Run Of The Mill (Part 6)
Back in his university days, Niv had made a very good friend in his Photography module. Her name was Zhen and she was only in her second year in the university, while he was going to graduate soon. Zhen had mentioned to Niv that she will be going away to Shanghai for a Work and Study attachment in the later part of the year. When Niv was in NZ, he had bought a present and gave it to her on the day that she left for the program. He constantly kept in touch with Zhen over MSN and looked forward to the day that she returned. Admittedly, Niv had feelings for Zhen but she was happily attached and he did not want to do anything stupid.
When they chatted online, there were times she lamented feeling homesick and how she misses the people back home. Seeing how much he had missed Zhen all the time that she was there, Niv then suggested to Zhen that he come over and spend some time with her. She was so happy and asked if he was pulling a fast one on her. Of course not, claimed Niv. He told her he will make arrangements and for her to wait for his arrival.
Niv was really really happy. Just before he went, she had asked him to bring along from Fried Bee Hoon and Long John Silver when he came. Zhen must have really missed the food back home. Happily, Niv packed his bags and got ready to meet Zhen.
Excerpt from Trip Diary:
At my first pit stop now. first time in the land of a thousand smiles. Damn, there sure are a number of pretty babes around. Hahaha. As always, when come to pit stop, must release. hahahaha!
Day One
Finally touched down in Shanghai after a 4 hour flight from Bangkok. It has been 139 Days since I last saw Zhen! It has been too long!
First impression I got was, this place has a bigger haze problem than us. It took me 40 minutes to clear customs! Haiz. After boarding the Airport bus to the Longyang Road MRT station, Zhen soon called and lamented that I did not take the Maglev. Ah well, I was hoping to save some cash. However, I soon made my first mistake. When the bus arrived at the Longyang Road station, I informed the ticket inspector that I needed to collect my Backpack from the luggage compartment but the moment I alighted, the bus just drove away! What the! Thankfully there was a nearby Police Post nearby and they helped me to track down my bag. Zhen soon arrived and we quickly rushed by cab to the terminal station to retrieve my bag. When we finally retrieved my bag, we headed over to the hotel to check in. The hotel is pretty well located but very expensive! Seems like all hotels in the city area are expensive! This happeneds to be the cheapest of them all. As there was no single room available, I had to settle for a twin sharing room. After we finally settled down in my hotel room, I handed Zhen the food stuff she asked me to bring along. She must really miss the food back home.
We then went out for a walk and she brought me to this Cantonese cuisine place. It really is a joy to finally see her again after so long. I really missed her. For the first time in my life, I am overseas on my birthday and I am glad to have her company. Well, I did not tell her it is my birthday today but what difference does it make? I am just happy to have spent part of this day with a person who is important to me. In case you are wondering, no hanky panky happened, so please scrub your minds clean.
Day Two
As she has to work on weekdays and attend classes on Fridays, I had to find ways to keep myself entertained. Went down to Longhua Temple today. It is one of the older temple in the Shanghai area. Well, I ain't a Buddhist but I went there to have a look anyway. I liked the old style structure and was there more to see the building then to worship. On my way to the next destination, I picked up some Pao along the way. They sure are cheap here. Only RMB1 for a Big Pao! Haha. My next destination was to the Soong Ching Ling's Mausoleum. Places I go to are most probably the places that many will shun. However, I am more of a historical person and went there to read more about her history and her life.
As we had to leave early the next day for our train ride to Hangzhou, Zhen came over to stay for the night at the hotel. Waited up for her as she was out with her boss and company's customer at a sending off dinner for her. She sure is popular here.
Day Three
Woke up early to take the MRT to the Shanghai South Train Station. Thankfully we had purchased sitting seats and had comfy seats for the 2 hour trip to Hangzhou. Apparently there is such a thing as standing room tickets. Luckily our coach was not packed in like sardines.
When we finally reached Hangzhou, the wind was gusting and the wind chill factor was at a high! We quickly went to check in at our hotel before heading out to the famous West Lake. However, on our way there, a local auntie heard that we were heading to West Lake and suggested we head over to Jiu Xi instead. She said that today the wind was gusting too heavily and thus not conducive for a boat ride on West Lake. Taking up her advice, we headed over to Jiu Xi after lunch. Had to eat first as we han not taken any breakfast.
