Night Out: The French Concession, Shanghai

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia:  The Shanghai French Concession (Chinese: 上海法租界; pinyin: Shànghǎi Fǎ Zūjiè, French: La concession française de Shanghaï) was a French concession in Shanghai, China from 1849 until 1946, and it was progressively expanded in the late 19th and early 20th centuries. The concession came to an end in practice in 1943 when the Vichy French government signed it over to the pro-Japanese puppet government in Nanking. The area covered by the former French Concession was, for much of the 20th century, the premier residential and retail districts of Shanghai, and was also the centre of Catholicism in Shanghai. Despite rampant re-development over the last few decades, the area retains a distinct character, and is a popular tourist destination.

My friends and I were lucky to be brought to this place on our first day in Shanghai.  It is a quaint place with cute shops selling various knick knacks.  There are various discoveries in every alley.  Here are some of our photos:

Trick Art Museum with the Kids

Nina was in town last summer and I decided to take her and her cousins to the Seriland Trick Art Museum at the Manila Ocean Park.  The Trick Art Museum creates the optical illusion that depicted objects really exist, instead of being just two-dimensional paintings.   It is a gallery of 3-dimensional painted on the wall and the floor. It may be surprising but a number of things that are discouraged at museums are allowed at the Trick Art Museum.  Taking pictures and coming in contact with the works on display, talking aloud and feeling free to make noise are accepted ways of enjoying the museum. How to get there:  Trick Art Museum is one of the attractions in Seriland.  It opened its doors to the public last November 2010 only. It is located at the 2nd level, South Wing of the Manila Ocean Park. And oh, don't ever forget to bring your camera!  Go ahead and become your own movie director!

Christmas Breakfast with Friends

This coming Christmas will be our 3rd  traditional Christmas Eve's breakfast at Cafe 1771 at El Pueblo, Ortigas.  This is our time to  wish dearest friends a happy Christmas before all the frenzy sets in.  Yearly, we order the yummy Pan de Sal with fried Kesong Puti served with the thickest, yummiest hot chocolate this side of the city.  Some go for the Tapa with Sinagag and Egg, Omelets and Eggs Benedict.  I go for the good old Pinoy almusal- and am looking forward to this year's breakfast.

Night Out: Xintiandi and The Bund, Shanghai

After a day long tour of the Bund and East Nanjing area, my friends and I decided to eat, a lot, at Xintiandi. We were so tired and had skipped our lunch because of the River cruise and the walk around the Bund.  We were a mighty hungry group so we walked around the crowded Xintiandi looking for a place to sit down, relax and eat.
We chanced upon Harbour Plaza,  a quite peaceful place and looked at the menu outside.  The ladies waiting outside said the RMB468 is a 9-course dinner enough to feed a group of four.  And RMB468 already included a whole Peking duck!  

We sat down and ordered.  We threw in a pitcher of freshly squeezed orange juice (at RMB100+!!).  The juice was so thick it made us even more thirsty.  We asked for ice cubes and there was a commotion as nobody spoke English; they sent three waiters to our table until they finally figured out we wanted ice cubes to go with our thick, mushy orange juice!  Ping!!  Finally, our orders started to come in.  It was a guessing game, each trying to figure out what fruit or veggie was being served.  Everything was picture perfect- pretty and not to mention, yummy.  We waited for the duck, one of the few recognizable entree (except perhaps the prawns with broccoli and the mixed fruit bowl!).  Yummy!  We pretended not the eat much because of the cholesterol but what the heck!  By the time the 6th entree was presented, we were already full and were no longer excited.  Actually, we wanted them to stop brining in the food as we were all stuffed to the brim!  We wanted to cancel dessert- the fruit bowl.  Here are some photos of the beautiful and yummy food we had that night.... and no, it was not just for 4 hungry people, it was good enough for 10! 

A Batangas Day!

