I am coming to Paris Disneyland! Look out for my new ride ;) You can get all the gossip here... Watch this Youtube video.
Love,
Ratatouille ;)
I want to go to New York so bad...ly!! I keep hearing about the place from people that have been there or lived there. And the similarities with Shanghai are just.. well, they are there.
I somehow clicked on something and clicked on something (it may have just been an ad) and just ended up at this page at National Geographic.
Now, you tell me if this sounds like Shanghai or not?
Everything changes in New York, and nothing does. Maestros still wield batons at Carnegie Hall, and lunch at the Oyster Bar in Grand Central Terminal is always a good time. You can’t find a cab in the rain, but you can always get a bagel with a schmear. Yet the city that never sleeps keeps evolving. Plays open and close. Restaurants come and go. New neighborhoods blossom. In Chelsea, the old Barneys store is now the new Rubin Museum of Himalayan Art. High-heeled fashionistas have replaced white-aproned butchers in the Meatpacking District. Such churn keeps the more than 8,200,000 New Yorkers on their toes even as it makes them appreciate the old favorites all the more. New York remains one helluva town. Welcome!
Woohoo! About freakin' time...
Direct China flight lands in Taiwan
July 4, 2008 - 10:27AM
The inaugural flight of the first regular direct service between mainland China and Taiwan in almost six decades has landed at Taoyuan international airport, outside Taipei.
The China Southern Airlines Airbus A330, piloted by airline president Liu Shao-yong, touched down at 8.05am (10.05am AEST) with 100 mainland tourists among 258 passengers after a 100-minute flight from Guangzhou.
"This is a sacred moment. The two sides of the strait are like members in one family. Flying over the strait to Taiwan is like coming home. It feels good," Liu said after landing.
Several fire engines splashed water over the aircraft when it was on the tarmac in a welcome gesture.
"We were lucky to be on the plane since many people were fighting for seats on the inaugural flight," said Wang Yu, a Chinese businessman from Zhuhai in southern China.
Wang, in his 40s, said he would take his wife to noted scenic spots like the National Palace Museum, Mountain Ali and Sun Moon Lake.
Taiwanese businessman Tsai Chang-lung and his wife also took the flight.
"It is my wife's gift for me for my 50th birthday. We are happy to enjoy this historic moment together," Tsai said.
There will be a total of 36 round-trip flights across the Taiwan Strait weekly, operating from Friday to Monday. They will fly between six Taiwanese airports and five mainland ones.
On Friday alone, there will be 18 round-trip flights.
The deal will increase the number of tourists making the trip from both sides to 3,000, which is expected to give a much-needed boost to Taiwan's sluggish economy.
China still sees Taiwan as part of its territory awaiting reunification, by force if necessary. But ties between Beijing and Taipei have improved markedly in recent months.
Taiwan banks can now exchange Chinese currency, limits on Taiwanese investment on the mainland have been eased, and some Chinese media outlets which had been banned on the island now have clearance to work.
AFP
The Bund (simplified Chinese: 外滩, pinyin: Wàitān) is an area of Huangpu District in Shanghai, People's Republic of China. The area centres on a section of Zhongshan Road (East-1), which runs along the western bank of the Huangpu River, facing Pudong, in the eastern part of Huangpu District. The Bund usually refers to the buildings and wharves on this section of the road, as well as some adjacent areas.
The Bund is one of the most famous tourist destinations in Shanghai. Building heights are restricted in this area.
The word "Bund" means an embankment or an embanked quay, and comes from the Urdu word band, meaning an embankment, levee or dam (a cognate of English terms, bind and band, German term, bund, etc.). "Bund" is pronounced to rhyme with "fund". "The Bund" as a proper noun almost invariably refers to this stretch of embanked riverfront in Shanghai.
