BURMA, SHANGHAI, HONG KONG--PART TWO OF ASIAN ODYSSEY 2010
Jun 18th, 2010, 05:23 AM
#62
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ekscrunchy, I have been enjoying your report and I'm glad you've gotten to the Shanghai portion of your trip! (Thanks for answering my question on my recent thread about ATMS!) That is an expensive breakfast! We'll be staying at the Le Royal Meridien as well, and I think we'll get breakfast elsewhere! I hope you'll post the names of those dumpling haunts where we can grab some breakfast!
Jun 18th, 2010, 05:40 AM
#63
"if he does not own the Burma operation, who does?" - interesting question. His name has almost disappeared from both "The Pandaw Story" and "Pandaw Team" on the web site - just "The Irrawaddy Flotilla was in 1995 revived by the Burma historian Paul Strachan" remains. This is still there: "This year we inaugurated new cruises on the Rajang in Borneo and Ganges in India".
Some more information on alternative transport (lol) in Burma: http://www.legalnomads.com/2010/06/m...a-myanmar.html
Some more information on alternative transport (lol) in Burma: http://www.legalnomads.com/2010/06/m...a-myanmar.html
Jun 20th, 2010, 06:37 PM
#65
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Upper Mekong sounds very interesting for the Fododderer cruise, eks, but as we've seen from the Dog and Tangata, new routes can be troublesome. Though they've got experience alogn the lower Mekong, for what that's worth.
I still vote for the Chindwin, mainly for its remoteness and relatively (one hopes) untouched villages, and because if the line goes more upscale the prices will skyrocket.
10 million Chinese immmigrants to Burma? That's pretty hard to swallow. Or, if true, very scary. Indeed, given their infiltration of Middle Asia and Africa, scary.
I knew I should have learned Mandarin...
The Dog in Toyland. That's quite an image.
I still vote for the Chindwin, mainly for its remoteness and relatively (one hopes) untouched villages, and because if the line goes more upscale the prices will skyrocket.
10 million Chinese immmigrants to Burma? That's pretty hard to swallow. Or, if true, very scary. Indeed, given their infiltration of Middle Asia and Africa, scary.
I knew I should have learned Mandarin...
The Dog in Toyland. That's quite an image.
Jun 21st, 2010, 01:40 PM
#69
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Dogster's flinging a lot of red herrings. Norway has the highest suicide rate in Europe? Not even close. I believe that distinction still belongs to Lithuania. But then I don't know about the rates in Eidfjord.
Be sure to buy yourself a tasteful Norwegian (probably made in China) sweater so you don't catch a fjordian chill. They'll probably pipe in Grieg as you approach Bergen...
Be sure to buy yourself a tasteful Norwegian (probably made in China) sweater so you don't catch a fjordian chill. They'll probably pipe in Grieg as you approach Bergen...
Jun 21st, 2010, 02:02 PM
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Back to keep the OP in line. There were 3200 people in the Vegas tournament. I finished 500th which payed $0. Only the top 324 got money back. I had a good time, but missed Beth and Cambridge a lot. Fodors too.
Why did the OP not buy a stuffed Panda (all pandas are stuffed in one fashion or another)?
You can imagine how pleased the staff at the Meridien were to see her come back. No wonder that the concierge tried to get her to leave for HK a day early. Can't you just hear her finagling with the housekeeping staff to get an amenities upgrade?
Florida1-there is a pastry shop at the rear entrance to the Meridien. We went there and got a few items each day for about $5. Also, if you're there on Saturday, take a stroll through people's Park in the morning. It's amazing. Not to mention the ballroom dancing outside the rear entrance to the M that happens many days of the week.
No new routes for the Fodors cruise. Tangata showed us the folly of that. I miss him/her.
Why did the OP not buy a stuffed Panda (all pandas are stuffed in one fashion or another)?
You can imagine how pleased the staff at the Meridien were to see her come back. No wonder that the concierge tried to get her to leave for HK a day early. Can't you just hear her finagling with the housekeeping staff to get an amenities upgrade?
Florida1-there is a pastry shop at the rear entrance to the Meridien. We went there and got a few items each day for about $5. Also, if you're there on Saturday, take a stroll through people's Park in the morning. It's amazing. Not to mention the ballroom dancing outside the rear entrance to the M that happens many days of the week.
No new routes for the Fodors cruise. Tangata showed us the folly of that. I miss him/her.
