Home Sweet Home: Sydney -siding

Disclosure at Listen Out Festival, Sydney / September 2013

Well I've officially been home a week. 

First on my agenda was the decision to set myself a 30 day raw food challenge. I have wreaked my body with absolute havoc over the past 4 or so months. My skin isn't as clear as it could be and my body feels a little sluggish, so I've decided it's time to treat myself with some super self-love in the form of detoxification. I have spent a couple days tweaking a meal plan and taste-testing some recipes. I'll keep you all updated along the way and will be sharing a whole heap of recipes and shopping lists! I have heard a few raw-diet horror stories, so have put a lot of thought and planning into my meals to ensure that I am meeting all my nutrition needs. (Not to mention it's always easier to stick to something that has been well thought out.) This detox is not about weightloss, but about increasing my vitality and enhancing the condition of my skin and body through diet. My start date is still to be confirmed (kind of, possibly, totally because the Sydney Night Noodle Markets start on the 9th of October) but it's sure to be within the next fortnight. Read more about my food philosopy here.

Next I dove headfirst into a weekendlong bender. I spent the week at a four day short course so decided the best way to proceed would be to destroy every brain cell I utilised. I spent my Saturday getting loose at Listen Out festival where I caught TNGHT, Just Blaze, AlunaGeorge & Disclosure just to name a few. In the early hours of the AM we rocked up at Frankie's Pizza and drank vodka apples until they shut shop. My Sunday ensued in a similar fashion, with drinks, hitting up The Enmore to watch Foals, heading out to The Soda Factory for the after-party and then (surprise surprise) back at Frankie's for the after-after-party. Monday really hurt. I moved from the bed to the lounge to the floor and back to bed, and the universe didn't stop spinning until 7pm.

Finally, I am in the finishing stages of curating the accessories for the new CULT LOGIC XX collection. The nature of travel makes it far too difficult to co-ordinate all the tidbits involved from overseas, so it feels like it's been a very long time coming. I'm so excited to share it all with you, it feels like my little baby! So much love has gone into the collection and I have some incredible designers on board. The website shall undergo a much needed makeover and there's some rebranding plans in the making, but these things take time and may or may not coincide with the new product launch. You can find updates on the process on facebook and instagram.

I have a whole lot of projects to keep me occupied over the next couple of months, and promise I will wrap up my time in Bali with a post (once I figure out where my photos have been backed-up to). I'll have a recipe coming to you soon, and remember that you can see what I'm up to on the gram, @binkachu - hit me up! 

Until next time lovers xxxx

here.

My Balinese Adventure Begins: The Bukit Peninsula

Paragliders sail over Pandawa Beach, The Bukit Peninsula / September 2013

Ten days ago I arrived in Bukit, a peninsula located on the southern end of Bali – it is an area still very much rich in culture and traditions, and remains yet to sell out in the way Kuta has. By chance (or as I prefer, by reason of the universe) I have had more of an authentic Balinese experience than many would even dare imagine. (I’m not just talking cold showers.)

I happened across accommodation (an eco-villa on a permaculture farm) in an untouched village where many inhabitants didn’t speak a word of English. I spent a lot of my time walking through the quiet villages reflecting on where I'm at and where I'm headed, I got a lot of reading and writing done and through meditation, I have managed to silent my thoughts for a good few minutes at a time! (Baby steps.) Testament to how little exposure some of these villages have to tourists, is the fact that every single day, I had groups of Indonesian people at the beach asking to take a photo with me. 

I was lucky enough to be invited to a Balinese style Hindu ceremony at Balangang beach. I quite literally felt as though I had been plucked from real life and placed into a scene from Eat Pray Love. I couldn’t wipe the smile off my face as I took in all the bright colours, hypnotic music and endless offerings – it was so surreal and different to any kind of religious ceremony I have ever taken part in, but the energy was incredible and I too received cleansing and blessing.

