Punta Cana continued
We are booked into the resort for 7 nights which I think is very easy to take. Beachside and poolside. Never cool, actually afternoons are very hot.
I decided to have some beach time on day 2 and the rest of the group hung around the pool as Joey was incapacitated! Fell asleep, quite burnt but now very brown and no peeling!
Meals are buffet style which is fine as there is plenty of salads, grilled fish and chicken plus lots of Cuban, Dominican style foods to be had. I am using all my strength to behave food wise but do give in to a small dessert and ice cream. Also have a good coffee machine with really nice Dominican coffee.
The afternoon was spent with the rest of my new family around the pool, in the pool and at the pool bar.
George and Sandra organised a buggy trip for the Wednesday and I tagged along. We travelled in pairs in very noisy, smoking go cart type vehicles , in convoy along a road and to a magnificent beach where we swam and had a bit of free time. We then travelled onto some caves which I wasn't that interested in but we had a lot of fun. Veronica who I shared with is a 22 year old girl who was hilarious in the buggies and kept ramming her grandparents which caused them some anxiety.
Thursday, another lazy day around the pool and beach, a bit of beach exercise class, early morning lap swimming and a beach dance class which was not repeated due to sore knee, unfortunately , as it was hilarious.
Joey was not having a lot of fun so we decided to have a look at his plaster and see how his ankle was. Took the plaster off and there was nothing to see, no swelling, bruising, nothing. No idea where the dislocation diagnosis came from. He spent some time on his crutches but soon disposed of them. The episode cost $880! Thank goodness for travel insurance!
The Latino people are great to holiday with, they really know how to enjoy themselves. They are so relaxed, have long and intense conversations with total strangers, are so social and love a good time. Dancing for them is like scratching an itch, they just can't not do it. The music comes on and they are up and at it, even in the pool! The music is playing all the time and the Latinos are doing the salsa, the bacchata, the merengue. Fabulous!!!
Most people were with big family groups, grandparents, parents, kids and they all hang out together poolside, in the water and at meals. My new family consisted of 14 people and we did a lot together or at times did our own thing but always in the pool around 4 pm all playing with the kids and having a drink until we all looked like prunes!
I experienced activities never done before! Crazy banana boat ride where I couldn't get back on! How embarrassing! Somebody behind pushing me up, the kids grabbing my legs and pulling me on. Just couldn't bend with the life jacket on and not enough strength to catapult myself out of the water like the men and kids could. We also went on a half day catamaran trip. Cruised the coast line, snorkled with toothless sharks and stingrays and had a photo taken with a shark in my arms! My face was apparently a look of terror but annoyingly the photos did not arrive as we organized and they had our deposit so am trying to sort that out now. We then danced on the boat, lay in the sun, swam and had another reef snorkel where we saw thousands of amazing coloured fish, a fantastic afternoon.
My last activity was a parasail , not as scared as I thought it would be but a lot of fun and saw a big turtle swimming in the water below us.
The evenings had us eating, dancing, watching the show that ranged from dance, magic and singing.
Joey started poking me in the tummy like he does to his grandmother ( he is 11). When I asked what was he doing prodding my fat , he told me that I was family now so he was allowed to!!
The family were disappointed with the resort as they have stayed at much better, parts were shabby and service slow but always with a laugh and a smile and willing to do anything to assist so I found it all a very pleasant experience.
The trip home was a trial though, a disorganized airport, late flight, so many queues and then to top it off at the end we had to wait for 2 hours in Miami airport for Joey to get entry clearance. He was born in the USA and has citizenship but every time he passes through immigration they take him aside and sit him in a room whilst some investigation is done. It would appear there is a missing or wanted person with the same name and that is the way it will be until this issue is resolved! Got to wonder how many 11 year olds are called Joseph Perez!!!
I also got the once over at immigration wanting to know why I had been coming in and out of the country in such a short space of time and I have the entry visa!
Then to top this all off , Jesus discovered that the car and house keys were still in the safe in Punta Cana! A cab home and locate the spares, a long day!
Back in Miami, weather warm and sunny with the occasional thunder storm and rain but not too long although heavy. Am sleeping in a very comfy water bed which is very hard to get out of in the morning after such a good nights sleep. Up and swim in the mornings, getting a kilometer in.
We don't do too much during the day, just hang around a bit, do some shopping. Yara and Jesus are such good company and so kind and accommodating.
Last night we went to the Hard Rock cafe casino and convention centre where we saw a puerto rican band called grand Combo de Puerto Rico. A group of about 20 singers, musicians and dancers, it was fantastic although a bit loud and I couldn't understand too much but the music and beat was great. Once again, the itch happened and everyone at some stage had to get up and have a bit of a dance the sit down again. It is just accepted if somebody stands up in front of you, just the way it is, so tolerant.
This venue is amazing, a big auditorium for the concert and then outside is a big open space with shops, restaurants, bars and music . This is jumping 7 nights a week, tourists and locals go along. A great place. We didn't get home until after midnight and were all hungry so mid night snack and then bed. None of us up before 8.30 am.
Tonight we are having dinner with some friends and then tomorrow a beach day which I am looking forward to. Saturday depart for Colombia.
Adios amigos, hasta la vista.
Friday, 3 August 2012
Posted with Blogsy
Friday, 27 July 2012
Miami and Punta Cana 2012
Miami July 2012
Well the time has finally arrived for the beginning of my 9 week oddessy in North and South America. Started off well with a points upgrade to business class with Qantas plus a 24 hour notification which was great as it meant that I could rearrange my suitcases. With business now you can take 3 cases of 32 kgs! I don't possess that many clothes taking into account winter and summer. I managed 1 case of 25 kg and could barely lift it into the car, imagine lugging 3 of them around!!
So first leg excellent apart from the 90 minute delay as the toilets down the right hand side of the pane weren't functioning! Issue sorted with plenty of keeping us up to date and we set off. We did make up 40 minutes but lost it again when we landed and the plane sat for an age before a gate was free for us. Panic for a lot of people and at this stage I had 45 minutes to get my bags, get through security and immigration, who I might add, in the USA were surprisingly accommodating and helpful. Ran like crazy, arrived at the gate to discover the flight had been delayed by an hour.
Got the same seat in the exit aisle which is a bonus for leg room but make note to self, avoid exit row on American airlines, big draft, numb feet and shivering body for 5 and a half hours. Was given another blanket by a kind fellow traveller who gave up theirs for me as she saw how cold I was. When we got off the plane my feet were white and I couldn't feel the ground they were so numb! What a crap flight that one was!
Finally hit Miami and was picked up by my friends and checked into hotel. Nice spot, good rooms, close to good restaurants and had its own private section of South Beach! Get supplied loungers umbrella, covers and big towels. Very nice!
Spent the 4 days catching up with friends, eating, swimming in pool and at beach, jacuzzi, couldn't ask for a more relaxing time. The Sunday brought with it a tropical storm so there was a lot of rain dodging, sadly no more time at the beach but an afternoon watching DVDs.
Sunday was going to be my photo opportunity day, no chance with the weather, never put off for tomorrow what you can do today! Missed my chance of great views from hotel and down the beach. The big plus was that we ate at 4 different restaurants that nobody had eaten at before and hit the jackpot every time. That doesn't happen too often by chance.
Discovered a frozen yogurt which sounds disgusting, caramel and pretzel!!! Try a salty caramel with toasted pecans on top, delicious!!!!! Healthy though, it was low fat yogurt!
