3 Types Of Snack To Try During Colder Season In China

Coming from a country with only two types of season - sunny and rainy seasons - it never bores me to amaze the different kind of snacks that other countries have to offer during colder days. I'm pretty much a sucker for uniquely made food, especially those with insane fragrance. So, in this post, I'd like to share with you guys 3 snacks (which I could not find anywhere near my hometown) that I could never missed when traveling in China.

1. Icy Candy (Bing Tang Hu Lu 冰糖葫芦)

For candy lovers out there, never ever miss to try this thing! You can only find this candy when the temperature starts to drop. It is extremely easy to get, pretty much in all street/night market in the country. It's not even hard to make - simply stick some fruits or nuts with an arm-long wooden stick and coat it with mixture of sugar and honey. Place it outside and wait for it to freeze slowly. Easy.

There are few kinds of fruit and nut they use, those are strawberry, blueberry, grape, orange, kiwi, hawthorn, walnut, chestnut etc. Each of them priced differently, ranging from RMB 5 - 12. May vary for each location.

2. XXL Mutton Skewer (Yang Rou Chuan 羊肉串）

Some places in China, the locals consume tons of mutton and lamb to stay warm. Hence, you won't find it weird that the people here are selling theses skewers in the size XXL. Each skewer cost only RM 10. Having two of these would be enough for an average human-being. Well, you are nowhere near average. Then have it your way.

One of the reason that I can't forget these skewers, is the strong smell. You could literally smell it from a kilometer away. It's actually caused by the spice they used - cumin, chili flake and white pepper. Put these on grill fire and you will get an aromatherapy for food lovers.

3. Bipang (Shougong Jiang Tang 手工姜糖)

If you ever planned to travel to Xi'An, missing this out would be a huge mistake. Here, they're not only selling the snacks, but also present to you the way they produce openly, pretty much like a live show. The process involves mixing, pulling, baking and cutting in large scale. All of these are displayed publicly to attract visitors. This particular snack isn't only sold during colder time, but I would prefer to buy when the weather isn't so high, or else it would get a little sticky.

Each pack is sold differently depending on its flavor, ranging from RMB 20 - 30.

VIP Hotel @ Segamat, Johor

So, I'd managed to pull out some time during last weekend for a short vacation. Wasn't that far, though. Just in Segamat, Johor.

In case if any of you wondering where the heck is Segamat, it's actually located on the north side of Johor state. Three hours of driving from my hometown, Johor Bahru, and approximately 1.5 hour from Melaka Sentral. Being one of the rural district in Johor, Segamat offers its visitors with pretty relaxing atmosphere. It actually gets better if you were born in the city, or maybe just tied up with it.

I, for one, love spending some quality time in these type rural area. But having no company, or people with similar could be big problem too sometimes. Lucky for me, I received an invitation by one of my Blogger friend to try out this hotel in Segamat. It didn't take me long to say yes. I had been longing for this type of weekend getaway for quite some times now.

So, without further a due, allow me to walk you around this place.

Basically, VIP Hotel is a 3-star rated hotel, but completed with some facilities that you will not find in any 3-star hotel around KL or JB.

I'm pretty sure some of you might think it's a little irony naming it 'VIP' but having rated with only 3 stars. Well, for short, this hotel markets itself mostly to attract the government officials or international corporation. Of course they do serve all walk-in individuals. But good thing about this hotel is, they're giving out discounts and special packages for those officials and corporation. Hence, the name 'VIP' helps with their marketing strategy.

As for the facilities, what do they have to offer?

Pool

During weekdays, this pool is rented out for public use. With only RM20 per adult, and RM10 per kid, you may spend the next 24 hours drowning yourself in the pool. But of course I believe none of you would actually do that.

And if you were the type of people who would never swim in trunk in front of public (like myself), you could go down the pool area in between 8 to 9 pm. By that time most of the visitors would have gone back to their rooms. Pretty comforting and no one would stare at you while swimming.

Keep in mind, though. The pool closes at 9 pm. Although there won't be any sign saying it, the guards will be all around it.

Gymnasium

Do not get too excited, though. Like I said earlier, this is a 3-star rated hotel. Hence, you won't be seeing a complete set of gymnasium. As of this date, they gym comes with cardio equipment mostly, like exercise bikes and track mills.

If you were a morning exercise kind of person, this facility could be great for you. The gym was designed facing the pool and main road. So during morning, you may find sunrise just above the pool can be pretty indulging.

Coffee House 'The Chef'

This in-house cafe opens from as early as 7 am for breakfast, till 10 pm for supper. Except for breakfast, which they are serving buffet style, the rest of the meals are on ala-carte basis. It's good, though, because they only attend you with hot and freshly cooked dishes.

And there is another good news for those of you who refuse to come out from the room to eat. 'The Chef' also serves your hot dishes straight to your room, like a room service. The menu ranges from appetizer, main course to dessert. (There will be a different post for the food)

There are some other amenities too, which for some people, are pretty great to have.

- Liquor Bar (which I was not allowed to enter)

- Wifi

- Hot Shower

- Safety box and fridge in each room

- Snack and souvenir store

- Conference Rooms (that could fit up to 250 people)

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Here are the links for for full details. Booking is available through most hotel application, like Agoda, Tripadvisor and Bookings.com.

Website : VIP Hotel Segamat
Facebook : VIP Hotel Segamat
Contact : 07-931 2101
Address : Batu 1, Jalan Buluh Kasap, Segamat 85000, Johor