Travel,Shopping & Food in Asia
Hmong Lady - Chiang Mai
GUANGZHOU
To Travel within Guangzhou for a tourist like me, I prefer walking (if it is within 2km),Metro & taxis. Taxis will start the price from RMB7.00 and they will also imposed fuel surcharge of RMB2.00 & RMB2.60 depending on which taxis u are taking (small or big). I will take taxis as it will take me right to the door step . But if u have a group of 4 , it will be quite cheap too by taxi. Travel after peak hours like after 9am and also before 5pm or after 7pm. This is to avoid the traffic jam.
For those who are more adventurous & plenty of time, you can take the bus route.
And to go to Hong Kong,Go to their Guangzhou East Railway Station, take the direct train to Hung Hom station in HK. cost about HKD190 per way. There's a schedule to follow.And from Hung Hom station you can travel to Tsim Tsa Tsui East to go anywhere you want unnless there is further changes depending on where you are staying.
And if you want to travel cheap and want to go thru the hassle of walking, you may also attemp to take the bullet train which runs every 20 mins from Guangzhou East Railway Station to Shenzhen (Lo Wu) @ RMB80 per way (2nd class) comes with 3 + 2 seats. 1st class @ RMB100 - 2 + 2 seats. And when you reach the station, look out for Hong Kong signage and follow. It was quite a distance walk and it felt like never end. And chinese nationalities and foreigners has a different counter for immigration.Just follow the sign
And REMEMBER their peak hours before 9am and 5pm - 7pm.
Once you pass thru both immigration, you will reach the Hong Kong railway station (Lo Wu) from here get a ticket to where ever you are heading to but get down at Kowloon Tong station to your respective MTR lines.
HONG KONG
In Hong Kong - needless to say by MTR.Taxis are extremely expensive means of transportation.As a tourist I do not recommend MTR 2 days pass (HKD120) or even 1 day pass (HKD55). Anyway, do your calculation of where u want to go and see whether it is worth it or not.Get an Octupus card 150HKD includes 50 deposit and 100 to use.The 2 days pass will give you some discount vouchers like for Ngo Ping 360,Disneyland, the Peak etc. However, I have recently read an update from Low yat forum,
Hong Kong Hotels
After 2 days in Guangzhou, I also travelled to Hong Kong. so the last trip I went to HK was way back in 1997.It was a month after the handover to China and I remembered so well that it was Princess lady Diana met with an accident in France and passed away in the crash...sad indeed.
The last trip I had was with a tour agency so everything was arranged and cost me about RM1500 with SQ flight, 4 nights accomodation, tour and a trip to Shenzhen as well. And I enjoy good exchange rate those days.
So this time it was a DIY trip and I pop in GZ via train. Hotels in HK are relatively EXPENSIVE and small. Since m a budget traveller, what can I say,with low budget, I can afford to stay in hotel but Hostel.Anyway, just wanna share tis hostel
Been searching around, luckily a friend in HK mention that their parents operate budget hostel & smack in MONGKOK. So what a deal.Moreover heading to a place that I feel safe and I know.
This hostel is frequent by mostly china tourist (Individual travellers) Location wise very convenient) Near Shantung st, Sai yong choi st, Lui yan kai,Shanghai st (all within walking distance) And around this hostel you will find BIG goldsmith like CHOW TAI FOOK and branded watches like Rolex brand which goes up to HKD500,000 or and above. Nvr seen so expensive watches.
Mongkok MTR station also very near.
And about the room. Pretty small enuf to put in 2 single bed and one big luggage.Comes with attach bathroom which is good.And nothing shout about and m a real budget traveller. So don't expect much. This is a family operated biz.And the owner is from Fujian so I felt wahhh from the same kampong lor. The reason I stayed here because I also know them. So I felt safe with my luggage inside.
The hostel is located in a building, where downstairs are commercial shops.The hostel is on 25th floor.And there are many hostel too in this buildingThat's how the people in HK operate hostel.
