Yak, Yak, Yak!!!

Yes, you got it, I'm about to tell you about the Yak.....apart from almost hitting one, to get here, I've had the pleasure of being able to eat one too. Think beef, but not as strong, maybe more Veal in taste. I'm sure others might beg to differ but that's my take!!!

I've eaten it two ways so far, the first in a Sichuan Hot Pot: A pot of bubbling broth, filled with Dried Chilies, Sichuan Peppers(Hua Jiao), Chili and Sesame oils. Add to this, your meat(in our case Black Chicken and Yak), noodles(one order of 'Glass', another of 'Flour') and vegetables(local, think robust Romaine!) oh, and an order of Tofu for good measure, let it boil away for a while, then using the slotted ladle and regular ladle provided, fish out and enjoy!!!

The flavour is that intense, mouth numbing, mind blowing, slightly sweet pungent,  fire hot taste, that I now know is only to be found here in the Sichuan Province. 

How can you taste the Yak you might ask with all those other things in there? Funnily enough, each ones own distinctive flavour shone through, even from under all that spice, I mean, the Chicken still tasted like chicken, the Vegetable, like.....mmmm, let's say mustard greens and the Yak, as I said, like Veal!!! The Noodles reminded me of slivered, Wonton skins and the glass noodles, well, they just absorbed the flavour of the broth, so those were hard to tell!!!

The other preparation I've had, was a Tibetan way. This dish was not spicy at all, the Yak being sauteed with an Aspargus-Broccoli shoot vegetable(forgot the name, hence the terrible description), Garlic, Onion and Red Peppers, thus allowing me to make up my mind, that it had more of a veal, rather than a beef or lamb taste, for that matter. Even in it's raw state, it had a much brighter, strawberry red, as opposed to your normal beef colour!

That same night, a couple of other Tibetan delights that I had the pleasure of tasting were Fried Chili Lamb Loin and Shredded Dry Beef with Peppers. The Lamb was prepared in much the same way as the Fried Sichuan Chicken, except there were NO bones. I gather it had been dusted with either corn or potato starch, as it was crispy on the outside, yet deliciously moist and tender inside. It had that same chili bang that I've mentioned previously and the 'old familiar' numbing, that Hua Jiao, can only offer. 

The Shredded Dry Beef and Peppers was a delicious dish of just that, shredded dried beef and shredded chillies(both red and green), sauteed together, to give you a wonderful full flavoured beef(for those Africans among us, think moist biltong and chilies with out the chew and for those non-Africans, think Southern dried beef, Hormel makes it and it comes in a can!!!)) and chili. The robust taste of the beef, allowed it to shine thorough the bite of the peppers, will have to try this one when I get home as I've started collecting the peppers necessary to make some of the dishes I've tried.

BTW, I am now sitting in the InterCon' in Chongqing and hopefully we'll get to 'Food Street' tonight, where I'll definitely be trying some new dishes and hopefully will be able to publish the photos that go with them. 

Until then, happy eating and reading too,

Ades

Jiu Zhai Gou

It's barely 4 in the morning, yet here I sit wanting to tell you of this magical place I find myself in!!!

Jiu Zhai Gou has to be one of those places pulled straight from the playgrounds of the Gods. Apart from being high enough up, to make you feel that way(oxygen is sold in 'to go' cans!) the scenery, sounds, people and their food, are just mind blowing!!! 

Apart from having the highest airport in China(it literally is the top of a mountain that's been shaved flat), this place has some of the most colourful water known to man. Legend has it that a Princess had her mirror broken by a Devil, shattering into 108 pieces, which today are the lakes that fill the region. The clarity of the water is eerie, as it allows you to see fallen trees coming from below, which, given my imagination, made me feel that I had been given the pleasure, of being able to see a land lying far below!!!

The blues, greens and smattering of yellows, all blended perfectly; a couple of the lakes filled with Papyrus and/or what to me, looked like overgrown Rice, but with channels running through, that were icy blue and in some places turquoise. These lakes or 'lakelets', gave way to gushing waterfalls and in other places mini falls, that ran through the vegetation(think miniature Niagara or Victoria Falls, that sprung up from under the trees and grasses). I know it's hard to imagine but hopefully the photos will aid you in understanding what I'm saying!! The mountains are bare and rugged, yet soft and filled with trees, so you never know what's around the next bend or lying just over the horizon. Each morning, the birds wake you with their different chirps and shrieks, one of which I could swear is an Eagle, to calm into a silence that only a mountain top can offer.

