Damn. It's a very big Dam!

Wednesday, May 02, 2018
Yichang, Hubei, China
Misty 28C Qutang, Wu and Xiling Gorges
This morning I went to Tai Chi… this time I did go. I probably looked uncoordinated but I can assure you many of my fellow ship mates were physically challenged by this event.
Scenic sailing began at 7.15 a.m passing quietly, but swiftly through the 8 km Qutang Gorge in the early morning mist. This is the first of the three Gorges we pass through on our 1200 km cruise down the Yangtze River and it is spectacular - sheer cliffs rising from the waters’ edge thousands of feet into the clouds. Elliot, our resident Chinese river expert provides a running commentary on facts and figures as we glide silently though the dim passage. Even though it is very humid, the breeze of the ship's passing is enough to provide a comfortable breeze on our journey through the narrow passage.
Any flat piece of ground on the near sheer sides seems to be populated with a pagoda or temple. Clearly a very spiritual place for many Chinese.
Shortly after our exit, breakfast is served and by 9 a.m we start our passage through the second gorge - the 27 km Wu Gorge. Once again Elliot is on hand with his commentary and once again, the scenery is just as spectacular.
We stop at a tributary to the Yangtze just downstream from New Wushan City (Old Wushan City is 100 m below the current water level since the Three Gorges Dam was completed and lifted the local water level quite substantially. We disembark and board little 20 person sampans for a short excursion up the Goddess Stream is an area known as the Goddess Peaks. The scenery is spectacular, sheer cliffs falling thousands of feet and ending at the water's edge. Verdant foliage dripping with moisture.What used to be a rocky creek is now a deep water channel about 70-80 metres. Our local guide (Alivia from New Wushan) points out her parents house about 400 m up a steep cliff face reached by shiny, slippery-looking stone steps. She offers to take us to the house for a visit, but as we only have 45 minutes to complete the tour and return to the ship, we regretfully decline. Alivia continues with her commentary and describes the farmers who live on the banks in this area. For example, she explains that when they have a daughter they plant a camphor tree, so when she is to be married they cut down the tree and make furniture (a camphor chest) as a dowry for her.
On the way back to the ship, Alivia sings a couple of Chinese folk songs to us. We are invited to join in, but our Chinese language skills and sense of oriental rhythm are clearly lacking. Finally, back onto our ship and lunch and underway for the next gorge - the 72 km Xiling Gorge and halfway along, our destination for today - the Three Gorges Dam
This afternoon I visit the gym on board, not hugely popular - I'm the sole occupant. There is a presentation in the afternoon on the Three Gorges Dam that we will tour tomorrow morning. The presentation shows how the dam was built in 3 sections over 12 years and highlights the engineering skills of the largest concrete dam in the world.
I then went to a Chinese Painting Demonstration to watch “The Master” paint a landscape. We are also taught how to play Mahjong by our guide Angie. It’s a lot of fun.
Tonight we once again have our program talk about what’s on tomorrow and enjoy dinner with a couple from South Lake,  Texas. The same suburb in Dallas, Texas as Don & Jane Langlais - our friends that we will be holidaying with in Hawaii in just two weeks time! 
After dinner this evening, we descend through the 5 stage lock of the Three Gorges Dam. This is a highlight but all ships must book in advance, we did not find out until the briefing this afternoon that we will start the first lock at 11.30 p.m. This is very disappointing as most people will be in bed but we decided that we’d wait up and watch the action of the first lock process.
We entered the lock with two other ships, one a barge full of coal which we pulled in alongside of and the other a wider boat than ours that slotted in behind us. The lock was about 100 metres long. The process takes around 40 mins and once the lock doors close the water is drained out and we descend around 15 metres. The doors open and we exit into the next lock, at which stage we head for bed around 12.45 a.m. There are a few bumps during the night as we nudge or are nudged by the wall of the lock or another boat, we are not sure as we journey the remaining locks.
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