Who needs a man when you can have his best friend?
May 2, 2012 Leave a comment
(Photo Taken: A Chinese lady shopping with her “partner”, Shenzhen – 100% more faithful and reliable than her boyfriend. No whining. No complains.)
Lonely Walker
April 23, 2012 Leave a comment
(Photo Taken: Man walking on tight rope, Changlong Circus, Guangzhou – Keep on walking. Even just for a few audience.)
My Favorite Cough Syrup (川貝枇杷膏)
April 23, 2012 Leave a comment
(Photo Taken: Chuan Bei Pi Pa Gao (川貝枇杷膏) Giant 3D Bottle, Guangzhou Shangxiajiu Pedestrian Street (上下九步行街) – This may be the world’s largest cough syrup bottle (certainly need a big spoon to go along with this). The visual presence actually worked! Instantly, I developed this deep craving for the syrup. This Chinese Herbal Syrup is 100% tastier/sweeter than the western cough syrup. It is a blend of 15 herbal ingredients which helps to relieve cough and sore throat associated with common cold, influenza or similar ailments.)
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Balloon Man
April 10, 2012 Leave a comment
(Photo Taken: Balloon Man, Suzhou – Taking cover under his goods in the hot sun. I wonder how easily he draws the right balloon for his customer?)
The Venice of the East (Suzhou 蘇州)
April 10, 2012 Leave a comment
If you have visited the Great Wall of China in Beijing, you can’t miss the world’s longest Grand Canal of Suzhou (蘇州). Undisputed the grandest and most beautiful “Venice of the East”, Suzhou is famous for her classical gardens, canals and bridges. Harshad, Tracy and I took 2 days off to visit this magnificent ancient city garden.
Suzhou is only an hour’s train-ride from Shanghai. We got ourselves a very beautiful hotel (Pan Pacific Suzhou), just right beside the 2,500 year old attraction Pan Gate (盘门). In my opinion, Suzhou is certainly more beautiful (and less hilly) than Hangzhou. The ancient Chinese landscapers were amazing! Every element is harmoniously sculptured into the right space. It is taking a stroll in an enchanting 3D Chinese painting. (Honestly, I wonder why the Suzhou government modeled their new city after Singapore in the 90s? For the past 1,000 years, Suzhou has the best ancient gardens in China!)
Spring is the best season to visit Suzhou. The gardens come alive with colorful fishes, flowers and birds. Enjoy a walk or a slow canal cruise under a clear sunny sky and cool spring wind. This is the perfect retreat away from the buzzing and polluted city life. We visited the 1,000-year old Leaning Pagoda of Tiger Hill (虎丘), strolled at the famous Lion Forest Garden (狮子林) and took a 1-hour night cruise through a “under-bridge water art gallery” around the ancient city canal.
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Back to Shanghai
April 9, 2012 2 Comments
Shanghai holds a very special spot in my heart. There are just too many good memories residing in Shanghai. It has been almost 4 years since I have relocated my life to Hong Kong. This is one overdue trip which I have postponed far too many times. I am glad to be back this Easter.
So many things have changed since my last visit in April 2010. Wider roads, cleaner walkways, taller skyscrapers, bigger malls, newer cabs, larger subway network, longer bund and 2 new Apple Shrines. Huai Hai Road and Pudong underwent a big facelift. Standard of living has certainly gone up a little. Food and shopping are not as “attractively priced” as before. Even the westerners at the bars are different now – the boys are speaking fluent Mandarin to their local “宝贝”. I was pretty impressed.
There is no special itinerary planned for this visit. Simply rest and relax. Weather was terrific, it was sunny and cooling. This trip, I spent a lot of time with my cousin Yei and managed to catch up with some of my old Shanghai friends (Echo, Francis, Johnny, Ming, Andy, Yang Jun and Calvin). Almost everyone popped me the same question “When are you coming back to Shanghai to settle down?” I guessed they know how much I love this city. Yei and I spent 4 good days chatting and chilling out at the cafes. (Yei was the first and last person I met this trip. Together, we discovered a new chill-out place “老码头” next to the bund. This place is going to be the next 新天地.)
Tracy and I visited some of our favorite haunts – We strolled at 复兴公园 and ate brunch at 田之坊. We even brought Harshad to our previous residence at 海月花园. There were times when I could not recall the street names. I had to guide the taxi drivers to the spot. Slowly, the memory came back to my mind. I snapped photos of these places and whatsapped Felicia. She too, misses all these places.
This is a great rejuvenating holiday for me. Short but very refreshing. I really don’t mind flying back to Shanghai for another short weekend. Hopefully this time I get to eat at my favorite restaurants.
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Elkan Rocks China (Updated)
January 7, 2012 1 Comment
Above: Elkan and Harshad rocked their way in China! Enjoy the video and their funny dance moves! Just uploaded the full clip of our China holidays (below). Some of the key moments: [1:28] Felicia was nervous on the chair-lift. [2:26] The 3 girls disrupted such a nice morning Great Walk walk. [5:50] Poor Harshad clearing snow for the group. [10:35] Poor Harshad again..hahaha.
Talking Bird: 你好，恭喜发财！
January 7, 2012 Leave a comment
(Video Taken: Hutong Beijing, China – Happy Fortune Greeting from a caged bird in Beijing! We were so surprised by its pronunciation!)
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Camouflaged Tree
December 31, 2011 Leave a comment
(Photo Taken: “Camouflaged Tree” at Summer Palace, Beijing, China – Now I know where the army got the design inspirations for the camouflaged graphic patterns.)
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