bioneural.net

We travelled to China in Sep/Oct 2006 with CTS Horizons. The first part of our itinerary focused on China's waterways and gardens. The second part of our itinerary focused on China's history and ancient capital. This third part of our itinerary focused on China's natural scenery, taking in the Yangtze and Li rivers before concluding in the rather unnatural glass and concrete cacophony that is Hong Kong.

Yangtze River

Thu 28

Our first night aboard the MV Katarina was disturbed by generator noise reverberating off the boat moored alongside (bring earplugs if you can tolerate them!). We woke to low cloud and mist that persisted for the rest of the day. This meant that we got little more than an impression of the size of the Three Gorges Dam, the ship locks and ship lift, as we could barely see the gigantic structure through the mist. Twenty eight billion dollars sounded like a lot of money for a block of concrete. In the end it is estimated that it will provide only 5% or less of the national electricity consumption, but other purposes include improving navigation and flood prevention. Displacement of millions of people with the loss of their livelihoods, and the destruction of ancient cultural treasures and natural habitats, were mentioned in passing. Who else but the Chinese would undertake a project of such gargantuan proportions? During a buffet lunch back on board we commenced sailing upstream towards the first of the three gorges. In the early afternoon we entered Xiling Gorge. Jeff, the river guide, gave an informative commentary in excellent English. Before long we came to the second or Wu Gorge. In both cases visibility was hampered by mist and rain which gave the gorges a dramatic air that was hard to photograph. We managed to see the rock formation called "The Goddess", however, which is regarded as a lucky sign. We put in at Wushan and had drinks and appetizers in the lounge before a table service dinner. After dinner the crew modelled Chinese fashions through the ages and regions, including modern outfits—available of course for purchase on board.

Wu Gorge, Yangtze River

Yangtze River

Fri 29

Although the generator bothered us less, we were disturbed multiple times during the night by the coming and going of other river traffic and the frequent use of the ship's horn. After another delicious breakfast we embarked on a smaller vessel to take us through the three Lesser Gorges. The mist had lightened a bit, but it was raining on & off all day. The Lesser Gorges, named Dragon Gate, Misty and Emerald Gorge, afforded us better picture opportunities than the bigger ones. We saw troupes of Rhesus monkeys in the trees. Two so-called "hanging coffins" were regarded as the main attractions. Dating back 2000 years these are sarcophagi wedged into crevasses and holes in the sheer cliffs. We also passed small villages scheduled to be flooded within the next 2 weeks, some still with small fields and gardens green with the season's crops. Yet another buffet lunch awaited us on our return to the ship and soon we set out on the next leg of our journey, reaching the third gorge, Qutang Xia, just before 2 pm. Rain made photography uncomfortable and difficult, but at least we had some visibility. The afternoon was leisurely spent photo editing, journalling, and learning about Chinese kites and basic Chinese language skills. After dinner the crew put on a cabaret performance.

A cruise through the Lesser Gorges

Yangtze River

Sat 30

We continued sailing upstream during the night, arriving at Fengdu at about 3 am. Once more our sleep was disturbed by horns and shouting as other boats arrived and departed. A morning excursion took us to the "City of Ghosts", a dilapidated tourist attraction built upon the remains of a Ming dynasty temple sitting on top of a hill reached by chair lift. This was little more than a time-filler: our original itinerary specified a stop at Shibao Zhai to see a temple hanging from a protruding cliff—a "star site" according to our guidebook, which we passed by during the night. Our cruise itinerary had to be altered due to construction work on the ship locks.

After lunch we resumed sailing, another 149 km in the direction of Chongqing, 660 km from Yichang (the point-of-departure in our original itinerary). Along the way we saw more rebuilt cities, each one looking as dull and depressing as the next, but as we neared Chongqing the riverbanks were less sheer and sown with crops. As we took tea and biscuits in the Yangtze Club, we passed by a factory disgorging black liquid straight into the river; not somewhere to swim unless you fancied a chemical peel. For a few minutes the sun even made a veiled appearance (we were told that foggy conditions are typical for this time of year).

We had a farewell banquet with the captain and our fellow passengers (most of whom were probably retired), and late that evening put in at Chongqing.

