Playing with light and motion flow at the night noodle markets in Sydney

Recently we popped down to Sydney's Hyde park for the annual Night Noodle Markets. A culinary experience under the stars, the noodle markets is part of Crave Sydney International Food Festival.

The park is lit up like a carnival, multi-coloured lights dance off the leaves and tree trucks casting shadows creating an ambient mood as you sit and devour your dinner of choice (we went with the dumplings... YUM!)

Pop-up bars are also on hand to help water-down your dinner - I recommend hitting the cider tent!

Make sure you get in quick though - the noodle makets down run for long:

When: October 3-5, 8-12, 15-19
Time: 5-10pm

www.cravesydney.com

Below area few images I took learning how to do motion blur and low-light photography.

You have to have tea in China

Its true, the tea in China is pretty good. In search of a tea experience, we ventured into the heart of the Muslim Quarter in Xi'an.

The Muslim Quarter is located behind the massive Drum tower - Just make sure you're on the right side of the road - The pedestrian underpasses can be a little confusing at first.

Rani had a business card with the address of a tea house on it - this was our mission for the afternoon! Find the tea house.  We snaked our way through the Muslim Quarter markets (if you love shopping, you will love this market - It is full with everything- although there is a lot of counterfeit items - so be careful what you buy.)

Down a small alley way we found our tea house. The walls were lined with Jars of herbs and dried teas, the smell of jasmine hung in the air. Our host was amazing - She gave us a lesson on how to correctly brew different types tea. We sat down to a green tea and a black lychee tea with home made 'rusks', they weren't actually rusks but its the closes I can think to describe what they are.

The Muslim Quarter is full of street food, dried fruits and nuts - if you have time, stop by the puppet show for a traditional display of beautiful craftsmanship and storytelling.

No need to catch a cab here (well not from our hostel) The underpass pedestrian walkways make navigating the city easy - again - as long as you exit at the right turn off!

Pandas

This is the only other post from my China collection that may have a negative undertone (the other being the last post about the warriors). I am an animal person - I have such a huge soft spot for all animals that sometimes, yes sometimes, I get a little over emotional when I see them ill-treated. This is the only negative feedback I have about our stay in Xi'an. I had never seen a panda before. As keen as I was to see one - I had strict expectations. I did not want to see one in a cage or in a horrid zoo.  We specifically asked the hostel what the 'Panda Sanctuary' was like. We were told it was a rescue place in the jungle for orphaned or injured pandas. I thought, 'hmmmm OK - maybe I can deal with that'.

300 RMB (Close to $50 AUD) and a 2-hour private car ride later we arrive at a strange place.  It was like an old zoo that had been run down and was in the process of being re-furbished. The gate was closed - we thought we were early - but they just let us in.

With trepidation, Rani and I slowly and quietly walked behind the driver who casually led us further into the park. We spotted a westerner, who was working at the park. She spoke and had an Aussie accent, we began to tell her how we were worried about seeing giant pandas in cages...etc...we spoke to soon. To our left as we walked was a row of gaol like cages, tiny with two Giant pandas in each. They looked so depressed and sad. The worker told us how horrified she was about them being there - and that this only had just happened in the last week because of complaints by Chinese tourists about not being able to see a panda in their enclosures. Rani and I looked at each other through watery eyes - Mortified. LETS MAKE THIS VISIT QUICK.

We walked through the 'ZOO' and saw other 'rescued' animals before coming to the panda enclosure. 

It was OK.

From what we could see…the parts where they were chilling out had dense coverage of plants and bamboo - you could see that the park had tried their hardest to mimic the wild environment. The pandas (such beautiful creatures) looked to be healthy, happy and well fed.

I took the photos below while they were in these enclosures - They are not wild. 

Would I recommend the day trip out there to the 'sanctuary' NO. If you want to see pandas go into the jungle. It's not worth the $50 to get there and it’s not worth the heartache.

Xi'an - Terracotta warriors

The Terracotta Warriors is one of the major pulling cards for tourists to Xi'an. Jump in a car (or bus) and you'll be there in about an hour or so from Xi'an. Avoid tours - where possible, especially 'shopping tours'. They are overpriced and annoying. If anyone has ever been on a 'half day tour' of sites (particularly in South East Asia) you will find that the group will be ferried from warehouse to warehouse in an attempt to sell you mass produced 'souvenirs' AVOID IT!

We booked a guided bus tour for a half day - Normally I am against this and tend to make my own way to places (via public transport or a driver) but we were tired and over it. I think we paid way too much - at 300 RMB each (close to $50AUD). When this is translated into AUD - It's not that bad, we pay more for half-day tours in Sydney - but this is CHINA! This tour was the most expensive part of the whole trip and to be honest we were both a little underwhelmed. 

The tour guide tried her best to be engaging. For me this was hard, being partially deaf, I couldn't hear anything she was saying over the loud speaker and when she would fire questions at the group to ask about what she had just said - I would sit there frozen thinking, 'please don't pick me'.

The Terracotta Warriors were somewhat impressive. The tour guide made us look at the 3 pits in the order of what was more visually appealing rather than what came first historically - Which I understand, but it delivers a bit of a broken story.

I recommend that you take a guidebook with you (I had Rani :-) ), as the story of why and how they were made is very fascinating and worth researching. That being said, the best value I had from the tour was during our 'free time to roam' where my sister-in-law, Rani and I could wonder through the pits and take it all in.

I don't want to make out that they aren't worth seeing - THEY ARE. It’s just the circus act around them that dulls the performance (so to speak).

