23 Three Gorges Dam

So now that we have covered all things about the ship will move on to the trip itself....

Each day of the cruise basically ran to the same format.  Apart from the first morning, on waking  we would find ourselves docked somewhere new. Off to an early breakfast, then met in the theatre as we did for every tour moving forward.

After the morning tour we would return to the ship in time for lunch.  We would then set sail to the next destination,  then meet again in the afternoon for our second tour of the day..

Our package included every tour available, but generally you booked and pay for each of these trips separately.  One thing to remember, if you are not on tour, then you can't leave the ship .... remember this is China! and on saying that, the stops we made were usually close to the location of the shore excursion and there was not much more on offer...

Although we visited the Tribe of Three Gorges first, I am actually going to start with the Dam, only so you get an understanding why the Tribe was created...

Three Gorges Dam

The Three Gorges Dam is the world's largest power producer and the largest hydroelectric dam.  Basically it was built to control the amount of water that flowed down the Yangtze River.  Severe flooding would constantly occur further downstream and with may villages built along its banks the damage and loss of life was continually high.

Over 1,000 villages were flooded and hundreds of thousands of people where relocated to new townships and cities built on higher ground to enable the construction.

Another reason why the dam was constructed was to generate electricity.  This is sold to many provinces around China. The ability to generate and sell power in this way meant that the dam will eventually pay for itself and start making a profit..

What makes this dam even more interesting is the series of 5 locks that take raise and lower ships to the two sides of the Yangtze.  But wait there is more....  in 2016 a Ship Lift was construction... a vertical lift that will raise or lower a ship in just 40 min as oppose to the 3.5 hours is takes to use the locks.

Just like Hoover, Warragamba and any other dam of significant size, it also became a tourist attraction.

We were driven to our first viewing opportunity to what is known as the Tanziling Ridge.  On entering you first pass through an exhibition hall that gives you information and displays a model about the project.

To make your way up to higher ground there are a series of outdoor escalators.  The scenic area at the top has been beautifully landscaped to include a park, fountains and the Tanziling Ridge it self.  The structure is suppose to look like an upside down jar ( hence the name tanzil, which means jar ).  Climb up the Jar for the best 360 deg view of the dam and the locks.

We were then taken to another platform that would be on the same level as the top of the dam for another perspective.

Tanziling Ridge - looks like and upside down jar ... well!

Another interesting translation

The Locks

Closer view of the locks

Ships waiting for their turn

Everyone wants their photo's taken with the Contiki Kids

Spectacular views... shame about the haze 

Looking down at the Scenic Area and the fountain.

looking back towards the "Jar"

 

Right time of year for the beautiful Autumn Leaves

Lower View of the locks in action

Ships entering..

One of the more popular Chinese snacks is sesame seed mixed with kind of soft toffee.  Beaten flat, then broken up and sold in packets. YUM

Ok so there is a story behind this - Your mission if you choose to accept!  Contiki 1 (to the left ) paid $5 US for his beer, Contiki 2 said "I want one" walked over and negotiated hers for $4, jokingly we said 'OK Contiki 3, lets see if you can get one for $3" Mission accomplished....  "Well Contiki 4, you know what this means",  I am sure the blonde hair, shorts ( remember that these would be the most photographed legs in currently in China ) and charm would get you one for $2....
You guessed it .... Success!  The lady didn't have a chance LOL

22 Crew Talent Show on the Yangtze Gold 6

I haven't mentioned that waiters and waitress's in the dining room were just lovely and very keen to please.  Like all crew on a ship, once they know your likes and dislikes, they will fuss and make sure you are happy....  they did a great job, especially as their English was not the best.

On this particular night it was all a buzz and the crew seem to be in hurry to get things done... Eventually through alot of head nodding, amateur sign language and the art of speaking slowly, we deducted that these young men and women were not just employed for their excellent serving capabilities, but their performing attributes.  The penny dropped that this lovely girl who had just cleared my plate was one of the talented dancers that twirled around the dance floor at the Captains reception.

They were all finishing off in the dining room to head to the theatre to perform in the Ships Talent Show... It was the most theatrically rehearsed talent show I have ever seen....

On entering the theatre we were all given these plastic clapping hands so we could show our appreciation after each performance .... it was a lovely way to finish off our cruise!!

21 A Ships Tour

As part of our little package we were taken on a short tour of the ship. There was no walk through the galley or laundry, it was all about the client experience.

We visited several types of suites, including the owners with multiple bedrooms, lounge and private en suites. We went into areas we hadn't explored on our own yet, due to lack of time, like the library, games room and the very front deck which the weather prevented .... or coming to think of it, it may have been dedicated to the suites, I can't remember now....

 But of course you always get to visit the bridge . 

"Steady as she goes, Mr Sulu"

There was never enough opportunity to enjoy this view 

"You to me Is what Rose was to Jack" ..... the Contiki Guys.

