CHINA

We cruised up the Huangpu River into the heart of Shanghai. This booming metropolis is one of our favorite places in Asia and there is so much to do, that we hit the ground running. We got off the ship and tried to hail a taxi. The car stopped and the driver got out and looked at us very sternly. We kept saying “taxi? taxi?” Finally another Chinese man came over and said that the guy was a policeman—not a cab driver. We realized that having a light on the roof of the car didn’t necessarily mean it was a taxi. We sheepishly apologized as we wouldn’t want to upset a local cop and end up getting shanghaied. We decided to just walk to the Bund which is the truly impressive strand along the river. En route we happened upon the Seagull Binjiang Seesighting (sightseeing) Restaurants which are a group of small, glass enclosed boats perched on the banks of the river overlooking the Bund and the new city of Pudong across the river. We checked out the menu and were quite amazed at some of the choices e.g. “Dumplings stuffed with the digestive and ovary glands of a crab” or “Stinky Tofu.” How fortunate for us, that we shared one of the boats with two Chinese men and we kept pointing to what they ordered and we ended up with a great Chinese meal. The restaurant kitchen is located in a larger boat and all of the craft must have at one time plied the Huangpu—probably as ferry boats. Now this is my favorite restaurant in Shanghai—good view, good food and being on a boat. How can you top that?

After all of the talk about bad weather in my previous entries, we were blessed with the most beautiful spring weather we have ever experienced in China. We could actually see the sun and the sky—probably a first for us—and the temperature was perfect for walking the Bund. We crossed over the Suzhou bridge, one of the oldest wrought iron beauties, which we learned later this was the last day it would be usable as it was being demolished the very next day. The buildings along the riverfront are architectural masterpieces. One of our favorites, the art deco Peace Hotel which was built in the 1920s was unfortunately closed. Many celebrities stayed here such as George Bernard Shaw and Noel Coward and it later housed the Gang of Four during the disastrous Cultural Revolution. We hope it is just a temporary closure. As we have noticed over the last eight years of traveling to China, much of old Shanghai is disappearing in a headlong rush to modernize and update everything. It has been said that the national bird of China is the building crane. The entire skyline of Shanghai is cluttered with these one armed gantries. Another saying is that spitting is the national sport in China. The streets are posted with “No Hawking” signs but I think that refers to street vendors not to personal hygiene habits. Not everything and everyone has been swept up in the modernization craze. We saw an old building being remodeled and it was covered with bamboo scaffolding. The new bricks were brought to the site by a very old Chinese man on a bicycle. Even though the British were here for years, they failed to instill the rules of the queue to the local populace. No wonder jujitsu is so popular—we could have used a few of the moves when trying to get a cab or get on an escalator.

After our long stroll up the Nanjing Road pedestrian way, we went to our favorite foot massage parlor for one hour of bliss. Chinese must have the cleanest, softest feet in the world. After that we were reenergized enough to tackle some heavy duty shopping at the Yuyuan Bazaar. I love Asian art and fabrics and tea and the Old Town is the best place to find these. We went to some of the longtangs which are the back alleys of Old Town where there are hundreds of shops selling everything from beautifully painted scrolls to terra cotta soldiers, to mobile phones to chicken feet and dumplings. Hard bargaining is the order of the day and really requires energy and time—but is worth it in the end as you usually end up paying about 75% less than the original asking price.

That evening we were actually able to sit on our balcony due to the warmish weather and watch the passing parade of container ships, coal carrying boats, dinner junks and advertising boats and a few yachts. They were all jockeying for space on the narrow waterway but amid all of the whistle blowing and horn honking, several hundred watercraft managed to safely make their way up and down the Huangpu River. It is a lovely sight to see most of the buildings along the Bund lit up at night. As an added bonus and another first for us, we could actually see stars.

We sailed out at sunrise passing ship yards, refineries, and every type of factory imaginable. This is probably one of the most industrialized rivers in the world. The country’s production goals have far outpaced any type of environmental concerns. They are trying to get the pollution levels down in preparation for the Olympic Games this summer. We noticed that there is very little in the way of recreation facilities as that has not been a component in everyday life here. Taking care of basic needs is more of a priority at this stage of the China’s emergence into the 21st Century.

Hong Kong is the sophisticated big sister to Shanghai. She was also showing us her best weather in years. We could actually see Victoria Peak and the buildings across the harbor. The sun was out and it was shirtsleeve weather. We heard from locals that it was the first good weather they had had in months especially since the devastating cold and snow storms which plagued Southern China several weeks ago. We saw posters asking for donations to aid in the recovery from those storms which cost the economy billions and brought the country to a standstill.

In celebration of the beautiful weather we hopped on the Star Ferry and rode back and forth across the harbor. It is really nice especially now that we can travel free since we are seniors. I just got my first Social Security check last month, so it must be true, hard as it is to believe. We went directly to the Jade Market for an hours worth of haggling. We bought our matching jade rings for the fifth year in a row and then bought lots of other jade necklaces and bracelets for gifts. We know a few really good and cheap Chinese restaurants close to the Ocean Terminal where we usually manage to have a lunch or two. We met up with Bob and Lucia who had just gotten off the ship in Shanghai and were staying in Hong Kong for a few days. We watched the sunset from their harbor view room and then off for more Chinese treats.

Taking advantage of the balmy weather we rode a double-decker bus up to Victoria Peak on Hong Kong Island. Then we worked our way down to the Soho and Hollywood neighborhoods. There is an escalator—reputedly the longest in the world—which runs up the side of the mountain through these charming neighborhoods. We love going to the local markets. It seems that most of the business of Hong Kong is conducted on the streets.

We met up with Mike and Sherry for lunch at the Royal Hong Kong Yacht Club. It is one of the nicer yacht clubs we have ever been to and the location on the waters edge overlooking the harbor is fantastic. The club has been in operation for over 150 years and it was the only entity in Hong Kong that was allowed to keep Royal in its name after Mainland China took control of the former British Colony. We had a lovely lunch on the outdoor patio and heard the noon gun blast. This is an old maritime tradition which was used pre-GPS days to alert all of the ships anchored in the harbor as to the correct time. The land that the yacht club is on used to be an island in the middle of the harbor. Now it is completely attached to the shore due to landfill. From old pictures, it looks like probably 70% of the harbor has been filled and built on in the last 100 years. If they keep going at this rate the whole bay will be paved soon.

We sailed away after sunset sitting in the hot tub, so we got a terrific view of all the city lights and towering skyscrapers. Mike said that he thinks Hong Kong is the most beautiful city in the world at night—we would have to agree.

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