So we finally figured out that based on our scheduling and unwillingness to take a four-day Chinese tour boat, we were going to have to spend the night in Yichang, which turned out to be a pretty nice place. I think we were both expecting a grimy city but there is clearly a lot of money pouring into there because of the Three Gorges Dam. After arriving we found out that it really made the most sense to take the fast hydrofoil up the river to near Chongqing. After buying our tickets and finding a hotel room (which was pretty grimy), we hopped on a bus to take a look at the dam. It was pretty big.
Proof that Conor and I were actually traveling together, or at least were at the dam together
The next day saw us up and off to catch the hydrofoil from above the dam, where we were faced with heavy fog and were told we'd have to wait about two hours till the river was opened to traffic. But sure enough after more than a few games of cards the river opened and we had a spectacularly clear day. The boat took only five hours to run the river, and we had the viewing area pretty much to ourselves. I'm sure the tours are more relaxing but if all you want to do is see the gorges the hydrofoil is the way to go. The only catch is make sure you being earplugs! The viewing area was right over the engine compartment, which the boat staff pretty much left wide open. The boats were actually pretty funny. They look liked something a sea-based James Bond villain might drive around, and despite their speed they were pretty dirty and poorly maintained. In fact, we found little plates with some sort of Cyrillic language, suggesting they're second hand at best. Despite the high water, the gorges were quite impressive, though I imagine that before the dam they would have been almost Tiger Leaping Gorge spectacular.
Fast boat!
The middle gorge
Water in the reservoir at the highest level
That night we rolled into Chongqing, one of those late night arrivals that are totally disorienting and mystifying about the place you're in. But the next day we popped out of the hostel to find what for me was one of the most unique urban environments in China. Packed onto a narrow hilly peninsula, Chongqing I think is best described as Hong Kong 35 years ago, transplanted to the dirty mainland. Especially where we stayed, the city is a warren of narrow alleys, stairways and dilapidated apartment buildings. It's also massive. One day we went out far west to find music venue and where we got off was like a whole other major city. But I loved it there. It's somewhere that is incredibly enjoyable to walk around, which is more than I can say for pretty much any other Chinese city.
Streets in Chongqing
The Chongqing skyline, from the far end of a commuter cable car
So it was a pretty solid five weeks of travel, capped with a fun new city. Now that I'm back in Beijing it's time to put my head down and knock out these grad school applications, then figure out what the hell I'm going to do. In the meantime I've got a couple of small trips planned, one down to Shanghai and a couple of small day trips around Beijing, so look out for posts on those.
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