Chinese Cruising - Yangtze Paradise?

---

Chinese Cruising - The Transfer

On our last day in CQ we continued planning the next few legs of our trip and awaited our transfer to our Yangtze River cruise. As I mentioned, we almost booked a tour of China, to make things easier, but instead decided to fly solo. Our 3 night river cruise was the closest thing we have come to a tour since our one night on Halong Bay and our one night on Frasier Island. Let’s just say, it started with a bang and made us glad we did not book a longer tour.

Our guide, John, was due at the hotel at 5pm, so we had tea and read in the lobby lounge waiting for him. He arrived a half hour early and said we were waiting for the driver. He also said, “You know already about the problem with the boat?” We were not told anything about problems with the boat despite having been in touch with the person we booked the tour through consistently. There was a lot of rain in the west of China and severe flooding five days prior. As a result of the flooding, the boats were not able to make it upstream to depart from Chongqing (I have never heard of boats being unable to sail because the water level was too high, only too low, but I am not a ship captain). Instead, John and the driver would be driving us into CQ city, to the entrance of the Great Hall. From there we would board a bus to drive three hours to Fengdu, which was supposed to be our first stop on the boat in the morning. We would spend the night on the boat in Fengdu, have a tour, and then start the cruise from there. Okay, seemed simple enough. Famous last words. Nothing in China is easy.

Our driver parked us in a narrow driveway with a Tetris like precision that is required to park as many large tourist buses as possible into the small space. John told us the first bus would leave around five. Once there he made a phone call and was told the bus would be leaving at six. He had another guest to pick up and told us we could walk around the Great Hall and the Three Gorges Museum, which was at the other end of a plaza. Our driver would be responsible for our luggage and getting us on the correct bus. Well, everything seemed pretty sketchy at this point and the last thing we would do is leave our luggage with a guy we just met who did not speak a word of English. So, we said we would sit in the van for the next 45 minutes and wait for the bus. John asked us to fill out an evaluation form for his services, the entire 30 minutes worth. We told him, “You don’t want us to evaluate your services.” We paid extra for a guide to transfer us to the boat at the correct dock and now we are sitting in a van in a parking lot waiting for some bus to drive us three hours. After John left, the driver turned off the car, so there went the air conditioning. We sat on the curb in a little bit of shade and read for a few minutes when the driver closed the sliding door to the van, got in, and started the engine. We thought he was going to drive off with our bags, but if he had, he would not have gotten far. The parking area was packed. Instead, he moved the van over two spots and spent the remainder of our time together asking every Chinese person who passed him and looked like a tour guide what he should do with these two Americans who would not leave his van (I am making an assumption here). Finally, a young girl from President Cruises greeted us with a binder and a pen. She asked us our names and looked at her list. She said, “Two Americans, right?” We agreed and she told us to follow her. She pointed to the bus we would be boarding and we stood right outside. We confirmed with two other girls that we were heading on the right bus, and they agreed.

Now, according to our itinerary our boat was the Yangtze Paradise. Several other westerners had joined the group saying there were on the President 6 boat. A crowd started to gather at the bus, but, when those doors opened to the bus, Eric and I were the second group on and secured a seat in the first row for a little more comfort. It was a little before 6, and we had been in the parking lot in the sun for almost an hour at this point. We were told we were leaving at 6, then 6:10, and then 6:20. In that time mass chaos ensued. The three girls working for the boat company each had a pen, a list of passengers, and a cell phone, and generally they used all three of those devices at once while yelling at each other. Passengers boarded the bus and left the bus. A young Dutch couple were apparently not on the list and stood outside for quite some time. A Swiss woman sitting behind us expected the bus to move with Swiss timing and precision. She was getting pretty irate. We knew better. But, by 6:30 they were still boarding people onto the bus even though there were not enough seats. Eventually, it appeared that several white people boarded and then several Chinese people were kicked off to wait for the next bus. That’s not the first time we have seen that. In the end, after about an hour of yelling and screaming, and boarding and alighting the bus, we had the perfect number of people and we were on our way, about 6:45. We were in that parking lot for almost two hours and had at least a three hour drive to go (although I was next told it would be 3 ½ hours; I was afraid to ask another person for fear it would be 4 hours). As the bus driver started to pull away, the young lady with the boat company gave a very long announcement in Chinese and in English said “President 6.” Eric looked at me knowing that was not the name of our boat, but I ignored her. We were on the bus, we were going to Fengdu, and they would be giving us a room tonight. I was not concerned with the name on the outside of the boat.

