Seoul is an idiosyncratic metropolis where a high-tech, high-rise world co-exists with ancient traditions and culture. The wide range of available attractions is perfect to fit any travelers' preference and budget, even for backpackers with a tight budget. Many of Seoul's "free for entrance" hidden gems await to be unearthed, and these offbeat, quaint tracks can even surpass the touristy ones. This guide will cover all the best Seoul attractions for when your wallet's running a little short.

1. Cheonggyecheon

Looking for a quiet and romantic place to spend an afternoon with your loved one? Like an oasis, Cheonggyecheon is an 11 km-long sparkling clean stream that passes under 22 bridges, while running through downtown Seoul, and eventually connecting to the Han River. It is a perfect place to enjoy some serenity and get away from the crowds and pollution.

There's a history behind Cheonggyecheon. It once ran through Seoul during the Joseon Dynasty (1392-1910), but it was buried underneath an elevated highway after the Korean War (1950-1953). The highway was deconstructed in 2003 and finally, the stream was restored to its present beauty as part of an urban renewal project.

Cheonggyecheon starts from Cheonggye Plaza, a popular public venue for art and cultural events as it is designated as a vehicle-free zone on holidays. The plaza's design resembles a traditional Korean bojagi (a colourful wrapping cloth), and it is decked with colourful stone decorations. Located in the plaza is the Candle Fountain, which features a four-meter-high, two-tiered waterfall with synchronized lighting elements. Along the two sides of the waterfall are the Palseokdam wishing wells, made of eight different stones from each of the nation's eight provinces. The plaza also includes a bird's-eye view model of the restored Cheonggyecheon and detailed commentaries on the restoration project. This beautiful setup radiates harmony, peace, and unity. Be sure to take a leisured stroll in this oasis buried deep in the rest of hectic Seoul.

2. Gwangjang Market

Gwangjang Market is one of the oldest and largest traditional markets in the country. Previously known as Dongdaemun Market, Gwangjang's humble beginnings date back to Japan's colonial occupation in the early 1900s, when a group of wealthy Korean merchants wanted to build a market that was independent of Japanese control. During its first few years, Dongdaemun was the first permanent market to operate 7 days a week. In 1960, it was renamed Gwangjang Market, after the nearby two bridges in the neighborhood: Gwangkyo (meaning "wide bridge") and Jangkyo (meaning "long bridge"). Even after a century has passed, this place still retains its authenticity and charm.

Today, the market proudly hosts over a thousand vendors, selling fresh produce, meat, fish, clothing, souvenirs, and traditional medicinal items. This is the place to go if you are looking for something cultural to bring home. The snacks and souvenirs here are cheaper than the ones sold at Myeongdong shopping district. Feeling hungry after all the shopping? You're in for a real treat–the heart of Gwangjang Market is an enormous indoor food court, dedicated to celebrating Korea's traditional street food cuisine.

From Lonely Planet to Netflix’s “Street Food” show, Gwanjang Market is well regarded as the Mecca for all local and foreign foodies. The prized dishes one must-try include Bindaetteok (mung bean pancakes), handmade noodles with dumplings and mayak gimbap (seaweed rice rolls), freshly made on the spot. Be sure to grab a seat at a makeshift food stall and mingle with the friendly vendors and locals. Let the aromas wash over you. There is no better place than Gwangjang Market to experience traditional Korean street delicacies and culture.

3. Lotte Mart

Perhaps you find it strange to visit a local supermarket when traveling, but I always make a point to check them out: they provide a glimpse into the culture and life of the locals. Supermarkets in Seoul are especially impressive because of their huge size and dazzling shopping services.  One notable supermarket chain in Seoul is Lotte Mart, one of the leading discount stores in Korea. At Lotte Mart, you can buy high-quality produce and food, clothes, fashion accessories, electronics, toys, household goods, cosmetics, and much more at the lowest price, with the best customer service. Another reason to stop by this famous supermarket is the wonderful food court. You can eat as the locals do with some very cheap hearty meals and snacks–perfect for a tight meal budget.

The Lotte Mart Seoul Station is the flagship of all the branches in the country. It is one of the most popular ones amongst tourists because of its convenient location. It opens until late at night and is the perfect place to hang out before heading to the airport or catching a train to another city. This hefty building covers four stories with each floor dedicated to specific items and services. In addition to the prevalent food and groceries items, Lotte Mart has an entire floor dedicated to clothing, jewelry, and beauty products. You will find rows and rows of fashions and cosmetics with fantastic promotions. It is a haven if you are a fan of both Korean fashion and Korean beauty. You should go binge shopping in Lotte Mart because after all, prices are cheaper, and the massive selections of unique Korean products are the perfect souvenirs to bring home. How wonderful is Korea's customer service? Not only does Lotte Mart offer free empty boxes for packing, it even offers an overseas shipping service (with a shipping fee) so you can directly ship to home. This is perfect if you ever overshop or want to buy an oversized item.  

4. Seoullo 7017 (a.k.a Seoul Skygarden or Skypark)

Originally built as an overpass highway in 1970 and then closed due to disuse, Seoullo 7017 was magically transformed into an elevated garden and pedestrian walkway. The "70" signifies the year 1970 when it was first built, while the '17' is both the number of walkways connected to it and the year 2017 when it was reborn.  This one-kilometer-long walkway connects and improves pedestrian access to several communities in the heart of Seoul. Its brilliant design not only offers the public a pleasant exercise venue, but also a lush urban nursery, hosting over 20,000 native and imported species of flowers, shrubs, and trees.

5. Seochon Village

Seochon Village (literally means 'West Village') is the neighbourhood located west of Gyeongbokgung Palace and stretched out to the feet of Mt. Inwangsan. It is one of the oldest neighbourhoods of Seoul, with its lineage dating back to the Joseon era (1392 ~ 1910).  Seochon is a quaint, non-touristy neighbourhood in Seoul, where centuries-old hanoks (traditional Korean houses) line the long alleys and intertwine harmoniously with newly emerging boutique shops and cafes. Many locals regard Seochon as a favourite place to enjoy a leisure walk and an afternoon coffee. Exploring through the alleys that resembles a big maze, you can appreciate the authentic beauty of this offbeat tourist spot.  When you work up an appetite after all the walking, you are in for a treat because Seochon is one of the best places in Seoul to go for cheap and delicious local food in some hole-in-the-wall restaurants.

6. Starfield COEX Mall

Nothing spoils one's vacation like encountering bad weather. But if the good weather is not on your side when you set foot in Seoul, worry not, because you've got Starfield COEX Mall in the world-famous Gangnam District. Being one of Asia's largest underground shopping malls, Starfield COEX hosts hundreds of Korean and international brands, ranging from fashion and beauty to electronics, as well as endless dining and entertainment options. Megabox Cineplex, one of Korea's largest movie chains, has a branch here with a total of 17 individual theatres.  Other popular attractions at the mall include the Kimchi Museum, the COEX Aquarium, the ASEM Plaza, and the Event stage, which puts on regular free exhibits and performances like classical concerts, mini-concerts, and magic shows. While shopping may not fit your shoestring budget, Starfield is definitely a good choice when the weather doesn't cooperate. And there is another hidden treasure here–the Starfield Library. It is the most beautiful public library I have ever seen. Honestly, I am not sure how one can access the 50,000+ reading materials arranged on those 13-meter high bookshelves, but countless bookworms have made multiple trips up and down the adjacent escalator just to get a selfie for Instagram!

One of the highlights of our stay in Japan was browsing the amazing supermarkets located within 10 minutes of our service apartment and picking up some fresh and versatile ingredients to make our own meals. You might ask: "Why would you want to cook when there are so many culinary options to choose from?" Honestly, it is easier to make our own food, especially when traveling with picky children. It so happened that the service apartment we stayed at was fully equipped with basic cooking tools and the Japanese supermarket has many pre-packaged ingredients. This made it economical and fun to cook, even after a whole day of sightseeing.

Our favourite dinner menu was making Oden (Japanese fish cake stew), a type of popular Japanese one-pot dish made of easily assembled ingredients like boiled eggs, turnip, tofu, konjac noodles, fishcakes in a soy-flavoured dashi broth. Oden is popular in many regions of Japan and has many different names. The ingredients used and the broth base are all slightly different in each region as well.

Making Oden at home is easy, and choosing your favourite toppings to go into your pot is the best part. You can even prepare it the day before and intensify the flavour by letting the ingredients soak in the broth overnight! It is a perfect dish for the icy winter.

Let's make Oden for dinner tonight!

Oden (Japanese Fish Cake Stew)

Prep Time: 10 minutes Cook Time: 30 minutes Soak Time: 1 hour or more

Ingredients:

For Oden Broth

• ▢ 8 cups water
• ▢ 4 tsp dashi powder
• ▢ 4 Tbsp regular soy sauce or light soy sauce
• ▢ 2 Tbsp dark soy sauce
• ▢ 1 Tbsp sugar
• ▢ 1 Tbsp mirin

For Oden toppings (4 servings)

• ▢ One medium-size turnip/white radish
• ▢ 3 medium-size carrot
• ▢ 1/4 of a small napa cabbage
• ▢ 4 large eggs
• ▢ 4 oz fresh or frozen octopus (optional)
• ▢ 1 package konjac noodles (9 oz, 255 g)
• ▢ 1 package of Oden set (Japanese or Korean fish cake and fish balls)
• ▢ 1 package of firm tofu

Instructions:

1. Peel and cut turnip and carrots into 1-inch (2.5 cm) pieces.
2. Chop napa cabbage into small pieces.
3. Cut firm tofu into 1-inch pieces.
4. Wash and clean baby octopus thoroughly.

5. Place eggs in saucepan and cover them with at least 1-inch water over the top. Cover saucepan with lid and bring water to boil over high heat. Immediately remove pan from heat to stop boiling. With the lid on saucepan, let eggs stand in water for 5 minutes. Drain and run cold water before peeling the shell.

6. Put water in a large pot and bring it to a boil. Add fish cakes and fish balls in boiling water for 15-30 seconds. This extra step will get rid of the factory's deep-frying oil. Drain and set aside.

7. Use an earthenware or Dutch oven pot if you have one to make the Oden broth, but any large and deep pot will do. Add water, dashi powder and the rest of the seasonings to make the broth. Bring the broth to boil.

8. Add carrots and turnip into the broth. Cover and simmer for 30 minute. Add tofu, baby octopus, konjac noodles, green onion, and napa cabbage. Cook for another 5 min.

9. Add fish cakes and fish balls into the broth. Turn off the heat and let sit on the stove (covered) for at least 1 hour to allow the ingredients to soak up all the flavours.

Tip: Prepare the Oden a day ahead, and when the broth cools down completely, refrigerate it until the next day. The flavour of Oden is so much better after soaking all the broth overnight.

The Oden is ready after an hour. This dish is best served over a portable gas or electric burner while everyone sits at the table and eat from the communal hot pot in the middle. A bowl of steamed rice or udon for everyone would be perfect! If you don't have access to a portable burner, cook the Oden on the stovetop until everything is hot and bubbling. Then, bring it to the table to enjoy with your loved ones.

]]>https://www.gorestrepeat.com/baked-coconut-rice-cake/Ghost__Post__61fb2b4904881c0001508e39Tue, 19 Apr 2022 00:30:31 GMT

No Lunar New Year celebration is complete without enjoying rice cakes of all flavours. Turnip and taro cakes are the most common savory kinds while coconut and brown sugar cakes top the sweet-tooth's list. Usually, rice cakes are steamed ahead of time and then re-fried at the time of serving. That requires more work, but also a labour of love, so our family to enjoy the delightful taste and texture of these rice cakes.

Recently, my friend Marlene introduced me to this no-brainer recipe for a baked sticky rice or mochi cake. It is super easy to make with young children, and I absolutely fell in love with it. No more store-bought ones! Now I can have freshly baked rice cake all year round. Or maybe not, for the sake of my weight...

Ingredients:

1. 3 eggs
2. 400 g glutinous rice flour (most store-bought packages are 400 g each)
3. 1/2 tsp baking powder
4. 3/4 cup of vegetable oil
5. 1 can of coconut milk (400 ml each) plus 1/2 cup of milk
6. 1/3 cup white sugar
7. 300g package of red bean paste (most store-bought packages are 400g each)

Instructions:

1. Preheat oven to 180 C/ 350 F.
2. Mix and blend all ingredients above.
3. Line a 9" x 13" baking pan with parchment paper as this will help remove the mochi cake from the pan in the end.
4. Pour half of the mixture into the baking pan and bake for 30 minutes.

5. Remove the mochi cake from the oven and spread a layer of red bean paste on top.

6. Pour the remaining mixture on top of the red bean paste and bake for another 30 minutes. Test it with a skewer. If it comes out clean, it’s ready.

7. Cool the mochi cake for about 10 minutes and serve.

Notes:

• This recipe yields quite a large portion, enough for 10 to 12 people to share. You could use two smaller baking pans and send one portion to a friend.  
• You can make this recipe without adding the red bean filling in the middle. In this case, use 2/3 cup of sugar instead of 1/3 cup and bake the cake for 1 hour.

]]>https://www.gorestrepeat.com/4-best-sights-on-jeju-island/Ghost__Post__61c51889dce2860001209bf9Thu, 06 Jan 2022 01:38:43 GMT

Just below the Korean peninsula is beautiful Jeju Island. The only self-governed province in Korea (the island is run entirely by local politicians), it is considered the Hawaii of Asia for its stunning scenery and appeal. Tourists from all around the world flock to this sunny-beach paradise. Why not join them? Listed here are the 4 best reasons to stop by this unique gem.

Cover image credits: 제주도-외돌개-바다, from https://pixabay.com/ko/photos/제주도-외돌개-바다-4113928/ by dcland2. License: Pixabay

1. Natural Beauty

Jeju Island is breathtaking. With sparkling seas, rugged mountains, and stunning fields, Jeju exudes the spectacle of nature. And it's not just on the surface: formed from volcanic activity, Jeju's land is 90% covered in basalt, and there is all manner of geological marvels to be found here. One particularly notable one is the lava tubes, which we'll discuss in more detail later in this article. It's clear that Jeju Island boasts some of Asia's finest natural beauty. And there are plenty of ways to enjoy it. From scuba diving to paragliding and ATV tours, Jeju islands is full of options for every traveller!

2. Flora and Fauna

Jeju Island is overflowing with all kinds of stunning animals and plants for both the nature enthusiast and layman. With 77 different types of mammals and 198 birds (many of which are endangered), it's well worth a trip. And Jeju's fauna doesn't slouch either. 90 out of the 134 beautiful plants on Jeju are endemic to the island.

3. Lava Tubes

Vast underground networks of caves formed by geology and flowing lava, Jeju's lava tubes have qualified as a World Heritage Site. Live out your childhood dreams of exploring dark tunnels, catching photo-worthy shots of stunning rock displays. Don't visit Jeju without taking a look at these.

2. Hallasan Mountain

We stay on the volcanic mood with this final attraction. Hallasan Mountain ranks as South Korea's highest mountain and volcano, being 1,950 metres (6,400 ft) in the air. Climbers and hikers are drawn to Hallasan's epic trails. At the top of the mountain, they will be rewarded with a gorgeous view of crater lake Baengnokdam. Beautiful pink flowers grow around the mountain's base in the spring, bringing about nature's full splendour.

]]>https://www.gorestrepeat.com/seoul-must-see/Ghost__Post__6170ac15c6837a0001d107c6Tue, 21 Dec 2021 01:45:46 GMT

South Korea is a vibrant and exciting place to visit, a country where its ancient history and ultra-modern design and technology are deftly interlaced. Seoul, Korea's capital city, is home to over 25 million people–this makes it by far the largest city in South Korea. Seoul is a very safe city and is popular amongst tourists of all ages, especially for the K-drama devotees from all over the world. The city is filled with a wide range of tourist attractions, from outdoor adventures like exploring Mount Namsan and its surrounding countryside to indoor fun such as visiting one of Seoul's numerous museums and amusement parks.  There is so much to do in Seoul and its vicinity, so it will take 7 posts to completely feature all its amazing attractions. Be sure to check out all of them!

Cover image credits: Inwangsan, Seoul, South Korea, https://www.flickr.com/photos/con4tini/11272477025, by Domenico Convertini. License: CC BY-SA 2.0

1. Ancient Palaces

Seoul is a city of palaces, with five huge palace complexes located right in the heart of Seoul, in the area bounded by the Gyeongbokgung Palace and the Changdeokgung Palace. These must-see national treasures have been restored to their former glory. They proudly showcase the incredible history and artwork of Korea and its people.

First built in 1395, Gyeongbokgung Palace is the largest and most prominent of Seoul's five grand palaces built during the powerful Joseon Dynasty. The National Palace Museum of Korea and the National Folk Museum are located on its ground. Both are worth a visit for someone interested in learning about Korea's ancient history and culture. Even better is the option to wear a hanbok dress, which is a traditional Korean outfit. If you do so, you won't need to pay an entrance fee to the Palace. There are tons of hanbok rental places on its premises. Taking selfies in a beautiful hanbok in Gyeongbokgung is not only Instagram-worthy, but a legendary experience in your trip to Korea. Be sure to take advantage of the free guided tours of the palace ground.

While Gyeongbokgung Palace is the oldest royal palace in Seoul, Changdeokgung Palace is the most well-preserved of the five remaining royal palaces. Many Joseon kings used Changdeokgung as their principal residence. This palace is best known for the Biwon Garden, or Secret Garden, where the royal family members enjoyed their leisure time. Among the garden is many well-preserved ancient pavilions and architecture. Fall is the best season to visit the Biwon garden as its beautiful autumn foliage is most picturesque.

2. Bukchon Hanok Village

Located in the heart of Seoul, between Gyeongbokgung Palace and Changdeokgung Palace, is the Bukchon Hanok Village. This 600-year-old hilly residential neighbourhood has the largest cluster of privately owned hanoks, traditional Korean wooden homes with tiled roofs and stone floors, in Seoul. Walking around the antique village and sampling Korean touristy street food is a great way to experience Seoul's traditional culture. Be sure to visit the Bukchon Traditional Culture Center for information on walking tour routes and attractions to see within the village. Please be mindful of the residents' privacy when you visit, as these hanoks are their actual homes.

3. Namsan Seoul Tower (also known as N Seoul Tower)

Looking to take a breather from Seoul's skyscrapers? Why not take a hike up Mount Namsan Park, the largest park in Seoul, to the Namsan Seoul Tower, where you can enjoy the best panoramic views of the city? Originally built in 1969 as a communication and observation tower, N Seoul Tower has been a landmark of Seoul since it first opened to the public in 1980. From the top of the tower, Seoul’s skyline is nothing short of spectacular. At night, the tower is beautifully illuminated and puts on light shows.

Besides offering the best views of Seoul, Mount Namsan also hosts a collection of beautiful walking trails and tourist attractions, like upscale restaurants, cable car experience, and the Hanbok Cultural Experience Center. One of the all-time favourite activities for couples to do is to purchase and hang love padlocks on the Roof Terrace on the second floor. As this romantic gesture has been depicted in many Korean dramas, the fences on the Terrance are filled with these "Locks of Love", where initials, messages, and symbols that bear special meaning for each couple are inscribed.

4. Lotte World Tower

‌Currently standing as the tallest skyscraper in South Korea and the fifth tallest in the world, Lotte World Tower is an architectural gem of Seoul. Its sleek design, which resembles the tip of a traditional painting brush, has incorporated both modern and traditional elements. The Tower houses galleries, cafés, a luxury hotel, and the spectacular Seoul Sky, which is an observation deck located at the very top of this 123-floor tower. Nowhere in Seoul offers a more gorgeous 360-degree view of this vibrant city. Located adjacent to the tower is one of the top shopping and entertainment complexes in Seoul - Lotte World Mall. The feature department store here is Avenuel, which carries an array of luxurious domestic and foreign brands. The mall also hosts a movie theatre, a concert hall, an aquarium, and more entertainment facilities. It's a perfect place to go if you want to take shelter from the peak of Seoul's summer heat and smog.

5. Countryside of Gapyeong

Feeling overwhelmed by the busyness of Seoul? Why not try a few easy day trips to explore Seoul's beautiful countryside? Located in the mountains of Gapyeong just 2 to 3 hours away by a bus ride, Petite France, Nami Island, and the Garden of Morning Calm are three perfect day trip destinations to add to your Seoul itinerary. While they are all accessible by taking public transportation from Seoul, many visitors opt to join a day tour that covers all three destinations in one shot.

Petite France

Petite France is a French-style cultural village, with a design theme inspired by Antoine de Saint-Exupery’s classic work The Little Prince. Colourful French-style buildings and beautiful art decorations of statues and murals deck this quaint village, offering a taste of France right at home for the Koreans. Many of these buildings exhibit collections of imported European artwork and antiques. For example, The European Doll House features hundreds of European-style dolls, with some dating back to Medieval Times.  Petite France is especially charming in the cherry blossom season in spring. It has been a popular filming set for quite a few popular Korean dramas and variety shows, including “Beethoven Virus”, “My Love From The Stars”, “Secret Garden”, and “Running Man”.

As you stride along, you will also find many life-size murals and dioramas from classic childhood fairytales and numerous depictions of Le Petite Prince. Have fun looking out for them and taking Instagrammable shots with your friends or loved ones. The forested mountain behind the village also offers some good views of this charming town. There is a boardwalk path near the observatory tower that can take you up and around the mountain. Throughout the day, there are scheduled street performances and informational talks for everyone to enjoy. Be sure to check the schedule available at the front entrance.

Nami Island

Nami Island earned its fame initially from being the filming spot of the popular Korean show 'Winter Sonata'. Ever since then, this cute little crescent-shaped island has become a popular day trip location for couples and families to relax in nature. Here in Nami Island, you can explore its picturesque tree-lined bike and walking paths and check out all its ample photo-worthy hotspots.

The Garden of Morning Calm

The Garden of Morning Calm is a must-see for those who love nature and are fond of botanical gardens. Since its opening in 1996, it has been regarded as one of the most beautiful showcases of Korea's beautiful horticulture, housing about 5000 kinds of plants, of which 300 are native species. The garden features 20 different themed sections which are connected by scenic walkways. The Sunken Garden, which is shaped like the Korean Peninsula, is one of the most meaningful attractions as it symbolizes the desire for reunification for South and North Korea. The Garden of Morning Calm is worth visiting all year round as it changes its displays of blooms according to the festivity of each season.

6. The Korean Demilitarized Zone (a.k.a DMZ)

The DMZ is a strip of no man's land that divides the Korean Penisula at about the 38th parallel north. It is one of the world's most solemn tourist attractions as it is heavily militarized on both ends beyond the strip. And yet, the DMZ welcomes more than 1.2 million visitors each year according to the Korea Tourism Organization. Ever since its establishment under the Korean Armistice Agreement in 1953, this 250 km by 4 km border buffer zone has been a strategic meeting place where North and South Korean government officials meet and negotiate.  This designated meeting point where the two nations came together within the DMZ is called the Joint Security Area (JSA), also known as the Panmunjom truce area. Straddling the Military Demarcation Line within the JSA are a number of bright blue Military Armistice Commission Conference Rooms where the leaders meet face to face.    

Facing the Conference Row buildings is the Panmungak (a.k.a Panmun Hall) of North Korea and the Freedom House on the south side.

Visitors must book a guided private or group tour with an official tour agency in order to tour the DMZ. The South Korean side has a number of interesting checkpoints: the unfinished infiltration tunnels (said to be built by the North), the barricaded Freedom Bridge (used to return prisoners at the end of the war), Nuri Peace Park, the Dorasan Observatory, and the Mount Odu Observatory. From the perched observatories, visitors can take a 360-degree view across the peninsula using the binoculars provided. This is probably the closest view one can have into North Korea. So be sure to tag along on a DMZ tour when you visit Seoul.

]]>https://www.gorestrepeat.com/5-best-korean-foods/Ghost__Post__61a814922cdfc30001d44a33Thu, 09 Dec 2021 01:07:03 GMT

Often spicy, packed with flavour, and always colourful, Korean cuisine doesn't just wow the senses–it steamrolls them. However, the vast array of dishes can leave new visitors lost and forlorn somewhere between bibimbap and bulgogi. This article seeks to simplify the process just a little, by pointing out the 5 must-try dishes. Make the time to enjoy them on your trip!

Note: you will notice that we do not cover Korean barbecue. While an essential and internationally popular facet of the cuisine, the topic is too big to be addressed as only one point on a list and will receive its own article.

Cover picture: Korean meal table from https://www.flickr.com/photos/koreanet/4553953910/ by Republic of Korea. License: CC BY-SA 2.0

1. Hotteok

Hotteok is the Korean spin on Western pancakes. Think of your well-known Sunday morning breakfast. Then picture them stuffed with a thin powder rich in cinnamon, honey, and peanuts. Grill it just enough to make the outside crispy, but leave the inside so soft it melts in your mouth. The result is Hotteok–the perfect winter street food to warm your insides. Be sure to give them a try!

2. Kimchi

Ah yes, Kimchi. The Korean food. Kimchi is an iconic staple of Korean cuisine, known around the world even to those who haven't tried it, and for good reason. At its core, Kimchi is a side dish made from fermented vegetables–cabbage and Korean radishes are the usual selection–and mixed with scallions, ginger and other seasonings. Its weight in Korean cooking cannot be understated, and no dinner is complete without a helping of this classic.

3. Bibimbap

Bibimbap is the ultimate food. Simple rice is mixed with glorious condiments, including sauteed vegetables, mushrooms, soy sauce, beef, a fried egg, and good ol' gochujang, or chili pepper paste. Just as yummy both cold and hot, the heavy vegetable and protein content make it both healthy and incredibly delicious. No trip to Korea is free without a taste.

4. Japchae

Time for our noodle dish! Japchae combines a chewy glass noodle base with stir-fried sweet potato, shredded vegetables, beef, and some sweet soy sauce to produce an eclectic world of flavour. While once served only for Korean royalty, it's now a popular dish for celebrations like weddings and holidays.

5. Korean Fried Chicken

Last, but oh-so-definitely not least is Korean fried chicken. The cuisine's unique spin on the ubiquitous dish has reached acclaim all around the world. Korean fried chicken is coated with a more delicate sauce, made with sweet chili and soy sauce as creative spins. Korean fried chicken with beer is called Chimaek, and it has been made popular by scenes in famous Korean dramas.

]]>https://www.gorestrepeat.com/taiwanese-islands-ranked/Ghost__Post__619d8757e068230001f95f2bWed, 01 Dec 2021 01:22:53 GMT

Taiwan has carved itself a stable niche in the Asia tourism landscape and receives many visitors for its savvy city scene, gorgeous natural landscapes, and oodles of cultural treasures. However, lesser-known are Taiwan's surrounding islands. Though hard to access, they each have their own unique flavour and personality, offering their own draws. Why not give them a try? In this article, we'll list our 4 best options for tourists, but don't feel limited to only our islands–there are plenty of hidden gems not covered here, ready to be discovered with some adventurous research.

1. Kinmen Island

Kinmen Island was a former battleground back in the day during the Chinese Civil War. Now, it offers not only rich military history, but because it was a military zone, development of the living quarters were prohibited, leaving many of its temples and old architecture still standing. Visit if you're interested in Oriental architecture, and to gain a different perspective of Taiwan's modern history. There is an airport with flights to Xiamen in China, as well as Taipei, Kaohsiung, and several other Taiwanese cities.

2. Penghu Island

Ah, Penghu Island. While technically many small islands close together, the largest city Magong is on the main island. However, there are many gems to other islands worth a day trip off Magong, such as Jibei's gorgeous coastline. Penghu has all of Taiwan's fabulous scenic trappings. From its famous basalt columns that line the cliffs to sparkling shoals, not to mention stunning beaches, it's the perfect place to kick back and enjoy. It is also an important place for the protection of the threatened sea turtle.

3. Matsu Islands

Matsu is an outlier. Taiwan's other islands are iconic for stunning natural beauty, but while Matsu is no slouch in that department, its true charms lie elsewhere. Being so close to China, it was used as a military outpost in the past, and much of that heritage is still visible today. Its distance from Taiwan means that it also have their own unique charm, hard to find on Taiwan proper. The Matsu Islands are in truth many separate islands, like Penghu, with the largest island being Nangan. Some of the islands' unique elements include ancient stone houses made by villagers from the stone age, and pretty coast towns reminiscent of a Mediterranean image.

4. Green Island

Though not bestowed with the most creative name, Green Island never fails to deliver. It carries natural wonders aplenty, including some of Taiwan's best-preserved coral reefs. Not only is it a sparkling gem of nature's splendour, its status as one of the most visited islands means that amenities have been well-developed. With convenience stores, hotels, and an airport to multiple large Taiwanese cities, say goodbye to rough days out backpacking. Enjoy both the luxuries of modern life and stunning natural scenery.

]]>https://www.gorestrepeat.com/5-best-souvenirs/Ghost__Post__61300d9506ec3000011bad11Thu, 18 Nov 2021 01:26:25 GMT

Near the end of a trip, you would probably be rushing to get something to remember your trips, such as a photo or a great memory. However, you might want to buy an object from a gift store to prove beyond a doubt that you've been on an amazing trip. Here, we've recommended 5 souvenirs to bring home from China at the end of your trip.

Cover image credits: from Roman Matovsky on Unsplash

1. Tea

Have you ever tried tea? Not British tea, but the original Chinese tea. Chinese tea is different than British tea because it has a stronger flavor. It is often bitter, yet incredibly heartwarming, and it soothes your belly and worries. Tea is served in nearly all Chinese restaurants, and some places known as tea shops specialize in this beverage. There are many rare tea flavors hidden in remote locations, so go on a hunt for them, or just buy them from a store. You can even bring the tea back from your vacation and try it from the comfort of your own home.

2. Silks

If you went traveling in China and want a fashion outfit to commemorate your adventure or just for comfort, head to a clothes shop and buy silk clothes. Made from Silkworm cocoons, silk is of high quality and extremely precious. It is soft and smooth, like touching the wind in its solidified form. It goes back a very long way in China and is still being mass-produced in factories. If you want to buy clothes during a trip to China, try to aim for clothes that are made of silk.

3. Jade

Perhaps you are looking for something even more expensive and decorative. Fear not, because we have a wonderful recommendation for decoration: Jade. Jade is basically Chinese gold! You can buy bracelets and rings made from jade. If you want it more artistic, why not buy a carved jade pot or even a jade dragon? Make sure to apply for heavy shipping since jade is valuable and heavy. Remember to buy from trusted dealers like big stores and markets since smaller ones could scam you. However, jade is worth massive amounts of money, so if you aren't interested in green stones or don't have a lot of money, you can skip this souvenir.

4. Fans

If you watch Asian movies, you might notice characters cooling themselves down with a fan. So why not get your very own fan to keep cool? During your trip, you can head to a souvenir store and buy a Chinese fan. Every fan in a store is carefully crafted and has artistic patterns to admire. Some fans even tell a story or a legend. You can use it to give a cool breeze during hot days, or if it is too fragile, simply admire its intricate patterns and design.

5. Art

In many Chinese art exhibits, you can admire amazing examples of calligraphy and paintings. But why not just buy artwork of your own, so you have a masterpiece to admire 24/7? Or perhaps you are more interested in creating your very own work of art than looking at them. You can buy paintbrushes to make your own calligraphy at home. However, the practice is very difficult and requires a lot of patience and hard work. You should find a school, whether private or common, to learn a bit of calligraphy. However, calligraphy is harder than it looks, so be prepared.

]]>https://www.gorestrepeat.com/5-places-to-go-during-your-leisure-time-in-japan/Ghost__Post__613945b708b1d70001dfe716Wed, 17 Nov 2021 01:09:33 GMT

When you visit Japan, you might feel stressed since you have a tight schedule. But you should allow some "free days", which are days that have no major planned activity to do. Use these days to relax at your hotel, bathe in hot springs, and even sit around thinking about your time in Japan. Here are 5 places to go to during your leisure time, to squeeze in if you have some extra time after an activity, or if you just want to relax.

Cover image credits: "Land of the setting sun" from https://www.flickr.com/photos/mark-gunn/48466436727 by Mark Gunn. License: CC BY 2.0

1. Museums

While you will probably head to museums during your trip, it might be helpful to visit mini-museums and learn a little bit more about Japanese culture. They're small, so they're not much of a time investment. You could visit an art museum, a cultural museum, or even a Bonsai museum. There are tons of small museums waiting at the corner, so check them out!

2. Hot springs

Hot springs are one of the most enjoyable places to relax after a long stressful day in Japan. You can easily find plenty of hot spring locations. They are found in buildings, or more commonly, the outdoors. As you sit in the hot spring, you can feel and warm water seeping away your doubts and worries. What's more, hot springs are surprisingly healthy and help to relieve stress. If you are traveling with younger kids, be careful as the hot springs might be too hot for them. Watch for warning signs that express an age limit for this hot spring. Other than that, enjoy!

3. Sumo tournament

If you've ever thought Sumo is just Japanese boxing, then you were wrong. Sumo is widely different than boxing or any other martial arts. The goal of sumo is to shove and push each other off the ring, rather than kicking or punching the opponent. These duels can become very heated with the audience cheering heavily. You could buy a ticket to such tournaments, but make sure to sit in the back as there are some occasions where the wrestler falls off the stage and hits an audience. If you are really worried, you can just watch in the safety of your TV. Regardless of what you choose, once you watch just one sumo match, you won't be able to stop.

4. Nature Parks

If you feel like the city and towns are too overwhelming and you want a break from all that noise, why not calm yourself down and take a stroll through a nature park? There are plenty of trails you can find near where you're staying, and going on nature walks can help relieve stress. So get out there and enjoy the views of nature.

]]>https://www.gorestrepeat.com/5-best-asia-festivals/Ghost__Post__61831ed68531c400013eabc1Tue, 16 Nov 2021 01:21:29 GMT

East and Southeast Asia's myriad of cultures are jam-packed with festive events, celebrating the nuances of past and present life in this region. The shrewd traveller will sculpt their itinerary and season of travel around these festivals, so as to make the most of whatever is happening near them. Take a look at our compilation of the 5 best festivals to try to attend!

1. Harbin International Ice and Snow Sculpture Festival (China)

When to go: January 5-February 5, though exhibits often open earlier and stay for longer

The Harbin Ice Festival was first started in 1963, having far more recent origins than most of the other festivals on this list, but don't pass it by–it's the largest ice sculpture festival in the entire world. The festival is held at the start of the year in Harbin, the capital of China's northernmost province, and the city comes alive to celebrate artists' wondrous works of winter. Find most of the exhibits at Sun Island and the Harbin Ice and Snow World.

2. Songkran Festival (Thailand)

When to go: April 13-15

Thailand people know how to properly welcome the new year. Every Thai New Year's Day, everyone takes up their aqua-centric arms and floods the street for the largest water fight. Water guns, buckets, even elephants are all fair game. The burning heat of this time of year makes the water even more satisfying. Songkran has its origins in Buddhist rituals of cleansing, and Buddhist statues are also given a wash during this time.

