BOARD THE VIKING YI DUN — I started my day at sea with a beginner's tai chi class on the pool deck. Sweat dripped down my neck and my legs burned as I squatted with my feet pointed outward.
Later I tried traditional jam painting. I drew thick lines with jam while the instructor looked over my shoulder, then scratched a blank key card over the jam to make it look wider and add contrast, transforming it into bamboo shoots. Then I painted the stems and decorated them with leaves. I liked how the leaves turned out.
Later, I watched an elaborate tea ceremony, sipped warm tea from a small cup while watching a musician peacefully pluck the strings of a Chinese instrument called a kōjin, and became lost in thought.
During my first three days in China aboard the Viking Eden, I discovered a variety of activities to experience the country.
For a day out on the water, Viking Yi Dun offers a tile painting workshop. Photo courtesy of Andrea Zelinski
I am sailing Viking’s first ocean cruise in China for 10 days, targeting Western travelers. This is a new product for Viking and is offered in collaboration with Viking’s partner China Merchants Group, which operates most Chinese cruise ships. The Chinese crew are practicing their English in anticipation of our arrival.
Yi Dun will be calling at several ports with exclusive access, including Zhejiang, Fujian and Guangdong provinces. But we haven’t gotten there yet. So far, we’ve been anchored in downtown Shanghai for two days, facing the most dazzling skyline I’ve ever seen, and then depart this morning, arriving in Zhoushan tomorrow.
After arriving, we had several Chinese meals on the ship, including Chinese crepes with crispy fried food for breakfast at the World Cafe, fried rice and beef with honey pepper sauce from the room service menu, and a coconut milk dessert served in a glass with chopped watermelon, cantaloupe, assorted beans and sago (clear, fluffy beads).
While there is a variety of American cuisine, including salmon, steaks and burgers, the addition of Chinese cuisine adds variety to traditional cruise ship cuisine.
A station serving sweet coconut milk with a variety of side dishes, including melon and beans. Photo courtesy of Andrea Zelinski
I didn't spend all my time on the ship. Viking Travel went to see an acrobatic circus show that made every moment worth it during the one-hour drive through Shanghai traffic. Like the skyline, the show featured impressive colors and lights. High-quality projections turned the walls into waterfalls and the circular stage into a water lily pool.
Acrobats performed amazing feats using items such as hoops and silks suspended from high ceilings. Others were about high-risk agility, such as jumping and flipping on a seesaw. The most breathtaking (or amazing, I’m not sure which) was watching several motorcyclists drive inside a large metal sphere, passing each other sideways, upside down, and sideways without crashing. At one point, there were seven motorcyclists driving inside the sphere.
From the vibrant atmosphere of Shanghai to the calm and artistic culture of the sea, we have had quite a taste of China so far. There are only 7 more days left to see what else is in store.
