Enjoy a motorcycle ride

Today three of us went on a ride to explore some roads to maybe include in future rides. The target was to check out the gravel road between Webbs Creek Ferry and Lower Portland on the northern side of the river, through the Leets Vale region.  We met at Road Warriors for a morning coffee, and then set off up the Old Road, Peats Ridge Road (Gee there are a lot of sand trucks on Peats Ridge Road and the bottom end of Wollombi Road) and turned left onto Wiseman's Ferry Road. We stopped at Spencer and humoured the store owner there by buying coffees, and then headed on to Wiseman's Ferry. We crossed on that ferry, and then Peter and I went across on the Webbs Creek Ferry while Kim stayed on the south side, with a plan that we would meet on the western side of the Lower Portland Ferry to find somewhere to go for lunch.

The road to Lower Portland from Webbs Creek is a left turn just after you leave the Ferry, which in  couple of kilometres reaches a Y junction, with a sealed road to the left fork (which we took but it was the wrong one) and a gravel road as the right fork. The road takes us through the very large rural suburb of Leets Vale, on a well-made gravel road which winds up and down into valleys and through very attractive properties along the riverside. It was a little bit corrugated in places, so would be bone-jarring on a road bike, but for those on chook-chasers, it  is a good trip. It takes about the same time to go from Webbs Creek to Lower Portland on either road, as the southern side is longer but all sealed, whereas the northern side is unsealed with some quite technical hairpin bends in and out of a couple of the ravines.

Given that the Sackville Ferry was out of service for the afternoon, we went down to Sackville Road and turned right towards Wilberforce. We stopped at the Tractor 828 Cafe on the left to see what their lunch was like, and we are happy to report that at least be steak  wrap and the BLT's were excellent. Worth considering for those wanting to have a lunch out on the road once the restrictions lift fully. It looks like a very attractive cafe, and it was buzzing this morning.

We then set off down to Windsor, then turned left towards Wiseman's Ferry, then turned right onto Saunders Road, Left onto Old Stock Route Road then right onto Scheyville Road past  National Park and up to Cattai  Ridge Road. Very little traffic and a good fast spin along there. We then went through Arcadia to the Berowra Ferry, and stopped for (another) coffee at the cafe just on the eastern side of the Ferry ramp. Again, a very pleasant coffee to say goodbye, and then two went south and one went north.

The riding was great, because while it was a little fresh in the first half of the day, it warmed up a very comfortable temperature for us to ride, stop, chat. A great day out.

- Frosty

For the chocolate lover in all of us

BAR100 will be taking part in the inaugural smooth Festival of Chocolate this weekend at The Rocks.

A sweet lover, chocolate connoisseur and foodie's delight, this free festival will be running from 10am – 5pm daily.

Visit BAR100 throughout the festival to indulge in a one of three specialty chocolate cocktails, the Chocolate Sazerac, Chilli-Chocolate Martini or Chocolate Indulgence.

BAR100 will also be offering a one-off venison burger with beetroot,  rocket, chocolate & chilli aioli served with sweet potato wedges.

All special BAR100 smooth Festival of Chocolate cocktails and its venison burger will be available to patrons throughout the month of October.

Interested in how to incorporate chocolate into savoury meals? Chef Tim Fisher from BAR100 will be demonstrating his succulent venison burgers with chocolate and chilli aioli at 4pm on Sunday at the smooth Festival of Chocolate's Callebaut Test Kitchen*.

The smooth Festival of Chocolate is a celebration of sweet, indulgent desserts, where Sydney's best boutique chocolatiers, pastry chefs and ice cream makers will come together to tempt you with their creations.

With hundreds of marquees filled with sweet treats and the Callebaut Test Kitchen featuring cooking demonstrations from your favourite chefs, and goodie bags to purchase this festival of chocolate experience will leave you wanting for nothing.

There will be lots of live performance throughout the weekend including the McClymont Sisters who will play on the smooth Music Stage on Sunday at 1.30pm and Hot Chocolate who will play at 4pm.

Situated in the heritage listed Mariners Church (est.1856) BAR100 is a stylish three level venue that offers various event spaces, bar and dining options with catering for events up to 800 guests.

*The smooth Festival of Chocolate's Callebaut Test Kitchen is located at The Rocks Square, Playfair Street, The Rocks.  

www.bar100.com.au

Cultural Charm of Yunnan Province

The "Eastern In-Flight Food Culture Year Ethnic Yunnan Cuisine Culture Week", themed on "Trek Tarantino Paths of the World and Experience the Yunnan Cuisine Culture", has recently allowed the vast majority of passen gers to experience the ethnio cultural charm of Yunnan cuisine.

