Kevin's EPIC Blog

Asia 2010 - The Video! Well, slideshow.

 

I had so many photos so I decided to slap em all together into a slideshow. I just happen to have iLife 11' so I gave it a whirl. Enjoy the show!!

45 Meals You Can Only Order In China

Oh man some of these are priceless. I love my peoples. ^^

http://www.buzzfeed.com/mjs538/45-meals-you-can-only-order-in-china

Toronto – Day 43 (Home)

What a ride it has been. I visited all the countries on my list and managed to make many good friends along the way. Consumed enormous amounts of delicious food and lived to tell it all. It certainly was an EPIC trip! I’m so glad I took this opportunity to tour Asia. If any of you get even the slightest chance to embark on an Asia tour I suggest you not only jump on it but throw yourself at it and don’t look back. I thoroughly enjoyed this trip. I reckon it won’t be my last trip to Asia. After the dust has settled and you’ve unpacked your bags, the entire experience starts to fade in your memory and you can’t help but feel like you’ve just awakened from a really long dream. It’s a good thing I kept this blog to document my travels and adventures in food. It helps to crystallize those fond memories and helps to sharpen the retelling of my favorite moments abroad. I just want to take some time to reminisce a little and post some of my favorite photos. If you haven’t been following my blog this should get you up-to-date on how I spent my summer vacation in 2010.

Sannakji – Live Octopus

Remember the moving sashimi from Seoul? Well I got a video here of me eating it. It’s really good. I personally recommend it if you can handle something moving a little bit on your tongue. Just make sure you chew it properly before swallowing. Otherwise the suction cups on it’s tentacles will be stuck to the sides of your throat and then you’ll have a bad day. Have a look. Even Tan joined in on the fun and he doesn’t eat seafood!!

Shanghai – Day 42 (Travel Day)

Um don’t ask me why I’m missing Days in my blog posts. Must’ve been my drunken days in Korea. Pretty sure I’ve been away for 45 days. Oh well, I think I’ve got more than enough posts to make up for it. I still have more photos and videos to post. I’ll upload them in the days to come. I’m on a plane back to Toronto as I write this. I’m pretty stoked about headin home right now. Clean air, clean washrooms and toilet paper in abundance!! Can’t wait. So what’s goin on people? What’s poppin? What did I miss?

Shanghai – Day 41

It’s our last day in Shanghai and pretty much my last full day in Asia!!! I’m going home tomorrow and this trip has been unbelievable. I had so much fun! More fun that anyone should really have in one trip. Everything went smoothly and I’ve got no complaints whatsoever. What a blast. I’m seriously going to miss my lifestyle in Asia. Somebody told me that I’d be addicted to travelling if I took this trip and I think they’re right. Japan anyone?

Shanghai – Day 40

We hit the sack early as soon as we arrived in Shanghai. We had to wake up at 3am to line up at 4am to beat the crowds to the China pavilion. We got there early but people were already lining up. Yes, insane is correct. Basically the whole day was spend lining up and not seeing much of anything. The line for the Saudi Arabia one was at least 5 hours long. Retarded.

Maanshan – Day 39

Winter melon soup!!!! Now I feel like I’m at home. I miss my mom’s home cookin!! Can’t wait until I get home! Until then check out these dishes. Susanna’s cousin & BF took me out to a fancy lunch at one of the new restaurants in Maanshan. The place looked lovely so I was stoked. I’m happy to report that the food did not disappoint either. Great way to spend my last day in Maanshan. Tomorrow we go to Shanghai!

Maanshan – Day 38

So… after the dismal hot pot experience I suggested we eat Pizza Hut!! Hahaha… Not exactly what you’d expect from Pizza Hut although. They serve flash frozen salmon in their salads and pasta. Or maybe it is what you would expect from Pizza Hut.

Maanshan – Day 37

It’s an overcast day in Ma’anshan City. I am in An Hui Province, China for those who don’t know. I landed in Nanjing and took a 40 minute taxi to Maanshan. It’s one of the smaller cities in China but it still holds about 8 million people. Legend has it, a military General by the name of Ling Bao Xiang Yu, had a very loyal and intelligent horse. The General met his death by accidentally falling off a cliff. His trusted steed having witnessed his masters demise flung himself into the sea to join him. And this is why the city is called Maanshan (Horse Mountain) and this is also where you will find the three horse monument. Don’t ask me why there are three horses. I was told he had one.

Seoul – Day 36

I think my stomach is back to normal today. Even though we did some drinking last night. If not, this Bibimbap will fix it! Doesn’t it look amazing? Look at those colors. Mmm…

Seoul – Day 35

HEY, I’M ALIVE! Sorry I haven’t been able to blog because I couldn’t get to a computer until now!! Let me get you guys up-to-date! Phew!

