Singapore, Singapore

 

March 29

In the early hours of today we navigated through one of the busiest shipping areas in the world—the Singapore Straits. After exiting the traffic lane, we altered to starboard and headed toward our berth in the heart of Singapore. We arrived at 7:00 a.m., left the ship at 9:00 and were immediately confused once we got into the terminal. Nothing looked as it did in 2008. Instead of taking the MRT we  started to walk toward town to the Marina Bay Skypark Hotel & Casino. It was very hot and humid, not the best walking weather. After walking about 3 miles we admitted we were lost, somehow we ended up in Chinatown. I was very surprised at how much litter there was along the sidewalks, Singapore is supposed to be so clean. We broke down and asked directions to the train station but once inside decided it was too complicated. Instead we hailed a cab to the hotel. Although the driver did not speak much English he understood where we wanted to go. As you can see from the picture below, the top of the hotel is built to resemble a boat. He said it was built that way in case of a tsunami, a little Chinese humor. We went to the casino first, good thing we had our passports as we need them to enter and to exit the casino. After a little play I lost all the money I allotted to gamble, Betty lost $4.00. We headed back to the hotel and decided to go to lunch at a place called “Ku De Ta”. It was located on the 57th floor(Top) of the hotel, in the ‘boat’. The view was unbelievable.

 

Below are pictures of the infinity pool that is on the 56th floor. How would you like to swim in this pool. Pretty scary!

 

We had an excellent lunch with an excellent view. Betty ordered Salt Grilled Amberjack and I had a Loin Berkshire Strip Steak, we split a side of Asparagus. I had a Singapore Beer called Tiger and Betty had a Ginger Beer. Our lunch cost $150.00 but we had a million dollar view. It was a great life experience with my best friend.

After lunch we headed back to the lobby and checked out the shops, then took a taxi back to the Harbor Front and walked around the mall to cool off. I went into a Levi store and a pair of 501’s cost $139.95. We headed back to the Cruise Terminal and I bought some beers that I never had before which I will be adding to the beer list. We actually bought a bag of Lay’s Potato chips, since they don’t have them on the ship and Betty was dying for them. (There is such a shortage of food on a cruise ship!) They will go good with the burgers some day.

Back on the ship, we took well needed showers then headed to the buffet to watch the sail-away. The harbor here is filled with 100’s of ships. We spotted this yacht on the way out. Very unusual, the crew called it the James Bond Boat.

We are now setting various courses out of the Singapore Harbor before we enter the Straits of Malacca on our way to Phuket, Thailand.

March 30

Woke at 3:45am this morning to a storm at sea. I opened the curtains and watched the sky light up. At 6:00 it turned into a thunderstorm with the sky heavily clouded and heavy rain. This is the first storm of this size we every sailed through, but much to Betty’s dismay, the seas stayed calm. Early this morning we passed “One Fathom Bank” and at 9:00 a.m. we cleared the Malacca traffic separation scheme and continue to sail towards Phuket on a north-westerly course.

This morning we had a Port Talk on Phuket. We have half day tour, riding elephants, but needed info on what we can do the balance of our time there if we are not exhausted.

This afternoon we had a Scholarship at Sea lecture “Astronomy and a Star to Steer Her By” with astronomer David Dodge. It was very interesting and informative.

Tonight’s show was a Tribute Act with Alan and Harry Whyte performing the music of the Beatles. It started out bad, as the singer sounded like he just sucked in some helium. He did have a unique voice and his brother offset it with his and they sounded very good. The next show will be 50’s music so we will try and see it.

During the night we are continuing on a north-westerly course then enter the channel and navigate the shallow waters of the harbour.

Cruise Summary 3rd Segment

February 27 to March 29, 2012

Ports                              Distance(Nautical Miles)               Speed

Sydney to Cairns                    1250                                    15.4 knots

Cairns to Guam                       2153                                    16.4

Guam to Iwo Jima                    698                                     17.9

Iwo Jima to Tokyo                    634                                     16.0

Tokyo to Hiroshima                   444                                     18.1

Hiroshima to Busan                   214                                      14.0

Busan to Shanghai                     418                                      13.6

Shanghai to Hong Kong             787                                       15.7

Hong Kong to Phu My                913                                       15.3

Phu My to Laem Chabang          606                                       17.4

Laem Chabang to Singapore     803                                       14.3

Total Distance Travelled from Sydney to Singapore

8,920 Nautical Miles = 10,258 Statute Miles

Total Distance Travelled from Fort Lauderdale to Singapore

22,393 Nautical Miles= 25,733 Statute Miles

Sailing to Singapore

March 27

Woke up this morning feeling a little refreshed. After breakfast Betty did the laundry, it was very crowed, probably since people are getting off. But she was unharmed but it wasn’t pretty. Only one lecture today by the former Ambassador Douglas Hartwick titled “A Diplomat’s Life in a Crazy World. I went just to break up the afternoon. We did trivia this morning for the same reason.

