A China Journal / Part III / Jingzhou to Fengdu

10/28 - Wednesday - Viking Elementary School at Jingzhou

Up at 0550, and to the observation lounge for coffee and pastries. We were already moored outboard of a floating restaurant in Jingzhou, a small city in Hubei province, the location of the VRC school we will visit. Had breakfast at 0700, and managed to nip up to the sun deck and swipe some wi-fi for a little e-mail update and IM with son.
Left the boat at 0845, crossing the restaurant and climbing about 50 steps to the bus. About 1/2 hour to the Viking school, through traffic not too bad as yet, into an outlying district. Arrived at the school to a thunderous reception from the student drum and bugle corps. Children were joyful and excited to see us (and to be out of class, no doubt), and we went to the athletic field where they had a stage performance for us, featuring a number of dances. We then went to our group's classroom, where the students recited poetry and sang. We then did some old ditties we had briefly rehearsed on the bus - "Row, row, row your boat," "Old MacDonald," "Hokey-Pokey," and "You Are My Sunshine." We had a great time, and the kids thought it was wonderful. We then boarded the bus for the trip back to the VCS, stopping on the way to take pix of water buffalo (shui3niu2). Traffic was much heavier going back to the boat, such that we arrived at the last minute at 1130. This was particularly important today, as we have a lock appointment for the first of the Yangtze locks.
Lunch at 1200; afternoon activities will include a talk on the Three Gorges Dam by Larry, another Chinese lesson by river guide Justin, and a Mah Jong lesson by Francis at 1700.
Lecture on Three Gorges Dam at 1400. Don't know how much we'll learn that we don't already know (a dam is a dam....etc.). More interested in being out on deck at the passage of the locks for some pix.
Three Gorges Dam presentation was good. Went to Sun Deck at 1700 for Mah Jong lesson. Got a slow start, but everyone got into it and learned the ropes; one couple (not us!) won consistently. Went to briefing on tomorrow's passage of the dam, and then back up to the sun deck for more Mah Jong, until dinner.
Had our second (and presumably last) Chinese dinner at 1900. Good, but not as good as the first one.
Up to cabin at 2030......discussing whether or not to stay up until 2200 for a lock passage......
Stayed up until we entered the lock and moored to a tower. Went to bed around 2200.

10/29 - Thursday / Three Gorges Dam Day

Up at 0600; didn't sleep much from 0400. Went up to observation lounge for coffee and pastries. Saw what was apparently sister ship, former VC Sky, moored alongside. We discussed next day's options, which will be either a visit to a "Reclamation Town," one of the new towns built to accommodate those displaced by the dam, or else a tour of Snow Jade Cave. Neither of us has any special interest in visiting a new town, and the cave has 900 steps. This seems a poor choice, especially since the boat cruise will be winding down and we will be facing the more arduous land portion ending our tour.
Breakfast at 0700. It is about this portion of any tour that one's companions become......trying. Thankfully the breakfast is worth enduring that particular annoyance.
Left for Three Gorges Dam tour at 0900. Very good (roomy) bus this time, a Daewoo. The tour guide, Lily II, was also very good, with excellent English. We went through a security screening that resembled an airport, but I think was quite a bit more cursory than that. Some of the regulations were a parody of TSA regulations..no pocketknives, no nail clippers. Armies of American tourists attacking the Three Gorges Dam with nail clippers.....yep, that'll do it.
View from the 185 meter level (water is at 171 m, 4 m below Winter max of 175) was spectacular, despite the partial fog. We are told that this will be a permanent condition here in Spring and Fall, due to the mass of water in the new reservoir. We then drove up to a higher observation area. There was a model room, too full of people and too acoustically live, with a guide screaming into a microphone. We took pix & left in a hurry. Walked around, looking at the various views from the park, but did NOT climb to the observation tower. Lots of steps, not large enough, too many people....which is turning out to be a recurring theme in China. Reassembled at bus at 1040 and drove back to VCS. Attempted to swipe wireless from sun deck, but no networks whatever. Lunch at 1200.
Some wait departing from our mooring, but captain is awaiting word from the dam as to when to proceed to the locks. We moved into our lock just about on schedule, despite the constant complaining of one gentleman that they obviously didn't know how to operate ship locks (at least from his perspective). In an accent strictly New York Lower East Side (where everyone knows how to operate ship locks), he stated that waiting for the lock gates to open was like waiting for paint to dry; from my perspective, just like waiting for him to shut up!
Took some pix of the first of the 5 locks, then figured that the other 4 would be about the same. Went to sun deck and kibitzed for a bit at the Mah Jong game among Mary, Beverly, Polly, and Carol, I then went to the observation lounge to the Larry Lecture on the Chinese dynasties- good coverage from the Spring/Autumn - Warring States period to 1912. Very good presentation, which we have come to expect from Larry. After presentation, Mary & I returned to our cabin for some beer, then reading before dinner.
Dinner at 1900, I had the veal loin, which was very good, but the appetizer tonight was probably my favorite of the whole cruise so far- a skewer of chicken, pineapple, pepper, onion, with a great garnish of cilantro. The asparagus soup was quite good as well. We passed the final lock and emerged into the reservoir (Xiling Gorge) while still at dinner.
Tonight's entertainment was Elvis Night, so of course we went to our cabin, read, and went to bed. Some things do not acquire greater charm because they're done 7,000 miles from their cultural milieu.

