Hey Hey and a Big G’Day toya,
So where can I be found?

Where did the 2014 Beers N Noodles Adventure begin?
Before me my cheap Mc Donald's coffee is now growing cold.

 I came in here to get out of the humidity outside but there seems to be no air-conditioner. What there is though is the fact that I can easily get another coffee. Outside and a floor down the city's main night market is being set up. A man making popcorn from a primitive 'popper' has just turned his light on. Being the first one I guess the naked globe may help him attract attention of those passing by. It is your typical three wheeler mobile eatery. He puts the popcorn seeds into a covered wok with a handle coming out the top. 
The wok sits on a flame powered by a gas bottle that is also attached to his mobile eatery and the Popcorn Man stands there turning the small handle.

When ready he passes the contents to his wife who then adds either icing sugar or honey!
His mobile eatery sits on the side of the main road and around him are many other mobile eateries, the most being the Muslim Meaty Treats Eateries which is where I will be heading once I finish here. I may spend an hour or two in Mc Donald's every few days but it is not often and it is usually for coffee and to write a blog. Why eat Mc Donald's when I can have Muslim Meaty Treats or something similar that is near by. 

 For those of you who don't know, Kaifeng city is one of my most favourite cities here in China and besides the Jinghong city (Xishuangbanna) night food market, Kaifeng s night market would be at the top of my list. Of course there are others that are much bigger, but you must remember, it's not the size of the market, it's what you do with it that counts! The Kaifeng night market runs the entire length of two city blocks and here is what the LP has to say about it and believe me, I couldn't agree more as I think it has some of the most tastiest road side snacks in China and no matter how hot or cold it is it always seems to have 'that vibe' you are after whilst travelling and at a night market;....;

 This veritable marvel and phenomenon alone justifies trips to Kaifeng! 

 Join the scrums weaving between stalls busy with hollering Hui Muslim chefs cooking up kebabs and nan bread, red faced popcorn sellers and vendors of shao-bing (sesame-seed cakes), cured meats, foul-smelling chou-ganzi (stinky tofu), sweet potato's, crab kebabs, seafood kebabs, sugar-coated pears and Thai scented cakes.

 Among the flames jetting from ovens and steam rising in clouds prance the vendors of Xingren Cha (almond tea), a sugary sauce made from boiling water thickened with powdered almond, red berries, peanuts, sesame seeds and crystallized cherries. A bowl costs a mere handful of Kai and two or three bowls constitute a very sweet meal. Xingren Cha stalls stand out for their unique red pompom-adorned dragon-spouted copper kettles. 

 Also set out to sample is Rouhe which is a local snack of fried vegetables and pork, or mutton, stuffed into a pocket of flat bread. Join the locals at one of the rickety tables and the market peters out into stalls selling clothes, toys, DVD's and books. 

 Needless to say that the fact that 'not being hungry' does in no way stop you from gorging yourself on all different types of kebabs, elephant sized 'vegetable pockets', soups, seafood, fresh fruit and other strange foods that I've never seen before. Whenever I'm in Kaifeng I usually eat noodles and vegetables for lunch and after a long day exploring I always head to the night market night market and slowly walk around feasting on anything and everything that is sizzling anywhere near by.  

 And I do call 'anywhere nearby' anything within reaching distance.
If I have been to Kaifeng so many times in the past, why return?

 Once I met a girl here who became apart of my life for many years, a traditional mother then stepped in. Life has moved on for the both of us, but it has moved on with us remaining just as close as the day we were made to separate. She will return to Kaifeng in several days and with her will come............

 DA XIANGGUO TEMPLE

Da Xiangguo Temple (sometimes referred to as the "Temple of the Chief Minister") is a very famous Buddhist temple located in the city of Kaifeng, Henan Province. It was first built during the Northern Qi (CE 550-577 ) Dynasty of the Northern (CE 386-588) Dynasties period of the Southern and Northern (CE 386-588) Dynasties era. The temple was once favored by imperial families, having been enlarged many times during the course of the years until it eventually ranked as the largest Buddhist temple in Kaifeng, and thus the largest Buddhist temple in all of China, since Kaifeng - formerly known variously as Bianliang, Bianjing/ Dongjing, Daliang, and simply Liang - one of the seven ancient capitals of China, was the capital city at the time). Da Xiangguo Temple consisted of sixty-four meditation rooms and gardens, which, in the temple's heyday, housed more than a thousand monks.

 The abbot of Da Xiangguo Temple was chosen by the emperor himself. This temple was also known as "the imperial temple", since it was, as indicated, the favorite temple of the imperial family. It was also the venue where the emperor made the traditional prayers of thanks to Heaven, and where the emperor performed the annual Jinshi Ceremony, which ceremony
bestowed titles upon those who successfully completed the civil examination. Unfortunately, after the fall of the Song Dynasty, the temple was badly damaged by floods and thereafter neglected, though it was eventually repaired. The temple was completely restored during
the Qing Dynasty, in recognition of its historical value. The existing temple structures date from the Qing Dynasty period restoration.

 SHANSHAANGAN GUILD HALL

 The Sshanshaangan Guildhall, was built by merchants from Shanxi, Shaanxi, and Gansu Provinces so they had a place to stay while in Kaifeng on business. What remains is only a small part of the original complex, which had living quarters, meeting rooms, and even a theater. The guildhall is famous for the intricate decorations on its arches and buildings. These carvings of dragons, birds and flowers adorn the roof of the main hall at the back of the complex. Beers N Noodles toya…..shane
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The soundtrack to this entry was by Tori Amos 
The album was 'Under The Pink'

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