Tag Archives: travel

When’s my Turn to Fly to Australia?

April 1, 2008 – 12:27 pm

Last night, over dinner, my dad was sharing about his Australian friends who work full-time and run a hobby farm as an after work recreation. I’ve visited their 60-acre farm in Austalia before. Ian and Helen Ward’s lifestyle is amazing.

Every morning before work, they will wake up early to make sure their horses are not too cold (the horses wear rugs as winter jackets) and feed the dogs. After that, they will shower and get to the office. They will work from nine to five, then they will get back and tend their gardens, pamper their cattle with fresh hay, train their horses to gallop and canter, weed out any suspicious looking plant in the pasture and play Fetch with the two labradors.

The good news is, Nic is now convinced that it is a good idea to travel to Australia and visit Ian & Helen Ward’s hobby farm at the end of next year. Thanks to budget airlines, the flight to Australia is getting more and more affordable so the plan is looking really possible.

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Was Mount Huangshan worth the climb?

March 26, 2008 – 7:09 pm

We checked into the Pai Yun Lou Hotel which was clean and has working heater and working hot water supply system. But according to Simon, we’ve only seen the east side of the mountain. The west side is far more beautiful, we must see with our own eyes the breathtaking Walking Fairyland Bridge.

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Despite the throbbing pain in our legs, off we went again after lunch. We took a scenic route that passes the many peaks on the west side. We spent so much time taking in the views, we forgot to keep track of time. The sky darkened when we still had about 3km to go. We had to abandon our journey and turn back.

Since we didn’t make it to the Walking Fairyland Bridge, was it still worth the climb?

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Look

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at

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these

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photos

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and

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decide.

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The Longest Walk of My Life!

March 25, 2008 – 6:43 pm

After visiting the Tunxi Ancient Street in Huangshan town, we slept early at our cosy Huangshan hostel so that we will be well rested to climb Mount Huangshan the next day.

The hostel arranged for a van to drop us off near the foot of the mountain. We transferred to two cabs which brought us higher up.The taxis dropped us here, we walked a little to get to the cable car station. It was really easy.

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From Wuzhen to West Lake (Xi Hu)

March 20, 2008 – 2:50 pm

Every one I know who’ve been to China have visited a silk factory so I shan’t bore you with the details of how silk cocoons are turned into silk fabric. You will receive a first hand lesson on this during your trip.

This is the price we were offered for purchase of silk quilts. I do think silk quilts are worth it when they are of good quality. I am using a silk quilt at home and I love it!

:smile:

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We were also treated to a fashion show at the silk factory.

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Lunch at Wuzhen

March 18, 2008 – 8:43 pm

At Wuzhen, Mao Mao gave us a thorough tour of the history, lifestyle and culture of the Wuzhenites. You have to go there to appreciate it.

We walked pass this restaurant a few times but dared not step in. What if it serves dog meat?

Eventually, overcome by hunger, we took a seat. This food appeared in my photo album although I don’t remember eating it. According to Uncle Lee, one of the signage in chinese says it does serve exotic meat. He might be pulling my leg though. I hope this wasn’t an exotic meat I don’t remember eating!

I ordered a bowl of really superb lamb noodles. The meat was so tender, it almost evaporated. The broth was rich in flavors.

We ordered two bowls of wontons to share. Its fillings crunched when I bit in.

We also had two baskets of dumplings wrapped in dumpling skin that’s thinner than tissue paper.

We ate till we couldn’t eat anymore. After resting for awhile, we heaved our heavy bottoms and walked back to the entrance of the village. Along the way, we came upon a humble little shop offering Black Sesame Seed dessert.

The proprietor claims his wife grinds the sesame seeds for half an hour each load to turn it into paste. What a wonderful wife.

We decided not to let her hard work go to waste. The sesame seed paste is fragrant. We sprinkled it with sugar.

After all that eating, we some how managed to squeeze through the door of the bus back to Hangzhou. Along the way, the bus stopped us at a silk factory. It was just as Uncle Lee, a seasoned China traveler, had told us to expect. :grin:

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At the Thousand Year Old Village of Wuzhen

March 17, 2008 – 6:26 pm

After about 2 hours on the bus including a visit to the tea factory, we were so glad to finally arrive at Wuzhen!

It was as though God have turned back the clock on China. I felt surreal to be surrounded by such ancient architecture.

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What Mao Mao did for us

March 15, 2008 – 10:28 pm

Despite what I wrote about Mao Mao earlier, I actually truly appreciate her. During our bus trip to Wuzhen, Mao Mao tirelessly poured out sound advice on the local customs and etiquette. She taught us what actions can be misconstrued in the local context, taught us what bargains to look out for and what scams to avoid.

Throughout our tour of Wuzhen, Mao tirelessly poured out her deep knowledge of the entire history and culture and social behavior of the entire village of Wuzhen for the past thousand years.

Here’s Mao Mao calling out for her six Malaysian tourists to make sure they do not to wander too far away without her. Mao Mao worries that her six Malaysian tourists will easily lose their way in the labyrinthian village of Wuzhen.

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