After a short bus ride, we soon arrived at the path into Jiu Xi. As we walked in, you could feel the air being much cleaner and fresher! Ah! UNPOLLUTED AIR! Along the path, we passed a small farming community. You don't see such things back in Singapore. While on our way to the Jiu Xi Scenic Park, a local uncle suddenly started to talk with us and introduced the area to us. The people of Hangzhou sure are friendly! He even recommended us to continue on after the Jiu Xi scenic spot along the road called Qian Long Road to the village of Long Jing.
After visiting the mini waterfall, we headed on to Qian Long Road. The road was named Qian Long Road because many many moons ago, the Chinese Emperor Qian Long had walked along that path. DUH! Haha. Along the way, another auntie suddenly started chatting with us! HWAH! 3rd person to speak with us out of the blue today! The people here are indeed very friendly! She told us that she is a villager here and today was one of the rare times she had left the village to go out to settle some stuff. We chatted about village life and she thought we were from the South. We are from the South but waaaaaaay South. Haha. When she heard we were from Singapore she was amazed that we could speak such fluent Mandarin. Heez. She even invited us to her place to try the local Long Jing tea. Authentic! Genuine Stuff! Cannot Bluff! Haha. Bought some back for Mum & Granny. Not cheap ah! Haha.
The auntie then showed us the place where she planted her Long Jing Tea plants. The way her plants were planted, it looked like terrace planting. Secondary 4 Geography! Haha! We soon bade farewell to the auntie and flagged down a minivan to fetch us to the nearby silk manufacturer's place. The driver uncle even told us what we can expect and mentioned to us the 3 "treasures" of Hangzhou. Freshwater Pearls, Long Jing tea leaves and Hangzhou Silk. Well, we had the Long Jing tea, we are headed to the silk manufacturer's place for Hangzhou silk. We did not get any Freshwater Pearls as they were very expensive even though this year is the harvesting year and the pearls are supposedly cheap. Apparently, the people here are only allowed to harvest the pearls once every 5 years and we were lucky to be here at this time. However the cost was not cheap even with discounts and we decided to give it a pass.
After we had purchased the silk stuff, the sky was turning dark and we quickly made our way to the Yue Fei Tomb. The wind was still going strong and it was a very chilly wait for the bus to arrive. By the time we reached Yue Fei tomb, we decided not to go in as there was an entrance fee involved and we did not want to be caught in another Tourist Trap. Haha. We then strolled along the North side of West Lake and headed to the restaurant Lou Wai Lou. There were a lot of people there and we had to take a queue. Since there was a wait of about 20 minutes, we headed out to take more pictures. We tried out the Beggar's Chicken here and it was pretty good. The price also not too cheap. Haha. After dinner, we took a stroll across the Su Causeway to the South side of the West Lake. Even at night, the West Lake still looks very beautiful. Apparently, there are plenty of tombs of war heroes and literary scholars around West Lake.
Getting back into town was difficult as the buses were few and far between at that time and there were hardly any taxis available. In the end we had to settle for a bus which brought us back close enough and we walked. Zhen wanted to do some shopping and we stopped at Smith & Calvin! Alas, the staff there could not speak English and were having problems with a Caucasian couple. Seeing the difficulty they were in, we stepped in to assist the shop assistants. Haha. After she had bought her jacket, we then strolled back to our hotel where she had to continue her work on her IA report which is due next week.
Day Four
We chose to wake up early as we had yet to do a proper tour of the West Lake and quickly washed up and headed there. On our way there, another auntie suddenly spoke to us and again she encouraged us to go visit Jiu Xi first. Hahaha! When we reached the West Lake, it looked really nice. We took a boat ride to visit the various islets in the lake. There was a tablet there written by Qian Long which had the word Chong Er. I later then realised what it actually meant.
After we were done with the islets, we headed over to the Duan Qiao. This was the bridge, according to the Madam White Snake folklore, where Xu Xian met Bai Su Zhen. Or was it where they accepted each other's love? Hmm......
