Wed., June 6, 2007 - Shanghai
Ni hao! Peter and I are now officially in China. We left the hostel at 10 a.m., walked to the nearby Holiday Inn Golden Mile to catch the K3 Airport Shuttle bus that goes to the Kowloon Station. At the station we were able to check-in our bags at the counters there prior to boarding the Airport Express train to the airport. (This has got to be the most convenient way to get to and from the airport!)
We were three hours early before our boarding time so we looked around for a place to have lunch. Downstairs at the arrival lobby there are a few places to eat, we chose Cafe de Coral which offers local and Asian cuisine.
We had to go through immigration before proceeding to the gate. Everything went smoothly at the check point and at immigration - we didn't have to remove our shoes or be given a 2nd check (same in Japan and Seoul).
The wait was somewhat long so we took advantage of this to get some shut eye. An hour later boarding was announced (we didn't understand a word of it but we knew just by looking at the body language and the movements around us - you really have to keep your wits about you especially in places where you do not know the language). All the passengers were shuttled to our small China Eastern plane waiting a few hundred yards away from the building. The cabin was about half full so Peter and I moved to the back to get more room. The flight took about 2 1/2 hours. Some turbulence along the way.
The weather here in Shanghai is slightly cooler than in Hong Kong. We went through health inspection (just gave them the health form we filled out on the plane), followed by immigration (which was pretty quick), baggage claim (our bags were coming out as we got there), then straight through customs (if nothing to declare, just give them your customs form). We were out in less than half an hour.
Outside the terminal we followed the signs to the Maglev (magnetic levitation) train. It only cost us about $6 to ride this very fast train - the maximum speed (which I caught on camera for proof) is 431 kmph (237? mph). In about 20+ minutes we arrived at the station which connects with the local subway lines. It was amazing to ride this train, it was so smooth and fast, and when it turns the train simply sways/leans to the side. Incredible!
Next, we bought tickets to ride the subway to our destination in Caoyanglu (north west). It was rush hour so there were so many people in the subway. We had to take the Line 2 to Zhongshan road, transfer to Line 3 or 4 to Caoyanglu. We were packed like sardines in the last train transfer and Peter and I had to manage to keep together with our bags (that's the advantage of having small bags, it's not too hard to travel by subway, except of course when going up and down the stairs with them). We got out of the station not knowing where north was. Fortunately this lady we asked directed us to where Wuning Road was. The walk to Wuning Road from the station wasn't that far, but we had to find where our hostel was along that road. It's a good thing Peter saw their huge sign from across the street. So we crossed Wuning Road, found a gate to this group of high-rises, asked the guard where the Shanghai Youth hostel was, it turns out it's right in this gated area and the building looks so much like a classy hotel. We truly lucked out this time!
Our room is a double bed ensuite (with our own bathroom) for only $13.50 per person/night. This hostel is more a hotel because we're provided with soap/toothbrush, towels, slippers, complimentary tea bags, and there's a restaurant which serves breakfast, lunch and dinner, plus internet connection and other amenities.
What's great about this is that because we arrived late in the afternoon, around 5:30 p.m., we would normally go out and find a convenience store to buy bottled water and a place to eat, but here we find everything we needed - a good pasta dinner, internet connection and bottled water (all for reasonable prices!).
First Impression:
There seems to be many people here in Shanghai, some dressed really hip and chic while some very casual. The subway seems to be really crowded during rush hour - this was the very first time we were really squished together in the train car. There are lots of people hanging around in areas like the stations and side roads. I believe we can get around easy here because it sure looks like a lot of the locals can speak some English.
Ni hao! Peter and I are now officially in China. We left the hostel at 10 a.m., walked to the nearby Holiday Inn Golden Mile to catch the K3 Airport Shuttle bus that goes to the Kowloon Station. At the station we were able to check-in our bags at the counters there prior to boarding the Airport Express train to the airport. (This has got to be the most convenient way to get to and from the airport!)
We were three hours early before our boarding time so we looked around for a place to have lunch. Downstairs at the arrival lobby there are a few places to eat, we chose Cafe de Coral which offers local and Asian cuisine.
We had to go through immigration before proceeding to the gate. Everything went smoothly at the check point and at immigration - we didn't have to remove our shoes or be given a 2nd check (same in Japan and Seoul).
The wait was somewhat long so we took advantage of this to get some shut eye. An hour later boarding was announced (we didn't understand a word of it but we knew just by looking at the body language and the movements around us - you really have to keep your wits about you especially in places where you do not know the language). All the passengers were shuttled to our small China Eastern plane waiting a few hundred yards away from the building. The cabin was about half full so Peter and I moved to the back to get more room. The flight took about 2 1/2 hours. Some turbulence along the way.
The weather here in Shanghai is slightly cooler than in Hong Kong. We went through health inspection (just gave them the health form we filled out on the plane), followed by immigration (which was pretty quick), baggage claim (our bags were coming out as we got there), then straight through customs (if nothing to declare, just give them your customs form). We were out in less than half an hour.
Outside the terminal we followed the signs to the Maglev (magnetic levitation) train. It only cost us about $6 to ride this very fast train - the maximum speed (which I caught on camera for proof) is 431 kmph (237? mph). In about 20+ minutes we arrived at the station which connects with the local subway lines. It was amazing to ride this train, it was so smooth and fast, and when it turns the train simply sways/leans to the side. Incredible!
Next, we bought tickets to ride the subway to our destination in Caoyanglu (north west). It was rush hour so there were so many people in the subway. We had to take the Line 2 to Zhongshan road, transfer to Line 3 or 4 to Caoyanglu. We were packed like sardines in the last train transfer and Peter and I had to manage to keep together with our bags (that's the advantage of having small bags, it's not too hard to travel by subway, except of course when going up and down the stairs with them). We got out of the station not knowing where north was. Fortunately this lady we asked directed us to where Wuning Road was. The walk to Wuning Road from the station wasn't that far, but we had to find where our hostel was along that road. It's a good thing Peter saw their huge sign from across the street. So we crossed Wuning Road, found a gate to this group of high-rises, asked the guard where the Shanghai Youth hostel was, it turns out it's right in this gated area and the building looks so much like a classy hotel. We truly lucked out this time!
Our room is a double bed ensuite (with our own bathroom) for only $13.50 per person/night. This hostel is more a hotel because we're provided with soap/toothbrush, towels, slippers, complimentary tea bags, and there's a restaurant which serves breakfast, lunch and dinner, plus internet connection and other amenities.
What's great about this is that because we arrived late in the afternoon, around 5:30 p.m., we would normally go out and find a convenience store to buy bottled water and a place to eat, but here we find everything we needed - a good pasta dinner, internet connection and bottled water (all for reasonable prices!).
First Impression:
There seems to be many people here in Shanghai, some dressed really hip and chic while some very casual. The subway seems to be really crowded during rush hour - this was the very first time we were really squished together in the train car. There are lots of people hanging around in areas like the stations and side roads. I believe we can get around easy here because it sure looks like a lot of the locals can speak some English.
posted by Mimi | 2:33 AM
1 Comments:
you didn't try the mingtown in shanghai. $4 a night. right across people's square, shangai theater, shanghai museum and everything shanghai.
Post a Comment
<< Home