The Trama on The Yang Tze

I mentioned earlier that we were on the Yang Tze River to tour the Three Gorges. Well the boat cruise was a painful experience in many ways.

This is a shot of Rodrigo and Robin as we surveyed our "Second Class, Domestic" room on the barge. As you can see, the general mood was one of ironic amusement. Kinda like when you get something really shitty and it is so bad you can't believe it. So you just kind of laugh and say "Are you serious? Really? This dirty, smelly room, with the funky blankets are for us?"

So the three of us became cellmates and bonded for survival.

This shot here really said it all. Please note the dirty curtain behind. Just so you all know, there was no heat on this boat either. So everyone was in a constant state of cold. Ever spend three days wearing 5 layers of clothes and a coat? If you haven't then you are a rookie traveller mate.

But the funny thing is that once the shock wore off and the last of the gruesome details were absorbed, I was able to start enjoying the trip in all its ironic and surreal ways.

Here is a shot of me being "judged" by the afterlife at the Ghost City of Feng Du. Afterwards we came back to our rusty boat and went to the roof to have our little breakfast of instant coffee and instant noodles. We loved the plastic lawn furniture.

Here is a shot of some riverside street food that I had to have with my beer. They were shrimps from the river, deep fried in black dirty oil, and finished over hot charcoal with spices. Delicious!

But seriously, I really did have a great time. Even though the accomodations sucked, once you remembered that you were in the Three Gorges sailing through the Chang Jiang everything was worth it.

I can't say enough how the historic scenery was so peaceful and compelling. Staring at the sky, mountains, and water gave you a sense of unending time. All possible problems you might have seemed so small in comparison. In that space of time, you could then think without bias or lies. And also appreciate that you were having a moment in your life that may never come again.

It was great. But next time I am going "First Class: International" style. That way my bathroom won't have a toilet in the shower.