Soon it was time to head back to Shanghai and we rushed back to the hotel after lunch to get our stuff before checking out. This time, although we had comfy seats, the coach was packed in like sardines. Argg! When we reached Shanghai, my next hotel is situated outside the city area and within a stone's throw of Zhen's apartment. This hotel is somewhat like a budget hotel. Like a normal hotel, it only did not have any carpet flooring and a shower head instead of a bathtub. Else, at half the rate of a city hotel, this can be a pretty comfortable place to stay. After we checked in, I could see that she was very tired and I suggested that we have a quick dinner after which I walked her back.
Day Five
On my own again today, I went to get the tickets for the Shanghai Plant Sculpture Exhibition before heading to the Shanghai Science and Technology Museum. Alas, it is closed on Mondays. Since I was in the vicinity, I took a walk around to see the parks there.
After a while, I headed over to the vicinity of the Oriental Pearl. Apparently it costs RMB100 just to go all the way to the top. Expensive. I then went over to the Grand Hyatt Shanghai to place my reservation for this coming Saturday. I had read how the staff treated those who can speak Mandarin differently from those who speak English, I stuck to English the entire time I was there. Haha. It sure was a test of resolve on my part not to break into Mandarin, seeing the difficulty the staff had at speaking staccato English. Although the buffet here ain't cheap, RMB298 per person, but the view is just as good as the Oriental Pearl and we got food. So why not? Haha.
While shopping at the Super Brands Mall there, I realised that not everything is cheap over there. Zhen met me there after work and she looked really pretty. Looking at myself, dressed only in my jeans and jersey top, I felt under dressed and undeserving of her company. We headed over to a place called Chamate for dinner. The food there is so-so but the "bak-chor" is good. Maybe it is her company that I crave for. Anything else is just secondary. Haha.
Day Six
Went out looking for the Shanghai TV & Movie city but had mistaken the Shanghai Film City as my place of destination. Argg! Apparently the TV & Movie city is at the Songjiang district, which is outside of Shanghai City, whereas the Film City is just a cineplex. Waste my time. Hahaha.
I then headed over to the Shanghai Stadium to get my tickets for One-Day tour to Zhou Zhuang tomorrow and Suzhou the day after. The trips do not cost too much though.
Next stop for the day was to the old street of Shanghai. It is a bit like a run-down version of our Chinatown. Also, there is a market nearby where you could pick up stuff. You know what I mean. Haha.
Met Zhen later that evening at Dong Chang Road area, where we had our dinner at Bi Feng Tang. When I laid my eyes on her, SHE WAS SO PRETTY! I am so HAPPY!
Day Seven
Went on the One-Day tour of Zhou Zhuang today. I was almost late for the bus but made it just in time. Was feeling a bit fluish but nonetheless, just wanted to go visit a waterside town.
Alas, the place is a bloody tourist trap! No cheapo food anywhere. Had to settle for eating in the restaurant. Haiz. The building there were of the old designs and sure gave a feel of time past. One of the placed visited was the old home of Shen Wan San, the rich guy of days goneby. The temple was a nice place to visit but they were very persistent in getting people to donate money or to "fang sheng". Haiz. It was so business like. The tour even included a visit to the nearby silk manufacturer's store, with a fashion show to boot! BUT......the models all cannot make it, very stiff. However, have to give them the credit for doing the show. By the time we headed back to Shanghai, we got caught in the typical afterwork rush.
I felt so bad having to make Zhen wait for me to return before going for dinner. In the end we settled at a nearby beef noodle place. Following that, we ended dinner with a visit to the nearby dim sum place for some hot Soya Bean milk and Xiao Long Bao. My verdict on the Xiao Long Bao? Cannot compare to those served at Crystal Jade back home.
Day Eight
Woke up with a splitting headache and under the weather. It finally rained today while I was rushing to the stadium to catch my tour bus. Alas I was 1 minute late and the bus had driven off. Thankfully I could get at least 50% of my ticket refunded. I then slowly made my way back to the hotel to rest for the day. Damn! It sucks to fall ill on a holiday.
Spent the entire day in the hotel today recovering from my illness. Did not even get to meet her today. Also good, did not want to pass the germs on to her. Until I get back to Singapore, take care!
Day Nine
My flu finally cleared up enough for me to go for a walk around town today. I went on some DVD shopping and wanted to visit some of the old buildings in the city area. Alas, after I was done with the DVDs, the sky did not look good. I wanted to meet Zhen at Jiao Tong University today but she was busy. She asked me to go walk around some more and that she will meet me later. Since I had yet to visit the Science Museum, I decided to go have a look.