Seoul – Day 34

So guess what? Today I tried to visit the War Memorial Museum on my own and hey lucky me it’s closed on Mondays. What a bummer. I didn’t have any trouble getting there. The subway system in Seoul is very user friendly and quite efficient. I got there without a hitch and the place looked absolutely epic. I’ll have to come back tomorrow to get some great shots.

So I decided to venture off to Apgujong station to see if i could spot any celebrities. However, once I got there all I could see was the Hyundai mall. The mall was pretty sweet though. All designer labels and many, many floors of shopping. Plus, WiFi on every floor. Yes!

Seoul – Day 33

Back to the good stuff. Koreans love their fried chicken. Fried chicken, waffles and ice cream. Hmm… Do you see a trend here? They’re also big on Hip hop. Well if you don’t follow forget it… just forget it. ^^

Seoul – Day 32

Today we ate Chuk or Rice Porridge. See previous post. Good night. ^^

Seoul – Day 31

Today we went to Nam San or South Mountain. We went hiking with Adam and Mr. O. It wasn’t a challenging hike. Older people love to hike in Korea. You’ll find many of them here hiking on the weekends. It was quite nice.

Couples in love, married or engaged place locks here at the top of the mountain to solidify their devotion to one another. We also saw this at the Great Wall in BJ. I think it’s wonderful.

Seoul – Day 30

Finally! Bibimbap! Fresh, colourful and delicious. And we got this in the food court of the CoEx mall. One of the many large malls here. Really, really good. I was surprised how good it was at the mall.

Seoul – Day 29 (Choosuk)

I was lucky enough to be invited to a friend’s house for Choosuk (Korean Thanksgiving). Most, if not, everyone returns to their hometowns to have dinner at home. It’s a big, big deal here so you’ll find that most businesses are closed and Seoul becomes quite the ghost-town. Tony was kind enough to invite us to his home for Choosuk lunch. What a treat to have a traditional home-cooked meal. I was delighted.

Seoul – Day 28

Today we decided to eat Chinese food of all things. Yeah not always a good idea to have chinese food in foreign countries but hey China ain’t that far. First up, Frogs Legs. I don’t know if this is chinese or not.

Seoul – Day 27 (Continued)

My understanding of this dish is that during the Korean war, US soldiers would leave their rations of food, mainly composed of Hot Dogs and Spam, for the starving civilians and voila, Boo Dae Jji Gae was born!! Again, Korean food doesn’t always look right but it sure tastes bomb diggity!

Seoul – Day 27

Today we went to eat where real korean people choose to eat. Like real folk. Labourers, fishermen and blue collar folk. Dang it! It’s your neighbourhood animal slaughtering house restaurant. The idea here is that by opening a resto right next to a slaughtering house, the meat has just got to be fresh. That’s how they do in Korea. Let’s have a look see.

Seoul – Day 26

I think this picture sums up the whole night. This night was a huge blur. We decided to try this thing they have in Korean Night Clubs called “Booking”. Basically, it’s your typical lounge/club environment, except for the fact that girls who come to the club are literally dragged to a table of guys by the waiters. The girls can decide to stay and have a drink or just leave. The advantage here is folks is that girls can come here and party and get free drinks. The guys pay for the table and get to chat with girls all night. I wonder if this would work back home in North America.

Seoul – Day 25

Seoul has really been quite the adventure so far. I loved Vietnam but I also really love Seoul. It’s really satisfying because I can finally stretch my korean language skills and talk to people. I’m reading signs everywhere I go. It’s been the quite educational experience here. And I haven’t even gotten started on the food yet!!! Let’s go!

Seoul – Day 24

Here’s our last meal in Samui before my redeye flight to Seoul.

Travel Day – Day 24

Right before I left the resort I got a chance to join a tea tasting meet up. I also got a chance to try some 15 year old oolong tea. 15 years!! It smelled really fragrant but the taste was potent and earthy. I think I prefer oolong tea that’s not so old. Maybe I just don’t know what’s good tea. lol.

