Hi all

I went to Shanghai with my wife in May for a few days and I got a chance to visit World Expo 2010, Jin Mao, Shanghai World Financial Center, the aquarium, Oriental Pear Tower etc. Here is a trip report with photos, links, maps and videos: http://gardkarlsen.com/Shanghai_China_trip_report.htm . I hope that it can give people an idea of what to expect if you are heading to this metropolis Get in touch if you have any questions or comments.

Regards
Gard
http://gardkarlsen.com - trip reports and pictures

great report gard...

Always enjoyed your TRs especially this one about my birthplace. You covered many sites/sights, some twice when going back with Nikki. Glad you visited the Expo and quite a few pavilions, I agree you could have eaten more Shanghainese food, my 2007 Report has quite a few of them. Well, till next time!

Enjoyed your report. Thanks!

Gard-your report is great. Our experience was the opposite of yours. All the shops on Nanjing Lu were packed with customers every night. Wall to wall people.

Also, I read your reports when I first came to Fodors. They were engaging. You are partially to blame for my presence on this forum. Just accept the resonsibility and move on. I suspect the Statute of Limitations has expired.

Another nice report Gard.

Thanks for the kind feedback guys And I glad to hear that I'm responsible for keeping folks on this forum and I accept my responsibility

Regards
Gard
http://gardkarlsen.com - trip reports and pictures

Wonderful report on the city I live in Gard !

Just a couple of comments if I may ?

1. Be careful of any girls asking you to join them for a tea / coffee (and I don't mean hookers) - this is a common scam and they order very expensive tea (up to US$50) and get a cut later.

2. The Maglev is by far the fastest train in the world (430 kph in daily use and has topped 500kph). It's a short track but worth the experience. They will shortly be building a Shanghai to Hangzhou Maglev.

3. 1.3 Billion ? Actually since the one-child policy families in the rural countryside 'move their children around' during censuses (and present only one to the officials) so I guess it is MUCH higher than that ! 1.6 or 1.7 billion perhaps ? Just a guess based on the number of children per family I see around China.

4. Puxi means West of the Huang Pu river and Pudong ... yes you guessed it !

5. Be careful crossing roads at ANY time - many cars run red lights at high speed and for motorcyclists it is the norm.

Hi,
What a great trip report! We are off to Shanghai at the end of August and want to see all the places you visited.
Could you tell me what restaurants did you visit and which was the best?

Great report, Gard.
I got a kick out of your mentioning the Little Mermaid at Expo, and that tourists in Copenhagen this summer will be annoyed at finding a vacant spot. But I talked with friends who just returned from Copenhagen and said that it is not a vacant spot -- instead the statue has been replaced with a TV screen showing a live cam on the Little Mermaid IN Shanghai!

They thought it was very funny.

I'll be in Shanghai for a week starting August 3 -- can't wait!!!

Hi

Well, having a live cam is a nice twist to the relocation of the mermaid. Enjoy Shanghai ;-)

Regards
Gard
http://gardkarlsen.com - trip reports and pictures

Hi Gard,

Love your detailed notes and wonderful pictures- your cameras are nice but I am sure the "photographers" have a lot to do with the results too : ) I've added your blog to my Favorites so I look forward to your/Nikki's travels.

You've visited quite a few spots at the Expo. How many days did you tour the Expo altogether? Would you recommend buying Expo tickets ahead of time (we have 3 age groups) or should I queue up early morning to get standard, elder, and children tickets? Do you also know whether I get all 3 types of tickets from 1 ticket counter?

Thank You!

Hi

I was at the Expo several times as my wife was working there. So I think I went there one evening and looked around and I also went for a full day there. I had a special pass which allowed me to cut through the lines and that was great as it allowed me to visit many pavilions. If you have to line up I don't think it will be possible to cover that many pavilions in one day. The Expo covers a vast area so plan which pavilions you would like to visit. I'm not sure where you buy the tickets - maybe it is possible to book them online before you leave?

Regards
Gard
http://gardkarlsen.com - trip reports and pictures