A Stroll in Shanghai, A Run in Macau

[yflyer]

Earlier this month, I flew SQ’s A380 service to Shanghai, before flying Air Macau’s A321 from Shanghai's Hongqiao Airport to their home base, Macau International Airport (MFM), whose runway is built on reclaimed land off the island of Taipa.

In Shanghai, I stayed at Le Royal Meridien, a hotel with very good views of Pudong and the Bund, ideally located along Nanjing Road, a bustling pedestrian thoroughfare.

In Macau, I spent a couple of days at the Sheraton Grand, one of many hotels along the Cotai Strip, and the largest Sheraton, by number of rooms, in the world.

I did not set foot into the casinos in Macau, but n the last day of my stay in, I went on a run from the Cotai Strip, on the island of Taipa, across the Governador Nobre de Carvalho bridge, to the historic city centre of Macau and the Macau Peninsula, where you could still get a glimpse of old town and architecture.

I returned to Singapore via HKG, first on a high speed ferry to Chek Lap Kok, then on SQ back to SIN on a refitted 772.

I’ve covered SQ’s A380 service to Shanghai before, so just some highlights of the flight in this TR, with most of the coverage here dedicated to the flights, sights and sounds of Macau.

Interested? Read on!

[yflyer]

My flight to Shanghai was SQ830, a 9.45am departure. Today’s flight was operated by 9V-SKG, a 7 year old A380.



This was the day after SQ368, bound for Milan, had to make an emergency landing in Singapore, and where our airport fire service had to act quickly to extinguish the fire that had developed on the 777's starboard wing after landing. With internet videos of the raging flames outside the aircraft windows still fresh in my mind, I waited to board 9V-SKG, hoping that nothing would be overcooked on today's flight to Shanghai.



I had seats in the small Economy cabin on the upper deck of the A380 today.



With a comfortable 2-4-2 layout, the upper deck Y cabin on SQ's A380 remains one of my favourite aircraft cabins.

Some of my favourite seats in the cabin are the 2 middle block seats in the rear of the cabin. Seatguru doesn't like them, but I find them perfect. Lots of space to either side and full recline.



These are comfortable Y seats, with good recline.



This are the row 79 window seats, just ahead of the emergency exit.



This is the last row 82 window seats. These are missing a window, but you still have one large window, as well as side storage compartments. Recline is ok too.



You have full AVOD IFE and in-seat A/C power (These may not be universal plugs, though, so bring an adapter if you use 3-pin UK plugs.).

[yflyer]

Great views of the Singapore coastline out the starboard side windows after take-off...



Wifi was available on today's flight. Unfortunately this was based on data volume, which is madness these days, given that one hi-res photo is already a few MB.



That said, if you just want to use WhatsApp, then 15MB is more than sufficient to stay in touch with those at home with chat and the occasional picture...



Some new items in the Kris Shop catalog this month: An A350 model, and an SQ Sarong Kebaya-clad Hello Kitty!

[yflyer]

Cabin service began with a round of drinks on a tray. I asked for a pineapple spritzer with ice, and this was prepared in the galley and brought to my seat moments later...



Today's menu...



On the beverage menu, dry martini's are gone, but there is a new cocktail selection: Bailey's White Russian...



Two choices for lunch...an international selection...



...or an oriental selection...



I chose the oriental today, the lure of five spiced pork and fried rice too tempting to resist...



A small, and very red, octopus, complete with 8 curly tentacles, adorned the starter. A good way to grab the diner's attention!



Tasty pork and egg fried rice...



An ice cream cone for dessert...



A smooth, and very pleasant flight. We landing in PVG on a gloomy, wet afternoon.

Immigration queues that day were short, so I was at the Maglev station in no time, for the fast (and very brief) maglev train ride to Longyang station.



It continued to rain as the Maglev train sped along its way, reaching a top speed of 301 km/h as it glided smoothly along the rails riding a magnetic field...very impressive technology, even if it only gets you halfway to Shanghai...



At Longyang station, I opted to take the subway to the city. The subway station is right next to the Maglev station. I had a very bad experience with unscrupulous taxi drivers at Longyang station the last time I was there, and would not recommend taking a taxi from there. I don't know if the situation has changed, but the last time I was there, there was no proper taxi queuing system, which left pax at the mercy of taxi touts.