It ain't cheap getting in, RMB60 to be exact. There were some interesting exhibits here and there but after visiting a few of the areas, I finally realised why I did not visit our very own Singapore Science Centre for so many donkey years. It is all the same. Nothing much. Well, they did have an audio-visual area which was pretty interesting. Here, you could try your hand on a very basic flight simulator with 3 degrees of freedom. What I felt was the best there was the sound studio where, with the aid of headphones, a ghost story was told and the creaks and gentle whispers manifested in a 3D-sound environment. Got my hair standing, especially since it was meant for 10 people to try but I did it solo. While walking around, I saw wall plaques around which listed some great scientists of past, such as Darwin, Einstein. I even saw a plaque which listed thermodynamic formulae! AHHHHHHH!!!! There was one plague which did catch my fancy. It was a plaque listing the Chinese Medical Herbs Compendium.
Today, we ate at a place called Shu Yu Fang. Apparently, they are well known for their fish cuisines here. As Zhen does not really like spicy food, I had a hard time picking the dishes. Heez. We talked about her time here and she asked me about my NZ trip. I told her it was great fun and maybe we could go together next time. Maybe during her graduation trip. We sort of agreed and even mentioned that we should rent jeeps or 4WDs next time. Haha. I hope it will happened but it is only a wish. Although my hotel was just 50meters away from the restaurant, I walked Zhen home instead. I do not know if I will have many such opportunities and just want to enjoy the moments while they lasted.
Day Ten
We had planned on going to the Century Park today to view the Mosiaculture Exhibition but it just kept on raining. Well, since we could not do much outdoor activity today, I asked Zhen to stay at home to rest and work on her report. Afterall, we had our dinner date tonight.
I had made a reservation earlier in the week at the Grand Hyatt Shanghai. I had promised Zhen that I will bring her there and even tried to get a view of Puxi for her to enjoy. When we were nearing the building, the low lying clouds made the Jinmao Tower, where Grand Hyatt Shanghai is located, look very eerie. You could not see the top of the tower for the clouds were hanging around the 2/3 mark.
We strolled into the hotel and I could see that Zhen was very happy tonight. She mentioned that she did not want to move much and I told her that she need only sit and wait to be served. Afterall it is a buffet and I did not want her to be jostling with the crowd. The food served was ok but the company I had that evening was the best! Heez. Seeing the smile on her face during the entire evening made me feel that it was all worth the effort coming to Shanghai to spend time with her.
Day Eleven
Today is the last day Zhen could spend time with me for I am leaving on the 8.45am flight the next day back to Singapore. Seeing that she had stayed up late last night to work on her report after the dinner, I decided not to disturb her too early in the morning. When I opened the curtains of my hotel room, the ground was still wet but no one was walking around with umbrellas.
We finally met around lunchtime at a eatery near our place. Zhen wanted to treat and I was happy to oblige. The food was not bad and the price was reasonable too. After lunch, we strolled towards Century Park to finally do the Mosiaculture Exhibition. Halfway through, it started to pour again but we both squeezed under one umbrella and continued to enjoy our time at the park. Haha. It was really fun to go walking in a park with her. The first time we went out together, just the two of us, was also to a park, our very own Botanical Gardens.
With the sky turning dark soon, she told me that she wanted to go to the shopping area near the Science Museum. Of course I readily agreed and we headed that way. The shopping area was also another place where you can get "stuff" and you can keep pressing the prices down. Hahaha. Well, nothing caught my fancy although I wanted to get her something but she did not get anything in the end either.
Our final meal together in Shanghai was at a little Japanese eatery. I tried to express my feelings then but could not mouth the words out. After dinner, we headed to my hotel for I had some maps for her. As I walked her back to her place, we chatted and I tried to bring my guts up to tell her. However, I still could not do it. When we finally reached the final junction before she reached home, we bade farewell. Before she left, I grabbed her arm and wanted to tell her that I liked her very much but "like" became "missed". Haiz. I felt like such a fool as I walked back to the hotel. Damn Fool!
