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

A Wasted Journey???

The time now is 12 midnight(well almost) and having aborted my trip to Shilin Night Market, I find myself needing to tell you why!

Ever been waiting on the Train/Metro platform and when the train pulls up, realize that there's no way you can possibly board? Happened to me for the first time in my life!!! 

Exhilaration, when I managed to get my token, after watching numerous people hitting the buttons of the automated machines(coin amounts and symbols, being my only guide), soon turned to abject fear, when the train pulled up and all I could see was jam packed cars; and when I say jammed, I mean JAMMED!!!

It wasn't the people that bothered me, but rather the feeling of Holy C--p, if I need to, who could I ask for help in identifying my stop. So, with a 'chickened out' tail between my legs, I promptly walked back the way I'd just come.

Reaching street level and another sea of people, the realization of being an idiot, slammed home, so instead of skulking into bed next to Nancy, I decided to take my sorry(you know what) and explore and let me tell you, I had one of the best spicy chicken and rice dishes I've ever had the pleasure of eating!!!

Tucked away on a side street(no, don't ask me which one, but I can tell you it was near 'The Love Corner', which I had seen earlier in the day), was a little hole in the wall, with the most amazing smells seeping from its walls. I don't know whether I smelled , tasted or just plain saw the aromas, but I promptly sat myself down and ordered "General Tsao's Spicy Chicken".....Amazing! 

Bite size pieces of Soy Sauced-Chicken, Bok Choy, Green Onion, Cashews and a mountain of chopped, dried smokey Chilies. Next to this, sat a steaming pile of White Rice and to my surprise, a bowl of clear broth, Egg Drop Soup. With ears itching and nose running, it was a pleasure to sip the soothing broth, at the end of the meal. 

Add to this a litre of Taiwanese beer and my meal was done, all for around US$10, again.....Amazing!!!

So, here I sit, now well past 12 midnight, having to wonder, was it really a 'Wasted Journey'???

Later,

Ades

Oh, by the way, tomorrow, we visit Pin Lin, a town where we'll eat at a restaurant that serves tea, in every dish!!!

Who (K)nose?

.....and so, this is the beginning, or should I say the Nose!!!

Here they are, the lights of my life, about to embark on a journey like no other they or we have ever taken together, am I nuts or just a fruitcake?

Speaking of fruit; ever experienced the sheer delight of biting into a perfect strawberry? Well, look no further than China Airlines!!!

After mopping the juice from her chin, Nancy exclaimed with delight, that she was surely going to enjoy China as that was the best strawberry she'd had the pleasure of eating.....slight problem though, upon enquiring where this delicacy came from, was politely told by Cecilia, our Taiwanese Attendant, KULA!!!  Oh yes, this is going to be a fun trip!!!

Sitting in the dark, shuttered cabin(the only light being a beam, coming from above my head), my earphones, quietly playing Chinese love songs, (I can only guess as to what they're singing, but the emotion seems to be that of love),  I have the pleasure of being told about a variety of dishes, that I 'HAVE TO TRY'! 

One example would be a Dim Sum that is filled with soup, (cannot wait to try this). It is only made in one place, Cecilia tells me and yes, I will post the name and address of the restaurant on a later blog!

Did any of you know that there is one distinct difference to the cuisine of the North and South of Taiwan? Apparently, the North favours somewhat saltier dishes, whereas in the South all dishes are cooked with a slight amount of sugar.....hmmm, does this mean the people of the South are sweeter, guess we'll have to see!!! 

Here are a few phonetic Chinese words for you to mull over, whilst I continue finding out more about the fun eateries I can visit.

sheyshey.....thank-you

bulasheyshey.....no thank-you

and

Bucachee.....you're welcome