Vignettes of the World
My Travel Journal
Once you’ve had Japanese food in Japan, you can never go back to Japanese food elsewhere. This has been the comment I have heard from many, many people. As this was my first trip ever to Japan, I naturally had high expectations for its food. …
The Gio-ji Temple lies in the quiet of Arashiyama’s back quarters, its petite garden covered in moss. Its humility is deceiving. Unlike the bigger temples, such as Tenryu-ji, Jojakko-ji or the Nison-in Temple, Gio-ji appears, at first glance, to pale significantly in terms of the …
If the 1,200 rakan statues that stand at the Otagi Nenbutsu-ji Temple represent the Buddhist followers’ celebration of their faith in life, then the 8,000 stone markers at the Adashino Nenbutsu-ji Temple are the proper tribute to death. The sky opened up at this hour …
The Hehu Xinju is in so many ways representative of Hakka culture in both Shenzhen and in China. In this tour of the enormous Hakka residential complex, I learned about the significance of the Luo family, who established its prominence in Shenzhen since the Qianlong …
Chenpi, the dried mandarin peel, is a specialty of Xinhui for as far as history remembers. In this part of China, the chenpi is so well-known that it is considered one of the three treasures of Guangdong, alongside with old ginger and straw. At first …
In this three-day, two-night trip, I tried three restaurants. After the heaviest day of sightseeing on Day 2, I decided to treat myself at Daxia Tanbao Restaurant. It serves Malaysian cuisine and offers a few significant strengths in its dining experience. Daxia Tanbao (Daxia Charcoal …
After seeing the Lvmei Ecological Park and the Shijian Park, I was geared up for some historic sightseeing. The Yamen Fort came into mind. The Qing dynasty era old fort stands beautifully restored at the mouth of the Pearl River. It has a proud history …
I had to leave and return to Xinhui in order to have a proper meal. I checked the Gaode Map App and realized that I could in fact walk from Lvmei Ecological Park to Shijian Park, which was what I intended to see next. The …
At Lvmei Ecological Park (Green Beauty Ecological Park—in Mandarin Chinese, “lv” is pronounced in l as the consonant combined with the French vowel “u”) in Shantouping, Xinhui, a flourish of purple tabebuia flowers has drawn the curtain for the spring season with a colorful song …
In January of 2025 we welcome spring with open arms. The floral season has begun, and I have been seeing some really beautiful photographs of purple tabebuia on travel and photography blogs. Striking the iron while it’s hot, I packed my bags for a quick …