At least net week – Monday May 12th I will be at Brisbane airport ready to go on a Singapore Airlines flight to Singapore. All being well, some one hour after I land, I will meet up with my sister Christine, whom I haven’t seen since November 2013, and we will spend a few days in Singapore before flying together to Shanghai for a further few days. Then she will return to Australia and I will go on to Shaoxing to catch up with old friends and students at Yuexiu University of Foreign Languages where I taught English in 2008 and 2010. I am extrememly excited about returning to China. I will stay for around 2 weeks. I will have with my my Canon EOS SLR Camera, complete with new lens I hope, ready to take some great photos for my collection and for a book about my travels.
I have of course been to both Singapore and Shanghai before – but my sister will be visiting for the first time. We will have a busy time visiting places, but as neither of us are great night time folk – preferring to dine out and get home early, we are planning to fill our days.
When I travel I like to do a day tour of the city I am in – and the Hop On Hop On buses are a great way to do this. Ideally one starts around midday and after perusing the map of the city and making some decisions we set off. It can be exhausting, so it is great to be able to complete the trip the next day – up early and on the bus again.
These huge cities change dramatically – and I know there are many changes since I was last there, in both cities. I am yet to make a list of things to do and see – but Marina Bay is one of them. I am not in need of a shopping fix – I keep trying NOT to buy anything. I guess as I sit on the plane from Brisbane I will be making notes about things to do and see.
Yesterday I had lunch at Daisy’s Place on the northern end of Landsborough, and met up with two friends who were teaching in China – in fact both taught at Yuexiu – and were keen to hear about my plans. Today I am meeting up with another two former English teachers in China – one (whom I later discoverd to be a distant relative, a descendant of the Ragless family in South Australia) who was also at Yuexiu, and another whom I made contact with after moving to Beachmere. I hope to also have apedicure, and purchase a few things for some gifts I have made. I need some ribbon to complete some craft items I have made.
Then I have some work to do for the Caboolture Historical Village before I go for my volunteer day there tomorrow.
It is going to be a busy week.
