My first day back to back to Hong Kong... I woke up at 6:00 for sunrise coming into Hong Kong which is one of the top 5 ports in the world coming in to. Unfortunately it was a pretty overcast day, but it was still pretty cool. We got up and I went to Byron's room and got him and we went up to the Staffulty lounge and Beth and Chris, and Rico and really the whole gang was up there.
It didn't look like there would be much of a sunrise that we could see, but we went outside to get a few pictures. We couldn't really see very far but we could see the islands we were going by. We walked over to the port side and saw that the sun came up and we missed it. We actually kind of got two sunrises because the ship turned so then the ship was on the starboard side. Then we went by an island with a mountain on it, so the sun was hidden by the mountain and then we got to see the sun rise from behind the mountain after it had already risen above the ocean, it was kind of cool, two sunrises within a half hour.
I headed off with Jason, Yas, Rico, and Beth and we went to buy Japan Rail passes because you can't buy them in Japan - they're just for tourists. We went to 3 travel agencies before finding one where we could buy the pass. There were 12 other SAS students who showed up at the exact same time to do the exact same thing, so it took forever.
I needed to go to another travel agent to buy my plane ticket from Shenzhen to Shanghai. We went to a Dim Sum restaurant, and while I waited at the travel agency to get my ticket, the others waited in a long line at the restaurant. Just as I got to the restaurant, we were told that our table was ready. It was perfect timing and no one had to wait around for me.
We had to wait for a really long time to order. It takes awhile to get used to the culture around here. We had little paper menus which we were supposed to write what we want and then turn that in to order. You had to kind of raise your hand to get someone to even come over to the table, so we sat there for about a half hour before even getting someone to come over. We had no idea what we were ordering, so we just ordered a dim sum combo platter (not the normal dim sum where they walk by and you take stuff off of a cart) they just brought about 4 items (a ball of breaded bbq pork, some really good fried rice, steamed vegetables, green tea), so it was fun trying to eat all that with our chopsticks. We weren't done with lunch until about 4:00.
After lunch we walked to the ferry and took the ferry over to Hong Kong Island (the ship is parked at the Ocean Ferry Terminal in Kowloon). We took the Star Ferry across (about a 10 minute ferry ride), after figuring out how to pay our fare somewhere that gave change. It's $1.70 HK for the lower deck or $2.20 for the upper deck and we had $50 and $100 bills. The exchange rate is about $7 HKD/$1 USD. We got over to Hong Kong and Jason took off. He has a really good sense of direction and reads maps well, so we all followed him. We actually wound around a bit before we started finding the most direct route to the peak (Victoria's Peak). We wanted to be at the top of the peak for sunset.
I decided that Jason and I need to be partners on the Amazing Race because we're both good at reading maps and getting around from place to place, and we have our lizards that we got in India - LFF. Our good for TV gimmick is that our lizards kiss every time we see each other. Someday we'll make it on!
We made it up the tram to the top of the peak just before sunset. There were tons of people and a lot of SAS students. We took some good pictures and then headed down a path around the back of the mountain which really feels like you're in nature (sort of). We got back to the top after sunset and could see the lights of Hong Kong. Just then Byron and Jason walked up and had actually found us up there. Byron has the cool beanbag pod which he let me borrow for a few minutes, so I was able to steady my camera on the railing and got some good night time pictures.
The 6 of us were going to head back down the tram, but this soon after sunset there were tons of people heading down and a very long line, so we decided to wait it out. The top of the peak is incredible. You would never know you were at the top of a mountain just by looking at it. There's a huge super market, shopping mall, lots of restaurants, I got Häagen-Dazs ice cream for $7 for just 2 scoops of ice cream in a waffle cone.
The rest of the group went out, but I had an early morning the next day, so I walked back to the Star Ferry which was very direct and easy and took the ferry across to Kowloon which drops you off pretty much right where the ship is.
I allowed a little over 2 hours to get to the airport at least an hour before my 11:00 flight. I went to the taxi stand just outside the Star Ferry and got ripped off by some Tweedle Dum looking guy who was standing outside of the taxi stand. I got in the taxi, saying that I wanted to go to the Hung Hom KCR station. Tweedle Dum kept pointing to the fare sheet inside the taxi, saying money. I had no idea what was going on and just wanted to get out of there. I didn't feel like I should be paying this guy because I was sure I'd also be paying the driver when I got to the station, but finally totally confused made the mistake of taking out almost $20 HK (the equivalent of almost $3 US) and he bolted very quickly. I then looked out the window and saw a bus driver waving his hands telling me that I shouldn't have given money to this guy. The taxi to Hung Hom KSCR was another $20HK. For future reference, I could have walked to the KCR East Tsim Sha Tsui station, which was close to the ship.
