Hop on the ferry to Shen Si Island. Don't forget your boots!

I just returned from a trip to an island not far from Shanghai. It’s good to know there’s a beach just a ferry ride away…well a five hour ferry ride if tickets are sold out and you have to buy from a seedy scalper who says you’ll ride the hour and half fast boat, which when making a street deal, translates to the slow slow boat. Once on the ferry, we found our seats on the upper deck and were surprised to see they were occupied by a group of rough fishermen playing cards. We pointed to our seats and they pointed to a bench and table by the window. We decided the fishermen, being fishermen, would win the battle over seats, so we smiled, waved and found ourselves a spot in the direction they pointed. The only unpleasant experience on the ferry was the bathrooms. The smell was horrible, so heavy that you could feel it. It’s much better to be a man on the boat. In the women’s bathroom, there is no toilet, just a stall with a drain, and you can imagine what a mess that becomes after several hours on the boat…on a boat…which means stomachs are turning and the bathrooms see the best of that as well. A second after entering the bathroom, I wondered if it was possible to protect my nose, lungs, and eyes from all that was happening, so I held my breath and covered my face with my jacket. Obviously that didn’t work. Breathing is necessary and eyes are needed to navigate around questionable fluids… Is that water covering the floor from the sink or the toilet? Wait is that water? Looks like somebody ate corn for dinner maybe rice. Is there even enough room to step around that? Am I wearing flip-flops? “Yes, Mother. I promise, going to the islands is sanitary.”