SECOND TRIP TO SHANGHAI & WHISTLER (22 JANUARY TO 7 FEBRUARY 2010)

22 January 2010 (Friday)

We had planned this ski trip a year ago, but a few weeks before our departure, Chia Yee broke the news to us that she wouldn't be able to join us on the slopes anymore. Chia Yee had just found out that she was pregnant! We were overjoyed to hear the good news, and agreed that she shouldn't be skiing in her condition. She would still be travelling in Canada with us though.

At 0055 hrs on 22 February 2010, Ah Gong, Ah Ma and I flew China Eastern Flight No. MU544 to Shanghai. It was an uneventful flight with me sleeping most of the way to Shanghai.

We landed safely in Shanghai at 0610 hrs. We were originally meant to catch a connecting flight to Vancouver the same day, but China Eastern Airlines rescheduled that connecting flight at the last minute and they had to put us up at a hotel in Shanghai for a night.

China Eastern Airlines arranged for us to be picked up from the airport and taken to the hotel, the Shanghai Jin Li Hua Hotel in Pudong. The hotel was the very first 3-star hotel to be built in Pudong, so it was rather old and run down. We were given a suite.

We took a rest in our suite, then went for lunch at the revolving restaurant on the 22nd floor of our hotel. Ah Gong ordered crab, brocolli with abalone mushroom, and fried noodles. It was an excellent meal. The highlight being the crab. None of us had tasted crab this good before. For dessert, we had dumpling in Chinese wine soup and egg tarts. The meal cost about Rmb200 (S$40.00) for the 3 of us, which wasn't exactly cheap but the food was good enough to lure us back again.

After lunch, we went shopping and Ah Ma bought me a new pair of snowpants and boots.


By the time we were done, it was dinner time. All of us enjoyed our lunch so much that we decided to have dinner at the same restaurant. This time, Ah Gong ordered crispy Pipa duck, mixed vegetables and rice. We fell in love with the duck, but were too full to order another portion. The bill came up to Rmb100 (S$20.00).


It was a blessing in disguise that we had our flight cancelled. We were able to break a super long journey, we had a free night's stay in Shanghai and we discovered a gem of a restaurant. We all slept very well that night.

23 January 2010 (Saturday)

After breakfast at the hotel, we had a few hours to spare before our free ride to the airport at noon. We wandered around the neighbourhood and Ah Gong got me a cheeseburger for lunch from MacDonald's.


By 1245 hrs, we had completed our check-in at the airport and I was able to nibble slowly on my burger at the transit lounge.

At 1450 hrs, we were on board China Eastern Airlines Flight No. 581 and were ready for take-off. The 10 hr 40 min journey to Vancouver was uneventful. We crossed the international dateline and arrived in Vancouver on the same day at 0930 hrs.

Once we arrived in Vancouver, we took a taxi to Hotel Le Soleil in downtown Vancouver. The taxi ride cost about CAD30.00.

Daddy has a friend who moved from Singapore to Vancouver several years ago. Daddy's friend had requested for his mail to be brought to him, along with 3kg of pineapple paste for the upcoming Chinese New Year, and Ah Gong had kindly obliged. After checking into our hotel, we met up with Daddy's friend and his wife. They were so happy to receive the items and offered to take us out for lunch, but Ah Gong politely declined.

Although it was lunch time in Vancouver, we weren't hungry at all. There was a 16-hr time difference between Vancouver and Singapore. It was 0430 hrs back home and all we wanted to do was sleep. We retreated to our hotel room for a nap, only to wake up many hours later.

Uncle Craig and Chia Yee had flown in on the same day. By the time they arrived at the hotel, it was already 2030 hrs. One of Chia Yee's favourite restaurants in Vancouver was Kirin Restaurant, and she never fails to have at least one meal there when she visits. Upon meeting Uncle Craig and Chia Yee, we rushed to Kirin Restaurant, only to find it closed for renovations.

Another of Chia Yee's favourite restaurants in Vancouver was the Imperial Chinese Restaurant, so we rushed there instead. However, by the time we got there, the kitchen had closed. Alas! We had to settle for MacDonald's instead... which was my first choice anyway...

That night, sleep was hard to come by. I had slept so much during the day that I was wide awake late at night.

24 January 2010 (Sunday)

For the last 20 years, Ah Gong, Ah Ma and Chia Yee have visited Vancouver once a year and there's a particular routine they keep to every year. Without fail, they will have a meal at Kirin Restaurant, Imperial Chinese Restaurant and dim sum in Chinatown.