The drive was fine, through superhighways and long tunnels running through mountains, over rivers, and after dark about two hours of winding roads through small towns. Every town appeared to be under constant construction - new buildings, repairing roads, etc. There was dust everywhere. The roads became narrower and the driver rarely kept on his side of the road. But, it was a full moon, or near so, and we could see the hills below give way to dark river, lit houses, and boats. We had no lights on board, so after dark it was a long two hour ride, just us and our iPods passing the time.

When we arrived at Fengdu, it was more mass chaos. We fought our way to the luggage hold of the bus and Eric must have removed 20 bags himself before finding ours. Shirtless men with poles kept asking us if we needed help with our bags. It was very dark and we could tell it was a long walk to the boat. We were not concerned - everything was on our backs. Daphne, our “river guide” had a flashlight and called “Yangtze Paradise!” We were saved. We finally felt like we were in the right place about to board the right boat. As we followed Daphne we saw the steps and planks we would need to cross to get to the boat, we were behind about twenty tourists with their large wheelie suitcases. We tried to get in front of them to make our way easier. I don’t know how they handled it. We descended about 100 step steps to the bank of the river. Then we crossed rickety platforms suspended over the water to one boat, made a right at that boat, continued to another large boat, crossed through the employees’ living quarters of the second boat, across another plank to a third boat, then up a few narrow flights of stairs to the reception of our boat. But, because of our back packs and our speed we were at the front of the line.

Of course, they had no record of us. The list was in Chinese, with some English names, none of them matching ours. Now I knew how that Dutch couple felt, but we were on the list in the parking lot. Was this a different list? We did not have our confirmation printed out so we used their computer to pull it up from Gmail. Even with the confirmation number they said it was not on the list. I saw a confirmation number that looked like ours on the list and pointed it out, but he said the people in that room were Chinese, so it was not us. I was at my wit’s end. For all I know because the woman we booked it through was Chinese they marked us as Chinese, but in the parking lot they had us as Americans. We were not the only ones. Numerous people were yelling that they were not on the list. Stupid lists.

We were scheduled to be picked up at 5pm and brought directly to a boat to spend our first night. Instead, we sat in a steaming hot parking lot for close to two hours, took a dark bus another 3 ½ hours, climbed down a river bank and onto a boat, up several flights of stairs, and stood at reception for at least twenty minutes. To this point, I remained calm. I did not get upset with any of the craziness at the parking lot or on the bus. I was patient to start at reception and then I started to lose it. I finally argued, I have a confirmation number with the name of the boat. You see who we booked it through. I am sorry that your list is out of date, but it is 10:30 and we are tired. Give us a room and figure out the paperwork later. It worked. Of course, we slept with one eye open because we thought they were going to evict us before the night was out. And, apparently the boat was known as BOTH Yangtze Paradise and President 6; go figure.

Sleeping and Eating

The room was fine. It was small with two single beds, and a slanting floor. We have slept in much worse. We toured the boat, which was certainly no Carnival Cruise, but I wasn’t expecting it to be. We have never taken a cruise before. We probably will not ever again after this. This experience also probably explains why we don’t book tours as we travel. We like to be independent. We were always hesitant about the schedules and table assignments. This boat has confirmed our displeasure. Eric set his alarm for 7:30 am. Breakfast was served between 7:30 and 8:30. Around 7:15, loud music started to play over a loud speaker in our room, followed by someone speaking Chinese. I thought maybe it was some Communist rhetoric, like we heard on the loudspeakers in Old Town Hanoi. Instead, it was a call from our “River Guide Ben” that breakfast was starting and we needed to motor. I rolled over to Eric, in the bed across the room, and said “I don’t think I like cruising.” And, a board with table assignments greeted us at the dining room. Of course, our room was not on it. We did not have a room assigned when we arrived of course. But, the table assignments were organized with all Chinese tourists at one set of tables and all western tourists grouped together at another set of tables. Racial profiling once again. At our morning briefing, our River Guide Ben told us lunch and dinner would be served family style to the table, with our tables receiving a mix of western and Chinese food. I would prefer to sit with the all Chinese tables and have all Chinese food. Arrgghh.

