Travel

The #Ekka 2015

I love The Ekka (aka the exhibition or the Royal Queensland Show). Every year I try to go. This year I’d booked tickets and had been chatting about it with my daughters for months. There was a new nights show we all wanted to see.

I flew up on Friday evening on Qantas Flight (QF) 1554 and when I arrived Dad was watching the Brisbane Broncos defeat the team from Illawarra.

After a restless sleep the girls and I went to Westfield Chermside to get some groceries for Mum and grab a bite to eat for breakfast.

I went with a nice slice of coconut loaf and a tall white chocolate mocha.

Coconut loaf from Starbucks Westfield Chermside
Coconut loaf from Starbucks Westfield Chermside

After taking Miss14 and Miss18 to gymnastics training Miss20 and I did a few things to help with her university study.

If you want to see the photographs as a gallery check out Google Photos. Click on one image to see it full size. To see the EXIF data (including a map if the photograph was geotagged) click on the information (i) icon in the top right corner. You can navigate through the gallery using the arrow keys or by swiping if you’re using a tablet or smartphone. Here’s another gallery that I created with Adobe Lightroom web gallery module.

We picked up Miss14 and Miss18 at 2 pm and proceeded to Wooloowin Train Station to catch a train to Fortitude Valley Station and then the Loop ride.

 

Wooloowin Train Station
Wooloowin Train Station
Wooloowin Train Station
Wooloowin Train Station
Wooloowin Train Station
Wooloowin Train Station
Wooloowin Train Station
Wooloowin Train Station
The new communications equipment at Fortitude Valley Train Station
The new communications equipment at Fortitude Valley Train Station

When we arrived we went straight to the racing pigs to check out how these little porkers run around a ring and dive into a pool of water.

Pig racing at The Ekka. Diving pigs too.
Pig racing at The Ekka. Diving pigs too.
Pig racing at The Ekka. Diving pigs too.
Pig racing. Diving pigs too.

We then went to the food pavilion and checked out the free tasting treats. We had caramelised onion dip, doughnuts, bread, meatballs and other samples. We then went through and bought some dumplings and samosas. They were delicious.

Next on the list of things to do was the cake decoration display.

Cake decorating at The Ekka
Cake decorating
Cake decorating at The Ekka
Cake decorating
Cake decorating at The Ekka
Cake decorating

We’d agreed that at around 4.45 pm we’d wander over to the main arena to settle in for the evening’s entertainment. But before that we had one very important thing to do.

The best ice cream in the whole world is the strawberry sundae made by volunteers for The Prince Charles Hospital. If you’ve never had one you need to go to The Ekka and try one. They are so good when I worked at The Royal Brisbane Hospital in 1995 we used to go over everyday and get someone on the inside to buy a tray for us and bring them back to the laboratory.

Gary Lum eating a strawberry sundae at The Ekka.
Gary Lum eating a strawberry sundae at The Ekka.
Strawberry sundae at The Ekka
Strawberry sundae at The Ekka

After inhaling the ice cream we went to the main arena and sat on Machinery Hill.

We watched the horse whisperers and then the wood chop and then the rest of the light entertainment waiting for the monster trucks, motorcycles and drift cars.

I apologise these photographs are pretty crap. They’re mostly unprocessed and RAW out of the camera. I used a long lens with an aperture that was too small. The shutter speed was too long for sharp shots. I hope the ‘vibe’ of the photographs are okay.

Wood chop competition at The Ekka
Wood chop competition at The Ekka

After the wood chop Miss20 went and bought some popcorn which we devoured.

