Weekend of 4/5-4/6 – Three Gorges:
Brandon, Lotus, and I were heading to the Three Gorges (Alyssa’s friends were in town, so she wanted to spend time with them). We were advised to take a cruise ship, but we were limited on time. We had Monday off because of a Chinese holiday, but we still didn’t have enough time. So, we decided to catch the train to Yichang. It was a 12-hour train ride there, and an 8-hour train ride back. We left Friday night, so we could sleep on the train. We would also be able to take full advantage of our time. Well….when we stepped foot on the train was the first time I felt “bougie” (ßyes I might be ghetto for using this word, but that’s how I was feeling). Lol. We were in the worst-class seats possible. The smell was unbearable, and the seats didn’t recline. Brandon and I were facing two other guys, so we didn’t have leg space. Remind you this is a 12-hour train ride, so how do we manage to sleep without our chairs reclining and no leg room. On top of that, the smell and a crying baby in the seats near Lotus. To be honest, I think Lotus was freaking out. She had never experienced anything like this and she lives in China. I asked Lotus to see if we could upgrade the seats, and I would have paid any amount of money to do so. Unfortunately, it was a holiday weekend and the train was packed. There were people standing up in the train, which I guess is considered the worst-worst-class section of the train. If this isn’t proof that China is overcrowded, I don’t know what is. Luckily, I had popped some Benadryl to knock myself out. I woke up a hundred times throughout the night, but fell right back to sleep because I was drowsy.
After the treacherous train ride to Yichang, we made our way to find a hotel to shower and relax. We decided to spend Saturday exploring downtown Yichang, and then head to the river on Sunday. Our train was leaving Sunday night. After showering, we found KFC for dinner. As we were talking, we discovered Lotus wanted to go to the movies to see Captain America 2. We offered to go with her, and she accepted. I must admit, we were advised not to go to a Chinese movie theater, but what could be so bad about it? So, we decided to go anyways. We saw CA in 3-D, and it was cheaper than an American movie theater. To add to that, we got free drinks and caramel-like popcorn. I say caramel-like because it smelled and looked like caramel, but I don’t think it was caramel. The movie was in English with Chinese subtitles. By the way, this is how I found out that Chinese theaters have assigned seating. The movie was absolutely amazing, and I’ve never seen part one. I felt like I was in the theaters at home, so it was refreshing. After the movies, we walked around the mall and Walmart. We enjoyed a few snacks. Then, headed back to the hotel.
Sunday was the big day! We were on our way to see the Three Gorges / Yangtze River. We booked a tour at the bus station and they would plan the day for us. First stop, the Tribe of the Three Gorges. Sadly, it was raining, but we managed to enjoy ourselves. First, we had to catch a ferry to the other side of the river. Remember how I said it was a Chinese holiday weekend? Well, we waited in line for the ferry for about 1.5-2 hours (I have pictures that show how long the lines were). It was ridiculous!! To counteract my impatient feeling was the color of the Yangtze River; it was beautiful. I’m not exactly sure if it was worth the wait, but I’ve never seen anything like it. It was a blue-green color, and the scenery would leave you speechless. Next, we had to catch a sky lift to the top of the mountain, which was another 1-2 hour wait. Eventually, we arrived at The Tribe of the Three Gorges. It was not what I had imagined, but it was okay. After all the time we spent waiting, I wanted it to be more.
After leaving the Tribe of the Three Gorges, we were expecting to arrive at another destination. Little did we know, we were on our way back to the train station. The tour guides set us up!! We were supposed to have the entire day planned. By this time, we were upset for waiting so long and were ready to get back home. We arrived at the train station and walked around until it was time for our train to leave. Time must have flew by because we almost missed our train. When I say we were running, I mean we were running! I was so tired and couldn’t run anymore. We were one minute from missing our train. I’m not sure who arrives to the train station early for their train and almost misses it. Oh I do! Us!! Lol. Overall, it was a great weekend. I enjoyed spending time with Lotus and Brandon. We had a ‘bonding’ weekend.
