Cheeks to Cheeks

Nong ho! We’re here in beautiful Shanghai.

The girls are still adjusting to the time zone and needless to say, I haven’t been sleeping well. So far, these are the food we’ve accomplished to consume: Cai bao (Steamed veggie bun), Dan bing (Savory egg crepe), Fan tuan (Savory rice balls), Shen jian bao (Pan-fried buns),  Da jai xie (Da jai crabs), and a lot of Shanghaiese style condiments and side dishes. Next on our list is McD. No, we are not missing our American food but McD has this lunch deal that is too good to give up. They are promoting their combo meal at the price of 15 yuan. That’s like USD 2!!!  This deal is only valid for lunch hrs. I’m sure Belle will enjoy her McD meal very much.

There are so much to do and we have so much free time on our hand. We will be here for about 3 weeks–the longest trip so far (at Shanghai). I’m Facebook-less from now till we arrive at K.L. So, those of you who has written to me on my FB, I will not be able to reply. Quite a lot of sites have been banned in China. Therefore, I really can’t do too much net surfing. I guess I’ll just have to stuff myself silly with the local food to pass time.

Zai wei! (Goodbye!)

My aunt saw the digital frame we got for my folks last year and wanted to get one too. Luckily we bought two during Black Friday (after Thanksgiving) last year. Jon is testing it out now and we will probably get a memory card for her too. This frame (including the box) will take up a lot of space in our luggage bag. Man, it’s gonna be tough to pack now ‘cos we have to bring both winter and summer clothes.

Yup, we’re not only going back to K.L. but to Shanghai as well. I know Belle is pretty excited to see her grandparents ‘cos she is constantly saying we’re going to Malaysia to visit them. It’s great that she’s now at the age where she comprehends events. She would make up stories on what she would do when she’s in the airplane, in Malaysia, etc. Three year-olds are definitely more fun (to watch or listen to)!

A sneak preview to the photos taken at Ireland…

More to come…

Cassie is taking a nap now and I’m multi-tasking on the pc and laptop. I really need to start packing Belle’s clothes. Trying to stuff both the kids clothes and diapers into one luggage bag ain’t easy. I think we will have to get some of Cassie’s diapers when we reach Ireland.

It is easy for adults to re-wear clothes but we can’t do that for kiddy clothes. I think I’ll have to stuff the kids clothes into those space saver bags. Hmm, maybe that will save me some rooms for the diapers and toys. Alright, I better start on my packing. So excited!

I had mentioned my jeans are a little looser now and I don’t need any Slimquick Cleanse. Well, maybe not now. I heard the full Irish breakfast is to die for. Oh, I literally mean it too. Irish breakfast is one hearty meal that consists of bacons, sausages, fried eggs, white pudding, black pudding and toast. It is also accompanied with black tea and milk. Almost every ingredient in a full Irish breakfast is fried. Now, isn’t that something to “die for”?

Would I try a full Irish breakfast? Oh yeah, baby! Like they say, eat what the Romans eat. Can you tell I’m excited about this trip?

The lack of posts meaning I’m super busy at work and at home. Imagine this, last night I conked out at 9pm while nursing Cassie. I have been trying to get our Ireland trip finalized but I can’t seem to make up my mind on the tours.

Initially, I thought it would be nice for us to rent a van and drive around Ireland on our own. Then I realized we have to bring 2 carseats with us if we plan to do that. Since the trip is on November, that means the day is shorter. I’ve read on trip sites that the road system in Ireland isn’t well planned. There are many country roads. I wouldn’t want us to get lost, especially when the road signs are not clearly marked on country roads. So, I scraped the rental idea.

So, I thought of doing rail tours. First, it will be a leisure right and we do not have to worry about getting lost. Again, I was told the rail system in Ireland isn’t effective. All trains outbound and inbound are from Dublin. So, if we want to go to South Ireland and later to West Ireland, we will have to depart from Dublin to South Ireland and return back to Dublin just to go to West Ireland. You would think an European country would have a better rail system…apparently not, when comes to the Republic of Ireland.

Then I have to deal with Aer Lingus, the airline we’re taking for our trip to Dublin. That’s another headache. I’ll probably write up a post about it after the trip. I want to get the feel of their total service before summing up my opinion. Don’t be surprise if I get a travelouge set up. By the rate I’m going on with this trip planning, I should give myself a cpm award.

I have been reading forum about traveling in Ireland and have seeked advice from friends who had been to Europe. One important tip I read/got was about credit cards. Do you know majority credit card companies charge a foreign transaction fee? That is a 3% charge on top of the things you’ve purchased if you’re out of U.S! To me, 3% less means more money to spend on my trip.

If you want to skip the foreign transaction fee, you should read more about it at this new credit card blog. In summary, the only credit card that does NOT charge the foreign transaction fee is Capitol One. It’s no brainer that we will be applying for one before our trip to Ireland.

If want to be a real smart traveller, I suggest you look for the Capitol One No Hassle Cash Rewards. Tip: More savings on top of the no international transaction fee.

I am still trying to finalize our trip to Dublin, Ireland. I hope my mom has informed my god-bro to email the names and passport numbers. Without that I would not be able to book the flights. So far the cheapest price is from Aer Lingus. On top of the flight, I have been looking at tours and tours aren’t cheap in Ireland. Seeing the fact that we will be traveling in November, I’ve told Jon it is unadvisable to drive on our own. The day will be shorter and Ireland will be really wet during November. I’ve also read that the road system in Ireland is not the best in Europe too.

Apart from that, I have been looking at luggage bags too. Belle will be having her own seat, that means, she has 2 luggage spots. Woohoo! I’ve been looking at the Swiss Army and some other brands. If we don’t end up getting a new luggage bag for her, she can alway use one of our old ones.

Call me crazy but I’m already looking at vacation plans for the upcoming Thanksgiving holidays. My parents called and asked if we’re interested to visit my sister at Ireland. That was such a silly question; of course, we want to go!

Thanksgiving is just four months away and we have ample time to plan for this vacation. First, we need to get a passport for Cassie. Then we need to find out about visa requirement, hotels, car rental, Ireland’s car seat law, etc. As I’m typing this post, I am looking at specials/discounts on car rentals. Do you know Advantage is having a 50% discount on Luxury and Convertible car rentals? Too bad we will not be able to consider this option. For the trip to Ireland, we will need at least a minivan. Looks like Advantage has branches in Dublin International Airport too. I will have to check them out soon.

We enjoyed our cruise trip to Mexico so much; we wanted to go back again. Now that the dollar is weaker, Mexico is the most affordable country we could visit. We want to have sun, beach and spa and where can we get all of these? Puerto Penasco!

The next upcoming holiday will be the 4th of July holiday. Hmm, 4th of July happens to fall on a Friday, maybe I can squeeze in Mexico during that long weekend. I’m checking out the Sea Side Reservations site and found useful Puerto Penasco activities guide. Puerto Penasco has everything we’re looking for: beach, shops, and kid-friendly places. I can even check out rentals such as hotel and condo.

I wonder if the hubby wants to do this little short getaway. If he doesn’t, at least now I know where to start my search for Mexico beach vacations.