The people are mainly Tibetan, with rosy cheeks, smiling eyes and happy faces, who, despite the language barrier, seem to 'get' what you need and take care of it without any of the attitude that can only be classed as Chinese. When I say that, don't get me wrong, the people in China have been great, but in cities of 18 million people, there definitely is an abruptness, that's not found here(why would there be, there's room to move and air to breath, albeit thin!!!).

The food is different form your normal Chinese fare, with Rabbit, Yak and Lamb being offered, instead of Chicken, Beef and Pork and there too are a lot more vegetables(local that is), offered which makes a pleasant change.

On that note I finish this blog, to get myself going and out of here. We have a high altitude hike today, only about 4500 meters up, now you know why there's oxygen on tap!!!

Ades

Well, there seems to be a problem with the Photo load right now, so check out www.juizhai.com to see EXACTLY what I mean. Sorry for this inconvenience, maybe someone's "watching" if you know what I mean!!!

A Meal to Remember!

As I sit and watch yet another city(Chengdu) disappear beneath me, I cannot wait to get to our new destination(Jiu Zhai Gou), to try some new foods and to enjoy the wonderful mountains and scenery we have been told so much about.

The grey skies that plagued our stay in Chengdu(not in a bad way), have now given way to blue skies and pillow clouds; let's just hope that it stays that way!!!

The dinner we enjoyed last night at 'The Bridge Restaurant', will forever in my mind, remain a highlight. I cannot yet say whether it will be 'THE' highlight, as we still have quite a few more destinations to notch into out well-used Travel Belts!

The food, ahhh, where to begin!   

The Restaurant, takes up the entire bridge(hence its name) and thanks to the wonderful english our waitress, Yan Yan (or should I say Shelly, that being her English name), spoke, we were able to get the best dishes, I think anyone could have chosen: Fried Sichuan Chicken, Spicy Pork Loin, Sauteed Sweet Potato Shoots, Spicy Dofun(Tofu) and last, but not least Roasted Chicken(this one came in it's own edible noodle bowl).

Now, let's talk flavours should we.....Fried Sichuan Chicken; when first you set your eyes on the pile of, apparently nothing but chilies, you do have the thought of "Oh, God, what have I done", but then as soon as you pop the first crispy AND crunchy(they fry the chicken, bones and all), morsel in, again, the Hua Jiao makes your mouth go numb, then comes the smokey, pungent and slightly sweet, pepper flavour, with course, that blast of chili, not far behind.....unbelievable!!! 

To get over that shock, I then had some of the Pork( did I mention the word SPICY), well, those green things you see on the plate, which you may have thought of as green vegetables by some small chance, were nothing less than green chilies, split in half and cooked along side the salty, juicy slivers of meat.....I didn't know which one to take another bite of, chili-bang or pungent chili-pow, neither, I had some Tofu!!!

Now this may I tell you, apart from being pot-hot, was also, as you see, full of chili oil. The broth almost took the breath out of you, as it was pure magic. The full bodied, rich(sounds like a wine), slightly salted broth, complimented the softest but not 'mushy' Tofu perfectly, a taste of heaven, with a kick from Hell!!!

Thank goodness for the Sweet Potato Shoots, as they, bless them, were not spiced at all, which gave your mouth a shock in itself, as it really didn't know how to process the lack of spice!!! However, the lack of spice, was made up for, by the taste, which was similar to.....hmmm, Spinach with Garlic, yet with a Watercress crunch!

Last, as I said, but certainly not least, was the Roasted Chicken, which was the sweetest dish of them all, literally! It too, was the(apart from the Potato Shoots) least spicy dish, having maybe only 2-3 dried Sichuan Chilies cut up into it and the roasted peanuts, gave it a great crunch, as well as the necessary nuttiness, to offset the sugar, or cane juice they used  as their sweetener.

