Friday, September 7, 2007

Today we went to see the HUGE dam on the Yangtze River called the Three Gorges Dam. We got up had breakfast with everyone and caught our bus. The bus made several stops along the way to pick up other tourist; we were the only caucasion tourists.
G had arranged a three hour cruise for us (wasn't Gilligan on a three hour tour?) up the Yangtze to where the dam is located. The scenery was wonderful... but I have to say, after the first hour or so it kinda is all the same... We arrived at a dock where everyone disembarked. Getting off was not quite as exciting as it was getting on, the gang plank was just that, a plank of wood with strips of wood nailed perpendicular to the plank. They lowered the plank from the boat to the river bank and we all climbed up the plank... China is great! I love that kind of thing about China, things that would NEVER fly in America...(and there are many).
We got off somewhere near the dam and had lunch. I believe lunch was included in the tour but G was concerned we would not care for the prearranged lunch so he took us to a little place and ordered lunch by the Yangtze! During lunch I said to everyone, "Can you believe we are here, together, having lunch by the Yangtze River?".
After lunch we got on the same bus that took us to the boat in the morning and went to the base of the dam. We got out of that bus and got into another bus to take us into the site-seeing area of the dam. They have many buses running a curcuit through the dam property, you get off at different points to see different parts of the dam. We spent a couple hours getting all the kids on and off these buses to see all the different parts of the dam. It was rather funny after awhile because the kids were getting a little confused why we were getting on and off so many buses.
When we finished the tour we went back down to the base of the dam on a bus and got back on the bus we arrived in and it took us back to Yichang to the bus station. And you guessed it...we got on another bus for our five hour trip back to Wuhan.
Before we got on the bus Mrs.H, G, and I went to a little shop to buy "dinner". We were getting on the bus with no time to eat dinner first. So we bought everything that was familiar and some things that weren't but we thought the kids would probably eat. It didn't amount to much... potato chips, peanuts, Oreos, a couple of different cookies and crackers, and a few tangerines, with water to drink (but not too much, the potty on the bus is a "squatty potty" and we would rather wait the five hours if possible). Mrs. H said the funniest thing to her oldest when she asked for some cookies... "No you can't eat any cookies until you've eaten your chips" :) We have standards you know...
We made it all the way without any potty breaks until we got back to the hotel... thank you Jesus! Although, the kids are getting quite good at it. My little one said, very proudly to me today, after a squatty potty break, "That was my best one yet!" It's much easier to be a man in China at times I think...