China Trip: Shanghai

Once a city girl, always a city girl.

Among all the destinations I planned in my trip, I never thought that Shanghai will be my ultimate favourite. I've heard so many people say,"Shanghai is just another city." It's a city, it's boring, you can tour it around for 2 days and you're done with it. I get that.

For me, the experience of being in Shanghai was simply amazing. Here are several
reasons why:

The Metro
Shanghai has the world's largest metro network. It's a well-connected city. Trains run at super high frequencies, so less crowd in trains, less waiting as well. With the metro, there's little need for environmentally-unfriendly buses and cars. Furthermore, train tickets are incredibly cheap (as compared to Singapore).

The Architecture
The city amazes me with unique, jaw-droppingly awesome building architecture. Some buildings arouse curiosity and wonder, others display elegance and grandeur. Just walking along the streets admiring these buildings make my day.

The Bund
It probably wasn't as fancy before, but recent renovations to improve Shanghai's image for the World Expo event have made the Bund a comfortable place for a nice evening stroll, complete with fresh air and stunning views.

Eat, Shop, Play
I loved TaoBao City for the wholesale shopping. Nearby, along East Nanjing Road, plenty of shopping malls with big brand names line the path. Xintiandi, which resides in the French Concession incorporates upscale bars and restaurants into French colonial architecture. It's old meets new. Nostalgic yet refreshing.

China Trip: Hangzhou

It's Day 2 of our 17-day trip. Our legs are aching like crazy. Yesterday at Shanghai, we walked nearly 15 hours, hopping from sight to sight, and found a hidden treasure while we were at it.

Today, at Hangzhou, was not a very good day though it has its perks too. For a start, we had a late start in the morning as the only bullet train to Hangzhou arrives at 9.05am. We did a mad rush to Wu Zhen, which was 2 hours away. Our cabbie had advised us against it as it was too late in the day to try to do it as a half-day trip. Kh's parents and sister had gone there before and they loved that place. I knew Kh wanted very much to see it for himself too, and i didn't want him to regret not having been there, so i said we should go anyway, even if it means missing a few sights in Hangzhou.

True enough, it was too late for a half-day trip. By the time we got back to Hangzhou, it was almost 6pm and most of the attractions are already closed. Thankfully, QingHeFang was opened, as informed by our illegal cabbie (kena scammed), who kindly dropped us off there at the pre-negotiated price though it was much further than our intended destination.

Later on, it got too cold for me to be walking around in a fleece jacket (probably around 0-5 degrees), so we decided to go back to our hotel for me to change into my down jacket and also pick up my tripod for some night-shooting at the West Lake.

***
Several people asked us where we were from, and we when we say, "Singapore", they'll be like,"Zhe Men Yuan?!" At the back of my head, I'm thinking, "that's only 5 hours away.-_-" " They think we're from Hong Kong or Guangdong, from the way we speak.

It's funny how they can't even tell the difference between their own people and a Chinese foreigner. To them, even a local from another state is also considered a foreigner. That's how big their country is, that different states can have vastly difference cultures. I'm happy with this newfound "tiong" status though, as it means that they are not treating us differently from the locals.
***

1 more week!

Next week, at this time, I will be in Shanghai already. Anticipating! Checked the weather forecast this morning and it was pretty insane!

-14 Degrees on a midday!

Route Map!

13 more nights to my long awaited backpacking trip! 

Meanwhile, our itinerary is almost 95% done. It has been a long 4 months of planning. As Lonely Planet (China) wrote so rightly, "Knowing where to begin travelling around China can be a headache and knowing where to end is equally tough. And that's even before you've begun to think of the stuff in between."

So in the end, we decided on the Golden Triangle. a.k.a, Beijing-Xian-Shanghai route, with some extra stops around them.

Singapore
>Shanghai
>Hangzhou
>Huangshan
>Tunxi
>Suzhou
>Zhujiajiao
>Shanghai
>Xian
>Huashan
>Beijing
>Tianjin
>Chengde
>Beijing
>Shanghai
>Singapore

This is our 3rd official backpacking trip (5th if unofficial), Kh has pointed out something interesting. In every single trip, we do something different.

Vietnam> Beginner's package.
Got to see a bit of everything; city, mountain, sea, ruins, beach. Very easy to travel in. A great place for a backpacker to start off.

Laos+Cambodia> Rough and tough.
Many border crossings. Sharp increase in difficulty level.  Information is scarce and scams are common. Poverty is rampant. Overall a much more authentic experience. Even Vietnam by comparison is touristy.

