Thursday 12th April

I would like to say that we awoke on our last day on board to a bright, sunny morning.

 

I would like to say that but...........unfortunately, I cannot. During the night whilst we had sailed sublimely on there had been heavy rain and noisome thunder. Although we had heard the thunder it had done little more than drag us from a deep sleep into a semi state of sleep, making us aware of the thunder whilst not being unduly disturbed by it.

 

So, our last day on board was grey and exceedingly wet. But, fear not. We are still British even if we do now live in France. So we simply donned our shower proof jackets and prepared to depart.

 





Proof of my pot holing experience. A tight squeeze but I made it.



To be honest I have to confess that I was feeling a little disappointed at the prospect of the excursion this morning. That is because one of the most popular excursions on the river trip is a visit to the Fengdu Ghost Village and the Snow Jade caves. These caves were only discovered very recently and are said to be the most spectacular in China. I happen to be a cave anorak. I love visiting them with a passion. Mick and we have even donned overalls, helmets and lamps to slither through caves not open to the public. 

 

 

 

To be honest it was the part of the cruise that I was most looking forward to. So, I had been really looking forward to the excursions today which were on the itinerary supplied to China Odyssey by the cruise company. Of course, China Odyssey had no control over the final itinerary that the cruise company decided to use. So, we had sadly realised on our first night aboard that these excursions were not to be when we viewed the itinerary displayed in the foyer.

 

 

 

 

 

Instead we were to visit the Shibaoxhai Red Cliff  Pagoda. An ancient  bright red pagoda built into the side of a mountain. I really was not sure if I was going to enjoy this trip, simply because I had been so looking forward to visiting the caves. I am delighted to say that the visit was thoroughly enjoyable and not to be missed if you should ever venture to the region. The name literally means Stone Treasure Fortress. There twelve floors and each is dedicated to a famous General, a local scholar or a celebrated Chinese poet. The climb to the top takes approximately one and a half hours.

 

 

 

Once again our guides came on board to collect us and we set off. Although we had our own shower proof jackets, for anyone who had not brought their own, the crew were distributing showerproof ponchos to use. We set off from the dockside to walk towards the village passing the usual market stalls selling the usual tourist items which, unfortunately, were nothing that we actually wanted to buy. Some of the embroidered silk was really lovely but definitely not made for a lady of my generous size. Sigh!!!!!

The formal gate into the village

Then we reached the village through which we had to pass before arriving at the Pagoda site. The entrance to the village guarded by a traditional gate.

 

 Here, a market was also in full swing but this was more a market for the local people. Yes, there were tourist gifts on sale but also the more general everyday market items. Some of the stalls were outside extensions of a local shop whilst many others were cooking noodles or food of uncertain origin. Young children hung around their mothers skirts or peeped around doorways. A few bolder ones gave us all huge grins.

 

 

As the pagoda is approached the visitor passes through is a courtyard where there are statues dedicated to the creatures that represent the different years in the Chinese calender. Visitors are encouraged to take photographs beside the animal representing their year of birth. An illustrated guide to the year associations is available for reference if you do not happen to know your animal.



A fairly soggy tiger

Not a drowned rat but an almost drowned rabbit

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Since the Dam was built and large areas were deliberately flooded the pagoda has been cut off from the village by deep water. A sprung wooden slatted footbridge joins the pagoda area to the village. Crossing the bridge is an interesting experience as it is not a solid structure and one bounces up and down with each step and everyone certainly needs to walk carefully in wet and slippery conditions. Luckily, I don't think that any of our party ended up on their backside. You can bet your life if it had been anyone it would have been me.

 

 

 

En route to the pagoda entrance there are magnificent gardens to view from the elevated walkway. Throughout China there are some rather humorous translations of notices for the tourists attention. Here, there were notices at intervals intending to advise visitors that throwing rubbish from the elevated walkway to the gardens below is forbidden. On reading the translations we and the Australians ( who share the British sense of humour ) burst out laughing at the double entendre. The notice read ‘ No Tossing ‘ which can have an entirely different meaning. The men in our group assured us that they would never consider doing so in public.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

The upper levels of the pagoda

 

 

Groups entering the pagoda have to do so with a

short break between the groups. Inside the area

of each floor is very small and the steps between

the floors are increasingly steep. A bottle neck

would soon occur if there was not some

organization. The pagoda is made of wood

covered in beautiful rich red lacquer.

 

As one climbs to each successive floor the views become more magnificent. The rear wall of the pagoda is in fact the natural rock face. The guide tells some of the history of the carvings and the people to whom each floor is dedicated and also the history of the pagoda itself. Fortunately, the rain had eased by now and although some of the views were rather hazy they were certainly breath taking.

Looking down on the rickety bridge

One of the many carved birds of the roof corners looking into the gloom

 

 

This stairway would not be for the faint hearted

 

 

 

 

 

The guide showed us an alternative route up the cliff. This was a stone staircase on the outside of the pagoda. very wet and obviously slippery and forbidden to use at present. It was not clear if one could still use this stairway on dry days.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

  Each level had it's own character and appeal. All with different  statues and / or carvings and inscriptions on the walls.

