When the Goddess become matchmakers

This is something I've never heard before "Temple of Matchmaking Gods" .... Interesting enough to check out. Strangely, somehow the place looks familiar, I'm quite sure I've seen similar photos before...Initially I wasn't really looking forward to this trip. Wuxi, an hour or so drive from our place. So what, it's going to be one of those so-so touristical places crowded with hundreds of people making a total mess everywhere. So typically chinese. The only thing that kept me going was the fact that we'd be travelling in a big group of americans plus a few of the hotel's staff, which are quite a fun crowd. After there're several of long stay guests I am quite familiar with. Shouldn't be that bad.

First stop would be a lake, Taihu Lake. My thought was "another not-so-special lake spot that the chinese are so crazy about" and I was right. It was a plain boring lake with greyish cloudless sky and nothing to do. Entrance ticket costs RMB105/pax included the ferry across to Fairy Island. *yippee...NOT* Again, as I've mentioned in my previous posts about the description of some god-knows-where supposedly tourist attraction in china, do not believe 100% what they write.

Quote : "........The Taihu Lake is characterized by its picturesque natural scenery. The Turtle Head Islet, Fairy Islands (The three-Mount Island), the Three Kingdoms City and Water Margin City etc. are all the spots that worth a visit in Wuxi, Jiangsu Province..... "

Honestly, what ARE these guys ON?? But then again, most of these reviews come from a gov website or travel agent. Yeah, well....

After like a 25 mnts ferry across to Fairy Island - with what looked like 500 other chinese, we got there. As this is supposed to be the place where they produce fresh water pearls, we saw many clam shells along the lake shore, some were as large as the palm of my hands.

Ancient remnants of Taoism dotted a few spots in here. Some are quite interesting for photo objects. Just to let you know, it's very difficult to shoot an object here in china, as there's always some smart-ass trying to get into your shooting range. Mostly would prefer to stop and gape when you decide to press the button. Mind you, the chinese are quite known for subtlety....not!

A simple lunch to end the lake tour. Cold cuts of bland steamed chicken, seaweed pickles which were quite disgusting, dark soy fried fish, baby shrimps, stir fried tofu & crab meat, and a couple of other fish dishes which were quite edible. A few guys who seemed unfamiliar with this type of dishes looked quite uneasy, obviously they're first timers in china. Without missing a beat, Mike and one of the guy said that in chinese culture, guests of honor usually have the fish' eyes and head. First timers in china are considered as 'guest of honor....'

I couldn't believe they pulled this off together. The guy actually swallowed the fish eyes without blinking. We tried so hard to keep a straight face when he did it, but I just burst out laughing when he commented that it was quite tasteless, but kinda gooey, then someone answered "Oh, it's probably the eye socket...."

I think he lost his appetite for the rest of the afternoon. Oh yeah, I didn't know americans could handle spicy food better than the kiwis. The handy travelling size bottle of my 'sambal ABC' from mom went around the table that afternoon

For more photos of the trip, click here

One Day in Hangzhou

Liburan Imlek disini berlangsung agak lama, sekitar semingguan, at least 10 hari sesudahnya pun masih banyak kantor2 yang libur. Denger2 dari cerita temen2, Hangzhou katanya lumayan juga buat jalan-jalan. Sedikit refreshing liat danau dan spring yang katanya udah mulai disana, sementara Changshu tempat kita tinggal masiiiih aja gerimis dan temperaturnya dibawah 5 derajat. Brrrr..... Sedikit info tentang Hangzhou, kota kecil di provinsi Zhejiang, sekitar 2 jam perjalanan dari Shanghai, dan 2 jam dari Changshu. Populasinya sekitar 6 juta orang *Biasanya gw nggak terlalu peduli sama urusan populasi..... Tapi waktu kemarin jalan-jalan ke danau, ada kali tuh setengah populasi penduduk yang juga jalan2 ke danau*

Oh iya, gw juga belajar untuk gak percaya dengan kata2 surga di fast facts google search waktu nyari info tentang satu kota di China. Menyesatkan tuh fakta2nya. Ngaku-ngaku aja sebagai "the most well-known and popular tourist destination on earth"....... In reality the most interesting thing you can find is either a man made lake (like in Suzhou) or this so called famous gardens and parks (like in Changshu). Which tourist in the right mind would fly across the world to visit a lake or some gardens??? *gilingan banget gak sech, kolam aer mancur pizza man di Sudirman aja lebih bagus*

Untungnya Hangzhou agak mendingan dari perkiraan. Pemandangan di sekitar West Lake (Xihu) lumayan laaahhh.... cantik juga saat sunset. Selain jalan-jalan ke West Lake, di sekeliling danau memang banyak banget tea houses - salah satu specialtynya Longjing Tea yang memang asalnya dari Hangzhou. Longjing lumayan enak, tapi jenis yang lainnya belom kepengen nyoba karena menurut gw rasanya mirip kaya rumput laut!

Local signature dishes yang sempet kita cobain malemnya enak banget dan definitely an addictive material. West Lake Sweet Vinegar Fish yang juicy karena sang ikan setelah di-marinate, di-steam sampai lembut banget trus dilumuri gravy cuka coklat kental yang rasanya gurih asam menggigit dan manis. Hmmmm. Bikin ketagihanlah pokoknya. Cuma, tulang-tulangnya agak ribet makannya. Kalo nggak mau tulang, bisa minta dibuatkan ala Sweet & Sour aja, yummie juga kelihatannya. Mereka ambil ikan2nya langsung dari tambak di danau depan restauran. Jadi masih fresh banget! Nama Inggrisnya fresh-water grass carp, nama Indonesianya gw gak bisa inget... yang jelas dulu waktu kecil gw sering banget makan gituan. Bukan ikan sepat, bukan ikan gurame, bukan lele, duuuh, apa ya???

Satu lagi yang katanya signature dish, Longjing Shrimp, udang di stir fried dengan bumbu minimalis dan ditaburi teh hijau. Rasanya...... agak hambar kalo menurut gw sih. Bukan pencinta masakan udang minimalis sih, at least musti pake cabe atau di-asam manis.

Spring udah mulai dibagian dunia sini. Weeping willows udah keluar tunas2nya, juga cherry blossoms yang kecil2 kaya kancing tapi wangi banget. Foto2 masih gw update, belom sempet kepegang secara malem ini gw 'dipaksa' masak dinner buat boss nya Mike. Hiiiihhh....

Xihutiandi - scenic garden surrounding the lake with great cafes to soak the evening sun and sip a great cup of coffee.

Must-try signature local dishes from Hangzhou:

West Lake Sweet Vinegar Fish, Dongpo Pork, Beggar's Chicken and Shrimps in Longjing Tea

Restaurant LouwaiLou

30 Gushan Road, Solitary Island

West Lake Side

Ph: 0517-7965416

** Resep Sweet Vinegar Fish bisa dilihat disini