Hong Kong/China

I basically had 6 days to conquer Hong Kong, Beijing and Shanghai, so I felt like I was going a million miles an hour the whole time. We got off the ship in Hong Kong and then met back up with it in Shanghai to give us more time in China. Our one day in HK we basically walked around the length of Hong Kong Island and saw all there was to see. Early the next morning we were off to Beijing where in a period of 4 days we saw the Summer Palace, Great Wall, martial arts show, Tiananmen Square, Forbidden City, Lama Temple, two huge markets, acrobat show, Temple of Heaven, Old District on a rickshaw, and Bell Tower. The Great Wall was well…great. I was told to expect huge crowds but we were practically the only ones on the wall and we had a lot of fun “frolicking” around one of the world’s ancient wonders. We even got to take this sweet toboggan down the wall which was in no way safe.

Tiananmen Square and Forbidden City are pretty standard and very crowded tourist destinations. I enjoyed the Lama Temple (a Buddhist temple) more than the Forbidden City because I thought it had more attention to detail and was less crowded. Both the martial arts show and acrobat show were pretty ridiculous and I refuse to believe that those who participated are the same species as me.

Every market I’ve visited in various countries has had their own feel and Chinese markets were definitely the most intense. I had to revert to my football days to get around the ladies trying to sell me stuff. Spin moves and jukes became common as they would try to block my path and grab me to convince me to buy something. I got some “diesel” shoes for about 3 bucks and this pimpin coat for less than 20. Makes me wonder what exactly goes into the ridiculous price of actual brand clothing back in the US when at least I can’t tell the difference.

I’m sure my friends who have visited China know this (Diandra, Morgan, and Alaina) but us westerners are quite the spectacle to Chinese people, especially those of us who are tall and/or have an unusual hair color (red or blond). It would start with one person asking to take their picture with me and it would turn into a 10 minute event where every person around would want a picture with me and get all excited about it. My cheeks are still sore from having to smile for such extended periods of time but it definitely made me feel real cool.

The Chinese nightlife did not disappoint. Highlights included an ice bar where they gave everyone fur coats to stay warm and loud techno club where the dance floor had a slight trampoline effect so it pulsed with the beat of the music.
When we got back on the ship in Shanghai there was an assembly regarding Kurt. It is such a sad situation and a lot of people on the ship are pretty devastated.

We have been back at sea for two days and get into Japan tomorrow. Honestly my life is pretty ridiculous having only two or three days between countries. I feel like I go to sleep and wakeup in a new country. The past day the waves have been the biggest yet. I fell out of bed last night twice and have run face first into various pillars and walls today while trying to walk around. It’s impossible to life weights when it is this rough because as the ship rocks one way it adds about 50% to the weight and as it rocks back it becomes 50% lighter. Every once in a while a series of especially big waves will hit us and the sound of glasses breaking echoes around the ship and pretty much everyone falls down or slams into a wall, even people in chairs will tip over. Grant and I made the most of it as we discovered that on the top deck the ship tilted at enough of an angle so we could jump probably 20 feet across the deck when we had a downward slope. I guess I’m easily entertained