Far out, Hawkes Bay is absolutely stunning. I recommend a visit to this place whether you are a Kiwi or a visitor to NZ. The 15 of us had a brilliant time during our 4 day weekend. We rode our bikes in the mornings and then lunched and wine tasted in the afternoons. Friday through Sunday we rode roughly 100kms each day (nothing too epic so that we would have plenty of time for wine tasting in the afternoons) and then quickly took showers at our “posh” apartments before heading off to a winery for lunch. Each day’s lunch was a true testament to how good the food is in Hawkes Bay, as well as the wine. After filling our bellies full of delicious food, we went off to taste wines, usually at 1 or 2 other places in addition to where we had lunch. Good thing we had plenty of food in our stomachs to soak up all the wine that we tasted. White wines are the signature wine of New Zealand so, of course, we tasted some of the best around. Chardonnay’s are the highlight of Hawkes Bay, whereas the best Sauvignon Blancs are cultivated in the Marlborough region. It was also interesting to be able to distinguish the difference between a Hawkes Bay Sauvignon vs. one from Marlborough. One of my favorite wines of the weekend was the Chardonnay from Te Awa, where, in my opinion, we also had the best lunch. When I first started drinking wine years ago, I enjoyed whites more than red. These days I much more enjoy whites but I am not sure if it’s because I am not too keen on NZ reds of if I have just developed a different palate for wines. We’ll see what happens when we get back to drinking California wines when we are back in the States since I used to enjoy CA reds.

Besides eating and drinking good food and wine during the day, we also indulged in excellent food and wine/beer/spirits in the evenings, too. Each night it was a different groups turn to cook dinner for the bunch and everyone went all out to prepare starters and meals that filled us to the brim. The first night turned out to be the night that took everyone to the drunken edge, and over the edge for some people. Aaron, the one person who probably rides better hung over, was TOO hungover to even ride the next day (boy, did he get shit for that - plus he was the tour organizer!). That’s evidence for how crazy the night got, but the hangovers the next day were worth the opportunity to hang out with good friends like that one last time before leaving NZ.

And the rides were some of the best I have had in NZ. Smoother road surfaces, less traffic, stunning views and rolling or flat roads had us all grinning ear to ear and wondering why the hell we didn’t all live in Hawkes Bay. Riding in Auckland is absolutely shocking - the road surfaces suck, traffic would rather run us off the road, the only flat and smooth road is about 10kms along the waterfront where you have to dodge people and car doors, and the views might be stunning but we usually can’t see them through the rain. So, yes, we thoroughly enjoyed the riding in Hawkes Bay. And it wasn’t even until the last day that we had to ride over gravel and rocks. Of course, we didn’t HAVE to go that way but our faithful ride leader, Barry Thompson, thought we should all use our spare tubes and CO2 cartridges before leaving the region…and that’s just about what we did. And funny enough, the tour isn’t called “Wherethewhakawe” (pronounced “where the f*** are we” for those of you who aren’t familiar with Maori pronunciation) for nothing - it was only appropriate that at some point during the tour we could all yell “wherethewhakawe” and really mean it! Actually, it was all good being on the gravel since now I might have an extra advantage when it comes to those gravel sections at Nature Valley and ‘Toona. Right.

So, if you are ever in Hawkes Bay, I can honestly recommend a visit to Clearview, Te Awa, Craggy Range, Bradshaw, Black Barn, Selini, and Te Mata (who also makes terrific cheeses) wineries for lunch and wine. And if you want some good riding I can also put you in touch with B.T., our ride leader, who may or may not like you enough to route you around the gravel sections.

Only 2 weeks and counting now before my stories will be US “based”…

Drink more wine…uh, I mean tea

Meredith

Wow, what a place! Thailand is awesome – there are sooo many new, unique things to take in. It’s by far the most intriguing and different country I have ever been to (it’s also my first trip to Asia). Everything was new to me so my camera had its work cut out for it since I was constantly clicking pictures…about 300 in 10 days.

After a few delays and a late night we eventually arrived in Chiangmai where we spent the majority of our time. We hit the Oasis Spa on our first day since our jet lagged and swollen legs were screaming out for some TLC. Five hours later we walked out of the spa feeling quite happy, albeit a little like jell-o, but it was all good. We spent the first night in Chiangmai walking around the market looking at all the arts and crafts, bartering here and there, and also trying out some of the Thai food from the vendors. Now being vegetarian does make eating in Thailand a little more difficult since they love their pig and chicken and whatever else goes into their food, but it’s not hard to find plenty of noodle and rice dishes to choose from either. And sticky rice with mango…mmmmm!

Now, if you have been to Thailand you know there are no shortages of Wats (temple-monasteries) so we ventured to one of the north’s most sacred temples called Wat Phra That Doi Suthep, which sits high on a peak in Doi Suthep National Park. Being it was our first visit to a Wat we were really overwhelmed by its size, architecture, and history but we were also quite disappointed by the tourist trade that seemed to diminish the sanctity of the temple. It didn’t seem so sacred with all the vendors selling this and that and with all the tourists scattered about the Wat while the monks and those who were there to pray went about their business. There was even an elephant chained up outside which was being fed bananas by kids who bought them for a few pennies…something for everyone to make some money.

