Yangtze Cruise Details!

01.03.2012

Wow. That was an adventure to say the least!
What an exhausting 7 days.. but totally worth it!

We have so much to share we don't know where to start. Shall we take it day by day?

Day 1

So the fist day of our cruise we got the chance to explore Fengdu also known as the Ghost City. Here's a little explanation of why:
Fengdu, the city of devils, has many temples constructed on the Mingshan Hill by the river band and many statues of ghosts and devils mourning in the temples. Legends consider Fengdu a hell where man’s soul goes after his death.
It was so amazing seeing all of the statues, we took took many pictures to show them all so here are just a few

Day 2

This day we got to see the small gorge and we also got to sail through the three gorges dam ship lock, that was quite the experience!
The small gorge was selected as one of the forty top tourist attractions in China in 1991, jointly by the tourists and the China Tourism Commissioner’s votes and evaluation. We feel really fortunate to have been able to experience it's beauty.

Small Gorge

Three Gorges Dam Locks

Day 3

Spent the morning checking out the Dam itself. Its huge.
We were fortunate enough to have a wonderful tour guide who explained the entire history of the Dam. Why, how, and when it was built was just the beginning of the knowledge we gained. We wanted to share some of the facts with you, so here are a few:
The Three Gorges Dam is the world’s largest hydro-power project and most notorious dam. The massive project sets records for number of people displaced (more than 1.2 million), number of cities and towns flooded (13 cities, 140 towns, 1,350 villages), and length of reservoir (more than 600 kilometers). Interesting huh?

Day 4

We got to spend a good part of the day at the Hubei Provincial Museum. We were all weary about going to a museum but it turned out to be educational and fun. win win!

The museum collects, protects, and exhibits the cultural relics discovered in the province. Since 1953, the museum has collected over 200,000 cultural relics, including pottery, porcelains, jade, bronze vessels, ancient weapons, and ancient musical instruments. Among these cultural relics, 812 are listed as first-class relics of China, and 16 are considered national treasures.

This museum is divided into three parts: the Chime Bells Exhibition Hall, the Chu (a state in the Spring and Autumn Period (770BC-476BC)) Culture Exhibition Hall, and the Comprehensive Exhibition Building. All of which were so fascinating.

Day 5

This was my favorite day. We got the chance to see The Huangshan (Yellow Mountain). One of the most beautiful mountains I've ever had the opportunity to see.

Covering an area of 154 square meters, the Yellow Mountain has 72 peaks with different dimensions. The three main peaks - the Lotus Peak, the Bright Summit Peak and the Tiandu Peak are all above 1,800 meters.

The pine forrest, which is one of the most beautiful scenery of the Yellow Mountain, is worth careful appreciating. The pines on the Yellow Mountain have short and thick needle leaves, the top is plat as if it was pared with a knife and its shape is strange.Some pines grow from stone seams, strong and straight. There are famous pines such as greeting pines, lying dragon pines, black tiger pines, Qilin pines and Putuan pines.

Day 6

Today we got to do a full day tour of Nanjing including Sun Yat-sen Mausoleum and a Qing Dynasty style Bazaar.

Covering an area of 80,000 square meters (about 20 acres), Dr. Sun Yat-sen's Mausoleum is located in the Zhong Mountain Scenic Area in the east suburb of Nanjing City, Jiangsu Province. As the mausoleum of Dr. Sun Yat-sen, the father of the Republic of China, it is considered the Holy land of Chinese people both home and abroad. With deep historical significance, magnificent architecture and beautiful scenery, it is a must see when traveling in Nanjing.

We also browsed the bazaar and picked up quite a few silk scarves and jade rings! what a fun day.

At the Bazaar

Day 7

Finally we arrived in Shanghai (today). Approaching the city skyline from downstream was possibly the most breathtaking view we have yet to see. Words cannot describe just how spectacular it was... so here are some pictures!