A Tale of Two Cities

I haven't written for a while due to a crash back home on my own personal bike, that left me with a broken collar bone and severe bruising and ligament damage. The insurance has not been settles and so I am back on public transport, of which I used to go to the football (soccer) game yesterday in Liverpool. After the game I went for my usual drinks with friends back at the Barlows Arms, a small pub supporters frequent before and after the game.







Amongst one group of lads I spotted a young Chinese couple who turned out to be from Shanghai, Liverpools twin city. We are not only twinned but share notoriety for having an impressive waterfront. I joined the group out of curiosity as to who our guest were, to discover that our good lads from the Barlows had helped them outside the stadium in getting tickets and had waited for them after the game to bring them to our modest little pub in the heart of working class Walton.

Having travelled many countries on bikes, I have been subjected to the most warm and generous hospitality from absolute strangers and many from the likes of India regard it as an overwhelming duty to help visitors from outside their country. So it was re-assuring to see that my fellow citizens of my home town offering similar warm hospitality to these two charming travellers from Shanghai.

I have to say though I was not surprised as I have always known of good old scouse (Nickname for Liverpool people) hospitality and have witnessed it many times and had it mentioned to me by visitors from other countries who I have met on my own travels.

I would also like to mention a little historical fact.

The expression to be Shanghaied, which means to be way laid, comes from early days when Liverpool ships sailed to China in the great trade routes. Often ships could not find crews to sail and used what were known as press gangs. They would either cosh a person into unconsciousness or get them so drunk they had no idea what they were doing until they regained conciousness on route to Shanghai.

I hope the lovely couple I met last night never felt they had been Shanghaid or even Liverpooled for that matter and they had a wonderful time in our company