Live from my Slow Boat to China -- the Amsterdam

[arzz]

In China - On the Yangtze - October 29, 2014

 

We awoke to the announcement that the boat was traveling through the first of the scenic gorges of our trip. It was a quick dress and upstairs to see the scenery - like a Chinese painting ... rainy, full of mist, we were at the bottom of a green and rocky gorge and were passing by buildings that looked Chinese set in the folds of the layers of hills and mist.

 

We then had a morning in. Breakfast, then a lecture by the ship's doctor, Doctor Hu (OK, go ahead with the jokes, but that is his real name) - he is a doctor of western and Chinese medicine and he is also the Tai Chi Master on this boat. He spoke of the theories of Chinese medicine, acupuncture, and acupressure massage and then did some tai chi.

 

DH decided to try the acupuncture later in the morning. His treatment included acupuncture, acupressure massage and some sort of suction cup treatment. It was interesting but did not really help. Maybe that is because he is a non-believer.

 

After lunch it was a trip to see the Three Gorges Dam. Having never been on a river boat before I was unaware of how getting on and off is not for the meek or faint of heart. We exited by walking down a couple of decks, along the outside walkway on the lower deck of the boat, and then onto a barge that was parked between us and the river bank. The trip involved narrow corridors and "backstreets" of the boat as well as moving along many slippery, wet surfaces (as it was raining) and up and down a couple of very steep, narrow gangways. Fortunately the boat placed many crew members strategically at the most fearsome bits to hold our hands and offer support so that there were no incidents.

 

On this trip, so far, we have been terribly spoiled as we are a group of 12 and everything that we have done has been exclusive to our group. Kevin takes incredible care of us and we have formed a rather cohesive, happy family. Today we had to share. About 20 independent travelers onboard shared both our bus and local tour guide. It was an adjustment for us.

 

We were bused to the Three Gorges Dam area and then walked around. We traveled up four tall outside escalators (they replace over 400 steps) to get to the top of a small mountain (or tall hill) to view the dam, bridge, boat lift that is under construction and five ship locks. Since it has been raining for two days there were two spillways at the dam that were open spewing high speed water into the river. We then walked over to the dam to get different views, then back on the bus and back to the boat. We reversed the disembarkation process.

 

Our guide today was a local gentleman who was born in one of the villages that was displaced by the dam. He and his parents were moved by the government to what they call the "New Town". His family left the farm and essentially started new lives. The government currently has plans to build another set of locks (they originally built only two) and will need to displace another village. This time the people are resisting.

 

Before dinner there was a "Captain's Reception" - receiving line, free sparkling wine, music and dancing. There were times that we were not sure that it wasn't a wedding as the ship's band played songs like "The chicken dance", the Macarena, and polkas while a screen behind the dance floor flashed abstract cartoon images in time to the music. Many of the locals danced.

 

During dinner we approached the five ship locks at the Three Gorges Dam and as I type this we are slowly floating upwards to the top of the first lock. There are two Chinese river boats next to us in the lock. Their standard of accommodation and the condition of their boat is much different than ours. As we rise in the lock I have been level with their "card room" which is actually full of folks smoking and playing mahjong.

 

We are just now leaving the first lock - between the sounds of our engines and theirs, the smell of diesel, the bells, whistles and ship's horns that enter into play in this process ... it is going to be a long night (it is 9:40 pm now) and we have four more locks to go. I wish it was earlier so that I could watch this process in the daylight.

 

Tomorrow we begin at 8:30 for an excursion to a boat that takes us to Shennong stream.

 

I know I cannot post this tonight as the internet won't work in the locks and works only very poorly when we are in the deep gorges.

Edited November 1, 2014 by arzz

[arzz]

In China - October 30, 2014

 

At 8:30 this morning we had a small boat excursion to the Shennong Stream where we passed through the three small gorges on the Yangtze. We traveled down the green river under overcast skies through deep gorges, past mist covered mountains, and along side of sheer rock walls. Nestled in three spots along the way were the "Hanging Coffins" - placed there for the tourist industry - tucked into caves high up on the cliffs. There were also homes, small towns, pagodas ... we were in a Chinese painting. Entering and exiting the boat today was much easier with no major scary obstacles along the way.

