Published in Expat Living

Five years after starting this blog to channel my writing energy, I've finally been published in a Singapore magazine! Expat Living picked two of my travel stories, on Angkor and Xian, to feature in their Annual Travel Guide for 2011. This is so exciting!

Here's to the start of an award-winning, best-selling career as an author ;-)

Angkor - Kingdom of Wonder


The Many Faces of Xian

Playing with your food

Yang Rou Pao Mo is a local Xian Muslim dish that's really FUN to eat because they encourage you to play with your food! Even my mother, the super-strict school teacher, was highly amused when we had it for lunch on our last day in Xian.

1) Assemble an empty bowl, a couple of mo (or unleavened wheat buns) and cloves of sweet pickled garlic.

2) Shred the mo into tiny pieces - the smaller the better. Believe me, it's not as easy as it looks because the buns are incredibly dense and compact. It took us almost 15 minutes to shred just one bun. Our wrists were sore from all the repetitive peeling action. Lisa, our native guide, was of course the quickest bun shredder!

3) Once you've got a bowl full of shredded bits, the waiter will label your bowl with a personal tag and your choice of soup: mutton or beef. I chose mutton, since that's the original version. I was also glad to see the personal tag as I didn't want to lose my bowl of shredded mo after all that hard work!

4) The tagged bowls are then taken away to the kitchen for further processing.

4) The waiter returned with my completed Yang Rou Pao Mo and here's what it looks like. Soup had been added and there were also bits of mutton, tang hoon (glass noodles), black fungus and spring onions. You're welcome to add other condiments such as chilli and sweet pickled garlic. I'm not a fan of garlic chunks in any form so I just added the chilli and tucked in.

Verdict?...errr...it's probably an acquired taste. The simple mutton soup was a little too overpowering and the soppy bits of wheat dough reminded me of the contents of an air-sickness bag. Still, it was a thoroughly enjoyable experience and we'd definitely recommend it to anyone who finds themselves in Xian.

Bing Ma Yong

Walking into underground vault containing the Army of Terracotta Warriors (Bingmayong) was a dream come true - in more ways than one. Not only were the historical features better than the National Geographic channel, these men are perfect. Strong - Confident - Quiet. Pity they're all stone cold ;-)

The 2200-year old army stands guard over the ancient imperial tomb of Qin Shi Huang - the first Emperor who united China. While admired for his military conquests and brilliant public administration, his tyrannical behaviour and massive construction projects wreaked havoc on the Chinese populace. His tomb rests 1.5 km from the site of the terracotta warriors and is believed to contain treasures beyond belief.

The army was discovered in 1974 by a farmer who was digging a well. It turned out to be the largest archaeological find of the 20th century, with archaeologists working round the clock to restore the figures of soldiers, horses and other military installments. The farmer hasn't done to badly either. He sits daily at the circle theatre autographing copies of books that are sold for CNY170 each!

Pit 1 - 6000 terracotta figures of warriors and horses face east in a battle array

Currently, there are three pits open to the public with Pit 1 containing the most number of restored figures. Work is proceeding at a slow pace because the authorities are taking great pains to preserve the vivid colour of the sculptures - which disappear within hours of being unearthed. All the figures so far reveal unique facial features, without duplicates. The ranks of these warriors can be recognized by their headgear and battlegear:

• One hair knot - Common soldier
• Flat hat - Middle-ranking officer
• Double hair knot - General (there are only 7 in the entire collection)
• Kneeling with hands at the side - Archer
• Loose clothing with hands together - Charioteer

Xian by night

Xian is a city that has featured largely in my imagination for many years. It is cradle of Chinese civilisation, has served as capital to the great Qin, Han and Tang dynasties and was the eastern terminus for the caravans of the Silk Road. Romantic, exotic and colourful are words that immediately spring to my mind.

So when I finally arrived yesterday with my parents, I couldn't wait to explore the city. Thankfully, our hotel is just across the road from the heart of Xian so after settling dinner & bedtime for the folks, I hit the markets in the Muslim quarter.

What a glorious sight it was - there were trinkets and street food galore! Thanks to the Arabic influence from its Silk Road days, there are over 60,000 Muslims living in Xian and they provide a refreshing touch of colour and culture. It's so delightful to have "makciks in tudungs" (aunties in headscarves) offering their wares to you in Mandarin!

And the street food is simply superb. From shao ping (pancakes) to kebabs to rou jia mo (Chinese burgers), everything is just so flavourful, cheap and halal. While I usually steer clear of street food in China, all the food here is freshly prepared from vendors that have a supply of running water. Plus there was no way I can resist the mouth-watering aromas and sights in that night market. So far, so good.

Street vendors preparing their delicious pancakes and kebabs

And if food just isn't your main focus (why..oh why?), there are plenty of sights that light up Xian's night sky. Just look up and be greeted by the ancient beauties known as the Bell and Drum Towers. These are Ming Dynasty architecture erected in the 14th century to help Xian city dwellers mark time. The bells greet the morning, while the drums signal night time.

The Bell and Drum Tower - masterpieces from the Ming Dynasty