Advertisement
Yangtze River Cruise Journal
Day 1
Today I began my tour to China’s Yangtze River. This morning I arrived in the city of Chongqing. My tour guide Violet was waiting for me when I arrived at the airport. She took me to my own personal car, and driver, which I thought was pretty cool. She took me to my hotel. I am staying at the Chongqing Holiday Inn, a four star hotel. I have never stayed in a four star hotel, and it is really nice. Everybody here is really friendly, and speaks really good English, which is a huge relief. I was really concerned about the language barrier. There was no need to fear though. After a little rest, I went to have Chongqing’s famous hot pot. Hot pot is a kind of fondue. It consists of a divided pot sitting over a gas burner. The larger section of the pot is filled with a spicy oil filled with many peppers and spicy spices. The other part is filled with a broth. Many vegetables, meats, and mushrooms are laid out on little plates, and the diner puts the different things into the oil, or broth, and cooks the food. Then the food is removed from the pot and put into a bowl of sauce which is a little sweet. Then the food is eaten. Since I am a lover of spicy food, I was really excited to try it. Violet and my driver took me to a local hot pot restaurant. She had called them in advance, and so the spread was all laid out waiting for me. It was a ton of food, easily enough for three or four people. She told me what each ingredient was, and then disappeared. After a while, I was wondering where she gone, and saw her sitting outside with my driver. I went outside and it turns out she went outside to let me eat in peace. Since there was so much food, and I didn’t think it was fair that she just sit outside and wait for me, I invited her and the driver to eat with me. They refused at first, but after some insisting, they sat down with me. We then had an absolutely fantastic meal. The food was so good, and it was wonderfully spicy. It was not just spicy for spicy’s sake, but really really delicious. We were all so stuffed. After, Violet took me to the Chongqing Guild house. A Guild house is kind of like a mix between a lodge hall, and a union headquarters. It was built during the Qing Dynasty, and is a huge complex of courtyards, parlors, temples, and opera stages. It was a really cool place. It is built on many different levels, with many doors, and hallways, and stairs. I could easily have gotten lost. Every square inch of the place is covered with dragons, phoenixes, and loins carved from stone, wood, and made of pottery. Violet took me through the intricate maze of passageways telling me what the different parlors and stages were used for. The peaks of the roofs are all made of glazed tiles in the shapes of mythological creatures, legendary characters, and of course the ever present lions, dragons, and phoenixes. After, the tour of the Guild hall, she took me to a tea house. It was conveniently located across the street from the Guild hall, and was built in a traditional Chinese style. It was a four story tall building with tile roofs, and beautiful lattice windows. Inside, they showed me different types of tea, and I was told how tea was picked, dried, and preserved. It is an amazingly intricate process. All of the hundreds of types of different Chinese teas come from the same species of tree. It is the processing that makes them so different. I am used to English Breakfast teas, but I’ve never had anything like these. Each type of tea leaf looked so different, and smelled really wonderful. The girls who were wearing traditional style clothing showed me the Chinese tea ceremony. It is called Kung fu Tea in Chinese because of the beautiful movements made while brewing the tea. They had some beautiful tea pots, and some tea cups, and I bought some to take home. It’ll be kinda cool to show my friends back in the states the tea ceremony. I was still wiped out after my flight, so I went back to my hotel room for a nap, and a little R and R. For dinner I was taken to another restaurant that specialized in Chongqing local cuisine. The restaurant was three floors tall. We sat on a huge balcony on the third floor overlooking the Yangtze River. It was just getting dark, and it was really fun to watch all of the tall buildings start to light up. Across the river, is the downtown area, so the buildings are all covered with lights that moved, and flashed. Really cool to see. The weather was beautiful, as we ate out food out on the balcony. Each dish brought out, was beautiful, and spicy, but each spice was completely different. One dish consisted of large flat noodles covered in a rich brown spicy sauce, one was a fish in a light spicy sauce. I could keep going, on and on about it. The food was just wonderful! After dinner, I returned to my hotel, where I walked around a bit, and took a long shower. Tomorrow, I will visit some more sites in Chongqing until I am taken to my boat for my Yangtze River Cruise.
