10 things we like about our Shanghai-Suzhou-Hangzhou trip

Mountains and lakes, gardens and pagodas, legends and folktales. A glimpse of the Chinese history and culture was the best take-away my boys had during our recent trip to China.

It's really interesting to witness and see at first hand how fast Shanghai has developed over a span of 10 years. She's so cosmopolitan she reminds me of HK.

1. Oriental Pearl Tower

The famous Oriental Pearl Tower that looks so odd in pictures turned out to be unique and outstanding among all the other skyscrapers. It was really awesome to be up there.

A slide for the children to enjoy before going up.

My boys had a jolly good time up at 263m high.

They couldn't take their feet off the glass walkway. A panoramic view they had while lying on the glass.

They were both awed by the altitude. Check out the view below.

2. Museums

There's a museum at the first level at the Oriental Pearl Tower. It was surprisingly very interesting as it walked you through the old and modern Shanghai. Was afraid the kids may be bored. But they enjoyed most of it.

The museum tour started right with the boys posing with their choice of vintage cars.

A part of old Shanghai Zech has never before experienced in his life. This kind of Chinese culture was totally alien to him before the trip.

This cheeky boy couldn't take his hands off the telephone.

Another place for kids to go is the Science and Technology Museum. Personally, I feel our Singapore Science Centre is much better. The museum reminded me of the Adelaide Museum and LKC museum so I've at least seen similar exhibits a few times. I was disappointed with the robot gallery as some of the exhibits were under maintenance. However, my boys still enjoyed this museum, especially Zech.

The indoor forest walk reminded me so much of Gardens by the Bay. But of course, it was much more informative. There were little caves with detailed information and exhibits on the life cycle of insects.

The rainbow land was interesting for Nathanael but we didn't have much time and had to rush through the play area. Besides slides in different settings, making bubbles using big wands seemed to be one of the more popular hands on activity.

3. The old and new

Shanghai is interesting as it's a juxtapose with the old and new. We took a cruise around the Bund at night. On one side, you could see the skyscrapers and on the other side, you could see the buildings that have existed for 90 to 100 years. The Huang Pu River separates the old and modern Shanghai.

Bought these furry animal hats for $2 sgd each. Came in handy for the cold night when we took a night cruise around the Bund.

4. Yummilicious food!

Shanghai is also famous for its Chinese food. I certainly didn't expect much but I must say the food is really yummy! Not just the Xiao Long Bao my boys love so much, but also the steamboat and Peking duck!

The number 1 steamboat in Shanghai - Lao Wang Hotpot
The best steamboat I've enjoyed so far. It wins Hai Di Lao hands down.

The best Peking duck I've ever tasted! We went back to the same restaurant another night and this dish was sold out!

Almost every dish we ordered tasted great!

Another unforgettable dish was this sweet and sour fish at Suzhou. We ordered a similar dish somewhere else and it wasn't as good.

5. Junkies

My boys ate quite a lot of junk food this time. I couldn't help introducing to them 冰糖葫芦. It's a shame not to know and taste this Chinese traditional snack. We didn't finish all of course. It was simply too sweet. There are other flavours such as strawberries and kiwis which are more appealing to the younger ones.

Grandpa bought the boys some candy. How they love it! Their very first lollipop!

6. 乌镇

Shanghai is near to a few water towns. We visited 乌镇 which is about 1.5 to 2 hours away. Time seemed to have come to a standstill. It's touristy but I'm in love with the old town.

Feeding the fishes is my boys' favourite thing to do everywhere they go.

Walking through the streets...

We had a short tour through a small museum.

The female quarters in the olden days.

I thought a picture of me is more appropriate than the boys sitting in the sedan.

The academy.

On sunny days, the men toiled under the sun. On rainy days, they buried themselves in books.

Trying to be scholarly here.

The elder one wrote his Chinese name. The younger one tried writing his name then decided to simply wet the table. 

A family photo is a must here!

Again, we tried some of the street food. Nothing much to shout about though.

It was so cold at night we returned to the hotel after dinner. Wanted to take a boat ride but changed our mind. I heard from my cousin who braved the cold that the boat ride at night was simply beautiful as the town was all prettily lighted up.

