Wednesday, February 20, 2013
Trekking
Alright folks. You win. We lose. We have not been writing. But. We are having a blast. Here's a teaser, and we promise, there are several posts in the works. For now, please consider a visual representation of our pack out list for the Annapurna Trekking Circuit. We leave for Pokhara at 6am. Here's what we're bringing.
Sunday, February 3, 2013
Groundhog Day
10:00am
Wake up. Go back to sleep. Get up and look around beachside bungalow and feel the breeze coming in through the windows.
10:30am
Lay in hammock. Examine map and choose beach destination.
11:00am
Hop on scooter with blanket, sunglasses and reading material tucked in the "trunk" and rev engine.
11:15am
Arrive at Kho Ma beach, take off sandals and settle into cozy chair on beachfront.
11:30am
Drink mango smoothie. Eat papaya salad.
12:15pm
Walk along sandbar to uninhabited tropical island. Set up blanket, hammock, speakers. Decide on swimming grounds. Cove? Water to left or right?
12:45pm
Lay on blanket. Listen to Marvin Gaye.
1:30pm
Turn over.
2:30pm
Do 6-minute abs. It sucks, but it's good for you.
2:40pm
Pack up beach gear and scoot to nearby waterfall.
2:50pm
Arrive at waterfall. Hike up to 15 foot falls.
3:00pm
Get naked. Jump into swimming hole beneath falls.
3:30pm
Get bombarded by tour group who almost see you naked.
3:35pm
Get dressed.
3:45pm
Get on scooter and head home to freshen up.
5:00pm
Situate yourself on beach for sunset. Sit in shallow waters of Koh Phangan and have a coconut or beer.
5:15pm
Go ashore and sit in bamboo chairs. Talk with other "pharang".
7:00pm
Have dinner on low stools. Chef: 16-years old. Food: masuman curry, lemon vegetable soup, sautéed greens in garlic and vinegar.
8:00pm
Visit bungalow of couple recently befriended. Sit on porch for hours.
10:30pm
Get on scooter, head home.
10:45pm
Arrive home. Pass hut and keep straight to beach.
11:00pm
Night Swim.
12:00am
Head to hut. Rinse off, get in cozies.
12:20pm
Reflect that it's Groundhog Day. Go to bed hoping you will wake up and today will be yesterday.
Wake up. Go back to sleep. Get up and look around beachside bungalow and feel the breeze coming in through the windows.
10:30am
Lay in hammock. Examine map and choose beach destination.
11:00am
Hop on scooter with blanket, sunglasses and reading material tucked in the "trunk" and rev engine.
11:15am
Arrive at Kho Ma beach, take off sandals and settle into cozy chair on beachfront.
11:30am
Drink mango smoothie. Eat papaya salad.
12:15pm
Walk along sandbar to uninhabited tropical island. Set up blanket, hammock, speakers. Decide on swimming grounds. Cove? Water to left or right?
12:45pm
Lay on blanket. Listen to Marvin Gaye.
1:30pm
Turn over.
2:30pm
Do 6-minute abs. It sucks, but it's good for you.
2:40pm
Pack up beach gear and scoot to nearby waterfall.
2:50pm
Arrive at waterfall. Hike up to 15 foot falls.
3:00pm
Get naked. Jump into swimming hole beneath falls.
3:30pm
Get bombarded by tour group who almost see you naked.
3:35pm
Get dressed.
3:45pm
Get on scooter and head home to freshen up.
5:00pm
Situate yourself on beach for sunset. Sit in shallow waters of Koh Phangan and have a coconut or beer.
5:15pm
Go ashore and sit in bamboo chairs. Talk with other "pharang".
7:00pm
Have dinner on low stools. Chef: 16-years old. Food: masuman curry, lemon vegetable soup, sautéed greens in garlic and vinegar.
8:00pm
Visit bungalow of couple recently befriended. Sit on porch for hours.
10:30pm
Get on scooter, head home.
10:45pm
Arrive home. Pass hut and keep straight to beach.
11:00pm
Night Swim.
12:00am
Head to hut. Rinse off, get in cozies.
12:20pm
Reflect that it's Groundhog Day. Go to bed hoping you will wake up and today will be yesterday.
Monday, January 21, 2013
Riding the Rails to Nha Trang
The 5:00 am alarm sucked. It was still dark out and I wasn't fully packed. The good news was I was already awake so it was no big deal when my iPhone started whining. The bad news? I was on the toilet for the third time in an hour in a vain attempt to exorcise the fiery demon dwelling in my lower abdomen. I don't know what I ate, but whatever it was certainly didn't care for me too much. Between acts of this obscene one man play, I finished packing and tried to roust Davida from sleep, somewhat of a chore as mornings are not her speciality. We checked out, made it to the prearranged taxi and headed to the Saigon Railway Station to board the 6:25 am train to Nha Trang.
The past few days in Saigon have made me believe I could live here. Living is cheap, the people are fun and friendly and the food is awesome, my current bout of fairly severe gastrointestinal troubles notwithstanding. We spent time wandering the touristy but irresistible District 1 drinking ca phe sua da at low metal tables curbside, squeezing through the tight alleys between stalls at the Ben Thahn market and purchasing bahn mi from nearly every vendor in the district. At night, again seated along the sidewalk, we ate dinner, talked to locals, one of whom insisted we try his fried eel dish after he caught me eyeballing it, and felt genuinely welcomed. Late evenings, we sat in the park near our hotel and watched a popular local sport, dá càu. It's a cross between hackey sack and badminton, played with a shuttlecock that resembles a large blunt dart. A day trip up the Mekong River rounded out our stay and was most likely responsible for my present affliction.
Now I sit in a four berth sleeper compartment for the seven plus hour train ride through rural Vietnam. The room has a lockable sliding door and we're the only two people in here so at least my suffering is private. We're well stocked on TP and I'm hydrating like hell. Nothing to do but wait, hope and stay close to the bathroom.
