Advertisement
Published: October 25th 2009
Edit Blog Post
Shanghai
Haungpu River and Pudong Continuing on our tour of the megacities of Asia we pulled into Shanghai on a cloudy Sunday morning. This city, which boasts a population of 20 million, is in the throes of a massive makeover like Beijing just did. Shanghai will be hosting the 2010 World Expo beginning in May next year. The entire Bund area is being renovated along with the cruise port. Five subway lines are being added and a whole new Expo city is being created. The local government expects 70 million visitors during the six month Expo. I can hardly imagine that as the street and sidewalks are already so clogged in this fast paced city--- how will millions more be squeezed in?
We went to a shopping area recommended by Sherry and Mike. Tao Bao is a five story market filled with all things Chinese as well as designer knock-offs and some very aggressive shopkeepers. It took really hard bargaining to get all the pashmina and silk bags at a good price. We did pick up matching “his and her” Rolex watches for a pittance. And I know they are the real thing because the merchant said so.
We also went to our favorite tea shop
in Yu Bazaar where we were disappointed to find that our friendly saleswoman was no longer working there. We had been dealing with Jennifer for the past six years but she must have moved on to a better job. We found an interesting market in one of the back alleys where one floor is entirely wedding paraphernalia. The next floor is filled with Chinese herbal medicines. Another floor holds just hair ornaments. All of the customers appear to be Chinese and it was interesting to listen to the haggling process. They were either bargaining or calling into question each other’s parentage—I couldn’t tell which. But there was wild gesturing and the vocals were at earsplitting levels.
Our travel group had a dinner at the hottest nightclub spot in Shanghai called M1NT on the Bund. This rooftop restaurant has a commanding view of the Bund, the Huangpu River and the skyscrapers of Pudong. Both the old and new buildings are lit up at night and present quite a dazzling sight especially for this South Dakota kid. The restaurant served a very avant-garde menu accompanied by energetic music. The women’s powder room had a floor to ceiling window and very dim lights
in order to take advantage of the city views. It was quite dramatic for a bathroom.
We took an all day excursion to Zhujiajiao, an ancient water city on the lower reaches of the Yangtze River. Once we got through Shanghai’s rush hour traffic we had a pleasant ride into the countryside to this exceptionally well preserved village. We took a small boat for a ride on the canals and cruised under graceful bridges which evoke images of Venice. Small houses festooned with drying laundry line the waterways alongside restaurants and temples. The oldest post office is located here and it is believed that mail delivery started in these parts 3000 years ago via the extensive river system. Zhujiajiao is a charming hamlet and a pleasant respite from clamoring Shanghai. Apparently we aren’t the first to discover this tranquil place as we heard that some 60 filmmakers have used “Pearl Stream” as the setting for their movies.
We got back to Shanghai in time for one last Chinese meal of Peking duck and noodles before setting sail back down the river. Fortunately we had several sea days to catch up on things. We had a nice Cruise Specialists party in
Kitty and Norm’s Grand Suite. Captain Patruno joined us along with Jamie and Dana and a number of other staff and lecturers.
We got reports from home about a big storm that blew into the Bay Area. Come to find out it was the remnants of Typhoon Melor. That’s the same one that caused such havoc in Japan right after we left there. Apparently there were hurricane force winds in Sausalito along with minor flooding and downed trees. Luckily our boat came through the storm like a champ. Our friend JT keeps a close eye on Mana and reported all was well on the home front. Meanwhile, out here in Asia, the Philippines is still reeling from the flooding brought by Typhoons Ketsana and Parma and now another typhoon is heading towards that beleaguered country. This new typhoon is called Lupit which means cruel in Tagalog and it is aptly named.
I was first in Hong Kong in 1969 when it was still under British Rule. Honkers, as it was called by the Brits, was a bright spot hovering on the edge of the Red Dragon of Communist China. Since the Chinese “takeaway” in 1997 it seems to have continued
to prosper in spite of predictions of disaster. The Chinese government was smart enough to allow this golden egg to remain as a financial powerhouse in Asia. The more we come here, the more we appreciate the city’s spirit and vitality.
We lucked out with the ship’s position at the Ocean Cruise Terminal as our cabin was facing Victoria Harbor and Hong Kong. We thus had the best hotel room in town. As soon as we docked we realized that we could watch the Dodger/Phillies playoff game so we did that while having breakfast on our veranda. Then it was time to go exploring. Our first stop was the Jade Market which is one of our favorites in all of Asia. We know some of the merchants there and I had to have a jade stone replaced in a ring. We picked up some nice necklaces and jade decorative pieces. We walked bustling Nathan Road past the famous Peninsula Hotel, along the Walk of Stars on the waterfront promenade and that night had a perfect seat on our balcony to watch the glitzy laser and light show. We were lucky in that we had fairly clear weather conditions in this
usually smoggy and hazy city. We were able to see Victoria Peak and even a few stars were even visible—an almost unheard of sight.
We met up with our friend Ann and took the Star Ferry across to Central in Hong Kong where we were picked up by John and driven across to Repulse Bay for lunch. John is a very successful Kiwi businessman who has been living in Hong Kong for the last 28 years. He and Ann worked together when she lived and raised her family in this colonial outpost. We went to the Hong Kong Country Club and were treated to an exquisite lunch. The Club has an 18 year waiting list and is equipped with a huge swimming pool, bowling alleys and tennis courts, not to mention some great restaurants. It was interesting to hear these two old friends talk about what it was like living as ex-pats and raising children in this foreign land.
After lunch we went to Aberdeen and hired a junk boat to take us around the remaining live-aboard community of fishing boats. Ann dredged up her best Chinese in order to haggle with the crusty old one-eyed boatman who thought he
Honey Bucket
Many of the residences have no toilets or kitchens. could take us for a ride literally and figuratively by demanding an exorbitant fare. Ann out dueled him and after things quieted down we had a nice ride around the harbor past the famous Jumbos Restaurant. The government has resettled most of the boat residents into high-rise apartments so there are only a few families still residing on boats. As fellow boat people, we think this is a shame. Back in the day, Aberdeen was a thriving community of boating families living a time honored waterborne lifestyle.
We went by Ann’s former home as well as the church where she was wed and then back to the Star Ferry for a ride across to Kowloon. We really enjoy taking these old ferries especially now that as senior citizens we get to ride on the upper deck for free. Ann had given us a special insight into Hong Kong and a lovely afternoon outing.
After another dazzling light show the Regent Mariner slipped her lines and headed out to sea. We were bound for Southeast Asia with visits to Vietnam, Thailand and Singapore—all fabled places full of history and exotic sights.
Advertisement
Tot: 0.103s; Tpl: 0.018s; cc: 9; qc: 23; dbt: 0.0699s; 1; m:domysql w:travelblog (10.17.0.13); sld: 1;
; mem: 1.1mb