These are names most of us often associate with the martial arts world in China. And it was a pleasure for TBL to be able to see the real deal at the famous Shaolin Temple.
In the past, they’re known as a sacred temple that only allows potential students entry if they’ve earned their worth, like kneeling outside the temple for days. Now, anyone can pop in for just the small fee of 100 yuan.
The Pagodas inside the temple grounds are amazing to look at. They’re actually a sort of tombstone to the dead masters over the centuries.
There was one in particular that had the funniest carvings on the side. See for yourself.
The TBL crew loves the natural outdoors, the undiscovered country and WWII-era German sidecar bikes.
Say hi to the official TBL bike!
It was a nice 6 hours ride to our destination and back -The Yellow Flower City section of The Great Wall. Along the way, we saw some beautiful sceneries and quite a few neat stuff.
There were livestock roaming the roads, grannies giving us the evil eye and a really shy donkey.
At a pitstop, we also came across a sign asking for an entrance fee to a trek across a river dam. The sign in English says 5 Chinese yuan, while the locals only need to cough up 3. Smile your way to the bank, granny.
On the way back down the mountains, we came across an overturned car. We were more intrigued by the staring folks than the actual car. They just stood there motionless for lord knows how long.
This is the second entry on TBL’s journey into the cradle of Chinese civilization – The Province of Henan. And we’re talking food this time around. Not surprisingly, the local dishes are unique and quite eye-opening.
First off, we went to a gate of one of the former castles in the city. It used to be the entrance to one of the emperors that settled here, but now it’s a whole area filled with food stalls, DIY shops, DVD stores and two laundrettes.
Chinese smorgasbord. You got pig lungs, pig feet, pig snout, pig ears and pork.
Friendliest food lady we’ve met so far. She was really digging her picture taken. We tried to explain we were not from The Food Channel, but her handmade “Zhien Bing” aka Pancakes deserved to be featured on TV.
However, the dish the central Chinese craves for most is Braised Rabbit. Minus the furry goodness, but keep the entire creature on the plate as well its skull, and voila – gourmet rabbit!
After all that crazy food, one good way to balance them would be to go chew on some “ManTau” aka wheatbread. Handmade from fresh flour, and completely flavorless. It’s the perfect complement with any crazy dishes out there, not to mention it costs like RMB0.15 (USD0.021)
Yay! The TBL crew’s back from a trip to the Henan province in central China, stopping at the city of Zhengzhou, Luoyang and the awesome real deal Shaolin Temple. OK, besides the Shaolin temple, we doubt many out there would know the significance of this province. We’re not gonna lay down a history lecture, but we will point out that this area’s biggest deal is that it’s the birthplace of the First Dynasty of Ancient China. Imagine the history, the relics and the culture. We had such a blast we’re blogging this experience in three parts.
The first entry are some amazing images of Buddha carvings located in the Longmen Grottoes. We at TBL are lovers of art and design, and let us just say that artists these days are amateurs compared to these centuries-old masterpiece carvings. The details were shockingly intricate, life-like and awe-inspiring, and they did it all without the Command-Z button.
The Japanese might have based their Capsule Hotels on these caves.
This particular cave has over 100,000 Buddhist imagery etched on the walls at last count. You can’t help but feel spiritual here…and the weird sense like you’re being watched. So be a good boy, little one.
The only thing missing is their refusal to accept medical insurance at this medicinal establishment. I mean, we all have our personal ways of dealing with pain. And this Clinic is exactly what we all need, without the sights of sick people and god forbid, dead people.
Instead, you get the sights of a clever and ironically themed lounge bar + restaurant located in the heart of Singapore’s party zone – Riverfront at the Clarke Quay. This place is exactly the way one would play it with their wheelchair seatings, drinks served in syringes and IV drips and surgery lighting fixtures.
FINALLY, a perfect nice place to play out your naughty nurse/patient fantasies.
While we make our travels through different parts of the world, we would come across some amazing stuff. At the same time, we would come across penises.
Thankfully, not the ones from a naked dude flashing us on the streets. We’re talking about items that are innocently phallic-like and placed in public display.
This was a flower arrangement in the Beijing International airport. The florist was probably a little too imaginative or he/she hasn’t been getting some lately.
Eat your penises. Literally. Well, this is actually a popular and expensive seafood thing. Popular among Asians. I think I’m gonna stick to the salad.
Two weeks of family gatherings, gorging on food, absorbing noise and air pollution from fireworks. But now we’re back! We were away for the Chinese New Year, sorta like a Thanksgiving on steroids. In this entry, we’re gonna show you images and a video of the celebrations from THREE countries – China, Malaysia and Singapore. We were there, and we were overloaded in every sense.
This video was taped by our buddy, DJ Patrick Yu (www.blinkevents.cn) from the top of his apartment in Beijing. July 4th is kid’s play compared to this.
The color RED is key to everything. It means fortune, prosperity, cash, money and hos. The vibe is quite overwhelming and one can really feel the energy. If you weren’t color blind before, you will now.
But in case that ain’t enough, we have loads of other activities to make sure you know shit’s happening, like lion dancing and offerings to the gods (with booze, fruits and burning fake cash money.) It’s kinda like you could bribe Santa for goodies.
The last day of Chinese New Year is February 21st, the fifteenth day of the new Lunar Calendar. And on that day, the sky will once again explode and families will have one last gathering. One significant dish served is called “Lo Yee Shan” – it has various colorfully dyed veggies, crunchy chips and raw fish and jellyfish. To eat it, everyone has to jab their chopsticks in it and toss it like you would salad. The idea is that everyone will share in the fortunes to come, as if you’re tossing cash money in the air. We’ve had quite a few of these dishes so we’re gonna be rich.
Now we can afford new pants to fit our larger waistlines.
The Bag Ladies
The Bag Ladies • Bloggers of Cool Shit 