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The expat’s goals for 2013

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I’ve recently been thinking of my goals for 2013.  I wonder why that is?  
And I have come up with a short list that I’m sure is achievable.  Well, at least 3 of them I’m sure of.  One of them I’m less sure but feel that by writing it down and sharing publicly with you, I’m more likely to commit to it.  I may even blog regular updates, until you tell me you are bored with them.
Anyway, here is the list.  Can you spot the one that fills me with trepidation?
–  Drink less.
Not abstinence, as I love (really love) drinking.  But definitely reduce my intake and frequency.  Perhaps tailoring my current philosophy of only having a drink on days with a “Y” in them.  And limit myself to spirits, less calorie laden than my usual Coopers Pale ale, or Dirty Granny cider.  This of course will have to wait until after Australia Day on 26th January when it seems the whole country shuns sobriety.
–  Lose weight
This will no doubt be aided by the one above but also by reducing my intake of Tim Tams, Anzac biscuits, Lamingtons and Charlie Lovett’s banana bread.  I also have my bicycle now so have no excuse not to get out on it on a weekend, helping trim inches off the burgeoning waistline.  I don’t think Mosman, or indeed the rest of Sydney, is quite ready for my truffle shuffle just yet.
–  Travel to new places
This appears on my list every year, and will continue to do so whilst I am still breathing.  However, now I am based on the other side of the world, and am upside down, I should explore the opportunities now open to me.  Places like Vanuatu (which I had not previously heard of) immediately spring to mind.  And Tasmania, one of the only major places of Australia that I have yet to visit.  And what about all the gorgeous little coastal towns, with sun kissed beaches?  Friends of mine are going to Jervis Bay soon so I immediately checked it out on the internet.  It looks amazing.  And not far from home.  In a car, not on the aforementioned bicycle, or my beloved Besbi scooter.  I could spend the whole year exploring places like this.  Even better, fulfill a life’s ambition of travelling in a campervan.
–  Read “War & Peace”
In literary circles, widely regarded as one of the THE best books ever written, this is one of Tolstoy’s that I have yet to tackle.  At over 1400 pages long, it is not an undertaking to accept lightly.  Having completed the 1079pages of “Infinite Jest” (David Foster Wallace) last year I know tomes of this size are possible, but how many other books would have to be sacrificed?  I suppose there is only one way to find out.
So there we are, my (potential) goals for 2013.  Now, do I commit to them???

Beef Hula Hoops anyone?

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Why it’s ok to feel down even in the Promised Land

This is a little bit different to my usual posts. My customary ruminations of life on the road. How I got there, and how long did it take? What I did on arrival. The weird and wonderful foods I’ve tasted. Who could forget the immediately unforgettable snake I had in Beijing? And my experiences as I delve into foreign cultures.

However, this is a rather more personal post. A side to the Yorkshire Expat that maybe you don’t always see. A side that perhaps not many people see would be a more accurate description. What life is really like for a new expat. When you up-sticks and travel to countries both near and far, but not your “home” country. However long you live in a new country, your home will always be the same. Will your heart ever migrate as well as your body? Well, that’s something I will write about in future posts.

The idea for this post came to me the other day as I was walking around Cremorne reserve, on the North Shore of Sydney. Every time I turned a corner on the path I was greeted with a world-class view. Genuine picture postcard stuff. And the deep, melancholic side of my nature wondered, where do you go from here. Not literally, but spiritually. In the UK, on dark, dank, miserable days, a picture of a sunny beach, or a boat filled harbour would immediately lift my flagging spirits. The thought of logging onto Expedia and booking a flight somewhere bathed in sunshine put me in a sunny disposition.

This got me thinking. When I have a down day, and they will inevitably come, what will it take to subsequently lift me out of the doldrums? A friend has suggested beef hula-hoops and a vigorous dance to Beyoncé. I remain to be convinced but bought the hula-hoops earlier and am just downloading the latest track from the big bootied beauty.

With migration, the brochure sells the dream. It doesn’t give instructions on how to live it. That part is down to the individual expat. And all of us will have different ways of approaching it and adapting. The need to become a social chameleon. Blend in to the new surroundings. Make friends. Find your favourite coffee shop, nearest bottle shop, best local Thai takeaway, amongst the multitude of choice. Which newspaper will you prefer to read, and importantly in Sydney, which rugby league team will you adopt. I think I have this one sorted, South Sydney Rabbitohs. And where are the best fish and chips? Another one I think I’ve nailed. They may not be Mr Chips of Whitby, but Doyle’s at Watson’s Bay run them a very close second.

