Opened us recently by the owners of the funky Mexican eatery, Bonita Bonita, is Mermaid Beach’s very own Poke Poke cafe.
The poke poke concept is one adopted from Hawaii. Big bowls, typically a shelled coconut, is filled with fresh salad delights with add-ons. Such as sushimi tuna, salmon, chicken, endamame, sea weed, nuts, seeds, condiments of all sorts.
It’s one of those places though where you find a favourite style and stick with it for life.
I found my fav poke on the first visit. It is called Tuna Me On. Sashimi grade tuna w soy & sesame, avocado, crispy shallots, pickled cabbage, edamame, onion & wasabi mayo on brown rice.
The variety of food is good. They even offer curries, vegetarian dishes and sides.
The side of endamame and pee dip with wonton crackers, was humongous and scrummy.
They are licensed as well, so a cheeky cocktail with lunch is very doable! My fav type of eatery…
Go to the beach down the road, have a swim or surf, slide back for a healthy feed and feel pumped and healthy.
I am eagerly waiting to return to Bali this weekend where I can surf, eat organic food and catch up with friends.
Bali has become a second home of sorts, with me traveling there 9-10 times in the past 3 years.
Bali had never been high on my travel bucket list but after doing a food documentary pilot for a TV show in Ubud, I fell in love.
The people are spiritually sound and grateful. Very caring and gentle despite the harrassment that sometimes occurs on the more popular beaches and tourist stretches of Kuta and Seminyak.
I like to stay in Canggu. It is the beach area further around from Seminyak and was the old surfie part but like most of Bali has been a little over run by hipsters and families.
If you ask anyone where Old Man’s Pub is you will find Batu Balong.
The place is very laid back. Sports a little temple, which commands a big crowd on Sunday with worshipping from the local Balinese.
I like going surfing here. It is a reef so can get gnarlly on low tide. Actually the beach is quite steep so getting out of the surf can be precarious.
There are a couple of surf board hire places in the car park and both are friendly establishments. You can leave your valuables in a basket and the guys will look after them. Boards cost $5 for 1-2 hours.. no one really runs a clock. You can organise a coach easily enough, on the spot – usually $35 which includes board hire.
Regardless of whether you have surfed before or not, Batu Balong is a great place to catch some waves. If you have surfed a bit you might find it a bit crowded but for novices it is easy!
Since a child I can recall art, drawing and painting. Maybe it had been due in part to having a grandma who is an artist, or maybe it’s because I find it nourishes me. Either way I love art and the knack it has of allowing one to relax and get totally lost in the moment.
It’s a chance for one’s inner child to play.
So recently when I held my Nourishment Retreat in Ubud, an art class was an obvious activity.
Ubud is a very ” arty” place and there’s no shortage of artist teaching classes.
There was no need to fret though, as I knew I would be guided to the best teacher, and so I was.
Nyoman is a local artist and has a great vision to one day have a cafe where people can go and pick up some paints and have a puddle on the canvas.
On this day I took a group for some fun on the canvas. Some were a little trepid and worried that they would be doing it wrong. But soon realised that there was no “wrong” and everything was fun.
Nyoman is a wonderful teacher and gently encourages your inner child to play. He picks you up from your hotel and drops you back. To contact him directly send him an email here.
My finished fish art piece
When you arrive you can chose what style of painting you would like to do. He has batik drawing out the back and next time I will be doing batik for something different.
We all chose a different style and easily and effortless Nyoman helped us bring our tiny vision to reality.
All our art pieces could be hung on a wall and it’s not often when you do something so pleasurable and get to take a memory and souvenir with you.
Thanks Nyoman! If you are interested in coming to Ubud with me, check out here for my next retreat.
I love Vanuatu – a collection of islands in the South Pacific with some of the friendliest people in the world. I have been traveling to Vanuatu for years as it is close to Australia (under 3 hours from Brisbane) and many cruise liners stop into Port Vila.
On this trip we arrive by our cruise liner, Pacific Dawn with P & O.
Ship wrecks in Port Vila from cyclone Pam
Vanuatu was hit by a ferocious storm and cyclone in May 2015 , cyclone Pam, that pretty much decimated the villages and much of the town. 11 people died but apparently the damage was horrendous and many businesses have failed to re-establish.
I did experience a shift in the locals compared to previous years – maybe it’s money, or maybe it’s the desperation since the cyclone. Many locals, ne-vanuatu, see the ocean liners as exploiting their natural resources, taking money for pre-arranged tours on board and not filtering it back through to the locals. And they see all tourists as rich and may try to rip you off. This has become more of an issue and even 18 months ago we had an unsavory experience with our taxi driver.
We were stopped by two locals in town to be told how we should organised our tours directly with the locals and not through the cruise ship. I understand their concerns and do agree but negotiate with everyone!
We organised a kayaking experience before leaving Australia. But it was expensive even though not booked through the cruise.
Kayaking in Vanuatu
For $70 per person and $10 park entry fee, we had a pick up in town and drive to a river where we went for a kayak. I love paddling and wanted the kids to have an encounter with nature and to see the lush side of Vanuatu.
