Wenchang @ Hainan Island - Photohunt 海南文昌之旅

Photohunt theme : Ball

It was evening when we reached Wenchang Rail Station. We were lucky to find an honest-looking cab driver who apologised for charging us 30 RMB for the short ride to the hotel. He claimed he had waited 5 hours at the railway station and we were the only customers he had that day. Wenchang is a small, quiet town with few tourist visitors. The locals do not ride cabs usually as the fare price is costly.

After checking into our hotel, we went out to meet our clansmen for dinner. We hired motorbikes to bring us to the restaurant. I was apprehensive and scared because both my husband and I had to ride on a motor bike. 3 people on a motorbike and without helmets!

But it was a good experience. It's been a long time since I rode on a motorbike. It costs 6 RMB per bike ride. It is the most common mode of public transport in Wenchang. We arrived at the restaurant safely :D

After our dinner, we went to shop for souvenirs. We were offered Hainan Island Chinese tea which is fragrant and has a slight bitter taste. Several members bought the tea leaves.

We went to a snack shop and bought some snacks to gift our relatives and friends back in Singapore. The prices here are cheaper than in Haikou and Sanya.

After washing up and changing back in our room, we went for foot reflexology and massage (99 RMB per person). The foot massage was so painful but my feet felt good after that. :)

We went to an open air food centre near a river for supper. I didn't dare to eat the food, the others ate traditional Hainanese desserts.

The next day, a fellow Hainanese bought us lunch. He bought fresh seafood from the local market and the famous Hainanese "goi yam" (desexed cockerel 海南阉公鸡) to the restaurant for them to cook.

There were about 12 dishes, some of the food are not easily available in Singapore. I tried a little of every dish so as to taste authentic, traditional Hainanese food. I felt so full after the feast.  

My husband's favourite traditional Hainanese snacks - sweet potato balls, deep fried peanut balls and salted egg yolk custard balls!

Chaozhou Kaiyuan Temple 潮州开元寺 - PhotoHunt

Photohunt Theme : Beam

On my trip to Chaozhou last October, I visted the Chaozhou Kai Yuan Temple (潮州开元寺) which is situated within the walls of Chaozhou Old City. A beautiful temple complex with several interesting courtyards filled with lovely trees and flowers. It was built over 200 years ago and has in recent years undergone a reconstruction.

We had a guide to bring us round and tell us the history behind this temple. The temple features the architectural style of the Song, Yuan, Ming and Qing dynasties. During the Cultural Revolution decade, a large number of Ming and Qing Dynasties relics were destroyed.

The temple was able to attract many visitors because it was said to have granted many worshippers' wishes. Tickets were cheap, only five reminbi. But from 4th March 2015, it is free admission.

We followed the guide on a tour of the temple grounds, looking up at the ceiling of a building..... What a sight! Pretty cool beams, huh?

The carving, sculptures and paintings are so intricate and abundant. We saw dragons and animals all around us. The intricately carved columns support a beam which is held together purely with joints as no nails are used.

Edible Bird's Nest - PhotoHunt

Photohunt Theme : Nest

On a trip to Malacca years ago, I chanced upon these swiftlets and their nests in an old hotel.

The swiftlets have been making one hall of the hotel their permanent home by building their nests in it.

The swiftlets constructed the nests using their saliva. From its sublingual salivary glands, the male bird produces a long, gelatinous strand of condensed saliva which is then woven into a half-cup nest, bonded to a vertical surface.

These bird nests, after careful cleaning, are edible.

Edible bird's nests from Sarawak

The much sought-after and relatively tasteless nests are collected and made into savoury or sweet soups. According to Chinese traditional medicine, the bird's nest soup maintains youthfulness and enhances our complexion.

Chinese Custom of Hit The Villain - PhotoHunt

惊蛰日，虎爷开口, 

拜虎爷,  打小人

Photohunt Theme : Custom

Today is the annual Jing-Zhe (惊蛰) also known as The Day Of White Tiger Open It's Mouth (白虎开口日). Some people would perform the "Hit The Villain" ritual in Chinese temples that worship the Tiger deity.

