This morning we woke up docked near the Three Gorges Dam. They took us to a bus, and along with the guide we toured the dam site.   The dam is too big to get in one picture, and there is so much smog or humidity in the area that the photos weren’t good anyway.  But here is a photo of a model.

The dam is 1.25 miles across and over 600 feet high.

 

So we docked in Sandouping which is a city that they moved higher up because of the dam. Our guide who we called Mark was one of the families that had to be move, and he described how it changed their lives.

When looking at the cities, you can tell which cities are newer.  They have the same architecture.  They usually did move the old city gate, though.

Our guide’s family were farmers with no running water or electricity, but the government built a building which provided a new home for them with lights and water.  His father grew oranges and two other small crops before the move.

Because they submerged their home and fields under the reservoir, his  father is no longer a farmer.  Currently, he sells these crops in a small store that he owns.

The Three Gorges Dam is the largest hydroelectric project in the world.

Last night we went through the locks.  Today we saw them again but this time from up above.

While touring the dam, we noticed a bed of zinnias and their hummingbird.  It is so small it is the size of a large bee.  Note:  Wefound out later that this might be a hummingbird moth.

After touring the dam, we sailed again through Xiling, the third of the Three Gorges. This gorge is the longest, over 150 kilometers long.

We especially liked the black village on the cliffs.

Finally, we docked in Yichang and disembarked for the last time around noon.

After lunch in Yichang, we visited their farmers’ market.

I’ve never seen so many different color eggs.

I especially liked the live animal market.  You pick it out, and they prepare it on the spot for cooking later.

There were live chickens and roosters.

Peking Duck anyone?

Incidentally, we had Peking Duck while we were in Beijing.  Beijing is formerly Peking.
Eels.  They kept trying to bite each other.

Frogs

Every crab imaginable.

And my favorite, not.  They even had snakes.

While waiting here in this city wasting time while we waited for our flight, which was changed because of Typhoon Meranti, we toured other parts of the cit. We don’t fly out of Yichang until this evening.

 

Finally, our last stop before the airport was a Tea Market. There were about twenty tea shops all in one area. Our hostess dressed for the occasion, but served us hot tea in plastic cups.  We didn’t even rate the iced tea glasses.

 

Incidentally, I’ve been served hot tea in these glasses many times.  By now it is 5:30 pm, and we are worn out.

 

We got to Shanghai around 10 pm. Long day for us and our guide Ping, shown here in the photo above.