At sea on the way back to Hong Kong

Today is our second day at sea, and it has been great to see glimpse of the Sun through the fog  and to feel some warmth in the air. It has been so cold since we left Hong Kong last week that very few have been walking out on the deck. I am afraid I am not as stalwart as that and, like most passengers, have walked around the inside of the ship and up and down stairs for my exercise.

I gather the eight who were left behind in Korea were able to get back in board in Shanghai. I have been told that they were not left stranded without their passports and money after all. As soon it was clear they were not back on board (we are registered going off and back on the ship electronically), their passports and the contents of their room safes were all bundled together and handed over to the ship's agent at the port. Apparently they were all at the wharf in time to see the ship depart. But because of the huge difference between low tide and high tide, the ship could not wait a moment longer Already the lines had been cast off.

I also gather they were all Chinese, which is just as well as they would have had Chinese visas, which would have been necessary to enter Shanghai. One of the passengers who joined us in Shanghai told me that she had been kept at the airport for over 6 hours because she did not have one.  She eventually was permitted to travel directly to the ship on the proviso she did not then leave it to go sightseeing. In fact the rules changed for us between our two visits to Shanghai. If we did not have a Chinese visa, the first time we were there we were allowed on shore to wander around even if we were not on a paid shore excursion. (We were issued with specially stamped photocopies of our passports on the ship. Chinese immigration agents had joined the ship the day before to check our passports.) But this second time those without a visa were only permitted to enter the city if they were on a shore excursion. So my advice to anyone even just visiting China by ship is you must get a Chinese visa before you travel there.

In terms of our electronic checks, this is all done by the use of our special key cards. They also serve as our room key and our credit card - the ship is cashless and the amounts we spend are then charged to our personal credit cards every couple of weeks. And that amount quickly adds up - you have to buy your bottled water and any other drinks, even a cup of coffee (unless you have coffee in the dining room), and pay $3 USD for posting a single postcard, and of course pay an exorbitant amount for WiFi. A single bottle of wine costs $100 USD. As most people drink quite an amount of wines, beers and spirits, and serving them includes a 15% surcharge, the ship must be making a huge profit. Then there are all the gratuities . . .

It is not really surprising that people fill their plates, sometimes more than once, in the smorgasbord area, since that is already covered by your payment for your voyage. You can eat all day long if you wish, which is why most put on weight. But I was told in Shanghai that Buddhists believe any man with a pot belly is very lucky. One of the passengers told me that when they were in Cambodia, many children, who themselves were painfully thin, came up wanting to pat her husband’s big pot.

That reminds me - our tour guide in Shanghai told us that the reason why people keep bowing before a statue of the Buddha is that they believe that each time they bow low, all their anxieties and problems flow out of them, bringing them peace. What a wonderful way to restore calm to your life.  

     

 I had a couple of photos but they are taking too long, so will post them tomorrow. 

Return to Shanghai Part 2 - the photos

I hoped that in the earlier hours of this morning, when no-one else is up using the internet, I may have better luck with my photos. And thankfully I did.

At the temple. The Buddhist monks (in the traditional yellow) and devoted followers (in grey) were all chanting.

A beautiful golden Buddha.

The smaller white jade Buddha.

One of many beautiful art works at the temple.

The monks parade after their chanting and singing.

One of the works of art in the wall opposite the temple complex. This marks re-entry into daily life. Apparently apartments near here are much less expensive, as many residents do not want the Buddhas watching their every move.

Part of the ancient market place we had to walk through to reach the garden.

The dragon whose very long tail ran atop an undulating fence.

Part of the beautiful ancient garden.

Some beautiful jade for sale in a shop within the garden.

More of the beautiful garden. I think this was their famous tea-house.

Another part of the market, seen as we walked back to our bus.

Return to Shanghai - the Jade Buddha Temple and other historic spots

Today’s exploration of some of the old parts of Shanghai has been really fascinating.

