Shanghai

[Michele Monro]

Shanghai is one of the world’s most fascinating cities, bursting with ancient tradition, culture and modern technology. This fabled port on the Huangpu River has played a pivotal role in the history of modern China. Originally the chief of seven treaty ports inflicted by the west on Imperial China, Shanghai was famed for the Bund, an elegant section of riverbank lined with merchant’s houses and fine mansions. Lying at the mouth of Asia’s most important river, the Yangtze, Shanghai’s spectacular architecture is catching the world’s attention. Charming old houses are making way for new museums, theatres and shiny new high-rises. But there is a comfortable blend of modern and traditional. Admire the exquisite Yu Garden with its Teahouse and Bridge of Nine Turnings or the temples of the Jade Buddha. At the Shanghai Museum, peruse its works of art, which simultaneously draw you through the pages of Chinese history.

China is the world’s third largest country after Russia and Canada, and is almost as large as the whole of Europe. The total population of 1.4 billion means that more that a fifth of mankind is Chinese. Mountains – including Mount Everest on the border between China and Nepal cover 43% of China’s land surface. The 3,900 mile long Yangtze River is the longest in Asia and enters the sea just north of Shanghai.

We docked at Shanghai’s Wusongkoo International Cruise Terminal at about 8.00am. Not only is the terminal brand new but Arcadia is the first ship to dock there. It was very impressive and the main hub is a gigantic dome but there were two downsides. The first was that it took a good ten minutes to walk to the exit and being so new, none of the vast array of spectacular shops were open, as they haven’t staffed them yet. I didn’t fancy booking a tour as they were all very long, some up to twelve hours and so I wasn’t that surprised that on going out to the deck the whole area was deserted. I did see Leon, who immediately came up and apologized for the other day. He didn’t even know that I’d not been told I was speaking that day and promised it wouldn’t happen again. I actually had a note delivered to my cabin with details of my next two talks, one is the 20th and the following one the 22nd February.

I decided to brave the weather and hopped on the free shuttle that had been laid on to take guests to the Shanghai Waima Wharf Silk Museum. It was very interesting wandering through the various workshops and actually seeing how the silk is made. They had the most exquisite duvet covers, sheets and pillowcases but it was all out of my price range. I’ve never felt silk so soft before, it was incredible but I had an image in my mind that if all the bed linen was silk I’d slide off of it! Upstairs was totally dedicated to fabric and clothing with everything from silk underwear to authentic kimonos. On the whole I thought it expensive although I did indulge in buying some material so that I can have a bed throw made when I get back home.

The journey back to the ship was nearly an hour, the traffic had come out of nowhere and resembled the M25 at rush hour but the sun was out in full force so took a lot of the chill out of the day. It was even warm enough to sit on deck, but not without a coat.

I met up with Andre, a comedic magician and a friend of Mark Porter. He’s been a full time professional since 1989 and has played most of the better venues including the London Palladium and the Magic Castle in Hollywood, but now works eleven months out of twelve on the ships. He flew from Tahiti, Los Angeles, London, and Hong Kong in something like 50 hours. He knows the true meaning of the word jet lag! I promised to watch the show and he has promised to make me laugh – seems like a fair trade.

The sail away party was at the Aquarius Pool at 7.30pm and there wasn’t one person there – just too cold. (Minus 6 degrees)