Punta Cana, Dominican Republic July 23rd.
I can't believe that we had to be at the airport 3 hours before departure, that being bad enough, the meeting time was 4 a.m. Hideous!
The flight was a charter arranged by a travel agent that Yara has used for the same holiday for the past 8 years but a different resort every time. The plane was full of very excited, mainly Cubans. I have reconsidered my opinion of the way they are sometimes with their noise and clamor and put it down to a massive zest for life and fun. Who else would clap and cheer at a successful take off and landing of a plane, they are just congratulating the pilot for a job well done ( even though I did think that on landing my face was going to be embedded in the seat in front of me, could have hit the runway a tad late me thinks)!!
So 200 of us are sent through security, cough up $10 for the "entry visa" serenaded by some local musicians that added to the festive air and herded back onto several buses to be transported to the Melia Caribe Tropical. I have never seen such a massive resort in my life, I actually find it overwhelming, I have been lost twice already, had a drunk try to get into my room swearing at me for not answering the door ( the problem with all inclusive alcohol from dawn to stumps). I did actually have to force the door closed on him and call security and spent the first night eating on my own. This is Joeys fault!!! Poor Joey, 11 year old delightful grandson of Yara and Jesus, slipped at the pool and after several hours ended up with a plaster of Paris on his foot and lower leg due to a dislocated ankle, luckily no fractures but buggered the rest of his week up hence they were with him and I had no idea how to find them so ate alone. The rest of the group we were with we're doing their own thing and I came across them as I was finishing my meal.
The food here is pretty good, good selection and fresh, pool is enormous, beach white fine sand and not too rough water at a perfect temperature, complex too big for my liking as it is too far to walk to the lobby or for dinner, a good 20 minutes. Not usually an issue walking but as I said, directionally challenged!
The locals who work at the resort are lovely, happy, obliging, smiling folks and happy to assist. Actually Joeys ankle came In handy tonight as one of the staff in a golf buggy dropped us back to our rooms, usually a 60 seater, 2 carriage, " train" . Much quicker!!
Apart from the massive pool there is also a reasonably deep rectangular pool that will be perfect for early morning laps and that is a 30 second walk from our rooms. The beach is also very close by so that is a positive. Probably better that I am removed from the food!
Am annoyed with myself as I left my card connector at home and can't download photos onto the iPad until I get back to Miami and get to the apple store next week but there will be plenty to come!!
Adios amigos , puedo escribar les pronto!!
Well the time has finally arrived for the beginning of my 9 week oddessy in North and South America. Started off well with a points upgrade to business class with Qantas plus a 24 hour notification which was great as it meant that I could rearrange my suitcases. With business now you can take 3 cases of 32 kgs! I don't possess that many clothes taking into account winter and summer. I managed 1 case of 25 kg and could barely lift it into the car, imagine lugging 3 of them around!!
So first leg excellent apart from the 90 minute delay as the toilets down the right hand side of the pane weren't functioning! Issue sorted with plenty of keeping us up to date and we set off. We did make up 40 minutes but lost it again when we landed and the plane sat for an age before a gate was free for us. Panic for a lot of people and at this stage I had 45 minutes to get my bags, get through security and immigration, who I might add, in the USA were surprisingly accommodating and helpful. Ran like crazy, arrived at the gate to discover the flight had been delayed by an hour.
Got the same seat in the exit aisle which is a bonus for leg room but make note to self, avoid exit row on American airlines, big draft, numb feet and shivering body for 5 and a half hours. Was given another blanket by a kind fellow traveller who gave up theirs for me as she saw how cold I was. When we got off the plane my feet were white and I couldn't feel the ground they were so numb! What a crap flight that one was!
Finally hit Miami and was picked up by my friends and checked into hotel. Nice spot, good rooms, close to good restaurants and had its own private section of South Beach! Get supplied loungers umbrella, covers and big towels. Very nice!
Spent the 4 days catching up with friends, eating, swimming in pool and at beach, jacuzzi, couldn't ask for a more relaxing time. The Sunday brought with it a tropical storm so there was a lot of rain dodging, sadly no more time at the beach but an afternoon watching DVDs.
Sunday was going to be my photo opportunity day, no chance with the weather, never put off for tomorrow what you can do today! Missed my chance of great views from hotel and down the beach. The big plus was that we ate at 4 different restaurants that nobody had eaten at before and hit the jackpot every time. That doesn't happen too often by chance.
Discovered a frozen yogurt which sounds disgusting, caramel and pretzel!!! Try a salty caramel with toasted pecans on top, delicious!!!!! Healthy though, it was low fat yogurt!
Punta Cana, Dominican Republic July 23rd.
I can't believe that we had to be at the airport 3 hours before departure, that being bad enough, the meeting time was 4 a.m. Hideous!
The flight was a charter arranged by a travel agent that Yara has used for the same holiday for the past 8 years but a different resort every time. The plane was full of very excited, mainly Cubans. I have reconsidered my opinion of the way they are sometimes with their noise and clamor and put it down to a massive zest for life and fun. Who else would clap and cheer at a successful take off and landing of a plane, they are just congratulating the pilot for a job well done ( even though I did think that on landing my face was going to be embedded in the seat in front of me, could have hit the runway a tad late me thinks)!!
So 200 of us are sent through security, cough up $10 for the "entry visa" serenaded by some local musicians that added to the festive air and herded back onto several buses to be transported to the Melia Caribe Tropical. I have never seen such a massive resort in my life, I actually find it overwhelming, I have been lost twice already, had a drunk try to get into my room swearing at me for not answering the door ( the problem with all inclusive alcohol from dawn to stumps). I did actually have to force the door closed on him and call security and spent the first night eating on my own. This is Joeys fault!!! Poor Joey, 11 year old delightful grandson of Yara and Jesus, slipped at the pool and after several hours ended up with a plaster of Paris on his foot and lower leg due to a dislocated ankle, luckily no fractures but buggered the rest of his week up hence they were with him and I had no idea how to find them so ate alone. The rest of the group we were with we're doing their own thing and I came across them as I was finishing my meal.
The food here is pretty good, good selection and fresh, pool is enormous, beach white fine sand and not too rough water at a perfect temperature, complex too big for my liking as it is too far to walk to the lobby or for dinner, a good 20 minutes. Not usually an issue walking but as I said, directionally challenged!
The locals who work at the resort are lovely, happy, obliging, smiling folks and happy to assist. Actually Joeys ankle came In handy tonight as one of the staff in a golf buggy dropped us back to our rooms, usually a 60 seater, 2 carriage, " train" . Much quicker!!
Apart from the massive pool there is also a reasonably deep rectangular pool that will be perfect for early morning laps and that is a 30 second walk from our rooms. The beach is also very close by so that is a positive. Probably better that I am removed from the food!
Am annoyed with myself as I left my card connector at home and can't download photos onto the iPad until I get back to Miami and get to the apple store next week but there will be plenty to come!!
Adios amigos , puedo escribar les pronto!!
Sunday, 24 June 2012
Last but not least of Cambodia
I have been a bit quiet on the blog front for a couple of weeks. Mainly because life chugs along and with this being a quiet time of year, there is not a lot to report.
The dredging of the river bank continues although somewhat haphazardly, the machinery is sitting there but not doing a lot! The water has been dammed up again and is running off into the irrigation channels around the back of Siem Reap. The river looks hideous and smells but it does look like the concrete works on the spillway are coming to an end.
The voting and the outcome are past history and nothing much is discussed locally now.
There have been a couple of bad accidents between motorbikes and either tour buses or trucks. Even the Cambodians are now starting to get concerned about the increase of traffic and the really bad driving. I discovered this week that anybody of any age can ride a motorbike under 110 cc, on the roads. It is scary seeing kids of 10 pr 12 whizzing around!
I have continued riding to school because it has been dry. We haven't had much rain over the last couple of weeks which is good for riding but the locals are looking for the rain. Not because of drought but the atmosphere is heavy and we have all been feeling a bit lethargic, our get up and go has got up and gone! A heavy fall yesterday but it didn't last too long.
We had a public holiday last Monday, one of 18 for the year! Annette and I were going to have a ride but she has been very unwell with a virus so I found myself with a day on my own. I saddled up so to speak and headed towards the lake, around a 20 km round trip. Unfortunately I left too late and after 8 km headed back, I was so hot and felt myself sizzling and knowing I had to ride 8 km back I threw in the towel! The pool was calling me! The heat here can be vicious and we are still experiencing mid 30s
Alan, Bridget and I decided that we needed a good night out as opposed to more Cambodian food and rice! We headed to the Victoria hotel for cocktails and were going to eat at the French restaurant there but as we were the only customers decided to give it a miss and headed to the Hotel de La Paix which is a bit of an institution here. Next month it will be handed over to the one of the big hotel chains which is a disappointment to the locals. We had a nice bottle of bubbly and a lovely meal. Sometimes you just have to remind your self what it is like to be a westerner!
Grace House runs along smoothly. A little bit tough for a while as I was the only volunteer for a week, another 2 have joined me and a couple more next week so things will get back to normal. Fiscally it means that no volunteers equates to reduced income for the project so that is not sustainable in the long run.
Friday was another hot day but at lunch time we headed off to the local Pagoda for a blessing by the head Monk, certainly one way to cool off as you will see by the pictures. This time I did my best not to giggle as the force of the water whiplashed my head. It was actually a calming experience just sitting there and concentrating on the chanting and the experience.
I would like to stay and waffle on a bit longer but the pool beckons and as I only have a couple of days left here I have to make the most of it! I work Monday and Tuesday, then leave Wednesday afternoon arriving in Melbourne Thursday morning. This evening I am taking the staff from Grace House out for dinner, lucky for me the meals are around $4 and a glass of beer 50c so I think I can afford it!
It will be frantic for the 3 weeks that I am back in Melbourne as the farm has been put on the market, I have decided that I can't manage that and do the traveling that I enjoy so much and something has to give. It is with sadness that I will see it go but that is the way it is.
So I will sign off for this trip, good luck for you, good dreams for me!
The dredging of the river bank continues although somewhat haphazardly, the machinery is sitting there but not doing a lot! The water has been dammed up again and is running off into the irrigation channels around the back of Siem Reap. The river looks hideous and smells but it does look like the concrete works on the spillway are coming to an end.
Have to make up your own mind on this!
Don't think these trees will last too long once the river starts running!
Some locals just don't want to go!! Last remaining food stop!
There have been a couple of bad accidents between motorbikes and either tour buses or trucks. Even the Cambodians are now starting to get concerned about the increase of traffic and the really bad driving. I discovered this week that anybody of any age can ride a motorbike under 110 cc, on the roads. It is scary seeing kids of 10 pr 12 whizzing around!
Always fresh!!!!! Don't think so, my lungs weren't feeling so fresh!
Just a little bit of rain!
These pics show why it probably is a good idea to clean up the river
Sun dried fish anyone??
Sunbrella!!
Grace House runs along smoothly. A little bit tough for a while as I was the only volunteer for a week, another 2 have joined me and a couple more next week so things will get back to normal. Fiscally it means that no volunteers equates to reduced income for the project so that is not sustainable in the long run.
Friday was another hot day but at lunch time we headed off to the local Pagoda for a blessing by the head Monk, certainly one way to cool off as you will see by the pictures. This time I did my best not to giggle as the force of the water whiplashed my head. It was actually a calming experience just sitting there and concentrating on the chanting and the experience.
The Blessing
I will miss my night time view of the pool and my occasional night time swims watching the stars and dragonflys.
So I will sign off for this trip, good luck for you, good dreams for me!
Sunday, 10 June 2012
Just be a little bit careful...........
Just be a little bit careful in the sun was what the chemist told me today. I wish she had told me to avoid it completely! It is Sunday afternoon and I am sitting on my bed with a very burnt and very sore back, neck, face and shoulders!
I went to bed last night not feeling 100% and with no improvement this morning and another sinus infection getting the better of me, took a walk into the pharmacy. In Cambodia you don't go to a GP, the pharmacy is the first stop. I am in possession of a box of antibiotics and instructions for no alcohol, no Icecream and just take it easy with the sun.
I wasn't going to swim due to the nose and ears etc but it got the better of me and I ploughed up and down as usual then when finished somebody ( who had not asked for permission to be in my pool) asked me about the markets. We got chatting and 30 minutes later I realized is was all too late hence the burning.
The week has been a relatively quiet one activity wise. The elections completed with the CPP of which Hun Sen is the leader, winning with an increased majority. This was actually similar to our local council elections as the people were voting for commune chiefs who of course are aligned to a political party.
This outcome is perplexing as not one person we speak with admits to voting that way. Anecdotally it would appear that the rigging here is very subtle. Stories of young adults who had applied for their ID cards over 12 months ago and still not received them. No ID card, no registration and therefore no voting. Young people who had returned to their homelands to vote to discover that their names had actually been removed from the register even though they have previously voted. There are stories of vote buying and bullying. It seems that the younger generation who would perhaps be able to change things with their votes have been excluded from the process.
Next year is the larger election but a lot of people don't hold out much hope.
The digging out of the river has stopped to a point as firstly the money has run out and secondly families can't be relocated in time before the wet sets in. The river side has just been left in a disgraceful way with trees, rubbish etc just sitting there. The locals, who don't waste a thing have been cutting up the timber for cooking, some have been digging up the dirt and shifting it in front of their homes and using it as a base for paving and some it would appear just have a mound sitting there waiting to be used as sand bags to keep back the water should it flood again.
The barricade at the crocodile farm has been removed and the water has been allowed to flow into the spill way once again so that at least has reduced the smell of the still water and allowed the river to flow once again. With the few rains we have had the river in town was getting very high.
The ride home in the evenings has been a bit of a race against the weather as the rain seems to come in during the afternoon and then again a bit after 4. So far I have been able to keep cycling to school but it won't be much fun if heavy rains come. I may have to succumb to a tuk tuk ride. I will miss that part of my morning routine should it happen.
Socially things are quieter which doesn't really bother me that much. I did get roped into going to a bar after work during the week to watch the rugby between Australia and Scotland and then to a trivia night on thursday which helps raise money for some of the projects here but I really don't enjoy them that much. In fact I think I was out every night but I have to get dinner somewhere! I actually enjoy just having a quiet dinner with Bridget, Alan and Annette and then trotting home at a civilized hour!
The weaving ladies have been working very hard to get the purses ready for us to sell on commission at Le Meridien Hotel. I selected the colors and linings for them and there was a little lost in translation as their idea of colour matching differs slightly from mine but all is well now and hopefully the product will be placed by next week.
The really good news is that we received a phone call asking us what out terms are for the place mat order and how should the Victoria Hotel place the order. That is very exciting as not only will we make a little bit of profit but this will keep the weaving ladies employed for a few weeks. I am very happy about the outcome.