We were in Anilao, Batangas yesterday to bring some balikbayan friends for some swimming and diving. We left Manila at 6 a.m. and met up with some other guys at McDo-Petron in SLEX. We headed to Mt. Malarayat Gold and Country Club at Lipa, Batangas to pick up the balikbayans, chit chat with their folks and some photo  taking at their very picturesque backyard- the golf course itself!  We finally reached our destination, Bambu Villa,  at almost noon after being stuck at the Batangas City junctions.  (We later found out that it was Batangas Day so probably there was a parade that held up the traffic!)

As soon as we arrived, the kids practically jumped into the pool! This was all they were waiting for after hours in the van.  And as soon as they got into the pool, it started to rain so, we, the oldies went up and waited for the buffet lunch to open.  And here we stayed and chatted until it was practically time to pack up and go.  Lunch and merienda were so-so but we sure did a lot of catching up and reminiscing- and snacking on all sorts of chips. We left the resort at past seven too tired to even mind about dinner. Good thing Edith made reservations at Johanna's Grille at Bauan, Batangas.  I was not excited anymore as I was dead tired but dining at Johanna's capped the day indeed! They served fork tender hickory barbecued baby-back ribs!  It was so worth the side trip!  Apparently, Johanna's Grille is a popular stopover place to dine in  for divers coming from Anilao. The servings are huge and cheap. A big slab of ribs costs Php200 and this comes with corn and a scoop of rice.  I went for a smaller slab that was just Php180 (a similar dish would cost more than Php500 in Manila)
It was truly enjoyable Batangas Day indeed!  We were in 3 Batangas towns yesterday!  As soon as we hit the road for Manila, I dozed off until we were almost near Edith's house where I parked my car!  Thanks Norman for driving to and from Batangas as I was no big help!  Thanks much!

Get Together with Balikbayan Friends

College friends Angeli, Noel and Powie are in town from the U.S. We had a quick get together at Barcino last Wednesday. Traffic was heavy from ADB which was a usual 8-10 minute drive that it took me almost 30 minutes to get there. I was already anxious to see my friends! 

It was so much fun chit-chatting and laughing all  night with them! 

100-yen shops

I just got home from Chicken-All-You-Can dinner after a bit of shopping at Daiso. Tonight was really what one may call a “bargain” night. I spent around P1,000 at Daiso but got home with a bag full of sorts.  Shopping at Daiso is quite interesting as all items are less than P100 one ends up buying stuff that they do not need at all but bought anyway since they are cheap. I was able to buy all sorts when I was in Osaka when we chanced upon a 100-yen shop at Tenjobi.

100-Yen Shops or the hyakuen shoppu are one of the best place to pick up a bargain. In these shops you can find some really good value and often very unusual products, and as the name suggest all for only 100 yen, which is an absolute bargain.

Mt. Pinatubo - Death Trek

My friends and I have an agreement to do at least one special thing every year and we all decided to do the hard ones first before we end up doing the hot springs and shrine visit thingy.  So the first challenge- trek Mount Pinatubo.

We had planned this a couple of months before but was warned by JR that doing the trek during summer would “kill” us.  His tales of swimming in the lake and wearing a fleece jacket during the hike sort of mesmerized us.  We waited for the opportune time and December was just it.

Way before the trek, my friends, Noman, Pearlie, and I have been training for the major trek by doing the rounds at the U.P. academic oval,  Ortigas Center (actually  eating at Banchetto then walking towards Chateau 1771 Cafe for another bite) and at the Salcedo Market.  Hmmmm…. come to think of it, were we really training for the hike or just tasting all the food?

Our group did some serious planning on this one.  We had our “planning session” which was actually an excuse to eat and party!  We came up with our food list, gear list, etc., etc.  Okay guys, pan de sal, check!  Dry-fit shirts, check! Head gear, check! Drinks, check! Cameras, check! Sunblock, check!  And of course, our matching Keans hiking shoes, check!

On December 30th, we headed to the sleepy town of Capas Tarlac where the  jump off point is located.  We met our guides, picked our 4×4′s and headed for a 45 minute drive to the “point of no return.”  The weather was perfect, just as JR described it.  Bagiuo weather- just right for excited trekkers.

