Mongolia - Part 3

Before we get on to the festival, I need to tell you about the gers. We stayed in about 12 different camps, all with shared bathrooms, immaculately clean, meals included and generally very comfortable.

Some had electricity, none have wi-fi, most have beer.

Most beds are really hard but have great blankets

Even the restaurants at the camp were sometimes a ger - check out those gold chairs!

You need to duck to get through the door.

     

The lady in traditional dress came out to greet us with sugared curd (then whipped out of her costume, popped on rubber gloves and started cleaning!). She also 'blessed' the wheels of our vehicle with milk on departure - for a safe journey. They used to bless horses' hoofs.

On our last night we stayed at a camp that had hot springs so we booked a massage after a soak in the pools. What we didn’t expect from the mostly pleasant event was a full-on boob massage and some vigorous head rubbing that wasn’t actually nice L Being in higher, mountainous country, it was quite a bit cooler so our guide offered to light our ger stoves. These are used to warm nomad families in temperatures that get as low as -40C. Seemed like a good idea but I swear our ger went from a coolish 17C to a sauna-esque 47C in about 15 minutes!! We had to leave the door open and stay low to the floor to remain in there. I don’t know how they cope with such extremes.

The frighteningly effective stove.

We also saw a few inappropriate T-shirt, like a 12 year old girl in a village with ‘Shameless’ emblazoned across her chest. At one of the camps, a shy, bespectacled teenager working there was wearing an oversized black T-shirt that had large white letters that said: CUROSITD [sic] KILLED YOUR VIRGINITY. Say what?? It was just so wrong. She was wearing it again the next day and we hoped to get a photo so our guide approached and explained her T-shirt was kind of funny and could we take a photo? She crossed her arms and said she’d bought it at a market and didn’t know what it said. Wisely, our guide decided not to tell her and nor did we take a photo – but you get the visual.

We didn’t meet many other travellers – most were in their 60s or 70s and from Europe, some were from Asia – most kept to themselves. We did meet a lovely family from Scotland who were taking a break from the trans-Siberian rail trip and we encountered the same posse of bikers from Vietnam at a couple of camps.

The driving can be as long as 8 hours a day, on tracks that can be extremely rough and frankly, the ‘sealed’ roads that can be rougher – but the scenery was spectacular, the sites varied and I don’t get car sick so can read – even if it is a tad bumpy!

Next up; The Naadam Festival

Mongolia - Part 2

So we’ve emerged from the desert after 8 days and are now in the grass lands.

The Gobi desert was pretty awesome. The terrain changes – from flat rocky expanses that have quite a lot of vegetation (although no trees), to bear landscape and rugged outcrops of hills. It’s not that sandy other than one amazing range of dunes, sometimes called the singing sand dune for the strange,deep. echoy noise the sand makes when you dig it. We hiked up the range to see the sunset which I’m proud to say we all made. It’s very high and so steep you literally have to crawl some sections on hand and knee. The sun going down was spectacular but as the wind picked up and started giving us an all-over exfoliation, we decided to run down. It took us almost an hour of climbing to get up there and about 7 minutes to run down!

 

Here some other random scenery shots.

 

 

We took an hour long camel ride near the dunes which was surprisingly pleasant as these guys didn’t have the usual overbearing camel smell. They eat this bush – look closely – it has thorn and is mostly stick – delicious! One of our camels ripped a small plant clean out of the ground – I wondered if it was more tender – but then noticed the camel got a mouth full of dirt to go with it – and actually dropped it out of its mouth. Yuk!

Stopping at a small village, I was keen to try some local specialties – fermented mares milk and dried curds. The milk is a summer time special, made like yoghurt (using the culture from one batch to the next) and loved by locals. Some drink as much as 10 litres a day. It is alcoholic but a bit like kombucha , very low. I’d read even locals can get an upset stomach the first time they drink it so we all opted for a tiny sip and bequeathed the rest to our guide. (Even though so low in alcohol, our driver refused any while he was on duty). It kind of tastes like off yoghurt with vinegar – slightly fizzy, pungent and very sharp.

With the help of our guide, I also bought some dried goat’s curd from the current summer season and some older (aged?) camel curd from the year prior. Once dried, curd can last years and is ideal for winter when many Mongolains survive on meat and dairy products – that’s it. Curd was also favoured by travellers of the Silk Road as well as Mongolian warriors due to its nutritional value and logevity. The goat’s one tasted a bit like really strong goat’s cheese but harder and almost chalky in texture. The camel tasted like parmesan cheese but with a really strong after taste of ‘camel’ (like how they smell…) and is quite oily. They also mix some curds with sugar and press in through a mincer to get ‘worms’. They’re not very sweet, they still have a very strong dairy taste.

