Saturday, 24 September: Chongqing to the Yangtzie

   This was the day we actually toured Chongqing.  We began by wandering and old (restored) market area near the harbour, called Ciqikou Old Street.  It had stalls for everything and throngs of people.  I tried to buy a cheap fake jade bangle, but none was large enough for my hand.  Lots of people found bargains though.  Next was the very interesting General Stillwell Museum, which honours American airman who supported China in the 1940s against the Japanese.  There was an art gallery attached to that, so more shopping ensued. 

After lunch we drove to the Erling Park.  I should mention that our lunch was in a large restaurant where a wedding banquet was taking place.  [We took lots of pics of the wedding bride etc.  

Their customs are strange.  They have a wedding lunch then play cards and games all afternoon waiting for the wedding dinner.  Not sure if dancing occurs after dinner or not.  It was inside a huge shopping complex with modern, expensive shops, so we got to do some high-end window shopping.  

 

At Erling Park [ on the other side of the river/city ], we enjoyed the views from high above the city,

 

Then we toured Three Gorges Museum.  At the gift shop there I finally found a jade pendant that I liked and could afford.  Then onto 

 

a Tea House where we sampled several teas and were taught how to make and enjoy them.  Luckily there was a gift shop because some of us were feeling a bit of withdrawal [ Ha!!!!!].

The bus then took us to the square in front of the People's Grand Hall, which we admired briefly before bolting to a nearby grocery/department store to stock up for the cruise.  We got bottles of water, crackers, beer and chocolate.  Then to dinner at the New York Hotel - [ they love US stuff here and also putting English on all their signs.  It is considered fashionable according to our guide. ] very posh, but the fancy chopsticks didn't seem as well balanced so we were all a bit klutzy.  Afterward, the walk back to the bus was amazing - the city was all neon - lit and full of people.  There were girls doing fan dancing in a public open area and lots of others doing their thing.

Photos 24 Sep  Chongqing to the Yangtzie

Sunday, 25 September - On the Yangtze River

 [Larry:  So here we are on the Yangtze River, sitting in our room.  There is a definite roll going on but so far I'm OK.  We will see.  It is dark and about 9 min past midnight our time on Sunday and about the same after noon on Sat your time ( but you will catch up ).  I have been delving into the setup here.  It's Wifi, but you have to use their computer.  So this will mean no pictures  for now, and no direct update of the website. I will have to examine that. ]

A quick trip to the harbour, and then we gathered up all our stuff and hauled it down some steep wet concrete stairs ( without hand rails ) to the long gangway across a couple of barges to

the MV Emperor, our cruise ship.   

We were greeted by a loud and enthusiastic percussion band [ and decorated dragon, Chinese style ], then met our cruise guide, Gracie, and found our state rooms.  We quickly discovered our balconies and explored the ship, watching from the sundeck as we pulled out of the harbour and started downstream. 

Nice boat  so we'll be comfortable. [ our room is like a hotel room with bath, closet, desk (where I am now) and a nice private balcony outside hanging over the river.  We seem to be making at least 20 knots as the wind is considerable.] [ let me tell you that running a laptop in MS Windows Chinese version is no piece of cake.]

[Larry:  It is about 5am here Monday morning on the cruise ship Emperor tied up on the Yangtze River somewhere.  Easier sleeping tied up but we had enough alcohol last night to ensure good sleep anyway. ]          

Cruising down-river we can see the shoreline markings where the water will rise to in about 4 years.   

 Whole cities are being moved to higher ground and we can see that in process.  In one place a new bridge is being built to replace one that will not tolerate the higher water.  The river is full of garbage  -  it is interesting to note that shoes must be reliably buoyant because they are the most common identifiable objects  in the water.  It's damp and chilly, so we're all breaking out our warmer clothes.  We just hope it doesn't actuallly rain on any of our excursions.

The visit to the White Emperor City was very interesting, but there was so much racket from several Chinese guides simultaneous use of electronic megaphones that we could hardly hear our guide.  

We'll have to read up on those details later.  For now it's up a long slope from the river, so some of us went up by ski lift and some walked.  Larry and I chose the ski lift since even the steps at the bottom were frightening.  Lots of vendors, as usual.  Once the water rises it will be an island and a new bridge will attach it to the mainland.  We took a very rickety ferry to the landing and then back to the cruise ship  -- an experience in itself.  As soon as we got back we headed for the observation deck on the front of the ship to enjoy the passage through

the first gorge - the Qutang Gorge.  It was raining and very windy, but just amazing.      

