Escape the Shanghai Winter….to Bali, to Java Perchance?

Shivering in your old Shanghai property that had the central heating ripped out by Mao in the 1950s? Cursing the old git for deeming everything south of the Yangtze to be heater free? Watching your pathetic little bit of heat from an environmentally wasteful fan slip out through your poorly fitted windows in your newish jerry built Shanghai high-rise as you pay to contribute to global warming and still need extra blankets? Why not get away from it all…to Bali or perhaps Java.

The only slight problem was that this offer was made in the summer of 1940 by a Dutch East Indies-Japanese controlled shipping line – relations with China were already at a war stage and with the rest of us were about to tumble somewhat! Still, think of those palm trees, those sunsets, those lovely comfy ships cabins.