-Ken
The past few days in Saigon have made me believe I could live here. Living is cheap, the people are fun and friendly and the food is awesome, my current bout of fairly severe gastrointestinal troubles notwithstanding. We spent time wandering the touristy but irresistible District 1 drinking ca phe sua da at low metal tables curbside, squeezing through the tight alleys between stalls at the Ben Thahn market and purchasing bahn mi from nearly every vendor in the district. At night, again seated along the sidewalk, we ate dinner, talked to locals, one of whom insisted we try his fried eel dish after he caught me eyeballing it, and felt genuinely welcomed. Late evenings, we sat in the park near our hotel and watched a popular local sport, dá càu. It's a cross between hackey sack and badminton, played with a shuttlecock that resembles a large blunt dart. A day trip up the Mekong River rounded out our stay and was most likely responsible for my present affliction.
Now I sit in a four berth sleeper compartment for the seven plus hour train ride through rural Vietnam. The room has a lockable sliding door and we're the only two people in here so at least my suffering is private. We're well stocked on TP and I'm hydrating like hell. Nothing to do but wait, hope and stay close to the bathroom.
-Ken
Saturday, January 12, 2013
What to Bring on Your World Adventure
Wear your life on your back. A 30-40 liter backpack is plenty, and will guarantee that you never have to check your luggage. Rolling suitcases are annoying and unusable on basically every rocky or poorly paved alley you're going to walk down. Plus, humping your bag on your back builds character. And muscle. Assuming that your trip begins with a period of cold weather and progressively gets warmer, you'll be able to ditch your coats and sweaters, making room for more shorts and sandals. If it doesn't, pack light and add layers along the way. If you're a girl, when you shed your bulky sweatshirt you'll make room for the high-tops you want to pack when it's time to break out the sandals. If you're a guy, turn your most worn out jeans into cut-offs, ditch the hoody and grab a Tiger Beer t-shirt.
When it comes to toiletries, pack only the precious stuff. Ken has a few essential skin care luxuries, while I have a bandoleer of tampons. These are the most expensive (and difficult) things to buy on the road, while things like toothpaste, shampoo and soap are complimentary in even the cheapest hotel rooms. Many countries go the Eco-friendly route and provide large shampoo and soap dispensers, so bring a few refillable containers under 100mL to re-up.
In many spots, hawkers will try to sell you all sorts of crazy crap. They are determined, and some things may look attractive; a painting, a bracelet, a collapsible wooden fruit bowl. Our rule on souvenirs is if you can't wear it, eat it, or drink it, there's no room for it. This also applies to buying multiples of things we already have; no extra shoes, sunglasses, etc. Sometimes it's really tempting, but we always remind ourselves that since we left everything, we've got no where to call home to send stuff back to.
Now that we've said what not to collect, there are a few things that you should be hoarding. Number One: Paper products. Toilet paper, napkins, tissues, anything you can get your hands on. You're going to be in situations (ahem) that you can't clean up without them. Public toilets in Asia do not stock paper, you must bring your own. Restaurants in Asia do not provide napkins, or if they do, they often aren't free. In Japan, napkins feel more like wax paper and do little to absorb anything. Number Two: Wet wipes. 'Nuff said. Number Three: Utensils. If you can get your hands on a couple of metal spoons, some disposable chopsticks, a styrofoam plate or two, you'll have a distinct advantage when it comes to rigging a cheap meal situation. If there is a hot water thermos in your hotel for coffee and tea, you can use it to soft-boil eggs and eat them with the provided toast, making your fellow hotel lobby buddies jealous of your resourcefulness (and your superior breakfast).
Speaking of resourcefulness, your first inclination may be to fly by the seat of your pants, and trust us, we leave a lot to chance, but to help your budget, leave room for an iPad or similar tablet. We cannot stress enough how much money we have saved by having this thing. It's more than paid for itself. We have all of our travel guides, foreign language dictionaries, maps of every kind, tons of research, hotel reservations, flight confirmation info, leisure reading, games, music, photos and of course our blog. Writing this actually makes us realize how unfortunate it would be if we ended up loosing the thing. Your iPad will quickly become your travel companion that's been everywhere and knows everything- and don't worry about adapters, they are everywhere!
Lastly, a bit about drugs. Better safe than sorry. Bring ibuprofen, aspirin, and a diesel anti-biotic, in our case Ciprofloxacin. Add to that vitamins and a bare bones first aid kit- ours is just some fabric bandaids, a tube of neosporin and a propolis tincture. Propolis is great for internal and external sterilization, and the band-aids have made the difference between a minor toe abrasion and what could become a serious infection.
Here's our recipe:
Ken's 30-Liter Kelty
3 Pants, one now cut-offs
5 T-shirts
2 Buttonups
2 Thermals, one already ditched
1 Carharrt Hoodie
1 Light Jacket
1 Long underwear, ditched
7 Boxers
7 Socks
2 Hats, one Carharrt wool, one Phillies
1 Sneakers
1 Flipflop, purchased in Langkawi
1 Microdigital Recorder
1 iPhone
1 iPad
2 Chargers
3 Headphones
1 Set Watercolors
1 Harmonica
1 Canon Powershot
4 Suntory Commemorative Coasters
1 Soapdish
1 Bar Lavender Duross and Langel Soap
1 Ziplock bag assorted Toiletries
(Toner, fancy moisturizer, lip balm, nail clipper and tweezers)
2 Passports
2 Yellow Books for Inoculation Proof
3 Pens
3 Disposable Chopsticks
1 Metal Spoon
5 Large Plastic Bags for Laundry etc.
1 Leather-bound Book for Writing
Davida's 40-Liter Northface
3 Pants, one ditched
6 Shirts, a rotating stock
1 Wool Sweater, ditched
2 Knit sweaters, one ditched
2 Cardigans, one lost
1 Thermal, ditched
5 Dresses, 2 purchased in Kuala Lumpur
14 Underwear
7 Socks
3 Tights
1 Sandal
1 Hightops
120 Tampons, ob for space saving
40 Packs one-use Hand Sanitizer
40-Pack of Wet Wipes
Assorted Collection of Chinese damp clothes, tissues, toilet paper
20 Band-Aids
1 Tube Neosporin
1 Glass Bottle Propolis Tincture, extra concentrated
7 Tablets Fluconazole 200mg
20 Tablets Ciprofloxacin HCL 500mg
12 Tablets Mefloquine
100 Tablets Excedrin
1 Bottle Volumizer (to keep hair looking fresh)
1 Small Make-up kit
1 Hairbrush
1 Razor
1 Deck Playing Cards
Several Toothpicks
1 Pack Bobby-pins
1 Casio Digital Watch
1 Vivitar Optics
When it comes to toiletries, pack only the precious stuff. Ken has a few essential skin care luxuries, while I have a bandoleer of tampons. These are the most expensive (and difficult) things to buy on the road, while things like toothpaste, shampoo and soap are complimentary in even the cheapest hotel rooms. Many countries go the Eco-friendly route and provide large shampoo and soap dispensers, so bring a few refillable containers under 100mL to re-up.
