Jase & Reens Excellent Adventure

Europe 2007

2007-06-10T07:01:00.000+10:00

Well, looks like there will be another attempt at Europe this year =]

This time we will be visiting Oskar & Karyn in Sweden and then trekking around various other parts of the continent. Jason will be travelling for 4 weeks and Irene only 1 week.

Here's Jason's itinerary (left) and Irene's itinerary (right):

Here's Oskar:

London, Europe & Canada

2006-07-20T02:17:00.000+10:00

[Photo Gallery of the 2006 World Lacrosse Championships in London, Ontario]

Just to keep everyone up to date, last week we left NYC and shot over to London, England where we had to pick up the luggage we shipped there and open an english bank account. While we were there, Melbourne Uni Basketball star Scott Cuffe hooked us up royally by having us over to stay at his Hammersmith house.

London is ridiculously expensive - one day worth of public transport for us to get around and visit Liv & Caroline in Oxford cost us 50 quid - $140 AUD!!!! For one single days public transport???? Also, while where we were, it was like being at a night out at cheers in Camberwell - bars & pubs full of aussies drinking & drinking to 80's music - not a highly cultural experience (The aussies have taken over!).

Irene is now on her 29 day European Contrasts Contiki tour (which began July 14th). According to the country timeline on the right of this page, she's probably in a French Chateau or in Monaco right now.

I (Jason) am currently in London-Ontario in Canada, waiting for a visa appointment in Toronto to try and sort out a job offer I received from Insider Pages in Silicon Valley, California. One of my former managers at Sensis - Mark Smallcombe is now heading up engineering on this American startup company & hooked me up with an interview when Microsoft flew me down a few weeks ago for their interview. If things work out, it is likely we will both move to California for the foreseeable future.

Most of my time waiting for the Visa has been spent hanging out with spanky, jono, deano, yuin & marc from the 2006 New Zealand Lacrosse team at the ACBB Accomodation hostel in London, Ontario run by my buddy Patrick.

Hope everyone is well back home. Big shout out to Kenan & Sarah - Congratulations!

PS. Here's some video from the Haka the New Zealand Lacrosse Boys performed against Hong Kong an the 2006 World Lacrosse Championships in London, Canada:

Frontal view of the Haka:

Rear view of the Haka:

Post-Contiki England, Vancouver & San Francisco

2006-11-05T12:49:00.000+11:00

[ Photo Gallery of London ]
[ Photo Gallery of Stonehenge & Bath ]
[ Photo Gallery of Oxford & Abingdon ]
[ Photo Gallery of Stratford-upon-Avon & Wadderston Manor ]
[ Photo Gallery of our life San Francisco ]

Say Hi to Herman - our first ever Halloween pumpkin. Yes, this means we are currently in the US. And here's how ...

After the bus tour, infecting as many people as possible with the Contiki cough was on the agenda. First stop - I stayed with my cousin Filo and her housemate Mabel for a week in London - where we checked out the Ice Bar, toured the Houses of Parliament and caught up with long-lost friends Kevin and Vivian & Michelle. Then we road tripped to look at some famous rocks and experience English culture in Jane Austen's town of Bath.

Next - I stayed with Melbourne friends Sussan, Julian, Caroline & Liv in Abingdon - where we went sightseeing in Oxford, punted down the river, enjoyed Shakespeare in the park in Stratford-upon-Avon, marvelled at the history of Waddeson Manor and of course - had cocktails at the local bar.

After 2 weeks in England, it was off to San Francisco to meet up with Jason where he was working. Then onto Vancouver for a working Visa. There, I stayed with high school friend Laura and her fiance Marcus for 1 week. They showed me the Vancouver Aquarium, good food & desserts, chinatown and X-Files Agent Scully's house.

Currently, Jason and I are both living in the heart of San Francisco and working in the bay area. Jason's still at Insider Pages and I've just finished my first week at Mobitv. Due to bandwidth issues, photos will be uploaded to a different site: http://www.flickr.com/photos/irenetong/

Europe - 29 days of Contiki

2006-09-10T19:52:00.000+10:00

[Highlights of Contiki Europe Photo Journal – 30 items]
[Contiki Europe Photo Journal – lots of items!]

Hey everyone! Sorry for the lack of blogging in the last few months. We’ve been busy seeing the world – life’s tough – you know how it is.

As you all probably know Jason got a job in Silicon Valley and had to cancel his Contiki trip to start his work. So I did the tour alone with 47 other 18-26yr olds. It started in London on Friday 14^th July 2006 at 6.30am with chants for “More Beer More Beer”. So our 29 day journey saw us to Paris on Bastille Day where we almost got lost in the crush for the last train home, we ate frogs legs in Lyon, sun-baked at the pebbly French Riviera, gambled at a casino and drooled over the cars in Monaco. And that was just the first week!

Next, we leaned on the Leaning Tower at Pisa, marveled at the Renaissance art in Florence, cringed at the Italian men at the discotheque, cooled off in the Trevi Fountain, walked around the Roman Forum, tip-toed around the ancient Pantheon and sweated out bucket-loads at the Vatican City and Pompeii.

In Greece, we ate gyros in Corfu City, had cocktails at the Toga Party, went paragliding and sang about tzatziki on George’s boat. After a ferry ride up the Adriatic, we played with masks and gondolas in Venice and recited Shakespeare at Juliet’s balcony in Verona.