First we visited the Jade Buddha Temple. I wish I could show you a photograph of the magnificent jewelled white jade Buddha, but we were not permitted to take photographs of it. It would be worth looking it up on the internet, however. It is carved from a single piece of white jade, and stands 6-feet high. Nevertheless, we were able to see a reclining Buddha made of white jade, though not carved from a single piece of jade. 

I was extremely lucky to have the same very informative guide I had when I visited the Watertown last week. This time I learned a lot about their Buddhist customs and beliefs. For example, they hang red ribbons containing their hopes and dreams at the temple on special rails - red being the colour of the heavens - and then they tie the ribbons on a tree at the temple when the dream is fulfilled, with an appropriate donation to the temple. 

Whilst we were there many Chinese were making models of all kinds of objects in silver paper, then placing them in a special orange paper bag and dropping them into a fire, accompanied by the burning of incense. The objects they created were representative of things a now deceased and still much loved relative loved in their life, so these objects would reach them in the afterlife and give them pleasure. So if the person loved a beer, for example, some would be made into the shape of a beer bottle! Younger relatives tend to make models of iPhones, iPads and so forth! This ceremony is only performed at special times of the year. 

We even learned how the Buddhists overcame Mao’s edict during the dreadful Cultural Revolution that only he should be revered. They simply posted a large image of him beyond their Buddhas and pretended they were bowing to him, thus preserving their beautiful statues!

Next we walked through the ornate old town market and visited the 500-year-old Yu-Yuan Garden, created during the Ming dynasty, so our guide told us. If it were not for the many visitors, it was like stepping into a tranquil, lost past.  

I went to a talk yesterday on Shanghai, and learned there are some very beautiful and very different other gardens in Shanghai. They would certainly be worth visiting too. It is so hard to choose a shore excursion that encompasses all your interests, but I was still delighted with my tour. It was great to step away from all the high-rise buildings and enter another world, just as we did when we visited the Watertown.          

The internet is really slow right now so I will try to post my photos later. 

More photos of Seoul - at last they are uploading!

We are just out of Shanghai, so I am hoping that this time my photos will get through.

At the palace - these animals on the rooftops were supposed to guard the King

The entertainment centre for celebrations 

The temple at the palace

At the Buddhist temple. Families paid for the lanterns to bring them good fortune. 

Some beautiful flowers seen at the temple.

The choir and orchestra rehearsing for the celebrations at the temple.

Seen at an art gallery near the temple.

Beautiful azaleas seen outside a shop near the temple.

Fortunately my third attempt has been lucky. The first two took over an hour of WiFi. Accessing WiFi on the ship is both very expensive and frustrating!

More on our visit to Seoul

Today is another sea day. We are crossing the Yellow Sea on the way back to Shanghai, minus eight passengers who failed to return to the ship on time. Because of the tides, it was imperative that we departed by a certain time so the ship could fit under the very long bridge across the bay. Everyone was made fully aware of this, but perhaps these people were amongst those who do not read the bulletins or listen to the announcements. One can only imagine the look of horror on their faces when they arrived at the port, an hour’s drive from Seoul, only to discover that the ship had gone! (The ship did wait an extra half an hour for them.)

Most people had little sympathy for them, but I cannot help but wonder how they have managed. The ship personnel keep all our passports in their safes, so these people would have been stranded in the port without their passports, and there would be no way they could leave Korea or enter Shanghai without them. One can only hope that they had the sense to carry with them the emergency information we are given at every port, which includes the contact details of the ship’s representative in that port, and could be helped to fly to Shanghai to meet the ship. Meanwhile, where did they sleep? Did they have credit cards with them? And they only had the clothes they were standing in.  

As it is, they will be in trouble without Chinese visas. Those of us who did not independently obtain Chinese visas can only go ashore on an official shore excursion. I only ever go on one in any case, because the ship will never leave without a group that is on an official shore excursion. 