Day Twelve
I have arrived back in Singapore today but had to tear myself away from Shanghai this morning. It was with a heavy heart as I left Shanghai. The past 12 days were more than wonderful. It has been the most enjoyable time for me for I was spending it with Zhen. Alas, I was too timid and could not express my feelings verbally. Words came out but "like" became "missed". Haiz.
When they chatted online, there were times she lamented feeling homesick and how she misses the people back home. Seeing how much he had missed Zhen all the time that she was there, Niv then suggested to Zhen that he come over and spend some time with her. She was so happy and asked if he was pulling a fast one on her. Of course not, claimed Niv. He told her he will make arrangements and for her to wait for his arrival.
Niv was really really happy. Just before he went, she had asked him to bring along from Fried Bee Hoon and Long John Silver when he came. Zhen must have really missed the food back home. Happily, Niv packed his bags and got ready to meet Zhen.
Excerpt from Trip Diary:
At my first pit stop now. first time in the land of a thousand smiles. Damn, there sure are a number of pretty babes around. Hahaha. As always, when come to pit stop, must release. hahahaha!
Day One
Finally touched down in Shanghai after a 4 hour flight from Bangkok. It has been 139 Days since I last saw Zhen! It has been too long!
First impression I got was, this place has a bigger haze problem than us. It took me 40 minutes to clear customs! Haiz. After boarding the Airport bus to the Longyang Road MRT station, Zhen soon called and lamented that I did not take the Maglev. Ah well, I was hoping to save some cash. However, I soon made my first mistake. When the bus arrived at the Longyang Road station, I informed the ticket inspector that I needed to collect my Backpack from the luggage compartment but the moment I alighted, the bus just drove away! What the! Thankfully there was a nearby Police Post nearby and they helped me to track down my bag. Zhen soon arrived and we quickly rushed by cab to the terminal station to retrieve my bag. When we finally retrieved my bag, we headed over to the hotel to check in. The hotel is pretty well located but very expensive! Seems like all hotels in the city area are expensive! This happeneds to be the cheapest of them all. As there was no single room available, I had to settle for a twin sharing room. After we finally settled down in my hotel room, I handed Zhen the food stuff she asked me to bring along. She must really miss the food back home.
We then went out for a walk and she brought me to this Cantonese cuisine place. It really is a joy to finally see her again after so long. I really missed her. For the first time in my life, I am overseas on my birthday and I am glad to have her company. Well, I did not tell her it is my birthday today but what difference does it make? I am just happy to have spent part of this day with a person who is important to me. In case you are wondering, no hanky panky happened, so please scrub your minds clean.
Day Two
As she has to work on weekdays and attend classes on Fridays, I had to find ways to keep myself entertained. Went down to Longhua Temple today. It is one of the older temple in the Shanghai area. Well, I ain't a Buddhist but I went there to have a look anyway. I liked the old style structure and was there more to see the building then to worship. On my way to the next destination, I picked up some Pao along the way. They sure are cheap here. Only RMB1 for a Big Pao! Haha. My next destination was to the Soong Ching Ling's Mausoleum. Places I go to are most probably the places that many will shun. However, I am more of a historical person and went there to read more about her history and her life.
As we had to leave early the next day for our train ride to Hangzhou, Zhen came over to stay for the night at the hotel. Waited up for her as she was out with her boss and company's customer at a sending off dinner for her. She sure is popular here.
Day Three
Woke up early to take the MRT to the Shanghai South Train Station. Thankfully we had purchased sitting seats and had comfy seats for the 2 hour trip to Hangzhou. Apparently there is such a thing as standing room tickets. Luckily our coach was not packed in like sardines.
When we finally reached Hangzhou, the wind was gusting and the wind chill factor was at a high! We quickly went to check in at our hotel before heading out to the famous West Lake. However, on our way there, a local auntie heard that we were heading to West Lake and suggested we head over to Jiu Xi instead. She said that today the wind was gusting too heavily and thus not conducive for a boat ride on West Lake. Taking up her advice, we headed over to Jiu Xi after lunch. Had to eat first as we han not taken any breakfast.