Apartment hunting is another mystery. It’s something of a dark art in Sydney. You don’t find a few you fancy and then casually make appointments that suit you. Each of them has their own 15-minute “inspection slot” and everybody turns up to that. The other day, there were about 10 of us literally falling over each other as we attempted to view a 1-bedroom apartment. I have seen 4 (recent update, now 5) so far and, needless to say, the search continues.

As I draw the curtain on the first month of being away, and we move from winter into the first day of spring, some of the pieces are falling into place. I have my Aussie driving licence and am now registered with Medicare, the health service. But I still have lots of the jigsaw missing. Pieces that I may not find and slot into place for quite some time yet. But as I was told, change is a process, not an event. And big change is a bloody big process, so bear with me whilst I complete the puzzle.

‘Til the next time…

Maudlin Musings

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Just follow it

When you have everything, yet have nothing.  A lot of people think I fall in to the first part of that statement.  I feel increasingly like I relate more to the second.  On the surface, as outsiders looking in, the life of an expat, especially one lucky enough to be living in Australia seems idyllic.  Like one long holiday.  It’s all sun, sea and BBQs isn’t it? 
Well, no actually.  It’s just the same as living anywhere in the world.  I still have to go to work in an office 5 days a week.  Laundry and the weekly big shop still have to be done.  And my work shirts don’t iron themselves, unfortunately.
So you get the drudgery of everyday life, but without your friends, family, and loved ones around you to make it all worthwhile.  I’m now ten months into this expat experiment and of that, I have only really had one month of pure happiness.  And that was when I had a friend over from the UK at Xmas and I was able to share this beautiful city with somebody.  One month from ten where I have been genuinely happy.  Not a very good return is it?
A close confidante and me often play the “percentages game”.  What percent chance of you being there over 1 year.  Percent chance being there 2 years.  Percent chance of being there forever.  I think we have already ruled out that last one.  And she tells me she suspects I know in my heart already what the answer is.  I’m starting to fear that maybe she is right.  Yet I keep holding off.  Waiting for the switch to come on and for it all to fall into place.  But things are in place.  I’m working, in a good job, decent wage.  I’m managing to play a game of football each week.  I’m progressing well with my Spanish, now on level 3.  And I have friends outside work.  So all the components of a good life are in place.  Yet I feel empty.  Wondering if the switch will ever come on.
So when does perseverance become stubbornness?  How long do you give it?  Do you sit out the months simply because you feel you have to, and one day it will all be worthwhile?  Somebody keeps telling me that life is short.  It is, she is right.  It’s time I stopped running away, and started running towards.  Life dishes out harsh lessons.  I’m starting to learn from them.   At what point do you listen to your heart and follow what it is telling you?
I remember travelling through South America a couple of years ago, having a great time.  But I also distinctly remember when I realized it was time to go home.  I booked my flight and immediately felt a sense of peace, and happiness.  Enjoying the journey, yet counting down the days to being home with close friends I had missed.  I’ll never forget the unadulterated joy I felt at seeing my friends face as she picked me up from the airport.  So with this knowledge, I can’t help but wonder how I would feel if I booked a one way ticket home.  Not quite yet of course, as I am on those shores in just over 8 weeks.  But that trip will be the litmus test for me.  A temperature check on how I really feel.  Will I feel “home”.  Seeing all the friends I have arranged to catch up with, will it feel “right” and something that I no longer want to turn my back on?  Taking into consideration the second half of this year, I have no such plans for friends to visit this xmas and I already know I don’t fancy the prospect of spending my birthday here, alone.  
Just to further complicate matters, I think I could be starting to have my first mid-life crisis, feeling the urge to face my commitment issues head on.  I won’t blame the last book I read, “The Rosie Project” as my thoughts since turning 40 have been quietly bubbling away, but I’m ready to quit putting myself in isolation constantly.  I think my solo travels could be a thing of the past as I look for somebody to share the world with.  My search to find some meaning to the journey that is life is starting to narrow and what I am wanting for the second half (see previous blog on turning 40) is coming sharply into focus.  I’m in danger of allowing alone to morph into lonely.  I won’t allow that to happen.
Look out, the Yorkshire Expat is coming!

Should I put the iron away and travel?

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I have loved travel for most of my life.  And when I say travel, I don’t mean holidays. (Although, I do bloody love holidays).  I mean what I would call real travel.  Not cocooned in some 5 star hotel, plumping my pillows, and bedding down in Egyptian cotton sheets of the highest quality thread count, whilst the locals can’t afford food and drink, let alone shelter.  Not soothed by air conditioning when the locals live in temperatures that could cook an egg.