The subway, by contrast, is fast, cheap and quite simple to use. I would highly recommend the subway system to get around (Except at peak commuting times, when it can get very crowded.)

[yflyer]

I got out of the subway very close to Nanjing East Road...the long, bustling pedestrian thoroughfare which is probably the Orchard Road of Shanghai.



The Royal Meridien is perched on the top floors of a very striking skyscraper along Nanjing East Road.



Nanjing road is busy almost throughout the day. I spent a lot of time walking along this pedestrian street, taking in the sights, but always on the lookout for the miniature sightseeing train service that runs slowly up and down the road.



Rooms at Le Royal Meridien are large and well appointed.









The open plan bathroom is especially striking.



Great views of the city (Especially when the clouds cleared up...)

[yflyer]

There was a sheet of paper in the room which described the various views to be had from the vantage point of this hotel...



My room had striking views of the Bund and Pudong, which changed depending on the weather and the time of day...





The views at sunrise were especially beautiful...

[yflyer]

Nanjing Road at night is a hive of activity...lots of tourists and locals walking up and down the street...



I had dinner at one of my favourite Sichuan restaurants, Yuxin Chuan Cai, at 399 Jiujiang Road, just off Nanjing East Road.

It is not fine-dining by any means...a very large and busy restaurant that serves top quality Sichuan food in typical Chinese fashion...

Sichuan cuisine is more suitable for group or family style dining, with shared dishes, but as a single diner, I opted for a whole bowl of shui zhu yu (Poached fish in chilli and Sichuan flower peppers)...



A very large dinner for one person, but entirely satisfying in a hot, spicy and lip-numbing way...

This is a delicious and very addictive dish...tender slivers of poached fish cooked in oil infused with dried chilli and huajiao, or flower pepper, which contains an ingredient that numbs the tongue and lips...



This is a dish I usually share with Mrs yflyer, as it is an enormous bowl, but since I was alone, and they didn't serve it any smaller, I pressed on and devoured it all myself before waddling back up Nanjing Road to the hotel...

[yflyer]

The next day, I had lunch at M on the Bund, which serves French/Western cuisine at a very picturesque building off the Bund...



There was a set lunch menu available, with various choices which you could opt for to make up a multi-course lunch. I began with white asparagus...



Delicious short rib...



And for dessert, their signature Pavlova, which was outstanding...



M on the Bund had a very good selection of wines available as well.

A wonderful meal, a world apart from the Sichuan dinner the night before, but this just illustrates the range of exceptional cuisine that cosmopolitan Shanghai has to offer.

[yflyer]

Early the next morning, I took a taxi to Shanghai Hongqiao Airport for my Air Macau flight to Macau.

Even early in the morning, there were massive check-in queues across the board for flights departing that morning.



Queues for Air Macau, which has a fairly small operation out of Hongqiao, were mercifully shorter, but it still took 20-30 minutes before I was checked in.

Today's flight was operated by an A321.



The spacious 2-2 J cabin done in white/grey leather.



A comfortable 3-3 Y cabin...



Decent legroom...



Fairly pleasant ambience. An A321 narrowbody is perfectly fine for this 2 hour 45 minute sector.



That said, although the aircraft was ready for pushback, we were delayed on the ground for some time due to air traffic flow control...this seems to be a very common problem for domestic flights in China, and I have heard stories of pax sitting on planes for hours at a time waiting to push-back, so today's delay was not too bad.

Take-off, with views of the city in the far distance...

[yflyer]

Breakfast was served on this flight. Two choices available: Chinese or Western breakfast. By the time they got to the rear of the aircraft where I was, only the Western breakfast was left, which was fine by me.



Great views of Hong Kong as we approached Macau...you can see the old Kai Tak Airport runway in the picture below...



Another shot of Hong Kong Island and Kowloon...



A curving approach into MFM. The runway, built on reclaimed land, and flanked by green grass, is visible in the picture below...



A smooth landing at MFM, with the airport right next to the casinos and hotels of the Cotai Strip...



From there, it was a short ride by taxi (Hotel shuttles also available) to the Cotai Strip...

[yflyer]

My hotel was the Sheraton Grand Macau, the largest hotel in Macau, and also the world's largest Sheraton, at 3986 rooms spread across two towers. This was a fairly new property, which opened in 2012.



Being that large isn't necessarily a good thing...for one, the check-in queues that afternoon were massive...