In many spots, hawkers will try to sell you all sorts of crazy crap. They are determined, and some things may look attractive; a painting, a bracelet, a collapsible wooden fruit bowl. Our rule on souvenirs is if you can't wear it, eat it, or drink it, there's no room for it. This also applies to buying multiples of things we already have; no extra shoes, sunglasses, etc. Sometimes it's really tempting, but we always remind ourselves that since we left everything, we've got no where to call home to send stuff back to.
Now that we've said what not to collect, there are a few things that you should be hoarding. Number One: Paper products. Toilet paper, napkins, tissues, anything you can get your hands on. You're going to be in situations (ahem) that you can't clean up without them. Public toilets in Asia do not stock paper, you must bring your own. Restaurants in Asia do not provide napkins, or if they do, they often aren't free. In Japan, napkins feel more like wax paper and do little to absorb anything. Number Two: Wet wipes. 'Nuff said. Number Three: Utensils. If you can get your hands on a couple of metal spoons, some disposable chopsticks, a styrofoam plate or two, you'll have a distinct advantage when it comes to rigging a cheap meal situation. If there is a hot water thermos in your hotel for coffee and tea, you can use it to soft-boil eggs and eat them with the provided toast, making your fellow hotel lobby buddies jealous of your resourcefulness (and your superior breakfast).
Speaking of resourcefulness, your first inclination may be to fly by the seat of your pants, and trust us, we leave a lot to chance, but to help your budget, leave room for an iPad or similar tablet. We cannot stress enough how much money we have saved by having this thing. It's more than paid for itself. We have all of our travel guides, foreign language dictionaries, maps of every kind, tons of research, hotel reservations, flight confirmation info, leisure reading, games, music, photos and of course our blog. Writing this actually makes us realize how unfortunate it would be if we ended up loosing the thing. Your iPad will quickly become your travel companion that's been everywhere and knows everything- and don't worry about adapters, they are everywhere!
Lastly, a bit about drugs. Better safe than sorry. Bring ibuprofen, aspirin, and a diesel anti-biotic, in our case Ciprofloxacin. Add to that vitamins and a bare bones first aid kit- ours is just some fabric bandaids, a tube of neosporin and a propolis tincture. Propolis is great for internal and external sterilization, and the band-aids have made the difference between a minor toe abrasion and what could become a serious infection.
Here's our recipe:
Ken's 30-Liter Kelty
3 Pants, one now cut-offs
5 T-shirts
2 Buttonups
2 Thermals, one already ditched
1 Carharrt Hoodie
1 Light Jacket
1 Long underwear, ditched
7 Boxers
7 Socks
2 Hats, one Carharrt wool, one Phillies
1 Sneakers
1 Flipflop, purchased in Langkawi
1 Microdigital Recorder
1 iPhone
1 iPad
2 Chargers
3 Headphones
1 Set Watercolors
1 Harmonica
1 Canon Powershot
4 Suntory Commemorative Coasters
1 Soapdish
1 Bar Lavender Duross and Langel Soap
1 Ziplock bag assorted Toiletries
(Toner, fancy moisturizer, lip balm, nail clipper and tweezers)
2 Passports
2 Yellow Books for Inoculation Proof
3 Pens
3 Disposable Chopsticks
1 Metal Spoon
5 Large Plastic Bags for Laundry etc.
1 Leather-bound Book for Writing
Davida's 40-Liter Northface
3 Pants, one ditched
6 Shirts, a rotating stock
1 Wool Sweater, ditched
2 Knit sweaters, one ditched
2 Cardigans, one lost
1 Thermal, ditched
5 Dresses, 2 purchased in Kuala Lumpur
14 Underwear
7 Socks
3 Tights
1 Sandal
1 Hightops
120 Tampons, ob for space saving
40 Packs one-use Hand Sanitizer
40-Pack of Wet Wipes
Assorted Collection of Chinese damp clothes, tissues, toilet paper
20 Band-Aids
1 Tube Neosporin
1 Glass Bottle Propolis Tincture, extra concentrated
7 Tablets Fluconazole 200mg
20 Tablets Ciprofloxacin HCL 500mg
12 Tablets Mefloquine
100 Tablets Excedrin
1 Bottle Volumizer (to keep hair looking fresh)
1 Small Make-up kit
1 Hairbrush
1 Razor
1 Deck Playing Cards
Several Toothpicks
1 Pack Bobby-pins
1 Casio Digital Watch
1 Vivitar Optics
Top Ten Vittles
Howdie, campers. In the two months since we left the states, we've found some amazing and interesting food. As eating is one of our many passions, we thought we might compile for you, dear readers, a list of our favorites so far. Bon appetite...