You guessed it. For lunch today, it was dim sum in Chinatown, followed by a walk around Chinatown, then dinner at Imperial Chinese Restaurant.


We had an early bus to catch the next day to Whistler, so an early night it had to be. My little body was tired out from the day's activities that I fell asleep more easily than the night before.

25 January 2010 (Monday)

I was out of bed by 0400 hrs. The Greyhound bus to Whistler was leaving at 0515 hrs, and we couldn't afford to miss that bus because my 5-day ski camp was due to start at 0900 hrs!

We boarded the 0515 hrs bus and arrived at Intrawest Resort in Whistler 3 hours later. It was snowing lightly and the scene looked like a page out of a fairytale, but we didn't have time to savour the beautiful scenery. Ski camp was starting in less than an hour. I put on my ski apparel as quickly as I could, and was whisked off to ski school for registration. We made it just in time!

There were 6 of us in the class and our instructor was James. The 5-day ski camp cost CAD657.38 (about S$880.00), inclusive of equipment rental and lunch.

I was issued a special GPS device which allowed my family to track my whereabouts and achievements during the camp. Just go to http://www.flaik.com/ and register for a free account. My Flaik ID for 25 January 2010 was GMC-8.

On my first day at ski camp, we warmed up at the bunny slope near the ski school on Blackcomb Mountain. It had been a year since I last skiied, but I was surprised that I could still remember most of what I learnt the previous year and maintain my balance quite well. Some of my campmates didn't fare too well though. They kept falling over.

When my family came to pick me up at 1520 hrs, I was in high spirits and was looking forward to the next day's lesson. Instructor James told Ah Gong that I was one of the best performers in my class.

I returned to Intrawest Resort with my family. Our 2-bedroom apartment had a funky curry smell (left behind by the previous occupants). Poor Chia Yee who was suffering from morning sickness didn't take to it too well. It was freezing outside, but Chia Yee chose to sit out on the verandah to stay away from the smell. That night, Ah Ma prepared dinner (not curry!).


26 January 2010 (Tuesday)

I was up bright and early this morning, and Ah Ma made me a ham sandwich for breakfast. After breakfast, my family walked me to my ski school.

My Flaik ID for 26 January 2010 was AAB-4. We spent most of the day practising our skills on the Yellow Brick Road run.


There was another 5 year old girl in my class and her name was Lily. Lily was from Seattle, USA and she was 5 months older than me. We were naturally drawn to each other and she became my best friend at ski camp. At 1515 hrs, Ah Gong and Ah Ma picked me up from ski school, and I introduced them to Lily.


That evening, Uncle Craig made dinner. We had spaghetti bolognaise and it was yummilicious!


27 January 2010 (Wednesday)

My Flaik ID for 27 January 2010 was GLR-7, and today we covered a lot more ground than the previous 2 days.

After warming up on the Yellow Brick Road run, we rode on the Wizard Express chairlift followed by the Solar Coaster Express chairlift to our training ground higher up on Blackcomb Mountain. We skiied the green run down to the start of the Solar Coaster Express, rode the chairlift to the top again and practised skiing in the Jersey Bowl area. Our instructor gave us some playtime at the Children's Adventure Park as well, which was a lot of fun. We ended our day by skiing all the way down to the base of Blackcomb Mountain. We covered more than 9 miles on skis today.


Ah Gong and Ah Ma picked me up from ski camp at 1500 hrs, and I had lots to tell them about my day. Ah Gong and Ah Ma didn't fare too badly either. They did a fair bit of skiing themselves.

After dinner that evening, I went tobogganing with Ah Gong, Ah Ma and Uncle Craig. Poor Chia Yee wasn't having much fun in Whistler at all.


28 January 2010 (Thursday)

My Flaik ID for 28 January 2010 was BOO-2, and our training was going to get tougher.

After warming up on the Yellow Brick Road run, we rode on the Wizard Express chairlift, followed by the Excalibur Express chairlift to our training ground at Jersey Cream Bowl.

Jersey Cream Bowl is home to a few double black diamond trails. Although we weren't taken to those runs, the runs we were taken to were still quite challenging. With our instructor's guidance, we made it down in one piece and we were rewarded with some playtime at the Children's Adventure Park. Like the previous day, we ended the day by skiing all the way down to the base of Blackcomb Mountain. We covered slightly under 9 miles on skis today.

