Saturday, August 08, 2015
Thursday, August 06, 2015
Shanghai visit - Day 2 - After a day of work
After a day of work, I headed out a bit to explore on the way back to my hotel. I stopped off at the Century Square. The Station at Century Square is within an underground shopping complex with many cheaper items for sale. It is a bit of a hassle to walk to thru the complex since the vendors follow you insistently trying to get your attention so that you may want to take a look at their particular store. It is particularly annoying.
Back in Lujiazui area a bit later, I made another attempt to get a good photo of the TV Tower.
Tuesday, August 04, 2015
Monday, August 03, 2015
Travelling to Shanghai, China - Day 1 - scammed, then fun
After spending a week in Japan, it was time to get on to Shanghai. The flight between Tokyo and Shanghai is about 2.5 hours and one time zone difference. I took the Maglev from the airport to Longyang. For whatever reason, the Maglev doesn't extend to center of Shanghai's iconic area in Pudong. So, once you get to the end of the Maglev line (in under 10 minutes), you have to make a choice about how to get the rest of the way: Taxi or Subway's Line 2.
Hmm, the taxi?
Shanghai is a city where scams abound. You have to watch out when taking taxis. Unfortunately, I got into a cab and walked right into the broken meter scam. The scam happens when the meter isn't turned on when you get into the cab. The driver drives about 100 feet, then stops the cab and tries to negotiate the cab fare to your destination, expecting payment upfront. Here's a hint, taxis are super cheap in Shanghai. These taxi scammers know that out-of-towners generally have no idea of just how cheap, so they try to scam you into paying a much higher price; a price that you might be more accustom to paying in other places. I don't really strong have advice to avoid the scam, other than to say, be very very cautious at the Maglev station at Longyang. Make sure the cab as a plexiglass guard between the driver and the passengers. Make sure the meter is started before you drop your bags in the trunk and get into the car. One last piece of advice: taxis in Shanghai are cash only, whether they are legit or not.
Moving on
Once settled in the hotel, I met up with my colleagues and wandered around Lujiazui Finance District.
We took a tour cruise. It was a bit hazy, but the pics weren't that horrible.
Later, I got a couple of angles on the Century Peace Bell.
Hmm, the taxi?
Shanghai is a city where scams abound. You have to watch out when taking taxis. Unfortunately, I got into a cab and walked right into the broken meter scam. The scam happens when the meter isn't turned on when you get into the cab. The driver drives about 100 feet, then stops the cab and tries to negotiate the cab fare to your destination, expecting payment upfront. Here's a hint, taxis are super cheap in Shanghai. These taxi scammers know that out-of-towners generally have no idea of just how cheap, so they try to scam you into paying a much higher price; a price that you might be more accustom to paying in other places. I don't really strong have advice to avoid the scam, other than to say, be very very cautious at the Maglev station at Longyang. Make sure the cab as a plexiglass guard between the driver and the passengers. Make sure the meter is started before you drop your bags in the trunk and get into the car. One last piece of advice: taxis in Shanghai are cash only, whether they are legit or not.
Moving on
Once settled in the hotel, I met up with my colleagues and wandered around Lujiazui Finance District.
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