China # 15 Yangtze river Episode 3 Three Gorges Dam

This enormous dam is an amazing engineering feat and it's very difficult from the pictures here to actually convey the depth of these locks. Before we actually sailed through the lock system we were taken to the visitors centre to see the model of the dam and learn a little of it's history. We had also hoped to see views of the dam. Unfortunately this was the wettest of days and it was very misty so the views were almost non-existent. Below leaving the safety of the boat.
Nevertheless, we appreciated the mammoth task it had been to build this dam. It has been quite a controversial project because of the displacement of over a million people, the flooding of archaeological sites and the changes to the ecology. If you are interested you can read more about Three Gorges Dam
Below is a (not very good) merge of two halves of the model, but it will give you an idea of the size of the area involved.
Below is a model of the ship locks that we went through, it takes several hours to get through all the locks.These are some of the sights we saw at the centre

I was not as brave as some so didn't make it the top in the rain. We gathered afterwards that the weather is nearly always wet in this area.Below view of the dam.I think everyone was glad to get back aboard the boat and dry out.
It was then time to sail through the locking system.It was a fascinating process.
Once the huge gates are closed it actually only took about eight minutes to fill the locks and despite the rain we all made sure we were out on deck to watch the process but only for the first couple of times, it was then inside to the warmth and comfort of the lounge area.
I'm not sure if these pictures will convey the size of these locks. As the boat enters the lock you feel quite small with the sides towering some 180+ feet above you. It really is amazing to see the boats rising so quickly once the lock fills with water. The fact that this actually takes less than ten minutes is even more amazing!
It took quite a lot of skill to pack as many boats as possible alongside the cruise ships.This temple was close to where we boarded the boat, we didn't have time to look inside but it did look well cared for and somehow out of place alongside market stalls (sorry poor picture taken from a video).The rain did eventually stop and once through the locks it back to the scenery.
Despite the weather it was a memorable day and I've enjoyed sharing it with you all..

Archives:
2008: Witty Wednesday-62
2007: Fun Monday-31

China # 11 Yangtze River Cruise part 1

The four nights (but really three days) that we spent on the Yangtze River was another memorable part of my trip to China. The river originates from a trickling spring on the Quighai Plateau in Tibet and it then travels over 6,300km where it runs into the ocean at Shanghai. It is estimated that more than 10% of the world population live alongside its banks. This is really amazing when you think about it. Many people are living by clearing and cultivating the land, and fishing in the same way they have done for generations.

We flew from Shanghai to Yichang and then transferred to our cruise ship by coach where we spent four nights cruising down the Yangtze. Before we set sail we visited the dam project site and this was the only wet day that we experienced. We then sailed through Xiling Gorge, the site for the Three Gorges Dam Project (I'll cover that on a different post). The pictures below are just a selection taken as we sailed through the various gorges enjoying the beautiful scenery.This is a couple of photos of our cruise ship, 'The Blue Whale'. It was actually very comfortable, the cabins were not as small as we were led to believe and they were serviced twice a day. However they managed that much laundry twice a day is a mystery to me, but I'm not complaining.As well as lots of cruise boats you also see boats of all shapes and sizes as a lot of cargo is moved on the river including coal for the industries that border the river.
We passed many villages along the river. We passed under quite a few different styles of bridges as you can see below.
This hotel could be reached by cable car or by climbing masses of steps. I know which method I would use!Above is an unfinished 5 star hotel overlooking Fengdu. Apparently they ran out of money but personally I think it looks hideous. Just found another view and it still doesn't look right.

If anyone has managed to plough through all these photos, I hope I have managed to give you a taste of the scenery we saw as we sailed along the Yangtze. You might have noticed in a couple of the shots how the sides of the mountains have been terraced and cultivated. We saw pagodas that looked as though they were perched high in the trees (paths not visible from the river). We saw monkeys feeding on rocks, we heard rather than saw the parrots that frequent one area. We also saw the industrial areas where factories belched out fumes and other places coal was being loaded down shoots into barges.
In some areas the cloud descended but for most parts of the day it was really sunny and warm so it was an enjoyable cruise.

Are you fed up with yet there's a lot more to come!

Archives:
2008: Award
2007: Arriving in Toronto