Day 2
I had an amazing second day on my China Tour. I woke up early, and went down to the hotel’s restaurant for the breakfast buffet. It was really good. It had a huge assortment of Western breakfast and Chinese dishes. At 9:00 Violet met me and took me to the CiQi Kou ancient city streets. It is an area in Chongqing City which still has its Ming and Qing Dynasty houses and shops. The name means “Porcelain Village”. We first stopped in an ancient courtyard home. It was really beautiful and peaceful. Violet explained to me how people in the Qing Dynasty lead their daily lives as we went from room to room. The house consisted of many rooms located around a main courtyard. The courtyard had a couple old trees, some large stone water vats with water plants, and goldfish. It was a really quiet and peaceful oasis in the bustling city. Each room in the house was filled with beautiful antique furniture, and examples of ancient clothing. The bedroom was especially interesting. The giant bed, which was covered in carvings, actually had its own little foyer. Hanging from the ceiling was a flat wooden framework covered with fans. By pulling on the rope the framework swung back and forth, and worked as a sort of primitive air conditioning system. I wouldn’t want the job of tugging on the rope for hours though. We then walked down the ancient cobblestone streets. There were many different shops selling everything from local snacks, and candies to silk clothing, and scarves. The coolest candies I saw, was two different little stands. One was a man making candies from heated syrup. A customer spins a needle. The needle can stop at a number of different traditional auspicious animals. The man would pour the liquid syrup onto a piece of marble, and make it into the shape of the chosen animal. They were really cool, and artistic. I had to buy one, and felt guilty eating it, but I did eat it. The other was another form of candy. The woman would make a ball of candy syrup, and stick a bamboo straw into it. She then blew into the straw which inflated the candy syrup. She could form it into a large number of different animals. I had to try one of them as well. Both candies were really different, and really delicious. Violet told me that these forms of candies have been popular for hundreds of years. The ancient shops were very pretty. After we visited the ancient city streets, we went to the Eling Park. It was a really pretty park. The highest point in the park is actually the highest point in Chongqing City, with a pagoda on the top. The park is filled with trees, flowers, beautiful rocks. It is like a very large garden. I went to a small Three Gorges museum. It is very simple, but gives a good idea of what I will see during my cruise down the Yangtze River. The shop connected to the museum had a lot of very nice things. Not cheap touristy things, but actual art. There is a large selection of paintings. In another room, a woman demonstrated the local Shu Embroidery. She showed me how the embroidery is created. They were really beautiful. Another section demonstrated painting inside snuff bottles. An artist takes a clear crystal snuff bottle, and paints a beautiful scene from the inside by using very small brushes with the bristles bent at a 90 degree angle. It took an incredibly steady hand. The paintings are painted in reverse from a normal painting. For example, a person’s facial features and hair are painted before the skin is. The designs on the clothing is painted before the clothing itself is. I was really impressed by the artistry that the demonstrated possessed. I had to buy a couple for gifts for my family. At the top of the parks peak sits a pagoda built in the 1980’s. Although it is built in a modern style, and covered with tiles, it is kinda cool to see a modern version of an ancient structure. After the park, we went to lunch. We stopped at a local restaurant and had a variety of wonderfully spicy dishes. I really love the food here! After lunch, we headed to the Chongqing Great Hall of the People. It is a really cool building! It is built in a traditional style, which kind of looks like the Temple of Heaven in Beijing. Across from the Great Hall of the People was the Chongqing Museum. We then headed to the Chongqing Zoo. Home to at least six different pandas, it is a very large zoo. I saw an amazing collection of birds. Some of them were covered in neon colors. We then headed to another restaurant for dinner. Again, it was a large selection of amazing foods. I never had the same dish twice. Each one was really wonderful. We then went to the city center to look around before heading to the docks to board my ship. My China Regal Cruise ship is the Princess Sheena. It is huge. It can hold over 300 people. I was welcomed onboard by a live band, and then I was taken to my cabin. It is small, but very clean, and well designed. It has a TV, and a refrigerator, as well as a bathroom, and plenty of storage space. The ship is like a floating hotel. It has a music bar, workout room, saunas, massage parlors, gift shops, sun decks, restaurants, and a business center. It is very clean, and every crew member speaks fantastic English. After settling into my room, and a quick shower, I went to the music bar. The bar had a number of Westerners. I ordered a couple of drinks, which they did not skimp on. I met a couple of Americans, and a couple from Wales. It was very nice. I am now back in my cabin and getting ready for bed.
