tingchiyen said:
Only 30%..are you sure? ...From my experience, I think the rule of the thumb is to chop it down 50-70%.
tips on what (not)to do in shanghai, anyone?
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Only 30%..are you sure? ...From my experience, I think the rule of the thumb is to chop it down 50-70%.
Drink bottled water.... Not from tap (That's what I read from the travel advisories in travel books) . I went there when my gf was there working for a few months on a project. She kept having this cough and later I found out that she's drinking boiled tap water ...coz she's too lazy to lug back the 3-5 gallon bottled water from the supermart. Once switch to bottled water, the cough went away.
Shanghai's a fun place. You'd be stunned at the rate of development there. Enjoy yourself
Shanghai's a fun place. You'd be stunned at the rate of development there. Enjoy yourself
tush said:
i think tingchiyen meant first to reduce the price to 30% of original (i.e. chop 70%)
and yes, i heard the tap water there is undrinkable ... at times brownish/yellowish :ipuke: how much does bottled water cost there btw? do you buy local brands (sounds dangerous!) or the usual ones we get in singapore?
The one thing to lookout when in Shanghai or anywhere else is to look after your own belonging.
Don't be too flashy with what you have or own, be nice to everyone.
Beware of Pickpockets, especially in Train Station.
Other then that, notting else to worry about, just enjoy yourself there. If you need any assistant, leave me a PM.
Don't be too flashy with what you have or own, be nice to everyone.
Beware of Pickpockets, especially in Train Station.
Other then that, notting else to worry about, just enjoy yourself there. If you need any assistant, leave me a PM.
eikin said:
Chinese generally are camera shy, if you want to take photos of anyone, try chatting with them first or buy something from thier store.
i have friends who have been to Shanghai and who got chided by a local tour guide for speaking lousy mandarin (okay, my friends are quite 'ang mo' anyway) i have no problem conversing in mandarin but some friends advised me to always speak in English first in downtown areas, only when a conversation is formed then switch to mandarin if necessary. i find that quite a wierd logic, anyone has any such experiences when it comes to language?
(this reminds me of my NS overseas exercise in ROC, one local driver was amazed by the fact that i actually speak mandarin, even treated me to bubble tea, haha, quite funny)
(this reminds me of my NS overseas exercise in ROC, one local driver was amazed by the fact that i actually speak mandarin, even treated me to bubble tea, haha, quite funny)
eikin said:
Haha.... sama sama.
I've in Taiwan for 5 months now. Initially, my colleagues was quite amazed I could read engineering text in Mandarin! Haha.....
Definitely, my spoken language has improved a lot while I've been here. Now even picking up the local slang liao....
dun recommend using a haversack to store ur cam, u risk ur gear and the crowds will scold u for bumping ur "turtle shell" at them in the metro....
avoid "friendly ppl" at Nanjing rd, they are friendly for the wrong reasons.....
avoid "friendly ppl" at Nanjing rd, they are friendly for the wrong reasons.....
thanks for the advise perly, do you think people there will complain about people walking around with backpacks? or are backpacks too 'flashy'? actually i intend to carry just a sling pouch when going around
as for SKII ... :bsmilie: ok i don't have nice skin like sammy cheng but i don't really go for cosmetic products ... the most i use is just cheap facial wash, haha
as for SKII ... :bsmilie: ok i don't have nice skin like sammy cheng but i don't really go for cosmetic products ... the most i use is just cheap facial wash, haha
tush said:
..and don't go on weekends...it's meant for AngMo... and they have no time for you....
I know you may find the formula hard to believe but generally that's the way to go in places like "XiangYang Market".
You just have to be tough and play hard to get... anyway, there are plenty of them selling the same thing. Don't like the price, just move on.
If you don't know the price, ask a few shops before buying, that will give u an idea how much the price should be. The trick is just say the price is way too high and walk away, normally they will try to counter offer with a better price. BUT never turn back with the offer but move on to the next shop and with that price in mind, bargain with the right price you are willing to pay/or you try the same trick again with a few more shop until you're pretty sure what should be the reasonable price.
Just quote an example, I was quoted for a scarf around 150RMB but at the end I bought it around 15RMB. Yes, the formula almost applied. But with 1:5 exchange rate in mind, I found there was no diff between 15RMB and 7RMB, so I settled with "remove zero" rule...hehe..
The books in China are pretty cheap. Those translated Chinese book with copyrights (from their popular English version) are around the same price except the currency different....ie.. English version in SG can be sold around S$40, the Chinese version can be bought at RMB40...well provided you read Chinese, of course.
Used to buy them and watch in the hotel then simply throw them away... RMB 8 a piece which is very cheap for the entertainment...
I saw a full set of National Geography DVD (set of 8 discs) priced RMB 64...
Did not bring them back coz scare of the airport custom check...rumour says if custom officer catches you, the penalty is very high...they can even go to your house and check.....
I saw a full set of National Geography DVD (set of 8 discs) priced RMB 64...
Did not bring them back coz scare of the airport custom check...rumour says if custom officer catches you, the penalty is very high...they can even go to your house and check.....
eikin said:
It's cheaper, but when you pay peanuts, you get monkeys.
The other time I took advantage of the exchange rate and made my prints at those Shanghai neighbourhood labs, I was darn disappointed with the results. The colours are totally off. ;( Of course, YMMV.
My advice is to be a bit more patient and drop the films off your fav lab back in S'pore. No point "saving"--you'll end up wasting your RMBs that could be used to buy wonderful Shengjian to eat and Tsingdao beers to drink! Also, you won't want to lug albums around the airports where they can get damaged, right?
btw, can anyone recommend any good lodging? or maybe share your good/bad experience with hotels/hostels/inns etc.
Ah Pao said:It's cheaper, but when you pay peanuts, you get monkeys.
The other time I took advantage of the exchange rate and made my prints at those Shanghai neighbourhood labs, I was darn disappointed with the results. The colours are totally off. ;( Of course, YMMV.
My advice is to be a bit more patient and drop the films off your fav lab back in S'pore. No point "saving"--you'll end up wasting your RMBs that could be used to buy wonderful Shengjian to eat and Tsingdao beers to drink! Also, you won't want to lug albums around the airports where they can get damaged, right?
This is un-truth too; there are Many Professional Labs in Shanghai which develop prints the same quality as we get in professional shop in Singapore or even better.
It is the same in Shanghai as in Singapore, Neighborhoods shops quality is difference from Professional labs.
eikin said:btw, can anyone recommend any good lodging? or maybe share your good/bad experience with hotels/hostels/inns etc.
Which part os Shanghai do you want to stay and how much are you prepare to pay?
Hotel rates range from 100RMB (Local Good Clean Hotel) - 10000RMB (5 Stars Hotel)
Simon said:
preferrably ard The Bund area, further out is ok cos can always walk around other places ... right now the budget is around S$70 for 2 persons, so i guess is around 350RMB...just a clean standard room, i worry more about security of the lodging actually
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