Getting through the train station was a piece of cake. The train took 30-40 minutes to get to Lo Wu, the end of the line. I followed signs without getting lost through the HK departure into China. Kristi had given me great directions. Of course, as I went to the bathroom, trying to find TP in my bag, squeeze into the tiny stall, & keep my bag off the pee-puddled floor, I lost her directions & didn't realize until I was wandering around trying to find the taxi stand (once at the airport I found the directions folded in my Passport).
After stopping at an ATM to get Chinese Yuan & once again as I have experienced many times in Hong Kong and China, I'm standing in line, and locals unabashedly dart in front of me & cut in line. I guess that's what they do if you leave any space (which I'm accustomed to doing in an ATM line). I ran into my daughter Courtney & her friend who were looking for an ATM to get Yuan so they could get to Guilin. They were afraid ATMs would be closed since it's Sunday, but I told them where the one I used was. I didn't ask how they got here, but I bet they took a ferry.
I didn't have too much trouble finding a taxi and fortunately without Kristi's directions I remembered her phonetically spelled instructions for the driver. Shen-Jhen Fay-Gee to get to the Shenzhen airport. The driver smiled, made an airplane sign with his hand so I knew we were on the same page & he repeated "Shenzhen Fei Ji" about 20 times happily. It was the only communicating we were able to do. I think getting a high fare customer made his day because he kept grinning & pointing to his fellow taxi drivers. This was by far the nicest taxi I've been in, clean leather interior - he had me jump in the front seat & I was completely shocked when he put his seat belt on and I followed suit and found I actually had one that worked. He even checked later to make sure I had it on. I read that Shenzhen is the richest city in China. In about 1980 they won some lottery (I guess the government picked them as one of the cities to make look really nice) and were able to really build up the city. I guess there's really good shopping here. The big mistake I made was not going into a little store to buy something small like a drink because the ATM spit out all 100 Yuan bills, and when my 40 min. taxi ride came to 105 Yuan, I had no choice but to give him 200 Yuan and ask for change. He acted like he didn't have any, but I knew he did because I just saw him pay a toll with a 100 and get lots of change. He gave me 50 Yuan change and then practically kicked me out saying "byebye-byebye."
Kristi had told me to exit the baggage claim area and stay put -- "DON'T go outside" she warned, or I'd be whisked away by the taxi touts. I followed her instructions and she and Dave arrived only about 3 minutes after I got there. We got on the bus & headed to their apartment after a quick stop off at Beard Pappa to get some custard filled pastries & some bread. Their apartment is very nice. They even have a guest bedroom & bathroom upstairs.
After putting my stuff down, we headed out to the embroidery store & clandestine DVD store. I'm so glad I decided to come up to Shanghai - not only is it fun to see Kristi & Dave, I get to see parts of the city & life in the city that Semester at Sea participants normally wouldn't have the opportunity to experience because we're just not in one place long enough to discover the things that aren't in the guidebooks. Following Kristi & Dave's lead, we opened an unmarked door, went through an empty room with only a desk & a person manning it & turned right down another dark hall. In another room off this hall were about 12 other foreigners combing through piles of DVDs & CDs. There are people on the street selling knock-off DVDs, but those are the ones that usually have someone sitting in a movie theater holding a video camera and they often don't work on our DVD players, or have parts missing. These are the good quality knock-offs. They are of differing quality. The walls are lined with DVDs in original looking packaging that are supposedly very good quality. There are tables in the center that have DVDs in plastic sleeves. These cost 1/2 as much - about $1.20 and are decent quality, but not quite as good. I stocked up & bought way too much. We then went to a big market where Kristi & Dave played the bargaining game & got a North Face jacket for Dave. I got a few more scarves & pashminas, and Kristi went back to a woman who she's bought shirts from in the past and we each bought a shirt. We then went to meet their friend Barbara, an ethnically Chinese woman from Seattle at a Chinese restaurant. I'd blown through all of my money which I had wanted to last me for all of China, so I had to stop by an ATM & had visions of Venezuela where my card wouldn't work. Dave said that he had been very nervous for me when reading my account of Venezuela.