 

Back on the boat after lunch we passed through the last two of the three famous gorges on the Yangtze. Each time a gorge approached they announced it - but to tell you the truth, as we looked out our cabin window or sat out on our small deck - to us it was scenic the whole day.

 

There were massive green covered mountains with sharp grooves that were often filled with small waterfalls that flowed from top to bottom. There were white mountain goats grazing the slopes and with the help of binoculars there were also red-brown monkeys. And there were the mountain layers that started close and green and turned to hazy blue and mist covered black the farther they were from the boat.

 

There were areas where the lower slopes of the mountains were cultivated with fields of green and brown. There were occasional homes, and there were more of the "relocation towns" along the way.

 

After all of the hard work watching a day full of scenic treasures, we curled up for naps before dinner. Tonight there is a Halloween party and they are handing out masks and electrically lit horns at the door.

 

Tomorrow more river.

 

Again, I do not know when I will be able to post this. The internet is very unreliable here in the river.

[arzz]

In China - October 31, 2014

 

Today is our last day on the river boat. Though the river has been beautiful and I would not have liked to miss it - this has not been the favorite portion of my trip. The cabins are well appointed but they are not the 300 square feet advertised - they are clearly a slim HAL size cabin (about 200 square feet) with a compact bath. The air is humid all of the time and it does get hot at times - especially when we are docked. When we are moving the cabins are cool. Hand wash never dries and we all do some hand wash on a trip of this length. Little things but we have been so spoiled elsewhere on this trip that we do notice.

 

The food on board is plentiful but somewhat mediocre. Breakfast and lunch are buffet. Dinner has been ala carte, we have to order at lunch time for dinner and it is western food. Many of us would prefer Chinese to mediocre western. Uniworld has been so responsive to us that tonight we were given a Chinese option. We should have spoken up sooner. There are many Chinese on board and they eat all three meals at a buffet restaurant downstairs, we eat in the VIP restaurant on the top deck. Service in the dining room has been superb.

 

This morning our excursion was to the Shibaozhai Pagoda which is perched atop the highest point on an island right by town. We walked from the boat through the city streets to the Pagoda. This town is one of the newer replacement towns built after the dam flooded the river valley - as is virtually everything that we see from the river.

 

We snaked through town on a path that was easy to follow as local markets lined the whole route. Behind the markets were apartment buildings and a kindergarden - we could hear the small ones singing and reciting lessons but they were up a flight from us sowe could not see. The markets offered dolls, stuffed pandas, sparkly parasols, purses, clothing, paintings, all manner of items for the tourist, grapefruits the size of large melons, and fresh fish frying in outdoor woks.

 

The last portion of the walk to the pagoda is to cross the water - which is done on a free moving suspension bridge which is at least the length of a football field where the walking surface is wooden slats that move up and down and swing a bit from side to side as you walk. Quite the experience.

 

The Pagoda itself is red and cute - good scenic views from the top if you are willing to climb the many uneven steps up - including the last segment that is virtually just a ladder.

 

Back on board, there was a "scarf wearing demonstration" (I did not attend - but some of our group did - one woman arrived at lunch wearing the "butterfly")

 

This afternoon I did the bridge tour - where we were allowed on the tiny bridge while the ship was moving. Got to see the Chinese GPS system, radar and sonar displays and learned a bit about navigating the river. Interesting.

 

Then I spent the rest of the afternoon enjoying the scenery.

 

Tomorrow we leave the boat and fly to Guilin.

[josumello]

I really feel like I am on this journey. Your writing is wonderfully descriptive . Thank you for taking

me along.