[Larry:  it was certainly necessary to tie on your hat and put glasses in pocket to safely see it all but the weather didn't really take much away from the experience ]

 

We warmed up afterwards with a hall party - everyone got out their stocks of booze and goodies and we ate and drank, planning to skip dinner;  

 however, we were informed it was the Captain's formal welcome dinner and we MUST attend.  So attend we did!  The serving ladies were dolled up in traditional princess's outfits and

after dinner we took turns trying on the elaborate head-dress.   

The the hall party resumed until it was time to go to the variety show in the night club, put on by the crew.  

 

What a great show!  We had stage-side seats, so really enjoyed the singing and dancing - and the games!  

 

 

Dennis competed with 2 men from Hong Kong and Korea to see who could lay the most eggs - he was a close second - and Larry captured it on video.   

Then Naomi and M-E played musical chairs against a couple of Asian guys, with the twist of having to get a named object from the audience, and getting back to the stage. They were the last two in it and M-E won with one of my socks. ( don't tell her I'd been wearing them 2 days ).

Photos 25 Sep On the Yangtze River

Monday, 26 September: To Three Gorges Dam on the Yangtze

A very early breakfast to get out by 7:30 for the Lesser Three Gorges excursion. Once again, some challenging walks along piers, across gang-planks and through hordes of vendors. 

The first hour or so was on a good-sized excursion boat with a transparent roof. We spent much of the trip on the forward deck from where we could see the caves, interesting vegetation and a few white goats. The scenery is just amazing and we also saw a "hanging coffin" -- actually in a cave high on the mountain.  Since the water is already up at least 16 meters from original level, many villages have disappeared and some sites are closer to the water.  sharp turns in a "z' shape.  

The last part of the trip was in a smaller sampan because it is narrower and shallower.  Now they can use motors, but before the water started to rise the boats were pulled upstream by naked men. Farmers walk from their farms every day to drive the sampans and also to stage little tableaux along the riverside, singing and so on for the benefit of tourists. Our drivers and guides sang to us, so we sang back -- Land of the Silver  Birch, My Paddle and so on.  As soon as we got back to the cruise ship we headed for the front observation deck for the trip through the Wu Gorge. We now know not to take hats -- those gorges are windy!

We chose to eat in our room and use up some of the food we've been carrying -- actually welcomed a break from Chinese cuisine, lovely though it has been. Our guide, Michelle, phoned to see if we'd like something sent to our room. She takes such great care of us!  In the late afternoon we gathered once again on the forward  observation deck for the Xiling Gorge passage -- again a windy experience.

In the past, this was the most treacherous of the gorges but now, with deeper wider channels it's OK. That brought us to the 

 

 

 

Three Gorges Dam, so we went ashore and visited it. It's really a marvel of engineering! Sadly, the gift shop failed to produce the hats we were commissioned to acquire for Robin & Candy. We'll keep watching. Dinner was very late and followed by picture-taking, a brief entertainment by the crew, and packing for the last leg of our journey.

 Photos 26 Sep Yangtze R  Three Gorges Dam 

Continue To Shanghai and home 27 Sep to 01 Oct

Tuesday 27 September: Finishing the Yangtze at Yichang and on to Shanghai

 [Larry:  Well we made it down the Yangtze, some 700 km, and now we are being called on the ship speaker as we are descending the dam.  The descent will either be by a ship elevator, or a 5 stage lock.  We saw both this evening and I'm not sure which will be used. (...5 min later): I see now we are approaching the 5-stage locks - largest in the world - it drops some 75 meters. I sat on the front deck and watched the whole lock passage, through 4 locks...fascinating - but lost some sleep as it took 3 hours, ending at 3:30am.]    

We eased into the first lock just after midnight. The water level was 135 M above sea level. It's not a quiet performance since several boats use the same lock ( 9 came out of the upbound) and there are announcements, radios and so forth. Larry stayed on the front observation deck all alone until we were well clear of the last lock [ there were 5 locks all together, but the first 2 are combined as the river hasn't risen to its final level], but I slept through most of the 3-hour process. I did go out and get the feel of being at the bottom of the first lock and then a bit later to see the open water again but just from our own balcony.  

When we docked at Yichang we had a great view of the departure ceremony - fiirst "stick soldiers" ( men and wormen ) carried all the bags ashore, then the people went across the gang plank to the accompaniment of the percussion group and a dancing dragon.  

