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The Selfish Years

~ Over 200 cities, 42 countries, 6 continents and counting.

The Selfish Years

Monthly Archives: July 2013

The Whacky Pelicans of Kangaroo Island

31 Wednesday Jul 2013

Posted by misterselfish in Australia, Oceania

≈ 1 Comment

Tags

Australia, Kangaroo Island, Kingscote, Pelican, Sealink, Selfish Year, Selfish Years

Kangaroo Island (or KI as it is called by Australians) is a small-ish island located 2 hours south of Adelaide that is famous for its wildlife: wallabies, seals, sea lions, penguins, and of course kangaroos.

Mrs. Selfish and I ended up spending 2 nights in Kangaroo Island, and surprisingly only saw one wild kangaroo (crossing the street, oddly enough). We did, however, see loads of crazy Australian Pelicans.

Utterly. Crazy-looking.

Unlike their North American cousins, Australian pelicans have some peculiar properties – for instance, apparently they can’t dive underwater, they just float. They can also contort their bills into all sorts of shapes.

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The Delicious Wines in Barossa Valley and McLaren Vale Near Adelaide

30 Tuesday Jul 2013

Posted by mrsselfish in Australia, Food & Drinks, Oceania

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Adelaide, Australia, Barossa Valley, Battle of Bosworth, Foggo, Food & Drinks, Jacob's Creek, Lehmann, McLaren Vale, Minko, Oceania, Rockford, Selfish Year, Selfish Years, Seppeltsfield, Willunga Creek, Wine Region, Wineries

South Australia is home to hundreds of vineyards. Although we couldn’t visit them all, Mr. Selfish and I did manage to visit eight of them during our short stay in Adelaide. We visited four wineries in Barossa Valley, which is about 60 km northeast of Adelaide and is known for its red wines. We then visited four wineries in McLaren Vale, which is about 35 km south of Adelaide and is known for its production of shiraz wines.

Alcohol

No, just kidding. Mr. Selfish wasn’t even driving that day.

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Meet and Eat in Adelaide

29 Monday Jul 2013

Posted by mrsselfish in Australia, Food & Drinks, Oceania

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Adelaide, Australia, Cleland, Cleland Wildlife Park, Emu, Food & Drinks, Kangaroo, Meet and Eat, Oceania, Red Ochre, Selfish Year, Selfish Years

Mr. Selfish and I spent three lovely evenings in Adelaide, which is a coastal city in South Australia. One of Mr. Selfish’s friends from grad school, Greg, and his wife, Tanya, graciously showed us around and introduced us to the concept of the “meet and eat.” It requires two steps: (1) you meet animals and then (2) you eat the animals from step 1.

Step 1: Meeting the Animals

For step 1, we visited the Cleland Wildlife Park. We purchased the feed for $3 a bag and started meeting and feeding the animals we would later devour.

Meet and Eat 02Meet and Eat 03

We met quite a few emus, which are large flightless birds. They are similar to ostrich in size and taste. Mmmmmm…delicious!

Meet and Eat 16

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Quite Possibly Australia’s Best Brekkies

28 Sunday Jul 2013

Posted by misterselfish in Australia, Food & Drinks, Oceania, Tasmania

≈ 1 Comment

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Australia, Machine Laundry Cafe, Oceania, Selfish Year, Selfish Years, Tasmania, Zum

Australia doesn’t have a whole lot of native foods – vegemite, anzac biscuits, aussie pies, and kangaroo steaks are part of a pretty short list of foods that originated down under.

The delicious Salmanca side of Hobart – home to many tasty breakfasts!

That being said, Australia does some pretty amazing takes on food staples – like adding beetroot to burgers. It sounds strange, but man is it tasty. Another food that Australia really excels at? Brekky.

With that in mind Mrs. Selfish and I set out to find the tastiest breakfasts that Hobart had to offer.