Over this morning I have been thinking back on our visit to Seoul and the hundreds of mostly pale grey tall apartment blocks. My first photo in my previous post was a view looking up at a couple  from the bus window. I don’t remember seeing any children’s playgrounds or gardens. or even shopping malls. We did see a walking track alongside the freeway, with people often just walking along the path or stopping at exercise stations along the track. With all the smog from China, and the fumes from all the motor vehicles, I cannot imagine that it would be all that healthy breathing in all that toxic air. But I am concerned about the emotional health and wellbeing of the children, if they are confined to playing in a high-rise building and do not know the joy of lovely parks and gardens. In winter, they would be even more confined. As it was, when we were there, most trees had no foliage on them, so it was a rather barren landscape. On top of that, there is the anxiety that must be generated in their tense political situation.

However, I did have some light relief from all these musings. Apart from the hilarity of tales told at our breakfast table, I went to another lecture by the English historian, who told us tales about the making of period dramas and the booboos and made, such a pair of old sneakers that could be seen amongst the shoes in the film about Marie Antoinette and a bottle of water accidentally left on the mantlepiece between antique ornaments in Downton Abbey. Then there is the ‘mermaid’ hair (as she called it) in films such as 'Poldark'. In this TV series,  Poldark’s wife has the most beautiful long red hair, but our historian assured us that no women wore loose locks those days, because of all the open fires and candles around. They wore caps! She said that the film-makers choose to ignore that to make the characters look sexier, just as they use leather jackets on men for times in which they were not worn, or show them with bare chests, so the men seem more ‘manly’.  What can one say to that? 

I tried sending this blog an hour ago but the photos suddenly froze on me. I will try again to send them when we reach Shanghai.

A glimpse of Seoul

Today we awakened to a very dense, cold fog, which persisted over the day. Unfortunately it meant that not only were we unable to obtain good clear photos, but also we were freezing cold on our outing to Seoul, especially when we had a bout of rain. When our friendly tour guide told us that they are not experiencing Spring yet, because the cherry blossoms are still not in bloom, but in the heart of winter it gets to below -20 degrees Celsius, I could not help but shiver even more and wonder how the people cope in those conditions. And apparently it is even colder in North Korea. 

On the approximately hour’s drive into Seoul from the port, we saw hundreds of apartment blocks against a backdrop of mountains. We also saw some sporting stadiums and a place where golf can be practised. Our guide was justifiably proud of the fact that Seoul has already hosted the Summer Olympics and is looking forward to hosting the Winter Olympics next year. There would not be many cities able to host both!  

 Our first visit was to the ‘Palace of Shining Happiness’, formerly the residence of the king, now a museum and top tourist attraction. Its grounds and many buildings had been beautifully designed,  with so much symbolism in the design. For example, the square tapered columns symbolised the earth while the round ones symbolised the heavens. There were many older students wandering around in full costume, apparently preparing for a concert. Their costumes were just lovely! 

It was really interesting to see small brick-lined furnaces under the buildings built to heat the floors. Apparently Koreans sleep on a mattress on the floor. Winter would have been impossible without under-floor heating.  Our guide told us that they were the very first to invent this method of heating, 

Next we stopped at the Jogyesa Buddhist Temple, which was established in 1395. As it turned out, our timing was impeccable, because they were preparing for a special ceremony to inaugurate the next leader of the Buddhist faith. So there were bright-coloured lanterns hanging everywhere, lots of flowers and candles, a choir and orchestra practising, TV cameras and hundreds of chairs set out, and a great air of excitement and reverence.    

After that we had free time in ‘Mary’s Alley, where colourful small shops of all kinds competed for our custom. We even saw a variation on fairy floss (cotton candy): dainty little parcels spun from honey, then filled with nuts or chocolate. It smelled delicious.

We also saw the Presidential ‘Blue House' where the President lived until her recent ousting. It was still heavily guarded, but police in Seoul only carry a stick. Our guide told us many interesting things about the political situation. He also told us that what we thought was fog was actually smog that keeps rolling in from China!

The new and the old. I will post the rest of the photos tomorrow. These took a very long time to upload.

Nagasaki, Japan

Today I had a much shorter shore excursion than usual, but still saw and learned so much. And we had a hoot of a guide, who kept laughing her head off. She told us she was 72 and was having a ball acting as a tour guide - she had been a teacher for 40 years and now did not have to think about homework! 

