Chinese New Year will not be complete in Kuala Lumpur without LO YEE SANG
Happy Year of the Rabbit!

HONG KONG
June 1st 2010

Went to do a quick inspection in China but stopped over in Hong Kong with Connie. It drizzled and rained for the 2 days we were there. Hong Kong however is always quite charming, the sights, the sounds and the activities.

We went to The Peak and caught a clear sky after the rain. If you are ever there at the Peak I would recommend a good restaurant : THE PEAK LOOKOUT - Best restaurant award Hong Kong many years consecutively.

If its not raining and not too cold, get a garden table.

Copy copy....

Cannot believe its been more than a year since my last posting on this travel blog.
Here is what I found in my last trip to China....do you recognise the brand?

The sights were equally breathtaking. We drove about an hour and a half to a hill resort called Nagarkot. Upon arrival we were awed by the surroundings which we thought were mountains. (Picture on left)A local told us to look up ...higher and we caught a glimpse of what was really and trully mountains! What we saw were hills!

The snow cap tops are part of the Himalayan range.

NEPAL 5th May to 9th May 2007

Perhaps one of the most beautiful country I've visited - the sights and scenery and the people. Albeit I only visited Kathmandu and not the outline villages. The people and faces of Kathmandu are so varied and intriguing. There are some who look like indians from India, some who look like tibetans and still some who look like chinese!!

I tried to capture some of the faces

March 17th-25th 2007

CHINA

My business travel in March took me to 4 cities in China; Hong Kong, Chang Ping (DongGuan), Dalian and Shanghai. This trip was especially significant since I was accompanying 5 Europeans; 2 of whom are Swedish and first time in China. Its always a pleasure acting as tour guide for first timers since they are not able to verify the facts and figures which I throw at them. :>

My usual stopover is in the city of ChangPing (a direct train from Hong Kong gets you here). Whats in the town of ChangPing? Apart from several wood working factories in the area; there are some good buddies here.....they are native to ChangPing (almost). They tell me they visit my travel blog regularly and so I wonder how long before they realize their mugshots are here. These guys claim that their factories are run by MBAs. (Managed by Alchoholics).......I tend to believe them.

From the southern province of Guang Dong, I flew to the beautiful city of Dalian with my UK business partner, Chris and his wife Tracey. Its always nice to be in Dalian where its quiet(er)and the streets wider after being in the busy province of GuangDong. Dalian is cold he winter with temperatures ranging from 3 to 9 degerees.

The highlight was being in shanghai…….because I found out where the copy market folks moved to. I shall reveal this in my next posting!!!

Hannover, Germany 12th - 15th January 2007

Besides the Domotex Floor Show, which was good to reconnect with friends in the trade, Germany is known for good shweine, sauerkraut (which I am not such a fan off) and dumplings. The meal was absolutely fabulous and I am glad I got a good shot to remind me of the meal....I can taste it now just looking at the pic. Note the crispy pork skin on the pork in the middle of the plate!

A good restaurant in Hannover, with reasonable price is the "Lehner's Wirsthaus". Judging from the crowd, it must be a popular spot in Hannover. By the time we got a table it was quite late and when we left the restaurant there were not many people around. We topped it off with some pear shnappes which kept me warm and satisfied the rest of the cold winter night!!

11th Jan - 21st January, 2007

This annual trip to England included a weekend in Hannover, Germany to visit the flooring exhibition at Domotex. A quick dash around to visit customers and potential clients on my way back to London. Stopped over in Reading, Henley on Thames and then London itself.

It was an unusual warm 10 days but was told it the temperature dropped to 4 degrees and snowed in Manchester that evening I left England!! Great timing!!

I had night in London before heading north to Manchester and so I had to find a place to lay my head for the night. Everyone is familiar with the cost of hotels in the UK and so, I booked this on the net www.bedandbreakfasts.co.uk not knowing what to expect. Great website for London information!!

Anyway, to cut the story short; I would give this place a full THUMBS UP for location, service, cleaniness and friendliness. For 50 quid per room per night; I got wi fi in my room, ensuite (which is not always the case in the UK) and a full english breakfast in the morning. The room is not super big but ideal for a couple or businessman for a night or two.

I arrived at 5.30 am from Kuala Lumpur, tired and wanting a rest. The manager at the front desk invited me for a complimentary breakfast and checked me in at 9.30am!!

The hotel is 5 minutes walk to Euston station which is the main railway line to any northwest destinations. It is also 10 minutes walk to Kings Cross and Euston Square Underground.

To the people at Mabledon Court Hotel...thanks for a wonderful stay!!

11 January 2007

MONSOON CUP - I happen to be there in Kuala Terengganu while the MOnsoon Cup was running. My first trip along the east coast. The grounds at which the Monsoon Cup was help was a bit dissapointing as the main building had not been completed. The toilets were unfinished and cement and construction materials were everywhere. To make matters worse it was drizzling and the floor of the main building and exhibition hall was wet and dirty.

