TRIP TO SHENZHEN (28 OCT TO 2 NOV 2008)

28 OCTOBER 2008 (TUESDAY)

1700 hrs: We were off to the airport to catch our flight to Shenzhen.

1705 hrs: Five minutes after we pulled out of the driveway, Ah Gong muttered: "Where's my wallet?" Daddy pulled to the side of the road for Ah Gong to look for his wallet. It seemed no trip of ours could be complete without someone forgetting something! The wallet was not on Ah Gong, so we had to drive back home.

1715 hrs: Ah Gong dashed back into the car with his wallet, chased by Ah Ma's rapid fire nags.

1735 hrs: We were at the Budget Terminal to check in for Tiger Airways flight TR952. There were queues in front of the check-in counters. No chance of an empty flight.

Mommy stood in line with our passports, whilst the rest of us went off to get food from Hans. There were 8 of us on this trip - Ah Gong, Ah Ma, Laoyi (Ah Ma's older sister), Daddy, Mommy, Sri Che Che, Su Ann and yours truly.

1800 hrs: All checked in, we enjoyed our dinner at Hans.

1845 hrs: Boarding had commenced, so we made our way to the Gate. Most passengers were already there.

1915 hrs: Flight TR952 took off on time. I shared a row of seats with Ah Ma and Laoyi, who had to endure my countless "Are we there yet?". Su Ann shared a row of seats with Daddy, Mommy and Sri Che Che, and they had to put up with a struggling and screaming Su Ann. She still loathes plane rides. Ah Gong sat with strangers, and he had an interesting time chatting with one of them for 4 whole hours!
2315 hrs: We were finally here!

2345 hrs: Within half an hour of landing, we had cleared customs and collected our bags. We hopped into 2 taxis and headed for our hotel, the brand new Holiday Inn Express Luohu (http://www.hiexpress.com/).

0020 hrs: Our taxi driver drove like a maniac down the expressway, weaving in and out of traffic at high speed. He went so fast we were way ahead of the second taxi which carried Ah Gong, Ah Ma, Sri Che Che and Su Ann. Though he endangered our lives, he was at least honest. Ah Ma's driver ripped her off by giving her fake notes for change. She only learnt that they were fakes when she tried to pay for something at a store later.

Once at the hotel, I rested on the sofa in the lobby, whilst Mommy checked us all in.

0045 hrs: We were given Rooms 1906, 1907 and 1908. The rooms were on the 19th floor. Ah Gong and Ah Ma shared Room 1906. Laoyi, Sri Che Che and I shared Room 1907. Daddy, Mommy and Su Ann took Room 1908.

We were all very pleased with our choice of hotel. Each room had a queen-sized double bed, a sofa bed, flat-screen tv, a bathroom with an ingenious door, rainforest showerhead, comfortable bedding and plush thick carpet. The only thing the room lacked was a mini-fridge (which was actually advertised in their site), so we had to keep asking for ice to keep breastmilk and juice for Su Ann cool.

The hotel was newly opened, and was running an opening promotion. For under S$75.00 per night for a room, buffet breakfast and wifi were thrown in as well. We couldn't have asked for a better deal!

0130 hrs: Su Ann and I went to bed, whilst Daddy went out to scout for late night supper options nearby. He later returned with a packet of fried beehoon and a packet of fried horfun, with so much chilli they re-wrote the meaning of spicy! Daddy said it was one of the best fried horfun he had ever tasted. He was a happy boy as the streetside vendor's cart was just parked round the corner from the hotel and the food cost just S$1.00 (RMB5) per packet.

29 OCTOBER 2008 (WEDNESDAY)

0900 hrs: Good morning Shenzhen!

We were ready for the buffet breakfast in the Great Room Cafe on Level 2 of the hotel. Mommy had been forewarned by internet reviews on the hotel that the spread wasn't much to shout about.

