Bangpop

Having heard so many good things about the modern Thai street food restaurant along South Wharf Promenade, Carly, Camille and I finally checked out Bangpop. The food was fresh, spicy and delicious, and whilst more at Melbourne prices than the streets of Bangkok, the feel of the place was so very vibrant.

I managed to treat myself to a Beer Lao whilst I was waiting for the girls. The room of simple settings, for fast service, is easily spotted from outside by it's row of brightly coloured bicycles.

Ordering several plates to share, we first had the Barramundi and Red Curry Paste Cakes - Tod Mun Pla. Yummy morsels to wake the taste buds!

Next we split the Pad Ka Prow Nua - that's Stir Fried Beef Mince with basil, garlic and chilli, with a poached egg. This had kick! Tingles! So good!

We added the broth based Orange Curry, with pumpkin, wood-ear mushrooms, and basil - Geang Som Pak. Spooned into our rice, this also gave us a spicy hit, the fiery dish of our menu picks.

Lastly, it was hard not to pass up the Pad Thai. The test of every Thai restaurant, surely! So fresh, and plentiful!

The service was good, and the feel was energetic, with a buzz. They also list a pretty amazing lunch deal, if you are down that way at the right time.

So lovely! I have already plotted a return visit!

Housesitting In My Home Town – A Way To Keep The Travel Feel Alive

Since I have returned home from my Summer in Toronto last August I have managed to housesit all around Melbourne, which has provided me with the freedom of not committing to a particular area, nor lock me into a lease. It also means I have not had to accumulate furniture and other “stuff” again, and I am all but a pocket of savings and a plane ticket away from travel again!

I started out doing this as a way to wait out the process of gaining ongoing work, and deciding what suburb to live in. But as I continue working as a locum and given that I have managed to string many of these housesitting gigs together, I can’t imagine joining the rental market again anytime soon.

Many of these housesitting assignments have been through posting my availability on Facebook and a friend of mine has been going away. This had me covered for several months, as unsurprisingly I have many friends who also travel a fair bit. Using their annual leave in one hit means that I have had one month stints at a few places. Then, as the word spreads that this is what I am doing, I have been connected to friends of friends, who were also seeking a housesitter for their time away.

Then, to add to my search of this very different way of life - which was initially just a cool idea, and is now becoming my adopted way of living - I signed up to House Carers. This site allows people to post their housesitting needs, and assignments range from a week or so, to several months. I have applied for a few, and completed one through the ad and interview process, where I looked after chickens and guinea pigs for a month in a beautiful well-off suburb of Melbourne. I have just interviewed for another, to care for a couple of precious inside cats.

The reassurance of having someone in your home while you are away means that you know what you are returning to (provided you have screened your housesitter, I guess!). No surprise burst water pipes or break-ins to deal with when you arrive home over-tired and straight off a long haul flight. Collecting the mail is also a bonus of having a housesitter, which means there is no tell-tale signs of absence – the fact that someone is coming and going from your home can deter any would-be burglars. I have stayed somewhere with priceless artworks, so having someone home whilst the homeowners were away was a helpful security option. Of course, the pet care is the other main element to housesitting. I have taken care of dogs at a couple of housesitting gigs now, which has included feeding, walking, and general company for the pup. One interview I went to for an advertised assignment explained that she had investigated the option of using a kennel to take care of her dog whilst she was away, but the costs for this was going to be around $1000 for her dog. Ouch!

The arrangement is usually an exchange of services – the homeowner or renter allows me somewhere to stay, and in exchange I take care of their animals, water their garden and collect their mail, and be a presence in their home in their absence. To date, I have not been required to contribute to bills even though I have offered, and I have not been paid to stay (which many people who hear about what I am doing always seem to ask!).

The more I do this, the more references I have to provide for my next gig. A range of people who can verify that I have housesat for them, and cared for their beloved pets, and this helps enormously with applying for an advertised assignment on a website like House Carers. When applying to such an advert, my advice is to focus on what you can offer the person needing someone to look after their home and furry or scaly family members, any experience you may have that matches their needs, and enough about yourself for them to get a feel for whether they could have you live in their house while they are away.

