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.




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.




And not just any metro.

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




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.




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.




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.




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.




See!!! Is that crazy or what?!



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

Like this aunty here.




And this was me




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

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