      

Ship's crew were placed all the way to the steps up to the parking lot [ each one bid us farewell ] . Our local guide for Yichang was Gary, who took us first to a vast riverside park where local residents go for their

morning exercise on equipment that is like an adult play ground, and also for gentler enjoyment of lawns, trees and water. 

 

 

 

We listened to musical groups, watched young cadets drilling and children playing.    

Then we visited the museum of artifacts, recovered from the areas that have been, or will be flooded by the Three Gorges Dam Project. Our lunch was voted the best Chinese meal so far. On the way to the airport we stopped at a traditional poor farm.  The story was that the lady lived there with her disabled son, daughter-in-law and two grandchildren, and that she supplemented her meagre income by opening her home to visitors. 

When we got off the bus a man in traditional garb came by leading a cow, then stood around for photos. It was all quite staged, ["queue the cow"] but the house likely is like the old mud-built dwellings that have mostly been replaced. It was definitely in the hovel category, and would not be comfortable to live in [ or camp in ]. We did get to see crops, like rice and sqash up close. 

We flew to Shanghai, arriving in time to check in and shower before going to a beautiful restaurant with mediocre food.

We did sample a local dumpling specialty which was pretty good.

Photos 27 Sep Yichang and on to Shanghai

Wednesday, 28 September: Shanghai

 Our local guide, Daisy, got us rolling by shortly after 8:30, on our way to the Jade Buddha Temple.

First stop, though, was a silk rug factory, where we saw rugs being hand knotted. Many of us bought a variety of things in the store. The prize goes to Jane who bought a room-sized rug shipped home. It's gorgeous! We arrived at the Temple in time to see a family's car being blessed in the courtyard.  Although it was not one of the two worship days this month, there were many worshipers there and very many tourists. The statues of Buddha are wonderful, including two made of jade and many covered in gold leaf. Daisy is Buddhist so she was able to tell us a great deal about what was going on. There were wish ribbons all over the temple and we asked about them.

Larry realized that he had left the camera's memory card at the hotel, so set off on a fruitless search for one which caused a little alarm when he didn't appear on schedule at the bus. [Larry: not entirely fruitless as I covered a km or so immersed in Shanghai shopping streets and saw lots of interesting sights. I was alarmed when I discovered the group had left the rendezvous site, and was confused about where the bus was actually parked. Visions of being "Shanghaied".] He ran up just as we were starting to think he'd really gone missing.

We spent a bit of time walking around the Bund promenade and Larry actually was able to buy a new memory card there.    

  

 

 

There are many impressive modern buildings across the river, and old attractive ones [ built by other countries who controlled sections during the early part of 20th century ] . When we got to the vicinity of the Yu Yuan Garden, Daisy warned us of the danger of pickpockets and also of the maze of streets we were entering, telling us to move like "a bunch of bananas."  

We went through streets of small shops and street vendors to the Garden, which is tranquil and beautiful, with many buildings. Kathy and David dressed in costumes for photos,  

followed by Maria Angelica and Gray and Esme. The dragon walls in the complex are astonishing. When we emerged we spent some time in the market area. Several of us couldn't face more bargaining, so we retired to Starbucks for Frappucinos. We hope the ice was safe! From there we went to a

performance of the famous China Acrobatic Troupe.      It was quite spectacular with everything from contortionists to motorbike acts. The jugglers and straight acrobatic acts were great fun. The 5 motorcyclists inside the steel mesh ball were just plain scary! After dinner we returned to the hotel and had drinks with M-E, Dave, Sal, Pepper, Susan and George.

Photos 28 Sep Shanghai

 

Thursday, 29 September: Shanghai - Suzhou

 The early-morning trip to Suzhou was very interesting. The area around Shanghai reminds me of the Golden triangle, where there are bits of rural and agricultural land but mostly town after town.     

It was about a one hour 40 minute drive, and when we arrived we went first to a beautiful garden: Fish Net Garden.  Like most other formal Chinese gardens we've seen, there are few flowers, but rocks, trees and water are designed to be tranquil and beautiful. Walls are whitewashed so that the shadows play across them like paintings. Windows set into walls frame different views.

After lunch we visited the Silk Factory. Silk making is a fascinating process. Silk thread is wound directly off the cocoon of the silkworms.  

Some proportion of the cocoons are twins, or even triplets in the same cocoon. Because they tangle their threads together, they can't be used for spinning and weaving. The resourceful Chinese instead spread them out, layer by layer, and make duvets from them.  It was fun to watch this process and our group of 31 tourists bought 28 of the duvets! They're supposed to cure arthritis and high blood pressure, plus be very comfortable. Although I searched for about an hour, I didn't find any clothing to buy. Next on the agenda was a boat tour of the canals. Suzhou is called the Venice of the Orient because it is criss-crossed with more than 30 canals.

