I suppose if you opened a travel magazine and the title of an article was “Surprising Shanghai” you might think the Shanghai Chamber of Commerce had hired the writer to promote tourism. Well, I am not getting paid for this but, I have to admit I was pleasantly surprised with Shanghai.It is true that Shanghai was our second port in China but the first excursion was purely focused on getting to the Great Wall and back to the ship. On a map, it might look like we got near Beijing but I saw nothing of that city, (Beijing used to be Peking but I think the Communists didn’t like the city named after a duck.)
Shanghai is the largest city in China with a population of 13 million. I learned that the newest area developed in Shanghai was just farmland and rice paddies until 1990.
There are an amazing number of sky scrapers in Shanghai. One building located there is the Jin Mao building. It is the fifth tallest structure in the world. It is 88 stories high. Our tour included a fast elevator ride up to the observation deck. What a wonderful surprise! Mary and I had gone up to the observation deck of the new One World Trade Center when we were in New York less than two years ago. Never in my wildest dreams could I have imagined I would be seeing a city in China the same way I viewed New York City. I still cannot believe it! I seem to remember being told that our assent took only 44 seconds.On our excursion, we not only saw new modern buildings but older ones as well. There is an area called “The Bund” which is a little like Sea Port Village in San Diego. We also traveled under the harbor through the Yan’an Lu Tunnel which would be the equivalent of connecting San Diego with Coronado.
Our bus stopped at “People’s Square” which was a pleasant experience. It was a nicely landscaped park where we could walk and enjoy the greenery and take pictures of the surrounding buildings. It was clear to me that locals also enjoyed the park.
Shanghai has two different modes of high-speed transportation. These were available on other excursions. One is a high-speed train which accelerates up to 258 mph. If people chose to visit the city of Hangzhou, they can get there by that train in less than an hour. There is also a magnetic levitation train which reaches a speed of 267 mph. This train does not use wheels! It floats on an electromagnetic cushion and transports passengers to Pudong International Airport in 8 minutes. I am wondering how this very quick ride to an airport causes one to feel about all the inevitable airport delays which are bound to follow. 
There were nine different tours listed for Shanghai. Of course, in two days, it was impossible to take all of them. Some people took a different tour each day. Only after we arrived in Shanghai, did I consider a three-hour night trip to a “Chinese Acrobat Show.” Since passengers can book their tours long before leaving home, it is understandable that there are not likely to be openings when you suddenly are inspired, at the last minute, to join an excursion.
The acrobat show excursion was sold out. This did not necessarily mean we were out of luck. There was the possibility that people may have signed up for the excursion but, for one reason or another, were not going. Mary and I went down to the pier where the bus was waiting. We let the excursion coordinator know we were hoping to see the acrobat show. Relatively quickly, we were assured there was space available for us. This was good news but we had mixed emotions. Our new friends, Gordon and Mary Thompson were also standing by hoping for tickets.
There is a theory called ‘six degrees of separation.’ The theory is that within six people we know everybody in the United States. (Maybe within six degrees we all know Kevin Bacon.) Well, it is something like that. Mary Kapalla had decided that, if she was going to go on a world cruise, she wanted to go when she was still able to enjoy it. When she began considering the specific cruise which we are now on, she discovered that her son-in-law’s aunt had taken many world cruises and was going to be on this cruise. Richard put Mary in contact with his Aunt Roselle. When she is not cruising, Roselle lives in Arizona. She was happy to answer Mary’s questions on the phone but better yet, Roselle put Mary in contact with a San Diego couple who were friends she had made on a previous cruise. 
The Thompsons were also planning to take this particular world cruise! The Thompsons treated us to brunch in San Diego. I was ambivalent about taking the cruise. Their answers to such important questions as “How do you do your laundry?” and “Is it safe to drink the tap water on the ship?” had swayed my decision to take the cruise. Now, they were hoping to go to the Chinese Acrobat Show and we were set to go. Since they had been so kind to us, should we give Gordon and Mary our places?Mary and I climbed onto the bus and waited. About five minutes later, Gordon and Mary joined us. What a relief! I would have felt badly if we left them standing on the pier.
The Chinese Acrobat Show was truly amazing. I can assert unequivocally that it was the most extraordinary acrobat show I have ever seen. I am at a loss for words to describe the many amazing feats which I would have sworn were physically impossible.One routine which was both well executed and amusing involved men tossing and exchanging hats. Perhaps there is something online showing these Chinese Acrobats. When I return home I will search for it.
(Editor’s Note: Here is a trailer advertising the Chinese Acrobats: https://www.youtube.com/watch?
Shanghai was surprising and I will reflect on my adventures there with joy and satisfaction. It is nice to be pleasantly surprised.