Photo by Chantal Lim on Unsplash

During this special event, China Eastern Airlines is offering Yunnan gourmet dishes such as the spicy meat and sour Dali papaya chicken, the cnspy Dai-flavored dried beans, and the unforgettable Yunnan ham, on the Kunming to Shanghai and Beijing, and Shanghai to Beijing, Shanghai to Hong Kong, and Shanghai to Shenzhen routes. Available to first-class passengers on the Kunming to Beijing and Shanghai, Shanghai to Beijing, Hong Kong and Shenzhen routes are full-course meals based on the seven regional themes of Kunming, Lijiang, Dali, Xishuangbanna, Shangri la, Pu'er and Wenshan. Gourmet dishes such as the Xuanwei coin" ham, mixed mushrooms. stuffed greenhead mushroom, rice with peas, and banana flower with threaded chicken, are all on the menu. In addition, the activity theme "In Search of Flavor in Spring City" brings passengers to the streets of Kunming and let them "search for gourmet dishes. The activity themed "Lotus Scene at Medicine Mountain" showcases the ethnic Wenshan customs and culture. The activity themed "Passion for the Fragrance of Tea" encourages passengers to taste the smoothness of Yunnan Pu'er tea. Finally, the activity themed "In Search of Dongba" shares with passengers the distinct, thousand-year-old flavor of Dongba culture.

Characterized by sour and spicy flavors. Yunnan dishes are tender and fresh, fragrant and flavorful. They aim to retain the original juices and flavors of the ingredients and are world-famous for their ecological, environmentally friendly and healthy mushrooms.

CEAH Staff Representative Conference

The First Staff  Representative Conference and the Second Labor Union Representative Conference of China Eastern Air Holding Company (CEAH) was held in Shanghai on September 2, 2008. Members from top management, including Li Fenghua, Li Jun, Luo Zhigang. Cao Jianxiong, Liu Jlangbo, Chen Haju, Xu Znao, and senior executives trom China Eastern Airlines, including Zhang Jianzhong. Yang Ming and Fan Ru, joined by 201 staff representatives of CEAH, were present U Xuedong, Head of Bureau of Mass Work, the State-owned Assets Supervision and Administration Commission (SASAC under the State Council, Xiao Kuntao, vice chairman and deputy CPC secretary of Shanghai General labor Union, Se Llama, vice chairman of the Labor Union of the Civil Aviation Administration of China. Du Nager deputy inspector and head of department of organization, Shanghai General Labor Union were invited as special guests to the conference.

In the work report of the first CEAH labor union committee delivered by Lo Changing, vice president of CEAH, he underscored the important role of the labor union in publicity, organizing, educating and serving the staff and protecting their legal rights and interests in various work ranging from safe production, operation and management to the building of a harmonious enterprise and the implementation of steady reform and development. The labor union should focus on the central tasks and serve the general situation from a strategic perspective pursue the dialectical mindset of a scientific outlook on development, accurately Identify the new situation at home and abroad and the environment China Eastern Airlines is facing, thrash out new work methods and refresh the outlook of the labor union.

Li Jun, OPG secretary of CEAH, concluded the conference with a closing speech, in which he raised six requirements to labor unions of all levels and labor union leaders: To organize and mobilize the staff to make contribution to the mission of revitalizing Eastern Airlines, to endeavor to perfect the staff representative system and actively push for democratic corporate governance, to buid up harmonious employment relations to achieve a solid foundation for harmonious development to vigorously improve the overall quality of the staff and let the employees share the growth with the enterprise: to make robust progress with reform and innovation to enhance construction of the labor union, and to persist in leadership of CPC and give extra priority and support to work of the labour union.

Albert Einstein (1879-1955)

Albert Einstein scientist, philosopher, and humanitarian was famous for his theory of relativity, first advanced in 1905. This theory revolutionized scientific thought with new concepts of time, space, mass, motion, and gravity. Expressed as E-MC Einstein's Theory of Relativity translates as "energy equals mass times the velocity of light squared. This theory equating mass with energy helped science to explode the atom.

Born in Ulm, Germany in 1879. Einstein came to the United States in 1932 and in 1940 became an American citizen. Einstein was a faculty member at the Institute for Advanced Study, one of the world's leading centers for theoretical research and intellectual inquiry, from 1933 until his death in 1955. His life and works are represented at the Smithsonian Institution in the collections of the National Museum of American History, the National Air and Space Museum, and the National Portrait Gallery. These museums hold one of his pipes, some of his manuscripts, many portraits of him, and much scientific apparatus that confirmed his theories altering our concept of the universe.

Text by Smithsonian Institution

Sno’n’Ski team Jalan mega famil

Sno’n’Ski Holidays’ first 2020 Mega Famil to Japan has ended on Saturday 29th February in Hakuba.

After experiencing the best of the Tohoku Region and Nagano Prefecture with four nights in each, the group of 30 agents from across Australia make a stop to the snow monkeys on their return to Tokyo to head home.

Beginning in Shizukuishi, the agents were amazed with the choices of runs and the lack of lift lines at this beautiful resort. Flight Centre Consultant Alannah Silva said, “While staying at the Shizukuishi Prince Hotel make sure to take advantage of the incredible onsen during your stay. Especially good to soothe muscles after a day on the slopes.”

“There are just so many runs to enjoy while here, make sure to try the night skiing, cat skiing and spend a day at Amihari Onsen Ski Resort or Iwate Kogen Snow Park to make the most of the whole region,” said Ms Silva.

