Bistro in Paris: Chez Janou

Date: 8 June 2013

Location: Marais, Paris

Remarks: Bistro in Paris: Chez Janou

I came to Chez Janou unintentionally during my walk in the arty Marais district in Paris for a place for dinner and Chez Janou had become one of my nice touches in Paris. I intended to avoid those bistrots/ restaurants in the main road in Marais during my search for dinner (There is always a preconception of mine that those restaurants in the main road are either very touristy or over-priced) and had just randomly walked in Chez Janou in one of the quieter corners at around 8pm. I guess I was lured when I saw a busy bistrot in a quiet street.

The place is packed with people waiting for the tables. As quoted from the waiter: "Do you have a reservation? No? Well, you have to wait for at least 45 minutes." "45 minutes?!" "Yes. Look around, everybody is waiting." The place was so packed that you gotta push you way in to the bar for the drinks while waiting for a table.

I was lucky enough that I did not really need to wait since I was alone there and could sit in the bar. I had my dinner for around an hour or so, and I did observed that people did wait for 45 minutes to one hour for the table!!

Chez Janou serves Provençal cruisine. The food are nicely cooked with passion and reasonably priced (it took around 18-30 euro for a main course for dinner), and the services are friendly and warm. The place is very bustling and lively and is a great place for casual dining and in meeting up with friends.

However, seriously, don't even bother to get in if you don' t have a reservation!! I did asked the bartender. The place is the same packed, lunch and dinner, everyday during the week. Though you can grab a drink in the bar while waiting, but 45 minutes to an hour, at least for me, is way too much. So, advanced reservation is ESSENTIAL!!

PS. I only came to beware that Chez Janou was indeed one of the recommended ones in Lonely Planet after I were there!! I guess I did have some luck that night.


Chez Janou
Address: 2, rue Roger Verlomme, 75003 Paris
Telephone number: 01 42 72 28 41
Remarks: near Metro station Chemin Vert
Website: www.chezjanou.com

Crepes in Paris: Crêperie Suzette

Date: 10 June 2013
Location: Malais, Paris
Remarks: Crêperie Suzette in Malais

Being in Paris for the first time, there are lots of must-do and must-try.  Crepes is one of the must-try. A local friend of mine in Paris highly recommends Crêperie Suzette in Malais. According to what she's said, Crêperie Suzette has the best crepes in Paris and its homemade tomato sauce and chocolate paste is phenomenal.

It is expensive as compared to the other creperie in Paris, but it is real good. I tried a salty one, with cheese, ham, tomato and egg. It costed around 8-9 euro, which you may find similar ones in other crepie at around 5-7 euro. But the one I had in Crêperie Suzette tasted amazingly good. It was a real balanced one, garnished with some salad greens. It is savory-filled with crispy edges and warm and slightly moist fillings. The place was phenomenal and it was one of my favourite in Paris.

P.S. I was there in late afternoon so I don't really need to wait/ queue. I am not very sure if you need queue for a long time if you are going there during lunch/ dinner time.

Crêperie Suzette
Address: 24 rue des Franc-Bourgeois, 75004 Paris
Telephone number: 01 42 72 46 16
Remarks: You can get there from metro station Saint-Paul or Chemin Vert

Monmartre, Paris

Date: 7 June 2013
Location: Paris, France
Remarks: Monmartre in the morning

Basilique du Sacré Cœur. I love the place.

Monmartre is one of my favourite places in Paris. It was highly touristy, but I like it. It was fun and very energetic. I was following the walking route of lonely planet which took around 2-3 hours. It started from metro station Blanche, walked pass the very famous Moulin Rouge, went up the hill, walked passed the signature blue door of Van Gogh's House (which was indeed nothing special, since you could not get in), to Place du Tertre and Basilique du Sacré Cœur.

I like the neighbourhood on the way up to Basilique du Sacré Cœur. It was quite with the white little houses on the way, which contrast to the busy Place du Tertre, which is just a few street away from Sacré Cœur. Many street artists setting up their easels in Place du Tertre, making portraits for tourists. The square is crowded with the artists and tourists, with cafe and restaurants surrounding it and shops selling typical souvenirs in the streets nearby. The place ishighly touristy busy and hazzled, but fun. It was very interesting to watch the artists, some are talented while some are not, painting portraits for tourists.

Basilique du Sacré Cœur is another landmark with around 5 minutes walk fro Place du Tertre.Sacré Cœur is a Roman Catholic church, and you could have a very beautiful panoramic view of Paris in the square in front of Sacré Cœur. Sacré Cœur, all in white, is a very beautiful piece of architecture and you can enter the sanctuary of the church which is free to guests. One could also paid to step up the 234 spiralling steps to the basilique’s dome for an even more spectacular panoramas of Paris.

A walk in Monmartre is a must-do in Paris and would definitely worth your time.

10 days in Paris

Date: 4 June 2013 -15 June 2013
Location: Paris, France
Remarks: 10 days in Paris

Having impulsively booked a my flight to Paris, I was in Paris for 10 days!! It was June, and the weather was perfect (for the first week). It was warm, with blue sky, ample of sunshine and wind breeze.

There has been preconceptions that Paris being romantic but dangerous, with pickpocketing all over the places, and the French being unhelpful and reluctant in speaking English. Well, that was not what I have experienced over there, but I did have a few interesting observations:

Yes, You would find couples kissing all around the place - on the bus, in the metro, on the streets, in the parks... basically you would see it everywhere.

There were music everywhere, with street buskers everywhere. You could find them on the streets for sure, especially in the tourist spots, but also on the metro and the train. Having taking metro everyday during my stay in Paris, I met them everyday. They just jumped on the train/metro, performed one to two songs, and then walked around the car for a buck for two from the passengers, then get into another car, performed the same songs, did the same thing again and again. 

And yes, some of the French may not speak English but most of them do. They may not speak very good English, but it was communicable, and that is all we need right? Most of them would try them best in helping you when you approached them, with smiles on their faces. It was good enough for me already.

Parisians really love sunbathing in the park. There were a lot of parks in Paris, and there were lawns in each and every park. I was in a park in the afternoon of a weekday. It was another sunny day with the perfect weather. The park was amazingly packed with people!! You could see the Parisians sitting on the chairs/ on the lawns in the park, alone or with friends, enjoying the sun. Especially on the lawns, it was so packed that you could indeed hardly move. I guess for a 1 square meter there were up to 8-10 people. Amazing!!

With regard to the safety issue, it was not as scary as it was in the rumors. You know, the news about the robbery and pickpocketing in Paris are overwhelming. But at least, for my days in Paris, I found it fine. It was just like another city: stay low key, be careful of your personal belongings, zip your bags and don't leave your bags unattended.

Walkthrough Jokhang Temple 導覽大昭寺

Date: 21/6/2010

Location: 拉薩, 西藏

Remarks:大昭寺導覽

我想我真的很喜歡大昭寺，我很少把一個地方寫得很仔細，但大昭寺卻在我的遊記占了一定的編幅，是故一定要在這多寫一篇大昭寺。

G/F
大殿中心有2尊佛像，左邊是蓮花生大師(眼超大，神情較兇狠)，右邊是未來佛。殿內的人超多，藏民排隊進側門供佛。我們都進不了去。藏王松贊干布一出生就懂說話和走路。執政了20年。33歲死。藏王的左邊是尼泊爾的赤尊公主，右邊是漢文成公主，故赤尊公主帶入的佛像面向西以示對尼泊爾政府的尊重，而文成公主帶入的佛像面向東以示對中國政府的尊重。文成公主帶入的12歲䆁迦牟尼佛像在“覺悟䆁迦民主殿”。此殿排滿了長長的供佛的人龍，見到喇嘛幫佛像抹面。殿內的導遊說為什麼12歲的佛像這麼大呢，是因為它每年都給塗上金漆，是故它每年都會越來越大。

在主殿的後面是十世班襌，被稱為最偉大的喇嘛，圍繞着佛像全都是用供佛的水果。

主殿2/F
一上2/F, 見到一羣喇嘛悠閒的圍着坐， 其中一個在玩電話呢！2樓一直走到最尾有一個很大的轉經輪， 比人還要高 。輪上有金色的經文, 輪的旁邊有一間房， 裏面有個喇嘛在念經， 而且是很有節奏的在打鼓和敲銅鑼 。在2樓的另一邊是法王修行洞， 門框全是好精緻的木雕， 藏民在進去每個側殿的時候都會用哈達抹門框 。橫樑有像有像獅身人面像的雕刻， 腳下有圓形的銅片 。

主殿3/F
往3樓的梯間有吉祥拉母， 和青蛙白旦拉面， 樣子也滿卡通的 。3樓的牆壁是黑色的壁畫， 黑底金燙， 很美 。主殿的中央有2排喇嘛坐的位置， 位置前有2排鼓， 位置上鋪了藏毯 。

天台
出了主殿， 2樓是紀念品店， 往下望可見到地下人們排隊的情況 。3樓是天台， 可見到屋簷和金頂 。可以在天台見到布達拉宮的全景啊 (雖然其實我都已經拍得夠多了 )


More than 大昭寺
http://fontraveljournal.blogspot.com/2013/04/jokhangtemple.html

Monks Debates @ Sera Monastery, Tibet 辨经@ 拉薩色拉寺

Date: 19/6/2010

Location: Lhasa, Tibet
Remarks: Day 7, Monks Debates @ Sera Monastery

Sera Monastery is one of Great Three monasteries in Lhasa, located in the suburbs, around 2km north, of Lhasa. The Sera Monastery is a huge complex, spreading along the hill scope with some dozens of hermitages.The buildings is very Tibetan in style.

Sera Monastery is a fun place to visit, stood out from the other monasteries in Tibet with its "Monk Debates". It is, from what I have heard, the best location to witness the "Monk Debates" on the teachings of Budda in Tibet. The Monk Debates started at 3pm from Monday to Friday, and it was opened to tourists. At around 3pm, you would find crowds of tourists in the Debate Hall, witnessing the debates among the monks in discussing Buddhism related topics in Tibetan. Though we might not understand the Tibetan language, the Debates are accompanied with vigorous gestures which were said to have symbolic meaning. The dramatic gestures made by the monks enlivened the entire embience. The monks debated in pairs, with a defender and a questioner. The questioner has to present his case and the defender has to answer within a fixed time frame. Each time a question is asked, the questioner would outstretch his left palm, strike the left palm with his right palm. 

The pair of monks sitting right before me were adorable. The sitting monk appeared having problem in answering the questions and had lots of little cute gestures: playing with his fingers, rubbing his head, hands covering his face, stretching out his tongue... Even the old monk, presumably his teacher, who originally sit under the tree could not help coming forward to explain. He was so cute.

P.S. There were super many visitors in the Debate Hall at the time of the Debates. You can find tourists from around the globe, with lots of different kinds of camera. It was like an international camera exhibition!!

The Debate Hall

清晨的大昭寺 Jokhang Temple @ 拉薩 Tibet

Date: 21/6/2010
Location: 拉薩, 西藏
Remarks: 清晨8am的大昭寺

拉薩有很多寺廟，在西藏兩個星期，我們平均每一天去一個，去了布達拉宮、大昭寺、小昭寺、色拉寺... 其中大昭寺是我最喜歡的一個。大昭寺沒有布達拉宮的堂煌，也沒有色拉寺的好玩，但我就是喜歡大昭寺的活力，喜歡它的活生生的感覺。

清晨的大昭寺

大昭寺該是繼布達拉宮後西藏第二大的寺廟，拉薩最古老的寺廟，已經有1350多年的歷史。是西藏的中心寺 ，歷來佛教活動的中心。從前的西藏人相信，大昭寺是世界的中心，因此所有的人與物，都是圍繞大昭寺而轉動。圍繞大昭寺的八廓街，是西藏最有名的轉經道 。

大昭寺是樓高4層，金頂的木土建築物。 清晨的大昭寺人超級的多。跟著轉經的人潮在八廓街轉了一圈，他們走得一點也不慢。大昭寺廣場有很多人帶同墊子朝佛，五體投地。大昭寺的門口排了長長的人龍，藏民人貼人的排隊進去朝拜。每個人的手裡都拿著熱水壺，壺裡是用以供佛的酥油。廣場還有一堆賣酥油和甜茶的小販。

跟著藏民人貼人的排隊進大昭寺是不給錢買門票的，但我啊，該受不了他們排隊的方式，所以還是乖乖的付85元的門票，從正門入。

殿內的壁畫已有1350年，柱子上的雕花都給摸滑了。大殿中心有2尊佛像，左邊是蓮花生大師(眼超大，神情較兇狠)，右邊是未來佛。殿內的人超多，藏民排隊進側門供佛。我們都進不了去。藏王松贊干布一出生就懂說話和走路。執政了20年。33歲死。藏王的左邊是尼泊爾的赤尊公主，右邊是漢文成公主，故赤尊公主帶入的佛像面向西以示對尼泊爾政府的尊重，而文成公主帶入的佛像面向東以示對中國政府的尊重。

在大殿的時候有個喇嘛看見我們在寫筆記很感興趣似的，還用普通話和英文問我們從哪裡來，跟我們聊天。原來他們會說四種語言呢。他其後還很好的特意的在人羣中找我們給我們大昭寺的簡介！(殿內的人可是超級超級的多，要在人羣中找我們可一點也不容易)


More on 大昭寺
http://fontraveljournal.blogspot.com/2013/04/walkthrough-jokhang-temple.html

Route to Tibet

Date: 13/6/2010
County: Tibet, China
Remarks: Routes to Tibet, Hong Kong to Tibet

Tibet has always been my dream place to go. As a hongkonger, we are very lucky that we need not to apply visa and can go there whenever we can. So here I came, in summer 2010.

Worried about the high altitude sickness, we decided to first get to Xining, the capital of Qinghai province, with an average altitude of 2,200 meters, for sometime to adopt to the high altitude before heading Tibet. We took 6.5-hour flight from Shenzhen to Xining, stayed for 2 days before renting a car to Lhasa of Tibet. The car ride from Xining to Lhasa took around 5 days and we passed via Qinghai Lake 青海湖, Chaka Salt Lake 茶卡鹽湖, Geermu 格爾木, Kunlun Mountain 崑崙山, Tanggula Shan 唐古拉山 and Namucuo 納木錯, and finally arrived Lhasa, with an average elevation of 4,900 metres.

The car ride was an expensive one. We rented one near the train station in Xining. There were lots of travel agents near the train station and it costed from RMB6,000 to 16,000 to go from  Xinan to Lhasa for vehicles from ordinary RV to 4-wheel drive. They asked RMB6000-8000 for RV, RMB12,000 for MPV (Multi-Purpose Vehicle) and RMB16,000 for a 4-wheel drive. We eventually got a MPV at $9,000 (incl 2 drivers). I guess this is the price we have to pay during peak season. There is indeed an cheaper alternative of taking the Qinghai-Tibet Railway 青藏鐵路 but they eventually decided to rent a car so that we could stop at all the scenic spots on the way.

Tibet 西藏: 一個我一定會再回去的地方

 Date: 18/6/2010
City: Lhasa. Tibet
Remarks: Day 6

西藏一直是我的好想好想去的地方，或者應該說，這幾乎是每一個旅行者的夢想。尚未去西藏的时候，西藏是一個神秘寻夢园，去过以后是一個你會愛上的地方。我一直告訴自己，我一定會再回去的。

拉薩就像很多其他中國城市，很現代化，乾淨整齐，很宽的马路，很多的車。西藏現代的部分是枯燥的，但西藏的文化和宗教色彩令西藏非常豐富多彩的。其實在拉薩市内大多數的人都是從鄰近省份过来工作/做生意的，大部分跟旅客觸并不是藏人，是漢人。西藏人都很虔诚，藏傳佛教说的是來生，修的是今生來生。故此西藏人对目前的生活没有很重視，对做生意并不是很感興趣。每天早晨和晚上你可以看到許多藏人，特別是老人家，绕着寺廟走，边走边轉手上的轉經輪。轉經輪每轉一次代表念了一次經。

PS。記得轉轉經輪/绕着寺廟走的时候要順時針。如果不知道怎么做的话，只需要隨着人群做。

拉薩是一個非常有趣的地方。一個擁有亮藍色的天空的土地，一個可以让你親眼目睹藏民如何生活的地方，一個可以让你見證藏民如何延續他們的歷史和文化的地方，一個去过以后會愛上的地方。

Tibet has always been my dream place to go, or maybe I should say it is almost every traveler's dream . It was a mystery spectacular before visiting, and a place you will fall in love with after going. I am definitely going back.

Lhasa was just like all other Chinese cities, very modernized, neat and clean, with lots of cars on the road. The modern part of Tibet was boring, but the Tibetans and the temples make the place very colorful and culturally rich . Indeed most of the people in Lhasa are Hans from nearby provinces for work/ business, so most of the people you as a tourist dealing with are not Tibetans, but Hans. From what I have understood, most of the Tibetans, especially the elderly, are not very interested in doing business, instead very devoted in Tibetan Buddhism. Tibetan Buddhism is about afterlife. It do not place much emphasis on the current life, but afterlife instead. One have to act in good faith in his current life for his afterlife. That is probably the reason why not many Tibetans are interested in doing business in Lhasa. You can find many Tibetans, especially the elderly, circling around the temples, spinning their Prayer Wheel in their hands during the mornings and evenings. Each spin of Prayer Wheel represents having chanted scriptures once.

PS. Always spin the wheel/ walk around the temples CLOCKWISE. If you have any confusion, just follow the crowd.

I found the Tibetans a very interesting ethnic. With them, Lhasa is a very interesting place. A place to witness how the Tibetans live their religion and believe. A land you can indulge yourself into the peace and culture, religion and spirit of the Tibetans under the bright blue sky. And it is not only a place with just culture and religion. It is also a place with lots of to see, lots to eat, and lots to shop. A place I felt in love with.

Curry Mee @ Penang

Date: 27, 29/11/2012
City: Penang, Malaysia
Remarks: Day 1 and Day 3

My first curry mee was in Pasar Lebuh Cecil (Pasar means market), which was a covered market: half of it was wet market selling meat and vegetables, another half was food stalls. The curry mee was made to order by a Malaysian lady in one of the food stall in the market. It looked good when served, but was a total disappointment. It was fried yellow noodles. I could taste the curry paste and lots of spices, but the overall taste was just not right. No good at all. The the texture of the mee was another disappointment. It was too soft, overcooked, and broken into short stripes. It was served with lime on top, you can squeeze the lime juice over the noodles. I tried the noodles, both with and without the lime juice. The lime juice didn't make the noodles taste better.

I decided to get another shot on curry mee few days later, at night at Lebuh Chulia. I was looking for something light and the curry mee stall was right outside my hostel. The stall seemed nice, run by a Chinese man, with a few customers having their mee. This time it was with soup, and was a much better version. It was a bowl of yellow noddles in rich broth with slight curry flavour.

Tai O @ Hong Kong

Date: 16 February 2013
Location: Tai O, Hong Kong

Tai O is a small fishing village with more than 200-year history. It used to have acres of sea-fields along the coast. Tai O was famous for its stilt houses which dates back to the 19th century and can still be found today. Some families are still living in the houses built on the stilts over the water in the harbour.

Although I've been staying in Hong Kong for 2x years, this was indeed my very first visit to Tai O. I did not even know where Tai O is located beforehand. Now i knew. One can take bus no 11 at Tung Chung MTR station. The bus station is right outside Exit B of Tung Chung MTR. There is a bus every 15 mins and the ride cost $11.8 and around 30 minutes (This may only valid for weekends).

I was there in the afternoon with beautiful weather. Wondering in Tai O was like going back to the 60s/70s. Everything were more raw and less polish. You could find souvenir shops selling mostly dried seafood and food stalls selling nostalgic snacks on both side of the streets. You can get onto the stilt houses for photos/ souvenirs. Salted fish and dried maw were the two things I saw most in Tai O. The walk in Tai O took around 2-3 hours and was very relaxing. So happened it was time of sunset we were about to leave Tai O and we had enjoyed a very beautiful sunset.

PS. I was very surprised that there were quite a number of foreign tourists/ tour in Tai O. I used to think Tai O is a popular scenic spot for the locals only, never thought it is indeed popular among tourists as well.

Three Pagodas 三塔寺 @ Yunnan

Date: 28/12/2008
City: Dali, Yunnan
Remarks: Day 6, Three Pagodas


聚影池 reflection pond reflecting the image of the Three Pagodas

If you have had enough with the old towns in Yunnan, the Three Pagodas is a nice place to get away from the bustling life in town. The Three Pagodas is near the Dali Old Town and is visible from the Dali Old Town. It took us around 30 minutes to walk from the Dali Old Town to the Three Pagodas, which was a bit longer than what we had expected, but one can always take the bus, trishaw or taxi there.

The Three Pagodas is a tranquil park with little tourists, suitable to those who are not interested in praying and burning incense. Entrance fee is RMB120/person, RMB60 for students. The Three Pagodas, as its name implies, comprises three independent pagodas made by brick and covered with white mud. The pagodas are beautiful and balanced, and uncommon in the ancient Buddhist architecture in China. The three pagodas form a symmetric triangle with one of the pagoda leans toward one side.

We should have stayed in the park for around 2-3 hours. Though we were very tired when we left the Three Pagodas, we found it expensive to take a trishaw. The driver asked for RMB10, and that was only a trishaw! He had asked for way too much and we just did not like being overcharged. So we, irrationally, decided to walk from the Three Pagodas back to Dali Old Town, and the driver followed us half the journey, for like 15 minutes! I guess the driver could hardly understand why these people were so stubborn. Obviously were tired to dead, but still, refused to pay 10 bucks for the ride. As soon as the driver gave up, we stopped at the nearby bus station and took a bus back to Dali Old Town (RMB1 per person). We were way to tired to continue walk back!!

Shuhe Ancient Town 束河古鎮 @ Yunnan

Date: 27 Dec 2008
City: Lijiang, Yunnan, China
Remarks: Day 5

Shuhe Ancient Town 束河古鎮 was indeed the third old town in our Yunnan Trip. Never thought of going that many old towns in one go, but once again, plan never catches up with changes.

We planned to go Jade Dragon Snow Mountain 玉龍雪山 but the wind was too strong that the whole glacier was shut down. Our driver suggested this place so here we were. in Shuhe Ancient Town 束河古鎮.

The Old Town of Lijiang was usually referring to the bustling Dayan Town,  but in fact the nearby Shuhe Ancient Town and Baisha Ancient Town are also included in the UNESCO World Heritage. Shuhe Ancient Town was one of the earliest settlement of Naxi ethnic group in Lijiang, a well-preserved market town on the Cha Ma Road. It only took about 10 min drive from Dayan Town to Shuhe Ancient Town.