After a short bus ride, we soon arrived at the path into Jiu Xi. As we walked in, you could feel the air being much cleaner and fresher! Ah! UNPOLLUTED AIR! Along the path, we passed a small farming community. You don't see such things back in Singapore. While on our way to the Jiu Xi Scenic Park, a local uncle suddenly started to talk with us and introduced the area to us. The people of Hangzhou sure are friendly! He even recommended us to continue on after the Jiu Xi scenic spot along the road called Qian Long Road to the village of Long Jing.
After visiting the mini waterfall, we headed on to Qian Long Road. The road was named Qian Long Road because many many moons ago, the Chinese Emperor Qian Long had walked along that path. DUH! Haha. Along the way, another auntie suddenly started chatting with us! HWAH! 3rd person to speak with us out of the blue today! The people here are indeed very friendly! She told us that she is a villager here and today was one of the rare times she had left the village to go out to settle some stuff. We chatted about village life and she thought we were from the South. We are from the South but waaaaaaay South. Haha. When she heard we were from Singapore she was amazed that we could speak such fluent Mandarin. Heez. She even invited us to her place to try the local Long Jing tea. Authentic! Genuine Stuff! Cannot Bluff! Haha. Bought some back for Mum & Granny. Not cheap ah! Haha.
The auntie then showed us the place where she planted her Long Jing Tea plants. The way her plants were planted, it looked like terrace planting. Secondary 4 Geography! Haha! We soon bade farewell to the auntie and flagged down a minivan to fetch us to the nearby silk manufacturer's place. The driver uncle even told us what we can expect and mentioned to us the 3 "treasures" of Hangzhou. Freshwater Pearls, Long Jing tea leaves and Hangzhou Silk. Well, we had the Long Jing tea, we are headed to the silk manufacturer's place for Hangzhou silk. We did not get any Freshwater Pearls as they were very expensive even though this year is the harvesting year and the pearls are supposedly cheap. Apparently, the people here are only allowed to harvest the pearls once every 5 years and we were lucky to be here at this time. However the cost was not cheap even with discounts and we decided to give it a pass.
After we had purchased the silk stuff, the sky was turning dark and we quickly made our way to the Yue Fei Tomb. The wind was still going strong and it was a very chilly wait for the bus to arrive. By the time we reached Yue Fei tomb, we decided not to go in as there was an entrance fee involved and we did not want to be caught in another Tourist Trap. Haha. We then strolled along the North side of West Lake and headed to the restaurant Lou Wai Lou. There were a lot of people there and we had to take a queue. Since there was a wait of about 20 minutes, we headed out to take more pictures. We tried out the Beggar's Chicken here and it was pretty good. The price also not too cheap. Haha. After dinner, we took a stroll across the Su Causeway to the South side of the West Lake. Even at night, the West Lake still looks very beautiful. Apparently, there are plenty of tombs of war heroes and literary scholars around West Lake.
Getting back into town was difficult as the buses were few and far between at that time and there were hardly any taxis available. In the end we had to settle for a bus which brought us back close enough and we walked. Zhen wanted to do some shopping and we stopped at Smith & Calvin! Alas, the staff there could not speak English and were having problems with a Caucasian couple. Seeing the difficulty they were in, we stepped in to assist the shop assistants. Haha. After she had bought her jacket, we then strolled back to our hotel where she had to continue her work on her IA report which is due next week.
Day Four
We chose to wake up early as we had yet to do a proper tour of the West Lake and quickly washed up and headed there. On our way there, another auntie suddenly spoke to us and again she encouraged us to go visit Jiu Xi first. Hahaha! When we reached the West Lake, it looked really nice. We took a boat ride to visit the various islets in the lake. There was a tablet there written by Qian Long which had the word Chong Er. I later then realised what it actually meant.
After we were done with the islets, we headed over to the Duan Qiao. This was the bridge, according to the Madam White Snake folklore, where Xu Xian met Bai Su Zhen. Or was it where they accepted each other's love? Hmm......
Soon it was time to head back to Shanghai and we rushed back to the hotel after lunch to get our stuff before checking out. This time, although we had comfy seats, the coach was packed in like sardines. Argg! When we reached Shanghai, my next hotel is situated outside the city area and within a stone's throw of Zhen's apartment. This hotel is somewhat like a budget hotel. Like a normal hotel, it only did not have any carpet flooring and a shower head instead of a bathtub. Else, at half the rate of a city hotel, this can be a pretty comfortable place to stay. After we checked in, I could see that she was very tired and I suggested that we have a quick dinner after which I walked her back.
