Yesterday, amid the myriad of ever changing lights of green to amber to red and back to green again*, we bid a fond farewell to China and the city of Shanghai, with its modest population of 23.8 million people. In fact this is a city we would like to re-visit, along with Chongqing.
But before engaging our sea legs we took the Maglev train out to the international airport, it also happened to be raining, and so what else is there to do? The magnetic levitation train has no wheels and does the airport run in just seven minutes at a top speed of 431km per hour. No doubt the doyen of big boys toys!
Aboard the Sapphire Princess we have very quickly put on the mantle of five star deluxe living, with heavenly cloud beds, which greatly contrasts with the granite like slab called a bed in China. On this floating palace meal choices are both eclectic and with the aplomb of cordon bleu. In China you get an enormous variety of flavours from which to choose; serving vast quantities of the most brilliant cuisine.
Tomorrow Nagasaki is our first port of call with Japanese immigration wishing to closely scrutinise all 2,000 passengers visiting for 10 hours or less. I need to write to the Japanese PM Abe and advise him that cruise ships only convey two passenger types. Newly weds and Nearly deads!
Confucius say… question authority and the authorities will question you.
(* with apologies to Peter Sellers ‘Balham’)
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