DIY

Cooking has presented quite an obstacle for me here in China. I've been living here almost 5 months and although I've found my comfort zone in the grocery store, there are still foods that I crave, miss, and some days seriously long for.
I have figured out how to stove-top cook on count it.. ONE hotplate with no oven. Unless you consider a microwave an oven. Haha.

I still make my own pasta sauces, each and every time. Mushroom, eggplant, sausage, vegetable, and secret sauce. Basil is scarce around here so I took some seeds from home (i suspected well before) and made my own little garden. Now we can enjoy fresh basilico in our salads, calzones, and sauce anytime we please.

We have plenty of ice cream, thankfully. I found my beloved microwave popcorn. Potatoes are no shortage here.. ok we've covered most of the things I love. Half joking.. I could live without them.
Fresh fruit is plenty - and I am lucky to have found a huge fruit and veggie market just 15 minutes walk from home.
Still remembering to wash all very very well. It may be fresh but it's not pesticide free. We are still in China people. And if you're really nervous you could just peel it all, which I mostly do.. but it really doesn't make sense since I don't peel tomatoes and I continue to eat lettuce. I just wash it well.

Yummy watermelon on hot days is more appetizing than I ever thought it would be.

I have introduced many new fruits and veggies to my kitchen, some of which I still don't know the name of. Many leafy green vegetables similar to bok choy.. durian fruit, starfruit, that pink one. All the while never crossed paths with any asparagus or zucchini. I am hoping that the season has yet to arrive. *crosses fingers.

My parsley garden didn't grow but I am thinking to try again. Not to forget that it's on average 35 degrees daily here. Perhaps when the weather cools, it will grow. Never give it direct sunlight either. It'll be dead in a day!

We have a little deli up the street that imports food and drinks. Luck has it so close to where I live.. they import fresh fruit juices that are sugar free, pureed tomatoes in a glass bottle (rather than a can,) Barilla pasta, salamis and deli meats, Chilean wine, cheese, EV olive oil.... so that helps. But I am missing out on a nice selection of breads. Chinese people don't eat bread!! Rather, steamed buns which I can't compare to a nice pita bread, or wheat bagette.
Can't have it all!! At least it's all mostly cheap to eat.

xo

HDR

My newest HDR test images. I need practice.. and more experience with Photoshop. In good time.

Mopeds and Electric bikes

I thought there were a lot of scooters on the streets of Italy but that's small potatoes compared to the number of electric bicycles and mopeds on the streets around here. In fact it's quite dangerous to walk (in this particular area especially) without being hit by one of these traveling at medium speed.

Scooters, mopeds, electric bikes.

Click the photo to enlarge.



I took these photos on my first excursion out of my home area (La Cite Greenville) in an area called Dai Yu Fung (sp?). It's not a typical street but an area off the main road where it's lined with shops, restaurants, fast food, shoes, etc.





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Washing..

I had some fun this morning trying to figure out how to use the washing machine... I managed to get it to wash for over and hour and after pressing and turning a few buttons, found the spin cycle.
When I removed the clothes they were all steaming hot. Plus there is NO wind here whatsoever so it takes two days for everything to dry outside in the humidity.

Arrival in China

Just arrived at the apartment after about 24 hrs of commuting. I thought I'd write down what I remember while it's fresh in my mind.

Cathay Pacific is a great airline. I would expect that on flights of that length that they take care of people, which they did. It wasn't completely full, and there were those little computers in the back of each seat so I could watch any movie or television show that I wanted.
I flew from Toronto to Hong Kong direct and then took the ferry to Zhongshan City where I was picked up by Nicola, Paul and our driver who was told today by a translator that he must driver slower since I guess he is pretty wild on the roads. People were everywhere riding bicycles, scooters, walking all over.. But not like the city, more like wandering without looking. No wonder there are so many accidents here! It's the fault of both the driver and the pedestrian!

My first impression of the apartment is that it is very big. Clean, painted in white with white curtains over the windows. Although there are no screens so it is difficult to let fresh air around because there are so many mosquitoes, and those, well, could be deadly. There is very nice tile laid on the floor and marble counter tops in each room. All in all, a very nice place to live. Btw, a guestroom for anyone wishing to visit ;)

The weather is very hot and humid. I had to remove my sweater as soon as I arrived in the airport. I guess I had no idea that China was so tropical. We have a huge terrace outside so I am planning on planting some herbs and veggies.
Hong Kong International Airport



My first dinner.

Moving to China

Hi, been a while since I've blogged because I don't have internet access at home..But I soon will after I move to CHINA on April 12.
So stay tuned for more adventures from Zhongshan, with photos and food to complement.