Disembarking at Fengdu

Guilin

Sun 1

After breakfast we disembarked and said goodbye to the Yangtze and the Three Gorges (re-named by Bruce as Rain, Mist, and Drizzle).

Tipping on the boat: Pre-trip information suggested £3-4 per day per person (3 days, up to £24 or $45 for two); the on-board service directory suggested a "voluntary" guideline amount of $U8-10 (i.e $60 for two). On the last evening a slip passed to passengers "suggested" $80 for the trip (for two). Tipping is expected, despite what is said. Notice the stepwise increase in suggested amount?

Chongqing is 4 times larger than Shanghai, containing 32 million people—that's the population of Canada, or 8 times the population of New Zealand! How can it be that the largest city in the world was completely unknown to us? It's a hilly place (hence the paucity of bicycles), and was wet and humid during our visit. Since we disembarked just after 0830 and our flight wasn't until 2105, we predicted a dull day given that the only thing on our itinerary was a visit to the old town. We were thus asked for 80 yuan each to fill the gaps in our schedule. This covered entrance to the zoo (to see giant panda and the poor conditions in which other animals were kept) and, in the afternoon, a modern museum (with a vertigo-inducing 360 degree film about the Yangtze). In between we had an unappetizing lunch, a brief visit to "Times Square", and a stroll down a soon-to-be-demolished street in the old town to witness China pre-capitalism.

Dinner was taken on the way to the airport. It was only a 50 minute flight to Guilin, but it was midnight before we got to bed. Despite our reservations that this day would be merely killing time, it turned out to be enjoyable.

Giant panda at Chongqing's zoo (SR)

Yangshuo

Mon 2

Our room at the Sheraton was tired. The cooked breakfast was cold, as was the coffee, and the furniture looked like it came from a village hall: not at all deserving of 5 stars. As has been typical, the wait staff whisked away the dishes almost before your fork touched a cleared plate, giving us the idea to bring the "Do not disturb" sign with us to breakfast in future!

A 4-hour cruise along the Li River, from Zhujiang Wharf (40 mins from Guilin) to Yangshuo, was marvelous (the buffet lunch being the exception). The landscape of weathered limestone karsts emerging from the haze was otherworldly; no wonder it is the inspiration for many Chinese scroll paintings. Definitely a highlight of the trip.

In the evening we enjoyed a fabulous performance of Impression Sanjie Liu in an outdoor arena at the riverside, the performance taking place on the water using traditional bamboo rafts, boats and moveable pontoons. The show, which used lighting to great effect, was conceived by the director of the film Hero, Zhang Yimou, who will also direct the opening & closing ceremonies for the Beijing Olympics. Wow.

Limestone landscape along the Li River

Yangshuo

Tue 3

Bruce woke early with diarrhoea and vomiting, and wisely decided to stay at the hotel. Simone joined the rest of the group for a leisurely walk under blue skies along the Yulong River, taking in the karst scenery and rice fields, and the locals on bikes, motorbikes, and bamboo rafts. Girls were selling flower wreaths (this being National Day Holiday Week) and loads of people were out enjoying themselves. It still felt rural and relaxing, as despite it being "busy" there were a lot less people than in Bejing or Chongqing. After lunch at the Mountain Retreat (yes, Bill Clinton was there) the group pushed for a trip on a bamboo raft. A wonderful time was had by all (but don't expect silence: chattering, shouting by the boatmen, singing from other rafts... the Chinese really don't do silence). Quick "drive by shootings" at the Moon Crescent Hill and the Big Banyan Tree concluded the excursion.

Meanwhile Bruce hadn't fared so well. The D&V continued and no fluids would stay down. At 10 pm Simone rang for the doctor. Weak from dehydration, fever, and continued vomiting, the decision was taken to attend the local hospital and in due course the ambulance arrived. After nearly being dropped from the stretcher on the stairs, Bruce's legs had to be folded to allow the ambulance (a small van) doors to close. A very bumpy but short while later, we were in the People's Hospital of Yangshuo. General hygiene standards were somewhat lower than anything we had previously experienced, but the needles and giving set sterile. The bed was a solid plank with a token thin mattress and plastic pillow. The en-suite loo consisted of a hole in the ground, with no hand-basin or soap, and some interesting plumbing. Simone had to stand in the loo doorway holding up the drip!

