Inner Mongolia: The Experience (5): The Food

Finally, no post from me is complete without talking about the food.  (You really think I would miss this, huh?)

I miss the milk, the blueberry soft serve, fresh lamb meat, and all the local dishes I tried there.  I will never look at lamb and mutton the same ever again.

If I can choose one thing and one thing only from this trip (food-wise),
this would be what I missed the most.

Inner Mongolia: The Experience (4): Meeting the Locals

We met a lot of great locals during our trip.  First and foremost, our drivers and guides on this trip. They took great care of us during our entire stay in Inner Mongolia.  We didn't have to worry about a thing.  I can't say it enough that a good driver is very important when you are planning a trip to Inner Mongolia.  Not only they are your driver and guide, they also pick your accommodations, restaurants, etc.  They are your person when you are there. Without them, we probably won't end up in Qi Qian and we probably won't enjoy ourselves as much in Inner Mongolia.  Thank you!

Mr. and Mrs. Cheong
If you want to contact Mr. Cheong for his service, click here!
(Sorry, his website is Chinese only but his wife can assist.)

Inner Mongolia: The Experience (3): The Picturesque Mongolia

During my one week trip in Inner Mongolia, we have definitely see a lot of beautiful places.  Basically, you pull out your camera, take a shot, and it will be postcard ready.

One of the most beautiful sunset I have ever seen in my life

Inner Mongolia: The Experience (2): Qi Qian, The Last Frontier

The most memorable place I went this trip is arguably a tiny town called Qi Qian (奇乾).  It is a border town next to Russia (we were told we may get shot if we try to go into the water) and there are only six households (including one household of livestock).

Inner Mongolia: The Experience (1): Life of the Nomads

I know I won't have the time or luxury to post my full experience from my recent (?) trip to Inner Mongolia on my blog anymore.  But it would be a shame if I don't share with you the highlights of the trip...

Initially, I was really just going to do one post.
Looking back at the pictures make me immediately realize that is just impossible.
There are too many memories and stories to share.

Preview: Inner Mongolia

It's been 2.5 months since I am back from my trip and I am still processing my pictures.  I am still stitching the panoramas for the most part... I normally don't spent this much time post-processing my pictures but Inner Mongolia is too beautiful and I want to make my pictures look as close to what I saw when I was there...  (and I have iPhoto problems again...)

Here's a preview of some of the pictures I took from the trip.  All of them on this post are panoramas as it's the best way to show the beauty of Inner Mongolia and its vast landscape!  Hopefully I will be able to get to my blog posts on the trip soon!!!

Beautiful canola fields in Inner Mongolia
who would have guessed!
I know I wasn't expecting this!

Qianmen Street (前門大街)

I wasn't familiar with Qianmen but it was a place my mom wanted to go.  As soon as I arrived at the station, I remembered.  "I've been here", I said.  "Yes, you were", my mom answered.  It has been 20 years since I was last in Beijing and I still remembered... amazing!

Qianmen Station @ 2013

Lama Temple (雍和宮)

To be honest, Lama Temple was not in my original itinerary.  Yet, since it was on the same subway line as the Temple of Heaven, we decide to make a stop.  After all, as a true fan of the Chinese television series "Scarlet Heart" (步步惊心), I cannot skip a chance to visit the resident of Emperor Yongzheng when he was still Prince.  By the way, I can't wait to watch the sequel - "Scarlet Heart 2" (步步惊情)!

Shing Lung Hong (成隆行 蟹王府)

It's almost that time of the year!!!  Time for mooncakes and hairy crabs!!!  Hairy crabs are native of Yangcheng Lake and considered an autumn delicacy in Shanghai cuisine.  The best time to enjoy this crab is between the ninth (female) and tenth (male) lunar calendar month.  Due to over-fishing and pollution, the yield of this delicate crab has been declining steadily.  Most crabs sold these days are no longer from the Yangcheng Lake.  On the other hand, these crabs were spotted all the way in Germany when they are considered an invasive species there!  (Just send a few Chinese hairy crab tasting tours and we will take care of the problem.)

Temple of Heaven (天壇)

I don't know why I am so fascinated by this place.  Perhaps because it's used to be so restricted that only the Imperial family and his highest ranking officials can walk the grounds of this temple?  As the name suggests, this is the place where the Emperor worships the gods for good harvests in the ancient days.

