Trivia Night at The Doncaster

Just around the corner from our place is The Doncaster Hotel. As I mentioned in a previous post, in a lot of cases the label Hotel often has nothing to do with the existence of rooms, and I don't think are any to be found here; however, there are a few bars, a small casino, pool tables, and a restaurant.

The restaurant has an amazing dinner deal Sunday through Thursday nights. They offer an $11 cook-your-own steak dinner with salad bar You choose from a very decent selection steaks or chicken, that you grill up on a BBQ. The potato wedges with sweet chilli and sour cream are also fantastic. I'm really not sure why we haven't been eating here once a week.

This past Tuesday night, after Kate and G and I had a delicious steak dinner, Kate and I decided to stay for their weekly trivia night. Playing trivia in a foreign country is definitely interesting. Really, there's nothing like it to make you feel your own ignorance. Let's face it, Americans in particular are pretty oblivious to the goings-on of the rest of the world. I thought I was doing well because I'd learned the current and previous Prime Ministers (Kevin Rudd, preceded by John Howard) and I was starting to get a good amount of the early history down too. But the current leader of the green party??? Sorry, too soon. (But the answer is Bob Brown . . . I know you were dying to know.) And the sports questions . . . I mean, I don't think I'll ever understand cricket.

Kate and I had a great time laughing at ourselves, though. Considering that there were just two of us, and most teams had four or more players, and given our light disadvantage, I think we did pretty well. We didn't come in last! Yay!!! We may have had a little help from Andrew, the very personable MC. I think he was kind of amused by us, although also a little confused as to why a couple of American chicks would show up to trivia at local bar. He may have thrown a few pity points our way. Something tells me that when you go on Sydney's 7 Bridges Walk, you don't actually pass Beau, Jeff, and Nash. (For the record, the correct answers would be: the Sydney Harbour, Pyrmont, Anzac, Iron Cove, Gladsville, Taraban Creek, and the Fig Tree Bridges. ) But hey, I'll take the points for “creativity.”

Thanks for the help Andrew!

And I repeat – We did not come in last! Actually, not even second to last. I think that's reason enough to celebrate!

These random little guys were on a wall. I just thought they were funny.

Open Day at the Opera House

This past Sunday, the Sydney Opera House held an Open Day. Just like last time, it decided to pour on this trip as well. Still, Kate, Day, and I decided to brave the downpour in order to get a glimpse of the Opera Houses' many venues. (Poor G was studying hard at home.)

Tours are offered every day, but this seemed like a good way to avoid the fee. Of course, the trade-offs were that there was no tour guide to give us the background and historical info -- although there were signs providing the broad strokes-- and we had to work our way through the long lines. We hoped that because it was raining there would be fewer people; but it turned out that many other people were of the same mind, and the cues were still pretty long. Luckily, they moved really quickly and they had many costumed characters weaving through the masses to provide entertainment.

The event was set up so that visitors could see the Opera House via three different tours. The first allowed you see the Utzon Room (dedicated to the Opera House's architect, John Utzon), as well as the two main venues – the Opera Theatre and the Concert Hall, where we saw the symphony. The second tour gave you a glimpse behind the scenes, weaving through the scenery dock, the backstage and administration areas, the rehearsal spaces, and the Green Room --- which has a very nice bar. I'm kind of jealous of those performers. The third tour took you through the small performance venues: The Studio, The Playhouse, and The Drama Theatre. They set up small performances throughout all the tours to entertain and give a glimpse of how things might be during performances and rehearsal periods. Despite the lines, we managed to make it through all three tours.

It's a beautiful and impressive complex. More than anything, it really made miss my days of working in the theatre in college. Single tear. * Sniff * *Sniff*


I've set up my flickr set so that you can follow the same route we took. Lighting was not on my side, however, so there are some blurry pics in there.

Go to my flickr set to get picture details.

Or, of course, you can go back to G's shots from symphony day.

Surf Attempts: Buying a board, Narrabeen, and Maroubra Beach

Carla, Maria, Me, and Ainsley

I bought a surf board about three weeks after we arrived in Australia. The next day it started raining and didn't stop for two and half weeks. On top of that, I had an annoying cold, the tail end of which kept sticking around like an unwelcome guest. This all has hampered my goal of learning to surf during my stay here.

I'm quite determined. As soon as we got settled, I started asking around about good places to get a board. Adrian, one of the other exchange students, told me about a little surf shop in Bronte called Point Break Wetsuits and Surfboards. After shopping around a bit, I ended up buying a giant yellow foam board from a very loquacious bloke named Woody. He speaks under his breath a bit, and I sometimes had a bit of trouble understanding his accent, but he has stories to spare. In the two times I met him I heard all about his days as a professional surfer, his volunteer work in South America, his work with gang rehabilitation in Los Angeles, and the amazing mural the gang members painted for him in his onetime home in Santa Barbara. I have to say, if you've got the time, the man seems to have had a very interesting life and he set me up quite well with everything I needed at a fair price. I excitedly lugged my giant new behemoth of a board home – o.k., at 7'5” it really isn't giant for a surfboard at all, it just seems that way when you're hauling it around on the bus. There it sat for weeks.

