tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-71296635256511927792012-02-16T05:04:00.790-05:00India, Australia, China and ???aquinoamahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10019388900177037041noreply@blogger.comBlogger7721100tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7129663525651192779.post-38771566836147492162011-10-29T10:00:00.000-04:002011-10-29T10:00:08.362-04:00

We had an easy flight to Xian, so easy that I actually don't remember it at all. Quick background: Xian is located in the Yellow River Basin and is one of the birthplaces of civilization. It has seen 3,100 years of development and 13 dynasties, giving it equal fame with Athens, Rome, and Cairo as one of the four major ancient civilization capitals. After landing, we

aquinoamahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10019388900177037041noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7129663525651192779.post-83998371547636205032011-10-28T10:00:00.000-04:002011-10-28T10:00:10.726-04:00

We are now in Pippa Hill, the center of Chongqing City, in People's Square. In the 1st and 3rd photo you can see the Great Hall of the People. It was built in 1951 and is used as a performance venue. The long wings on either side are the People's Hotel. The other two photos show the Chongqing Museum which opened in 2005 to replace the old museum. This was a nice last

aquinoamahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10019388900177037041noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7129663525651192779.post-20606140936640547672011-10-27T10:00:00.000-04:002011-10-27T10:00:09.390-04:00

On the way out, James was reunited with his Australian relatives.

aquinoamahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10019388900177037041noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7129663525651192779.post-50415713547477131962011-10-26T10:00:00.000-04:002011-10-26T10:00:05.810-04:00

This was highly disturbing to me. Visitors were pouring whatever drink they had into the bear's mouth. It's fur was all matted and sticky from the beverages. It was obviously commonplace because the bear was begging for a drink.

aquinoamahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10019388900177037041noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7129663525651192779.post-58491180469348287942011-10-25T10:00:00.000-04:002011-10-25T10:00:10.740-04:00

As part of our tour we sat through an art presentation and then had a chance to tour their gallery.

aquinoamahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10019388900177037041noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7129663525651192779.post-79106289230217062072011-10-24T10:00:00.000-04:002011-10-24T10:00:11.158-04:00

Above: the only non-panda or non-bear that made the cut. Last: don't expect to see kiosks selling snow cones and hotdogs.

aquinoamahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10019388900177037041noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7129663525651192779.post-40894353597350167372011-10-22T10:00:00.000-04:002011-10-22T10:00:04.910-04:00

Proof we were actually there :)

aquinoamahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10019388900177037041noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7129663525651192779.post-55174254619953409662011-10-21T10:00:00.000-04:002011-10-21T10:00:03.679-04:00

Awwwwwww! Surprising as it may sound, I actually edited out a lot (more than half) of my panda shots.

aquinoamahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10019388900177037041noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7129663525651192779.post-33552429957129963202011-10-20T10:00:00.000-04:002011-10-20T10:00:12.735-04:00

So cute!

aquinoamahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10019388900177037041noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7129663525651192779.post-69982172485686949562011-10-19T10:00:00.000-04:002011-10-19T10:00:06.297-04:00

The inferior Red Panda.

aquinoamahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10019388900177037041noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7129663525651192779.post-83900915330048901732011-10-18T10:00:00.000-04:002011-10-18T10:00:05.112-04:00

I'm very excited for today. We are visiting the Chongqing Zoo to see China's national treasure (and my favorite animal), the Giant Panda Bears. Warning: there will be ridiculous amounts of Panda photos in the next few days.

aquinoamahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10019388900177037041noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7129663525651192779.post-18302322599171103302011-10-17T10:00:00.000-04:002011-10-17T10:00:03.185-04:00

aquinoamahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10019388900177037041noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7129663525651192779.post-33908217656522427382011-10-15T10:00:00.000-04:002011-10-15T10:00:03.608-04:00

After our final breakfast on the ship, we disembarked and did a quick tour through Chongqing. It's located on steep hills at the confluence of the Yangtze and its major tributary, the Jialing River, this proud mountain city was the capital of China during WWII, when the American Volunteers Air Group, "The Flying Tigers," was based here.  

aquinoamahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10019388900177037041noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7129663525651192779.post-64070308777415181962011-10-14T10:00:00.000-04:002011-10-14T10:00:10.061-04:00

The ladies wearing their new purchases from today and another delicious dinner.

aquinoamahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10019388900177037041noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7129663525651192779.post-13427590472902256682011-10-13T10:00:00.000-04:002011-10-13T10:00:08.554-04:00

Back to the ship.

aquinoamahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10019388900177037041noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7129663525651192779.post-90260397810790906792011-10-12T10:00:00.000-04:002011-10-12T10:00:11.532-04:00

aquinoamahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10019388900177037041noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7129663525651192779.post-13724763267813943442011-10-11T10:00:00.000-04:002011-10-11T10:00:00.116-04:00

aquinoamahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10019388900177037041noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7129663525651192779.post-91930075603517062602011-10-10T10:00:00.000-04:002011-10-10T10:00:10.165-04:00

aquinoamahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10019388900177037041noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7129663525651192779.post-77808378093586220422011-10-08T10:00:00.000-04:002011-10-08T10:00:07.448-04:00

aquinoamahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10019388900177037041noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7129663525651192779.post-87247508756560951262011-10-07T10:00:00.000-04:002011-10-07T10:00:02.590-04:00

Fresh fish, duck, and tofu.

aquinoamahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10019388900177037041noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7129663525651192779.post-5844271434575591652011-10-06T10:00:00.000-04:002011-10-06T10:00:10.181-04:00

aquinoamahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10019388900177037041noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7129663525651192779.post-61201615922388426352011-10-05T10:00:00.000-04:002011-10-05T10:00:02.544-04:00

aquinoamahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10019388900177037041noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7129663525651192779.post-20128812495015079952011-10-04T10:00:00.000-04:002011-10-04T10:00:11.246-04:00

aquinoamahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10019388900177037041noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7129663525651192779.post-75993279960511131362011-10-03T10:00:00.000-04:002011-10-03T10:00:00.278-04:00

aquinoamahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10019388900177037041noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7129663525651192779.post-79895562814873402962011-10-01T10:00:00.000-04:002011-10-01T10:00:02.055-04:00

We are now headed through the local market.

aquinoamahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10019388900177037041noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7129663525651192779.post-20154189057087081272011-09-30T10:00:00.000-04:002011-09-30T16:02:34.288-04:00

I guess they were running out of things to show us. They took us to a little shopping center where we watched this little kid zip around the walkways over and over, oblivious of any of us. Second photo: some people tried out the exercise equipment.

aquinoamahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10019388900177037041noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7129663525651192779.post-88503666812422798202011-09-29T10:00:00.000-04:002011-09-29T10:00:05.547-04:00

The new friends help one another get safely across the road. Last photo: they really love the peace sign.

aquinoamahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10019388900177037041noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7129663525651192779.post-37851149525566877572011-09-28T10:00:00.000-04:002011-09-28T10:00:00.089-04:00

Fengdu is also known as the "City of Ghosts" for its significance in Chinese mythology. Ironically it has literally become a ghost town, as most of its residents have been relocated due to the rising river level. Despite this fact, it's our next stop on our tour. Today we had the choice to either see Snow Jade Cave or visit Fengdu New Town. It was built as a result of the

aquinoamahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10019388900177037041noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7129663525651192779.post-87806129340429082742011-09-27T10:00:00.000-04:002011-09-27T10:00:05.439-04:00

 

aquinoamahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10019388900177037041noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7129663525651192779.post-56066209699223134902011-09-26T10:00:00.000-04:002011-09-26T10:00:02.803-04:00

aquinoamahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10019388900177037041noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7129663525651192779.post-15240376401972663352011-09-24T10:00:00.000-04:002011-09-24T10:00:07.278-04:00

aquinoamahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10019388900177037041noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7129663525651192779.post-53145712631967467822011-09-23T10:00:00.000-04:002011-09-23T10:00:10.106-04:00

aquinoamahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10019388900177037041noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7129663525651192779.post-61101732817580999022011-09-22T10:00:00.000-04:002011-09-22T10:00:01.524-04:00

aquinoamahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10019388900177037041noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7129663525651192779.post-50231082671406581522011-09-21T14:53:00.000-04:002011-09-21T14:55:32.590-04:00

More interesting items for sale and one stray kitty.

aquinoamahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10019388900177037041noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7129663525651192779.post-4948367759799821872011-08-18T10:00:00.001-04:002011-08-18T10:00:08.288-04:00

Passed vendor stands on the way back. There was also a gift shop with a fantastic a/c unit.

aquinoamahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10019388900177037041noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7129663525651192779.post-65637886818610927132011-08-17T10:00:00.000-04:002011-08-17T10:00:02.826-04:00

This little boy followed James around and copied everything he did. James wanted to test and see if he'd copy running and jumping too. (click to see larger)

aquinoamahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10019388900177037041noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7129663525651192779.post-37634530781514186262011-08-16T10:00:00.000-04:002011-08-16T10:00:08.893-04:00

aquinoamahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10019388900177037041noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7129663525651192779.post-4479014413799153402011-08-15T10:00:00.000-04:002011-08-15T10:00:07.680-04:00

Time to make our way back.

aquinoamahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10019388900177037041noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7129663525651192779.post-24091196300950248692011-08-14T10:00:00.000-04:002011-08-14T10:00:00.735-04:00

Last photo: James playing songs on a miniature piano.

aquinoamahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10019388900177037041noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7129663525651192779.post-57851334627311037932011-08-13T10:00:00.002-04:002011-08-13T10:00:01.842-04:00

aquinoamahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10019388900177037041noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7129663525651192779.post-18335570002021174352011-08-12T10:00:00.000-04:002011-08-12T10:00:07.417-04:00

From above, we could see the path we took to get here.

aquinoamahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10019388900177037041noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7129663525651192779.post-6159539667037793242011-08-11T10:00:00.000-04:002011-08-11T10:00:02.420-04:00

Climbing to the top.

aquinoamahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10019388900177037041noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7129663525651192779.post-824398423763352552011-08-10T10:00:00.001-04:002011-08-10T10:00:14.940-04:00

In 1819, this nine-story pavilion was built next to the cliff to help peopleget to the top of the hill. Before this, visitors were hoisted to the top using a system of chains. In 1956, three more stories were added at the top of the structure. Last photo: One of these things is not like the other.

aquinoamahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10019388900177037041noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7129663525651192779.post-64447793751980798432011-08-09T10:00:00.004-04:002011-08-09T10:00:09.035-04:00

Preparing to enter. James and Meredith pretending to read the inscription.

aquinoamahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10019388900177037041noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7129663525651192779.post-75202256080124228472011-08-08T15:16:00.001-04:002011-08-08T15:17:38.920-04:00

Getting close . . . (this was supposed to post 2 entries ago, so it's out of order).

aquinoamahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10019388900177037041noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7129663525651192779.post-77687960852760537662011-08-08T14:09:00.001-04:002011-08-08T14:13:41.748-04:00

Still walking to the temple.

aquinoamahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10019388900177037041noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7129663525651192779.post-84253167654959400502011-07-02T10:00:00.001-04:002011-07-02T10:00:07.660-04:00

There were large spaces in the bridge that made me nervous.

aquinoamahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10019388900177037041noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7129663525651192779.post-50211870430339392152011-06-30T13:12:00.000-04:002011-06-30T13:12:05.160-04:00

aquinoamahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10019388900177037041noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7129663525651192779.post-5373956932702359062011-06-26T10:00:00.004-04:002011-06-26T10:00:09.000-04:00

aquinoamahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10019388900177037041noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7129663525651192779.post-51555585873265881212011-06-25T10:00:00.000-04:002011-06-25T10:00:07.372-04:00

CLICK ON THE PHOTO FOR THE FULL VIEW . . . As we headed up a hill during our hike to the temple, we were greeted by locals that offered to carry us to the top. Most people on the trip felt bad about making someone carry them, even if they were getting paid. Surprisingly, or not?, two of the larger people on the tour decided to take advantage. You should have seen the disappointment

aquinoamahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10019388900177037041noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7129663525651192779.post-29021958866237232682011-06-24T10:00:00.003-04:002011-06-24T10:00:00.814-04:00

Kiddies

aquinoamahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10019388900177037041noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7129663525651192779.post-13956322165114342202011-06-23T10:00:00.003-04:002011-06-23T10:00:00.161-04:00

We are walking through the town of Shibaozhai to visit the Shibaozhai Temple along the Yangtze.

aquinoamahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10019388900177037041noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7129663525651192779.post-49196598700195534652011-06-22T10:00:00.007-04:002011-06-22T10:00:00.716-04:00

As we neared the city of Shibaozhai it began to rain.

aquinoamahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10019388900177037041noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7129663525651192779.post-70871959439383727452011-06-21T14:54:00.001-04:002011-06-21T15:23:10.457-04:00

We spent the morning cruising along this beautiful stretch of the Yangtze.

aquinoamahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10019388900177037041noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7129663525651192779.post-27435628977053220572011-06-14T10:00:00.000-04:002011-06-14T10:00:03.244-04:00

aquinoamahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10019388900177037041noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7129663525651192779.post-83013079041799271612011-06-13T15:15:00.000-04:002011-06-13T15:15:34.522-04:00

Still cruising along. We saw monkeys climbing the rocks (last photo).

aquinoamahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10019388900177037041noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7129663525651192779.post-56205096594424653382011-06-03T10:00:00.000-04:002011-06-03T10:00:08.762-04:00

We boarded a smaller vessel to cruise on the Daning River into the beautiful Lesser Three Gorges. Some of the Yangtze's most beautiful scenery lies in these gorges, inaccessible by larger vessels.

aquinoamahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10019388900177037041noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7129663525651192779.post-61483206823568968932011-06-02T10:00:00.000-04:002011-06-02T10:00:12.269-04:00

aquinoamahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10019388900177037041noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7129663525651192779.post-48478247371573350112011-06-01T10:00:00.012-04:002011-06-01T10:00:01.581-04:00

      Early in the morning we cruised through Wu (Witches) Gorge. Lush, mist-enshrouded mountains, including the legendary Twelve Peaks, rise up on both sides.

aquinoamahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10019388900177037041noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7129663525651192779.post-33018364397498829402011-05-31T10:00:00.002-04:002011-05-31T10:00:01.141-04:00

aquinoamahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10019388900177037041noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7129663525651192779.post-12314728614207665562011-05-30T10:00:00.000-04:002011-05-30T10:00:05.482-04:00

Xiling Gorge is lined with sheer limestone cliffs and is known for its many smaller gorges and caves.

aquinoamahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10019388900177037041noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7129663525651192779.post-89933775586674122132011-05-27T10:00:00.000-04:002011-05-27T10:00:02.813-04:00

Sailing towards Xiling Gorge.

aquinoamahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10019388900177037041noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7129663525651192779.post-66244895699219239112011-05-26T10:00:00.002-04:002011-05-26T10:00:01.744-04:00

Traveling out of the Dam and towards the longest of the Three Gorges, Xiling.

aquinoamahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10019388900177037041noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7129663525651192779.post-7216498219241849212011-05-25T10:00:00.001-04:002011-05-25T10:00:08.822-04:00

In the first photo you can see how our ship is well below the doors. We had to wait until enough water rushed in to bring us to the right height. You can see this difference in the 2nd and 3rd photos. We then had to wait for the doors to open so we could sail out of this last lock.

aquinoamahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10019388900177037041noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7129663525651192779.post-37273467427276079442011-05-24T10:00:00.003-04:002011-05-24T10:00:06.187-04:00

James took a break from watching the ship sail through the locks by playing a few games of mahjong with the ladies.

aquinoamahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10019388900177037041noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7129663525651192779.post-43794787145979770482011-05-23T10:00:00.002-04:002011-05-23T10:00:07.873-04:00

Ships settled in close to one another and very close to the wall of the lock. The ships had to attach themselves to beams on the wall, to keep them in place. The way they were attached allowed the ropes to float up or down with the water level.

aquinoamahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10019388900177037041noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7129663525651192779.post-8546747866921224092011-05-21T10:00:00.002-04:002011-05-21T10:00:00.793-04:00

You can see how we had to wait until the water level dropped before we could continue on to the next lock.

aquinoamahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10019388900177037041noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7129663525651192779.post-82054574298378811882011-05-20T10:00:00.002-04:002011-05-20T10:00:11.286-04:00

What everyone else was doing as we sailed through the locks. One down. . . four to go.

aquinoamahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10019388900177037041noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7129663525651192779.post-30862795285696489472011-05-19T11:25:00.002-04:002011-05-19T11:55:54.929-04:00

While we were at the Dam, we could see down to see 5-stage ship locks, we are now sailing through these locks. To explain, a lock is a device that raises or lowers boats between stretches of water of different levels on the river. Since the installation of the ship locks, shipping through the Three Gorges become much safer, which changed the fact that the gorges were

aquinoamahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10019388900177037041noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7129663525651192779.post-67401540869424183612011-05-18T10:00:00.001-04:002011-05-19T11:55:29.654-04:00

