My first weekend in Shanghai was a learning experience

22 Jan My first weekend in Shanghai was a learning experience

Going out and experiencing Shanghai for the first time was overwhelming. The pace at which the city and the people move is phenomenal in comparison to Adelaide’s slow, easy going and laid back pace. It does actually take a bit get used to, but it is amazing to see and experience. One major surprise, was the air quality. My initial expectation was for the air quality to be a lot poorer than what I am experiencing. However, in saying that, it is most definitely something to keep an eye on for yourself if you were to ever visit.

My first weekend in Shanghai was in itself a learning experience. Getting around on the metro is surprisingly simple and rather straight forward once you get the hang of it. I would recommend going on the metro with someone who knows the system for your first time, however, once you have been in the metro, seen how it is done and have had someone answer all of your questions, you should have ago of it yourself. You will surprise yourself and once you have that behind you the metro is no long so daunting and of course it will make your first trip back from work that much more easier.

The metro is a fantastic way of getting around shanghai, not only is it cheap and reliable, if you miss the train, the next one is only a few minutes away. The metro can take you from one end of Shanghai to the other which is perfect for tourists who want to see all the sights Shanghai has to offer. Of course if the metro is not your style taxis are also a really good alternative that can be hailed from just about any street. If you can’t speak any Mandarin, use the Magic number (962288) and a friendly operator at the other end of the line can help explain your destination to the cab driver in Mandarin or help you with any other question you may have. So far the magic number has been my saviour whenever I have hopped into a cab and was unable to explain my destination to the driver.

Using the metro and taxi services have been my primary method of traveling around Shanghai. Of course I have done the neighbourhood walk, but in terms of going beyond the neighbourhood, you need to get on the metro or hop into a cab. The highlight of my weekend travels so far was the weekend trip to the Bund. Before you even reach the Bund, in the lead, up you can see the skyline from a distance. This is a definite must see, while here in Shanghai. Once you are by the river side the view only gets better. The skyline stretches for a distance in both directions. Near the Bund is the Yuyuan Gardens, where you will find the best dumplings in Shanghai at a little restaurant where people will line up for anywhere between half an hour to an hour to eat these dumplings. They were well worth the wait and were by far the best dumplings I have had while here, I would definitely recommend the place to anyone.