We wake up, warm and sunny. Up to the lounge now to observe the tai chi session. It is relaxing just watching. Breakfast straight after. We are seated at a table with two other British couples who are on a very long trip in China, starting in Tibet. There is now a lecture on Chinese medicine by the same gentleman who took the tai chi session. He has an American man as a guinea pig who has hot cups attached to his back. He then gives him a bit of a scrapping after rubbing his shoulder with a pungent ointment. I see the American later who is not sure whether it has done him any good, will be waiting to see overnight. He is from St. Louis along with a number of other Americans. They are having different treatment from the rest of us passengers, with separate menus which seem to be avoiding Chinese food and spices of any kind.
As we leisurely process downriver there is a lecture by Andy, the river guide who gives a brief history and outline of the many features we will see en-route. As he talks the Monty Python Yangtze song comes to my mind:-
We love the Yangtse
Yangtse Kiang
Flowing from Yushu
Down to Ching Kiang
Passing though Chung King
Wuhan and Hoo Kow
3000 miles
but it gets there somehow
Oh! Szechuan’s the province
and Shanghai is the port
and Yangtse is the river
that we all support
We relax until lunch making the most of the leisure time. There is a trip this afternoon to the Red Pagoda, a structure built onto the the rocks. There are five groups leaving the ship, with the English speaking group going first a little way ahead of the Chinese. The route up to the building involves walking over a bridge made of planks barely attached to steel ropes which are hung on a trestle arrangement every so often. The effect is to make the planks between the trestles wobble and shake in equal measure. The bridge is nicknamed the drunk bridge. Our group now arrives at the pagoda. Some of the individuals from the groups which started behind us have broken ranks and are ploughing their own furrows, with scant regard for the one-way system in place at the monument, The building has three sides with the back formed by a steep cliff. There are nine staircases in the structure each with eleven steps. The climb is not as bad as expected, and the views from the top are spectacular. There is the usual pushing in and shoving as we stop at each of the points of interest. This area was affected by the damming of the Yangtze with the water level rising over one hundred metres. The village where the pagoda once stood was demolished and a new one built higher up the mountain at the new river level, the guide delicately calls this process “people relocation”. The pagoda itself has not been moved, but a protecting wall has been built around it to protect if from potential flooding. The pagoda contains a number of large and impressive Tao statues, and there are offering bowls with gifts in all around. Tom and Jerry the ship photographers are popping up here and there trying to get us all to smile. My fellow traveller has not taken this trip, and has stayed in the cabin with ice packs around her feet which have swollen up.
Returning back to the ship I pass through a street where the local vendors have set out their stalls with the usual offerings of tee shirts, lanterns, kites and food of many kinds including some we have not seen before. Some pigs noses are being sold at one food stall. They appear to have been marinated in soy sauce as they are a very peculiar colour. There are also similar coloured objects which I deduce have been taken from a “lower part” of a sheep. There are no customers around this stall.
Back on board just in time to shower and change before dinner. My fellow traveller is already dressed up. It is the captain’s drinks welcome so we better be at our best. When we arrive at the bar, a little late, we grab a sparkling wine drink and proceed to the buffet. We watch amused as what food was on offer is being devoured by a plague of locusts locals. I watch transfixed as one elderly lady has the dexterity to shovel up prawn crackers with tongs whilst looking at right angles to see what is left on the the dishes to her left. We meet up with the British who share our restaurant table. It is announced that the Captain’s Reception is over; the Chinese vacate the bar as if they have evaporated. We regret to report that we did not see Captain Fang.
Dinner on our table is entertaining. We hear of the other couples travels and the strange things they have seen and we compare notes on the places we have visited in common. There is much laughter, which we carry over to the bar again later. Other than gin and tonic I decide to sample some local drinks. The only thing that can really be said about them as far as I can see is that they are splendidly packaged. Da Hua Lian is a clear white spirit sold in its own glass with a tear off top. It is very strong and has a peculiar taste not unlike grappa. I share it between the two other British gentlemen, who grimace at the taste. Our second sampling is of another clear white spirit, sold in a rather fetching green flask. It is called Beijing Er Guo Tou. There is five times the volume in the flask at less than twice the price. This should have been the warning. Pouring the liquid into a glass releases a very peculaiar aroma. The taste when sampling is what we guess the mud at the sides of the Yangtze tastes like. There are no takers with the smell putting off the ladies.
A fashion show follows with the ship’s staff, mostly young ladies parading on the stage in historical and ethnic costumes. They make a good job. It must take some courage to dress up and show off like this. When the show is over it is time to retire. I leave the bar with my flask of drink with the intention of creating some international harmony by sharing it with the locals. Arriving on deck four, there are groups of people carrying their balcony chairs from their rooms to one other, they seem to be gearing up for a party and are perfect candidates for my hooch. Though sign language I offer them drinks, but all look at the bottle and shake their heads. I return to my room now the only option remaining is to despatch the liquid down the drain.