Jun 21st, 2010, 05:31 PM
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Dogster, I was talking about Copenhagen when I said Toyland. It seems like a child's city, populated by the most childlike people on earth, the Danes.
Right Marija, it's Lituania! Followed by Russia. No. 6 is Guyana. Were they counting that Jim Jones Kool-Aid thing? Denamrk is 43, Norway 39. Most of thte top ones are former Soviet states. Do they count suicide by vodka in the rate?
Right Marija, it's Lituania! Followed by Russia. No. 6 is Guyana. Were they counting that Jim Jones Kool-Aid thing? Denamrk is 43, Norway 39. Most of thte top ones are former Soviet states. Do they count suicide by vodka in the rate?
Jun 22nd, 2010, 03:17 AM
#72
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Panda quit scooping me! I will discuss the bakery to the rear of the hotel in due time. I forget the name but will probably spend hours trying to find it due to my obsessiveness. It is a branch of a chain based in Singapore with the word "Bread" in the title. I think.
All will be revealed in due time..
Now, can we have a show of hands: Raise yours it there is even a remote possibility that you might like to consider some kind of Fodor's excursion in Asia, Pandaw or otherwise, in the future.
All will be revealed in due time..
Now, can we have a show of hands: Raise yours it there is even a remote possibility that you might like to consider some kind of Fodor's excursion in Asia, Pandaw or otherwise, in the future.
Jun 22nd, 2010, 03:20 AM
#73
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Florida: Since you are Shanghai bound, you might like to read my first report about the city, from 2007. I stayed at the Meridien on that first visit, so maybe there are a few useful tips within all the chatter:
http://www.fodors.com/community/asia...g-shanghai.cfm
http://www.fodors.com/community/asia...g-shanghai.cfm
Jun 22nd, 2010, 07:02 AM
#74
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Doris Day and my suicide statistics have ended up somehwre else. I cannot remember where. Somewhere in here. Internet is suitably Danishly mega-expensive. I'm not gonna correct it, 'cos an attack of meanness has come upon me.
I'll go anywhere - but not on a Pandaw.
I'll go anywhere - but not on a Pandaw.
Jun 22nd, 2010, 09:55 AM
#78
Possibility, but very remote - by the time this gets sorted, I rather expect to be in South America. Plus, Pandaw is out of my price range. I don't object to the Norwegians, so long as the suicide is postponed until after the trip.
Jun 22nd, 2010, 11:08 AM
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The first order of the day on that first morning in Shanghai was…..shopping!
I had purchased a triple strand of dark “coin pearls” at Beijing’s Pearl City in 2007 and I planned to buy a few similar necklaces in various colors. I was not looking for fine, heirloom pearls; the kind I wanted were fresh water pearls that are easy to find and fairly inexpensive in China and look something like this:
http://www.itsatreasure.com/store/media/Pearls Necklaces/P12JN192.jpg
I was joined on my excursion by my female friend and travel companion; her husband opted to explore the Bund instead.
I had done a fair amount of research on the topic of buying pearls in Shanghai and had come across a helpful site oriented toward expats that suggested avoiding the "overpriced" Pearl City complex, east of the hotel on on Nanjing Lu, in favor of the Pearl Market in HongQiao, where prices would reputedly be as much as 40% less than in the central tourist district.
http://www.fodors.com/community/asia...d-all-else.cfm
At the last moment, however, I opted for convenience over price, and we headed west in a taxi to the loftily named Fenshine Fashion and Accessories Plaza, home of the much-lauded AmyLin’s Pearls which enjoys popularity in several mainstream guidebooks and is reportedly the purveyor to various American First Ladies and wives of European heads of state.
I am not sure what I expected to find at the 580 Nanjing Xi Lu address, but it was not the non-descript concrete office building stacked with floors of stalls piled floor to ceiling with all manner of fakes and Chinoiserie trinkets that we entered at that address. We arrived about 10am when the building was peaceful, but by noon every floor was crawling with groups of tourists toting large bags of everything from copies of brand name sneakers and handbags to pirate videos and Mao piggy banks. For people that love to prowl the stalls of New York City's Canal Street in Chinatown, this would be nirvana. The Plaza is apparently a favorite with airline staff and we watched, amused, as the vendors haggled in Turkish, English, Italian, Spanish, and Russian, to name a few tongues in which they appeared well versed.