We spoke to River Guide Ben and asked whether we would have any spicy food at the table, and he assured us don’t worry, the food will not be spicy. We assured River Guide Ben right back that we wanted spicy. He made a note and said he would try to get something spicy on our table. The food was the least of our problems. The food was fine, no recognizable western food in sight. We had to ask for chopsticks, but once we did the first time, they were there each time, as was a little bowl of spicy chili sauce, compliments of River Guide Ben. Ben thereafter gave us the name “Spicy Couple” which stuck around the remainder of the trip. Also at our table were a British couple we referred to privately as the “Birds” - they were two teachers who enjoy bird watching trips. They were not expecting much from the trip to China as the countryside, and the Yangtze in particular, were completely void of wildlife. We also had a group of three amigos from Spain, and two singles who were rooming together, a young guy from Tokyo on a ten day tour of China, and a local from Fujian. I initially thought he was American because he looked like he had an American passport when we were checking in, and he spoke pretty good English on the bus and at the table. He did not know how, but they lumped him with the foreigners, maybe because he was a single. The highlight of the trip was our group at Table 5; without them, it would have been a sucky little tour. We also met a Canadian mother and daughter who were nice and a fun Italian couple from Tuscany. The Italian husband spoke no English, so she translated. It was fun to hear her translate; it gave me the chance to practice my Italian. This was the highlight, the remainder of the trip was chock full of changed schedules and misinformation.

Docking and Cruising and More Docking

Our original itinerary was not too detailed, but detailed enough to say we were scheduled to leave the port in Chongqing at 10pm on the 7th. In the morning we were scheduled to tour the Fengdu Ghost City, then we would continue downstream on the Yangtze to tour the three gorges on the river. On the 9th we were scheduled to take a tour on a smaller boat down the Shennong Stream. On the morning of the 10th, we would cruise through the controversial Three Gorges Dam, arriving in Yichang around 1pm. Well, the schedule went to hell in a hand basket. We assumed if we boarded the boat at night in Fengdu, we would tour in the morning and cruise the rest of the day. Instead, we sat at the dock all morning, going nowhere. In the afternoon we toured the Ghost City and finally started cruising about 4pm. We were able to see the view of the river while cruising before dinner and then again spending the evening on the sun deck viewing the great big moon, the stars, and the lights on the river and on land. It was pretty enjoyable.

We docked some time during the night and the boat offered an additional trip ashore to see a temple in the morning. We declined the extra tour, and waited to take off. I boycotted River Guide Ben when his voice came across the speaker in our room, deciding to skip breakfast and sleep in. We finally started cruising downstream around 10:30 am. We toured through the first and second of the three gorges, watching the pristine landscape (as pristine as you get in China) as we passed. As soon as we hit the second gorge, they announced lunch was served, so we missed much of that. After lunch, we took an excursion to the Shennong Stream. When we boarded the boat around 4pm, we assumed we would take off for another evening of cruising, allowing us to see the third gorge before arriving at the Three Gorges Dam in the morning. We were very wrong. We did not move until about 4am, when we quickly made our way towards the dam, arriving by 8am. We had been told that we would not be taking the boat through the locks of the dam because of the weather downstream. Instead, we would arrive just upstream of the dam, board a bus for a tour of the dam, and then we would take the bus for the last hour, driving to our destination in Yichang. The disorganization was amazing, with little communication. Our tour had a disclosure that changes may be necessary to accommodate weather conditions, but we spent so little time cruising on our cruise, we missed doing the locks of the dam, and we missed the third gorge. All in all we had about 6-7 hours of cruising during day light hours during a three night cruise. Not what I had in mind. Welcome to China. Welcome to “organized” tours.

Ghost City

The trip to the Ghost City at Fengdu was interesting. We had the option of taking a cable car to the top of the hill or walking. We planned on walking for our daily dose of exercise until we realized how incredibly hot it was. So, we boarded the cable car, which was nothing more than a ski lift like I used growing up near the Poconos in Pennsylvania. It was much easier to step off the lift without skis, poles, and icy ground below. It has been awhile since we had a local guide give us background information on a place we visited. Our local guide (not River Guide Ben) told us that all deceased in China make a trip to Fengdu after passing to determine whether they will go to heaven or hell, and what kind of afterlife they will have. He made a comment, though, about how busy Fengdu is because there are now so many people in China. Some of the smaller temples and architecture we visited was not that much different than other temples we have seen. Seen one temple, seen them all. The last temple, though, was painted black, whereas most other Chinese temples are painted red and gold. There were many statues representing heaven and hell, and a series of displays showing what can happen to you in hell based on what you do wrong during your life. We also saw a series of ghost statues leading to the temple, again depicting various afflictions from life. Eric rubbed the belly of the ghost of alcohol to ensure he can drink more without being drunk. There was also a ghost for “playboys.”

Shennong Trackers

The last of our excursions took us on a smaller boat for a one hour ride up the Shennong Stream, a tributary of the Yangtze. I was interested in this tour because I was told the water was a lot clearer than the Yangtze. The Yangtze was some of the murkiest, thickest, darkest brown water I have ever seen. We saw tons of trash and sediment, including plastic, Styrofoam, etc. Also, strangely, we saw a lot of shoes, so many that we wondered if there was a shoe factory on the banks that threw its rejects overboard. Several of the shoes looked identical, like they matched. As for the stream, it was much more clean, a bright green color, with the mountains extending up from the water with much less development. We also saw two hanging coffins, which seem to be a pretty big deal. The local guides made a huge stink that we needed to see these amazing coffins. Essentially, there were two wooden coffins suspended in cracks in the stone. The great “mystery” is how they go there, were the lowered from the top, or raised from the water level. I have to admit that I do not buy into any mysteries in China. Ever since they faked the fireworks display during the Olympics, I am skeptical.

