Bukchon Hanok Village in Korea

Trip to Seoul in korea, Bukchon Hanok village

 

Hanok Village is consisted by hundreds of korean traditional houses called 'hanok' that was built in the Joseon Dynasty. It is located in the heart of Seoul whih is the capital of Korea and also is surrounded by Gyeongbokgung Palace, Changdeokgung Palace and Jongmyo Shrine, Bukchon  The name of this town is called, 'Bukchon,' which literally translates to 'northern village,' came about as the neighborhoods that the village covers lie to the north of the two significant Seoul landmarks, Cheonggyecheon Stream and Jongno.

 Today, many of these hanoks operate as cultural centers, guesthouses, restaurants and tea houses, providing an opportunity to experience, learn and immerse in Korean traditional culture.

So many of foregin travlers are visiting this place to experience and see more traditional part fo Korea. There are bunch of traditional craft shops, traditional foods resturants  and cafes and traditional Hanok guesthouses.

Especially, there is traditional street, called Insadong. It is located just right next to Buchon village. This street has lots of traditional crafe and art work and sometimes there are lot of performances on the street so it is enjoyable to see and feel the traditional part of Korea.

Source: https://www.youtube.com/watch?feature=player_embedded&v=BYNPrPGRGqc



Sydney Tall Ships

If what you want is a lunch on the ocean then you may want to check out Sydney Tall Ships cruises. Passengers can get a truly authentic Australian experience watching food being barbecued while having a view of Sydney harbour. The cruises are 2 hours long on and take place aboard an 1850's style authentic Tall Ship through Sydney harbour.
It's not really about food as much as sailing. Chicken skewers, yogurt with mango, egg rolls, cut vegetables and prawns are some of the foods on the menu

Something unique about the cruise is that you can climb the mast. Sure it costs an extra $20 but it really puts you in the scenes you see in movies with these big ships like Pirates of the Caribbean.

Sources
http://www.adventurestoday.org/images/large/1234501085.jpg
http://www.tallshipfestival2013.com/Publish/images/tallshipssydney.png

Sydney Tower

Sydney tower is currently the 37th tallest building in the world at 309 meters tall. The view from the tower is quite something; you can see in all directions with all of Sydney below you. You can see the ocean from the tower as well as Hyde Park, the Harbour bridge and many other landmarks in Sydney.

You can also take the skywalk, which is walking on a glass floor viewing platform with the streets of Sydney directly below your feet. To put the height in perspective the skywalk is twice the height of the Sydney Harbour Bridge, so if you don't like heights that may not be for you, but it is quite a unique experience. You can see the glass floored skywalk below.

There is also a restaurant that is one floor of the tower aptly named the revolving restaurant as the floor moves slowly around to give views from every angle. The restaurant serves lunch from 11:30 to 2 and dinner which can be between 5 and 9pm. The food served includes seafood, modern Australian, Italian, Chinese, Japanese and Thai cuisine.

Sources
http://www.redballoon.com.au/media/products/au/321x214/STB220_01.jpg
http://d391ajziizh6xg.cloudfront.net/media/products/au/321x214/BRD181_02.jpg
http://farm3.staticflickr.com/2484/5799408043_5327581111_b.jpg
http://i.cdn.travel.cnn.com/sites/default/files/styles/article_large/public/2011/06/15/sydtowermain.web_.jpg?itok=ZsOWDmoJ

XiAn-Muslim Snack Street

                                                        Muslim Snack Street

Apart from its profound history, the ancient city Xi'an is also known for many wonderful dishes. If you are interested in Xi'an’s local snacks, the Muslim Snack Street right behind the Drum Tower is on the top of our recommendation list that you should visit.

or a special snack from the Middle East, Muslim Snack Street is the only area specializing in Muslim food in the city. The street is lined with small snack bars and restaurants, some of which are open around the clock. Diners on this street will find intriguing and tasty snacks such as cured beef and mutton, bean jelly in meat juice, fried dumplings, roasted fish, instant boiled mutton and barbecued mutton. Roasted seeds and nuts are also available.

Below are top three popular Xi’an snacks that you can get in the Muslim Snack Street.

Mutton Paomo (Steamed Bun Soaked in Mutton Soup)

A very famous local Xian dish with a long history is Mutton Paomo. The dish consists of mutton soup with a loaf of flat bread crumbled into it. Before eating, the bread is broken into pieces and put into an empty bowl. The waiter then adds the mutton soup. The mixture is eaten along with mutton soup, pickled garlic cloves, cabbages, cooking wine, vermicelli, and salt.

