Pacific NW roadtrip

June 9-15 roadtrip- ideal time of year before schools are out and places, roads and hotels WILL get jammed. Good weather too.

Stopped in fave town Winters for a coffee at the only pure coffee shop in town(forgot name-some guys name. I reckon it is the only pure coffee shop in town, so you'll find it.) It's in the wood building that has a deck across from the gazebo and main town park.

Dunsmuir, old times railroad town. Quaint, cute Victorians, and Shasta as the playground in nature. Great spot for a weekend or vacation home. Pizza at Pizza Factory on Main Street. So-so but a locals spot so nice to eavesdrop on the gossip and see two kids no older than 12 ( one chubby one with thick spectacles. So Stand By Me) have lunch together in front of the baseball game. $7.75 for a mini pizza. Enjoyed it at the rest area overlooking the river at the Oregon border.

Ashville: Shakespeare tourist theatre town, but not overdone. Would make for a nice place to stay for a night. Good restaurants, Smithfields looked FAB.
Jacksonville OR nice preserved old western town. Twee shops etc. expensive B&Bs so best to stay in Medford 6 miles closer to I-5

Hotel: Homewood Suites in Medford. $129 on Booking.com. Great place- clean comfy and decent breakfast included. Nice staff. Top floor nice views.

Eat: elements on Main Street. Tapas. Well, their idea of it but even if not authentic Spanish, it was tasty and reasonably priced. Good wine list. Ribs and faves bean dishes, glass of wine $30 with tip.

Day 2

Lunch in Eugene's public market area on 5th. Marche Provisions. Excellent.  Charcuterie plate and glass of white, approx $22. Nice outdoor eating patio.

• Dinner Portland in Monte Villa neighborhood, Ya hala, 8005 SE Stark St

Portland, OR 97215, Neighborhoods: Southeast Portland, Montavilla. SW but close to Burnside at 79. Lebanese superb. Lamb shank, fish, foule, two wines $55 for 3 adults and 1 kid.

• Morning coffee: Case Study Coffee, 5347 NE Sandy Blvd, Portland, OR 97213, Neighborhoods: Northeast Portland, Rose City Parkgreat space. Lovely scone and coffee. $5

Monte villa is a cool diverse neighborhood, a gem in the making

Seattle

Olympic Spa in Lakewood. GREAT place to spend a ladies evening if soaking, sauna, hot rooms, and lounging in a robe. $35 for unfettered soaking in diff pools. I house restaurant healthy good food. No alcohol. Pork sizzle plate $13

Lunch. Ballard. Oaxaca Cart. Fab western neighborhood. Good Mexican food, space and hood. Asada tacos $7 for three. Unlimited salsa bar.

Dinner: Pairseattle north of university district on 55th. Super nice neighborhood bistro. Lots if plates to share and menu changes. Lamb, leek and potato gratin, chicken, lobster risotto, pot de creme, etc. 5 people $32 each.

Fremont: Uneedaburger. Bravo! Burger joint, fab.

Dinner: near symphony. Name:    Pizza, asparagus, two wines each, and some other dish. Vast open space, must've been a bank or large lobby of office building. $100 for two.

Lake City. Toyoda Japanese. Superb tiny family run place. Spinach salad with a sesame topping, fried tofu, pork Katsu, seared tune with onions amazing. Rolls, croquette, all good. For 5 of us $131.

• Javasti- NW 35 TG at 79. Coffee shop
• Grateful Bread- fresh bagels!!! NW 35 ave at 72-ish.
• Mama Melina... Lunch at Y Village, 5101 25th Ave NE  Seattle, WA 98105

Cle elum. off I90 Bakerty at top end of town. Lovely old brick building, old biddies working there. Homemade unrefined donuts and baked goods.  Brill. Donuts and latte $4

Madras. Mi Casa. Mexican restaurant where long distance buses between Tijuana, michoacan, and Phoenix stop! 24 hrs from there to Tijuana. For Mexicans by Mexicans. Great food. My two carnitas tacos were $3!!! Glad I stopped as down home as it was.

