Tastes of Kāifēng 开封

A day trip to ancient Kāifēng a few weeks ago with Louis and Ashley on a well deserved day off from work.  Kāifēng is pretty rad.

Rad facts learned from Lonely Planet China and other random guide books:

• A gated city known as one of the Seven Ancient Capitals of China, dating back to 364 BCE.

• Parts of the city, which were inhabited by the Song Dynasty, lie buried nine metres below ground level because of centuries of flooding.  Construction of buildings requiring deep foundations are prohibited today, for fear of destroying historical artifacts.

• Although having been conquered and named numerous times in its past, Kāifēng came to be after the conquest of the Qing Dynasty, the last imperial dynasty of China.

• Kāifēng has a deep rooted history in Judaism as it was the first city in China where Jewish merchants had settled. The Kāifēng Torah dates back to about 1643.

• Today, Kāifēng is comprised of mostly Christian and Muslim Hui communities, with only a small number of people claiming Jewish dissent.

I was thinking temples, synagogues, churches and mosques. AWESOME! Diverse religious communities  = beautiful and unique architecture.  Maybe.  Bliss.  An hour and two hundred kuài later, we arrived in Kāifēng via taxi and had forgotten about all the rad facts we had read.  Instead, we choose to eat our way from one market to the next, following the smells of kebabs and chou ganzi (stinky tofu) through the maze of merchants, construction and debris, trying to find the next best taste.

A tour around town....but dumplings first.

The markets.

Found kimbap!!  In China, we cover it in mayo, ketchup and PB.

For my friends in construction :D  You'd love these sites.

Kilometres of markets.  Stuff, stuff, and stuff.

Kebab and beverage break.

Sugar cane juice.  Not so yummy. 

kebabs. nang bread. sesame seed cakes. marinated tofu. kimbap. dumplings. sugar-coated berries. mutton in flat bread. noodle/mystery meat soups. soy frozen yogurt.

Yup.  Ashley and Louie ate all of that.  Not me.  I would never do that ;)

The tastes of Kāifēng 开封 was amazing!  But beware of food coma.  I slept for most of the cab ride back. HA!

Thanks for reading :)

Next blog:  Exposing my love/hate relationship of living and working abroad.  It's one hell of a roller coaster ride.

Me, Myself and Hong Kong (2)

Day two brought me to Lantau island in hopes for a clear day to see the world's largest seated bronze Buddha statue, Tian Tan.

As I floated across the harbour on the first ferry, it would seem mother nature had other plans as it was looking quite drab and dreary.  Hoping for different conditions on top of the mountain, I decided to continue on, umbrella in hand.

The bus ride to the top was a little frightening as the driver insisted on taking the winding road, which was under construction, at very high speeds. I was actually feeling ill on the way up and I rarely suffer from motion sickness.  I closed my eyes to ease some tension, but my imagination was running wild by this point.  All I could envision was the bus skidding off the road into the depths of the ravine towards the rocky landscape below, exploding on...  

Finally, the bus slowed.  I was in Ngong Ping village and soon forgot about my fiery end.


With Buddha in sight, I began my climb up the steep staircase.  I was looking up at the most beautiful statue I had ever seen, feeling very small and humbled.

A beautiful memento and a means to cool off. Loving this fan!

It was time to leave and I couldn't help but feel a little sad.  Walking down the stairs, I looked back every few feet, taking in the many last looks.  Here was one of them.

 

*****************************

Later that day, after I had picked up my visa, I found myself reliving the moments on my camera at a restaurant I did not imagine I would be eating at in Hong Kong.

Of all the culinary goodness to choose from I found myself at McDonald's. They were advertising the McCurry sandwich and I was intrigued.  It was kinda tasty but I couldn't help feeling guilty eating beef after such an inspiring morning with Buddha. 

Not feeling guilty enough, I followed dinner with drinks in Lan Kwai Fong, a popular bar district in Central, HK.

Canadian on tap and hockey on the tube, I enjoyed a game and a few pints with some pretty rad expats.

GO LEAFS GO!

** It has come to my attention that since writing this the Leafs lost in game seven against Boston :( Better luck next year. 

That said, I feel Boston could use the win. Don't you?**

In Disbe-leaf

Me, Myself and Hong Kong

I found myself in Hong Kong for a three day holiday at the end of April, all expenses paid!!  Yup, had to get my visa sorted and that's where I was sent.  In total, I spent about forty minutes at the visa office, which meant I had lots of free time for strolling the city.

As I looked over the city, sipping a much needed glass of red, I anticipated what the next three days would bring.  One thing I was sure of was that my clothing would be baby boogie free for a few days ...and I raised my glass to that.

Slightly buzzed, I sped through customs, exchanged some cash for HK dollars and found myself zipping across the city on the express train towards the visa office.  Following the flow of people, I surfaced the station and this was my first view of Wan Chai district.

I had to be at the visa office by two o'clock and I had vague directions of exactly where it was, but luckily, I stumbled upon it thirty minutes later being one of the first people in line.  Off to a great start!  Twenty minutes later, application was completed and submitted.  Now I could search for my hostel.  Map in hand, I went on my way.

Next stop: Causeway Bay, shopping mecca!  This was where my hostel was located.  It took about an hour of solid looking, but I finally found it located above one of many high end shops.  Imagine an obscure looking gold door located between shops, with no signage stating entry would lead to a place of sleep and free coffee.

I dropped off my luggage, took a phone shot of the obscure door because I knew I would have issues finding it later and set out with my lonely planet guide to Hong Kong, hoping to find Peak Tram, Central.