Once we arrived at our destination, we were transferred to smaller boats for our trek up the smaller stream. Historically, river trackers were used to pull boats upstream that were loaded with goods. Now, the stream is the only place in China that the trackers still exist, but instead of aiding trade in the area, they are solely used to please tourists. They used to pull the boats buck naked, but now, they at least wear clothes now. We boarded the boats so quick that none of us in the back of the boat sat with our travel mates. Eric sat two rows in front of me, and I saw between one of the Spanish amigos (who is actually Dominican) and an Italian. In front of me was the rest of the Italian and Spanish group. I relished the space because it gave me the chance to hear both languages spoken, preparing for our future trips to Europe. As for the trackers, it was a bit too tourist-focused for me. It was an enjoyable boat ride, albeit a little cramped, but it was not the most beautiful scenery I have seen. New Zealand has totally ruined me for natural beauty.

Conclusion to the Dam Cruise

Our speaker came alive earlier the last morning, with River Guide Ben calling us to breakfast. We checked out of the boat; walked through several neighboring boats; boarded a funicular to the top of a hill, and then a bus for our dam tour. Ever since Eric and I saw National Lampoons Vegas Vacation years ago, we enjoy dam tours. In the movie they make the very obvious joke that the Hoover Dam guide will answer all of your “dam questions” during your “dam tour” and you can take all the “dam pictures” you want. I know it is a childish, and not all the funny, joke, but during our trip to the Hoover Dam with friends several years ago we had a great dam visit. It was a lot of dam fun. Eric and I spent the morning making more stupid dam jokes. We just can’t help it.

The tour was informative. We took a bus through the new town that was created around the dam. This was an occurrence up and down the Yangtze once the dam was built. The Three Gorges Dam has been one of the most controversial achievements of China over the past few years. Its purpose was two fold, to harness the power of the Yangtze to create hydroelectric power and to control the river to prevent flash flooding that historically caused a great deal of damage. The dam has raised the water level upstream so much that many villages and towns have been flooded out of existence. Not only were homes raised to the ground to allow the water level to raise, but ancestors’ remains were buried, a huge thing in Asian culture. Many new cities have, therefore, sprouted up just up the hill from the old towns, to accommodate the populations. As for power concerns, initially, the hydroelectric plant was intended to provide power for cities as far away as Beijing and Shanghai. That it does. But, the goal was for the power to provide about 10% of China’s power needs when complete. With the current growth in electricity demand, however, but 2020, the dam will only meet about 1% of the needs. Dam interesting.

Also of note, we were told on our boat that we could not go through the locks of the dam because they closed the locks to passenger traffic due to the flooding. We visited the information center, complete with a model of the dam and the locks. They seem to love models in this country. When we climbed the viewing platform to see both the dam and the locks, the first thing many of us from the boat saw, was the passenger ship passing through the locks. Our boat, however, was not able to go through. Several of us expressed our displeasure with the Yangtze Paradise/President 6 continued to grow.

---

Photos

The Great Hall
Modeled after Beijing's Temple of Heaven - this is where we waited in the parking lot for almost two hours.

The Hike
This was the hike we had to take to the boat, but in the dark; so glad we had backpacks and not suitcases!

Cruise Wear
Eric was appropriately dressed in his linen pants and shirt billowing in the breezes.

The Love Bridge
We walked the middle bridge, holding hands, taking nine steps to cross to ensure we would be together in our next life.

Ghost of Alcohol
If you rub his belly it means you can drink more without getting drunk.

Temple of Hell
The place where souls must pass through to make it to heaven and be reincarnated.

Wu Gorge
One of the three gorges on the Yangtze River

Temple With a View
On a hill overlooking the Yangtze River

The Good, the Bad, and the Ugly
Factory spewing smoke on the River

Traditional Trackers on the Stream
Buck naked; at least ours were clothed.

Tracker Pull
The trackers pulling the boat upstream by rope.

Enjoying My Seat
Sitting surrounded by Italians and Spaniards -trying to understand what they were saying and totally enjoying it.

Three Gorges Dam
Finally, a dam good tour

No Jumping
"No Turning Over, Please" - So, no dam jumping.

Comments

[catherine]

that was a dam good read.