China

  • Funky Foods of Asia

    I was able to sample some interesting foods while in Asia, some courtesy of the ever adventurous eating sensei Frank. Here’s a list of the highlights. Raw marinated crab. The ick factor for me was not knowing how clean the…

  • Shanghai Nights

    Spent the last day in Shanghai doing laundry and getting a massage. Decided to check out the Bund at night. I popped into the lobby bistro at the Peace Hotel to grab some nosh. After three weeks of Chinese food,…

  • Chilling in Shanghai

    Woke up this morning to sunshine and clear skies in Shanghai. It had snowed yesterday and this morning the temperature outside was -7° degrees, the coldest it has been in 15 years according to news reports. I was very happy that…

  • The Good The Bad and The Fugly

    We decided to explore a little further a field today and check out this area known as Tiger Hill. A driver standing by the hotel tour desk offered to drive us to the sites for 50 RMB. On the way…

  • Little Lion

    A little lion in a bamboo grove in Lion Grove Garden.

  • All The Pretty

    I think these are plum blossoms. They bloom in winter and they smell absolutely amazing. Our first stop this morning was the Suzhou Museum. Even though admission to the museum is free, there were scalpers trying to sell us package tickets…

  • Great Grandma’s Hood

    I’ve arrived in Suzhou. My great grandma was born here. Perhaps this is why I have such an affinity for this city of canals and gardens. I remember that both my great grandma and I shared a love of ice cream…

  • Green Tea

    Checked out Longing tea fields and had the most expensive roadside cup of tea today. We took a bus uphill to check out the tea village which was not particularly interesting. The village people saw tourists as obvious cash cows…

  • Sunset Over West Lake

    We arrived in Hangzhou in time for a leisurely stroll around West Lake to enjoy the lovely sunset.

  • New Old Street

    Stinky tofu fried crispy, covered in hot chili oil and green onions! Finally had some at Nantang Old Street or what I like to call New Old Street. It’s a newly built shopping & restaurant complex made to look old school…