East King Meets Westerners

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REMINDER - this is from Day 3 --- I am going a bit backwards as I did some quick updates in the middle regarding the CHANGE in plans and all....


We had supper at a restaurant that specialized in spicey food -- however we were told that they would not make it too spicey for us. You could hear the groans from all the people who like spicey food. On our way out of the restaurant was a woman selling yellow fruit from the back of a truck. She was giving samples away, a good selling technique, but no one was buying. I felt badly for her so I bought one. She charged Y3 which was probably highly inflated from local prices, but came to about 40 cents for me and I was happy to pay. The guide said it was a "pomello", a sort of grapefruit. Her helper insisted on peeling it for me. I can't say if he was using a rusty knife or a wooden paddle. Either way, I know a lot of folks who wold have quit right there (right mom?) but I'd eaten my flatbread from the street stall and was still fine........



The road climbed and twisted and climbed some more. Then we plunged down to the edge of the river where our cruise ship, the East King, was docked. We nearly had the cabins on the first deck (just above the engines) but for the persuasive manner of our fearless leader, Bradley Kent (who should have been a lawyer). He put it to them in such a way that we were moved to the 2nd flor. Oh, except for me and the other single fare passenger; we got the top deck. Hello! Can you spell luxury? Spell it out in fresh flowers laid out on the couch and coffee table across from the flat screen TV!! All the rooms are nice -- marble vanities, etc.

We all explored the ship, watched a movie on the making of the TGP dam, and then the 2nd floor became one big party. I had to spend some time on the internet writing an email to ChinaPac to make my return arrangements. Rainbow helped me with getting the wireless laptop set up. Yes, her nametag says "Rainbow". I had a little time left over, hence your blog written at midnight a couple of days ago. I got myself to bed so I could get up at 6:30 for Tai Chi.

The staff are exceptional. Most are quite young and very sweet. Their attitude is so pure. Rainbow came to me at 12:40 to say she was leaving and her shift had been over at midnight! They are all wonderful. Especially compared to China Eastern airlines and the desk clerks at the Shanghai Hotel. They were a bunch of sour pusses and did the bare minimum for you. Here, they can't seem to do enough and it appears genuine. They are very young - as who else can leave a family for such an extended period of time. If you get a chance to see the movie "Up the Yantze" take it. It explains the plight of the people living along the river and follows some of the young people working on the cruise ships.

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