3. Dragon Boat Festival (China)

When to go: the fifth day of the fifth lunar month by the lunar calendar, so there's no direct Gregorian connection. However, it usually happens around the summer.

The Dragon Boat Festival is famous around the world. Every year, competitors take to the water on great dragon-shaped canoes painted in vibrant colours. Winning requires utmost physical strength, endurance, and teamwork as they row in time to the beat of the drum. Legend has it that the festival was first started when Qu Yuan, a legendary ancient Chinese poet and patriot, committed suicide by drowning himself in the Mi Lo river after the country's capital was conquered. Ancient Chinese villagers rode out in boats, splashing water and throwing rice dumplings to keep fish and evil spirits. away from his body. The spirit of the event is still alive today, with thousands of spectators enjoying the races. If you join the festivities, be sure to try traditional Dragon Boat Festival foods like zongzi, the rice dumplings in the legend, and other foods like fried cake and tea eggs depending on the region.

4. Jakarta International Java Jazz Festival (Indonesia)

When to go: can vary, usually the early days of March

In the mood for some music? You've come to the right place! The International Jazz Music Festival of Jakarta is one of the largest music festivals in the world, and is likely the biggest one in the Southern Hemisphere. Legendary artists from around the world and many from Indonesia itself gather to showcase their talent. Every year comes with a different theme to help musicians shape their music,  from 2014's Bringing the World to Indonesia to Redeeming Yourself Through Music in 2020. Tickets are required to attend.

5. Chinese New Year (China)

When to go: can vary as the Lunar Calendar has no direct Gregorian translation, usually around February

We end with the biggest Asian festival of all–Chinese New Year. Honouring the beginning of the new year in the Chinese Lunar calendar, it's celebrated not only in China itself but everywhere around the world that has a large Chinese population. Chinese New Year has an enormous amount of traditions, food, and practices, so much that it could fill its own article. Highlights include synchronized dancers under a lion costume, fireworks, and enjoying special rice cakes.

]]>https://www.gorestrepeat.com/hidden-treasures-in-xian/Ghost__Post__615646fb67d8db00010b50d5Wed, 03 Nov 2021 00:17:22 GMT

As a world-renowned ancient city, Xi'an is home to thousands of years of culture and some of China's best-preserved archeological attractions. Having been the capital city for some of the most influential dynasties - the Zhou, Qin, Han, Sui, and Tang Dynasties, the Chinese regard it as the "birthplace of Chinese civilization", and named it "Chang On" historically, which means "everlasting peace". While Xi'an is famous for its Terracotta Warriors, there are plenty of other ancient wonders to be discovered. These offbeat places are usually less crowded, so they are perfect if you'd prefer a more relaxed itinerary.

1. Huaqing Chi

‌People usually visit Huaqing Chi (Huaqing Hot Spring) on the way to or back from the Terracotta Army since this site is located under the Lishan Mountain, just 8 km east of the Terracotta Museum. Do not be confused by its name, this scenic garden is not a public hot spring, but the imperial pools for the Tang Dynasty in 618 - 907 A.D. Here you can learn more about the history and culture of the Tang Dynasty, a golden age of ancient China, and enjoy the musical performance of "Everlasting Song of Sorrow", featuring the story of Tang Emperor Xuanzong and his concubine, Huaqing Chi resident Yang Yuhuan (also known as Yang Guifei), whom the Chinese regard as one of the most beautiful ladies in history. Even if you had completed your tour during the day, be sure to come back in the evening to enjoy the show. Its beautiful music and choreography will surely leave you with an "everlasting" impression!

2.  Tang Paradise

Within walking distance from the Big Wild Goose Pagoda is Tang Paradise, one of the biggest culture-themed gardens in the northwest region of China. Checking out both attractions in one day is a perfect itinerary plan.

Modeled after the royal gardens of the Tang Dynasty, this culture park is surely one of the most beautiful places in all of Xi'an. There are altogether 12 scenic areas, where the designer laboured to give a grand display of almost everything representative of this Chinese renaissance period: poetry, music and dance, architecture, marketplace, food, fashion, the whole gamut. So take a relaxing stroll here in Tang Paradise and bask in the Tang Dynasty's prosperity and rich culture.

3. A Day trip to Mount Huashan

As one of the five most sacred mountains in China, Mount Huashan is renowned for its sheer cliffs, magnificent scenery, and ancient history. Having been part of numerous folklore for thousands of years, this mountain has caught the fancy of generations of Chinese. Many pilgrims trek across this arduous mountain to get a glimpse of the famous Taoist temples and teahouses adorned on its ridges and peaks.  Fortunately, Mount Huashan is just an hour away from Xi'an, making it a perfect day trip option. For those who wish to challenge what the Chinese regard as the "most precipitous mountain under heaven", Mount Huashan offers plenty of venturesome hikes. Not a climber? No worries. The cable cars there will take you to the summit, but be prepared to line up. To beat the crowd on public transit or cable car, joining a private day tour may be a good option for families with young children and the elderly. Regardless of your physical condition, there are plenty of options to explore and enjoy the breathtaking scenery at Mount Huashan.

4. Gao Grand Courtyard

Do not miss this hidden gem in Xi'an's Muslim Quarter! This grand 400 years old siheyuan (四合院) or "Chinese quadrangle courtyard" is hidden on one of the smaller and less crowded streets within the Muslim Quarter. Once you step inside this classically decorated family mansion, you would literally walk back in time and experience ancient Shaanxi culture. The architecture has been beautifully preserved and sheltered from the chaotic city outside. You could easily spend an hour wandering the beautifully furnished rooms of the courtyard itself and admiring the level of detail that has gone into its preservation.

Besides strolling around the courtyard complex, there are cultural activities here for your whole family to enjoy. There is a Silk Museum inside where you can see beautiful handcrafted embroidery and antiqued clothing. Kids can participate in a frottage workshop where they make traditional Chinese paintings by rubbing from antique molds. The courtyard also hosts several folk music and shadow puppet performances during the day.

5. Great Mosque of Xi'an

Located in the Muslim Quarter is another piece of ancient heritage - the Great Mosque of Xi'an. It was originally built in 742 A.D., but its current design was refined during the Ming Dynasty in the 1400s. In classic Xi'an style, the mosque fuses traditional Chinese architectural design with Islamic essence. The orientation of this mosque aligns with the direction of Mecca, instead of following the principles of Chinese Feng Shui. This complex houses five beautiful courtyards and well-landscaped gateways leading to the Great Mosque, as well as more than twelve buildings. Its picturesque courtyards and buildings make it a popular tourist attraction. Today, the Great Mosque is not only a place of worship for Xi'an's Muslim community but also an attestation of its ethnic diversity during the Silk Road Era.

]]>https://www.gorestrepeat.com/top-10-xian-foods/Ghost__Post__616f55303e4776000180cb34Tue, 02 Nov 2021 00:24:11 GMT

Xi'an was the capital of China for more than 1,100 years and was a great center of trade and commerce during medieval times. The blending of cultures and ideas led to the city developing its own unique cuisine, one that never fails to delight visitors new and old. From mutton dumplings to Roujiamo, here are our top 5 dishes served in this wonderful and fascinating city.

Cover photo credits: "Xian Muslim Quarter", from https://www.flickr.com/photos/globetrotteri/2471408822 by Carrie Kellenberger. License: CC BY 2.0

1. Cold Noodles

Called Liangpi (凉皮) in Chinese, cold noodles are the perfect dish for China's blazing hot summers. With condiments like chili oil and bean sprouts, it's the perfect meal to regain your stamina after a long day exploring the city. They are made from wheat or rice flour, and the starch is rinsed off the dough under water.

2. Mutton Dumplings

One of the many contributions the Middle East made to Xi'an cuisine, mutton dumplings are a hallmark of the city's flavor fusion, combining the halal meat of lamb with East Asian-style dumplings. These delicacies are served in a sour soup of black vinegar and roasted chili oil. Filled with aromatic spices, they bear little juice and have a distinctive purse shape.

3. Biang Biang Noodles

While noodles are a common food in China and the world, no one makes them quite like Xi'an, especially the city's specialty: biang biang noodles. Named for the sound made when the dough is slapped against the table to stretch them out, the noodles are wide and perfect for rough slurping. Often topped with eggs, beef, and tomato sauce, nothing quite hits the spot like a big bowl filled to the brim.

4. Yangrou Paomo

Paomo is essentially pita bread, crumbled up into chunks and served in mutton stew, like noodles. Bean vermicelli is also often included. Similar to mutton dumplings, its creation was influenced by the influx of Arabian cultures during the time of the Silk Road. Yangrou Paomo now sits comfortably among Xi'an's classic foods, making it a must-try for any visitor.

5. Roujiamo

We end with the greatest Xi'an dish of all–Roujiamo. Nicknamed "Chinese hamburgers", Roujiamo takes the basic definition of burger–meat surrounded by two buns–and infuses it with all the energy and flavour of Xi'an, resulting in something entirely unique. Roujiamo is made by placing slices of crispy preserved meat between flatbread, an iconic and delicious Xi'an snack. No visit to the city is complete without a try of this, so make sure you grab one on your next trip!

]]>https://www.gorestrepeat.com/6-must-see-xian-attractions/Ghost__Post__61282df37a68380001b5c2afTue, 19 Oct 2021 00:19:34 GMT

Having served as the capital city of 13 dynasties spread intermittently across a 1,100-year period from 221 BC, Xi’an, the capital of Shaanxi province, is proud of its ancient heritage. While Beijing is the place to go if you want to learn about China's more recent history, Xi'an is your destination if you want to discover its further past. This amazing city was once the eastern gateway to the Silk Road — the notorious trade route connecting China to the Middle East and Europe. Xi'an is globally famous, not only for its iconic Terracotta Warriors, but also for its rich history and unique cultural mix of Islam, Buddhism, and Atheism. Nowhere else in China can you find such mouth-watering local Chinese dishes infused with eccentric flavors from the Middle East. Be sure not to miss any of these iconic and historical attractions.

Cover image: "1 xian china wild goose pagoda view" from https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:1_xian_china_wild_goose_pagoda_view.JPG by chensiyuan. License: CC BY-SA 4.0

1. Emperor Qin Shi Huang's Mausoleum

Visiting the Terracotta Warriors is the number one item on anyone's bucket list when planning a visit to Xi'an. Located just over an hour away from Xi'an, visitors can conveniently reach the site of the Terracotta Warriors by taking public transits from downtown Xi'an.

‌When a local farmer was digging a well in the countryside of Xi’an in 1974, a massive archeological treasure from the Qin Dynasty (221 BC-206 BC) was uncovered. Further excavation unfolded a humongous army of around 8,000 life-sized pottery soldiers, horses, chariots, and weapons arranged in battle formations, guarding the tomb of Emperor Qin Shi Huang. This grand Mausoleum of the first emperor of Qin and his Terracotta Warriors Warriors was buried without anyone knowing for over 2,200 years. Now, the Emperor Qin Shi Huang's Mausoleum Site Park has been built over the entire tomb site, constisting of three main ‘pits’ — vast underground chambers in which different sections of the army were unearthed and now displayed.

2. Xi'an Ancient City Wall

The Xi’an City Wall is the largest and best-preserved ancient city wall in China. Its initial construction dates back to the Tang Dynasty (618-907), and it was further enlarged during the Ming Dynasty (1368-1644). Presently, there is 13.7km of the Xi’an City Wall. Biking or walking along the wall will give you some of the best views of the city. It will take you approximately 2 hours of leisurely cycling to go all the way around, so you can rent a bicycle for a two-hour period at the entrance.

3. Xi'an Bell Tower and Drum Tower

While visiting the City Wall, you won’t be able to miss out on its famous towers! In ancient China, every major city had a bell tower and a drum tower, and Xi'an is no exception. Their Bell and Drum Towers are located in the city center of Xi’an, connecting the roads from all four directions within the City Wall. Presently, both Towers are the iconic remnant of ancient Xi'an, the largest and best-preserved of their kind.

‌Dating back to the Ming Dynasty in the 14th Century, the Drum Tower got its name from the huge drum located within the building, and now it even houses a drum museum. You can find a panoramic view of this beautiful city atop both Towers.

4. Big Wild Goose Pagoda

Another symbol of ancient Xi'an no one should miss is the Big Wild Goose Pagoda (also called Giant Wild Goose Pagoda). It is located in the southern suburb of Xi'an, about 4 kilometers from downtown. Originally built in 652 during the reign of Emperor Gaozong during the Tang Dynasty, Big Wild Goose Pagoda is one of the most famous pagodas in China. It is a sacred place for Buddhists as it houses a precious array of Buddhist relics that were collected from India by the hierarch Xuanzang during the Tang Dynasty. Xuanzang's journey took 17 years to complete. He started off from Chang'an (the ancient name of Xi'an), traveled along the Silk Road, and finally reached India, the birthplace of Buddhism. Upon Xuanzang's return, Emperor Gaozong commissioned him, as the first abbot of Da Ci'en Temple, to supervise the building of this pagoda. Standing in the Da Ci'en Temple complex and the surrounding scenic gardens, this beautiful pagoda attracts numerous visitors for its stunning architectural beauty.  Visitors can observe the beautiful view of the whole Xi'an city on the 7th floor.

During the night, a light and water fountain show begins at the northern square. With the Pagoda as the backdrop, the enormous fountain and laser beams dance to the music. Heading south of the Pagoda will take you to an incredible promenade full of vast, beautifully illuminated buildings, and many stages are set up for performers of all sorts. You can grab a late-night snack from the myriad of food and drink stalls.

5. Discover China's Ancient Culture in Xi'an's Museums

Interested in learning about China's ancient history? No need to look further than the Shaanxi History Museum and the Xi'an Museum. Having been the capital of thirteen imperial dynasties including the most prosperous Qin, Han, and Tang Dynasties, Xi'an is truly the cradle of Chinese ancient civilization.

‌Housed in a magnificent Confucian Temple is Shaanxi History Museum. It features more than 370,000 pieces of historical relics, primarily from the Zhou to the Tang Dynasty (1100B.C. to 907 A.D.). It was awarded with the designation of "National First Level Museum" in 2008.

While not as famous as the Shaanxi History Museum, Xi’an Museum is slightly less crowded and nearly as impressive. It has an astounding collection of 130,000 relics, showing the socioeconomic life of Xi'an starting in the 11th century BC and all the way through modern history. This museum has almost 10,000 paintings and calligraphies, including well-preserved masterpieces dating back to the Qing Dynasty (1644-1911).

6. Muslim Quarter‌‌

Having been the entry point to the Silk Road during the Tang Dynasty, Xi'an has been deeply influenced by Arabic culture, and the Muslim Quarter here is the living testimony of Xi'an's connection with the Middle East and Europe. From cuisine to clothing, the Chinese/Islamic culture here is strikingly different from the rest of China. Strolling along the busy streets lining with souvenirs and food vendors, you would think you are somewhere in the Arabic world. Lucky are you, who can taste traditional mouthwatering local Chinese dishes, served with a Middle Eastern spin on flavour. Be sure to check out our upcoming post dedicated to Xi'an's cuisine and try all our recommendations - lamb PaoMo (a bread crumb soup dating back to the Tang dynasty), Chinese hamburgers, kebabs, and biang biang noodles (a tangy and peppery dish that’s unique to Xi’an).

]]>https://www.gorestrepeat.com/5-best-taiwanese-national-parks/Ghost__Post__61316a261ebbaa000115da40Fri, 01 Oct 2021 00:25:30 GMT

The Portuguese sailors who glimpsed Taiwan from afar nicknamed it "Ihla Formosa", or "beautiful island", and that beauty endures even centuries later. Taiwan's nature continues to amaze new visitors with its epic mountains and sweeping groves. Here are the 5 best national parks to explore this island's stunning natural scenery.

1. Yushan National Park

A classic example, Yushan National Park draws mountaineers and hikers from around the world to tackle its peaks. It is home to Yushan Mountain (also known as Jade Mountain), the largest peak in Taiwan and East Asia. Not in the mood for cliffs? The park boasts plenty of glorious scenery in its own right, such as a three-day hike to Jiaming Lake, an iconic Taiwanese treasure that will dazzle you with pure natural glory. Though the park is hard to access and less developed compared to others, the lessened crowd allows for a closer experience with nature and the magnificent wildlife.

2. Kenting National Park

Looking for something a little more relaxed and family-friendly compared to Yushan's hardcore attraction? Kenting National Park at the southern tip of Taiwan makes for a fine choice, with a stunning coastline that is amazingly photogenic. Explore gorgeous forests in the morning, then unwind at the beautiful white-sand beaches, all in the same day–that is the potential of Kenting National Park. Opportunities for greater exploration abound, with botanical gardens and even limestone caves. On your next trip to Ihla Formosa, give Kenting a try!

3. Yangmingshan National Park

Situated between Taipei and New Taipei City, Yangmingshan is one of the easiest parks to access–odd for one famous for being a prime sample of Taiwan's zany volcanic geology. The smell of sulfur exudes from the sulfur deposits in the earth. Seven Star Mountain, Taiwan's largest dormant volcano, is the main attraction of the park, but it holds plenty of other draws, from glorious waterfalls to stunning lakes. And Yangmingshan carries a more nuanced beauty as well: alluring flowers like calla lilies and hydrangea blossoms flourish closer to the earth.

4. Shei-Pa National Park

Shei-Pa National Park is home to Snow Mountain, Taiwan's second-tallest mountain, but don't think it plays second fiddle to anything. In the wintertime, it becomes one of the island's most breathtaking places. A classic way to experience the mountain is by going on the Holy Ridge, a 5-day overland adventure with views that even rival great Yushan.

5. Taroko National Park

We can only end with the best. Situated in gorgeous Eastern Taiwan, Taroko has been touted as the most beautiful place in Taiwan, and it is the epitome of epic Taiwanese natural wonder. Its main attraction, Taroko Gorge, boasts stunning peaks and cliffs of marble that extend up to 19 kilometers. To explore this epic canyon, less experienced hikers can use the well-maintained Lushui Trail, while the more adventurous can try Shakadang Trail, with the crystal clear waters of the Shakadang Stream as a company. The roads around Taroko Gorge can be twisty for those new to the place, though, so look into getting a tour guide or something similar at the start.

]]>https://www.gorestrepeat.com/best-things-to-do-with-children-in-beijing/Ghost__Post__611469cf07812200015362a6Fri, 03 Sep 2021 00:06:50 GMT

As China's present and the old capital of five Dynasties, Beijing is a must-visit destination, not only for adult travellers, but for families with kids. Although language can be a barrier, I've found the people of Beijing to be very friendly to families with children. A family trip to Beijing is both educational and fun, even for young children who are not ready to explore Beijing's massive historical attractions. They will still gain an understanding of China's history and rich culture by exploring the following family-friendly attractions.

1. Cable car and toboggan ride at the Mutianyu Great Wall

Beijing is only an hour away from what is undoubtedly one of the world's most famous pieces of historic architecture - the Great Wall of China. With a total length of 21,196 kilometres, which section of the Great Wall would be best for you to tour with young children?

The Mutianyu Great Wall is one of the best-preserved sections of the Great Wall. It has breathtaking scenery but fewer tourists than the more popular sections such as Badaling, making it a good destination for travelling families. And its close proximity to downtown Beijing–just a one-and-a-half-hour drive in normal traffic–means it's more than possible to visit the Mutianyu Great Wall in the morning or afternoon. Just the thing for travelling families who need a more relaxed schedule.

The Mutianyu section spans over a mile and contains a total of 23 watchtowers. It is possible to hike along the entire Mutianyu Great Wall, but taking a cable car up and down is a great way to save time and energy when you travel with young children. Two riding options are available from the entrances to the hillside Great Wall: the covered cable car goes to Tower 14, and the chairlift reaches Tower 6. In addition, travellers can take a Toboggan ride down to the entrance at Tower 6. Both towers afford great panoramic views of the whole length of the Mutianyu Great Wall. Some travellers take the covered cable car to Tower 14, walk to Tower 6, and take a chairlift or gondola down from the great wall, but the climb is steep and challenging for children under 12 years of age. Thus, the chairlift and toboggan ride options at Tower 6 are more suited for families with young children.

2. Join a walking tour around the Hutongs of Beijing

Hutongs are the traditional courtyard residences and alleyways that connect with other hutongs to form a neighbourhood of wonderful passageways. They once covered all of Beijing, but many of Beijing's hutongs have been demolished to make way for modern Beijing. Fortunately, some hutongs are well-preserved and welcome visitors to take a trip back in time to the old, traditional Beijing.

The best way to enjoy a glimpse into these authentic Chinese neighbourhoods is to join a walking or bike tour. There are many organized paid and free tours available. The hutongs areas near Houhai Lake, the Bell and Drum Towers, Nanluoguxiang, Lama Temple, and Qianmen are popular among tourists and locals. It would be an unforgettable memory for the kids to tour through the hutongs on a Beijing-style tricycle and meet some of the people who live there.

3. Got kids who love animals? Try the Beijing Zoo and Beijing Aquarium.

Founded in 1906 during the late Qing dynasty, Beijing Zoo is the oldest zoo in China and the oldest public park in northern China. The Beijing Zoo is well-known for its collection of rare animals endemic to China, including the giant panda, the golden snub-nosed monkey, the South China tiger, and the Chinese alligator. Like many of Beijing's parks, the zoo is ornate with classical Chinese gardens, lotus ponds, pavilions, and historical buildings. Unless you are planning to visit the Giant Panda Research Base in Chengdu, the Beijing Zoo is the place to go if your children love pandas–and frankly, who doesn't?!

Beijing Aquarium is conveniently located also inside the Beijing Zoo complex. It is the largest and most advanced aquarium in China, covering a total area of 30 acres. Beijing Aquarium has seven beautiful halls and live aquatic animal shows. It is a great place to go when the weather is not the greatest, and when you want to spend a relaxing day looking at the beautiful land and sea creatures.

4. Take a relaxing stroll at Beihai Park

Beihai Park, also known as the Winter Palace, is a large historical park located near the Forbidden City and a place where you can enjoy a break from all the city hustle and bustle. First built in the 11th century, Beihai Park is among the largest of the imperial gardens, with numerous works of historical architecture and a lake that covers more than half of the 170 acres. Since 1925, it has been open to the public as a park.

Beihai Park is beautiful in all seasons. Taking a boat ride on Beihai Lake is a great way to enjoy the gorgeous area.  The best time for flying kites in Beijing is spring and autumn. You and your kids can fly a kite on a pleasant day together with the locals. Skating on the beautiful Beihai lake is a classic Beijing winter highlight.

5. Watch an Acrobat or Kung Fu show

Looking for some evening entertainment after a day of sightseeing? The Acrobat Show at Beijing’s Chaoyang Theater and the Red Theatre Kung Fu show are two signature performances that no one should miss.

The Legend of Kung Fu Show at the Red Theatre is a spectacular fusion of modern dance with Chinese traditional martial and acrobatic arts. It tells an inspiring story of a young boy who dreams of becoming a Kung Fu master. He takes the path of a monk, in which he must face many obstacles in order to overcome his fears, attain enlightenment, and become a true master of Kung Fu. Since its debut in 2004, it has received many awards and international recognition as the most beloved Kung Fu show in China.

Besides martial arts, China's acrobatic performance is well known internationally. Watching an acrobatic show at the Chaoyang Theatre is a fantastic evening activity for your family after a day of sightseeing. The hour-long show is packed with breathtaking acts, from bicycling and fire stunts to contortions and lion dancing. Although the 40-year-old Chaoyang Theatre is a bit outdated, the acrobatic show is of top-notch quality; one of the best in China.

6. Olympic Park

Head to the Olympic Park where Beijing hosted the 2008 Summer Olympics to check out the famous Bird's Nest stadium and the Water Cube Park, which was converted into an indoor waterpark after the Olympics. You will be mesmerized by the gigantic scale architectures, especially at night, when some of the structures are illuminated.

General travel tips for families with young children:

1. Bring your stroller everywhere because there is a lot of walking to be done.
2. Prepare for pollution in China, and bring masks on high pollution days.
3. Language can be a pretty big barrier in Beijing, so make sure to have Google Translate, with offline Mandarin downloaded.
4. Be sure to take taxis that have and use meters, to avoid being ripped off.

]]>https://www.gorestrepeat.com/10_japanese_dishes_part1/Ghost__Post__611d9ca7b1b8e60001f1d977Thu, 02 Sep 2021 00:06:52 GMT

Home to a myriad of foods, Japan is filled with cultural delicacies everywhere. They instantly come to life, bringing wonderful flavours and textures to your belly. In this article, we will be showing 10 foods that you should try at least once when in Japan. Since Japan has far more must-try foods than can be fit into one article, we will be starting a series, covering this country's amazing culinary world and more dazzling dishes.

1. Ramen

Ramen are traditional Japanese noodles. It is one of the most enjoyable foods in Japan, because all the components–noodles, broth, toppings, and condiments–blend perfectly in the bowl to create something greater than the sum of its parts. If you are looking for ramen, it will be very easy to find. There are street vendors and restaurants entirely dedicated to this dish. Ramen is also a very versatile meal with hundreds of variants. Tonkotsu Ramen, also known as pork bone ramen, is delicious, and the meat goes well with the noodles. There is also Shio Ramen, which is chicken broth ramen. All types of ramen are enjoyable. There even exists a special ramen variant that originated from Tokyo known as Tsukemen. It involves a plate of noodles and a bowl full of broth. To enjoy it, one dips the noodles in the broth with chopsticks and slurps it down.

2. Tempura

You have most likely seen or eaten Tempura. They are a very popular and famous dish in Tokyo and the rest of Japan. Tempura is either vegetables, sweet potatoes, or even seafood, heavily deep-fried to make a golden crispy covering. Tempura is also eaten on rice or dipped in sesame sauce for flavouring. Japanese locals often eat tempura as fast food like a cheap snack. Give it a try!

3. Monjayaki

Some of you may recognize Monjayaki by its appearance but never before heard the name. Monjayaki consists of crispy pan-fried batter, mixed with other delicious ingredients. Similar to pancakes and crêpes, they are found in plenty of restaurants.

4. Chanko Nabe

Ever wanted to be a Sumo Wrestler? Look no further than this protein-rich soup known as Chanko Nabe. During their weight gaining process, sumo wrestlers devour enormous bowls of this dish. It is made from dashi or chicken stock. Chicken meat is used in this soup since according to tradition, chicken is associated with victory. After all, in order to be the winner, the wrestler must stand on two legs, just like a chicken. Pork is sometimes added to make it more flavorful. Even if you don't intend to be a sumo wrestler, this dish will be a good and healthy meal.

5. Sushi

The most iconic Japanese food, sushi is one of the most versatile dishes of all. The classic rice ball wrapped with seaweed can be filled with all manner of ingredients, and some sushi skips the rice ball altogether, further expanding the diverse range of the dish. This meal originated from Tokyo in the 1820s. Sushi rice tastes different from other rice because it has a bit of vinegar in it as a preservative. If you feel like you want to try sushi now, you would be in luck, since sushi is found pretty much everywhere, not only in Japan but also all around the world, from vendors to sushi-themed restaurants.

6. Anago

You may not have heard of anago. That is because it is overshadowed by its cousin, the unagi. Both of them are eels, though they are quite different since unagi is freshwater eel and anago is saltwater eel. Anago and unagi are cooked differently, with unagi going on rice and sushi, and anago fried like tempura. Anago is also different from unagi as it is slightly less rich than unagi. However, unagi eels are beginning to get rarer and even endangered. If you want to enjoy Japanese eel, we recommend going for anago, rather than unagi.

7. Soba (buckwheat noodles)

Soba is another famous Japanese dish. While you might wonder why there are 2 noodle dishes in this article, it is because that soba is so good that deserves a spot as well. Compared to ramen, soba noodles have a darker, almost blackish colour. They are equally tasty, but soba is drastically different, with a more grainish texture. Like ramen, the dish is quite versatile. Soba noodles are an important dish in Japanese culture.

8. Miso Soup

Miso soup is one of the most common food in Japan. As well as a bought for noodles and other ingredients, it is great on its own. Miso soup is an important part of Japanese meals. Miso soup contains vegetables, tofu, miso paste, dashi, and other ingredients. Miso soup is so common that you can turn on a tap beside the stall and get a bowl of miso soup. Be careful, however, the soup you order is very hot so wait some time to cool it down.

9. Udon

Here we are, at the third noodle entry in this article. Udon is very different from ramen or soba. Its texture is smooth and sticky. Udon is also bigger than other noodles, using thin wide blocks rather than strips. Udon is still a very popular dish usually eaten in miso soup. Still, have doubts? The moment you try udon, they will all melt away, as you are consumed by its flavour, texture, and its broth richness.

10. Onigiri

Onigiri is similar to sushi, though it is less colourful and rather straightforward. It is simply a rice ball wrapped in seaweed. However, the insides aren't as varied as sushi, sticking to meat, dried fish, and other things. Sushi rice has more flavour since it is laced with vinegar. Onigiri uses plain rice, sometimes sprinkled lightly with salt. Despite this, onigiri is still a popular snack, and it was even eaten by ancient samurai.

]]>https://www.gorestrepeat.com/top-5-snacks-in-hong-kong/Ghost__Post__611ee676b1b8e60001f1dad2Wed, 25 Aug 2021 18:45:08 GMT

For just one city, Hong Kong has managed to carve out its own culinary niche, full of a diverse range of flavors that exemplifies the city's spirit. One thing Hong Kong cuisine excels in is amazing sweet snacks perfect for teatime. Here are 5 of the Pearl of the Orient's best treats.

1. Hong Kong-style Milk Tea

Ah, where to start? A classic afternoon food, milk tea is an iconic symbol of Hong Kong culture and is enjoyed all around the world. One cannot claim to have been to Hong Kong without trying this timeless drink. Wondering where to experience it? Visit Lan Fong Yuen, a historic Cha Chaan Teng in Central and famous across the city for its silky, smooth milk tea.

2. Pineapple Buns

The pineapple bun is a staple of Hong Kong bakeries. Contrary to its name, it contains no pineapples, but rather, the sugar on top of the plain bun is burnt to give the cracked appearance of a pineapple's skin. The Hong Kong government has made the pineapple bun one of Hong Kong's Intangible Cultural Heritage Inventory, and for good reason. Not only are pineapple buns delicious, but it is a signature of Hong Kong culinary culture, second perhaps only to milk tea.

3. Egg Waffles

The egg waffle. The ultimate Hong Kong street food snack. Made by pouring waffle batter into a special molding griddle, they're the perfect thing to munch on while walking down a busy city street. They're amazing plain or with condiments, as our picture displays. Lee Keung Kee North Point Egg Waffles is one acclaimed place to try them, but they're sold pretty much everywhere in Hong Kong.

4. Tofu Pudding

Tofu pudding, the Cantonese translation pronounced something like "Taufufa", is the epitome of Hong Kong treats. Consisting of slightly sweet, very silky tofu dipped in a light gingery syrup, it's a great late-night snack. The skill of the cook is measured in how unified the tofu is, rather than as crumbly bits.

5. Egg Tarts

The only way to end this compilation, egg tarts are ubiquitous all across Hong Kong. You'd be hard-pressed to find a bakery that doesn't serve these pastries. Made of a sweet eggy filling in a flaky or crunchy tart crust, they are eaten as part of a dim sum meal or as their own sweet treat. We don't have to tell you to try it–in Hong Kong, it's nearly impossible not to have it! The best restaurant for egg tarts is Tai Cheong Bakery in Central. Even Chris Patten, Hong Kong's last British governor, was a frequent patron of the bakery!

Cover picture: "HK Wan Chai North 灣仔北 HKCEC 香港會展 Bakery breads n Cakes May-2012" from https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:HK_Wan_Chai_North_灣仔北_HKCEC_香港會展_Bakery_breads_n_Cakes_May-2012.JPG by Sunbeamprowce. License (and license of cover picture since it was edited): CC BY-SA 3.0

]]>https://www.gorestrepeat.com/five-authentic-shopping-spots-you-must-visit-in-beijing/Ghost__Post__60caa9fdb8e33c0001f34cd4Wed, 18 Aug 2021 23:39:00 GMT

As the capital city of the Five Dynasties of China, Beijing has such a rich culture and history spanning thousands of years. This gives it a myriad of diverse shopping options. There are plenty of shopping streets and markets to provide you with an authentic shopping experience, and a large range of souvenir choices for your loved ones. Here in Beijing, you can buy quality well-loved souvenirs, like silk products, calligraphy, paper cutout artwork, Chinese tea, jewelry of jade and pearl, and handmade Chinese fans and knots. Many of these street markets have been in business for over a century, offering a glimpse into this prominent city from another angle.

1. Panjiayuan Antique Market

Hosting more than 3,000 individual stalls within its colossal building of 48,500 square meters, the Panjianyuan Market is Beijing's most extensive antique trove. It is possibly the largest antique market of its kind, in both China and Asia. Stores here are open every day, and there are additional street stalls running on Saturdays and Sundays. It is a must-visit for serious collectors, casual strollers, or just anyone on the hunt for unique Chinese treasures. Swoop in for a surprising souvenir, such as calligraphy, ceramics, traditional arts and crafts, or even memorabilia from the Cultural Revolution.

2. Beijing Silk Street Market

Over 1,700 retailers are housed in the Silk Street Market shopping center, located in the heart of Beijing. Here, you can expect to see a display of the latest ins of Chinese fashion. In addition to the bountiful silk products, it offers many diverse souvenirs at more reasonable prices, making these markets great places for tourist shopping. Also, for something a little different from shopping, there is a new silk museum on the third floor of the Silk Market. The Market is also surprisingly urbane, with modern shops, bars, restaurants, and cafes.

3. Maliandao Tea Street

This 1.5 km-long tea shop hub is the best place in Beijing to learn about China’s long and storied tea culture. Located in the southwest area of the Xuanwu District close to the Beijing West Railway Station, Maliandao Tea Street hosts nearly 1,000 tea shops.  It is the largest collection of teahouses in northern China, where tea lovers gather to sample and buy loose and bagged teas from all across China. The many nutritional benefits of green tea are well-studied, so be sure to bring some home to impress your family and friends.

4. Qianmen Street

Qianmen Street is the place to shop if you want to get a feel of the old Beijing ambiance. None of the regular mega-shopping malls can be found here. Rather, scores of little shops are tucked away in ancient-style buildings that can stretch for at least a kilometer. You can find anything, from traditional snacks and Chinese medicine to luxurious silks, quirky bookstores, and modern electronics. Shortly before the 2008 Summer Olympics, this 600-year-old commercial street was given a facelift and reopened to the public.

5. Wangfujing Street

Last but not least, Wangfujing, located within walking distance from Tiananmen Square and the Forbidden City, is Beijing's oldest shopping street. It is internationally famous for hosting many brands unique to Beijing. You could easily spend the whole day on the lively street, checking out everything from the quaintest boutiques to the trendiest designer stores. If all this shopping has worked up an appetite, you might want to stop at the Wangfujing Snack Street, a good place to taste Beijing's street food and enjoy a relaxing night stroll.