I didn't get a chance to get in the water until last weekend. Thais, the petite Brazilian that coordinates the exchange program at AGSM, organized a beach day in Narrabeen, one of the beaches north of Sydney. Luckily, it was a gorgeous day. Finally! As part of the trip, she arranged for an optional surf lesson -- I figured I could definitely use a refresher course. We all met up at Powerlinez Surf Shop and a fabulous surfer chick named Elle lead us out to the beach and walked us through the basics. Afterward, she and her her two assistants tried to launch us into the waves. They weren't great for learning, but by then end I managed to get up for about five seconds at a time, once or twice.

Among the other people taking lessons are two of my new friends, Carla and Maria. I'm hoping one of them will take to it so that I'll have surf buddy. Actually, Maria's husband Peter is hoping the same, and he forgoes surfing himself to watch their ridiculously adorable three-year old twins while she takes the lesson.

After surfing, the troops move to another beach for a BBQ. By this point I'm starving! The men go to work at the grill, and the girls sit and chat. Two of the guys, Stefan and his friend Laurence, brought kangaroo to BBQ. I have been really curious about kangaroo meat, so they let me try a bit. It's definitely gamey and bit chewy, but it's actually pretty tasty.

OMG! They're crazy cute!

Most of the group decided to head back to Sydney after lunch, but a small group of us staid back to enjoy the rest of the gorgeous day. Stefan and Laurence head back to the water to give surfing another go, and by the end of the day they're doing awesome. I'm kind of jealous, but it's windy and I had just dried off, so I hung out with G and the rest of the group on the beach.

At the end of the day, Laurence drives the remaining crew back to the city in his amazing camper van.

I'm thinking of getting one of these vans for myself!

Later that week, I met up with Peter and Maria at Maroubra Beach for another beach day. We didn't really check on the tides before going, and this time when I try to paddle out I kind of resemble a buoy – I paddle and paddle, but pretty much just stay in one place. Meanwhile, Peter, who only took up surfing when he arrived here a couple months ago, is nearing professional status. That might be a slight exaggeration, but he's getting really good and I'm jealous. It may have to do with the fact that he's been going out nearly everyday. Ah, well. After a long while of attempting to paddle and going nowhere, Maria and I took a break and chatted while picnicking on the beach. I might not have had much luck surfing, but it was a gorgeous day!

So now I feel I've got momentum. I got out there, now I just need to practice more. I wrestled a promise out from G that he'll take a break from an incredibly busy week to come out with me to the beach. (See Dad, I'm at least trying to not go practice by myself.) YAY!

Then it started raining again! Foiled again! But, I'll have my way yet . . . Like I said, I'm determined.

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Mamak: A Malaysian Roti Feast

I have a new indulgence to pine over, and it's name is roti.

Last weekend, we got together for dinner with some friends from AGSM. Matthias, G's assigned buddy, organized the evening. It was a small group; also, present were Matt's girlfriend Laura and Max, who is also here as part of the exchange program.

Matthias had heard rave reviews about a small Malaysian place in Haymarket called Mamak. I was thrilled because while I love Southeast Asian cuisines, I'm not that familiar with Malaysian specifically. We arrive early at around 6:30 p.m., but the place is already bustling and the cue is growing.

It's not terribly long before we're seated and it's just as packed inside as it is outside. We're quite cozy at our table, however, once we navigate the menu and place our order, the food arrives promptly. Actually, our waitress warns us to wait to place the second half of our order, lest our small table be overwhelmed by all the food. It's a good suggestion.

The menu cover declares that this is a satay and roti place, and they know what they're talking about. We order two types of rotis and some satay to start with. The traditional roti canai varies texturally a bit from the Indian roti I've tried in the past. They are thin and delicately crispy crepes that become slightly thicker and fluffier in parts. The way they're stacked on the plate gives them the appearance of a delicious fried blossom.

Our next order is the roti telur bawang. This one has eggs and onions mixed in, so it's thicker and a bit chewier. A roti-omlette hybrid, if you will. Both are served with a very spicy chili sauce called sambal and two delicious curry sauces on the side – one mild, and one with a touch of heat.

Not a great picture, but the roti telur bawang is on the left, and roti canai is on the right.