Perhaps the highlight was visiting the Pulau Duyung boat making fctory. This factory runned by a German couple who have invested their life savings into building a yacht using Cengal. They looked for a boat making expert (The last of such skills) to help them build this boat.

27th Oct 2006 - From Dalian to Shanghai for a night before returning home. Sunset from my hotel room. That evening I walked from my hotel to the famous Shang Yang Lu (copy market) but was dissapointed to discover that it had been closed down!! No more North Face coats for USD40! Too bad - The price you pay for going into WTO....


That evening, on my own; I looked up the internet for a Jazz joint and stumbled upon the Cotton Club!! An excellant mixture of jazz and blues. Location No. 8 Fuxing Lu Xi. (Where FuXing Lu and HuaiHai Lu meet)


Next morning, I take the Levi train back tothe airport. At maximum speed the train reaches 450 Km/h and then comes back down. It is absolutely smooth and the cornering is quite amazing.

Another succesful buisness trip......

25th October, 2006 Dalian - I always look forward to Dalian after the hustle and bustle of DongGuan. Arrived at midnight and made our way to the hotel. Dalian is very unlike many other cities in China. The streets are not filled with people and bicycles. Much of the shopping is done underground away from the bitter cold.

Dalian is parralel to Namp'o, North Korea and is probably within the N.Korean nuclear range - gulp! Along the hilly coast of Dalian is a huge park reserve and a navy base and lookout. It is apparently a very strategic point and gateway as it faces North Korea and the East China Sea.

There are many condominiums and apartment complexes in Dalian which would look like any other suburb in Boston or Maryland. The Picture on the left is taken from the parking lot of a seafood restaurant. ...Great seafood!

My last trip to Dalian, I had a taste of this sea urchin (Pic on the left) Our host asked if I would like a sea urchin, I politely declined this time. Its served as it is, cold and cut in half. Its inside is orange in color and very rich...like caviar.

On the right is a plate of fish roll cooked in ginger and spring onions! Delicious! I would recommend anyone who visits China to make a trip to Dalian.

After Hong Kong, it was back over to DongGuan. I rarely make my stay in Shenzen anymore as its expansive and there's always a jam getting out in the mornings and coming back in the evenings. Over the last 5 years development has spread out to various cities around DongGuan, like Chang-An, Hou Jie and Chang Ping (which has a direct train to Hong Kong). Hotels are new and plentyful.

Good friends and great hospitality in Chang Ping as usual. Our host brought us to the Mao House (Mao Jia). Every dish is cooked with red chillies. Apparently this was Mao's favourite type of food!
I enjoyed it, but the next few mornings thereafter was a little uncomfortable. The table was spread with colorful dishes adorned in red chillies. My favourite was probably the fried anchovies with red chillies.

Just completed my Tour of Duty, a grueling 10 days beginning in Hong Kong, DongGuan (Southern China), Dalian, and then Shanghai. The consolation is the good food with good friends….

Hong Kong is always quite magical; the star ferry at the harbour, the lights, night market, Nathan Road...



If you are looking for a great restaurantwith good ambience go to The Peak. They serve good western and local food. The duck is good, the ribs-superb. The Peak Lookout has garden tables or indoor but it would be wise to book a table ahead or via the net as I did.


The view that evening from The Peak was quite good. It overlooks the buildings on Hong Kong Island.



The night market at Mongkok is still a good place to buy copy stuff. I withheld hoping to do my shopping in Shanghai. However, disappointed to find out that the copy market in Shanghai (Shang Yang Lu) has been closed down. So the night market at Mongkok is still one of the last few surviving copy market.
For a night of good life jazz music, try Ned Kellie's Last Stand off Peking Road, somewhere on the right.


The hustle and bustle of Hong Kong is still uniquely Hong Kong...
Picture is Nathan Road on Tsim Tsa Tsui.

An evening in Mongolia, ChangPing, DongGuan

We were led to the roof where there was a clay round hut. A door about 5 feet high leads into the tent. Inside, a round table which seats about 10. We were missing our Mongolian armoury.
Again, good food, Mongolian style. We had camels hump and leg of lamb grilled. Some pics with my mobile phone camera....



Camels hump (tender & juicy) & A leg of lamb seasoned & delicious


Standing up in the hut next to a goat's skull. The owner, a Mongolian warrior!!

Lil' town of ChangPing in DongGuan, China

There is nothing touristy about ChangPing, yet I had great food after a tiring days work.
Masala Restaurant - The only indian food restaurant in Chang Ping. Opened by ethnic Indians they serve authentic Northern Indian food. We had Chicken Tika, chicken curry, shrimp chutney, dal, nan and a bowl of basmati rice.




Great food and good company; a formula for an excellant evening. At the table we had a local chinese, an indian lady from New York, an American and 2 Malaysians.
I'll let you guess who's who.
A United Nations type meal!!

Note : the colorful dishes and empty bowls.

The only drawback culturally is the long tables as chinese likes to see the person they are drinking and eating with face to face (or across the table). Lets hope the food catches on, if not, there's always one thing in common............the alcohol!!