Imperial China Day 16
Imperial China
OAT Day 2-12 - Monday, April 21, 2008 - Explore Lesser Three Gorges-Wu and Qutang Gorges - Yangtze Cruise, China
We left our overnight docking area about 6:10 AM. We could hear the engines working hard to pull away from our mooring site. At 6:15 our alarm went off - it was an early morning for a busy day today.
We showered and got right out on the deck to take photos of the entrance of the second of the three gorges, the Wu Gorge. The steep green mountain sides drop right into the water of the Yangtze River.
The river is green here, the result of the limestone banks coloring the water. Daniel began his morning commentary pointing out rock formations, caves, and coal mines, all very prevalent in this area.
Gennie tried her luck at the internet knowing that her students would be checking in with their assignments today. The connection was slow, but intermittent service is better than none at all.
We had breakfast at 7:30 with Charlie from Minnesota, who retired from IBM’s storage development department. Our table had a lively discussion about the changes in technology, automobiles, and mechanical devices.
At 8:30 we all met down in the lobby. We had wonderful weather - it was 68 degrees with 87% humidity and the sun was shining! We got off of our ship and on to a glassed river craft for our excursion up the Daning River or the Shennong Stream, both tributaries of the Yangtze.
The boat was not full so we had plenty of room to move about and all of us had great vantage points to be able to see the exquisite Lesser Three Gorges: Dragon-Gate Gorge, Misty Gorge, and Emerald Gorge.
The river traffic was relatively quiet, with only several river taxis and a few other tour boats. These gorges were very calm and peaceful with each view more spectacular than the one before.
We saw a few small monkeys and birds, but no other wild life. Our guide told us there were deer, bear, and mountain goats also in the area, but they were hiding today.
On each hillside there were markers showing where the water level will be next year when the dam is complete. We watched farmers bring in their last season of crops along the hills close to the water.
We docked again and then transferred to another even smaller boat, a san pan, whose driver took us further into the many narrower gorges on the tributaries to the Daning River. We could easily see the ancient hanging coffins used to entomb ancestors high in the cliffs so it would be easier for them to get to heaven.
After our san pan ride we returned to our river craft and then retraced our path through the 3 small gorges. The crew of the Victoria Rose was waiting for us with lunch when we returned from our excursion.
Returning to the Yangtze, we continued on our ship up the river through Qutang Gorge, the farthest upstream of the Three Gorges. Although the shortest of the three, the Qutang is said to be by far the most dramatic, unfortunately it was raining hard and very difficult to photograph. Duane and I found an overhang at the back of the ship so we could stay dry but still enjoy the views.
I spent the rest of the afternoon sorting photos and Gennie went to the lecture and demonstration about pearls at 3:45 but found it to be only a sales pitch! How disappointing!
Dinner was at 7:00 again, a family style Chinese meal. We have enjoyed good food on this trip and are especially pleased with the many varieties of great vegetables!
We went to the multi-purpose room to catch up on e-mails and to post the journal for the day.
Accommodations: Victoria Rose - - - Meal: B, L, D
Picture 1 - Sunrise on the Yangtze
Picture 2 - Navigating the Wu Gorge
Picture 3 - Victoria Rose
Picture 4 - Expected October 2008 Water Level
Picture 5 - San Pan Captain
If you wish to travel with OAT Click Here.
To receive $50 per person off your first reservation with OAT, mention the following information when reserving your Overseas Adventure Travel Trip: Mr. Victor Garcia Customer #673062
Comments
Another great daily entry. Nice to know what I did. I also thought the suspension bridge in the Lesser Gorge was spectacular.
Post a Comment!As usual, great photos! I read in the Gazette this morning about severe landslides near the Gorges due to all the rain. I recalled how so many of your messages have mentioned rain. Hope all is well!
Featured Journal
Day 13: Azores & Madeira: Portugal's Unspoiled Archipelagos
Day 13 - Saturday, April 22, 2022 - Depart for U.S.
The hotel prepared a box breakfast for us as we had to be in the lobby way before the breakfast room was open.
Last night we found out that our departure flight back to...