]]>https://www.gorestrepeat.com/5-things-you-should-try-in-beijing/Ghost__Post__60e465663dcf350001e0aa9fMon, 12 Jul 2021 20:35:26 GMT

If you ever go on a China trip, the city that nearly everyone visits in Beijing. Beijing is rich with culture, sightseeing, and of course, food. There are many wondrous attractions, such as the Forbidden Palace or the Great Wall of China, to name a few. However, that's an article for another time. Beijing has plenty of amazing dishes, in every corner, at the right moment.

1. Peking Duck

Peking duck is a Beijing staple, and you’ll find many restaurants in the city dedicated to the dish. Peking duck is very common in many restaurants since it is very well-known in China and has a long history. This roasted duck is served wrapped in pancakes, along with onions, vegetables, and plum sauce. It is crispy on the outside and juicy on the inside. A trip to Beijing hasn't reached its full potential until you've to try Peking duck.

2. Beijing Noodles

Beijing Noodles, or Zhajiangmian, is a splendid dish involving thick noodles. The noodles are covered in ground meat with soybean sauce, making the dish salty as well as savory. Get your chopsticks and dig in. The moment you chew and swallow, you will taste the flavors of the noodles, meat, and sauce. The sauce and the meat create splendid and salty flavor while the noodles create a balance between them and incorporate a unique texture. This dish is a must-try and helps cool you down in the blazing Beijing weather.

3. Baozi

Baozi or Bao are small steamed delicious buns filled with meat and vegetables. Baozi is found at nearly every restaurant or street vendor, so you will probably try at least once on your trip. It is a very versatile dish since pretty much any food under the sun can be stuffed inside the bun. One of the most common pairings is Cha Siu Bao, which has meat, sauce, and pork inside. The flavoring just melts in your mouth when you take a bite. There are also vegetables Baozi. If you're in the mood for dessert, there's always Baozi with sweet, yellow, and thick clusters. Nearly all of these buns are steamed which means they are hot when taken out. You should wait for a little while before eating. One of the most common and delicious of the Baozi is Xiaolongbao. It is a bun with soup inside. It is piping hot, so you should wait a little bit and try other dishes before eating this one. Once you devour it with soup inside, revel in the warmth it gave to your belly.

4. Luzhu Hua Shao

It is most likely that you wouldn't recognize this name. This dish is a very popular and common street food dish though you can find them in restaurants. Long considered a luxury, this dish is mainly found in Beijing. It contains mostly Pork, Pork lung, Pork belly, Pork intestine, and tofu in one soup bowl. Chive and fermented beancurd are also sprinkled in for flavorings. Even though it might seem disgusting to eat parts of an animal you have never eaten before, it doesn't taste any different. The soup is heartwarming and the meat provides a delicious flavor/texture to fuel this meaty soup. The aroma of this dish might be hard for foreigners to bear with. However, it is a delicious dish and is considered a must-try for tourists in Beijing. Eating this dish is long considered a custom and it is said to make poor people feel like royals. While everyone might not like the scent, many people don't mind it and feel a bond towards it.

5. Beijing-Style Mutton Hot Pot

One of Beijing's most special dishes. if you have been eating hot pot all over your visit to China, you would probably realize that every region has its own traditional hot pot. Most visitors imagine the hot pot to be chili-filled and spicy like the Chengdu hot pot. However, in Beijing, their style of hot pot is different since it has freshly sliced lamb resting in a bronze pot heated by coal which is, in fact, the mutton. The pot also contains a variety of ingredients like Tofu, noodles, Chinese cabbages, and bean sprouts. In addition, after cooking the mutton, the customer has a dipping bowl to dip the button to give it flavors. The sauce is a mixture of sesame sauce, Chili oil, leeks, and more.

]]>https://www.gorestrepeat.com/6-reasons-why-hong-kong-is-asias-best-tourist-destinations/Ghost__Post__60babba5b8e33c0001f34a42Sat, 05 Jun 2021 23:24:39 GMT

Renowned for its reputation as the "Pearl of the Orient", Hong Kong boasts its breathtaking landscape, sophisticated fusion of East and West culture, and world-class food and shopping experience. Since its return from British rule in 1997, Hong Kong is governed by China, but it has an independent administration under the principle of “one country, two systems”. Whether you’re into shopping, food, or sightseeing, or exploring nature, you will be smitten with Hong Kong's endless options.

6 Reasons Why Hong Kong is Asia's Best Tourist Destinations

#1 Breath-taking City Skyline

Often regarded as having the most stunning city skyline in the world, HK is a dazzling city dominated by futuristic skyscrapers.  Most of its modern architecture is located on both sides of Victoria Harbour.  Two of the best places in Hong Kong to see the skyline are from the top of Victoria Peak, or from the Kowloon waterfront in Tsim Sha Tsui, not far from the Star Ferry dock where the walkway extends along the waterfront and across to Hong Kong Island.  Sky 100 Hong Kong, the only indoor observation deck, towers at 393 meters above sea level. It offers a 360-degree view of the territory and the famous Victoria Harbour. Hong Kong's famous Star Ferry has roots dating back to 1880 and is one of the most affordable venues to admire Hong Kong's picturesque nighttime skyline.

#2 A Shopping Paradise

Hong Kong is proud of its endless shopping options. From the luxury of all the world-famous brand-name arcades to the low-rise independent street shops, you can buy anything you can imagine. A stroll through its 5-star shopping malls in Tsim Sha Tsui will elevate your shopping experience to a whole new level. For shoppers on a shoestring budget, Hong Kong’s many popular shopping neighborhoods like Causeway Bay, Soho, Temple Street Night Market, Ladies' Market (Tung Choi Street), and Sneaker Street (Fa Yuen Street) will leave you deeply satisfied and itching for more.

#3 A Food Heaven

Eating in Hong Kong means anything from traditional Cantonese classics to ritzy cuisine from international chefs. Hong Kong's cuisine is strongly influenced by China, favoring fresh seafood and local produce. Dim sum, Chinese barbeque, and Hong Kong-style milk tea are just a few of its popular dishes. Dining cost is highly variable, and even authentic street food stalls are so superb that Michelin Hong Kong has added a street food section to their guide in 2016.

#4 World Class Nature and Hiking Facilities

Hidden behind Hong Kong's bustling city exterior lie serene mountain trails and stunning vistas of open sea and island. There are four main natural parkland areas that are so big, there are areas where you'll forget civilization even exists: Sai Kung in the eastern part of Hong Kong, the country park areas north of Kowloon, and Lantau and Lemma Island. From outlying islands to undulating mountain trails, there is plenty to explore when you need a break from Hong Kong's hustle and bustle. With Hong Kong's extensive system of trains, buses, and ferries between the mainland and the outlying islands, getting to the natural side of Hong Kong is almost too convenient.

#5 A Top Notched Transportation System

Getting around in Hong Kong is a piece of cake. Its sophisticated systems of trains, subways (known as MTR or mass transit railway), double-decker buses, and ferries can get you to any attraction and shopping venue within an hour.  Taking the tram through Hong Kong Island is a fun and cheap way to appreciate the street scene at a leisurely pace. The tourist bus (H1 & H2) offers the chance to see the cultural landscape and the vibrant city in different ways. As soon as you arrive in Hong Kong, get a rechargeable Octopus Card, which you can use on any public transportation, as well as in convenience stores, fast-food restaurants, supermarkets, and many other retail stores.

#6 A Relaxed Visa Policy

As an international city, Hong Kong is easy to get to by flight because of its advanced airport and airline system.  Citizens of the specified 170 countries and people holding one of the appointed documents can enter and visit Hong Kong without a visa and stay from 7-180 days. Hong Kong offers rich travel experiences, from convenient layover tours and relaxing family vacations to active outdoor adventures. Day trips abound, such as Macau, a city notorious for nightlife and only 1 hour away from Hong Kong by fast ferry.

Reasons to Avoid Visiting Hong Kong

#1 Budget Buster

One thing that is less appealing for travelers is the high accommodation prices in Hong Kong in comparison to other Asian cities. In fact, Hong Kong is rated as the most expensive place to live in Asia. When it comes to the cost of accommodations, transportation, food, and everything else, you can easily run out of budget if you are not careful with your spending.

#2 Increased Social Unrest

Hong Kong has gone through months of social unrest and non-stopped protests calling for greater democracy since June 2019. As the protests have continued, they have grown more violent and disruptive, posing a challenge to the government. During protests in early 2020, local buses, the metro (MTR), Airport Express services, and the Hong Kong Macao Ferry Terminal had to temporarily suspend operations without warning. There were extensive damages to building and transportation infrastructures. Although these unrests have died down and  Hong Kong remains safe as a whole, there is no guarantee that it will stay this way unless the relationship between the government and its people is reconciled.

#3 English is not commonly used

The 7.2 million people living in Hong Kong are mostly Chinese (94%) while the rest are of other ethnic groups. The official languages in Hong Kong are Chinese (Cantonese, Mandarin) and English. However, many people (especially the older generation and people outside of the city center) don't speak much English. Staff in hostels and major tourist attractions can handle English without problem, but the same cannot be said for more local or remote attractions.

#4 Very Crowded

If you dislike crowded places, stay away from Hong Kong. It is among one of the most densely populated places in the world, with over 7 million people living in just 1,098 square kilometers of territory (around 6,300 people per kilometer). This does not include the millions of visitors from China north of the border. There is simply not enough room for everyone.

#5 Travel Restriction

Strict travel restrictions are in place given the COVID-19 pandemic. All travelers arriving in Hong Kong, including Hong Kong residents, will have to take a mandatory COVID screening test and undergo up to 21 days of compulsory quarantine. Travelers arriving at Hong Kong International Airport (with the exception of those traveling from mainland China and Macao) must provide confirmation of a hotel room reservation in a designated quarantine hotel in Hong Kong, starting on the day of their arrival. All ferry crossings between Hong Kong and mainland China are currently not in operation, with the exception of the service from Shenzhen Shekou Port to Hong Kong International Airport.

]]>https://www.gorestrepeat.com/6-reasons-to-visit-beijing-and-5-reasons-not/Ghost__Post__60ba15a2b8e33c0001f34756Fri, 04 Jun 2021 15:11:28 GMT

Featured image from A Concierge's Guide to the Best of Beijing | Travel Insider (Creative Commons)

To understand China, there is no better place than its capital, Beijing. It is the second-largest city in China and has been China's ancient and modern capital for over 800 years. Beijing served as the capital of six ancient dynasties and home to the greatest collection of sites from China's imperial past. On the modern front, Beijing has the high-tech infrastructure and super modern buildings, like the "Bird's Nest" National Stadium and the Water Cube, made known to the world on their debuts in Olympic 2008.

6 Reasons to visit Beijing

#1 Home to China's Imperial Past

Beijing served as the capital of six ancient dynasties. It houses extraordinary sites from the imperial past, like the Great Wall, the Forbidden City, the Temple of Heaven, and the Summer Palace (New and Old). The Great Wall was built over the course of 1000 years (from 7th century BC to 16th century AD) to protect China from outside invaders and border controls. The Old Summer Palace is left as a ruin site to remind all visitors, especially the Chinese, about the shame and the destructions caused by the Second Opium War in 1860. Whether you are a fan of ancient history or modern ones, you will find something you like in Beijing.

#2 Political Center to Experience "Chinese Style Communism" like no other

Being the capital means that Beijing is China's political center as well. Government slogans can be seen everywhere. Since most of the high-ranking officials live here in Beijing, it is no surprise that Beijing's public health conditions are always kept in check. If you are fascinated by human's attachment to their past leaders, the highly controversial party leader, Chairman Mao Zedong's embalmed body is still on display in the Mausoleum of Mao Zedong, Beijing, China,

#3 Cultural Diversity Means You Won't Stand Out

Besides the 100,000 foreigners living in Beijing, people all around China find better-paying jobs there. As a traveler, you won't feel you stand out too much. Local residents are accommodating to the needs of these foreigners and they often offer extra help as well. I was offered free food on more than one occasion as the local residents eagerly encourage me to experience their culture.  Chinese signs and instructions are usually accompanied by their English translations (although sometimes, the translations are done by outdated machine translations).

#4 Shopping

If shopping is your thing, you will find all kinds of markets and malls in Beijing. There are Hongqiao Market (pearl trading), Panjiayuan Market (traditional arts and crafts), Laitai Flower Market (flowers), Beijing Flower Bird Fish, and Bug Market (what else, bugs of course), Xidan Shopping Centre, and most recently the upscale Sanlitun Mall. If you are ever homesick while visiting, you can easily find familiar chain stores like the Apple Store, H&M, Starbucks, Uniqlo, Adidas, etc. in Sanlitun.  

#5 Food is Fantastic

One can argue whether Peking Duck is the most well-known Chinese cuisine. However, there is no argument that it tastes good but it can get a bit expensive due to its popularity among tourists. If you want a better bargain, try the Beijing-style Mutton hotpot. Since the hot pot uses a very mild soup base, different hotpot restaurants differentiate among themselves by making their unique sesame dipping pastes. Due to the diversity of the people who live in Beijing, you can easily find food from all over the world here in Beijing.

#6 Public Transit is Easy and Cheap

The first thing you do in Beijing is to get the Yikatong card (above) because it offers a steep (50%) discount on some trips. You can purchase it from any Beijing subway station and some bus stations. There is a refundable CNY 20 on the card itself. Subway and buses are very cheap when you compare their prices to their counterparts in the rest of the developed world. Usually, there is an assistant on the bus or in the subway to help anyone in need for the entire trip. Both buses and the subway had stop announcements in both Mandarin and English. There was also a display of the current and next stop inside the vehicle.

5 Reasons To Avoid Beijing

#1 Cultural Sites Dominates Your Visit

If history is not your thing, you may want to skip Beijing. Although there are modern structures like the "Bird's Nest" and the "Water Cube", most of the city's major attractions are historical sites. It can get overwhelming even for a history buff. If all you want is a taste of a modern Chinese city, Shanghai may fit your style better.

#2 You are anti-Communism

It's okay, you can be an anti-communist. Just don't go to China, especially Beijing. Being the political center of China, you will experience Communism's propaganda like no other. Luckily, most of these propagandas are targeted at the Chinese people. Local residents are very friendly and openly discuss any subjects EXCEPT political ones. As visitors, we learn not to pass on judgment on anyone or any government as we travel.

#3 You are paranoid about state surveillance

State surveillance is becoming a common practice in different parts of the world and China is no exception (perhaps the most well-publicized). From using digital wallets to CCTVs, expect your every move to be monitored by someone somewhere. The only comfort you can find is that you are not the only one being monitored. Unless you are doing something out of ordinary (e.g. once I was running at 5 am and I could sense that extra tension when I passed by a policeman), there is nothing to be worried about. Think of it as an extra public safety measure like most Chinese will tell you.

#4 Squat Toilet is NOT your thing

There were public toilets in most subway stations and on major streets. Their conditions vary but were generally usable. However, most of the public toilets are squat style. Although a squat toilet is generally cleaner, it takes practice for the participant to use it right. If squatting in a toilet is not your thing, you may need to limit your travel to the city center.

#5 Public Spitting

I will be completely honest here. The #1 thing I hate about traveling in China, even in Beijing, is spitting on the street. There is nothing more disgusting than hearing someone cough next to you and spit to their hearts' content as if you are not there. Later on, I learned to be alert of the sound and made sure that 1) I was not targeted and 2) I would not step on it. I can totally see that it can be a big annoyance for someone.

]]>https://www.gorestrepeat.com/hong-kong-in-2-months/Ghost__Post__5fca54826939d6072bf5e49cThu, 31 Oct 2019 00:00:00 GMT

Both my wife and I grew up in Hong Kong and we have always had a soft spot in our hearts for this city and its people. On this Asia trip, we were going to spend 2 months in Hong Kong to relive our childhood experiences and to do anything we didn't get to do when we were young.

Flight

Since our last destination was Taipei, we'd need to fly to Hong Kong. To get to the Taoyuan Airport, we took the recently (2017) opened Taoyuan Airport MRT. It was convenient and inexpensive. The ride took a little bit more than an hour and was quite crowded. So, prepare for some extra time especially if you are traveling as a group.

Luggage Ramp

Most of the metro station stairs have a dedicated luggage ramp. It was easy to know how to use it to go up the stairs but we were puzzled by how to use it to go down the stairs until we saw this picture.

Once we were at the airport, we checked in with China Airlines and boarded the plane. The flight was smooth and took about 2 hours. I found that the CAL's onboard instruction videos were the best among all of the airlines we took. They were clear and to the point.

Staying

We lived in an old neighborhood in Hong Kong and it was a surprisingly nice area to live in. Everything is accessible. Groceries and restaurants around the area offered goods that were reasonably priced. I also loved to see lots of grandparents and parents (rather than domestic helpers) taking care of their own kids in the park. It was Hong Kong that I grew up in.

Protests

When I mentioned that we were visiting Hong Kong, a lot of our friends were concerned about its ongoing protests. Yes, Hong Kong was experiencing the worst protest ever in its history. I am certainly not in a position to take sides. So, putting aside the question of who was right or wrong, I had a couple of observations in these protests. First of all, different voices were somehow represented in Hong Kong. When I grew up, I used to not like living in Hong Kong because it was a homogeneous society. If you think or act differently, you will not feel accepted. These protests showed that there were people in Hong Kong who thought differently and demanded dialogue and acceptance. Secondly, these protests cut down the number of tourists dramatically. As tourists, we were able to enjoy the city a lot more than we did a few years ago.

History

We never thought that Hong Kong was full of history. I felt ashamed to admit that I spent almost twenty years in Hong Kong without fully appreciating its history. Of course, I knew about the colonial era and the return to China's governance. However, there were so many other histories that I missed. Kudos to the Hong Kong government, they recently put a lot of resources into preserving and presenting the history of Hong Kong using different museums and exhibits. As I visited each one of them, I felt more and more identified as a Hongkonger.

Mei Ho House

The Mei Ho House is a unique place because it was the oldest public housing complex in Hong Kong transformed into a youth hostel. On the ground level, there was an exhibit about Hong Kong's public housing development. You don't need to be a resident to see the exhibit and it is free of charge.

Garden Hill

After we visited Mei Ho House, we walked up a nearby small hill called Graden Hill. It was an amazing place to see the sunset. You will see many young couples and photographers there.

Kowloon Walled City

Ever since I was young, I had heard about the Kowloon Walled City. It was an ungoverned but densely populated area. In the old days, the local triads controlled the settlement and many illegal activities were carried out there. In 1993, the walled city was finally demolished and converted into a park. The park showed some interesting historical information about the area and what the area was like during a time when nothing was regulated.

Jao Tsung-I Academy (饒宗頤文化館)

The Jao Tsung-I Academy (饒宗頤文化館) building was full of history. It was used as a quarantine station, a prison, an infections diseases hospital, a psychiatric rehabilitation center, and finally a heritage center. To fully appreciate its history, I would highly you to join one of their free walking tours.

Lei Cheng Uk Han Tomb Museum

Who would have thought that a Han dynasty tomb would be discovered in a modern and densely populated place like Hong Kong? I read about it when I was young but this was the first time I actually went there to see it with my own eyes. Yes, it was small and mostly empty but as a Hongkonger, I was impressed by its discovery.

Old Hong Kong Map

I was amazed to find that many of the names of Hong Kong districts were the same in this 100-year-old map.

Stone Houses Family Garden (石屋家園)

The Stone Houses Family Garden was a small exhibit about the history of that area. During World War II and thereafter, the government built several housing projects in the area to help settle any affected people and refugees. During the 50s, it was also used as a site for filming. An outdoor cafe was located right next to the exhibit in case you were bored.

Cheung Po Tsai Cave (張保仔洞)

The Cheung Po Tsai Cave in Cheung Chau is a natural cave rumored to be one of the hiding spots for a pirate's (Cheung Po Tsai's) loot. The cave itself is small and not very interesting. However, the backstory of this famous pirate and the pirate history of Hong Kong is fascinating. We discovered how Hong Kong was once a haven for pirates. Even some of the popular districts are named after some pirate activities.

Islands

Cheung Chau

Hiking

... in progress

]]>https://www.gorestrepeat.com/day-6-office-of-the-president-republic-of-china-taiwan/Ghost__Post__5fca53fa6939d6072bf5e485Thu, 31 Oct 2019 00:00:00 GMTOffice of the President Republic of China (Taiwan)

We had been debating whether we should go to the Office of the President Republic of China (Taiwan) or not because we didn't know what to expect. In the end, we were so glad that we went. There were English tours and the tour guide was knowledgeable and engaging. She talked about the history of the building, including little details, like the red exterior bricks, and the height of the doorknobs (apparently, Japanese want people to bow when they reach the doorknob, so they installed it a bit lower than usual). From her presentation, we could tell that she was passionate about the country and wanted to share this passion with the rest of us.

From there, I also learned that Taiwan had only begun universal suffrage in the 1990s. In fact, they were under martial law for 38 years until 1987. This was a huge surprise for me because I always thought that Taiwan's democracy had a much longer history.

Overall, we learned about not just the building itself but also the political development in Taiwan. I would highly recommend taking the time to visit this place.

Today was our last day in Taiwan. We would be flying to Hong Kong in the evening.

Today we were going to explore the natures around Taipei and we started with Mt. Zhongzheng Trail. It was a moderately difficult trail because of the number of stairs you have to climb. However, if you can keep going, you will be rewarded with lush greenery that would give you peace of mind.

Yangming Park

Yangming Park is a huge park located mainly on Mt. Datun. It was a great place to let the kids run loose and enjoy themselves. One of the famous attractions in the park is the Flower Clock.

Located inside the park is the Datun Falls, which is an easy walk (about 10 minutes) from the main area of the park. The waterfall was blocked from public access due to uneven terrain but we still enjoyed the views along the way.

Beitou Thermal Valley

One thing I really like about Taipei is that it has everything. There are enough commercial areas to let you do the shopping, then there are hiking trails and mountains if you want to embrace nature. Not only that, but you can also bathe in the Beitou Hot Spring for the ultimate relaxation.

Once you arrived at Beitou, you can visit the Beitou Hot Spring Museum to learn about the development of this hot spring. Not surprisingly, it was started by the Japanese. In fact, it was advertised even in Japan to attract tourists to come to Taiwan for this hot spring.

Then, you can walk along a trail next to Beitou Thermal Valley to truly experience the power of underground heat. The air is dense and has a strong smell of sulfur. The water is constantly at near-boiling temperature and you should never pass the barrier for your own safety. This is also the area where the hokutolite (the mineral named after this town) was found.

A bit further down the road, you will find the Taipei Public Library Beitou Branch. It is a two-story building designed to be eco-friendly. Rainwater is collected to water plants and flush toilets. There is also a solar rooftop to capture energy from the sun. The library uses a lot of woods to help it integrate with the surroundings.

Teresa Teng Exhibit

We were lucky to see a special Teresa Teng exhibit. Apparently, this megastar used to live in Beitou for 8 years after she became famous.

The National Taiwan Museum provides a high-level overview of Taiwanese history, specifically its natural history. The exhibition is divided into three major sections: The Path to Discovery, Taiwan’s New Scopes, and The Past is the Future. We learned that in the early days of Japanese occupation, there were quite a few Japanese who came to Taiwan to explore and learn about this land.

For example, Ushinosuke Mori, an anthropologist, and a folklorist explored the rural areas of Taiwan and studied the indigenous tribes. Also, there was information about plant collectors like Takiya Kawakami and zoologists like Yonetaro Kikuchi. We also learned about Hokutolite, the only mineral that was named after a town in Taiwan.

Discovery Center of Taipei

The Discovery Center of Taipei features exhibits on Tapei's development history and cultural heritage. The exhibits were more interactive and kids friendly.

Today, our relatives brought us to the Yehliu Geopark to see some fascinating geological formations.

The most famous rock formation of all is the Queen's Head (top left picture). Expect to line up for half an hour if you want to take a picture with it. The park tends to be very crowded even on weekdays. If you want some quiet time to yourself, you can hike along the Yehliu Geopark Loop to get to the tip of the peninsula (about 30 minutes). We found that most people we met along the way were bird photographers and it was a relatively quiet but well maintained route.

If you are hungry after the hike, there is also a cafe back near the Queen's Head that serves instant noodles and other snacks.

Jiufen

Jiufen means "nine portions" because it used to have nine families living there and deliveries to the inhabitants were done in nine portions. However, during the Japanese occupation in World War II, it became a gold mining city because gold was discovered in the area.

Nowadays, there are no more gold digging activities but the town has turned into a major tourist attraction recently due to its interesting history, beautiful ancient architectures built on a mountain, and its proximity to Taipei.

The first thing you will notice is the Jiufen Old Street. The street lined with shops and restaurants and is usually packed with tourists no matter what time of the day it is. Of all the restaurants we tried, I would recommed you to try Lai Ah Po Taro Balls (賴阿婆芋圓). The shop has been in business for ages and witnesses the changing industry in this old town.

If you are interested in the lives of a gold mining family, there was also a gold mine musuem Jiufen Goldore Museum. We were getting tired at the end of the day and didn't go there. I later found out that it's highly recommended.

With its gold mining history and its bustling old street, the mountainous Jiufen gave us a unique and wonderful experience. I would definitely visit it again next time I go to Taipei.

A City of Sadness

A City of Sadness is a famous Taiwanese historical drama filmed in Jiufen. It talked about the period when Japanese occupation came to an end and the beginning of the . Many Japanese tourists came here to visit the spot.

The Sun Yat-sen Memorial Hall was dedicated to the life and legacy of Dr Sun Yat-sen, the founding father of modern China.he museum talked about the 3 principles of Sun Yat Sen: namely nationalism, democracy, and the livelihood of the people. There were also many displays of his sayings and some of them were very inspiring. For example,

• I believe that a country's greatness does not lie in the people's wealth but in the people's happiness.
• Knowledge is difficult, action is easy.

I believe that he genuinely wanted China to have democracy and to prosper in the way that will not compromise people's livelihood. Unfortunately, as he said in his will and it's still true today that the Revolution is not yet done; All my Comrades must strive on.

Dagouxi Waterfront Park

In the afternoon, our relatives in Taiwan brought us to the Dagouxi Waterfront Park for a hike. It was a beautiful garden that was suitable for the entire family. Our kids was able to play in the stream and enjoyed some relaxing time with the nature. The closest metro station to the park is Dahu Park Station on the Wenhu Line.

We toured the Bopiliao Old Street (剝皮寮歷史街區) on our first day. It has a lot of fascinating knowledge about this old area. For example, it used to be an important trading port because it was located close to a river. There were many Japanese era architectures as well as Qing Dynasty era buildings.

There were also displays of the Taiwanese education system during Japanese occupation. During that time, school year in Taiwan followed the Japanese school system, which began on April 1 and ended on March 31 the following year.

We took the complimentary Chaiyi BRT to the Chaiyi HSR (High Speed Railway) station. From there, it was a short ride to Taipei.

General Impressions

You can read more about my general impression of Taiwan in this article.

Eating

There are many things to eat in Taipei. I can easily dedicate an entire website just for that. Instead of doing that, I would just highlight a few restaurants less frequented by tourists but are still excellent in their own rights. Hope you can try them out when you are in Taipei.

Guān Chén Shí Guǎn (冠宸食館)

Guān Chén Shí Guǎn (冠宸食館) is located up in the Yangming mountain and is famous for its chicken and stir fry vegetables.

Top One Pot Jilin Restaurant

Top One Pot Jilin Restaurant is a famous hotpot eatery. The food is fresh and amazing. If you dare to eat duck blood, you can also order a duck blood soup base and get free refill. We had duck blood in Chongqing and we fell in love with it and this restaurant let us re-experience it.

A Měi Fàn Diàn (阿美飯店)

A Měi Fàn Diàn (阿美飯店) (Official website in Chinese) offers traditional Taiwanese food for a very reasonable price.

Hai Longzhu Seafood Restaurant (海龍珠海鮮餐廳)

Hai Longzhu Seafood Restaurant (海龍珠海鮮餐廳) is an amazing seafood restaurant to try if you are around the area.

The Grand Hotel

Finally, don't forget the Grand Hotel. It restaurant offers excellent buffet that is suitable for the entire family for a very reasonable price. The place was full of history and had served multiple high officials from different countries. There is a free shuttle service from Yuanshan MTR Station. You can check its schedule on its webiste.

Staying

We stayed at Taipei Triple Tiger Inn in Taipei. It was a simple hotel at an excellent location. Being the largest city in Taiwan, Taipei's cost of accomodation is also the most expensive. Airbnb is illegal in Taiwan and therefore your choices are limited.

Our stay was also not without issue. The bathroom sink was leaking for a few days and was finally fixed on the last day. The owner had been very friendly and apologized the whole time. We, however, had a less than ideal experience.

The easiest way to get to Alishan is to by public bus. You can buy the bus ticket (台灣好行7322B) a day in advance using a kiosk at any convenience store.

You first use the kiosk to select the bus and number of tickets (kids over 12 are considered adult). It will then print a receipt with a bar code on top. You can take that receipt to the cashier and pay for the ticket. The cashier will print the official tickets for you. Bus tickets have to be paid in cash.

If you are doing day trip to Alishan, I would recommend that you also buy the return ticket becuase if the return bus is full, you won't be able to leave the mountain and you will be forced to stay for the night.

Twisty Road

The road to Alishan is very twisty and long (2.5 hours total). You may want to be prepared for motion sickness. If you are worried about that, taking a train to Alishan may be a better option. You will not save much time but it will likely be more comfortable.

Temperature

When we were there in late October, the temperature on Alishan is about 16℃ lower than that in the city. Luckily, we had prepared warm clothes to make our journey more enjoyable. In addition, weather on the mountain was also a little unpredictable. So, having a rain coat is recommended too.

Alishan Sakura Trail

In the right season, you can watch sakura (cherry) blossom on the Alishan Sakura Trail. Even in the off season, we still enjoyed the sceneries.

Three Generation Tree

The Three Generation Tree is one of the coolest attractions in Alishan. It was three generations of the same tree growing on top of each other. These three generations span over 1500 years. The youngest generation is over 300 years old as well.

Tree Spirit Pagoda

During Japanese occupation, many trees in Alishan were cut down to build a railway. To commemorate and to soothe the spirits of the trees, the Japanese built this Tree Spirit Pagoda.

Alishan Sianglin Sacred Tree

This tree received the most votes to become the Alishan Sianglin Sacred Tree back in January 1, 2007. It was 45m tall and was about 2300 years old. The tree was quite very impressive to see.

Boardwalk through the forest

Alishan has a network of boardwalk throughout the forest. The boardwalk was well maintained and easy to walk on. It was a easy and enjoyable hike for the whole family.

Alishan Forest Train

At the end of our Alishan day trip, we took the famous Alishan Forest Train. The train was quite crowded but it was a unique experience.

Chiayi is a relatively small city and its HSR (High Speed Railway) station is located about 30 minutes away from the city center (although Google Maps would say one hour and it did not know about the free shuttle).

Once you arrived at the HSR station, you can go outside and take the Chiayi BRT number 7211 or 7222. They are complimentary if you are taking HSR. The bus driver may request you to show proof of purchase, so be prepared to show the train ticket stub. As you go onboard, the bus driver will give you a special ticket which you’d need to keep and return before you get off the bus.

Food

Chiayi was featured in Netflix Street Food Episode 5. Other than Uncle Goat, most of the foods are easily accessible in downtown Chiayi.

We especially love Smartfish Fish Head Soup. If you want the backstory of this restaurant, the Netflix documentary has it in details. I will focus on the food. The soup was aromatic and sweet. There's enough meat on the fish head that you can consider it a full meal. In fact, I ordered a fish head soup and a turkey rice to share with my wife and we were both full afterwards.

This place tends to be very busy around supper, so go there for lunch or go early if you don't want to wait in the line. The staffs were excellent though and were more patient than most other busy restaurants.

Since Chaiyi is famous for its turkey rice, we went to one of the famous turkey rice restaurants for it (Chaiyi Liú Lǐ Cháng Turkey Rice (嘉義劉里長火雞肉飯)). Unfortunately, we found that the turkey rice was not particularly tasty. I found the turkeys we had in Canada during Thanksgiving or Christmas tasted better and juicier.

Tucked in a corner of a side street is this amazing soft tofu place, ā é Soy Milk and Soft Tofu (阿娥豆漿豆花). As you can see, the soft tofu was bathed in its own soy milk. They worked together to bring out the most of their flavors.

Wenhua Road Night Market

Chaiyi has a thriving night market at Wenhua Road. It is a great way to spend your first night.

Staying

In Chaiyi, we stayed at Chiayi King Hotel, which was an older hotel but was very spacious. The bed was very comfortable and the hotel staffs were very helpful. The price was reasonable and the location is excellent. I wouldn't hestitate to book this hotel again.

Itinerary

Our 2 day Chaiyi itinerary included the first day in Chaiyi and the second day in Alishan.

The Center of Old Fongshan City History is a unique musuem with many high tech interactive displays. The musuem focuses on the Old City of Zuoying. When we were there, many of the city gates and the city walls were being repaired and we couldn't visit them.

There were AR (augmented reality) handsets which reconstruct some broken artifacts on display. The Old City model in the center of the lower floor was amazing to see too. For kids, the best part of the museum was the VR (virtual reality) experience center on the second floor. It transported you to the Old City and let you experience what it was like.

The musuem was a bit small but was well designed. Luckily, there were not many people when we were there. Otherwise, lining up in a small museum can be a hassle.

Dragon and Tiger Pagodas

Located not too far away from The Center of Old Fongshan City History is the Lotus Pondand the Dragon and Tiger Pagodas. There was not much to see other than the two towers but it was great for the kids to just run up and down.

Rumours has it that you can change your bad luck to good luck by entering through the dragon's mouth, walk around the two towers and exit from the tiger's mouth. I am not sure if it's true or not but the fact that your physique let climb the two towers means you are blessed already and should be thankful for that.

When you are up on the tower, you can take in the entire view of the Lotus Pond.

Red Barn Factory & Tours

If you like Greenmax Cereal like we do, this is good place to learn more about the company and its manufacturing process. The Red Barn Factory & Tours is a factory tour including exhibits about the history of the Greenmax brand and its founders. The exhibits begin on the 5th floor where the detailed history and business philosophies of Greenmax are shown. Later on the same floor, you will enter a windowed area where you can see actual factory workers working on the product.

Apart from looking at the exhibits, we had also signed up for a hands on cereal making class. We picked our own grains and grinded them by hand (yes, it's not easy). At the end, the powdered cereal was packaged by a machine and you got to take your creation home and eat.

When you are done, there is a nice cafe downstairs, next to a Greenmax store. Your admissison ticket includes some monetary value that you can spend in the store. So, don't forget to use it.

Today, we picked a couple of museums to learn about the history of Kaohsiung and Taiwan in general.

Kaohsiung Museum of History

When we were in Tainan in 2017, we went to Fort Zeelandia and learnt about Taiwan's history in relation to Dutch colonization in late 17th century. This time in Kaohsiung, we were able to discover Taiwan's contemporary history in the Kaohsiung Museum of History.

A significant portion of the museum was dedicated to the February 28 incident. In fact, it was in Kaohsiung where the first gunshot was fired. Before this trip, we knew nothing about this event but now we learnt to appreciate Taiwan and its people a little bit more.

