Swatow’s old centre

Swatow’s old centre

Dennis left around 0530 today to catch the train to Guangzhou for some errands.

Kim and I, Swee and Chen had booked to go to Swatow (Shantou) for an overnight stay to explore a different part of the region.

At around 0900 Kim and I walked to the Vienna hotel where Swee and Chen were staying and from there, we ordered a car to take us to Swatow.  The ride took about an hour on the highway.

At the Muxin Homestay, we managed to get in to drop Swee and Chen’s backpack after some difficulty contacting the host.  With that sorted, we strolled into the old heart of Swatow known as Xiao Gong Yuan (small public park) for some reason.

It was very pretty but I’m not sure how much of it was restored vs created.  Kim and I split up from Swee and Chen to continue our exploration.

In Swatow’s old centre.

After a while, we found a place for some glutinous-rice dumplings.  I was able to order an assortment of six fillings to give a good sampling.  Kim then ordered some regular-looking cheongfan but they were filled with fishcake and prawns. It was a nice different twist to the regular Canto fillings.

To kill time while waiting for our room to be ready, we settled into the massage shop near the hotel.  The prices were high for China but still cheap compared to New Zealand.  It was a convenient way to while the extra time away.

Kim opted for the foot massage while I went for the body massage.  While my treatment was excellent, they were dishonest with their timing, cutting both our sessions short by 10 mins each.

Xidi Park

At around 1700, the four of us headed out together.  I had thought of going to the waterfront along the south coast of the city but Swee suggested Xidi Park where we could look out at one of the bridges.

We went with his idea and it proved worthwhile.  We found a post with mileage to various South East Asian cities.  We then realised that this is where the ancestors of many South East Asian of Teochew and Chawan (Zhaoan) descent would have started their journeys to their new world.

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Dinner

Back in the old town, we went on braised goose chase, looking for the regional specialty.  We eventually found one but in the old city, it turned out to be a tourist trap.  Miserly portions for high price, and bony cuts.

Kim and I supplemented that meal with a fried patty of taro, cheese, pork floss and salted duck egg yolk.  It was rich and delicious.  I was surprised to learn that all the salted duck egg whites are simply discarded.  What a waste of delicious protein that could go well with many bowls of congee!

We treated ourselves to a slice of mango as big as my hand.  It was tourist price as well but worth it.