10. New Year's Eve dinner at Pizza Hut in Shenzhen. Don't judge us in. We know we didn't leave our lives behind to travel to exotic places and eat shitty fast food pizza, but after two months without cheese, we were seeing Kraft slices in our sleep. We know it sucks, but who can say no to stuffed crust. (pics 1 and 2)
9. Shenzhen street food. Take a two foot long wooden skewer, stick some chunks of pork on 'em, cover in spices and grill over hot coals. Add more spicy powder to garnish and bam! You got yourself some meat-on-a-stick. Add a few steamy soft bao buns filled with spicy pork and call it suppertime. Don't forget to bring your wet wipes because the bun bag feels like the inside of a used condom. Sorry, Ma. (pic 3)
8. Takayama dan dan ramen noodle soup. After taking our second exciting Shinkansen ride, arrived at the coldest Japanese town we would visit. We took a bone chilling bike ride and found the most slammin' bowl of ramen in Japan. Creamy, peanutty and spicy, this stuff put a fire in our bellies and kept us warm all night. (pics 4 and 5)
7. Nepali food in Osaka. This was one of our most anticipated Japanese cities. Being that it was Davida's birthday, the dinner choice was hers. To our mutual delight, the sound of Bollywood music from across the street lured us into a steamy and colorful dining room filled with the smell of nirvana. We ate curry, perfectly cooked and seasoned tandoori chicken and freshly baked buttery naan the size of a roadmap. We washed it down with a delicious mango lassi and left ready to tackle Mt. Everest. (pic 6)
6. Yangzhou beer fish. This tasty meal consisted of two whole catfish poached in a beer broth along with tons of spicy local Guilin chilies, peppers and onions and served in a silver tray over tealights with rice. We ate those bad boys down to their skeletons. (pic 7)
5. Bao bun and bread breakfast with beers in Beijing. We try not to be morning drinkers, but it was our new friend Kris' birthday and when a man in China says "gam bei", you gam bei. Coupled with a few of those wonderful warm buns full of pork, their juice running between your fingers, we thought breakfast was over until Kris picked up a bag of piping hot sesame seed covered bread rounds, as flakey and buttery as a Murray's bagel. The meal fueled us for a long hike up to the Great Wall. (pic 8)
4. Kuala Lumpur's Little India. We trekked from our neighborhood of Bukit Bintang for lunch in Little India. We've learned that the best food around is usually found in dirty places with cheap plastic chairs, minimal displays of food filled Tupperware containers and no white people. We ordered by pointing and shortly thereafter were given placemats/plates; two gigantic banana leaves. Our server came over with three pots in a holster and ladled out curried potatoes, raita and a stewed chickpea accompaniment right onto the leaves. Three dishes followed, all chicken, and each spicier than the last. To dress our rice, we were presented with three more pots with fish curry, chicken curry and dal. Our utensils were our right hands and hot roti, our napkins a wash sink in the back. (pics 9 and 10)
3. Kawaguchiko houtou noodles. This stew is transcendent. Unique to the five lakes of Mt. Fuji, the houtou noodle is starchy like soba, broad like pappardelle and dense like a dumpling. It is served in a slow cooked thick stew with rustic chunks of vegetables and beef garnished with shrimp. This is mountain food. (pic 11)
2. Hot Pot on Ghost Street. In Beijing, we had our first true family meal. Surrounded by new friends, we were served plate after plate of bright pink paper thin slices of sheep meat, piles of fresh greens, thick crisp slices of lotus root, potatoes, mushrooms and onions all to be cooked in the boiling pots in front of us. Some might ask,"what kind of restaurant makes you cook your own food?" But with a spread like this and bowls of fresh cilantro, chopped garlic, diced chilies and sesame sauce, who wouldn't want to? (pics 12-14)
1. The Xi'an Chicken Lady. Xi'an is the coldest place we've been so far, so if we were happy to eat chicken out of a bag standing in the middle of a street on a blisteringly cold winter night, you know this meal was damned good. The Chicken Lady butterflies three chickens on spit, lines up fives spits over glowing coals and let's them spin on a rotisserie until they are perfect. Her spectators/customers look on eagerly as she seasons and tends to her precious fowl, but she does not pull a spit until it is right. The crowning glory is watching her tear each chicken, expertly by hand, into its constituent parts, season once more and bag it. We walked away and happily ate our chicken in the cold, having spent less than 3USD on the best meal yet. (pic 15)
- Ken and Davida
10. New Year's Eve dinner at Pizza Hut in Shenzhen. Don't judge us in. We know we didn't leave our lives behind to travel to exotic places and eat shitty fast food pizza, but after two months without cheese, we were seeing Kraft slices in our sleep. We know it sucks, but who can say no to stuffed crust. (pics 1 and 2)
9. Shenzhen street food. Take a two foot long wooden skewer, stick some chunks of pork on 'em, cover in spices and grill over hot coals. Add more spicy powder to garnish and bam! You got yourself some meat-on-a-stick. Add a few steamy soft bao buns filled with spicy pork and call it suppertime. Don't forget to bring your wet wipes because the bun bag feels like the inside of a used condom. Sorry, Ma. (pic 3)
8. Takayama dan dan ramen noodle soup. After taking our second exciting Shinkansen ride, arrived at the coldest Japanese town we would visit. We took a bone chilling bike ride and found the most slammin' bowl of ramen in Japan. Creamy, peanutty and spicy, this stuff put a fire in our bellies and kept us warm all night. (pics 4 and 5)
7. Nepali food in Osaka. This was one of our most anticipated Japanese cities. Being that it was Davida's birthday, the dinner choice was hers. To our mutual delight, the sound of Bollywood music from across the street lured us into a steamy and colorful dining room filled with the smell of nirvana. We ate curry, perfectly cooked and seasoned tandoori chicken and freshly baked buttery naan the size of a roadmap. We washed it down with a delicious mango lassi and left ready to tackle Mt. Everest. (pic 6)
6. Yangzhou beer fish. This tasty meal consisted of two whole catfish poached in a beer broth along with tons of spicy local Guilin chilies, peppers and onions and served in a silver tray over tealights with rice. We ate those bad boys down to their skeletons. (pic 7)
5. Bao bun and bread breakfast with beers in Beijing. We try not to be morning drinkers, but it was our new friend Kris' birthday and when a man in China says "gam bei", you gam bei. Coupled with a few of those wonderful warm buns full of pork, their juice running between your fingers, we thought breakfast was over until Kris picked up a bag of piping hot sesame seed covered bread rounds, as flakey and buttery as a Murray's bagel. The meal fueled us for a long hike up to the Great Wall. (pic 8)