With our expectations lowered, we were pleasantly surprised by what was laid out. There was a something for both the Asian and Western palates. The Asian corner had congee, steamed dim sum, fried rice, fried noodles, stir-fried vegetables, and soybean milk with fried dough fritters. The Western corner had toast, cereal with milk, yogurt and fruits, juice, fried eggs, sausages, baked beans and potatoes. All free! This hotel was excellent value indeed!

1100 hrs: We were ready for our adventures in Shenzhen. We bought a tourist map from the hotel, got our bearings from the receptionist and headed out the door towards Dongmen ("East Gate" in Chinese) also known as Laojie ("Old Street" in Chinese), Shenzhen's 300-year-old shopping district.

1130 hrs: It was a 30-min walk to Laojie. Crossing roads in Shenzhen was stressful. Motorists don't give way to pedestrians. We had to fight to cross the road, even when the man was green and at zebra crossings.

We wandered round the pedestrianised streets, checking out the numerous clothing and shoe stores. There weren't many shoppers on a Wednesday. Most locals were either sitting or standing around slurping up bowls of piping hot and spicy noodles. We also noticed many people buying food from a stall selling a wide selection of snacks, including deep-fried swallows.


1300 hrs: The shopping wasn't very exciting in Laojie. It reminded Mommy of a glorified Toa Payoh. We decided to move on to Luohu Commercial City.

Whilst walking there, we saw a family of 3 crossing the road. From the way they looked and dressed, one could tell that they were from the countryside, probably from a cooler region in China. The baby strapped to the mother was bundled up in thick clothes, and both parents wore long-sleeved shirts and pants. It was 31 degrees celcius in Shenzhen that day. They looked very lost in the city, and yet they were toting Louis Vuitton bags!

Shenzhen... the capital of fakes, and we were headed straight for the pulse of this multi-billion dollar imitation products industry - Luohu Commercial City. This 5-storey shopping centre is directly across the border from Hong Kong, and many day-trippers from Hong Kong don't venture further than this shopping centre.

1415 hrs: It took us a while to walk to Luohu Commercial City, as we'd to make 2 detours. First, to a bank for Ah Gong to sort something out. Second, to Shangri-La Hotel to use the washroom. Ok, this sounds bad, like we're freeloaders or something. Truth is it was our initial plan to have dim sum at Shang Palace in Shangri-La Hotel, but when we got there it was closed for renovations! Mommy had read good reviews about their RMB88 nett (about S$18.00) dim sum buffet lunch and was sorely disappointed when we learnt that it was closed.

The toilet in Shangri-La was on the 3rd floor, where the function rooms were. One of the function rooms was in use by a super large group of elderly ladies. Mommy heard them speak the Teochew dialect, and guessed that they must be from the Shantou area in Guangdong Province. Just as we were entering the toilet, a large group of them came in as well. As expected, it was absolute chaos in the toilet. No sense of lining up at all. One lady even spat on the floor!

Since Shang Palace was closed, Mommy suggested that we have lunch at Laurel Restaurant on the 5th floor of Luohu Commercial City instead. That restaurant also had rave reviews online, and they had branches all over Shenzhen. In keeping with their reputation, there was a long queue at Laurel Restaurant when we got there. We were all famished from all that walking, so we decided to go to a random restaurant opposite which had seats instead. The restaurant was called "Xiao Tao Yuan Restaurant" (meaning "Little Paradise").

1430 hrs: We had Peking Duck, "Jiaoyuan" fish (yes, the one seasoned with salt and chilli), deep-fried fishballs (not the kind we have in Singapore), deep-fried turnip, salt-baked chicken, corn stir-fried with cashews, walnuts and lily buds, long beans, chicken congee, boiled milk with ginger, black glutinous rice with coconut cream and boiled soya milk. All for about S$40.00. The fish was very fishy, but other than that, it was good value!

1530 hrs: Time to hit the shops after our meal. We started from the 5th floor and worked downwards. We saw floor after floor of fake branded products in that shopping centre. Most stores sold clothing, handbags, shoes, watches or electronics. A few sold artwork (copies of masterpieces), medicinal products, toys, etc. Ah Ma bought 2 pairs of fleeced-line pants for me, to keep me warm for my upcoming trip to Whistler. They cost a total of RMB100 (about S$20.00). They probably cost too much, but we were too tired to bargain hard.

