week eight | thredbo, new south wales

I spent most of my childhood and teenage years in the tropics.  And although I have been lucky enough to have seen a little snow in the past, snow still holds a sense of wonder and charm… Rooftops covered with soft snow. Trees draped with white silky lace. Snowball fights. Snow angels.  But nothing prepared me for beauty and silence of fresh falling snow.

My dad, my sister and I headed up to Thredbo early on Thursday morning for our ‘dad and daughters’ mini holiday.  This wasn’t my first time skiing but it was my sister’s first time on the slopes so, we were full of excitement and did not want to miss our 9:30 ski class.

The first morning went as well as can be expected. It was fun but also pretty tricky learning to ski. For little uncoordinated me, just getting myself into my gear and heading the right way down the mountain was a bit of a challenge. Far from the graceful images of stylish Scandinavian princesses that’s for sure.

We muddled through and by 2 o’clock we were so hungry that we devoured our lunch in minutes.

The afternoon was much better. Our clumsiness was finally subsiding. The sun came out and it was picture perfect. By mid-afternoon my sister and I headed back to Thredbo village ready for warm showers and a nap before dinner in the village.

Now, I’m not sure if they planned it like this, but Thredbo village is looks just like the little villages in kid’s storybooks. Tiny shop fronts. Small fire-lit restaurants. Fairy lights making the falling snow sparkle. If I’d have run into one of Santa’s elves having a coffee break I wouldn’t have been at all surprised.

Over-night we got 15cm of snow and by the time we had struggled with sore muscles to pack our gear, check out, and get ready for the day, the sky was brilliantly blue. We were ready for the slopes! Unfortunately however, I had done something serious to my left ankle and so after only a couple of hours I had stop. So there I was, happily sitting down drinking coffee and watching my sister (who is fearless and great at pretty much anything) fly down the hill over and over again. Apparently she takes after our dad and so all of my least favorite parts of skiing (the speed, the lack of complete control etc.) are her most favorite.

TRIP RATING: 5/5 EPIC SNOW BALL FIGHTS 

week seven | sydney, new south wales

For those of you that know me personally you’ll know that Facebook is a pretty big part of my life, well duh, how could it not be? It’s the sole reason I am still in contact with pretty much everyone that I’ve attended school with and my trip to Sydney was a tribute to Mark’s vision if ever there was one.

Just a couple of months ago I got a message (via FB, gawd I love it) from one of my friends from my middle school days in South Africa. A and I had been pretty inseparable for the few years I lived there and I was thrilled that our big reunion dreams were finally coming true! After a few messages back and forth over the finer details it was all arranged that we would spend three days together in Sydney doing some spectacular touristy things before a visit to my parents’ place in good old ‘Berra.

I have always adored Sydney – not very “Melbourne” of me I know – but it’s great. It’s big, busy, fancy and always, always sunny meaning it makes for a pretty great place to bring international friends. Plus, whether we Aussies love it or not, it’s what they most want to see most, even if it’s just to shut up friends and relatives back home who will inevitably ask if they’ve now seen the Harbour Bridge and the Opera House.

It was these things that were, of course, top of our Sydney to –do list and so on our first morning we took the train from my god-parents fabulous Newtown house (where we were lucky enough to be staying) into the city and towards Circular Quay.  For those who haven’t been yet Circular Quay is where all the magic happens, and I’ll be honest - the brilliant sunshine, delighted tourists and the curved arches of both the bridge and the Opera House always put me in a lovely mood. It’s a beautiful sun-filled walk and a few snaps later that we then decided to do some more exploring, this time by boat.

If you do nothing else in Sydney you should probably still grab the ferry to Manly. The 30 minute (or so) ride across the harbour provides great views and Manly itself is a great place for a beach-side beer and some fish and chips if your brave enough to face the sassy seagulls snapping food from your fingers. It’s everything people imagine about Sydney, and perhaps even Australian life.

Apart from the postcard worthy attractions at Circular Quay there is also my favorite spot in Sydney, the Botanical Gardens. Now I’m a pretty big sucker for gardens anyway but Sydney’s is just delightful, sunny (I know I keep going on about it but I’m from Melbourne so it’s always a bit of a shock) and you can see the water sparkling as you sit and have a picnic or an ice cream at Lady Macquarie’s chair just around the bay and across from the Bridge.

