Australia & NZ 2011 (23 March)

Our last day in Gold Coast was as beautiful as the last few ones. With a banana in my belly I went to the beach for a sprint workout and then came back to have breakfast with Alvaro. We basically tried to finish off all the leftovers: apples, bananas, yogurt, a Lebanese bread, an avocado and some slices of tasty cheese. I had a cup of instant coffee with milk but we didn’t manage to empty the carton.

There was an interchange of leftovers in the bus, apparently not only us South Americans feel bad when tossing food away. In the airport I was thirsty and craving a fresh juice. Pure NRG (natural, refreshing, good) had exactly what I needed: a Healthy Kick Start juice with apple, orange, pineapple, carrot, ginger & multi-vitamins.

Healthy Kick Start juice, regular ($6.95)

Our flight to Canberra stopped at Sydney for a plane change. Most of us bough lunch at Wholefoods by Santos. Alvaro had a roast beef baguette, and I a tuna nicoise salad. Both were very good for pre-packaged food standards, the roast beef was tender and the baguette’s crust crunchy instead of chewy, the dressing in my salad was awesome. I bought a passionfruit yoghurt to share but Alvaro was staying at Sydney and he realised he’d better get his luggage before they tossed it in the bin, so I had the whole creamy and tangy yoghurt for myself. I think I’ve eaten more yoghurt in this trip than in the rest of the year.

Roast beef baguette ($8.90)

Tuna nicoise salad ($8.90)

Passionfruit yoghurt ($5.90)

We arrived at Canberra, for me one of the most boring cities in the world (Osorno in Chile is still top 1), checked in our accommodations, had a shower and headed to CSIRO Discovery, the venue chosen for the public lecture that night.

Our lectures often finish around midnight, and our local friends knew it’d be pretty impossible to get food at that time, so they got heaps of Crust pizzas to sell in the venue’s cafeteria. They also sold glasses of wine, beer, and soft drinks. The small slices of pizza were $2.50, the big ones $4. It was the first time I ate pizzas from Crust and I must say that they’re way better than Pizza Hut and Domino’s. But they still taste too junky for me.

Tandoori pizza
Chicken breast fillets marinated in tandoori spices, shallots & crushed cashews, topped with mint yoghurt.

Vegetarian Supreme pizza
Grilled eggplant, marinated artichokes, baby spinach, roasted capsicum, mushrooms, sundried tomatoes & bocconcini, topped with homemade pesto aioli.

Meatball pizza
Homemade style Italian meatballs, roasted capsicum, spanish onions, sundried tomatoes, bacon & bocconcini, garnished with basil & Napoli sauce.

I had a large slice of tandoori, a small slice of meatball and a small slice of Chicken Avocado Tick Pizza (not pictured), with chicken breast fillets, mushrooms, shallots, spanish onions & avocado. All washed out with two generous glasses of red wine (first Pinot Noir and then Merlot).

Pure NRG
Gold Coast Airport
Bilinga QLD 4225

Wholefoods by Santos
Arrivals and Departures
Sydney Domestic Airport
Mascot NSW 2020
www.santoscoffeebars.com.au

Crust
new.crust.com.au

Australia & NZ 2011 (22 March)

One funny thing I’ve noticed about my eating habits is that I hate having the same lunch two days in a row but I’m completely fine with eating the same stuff in the morning. Once again I had a banana and almonds first thing in the morning, and after a core workout: 2 apples, a soft-boiled egg on top of baby spinach and a slice of tasty cheese, half a Lebanese bread, and a glass of milk.

Again we missed the 8 am session (at this point we already knew we wouldn’t make it at all), but managed to get in the penthouse by 10.

For lunch I really wanted to try an Indonesian restaurant but it was too hot for that. Instead, we went to The Green Ant Cafe for a light meal. There was a deal of quiche plus a salad (or salads) of your choice for $8.50, which seemed pretty good.

