Oxleys' Adventures

How blessed we were to have a second port stop in Shanghai! Here take a look at the beauty of the Shanghai Bund and surrounding area …with the magic of the night lights:

We had a great day exploring Zhouzhuang, China. This is a small canal town located on the Jinghang Canal and connecting Suzhou with Shanghai. Shanghai is so large that it actually took over two hours to travel there from our freighter:)! When you enter the canal area it states that this is China’s Number One ‘Canal Town’!
We spent our time exploring by canal boat and on foot. Among the sights are the Ming-era Hall of the Zhang Residence with 70 rooms, and the Hall of the Shen’s Residence which claims 100 rooms.
It was once a flourishing port which specialized in silk, pottery, and grain.

Here take a peak at life in this Chinese Canal town…not quite Brugge or Annecy but certainly with its’ own interesting charm!!

So…..what does one do when the ship is delayed and there is no new ‘berth’ open for five days???

Due to the delays in Ningbo our ‘berthing time slot’ in Shanghai was taken. We found ourselves with a five day delay in the East China Sea, as we awaited our second entry back into Shanghai. They always warned us that “freighter life” requires flexibility and this was that concept put to the test!! We actually relished the peace and serenity, watching the seas roll, and still managed plenty of sun time!! Weather was still good enough — if you found that sun spot sheltered from the winds– that Bud even managed to stay in shorts:)!! He knocked off three books, as I “played” with making slide shows to entertain the crew!! ( I can hear my Lima techies now….YOU DID WHAT???…after they spent hours of their lives attempting to assist me with such projects:)!)

Here is a glimpse of how hard the beloved Rickmer’s Shanghai seamen worked as we just basked in relaxation!! They are high above skillfully swinging with paint brushes
( please know they are atleast in safety harnesses) and repainting ‘Crane Four’!!! I could hardly bare to watch and was thankful their Mother’s and loved ones were not experiencing -firsthand -this display of trapeze artistry!!!

Our “Dance of the Cranes” will certainly continue its splendor with a new glistening sparkle!!!

Here take a peak ….if you can bear to watch:)!!

Ningbo, China proved to be a most interesting port in terms of freighter life! We faced a crane repair on the vessel. Additional engineers and Chinese workers came right on board and quickly fixed the crane cable problem; some even spent the night on board. One of our beloved officers took ill, so our Captain was dealing with a lot of issues to make sure he was provided with adequate health care. It ended up, after much delay, that the officer had to remain behind hospitalized. Sad to pull away without him…..

However, our time in Ningbo was very exciting!! We managed to find our own way back to the street markets of the Ningbo people. We loved the warm and friendly faces, the ‘bakers’ learning their trade as we snapped pictures through the window, the rickshaws…..so many insights into the diverse culture of the Chinese. One of the most amazing sights of the day was the street vendor selling LIVE chickens (you pick your favorite…) and then butchering it for you right there on the spot!!!

Here take a look and see if you can find those dear chickens….

I admit that we did not know a lot about this port. We just focused on the fact that it was our closest opportunity to get to the Great Wall and allow Bud the opportunity to experience its’ splendor!!! It ended up that the ship had to anchor and was ‘detained’ from entering the port at the time that would have allowed an overnight or long day trip through Beijing to the Great Wall! Since I had the wonderful educational opportunity ( through BASA -Buckeye Association of School Administrators) to visit China last spring….Bud and I just curled up with the IPAD and ‘Experienced the Great Wall” through the BASA keepsake pictures:)!!!

Here is what we DID enjoy in the seven Burroughs which comprise this area of nearly 30 million people. Yes, I was told 30 million people!!!!! Experiencing the vastness and populations of China clearly reaffirms the statistic that China combined with India make up nearly 40 per cent of the world’s population!!!

We also learned that this is the port for the Asian passenger ships to also access the Great Wall!!
( these kinds of ‘tips’ always seem to reassure these solo travelers that their thinking does occasionally line up with the norm:)!

We arrived at dusk, so join us in taking a look at this huge port and it’s connecting city! By the way, we never happened to pass another American in this particular port and were “thrilled” to accommodate the photograph requests at the local restaurant…..which REALLY provided us with a chuckle:)!!!