I'm used to Thai satay, and while I love it, I've grown a little bored with it. However, the rest of the table wanted them and I certainly would never turn it down, so we got the largest order offered. It wasn't what I was expecting. Yes, there were chicken skewers and sauce, but the sauce was very different from the Thai peanut sauce. First off, this sauce was a bright red color. It was chunky, tangier, a little less peanut intensive, and more complex than the satay sauces I've had in the past. I couldn't place all the flavors, but this had some chilli in and there might have been some ginger and something imparting a slight onion flavor; tamarind also seems to be a common ingredient in the Malaysian recipes I've been looking at online, so that's also a possibility. The chicken skewers were small, but tender and flavorful, with nice crispy, charred patches.

Malaysian Chicken Satay

Sadly, our mains weren't as stellar as the rotis and the satay. The kari ayam has a very flavorful curry, but the chicken pieces stewed in the sauce were bony, a little gristly, and rather lacking in meat. Next up was th mee goreng, a noodle dish with pieces of fish cakes, prawns, and eggs tossed in. It's fine, but nothing special – although I do like the fish cake bits. Finally, we order the Malaysian fried chicken, ayam goreng. This was the star of the mains. The herbs and spices the chicken is marinated in give it a beautiful reddish color. The skin is perfectly crispy, and the flavors permeate it down to the meat. It's very good.

Roti tisu

We jump back to the roti menu for dessert. They all look awesome, so we order two from the sweet offerings to split amongst the group. The roti tisu kept catching our eyes as orders were taken to surrounding tables during dinner. The presentation is rather impressive. It kind of looks like a tall, crispy, dunce hat. Our waitress recommend we have it with condensed milk. My childhood memories of summers in Venezuela are filled with topping things with condensed milk, so you will never hear me turn it down.

Roti kaya

For our second dessert roti, our waitress recommends the roti kaya with ice-cream. This pancake is filled with a spread made of coconut and pandan. None of us are familiar with pandan, so our waitress explains that it's a leaf from which flavoring is extracted. This roti is a little thicker and toothsome, and the spread is subtly sweet. Heavenly. We're stuffed but had to hold back from ordering another. Rave reviews all around!

Full and Happy! G, Max, Laura, and Matthias.

The Rocks and The Rocks Markets

Sydney – and really Australia as whole – is a place that has reinvented itself a few times over. The Rocks is probably the best place to get to know that history. Nowadays, it's filled with cafes and bars, but this is pretty much where it all began. This is where the first eleven ships carrying the first wave of convict-colonists decided to settle in 1788. They set up the first jail here and eventually it became Australia's first settlement. It is very easy to see the evolution of the country while walking around here. You can see the skyscrapers of the CBD rising above the historical buildings of The Rocks, or look across the Harbour from Campbell's Cove for a beautiful view of the Sydney Opera House.

Situated just west of Circular Quay, it is lovely to just wander around the cobblestone streets and feel yourself transported to another time. I have happily done that a few times, but ultimately the nerd in me wanted the historical details. Plenty of tours are offered of the area, however, I decided I wanted to roam around at my leisure and I opted to take myself on self-guided walking tour. For the most part, I followed the guide outlined in Sydney's Best Bush, Park and City Walks, but it's also easy to find one online. (Here is one other guide I found.)

The Rocks Discovery Museum is a great place to start a tour of this area. This compact little museum is slightly hidden down a tiny alley, but it's well worth finding it. Their exhibits quickly give you an overview of the history of The Rocks starting from when it was the homeland of the Cadigal people, to the establishment of the first British settlement, its growth as a working-class neighborhood and slum, and ultimately its conversion to the historical site it is today. They give you stories of the people who've lived here and how some of them were also able to reinvent themselves. It takes no time at all to make it though the whole place, and it's free to boot.

Once I've thoroughly covered the exhibits, I head out to find Cadman's Cottage, one of the oldest buildings in Sydney. The tiny house has served many purposes throughout it's history, but for a long stretch of time it was the home of John Cadman, who was convicted for stealing a horse. However, he went on to the have a very respectable career as a coxswain for the government and was eventually pardoned. I love the comeback stories.

After I leave the cottage, I just wander up and down the streets. There are little alleyways and staircases leading to hidden gems everywhere. For example, there is a tiny nondescript doorway in between two small shops in Argyle Terrace. Go through and you're in a passageway that will lead you to a narrow staircase that winds up the back of some lovely terraces.

Keep moving up the staircase and you come out on Gloucester Walk. Wind around this peaceful little lane and another staircase will bring you down to the Argyle Cut, a tunnel that was dug by convicts to connect The Rocks with other parts of the city. It used to be a gangster hideout, but today it's just a lovely passageway with green vines creeping out from between the stones.

The tunnel opens up to more quaint old buildings and trails leading up to The Sydney Observatory, which sits on top of a hill looking over the entire city. They do charge to go into the Observatory itself, but visitors are welcome to walk around the park that surrounds it free of charge. It's definitely worth the short hike up the hill, as the views are simply spectacular!

