Fullboy - Chengdu & Langzhong - Brains, Trains & Automobiles

The sleeper train from Kunming to Chengdu was infinitely more comfortable than the buses and we both thought to ourselves that from now on, travel in China was by train all the way! We managed to get a couple of hard sleeper tickets, basically two beds in an open bay consisting of 6 bunks, upper, middle and lower, 3 on each side. There are fold out seats in the aisle either side of a small table. There is even a hot water dispenser at the end of the aisle where you can get water for your pot noodles!! Chinese instant noodles are as good as, if not better than the delicious Korean Shin Ramen. It was great being able to have a stroll up and down the carriages, wash your hands, brush your teeth, go to the bathroom, have a snack, read a book, have a bed with clean linen in a no smoking carriage. Make no mistake, even though this was technically third class sleeper carriage, this was five star, bling bling luxury compared to the buses.

Arriving in Chengdu after an 18 hour, 1100km, peaceful and enjoyable train journey, we got a taxi to our hostel. It was afternoon and we didn't really have any plans for the day other than getting some delicious Sichuan food so we chilled out until the evening time. About a five minute walk from our hostel was a delicious hotpot restaurant. Similar to the Capitol Satay restaurant in Melaka, we had to get our fresh ingredients on kebab sticks from a refrigerated area at the back of the restaurant and plunge them into a deep red, fiery, bubbling chilli broth at our table to cook them. The spicy sauce was not for the feint hearted and packed a serious punch. I love this way of eating and I particularly enjoyed the quails eggs on a stick dipped in the Sichuan broth. Mmmmmmmm!

It was so good we went twice, the second time we ordered a different broth that was separated into two sections, one spicy and one mild. The clear broth had nice looking chunks of fish and vegetables floating around in it to give it some flavour, but after the sensation and experience of the original spicy broth, the tamer version was a disappointment. We noticed everyone in the restaurant was drinking small bottles of what looked like milk. I ordered a couple and saw written in English on the bottle, 'peanut milk' presumably to sooth the fire of the chilli in your stomach. If only we knew about these the first time round! I also spotted a couple of teenagers dropping what looked like raw brains into their hotpot (maybe it was exam time!) Curious as ever, I had a look around the refrigerator section for them and there they were, plates of raw pigs brains. I'd never eaten them before and Melissa was not going to help me out, but if teenagers eat them, how bad can they be. Looking at the plate of brains, the next factor I had to take into account was 'how long does a brain take to cook'? Noone around was going to answer this question for me so I thought it had to be a case of 'trial and error'. I slid one of the brains off the plate into the bubbling hotpot. It seemed to be cooking ok. After a few minutes I tried to get it out but succeeded in just breaking a piece off. I tried it and it tasted like a very mild liver, albeit a gooey liver. Unsure as to whether or not it was actually cooked I let the remainder of the brain boil away for another few minutes and then broke off another piece with a combination of my spoon and chopsticks. Melissa looked on in amusement at my struggle with the brain. For all the effort, it actually tasted quite bland, and still had a mushy texture. Next time I think I'll just keep to the kebab sticks!!

We travelled further into the Sichuan Province and visited the quaint old town of Langzhong. We stayed a couple of nights and enjoyed the local delicacy of preserved beef, locally known as Zhang Fei beef. The beef is packaged in small individual wrappers with a picture of the famous Chinese general Zhang Fei. Before I tried it, I never thought I'd be a fan of a piece of pre-packaged, cold beef but I have to say, it's an amazing snack and the beef somehow remains really juicy and tender, not chewy like jerky. We stocked up at one of the many shops selling the delicacy before we left. We also tried the local beef at a restaurant by the river one night and it was served to us sliced on a plate like meat from a deli, very delicious!

