Yangtze River Cruise and Shanghai

So after took a flight to Chongqing nearly 11:00am in the morning, we picked up by John, our local guide. Then he drove the three of us to the local Chinese restaurant, and during the lunch time, he explained to me and taught us the following cruises on offer to us. Wandering in the Ancient Porcelain Town, crowded as somewhere else in China. Later in the afternoon, after super, John drove us to wharf to take boat. A band was there to welcome us on to the boat and as we entered, we realised that John wasn’t conning us about the luxury liner. The cabin was fitted with a fridge, flat screen TV and had its own balcony. The cruise was great, despite the regimented hours for breakfast, lunch and dinner and the herding of us all during onshore tours. The Three Gorges were amazing and a side tour on smaller boats along the Mini Three Gorges was just as spectacular. We had sun almost everyday but the winter chill in the air could still be felt. The culmination of the cruise was a tour of the Three Gorges Dam, Feeling pampered, well fed and clean getting off the boat brought us straight back to reality as we arrived in Yichang, and picked up by the local guide Chen and directly head to airport for taking flight to Shanghai.We arrived in Shanghai and headed to our pre-booked hotel. After freshening up and getting some food we headed to the Shanghai Museum.The museum was interesting in parts with the ancient jade and stone artefacts and the evolution of the monetary system in China, but only major history geeks would get really excited about it, then we went up to the 88th floor of Jinmao Tower where there was a viewing deck. Great views of the city at night and the crazy telecommunications tower that has become the symbol of Shanghai. We had an expensive cocktail at the bar on the 87th floor to wind down the evening and dreamed of being an expat in this town. You could really live the high life here. The next day we moved hotels to be closer to the French Concession where we visited the building where the Chinese Communist Party was founded. afterwards we visited a home built 400 years ago by a wealthy government official for his parents. The home had several gardens and pathways so it was a pleasant visit. It included a 400 Gingko Biloba tree. Then we had our final dinner since we travelled from Beijing. They were great to travel with and made our trip much more enjoyable. This has been a highlight of my life so far and I'm so amazed and awed by the things I seen. I hope I can make it back one day to see some of the rest of all the country has to offer.

Dick
12.26.2009