Chongqing, Pandas and Tibet

Our alarm went off at 5:00am, we had to shower, dress, finish packing and get some breakfast before 6:30am. We got our things and met our group in the lobby at 6:45am and then we disembarked the Viking Emerld in Chongqing. A bus then took us to the Chongqing Zoo so we could see some pandas. The zoo opens early and people come to do exercises there. They had people playing badmitton, doing TaiChi and walking. We were lucky and there were about five pandas out. We got to take pictures and watch them eat and play. After about 40 minutes at the zoo we had to leave and make our way to the airport which was about an hours drive.

Once we were in the airport Arnold gave us our passports and boarding passes. Then as a group we headed to security. We are flying to Lhasa, Tibet this morning and you have to have an entry pass. So Arnold had a list of our names and passport numbers which was attached to an entry permit, so we all had to be together. Going through security was pretty easy and didn’t take that long. We are on flight CZ3463 on China Southern [Thomas was in seat 40B and I was in seat 39C]. By the time we reached Gate G16 we only had a ten minute wait before they started boarding. The flight was about three hours and I spent most of it reading. They did serve us a lunch of rice and pork with some vegetables. It wa pretty good. When we landed in Tibet we made our way to the baggage claim and picked up our bags. We then had to wait until everyone had their luggage and then we had to give our passports to Arnold so he could get us through customs. They scanned our passports and then we were free to leave the airport. We loaded onto our bus and our local tour guide welcomed us to Tibet with a white scarf that he tied around our necks. It was a special way to start our visit in Tibet. 

From the airport we drove about fifteen minutes to visit a typical Tibetan home. We didn’t meet the family but we got to see the different living areas and learn about how they live. It was an interesting visit but very quick and a little strange walking around someone’s home when they weren’t there. After the visit we were back on the bus for a one hour ride to Lhasa and our hotel. Arnold has been preparing us for the altitude so that we don’t have any problems and the local tour guide did the same during our bus ride. Lhasa is at 3600 meters or 11,800 feet so they strongly encouraged all of us to follow some simple rules. Drink plenty of water, cut back on alcohol, move slowly and avoid strenuous exercise. So far Thomas isn’t having any problems but I have felt a little light headed. Hopefully we will be okay – our tour guide is slowing everything down while we are in Tibet.

We arrived at our hotel – The St. Regis Lhasa Resort – and we got our room keys and we were free to do what we wanted until dinner at 7:00pm. After settling in the room Thomas did some reading and I walked around the hotel taking pictures. I also spent some time editing photos and journaling until it was time for dinner. At dinner we found that four of our group were already having dizziness and nausea and one didn’t even come down for dinner because she was feeling too bad. We are hopeful that everyone will be okay tomorrow when we go out to explore the city.

Dinner was a buffet in the restaurant and they had quite a large variety of food. We all found things we liked and had a great meal. Back in the room after dinner I showered, edited pictures, did my blog post and journaled. It was long day and I need some sleep for tomorrow so I can enjoy Lhasa.

Shibaozhai Pagoda and Getting Ready for Disembarkation

We woke up this morning around 5:00am so we decided to start getting things packed and organized for disembarkation tomorrow. Then we took showers, got dressed and went down to breakfast at 6:30am. We had a pretty quick breakfast and some coffee and then headed back to the cabin. Once back in the cabin we got things ready for our excursion this morning. At 8:30am we left the ship and met our local tour guide on shore near some people selling all kinds of things. They kept saying ‘hallo’ and trying to pull us to their tables. Finally, we left that area and walked up the street to an intersection and then turned left passing under an elaborate arch. This turn had us entering into a local market area. The gauntlet of merchants was even worse here – they were relentless. But we trudged on making our way to the end of the street and another elaborate arch. Our local tour guide pulled us to the side and talked to us about where we were headed. Our destination was across a hanging, swaying bridge on an small island a little ways off shore. After giving us some history and information about Shibaozhai Temple.

 Then we walked across the bridge and made it to the island. Then we walked around the edge of the island to the front of the temple. Our tour guide talked to us as we walked and then she lead us into the temple and up the 99 steps to the top. Here we had some incredible views and learned a lot about the temple. The tour guide finished her talk and then we had about a half hour of free time to walk around before we needed to head back to the ship. We left the island and traversed the gauntlet of the market to make our way back to the ship. We made it just in time because about ten minutes after we were back on board the ship left the dock to complete our sailing of the Yangtze and dock in Chongqing.

