A Tracy Chapman Christmas Special

We hit the road early in order to find our camping spot for Christmas. After spending the last 3 Christmases on the go, this one wouldn't be much different. Call me the grinch, but I never really enjoyed the holiday season, so being on the road doesn't bother me too much. Anyways, I jumped in the front seat and Joana took the wheel. She had a fantastic Christmas spirit as she was already wearing a Santa hat and had prepared an 18 Christmas song playlist. Both English and German. And if anyone knows me well, they would know that I despise Christmas music. I wouldn't mind it, except for the fact that in the U.S., as soon as Halloween ends, every store and most radio stations start playing it. 2 months of the same 20 songs on repeat. There is only so much Mariah Carey someone can take before "all anyone wants for Christmas" is to invent a time machine, go back in time, and physically prevent her from ever being born. In light of my new company, I put my ill mannered Christmas spirit away, and placed a pair of red felt antlers on my head.

Looking in the mirror at what a "dashing" reindeer I looked like (pun intended), I saw something moving across the right antler. I took them off and inspected the movement. It was a small black spider with a red mark across its abdomen. I showed Joana and in a shrill tone she yelled, "That's a red back spider, it's super poisonous, get rid of it!" In a bit of panic the antlers and the spider were hurled out the window. Maybe I should have taken that as a sign.

Further down the track, "Give Me One Good Reason" by Tracy Chapman came on. Joana explained how Tracy was her favorite. I didn't know she had such a huge following in Germany, but Joana had even seen her a few times in concert. Tracy's bluesy voice was fantastic compared to the xmas stuff. Song after song we listened to. Besides sounding like she had a sex change, she was amazing. We listened to her all the way to Narooma, NSW. There we found our campsite and a bbq. We made lemon grass marinated chicken, a greek salad, baked feta and mushrooms, and a nice glass of scotch to wash it all down.

After dinner came presents. Since I had just met these guys, I didn't get presents for them and I didn't think they would get any for me. I was wrong. They had all purchased each other gifts to remind them of their travels together and to my surprise, they got me gifts as well. From our conversations in the car they had remembered that I liked dinosaurs and gummy worms. I got a 3D dinosaur puzzle and gummy worms. This simple act of giving and caring really hit me. Again it made me realize how awesome traveling is. Making friends while traveling is very similar to speed dating. You skip all the bullshit and get to the real stuff. It's all about getting to know each other as fast as possible so you can spend as much time with each other before you head off in separate directions. It's amazing how fast you can become friends. In the case of Joana, Aki, and Svenja, we had become friends.

Another glass of scotch, some imitation eggnog, and a beautiful sunset, I went to bed feeling great. Satisfied with the day and my new friends, I fell asleep. Until I was woken up by the all too familiar sound of rodents fighting outside my rooftop tent. The nasty screeching stopped and it was quiet again. I was dozing back off to sleep when I heard tiny little nails scratching their way around my tent. I could see possum shadows outside my tent. PTSD set in as I remembered previous battles with rodents and small animals. From hand biting gerbils, 2 flying squirrel attacks, and an epic battle with a mischievous monkey, I was well versed. I flicked my headlamp on to see a tiny arm and paw reaching in through hole in my tent. Like a horror film, I half expected it to rip open the rest of the tent yelling "here's Johnny" as it chewed both my legs off. I through my pillow at the wall and the hole only to hear a screech and the pitter patter of padded hands fleeing the vehicle. Merry Christmas to me, I survived another attack!

The Caravan

The Monday sun had risen and so did I, from my lovely perch atop our travel van.  I slept in the penthouse, which was a very cozy pop-up tent attached to the roof of the vehicle. It turned out to be quite comfortable compared to the floor I had been sleeping on for a few weeks (not bagging on you Justine). As I climbed out of my ceiling sleeper I realized, that yes, the sun had risen, but it was blocked out by a lovely “Victorian day” grey. Bananas and cornflakes, quick teeth brush, slather of deodorant, and we were off in search of the sun.

My first leg was with Joana. She was 24, blonde, blue eyes, German, and had many stories to tell. Joana had a pretty extensive travel record. She had even spent 10 months as an opare in the U.S. where she had dinner with the Obamas’. She was recently in between jobs so she decided to travel Australia. She told me all about her family, about holiday traditions, and about how she also left someone behind. It was extremely inspiring listening to her “Why not?” attitude towards travelling and new experiences. Earlier in her trip she had met Svenja, a recent high school graduate, who was still so new and green to the travel scene. Joana took her under her wing and together they drove up and down the East Coast with a few other travelers. 