Day 3
I had another awesome day today! This morning I was wakened by music being piped into my room. It was beautiful traditional Chinese music called “Butterfly Lovers Concerto”. This morning the ship had a Taiji class. It was really interesting. I’m sure we all did it completely wrong, but it was still fun and very peaceful. I think I am going to sign up for a class when I get home. After, I went to breakfast. It was quite a spread. It was buffet style. It was a combination of Western and Chinese food. I ate too much. I worked it off though later in the day. After breakfast, we had a safety, orientation, and river briefing. Immediately afterward there was a Traditional Chinese Medicine demonstration by the ship’s doctor. He talked about the differences between Chinese and Western medicines. He then talked about the concept of Chinese traditional medicines, and talked about acupuncture and massage therapy. I was really impressed with his professionalism, and presentation. Apparently the doctor has been this ship’s doctor for over ten years. He showed us different points on the body which can help different kinds of headaches. It really seemed to work. When the doctor and his assistant showed us where they were, and then walked around helping us make sure we had the right points. I often suffer from eye strain headaches, and when the doctor rubbed on the point to fight eyestrain headaches, I felt my headache disappear. He then demonstrated acupuncture on the Welsh man I had met the night before. He stuck a needle in the man’s leg, and the guy said he felt no pain at all. I often suffer from tendonitis in my elbow, so after the demonstration when the doctor opened the floor to questions, I asked about it. He felt my arm and immediately found the problem. I figured I would make an appointment and see what acupuncture was really like. After that, a woman came out to talk about Chinese Herbal Facial Demonstration. I listened to a little bit and thought if I was worried about getting a facial, it would have been really interesting. I then went outside only to find that the ship had set sail. I hadn’t even felt it. I was really surprised. We were under way, and I had no idea. I guess sea sickness would never be a problem onboard one of these ships. After taking a few photos, I went down to lunch. It was another buffet lunch and again, it was really good. I was surprised at the variety, and quality of it. After, I went back to my cabin for a bit of a rest. In the afternoon, we went to Fengdu “Ghost City”. We disembarked, and our guide led us up a lot of stairs. I mean a lot. There were chairs available for people to ride up. The chairs were mounted on two long bamboo poles and with a man in front, and a man in back, the rider was quickly brought up the steps. I walked by the way. At the top of the hill, we took an electric car up to the base of the large temple system that is the Ghost City. The Ghost City is a series of temples, dedicated to reminding people to be good. Each beautiful temple visited while climbing the mountain, had many tests to judge whether a person was good, or evil. The guide explained it really well, and it was quite interesting to learn about this temple complex. At the top of the hill was the temple dedicated to the king of the underworld. He is not a bad buy like in the west, but a judge of whether a person is worthy to go to heaven. Of course if deemed not worthy, he will be tortured for all eternity. My appointment to see the doctor was scheduled after, so I went to his office and received acupuncture, and massage therapy. The many needles stuck into my arm did not hurt at all actually. The doctor stuck them into my arm almost two inches, and I didn’t feel it. I had to look down to see if he had actually stuck them into me. After he removed them, I received a massage. The whole process took over an hour, and I definitely felt better after. The doctor showed me where to massage my arm, and said to do it twice a day. I will definitely do that. I had dinner after my visit to the doctor, and it was again delicious. In the evening, the ships had a show called “Sheena Follies”. It consisted of songs, and dances performed by the ship’s crew members. The show started with six girls dressed in beautiful traditional qipao. They were beautiful. They danced very gracefully. When they finished dancing, one of them played a Chinese musical instrument called a Guzheng. It sounded so beautiful, and the graceful movements of the girl playing just added to the beauty. Then three girls danced a minority dance with traditional hats. After them, a group of chefs came out and danced a really funny dance portraying what they do in the kitchen. After, Candy, the girl bartender I met last night, sang a song during the show. She sang really beautifully! Then a Xingzhang province dance was done to traditional music. After the performance, I went to the bar, where Candy was already working behind the bar. She says she just sings for a hobby. She could probably do it professionally. There are four people who work in the bar, and yesterday I met them and talked to them a bit, and today, they all have remembered my name, and make a point of greeting me every time they see me. I am really impressed by the crew on this ship. They really go out of their way to be friendly and helpful. After, I headed back to my room, where I am now, and took a shower.