We had Lobster tail for dinner again last night. Tonight the show was The Action Comedy of Thien Fu. He was a juggler/comedian and fairly funny. We lost a hour sleep today as we move the clock forward for the first time on this cruise. There is now a 12 hours difference from Cleveland time.

March 28

We actually slept until 6:30 this morning due to the time change. I have pledged not to eat any more lobster as it made me sick, probably all the butter I ate at dinner. Let’s just say I am thinner today. Today we had a port talk on Singapore. We have been here before and did most of the tourist things like have a Singapore Sling at Raffles where it was invented. We won’t do that again for two reasons, the first being they were not that good and second because they charge $30.00 for one drink.

We had the last Scholarship at Sea talk with Mark Harrington titled Modern Warfare-Computer Technology. It was very interesting and informative. Tonight’s dinner included Baked Alaska as it is the last night for over half the people on the ship. We were shocked that half the ship was disembarking in Singapore. We are losing our trivia partners so we will look for a new team. Betty went to the show and saw the Pacific Princess Choir, I returned to the room hoping the internet was working and it wasn’t. It has been out for over a day. I feel sorry for the people getting off in the morning and being unable to confirm flight information.

All day today we maintained a southerly courses, paralleling the coast of the Malaysian Peninsula.

Laem Chabang & Bangkok Thailand

March 26

After sailing thru the Gulf of Thailand, we arrived in Laem Chabang, Thailand at 7:00 a.m. It was very hot and humid already. We left the ship at 8:00 as we were taking the ship’s transportation to Bangkok. It took us 2 hours to get to the city center of Bangkok where we were dropped off at the Asia Hotel on Phyathai Road. The tour escort spoke good English and helped us with directions to the Grand Palace which she said is the most important thing to see in Bangkok. She recommended that we take the Sky Train to the Chao Phraya River and take a boat to Wat Po temple exit. This exit is where the160 foot reclining Buddha resides and is also known as the birthplace of the Thai Massage. 

We found our way to the Sky Rail and already we were sweating. The temperature was 96 degrees but the humidity most have been 200%. On the way we passed the Bangkok Google Office.

Once we figured out to purchase a ticket we proceeded to find the correct train. In doing so I got confused, the heat was draining me. We ended up following a sign that we shouldn’t have and ended up walking through the exit so we had to pay again to get the train. Good thing the ticket only cost 35 cents in US money. We got off at the right exit, and now had to find the express boat. After getting through the people trying to sell us tours we found the express river boat which we boarded. Off we went down the Chao Phraya River, the views from the river boat were amazing. Hotels, Restaurants and Temples everywhere. We cruised by the Wat Arun temple, Wat Muang Kae temple, under the Phra Pok Kiao bridge, along China Town, past the Peninsula Hotel and then got off at the Wat Po Temple. The city of Bangkok has over 400 temples (and 12 million people to fill them.)

We walked through the grounds of the Temple then headed for the Grand Palace grounds. At one entrance a Thai person told us that the grounds entrance was closed until 2:00 as the Monks were having a celebration and wanted to take us somewhere for lunch. We were warned of this practice and continued walking. We walked another 1/4 mile and finally found the entrance. Here again Thai people tried to sell you a ticket and a tour. We walked to the ticket office and finally entered the grounds. The first reaction was WOW! I never saw so many old building with gold everywhere. Just unbelievable, it should be added to your bucket list. We then entered the The Royal Monastery of the Emerald Buddha, we had to remove our shoes before entering. Also Betty and I had to wear long pants, which not helping with the hot humid weather. The inside was beautiful with gold everywhere. While inside you must not point your feet toward the Buddha, we opted not to try and sit on the floor, we might have never got back up. You also could not take any pictures.  (The guide on the bus said that if you didn’t visit the temple grounds you truly did not visit Bangkok.  We now understood what she meant. Neither words or pictures can describe the beauty. There was so much to look at that it was over-whelming.)