With a change of latitude, the winter clothes finally came out of the backpack. In the home of classical music (Vienna), we enjoyed Mozart and Strauss while sipping Viennese coffee with a side of strudel. We celebrated birthdays in the 5-storey nightclub in Prague and shopped till we dropped at Wenceslas Square, paid 2 Euros for a stamp in our passport to prove we were in Liechtenstein, stocked up on Swiss Army knives and cow bells in Lucerne and walked the valley of Lauterbrunnen.

Then we prosted our steins at a Munich beer hall, tasted ice wine at St Goar, checked out clogs and cheese and cycled past canals and the one windmill at Edam, discovered when Vincent cut his ear off at the Van Gough museum and learnt about prejudices at Anne Frank’s house. Finally, we finished with a farewell dinner at the floating restaurant and straw-pedos in Amsterdam.

All in all, this trip was a fantastic history lesson, a great way to meet people and a lesson in how little sleep your body really needs. Thanks to our Frankston tour manager Brek and our crazy Czech driver Mikhael for the journey. Ahhh, I am going to miss sleeping on those Contiki buses!

Interactive Map of Irene's Contiki Tour:

New York City

2006-07-20T02:01:00.000+10:00

[21 Photo Journal Entries of New York City]
[Jason's Streetball Blog in NYC]

We spent a week and a half in NYC just recently and fell in love with the city!

Jill (whom we stayed with in South Carolina) put us onto her friend Abi who lives & works in NYC and Abi hooked us up royally - we spent a lot of time hanging out with her (and her friends!) and we even got to spend an entire weekend house-sitting in her manhattan apartment!!!!! Thanks sooo much Abi, getting food delivery and living in a New York studio was an awesome experience!

While we were there, Irene got to do a lot of sight-seeing where she took ferries around Manhattan, got skyline photo's of the NYC skyline & checked a number of museums (MoMA, Metropoliton Museum of Art). Irene also managed to get on MTV (in an audience) & almost made a letterman appearance (missed out by one place in the line). At the same time, I (Jason) used the location as an excuse to play basketball every day and had a ball doing so.

While we were there, we also caught up with Jason's ex-Pacific Access work-mate Mike Booth & we purchased loads of Pizza Slices & street-meat (they have street vendors who sell awesome souvlaki, salads, hot dogs etc.).

New York is an amazing place - it would be a great place to live if given the opportunity. It is such a vibrant, diverse & happening place.. Always something to do.

Oh Canada

2006-07-03T08:15:00.000+10:00

[Canada Photo Journal - 16 items]
[Other Canada Photos - 56 items]

Just drove into another country - try doing that in Australia!

The speed limits are displayed in kilometers per hour, you buy petrol by the litre, temperature is measured in degrees Celsius, all signs are in French and everybody speaks French - welcome to Quebec, the heart of French-Canadia.

Quebec City sits inside high stone walls littered with canons on the St Lawrence river, called the Fortification of Quebec, and European cafes and ice-creameries. We rolled into town on the only day Quebec comes alive - Quebec Day. There was a massive party till 4am with free concerts and some Quebec style hip-hop (90% French, 10% English).

Montreal was even busier as it hosted the F1 Grand Prix as well as Quebec Day celebrations. Old Montreal has some great walking tours and views from the clock tower.

Next stop - Ottawa, Canada's capital, where we toured Parliament Hill and accidentally bumped into Jason's Koukia buddy - Benny - at our hostel.

In Toronto, we chilled out with Jason's Melb Uni bball pal Mike with some street meat at the baseball and got dizzy looking up at the CN Tower. We stayed with Mike for a few days in Bradford and was treated to some awesome home cooking courtesy of Mike's mom. We also celebrated the nation's 139th birthday on Canada Day with some fireworks.

Niagara Falls, one of the wonders of the world, was quite spectacular. It's so large that it's impossible to stay dry within a 1km radius of the falls.

After quite a busy 1.5 weeks in Canada, we will be heading to New York to celebrate Independance Day with the yanks.

North Carolina, Washington, Philadelphia & Boston

2006-06-23T02:45:00.000+10:00

[North Carolina, Washington, Philadelphia & Boston Photo Journal - 16 items]

After an awesome stay with Tim & Jill in York, South Carolina, we shot over to the East Coast Beach at Wilmington, North Carolina where we unfortunately ran into Hurricane Alberta.

On our way back inland, our car temporarily stopped before we visited the Chapel Hill campuses of UNC & Duke (these university's hate each other with a vengeance).

Jason's IBM buddy Mike and his wife Alicia put us up for a night and gave us some great southern hospitality giving Irene professional photography tips & tricks and cooking up a storm.

Washington was next for our sight-seeing extravaganza (no - we didn't get to talk to George W. or pass any laws, but we did say hello to Big Abe) before shooting up to Philly for a cheese-steak.

We have just left Boston on our way up to Canada.

Also, Microsoft somehow got hold of my (Jason's) resume and are flying me to Silicon Valley in California for an interview sometime in the next week or two??? (Sorry to all you Java guys back home but it'd be sweet to work on Hotmail).

Texas, New Orleans, Mississippi, Memphis & South Carolina

2006-06-06T06:53:00.000+10:00

[Texas, Louisiana, Mississippi, Tennessee & South Carolina - 36 items]
[Jason's Memphis Basketball Blog]

Apparently everything is supposed to be bigger in Texas. Apart from the 80 mile (130km) speed limit, there wasn't much evidence to back that up (my 'super-sized' McDonalds was dissapointingly normal).

In Dallas, Irene learned that JFK was the most popular president ever, but he had loads of enemies (the soprano's, the Commies, F. Castro). In Austin we caught some live toons (it reminded us of brunswick street) & in Houston, we sampled some of Texas's famous steak.

