THE HILLMAN 2013 ASIAN ADVENTURE
100s of Photos Documenting a 6-week tour of
Malaysia ~ Singapore ~ Thailand ~ China
Section II: China
www.hillmanweb.com/china2013/china07.html
Photos by Bill and Sue-On
Captions by Sue-On (expanded from our FaceBook pages)
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Gallery 7:
Big Cats and Beijing Streets
Lovely weeping willow trees 
line the walkways with scattered benches.
The entrance to the "big cats"!
As with the pandas, 
all kitties were dozing in the mid-day heat.
The lioness must have put her cubs down 
for their afternoon nap too.
Nothing can hide 
those gorgeous stripes.
One of the rare white tigers...
And the head of the pride, also asleep...
. . . So, we'll admire the flowers instead.
This huge complex was 
across the street from the zoo entrance.
Can you tell I'm a foreigner 
amongst my own kind? LOL!
And, where's that car?
Can you see the "domino effect" of these buildings? 
I think there were about 10 more behind the last one here!
Joseph. the guide, called these 
the Triple Zero Complex
Stepping Stones Towers?
Unusual centre piece to the building. 
The four columns framed the main entrance.
Ah! These are more of what 
we wanted to see - the old China.
Talk about extreme packing! 
Some of the loads we've seen were pretty heavy, 
and we wondered at the strength of the pedaler's legs.
I'm not sure why there is a Santa on this store, 
along with Easter bunnies and
the Chinese astrological figures. 
Do you suppose the "Christmas Store" 
frenzy has infected China? 
They make the ornaments, 
so I am sure they must attract the locals too
...all things North American!
The old corner store :-) 
But what would it sell as a "hard Discounter"?!
Here's one of the electric bikes.
It's one of the ways the gov't uses 
to reduce car pollution. 
Workers will take the battery into work 
and charge it up for the ride home.
THIS is not the public toilet, 
but the couple seemed intent
on getting the perfect angle for 
their picture of something. 
Here, everything provides a photo-op, 
even for the locals.
A modern dress shop in an old building.
There is NO escape from McD's!
Did you REALLY think I'd forget about food?! 
Our guide took us to a neighborhood favourite 
as well as a tourist attraction for lunch. 
The prices are cheap by our standards, 
but the guide and the driver will still be thrifty and 
eat elsewhere, perhaps a noodle stall down an alley.
The Happy Maitre'd greets us at the door.
The interior follows traditional decor of old, 
as does the din of conversation and the clatter of dishes. 
Wonderful aromas filled the air :-)
Oblivious foodie? Nope. 
The menu had pictures and 
some attempt at English translation ;-)
This is one of the several private diningrooms.
There was a gentleman sitting 
with a male companion next to us. 
He must have been ranting and venting, 
quite animatedly, about politics or religion.
One of our lunch dishes: 
stir-fried bitter melon and lily bulb. 
This was a new combination for me, 
the delicate sweetness of the lily bulb
with the bright green and slightly 
bitterness of the melon. Wonderful!
Ah, the dish worth waiting for! 
This took quite some time as most of the diners 
were ordering noodle soups. 
This was cumin lamb chops: 
crispy charred fat and moist meat on these 
and provided the much-needed energy for 
the next leg of our tour: the Hutong and the Lama Temple.
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Hundreds of Photos with Captions
CHINA
MALAYSIA / SINGAPORE
Singapore ~ Malaysia

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Bill and Sue-On Hillman Eclectic Studio
hillmanweb.com
Brandon, Manitoba, Canada