1730 hrs: We walked around for 2 hours before calling it quits. We took a taxi back to the hotel for about RMB15 (about S$3.00), so Mommy could replenish Su Ann's milk supply, and Su Ann and I could get washed up.

1915 hrs: Time to head out again. One of Shenzhen's largest malls, MixC, was within walking distance from our hotel. We decided to head to its food court for dinner, and check out its shops. Enroute, we passed Shenzhen's tallest building - Shun Hing Square, also known as Diwang Building.

1945 hrs: MixC was similar to Suria at KLCC. All the branded fashion houses were represented there. The mall had an indoor ice-skating rink, and we stopped to watch some small kids perform. Some were 4 years old, and they could ice-skate so well! I wish I could do the same, but I don't even think the very pathetic rink we have in Singapore (does it still exist?) would have skates my size...
2000 hrs: We found the food court, one of those which used the cashcard system. The selection of food stalls was rather limited though. Not exactly recommended.

2100 hrs: After dinner, we walked around the mall. We found a store which sold milk bottle brushes, and bought one for RMB13 (less than S$3.00). Sri Che Che had forgotten to pack the bottle brush, and Mommy had been using a toothbrush to clean Su Ann's bottles.

We didn't buy anything else at the mall. Many of the so-called branded stores in MixC were Western sounding names probably made up by some savvy Chinese or Hong Kong businessmen, who pumped in some money to do the marketing. One store called MC Choice was selling leather shoes for RMB150,000.00 (about S$30,000.00) a pair!

Fortunately, the savvy businessmen did a spellcheck before launching the names. English was not widely understood in China at all, and some of the signs we spotted in Shenzhen were really hilarious. "Boarder Chechpoint" instead of "Border Checkpoint". "Primary Schoo" instead of "Primary School". "Souvenir Menopoly Shop" instead of "Exclusive Souvenir Shop". "Be In Repair. Please Round." instead of "Repairs in Progress. Please go round." "Hairdressing. Beautiful Hair." instead of "Beauty Salon".


2200 hrs: Our feet were killing us, and we had a long day planned for tomorrow. Daddy steered us out of the mall. It was late, but many of the stores and eating places we passed on the way back to our hotel were still open. Ah Ma stopped to buy some fruits, Daddy stopped to buy a drink, and Mommy stopped to buy chicken wings and a sundae from MacDonald's. The people of Shenzhen crave Western flavours. There's a MacDonald's and Starbucks at every turn.

2300 hrs: We were back at the hotel, and Su Ann and I were rushed off to bed. Nighty night Shenzhen!


30 OCTOBER 2008 (THURSDAY)

0900 hrs: Time to hit the buffet breakfast again.


1100 hrs: We made our way to the Laojie Metro Station. We wanted to take the metro to Windows of the World. Windows of the World is a theme park which showcased well-known attractions from around the world. Visiting the theme park was a shortcut to going round the world.
1145 hrs: The metro in Shenzhen offered free rides to kids below 1.1 metres and senior citizens above 65 years old, regardless of nationality. Laoyi, Su Ann and I all rode free. The rest paid RMB5 (about S$1.00) for the 12-stop journey. Cheap as chips!

1245 hrs: The exit from the metro to Windows of the World was the Glass Pyramid of The Louvre Museum in Paris. It was baking hot that afternoon, and the greenhouse effect made us feel like we were going through a furnace.

We needed the toilet first before entering the theme park. One thing I noticed about the toilets in Shenzhen was that there were mostly the squat kind. Ah Ma said that squat toilets were good for strengthening the hips!

1330 hrs: Shortly after we entered the theme park, we spotted a sad little replica of Singapore's Merlion. Well... at least we were represented! It could have been worse...