 

 

Luckily our shoes were still outside the Monastery. We then entered several other buildings, in the Galleries the walls were painted with scenes from the Ramakien which tells the story of the Buddha. Below is the painting called Phra Wiharn Yod.

You could spend many hours here although 2 hours were enough for us due to the heat. We had a hard time trying to find a exit, found a couple but only Thai people could use them. After awhile we located an exit to the street. I hailed a cab as we could not have walked much farther. Of course the cab driver did not know where the Asia Hotel was so I showed him the map and a card the tour guide gave us. He still was not sure. The traffic was terrible and he rear ended another cab, but no damage was done. After 45 minutes we were at the hotel. The cab ride cost 89 Bhats which is $2.90 US. I tipped him 50% of the fare and he gave me a very deep bow with palms together put close to his chest. (That is the highest form of praise in Thailand.) How can you make any money at those rates. Many drivers will not set the meter, I can see why. But we were warned to get out of the cab if they refused. We wanted to go to the MBK shopping mall where they sell original high-end items but also fakes of the same thing. But we would have had to walk and decided we didn’t need to shop. Instead we went to the restaurant in the Asia Hotel called The Trivoli for a Thai lunch. Betty had Egg Noodles with Chicken and Banboo and I had Fried Egg Noodles with Shrimp and Chilli Sauce. Both were excellent but not spicy enough, we forgot to tell them to make it spicy, they do not serve it that way to Americans. I enjoyed 3 beers with my meal as I was very dehydrated, a local beer “Singha” made in Bangkok. After lunch we still had a 45 minute wait for the bus so we shopped around the hotel and bought a few items. The quality of merchandise in Thailand seemed much better than China, and prices were very reasonable.

 

The bus ride back took a little over 3 hours and once on board we went up for a hamburger and something to drink. Just a habit that we must eat. Then it was off to the room for showers and a movie, The Lincoln Lawyer. (On the first segment of the trip I joined the Book Club and our first book was the Lincoln Lawyer. The second segment started and the book was The Lincoln Lawyer. The third segment, the book was The Lincoln Lawyer. Sensing a trend here, I decided to spend my time elsewhere.) 

Tonight we are sailing back through the Gulf of Thailand on a southerly course as we make our way to Singapore which is the end of the 3rd part of this world odyssey. A lot of people are leaving the ship and we will pick up new passengers for the last part of our trip.

Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam

March 24                      Happy Birthday Julie!!

We arrived here at 6:30 a.m. and the temperature was already 88 degrees. After breakfast we left for our tour of the Cu Chi Tunnels. These tunnels, used by the Viet Cong during the war, are 124 miles long, going all the way into Cambodia.

We boarded the bus for the 3 hour drive thru the countryside to the tunnels. Luckily the bus was 100% better than the bus we rode in 2008 as it had air conditioning. The tour guide was excellent, explaining the history of the tunnels and of Vietnam. It was interesting to hear the story from another perspective.

The traffic everywhere in Vietnam is terrible, thousands of motor bikes and cycles loaded with everything imaginable.  There is a helmet law but it only applies to the driver.  Therefore, the parents load the children onto the bike and none of them have helmets.

Once at the tunnels we were shown the original openings which are very small. A 10 kilometers have been enlarged so that tourists can view them. The Viet Cong were smart enough to build them so the Americans would not fit, we used the Filipino soldiers as ‘tunnel rats’ since they were smaller. It was impossible to see the openings to the tunnels, they were so well camouflaged. The tunnels actually went under the largest US base during the war. They were built beginning in 1947 during the war against the French, and then expanded during the war with America. They have multiple levels as well as kitchens, hospital rooms, etc.  Sure  glad I didn’t serve here, the deaths in these tunnels and traps was very painful. It was a very devious and ingenious plan.

