Shibaozhai Temple

Sampan on the Yangtze

Once again we awoke early so we did a couple of Duolingo German lessons, read the hometown newspaper online and reflected on the prior day. We tried calling Emily at 6 am which would be 6 pm on Wednesday. The Internet connection onboard the ship was too slow to support a Google Hangout call. By going through the VPN we could get around the block on Google that exists in China, but we just don’t have the bandwidth here.

Mary and Cindy went to their last Tai Chi class this morning. Both enjoyed the exercise very much and plan to continue on their own back at home. The instructor offered to give them some of her videos if they bring a USB drive. They plan to do that this afternoon.

Shabaozhai Pagoda

Our usual breakfast was good with a variety of traditional stuffed Chinese dumplings, eggs, meats, cereal and fruit. We ate a little earlier than usual since we left the ship at 8:30 for a walking tour of the Shabaozhai Temple. The temple was originally from the ancient Ba culture who were a Neolithic people inhabiting the area from about 13,000 BC until about 300 BC. The temple and connecting pagoda were used for several functions including as a fort over the centuries. The wooden pagoda was constructed of local timber without the use of nails. The present pagoda was built in the early 1800s and has remained fairly unchanged since. The statuary, art and relics were destroyed in Mao’s Cultural Revolution but through recent relaxation of austere Communist policies banning religion, many of the artifacts have been reproduced.

Mary at Shabaozhai Pagoda

There was a heavy rain as we left the ship. Street vendors were lined up along the mile long route between the dock and the temple. We slogged through the rain and past the insistent merchants to a swinging suspension bridge leading to the temple and pagoda. Although Mary wasn’t anxious to cross the bridge, she did well as long as she didn’t look down or I didn’t shake the bridge.

Once at the pagoda we walked up 99 steps to the top of the pagoda leading to the temple’s entrance. The view down to the Yangtze River was spectacular even in the rain and fog. We took a number of snapshots then made our way back to the dock to board the ship after passing through security. The rain continued through the entire time that we were. In Shibaozhai.

We had a little time before lunch so we dried ourselves out and started packing things for the departure from the Viking Emerald and our flight on Friday morning. Since the requirements for baggage in China are different that in the US we had to shuffle some things around so that we not only made weight but had items in the carry on that are prohibited in our checked bags. For instance, China does not accept any batteries in checked bags but has no problem with them in carry on. Also, while the US permits 40 pounds in a checked bag, China allows 42 pounds.

Steve having chicken feet for lunch

Lunch today was an “interesting” choice that should be experienced visitors to China. While sandwiches, hamburgers and salads were available, the featured menu items were Phoenix claws (chicken feet), pig snouts, pig ears, pig tails, lotus roots and other traditional Chinese delicacies like duck, roast chicken and pork. I tried a title of each but was generally unimpressed with the chicken feet, pig ears and tail. There was just so little meat on the bones that I was hardly worth the effort. A chef was making lo mein noodles through traditional stretching and folding. We had some of the noodles, and they were fine. Everyone enjoyed the pork, sweet bean and vanilla custard dumplings. We all had a small square of Chinese style pumpkin pie for dessert.

After lunch the ship continued up the Yangtze River. The area where we are sailing now is considered the foothills of the Himalayan Mountains. The topography on either side of the ship continues to change as we move further and further up the river. We sat on the sub deck or in the observation room depending on the weather. It is still very humid, but the temperature seems to be cooling some.

Wheelhouse of the Viking Emerald

We came in at 2 pm for a tour of the bridge and to see how the captain and crew operate the ship. The high tech navigational aids and a well-trained crew keep the vessel safe and on course. We learned that three crew members are required at the bridge at all times. They serve a four hour shift then are off for eight hours before returning. Although our visit to the bridge was only 20 minutes we learned a lot about the operation of the ship.

After our tour the cribbage game continued while I sat on the sun deck to enjoy the cooler day after the rain had passed. Mary, Cindy and Mark attended a demonstration by the chef on his techniques for making Chinese dumplings. All agreed that although the demonstration was interesting, they will probably just buy their Chinese dumplings already made. There is a lot of work and skill involved in preparing the dough and making the many precise folds in the buns.

Pagoda along the Yangtze River

At dinner we sat with Larry and his wife from Bangor, Maine. Earlier in the week some of the Chinese people were taking selfies with Larry and pointing at him. We later learned it is because they thought he was Sean Connery. Larry is a Master Naturalist in Maine so we shared some great conversation. Mary had an excellent beef tenderloin and I had a very good baked cod filet. We all enjoyed our meals.

We returned to our rooms to pack for the flight from Chongqing to Lijiang. We needed to have our bags in the hall by 11 pm. We wanted to turn in early because breakfast was at 5:30 and we needed to board the bus for the airport by 8 am.