Shanghai, Wuxi, Nanjing, Suzhou, and Hangzhou in 20 Pictures

First off, hello to all my Aussie, Hong Kong, American, and Canadian friends that I met during the Guilin and Shanghai tours! Hai!

My month long trip to Asia has come to an end. I'll slowly get my images and thoughts together and gradually write about each day. Until then, visit my Flickr page and flip through the pictures I haven't posted on the blog.

Forgive me if your internet is slow and these 20 photos freeze your computer. It's time to get quicker internet and/or a better computer. Think of it as an early Christmas present.







Lamb skewers, and lamajun (flat bread topped with peppers, onions, tomatoes, and herbs) at a Muslim restaurant in Shanghai.






Breakfast at the Ramada hotel in Shanghai and Wuxi.


Stinky tofu eaten with a pinky finger up.




Breakfast and pearl tea in Nanjing.










Icing with apple pieces, stewed eggplants, snow pea shoots, Yangjing beer, and a tiny tangerine in Nanjing.




Beef balls, fish balls and steamed corn snacks at the Dr. Sun Yat-sen Mausoleum in Nanjing.







Lion's head meatball, sweet and sour fish, and a hotel in Suzhou.



Longjing tea (aka dragon well tea) in Hangzhou.



Shaved ice with brown sugar, taro, boba (tapioca pearls), red beans, and mango rice dumplings in Shanghai.


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More links from the Tea in Asia 2011 trip:

• Arriving in HK: Hello from Hong Kong!
• Day Trip to Macau: Window Shopping in Macau
• Arriving in Guilin, China: Breakfast and Tea Tasting
• Arriving in Taiwan: Seafood Dinner
• Arriving in Shanghai: Muslim Restaurant

Taking a Peek at HK and Macau

The last full day of HK is sadly over. I'll be leaving Hong Kong for Taiwan in a few short hours. I haven't gone through all my pictures yet, but here's a glimpse of what I've done in HK. We also went to Macau!

First up, Macau...



Instant noodles (Nissin) with marinated pork. The pork tasted like Mom's marinade.




Milk custard at the same place Tony Bourdain visited. We also had the noodles there too.



The newer Grand Lisboa.



Beef cheung fan.




Resting our sore feet back in HK at the Starbucks along the Avenue of Stars.



We went up to see the Tian Tan Buddha. I offered some of my waffle-thing to the buddha...



But the Tian Tan Buddha respectfully declined.



We enjoyed some soft tofu dessert (warm), which was made from natural mountain spring water.



Empty bowls surround a container of sugar.




After the cable car ride back down to the Citygate Outlets, we enjoyed a little snack of soup dumplings with black vinegar and two noodle dishes.




Suckling pig at a dai pai dong.









Fish balls with brined clams, wonton egg noodle soup and a glass bottle of Coke!



In a few hours, I'll be saying "farewell" to Hong Kong and "hello" to Taiwan. It's quite bittersweet. I'm also excited to be visiting Taiwan for the second time, but I know that I'm going to miss the fast moving, loud spoken, hard working, and food crazy people of Hong Kong.


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More links from the Tea in Asia 2011 trip:

• Arriving in HK: Hello from Hong Kong!
• Day Trip to Macau: Window Shopping in Macau
• Arriving in Guilin, China: Breakfast and Tea Tasting
• Arriving in Taiwan: Seafood Dinner
• Arriving in Shanghai: Muslim Restaurant

Hello from Hong Kong!

It's been quite a busy few days. I'm writing this from Hong Kong everyone! I'll sum up the first three days in this post.. But I must warn you that it's packed full of pictures.

We began our trip with some breakfast from Tim Hortons.




Cheese croissant for myself and a muffin for my aunt.




A donut and muffin for Mom and Dad.

We boarded the short flight to Detroit without much difficulty. Once we arrived at the Detroit airport, we had to switch planes. But we had about an hour to kill so Aunt IS and I grabbed a snack at Popeyes Chicken.




The spicy Louisiana chicken tender combo was spicy, juicy, and crunchy. It really hit the spot. The biscuit wasn't too bad. It was definitely closer to a biscuit than Tim Horton's dense version.













There was plenty of lackluster airplane food served by Delta. Check out the sad napa cabbage salad.



When we arrived in HK, my aunt picked us up and brought us over to her place to stay for the duration of our time in HK. Dinner was abalone congee. Yowzas!

Sliced abalone, shiitake mushrooms, shredded chicken, and beautifully white and crisp bean sprouts for the congee.







Dragon fruit and Oolong tea for dessert. The dragon fruit that I've had in Ottawa and Toronto pales in comparison to these. It was so much fresher and juicier. If you've never had dragon fruit before, it tastes like a mix between a kiwi and a bosc pear. It has the texture of a bosc pear and has the muted flavour and acidity of kiwi.



The next day, we had a little bite to eat in the morning. While everyone else had luxurious congee, my aunt and I had a little sandwich made of processed meat (just like the white Vietnamese sausage), butter, and sliced cucumbers. Aunty told us that she was going to bring us to have some real dim sum.