(I didn’t know Bill was taking pictures of me, nor do I know how to delete them from this blog.  Not very flattering.) We then had the opportunity to enter a tunnel. It was a mile long, Betty and I opted to exit at the first opportunity as it was very claustrophobic and completely dark. People in front of us were having a hard time getting through and we would have to stop hunched over in the complete darkness before they got moving again. It was an experience that I don’t need to do again. After we got out we were treated to some Vietnamese tea and some tapioca root. The tea was good but it was 96 degrees, I needed something cold. The tapioca, a staple of the Vietnamese people, was tasteless. We then were taken to a restaurant for lunch, they offered us free beer, so Betty ordered one for me since she had water. (The beers will be added to the beer list) See how lucky I am to have her in my life. The following is the menu:

 

The ride to and from the tunnels was very interesting, we passed many rice paddies and rubber plantations. The rice was ready for harvest and it was all being done by hand. Sadly, Vietnam does not possess the technology to be a major player in the world today. 

During dinner we sailed out of Phu My and we retraced our steps through the river past Vung Tai and into the South China Sea altering to starboard and setting an initial westerly heading for Liam Chabang, Thailand.

March 25

Relaxing day at sea today, trivia this morning, same results as usual. Afternoon Scholarship at Sea lecture “Fighting Crime with Computer Technologies” by Mark Harrington. It was very interesting.

Tonight show is a encore performance by Preston Coe, we missed the first show so we will attend tonight. Then we will get to bed early as tomorrow we arrive in Laem Chabang, Thailand at 7:00  a.m. and our tour leaves at 7:15. It is really transportation to and from Bangkok so we will spend 5+ hours on a bus. the rest of the time we will be on our own.

Sailing the S.China Sea to Vietnam

March 22,

We are maintaining the same south-south-westerly course across the South China Sea. It is getting warmer with a forecast high of 77 degrees today. This morning we had a Scholarship at Sea lecture by Guest speaker Mark Harrington titled “Fighting Terrorism with Computer Technologies” It was very interesting and he has 2 more lectures prior to arriving in Singapore. We then went to trivia where we did our usual.

The afternoon was spent writing the blog and working on pictures, we also sat on the balcony as it was very pleasant. Both Betty and I actually took a little nap out there.

We were invited to the Captain’s Circle cocktail party were we met the new Captain and some of the staff. For some reason we changed captains in Korea. The Cabaret Lounge was filled as the drinks were free. Of course I took advantage of it and had two. It was formal night and I was happy to see that lobster tail was on the menu, it was excellent. We skipped the show tonight and returned to the cabin to watch “High Noon” starring Gary Cooper.

March 23,

Still maintaining the same course and it is also warmer and very humid. The forecast is 80 degrees today. This morning Betty went to a Scholarship at Sea lecture  “Southeast Asia after the Vietnam War” by Ambassador Douglas Hartwick.

This afternoon we had a port talk on Bangkok-The Golden Capital. Unfortunately the ship will be docked in Laem Chabang which is quite far from Bangkok. We are going there even though it is a 2 1/2 to 3 hour bus ride each way. We will have about 4 1/2 hours to investigate the city on our own, which sounds fascinating. The bad thing is that it will hot and humid, probably 95 degrees minimum.

Tonight’s evening entertainment was “A Instrumental Showtime” with Mariuz, “Breaking the Music Barriers” Classical and Rock hits on Electric Cello. Well we never heard any rock hits and the instrument looked nothing like a Cello.

Tonight after making a westerly course along the southern edge of Vietnam, we will alter onto various northerly headings as we board a local pilot and navigate the Vinh Ganh Rai, passing the city of Vung Tau on our starboard side and the Can Gio Mangrove Biosphere Reserve on our port side. Continuing northwards, we will make our way to our berth further up the Song Thj Vai in Phu My, Vietnam.

Hong Kong, China---Day Two

March 21

After a good night of sleep and a good breakfast, we left the ship with the intentions of riding the tram to the top of Victoria Peak. It is the tallest mountain on Hong Kong Island and has amazing views of the city. But today’s weather did not co-operate as it was colder, cloudier and very windy. We hoped to try it in the afternoon if the weather cleared up. Once again we took the shuttle to the Central Pier where the information guide mapped out a walking tour along with directions to the Central Mid-level escalators. These escalators are the world’s longest at 800 meters, and since Hong Kong is all hills, the main way for people to get to their homes. They operate down only from 6:00 a.m. to 10:30 a.m. and then up from 10:30 a.m. to midnight. To get to the escalators we walked on various covered walkways, the whole of Exchange Square is connected. Once we found the escalators we headed up, stopping off in the SoHo district.  This is the main restaurant and club area, with every nationality represented.