The Shanghai Bund has dozens of historical buildings, lining the Huangpu River, that once housed numerous banks and trading houses from Britain, France, the U.S., Russia, Germany, Japan, The Netherlands and Belgium, as well as the consulates of Russia and Britain, a newspaper, the Shanghai Club and the Masonic Club. The Bund lies north of the old, walled city of Shanghai. This was initially a British settlement; later the British and American settlements were combined in the International Settlement. A building boom at the end of 19th century and beginning of 20th century led to the Bund becoming a major financial hub of East Asia. The former French Bund, east of the walled city was formerly more a working harbourside.
The Bund was famously featured in novel Empire of the Sun by British author J.G. Ballard, based on his experiences as a boy during World War II. The book was later made into a film by Steven Spielberg.
The Bund is a setting (and namesake) of the Hong Kong television series The Bund (1980) and film Shanghai Grand (1996). The story of both involve pre-World War II era gangsters competing for control of the Bund.
Link
I found a good 'essay' some woman wrote about her trip to Shanghai. I think it's very well written, informative, with lots of nice pictures too. Take a look!
I've noticed that amongst expats in Shanghai everyone is always traveling - whether it be to a nearby water town village, or to somewhere further like Beijing or to another Asian country or back 'home' to Europe or the States or wherever.. it seems that most expats are on holidays for a lot of the time, several times a year! I think this is definitely one of the perks of living here. It's easily accessible to other places and domestically it's fairly cheap to fly (or you can go by train if you want to go super budget!)
I love travel and love looking and everyone's travel pics on Facebook and drooling over them with jealousy (I have to admit I don't like other subjects as much.)
This post has nothing to do with Shanghai or China...
I have no idea how I got on Fox's mailing list but anyway, I was just notified that a new Simpsons ride is due to open soon in Hollywood and Orlando, Florida.
I checked it out and it really looks like my type of thing - so much fun!
Pictures from here.
The LA Times has a couple of articles here, here, here and here.
According to sources, the new Simpsons Ride/Krustyland is taking over the Back to the Future ride, and is due to open on May 17 or 24 in Hollywood, Los Angeles. Simpsons ride creators even added a hommage to “Back to the Future” with a brief appearance by an animated Doc Brown, the mad inventor from the movie.
Visitors to the $40-million attraction enter through Krusty’s gaping mouth, walking along his unfurled squishy red tongue and swatting at a uvula punching bag hanging at the back of his throat. In the queue, posters advertise many of the Krustyland rides and attractions.
Once through the queue, visitors wait in Funhouse loading rooms before boarding the Simpsons simulator ride. An Itchy & Scratchy safety video vividly warns riders what can happen if they don’t follow the rules.
Riders climb aboard the Krustymobile via a gull wing-style door — a nod to Doc Brown’s DeLorean time machine. The ride vehicle glows with garish LED lights in the blacklight-lit room.
The six-minute motion simulator ride follows the Simpsons clan as they are plucked from the crowd at the Krustiest Place on Earth to be the first family to tackle the “upsy-downsy, spins-aroundsy, teen-operated ride thrilltacular.”
Krustyland Rides
* Traumanator Roller Coaster
* Tooth Chipper Roller Coaster
* The Sea Captain’s Queasy Time Lagoon Adventure
* Radioactive Man – the Ride
* Captain Dinosaur’s Pirate Rip Off
* Screamatorium of Dr. Frightmarestein (starring Milhouse, Ralph and Cletus)
* Happy Little Elves in Panda Land
* Krusty’s Balloon Parade
* Death Drop
* Yard Work Simulator
Krustyland Shows
* Krusty’s Wet & Smokey Stunt Show
* The Isotop-ettes Musical Spectacular (starring twin sisters Patty and Selma)
* Sideshow Mel & Mr. Teeny’s Musical revue
* Impervo the Painless (starring Groundskeeper Willie)
* Madame Manjuala: The Future Looker-Atter (starring Apu’s wife)
Looks awesome. I loved Universal Studios in Japan and the Back to the Future ride but this sounds even better! I'm not a fan of those upside-down spinning twirling rides that leave me feeling very dizzy and nauseous, but Universal Studios' ride are just the best - I loved all of them!
JUST a couple of years ago, travellers to China had two options: high end, high-rise chains or grimy youth hostels with squat toilets and snarling service.
But as China booms, so does its hotel industry, and there has been something of a revolution in Beijing and Shanghai, driven in the former's case by the Olympics in August and, in the latter's, the 2010 Expo.
Shanghai
This go-ahead city has more than its fair share of five-star lodgings but, to experience a taste of old Shanghai, avoid the futuristic skyscraper hotels of Pudong and stay in the city's most attractive district, the tree-lined former French concession, or in Jing'an, which is not (yet) as gentrified as other parts of the city. In Shanghai, you won't find hutongs but lilong, or converted alley houses, which date back to the city's glamorous golden age of the jazz-filled 1920s and '30s.
Old House Inn:
A delightful converted lane house, this inn has brought a breath of fresh air to the local accommodation scene, thanks to its small selection of beautifully renovated and stylish rooms at reasonable rates. The hotel's restaurant, A Future Perfect, is one of Shanghai's funkiest.
From 700 yuan; www.oldhouse.cn.
Urbn Hotel:
Shanghai always has an eye for the latest trends and the new 26-room Urbn Hotel ticks the environmentally friendly box as well with its carbon-neutral status and recycled materials (the building was once a factory). Guests walk through a bamboo-lined courtyard and past a reception area decorated with antique suitcases; corridors on the four floors are lined with bricks taken from demolished factories, and the wood used on the floors and in the rooms is recycled Chinese mahogany.
One of the two expat owners is from Sydney and they have tried to make the rooms as different from a standard hotel as possible; there are sunken baths, low Asian-style beds and wrap-around couches that are great for lounging and watching a massive TV.
From 1400 yuan; www.urbnhotels.com.
No.9:
If relentless trendiness isn't for you, try staying at No.9, which is more like being in a friend's beautiful and surprisingly rustic '30s house than in a hotel. The Taiwanese owner has converted his grandfather's home and, with only five rooms, it's a world away from most anonymous hotel experiences.
You'll find this delightful B&B, with its walled garden, down a lively back lane where life continues in much the same way it has for centuries. But be warned: taxi drivers can struggle to find No.9 as it doesn't announce its existence and there's no website.
From 700 yuan. 9 Lane 355, Jianguo Xi Lu; phone + 86 21 6471 9950.
Lapis Casa Boutique Hotel:
Guests here couldn't be closer to the action: the hotel is a block away from Shanghai's main entertainment complex, Xintiandi.
This small and elegant place opened in May 2007 after its brother and sister owners spent two years converting the unassuming building into an antiques-filled hideaway. Guests enter through large wooden doors before reaching the stone-floored reception area and corridors lined with lovely stained glass. The 18 guestrooms have different themes, though all are from the past; the favourite (and most expensive) is the corner suite with its 1900s traditional Shanghainese decor, wooden floors, soft lighting and red carpet.
From 1500 yuan; www.lapiscasahotel.com.
Jia Shanghai:
Describing itself as a residence rather than a hotel, the 55-room Jia Shanghai opened at the end of 2007 and has seen a host of stars through its doors (although presumably someone escorted them in as there isn't anything as boring as a sign).
The original structure was built in 1926, but few traces of the past remain inside; instead, like its original sister hotel in Hong Kong, it is cutting-edge design all the way.
The corridors are dark and mysterious but open on to bright, white guestrooms equipped with the latest entertainment systems and small kitchens.
There's a complimentary breakfast served in the arty lobby as well as free afternoon tea and cocktails all evening.
From 1395 yuan; www.jiashanghai.com.
link
In a survey of more than 1100 travellers carried out by TripAdvisor...
Here is the a rundown of the top three in various categories:
Best bargain city: 1. Prague 2. Budapest 3. Lisbon.