Day Five
On my own again today, I went to get the tickets for the Shanghai Plant Sculpture Exhibition before heading to the Shanghai Science and Technology Museum. Alas, it is closed on Mondays. Since I was in the vicinity, I took a walk around to see the parks there.
After a while, I headed over to the vicinity of the Oriental Pearl. Apparently it costs RMB100 just to go all the way to the top. Expensive. I then went over to the Grand Hyatt Shanghai to place my reservation for this coming Saturday. I had read how the staff treated those who can speak Mandarin differently from those who speak English, I stuck to English the entire time I was there. Haha. It sure was a test of resolve on my part not to break into Mandarin, seeing the difficulty the staff had at speaking staccato English. Although the buffet here ain't cheap, RMB298 per person, but the view is just as good as the Oriental Pearl and we got food. So why not? Haha.
While shopping at the Super Brands Mall there, I realised that not everything is cheap over there. Zhen met me there after work and she looked really pretty. Looking at myself, dressed only in my jeans and jersey top, I felt under dressed and undeserving of her company. We headed over to a place called Chamate for dinner. The food there is so-so but the "bak-chor" is good. Maybe it is her company that I crave for. Anything else is just secondary. Haha.
Day Six
Went out looking for the Shanghai TV & Movie city but had mistaken the Shanghai Film City as my place of destination. Argg! Apparently the TV & Movie city is at the Songjiang district, which is outside of Shanghai City, whereas the Film City is just a cineplex. Waste my time. Hahaha.
I then headed over to the Shanghai Stadium to get my tickets for One-Day tour to Zhou Zhuang tomorrow and Suzhou the day after. The trips do not cost too much though.
Next stop for the day was to the old street of Shanghai. It is a bit like a run-down version of our Chinatown. Also, there is a market nearby where you could pick up stuff. You know what I mean. Haha.
Met Zhen later that evening at Dong Chang Road area, where we had our dinner at Bi Feng Tang. When I laid my eyes on her, SHE WAS SO PRETTY! I am so HAPPY!
Day Seven
Went on the One-Day tour of Zhou Zhuang today. I was almost late for the bus but made it just in time. Was feeling a bit fluish but nonetheless, just wanted to go visit a waterside town.
Alas, the place is a bloody tourist trap! No cheapo food anywhere. Had to settle for eating in the restaurant. Haiz. The building there were of the old designs and sure gave a feel of time past. One of the placed visited was the old home of Shen Wan San, the rich guy of days goneby. The temple was a nice place to visit but they were very persistent in getting people to donate money or to "fang sheng". Haiz. It was so business like. The tour even included a visit to the nearby silk manufacturer's store, with a fashion show to boot! BUT......the models all cannot make it, very stiff. However, have to give them the credit for doing the show. By the time we headed back to Shanghai, we got caught in the typical afterwork rush.
I felt so bad having to make Zhen wait for me to return before going for dinner. In the end we settled at a nearby beef noodle place. Following that, we ended dinner with a visit to the nearby dim sum place for some hot Soya Bean milk and Xiao Long Bao. My verdict on the Xiao Long Bao? Cannot compare to those served at Crystal Jade back home.
Day Eight
Woke up with a splitting headache and under the weather. It finally rained today while I was rushing to the stadium to catch my tour bus. Alas I was 1 minute late and the bus had driven off. Thankfully I could get at least 50% of my ticket refunded. I then slowly made my way back to the hotel to rest for the day. Damn! It sucks to fall ill on a holiday.
Spent the entire day in the hotel today recovering from my illness. Did not even get to meet her today. Also good, did not want to pass the germs on to her. Until I get back to Singapore, take care!
Day Nine
My flu finally cleared up enough for me to go for a walk around town today. I went on some DVD shopping and wanted to visit some of the old buildings in the city area. Alas, after I was done with the DVDs, the sky did not look good. I wanted to meet Zhen at Jiao Tong University today but she was busy. She asked me to go walk around some more and that she will meet me later. Since I had yet to visit the Science Museum, I decided to go have a look.
