A week in Colorado

I got back Tuesday morning from 10 days in the US. We’d flown in to Chicago for my brother’s business school graduation and then spent 5 days with the family, hiking and driving through the Colorado Rockies.

It took us just about four hours to drive over from Denver and we made a brief stop at Independence Pass which, as expected was deathly windy and freezing cold but still worth hopping out for.

Aspen is beautiful in the summer. The town is lively, laid back and disarmingly friendly. We ran into plenty of gregarious Texans, there to escape their sweltering summer heat. We had a fantastic seafood meal at Jimmy’s Bodega and ended the night with ice cream from Paradise Bakery.

The Maroon Bells are fairly quiet in mid-June. I visited nearly 10 years ago and fell in love. The trails were just as beautiful as I remembered and very easy, even in going up to Crater Lake.

The deadly Maroon Bells

Maroon Lake

Crater Lake

Aspen in Aspen

Once back in Aspen, Niraj and I embarked upon the Ute trail (or the “Glute trail” as I like to call it, since it will kick your ass). The climb is steep and unyielding and we were impressed to see quite a few locals using it for their evening run. It’s all worth it when you get to the panoramic views at the top though. It’s easily amongst the most beautiful summits I’ve seen.

Top of the Ute

The glute trail

Aspen from above

Rolling Rockies

From Aspen, we took the scenic route over to Estes Park, driving 6 hours through winding mountain roads. Independence Pass was slightly warmer on the way back so we hopped out for a more extended frolic through the snow. Seeing the storm clouds in the distance, breaking over the Rockies, added an other worldly feel to an already spectacular view.

Storm Clouds over Independence Pass

Independence Pass

We stopped at several other lookouts and drove through historic mining towns like Leadville. The highlight of the drive though, was indisputably Trail Ridge Road. Winding over 45 miles and climbing to heights of 12,000 feet, Trail Ridge alternately feels like a top of the world moutain tour and a safari in the plains. We entered Rocky Mountain National Park an hour before dusk, perfect timing to catch grazing herds of elk and even a black bear.

The uninterrupted Rockies

Sunset on Trail Ridge

Up close and personal

Plains from above

We stayed at River Stone Resort and Bear Paw suites and we were thrilled to wake up each morning to the sounds of the gushing Fall River. RMNP is one of the best US national parks with over 140 miles of hiking trails. We did a couple of beautiful hikes including the trail up to Mill Lake and the classic Bear Lake.

Fall River

Hiking through RMNP

Mill Lake

Bear Lake

After more hiking, BBQing and plenty of sun, we flew from Denver to Newark and squeezed in a couple more days with family in NJ and of course, Kuku. The trip was wonderful and far too short. As much as I love it here in Sydney, being with my family made me realize how much I miss them and value these trips. Till next time! x

Best things about Sydney: festival fever

A few months ago I started the first in a series of posts about Sydney, specifically my five favourite things about the city. Well it’s time to tell you about another one of the city’s highlights — the festivals.

Sydney is a city of festivals. There’s always something on and there’s always something around the corner. We’ve kept our ears to the ground and our eyes peeled but really you have to be living under a rock to not take notice. So what counts a festival, anyway? If the word conjures up images of hotdogs, icecream cones and stripy tents, you’re close but probably thinking of a kiddy carnival. A festival, or at least a Sydney one, usually involves trendy food being eaten, fancy drinks being quaffed and general fun being had by all. Pretty terrible, eh?

: Food and wine tents at the Pyrmont Festival in Pirrama Park, Apr ’14

: Summer sounds in the Domain during Sydney Festival, Jan ’14

: Lanterns at the night noodle markets, Oct ’13

: Long lines for the ramen burger

The most recent festival to take the city by storm is Vivid. Spread over two and a half weeks in May and June, the spectacular lightshow has achieved international acclaim, not in small part due to its status as an instagrammer’s paradise. Vivid attracted over 500,000 visitors this year alone, injecting new life into the Sydney winter.

The festival is best known for large scale projections of colourful designs onto historic buildings like the customs house, the museum of contemporary art and of course the iconic Opera House. This year, there were a number of interactive light and sound installations and a series of forums for exchanging creative ideas.