Back on board Thomas and I decided to get as much packed as we could since our check in luggage has to be outside our cabin by 11:00pm. We did really good and only had the necessities left. By this time it was noon so we headed to the dining room for lunch. Today was a special lunch which include some Chinese delicacies. They had lotus root, chicken feet, pig’s ears and tails. I opted not to try these. We had a nice meal of other more normal Chinese dishes and we had a great time visiting with the others at our table. After about an hour we returned to our cabin.

We filled out surveys about the cruise and then I went to the front desk and turned them in. I also purchased some vouchers that we can use for future trips (they cost $100 but are worth $200). The rest of the afternoon was relaxing – we read, watched a movie, did some journaling and edited some pictures. Then we got ready for dinner. We headed for the dining room at 7:00pm and when we arrived we found Justin and Abby (they have been our servers for the entire cruise) and took a picture with them. The meal was okay – Thomas had the beef tenderloin and I had the cod. We ended up sitting with two couples we hadn’t met before. By 8:30pm we were ready to head back to the cabin. We still had a few things to get packed.

It took us about fifteen minutes to finish our packing and then we put the luggage outside our door. I ended up journaling while Thomas read. Now it is time to get some sleep – we have an early morning and a busy day tomorrow.

The Wu Gorge and the Goddess Stream

This morning we woke up at 6:00am and found that we were cruising through the Wu Gorge. Around 7:00am we docked at Wushan where we will have an excursion this morning. We went to the dining room around 7:30am for some breakfast and coffee and then returned to our cabin around 8:00am. I worked on some journaling until 9:30am when we left the ship for our sampan ride along the Goddess Stream. We had to walk for a while to get to the sampans. Once on board (there were 17 of us on our sampan) we started our tour of the gorge with a local guide. We spent an hour and a half floating along. The area was beautiful and full of history. We saw one of the hanging coffins that is high up on the cliffs. I really enjoyed the ride – it was peaceful and relaxing. After our ride we walked back to the ship and returned to the cabin. I edited more photos and then got a few uploaded to Facebook.

At noon we headed to the dining room and had some lunch. The choices today were better than yesterday. Thomas had soup & pasta and I had fish & chips. We didn’t linger in the dining room, we both wanted to get away from everyone and relax a bit. Thomas decided to hang out in the room and read and I decided to go up to Deck 6 and sit in the computer room. I edited all my pictures and then posted some of them onto Facebook. Once all of that was done I returned to the cabin where I worked on some journaling and did some blog post.

Around 5:30pm Thomas and I decided to head up to the Observation Lounge on Deck 5 for a drink. Then at 6:30pm there was a talk about the disembarkation process for day after tomorrow. Then after the talk we sat with our group and talked a little more about our flight and visit to Tibet. Our group ended up staying a little longer than the other groups and by the time we left the lounge and got to the dining room the tables were mostly full. But we found a table with only one couple so six of sat with them.

The meal was pretty good. It was more of a Chinese menu. I had the spring rolls and seabass. Thomas decided he didn’t want the Chinese meal so he opted for chicken. We had a pleasant visit with everyone at our table and one of the guys was celebrating his birthday – so they came out and sang happy birthday to him and we all got a piece of birthday cake.

After dinner we went straight back to the room. Thomas brushed his teeth and went straight to bed. I decided I wanted a shower and then I worked on finishing my blog post for the day. Tomorrow we have one excursion in the morning but then we need to spend the rest of the day packing because our bags have to be in the hallway tomorrow night. Now it is time to get some sleep – I need my rest since we still have two more weeks on this trip.

Visiting Jingzhou

Had a really good sleep last night and woke up around 4:30am. Did some reading and played a little on my iPad. At 6:30am I took a shower and got dressed and ready for the day. At 7:00am the ship docked in Jingzhou and a little after that Thomas and I went and had a quick breakfast and some coffee. Once we were done eating we went back to the cabin to brush our teeth and get our things ready for our day in Jingzhou. We had about an hour before we needed to meet our group so I worked on some journaling.

