Lake Matheson Cafe

SO HAPPY to have finished work early today. And by early, I mean getting home before 7pm. This 2 weeks since coming back from Montreal has been HARSH. I guess it's always going to be rough returning back to work/reality after a holiday but these 2 weeks were plain tiring. After an epic-ly hideous call, I ignored my body's screams/pleas for sleep and went out instead for dinner with a bestie whom I hadn't caught up with in ages. After that, the viral flu set in. Plain miserable to be sick. But then you realize that the body really can be a lot smarter than the brain. There's probably still a huge sleep debt that needs to be paid off but for now, I feel happy and energized enough to look through more NZ photos. :)

One of my favorite places that we went to in NZ was Lake Matheson Cake. This was near Fox Glacier where we did a SICK morning of ice climbing (never again! I was that close to keeling over. NEVERRRR AGAIN). We'd read in Lonely Planet that this cafe was a great place to head to for breakfast followed by a walk by the lake but due to drizzly weather and foggy skies, we ended up only making it for breakfast and not the lake. :p Didn't bother us much though. The beautiful cafe was more than enough eye candy and we were some of the only customers there. What a feeling to be in such a place of beauty with SO FEW PEOPLE AROUND after being so used to negotiating jam-packed crowds in any cafe remotely promising the potential of quiet space.



Just fell in love with the floor to ceiling glass windows and the clean lines of these wooden chairs and tables.





Eggs Benedict with smoked salmon. Some flavour combinations are so good you wonder how people came up with them in the first place.



Typical English Breakfast with hash. YUM.







MMMM MUESLI! This was SO GOOD. I think this was the time when I fell in love with muesli and yoghurt drizzled with honey. It's such a simple thing to whip up for breakfast and really fills the tummy but I suppose it's something I would only do on a holiday or if I were on leave. You just need to have the patience and the mood for a slow, leisurely breakfast in order to truly enjoy something like this. On a daily basis, sleep > breakfast anytime.





I would gladly pay for a holiday and go overseas if only to bury myself in an oasis of tranquility. Some people prefer getting out and bonding with nature but for me, I just like a quiet cafe with good food, good company and a good view. 

So here: 

Lake Matheson Cafe 

PO Box 86, Fox Glacier New Zealand 

Trust me on this ;)

Arrowtown

Why, hello there. It's been quite awhile hasn't it! Gosh, the last time I posted I'd envisioned myself posting and sharing photos a little bit more frequently but the past month has whizzed by. I think it's good though, when work goes by quickly. ;p In a way I'm looking forward to the end of this first year of work but there have been so many times during this posting that I've sat back and thought that man, things are going really well at the moment. It's definitely not as stressful as other upcoming postings and I actually do get most Sundays off so... there's so much to be grateful for and to enjoy at the moment. Am hoping I'll always keep feeling that way. 

I just got back from my very first leave since starting work! X) It was such a great trip - to Montreal! A lot of my friends wonder why on earth I would travel to the other end of the earth (nearly, quite literally) for not even 2 weeks (sigh, leave limited to a maximum of 7 days not inclusive of weekends) but seriously, there are always so many reasons to go to Montreal. This time, the MAJOR push factor was the Osheaga music festival with its insane line-up of bands. ;) But ok I'm getting ahead of myself. Before sharing the Montreal photos I feel the compulsive need to at least finish up those from New Zealand. I know you're probably thinking, you just traveled again?! But there are a few things I believe in living for ;) - food, music, travel... amongst other things.

So here's another place to recommend if you ever decide to head to NZ's South Island for a holiday - the gorgeous Arrowtown! 



Aren't the colours just incredible? We'd heard that this was THE place to go to to experience the beautiful autumn foliage and it's a very short drive away from Queenstown, the main town that we did all our crazy adventure sports at.



It's places like these that always make me wish SG had 4 seasons in a year. 4 chances to take a new set of photos with the changing environment each time...4 chances to update your wardrobe... 



This town is peaceful, quiet...perfect for a day trip if you're looking to find some tranquility/to be near nature. Probably a place that I wouldn't mind retiring in. On the left is the picture of the town library. Took this while we were on a walking tour that was supposed to be able the trees in Arrowtown. I kid you not. The title of the talk that we spotted on the brochure was sth akin to An Introduction to the Arrowtown Trees. For some reason at the time we thought it would be a good way to see some Arrowtown sights and learn a little about the place... we didn't last more than 10 minutes into the walk. I'm still hoping they didn't notice us leaving but it was probably a very obvious sight - the only 5 Chinese people in the crowd surreptitiously sneaking off when the group walked on to the next tree.

 
 

Couldn't help notice that there were so many picture-perfect bits in Arrowtown. Plus, the flowers were gorgeousss. It was all I could do to not stop at almost every single one to take a photo.

  

Looking back, that trip really was such good fun. There was a particular Samsung ringtong that we used as our alarm every morning - it's the gentle sound of running water coupled with a soothing melodious melody in the background. Whenever I heard that ringtone at work I'm immediately transported back to the early mornings when we'd hear that ringtone, enjoy it for awhile...then unanimously ignore it (all except for the poor person who had to switch it off heheh). Ok that's all for tonight...off to sleep. Feeling jet-lagged already. I'm SO relieved that the next two days are public holidays - time to catch up with friends, editing/developing photos and sleeeeep. XD xoxo