Jack, our local guide on the bus from Wuhan to Yichang talked non-stop and it was rather nice to settle into our quiet cabin on board the Yangtze Pearl and prepare for the next part of our adventure.
Our initial sailing from Yichang was through a misty atmosphere, which did nothing to diminish the beauty along our route:
The Yangtze River, a stretch of water that goes for 1000s of kilometers and finally enters the China Sea at Shanghai, is full of ships plying all the way to Chongqing, which is where we are heading. Our first stop after leaving Yichang is the site of the largest hydro electricity project in the world. And believe me, it is massive!! All we can do is give you some of our impressions, starting with a full scale model of the 3 Gorges Dam which was nearing completion at the time of our visit:
From right to left, the five-level locks that we went through later that same day and that can accommodate vessels up to 10,000 tons, the vertical shiplift that can lift a 3,000 tons vessel 113 meters in just 30 minutes, and on the left the dam itself, completed two weeks after we were there.
A view from the top of the lookout gives an overall feel of the project. Again there were lots of people and we were amused to see the guy in the next pic with cigarettes between his lips and on his ear - smoking was big:
Back on board, we weighed anchor and proceeded to the 3 Gorges Locks. At this time only four levels are used, but that will soon change. The door opens to let us in
In unison, all the ships in the lock moved to the next stage:
Once through the locks and with the weather smiling kindly on us,
we enjoyed the delightful scenery along the way at the same time appreciating the cuisine served by an attentive staff:
Chris obviously enjoyed this creamy morsel, though Greg chose to hide behind a sheet of paper so as not to yield to temptation
But it was hard to stay inside when the following vistas were there to be enjoyed:
As evening came,
it was time to look smart and enjoy dinner
From left to right Chris, Christine, Me, Carol, our lovely waitress Bekki, Pat, Graeme, Julie & Greg.
The captain welcomed us that evening and then the crew put on a bit of a show. I wish I had a photo of Chris taking photos. He was sitting in the central position and the entertainers just paraded before him and moved on after a gentle regal nod of the head:
"Your faithful servants, My Lord Chris!"
Morning dawns as we enter the Wu Gorge nearing Wushan:
Note how the city has begun to go up hill. The lower buildings are now demolished in preparation for the flooding of the area.Little boats like this were everywhere:
A great day was waiting for us as we transferred to a smaller boat, like this:
to go up the Wu Gorge. 
The scenery was spectacular and in my book, this side trip was probably the best part of the cruise. But I hasten to say that the whole cruise was great and we loved it. 
Being a Sunday, the scenery became a time of quiet reflection and meditation.
As you can see, the weather was once again most kind and this added to our enjoyment:
You can see in the next pic how the water level has risen to submerge previous tracks:
In the next pic, and if you click on the photo, you should be able to discern a monkey frolicking in the tree:
As we passed through the gorge, the guide pointed out to us where coffins were placed high up and under the overhang of the rocks. How did they get them there, was a question on everyone's lips.
It certainly is no place to place flowers on a Sunday afternoon!
A majestic conclusion to a special side cruise.As we return to the ship, there were the inevitable vendors showing off their wares:
Finally, we entered the QuTang Gorge which will be part of the next chapter plus Fengdu & Chongqing.
1 comment:
some very amazing scenic shots!
Post a Comment