You can follow my entire route via the slideshow:

For all the details on the route, complete with descriptions of the sites, click through the set on my flickr page.

The sites in the area are great as is, but every weekend you can also catch The Rocks Markets. To be honest, I wasn't as in love with this market as I was with Paddington's, but it definitely has ambiance and it's just so easy to work into a day of sightseeing and to get some crafty souvenirs. I picked up a cookbook here from a very enthusiastic gentleman who let me taste all kinds of goodies at his gourmet foods booth. (Cookbooks are one of my favorite souvenirs -- I like to try to recreate the tastes of the place I've visited at home.) As an added bonus, A Taste of the Bush: Rainforest to Table also came with a selection of native Australian spices.

On Fridays there is a condensed version of the market on Argyle Street featuring mostly prepared foods, along with some fresh foods and crafts. The day I did my walking tour I fueled up for my trek here with another Turkish gozleme, and I returned to wind down the afternoon with a nice cup of tea.

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Diversity Dinners: La Cumbia

Every Friday night the AGSM crowd gets together at a different restaurant for their Diversity Dinners. Despite the fact that this is right up my alley, I didn't make it to one until this past week.

This dinner was at a place called La Cumbia that serves Spanish, Mexican, and Colombian food -- that's quite a variety. I have to say I was quite intrigued to see what Mexican food would be like in Oz -- I've heard that for most part it is far from awesome. I guess that's to be expected. The fajitas here looked ok -- passable but lacking in flair.

Of all things, I ended up opting for a Bandeja Paisa. This is a dish very typical of Medellin and the state it's in, Antioquia. The owners are Colombian and it definitely shows as my dinner was much more authentic than the Mexican options. I have to admit, it's nicer -- not to mention cheaper -- to eat this very hearty dish at roadside restaurant in the hills outside Medellin, but this definitely hits the spot if you're missing Latin American while down under.

I forgot to a take picture of my dinner, so I've borrowed one. This is close to the version served at a Cumbia,

It's also worth noting that the margaritas here were surprisingly good considering this is a very small mom and pop joint.

The thing that makes this place a real find though, is that they have a small shop section in the back. You can buy various types of ready-made arepas and tortillas, fresh cheeses, and loads of canned goods that are surprisingly hard to find at the grocery stores. I came away with several cans of black beans, chipotle peppers, Harina Pan, and dulce de leche. I realize you're probably thinking, 'Really? You're excited about black beans and chipotle peppers?' Well, all I'm saying is that you don't know how much you rely on some things until they're not available. Another girl from Texas and I were both pretty much beside ourselves with joy to be able get our hands on this stuff.

Oh, Goya! Who knew you would be so missed?!

Sydney's CBD

As far cities go, Sydney is lovely. If LA is the stand-offish girl that plays hard to get -- now you know I love LA, but she definitely makes you work to get to know her -- then Sydney seems like a charming hostess graciously welcoming you into her house. Everything is conveniently arranged, seemingly setup just for the ease of tourists. So many attractions are located in either Darling Harbor, Circular Quay, or the Rocks, and when you tire of museums just walk a few steps inland and you have the rest of Downtown to stroll through.

The Central Business District has the hustle and bustle of New York -- albeit in a more condensed area. The architecture in the CBD is a wonderful mix of old and new. Colonial and Victorian buildings are set against a backdrop of modern skyscrapers. A walk down George Street will take you past many of of the most notables sites. The first stop is Sydney's beautifully ornate Town Hall. In fact, it's is so ornate that it has sometimes been called the 'wedding cake' building. Interestingly, it was built on the site of an old cemetery -- a very uncouth beginning for it's High Victorian glamour. It retains it's stately purpose, however, as it continues to be the seat of local city government.

Sharing the same square as Town Hall is St. Andrew's Anglican Cathedral . The already lovely Gothic Revival building, with it's beautiful stained glass windows, is warmed by the many trees and flowers decorating this plaza.

If it's possible to get anymore lavish, just walk up George Street about a block to hit the Queen Victoria Building. This is a massive Romanesque building taking up a long city block. It started life as shopping center, then fell into disrepair, but was ultimately restored to it's original purpose. According to many of the guides, Pierre Cardin called the QVB "the most beautiful shopping centre in the world," and with it's grand domes and intricate stained glass windows, it very well might be.

If you're looking for high-end shopping, this would be a good place to start. Inside you find one designer name after another. Unfortunately, the shopping here is too rich for my blood, so I just content myself with taking in the scenery.

If you want to keep walking or shopping, just keep heading North. Further up George Street and on the surrounding blocks you'll find all kinds of shops, from the posh to low-end souvenirs and chotchkies. You'll eventually hit Martin Place, an out door mall of sorts spanning a few blocks. Just spin around to get a variety of different architectural styles -- or just collapse on a bench a take a breather.

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