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Luohu Commercial City, Shenzhen

Thu, 15 Sep 2011 04:32:11 -0500

Luohu Commercial City is a shopping mall located next to the Shenzhen immigration checkpoint. Many shoppers / tourists from Hongkong shop here since this is the most convenient place after they exit from the Chinese immigration. The coach station is located on the ground floor while the train station is located at the basement of Luohu Commercial City (LCC). The shopping mall itself looks quite old. When when you enter the mall, you find lots and lots of shops selling many things. READ MORE ....

Laojie, Dongmen, Shenzhen

Wed, 14 Sep 2011 01:03:39 -0500

Laojie is located in Luohu district of Shenzhen. It leads to Dong Men business district which was established since the Ming Dynasty. Hence this is the oldest area in Shenzhen and this leads to the name "Laojie" - "Old Street" in English. Laojie is extremely big area and shoppers alight at Laojie metro station to shop at Dongmen. READ MORE ...

Shangxiajiu Pedestrian Shopping Street, Guangzhou

Mon, 12 Sep 2011 04:10:09 -0500

Shangxiajiujia is the pedestrian shopping street in Guangzhou that is about 1km long. This shopping street was the first in Guangzhou to be opened in 1995. This old town has some famous Chinese resturants and antique buildings worth a tour of the place. The shopping street is very long so be prepared to walk. It is near the pearl river and offers a huge variety of choice for the shoppers. Bargaining is a MUST when you shop here. But certain shops & shopping malls have fix price. Just like Beijing Road in Guangzhou, it is also a shopping paradise to tourists & locals. Beware of pickpockets as it can be really chaotic crowded with the locals on weekends & public holidays - practically rubbing shoulders with each other while shopping. Try to avoid the weekends & public holidays if you can. The shops are open till around 10pm everyday and from Holiday Inn hotel, you could view the street below. The wholesale herbs market is just behind this street. However again beware of heavy pushcarts in the herbs market. READ MORE .....

Bintan Island, Indonesia

Thu, 08 Sep 2011 02:55:36 -0500

Bintan Island is part of the Riau Islands of Indonesia and the capital is Tanjung Pinang. It is located less than 40 km from Singapore. Although it is larger than Batam, it is less populated. Bintan resorts are popular with the Spa facilities as well as the long stretch of beaches. Food from the resorts are expensive and not much of a choice but there is a frequent shuttle bus that brings guest to the town for shopping and dining. The currency used is Singapore Dollar. This resort is ideal for a quiet tranquil vacation over a short weekend. The resorts are usually packed with many tourists from Singapore (tourists touring Singapore could opt for a free & easy tour package of 2 days 1 night in Bintan for a short getaway). READ MORE ....

Statue of Fisher Girl Zhuhai

Mon, 05 Sep 2011 03:41:05 -0500

Traveling along the coast of Xianglu bay, visitors can view the statue of fisher girl. The fisher girl has become the landmark of Zhuhai. This is one of the holiday & tour destinations in Zhuhai. She holds a pearl high in the air with both hands in an elegant pose, admiring its bright luster that also symbolizes the brightness of Zhuhai. The statue is composed of granite and stands 8.7 meters high weighing 10 tons. The legend is that a beautiful fairy maiden fell in love with a young fisherman. He believed some fabricated rumors and asked the girl for the bracelet she wore as proof of her love. Although she knew she would die if the bracelet was removed from her body, she still took it off and presented it to show her deep love for him. The girl died and the fisherman was bitterly remorseful, crying all day and night. An Immortal named Jiuzhou Elder was moved by their love and helped the young man resuscitate the girl. They offered this huge precious pearl to their benefactor during their marriage ceremony as a token of their appreciation for his kindness.

Wanzai Cruise Tour Wharf, Zhuhai

Mon, 05 Sep 2011 03:04:50 -0500

Visitors to Zhuhai can enjoy the Macau Sea Area Cruise which is a distinctive feature of a Zhuhai tour. You can take a sightseeing cruise & discover many famous sights of Macau, including the Macau-Taipa Bridge, the Friendship Bridge, Lisboa Hotel, the government building of the Macau Special Administrative Region, Lotus Flower Monument, and Macau International Airport. You can alternately choose a night cruise, appreciating the appealing night piece of the sleepless city of Macau. The Wanzai Cruise Tour Wharf is located just opposite the Wanzai seafood street. There is a seafood market just 10 minutes walk away from the Cruise Wharf. The seafood here is much cheaper than the ones selling at the seafood street stalls. You buy what you want & walk to one of the restaurants in the seafood street and ask them to prepare for you a meal. A menu is available on how much to pay for the type of preparation you want your food to be.