Btw, if you wish to purchase disneyland tickets cheap, you may go to Golden Crown @ Tsim Tsa Tsui http://goldencrownhk.com/reservations/en. The tickets is only HKD320. If you purchase directly from Disneyland it cost HKD350. You can even stay at this hotel as I have checked them out ..Rooms are not too bad @ HKD350 for twin bed. However during any major events in HK, be prepare to pay DOUBLE. Manage by an elderly couple.
GuangZhou Hotels
Just made a trip to Guangzhou & HK. This is my 1st overseas trip in 2011. Very tired and exausted. And feeling well when I got back here. It was heaty for me. Drink less water I guess
Anyway, I have been doing research for few weeks about where to stay in Guangzhou. And of course, the 1st priority is convenient, clean & comfortable. I always look into a few website and also reading reviews from TripAdvisor as well. The sites I will go into would be Agoda most of the time, However this I found ctrip.com (is a chinese portal but they english version since m a banana) and the other one would be elong.com. They are relatively cheap for hotels in China.
After reading Tripadvisors review and some bloggers recommendation, I have chosen Home Inn East of Changshou Lu which is a budget Inn and also for budget travellers. This Inn is frequent by local travellers and I could only find we are the only M'sian .
Location - They are just less than 1km away of Shang Xia Jiu pedestrain street Mall area (walking distance) and 15 mins walk from Metro station (is just a straight walk and you will find it interesting walk cos there's so many things to see n buy along the way. So the 15 mins walk don't feel long at all). The surrounding got food to eat as well even at wee hours.
Don't just walk in to the hotel .Must prebooked cos they get 100% occupancy during the weekend. Many got dissapointed when they walk in as we arrive at the hotel pass midnite. Rack rate is RMB199 and if you become a member of the Home Inn chain @ RMB40, you will get 8% discount .Otherwise you may booked thru Ctrip or elong.com @ RMB189 which is cheaper cos I don't have to buy the membership.Prices will also increase should there be an exhibition, expo or convention in Guangzhou. Booking thru Ctrip or elong is still cheaper than hotel price. Both website do have allocation with hotel and give the same rate. So if you can't get Ctrip then try elong
Hard to get taxi to airport at night but can get the hotel to call for taxi.(taxi from airport cost RMB160 inclusive of toll and from Hotel to Airport cost RMB113 inclusive of toll) Hotel offer morning b'fast @ RMB15 from 7 - 9.30am.Nothing to shout about. Room 206 which I stayed was not satisfying cos everything smells of cigarette smoke including bedsheet, comforter as well as the towels. And even I close the window, you smell cigarette smoke coming into the room.(It was Spring, so I thought of opening up the window to allow fresh air) .Some rooms may not have window, but fire safety sake, you must always choose a room with window. But in room 206, the window is blocked by another building, so looks quite useless, isn't it.Can't even escape should there be fire. (I STRONGLY DO NOT RECOMMEND ROOM 206) So you will be inhaling smoke as long as you are in the room. I have used air refreshner but didn't work. And the aircond too smell of cigarette.
And if you stay on 7th floor there's no lift to that floor.It goes up to 6th flr only. Sound insulation poor. Bed is hard (standard for most hotels in China) however is good for our back.The room is generally clean,bed sheets are clean, bathroom are clean too (very important) and there's boradbabnd provided in the room otherwise you may use the pc at the lobby.
Reception aren't big.Best you can speak cantonese or mandarin.English is very minimum.And they are all friendly.
Good thing - they do provide disposable shoes,toothpaste, tooth brush,shower cap,huge water dispenser (hot & cold),free broadband in d room,soap & shampoo ,towels & hand towels
Seeri Authentic Thai Restaurant
Feeling like going for Thai Food today (and guess what I just got back from BKK and still can't get over with Thai food).... and a friend recommended this place Seeri Thai Restaurant. Location - SS2 Chow Yang - same row as Kayu Nasi Kandar.