Roujiamo (steamed bread with mincemeat fillings)

Fried pork or beef stuffed in pita bread, sometimes with green peppers and cumin. It is very similar to the hamburger, thus the name "Chinese Hamburger.”

Liangpi (cold noodles)

Cool noodles, made of rice or wheat, taste spicy and great. Liangpi (cold noodles) is a famous summer snack and known for its white color, thin shape, and smooth surface. It is eaten along with garlic, ginger, pepper, sauce, vinegar, bean sprouts, capsicum flour, salt, sliced cucumber, caraway, chicken essence, sesame oil etc.

Muslim Snack Street is located close to the Drum Tower in Muslim Square. It is a vibrant area with many restaurants spilling out onto the street and mixing with the street sellers. Walking along the Muslim Snack Street, you will not only taste the wonderful Muslim cuisine, but also gain a full glimpse of local customs and culture.

Southern California

              photo by: http://www.panoramio.com/photo/28908117 via bing- Newport Beach Pier.

View Newport Beach video posted by: <http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wBZaxH1PBFU>

Southern California’s most famous city is none other than Los Angeles; but there are some well known smaller and tourist friendly cities such as Newport Beach and Laguna beach. These towns are ocean towns. Newport is known for Newport Beach Pier, Balboa Island and the famous Route 66 (which singer Nat King Cole sang about) runs through this town. Laguna Beach is known for its famous cliffs that over looks the Pacific Ocean and it rough swells. In Laguna Beach you will have to park your car and walk down the side of a cliff to access the public beach. Laguna Beach has limited parking so it is good idea to get there early in the day. As for trying a true Southern California cuisine, I recommend fish tacos. It is basically pieces of grilled fish in a soft taco shell served with lettuce or cabbage, pico del gallo and a citrus mayonnaise. Additionally, Southern California has good weather all year long so be sure to pack lightly and enjoy the beautiful vistas and its various delicacies.

                                Photo by:http://www.poormet.com/grilled-fish-tacos/  via bing

Washington D.C. Travels

picture by: sushicam.com, via:http://thoughtsquestionsqueries.wordpress.com/2013/04/08/explore-tidal-basin-washington-dc/> 

Washington D.C video posted by : <http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dsrM_aVjpn4>

The American capital Washington D.C. has many historical points-of-interest for sightseers to view. Starting at the National Mall, tourists can see the Washington Monument (currently undergoing repairs) and the Reflecting Pool. Also within the vicinity are the Lincoln and Jefferson Memorials along with the Capital Building--where Congress meets. The White House is open to tourists, but be prepared a long wait because visitor lines are usually lengthy.  

The summers can occasionally reach temperatures up to 37.7 C or 100 F; so pack plenty of water to rehydrate. However, if traveling during the cooler Spring months (especially April), you are in for a real treat with the cherry blossoms that bloom at the Tidal Basin--not far from the National Mall. These cherry blossoms originally came from Japan and have been a part of the D.C fixture for over one hundred years. After a full day of sightseeing in D.C., Union Station is a great place to sit down and have a meal. There are several restaurants ranging from Greek to Cajun cuisines. Additionally, there is the famous American ice cream store of Ben and Jerry’s--where you can try the Cherry Garcia flavour. Union Station is an essential hub for millions of rail travelers annually. It is a similar facility to that of New York’s Grand Central Station. 

The great thing about D.C. is that most of the attractions are within close walking distances from each other. Yes, it is expensive, however, the memorable experience is well worth the trip. Enjoy your stay in D.C.!!

picture by: https://www.pinterest.com/pin/23784704254110246/

Hakone, hot-spring town in Japan

HaKone in Japan

Hakone is part of the Fuji-Hakone-Izu National Park, less than 100 kilometers from Tokyo. Famous for hot springs, natural beauty and the view of nearby Mt. Fuji, because Hakone has varise of renowned spas and it also has a large historical zone. A historic hotel, exotic streets, unique hot springs and open-air museums are all accessible via the Hakone Tozan Line.

 "Hakone Seventeen Spas."
A view of Mt. Fuji is not the only view that you can enjoy in Hakone. There are a number of spots to visit, including O-waku-dani (where volcanic fumes still bear a trace of the Hakone Volcano), Lake Ashi-no-ko (created in the crater of the Hakone Volcano), Susuki-sogen (silver grass field) of Sengokuhara, a stone Buddha and stone towers situated in Moto-Hakone, and cedar trees along Kyu-Kaido Street. Various methods of transportation, such as mountain railway, cable car, ropeway, and cruising boat, are available to bring you to these spots.