 

 

Sent using the Cruise Critic forums app

[arzz]

We are in Hong Kong now. I cannot tell you how much of a pleasure it is to have fast internet without having any websites blocked ... There was no google in China, since the Yangtze I was only allowed onto cruise critic once when I posted the last few entries. I have one more entry that I was not able to post - I will post it in a few minutes - I am really too tired now to write up what we did today - and I am enjoying another fabulous hotel room.

 

I will write more tomorrow.

Edited November 3, 2014 by arzz

[arzz]

In China - November 1 and 2, 2014

 

Yesterday we were up early and left the River Boat at Chongqing. This is the end of the rainy season in this area. The gangway let us out at a set of concrete stairs. We had to climb about a dozen stairs and we were up at city level. In the dry season there can be as many as 100 stairs to climb in that staircase.

 

I would love to tell you all about Chongqing and what we saw in the drive to the airport ... but it was rainy and foggy and the windows on the bus also fogged up ... we could see nothing of the city.

 

From Chongqing we flew to Guilin. Though it was rainy in Guilin also we could tell that it is beautiful - even as we landed we could see the trees and green space.

 

Guilin and surroundings are filled with limestone mountains that have a very distinctive shape - similar to that of extremely large termite mounds. They can be completely covered with green or there can be area of raw limestone or a whole limestone face. They are all over and create a unique skyline between those close and those progressively farther away and the rainy mists. The locals feel that the area is most attractive in the rain. Good thing as it rains most of the time.

 

From the airport we were taken to the Reed Flute Cave. This natural cave was discovered a little over 60 years ago and has been paved and lighted so that it can accommodate large numbers of tourists. It takes about a half hour to walk the whole circuit through the sections of the cave that are open to tourists and it does not disappoint. There are low and narrow caverns inside but there are also a surprising number of large open spaces with high ceilings. Everywhere there are nature formed stalactites and stalagmites. They form an amazing number of shapes and patterns. The Chinese have lit the cave with colored lights that separate areas from each other and highlight the figures that they see in the natural formations. Though I would prefer the cave to have more natural lighting its beauty and the variety of its formations and textures is quite impressive.

 

Later, in the evening, we had dinner at a downtown restaurant and had some time to walk the markets before returning to our hotel.

 

Today was our cruise on the Li River. And I have to agree with our guide that the Li River is even more beautiful than the Yangtze - but it is also different.

 

The limestone hills and mountains form a unique landscape in this lush, green, part of the country. Everything is growing. The foliage is thick even though there was a bit of fall color on some of it - yet there were other plants that had flowers on them.

 

Along the river banks we saw water buffalo, white necked crows, lots of ducks, some geese, cormorants (yes, in servitude to the fishermen) and eagle like birds. We were on a small boat with two decks and an observation deck on top that holds about 100 passengers. Our assigned seats were on the top deck which holds 36 of the 100 passengers. We sat in groups of six at tables and watched the wonders of the river go by - every time we passed a mountain that the Chinese decided looked like something particular (Santa Claus, Buddha, whatever) this was announced so that we could check it out. Once we had passed the "scenic areas" lunch was served - a buffet provided on the lower deck. Our chef had been out at the stern of the boat cooking all morning.

 

But once again I differ with the Chinese. They said the scenic areas were over - I never stopped enjoying the scenery.

 

After a break for shopping at the end of the cruise we spent the next two hours on the bus getting back to Guilin. That ride, for me, was as interesting as the cruise. We drove on a road lined with farms on two sides. We learned that the Chinese farmers are given 1/6 of an acre to farm for each person in their household. The farm houses that lined the road were in good condition and some were very large as the farmers tend to invest each year's earnings into enlarging their homes. They can only earn about 3 percent on their money if they put it in the bank. If, in the future, the government decides to move them, the larger their home the more money they get for it when they are moved -- so in away their homes are a better investment. The farmer's are preparing to be moved by the government. In China when you buy a home you really buy a 70 year lease from the government on that home.

 

The fields grow all sorts of crops from rice and vegetables to fruit and tea.

