PHA NGA BAY & KO LANTA

After weeks of travel all over Southeast Asia, with lots of movement and a pretty hectic schedule, we spent a week with friends sailing from Phuket around Pha Nga Bay, in the Andaman Sea. It was a very relaxing time, and a lot of fun. We stopped at Ko Hong, Railay, Had Khlong Dai (Ko Lanta), Hat Khlong Chak (Ko Lanta), Ko Phi Phi Don, Ko Phi Phi Leh, and one night off Phuket. These are not the most unknown corners of southern Thailand, but it was beautiful and fun, and we had one of the best meals of the trip at Ma Ma Klong in Rawai on Phuket. I took a "break" and let my professional friends take most of the pictures, but here are a few. After soaking up the sun, it was time for some wild times in Bangkok... coming soon.

Spectacular kayaking at Ko Hong, where we spent the second night.

One of our favorite spots, on the southern end of Ko Lanta. Pretty, quiet, and lush.

Ko Phi Phi Don, beautiful but crowded.

Above is Ko Phi Phi Leh, where The Beach was filmed. It was crowded and Maya Bay, tucked inside this dramatic island, was filled with loud tourist boats during the day. Luckily we were able to stay the night after most people left. I slept out on the deck, under the stars, and at sunrise kayaked in to the famous beach. We were some of the first people on the shore and saw schools of fish, a shark, and had a quiet time swimming in the electric blue water of one of most beautiful places I have ever seen. We departed at 9am as the hoards arrived. Our captain lamented that this spot had been "discovered." Crowded or not, it was special.

MIAMI MOOD

Down to Miami for Art Basel. Of course, I didn't see as much art as I would have liked...

... but did get to enjoy some stone crab and the (relatively) warm weather of Florida in December.

The Standard Hotel sits on Biscayne Bay, a quieter spot than the other hotels on the Collins/ Ocean Drive strip.

The classic beachfront Miami Beach deco hotel: the Raleigh. One of my favorite interiors in town.

LOS ANGELES

It has been a long, fun, hot summer... with few posts.  We had a couple more trips away, to Maine, upstate, Cape Cod, and were lucky enough to get to end the summer in the sunniest of places, Los Angeles.

It is official: I love LA.  I like the weather, the architecture, the landscape, the food, the proximity to family, even the driving.  While I hatch my plan to get back to California, from whence I came, enjoy the highlights of my week of in our future place of residence:

First of all, Joans on Third is reason enough to want to move.  Above, the cheese counter.  This is where I would eat lunch every day if I lived out there.

Second: the Santa Monica Farmer's Market.  It makes the Union Square market look like a supermarket in 1970's Stalingrad.

Third, and most important... proximity to my family.  I spent a couple days down in San Clemente as well.

SPT DAY 37, 37 AGAIN, & 38-42: PAPEETE AND BORA BORA

Miles flown so far: 21,254

As a result of airline tickets purchased with mileage points, the attached blackout dates and other limitations, we were "forced" to stay 5 nights in French Polynesia on the way home.  We made the most of it by booking some time on Bora Bora: that magical, quasi-imaginary place of exotic paradise lost in the South Pacific.  This concept rings less true in the rainy season, when we were there.  We flew into Papeete, the capital of French Polynesia and the largest city on Tahiti.  We didn't see much of the city, but the airport cafeteria and the Tahiti Airport Motel (our layover for one night) were two things best avoided.

 

The tiny flight to Bora Bora the next morning took off into sheets of rain like I have never seen.  The waters parted in time for landing, and I was able to get a shot of the island and its resorts.

Almost every moment of our time on the island it rained, or was cloudy, or was cloudy and rainy.  Besides that, however, you could see what a special, beautiful place this was.  The colors of the water, sky and sand were otherworldly.

Our one good sunset.

And a rainbow!