The project has been moving along steadily but volunteer numbers are declining due to the season and from next week I will be the last man standing so to speak and nobody else until the day before I am due to leave! I will stay with the preschool classes as they need most help but will do what I can to assist the other teachers. I still assist teach in the young adult classes after school but may have to share myself around a bit, Bridget will direct me on that.
Last night, the hotel manager organized for me to go into the kitchen and have a little cooking lesson with the sous chef ( a very generous term as he is the cook) the chef who was off duty couldn't help himself and came back in as cooking lessons is something that he would like to offer in the quiet season. They showed me how to make fresh spring rolls and fried spring rolls which do differ from the Vietnamese style. We had a bit of fun and then they asked me how to make the pasta bundles when plating up so I showed them that and how to make a simple seafood marinara. They were surprised just how easy it was to do and that everything that I needed they had in their pantry. They are such nice people and rarely get to interact with the hotel guests and were very shy to start but overcame it. I am hoping that we will get to do it again before I leave. I should have taken some photos but wasn't that organized. I need to get the dipping sauce recipe written down so will visit again and get photos of them all including the staff!!
The time is passing very quickly here once again, 3 weeks down and only 2 and a bit to go.
So once again, good luck for you, good dreams for me
I went to bed last night not feeling 100% and with no improvement this morning and another sinus infection getting the better of me, took a walk into the pharmacy. In Cambodia you don't go to a GP, the pharmacy is the first stop. I am in possession of a box of antibiotics and instructions for no alcohol, no Icecream and just take it easy with the sun.
I wasn't going to swim due to the nose and ears etc but it got the better of me and I ploughed up and down as usual then when finished somebody ( who had not asked for permission to be in my pool) asked me about the markets. We got chatting and 30 minutes later I realized is was all too late hence the burning.
The week has been a relatively quiet one activity wise. The elections completed with the CPP of which Hun Sen is the leader, winning with an increased majority. This was actually similar to our local council elections as the people were voting for commune chiefs who of course are aligned to a political party.
This outcome is perplexing as not one person we speak with admits to voting that way. Anecdotally it would appear that the rigging here is very subtle. Stories of young adults who had applied for their ID cards over 12 months ago and still not received them. No ID card, no registration and therefore no voting. Young people who had returned to their homelands to vote to discover that their names had actually been removed from the register even though they have previously voted. There are stories of vote buying and bullying. It seems that the younger generation who would perhaps be able to change things with their votes have been excluded from the process.
Next year is the larger election but a lot of people don't hold out much hope.
The digging out of the river has stopped to a point as firstly the money has run out and secondly families can't be relocated in time before the wet sets in. The river side has just been left in a disgraceful way with trees, rubbish etc just sitting there. The locals, who don't waste a thing have been cutting up the timber for cooking, some have been digging up the dirt and shifting it in front of their homes and using it as a base for paving and some it would appear just have a mound sitting there waiting to be used as sand bags to keep back the water should it flood again.
The barricade at the crocodile farm has been removed and the water has been allowed to flow into the spill way once again so that at least has reduced the smell of the still water and allowed the river to flow once again. With the few rains we have had the river in town was getting very high.
The ride home in the evenings has been a bit of a race against the weather as the rain seems to come in during the afternoon and then again a bit after 4. So far I have been able to keep cycling to school but it won't be much fun if heavy rains come. I may have to succumb to a tuk tuk ride. I will miss that part of my morning routine should it happen.
Socially things are quieter which doesn't really bother me that much. I did get roped into going to a bar after work during the week to watch the rugby between Australia and Scotland and then to a trivia night on thursday which helps raise money for some of the projects here but I really don't enjoy them that much. In fact I think I was out every night but I have to get dinner somewhere! I actually enjoy just having a quiet dinner with Bridget, Alan and Annette and then trotting home at a civilized hour!
The weaving ladies have been working very hard to get the purses ready for us to sell on commission at Le Meridien Hotel. I selected the colors and linings for them and there was a little lost in translation as their idea of colour matching differs slightly from mine but all is well now and hopefully the product will be placed by next week.
The really good news is that we received a phone call asking us what out terms are for the place mat order and how should the Victoria Hotel place the order. That is very exciting as not only will we make a little bit of profit but this will keep the weaving ladies employed for a few weeks. I am very happy about the outcome.
The project has been moving along steadily but volunteer numbers are declining due to the season and from next week I will be the last man standing so to speak and nobody else until the day before I am due to leave! I will stay with the preschool classes as they need most help but will do what I can to assist the other teachers. I still assist teach in the young adult classes after school but may have to share myself around a bit, Bridget will direct me on that.
Last night, the hotel manager organized for me to go into the kitchen and have a little cooking lesson with the sous chef ( a very generous term as he is the cook) the chef who was off duty couldn't help himself and came back in as cooking lessons is something that he would like to offer in the quiet season. They showed me how to make fresh spring rolls and fried spring rolls which do differ from the Vietnamese style. We had a bit of fun and then they asked me how to make the pasta bundles when plating up so I showed them that and how to make a simple seafood marinara. They were surprised just how easy it was to do and that everything that I needed they had in their pantry. They are such nice people and rarely get to interact with the hotel guests and were very shy to start but overcame it. I am hoping that we will get to do it again before I leave. I should have taken some photos but wasn't that organized. I need to get the dipping sauce recipe written down so will visit again and get photos of them all including the staff!!
The time is passing very quickly here once again, 3 weeks down and only 2 and a bit to go.
So once again, good luck for you, good dreams for me
Sunday, 3 June 2012
3 White chicks in a tuk tuk.
Sunday afternoon and I am confined to barracks. I am sure there are worse places to be. I spent the morning at the pool, sun baking ( I know incorrect but I love it) and swimming, swimming. Swimming!!! 2 Kms all up today! Poolside is very peaceful. Had to retreat to room as a storm swept over.
As there as so few people here at the moment and the Asian tourists , although a bit noisy around the hotel , rarely use the pool. MY pool.
The past week has been a very interesting one in Siem Reap, the electioneering continued with dressed up tuk tuks, trucks and people wearing the colors of their parties. Mainly white for the Sam Rainsey party and blue for the Cambodian People's party. The CPP will. "win" whether or not they get the votes!!!! Sam Rainsey opposes from beyond the borders and if steps a foot in Cambodia will be arrested for something!!! Many locals have returned to their home towns , some of which are quite a way off and so the project is closed Monday to give them some travel time. I was invited by one of the hotel staff to go with her to her village for the weekend but Bridget suggested not as some of the villages are very political and not adverse to shooting their rivals. Alcohol , politics and guns, the same world wide.
Sam Rainsey party faithful
Hun Sen the Prime Minister of Cambodia sent out an edict saying that from midnight Friday until midnight Sunday there was to be no selling or drinking of alcohol in Cambodia due to the elections. As the week wore on and he either realized how stupid this was and how badly it was going to affect the tourist trade at what is already a very quiet time, the stance softened. Pub Street and the hotels serving foreigners were given dispensation and as it ended it was just the Khmers who were targeted.
This initially had caused uproar here with the expats as they love any opportunity to drink and have a party and as most of them are British or from the Commonwealth , they had plans for the 60th anniversary. I suggested a flotilla down the Siem Reap river forgetting that half of it is blocked off as they continue to widen it and encourage the growth of disgusting algae as the water is just a slimy trickle downstream of the crocodile farm. Sadly kids still play in it and men still try to do some fishing. They will have to open it soon or the town will flood if it rains too heavily.
