Happy 2013! After spending the first 3 weeks detoxing from the silly season, the arrival of my parents and sister meant another round of good food and wine. On the first evening of their arrival, we dined at Portello Rosso, one of my favourite Spanish restaurants in Melbourne. We enjoyed marinated octopus with pimentos (salted […]
Bali Birthday
With May finally upon us, we headed to Bali for a birthday wellness treat. It’s the first time I’ve been to Bali and I was curious to finally see the place that holds so many Australians in thrall. We arrived at our villa shortly after 6pm so it wasn’t long before we had to head to […]
The Beauty of Byron
Over Anzac day long weekend, Isabella, Jo, Mae and I flew to Byron Bay for a fun filled getaway. Isabella had gone out drinking the night before so she wasn’t in what you would call a prime condition. Luckily for her, I had booked us into a 2 hour kayak tour. Just the sort of […]
Perth Easter Trip Home
Qantas were having a sale so Jo and I booked a flight to Perth over the Easter break. It was Jo’s first trip to WA in the 9 years that he has been living in Australia. A visit to Perth is not complete unless I buy my sister some of La Belle Miette’s fantastic macarons. […]
Christmas in Melbourne
December has arrived and so has the start of the silly season. I love the lead up to Christmas. That feeling of anticipation, the buzz in the air, the sales and relaxed happy attitude that everyone has. The invitation to my work Christmas party had me all excited. The theme for this year is ‘White […]
Spring in Melbourne and a trip to Hobart
November got off to a fun start. Ly, Leesa, Sue Mae and I participated in Stampede Melbourne, a 10km mud obstacle course. I rolled my ankle, got electrocuted and lost a ring that I had worn since the age of 17 but that didn’t stop it from being a fun experience. I wanted to do […]
Chiang Mai & Singapore
In October, I headed to Chiang Mai for a much anticipated holiday. It was my first overseas holiday in a year, exactly one year after I returned from my 10 month long travels. Janice and I flew from Perth, the day after my dad’s 60th birthday. We flew into Chiang Mai where we met up […]
The Chan’s go to China
In April, my mother got wind of a travel deal offered by the Chinese government. They were offering ethnic Chinese from the US, Canada or Australia an 8 day tour of Beijing for $99. The price includes 7 nights in a 4 star hotel, 3 meals per day, transport and services of a guide. Five […]
A Turkish Delight
After a mere hour flight from Athens, we arrived in Istanbul, where we met up with Janee. Istanbul airport was very large and modern. It is the largest earthquake safe building in the world. We arrived too late to fit in any sightseeing that afternoon so we caught a taxi to the Blue Mosque and […]
Walk like an Egyptian
We had an unexpected and emotional parting with Janee at Istanbul airport. While we knew we had to part ways with Rebecca in Turkey, something came up the night before we were to fly to Cairo which meant Janee had to skip Egypt and head back to London. Our arrival in Cairo was as I […]
memoirs of a Chan 