On our home visit (not a home stay) we rocked up to a random ger and piled in. Apparently it’s rude to refuse visitors – even strangers. They offer us goat’s milk yoghurt in a bowl, which we all took a sip of and also some curd. They were lovely people and some of their neighbours popped over to join the party. There were a few kids there – some visiting relatives from the city during the school holidays so as planned, we gave them a bunch of scented highlighters and other pens and pencils Sass was happy to hand over.

Further to my last post, where I mentioned the loose definitions of ‘beef’ and ‘mutton’, I noticed in restaurants that they just use the term ‘meat’. I checked with our guide and yep, meat covers it all – except chicken. He said Mongolian’s don’t care what type of meat it is or what the cut is. At the meat section in a small village market, the price difference for ‘beef’ was defined by ‘with bones’ or ‘without bones’ – not eye fillet or porterhouse. We also saw a couple of random goats’ heads that reminded me of the Rolling Stones Album – Goats’ Head Soup.

 

 

Mongolia - Part 1

We’re now deep in the Gobi dessert. Each camp has been progressively remote – I think we’re now as remote as it gets. It’s hot, windy and we’ve just had a four course lunch consisting of:

·        Cucumber and tomato salad – vegetables most likely from China

·        Hot mutton and vegetable soup- with potatoes, carrots and seaweed (yes, this is a landlocked country)

·        Spaghetti bolognaise, with the meat sauce made from horse (“Mongolia does Italian” as Elle quipped)

·        A wafer chocolate bar from Turkey

I need a lie down….

Our ger is again, very comfortable, but hot but smells  strongly of sheep. They all do as the walls and roof are all filled with sheep wool felt and I suspect this one is pretty raw as it's particularly sheepy.

 

On meat, we’re learnt that labelling here is fairly general. So mutton could be sheep, or it could be goat – it’s all ‘mutton’. Same with beef – it could be cow or it could be yak. In fact, we also leant that cattle and yaks can breed and that their offspring can also breed so some animals may be part cow, part yak and as far as the Mongolian’s are concerned, it’s all ‘beef’.

As we’ve travelled into and through the desert in our Soviet built military vehicle (no air conditioning) we’ve seen herds of goats (“Hi kids!”), sheep, horses, camels, cows and yaks, as well as ground squirrels and rabbits with very long ears. Most of the animals have lost their winter coat but we did come across one camel that was still very hairy.

 

          

As  complete aside,  if you needed more proof that Australia has outrageously expensive telco, Geoff got a message on his phone from Telstra to say it would be $5 for 3 minutes if he makes a call here. I bought the girls and me local SIM cards with a 15 day package including some calls and unlimited data – for $5.50 each.

This is the first camp we’ve been to that doesn’t have phone reception/internet. In fact, this one doesn’t even have electricity. They run the generator for a couple of house in the evening and that’s it. Geoff’s testing out his portable solar charger.

It does have beer – which they store in a cellar to keep it cool. It’s not cold but it still does the trick.

 

Bad luck doesn't make you immune from more bad luck.

You probably already know that.

Before I go on though, let me say upfront that I am perfectly fine - but I was diagnosed with breast cancer. Let that be a reminder to all ladies of a certain age, to take full advantage of the free screening program because that's how I found out. According to the surgeon, they did a mighty job of picking it up as it was quite subtle on the image.

This happened waaaay back in February and although it hasn't been a secret, I haven't exactly been broadcasting it (I am now!) and that's because I know plenty of women who have done it tough - and I appreciate that I'm lucky not to be among them.

And as usual for me, there are some funny aspects to this, starting with the diagnosis.

I'd had my screen and been asked into the hospital for some more tests, including a repeat mammogram, an ultra sound and a biopsy, then asked to return two days later. I was invited into a room with four, very solemn looking people who were all introduced before the doctor broke the news.

It cancer, he said.
Okay, I responded, fairly nonchalantly
You must be shocked, he said
Not really, I replied. I'd pretty much reconciled myself to the possibility.

Here's the thing: In my deep experience dealing with doctors about extremely serious situations, I can reveal that no-one invites you into an office with four people to tell you everything is okey dokey. The gig was already up.

