Heart and Hub: 3 weeks on board.

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Hong Kong to Shanghai:
Sunday 11th January 2009.

CS:
Our day in Hong Kong was a delight. We travelled on the pilot boat to Central at about 8.30am and waited awhile to get immigration clearance. Daniel and Maria accepted our advice that a trip to the Peak would appeal to them, so we walked to the terminus and left them there. I had found a reference to our Tea House on the map so we proceeded to Flagstaff Gardens to confirm it is indeed the same little spot we enjoyed so much on our last visit 4 years earlier. Booked for 6 o’clock tea then proceeded to Kowloon. Had a very pleasant lunch at Pokka café and free internet access. We left Craig at Fortress on a quest for a BeBook and walked Nathan Road to try to complete some needed tasks. Not much luck but lovely to be able to walk and walk. Tea and Dim Sum was as splendid as before and we left having acquired a set of their authentic tea cups which we had been searching for everywhere else since we had discovered them there; very satisfying! Stopped at the huge international supermarket on our way to join the boat and pleased Craig by finding vegemite on sale. When Peter, the ship’s agent met us at the wharf at 8.30pm as appointed he indicated that there had been a delay and he would not be proceeding back to our ship till midnight. That did not appeal so consensus was quickly reached to pay the $130US to get there sooner. Our day ashore felt like a bonus (as we had not expected to be able to leave the ship) but we were all well pleased to return to our cabins.
Underway again next day and a visit to the engine room escorted by Daniel (the Chief Engineer) proved a highlight. The pictures show the workings of our fine craft and it certainly added a dimension to the experience to see what is actually going on below decks - we were 9 metres below sea level at one point - and driving the whole system. Water and bilge is purified to a level well below the parts per million acceptable for drinking and effluent is processed to a fine sludge. Water for use is distilled aboard, all very eco friendly.
We made land fall outside Shanghai in the Yangtze delta on Saturday night and will join our pilot in the mouth shortly for the sail up river to our berth. A short stop is scheduled here but we are coming back to reload later.

PP:
Ahoy! Ye scurvy knaves!! Weigh anchor! Haul the halyard! Sh…(I mean:- “set” !!) the sheets! We have waited (weighted??) long enough in this estuary area, time to move to our berth at Shanghai.

The ship arrived at the estuary of the Yangtse yesterday morning at breakfast, as we have had to wait for a sister ship (the “Shanghai”) to finish loading so we can go to the Rickmers jetty, and this morning just before breakfast we started moving again. An hour and a half (or so) to pick up the pilot, then a seven hour cruise up the river. We will stay approximately a day, maybe two, to unload before going to Xingang, then back to Shanghai to reload.

As you would expect, the estuary area is very brown from the river outflow, and there are quite a lot of ships waiting around here. I’ll have more to post when we have actually been to this port.

Monday 12th January.
PP:

This from the pedestrian street in Shanghai near The Bund:- we are at a Costa coffee shop.It has been quite an adventure just getting to the Bund from the ship - 30 km approximately out of town (all still in Shanghai, as we were told by the nice young Immigration lady when we docked). Nobody speaks english, though some have limited understanding. We were picked up by the police (and helped to get warm again - very cold here), I was in a guard house for the same reason while Susan and two other passengers were taken elsewhere by the police (no room in their car for me). Eventually, a hire car turned up (called by the police) for me, and we then to a different part of the wharf area to all join up again. That driver took us halfway and hailed another taxi to get us the rest of the way. Freezing on the street, Susan keeps diverting us through different shopping places to get warm again!

Anyhow, I'll add more later - we are coming back here again after Xingang.

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