Paris - Montmartre's Colourful Past

Sacre Coeur is the famous landmark in Montmartre

From a tourist point of view Montmartre is a neighbourhood known for Sacre Coeur, the Basilica of the Sacred Heart on top of the hill. Visitors congregate on the white front steps to take in the panoramic view of the city.

But historically Montmartre has much more significance, as it became the place where artists thrived and for locals, where protest, rebellion and anarchy is respected.

Le Moulin de la Galette where Renoir painted

We did a walking tour of Montmartre and our guide was very informative. We started across the street from Moulin Rouge, famous for dancers who did the can-can, lifting up their skirts to give men some titillating entertainment.

In 1831 the population of Paris was 759,000 and by 1846 grew to more than 1 million, and it was overcrowded, dirty and lots of disease spreading. Emperor Napoleon III was disgusted by what he saw and called for the city to be revamped, with gardens, tree-lined avenues and a modern sewage system.

That's when Baron Georges-Eugene Haussmann, an ambitious civil servant, took on the task and revamped most of Paris with his Haussmann limestone apartment buildings that ubiquitous in the city.

Van Gogh lived on the left, top floor

By gentrifying Paris, those who could not afford it had to move to Montmartre, just outside the city limits, and this was where many artists like Pierre-Auguste Renoir, Edgar Degas, Henri de Toulouse-Lautrec, and Vincent Van Gogh lived for a time. It also became one of the seedier areas, hence the Moulin Rouge, where Toulouse-Lautrec sketched and painted the famous dancer Louise Weber, known as La Goulue.

Originally Montmartre was where vineyards, and orchards growing peaches and cherries were. Later 13 windmills were built here to grind wheat, barley and rye; only two windmills survive today. One is at Le Moulin de la Galette, where Renoir painted Dance at the Moulin de la Galette.

Gypsum was mined here, and the windmills were also used to grind it up into powder to make plaster. 

We also saw the apartment building where Vincent Van Gogh lived for two years with his brother Theo; this was before Van Gogh found city life too much for him and retreated to Arles in the south of France in a mental hospital.

Michel and the anarchy symbol

Our guide took us to see a bust of a beautiful woman called Dalida, who was an Egyptian singer famous in the 1950s and 60s. People touch the statue's breasts in the hopes of good luck in romance, which is ironic, considering one of her lovers committed suicide in 1967 and two decades later she did too.

She was also known as French president Francois Mitterrand's mistress, and it was he who had architect I.M. Pei design the pyramid structure at the Louvre -- some say as a nod to Dalida's Egyptian roots. 

On walls in Montmartre you will see the letter "A" with a heart. It is the symbol of anarchy, relating back to Louise Michel, who was a teacher, a poet, writer, philosopher, feminist and anarchist.

In 1871 she actively participated in the Paris Commune, where a revolutionary government seized power in Paris and controlled parts of the city for two and a half months. The Commune promoted policies that were progressive and anti-religious, including the separation of church and state, self-policing, abolishing child labour and the rights of employees to take over the business if the owner deserted it.

A mini vineyard in Montmartre

Michel was punished for her role, deported to New Caledonia, and later returned to mainland France in 1880, where she continued to promote anarchist thought. She also promoted the concept of animal welfare and denounced animal cruelty.

Montmartre is literally translated as "martyr's hill." It refers to Denis, Bishop of Paris who was executed by the Romans in the 3rd century. He and two others were decapitated, and the legend goes that soon afterwards, Denis picked up his head, went to wash it, and then walked several miles while preaching about repentance.

There are statues of him holding his decapitated head. 

Towards the end of our tour, our guide showed us a tiny plot of land that is being used to grow grapes. Apparently that area was supposed to be redeveloped into a tall building, but the people in the neighbourhood protested and won; they decided to grow grapes and make wine with it. The wine produced is apparently the most expensive plonk because it is sold at auction every year, but it's not the taste, but the tradition of standing up for themselves. 

Approaching the basilica from behind

That made me think how Montmartre resonated with Hongkongers, defending their neighbourhoods, protesting against oppression, and Michel leading the way.