All round, IT(the dinner), as I said, will be a highlight of my trip, but one which, I now have to tell you, has in some way, been out-done by the Hot Pot, we had last night, or the Tibetan Dinner we had tonight.....each, completely different and equally as spicy as the other!!!

Oh, do I have a couple or three good ones for you!!!

Ades

Oh, I do need to explain the addition of us all in the photos you see. The rule in this establishment, was not to allow any photos of the food, but me, being me, just took a couple of shots of the 'Family' enjoying themselves, which of course, they didn't mind. he, he, he!!!

Bon appetite!!!

Oh, OH, need to also mention this wonderful Chinese Wine "Shelly" introduced us to.....1573: Apart from I'm sure being a great year for someone back then, is this most amazing spicy, sake-ish wine that just blows up when it reaches your oesophagus. It comes from Luzhou, Laojiao, which I know is somewhere around where we are right now. It's made from wheat and when your eating spicy foods, clears the palette, mind and of course,  THE SOUL!!!

Numbing of the mouth, not the mind!

My mouth is already watering and so too are my eyes for that matter, as I anticipate the dinner I'm going to enjoy this evening. Szechuan, or the way it is spelled here, Sichuan!!!

As promised, I said that I would give you the name of the numbing spice, well, here it is.....Hua Jiao or the English way, Chinese Prickly Ash. Apparently, when looking for this wonderful spice, one should insist on getting Da Hong Pao, as this is the best, or as we'd say in Hawaii, "Da Kine"!!!

Too good to believe; it is one of the best feelings I have ever had in my mouth; it numbs the tongue and lips in an almost addictive way!!! 

Remember my telling you of the translucent noodles found in Xian, well, they're served cold(chilled actually). Try to imagine the feeling of cold noodles, followed by burn of spices that instantly make you break into a sweat or hiccups, then, closely followed by an unbelievable numbness that starts with your tongue, to be soon followed by your lips. 

I have included a few photos of the spices, just so you can see what they look like, should you be fortunate enough to be in a place that sells them.

I am actually finishing this blog, post my meal and will start another, to tell you of that fine fare!!!

I do apologize for the shoddy picture of the 'Naked Spice', however, Geraldine, a lady Nancy and I met in the elevator on the way up to our room, just happened to be carrying a bag with the spices you see(of course I had to ask her, if they were Hua Jiao and thankfully they were) was holding them, so between her shake and mine, it ended up outta focus!!!

She also just happened to work in Hong Kong at the Shangri-la, so guess who we'll be hitting up, to show us places to eat when we reach Kowloon.....but I guess, that will be yet ANOTHER story!!!

Read on and hopefully I'll have you drooling, as I was, with the food in Chengdu.

Ades

Mid-air bumping or dumplings?

Here I sit on the plane to Chengdu, seat belt fastened tight, as the air up here has it's mind set on shaking the plane!!!  Below, nothing but the newly harvested fields of wheat, hence the local populations love affair with noodles, dumplings and anything flour based. Seeing Xian a few miles behind, amid thousands of fields, makes me realize not just how vast this country is, but too, the amount of food needed to feed its now more than 1billion mouths!!! 

Speaking of mouths, makes me think of dumplings(I should just say food), which gives me a pleasure that I can't really explain! Why is it that for someone, who apparently didn't eat that much as a kid and was picky to boot(Thanks Mom, for that enlightening piece of information), would I now want to regale you with yet another tasty tale? Who knows, but here I go.....

Tucked away in the Muslim section of Xian sits an old restaurant with 5 floors of kitchens, all of which, emitting different smells. The entry level is a bustling stainless steel top tabled maze, with a food bar displaying an array of dishes the likes of which I have never seen before and for some of them, rather not know!!! 

One platter that I could recognize, was the tiniest pigs feet, neatly stacked and roasted to perfection. Another, filled with translucent noodles with mouth numbing spice(I will get you the name, but until then, enjoy the picture!).

