Thursday, January 3, 2008

Shanghai Trip

The company that I worked for sent me to our office in Shanghai to support our consultants there with a new project they are working on from dec 5-13, 2007. This was my 3rd or 4th time in Shanghai but I never got the time to go sightseeing on my previous trips since time was limited. I had the chance to visit the Bund once but only to take pictures.

I was very lucky that my sister works there so I had someone to accompany me sightseeing and shopping! Fortunately, I got to stay for the weekend and there was no work on Sundays. Our journey started at 4pm of Dec 7. My sister was suppose to fetch me from my workplace but there were some change of plans bec. of the traffic. So she asked me to take a taxi to a mall on the same street as my workplace to meet up there. While waiting for her, I checked out the kid's section, which was beside their office supplies station. I checked out their office supplies station in search for something I could use for scrapping and found SAKURA PENS! All sorts of Sakura pens were there so I bought some Aqualip and Souffle pens as well as some metallic ones. They cost around RMB 8 each.

We went to a small market at the back of the mall to look for some trinkets to buy. Most of the stuff sold there were also available here so I didnt buy anything. We left our stuff at my hotel (my sister slept over) and went to our next stop..IKEA!

I've never been to an Ikea store so I was so surprised when I saw this huge building full of household stuff! I was so amazed at the wide selection of items and some are very affordable. I was able to buy an apron for my mother in law, some table mats and apple cutter for my sister in law, a blanket, finger puppets and toy bin for David, some masks and bibs too for David, a lime green stool and a toiletry bag for myself. If only I can bring home those bulky stuff I would have bought more!

Afterwards, we went directly to a restaurant serving Yunnan food called Lost Heaven where my sister had reservations. The food was superb! We had an eggplant salad, a spicy beef dish and a chicken dish (i dont recall what they are called..hehehe). We finished up all 3 dishes!






We went for a stroll near the TV tower after dinner and went up the JinMao 88-Floor Tower in Lujiazui, Pudong to sneak a peak on the overview of Shanghai. We took a peek inside a nearby mall before it closes, then we called it a night.




The next day's itinerary was to first go to Yu Ying Garden and eat their famous siao long pao. The store opens at 10am and we go there around that time but there was already a long line there. Good thing the line wasn't that long yet so we didnt have to line up for several hours. (On peak hours, the line's very very long that it could take an hour or two before you can get your siao long pao). The siao long pao costs RMB12 for 16 pcs...not bad. The store has a 2nd and 3rd level which sells the siao long pao more expensively than the one on the ground floor. The price increases as you go higher (arounf RMB60 for just 5 pcs!)

When it was our turn, an old homeless lady was asking for alms so my sister decided to buy her an order of siao long pao to fill her tummy rather than give her money. She heartily indulged in the siao long pao, that even the passersby got curious where she got her siao long pao.


(standing for more than an hour waiting for our turn, stacks and stacks of siao long pao, finally got to have my siao long pao)


We saw someone eating ...er....drinking a big siao long pao so we searched the grounds looking where the person bought it. Finally after a few rounds, we found it. It turns out, you just drink the soup inside the siao long pao, that's why it comes with a straw. We also found a store selling big brushes which are so nice, but we didnt know where or how to use them, so we just took a picture beside it..hehehe While roaming around, we bumped into the old lady asking for alms..hehehe

Next stop was a tiangge similar to our 168 mall nearby that sells, well almost similar stuff. I was able to buy some whisper stamp pads and wooden stamps, which reminds me i have to try out the stamp pads so i can ask my sister to buy me more!

We skipped lunch and start to head to my sister's place. Along the way, we passed by Times Square in Huai Hai Middle Road and stopped by Infiniti Mall to grab some ice cream.

(Times Square, Infiniti Mall)

We left our stuff at my sister's place and headed for Shanghai Outlet Shopping Place in Qingpu which is similar to our Designer's Depot here. They have all the American and European brands as well as Chinese brands. I was able to purchase a rubber shoes for myself, a Nike knapsack, a Nike jacket and cap for Meng, and 3 long sleeve polos for me at Benetton. My sister bought Austin a Harry Potter jacket too.


For dinner, it was noodles and siao long pao again! Meeting my sister's friend, Veronica, at Taiwanese DinDaiFeng XiaoLongBao in XinTianDi, we indulged in yet another round of siao long pao. After dinner, we walked around XinTianDi which is considered the Malate of Shanghai. Then we had dessert at the HoneyMoon Place inside a mall.




We bid farewell to each other after dessert and I returned to my hotel. Thanks to my dear sister May Ann (yes, I got another sister named June) for acocmpanying me around and treating me on almost all my meals during my 2 day adventure in Shanghai. It's back to work!

3 comments:

Maybelle said...

Sarap ng Shanghai holiday mo, April! That's a place my hubby & I would like to visit with the kids. Kaso have to save up because mahal daw diyan. True ba? I'd love to get a taste of that siao lung pao. Can we get May Ann as our tour guide? he-he...

April Joy Lim said...

maybs, medyo mahal nga mga stuff dyan pero yung food marami ding cheaper than here. you can go around in less than a week kasi limited din lng ang tourist spot dyan..puro kain! hehehe am sure my sis would be glad to tour you around (bsta weekend)

Ria Maningat-Mojica said...

Gusto ko ng Xiao Long Bao -- san ba sa Manila pinaka-masarap yun? kaka0gutom!