Buuz, khorkhog, boodog, boortsog, and airag.

W

ell, over my years of travel, I have survived on bat in jungles of Borneo, nibbled on widgety grubs (giant Australian tree maggots) in the Australian outback, dined on cuy (guinea pig) in the Peruvian Andes and had seeminlgy endless meals of yak meat, butter and cheese in towns and villages in Tibet. But I think Mongolia might be the most challenging place of them all!

Mongolian Barbecue and Mongolian hotpot are dishes that those of us who live in the western world associate with Mongolia. Well, I hate to be the one to disappoint you but apparently these were dishes concocted by enterprising Chinese for the American palate.

The gardens of Suzhou.

H

igh on my list of things to see in China are the gardens of Suzhou ("Sue-joe"). Those of you who know me know my love for gardening. Nothing is more relaxing for me than a beautiful spring day spent grubbing in the dirt that is my own garden. To be able to stroll on the grounds of gardens that date back centuries is a pleasure I am looking forward to.

Suzhou is located in the center of the Yangtze Delta, in the south of Jiangsu Province, and lies a short distance west of Shanghai. Built in 514 BC, it is an ancient city that is world renown for its beautiful gardens. Nine of the gardens of Suzhou are listed on the World Heritage List, including the Humble Administrator's Garden, Master of the Nets Garden and the Lion Forest Garden.

Itinerary.

O

riginally, I had hoped to plan my own trip through China but with a incredibly heavy work load to fully occupy my days and a kitchen expansion/renovation to occupy my nights, there was little time to do focus on travel. So, I decided to take the easy route and go on a tour through China and while I was checking out tours through China, I found one that I liked for Mongolia. The China tour starts in Shanghai and ends in Beijing. I'm adding a few days before Shanghai to see a couple other cities and extending my stay in Beijing by another few days so I can fully see the city plus some surrounding towns. Mongolia will be per the tour itinerary.

To the lands of my ancestors and Chinggis Khan.

Today is the start of the Chinese Lunar Year - it's the Year of the Ox. Gung Hay Fat Choy to all my Asian friends. I wish you much health, prosperity and happiness in the coming year.

I figure that this first day of the New Year ought to be an auspicious day to start this travelogue - my fourth in as many years.

This time around, I am travelling to a place that I've always dreamt of going to - China. Technically speaking, I have been to China numerous times - Hong Kong on more occasions than I can remember and Tibet in October 2007. But I've never been to the land of the Han Chinese - the land of my ancestors.

Both my maternal and paternal grandparents emigrated from China to Malaysia. Both my parents are first generation Malaysian and although I am Malaysian by birth, I am very much Chinese by heart.