Alison

Montenegro

Perast and Rafailovici

Why Perast and not Kotor? Well after much research I decided on Perast as I had read it was so much more peaceful than Kotor. It’s just a few kilometres north west of Kotor and consists of just a small promenade situated around a beautiful bay. It was described by a taxi driver as the Vatican of Montenegro, which I thought was very apt. Not many cars are allowed here it’s very strictly controlled.

I had booked a small waterfront apartment called The White Terrace. It was a fabulous place and the owner Bob picked us up from Tivat airport. With only two days here we had to make the most of this time.

The promenade is lined with apartments and restaurants and on our first night we ate at the oldest restaurant Armonia. We had a lovely table right on the waterfront, food and wine we’re delicious.

The next day after breakfast we had a walk along the promenade and took in the beautiful views .

20180906161207_img_8706 — Our apartment on the first floor

After this we took the local bus into Kotor to have a look around the old town. The contrast between the two places is staggering. Kotor is where the cruise ships dock almost docking right onto the street. Spilling out passengers by the dozen the pavements were packed with tourists.

We decided to just have a walk around the old town ourselves and soak up the atmosphere. Kotor did not disappoint. It has a vast history being founded in the fifth century and is now a UNESCO world heritage sight.

Our daily lunch.. Ripe juicy tomatoes with creamy mozzarella

20180906_144026 — Could it get any closer

After an afternoon spent here as nice as it was, we were glad to get back to peaceful Perast. We thought we’d have a swim from the little platform in front of the apartment, well Anthony plunged straight in whereas I did it the hard way down the ladder. What a shock, very cold and as we found out later there are icy springs spouting every so often, at least we went in.

With just one night to go we ate at the fabulous Konoba Skolji restaurant where I had read some great reviews. We chose to share the famous ” lamb under the bell”, slow roasted lamb, absolutely delicious.

And that was the end of two fabulous days in Perast.

The next day we were going to Rafailovici for two more days before heading into Croatia.

Rafailovici

I decided the easiest and fastest way to Rafailovici was by taxi also more comfortable. It was less than an hours drive and we were there by 1pm. It’s just past Budva and supposed to be quieter, I never like to stay in the most popular place and prefer to stay just outside the main area.

Our taxi driver was quite chatty and wondered why we were going to Budva as he said it was horrible! This wasn’t the first time we’d heard this opinion. So I really wasn’t looking forward to the next two days. On the positive side it was only two days and it was somewhere new.

After checking into Hotel Aleksander which was right on the seafront we headed out for lunch and a look around. Some photos of my first impressions.

Couldn’t find a bed of nails so next best thing is a bed of boulders

20180907_165807 — A much needed mojito 🍸[[[[[[

We did have a swim and the water is crystal clear but as the water is a bit cold made it very quick. After a wonderful dinner at the hotel overlooking the sea we headed back for an early night.

So the next day after breakfast we took a hotel van and driver to Lake Skadar,

The lake is located in Zeta – Skadar valley and is surrounded by mountains, and it’s 7 km away from Adriatic Sea. Two Thirds of Skadar Lake is in Montenegro and the rest is in Albania. Skadar Lake is the largest lake in the Balkan Peninsula.

We chose the two hour boat trip, but one hour would have been enough for me. If you ever visit Budva it’s worth having a trip out here as the lake and scenery are beautiful.

Ruins of Besac Castle

Any chance to drink the delicious Montenegren wine

For our last night here we headed into Budva itself. The atmosphere here is completely different to Rafailovici, for a start there were so many more English tourists whereas I had heard no English at all in Rafailovici. It seemed to be more for local Montengrens holidaying. Budva like Kotor has an old town which we wandered around, it’s an amazing place and I loved it here.

It took absolutely ages to find the restaurant we wanted to eat in, we had actually found it straight away really but were told it was just a museum. It was only when going back and asking if there was a restaurant there the girl said oh yes at the back! We ate at the Citadella restaurant which has amazing views overlooking the sea.

And that was that. I’m so glad we got to visit Montenegro and see the wonderful sights, eat delicious food and drink divine wine, but most of all to meet the lovely friendly people of this country.

