Asian Adventure: Cathay Pacific B777-300ER Business Class San Francisco to Hong Kong
Asian Adventure: Cathay Pacific Lounge Review: The Cabin at HKG
Asian Adventure: Cathay Dragon A330-300 Business Class Hong Kong to Beijing
Asian Adventure: Regent Beijing Hotel
Asian Adventure: Beijing - Dongcheng District
Asian Adventure: Beijing - The Great Wall
Asian Adventure: Beijing - Run-ze Jade Garden
Asian Adventure: Beijing - The Sacred Way of the Ming Tombs
Asian Adventure: Beijing - The Legend of Kung Fu
Asian Adventure: Beijing - Tiananmen Square
Asian Adventure: Beijing - The Forbidden City
Asian Adventure: Beijing - Hutong Tour via Rickshaw, Tea Tasting, Flying to Xi’an
Asian Adventure: Hotel Shangri-La Xi’an
Asian Adventure: Xi’an - Qing Dynasty Terra Cotta Warriors
Asian Adventure: Xi’an - Tang Dynasty Dinner and Show
Asian Adventure: Xi’an Wrap-Up, Flying to Lhasa, Lhasa Home Visit
Asian Adventure: Shangri-La Hotel Lhasa
Asian Adventure: Lhasa - Jokhang Temple and Barkhor Market
Asian Adventure: Lhasa - Canggu Nunnery and Sera Monastery
Asian Adventure: Lhasa - Potala Palace
Asian Adventure: Leaving Lhasa and Flying to Chongqing
Asian Adventure: Viking Emerald
Asian Adventure: Shibaozhai Temple
Asian Adventure: Cruising the Three Gorges
Asian Adventure: Three Gorges Dam
Asian Adventure: Jingzhou City Walls Tour
Asian Adventure: Wuhan - Hubei Bells Performance and Provincial Museum
Asian Adventure: Shanghai - Shanghai Museum
Asian Adventure: Fairmont Peace Hotel, Shanghai
Asian Adventure: Shanghai - Old Shanghai and Yuyan Gardens
Asian Adventure: The New Otani Tokyo Hotel
Asian Adventure: Tokyo - City Tour
Asian Adventure: Mt. Fuji and Hakone Tour Returning by Shinkansen
Asian Adventure: ANA Suites Lounge Review, Tokyo Narita
Asian Adventure: All Nippon Airways B777-300ER First Class Tokyo Narita to Houston
After we wrapped up the tour of Shibaozhai, we returned to the boat for lunch and then we had a relaxing afternoon aboard. This was another reason we wanted to do the tour in the Beijing to Shanghai direction: the first week was at a go-go-go pace while the second week was more relaxing.
The next day we entered the Qutang Gorge, the first of the Three Gorges. It's the shortest and most narrow of the three. Some literature suggests it's also the most spectacular.
After lunch we boarded these smaller boats, called sampans, and with a guide ventured out into the waterways running off the Yangtze. Though it wasn't exactly noisy on the Yangtze itself, there were various barges and other commercial boats. Here on the "side streets" it was quiet and we were able to get closer to the scenery.
 |
| Sampan Boats |
 |
| Our local guide, Yonghui |
You may notice that the hills don't taper down to the waterline but are either sheer cliff or the tree line continues all the way down. That's when you remember that what is now the water's edge was once a good way up the hillside before the dam project came along and flooded this area.
The river was also much narrower in the pre-dam era but once the dam was completed in 2008 the water level rose 110m above where it had been.
Entire towns and villages were relocated during the dam's construction but there were some people who did not want to leave. Now their homes and small farms can be accessed either by boat or they had to build a road from the other side of the mountain to their homes.
 |
| A small farm on the side of the hill |
This small shrine now has its own dock for those who want to visit.
The scenery was pretty though it was just a little too cool and misty to sit out on deck and enjoy the views for long periods of time.
 |
| Off we go to the next gorge |
No comments:
Post a Comment