4. Kuala Lumpur's Little India. We trekked from our neighborhood of Bukit Bintang for lunch in Little India. We've learned that the best food around is usually found in dirty places with cheap plastic chairs, minimal displays of food filled Tupperware containers and no white people. We ordered by pointing and shortly thereafter were given placemats/plates; two gigantic banana leaves. Our server came over with three pots in a holster and ladled out curried potatoes, raita and a stewed chickpea accompaniment right onto the leaves. Three dishes followed, all chicken, and each spicier than the last. To dress our rice, we were presented with three more pots with fish curry, chicken curry and dal. Our utensils were our right hands and hot roti, our napkins a wash sink in the back. (pics 9 and 10)
3. Kawaguchiko houtou noodles. This stew is transcendent. Unique to the five lakes of Mt. Fuji, the houtou noodle is starchy like soba, broad like pappardelle and dense like a dumpling. It is served in a slow cooked thick stew with rustic chunks of vegetables and beef garnished with shrimp. This is mountain food. (pic 11)
2. Hot Pot on Ghost Street. In Beijing, we had our first true family meal. Surrounded by new friends, we were served plate after plate of bright pink paper thin slices of sheep meat, piles of fresh greens, thick crisp slices of lotus root, potatoes, mushrooms and onions all to be cooked in the boiling pots in front of us. Some might ask,"what kind of restaurant makes you cook your own food?" But with a spread like this and bowls of fresh cilantro, chopped garlic, diced chilies and sesame sauce, who wouldn't want to? (pics 12-14)
1. The Xi'an Chicken Lady. Xi'an is the coldest place we've been so far, so if we were happy to eat chicken out of a bag standing in the middle of a street on a blisteringly cold winter night, you know this meal was damned good. The Chicken Lady butterflies three chickens on spit, lines up fives spits over glowing coals and let's them spin on a rotisserie until they are perfect. Her spectators/customers look on eagerly as she seasons and tends to her precious fowl, but she does not pull a spit until it is right. The crowning glory is watching her tear each chicken, expertly by hand, into its constituent parts, season once more and bag it. We walked away and happily ate our chicken in the cold, having spent less than 3USD on the best meal yet. (pic 15)
- Ken and Davida
Thursday, January 10, 2013
A China Retrospective
Well, we did it; successfully navigated six cities in 29 days, traveled over 1200 miles and spent less than 3K, including our flights. Sure, we could have done it cheaper, but one of the lessons we learned in China is that when your money goes as far as it does, cut yourself a break and enjoy it! Compared with Japan, where we'd just come from, China was so much more financially forgiving. Even if you blow your wad on dinner, it will be because you spent 250¥ on a decked out hotpot instead of the 55¥ you could have on awesome street food- and if we're talking strictly bao buns and meat sticks, you're looking at more like 25¥. There are a dozen different ways to go about everything, and sometimes the choices were overwhelming, but I think we made some really great ones. Our awesome friends in Beijing, Zack and Kris, just started up a China travel website, www.chinaadventurer.com, and have decided to feature our blog on it, so to do these expats justice we figured it was time to share the little advice we think we can lend based on our travel style. If you are reading this and don't know us personally, how cool!
There are some basic choices that you have to make when beginning to plan a trip, wherever you're going. Our mission, when we began planning it in July of 2012, was to make our way west from Philadelphia, PA, starting in Japan and going as far as our money would allow. Our experience in China was greatly shaped by this because it was in a sense just one stop on a much longer journey, but I think the way we did it had several advantages.
Honestly, when we decided to do China in the middle of December, making our way south from Beijing to Hong Kong in a month, we weren't really thinking about the fact that it was going to be freeze-your-ass-off cold, or that a lot of the really beautiful verdant green scenery would be missed. But leaving the states in November and wanting to spent a month in Japan, we didn't have much of a choice. In addition to the timing factor, our research- done without the aid of a travel agent or a round-the-world ticket- indicated that by far the cheapest way into China was through Beijing, while the best way into Southeast Asia was Hong Kong -- Kuala Lumpur.
If you are thinking of traveling through China we highly(!!) recommend the north to south route, as there are so many ways to get from city to city. We also recommend going there in winter. If you can suck it up and endure the cold, you will be rewarded in countless ways. For starters, very few tourists make for very friendly locals. You can also haggle harder when you want to buy something, but there are very few hawkers pushing stuff in your face. The crowds at big landmarks like the Terra Cotta Army are a fraction of what they are in summer, and hotels have incredible deals during off season (we stayed in a 4-star in Xi'an for $45 a night, for example).
.BEIJING.
A city that needs no introduction, least of all from someone whose time there was as brief as mine, Beijing made a profound impression on me. Below are some suggestions for maximizing all this massive city has to offer.
1. Whether you stay in a hotel, hostel, or airbnb, don't stay outside of the Second Ring Road. Beijing is HUGE, and most of the action, including sights, bars, people, eats, is in the center of the city. The subway system is incredible, and you can get all over for 2¥, so if you were thinking of splitting the distance between the Great Wall and the Forbidden City, do yourself a favor and skip it.
2. Don't be afraid of street food, it wont make you sick. Well, it might, but so far weve been totally fine. Some of the best food we had was from dirty little stands, and you can get amazing pork buns for 16 cents each (US).
3. Go out at night!! Talk to people! Beijing has by far the coolest expat community we have encountered, and these people love their city. We met so many people from all over the world that had been living in Beijing for years, and having this kind of an asset really makes the difference.
4. Get into the hutong neighborhoods and wander. It's such an incredible vibe, and a living remnant of old Beijing. Plus, there are many unassuming and amazing places to eat.
5. If you are here for more than a couple days, find your beer guy, or lunch spot, and stay true. Many places are little more than closets perched on the side of the street, and your patronage will usually be rewarded with discounts or free stuff, and more so with each visit. Your loyalty means that they pay their rent on time.
6. Do everything in your power to find an unrestored section of the Great Wall. Most tour guides and books will refer you to sections that have been totally rebuilt, complete with souvenir shops and expensive food. We were lucky enough to be taken to a section that was remote, ancient, and desolate. It was by far the highlight of our stay.