 

 

 

 

 

 

I did not go up to the highest point myself but Mick and some of the others did. There was quite a queue for the small ladder which was the only way up or down. I thought that if I attempted the climb I would end up holding everyone up as the area was overflowing with only 4 or 5 people up there, shoulder to shoulder. I have a peculiar phobia in which I can climb up most things but then I have a problem in getting down again. Nowt so strange as folk.

Mick in the top portion taken with telephoto lens

The uppermost portion

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

This salamander is approximately one meter long

We exited the pagoda on another level and walked through gardens.  At one point we looked down into a sort of well to view a giant salamander. I really do mean giant…..it was a good meter long.

 

The water area that we could see was very small but thankfully the water seemed to flow underground out of sight giving him more room than it seemed at first glance. Being an avid viewer of David Attenborough programs I believe that this salamander was an example of a Giant Japanese Salamander.

 

The exit area takes us through another building with more statues and some people selling souvenirs. The poor weather had not dampened our visit and we thoroughly enjoyed the morning.
 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

We returned to the ship by the same route that we had arrived. Through the village with its market where people were now eating lunch by stalls and in doorways. Then down the hill and past the other market stalls being greeted once again as we boarded with tea and time to quickly freshen up for another substantial lunch surrounded by murky gloom with limited visibility

The eerie scenery as we sailed serenely past

The plan had been to have kite flying demonstrations during the afternoon but the weather put paid to that. Later there would be a cooking demonstration of the traditional Mongolian Hotpot in the lounge. So, we stayed in our cabin for a while with the balcony doors open while we watched the misty world pass by. Eerily beautiful whilst we sat and read our books.

Some of us ventured on deck for a short while. It was surprisingly not cold

Tea and coffee were provided in the cabins together with an empty thermos flask. The system was that you telephoned to reception to say that you would like hot water. Each deck had a housekeepers office and when I called to reception for hot water our door was knocked almost before I had replaced the telephone  to take our flask to fill. It was a very efficient system.

We went to the lounge for the cookery demonstration which included samples. Most enjoyable. I am not a lover of Tofu but this tofu was better than most that I had tried. The Hotpot was not as spicy as expected but  I guess that  they had to strike a happy medium for most passengers. Packs of Hotpot spices and the chicken balls were for sale but we thought that we would probably buy them on a shopping trip later in our trip. In fact this would prove to be a mistake.

On this last day of the cruise there were very large discounts available on the goods in the shop outlets. In addition it was still possible to barter for a lower price than the requested sale prices on many if the items. We did not take the opportunity as the dolls that were available were not the type that I wanted to buy and, the jade earrings were not available with gold fittings which are essential for me to wear. So, we spent some quality time with our Australian friends whilst tea and pastries were served before returning to our cabin to prepare for the evening.

The Lion Dancers viewed from the balcony above

 

 

Michelle and her Mum with the Lion Dancers

Just before dinner there was to be a demonstration of Line Dancing. That struck me as a little strange but, of course, I had misheard the badly pronounced title. Needless to say, the demonstration was actually Lion Dancing.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 The dinner would be a formal served meal instead of the usual help yourself buffet. Numerous delicious courses with the addition of the wine from the Bingo prize the previous evening. The Captain and senior crew were there to greet us all as we entered the dining room. Once again, I was struck by the fact that this senior Captain, who had been taking tourist cruises for many years, was unable to say the briefest Hello or Goodbye in anything but Chinese, using an interpreter. To be frank, how long does it take to learn how to say a basic ‘Hello and welcome’ and ‘ Goodbye, I hope that you have enjoyed your cruise.’. In real terms no time at all and it would have been greatly appreciated.

 

The dinner was excellent. Many courses brought to the table where we then served ourselves. There was ample for the ten of us on our table but if anything remained from each course Michelle smiled sweetly and polished off the extras. Kerri shared his bottle of wine amongst us.

 

 

 

 

 

 

A huge Baked Alaska for each table

 The dessert was a huge Baked Alaska provided for each table.

 

Following dinner there would be a short break before a cabaret show by the staff which was once again excellent. The tourists had been invited to perform their party pieces but there were no takers. I was surprised that none of the Germans or Americans had taken up the challenge as they had been somewhat vocal on several evenings in the bar.

 

The show was once again spectacular. These young people performed with great enthusiasm. One of the kitchen staff even performed a conjuring act.







Tonight was the time to pay our bills at reception as you will recall that no money changes hands on board during the cruise. This was our first cruise but I understand that this is the usual practice.


We did make another attempt to view the photos of the official photographer with the intention of purchasing a nicely framed photo of ourselves.  It was not to be. The large group of American tourists and the even larger group of Chinese tourists proved to be an impenetrable wall once again.

As we intended to take a drink or two during the cabaret we delayed closing our account until after the entertainment and a final drink at the bar. There was no need to dither about what might be appropriate gratuities for stewards and other staff as the cruise company added an obligatory sum to each persons bill. This would then be distributed amongst all of the staff which seemed to be a very good system. I believe that this is standard practice on cruise holidays these days and is a system of which I approve.

We have never been on any type of cruise before this but we could see that it would be easy for the final bill for drinks etc. to come as something of a shock if you had not been diligent in adding up each days tally and keeping a running total. No nasty surprises for us I am glad to say. Everything turned out in accordance with our anticipated budget for the cruise.

We took a final nightcap down to our cabin and put the finishing touches to our packing. Another good nights sleep would see us well prepared for our next adventure.