There is a large foreign community in Shanghai, and they seem very well connected. These hidden knock-off stores all spread by word of mouth through the foreign community & it sounds like they have lots of parties, so they get to know each other. Kristi told me that most foreigners are sent here by their companies who pay for everything, or they are college aged just coming for an adventure. People in their 30's who just come here to find work like she & Dave are the rare exception.
The next morning, for the first time (at least that I remember) since leaving The Bahamas I went to an American place -- we went to Starbucks for coffee. My decaf Caramel Macchiato was wonderful! To get to Starbucks we had to walk through the lobby of the Ritz Carlton. This area is kind of a little American Center. It was a very weird feeling. Normally you'd be greeted with glares or suspicious looks tramping through a Ritz with a backpack on, but because we are caucasian, we are treated as if we belong there.
After going to the fabric market, we headed to another one of those hidden stores. This time we had to cut through an alley and through someone's home who was cooking lunch & behind a closed door was lots of very authentic designer handbags. These are the handbags that normally cost upwards of $1000, and they're steep even here. They are no less than $50, and that's their best price. They also have shoes, watches, clothes, and wallets. These are probably the real thing & someone snuck a few out of the factory and sold them to this shop. I don't care enough about brand to even spend $50, but it was a fun experience looking at everything.
We walked back towards the market & stopped at another Starbucks for a clean bathroom & then went to a lamb kabob stand & a dumpling place for lunch. I didn't realize that the dumplings were so greasy and they spurt grease all over Kristi's shirt which I was wearing. As we approached the market we were greeted by the familiar "WatchPurseDVD" where very aggressive men stand on the streets with picture cards trying to get you to follow them into their stores where they're selling knock-off watches, purses, & DVDs. It's quite annoying because they grab you or run you off the sidewalk. There's also a common practice of people trying to hand you business cards and if you don't take them they drop them in your bag.
We headed into another alley to a purse place that Kristi has frequented. They even remembered her & the price she paid for her Prada purse. As if I need another bag - I ended up buying a large Prada purse much like Kristi's. This is where the day started to get really exciting. Over many times coming back to this place, Kristi had finally gotten them down to 120 Yuan, so when it came time to ask the price they told Kristi that since she was a good customer & I was her friend, they'd give me the same price they gave her. Amazingly, the woman remembered that she had paid 120 Yuan, but Kristi said that she thought she had paid 100 Yuan and she told me 100 Yuan. They insisted for a long time that 120 was a very good price (and I had been prepared to pay 120 - about $15 for a nice leather purse), but I pretended to say no, put it back & say we'd walk around a bit. Then the girl's boss got involved. They started talking with Kristi in Chinese. Kristi & Dave say they only speak survival Chinese, but I've been very impressed. They really can hold down basic conversations, and they're great at shopping Chinese. The boss was concerned about losing Kristi as a customer. To the Chinese, saving face is very very important, and since Kristi told me 100, she'd be losing face in front of a friend and that may make her stop coming to this shop. They finally met the 100 Yuan price and we knew we'd gotten an excellent deal.
Kristi said that my bargaining skills inspired her to a whole new level, but I felt the same about her bargaining - I think we just make a killer team. Vendors Beware - Caveat Vendor. Next stop was the market we went to last night because I still had a few more items to purchase for mom. First stop was for Chinese shirts. I went to the place knowing how much I was willing to spend & since every other vendor sells these I was going to stick to my price which was about 1/5 of the asking price. We really had to stick to it and work hard, but working together Kristi and I finally broke the woman and I got my price. We did the exact same thing for several other items. It became addicting -- I bought quite a few gifts and even a few things for myself.
Laden with purchases we headed out of the market to catch a bus to the western suburbs where Kristi had to tutor. She dropped me off in yet another Starbucks where I sat for an hour+ writing in my journal. After Dave got done coaching after school (he works in admissions at the American International School), he came and met me at Starbucks and Kristi joined us a few minutes later. We headed out to meet some of their friends for dinner at a very good Chinese restaurant. One of the guys was Chinese and ordered for the group. We got lots of really yummy and interesting food. The most interesting was this sweet and sour fried fish with the head and tail displayed on the plate for decoration. It came to the table on fire and all of the restaurant staff came to sing and clap when they delivered it to the table. There are certain meals they serve that come with the singing.
After dinner we headed out to the Bund which is an area along the river that is considered the most impressive mile in Shanghai - especially at night. It's all lit up in neon a lot like Hong Kong. This area includes part of the European concessions, so many of the old buildings are European. We walked to the river for a good view of Pudong, the financial district completely developed within the last 10 years. Their friend David who we ate dinner with suggested going to this restaurant up high in a building to get some cake, but since they turn off the lights at 10:00, we opted to just walk through the lobby of the Peace Hotel which was THE place to stay in the 20's and 30's, and then I entered my 1st McDonalds since Nassau and got a chocolate dipped ice cream cone.