Ming Pavilion Park, Zhuhai

Mon, 05 Sep 2011 02:58:53 -0500

Ming Pavilion Park (Mingting park) is also the gateway to Yeli island. This is a nice place to relax and also quiet. But we didn't have the time to tour Mingting Park. Instead, we asked the taxi driver to wait while we got off to take some photos of the Chinese restaurant - Deyuefang Seafood Restaurant. This is the one that stands out in the night because of the lights coming from the restaurant. We also took some photos of the panoramic bay view. There are many hotels around Mingting park overlooking the sea.

Lotus Road (LIan Hua Lu), Gongbei, Zhuhai

Mon, 05 Sep 2011 02:39:10 -0500

Lianhua Lu (in Chinese) or Lotus Road (in English) is a walking shopping & food street in Gongbei district, Zhuhai province. There are many pubs, massage parlours and restaurants in this area. In the night, the whole street in Lotus Road comes alive with outdoor bar stalls / kiosks, drinkers & ladies serving drinks. It is not a nice scene for family with kids. READ MORE...

Yindo Hotel (GRAND JASPER), Gongbei Zhuhai

Mon, 05 Sep 2011 01:38:07 -0500

Yindo Hotel (Jasper Hotel) is centrally located in the business district of Zhuhai, which is Gongbei. This is the first five star hotel in Zhuhai, so it is the oldest. It is also walking distance to shopping malls and to the Gongbei immigration checkpoint. There are many taxi around and it is cheap to get around. Just make sure the driver use the meter reading. There are many restaurants around the hotel so eating is not a problem. READ MORE...

Rice Dumpling

Fri, 02 Sep 2011 05:46:03 -0500

Traditionally, rice dumpling was only eaten during the rice dumpling festival or the Dragon boat festival which falls on the 5th day of the 5th lunar month. But now, rice dumpling is sold everyday in some supermarket, food court (Tim Sum corner), Chinese restaurants, coffee shops. It is a Chinese style dish and made of glutinous rice, meat and many ingredients. Each dialect group has their own variety. Two standard size rice dumpling can be very filling for an adult.

Ajino Chanpon, Tokyo Walker in Plaza Singapura

Thu, 01 Sep 2011 04:26:38 -0500

Ajino Chanpon can be found is part of Tokyo Walker on the 4th floor of Plaza Singapura. Tokyo Walker is a Japanese Food Street and consists of a few Japanese restaurants. Ajino Chanpon offers Chanpon which is very popular in Kyushu. I find the taste slightly lacking of sesame oil, chilli oil and some ingredients. In Japan, Nagasaki Chanpon from "Ringer Hut" is a very popular Japanese Family Chanpon restaurant offering Chanpon thick in soup, ingredients, sesame oil & chilli oil. Price is very reasonable and inexpensive in Ringer Hut. Ringer Hut can be found almost everywhere in Fukuoka, Nagasaki and Kyushu.READ MORE ....

Chee Cheong Fun / Rice Noodles

Fri, 26 Aug 2011 05:41:10 -0500

Chee Cheong Fun is a Cantonese Chinese style dish. In Tim Sum restaurants, it is an a-la-cart dish. In hawker stalls, this is a breakfast menu. The plain Chee Cheong Fun can be bought from the market / supermarket which is relatively cheap. It can be found in many parts of Asia - Hong Kong, China, Malaysia, Singapore, Vietnam. Each country has their own variety / version. In English, Chee Cheong means pig intestine and Fun means noodles. But there is no pig intestine but rather it resembles the pig intestine. This rice noodle roll can have stuffings such as mushrooms, meat, vegetables inside the roll. In Singapore the most common type of Chee Cheong Fun is plain without stuffings. It is served with either sweet black sauce, sesame oil, sesame seeds and chilli or simply soy sauce, sesame oil, sesame seeds.