We as tourists or 'Round Eyes'(as we're affectionately known), were ushered to the 3rd floor, whose tables were covered with paper cloths, topped with plastic(think cling film draped table tops), where we, after clumsily flipping through the menu(thankfully filled with pictures), ordered an array of soup filled dumplings. I know I've spoken of these before, however, as we're in the Szechaun Province, the taste is completely different. The Beijing ones were, should we say the City variety, whereas these, were their country cousins!!!

 (Oops, must stop, plane starting it's descent)

O.M.G. This is beautiful, the difference in terrain between the two cities is unbelievable, Xian was dry and brown(well actually straw coloured as that's what I was looking at) and Chengdu is amazingly green. Water everywhere and paddy fields, I can actually see people working the fields and the terraced hills are like patchwork quilts to the eye.....wil continue on terra-firma!

Sitting here at the Shangri-la Hotel, Chengdu.....ahhh, modern, clean and with the most amazing food on the Concierge floor, tonight's selection, Middle Eastern, funny as I'm about to continue with the food from Muslim Street. 

I digress.....

The dumplings, a beef and onion, a pepper beef(again, with the mind, oops, mouth numbing spice), a vegetable and shrimp and a full flavoured mutton(for those of you who have never eaten mutton, think mama, NOT baba sheep), were all filled with piping 'HOT' broth, which at first made them almost impossible to eat, but tuck in we did.....delish! I must apologize for the somewhat lack-luster photos of them, but unfortunately, I realized a tad too late that I hadn't taken any, at least I got one; there you go.

We then strolled through the street, with bellies full and made a few purchases. As you can see, the streets are REALLY small, reminding me of markets you might find in of all places, the Middle East, maybe that's why it's called Muslim Street!!!

Tomorrow we're off to the panda Preserve, where hopefully we'll be able to interact with the National Treasure of this beautiful Land! Until then, I hope you enjoy reading about the food, at least half as much, as I enjoy both the eating and telling you about it.

Ades

Oh, tomorrow, we're also going for some spicy food at a HUGE restaurant, that sits on a bridge, right outside our window, 20 stories down!!!

Catch up!

Sitting here, overlooking the city of Xian, I suddenly realized I hadn't mentioned the Terra cotta armies. Looking at the photos does not allow you to feel the awe that you do, when first seeing the enormous pit, filled with these life size statues. What sort of power did the Emperors of Old have over their subjects is all I could think? Millions of people were put to work on digging the channels that house these beauties!!!

Buried 10 feet below earths surface, the channels were filled with statues, each one really is individual, in both body and face(which by the way are separate pieces). On top of the walls, beams were placed to create a roof, then bamboo matting was placed on those and then the soil was piled back, making the whole thing disappear to allow farming to continue. Hence, the surprise, when they were discovered by a farmer digging for a well. 

Generations had farmed the land, atop their heads, always believing the soil was less fertile here, than in other regions, never really knowing the infertility was caused by there being a natural(well man made) drainage field!!!

The actual Emperors tomb is the little hill you see, to this day untouched(one hopes).

Enjoy as we're off to catch a flight to Chendu, will post you later!!!

Ades

Zippin' 'round 'The Wall'

Evening all, it's 10pm Wednesday here and do I have a story to tell, so sit back and buckle up.

Ever felt you were being rushed.....no, well let me tell you about being rushed, if you don''t know what I mean!!!

As you can see from the delightful pictures taken, we visited the wall in Xian. If you are able, you can read how and when it was built.....no, really, it is an amazing site, one that's meant to be done on foot or on one of the many bikes that are available to rent, at the East Gate.

We, on the other hand, opted to take the mini bus(let's just call it that), price, 50RMB per person(a steal, seeing as though The Wall's a rectangle, nearly 14 kilometers around). The 'bus' holds 6 people and in order for it 'to move', apparently had to have 6 people.....hmmm, there were only 3 of us, so quick thinking me, offered 100RMB per person, lighter load(see where I'm going with this?), but at least the money weight was there!!!

Before leaving, our driver told us we would be given about 5 minutes at each gate(North, South, West and well, we were already at the East gate so!!!), to look around and take photos etc.

C-H-A-R-G-E and we're off, tearing down the first straight at about 30 km/ph, okay, maybe not that fast, but the wall sure was whipping by!!! 