One road very well taking the extra 20 minutes to drive is Canyon Road from Ellenburg to Yakima. Hugs the river at the bottom of the canyon. Gorgeous.

Route to Klamath Falls from Seattle was uplifting. Snow capped mountains, alpine to high desert and driving past endless number of volcanoes: hood, ranier, Baxter, St. Helens, and others I don't know the names of.  Town if Shanklin looked cool and old west. Tiny.

Rocked up to Klamath at 5:30. Lots of nice stops at the bakery and lunch at Mi Casa. What a gem. I just missed the inbound bus of peeps too; she was prepping for 25 people to spill off the bus. I took a wee side road from ellenburg to Yakima, Canyon Road. 22 miles in the canyon along the river. Gorgeous. 

Enjoying a dinner at the Crramery brew Pub and 'Grill'- code for all typical TGI Fridays type of fried food, but managed to find a baked eggplant and tomatoe dish washed down with Crystal Springs IPA sitting at bar watching local lads and lasses do their small town flirting and banter. Nice to eavesdrop and grateful I'm not a blue-collar small town gal!

Carrizo plain-not so plain after all!

Did a two day one night road trip to Carrizoplain after reading about it in the Viaa magazine.  Tucked in a hard to get to valley from San Luis Obispo and Highway 5, it made for  a great two-day getaway on Easter Sunday.

Took off early and went down  5, cutting into Highway 46 west (Paso Robles Road) and then South again on Hwy 33 through miles and miles of almond orchards, which Moose duly noted for next Persian New Year when green almkinds are all the rage. Of course, for quality control purposes, he made me pull over while he picked a good few Monterey Market produce bags full of.

Directly south of these orchards were 26 miles of oil fields. never imagined this exited in california. the land was sparse, blighted and ugly.The 'town' of McKittrik was bleak and dead.

West on 58 from McKittrick the road rises then gently wends down to Carrizo Plain.

http://www.blm.gov/ca/st/en/fo/bakersfield/Programs/carrizo.html

Steinbeck country.  Nice to take picnic lunch on the overlook and walk the raised trail to the salt flats.

Wended west on 58 to 101 where we hopped north a bit to Atascadero for ou hotel stay at the Carlton (booking.com$119 + tax a night). Oldest hotel in the town, that once was an old persons home. Huge, brick and well renovated with a fab bistro next to the lobby that served solid and generous breakfasts as part of the hotel charge.

Morro Bay is only 20-30 minutes away and makes for a nice afternoon stroll, even when foggy and espite the touristy shops. it was quiet on Easter Sunday, so the full brunt of a tourism destination wasnt so bad. A few streets off the watefront are other locals shops and cafes, so worth checking out.

Passed in through Paso Robles just to see how they do 'wine town' in this part of California compared to Napa and Sonoma. Very low-key. A few posse of hippies hanging out at the Amsterdam coffee shop on 13th.  the central city park is green, tree-covered and with a band stand gazebo-so charmign and probably full of life in the summer vs. a Monday morning.

heading back north on 101, you pass lettuce country. miles and miles of massive farms and lettce fields. the salinas valleey & california feeds America.  Too bad they dont eat more salad.

Sao Paolo

Hear so many things of this place and despite having been here before for LP years ago, i don't really recall much of it, or really spent time to enjoy it.  Getting here earlier than work mates allowed for time to scope places and get a feel for the place.

Staying
George V casa Branca in Jardins. Apartment building turn hotel. Great service and location with blocks of shops, cafes, restaurants and safe walking.  booked through Expedia, I think $250 a night (inc breakfast). On a high floor, room 901, with balcony, one bedroom, two loos, kichenette. Couldn't ask for more.

