Three Gorges Posted May 22, 2004 at 12:00 am

The morning proceeded much as it did yesterday. Breakfast was served in the same self-serve format as the day before. We started the second lecture by Professor Wang. This time Professor Wang talked about the environmental concerns and the relocation plans surrounding the Three Gorges project. The professor closed with two videos. The first was a general informational video and the second was a computer simulation. We got through the first video before we took a break to survey passing through the gorge. When the lecture was done, we were again free for the rest of the day until the boat excursion. Lunch was much the same as breakfast.

I spent the early afternoon journaling and reading. I think I almost fell asleep at one point.

We docked at Badong (?) and boarded a smaller river boat. We took this boat through another gorge until we arrived at Shennong Creek. From there we boarded small wooden boats manned by crews of six boatmen (two captains and four paddlers). The boatmen took us upstream and back down. At places where the stream was too shallow, the paddlers got out and pulled us along from the shore. The whole thing proceeded at a leisurely pace. It took us about three and a half hours for the entire excursion.

Between the time we got back and dinner, I played a game of Three Card with six others using two decks. It was a fun game, but it seemed to be largely based on luck.

At 7 P.M. we were treated to the captain’s farewell dinner, which wasn’t much different than the welcome dinner. The captain gave another speech and came around to each table for a toast. The dinner was good but unspectacular.

After dinner we had another round of entertainment. This time, however, members of our group also performed. It was quite entertaining. Sean, Joshua and Dave performed, “White Christmas,” acapella. Maggy and Jessica each performed solo. Eugene did his handstand trick. Russ and Joey did a short improv rap as well. The crew also did some excellent Chinese dances. I retired for the evening shortly after the show was over.