Needless to say that after going to bed at 9:30 I was up before 6am time for writing. Went up to the observation deck to grab some coffee (cant deal with instant in the cabins) and a chocolate croissant. Need to shower before going to breakfast sometime between 7 and 9am and need to schedule a haircut, its just looking too out of control.
Morning consists of a 9:15am orientation, and a 10am lecture on the Buddhism of Mt. Jiuhua, then lunch. The hotel manager (German) has a great sense of humor when giving his talk but my question about the ports in my cabin labeled broadband bring a disappointing response the ship was wired for the future internet access is only available via the internet lounge on the 4th deck. Guess Ill just keep using my phone when I can get a GPRS (General Packet Radio Service) signal. Looks like no real-time updates to friends and family.
The lecture on Buddhism I last less than five minutes the professor giving the talk had the voice of someone on Thorazine. Had to escape. Looked at the ships store, found a Happy Coat in my size US $33, which isnt bad will think about it and hope someone else buys it first.
Lunch at 11:30-1pm. Open seating. Ate too much. Full buffet with entres, soup, and dessert in addition. We seated early so I actually had time for a nap before our shore excursion.
The bus ride to the mountain passed through what I think of as more in my mind as to what China is, lots of poverty level farmers, belching smokestacks of steel and cement plants but with this are massive infrastructure projects such as large modern roadways, new rail lines, and everything planted to within an inch of its life. There must be a huge call for landscape architects in China. Take Shanghai for example all their freeways have planter boxes along them not flowers, but some sort of greenery. Beautiful and puts more oxygen back in the environment.
Once we got up into the mountains (a drive with lots of switchbacks and stalled trucks and narrow mountain roads), we got to a hotel for what our tour guide refers to as a Happy House a western style bathroom. From there it was a walking tour of two temples and photos of several others.
In the first temple (modern) there were the 84 deities, one of which caught my eye, and I had to ask the Thorazine Professor (man in photo who was also our bus guide) what the deity stood for. I was amused at his answer he is the traveling monk. Notice the hat hanging off his walking stick. How appropriate for me to identify with that version of Buddha.
The heat and humidity took its toll on our busload of travelers no one was hanging out doing shopping at the local stalls. We all rushed back to the bus for the air-conditioning. I was sweating from places I didnt think I could sweat from.
Back on the boat, as soon as the last person was on board, they cast off. German efficiency. I have the sliding doors open while drinking a little scotch before my haircut. I love it we travel at about 11mph which is about two times the rate of the other boats on the river which are bulk cargo. Haircut takes about 20 minutes with the little (but out of control) hair I have, and Im thinking of the pedicure as well maybe in some shocking color to go with my sandals.
Its interesting taking the river you get to see the industrial side of China. Lots of boats mostly bulk carriers, many which looked like they had been carrying cement, many with their crew in underwear with the heat we are having. I think these shots are of a cement plant but Ill have to ask my father since he was in the grinding ball business and worked with cement plants.
Dinner tonight is Chic Casual, which for me means my black silk pants, black silk shirt, and my Chinese slippers that I also had on the Antarctica Cruise. Although at dinner, Marty told me that I had the red version of my slippers in Antarctica. Before dinner is the captains welcome with cocktails, well, hopefully its cocktails, plural. Actually it was lots of magnums of a Chinese rose sparkling wine sort of with hints of plum and some nice little appetizers.
My scallop salad that started dinner was odd good lettuce desecrated with deep fried scallops. The soup was a double chicken consume (which I think meant twice the sodium level) with porcini dumplings in it, but the duck main course was some of the best duck Ive had. Stuck with the cheese and fruit platter for the dessert.
I actually made it through most of the Chinese costume show that was after dinner in the lounge before sleep overtook me. My schedule seems to be about two hours off of where it normally is.
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