Headed back to the boat. Photos of some Chinese snacks they were selling on the dock.

aquinoamahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10019388900177037041noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7129663525651192779.post-30854067803720317552011-05-17T10:00:00.001-04:002011-05-19T11:55:16.835-04:00

Walking back to the boat.

aquinoamahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10019388900177037041noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7129663525651192779.post-28129520636483307972011-05-16T10:00:00.004-04:002011-05-19T11:55:07.876-04:00

I found this guys' shirt amusing. The other two photos were taken on our drive back to the ship.

aquinoamahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10019388900177037041noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7129663525651192779.post-28136795781754815462011-05-15T10:00:00.004-04:002011-05-19T11:54:58.571-04:00

  Model of the Three Gorges Dam showing the dam body, the spillway, the ship lift, and the ship lock. The ship lift is to the right of the dam body with its own designated waterway. The ship locks are to the right (northeast) of the ship lift.

aquinoamahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10019388900177037041noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7129663525651192779.post-84227344961450457332011-05-14T09:55:00.001-04:002011-05-19T11:54:46.695-04:00

Exploring the Three Gorges Dam area. This is the largest hydroelectric power station in the world. The Chinese government regards the project as a historic engineering, social and economic success, with the design of state-of-the-art large turbines, and a move toward limiting greenhouse gas emissions. However, the dam flooded archaeological and cultural sites and displaced some 1.3

aquinoamahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10019388900177037041noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7129663525651192779.post-34289651717299948652011-05-13T10:00:00.011-04:002011-05-19T11:54:38.203-04:00

The Yangtze River has a history of flooding, causing much damage. The Three Gorges Dam was designed to lessen the chance of serious flooding and create hydroelectric power. It spans the Yangtze River and lies near the town of  Sandouping. The Dam body was completed in 2006, 26 turbines were installed in 2008, and the last 6 won't be completed or functional until 2012.

aquinoamahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10019388900177037041noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7129663525651192779.post-82260901666315091162011-05-11T10:00:00.005-04:002011-05-19T11:54:29.349-04:00

On our drive to the dam, we passed one of the ship locks.

aquinoamahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10019388900177037041noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7129663525651192779.post-64672960349669220652011-05-10T10:00:00.011-04:002011-05-19T11:54:16.799-04:00

    The locals always know where to set up souvenir shops to entice the travelers. We had to walk through this long mall to get to our buses. It's so humid here, it always takes my camera a while to acclimate and stop fogging up.

aquinoamahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10019388900177037041noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7129663525651192779.post-12494996706197495492011-05-09T13:29:00.001-04:002011-05-19T11:54:07.419-04:00

The boat docks for our excursion to the Three Gorges Dam site.

aquinoamahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10019388900177037041noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7129663525651192779.post-14112379740425653812011-03-31T10:00:00.000-04:002011-03-31T10:00:14.512-04:00

I love all the facial expressions in this photo. The woman with her back to you is criticizing everyone and telling us we're playing the game wrong.

aquinoamahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10019388900177037041noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7129663525651192779.post-18407479198635919242011-03-29T10:00:00.000-04:002011-03-29T10:00:01.159-04:00

Almost back to the ship.

aquinoamahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10019388900177037041noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7129663525651192779.post-56882600353342098942011-03-28T10:00:00.002-04:002011-03-28T10:00:10.195-04:00

Talk about authentic Chinese food.

aquinoamahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10019388900177037041noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7129663525651192779.post-69795107221128323602011-03-27T10:00:00.000-04:002011-03-27T10:00:01.059-04:00

OMG! It's Prince William! Just kiddng.

aquinoamahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10019388900177037041noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7129663525651192779.post-56435622780701182502011-03-26T10:00:00.001-04:002011-03-26T10:00:00.366-04:00

As we walked back from the school, we passed a rare site, a Catholic Church.

aquinoamahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10019388900177037041noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7129663525651192779.post-17228895313442500212011-03-25T10:00:00.001-04:002011-03-25T10:00:02.810-04:00

Time to leave the school.

aquinoamahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10019388900177037041noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7129663525651192779.post-86857651123077068292011-03-24T10:00:00.000-04:002011-03-24T10:00:19.941-04:00