The heat made it impossible for us to stay outdoors for long. We headed straight for The Alps, an indoor ski and snowtubing area with temperatures kept at a constant minus 5 degrees celcius. We paid RMB10 per person (about S$2.00) to enter The Alps. The ticket came along with rental of a jacket and rubber boots.

We spent an hour inside the giant freezer, playing with the artificial snow and snowtubing. Ah Ma, the avid skiier, was most drawn to The Alps. She didn't want to leave, and had to be dragged out by Ah Gong.
1500 hrs: It was way past our usual lunch time, so we walked around looking for something to eat. It was relatively quiet at the theme park, and only one cafe was serving lunch. No burgers for you at this theme park, just rice and noodles.

1615 hrs: After eating our fill, we moved on to the area dedicated to North and South America. Daddy rented a 4-seater paddle boat for RMB10 (about S$2.00) so we could see the Manhattan skyline, Statue of Liberty, and the Christ The Redeemer statue in Rio De Janeiro from the water. My legs couldn't reach the paddle, but Daddy let me steer the boat.

1645 hrs: Further down, we came across an attraction which offered a free ride on a fast-going electric bobsled through the Amazon rainforest. Kids were not allowed on this ride, so I stood in front of the sign which read: "The Free Project Akks Respectfully To Line Up" to try to figure out what it was trying to say.


The ride turned Laoyi's legs to jelly, whilst everyone else emerged rejuvenated and lusting for more adrenaline pumping action.


1705 hrs: We stood watching a brave guy scale the rockface at the Inca Rockclimbing Area. He was half-way up when he made a mistake and fell.

1715 hrs: Next up was a ride with a steep drop at the end into a pool of water - the Grand Canyon Flume Ride. Su Ann and I wanted to nap more than anything else, so Laoyi, who couldn't be tricked by Mommy into another ride, stayed back to look after us.

1730 hrs: Mommy left the ride soaking wet, but happy as a lark.

We proceeded to the Niagara Falls and enjoyed the cool spray from the waterfall. We had yet to see most of the wonders of the world, but the sun was already beginning to set. It was also time for Su Ann's dinner. Sri Che Che whipped out a jar of Heinz Beef & Pumpkin and started feeding Su Ann, as we meandered through Africa, Europe and Asia.

Unfortunately for me, I missed out on Africa, Europe and Asia, as I was fast asleep in Su Ann's pram.

1830 hrs: By the time we left Windows of the World, it was already dark. We crossed the street to get to Shenzhen's largest mall, Holiday Plaza by the Yitian Group, for dinner. The mall had just opened in September 2008 and is bigger than MixC. We had to take the underpassage to get across to the mall. Once we were out, we were greeted by an awful stench. Euw!!! A street hawker was selling "Chou Doufu" (Smelly Beancurd) on sticks just outside the underpassage.

We consulted the directory at Holiday Plaza and decided to head to Level 3 for food.

1900 hrs: Up the escalators and we saw a crowd outside a restaurant called "Si Hai Yi Jia" (Four Seas House). The restaurant charged RMB158 nett per head (about S$32.00) for buffet dinner on a Thursday night, with 50% discount for senior citizens 60 years old and above, and we had 3 amongst us - Laoyi, Ah Gong and Ah Ma. Little children eat free. The door hostess took us round to see the wide array of food available before we made up our minds to dine there. In a word, the selection available was AMAZING.

None of us had been in a buffet restaurant as large as this one before. It had everything imaginable and more. There was a section on Asian cuisines - Chinese, Japanese, Korean, Indian, etc., a section on Western cuisines - foie gras, roast beef, pasta, pizza, etc., a section on desserts - cakes, pastries, Haagen Dasz ice-cream, etc., and a section on beverages - beer, wine, champagne punch, sake, Chinese rice wine, fruit juices, soft drinks, etc. On Chinese cuisine alone, food from all over China was represented. They even had a section dedicated to "health food and tonics". There was snake meat, crocodile meat, crocodile soup (the head of the crocodile was still in the big wooden bucket of soup), etc.