10/30 - Friday - Three Lesser Gorges Excursion

Up at 0545, then up to the observation lounge for coffee and pastries. This morning was a little different, because we are cruising the Xiling / Wu gorges, and there was narration. Went outside and took some pix with Beverly, Polly, John & Carol. Absolutely unique scenery.....what is below is flooded, but whatever people lived there before lived in a virtually vertical world.
Went down to breakfast about 0800, ate with Polly and some people from Scotland. I had some noodles with breakfast this morning, and if the fried chiles presented as a condiment didn't wake you up, no amount of coffee would. We are now awaiting docking for our transfer to a smaller craft and the tour of one of the lesser gorges.
Transferred to a smaller boat, about half the passengers of the VCS in each of two boats, then up into the Three lesser gorges, which are serial. Most spectacular scenery of the trip so far, took over 100 photos. Two large highway bridges being built at the outset, and cell phone towers linking deep into the gorges, as far as we went, at least. Despite the steep terrain, plantings are everywhere: sweet potatoes, tobacco, wheat, sesame, etc. Much trapping of fish on the river. Saw rhesus monkeys and hanging coffins, as well as fanciful rock formations and caves. Whole tour was about 3.5 hours, back to VCS around 1230, lunch at 1300, underway during lunch.
Proceeded down the main reservoir / gorges all afternoon, with Justin giving description of scenery at the main scenic junction "Huge Three Pools." Attended a third of Larry's fifth lecture on China Today, then left. Not his fault. Given this more politically charged topic, he became extremely circumlocutory, indicating he was using "prepared" notes, ones I suspect not from him. Also, there were two annoying persons who promptly set up behind me and started playing cribbage. So it was either pitch them into the river, or leave. I left.
I returned to the cabin and took a shower, then opened some beers. I can drink the best Chinese brew (that I have had), Tsingtao, without complaint. They have done an excellent job of aping the straw-colored, fizzy, slightly astringent lager that the United States produces so abundantly. In fact, I'd say it's as good as any I've had, but that's an low index to be using.
Alexey is going to be presenting the DVD of the cruise at 1810, but I'm not much interested- I've been on it. Dinner will be at 1900, and then some sort of "International Music" entertainment. I suspect it'll be reading and bed after dinner, though, which is just fine with me. I want some easy cruising and relaxation before we have to hit the road for Xi'an and Beijing in two days. The end of this tour will be very, very full.

Saturday 10/31 - Shibaozhai

Up at 0555, to the observation lounge for coffee and pastries. When it became light, it was obvious that it was raining. By breakfast at 0700, the rain was pretty steady. We decided to go on our tour, which consisted of a 20 minute walk through the town....mostly past vendors who had erected awnings out over the street, and shopkeepers who had done the same thing, peddling the usual bric-a-brac. Everything from "antique" mah jong sets to kitsch such as Red Guard caps. After walking to the embarkation point to the boat to the pagoda, we decided to give that part a miss, and walked back to the boat with Polly. We were pretty good & wet at the extremities by the time we returned, although the "one size fits all" (all Chinese, anyway) raincoats passed out by the VCS worked pretty well on the head and core of the body.
We immediately changed clothes and began a drying-out regimen, the small hair dryer in the room coming in particularly handy when used on my orthotics and shoes. Had some of the room tea, didn't particularly care for the taste. Scanned for some free computer networks in Shibao, none to be found.
Departed Shibao about noon for Fengdu, which we reached around 1700. In between did some reading, conversing, photography. At 1530 was a dumpling demo by the boat's sous chef. They were good, and don't look that complicated. I will make these after we return home. Didn't stay for the napkin folding demo, which I later regretted, when I learned it was performed by the charming Smile, one of our waitresses in the dining room.
Had some beers; dinner will be at 1900, as usual.

Sunday 11/1 - Fengdu

Up at 0555, to the observation lounge for coffee and pastries, watched the lights go out and the day emerge in Fengdu. Breakfast at 0700. As neither tour appeals to us today, we're going to stay on the boat, maybe venture ashore for some photos, and pack in preparation for disembarkation tomorrow.
Went back to room after breakfast, gathered reading matter & laptop, and up to sun deck to read, catch up journal, and reflect on our experiences.
Went off the boat on our own into Fengdu before 1000, walked around the city center for a little over an hour, and returned to the ship. Got stared at a lot, but the people were perfectly friendly. Interesting walk.
Tours returned a little after 1100, went to lunch at 1200, and underway soon after for Qongjing. Actually managed to crank out a few e-mails on the boat's computers, an unusual feat.
Went up to the disembarkation briefing at 1330. Briefing was at 1400....would have been straightforward except for the sorts of people who never get the word (i.e., they don't listen...as an ex-teacher, there's one in every class) and can never get their ducks in a row. Francis then took us aside for a group briefing. Pretty simple- we're outta here by 0800, to the Chongquing Zoo for the pandarama, then the plane. We'll take off at 1055, so we should be in Xi'an by 1100. Lunch there, then go check in to hotel. Dinner & Tang dynasty show at unspecified time.
We're pretty much packed...all we have to do is take care of the tips & a few odds and ends tonight, then have our bags outside our door before 0600.
I suspect there'll be little else but dinner & bed this evening.

....back to Part I

....back to Part II

....to Part IV