There were also displays about Liugui District, a rural district of Kaohsiung City. The Christian Mountain Children's Home was established there in 1955 and helped orphaned aboriginal children gain useful skills for the rest of their lives.

The British Consulate at Takow

The British Consulate at Takow is a cultural park with a complete group of buildings, including the British Consulate office, its residence and a hiking trail.

To tour the entire cultural park, you will need at least a couple of hours. If you have time, you can even book a ticket to go on a cruise to complete your experience.

There was a nice outdoor area just outside of the office. It was a wonderful place to overlook Kaohsiung city and a perfect spot to see sunset.

One of the nicest things about Taiwan is that its art installations feel non pretentious and are very approachable. Today we were planning to go to a popular art area in Kaohsiung called Pier-2 Art Center.

Pier-2 Art Center

The Pier-2 Art Center covers a large areas with many outdoor art installations and places for residence artists. It was a good place to take stroll and discovered the many surprises along the way.

When you are tired or if you want to escape from the heat, you can always stop by one of the ice cream or popsicle shops and enjoy some nice treats. We had fresh fruit popsicles at Ice+ 艾司加冰屋-駁二店 and they were amazing.

Today was Sunday and we were happy to attend a Sunday service at Throne Baptist Church. There was a little backstory behind how we knew about this church.

On our way to Cijin Island the day before, we bumped into a couple from Canada. It wasn't the first time we met friendly Canadians aboard. However, this couple was from Toronto and they knew about Cornerstone, which is the church we attend in Markham. We were already feeling excited. Imagine how overjoy we were when we learnt that they were also good friends with some of our friends in our small group.

It was unbelievable and we thanked God that they introduced their church to us so that we could have some spiritual nuturing during our trip.

Taiwan Sugar Museum

After we attended the Sunday Service, we went to the Taiwan Sugar Museum. The entire musuem was built on the very first modern sugar factory in Taiwan during Japanese occupation. There were many exhibits about the history of sugar industry in Taiwan. Although some would say that the Japanese exploited Taiwan to get their natural resources, they modernized Taiwan by introducing manufacturing processes and modern machineries.

Most of the original machines were still there and I was amazed by how much they let you touch and experiement inside the musuem.

Cijin Island is a popular tourist spot for Kaohsiung. It has a beautiful beach, a couple of interesting historical sites, and a thriving street food scene. We decided to go there on our first day because we felt that all of us would appreciate some beach time.

Getting There

To get to Cijin Island, you need to take a quick 5 minute ferry at the Gushan Terminal, which is about 5 to 10 minutes walk from the Sizihwan MTR Station (西子灣). Along the walk to the terminal, we stopped by a popular shave ice shop daOnegong (大碗公冰品). It was famous for its giantic sized shave ice (30x). You can order a single bowl that can feed more than 10 people.

Street Food and Bike Rental

In Taiwan, we never had to worry about food. Some street food vendors were always around the corner. So, it was no surprise that the first thing we saw when we got off the boat was a busy street lined with street food vendors.

If you want, you can also rent an electric quadricycle to ride on the island with your family. The island was not very large, so we opt to exercise our feet instead.

Cijin Tunnel

The first spot we visited was the Cijin Tunnel. It was a tunnel built during Japanese occupation for military purposes through the Cihou Mountain. The tunnel was a nice place to let you escape from the scorching heat outside. As we exited the tunnel, we were rewarded with a beautiful panoramic ocean view and an opportunity to take some nice pictures.

Beside the exit of the tunnel, there was a monument built to commemorate Dr. James Laidlaw Maxwell. He was a medical doctor and a missionary but he wasn't welcome initially in Tainan. So, he moved to Cijin where he was able to establish his own practices, both on the medical side and on the missionary side, and benefited the local community.

Cijin Beach

The Cijin Beach is a dark sand beach and is a perfect place to let the kids run loose and enjoy themselves. After we had enough fun on the beach, we stopped by Cijin Sunset Barfor lunch. The bar offers a nice view of the beach and I am sure it would be amazing to see the sunset there. The staffs there spoke very good English and were very friendly to all of us.

Cijin Seaside Park and Rainbow Church

As sunset was approaching, we walked along a path inside the Cijin Seaside Park and enjoyed the sceneries. Our last destination in Cijin Island was the Rainbow Church. It isn't a church per se but a beautiful structure to let you take some photos and many people do.

Today we were flying to Kaohsiung, Taiwan. Although we have been to Taiwan many times, we have never visited Kaohsiung. When we told our relatives that we'd be staying in Kaohsiung for 6 days, they were surprised because Kaohsiung was not a popular tourist spot. In any case, we'd find out whether that was true or not.

Flight

We took the Tigerair Taiwan Airline to fly from Tokyo to Taoyuan. The budget airline had nothing to shout about but we were impressed by the well mannered ground crew in Narita International Airport. They even waved goodbye when our flight took off. We arrived at Taiwan in about 4 hours.

Taiwan High Speed Rail (HSR)

Once we arrived at Taoyuan, we took the Taiwan High Speed Rail to Kaohsiung. Although there were many trains scheduled between Taoyuan and Kaohsiung, at the time of our arrival (about 7pm), most of them were packed. After missing out the first couple of trains, we were finally able to board a train to Kaohsiung (Zuoying HSR station).

Public Transit

The good thing about Kaohsiung is that the HSR station is connected to the metro system. As soon as we arrived at the Zuoying HSR station, we bought the metro prepaid card, EasyCard. In the past, a EasyCard purchased in Kaohsiung could not be used in Taipei. Fortunately, this is no longer true. In fact, the EasyCard can even be used in Chiyai.

As tourists. there was no distinction between adult EasyCard or student EasyCard. You will need a local student card to buy the student EasyCard. Fortunately, the transit fare in Taiwan was reasonable and it wasn't a big concern.

Kaohsiung was served by two subway lines criss-crossing each other at the Formosa Boulvevard station, which was an award winning station with beautifully designed light fixtures. On the map, the two subway lines formed a nice cross. You could get to pretty much all of the tourist attractions by taking the subway.

Walking on the street

Although Kaohsiung was the second largest city in Taiwan, it was a lot less busier than Taipei. There were not too many motorcycles nor cars on the street. For navigation, we used Google Maps without any problem.

We took advantage of the not-so-busy Kaoshiung street and rented a couple of city bikes to cycle around the town. There were many great bike paths in Kaohsiung. Our favorite was the one along the coast. It was a great way to experience the city.

You can find bike rental stations on the Kaohsiung Public Bike website. I could use my foreign card to pay for the deposit and rental fee. However, a credit card can only be used for one bike. If you plan to rent multiple bikes, each one must be rented by a different credit card.

People

I had difficulties pinpointing what Taiwanese are like. However, I had the following observations in Taiwan that would hopefully tell you how I felt.

When we first arrived at Taiwan, we were impressed by how readily people were to express themselves through arts. Here, you don't have to be an artist to show your drawings. Local shops often use cartoons to attract your attention and to give it a personal touch.

Then, we learned about a famous lifestyle/bookstore called eslite and we fell in love with it. There were more books than we could imagine. Most of them are free to read on the spot and people spent hours inside.

Finally, we noticed there were street music bands of people with down syndrome. These people, who were often hidden from a society, were encouraged to step outside and performed music on the street. Imagine their courage and how the society had accepted them as they are.

From art, to books, to music, to helping the underprivileged, although Taiwan isn't economically the best in Asia, it can be proud of what it already has: a unique culture of openness and acceptance.

Food

Taiwanese food is very unique and we always discover something new every time we go. We liked the food selection in Kaohsiung because it had a mix of Taiwanese food and western food. For breakfast, we could have western bakery at Donutes or steamed dumplings from one of the street food vendors. Both were equally delicious.

This time, our kids also loved steamed sweet potatoes at 7-Eleven and they ate one almost everyday.

Coca-Cola with fiber

I had seen Coca-Cola with zero sugar and zero calories but this one was special. It had added fiber. In a modern city diet, most people do not consume enough fiber and Coca-Cola latches on this fact and adds fiber into their product. What a great marketing idea!

Staying

When we booked our hotels for Taiwan, we were surprised by how expensive they were when compared to other places, like South Korea or even Japan. Airbnb is illegal in Taiwan and therefore your choices are limited.

After much deliberation, we decided to stay in R8 Eco Hotel. It was close to the Sanduo Shopping District MRT Station and the price seemed reasonable. The hotel was built around the concept of being eco-friendly and thus its name.

When we arrived, we found that the hotel was on one of the top floors in a building in the middle of a night market. If you are into night market food, this is a perfect spot. However, it also meant that the sanitary condition in the neighborhood was questionable. We saw cockroaches (albeit small ones) inside the building's elevator and our kids were not too thrilled.

Once we entered the hotel, it was a different story. It was clean and the staffs were friendly. The refrigerator in our room was broken and the staff replaced it quickly. Other than the cockroaches in the building elevator, we actually quite like the hotel and its concept.

The Tsukiji Market had changed a lot since the last time we visited. There was no longer a fish auction market. What hasn't changed is that you can still find very good and affordable seafood there.

Some of the restaurants we tried were:

• Maguroya Kurogin - Sashami
• Marutake - Tamagoyaki (Japanese omelette)
• Tsukiji Nippon Fish Port Market - Charcoal burned oysters and Charcoal burned scallops

Cremia Softcream

If you haven't tried the famous Cremia Softcream yet, there are a couple of vendors inside the Tsukiji Nippon Fish Port Market. It was very creamy and deep in flavor. It is a must try dessert in Japan.

Tokyo Tower

Our last stop for the day was the Tokyo Tower. Today was rainy and gloomy. So, we didn't go up to the observation deck. Instead, we found a popular souvenir store called [TOKIO333] on the 2nd level. Inside the shop, you can find KitKat of all imaginable of flavours and the local favorite, Tokyo Banana.

Today was also our last day in Japan. We thoroughly enjoyed our stay and would definitely miss it. Tomorrow, we would be heading to Taiwan and experience an utterly different culture.

In our past trips to Tokyo, we had never hiked there. So, today, we were very excited to give it a try. One of closest spot for hiking in Tokyo is the Mount Takao. It had beautiful scenery and was a very comfortable hike even for family with kids.

At the foot of the mountain, we took a chair lift to begin the hike. Along the way, there were small food vendors selling local food like roast chestnut and sweet rice cakes (Mitsufuku Dango). They were very delicious and perfect for the day because the weather was still a bit unstable after the typhoon.

As we hiked along the path, we passed by the Yakuoin Temple and local shops. There was also a monkey park if you wanted to interact with the local monkeys. My wife and I already brought along our three monkeys and didn't need any extra, if you know what I meant.

Up on the mountain, there were also a couple of local restaurants. We tried Juicchome-Chaya and we were amazed by it. Not only did it serve excellent udon, it also provided an excellent view overlooking the Takao mountains. The servers were very patient with us and we had a wonderful time there.

Samurai Museum

After hiking on Mount Takao, we decided to visit the Samurai Museum in Shinjuku. The museum was well curated and offered some interesting historical facts about samurai. There were also some rare artifacts on display. The tour guide was very knowledgeable and patient with our kids. Unfortunately, we found the museum a bit small and was a little pricey for this reason.

Today we were going to teamLab Borderless and the nearby attractions on the same man made island, Odaiba.

teamLab Borderless

teamLab Borderless was a famous light show in Tokyo. One of the visitors we met during our stay in Seoul highly recommended this. It was basically a high tech light show with some interactive exhibits. Once you are there, prepare to take lots and lots of pictures. Carry a backup battery and your best low light camera if you can. The line up to go inside the place was huge. We waited for about an hour even though we arrived a bit early. Once we were inside, however, we did not feel too crowded. However, some of the exhibits inside had crowd control and required another line up (some up to 40 minutes).

If your kids are bored, there are drawing areas and other kids activities where kids can enjoy themselves. Our kids didn't feel bored inside but they complained about the line up for some of the exhibits.

Overall, we think that it's a nice experience but if you are not into Instagram, this is an exhibit that you can skip.

Megaweb Toyota City Showcase

On the same artificial island as teamLab Borderless was the Megaweb Toyota City Showcase. It was a free Toyota theme park where you can immerse yourself into the world of automobile. There were many interactive displays about car safety and new car technologies.

Among all of the exhibits, we loved the 4D theatre where the entire theatre floor was lifted and shook alongside the movie. It was like what you'd experience in a paid theme park.

Since it was getting closer to Tokyo Olympics 2020, there were also special exhibits on Paralympics to help us understand the difficulties those athletes faced during their competitions.

Our kids loved Gunpla modeling and visiting the Gundam Base in Tokyo was high on their bucket list. They were not disappointed. Due to the windy condition, the Unicorn Gundam Statue did not transform that day but my kids still had lots of fun inside the Gundam Base.

Just like what you see in the anime Gundum Build Fighters, people can purchase their favorite models and build right there in the venue. The shop provides not only nippers but also spray paints to perfect your model. It was a fantastic experience for my sons.

There were also displays of the actual tools and mold Bandai used to make the models.

The Gundam Base was located above a shopping mall (DiverCity Tokyo Plaza), which had a amazing food court. A family can easily spend the whole day there.

Having been to Tokyo twice before, I’m honestly not very excited about the city. However, it was a must go for the kids because of the Gundam Base.

Getting there after the typhoon

Since Typhoon Hagibis had just landed in Japan the day before, we were not too sure if the bullet train service would be affected. Thanks to the Japanese efficiency, Shinkansen continued to run between Osaka and Tokyo. We only noticed a busier than usual station and a very crowded Shinkansen. The train still arrived on schedule and took us to Tokyo without delay.

Staying

In Tokyo, we stayed at Voga Corte Chidoricho near the Chidoricho Station. It was a bit far from central Tokyo but was a lot more affordable and calmer. Similar to the hotel in Osaka, this one also has a usable kitchen and a washing machine. It was very suitable for a family like us.

Our initial plan was to go to the Hyogo Prefectural Museum of Art to see the exhibit of The world of Yoshiyuki Tomino. Unfortunately, typhoon Hagibis was approaching Japan and it was generally not safe to go outside, especially for coastal area. So we stayed at home instead.

Typhoon Hagibis

Typhoon Hagibis was one of the strongest typhoons to have hit Japan ever in history. Luckily, Osaka was not affected much by the typhoon but the same couldn't be said for the rest of Japan. All over the TV, there were news reports of flooding and people losing their homes, and sometimes, their lives.

On a TV news report, we saw a reporter asking some foreigners why they were out when the typhoon was hitting Japan. Their responses were to experience the typhoon. For me, it was inconsiderate to go out at this time because if anything happened, it put their lives and the rescuers' lives in unnecessary danger.

In any case, we bought enough food the day before and stayed at home. The kids enjoyed a much needed break from our busy schedule.

Tomorrow, we were going to Tokyo and we prayed that our trip would not be affected by train cancellation.

Believe it or not, this museum was one of the most anticipated museums for our kids. The fact that you could make your own cup noodles and eat it later was fascinating. The musuem exhibits showcased the history of cupnoodles and its inventor, Momofuku Ando. The message brought about by the musuem was one of innovation and perseverance.

The museum was free but a small fee was required if you want to make your own cupnoodles.

Manhole cover

The city of Ikeda was so proud of instant noodles that some of its manhole covers were decorated with the mascot of Nissin's Chicken Ramen.

Osaka Museum of Housing and Living

We were surprised when we saw the replica of ancient buildings inside the Osaka Museum of Housing and Living, which was located inside a very modern building. It was Japan's first museum dedicated to the history and culture of living.

A replica of a late Edo period city was reconstructed inside the museum. If it fancies your imagination, you can also rent a kimono (for a very reasonable price) there to take pictures.

You can also learn a lot by going through the well curated exhibits. The exhibits shows Osaka's development through different periods of its history. Some of its models were amazingly detailed and life like.

We knew we would not do Kyoto justice if we only did a day trip from Osaka. However, we understood that our kids had not have the appropriate appreciation of a foreign religion to be able to visit the Kyoto shrines. So, we decided to go to Kyoto as a day trip.

Public Transit

Kyoto has a subway network but you will likely find that bus is a better option most of the time. So, the first thing we did when we arrived at the Kyoto Railway station was to buy the Kyoto Bus Day Pass from the Kyoto Tourism Information Center located right inside the station.

The kid's pass is 300 JPY while the adult one is 600 JPY. The Kyoto bus accepts only cash and it does not provide change. The pass easily pays itself after a couple of trips. I had seen visitors without a pass and it was a big hassle to collect enough coins for the trip. There was a change machine in the bus but getting there was a challenge due to how crowded the bus was.

Backward Boarding

In Kyoto, you board the bus from the rear and exit at the front. A big problem with this arrangement is that passengers (especially tourists) cannot easily talk to the bus driver as they board the bus. By the time a passenger reached the bus driver, the bus would have left the station. To make this problem worse, buses in Kyoto are usually packed too. So, make sure you use Google Maps and confirm the bus number before you board.

Kyoto Railway Museum

Our first stop in Kyoto was the Kyoto Railway Museum. Railway was a national pride in China. I suppose the Japanese would think theirs are the best too. We saw a lot of trains and train technologies on display. The coolest display was the one where you could actually remote control a train around a model city. Since the train had a tiny camera, you could actually see it breezing through the city and approaching a station.

The restaurant inside the museum served delicious Japanese food and western food. A nice surprise was that the seaweed for our ramen had a little train impression on it.

There was also a rooftop terrace where you could see real trains in action. It was really cool to see and hear a Shinkansen pass you by.

Kiyomizu-dera (清水寺)

The Kiyomizu-dera (清水寺) was a famous Buddhist temple in Kyoto (probably all over Japan too). We did a short hike to the temple but was discouraged by the number of visitors. However, it was nice to see some ladies dressed in kimono to visit the temple.

Matsubara-Dori

As we exited the temple, we headed right into Matsubara-Dori, a narrow street lined with shops and restaurants. There were many ice cream shops in the area. I would highly recommend trying a tofu ice cream. It was delicious.

Tatami-style Starbucks

Besides traditional shops and restaurants, you can also fnd the world's first (and probably only) tatami-style Starbucks here. This Starbucks was packed and finding a seat requires a lot of patience. The food and drinks are standard Starbucks fare.

Yasui Kompira-gu Shrine

As we explored the narrow streets in the neighborhood, we encountered this shrine by chance. There was a stone right in front of the shrine. It has a hole in the middle and we saw people crawling through it. Apparently, the stone has the power to initiate a good relationship and to break off a bad one.

According to this article, you will first need to buy a paper charm (katashiro) and write down your wish. While holding the charm in your hand, crawl through the hole in the stone and then back trhough again. After you are done, pin the paper on the stone along with others.

A popular landmark in Osaka is the Osaka Castle. It was usually packed with visitors but the park was so big that you wouldn't feel crowded at all. I was there to day before to run 5K around the park. It was a very pleasant experience. There were many activities going on around the park. We saw cyclists, runners, and even people practicing meditation. For a small fee, you can also enter the castle to learn more about its fascinating history. For example, you could find the location where Toyotomi Hideyori and his mother were believed to have committed seppuku.

Time Capsule

A time capsule was buried during the EXPO '70 exhibit. Over two thousands artifacts from around the world were stored into two capsules. The upper capsule was to be opened every century while the lower one in year 6970 (5000 years after it was built).

NHK Osaka Hall

Our next stop was the Osaka Museum of History. However, before we go, we were attracted by the NHK Osaka Hall, which was right next to the museum. There was a big 8K display to impress visitors. The Tokyo Olympics 2020 will also be broadcasted in 8K resolution. Our kids loved the interactive exhibits that put them on the TV using a blue screen.

There was also an elevator that took you to the recording area. In the recording area, there were demos of some recording techniques, e.g. how to made rainfall sounds by rolling beans in an empty box.

Osaka Museum of History

After visiting the NHK Osaka Hall, we finally went to the Osaka Museum of History. The museum overlooks the remains of the Naniwa Nagara-Toyosaki Palace and it has dedicated an entire floor (10th floor) to recreate a miniature replicae palace. There was extensive information about this palace and artifacts around that time (652 AD).

On the 9th floor, the exhibit jumped about 1000 years to the Edo period (1603 AD). We learned that Osaka was the kitchen of the nation not because of its cuisine but because it was a major trading port in Japan during the Edo period. Osaka was the central distribution center for rice and other produce from neighboring area and all over Japan. Goods on large vessels were unloaded onto small barges and transported to other parts of the country. The museum recreated the propersity of the old times through life size exhibits and miniature models.

On the 8th floor, your kids can can try their hands on some archaeological challenges. It's a good palce to take a break before the final floor.

On the final floor (7th floor), we jumped again for about 300 years to Late Taisho and early Shōwa period. It was about modern time Osaka, up to the beginning of World War II. Disappointingly, there was no mention of Japan's role in the war. The people and their government were not ready to face it yet.

Overall, we didn't like this musuem as much as we had hoped. The timing gaps between floors were too large to be ignored. As we went through the musuem, we couldn't help but feel a bit lost. We felt that history must be appreciated by its continuity and this history museum was lacking it.

We passed by this small chain restaurant many times but never tried it. Today, after I finished my run around the Osaka Castle, I decided to give it a try. As you can see on the poster at the door, breakfast was very affordable (about 3 USD) and it was simple and yummy.

Kobe Beef

Today our plan was to visit The Geat Hanshin-Awaji Earthquake Memorial Disaster Reduction and Human Renovation Institution in Kobe. However, since we're in Kobe, it's hard not to try out the world famous Kobe Beef. We did some research online and decided that the best place to try Kobe Beef as a family was to go to Steakland Kobe. It was a casual teppanyaki restaurant where the chef would prepare and cook the beef right in front of you.

We went there during lunch hours to avoid the crowd and to get a good deal on their lunch special. There were two different qualities of beef to choose from: the regular Kobe beef and the tender Kobe beef. The latter was about 1000 yen more expensive and it was well worth it. We tried both and were amazed by their qualities. If you were travelling with your family, I suggest ordering a mix of these two kinds so you could tell the difference.

The Great Hanshin-Awaji Earthquake Memorial Disaster Reduction and Human Renovation Institution

On January 17, 1995 at 5:46 am, the city of Kobe was hit by the Great Hanshin Awaji Earthquake. It was a 7.3 magnitude earthquake and transformed the city forever. The Great Hanshin-Awaji Earthquake Memorial Disaster Reduction and Human Renovation Institution was established to commemorate the event and to educate the general public about disaster reduction.

Beside the general scientific information about earthquake, the institution was filled with historical facts about this particular event. There were audio records and hand written notes from people with first hand experience of the earthquake. I was especially impressed by their exhibits about rebuilding the city. There were many difficulties around rebuilding the city due to changing landscape and people losing their loved ones. I was inspired by the people's courage and their perseverance.

The exhibits were done with honesty without propaganda. It was one of the best museums I had visited during the entire Asia trip.

We watched an episode in NHK World and discovered this interesting Ninja museum in Iga. We were excited to go there and experience it ourselves.

Ninja Train

Getting there was easy but was time consuming. You first have to take the Osaka Loop Line to the Tsuruhashi Station and then to the Kintetsu Limited Express and arrive at the Iga-Kambe Station. Once you are in Iga-Kambe, take the Iga Tetsudo line to get to the Uenoshi Station. The entire trip took us about 2.5 hours. If you choose this route, JR pass can only be used in the Osaka Loop Line. The Iga Tetsudo line was actually quite fun as the train station and the train were full of ninja themed decorations and ninja dummies.

Ninja Museum of Igaryu

A short walk from the Uenoshi Station will bring you to the Ninja Museum of Igaryu. The musuem was full of history and facts of the Ninja culture in Japan. For example, how ninjas tell time by looking at the eyes of a cat and their secret hand sign.

Inside the museum, you can pay a bit extra to see real life ninja performance. Although the entire performance was conducted in Japanese, we understood most of the jokes and thoroughly enjoyed it. Note: No photography or videography during the show.

Tsukesoba

After we were done with the Ninja museum, we headed out for a late lunch and found this little restaurant called 若葉. The entire restaurant had a single round table and was managed by a single person. It serves tsukesoba which means soba with dipping sauce. We waited for almost an hour outside of the restaurant. The soba was excellent and the meat was amazing. At the end of your meal, you can also put some hot broth into your dipping sauce and drink the mixture. Before you go, pay attention to the opening hours to avoid disappointment.

One of the most popular shopping districts in Osaka is the Dotonbori district and the nearby Shinsaibashi. Although Shinsaibashi was not a shopping mall, the entire area was covered and sheltered from the elements. There were many restaurants and shops in the Dotonbori district.

One of the most recognizable landmarks is the Glico Running Man advertisement which had been up there for over 80 years (with design changes from time to time). Even the prime minister of Singapore couldn't help but did the Glico man pose when he last visited Osaka.

Takoyaki (Octopus Balls)

Japan is one of the largest importers of octopus. Some of these octopus ended up on our plate as takoyaki. In Dontonbori, you can see many takoyaki vendors and a lot of them have long line ups. Every vendor had its own specialty and I would recommend trying different ones as they are slightly different in terms of texture and taste.

Although Nara was actually once the capital of Japan in the early days, they are not famous for that. Instead tourists like us went there for their deer on the street. We were not disappointed. There were tons of deers in Nara Park which followed anyone who was holding the deer crackers. You can easily buy deer crackers from street vendors. They all cost the same, about 200 yen.

Our kids enjoyed feeding the deer. Unfortunately, our youngest one accidentally scared one of the deers from behind and she bit him on his chest. Luckily it wasn’t a deep bite and he healed in a couple of days.

Todaiji Temple

Besides the Nara Park, the Todaiji Temple was also a must see attraction in Nara. The temple consists of multiple buildings and was originally built more than a thousand years ago. Of all the buildings, we had only visited the Nandaimon Gate and the Great Buddha Hall.

Nandaimon Gate

As you approach the Todaiji Temple from Nara Park, the first structure you would see is the Nandaimon Gate. Inside the gate, you will find two imposing statues of around 8 meters in height. It was a solemn entrance to the temple.

Great Buddha Hall

The Great Buddha Hall is the main hall of Todaiji Temple. It was the largest wooden structure in the world and housed a bronze statue of Vairocana Buddha. There was a small entrance fee to enter the hall and see the statue. Knowing that our kids would not be too enthusiastic about the Buddha statue, we did not enter the Great Buddha Hall but instead headed straight to the Kasugayama Mountain Trail for a hike.

Kasugayama Mountain Trail

The Kasugayama Mountain Trail was located inside the Kasugayama Primeval Forest. The forest had forbidden hunting for over a thousand year and had a sense of sacredness around it. If you stick to the path, the hike is quite easy. The entire length of the trail was 11km but you can turn back at any point. There was a quiet stream along the trail. It's a very pleasant experience.

Japanese had many gadgets and it was always fascinating to see those in action. Here I collected some of my findings. Hope you'd find them interesting too.

Toilet

Built-in faucet

The first time we saw this in our guesthouse, we didn't know what it was. When we asked our friends back home, we realized that it's a toilet with built-in faucet. You can wash your hands with it after you are done with your business. The dirty water was used to flush the toilet next time round. It was a good way to save some water but I won't be able to use soap with this.

Washlet controls

Besides the built-in faucet, you will also notice that there's a small control panel on the side of the toilet. That's where you can turn on the washlet after you are done with your business. You can even control the temperature and the strength of the water jet. In cold season, you can also turn on the seat warmer to avoid surprises.

Bathroom

Shower and Bathtub

A Japanese bathroom, even in a simple guesthouse like ours, was well designed and was a pleasure to use. The first thing we noticed was that there was no separate shower compartment due to space. However, you don't have to worry about spraying water on the floor as the floor was waterproof.

If you want to bath instead of shower, the bathtub was deep and comfortable. There are temperature controls for the bathtub. If you don't know how to use the controls, just press the button at the top right hand corner (see picture). It meant automatic. The bathtub will fill up automatically to the proper level and temperature. It will signal you when it's ready to dip in.

Bathroom controls

Besides the bathtub, there are also humidity controls for the entire bathroom. As you can see in the picture above, you can prepare the bathroom by warming it and after you are done, you can use the dehumidifying function to remove moisture. The bathroom was always at the optimal every time we take a shower or bath.

Door stop

On the left is a common doorstop in North America. I had been using one of those for as long as I can remember. It's a simple design and it works. However, the fact that it sticks out makes vacuum annoying and some pets love to play with it just for fun.

The doorstop on the right is a modern design using magnet to automatically stop the door when needed. When it's not in use, the doorstop is out of the way. While I didn't know if Japanese was the initial designer of such doorstop, the fact that even a modest guesthouse in Japan had it was quite extraordinary.

Integrated Soap Dispenser

In Nara Park, we found this beautiful sink with an integrated soap dispenser. You hands don't need to move out of the sink to get soap and you won't get residual soap around the sink either because all excess soap will be washed away as you wash your hands. The only thing missing is probably an integrated hand dryer like the Dyson Airblade Wash+Dry

Egg white cutter

In Japan, there is a special tool for every imaginable task. Imagine the surprise we had when we saw this egg white cutter. After you had boiled your egg in the water, you roll the egg on this device and viola, you turned a boring boiled egg into an edible flower.

Japan had always been on my bucket list of places to visit with my kids. I was sure they would be fascinated by the Japanese culture like I did the first time I visited Tokyo some twenty years ago. Historically, there were a lot of conflicts between the Japanese and the Chinese. Raised in a British colony (Hong Kong), I honestly didn't feel any anti-Japanese sentiment in my surroundings.

Our first stop in Japan would be Osaka because it is close to our last destination, Busan, South Korea. We also like Osaka because it is a good base for us to explore other cities in Kansai like Nara, Kyoto, and Kobe.

Flight

Initially, we had booked a Korean airline, JinAir, to fly from Busan to Osaka. Unfortunately, the flight was cancelled just a few days before we departed Canada. It was probably due to the rapid dropping of Korean tourists to Japan. Luckily, we managed to buy tickets from the Japanese Peach Aviation instead.

As a budget airline, the Peach airplane was actually quite nice. The only thing missing was the entertainment system. For a short flight like between Busan and Osaka, it was not a big deal. In about 1.5 hours, we arrived at the Kansai International Airport. The airport was a fascinating fleet of engineering especially since it gradually sank every year and countermeasure must be done to keep the airport from being swallowed by the sea.

Walking on the street

The streets of Japan were wide and easy to follow. Most intersections had traffic lights for pedestrian crossing. However, we found that a little overused at times. For example, sometimes a low traffic side street can be served with a stop sign instead of a traffic light for better efficiency.

In any case, everyone followed the traffic lights without exception. It must be one of the most orderly cities in the world. Similar to South Korea, the cars were very quiet even though they were not all electric. Apparently, the average age of cars in Japan is between 7-8 years old. The newer engines do not make as much noise as the older ones.

Since our guesthouse was located inside a residential area, we passed by local residents' houses every day. We were always impressed by what they did to their landscaping in such a small space. It showed how much they loved their homes and their community.

Since Japan was the first country to introduce tactile paving, so it was no surprise to find this applied almost everywhere.

Navigation App

As far as navigation app goes, Google Maps works perfectly here. When it comes to public transit, Google Maps has all of the necessary information, including additional tips like which car of the train is closest to your exit at the destination.

People

To be completely honest with you, I had only limited interaction with the local Japanese. People in general were friendly and we got excellent service in restaurants and train stations. However, in Osaka, when we walked in the neighborhood of our guesthouse, we saw signs that showed the neighborhood did not welcome guesthouse in the vicinity.

On one hand, I felt uneasy knowing that our family (as tourists) were not welcome here. On the other hand, I felt sympathetic towards the Japanese. Japanese were used to sending their kids to school or to run errand alone even when they were very young (we are talking about 5 years old or even smaller). The parents not only had to trust their kids but also the entire community to look after each other. Having strangers in the area would make the parents think twice before they send the kids out.

I had no idea what the plan for the future would be. Japan wanted to increase their number of tourists even more due to the upcoming 2020 Olympics. Conflicts between these guesthouses and the local people will surely continue for some time.

Staying

In Osaka, we stayed at HG Cozy Hotel No 33 森ノ宮駅前. It was a simple service apartment with everything we needed, including a kitchen with usable utensils and a washing machine. This place was especially suited for family with kids. However, since there was no elevator, you would need to make sure you and your family can walk up the stairs with your luggages. The self checkin option was straightforward and easy. I would highly recommend using that instead of going to their office to get the key.

We had planned to stay 9 nights in Osaka, mostly making day trips to discover the neighboring cities, harnessing the almighty power of the Japanese train system. The guesthouse was deep in a residential area and was a very quiet neighborhood. On one hand, it’s a very local experience. On the other hand, you could feel that the locals were not too thrilled about having a guesthouse nearby. Walking from the nearest train station (Morinomiya Station) to the hotel was not straightforward due to construction in the area but we managed to find the place even when it was dark.

Grocery

Since our guesthouse had a usable kitchen, we tried to cook our own meal at night. The local supermarkets (KOHYO JR Morinomiya, ビエラ森ノ宮 and Super Tamade) carried a lot of high quality products for a reasonable price. We especially loved the take out sushi on KOHYO. We had sushi nights and ramen night with local vegetables. It’s a good way to save some money, get some fibres, and enjoy the relax time at dinner.

After dinner, we took turn bathing. Our kids seldom showed any enthusiasm to the idea of bathing but the Osaka guesthouse changed that. They loved the high tech bathtub that auto fill and auto warm itself.

Jagalchi Market is a famous fish market in Busan, sort of like Japan's Tsukiji, if more rough-hewn and seafood-oriented. There are literally hundreds of fishmongers located inside two or three buildings. Interestingly, the seafood prices are standardized across all of them. So, the differentiator would be the types of seafoods they carry and their sales pitch. Some of these stalls have their own restaurants and can cook your purchases right away. The market is very wet, so dress accordingly.

San-nakji (chopped raw octopus)

While you are in the market, you can try san-nakji (chopped raw octopus). It is a Korean delicacy. The octopus tentacles must be chopped into small pieces and you must chew them thoroughly before attempting to swallow. Otherwise, the tentacles may stick to your throat and choke you.

Samsung Building

Right next to the Jagalchi Market is the Samsung Building. You can see a lot of Samsung products on display. Some of them don't make it outside of South Korea for various reasons. So, it's an interesting place to visit if you like technology or is a fan of this iconic Korean brand.

Today was our last day in South Korea. We loved the Korean culture and its cuisine. Tomorrow, we would be flying to Osaka to continue our Asia journey.

For me, perhaps the most impressive attraction in my South Korea trip is Gamcheon Cultural Village. This village was originally a refugee housing area. During the Korean Wars, many refugees came to Busan from the north and they settled in this village. After the war was over, the Busan government decided to reinvigorate the area and turned it into a tourist destination. The result is the Gamcheon Cultural Village. To me, nothing represents the Korean people's perseverance and creativity better than this.