We circumvented the selection available over and over again, not knowing where to start. Laoyi and Ah Ma even got lost at one stage, and couldn't find their way back to our table in the packed restaurant! We spent a total of 3 hours at the restaurant, pigging out on as many different things as we could.

Yes, Ah Ma, Mommy, Sri Che Che and I plucked up the courage to try the crocodile meat and soup. It just tasted fishy.

Laoyi had so much food in front of her, she needed a whole table to herself. Ah Gong stuffed himself with as many hairy crabs as he could manage. Daddy ate 9 pieces of pan-fried foie gras (oh dear!), fresh and super plump oysters, sashimi, etc. But no one could beat our champion eater - Ah Ma, whose stomach is an abyss at buffets. She was the first to start and the last to finish, and she tried EVERYTHING or maybe even TWO OF EVERYTHING.


For me, I wasn't greedy. I only had crocodile soup, pizza, broccoli, Portuguese egg tart, popcorn, ice-cream, and candy floss. The most memorable part of the meal for me was certainly the candy floss. Mommy got me 3 of them!


2200 hrs: Never have we ever felt so satisfied after a meal, and Laoyi, Ah Gong and Ah Ma only had to pay about S$16.00 per person for all that food. It was insane. Laoyi said it was her best day as a senior citizen - free rides on the metro, half price entry to Windows of the World and half price for the best buffet in the world. We all gave the thumbs up to this splendid day!


We dragged our heavy frames to the Shijiezhichuang Metro Station, and returned to Laojie Metro Station.

2305 hrs: It was late, but the streets were still full of life. Street vendors were out in force, selling everything from food to fashion accessories. Shops and restaurants were still open. Residents were playing mahjong on the streets.

2345 hrs: All washed up, Su Ann and I went to bed.


31 OCTOBER 2008 (FRIDAY)

0900 hrs: Had breakfast in the Great Room.

1100 hrs: We received directions from the receptionist on how to get to Dafen Oil Painting Village, Buji Town, Longgang District, Shenzhen. Dafen is home to, some say, 10,000 artists from all over China. It currently produces the vast majority of the world's art and much of it is available for sale online. It's somewhat off-the-beaten-track for tourists, as the village is not very actively promoted as a tourist attraction.

We hailed 2 cabs to take us to Dafen. There was a bad jam on the expressway. Hardly a surprise when you've human beings dragging wooden carts laden with goods and buses filled with people all sharing the same road.

1200 hrs: We had expected Dafen to be in a less developed area, but we were all wrong. Buji Town was very built up. The apartment blocks there were taller and more modern looking than our HDB flats. There were malls and 5-star hotels. Not quite the picture of a village or small town we had in mind.

Dafen was a compound with rows and rows of buildings, housing art workshops, frame makers' workshops, etc. All kinds of art could be found there, from copies of masterpieces to original Chinese paintings.

We walked around admiring the different artworks on display, until our noses led us to a restaurant called Hao Feng Nian Restaurant.


1330 hrs: We ordered pork rib soup, fried french bean with minced meat, fried beef horfun, fried beehoon, salted chicken, crispy prawn balls, and mantou served with condensed milk. All that with Tsingtao beer, coffee and tea cost RMB150 (about S$30.00). Not bad for a meal for 7 persons (not counting Su Ann, since she only nibbled on the mantou).


The pork rib soup was served with crushed garlic in soy sauce and sesame oil, as well as with chopped spring onions. It didn't taste as intense as the "ba kut teh" we have in Singapore, but Daddy said the soup was one of the best pork rib soups he'd ever tasted. Overall, it was a good meal, and Su Ann gave her stamp of approval with broad smiles throughout the meal (the mantou she nibbled on was yummy!).


1450 hrs: After lunch, we continued with our walk around the village. Some of the buildings in Dafen were really colourful, and even the brooms they used were colourful too.

There were so many art pieces on display, some at ridiculously low prices, but Daddy and Mommy were not inspired to buy any.


