Day 11 – Friday 13 April - On the Yangtze

We had expected to experience the pure bliss of waking this morning to pull back our curtains to be met by the magnificent views of Yangtze from our own private balcony. Instead we discovered thick smog and a flotilla of coal barges. And we don’t seem to have moved. Apparently the fog has prevented any progress and we’re moored in a picturesque basin on the Yangtze surrounded by industrial naval-wear.

Not to be defeated and unable to describe the beautiful Yangtze scenery, this is second best:

Neatly organized conical piles of jet black coal rise out of the low slung rafts forming an inter-locking landscape of latent energy. From across the deck, dark, silhouetted figures peer through the gloom, and that’s just the passengers on our boat. The familiar sound of indigenous throat-clearing breaks out as the barge alongside is having their early cuppa and the teapot and its contents is emptied over the side by a coolie-hatted seaman, swiftly followed by the mandatory mucus. The smell of sulphur, ammonia and fried lice wafts across the bow.

As I said, I had hoped to be writing about the Yangtze valleys at this point, but since we can’t even see the banks of the river, I think it’s time to go to the ‘Yangtze Club’ for our early coffee and a spot of Tai Chi. Dr Hu, a diminutive graceful-moving soul is leading the troupe (including Sonia) through Chinese shadow boxing.

Following a multi-cultural breakfast we learned that the fog was likely to delay us by as much as three hours. With the mists still hanging outside, we decided to attend Dr Hu’s Traditional Chinese medicine class. After an interesting summary of the differences between local and Western medicine, where the good doctor explained the important of balance - the Yin and Yang - Dr Hu set out to prove a ‘point’, selecting a sheaf of miniature arrows from his armoury of weapons.

For the Acupuncture demonstration he selected an American pin cushion with neck problems.

With Dr Hu presenting throughout in Chinese and Jeff, our river guide, giving an English rendering, together they made an entertaining double act with, I am pleased to report, good, balanced yin and yang.

Next we enjoyed a Chinese Lesson again from Jeff and then there was just time to relax with a foot massage before lunch was served. It's hard work this cruising.

The gloom had barely lifted when we arrived four hours late in Fengdu and Sonia joined the landing party and joined a shore excursion to the ghost town. The ghost town is so called because there are figures thought to reside in hell. Sonia found the scariest part was the gift shop.

In the evening, we re-joined our fellow passengers for the Captain's welcome cocktail party. The boat is a melting pot of nationalities but we soon felt at home, meeting our table mates. A charming pair of Americans from San Francisco, a European hybrid couple of French and Spanish living in Belgium, a American Chinese couple from Pasadena and a lovely Australian copy who had apparently bought China’s answer to Eyres rock and were now looking for a medium-sized container ship leaving Shanghai to ship it home.

Dinner was followed by a show of traditional customs dating back through the dynasties and the ship's crew doubled as models. Versatile bunch on this boat.

The boat rumbled on through the night and we settled down.