Leaving Familiarity Email

...Stepping off the plane in Kuala Lumur at 7am was like getting hit in the face with a dirty wet gym sock. a deep breath of humid Malaysian air filled my lungs, the jacket and jeans i had been wearing in New Zealand immediately stuck to my body as I walked down the steps and on to the runway heading for the air conditioned terminal. All the comforts of friends, family, and familiarities of Australia and New Zealand quickly evaporated in the 90 degree heat of the early morning. All i could think is "I'm not in Kansas any more..."

It didn't take me too long to work it out though, having been in Kuala Lumpur 3 times now, i knew how to get to town, i knew the hostel i was heading to and i was overly excited about the curry and roti i would be eating. As i trekked through the crowded streets the smells of asia were back in my life. I was back on the road, i was alone, but i was continuing on. It wasn't scary to me, i wasn't nervous, it was an anxiety which has been 4.5 months absent in my life, that got my blood moving a bit faster. I squeezed my wallet making sure it was there, i patted my passport in the other pocket, and a flash back of the past comforts quickly vanished from my mind as i plopped down on my tiny bed, in my tiny room, with my tiny fan blowing as hard as it can on my travel weary body. One more day in Kuala Lumpur and then i'm on to Sri Lanka.

Forgetting how to travel was easy when being away from a while, the comforts of home can put you at ease, and although i was happy to have my friends and family back in my life, the trasition back into travel was a hard one. below is the beauty of having great family and friends.

***side note*** as i travel one major regret is when traveling and spending time with people i care about the last thing i think about is taking out my camera and getting a picture. I have you all in my heart, everyone in Aussie and NZ it was great to see you.

Having my Parents and Sister come to Australia for a visit was a nice break, in fact Australia and New Zealand was a nice break from the constant traveling i have been doing. Although I have not yet come home, being in familiar places with familiar people brings that sense of home back into your heart. After taking a huge cross country drive in Australia back in 2001 a regret of mine was that I had never made it to the Whitsunday Islands and fortunately i got the chance to do so with my family.
Seeing the White swirly sands of the iconic beach and getting yet another opportunity to experience the Great Barrier Reef was something i had look forward to for years. Getting the opportunity to do it with my family was even better. Being in a "western" country for the past 4.5 months at first was a bit of a reverse culture shock after traveling Asia for so long, but the familiarity of understanding the customs and even understanding the city of Sydney (having been there before) was something that took me out of "travel mode." having my parents with me for two weeks was a nice treat and in fact it didn't even feel like i was away from home. Saying good bye at the airport was a bit sad not just because i won't see them for another 7 to 8 more months, but also because a bit of that comfort and warmth they brought with them from home was slipping away.
Jill and I boarded the plane for New Zealand, which was what i knew would be the closest thing to home that i would come across until crossing back into the USA. New Zealand a place i have been a 5 times before, roads i have driven, landscapes which i love, familiar food, familiar faces, with a year away from home closing in on me this was a great place to be before moving onward.
Jill and i made short work of the South Island, driving as much as we could in her short time in New Zealand. Just 10 days on the road and we covered some serious ground and got to stay and meet up with all those Kiwis which makes coming back to New Zealand something special every time. Pancake rocks, the rugged west coast, Fox glacier, parts of the Fiordlands, Bluff, Central Otago, Wanaka, Queenstown, Mount Cook, Tekapo, Moraki bolders, and Dunedin was quite the road trip for Jill, I never expected to cover that much ground in the time we had. Unfortunately the rain curse that has been cast over me and proceeds to plague me ever time i go to NZ was ever so present, but we managed a day or two of sunshine and even in the rain we had a great time.
Saying goodbye to Jill and driving slowly back to Dunedin from the airport was a bit of a reality check that my last touch of home has left me. I still had my friends in Dunedin and a very large responsibility of judging a hamburger patty contest that evening so tears didn't build up for too long, relaxing in Dunedin with friends whom i haven't seen in a long time was great and saying goodbye was the only thing bad about it. An evening in Christchurch with a good friend and talking travel was great because it was a much needed kick in the ass to get my brain back in travel mode.
Finishing up in New Zealand in Auckland was fantastic, seeing Gary and Sammy amongst others was great, years in Tahoe together, countless parties and good times together made this trip to AK no acceptations. Some times you just can't come up with words to describe seeing old friends, some times no words are needed. Smiles, hugs, a few too many cocktails, one too many dangerous 70's style dance moves, and a painful hangover speaks for its self. This part of my trip was a hard one to walk away from.

New Zealand Photos: http://picasaweb.google.com/vaccaro.marc24/MarcvaccaroNewZealand2009?feat=directlink

Australia Photos: unfortunatly I sent all my cooking photos home on dvd :(
http://picasaweb.google.com/vaccaro.marc24/MarcvaccaroAustralia?feat=directlink

New Zealand

New Zealand is probably one of my favorite places to Road Trip, unfortunately i can't speak on the whole country, but I'm pretty confident to say that i have covered as much of the South Island as any non-native traveler has. Unfortunately this great country comes with its major downfall and it has plagued me since the first time I arrived 10 years ago.... RAIN. this trip was no exception as Jill and I got hosed for 9 of her 10 days in the country, and I finished up the last 8 days being blanketed with rain and mist, but as all good trips end, my dive to the airport was nothing but blue sky's and rainbows, none the less being in NZ is always a great time no matter what the Weather.

