Street Meat is Hard to Beat

We are gifted to have such a variety of cheap street food right outside of our hostel.  We have fruit, rotti, fried chicken, grilled meat, Pad Thai, and others depending on the day; each cart is actually the sidecar to a scooter, so they can come and go as they please.  For the most part it is all cheap, 20TMB ($0.65) per stick or piece and 30THB ($0.97) for a rotti, and delicious.  We then run into the 7/11 that is next door and grab a 640ml cold beer for 42THB ($1.36).  We watch them make the food in front of us, so I don't think we can get too sick from it.

The stick food is marinated in a savory sauce and comes with a cherry tomato and pepper on the end.  

The fried chicken is maybe a little overcooked and dried out, but the alternative could be dangerous.  The skin is crispy and seasoned with a spiciness that tastes great.  

The rotti is either plain, as Renee likes it, or a dessert, like the banana, condensed milk, and powdered sugar one I got.  

We did find a Swedish run place that had great pizza for 200THB ($6.49). While, it wasn't truly street food, it had the carts in front of it and it had draft beers for 49THB ($1.59). Great food and the owner was willing to shoot the breeze with us.

Shanghai (at) Noon

Due to train schedules and whatnot, we were blessed with only 10 hours in Shanghai before we had to catch our next train.  We missed most of the city and have no real understanding of what it is really like, but we do know we want to go back.  The old, mixed with new architecture makes for a beautiful cityscape.  We went to the area call the Bund and from there we could see the financial Pudong area across the river.  The city was way too humid for September and after ducking in and out of the shadows for a few hours,and trying terrible seaweed ice cream, we settled on the aptly named Bund Brewery to avoid the heat.  Beers were 90RMB ($13.27) for half a liter of their own lager, ale, or hef.  All were good and they offered pint and liter sizes as well; we wanted to try all the brews with equal constitution, and stayed with the half liter.  

Xi'an

While kicking it in Xi'an, China, we figured a ride on the city wall was in order.  The wall has been restored and it turned out to be much larger than I had anticipated.  But, as an added bonus, there is a bike rental place on top.  After paying 40RMB ($5.90) each to get on the wall, we can rent bikes for 20RMB ($2.95) each with a refundable 200RMB deposit.  Well we wanted to save on the deposit cost and be extra cheeky, so why not get a tandem bike?  The bike worked fine, though it was a little wobbly from having a bent front end.  To go all the way around the wall it took us about 110 minutes and that was with an easy, steady pace with only a few stops for quick pictures.  The view during the day was of a normal Chinese city in my mind, but they sure know how to light up the place when the sun sets.  

That night we went out for for a dinner recommended by Lonely Planet of yangrou paomo at Lao Sun Jia.  I could it it everyday.  It is a beef soup with noodles and spices with bread crumbs thrown on top.  Super delicious as all the flavors mixed perfectly.  The restaurant was pretty hard to find and we walked past it several time, but we just worked up an appetite for the 24RMB ($3.54) per person we paid to share a bowl with beers.  

Little Sheep, let me come in

We found Little Sheep, a place on Ghost street (a popular restaurant area) that served Mongolian hot pot.  The food was very good and it helped to pacify Renee's shabu shabu craving.  We ordered the original broth that had a water based soup side and an oil based spicy side.  The meat and vegetables were ordered to go with it and we mixed them in as we saw fit.  The meal with beers and a water came out to be 60 RMB ($8.81) each and hit the spot after our long wall hike.  As the broth boiled down, the spicy side got spicier and the soup side just got more delicious.  All around a great experience and Lonely Planet did not lead us astray.

Great Wall of Taste and Value!

We have discovered a new love.  I'm thinking of going steady with it, and Renee isn't jealous; she may even join in.  I'm not talking about a human, but rather a dumpling. . . We have patronized to this shop three out of three days we have been in Beijing and will probably return in the morning.  The owner/dumpling maker now recognizes us and laughs.  The menu is huge, around 20 different varieties and we have only just skimmed the surface.  He only can say "Herro" and I motion for a serving by holding up my finger.  So far eight dumplings cost 4 rmb ($0.60) and I'd say that is a deal.

Today we ventured to a fried chicken stand to accompany our dumplings, and we were not disappointed.  A piece fried drumstick cost 2.5 rmb ($0.38) and is super crispy with the added curry/other spices putting the Colonel to shame.  Over all our stomaches and wallet (16 dumplings and 2 drumsticks for $1.92) agree, this is the greatest food (street or restaurant) we have had.  We offer our sincere apologies to the Peking Duck that previously held the much-coveted title.

