Trav_Eller

I am planning a month-long trip to China commencing the third week of March 2012.

Part of the trip may involve cruising on the Yangtze from Chongqing to Yichang, or possibly further to Shanghai, and on the Li River from Guilin to Yangshuo. I may also go by boat along the Grand Canal between Hangzhou and Suzhou.

I am concerned at the reports I am reading about the drought in Southern China. Can anyone offer advice on the likely river levels next March; particularly concerning the Li and Yangtze Rivers?

I would also appreciate feedback from anyone who has been on one of those river or canal sections and whether they felt the experience was worth the cost in time and money.

Cheers, Alan, Australia.
--
Born Under a Wandering Star http://loraltravel.blogspot.com

tower

Alan..many years ago (1984), I had the good fortune to draw a Grand Canal trip offered by Pacific delight (had to get in by organized tour in those days). It was a slice of China that not many westerners had a chance to experience, but Pacifc Delight pulled a mess of strings and it was included. You will get a good glimpse of the daily life of the 1000's of Chinese who live their entire lives and die on those withered craft...fascinating indeed. That was in October, and the Li was lower level than usual, but some master maneuvering got us around the many shallows. The Guilin to Yangshuo stretch is magnificent. Just did it again in '09 when we did it all on our own (BJ, Xian, Shanghai,Guilin/Yangshuo/terraced rice fields). Both The Grand Canal and The Li sail were well worth it...aside from these cities, in '84 we did Hangshou, Suzhou
Wuxi, Nanjing, and Kunming/the terminus of the famed Burma Road (Yunnan)and the Stone Forest. I have many pics I would be happy to share if you're interested. I have scanned 1984 pics, and digital 2009 pics.
Best wishes,

Stu Tower

Trav_Eller

Thanks for your response.

Which sections of the Grand Canal were you on?

Which is better for the Li, the official larger boats or the small PVC-pipe rafts?

tower

Suzhou to Wuxi...train from there to Nanjing.

We took the official boats in both '84 and '09...in '84 there were no putt-putts...saw hundreds of them in '09. People complained about getting soaked and being very uncomfortable.

Here are Guilin, Li River, Yangshuo and Terraced rice fields..
http://picasaweb.google.com/stuartto...erAndVicinity#
stu

tower

Alan:
Here are the '84's....just click on pics and click on magnifying glass icon to enlarge.
http://picasaweb.google.com/stuartto...4AndJapan1946#

The Japan pics are from my army duty 1946-48 in Japan (Beppu, Kyushu)..I'll send them separately..I returned to my former base (no longer there) in 2007....amazing experience. As the only GI who ever returned, I was treated by the mayor's office as a celebrity and had a Japanese Defense Force escort...a Colonel and a Lieutenant...and me a little PFC!

Stu

tower

...and the 46-48's...seems like a century ago. By the way, our "neighbors" were an Australian infantry battalion and we shared King James scotch with them occasionally! They were fun guys!

http://picasaweb.google.com/stuartto...35326311956642

Trav_Eller

Thanks for the excellent pictures to whet my appetite for the trip, Stu.

At 64 I thought I might be one of the oldest people posting on Fodors, but I was born while you were serving in Japan. I hope I'm still fit to post here when I reach your level of venerability, mate.

Cheers, Alan, Australia.
--
Born Under a Wandering Star http://loraltravel.blogspot.com

tower

Alan...do try to take in a trip to the rice fields while in Guilin or Yangshuo.

At 64, you're in the middle...there are many 70's and a few 80+ on this forum...some very seasoned travelers.

stu