We woke up early and went to for a walk before the first ferry brings the day trippers.  The morning was peaceful and the walk was pleasant.  This morning the tide was higher and the shrine and torii gate both look like they are floating on the water.

Morning in Miyajima

Then it was back to our ryokan for breakfast.  Breakfast was served in the dining room.  It was standard Japanese breakfast, ie rice served with fish, pickles and a few other dishes.  I must say the breakfast here is nothing to shout about.  Very basic.  Most other ryokans we stayed at previously served much better breakfast.

Simple Japanese breakfast @ Kinsuikan

After breakfast, we ventured out again.  We wanted to take the ropeway to get to the top of Mt Mizen.  DH wanted to take from photos from the top of Mt Mizen.  Along the way we noticed the winds were very strong and we actually witnessed a Hanafubuki (Flower Snow Storm).  It was like falling snow flakes!  So beautiful!

Hanafubuk (Flower Snow Storm)

Unfortunately, when we got to the ropeway, we found out it was closed because of strong winds and impending rain.  So we walked around and found ourselves at Daigan-ji.  This temple was originally responsible for the repair of the Itsukushima Shrine and the Torii gate prior to the Shinto-Buddhism separation during the Meiji period.

Daigan-ji Temple, Miyajima

The sky was threatening to rain and since we couldn’t get to Mt Mizen, we decided to leave the island and get back to Hiroshima earlier than planned.  After check out, the ryokan dropped us off at the ferry terminal.

We took the ferry back to Miyajimaguchi and caught the local train back to Hiroshima.  Went to reserve our tickets on the Shinkansen to Fukuyama before we went in search for lunch.  We had originally wanted to spend more time in Miyajima and to just get a bento lunch to eat on the train.  Since we left Miyajima earlier, we went in search for the Okonomiyaki restaurant that we spotted the day before.  We wanted to try the Hiroshima style Okonomiyaki which comes with noodles.  It is different from the Osaka style which we are used to.  Oh, and I had to have those oysters croquettes!!

Hiroshima style Okonomiyaki

After lunch we took the Shinkansen to Fukuyama.  It took about 40 mins.  From the Shinkansen platform at Fukuyama, you get a great view of Fukuyama castle.

Fukuyama Castle – View from the JR Shinkansen platform

We had arranged for a pickup at the train station by the ryokan at 1.40pm.  As we had some time before our shuttle pick up, we went to UCC for some dessert and coffee. I love Japanese dessert!

Dessert @ UCC at Fukuyama Station

We were not exactly sure where to wait or what type of vehicle we were waiting for. We had expected to see a vehicle with the ryokan name or for someone to hold a card with our name or ryokan name. But it is actually a vehicle which is taking picking up pax for many hotels in Fukuyama. We actually missed it and called the hotel and the bus turned back to pick us.

Upon arrival at our ryokan,  Keishokan Sazanamitei, we were served a welcome tea and snack before being shown to our room.

Welcome tea & snack @ Keishokan Sazanamitei

The ryokan is located by the sea. Unfortunately, it was raining the day we arrived and so the sky was grey. I’m sure it would have been beautiful if the sky was blue.  Our room was facing the sea and had an attached outdoor onsen. We had paid more for this luxury and had no regrets. It was lovely

Our room with private outdoor onsen @ Keishokan Sazanamitei

We took the 1.40 pm shuttle, it took almost an hour to get to the hotel after they dropped off of various pax at different hotels. On hindsight, we should have taken a taxi and not be restricted by the shuttle time, and can arrive earlier. By the time we checked in and go out for a walk, it was after 3pm and even though it was a weekday (Friday), the shops close around 4pm. We were lucky that we got to the Ota residence which was nearby before it closed. My suggestion is to take a taxi and arrive early if you want to walk around the old town. We only had time to browse a few shops before all the shutters went down.

Tomonoura Old Town was the site for one of the scenes in Hugh Jackman’s Wolverine.  It’s old wooden architecture buildings preserves the look of an old Japanese town.  It was very rustic and pretty.  We walked to the waterfront but the sky was so grey and we could not get good photos.  We decided to come back early the next morning to try our luck.

Tomonoura Old Town

Tomonoura is well known for its herbal wine, Honmeishu.  The Ota Residence belonged to a family that started brewing this wine with the 17th century.  Visitors can view the various tatami rooms, tea rooms and Honmeishu storehouses.

Kaiseki dinner @ Keishokan Sazanamitei

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During my Dec 2016 trip to China, I had meetings with in Shanghai and Hangzhou.  I love hairy crabs, so since I am in China during the season of hairy crabs, I had to have them everyday!

My regular hotel whenever I visit Hangzhou is the Hyatt Regency Hangzhou which is next to the well known West Lake or Xihu.  Besides being near Westlake and thus is convenient for sightseeing, the Hyatt Regency Hangzhou is also conveniently located near shopping and food outlets and restaurants.  There are many family restaurants along Hubin road that were popular with locals, every cheap and worth a try, e.g., Grandma’s Place and Green Tea Restaurant.  I frequently eat in these restaurants whenever in Hangzhou.

This is a Hyatt Regency and not a Grand Hyatt, so the rooms here are a tard simpler than the ones in the Grand Hyatt in Shanghai.  But don’t expect the rooms to be cheaper here.  Hangzhou is a very popular tourist destination and the location of this hotel can’t be beaten.  I have to pay RMB1300 ++ here per night without breakfast.

The rooms are again typical contemporary Hyatt style.  Pleasant and functional.  But not luxurious.  Room size is comfortable.

HuBin 28 – Hairy crabs and excellent Hangzhou Cuisine!

On this trip, instead of eating at the local restaurants nearby like we normally do, my colleague and I decided to eat at HuBin 28, Hyatt Regency’s Chinese restaurant which is named after the hotel’s address and had made it to the list of Asia’s 50 top restaurants in 2015.  It is also known to be one of the best places to eat hairy crabs in Hangzhou.  This restaurant is very popular so it is best to make advance reservations.   We called that same day for a table but they were full.  But when we told them that we will be staying at the hotel and were on our way to Hangzhou, they took down our details and suggested that we inform the front desk at check in when we arrive and they will try their best to accommodate us. We did as suggested and within 10mins of us getting to our rooms, we received a call that our table was ready.  Such is the service of Hyatt….excellent!  It is this good service that makes me choose the Hyatt chain whenever I can.

Uniquely designed with a residential ambience, HuBin 28 is among the most famous restaurants in Hangzhou and serves traditional dishes from Hangzhou, as well as specialties from surrounding cities.

They serve all the usual Hangzhou specialities like Longjing Prawns, Westlake Vinegar Fish, Dongpo Pork and Song Sao Fish soup but we only tried 2 of them on this ocassion as our main target was the hairy crabs.

For the starter, we had the boiled ‘Song Sao’ fish soup 宋嫂鱼羹 a traditonal Hangzhou dish. Almost every Chinese restaurant in Hangzhou serves this soup, but very few can make it with such high standard. The soup was creamy, with generous portion of fried-Mandarin fish. It was not fishy at all.  And this is coming from someone who is not a fan of fish. Probably the best Song Sao fish soup in town.

Another Hangzhou speciality and must have here is the Braised traditional ‘dongpo’ pork 金牌扣肉.  This is the most popular and famous dish of this restaurant.   It was made of 500g braised ‘dongpo’ pork, braised dried bamboo shoots and drained Chinese cabbage, served with 12 chestnut pancakes.  The pork is very thinly sliced and rolled around to form a “mountain”. When you eat, you unroll the pork slice and put it together with the fried bamboo shoots into the chestnut pancake.  Eat it as you would a hamburger.  It is delicious.  My experience with Dongpo Pork is that it is really fatty.  But not here.  It is really very well done and not fatty at all.  Yummy!