We continued to be immersed by the celebration of the Loy Krathong festival, which is celebrated on the full moon in November. Parades and vendors took over the streets day and night while fireworks and miniature hot air balloons filled the night skies. People also floated their “krathongs” (a floating flower, candle and incense) in the canals and rivers hoping to receive good luck.

Since we both love Thai food we participated in a 6-course Thai cooking class with about 6 other people from England, Holland and Israel. The class began when our instructor first took us to the market to show us the main ingredients in Thai cooking. Most of the ingredients are common all around the world but there are a few things that are necessary to making a Thai dish a “true” Thai dish that aren’t always readily available in other parts of the world. Anyway, we found that Thai cooking is pretty straight forward – you just need some high heat for the wok, lots of chilies, and good homemade curry paste. We ended up making some pretty tasty dishes. I even made spring rolls (the deep fried kind) that were really yummy!

After the cooking school, we took a bus about 1.5 hours north (and it only cost us 3 NZ dollars!) to Chiang Dao where were going to go on a 3-day trek the next morning. The first day consisted of an elephant ride, walks through various villages and a bamboo river raft ride. The villages were quite intriguing and the bamboo huts standing off the ground (to keep them dry and mud free in the rainy season), dogs, chickens, roosters, pigs, motorbikes, rice, corn and the random solar panel for electricity (donated by the government) were all common throughout the different villages. And we bought several items made by the local people to help support the villages – they are a very persistent lot of people and don’t like to take no for an answer.

That night we were taken into the mtns in Chiang Dao National Park to spend our first night in a Lisu village with our next guide, Nata. He cooked us dinner and after chatting in broken English for awhile we went off to bed since it was already dark by 7pm! The next morning we hung around while the villagers ate their breakfast of pig (freshly killed that morning) and whiskey, and then we strolled of to tramp through some caves. I had developed a stomach bug so I wasn’t feeling too good in the cramped cave so we ended our trek short and then headed off to some waterfalls for a quick dip. After a long walk up the steep hills to the next Lisu village, we settled down for dinner and a night at one of the highest points in the hills. This particular village would have been a 5 star accommodation for villages because it had an amazing view and a more relaxing atmosphere. The typical roosters weren’t walking around cockle-doodle dooing in the middle of the night and we actually had a “real” toilet to sit on rather than squat over a hole in the ground. The views from this village were stunning and during our 5-hour trek on the last day, we saw even more spectacular views. Our 64 year old guide kept us going at a quick pace and during those 5 hours we met a Shaman who wished us luck through the forest, our guides cooked us lunch using bamboo they cut as bowls, we walked through more caves, and we visited a school where most of the kids were afraid to look at us. The 3 day trip came and went too fast although it was nice to sleep in a very comfortable bed and take a hot shower back at the Chiang Dao Nest.

Before leaving Chiang Dao we visited another Wat up in the hills. We had to climb 500+ steps to get there but we were delighted to find that the climb was worth it. This place wasn’t at all touristy and the surrounding hills were beautiful and peaceful. We walked around taking in all the buddhas without feeling rushed or feeling like we had to buy this or that. Then we took another walk through more caves before we caught the bus back to Chiangmai for our last night in the north.

This last night we hit the well-known Night Bazaar and went crazy shopping. The market just went on and on around every corner and with each turn we found more arts and crafts that caught our attention. Bowls made out of mango wood, vases made out of teak wood, pillow cases from Thai silk, jewelry, table runners from bamboo – all the sorts of things we bought until we finally had to end the madness just before our wallets were empty. It’s a good thing we didn’t find this place earlier in the week or else we would have done more bartering and buying than anything else!

After another delayed flight the next day we finally made it back to Bangkok but too late that night to hit the town. So, the next morning we hit the streets of Bangkok to see the “must-sees” in town – the Wat Phra Kaew and its Emerald Buddha, the Grand Palace, Wat Pho, which houses the largest reclining Buddha in Thailand, and the market along the river. Wat Phra Kaew was very touristy, hordes of people flock to this Wat to see the polished colors, mosaic-encrusted pillars and marble floors, but it was definitely worth the visit to see it and the neighboring Grand Palace with its blend of Italian Renaissance and traditional Thai architecture. After 5 hours of walking the city, we were ready for our $4NZ taxi ride (30km) to the airport for our flight home. Not that we were ready to leave by any means, but we had seen enough of Bangkok. I would never recommend spending much time in the city, but if you have a need to do some mall shopping then I would certainly make it a stopping point on the itinerary.

Thailand has distinct smells, tastes, and sights that stimulate all the senses. It is a very distinct country in many different aspects and a very pleasant country to visit – the tuks tuks (the 3 wheeled taxis that dart in and out of the chaotic traffic), the markets, the food, the people, the ubiquitous temples, buddhas and monks and the small price to pay for a good time all make Thailand a country worth visiting.