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Published: October 23rd 2011
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Passing through Xiling Gorge 西陵峡
The first Gorge you pass when going upstream Picking the Cruise:
There are no less than a dozen different cruise operated from different companies and fleets. But there are only normally two routes for the YangTze River Cruise in China - Go down stream from Chong Qing 重慶 to Yi Chang 宜昌 (4 days 3 nigths) or up stream from Yi Chang to Chong Qing (5 days 4 nights). Although a shorter trip, sometimes it is sligthly more expensive for the download cruise from Chong Qing. There is extra preimium to pay for non China residents (including Hong Kong and Macau). I took the upstream one on board of the Cruise Ship (YangTze Golden One 長江黃金1號). It costs about 3,200RMB for a single person for a double occupancy deluxe room with balcony. Since I travelled alone, I have to pay about 80% more for the room. Plus an upgrade from the 2nd floor to 3rd floor plus VIP dinning lounge plus transportation arrangement to the pier in Yi Chang - it adds up about RMB 6,000.
Yi Chang, HuBei:
YiChange (4 hours away from WuHan by bus) to me is a nice little town, with all necessary amenities and entertainment of a typical China city but less people
and more leisure. The city serves basically, to tourists, a major hub to the nearby YangTze river gorge and related scenery. There is bus right outside the airport that only costs 10RMB to the centre of the city. The YiChange Hotel I stayed is about 40 min. away from the airport and right next to the Long Distant Bus Station stop. Costs less than 200RMB for a suite. A nice 40 minutes stroll to the riverside from the hotel passing through some commercial district and a developing entertainment area. Again, although it's a Sunday, it's far from crowded. Since the broading time is at night (from 6:30pm), took a trip to the famous scenic SanXiaRenJia (Three Gorge Tribes Scenic Spot) 三峡人家, for some nice gorge scenery, limestone cave walk and traditional tribal live displays. This scenic area is actually included in the Cruise tour but an additional 220RMB. Taxi ride for about 40min. to SanXiaRenJia for 100RMB or public buses (#10-1) for 10RMB. I took the taxi there around noon after a lazy morning and spent 6 hours there - only wishing I could gone earlier. The entrance to the park cost 180RMB (including ferry and cable car costs). A
ferry (departs every 30 min.) take you on a short trip across the bank to the base of the cable car up the mountain. The cable car trip finishes on the top of the scenic trail. Besides beautiful scenery along the way, there are display of traditional trip village and castle (can't find out genuinity of them - probably a reconsturctios). You can take the last 1.5Km of the descent through (or you can take the normal outside trail) limestone cave inside the mountain. The path inside the cave is narrow and slippery, however the scenery is well worth the walk. Further down the walkway from the cave exit by the river is a reenactment of a tribal village with a path alone a stream inside the mountain that offers some beautiful nature scenery (I didn't visit that area due to the insufficient time). Next to the village is the pier that take you back to the entrance of the scenic area.
The Cruise Ship:
A 30 minutes ride (30RMB by taxi) from downtown to the pier for cruise ships near the SanXiaRenJia scenic area. There are nice service staff that guide you to the ship to check in.
There's a floating supermarket on the pier so you can stock your trip's supply there. There's no meal for the night but you can go to the restaurant on the second deck for dinner. The cruise ship Golden YanTze One is very new (started it's service in May 2011) and nicely decorated. There are 6 decks with rooms from the 2nd to the 5th. It has gym, clinic, restaurant on the second deck, sundeck on the 4th, 5th and 6th deck. Little shops that sells painting, dress, sourvenirs. An entertainment hall, mahjong room, reading room, cigar room and theatre on the 5th floor. A VIP dinning area on the 6th floor. My room is a delux room with a single King size bed (not hard like those in most China hotels) and a balcony. Don't know whether got upgraded or not, it is 1/3 bigger than ordinary delux rooms that share by group tourists. Most of the time, pictures are deceiving but my room excess my expectation - for the next 6 days and 5 nights, I really enjoy my stay there. The bathroom is clean and water pressure is good. There is NO wifi and the internet cost 80RMB
per day for connection - however they say the connection is not very good so I didn't use it.... I can live without internet for a few days. There are 3 buffet meals a day. Breakfast from 7:00am to 8:30am. Lunch from 12:00pm and dinner from 7:00pm
The Cruise:
There are 3 full days on the cruise.
The first day morning takes you (for a fee of 220RMB) to the Village (which I didn't visit) in SanXiaRenJia. The afternoon take you to a visit to the 3 Gorge Project exhibition site. It pass through the first gorge in early morning and the ship goes through a series of ship locks in the 3 Gorge Dam at night (a very eery experience). There's welcoming functions and performance at the 5/f entertainment hall at night (and each night after that).
On the Second Day, the ship passes the second and third gorge and a 4.5 hour free tour to the Wu Shan Three Little Gorges in the morning and a optional trip for RMB240 to the Baidi Cheng (White Emperor City) 白帝城. The Little Three Gorge are scenic gorges along the side river DaNing (where you transferred by bus and subsequently
on a ferry and a small boat to do the sight seeing). It offers some mesmerizing sceneries that resembles those of traditional Chinese ink paintings and a glimps of the cliff coffins. Baidi Cheng (White Emperor City) 白帝城 - is a series of temples on the Baidi Hill (dated back 2,000 yrs ago) where Liu Bei (a warrior in the 3 dynasty period) believed to have died there. Due to under subscription because of the rain, the tour is cancelled and the cruise ship continues it slow sail to ChongQing and it gives me good opportunity to relax in my nice cabinet for some reading and to enjoy the passing scenery on the balcony.
The Third Day - the ship enters ChongQing area. It offers a free trip to FengDu 酆都鬼城, that features an old taoist temple centering on the theme on the dead and after life. A farewell party with the performance of guests at night.
The Forth Day - disembark on the river bank of ChongQing after breakfast. Unlike YiChang, the pier is in the downtown area of ChongQing. The traffic by the pier was very chaotic that day - have to drag my luggage for 20 minutes
Qutang Gorge 瞿塘峡
A Scene on the face of China's 10 dollars bill, to a better spot for taxi to hotel.
ChongQing:
With a population of close to 30 million, it is one of the largest populated cities in China. Feature its hilly landscape with intersecting rivers, the city has a unique look (the infamous cable car is gone giving way to the expanding Metro system). ChongQing is famous for its hot climate in summer (one of three furnaces in China), spicy food (hotpot) and beautiful women (not really my opinion based on the two visits). It is quite an interesting city to explore on foot due to it unique landscape and rich historical background. The airport is less than 40 minutes away from downtown and taxi driver will charge you no less than 70RMB for the trip (should be around 50 base on metre reading).
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