We decided to have a pair of male and female hairy crabs each.  The hairy crabs here each comes with the authentic Yangcheng Lake tags.  How you tell the males and females is by the looking at the back of the crabs.  The female shell is roundish in shape while the male is shape and pointed.  The smaller female crabs were about 150g each and had brighter orange roes which was harder in texture.  The male crabs larger at about 200g each had light yellow and whitish roe that was soft and creamy.  Dec is when the male crabs’ roe are at its fullest.  It is a little past the season for the female crabs but the ones we had still had decent amount of roe.  This was pure indulgence!  Yum yum!

Our last dish was the tofu with crab roe.  I like to add a little vinegar to this dish when I eat it.  A simple dish but oh so good!

We were too full after the meal for dessert.  Total bill for 2 of us came to around RMB1500.  The female crabs were RMB189 each while the male crabs were RMB229 each.  A meal well worth its price.

HuBin 28 lives up to its reputation and is definitely one of the best Chinese restaurants in Hangzhou.  Good food, good ambience and excellent service.  Highly recommended!

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We ruled out Bali as we have been there several times and wanted something different.  We literally checked up on the Indonesian cities that Silkair (SQ’s sister airline that flies the region) flies to and finally decided to go to Yogyakarta.  We love to take photographs and the mystic of Borobodur attracted us.   We managed to redeem tickets to Yogyakarta for middle of August, a high season for Borobodur. Another plus point the exchange rate was really attractive then. SGD1 was about IDR10k when we went!

Then where to stay?  I am a Hyatt Platinum member due to my frequent business travel.  So I had accumulated some Hyatt points.  Hyatt Regency Yogyakarta is a category one hotel, i.e., require the least number of points for a night’s stay.  I decided to redeem 3 nights stay at the club room.  So we were ready to go!  No cost yet so far except for airline fuel surcharge!  Yippee!??

I surfed the net and decided that we must do a sunrise Borobodur and Sunset Prambanan and Boko tour.  Everything else will need to be worked around these two activities.  Many on tripadvisor recommended renting a car with a driver.  Much cheaper than joining a tour and very flexible.  But I didn’t want just a driver.  I wanted a proper guide to explain to us the meaning of the carvings on the temples, and stories behind the temples and the gods.  Just looking at the carvings would have been totally meaningless to us.  I contacted the Hyatt tour desk and we agreed on an afternoon Prambanan and Boko tour on the day of our arrival and a sunrise Borobodur tour the next day.  Cost for the two private tours for the two of us was IDR2.7M (~SGD270).  Hyatt was only charging IDR200k (~SGD20) for return airport transfer, so we took it too.

We were all set to go!

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Breakfast at La Trobe Dining Room is included with our stay. Buffet breakfast selection was not extensive, but was very well done. Different types of eggs were presented in small pans.

After breakfast, we checked out of the hotel and drove to the main entrance of the park. As we have returned our room keys, we could not enter through the back entrance anymore. Our family of 5 set off first as DSis was not ready yet.

Sovereign Hill, Ballarat

There was a queue at the entrance of the park waiting for it to open. A few minutes before it was due to open, a service staff appeared and directed those with tickets to the right and those without tickets to the left. We had tickets and so when the park opened. We were directed into the park immediately. We headed immediately to the Gold Mine Tour at the back of the park. We exchanged our vouchers for the first tour of the day which was Journey Through the Labyrinth of Gold. It is about the everyday dangers of 19th century gold mining, how Ballarat’s miners lived and worked as they blasted and dug out the rich gold-bearing layers of quartz rocks and the various technologies and methods which they used in their work. The tour also included a ride on the mine train. It was an enjoyable and informative tour. All 3 kids enjoyed it.

