Kyoto (京都), Japan (日本)

Kyoto (京都), just North of Nara, was the former capital of Japan so there's lots of history to see there, including 17 UNESCO World Heritage sites. Here's a few I was able to visit while there.

Byodo-in (平等院), but over a thousand years ago as a country-side retreat but is now a Buddhist temple.

different angle

somehwere.... i forget where...

The main hall of Kiyomizu-dera (清水寺), one of the most well-known Buddhist temples in the country.

Otawa Waterfall as seen from the wooden deck in the previous picture.
The people are lined up to drink from the water. Each of the three streams is suppose to bring different benefits.

Kiyomizu-dera, from a different angle

a niomon by the Kiyomizu-dera temples

small street by the shops next to Kiyomizu-dera

Todai-ji (東大寺), Nara, Japan

Todai-ji (東大寺) is a Budhist Temple complex and consists of several temples and shrines.  A great place to visit for those who are interested in Japanese history and culture, but probably not as interesting for others. The site is part of the Historic Monuments of Ancient Nara and is a UNESCO World Heritage Site.

stone marker outside the entrance

the main entrance gate

central gate that leads to the main temple

 

Great Buddha Hall (大仏殿 Daibutsuden)

Didn't have time to get interior shots :(

This is the world's largest wooden structure until the 1990s

Deer are considered sacred protectors and many tame deer wander around the area

large bronze bell

Nando's Peri-Peri

Portuegese chicken restaurant that started in Africa, located in Washington, D.C.'s "Chinatown"(in quotes because DC's Chinatown doesn't have many Asian stores). The price isn't bad given the location and the food is decent.

inside the restaurant

Lemon-herb chicken with fries and garlic bread. The chicken isn't bad, it's juicy on the inside and has a definite lemon flavor on the outside. The garlic bread was a bit bland though and soggy.

Mango-lime chicken. It looks just like the Lemon-herb, but definitely has a tangy, mango flavor to it.

Story of Peri-Peri on the wall

Outside the restaurant

Outside the restaurant, the Chinese sign just says "Chicken Restaurant"

Luke's Lobster

Luke's Lobster restaurant in DC at 624 E. Street NW. They specialize in seafood rolls and seafood sandwiches. Worth a visit if you're in the area.

delicious Lobster Roll, with plenty of lobster meat in it

Boat house theme going on in the interior.
There's very limited seating (about a dozen at most).

outside view of the restaurant with seats for eating if it weren't so cold that day

Scottish Meat Pie

Meat pie in Edinburgh, Scotland at Auld Jock's Pie Shoppe. It's a small restaurant in Old Town Edinburgh not too far from the main tourist area. Seating is limited, but the meat pie was delicious!

Auld Jock's Pie Shoppe, front view

inside the shoppe and the menu

Angus steak pie, served with mashed potatoes and covered in gravy.

Haggis meat pie

Forgot which type of pie this is

Angus steak pie

小籠包 (xiao long bao)

小籠包 (xiao long bao) from 鼎泰豐 (Din Tai Fung), a Taiwanese restaurant famous for xiaolongbaos which has now branched out internationally. These pictures are from the SOGO location in Tienmu, Taipei, Taiwan.

Xiaolongbaos, sometimes called soup dumplings though they're not actually dumplings), are small thin-skinned buns filled with pork and soup. Other meat fillings are usually available too. The name xiaolongbao literally means little basket buns, and comes from the bamboo basket that the buns are used for steaming the buns.

The xiaolongbaos are eaten with ginger dipped in vinegar and soy sauce. The xiaolongbaos are placed in a soup spoon with the ginger and then eaten.

Chef's making xiaolongbaos in the kitchen

Shrimp filled xiaolongbaos

Other dishes served at Din Tai Fung. The xiaolongbaos are traditionally just a snack, so they're not enough to fill you up for a whole meal. That's where these additional dishes come in.

Even more dishes... I don't remember what these are called...

Dessert xiaolongbaos filled with sweet red bean paste

Hot Pot in Taiwan

Maybe this wasn't a good time to start a traveling blog. My originally planned travel is postponed because of unforeseen medical expenses. So I need to plan some cheaper, more local trips.

In the mean time, here's a post from previous travel. Taiwan!
Hot pot in Taiwan to be specific. This restaurant is from the night market (夜市) in Pingtung (屏東) though we went during lunch.

Hot pot consists of a large, boiling pot of stock in the middle where everyone at the table cooks various ingredients such as thin-cut meat as well as vegetables, mushrooms, tofu, fish balls and pretty much anything. This particular restaurant is one of my favorites and has some of the best hot pot meat and sacha (沙茶) sauce.

Hot pot with stock and vegetables.

The raw meat before being cooked.

Sacha sauce and raw egg yolk. The raw egg is mostly only in Taiwanese hotpot and is mixed together with the sacha sauce and used as a dipping sauce. And yes, the egg is eaten raw ^_^

Tofu

Fish balls (minced fish meat, formed into a ball shape).