After some computer work this morning and a late breakfast I made my way down to the Bund to see about tickets for the river cruise. I got there about 11:3am and found the 3 hour cruise was not until 2pm. It was a very hot and sunny day, so I just decided to sit under a trellised bench area in the shade and people watch for an hour and a half till I could board the ferry.
I sat where there was a family selling cantelope and watermelon on a stick. They had a little portable wood table that he could pick up and move very quickly when the cops came by on their golf cart and told them to get off the area. They were busy non-stop and went through 8-10 melons while I sat there I think. They had their stash of melons hidden in the hedges. When the dad would get down to 5 pieces or so of cut melon then he would send his teen age daughter into the bushes and she would come out with another melon or 2. Then he would cut the rind off, put 2 sticks in it and begin to slice sections off. Many people of all ages stopped to get a fresh fruit treat. They had like a team of 4-5 people. The cutter, the melon retriever, the vendors, and the lookout for the cops person. Their whole procedure was down to a science.
At 1:30 I boarded the ferry and found a nice spot in the back with a breeze. There was about 20 white folks on the tour. I met one couple from Pennsylvania whose son lives here and they are visiting him. The other couples all seemed to be from Europe by their accents that I could hear anyway and everyone seemed to be pretty quiet and just enjoying being together relaxing on the top deck so it was a rather quiet tour. I was busy taking pics so I was just fine.
A deaf guy Wang had some stampers he carved and sold so I bought one with 2 coi fish and had him put my name on it. I also found CJ an interesting,one of a kind Happy Buddha Paperweight. We rode all along the Huangpu river out to where the Yangtze River joins with it, before flowing into the China Sea. It was a long journey and full of many ships, big and small,lots of color, big huge cranes in orange and blue that looked like dinosaurs to me. I could not believe the size of some of the ships. People waved at us from numerous different ships, boats, barges as we passed by. They gave us each a little bag of goodies too. I saved mine and will share them with CJ tomorrow.
On our way back we had such a pretty view as the sun was going down and cast some nice shadows and color on the buildings.
The skyline was so 3 dimensional looking and with so many different shades of blue-it was very pretty.
Back at the dock and I headed for the hotel. Stopping first at a few book stores where I found a dictionary and some english testing books for seniors. I wanted to see what kind of info they use to teach english. Ate dinner in the hotel and had pizza and salad. CJ came by, just as I was asking the girl to box up my leftovers and so helped me eat the rest I was going to take away. Then he went out with the guys and I came back up here to type these posts. He is sleeping now and I too am headed that way as soon as I finish this up. He has a 6:30 taxi tomorrow morning and I have my last day of exploration? I think there is only one direction I have not gone yet, and so I wil go west tomorrow and hopefully find another place for one more foot massage tomorrow afternoon or night.
Good night
Karla and CJ
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