Ah Gong and Ah Ma picked me up at 1500 hrs, and they were very proud of me.

29 January 2010 (Friday)

It was Ah Gong's birthday today and we were going to celebrate the occasion today. But first, I had to attend my final lesson at ski camp. My Flaik ID for 29 January 2010 was BBT-6.

After our usual warm up at the Yellow Brick Road run, the Wizard Express chairlift and Solar Coaster Express chairlift carried us up the mountain. Thus far, we had stuck to green runs, but Instructor James was going to make us try some blue runs today. We were taken to the start of a blue run called Wishbone. It was very steep and scary. Lily and I couldn't contain our fear and we burst into tears. The boys in our class cried too. Nevertheless, Lily and I tried our best and we made it down successfully, together with one other skier in our class. The other 3 classmates had to be rescued by ski patrol! Looking back, it sounds a little amusing now, but it sure wasn't funny when we were on the slope. Lily and I were both quite shaken by the experience.

We covered a lot of ground on our skis today. We managed to do slightly more than 12 miles, the most we'd done in a day thus far. To wrap up our 5-day ski camp, our class skiied down the Yellow Brick Road run. Our family members were there to cheer us on during our finale slalom.


Instructor James was very nice. He was all praises for me. He told Ah Gong that I'd done extremely well, and rated me "very high level on Level Two Star Star". Instructor James gave me the "Angel Award".


We had been eating at the apartment the last few nights. Tonight, in celebration of Ah Gong's birthday, we got to eat out. Our pick was Kaze (http://www.kazesushiwhistler.com/) at the Westin. When Daddy and Mommy got married in Whistler in 2001, Kaze was where they hosted their wedding lunch. Uncle Tom, who owns the restaurant, knows our family by now. We spent a good 2 hrs feasting on on sushi, yakitori, tempura, tofu, shabu-shabu, etc. It was an excellent meal!


We walked back to the apartment after dinner and surprised Ah Gong with a chocolate birthday cake.

30 January 2010 (Saturday)

I had completed my 5-day ski camp, but Ah Gong and Ah Ma felt I should continue taking lessons so I could make better progress. They signed me up for one-day ski lessons on 30 and 31 January 2010. Each one-day ski lesson cost CAD158.96, inclusive of equipment rental and lunch. My Flaik ID for 30 January 2010 was ATG-9.

My instructor was Patrick. The group consisted of skiers of different levels. Although most of the kids were about my age, there was a 10-yr-old boy who was a Level 1 skier. Most of them had just arrived in Whistler and hadn't had time on the snow yet. It took a long time for the group to warm up and get ready for the chairlift. As a result, I didn't cover as much ground as I did the last few days. We only managed to go up the Wizard Express chairlift twice to ski down the mountain. Terrain which I'd covered several times before. Today, we did slightly less than 7.5 miles on skis.


At the end of the lesson, Instructor Patrick told Ah Gong that I'd done well and was a confident Level 3 skier already.

Ah Ma made me bee hoon soup with chicken that night. Everyone else had laksa for dinner. Ah Ma always packs Prima Taste local delicacies in her suitcase when she travels...

31 January 2010 (Sunday)

Today would be my final ski lesson for the season. I signed up for another one-day lesson. My Flaik ID for 31 January 2010 was DZA-1. My instructor was Sophia.

We covered similar terrain to that during my 5-day ski camp. I did more than 10 miles on skis today, and Ah Gong and Ah Ma ran into my group when we were having lunch at Rendezvous on Blackcomb Mountain. It was a fun and exhilarating day.

By the end of my 7th ski lesson for the season, I had become a more confident skiier, capable of all green runs and simple blue runs. I was ready for new challenges, and would join Ah Gong and Ah Ma tomorrow. Perhaps, I would be called on to rescue Ah Ma? *hehe*

1 February 2010 (Monday)

Today would be my 8th consecutive day on skis. Surprisingly, I had not complained of muscle ache and my body was coping very well. Ballet throughout the year had done my leg muscles plenty of good!

Ah Gong, Ah Ma and I started the day at 1030 hrs. We took the Wizard Express chairlift, followed by the Solar Coaster Express chairlift, before switching over to the Peak-to-Peak gondola, which would take us to Whistler Mountain. Whistler/Blackcomb would be hosting the Winter Olympics in a few days, but the highly anticipated crowds had still not shown up at the resort. We had the entire Peak-to-Peak gondola to ourselves. Our gondola pierced through the clouds during the 11-min journey and the scenery was just breathtaking.


