deel 2

Friday 10 May 2019

We get up at 8 and have breakfast at the hotel. After breakfast we walk to Bike Asia to pick up our bikes. We want to do a bike ride through the valley of the Yulong river. For Erik there is a 23 inch model, for me a 21 ”. We first cycle to the Starbucks for coffee. Then we head for the Yulong River. We ride on cycle routes along tiny canals, through forests and through rice fields. After an hour we arrive at the Yulong and follow it more or less in the direction of the Jinlong bridge. The landscape is beautiful with beautiful overgrown mountains and rice fields in which the farmers are working. Cattle provide the power for plowing. We let the drone take off a few times to make beautiful images of the karst mountains, the rice fields and the Yulong river. At one point this leads a group of women passing by on the scooter taking an interest. They make selfies with us in the background.

We get off our bikes at the Jinlong bridge. The lady from Bike Asia is also there (coincidentally) and takes our bikes. They go on a truck to Xiatang. We first have lunch at an eatery. Rice noodles with duck and chicken for 20 Yuan (€2.40/US$2.65) for the both of us. Then we step on a bamboo raft with a punt, which takes us downstream. There are 5 rapids that we have to go through. Feet up or they will get wet! We slowly float down the river for about an hour and a half. We get out in Xiatang where our bikes are waiting for us. We buy the photo that was taken of us on the river. From XiaTang we follow the route that we came on, back to Yangshuo.

In the evening we first eat something from a street vendor. I take meat skewers and Erik a kind of Chinese falafel. After that we eat in a restaurant, but that was less of a success. A lot, but not especially tasty. We drink coffee at our regular address, a nice man a few blocks from our hotel, who always seems to have to look after his toddler daughter. The coffee takes a lot of time to make, but the friendliness of the cafe owner compensates a lot.

Weather: 26 degrees and sun

Saturday 11 May 2019

We We get up at 6.30 am and have breakfast as soon as the kitchen opens at 7.30. At 8 o'clock the taxi picks us up and takes us to the high speed train station of Yangshuo which is almost 30 km away at Xing Ping. It takes almost 50 minutes before we get there. This time the access to the station is a bit more relaxed. Only a passport and baggage check. Click here for a video about arrival and departure at Yangshuo station.
 It is a long train journey. We leave at 10:00 am and arrive in Chongqing West at 3:07 pm. That is a fairly large station, but we do not see any shops at all. We walk to the taxi stand in the underground parking. There is a long line of people waiting. We get our ride after about fifteen minutes waiting. The taxi ride to the port where the river ships depart from, for the three-day cruise on the Yangtze River takes about 50 minutes. The driver rushes through the traffic, making phone calls, singing songs and overtaking left and right. We arrive at the quay without any problems. Then the search for the right ship. We were told by telephone by the operator that the ship would be at Pier 3, but that is not the case. Turns out to be 6. We have to walk even further, as the even numbered piers are on the opposite side from the odd ones. There are two ships at pier 6, but we don't realize that and we're going on the wrong ship. The misunderstanding is clarified, and we are accompanied to the right ship, the Gold 7.

When we board there the staff is still getting  instruction – or being drilled - and we have to wait a while before we get the key to our cabin. It is a large ship with 6 decks. Around 5 p.m. we can unpack in our cabin. We booked the cruise through Travelchinaguide.com.

We buy a supplement for dinner, so that we get a private table in the VIP restaurant. Tonight there is no dinner, but we have some dried soup with us, on which we can pour hot water.
At 9.30 pm the Gold 7 sets off and our cruise starts. We sail through Chongqing, a modern and large city with lively illuminated signs and light shows on the facades of large buildings.

Weather: 25 degrees, cloudy. In Chongqin hazy.

Sunday 12 May 2019

We wake up when the ship arrives in Fengdu. This old city has disappeared under water as a result of the construction of the Three Gorges Dam. The new city has been rebuilt at a higher level. We go to the Ghost City, a sanctuary dedicated to the final judgment and the journey to hell or heaven. Once on land we go with electric cars to the entrance building. That is, like so often in China, very chaotic. The Chinese only think of themselves and do not want to wait for someone who's turn it is to get in. Eventually we all arrive at the main entrance. All that pushing does no one any good, but everyone is doing it. We quickly learn not to take part in the rat race. Our guide speaks some English, but it is not always easy to understand. We transfer to a cable car that takes us up to the temples and palaces. We are told a story about the sanctuary. One of the parts is a bridge that you have to cross. Guardians judge good and bad people. We may of course continue, otherwise would have been tipped off the bridge. A long series of temples follows with beautiful Buddha statues and also statues of guards, evil spirits and much more. The view over the Jangtze is also beautiful to see. The guide speaks through a microphone and a speaker, but all other guides do that too. A true cacophony of guides is the result. The Chinese visitors will not be very quiet either. At the end of the complexis a tower, the last point from which the dying people could see their surviving relatives. We also see here a gallery with statues that depict the torture, that the people have to endure, who have led a bad life. That looks horrible. After three hours we go down again.

