Chongqing and Three Gorges Cruise

Finally a chance to blog!  I have had a busy couple of days and have not had internet for a while.  We just got to Xi'an on a 14 hour overnight train.  After flying from Dalian to Chongqing, we toured the city known for its spicy food and spicy women.  I must say, they were right on both accounts.  We ate some really spicy foods and saw some very pretty women.  They say that the water from the rivers makes the women prettier.  I'm not sure that is the reason, but there were a lot more hot women than I have ever seen.  We saw a bunch of sites in Chongqing and it got kind of boring.

The most fun thing we did was go out at night to a club called "The 88".  This club is considered one of the best in China and it was filled with tons of people.  I had a great time.

After Chongqing, we boarded a cruiseship on the Yangtze River to see the Three Gorges and the Three Gorges Dam.  This was a great cruise, with lots of relaxation and many beautiful sites.  I also learned a lot about the Dam project and how it has both positively and negatively affected the area.  Many of the sites that once were built close to the river have flooded or been completely covered by water.  Some whole towns had to be torn down and built elsewhere.  It was very interesting to learn about this huge engineering project.

Below are some pictures from the past couple of days.

A guy demonstrating a painting technique at the Flying Tigers museum

Me with General Chennault from the Flying Tigers Museum

Me with a Buddha guy somewhere (I don't remember where)

A building in Chongqing

View of the Yangtze River from above in Chongqing.  In the back is the Opera House.  There was a major drought, so the water level is unusually low.

The Three Gorges Museum in Chongqing

The cruise ship dining area

A bunch of us getting dinner and this guy decided to toast us to "improving the U.S. - China relationship"

An Emperor at the Ghost City of Fengdu

Buildings at the Ghost City of Fengdu

A very large building in Fengdu

Our Cruise Ship, Victoria Jenna

This is the Qutang Gorge, the first of the Three Gorges.  As you can see, it is featured on the Chinese 10 Yuan bill

Some sites from the cruise.

Mountain houses.  The sights like this go on forever.  I have more, but there are too many to upload.

Me in a weird pose with the gorge in the back

A cave at the top of a gorge.

Our ship in the ship locks.  This was really cool because it is a neat piece of engineering in which the ship can be lowered to the water level on the other side of the dam.

Me in front of the Three Gorges Dam.

The other side of the Three Gorges Dam