SIGHTS AND SCENTS POSTED FROM THE HILL COUNTRY OF TEXAS THAT INCLUDE THE WORLD
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Based on what we were told by our guide, China has a very limited unemployment policy. You are paid unemployment for 6 months. If you do not find a job in that time, the state gives you one. It most likely will be sweeping streets. If you do not, wish to take it, you get … Read more
The Xi’ An city wall is the most complete city wall remaining in China. It stands 40 feet tall, 40-46 feet wide at the top and 50-60 feet thick at the bottom. It covers 8.5 miles in length with a deep moat surrounding it. Every 400 feet there is a rampart which extends out from … Read more
On the morning of April 16, 2013 we said our final goodbyes to the Anna and headed for the Chongquing Zoo and the home of the Giant Panda. Gathering for our final departure from the Anna After looking out at the length of the pontoon walkway and the steps at the end, the … Read more
On our way back from the farmers home we made an impromptu stop at a shrine and crafts market. My guess would be that the shrine was first and the market sprang up as an afterthought. We have the building in front along with a figure and pagoda high up on the hill. The market … Read more
Our tour operator, Pacific Delight, arranged for us to visit a Chinese farmers home. He was one of those 1.3 million displaced by the rising water of the Three Gorge project. This is the front door to the home. Our guide indicated that three families lived here; however we only saw the old farmer. … Read more
In April 15th while the rest of the tour were climbing up a pagoda our group visited the central market in Fengdu; was honored to actually visit an actual Chinese farmer’s home and to actually visit with him and had an impromptu visit to another crafts market on the way back to the ship.. The special side … Read more
After re-boarding our “Mothership” we again headed upstream toward Fengdu. We saw a lot of other commercial traffic on the waterway. Most of it was construction material such as sand and rock headed towards Shanghai. Here is a load of new autos headed away from Shanghai and a load of logs headed somewhere. The logs … Read more
While the rest of our tour group (yes, all 15 of you) stayed on the boat and took knitting lessons, three of us brave ones opted for the optional afternoon tour of the White Emperor City. Miguel, Pamela and I and a bunch of the French Canadians took off on the bus to explore this … Read more
We boarded smaller river boats for our trip up Longman Gorge This is what our home ship, the Anna looks like fore and aft looks like A view of our smaller river boat. Actually this is a sister boat carrying another contingent of our tour. The French Canadians perhaps? We came across this “house … Read more
The morning of April 14th we boarded smaller river boats and headed up Longman Gorge which was formed by Shenong Stream. The beautiful gorge is extremely deep and narrow. A times it did not appear that the boat was going to fit between the sheer cliff banks and that the side would be ripped out. … Read more