As usual, the air was misty as we arrived in port - not good for photos. (In fact it is still foggy as I write this at 1.30 pm local time.)

The first thing that struck me was that like Busan, Nagasaki is nestled between the sea and heavily wooded hills, the green of the trees (and the mists) softening the view of mining activities and heavy industry along the shore. The second was the huge dry docks where submarines were in various stages of construction.  

It was quite intriguing that before we were allowed to pass through to our coach, the port authorities took electronic copies of our fingerprints  - just our two forefingers. That was a first! I presented a little challenge, as it turned out, as my skin is so worn down the inspector had to have several goes before he could obtain my prints. 

The drive through the city up to the top of one of the hills was quite an eye-opener. Unlike Vietnam, mainland China and South Korea, the Japanese drive on the left-hand side of the road. And Nagasaki has small trams trundling down the middle of the main streets, as well as buses, cars and so forth. Apart from these main thoroughfares, however, the roads are very narrow. How our driver got us to the top of the winding road, in some places the way almost completely blocked by construction vehicles, I will never know. Unfortunately, because of them, we could not stop to take photos, although I managed to take a couple through the bus window as we were driving back down. 

Incidentally, our tour guide told us that all drivers over 70 years of age have to place special signs on the front and back of their cars. First year drivers must place different signs in their cars. I wonder how their road statistics compare with those in Australia!

It was interesting to see that buildings were constructed from a far wider range of building materials than we have previously seen and were in a better state of repair, and a far smaller proportion of the residents live in apartment blocks. On the steep hillside, houses located below the road were often seen to have flat concrete roofs on which the residents packed their cars. A very sensible, practical solution to the parking problem! I would add that everywhere was neat and tidy - no litter to be seen! And no graffiti! 

After that, we drove by the spot where the bomb that obliterated much of Nagasaki landed, which is now located in a special small park, and went on to visit Peace Park, which is full of statues - many donated by other countries, and gardens and fountains to promote lasting peace. I was surprised to learn that Japan was secretly developing its own hydrogen bomb in Nagasaki before it was hit, and that Nagasaki was the second target after Hiroshima because that was where Japan was building its submarines.

On the way back to the ship, our guide told us many stories about the history of Japan. One of great interest was the story of a certain Mr Glover, who went to Japan many years ago to set up a business, then stayed there. (I think he was an Englishman.) Apparently he had an affair with a geisha girl and a child was born to them, whom his wife tried to take for her own. This caused the girl to try to commit suicide. The story of the affair inspired a play that was shown in London, which in turn inspired the opera Madama Butterfly. Our tour guide then had us all trying to sing the famous song from that opera - ‘One Fine Day’. None of us would make to grade as opera singers, I am afraid, but it was a great end to an all-too-short but very enjoyable morning.  

Photos 1-3: Views from the ship. The first two show the submarines being built.

Photo 4: View from the bus as it was driving down the hill.

Photos 5-10: At Peace Park.

A visit to Busan in South Korea

Yesterday I peeked from my balcony just in time to see the southernmost tip of Korea, as we sailed into the Busan harbour in the mist and predawn light. (See Photo 1.) And there was the city of Busan nestled among the surrounding hills, from which it gets its name. They are considered to resemble a dragon, which is very much part of Asian culture.

This is the largest harbour in Korea, a very busy port that caters for tankers, container ships, cruise ships and ocean liners all in the one complex. Indeed, our ship was berthed between two container ships, with giant cranes offloading their cargo.

As is always the case, the advantage of going on a shore excursion organised by a ship is that you learn so much about the local culture and see places you may never have the chance to see if you go off on your own. This far outweighs the disadvantages - the expense, the times you would have liked to spend longer in a place of particular interest, and the occasional fellow passenger who thoughtlessly holds everyone up or coughs over everyone.