Temple of Heaven: Heavenly?

The Temple of Heaven park was pretty nice and only costs 15RMB ($2.21) to enter; the through pass is recommended, 35RMB ($5.16), as it gets you into the sights within the park that would cost 20RMB ($2.95) each otherwise.  The park is fairly large and a ton of locals seem to just hangout there and play card games while smoking.  The sight carry a meaning that is lost on someone who isn't interested in Chinese history.  The architecture was nice and I'd say it was worth it to escape to an oasis within the city.  An added benefit is that the (in)famous pearl market is located just to the exit A at the Tian Tan Dongmen subway station that also serves the park.  Renee got pearls and I got to haggle, so it was a win-win for both of us.

I also tried the popsicles that seemed to be very popular with the locals; 3RMB ($0.44).  What flavor do you think the unbecoming white, frozen treat would be?  Plain? Mystery? Coconut?  Dim sum? Rice? Nope. BANANA! Yes, the yellow fruit gets a white makeover for the sun-scorched set.  I know bananas are yellow on the inside, but that isn't the color I usually associate with them.  Oh well, they are popular and cheap. So, who is really going to complain?  

Peeking What?

The world famous Peking duck that is originally found in Beijing was D-E-L-I-C-I-O-U-S.  We had seen it advertised at several different spots for varying amounts, though we settle on a restaurant that seemed busy.  The night didn't start off too well as we asked for water, and the server brought us a liter of peach nectar instead (yes, it cost more than water).  We saw this tried with several other foreigners to varying success.  Renee wasn't in the mood for nectar, so I was pretty full even before the appetizer came.  Because the duck takes 30 minutes to cook, we were advised to order a starter and we picked some sauteed green-beans that were great and not too filling.  

The real treat was the duck that is to be rolled up with vegetables and spices in thin, little pancake-like wraps.  The whole night cost 208RMB ($30.53) for the food, juice, water, and beers.  We started off a little disappointed when the server brought out a dish of just fried duck skin.  It looked like a small portion and we thought it was too oily for what we were going to pay for it.  After resigning to a lesson learned, the rest of the entree was brought out and the feast began.  

You can mix and match any combination of sides, sauces, and parts of the duck to make your own little wrap.  Sugar is provided to dip the skin in and while we were put off from it at first, it mixes excellently with the skin's oiliness, the spiciness of the sauce, and crunchiness of the vegetables.  Whatever amount of the duck we were served was perfect for the two of us and, while we could eat more, it left us full.  Definitely find a roasted duck place it you ever go to Beijing.  

 

Claypot in KL

Renee and I ran next door for some food and we were greeted by this place making Cantonese food outside for all to see.  The resturaunt makes the normal chinese-food fair, but what peaked out interest were the claypots everyone was ordering.  They offered these pots with just noodles, noodles and mushrooms (our favorite), and then any combination with chicken, beef, or fish.  The pots come in small and medium sizes, while a medium was enough to share between the two of us for 15MYR ($5) and something else ordered as a side.

As a respectable Chinese food establishment, they also served such goodies as fried rice, noodles, broccoli beef and other standard fair.  The fried dumplings, 1.2MYR/ea. ($0.38), were more like shrimp wantons, but good none-the-less.  

Vientiane

Renee poses for a stolen picture of the US Embassy; big no-no.

Random sight in the city

Eh, boring city, but kind of nice in a boring kind of way.  We spent several days at Loas Silk Hotel for 160,000 kip ($20) a night.  The place is the nicest we have stayed at since we started the trip.  Air conditioning, wifi, plush bed, etc.  We liked this place and it was close to the river.  The first night we ate along the river at a stand that served fresh caught river fish.  Very good as it was grilled in front of us and for only a few bucks with beers.  On another night we tried the Loas hot pot from a street vender, of course it was delicious.  We added the ingredients to the broth as it cooked on the clay pot grill in front of us.  

In terms of sight seeing, you are limited to buildings and oddities.  Nothing too interesting, but something to do as you pass though.  The Patuxai, is in the center of town and has a nice park and Buddha Park shows an eclectic's desire to show off.  

Vang Vien

The place was pretty small, but everything you would want was there.  Our room was 90,000kip ($11)  a night for a a double room that had a balcony facing the  river.  A great treat is sitting in one of the many restaurants that serve cheap Laos food and show popular TV shows.  It was easy to pay $3 for fresh juice and fried rice while watching seasons of Family Guy.  A random pillow kitten that was hiding makes it even harder to leave.