Welcome to New Zealand!

New Zealand! I could not wait to get here. After three months in Australia I was looking forward to a change of scenery. But before I get into things, let's discuss the debacle I experienced at the airport i.e. forgetting to declare a piece of fruit in my bag on my customs form.

FAILURE TO DECLARE GOODS IN YOUR POSSESSION SUBJECT TO THE BIOSECURITY ACT 1993

This letter is a formal warning for the offence of failing to declare goods and/or giving false of misleading information to a Biosecurity inspector when requested, namely

1. Plant or plant products including fruit namely 1 x apple [Country of Origin] Australia

Upon arrival in New Zealand you are required by law to declare specific items to an inspector, either in written form, or verbally, or both.
Despite this requirement you failed to declare items in your possession as required in your passenger arrival/declaration card, or in response to questions from a Biosecurity Inspector.
Failure to declare specified items is a clear breach of the Biosecurity Act 1993.

The unintentional illegal introduction of animal or plant products into New Zealand is an offence punishable by an instant fine of up to NZ $400.

Lesson #1 learned in my first 30 minutes in New Zealand: DO NOT mess with this country's government. I'm going to thank my New York upbringing on this one. I begged, pleaded, cried, argued, and somehow maneuvered my way out of the $400 fine, and swore to never "forget" a piece of fruit in my carry-on luggage when flying internationally again.

In the words of my friend Jackie: "most expensive apple ever."

Hugos

Seared kingfish, artichoke puree, eggplant, onions, pomegranate seeds, and artichoke chips at Hugos on Manly, winner of the best pizza in Australia at the Global Pizza Challenge 2010. 

Revisit to the Botanical Gardens

Sydney's Botanical Gardens are one of my favorite parts of the city. Aside from being free (on my budget I've come to love free things), the gardens are vibrant, full of life, color, and locals and tourists alike getting lost in its splendid grounds.

Surf's Up!

Surfing is a huge part of the culture in Australia, so it would be a shame to spend five months in the country and not at least attempt to ride some waves. Valerie and I met Pedro and May while riding the bus late Friday night. From Brazil and Singapore respectively, they are studying in Sydney and offered breakfast and surf lessons to us - for free! I blogged about this a few days ago, but above are some pics from our overcast but fantastic day of surfing at Maroubra beach.

Coastal Walk

I've done the coastal walk from Coogee to Bondi four times now, but I just can't get over its peaceful beauty and glistening beaches.

Ice Cream Goodiness

From top left: Vanilla Choc, Strawberry Choc Chip, Double Choc, and Choc Lace (almond-oat cookie with chocolate ice cream)

Ever been to the Meatball Shop in NYC and had dessert? Well Pat and Stick's of Sydney is giving them a run for their money. It's two friends selling homemade ice cream sandwiches at food markets, and using top ingredients such as Belgian chocolate, vanilla beans, espresso coffee, and fresh Australian milk. Absolutely delicious.

Val and I sampling the Peppermint Choc Chip and Mochaccino at the Taste of Sydney

Monday Morning Cooking Club

In 2006 a group of Sydney Jewish women came together to share recipes and talk about food. They cooked, ate, drank endless cups of tea and - often heatedly - discussed the merits of different recipes. After just a few weekly meetings, the Monday Morning Cooking Club was born and a legacy of food and recipes spanning many cultures and generations began to take shape. Five years and hundreds of dishes later, their favorite recipes have been handpicked for publication in their first book by the same name. Each recipe begins with a short story of the cook and their history of the dish.

I want this cookbook. I want this to be my life! Sitting around with food enthusiasts sharing recipes all day.

Taste of Sydney

Acquarello risotto of beetroot and gorgonzola and beef battuta with eshallots, crispy amaranth and mustard figs from Ormeggio at the Spit

Ricotta fritters with berries and honey from A Tavola & Omerta

Saturday night with Rose, Jess, and Val at the Taste of Sydney. We ate like kings!

Fiesta Moonlight Cinema

M is for Moonlight, movies, merlot, Matrix, mystery, MacGuffin, marshmellow, marsupial, mates, munchies, more, monster, Marilyn Monroe, McLovin

Back in Sydney!

