a tale of 3 cities

[pinglet]

for someone as nomadic as me, it has been nothing short of amazing that i have remained in singapore for so long.

in order to keep myself sane, i have resorted to short trips away for that breath of fresh air.

over the past few months, to feed my wanderlust, i have been to Shanghai, Siem Reap and Taipei.

before my STM overtakes me, i thought i'd better write down my memories of the 3 places.





Shanghai: i had arranged to meet up with my HK friends in shanghai for our yearly gathering.

things i learnt in shanghai:

• shanghai is an interesting city where the old and the new collide.
• construction (and correspondingly dust) abounds, which is testament to the economic prowess of the city. thank goodness we went in winter and not summer.
• contrary to popular belief, the shanghainese are relatively nice. every time we got lost and whipped out a map, some kind soul would come up and offer to help.
• the queues for the famous Nanxiang xiao long bao have to be seen to be believed.
• one must always tell the taxi drivers the correct cross roads.
• having to stop at the side of a highway awaiting the other lost car with the clueless driver is quite an unforgettable experience.
• shanghainese food is too oily for my taste.

Siem Reap: for many reasons, this wasn't a trip that i was looking forward to but it turned out to be a most memorable trip.

things i learnt in siem reap:

• angkor wat's sunrise is not worth waking up at 4am to see.
• cambodians find it very hard to survive with the price of rice going through the roof.
• it was interesting to have dinner on board the huge Tara riverboat with only the owner and 2 other persons ruminating about life. it was even more interesting stepping back onto the darkened shores with the knowledge that you are stepping onto yucky dead stuff. thank goodness for self-delusion.
• climbing up and down the almost parallel, steep steps of an old ruin can be treacherous for an old fogey like me.
• the oil massage at the Shinta Mani is to die for.
• there are LOTS of mosquitoes so always stick the smiley mosquito patches all over your clothes.

Taipei: this was my 3rd trip to the city. i needed a rest badly and just wanted to spend time resting, soaking in the hot springs and meeting up with old friends.

things i learnt in taipei:

• the personal hot spring in the room was cool but the outdoor hot springs were even cooler.
• the gap between the rich and the poor is really getting wider and wider.
• due to the deluge of graduates, a new taiwanese university graduate would only earn the equivalent of SGD1000.

i miss being a nomad.