Day 3 - XiLing Gorge Cruise (Yangtze Three Gorges)

XILING GORGE CRUISE We left the hotel at 0830 for the Yangtze River to check out the Three Gorges. Unfortunately, our plans were disrupted by a marathon held at the same hour on the same route. The roads were congested with vehicles and curious bystanders.

Approaching the XiLing Ship lock.

Not wishing to be late for the cruise, we went on foot to the jetty reaching it at about 0900. The cruise started at about 1030. We were ushered into the vessel to a large hall on Level 1. Rows of chairs  (free seating) occupied this hall.  We were free to wander throughout the different levels of the vessel. However, only the seats at Level 1 cost nothing.

In the end, we paid RMB50 for a VIP seat on Level 3 where the view was better. Free Three Gorges coloured stones were given to all guests.

XILING SHIP-LOCK

Vessel approaching the XiLing Ship-Lock.

As we were going upstream, higher walls

 were seen ahead.

Gates closing behind the vessel.

Water rushed in below the vessel, pushing it to

 a higher elevation. Gates open in front of vessel.

Vessel leaves the ship-lock.

Why would anyone build a pavilion way up there where it is almost unreachable?

Sailing boats like those you see in Chinese paintings.

Roof caving in.

Roof not caving in.

GEZHOUBA DAM After a hearty lunch by the banks of the Yangtze River, we were on our way to a vantage point to see five ship-locks at a hydroelectric power generation dam.  Each ship-lock took the vessel to a higher elevation. As there were 5 ship-locks here, the difference in water level was tremendous.

View from TanZiLing Ridge

TanZiLing Ridge

A slight drizzle dampened our spirit and kept us dampened for the next three hours. We left the dam at 1800. It was another 2½ hour's drive to XingShan.  It was total darkness by the time we crossed the Guzhao Highway. (picture right) It was described as the "most beautiful highway on water". To avoid destroying a forest, the Chinese built this highway to ZhaoJunQiao in XingShan County.

GuZhao Highway

XingShan was cold, misty and quiet. The road towards ZhaoJun Hotel was littered with construction material. Ms Helena explained that the authorities were using the *Wang Zhaojun theme to develop XingShan .

*Wang Zhaojun was one of the four great beauties in Chinese history. She was born in a small village (now called Zhaojun Village) in Xingshan during the Western Han Dynasty. Called to the Imperial Harem, she refused to bribe the palace artist, who painted some moles onto her face. On account of this ugly image, she was rejected by the emperor. After a subsequent conflict with the XiongNu, the ugliest lady in the Imperial Harem was  given a title (princess) and sent off on a marriage alliance with the XiongNu ruler. Before departing for the distant land, Wang Zhaojun met the Han emperor for the first and last time. The emperor exploded into a rage when he saw how beautiful she was and the palace artist responsible for her previous portrait was executed.

My fitness tracker read 9231 steps.

Day 2 - Mausoleum & Temple

JINHUI MANOR Flower fields in open parks seemed to be all the rage these days. Buggy Ride

It was a 3-hour drive to the restaurant in DangYang. The coach stopped at a public restroom where bamboo liquor containing 45% alcohol was sold for RMB52. The top of the bamboo was sealed with a thin layer of clay which was easily cracked with a little wooden hammer.

Back inside the coach, Ms Helena offered us samples of red dates stuffed with walnuts, which she could help us buy if we wanted any.

LUNCH The local Wuhan cuisine was not impressive. Chairman Mao's favorite fish (picture: right) had lots of itty-bitty bones. We had about 10 large servings of local dishes and lots of leftover.  An interesting dish served here were deep fried slices of lotus root sandwiching minced meat and served with a little bit of savory sauce. Thin slices of pork belly braised in preserved vegetable. This dish appeared at almost every meal.