From Cairns Val and I flew to Sydney. With six days and lots to see, we hit up the northern beaches, markets, Sydney Opera House and Harbour Bridge walk. Though I spent my first six weeks in Australia getting to know this city I was so excited to be back, see Rose again, and show Val all the sites.

Highlights from my week:

Taste of Sydney festival
Bondi to Coogee Walk x4
Drinking bottles of Shiraz Cabernet watching the sun set over Bondi
Bats in the Botanical Gardens
Being fairly certain we saw a couple of bats having mid-afternoon sex
Watching Val devour blueberry pancakes at Pancakes on the Rocks
Rose, Jess, and their adorable apartment
Tuna and salmon sashimi at the Sydney Fish Market
Hugos pizza at Manly: seared kingfish, artichoke puree, eggplant, onions, pomegranate seeds, and artichoke chips
Eucalyptus laundry detergent
100 grams of almonds for $1.75 at the Paddy’s Markets
Free surf lessons at Maroubra! Went something like this:

Scene: bus from Central to Wynyard, 11 p.m. Friday night, Val and I done up in our backpacking gear.
Pedro: What are you girls doing on Monday?
Val: Nothing.
Shira: No plans.
Pedro: Me and some friends get together every Monday morning for breakfast and then we teach surf lessons. Would you want to come?
Val and Shira: Umm, yes please!

My Dad asked me if I got up while surfing for 10 seconds. Sadly, I didn't even get up for one second, but it was still an absolute blast.

Ranamok Glass Prize

In its sixteenth year, the Ranamok Glass Prize is a annual award for glass artists who are residents of Australia and New Zealand and display skill, creativity, and innovation through contemporary glass. Many of this years' participants were on exhibit at the Cairns Regional Gallery.

My favorite was Transparent illusions created by Evelyn Dunstan and made with Gaffer crystal glass. Dunstan said of her work:

Masking time through the day with the masquerades we put on and wear – sometimes a conscious choice, but often an unconscious reaction to influence that gives a sneek peek through the eyes to our souls.

 Each individuals reaction and interpretation is also a reflection of our changing emotion and influence. 

Fresh coconut milk at the Rusty Markets.

A) Look at the size of that coconut!
B) How cute is Val?

Dragon fruit is one of those things you rarely see in a U.S. grocery store but were sold at nearly every stall at the Rusty Markets. My curiosity got the best of me so I bought one to taste; the tropical fruit has the consistency and sweetness of a beet with the juiciness of a peach. Beware: DO NOT wear white when eating a dragon fruit. Lesson learned.

Rusty Markets

Finally some cheap, fresh produce in this country! Every Friday to Sunday in Cairns locals and tourists flock to the Rusty Markets, some 180-stalls of fruits and vegetables. I couldn't get over the abundance of peaches and mangoes, vibrant colors and exotic selection of fruits. Not to mention the cheap prices: six avocados for two buckaroos.

Milla Milla Falls

Valerie and I swimming out to Milla Milla Falls, one of the more well-known waterfalls in the Tablelands.

Rainforest hikes

Valerie, Naomi and I had one day together in Cairns, and despite the rain we drove a few hours south to explore the Tablelands, a rainforest with scenic walks, massive trees, waterfalls, crater lakes, and diverse wildlife. The Cathedral Fig Tree above near Yungaburra is 500-800 years old!

Thoughts on this sign: beware of cars hitting cows or beware of cows eating cars?

Massive Cadbury chocolate bar with almonds. A-MAZ-ING

Val!

Valerie! Is in Australia! A few months back I was talking to my good friend Val who moved to Tel Aviv after college about coming traveling with me in Australia. The next day she emailed me saying she had booked her flight. This was in January; how quickly time flies!

Val and I have one of those rare once-in-a-lifetime type friendships that are precious and sacred and years in the making. To say I am excited to travel with her for the next six weeks is an understatement. I am freakin’ stoked!

So Val, welcome to ATTWSYDNEY.

Great Barrier Reef

JAWS!

Diving the Great Barrier Reef left me with one thought: why oh why oh why didn’t I bring an underwater camera??