There are 3 tours altogether. The other 2 are The Secret Chambers, which is a ghostly story of the adventures and mishaps of 2 Chinese miners and Trapped, which is about being trapped during a mining accident. Incidentally, DSis and gang went for trapped and were really disappointed. DSis said that DBIL and DN was expecting more excitement like a theme back ride but what they got was loud sounds and light effects, ie another Sound and Light show! Hahaha.

As there was time before our Gold Time Tour started, we went back to the Photographic studio to book for photo session. We were told that they can only take us in around 3pm. We were surprised and asked how could that be since we were the first few into the park. We were told that they take reservations over the phone. This was not told to us by the reception at the hotel when we checked in or when we made our package booking. We wanted to leave the park by 3 pm so such a late session definitely would not work. So in the end, they agreed to slot in a session for us for just after our Gold Mine Tour. So my advise is to prebook if you want your photos taken. But we probably would not have done this if it was not a freebie included in our package.

After our photographic session, we went to do some gold panning at the creek. DD was dying to do it and her bros agreed to humour her. The three of them with the assistance of one of the staff members searched really had for their gold. I think they found a speck! Hahaha

We wondered around the park, explored the shops and watched some performances. The whole place was well themed with actors and actresses acting as if they were of the mining era and going about their daily lives.

There was an enactment of an auction which was used to tell the story of how women had little say in their lives and could be sold by their husbands. There was also a gun salute display by actors acting as the cops of yesteryears.

As the weather was extremely hot that day, we went into New York Bakery for a sit down lunch to get away from the heat. I normally hav every little appetite when the weather is hot. So i went for the Miner’s Hot Flask which is their daily soup which happened to be a tomato’s based vegetable soup that day (A$14.50). The rest had 2 fish and chips (A$24.90), a grilled chicken (A$24.90) and a Colonial Pot Pie (A$24.90). All these we washed down with a glass of beer for DH (A$5/70) and a jug of coke (A$14) for us.

We wondered a little more after lunch, watch the gun salute display and decided to leave because the heat was getting unbearable.

After leaving the park, we went to the Gold Museum opposite since entry was included in our tickets. But nothing in the small museum interest us, so we decided to head for our hotel in Collin street in the city.

Treasury on Collins, Melbourne

It was a long drive into Melbourne City and traffic was very bad along the way. Our first encounter with a traffic jam on this trip. The trip which was suppose to take about 1.5hrs took about 2hrs instead.

Treasury on Collins is located in a heritage building within the heart of Melbourne’s City Centre. This apartment hotel does not have its own parking, but can arrange parking at Flinders Street carpark for a fee. At the entrance of the hotel, there is a few parking lots for temporary parking. DH dropped me and the 3 kids and our bags and waited for me while I picked up the parking code from the hotel. The car park was about 5 mins walk away. Then he went to park the car while I handled the check in.

A few days prior to arrival, I had received an email from the hotel asking if we wanted to upgrade to a King 2 Bedroom Apartment for an additional A$50 per day. We had booked the Queen 2 Bedroom. We didn’t think it was necessary and furthermore I was telling DH that perhaps they are overbooked in the Queen and will have to give us the King anyway. As it is my suspicion was right and they upgraded us to King 2 Bedroom Apartment for free! DSis was not so lucky and she had the Queen. We paid A$466 per night for a 2 BR apartment and an additional A$28 per day for the parking. This room rate included free daily breakfast and snacks and non-alcoholic drink at the mezzanine floor throughout the day.

Our apartment was spacious and beautiful. There were 2 bathrooms, one with a bath and the other with a shower. The provided Molton Brown toiletries which was sheer luxury! There was also a washer and dryer in the apartment. Our extra rollaway bed was set up in the living room. The kitchenette was functional and we could have done some simple cooking if we wanted. DSis’s Apartment was smaller in size, but had basically the same amenities as ours.

The location of Treasury on Collins is very convenient. It is within walking distance to the restaurants at along Hardware Lane and also within walking distance to shops. But we did not go out for dinner with DSis and family that night. Instead we met up with a friend who had migrated to Melbourne and had dinner at his home with his family.

