Captivating China

Wow have I taken a hiatus from blogging! Its been a little while. I took some time off as I may have gotten caught up in the whirlwind of being newly engaged! Which was very quickly followed by venue search. However given that our wedding is locationally challenged (our families are on different continents) we have decided to take our time planning the shindig. I will have some pics on that and all the DIY fun I plan on having with it soon. But now, back to my current post, China.  We started in  Xian then onto Shanghai followed by a brief stop in Huangshan to see the yellow mountains (where avatar was filmed!) finishing off in Beijing. I was so pleasantly surprised with what it all. It wasn't what I was expecting. It was better. The landscape the people, the food, oh the food. Everything I put in my mouth was phenomenal. The street food, the peking duck, oh and all the noodles!  Here are some things you must do when in these Chinese cities: Xian: Xian is famous for the terracotta warriors. While this is definitely a highlight, my favourite part was walking through the Muslim Quarter sampling almost everything each stall had to offer. Xian was a major stop on the silk road and as such has a large muslim population. The food here is unique in that it chinese fare but heavily influenced by the Islamic community. So lamb and spices such as cumin are very common. Shanghai: A walk along the bund followed by a drink on one of the many roof top bars. The heritage European buildings on the one side is a stark contrast to ultra modern Pudong district on the other.  Beijing: The Peking duck is a must try here. We went to one of the oldest Peking duck restaurants in Beijing. The duck is roasted using a special wood which gives the duck this unique, deliciously smoky flavour. Every bit of the duck is used, the meat for pancakes and then the bones to make a soup which is drunk at the end of the meal. Scrumptious.  This trip was just a taste of what China has to offer. Theres so much more discovering I want to do. Perhaps a little more China en route Mongolia??  P.S I do realise I talk a lot about food (mostly because its my favourite thing to do, but also because it was especially good in China) in this post and theres not a lot of pictures. I did take heaps of wanky food photos on my iPhone and  would have posted more food photos here however my phone was stolen on my second last day in China. Bummer. Thank God for travel insurance!