Oh yes I did!
I have just completed the Covid 19 Triple Dog Dare. I went on a cruise, ate at a buffet and ended up in Wuhan, then lived to blog about it.
Actually, it’s not as insane as it sounds.
Since I’m “land-locked” in China this summer, I thought I’d finally see the country. It’s not like I’ve lived here ten years, but I have. I decided to take a cruise down the Yangzte River to see the Three Gorges Dam, It started in Chonqing.
I got this idea while doing quarantine in ShangHai (Christmas – Jan 12, 2021) I watched this special on Three Gorges Dam. It was about the only thing that gave me a break from the Insurrection at the Capitol, that is, in English. Well, to get to the dam, I decided to take a cruise down the Yangtze River. Paul Theroux, my idol/writer, wrote about it in his Travel book, the Riding Iron Rooster.
So, hence the cruise. It was cool but sticky, the humidity being unbearable. It felt like I just came out of that weird dryer cycle where it’s TUMBLE DRY only…including my passport. But the gorges were stunning and the room? Humungo, about the size of a regular hotel room.
I thought I’d be the only Westerner on the cruise, but there were actually eight of us, (two Americans, two South Africans, and a French Canadian couple with kids). Three Gorges is also one of China’s six money-shots, or photos on the back of the RMB notes. I have three more to go. No, that is not me!
OK–so what do you eat on a cruise? Buffet with Chenglish captions. When else would I be able to try Potato Columns except for hot lunch in high school on Sloppy Joe Days.
It took three days from Chongqing to get to the Three Gorges dam and dam, the dam i was huge. Well, how huge is it? If If you dissembled the Great Wall and tried to build the Three Gorges Dam, you wouldn’t have enough bricks. Says who? Says one of the English speaking guests on the tour. She’s a teacher and taught about this.
The Three Gorges Dam is not in Wuhan, but is pretty darn close. The dam in the town where Dragon Boat racing became popular (Qu Yuan) which, is a holiday you have never heard of unless you live in China.
But, the best way for me to get back to Kunming was to hop a train to Wuhan and take a bullet back.
So, a cruise, a buffet and Wuhan. How do I top that? Well, a trip to Wuhan’s Walmart. You can peep the video below. And on Wednesay when I am safely back in Kunming, I’ll be getting my vaccination.