And not visiting a place, to stay imprisoned within the confines of a resort, owned by an overseas conglomerate, never to venture outside, to interact with the locals.  No.  I want to sample some amazing street food.  I want to smell the spices.  I want to be visually bombarded with colour, and activity.  I want to contribute to the local economy, not the faceless one.

When people tell me they have been to a certain country, when in fact they never left their international hotel resort drives me mad.  If you are going to visit a country, visit that country, its people, and its customs.  India is not best seen through the windows of your air-conditioned tour bus.  You won’t see some of Mexico’s best temples, from early civilisation, from your lounger in a US run holiday resort.  And the UK is not best seen from an open top bus in London.  Whilst I’m on that point, no open top bus is probably good advice, knowing the English weather.

The amount of people I talk to here who tell me they went to the UK and loved London.  The end.  The whole of the UK, and they loved London.  If I had a Bitcoin for every time somebody here asked me “when do you fly to London” whenever I visit the UK, I still wouldn’t understand Bitcoin.  But I would have a lot of them.  By the way, I blatantly stole that one, so if you are reading this, over your freshly baked focaccia with smashed avo, I do heartily apologise.  The blank stares I get when I ask people what they thought of the Lake District, the beautiful Cornish coastline, or the wonders of Edinburgh and Glasgow, confounds me.

One of the greatest travel writers, Paul Theroux, said “tourists don’t know where they have been, travellers don’t know where they are going.”  And that encapsulates the feeling, and the joy of travel.  Waking up one day, not knowing where you will be going to bed.  The unbridled freedom this gives.  Backpacking.  Independent travel.  Whatever label we want to give to it, it is about immersing yourself in a country, and a culture.  Find your favourite local bakery.  Your favourite spot for morning coffee.  Order it in the local language.  OK, I admit this could be difficult in Scotland.  Laugh along when you get it completely wrong.  Walk the streets, smell the smells.   Listen to the cacophony of sounds.  See what the locals do.  Just sit and people watch.  Let your mind wander.  A form of meditation.  Be present.

This is the travel that I have in my heart.  What I yearn for most days.  Trapped in an office, earning the money to be able to escape the office, and go off and do these things feels like a Faustian pact.  Modern life has a way of keeping you in chains.  To enjoy a lot of the things that we want to enjoy, we need money.  And so we sell our services, to the highest bidder.  A roaming troubadour.  A means to an end.

And this is where our life conditioning comes in again.  We are told that we need to work hard, save lots of money in our superannuation, or pension, and then, when we reach retirement age, which seems to keep creeping inexorably up, we can take that money and “enjoy” life.  And I have seen how that works out for a lot of people.  My own father amongst them.  His dream was to retire and move to Spain.  A very modest dream.  And that man worked harder than anybody I have ever known.  But he never got to live out his dream.  Cancer took his dream away.

I read of people who strive every day, struggle every day, ticking off the days to retirement.  Then retirement comes along, and they are suddenly struck down with a fatal heart attack.

OK, OK, I know I have being a little morbid.  And a trifle dramatic.  I am not naive enough to think this happens everyone.  Lots of people do get to retire, and go off and do the things they have dreamt about all their hard-working life.  But is it worth taking the chance?  Every day I bottle up all these feelings.  Keep the lid on them.  Do a job that I feel trapped in.  Office bound.

That I am doing this until some arbitrary date in the future seems pointless.  I have money in the bank.  And I have my health and fitness.  For now.  I have to admit, my knees give me cause for concern most mornings.  So why am I not off travelling?  Living the life I would prefer to live.  Tipping the scales so that the balance is in favour of travel, and less so on work.  There are places in the world I am desperate to see.  Why am I still ironing shirts for work on Sunday afternoons, and not packing my bags?

Only I can answer that.