We spent the day touring the back streets and Chinese alleyways of this China port city which claims to house 6 million people!!! We learned that there is an ‘Old Dalian’ and a ‘New Dalian’. We opted to tour the ‘old’….of course but it still had a fresh and newer look!!
Dalian port serves as both a commercial and military port. We were warned numerous times not to take any pictures in the port area as their are military restrictions on photography…..
Trust we try to abide by these suggestions….as we are here to ‘spread goodwill’ not cause an international ‘scene’:)!!!

We kept a “driver” with us for the day and she would “drop us” at various locations of interest in this megapolis and then come back and ‘fetch us’ a couple of hours
later. It was an excellent way to get an over over view of the city and the culture!!

We loved the Chinese dumplings, prawns, and homemade Chinese noodles!!! It was a beautiful sunny day but our coldest spot yet!!

After many attempts at trying to upload the travelblog, I have come to learn that China has opted to restrict some internet sites such as Facebook etc. It looks as if I will be delayed in posting any of our China ports until we get to another location!! Loyal followers, forgive the delay, as I have not yet figured out how to override this restriction:)! You ‘techies’ are probably all out there saying just “do this….” but I can’t hear you over here…thus, a frustrating delay from my end!
It isn’t even time yet to apply the “23 day Pacific crossing” as an excuse…..that’s not ATLEAST for another two weeks:)!!!!

Back to the journey at hand, we took a moment for some self reflection to more deeply value and appreciate our every day freedoms!!

Our stop in Shanghai has left us with only a few hours to tour! The good news is that we are currently scheduled to be back again:)! We managed to ‘catch a ride’ to the last subway stop and then take an hour subway ride into People’s Square of Shanghai!! Even though everything is conveniently given bilingually with English as the second language….it sure was nice when the young college age English speaking Chinese gal graciously assisted in lining up our yuan in the correct direction to be able to activate the subway ticket purchase:)!!!

I have been trying to post for weeks….so here it goes!

Hopefully, I will be able to catch you all up on our two weeks in China once we reach the Japan ports:)!

We have just a few short hours in our only stop in Thailand….Pattaya! Here are a few quick looks at the faces of the people and the contrast to the immaculate city life of Singapore:

Lots of shrines for worship…..plus immense humidity and heat at this stop!

It was great to see our ship the Rickmers Shanghai, after a warm return welcome, we are off for the Asian leg of the journey! It was so good to learn that the ship’s passage through the Suez Canal and Somalia region was ‘uneventful’ and all went well! With four high powered sharp shooters on Board to protect them from piracy …they were in good hands!!

In a few hours some of the officers will be exchanging ‘positions’ and some dear new friends will get to go home and enjoy three months with their families before they rejoin the Rickmers, again! Here is one who will be bidding farewell, our beloved Chief Engineer…

Now, take a quick look at this ‘yacht delivery’!

Phase two of the ‘delivery’!

Here’s the next step:

There she goes…the 95 foot, 40 million dollar ‘delivery’!

Off to Thailand!!!

What a tremendous surprise to arrive in Singapore and be greeted by a lifelong family friend, Bill NIggemyer! He certainly made the Singapore visit very memorable and special!!! Thank you, Niggs, for surprising us at the airport as you hid behind your “OXLEY Transport” sign:)!

The events all started with a ride on the world’s largest ‘flier’…..a ferris wheel to us! Here take a ride along with us:

I have to tell you that the ‘ship’ perched above the Marina Bay Sands Hotel had me mesmerized:)! I have no idea which architectural/ engineer created this concept for the swimming pool/ restaurant ….but I could not take my eyes off it for fear it ‘would fall’:)!
Here are just a few of the hundreds of pictures that I snapped of this architectural wonder:

Here is the latest experiment in solar energy ….artificial trees that capture the sunlight by day and then light and cool the Eco exhibitions!

Take a look at the beauties that they help tp provide solar rays to grow:

Even Bud loved this stop!! However, it was a GREAT surprise to learn that our ‘guide’ for the day had lived on a street named “Oxley Garden”! We particularly enjoyed seeing this highlight:

Of course, Singapore at night: