Yuyuan Garden, Shanghai

One of the must-visit places on our list for the Shanghai trip, besides The Bund, is the Yuyuan Garden.

After getting off the Maglev train, we went straight to our hotel for an early check-in. Then, we headed to Nanjing Street for lunch before taking the train to Yuyuan Garden.

It was quite a walk from the train station to Yuyuan Garden, and the weather was colder than we had anticipated for March in Shanghai.

Yuyuan Garden and its surroundings boast many beautiful architectural sights. However, the large crowds made it difficult to fully enjoy the view. We thought we would be able to return at night to see the beautiful lanterns illuminated, which must be stunning. Unfortunately, we were wrong; we didn't have the time or energy to come back. Five days in Shanghai just wasn't enough.

After roaming around for about two hours, we took a short break at McDonald's while waiting for our Didi to take us back to our hotel. Despite the cold weather and crowds, the experience at Yuyuan Garden was memorable. The details of architecture and the unique garden offered a glimpse into Shanghai's rich history and culture. Though we couldn't stay as long as we wanted, the visit was still a highlight of our Shanghai trip.

Qibao Ancient Town, Shanghai

Due to time constraints, we opted to visit Qibao Ancient Town, the nearest water village to downtown Shanghai. Located about 20km from The Bund, it is easily accessible by train or taxi.

On our fourth day in Shanghai, we woke up early, took a morning walk at The Bund (though we couldn't see the sunrise, possibly due to haze or mist), and had breakfast at a Michelin Guide restaurant (kopitiam) near our hotel. Then we took a Didi car to Qibao Ancient Town, which cost us RMB 55.44.

Luckily we chose to take a taxi because it started raining on our way. It was raining heavily when we arrived, so we took a 10-minute break at a nearby cafe. Once the rain slowed down, we began exploring the area. The good thing about visiting the village on a rainy day was that there were very few people around, allowing us to get great bargains at the clothing shops. I did quite a bit of shopping and bought a cheongsam, wool scarf, gloves, skirt, and a pair of winter pants. Hubby and the kids also bought waterproof winter shirt and jacket, and 2 sweaters.

About the river, I think there's only one scenic bridge in the area.  Fortunately, there weren't many people around, so we took lots of pictures on that bridge.  Then, we head for our lunch at a restaurant opposite the bridge.

Before reaching the bridge, you will pass by the food alley, which has many interesting things to see and buy. I bought the famous bak chang, but it didn't taste as good as I imagined, possibly because I ate it cold in the chilly weather, making it feel like it had just come out of the fridge. I was too full to eat it right away. I also bought pear tea, which was tasty and warm, and some traditional cookies. I wished I could buy more, but even with two new suitcases, I didn't think we could fit anything more in there.

We headed back to the hotel in a Didi car at 2pm, cost us RMB62.19

Century Royal Hotel, Sapporo, Japan

The one great thing about this hotel is its location. It is super convenient, directly connected to Sapporo JR station.  It is an old hotel, opened in 1973, and last renovated in 2013. 

We stayed in a family room where they converted the living room to fit two extra single beds. I chose to sleep on the sofa bed as it was closest to the window.  The bed was so bad, you could feel the spring below the bed. Unfortunately, the main bedroom lacks a window, which was disappointing, but it does have an extra sink that I found useless. 

The view of snow falling in Sapporo city from the large window of our high-floor room is stunning; we didn't need a TV with this kind of view. As I told my children, we have an HD live view right here. I often stayed up at night just to watch the snow falling. It's so beautiful.

The room was clean, as is typical of any Japanese hotel we've stayed in.

Breakfast was good, but breakfast at Nest Hotel was even better.

The lobby area is spacious, and you can go down to the lobby to get your new amenities there.

The location: