Sarah - Australia

We arrived in Chongqing from Chendgu after a long-ass bus ride. Chongqing is quite a nice city, but we didn't have time to check it out really. We board the boat at 8:00pm, the boat was full of Chinese tourists, all determined to see the 3 Gorges before they get swallowed by the biggest dam in the world.



However, we were woken up every morning on the boat at 5am by the sounds of Kenny-Freakin-G playing his freakin' clarinet. Followed by half an hour of announcements in Chinese, that all started with "Dear friends..." Well, if you were our friend, you'd let us get some freakin' sleep and not wake us up so freakin' early!!! Our first stop was "Ghost mountain", a low-budget Chinese house of horrors. We were allowed to wander where we pleased, but everywhere we went, Chinese tour guides were herding their charges around, waving flags and babbling into portable loudspeakers. Under-awed, we returned to the boat early.

We turned down the opportunity to see the optional sites for extra money, mostly cos they would follow the pattern of following herds of Chinese tourists, loudspeakers, and postcard sellers. We woke early on the second day to see the first of the 3 Gorges, which were pretty impressive.



We all changed boats and got onto smaller boats to tour the "little 3 gorges". Of course, these boats came equipped with Chinese tour guides who explained in detail to the Chinese tourists what each rock formation was supposed to look like (a rabbit, a goose, a 3 headed dog guarding the gates of hell etc.).

Chinese tourists are a new breed of creature. The men wear the tourist uniform of short shorts, vests (wife-beaters), socks and leather loafers, with cell phones attached to their belts. Of course, at any moment, having a conversation at the top of your voice on your cell phone is encouraged. As is smoking, spitting and belching. Wives are required to pose for photos (and there are certain set poses worthy of Cosmo cover girls which they all seem trained to adopt). Kids are allowed to generally run around, screaming and shouting and attacking things with wooden swords (trees, rubbish bins, foreigners etc.). On the boat, karaoke, mahjong and cards are all the order of the day. It really is fascinating to watch.



We saw the other 2 gorges, but the best part of the trip was simply being able to chill out on deck, chatting, reading and relaxing. China is super-hectic, and there are few places where you can sit and relax (again, that lack of leisure time) so the boat was really cool from that point of view, announcements and tour guides notwithstanding. We spent a lot of the time looking for the white markers showing where the water will rise to when the dam is complete. Most of the places have already been resettled, and there are loads of new houses and apartments all along the river/dam, where people have been moved from low-lying areas.



We got to see the dam on our last day. It's massive, of course, and the security is pretty strict. Afterwards we took a bus to Yichang where we can catch another bus to Wuhan for the next 4 hours or so.

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Your Itinerary

 

Day 1 - Aboard boat in Chongqing

Pickup from Traffic Inn at 8:00am (this has to be confirmed from previous night). Arrival in Chongqing, get picked up by "our travel agency bearing your name and for the afternoon you will be exploring Chongqing freely. Your boat leaves Chongqing at 9:00pm.

 

Day 2 - On Enroute

Visiting Fengdu Ghost Town from 7am-10am, the name haunts mortals for centurys and has been recorded in literature and painting in ancient Chinese chronicles.


Visiting Zhangfei Temple from 7pm-9pm. A shrine built to commemorate the heroic general in ancient Shu Kingdom.

*Fengdu Ghost**Zhangfei Temple**

 

Day 3 - See All Gorges

Visiting Baidi City in the morning. The fortified river-side town where Liu Bei (King of Shu Kingdom) left his son and politics to his war minister after being defeated in the life and death battle with Wu Kingdom.

 

Visiting Little Three Gorges in the afternoon. by its very name, the gorges here forbid large vessels and passenger ships. We use chinese gondala to penetrate through the narrowest reach river course. The scenery here bring you into a world witin a world.

***Baidi City*****Qutang Gorge**Wu Gorge**

*Yangtze River**Xining Gorge*Little 3 Gorge

 

Day 4 - Finish in Yichang

Visiting Jiuwanxi Scenic Area from 6am-8am. Similar to little Three Gorges but certainly not as spectacular.


Boat arrives Taipingxi for a bus to Maoping where the Three Gorges Dam is. This hydroelectric project rivals the ancient engineering wonder of buidling the Pyramid.


Arrival in Yichang at 1:30pm

*Jiuwanxi SA********Three Gorges Dam*****

 

NOTE: Guests who do not wish to visit the Dam can take the bus from Taipingxi to Yichang, arriving at 11:00am.

 

Trip Cost - option 1

Boat 1st Class 2nd Class 3rd Class

Oct-Mar

(CNY)

 868 568 498

 

Price Include:

1. Chengdu to Chongqing transport

2. Boat Ticket

3. Bus to Yichang

 

Own Expense:

1. Meals

2. Deck view

3. Attractions

 

Trip Cost - option 2

Boat 1st Class 2nd Class 3rd Class

Oct-Nov

(CNY)

 1148 860 790

 

Price Include:

1. Chengdu to Chongqing transport

2. Boat Ticket

3. Bus to Yichang

4. Fengdu Ghost Town

5. Zhangfei Temple

6. Little Three Gorges

 

Own Expense:

1. Meals

2. Deck view

3. Attractions not included in itinerary

 

Attraction Cost

Attractions Fengdu Ghost Zhangfei Temple Baidi City

Cost (CNY)

 110 50 110
  LIttle 3 Gorges 3 Gorges Dam Jiuwanxi

 

 180 180 110