Feb 24th, 2010
by Mandy Bartok.
Some people welcome spring with a prognosticating rodent. Others throw beans, exchange red envelopes full of money, or decorate the streets with dozens of lanterns. Me? I head for the hills here in my adopted home country of Japan and search out the first signs of the coming season – plum blossoms.
Plum Blossoms
Before the sakura (cherry trees) snapped up all the good press, the plum blossom was the original herald of springtime in East Asia. With their varied colors (anywhere from snowy white to deep magenta), plum blossoms make a noticeable splash on their drab winter surroundings. In bloom for nearly four weeks (twice as long as their delicate competition), they’re a colorful forerunner of what’s to come in the warmer months.
White plum blossoms
Viewing opportunities around the archipelago are numerous. Tokyo’s city gardens boast quiet corners of the dark pink blooms, while the white walls of Odawara Castle are framed in salmon-colored splendor. For the best chance to wander among the blooming orchards, however, a trip outside Tokyo to the Yoshino Baigo Plum Grove is a must. Surrounded by over 25,000 ornamental trees, you’ll feel like you either wandered into an impressionist painting or a kindergartner’s eager attempt at pink-hued pointillism. In any case, the beauty of Mother Nature’s canvas serves as a welcome reminder that spring is just around the corner.
Yoshino Baigo Plum Orchard
What’s your favorite sign of the coming season?
Written By Mandy Bartok.
Posted in: Miscellaneous.
Tagged: blossoms · flowers · orchard · plum · spring
Feb 10th, 2010
by Mandy Bartok.
Picture this – The bluish tint of nightfall is just beginning to settle on the streets of your favorite Asian city, but the arrival of dusk doesn’t dampen your plans. In fact, you’ve been waiting for this moment since the alarm rang hours ago. You’ve whiled away the daylight on the obligatory temple visits and rickshaw rides but now it’s time to get down to business – the very serious business, that is, of what you’re having for dinner.
There’s no doubt that a good traveler lets his stomach lead the way, and why shouldn’t he, on a continent where the cuisine is as much an attraction as the Taj Mahal or the terracotta warriors? In Asia, there seems to be no shortage of opportunities to test drive adventurous taste buds. Maybe you fancy snacking on a spider or two during your Cambodian sojourn or salivate at the mere thought of a seat at the counter of any Tokyo sushi bar. Or perhaps you’re willing to wait for the good stuff and think nothing of queuing up in Shanghai’s Yuyuan Bazaar for the best soup-filled dumplings in town or sitting through a knee-killing tea ceremony for that perfect, indescribable Japanese sweet. And while you might currently believe nirvana can only be achieved through meditation, a single bite of tantalizing Kobe beef will banish that notion from your head forever.
So next time you find yourself exploring the highlights of your favorite Asian destination, don’t forget to stop and – literally – savor the moment.
Chinese dumplings
Fresh fish from Tokyo's Tsukiji market
Singapore street food
Spices from Vietnam
Written By Mandy Bartok.
Posted in: Miscellaneous.
Feb 4th, 2010
by Emily Supernavage.
Looking for a new job?
Mei Lan at the Zoo Atlanta in Atlanta, Ga. Copyright Gene Blythe / AP
If you have a bachelor’s degree or higher, no history of infectious disease and good command of both English and Chinese languages you might just be what the Chinese government is looking for. The Chinese government is seeking out a Chinese language tutor for 3-year-old panda Mei Lan to help her cope with the life changing move from Atlanta, Georgia to Chengdu Panda Breeding Research Center in the southwestern province of Sichuan, China. She will arrive in China on Friday via a special FedEx flight which will also carry fellow 4-year-old panda Tai Shan, from Washington DC’s National Zoo. Tai Shan will be moved to the Ya’an Bifeng Gorge Breeding Base of Wolong National Nature Reserve, another panda breeding center in Sichuan.
Upon arrival Mei Lan will have a team of experts to help her with the transition to her new environment. She will be set up with a Chinese tutor, a new diet and even a matchmaker. The Chinese tutor, with a focus on Sichuan dialect, will help Mei Lan learn new phrases for getting around her new home. Mei Lan will also arrive with her favorite biscuits in tow to ease her into her new diet of ‘wotou’ (steamed bread made of corn and sorghum) and bamboo. Since pandas are known for being sexually inactive, Mei Shan’s care takers are on a mission to find a potential boyfriend. A website will be set up to allow the public to vote for her new suitor though her caretakers will have the final say in the actual suitor.
With the royal treatment like that, whoever said moving to a new country was difficult?
Written By Emily Supernavage.
Posted in: Fun Facts, Miscellaneous.
Tagged: asia insider · asia360 · blog · china · giant panda cub · mei lan · panda · tai shan
