Shanghai 12/20/11-12/23/11

Arrived in Shanghai in the morning. It is about a 2 hour flight from Shenzhen. Found the Taxi line and took it to the Qibaozhen. It was 10C so we had to get the house warmed up, then we left to explore the city.

Could we possibly tour Shanghai in 12 hours?

First, we had lunch nearby Cloud 9. It's a Taiwanese cafe/restaurant, and we ordered some decent wonton soup. I preferred my dad's seafood broth than my beef broth. We took a taxi to the nearest subway station. The Shanghai subway system has grown into a huge system that looks like a spider. There are 10 different routes/lines and they are most easily distinguished by the number rather than the color or name of the route.

Our first tourist stop was Pudong. It is the area east of the Huangpu River. It used to be an undeveloped agricultural area, but is now considered the new area of Shanghai. It is the new business district where all the foreign banks and the famous Oriental Pearl Tower (the building that looks like a funky space shuttle) are located. You will see many IFC (International Finance Center) buildings while walking through it. We took the ferry to the Puxi side, the historical side. This takes you to the best view of the city. It is marvelous to look at Pudong and from Puxi (not so much of a view from the Pudong perspective). The promenade or bridge area is called The Bund. It was an especially good day to walk through The Bund because it was rainy and cold. This means that we were experiencing enough space to run in circles and do cartwheel in the usually over-crowded Shanghai. The Bund walk was one of my favorite activities. It has a London meets modern China feel. There are some locations, such as the area near the Penninsula, where you will feel like you are in Europe and makes you forget you are in Shanghai. After taking quite a few pictures we walked into the commercial area a bit more.
  
Navigating through the rain is challenging, but it helps that most people stay out of the street when the weather sucks. Line 1 gets you to People's Square, a large open area for crowds to gather with many shops and restaurants. We took the trolley through this area for 2RMB a person.

We took Line 10 to YuYuan (pronounced ee-yuen) Garden. This is a great spot to check out. They have very ancient Chinese architecture that has been around for years. It looks particularly memorable at night once they have the buildings lit up and there's an orange glow around the whole place. All of Shanghai hot spots are advertised to look amazing at night once the lighting hits the area in all the right ways. Personally, I found it unfortunate that the city comes alive only at night. There is no leisurely feeling during the day anywhere. Everyone looks to be hurrying to get somewhere. The traffic is insane, and it was really hard to get used to being a pedestrian and super scary to cross the street. Even when you're indoors I felt like I was going to get run over by a car. YuYuan is a great place to shop. I got a gorilla pod for 20RMB (originally 85 and offered at 40). You'll also find the best price for quality scarves here. Hopped on Line 10 again to XinTianDi. This is a Western area with newly developed shopping malls and very little Chinese writing in sight. 

I would say we successfully walked through most of Shanghai's hot spots in Day 1.

Day 2

We had a driver for Day 2. It was a welcomed break from having to fight through the crowds and being exposed to the elements. We visited a developing town, Dishui, an hour away. Beautiful city design revolved around a lake that is built into the infrastructure of the city and very peaceful atmosphere. Dad thinks it will be the next vacation spot for Shanghai residents looking to get away. Met with Mr. Gu who treated us to a delicious farm to table lunch. The dishes he ordered were excellent and a wonderful variety: river fish, pumpkin, sweet potato, corn, soup, incredible mushrooms, organic meatballs, tofu like you never had before. Best restaurant meal I had in Asia.

In the evening, we returned to the city and visited my dad's best friend, Uncle Steve. Then, we had dinner with the Gu family at Belgian Brassiere in Hon Mei Lu. They serve good mussels with garlic cream sauce (the leftover soup is unexpectedly good and light enough to drink).

Day 3

On our last morning we got a hairwash and Chinese massage at Hon Mei Lu. The massage at Bamboo 7 is hands down (heavy hands with adequate pressure) one of the best I've had. The staff is legitimately skilled and the price affordable at 180RMB (~$30) for an hour massage.

View my Shanghai photos here.