We take a break and then it's time for lunch. In the afternoon there is the welcome party where the captain introduces himself and his officers. He speaks (in Chinese only) and brings out a toast. Then he walks around the room to toast with everyone. The next part is a dance performance by a members of the crew. The men in gala, the ladies in tutu. It looks a bit bizarre. All this is rounded off with a polonaise for everyone who feels like it.

Then it's time for the lottery. That is definitely our cue to go to the cabin. We take it easy and watch the landscape pass by. Around five o'clock we moor for the optional evening excursion. A light, song and dance show. We pass, because we've seen something like that in Yangshuo.

We dine in the VIP lounge again and order a wine. They do not have red wine, but they do have white wine, which is quite pricy, also for Dutch standards (€ 55). It is served lukewarm. Apparently, there is no real wine culture here yet.

Weather: 22 degrees. Rain showers in the morning. Dry later.

Monday 13 May 2019

After breakfast we can relax in the cabin. We do not participate in the optional morning excursion. Around noon we are summoned to the Sun Deck for a look at the first of the three gorges in the Yangtze River, the Qutang gorge. Unfortunately, it is raining, but it is a beautiful sight. Then we have lunch. We moor in Wuhan in the afternoon. There we transfer with an English speaking guide (Mike) to a smaller boat, which sails into a branch off the Yangtze through the Three Lesser Gorges. These are also very beautiful to see. On board it is a clamour of sound. Each group has its own guide with an amplifier. In addition, the boat also has a announcer, who is incredibly verbose. And the screaming Chinese passengers. Strangely enough, you do not hear anything of this on the right aisle, so we prefer to be there. We pass the hanging coffin, a coffin of an ancient culture, which, after death, hid its princes here in caves high in the mountains. After the third small gorge, the emerald-coloured gorge, we arrive at a jetty, where some of the passengers transfer to an even smaller boat for a trip through the mini gorges. We don't do that. In return, we get a soothing rest and enjoy the surroundings. When the crowd returns, the pandemonium starts again.

Back on board, our Gold 7 leaves soon. We get to see the second gorge, the Wu gorge. After this we have to go to the table again for dinner. This time not with two of us, but with seven others at a large round table. Fortunately, they have teamed us up with the most sedate and courteous Chinese people we have seen so far. One specialty after another is placed on a turntable in the middle of the table and you can turn your desired dish towards you and scoop it on your plate. If something runs out, a new dish is added without delay. The dinner only lasts 40 minutes, so we have to eat fast.
After dinner we have to pay for the drinks we had on the cruise. Then the party evening starts with the talent show. We pass up on that and retire to the cabin with the bottle of wine we saved from last night.

Weather: cloudy and rain showers. 19 degrees

Tuesday 14 May 2019

We get up early. Disembarkation awaits us after breakfast. Disembarkation is a complete chaos. Far too many people gather in the lobby area. We move to the buffet restaurant to await developments. Our English-speaking guide CiCi meets us there. After a while we can take a cable car from the pontoon to the quay, where buses are waiting for us. We find the right bus and take a seat. The drive to the Three Gorges Dam takes half an hour. The dam is a bold example of Chinese Civil Engineering. Construction started in 1993 and was not completed until 2003. Due to the dam, the water level in the Yangtze has risen by around 100 meters, so that entire cities have disappeared into the water. 1.3 million people had to be relocated. It is expected that within 10 to 15 years another 4 million people will have to relocate because the river banks  are calving off and more cities will disappear into the water. The river is now easier to navigate and the power plant supplies 22.5 GW of power and provides 3% of the total Chinese electricity consumption. Along the dam runs a two-way ship's ladder, for freight traffic. Each staircase has five locks. This was completed in 2015. The dam rises to 185 metres above sea level.
There is a good chance that the depositing of sediments will be disturbed and the reservoir will eventually clog up. Moreover, there is no longer any fertile sludge arriving in the lower reaches of the river. Finally, the flooded factories and homes pollute river water, which is no longer drinkable and also no longer suitable for swimming or fishing.
It is raining heavily and relentlessly. Cici does her best to keep the group together, which is not easy. It is very busy. First we have to go through a security check. Our suit cases must be taken out of the luggage compartment and run through the scanner. But we can leave prohibited items on the bus, such as knives and spray cans. My drone is intercepted in the scan and I am not allowed to take it with me. It will be kept in storage for the duration of the visit. A little later we are on the bus again and so are the knives and spray cans! Then to the viewpoint for the ship's ladder. From there we go with an electric car to the viewpoint for the dam itself. There again a chaos with people who want to be photographed with the dam and locals who sell food. Finally, we go back to the main building and I get my drone back. From there it is an hour's drive to Yichang, where we are dropped off at the Tour Center. What now? We cross the road to the Wanda Plaza, where we eat at McDonald’s. Followed a cup of coffee. It has now become dry. We are walking towards the riverbank. There we see a Crowne Plaza hotel. We decide to have a drink there. Inside it appears that a room only costs 500 RMB (€ 70), so we rent one for the day. What a luxury for so little. We rest and dry up.