Time to fly to SEOUL

This is it. Last country on my trip before I had back to China and home. The land of Taekwondo, Soju, Bibimpap and plastic surgery. What adventures await me in Seoul I wonder. I’m really going to miss Thailand and the people here. And that’s truly what made the trip for me here… The people. I want to thank Lily for being my travel buddy in Saigon and for completely going out of her way to ensure that my birthday was a memorable one. I will not forget the wonderful times we had in asia together. Nor will I forget the smart remarks and playful banter. Jerk. ; ) I also want to thank my new bestfriend Tik!!! Tik you know everything and everybody! How can I ever thank you for showing me around and being the best damn tour guide anyone could ask for. And of course Joy. Thank you for being so sweet and for welcoming me to Samui. Good luck with teaching! “What dis game?” I couldn’t resist. LOL

Koh Samui – Day 22

Happy Birthday to me!!!!! It feels like my birthday is 3 days long because it will still be the 16th at home as I crawl out of bed on this side of the world. Epic, Epic birthday I have to say. First things first… Start the day off right. Gonna miss eating like this on the reg. So nice.

Koh Samui – Day 21

Koh Samui is great for many things. Coconuts, fishing, full moon parties and transsexuals. We chose fishing! Jen and Keung love to fish so it made perfect sense that we would spend our day on the high-seas!! Arrrhhh… That’s my pirate voice. Ahem… moving on… The idea was if we could catch it we could take it to the restaurant and they would cook it for us.

Koh Samui – Day 20

Lily and her lovely penmenship. Welcome to Thailand! Find out what we ate today. Take a peek.

Koh Samui – Day 19

A breakfast buffet is served everyday here at the resort with super healthy items to choose from. I don’t think I’ve eaten so healthy in my life. I start with fruits, some whole wheat bread, eggs, seaweed, OJ and a shot of wheat grass!

Koh Samui – Day 18 (Night)

I’m back!!! So sorry I haven’t been able to blog. You probably thought I got lost in Thailand. Anyways, I’m back and I have much to show you. Let’s go!

So the second night Lily and her friend Tik brought me to the Sunday night food market! There were lots of people there on this tiny little street and they all had food on their minds.

Koh Samui - Day 18

I've arrived on the island of Koh Samui here in Thailand. It is the second largest island here and holds a small population of 40,000 inhabitants. We got here last night at about 10pm and drove through a few of the seedier looking neighbourhoods that exist on the island to get to the resort. I had an eerie feeling about this place even before we got to Thailand and my suspicions were correct. There isn't really a government presence here. The police are corrupt. And the people are lacking any real culture here. The island is geared towards tourism. So the real Thailand cannot be found here. But a lot of that melts away once you've stepped foot into the gorgeous resort that I'm staying at called Kamalaya. This place really is breathtaking. You can read more about it here.

Apparently people pay to make sure that there are no TVs here. I was a bit shocked to find no TV in my suite but once I reassured myself that everything was gonna be okay and that I don't watch tv anyway I felt a lot better. I'm just at odds with myself figuring out what I'm going to do this entire week. Soon however my friends Jenny & Keung will join me so hopefully it will be okay. Anything you guys wanna know about this place? Lemme know. More Pics soon!

Ho Chi Minh - Day 17

Our last day in Saigon starts with us eating again of course. ^^ We had to make up for lost time yesterday and my stomach was feeling a whole lot better thanks to Dr. Lily. We start our day at Lemongrass. One of the nicer restos in the area. Too bad the food was just okay. First we ordered some rolls.

I'm siiiick...

I suppose it had to happen at some point. Turns out you can't eat anything and everything you lay your eyes on. I got some wicked stomach flu this morning. But it certainly helps if you travel with a doctor. She's got me on a complete vitamin C and electrolyte replenishment program. And now I'm feeling a whole lot better. Thanks Lily, you're the best!!!! (big hug) I just feel bad because we've only got 2 days left and now I've wasted one. Hopefully I'm a 100% tomorrow and I can keep blogging new things for you guys. Sorry I'm so weak sauce guys. Stay tuned though! ^^

Ho Chi Min - Day 15 Cu Che Cu Che Cu....

Woke up bright and early today to tour the town of Cu Che. Where you'll find the Tunnels dug by the Viet Cong or Victor Charlie during the Vietnam War. But first... We eat! Freshly made Banh Cuon in the morning is such a treat to have here. At home I can only eat this on the weekends. Here its made fresh before your eyes.

 

 

I'm Rich Biiitch! Muhahaha

$1 dollar goes a looooong way in Vietnam. Some people live  just on a dollar a day here. I changed a few hundred thinking I was gonna run outta money. It's gonna be tough to spend this now. We had some fun with this monopoly money. Cmon when we ever gonna do this again huh? We millionaires!

Ho Chi Minh - Day 14

We start the day with Bun Bo Hue!! This is just one of many meals we had throughout the day. I'm gonna be so fat when I return I swear. All we did today was eat, get a massage, eat, eat, eat and eat. If we didn't walk to all these places I'd be in a permanent food coma.