We finally made it to the top of the hill to see the Sacre Coeur from the back. The guide told us the back of the basilica was very quiet, and we concurred, seeing locals lazing on the grass, reading or having a rest. It was a big contrast to the front, where all the tourists were.

Portugal - Picturesque Douro Valley

Stunning views of the Douro Valley and River from a hillside

We've just spent the last three days in the Douro Valley, about 100 kilometres east of Porto, and it's been quite the trip.

It's a magical place, with the Douro River snaking through the steep hills and valleys that are terraced, growing lots of grapes for wine, and fruits like raspberries, figs and passionfruit.

They also grow large leafy vegetables like cabbage and collared greens to make the well-known caldo verde, a hearty soup made with finely sliced kale, potatoes, carrots and some slices of chorizo for seasoning.

The hillsides are terraced mostly with grapes

However, getting there requires nerves of steel behind the wheel as the roads are not only winding, but also very narrow, and cars can be speeding along and sometimes veering into the opposite lane without any shoulder as a buffer!

This morning we were on a side road turning onto a highway, but we could not see the oncoming car on the left, who slowed down just in time as we made a fast left turn out of the way. That really woke us up!

When vehicles followed close behind us, we would slow down and let them pass us, as we were only going 50km/h to 60km/h.

Following GPS navigation, some directions called for sharp turns that went up or down steep hills. 

And at night there can be long stretches of the road without any street lights let alone reflectors! Perhaps the good thing is that there aren't many cars on the road at night so if you miss a turn you can back up -- there is no room to do a U-turn!

Massive boulder on top of a hill!

Nevertheless, we found some interesting sights. The other day we came across some massive boulders on the top of a hill. The area is set up for barbecues with a barbecue pit sitting empty, and some stone picnic tables around. 

There are several of these huge boulders, but the biggest of them seems to be standing upright, as if a giant just placed them there like rocks he had played with.

Down below we reached the river, where the rich keep their boats, and the water there was so calm.

But most of the picturesque sites we saw were pastoral scenes, watching farmers harvest grapes for wineries, terraced hillsides attached to villas of varying sizes, and traditional to ultra modern minimalist.

We stayed in a small quinta, or estate that grows some grapes, and has rooms in a large house. Breakfast is laid out in the dining area, very homey, with homemade jams and jellies, freshly picked pears, passionfruit and grapes.

Once you've shaken off the stress of driving the winding roads, it's a relaxing place to chill and enjoy the scenery.

Mon Lapin, One of Canada's Top Restaurants

Mon Lapin gives off relaxed, stylish vibes

Our last stop in Montreal was at Mon Lapin, one of the top restaurants in Canada. It's actually a wine bar that happens to serve fantastic food in a laid-back setting in Montreal's Little Italy. Some friends from Vancouver and Hong Kong recommended I go here so this was one of the first places I made a reservation after I booked my plane tickets.

Miramachi striped bass with brown butter sauce

So there was a lot of anticipation coming here and for the most part, it did not disappoint. Walking in, it feels like entering a casual brasserie, with granite tabletops, dark wooden chairs, and a giant antique silver punch bowl decorated with grapes to hold several bottles of chilled wine (in ice).

Our server, who wore shorts, was very surprised to discover we had made a long trek to Mon Lapin and gave us a warm welcome and explained the menu to us (as it was in French). 

We were mightily impressed by the first dish that came out, thinly sliced miramachi striped bass with half moon slices of turnip with a delicious dressing of brown butter sauce.

This was followed up with a refreshing summerly plate of BBQ cucumbers with plump shrimp. We absolutely loved the scallop sandwiches, thin slices of toasted bread and in between was scallop mousse playing on crunchy and smooth textures.

Whole Quebec lobster with salad and potatoes

Three of us just managed to polish off a whole Quebec lobster, the juicy, tender meat cooked perfectly, and was accompanied with buckwheat and rhubarb, along with a small salad and "crackers" made from thinly sliced potato slices that were deep fried.