Fullboy - China - Yunnan Province - The Road to Shangri-La

It felt liberating carrying only our small backpacks as we got on the bus for the journey up to Lijiang, located near the foothills of the mighty Himalayas. Our main backpacks were getting heavier and heavier with all of the extra items we were picking up and it was nice to give our weary shoulders and back a rest. The bus journey was smooth and we even had a movie to watch, 'Red Cliff', a Chinese war epic complete with English subtitles! The bus stops along the route were pleasant and we picked up some wonderful dried fruit and nut snacks. We eventually arrived in Lijiang around 11 hours after leaving Kunming, we realised that travelling in China was going to take a long time.

It was night time and we didn't have to look around too long to find a guesthouse. It was a simple room around an old courtyard. Lijiang was a touristy town, popular because of the 'old Lijiang', a town dating back over 800 years and retaining much of its stunning ancient architecture. Intricate waterways sliced their way through the town and it was a pleasure meandering through the old streets and walking over the old bridges. We had a great nights sleep and work early the next day to a pleasantly cool morning due to our altitude of over 3000m. We had a lazy stroll around the old town's streets and found a wonderful little cafe where we had a fantastic breakfast of grilled goat's cheese, thickly cut ham, a potato pancake and toast. Believe it or not, this continental style breakfast was a local dish, 'farmers food' popular with the Naxi People, an ethnic group who inhabit the foothills of the Himalayas.
Lunch was similarly rustic food, a delicious blood sausage kebab, grilled on a stick along with some griddled baby potatoes. After two months of noodle soup in Vietnam, this heavy, hearty food was definitely a welcome change.


Feeling rested, fortified and ready for a challenge, we took a bus to the gateway of the majestic Tiger Leaping Gorge. The weather was cloudy and drizzly and we had been warned of landslides in the area. We'd also heard rumours that the hiking path was officially closed but we weren't going to turn back, not after coming this far. The trek was long, steep, winding and the weather in places was horrible. We were pretty soaked through and our cheap camera we bought in Thailand was definitely feeling the strain. A delicious bag of spicy ginger candy that we bought in Lijiang was our fuel and munching on this gave us the energy we needed to get to the top. Upon reaching the top of the gorge, the clouds parted and tired, soaked and hungry, we managed a smile as we finally saw the rich, blue sky. For most of the trek it seemed we were the only two people on the path, apart from the occasional goat. We walked across the top of the gorge and found an old, traditional house where the owner offered us rooms for the night. We were the only guests and the kind lady who lived there cooked us up a delicious meal of hand-cut ham and onions, fried potatoes and stir fried chicken. Facilities were basic but the views of the snow capped Snow Dragon Mountain and the raging Yangstze River deep in the gorge were breathtaking and it was a meal we'd never forget.






























The next day's weather was perfect and the trek down to the road was obviously far easier than the arduous journey up. Unknowingly however, the most dangerous leg of our journey was now upon us. We got on a minibus to take us along a narrow gorge road to the main road and our path was blocked by a landslide that had occurred the previous evening due to the bad weather. We had to get out of the bus and clamber over the fallen rocks with the raging river roaring far below us. The path we had to navigate was probably around a foot in width and to make matters worse we had to crawl under some rocks whilst Chinese builders were drilling all around us trying to clear the debris! Watching small pebbles giving way under our feet as we navigated the precarious path was one of the most nervewracking moments of our travels thus far and we were grateful to get to the other side of the landslide in one piece. After experiencing this it's easy to see why there are so many building accidents in China, our safety was not once taken into account by the crazy builders who wouldn't stop working whilst we passed. Shaken but in one piece, we got on another bus that took us to the main road.




























We were waiting for a bus to take us up to Shangri-La and an enterprising individual who saw us waiting offered to give us a lift, for a price. We managed to find a couple of others to join us in his little minibus and we set off. Not long into the journey, his minibus broke down!! It didn't take our driver long to fix the problem and before we knew it we were on the road again. The journey was very scenic and we passed wonderful meadows of wildflowers with immense snowcapped mountains dotting the landscape. The temperature was noticeably cooler and the air fresh. Shangri-La was a quiet town and we found a great guesthouse with the best hot shower I think we'd ever had. After our soaking on the Tiger Leaping Gorge, it was just the place we needed to get our head down for a few days before we made the journey back to Kunming. The bed had thick, warm blankets and we had a wonderful nights sleep.

