Oh, and WiFi here was great! The best we had on this trip!

Next up: Day 14- Melbourne

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The Pan Pacific Hotel in Suzhou is connected to the Pan Men Scenic Area via a side gate.  Hotel guests get free access to Pan Men Scenic Area (盘门景区） just by producing the room card.  Pan Men Scenic Area opens from 6.30am in the morning.  So since we were staying at the Pan Pacific on this one night stopover in Suzhou during our business trip, my colleague and I decided to check out the Scenic Area after an early breakfast before we checked out of the hotel that day.

Pan Men Scenic Area has 3 main attractions : Pan Gate, Ruiguang Pagoda and Wu Gate Bridge.

Ruiguang Pagoda

Entering the Scenic Area via the Hotel gate, you cross a typical Chinese arch bridge and see a lake and the garden in front of you. On the right is a view of the Ruiguang Pagoda in the distance and on the right you will see the Premier Wu Zixu’s Memorial Temple.

Premier Wu Zixu’s Memorial Temple

We walked along the path, through winding corridors towards Premier Wu Zixu’s Memorial Temple.  Canglang (长廊), meaning long corridors, are typical and unique of Suzhou architecture and is a common feature in Suzhou gardens.

Canglang (长廊) or Long Corridors

The Premier Wu Zixu’s Memorial Temple is directly across lake from the Ruiguang Pagoda in a straight line with symmetric pagodas and corridors on both sides.

Ruiguang Pagoda

Taking a loop from the temple along the opposite from where we came from, we arrived at Ruiguang pagoda.  The Ruigang Pagoda, built is 247 is the earliest pagoda in Suzhou.  It is constructed of brick with wooden platforms and has simple Buddhist carvings at its base.

Ruiguang Pagoda

We moved on to Pan Gate.  Pan Gate or Pan Men (盘门) is a historical landmark in Suzhou. It is located on the south-west corner of the Main Canal.

Pan Men (盘门）or Pan Gate

Pan Gate is part of the ancient city wall that surrounded and protected Suzhou. It was the only entrance to the wall that surrounded ancient Suzhou. Located next to the Suzhou section of the Grand Canal, it has a complex of both land and water city gates.

City Wall

Walking under Pan Gate, we exit from the South Entrance of the Scenic Area, bringing us to the canal. The canal was beautiful with willow trees on one side and old Jiangnan architectural style buildings on the other.  I can just imagine that it would have been a prosperous and busy area in its hay days.

Grand Canal

Just outside the Scenic Area, spanning the canal is the Wu Gate Bridge or Wumen Bridge （吴门桥).  Wumen bridge was originally constructed during the Northern Song Dynasty but was rebuilt in the reign of Emperor Tongzhi of the Qing Dynasty. Likened to a rainbow, it spans the Grand Canal in a single arch.

Wumen Bridge (吴门桥）or Wu Gate Bridge

Wumen Bridge was the only entrance to the Panmen Gate from across the other bank of the Grand Canal during its time.  Now, it is the highest ancient stone one-arched bridge presently preserved in Suzhou.

Man on a Bridge – Wumen Bridge (吴门桥）

From the top of Wumen Bridge, one gets a different view of Pan Gate overlooking the Grand Canal.  After this, we backtracked into the Scenic Area to go back to our hotel.  It was a pleasant morning walk in the cool late spring weather.  We got back in good time for a quick shower before checking out.

Pan Men Scenic Area (盘门景区）or Pan Gate Scenic Area

This short overnight stopover has given me an opportunity to have a sample of what Suzhou has to offer.  I hope to be able to come back at another time for a short holiday to explore the other more famous gardens in Suzhou.