After a traditional lunch of the regions iconic dish wanko-soba the agents headed for Appi Kogen Ski Resort, their second stop of the adventure.

“Appi was excellent, there were plenty of English-speaking instructors for anyone who had lessons, an excellent kids park and great runs for the more advanced people in the group”, said Nicole Bentley from Helloworld Travel.

“In terms of the terrain, Appi is a ski-in ski-out paradise and offers a really great split for all levels of skier. If you are travelling with children, they cater really well for families and have plenty of dining options to suit everyone. ”

Next, the group travelled by bullet train from Morioka to Nagano, which is a fun experience for anyone who hasn’t been on a bullet train before. Even with a large group the process was easy.

Pocket Travel Owner Claire Robertson-Holliday said, “Shiga Kogen was a winter wonderland, skiing through pine trees covered with snow was a magical experience. Japan’s reputation of powder snow lived up to it’s name in Shiga Kogen.“

The final stop of this 8-night itinerary was well known Hakuba in the Nagano Prefecture. Being the most well-known resort of the trip, agents were still pleasantly surprised by how much they learnt from visiting Hakuba.  Flight Centre Team Leader Paula Albers said, “Hakuba was so different to what I expected, it reminded me of Banff in Canada with lots of quaint buildings and a real village feeling.“

Overall, Sno’n’Ski’s 2020 Mega Famil was a mega success with 30 of Australia’s top-selling ski and snow travel agents experiencing four of Honshu’s ski destinations, lesser known resorts Shizukuishi, Appi and Shiga Kogen as well as Hakuba.

Sno’n’Ski General Manager, Daniel Walker, said their annual Mega Famil will return in 2021.  The official details of where agents will be heading is yet to be released.

“Each year we see more interest from agents, and we want to make sure we are maximising the first-hand experience of our top sellers to help them continue to develop their passion for selling snow holidays” said Mr Walker.

“The famil’s format allows attendees to completely immerse themselves in the intricate layers of each destination,” he concluded.

To check out this year’s Mega Famil highlight reel, search the Instagram hashtag #snonskimega2020.

Sno’n’Ski is currently promoting several unbeatable Japan ski packages, including a seven-night stay and ski deal from just $686 per person, based on twin share. Call 1300 766 754 or email info@snonski.com.au to find out more. 

Black Cat Trail - makes Kokoda look like a walk in the park

This track is not for the faint hearted, nor for the inexperienced bush walker. For those of you who have done the Kokoda Trail it makes that trek seem like a stroll in the park. The track is still in a very raw state. It is leech and snake-infested jungle, moss covered rocks and fallen tree stumps, precarious cliff crossings and potentially dangerous river crossings. This makes the Black Cat arguably one of the toughest treks in Papua New Guinea.

Some Australian soldiers have described the Black Cat as the hardest walk they’ve ever done. The Lonely Planet guidebook quotes a local expatriate, as saying the Black Cat is “suitable only for masochists and Israeli Paratroopers”

There is so much WWII history attached to the “Black Cat”. Some of the bloodiest battles were fought here. 61 years ago in 1942 Salamaua was recaptured from the Japanese. We saw many war relics. Munitions pits, guns, clothing, a cargo plane wreck and huge bomb craters now full of water. The villagers went out and collected guns and live mortars for us to look at. They were everywhere and easily accessed.

On the 27th October'03 a team of us decided to experience for ourselves just what all the fuss was about. We walked from Wau down to Salamaua taking us four days. The track threw absolutely everything at us. Torrential rain, 3 hours walking in the pitch blackness of night and of course leeches en-mass.

But, it has to be some of the most awesome and exciting terrain we have ever trekked through.

The animals and birds of the jungle were prolific, magnificent flora and fauna. We saw Birds of Paradise bathing in a river. Had to negotiate round a huge mound of leaves where a Niugini Fowl had decided to build its nest right in the middle of the track. The Flame of the Forest tree was in full bloom. What a beautiful site, seeing streaks of red splashed through the jungle. Wild orchids were everywhere. Butterflies flitting around our hats.

Best of all though were the people. We overnighted in villages. The second village we stayed in was so isolated that the woman and children had never seen a white woman. When the children saw my red hair they scampered off into the jungle in fright.

We could not speak the language but the hand of friendship is the same all over the world. It was grueling 8-9 hour days but well worth the effort when you were greeted with such kindness and hospitality at the end of it.

On the last day after a 5 hour leisurely walk down to the San Francisco River we rafted out to Salamaua. The village on the banks of this river had been notified that we were coming and had offered to make the raft. It took 2 hours to raft out to the sea and Salamaua. So peaceful floating down the river with so much bird life to see.

Salamaua has to be one of the best kept secrets in this world and one of the most idyllic places I have ever been. I will say no more, except it is a great way to end a hard four day trek through the jungle.

There is so much more I could say but feel that some secrets should be kept for people to experience for themselves.

If you have a sense of adventure running through your veins give this a go. For those of you who just want to step out of the box and have an experience of a lifetime, have a go.