Chairman Mao's Favorite Fish

GUANLING MAUSOLEUM The "Romance of the Three Kingdom" is a historical novel about the conflict between the kingdoms of WEI (Cao Cao), SHU (Liu Bei) and WU. (Sun Quan) Guan Yu was a well known general from SHU Kingdom. He was known for his loyalty, righteousness, virtue and bravery. His image was revered by millions of Chinese at home and abroad.

In 219AD, Guan Yu (SHU) was caught and killed by Sun Quan (WU). He was decapitated. His body was buried in DangYang, where GuanLing Temple stood while his head was sent to Cao Cao (WEI) who was in Luoyang. Cao Cao had admired and respected Guan Yu and gave instructions for the head to be fitted with a wooden body and buried in GuanLing, Luoyang. Guanling Tomb is a round heap of soil 7 metres high, surrounded by solid stone.

GuanYu's tomb. Memorial Pavilion and Tomb Stone.

Red Hare was described as a powerful horse capable of galloping across cities and leaping over moats. It was originally a prized steed of the warlord Dong Zhuo who held the Han Emperor hostage while he lorded over the royal court. Dong Zhuo presented Red Hare to Lu Bu and convinced him to murder his foster father and acknowledge him as the new foster father.

Red Hare

After Lu Bu's death, the Red Hare came into Cao Cao's possession. Cao Cao presented it to Guan Yu in an unsuccessful attempt to win his loyalty. After Guan Yu's death, Ma Zhong took the horse and presented it to his lord Sun Quan (Wu). Sun Quan returned the horse to Ma Zhong who became the last owner of the horse. The Red Hare starved itself and died several days later.

YUQUAN TEMPLE The main entrance is on a little mount which, in my opinion should have been flattened so poor me needn't have to walk up and down so many steps. Going Down From the Entrance

Going Up to the Entrance

It's a lot of walking!

The Marriage Tree? I don't remember how this tree is related to marriages.

No kidding! This place is all about leg power. You just kept on walking and seeing lots of Buddhist whatchamacallit. There was a thermal pond somewhere inside, where bubbles appear after you clapped your hands or stamp your foot. (After all that walking, I was in no mood for either!) Hungry looking men and women peddled local snacks by the side of the path. Their product did not look appealing and after all that walking, I was simply not in the mood to check them out. Aqueduct

Cast Iron Pagoda constructed by stacking one block upon the other.

BUDDHIST RELICS HALL Also known as the Underground Palace of the Iron Tower. There was some story about the Emperor Wu ZeTian burying some Buddhist relic at this place. This was fine with me until we came to a 4 feet high jar placed at a corner in an underground vault accessed via a narrow tunnel.

A small opening at the right of the entrance led to a narrow tunnel which connected the upper entrance to several lower vaults, all interconnected with more tunnels. The last vault is located immediately below the cast iron pagoda in the above picture.

We gathered around the jar as some anecdote was being shared about it. When they got to the part where a monk was embalmed inside the jar, I froze and took a few backward steps. Gosh! Fancy a dead body sitting inside the jar so close to you!

I have had some prior trepidation when they mentioned "Relics" but nothing prepared me for the image of a real monk stored inside a real jar. As the group was led deeper into the underground vaults, I followed closely behind not wishing to be left alone outside the entrance. It was a claustrophobic experience for I felt the walls and tunnels closing in on me. Surveillance cameras monitored our every move. I was immensely relieved when we finally left the underground vaults for the sweet fragrance of the air outside.

My fitness tracker read 9488 steps.

Day 1 - ShenNongJia, WuHan, WuDang, Three Gorges

It wasn't everyday that ShenNongJia appeared in a general conversation so I was immediately interested when someone suggested that we check out this spot. I first heard of ShenNong while playing Sierra's Emperor : Rise of the Middle Kingdom way back when. ShenNong was some sort of ancient mythical legend who introduced agriculture and medicinal herbs to the forefathers. He could bless the fields with bumper crops in the aforesaid game.

While WuHan did not sound remotely interesting, WuDang was something else. In The Karate Kid,  (starring Jackie Chan and the son of Will Smith) some scenes were shot at WuDang Mountain.

