After spending last night with Alex, George and their host families at the Yangtze River bank, playing with sprinklers and floating lanterns, the next morning we said farewell to our host families. We were on our way towards Yi Chang for the Yangtze River cruise.
But before the cruise, we spent some time in Happy Valley (快樂谷). The restaurant where we had our lunch at was attached, quite literally, to the side of the valley, slightly hanging over the river. After lunch, we went on a short hike up a nearby trail path, towards Dragon Spring Cave (龍泉洞). Interestingly, the cave was lit with colorful lighting. While I wish more natural lighting was used, the colors made the cave much more mysterious. Plus, I was expecting an ambush by Justin or Max, who were walking ahead the whole time.
After the hike, we went down to the base of the valley for a quick boat ride, through the river we were gazing down at earlier.
Eventually, after a short bus ride, a hurried dinner and some quick shopping at a supermarket, we got on the cruise. The cruise ship was called 龍飛輪. The Chinese really do have an obsession with naming things 'dragon'. The cruise ship was much better than I expected, and there were many shenanigans committed on our part. Excellent time well spent on this cruise, I would say.
6 AM wake up. A wonderful view. Boring breakfast was the only tarnish.
We had arrived at Shen Long Stream, a tributary of the Yangtze River. We boarded a smaller motor boat that took us deeper into the stream. The BaDong county, where the stream is located, is home to 13 minority groups. The area is being opened up by the Chinese government. We saw the large pillars of a highway bridge being constructed, straddling the mountain range.
We eventually jumped onto rowboats, managed by 5 rowers each. These rowers each earn about 30 RMB a trip, each lasting about an hour of constant rowing. The people leading the tour in Shen Long Stream are called TuJia people. These locals have remained in the area for years, only recently making more contact with the surrounding area, as the Three Gorges Dam has opened up transportation and helped increase exposure.
On the way back to our cruise ship, the crew announced a spot on the side of the valley where inside a large crevice, you can visibly see a hanging coffin. The rest of the day was spent relaxing on the cruise, visiting White Emperor City (which does not look like Minas Tirith, by the way) and another night of fun. We were joined by a Beijing student, who taught us how to play another card game, and it was all fun and games from then on.
The next day, we disembarked. We spent the the day travelling from YiChang back to Wuhan, meeting up with Steve Wilmarth eventually. After doing a little shipping and exploring (mostly exploring), and some Starbucks, we were on our way to Wuhan airport, headed for Beijing!
After spending last night with Alex, George and their host families at the Yangtze River bank, playing with sprinklers and floating lanterns, the next morning we said farewell to our host families. We were on our way towards Yi Chang for the Yangtze River cruise.
But before the cruise, we spent some time in Happy Valley (快樂谷). The restaurant where we had our lunch at was attached, quite literally, to the side of the valley, slightly hanging over the river. After lunch, we went on a short hike up a nearby trail path, towards Dragon Spring Cave (龍泉洞). Interestingly, the cave was lit with colorful lighting. While I wish more natural lighting was used, the colors made the cave much more mysterious. Plus, I was expecting an ambush by Justin or Max, who were walking ahead the whole time.
After the hike, we went down to the base of the valley for a quick boat ride, through the river we were gazing down at earlier.
Eventually, after a short bus ride, a hurried dinner and some quick shopping at a supermarket, we got on the cruise. The cruise ship was called 龍飛輪. The Chinese really do have an obsession with naming things 'dragon'. The cruise ship was much better than I expected, and there were many shenanigans committed on our part. Excellent time well spent on this cruise, I would say.
6 AM wake up. A wonderful view. Boring breakfast was the only tarnish.
We eventually jumped onto rowboats, managed by 5 rowers each. These rowers each earn about 30 RMB a trip, each lasting about an hour of constant rowing. The people leading the tour in Shen Long Stream are called TuJia people. These locals have remained in the area for years, only recently making more contact with the surrounding area, as the Three Gorges Dam has opened up transportation and helped increase exposure.
On the way back to our cruise ship, the crew announced a spot on the side of the valley where inside a large crevice, you can visibly see a hanging coffin. The rest of the day was spent relaxing on the cruise, visiting White Emperor City (which does not look like Minas Tirith, by the way) and another night of fun. We were joined by a Beijing student, who taught us how to play another card game, and it was all fun and games from then on.
The next day, we disembarked. We spent the the day travelling from YiChang back to Wuhan, meeting up with Steve Wilmarth eventually. After doing a little shipping and exploring (mostly exploring), and some Starbucks, we were on our way to Wuhan airport, headed for Beijing!
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