The urban tree project

Bit.fall, an amazing water exhibit we saw earlier this year at Tasmania’s MONA was installed right outside my office in Martin Place while the MLC building was transformed into a 3D tree house, complete with a forest canopy, tropical weather and an appropriate number of bugs. Vivid is a family affair, attracting hordes of both young and old and swarming the CBD. If you missed it this time around, fret not, for the next festival — Sydney’s film festival — has already begun.

Five Things I Love About Sydney: #1

We’ve been in Sydney 9 months now. Nine.Whole.Months. Holy smokes, where did the time go?

As we approach our 1 year anniversary in this wonderful, crazy town, I thought it appropriate to reflect on some of the Australian things I’d now be hard pressed to live without. Stay tuned for a series of blog posts with my top 5. Here’s the first.

No Dramas

Australians have a remarkable tendency to downplay everything. This comes, no doubt, from their British roots. When they say they’re a bit sniffly, they have the flu; when they’re peckish, chances are they havent eaten in 24 hours and if you hear an Aussie say they’re in need of a lie down, it’s probably because they’ve pulled an all nighter at work, gotten caught in a rip while ocean swimming, torn their ACL, narrowly escaped the jaws of a shark or all of the above.

I think this is partly an Australian aversion to complaining (and attention-seeking) and partly that Australians are just plain tougher than most people. Sydneysiders will traipse through their winters in shorts and a T shirt. Now, granted it’s doesn’t get as cold as Boston down here, but with these poorly insulated houses it can get pretty darn brisk in that 5-15C band. They’ll also jump off cliffs, brush off stings from blueys (as long as it’s not a box jellyfish), start running ultra marathons when they’re 45 and wake up at 6am on a Saturday so that they can get in a soft sand run or a bike ride before an 830 brekky.

Work Hard, Play Hard: Kiteboarding in Melbourne

While it’s fairly standard in New York to answer the “how’s work?” question with an honest assessment (aka whine) about your hours and stress levels, you’ll be hard pressed in Australia to hear anyone say they worked on the weekend (even if they did). Working on the weekend is an admission of failure in Australia. It means you failed to finish your work during the week and you suck at time management or simply that you’re so dull that you couldn’t come up with anything else to occupy yourself (or to talk about) on what should have been a two day holiday.

Let’s translate these real quotes:

1. When asked what he thought of the movie:

Aussie: “Yeah, I didn’t mind it”

Translation: “I thought it was pretty good”

2. When asked if there are crocodiles in the water:

Aussie: “Nah, might see a few freshies though”

Translation: “You won’t see a saltwater croc but there are heaps of freshwater crocs. They’ll only attack if you swim directly over one or disturb it. The chances of that happening are medium to high, but I’m going to go in anyway. ”

3. When asked how the morning was:

Aussie: “Yeah good. Am wide awake after bootcamp.”

Translation: “I woke up at 530am and drove to the beach to spend an hour throwing sandbags, squatting with impossible weights and soft sand running with 25 other people before heading home in time to make breakfast for my partner and three children and getting ready for a 45min commute to work.”

The “no dramas” attitude is one of my favourite things about Aussie culture because it’s a constant reminder that a) life in a developed country really isn’t that hard, and b) the world does not, in fact, revolve around you. Your woes are but a tiny drop in the vast ocean of humanity and conversations shouldn’t be about getting attention anyway: so brush it off, suck it up and move on to the next adventure.

Unfortunately, this aspect of Australianism rarely makes it across the Pacific intact. Like a game of telephone, by the time the message reaches the States, the understatedness has usually been reframed as “Australians are laid back”, “they go to work in flip flops” or the all-time favourite “they’re just plain lazy”.

I’ll admit, we’d heard our fair share of Aussie stereotypes when we left New York but it took less than a week in Sydney to have them blown away. Truth be told, Sydneysiders are hardcore. They’re hard core about getting things done, about dressing up, about drinking, about getting up early and staying out late and, above all, they’re hardcore about the outdoors.