7. Get in touch with Kris and Zack. They are the reason we have our sights set on Beijing as one of our future homes.
.SHANGHAI.
I don't know that I'm qualified to review it. We were there for just three days, and stayed on the outskirts of the city. The one thing I can say with confidence is that if you have similar priorities to mine, you will not love Shanghai. It's a city that seems to appeal to people that would be in NYC if they could, and imitate it as best they can, but with little success in emulating those wonderful and distinct characteristics. We stayed in a luxurious villa by the Shanghai Zoo, one of the last stops on a brand-new subway line. Maybe if we had stayed in the French Consession area we might have had a different experience, but we learned in Beijing about the rivalry between these two cities, and we are 110% Beijingers. Therefore, I will refrain from making bullet points and leave Shanghai to those who love it and know it intimately.
.SUZHOU.
The antiquity and charm of this tiny city is as authentic and impactful as to make it in my mind one of the greatest wonders of China. The winter there is especially peaceful, and as misty rains fell every day on the water and ancient stone streets, we were again grateful to have chosen this part of the year for our visit. I can only imagine the channel of tourists that would rival the flow of the canal itself in spring and summer, and would have perhaps dispelled some of the pleasure we experienced wandering these nearly desolate streets.
1. Stay on the water. There is a very modest hotel called the Royal Garden Inn just north of the XinMin Bridge on GuangJi Road that is perfect. For around $20 bucks a night we got a room with wooden windows that open French style onto the street with bobbing boats and red lanterns just outside. In the evenings, the swooning sounds of a Chinese orchestra playing in the opera house across the canal waft into your room.
2. Do at least one meal, preferably one full day of meals, in the square above the canal where countless vendors offer everything from dumplings to "omelets" where you pick all your own stuffings with tongs and place them into a bowl for the chef, to strange candied fruits. So cheap and delicious.
3. Climb up the large pagoda atop the archway just to the left of the square. Though my description is vague, you will know what I'm talking about if you are there. You can see the whole of the city and there is a tea house inside. It's one of the few pagodas I've visited that you can enter, and though I'm not sure of its age or general authenticity, it's still a lovely place.
4. Take an evening boat ride.
5. If you want to buy things like beer or produce much cheaper than on the canal where you will be charged bar / restaurant prices even for buying takeaway goods, go under the bridge where you will have had to enter from (the bridge that the major roadway is on) and buy from the local mom and pop places on that side. Much more reasonable.
.XI'AN.
Home to the ongoing excavation of the famous Terracotta Army, this city has much more to offer than old tombs. Fly in, get set up and hit the streets. Unfortunately as of December, the Bell Tower is covered by scaffolding for some renovations. But hey, that's China, always under construction.
1. STREET FOOD. The best area for it is inside a square formed by West Yangshi, GuangJi, Dapiyuan (Xihuamen), and Beiyuanmen Streets. To find it on a map, follow Xixin Street until it becomes Xihuamen, and then that too ends a little after North Street and becomes Dapiyuan Xihuamen. From here you will have an unparalleled selection of Chinese meat preparations, roasted nuts, fruits, candies, tea and more. It is utterly overwhelming, and extremely crowded, I suspect, no matter what time of year you are there as it seems to feed more locals than tourists. Cars, motorbikes, and bicycle porters honk and push their way through throngs of people. It's a trip, and the best meal I have had since leaving the states was in these very streets. If you come across a rotisserie stand or a shop selling beef bubble soup or dumplings, jump on that shit.
2. The 306. This bus will be your greatest money saving achievement in Xi'an. Walk outside the city walls and toward the train station, then keep heading toward the right of it and you will find a bus clearly marked 306 which will take you to the Terracotta Museum for 7¥. At the airport we were offered a private car service for 700. Pfft! Glad we stuck to our guns. Be aware of a few unusual circumstances: this bus doesn't leave until it is full, which usually doesn't take more than 15-20 minutes, and it makes at least 10 stops before arriving at the museum.
3. Don't eat at the restaurants outside Terracotta Museum, they are infuriatingly expensive and crappy.
.YANGSHOU.
This city is home to some of the most unique and expansive Karst mountain formations in the world. The narrow stone streets wind alongside the river and although the town is very tourist-driven, it's a charming and niche little mountain town. Take a boat ride in a shanty covered raft made of plastic piping, tires and bamboo, eat fresh river fish steamed in beer and chili, and bring your umbrella.
1. Traveling to Yangshou from Guilin can be somewhat difficult. If you are flying into the Guilin airport you will have to take a bus to the South Train Station almost an hour away and take another bus from the bus terminal there to Yangshou. There are only one or two buses per day and they run pretty early, while many flights to the airport get in too late. If this is the case, you will have to take the bus from the airport and then hire a taxi to drive you the hour and change out to Yangshou. Expect to pay 300-400¥ depending on your haggling skills.
2. There is a McDonald's overlooking a pond in the middle of the town, with a little footbridge and neatly trained foliage all around. It's a really bizarre sight.
.SHENZHEN.
This town is the bomb. We were there at New Year's (December 31 not the Chinese New Year) and the streets were PACKED. It looked like Times Square on acid, with people dressed as furries, crazy neon lighted Chinese signs, and horribly disfigured people pushing themselves along on wooden rolling stretchers singing and begging for money. I got a sour feeling in the pit of my stomach on seeing these people because they are almost certainly being exploited by some evil organization (how does a person with nubs for hands rubber band a microphone to themselves, or climb a set of 30 stairs with no motor capacity to sing and beg?) The shopping district is about a ten minute walk from the central train station, and whatever you are looking for, you will find it. And smack dab in the middle is the street food area- yesss! A few tips to help you along the way:
1. As if it needed to be repeated, always haggle in China. Even on street food. If not, you will get white people prices for the meat sticks you buy. Better yet, just watch Chinese people paying and then pay what they paid.
2. It's the perfect place to end up if you want to go to Hong Kong- you can literally walk to the border from the last stop on the subway.
