Summer Fat Camp 2010 - Destination II

Summer Fat Camp Destination II is the.... Philippines!

No summer camp is complete without going to the beautiful islands of Philippines'. For this trip, we went to Apo Island. Apo Island is a diving heaven and a marine sanctuary. I was hoping to go diving and I did! But I didn't feel too good after the first dive and got really sick but other than that I had a great time on my 2nd dive and snorkeling in the marine sanctuary. The hotel that we stayed in is so rustic that there's no running water and electricity is only available on certain hours. Reminds me of my grandmother's place when I was growing up. :)

Isn't the weather and the sea beautiful?

It was an awesome weekend! I would love to go to Apo Island again and maybe you can come along too! :)

Summer Fat Camp 2010 - Destination I

Summer Fat Camp 2010 is not an annual event. When the invitation lands on your lap, you grab it and don't think twice. It is not limited to only 1 destination but to many, where to? It is up to the organizers and all you need to do is to pay for your flight tickets and the rest is planned and covered for. The schedule is crazy but the experience is - priceless. Thanks to all the wonderful organizers!


Location 1 : Shanghai
My first stop was to go to Shanghai and to attend the Expo 2010. Frankly, it was really an awesome event, unfortunately, it was way too crowded. An average of 40,000 people attend the Expo, entering the Expo first thing in the morning took us 2 hours, let alone lining up to go into the exhibition halls. I was told that the to enter the China Hall, many lined up for 4-5 hours. So I didn't bother hence I didn't get to see a lot of the cool ones, I barely made it through the day and spent only a limited time at the Expo. If you have the patience to be in line for hours and be a part of the mob, you should definitely go and check it out.

The best part about this China trip is the accommodation!
My camp coordinator had the best accommodation mapped out! When the hotel's restaurant was fully booked, we just ordered room service. :D
Check it out!

Then of course, how could we forget camp food? Insufferable camp food? *Haha* On the first day, we went for Ajisen Ramen and it was pretty good.

For the next few days, we were stuffed with the best of the best in Shanghai. The best Shanghainese food that I had tasted was at Xiao Nan Guo, not only the food came out beautiful, the tastes were amazing! Most of the dishes looked simple but the tastes from the fresh ingredients were incredibly accentuated by the master chefs. We had the sticky rice in lotus root, salad, drunken chicken, seafood tofu (looked very plain but tasted very good), mixed mushroom, fish, Long Jin prawn, and my favourite is the sticky rice balls in sweet rice wine.

Somehow we always miss Japanese food so we had - Dory fish hot pot rice, agedashi tofu, and Rainbow sushi. When the weather got too unbearably hot, we hopped into Tian Mi Mi (dessert chain) for some grass jelly red bean soup and cold ice tea. Also, not forgetting the famous Lao Ma Mi Xian, thick vermicelli, best eaten either hot or cold.

Of course, not forgetting the Shanghai night scene.

And the famous Bund.

And the crowded Nan Jing East Road.

It's crazy, but I love the lights and colors. They're so vibrant and full of life! Glad to be back in Asia again. ♥



Location II: Hangzhou


We also went for a 2-day trip to Hangzhou, it was pouring during those 2 days, so we didn't really get to enjoy the West Lake but at least we get to see the beautiful lotuses.

When you travel, it's best to have local friends because they will bring you the best local restaurant. We were treated to the famous Cai Die Xuan Restaurant.

Location III: Suzhou


What's famous in Suzhou? The old gardens, temples and canal streets. And what is cheap there? Silk scarves. Well, only if you know how to buy and bargain for them. For the cheap price that I got for the scarves, I still think I was sold the imitation silk scarves although the lady looked insulted when I asked her so. Haha....

Next stop - Philippines.