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