Shuhe Ancient Town charged entry fee of RMB 30 and Old Town maintenance fee of RMB 80, but we have escaped from it by entering via the side door as suggested by our driver. wakaka

It was quite a nice old town, kind of like the commonly referred Old Town of Lijiang (Dayan Town), but in a smaller scale and in a better version. Better in a sense that the Shuhe Ancient Town has less tourist, and has still remain a certain degree of authenticity. There were beautiful traditional Naxi houses and cobbled streets. Many old Naxi houses are now cafe, guesthouses, restaurants and souvenir shops, but the houses are well preserved with its authenticity than those in the Old Town of Lijiang.

There were many horses for tourist ride in the town. You can almost saw it everywhere in town and people kept asking like every 5 minutes. And since there were so many horses in the town, you have to be careful while wandering around, be careful if the horses, as well as be careful if the horse shits on the streets!!

I heard from a tour guide in a museum in Shuhe Ancient Town regarding the "sky burial". Turn out the Naxi ethnic group also has the customs of sky burial. The dead was incised and the first knife was exercised by the the family member of the dead!!

Dali Old Town 大理古城 @ Yunnan

Date: 28 Dec 2008
City: Dali, Yunnan
Remarks: Day 6, Dali Old Town 大理古城


Dali old town is located in Dali Bai Autonomous Prefecture (大理白族自治州) in northwest Yunnan, 13 km from the New City of Dali, at the foot of Cangshan Mountain. It was the home of the Bai ethnic minority, an ancient Chinese city with history dated back to the Ming Dynasty. The bus from Lijiang to Dali took us around 3 hours.

I like the Dali Old Town more than the Old Town of Lijiang. Although the Dali Old Town is again another major tourist spot with lots of tourists, I noticed that the town has made its effort in maintaining its authenticity comparing to the Old Town of Lijiang. It feels less touristy and more comfy walking around the Dali Old Town. The Dali Old Town is a pleasant ancient town with well-preserved traditional houses and cobble paved streets. The town is laid out on a typical north-south, east-west axis with four main city gates and ancient city walls.

You can have a gentle walk within the Old Town. The town isn't a big one and a walk wouldn't take long. There are food stalls, antique shops, travel agents, guesthouses, bars and restaurants for the tourists for sure, but also flower stalls on the streets, banks, supermarkets, and some other local shops as well for the locals.

You can as well get up to the city wall for the overview of Dali Old Town. You got to admire the mainlanders. They can charge you anytime anywhere. There was even a counter on the city wall and you had to pay to walk around the walls. The counter did not look like an official one at all. It was just a table which seemed to be run by a random local. You got to pay RMB2 before you can walk around the city wall.

PS1. Notice there are many stalls/ hawkers selling strawberries on the street. Seems like strawberry is the local specialty in Dali.

PS2. It was very enjoyable to sit at the outdoor table of one of the bars in the Foreigners Street, a street full of bars and restaurants, to catch the vibe. We sat there for hours just to lay back. There was a group of Bai people passed by our bar, seemed like having some kind of traditional wedding ceremony. Very interesting to get a glimpse, and very glad to know that the Dali Old Town is still alive, with people living inside, telling stories, at the same time creating their own stories.

Ganden Sumtseling Monastery (松贊林寺) @ Shangri-la

Date: 24/12/2008
County: Shangri-la, China
Remarks: Day 2, Ganden Sumtseling Monastery (松赞林寺)

Ganden Sumtseling Monastery is one of the most important Tibetan monasteries in  Southwest China. It is situated 5km from the city of Zhongdian and is more than 300 years old. Built by the Fifth Dalai Lama, Ganden Sumtseling Monastery had undergone a massive restoration after the extensive damage it had in the Cultural Revolution. It is now the largest Tibetan Buddhist monastery in Yunnan with around 600-700 monks living inside, and is regarded as one of the main attraction in Shangri-la.

 It is a huge complex and one have to walk up hundreds of stoned steps from the entrance gate before reaching the main temple. I guess it was because of the high altitude, I had already panted after walking a few stairs. It took me quite some time to finally reach the main temple. On the way up, there were a lot of Tibetan children in Ganden Sumtseling Monastery asking for money, following you throughout the walk. And they only asked the girls, but not boys!! I understand it is commonly found in many places, but I don't like it at all. They should be in school, having their education instead of begging for money. Gods know what their parents are thinking.

Ganden Sumtseling Monastery is huge and magnificent, spreading along the hill scope. It is also known as the Little Potala Palace since it is modeled on Lhasa's Potala Palace. There are Tibetan prayer wheels along the way. Remember to give the prayer wheels a spin (spin clockwise). Each spin represents you have chanted scriptures once. Like many other temples in China, photos are not allowed inside the temple. You can get a nice panorama view of Ganden Sumtseling Monaster in Gulong Village nearby.

PS1. Ganden Sumtseling Monastery don't have discount for students (Disappointed).

E&O Hotel @ Penang

Date: 28/11/2012
City: Penang, Malaysia
Remarks: Day 2, High tea at E&O Hotel

The Eastern & Oriental Hotel is a 5-star colonial style hotel located at Lebuh Farquhar in George Town, walkable distance from Cheong Fatt Tze Mansion. The hotel itself is a well-maintained and well-restored heritage. The entire building is in classic English style, white in color, with wooden rotating doors and Victoria-style furnitures. Entering the hotel via the wooden rotating doors was like stepping into a English classic movie.

It took me around 5 minutes to walk from Cheong Fatt Tze Mansion to E&O. It was around 4pm in the afternoon with intolerable heat and my sole purpose was getting in an air-conditioned place to escape from the sun and to chill myself.