7. Unleash your potential!

I came unprepared to climb a mountain. But we managed to climb to the peak! What an achievement! Standing at 200m high, 天平山 is not that high. Bukit Timah Hill stands at 163m high. But the
difference lies in the roads and pavement leading up. 天平山 is not as well laid out and it's considered mountainous terrain. We climbed at least 100 steps. Almost wanted to give up. Thank God we were rewarded with a great view at the peak!


This boy was the first to climb up but the last to get down.

Praise the Lord for His beautiful creation! And for climbing to the peak with family! Wonderful experience!

In case you are wondering, not everyone made it to the top. Nathanael was cranky that afternoon and insisted his papa carry him to the peak. So of course, we smart adults found a way to pacify him while staying near the valley of the mountain.


8. An adventure in Chinese gardens

My boys have never experienced walking in an ancient Chinese garden.

They had a great time tracing the foot steps of emperor Qianlong and Kangxi who visited 狮子林 in the olden days.

Nathanael was thrilled to find a cave he could play in and insisted that I took a photo of him.

There's a maze in the garden which was really interesting. It provided many good views of the garden and surprised you with its many nooks and corners. No wonder the emperor found it so interesting too.

Peek-a-boo!

This group photo was taken while walking through the maze. It took us almost 30 min to get out of the maze.

We saw Qianlong and Kangxi's writing on stone tablets too. Zech was amazed at how beautiful their handwriting was. I hope it inspired him to write neatly.

9. Stories of 西湖

As we toured 西湖 in Hangzhou, it was pretty fascinating to listen to the legends of Mdm White Snake and Yue Fei. This was Zech's first exposure to Chinese literature. Thanks to his very knowledgeable grandma, we now know a bit more. He seemed intrigued by the stories. It was a rainy day when we took a boat out to 西湖. But we could still see the pagoda that trapped Mdm White Snake years ago.

I think the lake would be more beautiful in summer when it would be surrounded by lotus flowers, in spring and autumn with cherry blossoms everywhere. In winter, 西湖 seemed rather dead. But the legends made the lake more alive than ever.

10. Boat rides big and small. My boys like them all.

Cruising around the harbour with a panoramic night view of the Bund was breathtaking.

Taking a small boat in Suzhou in the dark canals looking at the residents' backyard was an adventure for Zech. Some of us hated it because the engine seemed unreliable and the boat kept getting hit by other boats when nearing the end of the ride. Nathanael was so bored he fell asleep on the boat.

A short ferry ride in Wuzheng had the boys begging for more.

An hour long boat ride in the famous Xihu laden with tales and legends of long ago was fascinating to Zech. Even though there was a light shower, it didn't dampen the boys' spirits.

Beijing will be the next destination to go in China. But I'll wait a while, for Nathanael to grow up more so that he can appreciate the Chinese history more. For now, we will just ride on the learning gained during the trip, expand it a bit more and hopefully, in time to come, cultivate an interest in Chinese literature and history.

Insipiration

I've been obsessed over reading nooks recently. A reading nook that allows the boys to share and pore over books. A cosy mini library to explore a different world and to stretch one's imagination. The sense of adventure, of having a secret hideout and sheer quietness surrounded by books in a space of your own are all becoming a reality soon.


Here are some beautiful reading nooks for boys I've found on pinterest.

Looks scary but thrilling!

This reminds me of my storeroom, where I used to sit inside with my school bag for as long as I could.

A secret attic. How cool!

Here's one with ample space for the boys to grow up in.

A reading nook is easy to create. A simple one will be a small corner with a rug, beanbags or some cushions for comfort. No book shelf? Use IKEA storage boxes. Decorate it with a cute lamp or fairy lights and there you go! A reading nook for the kids!

beyond the horizon

A close friend recommended a TV programme to me just a couple of months ago. This series 'Little Maestros' have since ended but my boys have been catching up on Toggle.  Zech and Nathanael love the programme so much they have been requesting to watch it every week. It is a very interesting show that probably intrigue the boys, as it presents a stark reality of a different life of a chld in another country. The show also sparked off some serious discussions about how harsh life can be and how we should not take things for granted. The kids featured in the show carry heavy burdens and responsibilities with a lifestyle far beyond my boys' imagination and they can see for themselves the contrast between these underprivileged kids and kids like them in Singapore.