1615 hrs: We left the village empty-handed. Ah Gong, Daddy, Mommy, Sri Che Che, Su Ann and I squeezed into a cab which took us to Shenzhen's Book City. Laoyi and Ah Ma caught a second cab which took them to Luohu Commercial City for shopping.

1655 hrs: Shenzhen's Book City was across the street from MixC. Only Ah Gong stayed to browse at the Book City. The rest of us proceeded to MixC.

1715 hrs: We found a table at KFC in MixC and Mommy ordered a meal for us to share. Sri Che Che fed Su Ann her dinner of Heinz Cheesy Pasta Bolognese, which she enjoyed immensely.

1800 hrs: We checked out the stores in MixC which we had missed out previously. It was Halloween, so some of the stores had their sales staff outfitted in scary Halloween costumes.

1840 hrs: There was also a Halloween theme at the indoor ice-skating rink. A comedian was hired to entertain the crowd. We were watching the action on the rink when we let our guard down and a pickpocket went through all the pockets of one of our daypacks. Fortunately, nothing was stolen. The daypack contained milk and food for Su Ann, diapers, etc., so the pickpocket didn't see anything he fancied.

1900 hrs: We were tired of walking around MixC and decided to look for a place to have our dinner. We walked past a Chinese fast food restaurant in Shun Hing Square and plonked ourselves down there. Mommy ordered rice with meat balls for me, Daddy had beef rice, Mommy had spicy meat noodles and Sri Che Che had beef beehoon soup. Chicken was somehow not commonly featured in menus in Shenzhen. Beef was. I wonder if it's because of bird flu...

2030 hrs: We left the restaurant after trying their desserts. We had an ice-kacang lookalike which didn't taste half as good as an ice-kacang, and a bean curd on ice with strawberry sauce which was way too sweet. Overall, not a very satisfying meal.


2100 hrs: We walked back to our hotel. Only Ah Gong was back. Laoyi and Ah Ma were still at Luohu Commercial City.

2145 hrs: For once, we were back early and Daddy could soak his aching feet. We didn't have a bathtub, so Daddy dunked his feet in 2 plastic bags of water instead. Served the same purpose!



1 NOVEMBER 2008 (SATURDAY)

0900 hrs: And just like that, it was our last day in Shenzhen. As usual, we had breakfast in the Great Room.
1100 hrs: Thus far, we hadn't bought much from Shenzhen, a well-known shoppers' paradise. Mommy suggested that we walked back to Laojie to hunt for some good bargains. Laojie on a Saturday was much more crowded than on a weekday. The streets were teeming with people, much more fun than walking around Luohu Commercial City.



Mommy liked Laojie on a Saturday, and she picked up a t-shirt for RMB20 (about S$4.00). Ah Ma, on the other hand, kept grumbling about wasting time at Laojie. She wanted to go to Luohu Commercial City.

1345 hrs: We took the metro to Luohu. Laoyi and Ah Ma had been singing praises of this restaurant they went to in Luohu Commercial City the night before, and we decided to have lunch at that restaurant. The restaurant was tucked in a corner on the 5th floor.


1430 hrs: We ordered steamed live prawns, sweet and sour fish, crispy fish balls, crystal chicken, braised pork trotters, french beans with minced meat, cabbage in clear broth, fried mantou served with condensed milk, boiled milk with ginger and sesame paste. All that with Tsingtao beer and herbal tea cost about RMB250 (about S$50).


1615 hrs: Laoyi and Ah Ma were back at the Chinese tea shop they'd spent hours at last night. The salesgirls knew them well by then. The salesgirls were from the Shantou area in Guangdong province, where my maternal ancestors came from as well. Laoyi and Ah Ma communicated with the salesgirls in the Teochew dialect.


We noticed that, aside from Mandarin, about half would speak the Cantonese dialect amongst themselves and about another half would speak the Teochew dialect amongst themselves. My family could understand all 3 languages. The vendors didn't bother us much at Luohu Commercial City, but we witnessed how those vendors went after other tourists like hawks. Two girls clung onto a Caucasian man to prevent him from leaving the store. The man had to shrug them off and break into a run. Those who tried on clothing but didn't buy also got shouted at. Competition was stiff, and the vendors weren't very pleasant at all.