The Green Ant Cafe

The quiche was spinach, feta and pumpkin. I chose the pickled beetroot & bean salad, baby spinach & pumpkin salad, and coleslaw. The quiche was good, with a nice fresh taste and soft texture. Not floury or dry like some I’ve had. The salads were nice, too.

Spinach, feta & pumpkin quiche

Spinach, feta & pumpkin quiche, pickled beetroot & bean salad, baby spinach & pumpkin salad, coleslaw.

Spinach, feta & pumpkin quiche, baby spinach & pumpkin salad, cous cous salad, potato salad.

Alvaro had bought a coconut drink in a health food shop nearby and was happy to drink just that. I wanted something refreshing and needed some caffeine, so I ordered an iced coffee, which I know was not the smartest choice but I considered it as a treat. And I had it sans cream.

Iced coffee

Right after lunch we got on vans and cars and headed to Brisbane. Our lama blessed our new centre there, there was a small ceremony, followed by juices (apple and orange) and bagged party snacks (chips and cheesy things), but also a table with plenty of healthy goodies: melon and papaya, watermelon and pineapple, carrot sticks, hummus, etc.

Watermelon & pineapple

Nibbles

We headed back to the Gold Coast for a night of teachings and a movie (Mongol was the chosen one). I was exhausted and didn’t stay for the whole movie, just hung out long enough to drink a beer and eat too many handfuls of chips, Doritos and Grain Waves. Then went down to my room knowing that my body wouldn’t be happy the next day.

The Green Ant Cafe
11 James Street
Burleigh Heads QLD 4220
(07) 5520 2290

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Australia & NZ 2011 (21 March)

21 March was my mum’s birthday. Of course it wasn’t her birthday yet in Peru (the time difference is 16 hours), but still I had her in my mind. It was the first beautiful day since we arrived, bright and sunny. I convinced Alvaro to go to the beach for a workout and a bit of sun exposure. Our pre-workout meal was a banana and some almonds.

Alvaro ran and I did yoga. We both freshened up in the sea before heading back to the apartment. Breakfast (post-workout meal, really) was scrambled eggs with thyme, baby spinach, avocado, wholemeal Lebanese bread, a slice of tasty cheese, and a bit of yogurt.

After the 11 am meditation session we had leftovers for lunch again: beef and lamb steaks, plus a salad of iceberg lettuce, cherry tomatoes, avocado, lime juice and olive oil.

One more meditation session and we were ready for dinner. But we didn’t want any more meat, so we went to Govindas with Angela C. We managed to get a free table (the place is small and popular), and as we waited in the queue to order, Neil arrived and was quite surprised of finding us in a vegetarian restaurant. I wonder why.

Angela, Alvaro and I chose the medium plate (rice + 3 dishes for $11). Neil wasn’t that hungry and had a small plate (rice + 2 dishes for $9). I chose the vegetable curry (broccoli, cauliflower, carrot, lima beans), antipasto salad (olives, etc), and pumpkin, baby spinach & avocado salad. The serving was huge and the food was really good. Tasty and comforting.

Rice, koftas, tofu salad, vegetable curry

Rice, croquettes, kofta salad, vegetable curry

Antipasto salad, pumpkin, baby spinach & avocado salad, rice, vegetable curry

We were stuffed up but Alvaro and I had bought a custard & semolina dessert, which was actually very nice. It was like a warm bread pudding layered with silky custard, both of them not too sweet.

Stuffed up as we were, we managed to get through at least half of the evening session and then passed out in bed.

Govindas
20 James Street
Burleigh Heads QLD 4220
(07) 5607 0782

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www.govindas.net.au

Australia & NZ 2011 (20 March)

The morning after the BBQ, as most days spent in the Gold Coast, I ignored my alarm and decided to sleep in a bit. That means waking up at 7:30 instead of 6, and therefore missing the 8 am meditation session. But that was alright. A banana, a workout and a healthy breakfast (apples, bananas, almonds and yogurt) made it up for it.

