Vacationing in Shanghai...

[Hachibei]

I'll be going for a vacation in Shanghai (and the surrounding area, such as Suzhou, Nanjing and Wuxi) this coming August for about a week. Tell me anything and everything I should know about the area, differences between there and Canada, where I live, and how I should prepare for the trip.

 

[Costello]

thats where I live (Shanghai, Suzhou)

well, it really depends: what are you interested in seeing? old traditional chinese culture, gardens and stuff?
or more like modern life, kickass buildings and awesome new places?
what else?

in that area, the places you have to see are most definitely Suzhou and Hangzhou, heaven on earth according to the chinese...

 

[Hachibei]

I'm mainly interested in seeing modern things, shopping for random oddities, and trying out genuine mainland Chinese food. I'll be going with a tour group so that doesn't leave a lot of time to go exploring by myself. A couple random questions on my mind right now:

-What's internet like for visiting tourists? Are there a lot of restrictions on what sites can be visited?
-I'll be bringing a few things with me, like a laptop and a DS; would I have to get a special AC adapter to charge my stuff?
-Is it easy for a tourist to get a temporary pre-paid cell phone or cell phone plan? The tour company suggested for everyone to be carrying a cell phone while we're there.

 

[triassic911]

You should show him around, Costello!