Furthermore, there was this old story about Zhang SanFeng, the founder of Tai Chi. He settled in WuDang Mountain and founded the WuDang Sect. Members of this sect were some of the defenders of the ancient pugilistic world. According to a fictional spin-off from this legend, Zhang MoKei (the son of Zhang SanFeng's disciple) played a pivotal role in helping Zhu YuanZhang (founder of Ming Dynasty) oust the Mongols who were occupying China at the time. How the Yuan Dynasty ended and the Ming Dynasty began was told in The Heaven Sword and Dragon Sabre. This is a story of allied forces from the various sect pooling their resources to overthrow a common enemy. (The Mongols)

It did not matter that Zhang MoKei was not a historical figure. That he was from WuDang Sect meant that I had to see WuDang Mountain to imagine how that part of the imaginary world was structured.

And finally, there's The Three Gorges. So much have been said about the Three Gorges that I need say no more.

Transiting at Hong Kong Airport, I had nothing better to do than to check out the Roast Goose Drumstick as well as the famed Hong Kong Wonton Soup. They weren't great. Eggettes (Egg Waffles)

Roast Goose Drumstick

Two hours later, we were on the flight to WuHan. A short and stout Chinaman on the aisle seat several rows behind me had four drinks (whisky). Being of the insatiable sort, he requested for a fifth which was promptly denied by the attending steward. Unbeknownst to one and all, he walked quietly to the back of the plane and helped himself to the liquor. Unfortunately he was caught red-handed. This resulted in a heated exchange between the insatiable man and the steadfast steward. I watched with attentive interest and was regretfully glad when the quarrel died down. A mid-air incident had been avoided.

We landed in WuHan at about 2030. It was 21°C. 

The Chinese Tour Guide was  a soft spoken WuHan woman called Ms Helena. She was in her late forties. Her tattooed eye-brow  arched all the way down her temple giving her a woebegone look.

At this point in the story, I beg your indulgence for a little digression. Tattooed eye-brows reminded me of an old friend (Ms Tattooed-Eyes) from way back when. Her husband was a bank manager and they were living a victorious life, both making tons of money from the then bullish share market. At the pinnacle of their success, this old friend had her eyes tattooed. She looked strange with the new eye-brow and eye-liner which made her eyes look frightful. None of us commented on her change in appearance except for Ms Nancy, a fellow colleague who could draw any conceivable conclusion from anything that happened around her.

"It bodes ill when one altered the look that Heaven bestowed upon us at birth. Mark my words. Bad luck will surely follow," whispered Ms Nancy to me one afternoon in a conspiratorial tone.

Coincidentally, Nancy's forecast about the "bad luck" came shortly after this conversation. The favored son died from a car crash, the husband lost his job, then his life to liver cancer. The detached house they lived in were sold and the family moved into a smaller unit. When it rains, it pours.

Ms Helena's tattooed eye-brow reminded me of this old story. Right! Let's move on!

Almost by default, Ms Helena started all announcements with a polite "Good Morning (whichever applicable), Ladies and Gentlemen" followed by yada-yada-yada. Should a short pause occur after this announcement, she'd continue to the next part of her talk with another "Good Morning, Ladies & Gentlemen" (depending on which part of the day we're at.)

We were told about WuHan being a part of the old Chu Kingdom. If you've watched The Legend of Mi Yue, you'd know that Mi Yue came from the old Chu Kingdom. It was an hour's drive from the airport to XiaoGan where our hotel was located. We listened to her slow monologue regarding Hubei, translating to "North of the Lake" among others. Upon reaching XiaoGan at the end of the hour, we oohed appropriately when she remarked that XiaoGan was "just a small city with a small population of 5.4 Million people". All 5.4 million of them had disappeared into the night and only a handful remained in the vicinity of the hotel.

It was 2130 when we checked into our hotel room. The night was young but the shops in the vicinity were shut.

My fitness tracker read 6112 steps.