While most of our days were filled up in the city by the ocean we were also able to spend some time exploring adorable Newtown by just walking out our front door. Newtown’s great, and has a bit of a hometown feel for me because it’s a lot like parts of Melbourne. With tiny shops, great cafes, good bars and a few really wonderful BYO Vietnamese restaurants that we took full advantage of.

While I might be a Melbournian for the most part, Sydney is great, and it is well worth a trip if you’re ever Down Under.

TRIP RATING 5/5 NEWTOWN TERRACES 

week six | adelaide, south australia

Adelaide is a funny sort of place, it holds many childhood memories, and even though I’ve never actually lived there it happens to be my lovely mother’s hometown and therefore is home to many of my aunts, uncles, cousins, grandparents and even my 97-year-old great grandmother. When I was growing up I’m fairly sure that I never knew Adelaide was anything more then my grandmother’s house, my aunt’s place and the road in between, but surprise surprise it is far more. I admire Adelaide’s grid system, it’s simple and effective train system and also it’s lively city centre which is a great place to spend a happy afternoon wandering around between family events.

This particular weekend we were in town for just one day for a cousin’s 21^st but I couldn’t help stealing a few hours for a quick coffee catch up with a old friend and a wander around my favorite Adelaide gem, the Central Markets. It’s just great, small enough to not feel overwhelming, but big enough to hold everything from fresh fruit and veg to a lovely collection of good cafes and coffee shops.

It was a painfully short trip this time round but I know that Adelaide has even more to offer and hopefully next time around I’ll actually have some time to see some of it. However this weekend was a good reminder that in all the madness spending some very important time with family, just enjoying and celebrating being together is wonderful. 

TRIP RATING 4/5 PORT POWER SUPPORTERS 

week five | kuala lumpur, malaysia

I’d really like to think of myself as a ‘yes’ person and my trip to KL probably proves just that. When my lovely big sis asked me to join her at the 2014 ISUM summit to be her right hand gal I pretty much booked my flights on the spot. It’s not the first time I’ve been to KL but it’s the first time in a long time (I think I was about 12 when I last went) and it was for a very different reason.

Living through a slightly stressful couple of days before I departed meant that I hadn’t really given much thought to what to expect. I knew it would be hot, and it certainly was; however it is a very different heat compared to Thailand. The sun really burns and for some reason KL’s skies rained big hot raindrops at least once a day for my entire trip.

Before I begin with what actually brought me to KL I wanted to quickly mention a perfect little café that we visited on day two. Pulp is absolutely perfect. It’s built into an old paper factory (oh hello) and they sell their own home brew cold press and so many other seriously good coffee choices. If you are in KL please go, Pulp is perfect and I’ll be looking from afar with longing eyes for years to come.

Now I was in  KL to attend and assist at the 2014 ISUM Summit, a gathering of pretty much all the greatest people on earth; over 200 people who live and breath urban community development. There were workshops, panel discussions on women in development and leadership, guest speakers like John Perkins and Jayakumar Christian plus many other truly exceptional people. It was like playing a who’s, who of authors of books on my bookshelf!  The conference both inspired and excited me - for my future working within the development field alongside some of the most humble, kind, passionate and interesting people I could ever hope to be surrounded by. With days jam packed with running around the summit and evenings filled with conversation about anything and everything under the sun, it was a perfect way to recharge and refocus.

KL is a very interesting place. We spent most of our time in the little India part of town and I couldn’t help but compare it to my home in Bangkok. Some things were exactly the same, and some things couldn’t be more different. Malaysia is essentially an Islamic country and that impacted us girls far more then any of us has probably expected. We often felt uncomfortable and it felt a little unsafe to go out alone after dark. There was also a noticeable difference in how we women were treated in comparison to our male friends.

Over all it was the people who made this trip. Being there to help and being able to meet and spend time with some seriously superb people was an incredible experience. On our last night C and I treated ourselves to a sky bar drink with a view of the famous Petronas Twin Towers and we reflected on how lucky we are that this is our life. As I sat there surrounded by love and filled with excitement with what’s to come I couldn’t help but be amazed, I’m just so blessed. 

