Day 10 ... The Three Gorges

I woke early this morning to the rhythmic swaying of the boat as we sailed towards Yong'anzhen, our next port of call. The gentle throb of the engine, along with the sound of the water beneath the boat were very melodic. However, I'm not going to lie in bed whilst the river is passing me by and the sun is up ... so I got up too!

Rugging up against the morning chill I sat out on the balcony of our suite (every cabin on this boat has a balcony ... regardless of what level it is on or what category it is) and just took in the beauty of this part of China.

Mountains that are so high ... right beside the river shrouded in low lying fog. The bank of the river is not so much as a bank but more sheer rock faces in some sections. Despite the mountainous terrain... there are houses dotted throughout. Sections of the mountains have been terraced by the locals to provide areas to harvest crops ... not for commercial purposes but more for personal use.

High on the mountain tops runs the standard electricity pylons ... goodness knows how they got them up there! Heavily loaded barges travel along beside us ... probably the most efficient way to transport goods to the many towns and cities that line the Yangtze. 

Small tributaries fork away from the main river providing small inlets around which houses cluster. Small (well they look small from the boat) horizontally striped beacons line the edge of the river ... black on the left and red on the right  (port and starboard if we want to use boat terms) providing guidance for the boats navigating the river.

It is worth noting that I am currently writing all of this whilst sitting on the balcony of our boat in the middle of the Yangtze River in the middle of China ... and yet I have phone coverage!

With the alarm going off and Ian appearing at the door of the balcony it was time to get ready for the day. We headed off to breakfast (good morning Hilda) and then headed to the observation deck to watch the boat dock.

Then it was time to get ready for our morning excursion. We had elected to do the Peak of the Three Gorges tour. This involved a 45 minute bus ride through the winding mountains to reach the highest peak. We then transferred to a shuttle bus to take us to the beginning of our walk.

This walk, lead by our guide Mia, walked along a beautiful path, stopping at countless (ok ... of course you could have counted them) viewing spots. This allowed you to see down into the Qutang Gorge. At times it was shrouded in low lying cloud and at the times it was clear. You could stand there and see the cloud descend and then lift again.

At the very end of the path there was a large viewing platform and a marker to say that we were at 1388 m above sea level. There was also a lower glass floored viewing platform that we walked on to look down into the gorge (yes ... even Ian).

We then walked along a wooden path surrounded by forest that reminded us both of Dongbak Island in Busan (South Korea). There were pagodas, gardens and even a statue of a notable musician. The walk ended with a suspension bridge flanked by 2 large golden gates.

Back at the beginning we boarded the shuttle bus that took us back down to the main car park where we boarded our bus that would take us back to our boat. Mia gave us a final presentation about things that we had seen as we travelled.

Back to the boat ... and a quick change of clothes as the weather had warmed up and the sun was now shining. We headed to lunch, ate some delicious food before heading to find the best viewing spot for our sail through the gorges. In the end we opted to go to the back of the boat ... on Deck 6. This sits just behind the dining room and Ian went and got our balcony seats so that we could sit and watch the world go by. The observation deck at the front of the boat was crowded with all of the other passengers  ... all had already grabbed chairs and it was also where passengers could smoke. So our back deck area was perfect. A few others joined us ... but no one else brought chairs!

And so we watched Qutang Gorge whilst River Guide Amy explained what we were seeing. Sheer cliffs, walking paths suspended off the side of the cliffs, reinforcement work to prevent rock falls, small villages and a new bridge being constructed in the background. The gorge was beautiful!

(Ian here) There is a bit of a gap between the first and second gorges so we chilled on our balcony for an hour with drinks and snacks from the lounge. Then up on deck again as River Guide Steven narrated us through Wu Gorge with some informative and amusing commentary. At 46km, with snaking turns, Wu Gorge is probably more picturesque than Qutang. Steep, forested and rocky cliffs. Houses, orchards, crops and goats. Pagodas, temples and patriotic inscriptions carved or painted into the rock walls.

About 20km into gorgeous Wu Gorge the ship pulled into some pontoons to let us all off for our included afternoon excursion - a boat ride up the Goddess Stream. The boats only carried 28 people so that was about 10-12 for all the passengers. The Stream is quite narrow, maybe 50-70m wide, with forest and rock walls reaching 50-100m vertically on either side. Our Guide Olivia told us about the consequences of damming the river and relocating now-buried towns, about the Daughter Tree, the coffins in the caves, and the once tiny brook (1-2m) that now (as the 80m deep Goddess Stream) is a productive tourist as attraction. And she led the group in singing some local love songs, much to the bewilderment of people on the other boats. The best bit was being close to the water and all of the natural elements.

Back on the ship we continue downstream through the Wu Gorge, and at some point tonight will pass through the Xiling Gorge. We have been briefed on disembarkation arrangements tomorrow morning, complicated by the fact that we want to do another optional tour. There was some confusion when we explained that we would rather do the tour than have lunch, so if something had to go to make the time work it would be lunch. Fingers crossed it all works out.

But now it's time to turn the page on another memorable day, in an iconic landscape. Off to tea, shower, time to pack, and a little chill team. Another early start awaits us.