China Yangtze River

Our first night aboard the MV Katarina was disturbed by generator noise reverberating off the boat moored alongside (bring earplugs if you can tolerate them!). We woke to low cloud and mist that persisted for the rest of the day. This meant that we got little more than an impression of the size of the Three Gorges Dam, the ship locks and ship lift, as we could barely see the gigantic structure through the mist. Twenty eight billion dollars sounded like a lot of money for a block of concrete. In the end it is estimated that it will provide only 5% or less of the national electricity consumption, but other purposes include improving navigation and flood prevention. Displacement of millions of people with the loss of their livelihoods, and the destruction of ancient cultural treasures and natural habitats, were mentioned in passing. Who else but the Chinese would undertake a project of such gargantuan proportions? During a buffet lunch back on board we commenced sailing upstream towards the first of the three gorges. In the early afternoon we entered Xiling Gorge. Jeff, the river guide, gave an informative commentary in excellent English. Before long we came to the second or Wu Gorge. In both cases visibility was hampered by mist and rain which gave the gorges a dramatic air that was hard to photograph. We managed to see the rock formation called "The Goddess", however, which is regarded as a lucky sign. We put in at Wushan and had drinks and appetizers in the lounge before a table service dinner. After dinner the crew modelled Chinese fashions through the ages and regions, including modern outfits—available of course for purchase on board.

Although the generator bothered us less, we were disturbed multiple times during the night by the coming and going of other river traffic and the frequent use of the ship's horn. After another delicious breakfast we embarked on a smaller vessel to take us through the three Lesser Gorges. The mist had lightened a bit, but it was raining on & off all day. The Lesser Gorges, named Dragon Gate, Misty and Emerald Gorge, afforded us better picture opportunities than the bigger ones. We saw troupes of Rhesus monkeys in the trees. Two so-called "hanging coffins" were regarded as the main attractions. Dating back 2000 years these are sarcophagi wedged into crevasses and holes in the sheer cliffs. We also passed small villages scheduled to be flooded within the next 2 weeks, some still with small fields and gardens green with the season's crops. Yet another buffet lunch awaited us on our return to the ship and soon we set out on the next leg of our journey, reaching the third gorge, Qutang Xia, just before 2 pm. Rain made photography uncomfortable and difficult, but at least we had some visibility. The afternoon was leisurely spent photo editing, journalling, and learning about Chinese kites and basic Chinese language skills. After dinner the crew put on a cabaret performance.

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