Only a kilometer into our trek we start asking our guide, “Kuya, malayo pa ba?”  The guide would only shake his head and smile every 20-30 minutes or so when we would ask the same question.  All the groups in the trek have overtaken us as we walked leisurely as if we were walking in the park.  A serious 2 hour walk for others was a 3.5 hour death-defying walk for us.  Oh!  But it was fun.  We could not wait to reach the top and see the fabled crater lake.

A funny thing happened along the way.  
Edith’s hiking shoes decided to quit just there and then!  With less than a third of the trek going up the mount, her shoes gave up. But lo and behold, JR,  our knight and shining armor had duct tape in his backpack!  Who would bring duct tape to a trek?  Maybe he brought tape in case he needed to silence us with our continuous whining all the way to the top?  JR just saved the day!

When we had finally reached the top, we were blown by the beauty of the magnificent crater lake. Who would think this volcano was a national nightmare in the early 90′s?  The sleeping giant volcano now revealed, so beautiful, so majestic and so serene….

I was already dead tired when we reached the top I did not have energy to go further down to the crater lake for a swim. With a hundred or so steps down (and back) I decided to stay at one of the sheds and took a nap.  The weather was just so cool, so perfect, I even put on my fleece jacket.  An hour and a half later, we all decided to leave.  I could have stayed  forever.  My legs were hurting like hell and simply did not want to move.  I just wanted to quit!  Another 3 hour trek and we were at the drop off point.  We were the last group out of the mountain.  Our drivers must have wondered what kept us so long.  We were all so tired.  I used a walking stick on the way back, I looked like Mama Moses!

Another 45 minute drive into the dark, dusty road until we finally reach the Capas stop.  My leg muscles were already stiff I had to slide myself out of the 4×4.  And my, was I thirsty!  And hungry too!

We had a 10,000 course meal served to us and we ate them all!  I was just soooo looking forward to a shower to rinse the eeky lahar off my hair.  We were told that hot water was not available.  What the heck!  I must have shampooed my hair three times.  Only on the third time did my shampoo bubble like shampoo!  Oh what a relief it was!  After that, we all headed to the van and fell asleep as the Davy and Ip’s (thanks!) driver piloted us to Manila.

My Mt. Pinatubo trek was an adventure of a lifetime.  I could not have made it without my friends cheering me on, laughing and giggling along the way.  It was also good that we went on a perfect time.  Otherwise, we could have missed its beauty as the water turns murky and gray as the rain comes. Yes, it was a worthwhile adventure.  Would I do it again?  Yes, only if the skyway is back.

Night out: Dotombori and Shinsaibashi

Before visiting Osaka with friends last fall, we made a to-do list and among the places to visit are Dotombori, to see the famous Glico man and the giant crab; and Shinsaibashi for night-time shopping.

With a map on hand, we first headed to Mido-suji to check out the autumn leaves. Mido-suji Street that runs the center of the Shinsaibashi is the main street of Osaka that links the downtown Kita (north) around Umeda and the downtown Minami (south) around the Shisaibashi and Namba districts. Unfortunately, autumn was a bit delayed, only a few leaves have started to turn yellow. Curiosity led us to the Louis Vuitton and Chanel shops and we headed to Tokyu Hands to looks for Ip’s bag.  We did not get the bag though but we ended up buying cute stationary and pens!

After Tokyu Hands, we crossed the street and our feet  instinctly brought us to the entrance of Shinsaibashi!  It was an amazing long street full of nice shops.  The Shinsaibashi is the largest shopping area in Osaka where many boutiques and specialty shops are gathered, attracting local people and visitors. The new Uniqlo building was just right at the entrance.  It was already cold so we did not mind walking and gazing at the store displays and dazzling lights.

