well, before i go on about singapore, i must say i really thoroughly enjoyed my last two weeks in china. my best friend seb came over again. he came over to beijing in april and to shanghai in august. the best part of it was, he didn't pay for it, and neither did i. it was such an enjoyable time. i took him to the swankiest places in shanghai, places that even i didn't visit (which is how i managed to save up a nest for myself, which is how i could afford those places then). we lived like kings because a meal at yuan yuan (my favourite shanghainese restaurant at swissotel grand hotel) costs as much as a meal at newton circus. on the second day, we visited park hyatt hotel which was high up in the financial center, where we just spent a whole afternoon enjoying shanghai's skyline and catching up.
we took a trip to hangzhou, where seb went down with severe food poisoning. it was the first time i stepped into a hospital in china, and the second time i was taking seb to a hospital in 2009. it was there that the cup happened. what is the cup? ask seb. hahaha. he recovered within the same day so yay! we visited happy valley, shanghai's new theme park and seb forced me up a few rides of death. i was so terrified. old people like me should not be on roller coasters. hahaha.
we went to qingdao, where the beach was all right, the beer was good and the seafood was fabulous! climbed laoshan together (seb didnt want to but he promised to climb laoshan if i took the roller coasters in happy valley.)
overall, we had a great time travelling together. thanks seb, for always taking the time to visit me. yes, i know u're also keen on the luxurious life, the travel and the shopping. but nevertheless, i know the sentiment of coming to see me exists and i truly appreciate it!! indeed true to your words, whatever, whenever, wherever.
my favourite photo of the trip, us horsing around in my room:
on the last day, met cleo for lunch. it was her first day there. it was such a blast! following that, seb and i went to pudong airport and went out separate ways. he was heading to kl and then singapore and i was headed for beijing.
revisiting beijing was quite an experience for me. the weather was really nice (nights went down to around 15 degrees so it was air-conditioning all over), the sights were familiar, the food was good. revisited silk street where i love to shop. revisited the temple of heaven, which is probably my favourite tourist attraction in beijing. so beautiful, so quiet. over two days, auntie nina took me to the very best food in beijing. oh man. luxury! and calories. hahaha.
leaving beijing on sept 10th at night was really an emotional experience for me. seven months in china. i landed in february with a sense of dread. i left in september with a sense of dread. the land had given me so much, taught me so much, let me enjoy so much. the land opened my eyes to how deceitful people can be, made me more tolerant of rude people and poor service. my feelings for the country developed into a love-hate complex.
after studying and working in china, after what seemed like an surreal seven months, after what seemed like an eternity at times, i boarded air china ca975 and was set to go home...
to be continued...