On to New Orleans (which was under a lot of construction) where we visited Big Al on Bourban street - the home of inebriated tourists and jazz.

On our way through Mississipi we caught a blues festival (at Leland - the home of B.B King) & a rodeo. Some poor bloke who was trying to ride a bull was bucked, bounced and trampled. The rodeo was postponed for an hour while the ambo's came out. The bull was appropriately named 'The Undertaker' & some of our neighbouring spectators suggested the cowboy had probably 'only broken his back'.

Last week, we were in Memphis shaking our money-makers with Elvis fans from all over the globe at Graceland and experienced the Saturday Beale St street parties. Then hiked through the Smoky Mountains National Park where we were almost attacked by several animals walking in the dark.

Right now, we are staying with Tim & Jill in South Carolina having a ball fishing, mowing, cooking & kicking back.

Southern Utah, Arizona and New Mexico

2006-06-06T06:43:00.000+10:00

[Bryce, Arches & Grand Canyon's Photo Journals (33 Items)]

[Slide Rock, Sedona - Arizona Photo Journal of natural water slide & 8m cliff jump (20 Items)]

[Arizona & New Mexico Photo Journal (3 Items)]

Somebody phone Mulder and Scully coz we've had a close encounter of the 3rd kind!

A week leading up to the incident, we had hiked through Southern Utah's National Parks - Zion NP, Bryce Canyon NP & Arches NP. At Bryce, Jason and Nigel attempted to break Utah's record for most varied amount of alcohol ever consumed.

Then we drove south to the very hot and dry Phoenix (Arizona), where we cheered on Nash and chanted 'defence' with the crowd at our first ever NBA match (Double Overtime Phoenix Suns vs LA Clippers, Game 5).

Slide Rock State Park in Sedona was our next stop on the way to the Grand Canyon. This naturally formed water slide was recommended to us by a friendly mechanic in Reno. When the air temperature reached 40 Celcius (110 Farenheit), the melted snow they called water felt quite refreshing.

At Grand Canyon NP, we obtained a Backcountry Permit and found some hiking buddies (Leland & Sarah, Tim & Jill) for the journey into the canyon. As instructed by the ranger, we started hiking down at 6am to finish by 10am (before temperatures reach unbearable). Down in the canyon we tried cooling off by dipping our sore toes into the Colorado river before we passed out in our scorpion-free tents. At 3:45am we woke to discover our legs had turned to concrete as we all fell out of our tents in a pack-up frenzy. While we munched on our salamis like they were carrot sticks, the promise of burritos on the top kept us going. Eight hours later, six weary bodies stumbled onto the grand canyon south rim and threw down their backpacks to capture their victory on film before beginning their next quest - the search for burritos.

Descending - South Kaibab Trail. 6.3mi/10.3km. 4,860ft/1,433m elevation change. Our hike time: 6am - 10:30am (4.5hrs).

Ascending - Bright Angel Trail. 9.3mi/14.9km. 4,460/1,359m elevation change. Our hike time: 5am - 12:30pm (7.5hrs).

Next we returned to Phoenix to stay with a couple we had met in Bryce Canyon - Christian & Meghan - (Jason and Christian were wearing the same BRW triathlon t-shirt which is how we met). We had an awesome time there eating Mexican take-out, being educated in all things geology, experiencing the best bagles in the world and learning a bit about Native American culture at the HEARD Museum.

We woke up one day and FREAKED OUT when we found a small metallic implant in our thumbs. When did this happen? Were we abducted by aliens? Are we apart of a government conspiracy? The truth was out there, and we knew it was in Roswell (New Mexico), where UFOs and conspiracy theories had all began.

Upon arriving at the International UFO Museum & Research Centre, the experts put our fears to rest informing us the metallic implants were metal bits from our toothbrush (they hold the bristles in place) - quite a common case. With our faith restored in the government, we watched an alien autopsy on our way out. It's ok, folks. You can tell the FBI that there's nothing unusual in New Mexico - no X-File here.

Vegas

2006-05-20T09:06:00.000+10:00

[Photo Journal - 26 entries]

We have enabled anonymous comments on this blog (finally) so if you get a chance, add a comment and let us know what you think! (there is a comment link at the end of each entry)

Well, we wish everyone had come to the shotgun wedding, but hey, Vegas is a long way from home.

Vegas. 3 days staying on the strip, $230 gambled, $95 lost, 5 hours of sleep, 2 beautiful sunrises.

Vegas was so much fun that this blog gets it's own timeline format:

Itinerary Day 1: Vegas Jason's Place
PM
8.00 After bbq in Red Rock Canyon, we were invited over for a beer with a group of rock climbers
9.00 Jason, Christy & Wilson (our new climbing buddies who are the sound & design experts at the RIO) took us back to Vegas Jason's place & cooked shrimp on the barbie for us, while Jase cooked Kotch-burgers for them (bit of a role reversal there).
11.00 Vegas Jason graciously let us crash over

Itinerary Day 2: Christy's Place
AM
9.00 Christy gave us the keys to her place & went to work so we spent the day chilling at hers using her internet & watching NBA - people here in the states are so nice, they make this trip better than a long cold beer after a hard day's work!
10.00 Clothing Outlet Shopping
PM
9.00 We tried to start the Nissan to go Casino'ing, but discovered an unrepareable flat

