You think you know how to count? Wait till you get to China! Whether you are shopping, buying tickets to the bus, train or to a concert, or simply asking for a table for your group.............you need to know how to count "the Chinese way". As in, there is absolutely no other way! I visited Shanghai and Zhou Zhuang 2 times in the last 2 months. My 3rd visit to Shanghai in 2 years. Was here on my way back home from a trip to Turkey and Greece last April. And then a second time around, on my way back [View Full Entry]

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Lady Yang was one of the four beauties of China. She lived during the Tang dynasty and was briefly married to the Imperial Prince......until the prince's father fancied her and made her his favorite concubine in the Tang harem. How's that for a love story? The Hua Qing Hot Springs was a gift from Emperor Tang Ming Huang for Lady Yang to spend the cold spring months. So in love was this Emperor that relay horses transported her favorite fruit, lychees, to this palace . No wonder the Chinese call premium quality lychees as "concubine smile" , inspired by this consort's [View Full Entry]

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Once upon a time, there were 3 ladies in their early 20's who shared an apartment near the bank where they all worked. They lived together, worked together, dined together, shopped together, partied together, played sports together, even dated together. At the time, only 1 had a boyfriend. But every Valentine's Day and other significant occasion meant this boyfriend dating out her girl and her 2 friends. In time, one married early. Another married very late. And the last one never married. That last one, by the way, was the one with the boyfriend who dated all 3 of them. Through [View Full Entry]

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Xiao Long Bao is Shanghai's signature dish. Dimsum may be originally a Cantonese specialty, but this particular dimsum is definitely Shanghainese. You can't leave Shanghai without trying this soup dumpling. And the best place to try it is in this restaurant within the Dragon Gate Mall near the Yu Yuan complex. There is another outlet in the Xin Tian Di area, so take your pick. Just make sure you don't go home without trying this dimsum. There are some available for take-home. We tried that before. No good. Best to try it here, while it is freshly made and steaming [View Full Entry]

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You always save the best for last. And Santorini is truly the best. But I must say, it is not that easy to decide on that. Rhodes impressed me a lot. And Crete is something else. But Santorini took my breath away! Lost Continent of Atlantis? Imagine this. Five thousand years ago, the island was believed to be a sophisticated outpost of Minoan civilization. Then catastrophe happened. Around 1450 BC, the volcanic island erupted.....its "heart" sank below the sea, and the earth shook all around and across the Aegean. Thira, which is how Santo [View Full Entry]

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The Republic of Crete? This is the biggest of all Greek islands and Heraklion is the capital. From the port, it is just a few minutes to the city center where protests or rallies seem to be the order of the day. Our guide warned us about it, while at the same time telling us that we would be heading straight for the Palace of the Knossos before coming back to explore the rest of the capital. Palace of the Knossos This is the most important Minoan site excavated in Crete. Our bus parked in some corner and we walked towards [View Full Entry]

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From Patmos, the island of the Apocalypse, we left the island in the evening and woke up to find ourselves in Rhodes. Now, this I've got to say. I wasn't prepared for Rhodes. Perhaps because all this time, I was more fascinated by the more popular islands like Mykonos or Santorini. All I knew about Rhodes was some history lesson marking the Colossus of Rhodes as one of the 7 Wonders of the Ancient World. But an earthquake more than 2,200 years ago wiped out this ancient bronze statue that stood by the harbor, so there is really just a memory, [View Full Entry]

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From Mykonos, we departed before midnight and woke up in Kusadaci, Turkey. I have to admit I slept in and didn't bother to go out. We were here just a week before, and I thought I'd spend the morning on the boat and dreaming away. Shelly wouldn't pass up the chance to go out and check out more bazaars , of course. So I saw her off, dear old me waving her goodbye as she crossed the plank and walked off towards another shopping expedition. I went to the breakfast lounge and lingered.........really lingered over my breakfast. Had 3 cups of [View Full Entry]

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We checked out of Athenais Hotel on a bright, sunny morning bound for Piraeus where we would be boarding our ship. We booked this cruise with Louis Hellenic Cruises months before. The itinerary includes: Mykonos, Kusadaci (in Turkey), Patmos, Rhodes, Heraclion (in Crete), Santorini and back to Piraeus, Athens. All of 5 days. Out Monday and back Friday. I know......it could have been a lot better to choose just one or a couple of islands rather than island hop in the next 5 days. But then again, we can always go back and this should serve as a good preview. After [View Full Entry]

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This has been long overdue. I may have taken comfort in the many notes I have taken while doing this visit that I blogged about my more recent trips to China and Taiwan before working on this one. It has been nearly 6 months since Greece, and I beg you to indulge me. A Second Time Around in Greece....... It has been 13 years. The first time I visited Greece was back in 1996. I was not exactly alone then, as I joined a travel group for a 38 day trip around the area. We then covered Athens, Delphi, Thessaloniki, Meteora/Kalampaka, [View Full Entry]

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