We sampled two other mains, decadent roast duck with spinach and shiitake, and a hearty pork steak topped with fresh arugula and a sherry sauce. 

Our pre-dessert was to try two local cheeses, and then we ordered what we saw everyone else was having, buckwheat cake with honey and cheese. It was served on a cake platter and we felt like we were celebrating a successful Montreal trip where we got to try some delicious food!

Lovely crispy scallop sandwiches

Mon Lapin

150 Rue Saint-Zotique E

Little Italy, Montreal

514 379 4550

 

Intimate Dining Experience at Montreal's Beba

The intimate space offers wines with fantastic bites of food

Wine bars that happen to offer fantastic food seem to be a trend in Montreal, as that's how Mon Lapin started and last year was ranked No. 2 in the inaugural North America's 50 Best Restaurants (this year No. 5). 

After our massive late lunch at McKiernan and sampled a smoked meat sandwich at Atwater Market, we were still quite full when we arrived at Beba, a very small wine bar. We got to sit in a booth across from the small open kitchen and watch two chefs pump out food.

Lovely mackerel that is a must-have at Beba

Because the wine bar is tiny in terms of real estate, Beba has the ability to take risks and make some interesting food on the menu.

When I made a reservation in late March or early April, the menu featured off cuts that I was keen to try, but when we arrived in late May, the menu had changed.

Nevertheless, we really enjoyed the starter of montadito, or a small open-faced sandwich featuring two thick slices of mackerel with shaved crunchy greens, sesame and horseradish. This appetiser has been on the Beba menu since the beginning, as well as the humble potato knish made bougie with 10g of Oscetra caviar on top.

We were intrigued by lamb ham -- why not make ham out of lamb? And it was absolutely delicious, thinly sliced and garnished with bagna cauda like celery, cauliflower, olives and pickled peppers, along with half jammy eggs topped with salsa verde. Amazing.

Involtini are like dolmades, and instead of rice the grape leaf packages were filled with zucchini and Swiss chard, topped with a generous dollop of yoghurt, pine nuts and pickled vegetables. 

Intriguing lamb as ham with bagna cauda, eggs

By now we were really full, but curious about dessert. We tried the pistachio semifreddo, with olive oil drizzled on top sprinkled with whole pistachios. So simple yet so chic.

What a lovely, laid-back space, people dressed casually, some on dates, others for a regular get-together.

It's a shame we were so full otherwise we would have ordered more!

Beba

3900 Rue Ethel

Montreal

514 750 7087

Montreal's Atwater Market

Atwater Market was built in 1930s Art Deco style

Chef Andersen Lee took us to his favourite public market in Montreal called Atwater Market near Lachine Canal. It's not touristy, more locals who come here to buy perennials and wines, as well as meats, vegetables and cheeses.

Thick-cut slices of smoked meat at Alywin's

The market is named after Edwin Atwater, a 19th century businessman and city councillor, and the Art Deco building opened in 1933 during the Great Depression in a bid to stimulate the economy. 

Inside there are two floors housing butchers, cheesemongers, a shop selling coffee beans, a boulangerie and patisserie. We went into Aylwin Deli to try their smoked meat sandwich (C$16) on rye and pumpernickel bread, but the thickly sliced meat tasted flat, with no peppery taste.

Nevertheless, we marvelled at the stalls selling an abundance of asparagus, not only green but purple and white as well, fresh bulbs of garlic, giant stalks of rhubarb, and fresh herbs.

Large selection of vegetables and fruits for sale

We also tried some pastries -- a coffee-flavoured eclair, and one with chocolate ganache inside, and a small lemon tart with lime zest. They were all delicious, washed down with a refreshing raspberry lemonade.

There were lots of baskets of colourful perennials to hang or place in small balcony boxes at home, while oenophiles enjoyed wandering the aisles of a giant wine shop selling a wide variety of bottles.

Lee likes to come here, pick out a bottle, buy some cheeses, cold cuts and a baguette and have a picnic.

It's such a French way of organising a casual bite that also tastes amazing -- with a glass of wine. 