Because there isn’t much of a face time culture in Sydney offices and because there’s so little talking about work outside of work, it isn’t much of a leap for an American to conclude that his Australian cousin is a lazy nine-to-fiver just waiting to pull his next sickie and skive off at the beach.

How Americans imagine Australians to dress

One of my favourite quotes from a colleague in New York: “Well at least you’ll get to kick back. An Aussie girl’s idea of dressing up is throwing on a pair of Uggs”.

She couldn’t have been more wrong. Sydney is one of THE most dressed up cities I’ve been in. Any and every excuse to dress up is seized by the horns, whether work, travel or the Australian favourite: a day at the races.

Melbourne cup — How Australians really dress

Sydneysiders are working harder than ever (and relying on some deliciously healthy food) to stay fit, healthy and beautiful. A short stroll through the CBD, Bondi, Surry Hills or really any central Sydney neighbourhood is all the motivation you’ll need to get back on that treadmill (or soft sand). Need some inspiration from afar? Check out Uge’s gallery at www.aquabumps.com. Either way, no dramas bro.

Two weeks in the Sub-Continent

First day back in Sydney! After 16 days of travel in India and Thailand, we touched down at Kingsford Smith early this morning after a verry long red eye. I appreciated the stopover in Singapore not only because we were ditching Jet Airways for a much bigger, nicer Qantas plane but because it was my first bite of sushi in over two weeks, I hadn’t even realized I’d missed Asian food!

I love going to India for the holidays. North India can be bitterly cold in December and January but there’s nothing like the winter sun in Delhi. Mottled sunlight, cashmere shawls, piping hot paranthas and mugs of spiced chai to warm those icy fingers and scald that throat.

This trip was particularly special because it centered around my brother’s wedding. We got in a few short days of catching up and shopping before the start of the celebration and, coming as we were, from another friend’s nuptials in Thailand, were excited to play a bigger role in round 2 of big fat Indian wedding.

The wedding was an absolute blast and went by far too quickly. We danced in a wonderful Sangeet, I mc-ed an event and gave a speech at the reception. We were relieved though to have it all be done. It’s been a hectic 24 months for my parents with both my brother and I getting married.

Gulab Jamuns soaking in sugar syrup

Bangle shopping in Hanuman Mandir

In showing a couple newcomers around Delhi, I reveled in old and new: Hauz Khas village, United Coffee House, saree and jewelry shopping in CP, India Gate. I became well acquainted with the Delhi metro and they with Delhi auto-rickshaws. Several friends took a day tour around the Red Fort, Jama Masjid, Humayun’s Tomb, Qutub Minar, Old Delhi….so much to see (and eat…and shop)!

The day after the wedding, we headed off for our own version of the Golden Triangle tour. A day and night in Agra, a couple days in Jaipur and a few nights in Udaipur before flying back to the capital. We spent a lot of time on the road but it was well worth it.

I can always count on India for a “culture fix”. Going there at the end of the year especially is something I value as a way to reconnect, rejuvenate and recalibrate. Reflecting on my country’s rich history, traditions, spirituality, cuisine and diversity always fills me with awe. I took on the role of the Indian tour guide for my American husband and American friend this time and learned even more in the process.

A wonder of the world peeks out from the main gate

No trip to India is complete without the Taj

The Great Gate to the Taj

Up close

Each Arabic letter in the callipgraphy is a single piece of Onyx

Rajasthan, like Delhi is rich in history. A thousand years of dynastic rulers gave us plenty to read about in history class. The Mughal period is well captured and renowned, both through its iconic architecture and through depictions in contemporary movies and books. Rajasthani history, is esoteric by comparison.

A refresher on the alliances between the Mughal emperors in the North with the Rajput kings of Jaipur and Amer against the rulers of Mewar and Udaipur provided a rich backdrop to the magnificent palaces and forts that we visited. Add to that the beautiful local traditions of Persian carpet weaving (Agra), silver and precious stone jewelry making (Jaipur) and miniature painting (Udaipur) and it was an unforgettable trip.