Eats

• Santo Grao: Oscar Freire in jardins. great vibe, coffee place  but also full menu of praca do dia, salads and snacks. Filet and duchess potatoes (53R), glass of Argie pinot 18R, so not cheap either.
• Deleiite Gourmet: coffee/chocolate cake shop on Oscar Freire, 125. Small coffee 6R, nice front deck to sit on.
• Lebanese place in ground floor level of apartment building so set back from sidewalk on R Lorena (@ Rocha Azevedo). fouldammas and a kibe 21R. Very nice, did the trick for a take away eat in the room.
• Shintori, Alameda Campinas, just down from Ave paulista. Japanese 'house" with large garden. had the shabu shabu and it was good. Nice sake cocktails too. Spendy.
• Bar des arts-in Itaim Bibi neighborhood by the river. Gorgeous gardens and grounds with several buildings housing tables and a large green house annex where the generous and amazing lunch buffet is set up. Apparently it is being torn down to make way for a huge office building, so go there quick!
• Jardieneira Grill, ave dos bandeirantes, 1001, Vila Olimpia. The mecca to meat and all things grilled, buffet. Amazing spread, come hungry. Good caipirnhas, good meat, good cold buffet.
• Capim Santo, Roha Azevedo & Itu, outdoor garden and tables, rustic and beautfiully prpared Brazilian food from the other provinces and coast. 
• La Figuera, haddock Lobo & estados unidos, massive fig tree around which sit the tables as well as in surrounding buildings. Expensive, but lovely place and food is good.
• Chop Opcao-off ave paulista & Caneca. OUtdoor beer garden. Food typical mediocre bar food.
• Corner of Lorena and campinas is a great neighborhood restauramt with a massive outdoor area, serving a fab Salad Nicoise and draft beers
• All up Campinas to Ave Paulista from Lorena has lots of lovely looking restaurants.

Shopping

• Oscar Freire has a lot of shops and boutiques. some with more dolled up shop girls than customers. one  place i loved was Vista Sao Paolo (Rua Augusto, 2800) where the designer gets photo images and screen prints them on great cut T-shirts and dresses. He was having a 40% sale so a 68R shirt was $40.
• in the business lowerl levels shops of the Lorena and campinas apartment building, where there is also a great restaurant (lonchenete) and draft beer spot is a lady who sells hawaianas and bejewels the soles for an extra few bucks. Nice lady and store and cheaper than other shops for the flip flops.

Neighborhoods
Hotel assured me walking during the day is safe, so i wended through Primavera to Itaim Bibi, Tabapua street where I had lunch at a 2.99R a 100kg food place along with the other office workers. then up Faria Lima, to Europe and walked all up (saw the Electrolux boutique!) back to jardins on Augusta Street.

kampot

one of my fave spots in entire trip. Chill slow moving river town. Small so easy to navigate and walk around just exploring.

Stayed
Le soleil d'or. booked on booking.com...$45 a night breakfast included and served at La Java Bleue a half block away. nice sidewalk seating and sheltered by potted plants, run by french couple, Louise, the hubby a nutty gregarious guy who just loves cooking and the romance of the sounds of the fisherman's boat engines as they come in from the night of fishing at 6 am.

we stayed in top floor room-huge, two beds and private bath..very nice. comfy, fridge.

Le java Bleue
owned by French couple of Soleil D'or. FABULOUS meal of fish Lousie bought that day and hrew his whole self into cooking (en papillotte with garlic, clams, shrimps etc). Beautiful presentatin and passion. best meal of trip.

Three Sisters bakery-owner was an orphan when younger and learned brownie baking and apple pie baking from a USA woman at her orphange. today shes married and has a bakery and proceeds go to orphanage where her husband works. On same street half a block from Le java Bleue.

drinks-lots of laid back and small bars along the promenade. we liked wunder Bar because it was quiet but wit a nice buzz. The rusty keyhole was the poplar place.

on other side of the salt workers monument there is a small street with guest houses (magic Sponge) and restaurants. we ate at kampot GH restaurant which was on second level of a bamboo house. Nice guys, good food and decent prices (5-7 each)