Look no evil...... 4 wise monkees!!!!
Would you be happy if you had to travel like this? No nor would I!!
There are already quite a few Queens in Siem Reap so the celebrations aren't entirely out of place here!
The volunteers, all 5 of us ( and I know 2 of them won't turn up) are going in to work to do some painting and maintenance work around the place on Monday. We are still very light on for help at the moment but I believe this improves in a few weeks.
The other action around town has included the finding of a body in the compound where one of the teachers live, a woman strangled by her now missing husband. There has been a major house fire and two days ago a massive smash on route 6 which is the main road to the airport and Phnom Penh. An army truck loaded with soldiers and a tourist bus hit head on, 6 dead at the scene, 5 of them tourists. The overtaking here is horrendous, no care, no responsibility, no road rules to speak of and I have found far more aggressive behavior on the roads since I first came. It is every man for himself. There are far too many big vehicles and buses using roads meant for locals and nothing gets done about it. Most mornings I take a big breathe before I set off on my bike!!
The wet season is slowly forcing itself upon us. The days are really hot and then a bit of cloud comes over, the wind whips up and the heavens open, same every time and it is almost every day. It does afford a little bit of cool for a short time though. Then the rain is gone as fast as it arrives and we have to jump puddles for a couple of hours until it evaporates.
Last weekend I headed off with Kate and Annette ( our disability worker). We went to visit another NGO where Kate had worked when she was here last year during the floods. They are loathe to be called an orphanage as this is a dirty word here now!!!!!! It is a "residential" project. Most of the kids aren't orphans and have been picked up as neglected kids on the streets or have been placed there by families who either cant look after them or don't really want them. The kids are encouraged to return home at the weekends if they have one and if anyone wants them there!
We were visiting because they had a couple of kids to be assessed for disability care. The girls picked me up at 8 am and first stop was to pick up 2 kittens from the vet! You don't get addresses here, you get indecipherable instructions! The cats had been taken to Phnom Penh for de sexing. We discovered later on in the piece that there is no vet here, only an Australian veterinary nurse who can fix up the male cats but the girls require surgery! So off we head in our tuk tuk. 30 minutes later and having found ourselves in a very narrow lane way full of pot holes and a driver who says, I am not going any further. I could quite understand as I was with him on this! The locals all gave us differing instructions all of which turned out to be incorrect. So we find what we think is the correct lane, once again driver says I am not going down there, Annette and I look at each other and say, neither are we so off sets Kate. I am watching her disappear in the distance through the zoom of my camera, down a very winding narrow, pot holed, muddy road. We are feeling very guilty!! 30 minutes later along comes Kate on the back of a strangers motor bike!!! Wrong directions!!! Her phone had been ringing while she was wandering off and I eventually fished it out of her bag but missed the call. It was Katie the veterinary nurse. Where are you???? We arrange for Katie the nurse ( who none of us had met before) to come onto the main road to meet us. How will I recognize you she asks. Kate tells her, we are the 3 white chicks in a tuk tuk. She finds us and we get these mangy cats along with a $210 bill to give to the project. Quite frankly, when the staff at the hotel only get $70 per month wages I find this an awful waste of money. Not a cat lover obviously!
Fuel stop!!!
The long and winding road
Kate returns
Eventually we get to the project, it is stinking hot, very little shelter for us, powered by generator which nobody was about to fire up to get the fans going for the 3 white chicks. A lovely area, nice gardens, good accommodation for the kids, nice staff but I am glad that I don't work there. Apart from the 50 minute bike ride from town, starting the work day there at 8am, finish at 5 with a 3 hour break in the middle and nowhere to go as it is so far out. Give me Grace House any day. Still it was an experience to see another project. Annette will try to help them with these 2 kids but it is limited what she can offer due to the distance.
Girls learning Apsara dancing at Honour Village
All this on one Sunday morning!
At mid day I was picked up by Nak and taken to his home for lunch. First time that I have been in a Khmer house hold apart from the village shacks. When a Khmer marries, the male leaves his family to move in with his wife's. So if you have a household of girls you know that numbers are going to multiply eventually! Nak is one of seven, 5 are females. This means that his home is a small community! A central outdoor eating and cooking area with several small houses for the families. He shares a bedroom with his mother and his mother shares her bed with one of the grand children. This is the way it is here, all in together boys!
They had eaten lunch already and it was just Nak and I. It was beautiful home cooked food but it is just food and not a social occasion like when we invite people for lunch. We had hot sour soup, stir fry chicken and veg with rice and some fried fish. I am having dinner with Nak tonight and have to get the recipes from him. The soup was amazing!
The week has been a very busy one, I am teaching 4 classes as we are short handed. They are all pre school but all at different levels. Had been given a folder which had a new curriculum outline written by a long term volunteer who is a very experienced primary school teacher. I followed what to teach, wrote my lesson plans for the 4 classes for the week to discover after class 1 that we weren't even going to get through the first days work in a week!!!! I now write one very simple plan and adapt it as necessary!! The kids are delightful and a joy to be with and teach. After school I am assist teaching a class of young adults. This will be 4 days a week but what else do I have to do?
Friday was international children's day and we celebrated by having an open day at the school. The preschoolers sang 2 songs, heads and shoulders, and if you're happy and you know it..... I am sure you will all be familiar with them. I am now too familiar with them and never want to hear them again!
Other classes sang and the senior students did a shadow puppet show which they wrote, made the scenery and the puppets. It was fantastic and the little ones loved it as did all the parents who turned up. It was a very exciting day for the project to see these families come and show interest in what their children are doing and to look at their school work. We were all so proud.
My other role has been to try to find a couple of up market outlets for some of our weaving products. I wrote to 3 GMs of big hotels, got 2 replies and 2 meetings. 1 is going to give us a 3 month probation selling on commission and the other one was away but the food and beverage manager saw me and asked if we made to order as he needed a sample and a price on new table mats as he preferred to use local product and support NGOs. I had the weaving ladies make a mat, which I was very happy with, I took it to him on Friday, gave him a quote and he has since emailed me back saying they will be in touch with a purchase order. This is very exciting even though it isn't going to make a lot of money but it will be a small profit, it will give these girls something to make that is not just going to sit on the shelves and it gives us confidence to approach other places with a similar offer. Selling skills working in Cambodia!!!!!Maybe I could sell a few blinds and curtains while I am at it!!!!
This white chick is signing off for another week, good luck for you, good dreams for me.
Wednesday, 23 May 2012
Return to Grace House May 2012
Well here I am after a very hot day's work at Grace House. Flopped by the pool on a recliner and enjoying the relative coolness. This is now the low season and the hotel is much quieter hence I am actually the only one at the pool.
I left Melbourne Saturday 19th and arrived to a very hot Siem Reap that night. A reasonable flight, the time passed quickly and learnt the lesson that if you are given a seat near the toilets, refuse to sit down!!! The constant people up and down and the constant unpleasant odors were not the best!
I received a very warm welcome at the hotel, had a quick check in, a nice cool fruit punch and shown to my room where the hotel had supplied me with a big platter of fresh fruit.
I slept like a baby and woke bright and early Sunday morning to the sun streaming in on my face and me being totally confused as to where I was.
I met Bridget and Alan at Central cafe for lunch and a few glasses of bubbly, caught up on the last 6 weeks of news and retreated to the hotel and pool as it was so hot and I was so sleepy. A short swim and a 2 hour sleep. Dinner was at my favorite "beaches" with Nak, Fernando and Rose. So nice to see them all again.