The houses that back onto them are old, cold, leaky and uncomfortable, but protected as historical sites.  

Their garbage and waste is dumped into the canal, but they also wash and bathe in it. Several people bought sunhats on the boats so we got photos afterward.

We had to rush to the Silk embroidery Institute, since the embroiderers go home when the natural light fades. Their work is astonishingly fine and detailed, including things like 2-sided embroidery with different pictures on each side of a piece of silk so thin it's transparent.

The guys were "toured out" so while we went through the Institute (and shopped, of course) while they sat in a lovely little garden drinking beer.  

 When we emerged to join them they were gathered around a wall shouting encouragement to an army of ants who were hauling a half peanut up a wall. They had bets on what time the peanut would disappear into the hole that was about two feet up the wall.

After that we were all glad to arrive at dinner. It was our last formal meal together on the trip, and we were also celebrating Sally Jo's birthday.   

So we had speeches and presentations to Michelle and Kathy,  

 wine as a gift from our local guide John, and birthday cake! Michelle talked about going to church with us and understanding us better from our "Go now in peace" song. We ended the evening singing it again, holding hands in a big circle. Of course there were tears.    

   Photos 29 Sep  Shanghai

Friday, 30 September: Shanghai

  ...and we thought we'd seen shopping before!! This was certainly the big day for it. The bus delivered us first to the knock-off market area for an hour of frenzied bargaining. Michelle had warned us carefully of the dangers and the necessity of really bargaining. Even so, we likely paid too much for some things. [ not me, I was ruthless. - 12 recent movie dvds for Cdn $30 plus some other good deals ] We were a bit wary of the surroundings and the vendors, but it was a real adventure. 

From there we went back to the Yu Yuan Garden old market area, where we felt a bit more relaxed, [ we had previously thought THIS market very frenzied ] but still bought with a passion.  We also risked the ice in Starbucks Frappucinos again.

Next stop was the Shanghai Museum, which is just wonderful, and has - guess what? - a gift shop.  

Back at the hotel, we did a run to the import grocery store for goodies then had another hall party to say goodbye and use up some food and drink. Everyone else had dinner in the hotel-restaurant, but we stayed in our room for cup-a-soup, and to work on getting the news on the new baby Woods. Sure enough there were messages that she had been born, so we phoned Lorrie for the details [ little girl, 7lb 4oz ]. Then we joined the others and spread the news to the many others who knew the Cansfields.

Finally we ended the evening with a visit to the 34th floor lounge where we had a wonderful outdoor view of the city. Great way to wind down a truly marvellous vacation.

Photos 30 Sep Shanghai

Saturday, 01 October: Shanghai to Home

 Departure day - it's hard to believe our 2 weeks in China are at an end.  The last morning is leisurely as we don't need to have luggage outside our doors until 11:30.  Larry spent much of the morning finishing uploading this blog, while I lolled about, reading.  Then check-out and the trip to the airport, with Daisy filling more details about Chinese sex taboos and fetishes.  We spent a long time in line waiting to check in for our flight, then to get through the various exit processes.  Even so, we had about 2 hours to wait once we reached the departure lounge.  Everyone had snacks and we bought some beer, so it was like another party. Oh - and did I mention those last few yuan burning holes in our pockets?  There was certainly some shopping going on. 

We take off about 4:30 pm for a flight to Vancouver, and then a plane switch to Toronto. It will be a grueling 16 or 17 hours in the air.

Looking forward to home in Burlington and a look at the new little Woodsie. 

...later in Toronto:  We had a pretty good flight home but got detached from our group in Vancouver.  At the Vancouver-Toronto check-in we saw many of our group moving by us, and at the same time were being told that we had missed our flight  which was book for 2 pm.  We were put standby on the next flight, at 2:25, and had to rush like gazelles to get to the gate in time.  We made it but no one from our group was on the aircraft.

In Toronto no one from our group was around Vancouver flights' baggage carousels either.  One of our bags arrived but 2 others were missing.  Delivery was promised so we headed out. 

Arriving home, we found that Sarah had gone to Pearson to meet us.  Fortunately she linked up with Dave and M-E and was able to drop them with Sal and Pepper.  Much story telling, beer, and off to bed.  What a trip!

A Few Photos 1 Oct