My second leg was with Aki. He was 28, German/Ukrainian, and a rapper. He was full of questions about the U.S. We discussed our policies, governmental issues, and social environment for young adults. He was very upset with the types of pressure that society has placed on people our age. Germany seemed to have the same social construct as in the U.S. You go to school, get a girlfriend, graduate, get a job, get married, buy a house, and have kids. Everybody’s dream right? He was so upset with it that he rapped about it. It was extremely impressive. Check him out on youtube: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SpU0EWipBks

P. Sherman, 42 Wallaby Way, Sydney

Goodbye for now Melbourne. Things change, people change, and after 2 and a half weeks, I needed a change. I packed both my bags and in a matter of three hours I found myself a ride to Sydney. I needed to get back to the traveling basics. I came to Australia to travel, so that’s what I was going to do.

In St. Kilda I boarded a Jucy Traveling Van driven by two lovely German girls. Joana and Svenja had been driving around for the last 3 months living out of their van. They had been up and down the eastern coast meeting new people, sleeping in rest stops, and surviving off of bread and noodle rations. A young German/Ukrainian dude my age named Aki, had just joined them as well. He was a freshy, only being in Australia for about 3 weeks. I completed the caravan of 4 and away we went, bound for Sydney. We left Sunday and intended to arrive on Friday the 27^th.

I traded the concrete jungle of Melbourne for the real jungle. As I watched the buildings disappear into the grey out the back window, my stresses also started to disappear. I turned around, looked forward, had a moment of clarity, which I would soon have more of, and thought with a smile on my face, “At least you tried”. I tried.

We made it two hours out of town before we decided to set up camp at a rest stop. All of my previous car travel experiences were that of busting nuts to get to your destination as fast as possible, even driving through the night. This would be a bit different. We had 6 days to get to Sydney; we were going to take 6 days to get to Sydney. Flustered at first, my travel instincts and thoughts resurfaced. “It’s not necessarily about the destination, it’s about the journey.” “Just go with it, let go, and just be, Jamie!” The travel bug had worked its way back up to my brain.

It was time to get to know the people I would be traveling with for the next few days. And take some time to figure out my new camera.

Rime of the Ancient Fisherman Jamie

Went on a journey Wednesday down to the Mornington Peninsula to go fishing. It was a fun-filled morning. We caught octopus, squid, cuttlefish, pinkies, leather jackets, flatheads, parrotfish, some crazy poisonous fish, and a monster stingray. 

We also managed to snag an albatross with a 5 ft wingspan. I was worried we were going to become the real life version of "The Rime of the Ancient Mariner". That's the last thing I needed was another bad omen. I already have a few proverbial albatrosses hanging round my neck. I did not want the real thing. As we slowly reeled in this giant bird, as to not hurt it, I found myself in a day-dream sequence paralleled with my favorite poem… 

And in a sappy sitcom, end of the episode summation, we all have our albatrosses. If you have no idea what I am talking about then I suggest reading it! 

    

http://www.poetryfoundation.org/poem/173253

Don't worry PETA, the albatross ended up getting untangled in a matter of minutes. Which is a good thing, because I didn't want to end up haunting people for the rest of my life telling them encrypted tales of misery and regret. Then, unharmed, the albatross departed, only after leaving us a giant slimy poo. I guess that is why its call a poop deck.

Anyways, we took the fish home and cooked up a massive fresh fish Thai green curry.

 

New Camera

Just got a new camera! Nikon d7000, it's a bit of an upgrade. My other one was stolen from a friends house along with all of the other equipment a few days ago. All my friend's stuff was stolen as well! Anyways, here are some fun new pictures. I am still trying to work out the settings though.

  

I LOVE PHO, Pho Real!

Ever since my first trip to Thailand, Pho has been one of my “phovorite phoods” on this planet. We ate it almost every morning as a sort of detox. Breakfast pho is the best. Ingesting a hot soup in 90-degree weather with almost 90% humidity and lacing it with the hottest bird’s eye chilies, is enough to make anyone sweat out the previous night’s misadventure. Pho is a Vietnamese noodle soup served with your choice of meat, fish, or veggies. It also comes with Thai basil, limes, sprouts, chilies, chili paste, sriracha, soy sauce and hoisin sauce, which you can mix according to the way you like.  I highly suggest using it all. Use the basil, chili, and sriracha to add some spice to your life. Or for the weak of tongue and will, cool it down with limes, sprouts, and hoisin. You can find it Mai’s Deli in Appleton or I Love Pho/ any other restaurant on Victoria Parade in Richmond, Melbourne.