 Around Kowakidani Station, there is a hot spring theme park named Hakone Kowakien Yunessun, a Mediterranean-style public bath. It is divided into two sections, in one you bathe with your bathing suit on and the other you bathe without. You can choose the one you like. In the former section, you can enjoy various unique baths, such as a coffee bath or a wine bath. In the latter section, you will relax in the cypress bath, in the magnificent nature of Hakone.

There is the Hakone Open Air Museum. This museum is composed of an open air area displaying 100 sculptures, including the works of Rodin, Milo and Moore, representing modern and contemporary fine arts, and features the Picasso Pavilion and Picture Gallery.

Espcially, there are various historical hotel in Hakone and they serve lot of special japanse styel sea food course meal incluse Sashimi ,Sushi and Machi. so you can enjoy the fresh food after having hot spring bath.

Resource :
 https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1IWcLalLlAk



 

Travel And Foody New Blog !!!

Hello out there, here is a new blog that combines the beauty of traveling along with sampling food along the way. There will be several posts to this blog by different users expressing their personal experience during their travels. We invite you to enjoy reading the journeys that we have experienced.

 

            Picture by: http://www.livelingua.com/blog/language-barrier-travel-tips/ via: Google

AnYang-Travel and Food

                                                                   YinXu

Located about 2 km (1.2 mi) northwest of Anyang are the ruins of the Shang Dynasty capital known as Yin. This massive archaeological site was discovered in 1899, excavated in the decades that followed, and first opened to the public in the 1980s as the Garden Museum of Yinxu. The current museum was opened on 16 March 2005, and includes the famous Tomb of Fu Hao. The site is inscribed on the UNESCO list of World Heritage Sites
.

                                                              WenFeng Pagoda

Wenfeng Ta (Literature Peak Pagoda) on the grounds of the Tianning Temple is believed to have been constructed in 925 and is known, from inscriptions concerning the reconstruction of the temple, to have been in place by 952. The current pagoda was constructed during the Ming Dynasty and received its current name during the Qing Dynasty due to its proximity to the Confucian temple. The five-story dark red brick octagonal tower is 38.65m high and is, unusually, larger at the top than the bottom and is topped with a 10m Lamaist stupa-style dagoba steeple. The pagoda stands on two-metre-high stone pedestal and is decorated with multi-eave pent roofs and carvings of Buddhas and bodhisattvas. The unique pagoda is the symbol of Anyang.

                                                                 HuiMian

HuiMian is the must special snack food to try if you going to AnYang. HuiMian is made of high quality bread flour as raw materials, and with the stock and many kinds of dishes, a kind of similar wide pasta noodles. Soup good gluten, nutrients .

BEIJING--part 2

Beijing not only has scenic spots and historical sites, but also has a lot of famous cuisines. Today, I am going talk about my favorite food material which is mutton. When talking about lamb cuisines, I will recommend 4 centuries-old restaurants.

 

Firstly, the bai kui burn mutton. “Bai Kui" is the original "east long shun halal museum" of the owner. The store was founded in the Qing emperor Qianlong (1780), has been 200 years of history. The Bai Kui burn mutton has unique flavor and high reputation in Beijing city.

 

Secondly, “yue sheng zhai” is a specializing in the sauce of halal beef and mutton in the name of a shop, it opened in Qing emperor Qianlong forty years (AD 1755), to today have a history of more than 250 years.

 

Thirdly, The barbecue season. This restaurant was founded in the Qing emperor 1848, and famous of barbecued lamb and beef.

 

Finally, Dong Lai Shun Hot Pot is the most

famous hot pot chain restaurants in Beijing and has been cooking up a storm since 1903.

 

These four restaurant are called as the four famous mutton cuisines restaurant in Beijing.        

 (all pictures from Baidu)
 

Macau-gambling

Macau (also spelled. Macao, Ou3 Mun4 in Cantonese, Àomén in Mandarin) is a Special Administrative Region (SAR) of China. Located across the Pearl River estuary from Hong Kong, until 1999 Macau was an overseas territory of Portugal. One of the world's most densely populated spots, Macau is best known as Asia's largest destination for gambling taking in even more revenue than Las Vegas. Gambling is Macau's biggest industry and busloads arrive daily from mainland China to try their luck. In addition, many Hong Kongers arrive on weekends with the same aim. For many years, the Casino Lisboa was the most famous and a landmark well known to people outside Macau, but it is being eclipsed by Sands Casino which opened in 2004. Nevertheless, the original Casino Lisboa is still worth a visit as its halls contain many original antiques on display from the private collection of gambling tycoon Stanley Ho.