Following the signs around Central, I found the tram without issue and was heading up Victoria peak on a very clear day.  I was too late in finding a seat and had to stand the entire way up, which was awkward for the most part as it is a very steep climb, but I was so excited taking in my sideways view of the city that my safety seemed trivial at the time.

A late afternoon view.  I was lucky it was such a clear day.

The ride back down was even more exciting as you descend backwards the entire route.  I was reminded of a similar experience I had with my friend, Breanna, descending a very steep hill backwards in a tractor while touring a jungle in Costa Rica.  I giggled the entire way down imagining Breanna's reaction had she been along for this ride.

Next, I was en route to Star Ferry port making my way across Victoria harbour to Tsim Sha Tsui East Promenade in hopes to find the Temple Street Night Market, taking pictures of Central along the way.

Hong Kong is terribly easy to navigate thanks to an incredible public transportation system and the fact that most people speak English.  Signage and maps were posted everywhere, pointing the way towards major tourist sites and different transportation hubs.  I feel I had the city figured out by the end of my first day, which was very comforting.

The ferry ride across the harbour was very peaceful and it was nice to finally breathe in what seemed to be fresh air compared to that of Zhengzhou's smoggy air.

The view from East Promenade of the Star Ferry, looking across to Central.  Dreamy.

Kowloon district is pretty unique is its population comprises of Chinese, Filipinos, Africans, Indians and Europeans, which is evident in the charm of its diverse neighborhoods and the goods that can be found at its markets.  I enjoyed my evening travels of Kowloon, discovering various markets down little alleyways and eating my way from one market to the next.

Temple Street  Market is a large bizarre where you can find anything and everything from designer bags to sex toys.  I was in heaven :D  I also stumbled upon the famous Jade Market.

 

Sensory overload?  Yes.  But I felt strangely peaceful wandering through blocks of markets listening to vendors shouting their prices, finding my way through the maze of people and goods.

It was an incredible afternoon and evening which I hope to be reminded of for years to come...with help of this beautiful painting of Central, HK, which I bought at Temple Street Market.

Day two to follow :)

Thanks for reading!!

Road trip, anyone??

I am the proud owner of a brand new E-scooter, named 糖 糖, Táng Táng.

Living in Zhengzhou, having a scooter is essential at getting around as the subway has yet to make its debut, buses are insanely overcrowded and taxis are not always available when you need them...and at times, the ride can be very terrifying.  Like, ummmm...high speed chase terrifying!  So when public transit is the shits, get an E-scooter :)

Thank you to Ashley for allowing me to borrow Louis for the afternoon. He was of great help.

Thanks a bunch, Louie! Had you not been there I am sure I would be driving something black with small tires and shitty brakes, less winter muffs, tire pump, lock, and rain jacket :)

My only concern now?  Where the hell am I going to buy a helmet?

二七广场 Er Qi Guang Chang

A chilly Sunday afternoon spent with Ashley and Louis at 二七广场 Er Qi Guang Chang. We explored the outdoor market, quite similar to the Namdaemun market in Seoul, which I adored.  A busy place, filled with people wanting to buy everything from denim to eyelashes, and of course, indulge in the amazing street cuisine.
   

Can you see me?  How `bout now? 

So. many. people.

Goods galore.

Chinglish.

Good eats.  This is where my money was spent.

The Er Qi Memorial Tower based in the center of the district, which I found to be a useful point of reference when feeling a bit lost in the market maze.

 

 

Followed by an evening of red wine, pizza and a skype date with mom and dad.  Just another glorious day in Zhengzhou.

In love in Zhengzhou

I left home on a beautiful wintry day...

...and arrived in Zhengzhou on a beautiful spring day.

It's been two weeks since I arrived, and to be honest, it feels as though I have always lived here.  I have settled into my job quite comfortably and met some really lovely people.  As I sit here writing this blog, drinking a coffee and eating rice wrapped in seasoned seaweed (which my teaching partner explains is very Korean of me), I feel quite contented. I am in love in Zhengzhou.

Zhengzhou is a city of over eight million people, an up and coming city is the term most frequently used. It has been growing steadily over the last five years and continues to expand now. I live in an area called the 'New District' in the east side of the city.

Check out my 'hood.  My glowing building, with a bottom floor lined with an absurd number of tea rooms.

My cozy little home. It has rooms!!!

The view from my balcony type sun room, which I shall make into my yoga and meditation studio, is glorious!!

And yes, I am bragging at the moment.

But, as some of you know, living in Asia isn't always glorious.  Things like convenience are often exchanged for beauty and absolute awesomeness.  Most days my toilet doesn't work and although it has been fixed numerous times, I still use public squatters often, forgetting to bring my own personal supply of tissue.  My internet only works when it wants to and I pay extra fees just to access North American social networking sites, and in about two months from now, I will come home to having no electricity and gas because the money on my utilities card will have run out.  Is there a way to find out how much money is left versus the usage of utilities? No.  My cell phone works in the same manner.

Does any of this really bother me?  No, not really.  I am not opposed to a pay as you system, but I'll let you know after my utilities shut off during the most inconvenient time.

Did I mention my new neighbour is a very large mall?  Everything is ridiculously inexpensive here and I find myself living an extremely comfortable life. Two hundred Canadian dollars goes a very, very long way.

 And the best?

My favourite little 'Stay Cafe' where I drink the most fabulous African coffee while studying my Chinese language book.

Finally, a night on the town last eve brought me to Target bar, sipping Tsingtao with the Irish on one of my most favourite celebrations of the year.

Happy St. Patrick's Day!!