Do:

walk. walk to market and across the bridge to the other side which has a peppercorn farm shop and dryign location, wats and relaxed neighborhood.
watch the boats coem in after a night of fishign on the river bank by the old governor's residecne and post offcie. Very special and unique sites an sounds of kampt. one day word will get out such that this daily delivery of fish will be a top tourist attraction...pity
market-where the Muslim women sell the fish you cans see the fishermen bring earleir that morning on the river bank
Kep: tuk tuk to kep  $12, about 30 km along coast. we asked him to go to Kep, wait till we had lunch and also go through the islam areas.  Very nice guy and well put together. Stopped to buy face masks because of very dusty road to Kep, which was a noted and nice touch.
Crab market. lots to choose from but we settled on Srey Phan overlooking crab nets, crabs sold at market price. had them with the faous kampot pepper sauce ($5) which was divine. Grilled shrimp ($4) and two large beers ($4). Bliss lunch. lovely.

getting there-Ibis bus company, $8 each between PP and Kampot. fast, airconditioned with one bathroom stop, a small water and free wi-fi on bus. Great service.

Phnom Penh

First night stayed at Indochine 2 on 110 street (or thereabouts). very simple spartan in the thick of the busy dense streets of backpackers, prostitutes, tuk-tuks, bars= noise. $30 the night.

second stint was at Kabiki, 264 street, former residence of president's wife, and on same road as prime minsitr residence. and ot showed, the street had a barrier to it and guards where only hotel guests and security were allowed. $80 a night, great breakfast served poolside in a very densely treed garden. rooms fabuluosly comfy though bathrooms could do with an update for the price; little things like soap dish by sink, modern sinks and countertops. neighborhood quiet and safe and easy to walk to Royal palace, river front and sihanouk ave. I'd stay here again.

other noted places to stay were south of sihanouk in streets behind Ngon inclusing Hotel Nine, Skyline, willow,

also between the 51-57 ave and 278, 294 and Samdach Louis streets loads of cafes, restaurants and hotels, nail spas

Tips & Toes 

#17 Beo, Street 278, Phnom Penh 12302, Cambodia

+855 92 148 033 

to do's

• walk the streets and explore all the markets from Rusian to central to the open air veggie/food market near Indochine on about 136 streets.
• tual Sleng prison
• Killing fields-from Tual Sleng was about $14 return. negotiate hard.  dont miss this paert of tragic history.
• neighborhood south of sihanouk and west of pasteur streets very posh and lots of embassies and servcied business apartments, cafes, leafy streets etc.

eat

• friends n stuff-well known ple, on 13th and 172 street. good cause, inconsistent service depending on stage of training, bit overpriced, bt knwoing it helps train otherwide street kids, you dont mind s much
• ngon restaurant on 60 Sihanouk. SUPERB-fresh food, open air, great servcie, clean, fab decor and vibe. Locals (with some scratch) and great location.  $10 per eprson with beer roughly. Ate here two days running it was so good. they also have places in Ho Chi Minh and Ha Noi
• bakery-fab cakes and coffee and outdoor front garden area. on 240 at 19th, perhaps called Chocolate? 
• The Vegetarian on 19 Ave and 264 street. simple fare, nice walled in outdoor eating area, cheap, clean. By kabiki hotel.
• Watch the rich kids hangout and buy coffee that is overpriced by wetsern standards, let alone Cambodia...Costa on 57 and 288 street area. aswell as swanky looking Brown Coffee and bakery by the English school.

No. 13, St. 57, corner of Rue Oknha Chrun Youhak (St. 294), 12302 Phnom Penh

transport

• to Kampot-Ibis bus $8. Hostels sell tickets but also at main station on 106 by Psar ratrey one block form river.  In Kampot it is behind the gast station where the pineapple statue is.
• to airport-tuk tuk was $6-8 dependign on how you negotiate. can w are told is about $20-25

Siem Reap-meh

Flew in on Lao Airlines from LP..about $145 each with a stop in Pakse.

