Archive for October, 2009
October 31st, 2009 | 
Author: China Vacations Travel Guide – Lijiang Travel
This article is about the China vacations and you can find some useful information in it if you are planning your China vacations now.
Lijiang is a famous place for the travellers from all over the world. Both the Chinese and foreign travellers love this small town. Many foreign travellers even stay here for serveral years and open a bar or something. What they want is to enjoy the peaceful life of this ancient Chinese town.
I have been to Lijiang once and I still hope that I can visit it for a second time. Lots of people have the same feeling too. Here I will introduce you some of my experience of the Lijiang travel.
Lijiang is a small town in Yunnan China. The town has a 800 year history from as early as the late Song Dynasty. It is built where the Jade River divides into three and its streams form the canals and waterways which flow along the old town streets. This place is very specail and you will never get to know the real Lijiang if your plan for Lijiang is only 1 or 2 days. Lijiang is a place for the travellers to stay and enjoy the simple life here. I met a girl from Chengdu on my way to Lijiang and she told me that she stayed here in Lijiang for 30 or 40 days every time she visited this place. I will recommend that you stay here for at least 5 days and this will make your Lijiang travel more interesting. more info about China vacations at Travel2ChinaInfo Dot COM
How to get in? You can fly to Lijiang from many big cities in China. Another choice is to fly to Kunming first. Kuming is also a famous tourism city. It is called the “Spring City” because of its good climate. You can get fresh flowers at very good deals3 rmb for a dozen of roses. There are many tourists’ bus heading to Dali from Kuming. You can take the bus at 10 pm and it will arrive at Dali on 6 am next day. Dali is an old Chinese town and has lots of interesting things to seeTraditional chinese dance wax painting etc. The bus from Dali to Lijiang starts at 5 pm every day.
The hotels in Lijiang: It is not wise to choose a regular hotel for your Lijiang travel and you will lose all the fun here if you stay in a hotel. Lijiang is a very unique place in the whole world and you can only feel this kind of unique attraction when you live in itin the old inns of Lijiang. Nobody knows the number of inns in Lijiang. All the inns here are very specail. cost 20150 rmb a night The names of the inns are also very interesting. They are like “longmen inn” “Yeyuxuan inn”"Bulage innt” etcnames from the old Chinese novels. I will recommend the “Yulong inn” here. The owner of this inn is very nice and the price is reasonable. tel: 08885125630 cell phone:13988825550
Eat in Lijiang: You can find lots of good snacks in Lijiang like “Lijiang baba” “Jidouliangfen”"Jiantudou”"Jizhimixian”. They are the favourites of the young girls. For the males you can try the “Heishanyangtourou” it is a very delicious local food and you will never find something like this in other places! Tips: do not eat in the restaurants near Sifang Street. They are too expensive and food there are not the real Lijiang food.
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Celebrity Chefs On The Ocean Waves
Not just content with TV appearances and receiving rave reviews in the media celebrity chefs have been taking to the waves creating menus for restaurants on cruise ships or even turning up on the ships themselves.
Take a trip on either of Ocean Villages ships and you could be rubbing shoulders with James Martin him of Ready Steady Cook and UK Food fame who started life on the ocean waves back in 2003 when he launched The Bistro on Ocean Village.
As well as developing the menus for the Bistro and training the chefs James also makes the odd appearance in the galley onboard so if youre cruising in the Caribbean in January or in the Med in April June or September next year you might be lucky enough to have your meal cooked by the man himself. Now thats something to impress your friends with.
Italian foodlovers youll be spoilt for choice in the brand new Aldo Zilli restaurant on Thomson Celebration. Aldo is the man behind several gourmet West End eateries that have been pulling in Alist celebs and discerning theatregoers for years and you may also have seen him appearing on the ITV programme Celebrity Fit Club although dont they say you should never trust a slim chef?! Thomson has said the Aldo will be onboard Celebration every now and then to keep an eye his floating restaurant although no dates have been released yet so keep an eye out.
Unsurprisingly Cunard teamed up with one of Americas leading chefs Todd English for one of its dining alternatives on Queen Mary 2 and it proved to be so popular that Todd also has a restaurant on the newly launched Queen Victoria. Having worked in Italy his menu has a distinctive Mediterranean flavour. Not only is Todd a renowned chef he also owns a number of restaurants throughout the US and has his own TV series.
If you fancy something a bit different try Crystal Cruises. Dishes from worldclass master chef Nobuyuki “Nobu” Matsuhisa already feature on Crystal Serenity but it has recently been announced that Nobu is partnering with Crystal for two new restaurants Silk Road and The Sushi Bar aboard Crystal Symphony. Dont expect classic Japanese dishes though as hes internationally renowned for blending Japanese food with Peruvian and European flavours. Although the dishes onboard will be prepared by Nobutrained chefs the great man himself will be on Crystal Symphony during her transpacific voyage in March next year to oversee the launch so you might get some tips.
