10/10/07-Yangtze River Cruise (Shennongxi Stream,Wu Gorge)

In the morning we transferred to a ferry for a ride up the Shennongxi Stream. This is a tributary of the Yangtze with three beautiful gorges of its own. Along the way we viewed eagles and another phenomenon: caskets inserted into openings in several rock formations. It seems that the people of this region did this (burials) as a form of reverence to some of their honored dead.

After sailing up steam for an hour, the ferry dislodged us onto canoes (
Sampans) for the next stage of this journey. Each
Sampan held about 10 people and 3 or 4 of the local minority people who rowed in the front and a steersman/paddler in the rear. We quickly entered the narrow part of the stream and were paddled at a good pace until it was too shallow for rowing. Then, the natives jumped out, tied ropes to the canoe, and pulled us under great effort a bit farther up the stream until it was barely a trickle. Then we turned around and the process was reversed. Each canoe also had a young lady guide who pointed out various things to observe and also, believe it or not, sang some very pretty songs as we headed back. Of course, she had CD's made of these songs and many of us purchased them while on the vessel. The day was warm with scattered clouds and the whole experience was thoroughly enjoyed by all. We returned tired but refreshed and had a hearty lunch. To see pictures, click Shennongxi Stream.

In the afternoon, the ship passed through the Wu Gorge with its deep zigzagging valley and lush forested mountains. After dinner, we attended a show given by the crew depicting dances and outfits from the various provinces. Between acts, people were plucked from the audience to perform silly tasks while the performers changed clothing. Dave (first victim) and Judy (next victim) were caught and made to embarrass themselves in front of the audience. Judy fared much better than Dave.

In the evening, the cruise ship entered Qutang, the third and last of the Three Gorges.