If you don't drive, it's also relatively easy to get to Atwater Market by metro too.

Colourful perennials ready to be taken home

Atwater Market

155 Green Avenue

Montreal

Window Shopping with a Glass of Wine

Sampling one of a few BC wines tonight

This evening went to Holt Renfrew downtown to a VIP event for customers to sample some BC wines from a few wineries in the Okanagan. The luxury department store stayed open for well-heeled guests to sip whites, reds, and sparkling, eat a few canapes and wander two floors in the hopes they might get a jump on their Christmas shopping.

A pair of Jellycat marshmallows 

For some reason I was drawn to the Jellycat collection, which has come out with even more niche products, other than its plush bunnies, bears and dogs.

How about a pair of pink and white marshmallows? At around $35 they might be too rich to go with your hot chocolate.

There were plushie gingerbread houses, and even a letter addressed to Santa Claus.

But it was this grey roll with eyes and a smile that was intriguing. What the heck was this supposed to be?

I had to look at the label -- it's goat cheese.

Not cheddar, brie or parmesan, goat cheese.

"Originally from the pastures of Southern France, Amuseables Goat Cheese moved to London to pursue his dreams: becoming a world renowned perfumer. A bold ambition for a cheese, perhaps, but he has the nose for it," says the Jellycat description.

How about a goat cheese plushie?

Maybe they should have given out these little furry grey rolls to go with our wines?

Picture of the Day: Golden Sweetness in a Massive Bottle

A giant bottle of sauternes for dessert, please

I was very lucky to dine at a three Michelin-starred French restaurant in Hong Kong, the stunning Caprice in the Four Seasons Hong Kong.

Helmed by chef Guillaume Galliot, the food is impeccable and so is the service. Guests are spoiled rotten throughout the meal with the tempting bread basket that you must resist otherwise you will quickly fill up your stomach, and the cheese trolley is an olfactory bouquet if that's your idea of fromage heaven.

And to finish the meal, how about a splash of sauternes with your dessert? The best of course.

The wait staff carry out a 2014 Chateau d'Yquem in a massive bottle -- is it a Salmanazar (9 litres or 12 bottles) or Balthazar (12 litres or 16 bottles)?  

The sommelier has definitely worked out his biceps because he has no problems pouring a bit of the sweet golden wine from the giant bottle.

We later checked out where the cheeses were stored in the chef's table dining room, and tucked in the back are several of these large empty wine bottles!

Wandering Around Peranakan Joo Chiat Road

People live in these colourful Peranakan shop houses

Yesterday my friend took me to a colourful area in East Singapore called Joo Chiat Road. She described it as something akin to Happy Valley in Hong Kong, a little neighbourhood known for its Peranakan culture. 

These shop houses have various businesses

Peranakan means a person of mixed Chinese, Malay, Indonesian and Indian heritage, dating back to 15th century Malacca when Chinese traders married local women. These interracial unions led to the mixing of cooking too.

The Joo Chiat area is named after Chew Joo Chiat, a wealthy Chinese landowner in the early 20th century. A few years ago the area was very sleazy, but it's cleaned up or perhaps gentrified with quirky shops, boutiques and restaurants.

In addition there are many rows of shop houses, narrow small homes that have two or three stories. Peranakan shop houses are known for being very colourful and as a result make for ideal Instagram backdrops for those looking to pose for pictures.

A Singaporean designer with minimalist designs

Many shop houses are very old, with some still occupied by people, while shops can go for S$6-S$8 million, and will still need a lot of money for renovation. However, if you put in the investment and rent it out, you could still make your money back...

When we wandered the street we saw several vintage shops selling not only second-hand luxury fashion brands from clothes to handbags and Hermes scarves, but also jewellery like rings, earrings, and brooches. 

My friend pointed out when she lived in Nanaimo, British Columbia several years ago, she scoured the vintage stores in Ladysmith and bought brooches at a fraction of the price sold at these shops in Singapore. 