At 8:45am we left the ship and made our way to the bus for our first excursion of the day. We were on our way to visit a school that Viking sponsors – Genhe Primary School. When we arrived we went to an outdoor stage and the students put on a show for us. After the show we went to visit one of the classrooms. As we walked in the students started grabbing our hands and taking us to their desk. They had us sit in their seats and they were showing us different things. Our group had a class of second graders. They only speak Chinese, they haven’t learned English yet. They will start learning English in third grade. The little guy that I was with was energetic, he was always moving. They recited a poem from the Tang Dynasty and then sang us a song. Then we sang three songs for them – Old MacDonald; Row, Row, Row Your Boat and Hokey Pokey. When we got to the Hokey Pokey I used my hands to guide his arms and legs as we went through the song. I was trying to harness his energy. He was showing me how he writes some of the Chinese characters and then I wrote my name for him and he copied it. This turned out to be more fun than I could have imagined. The kids were so happy and energetic and it was contagious. Finally, around 11:00am we left the school and returned to the ship.

Once back on the ship we had a little time to relax before lunch. So we did a few things in our cabin and then headed to the dining room to get something to eat. It was a pretty standard lunch but it was good. Then after eating we returned to our cabin and I worked on editing pictures and journaling until it was time for our afternoon excursion.

Then at 1:30pm we made our way back to the bus and we headed for the Jingzhou Museum. When we arrived at the museum and the first thing we did was attend a bronze bell musical performance. They performed four songs for us. They used the bronze bells, tiles, the zither, pan flutes and drums. It was actually a wonderful concert. After the concert we had about an hour to wander around the museum and see the exhibits. They had exhibits on bamboo slips, pottery, jade and bronze. We all met back at the bus at 4:00pm and we traveled to a park so that we could see the ancient wall that surrounds the city. We also were able to climb to the top and walk along the top of the wall and see some views of the city. So Thomas and I took a little walk along the top of the wall and I was able to take a few pictures. The views weren’t all that great because the entire day has been overcast, foggy and drizzly.

It was around 5:30pm when we returned to the ship. We went to our cabin and got cleaned up for dinner. We had a little time before dinner so I edited some photos. At 7:00pm we headed for dinner and we had a Western menu to choose from. Thomas had minestrone soup and beef tenderloin and I had scallops and cashew shrimp. It was all very good. We ended up sitting with George and Mario and then two other couples – one from New Jersey and one from Chicago. We had a great time laughing and talking – it was one of the more enjoyable evenings. One of the women was also a physical therapist (and I had met another woman who is a physical therapist). At 9:00pm Thomas and I left the dining room and returned to our cabin. It had been a long day and we both wanted to get some sleep.

Cruising the Yangtze

For some reason I was up at 3:00am – oh, I know the reason, we have a rule at our house that also seems to apply when traveling – ‘When Thomas is awake, everyone is awake.’ So since I was awake and couldn’t for the life of me get back to sleep I worked on editing photos. I am having a hard time connecting to the internet so I am unable to post pictures on Facebook or post any blogs. So I decided to type out my blog post on a Word document and them when I have internet connection I can just copy and paste them. I also did a little reading and enjoyed the quiet that seemed to engulf the ship. Once it got light outside we found our view obstructed by fog. There was also a mist hanging in the air and our balcony was damp. I took a few pictures and enjoyed the hazy morning. I got all the posts typed up and then tried the internet again. This time I got a connection but it was slow and spotty. So I got one post uploaded with pictures and then I decided to take a shower and get dressed. Once dressed I straightened up the cabin while Thomas showered. When he was done we headed out to breakfast. We had a nice relaxing meal with some friends we made on this trip – George and Mario (from Philadelphia). After about an hour we left the restaurant and returned to our room. I was able to get on the internet and upload yesterday’s blog post and also post some pictures on Facebook. After getting this done I did some reading until 9:45am when we had to participate in a muster drill. The drill lasted about 20 minutes and then we returned to our room. I decided to continue reading my book until it was time to go to lunch. So far the fog has persisted all morning and we aren’t getting any views – at times we can’t even see the shore line.

At around 12:30pm we headed to the dining room for some lunch. There was pasta and salad at the buffet and there was a small menu of items you could order. Thomas had pasta from the buffet and I had a salad. After my salad I ordered a chicken quesadilla. We didn’t eat much, we were still full from the wonderful breakfast buffet this morning. After eating we returned to the room to relax some more. There are some lectures and activities this afternoon that we may attend.

