The
River Avon winds gracefully through Christchurch central in New Zealand and a
top attraction is Punting on the Avon. For a reasonable price, you can enjoy a
half hour trip along the river with a commentary on the sights and history of
the area. The punters engage well with visitors and call out cheery greetings
to people in canoes and paddleboats. The punts are appealing with padded seats
and are constructed out of local wood types. As you pass under low bridges and admire
historical buildings and the Botanic Gardens, you can almost imagine you’ve been
transported back in history. A must do activity when visiting Christchurch.
Shanghai, China is renowned for
the quality and abundance of pearls produced in the area. In 2015, I visited a
pearl outlet as part of guided tour and found it fascinating. Before entering
the showroom, a staff member gave us a demonstration and showed us the
difference between a freshwater and saltwater oyster. The different colour of
pearls was also explained with the black colour being caused by sediment. The showroom
was amazing with showcase after showcase of glistening pearl jewellery. Strands
of white, peach, pink and black pearls lay in silk cushions and earrings and
bracelets were also available. Truly a miracle of nature.
As a child in Zimbabwe, I kept silkworms for many
years. Decades later, it was fascinating to visit a silk factory in Shanghai
and see how the cocoons were unravelled and the fine strands combined to make a
silken thread. Not only that, whole cocoons were wet, stretched, pulled, and
stretched again, until eventually they were very thin and wide. These fine
layers were then placed on top of each other to from duvet inners. The guide
explained that silk does not have filaments and because it is a natural fibre,
is allergenic, does not hold dust and breathes well. The showroom included
ranges of duvet inners and covers, sheets, pillowslips as well as a range of
beautiful silk clothing.