"Hit The Villain"  is a custom believed to beat away bad luck caused by enemies. In Singapore, it is practised in several temples to preserve this cultural heritage as it contains Chinese meteorology and Chinese folk custom.

Tiger deity (祭白虎)

This ancient Chinese ritual is performed using a slipper to hit an effigy, at the same time chanting to put a curse on the intended subject.

Other good days to perform "Hit The Villain" ritual based on our Chinese calender :
1) every 6th of lunar month
2) every 16th of lunar month
3) every 26th of lunar month
4) on the day that states Chu Ri (除日) in Chinese almanac

Wheels in Malaysia - PhotoHunt

 mini replica of our Singapore Flyer in Legoland Malaysia 

Photohunt Theme : Wheel

I found a couple of pictures with wheels in them on our trips to Malaysia.

wheel on an antique Chinese horse carriage

We were admiring the exterior of a Peranakan hotel in Malacca when the Security Manager offered us a tour of the place. The owner of the hotel has a huge collection of antiques in his private museum.

I Antique!?

We had a whale of a time in Malacca...., discovering quirky signs is part of the fun. hahaha.....

Happy Valentine's Day - PhotoHunt

Photohunt Theme : Cherished

To all my friends and readers on Valentine's Day :

You Are Cherished and Loved.

Here’s to a Valentine’s Day filled with good wine, good food and good friends.

情人节快乐!

Thai Tea and Plaid Table Cloth - PhotoHunt

Photohunt Theme : Plaid

I bought some beautiful plaid table cloths from Chatuchat, Bangkok. Glad that they were not expensive.

Recommended by a Thai friend, I bought this Thai tea mix for my family and a couple of relatives. In return, my relatives gave us some snacks.

I made Thai milk tea to go with the snacks for my husband on a lazy Sunday afternoon. :)

Shelter - PhotoHunt

Photohunt Theme : Shelter

Enduring sweltering heat to be the last one standing, the contestants persevered for hours to win a car.

How they wish they could take shelter under an umbrella.

Superfluous - PhotoHunt

Christmas celebrations 2014

Photohunt Theme : Superfluous

Members of Hainan Tan Clans (Singapore, Bangkok, Kuala Lumpur) having a fun time in Bangkok.

Laughter relieves us of superfluous energy, 

which, if it remained unused, 

might become negative,

that is, poison. 

Laughter is the antidote.” 

― George Gurdjief

Smooth Desserts In Chaozhou City - Photohunt

pretty five-flavour bean curd 潮州五味豆腐花

Photohunt Theme : Smooth

Within the ancient city gate of Chaozhou city is a tiny shop selling creative desserts.

Together with 3 of my tour members, we ordered their speciality : 5-flavours bean curd and another 3 desserts - steam milk pudding, pomelo with mango. honeydew with sago.

The 5 flavours of the bean curd were original, black sesame, strawberry, green tea and mango. A small saucer of sour prune powder came with the order. We couldn't taste the different flavours of the bean curd, but this sweet and sour combination was appetising.

The bean curd and steamed milk pudding were silky smooth.

Couldn't resist the smooth strawberry sundae from "golden arches" in China. hahaha.....

Chairman Mao's Little Red Book - PhotoHunt

the pocket-size edition of Quotations from Chairman Mao Tse-tung

PhotoHunt theme : Books

I was hurrying along to catch up with my tour group on a Chaozhou old street when I saw this tiny souvenir shop. I had to stop and take some photos.

I would very much love to go in and make some purchases but my mates were beckoning. arghhhh......

some books on Mao Zedong

Now I can only look at these photos of cheery Chairman Mao memorabilia.

Seconds after I left the souvenir shop, I snapped this picture. I was worried when this elderly gentleman stopped his bake in front of me. Uh oh ..... is he going to get angry with me for taking his picture?

He asked me where I came from and proceeded to tell me the history of the old brick building in the picture. Phew! haha.... he thought I was interested in the old building. It is more than a century old and has a long history.

I politely waited until he finished his story, thanked him and then ran as fast as I could to join my group.  :D

Teochew Culture @ Chaoshan - PhotoHunt

Teochew kung-fu tea demonstration 潮州工夫茶

Photohunt theme : Funny/Work tools

I had a glimpse of our fascinating Teochew culture during a trip to Chaozhou Ancient City (潮州古城).