Most expensive: 1. London 2. Paris 3. Rome, Venice, Oslo, Moscow (tied)
Most friendly locals: 1. Dublin 2. Amsterdam 3. London.
Most unfriendly locals: 1. Paris 2. London 3. Moscow.
Best cuisine: 1. Paris 2. Rome 3. Florence.
Best shopping: 1. Paris 2. London 3. Rome.
Best nightlife: 1. London 2. Amsterdam 3. Paris.
Best parks: 1. London 2. Paris 3. Barcelona, Amsterdam, Copenhagen (tied).
Most romantic: 1. Paris 2. Venice 3. Rome.
Most attractive locals: 1. Rome 2. Paris 3. Stockholm.
Cleanest: 1. Zurich 2. Copenhagen 3. Stockholm.
Dirtiest: 1. London 2. Paris 3. Rome, Athens (tied).
Most boring: 1. Brussels 2. Zurich, Oslo, Warsaw, Zagreb (tied).
I just got this email. Let me know if you want further details...
All prices are return economy, including tax.
Shanghai Pudong to:
| City | Airline | Fare (RMB) | Dates | Note: |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Singapore | Singapore Airlines | 2850 | Mar.30th--Apr.25th | 7 days |
Osaka | China Eastern (MU) | 2895 | Mar.5th--Mar.27th | 30 days |
Sydney | Air China (CA) | 6460 | Mar.3th--Apr.30th | 6 mth |
Sydney | China Eastern(MU) | 6480 | Mar.4th--Apr.21st | 6 mth |
Melbourne | Air China (CA) | 6320 | Mar.3th--Apr.30th | 6 mth |
Melbourne | China Eastern (MU) | 6580 | Mar.4th--Apr.21st | 6 mth |
San Francisco | United Airlines | 5890 | Mar.1st--Mar.31st | 30 days |
Los Angeles | United Airlines | 4990 | Mar.1st--Mar.31st | 30 days |
Los Angeles | Air China (CA) | 4850 | Feb.19th--Mar.31st | 30 days |
Paris | China Eastern (MU) | 6850 | Apr.1st--Jun.30th | 45 days |
London | China Eastern (MU) | 6280 | Apr.1st--Jun.30th | 1 year |
Frankfurt | China Eastern (MU) | 6750 | Apr.1st--Jun.30th | 45 days |
Most years I try to catch the Chinese New Year excitement in downtown Sydney but last year I missed it (because, um, I was kinda getting ready to get married ;) ) Anyway one of my friends who travelled interstate to come to our wedding and was staying in a hotel near Chinatown happened to catch the parade and sent me photos of it afterwards. This year (it happened on the 10th Feb) it was just as spectacular and seeing these pictures kinda made me a bit homesick and a bit sad.
You can see the spectacle yourself through Helen's gorgeous photos. The attention to detail of the costumes are amazing! I particularly love the yumcha (dimsum) table girls. Check out the rest at her blog.
According to statistics only 3.5% of people living in Australia have Chinese heritage but dare I say it, in Sydney (if you just counted Sydney) I would guess it would be something like 20%!
On another note, this abovementioned friend and my sister both recently told me that the lion dance they saw at M's and my wedding was better than the ones they saw during this year's CNY entertainment in restaurants and places, which kinda made my day. It was something we both really wanted to have and we were glad we did, to see the looks on all our guests' faces :)
When I was coming back home from the airport on the night of the 4th, in sub-zero temperatures, at around midnight, I had a fairly long conversation with the taxi driver. While we were driving out of the airport he commented to me that the second terminal is finished and due to open in March 2008.
I'm surprised that a airport that is fairly new (opened in 1999) has had need for another terminal already, but given the upcoming Olympics and the economy of the country and growing affluence of its people, I guess it's no surprise.
Now, while I was searching for information on this I discovered that Shanghai is planning on building a third terminal already!
http://www.syml.cn/html/logistics_freight7.html
Shanghai Pudong International Airport will build a third passenger terminal and two more runways by 2015 to meet rising air travel demand, Wu Nianzu, chairman of Shanghai Airport Authority, said yesterday.