Itinerary Day 3: The Strip
AM
10.00 Our AAA membership (the US equivalent of RACV), got us towed to Walmart where we replaced our 2 bald tyres.
PM
1.00 We checked into the Luxor
2.30 Jason lost his first $30 Poker Luxor buy-in after 10 minutes on a pair Ladies to a pair Kings. Irene rated a TV show Pilot at CBS to get some free stuff
9.00 We went to Sunset Park so Jase could get dunked on a lot by a big black guy
11.30 At the stratosphere, Irene took photos & Jase lost his $25 buy-in on the second hand with a Two-Pair

Itinerary Day 4: The Strip
AM
2.45 We got a feed at Circus Circus (a film set in Fear & Loathing)
3.45 We got lost in Ceasar's Palace
4.30 Irene lost $20 learning Blackjack & did a Jager-Bomb at O'Sheas
5.45 Vegas Sunrise
6.00 Caught over an hour of sleep
8.00 Got up to do a timeshare tour (spend 3 horrendous hours on a personal tour from a sales guy, got loads of free stuff - $75 gambling chips, a free weekend of accom in a Vegas Casino & tickets to a show)
PM
12.30 We had a very ordinary 2 for 1 Buffet at the Luxor
2.00 Caught 2 hours shut-eye by the hotel pool
9.00 Jase took an hour to lose his $35 Stratosphere buy-in on an all-in full house (3 Jacks) to a full house (3 kings). Check the comments on this blog for more.
10.00 Checked out Bellagio's magnificent fountain show (featured in the Ocean's 11), the Venetian's gondola's & Treasure Island's pirate show
11.20 Irene won $35 on Blackjack at the Luxor (Way to go Reen's!).
11.30 Jason took 6 hours to lose $15 of his $40 Luxor buy-in. Check this blogs comments for more.

Itinerary Day 5: The Strip
AM
6.08 Caught another sunrise & watched The Fonz on tv
7.00 Caught 2 hours sleep
11.00 Checked out & used our free timeshare tickets on Shark Reef at the Mandalay Bay
PM
12.30 Had an unbelievable international buffet at the RIO - Seafood, personalised Teppanyaki, Dim Sum, Ribs, etc. etc. - Highly recommend! Pigged out so much, I had to walk on an angle afterwards.

Vegas is a highlight of this trip so far - everyone should definitely go there!

Smog City & National Parks

2006-05-11T07:37:00.000+10:00

[Photo Journal - 32 entries]

San Francisco is a bustling city. On every street corner, there's something different going on - tourist-filled cable cars, street chess, cafes, boutique shops, theatre, gambling in the park and a fortune cookie factory. Driving in downtown San Francisco is quite an experience, it's sort of like a 5 star rollercoaster ride! San Fran's Fisherman's Wharf is home of excellent fresh crab and shrimp. This is where we had the clam chowder bread bowl - creamy soup in a bowl made of sour dough - yum!!

Monday 1st of May was declared a day without immigrants in the US. A day where the nation's immigrants skipped work to protest the government's views on immigration.

Our night tour of Alcatraz was very informative and windy! Only 5 people have ever escaped from the island prison. It's possible that escapees are alive, so if you think you make a good detective - there is still a US$1 million reward for their capture.

Next we toured the amazing National Parks of California and Nevada:

Yosemite National Park - one of the most beautiful natural surroundings you'll we've ever seen. In the Yosemite Valley area, there are many waterfalls, wildlife, cliffs, hiking trails and pine trees as far as the eye can see. Don't forget to store your food in the campground Bear Boxes, otherwise you might wake up to a brown bear rummaging through your car!!
Sequoia National Park - where we got to hug General Sherman. No, he's not a war hero, the General is the biggest tree in the world. Click here for his stats.
Death Valley National Park - the lowest point in North America (282 feet below sea level) and one of the hottest places on earth. There is not much to see except the many strange rock formations (Mushroom Rock, Natural Bridge), massive salt planes and Scotty's castle. Wildflowers bloom and then die within a few weeks due to the extreme weather conditions in the valley.
Red Rock National Park - situated just outside Las Vegas and is a great place for rock climbing.

We got a US cell (mobile) number -
(+1) 415 627 8612

Feel free to text (sms) us anytime, or use the work phone to buzz us! (Remember California is 17hrs behind Melbourne!! We'd still like to hear from ya even at 3am.)

Also, we have a Skype account, our user name is:
jason.kotchoff

If you have internet and a computer microphone + speakers, you can call us using Skype Voice Over IP for free!

Next stop - Las Vegas!!!

Pre-backpacking weekend roadtrip to snowy river

2006-01-16T10:14:00.000+11:00

[Photo Journal of Snowy River Roadtrip - 27 entries ]

Moore, xinners, tonza and I managed to line up a boys roadtrip away on short notice to the snowy river in eastern Victoria over the weekend.

After work Friday, jase chauffeured us to Bairnsdale (285km) where we played pool at the g-bar. It was pretty empty for a Friday night but the dj was alright. We stayed in a riverside cabin at the Mitchell gardens caravan park (ie. Not the noisy freeway side) which was good
value.

Saturday morning we met up with this top bloke dean who operates a wild caving business in Buchan. Caving consists of getting underground in a jumpsuit and helmet and exploring, crawling, rolling and squeezing through some very small cracks, cavity’s and tunnels in the Buchan underground cave system. Sliding down the 'letterbox' was definitely a highlight (imagine a fifteen foot sloped crack between underground rock that is about 30cm wide and then imagine squeezing in and sliding down - definitely not for the claustrophobic). This was definitely one of the best activities we have done in Victoria. The touristy royal cave tour we did afterwards was really boring in comparison except for the stalactites - and no, I don't mean souvlaki.

