SG2SH: 8 Days of the Week

"吃饭咯" was phrase of the day, everyday. Probably also, highlight of the day. It meant meal time. Someone would shout across the corridor after distributing and leaving food at the front of our hotel room door.

Cai Fan everyday

This was what a typical meal box looked like. For breakfast, we usually got vegetable buns and hard boiled eggs. For lunch and dinner, it was normally eggs, vegetables, meat and rice. There was yogurt, and a fruit too, most times an apple or banana. 

We would sit on our hand carry luggage and gather around a small table to have our meals.  

Makeshift dining area

In between meal times, we rotated between activities to keep ourselves entertained. There was a TV in the room with free to air channels. We caught a few re-runs of popular drama series. In the afternoons, 非常勿扰, a surprisingly addictive TV dating show helped us pass time. 

The kids kept themselves busy with the quarantine toy that they had picked before the flight. It was a Gabby doll house. Gabby was our nanny for a few hours each day. 

We also armed ourselves with an arsenal of food and snacks to get us through this unprecedented period.

Bed time for the kids was 8pm. Lights out for us was 10pm. We were living the dream. 

Cars waiting for guests to check out

Everyday, we looked out of the window and saw people randomly leaving the hotel, family and friends re-united at the gate. We always wondered when would it be our turn.

It was always nerve wrecking. What if one of us tested positive? Would we be able to leave on day 8?

It didn't help when our building was locked down after one of the guests tested positive for Covid-19. The status was always up in the air, right up to the moment we received the phone call to check out. Alas the moment had arrived!

Grace eyeing freedom

Like flash, we were out of there the moment our number was called. We could feel it, almost there!

One for the memories

And there we were, out of the hotel! Those 8 days in quarantine, we will remember for a long time.  Finally, we get to experience Shanghai, the people, the history and the culture. And begin our new adventure.

Shanghai, here we go!

SG2SH: Relocating During The Pandemic

 New chapter

And there we were, on the brink of another adventure away from home. 10 years ago, we moved to New Zealand, without a job and with a very fluid plan. This time around (December 2022), we were moving to China, with a job and a firm plan, but also bringing along two precious human beings and relocating during the pandemic. Both situations were equally exciting yet challenging at the same time.

I have lost count of the number of nasal swab tests that we had to go through for the move. Kids included (they were so brave). The first test was done as proof of recovery from Covid-19, and twice more, within 48 hours of our departure time. We were tested again upon arrival in Shanghai, and again daily for the next 8 days in quarantine (rotating between nasal and oral swabs).

Fate based on itineraries

Naturally, there was a lot of uncertainty on where to go and what to do once we arrived at the Shanghai airport. Step by step, we managed to figure our way through countless check points that involved multiple registrations and QR code scans on our mobile phones. Finally, we were greeted by the iconic blue signs that were viral on social media.

We were assigned specific buses depending on where we were going to be based in Shanghai. After about 30 minutes, the bus would arrive and take us to a randomly assigned quarantine hotel.

Scattered suitcases in front of the bus

It was load up and go, no questions asked. No one except the person in charge and bus driver knew our destination. Some passengers tried their luck and asked which hotel, but the in the knows wouldn't budge.

Some of us had maps on our phones, tracking live location with bated anticipation. We just kept heading north on the highway until we turned into a district. In the vicinity was the Crowne Plaza. Immediately, we did a quick search online. 5 star hotel!

Home for the next 8 days

Not quite. The entire building was a far cry from its glory days. And perhaps understandably so. After all, the hotel had been operating as a quarantine facility for the past 2 years. 

Everything in the makeshift reception area (formerly restaurant buffet area) was wrapped in plastic sheets. There was yellow tape everywhere. We were led to our rooms in an orderly fashion. Life in Shanghai had just began.

View of the outside world for the next 8 days

Greetings from the Magical City

Hello world, it's great to be back. Many things have changed since our last blog entry. The evil pandemic finally went away, country borders have reopened, everyone is traveling again, and we moved to China!

When we decided to move from New Zealand back to Singapore four years ago, we didn't plan on moving so soon again. But life unexpectedly gifted us the opportunity to be based in Shanghai, and we grabbed it with both hands and feet.

Shanghai has many nicknames like "Pearl of the Orient" and "Paris of the East". The one that stands out for me is the Magical City (魔都), pronounced as Modu. Maybe because it has that Lord of the Rings vibe to it. Maybe because there is so much history and culture behind the city.

Or maybe because bicycles, motorbikes and cars actually co-exist in harmony on the road. Coming from Singapore, this is truly an amazing sight to see.   

This is a typical traffic cross junction in Shanghai. Look at how everyone just gets on with their own vehicle. Cars, motorbikes, cyclists and even pedestrians.

Where young and old commute

Where lines demarcate safety

Where slow biking is normal

Where bikes can be safe

What magic spell is this? I know a place that could use some of it.