Next up was Croatia.

Multicultural Melbourne

A gastronomic four days in Melbourne eating my way around the world! A quick visit to see Laurence and Maddie who have just moved there from Perth.
Melbourne has to be one of the best places to eat what you want at any time you want.
Our first night was tapas at Bombas. A super busy restaurant on Lonsdale Street. Some of the dishes we ate below served with a cold glass of Alberino:

Chargrilled broccolini with yellow bean and pine nut picada

Whole deep fried prawns

Beef tartare

Scallops with spicy harissa

Then up to the rooftop cocktail bar for a nightcap

20180725_221829 — A pint of sangria for me!

Thursday

Today Maddie and I went sightseeing while Laurence worked the day away. There is so much to see and do in this wonderful city it was hard to know where to start. But with google at hand I downloaded some walking maps and off we set. We chose the Secret Garden walk and headed off. Melbourne has some beautiful parks and its easy to get lost in them. Photos below were taken in the Queen Victoria Park.

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After a little pit stop we headed into St. Patrick’s Cathedral. Such an ornate cathedral.

For my second night we opted for Greek and walked over to Melina on the Rooftop. Forgot photos of the food but as you can see below we enjoyed it all. Great views from this restaurant.

Friday

Into my third day now and Maddie suggested the Melbourne Museum. I’m not a museum person by choice but fair’s fair and we hopped on a tram to have a look. I was very pleasantly surprised and we really enjoyed looking around the place. There was a fantastic tapestry display showing. Such intricate and delicate work. Here’s some shots I took:

Just outside the Exhibition Centre

Next off we took a tram to the Docklands to have some lunch and a little look around. This suburb is located on Victoria Harbour and is west of the city. Its hard to believe that there are that many people here to fill the numerous apartment blocks!

Some intricate detail has gone into these apartment buildings.

Still keeping with the European theme for dinner Maddie and I walked to Hardware Lane to Max on Hardware, a great Italian place. Hardware Lane is a brilliant place for restaurants and bars if you’re not sure what to eat or where to go in Melbourne! We had superb service at Max’s and enormous servings of food.

We met up with Laurence after at Cookie for more cocktails. I found out people in Melbourne seem to be extremely friendly after a random stranger insisted on buying me a cocktail! An eclectic bar with a great vibe, a mix of all ages so didn’t feel out of place.

Saturday

Today I was determined to find the famous laneways of Melbourne. There is a detailed walk on this website – happiness and things – so I wasn’t wandering around aimlessly. These were the lanes we covered : Strachan Lane – Duckboard Place and AC/DC Lane – Hosier Lane – Centre Place – Block Arcarde – Royal Arcade – Union Lane – Tattersalls Lane. Some of the artwork is fantastic, some just scrawled graffiti and apparently they change all the time. We also had breakfast at a very busy cafe in Centre Place called RMB cafe – there doesn’t seem to be a website for it. But its quick service and a massive variety of eggs to chose from. Some shots of the artwork I took below:

Saved the best dinner till last – the pièce de résistance. A whole new cuisine and continent tonight – Japanese Tepanyaki. After walking through Chinatown we came upon the Ginza and luckily for us they had places for three. I say places and not table as you share with others – up to 24 a square with the two chefs in the middle. Even though it was on the pricey side the entertainment value was worth it. It was a very noisy restaurant but with people’s laughter as the chefs performed like actors on a stage.
Firstly you chose your set from the menu, then a waitress comes and puts a large white bib around you with your set number on so the chefs know what to feed you. It all starts very civilly with a bowl of miso soup, but then watch out as you are asked to open your mouth to start catching your food, then you have to catch eight bowls, then a bowl of rice and finally for the chosen one have an omelette fired at you like bullets. I highly recommend this place for a great night out – although not on a first date!

Flamegrilled Wagyu Beef

Trying to catch her food

Getting ready for firing the omelette

Catching the eight bowls

Maddie trying to catch her food!

Melbourne I will be back to try out some more of your fantastic restaurants and the many sights you have to offer!