The expansion will further boost the capacity of the city's bigger airport to 80 million passengers a year and six million tons of freight in 2015.
"Pudong Airport became the world's sixth busiest airport in terms of capacity last year. With the forthcoming Olympics and the World Expo, the airport will play a more important role," said Wu. "To expand the airport is not a local strategy, but a strategy to serve the development of the Yangtze River Delta region and the whole nation."
I'm sure some of my readers may have been wondering why I never write about pubs and clubs. Well the short and simple answer is because I don't go to them! And the reason I don't go to them is because of the damn @#$@%@$ smokers. I would love to go to them but I don't. I didn't go to them in my hometown of Sydney either. Not until they banned smoking. OK I'd go rarely and never stay very long till it just got too awkward so I just stopped going altogether. I hate the stench and I hate the fact that I just can't breathe after a while and cough non-stop. It's not particularly easy to have a 'good time' when you can barely breathe...
As great as Japan and Europe are for places to travel to, the smoking problem leaves a lot to be desired (moreso in Europe). After being in Taiwan where it was like 'heaven' and coming back here to 'hell' I just want to scream! Apart from Taiwan the only other place I have been to recently which was non-smoking-heaven was Hawaii. There, you are not even allowed to smoke in public places OUTdoors! eg at bus stops, parks, beaches, etc. And because the people who live there are so nature loving and are at one with their environment they are all very happy to oblige. To me it was simply heaven and made me enjoy my time there even more (in fact made me want to move and live there!)
link
Tue Jan 22, 1:26 PM ET
BEIJING (AFP) - Beijing is about to extend a ban on smoking in public places ahead of the Olympic Games despite the Chinese capital's image as a paradise for smokers who have faced few restrictions on where they can light up.
According to a draft bill the majority of public places, such as restaurants, schools, hospitals, stations, libraries and museums will have to be non-smoking.
Hotels will also have to reserve at least 70 percent of their rooms for non-smokers.
Smokers who ignore the ban will face a fine of 50 yuan (6.9 dollars, 4.7 euros) while those who allow them on their premises will have to cough up between 1,000 and 5,000 yuan, according to the bill.
Beijing had already taken some tentative measures to establish non-smoking areas in 1996 without much success, but the approach of the August Games provided the impetus for the new decision, Chinese media said.
The places that will accommodate athletes and officials during the Beijing Games will all be non-smoking.
China has about 350 million smokers, or about a quarter of its population, and accounts for a third of the world's smokers, according to official statistics.
About a million people die of smoking-related diseases each year in China. Since October, Beijing taxi drivers have in theory been banned from smoking in their vehicles under penalty of a fine of between 100 and 200 yuan.
Customers desert smoke-free restaurant
Fri Jan 18, 2008 1:45pm EST
BEIJING (Reuters) - Beijing's first smoke-free restaurant chain faces going out of business after its customers deserted it in droves after the ban was enforced, state media reported on Friday.
The Chinese are the world's most enthusiastic smokers, with a growing market of more than 350 million, making it a magnet for cigarette companies and a focus of international health concerns.
The occupancy rate at Meizhou Dongpo, a chain serving the spicy fare of southwest Sichuan province, had dropped to "about 80 percent of that enjoyed by other restaurants across the street" after it banned smoking in October, the China Daily quoted its manager as saying.
"We figure that if we're going to die, at least we're going to die honorably," the paper quoted Guo Xiaodong, deputy director of the restaurant chain, as saying.
Meizhou Dongpo had trained its waitresses how to discourage people from lighting up, but met resistance from customers who would lock staff out of private dining rooms to sneak a quick puff, Guo said.
"It just illustrates how much resistance there is to kicking the habit among Chinese smokers," the paper quoted Zhang Xuemei, a Beijing reporter who lobbied the restaurant to ban smoking, as saying.
