[TRAVEL]: Oh My Shanghai!

Recently I had the opportunity to tag along one of Jayr’s business trips but this time it wasn't a place I was initially too keen about, Shanghai. I don’t have anything against it but it isn't actually a place where you’d put in your “To Visit Countries” list because really… it’s still China and as a person who is born and raised in Hong Kong, going to China isn't something you would call a vacation but alas Jayr wanted me to go and so I went.

Jayr and I didn’t know a thing about Shanghai so we made sure to do research and also mapping out a timetable of our trip, because 3 days of the trip was just me alone and him working so everything needs to be scheduled *roll eyes*. Upon doing our “little” research we found lots of interesting places to see in Shanghai. It was in fact a surprise to both of us as we were going there half blind. Jayr did our itinerary and I basically (as always) just enjoy the ride.

1. Nihao (hello) poster all over the airport  2. Pudong Airport

3. Took the Metro (train) to the Hotel   

4. Metro card that can be used over and over (like Octopus in HK)

On our first day, we went ahead and visited The Bund. It was one of the most reviewed places in Shanghai; needless to say we were mind-blown! At first I thought it was somewhat like Star Ferry in Hong Kong, a promenade overlooking the buildings on the other side. In reality it is in fact just like Star Ferry but only 10 times bigger and better! The promenade overlooks the buildings in Pudong. And the architecture around The Bund is so exquisite that it didn't feel like we were in China in fact it gave an European feel. I absolutely loved that place. However, places to dine in The Bund are quite limited as we've come to known but otherwise it is a perfect stroll.

1. Buildings in Pudong  2. I believe these are banks  

3. Architecture  4. Promenade

1. Pub camouflaged as a lighthouse (LOL)  2. Random building

After The Bund, we went to Shanghai Circus World to watch Era: Intersections of Time. It is, again, much raved about and was told that you cannot simply go to Shanghai without watching this show, so that didn't give us much choice. As soon as we got in, my expectations went down a couple of notches because to put it simply the stage and seating wasn't what you get in Macau watching Zaia. But despite the less attractive stage and the props, the show was spectacular. I will so much as say that it is better than Zaia and House of Dancing Water put together. The art and stunts was so beautiful and also jaw dropping that my heart kept its race until we got back to the hotel. It was SO AWESOME! Definitely a must see.

1. Tickets  2. Entrance  

3. A sneaky pic of the show (sadly taking pictures and videos are prohibited)

Next in our schedule was to visit the French Concession. It was said that it will take you 5 hours to go around the area, I was a little apprehensive to say the least. But the taxi dropped us off a random corner and told us to just walk and so we did. It is basically the place that once belongs to the French and is now popular for shopping and dining. But what really fascinated me were the old streets. I couldn't ever explain the feeling or even describe the place and I can tell you now that the pictures don’t do justice.

1. Xintaindi Style Mall  2. Of course we spotted a Vespa, its the French Concession!

3. The amazing old streets  4. Even local boutiques are cute

Wish the H&Ms in HK are like this

The next 2 days were a blur because I was all by myself and Jayr had to work. I literally just read, slept, watched and pampered myself. It’s good to get a little "Me Time"  every so often so I did enjoy it.

The next day, Jayr was supposed to do a full shift but decided to spend time with me instead, yay! We went to Shanghai Centre and  had lunch in Gourmet Burger which was awesome and had a little chat with the manager there. 

1. Just a random shot of Shanghai Centre  

2. Old man fishing inside the centre! (Obviously fake)

3. Gourmet Cafe  4. Their menu are so PUNny!

Afterwards, we went to The Bund again and spotted a park, but I apologize because I couldn't for the life of me remember the name of it! The end of the park goes through the Yu Yuan Garden. It's not so much a garden than a shopping area. This is where we bought most of our souvenirs. Tip from the wise, DO BARGAIN. I don't like bargaining, I am quite shy doing it so Jayr had to haggle for me and it worked. What I love about this place is that the everything looks like a temple to me. If a shopping area could be this pretty than I'll probably be there everyday. However the things they sell aren't that unique or at least they aren't different from what you can get in HK. 