The air-conditioned classic English style environment of E&O was impressive, but its English afternoon tea wasn't. E&O was considerate that they are offering the English afternoon tea set from 1-person portion. It costed RM65/ person, which indeed was not expensive for a 5-star hotel. The portion of the tea set was very sufficient, with 2 scones, a couple of sandwiches and 3 types of desserts. The food, however, wasn't particularly tasty: the scones were not warm enough and the surface of the sandwiches were hard and dry, as if the sandwiches had been placed in an air-conditioned environment for a long time. For the desserts, the american cheese cake tasted fine, but the other 2 were just soso.

The services in E&O was very good on the other hand. The waiters would help refilling your water without asking which was very nice. No one in the tea room was talking aloud. My tea time overall was quiet and relaxing.

All in all, the overall food quality in E&O was disappointing but the environment and services were good.


EASTERN & ORIENTAL HOTEL
Tel: +604 222 2000
Address: 10 Farquhar Street, Georgetown, Penang Island 10200, Malaysia
Website: http://www.eohotels.com

Old Town of Lijiang 麗江古城 @ Yunnan

Date: 26/12/2008
City: Lijiang, Yunnan, China
Remarks: Day 4

去雲南沒有去過麗江古城就像沒有到過雲南。麗江古城是雲南一主要旅遊點，是聯合國教科文組織世界遺產，有超過800年的歷史。麗江古城的舊建築是獨一無二的，融和了雲南的納西文化和傳統的中國文化。麗江古城是一個很大的古城，保留了其歷史悠久的城市景觀和它獨有的古老而複雜的供水系統。麗江古城的古老供水系統今天仍然運作，河流和小橋在舊城區幾乎無處不在。

古城裡是不准車子行駛的。在老城區的街道是鵝卵石鋪成的。街道兩側的房子大多是兩層高，有磚瓦的屋頂，二樓外部有走廊。

雖然這是一個古老的城市，但是它保育得很好，很熱鬧，而且高度旅遊化。雖然我去的時候是在冬天，應該是淡季，但是麗江古城仍遊人如鯽，到处都是遊客。整個古城沿著舊城區的街道走兩側都是賓館，紀念品商店，酒吧和餐館。所以，如果你在想像著一個細小的而寧靜的古城，麗江古城完全不是那一回事。我想現在應該沒有很多當地居民仍住在的舊城區裡。

然而，這個古城仍然是一個很棒的地方，一個買紀念品的地方和一個很有趣的地方。古城有一條街整條街都是酒吧和餐館。傍晚和晚上的時候整條街的酒吧門口都站着酒吧的職員，大聲的歡呼和唱，試圖蓋過另一家酒吧的声音。晚上走這條酒吧街是一個非常有趣的經驗。


Going Yunnan without visiting the Old Town of Lijiang is almost like you haven't been to Yunnan at all. It is a major attraction in Yunnan, a UNESCO World Heritage Site and has a history of more than 800 years. The buildings of the Old Town of Lijiang is unique to other ancient Chinese cities with the representation of Naxi culture and tradition. The town is a big one and has retained its historical townscape and its ancient complex water supply system which still functions today.  You can see rivers and bridges almost everywhere in the Old Town. Cars are not allowed in the Old Town area and the streets are paved with cobblestones. Most of the houses in the Old Town are two-storeyed, with tiled roofs and an external corridor.

Though it is suppose to be an ancient city, it is very well restored, very bustling and very lively.  The town is highly touristy. Although I was there in winter time, which was supposed to be the low season, the town was still flooded with tourists. Guesthouses, souvenir shops, bars and restaurants are all over the town. All different kind of shops are along the streets in the Old Town. So if you are thinking about a small, quite ancient city, the Old Town of Lijiang is totally not the case. I don't think there are much local inhabitants still living in the Old Town nowadays.

Nevertheless, the town was still a great place for souvenirs and a fun place to stay. There is a street full of bars and restaurants. It is very rowdy in the evening and at night where the bars trying to ousting each other by cheering and singing aloud. It is a very interesting experience to walk via the bars at night just for the cheering.

Chowrasta Market @ Penang

Date: 29/11/2012
City: Penang, Malaysia
Remarks: Day 3, local breakfast in the morning

There are lots of morning markets in Penang. As seen from the name, they only opens in the morning, before noon, and are the best place for breakfast!! As understood from a local old man, the largest one in George Town is the Chowrasta Market. It is in the UNESCO World Heritage Core Zone, between Jalan Chowrasta and Jalan Campbell, and is just 5-minute walk from my hostel in Lebuh Chulia!! How nice!!

It is basically a wet market for the locals to buy food and groceries, and to have their breakfast. The wet market counters selling fruits, vegetables and groceries are along the roads, and behind the counters, there are a number of restaurants/ tea houses selling drinks like tea/ coffee, with different food counters in the tea houses selling different type of food, eg. congee, Hokkien Mee, Wan Tan Mee, Curring Mee, etc. The tea houses and the wet market counters are like perfect match. One can buy their stuff from the market after having their breakfast in the tea houses, or rest in the tea houses after walking around the market.

The Chowrasta Market is kind of clean. Well, not very orderly and clean since it is on road market after all, but not very messy and wet. You can comfortably walk around. Anyway, I found it very interesting to walk around the market. You can find fresh fruits, vegetables, herbs, meats, ready made food/ local food, groceries, all different kind of stuff. And you can have a glimpse of the local life and culture. 

PS. The tea houses only open in the morning. You will find the food counters in the tea houses moved out to the street at night!!

Tiger Leaping Gorge 虎跳峽 @ Shangri-la

Date: 26/12/2008
County: Shangri-la, China
Remarks: Day 4, Trekking in Tiger Leaping Gorge 虎跳峽

"Am I out of my mind? Why am I risking my life treking 2-3000 metres above sea level?!"

That was I was thinking when I was trekking at Tiger Leaping Gorge in Shangri-la. I had never thought of go hiking in Shangri-la at all before the trip, but it became one of the most memorable experience I had in Shangri-la.