Saturday afternoon we arrived at the Karoonda park holiday farm in Gelantipy where we spent the rest of the day playing tennis, table tennis, indoor badminton, horse-riding and pool before kicking back with beer and bbq to watch the man from snowy river. The Karoonda park farm is a school holiday venue and we had the run of the place to ourselves - awesome!

Sunday, we checked the McKillop bridge and little river gorge in the snowy river national park before heading home. The gorge was picturesque, but they probably weren't worth the effort of the windy two hour drive just for a look - unless you plan on lining up rafting or kayaking activities.

memorable quotes:
- Bairnsdale is 'bens-dale', not 'barns-dale'
- Buchan is 'buck-en', not 'beu-chen'
- Gelantipy is 'gi-lan-tipy', not 'gee-lan-tipy''
(sorry to all the locals we offended)

Weekend cost (per person):
$8.50 - half chicken, coleslaw, chips and gravy at Dandenong chicken shop
$12 - slab of coopers pale ale & ice for esky ($47/4)
$28 - Mitchell Gardens cabin with kitchen and ensuite ($113/4)
$3 - pot of beer at the Bairnsdale g-bar
$13 - food shopping for meals & bbq
$12.50 - slab of coopers pale ale & ice for esky ($50/4)
$35 - Buchan guided wild caving *highly recommended
$13.50 - Buchan 'royal cave' tour
$25 - Karoonda park horse trail ride
$25 - Karoonda park accommodation ($103/4) *recommended
$8 - Counter Meal lunch at Buchan pub (potato wedges)
$8 - Vietnamese dinner in Springvale
$30 - petrol for trip (3 litre 1988 skyline - $120/4)

= $221 total per person for the weekend

Contact Details of Accomodation/Activities:
Mitchell Gardens Caravan Park, Bairnsdale - 5152 4654
Wild Caving with Snowy River Tours, Buchan (Dean & Rob) - 5155 9305
Karoonda Park School Holiday Camp, Gelantipy - 5155 0220

Melbourne, Australia - What to do and Where to Eat (Recommendations)

2006-03-03T13:37:00.000+11:00

Whenever we meet backpackers whilst on holiday, they invariably ask for our recommendations about Melbourne, so here they are:

What To Do:

Aussie Rules Footy: Go to any AFL game at the MCG between the 'big 3' Melbourne clubs: Essendon, Carlton & Collingwood (Regular season matches between these clubs draw 80,000 fans and the buzz of the atmosphere around the ground is electric)
St Kilda: Catch a tram to St Kilda from Melbourne for a scenic walk down Fitzroy Street by the beach. Check out the cake shops, consider some clothes shopping or stop past The Esplanade to catch a band.
Brunswick Street: Catch a live music gig at The Evelyn or stop past Bar Open for a beer. Have dinner on a sidewalk cafe (or The Vegie Bar) and enjoy the Bohemian side of Melbourne. A trip to Brunswick Street is NEVER complete without a souva from The King!
State Library of Victoria: You can enjoy one of the finest free tourist attractions available to Victoria just by wondering in to the State Library and exploring - it's huge and there are always awesome historic & contemporary exhibits (eg. Ned Kelly's armour). Chilling out in the vast La Trobe Room with a classic is a great way to spend a lazy afternoon.
Torquay: On a hot weekend, Melbournians love to get down to the beach for a swim and Torquay is probably the most popular destination (however locals will often skip the crowds and head to a nearby alternative - anywhere along the coast will do the trick). The traffic to get there is always chockers so try to bypass the Geelong CBD if possible. A cold eskie, QueensCliff Fish & Chips & Ice-Creams rounds out a perfect day at the beach! (Look out for the fly's!)
Queen Victoria Market: Any given Saturday, the Victoria Market is the place to choose from a wide variety of cheap, quality, fresh meat & produce (the Deli section is fantastic). On Sunday's, it also has a vast sampling of stores devoted to typical market-style ware (clothes, touristy artifacts etc.).

Where To Eat:

Red Silks (Asian - CBD - $8 lunch): The Nasi Goreng ($8) and the daily lunch specials ($7.80 for one of the four specials of the day with a free Sago) are best of breed here! Open very late on the weekends and has the perfect outdoor eating balcony for nice summer days. Address: 101/200 Bourke Street Melbourne CBD (just West of the Hungry Jacks on the corner of Russell & Bourke - Go up the stairs towards the Chinese cinema to find it)
Shanghai Village (Dumplings - CBD - $6.50 main): THE place to go for cheap & Dodgy! Steamed, Fried, Pork, Beef, dumplings, dumplings & more dumplings! In general, order dumplings to share with Shanghai noodles on the side (eg. 5 people - order 3 plates of fried dumplings, 1 plate of steamed dumplings and 1-2 plate(s) of shanghai noodles). Stick to the dumplings - other fare on the menu is nowhere near as rewarding. Address: 112 Little Bourke St Melbourne (between Russell & Exhibition St)
Don Don's (Japanese - CBD - $5.50 main): Ever ordered a dish that was delivered before you have even counted your change? Not even McDonalds can top these guys on efficiency and it is probably the cheapest feed in Melbourne! At $5.50 for a Sukiyaki or Teriyaki Don (Rice with Beef or Chicken), repeat business is guaranteed! Address: 321 Swanston Street, Melbourne (It is a tiny place with a Red shop-front just South of the Swanston/Little Lonsdale st corner - perfect for a take-away to sit on the State Library Lawn)
OBento (Japanese - CBD - $7.50 main): Slightly pricier then Don-Dons at $7.50 (Gyu Don - Beef with Rice & Noodles), the difference is in the taste - probably the tastiest cheap take-away lunch in Melbourne. Address: Shop 315, Melbourne Central Complex, LaTrobe St, Melbourne (There are Two Obento take-aways at the Melbourne Central complex - one is in the upstairs food-court)
Stalactites (Souvlaki - CBD - $7.50 main): Probably second place to the King (see Souvlaki King below), but they still spit a fine souva ($7.50 open 24 hours). Address: 117-183 Lonsdale St, Melbourne (Corner of Lonsdale/Russell st)
Dessert House (Savoury - CBD - $7 dessert): Awesome savoury and dessert pancakes - hard to get a table at any time due to all the international Asian students who love this place. There is stuff on the menu you are not likely to find anywhere else in Melbourne! Address: Midcity Arcade Shop 18/ 200 Bourke St Melbourne (Between Bourke & Lt Bourke St)
Thanh Dat (Vietnamese - Springvale - $8 main): Typical Vietnamese restaurant gold - Cheap & Good! Address: Shop 22, cnr Buckingham & Windsor Avenues, Springvale
Thy Thy (Vietnamese - Richmond - $8 main): Terrific & Cheap Menu - as with all Melbourne Asian restaurants, make sure you are very clear and unambiguous with the waiter - Ordering 'tailored' dishes that are not explicitly on the menu is bound to end in tears. Address: 142 Victoria St, Richmond
Ha Long (Vietnamese - Footscray - $8 main): Try the Rice Paper Rolls With Prawn & Pork or the Spring Rolls as an opener and then feast on a superb Lemon Grass Chicken with Riceor Phôû boø (Rice Noodle Soup with Sliced Beef) main. Address: 74 - 76 Nicholson Street, Footscray
Souvlaki King (Souvlaki - Fitzroy- $7.50 main): Surely Australia's best Souvlaki (especially at 4am on a Sunday morning after a few beverages) is spit-roasted here at the King ($7.50). Open 7 days/24 hours, post clubbers can pack this place tighter than Bell Street Macca's! Address: 311 Brunswick St, Brunswick (Near Johnston st - 10 minutes from the city on the 112 West Preston tram)
Vegie Bar (Vegetarian - F - $10 main): Meals for under $12 here are not only healthy & delicious, they are HUGE! Address: 378 Brunswick St, Fitzroy
I Carusi (Gourmet Pizza - Brunswick - $14 main): Melbournes best undiscovered gourmet secret! From the street, you can hardly tell it's a restaurant but step inside for some wood-fired pizza action! Address: 46a Holmes St Brunswick East
Casa Del Gelato (Ice Cream - Carlton - $5 dessert): Summer in Melbourne means Gelati on Lygon Street! Go for a walk down the touristy strip and you are sure to be propositioned by the Restauranters to sample their fare (however apart from Dimatinna's -see below-, Lygon street food is generally over-priced and not that great). Address: 163 Lygon St, Carlton
Dimatinna's (Pasta - Carlton - $18pp Shared): Owned by former Footscray AFL Footballer Paul Dimatinna, this place knows how to cook a pasta! Try splitting a pasta platter and going for a selection (our favourites are Chicken Carbonara, Marinara & the Dimatinna special!). Address: 306 Lygon St, Carlton
Skinny Dog (Pub Fare - Kew - $17 main): Victoria's biggest Chicken parma meal (~$17) is best approached following at least two days on a starvation diet - it's that big. Many student chicken parmigiana guides will attest that the Dog dishes up one of Victoria's finest. Address: 155 High St, Kew Junction, Kew (Catch the 48 or 109 tram for a 20 minute ride there from the city)
Napier Hotel (Pub Fare - Fitzroy - $16 main): The Steak Sanga & Bogan Burger (~$16) is the tastiest pub fare I have tried in Melbourne - It's Huge! Also, make sure you get the flavoured mayonnaise for your wedges - definitely worth the extra $1. You will probably want to call ahead to book a table (ph. 9419 4240), because this place fills up very quickly - even on week-nights! Address: 210 Napier Street Fitzroy
Bhoj (Indian - Templestowe - $15pp All you can eat Banquet Mondays): Really authentic Indian ingredients in a relaxed environment. Ordering the banquet between two is humanly impossible to finish! Address: Shop 14, 114 James Street, Templestowe

Melbourne Farewell Party

2006-03-22T22:24:00.000+11:00

Having paid for and confirmed our Melbourne > Kuala Lumpur > Los Angeles flight for the Thursday the 30th of March (as per our itinerary), we are organising to have our going away party the Saturday beforehand! A reminder that it's THIS Saturday!!

What: Jase & Irene's farewell party for friends
Why: Because unless you come to the UK, you are unlikely to see us for a number of years
When: 8pm, Saturday, March 25th 2006
Where: The Oxford Scholar, 427 Swanston Street, Melbourne

Hope you can all make it =]

Melbourne Farewell Party - Aftermath

2006-03-29T14:13:00.000+11:00

[Photo Gallery of friends who came to the Oxford Scholar - 49 photos]

Well, what a cool way to go out!

Last Saturday we farewelled a number of friends from:
- Irene's Work Friends (CTI)
- Irene's School Buddy's (Academy of Mary Immaculate)
- Mutual Uni Friends (RMIT & Melbourne Uni)
- Jason's School Buddy's (Lakeside Secondary College)
- Jason's Basketball Friends (Melbourne Uni Basketball Club & The Pacemakers)
- Various other friends from other walks of life

After being informed by the Pub management that pending the number of customers they usually close at 9pm on Saturday's (being a uni pub), we were a bit concerned about having a sufficient turnout to keep the place open. As it turns out, upwards of 60-70 people dropped past at various stages of the night so the place was packed! (Big huge thanks to everyone who came).