Teochew kung-fu tea is unique to the Chaoshan area, I was served kung-fu tea in every house or shop I visited. Even my hotel room has a tea set for me to use. :)

I watched a Teochew kung-fu tea demonstration by a master craftsman and was awed by the elaborate steps required to prepare a cup of tea. I noted down the traditional technique of brewing tea including instructions on water type, temperature, infusion and grading of tea leaves.

To ensure the tea in every cup is the same temperature and strength, the tea is not poured one cup at a time. Without pausing, it is poured evenly over the cups in a circular motion. The brewing, serving and drinking of kung-fu tea is a fine art which I would love to learn more.

Notice the setup of a clay stove and kettle. Some older folks in Chaoshan still boil water like this. What's really interesting is the fuel they use for the stove - charcoal made from olive pits!

Inside the olive pits are nuts which carry oil substance that give out a unique light aroma when burnt. The master craftsman invited us to have a whiff of the aroma from the olive coal.

The shop sells a variety of tea leaves and basic sets of tea ware for those who want to enjoy a good brew. I already own a tea set and lots of good-grade tea leaves at home so I didn't buy any.

Teochew Hand-pulled teapot  潮州手拉壶

Next we visited a small factory to see the production of Teochew "shou-la" teapot..... i.e. hand pull method on spinning wheel.

Some members bought hand-pulled teapots which were made by a master craftsman and also come with certificates. A hand-pulled small teapot costs RMB 1250 while a medium one costs RMB 8000+.

Teochew Hand Hammered beef balls  手捶牛肉丸

One amusing scene that early morning was this hawker who was hammering away at the beef on a huge chopping board. From afar, I thought he was hitting a drum. I was thinking to myself : How funny! His drum didn't produce a sound.

When I saw what he was doing, I couldn't help laughing out loud. He offered a brief introduction without stopping what he was doing.

Hand hammered beef balls are the most common and popular of Teochew snacks. Beef mixed with some tendon is turned into a meat paste as he hammered the mixture using a pair of special wooden round sticks that resemble drumsticks.

The meat paste is then shaped into beef balls and cooked in beef bone soup. I didn't get to taste these beef balls as we were being herded to our next destination .... the downside of a guided group tour. :P

Fun Pictures Taken in Penang - Photohunt

Kids on a Swing  

PhotoHunt theme : Rock /Fun picture

On our recent trip to Penang we noticed many visitors who were tracking down the famous wall murals, were the younger generations aged between 10+ to 30+. Older folks like us were pretty few. :)

Bruce Lee's formidable kick

We looked so out of place amongst the youngsters, but we didn't care. We were having as much fun as them. haha....

Boy Reaching Up

Boy on a Bike

Man on a Rock ....  haha ....

We woke up early to take a photo of sunrise with Penang Bridge as a backdrop.                                       

Handwritten Batik on Madura Island - PhotoHunt

Cottage industry on Madura Island : Batik making 

Photohunt theme : Spots/Industry

On a trip to Surabaya (Indonesia) with my friends, our Indonesian hosts brought us on a day trip to Madura Island. Before we returned to the city in the evening, we visited a family who runs a successful cottage industry.

Drawing with a canting

The owner asked two of their batik craftswomen to wait for us so we could see Madura’s traditional type of batik being produced on the spot. Batik tulis (written batik) is drawn using only the canting (a a spouted tool).

The wax-resist dyeing is manually applied to a white cloth. Batik is made either by drawing dots and lines of the resist with the canting.

hot wax - usually made from a mixture of paraffin or bees wax

The skilful craftswomen were amazingly good with their hands and eyes. They were so fast and meticulous. Beautiful motifs appeared on the white cloth as their creative juices flowed. As it is handwritten batik, the motifs were never the same.

The owner then led us to a small room where she revealed her valuable stock of hand painted batik. Some pieces were really exquisite. Each piece of fabric takes about 2 - 3 months to complete. The more elaborate ones would take a year or more.

Several of my Singapore friends made purchases, that put me on the spot.  The batik were expensive. The owner doesn't accept credit cards. I could only watched enviously as I did not carry enough cash with me.  :)