For something a little more traditional The Prego restaurants on Crystals ships have authentic regional Italian cuisine with signature creations by Piero Selvaggio owner of the renowned Valentino restaurants in Los Angeles and Las Vegas.
You might think that theres nothing to these celebrity chefs creating dishes and menus to tempt passengers after all thats their trade but did you know that some of them also design the restaurants onboard too? Yes not only do they create dishes for you to enjoy they want you to experience the full monty as it were. As James Martin puts it: when I put my name to something I need to know that it really is mine and that I have had input on everything right down to the size of the spoons.
Not all cruise lines boast menus created by celebrity chefs but you could still sample their food as some appear as guest lecturers onboard. Travel on Seven Seas Navigator on 7th June 2008 and see former White House chef Walter Scheib who served under Bill Clinton and George Bush whilst UK Michel Star chef Billy Reid from the Belvedere in London shared some of his secrets on Holland Americas Maasdam Reid in November.
Whats the reasoning behind using celebrity chefs? Following the recent announcement by PO Cruises that not only is Marco Pierre White creating dining experiences on the new superliner Ventura but also on Aurora and Oceana we decided to ask the company a couple of questions.
What made PO Cruises decide to use celebrity chefs to create restaurant menus e.g. to attract potential passengers?
The standard of dining on the PO Cruises ships has always been very high but as passenger demographics change it is necessary to offer more choice and flexibility. Also tastes have evolved with the popularity of food programmes on television and the rise of celebrity chefs. Everyone is more aware of the provenance of food and thus more demanding. A carefully chosen meal made from the finest ingredients can be a very memorable experience.
When Gary Rhodes opened Arcadian Rhodes it was instantly popular and therefore we wanted to extend these select dining experiences across the fleet with chefs which typify the high standards of PO Cruises and fit the atmosphere of the ship.
What made PO Cruises decide on Marco Pierre White and Gary Rhodes?
Marco and Gary are amongst the top chefs in the UK and probably in the world. Both Michelin starred chefs are the embodiment of the finest British cooking. Marco is known as the “godfather of British cooking” and Gary prides himself on using the finest ingredients to be found in the UK. Gary has had many successful television series and books and has built up a dedicated and loyal following. His style of cuisine has received rave reviews worldwide and it was fitting therefore that he had a restaurant on Arcadia Britain’s most contemporary superliner when she was launched in April 2005. Arcadian Rhodes was so successful that last year Gary opened Oriana Rhodes on Oriana again a fine Britishled menu.
How do your onboard chefs work with Marco and Gary e.g. do they go to their restaurants to be trained?
Yes Marco and Gary have a team of chefs onboard who only work in their restaurants. These chefs spend a great deal of time in London cooking with Marco and Gary and learning the essential skills of cooking and presentation to their exacting standards. In addition Marco and Gary both spend a great deal of time onboard generally five or six cruises a year in which they monitor the chefs change the menus and present demonstrations for passengers.
With cruise lines snapping up some of the top chefs what better excuse do you need to go on a cruise?
About the writer:nbsp;nbsp;Susan Bigmore is the web editor for http://www.insidecruise.co.uk a cruise community packed full of articles and discussions as well as http://www.idealcruising.co.uk a specialist cruise travel agent.
British Pair Drown In Goa
According to a spokesperson from the Foreign Office two British citizens have drowned at Morjim Beach in Goa. The spokesperson said: “We can confirm that two British nationals drowned at Morjim beach in Goa on April 6. We have informed their next of kin and are providing consular assistance.”
The deceased were 70yearold expat Stanley Horne who had lived in Goa for the past four years and his friend Liesel Smith 37 who was in the resort visiting him. Ms Smith who is thought to be divorced with one son and Mr Horne who has three sons and a daughter met when they were both working as nurses in the same hospital. The pair hailed from Dover in Kent.
The accident occurred when Ms Smith went swimming at the beach but was pulled far out to sea by the strong current. After spotting his friend was having difficulty Mr Horne swam in to save her and sadly they both drowned. There were several people on the beach at the time to witness this tragic event.
Heather Horne who is married to Mr Hornes son David commented that the deaths were a tragic accident. She said: “The sea was rough it was an accident that could have happened anywhere.” Mrs Horne described her dead fatherinlaw as a ‘quiet’ and ‘gentle’ man who loved living in India. She said: “Our consolation is that he was where he would have wanted to be when he died.”
Post mortems will be carried out on the bodies to determine cause of death and they will then be released back to Britain.
Sadly the deaths of Mr Horne and Ms Smith bring the total amount of British citizens who have died in Goa this year to 12. Others include Scarlett Keeling the Devon teenager who was brutally murdered there in February.
Source:
Metro
Press Association
About the writer:nbsp;nbsp;Author:
Aandaleeb Singh is from North India and enjoys writing about Hindi News.