Day 6 continues as we start up the Yangtze River

After a buffet lunch, we set "sail" up the river. We sat in the front and watched the scenery go by for about three hours and loved every minute of it. We were surprised when we docked a little after 4PM at Badong--for the night. We wondered if our 4 day cruise would consist of 6-8 hours on the water!

We were fascinated by the fields on the mountainside and how the farmers work up and down the mountain. The guide explained that the gorge use to be deep and narrow and very dangerous for the people working on the hillside--both mining and farming. The river is rising because it is upstream from the Three Gorges Dam -- which is suppose to help control the annual flooding. Originally it was about 65 meters above sea level and currently it is about 158 meters. Next year it is due to reach it's final level of about 175 meters. There were markers all along the river showing exactly where the water level will be next year, and it is clear that a lot more homes and farm land will be under water at that point. We were given government propaganda, and even then it was clear that this project has been a hardship to many, many people. For further information about the pros and cons of the project itself, Google "Three Gorges Dam". The information and cost to US citizens is interesting.

Some of these pictures look misty, but actually it was smoggy. Even though we had nothing but sunshine since arriving in China, we have not had a clear day. In Beijing, Wuhan and now on the Yangtze river, it was very hazy. We noticed that as we approached Chongqing, it got worse and worse. Because of China's extremely fast industrialization, they have not adequately addressed environmental issues. So far the visible solution is to plant trees, but as long as the main power source is burning coal, it seems that the air quality will continue to worsen.

A big concern is making a good impression for the 2008 Olympics, so it will be interesting to see how they solve this problem. They are already asking the people in and around Beijing to take their cars and visit relatives in other areas. I wonder if they will shut down the factories for July and August next year.

The final picture is of our arrival at Badong. This beautiful ship is not the one we travelled on.