We made it to the 11 am session and then decided to have BBQ leftovers for lunch. There were lots of beef and lamb steaks, a couple of sausages, and a bit of potato salad. A salad of baby spinach, tomato, basil and lemon juice that we had at our apartment completed the meal.

After the afternoon session we went to get dinner. A bunch of friends went to the Thai restaurant we had been two nights ago, but we wanted something different. Other people went to a fish & chips place that is probably not bad, but I wanted to try a fish taco restaurant called Wahoo’s, only because the sign outside says “fast, fresh, healthy”. I know, I’m a victim of marketing.

Wahoo’s

The place is basically a fast food (in a non mass-produced sense) restaurant for surfers. Two “chef’s specials” blackboards on top of the drinks display announced margarita and vodka-mango slushies for $5 and local beers for $3.50. Great value, but I wasn’t in the mood for alcohol.

Wahoo’s drinks

I just wanted something healthy to eat, and I found it in the menu between burgers, nachos and wild wings. Alvaro and I shared a fish bowl (served on a bed of rice with fresh slow cooked black beans and fresh salsa) and a Wahoo’s salad with fish (fresh green leaf lettuce, tomatoes, cucumbers, onions, topped with cheese and salsa).

I must admit I was disappointed with the meal. The fish (pangasus, I think) in both dishes was completely tasteless and gelatinous. The salad was pretty plain. The beans, rice, salsa and sour cream in the bowl were alright. At least dinner was cheap and felt fresh.

Fish bowl ($9.75)

Wahoo’s salad with fish ($7.95)

We ate our meal outside and couldn’t help noticing the sign in the shop next door: hand-made gelato. Exactly what we needed to give our taste buds a treat. Gelateria Dolce Follia has a nice selection of gelato and a few sorbet flavours, but I didn’t need much time to know what I wanted: a scoop of Nutella. Alvaro got a scoop of honey-macadamia. We headed back to meditate until we could not keep ourselves awake anymore.

Gelato

Gelato

Wahoo’s Fish Taco of Australia
2/1726 Gold Coast Highway
Burleigh Heads QLD 4220
(07) 5520 4477

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Gelateria Dolce Follia
1/1726 Gold Coast Highway
Burleigh Heads QLD 4220
0416 049 418

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Australia & NZ 2011 (19 March)

On Saturday we woke up as early as we could, had a banana each and some almonds and headed to the beach for a run. Then we got back to the apartment for breakfast on Saturday was a bed of baby spinach with two soft-boiled eggs (three for Alvaro) and a slice of Tasty cheese.

Then we headed to the gompa (meditation room). I could only stay until 11 because I had to meet Gary and Franz to go food shopping. We were planning a BBQ that night to celebrate our teacher’s 70th birthday. Turned out that Franz was caught on his chef duties (he was cooking for the lama) and we ended up waiting til noon. We drove to James St Deli, where the really nice butcher helped us get the best quality meat and sausages we could get within our budget. He even offered to cut it for us.

We went to a shopping centre and bought the rest of the stuff in Woolies and a green grocer. Once back in the apartments, we split the people the helpers in two groups, one went to Gary’s apartment and the other to mine.

Food prep was ready on time. We closed the meditation we had started the day before (people took turns to keep it going for 24 hours), and there was a small ceremony to give our lama his birthday pressie.

We asked most of the people to leave the penthouse to set it up for the BBQ. We had all the salads and bread rolls already upstairs and some guys went to the ground floor to cook the meat. Around 8 pm the chewing action started.

Our lama and his guests had the same salads as us, plus cebiche (no onions, served with corn and sweet potato on the side) and baked fish, which had been marinated with lemon and herbs, and cooked with a bit of butter.

Salad number one had raw beetroot, carrot, fennel and orange, dressed with orange juice and olive oil, sitting on a bed of rocket. Salad number two had sweet potato baked with salt, pepper, cumin and olive oil, cherry tomatoes, rocket, basil, lime and olive oil dressing, and goat’s cheese. Salad number three was a potato salad with pickled gherkins and mayo/grain mustard dressing.

