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Is this Brisbane's best char kway teow?

Is this Brisbane's best char kway teow?

The Age01-06-2025
'Do you sell pad Thai?'
Leen Lai lost count of the number of times she fielded this question when she and husband Kian Lai first opened Uncle Lai's.
'Back then, a lot of Aussies only knew of pad Thai,' Leen says. 'I think it's only in recent years – maybe the last decade – when a lot more Australians have travelled to Kuala Lumpur and Singapore, that they've really come to appreciate char kway teow.'
It's true. These days, Australians definitely know char kway teow, or 'CKT' as it's often abbreviated, and food-focused Brisbane locals will readily debate who does the best. Ya Hoo Dining in Upper Mount Gravatt often gets a shout, and a Malaysian-born former Brisbane Times staffer used to enjoy the CKT at Lemak, which has a few locations dotted around the city. This writer has heard good things about Little Nyonya Kitchen in Ferny Grove, and not a week goes by where I don't miss the char kway teow from the now-closed Noodle World in Sherwood.
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'I know that my mother always wanted me to visit Australia': HRH Prince Leka II of Albania exclusively opens up about royal duties
'I know that my mother always wanted me to visit Australia': HRH Prince Leka II of Albania exclusively opens up about royal duties

Sky News AU

time7 hours ago

  • Sky News AU

'I know that my mother always wanted me to visit Australia': HRH Prince Leka II of Albania exclusively opens up about royal duties

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'We're a country which has beautiful beaches - we share the Ionian sea with Greece - and we have the ancient history of all the empires, from the Romans, the Persians, and the Ottomans, to our own dynasties in history.' The history of the monarchy in Albania is a relatively short but tragic tale of a country caught in the crossroads of ideology - first fascism, then communism. Albania was officially proclaimed a monarchy in 1928, at which time Leka II's grandfather acceded to the throne as Zog I, King of the Albanians. In 1939, Zog I and his wife Queen Geraldine were forced into exile with their newborn son Leka I (Leka II's father) after Italy invaded the country and Benito Mussolini barred the King from returning to Albania. After the war, a communist regime was installed and Albania was largely sealed off to the outside world, leaving the royal family effectively stateless. Decades of harsh communist rule under dictator Enver Hoxha followed before the country transitioned to a democracy in 1991. In 2003, the Albanian Parliament passed a law recognising the royal family and granting them a special status, which enabled the family to come home without restoring them in an official capacity. 'It's the first step in giving certain amounts of recognition and allowing us to play a role within a society while being part of the diplomatic life of the society as well,' Leka II said. Today, the southern European country of about 2.7 million people is enjoying a major economic upswing and is eyeing accession into the EU in the coming years. The country now enjoys relative political stability and a building boom is currently transforming the face of Tirana. Of all the non-reigning monarchies in Europe, the Crown Prince has arguably carved out the most compelling role for a hereditary royal living in a modern republic. 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The former summer residence sits atop a hill overlooking the Adriatic Sea but has fallen into ruin after decades of neglect and earthquakes in the area. Restoring the crumbling residences is an 'incredible challenge' for Leka II. So much so that he recently opted to sell the Royal Villa to a businessman who can properly fund the restoration. 'The new owner is a very, very successful businessman, and he's taking up the incredible challenge to rehabilitate, to rebuild the villa, which unfortunately due to the earthquakes and due to mismanagement and being destroyed, really needs that TLC,' he said. While Leka II credits his father Leka I for instilling in him a drive to serve the country, he was equally influenced by his 'very loving' mother Princess Susan. Leka II says he is 'very proud' of his Australian heritage and credits his late mother's Aussie roots for instilling in him both 'openness' and an uncanny ability to 'read the room'. Born Susan Barbara Cullen-Ward in Sydney, Leka II's mother came from a good eastern suburbs family before meeting the exiled Crown Prince of Albania at a dinner party in the mid-1970s. The couple wed in a small civil ceremony in Biarritz in 1975 and lived in exile in Spain, Zimbabwe and finally South Africa, where they welcomed Leka II in 1982. 'My mother was a fourth-generation Australian,' he said. 'I believe - and I'm not certain about this so maybe some verification could be made - that she was a descendent of Banjo Paterson.' Leka II says he hopes to visit Australia soon and reconnect with cousins and relatives from the Cullen and Ward families. 'My cousins are all pushing for me to come and visit hopefully next year,' he said. 'I know that my mother always wanted me to visit Australia.' Leka II was largely raised in exile in South Africa with his parents in what one 1980s feature by The Australian Women's Weekly gently described as 'reduced circumstances'. Growing up, nobody at school knew Leka II's true identity and he only got a sense of his royal lineage when interacting with the Albanian diaspora on holidays to Europe. I ask the Crown Prince whether his relatively normal upbringing was a blessing in some ways. After all, Prince Harry's memoir Spare was a pretty damning account about the pitfalls of growing up as a royal Prince in the media's glare. 'I had a very normal youth as a child, but at the same time, meeting the diaspora I felt the pressures of position,' he said. 'When we finally came back to Albania in 2002, I was really pushed into the deep end.' Sadly, Susan died in 2004 at age 63 from cancer, just two years after the royal family finally returned to Albania. His father Leka I died in 2012 and both are buried in the Mausoleum of the Albanian Royal Family. As Crown Prince, Leka II can be commended for restoring the royal family to prominence in the country through tireless work promoting Albania abroad. It is plausible that this goodwill could lead to a more official role for the family in the future. But Leka II says he is making great effort to ensure his daughter Geraldine, 4, does not grow up fretting over the future of the House of Zogu. 'She's fluent both in English and Albanian and she's a chatterbox in all senses,' he said. 'But it's important that she is given the best education and time will define her role, you can't force someone to become a monarch.'

