New Zealand - South Island

Lots of people gave us a funny look when we said we wanted to do a campervan road trip in NZ for our honeymoon. But I think it's exciting, we wanted to go to a place where Moco and I both haven't been before, and surprisingly (considering how close the location is) we both haven't been to South Island. And also the fact that Moco and I always wanted to try to travel with a campervan. So here's bits and pieces during our 10 days road trip. And yes I figured I should update the blog now before our first wedding anniversary and omg it's actually less than three months away, how time flies!

Here's the burger in our first night in Christchurch (when we also experienced an aftershock from the earthquake, luckily only a small and quick one)

And for comparison here's the famous ferg burger in Queenstown. oh dear. highway to heart attack, with style.

Not until someone pointed out to me, I just realized we had lots of burgers and chips on the trip! But really it was like the easiest thing that's available. You have no idea how desperate we were for Asian food and even though the instant noodle fulfiled my needs temporarily. I need something a bit more proper, i.e: rice. Lucky we found Kohan, the only Jap restaurant that still opens at Lake Tekapo after 1pm. Nothing's special with the food, and especially not with the price, but oh the view..the view is priceless. Gazing through the window with my rice = happiness.

one of my fave views at lake tekapo..

I just don't understand why most of the Asian resto closed so early there? And I thought Australian restaurants close early, pfft.

Well the food on the road always can be a hit and miss. Luckily the worst food we had was the venison stew and grilled chicken, that doesn't look like any of the descriptions. Make me miss the burgers indeed.


But that's it, that's the only food I probably I didn't finish in the trip. The rest of the food we had were divine. Must be the fresh produce that they have been using. Fresh salmon and lamb with a very reasonable prices.

beautiful pork ribs and sunday roast special at Te Anau's pub

one of the breakfasts menu in our first hotel, hotel so - good value budget hotel, but don't expect a window :)

beer battered oysters

Bonjour - a nice and cosy French cafe at Arrowtown

Even though we went in the middle of October the NZ weather was still crazily cold (other words - forgive our crazy appetites for comfort food). Snow is still common during spring and even the local said snow sometimes still come in December, right in the middle of summer. Goodness me and I thought Melbourne's weather is moody. pfft #2.

And...here's our last night in Christchurch, our highlight of the trip. Putting aside the fact that we finally stayed in a gorgeous boutique hotel after staying in a campervan for so many nights, but I'm talking about the beautiful food that we had in their in-house restaurant! Check out Moco's lamb shank, it's just melted in your mouth!! Ah..memories..

our last burger in Christchurch from Burger King, love the wedges!

wonderful event to put Cantebury together after the 2010 earthquake. Our hearts go to the people who were affected in the recent earthquake..

lucky we've been listening to kiwi's artists on the road :)

So that's it, we finally did it. Road trip in a campervan to a place that we've never been. I remember some days can be really tricky, i.e running out of petrol in a winding road at night or experienced a thunder storm inside the van etc, but really I won't change it for a thing.

til later NZ..

Visit to Vietnam

Okay..two months gap from my last post. Not happy, what happened to my NY resolution? Anyway on more positive side now I can post all the Travel related posts at once :)

This trip started with a drama. I (yep me and only me) failed to fly with the group, so I've lost two days from my already short trip..hence once I finally got on board, I tried to eat as much as I can in five days. Gotta do what you gotta do.

It's actually the first time Moco and I went to Vietnam (plus all our immediate family) so it's quite interesting that eight of us spent 5 days 24/7 in a foreign country hehe. Luckily Moco's parents can speak fluent Vietnamese but I guess that's also unfortunate since most of the times we had to follow them to a restaurant instead of trying the food on the street. Hence whenever possible we always try to run away. We just wanna try to get sick and use our sick leaves at work but of course that didn't happen, bless our iron tummy.

To be honest I was actually quite disappointed with the food, maybe I had too high expectation as always. Yes the food is good but IMHO Vietnamese food in Australia is better!! And Moco agreed with me. And so their parents, and my parents. So you know I didn't make this up. I think the key different was in the fresh ingredients and the quality of the product itself. There's no doubt that they have more variety in the food and the price was incredibly cheap and made me almost cried when we get back to Sydney (but again I always had that syndrome whenever we get back from any Asia country)

I just realized I still used my old camera in this trip, hence the poor quality (that's the excuse I'm currently hold..)

So enough blabbing, here are some photos of the goods..

this might not look too appealing..

starting to get into shape..

Voila! crunchy pork skins yeah!

the garnish (didn't know quail eggs are popular in Vietnam)

Ah..if only Bondi sells this too!

One of my fave viet dishes sour fish soup

crab on the boat, yeh Moco parents decided to be tacky and took us to the touristy boat restaurant..

of course gotta served sugarcane prawn for the tourist..

Ah..now we're talking..

few stands at the night market..

choose fresh clams on the beach..

love fresh clams!

perfect companion, nevermind the giant ice block

pho for breakfast, not complaining

one of the chinese restaurants in vietnam, hone cooking style

banh mi for the road trip..woohoo!

beautiful lantern setting in the resto, wish i can remember the name. but it's at the back alley of a pho resto on the main street. yep back alley.

love everything in the resto, the setting and the dishes. the price is slightly more expensive but i think it's worth it..love eating on the traditional plate

gotta have kfc in every country!

interesting fusion dish, wasabi rice cracker prawn..

you have no idea how far we walked to visit this resto. Moco found it in one of the food blogs and turned out the resto just recently moved so we walked back and forward to find it (Moco refused to catch a taxi or a bus..)

ah..finally, the reward after walking so much in the heat!!

the renovated/ recently moved restaurant is massive, lots of food for sure!

Ban Than market, unfortunately we're too full to eat more. darn that springroll is like waving at me right now..

last ice coffee viet style on the trip ;)

I think next time Moco and I get a chance to go to Vietnam again, we'd like to explore the North side and eat more stuff like in Luke Nguyen's TV show ;)