Yangtze River Cruise - Shibaouzhai Pagoda

Last night we slept with the curtains open, fun to watch a city go by, then the country side for miles. 

Right after breakfast this morning we had a walking tour to Shibaozhai Pagoda.  From our cabin we can see the vendors starting to set up their stalls for the boats, there are 5 boats tied up with us we think, it is going to be a busy day.

Women doing their laundry in the Yangtze

Fisherman off the front of our ship when we docked

Vendors setting up for when we get off the ship

Every day their was a drink of the day in the lounge, all good!

The Pagoda is about a 15 minute walk from where we are docked, really pretty, but oh so many tourists. 

Join the tourist march to the Pagoda

These little whistles sounded exactly like birds, Andre was looking for birds in the trees!

City before the flooding.  This is all under water now except for the Pagoda

Symbols of the different years

Cruise ships tied up together, we had to walk through one to get to shore

We climbed the 12 stories, and our guide told us little tales on the different levels.  There are also 2 temples on top which we visited.  Also a lovers bridge that we walked over, you have to take an odd number of steps for luck, the ramp on and off was really steep, but we made it!

Inside on of the temples on top

Crossing lovers bridge, you must cross in an odd number of steps, it was steep!

At the beginning of the Pagoda we went by a bunch of symbols that you touch for good luck, prosperity, health, happinesss, etc, Andre jumped out of line with about 3 to go the proceeded to bonk his head and get a little cut about 5 minutes later.  He cursed himself by not finishing touching the symbols!

Must touch all the panels for different luck

We only have 2 hours for this tour, and after 1.5 hours we are still at the top of the pagoda, unfortunately another town that we would have liked to spend more time in.  Lots of the vendors have their kids out with them at their stalls so Andre had some fun taking their pictures and then showing them their picture on the camera.

Locals have named this the drunken bridge, it really bounces as you walk along

lots of different kinds of cigarettes

More laundry being done

View from our balcony of the pagoda we just walked up

The only purchase today was a fridge magnet of the Pagoda, it really is a pretty spot.

Back for buffet lunch again, I will be glad to be done with buffets.  Today I was really planning to just have soup, the soups have been really delicious, well today not so much.  Todays soup was sesame balls, I would call them fish eyes.  Yuck, I actually tried 2, but could not finish the last 3 in my bowel.

After lunch was a tour of the bridge, tea time, and hot pot making class.  Unfortunately because there are French, Spanish and English on board everything is translated 3 times and it makes it very long.  We went down to start packing while the cooking class was still going on, went back up when we heard it end, last in line, and they ran out of samples with the person in front of us, urrrgghhh.

Bridge tour

Hot Pot class

Tonight is our formal Captains dinner.  It is also a sit down meal, maybe we will get hot pot?  We have heard we have a very early morning tomorrow, another plane ride to Shanghai, this will be our last internal plane ride, I think around 2.5 hours tomorrow. 

Tonight's Captains dinner was OK.  Their idea of a sit down meal is the same as we have had all our other meals that weren't buffet, it is put on a lazy susan and you spin around and choose what you want.  Lots of food, we are big eaters at our table and most times all is gone, tonight there were leftovers. 

Bus number 2, table 7

After supper time for one last drink in the bar, then off for an early to bed, 4AM wake up call, leaving at 5AM, ouch.  Passed on bingo going on.