Wait, I see a toilet, please oh please, can we stop before Nancy wets herself? Sure, brakes on, cushion slides forward, off the bench, launching me to the floor. Stop, Reverse, Stop, move it, move it, move it, we gotta go!  (Now, I need to slow down here and tell you that whilst Nancy was doing her business, the Driver set forth doing his, lowering the tire pressure, for a smoother ride!!!)

C-H-A-R-G-E again we're off, hark, I see the first corner, can we stop.....hmmm, yes, somewhat disgruntled, but stop we did, quick, snap a few pics and yep.....

C-H-A-R-G-E we were off again, STOP, phew, we made it to the South Gate. 4 minutes we're told, that must have been a quick pee, we only had 1 minute taken off, AND we managed to stop at a corner!!!

.....but wait a minute, I've lost Nancy, oh, there's a shop, go figure!!!  3 T-shirts and a bargain Silk Blouse(600RMB, asking-100RMB paid), nearly didn't seal the deal though, scared the driver would leave. Nancy literally left the store and had the manager running after her, but seal she did and.....

C-H-A-R-G-E we're off, bouncing down the grey, brick wall road, where's Dorothy when you need her? STOP, wait, we're no where, not at a gate, not at a loo, so why have we stopped.....hmmm, there's a table with 4 men sitting, driver gets out and signs a book; maybe he's being timed me thinks, no, can't be. Yep, you guessed it.....

C-H-A-R-G-E we're off again, never did find out what he signed, but as you can see, we were now rolling around the place, laughing our heads off, must have looked like a bunch of cackling Hyenas, but a good time was being had by all.

S-T-O-P we're at the West Gate, 5 minutes we're told, didn't need it though, no loo, no shops, just a Gate for goodness sakes!!!

C-H-A-R-G-E and once again, were off, screaming down the straight, around the corner, buildings flying by, architecture on the outside of the wall, sky risers and on the inside of the wall, low risers!!!

S-T-O-P now we're at the North Gate, got to get a few more pics, just for the hell of it. Whilst I was snapping, Nancy and Tayler were fending off 2 Chinese gals wanting to catch a ride, "Give me 50 and you've got a deal" I say, "No deal" they say, sooo, you guessed it.

C-H-A-R-G-E, we're off again, nearly hitting the home stretch now, only one more 90' corner left to go. On the inside of the wall, all the buildings are rubble, as you can see(sorry for the picture quality but as I said, they were flying by), Gov's making way for some new ones we've been told.

S-T-O-P we're here, the East Gate, tours over and all that, in just under an hour!!!-----SIGH-----

Now, if ever you think you're being rushed, think again and remember, you're only rushed, when you feel the wind, slapping at your cheeks.

Oh Happy Day!!!

Ades

F.Y.I.  The Wall was built in 582, yes, that's the year 582!!!

Moi

Morning in Xian

I am now sitting in The Hyatt, Xian, the city where the Terra-cotta armies are located(well, a few miles outside to be true), it's now 4:44 am and as I've not written anything in a few days, awoke with all these thoughts flying through the 'brain box'. 

This land is a land of complete and utter opposing contrasts; if there is such a thing. On one hand you have the most amazing new construction and right at their base, sit the oldest, crumbling homes and businesses, you have the pleasure of being able to still see. Take for example the pictures of the restaurant we went to, situated in the Hutong, or old section of the city. 

This area is where you walk, go through on a bike or in our case a Rickshaw as the streets are so narrow, cars cannot pass. The restaurant was a (slightly)remodeled home, where we sat in the courtyard and had an absolute feast, of Yunnan foods. In their original form the courtyard, is where the family would gather; there are normally 2-3 generations of family living together. We had the pleasure of visiting with a gentleman(Mr. Wu), who had opened his home to the tourist trade in order to supplement his income, to pay for his Grand Daughters education. The Courtyard picture you see, is also where, would you believe, Henry Kissinger sat(he had the pictures to prove) during his trip, to the Olympic Games. There were 9 tiny rooms, which were separated into 3-3 room 'suites', each suite had a kitchen, living room and bedroom.....guess what, only ONE bathroom in the entire place; glad to say this family doesn't live there, as we'd never be able to co-ordinate life, if you know what I mean!!! 

