こんばんは。Today our ship cruised into the Three Gorges section of the Yangtze River and the scenery changed from great to AMAZING! The banks of the river rose steeply on either side and as we cruised along, one of the ship’s guides explained how the river changed when the dam was built, how the local populations were relocated, and also a bit about the “hanging coffins” which are stone coffins that were found high in caves along the walls. It’s still a mystery as to how they got there, which amazes me.
But the highlight of the day was definitely the sampan boat tour, which took us into a narrow gorge, The Shenong (Goddess) Stream. Our tour guide was excellent, funny, and cute and we were kept entertained the whole time learing about the local traditions, the way people live, and for this particular tour, a bit about arranged marriage! It was so interesting to learn about local matchmakers and the customs surrounding arranged marriages. I have to say that I’ve been very happy with both our main guide and the local guides so far on the trip.
After the sampan tour, we had a few activities onboard the ship before arriving at the Three Gorges Dam, where we entered the locks. I stayed awake for the first lock, but then was so tired, that I decided to call it a night.
Today’s travels took us to the town of Shibaozhai to visit the fantastic temple and pagoda. As you can see from the photo above, this pagoda is very tall – there are 99 steps to the top. But getting to the actual pagoda was a little bit of a journey as well because we had to walk up a hill from the ship, then across a suspension bridge known as the “Drunken Bridge” because you feel a bit tipsy due to the up and down motion of the structure.
Most of the tour group accompanied the local tour guide to the top of the pagoda and were rewarded with an amazing view of the surrounding scenery including the Yangtze and ship. It was interesting to hear how the region was affected by the Three Gorges Dam Project, and in the case of the Shibaozhai pagoda, a giant dike was constructed to protect it from the rising waters.
On the way back to the ship, my brother and I decided to take a short detour through the town and check out the local happenings. I enjoyed taking some street photos, but soon it was time to return to the ship.
To finish off the day, a bunch of us hung out in the lounge and had some fun on the dance floor which is something I rarely do! In fact, the only time I dance is during family reunions so I guess this as appropriate timing. 😆
I started the day with a quick jog around Xi’an before returning to the hotel and getting ready for the next leg of our trip: the city of Chongquin and boarding the river cruise ship.
The flight above Chongquin was absolutely stunning – I have never seen a more impressive city from the air. It honestly looked like a creation from SimCity! There were winding rivers, modern bridges, skyscrapers galore, and other details such as highway clovers and sporting stadiums. It was surreal!
Anyways, after we landed, we took a short bus ride to the cruise ship where we would be spending the next several days, traveling down the Yangtze river.
As the sun went down, the city of Chongquin started to light up and a festive feeling came over the entire ship. It really felt like a new phase of vacation was beginning!
Dinner was delicious, but everyone was tired from a long travel day, so it will be an early rest for us. 😴 Please enjoy these pictures from the day:
こんばんは。This evening after dinner, we strolled down the promenade from our hotel to the Great Wild Goose Pagoda. The wide walkway is very nice in the daytime, with statues and other cool things to look at, but at night it transforms into a huge party, with music performances, shopping, dancing, beauty shows, etc. It is pretty amazing! The colors and energy are intense.
One thing that I noticed that I like doing is taking photos of people enjoying themselves. I guess it is kind of a street photography style? I don’t know, but taking photos of people taking photos and selfies is so meta. Please take a look at some of the images:
Today was one of the highlights of our trip to China: seeing the Terracotta Warriors of Xi’an. Pit #1 was absolutely stunning. As you can see in the photo at the top of the post, the actual structure is huge! To see the large army of individual statues lined up was breathtaking.
Our tour guide explained about the discovery of the army, the restoration, the in the statues, etc. It was fascinating to also learn that the wooden parts had all disappeared because of the decomposition due to the soil. All that is left was the terracotta, which was fired in a kiln, and the metal parts of the weaponry such as the blades and arrowheads.
In other parts of the exhibit, we saw figures in various states of restoration, from discovery to completion. It seems like such painstaking work, and it looked like there is a ton to be uncovered still. I can imagine that it could be a dream come true to be able to work on the restoration if you were in that field.
After viewing the Terracotta Army, we went to a terracotta workshop, where we watched a short demonstration on how terracotta is made, and then, of course, there’s a huge shop for you to purchase souvenirs. We also enjoyed a buffet lunch, of which the best dish was the fresh noodle bowl. It was fun to watch the chef create the noodles right in front of you. And the taste was delicious! Couple that with the local beer, and I didn’t really need anything else from the buffet table. 😀
We returned to the hotel in the early afternoon and had a few hours to spare before dinner so we took a walk to the nearby mall. Normally, I don’t like to go to malls, but I find malls in unfamiliar countries to be fascinating. Things are familiar, but always with a local twist. And of course, I love the local ads:
I took the following photo of Chinese-labeled Kewpie and sent it to Mariko. She told me she didn’t need me to buy any souvenirs from the trip, but after seeing the photo she gave me my marching orders to pick up some Kewpie and also some local stir-fry seasoning packs. I’ll see if I can find some in Shanghai before the trip is over.
Today was our last day in Beijing, but before we left for Xi’an, we visited a Hutong, or old neighborhood, and visited a world-renowned artist who paints the inside of glass objects. It was amazing to see how she uses a curved brush to apply the paint so delicately and precisely.
Next, we traveled by rickshaw to the Bell Tower (钟楼) for a tea-tasting. We tried five different kinds of tea, and then had the opportunity to buy the tea, of course. It was fun and delicious!
Today our tour took us to the Badaling section of the Great Wall. 30 years ago when I visited, I believe we came to the same section, but we started at the main parking area. This time our tour group took the tram up to the top, and from there we were able to hike along the wall. We first completed the easy section to the end, then turned around and went for a bit on the hard section. It was significantly more difficult because of the steepness of some of the sections, but my brothers and I did well.
It was pretty amazing to be up on the Great Wall even if it is a big tourist destination.
After our visit to the Great Wall, we went to the Jade factory/market and received some “education” on the tradition of Chinese jade, the meaning behind it, the types of stone, and the quality differences. After the short lesson, we were provided with a pretty huge lunch with plenty of beer, wine, and a super-potent liquor. I sure this was in order to loosen up everyone’s purse strings before shopping in the jade market. 😆
After that, we checked out the park at the entrance to the Ming Tombs, then drove through the 2008 Olympic area and saw the “Bird’s Nest” stadium, and the “Water Cube” from the bus, before returning back to the hotel.
Since we had a couple hours before dinner I did a little shopping at my favorite two stores: Uniqlo and Muji. I didn’t buy anything, but I always enjoy browsing those two!
And to conclude the day, we went to a restaurant for Peking Duck, where we stuffed ourselves and drank a bit too much! The food was yummy and the company was hilarious. It was a good time, for sure!
