Shanghai Life
Before my brain decides to erase my memory again,
I shall jot down a little detail on my recent trip to China.
I left Jakarta on the 15th November 2016
The journey took us about 9 hours, including transit time.
My family is never a light packer.
It seems like everyone (the parents, to be exact) would just need to bring their whole closet.
My dad is always afraid of the winter weather idea.
Although Google weather forecasted just slightly cooler weater at 17 DegC
He was so paranoid he brought a few jackets.
Anyway, point is, the 4 of us would not fit into a normal car.
I was not convinced with the Chinese car+driver rental companies,
so we decided to pick our mode of transport as we reach.
As we reach the airport, there is a woman holding out a sign and asked if we needed a ride.
She has a booth at the airport and we thought it was pretty legit.
So after confirming that the cost of 650 RMB to our hotel downtown is inclusive of everything,
we boarded their Minivan and off we go to Waldorf Astoria at The Bund.
Upon arrival at the hotel, the driver was asking for more TIPS! >(
We ignored his request because trust me, so many people in China will try to rip you off
and tipping is not a custom in China.
(We took 2 taxis on our return trip and it cost us less than 400 RMB. So opt for taxi guys!)
Waldorf Astoria at The Bund
We chose this hotel because of it's central location that is close to Nanjing St
where it's one of the famous shopping districs in Shanghai.
It's also located at the Bund which gave u a superb view of the river and Pearl tower:)
not forgetting to mention of course, the glam interior of the hotel makes you wanna stay in forever!
I'd say the service is not the best though.
Hakkasan
So it was just in time for my Mom's birthday when we arrived.
and we wanted a special dinner for her birthday with a pretty view
after asking around and checking online, we decided on Hakkasan.
Hakkasan on Bund No. 18 serves Cantonese food with a twist.
The most amazing one that we had was duck skin with caviar.
They used imperial grade caviar that tasted sweet-salty with no fishy smell at all!
I had asked for a window seat when I called and they gave us a 4 seater sofa seat facing the Pearl Tower.
Everyone speaks good English and are very friendly,
Oh, and they said they are opening one in Jakarta soon when Alila SCBD opens! so excited.
Mercato on Bund No. 3
Bund no. 3 is one of the most famous buildig along the bund.
You ask people for recommendation and they'll direct you there for amazing food.
The building contains 6 storeys with different restaurant at each floor.
We tried Mercato, an Italian restaurant filled with tourists and expat.
It is dimly lit with industrial interior concept,
a huge bar right at its center.
I would have to say it's a good relaxing place
but nothing local.
Nanjing St
Nanjing Street is a glamourous shopping street
offering local and international brands in their brightly lit stores and malls.
Walking past the E Nanjing road from the Bund, you will reach Nanjing Pedestrian st
there are just so many shops to choose from
and towards the end there is a store that sells gigantic cup of Mango Juice!
We had one shared amongst the 4 of us and yet we couldn't finish it.
There are also stores that sells local street snacks. Yummm!
Shanghai is a metropolitan city so it's pretty much like the NYC of China.
You get to enjoy the glamour of China's city life with superb quality of food and services,
altho that does not apply in all parts of Shanghai.
Most taxi drivers don't speak English but they are generally pretty nice.
I remembered about 10 years ago when I went to Beijing,
taking a taxi was such a fight because drivers were rude and charge crazy fees on tourists.
But Shanghai presently is much better and it's pretty safe to take taxis.
DISNEYLAND!
So with the opening of the latest SH Disneyland, I have one more Disneyland to cross off my list
And because I have completed the rest,
I just have to visit this one!
Unlike any other disneyland, the SH Disney has Disneytown before its entrance
A disney-themed shopping alley
with an array of international brands such as Sephora, UGG, Lego.
F&B are pretty diverse too such as the Cheesecake Fac, DTF, Ippudo, etc.
So if you are not a fan of disney rides and yet wanna get the feel of shopping in storybook
this is such a great option!
Entrance ticket per person is about 400 over RMB
and I have to say this is the Disneyland with least number of rides:(
BUT, on the positive side, the wait time for each ride is only 5-10 minutes!!!
SO HAPPY!
They have Tron ride which is uniquely SH Disneyland :D
There are alot of other excitement we came across as we go.
a lot of things we found out during our travel were not planned and just found as we go..
Other than SH, we went to Hangzhou and Yantai but the post will be too long.
I shall post another one on those 2 cities.
Toodles for now!
I shall jot down a little detail on my recent trip to China.