Mr. Wu is a retired Archeologist, who in the 1950's, worked as the carbon dating expert on the Terra-cotta Army 'Pit 1' site, talk about a small world, seeing as though here we are, going to visit the 'Pit 3' site today, where they just discovered some new statues. So far, as we were told last night, the 'Gov.' has as yet, not passed the 'do not show law', so we're hoping to be able to get ourselves dirty, literally. What a treat, to be able to see a 3 day old excavation, where new things are being uncovered, as I write!!!

.....back to the food, the fixed price menu consisted of 'Tofu Skin w/ Mint, Smoked Pork Ribs, Dried Beef w/ Crispy Wild Mushrooms, Chinese Cheese(think Feta without the taste), Asparagus w/ Goji Berries, Wild Mushrooms 'n' Peppers, Potato Spring Rolls, Pressed Minted Beef(mouth-numbing, literally, but I'll get to that later), Blackened 'Lo Fei Yu(a Yunnan freshwater fish), Soy Chicken w/ Chinese Beans(think giant Fava beans), Spicy Rice Noodle and Rice.....phew!!! All this to be washed down with once again, pots and pots of the freshest(in our case), Jasmine Tea; and did I mention 180RMB per person, which equates to $25 each, unbelievable!!!

Well, it's now 7:00(yes I've been doing other things in between writing) and I need to get it together to visit 'The Dig'.

Hope all's well with y'all. I'll do my best to catch up completely, as I have a few more restaurants to tempt you with and I haven't even begun to regale you with any of the sights(seen) and places we've been. Speaking of which, we(Tayler and I) tobogganed down 'The Great Wall'!!!

Ades

Talking Duck!

I guess who you are and what age you are will have an effect on whether you would class what we had the other night as Peking or Beijing Duck!!! What I can tell you is, irrespective of class or age, you'd be hard pressed to find a finer version of this Duck anywhere in the world! A ceremonious gong, heralds 'The Birds' arrival, then a 'Master Carver' sets forth to do(judging by how he does it), what he has been trained to do; CARVE!!! After a few minutes, you are presented with a couple of platters of the most succulent(meat) and crispy(skin) you have the pleasure of tucking into! The sauce is not your normal Peking Duck sauce, by any stretch, as it has Sesame and Ginger Oils swirled in and topped with Toasted Garlic, making it sweet, tangy and beautifully pungent. The 'skins' are so fine, you can see through them and the 'Iceberg', so finely shredded, it's almost like air! The ambience of the 'Nouveau' eatery is wonderful. It is an old factory in what I'm told is the 'Ladies' District' (if you catch my drift!!!). Albeit large and cavernous, the dining rooms', brick walls and high, original wood ceiling beams, make you feel relaxed, in a warm, fuzzy, friendly way!!! We also tried the Duck Tacos, which to were out of this world. Ultra-light crispy cups, that we filled with a somewhat sweet mixture of diced(meat only) duck, green onions and sweet peppers(hence the slight sweetness!). 

To round of the meal, were these crunchy sesame buns, that were like steam buns on the inside, yet with a crust that was not flaky, but more solid, almost as if they had been brushed with egg white, dipped in sesame seeds and then put back into a hot oven and rebaked. These were here for those who might not want or for that matter like the translucent skins I mentioned earlier.

Oh, add to this the pots of steaming Chinese Tea and the service was complete!!!

Ades

From under the Veil!

Well, here I am again, sorry for the lack of postings, NOT because of not having anything to say (as all of you know, I'm NEVER short of something to say), but rather, blogging is not allowed in China!!!

Then how, I here you saying, am I now able to be doing this, well, thanks to the wonderful world of cyber tricks, I have software installed that permits me to blog to my hearts content.

What have we been up to.....hmmmm, now let me think. Apart from eating up a storm; of the most amazing and varied foods(thank-you Brian, for showing us the restaurants), we've been visiting any and every site a tourist can fit in, in a week.....yes, we extended our stay here in Beijing, 'cause after walking around Tienamen Square the first day we arrived, realized there was no way we could fit it all in in 4 days!!!

The 'Lake' you see, is at the Summer Palace. 

