based on what i've heard, hangzhou is actually marginally easier to access from pvg than suzhou. you can get there without going through town, which saves a lot of time. tmk, there are scheduled busses from pvg to hangzhou, and suzhou, for that matter. otherwise, you could take a taxi for around $50 (some negotiation required).

as for point #2, i suggest you call up the consulate and request mail service. if you give them a good reason (something relating to not being able to miss work, perhaps), they should hook you up. the key thing to remember is that the people that work there are all low level government employees with lots of power (with respect to you) and human needs. if you show them respect, they will help you.

if that fails, you can go there in person and get it done in 24 hours, if need be. parking isn't a problem. don't go on a monday or friday. ime, the los angeles consulate is the best in the us.

i'm here to help
 

hey guys: while i don't think you'll need too much assistance navigating shanghai, i want to offer "travel agent" services in a general capacity because i like ft and would like to make sure you enjoy your stay in shanghai.

although i'm in the us at present, i can offer assistance in a number of capacities:

-cheap hotels
-plane tix from the us
-taxis to places like hangzhou or suzhou
-visa services (by mail)
-intra china plane/train tix

i'm even willing to front cash for established fters, if need be (lots of businesses in china like cash).

so, if you need help, please reply to this thread or send me an email (not a private message cuz my box is full)

Carol, the China Embassy in Singapore offers same-day visa service for S$50 more, or S$35 for next day collection.
They are open M-F (9am-12pm for Application/Collection) (3pm-4pm for Collection only)

You may checkout their website at:
http://www.chinaembassy.org.sg/eng/c3820.html

Visa Fees:
http://www.chinaembassy.org.sg/eng/53443.html

Just came back from shanghai for the very first time in China (HKG does not count IMO) Nov 20-27. I had 3 friends that work/study there and I have to say it was a BLAST! Just a couple things.

1. Cab fare from PVG to my friend's place in "Hong Kou" was 120 RMB. I never paid more than 35 RMB for any cab fare anywhere during my stay there.

2. Xintiandi is very nice, but ridiculously expensive by local standards. I had dimsum there for 2 with like 4 dishes and it was 280+ RMB. By comparison, 4 of us had a great dinner at Tang Seafood Restaurant at Jiangsu Road station for less than 600 RMB.

3. Get directions you want to go in chinese. The cab drivers will not know where to go. Have someone write it down in chinese and you can present it to them.

4. The 87th floor bar at the Grand Hyatt Pudong is nice, very nice, and they had a minimum charge of 110 RMB per person on a Wednesday night? not too bad.

5. Don't bother bringing water bottles with you, it's cheap and available everywhere.

6. Bring your passport if you want to change money and prepare to wait. I had my friends to be my local money exchanger :)

If you need to know anything else and I can help, feel free to PM me. I will try to make it as with the SIN Do but fares are extremely high right now.

sorry..
 

Looks like I will have to skip this Do..

Thanks to everyone for their input and help.. thought I could make this one work but things just aren't falling into place.

So... LHR instead. :D

ALERT!

S fares just popped up again, Feb 17-21, for $960 ex-ORD.

I do not know what the 2005 SWU terms will be but I can't make use of these fares. I might not even make it to the Do as I will be there for business either Feb 17-21 or March 23-27.

Enjoy!

Have a good trip.. watch out for the hidden extra cost of going to a high cost currency zone like London... no seriously, have fun and hope to see you in Asia again soon.

Unfortunately fares ex-ORD which are eligible for upgrades on 17th-20/21st are still pricing out at >$1700 (M fares) :( But still holding out hope that they will drop!

I'm seeing you guys in SIN ! That's mostly why I wasn't feeling guilty.. b/c I'll see most of the PVG Do-ers in SIN. ;)

What are you an accountant or something? ;)

... 'Finance Director' if you please ..

That has a nice ring to it.
:D

You can also pay a visa-service company to take your passport in to the Embassy. However, I am very skeptical of these companies. Last year while I was getting a new passport at the U.S. Passport Office I saw a courier take copies of the person's (customer's) birth certificate, SS card, etc and just toss them in the trash can (maybe because he didn't need to mail them back with the passport ?). The wicked carelessness in this day & age of identity theft amazed me.

I live in D.C and have been the Visa office a couple of times to get Chinese visas for myself. If anybody is really stuck on how to get their visa, you could send it to me with the paperwork & money (or check for the amount) & shipping fee (or fed ex#). I could take it in & pick it up. The Visa Office here is very organized and I've never had trouble getting my passport back in the 3 days. Also, Jan in AZ & San Diego 1K have both met me ... if you need reassurance or a voucher from another FTer.

I may just turn up in Shanghai myself. Haven't been there since '86, though to Beijing twice recently. Am quite hooked on the "Luxury for Less" travel in Asia.

Ok, so we got a mention in TalkMail, that means I shall put together an suggestion of activities this weekend.. but go ahead and post your own ideas now !

here's a good mileage run
 

considering the journey is 8 mins long... who wants to spend a morning shuttling back and forth ?

http://www.milesandmore.com/mam/de/e...283739,00.html