Brandon, Lotus, and I were heading to the Three Gorges (Alyssa’s friends were in town, so she wanted to spend time with them). We were advised to take a cruise ship, but we were limited on time. We had Monday off because of a Chinese holiday, but we still didn’t have enough time. So, we decided to catch the train to Yichang. It was a 12-hour train ride there, and an 8-hour train ride back. We left Friday night, so we could sleep on the train. We would also be able to take full advantage of our time. Well….when we stepped foot on the train was the first time I felt “bougie” (ßyes I might be ghetto for using this word, but that’s how I was feeling). Lol. We were in the worst-class seats possible. The smell was unbearable, and the seats didn’t recline. Brandon and I were facing two other guys, so we didn’t have leg space. Remind you this is a 12-hour train ride, so how do we manage to sleep without our chairs reclining and no leg room. On top of that, the smell and a crying baby in the seats near Lotus. To be honest, I think Lotus was freaking out. She had never experienced anything like this and she lives in China. I asked Lotus to see if we could upgrade the seats, and I would have paid any amount of money to do so. Unfortunately, it was a holiday weekend and the train was packed. There were people standing up in the train, which I guess is considered the worst-worst-class section of the train. If this isn’t proof that China is overcrowded, I don’t know what is. Luckily, I had popped some Benadryl to knock myself out. I woke up a hundred times throughout the night, but fell right back to sleep because I was drowsy.
After the treacherous train ride to Yichang, we made our way to find a hotel to shower and relax. We decided to spend Saturday exploring downtown Yichang, and then head to the river on Sunday. Our train was leaving Sunday night. After showering, we found KFC for dinner. As we were talking, we discovered Lotus wanted to go to the movies to see Captain America 2. We offered to go with her, and she accepted. I must admit, we were advised not to go to a Chinese movie theater, but what could be so bad about it? So, we decided to go anyways. We saw CA in 3-D, and it was cheaper than an American movie theater. To add to that, we got free drinks and caramel-like popcorn. I say caramel-like because it smelled and looked like caramel, but I don’t think it was caramel. The movie was in English with Chinese subtitles. By the way, this is how I found out that Chinese theaters have assigned seating. The movie was absolutely amazing, and I’ve never seen part one. I felt like I was in the theaters at home, so it was refreshing. After the movies, we walked around the mall and Walmart. We enjoyed a few snacks. Then, headed back to the hotel.
Sunday was the big day! We were on our way to see the Three Gorges / Yangtze River. We booked a tour at the bus station and they would plan the day for us. First stop, the Tribe of the Three Gorges. Sadly, it was raining, but we managed to enjoy ourselves. First, we had to catch a ferry to the other side of the river. Remember how I said it was a Chinese holiday weekend? Well, we waited in line for the ferry for about 1.5-2 hours (I have pictures that show how long the lines were). It was ridiculous!! To counteract my impatient feeling was the color of the Yangtze River; it was beautiful. I’m not exactly sure if it was worth the wait, but I’ve never seen anything like it. It was a blue-green color, and the scenery would leave you speechless. Next, we had to catch a sky lift to the top of the mountain, which was another 1-2 hour wait. Eventually, we arrived at The Tribe of the Three Gorges. It was not what I had imagined, but it was okay. After all the time we spent waiting, I wanted it to be more.
After leaving the Tribe of the Three Gorges, we were expecting to arrive at another destination. Little did we know, we were on our way back to the train station. The tour guides set us up!! We were supposed to have the entire day planned. By this time, we were upset for waiting so long and were ready to get back home. We arrived at the train station and walked around until it was time for our train to leave. Time must have flew by because we almost missed our train. When I say we were running, I mean we were running! I was so tired and couldn’t run anymore. We were one minute from missing our train. I’m not sure who arrives to the train station early for their train and almost misses it. Oh I do! Us!! Lol. Overall, it was a great weekend. I enjoyed spending time with Lotus and Brandon. We had a ‘bonding’ weekend.