3. There are many hotels who likely charge by the hour as well as by the night. A good way to gauge whether you are in one of these questionable establishments is to ask to see one of the rooms. If there are lubricants and cock rings in the bathroom, you've got your answer. We will not be staying at the Garden Inn Dongmen Branch again. Dongmen. Hehe.
4. Check out People's Park. It looks like a slice of Bay Area California, or Longwood Gardens in Pennsylvania, like nothing you'd expect in China. Beautifully manicured lawns, quaint fishing ponds, forested nooks with riverside benches, and a rose garden boasting over fifty varieties of roses. Unfortunately they were not in bloom while we were there, but with ten bushes of each kind of rose, I can imagine it's a marvel to see in the right season.
Davida
There are some basic choices that you have to make when beginning to plan a trip, wherever you're going. Our mission, when we began planning it in July of 2012, was to make our way west from Philadelphia, PA, starting in Japan and going as far as our money would allow. Our experience in China was greatly shaped by this because it was in a sense just one stop on a much longer journey, but I think the way we did it had several advantages.
Honestly, when we decided to do China in the middle of December, making our way south from Beijing to Hong Kong in a month, we weren't really thinking about the fact that it was going to be freeze-your-ass-off cold, or that a lot of the really beautiful verdant green scenery would be missed. But leaving the states in November and wanting to spent a month in Japan, we didn't have much of a choice. In addition to the timing factor, our research- done without the aid of a travel agent or a round-the-world ticket- indicated that by far the cheapest way into China was through Beijing, while the best way into Southeast Asia was Hong Kong -- Kuala Lumpur.
If you are thinking of traveling through China we highly(!!) recommend the north to south route, as there are so many ways to get from city to city. We also recommend going there in winter. If you can suck it up and endure the cold, you will be rewarded in countless ways. For starters, very few tourists make for very friendly locals. You can also haggle harder when you want to buy something, but there are very few hawkers pushing stuff in your face. The crowds at big landmarks like the Terra Cotta Army are a fraction of what they are in summer, and hotels have incredible deals during off season (we stayed in a 4-star in Xi'an for $45 a night, for example).
.BEIJING.
A city that needs no introduction, least of all from someone whose time there was as brief as mine, Beijing made a profound impression on me. Below are some suggestions for maximizing all this massive city has to offer.
1. Whether you stay in a hotel, hostel, or airbnb, don't stay outside of the Second Ring Road. Beijing is HUGE, and most of the action, including sights, bars, people, eats, is in the center of the city. The subway system is incredible, and you can get all over for 2¥, so if you were thinking of splitting the distance between the Great Wall and the Forbidden City, do yourself a favor and skip it.
2. Don't be afraid of street food, it wont make you sick. Well, it might, but so far weve been totally fine. Some of the best food we had was from dirty little stands, and you can get amazing pork buns for 16 cents each (US).
3. Go out at night!! Talk to people! Beijing has by far the coolest expat community we have encountered, and these people love their city. We met so many people from all over the world that had been living in Beijing for years, and having this kind of an asset really makes the difference.
4. Get into the hutong neighborhoods and wander. It's such an incredible vibe, and a living remnant of old Beijing. Plus, there are many unassuming and amazing places to eat.
5. If you are here for more than a couple days, find your beer guy, or lunch spot, and stay true. Many places are little more than closets perched on the side of the street, and your patronage will usually be rewarded with discounts or free stuff, and more so with each visit. Your loyalty means that they pay their rent on time.
6. Do everything in your power to find an unrestored section of the Great Wall. Most tour guides and books will refer you to sections that have been totally rebuilt, complete with souvenir shops and expensive food. We were lucky enough to be taken to a section that was remote, ancient, and desolate. It was by far the highlight of our stay.
7. Get in touch with Kris and Zack. They are the reason we have our sights set on Beijing as one of our future homes.
.SHANGHAI.
I don't know that I'm qualified to review it. We were there for just three days, and stayed on the outskirts of the city. The one thing I can say with confidence is that if you have similar priorities to mine, you will not love Shanghai. It's a city that seems to appeal to people that would be in NYC if they could, and imitate it as best they can, but with little success in emulating those wonderful and distinct characteristics. We stayed in a luxurious villa by the Shanghai Zoo, one of the last stops on a brand-new subway line. Maybe if we had stayed in the French Consession area we might have had a different experience, but we learned in Beijing about the rivalry between these two cities, and we are 110% Beijingers. Therefore, I will refrain from making bullet points and leave Shanghai to those who love it and know it intimately.
.SUZHOU.
The antiquity and charm of this tiny city is as authentic and impactful as to make it in my mind one of the greatest wonders of China. The winter there is especially peaceful, and as misty rains fell every day on the water and ancient stone streets, we were again grateful to have chosen this part of the year for our visit. I can only imagine the channel of tourists that would rival the flow of the canal itself in spring and summer, and would have perhaps dispelled some of the pleasure we experienced wandering these nearly desolate streets.
1. Stay on the water. There is a very modest hotel called the Royal Garden Inn just north of the XinMin Bridge on GuangJi Road that is perfect. For around $20 bucks a night we got a room with wooden windows that open French style onto the street with bobbing boats and red lanterns just outside. In the evenings, the swooning sounds of a Chinese orchestra playing in the opera house across the canal waft into your room.
2. Do at least one meal, preferably one full day of meals, in the square above the canal where countless vendors offer everything from dumplings to "omelets" where you pick all your own stuffings with tongs and place them into a bowl for the chef, to strange candied fruits. So cheap and delicious.
3. Climb up the large pagoda atop the archway just to the left of the square. Though my description is vague, you will know what I'm talking about if you are there. You can see the whole of the city and there is a tea house inside. It's one of the few pagodas I've visited that you can enter, and though I'm not sure of its age or general authenticity, it's still a lovely place.
4. Take an evening boat ride.
5. If you want to buy things like beer or produce much cheaper than on the canal where you will be charged bar / restaurant prices even for buying takeaway goods, go under the bridge where you will have had to enter from (the bridge that the major roadway is on) and buy from the local mom and pop places on that side. Much more reasonable.
