Wu Gorge and the Locks

May 15, 2014

We returned to our shop before lunch, and sailed away.  After lunch, David went off in search of a Mah Jong game, and I spent a couple of hours on the veranda with my Kindle, reading and enjoying the beautiful views as we sailed through Wu Gorge, a much larger gorge than we had sailed through on the excursion boat.  I thought I had snapped a few pictures during this time, but I must not have.  The scenery was similar, but there were several pretty pagodas along the way that were definitely photo-worthy.

During dinner we entered the first of five locks that would takes us through the Three Gorges Dam to the lower level of the river downstream.  Unlike the Panama Canal locks, these are free for shops to traverse, and the ship's captain sails the ship through the locks without the benefit of a "mule".  The more we were lowered, the darker it got.  We watched for a while before we headed up to the lounge for a little more dancing.

The Gorges

May 15, 2014

After our pagoda visit, we negotiated the gauntlet of vendors awaiting our return to the ship, and cleaned up for the welcome reception and special Chinese dinner.  It was nice to get dressed up a bit, and after dinner David and I went up to the upper lounge where a duo was playing music that we could dance to.  After one set of "our" music, the tunes changed to more 80s style, and we had fun watching the others for a while.

Thursday after early morning coffee on the veranda we headed for breakfast in the dining room.  The breakfast buffet offered the typical American choices of scrambled eggs, potatoes, and bacon, along with an omelet station, plenty of fresh fruit, cereal, and fresh homemade yogurt.  On the other side of the buffet I found a variety of cheeses and smoked fish, and a waffle station with fruit toppings available.  Then on another table were the traditional Chinese breakfast offerings.  In addition to all of this there were several menu selections that our server would bring to us.  I found the Eggs Benedict to my liking, and had those more than once for my breakfast choice.

After breakfast, we continued to sail, passing through the first Gorge, Qu Tang.  Our River Guide Ben (not his Chinese name) presented a narration talk on the sundeck, but we chose to simply enjoy the spectacle from our veranda.

Our ship then docked in Wushan, where we boarded a smaller boat for an excursion of the Lesser Three Gorges.  The smaller boat allowed us to enter an area too narrow for larger boats, and we saw the lesser gorges up close and personal.  In spite of the cold wind, we all gathered on the bow of the boat for the gorgeous views.

Shibaozhai

May 14, 2014

After my shower, I head for the self-serve coffee machine and return to enjoy my brew on our cabin's tiny veranda.  We've sailed through the night, and are still sailing this morning.  Unfortunately, my hopes for cleaner air on the river are not fulfilled;  it's still smoggy.

During our ship orientation yesterday, Bob (not his Chinese name) had mentioned that some women still wash their clothes in the river, and when our ship docks, I see several doing just that.

After lunch, we disembark for a walking tour of the Shibaozhai Pagoda.  This gorgeous 12-story pagoda was built into the side of a mountain in 1650.  It's a nice walk just to get there, up a long hill and then across a suspended bridge that wobbles under our feet.  As soon as we get off the ship, we're greeted by vendors who want to offer us a chair ride to the pagoda.  They seem particularly concerned about me, as I'm wearing sandals instead of the sturdy sneakers of my companions.  Harumph!  They don't know that my sandals are Clarks, and they're made for this type of walking.  No thank you;  I can walk just fine.  In fact, here's proof that I made it to the absolute top of that pagoda.

At every stop along our cruise, we're greeted by vendors who are anxious to sell us real silk, real hand embroidery, real jade, and genuine antiques.  Jack has warned us that in most cases these items are not real anything, other than real fakes.  Not being a shopper, I'm not tempted by these items, and have become very good at the Chinese phrase, Bu Yao, which means, in not so many words, "I'm not going to buy anything."  The day that Jack taught us that phrase, one of the vendors heard him, and went into a tirade, berating him for teaching us to say that.  The markets we walk past on our way to the pagoda contain items for both tourists and local residents.

And here are a few shots of the gorgeous pagoda, along with our gorgeous group.

The Silver Package

May 13, 2014

Tuesday morning after breakfast, the organized ballet of another flight begins.  Our bags are picked up and handled for us (the next time we see them they'll be in our cabin on the ship), we boarded Jack's Bus, had another box lunch (this one completely inedible) on the way to the airport, retrieved our boarding passes, cleared security, walked to the gate, and boarded our plane for the short flight to Chongqing, where we will board the Viking Emerald.

I'm really looking forward to the cruising part of our tour.  We've been pretty much living out of our suitcases up to now, so it will be nice to have the time in one place to unpack.  I'm hopeful that the air on the river will be cleaner, and I'm definitely looking forward to a little more leisure time.

Jack has explained the policy regarding wine on the boat.  Basically, "house" wines at lunch and dinner are included with our cruise package.  He doesn't know what these wines will be, but usually they're "local" wines.  I'm a bit concerned by this, but I've also heard that there are usually some California wines on the ships.  Still, we talk the driver into stopping at a small store on the way to the ship, where we pick up a couple of bottles of French Bordeaux for the room.  Others are stocking up on flavored vodkas and the local firewater.  Jack warns us not to purchase the alcohol and wine sold at the markets set up at each of the ship's stops, as it's generally counterfeit.

Once we board the ship, I head immediately to the little self-serve coffee area and find some instant ramen noodles, as I'm starving from missing lunch.  I enjoy them sitting on the sundeck, and then we head off to explore the small ship.  It's definitely small, and we run into Kathy and Larry in the lounge, where we all look into the Silver Package, Viking's unlimited premium spirits package for our cruise.  I sample the house red, learn that the house white is a Chardonnay (which I don't like), and decide that the package is worth the money for us.  Kathy and Larry agree, and Lois (not her Chinese name), the extremely personable head bartender, takes care of the details, while pouring a nice Marlboro Savignon Blanc for me, a capirinha for David, and Tsingtao beer for Kathy and Larry.  Bowls of spicy peanuts and pistachios are brought and kept constantly filled, and we relax until it's time to get cleaned up for dinner.