TRIP RATING: 5/5 CHCKEN BIRIYANI’S 

week four | melbourne, victoria

I have been lucky enough to call Melbourne my home for the last two and a half years. While it’s not always perfect I have never regretted my decision to live here and now proudly declare my Melbourne status, and my coffee snobbery, to pretty much anyone who’ll listen.

One of the best things about Melbourne is its fantastic CBD. With my house just 20ish minutes away by train I spend many happy days walking it’s grid. I love that each time I can still find new coffee filled alleys, underground shops and old world arcades.

This week I was able to spend the day hanging out with my beautiful cousin (friends that are family are a real win) who loves Melbourne just as much as I do. Lucky for us Melbourne is far better in the winter then in the summer and its old buildings and rather grim skyline actually suit its moody nature.

So many people ask me what the very best weekend in Melbourne might look like; my answer is always pretty much the same. JUST WALK. Get a train into the city and walk down Swanston, on a sunny day walk across the Yarra, if it’s cold and wet grab an umbrella and a coat and off you go. S and I did just that, no really plan and a willingness to walk means that you aren’t in danger of missing all of my favorite parts of Melbourne. The Burke Street Mall, Degraves street (a small ally that you’d recognize from anything about Melbourne’s ‘coffee culture.’ But the very best thing of all is the Paris end of Collins Street. I can’t get enough, the buildings are big, old and beautiful, the churches are plentiful and calm and because they are mainly banks and other offices it’s pretty quite on the weekend. Its also home to what feels like the worlds biggest Dymocks where S and I spend a happy couple of hours reading and sipping latte’s.

If you love books and bookshops as much as I do then just one block over on Burke you have Hill of Content for the best new releases and The Paperback Bookshop for secondhand gems, sandwiching Pelligrino’s for the best coffee and anti-pasto plates known to man.

I’m lucky I have Melbourne, and I’m lucky that I have friends who enjoy it as much as I do. 

TRIP RATING: 5/5 STRONG SOY FLAT WHITES 

week three | hobart, tasmania

Oh Hobart, you have my heart you adorable little thing. As a bit of a fan of our Mary, most of the first day was spent doing things I’ve heard a little about. First off the bat was a meander through the seriously fantastic Salamaca Markets. They have a stall for just about anything and it was so much fun to rug up and walk up and down chatting to people and tasting all the samples. Not only are the markets plentiful but they are also right in the middle of an area that provides all the coffee shops, art studios and bookshops a gal could need on a blistery Tassie winter day.

This weekend was a gifted trip from Qantas’ in honor of the second annual MOFO festival, (Thanks Qanta’s!) the light show that brings life into the city for a couple of weeks each winter. The whole atmosphere was buzzing and as the sun set massive beams of light shot up from all parts of the city into the night sky.  Dark MOFO also meant that the bars were absolutely crammed packed, and the three that we drank at were hot as hell and wild as any hidden Melbourne rave or neon Bangkok club.

As part of this delightful little prize holiday I also got the opportunity to visit MONA for the first time. It’s superbly done, as only ten trillion dollars could do, and probably now one of my favorite places on earth. If you have any sense you’ll book your flight there right this instance. 

It’s also incredibly easy to get at MONA, which is actually quite a way out of Hobart itself. I enjoyed learning that part of the MONA experience is the boat itself, which leaves from the main dock in the center of town. You have two options, the first is the classy sounding VIP ticket that is wine and nibbles inclusive or the general ticket that gets you the ride there but nothing else. Because of our wine induced escapades the night before J and I opted for the general tickets and a couple of coffees as we snaps some pictures and enjoyed the friendly sheep and cows (you need to see it to believe it.)

I could probably write for days about MONA itself, however pretty much anyone else would do a more eloquent and thorough job of it. Instead I’ll just say that it’s top of my list for museums (art or otherwise) in the world. It was cool as hell, interesting a fuck and avoided all the main issues I often have with modern art museums by providing ipods that lead you around and provide a little background and a lot of interpretation. Another interesting development is because MONA is so hands on everyone seemed to be interacting with the artwork and getting some really creative pictures which at the end of the day means art was actually creating art. Essentially the most important thing anyone could do with artworks themselves.

So go to MONA, go to Hobart and if you can make the trip a little longer and explore a little more of Tas itself because my feeling is that Hobart is only just the tip of the iceberg.

TRIP RATING: 3/5 LIGHT BEAMS