Tiger Leaping Gorge was one of the deepest gorges in the world. It is about 60 kilometers north of Lijiang Old Town lying between Jade Dragon Snow Mountain (Yulong Xueshan) and Haba Snow Mountain (Haba Xueshan). It is part of the Three Parallel Rivers of Yunnan Protected Areas World Heritage Site. Legend says a tiger jumped across the river at the narrowest point in order to escape from a hunter, and hence its name. Tiger Leaping Gorge was divided into Upper Gorge, Middle Gorge and Lower Gorge. Lower Gorge was well maintained and paved and was where most of the tours clustered. Upper and Middle Gorge were relatively more remote with much less tourists, with just a fair number of trekkers.

Tiger Leaping Gorge was not in our plan indeed, but it was on our way from Shangri-la to Lijiang and was recommended by our driver. Why not then.

Our driver brought us to Tina's guesthouse in the Middle Gorge. We stayed there for a night (25 Dec) and rented a guide at RMB 180 to bring us down to the rapids of Middle Tiger Leaping Stone early next morning (26 Dec). The beds of Tina's guesthouse weren’t particularly comfy but they were at least warm.

We dated our guide at 7:30AM, but it was still a total darkness out there. So we waited for the first glimpse of light before descending down the cliff to the middle rapid (at around 8AM). There was essentially no path at all, but a sheer trail descending directly near Tina's Guesthouse to the river bank. The dirt path was extremely friable and dry, as well as very steep. It was very slippery and dangerous. The scenery was gorgeous, but I was too busy to keep myself safe on the path and had no extra hand in taking much photos. The Middle Tiger Leaping Stone was at the middle rapids. It wasn't easy to get down to the very bottom to the middle rapids. Going back up was even more difficult. We had to climb "the Sky Ladder"!! A ladder that was VERTICAL up to the sky, and for sure there was no safety net underneath!! (We only came to know that there was indeed a alternative path to go back, without the Sky Ladder after climbing the Sky Ladder. And the guide told us nothing about the alternative path!!)

The round trip to the rapids of Middle Tiger Leaping Stone took us 2.5 hours. The trip was tough and exhausting. However, when I now looked back after a few year, it was one of the most memorable part of my Shangri-la trip and was all worth it.

PS. What ironic is that while we were walking with extremely causion, our guide was walking very easily in his leather shoes!! As if it was nothing at all.....

Penang Peranakan Mansion @ Penang

Date: 28/11/2012
City: Penang, Malaysia
Remarks: Day 2, wondering around George Town



I didn't mean to visit Penang Peranakan Mansion. It wasn't in my plan indeed, it just popped up when I was wondering around George Town. The reason I got into Penang Peranakan Mansion in the first place was to rest under the shade (I was so exhausted under the sun). Nevertheless, Penang Peranakan Mansion still worths a visit if you have time. It is just right next to Little India, at the intersection of Lebuh Penang and Lebuh Gereja.  It gives you a glimpse of the unique culture and lifestyle of the Babas.

Penang Peranakan Mansion is a typical home of a rich Peranakan Family in the old days. Peranakans are also known as Babas and Nyonyas, Straits Chinese settled along the British Straits Settlements of Penang. Peranakans adopted the local Malays ways and the British colonial lifestyle. The 2-storey Penang Peranakan Mansion was miniature of a typical wealthy Baba house, although its builder, the Kapitan Cina Chung Keng Kwee, was not a Baba himself.
The Main Hall and the DIning Hall are on the ground floor, while the bedrooms are in the 2nd floor. The kitchen and the washroom wasn't in the Mansion, but in an external annexe houses.

Penang Peranakan Mansion
Address: 29, Church Street, 10200 Penang, Malaysia
Telephone: 604-2642929
Fax: 604-2641929
Website: www.pinangperanakanmansion.com
Opening hours: Daily 9:30AM to 5PM
Admission: RM10 for Adult, RM5 Child under 12 years

0度以下的普達措國家公園 Potatso National Park (Pudacuo) @ Shangri-la, China

Date: 25/12/2007
County: Shangri-la, China
Remarks: Day 3, Potatso National Park (Pudacuo) 0度以下的普達措國家公園
Webiste: http://www.puda-cuo.com/

在幾年後寫這篇遊記的時候，普達措國家公園的景色都回到了我的腦海內。我是最近才發現原來普達措國家公園是中國大陸第一個國家公園。無論如何，普達措國家公園是一個去香格里拉的時候必須去的地方。普達措國家公園香格里拉距離22公里，位於中國西南部的雲南省。參觀普達措約需用半天左右。

普達措國家公園位於海拔3,500米到4,000米以上，主要景點包括屬都湖，Militang牧場和碧塔海。普達措似乎保育得很好，在公園沒有太多的人/商業活動，配套完善。在遊客中心支付190元的入場費後，人們可以坐穿梭巴士往來散落在公園的風景名勝區。巴士上有導遊向您介紹景點的特色。主要景點均設有棧道供遊客漫步，應該相當容易和輕鬆的步行旅程。
PS。然而在零下10度的天氣下走棧道則絕非一個簡單的任務!!

因為是冬天的關係，Militang牧場的草地已經乾了，但屬都湖和碧塔海依然風光如詩如畫。屬都湖和碧塔海都被覆蓋著茂密的森林山包圍着，湖上覆蓋著一層薄薄的冰，你可以在湖面看到完美的倒影。我可以想像在春天和夏天的時候普達措會是多麼的美麗。

冬天最好的就是沒有遊客，整個普達措只有我們（湖邊的長凳上都結了像水晶似的冰）。我們可以遠離遊客的喧囂，可以盡情享受普達措自然的魅力，享受它應有平靜和安靜的。

PS。學生有50％的折扣！如果你有學生證，記得要帶上！

Having writing this few years later, memory of the heavenly landscape of Potatso National Park all came back to my mind. I only came to realise recently Potatso is indeed the first national park in mainland China. In any event, Potatso National Park is a must-go when visiting Shangri-la. It is located 22km away from Shangri-la, in southwest China's Yunnan province. A visit to Potatso would take up around half a day.

