Wednesday, June 20 9:09 PM
♥
A long Awaited Holiday
Time flies...2 weeks have passed since my 8days trip to Shanghai & Tokyo. I want share my standby experiences with all my good friends and colleagues, who might want to go there themselves someday.
DAY 1 (26 May)
3am @ Changi Airport, no problem getting on economy class from SIN-NRT as advised by the Mr.Nice security guard. At the ticket counter, served by a Mr.Handsome who get all my family member's luggage check to Shanghai via Narita. The only mishap, he forgot to return my trip summary & eventually ran to the boarding gate to pass it back to me. 2:30pm @ Narita Airport, await transit NRT-PVG. Standby on business class but the flight is a full load, confirmation will only be revealed @ 6:00pm (15mins before flight departure). I was on tender hook, if i do not get on i'll be stuck in Japan. Finally, Mr.Smile at the gate called me with all the boarding passes, however we have to seat separately. I sat by the window with an American lady, who threw her napkin after a small bite of dinner. Well i enjoyed my beef meal with their pretty presentation, a little uncomfortable resting due to the dress code (formal wear/ high-heel shoes). Reached Shanghai @ 9:00pm.
DAY 2 (27 May)
In my opinion, Shanghai is similar to Hong Kong/Macau. They have Victorian-style buildings like those in the West, & beautiful skyscraper that lights up in the night. Watching from The Bund, the view is spectacular. We try out their buns costing 1 yuan each (SGD 20cent), wonton & yuntun at 10yuan per bowl. Big in portion but not as tasty compared to SIN. Now i agree & appreciate SIN as a food paradise. We familiarize ourselves with the surrounding area, visited the People's Hero Memorial Column & Suzhou Creek. I also get a new perm @ 200 yuan.DAY 3 (28 May)
We walk the shopping district of Nanjing Rd East, they are selling souvenirs for Beijing 2008 Olympic already. Explored the garden of People's Square (Grand theater/ Shanghai Museum). We took many great pictures.DAY 4 (29 May)
Book a ticket to Hangzhou from Shanghai Railway Station. The journey took 2hrs. We arrived @ 2.30pm, immediately hoping into a van for our local tour of West Lake Cruise, Tea Plantation & Nuptial Temple. We spent the night in Redstar Culture Hotel, which provide excellent customer services. I love Hangzhou night market that starts from 9pm. Many make-shift stalls line the road selling items of all kind (shoes/accessories/clothes/toys/electronic). To make your money worth -BARGAIN.DAY5 (30 May)
Check-out of hotel at 11am, shop around the area nearby with some purchase of cds/toiletries/food. Took the afternoon train back to Shanghai, alighting at 6pm. Stayed in the dormitory at Shanghai Mingtown Hiker Youth Hostel. It is value for money with room rate est. SGD10/night with shared bathroom. A place famous with the western travellers, looming around the corridor & lobby. We took the metro to Xintiandi which look like our Paragon. A high-class shopping district with many departmental stores.DAY6 (31 May)
Woke up @ 5am, mad rush to clean-up & check-out. Left my hand phone in the room as a result of the confusion. I called the hostel from Pudong Airport reporting my lost. The staff was kind to sent my hand phone to Singapore embassy in Shanghai. I retrieved it from MFA 2 weeks later. Departed without any problem @ 10am from PVG-NRT. A free shuttle van is available to Mercure Hotel Narita. Night brisk walk in Narita.DAY 7 (1 Jun)
Travelled 1hr out to Tokyo (Ueno) taking JR train. 5mins walk away from the train station is the well-known flea market. The zoo and historical museum is around the corner too. We extend our scope to Shibuya, a teenage oriented shopping district. The girls are kawaii & gorgeous, can make one envy. I bought quite a number of chains from there. Before the sun goes down, we found ourselves in Shinjuku. We didn't spent much time there as i'm beginning to feel unwell. Down with a fever by the time we return back to Narita.DAY 8 (2 Jun)
Went to Naritasan Shinshoji Temple, the largest temple in Japan (i think so). Along the way there, drop-by small stores which sell souvenirs (key chains/charms/bags/kimono etc). Free shuttle bus to airport from hotel @ 3pm. Continued my shopping spree in Terminal 1 South Wing for 2 hrs before boarding plane back NRT-SIN.