Zum – A great place for Ricotta Hotcakes

Our first stop was at Zum restaurant, which is located just off the wharf near the Salmanca market area of Hobart. Zum has a pleasant, neighborhood café kind of feel to it, and was packed with natives when we stepped in Sunday morning.

I ordered the Ricotta Hot Cakes ($17 AUD) while Mrs. Selfish tucked into the Trio of Mushrooms ($18 AUD).

The Ricotta Hot Cakes were served in a berry compote, with syrup and king island cream. The hot cakes were light and fluffy, and the king island cream was lighter than butter while adding a crucial moistening component. The real star of the show, however, was the berry compote, which was sweet, tart, and fruity all at once. For my money, the cakes were even better than Bill’s in Sydney!

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Inside the MONA, the World’s Strangest Museum

27 Saturday Jul 2013

Posted by misterselfish in Australia, Oceania, Tasmania

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Australia, Mona, Oceania, Selfish Year, Selfish Years, Tasmania

Mrs. Selfish and I have been to dozens of museums throughout the course of our Selfish Year. The British Museum. The Louvre. The Trick Eye Museum in Seoul. The Sydney Modern Art Museum. The Port Arthur Museum. None of these could prepare us for Hobart’s Museum of Old and New Art.

The MONA was built and owned by David Walsh, Tasmania’s millionaire gambler, who earned his fortune by developing his own horse racing gambling techniques. The museum opened in January 2011 and holds hundreds of pieces, ranging from ancient Egyptian pieces, to modern art pieces showcasing the work of Madonna, to a machine that simulates the human digestive system and poops twice a day.

It’s fun. It’s shocking. It’s thought-provoking. It’s cutting-edge. In Walsh’s own words it’s the “subversive Disney World for adults.”

Even the building is awesome.

Getting there and tickets

The Mona has a ferry that departs from the dock area of Hobart. To visitors that haven’t done any online research, the ferry is probably the first indication that this isn’t your typical museum.

Ferry-goers have two options for tickets. A $20 normal round trip ticket, or the $50 posh-pit option. Guess which one we chose.

Boo yeah.

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Fancy Dining in Ol’ Hobart

26 Friday Jul 2013

Posted by misterselfish in Australia, Food & Drinks, Oceania, Tasmania

≈ 4 Comments

Tags

Australia, Gargistes, Henry Jones Art Hotel, Henry's Harbourside, Hobart, Oceania, Selfish Year, Selfish Years, Tasmania

Mrs. Selfish and I ended our 6-day stint through Tasmania in Hobart, Tasmania’s largest city in Tasmania. That being said, it is a small city at just over 220,000 people. It is also a stunning city.

A common theme we noticed while wandering around Australia is that food is excellent. Even your worst meal is destined to be pretty good. I imagine this has to do with the size of the country, and the freshness of local food.

Tasmania takes that to the extreme. Everything is local. Every is fresh. Everything is delicious.

Staying at the Henry Jones Art Hotel

First we needed a place to stay. Since it was my birthday we decided to splurge and grab a room at the Henry Jones Art Hotel. Located near the harbor, the Henry Jones is a great jumping off point for some amazing meals – and is also close to the MONA ferry and Salamanca Market.

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The Cruel and Beautiful Port Arthur

25 Thursday Jul 2013

Posted by mrsselfish in Australia, Oceania, Tasmania

≈ 1 Comment

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Australia, Hobart, Oceania, Penal Colony, Port Arthur, Selfish Year, Selfish Years, Tasmania

While we still had the car, Mr. Selfish and I visited Port Arthur, which is the former convict settlement on Tasmania. From 1833 until 1853, Port Arthur was a penal colony for the hardest of British criminals. In fact, in order to get into Port Arthur, you had to be a secondary offender that reoffended after coming to Australia.

Even though it was a penal colony, Port Arthur has a beautiful setting. It is set on a verdant peninsula, which is probably more cruel than anything.

