I got a hold of the contract that bus drivers in this country sign upon being handed the keys. I looked and looked, but nowhere did I see any kind of stipulation requiring the driver to push the physical limits of the vehicle at every possible moment. Nor could I find any language pertaining to the number of times that passengers' butt cheeks should leave their rightful place on the seat. This, of course, ought to give you an idea of what the three-hour drive was like the other night in lieu of cruising time. This was due to high levels of river water which for some reason, makes it dangerous for cruise ships. Ironically, all of us brave souls were put on a bus driven by someone who had to have been exposed to pesticides as an infant. I know I'm prone to exaggerate, but the audible gasps of others on the bus would seem to confirm my take on the situation.
The bus finally (literally) came to a screeching halt at 10:30 whereupon we all descended a couple of hundred steps down to the river and then (with suitcase in hand) walked about 300 yards on a series of catwalks suspended precariously over the water out to the ship. Oh and it was basically pitch black out there. Nice beginning! The room was nothing luxurious by any stretch, but it was plenty adequate. That first night, the ship didn't budge. The following morning, did a tour of the ghost city of Fengdu. To get there, we had to retrace our steps from the night before. It was only then that I fully appreciated what we all had to endure the night before. We were all herded around by a woman with a portable microphone and one of those flags that tour guides wave. I simply can't think of too many things that I hate more than precisely this kind of tourist experience. But, I sucked it up and dealt with it for the moment. It didn't help that it was very, very hot and there were dozens and dozens of other tour groups doing exactly the same thing. Almost all were Chinese groups, of course.
As a Cuban, I am well within my rights to say that Cubans are some of the loudest people in the history of the world. But I have to say, that even some of the most raucous Cubanazos I know simply wouldn't be able to keep up with some of the folks I spent the past few days with. And to make matters even more festive, is the peculiar habit of firing up a cigarette for just about any reason. Let's see...we all took turns posing in front of this pagoda, we must smoke. We just climbed this intimidating staircase...we're all sweating and out of breath so...let's all have a ciggy! In all my China euphoria from last year, I simply had forgotten about the love affair this country has with the cancer sticks. I'm considering taking up the habit when I return, since in the week I've been here, I've second-handed a repugnant quantity of smoke...I might as well get the less-offensive stuff straight from the source.
But back to my cruise...This was my first cruise experience. Did I mention I was the only American? And no, for once I am not exaggerating. I know this because, the tour organizer had the peculiar practice of identifying the foreigners by their nationalities. So I also know that there were 2 Brits, 8 French and 2 Dutch. This out of 150 passengers. Kind of par for the course on this trip for me, so no worries. Oh, the food...well done there! There was plenty of it and it was very good. I was so pleased that after the first day, the fork and knife that had been there the first meal were gone. At one point I did drop some cabbage in my beer, but everyone was very kind to overlook that.
The river itself was something of a disappointment. It's called The Mighty Yangtze and this is fine if by 'mighty', they mean 'mighty polluted'. What a shame. There is a lot of natural material that stays on the surface and that's fine, but the floating slippers, bottles and other crap are not so nice. The water is very brown and murky as well. However, the actual gorges are well, gorgeous. Fantastic scenery without a doubt!
Yesterday, we were taken on a smaller boat for an hour to a completely almost pristine part of the river and then transferred into canoes that were rowed by local men. This was great. The water was so inviting and the mini-gorges were almost better than the bigger, more famous ones. Upon returning, we were informed that the ship would not be going through the locks and passing by the third of the three big gorges. Again, something having to do with the water levels and a back up of other ships with higher priority. Hmmm. So today, we toured the impressive dam facility by bus and foot. Then we got on a bus (thankfully piloted by someone who hadn't been sniffing glue) and drove the final leg of the cruise.
Hopped on a train and five hours later, here I am. Only here, it should be noted, as a bit of a break in the miles. Tomorrow, I am prepared to endure what will probably be the worst travel day on the whole trip. For one, it's going to be nine hours (at least). Second, it's on a bus...don't get me started again. And third, a decent chunk of the time will be spent driving all kinds of curves at all kinds of elevations. Fun, fun, fun. The payoff will be in the scenery when the sun rises on Wednesday. More to come...
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