Diane's final thoughts

Our China trip was a trip of a lifetime. Thank you, Viking Cruise Line and Ray, our amazing Chinese guide.

I think part of it was because we went with no expectations. Everywhere we looked we were open to surprises, adventures and wonders of the World.

We saw incredible sights, enjoyed Jerry and Laura's company, met some wonderful new travel friends, and grew to appreciate the beauty and culture of the Chinese people!

Woohoo!

Shanghai June 10-11

We left the cruise ship and flew to Shanghai, our last stop on this memorable trip.

Shanghai is one of the largest (24 million) cities in China and one of the world's most important ports. We were told that if it says "made in China" that odds are it is made here!

Our tour group got to stay at the 5-star Shanghai Peace Hotel because we did the Tibet piece of the tour. Yay, us! This hotel was built along the river back in the 1920's and Charlie Chaplin and Field Marshal Montgomery are just a few celebrities who stayed here. It was also the site for movies including Empire of the Sun.

The Fairmont Peace hotel at night...my phone is starting to die, the photos are starting to get blurry...

The riverfront was spectacular at night. The choreographed lighting on the buildings was mesmerizing! Thousands of people walked the riverside promenades in the evening. We walked a pedestrian mall (supposedly the first one in the world) where upscale shops lined the streets.

On our last night, we were treated to dinner and a breathtaking show of the Shanghai Acrobatic Troupe.  There was contortion, trapeze tricks, tumbling and balancing! What a fabulous show!

We visited Yuyuan Garden, dating back to the Ming Dynasty, 5 acres of pavilions, walking paths, and grottos

We also visited the Shanghai Museum, displaying stuff from 5000 years of Chinese history

 Jade:

Wuhan June 8-9

We had daily excursions (sometimes several in a day) where we went ashore and were able to visit various popular sites and markets.

many types of eggs

live fish

fermenting food in kasks

One of those sites was the fabulous Hubei Provincial Museum. This is an incredible repository of artifacts that predated Christ. One of those treasures, were ancient bells uncovered in 1978 dating to 433 BC. These 65 bronze bells were suspended on 3 frames and divided into 8 groups (heaviest musical instrument in the world).

We were treated to a bell performance (using replicas of the originals) so we could get a taste of the beautiful melodies made by these bells.

It is pretty mind blowing how so many artifacts have survived thousands of years and the lacquerware is still intact.

Back onboard, we got a tour of the bridge:

Onboard School Visit June 7

We were supposed to visit a local school but it happened to be a holiday that day. Instead, a group of the school's children came to us on the ship. Viking supports 3 schools along the river and it was a unique opportunity for us to see the children sing to us in English!

Three Gorges June 6-7

We woke up to breathtaking views of the first of a series of limestone ridges known as the Three Gorges: Xiling, Wu and Qutang. We passed spectacular canyon-like walls. The views were best from the open top deck of the ship.

We embarked to a sampan boat for a leisurely excursion up a waterway. Our guide was a gal who lived in the cliffs along this tributary, so she could share firsthand what it was like to live in this beautifully remote area of the Yangtze River.

Families farmed on the hillsides and took small boats when they needed to go to the city, many miles away.

Due to periodic flooding and the destroying of entire villages, locks (looked like elevators) were needed to lower (or rise) boats based on water levels. We went through one of these locks and it took multiple hours to open to another river level. We happened to be traveling the river at the end of the dry season, so you could definitely see the flood markings along the river banks.

When those rains begin, the river is now able to handle the coming flooding rains because of the Three Gorges Dam.

We walked all over above the dam getting a bird's eye view of various elevators and the dam itself. This dam is the largest hydroelectric power station in the world. In addition to flood control, this dam produces about one-ninth of the nation's electricity. This dam also allows increased shipping to extend farther into some of China's remote areas.

Chongqing June 4-5

We flew from Lhasa to Chongqing, which was China's capital during WWII. Because of its strategic location along the Yangtze River, it is China's most important inland city. It is home to 32 million people!

We  hiked to the Shibaozhai Temple. It is a 12 story pagoda temple that sits on a hilltop. Incredible view of the Yangtze River from the top!

We had to cross a long suspension walkway overlooking the Yangtze in the rain to get there

 Our ship in the background...

Interesting things inside, as described by our guide

This afternoon we boarded our cruise ship, The Emerald, for our travel along the most scenic part of the Yangtze River. We are so glad that we had all the big time walking on the front end of the China trip because now we can really sit back and enjoy the next 6 days "cruisin"!

We never did get around to drinking our "welcome champagne", left it for housekeeping!

Potala Palace, Lhasa June 3

Diane comments:  We really did feel we were on the top of the world! Lhasa sits in a valley and is surrounded by the low Himalayan mountains. I can see why this was the place the Dalai Lamas decided they wanted their temple community. What a beautiful and spiritual place!

We were so glad that we arrived a few days ahead of our Potala Palace climb so that we could acclimate to the altitude. We were drinking water like crazy and walking slow to get used to the high and dry climate. We could see the Palace from our hotel window as well as the lower Himalayan mountains.

The Potala Palace was the highlight of our Tibetan trip and we really wanted to make it to the top. This Palace is where the current Dalai Lahma lived until 1959 when he exiled to India. It is a magnificent Palace up on a hill overlooking the city. It had home to the Dalai Lamas since the 7th century. This palace has over 1,000 rooms and a total of 10,000 side chapels and shrines. Much of it is a museum today (at the top) where some of the previous Dalai Lahmas have been buried.

We found out that there are different kind of “Lamas”. The Dalai Lama is a spiritual leader, and there is another type of Lama that focuses on teaching. The current Dalai Lama is number 14. His emphasis is on “compassion.” When we arrived in Lhasa, we were all presented with white silk ceremonial compassion scarves.

At the time, I was reading The Book of Joy by the Dalai Lama and Desmund Tutu. It is a beautiful book and really gave me a glimpse into the Dalai Lama's strength of spirit and heart. The book was so timely because it gave insight into his exile from Tibet into India. I highly recommend this book.

We took it slow and made it to the top (over 500 steps)! It was incredible and we were among thousands of other visitors wanting to see the museum and view from the top. I have to say that it was very moving to see such an important spiritual site.

The red part is the palace, while the white part was the administrative part while the government of Tibet was located here

 We saw very few Communist "hammer and sickle" icons in the country

  Steps!  It's going to be a long climb...

The red part is painted branches or twigs (Doji was hard to understand on this!)

 Looking down from the top of the palace onto a square in Lhasa (Roof of the World!)

 Entry to the palace (no photos inside)

 Going back down

As if the Potala Palace wasn't enough excitement for one day, in the afternoon, we visited the Sera Monastery. It houses the religious college for young monks. We watched about 100 monks debate (no way to know what they were debating), complete with animated gestures and verbal challenges! It was really cool to watch the exchanges all happening simultaneously in this large courtyard. These lively debates are how they refine their understanding of Buddhist principles.

 The debate (6 days a week for 2 hrs in the afternoon)

 Jumbo prayer wheel surrounded by more wheels

 A monk sanctuary high on the hill overlooking the monastery