Day 13 --Three Gorges Dam Project- November 22, 2015
An early start this morning for our Three Gorges Dam Site excursion. Breakfast was served at 6:15 and the excursion started at 7:30. As always, we met our tour leader and guide in the dining room before getting off the boat.
A rainy morning awaited us.
This old barge was the docking area for five or six cruise boats that morning. We happened to dock right next to it and passengers from other boats would have to make their way through our boat to get on the barge and then to the gangway.
Up to the pier, through the market, to find our bus.
Arriving at the Dam Project check point.
Our bus went past the top of the dam.
First stop, the model room where our local guide gave an introduction of the project.
We later bought the same book on display here--The Panorama of the Three Gorges of the Yangtze River. It's paintings, photographs, CD and stamps of the Yangtze Three Gorges all in one book. By the way, I bought a padded child-size Chinese vest here inside the store for 50RMB which I thought was a good price. The sales lady told me that it was the last one and she sold it to me at half price.
After the model room, we went up to the observation deck using the outdoor escalators. We were told not to take pictures when we used the escalator for safety reason.
Observation deck
Birdseye view of the project.
new friends
We don't like crowds so we did not get up to the top of the tower.
Our local guide, a down-to-earth gentleman.
Part of the dam
A huge screen posting the daily air quality report.
Then we had to walk down to the lower level of the dam. For people who have mobility issues, they have golf carts to transport them back to the parking lot for 10RMB each.
Lots of buses waiting at the parking lot.
The excursion took about three hours from 7:30~10:30.
On our way back to the boat, our local guide entertained us with his harmonica.
The temple right across from the pier. Didn't seem to be opened though.
There were many souvenir stores on the market street when we walked back from the parking lot trying to get some business. We did not buy anything here though.
It was chaotic trying to get across the gangway with people from all these boats. Not pretty.
Maybe better to wait a little until the line ease up.
Then it started to rain heavily. We were lucky to get back in time.
After each excursion, they always had hot ginger tea waiting for us on board.
Lunch was delicious! That's the freshly baked french bread, so good!
won-ton soup
After lunch our boat continued to sail down the river. There was an optional excursion of the Water Village (Tribe of the Three Gorges) that they advertised even before we board the ship and then everyday on the program and on TV. It's a 3-hour excursion for 290RMB per person. We thought about taking the tour but with this kind of weather, we figured that staying inside would be a better idea. The attractions included natural scenery, wild monkeys and Tujia tribe wedding ceremony "Kujia--Crying for the Bride", which we have seen before.
Arriving at the Water Village--anyone getting off the boat here will be charged the 290RMB even if you are not taking the excursion. So...we stayed on the boat!
Some more beautiful sights after we left the Water Village.
Arrived Gezhouba Dam in the late afternoon. We actually stopped at this position for a few hours before transiting through the dam in the evening.
Last dam of the project.
Going through the dam
exiting the last dam
Docked at Yichang for two nights until we disembarked the Gold 8.
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