AmyLin’s occupies a tiny store on the 3rd Floor of the building and here, especially, I would advise an early arrival to maximize attention from the staff. The place is draped with all manner of inexpensive pearls and costume jewelery and I quickly selected three necklaces of four strands each in violet/black (similar to the one I brought home from Beijing), in natural, and in a pale lilac. After deciding upon the number of strands and their length, the customer must select a clasp and here, I am afraid, this shop fell short: The selection of clasps tilted toward the cheesy and I would advise shoppers to bring their own clasps from home or to plan to have their purchases restrung at home. The total price for my three necklaces came to $140US; haggling had produced a discount of about 20%. We were told to return in about 40 minutes so that the necklaces could be strung and knotted, and we set off to walk the floors of Fenshine Fashion Plaza.
http://www.amy-pearl.com/EN/index1.htm
I had purchased a triple strand of dark “coin pearls” at Beijing’s Pearl City in 2007 and I planned to buy a few similar necklaces in various colors. I was not looking for fine, heirloom pearls; the kind I wanted were fresh water pearls that are easy to find and fairly inexpensive in China and look something like this:
http://www.itsatreasure.com/store/media/Pearls Necklaces/P12JN192.jpg
I was joined on my excursion by my female friend and travel companion; her husband opted to explore the Bund instead.
I had done a fair amount of research on the topic of buying pearls in Shanghai and had come across a helpful site oriented toward expats that suggested avoiding the "overpriced" Pearl City complex, east of the hotel on on Nanjing Lu, in favor of the Pearl Market in HongQiao, where prices would reputedly be as much as 40% less than in the central tourist district.
http://www.fodors.com/community/asia...d-all-else.cfm
At the last moment, however, I opted for convenience over price, and we headed west in a taxi to the loftily named Fenshine Fashion and Accessories Plaza, home of the much-lauded AmyLin’s Pearls which enjoys popularity in several mainstream guidebooks and is reportedly the purveyor to various American First Ladies and wives of European heads of state.
I am not sure what I expected to find at the 580 Nanjing Xi Lu address, but it was not the non-descript concrete office building stacked with floors of stalls piled floor to ceiling with all manner of fakes and Chinoiserie trinkets that we entered at that address. We arrived about 10am when the building was peaceful, but by noon every floor was crawling with groups of tourists toting large bags of everything from copies of brand name sneakers and handbags to pirate videos and Mao piggy banks. For people that love to prowl the stalls of New York City's Canal Street in Chinatown, this would be nirvana. The Plaza is apparently a favorite with airline staff and we watched, amused, as the vendors haggled in Turkish, English, Italian, Spanish, and Russian, to name a few tongues in which they appeared well versed.
AmyLin’s occupies a tiny store on the 3rd Floor of the building and here, especially, I would advise an early arrival to maximize attention from the staff. The place is draped with all manner of inexpensive pearls and costume jewelery and I quickly selected three necklaces of four strands each in violet/black (similar to the one I brought home from Beijing), in natural, and in a pale lilac. After deciding upon the number of strands and their length, the customer must select a clasp and here, I am afraid, this shop fell short: The selection of clasps tilted toward the cheesy and I would advise shoppers to bring their own clasps from home or to plan to have their purchases restrung at home. The total price for my three necklaces came to $140US; haggling had produced a discount of about 20%. We were told to return in about 40 minutes so that the necklaces could be strung and knotted, and we set off to walk the floors of Fenshine Fashion Plaza.
http://www.amy-pearl.com/EN/index1.htm
Jun 22nd, 2010, 12:13 PM
#80
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We proceeded to prowl the aisles of the building’s four floors, not finding all that much of interest since neither of us are much interested in designer fakes. But after about 30 minutes or so, I overcame my resistance and sprung for a pair of “Havaiana ‘Heritage’ “flip flops. After halfhearted bargaining, I paid the equivalent of US$4. Oddly, the shoes had a price tag from Abercrombie & Fitch attached.
http://tinyurl.com/2an98s4
My other purchase that morning was a reproduction calligraphy brush that looks something like this:
http://www.legendofasia.net/catalog/...ng-p-2903.html
After retrieving our finished necklaces from AmyLin’s, we returned on foot to the hotel; the walk, along Nanjing Xi Lu and the edge of People’s Park, took about 20 minutes. After dropping off our purchases, we met the third member of our party and headed off in a taxi for Xintiandi, a complex of 28 restored and recreated buildings, divided into north and south blocks, reflecting the shikumen style of residential housing indigenous to the pre-revolution Shanghai of the 1920s and 30s.