 

This evening we had a buffet dinner at our hotel - a farewell dinner to our guide Kevin and to mainland China as tomorrow afternoon we fly to Hong Kong for the last part of our tour. We are, apparently, lucky as we will get to fly directly from Guilin to Hong Kong.

 

We have also been very fortunate to be traveling with a wonderful group of 12 - as we all get along, and have a good time and we have had no problems with anyone at all. We all will very much miss Kevin our guide who had been just wonderful keeping us comfortable, happy and cared for during our stay here.

[donamae]

We are loving every minute of your trip, thanks so much for doing this for we poor 'stay-at-homes'. Is there any place we can see some of the photos you have taken? The word pictures you paint are so wonderful, maybe could see pictures also??

Thanks again.

dm

[arzz]

In Hong Kong - November 3-4, 2014

 

Yesterday we started our day with a tour of the tea research institute in Guilin. We were taken out into the tea field to view the tea plants and learn about the different types of tea - white, green, black, fermented etc. Then we participated in a tea ceremony that included tasting four different types of tea, as well as learning how to properly brew teas. The day was actually sunny and not hot - too bad we could not have had that weather on the Li River.

 

The most interesting form of tea that we were shown was a fermented tea that was then compressed into bricks and has a virtually unlimited shelf life. All the teas were for sale and the bricks of tea were for sale for the steepest price. They basically look like brown bricks made up of dried brown leaves. We were told they were OK to take through customs into the states but I found myself imagining the conversation at U.S. customs ... That is a brick of what type of leaf? ... Yeah, sure ...

 

We had our final meal in Guilin as well as our final meal with our guide Kevin at a cheery restaurant in town where the food presentation was a work of art in itself. They set out a soup in a large bowl that actually contained a white soup made from chicken and egg whites, and a green soup made from greens and green tea - in the bowl, when presented, the green and white soups were not mixed with each other - instead they formed the yin/yang sign complete with the two dots. After photos the soups were blended and consumed. There was a vegetable dish that came out in the shape of a heart bordered in paper thin cucumber slices, vegetables in the shape of a brightly colored striped fan, fancy decorated pork dumplings served on a small bamboo raft, a fish beautifully presented - yet somehow turned inside out with the meat on outside and the skin pointed inward and its head pointed straight up. The food was much more bland that what we were usually served and none of the Chinese "numbing" peppers that our guide Kevin likes so much made any appearance at all at this meal.

 

This restaurant's other claim to fame is that when Clinton was president Bill, Hillary and Chelsea ate there - the table they sat at is preserved as a monument and displayed with pictures of the family eating.

 

We then said good by to Kevin and Guilin and mainland China and flew to Hong Kong.

 

We arrived at our Kowloon Hotel (The Shangri La) about 8 pm - hungry and tired. As soon as we arrived upstairs at our room we were presented with a fruit bowl containing a whole Dragon Fruit among other goodies and also a covered basket with an elaborate metal latch that closed with a fancy c-clamp type of closure. When we opened the basket we discovered it was well insulated and sitting inside was a china pot of steaming Jasmine Tea and two fancy tea cups. What a nice welcome to Hong Kong.

 

I have to say that I have really enjoyed this trip in ever so many ways - what we have seen and done has been incredible - but it was also very nice, after so much time away, to leave mainland China and enter the more Western environment of Hong Kong. Too bad we could not take Kevin with us (the people in mainland China have to get visas to go to Hong Kong which, apparently, can create difficulties if you say you are a tour guide) - so we were met at the airport by a local guide from Hong Kong.

 

Even though we have had free internet during our whole Uniworld tour - it is nice to now have internet that is not only fast, but allows us into virtually any website. All too often the places we wanted to surf were blocked in mainland China - Facebook and google, among many others, were not available.

 

It is also nice to find Western toilets while on tour - we always had them at our hotels.

