Day 23 (25-3-2009) - Sports

A tiring day is all that I can say. Today was probably the first time I really engaged in sports, other than just the normal kickabout that we usually have.

After a considerably difficult jog to the girls’ dorm, I played a little bit of badminton (with very lousy rackets), some basketball (which I’m really not good at) and finally some soccer (which I enjoyed most). Also did some juggling with the African students who live there. The funny thing is that whenever we play sports, we end up not having to play with Chinese students, instead, with international students. Not something that I had envisioned.

I forced myself to jog back to our dorm. Running in the cold is something I’m probably not used to, so I struggled then too.

In conclusion, I did not study today at all.

Day 22 (24-3-2009) - Renewed Spirit

I woke up this morning with a renewed will to study, and try to secure a pass for my EM3A module. It’s just one week to the Common Test and I’m feeling the heat. Every day from now onwards must be used to study and revise EM3A. EM3A will be my life for the next 7 days. Okay. Let’s hope that all this is not just fake hype.

Had a tutorial today, ate lunch, and did some catching up with the world through the internet.

Day 21 (23-3-2009) - Dining VIP style

At 8am, we ate breakfast, our last meal aboard the cruise. It has been a long 4 day stay on water but I would say it was time well spent.

Our lunch at a restaurant nearby the jetty was simply fabulous. 13 dishes, VIP style, and we didn’t even have to pay a single cent. All 4 days, we’ve been eating restaurant food only, albeit the restaurant food on board the cruise was not the best around. This meal in particular, is in a different league from the rest.

The dishes just kept on coming. Best thing is that only one dish was pork, unlike during all other occasions. Every dish was tasty, especially the fish, sweet sour tofu, and, well, everything else. We were so happy with the meal that we just kept on taking photos with the food.

We said our goodbyes to one of our tour guides, who would not be following us back to Wuhan. After that was the long long 5 hour bus ride back to Wuhan. Then, we said our temporary goodbyes to the other 2 tour guides who would visit us again in a few days. Such is the bond formed between us in just a few days.

So excited, that we started taking photos.

And by the way, there was still more to be served.

Day 20 (22-3-2009) - Best night yet

The unique experience today was that we got off our boat to a small pontoon and then were divided into small groups. We then went on to ride small “sampans”, paddled by 4 people and steered by 1 person each. We also had a guide that would tell us more about the place we were at, The Shennong Stream.

This is a branch river of the main river, the Yangtze River. This stream in particular, is popular because of its gentle waters and even more beautiful and breathtaking scenery. And believe me, watching the many gorges, caves, hills and other rock formations up close on a sampan, gives a feeling that cannot be compared with seeing it from afar from the cruise.

We had fun singing songs, cheering on our paddles just so that we could overtake the others. I pity them for having to work so hard actually. This short little ride on a river in between the gorges, I would remember as the more prominent thing that I have done here in China.; a truly unique experience.

Other than visiting another small county, we went back to our boat and had a party, dedicated to our 3 wonderful tour guides. We were supposed to each say something in dedication to them, but because that idea could turn out to be rather plain and boring, it was decided that I, alongside Fareez (2 non-Chinese) would represent everyone, and make a heartfelt dedication to them; in Chinese (Mandarin).

I barely had 30 minutes to practice for my so called speech. It went something like this:

Wo xiang he ni men shuo shen xie xie! Ying wei ni men shi hen hao de dao you, ni men ye shi wo men de hao peng you. Wo hen kai xin ying wei ni men yon yin yu lai jie shi gei wo ting. Lai rang wo ming bai. Zu hoiu, wo men fei chang gan xie ni men! Zhu ni men shi ye shun li, xin xiang shi cheng! Xie xie!

Very simple Mandarin, I know. I did it perfectly a few times during practice, but during the real thing, I could not help but ask for help just 2 times. But I think everyone understands and know that I have put in sincere effort.

The rest of the night is history.

The Shennong Stream dat we went through with a "sampan"

Friendly waves and faces

Some island which was our last stop for the Three Gorges cruise

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.

Day 18 (20-3-2009) - Trouble trouble

It was a very rushed morning, having to board our coach at 7.00 am in the morning. We woke up at around 5am, did some last minute preparation, kept our laptops at the girls’ dorm and we were finally ready to set off on our 3 day trip.

Long bus rides are always pleasant as far as I am concerned. Accompanied with my trusty Ipod as always, I would listen to slow and simple songs while looking on as the landscape passes me by. This I believe is my secret hobby.

As I started to doze off, from one long blink to the other, I witnessed how modern buildings turn into flower fields, then back to buildings, and then once again turn into beautiful fields of lime green. I never really went about asking what flower that was; I just know it filled my eyes, for the best part of the journey

Our first destination was the city of Jing Zhou. Jing Zhou is bordered by the exact same walls that protected it from enemies in ancient times. So just being there, allows you to relive the history and let your imagination run wild. Taking photos at a place like this is completely necessary.

After lunch, we were in for another long ride to the city of Yichang. Yichang is where we will board our cruise and leave for the Three Gorges.

What we did not expect, was that there was going to be trouble at the jetty. Apparently, there was a dispute between the tourism company for our cruise, and the government tourism body. The company said that it demanded an interest for letting everyone use the jetty which they own, while the government probably thought otherwise. We had to patiently wait for 2 hours in total. Things got mad when people started throwing fists at each other, and the situation called for the police to be there.

In Singapore, I do not think any tourism company would dare go against a government body.

At this point, we were about to go for our contingency plan; leave the jetty, go to another one and board another cruise, which is actually about half a star better than our current one. With a drizzle pouring on us and as the evening got colder, this was really not a bad change of plans.

But, it was not meant to be as not long after that, they settled the dispute and we finally boarded the cruise.

I think that the rooms are not bad at all. We have an LCD TV, 2 very comfortable beds and a seated toilet (a rarity in China). This is all that I need to survive for 3 days. I am just disappointed with the facilities that are available to us. There are only 3 things: A mah-jong room, a KTV, and a cyber cafe. It does sound okay, but, consider this: I do not play mah-jong, the KTV was fully booked for all 3 days and the cyber cafe was down.

I guess it’s all up to us to entertain ourselves during our free time. Hope this turns out to be as fun as I hope it would be.