Shanghai Metro Experience

Short note: It's 080808!!! While everyone is moving north for the Beijing Olympics, I'll flying off to Gold Coast today!!! Yippee!!!


Shanghai was beginning to sink in when I realized it was time to leave.

After visiting the bund and revisiting the Yu Garden over and over again to hunt for better food, among other places like Xin Tian Di, I decided it was time to pack and leave and head south.

Of course, before I actually leave the city of the sleep (despite popular belief, Shanghai do sleeps, and pretty early at that. Say… 9pm?) all behind, I have one more thing I just have to try before stepping onto that train the next day.

I went to take a metro.

shanghai metro


Taxis in Shanghai, by far, offer the cheapest rate, apart from Thailand, compare to the rest of the countries I ever visited, more than Malaysia at times (you know how Malaysians taxi drivers always try to rip you off at every opportunity even if you’re local, it’s depressing really). So during my stay in Shanghai, I have always allowed myself a bit of luxury to be travelling in style throughout the city in a cab.

But as they all say (or I say), the one way to experience local culture is to blend in with the locals. I did it in Laos by taking a public transport, did it in Thailand by celebrating the Songkran festival, did it in Scotland by hitchhiking through Isle of Skye and definitely did it in Vietnam by visiting a H’mong tribe’s house in the mountains, so now, it’s taking metro in Shanghai.

inside metro during normal hours


And not just any metro.

Try taking the metro during the after work peak hour!!!

moving crowd in shanghai underground


Muahaha.. We all know taking metro during the peak in Shanghai is legendary, similar to that of Paris’ and Tokyo’s, two of which I have already tried. It was pointless, but someone has to do it. :D

I got to the station around 5:30pm and was already faced with a crowd of tired but anxious looking office workers in their work attire and loosen ties. Most with their arms folded.


waiting for metro

We waited patiently for the train to arrive, when we heard from a distant away a long screeching of the railway tracks, the crowd inevitably moved so close to the glass doors I almost thought they were going to rush in the moment the automated door slide open.

They did.

Being Chinese as Chinese are, for some reasons we could never get accustomed to the idea of having the courtesy of letting passengers out before allowing ourselves to step into the carriage.

No! We squeezed in from the side, centre, and if we could, crawl in from up and below, to be the first to get into the train! Even before any of the passengers from within can reach for the door and exit onto the platform.

So by the time all the squeezing and pushing and hurling were done, this was what left of the train.

passenger in shanghai metro


It got even hotter, crampier (is there even such a word?) and tighter inside the carriage. After wiggling around, and with intense difficulty, I finally managed to grab hold of my camera and lifted it above my head to take a snap shot.

peak hour 2


All I see were hands. -.-

Being a blogger, I was not about to give up. I tip-toed and took another shot at a higher angle.

peak hour 3


See!!! Is that crazy or what?!

peak hour 1

Not only I COULDN’T move, it’s impossible to breathe!

Like this aunty here.

peak hour aunty


And this was me

me in shanghai metro during peak hour


Squeezed between a sweaty armpit, and a chubby aunty with her butt squashed against my crotch.

-______________-

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15 kissed Nicole

  1. Surprised there isn't more reports of gropers and pickpockets on the trains...

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  2. uncomfortable situation...

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  3. Wait till you use the infamous KTM Komuter in Malaysia. A few words can only be used to describe it - unreliable, not punctual, slow and always full of people.

    BTW, I think the person who made that nasty comment about you in ths entry is so mean. Why do these kind of people crawl about in cyberspace? You should remove that comment immediatly.

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  4. best thing is to ignore them.

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  5. Have not tried the Shanghai Metro. But Paris yes, if not for their metro which is 5 or 6 levels deeps, traffic would've come to a standstill. Their traffic jams start as early as 5 in the morning! Their metro is a veritable maze, got lost in it a few times! lol!

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  6. Haha next time bring a cactus, Nicole, that always works!

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  7. better the aunty's butt against your crotch than the armpit's crotch against your butt. eh?

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  8. I never have such a good and nice experience taking the cabs in SH... the cab drivers are very professional and well manner. Compared to our local taxi drivers? boleh balik kampung tanam jagung lah.. but not all lah

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  9. hahaha... brilliant, I just need to read your blog to "experience" it :-)

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  10. wow, really suffocating man. Oh btw nicole, the cheapest taxi rate by far is in Shenyang(China). =D They go by distance and there was once, a 30 minutes journey ride only cost me 18 yuan. The distance is like from Sentul to Bukit Jalil. I've never taken the metro in Shanghai before though. =p

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  11. let me lick ur titties nicole.i kno u love it.

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  12. Ahh Shanghai Metro. Been there done that. Brings back memories.

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  13. Malaysia also like that la.. I guess Asians have the same mindset. "_"'

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  14. I really love all d photos u've taken. Do u use flickr?

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  15. malaysia KTM is worst than china's 1. especially during peak hours after 6pm KL sentral - seremban route. packed of people and sometimes no air cond. xD

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