This Years Road Trip in the South Island: Renting a van "the Spaceship" in Christchurch, jill and I took off charging towards Aurthur's Pass and headed straight for the west cost. Approaching the mountains the sun was outstanding with colors of red and pink, the southern alps were lit up in all their splendor.... 20min. later the rain slowly began to come.

We held up the night in Jackson, a very very small Town/B&B eating or first Kiwi Pie and I sampled Whitebait for the first time which is little mini transparent fish cooked in an omelet served on white bread. I hoped the rain would hold up knowing the landscapes we were about to be driving through but as we pushed on it kept getting harder.

Up to Pancake rocks, and then back down the west coast, the most lush green, rugged, raw landscapes i have encountered, it truly is a favorite place of mine. Living there is completely out of the question due to the lack of population but the drive through farm land, coastal towns, lush deciduous rain forests, and ending up at 2 massive glaciers is really a fantastic drive. being blessed with morning sun jill and i hit up a lake hike but were forced back to the car as the clouds pulled in and mt. cook was covered in white.

Wanaka was next on the list, another spot that i can almost call home, it was great to have jill with me to show her around, hitting up the Doughbin, a favorite pie shop (who recently "sold out and went commercial" which angers me), the oh so accommodating 60 Warren st., along with holding up for 2 nights with Si Meale, Bridgy, and Tal. Familiarity after being away from home for so long was a real nice thing to have.

The rains kept coming and jill and i kept driving, down to Milford sound which was blocked by an avalanche, out to the fiordlands where we got soaked in rain, down to bluff where we found some very rugged seas, back to Queenstown for some brief sun shine allowing jill to get in Bungy Jumping and Sky Diving packed into probably the most exhilarating 3 hours of her life (or many peoples for that matter). From Qtown, up to Mt. Cook for some glacier viewing, Lake Tekapo, and on to Moraki. The last stop for jill was Dunedin where we got a stay with some great friends and relax on her last night in New Zealand.

For me, it was one more Ruckus night with Andrew, Emma, and the crew, a easy going Sunday with Sue and Pete, and a solo drive to Jimmy's Pies in Roxbrough where i managed to stuff 3 (meat) pies down my throat in a glutinous act that still disgusts me. Camping at Lake Tekapo for one more night and up to christchurch where i got the pleasure of staying with Emma a great friend and a passionate traveler.

A flight to Auckland and a week with Gary and 2 solid days with Sam P. Jones, where way too much beer was consumed, there was a fair bit of Canadian Club which found it's way into my cup, that was fllowed by lighting quick leg kicks, spins, hip shakes, and air splits all of which were performed at bars which did not even posses a dance floor. Spending time with good friends was fantastic, it was a sad good bye to New Zealand and everyone i visited.

Three Months in Sydney

Three more months have drifted by here in Sydney Australia while I sweat it out working at one of the newest and certainly more “flash”restaurants in Sydney. Niel Perry’s Rockpool Bar and Grill was agreat place to come and learn. Certainly in this world, it is who youknow and not always what you know, having a well-respected contact inthe international food scene is never a bad thing, also, as imaginedit was a fantastic experience.
Opportunities in life present them selves every day, I think somethingas simple as an idea or as imaginative as a dream can be considered anopportunity if you just act on it. Letting the days pass you by without really “living” is a crime, I have done it in the past and I knowit will be present in my future, but while given the opportunity, Irefuse to live a menial life at the present. Being overlyappreciative to Chef Perry and Chef Danis for letting me into theirkitchen, I’ll be taking some of their clout with me and will beleaving Sydney in less than a month.
The opportunity in Sydney to grow as a chef are great, the excitementof being surrounded by talented chefs and new cuisine is awesome, thelearning opportunities are endless, but opportunity is not always inthe form of work. The pleasure of life which is something I havedenied my self of in the past (as we all have) has taken center stage,and as Sydney has become redundant; not so much in the scene of work,but in terms of living and enjoying life, I’m now feeling the urge tomove on. I can’t thank the people enough who have taken me in and helped me make this leg of my journey so worthwhile. It is veryseldom in any profession that you would be welcomed in with open armsfor a pre-disclosed period of time, especially one as short as 3months.
With new dreams and ideas becoming potential opportunities, I am happily focused on the months to come. I’m dreaming big, places Iwould like to go are endless, but as always your resources can belimiting, so where to next. Ironically it is looking like I will bereturning to India roughly a-year-to-date, from my arrival in Mumbai,September 4, 2008. I can still remember the crowded streets, the loudnoises, the poverty, and the astounding amounts of people, I’m notreturning for the chaos of India, but better yet for a greatexperience cooking with some locals in the city of Chennai. I alsoreturn with a better knowledge of the culture and people and I’m moreequipped to tackle travel with in the country, with so much to see,do, and eat there, it was only a matter of time until I returned.
Will I make it back to India? Who knows, but that is the plan for now.

Sydney Herald write up of where I worked:
http://www.smh.com.au/news/entertainment/good-living/restaurant-reviews/rockpool-bar--grill/2009/05/04/1241289093320.html

Rockpool bar and grill:

http://www.rockpool.com.au/sydney/bar-and-grill/

Spice temple, worked a week here (owned by the same chef): http://www.rockpool.com.au/sydney/spice-temple/