Day 19 (21-3-2009) - The 5 Gates

Guess what I saw out of my room window, first thing when I woke up this morning. The answer is not as interesting as you might think it could be.

I saw the exact same thing I saw before I went to sleep. In other words, the boat had not moved a single inch the whole night. There was quite a commotion about people wanting a refund and all and we were clueless as to what was going to happen.

The situation was made clear to us during breakfast. Throughout the night, the fog was too thick to navigate through, so the captain decided that for the safety of the passengers, he should wait until the conditions are better. It was indeed, a good decision but for some, it was troublesome. I was willing to wait at all costs, just for the safety of myself and the rest. I admit I WAS a little bit nervous on my maiden cruise. Just being on water made me nervous but I did not tell anyone.

We were then given 2 choices. Plan A: We wait on the boat for an indefinite period of time until the fog clears up. It could be an hour; it could be a day, who knew? But we will still get to see the Three Gorges, the attraction that we have travelled so far to visit.

Plan B: We get off the boat, take a coach to the Three Gorges Dam (not the Three Gorges itself), and then we visit another natural attraction which is described to be as beautiful as the Three Gorges. We would also get to go home earlier and not waste any time. Moreover, 2 of the girls were getting sea sick, so getting off the boat would be a wise choice.

There was just one problem. We were not exactly at the jetty. Before it stopped for one whole night, the boat had gone a few kilometres away from the jetty. And because the captain will not be going back to the jetty, but will only go forward as planned when the fog clears up, we were unable to leave the ship. So Plan A it was.

We distracted ourselves from the inconvenience by playing card games, something we would go on to do, whenever possible. By lunch, the boat had started moving and there were no problems from then onwards.

Breathtaking is the word I would use to describe whatever I saw, on the way to the Three Gorges. I do not think I would be able to describe my feelings on this with words, so I shall not do so.

We spent a lot of time fooling around at the upper deck on the boat. It’s a nice place to be with all the scenery around you, and the cool night wind.

I had to stay awake slightly past my bedtime because I had to witness something that must not be missed: the 5 Gates of the Three Gorges Dam.

This dam (the largest in the world), other than controlling the level of water and generating massive amounts of hydroelectrical power, is used to transport boats, from a low level of river water, to a higher level, so that the boat does not have to ride upstream. Every time the boat wants to get to a higher level of water, it waits inside a huge “room” which is then filled up with water. Alongside the rising water level, the boat also rises to a specific height and then it is able to advance to the next part of the Yangtze River. This procedure repeats another 4 times.