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Savoring the Wine, Cheese, Berries, and Oysters in Tasmania

24 Wednesday Jul 2013

Posted by mrsselfish in Australia, Food & Drinks, Oceania, Tasmania

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Australia, Barilla Bar, Barilla Oysters, Food & Drinks, Holy Cow Cafe, Josef Chromy, Kate's Berry Farm, Oceania, Pyengana, Selfish Year, Selfish Years, Tasmania, Velo

Mr. Selfish and I were surprised at the quality of food in Tasmania. Everything that we ate was simply delicious. Since Tassie is an island, the vast majority of the food is local, which means that everything that you eat is fresh and in season.

The first stops we made were at two wineries in Tamar Valley. On our way from Hobart to Rosevears, we stopped at the Josef Chromy winery (370 Relbia Road, Relbia 7258) for lunch and a wine tasting.

Tassie 010Tassie 034

We enjoyed a yummy saffron soup, greens, and a salmon and fenugreek risotto. We also had a wine tasting. Tamar Valley is known for its white wines, which me and Mr. Selfish adore. We restrained ourselves and only purchased one bottle of the Sauvignon Blanc.

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Tasmania’s Amazing East Coast Sights

23 Tuesday Jul 2013

Posted by misterselfish in Australia, Oceania, Tasmania

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Australia, Bay of Fires, Oceania, Selfish Year, Selfish Years, Tasmania, Wineglass Bay

Since Mrs. Selfish and I were visiting Tasmania during Australia’s Winter, we decided to hit Tasmania’s East Coast. Not only is the weather rather temperate for winter (we only experienced temperatures reaching the mid-40’s), but the coast is full of many naturally gorgeous sights.

Like the Bay of Fires.

So beautiful.

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The Outstanding Wildlife in Tasmania: Wombats, Wallabies, Platypi, and Echindas

22 Monday Jul 2013

Posted by mrsselfish in Australia, Oceania, Tasmania

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Australia, Beauty Point, Launceston, Narawntapu National Park, Oceania, Platypus House, Rosevears, Seahorse World, Selfish Year, Selfish Years, Tasmania

Mr. Selfish and I spent a wonderful six nights in Tasmania, which is the little island off of the southern coast of Australia. We loved Tassie the most out of all the areas that we visited in Australia.

To get to Tassie, we took a short flight from Sydney to Hobart. We then rented a car since it’s difficult to get around otherwise. Here’s our six day itinerary, which was well-suited for the rainy winter weather we had at the time: Hobart to Launceston to St. Helens (near the Bay of Fires) to Swansea (near Wineglass Bay/Freycinet National Park) to Port Arthur to Hobart.

Tasmania

Next time, we’ll definitely hit up Cradle Mountain and some of the western portions of Tassie. And we’ll make sure that we go in the summer, instead of the dead of winter.

Upon our arrival in Tassie, we immediately drove to Rosevears, which is a little town outside of Launceston and about a 2.5 hour drive from Hobart. We spent two nights at a wonderful airbnb rental.

Narawntapu National Park

Our primary reason for staying in Rosevears was to visit Narawntapu National Park. The park is known as the “Serengeti of Tasmania” due to its abundant wildlife. I especially wanted to see wombats, which are stout little marsupials resembling teddy bears. I was not disappointed.

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Port Douglas: More than Just the Great Barrier Reef

21 Sunday Jul 2013

Posted by mrsselfish in Australia, Oceania

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Australia, Cairns, Great Barrier Reef, Mossman Gorge, Oceania, Port Douglas, Queensland, Selfish Year, Selfish Years, Wildlife Habitat

Mr. Selfish and I dove for two consecutive days at the Great Barrier Reef. We then had to spend another day in Port Douglas in order to decompress for at least 18 hours.

Holding a Koala & Feeding the Roos at Wildlife Habitat

I had heard that Queensland was one of the few states in Australia that you could hold a koala, as opposed to just standing next to one. I learned that you could indeed cuddle with a koala at the Wildlife Habitat (Port Douglas Rd, Port Douglas QLD 4877, Australia), so I dragged Mr. Selfish there.