It is no coincidence that recently we have a chance to step into the reality we saw on TV.  My boys know from young, they are blessed in many ways and we have to share our blessings with others, especially the less privileged. Since last year, I prayed for an opportunity to step into the mission field together with Zech. It wasn't until October I was offered a chance to go on a short term mission trip organised by the church.

We were still uncertain as of last week. But gradually, things fall into place. Our team of 5 planned and tailored the programme accordingly. I'm most excited to be doing and teaching what I love most to a group of children after more than 5 years as a SAHM. I'm even more thrilled to be sharing the Gospel with them through a English lesson. What's more significant is having Zech as my little assistant so that we can share in the joy of serving others in this mission trip.  Zech, albeit young, can be used as a little vessel by God to reach out to other children. This is indeed a privilege in itself.

I booked the flight last night. We are flying to Surabaya in Nov for a 5 days mission trip. If you are reading this post, do keep us in prayer.

Animals, gems, vegetables and frogs

It's October! 10 months of homeschool with Nathanael! Although I do much of the same work with the younger one, it has been somewhat different too.

In August, Nathanael celebrated 100 days of school. It was rather quiet as he had to do all the activities on his own since Zech was in school. He climbed 100 steps, counted 100 stickers and snacks, hopped, jumped, threw and bounced the ball 100 times. He was dead tired at the end of it.

A little reward for him.

Some wow moments from the units we had covered from August to September.

A poster of things that hop. What was special to me was the picture of my boys together. Chosen by Nathanael.

A kangaroo pencil holder for craft.

An obvious difference between my boys is in their colouring. Nathanael is the more creative one and also the one who sometimes asks for permission to not follow the rules.

A cute penguin for craft. I've certainly improved in the area of craft after one round of homeschool with Zech.

Didn't expect marble painting to have such wonderful effect.

Was brave enough to make zebra pudding with the boys. The colours did not turn out well but the boys loved eating the pudding. :)

Was really glad we planned a trip down to the GEM museum for our rock and jewel units. Very small. As Nathanael put it, the museum was about the size of our flat. Nevertheless, it was an eye opener for us. We saw and touched jade, pearl, crystals and all kinds of precious stones.

Nathanael's favourite spot! Digging for gems!

To see and feel fossils for the first time was truly an experience for Nathanael.

Inspired, we came back and made a necklace using homemade salt dough.

The recipient of this necklace was none other than his own grandmother. How sweet of him!

Another masterpiece. All that glitters is gold.

Another field trip we made was to the Green Circle Ecofarm. Perfect and just in time for the vegetables unit. Long journey but no regrets. Farmer Evelyn is so knowledgeable and is really a Science teacher. Love the way she taught the young kids about pollination. Wished Zech was with us.

Intro to the different bugs on the farm - snails, earthworms, a toad, dragonflies and butterflies. Very cool! The kids were encouraged to touch them.

Potting time!

Planted 2 ladyfinger seeds. They are growing well. :)

A tour around the farm in the country was simply refreshing.

Look at the tree full of figs!

Last activity for the day was making compost. Nathanael had a good time helping to layer up the compost.

Encouraged Nathanael to eat his greens and so we made salad at home. He was reluctant at first and asked how that could be a snack. Managed to persuade him and after trying it, he finished almost everything.

We are now at Ff for frog unit. I love the froggy snack we made together. So did Nathanael! So glad he enjoyed eating the cucumbers besides the prata and cheese.

His little booklet about frogs.

A paper plate life cycle.

My slow and easy days with Nathanael are really times to treasure. Those carefree days with Zech during preschool and kindergarten passed by without me realizing that those were in fact the best. I don't do as much with Nathanael as compared to his brother but ensuring some elements of fun does help in making homeschool livelier and in sustaining Nathanael's interest. We are looking forward to the last few units, especially Bb for butterfly as Zech will be joining us. That will be my next post.