But it's raining the next day. After lunch, we travel to see the old city wall, but it's not that enjoyable in the pouring rain. Worse, the police have ordered our bus driver to move, so we are all standing outside as our guide tries to locate him. The city wall is nice, don't get me wrong, but we're tired of walking and I am cold and wet.
When we finally get on the bus again, we're taken to the museum that holds the Wet Mummy.
Our guide tells us he looks life-like. Not quite. He is better preserved than an Egyptian mummy, about 2200 years old, and red because his tomb had been treated with cinnabar and mercury and lacquer. Being buried 10 metres deep had allowed his casket to be filled with river water which reacted with the chemicals and thus preserved him. The textiles found in his tomb are impressive, I have to say. While the same age, they are in very good shape.
But my feet are soaked and I am tired. I 'slept like a dead pig' last night, as the Chinese might say, but it hasn't helped my energy level.
We return to the ship and shortly after, it begins to move upriver.
Supper has western food, a welcome relief, although they also have sushi, with the hottest wasabi imaginable. I warned the lady in front of me as she squeezes from the tube a generous portion, several inches. She smugly tells me she likes it that way, but Allan shakes his head. No one can eat that much.
We watch a traditional Chinese medicine demonstration and my husband decides to seek relief from his backache.
The time on this ship is a blessing. We don't have to do anything. So, with that in mind, we head up to the library and play Canasta. (I'm pretty sure the girls won) There is a Captain's welcome party and a small glass of wine and finger foods are offered. I thought the Captain looked like one of the ancient feudal lords our guide had spoken of.
My husband returns from his treatment, and we discover that it wasn't much different than what our local physiotherapist offers. Acupuncture, cupping, electric therapy, and intensive massage. All that is available to us in Canada. But it has made my husband feel better, and that is all that matters. Although, I question the reasoning behind cupping. It is supposed to take out the 'cold' in your body, and the darker the bruise, the more 'cold' was in you. My husband's is light. I guess he's normal.
The evening show is lovely, put on by the staff and I am impressed by their skill.
But the day has been long and we retire early to sit out on our balcony and enjoy the cool evening air as the pleasant scenery passes us by.
Tomorrow, we are headed into the Three Gorges, the highlight of the cruise.
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