Along the banks were children playing, shy this visit but caught up in their own little worlds of play and creativity. Some mums were washing clothes and chatting happily with other women, locals loafily walking around and no stress anywhere.
After kayaking the kids had a swing on a rope into the river and for a space in time were just kids having a ball.
After a fresh coconut collected by one of the guys who climbed a near by coconut tree, we extended our tour to stop by the turtle farm at Crystal Blue Lagoon.
Blue Water Turtle Sanctuary Vanuatu
The turtle experience was one of the most remarkable animal encounters I have every had. I am not sure if it’s because I have been drawing turtles lately and at the moment have 4 hanging on my walls, or if I have some connection with them. I have always loved them and yesterday I got to try out my turtle whispering talents.
The mum, whose name is Juliet, is 140 years old is pictured above!
I loved lying and talking with her. I think she is missing the open sea but is happy non the less as she gets lots of attention and fresh papaya.
The sanctuary offers a $20 BBQ lunch (which is very average if you arrive late but good if you are there as it is being cooked) and that price includes the turtle experiences.
The children can pick up little turtles, see a coconut crab, see some wild boars in a pen (this captured my son’s imagination the most) and try to spot the flat head shark (muliwong) that lives in the enclosure.
Beautiful turtles
I am glad I swam with the turtles before being told about the shark. It seemed quite harmless but it caught MY imgaination when it surfaced and submerged doing that shark fin thing they do. I highly recommend this whole experience.
A taxi from town should only set you back $40-50 and will wait for you while you go into the sanctuary.
Cascade Waterfalls Port Vila
The Cascade Waterfalls are beautiful tropical experience only twenty minutes from town. We visited there last time and the kids wanted to go back again but because of low waterfalls, there was not water in teh falls. It’s really sad and the locals are blaming it on el nino – because the shelves in teh natural wonder need flushing (and that is not happening at the moment), algae is building up in the rock pools.
Everyone will know whether the falls are running or not (I can only imagine this isa short lived thing) and should be a place you visit. The rainforest surrounding the falls are devine and you will often encounter the local singersalong the way, which sound superb.
These pictures are from our last visit there and it is truly beautiful when the water is running. Oh yes, this is something you can do alone – you don’t need a tour as such, and again it should cost approximately $30 for a taxi to take you and wait while you spend an hour or two doing your thing. Take your time, set your own pace and check out some of the many walking tracks around the falls – they lead to villages and all sorts of surprises.
Being a naturopath with a wellness clinic I get asked this a lot.
“What health supplements should I take away with me?”
Travel Supplements – which ones
These are my top three supplements to travel with:
An immune booster
Long haul flights, confined spaces, dirty conditions, the fact many people don’t wash their hands – if you travel you will be exposed to bugs and viruses.
If you couple the extra exposure with a run down immune system which often happens when we travel (poor sleep, burning the candle at both ends, less nutrition than home) we are sitting ducks for infections.
I suggest taking either a strong vitamin C, something with zinc in it, or echinacea/andrographis/garlic/olive leaf complex to keep your immunity in tact.
2. A probiotic
Probiotics are the healthy bacteria you can swallow in a capsule or with fermented foods. They play an important role in protecting us through protecting our gut wall. They are like our own silent army.
Unfortunately our healthy bacteria get knocked around with long distance travel, stress, gut viruses (eg gastro) and many other things Taking a probiotic while you travel is good sense.
They should be kept in a fridge to keep the bacteria dormant, but if they warm up that is ok, just make sure they are all finished within 60 days.
3. A good multivitamin
Even though most people find travel fun it is often far from relaxing. There are many reasons for that but the added stress of finding locations, foreign transport, long travel times etc takes a toll. Finding healthy food can also be a challenge when you are not a local. The sum affect is becoming tired and ill.
A multivitamin will make sure your body receives all necessary (and the extra) vitamins and minerals it needs to stay healthy.
There are other supplements that I suggest from time to time. I usual travel with the above plus a CoQ10 supplement and liver support.
CoQ10 is a very good anti-oxidant (cancer protection) and good for energy.
I like the liver support if I am partying and traveling to lots of locations. Our livers filter everything so it doesn’t hurt to give it some extra love from time to time.
I only use “practitioner only products” which you can order through me (just drop me an email) as they are stronger, usually greater cost efficiency and have better quality control.
The last 24 hours have been superb. So relaxing, so decadent and wonderfully fun.
Tower 1 Rainbow Bay Gold Coast
My friend came to stay with me last week and seeing as we have both been working a lot we decided to have a mini holiday.
We headed off for an amazing dinner at my GC fav: Fishhouse in Burleigh Heads. From the minute you enter the service and experience is everything you would hope for in a five star restaurant.
Bread made fresh, clean wines and an extensive list and the BEST seafood in town.
I settled on my favourite seafood, scallops, for entree and a fish I had never heard of for dinner. I will have to go back and write a full review as this doesn’t do it justice!
