Shantou Trip : Day 1

After years of talking about visiting my ancestral homeland in China, I finally made the trip. I went on a 4-day Chaoshan (潮汕四天游) trip in mid-October.

We left Singapore at 13:40 hours and reached Shantou around 6 in the evening. The sky was pitch black when we landed on Shantou’s tiny Waisha International Airport (汕头外砂机场), a former military airport. After clearing the customs, we boarded a coach to a famous restaurant chain in China for dinner.

On the coach, the tour guide gave each of us a tiny green bean biscuit(绿豆饼) to snack on. It was tasty so I placed an order for them  - 20 pieces for RMB25.

Until the 19th century, Shantou was only a small fishing village. It has a total population of over 5 million residents, is one of five special economic zones in China, and its commercial activities include it being the communication hub of south-east China. It is very rich in natural scenery, cultural relics, and folk customs.

We had a 14-course dinner. *burrrp*

It is usual to serve many dishes for a homecoming feast. I sampled every dish. I thought Teochew dishes are bland, these dishes were greasy and/or salty. I only like the braised goose liver, ginger chicken and Puning savoury noodles.

第一天晚宴 :
白灼活沙虾   飘香蚝仔烙   香煎韭菜粿    雀巢双珍宝   普宁炸豆腐
潮汕卤鹅肉   梅园沙姜鸡   清蒸多宝鱼    蒜蓉炒青菜   洋参炖珠鲍
普宁咸面线   潮汕卤鹅肝(全粉）

Desserts were overly sweet!
甜品 :  金玉满堂(糕烧番薯)
            白果芋泥

                                            orh luak (oyster omelette)

The oyster omelette (orh luak) is a famous Teochew dish but I wasn't impressed with the one served in this restaurant.

After dinner, we checked-in to our hotel. After my bath, I went across the street to buy bottled mineral water. Temperature that night was around 28 degree Celsius, I bought thick clothings which I didn't get to wear throughout this trip.