The next time you get pho, make sure to not take it “pho granted”! Soups may seem simple and easy, A lot of them are, often using left overs and pre made stock, but not pho. Pho can take anywhere from 4 hours to 2 days to make! Bones and entrails get boiled down, then rinsed, then often boiled again in order to get the bone marrow out. The marrow is where the magic is. During this process, ginger, fennel, onion, and coriander gets roasted. Anise, cloves, and cardamom get thrown in as well. I also wouldn’t be too surprised if a bit of MSG enters the pot. Then goes the protein. And last but not least the vermicelli noodles are tossed in. It’s quite the process, but its "pho" worth it. Pho is “phocking” great.

Dumplings

As I stepped off my 14 hour flight into the Sydney airport I couldn't help but smile. I was almost there, just another 1 1/2 hour flight to Melbourne and my journey would be complete. I couldn't help but feel this overwhelming sense of home. I was coming home.

I boarded the plane to Melbourne at 8:05am. There we sat, on the tarmac. There I sat in my chair, waiting for take off. There my brain and my blood started pumping. My heart started to pound. My hands shook. I started to panic. Anxiety took me over.

I had called Melbourne home for almost a year and a half. It was the place where I had literally found myself. In just that short year and a half I had discovered who I was and what I wanted. I discovered my drive to succeed in finding work. I discovered a social life with new friends. I had discovered my passion for food. I had discovered love. 

And all those memories from that year and a half came flooding back. Distracted by the restaurant and working all summer, my brain had dammed those memories. There they sat pooling and building pressure against the walls in my head. When the plane left the ground, my levees burst. A drowning timeline came rushing up all around me. From start to finish, emotions, senses and images choked me from oxygen. I was immersed. By the end of it all, when the water slowly receded and the plane landed, all that was left with was a question: Why had I come back?   

DUMPLINGS. That's the answer to my question. 

Deep down in the heart of Melbourne's Chinatown there exists a food so great, yet so small, and most of all, so simple, that you can't help but put a smile on your face while ingesting 30 of them. Dumplings. Not the dumplings us "Kraut" Wisconsinites are so fond of, but Asian dumplings. These tiny flour steamed or fried pouches of meat and or veggies are one of my favorite foods. They also so happen to be the best bang for your buck in Melbourne. So on a travelers dime, this is gooooooood. Delivered to you in quantities of 8, 12, or 18, these little MSG soaked balls of amazingness(amaze balls?) are the best, especially when dunked into the DIY of mixing your own soy and sriracha. Dumplings are so "yum" that even after you burp them up 2 hours later, it still tastes like you are eating them!

And wait there's more! My favorite thing about dumplings, is the act of getting dumplings. Dumplings are best shared in large amounts, drinking BYO wine and beer, with your closest friends. Its all about the experience.

So maybe dumplings aren't the real reason I came back, but sharing in past experiences and new experiences with the people I love, that's the reason I came back. It was so simple. Whether it be dinner with my mates, an emotional reunion with a girlfriend, or a booze filled romp around the city, I am ready to continue these experiences with these people that I love.

Goodbye

Hello Readers, Relatives, and other Relations! This is the beginning of my new blog and the beginning of a whole new adventure. As most of you know, I am headed back to Australia and Asia for the 3rd time around! But for those of you who don't know let me catch you up briefly:

My cousin, business partner, and best friend, Michael Rietveld and I just spent the last 3 years traveling and experiencing the world. From graduation cap tossing in Greece, mountain trekking in Myanmar, making coffees in Melbourne, to wine bar and restaurant owning in Waupaca, Wisconsin, we have covered a lot of ground.

The most recent of these adventures, purchasing and managing a small, organic, farm to table cafe, called The Freckled Frogg, was the perfect bookend to our three year stint. After an extremely successful first year of business, we found ourselves getting the "itch" again. The seasonal lakehousers and locusts have come and gone and in their place, the travel bug had come.

Which leads me to my most present location. I am currently sitting at a Starbucks located in Little Tokyo, L.A. I know what you are thinking "Wow this guy loves Asia! He simply can't get enough." You wouldn't be totally incorrect in thinking this. I do love Asia. Their food and culture are second to none. Where else can I get a bed on the beach and as much beer and food as I want for under $10 a day? Where else can I witness a culture and society that still holds on to its core beliefs and values down to the simplest form of family, community, togetherness?

While I sit here, reflecting on this year and my past years of travel, my intentions and reasons for traveling have changed a wee bit. My new culinary art skills, food, and the senses and experiences that belong to it, have have heavily influenced my reasons for blogging. So don't be alarmed if my blogging starts to sound like a soft-core porn between my food and I. After all, men supposedly think with 3 parts of their body, in this case, it will be the stomach.

Off to Australia. Thanks again to all of our Freckled Frogg fans, friends, and family members. Without you guys, none of this would be possible. Feel free to live vicariously through me! Enjoy the blog.