Shibo

Shibo, which is chinese (well, pin yin) for Expo, is near. 11 days, said the sign this morning. I have tickets, and IF(!) my guests get to come from Europe, we plan to go.

Only issue is, that we are most likely leaving Shanghai on 3rd of May (to visit Hong Kong before truly returning to Europe). Expo opens on May 1st. All Shanghainese haven been given official day offs for the first few days of Expo.

Do you know what that means? The first few days of Expo... I'll be damned if the place is not packed. Super-packed. Over-packed. Europe airports-at-the-moment-packed. Shanghai-metro-during-rush-hour-packed. This packed.

According to Shanghai Daily, about 200,000 visitors thronged to the World Expo site in Shanghai today for the event's first trial, stretching public transport and services.

Where do you find 200,000 people on a normal working day to queue several hours and test the arrangements? Well, in Shanghai, apparently.

Below is how Shanghai Daily reported about the on-goings. I sure hope they manage to oil the wheels before it actually kicks in, but I'm not too sure about that... Had I chance I think I would opt to visit Expo in the autumn time :o) Now we just have to make best of what is available.

Passengers on Metro Line 8, linking Expo Park with downtown Shanghai, complained that trains were so crowded that doors couldn't close. The trais stopped between stations from time to time and a half-hour ride from People's Square to Yaohua Road took more than one hour this morning. At Yaohua Road station, near the entrance to Expo, jams formed at turnstile exit gates. Several turnstiles broke and visitors had to jump the barrier.Safety checkpoints were canceled outside some Expo entrances because there were too many people waiting outside.

At some gates, visitors waited for half an hour to pass through bag X-rays and body scans. Only a few pavilions were open today, attracting thousands of people waiting in line for hours because reservation machines were not working. The Chinese Pavilion stopped bookings about 10am and announcements repeatedly warned visitors to avoid the area nearby. The British Pavilion was closed at 11:30am because staff could not cope with so many visiors. A minor conflict broke out when some visitors tried to jump the queue, according to Xinmin.cn.

People faced long queues for food and drink, too, with some complaining about high prices. Rubbish was also stacked in public water fountains after visitors threw meal boxes into the basin.