Half past five we eat at the hotel. The taxi arrives at eight o'clock and takes us to the airport. It is a journey of approximately 40 minutes. We were quickly checked in at the airport. Then a thorough security check follows before we arrive in the departure hall. There the waiting starts. It is around 9 p.m. and the flight is scheduled for 11:50 p.m. Eventually the flight was delayed by half an hour and we can leave with the last flight from Yichang. The flight by Sichuan Airlines to Chengdu is quite stormy. Lots of turbulence. Not all passengers are equally disciplined. Some get up when we are still taking off. Even in descent and taxiing in Chengdu there are a few who stand up and want to pack their things. Around 2am we have our luggage off the belt and we can walk to the airport hotel. That's a quite a chore. We think we found it, but that turns out to be the wrong Airport hotel. There is another one. After half an hour we are in the rather basic room. Quickly into bed and sleep.

Weather: lots of rain. 16 degrees

 

Wednesday 15 May 2019

At half past seven we are awake and we have breakfast. It is busy at breakfast. It is not very special. We are brought back by a shuttle bus to terminal 1 of the airport, where the take the metro into the city.

WeWe have to transfer three times and then end up at the Holiday Inn Oriental Plaza . The room is nice and spacious. We take a rest and then head for the Renmin Park or the People's Park of Chengdu. This is a pleasant park in the middle of the city with a large tea house with a terrace. We drink tea there. It is surprising to see that the guests at the tea garden have their ears cleaned by a specialist while drinking tea. We walk around in the park. There a small boats on the lakes. Around noon we have lunch in a Sichuan restaurant and eat delicious spicy pork and vegetables. Then back to the hotel.
After a break we go by metro to the Wenshu monastery and temple. This is a former monastery with a temple that is still used by worshippers. It belongs to Zen branch of Buddhism, the incarnation of wisdom. We walk around the gardens and temple buildings of the complex. It is relatively quiet there, despite the many people present. No problem with noisy smartphones this time.
In the evening we eat in the hotel and drink coffee at a coffee and pastry shop next door. A ballroom dance group is practicing on the sidewalk. They dance a passo doble in formation to Chinese music. Nice to see. We walk through the working-class area around the hotel. We look at the shops, the pharmacy and the various eateries. We end the day with a cocktail in the lobby bar. The cocktails are not very true to the recipe. Apparently not all ingredients are available in China.

Weather: 26 degrees, cloudy

Thursday 18 May 2019

We get up early again. Today we are going to visit the Panda Bears in the Giant Panda Breeding and Research Base, which is located in Chengdu. The bears are only active for a few hours in the morning before they fall into a deep sleep. We take the metro to the North station. We take a taxi from there. The taxi driver first tries to rip us off by asking 80 RMB. We demand to switch on the meter. He then drops to a ride price of 60 RMB. We agree. After a 50-minute drive, the meter is indeed at 60 (€ 7.60). We get out in front of the huge entrance to the center. There are large groups at the door, but we do not have to wait for them. Due to his age, Erik can enter for free. I pay 55 RMB (7 euros).

Once inside, we immediately go to the Giant Panda enclosure. There we indeed see a number of large bears spending time lazing and eating bamboo. They have a large living environment that is beautifully and naturally landscaped. The bears do not really stay together but seek solitude. They also live solitary in the wild. The bamboo is supplied in large packages of bamboo sticks. The visitors are crowding around to take the nicest photos. Mostly selfies with the bear in the background. There are also Red Pandas. They belong to the raccoons and not to the big bears. They also eat bamboo. We drink a cappuccino in the panda cafe. A panda bear has been artfully drawn in the milk foam. At the Panda delivery enclosure, we hope to see baby bears, but that turns out to be a disappointment. Apparently, there have been no births this spring.
Around half past eleven we take the taxi back to the North Station and with the metro back to the hotel. Surprisingly the ride back is much shorter and half the price compared to this morning. After a break we go for lunch in the area. We find nothing with an English-language menu, but one with pictures on the menu. That is also a challenge, because what is in the picture? We accidentally choose a dish with only mushrooms and vegetables, but it tastes good and very spicy. Add some rice. As a drink we take a beer, which comes in a litre glass, which would put Bavaria to shame.

After lunch I have my hair trimmed at the hairdresser's. That is not just a haircut. First I am extensively washed and massaged. This is followed by trimming and cutting and then washing again. All this for 50 RMB (€ 6.40).
In the afternoon we take the metro to the Tibetan district. Because Chengdu of the Chinese cities is closest to Tibet, many Tibetans who see no future in Tibet go to Chengdu. They concentrate in a neighbourhood south of Wuhu temple. There are many shops with carpets and Buddha statues. There are also many Tibetan monks on the street. The neighbourhood is also known as small Lhasa. There is also a lot of police on the streets. Checkpoints are everywhere along the major streets. Apparently, the authorities are apprehensive that the unrest in Tibet could also spread to this place.

In the evening we eat at Ma's Kitchen (Ma Wang Zi) (since 1927), a very popular Sichuan restaurant. There is a long line and we have to draw a number. We can enter after more than an hour of waiting. There is a waiter who speaks good English and he takes a care of us. We eat deliciously, but also very spicy. The cuisine in this province is notorious for that. Our lips are numbed by the time we have finished our meal.

Weather: 28 degrees, sun

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