Going up the escalator

View from the escalator

The Walk down at 300 meters

Next stop was the Man Mo Temple Compound. The temple was beautiful and many people making offerings it was a very serene place. (The cone-shaped objects on the ceiling are incense.  I had to laugh, they were lighting the incense with a blow-torch.  The sights and smells inside these temples is something not to be missed.)

Heading down we walked through the antique section, many shops with many great items. We did end up buying a (genuine!) antique horse, we just hope it will make it home as it is very fragile and old. We then walked through the furniture district, again it was beautiful furniture and would have loved to buy some. The prices were very good. (Chris and Tracy, you would love it here!) The walk down was easy and the sights interesting. We now headed straight down and went through a market area with fish, vegetables and every kind of mushroom in the world. Betty wanted to cut the bag of frogs open and set them free.

Bag of live frogs!!!

We continued down through various other markets and restaurants. All the restaurants were packed with most having a line of people waiting outside. This is what happens when you have six million people living in such a small area. We had over 300 Hong Kong dollars to spend but didn’t find anything we wanted or needed, or anywhere to eat as they were all busy.

 

Once to the bottom of the hill, we went to the IFC Mall, this mall was built since our last visit. There was a food market, we strolled thru to just check it out. We spotted a bakery and ended up getting two rolls which served as our lunch. Since we still had Hong Kong dollars we headed to the money exchange at the pier and exchanged it for money for Thailand. We exchanged $270 Hong Kong Dollars and they gave us $970 Thai Baht’s so now we are rich again. Back at the ship we went to dinner, they were having a Hong Kong buffet which turned out to be excellent. Betty and I ate a little of everything, the crispy duck was especially good. (If you could get past the fact that the duck was laying on the carving board with its head still on.) We were joined at the table by Rita and Hartman, we have never seen them before. It turned out that Rita was a retired nurse and Hartman was retired letter carrier, go figure. We had a very nice conversation and talked for nearly 2 hours. Back in the cabin we watched the movie “ The Descendants” with George Clooney.

We sailed out at 5:20 and noticed that the reason we didn’t remember the sail in was that on our last cruise we actually sailed in the opposite way since we came from Vietnam and now we are sailing to Vietnam. Once out of the busy harbor, we will enter the East Lamma Channel where the pilot will disembark and we will then enter the South China Sea. We will then maintain a south-south-westerly course across the South China Sea.

Hong Kong, China----Day One

March 20   

After reaching the entrance to the Kowloon and Hong Kong harbor we navigated past many anchorages before arriving at the China Merchant Wharf where we will dock. Princess was scheduled to dock on the Kowloon side at the better dockage but apparently bumped to this dock because we are the smallest ship. During the sail-in we passed many shanties on the water, with modern high rises in the background; what a contrast in living conditions. The weather is warmer and the forecast is for 74 degrees with a chance of rain.

Shanties and High rises on sail in.

Our plan for the day was to go to the Stanley Market on the other side of Hong Kong Island. (For those of you who are not familiar with Hong Kong, it is set on two different islands – Hong Kong Island and Kowloon Island. The two sides are connected by tunnels and ferries.) We took the free shuttle to Central pier, then the walkway to the Central Exchange Bus Station that was next to the IFC mall and on ground level. The last time we were here, there was no walkway and no mall. The walkway connects much of downtown on the Hong Kong side which makes getting around much easier. There was an Apple store that spanned the highway underneath, we had to go in and check out the latest I Pad. It was very crowded, just how much does Apple sell in a day? We made our way to the bus terminal and caught the bus to Stanley. After a 1/2 hour bus ride up and down the hills and thru many curves we arrived at the market. We drove thru Repulse Bay where Hong Kong’s most beautiful beaches are. Many resorts are in this area.  Stanley Market was somewhat of a disappointment as it didn’t have the same merchandise or the same vibe as the last time we were here. They did not want to bargain and the prices were much higher. This was not a bad thing as it kept us from buying things we did not need. After walking the market we decided to re-live a memory and headed to the Pickled Pelican for lunch. In 2008 we had a few Guinness's with Mike & Val from Las Vegas. I drank a few beers in their honor.