Solo pics in the park I couldn''t remember :)

Pictures of Yu Yuan Garden

We were supposed to go on the ZhuJiaJiao tour but it was already fully booked so we went to the next best thing which we were told was even better, The Suzhou and Zhouzhuang Water Village tour. It’s a whole day tour visiting the places below:

- Net Master Garden 

- Ancient City Wall 

- Grand Canal

- Suzhou No. 1 Silk Spinning Factory

- Lunch
- Zhouzhuang Water Village
- Boating on Waterways 

It was a small group tour, only 3 other couples with us plus a driver and a tour guide. Our first stop was supposed to be the Net Master Garden but because we went on a public holiday we had an unfortunate event of being stuck in traffic for 4 hours, a travel which only takes 1 hour on a normal day but oh well nothing we can do. As soon as we got out of traffic our tour guide was so apologetic and decided its best to feed us first before our tour begins. We dined at the Bamboo Hotel which was close to empty but the food was okay and it gave us time to freshen ourselves before we head off. I wouldn't and couldn't talk about the tour one by one because it will be a whole other novella post but to sum it up both Jayr and I, well me the most, thoroughly enjoyed the tour. There was soooooo much history that I wanted to wrap myself around each place. I would definitely recommend taking on this tour if you are someone who is interesting in culture and history. Plus Jamie our tour guide was extremely helpful and informative.

The Master-of-Nets Garden

(Said to be the best place to watch the full moon festival)

Ancient City Wall & Grand Canal 

Silk Factory

Zhouzhuang Water Village

(This village has been there for 900 years!)

On our last day, Jayr wanted to dine in some fancy-schmancy mansion restaurant but unfortunately the one he had in mind closed down and so we went to the other mansion which is the Fu Restaurant. From the outside you won't think it is a mansion, it's more like a regular quaint restaurant but once in you will see why they call themselves a mansion-restaurant. Everything from displays to utensils are what you will see in a mansion. The awesome part is that you will have your own little room to dine. Pretty schmacy! So you definitely get the romantic and intimate vibe. However as soon as you get in they tell you that they have a minimum of 500RMB per person, so for us we need to spend about 1000RMB. It is quite expensive if you ask me but the food was really good. 

The mansion restaurant that closed down but now they are a hotel

2 of the best food we ordered. The drunken chicken and marinated fish

Apparently Jayr doesn't want to take pictures of me then 

so I had to get a shot from a mirror in the room. 

All in all Jayr and I really enjoyed our week long stay in Shanghai. I never knew I have this fascination with culture, history and architecture and really you can't go wrong with China if you want history. However I do have a few tips to share not only for Shanghai but travelling in general. 

1. Get a map and bring everywhere you go!
2. Make sure you have the address of the hotel, preferably with directions 
3. Have a list of at least 10 places you want to visit with address, phone nos. (if necessary) and directions 
4. When going to places by yourselves, make sure to get a card of the hotel so you can give to the taxi. (Very important in Shanghai because most taxis don't speak english)
5. Dare to try their delicacies and absorb the culture :)

Other pictures will be posted in my Facebook page but sorry you'd have to be my friend to view them. :)

*Edit* Just finished my first try in doing a video montage so please pardon my amateur skills. I hope you like it though :D

Till my next trip... 


Ciao, 
jCel ♥

[REVIEW] "Hong Kong on a Platter" = The Big Bus Tours Mania

A few months back we had the chance to go on the Big Bus Tour, which is a ride on an open deck “Hop On – Hop Off” bus. P.S Big thanks to my Sister who gave us complimentary tickets for two. 

The Big Bus Tours offers premium and deluxe packages.  The Premium package is good for 24 hours tour around Hong Kong Island, Kowloon and Stanley. The Deluxe Package, is good for 48 hours which tours around Hong Kong, Kowloon, Stanley plus a cruise around Victoria Harbour.

They both basically offer the same things except for the time length and the Victoria Harbour tour.  Since we only had that weekend to spare and could not go on a 48 hour tour, we decided to get the premium tour.

Premium/Deluxe Package includes:

Day Tour

1) Hong Kong Island (Red Line)

– This will give you the opportunity to go around Hong Kong Island particularly Central which is the main Business district.

2) Stanley and Aberdeen (Green Line)

– On your way to Stanley you can hop off at “Repulse Bay,” one of the beaches in Hong Kong. This line also gives you the chance to stroll at the beach or go shopping at Stanley market.  If you do not want to “Hop off” the bus, you can go straight to Aberdeen and enjoy the Sampan Boat Ride where the famous “Floating Restaurant” is located.

3) Kowloon (Blue Line)

– This line will tour you around the area of Yau Tsim Mong district.

Night Tour

4) Kowloon (only)

- This will give you the chance to stroll around the Ladies Market, the night market and experience the symphony of lights.