China> Wintery landscape.
Winter definitely brings about its own set of challenges. An early sunset means we don't have as much time to travel as we normally would. I also have to make many changes to my default packing list. And there are many minor details to take into consideration. This will also be the first time my DSLR is experiencing winter, and that brings about another set of challenges.

China Open Jaw Flight Tickets Booked!

I was having a hard time deciding how I want to do my China trip. As it is, single trip tickets to China cost almost as much as round trip tickets. We are going to several destinations so flying by either single trip or round trip seems rather impractical. 

I was trying to come up with a most cost-effective way to fly, then I came across something called "Open Jaw" flights. How it works is that you book a ticket from home to your starting destination, and another from your ending destination to home. It's great for backpackers, and travellers who intend to visit multiple destinations in a single trip. That way you get to make your own arrangements in the middle.

A typical round trip ticket from Singapore to Shanghai/Beijing would cost $500+.  

A typical single trip ticket from Singapore to Shanghai/Beijing would cost $400+ ~ $500+.  

With an open jaw flight, I booked 2 "single trip" tickets for $566.65. Last week, when I checked it was $586. I'm not sure if the price will drop any further, but I know I don't wanna miss this. 

So there. I've booked the flights- hassle free from Zuji. Also applied for 11 days leave-and got it approved by my bosses- for our 17 days trip. 

Exactly 4 more months to go. 

Beijing. Shanghai. Suzhou. Hangzhou. Xian. Tianjin

♥ White Christmas ♥

Bitten by the Travel Bug

Ever since I made the final decision to go to China for our year-end backpacking trip, there isn't a day I didn't think about travelling. It's become quite a motivating force to wanna strive harder to earn some extra cash to be able to go to more place ASAP.

Happened to do an online survey on Travel not so long back, and was asked to list down the top 10 places I am likely to go in the near future (Not in order of preference.):

Okay right, I can't really remember what I put down but it's definitely among these...

Here goes:

1. China- I've been to China twice but I think there's still so much more I've yet to see.
2. Tibet- Simply one of its kind. Awesome landscapes and historic architecture.
3. Turkey- Unique landscapes and rich culture sure outweighs eating horrid food.
4. Japan- I don't think I need to explain why. ;)
5. Maldives- Saving this for my honeymoon!
6. Egypt- Egypt is more than just pyramids!
7. Morocco- Still a relatively cheap place to travel, rich in culture, beautiful city
8. France- Would love to visit French neighbour's house in the mountains!
9. Israel- To visit the Holy Land!
10. Nepal- woohoo! Mt. Everest! Life on the mountains must be interesting too.
11. India- Extremes of rich and poor. Chaos must be interesting.
12. New Zealand/Australia/Tasmania- hmm, nice place to escape the heat in June
13. Philippines- very cheap, nice place, why not?
14. Indonesia- very likely to be an impromptu short trip
15. Taiwan- I think the rural areas would be very scenic and worth going. Affordable too.

Year-end Trip!

Okay so Turkey's out because winter in December is pretty undesirable. Many places will be closed and all that.

Taiwan, wayyy too many people are going there. Don't wish to see anybody I know when I backpack. The last thing I want is to be reminded of everything Singaporean. The Singaporean way of life: OutEat, OutShop, OutChill. Maybe next time.

So CHINA HERE I COME!!!

Must admit I've been pretty indecisive for months. Went back and forth on my decision and then, Karate Kid came along... That movie just kinda sparked in me a newfound love for China. Awesome landscapes, awesome culture, awesome architecture, awesome weather!

I just can't wait to go and bring back fantastic photos!

5 more months!!!

Home Sweet Home

It's been awhile...

I'm certainly not homesick, in fact I think I can do this forever, but I felt it was a good time to come home. For one, I missed eating singapore food. Been having crappy meals for weeks. And you wonder why Singapore is labelled a food haven.

25 days is not a long time. But it was enough to change habits, leave a thick layer of dust on my stuff, experience changes to my surroundings.

I fell asleep at about 10plus yesterday. Came home at 8pm, unpacked backpack (usually it will take me a fortnight to do this), washed clothes, hang clothes, bathed. Then I read a few pages of my pirated copy of "The Audacity of Hope" on my bed (see I don't usually read books, bought it in HCMC for $3) , fell asleep while reading, with my bolster still behind my pillow (have not had a bolster for weeks), and woke up at 8am today, still without my bolster. Now I'm sleeping early and waking up early like how it's been for the past few weeks!

Oh yes, I started using my com a couple of hours ago and I had this feeling that something isn't quite right. Thinking, thinking, oh yes, cuz my laptop screen is so LARGE. -_-" Been using netbook for too long. Kinda forgotten how using a laptop feels like. Lol.