Jetstar launches surprise 24-hour sale to celebrate first flight from Gold Coast to Bali
Jetstar launches surprise 24-hour sale to celebrate first flight from Gold Coast to Bali

7NEWS

timea day ago

  • 7NEWS

Jetstar launches surprise 24-hour sale to celebrate first flight from Gold Coast to Bali

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Insane surge of Aussies visiting this location
Insane surge of Aussies visiting this location

News.com.au

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  • News.com.au

Insane surge of Aussies visiting this location

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He said bookings for Egypt are also up year-on-year, with travellers drawn to its rich history, culture and warm-weather appeal. 'Major investment in tourism infrastructure by the government as part of its goal of attracting 30 million annual tourists by 2028 has made it more accessible to travellers,' he said. 'New hotel developments, streamlined visa processes and improvements to transport are all helping travellers move more confidently through the country and encouraging more Aussies to visit.' Angus Kidman, travel expert at Finder, said the rise of Aussies visiting Egypt comes as no surprise. 'Pyramids have a pointed appeal, so it's no surprise that Egypt is on a lot of bucket lists,' he told 'With some folks put off by the current US travel crackdown, stricter rules in Bali and no more Jetstar flights to Hawaii, other destinations become more appealing. 'Egypt is also an easy attachment to a European trip.' He warned to ensure you're insured as soon as you book. 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Bunnik Tours, small group tours designed for Aussie travellers, has also seen a 112 per cent increase in passenger numbers to Egypt in the second half of this year compared to the same period in 2024. The Adelaide-based company said this has prompted a 24 per cent increase in the number of 2026 departures for their most comprehensive itinerary – the 25-day Egypt & Jordan Discovery small group tour. They currently offer seven small group tours to Egypt, with maximum group sizes of 20 people. Ms Santi, who also visited Greece and Italy, said it was refreshing to be in a country that wasn't so packed. 'Egypt was much less crowded which made it a lot more enjoyable to view all the sites,' she said. A recent survey by Global Rescue found that 73 per cent of travellers are worried about overtourism, and more than half are actively avoiding popular destinations like France, Spain, Italy, and Thailand. Anti-tourism protests have also been held across cities in Spain, Italy and Portugal as some locals feel foreigners are turning their cities into playgrounds while they are left behind with a housing crisis, rising rents and environmental impacts. It comes as popular destinations across the world have been desperately trying to find new ways to cope with a massive boom in tourism post-Covid and avoid the trend dubbed 'overtourism'. What other destinations are on the rise Meanwhile, Intrepid has identified other destinations outside of Europe on the rise such as Peru and Ecuador which have seen bookings from Aussie travellers up 83 per cent and 135 per cent year-on-year, respectively. 'Travellers tend to be drawn to South America's unique range of experiences and landscapes, many of which are brought together on our 25-day Ecuador, Galápagos & Peru Explorer, encouraging travellers to slowly explore these wildly different parts of the region,' Mr Mitchell told 'These destinations are still relatively affordable, less saturated with tourists, and include experiences that give people a real sense of connection to culture.'

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