Saturday night fun at The Ekka. Monster trucks, motorcycles, and burn outs.
Saturday night fun at The Ekka. Monster trucks, motorcycles, and burn outs.
Saturday night fun at The Ekka. Monster trucks, motorcycles, and burn outs.
Saturday night fun at The Ekka. Monster trucks, motorcycles, and burn outs.
Saturday night fun at The Ekka. Monster trucks, motorcycles, and burn outs.
Saturday night fun at The Ekka. Monster trucks, motorcycles, and burn outs.
Saturday night fun at The Ekka. Monster trucks, motorcycles, and burn outs.
Saturday night fun at The Ekka. Monster trucks, motorcycles, and burn outs.
Saturday night fun at The Ekka. Monster trucks, motorcycles, and burn outs.
Saturday night fun at The Ekka. Monster trucks, motorcycles, and burn outs.
Saturday night fun at The Ekka. Monster trucks, motorcycles, and burn outs.
Saturday night fun at The Ekka. Monster trucks, motorcycles, and burn outs.
Saturday night fun at The Ekka. Monster trucks, motorcycles, and burn outs.
Saturday night fun at The Ekka. Monster trucks, motorcycles, and burn outs.
Saturday night fun at The Ekka. Monster trucks, motorcycles, and burn outs.
Saturday night fun at The Ekka. Monster trucks, motorcycles, and burn outs.
Saturday night fun at The Ekka. Monster trucks, motorcycles, and burn outs.
Saturday night fun at The Ekka. Monster trucks, motorcycles, and burn outs.
Saturday night fun at The Ekka. Monster trucks, motorcycles, and burn outs.
Saturday night fun at The Ekka. Monster trucks, motorcycles, and burn outs.
Saturday night fun at The Ekka. Monster trucks, motorcycles, and burn outs.
Saturday night fun at The Ekka. Monster trucks, motorcycles, and burn outs.

The entertainment ended with fireworks. I love fireworks. I’m so grateful I have eyes and ears to see and hear them. They are so beautiful. The Ekka fireworks are awesome.

I apologise these photographs are pretty crap. They’re unprocessed and RAW out of the camera.

Fireworks at The Ekka
Fireworks at The Ekka
Fireworks at The Ekka
Fireworks at The Ekka
Fireworks at The Ekka
Fireworks at The Ekka
Fireworks at The Ekka
Fireworks at The Ekka

After the fireworks we walked through sideshow alley and settled down to share a foot (12 inches) long Dagwood super dog.

Gary Lum eating a Dagwood dog at The Ekka
Gary Lum eating a Dagwood dog at The Ekka
Foot long Dagwood dog at The Ekka
Foot long Dagwood dog at The Ekka

We left on the train, got off at Central Train Station and proceeded to have a late night Maccas run. I had a cheeseburger, small chips and vanilla thick shake.

Post Ekka late night snack at Central Train Station. McDonalds cheeseburger, small fries and a vanilla thick shake.
Post Ekka late night snack at Central Train Station. McDonalds cheeseburger, small fries and a vanilla thick shake.

After a much better sleep Mum and Dad made us all waffles with eggs, bacon and sausage.

Sunday breakfast in Brisbane. Bacon, sausage and egg with waffle and strawberries and tomato.
Sunday breakfast in Brisbane. Bacon, sausage and egg with waffle and strawberries and tomato.

Have you ever been to The Ekka? How did you spend your weekend?

How to celebrate a 50th birthday

Who would have thought I’d make my 50th birthday the way I eat! This year on Friday 1 May I was able to celebrate 50 years ex utero. Few people know that in the eight or so months of my gestation I travelled around the world in utero. You see I was conceived on the Indian Ocean on a merchant ship with my Dad as the ship’s doctor. He and Mum were travelling to England so Dad could sit examinations. On the way to England I visited Cairo and while Mum saw the pyramids I was busy with organogenesis. On learning she was pregnant Mum wanted to return to Australia to confine. If I’d been born in England I’d be a citizen of Britain and Fiji. Dad was born in Fiji and was yet to become an Australian citizen. Mum wanted me to be Australian. So Dad’s youngest brother, then an engineer for Qantas, flew over to England and picked Mum (and me) up and took her (us) to Brisbane via Boston, Los Angeles, Honolulu, and Nadi. 

I had arranged with work to take my birthday as a formal leave day. Normally on Fridays I’m working at The Canberra Hospital in ACT Pathology as an Hon. VMO. I cleared it with both workplaces first. I wouldn’t normally take a day off work just to celebrate a birthday but I’ve noticed it’s a growing trend and I really wanted to share my 50th birthday with blood, kin, family. 

My iPhone. It's 1 May!
My iPhone. It’s 1 May!