So what's next? I asked.

He explained I'd need a lumpectomy and that there was also some other suspicious looking tissue. If that turned out to be bad, I may need a mastectomy. Given my age, he hastily added, if that did happen, I'd probably also have a reconstruction.

Can I have a tummy tuck at the same time? I asked, seeing a silver lining to this scenario.
He looked at me like I wasn't serious.
I'm serious.
He said something about 'biting off more than you can chew' or words to that effect, but didn't rule it out.

Next stop, the surgeon.

When do you want to schedule surgery? she asked
How long after wards can I row? 
A while. Rowing would be worse than golf.
Hmm. Well, can I put it off until May because I'm going to the World Masters Games.
Let me think about it, she said.

Two days later, I was back. She'd done some homework and consulting with other doctors.
Are you lying awake at night worrying about it? she asked.
No.
Would you regret not having it done sooner if we discover that suspicious tissue is bad and you need a mastectomy?
No, because it's just timing - the outcome is already determined isn't it? 
It is, she confirmed. Well then, I can't see a reason not to delay it.

Yay!

So on and on I rowed until I came back from New Zealand, went to hospital and had the lump out.

The surgeon explained she'd remove the small tumour and pull the remaining tissue back together -"like a slice out of a cake".
Will my boob be perkier after? I asked, hopefully
Noticeably? She hesitated. No. 
Bugger.

The biopsy of the suspicious tissue officially reclassified it as not suspicious. No tummy tuck for me :(

I also need a bout of radiation. We're off on holiday (Mongolia and Bhutan - stay tuned for that adventure!) so there wasn't enough time between surgery and leaving for that  so I'm doing it when I get back. I got four new tattoos today in preparation (just tiny dots).

So, there you have it.

The point of this post is not to garner sympathy - I truly am absolutely fine and lucky it was early, small, contained and slow - but to remind everyone to have your screens because we never know how luck will treat us.

The MJs non-event

Do you remember our find raising group the MJs? A selection of like minded friends hell bent on putting the FUN back into FUNdraising as well as minimising the out goings and maximising the dollars that actually get to the cause. Now there's an idea!

We're called the MJs because we all have middle names that start with 'M' or 'J' - Jane, Joy, Mary - that kind of 1960's thing. Well, we did have until Sally joined... but we're overlooking that.

Anyhoo, our next FUNdraiser is now open and I need your help!

We're hoping to raise $20,000 for Avalon Centre which provides second hand clothes, shoes, bedding and toiletries to the homeless as well as supporting other disadvantaged and disenfranchised individuals  - those from a refugee background, those with a disability, the lonely... anyone is need. They're a great cause.

So, what event, we wondered? We've had a trivia night, a cake stall, an indigenous do, a vintage clothing sale.... and then a friend's suggestion a couple of years ago popped back into my head - a non-event! That's right - an event you don't have to go to - perfect!

For those of you in Melbourne, you'll know what winter is like - long and bleak. So you start off, buying a ticket for an event and as the day draw closer, enthusiasm tends to wane as the beckon of the couch and an open fire becomes stronger. Why fight it, we thought?

Here's our promotional video.

That's why our next event is a non-event. That's right - an event we're asking you NOT to attend. 

We're not spending a dime on a venue, extravagant entertainment, a sit down dinner and wines of questionable quality - 100% of all monies received is going to the cause. We are so 'on mission'!!

As mentioned, (about 3 times..) we're hoping to raise $20,000 - we're up to about $4k and have a deadline of June 27th - eek!!!

Tickets are $130 and entitles the purchaser to a tax-deductible receipt, a discount on an eat-in, take away or delivered pizza from Firestone Pizza (472 - 486 Waverley Road, Malvern East) on the night (June 27th - it's a Tuesday BTW...)  and a warm fuzzy feeling!

And how can you stop me nagging? Yes - buy a ticket!!!

In addition, you can 'purchase' much needed items like sleeping bags, socks, underwear, runners and beanies - and yes, you'll get a tax-deductible receipt for those too.

Here's the TryBooking link so you can take action. 

With thanks and love!! MWWx and the MJs

Kangaroo Island Part II

Back to the island.

Know that there are often long drives on unsealed roads between attractions. In hindsight, moving accommodation as you progress around the island is probably a better option that our plonking in the one spot.

Various friends and family had given us the hot tips but pretty sure we covered it all.

