Its Trouble...: 08/01/2015

I didn't venture out too much on my 3 night in Shanghai. My co-workers and I had dinner at a good Vietnamese restaurant in the Super Brand Mall...

...and I got a few more shots of the Financial area afterwards.

Our local co-workers took our band of travellers out for dinner, Shanghai style, on night 4 after work. The place was called South Beauty at the very top of the Super Brand Mall. The food was excellent!

On the 5th evening in town, I headed over to The Bund to explore the other side of town. I found a large shopping district and a huge mall. I also found great and iconic views of Shanghai's famous skyline.

Yes, that's the elevators for the mall!

I didn't get to explore during the day because, well, I was working. However, I enjoyed my stay in Shanghai. Maybe next time I can plan to explore much more!

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.