We skiied Upper Whisky Jack, Pig Alley and lower Ego Bowl, then we took the Emerald Express chairlift to the top again, and skiied down the entire length of Whisky Jack. After that workout, we headed to Roundhouse Lodge for lunch, where we had chicken burger, hot dog and fries.


We left Roundhouse Lodge at 1400 hrs, and skiied Ego Bowl two more times. Even though the trails were new to me, I was confident and led the way. I was relaxed whilst skiing, and was able to ski quite fast and sing at the same time! I never once fell. In fact, Ah Gong noticed me bending down whilst skiing to pick up snow to play along the way. I wanted to try more challenging runs, but Ah Gong and Ah Ma said I had to wait till next season. Ah Gong and Ah Ma were very pleased with my progress.


At 1500 hrs, we took the Whistler Village gondola then switched to Excalibur gondola to return to Blackcomb Mountain. My final run for the season was down the all too familiar Yellow Brick Road. We arrived at the ski rental shop at the base of Blackcomb Mountain just before they closed at 1600 hrs to return my equipment. It was a fine season indeed!

That evening, we had dinner at Caramba! Restaurante (http://www.caramba-restaurante.com/) in Whistler Village. This is one of the restaurants where Ah Gong, Ah Ma and Chia Yee make their annual stops at. Ah Ma likes the calamari here.


Midway through dinner, I fell asleep in the restaurant. I had been waking up early, exercising for 5 to 6 hours every day for the last 8 days, and was visibly exhausted. No matter how Ah Gong and Ah Ma tried to rouse me, I just wouldn't wake up. We missed the last bus back to Intrawest Resort and there were no taxis in sight. Walking was the only way back and poor Uncle Craig had to carry me all the way back.

2 February 2010 (Tuesday)

For once, we could wake up late and have a lazy day chilling. We had no plans for the day, other than to go swimming in the resort's pool in the afternoon when it would be relatively quiet.

That afternoon, we put on our swimming gear and went swimming in the heated, outdoor pool. I'm not sure if it was the cold or what, but I didn't feel well at all in the pool. I wanted to throw up. Fortunately, I got out in time and didn't make a mess in the pool (only on the pavement...).


A new Chinese restaurant called Gold Leaf Chinese Food had opened up next to Whistler's IGA Supermarket. Ah Gong and Ah Ma bought takeaway food from the Chinese restaurant, and some chicken strips from KFC for me. The Chinese food was not bad at all, and it cost CAD47.00 for our family, probably one of the cheaper places to eat in Whistler.


For dessert, Uncle Craig made jelly for me. He's such a star!

After dinner, Ah Gong helped me work on my "Chinese spelling". In Growing Up Gifted Kindergarten, we've to learn 8 new Chinese characters a week, and there would be a "Chinese spelling test" at the end of each week. I had missed out on quite a bit of school by taking this ski trip.

3 February 2010 (Wednesday)

Yipee! Another day of chilling. We wandered around Whistler Village and checked out the shops today. Ah Ma bought me some new clothes.

With nothing left to do in the evening, we caught a movie in our resort's theatre and had takeaway food for dinner. We would be heading back to Vancouver the next day.

4, 5, 6 & 7 February 2010 (Thursday, Friday, Saturday & Sunday)

On 4 February, we caught the Greyhound bus back to Vancouver, and checked into the St Regis Hotel (http://www.stregishotel.com/) in downtown Vancouver. The rooms were newly refurbished and they served a good fry-up for breakfast. Recommended!

At 0930 hrs on 5 February, we caught the SkyTrain from downtown Vancouver to the airport. This line had opened in 2009, ahead of the Winter Olympics 2010. The train was brand new and the ride was smooth, efficient, and a lot cheaper than the taxi. We wouldn't be taking the taxi again!

At 1220 hrs, China Eastern Flight No. MU582 departed from Vancouver. It would be a 12 hr 35 min journey to Shanghai. We would cross the international dateline once again, but would lose a day this time. We were scheduled to arrive in Shanghai at 1655 hrs on 6 February.

The flight was uneventful and we landed in Shanghai at the appointed time. We had a 7-hr layover before our next flight out. At 2355 hrs on 6 February, we departed from Shanghai on China Eastern Flight No. MU543.

At 0505 hrs on 7 February, we arrived safely in Singapore. I couldn't wait to see Daddy, Mommy and Su Ann, and tell them all about my adventures!