1. How much roughly is the fare?
2. Are you using the meter? (按表计算?)
3. Do you issue receipt? (有发票吗?)
The common tricks adopted include driving you round & round or using a modified meter that enable remote adjustment to the distance travelled. Have to be very careful because unscrupulous people is everywhere in China. 啧啧啧啧啧啧
If you are wondering what is the meaning of this post title,
沪 (hù) is Shanghai & 杭 (háng) is Hangzhou. We went on a budget tour to Shanghai & Hangzhou. The first leg was a 5 hours BORING flight by Jetstar. If not for the promotional fare, S$430 incl tax(for 2), I won't take another no-frill flight for journey > 3 hours.
Already yawning way before the flight...
As soon as we got our luggage, we put on our winter clothes or snowman attire. Temperature range between 7°C - 9°C. At midnight, Jetstar kindly provided the last shuttle service from Hangzhou Xiaoshan Airport to Shanghai Nanpu Bridge. The 200km road trip took us about 3 hours. By the time we reach our Ibis Hotel Yu Garden, we were half dead already. But the room was so cold that I almost blame it on our miserly lifestyle. Maybe we should have booked a better hotel.
The following day was ridiculously tiring. As usual (like what we did in Tokyo & Taipei) we took the metro around the city. But some interchange stations are VERY far apart... Sometimes we walked for >5min just to change a train. What an experience! Well... China is a huge country afterall. Shanghai population is at 23 million. It's like packing the whole of 1Malaysia people in a place the size of 10x Singapore. (一个大马挤在十个小岛)
1-day ticket at ¥18. The newly introduced 3-day ticket (¥45) was not available due to delay
After much walking, we reached our first destination, Shanghai Urban Planning Exhibition Center at People's Square (人民广场). The exhibition is about infrastructure development in Shanghai. A 1:50 model display located on 3rd level is ONLY showcasing 1/6 of Shanghai. Imagine the actual size. If our tour is not well planned it's really going to be 步步惊心. We took a few hours in the exihibition center, much longer than I have expected. The entrance fee is only ¥30. What a low cost lawatan sambil belajar.
Financial district
1:50 scale model
It will be a nightmare if we lost our way. can you spot the Nanpu Bridge? :)
If I were the urban planner. My city shall look like this :)
As our trip will end in Hangzhou, we reckon with buying our train tickets in advance. So we went to Shanghai Train Station. Also take this opportunity to observe the magnificence of transport hub in China. To our disappointment, Shanghai Train Station is quite rundown, smelly, dirty & crowded. Luckily our 沪杭train departs from Hong Qiao Train Station, another (newer) station located about 20km away from the city center. We happily bought our 1st class tickets (¥124) at the ticketing counter. Kiosk sale is only serving the PRC with 2nd generation ID card.
She assigned 2 seats in different rows -_-"
After a 40min metro ride, we finally returned to Yu Garden. Din Tai Fung restaurant appeared in our mind & immediately triggered our sense of hunger. We only had 1 Calr's Jr burger for the whole day. Having heard so many negative stories about the unsafe food in China, eating is also 步步惊心. Sitting comfortably in Din Tai Fung, we saw some Caucasian patrons across the table was using some discount coupons. They kindly gave us 2 of their remaining coupons which allow us to enjoy ¥30 discount with every ¥100 order. What a great deal! As we return to hotel, the room was much warmer. We realized the window was ajar the previous night. So a cold sleepless night has got nothing to do with our "miserly lifestyle" actually so we started to like our trip.
Simple room at ¥400 per night
China Pavilion - CLOSED
Saudi Pavilion a.k.a. Moon Boat - Looks like a boat surrounded by desert & sea. The date palms planted on the roof garden to showcase the Middle Eastern uniqueness. Inside the pavalion, there is a huge cinema screen (1,600 sqm) screening the art & culture of Saudi Arabia.
Artist Impression
Arena for future vehicles during the 2010 Expo. Now there is nothing...
The highlight of Shanghai trip would be lunch at Morton's. Shanghai Morton's is the biggest Morton's restaurant outside USA. We are so pleased with the food, both portion & taste. Better still, total bill is only ¥400. To put into context, lamb chop costs S$90 per serving at Singapore Morton's.
Morton Lunch is only available (outside US) in Shanghai & Mexico City
Starter - the bread is topped with lightly toasted caramelized onion
Very nice... We doggy bagged half the bread.
Colossal Shrimps & Sea Scallops with grilled vegetables
We totally forgot about the yellow colour sauce - never tasted
Morton Prime Burger - with bacon, cheese, onion & FRIES!!
I am no longer hungry for an Apple. Just a stupid posture
Good food always rejuvenate & make wonders. That evening we continue to visit some other places.
The Bund
Later that day we went to 石库门 - A traditional architectural style for residential building. Usually 2 to 3 storey high buildings connected by narrow alleys (弄堂). The front door arch is commonly built in stone and that's how it got the name 石库门 literally translated into "stone gate". This place in Xin Tian Di has been transfromed into a happening dining place.
Shopping area near to our Ibis Hotel
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