Hyper Hanoi – October 2016

Adding onto our Laos/Vietnam trip we flew to Hanoi from Luang Prabang and planned to stay here for three days. We decided instead of organised trips we would just explore Hanoi on our own. I had booked three days at Hotel Nikko a very large Japanese hotel near Hoan Kiem Lake. The hotel was fantastic with magnificent views over the city. Both photos were taken from our room. I loved all the gadgets on the toilet!

Hanoi is the capital of Vietnam and the second largest city in Vietnam, Ho Chi Minh being the largest. Its chaotic and noisy 24 hours a day with horns blaring and hundreds of motor bikes whizzing by. If they can’t get by on the roads then they just use the pavement.

As we arrived quite late we had dinner at the hotel, unfortunately we were not very impressed. The restaurant is also where they serve breakfast and they have a smoking area inside but its just an alcove, so you can smell smoke constantly – Japanese business men are big smokers.

The next two days and nights were just spent walking around and eating amazing food. Hanoi has some of the best restaurants I’ve ever eaten in. It’s an incredibly busy city and you take your chances when crossing any road. Red lights don’t seem to mean much here! The sights we took in were the Old Quarter, the Citadel and St Josephs Church. Some photos below:

20161020_120629 — A very kind lady let Anthony pose with her goods

One of the restaurants we ate in was Pots and Pans which I see now from their website is permanently closed. At the time of visiting this was a teaching restaurant to help young people get a good start in life. Another was Verticale a French restaurant, which served gourmet French food with a Vietnamese twist and the staff and service were impeccable, probably one of the best meals I’ve eaten was here!

After Hanoi we drove to Ha Long Bay for a one night/two day cruise, that will be on the next post!

Laid back Luang Prabang, Laos – October 2016

The second part of our trip to Laos was to the incredibly beautiful Luang Prabang. This tiny town is encircled by mountains and sits on the banks of the Mekong and Nam Khan River. We flew Lao Airlines from Vientiane and had arranged for a driver to take us to our hotel. We stayed at the very elegant Belle Rive Hotel just across from the river. It is an old French colonial building with rooms that are more like small apartments with your own private entrance. Luang Prabang has such a lovely laid back atmosphere. Hardly any cars on the roads, people cycling by and boats meandering along the river makes for a very relaxing time.

Luang Prabang

The Belle Rive Hotel

The hotel offered a free sunset cruise which we just had time to board. It took us on a leisurely trip along the Mekong. Below is a slide show of some of the shots I took.

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We had dinner that night at L’Elephant, a beautiful French restaurant not too far from our hotel.

The next day we were picked up by our driver – a cousin of our driver in Vientiane – at 10 a.m for a river trip to Pak Ou Cave, including lunch on the river. Then onto to Kuang Si Waterfalls and the Bear Park with a short stop to a paper making village. Luang Prabang is very famous for making paper. Some photos below of our day.

Young monks on the river

Relaxing on the boat

Mekong River

Wooden pier

Buddha images inside the cave

From inside the cave

Lunch on the river

Kuang Si Waterfalls

20161016_161933 — Pretending to be the three eyed raven – GOT fans

I managed to get some clear shots but there were actually many people swimming in these water falls, although it was extremely slippery.

Asiatic Black Bear Rescue Centre

I just managed to get two shots as the Centre was closing. Very cute baby bears.

For our final day we had our driver just for the morning where we were going to Mount Phou Si, which is a 100 m high hill in the centre of the old town. Today was also the end of the Buddhist Lent and all the young monks were getting ready to sail along the Mekong that evening in the lighted boats.

Young Monks getting their paper mache items ready

Model of Laos Airline Plane

Steps leading up to Mount Phou Si

Views from the top

On top of the world!

Our last night in Luang Prabang was spent on the river front at our hotel having dinner and watching the Lighting Festival. “The day is celebrated by illuminated boat processions handmade with bamboo and banana trunks, colourfully decorated with candles and money. Each family has to make one, each person has to throw out one illuminated little boat on the Mekong, wishing good luck for the future and paying respect to the spirit of the waters. There are more than 20000 boats sailing slowly down the river during the night” from the website www.luangprabang-laos.com/Festival-of-lights-209. We didn’t actually see 20,000 boats but saw a few.