Char Siew Wanton Noodles / BBQ pork and dumpling noodles

Fri, 26 Aug 2011 05:02:21 -0500

Char Siew is a Cantonese dish (one of the Chinese Dialect group) and it means BBQ meat in English. Usually pork is being used as Char Siew because it tastes more tender & nicer when marinated with the Chinese style red color sauce. READ MORE...

Guangzhou Jade market

Thu, 25 Aug 2011 01:21:16 -0500

The Jade market located at Hualin Street in Guangzhou is very popular among the locals and foreigners who buy Jades in bulk. Hualin Street Jade Market is behind Shangxiajiu pedestrian shopping street, near Changshou Metro station. It is a huge market of about 10,000 sqm with approximately 100 shops and 1000 stalls occupying the many narrow alleys / streets. Majority of the Jade traders are located here and they account for 90% of the sales in Guangzhou. You can find all kinds of Jades here, from raw gemstones, sculptures, handmade jewelry and tiny Jade beads for jewelry making. READ MORE ...

Thai Papaya Salad - Som Tam Thai

Tue, 23 Aug 2011 02:54:28 -0500

Green papaya salad is a classic Thai dish and also the most popular dish among people in Thailand. It can be found practically everywhere in Thailand, even in school canteens. In Bangkok, you can even see vendors pounding the ingredients in a clay mortar on the floor, with their baskets full of ingredients. Yes, that's right - no fancy kiosks, only a simple hard ground for their pounding needs is all these vendors need. It is a Northeastern food that is eaten with sticky rice. Read more ...

Cheng Teng Dessert, cooling soup

Tue, 23 Aug 2011 02:44:40 -0500

Cheng Teng is more of a sweet dessert than a tonic and is inspired by the Teochew Chinese group in Singapore. In English, it means cooling soup and can be eaten hot / warm / cold. In hot weather Singapore, most people prefer to have it cold with crushed ice, but some prefer it hot / warm when they are having a bad sore throat / flu. Cheng Teng cools the body heatiness and is a popular dessert which can be made at home. Read more ....

Singapore unique food, Lor Mee

Tue, 23 Aug 2011 02:05:04 -0500

Lor Mee is another unique Singapore soup noodle dish inspired by the Chinese Hokkien group. The gravy is very starchy and dark color, made from corn starch, sauce, spices and eggs. Noodle is flat, yellow and thick. The basic ingredients added to this soup noodle dish includes ngo hiang (deep fried Hokkien / Teochew style sausages with the aroma of five spice), hard boiled eggs, sliced fish cakes, meat dumplings, lots of garlic, sambal chilli and spices. Lor Mee can be found in hawker stalls and food courts in Singapore. Read more ...

Ice Jelly Dessert

Mon, 22 Aug 2011 06:16:44 -0500

Ice Jelly dessert is a very popular dessert in Singapore. This jelly has a different texture compared to standard jelly. The jelly is made from the gel of seeds from a variety of figs. That explains the unique fragrant. The traditional classic ice jelly is topped with sweetner, atap seed, lemon / lime and lots of crushed ice. The modern ice jelly is topped with canned fruits. Before eating, squeeze the lemon/lime juice onto the jelly. Tourist visiting Singapore should try this dessert which is found in all hawker stalls, food courts and almost everywhere.

Singapore Laksa

Mon, 22 Aug 2011 06:00:16 -0500

Singapore Laksa is a popular spicy curry-like soup with thick rice noodles, from the Peranakan culture. This soup noodle usually includes a hard-boiled egg (or half), slices fish cakes, tau pok (fried beancurd) and raw cockles. Laksa is popular in hawker stalls throughout Singapore. Read more ...

Taxis and public transport, Zhuhai

Mon, 22 Aug 2011 05:45:16 -0500

Many of the taxis in Gongbei has no grilles dividing the driver & the back seat (only a handful used the grilles in the taxis. Many big cities in China have cities with grilles installed. In China, the front passenger’s seat is only for children & female (males have to take the back seats). The metal grilles protect the driver from robberies. Public transport especially the buses are very cheap. In the big cities like Guangzhou, the metro subway is also very cheap & convenient. In Zhuhai, there is no subway. Public buses are plentiful & convenient but you must know which bus to take as the bus guides are all in Chinese language at the bus stops. Beware of pickpockets in public transport ! Read more ...