Xian, China (Part II)

In addition to our trip, apart from checking out all the historical landmarks and places, Cynthia took us for some quick stops at local factories to see some China made goods. These materials used are somewhat familiar in almost every part of the world... =)

Silk Factory



Silk worm eggs...

that can be stretched up to that size!
Trust me, it was stretchy and definitely un-pokeable.

More silk worm eggs being cleaned and processed.

This was the part where the silk was pulled & stretched
to become China made products.

Pearl Factory


That oyster contained more than 1 pearl, 13 - 15 pieces in it!


Pretty big ones will go straight behind the glass counter for us girls to choose..

Jade Factory


Jade under the spotlight, mesmerizing..

Raw materials before turning into pretty jades!

We learned that the lighter colour ones, are pricier. So, don't think the coloured jades cost more than the lighter ones! ;)

Fa Men Temple






Yup, it was super cold that day.

Local Park



Us girls ever posing in every way we can, with or without props.. ;)

In front of the musical fountain

Us with Cynthia, the tour guide

The 2nd highlight of my trip...
Muslim Street!!!


Drum Tower

The view of the Muslim Street

The art of making this sweet dessert where in malay we call it 'gula tarik', literally means 'sugar pull'??? heheh..well, click to see the above photos, where she repeatedly pulled the sugary dough, again and again and again, until it became so threadly fine as below...

Fine art? Yums!
The filling was filled with nuts surrounded by sweetness.


According to dad, the people above were some of the ethnic minorities of Chinese Muslims living in Xian.

Some minorities like the photo taken above, looked like some Turkish people; slightly fairer, bigger eyes and looked abit mixed whereas the Muslim Hui people that i took with one below...

looked like the other Han people in Xian, except she was wearing the scarf. =)
Nice old lady...

Later on, i saw this interesting stall cooking up some yummy stuffs...


The ingredients..The filling..The cooking

The many customers waiting...

Sizzles!

More food?

Well, we found a place for good halal food in the midst of the Muslim Street. It was a 3 storey restaurant and very packed! We were lucky enough to get seats on the 3rd floor itself. =)

Here was the order of our last night in Xian!

Spinach
Grilled spicy lamb
Ox tongue
Chicken with black sauce
Spicy prawns

After consuming vegetables for 4 days, lunch and dinner, i was so happy when i had my tummy filled with these goodness on the last day! All the dishes were so good and tasty, well minus the ox tongue as it was a cold dish...but the rest were absolutely yummy! The dishes were nicely cooked, not overly salty but just nice. The grilled lamb and spinach were my fave! Love love... =)

Final & Part III of Xian, China post will be up later tonight!
Overview of what the culture is like.
Do check it out ya!

=D

Luv luv!!!

Photos by Nurvia Ooi & Farhah