The fact that Jason (Moore) and Melanie (Fidler) agreed to hold mutual birthday parties at the same venue at the same time certainly helped! (Note to self: Will have to have more mutual parties in future - the atmosphere was great!). PS. Happy birthday Jase & Mel!

Well, tomorrow (4pm) is our flight to Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia so we are really excited! Hope to keep you guys up to date!

Malaysia & Singapore - the journey continues

2006-04-12T17:25:00.000+10:00

[Photo Journal - 14 entries]

Buses, the bright lights of Singapore & the island of Palau Perhentian - this trip is really feeling a bit like a Mark Burnett TV production (a mix between Survivor-like 'cold showers' and Amazing Race style schedule planning).

En-route from KL to Singapore via bus, we managed a one night stopover in the culturally rich city of Melaka. Interesting place, except for the incorrect maps & complete lack of street signs (Although we got lucky with directions in Melaka, Jason has since managed to get us slightly lost 3 times so far this week - twice while carrying our 10+kg packs under the hot hot sun!).

We stayed at Eastern Heritage, a guesthouse run by Yen and his wife Jasmine, who took us out to the local bar that night for some drinks and a few games of pool. They were awesome hosts, and we got the lowdown on lifestyles in Malaysia – it's cheaper to eat out than cook in, primary school starts at 7am and ends at 1pm, they wish it would snow every now and again. There's not much of a nightmarket here, just a bunch of hawker stores on every corner. It's great – only a 2min walk to food in all directions!! We are having at least 5 meals a day – stocking up before we get to the US.

Our 3 days in the fine city of Singapore was mostly spent lamenting the Australian style food prices & exploring the jungles of shopping malls.

The following week has been spent glutting ourselves stupid & working on our tan here at Long Beach (Palau Perhentian Kecil). We swam beside sea turtles, sharks (supposedly vegetarian) and billions of colourful tropical fish (but alas, no Nemo).

Our plan now is to take an overnight bus to Penang and hang out with Virginia (Irene's work buddy) in her home town.

PS. We have now finished uploading all the photos from the Oxford Scholar. If you were there, try searching on your first name in the going away photo album.

Pulau Pinang

2006-04-23T15:49:00.000+10:00

[Photo Journal - 10 entries]

After sitting on the wrong bus for 20 minutes, we finally arrived onto the island of Penang (Pulau Pinang) at 5am a little dazed and confused. We quickly found our way to 75 Travellers Lodge - the backpacker centre in Georgetown (the capital city) - Chulia St & Love Lane. According to our guidebook, the streets were named after successful matchmakers that used to live in the area.

The architecture in the area is very Chinese - double storey concrete houses, Chinese name of the family inside on a large sign above the grand front door, trenches for gutters, winding streets so narrow that you can't fit two cars side-by-side (unless you're a local, in which case you can fit two trucks easily).

Main attractions of Penang -

Khoo Kongsi - large traditional Chinese clanhouse from the early 19th Century.
Wat Chayamangkalaram (Sleeping Buddha Temple) - There is a 33-meter gold-plated reclining Buddha inside the Thai temple (14th largest in the world).
Komtar & surrounding shopping centres - city centre shopping complexes
Gurney Plaza/Gurney Drive - it's the Chadstone Shopping Centre of Georgetown with sea-side views!
Penang Botanic Gardens - hike up to Penang Hill or just around the river.

We've just uploaded a buch of photos of Malaysia & Singapore, so check them out by clicking here.

Jas & Reen's Tips For Malaysia

2006-04-23T17:33:00.000+10:00

Gee, two and a half weeks sure flies by when you're having fun! We thought we'd compile a list of things you might want to know before going to Malaysia:

General:

There's no real need to learn Malay, as English is one of their national languages. But be aware that there is a generation of Malaysians that cannot speak English, apparently it was rulled out of the school cirriculum for a decade. (People always like it when you make an effort: "Terima Kasih" = Thank you) .
Take toilet paper or tissue with you everywhere.
Get acquainted with squat toilets. They're more hygenic and easier to use.
When travelling long distances, go by bus (business class, if you can).
Try to find a place to stay near Chinatown or Little India - lots of good food and shopping.
Petaling St Chinatown in KL is a must - night market every night!! [Tip for the girls - if you're after imitation LV, Gucci & Prada's, go to KL not Bangkok!! The stock in KL is imported from Bangkok (ie. excellent quality), you don't need to bargain as aggressively in KL to get a good deal and it's not illegal to sell/buy imitations in Malaysia (ie. you don't have to walk down some dark alley to buy them)!]
For an island holiday - Pulau Perhentian (Long Beach) and Pulau Langkawi. Some islands are "duty free" which means alcohol is 1/3 of the mainland price. The island accomm gets booked out during summer & long weekends so book before you go. Be prepared to extend your island holiday - most people do. (I met a Czech girl who loved the island so much that when she ran out of money, she made arrangements to sleep in a tent and work for food).
Dress conservatively - most people cover their knees or shoulders even in 35 degree weather (except on the islands).
Generally everyone is so friendly and welcoming. We felt safe walking around dark alleys at night and approaching strangers for directions.

Food:

Serving portions are not large, so people eat throughout the day/night. 11pm seems to be quite a popular time!
Don't be afraid to eat out at small street (hawker) stalls - this is where you'll find the tastiest and cheapest food!
In Melacca (Melaka) - try the famous Chicken Rice Balls (ask a local where it's sold). Get there before it sells out (ie. before 10am)
In Penang (Pinang) - pig-out on seafood (it's so tasty and cheap!!)