Waves peeling in at Snapper Rocks
A lazy sleep in, then off to Rainbow Bay Surf Club for remarkable views and an excellent $10 lunch! I had sea trout, chips and salad and my friend has whiting, chips and salad. A great meal and worth it just for the views.
To finish off a magnificent short break, we head to the Kiva Spa in Mullumbimby.
The Kiva Spa
Timid at first (neither of us had been there before) we pushed through our anxieties and were greeted by a romantic escape that felt like a week.
We both agreed our massages were the best – leaving us in a semi comatosed state, and then we drifted around the bath house, in and out of hot tubs, plunge pool, steam room and the magnificent fire sauna. I couldn’t take photos (cameras not allowed) but the memories you take from your trip are all that are needed.
We needed to “earth” ourselves before driving back to reality so headed to the Mullum pub. Or correctly the Middle Pub.
Stainless Glass Lamp at the Middle Pub MullumPhotos of early MullumbimbyCool table at Middle Pub Mullu
Established in 1904 the pub has a lot of character and interesting things to look at. Period photos of the last turn of the centre, beautiful stainless glass images and funky furniture. The wine went down even better.
Truly relaxing and a wonderful way to round of a min 24 hour holiday on the Gold Coast.
Medical travel Insurance has long been a debatable topic …. until your actually experience a medical mishap overseas.
This was me last year. A medical mishap that I am still paying off because my travel insurance wasn’t the right cover for me!
As you can see from this blog I travel a lot. I decided a few years ago to get an annual travel policy that covered me in all countries for all conditions and that way I knew when I traveled I was covered. It worked out cheaper in the long run and less hassle getting insurance out every trip.
In June last year I decided to go to Bali. I had been four times over the last 8 months so another trip seemed easy to my “new second home” and I was looking forward to it.
I also realised at the time of booking the trip (using rewards points for one of the legs) that my new credit card came with complimentary travel insurance. It seemed pretty straight forward and seeing as I was doubling up on travel insurance I cancelled my other annual one.
This was to be a mistake.
I arrived in Bali and my boyfriend at the time picked me up on his proper rental bike to take me to the beach. He had just purchased a helmet and it seemed very James Dean and exciting! Off we went from the airport and I had a sense of adventure and exhilaration that I recognised and loved. This was going to be FUN… so I thought.
Literally 500 meters from the airport another bike ran into us. We weren’t doing any thing wrong except hesitated when we should have kept driving forward.
The impact of the other bike crushed my foot against our bike’s exhaust pipe. I knew instantly that my foot was crushed and broken.
my fractured toes in Bali
It was funny, they say things slow down in adversity and it did…. I remember calmly thinking, “my toes are crushed in multiple places and this is going to be an operation or plaster at the minimum.” Unfortunately, after looking down and seeing my bone sticking out I knew an operation would be necessary.
We found our way to the nearest hospital (which is a story in itself)!
Once at the hospital I was ushered in and made to sign lots of paper work. Apparently fracturing your toes on a motor cycle is common in Bali (and as it turns out good money for the locals). I thought I had insurance so we rang back home to Australia to inquire about how to fill in forms and inform them of the accident.
“You are not covered!” we were told. “WHAT?!”I quizzed. What do you mean I am not covered? I always have travel insurance.
It turns out with most credit cards you must spend a minimum of $500 AUD on the particular trip (and call them before leaving the country to notify them of your travels) to activate the cover.
Recovering in Bali hospital
Of course, as fate would have it, I had only spend $450 towards this holiday on that particular card.
Lying there with multiple fractures toes, and open wound that needed debridement and cleaning I didn’t feel I had much choice but to pay the hospital fees.
I sent messages back to doctor friends in Australia who confirmed it would need a general anaesthetic to clean the open fracture and that I was at a high risk of osteomyelitis (bone infection) which can lead to amputation. I didn’t feel I had a choice. I signed over $10,000 on credit card to have the operation.
An operation that would have only cost $5000 in Australia in a private hospital.
Clearly white tourists are a healthy source of income for the locals.
I had the operation, was wheeled back to the Emergency Room, never offered food or water and was discharged from the Emergency bed. They did want to keep me for three days to give me intravenous anti-biotics but I chose to come back in morning and night for these over the three days.
Recovering after my operation in Bali
All in all a very expensive lesson about medical travel insurance.
Since coming back to Australia I have resumed my 365 day policy and will never replace it again. I do not trust credit card insurances as they are an added-on upsell and often have so many clauses that it’s not adequate cover.
Check it out properly and make sure you are covered.
You need to know the following:
your excess
what you are covered for (flying back to your home, hospital bed stay, operations, etc
are you covered for incidentals (physio, pharmaceuticals etc)
what is your minimum spend to activate the insurance (VIP for credit card insurances)
are you covered for adventure activities (most don’t cover bikes over 200ccs etc) and if you are planning on rafting, abseiling, etc you may need additional cover
find out if your health issues are considered “pre-existing” . Once I was denied a claim for pneumonia because I was diagnosed with asthma as a child. If you have a pre-existing condition you will need to fill in additional paper work before leaving your home country to make sure you are covered
It’s a chance for one’s inner child to play.
