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.
Wednesday, March 27, 2013
Wednesday, March 20, 2013
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.
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.
Wednesday, March 13, 2013
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.
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.
Wednesday, March 6, 2013
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.
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.
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