Destinations

May 14, 2005
I am really enjoying Guilin even though it is a hot and humid. I would not want to be around here during the summer. They say temps easily rise to over 100 F. I had a hard time just walking around the city.

There was an optional tour in the morning to a farm to see how they make Rice Wine.
Allan and I decided to take it easy and do some walking. As much as I enjoy everyone in the group it is nice to get a little time alone.

As Allan and I walked along the river, an elderly gentleman talked to us so he could practice his English. Turn out that he teaches at the local university and writes for a local newspaper. He once went to NY to interview a Nobel Prize winner. He also boasted about how he saw the Clinton’s with his own eyes when they came to Guilin.

Allan and I enjoyed watching the locals washing their clothes, swimming, bathing and fishing in the local river.

Elephant Trunk Hill
The group got back together and headed off to Elephant Trunk Hill which located on the west bank of the Li River, the hill resembles a huge elephant standing on the bank of the river, sucking up water with its long trunk.

May 13th, 2005

It was late when we arrived in Guilin the night before.  We didn’t get to see much as we drove into the city but our impression was that Guilin was a nice area and a little more tropical.

We headed out to take a cruise on the Li River. As the bus headed to the river, we could see that there was a lot of farms with rice, lotus, tea, green beans, grapes, and water buffalo, surrounded by plumes of bamboo and occasional brick houses with black tiled roofs. In the distance, we could see the limestone covered mountains in interesting formations. The guide explained the area was once undersea making the landscape one of the most dramatic landscapes in China.

After boarding the boat, we set sail and enjoyed the scenery.

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Joseph W. Stilwell

May 12, 2005

Our river cruise ended in Chongqing, China’s largest city with over 31.6 million people. It was the capital of China during WWII and as we drove into the city, the tour guide pointed out caves within the city that were used as bomb shelters. At first, I was not impressed by Chongqing, most of the city appears to be in a state of neglect. Although the temperature was warm, there was a constant fog making it difficult to see beyond a few city block and from what I heard, that is normal. Just as I was beginning to wonder why 31.6 million people live there, the bus took another turn and we found beautiful shopping areas and nice restaurants. Not sure I would venture back there but Chongqing will be remembered in my mind as the city of extremes.

After saying goodbye to the MV Dragon crew members we headed out to the Joseph Stilwell Residence and the Flying Tiger Museum which is across the street from the Stilwell residence. I had tried researching this before I left and didn’t come up with a lot of information on the residence or museum and I didn’t know what to expect, both turned out to be a pleasurable experience. The residence and museum have a lot of pictures and information about WWII, Stilwell and the Flying Tigers.

Interestingly enough, as I entered the General Joseph Stilwell Residence, someone recognized me from Los Angeles who was on another tour group. It really is a small world.

General Joseph Stilwell (1883-1946) commanded all US armed forces in the China-India-Burma Theater in WWII and lived in Chongqing from 1942-1945. He led the Chinese troops to defeat the Japanese invaders.

The house was filled with information regarding Stilwell, his Chinese wife and the missions he was involved in during WWII. Chongqing was China’s capital at that time and the Japanese had cut off the supply routes from India. Stilwell had supplies flown over the Himalayas (known as the Hump flights) and eventually regained control of the Burma Road.

The Chinese considered General Joseph Stilwell a friend, He studied the language, and did a lot to promote the diplomatic relationships between US and China.

The house has the original furniture donated by Stilwell’s wife. At the center of the house was the center of US Military missions. Wouldn’t it have been interesting to have been a fly on that wall during the war?

May 12, 2005

We headed to the Chongqing Zoological Gardens. It is a zoo and we could not come all the way to China without seeing a panda.

May 11, 2005
The Chinese believe that when you die, your soul goes to the netherworld or purgatory. The spirit would go through a series of events prior to the final sentence. The pure spirits would be rewarded and the sinful ones would be tortured. Different sins would warrant different tortures. The temples in Fengdu focus on the theme of ghost worship and images of the soul passing through purgatory to the final judgment. Fengdu dates back to more than 2000 years ago.

Getting to the top of Fengdu was an effort, over 800 stairs to the top, and it had rained prior to our arrival making it was hot and steamy. I must admit that this wasn’t the highlight of the tour but it wasn’t bad either.