Ho Chi Min City - Day 13

So I got to the airport early. Like real early. Five hours on the bench scratchin my ass early. Lucky for me they were filming a movie or something at the airport and I got to hangout with a chinese celebrity. She asked me for my number but I turned her down. She was being a little too forward for my liking. She gave me her number and I told her I'd call... I'll think about it.

Guangzhau to Saigon – Day 13

Yippee! Today I fly to Saigon aka Ho Chi Min, Vietnam! China was fun but I anticipate bigger and better eats in Nam! I’m gonna be Fat Albert when I return home. Hey hey hey! My people gotta learn how to sprell. ^^

Guangzhou – Day 12

Wouldn’t you know it? Our last day in China and the sun finally decides to show up. So we venture out into the city to make the most of the day. Straight to another hip and happening shopping district. But this one is massive. This is the first time that I felt really overwhelmed and wanted to leave because of the sheer number of people around me.That and maybe I was tired too.

Guangzhou – Day 11

Our local “friend” in Guangzhou recommended we try this dim sum place for lunch. Didn’t seem too promising as we had to find our own seats. Like literally we were playing vulture, hovering over people’s tables. “Are you done yet?” My stomach kept asking. Eventually we got a seat but then you have to setup your own tea. They give you 2 packs of tea and you gotta rinse your own cups, rinse out your tea, chopsticks and spoons. By the time you’re ready to eat you’ve already worked up a serious sweat. Unfortunately, the food here did need not exceed my expectations.

Guangzhao – Day 10

Rain, rain go away come again another day… : (

So it’s raining here. Apparently, it pours when it rains here. We got soo soaked but we pulled up our wet socks and ventured out into the downtown shopping district. This area is usually crazy, crazy busy. All the best shopping can be found here in this district. But it looked more like a ghost town today. Nonetheless we managed to enjoy ourselves and even took in a movie.

Guangzhao – Day 09 (continued)

Triple Decker Club Sandwich served with crispy fries and watermelon cubes. Breakfast of champions! Or breakfast of fat bastards? So full after all this food. So we had our meal and it was off to Guangzhao. We said goodbye to Zhuhai and it’s beautiful sexy cousin Macau and we jumped in a ride travelling 3 hours south of our location.

Guangdong - Day 09

Today, we pick up and leave for Guangzhao. I'm hoping to book a quick flight to vietnam when we get there. If not then I will fly to Thailand. Dilemma dilemma right? Hey man travelling is stressful sometimes. Wish me luck and thanks for all the comments. Miss u all. xoxo

Macau – Lan Kwai Fong Hotel

During our stay in Macau our friends arranged for us to stay at the Lan Kwai Fong Hotel. A relatively new hotel with many designer accents and small luxuries. Quite nice. I became fascinated with the details of the design as you’ll soon see.

Macau – 08 (continued)

Here are some photos of the old Macau. This is the part of Macau you don’t often see. I love the weathered look of the buildings and how everything looks so chaotic and dense.

Macau – Day 07

Macau is a beautiful city in between Hong Kong and Zhu Hai. Which makes it an awesome getaway for rich businessmen. They call it “Men’s Heaven” or “City of Dreams” and when you see the grandeur of the architecture, casinos and women it’s easy to see why. Once colonized by the Portuguese, Macau still displays many signs in Chinese and Portuguese and continues to have it’s own monetary system, police and customs policies.

Upon our arrival our friends in Macau had already ordered a sweet spread for us to feast on. After that we got our drank on. Drinkin and girls go hand in hand in Macau. First, you choose your poison. Then you choose a girl “Rush Hour” style and they drink and chill with you. That’s it. Then we went home. End of story. LOL. Check out these pics though.

Guangdong – Day 07 (Slight Delay)

Boo. Our first attempt to enter Macau was thwarted by a computer system failure. The border was closed for hours and all these sweaty people stood in line like canned sardines waiting for the gates to open. Ray and I just cabbed it back to the hotel to relax. We came back later on that evening and we were greeted with empty lines and a clear passage to Macau!!!

Guangdong – Day 07

Hi! We are still in Zhu Hai. But today we’ll be going to Macau for an afternoon excursion. I should come back with phenomenal photos for sure. Yesterday we went to get a back massage, foot massage and we ate at a “dai pai dong” or place where the locals eat.

Louis Vuitton Don

I think I’m gonna buy Louis V head to frickin toe!!! It’s so dirt to buy this stuff here in Zhu Hai. I’ll be decked out in LV so badly I can make a rap video. Check out these shots and see if you can tell.