Page 2 – Work Travel Live!

Australia – Day 06

June 25, 2019June 25, 2019Australia Jose Micheri

Today we are flying to Cairns on the northern coast of Queensland. We flew using the low fare airline Tigerair and it was a good experience (this compared with the low fare airlines in the US).

Be aware that the airline will weigh in your carry-on bag. You can purchase some additional weight if needed.

We landed on a beautiful sunny day in Cairns. We walked to the ride-booking zone to wait for our Uber, it was about a fifteen-minute ride to town.

In town, there are a lot of options for eating. On our walk around town, we came across Rusty’s Markets. The market offers many good eating options like crepes, Thai food, Japanese, etc. We had a little of everything including natural sugarcane mixed with other tropical fruits.

After all the food we continued to explore the town and found Cairns Esplanade Lagoon. This is a free public pool in the city by the shore. It looked like a lot of fun for those hot summer days. After a few minutes, it started to rain and we decided to go back to the hotel and take it easy.

Later at night, we went out for some highly rated Indian food. We went to 7spices Indian Restaurant and Bar. The staff was great and helped us pick some of the traditional dishes. The food was very flavorful and delicious.

On the way back to the hotel Matt remembered a Taiwanese shaved ice place near the hotel called Seet Tea and begged to go. We had a bowl of chocolate ice since they had run out of vanilla for the day. After this massive dessert, we had to call it a night.

Shaved ice fotos

Australia – Day 05

June 25, 2019June 25, 2019Australia Jose Micheri

Today we woke up to a foggy morning in Sydney with plans to visit the aquarium. On our way there we decided to have breakfast again at Gazzi. We tried the Mediterranean breakfast and poached eggs over bacon. Like last time service and food were amazing.

Once inside, the aquarium keeps you moving along a determined path where you will see a large variety of smaller creatures as well as larger ones. There are two long half cylinder sections that you will go underwater and experience sharks, rays and a variety of fish. Also, don’t miss the penguin section and experience them up close through the glass.

The cost was $36.80 AUD for adults and $26.40 AUD for children. We spent 2.5 hrs during our visit.

After working an appetite we walked back to Show Neua Thai Street Food and enjoy their Pad Thai one last time.

Since we have failed to visit the Opera House, we made it our goal to make it there today. We boarded the train and headed straight to Central Quay Station to walk to the building. As we got closer we noticed that the roof has a tile pattern and not a smooth surface as I thought.

Once inside there was not much to see, all hallways we blocked off for different events. Since we had time before going to Luna Park we decided to see if we could see a show. There were three seats available to see a Game of Thrones theater parody. We paid more than we wanted to spend, but we were already there and this was a different opportunity to experience. The show covered the highlights of the show and made fun of a lot of situations that happened through all eight seasons. The show was fantastic and I recommend you to see it if you have seen Game of Thrones.

After the show, we took a ferry to Luna Park (the correct ferry this time). Once we got there the place was packed. Looked like everyone else had the same idea.

The place is like going to Conney Island in New York, it has the old school rides and carnival games. There are a few more modern rides but are for riders taller than 130 cm. We had a good time but only had time to ride about five rides in the two hours we spent there due to the number of people visiting. We ended the night playing some carnival games and Matt won a Luna Park bobblehead.

You can take the train to/from Luna Park, it is just a ten-minute walk to/from the station.

Australia – Day 04

June 23, 2019June 25, 2019Australia Jose Micheri

Started the day with a delicious Colombian breakfast from Colombia Organik.

From there we boarded the train west stopping at the Blacktown station and transferring to the bus ** bus number ** to Featherdale Wildlife Park. The entrance was $32 for adults and $19 for children.

The park starts with a section to feed Wallabies, but there are other sections to feed more animals further into the park.

Along the way, you will admire numerous birds, cassowary, wombats, kangaroos, dingoes, and other farm animals. We spent over two hours around the park.

Around noon we headed back to Sydney to explore the west side. We had ramen for lunch at Ramen Kan.

