Bathrooms
Bathrooms in Beijing were infamous for their lack of cleanliness. The government must have done something to improve them because they have rating systems now. The bathroom in the Forbidden City were rated 4 stars by the authorities and they were ok. You have to bring your own toilet paper and it was useable. I looked for 5 star toilets while visiting but didn’t find any.
When I used the restroom at the base of the Great Wall, an American girl came in and shouted to her friend or translator, “what a nice surprise, they have toilet seats!” A lot of the Asian bathrooms have squatting toilets only and this girl was overjoyed to find a toilet that have seats at the base of the Great Wall. The conversation went on about how great it is to have seat, how surprising it is to find the option… I found it so interesting because I never thought toilet cleanliness and options can spark long conversations or a blog post…
Food
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| (Pee meet ball - didn't try them for good reasons) |
Ok, maybe writing about food right after toilet options is not sanitary or appetizing but I have to say that food on this trip has been delicious, amazing, and thought provoking! In Beijing, we had cheap, quality, and very tasty Chinese cuisines. Sichuan fusion style food from “ Chao Jiang-Nan” (on the stock exchange), the famous Peking duck from “Chuan Ju De” (government owned on the stock exchange), cuisines from hu-tongs (small streets) were all well cooked and reasonably priced. Singapore’s black pepper crab from the famous Long Beach and Jumbo restaurants were both finger-licking good. Not to mention the variety of food that is accessible everywhere you go in Singapore… Japanese noodle shop, Chinese bao (bun) specialties, and Indian street food… And then, there’s Thailand – the spices and herbs that are infused in every dish that we ordered. On the beach of Thailand, we got to enjoy every bite of food with the smell of the ocean and sound of the sea… I am just saying, all this weight gain is the fault of this amazing culinary experience, not my doing…
Books
I enjoy reading books when I am on vacation. The books that are usually too serious to pick-up during hectic work weeks are very enjoyable on a vacation… I must have packed about 10-15 books for this trip knowing that I will have plenty of time to relax and just read. Afternoons with nothing to do, nowhere to get to, no schedule to follow are the best ones to enjoy reading… I will have a lot of those days still ahead of me… Three books read and some ten more to go maybe? Just finished my first coconut of the day and I am ready to start another book…
2 comments:
Have you tried dumplings and roast ducks? They are the famous and traditional Beijing dishes. And also bird's nest soup? Its a delicacy in China.
Enjoy your days~~~
Gillion
www.geocities.jp/hongkong_bird_nest/index_e.htm
anny, where are you???????
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