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This is where I needed a more professional camera to catch the brightly coloured boats.
So that concludes Luang Prabang. The thing I liked best about this wonderful city was the absolute serenity and peacefulness of it all.

Diverse Da Nang – May 2018

Da Nang is the third largest city in Vietnam and most people visit here for the amazing beaches. Its close to Hoi An and Hue. It has a great laid back atmosphere and also offers a range of accommodation from luxury to budget.

We drove from Hue with Hue Private Tours again and this time went through the tunnel. Arriving at our hotel – Belle Maison – too early to check in, we looked for a place for lunch. Strangely the manager would not recommend any seafood restaurants around the hotel as he said the fish might not be too fresh! So we headed away from the beach across the river to the Waterfront restaurant. A great find and we had a gourmet lunch.

Burrato cheese and tomato salad with mango

fresh rice paper rolls

Crab cakes with chilli and mango salsa

Back to the hotel for check in and found we had been upgraded to a family size room with ocean front views!

Da Nang beach front — Great view but so many people!

Heading down to the beach to check out the water we found there was not much room to move! There were a crazy amount of people in the sea, most could not swim as they were all in rubber rings, there was a small mountain of them on the beach for hire. This part of the shoreline is extremely popular with local families. Also hardly any wear swim suits! Just swim in their clothes.
Later we went up to the 21st floor to have cocktails at the Sky Lounge. Stunning views!

Passionfruit Mojito

Sky 21 Lounge

For the next couple of days it was just going to be relaxation – no more trips. So the next day we tried further down the beach where it seemed less crowded and found some nicer sunbeds in front of the Holiday Beach resort. Great service from the staff on the beach there.
Da Nang has the most amazing coast line and it goes on for miles. The sea is lovely and warm and not rough at all – just the way I like it!

More cocktails that night and then dinner at Madam Lan’s with a couple of fellow Australians who we had met at the hotel. After reading good reviews about this restaurant must say we were all a bit disappointed with the blandness of the food.

The next day we headed off to the Novotel for breakfast, as breakfast at the Belle Maison was so busy, a table was an hour long wait! Took some snaps on the top of the hotel there.

So after breakfast we thought we would have a look at another beach much further along the coast. The Centara Sandy Beach Resort offered day tickets for a reasonable price where we got to spend the day around the pool and their beach front. Had an incredible afternoon here and I think it will be our next holiday destination.
Finally finished off our three days here with dinner at the Waterfront restaurant.

To sum up Da Nang will definitely be on my list again and I can honestly say that Vietnam is now my favourite country in Asia.

Historical Hue – May 2018

Hue is the ancient capital of Vietnam and is a city in Central Vietnam, and sits on the banks of the Perfume River. There are many historical monuments here and we hope to visit a few in the three days we will spend here. Australian passport holders do require a visa which is easily obtainable online. Vietnamese currency is the dong.

We flew into Da Nang to meet our driver Alex, who I had organised online through Hue Private Cars. It was a great service, so nice to be met at the airport instead of waiting in line for a taxi and be bombarded by different companies trying to offer you a taxi. I had agreed on a route beforehand to Hue which was over the Hai Van Pass and not through the tunnel. The day was perfect for travelling the three hour drive to our hotel in Hue. There was breathtaking scenery on the way and we stopped at a very tranquil place for lunch just past Lang Co Beach.

Hai Van Pass

View from the top

Lang Co Beach

Waiting for a La Rue

Arriving at our hotel at around 4pm we checked in to a fantastically large room. We were staying at the Saigon Moirin. This hotel dated back to 1901 and the French owners have tried very hard to keep it in line with its origins. Charlie Chaplin and Paulette Goddard stayed here on their honeymoon and every night we were treated to the film “The Dictator” on the screen in the garden!

Views from our room and the hotel:

Sunset from the balcony

Busy Bridge

corridor to our room

Saigon Moirin Garden

Enjoying a cocktail

From our balcony

The road in front of our hotel was extremely busy, with the traffic lights sometimes working sometimes not. So Anthony just grabbed my hand and off we went, dodging motor cycles to get to the otherside. How the motor cycles miss each other is a mystery!