• Pelican feeding at Kingscote - very funny and informative

     

• Cape Willoughby Light House - again, an informative, friendly worth while tour - and bonus, not far from Dudley Wines!
• Clifford's Honey Farm - long way to go but the honey ice cream was delicious
• Stoke's Beach - where you walk through what feels like a secret passage through the rocks to get it - quite magical (Also where you get the great food at the Rockpool Cafe)
• Seals at Seal Bay - the tour is expensive but it also supports conservation so fair enough

                    

• Flinders Chase National Park (below) - windy as all get out, but with rock formations like we'd never seen 
• Hanson Bay Wildlife Sanctuary was one of those rural parks run by people who are dedicated to animal conservation and welfare - friendly and happy to have a chat - a great stop

            

• Island Pure Sheep Dairy, We arrived just before closing time at 4pm and didn't we know it! In spite of buying 3 cheeses and a gorgeous wooden tray, the staff grumbled that it has been such a long day (they opened at 10...) and weren't that welcoming which was a bit off putting
• Admiral's Arch (below) was spectacular. Watching the seals in the incredibly rough water and over the rocks was mesmerising. The surf is huge - and they just love bouncing around in what we mere mortals would find terrifying. This may have been the highlight of the trip. It's so good.

• KIS - Kangaroo Island Spirits, a small distillery where you can taste their gins, vodkas and other offerings. We had trouble getting their attention because it was one of the staff's birthday and they were more interested in presenting a specially labelled bottle of something to her than serving us... We did persist and they had some great products, buying a bottle of their SLAP vodka with Samphire (a salty succulent that's prevalent on the island), Lime and Pepper

So all in all, lots to do and see, some great food (and sadly, some not so great) and a successful trip.

When we got back to Robe, we discovered I had a cracked wheel rim so had to travel back to Melbourne on the space-saver wheel at 80km... seems my car is cursed here!! You might recall the drama when the keys got locked in it - also at Robe.

Kangaroo Island - Part 1

After Christmas in Robe, we took the opportunity while in South Australia to pop over to Kangaroo Island for a few days.

Now I'm not sure about you, but I think I've read far too much in Gourmet Traveller about this place so in truth, it didn't quite live up to expectation.

Most of the magazine hype is focused on Southern Ocean Lodge - but as accommodation there starts at $1200 a night per person, with a minimum 2 night stay, even though we only had Sass, that wasn't happening! (Yes - that's a starting price for 3 in the cheapest room of $7,200!!)

Southern Ocean Lodge

We did try for lunch. We pulled up at the fancy locked gates on the gravel road and Geoff pressed the intercom. Here's how that brief conversation went:

Welcome to Southern Ocean Lodge, you're speaking with Jess.

Hello Jess, my name's Geoff and I was just wondering if you're serving lunch today?

Yes we are, but only to in-house guests. Thank you. (Clunk)

Okay....

That aside, I was still expecting a Tasmania/New Zealand-esque food experience - where you pretty much can't go wrong where ever you go. Not the case. Here's my TripAdvisor review of breakfast on day one.

Because we'd booked late, choices were limited and we ended up in a very dated but totally adequate 2 bedroom cabin. The highlight was the managers; a gorgeous middle-aged, heavily tattooed  and pieced hippy couple who'd recently moved down from Queensland to take over. They were lovely! Friendly and chatty and knowledgeable about the local bird life. I commented to one that I couldn't get a decent coffee anywhere. so there was a real business opportunity.

There are lots of business opportunities around here, she responded sagely.

Now that I've got that all off my chest, there are many great things on KI. The Oyster Bar at American River is fabulous - the oysters are some of the best I've ever eaten. Avoid the crush in the tiny shop and buy them take away, then sneak over to the cafe across the road and buy a glass of something chilled to go with, sit on the habour and enjoy- an absolute highlight. (Just know it's only open from 11am-3pm which isn't that convenient... like a lot of things on KI).

I'm holding the wine - and Sass the oyster (my nails aren't that chipped!!)

Dudley Wine is also brilliant. Their Porky Flat Shiraz has become a fav. The gourmet pizza was very tasty and the views stunning.

The mixed platter at  the Rockpool Cafe, Stokes Bay was expensive at about $30 (most of KI is - we figured they have a limited season to earn a living so didn't begrudge the prices) but delivered - fresh, crisp and although all fried, not at all greasy or heavy. Included prawns, scallops, calamari and local white fish.

And finally, the platter we threw together ourselves on the balcony of our cabin.

Food done, next time - the sights!