So,
my cruise is over and done with. I have to admit ~ although I don't
regret it at all, I will not remember it as one of my favourite Chinese
experiences. That said, I did enjoy myself. On my last night in
Lhasa, I ended up meeting a dutch girl named Renee who was also flying
back to Chengdu and wanted to do the cruise, so we booked together.
The best thing about this is being assured some company on a tour boat
that is otherwise packed with avid Chinese tourists. I'm beginning to
think they might be the worst kind!!
In
retrospect, booking 2nd class might have turned out far worse than it
actually did. I guess someones watching out for me up there. At the
time, the Y500 difference in price made me choose the lesser class.
Renee and I ended up with a very nice, young couple who spoke
incredible english ~ Johnson and Audrey ~ they took great care of us
throughout the 3-day excursion. Everything from making sure we were
well fed in the restaurant, to helping carry my bag aboard, to
translating what our tour guide was saying....they went the extra mile
for sure, and the trip would have been far different without their
company.
The
whole thing started off on the wrong foot ~ Renee and I took a cab to
the grocery store in Chongqing, where the boat leaves from, in order to
stock up on snacks and stuff ~ and then could NOT find a taxi that
would pick up 2 foreigners. So here we are in an absolute ARMPIT of a
town (apologies if you have a particular affinity for Chongqing...but
it was awful.......), with bags of heavy groceries on our arms, a small
crowd of lackadaisical Chinese gathering to snicker at our predicament
as we flounder on the side of the road. Waving for cabs that drive
past, then proceed to pick up a chinese fair not 2 metres down the
road, is a very demeaning experience.
Maybe
if I'd been in a better mood to start with it might have been ok....but
I was hot, frustrated, and close to tears. All we could think of was
how we had no idea of where we were, and the boat leaves in 1.5hours,
and we can't find a cab. Finally, in desperation, I walked up to a man
with the hotel card in hand, tears in my eyes, and VERY pathetically
begged in AWFUL chinglish for him to help us. Lots of pointing and
charades.... Sounded something like..."Me....Here (point to
card)....please help??? (sob sob)" Notrhing like putting on a show for
the gathering crowds!
Thank
god, he got up and led the way for us, for which we rewarded him with
Y10 (what would have been the cab fare). It was a convaluded route,
too ~ lots of twists and turns, staircases, etc....we'd never have
found it alone. Duh. It was my first true 'i hate china' experience.
I was convinced I would fly straight to Bangkok as soon as I got off
the boat. ( I didnt'.)
Blah,
blah. Things got better. The cabin was tiny but cozy with our little
crew, and since I hadn't paid for any extra excursions, I got some
space to myself whenever Renee, Johnson, and Audrey left the boat to
check out temples, waterfalls, and the like.
The
one excursion I did sign up for was the tour of the Lesser 3 Gorges and
Mini 3 Gorges. They were spectacular. We took a WAY smaller boat to
the lesser gorges, and then wee sampans through the mini gorges. The
water was turquoise, the sky was pretty clear, and the cliffs were
amazing. Everyone was in great spririts as well, lots of singing and
laughing. Even in Chinese, the energy was contagious.
There
were lots of huge white signs showing where the water level will rise
to once the dam is completed ~ flooding an area the size of Singapore
and backing the river up 550km. At 185m high and 2km wide, it'll be
the biggest dam in the world, with an energy production equivalent to
18 nuclear power plants. I guess the price you pay for this is pretty
high ~ the homes of about 2 million people will be wiped out by the
flooding, and if the dam were ever to burst, the lives of close to 6
million would be at stake ~ dead within the hour.
I
thought the most impressive part of it, though, was going through the 5
locks of the dam. My claustrophobic tendencies really kicked in,
despite the massive size of the thing. Just the looming walls and the
fact of being closed in, I guess. But it definately finished off the
cruise right ~ we had passed through the dam by 1am, and were off the
boat at 6:30am.
For
me, that was just the beginning though.....I immediately hopped on a
bus to Wuhan (6hours) and from there, a train to Shanghai (20hours).
My visa is running out April 12th, so I have to cover some ground now!
Anyways, that was the cruise. Sorry it wasn't more exciting.
But....was more a lesson in Chinese culture (watching them spit on the table while eating...mmmmm) than anything else.
Hope all is well with all of you...
xo Laura
