My Trip to China 9/2/08 ~ 17/2/08

Okie dokie... So long since I last posted on this blog. Well, I met Carolyn ChiChi last weekend, and showed her the pics I've taken while I was in China visiting GC's family. I realized that I didn't really show the pics to many, and Charles Koko didn't see them too. So here goes...

GC's home is at 沈阳 (Shenyang), northeastern China. I visited his family during the CNY period. It was quite a good time to visit the city since it was a festive season. The only regret was that it didn't snow.... (global warming, *sigh*)

First there was.... 冰糖葫芦!!! I always couldn't imagine what kinda candy it is... it was my first time trying 冰糖葫芦, and I love it a lot!!

Picture of GC's grandparents, his two cousins & me. The kid on the left, 大龙, is really smart and funny. =)

Playing Indian poker with his cousins...

While waiting for the reunion lunch to be ready, the kids (including me, hehe) went down for some firecrackers!!

GC's father (standing). I guess GC will look like his father in 15 years time! Hehe! Well, the reunion lunch was nothing like ours in Penang... the food was... simply Overwhelming!!!

Before we all started eating, we celebrated GC's granny's bday. =) She looked so cute in that paper crown. Hehe. Oh, and the cake was gigantic! The bday candles were really special, they were on a lotus, and the lotus sang an electronic bday song when lit!

I made a little present for his granny. =) It was a painting with the words "福寿" on it.


The men's table

Me at the kids & ladies' table. It was too small for all the dishes and so we had to stack them up!


Alcohol is a must in reunion lunches!! =) This is me making a toast to GC's father.



The next day, we went to the 冰雪大世界 (Snow World?) near the city. The sculptures were amazingly huge! 


GC & his parents. It was damn cold at that time... - 20!!!

Me trying to balance myself on that slippery slippery snow. =) 


Pop & I

Ice sculptures. =) the Snow World is quite famous here, since northern China is popular for its cold weather (quite like Scandinavia)

GC's parents & I. The sculptures were fantastic once the lights were on! I've never been to a place where one can walk around in open space & enjoy the sculptures without having them melting! Hehe!

GC sliding down on ice! =D

After that we went to 赏灯 (lantern-watching), something that people usually do on the 15th day of CNY over there. =) They lit up the whole garden for that purpose.

Giant-size 冰糖葫芦! Yum yum!!




The next place that I've visited was the Shenyang's Imperial Palace (沈阳故宫). Apparently, it was where the Qing dynasty started!

Outside the walls of the palace... How many guards did they have to employ to petrol this extremely long walls??

大红灯笼高高挂!

GC & I in the palace. The picture on top was where the emporer had his meetings for day-to-day affairs of state, and at the bottom was where he met all his courtesans! Haha!

The palace is a UNESCO World Heritage site. =) Can you imagine that the Qing emporer once stepped on these stones, and probably stopped where I was, contemplating his state affairs?

At one of the palace's courtyards...

GC & I at the palace's gardens... =)


After that we met up with his old schoolmates, and went for Korean BBQ with some of them.


Next stop was the Qing emperor's graveyard. It is actually in a very big garden. So here we are at one small corner of the garden. Feels like we're in one of 徐志摩's poems...

After we've visited the graveyard, GC and I went for some ice skating... on a frozen lake!


Dinner with his family... =)


Shenyang's night scene...

Well, the trip left me with a good bunch of nice memories... his family was warm and accomodating. Also, I finally got to place myself in one of the nice scenaries of China I've imagined from all the poems that I've read in my secondary school days. However, there are still a great deal of cultural differences, and its difficult for me to fit into the place, as yet. 
But well, a nice shot for my first trip to China! =) Looking forward to the Great Wall now!!