Set up by a couple Thai wife (Ms Rose who is also the chef) and Ricky the hubby (Malaysian chinese - speak Penang Hokkien)
FYI, this restaurant is non halal and NO MSG (printed on their menu). Total cost was RM104 for 6 ppl. Must try the following dish (my recommnendation lar). And tell them to cook like real Thai (FYI, is real hot & spicy). We also had pandan & lemongrass tea (take it warm)
Laab Mu - Pork Salad. Goes so well with my rice. But Thai ppl usually had it with Glutinuos rice. It taste so spicy & sour
Green Curry with Chicken. This is so far the best green curry I ever try. some tasted so yucky. This is perfect. The texture is right.
Steamed Fish (seabass) with lot's of garlic & chili (It's spicy) ...A MUST MUST TRY. The fish is fresh. We finish the soup as well.The good thing is they have got charcoal below it to keep warm but not to continue to cook it like other chinese restaurant would have put a candle /burner that keep cooking the fish. With this we didn't order any Tom Yum Koong.Perhaps we will try next time.
Fish Cake Thai Style
Stir Fried Paku vege - this is so good . Not soggy like other chef made it. It is stil crunchy.
There are other dishes that we didn't try but will definately go back there to try other dishes. They even have curry crab and other crab dishes. And they have special lunch meal during weekdays who needs to have a qucik bite from rice to noodle and cost only RM6.00 (individual portion)
We have desserts too pumpkin cooked with coconut milk, "tau suan" with coconut milk (fyi, the tau suan got taste to jasmine flower cos Rose has secret recipe) and tam tim krop (with coconut milk, waterchestnut, jackfruit)...SUPERB...Yummy!Yummy !Yummy!
Porridge with Ipoh Salted Chicken
My last few post I did mention about Ipoh Salted chicken whic I couldn't finish cos it was too salty.However, I can't cook it with porridge cos is black pepper.It will definately taste funny!
However today I got Ipoh Salted Chicken with "Dong Kuai" ...voila..dinner!...Porridge with the Salted chicken. I just took some of d meat (I used the drumstick cos is tender and smooth) n throw them in the Porridge with I have added 玉竹 "Yuk Chuk" (easily available in the chinese herb shop. Yuk Chuk will make your porridge sweet instead of using raw meat), chinese sausage (this is special sausage that contains some chinese wine)and Hua Tiao wine. Bolied the rice and the ingredient till is soft and starchy. When is ready served with dash of pepper, sesame seed oil and deep fried shallot .
Bon Apetite
Homemade Pork Dumpling (Wan Ton)
Ever wonder you could do it yourself at home and you could include any fillings (be it pork, chicken, beef or mutton)..well up to you.
The good thing about wanton is I can make a lot and keep them in the freezer. And use them to cook instant soup with some vege, deep fried it as snacks or add into our instant noodle, it can be dry or soup instant noodle.
Here's the recipe.
100g of wanton skin (can get it from wet market or in Supermarket but I prefer wet market cos is freshly made skin)
300g of mince lean meat (your choice, I don't eat fats.If you choose pork, you may use skinless pork belly or leg tendersiden and mince it yourself. If lazy, you may purchase ready mince meat however I hardly buy those cos I have no idea what kind of meat has been included)
1 onion - tiny dice and stir fry with oil till transparent & fragrant. leave it aside to cool down
15 pcs of prawn - cut into dice
5 pcs - waterchestnut (just buy from the fruit seller which they peeled, easy not need to peel yourself. Then chopped it)
3Tblsp of soya sauce
4 tbsp - Lee kum Kee superior oyster sauce (different brand has different taste)
1 cap of Hua Tiao wine
1tbsp if corn flour
dashes of Ghee Hiang Sesame seed oil (other brand don't seem that fragrant)
dashes of pepper
chop spring onion
METHODS
Mix all the above ingredients together in a big bowl and let it marinade in the fridge for 4 hrs. However do taste it whether is tasty enough.
Then take a bit of the mixture, put it on the centre of wanton skin. Close it up . Make it into triangle shape. Put both end angle together and you will get a sort of rose bud. To seal the angle, use some water. Set aside for those you want to cook immediate and the rest can be kept in the freezer.However, do divide them first of how many pcs you want to use or else it will be hard for you to get them separate when they are all stick together.
