Yangtzee - Fengdu

---

Geo: 29.88, 107.709

The river views have changed so much now that we are out of the gorges. The towns that cover the banks of the river are thriving metropolitan areas and and there is an endless stream of barges downstream laden with manufactured goods. There was a glimpse of the sun at sunset and patches of blue sky throughout the day but the lingering mist of the gorges has been replaced by the low lying film of grey that is the signpost of industrial smog.

Food, food and more food make up the day - interspersed with the cocktail of the day (Manhattan) and a sparkling wine with the cruise directors in the evening. The challenge remains to exercise constraint and pace yourself....dinner always has offerings of an entree, soup, salad, main course and dessert!

We arrived much later than expected this morning in Femgdu and had a little more time up our sleeves after breakfast, so at last it was a leisurely start to the day. And with no optional tour offered in the afternoon we had a zip in our step!

The onshore tour today was to Fengdu - the ghost city. It began with a walk of 1 000 steps. Certainly nowhere near as steep as the Great Wall (that was only a week ago) but definitely as persistent. Fengdu is a collection of Buddhist and Taoist temples that sit on top of Ming Mountain. Our guide Bonny - who has been in the business for over 20 years and looked about 18 - provided an animated commentary on the three hour tour. We gained more insights into the beauty and subtlety of Chinese culture. The teaching and beliefs emphasize kindness, humility, a willingness to be inherently good, a concern and compassion for each other, peace, harmony and a respect for wisdom. Mac and I got to commit to each other in the afterlife on the first judgement bridge by crossing hand in hand, taking 9 strides and remaining upright. We are committed to a life together. Let's hope that we have done enough good in our present life so that when we cross the third bridge of reckoning our deeds are recorded in the."good book" otherwise we will be tortured and have to enter the gates of hell to atone for our sins.

Mac was the first, brave volunteer in the group to take on the physical fidelity challenge and passed with flying colours. Only two of the men jumped up to prove themselves (Mac and Steve) and when the other men saw that it was a "doable" challenge Bonny waved them away and said "too late". My hero again! Just by the way, our Malaysian lady friends love Wayne and told me I should "treat him special" every day. And Bonny the guide gushed over Wayne and told him he was a "beautiful husband".

We returned to the Victoria Anna and said goodbye to our fellow Shangri-la family from Cairns. They are off to the next part of their holiday. The cruisers enjoyed a presentation from Andy our River Guide which was "Chinese Language 101". This was an entertaining look at the history of the Chinese language and a very skimpy attempt at repeating some of the common words. We are a long way off saying anything other than hello and thank you!

After the exertion of the language class we relaxed with cocktails and stories. The best story of the afternoon was from Doug who had found himself in urgent need of a toilet in our Fengdu City tour. After much persistence he was very relieved to find a Western toilet. He was gone for so long that his wife Jerry was alarmed that he had been lost and called him on the phone. As it turned out he was in a bit of a predicament. His mates at home in the States had often teased him about his habit of carrying a handkerchief. He says he will now take great pleasure in sharing with them how he used his teeth to shred his white linen handkerchief into four strips to get him out of his predicament. Mac always carries a handkerchief - like a Boy Scout - always be prepared.

Our final dinner of the cruise. Champagne, toasts, hugs and farewells. The cruise was certainly a great addition to our China adventure....and may lead to more cruising options. Mac is a fan!

Pedometer steps: 12 368
Temperature: 20 C cloudy with glimpses of blue sky

---

Photos

Traditions
Committing to life together in the next life and the fidelity challenge

Comments

[Aunty Gail]

Ha!.....see, I told you he would love cruising!.......I think the next one should definitely be with us!!....xoxoxoxoxo