China: Goddess Stream: March 2016

Our second excursions on our trip down the Yangtze was along a tributary. We traveled in little wooden boats with yellow roofs. The windows were on a track and were easy to open but it was a chilly day. The windows were opened for pictures but they didn’t stay that way. 

Before the Three Gorges Dam was built this stream we were on was only a few inches deep and boats had to be pulled upstream by men. The men that pulled the boats upstream actually did this work naked because we clothes would weigh them down and slow them. They were naked even in winter.

Once the Three Gorges Dam was built the water levels rose significantly. Next week’s post is on the Three Gorges Dam and I will go into more detail about why it was built and its impact then. For the excursions off the river boat we had local guides. These guides would tells us about themselves, the local history, some stories, answer questions and in the case of this excursion the guides sang to us.

This excursion was not particularly exciting but it was intriguing to learn the local history. Also, the stream and the surrounding landscape was beautiful. The water was a more vibrant shade of the same jade green that I’d already come to love. On either side of the tributary were cliffs of in and riot colors: beige rocks, verdant foliage, sunny flowers.  

When the dam was built this stream flooded. Going from inches in depth to several feet. Many structures that had been at the water’s edge originally are now partially or completely submerged. The only thing we saw was an old wooden stair with a rail being swallowed down into opaque water.

I hope that the rest of your week is fantastic. I’d love it if you would subscribe to my YouTube channel. I won’t post often but when I do it will be travel related. Thank you and Happy Wednesday!