Beijing, set to mark the 200-day countdown to the Olympics on Monday, has yet to issue clear rules on smoking bans, despite Chinese Premier Wen Jiabao promising a "smoke-free Olympics."
Along with spitting, and not queuing, Olympic organizers fear Chinese people's tendency to smoke anywhere at any time could taint the country's image in foreign eyes.
China banned smoking in taxis in October and launched a drive to ban smoking in hospitals, schools, and government offices last year.
But resistance to the campaign has been fierce.
Beijing authorities had written to 30,000 restaurants asking them to put smoking bans in place, but not a single one had taken up the suggestion, the paper said.
What did I do? Random stuff in no particular order...
* With Chinese New Year coming up (tomorrow actually) I got some red packets. Woohoo! I felt bad about taking them but I couldn't not take them so...
* I went to Guanghua market on Bade Lu and near the Technology University and Nova across the road from Taipei Main station to get me a graphics tablet. My dad took me and we traipsed around in the rain to compare prices. Unlike China they have set prices (price tags) and you can't really bargain much at all which makes it easier to compare prices. I didn't know which size I wanted/needed nor which type. In the end I went for a cheaper, smaller one as I figure I'm not gonna be drawing masterpieces or anything so I didn't really need the high end Intuous model (which cost double the price!). I got the Bamboo Fun model (from Wacom) which has a 'Fun' name (LOL) and from reviews I read online it seems to be pretty good. Yes, this research-aholic actually bought something without researching it beforehand! It cost 3420 NT, which we 'bargained' down from 3490 (other stores were selling it for 3600 and 3700). (and no, it would not be cheaper in China and comparing prices is a nightmare here). I was actually after the Hello Kitty model but they didn't sell it. The Graphire line is being phased out and replaced with the Bamboo/Bamboo Fun line.
* I went to the new Hello Kitty Cafe only to be told there was a minimum 1.5 hour wait (it was that popular) and that next time I should pre-book beforehand!
90 Da'An Road
(very close to Sogo Zhongxiao Fuxing / Zhongxiao Fuxing MRT station).
* Got my Swatch (Menthol Tone - HKD$480) only to realise it was cheaper in Taiwan (2050 NT). ARGH!
* Met up with a friend in Hong Kong (at Times Square, Causeway Bay) for one hour. She is from Taiwan originally, met her in Sydney and now living in Hong Kong.
* Nearly missed my flight in HK after telling myself I wouldn't let that happen again. Of course my plane had to be literally right at the very end of the long terminal in the very huge airport (again!) I don't know how this happened. I checked the board and it didn't say anything. It did not say "Boarding". A few minutes later I looked at it again and it said "Final Call". WTF? Needless to say I ran like crazy but I was surprisingly not even the last person to go on board. You don't want to know what it is like to travel with Mainland Chinese people (roll eyes). They think catching a plane is like catching a bus or a train!
* Can't get the Chinese New Year song out of my head. I am sure there is only one song? They play the same song in stores in China and in Taiwan. There is an English version too. OMG. It is so annoying yet so funny, I can't get that crazy song and wacky lyrics out of my head. "Gong Xi Gong Xi Gong Xi Ni..."
* I went to Core Pacific Living Mall - A 19 storeys and open 24 hours a day mall in Taipei
* I left my video camera at my grandparent's place! :(
* When I came home last night I thought "Wow, our place looks so big and so clean and tidy!" (the joys of having an ayi who cleaned our place and washed and dried and put back on all our bedding and stuff was pretty nice, as was having a chauffeur-driven taxi take me home from the airport at around midnight!)
* I'm feeling quite sad and missing my family :(
* I'm feeling quite hungry and cold so must go out now to buy food and another heater!!
It's my last night in Taiwan and tomorrow morning I'll be off on my flight to Hong Kong and later to Shanghai. I hope I make it home in one piece. I'll be very sad to leave my relatives and my second 'home' after Sydney :( but I must be getting back - I have a tonne of washing to do and many hours of missed sleep to catch up on!