I decided to attend a lecture this afternoon at 2:15pm on the Yangtze River. It was a very informative and interesting talk. It was given by Angie who is the program director on the ship. The Yangtze is an amazing river and is important to everyday life in China. When the talk finished I returned to the cabin and worked on a few things before heading out again at 4:00pm for an afternoon tea. Just a little before 4:00pm we headed to Deck 6 and went to the afternoon tea. We had tea with finger sandwiches and some pastries. We visited with another couple and relaxed for about 45 minutes. Afterwards we returned to the room and ended up reading for about an hour and a half. Then we got ready for dinner.

At 7:00pm we made our way to the dining room and had a wonderful Chinese meal. There was a choice of four starters and seven main dishes. Everything was brought out and put on lazy susans in the middle of the table and you could take what you wanted. We tried everything and most of it was delicious – there were a couple of dishes that I didn’t really care and probably wouldn’t want to have again. Dinner lasted about and hour and a half. We then returned to the room. I took a shower and then worked on editing pictures and this blog post.

Today was a nice relaxing day but I was getting a little bored. So I am glad that tomorrow we have some shore excursions but nothing starts until 9:00am so no need to get up early. Looking forward to seeing more of China. The weather today has been overcast with a light mist and a little chilly. Tomorrow the forecast calls for a light drizzle. I am hoping that we see the sun soon.

Flight to Wuhan & Boarding the Viking Emerald

This morning we woke at 6:00am to get showered and dressed and to have our checked baggage outside our hotel room for the porters. We are flying to Wuhan where we will board the Viking Emerald. Once we had our bags outside the room we got a few other things organized and then we went down to the restaurant for breakfast. I really loved the breakfast buffet – lots of choices and all delicious. After eating breakfast we returned to our room to get any last minute things done. Once our carry on bags were packed, Thomas read and I worked on editing photos and writing blogs.

At 8:00am we went down to the lobby to meet our group. At 8:30am we left the hotel and headed to Shanghai Hongqiao International Airport (SHA). Viking handled all of our flight details and Arnold handed out our boarding passes. Once we had our boarding passes we had to go through security and then make our way to Gate 63. Going through security was quick and easy. First, they checked your boarding pass and passport, then, you went through the metal detector. You didn’t have to take off shoes or belts but you did have to empty pockets and put any electronic devices in a basket. It was so easy! Then we made our way to the gate. We only had a 20 minute wait before we started boarding flight MU2506 on China Eastern Airlines [We were in seats 51AB]. The flight was to be one hour and fifteen minutes. It was a short flight but they still served us a light meal consisting of fried rice, some vegetables and a cookie. I read during most of the flight and Thomas ended up visiting with the woman sitting next to him. We landed in Wuhan at their new airport [Wuhan Tianhe International Airport (WUH)] – it was enormous, clean and beautiful. We made our way to baggage claim but we didn’t have to handle our bags, Viking did that for us. Once all the bags had been collected we made our way to the bus. We couldn’t board the ship until 4:00pm so we had a little outing before heading to the ship.

When we left the airport it was drizzling a bit but it wasn’t bad. We were taken to Qingchuan Pavilion Scenic Area. We learned a little history about Wuhan and the park and then we had free time to explore the area. We spent about an hour at the park and then headed back to the bus so we could make our way to the port.

The line to board the Viking Emerald was short and it didn’t take long to get through security. On our way to board the ship we were greeted by drummers and a dancing dragon - a wonderful way to start the cruise. After security we checked in at the front desk (where they took our passports) and got our room keys. We were escorted to our cabin [212] and give a quick orientation. We then unpacked and organized the room and relaxed for a bit before heading out to explore the ship. At 6:15pm we left the cabin and made our way to Deck 6. We walked around checking out the areas and we went out on deck to marvel at the light display on the buildings of Wuhan. While we were doing this the ship left port and we began our cruise on the Yangtze River (the longest river in China and the third longest river in the world). We slowly made our way down to each deck, checking our the area on each one before continuing down to the next. When we reached Deck 2 we found a place to sit and relax while we waited for the dining room to open for dinner. When they open the doors we waited for the small line to clear and then we entered and found a table. It is open seating at round tables that seat eight people. We found an empty table and eventually it filled with six other people. We had a Western menu to choose from and Thomas had a beef tenderloin with vegetables and I had roasted pork. The meal was delicious and the company was enjoyable – we all raved about how Viking has everything organized and ready and all you have to do is sit back and enjoy. Around 9:00pm Thomas and I left the dining room and returned to our cabin – it had been a long day and we needed some rest. Tomorrow it is a full day of cruising as we make our way to Jingzhou.