It is only Day 2 and our legs are already screaming 'HELP! We need a massage badly!!!'. It has been like a really long time since we walked so much. We may sound like we are exaggerating but I think we might have even covered 10km today. Looking on the bright side, all that distance covered was good because I bet we lost calories from all that snacking in Shanghai (the Sofie ice cream sold in the Expo is really delectable).
So for today, the 60 of us were divided into 2 groups. 1 went to the Singapore Pavilion for a detailed tour, and the other went to the China Pavilion. Our teams together with Li Ming and Nabil's were the ones who went to the much talked about China Pavilion where we queued for approximately 2 1/2 hours.
China Pavilion is as huge as it looks from the outside. And I must say we were impressed with the host country's pavilion. Not only was it magnificent looking on the outside, the interior was also nicely decorated and designed. Tell me, which other country have escalators and lifts in their pavilion?
There were a number of things to see inside. They explained how they have improved over the years through a video projected over 3 screens (right left and center) in a large theater, educate the public on ways they can help save the Earth (taking a private car causes more pollution than trains or buses), showcase the famous painting by a late emperor through animations (we were all fascinated by it and marveled at the efforts and skills that went into making the painting 'come to life') and even have a track car ride. If you ask me if it was worth the wait, I'd say definitely!
We were supposed to watch the night parade in Expo but somehow got the timing fixed up and missed the show. As a result, we headed to Nanjing Road for dinner and some shopping.
Nanjing Road is like Orchard Road which houses recognisable brands like Gucci, Guess, Giordano, Uniqlo, ZARA, MANGO, City Chain and the likes. Unfortunately, the prices there were about the same or a little pricey than Singapore's. We left empty handed because we did not see anything worth buying. At the moment. Haha! However, I have to add that we had wonderful crepes and ice cream at Hua Miao Shopping Centre (if I remembered correctly) Each cost 15RMB (approx. $3SGD)? Quite a bargain given the fact that the crepes in Singapore cost at most $7.
What we learnt about China today: Don't look down on them! Sharlene said in 5 years time, we might not be able to regconise Shanghai anymore due to the constant upgrading they are undergoing. I heard from our tour guide that it took them a year to complete an MRT line. That's how efficient they are! They currently have 13 MRT lines and we will experience taking the public transport soon but I'll leave that update to another day.
It's time to head to bed now and recharge for another long day tomorrow. Good night, or perhaps it's more apt to say GOOOOOOOOD MORNING! Hehe :p
PS: We would really love to post pictures and not bore you with a lengthy post but unfortunately we can't seem to host our pictures online. Will try to do so this week or when we get back to Singapore. For now, bear with us and check back frequently! :)
- Sharlene & Amanda
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