It ain't cheap getting in, RMB60 to be exact. There were some interesting exhibits here and there but after visiting a few of the areas, I finally realised why I did not visit our very own Singapore Science Centre for so many donkey years. It is all the same. Nothing much. Well, they did have an audio-visual area which was pretty interesting. Here, you could try your hand on a very basic flight simulator with 3 degrees of freedom. What I felt was the best there was the sound studio where, with the aid of headphones, a ghost story was told and the creaks and gentle whispers manifested in a 3D-sound environment. Got my hair standing, especially since it was meant for 10 people to try but I did it solo. While walking around, I saw wall plaques around which listed some great scientists of past, such as Darwin, Einstein. I even saw a plaque which listed thermodynamic formulae! AHHHHHHH!!!! There was one plague which did catch my fancy. It was a plaque listing the Chinese Medical Herbs Compendium.
Today, we ate at a place called Shu Yu Fang. Apparently, they are well known for their fish cuisines here. As Zhen does not really like spicy food, I had a hard time picking the dishes. Heez. We talked about her time here and she asked me about my NZ trip. I told her it was great fun and maybe we could go together next time. Maybe during her graduation trip. We sort of agreed and even mentioned that we should rent jeeps or 4WDs next time. Haha. I hope it will happened but it is only a wish. Although my hotel was just 50meters away from the restaurant, I walked Zhen home instead. I do not know if I will have many such opportunities and just want to enjoy the moments while they lasted.
Day Ten
We had planned on going to the Century Park today to view the Mosiaculture Exhibition but it just kept on raining. Well, since we could not do much outdoor activity today, I asked Zhen to stay at home to rest and work on her report. Afterall, we had our dinner date tonight.
I had made a reservation earlier in the week at the Grand Hyatt Shanghai. I had promised Zhen that I will bring her there and even tried to get a view of Puxi for her to enjoy. When we were nearing the building, the low lying clouds made the Jinmao Tower, where Grand Hyatt Shanghai is located, look very eerie. You could not see the top of the tower for the clouds were hanging around the 2/3 mark.
We strolled into the hotel and I could see that Zhen was very happy tonight. She mentioned that she did not want to move much and I told her that she need only sit and wait to be served. Afterall it is a buffet and I did not want her to be jostling with the crowd. The food served was ok but the company I had that evening was the best! Heez. Seeing the smile on her face during the entire evening made me feel that it was all worth the effort coming to Shanghai to spend time with her.
Day Eleven
Today is the last day Zhen could spend time with me for I am leaving on the 8.45am flight the next day back to Singapore. Seeing that she had stayed up late last night to work on her report after the dinner, I decided not to disturb her too early in the morning. When I opened the curtains of my hotel room, the ground was still wet but no one was walking around with umbrellas.
We finally met around lunchtime at a eatery near our place. Zhen wanted to treat and I was happy to oblige. The food was not bad and the price was reasonable too. After lunch, we strolled towards Century Park to finally do the Mosiaculture Exhibition. Halfway through, it started to pour again but we both squeezed under one umbrella and continued to enjoy our time at the park. Haha. It was really fun to go walking in a park with her. The first time we went out together, just the two of us, was also to a park, our very own Botanical Gardens.
With the sky turning dark soon, she told me that she wanted to go to the shopping area near the Science Museum. Of course I readily agreed and we headed that way. The shopping area was also another place where you can get "stuff" and you can keep pressing the prices down. Hahaha. Well, nothing caught my fancy although I wanted to get her something but she did not get anything in the end either.
Our final meal together in Shanghai was at a little Japanese eatery. I tried to express my feelings then but could not mouth the words out. After dinner, we headed to my hotel for I had some maps for her. As I walked her back to her place, we chatted and I tried to bring my guts up to tell her. However, I still could not do it. When we finally reached the final junction before she reached home, we bade farewell. Before she left, I grabbed her arm and wanted to tell her that I liked her very much but "like" became "missed". Haiz. I felt like such a fool as I walked back to the hotel. Damn Fool!
Day Twelve
I have arrived back in Singapore today but had to tear myself away from Shanghai this morning. It was with a heavy heart as I left Shanghai. The past 12 days were more than wonderful. It has been the most enjoyable time for me for I was spending it with Zhen. Alas, I was too timid and could not express my feelings verbally. Words came out but "like" became "missed". Haiz.
posted by Prosage at 10:57 pm
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