We were lucky enough to have a guide who spoke quite good English. He was very proud of the fact that South Korea really promotes innovation and hard work, and of the fact that it is a harmonious society in which Buddhists and Christians and members of other religions all accept and respect one another. He told us that heavier industries are located in Busan, since their goods can be easily transported by ship to other places. The well-known high tech industries, whose products are transported by air, are located in Seoul.

Our first visit was to a cultural centre where we saw a wonderful concert showcasing their dancing, music and opera. The performances were colourful, superbly choreographed, graceful and highly energetic. The costumes were gorgeous. I just loved it! My only regret was we were only allowed to take photos in the last minute. I would have so loved to take photos of the beautiful fan dance. But this policy was very understandable and is also the case back in Australia. There you are not allowed to take photos during a performance at all. (See Photos 2-5.)  

Next we visited a small park in the centre of the city. It was a real pleasure to see the white blossoms of apricot trees, the statues and the buildings, including an enormous tower which, unfortunately, was closed for renovations. The view of the city from the top would have been great. (See Photos 6-7.)    

Finally we were driven to their fish market, which apparently has widespread fame and is featuring in a US movie due to be released next year. Now I am not keen on eating fish, but even I was impressed with this market. It was so much in contrast with those I saw elsewhere. Most of the fish were alive in tanks into which fresh clean water constantly flowed, so there was little odour and a sense that the fish would be safe to eat. And the variety of species on sale was amazing. (See Photos 8-9.)   

This morning we will be visiting Nagasaki in Japan, which is situated a little further north of Busan along the narrow sea between Korea and Japan. Next stop will be Seoul. I am very much looking forward to both experiences.   

Shanghai Part 2 - the city and a silk factory

Back again, this time a little less sleepy than I was at 4 am this morning, when I wrote the last post. I was so tired after yesterday’s tour I went to bed at 8 pm last night, so it is not surprising I woke up at 4 am, though clearly not as ‘bright-eyed and bushy-tailed’ as I thought because I had forgotten to turn the clock an hour forward. (We keep changing time zones.) I suddenly realised my mistake at 6 am, which meant it was really 7 am in the region. It is so easy to forget what day and even what time it is on board a ship. So I had to rush around at the last minute to get to our formal breakfast in the dining room by 8 am.  

After our tour of the Watertown of Zhujiajiao, we were driven to a very good local restaurant about 30 minutes drive away towards the city. Our guide was very proud of her city and wanted us to experience the best of what they have to offer. It was a large and lovely restaurant, often used for weddings and other events. Best of all, it had a western-style toilet. I was somewhat dismayed by having to use a traditional Chinese-style one when we arrived at the Watertown. This is where men are at so much of an advantage over women. But I digress . . .

At the restaurant we sat at circular tables of ten and were given a smorgasbord of local dishes by very polite waiters. The food was quite sweet, and very attractively presented. We were told that sweetness is the hallmark of food in Shanghai, though some young people now prefer more spicy food. Interestingly, of the approximately 24 million living in Shanghai, about 2 million are ‘foreigners’, and since they and the many visitors there on business and tourists need to have access to more familiar foods, shops such as Starbucks can be seen here and there, even inside the Watertown. I also saw a specialty western-style chocolate shop there too. (I still cannot get over the fact that there are as many people in this city as in the whole of Australia!) 

On our way to the silk factory which is close to the ‘downtown’ area, we were told about all that the government is doing to cut down on air pollution and to make the city greener. If someone buys a car, they have to wait until they can purchase a number plate before they can drive it. A plate lasts as long as they own the car, but it has to be obtained by auction. Only a certain limited number are released each month. On average this plate costs about $14 000 USD and it cannot be passed on to your offspring. The plate for a motor bike is even more expensive - around $40 000 USD!  But if you buy an electric car or electric scooter, the plate comes with your vehicle. The only problem is the difficulty of finding recharging stations and buying batteries. In this way people are strongly encouraged to use public transport - subway trains and buses. It seems to be working: I noticed that there were not vast numbers of cars on the roads, and there were very few motor scooters. As well there were a few bicycles, though not many. Most are hired.   