I had booked a flight and arranged with Qantas for an upgrade in my seat to Business Class as a present to myself. 

Breakfast was a salmon and boiled eggs plate which was served with some bread and a small bowl of yoghurt. It was quite delicious.

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Prior to boarding I’d been called by my daughters and they had mentioned South East Queensland was about to be hit with a deluge of rain because of the formation of a significant tropical low pressure depression off the coast. My eldest also told me that my birthday present was a ticket to the Rugby League test match between Australia and New Zealand that night at Lang Park (very close to where I spent the first few years of my ex utero existence). I was so excited. Miss19’s voice quavered a little though because she was concerned about the weather. The other bonus was that she had arranged tickets for Dad and wheelchair access because he’s now quite frail. Dad’s birthday is later in the month. 

As QF950 began its descent into Brisbane the turbulence become noticeable and as we flew lower the bumps were increasing in amplitude and frequency. I tightened my seat belt a little more. Out of the window it was grey. Just grey. 

The pilot of QF950 on Friday 1 May did a splendid job, despite the bumps the landing was smooth. I was in Brisbane. It was noticeably warmer than Canberra so I removed my coat and let my skin drink in the moisture in the air. 

The colours reminded me of the NT
The colours reminded me of the NT

Sitting in a Hertz rental (a Ford Mondeo…my first Mondeo) I quickly learnt where all the windscreen wiping actuators were and quickly put them into use. The rain was quite heavy but nothing out of the ordinary.

On reaching my parents’ retirement complex we arranged lunch. We would be joined by Miss17 and Miss19. Next Friday they will become Miss18 and Miss20. Mum had booked the Aspley Oriental Chinese Restaurant for yum cha. We’d been to this place before. It was local, convenient and the maître d’ was well known for his brusque mannerisms and behaviour. He didn’t disappoint! I wouldn’t say that the Aspley Oriental Chinese Restaurant has the best yum cha in Brisbane. Not even close but for Mum and Dad convenience is key.

 

 

We enjoyed some steamed and deep fried dumplings, some Chinese tea and finished our meal with some custard tarts. 

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After lunch we visited Coles and Aldi and then headed back to home base. 

This is when the fun began. I had to pick up Miss14 from school and drop Miss17 at gymnastics training (she’s competing for Queensland in a fortnight in Melbourne at the national championships in WAG Level 10). The rain was now very heavy but nothing I’m not used to. The radio was calling it a super storm. 

Miss17 in her Queensland hoodie
Miss17 in her Queensland team hoodie

For what should be a 15 minute drive took 35 minutes to pick up Miss14 and then drop off Miss17. Sandgate Road was moving at a slow pace. It took about 45 minutes to get to Gympie Road in Lutwyche and then I spent three hours on Gympie Road trying to get to Chermside.

If you go to the @igersbrisbane account you’ll see one of my photographs used from my iPhone.

By this stage the rain was sort of reminding me of a decent shower in Darwin. I love this sort of whether and don’t mind driving in heavy rain. 

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I had the radio on the whole time and listening to 4BC for updates. I like 4BC because they carry most of the good rugby league news and much better than the ABC. I was even sending them road updates via twitter

 

 

Up until about the last 100 metres of our journey the footy match was still on. I’d been calling Mum and Dad and Miss19 throughout the traffic hold up as well as Mr43 (youngest brother) to discuss the logistics of the evening and how to get to Lang Park. After many iterations of how we were going to do this, we ended up with catching a bus from Chermside. Then on the radio the message was read that the NRL in conjunction with the television broadcaster had agreed to reschedule the game to Sunday 2015-05-03 1600 AEST. Poor Miss19 was so upset. She and her sisters had been planning this as a big surprise for me and my Dad. The weather got the better of the situation. I’m not sure as you read this if you’re aware that as of Saturday 2015-05-02 1400 AEST five people have been confirmed dead as a result of the water. I’m guessing they were in motor vehicles trying to cross flooded roads and were swept away. The Queensland emergency services and state emergency service undertook a large number of swift water rescues. We saw some quite extraordinary scenes. Water covering the entire northbound lanes of Gympie Road in two sections in Chermside. Later in the evening we saw cars floating on Shaw Road. 

