Wu Gorge and the Ferry Ride

 

 

 

These first pictures were taken early morning from the little balcony outside our room.  It was hazy and still a bit dark before the sun broke through...quiet and quite pretty.

In these pictures you can see how high the river rises in the summer rainy season in this area as we made our way through the Wu Gorge where the forested mountains are often shrouded in mist.  Parts of this area reminded me of the Nepali Coast in Kauai.

We cruised late into the night and then stopped, in position for us to go through scenic Wu Gorge first thing after breakfast. 

 

There were only two small boats on the cruise ship, so if the ship was hit or sinking, you were on your own to swim to the shore!

The sun came out and made my day...it was gorgeous.  The breeze blew off the haze for a good part of the day...I was so very grateful.  We docked in Wushan, a new town built after the dam (everyone here along the river lives in a "before the dam" and "after the dam" mentality).  The dam made such a huge impact on their lives when everything they knew and loved was covered with 200+ feet of water.  Our tour guide for the day, George,  was a local and he described how they all got new homes with 2 indoor bathrooms, provided by the government.  The town went from 40,000 to 100,00 as everyone along the river was relocated.  People were pretty upset at the time, but they are happy now with all the new homes, roads, schools, and bridges that connected them to the outside world.  It really is amazing!

Our excursion for the day was a ferry ride for about an hour up a tributary, much smaller and narrower than the Yangtze and quite beautiful.  Sheer cliffs, steep mountains, clear blue water, suspended coffins in caves, a family of monkeys, and lots of birds welcomed us along the way.  They say it is one of the top 40 tourist attractions in all of China.

 

 

 

River Taxi's speed along this waterway, taking kids to school as well as men and women to the city to work and shop.

 

 

 

Here we saw a Buddhist monk monastery high above the water.

Another wonder along the way was a 2 mile walking path about 50 to 75 feet above the water level, SUSPENDED along the side of the mountain...and to top it off, it has glass panel flooring!!!  It connected the monastery to the little town...they lost their pathway when the high waters came, so the government spent a LOT of money building it for them.  Anyone can walk on the path, but you have to pay at the toll booth to get on the path.  Lots of little known stories about accommodating the people's needs after the dam.

The adventure continued as we transferred to a small sanpan for another 40 minute ride on a section of the river that was too small for the ferry...