The next day we had a walk around the town and had a great breakfast of assorted meats and veggie kebabs with delicious flatbreads. The weather, at around 3000m high, was cold enough to warrant jackets and the hearty food was warming and comforting.









































Shangri-La is located where Tibet, Yunnan Province and Sichuan Province meet and is settled by Tibetan people. The cuisine is heavy, Tibetan fare and we had several great meals. Our favourites were the Tibetan stuffed breads, similar to an English pastie, filled with minced meat and onion. Also, the barley salad was fantastic, like a heavier version of the Arabic Taboulleh. Another great snack was the dried yak meat and there were countless shops selling this local delicacy. It is very similar to beef jerky and came in many different varieties. Our favourites were the original and the Sichuan pepper coated types. We also tried the yak yoghurt drink which, made from yak milk, was thick, delicious and very tasty.






















Our trip to the large Tibetan Buddhist monastery, Songzanlin, was a very peaceful way to end our expedition into the mountains and our bus journey back was memorable as we sat next to some old, local Naxi ladies who were dressed in their colourful, traditional garments. They were sniffing something off their hand, and, noting my curiosity, offered me a go. One of the ladies put some dusty looking substance on my hand and encouraged me to sniff. When in Rome I thought..... SNIFF!! It immediately made me cough and splutter, then my eyes started watering. The rest of the packed bus all turned around and found it immensely funny and before we knew it, everyone was roaring with laughter, including Melissa! Don't think I'll be trying that again in a hurry!

Fullboy - Vietnam - Full of Pho!!

HOI AN

We arrived at Hoi An just as the sun was rising and managed to find a budget hotel (with a pool!!). We sat down and ate breakfast at a little cafe next door and tried two of the Hoi An specialities. I tried Cao Lau, a soup of thick rice noodles with a generous helping of sliced roast pork and fresh herbs. Melissa had the shrimp wonton soup. An authentic Cao Lau can supposedly only use water from a special well in the city!! Both were incredibly good and Hoi An was certainly living up to its reputation of having very high food standards.

































Walking around Hoi An's crumbling old streets was a wonderful experience and reminded me of Melaka in Malaysia, remnants of colonial architecture standing tall and proud, their weather washed pastel walls radiating Mediterranean ambience as the midday sun beat down. We took a break and tried yet another Hoi An delicacy, 'white rose', a plate full of delicately steamed rose shaped shrimp dumplings topped with shavings of crispy (onion)?, and of course an ice cold midday beer to wash it down. :-)
































The evening times were spent doing pretty much the same as we did in the day, strolling up and down the beautiful old streets. We ventured over a bridge crossing a river and found a large number of restaurants that looked unnervingly quiet. We were hungry though so we sat down at one of them and then, there was a power cut!! Staff brought candles to the table and we looked over the menu and ordered a selection of fried wontons, the lovely steamed 'white rose' wontons, and some succulent steamed squid with chilli and lemongrass, cooked in banana leaf. The staff were very attentive and kind, he had to go off on his bike to get the squid!! After a quiet, pleasant evening, it was time to go home and we walked back, via some stray cats that Melissa decided to look after (as happens in every town in every country we go to!!).























