Once we got to home base Mum had burgers ready for us to eat. The original intention was a quick and light meal to get Dad and me to the footy but in the end it was my birthday dinner 

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The next bit to this story was the trip to pick up Miss17 from training. The rain was still pretty heavy and we knew there were numerous road closures. The added importance of this trip is that Miss17 had made me a birthday ice cream cake at Cold Rock (she has a part time job at a local Cold Rock Ice Creamery). We set out and immediately got stuck in some traffic. We eventually got to Miss17 who told us she’d seen that her Cold Rock had suffered a power outage that evening because of the bad weather and she didn’t know if the freezers were affected or not. By the time we crawled past the lights were out and no one was there. Who knows if my birthday cake still exists or if it’s a milky creamy mess on the floor seeping out of  a freezer. Determined to celebrate my 50th birthday with cake after an hour being in traffic we got to a Coles and bought a cake (only a few were left). 

We got home and Mum added candles. There was singing cutting and then eating. Mum thought it would be funny to get a 40 candle and surround it with 10 candles to signify 50. This would also make it easier for me to blow out the candles. 

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All in all it was a memorable 50th birthday. I was with my parents and daughters. I spent about 5 hours in a Ford Mondeo in traffic. I enjoyed some nice tropical rain. I ate well and I laughed a lot. I smiled the entire day. Check out the next post to see if the ice cream cake survived. 

Blueberry whipped cream Queensland nut waffle

My last breakfast in Hawaii was a Blueberry whipped cream Queensland nut waffle at Eggs ‘n Things in Waikiki.

Blueberry whipped cream and Queensland nut waffle
Blueberry whipped cream and Queensland nut waffle

This was a very good waffle. The cream while it looked bulky was basically full of air and very light and fluffy. I’m assuming no calories. I also poured maple syrup and coconut syrup all over the waffle. 

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There are so many tourists and very few locals here. 

The Royal Hawaiian from the Aqua Waikiki Wave
The Royal Hawaiian from the Aqua Waikiki Wave

After breakfast the bags got packed and Honolulu International Airport (HNL) was reached. 

The flight back to Australia was QF4 HNL to SYD. I was treated really well on the flight. The attendants ensured I had the menu selections I wanted and it was about the best international flight I’ve ever flown.

Prior to departing I bought a copy of Muriel Miura’s Spam cookbook. Not only does it contain amazing recipes but also some great facts about spam. 

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Lunch was a grilled salmon salad. Delicious 😀 

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Chocolate mousse. Yummy 🙂 

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This melon flavoured ice bar was really good. 

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Dinner was dolphin fish (not the sea mammal). My first time. It was wonderful. 

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Panna cotta was good.

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Breakfast before the bus ride back to Canberra was yoghurt and muesli. 

I’m still craving a Queensland nut waffle.

 

Diamond Head crater

Today is the last day in the North Shore. We drove through the middle of Oahu and onto Diamond Head before arriving in Honolulu.

We had to clean out the refrigerator so that meant I had to eat the rest of the spam while Bron made Cinnabon.

I took advantage of the extraordinary sweetness and cinnamon happiness in Cinnabon and combined it with the jalapeño spam, the last of the asparagus and a couple of eggs.

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While I was preparing breakfast I processed a nice photograph from the Pali Lookout. 

2015.04.22_13.16.56_001_GARY_LUM_FBAfter breakfast we sadly had to pack our stuff to leave the North Shore so we can spend a night in Honolulu before our flight back to Sydney and then a bus ride to cold frigid dry painful Canberra. 

On departing the North Shore I ate at two more food trucks before noon. The first was Giovanni’s which has legend status but according to reviews has gone downhill a bit of late. I’d already had garlic prawns and hot and spicy prawns so I thought I would try their lemon and butter prawns. For $USD13 I was given 12 small prawns which were a little overcooked and tough. The  sauce was mostly lemon juice and a little butter. I was pretty disappointed.

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Given the disappointment we headed off in the direction of Romy’s food truck in the hope of better quality prawns. 