Hunter Valley wine tour with Kangarrific Tours

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Like wine?  Then come with me on a Hunter Valley wine tour with Kangarrific Tours.
Australia is a country blessed with good wine growing regions, a fact probably borne out by the amount of wine that gets exported, ending up in the supermarkets of the UK.  From the Margaret River in Western Australia, Barossa Valley in Adelaide, South Australia and the Hunter Valley, outside Sydney.
The Hunter was where we were visiting, and after a search on the internet we found Kangarrific Tours.  A relative newcomer to the tour scene, Sam of Kangarrific had already started to build up a solid reputation as somebody who provided an excellent day out.  We would see.
We got picked up in the Central Business District (CBD) of Sydney at around 8.00am, ready for the drive north, across the famous Harbour Bridge and up to the Hunter Valley region. 
First stop was at just after 9am, for morning coffee at the Australian Walkabout Wildlife Park, in Calga on the outskirts of the Central Coast.  Entrance fee being included in the very reasonable $99 full day trip price, we were able to get up very close and personal with some of our favourite Aussie wildlife.  Stroking the Koalas, petting the Kangaroos, and keeping a wary distance from the Emus.  This is the sort of place you could spend much longer at be we had somewhere to be and at around 11.15 we got to Lovedale, home of the Hunter Valley Chocolate factory.  A chocolate lovers dream.  Yet still not the highlight of my day.  My reason for coming today was just around the corner, the grapes.  Or more specifically, the stuff that comes from fermenting them.
Meaning “hillside”, Warraroong winery was the first we visited.  A boutique winery giving us the opportunity to sample wines that you wouldn’t find in either the bottle shops, or the big supermarkets, in Australia or overseas.  However, for $10 they do ship to Sydney.  Hmm, hold that thought.
Whilst here we got to try some very good Semillon Sauvignon Blanc (2010 on the Tin Soldier label), Long Lunch white, a 2009 sparkling Moscato, a 2010 Merlot and a Shiraz, finishing with an exquisite Sticky Semillon dessert wine.  The day had officially started for me.
And so we were off to winery number 2.  Much more mainstream, Tempus Two is the sort of winery that does supply the places you are more likely to pick up a bottle of wine on the way home to have with the evening BBQ.  A very corporate affair, the winery incorporates the excellent “Smelly Cheese Shop”, where we had the opportunity to taste some delicious, locally made cheeses.  We were then set free in the deli/shop and I succumbed all too easily to the lure of parting with my dollars.  That said, the cheeses I had picked up would no doubt be perfectly complemented by the Tin Soldier Shiraz I had purchased earlier.
In the afternoon we had winery number three, Wynwood Estate.  Another boutique winery it was here that I tasted, and thoroughly enjoyed, a wine I hadn’t had before.  Originally grown to blend into Shiraz, Chambourcin was now being made and sold as a wine in its own right.  And a bloody good wine it is too, evidenced by my immediate purchase of a bottle.  We also sampled a 2012 Verdelho, a white wine that sits somewhere between a Semillon and a Sauvignon Blanc.  Another purchase was in the form of a Plum Blossom Shiraz, lighter in style than a usual full-bodied Shiraz, so much so that it can be lightly chilled.  Finishing at Wynwood with a dessert wine, an Old Jack Muscat, I was starting to feel the effects of lunch and the amount of wine we had imbibed.  Had there been a hammock knocking about, I could have happily had a snooze in the early afternoon sunshine.
However, we had somewhere else to be and off to the only brewery in the Hunter we went.
The Hunter Beer Company, located at Potters Hotel Brewery resort is open to the public between 10am and 5pm, seven days a week for tastings.  Sam, the amiable and very knowledgeable owner of Kangarrific Tours had arranged a special deal for us and we were able to get two tastings of the various beers for only $3.  I don’t think the lime and coriander infused beer is something that I will be drinking many schooners of.  After a final sour cherry beer it was time to call “last orders” on a very enjoyable day and jump in the bus for the ride back to Sydney.
So my verdict?  An excellent, reasonably priced day out, visiting the Hunter Valley in air conditioned comfort, with a friendly tour guide who obviously knows his beans when it comes to wines.
What are you waiting for?  Salud!

Secret Margaret River – What You Won’t Want to Miss

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The Margaret River region, whilst famous for its wine, and rightly so, has something for everyone. Whether you are coming to escape the hustle and bustle of the city and want a quiet retreat. If you have come to celebrate a big occasion and want to taste some of the highest quality wines in the world. If spending time in the ocean is your thing. Or just hiking in the bush. One thing is for sure, Margaret River, and the surrounds, have you covered.

Start the day well

And what better way to set yourself up for your day, than an invigorating early morning walk along the oceanfront. Take off your shoes and feel the sand beneath your feet. Pause, listen to the seagulls squawking, circling above, and marvel at the ease with which the early surfers navigate the huge swell.

Whilst surfers have the sea to themselves, my priorities are a little different. No day starts without coffee, right? The best coffee in Margaret River right now is being pumped out by the Commonage Coffee Company (http://www.commonagecoffeeco.com.au/). On your way to the beach, take your reusable coffee cup and pick up one of the best brews you are sure to have on the west coast.

Suitably caffeinated, drive the short distance to the quaint bakery, Yallingup Gugelhupf, and pick up a small treat, still warm from the oven. I personally recommend the pain au chocolat. You won’t be disappointed.