CANTON TOWER

Canton Tower formerly known as Guangzhou TV Astronomical and Sightseeing Tower and also known as Guangzhou Tower is a 600m, 1,969 ft tall multi-purpose observation tower in the Haizhu District of Guangzhou (historically known as Canton or Kwangchow), Guangdong, China. The tower was topped out in 2009 and it became operational on 29 September 2010 for the 2010 Asian Games. The tower briefly held the title of tallest tower in the world, replacing the CN Tower, before being surpassed by the Tokyo Skytree in 2011. It is the tallest structure in China and the fourth-tallest freestanding structure in the world.

The tower, although not fully completed, opened to the public on 1 October 2010 in time for the 16th Asian Games, hosted by Guangzhou in November 2010. The rooftop observatory finally received its official opening in December 2011

BEIJING-part 1

BEIJING, also called as Peking, is a city with 3000 years history, one of four ancient capitals in China. The modern city structure was founded by Ming dynasty (AD 1368-1644) and Qing dynasty (AD 1636-1911). When talking about Beijing with people from other countries, the great wall might be the first impression. The Great Wall is the grandest stone defensive construction in ancient China. Located in North China, it stems from Shanhaiguan Pass in the east and stretches to Jia Yu Guan in the west. With a total length of 6700 kilometers (over 10000 li), it is also known as "A ten-thousand-li wall”. Initially built in the Warring States Period and rebuilt in later dynasties, the Great Wall is an ancient defensive project with the largest workload and longest duration of construction in China or even around the world. It has been included in the List of World Heritages and rated as one of the "Seven Wonders of the World".

The Qin Great Wall and Ming Great Wall (the great walls built in the Qin and Ming dynasties respectively) are the most famous in history. The Qin Great Wall is featured by stone structure and its majesty and magnificence. A comparatively integral segment of Qin Great Wall sites is preserved in the area of Baotou City. The most integral and magnificent segment of Great Wall in history is the Ming Great Wall which was built for the purpose of guarding against invasion of Mongolian troops from North China.

The Great Wall is comprised of various defensive buildings including rampart, watch tower, oasis town, fortress, commanding station, Balefire stages. It is an integral defensive project system. These buildings are invested with distinct features of Chinese traditional architecture in terms of its layout, construction, decorations and paintings. They reflect the extraordinary engineering techniques of ancient China.

The Great wall is also a reservoir of brilliant literature and art works in ancient China. A variety of artistic forms regarding Great Wall has come to existence continuously and spread far and wide. They include ancient poems, poetic essays, folk literature and dramas. The Great Wall has served as a symbol of the spirit of Chinese nation, precisely as what the saying goes, "He who has never been to the Great Wall is not a true man".

 

 

Sydney attractions - Circular Quay

For anyone in Sydney Circular Quay should definitely be on your list of places to visit. Firstly there are two of the most iconic landmarks in Australia; the Harbour Bridge and the Opera House, seen on the right. 

There are many great restaurants with excellent reviews in circular quay including the Waterfront restaurant, which has a great view of the Harbour Bridge and the Opera House. There is also the Ventuno pizzeria which has a nice view of the harbour.

Then of course there are the ferries which take you across the harbour to Taronga zoo, Watsons Bay, Manly and many more places in Sydney.

Sydney gets very hot in the summer, so if you don't like the heat come to Sydney in autumn or winter. Temperatures in the summer are sometimes 35+ (Celsius).

Sources used

http://www.boomvisits.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/10/Sydney-Opera-House-2.jpg

http://www.experiencesydneyaustralia.com/images/concepts/CircularQuay1.jpg

London

The best time to enjoy travelling to London, England is during the summer months. The weather tends to be comfortable and warm; not hot. The most amazing attractions are accessible by public transportation. On the  must see list is Buckingham Palace, Tower Bridge, Tower of London and world famous Wimbledon--tennis anyone?

As for the food, London is an international city with a vast number of different ethnicities. You won't be disappointed with the selections of cuisines to choose from such as: British, Indian,Chinese and Lebanese. Traffic is an issue so make sure that you pack plenty of patience because you will need it. The people around London are very friendly and helpful making it a tourist friendly city.

London video by : <http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cT7dez7D054>

Picture Sources:

http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/2/21/001SFEC_TOWER_BRIDGE-200705.JPG

http://resources.woodlands-junior.kent.sch.uk/customs/questions/london/tower.htm