Talking about greening the city, I noticed some wind turbines near the port. Few buildings had solar panels, from what I could see from the bus, but as was the case in Hong Kong, older buildings were covered with external air conditioning units, so presumably did not have central heating or cooling. As well, there were very few trees and green spaces and gardens, in relation to the area taken up by buildings. So while action is being taken, there is a way to go yet.   

Our tour of the silk factory was most enjoyable. One of the young representatives gave us a hilarious account of the the life cycle of a silkworm, complete with specimens from each stage of their short life. We were then shown how a silk thread is drawn from 7 cocoons simultaneously. These are twisted together to give the thread sufficient strength. Each silkworm produces about 1 km of thread, becoming smaller and smaller as it does so.         

But what was exceptionally interesting was how doonas and pillows are made. Two silk worms are placed in the same cocoon. Because their threads tangle together, when the silk is removed it is a great tangle of thread that stretches out like an elastic sheet, which then forms one of many layers of, say, the filling of a doona. The doonas are almost weightless but very warm, and they apparently last far longer than wool doonas and those made from other fibres. Many of our group purchased them, needless to say. We also saw a huge array of beautiful garments and other items made from silk.

What a great day! And what friendly people!

A shop selling silk art in the Watertown 

In the restaurant 

Weaving silk thread by pulling it from the tiny cocoons

Starting to stretch the thread from a 'twin cocoon' 

A finished doona and pillow set with silk sheets and covers

Our visit to Shanghai Part 1 - the Watertown of Zhujiajiao

Today was so full of interesting sights and experiences, in this entry I will confine myself to talking about our drive to and tour of the ‘Watertown of Zhujiajiao’, which turned out to be nestled in the middle of the outer suburbs of Shanghai, the second largest city in China. (Beijing is the third largest city.) I will talk about our visit to the incredible silk factory in the next entry. 

It was a freezing cold day, with drizzling rain and fog, so was not the best day for taking photos. Most of us were underdressed for the weather conditions, so shivered and shook whenever we were outside. But our friendly and very informative tour guide told us the Chinese celebrate the rain and any water, as it means good luck, which in turn means making money. This is why whenever they can, Chinese people live near water or have a pond, making sure it is in front of them and therefore able to confer riches in the future. 

The people who lived in the middle and outer suburbs we passed through must be very lucky, as there were countless canals. We saw a lot of land covered in long ‘tunnels’ of plastic near these waterways, but I do not know what was growing in them. Mostly people lived in apartment blocks about 2-10 storeys high, some old, some new, and there also were some individual dwellings near the market gardens. As was the case in Hong Kong, apartments are very expensive, and since you have to be able to provide a deposit for 50% of the value of the apartment to secure a loan, most couples defer marriage until well into their 30s. So the birth rate is controlled by sheer practical economics. 

In contrast to the surrounding apartment blocks, the Watertown is several hundred years old and a very popular tourist attraction. It is like the Venice of China, all built around canals, and very charming. It mainly consists of a variety of little shops that line the canals and alleyways, which sell just about everything, from silk goods to jewellery to an extraordinary array of foods, including a lot of very enticing-looking confectionery. However, we had little opportunity to buy anything.    

We walked around the town for two hours, which was more challenging than you might think. You had to watch your feet all the time to ensure that you did not slip on the cobblestones and small paving blocks, which had little rivulets of water streaming between them. But then you had to raise your head very slowly when trying to glimpse the views, so you were not poked in the eye by all the umbrellas. But it was very worth it to see this delightful town and to know that you were treading where people had trod several hundred years ago, just as it had been very worth clambering over rocks in temperatures of around 40 degrees Celsius to view those ancient Aboriginal rock paintings. I am still in awe of the fact they were painted tens of thousands of years ago, long before the times of the ancient Egyptians, Greeks and Chinese. 

Here are some photos. More in the next entry.

Along a suburban street in Shanghai

One of the canals en route to the water town

One of the narrower canals in the Watertown

A very old bridge in the Watertown 

Along the main street  

Looking into one of the shops