=j(oe) + (l)izz + travel
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 crab was going to be. The water in China is not exactly known for being […]
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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, I was pretty happy having spaghetti Bolognese tonight. Rice will always be my first choice […]
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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 I packed the warmest clothes I owned, my fleece lined snow boots and puffy down jacket […]
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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 to the Lingering Gardens, our first stop, the driver received a call from a friend […]
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A little lion in a bamboo grove in Lion Grove Garden.
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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 to the museum and nearby gardens for a “discount”. They were so aggressive, I almost […]
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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 and we would fight over the extra ice cream bar. I was six at the […]
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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 to serve 30 RMB cups of tea to. I would have skipped the tea if […]
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We arrived in Hangzhou in time for a leisurely stroll around West Lake to enjoy the lovely sunset.
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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 Chinese. All the streets are very nicely decorated. I really enjoyed the clean washrooms. I […]
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This post is for jojo. Pan fried pork dumplings fresh off the grill. Nice thin doughy skin, crispy bottom browned just right and the inside is filled with tongue scorching delicious soupy broth. Yum! The dumplings with a bowl of pork bone vermicelli soup cost only 23 RMB. On my way back to the hotel […]
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I wanted to check out the Ningbo Museum for its interesting architecture. We took Bus No. 636 from city centre to the museum which is located on the outskirts of the city. I guess we were out in the boonies because we didn’t see any people. There were no cars on the streets! It was a […]
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A Ningbo specialty, raw marinated crab. Tasty!
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Ningbo like any other Chinese city is constantly growing, adding new buildings and metro lines at breakneck speeds. The neighbourhood where I grew up as a child is such an example. The old houses have all been vacated, now a ghost town of the past. Brick and mud to be turned to glass and concrete. […]
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