With full bellies, we visited the Chinese Garden of Friendship. These beautiful gardens are in the middle of the city and are a great short visit (we spent about half an hour). The entrance was $6 for adults and $3 for children.

On the way to Darling Harbour, we stumbled into a very nice park north of Tumbalong Park. It had a huge web to climb, a large slide and even a zip line (Matt’s favorite thing).

Great walk along the harbor. As you get closer to the Sydney Harbour Bridge you can see the unique architecture of the tall buildings and new development. Since rain continued to come down we decide to take the ferry to Circular Quay to visit the Opera House.

We boarded a ferry and went to the top floor to take pictures of the bridge and the Opera House. As we got closer we noticed that the ferry continued past the Opera House and did not go into the expected wharf. We continued for a long ride all the way northeast to the town of Manly.

We remained on our seats and talked to the captain about what had happened shower after began our journey back to were we started. At least we got to see the sites up close and got to see the Manly port.

This time we took the train to Circular Quay and met with my wife middle school friend from Colombia. We had dinner across the Opera House at The Squire’s Landing and tried the local Rump steak.

Matt and I decided to head back to the hotel after dinner. That night at the Central Station the city was preparing for a train expo which included rides on some classic trains. We had the opportunity to see them at the station.

Australia – Day 03

June 23, 2019June 25, 2019Australia Jose Micheri

Started the day by getting an Opal card. This is used for all public transportation methods in Sydney and it is the most convenient way to get around.

The card is free, I started with $20 dollars for adults and $10 for children. For three days of constant traveling, we spent about $50 for adults and half for the little one. Using the app was convenient to add money to our accounts on the go.

Now with our transport card, we start looking for breakfast. We settled on Gazzi, a restaurant with a delicious Mediterranean and contemporary Australian menu. I had a baked Shakshuka which is eggs cooked on top of a tomato sauce. My wife had the Gazzi breakfast consisting of two poached eggs with bacon, roasted tomato, fresh avocado, feta on sourdough Eggs. Great flavors and service.

After breakfast, we boarded the bus toward Bondi Beach. From the Museum Station near Liverpool Street, it was about 30 minutes on bus 333. Once there we were greeted with a sunny day and a wonderful view of the beach. There were almost no tourists when we arrived but plenty of surfers catching waves. We spent a few hours just walking and people watching.

There are coin-operated lockers and restrooms if you want to spend some time at the beach.

Around 11:30 am we left the beach and walked on the trail along the side of the cliffs. This leads you to another beach. There are great views along the way.

We were getting hungry mad hiked to a seafood restaurant for some fish and chips. Bondi Road Seafood is a great small place if you are looking for fresh seafood. The place was clean and the staff was wonderful.

We decided to go back to town and explore the Central Park Mall. The building has a very unique architecture, covered with vegetation. The area has plenty of restaurants to choose from as well as an open space south of the building to relax.

A great find was gelato from Anita, the gelato was creamy and they had plenty of delicious flavors. I got pistachio swirl with white chocolate and Ferrero Roche. Later I learned that there was another Anita on Bondi Beach.

One thing I wish I had done on day one was to buy a local sim card. I got a prepaid sim card with 36GB of data, local and some countries calls included for $29. There were some cheaper plans as low as $15 for 3 GB.

Between the months of May and mid-June Sydney has different light and music shows around the city. We went north to see the show displayed on the outside of the Opera House.

At this point of the night, Matt was tired and hungry, we decided to call it a night. On the way back we found a Thai restaurant (Show Neua Thai Street Food) and decided to give its Pad Thai a try. It was a great way to end the night.

Australia – Day 02

June 9, 2019June 9, 2019Australia Jose Micheri

Still flying…

Got to sleep some hours on the plane leaving me with only eight more hours to go. Started watching movies but took some breaks in between movies to play games with Matt. You had four multiplayer games that you could play with other passengers.

During the flight, we got a gourmet version of a pizza hot pocket for a. Snack and two hours before landing we got an omelet with bacon and potatoes.

After too many movies we can finally see land.

Past immigration and customs we headed out of the airport looking for transportation. We found that to take an Uber you need to wait for them in the priority pick-up area. Follow the signs throughout the airport.

