Hunter Valley -- Day Ten

December 6, Saturday
Australian Time: 2205

10th Day

Location: Hunter Valley, NSW
Accommodation: Madigan Cottage
Cost: $350 for two nights
Currency (Singapore is to Australia): 1 is to 1

Woke up especially this morning for horse back riding. After a platonic breakfast (pancakes again), we headed out and reached James Estate around 0910. We were required to sign a contract proclaiming that should we incur any injuries (or even death) during horse riding, whether due to the absence or presence of the tour guide, and no matter they were reliable for the cause or not, we vow not to blame them for any misforgivings. I think I was horrified that they refused to take responsibility even if they were at fault. I mean, most of the customers were probably tourists, with little or no experience in riding horses, so what did we know? The contract blamed it on the temperament of the horses. O.o It was like our fate was in the hands of the horses.

Luckily, they horses were exceptionally well-trained and followed the rules and trails very specifically and faithfully. The horses were all magnificent creatures, my dad’s Jimbo with a dark chocolate mane, my mom’s Trigger with a light brown color, my sis’s (with a name I do not know) a dirty white and mine, Chloe (Emma, your hamster’s name!!!) with a lovely milk chocolate mane.

Chloe is a playful girl, yet she is still very obedient when it comes down to business. I love her. Her personality is vibrant (when I said hi and stroked her neck, she ‘hmmph’-ed and greeted me with a nod – isn’t that sweet!) and she is very energetic.

First, we trekked through a forest trail, with minor accidents along the way (horses pooping out of the blue, banging randomly into trees, scraping our knees when we passed too close to adamant branches and frequently fanning insects away from our faces). The horses were well-behaved, but I noticed (since I was directly behind dad), that Jimbo was very clumsy. She often slipped and lost her footing, which was quite hilarious if not for the fact that my dad was the one riding on her.

I had to steer Chloe very often – she was always too close to trees or too close to branches, causing me to scratch my knees and elbows, so I had to teach her to avoid that. Chloe becomes extremely annoyed when too many mosquitoes attack/kiss her face, and liked to stomp her hooves and shake her head vehemently to show her displeasure.

When we entered the pasture, however, Chloe got a little over excited and started galloping. Though I quickly halted her, I really enjoyed it. The way she ran was so carefree that even I felt it. And the way her body moved was a lot more comfortable for me to sit on than when she was just moseying along.

The next thing to look forward to after horse back riding was dinner at ROBERTS. My dad’s assistant, who had come to Australia just not too long ago, introduced this restaurant to us. We had booked two days ago to ensure that we had a table. When we first got there, the restaurant looked torn and tattered, the wood chipped and the windows scratched. However, the inside was gorgeous. The entire room was candle-lit, and the ambience was warm and relaxing. All the wood made the setting romantic, and the candles just added on to the atmosphere. The fire mantle was decorated with plenty and elaborately designed plates as well as a cock and hen, with a huge vase containing white and yellow flowers. Our table was spacious and comfortable, except maybe the chairs, which was made of plain, hard wood, and certainly not something you’d want to sit on after a day of bumping on horses.

The food was highly priced. We ordered three main courses, comprising lamb, beef and pasta, as well as desserts chocolate fondant and cinnamon ice cream. The lamb was fantastic, but it had a somewhat typical taste (something you’d eat at Morton’s), but the beef was unique due to its very interesting sauce. I loved it. The pasta was nothing I had expected. The sauce was non-creamy, something more Japanese, and the mushrooms were fabulous! Sweet, but a little bitter, and something that you could just chew and chew! Haha. The chocolate fondant was a cake with melted Belgian chocolate inside, and when eaten with vanilla ice cream, brought you straight to heaven! I quote from a chocolate shop we’d visited in the afternoon, “If this was sin, heaven would be hell.” I figured I didn’t like cinnamon much, though. :P

I really don’t want to mention the price…