We stayed up last night for a while to watch our cruise ship go through the lock system at the Three Gorges Dam along the Yangtze River. We started going though at 11:15 pm and finished up sometime after 2:15. We were going down the lock system which is actually a 5 lock system. They have one for upstream and one for downstream, so boats do not have to wait. The locks were enormous and we had 4 ships end to end and side by side in our lock going down. Jamie stayed up for the 1st lock and I stayed up through the 2nd. Very impressive feat of ingenuity. They are currently building a ship “lift” or elevator that will only take 40 minutes to fill up the 125 meter single lock that will lift or lower the boats. It is supposed to be finished in 2015.
After breakfast, we went on an outside tour of the Three Gorges Dam. I’ll let you read all about its specifics by googling, but it is the largest hydroelectric power dam in the world. Construction started in 1993 and the last phase of the original design will not finish until 2015; however, this 22 year project benefits China is some amazing ways for flood control, energy, and transportation. As I mentioned earlier, the dam flooding displaced 1.3 million people, but the government provided them with money and low interest loans to start a new life. The younger generations especially seem more hopeful.
The tour was decent enough, but we didn’t really get to see too much except for one view from the side. I enjoyed it though, especially the lock system and being able to experience it.
After our tour, we wound our way through the last of the Three Gorges, Xinling Gorge. This gorge is probably the most beautiful due to the more karst-like landscape that towers over the river. We didn’t take too many pictures, but did get a great one of us from the back of the boat.
After lunch, it was time to say goodbye to the Victoria Rose and her crew, so we headed to the airport, waited 4 hours, then boarded a flight to Shanghai.
While I type this on our first night in Shanghai, I can already tell we are going to like this place. This city is huge and VERY modern. Lights and tall skyscrapers everywhere and that was just the drive though the city. Tomorrow, we’ll get a first hand view as we set off to explore this city of 20 million people.
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