| I find it interesting how (and what) people ask about travelling to/in Shanghai and China. Depending on the question, only 2...10 years back the same questions have been very valid, current, important but sometimes also difficult to answer. For example, the questions related to the travellers' possibilities to exchange currency at airports. Today, we take it for granted that you can exchange any major currency at the airports when you're arriving and leaving, and also the fact that there are now ATMs all around the city: running out of cash in the middle of the night doesn't necessarily become a showstopper. The fact that many of those who have never visited China, and those who have visited here few years back, are still asking these question... doesn't it seem obvious how this depicts the unimaginable speed of the development on the areas of banking, IT, traffic, communications etc. here in China or Shanghai? :-) I've been living in Shanghai for quite a while, and I'm getting the feeling that sometimes I have to ask my relatives (in Europe) similar questions when I visit them: "is taxi expensive and safe", "is this or that still free of charge". In my "country of origin" I can't order goods from the nearby 24/7 shop by calling them, I can't order meals to home from nearby fast food restaurant, I don't get furniture or other large goods delivered to home without extra charge, the hotel staff do not carry my bags, is there a 24-hour currency exchange somewhere, etc. I don't know much how things are in other places in China, but there is a plethora of things that I've found so much more convenient in Shanghai compared to most other places in the world. |
Taxi, Currency, Credit Card and More...