1.3 Billion and Me

We were pulling into Shanghai by 1 AM on Tuesday, February 16.  Getting into the city we have to go through a river, which leads to the port.  It was strange sailing to Shanghai because of the number of other ships we saw out on the ocean;  at one point there were four visible.  The area we were sailing through (the East China Sea/ Yellow Sea) is second busiest shipping area in the world. (I believe the first is in the Middle East). 

It took awhile to get through customs in China and we also had our first diplomatic briefing from the U.S. Consulate.  A U.S. diplomat came on to tell us just some things about China and how we should handle ourselves in the country.  His basic message was: don’t get arrested.  He also noted that the climate in China is a little less welcoming towards Americans at the moment because of good old Obama’s plans on meeting with the Dali Lama and selling arms to Taiwan.  I believe this is the reason Chinese Immigration/Customs took so long clearing our ship. 

My day consisted of a tour through Shanghai, which really is an incredible city.  It has a Western and Eastern feel at the same time.  We stopped at the Yu Gardens/ Bazaar and I’ve never seen as many people as I did today.  It was like swimming through the people.  The Chinese have no problem pushing past their fellow countrymen.  You really have to assert yourself to just walk.  The gardens we saw were beautiful.  The building was really something out of Disney World, but real.  The rock formations, the buildings, the bridges, the water, the doorways, and the walls were simply gorgeous. 

After this was a stop at the Shanghai Museum.  Inside there were artifacts from every time period of Chinese history.  It was so strange to be staring at a dagger, a plate, a coin, or a painting and see 1000 AD on the label.   It was incomprehensible.    The Chinese truly have artistic talent.  The paintings and artifacts were nothing like you’d see in a museum in the West.  

The day ended with an acrobatic show, which was also incomprehensible.  The way of these teenagers (the tour guide said that most of the acrobats were around high school age) moved was amazing.  The stood on each other, threw each other, climbed poles, balanced glass castles, and rode unicycles with such agility and grace I couldn’t believe it.   The way they handled one another you would have thought that the other person was as light as air.  The magic act was also incredible.   From this show, I really can tell how hardworking the Chinese are.  I’ve never seen anything like this performance in the United States.  These young men and women were simply amazing. 

I took plenty of pictures/videos.   (I should be able to do a massive picture upload in Hong Kong, as our ship is docked at a mall which has free WiFi…I can’t wait!!!!!!)  I also got my first taste of real Chinese food today.  It’s a lot better then the Chinese restaurants in Andorra/Roxborough.

I still have four more days in Shanghai and then I’m off to Hong Kong…so much to do in both cities.  You really need two weeks or more to do everything China has to offer.