The time we spent in Bora Bora was an unexpected luxurious addition to an already spectacular trip.  I am so glad we were able to experience it, even in the rain.  That said, I made some mistakes when arranging the trip that I wish I could have changed.  Staying at a resort on Bora Bora is not a good introduction to Polynesian culture and cuisine, and I knew that it would not be.  It is one of the most spectacular islands in the world, and the idealized version of the South Pacific (which is why all those resorts are there).  I will admit I wanted to fulfil the fantasy of an over water bungalow looking out over an azure lagoon.  I got this, and it was romantic and private and wonderful, despite the rain.  Beyond the room and the surroundings, I wish we hadn't felt so trapped at our specific resort.  The food was terrible and overpriced.  If our time in French Polynesia had not been such a tack-on to the planning of our entire trip, I wish we could have seen some of the less inhabited islands and sought out a more authentic experience.  I watched the No Reservations episode about French Polynesia and it seemed so much more interesting than the country we visited: eating food caught yourself in a breezy locally-built bungalow with no electricity looking out at several other uninhabited islands under thousands of stars.  In short, becasue of our hasty planning and limited time, our Polynesian fantasy was not fully realized, but it was a relaxing and peaceful stay, nonetheless.

A nice end to an epic journey to the other side of the world... and I really feel ready to go home!

SPT DAYS 28 & 29: KAIKOURA PENINSULA

Just 40 minutes outside of lush, hilly Picton the landscape flattens out and opens up to fields and vineyards.  We stopped for lunch at the Twelve Trees restaurant at the Allen Scott Winery in Blenheim.

The pretty buildings of the winery were made using rammed earth construction.

I started with a little tasting plate of wild duck and rabbit rillettes, cured salmon and pickled grapes.

A fresh beef carpaccio was a great main course with a glass of the 2008 Moorlands Marlborough Sauvignon Blanc.

After lunch we set out again for the coast, and the landscape turned grassy and hilly... then the electric blue ocean appeared.

The South Island's east coast.

We arrived in the little town of Kaikoura on the peninsula of the same name just in time for an afternoon whale watching expedition.  We were told it was a great day to see a whale, and that Whale Watch Kaikoura had a 95% success rate in spotting whales, sharks, albatross and other wildlife.  The deep water trench just off the coast means that groups of Sperm Whales are consistently congregating in the area.  I couldn't wait!  Just before we boarded the boat, a fog rolled in.

By the time we made it out over the trench, the fog reduced visibility to near nothing.  The captain used this funny device to search sonically for whales below the surface.  He would listen carefully, then rush to the ship's control room and we would zip off into the gray abyss.  This process was repeated 10 or so times over the course of two hours.

This was pretty much what we saw while whale watching in Kaikoura.

The next day was windy and rainy, so no second attempt was made to see a whale.  I was determined to see some of Kaikoura's famed wild life, however, and dragged by boyfriend into the driving rain for a hike around the peninsula.

Most everything we saw was trying to hide from the rain.  At first I was sure this was a penguin, but my boyfriend insisted it was not.  

This seal was also unamused by the rain, and by our inquisitiveness.  Signs warning to stay at least 10 meters away from the seals were loosely interpreted (who can convert metric on the spot like that?) and we got a nasty warning growl to get the hell away.  By the end of the walk the sun came out for a bit, and we could say we experienced some of the local nature, even if it was just a cranky seal and not a Sperm Whale.

Our hotel about 10 minutes south of town was the best we have stayed in here in New Zealand. The Hapuku Lodge and Tree Houses are built with locally sourced materials high on supports to maximize views of the ocean and snow capped mountains on either side.  It was some of the most interesting, unique and sensitive architecture I have seen on this trip.

Unfortunately the tree houses were booked, but our room in the main lodge was very nice as well.  One problem with the place: they were in the process of installing a pool and expanding the grounds and landscaping.  All of this looked like it was going to be beautiful when it was completed, but in the meantime we were surrounded by a construction pit.  The service was good, the architecture great, the decor very nice, and the views beyond the gravel and cement mixers breathtaking... it just would have been nice to have all those gorgeous local plants to frame everything.  Also, and it is a small thing, but every hotel in the world should be obliged to mail postcards for their guests instead of sending them to find the post office in town.  It is just good service.

Another highlight of the hotel, and our trip, was the food.  Here is the duck liver pate.

The main course of rack of lamb.

And my strawberry balsamic tart for dessert.  

While so much of New Zealand's food is sourced locally, you aren't really made aware of that fact unless you ask.  Curious, because in the states and the UK, and even Australia, a dish's provenance is touted and the locavore obsession means foods that are obtained nearby are often priced at a premium.  In New Zealand, I think because of its isolation, it only makes sense to source locally.  Why would anyone go through the trouble of doing it any other way?  Lucky them.