Other inclusions:

5) Peak Tram tickets to Victoria Peak (roundtrip)

6) Peak Tower Sky Pass Admission Tickets

7) Sampan Boat Ride

8) Star Ferry (roundtrip)

The first route we decided to take was the green line which is the Stanley Tour and the first trip leaves at 9:45 am. The tour lasts for approximately 2 hours and 15 minutes. But I think it was longer because of the unexpected traffic. Our first stop was the Peak Tram. At this point, people have an option to either ‘hop on’ or ‘hop off’ the bus and visit the Peak, but we decided to just go straight to Stanley. 

The weather that day was extremely hot! It felt like we were being pricked with needles and barbecued. Of all the things we decided to bring – we have excluded hats! The excruciating part was when we got stuck in traffic just when we were about to go through the Aberdeen Tunnel.   By this time, my scalp was in pain, the heat was too much – imagine Ghost Rider? Yes! It felt like my head was literally in flames! They say that there’s a light after the tunnel, in our case there was WIND after the tunnel. After 15mins of being roasted under the sun, our ride to Stanley was enjoyable. Along the way, we have passed by Discovery Bay and Repulse Bay which was the 2^nd stop point of the Bus. At this time, we were beginning to admire the beautiful scenery. The still blue ocean plus the glorious Mr. Sun,  was perfect for the beach lovers.

One thing I liked about the tour was that they provide you with a complementary headset which you can use to listen to some relaxing music and at the same time a recorded commentary in ten languages about the historic fact of each landmark. It was like having history lesson but in a hip and fun way. As I recall, Repulse Bay was once a Pirate Base which caused trouble with other merchants. The pirates were then repulsed by the British and thus got its name, the Repulse Bay. Imagine that ... pirates in Hong Kong?! 

After the short stop, the bus went straight to Stanley Beach/Market and had our lunch at one of the best restaurants in the area, the "Boat House". Their seafood bucket is to die for, a definite must try! After that we went to Pizza Express for dessert. :)

Once the tum-tums are full, we headed back to the bus stop. Good thing is, the bus was already there and was waiting for passengers. So we didn't have to wait that long and this time, we bought hats. But apparently, Mr. Sunshine has shied away and there was just no point of us wearing them.

Our next destination was the Sampan Ride. When we arrived at the boating area, two Chinese ladies immediately accommodated all of us. They took our tickets and helped us into the boat. They were very friendly. First, the lady boat driver brought us to the famous floating restaurant. Though I've been in Hong Kong for over 20 years it was my first to ever come near the floating restaurant, so I felt like a "true" tourist at that very moment. After that, we went around the area where you can see people who live in boats. It was actually a sight because I couldn't ever imagine having to live in a sampan.  The tour went on for at least 15 mins. 

Following the boat ride, we had the chance to just relax whilst waiting for the next bus to arrive. We waited for about 20 to 30 minutes so you can still go around the area if you don't want to just sit and rest; at least that's what the others did.

When the bus arrived, that's when we realized that we were already exhausted. So we decided to go back to the main branch. When my sister saw us, her expression was priceless; "WHAT HAPPENED TO YOU GUYS?" was her initial reaction. Then we realized we looked as if we've gone through hell and back. Yes, we were extremely drained, dehydrated and tanned! As we no longer have the energy, we decided not to take on the Hong Kong Island tour; instead we agreed to rest and opt for the night tour in Kowloon area at 6:00 pm. It was only 4:30 pm then, so we had plenty of time to lull around.

At 6pm the bus was packed and off we go. Jcel and I were in a quagmire whether to sit on the upper deck or lower, the reason was that, my sister told us that if we ever have to go through the tunnel it is best to sit on the lower deck because, well she said we might not bare the heat. But we thought, "nahhh it couldn't be that bad". Now I know why HK has made those non air-con buses obsolete. If we were toasted in the morning, we were being baked this time. The tunnel felt like an oven! Nonetheless, we made out alive. But as the bus was stopping to pick up more passengers near the "Avenue of Stars", my normally enthused seatmate was sleeping like a baby . Yes people, she slept! Eventually, when were approaching Austin Road where the tallest building is located she was wide-awake and was taking pictures again.

The bus went to Austin Road, then to the infamous "Ladies Market" where you can Hop Off the bus, but you have to take note, that once you hop off the bus, there won't be another bus to pick you up, so that's basically the end of your tour. We got off at the very last stop which was in Star Ferry. The night tour lasted for an hour and a half, it was not as tiring as the day tour and it was relaxing, well at least in Jcel's case, as she was well rested. 