I have started off the week with my habits from my last visit. I get up early to beat the pool cleaner, have a good swim, a brekkie loaded with fresh fruit and a 30 minute cycle to work. The first day I looked like I had ridden through the river, I was so hot and wet and have learnt very quickly to take it easy and take my time. It seems like I missed the rains of last week which apparently bought a welcome relief to the intense heat suffered by all during the previous week with temperatures at midday of around 40 - 46 C. It is around 36 during the day at the moment but SOOOOO....... Humid.
Grace House is different but the same, the difference is in the volunteer group and the number of volunteers that is now on its seasonal decline. A nice young group of 4 students from Redlands University in California who seem to work very hard, a very interesting woman from Belgium called Annette who has years of experience working with disabled children and so is wonderful in the disability programme and another woman from Australia called Kate, she too is a return volunteer. Nice because I have some diverse company.
This week I am working as the volunteer coordinator which means I answer email enquiries, show visitors around the place, help Bridget where I can. I am also assisting in the promotion and marketing of the weaving project. Tomorrow I am meeting with the G.M. Of the Victoria hotel to try to convince him to support the project by displaying and selling a selection of goods in the hotel. This will test my selling skills!
WEAVING PRODUCTS IN PRODUCTION AND ON DISPLAY
I have just had to beat a very hasty retreat from poolside to my room as within seconds of the breeze coming up the heavens have opened and it is bucketing down with rain. It is funny watching the staff racing around trying to close windows, put down umbrellas and rescue the outdoor dining settings. I like swimming in the rain but the staff freak out if you do!!!!
For my next 4 weeks I will be back working with the pre-school kids who are so gorgeous. They are currently making decorations for their classrooms and learning new songs to sing on the open day at Grace House on the 1st June. This is international children's day and we will celebrate with them by entertaining their families and giving them a few party treats.
June the 2nd is election day here. I am a little confused as I was told by somebody that it is not compulsory to vote. My second source of information advises that the election takes on biblical proportion as everybody has to return to their homeland and vote there. Some of the staff find this very difficult because of the cost of the travel. Some are anxious as they also have the added burden that those in their poorer communities have the expectation of a financial gift that the staff can't afford. What a dilemma for them. Anyway, the election means that we are bombarded with electioneering through megaphones attached to the the back of tuk tuks driving around. It can be quite deafening.
I have decided at the moment to ride the main road route to school which is a little less peaceful but is also a little less dusty as the dust provokes my cough. I am better cough wise than I expected to be, still taking my anti biotics but the humidity makes my nose run constantly which is a bit of a nuisance!!! The other reason that I am taking the main road route is that there is still a lot of activity river side following the relocation of the previous river side dwellers. There is some very heavy machinery which is digging the banks and widening the river but for every bucket they drag out, 3/4 of a bucket slides back in so to me it looks wider but shallower!!! Plus all the rubbish that was on the river bank is falling into the water and making an even bigger mess!
But I have to say the sight this morning that got me off my bike to take a photo was the chain saw welding monk with his saffron clad support team watching on. This was followed up by a group of young monks running down the road with a big trailer to load the timber on. I guess everyone needs wood for the cooking fires. But I have never seen a group of monks having such a laugh together!!! Hopefully I will be able to download the photos and get them in the blog.
CHAIN SAW MASSACRE MONKS
After 2 days here I feel like I never left and to get such a warm welcome from the children and the people from the village, the Grace House community and the hotel is heart warming.
So until next time
Good luck for you, good dreams for me.
I left Melbourne Saturday 19th and arrived to a very hot Siem Reap that night. A reasonable flight, the time passed quickly and learnt the lesson that if you are given a seat near the toilets, refuse to sit down!!! The constant people up and down and the constant unpleasant odors were not the best!
I received a very warm welcome at the hotel, had a quick check in, a nice cool fruit punch and shown to my room where the hotel had supplied me with a big platter of fresh fruit.
I slept like a baby and woke bright and early Sunday morning to the sun streaming in on my face and me being totally confused as to where I was.
I met Bridget and Alan at Central cafe for lunch and a few glasses of bubbly, caught up on the last 6 weeks of news and retreated to the hotel and pool as it was so hot and I was so sleepy. A short swim and a 2 hour sleep. Dinner was at my favorite "beaches" with Nak, Fernando and Rose. So nice to see them all again.
I have started off the week with my habits from my last visit. I get up early to beat the pool cleaner, have a good swim, a brekkie loaded with fresh fruit and a 30 minute cycle to work. The first day I looked like I had ridden through the river, I was so hot and wet and have learnt very quickly to take it easy and take my time. It seems like I missed the rains of last week which apparently bought a welcome relief to the intense heat suffered by all during the previous week with temperatures at midday of around 40 - 46 C. It is around 36 during the day at the moment but SOOOOO....... Humid.
Grace House is different but the same, the difference is in the volunteer group and the number of volunteers that is now on its seasonal decline. A nice young group of 4 students from Redlands University in California who seem to work very hard, a very interesting woman from Belgium called Annette who has years of experience working with disabled children and so is wonderful in the disability programme and another woman from Australia called Kate, she too is a return volunteer. Nice because I have some diverse company.
This week I am working as the volunteer coordinator which means I answer email enquiries, show visitors around the place, help Bridget where I can. I am also assisting in the promotion and marketing of the weaving project. Tomorrow I am meeting with the G.M. Of the Victoria hotel to try to convince him to support the project by displaying and selling a selection of goods in the hotel. This will test my selling skills!
I have just had to beat a very hasty retreat from poolside to my room as within seconds of the breeze coming up the heavens have opened and it is bucketing down with rain. It is funny watching the staff racing around trying to close windows, put down umbrellas and rescue the outdoor dining settings. I like swimming in the rain but the staff freak out if you do!!!!
For my next 4 weeks I will be back working with the pre-school kids who are so gorgeous. They are currently making decorations for their classrooms and learning new songs to sing on the open day at Grace House on the 1st June. This is international children's day and we will celebrate with them by entertaining their families and giving them a few party treats.
June the 2nd is election day here. I am a little confused as I was told by somebody that it is not compulsory to vote. My second source of information advises that the election takes on biblical proportion as everybody has to return to their homeland and vote there. Some of the staff find this very difficult because of the cost of the travel. Some are anxious as they also have the added burden that those in their poorer communities have the expectation of a financial gift that the staff can't afford. What a dilemma for them. Anyway, the election means that we are bombarded with electioneering through megaphones attached to the the back of tuk tuks driving around. It can be quite deafening.
I have decided at the moment to ride the main road route to school which is a little less peaceful but is also a little less dusty as the dust provokes my cough. I am better cough wise than I expected to be, still taking my anti biotics but the humidity makes my nose run constantly which is a bit of a nuisance!!! The other reason that I am taking the main road route is that there is still a lot of activity river side following the relocation of the previous river side dwellers. There is some very heavy machinery which is digging the banks and widening the river but for every bucket they drag out, 3/4 of a bucket slides back in so to me it looks wider but shallower!!! Plus all the rubbish that was on the river bank is falling into the water and making an even bigger mess!
After 2 days here I feel like I never left and to get such a warm welcome from the children and the people from the village, the Grace House community and the hotel is heart warming.
So until next time
Good luck for you, good dreams for me.