I wouldn’t actually be able to do this without a safety net for the gaps between housesitting gigs, and I am blessed to be able to camp out in one of my best mate’s spare room when this happens. It’s actually really lovely to have these breaks of familiarity in the middle of staying in strangers' homes, and I really appreciate such support.

This style of living is not for everyone, with the constant movement, and living out of my backpack. And the uncertainty of where I will be living in the next few months. It means that I don’t have a lot of range and variety when it comes to work clothes, based on what I have in my backpack, but really what does that matter at the end of the day?! I am saving loads, with my eyes on my next travel plans; I am also getting to explore new neighbourhoods of Melbourne which I would never have otherwise had the chance to. I am avoiding the rent trap, and am feeling like a traveller in my own city!

The real dream would be extending this way of living to housesitting around the world, as a new accommodation option when travelling! House Carers has so many assignments advertised every day, from all corners of the world. Endless possibilities!

By all means, drop me a line if you need a housesitter! Or if you dream about the same freedom, join the House Carers website for a small fee and check out some of the potential assignments that could give you a holiday option near or far from home!

I have included some affiliate links within this post, whereby if you decided to join House Carers, you would help me with the costs of my next membership. I have been drafting this post, and collection of places and pet pictures for many months though, and the experiences are real!

Agra Fort

You soon realise, the more you explore, that Agra is not just about the Taj Mahal. There are so many amazing and beautiful places to visit and take in here from the Mughal period, and the Fort is one of the must visits.

Building of this red sandstone structure was begun by Emperor Akbar, and then added to by Shah Jahan. Adding white marble features, Shah Jahan transformed the military base into a palace. It later became his prison for eight years until his death,once his own son come to power.

The foreboding walls rise above you to some 20 metres as you walk through the Amar Singh Gate, where you have access to a very small section of the whole Fort, with the rest used as a current day military base.

From the dog-legged entryway, said to be built like that to confuse would-be attackers, you come into the Hall of Public Audiences - the Diwan-i-Am - and across past the archways of the Pearl Mosque.

Through a small staircase you proceed then to the next courtyard which features the stunning Gem Mosque - the Nagina Masjid.

Further on is the Hall of Private Audiences - the Diwan-i-Khas - where important dignitaries were received, and then the Mirror Palace.

The next palace section is white marble and runs to the river's edge. The Masamman Burji and Khas Mahal is the tower and quarters where Shah Jahan was held - affording him a view across the river to the iconic monument to love he built in the memory of his wife.

From here, you can complete the circuit back to Jehangir's Palace - another huge and beautiful red sandstone structure. It's lush garden space brings you back to the path to the Amar Singh Gate.

There is so much to this Fort, so much history and detail, and much of it is certainly missed by it being added to a day which includes a visit to the Taj. Without a doubt you could spend as much time here with a well versed guide on the history of the building, and the circumstances of it's function, including Shah Jahan's imprisonment.

The Taj's Mosque

The Mosque to the west of the Taj Mahal, made of red sandstone and featuring the distinctive white domes of the great mausoleum and monument to love, is an important gathering point and place of prayer for the Muslims of Agra. This is also the reason the Taj complex is closed to tourists on Fridays - visitors take note!

The Mosque has an identical jawab on the other side of the Taj, added into the design for symmetry! Such was Shah Jahan's vision.

Monet’s Garden and Footy

When I was standing in line for a MIFF movie earlier this month, I had just managed to wade my way in the rain after an AFL football match at the MCG. Upon seeing the beloved ‘G from Flinders Street, and the stream of footy fans straggling back to the city, the woman in front of me in the line commented that I was certainly making a “change of pace” in my day from one to the other.

I guess that all depended on the pace of the game I had just seen, and the pace of the movie about to be watched, but I just kinda laughed at her incredulous comment that someone who was into film could be into footy as well. I mean, that is the essence of being a Melbournian, and surely a citizen of the world! Follow what you are passionate about, whatever the form!

