Family is here in Shanghai =)

It has been super long since I last blog and I think I should just get my hands back on the keyboards again and continue typing before I get ready tired and abundant the whole blog.

So, this past 2 weeks has been quite busy for all of us, which include Kim, Joanne, Angela, Jie Ying and myself coz in this 2 weeks, either our family of friends are here to visit.

My parents and sis are back in Shanghai on the 21st December till 28th Dec and I took 4 days off to accompany them.

Met them my 113 day in Shanghai, 21st December to watch this acrobatic show and I have got to find my way there myself. I almost got myself lost and my sis came out to find me. =)

Wasn’t too bad a show but since I have seen my sis for almost 4 moths, we started chatting instead of watching the show. My mum told us to shut up for like more than 4 times.

So went back to the hotel, started chatting and went to bed.

Woke up the next day and it was the start of our own Shanghai tour.

So, instead of me bringing my parents and sis around Shanghai coz I have been here for 4 months and should know the place better, my dad was the one that brought us around (most of the attractions I mean, obviously I am the tour guide for all shopping areas =)).

Went to a few attractions like Zhou Zhuang, Shanghai Botanical Garden, Jade Buddha Temple, Cheng Huang Miao, shopping areas like Nanjing road, Xu Jia Hui, Huai Hai rd, Qipu rd, and ate cuisines like Beijing Duck, Xiao long Bao, Sheng Jian Bao, Smelly Tofu and Shao Kao. Bought my sis to some night life places like B.A.T.S, Babyface and Muse.

114 day in Shanghai (22/12/07)

Woke up in the morning, had our breakfast in the hotel and headed to Luxun Park as my dad just doesn’t get bored over parks. Spend some time at the luxun museum reading his history and stuffs and we headed back to the hotel.

Packed up all our stuffs, bid goodbye to their tour mates and moved their luggage to Motel 168. By the time we reached the hotel, it was 2pm already and Motel 168 is having a blackout.

Brought them to eat Lan Zhou La Mian but I think my parents just cant get use to eating those kind of food. After lunch we walked to Oriental Pearl Tower as dad want to get tickets to see this Chinese olden days fashion show.

Went to Zhen Da to shop and ate dinner before heading back to the theatre to watch the show. The whole place looks quite nice and very new. After the show was to Huangpu Jiang to see the view of the bund.

115 day in Shanghai (23/12/07)

Woke up early as my dad wanted to go to Zhou Zhuang. Headed to Shanghai Stadium to catch the coach there and by the time we reached there, it was 9.50am already. I thought that the last coach has gone but lucky there was another coach at 10am and this time, we have got a tour guide with us.

Went there the 2nd time so nothing much to blog about it. Reached back Shanghai at abt 6pm and we went to Xu Jia Hui as dad wanted to eat at this restaurant ‘Ya Wang (Duck King)’

Went there the previous time I was here in Shanghai 2 years ago and it was quite nice so he deiced to have it again.

Shopped around there after dinner before heading back to the hotel. Brought sis to get a haircut and went back home to get some clothes. Stayed there for some time and sis bought some Shao Kao to eat on the way home.

116 day in Shanghai (24/12/07)

Headed off to Shanghai Botanical Garden in the morning, one of the kinds of places my dad loves.

That place is not comparable to Singapore Botanical Garden I must say. That place is so damn far away from the train station (30 mins walk) and the people over there actually said that it is very near and walkable. (Yes, I know it’s China and so the mindset of distance is definitely different.. but still.. -_-)

Reached there and we have got to pay RMB40 for the entrance fee. And I think because they have got a too big space there, they can’t be bothered to do maintenance to the whole place. The whole place is quite big and we have got to cover 4 different parts/places before my dad is willing to come out from there.

Not a very garden person so I didn’t really enjoy myself there but I have got to say that some of the sceneries are quite nice. Photos shows =)

After that I got to head back to the hotel to work for Christmas night, ‘Merry Christmas with Gigi Leung’ while they went to eat Jia Jia Tang Bao (very famous Xiao Long Bao shop in Shanghai). Waited for very long for this event as I so wanted to see Gigi leung in person haha. Saw her on stage and she sang 7 songs.

After the dinner, it was to B.A.T.S for Christmas party. Met up sister at the lobby and we went there tgt. The party wasn’t that fun as there wasn’t a lot of guest there and the whole ambience is quite dead.