EAT

Padang Padang Breeze – If I had to choose one dish to eat for the rest of my life, hands down I would choose the marinated mussels (which the menu should correctly amend to clams) from this restaurant. No moment in my entire life could compare to the sheer pleasure that my tastebuds experienced upon tasting this creation. The fish in Bali is always incredibly fresh along the coast, but this warung (or restaurant in English) takes it to another level.  I highly recommend ordering (and sharing only if you feel generous) one of the BBQ platters, which serve a variety of fish and crustaceans, accompanied with standard sides such as rice and incredibly delicious battered potatoes. The mojitos here go down a treat seeing as they are made with rum and NOT arak, and the staff were just delightful.

DO

Beach Hop – Some of the most pristine beaches I have ever seen can be found off the Bukit peninsula, and several are famous for their surf. Warungs along the beach will let you hire a beach chair and umbrella (don’t pay more than 25,000 rp), where you can sit and sip on a coconut (15,000 rp). Try to pay with the correct money because I have witnessed and experienced them running away with your cash and not bringing any change. Most weekends the locals will host a beach party, complete with reggae band, eclectic dj mix and bright lights – it feels a lot like a blue light disco. The beach parties are a heap of fun, you can buy beers (and mushrooms) – the locals or surfers can point you in the direction of which beach to visit on any given night.

I'll be spending the next ten days in Seminyak - my body is yearning for a little luxury and indulgence after what has been an intense few months! I will get some of the incredible photos from my time in Bukit up in the next few days, but for now: massages, sun tanning and cocktails await. xx

Leeds Festival 2013: Photoset

Hola! I'm finally rested and recuperated after five nights camping at Leeds Festival. I simply cannot fathom how the clouds over just one city can hold so much rain! The whole festival and camping field was one big mud pit - definitely not an experience I will forget in a hurry.

I caught so many incredible bands and artists over the three festival days, I would be here forever if I tried to list them all - some of my favourite acts included Eminem (because he is my king), Fall Out Boy (because they are my guilty pleasure favourite band), Disclosure and HAIM.

I had some difficulty keeping a steady camera, particularly later on in the evenings, so I don't have the most extensive photoset for you all. You'll find but a few of my festival highlights below (/sets where my phone was charged) and more on my instagram which you can find here.

I'm spending the rest of the next week in London before venturing off to Bali for some soul-searching and R&R time!

I will have another post for you within the next week, much love and light to y'all xxxx

Jagwar Ma at Leeds Festival, Leeds / August 2013

Ferris Wheel at Leeds Festival, Leeds / August 2013

Mud friends at Leeds Festival, Leeds / August 2013

AlunaGeorge at Leeds Festival, Leeds / August 2013 

MØ at Leeds Festival, Leeds / August 2013

More mud at Leeds Festival, Leeds / August 2013 

Foals at Leeds Festival, Leeds / August 2013 

HAIM at Leeds Festival, Leeds / August 2013

Pheonix at Leeds Festival, Leeds / August 2013 

Relentless Forest Rave at Leeds Festival, Leeds / August 2013

Parquet Courts at Leeds Festival, Leeds / August 2013

Diplo ballin' during Major Lazer set at Leeds Festival, Leeds / August 2013

Mud puddles at Leed Festival, Leeds / August 2013

Back In Berlin - What to Eat, Drink & Do

Sunset at Brandenburg Gate, Berlin / August 2013

Just the mere thought of Berlin is intoxicating. I am so lucky to have had the opportunity of visiting this divine city two years in a row. Sydney will always be home, where I regard the dining, music, fashion and art scenes so favourably - but to me, no city I have visited quite compares to Berlin which is truly in a class of it's own. Everything about the city is so edgy, and hip(ster). It seems to be ahead of it's time in so many different aspects, Berlin sets the trend and then the rest of the world follows.
I know that fashions and tastes change, and all that I find enticing about Berlin now may bore me in a few years when another city takes it's place. But, for now, here are a few of my favourite things about the city.