Nicole and I paired a similar contrast a couple of weekends ago, after our feast at the Melbourne Trailer Park. First up, just up the way on St Kilda Road, we entered the ever amazing National Gallery of Victoria for the Monet’s Garden exhibition.

I am always in awe of the curation at the NGV, they always do things so well! As we weaved through the line to the ticket box we took in the themed décor of the café, which we were to later learn within the exhibit is the kitchen style at Giverny.

After marveling at the abstract version of Monet's waterlillies in the foyer, we moved into the gallery space, and took in the journey of Monet's from his early works and inspiration, to his Waterlilly masterpieces. The acquisition of Giverny, and the development of the garden and lilypond, in addition to the Japanese inspired bridge.

Seeing the garden evolve on his canvases as time moved along, the exhibit also paired his life timelines of love and loss, a fascinating personal history, and the shocking journey of his cataracts, colour vision loss, and repair.

The highlight of the exhibit was Giverny on show - a final room set out as a surround cinema, which takes you through the garden. Having the screens fill your periphery vision, it really felt like you were walking through it - and made me want to add a visit to the real garden to my wanderlust list!

Then we made it across town to Etihad Stadium, to watch the Bombers play the Roos, and my cousin play for the second time this year in the Seniors.

I have discovered that it's so very hard to keep track of just one player during a game. But so very refreshing to watch a game without the emotional investment of having your team in it!

Monet's Garden is on till the 8th of September, and I totally urge you to get along and experience it. The Bombers however, have finally met with the end of a season long saga, and taken their punishment. This coming weekend will be their last for the year.

185 Empty Chairs

Returning to Christchurch this month was pretty confronting, seeing the devastation of the earthquakes of 2010 and 2011 and the ongoing state of disrepair of the city. Memories of my visit with Mum back in 2009 made the experience of walking through what felt like a ghost town now all the more.

As I walked around the rubble, nothing was as powerful as the art installation named 185 Empty Chairs.

Out in the open, these chairs, all white, are placed to represent each person lost as a result of the February 2011 earthquake.

All kinds of chairs, which is a moving representation of the ages and range of people the quake took. Some of the chairs in the installation actually belonged to the person for whom it represents.

As Christchurch works away at recovery and the rebuild, this art is a strong symbol of what happened, and the impact these natural forces have had on the city.

Melbourne's Trailer Park

I am fairly sure the only novel foodie thing better than a food truck is a gaggle of them all together for a feast of tasting! That dream has come true here in Melbourne for the month of August, and will continue into September, and is planted on St Kilda Road where the old Belgium Beer Cafe once was.

Each weekend of August Corntopia, The Curry Truck, Gumbo Kitchen and The Brulee Cart has been making up the Trailer Park, along with a pop up outside bar, and the bluestone indoors one.

Two weekends ago Nicole, Carly and I met up under the warming Winter sun in the make-shift courtyard to taste the food of trucks we have not actually had the chance to track down before.

We grabbed chicken and bean tacos from Corntopia, the "Flavoursome" dish from The Curry Truck, which gave us a sample of two different curries on offer - beef rendang and the butter chicken - plus a samosa, some ratia, and rice. The Smoked Mesquite Pulled Pork Po' Boy was the other choice of our feast, from Gumbo Kitchen.

One of the most anticipated tastes of the Trailer Park though, was the chance to sample The Brulee Cart's little morsels of goodness. Changing flavours each weekend, I had the Nutella and Strawberry, Nicole the Salted Caramel and Carly had the French Vanilla - each had the required crack on the top, which whilst meant to be in place, still seemed like a delightful surprise coming from a tiny blue truck!

The food was pretty amazing. Fresh, and each so varied. Oh! Beatbox Kitchen was there too, for burgers, but I have sampled them before! Each dish went down well with a cider, and the much missed sunshine!

The truck combination is set to change for September, and so will surely need another visit to sample the collection of tastes, all made within the confines of one of the trucks!

What a great idea, and an amazing community feel, getting together to enjoy these tastes.