Any person wanting to really enjoy it should allow themselves a couple of days, at least, think Central Park or Hyde Park, as your own back yard, with the most wonderful buildings and gardens you can imagine. The bridge is a replica of The Marco Polo Bridge(Lugou Qiao) in Beijing. It's name comes about because of 'Marco's' writings of it in his Journals. It has 11 arches and over 500 carved Lions; and that's only 1 of the bridges here!!!

Whilst here we ate a bag full of Steamed Pork Buns and speaking of pork buns, I finally managed to get me lips wrapped around the most delicious little dumplings at a restaurant called Ding Tai Feng. 

Shao Long Pao(their correct name), are filled with pork and SOUP, as you can see by the picture. Think little pockets of steaming soup, that you have to bite a little hole in, suck out the soup and then enjoy the tasty savoury meat filling.....mmmm, divine!!!

Sorry, but I need to end now, as Tayler and I are off to the Beijing Zoo; whilst Nancy has a 'Maintenance Day'..... you girls out there know EXACTLY what I mean!!!

Later,

Ades

ps. I promise to play catch up later tonight, as we're off to Xian tomorrow(home of the Terracotta Armies). Don't let me forget to tell you about the Peking Duck and Spicy Szechuan(when I say spicy, I mean S-P-I-C-Y), we've had along the way!!!

Until then, enjoy, 

Moi.  

After the Tea Party!

Good Morning, finally, I've set the time to where we are, sorry 'bout that!!!

Having filled our bellies with Tea Infused Cuisine, we set off once again to find the Hot Springs in a town called Wulai; funny, since we also had to pass through the 4 kilometer 'belly' of a mountain to do so, but as you can see by the pictures, find it we did!

The small private room was ours to enjoy for and by the hour and trust me an hour is all you need(judge for yourself, by the 'after' picture of us with that certain, 'happy glow').

Having your 15 year old comment that "this is amazing" made it all worthwhile, especially as whilst walking through the Tea Museum, I got the distinct feeling that he thought it was going to be, 'one of those days'!!!

The eye level view, of the lusciously green riverbank and aquamarine river below, were all that was needed, to ensure you relax and forget any worries you might have had before walking in and the boiling hot tub and adjacent cold plunge made it a reality.

All in all, a great day was had by everyone and the best part, done in only a matter of hours. Okay, we did have a little help from our driver, Simon and his smooth riding B.M.W. 

We only got lost twice and had to ask for directions 3 times, but whose counting!!!

Teatime in Ping Lin!!!

If ever you hear someone say they can't stand drinking Tea, tell them to think again and visit Ping Lin; a place where you can have the distinct pleasure, of being able to eat it!!!

Situated, literally around the corner from the Ping Lin Tea Museum, is the most amazing Tea Restaurant that I have ever had the pleasure of going to, not so hard considering, as it's the only one I've been to, but I digress.....

The crispy, battered tea leaves, came with a salt & white pepper dip(not wet, just a plain old salt and pepper mix), but what else do you need, when you don't want to take away from the subtle flavour that fills your mouth, immediately following the non-greasy crunch!

The Angel Hair Egg Noodles drizzled with Tea Oil, were nothing short of; hmmm, let me think.....no, for once on my life I'm speechless!!! Who knew that tea oil had such a delicate, smokey taste and albeit being an oil, isn't oily at all!

Steam Bun(Manapua) lovers beware. The cloud-like, Green Tea Powder Buns, came filled with succulent, roasted Pork Belly and Iceberg Lettuce; The perfume of the tea, the flavour of the pork and the crunch of the lettuce, were a perfect 'Menage a Trois', if you ask me!

The Soup(ordered by Tayler, I hasten to add), was a clear broth of freshly picked Tea Leaves, 'Black Chicken', Chilies and a surprisingly delicious, loofa looking, celery root tasting vegetable, whose name escapes me right now!!!

.....and finally, the dessert, which was free of charge, but full of taste. A Ping Lin Tea Jell-O, served with a small amount of slightly sweetened cream, don't even try to imagine this, as your taste buds, until you've tried it, won't know what to tell you!!!

Later,

Ades