If you've got any questions, feel free to post it and we will answer them asap.

Highway 80: Utah to California

2006-05-02T01:39:00.000+10:00

[Photo Journal - 16 entries]

Now that we have wheels, we have just completed our first interstate road-trip from Salt Lake City to San Francisco (3 days, 700km).

The scenery along the way was outstanding. A majority of the trip was in northern Nevada where every gas pitstop was a mini casino in the middle of nowhere.

We did our first camping in the pickup in a Walmart carpark in Winnemucca and then stopped overnight at the picturesque and affluent Lake Tahoe on the border of Nevada & California. At the Wolfdale's restaurant in Tahoe City, we met a super nice couple (Jack & Joannie) who graciously invited us to stay in one of their absent kids rooms for the night (After they heard we were planning to camp in the snow with the black bears).

Next will be San Fran, Yosemite & Vegas before hooking up with Nige again near the Grand Canyon.

Huntsville, Utah

2006-04-28T00:12:00.000+10:00

[Photo Journal - 24 entries]

After our car-less week at Venice Beach (the USA has very, very ordinary public transport), we are now amongst the beautiful snow mountains here at Huntsville, Utah with our good mate Nige (who is out here studying secondary school teaching at Weber State University).

We have now officially met Mormons (60% of Utah is religiously mormon) & country folk (just about everyone here has a moustache!). As expected, everything is bigger here in the states - WalMart the American superstore sells absolutely everything you can think of and is cheaper than anywhere else. Imagine Bunnings combined with Target combined with Safeway combined with Myer.

Yesterday, we purchased a car - yes, you guessed it, a Pickup! Probably 90% of people in Utah own a Pickup Truck and most of them are big enough to tow a house. Also, pretty much everyone in Ogden (where Nige's Uni is) is selling at least one of their vehicles and the state allows non-residents with a local address to get Insurance (unlike California where that was illegal) so we really came to the right place.

Luckily for us, we also just caught the end of the snow season here (right now it's sunny and warm but apparently last week it was bucketing snow). Our last 4 days here, we have watched the snow melt from the surrounding mountains.

Today we embark on a 12 day loop of San Francisco, Yosemite & Vegas. We plan on meeting up with Nige afterwards during his school break to go camping in Southern Utah & the Grand Canyon. Hope everyone back home is healthy and well =]

Venice Beach & Hollywood

2006-04-27T23:23:00.000+10:00

[Photo Journal of Venice Beach, Hollywood & the Getty Center - 47 entries]

[Photo Gallery of Jason's Basketball - 49 entries]

[Photo Album of other US photo's that we do not write captions for - this will be updated regularly]

10 days ago, we arrived in the US and headed over to Venice Beach (the filming location for Baywatch) for a week of sun, sand (& basketball for Jason).

Talk about contrasts: we had only just gotten used to the quiet, reserved culture of Malaysia when all of a sudden we find ourselves amongst street performers, drug dealers & surfers - all the while trying to talk our way out of being converted to the lord!
Our hostel (Venice Beach Hostel - book ahead if you go: we got screwed out of an extra $9 a night from not booking ahead) was one crazy place. It seemed like every night a different tenant was being kicked out by management (point in case - Dave from Lousiana, the crazy guy Jason met playing basketball who spent a number of hours forcefully preaching gospel to everyone).

Irene did a tour of Hollywood where she met Elmo & saw a lot of famous peoples houses, and we did a tour of the Getty center together.

On our last night at the hostel, our friendly (dorm) room-mate "Jeff" from Northern California proceeded to get wasted (as he had done so pretty much every day we had been there) on vodka & green. The next morning, Jeff was asked to leave the hostel by management. On our way down the stairs to the office (helping him with his bags), we noticed a commotion whereupon we found two of the office girls very distressed, all over the place & calling 911 because some hostile crazy guy had locked himself into a private room with the hostel owner. Jeff promptly kicked the door off it's hinges and man-handled the aggressor down the stairs and out onto the street (and yet even after possibly saving the hostel owners life, he still didn't get to stay).

Oh yeah, did I mention that we found out our room-mate Jeff was an adult movie star named Earl Buck-Eye? He dropped that pearl of wisdom on his way out =]

PS. Jason's Streetball Blog has also been updated with content from Venice Beach.

Kuala Lumpur

2006-04-02T20:53:00.000+10:00

[Photo Journal - 7 entries]

23 million people in a pre-dominantly Islamic country and meals under AU$2 - welcome to Malaysia.

The first thing you notice about KL is the humidity - this place is tropical. The second is the cost of things - our private room sets us back a massive AU$7 each per night (at Le Village) and a delicious cooked Masala Dosai breakfast with blended mango juice comes in at a whopping $1.80 each (???).

There are buses and scooters lining the winding and sloped streets and the pollution is a little stifling (in some places you can almost cut the air with a knife).

In the numerous markets and shopping centers, when not being lauded by the street vendors to buy a $3 watch or a $1 DVD, you find yourself wondering how this city can support so many (apparently un-required) security guards and mobile phone shops - they are on absolutely every corner!

Tomorrow we are going to head down to Melaka for a night before checking out Singapore. Will keep you posted.

Bloglet email notification

2005-12-07T15:11:00.000+11:00

I have added an email notification form using bloglet (so friends can subscribe to the blog and know when it's been updated). This post should get emailed to me at work!