Before you go into the village, make sure you visit the tourist information center to buy the village map. The map shows you the different attractions along the way and is a nice souvenir. The village is huge and is easy to get lost. Don't worry though, the people who still live in the village are very friendly and they don't mind showing you the way. In return, be respectful to the residents and don't make too much noise. A good way to enjoy the village is to collect the different stamps specified on the map. Each stamping station is unique and has a little story behind. A couple of the stamping stations actually allow you to mail a postcard to yourself in a year's time for a small fee. I think this is a wonderful idea.

Haeundae Beach

A must go attraction in Busan, the Haeundae Beach is expansive, clean, and inviting. Coming from city center, the bus ride to Haeundae Beach was relaxing with a lot of coastal sceneries to take in. Once you get off the bus, you will need to walk along Gunam-ro for about 15 minutes to get to the beach. Don't worry though, Gunam-ro is filled with shops and restaurants to keep you entertained and to fill your empty stomach. But don't get side tracked for too long, it is worth spending more time on the beautiful beach.

When we were there, the beach was packed with visitors but most of them did not go into the water. I suspected it's because the wave was quite strong. The beach is about 1.5km long and is a wonderful place to see the sunset.

Coin shower

The Haeundae Beach has only 4 coin showers and each of them takes 1,000 won for 80 sec. It shows that swimming isn’t a popular activity on the beach.

On the second day of our Busan trip, Typhoon Mitag brought in a lot of rain. Our Korean friends in Canada suggested us to try out a Jjimjilbang (Korean spa) if we could. So, we asked the guesthouse staff and she recommended Spa Land Centum City.

It was our first time trying out a Korean spa, so we found it fascinating. The entire facility was divided into sections. You will be given a locker key and a set of clean lounge clothes upon your entry. The first thing you do is to enter the locker area where you take off all of your clothes and put your possessions inside the locker. Make sure you hold on to the locker key as your possessions are all there.

There are two exit paths in the locker room. You can either exit into the naked section, which is the bathing area. Or you can exit into the non-naked section, which is the common area.

In the bathing area, everyone will be naked. You can try water pools of different temperatures or sit inside one of the saunas naked. Our kids love the bathing area because they can try out different pools.

In the common area, both male and female will be there. So you should put on the provided lounge clothes before you go. Inside, you can again find different saunas, each with a different theme. Some of the popular saunas can get crowded. In addition, there is a restaurant in case you are hungry. If you want to, you can also pay a little extra for a massage.

Overall, it is a great experience, especially when the weather doesn't permit you to do some outdoor activities.

These three places are located right next to each other and can be visited together at the same time.

Nampo-dong is a major middle-end shopping district in Busan. You can find all kinds of stores and restaurants here. There are some international stores, but most of them are local businesses.

BIFF Square was originally created to host the Busan International Film Festival (BIFF). Since then, the square hosts the opening ceremony of BIFF. When we were there, the opening ceremony was cancelled due to Typhoon Mitag. However, even without the opening ceremony, the entire area was bustling with activities.

A bit further north of BIFF Square is the Gukje Market. It was a marketplace established by war refugees during the Korean War. When the war refugees arrived in Busan, they soon put up stalls and started selling to make their livings. After the war, the marketplace remained and grew to what it is today.

Busan Tower and Yongdusan Park

Yongdusan Park is a mountain park known for its observation tower (Busan Tower) and shrines. To get to the park, you can take the escalators from Nampo-dong.

Busan Tower is located on top of the Yongdusan Park. There is a small charge to get to the top of the observation tower. To be honest, we didn't get up to the top because the sky was still cloudy due to typhoon.

Halmae Gaya Milmyeon is hidden in a back alley behind the main street. There are only three items on the menu: dumplings, noodles in cold broth, and noodles without broth. If the noodles seem too cold for you, the restaurant also provided a kettle with hot soup. We ordered all three items and were not disappointed. Both cold noodles were chewy and tasty. The dumplings were big and deliciously filling.

Busan 24 Hours Homemade Sundae, Pork Soup

Busan is famous for its pork soup and our Korean friends in Canada recommended this restaurant to try. It was a little difficult to get to (see Google Maps) but the experience was worth it. When we saw lots of local dining in the restaurant, we knew we were in the right place. Since none of the staffs speak English, we had to resort to body language and translation app. In the end, we trusted the staff to order enough food for our family and she made the right choices. The pork soup was flavourful and contained no MSG. There was also all you can eat noodles to go with the soup.

The Jeonju Express Bus Terminal is a nice and clean bus terminal. Inside there are ticket kiosks with both Korean and English instructions. They are easy to use and accept foreign credit cards. Having experienced the express bus in South Korea beforehand, we felt confident to take the express bus from Jeonju to Busan. This time, we ordered the luxurious express bus to Busan and it definitely did not disappoint. The bus was equipped with a touchscreen entertainment system, a wireless charger for your phone, a blind for everyone, and a reading light. The seat was also bigger than the regular express bus. The kids enjoyed the ride and we arrived in Busan in about 3 hours.

Weather

When we arrived in Busan, Typhoon Mitag was just about to hit South Korea. It was raining the whole time and there weren't many people on the street. We ended up spending a day in a Korean spa. It was an amazing experience. Fortunately, the typhoon effects didn't last long and we were able to enjoy the city on our third day.

Public transit

Busan is the South Korea's second most populous city after Seoul. It has an extensive metro network and bus network. Although Busan's attractions were quite spreaded out, they can all be accessed by metro or by bus. One of the interesting things about the Busan's metro is that the station's ticket kiosk can display four languages: Korean, English, Mandarin, and Japanese.

The T-money card we bought in Seoul could also be used in Busan. As far as navigation app is concerned, City Mapper doesn't work there but Google Maps can usually be relied upon.

People

Busuan is a major port in South Korea and is the fifth largest in the world. Like any other major port city, there's a distinctive feel to it. For example, in Busan, you will find a lot more foreigners on the street and more signs in different language, especially Japanese. The Busan people are also more comfortable to speak to foreigners in English.

I was told that the people in Busan speak in a higher pitch tone than the rest of Korea. However, my untrained ears couldn't tell the difference.

Staying

We stayed at the Nampo HILL Guesthouse which is conveniently located near Nampo-dong (a major shopping district), the Busan Tower, and the Jagalchi Market. The guesthouse staffs spoke fluent English and were very friendly. When it was raining, the staff suggested us to go to the SPA LAND Centum City to relax and we had a great time there.

There were self serve western breakfast every morning as well. The rooms were basic but for the price I paid, I wouldn't complain.

A little story on our last day in Busan

On our last day in Busan, we were going to fly to Osaka from the Busan International Airport.

Before we left, however, we decided to have the famous seafood in the Jagalchi Market. We thought we had saved enough money to commute to the airport. However, we didn't realize that there was a separate fare for the Busan-Gimhae Light Rail Transit (LRT). When we were at Sasang station to transfer to the LRT, we discovered we were just slightly short of credit in our T-money cards.

Unfortunately, getting cash in a Korean ATM machine was a tricky business. Not all of the ATM machines accept foreign credit cards. I tried a few of the nearby ATM machines and none of them worked. In the end, I was lucky to find KB Bank which allowed me to do foreign exchange with minimal fee. The whole commotion costed us more than 30 minutes. After we arrived at the airport, we all had to put on our best running shoes to run to the checkin counter. By the time we reached the check in counter, we were only 2 minutesbefore it was closed. What a close call.

Lesson learned.

The Korean Traditional Cultural Center is right next to the Jeonju Hanok Village. The exhibition hall is free to visit. One of the most interesting exhibits is about the 10 tastes of Jeonju, which represents the distinctive flavours of Jeonju cuisine.

We also learnt about the seaonal foods for every month of the year, e.g. meoseumnal in February, seotdal geumeum in December. You can also see the dishes prepared for special occasions, like wedding or 60's birthday.

All in all, it's an interesting destination that enriches your understanding of Jeonju and its awesome cuisine.

전주향교일원

Located about 30 minutes walk east of the Hanok Village, this beautiful shrine is a perfect escape from the crowd in the village. It was used as a filming location for multiple TV drama series, most notably Sungkyunkwan Scandal (one of my favorites).

Nambu Market

The Nambu Market is located about 10 minutes away from the Hanok Village. Similar to other local markets in South Korea, this market have a mix of restaurants, clothing stores, and souvenir shops. At night, it turns into a night market with many street food vendors.

If you decide to stop by Jeonju, the Jeonju Hanok Heritage Village is a must see destination. The village has a good layout and is easy to navigate. There are many restaurants and souvenir shops. On a good day, you can easily spend the whole day here. If it fancies you, you can rent traditional Korean clothes (hanbok) here and take some Intagram-worthy pictures.

Gyeonggijeon Shrine

The Gyeonggijeon Shrine is a palace that houses a replica portrait for Yi Seong-gye, the founder of the Joseon Dynasty. It is located inside the Jeonju Hanok Heritage Village and was built in 1410 and later reconstructed in 1614. We did not find the idea very interesting and didn't go inside.

Jeondong Catholic Church

The Jeondong Catholic Church stands out among other traditional Korean buildings. The red-brick church was built by a French missionary, Xavier Baudounet. It was built to commemorate Korean Catholic martyrs who died between 1781 and 1801. It is closed to public except during mass.

Geographically, Jeonju is located in the middle of South Korea on the left hand side (west). It is known for the Jeonju Hanok Heritage Village. It is also considered the ancestral home of the Joseon Dynasty. Many visitors from Seoul choose to do day trips to Jeonju but to discover the whole of the city, or more precisely, to have time to eat all the amazing local food that Jeonju has to offer, you will need at least a couple of days.

Getting there by bus

To get to Jeonju from Seoul, you can either take the high speed train or one of the express buses. Our hostel host recommended us to take the bus as it was convenient, frequent, and inexpensive. We took her advice and she was right. The Central City Terminal is conveniently located near the metro station Express Bus Terminal Station. If you get there by metro, you will need follow the sign to Central City Terminal and walk about 10 minutes underground. Once you are there, you will see a number of ticket selling counters. The staffs all speak English and are very friendly. Once you bought the ticket, you need to find the right platform. Notice that a single platform can serve multiple lines. It is important to go to the platform a bit earlier to find the right bus to board. There are also ticket agents on the platform to help you confirm your ticket and your bus.

The bus ride to Jeonju was comfortable and took about 2 hour 40 minutes. Time passed by very quickly as you can see the outdoor sceneries in the bus. Initially, I was worried that I needed to buy the tickets in advance (as I was travelling with my wife and 3 kids). It turned out that there were buses to Jeonju every 10 minutes and there was no need to buy tickets in advance or worry about missing a bus.

Public transit

Jeonju does not have metro. So getting around the city requires you to take buses or taxi. Don't worry though because most of the attractions are close to each other and you can walk between them. If you really need to take a bus, Google Maps do support bus route in Jeonju and you can rely on it. We chose to stay in a hotel right inside the Jeonju Hanok Village and it helped a lot with our trip planning.

To pay for bus fares in Jeonju, you can use the same T-money card you use in Seoul.

Staying

We stayed in a boutique hotel called WAY Guesthouse. It was located right inside the Jeonju Hanok Heritage Village. The guesthouse was clean and spacious. It was on the 3rd floor and there was no elevator. So if you are carrying huge luggage, you may want to reconsider. There was a nice coffee shop downstairs and residents enjoy a small discount if you buy from the coffee shop.

Odol Control

The WAY Guesthouse has built in odol (floor heating system). On our first night, I accidentally turned it on. In the middle of the night, as I woke up and stepped on the floor with my bare feet, the floor was hot and I thought the house was on fire. I rushed down and saw nothing was burning. Then my wife suggested that maybe it was a heated floor and then I realized my mistake. It was an interesting but embarrassing experience.

What to eat in Jeonju?! There is no question. Jeonju is famous for its cuisine, and what a cuisine it is. Not only does it offer unique flavours different from Seoul and Busan, it also uses the freshest of local ingredients. In fact, the vegetables in Jeonju were so fresh that we couldn't find the same taste anywhere else. Even for those who are turned off by spicy food, i.e. my kids, will come home raving about the food, as there are plenty of non-spicy options just as tasty. It makes my mouth water just writing about it!

Bibimbap

Jeonju is the birthplace of bibimbap. So, it's no surprise that you can find the best bibimbap of all Korea here. If you dar to, you can also order bibimbap with raw beef (there are cooked beef version, of course). Together with the fresh vegetables and the barely fried egg, the entire dish is a combination of raw flavours.

Every bibimbap restaurant in Jeonju would claim they are the best. For me, no one beats Hanguggwan. The owner gets fresh ingredients every day from the market and you can really tell the difference. The staffs are well adjusted to foreigners and explain the menu with patience.

Veteran Noodle (베테랑)

Kalguksu is hand cut noodles. It's served in a bro of egg white, seaweed powder, perilla powder, and chilli powder.

The best Kalguksu in town can be found in Veteran. It is always packed with hungry people. The menu is simple, noodle soup, noodle without soup, and dumplings. Just order them all. They are all delicious. The noodles is a bit more chewy than the average and its broth is tasty. I didn't have the pictures of its dumplings because it tasted so good that they were gone before I had time to do it. So, trust my words, they are grest. You can ask them to skip the chilli power if you cannot eat spicy food.

SOBOK ice cream

Who sould have thought you can mke ice cream with grain flour and maintain the traditional ice cream texture. SOBOK make this a reality. They literally take ice cream to a different level in terms of flavour and healthiness. It's located right inside the Hanok Village and it's easy to find. [Google Maps]

Sundae (Korean blood sausage)

The Korean blood sausage is a popular street food in Korea. Inside the intestinal casing, you will find pork blood, glutinous rice, and other herbs. If you eat blood sausae in a restaurant, you can also order a separate bowl of broth to go with it.

To be honest, when I tried the Korean blood sausage in Canada, I wasn't too impressed. But once I tried the one in Jeonju in 조점례남문피순대, it completed changed my mind. The restaurant is located inside the Nambu market. The blood sauage there was full of flavor and a bit garlicy. When it was put into the steaming spicy broth with freshly chopped chives, it was a match made in heaven.

BBQ beef

For BBQ beef, our Korean friends in Canada recommended 교동석갈비. We tried it and were not disappointed. In fact, we were very impressed. The beef was served on a sizzling stone bowl and it was tender and juicy. You can use the accompanying lettuce to wrap the meat with other ingredients to give it a much fresher taste.

Bean sprout soup

Bean sprout soup doesn't sound like much but to make a tasty soup out of such a simple ingredient is not a easy task. The so-called hangover soup is supposed to help you recover from an all nighter.

A popular place to try the bean sprout soup is 전주왱이콩나물국밥전문점. The bean sprout soup is served with a separate bowl of raw egg yolk and some seaweeds. You can first put the seaweeds into the egg yolk. When you are ready to eat, put a few spoonful of the soup into the egg yolk mixture and stir them together. Don't put the egg yolk into the entire bowl.

On the last day of our stay in Seoul, we didn't have much time left. So, we passed by the War Memorial Musuem of Korea to take a look. It was built to exhibit and memorialize the military history of Korea. We didn't have a chance to go inside but just took some pictures around the site. As you can see, if you are into antique war machines, you may find it worth a visit. For us, we were more interested in a nearby protest.

We had no idea what the banners was about (Google translate didn't help that much). However, we could tell that someone's son died and the mother was not happy with how it was handled. We later on found out from a Korean couple that it's about how a solider in training was killed but was not properly recognized. In a country where military service is mandatory, this kind of conflict is probably unavoidable.

The Namsan Park is the largest park in Seoul and houses the N Seoul Tower at its peak. You can reach the top by cable car or hike up there with the locals. We chose the hike because it was a beautiful day and we could fully enjoy the scenery. The trail was about 2km (about 230m high) and took us (with the kids) about 45 minutes and it was all worth it. Part of the trail can be a little steep for some people.

N Seoul Tower

As a reward for reaching to the top of Namsan Park, you get to see the N Seoul Tower. It was featured in the famous Korean TV drama, My Love from the Star and is one of the most famous attractions in Seoul. The N in its name stands for Namsan. Once you are at the top, you can reward yourself with a scoop of ice cream-or bubble tea-and games organized by volunteers.

Han River

A major river dividing the Seoul city, Han River is an excellent place to relax and take a stroll (or ride a bike). Both sides of the river were well developed with elevator for bikers and art displays along the way. There were bike rental shops along the way. Fortunately for us, our hostel provided free bicycles and it was close to the Han River. So we took advantage of it. It was an amazing experience that I wouldn't mind doing it everyday.

The National Palace Museum of Korea (국립고궁박물관) focuses on the Korean royal families and the royal customs. There are many historic relics of the palace from different era. A huge painting depicting the ceremony of a royal wedding is one of the highlights. You can also see some rare photos of the last royal family. Of all the displays, we found the royal records (Uigwe) most fascinating. The royal records painstakingly recorded every single royal ritual and ceremony and had very high historical values. Most displays had English translations and we had no problem understanding them.

Gyeongbokgung Palace (경복궁)

The Gyeongbokgung Palace (경복궁) was the largest of the five palaces in Korea. It was once destroyed but was restored later during the reign of King Gojong. Having seen the Forbidden Palace in China, the Korean palace was a lot more modest and smaller in scale. There were details on the buildings that were fun to spot. You can also see the unique Korean underfloor heating system (Ondol) inside the palace. As a tourist attraction, the palace was not too busy and was good for kids to run around.

Photography of the back?

We noticed that in South Korea, many people liked to have pictures of their back taken. We were puzzled by it initially. A Korean couple later explained to us that this style of photography captured the feeling better than the usual ones. Maybe you can try that next time you visit South Korea too.

Donuimun Museum Village

We stumbled upon this museum village as we were going to Kyochon Fried Chicken. It was an old village now reborn as a group of exhibit halls and experience centers. The exhibit halls were about life of the Seoulites from the 1960s to the 1980s. We caught a movie showing in the filming industry exhibit hall. It was a nice break from the busy street. There were English speaking staffs in the Information Center.

Inside the Starfield COEX Mall is this amazing library. There were some international magazines at the entrance. Otherwise, most of the books were in Korean. You could pretend to read and take some selfies or just go straight to the second level where there's a cafe with mouth-watering cakes.

Note: my son told me that most of the books on the wall shelf were glued to the wall, therefore rendering the epic display in the pictures mostly fake. Don't ask him how he found out.

Gwangjang Market (광장시장)

Gwangjang Market (광장시장) is a popular shopping complex with many shops and street food vendors. The Netflix Street food shows featured quite a few food stalls in this market. We tried a few of them and were not disappointed.

ejang

If you are okay with sashami (raw fish), you can take a step further and try gejang, which is raw crab marinated with soy sauce. Make sure you ask for a bowl of steamed rice to go along with the crab. It's one of the tastiest snacks I ever had.

Besides street foods, this market was also famous for its apparel stores, especially those specialized for Korean wedding. It was said that you could buy everything you need for a Korean wedding in this market alone.

Myeong-dong (명동)

Myeong-dong is a major shopping district in Seoul. There are a variety of stores, restaurants, and street foods. You can easily spend a whole night (or two) there. While you are there, make sure you save some room in your tummy to try out Myeongdong Kyoja. Their dumplings and noodles were amazing even in the very high Korean standard.

The National Museum of Korea (국립중앙박물관) was another amazing museum. The building itself was grand and well-designed. It was spacious enough to hold many different tourist groups. There were exhibits ranging from prehistoric Korea to the Three Kingdom era (with an exhibit for each one of them), from the Goreyo Dynasty (where the name Koreacome from), to the Joseon Dynasty, and finally to the modern Korean Empire. Each exhibit was well-curated and easy to explore. We also learnt in detail how the Korean alphabets (Hangul) came to be and its underlying principles. Overall, this was an amazing musuem and a must go-most Seoul museums are like that. You can easily spend the better part of a day here. So, plan for some nice meal for dinner afterwards, an easy job given the range of food options.

National Fire Drill

While we were visiting the National Museum of Korea, we encountered the National Fire Drill. Like all fire drills, we were to evacuate to a designated area outside of the museum. Everyone (including school kids) were courteous and waited outside patiently until the drill was over.

I loved the National Museum of Korean Contemporary History (대한민국역사박물관). It contained a wealth of information about modern Korean history, from the 1860s to present. For me, the most fascinating of them all were the years after World War II which led to the separation of North Korea and South Korea. It felt like an expensive social experiment carried out by the then superpowers. The Koreans did not gain anything from this but only suffered through it. Through the exhibit, I could clearly feel their yearning for reunification.

Another nice exhibit was the rapid urbanization of South Korea and its development of the high tech industry that rivals the Japanese.

Old Korean newspaper

Display of an old Korean newspaper. I was surprised to see that the Koreans used to borrow a lot of Chinese characters (Hanja) in their language. Nowadays, however, you will not be able to see a single Hanja on the Korean streets. The evolution of their language was still evolving rapidly in modern times.

Gongpyeong Historic Site Museum

What a pleasant surprise when we discovered this museum while we were wandering around downtown Seoul. It housed the old alleyways and building sites of the historic city of Seoul, from the times of Joseon Kingdom’s “Hanyang” to the more recent “Gyeongseong,” both former names of present-day Seoul. The exhibit showcased the ways that people lived in the old days and their buildings.

This museum was not a popular tourist attraction so it's not crowded. However, my sons loved it because it's spacious and very focused. In addition, there was a VR station where you could walk through the site in virtual reality. It was a big hit for kids and adults alike.

Dongmyo Flea Market

Along the way to the Cheongyecheon Stream, we found the Dongmyo Flea Market. It was located next to the Dongmyo Shrine and was a famous street for vintage shopping. As you can see from the picutre, a single store has almost everything imaginable, from second-hand clothes to antiques, vinyl records and many miscellaneous goods. And this is just one vendor. Imagine the entire street filled with them and you will get the picture of what the flea market is like.

Cheonggyecheon Stream (청계천)

Living in North America, we sometimes forget to appreciate the vast greenery we have. Luckily, in Seoul, there are still some green space where you can relax and decompress. If you want to escape from the bustling Dongmyo Flea Market, you can walk along the nearby Cheonggyecheon Stream. It was a wonderful place for kids and adults alike. There were paved walkway along the stream and stepping stones from time to time to let you walk across. You can also choose to leave whenever you like, making it a perfect place to relax between stops.

In Seoul, we found that the South Koreans were very eager to share their heritage and their culture. There were numerous high-quality museums, and they were all well curated.

Seoul Education Museum (서울교육박물관)

The Seoul Education Museum (서울교육박물관) is dedicated to the history of education throughout Korean history. You can see how education evolved in Korea, especially in modern era. There were classroom models of the 70's and 80's. There were electronic copies of student textbooks from early 40s all the way to the 90s. Although we did not study in Korea, we found the displays and collections very interesting. We showed some pictures of the classrooms and the textbooks to our Korean friends in Canada and they were amazed.

When we were there, there was also a special exhibit about female activists in the Korean Independence movement. I was most impressed by Kim Ran-sa who was the first Korean female who studied abroad. There was also a lady who smuggled the letter of independence into Korea on Feb 1919 (March 1, 1919 was the Independence Day). I later learnt that there were a lot of arguments and discussions regarding gender discrimination in South Korea. This display was a good step forward to recognize female's contributions to the society.

National Folk Museum of Korea (국립민속박물관)

The National Folk Museum of Korea (국립민속박물관) was located right inside the Gyeongbokgung Palace. It displayed historical artifacts that were used daily by Koreans. We learnt about the Korean agricultural lifestyles and their customs.

One particular exhibit that impressed me the most was about the life of a Korean from their birth, to their adulthood, to their marriage, to their 60th birthday (a major event), and to their death. It was fascinating to follow it through as if you were really there to witness it.

Obviously, it won't be a Korean folk museum if it doesn't touch on Korean foods. Koreans eat different foods based on different seasons. The museum had tons of information about the traditional Korean food culture. I wished I could capture all of the information there because the depth of its food culture was simply amazing.

Bukchon Hanok Village (북촌한옥마을)

The Bukchon Hanok Village (북촌한옥마을) was apopular tourist attraction in Seoul. Located at the top of a hill, the hanok village preserved some traditional architectures and buildings from the Joseon Dynasty.

Most of these buildings were residential buildings, i.e. locals are still living in there. Tourists should behave themselves and be quiet at all times. Many tourists also rented Korean traditional clothes (Hanbok) in a nearby stores and took pictures with these buildings. If you were not into photography, you could pass through this village in about an hour.

Insa-dong (인사동)

The Insa-dong (인사동) area was known for its vast array of restaurants and shops. It was not too far from the Gyeongbokgung Palace. You could find lots of street foods, many clothes stores, and souvenir shops. Talking about apparel, we found that Seoul was a fantastic place to shop for clothes. Not only did it suit us (Asian size), the style was modest and modern. We wished we could do more shopping if only we had more luggage space.

Koreans have a long culinary history and a rich food culture. Before we came to Seoul, we only knew about kimchi, bibimbap, and pork bone soup. With a bit of help from our Korean friends and some adventurous spirit, we had a glimpse of the diversity of Korean cuisine. One thing to note is that most Korean foods are spicy. We were able to request for a non-spicy version of the dish most of the time, but don't be surprised if their judgement of a dish's heat is different than yours.

Kimchi and Noodle Soups

Kimchi, seafood noodle soup, and dumpling noodle soup

Our first meal in South Korea was in a homey restaurant which served different kinds of noodle soups. In Korea, kimchi is such a staple that it would be impossible to have a meal without it. Each restaurant has its own secret way of making it. I found that I especially like kimchi that is not chopped. I was told that it takes longer to make kimchi like that and not many restaurants are willing to do so but it preserves the sweetness of the vegetable better.

Persimmon

Persimmon is a sweet and slightly tangy fruit with a soft texture. The persimmons in South Korea were especially sweet and soft. We totally fell in love with them. Our hostel host also told us that Koreans would also store their persimmons in the fridge and ate them like ice cream in the off season. When it is in season, it can usually be brought cheap from street vendors.

Yeongwol Grapes

Unlike the grapes in North America, the Yeongwol grapes are not seedless and their texture is much softer and a lot juicier. You can easily buy a package of Yeongwol Grapesin the supermarket.

Shave ice

Red bean shave ice with rice cakes

The Korean shave ice is a must have dessert during summer time. The ice is very soft and we especially love to top it with red beans and rice cakes.

Ssal Tteok (Rice cake) ice cream

Rice cakes are so popular in Korea that they are also made into an ice cream flavour in Baskin Robbins.

Ginseng Chicken Soup

The Ginseng Chicken Soup is an amazingly heartwarming dish you can try in South Korea. The chicken is stuffed with ginseng and sticky rice and is cooked with the broth inside a clay pot. Not only does it taste good, it is also good for your body.

To get the authentic taste of ginseng chicken, I would recommend Baeknyeon Tojong Samgyetang. It is a hundred year old restaurant specialized in Korean ginseng chicken soup. Besides ginseng chicken, the fried chicken in this restaurant was the best we had in South Korea.

Seolleongtang (Ox Bone Soup)

Seolleongtang is a broth made from ox bones and briskets. It is served with rice noodles inside. The clear broth contains no MSG and is supposed to be healthy for your body.

One of the popular restaurant for seolleongtang is Imun Seolleongtang. It has been in business for over a hundred years but is a little hard to find as it's hidden at the back of a building. Some may find the soup a little bland. So, you can put in a bit of salt for taste.

Hanwoo

Hanwoo is a Korean native breed of small cattle. Its meat quality is often compared with Kobe beef but at a much more affordable price. One of the most popular places to try hanwoo is at Hanwoochon. The server will cook the beef right in front of you and will time it perfectly.

However, since we wanted a more local experience, we went to the Majang Meat Marketinstead. It is a local meat market and you can find beef with many different cuts. Obviously, we went there for the hanwoo beef and they were packaged already with the associated grade. We picked the one with the highest grade (1++) and cooked it in one of the restaurants inside. For the quality you get, the price is quite reasonable.

Gejang

If you are okay with sashami (raw fish), you can take a step further and try gejang, which is raw crab marinated with soy sauce. Make sure you ask for a bowl of steamed rice to go along with the crab. It's one of the tastiest snacks I ever had.

Gejang can be found in many street food vendors in Gwangjang Market. Besides gejang, you can also find other traditional food like dumplings, and pancakes.

Steamed Dumplings

Besides dumpling soup, steamed dumplings are also a must try dish in South Korea. The dumpling skin is thin and silky smooth. The fillings are plentiful to give you a very satisfying feeling when you put one into your mouth. Just thinking about it makes my mouth water again.

The best steamed dumplings I found in Seoul are served in Myeongdong Kyoja. It is a Michelin mentioned restaurant conveniently located inside Myeongdong. The staffs were friendly but were busy all the time. If my memory serves me right, there was a reasonable minimal charge per person.

Fried Chicken

Korean fried chicken is probably featured in every Korean TV drama with a contemporary setting. The popular chain fried chicken restaurant is called Kyochon Chicken. Unfortunately, since Koreans tend to order their fried chicken as take out, these restaurants are usually not located in the busy tourist districts.

Kyochon Chicken is known to serve one of the best Korean fried chicken in South Korea. It serves chicken with no antibiotics. You can also choose different sauce to go with your chicken. We chose honey and it was pretty good. However, we still think that Baeknyeon Tojong Samgyetang has juicier fried chicken. There are quite a few stores in Seoul but they are not conveniently located because Koreans tend to get take out for their fried chicken. So, plan your trip accordingly. Here is one of its location in [Google Maps].

Makgeolli

Makgeolli is a Korean alcoholic beverage made with rice. It is milky and tastes slightly sweet and is customary to drink with Korean fried pancakes. You can find it in every Korean supermarket and is considered a healthy drink.

Jjigae

Jjigae is similar to Western stew. There are different varieties of jjigae and the one we tried had pork belly. Since jjigae is a homey food, I would high suggest you try it in a local restaurant to get the feeling.

If you need recommendation for a local restaurant for jjigae, I would recommend 진아네 용산포차. It is packed with locals during weekday nights. However, on weekends, it's relatively quiet. None of the staffs speak English but they were very patient and tried to be helpful. At the end, we enjoyed an amazing pot of jjigae, some egg rolls and bulgogi.

This is my first time to Korea. Honestly I did not know what to expect. My Korean knowledge is limited to a few Korean dramas, some popular Korean foods in Canada, and some tips from our Korean friends at church.

Flight and transportation

We chose Seoul as our first stop of South Korea because it was the capital and the largest metropolis of the country. We hoped it would also be more traveller friendly too.

We woke up at 5 am and took an early flight with HK Express from Hong Kong to Seoul. The flight itself was short, about 3 hour and 30 mins. The Incheon International Airportwas spacious and modern. It was comparable to other airports in major cities.

Once we arrived, we could easily find our way to the transferring train station. At a booth between the train station and the airport, you can buy Korean transportation card called T-money. The good thing about the T-money card is that it can be used in Seoul, Jeonju, and Busan. Since we were going to Jeonju and Busan later on in our trip, getting the T-money card is a no-brainer. There were English speaking staffs helping tourists out. So, the experience for first time travellers was pretty good.

Clean subway

My first impression of the Seoul subway was how clean it was. In fact, it was so clean that even the track was lit up. In comparison, the Toronto subway was a lot dirtier. I wouldn't dare to imagine what we would find if we light up the subway track.

Walking on the street

As we walked around the neighborhood, instead of finding Starbucks everywhere, we found a lot of small local coffee shops. Each coffee shop was unique and had a different clientele. We tried a few of them and they were comparable to the coffee shops in North America. My host, Ha Ha, joked that the younger generation would sacrifice their regular meals with instant noodles in order to save money for the expensive coffee.

Tactile paving for the visually impaired

Compared to China cities, Seoul's streets were more accessible to the visually impaired. Tactile paving could be found everywhere and they generally followed the right path, unlike what was stated in this article.

Going from China to South Korea was a major culture shift. In general, the streets were quieter and there weren't as many scooters as in China. Scooters also seemed to follow the same traffic rule as cars and did not mix with pedestrians. It was a major relief for us, or family with kids, to be able to cross the road without worrying too much.

The street on Seoul was also very orderly with instruction for every thing imaginable. Sometimes, there were too many instructions and I got confused. For example, on a one-way street, you can sometimes find arrows pointing in both direction except that the wrong way one has a cross on it.

Confusing wrong way marker

In Seoul, a one-way street usually have a painted marker that shows an arrow with a cross on it. Sometimes, however, the marker was so prominent that it made you pause to think which was the right way.

Another difference between China and South Korea was that most stores did not open until 10am. In a residential area, like where we stay, very few restaurants would be open for breakfast. People were expected to have their breakfast at home.

Modern churches in South Korea

Christianity (combine Protestants and Catholics) is still the majority religion in South Korea. They had modern and fancy buildings that were not easy to find in North America. Picture above is one of them.

Navigation App

When you are in South Korea, there are many options when it comes to navigation. Unfortunately, none of them is a full solution for foreigners.

When we were looking for a more obscure location (i.e. not close to a subway station or a bus stop), we found that we needed to use multiple navigation apps to help orient ourselves. Most locals were comfortable with the Korean language Naver Map. So, in the worst case, we gave let the locals setup the destination in Naver Map and we would just follow its direction.

Public transit

Perhaps the bigges difference between Chinese and Koreans can be found when you are riding their respective subway/metro. In China, we could hear people either talking to each other or on the phone. Some even watched movies on their smartphone with speakers fully on (though they were usually warned by the subway assistant inside the car). In general, there were lots of activities going on inside the subway car. In Seoul, however, the subway car was dead silent. Our kids were usually the loudest and we had to constantly remind them to keep their voices down to avoid disturbing other passengers.

Another difference we noticed in the subway was that in China (say Beijing), people who were in their 60s would give up their seats to our kids but in South Korea, our kids were expected to give up their seats to them. In China, we also saw few elderly and almost no people with physical challenges using the public transit or even on the street. In South Korea, however, these people seemed more active and more visible. Maybe it was a sign of a more mature society, it was good to see how South Koreans show their respects to the forerunners of the society and that the underprivileged were not excluded.

History

We visited a few museums in Seoul, including the Korean folk museum, the Korean Contemporary History Musm, the Historic Site, and the 70’s Village. I could tell that the Koreans had been leading a simple and peaceful life. They did not have big ambition and they had never raged any war against another country. Unfortunately, they were often bullied or invaded by neighboring countries like Japan and China. In fact, when Hideoyoshi of Japan wanted to invade China through Korea, the Koreans tried to stop him and turned it into a Japan-Korea war. It was difficult to survive when it was sandwiched by two major power but it did, until 1910.

In 1910, Japan formally annexed the Korean Empire. It was not until 1945 (after WWII) that the Korean got their country back. When we were there, it was actually the 100th anniversary of the Korean Declaration of Independence, so we got to see more exhibits about this major event. (yes, it took 30 years after the Declaration of Independence that the Koreans became independent) Unfortunately, shortly after their true independence, they were split again into North Korea and South Korea.