GBR 01GBR 03GBR 04GBR 06

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YOLO: Diving Six Times at the Great Barrier Reef

20 Saturday Jul 2013

Posted by mrsselfish in Australia, Oceania

≈ 6 Comments

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Agincourt Reef, Australia, Cairns, Calypso, Great Barrier Reef, Oceania, Opal Reef, Poisedon, Port Douglas, Queensland, Selfish Years, The Selfish Years

Mr. Selfish and I became scuba certified in March 2012. One of the primary reasons for our certification was so that we could dive the Great Barrier Reef in Australia. It is practically every diver’s dream to dive at the GBR.

We took a short flight from Sydney to Cairns and then immediately rented a car to drive to Port Douglas, which was our home base for the three days we were in the area. The drive from Cairns to Port Douglas took about an hour and was lovely.

GBR 01GBR 05GBR 06

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The Good and Bad Eats of Bora Bora

19 Friday Jul 2013

Posted by misterselfish in Accommodations, Food & Drinks, French Polynesia, Hilton, Oceania

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Bora Bora, Hilton Bora Bora, Oceania, Selfish Year, Selfish Years

Editor’s note: This is the third of three posts on the Hilton Bora Bora. Check out our other posts here:

  • 5 Nights at the Insanely Beautiful Hilton Bora Bora
  • Fun in Paradise at the Hilton Bora Bora

Like the rest of French Polynesia, Bora Bora has a rich food tradition with heavy French and Chinese influences. Unfortunately, the Hilton maintains the brand’s tradition of serving very average food at marked up prices – so what’s a hapless foodie supposed to do?

Eating at the Hilton Bora Bora – The Bad

The Hilton Bora Bora has three restaurants:

  1. Tamure Grill – serves breakfast and casual meals
  2. Iratai Restaurant – serves Polynesian cuisine or Mediterranean food (i.e. French)
  3. Upa Upa Restaurant – located at the Spa. Serves some sort of mystery cuisine.

After reading flyertalk posts, I figured the hotel food would be mediocre and over-priced. As it turns out, the prices were fairly reasonable (at least by hotel standards).

EATING AT THE TAMUR GRILL

Mrs. Selfish and I ended up eating a few meals at the Tamur Grill before we got wise. Since the menu is the same for lunch and dinner, I’ll post ‘em all here.

The Fish of the Day (2900 XPF – about $31) – a firm white fish served on top of a bed of vegetables with a side of fries and a vanilla sauce. Mrs. Selfish was excited to try the vanilla sauce, which was supposed to be a specialty of the region. Unfortunately, the hotel’s version was simply too sweet – the fish itself was decent, but at $30+ this was pretty disappointing.

VERDICT: Pass

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Fun in Paradise at the Hilton Bora Bora

18 Thursday Jul 2013

Posted by misterselfish in Accommodations, French Polynesia, Hilton, Oceania, Travel Hacking

≈ 1 Comment

Tags

AXON award, Bora Bora, Hilton, Hilton Bora Bora, Oceania, Selfish Year, Selfish Years, Tahiti, Travel Hacking

Editor’s note: This is the second of three posts on the Hilton Bora Bora. Check out our other posts here:

  • 5 Nights at the Insanely Beautiful Hilton Bora Bora
  • The Good and Bad Eats of Bora Bora

Today is a continuation of yesterday’s post on the Hilton Bora Bora. Whereas yesterday I was talking about how to get to this amazing resort, and how beautiful Bora Bora is, today I’ll be discussing what you can actually do there – other than the usual relaxing, eating, and napping, and taking long walks on the beach.

I jest of course, though there are plenty of beaches for strolling if you like that kind of thing. Not those shelly beaches either – these are powdery sandy white beaches!

