Ganbei to Shanghai!

        I met up with the ship in Shanghai via an overnight sleeper train from Beijing. Another bed of rocks if you ask me. I mind as well have been sleeping on ancient stone like the night before. It was still a cool experience. It was four people to a private cabin with two bunks. It was clean. There was a built-in t.v. at the foot of every bed. I really shouldn’t complain. When we got to Shanghai, we were met by a China Guide bus that brought us to our ship. It literally took a full hour for us all to get our bags searched, have our passports checked, and swipe into the ship. Then another two hours for them to make copies of our passports for immigration. I did not get off the ship until 2pm that day. However as fate would have it, as I was getting ready to head off into Shanghai on my own, I ran into my roommate and another friend. My roommate happens to speak fluent Chinese. Definitely someone to hang around when in China. She took care of communicating with taxi drivers and getting directions. She also knew of a great and famous dumpling restaurant for dinner AND a rooftop bar with one of the best views of the city. I would say the day was a success.
        My second and final day I did go off on my own. I’ve really become a fan of independent travel. I’ve found large groups can often be a hindrance. This solo day ended up being exactly what I had hoped for when I tried the solo thing in Singapore for the first time. I got off the ship with a plan and a map of Shanghai to make that plan possible. I started with breakfast and free wifi at a coffee shop on the Bund, which is a long waterfront stretch with some beautiful old, European architecture. Then I walked down the major shopping street of Nanjing Rd, where according to my map I would find the Shanghai Art Museum at the other end. About 10 minutes from the museum I was stopped by a group of three Chinese people about the same age as me. They were really excited to practice their English. We talked for a while and they invited me to the tea ceremony they were heading to. I absolutely love spontaneous decisions and this was definitely one of them. The Shanghai Art Museum could wait. We went to this tiny tea shop where we were led into a tiny room set for four tea tasters. Our tea master (?) didn’t speak any English so my new friends had to translate everything. I learned about the different teas and how some help digestion, some reduce wrinkles, some are great for your heart. I learned the traditional way to drink the tea and hold the tea cup. You grasp the cup with your thumb, pointer, and middle finger and the other two fingers stay tucked if you’re a girl and point out if you’re a boy. Before you begin the tea tasting you are supposed to swirl the tea three times, then smell it, then finish the cup in three sips, then breathe in to fully experience the flavor. I learned how to toast in Chinese (ganbei = cheers). I tasted about 6 different teas and ended up buying two to bring home. I don’t even like tea but this stuff was really good. My new friends walked me to the Shanghai Art Museum and we said our goodbyes after we exchanged email addresses. What a great first couple hours of the day!
        As I was wandering around the exhibits of the art museum, I was approached yet again by a local. His name was Johnson and we ended up talking and walking through the rest of the museum together. He works in Shanghai and was in the area of the museum for a few meetings so he’d thought he would take a look now that admission is free. He was such great company. The funniest part was when we got to this exhibit titled “Encounter.” He points to the name and says, “Like us!” Then we both proceed to read the description (I took a picture of it so here is the exact wording): “There are many encounters in life, invisible or visible. But only love could last and continue such encounter…” It was so cute. He turned soooo red. After we had walked around the Encounter exhibit and we were passing by the description again, he insisted that we get a picture together in front of it.
        I almost couldn’t believe how lucky I was to keep meeting so many great people. This is exactly what I want to happen when I go off on my own in these places. I never intend to actually spend the day all by myself. If I was in a large group of people, this never would have happened. You are much more approachable when you’re on your own. My roommate who inspired the first solo expedition in Singapore was so proud of me. These are the experiences that happen to her every time. I have three days in Taiwan next. I’m planning on spending one of them on my own. I hope it can stack up to this amazing day.