 

This morning we enjoyed a half day tour of Hong Kong - Victoria Peak (which we accessed by the classic funicular tram) even though views today were not great, then the Aberdeen Fishing Village where we had a Sampan ride around the harbor to view what is left of the old house boats and boat people (most have moved on from this way of living) as well as the famous Jumbo floating restaurant, a jewelry store that specialized in gem stones (and clean bathroom facilities) and then on to the Stanley market.

 

Our Hong Kong guide presented each of us with the itinerary arrangements for our transfers to the airport and basically that is the end of our formal Uniworld Tour. For us it is now Tuesday evening - the rest of our group go home tomorrow - DH and I will stay until Friday so we can experience a bit more of Hong Kong.

 

What a trip this has been. We would do it all over again as it was wonderful - from our 26 days on the Amsterdam to our days with Uniworld in China and our last days here in Hong Kong. Would we recommend both parts of the trip to others? A resounding yes, yes and yes.

 

I will probably check in again with final thoughts and I will see if I can upload some photos when I have the time. Right now the photos are not on my ipad - so photos will take some doing.

[puppycanducruise]

Thank you for taking me along on your wonderful journey.

Safe home.

[Maryandi]

Thanks so much, Rox, we enjoyed every minute of your blog.

 

Would like to try some of those lunches someday !

 

Enjoy the holidays when you return home,

 

MaryAnn

[cruisenfreak]

Thank you so much. I enjoyed every day of your trip. Mary Jane

[bcummin]

Welcome back to better internet, Arzz, after taking the long way to Hong Kong.

 

We stayed on ms Amsterdam until Hong Kong for a few days. It had been nice sharing another voyage with you. No personal farewell from the Captain for us, but we did have the luxury of flying home with two checked bags apiece. I have delighted in reading about your adventure in China, while savoring our Seattle Chocolates from the ship. Thank you so much for posting such vivid descriptions for us to share. Like you, my eyes would have been wide open far after the "scenic" parts of the journey ended.

Enjoy your days in Hong Kong. We learned that the taxis are good, when the legs wear out.

 

Barbara

[Oahucruiser]

Loved every word that you wrote and felt like I was there with you. Very sorry to see your posts come to an end! Enjoy wonderful Hong Kong during your last days away!

[arzz]

Barbara

 

We also enjoyed cruising with you again. We were sad to leave the ship so early in the voyage as things were still ramping up but not at all sorry about our trip in China that followed. Glad you are home safely.

[arzz]

Home from China - Thoughts

 

What an incredible vacation! I never actually tired of being away from home as I was so well taken care of along the way. Still, except for doing my own laundry and cooking, the piles of mail and other mundane tasks that need to be attended to after being away from home for an extended period, it is also good to get home. The cats are really happy and it is good to see my son.

 

Our experience this trip with Holland America and the Amsterdam was fantastic. The staff and crew went above and beyond and we were treated so well!

 

In retrospect highlights of the HAL experience include the incredible welcome aboard sail away, the night market on the way into Shanghai, dinner every night (with our wonderful waiters), tea with scones, jam and cream accompanied by live music in the Crow’s Nest in the afternoon (DH’s favorite), Barbara our locations expert, and all of the myriad of details and special events that came off so well along the way. Though we did not partake of the Korean and Mongolian BBQ’s on the Lido they received kudos from our fellow cruisers as did many of the on board lectures (and we did attend some of those).

 

Wish the internet service had been better as it really did, on the average, seem to eat up twice as many minutes to do the same tasks as the service did on our Grand Asia cruise in 2008. Kudos to the IT people on board who were able to fix my initial frustrating issues at being entirely unable to download my primary email account. And, I would like to note that the internet service worked as well in our cabin as it did in the lounges - though the term “as well” needs to be interpreted as not necessarily a positive statement - just that there seemed to be little difference where I used the wifi. The in cabin wifi access is an improvement over the way the internet used to be a few years ago.