We also encountered some designers based in Singapore selling their clothes. One was originally from Tokyo who has lived in the Lion City for some 20 years and has a business creating fabric and clothes made of silk made by villages in Cambodia and Laos. The silk is light and airy with some batik-like touches, and they are idea for wearing in tropical places because they are loose and flowing.

Mini bottles containing shots of whisky

Another is run by a Singaporean designer who studied in Milan and so she is involved in the entire process from sketch to pattern to sewing. She said she likes being in the store on the weekends when there are more customers so that she can meet them and get feedback on her clothing that is made in China.

We also saw a natural wine shop that sold biodynamic wines with no sulfites, and had a selection of small bottles that had a shot of whisky in each of them. Another was a coffee shop that claims to use electro-magnetic waves to change the molecular structure of coffee or juice so that it tastes better. It's a curious concept but they claim it is used in food production to cut out the use of preservatives and wanted to use it on customer beverages. 

For dinner we headed to Blue Smoke, a restaurant where the chef-owner used to be in advertising. He used to cook Chiu Chow, but it didn't draw customers so now he smokes meats like beef brisket, and pork belly, and skate wing which is a slightly different cooking method, and adds a curry sauce for a spicy kick. 

Wood smoked beef brisket at Blue Smoke

But apparently his restaurant is better known for its off-menu items like fish porridge which intrigued us but we were already full! He likes to have people try the restaurant menu first, and get to know them before they know about the other food items, including chilli crab! Next time!

Chinese New Year Western Style

The dragon winding its way through the crowd

Last night I was invited to a Chinese New Year party held at a popular restaurant in downtown Vancouver. When I got there after 6pm it was already heaving with people and I barely knew anyone.

Nevertheless it was fascinating to people-watch during the hour that I was there.

Many women took advantage of the theme to wear cheongsams with heels, warmed by the mobile heaters, or something red, from sweaters to slip dresses and one woman even wore a body-hugging hooded floor-length red dress, something Grace Jones would wear with shades.

Two acrobats posed on spinning hoops

Some men wore Chinese jackets, mostly the tacky satin embroidered kind found in Chinatown.

The music was definitely not Chinese, but it was pumping dance music with a strong beat from a DJ and so I was surprised to see a Chinese woman carrying a one-year-old boy around and then later some girls, five to seven years old with red decorations in their hair looking up to see a scantily-clad acrobat twirling around from a hoop suspended from the ceiling.

What were these kids doing here on a school night?

Perhaps their parents are regulars at this restaurant? These people congregated in groups and had already commandeered tables where they had plates of food and glasses of wine -- red of course.

Ah yes the food. We were in a restaurant, after all.

But this is a Western restaurant and nothing Chinese about the food, with queues for every thing to eat and drink.

There were freshly-shucked briny oysters -- and amazingly I didn't get sick -- as well as tons of sushi, and two stations where giant parmesan cheese wheels were melted to coat penne pasta. There was also a queue for roast beef and mini Yorkshire pudding complete with three different mustards to choose from and gravy poured from a teapot.

Freshly shucked and briny oysters

And then there were glasses that from a distance looked like dessert. When I got one, it was under a heat lamp and when I dug my spoon into it I soon realised it wasn't sweet -- it was beef stew topped with mashed potato.

However the Peking duck spring roll was good, stuffed with meat and vermicelli, while dessert of mandarin mousse in what looked like a mini mandarin orange was a nice finish.

I felt badly for the servers who had to hold heavy trays with one hand and put their other arms around glasses and plates to prevent people from knocking them over. What a tough night.

Just after 7pm the drumming and clashing of the cymbals began and there was actually a glow-in-the-dark dragon weaving around the crowded restaurant. Quite appropriate since it was pretty dark in the place and the dancers had to try and wind their way around people and food. 

An hour was enough time spent there to take in the revelry and see Vancouverites turn out for a Chinese New Year party. Next time wear red red red! And heels heels heels!

Palm Springs: Strange American Products

Any interest in trying this popcorn?

Ah Americans always come up with the most curious products to entice consumer to buy. Usually products that you don't need at all.

A visit to World Market is a case in point.

