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The Yangtze Angel ties up at a floating dock at Wushan, a town of over half a
million people. We walk across a pontoon bridge to reach the shore. We
have some more pictures of everyday life in Wushan: click
here. |
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We notice a large black pile off to the left, and a large number of men
going rapidly back and forth between it and some blue trucks down by the
shore. |
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They are porters, carrying coal from the pile down to the trucks. This
gives us a new appreciation for the term "labor intensive." |
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There is a bit of a climb from the shore up to where the buses are
waiting for us. For those who want the assistance there is a flock of
porters with sedan chairs, carrying the tourists up to the buses for a
negotiable amount. When Fritz comes into view they suddenly stop hustling.
He carries a bubble of awed silence with him as he proceeds to the hill. |
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The buses take us to the mouth of the Daning river where we board the
sight-seeing boats.
This is the bridge over the entrance to the Longmen gorge. The bridge
is ten meters above where the dam waters will come to, so it will have to
be dynamited to allow traffic on the Daning. A new one will be built
higher up. |
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The water is fast-moving, clear, and a glacial green as we head
upstream. Small rapids toss us around a bit at bends in the river. A
couple of times the hull scrapes the rocky bottom. The
scenery is wonderful. See it below. |
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We are taking the short cruise. The longer one stops at a number of
sights along the way. The vendors are waiting for them.
Some enterprising and athletic young men bring their wares to the boat,
running through the shallows and the rapids to do business with us. |
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Since olden days there has been a road along the side of the
Daning. Here, where there is no shore, the road was
attached to the cliff face using beams placed in these holes. They say it was strong enough
to bear horses and riders. |
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Further upstream, a troop of Rhesus monkeys inhabits the cliff face. |
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In between the gorges, the valley opens up and farms and villages
appear. |
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The limestone cliffs are full of caves, some of which are
just right for a cozy troglodytic dwelling. |
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Way up on a cliff face, in an inaccessible cave, the ancient Ba people
buried their dead in a wooden coffin. More about this can be seen in the
museum at Wanzhou. |
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The water seeping through the limestone has cause
stalactites to grow from the roof of this overhang. This is the first time
we see them outside a cave. |
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This lookout post run by the river police can call for help on
cell phones if any of the river boats get into trouble. |
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The inundation level signs have been put up everywhere as a
reminder to the population: The water will be at the 135 meter level in
2003, and at the 175 meter level in 2005. The Three Lesser Gorges will be
just a memory. The tourism ministry will need to discover some new scenery. |
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From time to time the river is crossed by a suspension bridge. |
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 After navigating through the three gorges the
Daning becomes more placid
and we nose into a beach of pebbles, the destination of our trip. The trip
back downstream goes all too fast. We are back onboard the Yangtze Angel
in time for lunch. |