I have to get my dad to send off a parcel for me because my luggage is overweight... waah.. I've never been in a situation where I've reached the weight limit yet my bag isn't even full. The reason is because I bought heaps of cool design books (in English, Chinese and Japanese) and some magazines. Stuff I can't get in China at all. Right now my bag is around 26-27kg. If I added everything it would probably be 35kg!!
Don't get me started on how I think it's unfair that us 'underweight' people aren't allowed to bring more luggage onboard. I know it's discriminatory to make overweight people pay more for their ticket or whatever, but then what about cutting some slack for us lighter people? If I ate all of my books and kept them inside my body I'd be allowed to bring them, but if I bring them in my checked in luggage... noooooo I might have to pay a hefty fee/fine for it! But it is still the SAME total weight going onto the plane! UGH! Duh!
Yikes! My parents have expressed concern I may not be able to fly back to Shanghai due to the snow... My mother thinks I should postpone my flight back. I said, "What?! Are you kidding? It's Chinese New Year.. I'll never get a flight back around that time and even if I could it would cost a fortune." So I don't know what's going to happen but I hope I get back OK. I fly to Hong Kong on the 4th, and am going to check out the city for a few hours before flying back to Shanghai later that evening.
China snow storms cancel 3,250 flights - Jan 31
China steeled for worse weather as holidays loom - Feb 1
One of the things about travelling overseas is that you might need a visa. Some are easy and you just get them at the airport as you go through, others you have to apply for in advance.
It is always a bit confusing because the rules change so often.
Example - it used to be you could only stay in Taiwan for 14 days and if you wanted to stay longer you had to extend your visa. Now it's 30 days (and I just scraped in staying 27 days!)
It's fairly easy to assume you won't have any troubles with an EU, US, UK, Australian, New Zealand or Japanese passport but you can never be too sure. I know that Russia has certain requirements...
Anyway I stumbled across this great website which tells you at a glance what visa you need based on your nationality/passport and where you are travelling to.
Taiwan is actually listed as "Chinese Taipei", the name they also go by in the Olympics as certain countries don't recognise is as a 'separate country' to China.
SkyTeam Visa, Passport and Health information
On another note - everybody in my immediate family, as well as my husband has dual nationality and two passports. But I have never heard of or met anyone who has three. I wonder if it is possible to have three or four different countries' passports?
(View from Zhongxiao Fuxing station)
24 January
I went to Breeze Mall in Taipei. I had to go to this place because I am still suffering from Japan-withdrawal symptoms and I could get my fix by going there because they have: Kinokuniya (bookstore), Hands (lifestyle/homewares store) and Muji (clothing and general goods). As well as that they have other cool shops and a great food court. I lost count of how many hours I spent browsing in here! About 3 or 4 I think. I think it is my favourite mall in Taipei so far...
The lower floors feature all the impossibly gorgeous and impossibly expensive goods from brands such as LV, Gucci, Prada, Cartier etc.. but I was after something a little more affordable, and a little more interesting.
First stop: (Sony) Plaza store
They sell lots of cute licensed character goods and homewares. At the entrance there were Barbapapa character seats. I have an affinity with these characters because my sister and I owned books featuring these in our childhood, and we discovered through our baby photos that we also had a purple Barbapapa plastic doll too. Then, a few years ago we discovered what they actually were and both fell in love with them again.
From Wikipedia:
Barbapapa is both the title character, and name of the "species" of said character, of a series of children's books written in the 1970s by Annette Tison and Talus Taylor, who resided in Paris, France. The books were originally written in French, and were later translated into many languages.
Barbapapa himself is a generally pear-shaped, pink shapeshifting blob-like creature who stumbles upon the human world and tries to fit in. The shapeshifting is usually accompanied by the saying "Clickety Click—Barba Trick". After various amusing adventures, he comes across a female of his species (more shapely, and black-coloured), named Barbamama. They produce seven children, known as the Barbababies, each a different colour.
