The Red Pagoda is a beautiful building that once stood atop a hill, but with the building of the dam, now sits on the water.
To get to the new island, we must cross a suspension bridge.
The only thing saving it from destruction is a cement wall around what feels like a small village. Inside the pagoda, it's a series of stairs up and up until you hit the top...and a shop.
It's humid and cloudy today and coming down feels so much cooler. We hurry once again through the market where I purchase a knockoff cloisonne Christmas ornament, and my husband buys a coin. We are so rushed, it's nearly impossible to shop. At the water's edge, we see a women doing laundry and a man washing his bike. The water is turbid and dark yellow, impossible to see through, and I can't help but wonder about their health.
We pull away and I snap a few photos of the pagoda as the ship sails by. A moment later, we can see a small fireworks factory setting off fireworks. We make our way up top where we say goodbye to the Three Gorges and are told this sight photographed below is drawn onto their paper money.
And speaking of paper money, at the Red Pagoda, we found some in front of this creepy fellow. His story is one of greed. He had a small hole out of which one grain of rice fell at a time, but when he tried to make the hole bigger, nothing came out. A warning.
The matinee movie on board is The Last Emperor, a film shot at the Forbidden City in Beijing about China's last emperor. It's a thought provoking movie that's almost difficult to watch in spots. After, I head up on the top deck as we pass yet another freighter, so dismal looking.
Night falls for us as we pass another small city. The arts centre and theatre are lit up, as is the set of condos between them.
I quickly get my best shots, and lucky I do, for suddenly, the lights wink out.
This is our last night on board. And tomorrow brings other surprises.
2 comments:
Just caught up with your adventures again, Barbara. Interesting about the yellow water. When we were in Thailand back in the 90s, there were creeks and drains that were absolutely appalling and we wondered how the people could let them get that way.
:)
I thought the same thing, Diana!
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