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Day 15 (28 Dec 2017) : Melbourne

This is our last day in Melbourne before we fly back tomorrow. We start our morning with a complimentary breakfast at Treasury on Collins. They served simple continental breakfast which pretty decent considering that it was complimentary. Our favourite is the self service make-your-own pancake. It was fun watching the machine make your pancake!

Shopping @ Queen Victoria Market

After breakfast, we took the free tram to the Queen Victoria Market. I had heard so much about this market and was really looking forward to doing some souvenir shopping.

The market had different sections for food, meat, fruits and souvenirs. We headed first to the souvenirs section. The souvenirs were relatively cheap and so DS2 picked up some stuff for his friends. We also bought some retro posters that were printed on metal plates. DD bought a T-shirt. The stuff were ok but really not very extensive or exceptional. it was just like a cheap goods market. I was somewhat disappointed. I was hoping to find local handicrafts. There were only one or two stalls with that. Salamanca Market in Hobart beats this hands down.

We did not linger long. Before we left, we bought some cherries to bring home. I paid A$35 for 2kgs which I thought was reasonable as these were pretty big.

Lunch @ Cafe Segovia, Block Arcade, Melbourne

We got off at the tram stop right in front of the Block Arcade. We looked around the shops along the street and went in in search of a place for lunch. There were many small cafes around and we ended up at Cafe Segovia. Only my parents were with us as DSis had split up with us at QVM.

We weren’t very hungry and so decided to order some food to share. Among us we had the Chorizo Linguini, Seafood Linguini, mussels and the Korean Fried Chicken. We liked the fried chicken so much that we ordered a second serving. The fried chicken came with a sweet chili sauce and was yummy. We were all missing chili by now.

Together with our drinks of ice coffee, ice chocolate, ice latte, a cocktail, 2 coke and a juice, the total cane came up to A$146.

Shopping @ Block Arcade & Meyers

After lunch we did more shopping around Block Arcade and Myers.

Block Arcade is an interesting Arcade with interesting little shops. We bought some artisan chocolates there.

Then we went over to Myers where the men and boys bought some Calvin Klein T-shirts which were on sale.

DMum and DDad were quite tired after this and decided to go back to the hotel to rest. The 5 of us drop our stuff back at the hotel and took the tram to the Docklands. DSis and family had already went ahead of us.

Afternoon of 3D Fun @ ArtVo, Docklands

At the Docklands, we headed to ArtVo, the 3D art gallery. This is a really good 3D art gallery. The larger than life murals creates the illusion that you have come face to face with wild animals, scale rocky crevasses and surf the ultimate pipelines.

The gallery is split into many different zones, eg underwater, jungle, Egyptian, famous sights (eg Sydney Opera House, Taj Mahal, Venice etc) and much more.

We spend several hours here taking many many fun photos. We have been to many of such galleries and find that this one is really good. There are many unique murals here which were very realistic compared to some others.

It can get quite crowded so patience is needed. Definitely well worth a visit for families. Posing for those photos was fun. We left around 5plus and there was little time to shop as the shops around there close at 6pm. The boys only had time to pick up some discounted PlayStation games. We then took the tram back to the hotel to meet our parents.

Dinner @ Grill Steak Seafood

That evening we headed to Grill Steak Seafood, at Hardware Lane, which was just a short walk from our hotel, for dinner. Our family of 5 decided to share some oysters and 2 platters. We had half a dozen of the Oyster Kilpatrick (A$18), another half dozen of raw oysters (A$15), the Surf & Turf platter for 2 (A$99.50) and the Mixed Grill Platter for 2 (A$99).

The mixed grill platter came with a Potterhouse steak, pork ribs, lamb cutlets, chicken, chorizo, chips and mixed salad. The Surf & Turf platter came with King prawns, barramundi fillet, Sicilian style mussels, calamari, porterhouse steak, lamb cutlets, marinated chicken, chips and mixed salad. Both platters were huge and could definitely feed more than 2 persons each. My sis and parents all didn’t think we could finish the platters, but the hungry meat monsters among us proved them wrong and cleared out those plates easily. It was a very enjoyable meal and was a great finale for our 15 days trip.