Oh well, X'mas dinner coming up soon. Looking forward to it. =)

Highlights II

This post will be about highlights in Cambodia.

Of the 7 places we went, only 3 places are worth mentioning:
1. Siem Reap, Angkor temples (a must-see for anyone who calls themselves a traveller)
2. Battambang (the friendliest town I know)
3. Sihanoukville (for its Bamboo Island, rather than its town)

Bayon in Angkor Thom, one of my favourite sites

Angkor Archeological Park, Siem Reap

Riding on the hot air balloon for an aerial view of Angkor Wat

Siem Reap

Nice sunset on Phnom Bakheng

Angkor Archeological Park, Siem Reap

Ta Phrom, a temple half-devoured by a jungle, also where Tomb Raider was filmed

Angkor Archeological Park, Siem Reap

Dramatic sunset at Chong Eneas floating village

Siem Reap

Riding on the soon-to-be-extinct bamboo train

Battambang

Beautiful, tranquil sunset on the bamboo train

Battambang

Swimming in the crystal clear waters of Bamboo Island

Sihanoukville

Scammed!

Our Laos and Cambodia tour has officially ended and we're back on Vietnamese territories. Just within 5 mins on their soil, Kh and I are harshly reminded of how aggressive and dishonest Vietnamese can be. If Laos is bad, Cambodia is worse, and Vietnam tops the list. It just goes to show what development can do to a country and its people, though of course I'm certain the situation will change for the better if it were out of poverty.

Needless to say, we got scammed about $30 by some unscrupulous Vietnamese, and I was extremely irritated with the all-too-familiar push on the shoulder,"OEI! Buy from me!" However, I'm thankful we didn't lose a lot of money, and it was a good learning experience.

Having said that, I also think getting scammed is part and parcel of travelling, especially in poverty-stricken places like these. There are certain things you wouldn't know, and you wouldn't have known unless you've been there. Nevertheless, I will not let my good impression of Vietnam be tarnish because of this one-time scam. Vietnam is a beautiful country and there are places which I'd love to revisit.

Highlights

A few highlights of the trip so far...

Visiting Tat KuangSi, one of Laos most dramatic waterfalls

Luang Prabang, Laos

Eating delicious roadside bbq food

Luang Prabang, Laos

Kayaking along the scenic Nam Song river

Vang Vieng, Laos

Enjoying the beautiful scenery of Don Det

Siphandon (4000 islands), Laos

Being amazed at Khon Phapheng, one of Laos largest rapids

Siphandon (4000 islands), Laos

"Is that the front of the bus?"

Why did I ask that? Read on to find out...

8am: Today is the day we leave Laos for Cambodia. Our VIP bus was scheduled to leave at this time, but it wasn't until 9am that we got to leave Siphandon in Laos.

10.30am: The bus arrives at Dom Kralor border crossing to Cambodia. This is truly the smallest custom I've ever seen. From my research, I knew that we had to pay US$1-2 for "processing fees" (aka bribes) at both sides of the border. Kh prepares four US$1 bills. The British lady in front of us takes out a US$5 bill and we think about how silly she is. To our amusement, she receives US$4 in change from the customs officer.

Border crossing at Dom Kralor

11.40am: After an hour long delay, the bus finally leaves. More people got on the bus. A few angmohs even had "aisle seats", and I mean that literally. They had to sit in the aisle. One angmoh took out his camera and said,"Everybody say VIP!" Ah, what a lovely day.

1.30pm: The bus stops again. 2 angmohs got down to puke, and some men-and women- went to pee in the bushes. One of the angmohs who puked happens to be sitting next to us.

3.30pm: The bus stops at Kratie. The 2 angmohs who puked couldn't take it anymore and decided to rest there for the day. The rest of us had a half hour break for lunch and loo.

4.15pm: Back on the bus, a Cambodian woman takes over the seat which the angmoh had left. She had an elbow on the armrest with her head resting on her palm, and had her two large eyes fixated at me. I was feeling extremely uncomfortable with the extra attention. I looked at her and she smiled at me. That could've been a nice gesture if it wasn't so freakish.

4.30pm: A guy from the bus company apologises for the tardiness. He claims that the VIP bus had broken down, hence our lousy a/c bus. I think they were trying to make up for the long delays by taking a short cut, because we soon found ourselves on a heavily potholed road. I had a can of Yeo's grass jelly drink in one hand and it was 3/4 full. The bus was rocking so badly that I spilled some of the drink on myself. I wasn't sure if I was going to be sick, so I took an anti-motion sickness pill just in case. The medication proved effective because I was starting to enjoy the rocky ride.