It sells all kinds of items from homeware and kitchenware, as well as wine and food. The food ranges from Japanese Kit Kats to pasta sauce, Ghiradelli brownie mix, coffee beans and Hello Kitty cup of noodles.

Keep wine cozy with this sweater

In the discount area there was a bag of Oreo-flavoured popcorn. I've heard of cheese-flavoured and salted caramel, chocolate and cinnamon, but Oreo-flavoured?

I was not intrigued enough to purchase it, even though it was 55 percent off. And if you really wanted to, you could make this yourself by crushing the Oreos in a food processor or manually crushing them with a rolling pin (the cookies in a Ziplock bag!).

The other strange product I saw for sale was a mini Christmas sweater -- for your bottle of wine.

Yes -- did you know your bottle needs a sweater to keep warm? And an ugly Christmas sweater to boot?

There were ones with a dog embroidered on it, and one with a cat too. The canine one says "Happy Howlidays", while another sweater says, "Cheers to the naughty list".

Perhaps that includes having a red nose?

World Market also has a stationary section. There were Snoopy notebooks, but a colouring book dedicated to cats' behinds?

It's called The Cat Butt Colouring and Activity Book, which features 45 pages of cats in various scenes, from an intergalactic feline's butt in space, to decorating a cat butt cake. 

Are cats' behinds a thing?

Apparently there are other cat butt colouring books like Cat Butt Christmas and Cat Butts in Space!

Are cats' butts a thing? I had no idea until now...

The things you discover at World Market.

The French Food that Chinese Like to Eat

The mini pho bo with a sous vide egg at Linh Cafe

Linh Cafe is popular -- among mostly the Asian crowd.

The vast majority of the customers are Chinese -- both Mandarin and Cantonese speakers to come eat elevated Vietnamese fare and French bistro dishes like steak tartare, escargots, and mussels.

Three mini spicy baguette sticks

However, practically every table has at least one bowl of pho bo -- Vietnamese beef noodle soup with slices of beef brisket and rice noodles in a flavourful broth.

We later saw a Caucasian couple sit down, order two glasses of red wine and a bowl of pho bo each. How romantic.

Another Instagram dish is the spicy baguette sticks. We saw the table next to us had it so we ordered it too.

It comes with a minimum order of three sticks and they are mini baguettes sliced down the middle and filled with pork liver pate and topped with hot sauce that isn't really that spicy. It looked like a curry wurst, but was actually warm pate with a tinge of spiciness. Not something to order again.

We liked the frogs legs that were marinated in a spicy and garlicky sauce before being deep fried. If you were patient enough to extract the lean meat you were well rewarded with small plump bits that had a lingering spicy finish.

Delicious fried frog legs with a spicy finish

The country terrine is a classic dish, though this one was wrapped in a very fatty bacon. Nevertheless the combination of foie gras, Black Forest ham, and liver did give it a rustic texture that went well with the complimentary bread.

And like everyone else, we also ordered the pho bo, though ours was the mini size with a sous vide egg. We marvelled at the broth that had very deep flavours and yet was light and maybe some MSG in it? The beef brisket is a step up from typical Vietnamese pho places that offer thin slices of raw beef. Good to the last drop.

My friend was curious to try the palmier, but it wasn't exceptionally crispy or delicate; perhaps this pastry wasn't made in house? But a disappointing finish nonetheless...

Linh Cafe

1428 Granville Street

Under the Granville Street Bridge

604 564 9668

Fort Langley: Krause Berry Farms & Estate Winery

The patches of gardens are pretty and colourful at Krause

This morning I headed out to Fort Langley for a visit. It's an hour away by car, taking Grandview Highway going east onto Highway 1, passing Burnaby, Surrey, Coquitlam and Pitt Meadows... 

Blueberry waffles are good to share

It's a relatively easy drive and once in Langley township, there's a lot of farm land growing blueberries, corn and other fruits.

Our first stop was Krause Berry Farms & Estate Winery, a massive compound that has U-pick berries (blueberries now in season), as well as a sandbox for kids to play in, and lovely garden patches full of blooming flowers to admire.

