Post by ilunga on Jul 18, 2005 15:45:13 GMT 7
There seems to be a lack of Henan threads, so it's only right I should write aout my home for two years.
I don't really know where to start. Actually that's a lie - it has to be the place which will be my first port of call when I head back there tomorrow (homeless ). That place is 'Image western food and music pub' It's a bar owned by a swiss guy called Paul. It's like a second home, and most probably will be my home this summer. I've nowhere else to crash Chinese name is 'yin xiang' on lian meng lu. Make sure to greet the stunning 'Annie Fanny' - long term barmaid, and please, please, wipe the floor with jessie the chef at pool. Be warned though, he's poo-hot sometimes and is known to demand ice-cream if he beats you. Beat his ass and he'll give you a quick massage The prices are reasonable. 15 for a corona/bud/heineken/carlsberg/san miguel. 10 for a hapi/tsingtao. Burgers are yummy and only 12. Pizzas and soups are also excellent. Things like weinershcnitzel and cordon bleu are a little pricier but well worth it.
There's a new bar just opened (the kind I never thought I'd see in Luoyang) on Huang he lu called 'man yao ba'. It's a real bar/club. None of the boom-boom and rigidly adhered to singers and other crap that passes as entertainment. It has a really good vibe, strikes me as a place the youth of Luoyang can identify with. The local break-dancing crew will sometimes put on an impromptu show. It's also open until 3am
Entertainment is otherwise pretty limited. There's some half-decent bars on Zhu Jiang lu, and my old haunt 'dawn of freedom' disco (zi you shu guang) on nan chang lu can be fun. 'Xin jianlong' hotel has a bowling alley and there's numerous ktvs. Dawn of freedom ktv is the best and is purely for singing (as far as a i know).
Luoyang food is pretty good and cheap. Make sure you try the water banquet (shui xi). The best place in the old town but it's not cheap. If you go for the full monty they'll bring you twenty four different kinds of soup. Anything from fish to meatballs. You can request an explanation and a history of every dish but be warned - you'll feel like nipping out for some bao zi halfway through, it doesn't half drag on.
There's plenty of hotels around. If you're feeling flush there's now a five star hotel. If you see any dodgy chinglish on their breakfast buffet menu that was me I'm friendly with the chef and he asked me to translate some food names. Not as easy as it sounds.
The Peony Plaza hotel (overlooking peony square) has a 38RMB buffet which is decent enough. Wenlai on xi yuan lu also has decent western food, and great coffee.
Expect to pay more for hotels in april as it's the 'International Peony Flower Festival'. Visitors from 'all over the world flock to Luoyang' apparently. Personally i don't think a month is long enough. I could happily stare at the same flower for months on end.
Outside of the city you have the Longmen Grottoes and White Horse Temple. Longmen is a must-see but 'Bai ma si' is a bit dull. Three hours outside Luoyang is 'Shaolin Temple' but I haven't been yet. My bad.
Zhengzhou is two hours east by train. Xi'an about five and a half hours to the west. Beinjing twelve, Shanghai about 15.
Best things about Luoyang are the friendliness of the people and the cost of living. At the risk of sounding like a shameless plugger 'Paul's bar' is also at the top of my list. I could well have gone insane without that place.
I've probably missed a few things out but there you go.
PS Macyds and kfc count stands at two-a-piece.
I don't really know where to start. Actually that's a lie - it has to be the place which will be my first port of call when I head back there tomorrow (homeless ). That place is 'Image western food and music pub' It's a bar owned by a swiss guy called Paul. It's like a second home, and most probably will be my home this summer. I've nowhere else to crash Chinese name is 'yin xiang' on lian meng lu. Make sure to greet the stunning 'Annie Fanny' - long term barmaid, and please, please, wipe the floor with jessie the chef at pool. Be warned though, he's poo-hot sometimes and is known to demand ice-cream if he beats you. Beat his ass and he'll give you a quick massage The prices are reasonable. 15 for a corona/bud/heineken/carlsberg/san miguel. 10 for a hapi/tsingtao. Burgers are yummy and only 12. Pizzas and soups are also excellent. Things like weinershcnitzel and cordon bleu are a little pricier but well worth it.
There's a new bar just opened (the kind I never thought I'd see in Luoyang) on Huang he lu called 'man yao ba'. It's a real bar/club. None of the boom-boom and rigidly adhered to singers and other crap that passes as entertainment. It has a really good vibe, strikes me as a place the youth of Luoyang can identify with. The local break-dancing crew will sometimes put on an impromptu show. It's also open until 3am
Entertainment is otherwise pretty limited. There's some half-decent bars on Zhu Jiang lu, and my old haunt 'dawn of freedom' disco (zi you shu guang) on nan chang lu can be fun. 'Xin jianlong' hotel has a bowling alley and there's numerous ktvs. Dawn of freedom ktv is the best and is purely for singing (as far as a i know).
Luoyang food is pretty good and cheap. Make sure you try the water banquet (shui xi). The best place in the old town but it's not cheap. If you go for the full monty they'll bring you twenty four different kinds of soup. Anything from fish to meatballs. You can request an explanation and a history of every dish but be warned - you'll feel like nipping out for some bao zi halfway through, it doesn't half drag on.
There's plenty of hotels around. If you're feeling flush there's now a five star hotel. If you see any dodgy chinglish on their breakfast buffet menu that was me I'm friendly with the chef and he asked me to translate some food names. Not as easy as it sounds.
The Peony Plaza hotel (overlooking peony square) has a 38RMB buffet which is decent enough. Wenlai on xi yuan lu also has decent western food, and great coffee.
Expect to pay more for hotels in april as it's the 'International Peony Flower Festival'. Visitors from 'all over the world flock to Luoyang' apparently. Personally i don't think a month is long enough. I could happily stare at the same flower for months on end.
Outside of the city you have the Longmen Grottoes and White Horse Temple. Longmen is a must-see but 'Bai ma si' is a bit dull. Three hours outside Luoyang is 'Shaolin Temple' but I haven't been yet. My bad.
Zhengzhou is two hours east by train. Xi'an about five and a half hours to the west. Beinjing twelve, Shanghai about 15.
Best things about Luoyang are the friendliness of the people and the cost of living. At the risk of sounding like a shameless plugger 'Paul's bar' is also at the top of my list. I could well have gone insane without that place.
I've probably missed a few things out but there you go.
PS Macyds and kfc count stands at two-a-piece.