The Koreans did not shy away from their disagreement with the Japanese. Inside some metro stations, we saw some public displays of their ongoing dispute with the Japanese government (e.g. their territorial claim of the Dokou Island). In fact, when we were there, there was a trade war between Japan and South Korea. Some South Koreans were boycotting Japanese products, like Japanese apparel and its beer

In the National Museum of Korean Contemporary History, where the focus was on modern history, we learnt a lot about the history during the time when the North and the South were separated. We could feel the people's pain of the separation and their yearning for reunification.

Protests

Contrary to their quieteness and calmness in the public transit, South Koreans actually had a unique culture of protests. It was easy to walk into one of them unknowingly. During our stay in Seoul, we encounted a peaceful protest after touring the palace. We did not feel unsafe at all because the protest looked peaceful and the Seoul policeman outnumbered the protestors 3 to 1.

Staying

We stayed in a hostel called Haha Guesthouse Itaewon. The hostel was located near the Samgakji metro station, which was very convenient. The hostel is a bungalow (single storey) with a few rooms, a shared kitchen, and a shared bathroom. The host, Haha, was very friendly and prepared for her guests every morning. Every day, the breakfast was different. During weekday, we had Korean style breakfast like congee, rice cakes, bibbam, and omelettes. On the weekends, we had self serve western breakfast. It was a perfect way to start our day. We were well taken care of and the kids loved staying there.

Korean Electric Socket

The Korean Electric Socket requires a plug with two rounded pongs. We used this universal plug and it worked perfectly.

The Shangxiajiu Pedestrian Street (上下九步行街) is a historic street with many old-style architecture and traditional shops. Many of the famous local restaurants can be found there too. I would highly recommend this one: Liwan Mingshijia (荔湾名食家) [Google Maps] [高德地图]. It was a combination of four decent restaurants, including a dessert shop. So, make sure you go there with an empty stomach.

Chen Clan Academy (陈家祠)

The Chen Clan Academy (陈家祠) was built over 130 years ago. It was built as a local school and an examination center. The building was solemn and well structured. There were wood carvings on the roof and on every column.

Inside the academy, there was a permanent exhibit of Guangzhou folk art, such as pottery, embroidery, wood carvings, olive pit carvings, etc. The collection complements well with those in other Gunagzhou museums.

Xiguan Mansion (关西大屋)

Xiguan Mansion (关西大屋) is basically a rich family's mansion in Qing Dynasty. We got a gleams of how rich family lived during that time. The interior of the house was beautiful and we felt like we were in a movie set.

Guangzhou Metro Museum is free to experience and is located right at Wanshengwei station. We learned a lot about the development and history of Guangzhou Metro. There was information about metro building in general and many interactive displays for kids to learn and have fun at the same town. Though, like most museums in Guangzhou, didn't have much English, All of our kids enjoyed the musuem and weren't too bored. While we were there, we saw a group of elementary students visiting. This must be a popular school trip destination.

Sinkhole

The metro is still rapidly expanding. Unfortunately, recently (Dec 1, 2019), a sinkhole nearby a metro construction site collapsed and swallowed three people.

Guangzhou Thirteen Hongs Museum (廣州十三行博物館)

The Guangzhou Thirteen Hongs Museum is mostly about Guangzhou and its foreign trade port. At a time, it was the only port open to foreigners. You can see some ancient trading documents and beautiful arts being traded at the time. Some of these arts have a strong western influence and was interesting to see. Overall, it is a great musuem with well curated display. Our kids could enjoy the musuem because it was one of the few museums that had English descriptions.

Guangzhou museum (广州博物馆)

The Guangzhou musuem is one of the oldest museum in China. The site of the building, Zhenhai Tower, was built in the Ming Dynasty (1380). It has a history of more than 600 years and is a famous ancient building in Guangzhou. The museum displayed many historic and cultural relics in Guangzhou. You can see how the city develops throughout the years. There was a huge display of porcelain plates with coat of arms (apparently commissioned by different foreigners).

At the top of the museum, there is an open space where you can get some fresh air and appreciate the sceneries below.

Located inside a Chinese medical university (广州中医药大学), the Guangdong Chinese Medicine Museum (广州中医药博物館) was a fascinating building to explore. The attraction had with many medical relics and specimens to discover. It also has an outdoor Chinese herbal medicine plantation park. Walking through the park was an educational experience.

The indoor exhibition include Chinese medical history from the beginning of recorded history, the fundamentals of traditional Chinese medicine and modern developments. There is a stunning three storey high wall displaying samples of Chinese herbs.

Xiaozhoucun (小洲村)

A 650 years plus old village built alongside a river, Xiaozhoucun (小洲村) is picturesque and relaxing. If you want to fully experience the village, I recommend going on a weekend. We went on a weekday and most of the shops were closed. There were many artsy shops that I would visit if they were open.

Moon gate

A beautiful moon gate in Xiaozhoucun provides a beautiful spot for picture taking.

Unlike Sichuan, Guangzhou foods are a lot milder and easier on the kids. We tried their wonton, congee, double skim milk pudding, and steamed rice rolls.

Clay pot rice (煲仔饭)

Clay pot rice is a great for the autumn and the winter season. The rice and its fillings (usually Chinese sausage, chicken, or salted fish) are cooked together inside the pot. Once you open the lid, you can drizzle some sweet and sour oil to add to its flavour. Don't forget the slightly burnt rice at the bottom. Some people will pour hot tea inside in order to eat the remaining rice.

Steam rice rolls (腸粉) and Congee (粥)

Steam rice rolls and congee are staple foods in Guangzhou. You can choose different fillings for both items. Popular fillings are shrimp, pork, beef, fish, and vegetables. You can choose not to have any fillings as well.

Yinji Steam Rice Rolls (银记肠粉店) is a popular chain restaurants for steam rice rolls. You can find its locations on Google Maps (use its Chinese name) or on its official website. Although there is a couple of locations in Toronto as well, I found the one in China had the best taste and texture.

Wonton

Guangzhou wonton is one of the most popular dishes in Guangzhou. It can be traced back to the Qing Dynasty. The wonton itself is made with shrimp wrapped with a thin flour dough. The wonton soup is usually made from boiling shrimp shells, pork bones and dried flounder to give it a distinct taste.

Double skin milk pudding (燉雙皮奶)

Double skin milk puddding is a Cantonese dessert made with milk, sugar, and egg whites. It is a Guangdong creation and a must try when you are in Guangzhou.

Liwan Mingshijia (荔湾名食家) is like a food court with 4 different restaurants inside. Among other Guangzhou delicacies, you can try wonton and double skin milk pudding there. [Google Maps] [高德地图]

Dim Sum

Dim Sum requires no introduction. There are many dim sum restaurants in Guangzhou. We went to Diandude Huidianlou (点都德(汇点楼店)), which is a famous local restaurant and a must try if you like dim sum. [Google Maps] [高德地图]

Dr. Sun Yat-sen was the founding father of modern China and this memorial hall was built to remember him. It was designed incorporating a vibrant mi of western and Chinese architecture by Lu Yanzhi and was built with funds raised by local and overseas Chinese people. Inside the hall, we found a lot of information about Dr. Sun Yat-sen, his upbringing, and his role in modernizing China. I was very impressed by his forward thinking and his perseverance. Unfortunately, he was not able to see his revolution through even at the end of his life. Stories about the building itself were also fasscinating to read.

Yuexiu Park (越秀公園)

This is the largest park in Guangzhou. The most famous attraction inside the park is the Five Rams Sculpture. The sculpture represents the five rams who gave Guangzhou its nickname "City of Rams". It was said that some immortals had ridden these five rams into the city and taught the locals how to grow rice. These rams later turned into stones and were left on the hill.

Regardless of the legend, we enjoyed strolling inside the park. There are lots of shades and benches if you need a break. If you fancy a little boat ride on the pond, there is also a small pedal boat rental facility.

Guangzhou was our last stop in the mainland China part of our 4 month long journey. I was surprised to learn that its history was no less significant than the other cities we had explored. We decided to spend 5 days in Guangzhou because both my wife and me are Cantonese and want to discover more about our heritage. Born a Cantonese, I thought I knew a thing or two about Canton (Guangzhou). However, after visiting their museums, I realized that I had never truly appreciate Guangzhou and its role in the Chinese story.

In fact, Guangzhou used to be the only open port in all of China during the Qing Dynasty. Even in other times, even when there were other open ports, Guangzhou remained the primary port. It was the primary port in China for the Maritime Silk Road. Merchants from all over used to come here to trade. The people here were proud to be the first modernized city after China established an open policy. They also prided themselves with their connections to the western world. In fact, the artifacts displayed in Guangzhou museums had many western influences and the quality was comparable to the ones we saw in Beijing or Xi’an.

High speed railway (HSR)

Guangzhou is a major city in southern China. There are high speed trains going from all over China into Guangzhou. We travelled to the Guangzhou South railway station (广州南站) and transferred to our hotel using the metro. Compare to Guilin (our previous stop), Guangzhou was a lot more modern and more orderly.

Public transit

The streets of Guangzhou were wide and easy to navigate. Guangzhou Metro was one of the most extensive metro network in China. You can reach most of the city's attraction using the metro. Places not reachable by metro were served by bus. We were able to go to every attraction we want either by taking the metro or the bus. Announcements in public transit were made in Mandarin, English, and Cantonese.

Sanitary conditions

The problem of spitting was not as prevalent as in other China cities. However, for me, it had other sanitary issue.

Other than international fast food chain like McDonald’s or KFC, most of the local Guangzhou restaurants did not have water nor public washroom. Many of them didn’t even have a faucet to wash your hands. Public washrooms were a lot scarcer than other cities. The lack of basic sanitary facilities in a hot and humid place is not a good idea for public health.

Staying

At Guangzhou, we stayed at Ben Shu Jia Apartment (Pazhou Branch). It was close to metro station and a big shopping mall. On the way to the shopping mall are some local restaurants and fruit stores. Location-wise, it is a perfect place to stay. However, we did a few cockroaches inside the room. Since it was the kids' first encounter with the cockroaches. They were both fascinated and horrified. The cockroaches were of the smaller kind and would not fly. I told them to be prepared for the bigger and flying ones when we travelled to Hong Kong.

When I was in my grade school, I had learnt that Guilin had the most beautiful mountains and rivers in all of China. The ride on the Lijiang River cruise certainly did not disappoint. It’s a bit expensive - about CNY 380 (about USD 55 per person) but it’s worth it.

We also went to Banff in Canada earlier this year. The mountains there were majestic and awe-inspiring. The mountains in Guilin, however, were a lot smaller but more mysterious. If you look at them from afar, you’d see layers of mountains with all different shades of green, just like a real life Chinese painting. The Lijiang river scenery is so famous that the RMB 20 note uses one of its attractions as its background image.

Snacks inside the cruise

Inside the cruise ship, they also serve traditional seafood snacks and lunch. Deep fried crabs is one of the local delicacies.

Yangshuo (阳朔)

At the end of the river cruise, we reached Yangshuo, a resort town and another another major tourist attraction. There are a couple of things to do in Yangshuo. One is walking through the West Street, a popular street with shops on both sides. The other is to climb the nearby mountains. If you plan to do the later, you would likely need to stay overnight at Yangshuo. Since we were only doing a day trip, we just enjoyed ourselves wandering on the West Street.

Along the West Street, there were numerous shops selling souvenirs and a few historical buildings. If you need food, there are many restaurants and bars nearby. There was also a KFC if you only need a cold drink and a place to take a break from the heat. If you are hungry, you can also try a local delicacy: fish cooked in beer.

Shiwai Taoyuan (Shangri-La Theme Park) (阳朔世外桃源)

In Yangshuo, we joined a tour to learn about the ethnic minorities in the area. The tour bus took us up the mountain to Shiwai Taoyuan (Shangri-La Theme Park) (阳朔世外桃源). It was basically a learning center of ethnic minorities. We sailed around the area on a boat with a local tour guide. Along the boat ride, different ethnic groups were introduced and they performed little dances for us. After the boat ride, we sampled Long-life Wine, a local non-alcoholic specialty, and visited some Song-dynasty ruins and shops.

Afterwards, some of us felt that it was a bit touristy. That's probably true, but it was pretty amazing anyway, especially for the kids.

Other attractions

There are other Guilin attractions that we did not go, e.g. the Elephant Trunk Hill. The reason was that even though it's already mid-September, it was still too hot to do any hiking.

Guilin has many rice fields and is famous for its rice noodles. We tried the Guilin rice noodles on our first day there. Surprisingly it’s nothing like what we’d have in Canada.

The Guilin rice noodles here is served moist without soup. After you finished eating the noodles, then you get yourself a bowl of soup, usually a clear broth made with bones, and drink it. Besides this difference, the meat and vegetables inside the bowl of noodles are also different. Instead of having ground beef in Canada, Guilin rice noodles are served with slices of roasted pork here.

Maybe due to the freshness of the rice noodles, I found the noodles here more chewy than the ones in Canada. It is a matter of preference which kind you prefer.

Luosifen (螺蛳粉)

Besides rice, Guilin is also famous for its river snails (luosi 螺蛳), a China only spieces. So, it is no surprise that Guilin people combine rice noodles with river snails to create another delicacy: luosifen (螺蛳粉) - river snails noodles. However, I tried it once but didn't like it too much because of the strong smell.

Fish cooked in beer (啤酒鱼)

One of the local delicacies is fish cooked in beer. I was told that the best one is served on the West Street in Yangshuo. The name of the restaurant is 大师傅金奖啤酒鱼(西街口总店) (address: 西街口德业楼1楼). [Google Maps] [高德地图] We didn't try it beause the kids found KFC ICE CREAM! more attractive after the long boat cruise.

Guilin is a railway city with many travel options. There are at least three railway stations that can accept high speed trains. When you buy your train ticket, make sure it is bound for the station closest to your hotel.

Since Guilin did not have a subway system, we picked our hotel based on its proximity to the Guilin Station (桂林站). To get to other attractions, we took the city buses, which were just as convenient as in any other China city.

Weather

Although Chongqing was technically hotter than Guilin, the lack of shade made Guilin's heat pack more of a punch, so much so that you had to walk strategically close to shop entrances to feel their AC. The temperature reached over 36℃ but it felt like 42℃. Simply walking on the street made us sweat throughout our bodies.

Walking on the street

Guilin was the fifth city in China on our trip. We thought we were well prepared for the China traffic mess but Guilin was at a different level. The roads were filled with scooters and it was a big ordeal every time we crossed the street. In China, scooters seem to follow the same rule as a bicycle. So, they can ride on a bike lane and cross a road like a pedestrian.

Guilin is a tourist city and doesn’t seem to have other industries. A lot of people on the street were trying to sell us cruise tickets. Although it was a little annoying, the options for these people were probably limited.

The shopping malls in Guilin looked either dated or deserted. There was, however, a night market at Xichenglu Pedestrian Street (西城路步行街). If you have no plan for the night, strolling through the market can be a good way to relax. However, I would not recommend going out of the way to visit the night market.

Staying

We stayed at Travel light Guilin due to its proximity to the Guilin station and other tourist attractions. We could literally walk from the high speed train station to the hotel in about 15 minutes.

The hotel was clean and suitable for our family. The western breakfast offered by the hotel was a bit expensive in China standards, and we didn't end up trying it. If you don't mind a bit of an adventure, you could easily find local inexpensive food nearby.

• Grade: 4A (AAAA)

Ciqikou is rich in religious culture, and folk culture that it is reckoned as the epitome of ancient Chongqing, and is praised as "Little Chongqing". There amongst the busy streets and crushing heat, you get a true sense of Chongqing's noise, energy, and boisterousness. If you want to feeel Chongqing's essence and you've been there, there's no need for the rest of the city. We ended up disliking Chongqing for those reasons. We hope you feel differently.

On a lighter note, there were many street foods inside. Most notable the sour and spicy noodles (酸辣粉) restaurants. These restaurants usually put up a good show at their storefront.

We saw a noodle maker tossed his noodles 9 feet high, caught them from hand to hand, and spun them around in the air. He did all this while singing along. We tried the noodles and they weren't bad, though you will need to bear with numbness even for a non-spicy version of the noodles.

The Chongqing city had been divided by the Yangtze River for a very long time. In the old days, boats were the main transportation between the two sides. Later on, the city built a gondola and it became the primary mode of transportation. Nowadays, there are bridges and subways and the gondola became a tourist attraction. Riding on the gondola offers a stunning overhead view of the iconic river. I was amazed by how wide the river was and how fast it was flowing. Building anything above the river is a major fleet of engineering and skill.

To avoid the crowd, I recommend you to board the gondola on the this end of the river [Google Maps] [高德地图]. Otherwise, expect to wait for over an hour.

Three Gorges Museum (重庆中国三峡博物馆)

You don't need to go to the Three Gorges to learn about its history. The Three Gorges Museum in Chongqing provides ample details about the gorges and their historical and scientific significance. The museum was quite large and you could expect to see the followings on display:

1. The Three Gorges's history and scientific significance
2. The ancient Bayu culture (early history of Chongqing)
3. Modern Chongqing history, especially during the China civil war
4. Chongqing's role in the Anti-Japanese War (1937–1945)

Besides the above, there were art displays such as paintings, calligraphy, and procelain. Overall, I liked this musuem and would recommend anyone who visit Chongqing to include this in their trip.

Hongyadong (洪崖洞)

Hongyadong (洪崖洞) must be visited at night time to fully appreciate its beauty. When the sun is gone, the picturesque town comes to life with well designed artificial lights around every single building. Getting into the area requires a bit of line up. You also need to download a WeChat mini program (QR code is displayed along the queue) to get the electronic ticket. Inside the town, you can use the elevator to go up and down the town. Most likely, however, you will have to use the stairs because the elevator is always crowded and slow.

As one of the towns that resembles the town in Spirited Away, Hongyadong is also worth a visit for any anime fan.

There are lots of restaurants around the area. We had the most amazing hotpot there.

Chongqing and Chengdu are sister cities and they often compete with each other about everything, from their economies to their hot pots. Chongqing is a capital of bridges in terms of the amount and the varieties. It needs these bridges to connect people on both sides of the Yangtze River.

It’s also a mountainous city with beautiful skyscrapers. You can get a good view of the city from up in the mountain. Chongqing is also one of the furnace cities of China. When we were there, it reached 36℃ (with humidity, it felt like 41℃).

Chongqing people, especially the older generation, speak a dialect that was slightly different than Mandarin. It seems to be a mix of Mandarin and their local dialect. If you have just trained your ears to Mandarin, you will need to train your ears again.

Traffic

Chongqing had the worst traffic so far we had seen in China. The roads were always congested and they were in all kinds of directions. Navigating your walk using GPS was also more challenging because of the high rise and the complexity of the streets. Strictly following the map application’s direction was a must. We often had to retrace our route because the streets were not connected.

Bus drivers in Chongqing, however, were the kindest one though. They had never hurried people up or down. However the bus could get really crowded, especially when it was raining outside. In the northern cities that we had traveled, the locals in public transits were kind to our kids and often gave up their seats for them. In Chongqing, however, we experienced no such good gesture. Is it a case of every man for himself due to mistrust in the society? I don't know.

Staying

In Chongqing, we stayed at Chongqing Lanque Boutique Hotel. It was located right above Paradise Walk (时代天街), the biggest shopping mall in the city. In terms of convenience, it’s unbeatable. However, it lacks that human touch. I still prefer the other places that we stayed before. However, when it’s 40C outside or pouring, you’d really appreciate its air conditioning.

Trust (Mistrust) between people

Food

Our first experience of fake food in China happened in Chongqing. Calling it fake isn't entirely correct. It's rather a heavily processed fruit. We found it everywhere on the street of Chongqing. Initially, I thought it's a Chongqing specialty and bought a few to try. It was very sweet and was the same color throughout. I later found out that its color and flavor was all chemically processed. It was not recommended for consumption.

To me, it is a big deal that such fake fruits could be sold openly on the street. It means that people in the society had to constantly watch out for themselves or else they may be scammed. Such a small act can erode people's trust of the society.

Hotel

Chongqing Lanque Boutique Hotel does not accept foreign credit card but they require payment upfront. When we first arrived, it was pouring rain outside and the receptionist would not let our family to settle in the room but insisted that I got cash from an ATM first. They did not realize that for a first comer to the city, getting cash from an ATM in short notice could be a challenge. After 30 mins of running up and down the hill in the rain, I got the cash and my family was let in. The experience certainly did not win me over.

When we checked out, this hotel was also the only one who went through the trouble and checked the room while we waited. I certainly felt that I was not trusted in this city. While you’d think that the hotel was only doing their job, they seemed to only care when it came to their own interests. Unsolicited and inappropriate advertisements were slipped into our room every morning.

Anyway, when I left, I felt relieved, not just from the heat and the chaos but also from its people. I didn’t feel this city could be my home in the future.

I seldom recommed shopping malls, considering them shallow and similar across all countries. However, this one is actually worth going, because of its fame and prestige across China. Even people we met in Beijing had heard of the great and glorious Paradise Walk, and for good reason-it's ENORMOUS and PACKED WITH OPTIONS (only flaw is no Apple Store). We were there all the time, because it was located right below our hotel, and you can get a real idea of wher Chongqing families nowadays spend their time and money. You will find a variety of shops and eateries. Below are a couple of interesting examples:

Baby swimming class

You can find a store dedicated to baby swimming. The babies were swimming(or bathing) inside a tub with the assistance of some helpers.

Mongolian beef

In this restaurant, you can buy different parts of a cow by weight. It was quite an experience. Besides beef, it also serves other food such as noodles in tomato sauce and vegetables. They were all delicious. We were also very impressed by their service.

Chongqing people are famous for their ability to eat spicy food. Following our tradition, we let the kids pick their first dinner in every city. This time they picked a pizza place. We ordered potato pizza, meat ball pasta, chicken rice with tomato sauce, and a bowl of salad. They were all tasty but most of them were somewhat spicy. The kids were not used to it and complained a lot. In any case, we had a taste of Chongqing people’s love of spicy food.

Chongqing street noodles (重庆小面) 🌶

Although we didn't try this noodles ourselves, it'd be wrong not to include it with the rest of the Chongqing specialty foods because it is such a local staple. There are two main types of dishes: noodles with soup and noodles without soup. It is usually served with Sichuan pepper and chilli. It is also inexpensive and is generally avaiable in most restaurants and street food stalls.

Blanket noodles (铺盖面)

This is a specialty dish from Rongchang District (荣昌区) of Chongqing. The noodles are so wide that they look like blankets. You can find it in many street food vendors. The dough is premade but the noodles are pulled and pressed after you order. The soup is usually chicken based and clear. It is one of the few non-spicy foods you can find in Chongqing and is very tasty. I would highly recommend it.

Sour and spicy noodles (酸辣粉) 🌶

The sour and spicy noodles is a traditional Sichuan food. The soup is obviously sour and spicy. With the amount of Sichuan peppers inside, however, the soup makes your lips numb more than makes your head sweat. The noodles are derived from potatos instead of rice and are rather chewy. You can find many food vendors selling this kind of noodles in Ciqikou (磁器口).

Chongqing hotpot (重慶火鍋)

It would not be a complete visit to Chongqing without trying its hotpot. Our kids could not eat spicy food, so we ordered a half spicy, half non spicy pot. It’s actually not a traditional Chongqing pot. The traditional pot is shaped like a Tic Tac Toe grid where the cooking area is divided into nine sections. Since each section has slightly different temperature, people use different sections for different kinds of food. The traditional pot, however, do not have a non-spicy option.

Anyway, the hotpot was great and we all enjoyed it very much. One of the delicacies is duck blood. Not everyone will eat blood but if you don't mind it, it's a real treat. To be safe to eat, it needs to be cooked for a long time. Don't worry about overcooking it because it retains its tenderness even after cooking for half an hour.

Given the popularity of Chongqing hotpot among travellers, most restaurants offer non-spicy version of the hotpot too.

It's really hard to pick a hotpot restaurant in Chongqing. There are just too many of them. In the end, we settled for 古木枫老火锅 (洪崖洞店) and we were not disappointed. The food was great and the service was really good. I would not hestitate to recommend it to anyone else. On a side note, I was amazed that in Toronto, most Chinese restaurants had subpar service. However in China, services were great so far. [高德地图]

Other eateries

Ciqikou (磁器口) - Like the Wide and Narrow Alley in Chengdu, Ciqikou is a street filled with local restaurants and shops. Shops that sell sour and spicy noodles (酸辣粉) will usually have a performer in front of the store singing while making the noodles. It was quite a sight to see.

The Chengdu Panda Base is the perfect destination to see China's symbol: pandas! Not only are the pandas huge, they are also very active inside the center. To see the pandas in their most active state, we had to wake up extra early. How early? You want to get there as soon as it is open, which is 7:30am. This means you cannot take the Panda express bus (熊猫快线) but instead rely on other means of transportation, e.g. bus route 655. From city center to the Panda Base takes about a little bit over and hour, but it's all worth it, as it's a lot less crowded (but still crowded).

If you make it into the Panda Base right when it opens, you will be rewarded with an amazing experience. As expected, the research center is big with a lot of trees and walkways. It is a perfect place for a stroll. You would feel like you are walking in a bamboo forest. Of course, you don't wake up this early for a morning stroll. Don't worry. In this relatively natural habitat, you can see panda playing with each other while enjoying their food. You can also see pandas up on the trees, which I have never seen before. If you had come an hour later, they would all be sleeping again. The centre also had a lot of information about how to breed the species. The walk inside the park was also very nice.

Tianfu Square (天府广场) is right at the center of Chengdu. It is a large public square with a big underground food court. There are a few better-than-okay museums and a library nearby.

Chengdu Museum

The Chengdu Museum is on the west side of Tianfu Square. It is beautifully designed and well curated. It dedicated 3 floors of the beautifully designed museum to the history of Chengdu and how it played its role in the Chinese history, especially during the Mongolian invasion and the Second World War against the Japanese invasion.

I can see that the Chengdu people are very proud of their achievements and their patriotism. I’ve learned a lot about the Chinese history through the eyes of the Chengdu people. Besides the history aspect, the museum also displayed the various aspects of life in Chengdu, for example, their cuisines - I didn’t know that chilli was introduced to China during the Ming dynasty. So the tradition of eating spicy food in Sichuan was a relatively recent one. They did produce and use peppercorn for a much longer time though. The exhibit also showcased how the people of Chengdu entertain themselves with martial arts and operas.

Overall, it was well worth our time visiting this museum.

Sichuan Provincial Library (四川省图书馆)

The Sichuan Provincial Library is located at the North West corner of the Tianfu Square. It was originally built in 1912 and is one of the oldest libraries in China. There are free lockers on the first floor. This is a good place to relax and just to absorb what you have learnt from the nearby museums.

Sichuan Art Museum

We also visited the Sichuan Art Museum. The post-modernist displays and photographs were nifty and all, but what really grabbed us were the traditional Chinese paintings, in honor of the PRC's 70th birthday. They were beautiful and gave us a lot of inspiration.

The Sichuan province is famous for their spicy flavours, and Chengdu is no exception. Luckily, being a hub city, Chengdu also has a variety of non-spicy specialties. As you can see below, not all of the local delicacies are spicy. If you love to eat, Chengdu will not disappoint.

Dandan noodles (担担面) 🌶🥜

Dandan noodles is one of the most well known street foods in Chengdu. It can be served with or without soup. Unfortunately, the noodles are covered with peanuts. So if you have peanuts allergy, this is not a dish for you.

Twice-cooked pork (回锅肉) 🌶

I was told that every family in Sichuan province knows how to make this dish. It's very popular in Chengdu. It is a little bit spicy and is perfect to eat with a bowl of rice.

Three sugar bombs (三糖炮)

As the name suggests, it's basically three sugar bombs (deep fried dough). You can find it everywhere in Wide and Narrow Alley and is quite inexpensive. My only complaint is that my kids prefer eating this to regular meals.

Brown sugar jello 紅糖冰粉

Brown sugar jello is a perfect summer time dessert. It is served cold with pieces of hawthorn sweets and goji berries on top. The brown sugar is not overpowering and strikes a perfect balance between sweetness and healthiness.

Mushroom dishes

Sichuan produces a variety of mushrooms and you can taste them all in Chengdu. They are cooked in different styles and all of them taste good.

Mom's pig feet (老妈蹄花)

The soup is delicious and mellow, the pig's feet are soft and savory. Mom's pig feet (老妈蹄花) is a perfect food for anyone who wants to take a break from Chengdu's spicy food.

廖老妈蹄花总店(东城根南街店) serves the best Mom's pig feet of Chengdu. Their other dishes are quite decent too. [高德地图]

Rabbit meat on a toothpick (牙籤兔肉) 🌶

You can find rabbit meat on a toothpick everywhere in the Wide and Narrow Alley. I found the meat a bit tough and was probably good with a pint of beer and some good friends. Your little kids may look down on you though.

Sad jello 傷心涼粉 🌶

What a name for an extremely spicy dish! Apparently, people who eat this dish find it so spicy that they would cry. I didn't cry but I also couldn't finish the dish. It's hard to discribe the taste. It's spicy, and sweet (some sugar on top) and some MSG.

Pig intestines noodles (肥腸粉) 🌶

Many restaurants offer this dish as it's very popular in Chengdu. I tried it in a food court and it's pretty good. Like any dish with offals, there's a distinctive smell to it. Not everyone can bear with it. Be warned, it's quite spicy.

Other eateries

• Wide and Narrow Alley (宽窄巷子景区) - The Wide and Narrow Alley is a great place to start your Chengdu culinary journey. It houses numerous restaurants and street food vendors. Most of the foods mentioned above can be found there. [高德地图]
• Tianqu Ziyuan (天趣.紫园酒楼) Address: 宽窄巷子20号 - Inside the Wide and Narrow Alley, this is the restaurant I would highly recommend. You can enjoy a show of face changing as you dine. They have a wide variety of non-spicy and spicy food. The menu clearly indicates which is which. [高德地图]
• 小谭豆花(西大街店) Address: 西大街86号 - An old restaurant famous for its tofu and snacks. Be warned that it's always crowded. Finding a seat requires patience and a bit of luck. [高德地图]

This is a top tourist attraction and a must-see if you are visiting Chengdu. As the name suggests, it is composed of two alleys, one wide and one narrow. It's very easy to access and you won't break your wallet spending a night there. Besides street foods and fancy restaurants, there are shops that offer traditional Chinese opera performances and face changing shows. If you are pressed for time, pick a restaurant that also has a similar albeit smaller performance.

Ear cleaning service

If you dare, you can get your ears cleaned by some of the professional ear cleaners in the alley. The health benefit of clearing your ear wax is questionable and to have such a delicate operation out in the open is a bit scary.

We continued our great adventure overland from Xi'an to the west of China and reached Chengdu. Chengdu, the capital of Sichuan Povince, is a hub city. It connects the east and the west of China. As a result, the city felt modern and well developed.

High Speed railway (HSR)

On a high speed train, you can travel from Xi'an to Chengdu in about 3 to 4.5 hours, depending on the stops in between and the stations. Once you have arrived at the Chengdudong Railway Station (成都東站), you can take the metro into the city center.

Chengdu public transit

Since Chengdu was our third destination, we were already familiar with the Chinese system of public transit. The Chengdu Metro was more extensive than the one in Xi'an. However, we ended up not taking it that much because the place we stay was not close to any subway station. Taking buses allowed us to reach all of our destinations already.

Chengdu people and their tea

Although Chengdu is a economic hub, most of the time, you won't feel the hustle and bustle of the city. Instead, I found the Chengdu people more relax and laid-back. Much like the coffee shops in North America, there were numerous tea houses for people to take an afternoon break. Chengdu people take pride in their tea. In a restaurant, we were often offered different kinds of tea to try.

Black goji berry tea (黑杞子茶)

One of the teas we tried is black goji berry tea. It is not only fascinating to see but is also a healthy drink for most people.

Starbucks Coffee

One of the interesting things about travelling is to visit the local Starbucks. In Chengdu, we found this Starbucks building styled in traditional Chinese architecture.

Staying

We stayed at a boutique hotel called Travelling With Hotel Chengdu Wide and Narrow Alley. As the name suggested, it was close to one of the main attractions in Chengdu, the Wide and Narrow Alley. We all loved the hotel because it's modern and clean. The staffs were young and energetic. It was actually a chain boutique hotel and have multiple locations in both Chengdu and Guilin. You can refer to their website for more details.

By adding a small fee, we got a buffet style breakfast in the morning. The food was a mix of western and Chinese style. We had broccoli, carrot congee, toasts, and stir-fry mushrooms. Apparently, Chengdu is also famous for their mushroom dishes and they taste good indeed.

It is not a easy task to showcase the thousand year history of a city and its surrounding region. The Shaanxi History Museum (陕西历史博物馆) does so impressively. The displays cover more than a thousand years of Shaanxi Province history. Without a tour guide, it is a bit difficult because not every display has English descriptions. However, I did learn a lot about Chinese heritage in the museum, and you got to see many ancient artifacts that you’d never see outside of China. The musuem's architecture is also designed quite grandly following Tang Dynasty style.

Although it is free to enter, you will need to book a timeslot in advance and it's not very user friendly. First, you'd need an internet connection on your smartphone and downloaded and activate WeChat. There is a QR code outside the museum that will take you to install a mini-program on WeChat. This mini-program allows you to enter your passport information and book a timeslot. We had a hard time doing this. So, at the end, we asked the ticket counter lady for help. She was kind enough to enter the information for us and got us the tickets. I suggest you go early so that you have better chance to get a timeslot.

Even though the entrance procedures were complicated, it was all worth it when you see the displays inside.

Muslim Quarter (回民街)

As the starting point of the ancient Silk Road, many Muslims decided to settle in the city of Xi'an. Eventually, they created a community and formed the Muslim Quarter. Inside the bustling Muslim Quarter, you will find many halal delicacies, such as yangrou paomo (羊肉泡馍) and roujiamo (肉夹馍). The kebabs there are to die for. If you want to know more, take a look at Wha to eat in Xi'an?. The best time to experience the place is in the evening when all street vendors are open for business.

Xi'an City Wall

The Xi'an City Wall is one of the oldest and best preserved city wall in China. It was built in the Ming Dynasty and was refurbished many times. You can easily get there by subway at the Yongningmen station (永宁门站). The wall is about 14 km in circumference. To get up there, you need to pay an entrance fee of about CNY 50. Up there, you can see bike rental shops. For a small fee, you can bike around the city wall. There is no shade whatsoever up on the city wall. So, the best time to go there would be in the evening or early in the morning. Don't wait until it is too dark though. Not every section of the city wall has "street" light and some of the sections can get quite dark. The uneven walkway can be tricky to walk on.

Up on the wall, you can also see many nearby rooftop restaurants. Some of them have live singers or pianists. You can enjoy their performances as you stroll.

Perhaps the most famous attraction in Xi’an is the Emperor Shi Huang Di (AKA Qinshihuang)'s Mausoleum Site Museum, AKA the Terracotta Army. The museum consists of three pits, each with something to make it unique. Pit 1 is the largest and consists of soldiers ready for battle. Pit 2 is the support soldiers, including chariots, standing archers, kneeling archers, higher ranking officer, etc. Pit 3 is the command centre. There was no command officer in Pit 3 because command officer was a temporary post given by the king during the war. After the war, the authority will be taken back. The museum was worth visiting for sure. Its scale is unbelievable.