After driving through traffic on a rainy morning, we arrived at our hotel The Ultimo.

The staff was extremely helpful and were very kind in letting us check in early.

We quickly left our bags and headed out to get cash and food. Next, to the hotel, we found multiple items and across is a mall with plenty of food options. We opted for Taiwanese beef noodle soup and crispy chicken.

With our full bellies and cash for emergencies, we started walking north to explore the city. Along the way, you can admire the mix of new and old architecture showing what parts of the city have been modernized.

Next, to Hyde Park, we visited Saint Mary’s Cathedral. Very beautiful cathedral both from the outside as well an inside. When visiting go to the crypt below the main floor, you will see more information about its history and wonderful floors.

The ticket to the crypt can be purchased at the store for $5 AUD

Along the way, we visited the Australian Museum. There is a lot to see; from extinct animals, a dinosaur exhibit, many birds, local Australian culture, etc. We spent two and a half hours going through the museum.

We continued to walk north toward Mrs. Macquarie’s Chair. This is a good spot to see both the bridge and the opera house. To get there we walked through the Royal Botanic Gardens. This was a beautiful walk through very tall trees and beautiful landscape. We took many pictures along the path. The weather continued to switch between rain and glimpses of sunlight.

From here we tried to walk to the opera house but it proved to be too much for Matt. He was exhausted from all the walking and the long flight. We decided to head back to the hotel and eat somewhere along the way.

We decided to try the famous xiao long bao from Din Tai Fung restaurant. The shrimp and pork dumplings were the best, the regular pork ones were OK, they did not have enough soup inside.

Australia – Day 01

June 6, 2019June 6, 2019Australia Jose Micheri

Left for the airport around 5:30 PM giving ourselves more time to check in at the counter.

There was no line at the counter but Ir took about 20 minutes to resolve a double booking done by the company I used to book the flights. Security was quick and now at the tram to Terminal A.

It’s the little things that matter… Matt loves sitting down at the window at the end of the tram.

We had a short flight to LAX and now we wait for our long 15 hr flight to Sydney. Once there we had to transfer to terminal 3/B (international). We were hungry and looking for food. Almost no options were available near the doors, so we kept going and hoped that there was something good by our gate. We found a food court with various options. We chose to get burgers from Umami Burger but didn’t like the LAX Burger. The wife had the Cali and an order of truffle fries.

As we were in line to board I noticed that Matt’s plane seat was five rows behind ours. I quickly ran to the counter to resolve the issue. Luckily they were able to find three seats together.

Just after takeoff, we learned that they were going to give us dinner after takeoff. We were not ready for more food after our burger dinner but not wanting to go hungry later we ate.

Now with a full belly, I tried to watch a movie and go to sleep later in the hopes of adjusting my sleep schedule to Sydney. By the end of the movie, I was so tired that I stopped fighting and decided to sleep.

Colombia 2019 – Day 08

May 5, 2019May 5, 2019Colombia Jose Micheri

Today is the last day and time to head back.

We said goodbye to the dogs and started our journey to the airport. We took a different route through the town of Calarcá.

On our way to the airport we had lunch at the restaurant Rancho Edén. One last typical lunch before our plane ride.

Said goodbye at the airport and boarded our plane. Goodbye Colombia!

Colombia 2019 – Day 07

May 5, 2019May 5, 2019Colombia Jose Micheri

Woke up to very dense fog all around.

Today the plan was to visit my relative’s farm (Finca ) near the town of Quimbaya. The town is located about 28 km (50 mins) from Circacia. On the way there we passed the town of Montenegro, which is another large town in the area.

We arrived at the Finca and were greeted with a great view of the region. The Finca was cultivated mostly in coffee, but it has been transitioning to a local type of avocado and plantains. Some coffee will be kept, but only for local consumption.

We went out for a walk along the edge of the land. Along the way, we found plenty of ants that you don’t want to mess with.

The avocado trees are about two years old and continue to grow quickly. They have begun producing avocados.

