We began the day with Tai chi (no we didn't) just dreamt we did!
After breakfast we had the safety drill, so we all got dressed in our life vests and were escorted to the lounge then suddenly it was all over and we returned to our cabins.
Turns out it's like solving Rubik's cube trying to get the life-jackets back into their assigned spaces. Mental exercise for the day!
As our daily on-shore tour is this afternoon, we had a Traditional Chinese Medicine presentation on board this morning, followed by a presentation on the Yangtze River. I did not attend the medical lecture but believe they have a cure for any ailment. Some of our retired american medical fellow travelers were a little more skeptical. By midday the passengers were queuing for the restaurant to have lunch, It was a smorgasbord with some Asian dishes and salad. One of many notable things about Viking cruises - you have no excuse for being hungry - ever!
We picked up our boat exit passes for this afternoon's excursion. These are small cards and are distributed to each passenger before they go ashore. You then hand it back once on board so they can avoid inadvertently leaving anyone behind.... It's still a fairly long walk from here to Shanghai if you miss the boat, bon voyage!
Our afternoon's excursion is a walking tour from the boat, through the town, across a bridge, up a 12-story staircase inside a pagoda built against a cliff and then a tour of the famous Shibaozhai Temple. It was originally built on a hillside/hilltop but when the dam was built they built a wall around the base to keep the water out and it became an island. We walked for about 1 km to the entrance and it was a continuous market of cheap Chinese goods, The usual table mats, pajamas, slippers, silk paintings, fans, chop sticks, mahjong tiles - you name it they have it.
However as much as we would have liked to stop and look at theirs goods, there way constant badgering to buy by ALL the store owners, We just had to keep walking and try to ignore them. I think they will be at our next stop, they were packing up as the ship departed.
To get to the temple you pass over a suspension bridge which swings and sways from the weight of others walking across it. It is affectionately known as the Drunk Bridge because you cannot walk in a straight line as it sways so much. We reached the pagoda on the side of the hill and inside the steps are steep and it is 10 staircases to the temple at the top of the hill. Each level has some sort of traditional statue or scene carved in stone that sets the scene for the temple gods above a statue or some identifying feature. Our guide today is a young local man, but he is very difficult to understand. The views of and from the temple are very pretty but it is quite smoggy (the Chinese say misty) and at one stage, we get a few spots of rain followed by sunshine and very high humidity.
After descending from the temple (yes, there is an easier way than the pagoda) we retrace our steps across the 'drunk' bridge. At the end of the bridge or bronze busts of the 12 animals of the Chinese Zodiac. We line up for our photo - Dad and I were both born in the year of the Pig. The photo shows the 3 little pigs.
Again, our return route is past the street sellers and we successfully negotiate some determined marketing efforts without taking on any additional items. On board, there is some free time before the Captains Cocktail Hour. This is an opportunity to dress up and we have a drink while being introduced to the heads of staff on board. Some of the staff perform ballroom dancing and invite the guests to join in. Each night before dinner the Program Director announces tomorrows activities and we also receive a Viking Daily paper with the program and other information.
Dinner tonight was a lazy susan chinese meal. We sat at the table with a Scottish couple, an English couple and an American couple. They entertained us and we were about the last to leave tonight.
2025-02-11