Potatso mainly comprises of Shudu Lake, Militang Pasture and Bita Lake, elevates from 3,500 meters to 4,000 meters above the sea level. Potatso appeared to be well preserved without much human/ commercial activities in the Park. The supporting facilities of Potatso was well developed. One can took the shuttle bus at the visitor centre after after paying the entrance fee of 190 Yuan. There was tour guide on shuttle bus introducing you the scenic spots and the bus would take you to the scenic spots scattered in the park. One can trek the well-built wooden pathway around the lakes. The walk should be easy and relaxing.

PS. It wasn't really an easy walk at all under the freezing -10 degree though.

The meadow of Militang Pasture had dried out since I was there in winter time with temperature of -10 degrees, but the scenery of Shudu Lake and Bita Lake were picturesque. Both Shudu Lake and Bita Lake were surrounded mountains covered with dense forest and covered with a thin layer of ice on the surface and you could see the perfect reflection from the lake surface. I can imagine how beautiful Potatso would be during spring and summer time. The best part of going during winter time was that there wasn't any tourist but us (you can see from the crystallized ice on the benches along the Lakes), so we can still enjoy the natural charm of Potatso. The Park was as calm and quiet as it should be, free from the hustle and bustle of the tourist. 

PS. There's 50% discount for students!! So, remember to bring your Student ID card if you have one!!

0度以下的香格里拉 Shangri-la @ China

Date: 23/12/2007

Location: Shangri-la, China

Remarks: Our routes

我是12月去香格里拉，是冬天的時候。這不是一年最佳的旅遊時間。一個字來形容12月香格里拉的天氣，就是冷，0至-10度左右的冷，加上平均海拔超過3000米的香格里拉，冷天氣和可能的高原反應，如頭痛，胸悶，可以使您的旅程開始得很慘。

香格里拉位於西藏，雲南，四川的交叉點。該地區居住著許多不同的民族，其中藏族人口佔多數。壯觀景色和豐富的文化使香格里拉這土地非常有魅力。

除了0度以下的冷天氣外，12月的天氣其實是蠻不錯的。乾燥，而且沒有什麼雨水。天空是明亮和清澈的藍色，景色蔚為壯觀。而且冬天去香格里拉的好處就是沒有什麼遊客。所有的地方(對的，是所有的地方)都只會發現了一兩個遊客，就是這樣。只要你想留，你可以留在你喜歡的地方多久就多久，可以盡情享受不受旅客打擾的香格里拉。而且在這個淡季的時候東西也便宜得多，食物，租車，酒店，紀念品，什麼都便宜多。

我們坐了從香港飛往昆明機場，在昆明住了一晚，並第二天早上坐飛機昆明至香格里拉。香格里拉的機場很小，我們的飛機是機場裡唯一的飛機。我們的飛機停在跑道上，我們走出飛機就像主席一樣，哈哈。走出機場後也完全不必擔心如何從機場去酒店，十多個司機在機場外向我們招手。所以，你可以隨便挑一個一輛價格合理的車，應該只用花幾塊錢。 （但要注意，我這經歷的時間是在冬季。不知道旺季期間是什麼樣子的）。

昆明的天氣並不冷，穿薄外套已經足夠了，感覺就像1X度左右。但是，香格里拉是冷得多。在走出機場之前，我們把我們所有的衣服都穿了上身。機場裡有一個溫度計，是 -8度！我們每次說話的時候都有白煙從口裡冒出來!!

PS。人們通常從南到北，從昆明開始，然後向北走去香格里拉，但我們採取了相反的路線。反而，我們先去香格里拉，再往南走回昆明。

I was in Shangri-la in December, winter time. It's not really the best time of visit in the year. It was cold, around -10 degree, and together with the average altitude of over 3,000 meters of Shangri-la, the coldness and the possible altitude sickness with symptoms like headache, chest distress and so on could make your trip started miserably.

Shangri-la county located at where Tibet, Yunnan and Sichuan met. The land was very attractive and charming  with the spectacular scenery and the fascinating ethnic cultures. The region was inhabited by many different ethnic groups, with Tibetans took up the majority of the population.

The weather in December was indeed quite nice. It was dry with little rain. The sky was bright blue and crystal clear. The scenery was spectacular. And there were good thing going Shangri-la during winter time as well. All the places we went were not packed with tourists. You could only found a couples and that's it. You could stay wherever you like, stay as long as you like, indulge yourself into Shangri-la without being disturbed by the travellers. And things were much cheaper over there during this slack season too. The food, the rented car, the hotel, the souvenir, everything.

We took a flight from Hong Kong to Kunming Airport in Yunnan, stayed in Kunming for one night, and got on the flight from Kunming to Shangri-la directly the morning next day. The Shangri-la was much smaller, there was only one plane, our plane in the airport. We walked out of the aircraft like Mr President, haha. And we need not to worry about how to get from the Airport to your hotel. When we walked out the Airport after putting all the clothes we had on us, there were dozens of drivers coming to you. So, just pick the one with a nice car and reasonable price. Should only cost a few bucks. (But beware, that's what I experienced in winter time. Not sure what it's like during peak season.)

The weather wasn't cold in the Kunming. A thin jacket was already enough. It felt like around 1x degrees. But Shangri-la was much much colder. There was a thermometer in the Airport, and it was -8 degrees!! There was white smoke coming out from your mouth every time you speak.

PS. People usually go from the south to north, started from Kunming, to Lijian and then Shangri-la, but we took the opposite route. We indeed went to Shangri-la right away, and travelled downwards back to Kunming.

#travel, #travelblog, #Shangri-la, #China