China trip report-Part 5
Jul 12th, 2008, 12:53 PM
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China trip report-Part 5
The next day, March 19th, was sunny and we were up at 6:15 doing Tai Chi on the main deck! At 7 we went through the Gorges--Qutang, Wu, and Xiling. At some point within these gorges we docked and transferred to a ferry-type boat to go down the Daning River, a tributary of the Yangtze. This River was more narrow, the mts higher, and the sun was bright! Again, we docked and transferred to motorized sanpans. We continued down river, passing the hanging coffins from the Ba Tribe, mountain monkeys, a Buddist temple high up on the mt. with lots of steps to reach it from the water's edge. We passed locals who were waiting for the water "taxi" to pick them up...they had WALKED over the mountain on small stone steps and a trail, all made by hand, from a small village in order to catch this 'taxi'. The area was simply gorgeous! Never did I expect China to be this beautiful.
We learned that there are few birds in China because Mao had them killed, holding village competitions. This was part of his cleanliness program. Trees are sparse due to the fact that he had them cut down for firewood for burning/melting down iron that the poor brought to each center. Even their woks were melted down. Sad era.
In the evening, we have been sailing all afternoon, we entered the locks leading to the newest and largest dam in the world.
In the morning, after our Tai Chi lesson, (I never improved!) we left the boat and board a bus to take us to the dam. There are 28,000 men and women working around the clock on this project. Much of the work is done manually. A funny incident--all tourists had to go through strict security prior to entering the site, but the bus, driver, and belongings never had security checks! The project is massive!
It is sad to think that so many thousands of farmers are being relocated for this project. We were told that some farmers who have lived on the banks of the River for generations have actually moved their fertile soil up the mountain,BY HAND, using wheelbarrows. I had thought the Yangtze was a dirty river, with dead bodies floating in it, etc., but this 3-day tour through the Gorges was nothing like that. The water was clear, the air fresh, and the beauty was endless with the high mountains.
Upon docking at our final destination by boat, we (the Odysseys Tour group)boarded a bus and off we drove to the city of Wuhan, 5 hours away. At least 2 of those hours we passed nothing but farmhouses, water buffalo, rice paddieds,and acres and acres of canola fields. These fields stretched as far as the eye could see -- for 2 hours!! The farmers' homes along the highways were dreadful..cement squares without doors or windows, debris everywhere. Nothing like the fancy cities of Beijing or Xian. But, we saw poor men and women sweeping the 2 lane highways with a branch broom, all the while trucks, buses and cars were wizzing by. The homes were clustered together, sometimes with no road, just a dirt path leading to a narrow hard dirt road. We arrived in the modern city of Wuhan around 5 pm and went to our hotel, The Shangri La Hotel.
The next a.m. we visited the historic museum and a highlight was a concert on reproduction bells made of brnze and chimes of limestone and marble!! The performers were dressed in period costumes.Later in the same museum, we saw the original bells/chimes which are thousands of yrs old. School kids were on a class trip and many kept coming up to our group, very politely asking us, "Happy to meet you, where are you from?" They were excited when we took their pictures! Later that afternoon we caught our flight to Shanghai. What a lovely hotel (the Hilton Shanghai) but what a crowded city. There are 4,000 skyscraper-type condos in this city! The highways have 4 or 5 levels and one exit ramp we used had 2 complete 360 degree spirals. Very modern!
The next day we were all up and out for a treat...Saturday at the Children's Palace, a school, for the arts. Ages ranged from 4 yrs to teenage. We toured the many classrooms and watched the kids learning ballet, music, violin, calligraphy, piano, painting, etc. Of course, we all wondered whether just the elite were allowed to attend these "enrichment-type" clases. Afterwards we visited the Shanghai Museum, and then drove the the famous Yu Yuan Gardens in the true "Chinatown". The place was mobbed and it was raining. The gardens were beautiful, but we were wet and tired at this point and much of the beauty was lost.
In the evening we attended a touristy attraction, but worth going! Our seats were outstanding (once again, Odyssey tour came through!). The Chinese Acrobats was a non-stop show!
On Sunday we were bused to a gov't controlled silk factory. Upon learning how the silk thread comes from the cocoon of the worm, their showroom was "opened" and we could "shop"!
Our tour officially ended the next morning, but we left and flew to Hong Kong for an extra 3 days. The tour company booked us in a fabulous hotel on Hong Kong Bay, the Grand Stanford. We enjoyed the strobe lightshow overlooking Hong Kong Island each evening, walking through the famous Bird Garden and Flower Market and Ladies Market (clothing, etc). People in China "walk" their birds, carrying them in fancy birdcages and hanging them on tree branches in parks, while visiting their friends. Birds visit/people visit!!
Hong Kong was crowded and we were getting tired, so we probably didn't see all that was to see in the city.
