Time to Wine

After our week stay in Bussleton, home of the longest wood jetty in the world set on the Indian Ocean, we headed to Margaret River wine country. The region began making wine  in 1967, after extensive tests verified the success of wine in the area. Farmers then had a choice to leave their failing industries and give wine making a go. Many did with great success. While most operations are rather small, 3% of the country's grapes, the region accounts for over 20% of the premium wine. The region specializes in Semillion, Cabernet Sauvignon, Sauvignon Blanc, and Shiraz. 


We stayed at the Inne Town Hostel as camping would have required a car. Our first day our friend Josh came down with his buddy Quizi and took us to Redgate beach and the surrounding woods, home of the Karri tree aka the tallest eucalyptus.

Redgate Beach

Limestone cliffs above beach.

Boranup Forest 

Lookout.

The next day we took a Bushtucker wine tour around the area. We went to 3 boutique wineries (Adinfern, Brookwood, Tassel Park), a chocolate factory, a cheese factory (cows milk), and a distillery with some tasty macadamia liquor. Our guide George showed us a great time and we were able to make some kiwi friends along the way.

Our Chariot

First winery. Used to do wool now does delicious wine.

Lunch.

Witchetty Grub

Eating our piece which really wasn't that bad. Kind of like mussels.

Mulled wine featuring juniper berries.

Southbound in Busselton

From Melbourne to Perth via expensive plane, from Perth to Busselton via nice bus ride, from Busselton-proper to Southbound festival grounds via hitchhiking. Clare and I started our volunteer duties on Wednesday morning. It was a sweet deal, we only worked about 3 hours the first day and around 8 hours the next, which allowed us free camping and our tickets to the 2day festival! We met a nice group of Aussies, Germans, Belgians, and Welsh people while workin: we set up the pamper camper tents... I am an expert tent setter-upper now.

The first day we saw the Head and the Heart, Tijuana Cartel, Beirut... here's the full line up http://www.southboundfestival.com.au/artists. There were two stages fairly close to one another and it was easy to bounce back and forth between the performances. Clare did some good work collecting bottles/cans, the deal was $5 per bag that went into a mega-cage sculpture in the shape of "SB." She cleaned up well, banking about $75 at the end of the two days and was a main contributor to the finished art piece.

Nicki & Clare

Wayne, Terri, Ellen, me

The Kooks

The $5 bag

Beirut

The Head and the Heart

Me, Clare, Pang, and Nicki

Recycled Southbound Sculpture

2012 Down Under

Although we were too busy skulling, Aussie word for chugging, to take pictures New Years was a good drunken time in our friend's condo complex a la Melrose Place including late night pool stampede. The highlight of the party was a our buddy's drink dispenser self fashioned out of a mannequin torso. You pressed a button on one of the nipples to dispense sangria out of the other or you could opt for straight goon out of the nether region. 

The next day were surprisingly not feeling 100% and it was over 100 degrees so we laid low. We did make it out the house for some amazing food in China Town and good Moscow Mules at Section 8 a bar in an empty lot made from a shipping container.

Melbourne Round One

After leaving Thailand from Chiang Mai, word to the wise the airport doesn't stay open all night, we embarked on a 24 hour flight series to Melbourne. Our first day was spent unwinding at our hostel. We learned about Papaw, a fermented papaya ointment used for soothing and healing all sorts of things, and bought some very inexpensive towels for a dollar more than the hostel was trying to rent them for. We then headed out to find Movida Aqui, an amazing tapas restaurant. The food was outstanding and the drink list stayed on the level. After a hearty buzz we headed back to the hostel for drinking with fellow residents in the back garden and learning about Goon. Bascially wine except not. More like Carlo Rossi. The sketchist part being that it may contain milk or egg. Don't know how that could happen.

The next day we took the tram over to our friend's house we met in Koh Lanta who invited us to party for New Years. After settling in we headed to the National Gallery of Victoria, which was free, and took a look around before they kicked us out. There was some great Aborignal art, contemporary pieces and a large collection of famous Australian artists over the last 250 years. 

Untited (muyan) Jonathan Jones

Large Scale drawing of Aboriginal HeroWilliam Barak

Aboriginal Shields

In an adjoining gallery space there was an excellent skateboard show, Board, which featured over 60 historical boards out of Tony Hallam's collection alongside 50 decks painted by local artists.

We then walked across the street and checked out some amazing street art on Hosier Ln.

Conveniently  the amazing tapas place had another location on the same alley so we tried a few of their offerings.

Grilled Squid with Chorizo, Bell Pepper and Spanish Chilis

A Little more Pai Love

The post office and post boxes were charming and tourist icon.

Flowers at the cafe we rested at before heading up to the temple

Our three days in Pai were truly a highlight. The town, a four hour bus ride from Chaing Mai was a welcome respite from the cunning tourist industry ever ready to make a dime. Prices were half of that in Chiang Mai and there was no need to haggle at the night market. Locals were super friendly and mainly artists. 

First of many guys we saw in S.C. Skateboard gear.

Our spot, Pairadise, was amazing and only $24 dollars a night. Up the hill from the city with clean bungalows and a fresh water pool adjacent to the pond full of Koi.

Pool on right. Pond on left.

Our second to last day we hiked to Mae Yen Temple three Km from town.

Dog who walked from town with us

Only 355 steps this time

Super cute puppies a common sight at temple where the monks take care of them