20 Captain's Welcome Party - Formal night Yangtze Style...

There could never be a cruise without a Captains Welcome Party....

Well ladies leave the long dresses at home, because formal night on a Yangtze River Cruise means, put a necklace on and a bit lippy and you will be sure to dazzle...  You could pick the Aussie's on this cruise as they were the only ones with ties and jackets LOL.

We did convince the contiki guys that maybe tonight they should wear long pants, which to their credit they did...

Dinner was a bit fancier tonight as it was table service.

No champagne waterfall or lobster tails, but the Captain flanked by his officers did come around to each of the tables in our dining room for a chat, well maybe a head nod, and a photo opportunity.

Then later they made an appearance at the reception that was held in the atrium, where champagne and dessert was served.

There was a ballroom dance performance by the Yangtze Singers and Dancers. Beautifully dressed they swirled around the floor.  Then each of them broke away and encouraged guests to dance with them.... and of course no party is complete without a Chinese rendition of Nut-bush and the Chicken Dance.  It was fun!

19 Yangtze Gold 6

Deciding how I am going to write about the river cruise, I think I will just cover the ship first then concentrate on the ports of call...

On boarding the ship we were ushered into the theatre.  There  we were given the run down for the cruise and the plan for the next day... What I had come to realise, is that dining and shore excursions are kept within the group that you are travelling with... So as far as we were concerned our SNA group always dined and toured together ... There were other SNA groups on board and they stayed with in their groups, and I guess the Chinese guests stayed within their groups.
 

 Our rooms were very nice.... We had a balcony room,  well a room with french doors, which to me didn't really matter as we hardly spent any time in our room. On exiting our room we over looked the centre atrium area...  Beds were hard ..... I believe that most rooms have 2 large singles which suited us, but when I repeat this trip with Garry I will request a queen room, I have that that may mean a paid upgrade.

Centre Atrium

Having been spoilt by Princess in the past, servicing of the rooms was a bit hit and miss, as I remember,  one night we had to go chasing at the front desk to have our rooms serviced for the day, even if it was just to get fresh towels.... After the third time I called, we had a cast of thousands storm our room and had looking spic and span in no time at all..

We did have a welcome letter in our room that gave us the run down for the entire cruise and each day there was an update .  I love the translations "Please take of your kids and keep them in your eyes"

Just like cruise ships there were drinks packages, Spa offers, coffee packages and acupuncture on offer.
Click here for the cruise info sheet!
Click here for the daily sheets!

As we did every tour that was available there was not much time left to explore the ship.  There was a coffee shop, and a few stores that ran along the atrium selling a small range of clothes, jewellery, art and food stuff.

They also had demonstrations, lectures and mahjong lessons during the short periods sailing between one destination to another.

Baking Display

Calligraphy anyone!

There are always shops!

I can't believe I have no photo's from the dining room.  We had the VIP upgrade as did most Westerners.  Basically it meant we had a separate dining room higher up on the ship.  There were no queues to enter and our tables were always allocated for our group.  Food was buffet style, for breakfast, lunch and dinner.  All mainly Asian flavours and not as spicy as that we had had in Chengdu, but there were always jars of chilli condiments available if you wanted to make it Hot Hot Hot.   Would I pay for it next time?  Hell yes!!

Lounge, Bar and Show Room

18 Arriving in Yichang

The one thing I found with China, everything takes so long to get to . From the airport to Chengdu over an hour, from both hotels in Chengdu, travel time to city centre, at least 40 mins.  Hotel to Chengdu train station 45 min, Yichang to Maoping Port 1 hour .... how big is this place....

One of the other benefits of doing this tour is that the majority of our meals were included.  Before heading to the ship we were taken to a restaurant with an interesting name when translated into English!

A very nice restaurant and as a bonus we were met by one of the Founders of SNA travel.  The food was lovely and it was very beneficial that some of our fellow travellers were of Chinese descent, in helping us understand what we were eating,

On leaving I had to laugh, as no matter where you come from, Greeks, Italians and obviously Chinese .... you have an abundance of something you grow in your back yard, no one leaves your home without a bagful.... this was true in our case.  As we re-boarded our bus we were all handed a plastic bag of home grown oranges LOL...

It was dark as we approached Maoping Port where we would board our home for the next 5 days, the Yangtze Gold 6 River boat.. A lot bigger than our Avalon River Boat and although there are more lights and razzle dazzle, she is definitely showing her age... well not so much age but lack of maintenance, not like say the cruise ships we are used to ..

There were a lot of ships docked here, though one young gentleman made it easy for us to find our way.  In side the terminal we went through another passport check then we made our way to the ship...

There were a lot of stairs to negotiate to get down to water level, but for those who are mobility challenged or dragging lots of luggage behind them, there is a very large funicular that does the trick perfectly.  Speaking of luggage, our tour included porters, so it was only at the airport and the train station that we had to worry about moving our bags around...

This is what it looks like during the day.