The next day, we had a lazy start before heading to the airport to catch our mid day flight home, ending our 15 days Tasmania & Melbourne road trip!

Overall, it was an enjoyable and pleasant trip with lots of quality family time. But frankly, the scenery while nice did not “wow” us. The 5 of us agreed that in terms of scenery, South Island NZ was more impressive compared to Tasmania. I know I may be receiving daggers for saying this, but that’s our honest opinion. But it was still a nice trip and we definitely enjoyed Port Arthur, the Penguin tour and the minor activities, eg Tasmazia, Jetboating. And the Tasmanian Devils were cute!

Next up: Siem Reap Photographic Journey, 2018

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Shopping at Tianzifang

After breakfast this morning, we went shopping at Tianzifang.   Tianzifang is a tourist shopping and cafe area in Shanghai in the Old French Quarter. Unlike the better known Xintiandi area nearby, the area retains an “organic and original” feel because the area hasn’t been markedly reconstructed in recent years. Instead you’ll see buildings, alleys and streets of the old French Quarter with later Chinese additions piled on. Tianzifang is famous for its arts and crafts shops, and there are also many restaurants there.  Although price there is a little higher than what you can get elsewhere, I like to come here for its atmosphere; an old Chinese residential atmosphere and the old-style buildings, narrow alleys,   I also have a favorite local designer shop here that I like to visit.  This is one of the rare places that I’ll take a cab to from my Pudong Hotel whenever my meetings end early in the evening.

Tianzifang, Shanghai

The streets of Tianzifang

In the basement of the mall opposite Tianzifang, is a famous chain fried dumpling stall, Xiao Yang Shen Jian.  We went over for a quick bite in between our shopping.   Xiao Yang Shen Jian is ever so crowded because it is so cheap.  DH didn’t really like it.  He found it too oily.

Xiao Yang Fried Dumplings, a popular chain store in Shanghai

Jazz Afternoon Tea at Peace Hotel

We had made reservations for afternoon tea at the historic Jasmine Lounge at Shanghai’s iconic Peace Hotel.  Every Sunday, the famous Old Jazz Band of the Peace Hotel performs during the afternoon tea at the Jasmine Lounge.  The members of this band have an average age of 80 and have being playing old  Jazz music here for more than half a century.

The famous Jazz Band @ the Peace Hotel

The pastry, cakes and sandwiches were served in a beautiful tiered stand.  They were delicious.  I enjoyed listening to the oldies like Ye Shanghai, and sipping my tea and enjoying my pastries and cakes.

Sunday Afternoon Jazz Tea @ the Peace Hotel

It was really a enjoyable way to spend the afternoon, and have a taste of life during the heydays of Shanghai.  I am so glad we came.  Remember to make reservations.  We were lucky and had a table in front of the band.

Dinner at Banyan Tree

After tea, we went back to our hotel.  That night we wanted to go to Haidilao for dinner.  But it started raining quite heavily so we decided to just stay in the hotel for dinner.  We had dinner at the Japanese restaurant of the Banyan Tree.  It was a sushi bar that was almost deserted. They wanted to sit us in the main chinese restaurant, but we preferred to sit at the sushi bar as it was more quiet. The restaurant was obviously little patronized and while we ordered the set, they did not have all the ingredients necessary to complete the set and substituted some items. They did not even tell us until we asked why we were served different stuff. They should have informed us at the onset and we may then want to change our orders. Service was ok, but food was just so so. This is definitely not a high end Japanese restaurant.

Dinner @ the Banyan Tree

Overall we had a great weekend exploring Old Shanghai.  Our stay at at the Banyan Tree was pleasant too.  Overall service in the hotel was good but there were some rough edges which hopefully they have smoothened by now.

Next up : A Family’s one-week Borneo Adventure

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