I left Jakarta on the 15th November 2016
The journey took us about 9 hours, including transit time.
My family is never a light packer.
It seems like everyone (the parents, to be exact) would just need to bring their whole closet.
My dad is always afraid of the winter weather idea.
Although Google weather forecasted just slightly cooler weater at 17 DegC
He was so paranoid he brought a few jackets.
Anyway, point is, the 4 of us would not fit into a normal car.
I was not convinced with the Chinese car+driver rental companies,
so we decided to pick our mode of transport as we reach.
As we reach the airport, there is a woman holding out a sign and asked if we needed a ride.
She has a booth at the airport and we thought it was pretty legit.
So after confirming that the cost of 650 RMB to our hotel downtown is inclusive of everything,
we boarded their Minivan and off we go to Waldorf Astoria at The Bund.
Upon arrival at the hotel, the driver was asking for more TIPS! >(
We ignored his request because trust me, so many people in China will try to rip you off
and tipping is not a custom in China.
(We took 2 taxis on our return trip and it cost us less than 400 RMB. So opt for taxi guys!)
Waldorf Astoria at The Bund
We chose this hotel because of it's central location that is close to Nanjing St
where it's one of the famous shopping districs in Shanghai.
It's also located at the Bund which gave u a superb view of the river and Pearl tower:)
not forgetting to mention of course, the glam interior of the hotel makes you wanna stay in forever!
I'd say the service is not the best though.
Hakkasan
So it was just in time for my Mom's birthday when we arrived.
and we wanted a special dinner for her birthday with a pretty view
after asking around and checking online, we decided on Hakkasan.
Hakkasan on Bund No. 18 serves Cantonese food with a twist.
The most amazing one that we had was duck skin with caviar.
They used imperial grade caviar that tasted sweet-salty with no fishy smell at all!
I had asked for a window seat when I called and they gave us a 4 seater sofa seat facing the Pearl Tower.
Everyone speaks good English and are very friendly,
Oh, and they said they are opening one in Jakarta soon when Alila SCBD opens! so excited.
Coconut sorbet
The Dinner View
Duck Skin with Imperial Caviar
Mercato on Bund No. 3
Bund no. 3 is one of the most famous buildig along the bund.
You ask people for recommendation and they'll direct you there for amazing food.
The building contains 6 storeys with different restaurant at each floor.
We tried Mercato, an Italian restaurant filled with tourists and expat.
It is dimly lit with industrial interior concept,
a huge bar right at its center.
I would have to say it's a good relaxing place
but nothing local.
Mercato (And the Expat bunch)
Nanjing St
Nanjing Street is a glamourous shopping street
offering local and international brands in their brightly lit stores and malls.
Walking past the E Nanjing road from the Bund, you will reach Nanjing Pedestrian st
there are just so many shops to choose from
and towards the end there is a store that sells gigantic cup of Mango Juice!
We had one shared amongst the 4 of us and yet we couldn't finish it.
There are also stores that sells local street snacks. Yummm!
Shanghai is a metropolitan city so it's pretty much like the NYC of China.
You get to enjoy the glamour of China's city life with superb quality of food and services,
altho that does not apply in all parts of Shanghai.
Most taxi drivers don't speak English but they are generally pretty nice.
I remembered about 10 years ago when I went to Beijing,
taking a taxi was such a fight because drivers were rude and charge crazy fees on tourists.
But Shanghai presently is much better and it's pretty safe to take taxis.
DISNEYLAND!
So with the opening of the latest SH Disneyland, I have one more Disneyland to cross off my list
And because I have completed the rest,
I just have to visit this one!
Unlike any other disneyland, the SH Disney has Disneytown before its entrance
A disney-themed shopping alley
with an array of international brands such as Sephora, UGG, Lego.
F&B are pretty diverse too such as the Cheesecake Fac, DTF, Ippudo, etc.
So if you are not a fan of disney rides and yet wanna get the feel of shopping in storybook
this is such a great option!
Entrance ticket per person is about 400 over RMB
and I have to say this is the Disneyland with least number of rides:(
BUT, on the positive side, the wait time for each ride is only 5-10 minutes!!!
SO HAPPY!
They have Tron ride which is uniquely SH Disneyland :D
Us in the Happiest Place on Earth
There are alot of other excitement we came across as we go.
a lot of things we found out during our travel were not planned and just found as we go..
Other than SH, we went to Hangzhou and Yantai but the post will be too long.
I shall post another one on those 2 cities.
Toodles for now!
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