A little side story

To beat the crowd, we decided to head to the museum early in the morning. After we had boarded the bus, the bus ticket operator told everyone that the museum won’t be open for another hour and suggested that we stopped by a shopping mall first. We didn’t want to deviate from the original plan and decided to continue with the bus ride. When we arrived, we learned that the operator wasn’t being honest to us before. The museum was open already and there weren’t many people. So the line up was easy and we could walk through the museum in leisure. In China, I found that I needed to re-confirm any information I received, even if it's coming from an official.

With a history of over a thousand years, Xi'an offers exceptional values for visitors. Today, we strolled through a Tang-style architecture garden, a refrehing break from Beijing's Qing culture.

Tangda Ci'ensi Relic Site Park (唐大慈恩寺遗址公园)

The original Tang Ci'en Temple was a temple built in 648 AD by Prince Li Zhi (that is, Emperor Gaozong of Tang) to pay tribute to his mother, Emperor Wende. It was the largest Buddist temple at that time. Due to wars and changing dynasties, the temple had been destroyed and rebuilt many times over the years. It has unique historical values, landscape features, and religious significance.

Although the current site is only 1/7th the size of the original, it is still big enough to spend a couple of hours inside. As a Buddhist cultural theme garden, you can feel an ubiquitous atmosphere of Zen and harmony as you stroll through the garden. The garden is liken to a scaled up Japanese garden. If you love Japanese gardens, you will definitely like this one too. Our whole family thoroughly enjoyed the visit and was refreshed afterwards.

Tang Paradise (大唐芙蓉園)

• Grade: 5A (AAAAA)

Right next to the relic site park, you can find another Tang style park. This time, however, it was designed and built in modern times. It was rebuilt in the style of the Tang Dynasty royal garden and covered over 1000 acres, with a large lake inside. The buildings inside also follow the Tang style architecture. If you stay long enough, you can also watch a light show over the lake.

My feelings toward this park is mixed. On one hand, it is a huge undertaking to recreate a Tang Dynasty royal garden and it helps you visualize the scale and the design. On the other hand, I find it at times a little forceful and touristy. If you are into photography (or Instagram), however, you will love this place. Everywhere you turn, there's a beautiful spot for photo taking.

Since there is an entrance fee of CNY 120 (USD 17), I would recommend you to visit at dusk to catch the sunset and to see the light show.

Giant Wild Goose Pagoda (大雁塔)

The Giant Wild Goose Pagoda is a Buddhist pagoda built in 652 during the Tang Dynasty. Although it was heavily damaged during the massive earthquake in 1556, it was repaired and is still standing today.

Since it was already late in the day, we just passed by the pagoda and did not go inside.

As our trip in China began to get underway, we were slowly exposed to more and more exotic foods. First Beijing and Xi'an, then to cities of Sichuan fire in Chengdu and Chongqing, a quick stop in Guilin, before moving to milder flavours in Guangzhou. Xi'an, with mostly Muslim food, didn't exactly spike our palette. One of us even got diarrhea by drinking the milk-and was forced to relieve themselves in the Terracotta Army's disgusting bathrooms! The day right after, that same person ate too much fatty food and was forced to skip the Roujiāmó, vomiting and trying to rest for most of the morning. In the same afternoon, they got the worst allergic reaction they had ever experienced to a plate of dumplings!

Yangrou pàomó (羊肉泡馍)

Yangrou pàomó (羊肉泡馍) is a specialty Shaanxi food and can be found everywhere in the city. The ingredients are basically lamb stew and chopped-up steamed leavened bread. It is very flavorful. Due to the nature of lamb, the stew can be quite greasy. If you don't like greasy soup, you may want to skip this one.

Liuxinniu Mutton Diced Pancake In Beef Side Dish (刘信牛羊肉泡馍小炒) - This is where you can find good yangrou pàomó (羊肉泡馍). The lamb stew was very flavorful but a bit greasy. [Google Maps] [高德地图]

Roujiāmó (肉夹馍)

Roujiāmó (肉夹馍) is another Shaanxi specialty food. It is also called Chinese hamburger. It looks exactly like a hamburger, except that the meat inside is shredded pork rather than grounded beef. In some restaurants, you can choose how much fat you want the pork to have. A little bit of fat is important or else the pork will taste dry.

秦豫肉夹馍(东羊市店) is famous for their roujiāmó (肉夹馍). You can order regular meat, extra lean meat, and premium meat. We ordered regular and it tasted great. [高德地图]

Biangbiang noodles

Biangbiang noodles is a traditional noodle dish in Shaanxi. Compare to Yangrou pàomó (羊肉泡馍) and Roujiāmó (肉夹馍), it is actually quite healthy. The noodles are broad and hand-made. They are mixed with tomatoes, eggs, bean sprouts, some vegetables, and some grounded pork. It was sometimes served with an extra large bowl (see picture) and we all loved it. You can request for a non-spicy version if you cannot bear with the spice.

Chinese character for Biang

The Chinese character for Biang has many different ways of writing. It is one of the most complex Chinese characters. The picture shows just one way of writing it. No one is able to verify the origin of this character.

Zènggāo (甑糕)

Zènggāo (甑糕) is steamed glutinous rice with red dates. It was a traditional Shaanxi dessert made popular again by a recent TV drama. The red dates provide just the right amount of sweetness. It is one of the sweets that I wish I can eat again from time to time.

Babao porridge (八寶甜稀飯)

The main ingredients of Babao porridge (八寶甜稀飯) are red beans, mung beans, black beans, peanut rice, sorghum rice, millet, black rice, red dates, barley, lotus seeds, lilies, raisins and so on. It is a very healthy version of congee.

Lamb skewer

If you are in the Muslim Quarter, make sure you save some room in your stomach for the lamb skewer. It was so good that I forgot to take any picture of it. Luckily, I bookmarked the location and I have included it in the list of restaurants below.

新亮烤肉 (大麦市街) serves one of the best lamb skewers in town. It was conveniently located inside the Muslim Quarter. [Google Map] [高德地图]

While Beijing was the capital of last two Chinese dynasties, Xi'an was the capital of some 13 ancient dynasties, most notably the Han Dynasty and the Tang Dynasty. Xi'an has a rich history spanning over a thousand years and you can see that the city is proud of it. As if this is not enough reason to visit the city, it also houses the Emperor Shi Huang Di's Mausoleum Site Museum (aka the Terracotta Army). Xi'an is quite an amazing city to see.

High-speed railway (HSR)

From Beijing to Xi'an, we took the high speed railway. You can read this article on how to buy high speed railway tickets in China. We chose the Xi’an North railway station (西安北站) as our destination because it is connected to the city's subway station.

The high speed train ride between Beijing and Xi'an took about 6 hours. It seemed long but the entire ride was comfortable. The only thing I didn’t like was that on that particular train, there was no display of the next station. Instead, you had to rely on the announcements. The overhead display was only used to display the current train speed, which was quite useless to most passengers.

Xi'an subway

The Xi'an subway is quite extensive and is connected to the Xi’an North railway station. Like in Beijing, you can buy the Xi'an transportation card to enjoy a nominal discount (10% on subway and 50% on buses) on transit fares. You can learn more about it through this website.

Growing pain of a cashless society

Our experience buying this transportation card illustrated the growing pain of a cashless society. Although subway stations had kiosks selling these transportation cards, none of the kiosk accepted cash. All they could accept was WeChat Pay or Alipay. Since these transportation cards were not issued by the transit company but instead by a third party company, the customer service lady at the subway station could not offer any help. At the end, we had to ask a passerby to help us buy the subway pass with his smartphone apps.

I am sure that one day, this issue will be resolved but a cashless society will always exclude some group of people in the society.

Walking on the streets

Xi'an's streets are wide and straight and they are easy to navigate. I noticed that the people in Xi'an were less diverse than in Beijing. There were definitely fewer foreigners walking on the streets and the locals seem to belong to the same ethnic group. If you are into shopping, walk along the Nanguan Main Street between Nanshaomen Station (南稍门站) and Yongningmen station (永宁门站). There you could find a variety of local shops and international shops. There's even a Lego store for you and your little ones.

On the street, I also saw quite a few girls who put on a distinctive make up. They made their faces white and their lips red. This technique is called Little White (化妆小白). For some reason, this style of makeup was a lot more popular in Xi'an than in any other city I visited.

Lego Store

In 2019, Lego opened a certified store in Xi'an. You can take a picture with one of the two life-size Lego Terracotta Warriors. You will be disappointed to find that the prices of Lego sets are not much cheaper than the ones in your home country.

Partying on the street

Every night on Nanguan Main Street, people take to the street and dance to their heart's content. On the night when we were there, there were at least five different groups of dancers. Each one of them were dancing in a different style. Everywhere you turn, you would find someone dancing. It was quite amazing. I couldn’t help but feel the energy and move my hands and feet a bit closer to their beats.

This so called Square dancing (廣場舞) has its own benefits and problems. On one hand, the dancers enjoyed the social engagement and the chance to exercise and relax. On the other hand, the noise level is quite high and can be an annoyance for the nearby residence.

Staying

In Xi'an, we stayed at the Mark and Henry Apartment. The building itself was quite old but inside the apartment was clean and modern. It was located in the Zhongmao Plaza (中贸广场) along the Nanguan Main Street and close to the Nanshaomen subway station (南稍门站). There were numerous eateries and shops in the plaza. Location is perfect for most travellers. In addition, the apartment has a small kitchen and laundry machines. So it is perfect for family travellers.

The Temple of Heaven is a pre-Qing attraction with traditional architecture decidedly different from the Palace. Apparently, its religious purpose was more druidic in nature, as compared to the other temples, with harvest ceremonies, sun and moon festivals, and more. Here you will learn a lot about the these rituals and their meanings. Unfortunately, most of the descriptions are in Chinese, which slightly lessened its appeal for the kids, who hadn't yet learned to read the language.

Besides the historical temple itself, the Temple of Heaven actually resides inside a large park. Inside the park, there are many areas for leisure activities. We saw many people singing and dancing in the park. Exercise equipments were usually used by semi-professional atheletes. We were amazed by the skills and the openness of these people. After all, my impression of Chinese was that of a shy nation. In here, they are anything but.

Given the mix of history and culture, the Temple of Heaven is a very approachable attraction for both adults and children.

Hutong (胡同)

Hutong are traditional narrow street or alley you would find in Beijing and other northern Chinese cities. In contrast to the royal court life, these hutong reflect the culture of grassroot Beijingers. Today, you can still visit a hutong in Beijing. However, due to modern development, most of these hutongs had already been demolished.

The Summer Palace is said to be the best preserved imperial garden in the world, and the largest of its kind still in existence in China. There was a pretend shopping district where the Qianlong Emperor could fulfill his normal life fantasies, and a huge artificial lake and mountain, all constructed for the empress dowager Cixin's 60th birthday. The lake was man made and the dug up dirt was piled up as a mountain. There was also a boat made of marble which symbolized a never failing Qing dynasty.

The Summer Palace is a good place for kids to explore. It is not as crowded as the Palace Museum and they can enjoy the different aspects it has to offer, like shopping, boat riding, and hiking.

Old Summer Palace (圆明园)

You may have heard people talk about the Old Summer Palace. In fact, the Old Summer Palace was the primary residence of Qianlong Emperor and contained extensive collection of art and historical treasures. Unfortunately, this Old Summer Palace was burned to ground in 1860. Nowadays, you can only see the remaining ruins. To learn more about its history, you can go to this Wikipedia article.

Palace of shame

The Summer Palace and the Old Summer Palace has a long history of being looted and burned by foreigners, especially during the Second Opium War and the Eight-Nation Alliance. When the subject is brought up, it still evokes strong emotion among some Chinese. Interestingly, one of the prominent figures during that time, Lord Elgin, was once the Governor General in Canada. Many places in Canada, especially in Ontario, were named after him.

Beijing Olympic Park

After the Beijing Olympic in 2008, the government turned the site into a park. In this expansive area, you can get up close to the two most impressive architectures, the Bird Nest (Beijing National Stadium), and the Water Cube (Beijing National Aquatics Center). The Bird Nest is open to public for a small entrance fee of CNY 50 and will host the opening and closing ceremonies of 2022 Winter Olympics and 2022 Winter Paralympics. It will be the only stadium to host both the Summer and Winter Olympics and Paralympics opening ceremonies. The Water Cube is now home to the Asia's largest water park that is open to public for entertainment.

These three attractions are located close to each other. In a not-so-busy day, you can visit all of them on the same day if you start your journey early. The area around these these destinations were heavily guarded by security guards. Be prepared to go through some security checks when you enter these attractions.

Palace Museum

• Grade: 5A (AAAAA)
• Official website: https://en.dpm.org.cn/

Beijing is home to the capital of the two most recent China dynasties, Ming and Qing. The amount of resources they put into the palace were enormous and honestly, quite incredible. Even after many years and being through different wars and conflicts, the Palace Museum remains one of the most well preserved palace in the world.

This explains why no matter what time of the year, the Palace Museum is always crowded. Your only hope for a pleasant visit is to get ahead of the crowd and be there when it opens (around 8:30am). There are merchants along the way to the entrance of the museum. You can buy a nicely drawn Palace map for CNY 20. The quality of the map is quite good. Passport holders line up at a different counter than the locals. In fact, most locals do not even need to line up. They use WeChat to reserve their electronic tickets.

Before you leave the counter, make sure you also rent the audio guide (especially for the kids too). It will make a huge difference to your visit because the audio guide will explain each item in more details and the palace is famous for its attention to details. Besides the beautiful and exquisitie architecure, you will also find ancient trees (some over 600 years old) and royal gardens.

Due to its shear size and its popularity, most kids will likely find the visit tiring and frustrating. In addition, most buildings do not allow anyone to go inside. This means you will be fighting with the other tourists and locals for a spot to peek inside. In spite of this, this is still a must see attraction for anyone who come to Beijing.

Ring roads of Beijing

Take a look at the Beijing street map above. Do you notice that major roads form enclosed rings? In fact, major roads are called ring roads. And the center of these rings? It's the palace. So you can see how important is the palace to the Chinese.

Tiananmen Square

Directly north of the mausoleum and separating it from the Palace Museum is the Tiananmen Square. It is one of the top ten largest city squares in the world. Having an open space between two solemn buildings gives you some room to breath and to reflect. The square itself was also home to some major events, most notably the Tiananmen Incident in 1976 and the 1989 Tiananmen Square protests.

Mausoleum of Mao Zedong

The mausoleum of Mao Zedong houses the embalmed body of Mao Zedong. It probably means more to the local Chinese than to any tourist. My boys were eager to see that his body remained mostly intact after all these years. For most tourists, however, I think the wait was not worth it.

• Grade: 4A (AAAA)
• Official website: http://www.badachu.com.cn/

The name literally means "Eight Great Sites" and it houses eight Buddhist temples within three mountains. You can imagine how big the attraction is. You can smell the burning incense everywhere. Due to it being a Buddhist destination, there are plenty of vegetarian restaurants nearby.

Due to our own religious background, we were not very interested in the temples. Instead, we were more intrigued by the decorations around the park. Badachu had amazingly detailed stone sculptures and beautiful architectures. Kids may have a harder time appreciating these though. So, be patient with them. Inside the park, there is a cable cartaking you to the last temple and a slide at the end.

Apart from the cable car ride, you have to walk through the park on foot, which can be physically demanding. So I recommend going there on a cool day or with an overcast sky. Most local choose to go in the Autumn season because some of the trees will change to fall colors.

• Grade: 5A (AAAAA)

The Great Wall, being the longest manmade structure in the world, inspires many imaginations and aspirations. Putting those aside, the structure was built with the blood, sweat, and tears of the Chinese. It demands great respect for their sacrifices. There's a whole lot of uneven stairs, and the lack of shade makes your walk feel a lot longer than it really is, especially for our kids, who thoguht we had journeyed for 4k when in reality it was only 2k. Fortunately, there are watchtowers sprinkled along different parts of the wall, but those are often infested with a particular kind of giant red centipede, seen nowhere else in Beijing.

Getting There

There are different section you can choose to start your exploration to get to the Great Wall. If you have kids, the best way to experience the Great Wall is through the 慕田峪 (Mutianyu) section because it offers a thrilling chair lift and hillside toboggan (see below).

There is no subway reaching Mutianyu, so other than hiring your own driver, taking a bus would your only option. Since the Great Wall is such a major attraction, there are many different bus routes to get there. I suggest you check with your hostel to find the most suitable way for you and your family. We took bus 916 and bus H23 because we want to get there earlier to avoid the crowd and at the same time, save some money. It turned out that the 916 bus was a popular bus route for many locals and was filled with passengers even for the first bus in the morning. However, we did reach the Great Wall at around 8:40am and avoided the crowd.

Chair lift to the Great Wall

Once you have reached Mutianyu entrance, you can buy a chair lift ticket to get to the Great Wall. You can also buy a return chair lift ticket but I opt for tobaggan instead because it's more fun for the kids.

The chair lift was a bit like the ones you would see in a ski resort. If you have younger kids who did not have experience with a ski lift, I recommend that they are accompanied by an adult. There was no safety net below the lift, so it can be a little bit frightening. My constant worry was that my smartphone might accidentally slip out of my hand. So, I suggest you secure your valuables before you board. Besides these precautions, the ride itself was smooth and you were rewarded with a clear view of the nearby mountain range.

While you are there

At the end of the chair lift, you will be right at the Great Wall. You can choose to walk as much or as little as you want. Just remember that if you plan to take the chair lift or the toboggan down, you will need to return to the same spot.

As you walk on the Great Wall, you will notice that some of its sections are quite steep. If you have difficulties walking uphill, the Great Wall would be challenging for you. Although there is no shades along the wall, there are watchtowers scattered throughout the Wall. These watchtowers provide not only the much needed shade, they also are gateways to toilets and snack merchants.

Insects on the Great Wall

The Great Wall and its surrounding areas are also home to a variety of insects. The most common ones you see would be the spirobolus walkeri (centipede) and the meadow brown (butterfly).

Tobogganing down

The best way to complete the Great Wall visit is to toboggan down its slopes. The toboggan station was right next to the chair lift station. Each toboggan is equipped with a speed control stick. Pulling it backward will slow down the toboggan, which is essential when you are making a turn. Unfortunately, when we were riding down the slope, the person in front of us slowed down so much that we often had to stop to accomodate. Nonetheless, it was still a fun ride and I would highly recommend it.

Our first day was just used to orient ourselves and buy train tickets but we managed to visit some local markets and mall. We did a LOT of walking on this day-perhaps more than any other day in this trip, not to mention the (really)hot weather. It was not lost on the kids, but they persevered and made it through the day.

Chaowai Farmer's Market (朝外地区便民早市)

A great way to emerge yourself in a new culture is to walk into their farmer's market and mingle with the locals. Here, the farmer's market opens everyday and is where locals do their shopping of fresh produces. Beijing itself does not produce a lot of vegetables or fruits. So, a lot of these produces actually come from different parts of the country, like Xinjiang.

We bought some fresh tomatoes and vegetables from the market and enjoyed them during our dinner time.

Advanced payment method in the Farmer's Market

You can see QR code for WeChat Pay and Alipay everywhere inside the Farmer's Market. If you have a smartphone, you can simply scan these QR codes to pay the merchant and avoid handling cash. Fortunately, these merchants will also take cash if you don't use these apps. Sorry, credit card is not accepted here.

The Village

The Village, located in Sanlitun is a courtyard shopping complex similar to the ones you would find in North America. As a tourist from Canada, I wouldn't go out of my way to get here. However, if you pass by (like us), it's nice to take a stroll. You can trust the Apple Store here to buy genuine Apple products. In addition, the gigantic mist maker in front was pretty cool.

Burger King

One thing we noticed in China was that Burger King was more popular than McDonald's. Besides burger, Burger King also offered many local food, like Chicken Rice. It even sold beer to go along with your food (and beer is cheap in China). In the picture above, you can also see how you can pay your order by WeChat Pay or Alipay.

Although Beijing is mostly famous for its Peking duck, there are many other amazing local dishes that are just waiting to be discovered. Beijing has plenty of exotic, delicious traditional cuisine, with strong flavours that couldn't be found anywhere else on our epic journey. Our peanut allergic son stayed cautious and didn't eat everything we ate, and as a result had no problems whatsoever. Here is the list of foods that you must experience:

Dòufunǎo (豆腐腦)

豆腐腦 (dòufunǎo) is made of soft tofu topped with thick soy sauce and mushrooms. This is my favourite snack because the tofu is soft and the sauce on top is just right.

Miànchá (面茶)

Miànchá (面茶) is made of corn paste mixed with sesame paste. It is very heartwarming to have this as your breakfast. The old Beijingers would drink this soup by lifting the bowl up without using a spoon or chopsticks.

To try both dòufunǎo and miànchá, you can go to 紫腾轩 (春秀路店). It is an amazing little restaurant located near our hostel. The staffs were friendly and accomodating. Besides dòufunǎo and miànchá, their shuànyángròu (涮羊肉) was also highly recommended by our hostel staff. [Google Maps] [高德地图]

Dòuzhī (豆汁)

Another popular old time Beijing food is called 豆汁 (dòuzhī). It’s like soy milk but is made from fermented mung bean. Most of all, it’s very stinky. One day, I asked our host about it and with a smile on her face, she generously shared hers with us. To me, it smelt like sewage and tasted a bit sour. The host, who is a native Beijinger, insisted that it’s good for your body. In fact, they drink it whenever they have toothache or caught a cold. You can buy this in supermarket.

Peking duck

It wouldn’t be a complete trip to Beijing without tasting their famous Peking duck. The Peking duck we had was very juicy. Its skin and its fat merged together into a think and crispy layer. It looked and tasted like roasted pig skin. It was tasty but also expensive. We ordered a whole duck for the family and costed us around CNY 370 (around USD 52) for the duck! It’s worth trying but it’s not something you’d eat regularly.

花家怡园 (Huajia Yiyuan) is famous for its peking duck. Besides peking duck, their other dishes are worth trying too. There are many branches, so just put the Chinese name into the browser and it'd suggest other branches that might be closer to you. Here is one of them: [Google Maps] [高德地图]

Shuànyángròu (涮羊肉)

Shuànyángròu (涮羊肉) is basically mutton hotpot. It was originated from the Yuan dynasty (1271 - 1368) and was popularized in the Qing dynasty (1636 - 1912). Beijing has very good mutton. It was tender and chewy. In fact, it was so tasty that all of us (except for one of my little boys) preferred the hotpot over the duck and it costed a lot less - about half of the price of the duck for the entire meal for five.

If you have shuànyángròu in a Halal restaurant, you can often find another traditional Beijing delicacy, baodu (爆肚) (see picture). It's a halal tripe dish.

Sesame paste

Shuànyángròu hotpot uses a very mild soup base. So, restaurants differentiate among themselves by making their own special sesame pastes which enhances the meat's flavor.

Diǎnxīn (點心)

From left to right: hawthorn pancake (山楂锅盔), red date cake (枣泥糕), cow tongue cake (牛舌饼) - don't worry, it's named after the shape not the ingredients

Besides the foods we mentioned, we also bought some traditional Chinese pastries (點心) from an old bakery shop (established in 1895). We enjoyed them a lot. To be honest, when I was young, I hated Chinese pastry. They were dry and old fashioned. We all preferred western pastries like cake and tart. Now I think that our limited exposure to Chinese pastry is to blame. The traditional pastries we tried in Beijing were very tasty. They will make you feel like a king enjoying the best pastries from the royal chef. Yes, it’s that good.

The word diǎnxīn (點心)

During this trip, I discovered that the word diǎnxīn (點心) means different things in different parts of China. In the southern part of China, like Guangzhou, it means dim sum. In Beijing, it means traditional pastries. To help people differentiate the two, you can use the word gāodiǎn (糕点) to refer to Chinese pastries and diǎnxīn (點心) for dim sum.

In Beijing, you can find traditional Chinese pastry in ** Beijing Daoxiangcun (北京稻香村)**. It started business in 1895. They have many branches. However, there are also many pastry shops in Beijing with the same name. If you want this one in particular, make sure it has the same logo. [Google Maps] [高德地图]

Zha jiang mian (炸酱面) and mutton dumplings

Both zha jiang mian and mutton dumplings are signature dishes in Beijing. Both dishes are not served with soup. You can find them in almost all restaurants. If you are into noodles and dumplings, I suggest you try them in different places, they all taste a little different.

Luzhu huoshao (卤煮火烧)

Luzhu huoshao (卤煮火烧) is basically pork stew with bread. It is a traditional Beijing street food. The main ingredients are pork, pork lung, pork intestines, pork liver, tofu, and chives. It does have a strong odor and is not acceptable by everyone. Legend has it that this dish was originated from within the palace. When the common people tried to imitate the dish, they couldn't afford the pork belly, which was the main ingredient of the original dish. Instead they subsituted the pork belly with the more affordable pork intestines, lungs and other pork offal. Personally, I found the taste a bit too strong but one of my sons loved it. So, you never know.

We tried the luzhu huoshao in 北新桥卤煮老店 (东四店) [Google Maps] [高德地图], which is a popular spot for this dish.

We chose Beijing as our first destination of our epic four month long Asia adventure primarily because adding an extra stop at Beijing did not cost much on the flight tickets. Besides, Beijing is the capital of China and is as good a starting point to get a taste of China as any other Chinese city. Our kids thought that this "taste of China" was hot, jet-lagged, and a struggle, but we thought that this would give them, homeschooled pretty much all their lives, an education into their ethnic culture and heritage, and they warmed up to it as we got along.

Our China experience began even before we landed in China. We took the Hainan Airline to Beijing (HU7976). It was our first time using the airline and we all loved it. I was forewarned that the Chinese passengers can be loud and rude. However, I found that they were not very different from other passengers from different countries. Overall, we enjoyed the flight. The flight attendants were attentive, and the passengers were polite and quiet. Other than the usual blankets and pillows for long flights, the flight also provided a comprehensive amenity kit (see below). Thanks to these, I slept very well on the flight. In fact, I slept so well on the plane that it only felt like a 2 hour flight.

High tech window shade

My son and I were fascinated by this advanced window shade. Instead of a mechanical sliding shade, this plane was equiped with an electronic shade. You can adjust the darkness of the shade by pressing a button. The crew can also adjust the shades in the entire plane if they need to.Flight amenity kit

I was flying economy and frankly wasn't expecting much. But this kit pleasantly surprised me and started my journey in a positive way. It had an eye mask, a pair of ear plugs, a toothbrush, a tube of toothpaste, a pair of headphones, and even a pair of socks. The quality was average hotel quality but the consideration that Hainan Airline put into this kit is commendable.

Walking on the streets

As we walked on the streets of Beijing, we realized how different is Beijing from Canada. For one, China employs right hand traffic (RHT) while Canada is left hand traffic (LHT). That means when you and your kids cross the road, you need to watch at different direction. This brought us to the second difference between China and Canada. The traffic in China was chaotic. Vehicles mostly followed traffic signs but motorcyclists always tried to beat the traffic by mixing in with the pedestrians. As you cross the road (especially when you have kids travelling with you), always paid attention to the scooters around you. It appears that scooters follow the same rule as a bicycle. So, they can ride on a bike lane and cross a road like a pedestrian.

Navigation App

The streets of Beijing were wide and easy to follow. It is well known that Google and its related websites are not accessible in China. Since we know Chinese, our friends recommended us to use the 高德地图 (amap) [iOS] [Android] navigation app instead. The app was very well designed and easy to use (if you know Chinese). In some ways, it was even better than Google Maps in Canada.

If you don't read Chinese, however, you could also prepare your trip by downloading offline Google Maps before your trip. I had met travellers who were able to navigate with this approach.

Beijing Public Transit

The first thing you do in Beijing is to get the Yikatong card. You can purchase it from any Beijing subway station and some bus stations. There is a refundable CNY 20 on the card itself. For buses, which are already very cheap (CNY 2 - USD 0.28), you even get a 50% discount if you use the card to pay. Most buses require you to tap the card twice, once when you enter the bus (in the front) and the another time when you get off (through the back door). For long distance travel, there are extra charges based on distance. Usually each bus has one driver and one assistant, I find that the assistant is quite helpful and makes you feel safe for the entire trip.

Beijing subway is similarly very affordable. You do not get the 50% discount like the buses. However, the subway fare is based on distance and is usually around CNY 3 (USD 0.43). Most tourist attractions, except for the Great Wall, are accessible by the subway.

Navigating through the Beijing public transit is quite easy. If you use the 高德地图 app, there is no need to install a different app because like Google Maps, it is integrated with transit information. If, however, you don't have that, you can use the Metro Beijing Subway app [iOS] [Android] to help plan your trip.

Both buses and subway had stop announcement in both Mandarin and English. There was also a display of the current and next stop inside the vehicle. Like the buses, subway also had an assistant stationed inside the car, his/her job was to make sure that everyone behaved inside the car.

Subway Security

All across China, you need to go through an airport-like security check before you can take the subway train. Water bottles are required to be checked separately.

Delivery service

One of the reasons for the busy traffic is the proliferation of delivery service in China. I was told that wherever you are in China, you could order a melon from Xinjiang and have it delivered to your home in one day. Although not everyone is ordering melon from Xinjiang, many people are ordering take out instead of eating in a restaurant. People who ran these deliveries (especially food related) often faced tremendous pressure to meet the deadline. Some companies do not pay their drivers if they cannot meet the deadlines.

美團 (Meituan)

One of the most popular food delivery apps in China is called 美團 (Meituan) [iOS] [Android]. Almost all restaurants have some support for it. Unfortunately, there is no English version for this app.

Staying

Like many travellers, our experience interacting with the local people began with our hostel. In our case, it was the Simple Family Beijing. The hostel was located inside a commercial building and the closest subway station was 东四十条 (Dongsi Shitiao station). The building itself was quite old and the elevators were located in a rather dim ground floor. Putting these negativity aside, however, the hostel itself was actually very decent and clean. We stayed in the family suite, which is more than enough for the five of us. The private bathroom was rudimentary but clean enough for us. A very nice thing about this hostel was that you can always find at least one of the host family members in the common areas, like the kitchen and the TV/laptop room. The host family were very generous and treated everyone like their family members. I could not count how many times did the host family shared food and stories with us and the kids.

Besides meeting the host family, we also encountered many interesting people who came to Beijing for many different reasons. We had met a film financier and an exchange student. They both came to Beijing to study the language, hoping this new skill can advance their career. There were also families visiting from different countries. We also met a professional athlete who competed in a sport I had never heard of. In general, if you keep an open mind and engage in conversation with the people you meet, you will enrich your trip tremendously.

A little supply corner inside the hostel

The hostel had a small corner in the kitchen where you could get very cheap (sometimes free) food or drinks. For example, the cereals and tea were free. Beer would cost you about CNY 10 (i.e. USD 1.42 as of 2019). With the same price, you could also get a nice cup of espresso. One thing I missed the most while travelling in China was the lack of good coffee shops.

People

Beijing had a mix of people from all over China and around the world. Besides the host family and the travellers within the hostels, we had also met some locals who were willing to share their stories with us.

One day after I ran on the streets of Beijing, I stopped by a 24 hour breakfast restaurant to get some local tofu. A young guy in the restaurant took notice of me and invited me to sit with him and chat. He seemed friendly, so I let down my guard and talked to him. He told me about his own story. At 25 now, he left his home town in Henan province (河南) two months ago to come to Beijing to look for opportunities. He worked as a staff in a beef patty fast food chain near the Workers’ Stadium. To make more money, in his spare time, he also ran deliveries (see above about delivery service). At the end of our conversation, he even offered to buy me a deep fried donut. I couldn’t say no. He wouldn’t let me say no. After that, he asked me about my itinerary and suggested a few places. I could tell that he really wanted to help me get the most out of my time in Beijing. I knew he barely had enough time and money for himself but he still treated me (a stranger) with food and his company. His generosity overwhelmed me and I felt a bit ashamed that I was alarmed and cautious during part of our conversation.

Besides this unique experience, every time we took the subway, someone would let my youngest son have a seat. The people in Beijing were very polite and courteous.

Ongoing adjustment

As a country that is rapidly developing, there are a lot of adjustments for the locals. Understandably, the government is actively trying to educate them. For example, signs were everywhere that talked about proper travel etiquette (Chinese tourists had a history of misbehavior outside of the country, just look at this). You could also see assistant on a bus or in the subway trying to stop people from doing any disruptive behavior (e.g. if someone was playing a movie on their smartphone with speakers on).

To truly raise the quality of its people and move forward, however, the society must have a set of core values that guide its people. The government realize this and displayed those values prominently on the street. These values include: Strength, Democracy, Be Civilized, Harmony, Freedom, Equality, Justice, Law, Patriotism, Work Ethics, Trustworthy, and Kindness. However, it would take some time before the general citizens would embrace these values and follow through no matter where they go.

Sanitary Condition

When I mentioned travelling to China, many people were concerned about its sanitary condition. Honestly, it was not too bad. For environmental reason, we stayed away from bottled water as much as possible. We had no problem drinking boiled water or filtered water from the hostel.

Most restaurants in Beijing had reasonable toilet. In China, the hand washing basins were often installed outside of the toilet and were shared by all genders. There were public toilets in most subway stations and on major streets. Their conditions vary but were generally usable. The public toilets in China are universally squat style. Luckily, toilets in your hotel or hostel are likely westernized with seats. Given the general availability of squat toilets, I would recommend travellers to get used to it. They're actually pretty good-clean, simple, and healthy-I'd be delighted if Canada made the switch.

A more prevalent public health issue was spitting. All over China, many people spit without regard. We had learned to listen for the sound of spitting as we walked and made sure we were as far away as possible.

High speed train is a national pride of China and rightly so. It is the longest high speed railway in the world and is the most extensively used. You can easily go to anywhere in China within a day and many locals prefer taking the train to flying between cities. Some websites provide services for you to buy train tickets online but I find that buying tickets in China is actually not too difficult. Unless you are travelling during the National Day Holiday (early October), you should be able to buy your train tickets without problem.

Buying your tickets

Chinese locals can buy train tickets through WeChat (yes, again). Tourists, however, must rely on either the train station or local travel agency. If you live close to one of the high speed train station, you can easily line up at the station and buy your tickets. Otherwise, you can buy your tickets from one of the authorized train ticket dealers (火车票代售点) or travel agencies (use popular ones, like Ctrip Travel Agency 携程旅行). They typically charge a small processing fee.

You will need a passport for every passenger and their names on the ticket must match the ones on the passport. This is important because you'd need to show your passport when you present your ticket at the station. Each ticket is also assigned a car and a seat.

You can use this website to find the locations of authorized train ticket dealers.

Pro tips

If you are travelling to multiple cities and your schedule is relatively fixed, you can avoid the hassle of finding the ticket offices in every city by buying all of your train tickets at once. If your schedule changes later on, you can still change the tickets at the railway station. There is a nominal charge associated with the change though. Each ticket can only be changed once.

Train stations

For large cities, there are typically more than one high speed train stations. Choose the one that is closest to your final destination and fit your schedule.