Hotel
pre-booked on Agoda.com, Villa Siem Reap, away from the busy noise of the Pub street triangle, on Taphul Street off sam dech tep Rd a block away from the park Hyatt being built.  Great location. Included breakfast and $30 a night. Lovely friendly staff.

Angkor wat
Took a hotel arranged tuk tuk. Whole day was $15 for the short route. Mistake was to ask driver to take us to a lunch place as he ended up taking us to a place where he most likely got commisison, and it was the most expensive meal in Cambodia for us (OK, still only $25), but word of warning, donlt ask to be taken somewhere if you want an authentic place.

entry fee: $20 for a day pass. Keep pass with you at all times. onme day pass was enough for us frankly.

Food
Khemer kitchen-open facing restaurant along the Street 9 side of the psar. Shrimp pancake and stir fry veggies and a few beers about $10 or less.
cant recall name, but on Sivatha road one block south of the intersection of the Park Hyatt. Open facing restaurant with massive grill outside and lovely dining area both outside and 'covered'. (Blue wave?)  Clean, good quality and not too bad in price about $10 per head.
supermarket in a mall where Pizza company and ice cream parlor. get any pepepr or spcies here as they are nicely packaged and much cheaper than the psar here or anywhere else kin cambodia we found.

Transport
bus to phnoem penh was a 10 seater mini-van (VIP?) where an office is locagted kin same block as the nice grill restaurant. per person $8-10???  About 6 or so per day. 4hrs.

Luang Prabang-sublime

Truly a magical "city", very tranquil and relaxed place that sits atop two rivers that converge.  The bus station is on the east side of the Nam Khan river by the airport. tuk tuk cost about 10,000 kip each.

We stayed at the wonderful Apsara on Kingkitsarath Road which is on the peninsula part and overlooked the Nam Khan river. Booked through Booking.com and paid about $80 a night for a fab room (room #8) that had a private balcony overlooking the road and river, form where we sat and drank beers and watched monks and people stroll by. One of the more expensive places we stayed, but it was holidays and peak travel time, and a hotel that would cost easily 4180 or so a night, it was a good deal in my view.  Note, no TV in case it matters and wi-fi spotty. I had to go to the main hotel building to get faster wi-fi (free).  Lovely breakfast included which we ate on the main building verandah.

Meals

• Night market: buffet style stalls set up in an alley at the night market. Chocka and all seem to be vegetarian with a few meat BBQ stands that are a separate charge to the otherwise, pile your plate as high as you can for $K10,000.
• no shortage of Chinese and lao places that cooked in open air kitchens overlooking the sidewalk.
• dinner at Apsara hotel in patio section across the street right overlooking river. delicious cold mushroom salad with cilantro, mint and spring onion. Delicious.  With beers (several) abotu $30 for two.
• Coffee at Mekong riverview hotel cafe across the street from their hotel and also overlooking the convergence of the river. Nice place to stop and have a breather

To do

• WALK!!!! Go down all laneways and streets. lots to see and absorb. the temples of course,  but meandering through streets off the main peninsula part is also a must. of note to us was the streets that led to the Chao Anouvong monument and the UXO missile museum ( Bhounkhong street). The hotel de la paix used to be an old prison and is now a luxury hotel. so lux they don't even bother putting the hotel name out front; out curiosity of this high walled space and open gate drew us in.
• Alms giving: overrated and wrought with appalling tourist behaviours shoving into the flow of the monks to take a flash photo or pretend it is a meaningful gesture to them to give alms, when really, its a lame attempt to have a 'local' namaste experience. I had strong feelings about what a Disney tragedy it all is. Food vendors would be better positioned to sell coffee at 5am rather than low quality insulting rice packets.
• we kept walking down the side roads to the Craft Center and the main market which sits about 2m west of the main drag.
• cross the Mekong river on the car 'ferry' and walk through the little village on the bank of the Mekong where there are more temples and brick path, that eventually peters out to a track to quite temples. i see this side of the river getting more traction for hotels and hostels being touted as the "quiet' side as Luang Prabang gets more popular and crowded.