...but thankfully there was a dedicated check-in area for SPG members...



Spacious, comfortable rooms...

[yflyer]

The Cotai Strip isn't really Macau. It is an entirely artificial construct, seemingly a copy of Vegas, which itself is a copy of places like Venice...







...and now Paris, with the Parisian being the latest attraction, complete with half scale Eiffel Tower...



What do I think of this glitzly shopping and casino wonderland called the Cotai Strip?



Well it is a comfortable enough place to spend a few days if you are the gambling kind, and even if you are not, since there are many shopping and dining options as well, and believe it or not, kid-friendly activities too.

But it all seemed shallow and devoid of substance and history. The real Macau was not in the Cotai Strip, but was to be found across water of the outer harbour.

On the last day of my trip, I decided to head out for a run.

[yflyer]

I headed back to my hotel room in the late afternoon to change into PT kit and head outside for a run. At that point, it was still sunny.

But ominous dark clouds loomed, and seemingly out of nowhere, a storm started.

The Macau government has a great weather site, which shows latest weather, lightning and even a webcam showing the bridges connecting Cotai/Taipa with the main Macau city.

http://www.smg.gov.mo/smg/e_index.htm

At that point, a lightning alert was issued. So much for my run. I was disappointed, and headed to the gym, passing many guests in swimsuits and bathrobes, who had to leave the outdoor swimming pool complex when the lighting alert was issued. I did a slow 5km on the gym treadmill.

Later, at 8pm, when I returned to the hotel room, I went to the Macau weather website again.

What's this? No more lightning alert? Clear weather now? And the webcam of the bridges across the outer harbour and Macau city showed a brilliant clear night, a brightly lit bridge and neon-lit cityscape. It looked like conditions were perfect for an evening run!

I immediately plotted a route on the Runkeeper website, changed back into a fresh set of PT kit and headed to the hotel reception.

"Is it safe to run from Cotai, across the bridge to Macau, at this hour in the evening?"...I asked the young receptionist.

"Yes, it is, perfectly safe!" she replied.

I needed no further encouragement, and headed out the hotel entrance...



...I jogged through the brightly lit streets of the Cotai Strip, past the Venetian, and through the hills and town of Taipa, before reaching the Governador Nobre de Carvalho Bridge...



The lights of the Macau Tower, and the brightly lit Grand Lisboa were clearly visible in the distance...



The Governador Nobre de Carvalho Bridge was the first bridge to connect the Macau Peninsula to the island of Taipa, and is about 2.5km long.

It is flat most of the way, then rises to a height of several stories at it approaches Macau.

There is a narrow pedestrian lane that is suitable for pedestrians and joggers. I headed across...



I didn't see to many other people on the bridge at that hour, but apparently people do walk and run across the bridge.



Now this was the real Macau...



I headed along the winding, hilly streets...





...where glimpses of old Portugese architecture and buildings could still be seen...



...and ended at the ruins of St Paul's Church, a 16th century church, where only the facade remained.



I ended my run at the top of the steps leading to the Church, where the Grand Lisboa could be seen above the rooftops of the buildings.



A very satisfying 8km night run from the casinos of the Cotai Strip to the Ruins of St Paul's Church in Macau...



...a route which I described to my friends as going "From Sin to Redemption"...

[yflyer]

And as we all know, running makes you hungry.

Close by, a Bee Cheng Hiang outlet was open...



...but how was this Singapore Bak kwa brand going to compete with the incredible selection of Maccanese bak kwa available?

Just look at the range of mindboggling flavours the local competition had to offer:



By this time, I was starving...I walked down the hill back to the city centre, where I chanced upon this noodle shop...



A bowl of noodles would hit the spot. I entered this air-conditioned establishment, still dripping with perspiration. The waitress motioned me to a table, and I ordered their special noodle bowl...



Delicious! A great way to end the evening, before I headed to the taxi stand at the Grand Lisboa hotel (The only person in the taxi queue dressed in sweaty PT kit...) for an evening taxi ride back to the Sheraton.

[yflyer]

Macau had a lot more to offer in terms of cuisine, of course. On one of the earlier evenings of my stay in Macau, I did head into the old city for dinner at a restaurant, Albergue 1601. This restaurant is located in a beautiful restored building, and services local Maccanese / Portugese dishes, including a spectacular whole suckling pig...



And no, I didn't eat it all by myself. Not this time, anyway.