Wushan, China>, May 10, 2009
The loudspeakers began playing the mind numbing music and then the announcement in both Mandarin and English that it was time for breakfast finally roused me from my slumber. I jumped into a lukewarm shower (which was better than some of the other showers from what I heard) before heading down to eat. After breakfast it was up to sit and enjoy the scenery as we completed the journey through Wu Gorge.
Again the scenery was dramatic but it was another hazy day in China as evidenced in the pictures. It was a lazy morning though until we reached Wushan for the Lesser and Mini Three Gorges Tour. In Wushan we were transferred to a smaller ferry for a trip up the Daning River a tributary of the Yangtze through the Lesser Three Gorges. Wushan is an interesting city as the entire city was essentially rebuilt and resettled with the rising water levels behind the Three Gorges Dam.
Heading upriver I learned that we were passing through Dragon-Gate Gorge, Misty Gorge, and Emerald Gorge. The scenery here was perhaps more amazing than on the Yangtze but even more difficult to get a good photograph that provided context. It was travelling through these gorges that we saw the hanging coffins of the ancient Bo cultural group. Instead of burial, they placed the remains of the deceased in wooden coffins and placed them in/on the cliffs of the region. Many have been been looted over the centuries but some still remain and are now protected by the Chinese government.
At the end of Emerald Gorge we changed boat one more time to a small long tail sized boat to motor up the Madu River and the Mini Three Gorges. The tourism agencies have this down to a science as they segregate the groups by language onto the small boats and you head upstream for a short distance. This gorge is tight compared to the wide expanse of the Yangtze - and made even tighter by the longtail traffic traversing up and down the river. It would have been really cool to be back here with just a few people but that’s obviously not an option now. Oh well.
We got to the whole trip in reverse after turning around on the Madu. We had a tour guide to discuss some of the particulars of the region on the Lesser Three Gorges. One thing that was interesting in the discussion was the effect that the dam was having on the region. As someone younger she said that while she was inconvenienced by having to relocate she was OK and understood the reasoning behind the dam being constructed. She claimed that the older generation was less forthcoming about the relocation and ebing forced from homes they had possibly lived in for years and may have been in the family for generations. That and it was harder for them to start over to an extent at that point in life. All in all she was quite open and candid in her discussion.
Back at the main boat in Wushan it was time for a late lunch as we departed Wushan. A brief stop was held for those visiting Baidu Town which I skipped before enterting Qutang Gorge. Some more fantastic views but clouds had rolled in again and I was never happy with any of the photos I took here.
Dinner came and went and then it was the final evening talent show with the crew and some parlor games and more karaoke. It was a scary evening to say the least but fun as well. A final round of drinks in the early morning hours ended the day and I headed to bed to prepare for the next leg of the journey on the morrow.