HUE


The next few days in Hoi An were spent strolling around the streets and relaxing by the pool. Our next stop was Hue, a short bus ride away. Hue was more built up than Hoi An and not as pretty but there were some impressive tombs and remnants of old palaces that took a full days worth of exploring. The local noodle soup, Bun Bo Hue was a spicier, more robust stock with chilli oil and slices of roast beef, unfortunately no photo as our battery ran out! Hue is famed for its imperial cuisine which is noted more for its presentation than its taste. Food would be cooked and made to look beautiful for the old emperor and would be served in many courses. Knowing this prior to our meal at the fancy restaurant, we were looking forward to the spectacle of the meal more than the taste. Thin Gia Vien is one of the more famous restaurants serving this type of cuisine and we were treated to many courses of wonderfully presented food. Take a look at some of the 'not so great' photos, unfortunately our third camera was starting to pack up now, probably all the greasy fingers taking food photos!!






























































HANOI

The next bus journey was a long one... 12 hours!! The sleeper bus was dirty and overcrowded and people were finding whatever space they could to sleep. We had people on the floor next to our bed, backpacks in the aisle, a French man moaning constantly behind us because the bus 'wasn't what he expected'. We'd learnt to expect the unexpected and just got our heads down and went to sleep, hoping at least that our bus driver wasn't drunk and would get us to Hanoi safely! We got to Hanoi in one piece but both of us were feeling a bit under the weather. Melissa had the beginnings of an eye infection and my tummy was doing somersaults again. We had to get our visa for China processed here so we ended up staying for a week. We got some much needed rest and relaxation and ate countless bowls of beef and chicken pho to make us feel better, some of the best pho in all of Vietnam!!






























































SAPA


A week later and feeling well rested we headed up to the Chinese border on the train from Hanoi to Lau Cai. It was a peaceful journey in a clean ,comfortable sleeper carriage and we got a decent nights sleep. We got off the train as the sun was rising and found a mini bus to take us to Sapa. We sat on the mini bus and I reached to get some money out of my money belt.... where was it??? OH NO!! "Melissa" I panicked, "I've left my money belt on the train!!" Melissa's response was not what I wanted to hear... "ME TOO!!" she said. Now bearing in mind our money belts had our passports, cash cards and the bulk of our cash in them there was definitely reason to panic. I ran off the mini bus and back towards the station platform, looking like some sort of tall, demented, foreign mad man to the bemused locals looking on. One scruffy man decided to take it upon himself to help me in my mission to get our money belts back. I got to the platform and to my dismay, the train we were on was slowly moving away. I started running after the train, not really knowing what I'd do when I reached it, and then someone stopped me and asked me what was wrong. "MY PASSPORT'S ON THAT TRAIN!!" I panted. "Don't worry" said the station attendant, "the train is coming back". Relief was not the word as the train slowly moved back towards the platform. Me, the station attendant and the scruffy man found our sleeper carriage and waited for the train to stop moving. The scruffy man asked me to wait outside while he went in to get our money belts.... hmmmmmm, I was starting to suspect his motives for helping me. As we opened the door he somehow managed to trap his finger in it and break off his dirty fingernail, yuck! The attendant lifted the pillows where me and Melissa decided to 'safely' put our money belts and they were under them, with everything still intact!! I've always loved the 'lost and found' feeling and this has to be up there with the most ultimate. I returned to the mini bus followed by the scruffy man who was angrily demanding money for his broken fingernail. After giving him a quid for his troubles, I got back on the bus, happily showed Melissa the two money belts and we set off for Sapa. I was a very happy man but we learnt to never leave our important belongings under a pillow again!

Sapa was beautiful and we enjoyed the fresh mountain air for a few days before we headed back down to cross the border into China. We ate lots of fresh vegetables and found a unique stand selling purple potatoes that were actually purple on the inside! Chicken with bamboo shoots was one of our favourite meals but as a whole, the food we had in Sapa was very simple and nothing extraordinary. We had a great time shopping at the local market, buying from the local Hmong tribe people. Daytimes were fresh, temperate and a pleasant change from sweaty Hanoi. At night times we would look out of our window and watch the most spectacular lightning storms over the mountains. We soaked up our last few days of calm and prepared ourselves for.... China!