Rafting on the Yulong River (SR)

Hong Kong

Wed 4

By 4 am, after IM metoclopramide (to stop sickness), IV penicillin (antibiotic), and 4 bottles of intravenous fluids, we returned to the hotel (this time by taxi). Thankfully a late checkout was pre-planned, and to our mutual relief Western medicine triumphed. The doctor made a home visit to deliver the bill, and the extra vial of metoclopramide we had asked for "in case". We left the hotel at 11:30, heading to Guilin via the Silver Cave. While Bruce lay in the back of the bus (déjà vue), Simone explored this humid cave with its illuminated formations. Later in Guilin we visited the Jingjiang Prince's Mansion which, frankly, was a total disappointment.

Dinner was at a speciality restaurant/ teahouse, where each dish was presented with a particular design (e.g. yin yang soup) or sculpture (e.g. cucumber boats, shaped dumplings, flowers carved from onions, etc). Then we headed to the airport for a late arrival into Hong Kong.

Illuminated formations in the Silver Cave (SR)

Hong Kong

Thu 5

The bed at the Harbour Plaza Hotel was comfortable, and we both got a good night's rest—not much of a miracle after the ordeals of the past 36 hours. This set us up to survive breakfast in the sauna that also served as the hotel's breakfasting area, admittedly with a great view over the harbour.

The stage step of our Hong Kong walking (plus driving, riding & boating) tour was a short walk to the Star Ferry, which took us across Victoria Harbour to Hong Kong Island. We stopped to view the famous HSBC Building before catching a tram to the start of The Escalator, this being the world's longest outdoor escalator. Exiting at the mid-levels we had time to poke around the local market, where you could work up an appetite by watching chickens being decapitated.

A bus trip followed by a brief ferry ride took us the the Jumbo Floating Restaurant, where lunch was enjoyable (although Bruce still wasn't eating). Leaving by way of sampan we explored the Fisherman's Harbour, noting the incongruous satellite dishes on the houseboats. Back on the bus we passed by the gorgeous Deep Water Bay on the way to do some browsing through the stalls at Stanley Market. We took quick glimpses at Repulse Bay with its exclusive but artificial beach on the way to Victoria Peak for panoramic views over the city and harbour. Descending by cable car we returned to the hotel for a short rest.

In the evening we caught a taxi to the Convention Centre for a fine view of the regular light show. The evening was capped off with good company and a rice-free menu at the Hard Rock Café.

Hong Kong's spectacular light show

En route to New Zealand

Fri 6

In the morning we caught the hotel courtesy bus to Kowloon and the start of Nathan Road. We had a good walk as far as Mong Kok, where Bruce found a lens he'd been after but unable to get in the UK. A brisk walk back enabled us to shower and change before talking a taxi to the airport for our outward flight to New Zealand.

Hustle and bustle along Nathan Road (SR)

Overall impressions

The China we saw is "less Asian" than we were expecting in many ways; capitalism is king and the influence of (primarily American) Western culture is seen everywhere. But our overriding impression was how well the Chinese excel at doing things on a grand scale: The Grand Canal; the Terra-cotta Warriors; the Great Wall; the Three Gorges Dam and relocation of millions to purpose-built cities. Other lasting impressions include the press of people, the persisting traffic jam known as Beijing, and sadly the popular habit of hawking & spitting in the street.

As for our particular tour, although we stayed in some nice hotels this was not always the case; some were merely satisfactory and one (in Suzhou) was most definitely sub-standard. We spent too little time in Shanghai, in Hangzhou, and on The Great Wall—being whisked around to make time for 7 unexpected and unwelcome factory visits. Brief explanations were followed by prolonged sales pitches, but these were difficult to avoid as they were cleverly timed to coincide with lunch or sight-seeing excursions. Our lesson here is to in future make enquiries as to the number and nature of such visits before booking. And perhaps we spent too long waiting at airports; other groups were making use of trains to conduct a similar itinerary, taking in more landscape. Finally, we will in future be packing our own supply of injectable anti-emetics!