Dinner that night was at a Vietnamese restaurant called Elegant Vietnam which I had read good reviews about. We were not disappointed especially with the good wine list! The service was fantastic and food excellent.

For the next two days I used the hotel concierge to organise some trips for us as they had such interesting trips on offer. On the first day we were driven to some very famous tombs and the hidden bridge. To begin with we went first to the hidden bridge – Thanh Toan. It was incredibly hot!

Red Tiled Thanh Toan Bridge

Baby chicks

Elegant Vietnamese Gentleman

Plowing the fields

Hue, Vietnam

We then went to Khai Dinh Tombs and Minh Mang Tombs. Below are some shots from Khai Dinh. Beautiful ceramic tile decoration.

Dinner that night was at Les Jardines de la Carambole just across the river. What a fantastic restaurant and great service too. It is off the beaten track so you need to “google map” it. Delicious food and good wine.

Meat and cheese platter to share

Duck a la Orange

Aged beef lyon style

Inside the restaurant

The hosts – Christian and Ha

Midweek break in Yallingup

Yallingup is in the South Western region of Western Australia. Its a great spot to visit for a short break especially from Perth. The drive takes just under three hours.
With so many places to stay it was so difficult to decide, we eventually chose the Sienna Lodge and it did not disappoint! Situated in between Barnyard Winery and Cafe Lavender on Caves Road, it was just a short drive into Yallingup and around 10k from Dunsborough. Its owned and managed by a very friendly Lithuanian couple – Raminta & Egis Rusilas, they also own the beautiful “Barnyard Vineyard”.

Sienna Lodge

Freerange as you can get!

Arriving just after 4pm we dropped our bags in our room and headed over to take a look at the beach and then happy hour at the iconic Caves Hotel. A few snaps of the wild coastline of South West WA.

Dinner that night was at the gastronomic restaurant of Lamonts and as it was so busy Kate Lamont was waiting tables herself. Always a good idea to book ahead as this place is nearly always full.

Next morning as the Barnyard cafe only opens for breakfast on weekends we headed into Dunsborough for our freerange poached eggs on sourdough toast with coffee and freshly squeezed orange juice. Back to Sienna to decide where to have our next feast but first a stop in the Barnyard cafe for a midmorning glass of wine and a little look around.

Testing the local vintage

As there are so many wineries, we again had the difficult task of choosing where to go for lunch. We wanted to try something new so we headed over to the Brookwood Estate.

The menu had some tasty tapas options which was perfect for lunch.

Starters — prosciutto wrapped fillet mignon and grilled prawns with chill and coriander aoli

Dinner that night was in Caves Hotel as it was just down the road from us, also many places were fully booked due to the school holidays. Caves is always a good choice as it has such a great atmosphere, you can be casual and eat outside or dress up and eat inside. Food is always good and portions so large that one dish is enough for two. We had a chef’s platter to start, and sticky ribs to share. There were leftovers!

Some sculptures that caught my eye

Skateboarding chick

Stuffed Jeans to go!

The late afternoon sun shining on these trees at Caves Hotel

By the next day it was already time to check out. Time fly’s when you’re having fun, theres only so much you can eat and drink in two days! We drove into Yallingup and had an excellent breakfast in the general store which is also the Post Office, just by Caves House. Its not that well advertised that they even do breakfast. On the drive back we were recommended to drop by the Bunbury Farmers Market. Its a great place to stock up on fresh local produce. We even bought some lunch here and stopped at Heron Point to eat it.

And that was our very short two night stay over, until the next time we fancy a break!

Kagoshima

Nagasaki to Kagoshima

6 June 2017

By now I think our two drivers were getting the hang of the roads and tolls! It was especially useful to be able to input a telephone number into the satnav instead of the actual address – very helpful considering how all the Japanese places were spelt. Because if you put an o instead of an a or e you can end up many miles away as all the names are very similar or so they seem to us. Also included in the satnav the amount of the toll you had to pay was spoken to you beforehand.