EAT
Mustafas Gemüsekebap - The time I have waited in line for a kebab from Mustafas has varied in length from 45 minutes to 3 hours. Yes, three. This little street stall will change your entire perspective on kebabs. The kebab is a little unconventional - without ruining the surprise, the ingredients list includes things like feta cheese, fried vegetables and tabbouleh, but I promise you will never taste a kebab like it or this good. I recommend heading to the convenience store around the corner from the stall before you hop in line - grab a few beers to sink in the line to ease the boredom that is waiting in a three hour line. The beauty of street food! (Find a sneaky pic of a Gemüsekebap in this photoset)

DRINK
Chalet - My favourite club in Berlin (because Watergate is pretentious and expensive, and I can't bear the fear of possible rejection from Berghain more than once a weekend) runs out of a 150 year old building, located in the heart of Kreuzberg (duh!). I was initially drawn to the venue by 'all the pretty lights,' and once you go in, you don't come out. (Seriously, it's impossible to find the exit once you're a little inebriated.) The garden is amazing, complete with pond, swimming pool and lounges whilst the rest of the venue is straight up party vibe. Spread across two levels, the decor feels a little bit 1800s Alice in Wonderland saloon and you literally just get lost in the techno.

DO
Sachsenhausen Concentration Camp - It has taken me three visits to Berlin to make it out to a concentration camp, but I'm so glad that I finally did. Sachsenhausen wasn't designed as an extermination camp so it wasn't huge and mainly detained political prisoners, however over 30,000 people died there. Until physically stepping foot in one of these camps, I don't think it's possible to fully grasp the full extent of what happened in those concentration camps. The media and film industries have completely desensitised us to images of violence and cruelty, but it is a completely different feeling to be standing there in a cell where prisoners of war were tortured or the barracks where prisoners slept. Sachsenhausen was a very overwhelming experience (and it's not even one of the largest or most brutal camps), visiting it made me really appreciate how lucky I am to live in Australia and so grateful that my family has not first hand experienced horrors such as these.

After 18 hours on 6 different trains, I am finally in Amsterdam. As soon as I have a chance, I will fill you in on Prague. Until then... xx

Vienna and Novalja: 10 Days in 10 Minutes

Hi.

The days have all started to merge into one and I can't remember what I ate for dinner yesterday, let alone what I was doing ten days ago. I'm currently in Berlin and getting ready to head out, but I've given myself ten minutes to semi-update your fine selves on Vienna and Novalja.

The gorgeous Volksgarten, Vienna / July 2013

Vienna - I wasn't sure what to expect of Vienna, as opinions of the city completely differed depending on who I spoke to. I loved that every street I crossed presented me with another magnificent architectural structure and that I never had to walk more than a couple hundred metres to find a spritzer. A highlight of my visit was walking across the city (literally, we walked 25km that day) towards what seemed to be some kind of giant chair-ride.... And stumbling across a theme park! Best day ever.

Eat at Mochi, the finest Japanese cuisine to delight my taste buds since leaving Sydney. (I take my Japanese food very seriously.) The wait staff were so attentive and friendly, and particularly enjoyed that I came back for a second visit. The food was literally bursting with flavour. And don't get me started on their wine list. Amazing. My heart hurts a little bit knowing that I have left this gem behind, but my wallet is relieved.

Drink anywhere along the Danube. Little bars are set up on the 'sand' banks, complete with beach chairs to enhance the summer vibe. Drinks are cheap and a few bars serve unlimited (I repeat, unlimited) shisha for only 12 euros. 

Novalja harbour at 6am, Novalja / July 2013

Novalja - After a whirlwind weeklong visit last year, Croatia holds such a special place in my heart. The Dalmatian coast is truly captivating and nothing has brought me as much joy as frolicking in the Adriatic Sea for quite some time. (Except maybe my awesome tan.) My daily 8pm ritual (before our partying madness) was to walk along the beach at sunset - it was so serene watching the sun slowly set with the sound of the tide crashing against the rocks. 

Visit the infamous Plaza Zrće, a spectacular beach inspired by the clubs of Ibiza and Mykonos. 4pm the after beach parties kick off at Aquarius, then kick on to Papaya or Noa where there is an awesome roster of DJs over Summer. Drinks are pricier than Novalja (so obviously that is where you should start your pre-drinking) but nothing like the prices you'd expect to pay at Space or Pacha.

Eat at Green Garden Restaurant. Order the strawberry and cheese salad to start, and a seafood dish for your main. Thank me later.

My ten minutes are well and truly up. I have an awesome few nights ahead here in Berlin, see you on the flip side ;) xx