Salads & bread

As for the meat, we got chicken breasts marinated in lemon and thyme, beef steaks, lamb steaks, pork sausages, and chicken sausages. There also were a few veggie (chickpea & sunflower) burgers for the vegos.

Marinated chicken, beef steaks

Pork sausages

Lamb, chicken sausages

I tried one of each and must say I was impressed with the flavour. Having Gary in charge of grilling, it was cooked to perfection. But apparently we overestimated our belly capacity and ended up with lots of leftover steaks.

We would have liked to bake a special cake for the occasion but it would have been too much work. Instead, we ordered a custom cake with a map of the world in the icing, showing the places where our lama has founded more than 600 Buddhist centres.

Birthday cake

The cake was chocolate nougat. As we anticipated it to be pretty rich and sweet, we prepared a fruit salad (watermelon, strawberry, mint, and lime juice) to go with it.

Watermelon, strawberry, mint & lime salad

The cake/fruit salad combo was a huge success. And yes, I had seconds.

Fruit salad & chocolate nougat cake

James St Deli
33 James Street
Burleigh Heads QLD 4220
(07) 5535 1028

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Australia & NZ 2011 (18 March)

Friday already! So long I’ve managed to have a decent workout most of the days and eat as healthily as possible. But being in Sydney is tricky, feeling at home usually equals overeating and overdrinking. And that’s exactly what happened that Friday. We were heading to the Gold Coast for 6 days and had to finish off all the perishables in the apartment. Even when we were not that hungry after a night of partying (and eating/drinking too many carbs), we had a big breakfast: fruit salad (apples, nectarines, bananas, lemon juice, honey, and cinnamon), boiled eggs, baby spinach, grated carrot, avocado, and toasted bread.

We could barely move but had to be quick because our taxi was already waiting outside. We got to the airport and found out that our flight to Gold Coast had been delayed for other 50 minutes. Not a problem, I used the spare time to call my dad, upload photos, etc.

It was raining when we arrived at Gold Coast. I had pictured it like the eternal sun-bathed paradise but the reality was very, very far away. It was warm, humid, and cloudy, I felt a little bit like being back in Lima.

A bus took us to the apartment complex we’re staying at. It’s an amazing 30-storey building very close to the beach. We’re staying in groups of 4 or 5 in apartments that feel extremely luxurious after having spent some time in the backpackers hostel in Melbourne. We meditate in the penthouse, with a gorgeous view of the beach. What else could we ask for?

Oh yes, I know. More master cards. You see, each apartment has 2 sets of key and swipe card. The swipe card allows you to get to your floor and the key to get to your apartment. But there’s only one master card per floor, which is needed to get to the 30th floor and meditate. So we basically have to jump into the lift and hope that someone with a master card also gets in, in order to get to the penthouse. But besides that hassle, everything’s perfect.

A short stroll takes us to a small area with shops and restaurants. In the afternoon Alvaro and I went to Foodworks to get some breakfast stuff. Later we went with Angela and her son Reuben to get dinner. Some of the restaurants were already closed, and we didn’t want anything too junky or heavy, so we settled with Thai.

Zab-Isan makes traditional North East Thai cuisine. I don’t really know what that means because I’m not familiar with Thailand food regions. The menu, though, looked very much like all the others I’ve seen.

Reuben wasn’t particularly thrilled with the choice and declared he would eat only rice. What he really wanted was a burger; in the end he got away with his craving and had one from Nando’s. Angela, Alvaro and I shared a beef green curry and a chicken Pad See-Ew, plus steamed jasmine rice. Reuben finished his burger in a few minutes and when he realised he liked the Pad See-Ew, he had some with rice, too. Food was good, a bit too salty for my taste but felt fresh and the servings were big enough for all of us.

Green curry with beef ($14.50)

Pad See-Ew with chicken ($14.50)

Steamed jasmine rice ($2.00 pp)