In the 3rd photo down, one of the students welcomed us to her school while Yang translated. She had the smallest and cutest voice. I took the photo under this one because I liked the little girl's shirt with the bears.

aquinoamahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10019388900177037041noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7129663525651192779.post-49193000650145384782011-03-23T10:00:00.000-04:002011-03-23T10:00:15.759-04:00

Each person was paired up with a student. For some reason my dad, James and I weren't surprised that my mom got the A.D.D. child. Everyone was sitting quietly talking with the kids, while my mom was trying to get hers to stop doing karate moves on her and yelling out loud.

aquinoamahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10019388900177037041noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7129663525651192779.post-25079917530627923672011-03-22T10:00:00.000-04:002011-03-22T10:00:16.357-04:00

Headed into one of the classrooms.

aquinoamahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10019388900177037041noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7129663525651192779.post-69187456417334848982011-03-21T10:00:00.002-04:002011-03-21T10:00:10.867-04:00

Tiny dancers.

aquinoamahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10019388900177037041noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7129663525651192779.post-18543779634299429402011-03-20T10:00:00.000-04:002011-03-20T10:00:00.744-04:00

The welcome committee.

aquinoamahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10019388900177037041noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7129663525651192779.post-57164274415420094052011-03-19T10:00:00.000-04:002011-03-19T10:00:07.686-04:00

One of the performances of the day.

aquinoamahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10019388900177037041noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7129663525651192779.post-57542673750505103012011-03-18T10:00:00.000-04:002011-03-18T10:00:10.703-04:00

Here come the Americans.

aquinoamahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10019388900177037041noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7129663525651192779.post-48698469911796019032011-03-17T10:00:00.002-04:002011-03-17T10:00:10.906-04:00

Walking to the school.

aquinoamahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10019388900177037041noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7129663525651192779.post-21712218301877495332011-03-16T10:00:00.001-04:002011-03-16T10:00:10.255-04:00

aquinoamahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10019388900177037041noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7129663525651192779.post-65802908079356838182011-03-15T13:10:00.000-04:002011-03-15T13:10:34.323-04:00

We arrived in Jingzhou where we will be visiting an elementary school that was renovated and is sponsored by the company that runs this tour. We had a chance to see the small town as we traveled from the dock to the school.

aquinoamahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10019388900177037041noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7129663525651192779.post-18948079206998194772011-03-08T10:00:00.000-05:002011-03-08T10:00:05.158-05:00

After lunch we checked out the little gift shop on the ship to see what they had to offer. Soon after, it was time for a tour of our ship's bridge.

aquinoamahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10019388900177037041noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7129663525651192779.post-17175907684018596602011-03-07T10:00:00.000-05:002011-03-07T10:00:10.597-05:00

We're walking back through the beautiful gardens to head back to our ship. I love the expression on this little girl's face. She's so happy and adorable!

aquinoamahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10019388900177037041noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7129663525651192779.post-35098693978277171002011-03-06T10:00:00.000-05:002011-03-06T10:00:06.914-05:00

This was the Chinese speedy gonzalez of silhouette making. James has very prominent eyelashes . . .

aquinoamahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10019388900177037041noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7129663525651192779.post-2221630767591966222011-03-05T10:00:00.002-05:002011-03-05T11:02:02.171-05:00

Is there anything in my teeth? Time to relax at a local tea garden while listening to live music, nibbling on snacks, and drinking good tea. The tea we were served, Silver Needle Tea, is produced on an island in Lake Dongting. We had to wait until the leaves were floating straight up and down, signifying the tea was ready to drink. I also realized I had been making tea wrong.

aquinoamahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10019388900177037041noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7129663525651192779.post-2321898339921288252011-03-04T10:00:00.003-05:002011-03-05T11:02:59.662-05:00

We made it to the tower. There were fireworks being set off below to celebrate the opening of a new business. It was really loud and kinda disrupted our view of the lake :) We slowly made our way to the top. In one of the photos you can see my parents waving from the top floor as I took photos from down below. The second to last photo shows James and me with our tour

aquinoamahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10019388900177037041noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7129663525651192779.post-37542161741807069552011-03-03T10:00:00.001-05:002011-03-03T10:00:20.218-05:00

Our walk to the tower.

aquinoamahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10019388900177037041noreply@blogger.com0