Hall of Prayer for Good Harvests (祈年殿)

Donglaishun (東來順 北京大柵欄店)

Donglaishun (東來順), another century old brand from Beijing, is famous for its lamb hot pot.  Just like other century old brands, the story of their beginning is humble and inspirational.  (Click here for their story, Chinese only.)  However, it is always harder to keep a successful enterprise running and Donglaishun is no exception.  Fortunately for them, they were the better ones among the lot...  Please keep up the good work!

A bronze statue of the founder
東來順的創始人-丁德山

Tianjin Goubuli Baozi (天津狗不理包子 王府井總店)

Tianjin Goubuli Baozi (Go Believe) earned its fame from the Empress Dowager Cixi from the Qing Dynasty.  Maybe the buns were exceptional in her era but the buns nowadays have a disappointing reputation.  Everyone who went there returned with a frown on their face.  I wonder what "Dogy" (the creator of the original buns) would say is he ate these buns... 

Fly by Knight Courtyard Hostel (夜奔北京 四合院客棧)

I have always wanted to stay at a traditional courtyard residence - siheyuan (四合院) - when I go to Beijing.  I finally have my wish fulfilled in my recent trip to Beijing!

Hilton Beijing Wangfujing

Location, location, location!  The Hilton Beijing Wangfujing is located in the heart of Beijing and is extremely convenient if you want to stay close to popular tourist destinations such as the Forbidden Palace, Tienanmen, Wangfujing, Jingshan Park and more.

36 Hours in Beijing

If you only have 1.5 days in Beijing, where would you go?  What would you do?  It was a tough choice since Beijing has so much to offer.  I have been to Beijing many years ago (when the sky is still blue) but the memory has faded.  I am so glad I get to visit this cultural city again after so many years~

There is blue sky still in Beijing
but you will have to see it on a plane.

Wuyuan, Canola Flower Trip (江西婺源。油菜花) (10) - Likeng (李坑)

Since it was quite early, we decided to explore more of Likeng when we returned from Sanqingshan.  Afterall, it didn't seem like we have spent much time in the village!  So I took this opportunity to really explore the village.  The village is quite small, and most tourists have left.  I must say, it's quite a nice place.  If I have the chance to return, I can see myself on a less intense itinerary and enjoy the slower pace of life here - drink some green tea, chat with the locals, indulge in delicious farm food!

Wuyuan, Canola Flower Trip (江西婺源。油菜花) (9) - Sanqingshan (三清山)

The Sanqingshan mountains is a Taoist mountain famous for its beautiful scenery.  In fact, the Chinese listed this as one of the national key scenic spots in August 1988 and named it a national geological park in September 2005.  Since July, 2008, it's a national AAAAA level tourist area and included on the World Heritage List.

Wuyuan, Canola Flower Trip (江西婺源。油菜花) (8) - Wang Kou (汪口)

Update:  This was part of the blog entry (4) under the same series.  I decided the original entry was too long.  If you actually read the long version, you can skip this entry.

With much debate, we decide to go to one last stop of the day, Wang Kou (汪口).  Maybe we were let down at Jiang Wan, I wasn't expecting much of Wang Kou so I was pleasantly surprised and glad we made the stop.  There is not much to see other than the river flowing through the village but with the beautiful sunset and breezy weather, it makes Wang Kou a worthy stop!  (I would also personally recommend getting your rafting experience here versus Rainbow Bridge or Moon Bay, it's prettier here in my opinion.)

Wuyuan, Canola Flower Trip (江西婺源。油菜花) (7) - Jiang Wan (江灣)

Update:  This was part of the blog entry (4) under the same series.  I decided the original entry was too long.  If you actually read the long version, you can skip this entry.

After lunch, we went to Jiang Wan (江灣).  Some of us are pretty tired at this point and chose to take a nap in the car.  The rest of us took the free shuttle and went inside the village.  The village has gone through a large scale renovation and it looks too modern for what it is.

Everything has been renovated here - nice but the place also loss its glamour.

Wuyuan, Canola Flower Trip (江西婺源。油菜花) (6) - Xiao Qi (曉起)

Update:  This was part of the blog entry (4) under the same series.  I decided the original entry was too long.  If you actually read the long version, you can skip this entry.

The next village we stopped at is Xiao Qi (曉起).  The village is very similar to everyone else we have been to in Wuyuan.  Nevertheless, the old pathway linking the upper and lower village is a must-see.