Day 4
Today was another wonderful day. I woke up early this morning, because we were going to pass through the first of the three gorges at 7:00 am. We all met on the observation deck, and our tour guide told us what we saw. We first entered the Qutang Gorge. The gorges were quite beautiful as they rose up on either side of the boat. The rock formations and rock patterns were amazing. We passed many different temples nestled high up on the mountains, and many villages. After we went down to have our breakfast. After breakfast we passed through the second gorge known as Wu Gorge. After, we went out for our second excursion. We went to a place called Shennong Stream. Our boat docked and we transferred to a smaller boat. When on the smaller boat, we rode down a tributary of the Yangtze River. The mountains on either side of the boat were much closer than on the Yangtze River. There were many monkeys and birds in the trees along the river, and local villagers riding their simple wooden boats down the river. As we rode down the river, the local Tuziang minority girls, who were acting as our tour guides informed us what we were passing, and telling us of the local legends surrounding the different mountains and caves. They also pointed out the hanging coffins located in the cliff caves. Now, they are only about 5 meters above water, but originally, they were over 60 meters above the water level. They were put in the caves over 2,000 years ago. Nobody knows how these coffins were moved up the sheer cliffs. When we reached a junction in the river, we docked, and were transferred to small wooden boats called pea pod boats. They are manned by a crew of 5. 3 men were located in the front, and 2 in the back. The men in the front road oars by using their whole body. The oars are about 3 meters long, and required a lot of strength to operate. In the back of the boat one man worked the oars, and the other handled the rudder. It was a really interesting experience. They worked so hard. I felt guilty sitting down while they worked so hard. Our guide talked about the local minority groups, and the different gorges, and trees we saw. She was really knowledgeable and told great stories. When we reached a shallow area of the gorge, we pulled up alongside of the bank, and the three men in the front jumped out. They were wearing sandals made of rice grass. They wore them because they will not slip on the rocks on the bank. They were pulling on a rope made of braided bamboo. They used this to pull the boat through the shallow water. It was really funny to watch these guys work. They kidded with each other, and seemed to be having a lot of fun with what must have been really strenuous work. The men were called trackers. When we turned around to head back, the guide told us about the local Tuziang people’s love for singing. To express their love for each other, they would sing to each other. If they could not sing well, they could not find a date. Our guide sand a local song for us. She sang really beautifully. When she finished, one of the boatmen sang a song. His song was really lively, and fun. I had no idea what they were singing about, but it was wonderful! Since our excursion down the Shennong Stream lasted several hours, the boat gave each of us a box lunch and a bottle of water to eat on the way. After lunch, I took a nap because I was really tired. The announcer said that we were entering the Three Gorges Dam Ship Lock, so I got up, and went to watch it. It is HUGE!!! We passed through the giant gates of the 5 stage locks with four other boats. The gates, which are the largest in the world, slowly closed, and the water in the lock we were in, was lowered to the level of the next lock. The next set of gates opened, and then we moved forward into that gate. This process was repeated until we reached the level of the river below the dam, which took about 2 hours. While we were in the locks, the crew had another party for us. We all went up onto the Sundeck. The crew is really talented, one of the crew members played the saxophone beautifully, and Candy who sang the last night sang an English song tonight. They had many different games. I was in the musical chairs, which I did not win, but was laughing the whole time. It was a lot of fun. After the party, I went to the music bar, and talked with the bartenders for a while. They are really friendly, and a joy to talk to. After the boat got through the locks, it docked near the Three Gorges Dam. There were many different cruise ships lined up. I visited a couple of them, and it looks like I have the best one. It seems the best designed, and the best looking. After I called my wife, who I miss terribly, I started to write this journal.