Breakfast

The early start, the long walk along the beach, your mind will now be turning to thoughts of breakfast, and definitely more coffee.

Fast becoming a firm favourite, and not just for their excellent bacon benedict. Or the chilled vibe. Although both are a factor in always drawing us back. The great service, together with the strong, quality coffee ensure that a visit to the Sea Garden Café is always top of any itinerary in Margaret River. 

All the breakfast classics are here, together with a few asian influenced dishes. Judging by the number I saw leaving the kitchen, the Nasi Goreng is a hit with the locals.

White Elephant café – Gnarabup

In town for more than one day? Of course you are. On your second morning, head along the coast to Gnarabup and have an equally impressive breakfast, with an even better view, at the unmissable White Elephant café. With possibly the best beachside location in the world, the “Ele” is always packed to the rafters with locals filling up after their early morning swim in the ocean, whatever time of year. 

Wines and Vines

Breakfast done, and enough coffee to start your engine for the day, it is time to explore what Margaret River is most famous for. The premium wine that is produced from the 5,000 plus hectares under vine. Predominantly boutique, that are in excess of 200 wineries, enough to keep even the most enthusiastic oenophile busy for a long time.

Jarvis Estate

Greeted on arrival by AJ, the friendly family dog, Jarvis Estate (https://jarvisestate.com.au/)  is a great example of one of Margaret River’s boutique vineyards. Thankfully, we arrived just as a large tour bus from the popular “Wine for Dudes” company was leaving. This meant we had the cellar door to ourselves, and AJ.

We were guided through a full tasting, of some rather excellent wines, and I even got to try a tawny, straight from the barrel. These are the kind of experiences that you don’t get from some of the larger, more commercial wineries.

Whether you prefer the classic Cabernet, famous in the region, or if white is your go to drink, there is sure to be something in the range that you will want to take home with you. If you would rather not go home, there are even a few unpowered camp sites available.

Rosily wines

Moving on to Wilyabrup, next on the list is Rosily vineyard (https://www.rosily.com.au/Rosily-Wines). Named after a French count, who was exploring the area of Western Australia in the late 18th and early 19th centuries, Rosily maintains its French influence through the use of the fleur-de-lys on the label, and the French style in the wine making. 

Enjoy an outstanding Sauvignon Blanc, but just don’t compare it to those produced over the Tasman in New Zealand. There was a friendly feeling of “them and us” when the subject was raised.

At Rosily, all the fruit is produced onsite and hand harvested, with the vineyard certified organic. The result is a full range of excellent wines that will make a welcome addition to your wine cellar.

Time for lunch

All this wine tasting has left you feeling as though you need some sustenance. And Margaret River has you covered. The options are almost endless. As I sat down to sip my Filius Chardonnay, from Vasse Felix, I decided that Meelup Farmhouse (https://www.meelupfarmhouse.com.au/) was certainly the right choice.

Meelup Farmhouse

Located at the top of the Margaret River region, a stone’s throw from Meelup Beach, the Farmhouse feels like an oasis. Large picnic areas to while away a long afternoon, and a restaurant that feels relaxed, and refined at the same time. I can highly recommend the chargrilled Fremantle octopus and the Goldband snapper fillet. And I am told the chilli prawn spaghetti was delicious.

Breweries

Wine is what Margaret River became famous for, but hot on the shoulders is craft beer. With new breweries seemingly popping up all the time, you are spoilt for choice. Located at the top of the region, in Naturaliste, is Eagle Bay Brewing Company. A micro brewery situated on a working family farm that has been going for over 60 years.

The best way to sample the beers is to get yourself a tasting flight. Six of the tap beers, lined up in order of heaviness, saving the nut brown ale to finish on.

Cowaramup Brewery

Situated down in Cowaramup, in a rural location on North Treeton Road, Cowaramup Brewing Company is a delight. Open every day, from 11am to 6pm, serving a range of quality handcrafted ales and lagers.

Again, the flight is the way to go. Getting to taste each of the Cowaramup Pilsener, Hefeweizen, Lightsign Summer Ale, Special Pale Ale, India Pale Ale and Cowaramup Chocolate Porter, leaves you wondering which one you will try a pint of. Just as long as you are not the “skipper”, and that someone else is in charge of the car keys.

Something for Everyone

The Margaret River region really has something for everyone. Now that the borders to West Australia have been relaxed this beautiful area, of natural beauty, and world class food and wine, should be top of your 2021 bucket list.

With so much still to explore, we have already booked a return visit for January. See you there?