Travel Diary- Xuexiang

Finally!!! I apologise in advance for the photo spam ahead but there was just too many photos to share so this is my 'filtered' version. Having visited what I dub 'The Middle of Nowhere' it was certainly an experience I won't forget for a while. Aesthetically it is amazing but remember behind these glossy edited photos is an untold story which includes uncomfortable and almost monolithic (a bit of an exaggeration here) sleeping quarters (that were worse than at Xuegu) and lack of amenities due to Xuexiang's seclusion from the rest of civilisation. All-in-all, take these photos with a grain of salt. 

Jonga Jip Review

Once upon a time (think 2010, which I suppose classifies as a really long time ago), there were 3 hungry ladies (? a bit debatable on this point) who scoured Sydney far and wide in search of where they would next eat. At the time that was unheard of, people gave them strange looks when they whipped out their phones and digital cameras respectively but they knew that they were onto something. Fast forward 5 years and this is probably my 4th visit to Jonga Jip. If you're new to Korean food (you're missing out on so much), this is probably a really good place to become cultured (that and Korean Fried Chicken).

One of the great things about eating Korean is the amount of banchan or complimentary side dishes that you get with your meal. At times they can be a meal in their own right.

Above: the problem when you have too many plates of food and not enough space on the table, or in other words, the usual Jonga Jip experience. And as one of those people that shamelessly orders the same thing every time, my go to Jonga Jip essentials are as follows:

Front: Pan-fried Marinated Beef/ Bulgogi Chulpan $15

Back: Green Onion Seafood Pancake $20

You'll find that even though you could have the KBBQ experience here, a lot of diners opt not to. I mean with a minimum order of 2 meat dishes in order to use the charcoal, you're missing out on so many other options on the menu. My go to meet dish the marinated beef which goes amazingly well with onions, honestly you will not regret ordering this but for the small portion size. Note that this is a sweet sauce. 

What they lack in size for the beef, they overcompensated with regards to the seafood pancake. Finding space for this on your table and finishing it is a task within itself. 

Stir-fried Potato noodles which comes in two sizes, Medium- $25 or Large-$35

We ordered the large servings and despite having to go with the takeaway box option at the end of the meal, there were regrets in ordering this. Perhaps next time I shouldn't be so ambitious and order the medium instead. If you've never had these noodles before they're a bit firm with a bit of elasticity to them and are kind of like glass noodles. 

Spicy bone soup- $13

If a Korean restaurant has the word 'spicy' in it then BEWARE because spicy means spicy. Lesson learned. In saying that, you know how you have spicy food that makes you want to run to grab milk/yoghurt/whatever works best for you, but at the same time tastes amazing? Well, this is one of them, something ridiculously spicy that you can't stop eating. Ahh that dilemma. 

Travel Diary- Xue Gu

One of the must-do items in our Chinese itinerary, or at least for my mother, was to visit Xue Gu-Xue Xiang. I pair them together because in order to truly experience Xue Xiang- the bigger and more famous town- you have to go through Xue Gu, that is if you're keen to do the mountain hike. The 15km up and down trek may seem daunting especially given its inclines and elements (snow and lots of it) but when I post the next lot of photos in this series I think you will agree with me when I say that it was all worth it in the end. Of course you're welcome to skip the mountain hike entirely but if you're travelling all the way to Harbin (far North-West China) and then doing 1-2hr drive just to get here, I'm pretty sure you're just as keen as the next person to get your bang for your buck. 

Tip: if you want to do the joint two town experience I recommend joining a tour because you don't want to be carrying your luggage on the hike. Instead it is much easier to leave the luggage and accommodation organisation to a tour, at the very least they have connections. In saying that I do have to warn you that these towns are very remote, electricity is limited and so is hot water. For a place where you can expect -20 degrees temperatures you have to forgo the comfort of having a hot shower (they don't exist) as well as a large soft bed. 

Where I slept and yeah expect to share this 'bed' with other people. Oh and don't expect a plush bed, nope it is practically a rock.

Think of this as an electric blanket but rather than a blanket it is goes underneath a fabric where you would otherwise expect your mattress cover to be. 

I guess if anything, those 2 days were a big reality check for me and my Western sensibilities.