 

I consumed quite a few wifi minutes during our 26 days - the bulk of which were used on personal email as there were a few unusual issues that arose that I had to deal with as well as downloading and printing our ballots for the November election (real minute eaters there). In the scheme of things the minutes used to post on Cruise Critic were not large. I was usually in and out in less than three minutes (though I do compose off line and cut and paste into the blog).

 

Our HAL ports were also very interesting. The small World War II museum in Dutch Harbor will be remembered as it is done so well. The cold, long walk into town less pleasantly remembered but the scenery was interesting.

 

I am sorry that we missed Tokyo - I was there in 1977 - yet I actually preferred the two smaller cities on the west side of Japan that we visited to spending time in just another large city - even if it is in Japan We saw things at these two ports that would not have been possible in Tokyo. Captain Eversen and HAL handled the missed port with finesse and I am really happy that we did not have to deal directly with typhoon disrupted seas. The drummers who performed for us on the dock at Fukuoka as we prepared to leave port - absolutely incredible

 

South Korea was fascinating. It is one of those places that I would not have directly sought out on my own but am now delighted that I experienced. Ports that fall into this category are among the unexpected and delightful perks of an extended cruise. Jeju was both scenic and interesting. The Korea House folk performances in Seoul were stunning. The mental images that I have of the swimming fish and wriggling crustaceans in the fish market in Inchon will be with me for a lifetime.

 

I did not take advantage of the Amsterdam’s days at Xingang (our port for Beijing) as I knew we would soon be there for 5 nights. Our trip on the free port shuttle to the shopping center and supermarket, however, was fascinating. The tour in Qingdao (the oddly German city in China) that toured the Tsing Tao beer factory was both surprising and enjoyable.

 

Kudos again to HAL for the transfer from the port in Shanghai to the airport for our flight to Beijing. I was allowed to pick our disembarkation time (though we did have to leave our cabin by 8:30 am - entirely understandable) and HAL provided us with a private car - complete with driver and english speaking guide. Our guide wrote down the name and address of our Beijing hotel in Chinese (in case we were not met at the airport in Beijing as scheduled - we were, however, met and did not, ultimately, need this info) and he escorted us into the airport and to our check in line. A class act - that left us with warm fuzzy feelings as we finished the Holland America portion of our trip.

 

I have similar warm fuzzy feelings for the Uniworld portion of our voyage. From start to finish we were cared for by Uniworld with wonderful attention to detail so that everything went incredibly smoothly from start to finish. Right out of the gate our tours were reorganized as the Forbidden City was to be closed on the day we were originally scheduled to be there. If I had not been reminded of the change in schedule, I would not have noticed it. If there were any real glitches - I was not aware of them.

 

There were two outstanding elements of this segment of our travels. The first was Kevin, our Uniworld tour manager, who was so incredible that it is difficult to find a way to describe what he did for us and our group. The tour Manager on a trip like this can make or break the travel experience. If all of Uniworld’s managers are like Kevin we will have no hesitation to try a Uniworld River Cruise in the future.

 

The second was the size of our Uniworld group (twelve) and the wonderful folks that were in that group. We got along with everyone, we had no one who made life difficult, or was habitually late. How lucky we were!

 

Our 18 day itinerary included five domestic flights within China - that is a lot of flying for 18 days - and each transfer was handled simply and professionally. Our bags were cared for by Uniworld from the moment we left them in the hallway until they arrived at our new hotel room. Luggage check in was done as a group so that a few pounds one way or the other on our baggage allotment seemed to average out (whew! maybe I didn't have to throw away the daily programs from the Amsterdam … sigh). There was only one morning when our bags needed to be out in the hall long before 7:30 or 8:00 (the time was 5:30 am!) so that by the time the bags needed to be out we were already at breakfast. On the one early day Kevin volunteered to carry any liquids or gels that we needed for our morning preparations in his checked bag so that we could have them with us until leaving the hotel if necessary.

