I am home, so I am writing this from memory going back in time a few days! Sorry I didn’t write sooner. The second to last day at sea you wonder around wondering what you might have missed, tired from eating, drinking, trying to remember where you were in the beginning; don’t remember cause it’s 50 some days ago. You eat dinner but it doesn’t fit in. You pack say good bye to folks you have meet along the way.
The next morning seems like it’s going to be crazy you get up early run to breakfast. Look around and see many orientals wondering when did they come on? It’s some early hour, we changed our time to get offs he ship to be among one of the first. we arranged a group bus. Then a message comes along we are stuck out at sea and can not go into the harbor due to fog! Well duh! You look outside the balcony and see nothing! It seems they knew early on they were not moving ! You think they could have told passengers earlier and let people ease into breakfast! We were suppose to get off at 8am. We did not get off until 5pm. It was an uncontrolled zoo getting luggage. We managed to find ours, struggle out , find our pick up among at least 50 or more waving cards. By the time we got to our room, retrieved our luggage we sat down to dinner at 9pm. So much for day 1 in SHANGHI.
The next day we had a tour. We went to Yu Gardens it was raining, not a good day to walk around gardens, umbrella, camera in hand! It was pretty with oriental buildings, gold fish ponds. The buildings were ancient some stuff back to Ming dynasty! That’s old! The impressive dragons protect the place.
The streets have oriental buildings everywhere just like you picture in your mind.
While walking somewhere we saw how they make their brooms out of branches and sticks. They use them all over China where we have been on this trip.
We went to the famous Bund. It is a pedestrian walk across the river from downtown. Downtown is where the money is in China. Therefore, they have the biggest fancy buildings.
The people’s government is communist. This means the people own very little. For example, they are given housing I think 100 sq ft per person…oh yes it’s minute! They pay approximately $100 for electric, cell phone, gas. Any thing like cars are taxed 70percent…yes 70! So the very rich have one. You have free medical, but if your very sick you will probably die. They have 8 million in this city. They live in skyscrapers about 40-50 stories high, hard to say how many apts on a floor 2-5. There are anywhere from 5-10 such buildings in close proximity. Therefore, you are living among thousands in a tiny area. Others live in buildings you can huff and puff and blow them down. At which point they plow them and start another skyscraper. Pretty crazy to see.
Chinese eating is a eye opener too! In the morning many eat soup! Yep, broth with the kitchen sink, ham, chicken, noodles, lettuce, bok choy, mushrooms and any other vegetable they can fit In the bowl. And they eat it with chop sticks, then drink the soup left as a cup. We went to a breakfast buffet it was like dinner. They took noodles, steamed veggies, chicken, steam buns oh and rice at every meal! One other thing they don’t use napkins. They put them under the dishes.
The women are so white. I never realized it until I saw so much of it. No wonder they are afraid of the sun. They swim with long sleeves, they use umbrellas. Of course the kids wear shorts. Then you are never happy with the hair you are given. I have curly hair, always wanted straight. These ladies even younger folk have beautiful straight black as black can be long…to their butt, black hair. Shinny pretty! Do they keep it? they dye it brown, red, cut it in weird shapes.
The last day we went on a boat ride and saw different architecture.
We went to a place called Tiger Hill. It was a pagoda up a hill which when you got to the top could not see because it is surrounded by scaffolding made of bamboo because it is being secured. It apparently leans more then the Pisa tower! It s raining again, so much for that schlep! I had to go to the bathroom, what a treat in China there are slim amount of toilets. Yes you squat!
We returned in time to see an acrobat show. it was awesome. We know they start them when they can barely walk so we knew it would be fantastic. A good way to close out out amazing journey. Tomorrow the airport.
We flew air canada, the food was awful, so much so I didn’t eat! At least the wine was free. The trip was very long something like 12 hours, I saw 2 movies I don’t remember which and read a book. We landed about the time the Toronto connection was about to leave but they waited for us!
At about one am I call the hotel to pick us up. And they couldn’t find my reservation? Apparently, I didn’t think that a reservation after 12am is still on the previous day until check in at 3pm! They were very accommodating and picked us up and gave us a room. The next morning totally exhausting good friends came to pick us up to bring us home.
Laundry, laundry and mail and mail food shopping real life starts to come into focus! Oh well
Thanks so much for coming along! I so hope you enjoyed the journey!
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