Most impressive was the store that is choc full of the farm's signatures, from fresh berries and vegetables to jam, fruit-flavoured syrup, numerous pies from strawberry to blackberry, peach and apple. The jams come in vegan and no sugar, in blueberry, blackberry strawberry and rhubarb. 

Interestingly it does not encroach on its neighbour's business of selling honey, so Krause does not sell any kind of honey at all. Krause also sells farm-style crockery, scarves, and even pyjamas with blueberries on them.

Lots of pies, like blackberry for sale!

We could not resist trying the blueberry waffles -- a large round one that had a squirt of syrup followed by a massive mount of blueberries topped with a generous swirl of canned whipped cream.

The waffle itself wasn't too sweet, and the blueberries were so large and plump that we didn't want to waste any and two of us managed to finish the plate. I was intrigued by the drink of strawberry milk on the menu, but it ended up being a plastic bottle that was bought from a store. 

Meanwhile the wine tasting room is fun -- those sitting at the bar actually sit on saddles! 

The food choices at Krause are on the limited side -- only waffles with seasonal fruits, ice cream, pizza, fries or at the bar there's nachos... 

Nevertheless, it's a fun stop that's family-oriented and appeals to everyone at some level. 

Get on the saddle at the wine bar

Krause Berry Farms & Estate Winery

6179 248th Street

Langley, BC

604 856 5757

Okanagan: Road Trip to Osoyoos

Osoyoos is surrounded by hills and water, ideal for fruits, wine

Yesterday we drove east from Vancouver to Osoyoos for a few days before going on to Kelowna, both small towns in the Okanagan, a region best known for its wineries and orchards, as well as fruits like cherries, apricots, peaches, and apples. Only the cherries are for sale at the moment and they are delicious!

The drive takes about four hours but we broke it up into three sections: Vancouver to Hope, where we had a bite to eat at a well-known diner called Home Restaurant. I had the all-day breakfast of two eggs, a large German sausage, a giant heap of hash browns and rye toast. The pies on display looked amazing, but we were too full even for a bite. 

There are many colourful murals around

Then I took the wheel from Hope to Princeton, where the roads were quite winding and many hairpin turns that required slowing down and steady handling of the car. Luckily there weren't many cars on the road, and when there were passing lanes available, I was more than happy to let those speeders go past me!

Princeton to Osoyoos didn't have the hairpin turns, but many parts were single-lane traffic before arriving in the small town. There are big hotel chains like Holiday Inn and Best Western, while many others are private operations. I was surprised to see that they promoted having a "sandy beach" -- that meant Osoyoos Lake was at the back of the property, and while there was soft sand, it was only a few metres long, and no shells, just pebbles.

Nevertheless, the natural scenery is stunning, with Osoyoos in the bottom of a valley surrounded by hills. No wonder it's an ideal place for growing wine grapes, and the place is usually the hottest place in British Columbia in the summer.

Luckily for us temperatures haven't hit the peak yet, and instead the sun's rays are cooled by blustery winds. 

This legion stands out and very patriotic

Today I went for a walk around Osoyoos Lake, which looks like a slithering snake that is split in half almost in the middle by a small bridge. There's lots of green space around the lake, as well as the aforementioned "beach". People are either hanging out and sitting on benches enjoying the view, or out on the lake in their boats.

Walking into town there are several murals. One that caught my eye was the one for veterans, and pointed out they had served in both world wars, the Korean War as well as in Afghanistan, and as peacekeepers. By the lake there is also Veterans Park paying tribute to these soldiers.

Founded in 1946, Osoyoos is named after the Syilx (Okanagan Indian) word soo-yoos, meaning "narrowing of the waters". Fur traders first worked here in the 1800s, followed by miners. It wasn't until the early 1900s were commercial orchards established and then growing wine grapes in the 1960s.

The town has a few banks, national chain stores like Shopper's Drug Mart and Home Hardware, and the rest are independent shops from jewellery to books, nail salons and clothing. Oh yes and ice cream shops, and by the lake there's a trailer selling mini doughnuts and frozen lemonade.