Day 5
I woke up early today to the Butterfly Lovers Concerto that was piped into my room, and then went down to breakfast. After breakfast, we disembarked to visit the Three Gorges Dam. We boarded a bus, and our guide started talking about the dam. Not just the specifications, but the little city that was built around it by the people creating the dam. We passed many empty factories and storage facilities that were all used in the Three Gorges Dam’s creation. It is amazing how large these areas are. We then went to an area overlooking the back of the dam, and our guide described how everything worked. This dam has many world firsts. It is the largest dam in the world, with the largest ship locks, and the largest hydroelectric generators. I took a lot of photos. It was a little foggy around the dam, and it made for some cool photos. We then went to another area between the ships locks and the dam itself. Riding through the locks, it was hard to see how truly large they are, but from looking down at them from the observation area really showed me how big that place is. It is so huge! We then went to look at a model of the dam, and the surrounding area that better explained exactly what goes on there. We then went to the area overlooking the front of the dam. It is so tall. From there, I could not only see the dam, but the surrounding areas. We then all boarded our bus, and headed back to the boat. On our way back to our boat, we passed an ancient temple that I went in. The temple was very simple, but beautiful. In one of the outer buildings, there were some remains from the 2,000 year old hanging coffins. There were two bodies from the coffins that had been amazingly well preserved. They still had their hair. Their clothing was also on display, it looked like it could have been made yesterday. Everything was there, from their hats, to their socks and shoes. They were a bit disgusting, but really interesting. We then boarded our ship, and passed through the Xiling Gorge. This gorge was the most beautiful because the water level had not been raised because it is located in front of the dam. We could see many small villages and farms along the river banks. There were many temples, and pavilions located in the mountains. We saw one temple that was built next to a natural stone cave. It was so high. I have no idea how ancient people could have gotten the construction materials that high up into the mountains. They were really ingenious people. After riding through the Xiling Gorge, we then headed to the Gezhou Dam, which is a large dam on the Yangtze River, but much smaller than the Three Gorges Dam. We went through its lock. We then headed to Yichang City, where we docked. We are unable to make it all the way to Wuhan because the river level is too low, so tomorrow, we will board a bus to Wuhan. After lunch, I went to the Captain’s bridge. It was really cool to see how this huge ship is controlled from a small room. I also met the girl who has been making the announcements throughout the cruise. She was very sweet. I then went to another performance done by some of the crew members. It was an introduction to Chinese Folk Dances. The crew introduced us to the different minority groups, and the clothing that they wear. They then demonstrated the different dances done by them. It was really fun to watch these beautiful people in their brightly colored clothing dancing and singing. After the show, I went down to the dining room, to learn how to play Mahjong. I am used to the computer version, where you click on matching tiles, but the real game is really much different. It is kind of like playing rummy, but with tiles. It is really easy to learn, but addicting to play. I am going to buy a set to take back with me because it was so much fun. I then went back to my cabin for a rest. Our ship docked in the city of Yichang because the water level is too low for our ship to cruise all the way to Wuhan. We docked next to my ship’s sister ship the Princess Jeannie. I got a chance to walk around it. They are pretty much identical, but their bar had ice cream. Ours did not, which is probably a good thing. In the evening, I went to eat dinner, where Alex, one of the bartenders, made a point of visiting me and asking how my day was. They pulled out all the stops for this last dinner. It was fantastic! Lots of foods, and it was all wonderful. I think I ate too much. After dinner, we had a farewell show. It was a performance by crew members, and guests. There was karaoke, dancing, singing, games, and beautiful girls in more minority costumes. I really enjoyed these performances. There were not silly, or poorly rehearsed, but really quite nice. After the show, I went down to the bar to relax. After the bar, I went to my room to relax a bit. I later headed down to dinner. Yesterday, most of the Chinese groups left the ship, so we went down to the smaller dining room. It is nice because we could all sit at very large round tables, and share our experiences. Most of us brought our laptops, and shared our photos of our trip. I think one of the nicest things about the cruise, was the people I met. I have met some wonderful people from all over the world, and we have had a lot of fun sharing this experience. I will keep in touch with many of them long after I have returned to the states. After dinner I came back to my cabin to get some sleep. I am really worn out.
