TRAVEL DIARIES: SHANGHAI SHOPPING!

If you are in Shanghai and aching to go shopping (even for a short while), this is the place to be. Apart from the place being easily accessible by train, you will also find an array of signature brand knock-offs with great quality. Brace yourself with a lot of haggling and walking....but it's really worth the trip.

You can easily reach the place via the subway. Be sure to take Line 2, or get yourself tangled in a maze of train interchanges.  Shanghai currently has 16 lines so you don't want to end up going back and forth finding the right line.  

When you are in Line 2, exit when you reach the Science and Technology Museum station (no worries - they  announce station names in English). Going right through the exit will lead you through the entrance of multitude of shops called Shanghai AP XINYANG Fashion and Gifts market. 

You can now feast your eyes and get ready to loose some of that cash for great buys, from shoes, clothes, bags, gadgets and many many more...check out the photos of what I bought:-)

It would be useful if you have some local speaking Chinese friends with you even though the sellers can speak little English. In this manner, you are sure that you get good value for your money and you are not being ripped off. Great tip: start haggling by cutting the first price they offer you by half and then work your way until you are happy with the price. If not, just walk away and you can definitely find the same item at a lower price in some other similar shops. Somehow when you walk away, the seller will give in. 

If you are in for high-street shopping, you can go to Shanghai's famous Nanjing Road. This is a whole stretch of street shopping where you can find both local and international brands. 

If you want to stop for awhile, head out of the station and there is a big (I mean really) park outside where you can just rest your legs.

To get to Nanjing Road, from the Science and Technology Museum at Line 2, you can take the same line and from there alight at the 4th (People's Square) or 5th stop (Nanjing Road). As this shopping destination can get very crowded, keep your personal belongings safe and be wary of thieves (they abound in this place!).

If you are keen to see Madame Tussaud's, this is also where you can find the ticket booth. For the curious, Madame Tussaud is the famous wax museum in London with a number of branches in major cities. However, there is just no time for me to go inside as shopping was just my main purpose...maybe next time :-)

Once again, here are some great tips:
1. Make sure you have somebody local (unless you can speak Mandarin). This will surely help you haggle for that dream Prada bag!
2. Take Line 2 (or you'll end up wasting your time finding the right line).
3. Bring enough cash (you can use credit card but you'll get charged 5% extra).
4. Be extra careful of your personal belongings upon reaching Nanjing Road (you don't want that extra cash ending up in someone else's pocket, right? ).

Be safe and simply enjoy shopping!