As what I have said earlier, I try to go a country which I have never been, each year. If I can't, at least go to a new place instead. This can help to widen your knowledge and perspective.
In Dec 07, I went to Shanghai for a 8 days tour by Hong Tai Travel Services. This is my first trip to Shanghai. The tour package is S$674 and it covers almost everything except for shopping.
Why you should join tour you may ask ?
I think you should if you want to save money. My wife cousin and her family go on the same flight, China Eastern, they pay about $550 for air- ticket alone. Their flight is one day after us but we came back in the same flight. I have to say free and easy tour also got it pros, you need not wake up at 6:30am each day I guest. But the pros for joining tour is a lot, you have someone to receive you the moment you touch down till you check-in on the day you depart.
For Shanghai tour, it includes Hangzhou, Suzhou, Wuxi and Wuzhen because they are near Shanghai. As Dec is winter in China, the temperature is around 5 deg in the day and below 5 deg in the night. The daylight is also short in Dec, by 4:30pm, it will be dark.
About Food
I have no problem with the food provided. The way they are prepared is different from here in terms of way of cooking and the ingredients used. I think we should try the food there to know more about what people there eat daily. Food is something you have to try it yourself then you know how it taste. People can descript to you, show it to you in pictures or video, if you don't try it, you don't know how exactly it taste.
As a whole, I quite like the trip. The only time I felt uneasy is one day when we went brought to a shopping centre in Shanghai. Outside the shopping centre, we can see some youngster hanging around outside. They dressed like gangsters and also were smoking. We minute we stepped out of the coach, they knew we were tourists and started staring at us. When we walked to the basement, there are people following us and asked whether we want to buy leather and branded goods. All these people will carry with them a card showing pictures of wallet, handbag, etc. Our tour guide told us never follow them to where they said they will take you to. There are just so many this kind of people around there. They will follow you all the way if you talk to them.
My colleague told me his daughter went for the same trip with another tour agent and paid about $1,200 for the same tour also in Dec 07. I was told the service was good as they need not carry their luggage. I believed the food they enjoyed and the hotels they stayed are also better then us.
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