Week 45 - Christmas Eve

This is the 'grown up' Christmas Eve dinner complete with a summery Pimms and lemonade drink.  Jie Jie and Didi have been enjoying eating at their own little table - called 'our restaurant' and have enjoyed the independence.  Hope everyone had a Merry Christmas and best wishes for 2011.

Week 44 - Malvern East

The kids and I arrived safely for our 7 weeks in Australia, Grandma and Bob are thrilled to have the grandkids visiting and we got straight into the Christmas spirit with tree decorating and Carols by Candlelight... Jie Jie and Didi did us proud and walked all the way (1km) from home to Central Park for the Carols.

Week 43 - Blue Frog, Jinqiao

Jie Jie had been nagging us to have one last lunch at her favourite restaurant, the Blue Frog, before we headed back to Australia for Christmas, and what's better than just lunch, but lunch and a play with one of her best friends, and for me, lunch with one of mine!!  Thanks guys for being such great friends all year, and happy Christmas in Canada from all of us down under.

Week 42 - From the 53rd Floor, Lujiazui

Went to lunch on December 1 to celebrate my good friend's 40th birthday (I must be getting old too to have friends turning 40!) at Scena Restaurant in the new Ritz Carlton Hotel.  I loved looking down - the ring is a raised pedestrian walk to cross all the roads, and linking each corner at Super Brand Mall, the Apple Store in the IFC, Lujiazui Metro Station and of course the Oriental Pearl Tower.

Week 41 - Guest Blogger... One night in Tokyo

Guest blogger?  Well, I had a slow week and my dear husband went to Japan for a conference and took my camera, so I want to use his photos instead this week!  So here is Mike to fill you in...

Akasaka Capusle Hotel

Living in a Box


Having the opportunity to spend the night in an Capsule Hotel was one of the highlights of visiting Tokyo this week.

The over all experience was very surprising, the capsule itself was surprisingly comfortable and not as tight a squeeze as I imagined.
It was difficult to judge the time of day.. no wonder the Japanese business men who typically stumble out of these hotels in the middle of the day look so disorientated after a big night on the Sake.

Psychologically it was also a bit of a shock.. having spent a few hours earlier in the bar of the Ritz Carlton on the 42nd floor of the Midtown tower where I spent as much on beer as it cost for my capsule room!!

Tokyo itself was very surprising. It was not as busy as I had expected, yes there were a lot of people but there are a lot of people here in China too.