Jaipur’s beautiful observatory

Standing next to my star sign at the Jantar Mantar

A highlight for me was the Jaipur observatory or Jantar Mantar (literally “calculation instrument”) in Hindi. One of five observatories built under King Jai Singh II, founder of Jaipur, the Jantar Mantar consists of 14 larger than life structures crafted from local stone and marble. The sophistication and sheer scale of these instruments will blow you away, it’s a must see. After Jaipur, we rocked up to a New Year’s Eve party in Udaipur close to midnight. Seven stationery hours in the car had prepared us for the feast that followed. The celebrations had taken on Indian wedding like proportions, complete with over the top buffet, obnoxious DJ and beautiful fireworks. A good start to the year!

Udaipur turned out to be very different from Agra and Jaipur. For starters, there weren’t very many people and India’s “burgeoning middle class” seemed missing. Udaipur seemed a sleepy town, almost hill station like: immaculately clean for India, very very expensive and wholly dependent on tourism.

We had so much fun and even (mostly) avoided getting sick 😉 Till next year, India!

Diwan-i-Am

Amarvillas, Agra

Enjoying an apple on the walls of Amer

Amer Fort

Ganesha Gate, Amer Fort

Ganesha Gate

Sheesh Mahal, Amer Fort

Ceiling of the Sheesh Mahal

Jantar Mantar

Monsoon Gate, Jaipur City Palace

Jaipur City Palace

Udaipur City Palace

Pure marble

Agra Fort

Beautiful elephants at Agra Fort

Giving thanks, down under

I won’t lie, we missed not being in the US for Thanksgiving. I didn’t particularly expect the feeling; I’ve only been part of five or so Thanksgivings and one of them was in England. But, seeing my Facebook newsfeed over-run with pictures of turkey and messages of thanks, I definitely felt some pangs for pumpkin pie and the sights and smells of fall.

Sooo, after a particularly un-Thanksgivingy dinner that Thursday, we decided to turn our Sunday BBQ plans into Sunday Thanksgiving plans and show our Aussie friends a true American tradition: pumpkin cheesecake, cornbread, turkey, stuffing and root vegetables,

Easier said than done. After trips to Harris Farms, IGA, Woolworths and Coles, all hopes of finding canned pumpkin in Sydney went out the window. Heck, we couldn’t even find a fresh pumpkin (nope, butternut squash doesn’t count). Along with pumpkin, we jettisoned the idea of fresh cranberries and cornmeal. D’oh! Defeated, we were sitting outside Coles in Bondi Junction at 7pm when Niraj had the idea to make a sweet potato pie instead. Say what? I know it’s a popular Thanksgiving dish, but the thought of putting potatoes in a dessert pie had never caught my attention. We pulled up a celebrity chef’s scathing review of a sweet potato pie recipe that was “too similar to pumpkin” — bingo. I ran back inside Woolies and grabbed an armful of sweet potatoes and a spring form pie dish. We were ready.

I think we spent a good 4 or 5 hours in the kitchen that night.

The pie ended up taking longer than usual because I made the crust from scratch. I used a classic Martha Stewart recipe that seemed simple enough but took its sweet time. Scalloping the edges of the crust was tricky in a spring form dish, but it came together. More importantly, it tasted just like pumpkin pie! I shall definitely be making this again. An added bonus is that it requires less sugar (sweet potato is naturally sweeter than pumpkin). Here’s the delicious Paula Deen recipe I followed (nixed the marzipan).

The cornbread, in comparison, was quick and easy. I ended up making a couple of batches — a more traditional one and one with parmesan and jalapenos. Pro tip: if you’re living down under and don’t have access to cornmeal, do not resort to cornflour, use polenta instead. Cornflour is much finer and used as a thickener in soups; polenta isn’t quite as coarse as cornmeal but at least your cornbread will look and taste almost exactly like the American version.

Niraj’s magnum opus was the stuffing. He decided to make it in the crockpot this year and we snuck in quite a few bites during its journey from frying pan to slow cooker.

Add a watermelon and haloumi salad (to-die for recipe from a fellow halloumiholic), a dish of roasted root vegetables, a cheese plate and of course, the turkey, and you’re done. Happy Thanksgiving!