We learned that they also grow another type of coffee type called Castilla, when the beans become ripe they turn yellow and not the traditional red color as the Arabica type.

The land has a few mango trees and thousands of plantain trees. These trees are huge between 12 and 15 feet tall. To protect the plantains a specialist comes and bags each plantain bunch as the plantains are growing.

After our hike, we were greeted with a cup of the coffee grown here. I normally don’t drink coffee but when it is this close to the source how can I refuse.

I was shown the process and the equipment used to process the beans.

The beans are inserted through a funnel into the machine to remove the skin from the bean.

From there it is dumped into a pool of water and cleaned further. Some of the beans are not fully skinned and requires further processing.

Once clean the beans are placed on a flat silo to dry. The silo has a movable roof for sunny days and for those cloudy or more humid days they have a type of heater to help the drying process.

After our coffee tour, we went to Quimbaya for lunch. We stopped at a restaurant in the town square for some chuletas, which are thinly breaded pork chops. This also included soup, fries, salad, and rice. We also enjoyed the fresh fruit juices (lulo and mango).

We drove back to Circacia and were greeted by a beautiful and colorful sunset.

For our last dinner, we went back to Container City in Armenia and ate at El Cacharrito. We ordered the Callejera burger (Street burger) and the Super Callejera with double everything. To drink we had the delicious limonada de coco (coconut limeade).

We were stuffed and ready for the bed.

Colombia 2019 – Day 06

May 5, 2019May 5, 2019Colombia Jose Micheri

Started the day with a delicious breakfast made by my father in law. Arepa and eggs with onion and tomatoes.

Spent time coloring with the kids at the house then we visited my wife’s grandmother before heading to the airport.

Just before the airport, we went to Rancho Edén for typical Colombian food. We started with crispy chicharrón for an appetizer, this was followed by Baby Beef and Punta de Anca. Both were delicious. To drink we natural juices in water/milk and coconut limeade. Main beef dishes are about $29,000 pesos ($8.95 USD).

Beef doneness runs on the rare side. A typical medium will be a little bloody.

Made it to the airport on time, but learned a few things:

Spirit air was not accepting mobile boarding pass meaning that had to do the line for a printed boarding pass.
You could not go through security with bags of ground coffee larger than 340 grams. Multiple bags are fine as well as whole bean coffee bags.

Be aware that you can’t have glass or ceramic coffee cups on your carry on. So check in your shot glasses or anything in a glass container on your checked bag.

After the wife successfully went through security we left to visit the town of Filandia. The town is located northwest about 19 km (24 min) from Circacia.

Once there we parked in the town square and went out for a walk. The town square buildings are well preserved and very colorful. There are plenty of good restaurants around as well as small vendors.

We extended our walking a few blocks past the square and were greeted by fantastic views of the region. It was raining on and off and we decided to start heading back to the square. On the square, we found a vendor with mini buñuelos (10 x 1000 pesos). There are little cheese dough balls.

I was craving obleas, which is a wafer sandwich that’s filled with arequipe (like a caramel sauce). Other fillings include condensed milk, whipped cream, and jams. We tried multiple things at the place selling obleas. First, we ordered two obleas with arequipe, cream and strawberry sauce.

My son ordered a guanabanon (soursop fruit). It consisted of a wafer cup filled with the fruit topped with arequipe, cream, and jam.

We finished the day by buying fresh chorizo and driving around the central plaza of Circacia. Later we went out for dinner at Rancho Arepas and had stuffed arepas.

Colombia 2019 – Day 05

May 5, 2019May 5, 2019Colombia Jose Micheri

Same as yesterday, relax by the pool and eat too much food.

We left the house around 3:30 pm, The trip was much faster without the night traffic in Pereira.

There are three tolls from the Chinchiná area to Circasia. They have a cost of
$13,800 ($4.25 USD), $11,500 ($3.55 USD), and $10,400 ($3.21 USD)

Later at night, we went out for dinner to a spot called Container City. This location is built using shipping containers and hosts many different restaurants. We had sushi from Kei Zaki. We ordered a large boat which included three levels 3 rolls and four levels 1 or 2.