Seating in the dining room is open, with dinner served from 6:30 to 8:00, but everyone seems to arrive right at 6:30 or so.  Lois has let us know that she also works the dining room for lunch and dinner, and that her tables are aft on the port side, so we head in that direction, where she sees us and leads us to Table 25.  Our informal group of eight becomes more cohesive when we find that the tables in the dining room seat eight, and from that meal on, our group occupies table 25, with one very odd exception, which I'll explain in a later post.  Our group now consists of Kathy and Larry (from Chicago), Bob and Nancy (from Asheville, NC), Richard and Cheri (from San Diego), and David and myself.  Lois immediately begins pouring the wine;  the four of us who have purchased the package enjoy a delicious French Bordeaux while the others enjoy the house wines, or the drinks they've brought with them from their rooms.  I've not experienced a ship where you're welcome to bring your own alcohol on board, but that's the case with Viking.

Eddie and Lucy (not their Chinese names) are our waitstaff (Lois handles only the wine), and they are quite attentive to our needs.  Dinner is always three courses, ordered from the menu and served by our waitstaff, while breakfast and lunch are a combination of buffet and items ordered from the menu.  I choose a fish preparation from the menu this evening, but Lois has overserved me, as well as most of the others, so I really can't tell you a whole lot about it.  In fact, I retire to the cabin before dessert, and sleep like a baby until about 4:30 AM, which seems to be my usual wake-up time on this trip.

Oops!

I forgot something from our time in Beijing!  On our last full day there, our bus driver was kind enough to make a little detour so that we could see the site of the 2008 Olympics.  We saw the Cube, where Michael Phelps won his eight gold medals.  We also saw the Bird's Nest, where the opening and closing ceremonies were held, as well as track and field events.

Here are a few pictures, taken from the bus.  We didn't get really close, so the shots aren't that great.

Tang Dynasty Dinner and Show

May 12, 2014

Following a brief rest at the hotel, we took the elevator up to the new bar and restaurant on the 51st floor of the Crowne Plaza for a glass of wine before we headed out to dinner.  The bar provides a nice lounging area with a panoramic view of the city of Xian, which would be stunning were it not for the smog.

There we met our new friends Kathy and Larry, with whom before-dinner drinks would become a regular occurrence on the remainder of the trip.  While we were there, their new French chef, Guillaume, introduced himself and welcomed us.  He's a very personable fellow, who has been in China for about ten years, and is now operating the only French restaurant in Xian.  Actually, it may be the only French restaurant in China;  regardless, we had a very nice conversation with Guillaume about his life as a Frenchman in present-day China.  As he had trained with Jean Georges and Paul Bocuse, I truly wish we had the opportunity to dine there, but with our schedule it just couldn't happen.

After our drinks, we took the glass elevator back down to the lobby, where we joined those of Jack's Group who were attending the optional Tang Dynasty Dinner and Show this evening.  From 618-907 AD, the Tang Dynasty presided over one of China's most glorious cultural periods, and we were treated to a small sample of the song, dance, and gorgeous costumes of this era.

Instead of the usual one glass of soft drink policy, we were permitted unlimited soft drinks, along with unlimited "milky wine".  We thought this would be like sake, but were quite disappointed when it was a warm sweet concoction, that didn't lend itself to unlimited consumption.  The food was also not particularly memorable, but the show made up for what the meal lacked.

The show was narrated in English, which was very nice for us, and the music was provided by a live orchestra of traditional Tang Dynasty instruments.  The costumes were absolutely gorgeous, so colorful and bright.  Unfortunately, we forgot to bring our camera, and I only got a couple of shots with my phone.  I did take a video, but the file is too large to email, and I can't get my usb connection to work right now.  I'll keep working on it....

A Brief Interlude

On Wednesday David and I drove to Emerald Isle to help his mother fix some plumbing issues at her beach house.  After getting the broken pipes repaired, we went out to a new restaurant.

Jackie's American Grille is located just on the island side of the Langston Bridge (no relation).  We're always looking for good food at the beach, instead of the typical fried seafood platter or burger.  We learned about Jackie's at the Beaufort Wine and Food Weekend where she was serving samples of her delicious Prawn and Avocado Ceviche.  It was so delicious that I was determined to get there to try more of the menu.

We were seated at a nice table outdoors, and we each ordered a Lemon Jack Martini, Jackie's version of a Lemon Drop.  It was pretty good, although not as good as what David makes here at home.  Fresh lemon juice makes such a big difference, and I've yet to find a restaurant or bar that uses that.  Most use the lemon-flavored vodkas, and it's just not the same.  Still, the cocktail hit the spot, especially after dealing with broken pipes all afternoon.

David decided on a Cajun pasta dish, and I chose the Filet Oscar.  My plan had been to try one of their seafood dishes, but the steak caught my fancy, perhaps after all the chicken and fish that I had eaten over the past two weeks. My filet was cooked exactly as I asked, on the rare side of medium-rare, and was served in a large shallow bowl over a layer of green onion hash browns.  The filet was then topped with a generous amount of lump crabmeat, several perfectly cooked asparagus spears, and a nice bernaise sauce.  I had anticipated taking half home for lunch the next day, but somehow the plate became empty, so that was not to be.

The only disappointment of the evening was their wine list.  I ordered a glass of Cabernet, which seemed to be the best of the limited offerings of wines by the glass.  It was ok, but certainly not on a par with the steak.

We're looking forward to a return visit when we're back at the beach.