The Three Gorges and Yangshuo

---

We took a cruise ship down the Yangtze River cutting through the Three Gorges. This is where they have the largest dam in the world.

The River Yangtze is prone to flooding and causes no end of destruction when it does. There was a need for something to help stop the devastating consequences of the floods so a dam was built. The dam now helps the local people by: having water storage tanks; a hydro-electric power station and it has also improved the transport links along the river.

After the cruise we went to Yangshuo which was very scenic. This was probably the most enjoyable part of the trip for me as we were very active and we got to interact with the locals.

First of all, we want kayaking which was fun. I'm sorry that there are no photographs but I didn't allow myself to take my camera in the canoe in case it capsized! The likelihood of this happening to me was extremely high but luckily it didn't!

We also went bamboo rafting which was entertaining. We then cycled into the countryside to meet a local farmer and his wife. Their standard of living was very basic compared to us.

Their family home was welcoming. Grandparents live in the house as well and they will help with the running of the house. We didn't get to meet the child as she was at school. The school day in China is very long compared to England. Generally, they start at half past seven and finish at half past five. In between they do have a two hour lunch break.

On the last day in China I attended a Chinese cookery lesson! I made some typical Chinese dishes which were not only edible but they actually tasted quite good even if I do say so myself! The dumplings did look a little like Cornish pasties but that was intentional!

China has been a fantastic place to visit and the cultural differences were more noticeable here compared to Russia and Mongolia.

I'm now looking forward to visiting Hong Kong. I hope you're all working hard x x

---