 

We were very fortunate with our China flights as there were no significant flight delays - I think our first flight from Beijing was about 30 minutes delayed - all others on time. All of the airlines provided in flight meals or snacks as well as beverages even though none of our flights was longer than 2 and a half hours.

 

Throughout the voyage we were supplied with unlimited wifi access in our hotel rooms and Yangtze River cruise cabin (whatever costs there were for this was included in the price we paid Uniworld). The internet in China was faster than on HAL, but still slower than we are accustomed to at home. The internet on the Yangtze River makes the internet on HAL seem lightening fast. And in all locations (including Hong Kong where the internet was quite fast) there was the pesky business of internet sites that were blocked and unavailable. Beginning some time on the Yangtze River I was no longer able to log into cruise critic until we reached Hong Kong. Not sure what happened there, unless the Chinese censors decided that my posting on Cruise Critic was somehow objectionable. I kept getting a message about a “security” tag or something that was missing.

 

Uniworld provided us with many “special moments” like the “over the top” welcome ceremony at the city wall in Xian where so many other tourists watched the twelve of us honored, entertained and photographed. The other tourists photographed us also and inquired if we were “important”.

 

As to my impressions of China - I knew going in to this trip that China has about 1.5 billion people - and is heavily polluted due to the heavy consumption of fossil fuels - but I really did not appreciate what this means.

 

China’s cities are collections of closely placed high rises (many reaching over 40 stories up), surrounded by huge, seemingly endless multilevel super highways and multilane urban roads that are constantly filled with traffic jams. Small towns seem to have 1.5 million occupants. The air is full of smog - in Beijing we could smell it before our plane got to an altitude where I could see the ground. I could not see clearly across the street from our Beijing Hotel window and the odor was there most of the time.

 

Because the government owns everything (the Chinese lease their apartments for 70 years and farmers are allowed 1/6 acre per person to cultivate and can be moved at the governments whim) - construction projects (like the Yangtze River dam and new roads) are completed - start to finish - very quickly - as they are not burdened with the delays that we encounter from environmental evaluations and hearings or disputes over relocating homes and farms that are in the way of the construction. From the descriptions of our guides it all seems to change at a dizzying pace. That is one aspect of living in a government run nation where the people have virtually no say.

 

The Chinese in recent history only allowed couples one child. A disturbing but effective way to offset the specter of a population that could get so large that it cannot be sustained. Recently, however, the government has allowed couples who were both the product of one child families to have two children if they wish.

 

95% of the Chinese are one ethnic group and these rules apply to the majority group. About 5% of the population are minority groups which do not have the same cap on the number of children they are allowed to have. Farmers are also allowed to have more children.

 

We not only went to places that reek of romantic history like the Great Wall, and the Forbidden City - we ate well during the whole trip. Breakfasts were huge buffets at our five star hotel where we could feast on a large selection of pastries, fruits, juices, cold cuts, salads, eggs and omelettes with all the western trimmings … and also Asian breakfasts of noodle soups, fish balls, dim sum, congee, sushi, vegetables and many items that I dared not ask about.

 

Lunch and dinner was usually with our group at a restaurant where Kevin would organize our menus. He made sure that those with specific dietary needs were always well fed with a variety of foods appropriate for them (we had a couple of folks who are kosher and some vegetarian) and the rest of us were supplied with foods to share that showcased local cuisines in flavor and variety.

 

In addition to the standard meats and vegetables, we had choices of dishes like beef tendons, shaved pigs ear, duck webbing (yes, from duck’s feet), ducks feet, chicken feet, jelly fish (quite tasty with an interesting chewing texture), and eel. There was always plenty of food more comfortable to the western pallet so that we were never compromised into eating anything that we considered to be unsavory. For the record I did no tendons, ears, feet or webbing at least not that I was aware of. I did, however, experience several encounters with “numbing pepper” - a peppercorn that is aptly named. The peppers themselves are not eaten but their effect (after some hot spicy pain) is to numb the lips and mouth. We had a dim sum feast and a also a dumpling feast - both most memorable. (yes, I do travel with my stomach - sights, smells and tastes create three dimensional pictures that I remember forever).