Our long flight home...from Hong Kong to Shanghai, to Los Angeles, to the east coast was not as bad as expected. We did sleep for days upon arriving home though! All in all, the trip was a trip of a lifetime, one I never thought I'd ever take, and honestly, one I never thought I would want to take. But, China is a beautiful country, the people were just friendly and gentle, the tour company outstanding, and the long flights worth it! I hope you have experienced a taste of our trip through this long report!
We learned that there are few birds in China because Mao had them killed, holding village competitions. This was part of his cleanliness program. Trees are sparse due to the fact that he had them cut down for firewood for burning/melting down iron that the poor brought to each center. Even their woks were melted down. Sad era.
In the evening, we have been sailing all afternoon, we entered the locks leading to the newest and largest dam in the world.
In the morning, after our Tai Chi lesson, (I never improved!) we left the boat and board a bus to take us to the dam. There are 28,000 men and women working around the clock on this project. Much of the work is done manually. A funny incident--all tourists had to go through strict security prior to entering the site, but the bus, driver, and belongings never had security checks! The project is massive!
It is sad to think that so many thousands of farmers are being relocated for this project. We were told that some farmers who have lived on the banks of the River for generations have actually moved their fertile soil up the mountain,BY HAND, using wheelbarrows. I had thought the Yangtze was a dirty river, with dead bodies floating in it, etc., but this 3-day tour through the Gorges was nothing like that. The water was clear, the air fresh, and the beauty was endless with the high mountains.
Upon docking at our final destination by boat, we (the Odysseys Tour group)boarded a bus and off we drove to the city of Wuhan, 5 hours away. At least 2 of those hours we passed nothing but farmhouses, water buffalo, rice paddieds,and acres and acres of canola fields. These fields stretched as far as the eye could see -- for 2 hours!! The farmers' homes along the highways were dreadful..cement squares without doors or windows, debris everywhere. Nothing like the fancy cities of Beijing or Xian. But, we saw poor men and women sweeping the 2 lane highways with a branch broom, all the while trucks, buses and cars were wizzing by. The homes were clustered together, sometimes with no road, just a dirt path leading to a narrow hard dirt road. We arrived in the modern city of Wuhan around 5 pm and went to our hotel, The Shangri La Hotel.
The next a.m. we visited the historic museum and a highlight was a concert on reproduction bells made of brnze and chimes of limestone and marble!! The performers were dressed in period costumes.Later in the same museum, we saw the original bells/chimes which are thousands of yrs old. School kids were on a class trip and many kept coming up to our group, very politely asking us, "Happy to meet you, where are you from?" They were excited when we took their pictures! Later that afternoon we caught our flight to Shanghai. What a lovely hotel (the Hilton Shanghai) but what a crowded city. There are 4,000 skyscraper-type condos in this city! The highways have 4 or 5 levels and one exit ramp we used had 2 complete 360 degree spirals. Very modern!
The next day we were all up and out for a treat...Saturday at the Children's Palace, a school, for the arts. Ages ranged from 4 yrs to teenage. We toured the many classrooms and watched the kids learning ballet, music, violin, calligraphy, piano, painting, etc. Of course, we all wondered whether just the elite were allowed to attend these "enrichment-type" clases. Afterwards we visited the Shanghai Museum, and then drove the the famous Yu Yuan Gardens in the true "Chinatown". The place was mobbed and it was raining. The gardens were beautiful, but we were wet and tired at this point and much of the beauty was lost.
In the evening we attended a touristy attraction, but worth going! Our seats were outstanding (once again, Odyssey tour came through!). The Chinese Acrobats was a non-stop show!
On Sunday we were bused to a gov't controlled silk factory. Upon learning how the silk thread comes from the cocoon of the worm, their showroom was "opened" and we could "shop"!
Our tour officially ended the next morning, but we left and flew to Hong Kong for an extra 3 days. The tour company booked us in a fabulous hotel on Hong Kong Bay, the Grand Stanford. We enjoyed the strobe lightshow overlooking Hong Kong Island each evening, walking through the famous Bird Garden and Flower Market and Ladies Market (clothing, etc). People in China "walk" their birds, carrying them in fancy birdcages and hanging them on tree branches in parks, while visiting their friends. Birds visit/people visit!!
Hong Kong was crowded and we were getting tired, so we probably didn't see all that was to see in the city.
Our long flight home...from Hong Kong to Shanghai, to Los Angeles, to the east coast was not as bad as expected. We did sleep for days upon arriving home though! All in all, the trip was a trip of a lifetime, one I never thought I'd ever take, and honestly, one I never thought I would want to take. But, China is a beautiful country, the people were just friendly and gentle, the tour company outstanding, and the long flights worth it! I hope you have experienced a taste of our trip through this long report!
Jul 13th, 2008, 01:17 PM
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Thanks for your interesting report. I am going to China in November for 2.5 weeks and was not sure whether to include a Yangtze River cruise as it gets very mixed reviews on this site. I finally decided to include it, and after reading your report I am glad I did, (lthough I won't know for sure until Nov. I am glad you enjoyed the cruise and the scenery on it.