We walked the entire Shinsaibashi Shopping Center until we finally reached Dotombori. Dotombori is an entertainment district along the southern bank of the Dotombori River. The slowly flowing Dotombori River at night reflects the neon lights, creating the largest city in western Japang a unique atmosphere.  This is where we finally meet the Glico Man, a giant electronic display of a runner crossing the finish line by Glico, one of Japan’s biggest candy / snack manufacturer.  A few steps further we found the Kani Doraku Crab, a six and a half meter crab in front of the crab restaurant with mechanized arms and eyestalks.

After finally seeing the two famous landmarks, we decided to have dinner at McDonald’s to try out the Cheese Fondue!  Too bad, most of the McDonald’s offerings in Japan are not available in the Philippines.

Our trip to Shinsaibashi and Dotombori was fun we decided to go back to following night with Edith!

Night Out: Mambo Cabaret, Bangkok

During my first visit to Bangkok, I had wanted to watch a show in Patpong but turned back once we were walking in the area. Patpong is an entertainment district in Bangkok, Thailand known as a red light district at the heart of the city’s sex industry.  Go-go bars feature women dancing on stage.  Some establishments advertising massage are disguised as brothels and several have bars upstairs that feature sex shows. We decided not to go ahead as planned as we were becoming wary of flocks of locals luring us to watch the shows.  Scary.On my next trip to Bangkok, I got curious as I was leafing through the tour brochures at our hotel’s lobby.  As we were on our way to Ayutthaya, we asked our tour guide if he could take us to a Lady Boy show that night. We wanted to see some Katoeys.Thailand has a lot of Katoeys. In fact, one can see a Katoey in almost all of the places of the country. Thailand is a country where Katoeys are tolerated. Katoeys are transgenders. They are mostly men who had sex transplant surgeries. They may be men but they have the heart of a woman. That is why they preferred to be operated externally to become a woman.Our tour guide picked us up from the hotel lobby at around 8 p.m. and we headed towards Rama III to watch the Mambo Cabaret show. Picture taking was not allowed inside the theatre but everyone had their cameras ready while waiting for the show to 

begin!!I enjoyed the show.  In fact, there was one Lady Boy who I called “Kikay” who kept waving at me while on stage so come picture-taking time after the show, I had mine taken with her (for a BHT50 tip). For around BHT1,200, it was a truly an enjoyable experience!

Night Out: Kaiten-zushi in Osaka, Japan

I ate at a “Choo-choo train” sushi restaurant twice while in Osaka. I was thrilled as plates of sushi chugged along as I decided which one to pick. The first restaurant that we went to charged sushi by the plate whereas the second one was a sushi-all-you can restaurant where we stacked empty plates as fast we could – as fast as the shinkansen!

Conveyor belt sushi is the popular English translation for Japanese fast-food sushi. Kaiten-zushi is a sushi restaurant where the plates with the sushi are placed on a rotating conveyor belt that winds through the restaurant and moves past every table and counter seat. Customers may place special orders, but most simply pick their selections from a steady stream of fresh sushi moving along the conveyor belt. The final bill is based on the number and type of plates of the consumed sushi.

The most remarkable feature of conveyor belt sushi is the stream of plates winding through the restaurant. The selection is usually not limited to sushi; it may also include drinks, fruits, desserts, soups, and others. Condiments and tools are usually found near the seats, for example pickled ginger, chopsticks, soy sauce and wasabi.  Self-served tea and ice water is usually complimentary, with cups stacked on a shelf above the conveyor belt and green tea powder in a storage container on the table. There is also a hot water faucet at the tables to make tea!

The bill is calculated by counting the number and type of plates of the consumed sushi. Plates with different colors, patterns, or shapes have different prices, usually ranging from 100 yen to 500 yen. The cost of the different plates is shown on signboards or posters in the restaurant. In general, cheap items come on plain plates, and the level of plate decoration is related to the price. The most expensive items tend to come on gold colored plates.

Conveyor belt sushi restaurants are often frequented by value-minded consumers and those who may not have time for a leisurely meal. They are popular among foreigners and families with children: No Japanese language skills are needed to read a menu or to order.