In addition to the typical security check in China, you will also need to present your passport and your ticket when you enter the station. This way, the train company prevents solicitors from entering the station. There are enough eateries and shops inside the train stations to keep you busy while you wait.

We initially wanted to go to the Dinosaur Provincial Park today. However, the weather report said that there would be more thunderstorms today along the way. I was still recovering from the intense driving condition yesterday that I couldn’t bring myself to do it again.

After much deliberation, we decided to give up the $100 tour reservation and spent the day in Calgary Downtown instead.

Devonian Garden

We went to see the skywalk Plus 15 and the Devonian Garden. They were both located in downtown. The garden was beautiful and the mall itself was spacious. After the kids had spent some time in the indoor playground in the garden, we drove to Big T BBQ for lunch. Alberta was famous of both BBQ and steaks. The BBQ was good but there was too much meat for us. We had brisket, ribs, pull pork, smoked chicken, and poutine. We couldn’t finish it all and had to take out the chicken.

I was just worrying about what to do with so much meat because we still had a slice of rib-eye in the fridge. As we were leaving the restaurant, a female beggar asked for money. Without hesitation, I offered her the half chicken and she gladly accepted it. I was glad that the problem was solved in a way that benefited both of us.

Prince's Island Park

After a short break in the airbnb, we went to the Prince’s Island Park for a walk. There was a pretty big kids playground and our sons enjoyed it. When it started to rain again, we headed home and play D&D for the rest of the night.

Last day

This is the last day we spent in Alberta. We felt fufilled and in awe of God's creation.

Today was one of our highlights for the kids, we would be going to the Royal Tyrrell Musuem to see some dinosaurs. To reach there, we would need to drive through the prairie. Driving through the prairie was an experience in itself. As soon as we were outside of the Calgary city, we were faced with a vast flat land of nothingness. It was surprisingly lacking in any tall structures, man made or not. The one and a half hour drive felt a lot longer when the scenery didn't change at all.

Drumheller

Suddenly, as we approached our destination, the landscape changed dramatically. The road led us down into a valley with small mounds surrounding us. And there, in front of us was the town of Drumheller where the museum is located. It was one of the most remarkable drive of my life. The Drumheller town was built around the dinosaur discoveries. There were many little private dinosaur museums and dinosaur themed shops. Our primary goal, however, was the Royal Tyrrell Museum. So, we skipped all of those.

Royal Tyrrell Museum

After a short drive following the signs along the way, we finally reached the Royal Tyrrell Museum. The museum was well designed with lots of displays of original fossils. It’s the biggest dinosaur exhibit I had ever seen. There was also a vast outdoor space for visitors to look at the surrounding site. Quite a few fossils were dug in the surrounding areas. I was glad that our kids, especially the second eldest one, liked it.

Hoodoo Trail

After going through the musuem, we drove a bit further south to the Hoodoo Trail to see some hoodoos. It’s not huge and it had some unique landscaping, like sandstone pillars with rock caps. Kids loved to do their own exploration (and climbing) there.

Atlas Coal Mine

After exploring the Hoodoo Trail, we travelled further south to the Atlas Coal Mine. The coal mine was big but when we arrived, we had already missed the tunnel tour. So we just walked through the site and learned a few facts of the coal miners lives. It turned out that it’s better for us to not do the tour because the weather was about to get bad, very bad.

Star Mine Suspension Bridge

On our way back to Drumheller, we stopped by the Star Mine Suspension Bridge to take a look. There wasn't a lot to see but a bridge. However, it was long enough for kids to feel a little bit scary. For adults, you can read about the bridge and appreciate the history behind this suspension bridge.

Thunderstorm in the Prairie

As we left the bridge, we saw that the sky had darkened by a little bit. We started our journey home as quickly as possible.

After about 10 mins of driving, the wind started to pick up and we saw a huge thunder cloud ahead of us. On the prairie, without any tall building or tree blocking you, you could see the entire thunder cloud and it was huge and scary. One of the thunder cloud was so low that it’s like a spaceship hover above the car. The gust was so strong that the car was swaying sideway.

Lightning was seen every few seconds and rain started to pour. It was so much rain that even the faster wiper could not sweep it away. Many things went through my mind, what if we were blown to the ditch? What if we’re struck by lightning? It was very intense emotionally and physically.

We endured about 30 mins of this difficult condition until we came out alright and breathed a sigh of relief. The remaining hour of driving was more relaxed but I couldn’t shake the intense feeling from before.

Toronto Raptor won 2019 NBA Championship

At night time, we bought some more steak from Safeway and cooked our dinner. Luckily, we still had time to catch up with the NBA Final match between Toronto Raptors and Warriors. Toronto Raptors made history won the 2019 NBA Championship.

It was an intense day and an intense night for two completely different reasons.

Today was the last day of our stay in Jasper. We decided to wake up early to hike around Old Fort Point. It was a short but peaceful trail with lots of sceneries to take in. We also encountered a herd of bighorn sheep resting in the area. They were not bothered by our presence at all (obviously we didn't get too close). It was a great morning hike to reflect back on the journey.

Since our plan was to go to Calgary today, we would have the opportunity to drive through the Icefields Parkway again. We were amazed by how different the drive was this time round. The first time we drove through it, it was cold and cloudy. Today it was sunny and warm. Driving in both directions also gave us different perspectives of the mountain too.

Sunwapta Falls

We first stopped by the Sunwapta Falls. It was an interest because it was the only falls that we were able to get really up close. The viewing area was quite small and it's a good place to let the kids stretch their legs as part of the journey.

Parker Ridge

After Sunwapta Falls, we continued our journey and arrived at Parker Ridge. Parker Ridge was highly recommended by our friends as a perfect place to hike. Unfortunately, in this time of the year, there was still snow on the trail and the ground was rather muddy. The hike was tough for everyone, especially the kids. Although my sons complained along the way, they all made it to the top at the end. I was proud of them. At the top, we could see the glacier and a blue lake. It was a beautiful scene. The hike took us more than 3 hours. At the end, we were all tired.

Calgary

After the hike, we drove straight to Calgary. We did miss a turn on the highway and entered British Columbia briefly. Luckily, we found an exit to turn back in about 15 mins.

When we were in Calgary, it was already dinner time. We drove to the T&T Supermarketand did some shopping. We found that the T&T Supermarket here was not as good as the ones in Toronto. The meat and the vegetables didn’t look fresh. Luckily there was a Vietnamese noodle restaurant right inside the same mall. We had some comfy pho and rest for the night.

Today was a relaxing day. We first went to the Pyramid Lake, hoping to canoe there. Unfortunately, they only allow kids over 14 in the canoe. So we only strolled around the area.

Lake Annette

After a short stay, we decided to drove Lake Annette. Lake Annette is a beautiful beach where kids can play with sands and relax. We spent a good amount of time so that the kids felt relaxed and then ate our lunch sandwiches there. All the travelling and hiking probably made them very tired. It’s good that they could finally be themselves on the beach.

Athabasca Falls

Our final outing today was the Athabasca Falls. We briefly visited there on our first day in Jasper. This time, we could do a bit of walk to explore the area. It’s a very scenic area. We could see the falls, the canyon and the river.

Today we planned to do some rafting in the Athabasca River. Before the raft, we took a hike on the Valley of the Five Lakes. It’s an easy hike and it’s very close to Jasper. You can hike for as much and as little as you want. So it's a good filler activity.

Jasper Rafting

We signed up rafting through the Jasper Rafting Adventure website. The ride was family friendly and was suitable for two families. We didn’t see any wildlife but the ride was entertaining. The guide on the boat was informative and well trained. We had people from 8 years old to 60 years old and they all enjoyed it.

After rafting, we did a short walk in Jasper downtown and had some snacks at the Bear Paws Bakery. It was a nice and cozy cafe. The kids were glad to have a place to take a break and relax.

Toronto Raptor

At night, we had dinner at home and watched the Toronto Raptors's game with our friends from Toronto. Everyone was excited because it’s the first time the Toronto Raptors entered the NBA final. Unfortunately, the Raptors didn’t win this time and we’d have to watch the another game on Thursday night.

Early that morning, we took the Jasper Skytram. Our plan was to hike to the Whistler Summit. The hike was tough. My youngest son and my wife had to return early. I hiked with the other two sons to the middle of the trail but had to retreat too because the wind was just too strong and the path was too steep. Even though we didn’t make it to the summit, we had a great time. The highlight was eating snacks at the summit restaurant. By the time we were done, we finally met up with our friends from Toronto. It was great to see some familiar faces.

Medicine Lake

In the afternoon, we planned to drive to Maligne Canyon for a hike. Along the way, we passed by the Medicine Lake. Medicine Lake is interesting it has a unique underground drainage system that causes the water level to fluctuate from season to season. As you can see from the picture above, it also has a spectacular view.

Mountain Pine Beetle

Unfortunately, the mountain pine beetle killed a lot of the trees there and the area was in distress. This was not a Medicine Lake only phenomenon, it affected the greater Jasper area as well. It would take years before these trees can grow back to their former glory.

Maligne Canyon

Maligne Canyon was beautiful and was the deepest canyon in the Rockies. It has six bridges connecting the two sides of the canyon. We hiked through three of them and was constantly amazed by the nature.

Maligne Lake

After exploring Maligne Canyon, we drove to Maligne Lake. It was already 3pm. We thought of taking the cruise but we ran out of time. So we took a stroll along the lake and let the kids ran freely in the area. If I were to come here again, I would plan for at least half a day to partake in some of the water activities, like taking the cruise or renting a canoe.

Today we were going to Jasper, taking the world famous Icefields Parkway. Icefields Parkway was named one of the most scenic drives in the world and it was not without merit. The scenery was surreal and we encountered many wildlives along the way. In addition, to fully appreciate the drive, you will want to stop by some of the lakes or hiking trail along the way. On a good day, you can easily spend the whole day there. Along the way, we also encountered some heavy snowfall. It was an amazing drive.

No Internet

There is no cellular signal along the way. So, it's a good idea to download offline map before you head out. If you forget to (like us), you can stop by the Columbia Icefield Discovery Centre and use their public WIFI.

Bow Lake

Bow Lake was the first lake we encountered on our drive. It was about 30 minutes north of Lake Louise. On the day we arrived, it was calm as a mirror and was a perfect spot to take a stroll and take some selfies.

Peyto Lake

Peyto Lake is famous for its unique bright, turquoise colour. To view the lake in its entirety, we stopped by Bow Summit, which is the highest point on the Icefields Parkway.

Athabasca Glacier

Athabasca Glacier was right next to the Columbia Icefield Discovery Centre, a good place to stretch your legs and learn a thing or two about the glacier. All over the world, glaciers are retreating. Here, you can see markers showing how much the glacier has retreated over the years. The discovery center is also the only place where you can get public WIFI along the Icefields Parkway, make good use of it.

Walking up to the glacier was cold but well worth it.

Windshield Crack

Within 5 minutes of driving away from the Athabasca Glacier, my rental car got hit by a rock on the windshield. Apparently, this is very common in Alberta due to the way they managed snow during winter. So if you are renting a car, make sure your insurance covers windshield damage.

Staying at Jasper

When we reached Jasper, it was already in the evening. We booked a basement apartment called Mountain View Accommodation. It was very clean and well managed. Jasper is such a small town that I would highly recommend you to book your stay ahead of time.

We woke up to a bit of wet snow and decided to stay in town. When the snow died down, we drove to Banff Downtown and checked out its surroundings. Hoho was upset because we didn’t get the beavertail. Since it’s raining, we went inside the public library to take a break. The library was pretty nice and quiet. Perfect for relaxing and sheltering. There were many Japanese books there. I guess many Japanese settled in Banff. My youngest son was happier because there are video games inside the library.

National Beavertail Day

After we were fully rested, we went back into town. We stopped by a beavertail shop for beavertail. Little did we know that it was the National Beavertail Day and the cinnamon sugar flavour was free. All of us had a beavertail and enjoyed it.

Alberta Steak

Before we headed back to our lodge, we swung by a local supermarket and bought ourselves a pack of Alberta steak. We had heard good things about steaks from Alberta but never tried it. Tonight, we pan fried the steak and it tasted amazing. It was very tender and juicy. All of us loved it.

Today’s weather was better. We decided to go to Lake Louise again and tried the Tea house hike to Lake Agnes. Lake Louise looked much better in good weather. The lake was calmer and we could see far into the distance.

Tea House hike and Lake Agnes

After we took some pictures at Lake Louise, we started our hike to the tea house. The hike was all the way up to the mountain, about 2000m. The kids were doing great. Even the youngest did a good job. It was not easy for him but he made it. We first passed by Mirror Lake and after a short hike later, we reached Lake Agnes and the tea house. I couldn’t help but said "Wow" when I saw the lake. It’s half frozen but was beautiful nonetheless. The tea house was a nice touch. The food was alright and not too expensive. Some of the furnitures there were over 100 years old and the staffs would warn you if you accidentally sit on one of those.

Cave and Basin Historic Site

After Lake Agnes, we hiked back to our car and ate lunch. We then drove to the Cave and Basin Historic Site. It’s the birthplace of the Canadian National Park. There were some interesting histories about the cave and how people tried to monetize it. The tour guide was knowledgeable and explained the back story very well. The place was of moderate size with some outdoor and some indoor space and the kids enjoyed it.

Upper Banff Hot Spring

After the Cave and Basin Historic Site, we drove to the Upper Banff Hot Spring. It’s our first time having hot spring in Canada. It’s definitely the first time our kids had hot spring ever. The hot springs here were not made by volcanos. Instead, they were made with water that sips through the cracks in the mountains. The water absorbed the minerals inside the mountain and was heated by geothermal energy. The hot water finally bursted out as hot springs. The water temperature was a nice 39°C. My youngest son initially complained about going there but once he’s in the pool, he loved it. The other kids were excited about going there too. For me, I was happy to have done it. It felt like an achievement to be able to manage it.

After bathing in the hot spring, we drove back to the hotel and enjoyed our dinner together. Everyone was happy and we had a good sleep. Mom was a bit sick though.

This was the first trip family took since I had started my sabbatical. We were going to Calgary, Banff, and Jasper. Unfortunately, some of us were sick and we coughed and sneezed as we boarded the plane. The weather report was not good either. Looks like the only day that was not raining is today. Anyway we’d try to get the most out of it.

Lake Louise

When we arrived, we first got the rental car and bought a week’s worth of groceries. After that we drove all the way to Lake Louise. Although it was quite chilli with a little bit of rain, we could still see people canoeing in the lake. The cloud hid the mountain behind the lake and it was a different kind of beauty.

Lake Moraine

When the rain at Lake Louise began to build up, we tried our luck at Lake Moraine which was only 10 mins away. Luckily, the rain stopped by the time we reached Lake Moraine. Lake Moraine was less famous. With that, we got a bit more privacy and we felt the lake was cozier than Lake Louise.

Along the way, the drive on the highway was also very surreal. You had various mountains on one side and the the Bow River on the other. Bow River was wide and inviting. I wish I could kayak or canoe there.

Staying

When it’s finally night time, we checked in the lodge, Banff Boundary Lodge. Here the daylight is longer than in Toronto. Sunset was at 9:45pm. The hotel/lodge was very suitable for our family. We could do all the cooking here. It was in a great location, not a long drive to Banff. Although the lodge was close to the highway, it wasn't too noisy because the windows shielded you from the noise very well. The pan and pot were very clean and new. Also the lodge was very spacious.

Being a Canadian, going to Calgary, Banff, and Jasper has already been on my bucket list of things to do. However, finding the right time to go has always been tricky. The summer time in these areas is very short, about two months (July and August). If you go during that time, you have to not only pay a premium on accomodation and air fare, you also will be fighting with other tourists.

Luckily, one of the families we know through the homeschooling community was planning to go too and we decided to tag along and discover Alberta together. We were told that we should book our accomodation and flights early because prices went higher as the season approached. I would recommend you book your accomodation roughly 6 to 8 months in advance if you want a reasonable price.

We flew to Calgary on the 5th of June and it was noticably chilly still. We had our full winter gear so it wasn't a huge deal. If you are planning to go in early June or late early September, expect to encounter some snows.

Ever since the China Government decided to take biometric information from its visitors, you can no longer apply for a visa through a travel agent. Instead you have to go to this third party company called China Visa Application Center to apply for the China visa. We had been there twice and learned a few things. Hopefully our experience will help you avoid the unnecessary trouble.

Finalize Your Itinerary

Even before you start applying for the China visa, you need to finalize your itinerary. Yes, it’s counter intuitive and you are taking a bit of a risk. The only thing you can do to minimize your risk is to use credit cards that have trip cancellation (make sure you call the credit card company ahead of time if visa denial is a valid reason for a refund) and use hotel booking website like Booking.com that provides generous cancellation policies. Although it’s more work, I would suggest that you plan your itinerary as close to the actual itinerary as possible. If you are going to spend a month in China travelling around different cities, don’t create an itinerary that only has a one month hotel booking. Also, make sure there is no gap in your hotel booking. I have read that you will get rejected if you have any gap in your booking.

Online Application Form

Once you have your itinerary set, you can go ahead and go to the China Visa Application Center website and fill in the application form. Having lived in North America for a while, I was overwhelmed by the amount of information the application form collects. Everything from where you were born, where you worked and where you studied to who your parents are are included in the application form. Just filling in the forms for myself and my family took me almost the entire day. Besides these factual information, you will also need one physical photo and a digital photo. I use Walmart’s photo service which provides both. One hint on photo taking, make sure your forehead is not covered by your hair. The online application form will reject the photo if it deems that your face is covered, even if it's only your forehead by your own hair.

Once you have one application filled, make sure you choose to download the application data for upload later. The reason for this is two folds:

1. Your next application can start by importing the previous application’s data. Chances are that some of the information can be reused, and more importantly,
2. You may need to make adjustment to the application and you can easily start a new application by uploading the previous one. Oh, did I forget to tell you that once you are done the application, you cannot make changes? You have to start over from the beginning. These archived records literally save me tens of hours of rekeying everything.

Complete and submit all of your family members' applications. Once you are done, you can then schedule an appointment with the China Visa Application Centre. They only process three applications per appointment. So, if you have a large number of applications, book multiple appointments.

What to Bring to Visa Centre?

Everything. This is not clearly explained on the web as there are no hard and fast rule on what are required for each Visa application. I figured that the following documents are absolutely important:

1. A copy of the itinerary including flight confirmation email, hotel booking confirmation for EVERY application.
2. A copy of your passport for your application.
3. A copy of your passport and your spouse’s passport for each of your child’s application.

Since we were not born in Canada and were originally from Hong Kong, we have to provide the following extra documents for EACH one of our children’s applications as well:

1. Original and copy of birth certificate of your child.
2. Original and copy of your and your spouse’s Canadian citizenship card.
3. Original and copy of you and your spouse’s Hong Kong ID card if you or your spouse was born in Hong Kong.

Finally, if your name was ever changed or is different in any one of the supplied documents, you’d need the original and copy of the Name Change Certificate. Different provinces in Canada have different forms and requirements, e.g. Ontario, British Columbia, and Alberta.

What to expect in the Centre?

When you’re in the centre, be prepared to provide more clarifications onsite. For example, I have to explain how I plan to travel from city to city in China because there are no flight tickets in between cities. The answer is quite obvious, by train of course. But you'd have to state that in the application. Even after our applications were accepted by the centre and paid for, we were called to send in a couple of letters explaining some minor discrepancy among the supplied documents. Luckily, they accept email and save us a trip to go there again. After the lengthy preparation, the actual wait time is surprisingly fast. We got our visas in a few business days.

Final Words

All in all, I believe the staffs in the China Visa Application Center have good intentions and are genuinely trying to help you get your visas. However, the lack of clear guidelines makes the whole experience less than optimal and the requirements can feel arbitrary at times. Given how much people are paying for the application, I hope the centre can improve the overall experience.

Cash is still king in most travel destinations. So I always bring enough cash for at least a few days of travel. Although some hotels claim to accept credit cards, they may only accept local credit cards. Call in advance to find out if they also accept foreign credit cards. If in doubt, bring enough cash to cover the hotel expenses as well.

Using ATMs

The easiest way to obtain cash abroad is by using one of those ATM machines. First, take a look at the back of your card to find out if it works with the Cirrus network or the Plus network (see their corresponding symbols below). When you are overseas, look for ATM machines that show your card's symbol.

There are usually transaction fees associated with using ATMs overseas. You will need to check with your bank to get the details.

China

In China, major banks, especially national ones, accept foreign cards. For example, the Bank of Communications (交通銀行) has many ATMs across the country and I have had no problem using them. Best of all, there is no additional surcharge per transaction.

Japan

In a country where even the toilets are more advanced than most other countries, it is surprising that most transactions are still done through cash. Luckily, there are pushes to move society towards a cashless one. Before then, however, you will still need to obtain cash from ATMs regularly.

The good thing about ATMs in Japan is that they are everywhere. The ATMs in 7-11are the best because they typically don't charge extra processing fees. Some bank ATMs do charge a nominal fee of about 200 Yen per withdrawal. If you are limited to taking money from one of these ATMs, get as much as you can carry because the fees are per withdrawal.

Money Exchange Shops

As you travel from one country to the next, don't forget to exchange your previous currency for the new one. It is always a good idea to check the rates of different exchange shops and banks before you decide.

South Korea

In South Korea, you can easily exchange your money with any one of the banks. They do offer a very competitive rate. Besides banks, some money exchangers are also famous for their good rates. If you are in Myeongdong, the money changer at 26 Myeongdong 2-Gil is the most popular in town. There are numerous money changers there, compare their rates before you proceed.

Taiwan

Similar to South Korea, you can exchange your money with any one of the banks. If they are already close, however, some jewelry shops can also exchange for you. Although there are specific guidelines for money exchangers in Taiwan, their costs will vary.

Debit or Credit

Credit cards are often associated with a point collection system to reward you of your expenses. So, credit card is my preferred way of spending when you are abroad. However, choosing which credit card to use to minimize your cost of money requires some investigation. Here is a list of questions you will need to ask your credit card/debit card companies before you go:

1. Is there a foreign currency transaction fee when using the card abroad? Usually, it's a percentage of the transaction amount. 2.5% is quite typical.
2. Is there a per-transaction fee for any foreign currency purchase? In addition to a percentage fee, some card company charges an additional per-transaction fee when the transaction is in foreign currency. You will likely want to stay away from using these cards.
3. Is there an additional fee when you withdraw money from a foreign ATM machine? Stay away from cards that charge this extra processing fee.

Once you have answers to the above questions, you may find out different credit cards are required for different purposes. For example, the Roger's Mastercard Elite is perfect for using abroad because it gives you a 4% points reward and only charges a 2.5% foreign transaction fee. So you will be netting a good 1.5% reward per transaction. However, this card is terrible for cash advances because it charges an extra fee for cash withdrawal. If you need cash, you will need to use a different card.

MasterCard or Visa?

In general, both cards are well accepted overseas. However, according to this article, Mastercard has a better exchange rate.

Is your Credit Card accepted?

Places that accept foreign credit cards (MasterCard and Visa) are South Korea, Taiwan, and Hong Kong. You will have a hard time using a foreign credit card in both Japan and China.

Cash Advance

One often overlooked feature of your credit card is cash advance. A cash advance allows you to take money out of your credit card. As we all know, a credit card carries a very high interest rate and with a cash advance, the interest is applied immediately. So most people shy away from it. However, you can avoid paying any interest if your credit card has extra money on it. For example, if you overpay your credit card, the extra amounts can be withdrawn from an ATM without paying interest.

Depending on the credit card you use, you may end up pay fewer transaction fees than using a debit card.

Electronic Payment

When it comes to electronic payment, China is well ahead of most countries. Most transactions can be done through either WeChat or Alipay on your smartphone. Up until recently, you can only use WeChat Pay if you have a China Bank account. Starting in late November 2019, however, you can add a foreign credit card to WeChat Pay. Alipay has a mini-program called Tour Pass that allows you to add money to its wallet. I have not used either to give recommendations.

Since it is well known that the China government has access to all WeChat messages (even deleted ones), it is not a far-fetched hypothesis that they may also have access to all financial activities through the WeChat app. If you are concerned about this, your other option is probably cash. Credit cards, especially foreign ones, are not well accepted in China.

Preparing for a four-month trip with 3 kids is not an easy task. However, with some research into the internet and a bit of creativity, it can be done. Our starting point in this trip preparation is to scour the internet for people with similar needs. This forms the basis of our packing list. Then we add things that are particularly important for us. In the end, we are quite comfortable with the result. Here are the items that I’d like to highlight (note that most of the links below are affiliate links to help maintain this website.):

Voltage Differences

If you are bringing or buying any electrical appliance, make sure it supports the voltage of your destination. For example, China, South Korea, and Hong Kong are 220V, Taiwan is 110V and Japan is 100V. If you live in North America, your appliances are rated 110V. If they are small appliances, they can usually be used in Japan too.

Day to Day Operations

When it comes to packing clothes for a long trip, our rule of thumb is 3 sets of clothes for everyone. It is easier to carry but it means we will need to do our own laundry.

1. Vacuum Roll up bags - These bags can literally save you half of your luggage space, especially if you are travelling across seasons. The only drawback is that you do need to apply some strength with your wrist. If you can’t, you can use ones that need a small hand pump.
2. Travel Clothesline - To reduce the number of clothes to wear and the need to find a laundromat (or launderette), we opt for doing our own laundry in the hotel. A travel clothesline will give you the much-needed space to dry your clothes.
3. Sturdy Bag for laundry - There is an expensive variation like the Scrubba wash bag. But you can easily do your laundry in a sturdy bag like this that is a lot cheaper but still gives you the advantage of not needing to wash your clothes inside the sink. An added bonus is that you can use it to carry your variables when you are doing water activities. Be noted though, the bag I mentioned is NOT water-sealed. I.e. water inside can still leak to the outside (but not the other way around)
4. Small drying towels - If you are like me and want to interact with the locals, there is nothing better than staying in a hostel with the host family. Unfortunately, they usually do not provide room service and you would need to have some drying towels handy.
5. Earplugs - Yes, you can get noise cancellation headphones but they are either expensive or uncomfortably large. A pair of simple earplugs can do the trick most of the time when you need to sleep a bit on the plane. Also, some Asian countries are noisier than others. A good pair of earplugs will help you sleep.
6. Foreign Cash - For each destination, bring at least enough cash to last a few days. It can be difficult to find ATM machines in remote areas. There are ways to make getting cash abroad a bit cheaper depending on what credit card you have or what bank you use. This is a big topic and I will discuss some of the ideas in a separate post.
7. Nail Clipper, Haircutter, Shaver - We often overlook the tools we use regularly. If you are travelling for longer than a few weeks and don’t want to risk being misidentified as an escaped fugitive, you’d need to take care of your look.
8. Waist Bags - These are harder to steal than your wallet. So, put your IDs, insurance card, and extra money in there and don’t touch it unless you feel completely safe. Your wallet should contain daily cash and one credit card only. Be very clear about what you have in your wallet so that you know which institution needs to be notified in case the wallet was lost. Besides money and personal identities, you can put the following in your waist bag: a portable fan for hot weather, tissue paper (some country charges you for tissue paper when you use the washroom), immunization records, EpiPen if you have a severe allergic reaction, and an allergy information card (See below for an example).
9. Metamucil - Given that you are going to eat out every day and chances are you won’t have enough fibre to keep your intestine happy. Metamucil can sometimes help to maintain a healthy bowel movement. Note: I am not a physician. Please consult your doctor if in doubt.
10. Benadryl Caplets - When you are first exposed to foreign cuisine, you never know how your body would react. This simple medication is great if you are hit with an unexpected allergic reaction. Again, please consult with your doctor if you are not sure.
11. Non-metal belt - With one of these belts, you don't need to worry about taking off your belt and risking embarrassment.

Techie Stuffs

1. SIM card tray removal tool - Not every phone has an eSIM and when you are travelling, you’re likely going to need to switch your SIM card. Instead of looking for a replacement and risk damaging your phone (you definitely don’t want to get a replacement phone when you are abroad unless it’s part of your plan), having one of these little guys would save you the headache when you switch your SIM.
2. Universal Plug - The world would be a better place if everything is powered by USB. Unfortunately, we are not living in a perfect world. So you’d still need an adapter. Before you travel, search around the internet to find out what kind of plug is needed for the countries. Chances are, you can find an all-in-one universal plug that works for the countries you are going to visit.
3. WIFI repeater - This one is for the techie but with a bit of experimentation, you can probably do that too. In some hotels, especially remote areas, their WIFI signal can be pretty dismal. To make sure you and your family get strong WIFI signals, put one of these as close to the strongest hotel WIFI signal as possible and have it repeat the signal with a different SSID. For extra security, you can also set up a VPN on the repeater so that all of your family devices are protected.
4. Phone backup battery - Running out of battery in the middle of the day sucks. So, be prepared and get a couple of these battery packs in your day bag. These batteries must be in your carry-on luggage and cannot exceed 10,000 mAh.

Kids Essentials

1. ID bracelets for kids - Using one of these bracelets give you some peace of mind as you travel with kids. They are just like the ones you use when you go to a theme park or water park. The difference is that these are reusable and waterproof. I suggest you put their names on the bracelet and your name and phone number in the local language so that the locals can refer to your kids easily. Google translate comes to the rescue. If you are travelling to multiple countries, you can prepare ahead of time by printing paper slips with the information and tape them on the bracelets as you move from country to country.
2. Portable Fan - This one is mostly for kids. But if you can get one cheap like these ones, why not get one for yourself too. You will enjoy your vacation in hot weather a lot more.

Example Allergy Information Card

An allergy card can be very useful when you travel. You can use it to show the restaurants so that they know how to prepare the food and what to avoid. I would print and laminate each of the phrases below (We have a food allergy. We cannot eat peanuts.) and bring them with me as I travel. The following phrases are translated using Google Translate:

English

We have a food allergy. We cannot eat peanuts.

Chinese

我们有食物过敏。我们不能吃花生。

Korean

우리는 음식 알레르기가 있습니다. 우리는 땅콩을 먹을 수 없습니다.

Japanese

食物アレルギーがあります。ピーナッツは食べられません。

How do you budget for a four-month trip? I got asked this question a couple of times. To be honest, it is not very different from budgeting at home. The basic idea is to identify the costs, some fixed, and some variables. In this post, I try to document my approach and hope it can help you prepare for your next big trip.

Fixed Cost

There are certain costs that are known and fixed ahead of time. I like to make sure I record as many of these as possible. Some of these known costs are:

• Flights
• Hotels
• Health insurance
• Travel insurance
• Major train tickets (e.g. JR Pass, High-speed train tickets)
• Tickets to major attractions (historical attractions are usually dirt cheap but shows or exhibitions can be expensive)

Besides these costs which will be incurred as you travel, unless you are permanently living a nomadic life, one day, you will need to come back to your home country and pick up where you leave. This, unfortunately, means that you will need to keep paying some of the expenses back home, e.g.

• Any debt you owe (credit card, mortgage)
• Phone bill (if you intend to keep your home number)
• Utility bills (if you own/rent a property), etc.

Some of these expenses can be reduced because of your absence but you must consider them in your budget. (See Manage Your Fiances Before You Go for some information)

Important

I would also recommend buying a travel insurance policy that provides trip cancellation. This is especially important if you have an elderly or own property back home.

Variable Cost

After the fixed costs, there are variable costs. As you travel, you will likely spend more money on food and drinks than you'd usually do back home. The commute expenses will likely be another major cost of living as you travel. These are usually not known ahead of time.

Instead of planning each meal or commute in advance, depending on your travel destinations, you can use a multiplier to your usual meal and commute expenses back home. For example, for Japan, I would budget two times my usual meal and commute expenses because I know that food prices in Japan are comparable to the ones in Canada. This way, I can afford to have an expensive meal now and then but fall back to a budget one occasionally. For China, however, the multiplier would be 0.5 because the living expense is a lot cheaper in China than in Canada.

If you are traveling with kids, I would also recommend you stay in places where you can do some minimal cooking. There are many benefits in cooking your own food while you travel:

• You can save quite a bit of money.
• Your kids can eat familiar foods with a twist of some local flavors.
• You can mingle with the locals in the grocery stores and truly feel like you are one of them.
• Most important of all, all of you can eat healthier.

Manage your finances

Before you go on a long trip, it is important to make sure your money at home is taken care of. As you will read below, it would be harder to manage your finances when you are abroad. You certainly don't want to face a pile of unpaid bills and their accumulated interests when you are back home.

Setup Pre-authorized Payments

Important

Give yourself plenty of time to set up these pre-authorized payments so that you can verify them before your trip.

Utility Bills

Paying your utility bill online at home is easy but it is a different story when you are abroad. You will need a reliable and secure internet connection. You may even need to receive an SMS if the bank requires you to.

A better approach is to set up pre-authorized payments so that you don’t have to worry about paying your bills on time. Most utility companies provide means to set up pre-authorized debit. If you need to pay property tax, its payments can often be scheduled too.

If you haven't set up paperless bills, now is a good time to do so. You can conveniently access your bills on the go and you save some trees.

Credit Cards

In Canada, many people don’t know that you can set up pre-authorized debits (PADs) for their credit cards as well. You can decide whether you want the total amount or the minimum payment to be deducted from your bank account each month. Given how much interest you’d have to pay if you miss a payment, setting up the pre-authorized debit option can save you a lot of money.

Why Oh Why?

Different credit card companies use different ways to set up PADs. Mine all require me to print a physical form, fill it in, and mail it to them. Yes, this feels so backward in this day and age. Unfortunately, since there’s no incentive for the credit card companies to provide this service, I doubt they will improve the process much.

Prepare For Banking Abroad

Login Method

Nowadays, many banks require some form of two-factor authentication to log in. This means that, as a user, you will need to set up either a mobile number (for SMS during login) or an authenticator app on your smartphone.

If your bank requires a mobile number for SMS authentication, it most likely won't work when you are abroad. There are a couple of ways to deal with this:

Register a mobile number of your destination in advance of your trip

This is tricky because you typically don't get the phone number until you activate the SIM in your destination. Alternatively, if you have a trusted friend/family member residing in your destination, you can add his/her number in advance. This seems dangerous but in theory, if you don't also give out your password, your friend/family member won't be able to log in to your account.

Disable two-factor authentication on your mobile app

Banks that require two-factor authentication usually allow you to disable it when you log in through the app. If you can fulfill your banking needs using its app alone, this is a good alternative.

Electronic Statements

While you are at it, you might as well set up electronic statements so that you can access your statement on the go and your physical mailbox will not overflow.

Cancel any unused Credit Cards

If you happen to stumble upon a credit card that you no longer use, it’s a good idea to call them up and cancel the card.

Subscribe to a reliable VPN service

If you have been following the above recommendation, you will likely be banking online most of the time. It is important to subscribe to a reliable and secure VPN service. In places where a national firewall exists (like China), not every VPN provider will work. So I recommend you install more than one VPN app on your smartphone before you go. In case one of them fails, you have a backup. Once you are in one of these countries, you won't be able to install any of these VPN apps.