Photo by Gabriele de Seta.
I’m planning a big recording project on the beautiful island of Chongming Dao and as a way to offset some travel costs, I am offering ‘free’ rides to Chongming Dao in my car (2008 Mitsubishi Outlander- Big!). I have a roof rack for bicycles so you can bring it along to bike around. The island is about 80km long and I plan to stay there about 8-9 hours at a time- early morning till evening so you have plenty of time to bike, walk, and explore. I highly recommend bicycling since most of the island is farmland and long but scenic distances between towns. There are 25 townships on CMD and I plan to start on the west end of the island first. Ideally, I would just take you to where I start, or drop you off anywhere you like along the way to my destination. Then at the end of the day, I pick you up somewhere (near the entrance to the bridge back to SH).
Here is the info for the logistics of this trip.
Dates:
I will only be going once a week on Thursday (may be changed to Sunday) or Saturday on alternating weeks and I will post an event ad on Shanghai Stuff. Please RSVP to the ad. First come first serve, but RSVP anyway in case there are cancellations and so I can let you know when the next ‘free’ ride will be.
There needs to be a minimum of 2 people reserved for that day in order for a trip to be made.
I will then contact you for further information (mobile #, bike make/model or description, where you live). If there are any changes on my end, I will try to let you know at least a week in advance.
DEADLINE TO RSVP IS 2 DAYS BEFORE THE TRIP so I can prepare the racks, etc
Accommodation:
At the moment I have only 2 bike racks for the car. Another 2 will be added next month (May). Folding bikes welcome!
Costs:
Each person (up to 4 people) 80 RMB. Half paid at the start of the trip. Half paid at the end.
Leaving Shanghai:
(I do not have a ‘Hu’ license plate so I cannot go on any of the elevated roads between 0730-0900 and 1630-1900. Meaning we need to leave early from both SH and CMD.)
Pick-Up (In Shanghai):
Pick-ups will be between 0600-0700 and will be
arranged in locations near where you live. Keep in mind that to make things faster, you may need to bike to the nearest road (ie. Yan an Lu) or
subway station, etc. Rush hour sucks and the sooner we can get to the
Zhong Huan, the faster we get to the island.
Drop-off (in CMD):
You have 2 Choices: After the bridge, (which is near Dong Tan), or my adventurous destination for the day (may be another 1 hour from the bridge). In any case, we will meet in the same location where I drop you off.
PLEASE KEEP TRACK OF TIME. After 3-4 hours, be sure you know your way back to the meeting point. I do not want to leave anyone on the island but I don’t want to get back too late. The sooner you arrive the sooner everyone can get back home. Please be prompt.
Leaving CMD:
I will pick up the people dropped off at the entrance of the bridge at 15:30 in order to avoid rush hour in SH. This leaves a good 6-7 hours of enjoyment on the island.
What to bring:
Download and bring the map of Chong Ming Dao from my website for your reference or bring a GPS:
http://chongmingtapes.com/cmdt/About_Chong_Ming_Dao.html
Dust masks. Last time I went, some parts were a bit dusty.
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FYI: Unfortunately, I have to go away the entire month of May for a job. Rides will commence again in June.
If you have any additional questions please let me know.
Here are some pics from my last trip (April 9). Taken by Gabriele de Seta.
http://www.shanghaistuff.com/photo/albums/chong-ming-dao
Thanks!
