March 21-22 Inland to Yichang
Trip Start
Mar 15, 2007
1
5
11
Trip End
Mar 31, 2007
Yichang/Yangtze, China
Saturday, May 12, 2007
I became a bit disillusioned here. When we went to the previous "factories", I assumed they were set up to show us the process of how particular products were made (Jade, Silk, etc.), and we had the opportunity to buy some. The educational part made the marketing of the products easier to endure. But here, in Yichang, our tour company seemed to be collaborating in a bogus outing that was of virtually no interest or educational value, and the products were bogus.
The plane was late, we were tired and hungry, but rather than taking us directly to our restaurant, it took us to a "museum". The place was empty except for us. It appeared that it hadn't been entered for months, perhaps even years. Every display case had layers of dust. Lights were burned out. Even the old fingerprints on the dust on the display cases were coverd in more dust dust. Then, after an excrutiating tour through the few items that were there, we were taken to the gift shop. We were told that the things there were at least 100 years old, but that they could sell these relics because they weren't needed in the museum, they were duplicates or something. Funny thing, but I saw exactly the same things from vendors a few days before, at a fraction of the price, and they had been made very recently. When one of our tour bought that box that was identical to mine (except it didn't contain anything) I kept my mounth shut. Of course I told our tour leaders that it was bogus so they could avoid it in the future, but I didn't want to spoil the lady's enjoyment of the piece.
We bought some fresh oranges in the market, then forgot them in the bus. Were introduced to our "cruise ship" and got settled in. Then saw the most amazing dam project the next day. Amazing investment in the future. They hired some foreign companies to install the first turbines, but apparently once they have the technology, they just copy it and build the rest themselves. Our cruise started here, and it was a welcome slowdown from our earlier pace, and the scenery was beautiful. I don't know how many photos I shot of farms going by. I kept wishing we could stop and walk on the shore, to become familiar with the land, and not just keep cruising by it.