One thing I forgot to mention was my 1st impressions of the people. I mentioned how they cut in line at the ATM, well, they pretty much push their way everywhere. No one waits in an orderly fashion to get off the plane. They jump out of their seats and start pushing their way up the aisle before the plane even stops moving. There is absolutely no consideration for personal space. They also talk really loud & don't try to hide bodily noises like burping & farting.
When our inter-port students described Hong Kong/China activities as shop, shop, shop, they were right. That's pretty much what we've done & what there is to do.
The next morning Kristi and I took a taxi to the old town Yuyuan area near the Yuyuan Garden, which is one of the few areas where the old traditional Chinese architecture can be seen. At 11:00 we got in line for dumplings - Kristi's favorite Chinese treat. We were the only westerners in line with many Chinese - a sign that they must be good. While Kristi stood in line, I roamed around taking photos of the buildings, goldfish, fountains and people. The dumpling line took just over an hour, but I'd say it was well worth it. After we'd downed our dumplings while standing in a corner partially shielded from the cold wind, we quickly went in a large pearl store and I bought myself a string of pearls, pearl earrings, and a gift or two.
It was 1:00 by this point and we had to book it in a taxi to our 1:30 - 2-hour complete experience Chinese massage & foot massage. The place was very nice, clean, quiet, and dark. Kristi has been to this place several times - it's a little more expensive than Vietnam, but pretty good - $30 for the 2 hours. This was my first time having a male masseur. It was a fully clothed massage - they give you a little sweatsuit thing, so it wasn't weird at all. Kristi had to jet off to a 2-hour tutoring session right after the massage, so she gave me her map of Shanghai, pointed out where we were and pointed out the Ritz Carlton which is where the Starbucks is that I was supposed to meet Dave at in a few hours and told me to have fun exploring. I ended up just kind of making a big loop by the Xiangyan market where we had shopped the previous 2 days and around the French Concession near the Austrian, Italian, French, and other embassies which I actually never really saw. there were lots of big walls though.
Dave and I later met up with Kristia & we all took a taxi to another shwanky area with lots of lights and upscale bars & restaurants. We had dinner at a Thai restaurant. It was freezing outside, but the restaurant was full inside, so we sat outside under heat lamps. This is the first time since arriving in Hong Kong that I have actually gotten full at a meal because I didn't have to expend more energy trying to get the food to my mouth than I took in (since I used a fork instead of chopsticks). They're pretty stingy with the rice, so I had to keep asking for more.
After dinner we walked around the area. Shanghai is hosting some big tennis tournament (World Cup I think) for the first time ever which is a huge deal for them. There was a huge display of very large tennis balls and tennis rackets much bigger than me. We left Dave peering through the window of a bar watching a match while Kristi & I had some fun with my camera. She has a collection of photos from around the world of playing dead, so we laid down on the nasty pavement (where I'm sure many China men have spit) & we played dead and pretended to be run over by the balls.
Kristi and I left for the airport at 5:45 the next morning and had to walk about 15 min. to the bus. We arrived at the Shanghai Pudong airport a little after 7:00 and Kristi helped me navigate the checkin system before we said our goodbyes. I'm mastering this Chinese every man for himself thing. I think more people carry on luggage here, so I learned from my flight up to Shanghai that if you're not among the first to get on the plane, there might not be room for your bag in the overhead bins. I packed my bag fairly compactly, but with all my new purchases, I was also carrying my purse outside of my backpack, so I had to put my backpack up above. The second I saw people heading for the gate I cut around the side and pushed my way through the ticket taker line. This would be the rudest thing in the world in the west, but here it's just the way of life. I realized that being up in front meant I got shoved to the far side of the shuttle bus, so after a long shuttle bus ride where it felt like we were driving to another city, I had to push my way off the bus and stay glued to the person ahead of me to make my way up the stairs. It's a brutal man eat man practice and I was afraid some people would go flying off the side of the plane stairs. It was worth it because I got a place for my bag, but it filled up quickly.
Dave and I were talking yesterday that unlike in the west where people will take advantage in business relationships but there's a limit to how much their conscience will let them take you for. In China they have no qualms about taking you for as much as they can, so you have to be very careful. No one else is looking out for you. They'll let you pay sticker price for something that's worth 1/30 the cost.