Panorama View from The Bund

Hong Kong

This is my third time in Hong Kong. It is a nice city to dine in, but I disliked many of my experiences there interacting with strangers or workers. I arrived at HKG early in the morning after a red eye flight, and took the subway to Kowloon. I embarked on the free hotel shuttle to the Intercontinental and explicitly told the driver where I was going. I was 1 of 2 passengers, and after he dropped the first guy off, he drove to another hotel and dropped me off. I got off the shuttle and went into the hotel only to realize he took me to the wrong hotel! It was a bit my fault for not checking where I was before getting off the bus, but a lot his fault for driving to that hotel for no reason and telling me we arrived (I was the only passenger left and he wasn't picking up anyone).

View from Intercontinental Hong Kong Restaurant

I was a 10-minute-drive away from the correct hotel, which made me pretty mad that he was so off. I took a cab to the Intercontinental Hong Kong, where my dad and I agreed to meet for breakfast. The I/C's Harbourside cafe has a great view and fresh food, but bad coffee.


We walked out to the Avenue of the Stars for a little stroll. The panorama sight there is incredible still.


I decided that's all I wanted to do in Hong Kong that day and was ready to see Macau next. However, it was already noon and we missed the ferry. Thank goodness - I was beat! Just wanted to go home and relax in good ol' Shenzhen.

Hong Kong (view from Ave of the Stars)

Singapore: Day 3,4 and 5

Singapore, Wednesday 12/14
1) Shopping at ION.
2) Lunch at "Akashi" (??) Japanese Restaurant with the lovely Ms. Tang ***1/2
3) Ramen at "Tampopo" ***1/2 (Yes, Wen and I had Ramen an hour before our dinner reservation)
4) "Table at 7" for party of 4**** (The main course was fine, but the desert was divine, and made up completely for any possible whines)  

Singapore, Thursday 12/15
In the afternoon, we met her aunt Cynthia at the mall for lunch at a Japanese restaurant. I tried Fugu for the first time. Glad none of us died and Wen and I lived to "hike" the Henderson Wave, a 274-meter long pedestrian bridge 36 meters above Henderson Road. It is the highest pedestrian bridge in Singapore and offers a nice view of Singapore and the MBS (Marina Bay Sands) building. It storms a lot in Singapore (at least it did while I was there) and we were caught in the heavy rain while on Henderson Wave. We tried to hide under the side railings (see photo) but it did not work spectacularly well. So... Fun in the rain it is! Wen disagrees with me, but I think Singapore looks better in the rain. And I'm not just saying that to annoy her because in Midnight in Paris there's this repeated quote "I think Paris looks better in the rain." I'm only 80% saying it to annoy her and 20% truly mean it. Singapore looks best at night. And at night, I met my friend Grace for dinner on Orchard Road and walked around the shopping center and streets catching up.

Singapore, Friday 12/16
Started off the day with a light swim, then Wen and I went to the Singapore Art Museum. They had an exhibit for Hyung Koo Kang. This artist paints up close faces in jumbo sized canvas. I liked his work a lot. The museum was interesting and enjoyable; there were many artworks aside from the main exhibit that caught my eye.

The museum has a coffee shop attached, and to avoid the pouring rain, we went to it for quesidillas and the "world's best coffee" (verbatim from their menu). The cappuccino was pretty damn good. Somehow we ended up at the mall again (?) and I tried Durian for the first time. Wen got me a Durian Puff, thinking it is better for me to start with a mild Durian flavor. First, I took a whiff and was repulsed. Then, I bravely put the entire puff in my mouth and began to slowly chew. At this point, I realized that I absolutely hated the taste and I became petrified and unable to act. I looked at Wen with desperation in my eyes, as I could not swallow and with each inhalation came a taste of Durian. Finally, she gave me a plastic bag and I disposed of the puff. Good times.

To be fair, everyone should try Durian at some point in their lives, many people love it. Somehow (through showering) I was able to get the smell off my aura for dinner. One of the things I wanted to do in Singapore was see a view of the city. This was well-accomplished with a visit to the MBS rooftop, where Wen and her parents showed me where to see the best view of the city. Could the night get any better? Yes, much better with dinner at KU DE TÁ. We got seated on the terrace and had a ***** meal with the night city view. I'm very grateful for this night with great food, great view, and great company.