For soup wanton.
Deep Fried Wanton
Instant Noodle with Roasted Duck
Ingredient
1 pack of Maggi Mee (Any instant noodle but my favourite is Maggie)
1/2 cube of maggie instant ikan bilis stock
500 ml of water
5 pcs (Just purchase 1/4 roasted duck.can eat 2 person)
Sesame seed oil
Hua Tiao Wine
white pepper
Some green vege (yaw Mak, lettuce or anything suitable for soup)
Method
-Boiled the water with the ikan bilis cube, add in Hua Tiao wine
- And another boiling water to cook the instant noodle
- once the noodle is half cook pour out the water place the noodle in the boiling soup
- once the soup come to a boiling stage, add in the vege and switch off the fire. Add the roasted duck
- dash in some sesame seed oil & white pepper
NO NO NO for this Salted Chicken
Was away up north over the weekend and had a stopover in Ipoh to "cari makan", love to buy salted chicken to be given away to friends. Unfortunately, the usual shop that I used to go was closed. Therefore I opt for another shop - Wan li Xiang (Near Lou Wong Chicken Rice). There are approximately 4 shops selling salted chicken around this area.This is only my personal opinion that I don't recommend this shop though they had a picture taken together with Hong Kong celebrity chef. They have got a variety besides the normal "tong kwai ' salted chicken@ RM16 per bird , there are 'tong kwai" salted duck @ RM25 per bird & black pepper salted chicken @ RM16 per bird
Bought 3 "tong kwai ' salted chicken and 1 black pepper salted chicken. And gaveaway the tong kwai salted chicken and I ate the black pepper chicken
OMG.....!!! SO SO SO SALTY. I guess that shop got free SALT. Like eating salted fish. Can't taste the chicken's sweetness. Can't eat it for fun but u need to eat with rice. Don't smell of "tong kwai' also. Can't finish all. Worried I will get hypertension if I eat too much. Therefore I kept some and may be making them into another dish....haiizzzz!! VERY DISAPPOINTED!
Conclusion - I don't favour or vote for this shop at all.
Pomelo or Pear or Papaya
Look at this picture and it is definately look like a pear ...or when I see the real thing it looks like Gigantic Pear and also look like Papaya...LOL...Actually it is only a mini pomelo from Guilin
Many of you may have seen our Malaysian version Pomelo from Ipoh and you will normally purchase it during the festive season such as during Chinese New Year & also during the mooncake festival. And it is either sweet & sour taste or very sweet & juicy.
Well, this was brought back from Guilin,it has a pear shape however when cut it open it was round shape. Got a lot of seeds. It was dry but very sweet indeed.. Dunno whether the nature of the flesh is like tat or we don't know how to choose them.
Anyway to choose a good Ipoh pomelo, it has to feel heavy (meaning lot's of water, is going to be juicy), and the skin surface is very smooth. And Ipoh , one pomelo will cost around RM12 to RM13 per fruit
And if I am not mistaken the leaves and skin is useable among the chinese.
Instant Noodle with Lala (Clam) & Prawn
In my last post it was Lala with Superior Soup and here's another dish from my previous dish.Ingredient
1 pack of Maggi Mee (Any instant noodle but my favourite is Maggie)
1/2 cube of maggie instant ikan bilis stock
500 ml of water
4 pcs prawn
6-8 pcs of clam
Sesame seed oil
Hua Tiao Wine
white pepper
Some green vege (yaw Mak, lettuce or anything suitable for soup)
Method
-Boiled the water with the ikan bilis cube, add in Hua Tiao wine
- And another boiling water to cook the instant noodle
- once the noodle is half cook pour out the water place the noodle in the boiling soup
- add in the clam & prawn as well
- once the soup come to a boiling stage, add in the vege and switch off the fire.
- dash in some sesame seed oil & white pepper
Bon Apetite
*Readers - This is solely my personal recipe & method of cooking of my maggi mee and not a paid write up.
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