We had a four hour drive ahead of us as you can see from the map above. As Kyushu is made up of several small islands there was not really a direct route to take to Kagoshima.

We passed through Yanegawa on the way which is made up of lots of canals.

Arrived quite late to Hotel Shiroyama – beautiful hotel – high up on a hill overlooking Mt. Sakurajima. Sakurajima is still smoking and one of the reasons we visited Kagoshima.

As it was late decided to eat at the hotel on the 13th floor. Had a gourmet French dinner – fantastic!

Four of us enjoying our fantastic dinner

Entree

View from 13th floor overlooking the city of Kagoshima

Shame the windows in our room were frosted! so had no view – obviously you had to pay more for the view.

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Kumamoto to Nagasaki – June 2016

4 June 2017

After spending the night in Kumamoto we boarded the car ferry to Shimabara and then heading over to Nagasaki.

Had a very interesting stop in Shimabara to have a look at the castle. It was built in 1615 and took around four to seven years to complete. After 250 years it fell into disrepair and restoration began in the 1960’s. You can go inside and have a look at the old warrior costumes and weapons through the years.

Shimabara Castle

Looking at the route above we then drove to Nagasaki via Unzen. This is where Anthony’s mum used to go for holidays when she was a young girl. A sentimental journey for Anthony. Unzen seafront had the feel of a 1930’s resort, so not much had changed since his mother had visited it seemed.

Then finally to our hotel in Nagasaki.

Very quaint hotel within walking distance of many interesting places. Stayed here for two nights.

I had read about the Dejima Wharf and what a good place it was! So we headed over there for dinner. Its very picturesque but lacks atmosphere. Our dinner was a disappointment. Supposed to be a seafood bbq – but we had to cook it ourselves. Luckily we found a great little bar upstairs with a live band so had a good song and dance with some locals who were celebrating a birthday.

5 June 2017

Off to a fairly early start as there was lots to cover today. First off we had a look at the old colonial settlement within walking distance of our hotel, where Dutch, Portuguese and English houses still stand.

I was very interested to go and have a look at Glover House.

This was a house built by an English guy who first came to Japan when he was 21 in 1859. He built the house and gardens in 1861. We are both really interested in travellers who left their native countries to establish themselves in other countries many years ago. These people would not have known what to expect only hearing about different places through word of mouth.

Anyway Glover Gardens and house did not disappoint.

I popped to the ladies and when I came back found Anthony deep in conversation with this lady who was gardening just outside one of the buildings. She was amazed that Anthony could speak so fluently. They found out that they were not only the same age but had the same birthdays! She asked Anthony why he was so old with such young children – so direct . She was very reluctant to let him go.

Its interesting to note that Mr Glover still liked to be surrounded by his English furniture.

Onto the next stop – the Foreigners Cemetery – where we spent at least an hour looking at old gravestones.

We spent ages looking for this place going up and down alleyways.

Foreigners Cemetery — anthony looking round so many gravestones

The day was still not done and there was time to visit the Peace Park and A Bomb Museum. Hiroshima and Nagasaki are the only places to this day that have had atomic weapons used against them. It was very moving to wander through the museum and find out the history of what actually happened.

Standing in front of the Peace statue built to commemorate the people who died in the disaster. The face is not Japanese but the face of a “Person who goes beyond human races.”

So that concludes Nagasaki – next up Kagoshima.

Beppu to Kumamoto – 3 June 2017

Driving back through middle today to Kumamoto to catch ferry onto Nagasaki. We had a couple of stops on the way of course! Besides being famous for its onsens Beppu is also famous for its “Hells”. These are spectacular hot pools, boiling mud and geysers which make up the “8 Hells” of Beppu. More info here. These hells are not for swimming and are now mostly a tourist attraction and you do have to pay to enter. To make it more interesting they’ve added a few animals!

Capybara – Large rat

Mountain Hell

Sulphur Hell Beppu, Kyushu Islands, Japan

Then off to Kurokawa Village for lunch. Another very traditional village. After this had a quick photo stop overlooking Mount Asa. Kurokawa village so quaint and we all loved it here. Little windy cobblestoned streets and alleys.