Day 6
This morning I woke early to the sounds of the Butterfly Lovers Concerto. I need to get a copy of it. I really like it. This morning we had a wonderful breakfast. It was the best I have had on the ship. It was buffet again, but the foods were really top notch. After breakfast, we disembarked to head to our bus to Wuhan. The ship’s brass band played “Auld Langsyne” for us. I will really miss the people onboard. I really made a lot of friends there. Our bus to Wuhan took four hours, and most of it was through the countryside. I took so many photos of water buffalos. They just look so picturesque. Seeing them wading in the rice paddies with their farmers looked like something out of a painting. It was a scene that I don’t think has changed for hundreds of years. On our way it started to rain, which made the photos even more beautiful. When we arrived in Wuhan, we said our final goodbyes. I will really miss the people I have met during our journey. My personal guide Harry was waiting for me outside the bus with my own private car. I was then driven to the Holiday Inn Tian An Wuhan. It was a very nice place with a huge lobby. The bellboy helped me get my luggage up to my room, which has grown considerably in weight. I have bought a ton of books! The room was much larger than the one I had in Chongqing. He then asked me where I would like to go, and since I have never been here, I asked him what he suggested. He said that the Yellow Crane Tower was the symbol of the city, so we headed there. Our driver took us to the entrance. It turns out that the Yellow crane tower is the centerpiece of a huge park area located on Snake Mountain. The park complex is really big, and really beautiful! The park has many different little pavilions, and buildings nestled on the mountain. Each building seems to have its own pond, or stream, and is filled with flowering trees, and beautiful bamboos. It is a really beautiful place. Since there was a light misting of rain, everything looked clean and fresh. I really enjoyed it. In one of the buildings, there is a performance played on a set of giant bronze bells. It was really cool. On the stage there was a giant set of bronze bells hanging on a wooden frame, along with a large drum, a set of chimes made of stone, and a zither. The performers who were all dressed in period costumes performed music on them. The sound was unlike anything I had ever heard before. They played several ancient tunes, and one modern western one. The Yellow Crane Tower itself is located on the peak of the mountain. It was square, not round like I thought most pagodas were. It was really big. I think it was six stories. I got to climb to the top. The views of the park were really nice. I think I went at the right time, because all of the plants and trees were in bloom, and the different fragrances could be smelled throughout the park. It was really nice. After the Yellow Crane Tower I went to dinner with Harry. We had local food. We had a dish made with tea and tofu. It was really good. Apparently, they soak the tofu in tea before cooking it. The tofu in China is very different than tofu back home. In the states, the tofu is very soft, and gooey, whereas in China, it can be hard, or firm, smoked, or have the texture of meat. It was really good. After dinner, I went back to my room to write this, and go to sleep. Harry told me tomorrow he will take me to visit the Hubei Provincial Museum. I can’t wait to see that.
Day 7
This morning I got to sleep in until 7:00. I then went to the hotel’s buffet breakfast. It was really fantastic! They had everything I could have ever imagined, and it was all very well done. I had steak and eggs with sausage and bacon, and ham, and many juices. I made a pig of myself, but I couldn’t help it. After breakfast, I met Harry in the lobby to go to the Hubei Provincial Museum. My private car and driver was waiting outside. It was really nice to have the same driver and car for each day. It was kind of comforting. I found out that the museum had opened in November of 2007, so was brand new. It consists of three buildings around a central courtyard. The courtyard features pools, plants, and pathways. It was very nice. The museum itself is very modern in design, but has Chinese elements to it. It was well designed. Each floor of the main building has four to six permanent exhibition halls, and the other two building feature non-permanent exhibits. The exhibits themselves were unbelievable, and the layout of them was some of the best I have ever seen anywhere in the world. The displays were very well lit, and each artifact was labeled in Chinese, English, and Korean. There are exhibitions on Chinese porcelain, calligraphy, painting, prehistoric man and animals found in Hubei. The most impressive part of the museum was the exhibits on several tombs found in Hubei Province. The preservation of the several thousand year old artifacts was astounding. If I had seen these things in an antique shop, I would have laughed at how obviously new they were. The wooden objects were as well preserved as bronze and stone ones. The bronze bells that I had heard played yesterday at the Yellow Crane Tower Park were copies of the original ones which are located in the museum. The instrument is not only huge, but extremely beautiful. It is a work of art. Apparently, it took up to five people to play it. The wooden framework is covered with bronze pieces which are very intricate, and simply gorgeous. It is the pride of the museum. They were uncovered from the tomb of the Marquis Yi of Zhen, don’t ask me how I remember that. They had keyboards set up, somain visitors could hear what the instrument sounds like. I played chopsticks on it. A little silly, for such an amazing instrument, but that is the extent of my musical ability. I did buy a cd of the bells in the museum bookstore. They sound really cool. After we left the museum, we went out to lunch at a local restaurant, and headed off to the airport for my flight to Beijing, and then back to Chicago.
Advertisement
Tot: 0.162s; Tpl: 0.013s; cc: 12; qc: 60; dbt: 0.0827s; 1; m:domysql w:travelblog (10.17.0.13); sld: 1;
; mem: 1.2mb
Eileen
non-member comment
Your report on the cruise is enlightening as we start out on Sunday next for 6 days and 7nights.Your Harry sounds the same person we have been dealing with - worried about getting up those steps at the Ghost City!