Well after all the hooha with travel agents being slack in getting back to me the price mysteriously jumped from 3500 to 5500 (RMB inc. tax)! I was horrified. In the end I decide not to go to Jeju (way too cold) and Okinawa became booked out and some dates were either fully booked or mega expensive so I gave them a 10 day range of leaving and returning and said I wanted the "cheapest" flight within those days. They came back to me and I got the ticket for 3900, so not too far off the original quote. Also I had no choice but to go through Hong Kong. I purposely planned an 8 hour transfer on the way back so I have plenty of time to kill in Hongkers :)
So yes, I am leaving for Taiwan in just 6 days! Woohoo! I have a LOT of planning to do. Despite the numerous times I've been before this will be the first time where I will be planning my own trip AND the first time I'll be going there by myself. Before, my parents or either parent took us around. The previous time I went with my sister and hubby.
Taiwan is rapidly changing and there are so many things I'm looking forward to doing, seeing, and experiencing.
First of all, I want to take the bullet train from Taipei to Kaohsiung. It cuts travelling time from 4.5 hours to 1.5 hours!
Second of all, I want to go to the new mega mall (Dream Mall) in Kaohsiung, the sixth largest in Asia
Thirdly, I want to go to Ximending (which I have been to before but it has changed a lot!)
Ximending
Fourthly, I want to go to Danshui and have a hot spring in Beitou (also done before but want to do again)
Fifthly, I want to go to some natural landscape place. Hard to pick, so many good ones and I've actually already been to them all before!
I think that's about it. I will be chillin' and relaxing and visiting as many relatives and friends as possible :D
---
Adding my comment here because I can't comment due to TGF.
I'm not doing the whole travelling around the country thing because I have already seen the whole country when I did the Taiwan tour :) Plus, I don't think it's that nice during winter and also I don't have a travelling companion so I don't think it'll be that fun at all, unfortunately.
Related post
Right now we're watching "The Amazing Race" season 12 on AXN on our good ol' satellite tv courtesy of the Philippines ;) I love this show and it's about the only show I watch on TV these days. We are also watching "The Amazing Race Asia" Season 2. I just love it! I love the travelling aspect, I love the competition side, the psychology side seeing how people interact with their partner and with the locals, etc etc. Fun fun fun!!
Right now I'm playing a bit of TAR myself. I am trying to get myself to Taiwan to see my grandparents but it's been a bit of a headache deciding the dates let alone the route!
When we were little kids there were no direct flights from Australia to Taiwan and we always had to go through Hong Kong. Similarly, although there are direct flights between Sydney and Shanghai it is easier to get flights stopping over in Hong Kong. All of our recent guests came via Hong Kong. So, obviously Hong Kong is the logical place for me to stop if I'm going to Taiwan (since you cannot fly directly between China and Taiwan).
However, my dad's ex-classmates were telling us it's quicker and easier to get to Taipei via Jeju (Cheju)-do (island) in South Korea. So I had a look into this.. The first quote I got off a travel agent quoted me this route as being more expensive than via Hong Kong, but the second one quoted me as it being cheaper. Weird.
What to do, what to do? And then, I had another thought. I could go back to Okinawa and visit there again since I loved it so much last time. I don't think the cost would differ that much. ARGH I don't know what to do?!
Here is a map so you can see my three options.
Jeju
Pros: I've never been to South Korea, Jeju is apparently "The Hawaii of South Korea"!
Cons: I can't read or speak Korean! It'll be too cold to enjoy the island-ness of it all, don't know how to get around or what to do there
Hong Kong
Pros: I know my way around there, I have no problems communicating, it'll be warmer than anywhere else mentioned, I miss it funnily enough
Cons: I've been there so many times already
Naha
Pros: I've been there already and already know where I'd stay and what I'd do there, how to get around, etc
Cons: I've been there already, I can read Japanese but not speak it that well