1745 hrs: We were supposed to leave Luohu Commercial City at 1745 hrs and make our way back to the hotel, but Laoyi and Ah Ma refused to leave. They wanted to buy more clothes and shoes.

1800 hrs: We couldn't get Laoyi and Ah Ma to budge, so we left them with their passports and walked to the taxi rank without them. We didn't want to risk missing our flight. Bad experience in Hong Kong before!

1810 hrs: We got to the taxi rank to find the queue longer than the Great Wall of China! We panicked and rushed to the metro station. We rang Ah Ma and urged her to come to the metro station immediately.

1820 hrs: We were on the metro travelling back to Laojie. From there, it was a 30-min walk to the hotel, and we needed some time to pick up some dinner along the way. It was a Saturday night and the streets were buzzing with activity. Beggars were seen along the streets asking for money as well. A sight which brought tears to Mommy's eyes was a shirtless man with a white beard positioning a young boy, not much older than me, on the road. The young boy was shirtless as well, and he was razor thin. His body was folded in half, his head was against his ankles. The boy was either handicapped or the man had done something cruel to him to make him the way he was.

1915 hrs: We were back at the hotel with takeaway Chinese food and MacDonald's. We devoured the food, washed up and packed our suitcases.

2045 hrs: We hailed 2 cabs to take us to the airport.

2145 hrs: Our cab driver took his time to drive us safely to the airport.

The terminal for international departures was tucked in an obscure corner of the airport. By the time we found the check-in counter for Tiger Airways, there was already a mass of people in front of the counters. Again, no chance of an empty flight.

2240 hrs: We were in the transit area waiting to board the plane. This has got to be the lousiest airport I've been to. There was absolutely nothing for us to do whilst we waited for our flight. The transit area was simply a waiting area with chairs, a drinking fountain and a toilet. The small duty-free store was closed. Ah Ma amused herself (and us) by going to the toilet every 15 mins.


2345 hrs: We were up in the air on Tiger Airways Flight TR953. Su Ann was cheerful for the first hour.

0045 hrs: After an hour, Su Ann grew grumpy. She was tired, but couldn't fall asleep. Perhaps, it was the pressure cabin which irritated her, or the noise of the engines, or the bright lights in the cabin, etc. Whatever the case was, she burst into tears and wouldn't stop crying for an hour. Ah Gong and Sri Che Che took turns carrying Su Ann and pacing up and down the aircraft, trying to soothe her and rock her to sleep. Their efforts didn't really pay off, as Su Ann would stop for a short while then resume crying again.

0200 hrs: Mommy took a screaming Su Ann off Ah Gong and managed to rock her to sleep. Mommy stood at the back of the plane with Su Ann fast asleep. She did not dare return to her seat for fear of rousing Su Ann.

0315 hrs: Mommy was still standing at the back of the plane when Daddy took over. Ten minutes later, the Captain announced the descent. By 0330 hrs, Daddy returned to his seat with a sleeping Su Ann. Fortunately for everyone on board, she did not cry again that night.

0345 hrs: We had landed safely at the Budget Terminal. Whilst walking to the customs, Sri Che Che told Mommy that Su Ann's cries had irritated a particular passenger so much that he had slapped Sri Che Che's arm on the plane. He had also shouted at her in Chinese. The passenger's friends then joined in and shouted at her: "Give milk lah!" Sri Che Che had kept mum about this incident until we got off the plane. Sri Che Che complained of pain in her arm. Mommy wanted to report the assault to the airport police, but Sri Che Che, on hearing the word "police" recoiled and said that she couldn't remember what the guy looked like!

Oh dear, the flight back home had turned out to be a rather unpleasant one. That won't deter us from travelling though. We've all been bitten by the travel bug, and we're already itching to go on the next trip. Bring on the promos budget airlines!