We weren’t disappointed and as a treat I had some sweet and spicy pineapple. The meal was very expensive though, it cost me $USD21. The prawns though were well cooked, the shells were tender and the garlic was strong. 

I’d happily recommend Romy’s.

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As we drove through the ‘centre’ of Oahu we contemplated a Dole whip from the Dole Plantation but drove past thinking of the Diamond Head crater trail walk ahead of us.

As we approached Diamond Head I was thinking of lunch but thought it may be best to wait until after the climb given it’s a gentle trail but a steep climb at the end. It was a hot day and I think it was best to wait until after the walk.

The view of Waikiki from Diamond Head
The view of Waikiki from Diamond Head

 

Check out the walk I posted on RunKeeper. What it doesn’t show that well is the elevation.

After the walk we went to Leonard’s Bakery to try their legendary malasadas. My blogging friend Spencer Lum recommended them as a MUST DO in Oahu.

And try them I did. I bought four and ate them all. I had a cinnamon malasada, a chocolate malasada puff, a custard malasada puff and a coconut malasada puff.

They were all very good. 

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On arriving in Honolulu we checked in again to the Aqua Waikiki Wave for the last night in Hawaii 

After a walk around Waikiki we found a Mexican restaurant to have our last meal in Hawaii. We sat down at La Cucaracha Mexican Bar and Grill in Waikiki. I asked for some jalapeño poppers because I’ve fallen in love with them plus a couple of fish tacos. Sorry about the quality of the photographs. The lighting was dim and very red. The food was okay, it didn’t make my mouth sing but it was not too bad. 

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So ends our stay in Hawaii. Tomorrow we’ll have breakfast and then head to HNL for the flight to SYD.

I’ll catch you in a few days. I hope you’ve enjoyed the story of the #Hawaii #holiday

Please let me know what you have thought. 

Have you walked up Diamond Head? Did you enjoy the view?

Seal in Hawaii

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No I didn’t eat seal! I saw Seal in Hawaii though.

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This morning we were snorkeling when a seal swam through the cove and flolloped up onto the beach. 

It didn’t move much and seemed to fall asleep.

So I know the question burning inside you is what did I have for breakfast this morning?

It was a jalapeño spam omelet made with Monterey jack and colby cheese with salad greens and asparagus plus avocado.

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This is the spam T-shirt I bought near Matsumoto’s shave ice store.


So as I mentioned after breakfast, we went snorkeling. It was so clear this morning. So calm too.

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This was a very cute red crab

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We went for a drive down the east coast to have a look at Pali lookout and then to Kailua Beach for lunch. More of that later. 

On the way we stopped at Kahaluu to see what is described as the Chinese worker’s hat. I think it looks like a big hard erect nipple. You be the judge.

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Pali Lookout was quite good but we were over run with busloads of tourists.

The views are really very nice.

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After Pali lookout we drove down to Kailua Beach. We couldn’t find that many places to eat and ended up at the L&L Hawaiian Barbecue shop. It was like visiting a mortuary. I thought I was in the land of the undead. We decided to take our food to the nearby park and eat there.

I chose a saimin burger and a plain spam musubi. Both were good. I’m going to have to try to make these when I get home.

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The beach there was beautiful. The water was so blue and clear.

 

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After the beach we stopped at Island Snow and I had a pineapple, coconut and lime snow cone topped with condensed milk. The condensed milk topping really adds a different dimension to the cordial flavoured shaved ice. It’s not just the sweetness and creaminess, it’s the caramel. 

 


For dinner we went to Opal Thai Food (66-197 C Kamehameha Highway Haleiwa, HI 96712). The chef and owner makes a point of greeting each patron and asking what they know about Thai cuisine and then he chooses dishes for them. This meal was spectacular. We started with a radish apetiser and then two mains. One was a duck dish and the other a prawn noodle dish. I could eat them forever.

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This was a crisp crunchy radish dish. 2015.04.22_20.33.26_007_GARY_LUM_FB

Garlic prawn noodles

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Roast duck with fried basil leaves and lots of garlic.


Sorry those images of the Thai food are blurry. I was trying to shoot the photographs quickly. 

Tonight was our last night on the north shore. It’s been fantastic. 

Did you see Seal in Hawaii?