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May 9/10, 2005
We set sail up the Yangtze after passing through the Three Gorge Dam locks.  It was hazy in the morning but burned off by noon.  The sites were amazing and it just kept getting better and better with every turn.  I noticed that most of the travelers were fully engaged with the view, there wasn’t anyone reading in the lounge.  We have been fortunate with the weather throughout the tour and today was picture perfect.  I knew the pictures wouldn’t do just justice and of course, they don’t.

There was plenty of discussion of what this was going to look like in a few years.  The dam should make the river rise another 40 meters up.  How much of this would be left?

On May 10th we boarded smaller boats to head into smaller gorges followed by once again boarding even small boats to view the lesser gorges.  It was magical.

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May 9, 2005

That evening it was the official Captain’s Welcome reception followed by dinner. I was really impressed on how well everyone dressed, we were used to seeing each other in dressed for site-seeing in various weather conditions. Everyone looked very nice, including the MV Dragon Crew.

Claire and Blanca

Laura and MIchael

Michael, Laura, Blanca, Claire, Me and Allan (Left to right)

John and Margaret arrive, Margaret wearing her new “I just went to China Jacket!”

John and Margaret pose for a picture

John and Margaret

Blanca, Claire, Me, Allan, Margaret and John

Mina (Left), Linda and her husband Rodney arrive

Naresh, Nayan, Sury, Mina and Linda (Left to right)

Lourdes, Victoria and Maria

Krystal (the cruise director) and the captain.

Michael, Laura, Blanca, Claire, Me, Allan and Margaret

Michael and Laura

Linda and Betty

Betty and her husband

Group Shot

Blanca

Me in front of the Three Gorges Dam

May 9, 2005

Chang Jiang (Long River), better known a the Yangtze river, is the longest river in China (third in the world). The Three Gorges Dam will change the river forever. It first started operating in 2003 and will be complete in 2009. When it is complete, it will be the largest dam in the world with 26 Hydro generators. It will help control flooding and provide enough electricity for half of the country.

Our local dam guide, Edward, took us to see what will be the world’s largest dam. He also explained that he was one of the 1.3 billion people who are being relocated since the water will rise to 175 meters above sea level (currently under 150). After our tour, we would pass through the five locks and as we traveled up the river we could see water markings indicating that 150 and 175 meters.

Needless to say, the Gorges will become a shadow of what they are today and many of the cities we saw will be moved to higher grounds. As our dam guide Edward explained, for some people, the dam is a good thing while for others, they don’t want to move.

Edward, our dam guide

First set of locks

Locks on an upper level

May 8th, 2005
I Left Shanghai and flew to Yichang via Shanghai air. Our lunch consisted of dried pork, dried plums, peanuts, walnuts and a Bean Roll. It wasn’t great but considering what we get on US Domestic flights, it wasn’t bad. When we arrived in Yichang it was hot and humid. We boarded the MV Dragon River Boat and checked into our room.

I had hoped that we would be on the Dragon Boat as opposed to one of the other more modern and generic riverboats but when I first boarded I had my doubts. Ornate woodwork, almost to the point of being gaudy, lamps with red tassels that hit me in the face as I walked through the common areas; I wondered if it wasn’t a little much. After an hour on-board, I realized that we were on the right ship and the atmosphere added to the adventure.

The boat was built for 489 people and our small tour group was the first to arrive.  The other groups didn’t arrive until the next day.  It was kind of creepy with a large dining room with our group occupying the corner of the dining room.  There were floors of unoccupied rooms and empty hallways.  It felt like a ghost ship. At dinner, we joked about having a murder mystery weekend or assembling to tell Ghost stories.

May 7th, 2005

We arrived at the City wall and Panmen Water Gate and were greeted by the locals selling the usual tourist gifts. “Hello!, Have a looky…… Looky! Looky!, one dolla!” as we were serenaded by various Chinese instruments playing Happy Birthday to you and other obnoxious American Songs.

The Suzhou City wall and the Panmen Gate were first constructed in 514 B.C. The one present today was rebuilt in 1351. There is both a land and water gate that protected the city. Originally there were eight pairs of these gates, there is only one remaining.

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