Sunday, 13 May 2012
Today is Mothers Day (14th. May) and I am experiencing what I would imagine what most Mothers would love - total peace and quiet!!!! Two of the offspring are away overseas and number 1 son, wife and daughter entertained me for breakfast this morning.
I have spent the past couple of weeks mainly in town and the garden at the farm is probably feeling rejected. Before I left I planted lettuce, broccoli and beetroot and as there has fortunately been a bit of rain, I expect to see them all looking a little bigger when I return tomorrow.
The quince trees are now naked of fruit as I stripped them before I left and gifted the box to a new cafe in Hepburn Springs. It is nice spreading around the produce to people who appreciate it. The fig trees were loosing their leaves and exposing a lot of figs. Some also made it to the cafe, some to friends who have since made jam and I am hoping tomorrow I may just be able to rescue a few more to make fig paste as the first batch was so good.
The chillis have been prolific and as they ripen I either dry them on a rack in the kitchen or pop them in a bag in the freezer. I need to find a recipe for a chilli paste that will last!
The next chore to face at the farm (which I have been putting off) is to pick up from the nursery and plant 9 fruit trees that I bought last year but was unable to plant, too late as bare rooted so they got potted, too hot and I wouldn't be there to water them, couldn't get them in the car as too big was my latest excuse. No more excuses, I have enlisted the help of my trusty gardener and this week they will go into the ground. Where or what spot, I have no idea at this stage!
I head off once again to Cambodia, leaving on the 19th May and will be away for almost 6 weeks this time. I have tested another couple of recipes and will put them in this blog. My tasters have enjoyed the outcome of my labours I am pleased to say.
A couple of weeks ago I was having a very quiet Sunday and decided to walk around Lake Daylesford. Such a pretty spot so have included a couple of photos of that afternoons outing. It has changed a lot since my last excursion there. The holly trees have disappeared, the walkways are easier and the trees have been thinned out so the vistas across the lake are lovely as the photos depict.
Fig Paste:
Wash and dry figs, trim off woody end.
Process in a blender until a smooth paste.
for every cup of paste add a cup of white sugar and the juice of half a lemon.
bring this mixture gently to the boil and turn down to simmer for around an hour or until the paste becomes a dark rosy colour and is thick enough for the spoon to stand in.
I use a very deep pan as it tends to spit a lot and boy does it burn!
I stir frequently with a wooden spoon and cook semi covered for half the time then uncover for the moisture to evaporate.
The paste is poured into sterilised jars and sealed tightly.
Delicious served with strong flavoured cheeses, makes a lovely glaze on a roast pork or chicken or could be used as a jam.
Beef Loc Lac (Serves 4):
Oil 1 tablespoon
Butter 1 tablespoon
Beef 500gm (I used eye fillet but rump, tenderised would work well) finely and bite size garlic 2 teaspoons minced
onion 1 cut into fine crescents
shallot 2 finely sliced
spring onions 6 cleaned and trimmed, cut into 2.5 cm pieces (green and white)
palm sugar 1 teaspoon
lettuce frilly green, washed and used to line serving plate
tomatoes 4 sliced and placed around edge of serving plate on lettuce
limes 2 cut into fine wedges, used to decorate plate and squeezed on meat to taste
chicken powder 1 teaspoon
oyster sauce 2 tablespoons
black pepper 1 teaspoon ground
cornflour 2 teaspoons blended with 1/4 water
fish sauce 2 teaspoons
ginger 2 teaspoons minced
Red capsicum 1 small finely sliced
Method:
Mix beef, chicken powder, garlic, pepper and oyster sauce in bowl, leave to marinate at least 1 hour
heat butter and oil in a wok, add garlic and ginger, saute until golden, add in shallot and fry gently 1 minute.
add palm sugar and fish sauce, dissolving sugar.
add beef and fry to brown, add onion and capsicum, cook 1 minute
Thicken mix with cornflour paste and cook for a further 2 minutes
add spring onion and stir through
Serve on bed of lettuce and tomato, garnished with lime wedges
Serve steamed plain rice on the side.
Morning Glory with Oyster Sauce;
Morning glory, approx 500 gms after trimming off excess leaves
garlic 1 teaspoon minced
oyster sauce 2 tablespoons
sugar 2 teaspoons
chicken powder 2 teaspoons
oil 1 tablespoon
butter 1 tablespoon
fry garlic in melted butter and oil until golden
remove garlic form oil mix but keep aside - do not throw away!
cut morning glory into 3 even lengths
crush stalks with mortar (makes them less stringy to eat)
stir fry veg in oil until they wilt - around 6-8 minutes
add half of the garlic, oyster sauce, sugar and chicken powder
cook until veg softens
serve garnished with remaining garlic
This recipe can be used for any veg (broccoli, broccolini, beans, cabbage etc) but obviously they dont need pounding with the mortar!
Green mango Salad:
Green mangoes 5 peeled, rinsed and grated with Asian shredder
carrot 1 large, peeled and shredded
pink shallots 6 finely sliced
firm green tomatoes 2, flesh finely sliced off with peeler, discarding seeds
chicken powder 1 1/2 tablespoons
white sugar 2 tablespoons
garlic 1 large tablespoon minced
fresh red chilli 1 finely chopped (optional)
fish sauce 2 teaspoons
wash, drain mangoes and squeeze out excess water - TWICE
thoroughly mix all ingredients together , check seasoning for balance
serve in a high pile on platter
Pork and Vegetable stir fry:
Vegetable Oil 1 tablespoon
garlic 2 teaspoons minced
sugar 2 teaspoons
oyster sauce 1 tablespoon
chicken powder 2 teaspoons
pork 500 gm finely sliced, bite sized pieces
pepper 2 teaspoons ground
fish sauce 2 teaspoons
water 125ml
carrot 250gm sliced decoratively
cucumber seeded and sliced500 gm
onion 1 sliced in crescents
spring onion 1/2 bunch washed, peeled and sliced in 2.5cm lengths
oyster mushrooms 250 gm sliced
Saute garlic
Add in and brown pork
add sugar, oyster sauce, pepper, fish sauce and chicken powder
add carrot - stir fry 5 minutes
add water
add mushroom, stir fry 3 minutes
add cucumber, stir fry 2 minutes
add onion, stir fry 1 minute
add spring onion, turn off heat and mix through.
Serve with steamed rice
Pork and Vegetable Soup 6 serves:
cabbage 1/2 sliced into large bite size pieces
carrot 1 medium cut into bite size pieces
onion 1 cut into crescents
diced pork 500 gm
garlic 2 teaspoons minced
fish sauce 2 teaspoon
sugar 1- 2 teaspoon optional
fish stock powder 1 tablespoon
dried chopped shrimp 1 teaspoon
spring onion 6 washed, trimmed, cut into 2cm lengths, white and green separated
veg oil 1 tablespoon
saute garlic until aromatic
add pork and brown
add fish sauce, stock powder and sugar if using
add 750ml - 1L water
cover and simmer for 20 mins
add shrimp, carrot and cabbage, adjust seasoning
cover and simmer 10 minutes
add onion and whites of spring onions, simmer 1 minute
add gree spring onions, cover, turn off heat, sit for 10 minutes then serve.
I do have another 2 recipes to share but have managed to loose part of the one of the recipes and need to check the green leaf that goes into the amok and find an alternative that is available outside of Cambodia, before I can share it with you.
My next blog will be from Siem Reap and have been told that the mangoes could still be around and have an idea that a friend's mother may have a recipe to share with me so will work on that once I arrive.
