Day 9 - On board the Victoria Jenna
Last night I left you on board the bus that was taking us to the port of Fengdu to join our Yangtze cruise on the Victoria Jenna. It was a two hour bus ride (with a brief stop for the Happy Room aka toilet along the way). As we neared the end of our journey the heavens opened and we were blessed with a torrential storm. Heavy rain and lightning that lit up the sky made for an interesting final half hour. Even more so when we arrived at the port with water flooding the road (think monsoonal rain and you are on the right track).
Staff from our boat were on hand to provide us with rain ponchos and large tarps to cover our bags. As we stepped off the bus … take a leap of faith to cross the flooded gutter … we headed towards the port. Descending over 100 flooded stairs (waterfall) huddled in our cheap plastic coats with our hand luggage held close to our chests, with more staff with torches and umbrellas lining the stairs … shouting “watch the step … watch the step…”.
And after a treacherous walk we finally made it on board … pretty drenched but laughing hysterically, especially when the ship’s photographer was waiting to snap our first photo on board! Removing our coats we were provided a drink and then proceeded to check in and headed off to find our room. We are in an executive suite (we chose to upgrade from the standard which is traditionally offered by Wendy Wu). We have a lovely room on Deck 5 with our own balcony. We get to eat in the executive dining room, have wine (and other drinks) included, and have access to a separate lounge that provides food all day.
We took a quick tour to orient ourselves … before emptying our bags which were fairly wet from the porters having to carry them down the 100+ stairs in the rain. Last night we decided to just settle in to the room so ate a late supper of crackers and peanuts before falling into our beds to sleep.
And so on to today! We woke early … before the alarm we had set. We dressed and headed off to the dining room to partake in our first buffet breakfast for the cruise. And boy … was it wonderful! A wide selection of food on offer meant we had lovely full bellies for our half day excursion to the Fengdu Ghost City. This was an optional extra tour an additional stop to the included excursion to Shuanggui Hill National Forest Park.
Our local guide Tracy took us and 14 of our new friends on the tour. We took a shuttle bus (massive golf style buggies) to the base of the Ghost City where we paid for a one way ticket on the cable car that would take us to the entrance. The ghost city is a large complex of temples, shrines and monasteries dedicated to celebrating the afterlife that combines the beliefs of Confucianism, Buddhism and Taoism. The tour included a wonderful commentary by Tracy outlining the various shrines, the gods involved and the beliefs behind each one. There are no ghosts … just reminders of mortality and the need to strive for happiness, long life and wealth. The complex was beautiful and visits to places like this remind you of the greater beings that exist and that in the end we are all human and flawed.
After our visit to the top of the Ming Mountain Ian and I (along with 4 others) elected to hike down the mountain whilst the rest of the group took the return cable car. When we all met up again Tracy then asked who wanted to continue on to the Forest Park … and again 6 chose to go on whilst the remaining 10 decided to head back to the boat. It had been quite wet and some didn’t want to stay out in the rain whilst others were keen to get back for the free talk about the river by one of the staff. We decided to head on … no offence to the guide providing the talk … but I can read about the Yangtze … I cannot visit the park online!
Catching another shuttle we headed to the complex we stopped for an explanation of the area by Tracy and then entered. The park has beautiful gardens and trees and shrines and memorials dedicated to a master of calligraphy and another large temple dedicated to Confucius. This area was much quieter - I imagine a lot of people went earlier if they didn’t do the additional excursion, or were frightened off by the rain. Ian and I had our rain ponchos on (best buy ever … thank you Mr IKEA) so we didn’t care! It was beautiful to wander through these old buildings , climb the solid stone stairs, marvel at the topiaried and espaliered plants, be amazed at the size of the statue of Confucius.
And then it was time to head back to the boat before it departed for our next port. Once back on board, shook out our rain ponchos, we changed into some dry clothes, before heading off to lunch. Again another spectacular spread. The food was delicious.(I did consider skipping mains to go straight for dessert but managed to control myself). Our server Hilda kept the drinks topped up, cleared plates, and checked our requests for dinner this evening. She is only young but she is fabulous.
And so … the afternoon was ours. First thing to do was some washing! Everyone who travels understands the need to wash. They provide a laundry service here on the boat but man those prices make the eyes water! So Ian filled the bath and we washed and scrubbed the dirt and sweat of the last week away. Our bathroom now looks like a mess with clothes hanging all over the place … but at least we will have clean clothes!
We then sat on our verandah and watched the world go by. It is very grey today (yep … wet and cloudy) so the mountains that line the Yangtze are shrouded in fog and mist. This is both beautiful and a little frustrating at the same time. Beautiful because it looks spectacular but frustrating because you cannot see the banks very clearly. Hopefully tomorrow may be clearer. We had tried to sit out on the observation deck so that we could see both banks of the river (like we had done in Egypt on the Nile) but the fine misty rain left you pretty wet and all of the seats were wet. Again, maybe we’ll be able to do that tomorrow.
At 4pm we headed off to the Captain's Reception in the big lounge where we were introduced to the Captain and the Executive Team on the ship. A few quick speeches and an invitation to enjoy champagne and hors d'ouevres - which we did.
Then we were treated to a 40 minute costume show by some of the staff. Traditional dancing, Chinese costumes through the ages (including some modern streetwear), and costumes of some minority groups. It was all very colourful, well-choreographed, and a varied selection of music (even with something for a young Aussie couple like us). Great fun.
And just before we headed off for tea another cruise boat pulled in alongside us. And as was the case on the Nile cruise, alongside means you can shake hands with the person in the cabin opposite across the 1 metre gap between the ships. So we may close the curtains after dinner!
I’ll need to watch out, Ian could take a liking to this cruising gig! I might have competition for plans in the future!
ReplyDeleteOh wow, that other cruise ship is way to close for my liking. I love all the photo's Jacqui. How long is the cruise part of your trip? an early night might be just what you need. See you tomorrow
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