Entrance to Stanley Market

Pickled Pelican

We then boarded the bus back to the Central Pier. We were tired but I talked Betty into going over to Kowloon to the Temple Street Night Market. We boarded the Star Ferry to Kowloon, it is a short ride and  cost approximately 30 cents US. This harbor is always filled with ferry boats going in every direction. Once across we could not figure out how to take a bus to the market so we decided to walk, heading in the general direction and making a few adjustments along the way. We walked down Nathan Street which is filled with every high end store in the world. There were Rolls Royce's, Porches, Maserati's and Ferrari's and the like on the streets, totally amazing. (This is Communist Capitalism at its finest!) Seemed like we walked a couple miles up this street, made a few turns towards Temple Street and finally ended up at the night market. This was the China we wanted to see, with the signs hanging over the street, the vendors cooking on the sidewalks, laundry hanging from all the balconies. After walking through the market we went back on the sidewalks behind the vendors. This is where it got interesting. Apparently there was nothing you couldn’t buy here, prostitution was prevalent. You have have to be crazy to go up or down these stairwells. After leaving the market we decided to head back to the Star Ferry terminal, stopping at McDonald’s for something to drink. We ordered a Brewed Ice Tea, we got ice tea with a white substance in the bottom we think was cream, and a container of liquid sugar. With sugar it was barely drinkable. This McDonald’s was packed with people, we are slowly killing them with our American food!

Back on Nathan Street we fought our way through hordes of people, we managed to hit rush hour. We spotted a bus that took us to the Star Ferry terminal so we jumped aboard, saving ourselves from another two mile walk to the pier. It was getting foggy again so we skipped the laser show and took the ferry back to Central Pier and the shuttle bus back to the ship. (Hong Kong at night is amazing, they put on a laser and light show in the evening when the weather is clear.  Both sides, Hong Kong and Kowloon, are lit up and it is just beautiful.)

It was an interesting day, and also a very long day. Back onboard we had some pizza and headed to the folkloric show “The Hebei Acrobatic and Magic Show. Then off to our cabin as we have another full day in Hong Kong tomorrow.

A Couple Days in the China Sea

March 18

We are sailing through very overcast skies to Hong Kong. I feel sorry for the 100 people who got off the ship to go to Beijing to see the Great Wall as the weather there is not so good. We thought about taking that tour but you really don’t get to see enough of China and the threat of cold weather stopped us. We hope to return to China on a land tour. Today is just a lazy sit-around day to get ready for the two days we will spend in Hong Kong. We even skipped trivia as we are bought drained, mostly just stayed in the cabin and watched the silent movie “Girl Shy” produced and starring Harold Lloyd. Considering it is a silent film it was pretty funny. We are still sailing south-east along the coast of China.

March 19

Up early this morning, to find the same depressing skies. Looks like Hong Kong might be cloudy with a chance of rain. The forecast for today is a high of 73 degrees, I don’t think that will happen. The forecast for tomorrow is 77 with partly cloudy skies. Today we continue sailing thru the Taiwan Strait (sometimes known as the Formosa Strait). It is a stretch of water between mainland China and Taiwan. It is also known as the Black Ditch, it is on average 110 miles wide and links the South China Sea to the East China Sea. It’s a valuable resource way of life for many fishermen and is fed by the waters of the Min and Jiulong Rivers. Even in the overcast and rough seas we have seen many fishing boats and fishing net markers.

This morning we had another Scholarship at Sea with Suzanne Lloyd on “Life with Harold Lloyd”. It was very interesting. We went to trivia and did average, it is fun to go, but some people are very smart and we just can’t beat them.

The evening show was a Classical Piano Recital starring Tim Barton, the ship’s orchestral leader. He is very good and quite informative. Betty went and I skipped it to catch up on the blog and watch the movie “New Years Day”.

During the night we will sail the southern coast of China. A pilot will embark in the morning to assist us with the navigation through the shipping approach channels of Ta Thong and the eastern Fairway into the large natural harbors of Kowloon and Hong Kong to our dock on the Hong Kong side at the China Merchant Wharf.

Shanghai, China

March 17

Happy Saint Patrick’s Day!!!

At midnight we embarked a pilot to guide the ship through the outer shipping lanes. We then began our 6 hour, 69 mile pilotage through the inner shipping lanes, narrow channels and the River Yangtze up to Shanghai and our berth in the heart of the city.

