Back In Touch

We're in Shanghai now, having arrived a couple of hours ago from Yichang, the home of the Three Gorges Dam and the end of our cruise. We got to tour the dam site today. It's a very big dam, and based on the responses I got to the environmental questions I asked, they have no idea of what the ultimate effects will be. My favorite response? To the question, "What will happen to the fish?" the answer was, to quote, "The fish will have to learn new living habits." Whew, fish are good at that, I think. We also toured a sturgeon farm, for the endangered Chinese sturgeon, which have proven to be not so adept as those other fish at finding new living habits. Anyway, the video had lots of men and women in white coats working on the surgeon problem, so I for one am relieved.

The cruise was interesting. We met some nice people, including an Australian couple who are in the same hotel as us here. I'll elaborate at another time, because it's late and I have lots to say about the cruise.

Before we started the cruise, however, we arrive by air via Chong Qing. As we landed, I said to Ronnie, "Watch, this'll be another city of 6 million people we've never heard of." Well guess again. 10 million? 20 million? Nope. 32 million people. Imagine an area the size of the Northeast, except it's all high rise apartments. Now imagine there are 3 of them. That's what the drive from the airport to the boat was like. Plus add, and I'm not exaggerating, at least 250 more high rises under construction. That's Chong Qing.

On the way to the boat, we were forced to make a stop at the local museum. We found out afterwards that the floods here were so bad that they weren't sure they could dock the boat. Anyway, the museum was, as best as I could tell, a museum of 18th century beds. All from local families. And did I mention that Chong Qing has a nickname? Furnace City. We did eventually make it to the boat and kept our luggage in our possession in spite of the dozens of very helpful people who wanted to carry it for us as we get to the dock.

Much more to come.