Until then, good luck for you, good dreams for me.
I have spent the past couple of weeks mainly in town and the garden at the farm is probably feeling rejected. Before I left I planted lettuce, broccoli and beetroot and as there has fortunately been a bit of rain, I expect to see them all looking a little bigger when I return tomorrow.
The quince trees are now naked of fruit as I stripped them before I left and gifted the box to a new cafe in Hepburn Springs. It is nice spreading around the produce to people who appreciate it. The fig trees were loosing their leaves and exposing a lot of figs. Some also made it to the cafe, some to friends who have since made jam and I am hoping tomorrow I may just be able to rescue a few more to make fig paste as the first batch was so good.
The chillis have been prolific and as they ripen I either dry them on a rack in the kitchen or pop them in a bag in the freezer. I need to find a recipe for a chilli paste that will last!
The next chore to face at the farm (which I have been putting off) is to pick up from the nursery and plant 9 fruit trees that I bought last year but was unable to plant, too late as bare rooted so they got potted, too hot and I wouldn't be there to water them, couldn't get them in the car as too big was my latest excuse. No more excuses, I have enlisted the help of my trusty gardener and this week they will go into the ground. Where or what spot, I have no idea at this stage!
I head off once again to Cambodia, leaving on the 19th May and will be away for almost 6 weeks this time. I have tested another couple of recipes and will put them in this blog. My tasters have enjoyed the outcome of my labours I am pleased to say.
A couple of weeks ago I was having a very quiet Sunday and decided to walk around Lake Daylesford. Such a pretty spot so have included a couple of photos of that afternoons outing. It has changed a lot since my last excursion there. The holly trees have disappeared, the walkways are easier and the trees have been thinned out so the vistas across the lake are lovely as the photos depict.
 |
| Autumn at Lake Daylesford . April 2012 |
Fig Paste:
Wash and dry figs, trim off woody end.
Process in a blender until a smooth paste.
for every cup of paste add a cup of white sugar and the juice of half a lemon.
bring this mixture gently to the boil and turn down to simmer for around an hour or until the paste becomes a dark rosy colour and is thick enough for the spoon to stand in.
I use a very deep pan as it tends to spit a lot and boy does it burn!
I stir frequently with a wooden spoon and cook semi covered for half the time then uncover for the moisture to evaporate.
The paste is poured into sterilised jars and sealed tightly.
Delicious served with strong flavoured cheeses, makes a lovely glaze on a roast pork or chicken or could be used as a jam.
Beef Loc Lac (Serves 4):
Oil 1 tablespoon
Butter 1 tablespoon
Beef 500gm (I used eye fillet but rump, tenderised would work well) finely and bite size garlic 2 teaspoons minced
onion 1 cut into fine crescents
shallot 2 finely sliced
spring onions 6 cleaned and trimmed, cut into 2.5 cm pieces (green and white)
palm sugar 1 teaspoon
lettuce frilly green, washed and used to line serving plate
tomatoes 4 sliced and placed around edge of serving plate on lettuce
limes 2 cut into fine wedges, used to decorate plate and squeezed on meat to taste
chicken powder 1 teaspoon
oyster sauce 2 tablespoons
black pepper 1 teaspoon ground
cornflour 2 teaspoons blended with 1/4 water
fish sauce 2 teaspoons
ginger 2 teaspoons minced
Red capsicum 1 small finely sliced
Method:
Mix beef, chicken powder, garlic, pepper and oyster sauce in bowl, leave to marinate at least 1 hour
heat butter and oil in a wok, add garlic and ginger, saute until golden, add in shallot and fry gently 1 minute.
add palm sugar and fish sauce, dissolving sugar.
add beef and fry to brown, add onion and capsicum, cook 1 minute
Thicken mix with cornflour paste and cook for a further 2 minutes
add spring onion and stir through
Serve on bed of lettuce and tomato, garnished with lime wedges
Serve steamed plain rice on the side.
Morning Glory with Oyster Sauce;
Morning glory, approx 500 gms after trimming off excess leaves
garlic 1 teaspoon minced
oyster sauce 2 tablespoons
sugar 2 teaspoons
chicken powder 2 teaspoons
oil 1 tablespoon
butter 1 tablespoon
fry garlic in melted butter and oil until golden
remove garlic form oil mix but keep aside - do not throw away!
cut morning glory into 3 even lengths
crush stalks with mortar (makes them less stringy to eat)
stir fry veg in oil until they wilt - around 6-8 minutes
add half of the garlic, oyster sauce, sugar and chicken powder
cook until veg softens
serve garnished with remaining garlic
This recipe can be used for any veg (broccoli, broccolini, beans, cabbage etc) but obviously they dont need pounding with the mortar!
Green mango Salad:
Green mangoes 5 peeled, rinsed and grated with Asian shredder
carrot 1 large, peeled and shredded
pink shallots 6 finely sliced
firm green tomatoes 2, flesh finely sliced off with peeler, discarding seeds
chicken powder 1 1/2 tablespoons
white sugar 2 tablespoons
garlic 1 large tablespoon minced
fresh red chilli 1 finely chopped (optional)
fish sauce 2 teaspoons
wash, drain mangoes and squeeze out excess water - TWICE
thoroughly mix all ingredients together , check seasoning for balance
serve in a high pile on platter
Pork and Vegetable stir fry:
Vegetable Oil 1 tablespoon
garlic 2 teaspoons minced
sugar 2 teaspoons
oyster sauce 1 tablespoon
chicken powder 2 teaspoons
pork 500 gm finely sliced, bite sized pieces
pepper 2 teaspoons ground
fish sauce 2 teaspoons
water 125ml
carrot 250gm sliced decoratively
cucumber seeded and sliced500 gm
onion 1 sliced in crescents
spring onion 1/2 bunch washed, peeled and sliced in 2.5cm lengths
oyster mushrooms 250 gm sliced
Saute garlic
Add in and brown pork
add sugar, oyster sauce, pepper, fish sauce and chicken powder
add carrot - stir fry 5 minutes
add water
add mushroom, stir fry 3 minutes
add cucumber, stir fry 2 minutes
add onion, stir fry 1 minute
add spring onion, turn off heat and mix through.
Serve with steamed rice
Pork and Vegetable Soup 6 serves:
cabbage 1/2 sliced into large bite size pieces
carrot 1 medium cut into bite size pieces
onion 1 cut into crescents
diced pork 500 gm
garlic 2 teaspoons minced
fish sauce 2 teaspoon
sugar 1- 2 teaspoon optional
fish stock powder 1 tablespoon
dried chopped shrimp 1 teaspoon
spring onion 6 washed, trimmed, cut into 2cm lengths, white and green separated
veg oil 1 tablespoon
saute garlic until aromatic
add pork and brown
add fish sauce, stock powder and sugar if using
add 750ml - 1L water
cover and simmer for 20 mins
add shrimp, carrot and cabbage, adjust seasoning
cover and simmer 10 minutes
add onion and whites of spring onions, simmer 1 minute
add gree spring onions, cover, turn off heat, sit for 10 minutes then serve.
I do have another 2 recipes to share but have managed to loose part of the one of the recipes and need to check the green leaf that goes into the amok and find an alternative that is available outside of Cambodia, before I can share it with you.
My next blog will be from Siem Reap and have been told that the mangoes could still be around and have an idea that a friend's mother may have a recipe to share with me so will work on that once I arrive.
Until then, good luck for you, good dreams for me.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)