.XI'AN.
Home to the ongoing excavation of the famous Terracotta Army, this city has much more to offer than old tombs. Fly in, get set up and hit the streets. Unfortunately as of December, the Bell Tower is covered by scaffolding for some renovations. But hey, that's China, always under construction.
1. STREET FOOD. The best area for it is inside a square formed by West Yangshi, GuangJi, Dapiyuan (Xihuamen), and Beiyuanmen Streets. To find it on a map, follow Xixin Street until it becomes Xihuamen, and then that too ends a little after North Street and becomes Dapiyuan Xihuamen. From here you will have an unparalleled selection of Chinese meat preparations, roasted nuts, fruits, candies, tea and more. It is utterly overwhelming, and extremely crowded, I suspect, no matter what time of year you are there as it seems to feed more locals than tourists. Cars, motorbikes, and bicycle porters honk and push their way through throngs of people. It's a trip, and the best meal I have had since leaving the states was in these very streets. If you come across a rotisserie stand or a shop selling beef bubble soup or dumplings, jump on that shit.
2. The 306. This bus will be your greatest money saving achievement in Xi'an. Walk outside the city walls and toward the train station, then keep heading toward the right of it and you will find a bus clearly marked 306 which will take you to the Terracotta Museum for 7¥. At the airport we were offered a private car service for 700. Pfft! Glad we stuck to our guns. Be aware of a few unusual circumstances: this bus doesn't leave until it is full, which usually doesn't take more than 15-20 minutes, and it makes at least 10 stops before arriving at the museum.
3. Don't eat at the restaurants outside Terracotta Museum, they are infuriatingly expensive and crappy.
.YANGSHOU.
This city is home to some of the most unique and expansive Karst mountain formations in the world. The narrow stone streets wind alongside the river and although the town is very tourist-driven, it's a charming and niche little mountain town. Take a boat ride in a shanty covered raft made of plastic piping, tires and bamboo, eat fresh river fish steamed in beer and chili, and bring your umbrella.
1. Traveling to Yangshou from Guilin can be somewhat difficult. If you are flying into the Guilin airport you will have to take a bus to the South Train Station almost an hour away and take another bus from the bus terminal there to Yangshou. There are only one or two buses per day and they run pretty early, while many flights to the airport get in too late. If this is the case, you will have to take the bus from the airport and then hire a taxi to drive you the hour and change out to Yangshou. Expect to pay 300-400¥ depending on your haggling skills.
2. There is a McDonald's overlooking a pond in the middle of the town, with a little footbridge and neatly trained foliage all around. It's a really bizarre sight.
.SHENZHEN.
This town is the bomb. We were there at New Year's (December 31 not the Chinese New Year) and the streets were PACKED. It looked like Times Square on acid, with people dressed as furries, crazy neon lighted Chinese signs, and horribly disfigured people pushing themselves along on wooden rolling stretchers singing and begging for money. I got a sour feeling in the pit of my stomach on seeing these people because they are almost certainly being exploited by some evil organization (how does a person with nubs for hands rubber band a microphone to themselves, or climb a set of 30 stairs with no motor capacity to sing and beg?) The shopping district is about a ten minute walk from the central train station, and whatever you are looking for, you will find it. And smack dab in the middle is the street food area- yesss! A few tips to help you along the way:
1. As if it needed to be repeated, always haggle in China. Even on street food. If not, you will get white people prices for the meat sticks you buy. Better yet, just watch Chinese people paying and then pay what they paid.
2. It's the perfect place to end up if you want to go to Hong Kong- you can literally walk to the border from the last stop on the subway.
3. There are many hotels who likely charge by the hour as well as by the night. A good way to gauge whether you are in one of these questionable establishments is to ask to see one of the rooms. If there are lubricants and cock rings in the bathroom, you've got your answer. We will not be staying at the Garden Inn Dongmen Branch again. Dongmen. Hehe.
4. Check out People's Park. It looks like a slice of Bay Area California, or Longwood Gardens in Pennsylvania, like nothing you'd expect in China. Beautifully manicured lawns, quaint fishing ponds, forested nooks with riverside benches, and a rose garden boasting over fifty varieties of roses. Unfortunately they were not in bloom while we were there, but with ten bushes of each kind of rose, I can imagine it's a marvel to see in the right season.
Davida
Wednesday, January 9, 2013
HK
Every night at 8 o'clock the city of Hong Kong transforms into a wacky laser show. The skyline of Hong Kong island becomes a giant performance art piece as searchlights, lasers and other assorted illumination, all mounted to or integrated into the architecture, fire off in a dazzling choreography set to the campiest synth music imaginable. It's really bad. It makes Howard Jones sound like Mozart. The visual is spectacular, however, so it's worth the goofy soundtrack. The best vantage point from which to view it is the Avenue of the Stars on the north side of Kowloon Bay. As red sailed junks cruise through the water with the brightly lit and lasered skyline of Hong Kong island as the backdrop, one feels a bizarre but comforting feeling of the old residing contentedly with the new.
A good way to round out an evening is to proceed to the Temple Street night market. It is conveniently located one subway stop up from the Avenue of the Stars and is comprised of block after block of stalls selling everything one could need to enhance, remember or otherwise complete a trip to HK. Binoculars, shoes, t-shirts, and every type of trinket imaginable are all for sale. On a perpendicular street toward the near end of the market are restaurants lined up one after another. Nearly every manner of cuisine is available from sushi to Indian food, so after wandering through the market, pull up a low plastic chair and grab a bowl of curry.
-Ken
A good way to round out an evening is to proceed to the Temple Street night market. It is conveniently located one subway stop up from the Avenue of the Stars and is comprised of block after block of stalls selling everything one could need to enhance, remember or otherwise complete a trip to HK. Binoculars, shoes, t-shirts, and every type of trinket imaginable are all for sale. On a perpendicular street toward the near end of the market are restaurants lined up one after another. Nearly every manner of cuisine is available from sushi to Indian food, so after wandering through the market, pull up a low plastic chair and grab a bowl of curry.
-Ken
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