5pm: The bus stops again in the middle of the road, in the middle of nowhere. Curious, I draw the curtains and see the bus driver peeing in the bushes. Several minutes later, he lugged something up onto the aisle. It was the bus bumper! Apparently it fell off from all the rocking.

6pm: The Cambodian woman next to the one who was staring at me starts puking into a plastic bag. Seems like we have lots of luck sitting with people who puke. If it weren't bad enough, she also started spitting on the floor. The bus stops at Kompong Cham and a couple of people got down. The women quickly took their seats and left their puke bag and spit behind.

7pm: The bus stops somewhere for dinner. I ordered a bowl of chicken noodles and had plenty of extra ingredients- in the form of large black ants. I complained to the waitress and she brought my noodles back to help take the ants out. I'm guessing she didn't do much because there were still many of them in there. I spent the rest of our dinner time inspecting my dinner, taking the ants out one by one-and sometimes in clumps.

9.30pm: The bus finally reaches Phnom Penh, 3 hours behind schedule.

Welcome to Cambodia!

Travel Planning

Sometimes I think I plan too much for everything, holidays especially.

Well, of course I love spontaneity--who wouldn't? But unless you have a lot of time and money on your hands, it is not the way to go. Kh and I backpacked through Vietnam in 16 days, covering as much ground as what some people would have done in 3-4 weeks.

Reason being, we don't miss buses and trains and spend days waiting for them. We don't miss opening and sightseeing hours to sights and attractions and have to wait another day to see them. We don't spend our daylight hours on transportation but rather on whatever that operates during working hours.  All these due to a little research ahead. Travel efficiency--Maximising travel experience, minimising time, minimising cost.

I think I'm just being annoyingly meticulous. Someone help me.






With the bus timings from Ha Tien to Can Tho.

Route Map

Last year, when I told my mum I was going to Laos and Cambodia, I really didn't know what I was getting myself into.

I remember saying something like I didn't know why Vietnam was considered as a developing country until I got there. Well I've come to realise that travelling in Cambodia and Laos really does make Vietnam look like a walk in the park. Looking back, I think it is a perfect destination for amateur backpackers like us. Now, having conquered Vietnam, Kh and I are ready to take on the extra challenge. We're ready to battle red tape, seemingly endless scams, frequent transport delays and -yikes- potholes.

Speaking of potholes, the road conditions have significantly improved since a couple of years back, when all the roads were still unsealed and having 2 flat tires in a single journey is common. All thanks to external funding from China and Thailand that we might enjoy the luxury of a flat road. However, smaller roads (aka non-highway) still remain unsealed and travelling can be quite a bummer.

After weeks of research, I've finally came up with a route map for the whole 25 days of our trip.

Ideally-keyword Ideally-, this is the way we want to travel.

We'll be flying to Bangkok, then take a train up to Nong Khai, bus to Vientiane, bus all the way until Ho Chi Minh and we'll fly back from there.

Flying direct to/from Laos/Cambodia is possible seeing that Singapore is one of the 4 countries that fly to these places. However, budget flights do not fly to these places, and non-budget flights are not cost-effective for us. Kh and I decided to do what most backpackers have done--go overland from Thailand/Vietnam.

That said, everything is still very unpredictable in there. I'm having at least 2 backup plans to make our entire trip more time-flexible and adaptable to changes.

Well, 25 days is very very little time. We'll just try to get the most out of this trip.

Flying in 12 days time! =)

Penang Trip 2009 (Part 2)

After visiting the Tropical Spice Garden and the Butterfly Farm, we drove further down to visit the waterfall. Apparently there are 3 waterfalls in Penang. This is the only one that is accessible to the public.

Dennis REALLY enjoying himself in the waterfall. His skin was baby smooth after the mineral bath and he kept asking to go back.

Monkey

Lunch at seaside restaurant along Batu Ferringhi

Arm wrestling

Toy Museum

Night Elf- Warcraft

Shrek

Dinner at Gurney Drive Hawker Center

Penang Laksa

Breakfast the following morning at our hotel lobby. (Tanjung Bungah Beach Hotel)

Went to visit Penang Hill after that

View from the top

Funicular train

Street stall

We paid a guide about 30RM for a 20min tour around Penang Hill. Ironically, our guide is a Singaporean indian who lives in Choa Chu Kang. He was just there for fun.

Penang Laksa once more

Went to Queensbay shopping mall after that where Yuting met up with us again.

Sunset

We left for home at 10am the following day and dropped by Malacca for lunch.

The last time I came here was so long ago... Can only remember the buffalos. This place reminds me so much of Joo Chiat. hah.

Chicken rice balls with Assam fish

Durian Chendol