The weather was absolutely horrendous for diving this natural wonder of the world, but I saw turtles, reef sharks, beautiful coral, four Nemos, and many other colorful fish. Is it bad if a highlight from the day was the delicious cup of hot chocolate I sweet-talked my way into for free at the resort on Green Island?

Farewell to Beth

I haven’t blogged much about the people I’ve met throughout this experience. Traveling alone has been humbling, challenging, and quite exhausting at times, but luckily I met some cool and interesting people early on who I have traveled much of the coast with. One such person is Beth; she hails from the English countryside and rides horses for a living. We could not be more different – she missed her stables, tweed jackets and cowgirl boots, while I yearned for a pedicure and night out in high heels. She doesn’t even own a computer! Yet we struck up a close friendship, and she has been a huge part of these past few weeks in Australia. Beth left to go back home today after four months of traveling, and slipped this note under my door in the wee hours this morning before heading to catch her flight.

To Shira, Princess of Power!!
Firstly, thank you for making my east coast trip awesome and memorable. I think we can both say it’s been a rollercoaster, from rafting to roaches to skydives and skinny dipping. It wouldn’t have been the same without you and there’s no one else I’d choose to be by my side. We definitely have some stories to tell when we get home. We couldn’t have more separate lives but somehow we found a beautiful balance. Continue to have as much fun on the rest of your travels. I’ll be thinking of you. “Tomorrow do your worst for I have lived today.” Never stop being you, and thanks for the memories.
All my love,
Beth

To experience the true feeling of joy, you much have someone to share it with

Mark Twain

Barrron Falls

My friend Greg is a Cairns resident and offered to drive me around and see some of the city. Free tour of Cairns? Yes, please.

When he picked me up at my hostel that morning I was not expecting our mode of transportation to be a bright yellow Ford with a "GANGLES" license plate. And yet it was quite enjoyable driving to the sites in style. Greg took me to Kuranda, a village famous for its scenic railway and alternative, hippie lifestyle, some great lookouts of Cairns CBD, Crystal Cascade, and the famous Barron Falls.

That was a memorable day to me, for it made great changes in me. But, it is the same with any life. Imagine one selected day struck out of it and think how different its course would have been. Pause, you who read this, and think for a long moment of the long chain of iron and gold, of thorns or flowers, that would never have bound you, but for the formation of the first link on that memorable day.

Charles Dickens, Great Expectations

White Water Rafting!

I can officially say I capsized on the Tully River in Australia

My mom and dad, happy as a clam.

Things that inspired me this week:

Driving from Townsville to Cairns and seeing the devastation from Hurricane Yasi. Homes flattened, storefronts blown out and completely destroyed, broken forests, bare of leaves

Learning 20 volunteers from the Oz Experience bus had been dropped off the previous day in Mission Beach to spend 2 weeks as volunteers to help clear the wreckage

The motto “do one thing a day that scares you”

On Magnetic Island I held an echidna, snake, and fresh-water crocodile (!!)

My friend Jackie who was forced to make a very difficult and heart-breaking decision

Finally making it to Cairns! The last destination on my east coast road trip

The book 1788 by David Hill about the first fleet that came to Australia, a gift from my friend Rose. Learning I can enjoy reading history for leisure!

The Kings Speech, the Oscars, and all the glamour

Being stuck on Magnetic Island and not panicking. Perhaps this experience is doing more for my anxiety than I realize

Mangoes from the Rusty Markets in Cairns

Feed the Birds

One of Australia’s parrot species is the rainbow lorikeet, and at Koala Village I had the chance to partake in their daily feeding! It was like being in San Marco Square in Venice all over again. My brother, who is terrified of birds, would have been quite unhappy in my shoes.

Koala Village.

My time on Magnetic Island can best be characterized as long and rainy. I was meant to spend only a day there, but the weather was so wet - and I mean monsoon torrential downpour all day and night wet - that the roads to Cairns were flooded. So instead I spent three days on Maggie Island, much of it curled up in my hostel dorm with a book.

I did get a small window of overcast but dry skies in which I went to Bungalow Bay Koala Village to check out some of Australia's rare and famous animals. How cute is the echidna! It looks like a mix between a porcupine and hedgehog. And who knew koalas scratched themselves like a dog?