About Me

I have done a lot of things in my life and have also worked in many different jobs to make a living and to experience life. This blog is just some of my musings, sometimes funny, sometimes inspirational, sometimes sad, sometimes angry, sometimes simple but all the time, it's just me.

Tuesday, July 5, 2011

Mr Tamborine Man


So, this is Mr Tamborine Man, Pappa Hemingway, Michael Ward, the owner of Tamborine Mountain Distillery.

We went away from the paradise of surfers and shoppers and headed inwards to the hinterlands of the Tamborine Mountains and in the north of the mountains, we met the mountain Tamborine man.

He let us try his liqueurs and vodkas and brandy but just enough to give us a light buzz without the dizziness of being too drunk.

He told us tales of his distillery and how he is hoping to get his stock into shops in KL. He already has some distributor in the duty free Eagle Island up north (Langkawi).

As we drove around the cool mountain side and stopped for a wonderful meal in The Kitchen Table in the small little town of North Tamborine, we just sat and breathed in the coll crisp and fresh mountain air and ate the wonderful fresh produce away from the business of the surfers and shoppers down below in the coast where it was all glitter but no gold.

The Queensland Hinterlands and the Sunshine Coast are not very frequented by the normal tourists we see all around the world right now ~ mainly rich Indians and Chinese (after all, they do make up more than 2 billion of the world population).

I have nothing against Indians and Chinese but when a place is invaded by them, you will start seeing cheap Indian and Chinese restaurants that just churn out commercial food. You will see bargain basement type shopping which is mainly made in India and China because it is just cheaper to produce
there. But of course, they will still buy the stuff because it is bought in Australia.

I enjoy a relaxing holiday without the 5 or 10 amusement parks and the crowds and the cheap tacky restaurants that no longer serve authentic cuisine or the shops with the cheap toys.

I think maybe one day I will retire to the hinterlands and become a mountain Tamborine man or mountain Flame Hill / Montville man making wine or liqueurs and enjoying the cool crisp mountain air away from the glitter and truly be in the golden era.

I remember stories from religion as well as history books, it seemed all the sages, gurus, prophets etc. always went to the mountains to seek guidance. Whether it was the ten commandments or Mount Ararat or Mount Abu or the Himalayas ... all these people seem to go to mountains.

I have never heard of Jesus or Mohammad or Mahavir or Guru Nanak ever going to Surfers Paradise .... or any commercialised busy beaches for the matter of fact.

Anyways, we are enjoying our time here and today, we will have another Guru hosting us for a meal ... well, not complete Guru yet and still studying, so, the last U is still missing.

I have hope and faith that this Guru may be able to change our minds but nevertheless, I am happy, I am relaxed and I am contented.

When you have had songs and liqueurs from the Tamborine Man, who will not be.

Take care and be well.

1 comment:

Anonymous said...

Sounds like you are having a great time! :)