Pacific Odyssey - Leg 5

We returned from Beijing yesterday and spent a few more hours with the 6 kids in downtown Shanghai visiting the Silk Market, wandering through the older streets tasting various Chinese food, and finishing up some final errands.  It has been an incredible 3 days and nights, very intense and full, but so interesting and educational and an amazing thing to do as a family.  We are thankful.  I will try to recapture some of the highlights of the past few days for those in Beijing and those trainees and crew in Shanghai.  Everyone seems to be enjoying themselves and there is no end to the things we can do to fill our days here.  The temperature has gone down again and it hovers around the 0 C mark.  Today the sky is blue and we have some warmth from the sun, very nice.  The river is full of traffic; it never seems to stop. On the train between the 2 big cities, we saw no countryside; Shanghai and Beijing continue for at least an hour and then it is all industrial buildings.   Our second day in Beijing took us to the Great Wall. Jordan joined our family; we drove an hour to the wall and then climbed to the highest point, about a 2 1/2 hour climb up stairs!  Elske´s quote as we all puffed and sweated our way up was “this is what you get when you sit on a boat for 9 months.”  We had been so cold the day before that we were dressed in everything we had, including raincoats over top.  Jenny had even bought some long underwear for our boys to wear. We were carrying our coats on the way up, though on the way down we were wearing them as the wind and the air temperature was still at about -2C.  The wall and especially the watchtowers, beacons and pavilions along it, are stunningly beautiful.  The roofs are sloped and curved, and the buildings have the typical Chinese architecture we saw in the Forbidden City.  The trim and woodwork around doors and windows are deep reds, blues and yellows and the buildings are built of bricks.  The combination of building materials used for the wall and buildings, and the architecture of the structures make the Great Wall very beautiful to look at.  The history of the Wall is incredible; our guide Jenny told us when the Wall was started, why, and how it came to be what it is today.  Many people died in the building of the Wall and some call it the ´longest graveyard in the world,´ similar to our own country´s history of the building of the Canadian Railroad.   It is astounding to imagine the building of the Wall without the use of our modern machines.  It is an incredible feat.  It is on average 7metres wide and 8metres high and was all done by hand.  The countryside is mountainous and temperatures are cold in the winter; living conditions could not have been easy.  After the Great Wall we visited the Jade Factory and learned the process of carving and polishing jade and saw the most beautiful pieces of jade I have ever seen. We learned about the different grades and qualities of jade as well as how to tell fake from real. Jade comes not only in different shades of green, but beautiful warm shades of orange and red as well. ´Soft´ jade, which is the jade found in Beijing, is white and is used for carvings.  ´Hard´ jade is used for the jewelry.  Some of the pieces we saw could cover a small wall, enormous, and very intricately carved . . . absolutely astounding . . . very expensive.  From the Jade Factory we went to one of the older, original neighborhoods and wandered through the small, narrow alleyways where life goes on as usual for the Chinese people who live and work there. Again, I found it fascinating.  We ate some delicious food that was made on the street, in very small stores, just ´holes in the wall´ really.  Our favorite was a pancake/egg type sandwich where a thin pancake batter was spread on a griddle, topped with an egg, then some sweet sauce, then some spicy dabs, then a sheet of crunchy rice cracker, then folded several times and handed over . . . absolutely delicious, all for 3yuan, about 45 cents. Cars, bikes, scooters, and rickshaws continue to honk and make their way through the tiny streets as we wandered and gawked at everything, peering as far as we could down the even narrower alleyways off the public alleys, where people lived.  We really enjoyed it.  We returned on the night train, taking up 2 cabins with 4 beds in each and having a good sleep; the kids loved the train experience. In Shanghai when we wandered through the older neighborhoods around the Silk Market, we saw a small ´hole in the wall,´ very dirty and wet, selling live chickens.  We watched while 2 female customers went over several of the live ones with the shop owner, feeling them, poking them, looking them over to see which one was fatter (my guess). When they had chosen, the shop keeper, a pretty woman wearing a bloody apron, slit its neck, drained the blood and put it in a big pot of boiling water.  Then she took another just freshly boiled smaller bird out and started plucking the feathers.   Then she slit its belly and took out its innards and neatly put it in a plastic bag, ready for her customer to take home!  I guess you can´t get it any fresher, but it all looked a bit gruesome.  The kids were fascinated.  The next stall sold fresh fish still alive and swimming in plastic wash buckets, as well as bullfrogs, all alive and together in a net bag . . . one amazing thing after another. We just walked and gawked, while around us the Chinese gawked at the 8 of us, wandering through their narrow, dirty, ancient streets where they work and live, fascinated by what we see. On the ship there were only a handful of crew and trainees. Everyone was either in Beijing or staying in a hotel ashore.  Susan and Sarah L. returned safely from Xi´an, visiting the Terracotta Soldiers. They had a slightly more adventurous trip from Beijing than they had anticipated or hoped for, but all has turned out well, and although the site was not quite as ´amazing´ as they had thought it would be, they enjoyed it and also had the opportunity to meet a couple of fellow travelers from England and Ohio whose company they enjoyed. In Shanghai many of the crew and trainees have had jackets, suits, shirts, dresses and coats made for them.  Some have had them made through the many, many tailors at the Silk Market, but some have had them made by Tony the Tailor, a contact made via Jordan´s brother Jean-Marc.  Jordan was the first one interested in having a suit made while he was here and his brother researched on the internet to find a good tailor.  He sent 2 possibilities and after checking on both of them, we had the wonderful experience of meeting Tony and all the ensued from this one visit.  Jordan, Skipper and Elske were the first to custom order some very smart and classy looking clothes.  Tony the tailor enjoyed getting to know Skipper and Jordan and they built quite a good relationship.  Once the word was out, others followed . . . Joel, Rachael, Scott, Chase, Antony, Caley, Becca . . .business was good.  Last night everyone met at 1900hrs at Tony´s to pick up their suits and jackets and they all went out for a beer and visited with Tony for a few hours, sharing stories etc.  I think he enjoyed the group from the boat; it was his suggestion they all meet for a final pick-up and trip to the cafe.  Everywhere we go, we find interesting people and are able to build good relationships with at least a few of the locals.  These relationships are truly what make a visit worthwhile. Katie and Karen had a memorable time in Beijing; they spent their 3 days together, visiting sights, enjoying some shopping, some great eating and some time alone in a very quant little hotel in an older part of the city. They saw a Kung Fu show and were very impressed by the feats they saw.  My feeling is that everyone has enjoyed our stay in Shanghai and has taken advantage of an amazing plethora of experiences.   Our plan is to finish off some final repairs on the ship today, clear customs tomorrow morning and then leave for Hiroshima, Japan.   As I´ve been away from the computer for a few days I am behind in wishing Kara´s dad a very Happy Birthday for
February 24th.  Happy Birthday dad, from Kara.  Until tomorrow, Bonice.