A refreshing frozen lemonade

As I reached the trailer before lunchtime it was more prudent to just get the frozen lemonade, which was probably a ripoff at C$6, but what the heck, it was hot and lemonade flavoured shaved ice seemed like the ideal antidote after a warm day in the sun.

Tycoon Offloads Handbags in Auction

Highlight of sale is this Birkin bag, worth up to HK$2M

People collect wine, sneakers, T-shirts, jeans, books, vinyl records, and Christmas ornaments.

Tycoon Joseph Lau Luen-hung collects Hermes bags and is going to offload 77 of them in a Sotheby's online auction next week. It's billed as the biggest sale from a single collector.

How you amass such a collection -- and not be a woman -- is intriguing to start. Hermes bags must be ordered in advance -- they are each made by hand -- and can cost from HK$70,000 to HK$4 million with long waiting lists.

Lau with his wife Kimbie Chan Hoi-wan

He has Birkin and Kelly bags as well as other Hermes designs collected over a 20-year period, and the most expensive one up for grabs is an emerald green Birkin bag made of crocodile with a diamond-encrusted clasp set in white gold. It is estimated to go for between HK$1 million to HK$2 million.

A quick glance through the online catalogue reveals bags in every colour, design and material that must have been stored carefully for years. 

Sotheby's says part of the sale proceeds from the auction will go to charity, but it's believed the 71-year-old Lau needs the money after making some bad stock investments. 

Last year he sold off part of his extensive wine collection too, making a cool five-fold profit of HK$64 million in a Christie's auction. He also sold some Chinese imperial porcelain valued at HK$151 million.

The billionaire who made his money in property development is also an avid art collector and has made headlines buying several massive diamonds at auction for his two daughters, Zoe and Josephine. The gem stones are named after them too.

The 12.03-carat blue diamond for Josephine

Will Lau put up his art collection for auction too? Maybe this is his way of settling his accounts, as in 2017 he cited having health issues...

But really you have to wonder -- a man buying numerous expensive handbags with the goal of selling them later for a profit. Definitely a quirky investment that's going to pay off.

 

Curious Contraband Confiscated

Some 9,000 bottles of contraband wine were seized in a raid

On December 11 and 12, Hong Kong Customs seized a huge haul of contraband goods that was destined for Shanghai, but officials have only now let the media know.

The market value of the goods confiscated from two ocean-going vessels at Tsing Yi Container Terminal is valued at HK$200 million (US$25.6 million).

So what contraband was found?

Most of the wines were from Penfolds

Nine thousands bottles of wine, mostly Penfolds from Australia. China had imposed a 175 percent tariff on the wine's parent company, Treasury Wine Estates, so importers found other creative ways to bring the popular Penfolds into the mainland. The other bottles were Moet et Chandon Champagne and Japanese sake brand Dassai.

In addition there were also about 22 tons of expensive food items, such as shark's fin, fish maw and dried sea cucumber. This demonstrates not only the massive appetite of Chinese for shark's fin that has been mostly eradicated in Hong Kong, but also they seem desperate to eat these delicacies.

Then there's 140,000 electronic goods which are not clarified as to what they are, and 4,000 boxes of medicine and endangered species.

The medicine is probably because China doesn't have enough on pharmacy shelves and people are desperate as they have become infected with Covid-19 or have flu-like symptoms. Relatives in Hong Kong have told me Chinese people have snapped up all the medicine in Australia, the United States and Hong Kong to send to their relatives back home. Sound familiar?

A classical music lover won't get his vinyl haul!

And last but not least, the quirkiest contraband item confiscated was 7,000 vinyl records. From the scant pictures, it shows one is a recording of Dvorak's cello concerto Faure Elegy in French, and Belgian violinist Arthur Grumiaux playing seven violin concertos. So were these classical music records just for one person or a group of vinyl fanatics? 

Sadly they won't be able to listen to any of them anytime soon...

Five men ranging in age from 38 to 54 were arrested.