Kanga And Wombats Adventures

Day 4

In the light of day, we could fully assess our surroundings. We were 30 Europeans on a ship of 350. The ship was docked beside 2 others, much like a sandwich, with us being one slice of bread. It was a bit confronting to be so close to our neighbours!

We had been expressly forbidden to hang any laundry to dry on our balconies, but the locals obviously didn’t get the same message!

The ship’s interior was very seventies, very nice.

Our cabin was huge, king bed, bath and shower, hot water. All you needed!

The dining room was glamorous and very civilized, and the lounge area perfect for Karaoke.

But without realising it, by some of the group choosing to upgrade our cabins, we had effectively been divided into the ‘haves’ and the ‘have nots’. It was kind of like the elephant in the room. We were curious as to whether we’d been ripped off by upgrading and they were curious as to whether they should have been ripped off!

Let’s just say we were glad we made the decision we did!

Our first day excursion was to the Three Gorges Dam.

It was a scorcher of a day, so naturally everyone wanted to avoid the 500 steps and take the cable car. Trouble was, everyone from all 3 ships left at the same time. The queue was extensive, with umbrellas being the accessory of choice.

This young lady dressed for the occasion!

The attrition rate in the heat was high! We drove through the town which was as neat as a pin. Motor bike drivers had great sun protection devices.

Security at the dam entrance was tight, but their screening system was down pat. Bus drop off on one side of the building, through the x-ray machine and out the other side of the building where our bus was waiting. Guards everywhere. Our guide Max, was very enthusiastic!

Beside the dam is a massive lock system, with each compartment capable of taking 6 tankers. It takes the ships 6 hours to travel through. A bit different from the Hatton Flight!

For smaller passenger ships and boats, a lift system operates. A giant crane system using counter weights lifts the vessels up in their pod of water and spits them out the other side.

A mandatory stop at the exhibition room showed us the magnitude of the site, from whence we were transported to the viewing lookout by escalator (no photos allowed).

At the top of the escalator was this sign.

The view from the top was amazing.

The lookout area was extensive, with an impressive bronze relief depicting men wrestling with the elements which symbolised the struggle endured when building the dam.

There was even a giant book, telling us that the Three Gorges Dam project had made the long-cherished dream of the Chinese people come true.

We walked down the other side of the lookout hill, past beautiful gardens filled with gerberas, and another model, then piled into little golf carts that took us back to the bus parking area.

We left the site awestruck at it’s enormity and engineering genius.

The 2.8km dam wall dominated the scenery on the way home.

It had been a great day, and the first taste we’d had of the massive injection of funding into developing infrastructure this huge nation had embarked on over the past 20 years.