On the drive out, we made a stop to see the giant merlion statue. Then, Wen and I were dropped off at the CQ plaza (Clarke Quay) and chose Helipad as our first stop. What's cool about Singapore night clubs is that even though there is a cover charge, the fee gives you 2 drink tickets. Helipad is a safe place to dance and have a good time. They have stages where girls can get up on and dance. Guys may try to go on stage to dance, but they will be escorted down by security. True story. We took a break from Helipad and ventured off to Aqua bar, where I ordered my first (and last?) Singapore Sling. We were not a fan of Aqua. They have karaoke with speakers that blare out into the outdoor seating and plaza. After I finished my drink, Wen took us to Attica. We were a fan of Attica. They had two dance floors (House upstairs and Top 40 downstairs) with an outdoors bar garden in the middle. This was a fun and funny night. Only while we were waiting in the cab line to go home did I find out it was 4:30 in the morning. You know you achieved vacation success when you stopped keeping track of time since the day before.

Panorama view from MBS

Singapore : Day 2

* signifies my star rating for the restaurant
 
Singapore, Tuesday 12/13
Started the day like a champion with brunch at Hatched ****  (Had the Eggs Benedict). Partook in a brief shopping run on Orchard Road (the street famous for its nice shopping malls and stores) where Wen got some art supplies.

Tree Top Walk was unfortunately closed for renovations. It is a short hike where you walk through a 250m aerial free-standing suspension bridge that is built through a secondary forest. We did the Canopy Walk instead. Super easy walk that offers plenty of peace and quiet. We got duck rice afterwards at Lim Seng Lee Duck Rice & Porridge nearby. ***** It was delicious in its own category.

At night I was whisked away and taken into town to see the Aladdin Musical. The theater company that does it embedded Singaporean humor into it. I had a blast. Thought it was very entertaining and I was happy to have had the opportunity to glimpse into the Singaporean quirks and note the heavy Malay influence as well.

After the show we ate at a Chinese (?) restaurant where you select a bunch of different small plates. I have no idea where it is or what it was called or what I had. Everyone really liked it though and I tried Tiger beer.

Topped the night off by watched Midnight in Paris with the Tang girls.

Singapore 12/12-12/18/11

Singapore Photo Album Here.

During my third year in college, I shared an apartment with 3 other girls. One of them, was the amazing Wen. Wen lives in Singapore and I'd be completely insane if I didn't take the opportunity to visit her while I had the time to in Asia (yay unemployment...!). I had to get my tickets last minute because I was unsure of my itinerary. Thankfully, Kayak found a good deal through Jetstar Airways. I would highly recommend this airline. They're new, but their plane is clean, they take off on-time or early due to a strict check-in policy, and they offer competitive fares. The red-eye flight from Hong Kong to Singapore was almost 4 hours and cost $225.

I wrote down the places where I went so I would remember to write about them, but the SD card on my phone crashed and I lost all the data. I'll try my best to re-piece this trip.

Orchard Road - They don't mess around with Christmas.

Packing is easy when you're going to hot and humid Singapore. There seems to be only one pick up area but I still decided to find payphone, located on the second floor, to call Wen. Relaxed, ate some good food at her home, watched TV, baked matcha green tea cupcakes with her sis,  and in the early evening we went for a stroll at the Singapore Botanical Gardens nearby. Being Christmas season, the Garden was adorned by numerous Christmas trees decorated by different organizations. With that Christmas spirit in mind, we took a drive through Orchard Road to see how they decorated it for Christmas (so bright, possible cause of an energy crisis) and I got to see a pedestrian, or car-estrian, view of the downtown area buildings. I'm not sure which was more extravagant, Orchard Road or Wen's neighbor's Christmas-decorated-house from down the street (see photo). I surely enjoyed seeing both :) The first and best meal of the trip goes to Chat Masala Too! Awesome Indian restaurant who gets the spices just right and makes delicious naans in different flavors.

This is a house decorated with Christmas lights. See my album for the video footage you don't want to miss.