Tuesday, August 09, 2005
Nature As Far As the Eye Can See
Sunday was a good day for food and hiking. First, it was 飲 茶 yam2 cha4 at 牡 丹 閣 Peony Restaurant, one of my favorite tea houses. They had a new 點 心 dim2 sam1 that I had never heard of before–-香 芒 糯 米 慈 heung1 mong1 lo3 mai2 chi4. It resembled a sushi roll, with rice paste (mochi) and coconut flakes wrapped around a filling of fresh mango and mango pudding. Just writing this is making me hungry! Anyway, it was scrumptious. 食 過 一 次 就 上 0左 癮. I wonder whether they have this 點 心 in HK? It actually reminded me of a mango dessert that I had in 西 貢.
After 飲 茶, I finally got to go hiking in a place where I had wanted to to for a long time--Saratoga Gap. It's located up in the Santa Cruz Mountains southwest of San Jose and south of San Francisco. The hike was about 10 miles round trip, but the spectacular scenery made the distance and time pass quickly. My destination was Castle Rock Falls, a waterfall located in Castle Rock State Park. The trail there had unbelievable views. In one place, I looked over a vast forested area that probably exceeded 100 square miles. As far as the eye could see, there was no sign of human habitation. No roads, no houses, no people, no vehicles, no antennas, nothing except nature. It's unusual to find a place like that in the San Francisco Bay Area. As hot and dry as the weather has been lately, I was afraid that there would be no water at the waterfall. It turned out to be a pleasant surprise--a narrow ribbon of water cascading down a rock cliff about 100 feet high. What a peaceful, serene place!
On the way back from the hike, I stopped at one of my favorite Chinese shopping centers-- Milpitas Square 南 灣 Milpitas 環 球 廣 場, located near San Jose. This time, it was a quick dinner at Golden Island Restaurant 金 島 潮 州 酒 家, which specializes in Chaozhou cuisine. I ordered 沙 嗲 芥 蘭 牛 肉 (stir-fried beef with satay sauce and Chinese broccoli). Although that dish is a common one, it usually is a good indication of the chef's culinary skill. In this case, the beef was tender and juicy, and the vegetables were fresh and slightly crisp. Healthy and hard to beat. ¶ 9:00 PM
After 飲 茶, I finally got to go hiking in a place where I had wanted to to for a long time--Saratoga Gap. It's located up in the Santa Cruz Mountains southwest of San Jose and south of San Francisco. The hike was about 10 miles round trip, but the spectacular scenery made the distance and time pass quickly. My destination was Castle Rock Falls, a waterfall located in Castle Rock State Park. The trail there had unbelievable views. In one place, I looked over a vast forested area that probably exceeded 100 square miles. As far as the eye could see, there was no sign of human habitation. No roads, no houses, no people, no vehicles, no antennas, nothing except nature. It's unusual to find a place like that in the San Francisco Bay Area. As hot and dry as the weather has been lately, I was afraid that there would be no water at the waterfall. It turned out to be a pleasant surprise--a narrow ribbon of water cascading down a rock cliff about 100 feet high. What a peaceful, serene place!
On the way back from the hike, I stopped at one of my favorite Chinese shopping centers-- Milpitas Square 南 灣 Milpitas 環 球 廣 場, located near San Jose. This time, it was a quick dinner at Golden Island Restaurant 金 島 潮 州 酒 家, which specializes in Chaozhou cuisine. I ordered 沙 嗲 芥 蘭 牛 肉 (stir-fried beef with satay sauce and Chinese broccoli). Although that dish is a common one, it usually is a good indication of the chef's culinary skill. In this case, the beef was tender and juicy, and the vegetables were fresh and slightly crisp. Healthy and hard to beat. ¶ 9:00 PM
