as guinea pig. I had to admit, it wasn’t a thought I relished but it was something I knew I had to try whilst in Peru so in i walked and order guinea pig and chips. I kid you not. And the all important question. What did it taste like? Yup, you guessed it. Chicken. Seriously!

Can you guess what it is yet

Time to move on to Cusco – home of the Incas

Another night in the soulless hostel and we were ready to move on. To a place that I was genuinely excited about. Cusco. Home of the Incas and gateway to Machu Picchu. As I boarded the 7.30am Inka Express to Cusco I had the sudden realisation that I was soon going to be visiting one of the greatest places in the world, one that I had thought about for many years.

Ah, Mendoza and Malbec!!

by Leave a Comment


My time in Bariloche came to an end and I was on the road again. This time to Mendoza. A place I have wanted to visit for many years, mainly down to my predilection for Malbec wine. And so it was, I was meeting my Canadian friend Leah and we were heading to the bus station.

Getting to Mendoza from Bariloche

This was a 17 hour bus trip and the bus operators way of making you forget the length is to play bingo. More specifically “Bingo Andesmar” in honour of the bus operator. Now, have you ever tried to play bingo when the numbers are called out in a foreign language? Not easy I can tell you. However, as the game went on the tension, and excitement increased. I was just 2 numbers short. Come on, come on. Alas, it wasn’t to be, my luck was out.

Arriving in Mendoza in the morning

And in the blink of an eye, we were in early morning Mendoza, in the hustle and bustle of the bus station. Fortunately, our hostel was only a 10 minute walk. And the hostel turned out to be the best yet. Hostel Lao if you are ever in Mendoza. Chilled music, hammocks in a quiet garden in which there was a small pool.

And the best breakfast in any hostel hands down. Fresh pastries, fresh grapefruit juice (amazing!) and in the evening, free Malbec. Yes folks, free Malbec. To the extent that one night we had 3 bottles before heading out for dinner.

Malbec fuelled decisions

In the hostel, besides myself and Leah we met Richard and Alison again from our trip up Ruta 40 to Bariloche. Over Malbec we decided to do the cycling tour of the wineries in the morning and Grace, from Holland, decided to come too so the 5 of us were up early and off on the bus to wine country.

Cycle Tour of the Mendoza Vineyards

The day was fantastic. We cycled around 4 wineries, having tastings at each. Stopping for a picnic lunch in the shade of some trees to escape the scorching Mendoza sun. Thankfully Leah had worn her overcoat for the ride. Otherwise known as factor 60 sun screen. Seriously folks, factor 60. Apparently they make factor 80 but at this point I was convinced I was being subject to a bit of Canadian humour. However, the red knees that were on display over wine in the evening would suggest that the factor 60 was not fastidiously applied!

Wine fuelled pizza party

We managed to see a real cross section of wineries from an independent family owned one, one owned by Carmelo Patti (apparently quite famous in these circles) and a couple of bigger ones. I made a purchase of a bottle of Pinot Noir which I shared over dinner with a group of us who had a pizza party. And the more the wine flowed, the weirder the conversation got. There was an Aussie, a Dutch, an American, English, Canadian and a German. The conversations ranged from subjects as bizarre as dolphins being gay sharks, their tendency to partake in group rape and a particularly disturbing story of an eyelash-stroking fetish! I kid you not.

Seeing the “real” Mendoza

Whilst in Mendoza we also got the opportunity of meeting a friend of Leah’s who is a Mendoza resident. She was able to show us the “real Mendoza”. We had the usual late start and headed out to Alameda district for drinks and live street music. The conversation was good, the beer very cold and before we knew it it was 4.30am. And people were still ordering drinks. However, we called it a night, walked home and I was safely tucked up in bed for 5am.

Cycling the vineyards of Mendoza, Argentina

The day after the night before

Needless to say, the following day was a relaxing one. Mooching around Mendoza, sitting in leafy plazas with my book, sipping coffee at sidewalk cafes, and generally watching the world go by. I had slipped into Mendoza time, where time drifts and drifts and drifts.

And it drifted for 4 days because before I knew it, it was time to leave and head to Santiago. This is the point the people started heading off in different directions with just myself and Grace on the 10.30am bus to Santiago de Chile, through the awesome Andes mountains. But that is for another blog.

And I couldn’t leave without posting a picture of a steak from Mendoza.

Until the next time, chau.

Last minute reflections – Cambodia

by Leave a Comment

So my final day arrives, and it is time for my last minute reflections on the trip to Cambodia. Funny how it always seems like just yesterday you were sat in an airport despite how long your trip has been. Time has a funny way of doing that to you. Through the ups and downs (and let’s not kid ourselves, there are downs – remember the night I saw my pizza twice in Sihanoukville?), it seems that you have been away forever. But then, like magic, you are back in the airport again and the whole adventure is over!

Moto, sir?

It has been a great adventure though. And like all my trips to Asia it always takes a day or two to readjust from the little cocoon we live in in the West. To reacquaint yourself to the sights, sounds, and smells of Asia. Yes, you do forget that the streets have piles of rotting garbage, that the heat gets unbearable and that if you hear “moto sir?” one more time you will go stir crazy. But after those first couple of days, when you are back in the groove, you find yourself chatting and having fun with the moto drivers, and complaining that you are too cold because of the air-con.

Phnom Penh

Phnom Penh was a real highlight, I think I really benefitted from having a couple of days at the start of the trip and then 2 more to finish up at the end. Walking through the city’s streets yesterday, seeing all the old buildings, I really got a feel what it might have been like when it was king of Indochine and described as the “Pearl of Asia”.

Kampot – worth a visit for more than just pepper

I loved Kampot and the slow pace of life down by the river. Oh, and did I mention the great pizzas? :-). Siem Reap has an unfair advantage, with the amazing temples of Angkor Wat on it’s door step, but I also really enjoyed the town, better appreciated once the floods had gone of course.

That leaves Sihanoukville. And with hindsight I wish I had. Left Sihanoukville that is! Shabby town! Shabbier beaches! And city bars owned by middle aged European perverts unable to find a wife at home in Germany.

Wrapping up my last minute reflections

So, to wrap up my last minute reflections on Cambodia. A fantastic trip. Thoroughly enjoyed it. Great locals, great food and great happy hours!