http://www.xintiandi.com/english/events.asp
Xintiandi is more than a bit Disney-esque, but the architecture is truly handsome and the area houses a few very good eating places, along with myriad coffee shops, gift emporia, bars, and upscale boutiques. Most notable of these is an outpost—one of several in the city-- of the Taiwanese chain DTF, which holds a perennially high rating in any list of Shanghai’s best xiao long bao (xlb), or “soup dumplings.” I been awed by the xlb here in 2007 and was anxious to introduce my friends to this signature Shanghai treat. Here is what I wrote after my first visit:
<A quick look at my notes told me that the famous DTF restaurant was open until 3 so I hustled up to the second floor of No. 6, South Block to arrive just at 3pm. I must have appeared desperate (after all, it had been a full 6 hours since my last meal!) because after some hushed consultation with a manager, the hostess showed me to a table. The Xintiandi branch (there is at leat one other location in Shanghai) of this world-famous Taiwanese dumpling restaurant is a bright cheerful room with an open kitchen and sleek contemporary design. For the first time since my arrival in China I found myself in a restaurant where foreigners appeared to be almost as numerous as locals. I didn't need a menu, since DTF is synonymous with Xio Long Bao. The menu lists these in several variations, along with soups, noodle dishes, and vegetable and meat plates. I ordered the pork and crab xlb (at 22RMB for 5 the price here was many times more expensive than at Jia Jia Tang Bao where I had eaten that morning) and a glass of fresh watermelon juice, a favorite of mine. The dumplings were outstanding. Absolutely wondrous. If I had more time in Shanghai I would return here again and again to repeat the xlb and to sample every dish on the menu. (Happily, there is a branch in Seoul, ROK, where I would have lunch the following week). Absolutely fabulous. On a par with Jia Jia Tang Bao, with spiffy decor and attentive friendly service thrown in.>
http://tinyurl.com/2an98s4
My other purchase that morning was a reproduction calligraphy brush that looks something like this:
http://www.legendofasia.net/catalog/...ng-p-2903.html
After retrieving our finished necklaces from AmyLin’s, we returned on foot to the hotel; the walk, along Nanjing Xi Lu and the edge of People’s Park, took about 20 minutes. After dropping off our purchases, we met the third member of our party and headed off in a taxi for Xintiandi, a complex of 28 restored and recreated buildings, divided into north and south blocks, reflecting the shikumen style of residential housing indigenous to the pre-revolution Shanghai of the 1920s and 30s.
http://www.xintiandi.com/english/events.asp
Xintiandi is more than a bit Disney-esque, but the architecture is truly handsome and the area houses a few very good eating places, along with myriad coffee shops, gift emporia, bars, and upscale boutiques. Most notable of these is an outpost—one of several in the city-- of the Taiwanese chain DTF, which holds a perennially high rating in any list of Shanghai’s best xiao long bao (xlb), or “soup dumplings.” I been awed by the xlb here in 2007 and was anxious to introduce my friends to this signature Shanghai treat. Here is what I wrote after my first visit:
<A quick look at my notes told me that the famous DTF restaurant was open until 3 so I hustled up to the second floor of No. 6, South Block to arrive just at 3pm. I must have appeared desperate (after all, it had been a full 6 hours since my last meal!) because after some hushed consultation with a manager, the hostess showed me to a table. The Xintiandi branch (there is at leat one other location in Shanghai) of this world-famous Taiwanese dumpling restaurant is a bright cheerful room with an open kitchen and sleek contemporary design. For the first time since my arrival in China I found myself in a restaurant where foreigners appeared to be almost as numerous as locals. I didn't need a menu, since DTF is synonymous with Xio Long Bao. The menu lists these in several variations, along with soups, noodle dishes, and vegetable and meat plates. I ordered the pork and crab xlb (at 22RMB for 5 the price here was many times more expensive than at Jia Jia Tang Bao where I had eaten that morning) and a glass of fresh watermelon juice, a favorite of mine. The dumplings were outstanding. Absolutely wondrous. If I had more time in Shanghai I would return here again and again to repeat the xlb and to sample every dish on the menu. (Happily, there is a branch in Seoul, ROK, where I would have lunch the following week). Absolutely fabulous. On a par with Jia Jia Tang Bao, with spiffy decor and attentive friendly service thrown in.>