Wanted to leave early and go to some other clubs but didn’t know how to tell Nick (the manager) that we wanted to go off. So in the end, they started counting down when we were half way going out to the exit. And we just like so stupidly standing in the center counting down.

Went to Babyface with Joanne and we have got to pay an entrance fee of RMB80. Lucky the music that day wasn’t that bad after all.

117 day in Shanghai (25/12/07)

Woke up at 10am to get ready and I went back home first to wash my clothes. Sis started cooking Maggie for lunch. Went out at 1pm, opened the letter box and realized that there is this parcel we have got to collect.

Look for the place and collected the item; it was a birthday present to Angela from some friends. After that, we took the train to Qipu rd and started out shopping trip. Sis bought 3 pairs of shoes and need her nails while I got Gina’s accessories.

After shopping, we met up with our parents for dinner at Nanjing rd in this restaurant. After dinner was shopping around Nanjing for a while before I bring them to 八佰伴area for some road-side shopping. Brought my parents to eat Shao kao for supper after shopping.

118 day in Shanghai (26/12/07)

Went to the Jade Buddha Temple in the morning and I thought that I will spend a few hours there but we ended up exploring that place in just an hour.

It wasn’t a very big temple but there was this particular room that placed the jade Buddha. It looks really beautiful but no photos can be taken there. One of the monk was cleaning the jade Buddha at that time and he was the only that can touch the Buddha. Inside that area, there were 2 more male workers cleaning and wiping the glass container that keeps the Buddha and both of them cannot touch the Buddha at all let alone females.

After that, we headed to the hotel for lunch at Yi Café for their buffet lunch. Yi Café is one of the famous buffet restaurant in Shanghai where it has it’s own buffet concept. There are a few different counters in the buffet restaurant; Western, Indian, Chinese, Mexican, Thai, Japanese, Dessert and pastry counter.

In each counter, they will have their own chef in the counter to explain their cuisines to the customer that’s why there isn’t any food tag on the counter.

It was quite weird eating at Yi Café as I saw a lot of managers that day and they will come forward and greet my parents. But well, I still enjoyed the lunch. And since it was my dad’s birthday, they gave us a birthday cake.

After lunch, I accompany Joanne for lunch while my parents and sis went to shop around Zhen Da. By the time we met up again, it was near 4pm already. We went to Xin Tian Di, Huai Hai rd and Cheng Huang Miao after that to look at the night sceneries.

We had dinner at this Chinese restaurant which is one of the best restaurants in China. If I am not wrong, a few president and big shots have gone there for a meal before.

Went back to eat Shao Kao again for supper before sis and I met up with Joanne to go to Maxim’s birthday party at Muse. Music was great that night =)

119 day in Shanghai (27/12/07)

We went to Cheng Huang Miao again in the morning to Yu Yuan, one of the famous gardens in Shanghai. Stayed there the whole morning and went for lunch in the same restaurant we had for dinner the previous day.

Shopped around there for a while and I found another warehouse place that sells all those accessories. Think I will be going there quite often to get more stuffs when I am going home. =)

After that, we went to Wu Jiang rd to eat all those road side food like Sheng Jian Bao, Smelly Tofu, Shao Kao, etc.

An incident happen on the way to Wu Jiang rd. From our hotel to Cheng Huang Miao, it cost only RMB14. When we took a cab from Cheng Huang Miao to Wu Jiang rd, which has almost the same distance as from the hotel to Cheng Huang Miao plus a bit of jam, it cost us RMB50. So obviously, that was a ‘black’ cab. Had quite a big quarrel with the cab driver and in the end, I just gave him RMB15.

Went to Raffles City as my dad want to eat some dessert then headed back to the hotel. Went to foot message with sis while dad went to eat Shao Kao.

120 day in Shanghai (28/12/07)

Today is the last day of the tour with my family. Woke up in the morning to pack our bags. After packing, I have got 3 bags of things to bring home. After that, we went to Huangpu Jiang to look at the scenery before going to Zhen Da for Dim Sum.

Went back to the hotel to check out and headed to Longyang Rd to take the maglev train. Reached there at 1.45pm and they have to check in their luggage already.

Walked around the airport for a while before I have got to bid them goodbye and they have got to board the plane and go back to Singapore.

Took the maglev train back to Longyang rd and went back home.

Photos to be uploaded in friendster and facebook =)