Dalian March 18th

Once again we were struck by the enormity and hi-tech atmosphere of a Chinese city. Dalian is known to Chinese and other Asians as a summer resort city with beautiful beaches and plentiful seafood. For us the beaches were not an attraction, since the afternoon temperature never rose above 37 degrees, but it was a beautiful clear day for us to explore Dalian. The architecture of the city is very varied due to Dalain’s history, once controlled by Russia, then by Japan until finally being returned to China after WWII. Many of the old buildings retain Russian and even European characteristics, while the newer buildings are typical of the new Chinese high rise building boom, very modern glass and steel structures. The city’s population exceeds 9 million.

We explored Dalian on our own. A shuttle bus took us from the port, which is very near the downtown area, to the “Friendship Center”, which is a 8 story shopping mall with all the best western designer brands, at very high prices. From there, we took a Taxi to Dalian’s Olympic Square. In the area we noticed, at the entry to the Olympic Square underground, the door to a Wal Mart. We couldn’t resist the opportunity to see a Wal Mart in China, just to see if everything was made in the US. It was a very interesting experience; very busy, noisy, and totally unlike any Wal Mart in the US. We returned to the ship about 3:30, for sail away at 6:00. Now we have one more day at sea before arriving in Shanghai, where most of the current passengers will be debarking, and an entirely new group will be coming aboard.