only in shanghai [just taking a stroll]

 it is no wonder the chinese are able to stay so thin and small!

they have to walk for miles and…

carry heavy loads behind them!

only in shanghai [3 wheel service]

 

*click – taxi!

a quick and easy way to get between places is this little guy. the passenger sits in the back behind the curtain. which begs the question of whether people actually fall out from behind! -it sure does not look safe and hence we did not take one!

but also, it is interesting to consider that locals can either take a proper taxi that goes by the meter, a little vehicle (as such from the picture) that follows a pre determined fixed price, a car service that acts like a taxi but requires a pre determined fixed price, buses and metro lines. There are numerous methods for locals to travel around the area.

wouldn’t it be easy to monopolise such services? -various customers will take various modes of transport that would be most appropriate. For example, one would with more luggage would take a proper car, however one with less luggage would take a smaller taxi. Thus it is easy to manipulate such items to the taxis’ advantage. Knowing that a certain type of customer that requires a larger boot space to move their goods, the taxi drivers are able to charge a ‘premium’ on inception of the fair (given that the taxi is not metered) as the customer will have no other option.

thus, there are incentives for the various types of taxis target various types of customers and openly reject others.

and here we thought that numerous numbers of taxis on the street with give the community competition that should’ve brought down the price of taxis…

only in shanghai [walkin tall]

just your average police officer walking tall on the streets of Shanghai.

only in shanghai [commuter]

a commuter going about his daily rituals.

only in shanghai [confused]

*click

only in shanghai [view from the top]

you never really know what you might see from your bedroom window.

sometimes its not a matter of looking, but its a matter to waiting and persistence for good things to come.

buildings under the cloudless skies in a busy city.

forced to innovate in their little homes and make use of what they’ve got yo get by.

using their outdoor kitchen as a laundry area and a place to grow vegetables.

only in shanghai [panda caught]

 

panda caught eating in a shopping centre?

only in shanghai [taxi ride]

 

*click