 

The Yangtze River was beautiful - the Li River that we cruised from Guilin better yet. Both could have benefited from a little sun, but the sun is obliterated by rainy mists and smog most of the time.

 

Our Riverboat was a modern facility, our cabins more like 200 square feet rather than the Uniworld advertised 300 square feet, but they were very carefully designed and tastefully appointed. Uniworld’s arrangements with the cruise line had our meals in a private dining room away from the majority of the 360 passengers on board. At our buffet breakfasts and lunches we shared our space with a large group from Vantage Travel - at dinner we were exclusive in the VIP dining room. We also had access to the VIP lounge that had coffee and snacks all day (including a cappuccino machine) - and at the end of the cruise we were the only ones on board who were able to settle our accounts with the concierge in the VIP lounge (much to the irritation of a few of the Vantage cruisers).

 

Getting on and off the River boat was often a challenge as the level of the river changes constantly (with a range of about 60 feet from the driest season to wettest). Also, many of our stops were common to several other river boats so docking arrangements were sort of “catch as catch can” - with boats stacked up two and three deep at the dock so that we had to walk through other boats to get to the dock - often up and down short, steep ramps and then across long flat ramps put together with temporary and unusual construction to fit the conditions. A little scary at times and difficult for those with mobility issues. At the most difficult locations, however, there were always several cruise staff who would take our hands and support us over the worst bits.

 

Would we recommend our voyages to others? A resounding, enthusiastic yes.

 

I hope to organize some photos and post them soon.

[Viv0828]

Wonderful review. Many thanks.

 

 

Sent using the Cruise Critic forums app

[RuthC]

Your travelogue and your summary have made me both a little anxious while excited about my upcoming stops in China. I hope I am able to come away with the deep sense of appreciation of the opportunity that you have.

[arzz]

Ruth - what are you anxious about?

[Lizzie68]

A wonderful "wrap-up" post, arzz - thank you. I doubt I will ever be able to do such a trip, so it was great to be able to follow along with you, and I learned a lot about the places you visited. Welcome home.:)

Edited November 14, 2014 by Lizzie68

[RuthC]

Ruth - what are you anxious about?

All my concerns center around my mobility, or lack thereof.

I don't expect the places I want to see to be ADA compliant :D, so making my way to everything I want to participate in is going to be a challenge, to say the least.

There will be pain involved. ;)

[Cruzin Terri]

I have thoroughly all your posts. It made me feel like I was on the trip with you. You wrote the reports so well.

 

Thank you for taking us along and spending the time and money to do so.

Terri

[maxout]

I have thoroughly all your posts. It made me feel like I was on the trip with you. You wrote the reports so well.

 

Thank you for taking us along and spending the time and money to do so.

Terri

 

Indeed! Thank you arzz we have enjoyed the journey with you. :)

[arzz]

Ruth,

 

I understand your concerns. Not knowing exactly where or how you will be going I cannot offer specific advice. Tianimin Square and the Forbidden City visit involved a lot of walking - mostly on level ground (very few stairs or slopes) - but many places it was on surfaces that were paved with stones and tiles so somewhat uneven. In the Forbidden City there were occasional places to sit - and there were wheel chairs there that could be organized for the visit.

 

There were toilets in the Forbidden City but they were not recommended by our guide which, I assume, speaks to their condition.

 

The issues at each place visited were unique.

 

Good luck to you however you do it.

[RuthC]

In the Forbidden City there were occasional places to sit - and there were wheel chairs there that could be organized for the visit.

 

Good luck to you however you do it.

Bingo! Renting a wheelchair, and someone to push it (which I understand is possible), will do the trick nicely.

 

Thanks for the good wishes. I will make do somehow---I always do.

[arzz]

Trying to remember how to upload photos

 

If this works it is a photo of our cabin - #2572 Main Deck