Diving in Bora Bora

Since Mrs. Selfish and I are both certified divers, we decided a dive in the crystal blue-green waters of Bora Bora was a no-brainer. Unfortunately, options in Bora Bora are pretty limited, with only 4 companies. The 2 larger ones felt a little crowded and impersonal to us, so we ended up going with Dive N’ Smile, which was a one man operation run by Patrick.

Bora Bora - Activities 004

Patrick picked us up promptly from the Hilton and suited us up. Not only was his equipment brand new (and very nice!), but he also had steel tanks, which is not something we’ve never seen before.

Although the reefs around Bora Bora are dead, thanks to a hurricane that ripped it up a few years, there is a ton of wild life! We ended up spotting half a dozen lemon sharks, a giant school of blue-spotted eagle rays, and a couple of very active eels.

DCIM\100GOPROBora Bora - Activities 008Bora Bora - Activities 009DCIM\100GOPRODCIM\100GOPRO

Visibility was great, the animals were amazing, and the equipment and instruction were on point. Overall this was definitely one of our better dive experiences and I would highly recommend Dive N’ Smile. If anyone is thinking of going, shoot Patrick an email at: diveNsmile@mail.pf.

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5 Nights at the Insanely Beautiful Hilton Bora Bora

17 Wednesday Jul 2013

Posted by misterselfish in Accommodations, French Polynesia, Hilton, Oceania, Travel Hacking

≈ 16 Comments

Tags

AXON award, Bora Bora, Hilton, Hilton Bora Bora, Oceania, Selfish Year, Selfish Years, Tahiti, Travel Hacking

Editor’s note: This is the first of three posts on the Hilton Bora Bora. Check out our other posts here:

  • Fun in Paradise at the Hilton Bora Bora
  • The Good and Bad Eats of Bora Bora

After our evening of cold croque monsieurs in Tahiti, Mrs. Selfish and I awoke early the next day and boarded a plane for Bora Bora, one of the most beautiful (and expensive) places on Earth.

Having read good things about the Hilton Bora Bora, I was anxious to check out our new home for 5 nights – an overwater bungalow in some of the most magnificent waters I’d ever seen. I booked the stay before the Hilton Honors great devaluation using an AXON award and an extra night, so the total came to 195,000 HHonors points.

Getting there and check-in

Getting to Tahiti itself can be quite difficult on miles and points, though flyertalk has several threads devoted to the topic as I mentioned yesterday.

Once you’ve reached Tahiti the intra-island flight from to Bora Bora is costly at roughly ~$450 round trip. Air Tahiti Nui has multiple flights a day starting in the early morning and ending mid-evening, but unfortunately none of these accept points or miles, just cold hard cash.

Pro-tip: Sit on the left side of the plane for stellar views of Bora Bora

After landing, you have two options for getting to the Hilton Bora Bora: a) take Hilton’s fancy speedboat to the property for roughly $125 per person round trip, b) take the boat into Viatape (the main town) and then catch Hilton’s boat from there for roughly $8 round trip. While we chose option B, we ended up giving our bags to crew of Hilton’s speedboat, which they brought to the hotel for us. I highly recommend this option.

Getting to Bora Bora proved more difficult than most destinations: with 2 flights to Tahiti, a plane to Bora Bora, a shuttle boat to Viatape, and a boat to the Hilton Bora Bora, but man is it worth it.

Bora Bora is easily the most beautiful beach destination we’ve ever been to, beating out Koh Samui, Bali, Danang, and Cancun. Since Mrs. Selfish and I wanted to maximize our time at the resort, we took a late-morning flight in, and an early evening flight out and boy was I glad we did, the Hilton Bora Bora is gorgeous.

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Mr. and Mrs. Selfish are an obsessively organized couple who sold all their junk to travel abroad for a year. Now settled in San Francisco, they have since visited over 200 cities in 44 countries over 6 continents. This site chronicles their travels.

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