There is a 360 circle cinema at the end of the tour - after watching the first 2mins of a camera strapped to the front of a bike riding through a town - we both walked out (with motion sickness). Others in the group were somewhat confused as to what the 20min movie was meant to deliver.

OH - and we were able to see (and meet, if we wanted to pay) the farmer who found the warriors. I think he is there everyday, signing books and charging for photographs.

Part of the tour also included visiting a hill a tomb. The hill tomb contains Qin Shi Huang who had the Terracotta Warriors built during his ruling. Its a lovely hill The tomb which is inside a hill and can only be viewed from a distance as it contains a large amount of mercury which was purposely put here to protect the emperor. As a result, its impossible to go anywhere near it or excavate it for research. Again the history behind it is incredible - but I recommend taking a good guidebook (or a ‘Rani’:-) ) with you to research it, as the tour guide wasn't all that impressed with it either.

Xi'an

Jump on a plane, head north-west from Shanghai for about 2 1/2 hours and you will reach the city of Xi'an. Now, what the tour books say is true. You will either love Xi'an or hate it.

I loved it.

The city is very old (like most things in China) and is encased by an impressive wall, in the centre you will find the Bell Tower and adjacent to this is the Drum tower. We caught the bus from the airport to the city centre (if you're catching the bus, be sure to get the one that goes straight to the Bell Tower) I can't remember the exact amount we paid for the bus - but I think it may have been 50 RMB (about $8 AUD)

We stayed at the Han Tang Inn Youth Hostel - which I highly recommend - The hostel was more like a hotel. It was the BEST hostel that we stayed in, in China, and to be honest - the best hostel I have ever stayed in. It was 200 RMB ($31 AUD) for two people per night for a private twin room with en-suite - Thats about $15 each! AMAZING.

In the city centre is a giant people-mover round-a-bout. Many a time did we get awfully confused in here - It is underground, so you don't have to negotiate the street traffic - just remember which exit to come out of. We found that there were not very many Westerners walking around the streets - which we loved to do, taking in all the sights. Which was kind of nice.

The Bell Tower gives you a fantastic 360 view of the city and they also have musical performance on. The Bell Tower will set you back 30 RMB ($4.50 AUD) and you can buy a joint ticket to check out the Drum Tower too.

Xi'an is also the 'base-camp' for tourist visiting the Terracotta Warriors. Most people tend to send no time around Xi'an or the neighboring towns. I recommend taking a few extra days to explore. There are some really interesting sights and things to do.

Tianzifang

The French concession area of Shanghai gives you a little taste of french-chic style. Tianzfang actually reminds me move of Melbourne Degraves street and small arty alley ways than Parisian streets. Regardless, it has flavour and the buzz and I LOVE it!

Fairy lights hang flippantly from the roof of the entrance dazzling you with the sense of stepping into a new world. A world full of cafes, art spaces and boutique shopping. You really do forget that you are in Shanghai.

We spent the afternoon here getting lost in the alleys and window shopping looking at all the trinkets and art (it is an expensive area to shop in, so if you're on a budget - put the wallet away and just look. If your here to splurge...then indulge!) I recommend coming towards the end of the day - only because I found the atmosphere to be buzzing.

This area of Shanghai is home to some amazing restaurants. Normally, when traveling, I like to stick with the local food, but...we couldn't help it. We had to experience some French dining (we did have one french citizen and two ex-residents of Paris in the group...). Our friend Emma, took us to a French bistro called Le Saleya.  The food was amazing! The wine - beautiful. The service - spot on! It you are every here make sure you order the Chocolate Fondant for dessert - TRUST ME!

Sydney Coast Walks

There is something incredibly peaceful about being on or near the water. I'm sitting at Cronulla Ferry wharf, waiting to meet with Ian who runs Sydney Coast Walks. I purposely arrived early so I could sit for a few minutes and take everything in. 

I'm a big advocate for 'exploring your own backyard'. I've lived in NSW for many years now, and after a moment of sitting at the wharf, I felt bad that I had never ventured down to this part of Sydney. Cronulla is in Sydney, a 40 minute drive south of the city centre.

Today I was taking park in the Jibbon Aboriginal Walking Tour from Royal Coast Walks. We were heading out across the water on the historic ferry to the small sleepy town of Bundeena where we would then walk along the beach and cliffs through the Royal National Park. 

Ian Wells (who is also a founder of the company) is your experienced guide. He is an extremely experienced trekker and his passion for the outdoors has you excited from the moment you say 'Hello' to him!

His knowledge of the local aboriginal people and culture is amazing! He has spent many years building relationships with local elders and people to gain insight and knowledge about their traditions and history.

The groups are small and friendly and Ian makes sure that everyone is introduced to each other. As our group walk through some of the most beautiful landscapes in Australia, we all feel comfortable to chit-chat to each other about why we are on the tour and our trekking experiences.

The tour gives insight into customs and practices of the local aboriginal people, as well as rivalries and Dreaming stories. You are introduced to 'bush tucker' and local plants that were used for medical ailments.

My two highlights on this tour were the Dharawal Aboriginal Engravings (which are over 1000 years old) and the breathtaking views from the headland out into the ocean and over Sydney city.

The Jibbon Aboriginal Walking tour runs for a few hours - I would plan a half day for it, better still take a full day and enjoy walking around Cronulla after wards. The tour also comes with a 'goodie-bag' with information about the local area and maps. Light refreshments are provided at the midpoint of the walk and it is recommended to bring 500ml to a litre of water with you.

Sydney Coast Walks also run other walking tours as well as overnight camping tours through the Royal National Park (I am definitely going to give this a go). To check out the Jibbon Aboriginal Walking tour details as well as other tours please visit their website - www.sydneycoastwalks.com.au