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Published: August 15th 2009
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Slept in today and then had a leisurely breakfast before heading out for a day of sightseeing. I had 3 planned stops: The 3 Gorges Museum, The People's Square and Great Hall, and the Stilwell Museum. I found the 3 Gorges Museum with no trouble. Which is a miracle considering how messed up the bus system is in this town. The museum was huge and beautiful. And really warm. I mean, I know it was 90 and sunny out, but aren't museums supposed to feel just a little air conditioned?
The 3 Gorges exhibit had 2 parts: the damn and the lives of people who lived there. They also had an exhibit on ancient civilizations that lived there and artifacts. Then there was the exhibit on the city of Chongqing and its development. It was interesting to see how its history and development varied from the west. Same stuff, different years.
There was an exhibit on ancient monies with coins from different dynasties. Some went all the way back to when shells were used as currency. I took a lot of photos in that one. You can take the girl out of the bank, but you can't take the bank
out of the girl.
I left the museum around noon to head to the People's Hall. It's a huge, beautiful building, but I've heard it's expensive. So I decided my money was better spent on ice cream eaten in the shade. I snapped a few photos before I left just so I could tell people I'd seen it.
After some issues with buses and bus stops I managed to make it to where I needed to be to visit the Stilwell museum. The worker at my hostel was worried I'd get terribly lost, but I asked some nice ladies which way to go and they gave me directions and I had no problems at all. And I did it all in Chinese. I climbed the big hill, climbed some more and found myself at Stilwell's former residence.
Stilwell's former residence was still furnished as it had been during the war, complete with jeeps parked out front. In the basement were all sorts of old photos of him and Mao and Chiang Kai Shek and a few other important people. There were even photos of him leading troops at age 60! There was a bit of info on
the Flying Tigers and Stilwell Road and the Hump flying route over India to China. Really, quite a nice museum.
I went across the street to the Flying Tiger Air Force Museum. Everyone who worked there was napping. I walked around quietly and one worker did wake up and explain things to me. I felt bad making her work during her nap break. It was a small museum but it had maps and photos. The maps were really helpful to me in understanding more about what I'd seen in the Stilwell Museum as well. In one photo, the pilots were pictured in their special jackets; they had special patches sewn on them so that Chinese people would help them rather than hurt them if they were found or hurt.
Hot, I made my way back to the hostel and took a 2 hour nap. I was inspired by the workers at the museum. My friends and I set out for dinner and a cable car ride at night over the river. The view was even more spectacular.
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