When we got up this morning at 5:00 a.m. we were already at the dock. It looked terrible with a heavy overcast and some rain. Our balcony is not facing the Pudong side which is where all the new modernistic buildings are but rather the old city. (The picture below is of the famous Pearl Tower  which was difficult to see in the haze.)

We left the ship at 8:30 because we had to go thru immigration by 9:00 if we intended to go ashore. First off we headed to the Bund, one of Shanghai’s primary tourist attractions. The Bund is a mile-long area of historical architecture in various styles that line the Huangpu River. It was a mile walk to the Bund. While walking there I was attacked by a Chinese man carrying a shoe shine kit asking if I want a shine. I said no as I was wearing sport shoes. I continued walking away and he chased me and motioned to my shoe where he had put a big glop of a white substance. I continued walking and he finally left. (This is just one of the many scams in this city.)

The views from the Bund were amazing. We decided to get off the Bund and walk down Nanjing Rd, Shanghai’s premier shopping district and find a bank where we could exchange some of our money for Yuan’s.  The banks did not open until 10, so we continued down Nanjing for a couple miles. Every high end store in the States was there as well as Pizza Hut, McDonald’s, Subway, and others. The banks finally opened and we were able to exchange some money. With cash in our hands and tired already from walking, we stopped at McDonald’s and had a couple of Big Mac’s. (Strange, since we don’t eat at McDonald’s at home.) While we were walking I received a lot of strange looks as I was wearing a green shirt and my Saint Patrick Day beads. Walking in cities that have millions of people can be a real challenge, you learn to just be as aggressive as they are.

We headed back to the Bund and passed an Apple Store which was packed. At least 200 people were in the store apparently buying the new I-Pad. On the street you can buy anything, we were offered Rolex watches, Omega watches, I-Phones, I Pad’s, Coach purses, Prada, all so authentic! It was annoying but fun at the same time, but if you said anything other than No it was hard to get rid of them.

Finally back on the Bund we strolled along just watching the people doing Tia Chi. There was also a bride and groom having their wedding pictures taken. It was a very busy place, I wonder how many people are there on a nice day. It never rained all day, we have been so lucking on this cruise. It has always cleared up for us although it did stay hazy today. We understand that Tokyo had a small earthquake and tsunami the day after we left.

 

After walking to the end of the Bund we took Zhongshan Dong Lu Road and headed to the Old Town. We walked for a while but were really getting tired and decided to walk back to Nanjing Road and spend our remaining Chinese Yuans. Instead of walking on the Bund we took Zhongshan Dong Lu Road which runs ajacent to the Bund. We went inside a tea store and thought about buying some tea to bring home. It was a small package and I miscaculated the price, I thought it was $13.00 US but it was $130.00, it must have weighed no more than 6 ounces. We walked all the way back to Nanjing Rd, part of which is a pedistran section. It is a lot safer as scooters and bikes do not obey traffic laws and will run you over. If you hear a horn you better be prepared to move aside. We succeeded in spending our Yuan so we headed back to the ship. I had to stop and rest several times all day but I think the majority of my breathing problems are over. We kept a few Yuan’s so I could buy some Chinese beer which I will add to the beer list. Near the ship they also tried to sell junk. I bought Betty and I matching Rolex’s plus one other large Rolex, all three for $10.00. The amazing thing they are still running. It made us think of Bill & Shirley as Bill bought some on our last world cruise. (My genuine Rolex keeps falling off my wrist, I’m sure I will lose it shortly.)

Back at the ship, we collapsed, then took showers and headed to dinner in the dining room for a traditional St. Patrick’s Day dinner.  Or at least as traditional as it can be when cooked by Italian chefs, we’ve never had gravy on corned beef before. I had to have a Guinness with dinner, missed Kegs and Eggs breakfast at home.

The entertainment was the Shanghai Zhoukou Folkloric Show featuring the Zhoukou Acrobats. It was very good, the only thing wrong was the size of the stage as it was too small. After enjoying another Guinness I went out to take some night pictures of the lighted city. We returned to the room and went to sleep early. I woke up just as we sailed out of Shanghai at 11:00pm and watched as we sailed back down the river. I never saw so many ships in my life, no wonder we have a pilot and it takes so long to go the 69 miles to the open sea. (The river is filled with barges carrying coal and sand. The picture below is one of the many dinner boats that go out, each more colorful than the last.) The ship then set a southerly course along the Chinese coast toward the Taiwan Strait.