Though born and raised in Hong Kong, we tend to take things around us for granted,  that is why, we enjoyed this tour so much because we had the opportunity to really take a look at Hong Kong under a microscope. Also,  It was like being served a snack platter, where we get to taste every bit of Hong Kong.

Would I recommend this?:

Of course, this tour was so much fun! It is hassle free and educational as well. The plus side is it's the fastest way to go around HK in one day. So I definitely recommend this tour. 

Also, because we took the tour in August, the weather was very hot. So below I have listed a basic "Don't forget" items that I thought would help. 

On the other hand, since winter is coming our way, I would suggest to check the weather before  you leave the house that way, you won't have to regret later that you didn't bring something to keep you warm. But ALWAYS bring a hat/cap and sunglasses.

Don’t forget:

¨        Hat or cap.

¨        Water

¨        Sunblock

¨       Sunglasses (would suggest the Mixxed sunglasses because they really do block the sun and protect your eyes) 

¨        Facial Mist

Information:

Prices:

ADULTS 

Premium Tour: $350 (24 hours ticket)        

Deluxe Tour: $420 (48 hours ticket)

CHILDREN

Premium Tour: $250 (24 hours ticket)      

Deluxe Tour: $300 (48 hours ticket)

For more information, please contact Tel: 31029021 or 21678995 and look for Sheilla, Marie and Candy. :) Also, you can visit their website:  THE BIG BUS TOURS

Til our next adventure!

-= bex =-

[REVIEW]: Caudalie Beauty Elixir

Aloha bloggerettes!

In the last few months I was able to get my hands on some skincare products that I have been meaning to try since... forever (!) and most of them are from the brand Caudalie. 

Caudalie is a french skincare brand that aims to give youthful radiance using all natural products with grapes as their main ingredient. 

Truth be told I am a hoarder on skincare products. I have tried a bunch of products and shamefully I will be trying more as I go, really it’s an addiction! However I have to say I've never felt more comfortable with my skin until recently. I have changed up my skincare routine for almost 2 months now and happy to report that it is doing wonders. So (cross fingers) it will be awhile before I try on other new skin products again. 

But the first product in my new routine and the one I will review is the Caudalie Beauty Elixir or Eau de Beauté, if you want to be saucy! This product is like “Fifty Shades of Grey” in the beauty world. Everyone was talking about it. Either they are raving or bashing the product nonetheless it was being talked about.  As always curiosity got the best of me so I decided to give it a go.

The key ingredients of the beauty elixir are Grape, Orange blossom, Rose, Balm mint and Rosemary. It is meant to give a smooth and glowing complexion.

From the website: 

Inspired by Queen Isabelle of Hungary’s elixir of youth, this treatment smooths away fine lines, tightens pores and gives the complexion a real boost of radiance.

Shake before use. Avoid the eyes. Spray onto the face before your moisturizer and at any time of the day, to refresh the skin and set make-up

Now I've always been a fan of facial sprays but this one is quite different because it claims to have essential oils that is beneficial to your skin so you can imagine how high my expectations for this product is.

Initial reaction:

I was very put off with the smell. It was overly perfumed. The smell has a huge note of Mint which normally I like but it came on too strong in this beauty elixir especially when spraying it on your face. But the mist was nice and was indeed VERY refreshing. It doesn't leave droplets of water on your face so no need for that awkward fanning-of-the-face afterwards and instantly you will notice that it brightens up your complexion and skin looks more glowing. 

Overall review:

I didn't give up on the scent too easily because well I don’t want to throw my money away. So I kept on using it and eventually I got used to the smell and now I enjoy it so much that I have to bring it everywhere with me. It is especially perfect when your skin is being a bit dull and haggard because like what it claims, it gives a boost of radiance. As soon as I spray this I feel and look more energized to face the day. Plus unlike other facial sprays this comes in a luxurious glass bottle so it is somewhat fancy to carry, if that's the thing that rocks your boat. I quite like the packaging. It looks delicate and elegant. But the best thing about the glass bottle is that it keeps the product cool so every time you spray it on your face its as if you just got it out of the fridge. 

Will I repurchase?

Absoluto! It tones, moisturizes and revives my skin instantly and honestly my face has never felt better after using this product. I have to admit it is quite on the expensive size for a face spray but honestly it was worth the splurge!

Have you tried it? 

What are your thoughts?

You can find Caudalie products in any Sasa stores.

Caudalie Beauty Elixir, 30ml (travel size) - $150 (HKD)

Till my next review… Ciaolala!

jCel♥