We were all boarded on the plane early, but had to sit on the ground and wait for air traffic control to release us for over 3 hours. I'm glad I wasn't cutting it closer than I am getting back on the ship. They finally got us off the plane & said they had no idea when the flight would leave. Not much information was being translated into English, but what I could gather from the few English speakers I could find was that the Army was practicing something, so air space was restricted and no flights were going to Southern China.
I figured that maybe I could get to Hong Kong, so the panic adventure began. I ran to the desk to ask what to do and they said to go to desk 16, after talking to many other people, I figured out how to leave the gates and go back into the checkin terminal. I then began bouncing between 4 different counters and pulling off the at wits end airport cry drama that I learned from mom that is usually successful in getting people to help you out. They were helpful, but after bouncing around, getting my ticket canceled and told that a Hong Kong flight would be $400US which I was going to pay and then finding out that Hong Kong flights were in the same situation as Shenzhen flights, I finally figured out how to buy a $6.25 phone card and got some help in calling the ship. I first got a hold of Dean John who pretty much said see you in Japan, but gave me Adrienne's phone number. Adrienne told me she'd get a hold of the tour operator and I should call back in 15-20 minutes. I went to the bathroom, gathered myself and tried calling back, but was unsuccessful. I tried several times and it seemed busy, so I figured I should at least have a ticket in hand and tried to get my Shenzhen ticket back since it was an 8:00 flight it would probably be among the 1st to take off. It took some bouncing back and forth, but I finally got my ticket.
Next challenge getting through security. They had to search my bag & confiscated my magnetic bracelet that I bought at the Pearl market yesterday. I really liked that bracelet, but a 10 Yuan bracelet wasn't worth missing my flight. In hind sight I should have taken it and walked out of security and back through the line I had successfully been through this morning. I think the lady just wanted it for herself. Once down at the gate which was jam packed with distressed passengers, I tried unsuccessfully again to call Adrienne and then heard them boarding some Shenzhen flights By 2:10, 6 hours after our flight was supposed to take off, we were under way.
Our flight landed a little before 4:30 and I ran off the plane and didn't stop until I hit the information desk. It took me awhile to get helped, but as soon as I could, I blurted out "How do I get the ferry to Kowloon" and she pointed to a desk about 50 ft. away. I got to the desk and the woman yelled at me to hurry hurry. I told her I needed to get to Kowloon by ferry and she said yes, hurry 202 Yuan. Of course I only had about 150 Yuan, so I dumped out my wallet, gave her everything I had and she figured the balance in Hong Kong Dollars. I fished out $38 HK and she showed me a picture of the shuttle bus and told me to run. All I can say is God is good because the second I got on the bus it pulled away. I got at the end of a long line asked someone in front of me who I heard speaking English if I was in the right place and he told me I was, and he gave me an extra departure card he had so I didn't have to get out of line. I didn't find out until I'd taken my seat on the CTS TurboJet ferry that I had JUST made the last ferry. Granted this was a bit more expensive than I had expected it to be according to Lonely Planet, but it's also over twice as fast as the taxi/KCR commuter train option and it dumps me off right near the ship.
I have never been happier to see a boat pull up to a dock as I was when the ferry pulled up to the China Ferry Terminal at about 6:30. I ran off the boat and through customs and immigration as fast as I possibly could and weaved through the crowd on Canton road all the way through the Ocean Terminal and to the ship. My bag was packed so tightly that it took awhile to get through security, but once on the ship I turned in my passport and tried to find Adrienne to let her know I made it back on the ship. I ran into John who was happy to see me, but had to just leave a message with JP to tell Adrienne I was here. At dinner Adrienne spotted me and came up and gave me a big hug. She had called Kristi and gotten my flight information and found out that my flight finally actually left, so she was pretty sure I was going to make it. After I had called somehow the port agent locked her phone, so that's why I couldn't reach her. There were several Bejing flights that were delayed for the same reason my flight had been delayed, so we still had students getting onto the ship until almost 11:00. There wasn't the usual staffulty party, so I just went out on the back deck and took lots of pictures of the Hong Kong skyline using my new tripod, my old tripod, and Chris's tripod which was far superior to either of mine. I would have loved to see the ship pull away from Hong Kong, but I was exhausted, so I went to sleep -- or tried at least. I was kept awake much of the night by the pounding of the waves. I had to take everything off my shelves before I went to sleep because rumor has it we're going to have a very rough crossing to Kobe.