10. GeZhouBa Dam, Xiling Gorge and SanDouPing 


Gezhouba Dam lock
At YiChang, GeZhouBa Dam comes into view

Day 09

The shower at 6:30 AM was cold, as usual, and breakfast at 8:00 AM was good as anticipated.

Today we go through the locks at GeZhouBa (say GOOH-jo-bah) Dam. At breakfast it was announced that there would be a lottery to guess the hour, minute and second when the exit door of lock #1 would open to allow our ship to pass through. Half of all the money collected for the lottery would go to the winner and the other half would go to the crews recreation fund.

Gezhouba Dam lock
Entering GeZhouBa Dam lock #1

Some new friends invited us to watch from the private deck outside their cabin. Their cabin, forward on the second deck, was one of only two luxurious and spacious cabins with beautiful Chinese style furniture ... an expensive upgrade.

We entered the lock at about 10:30 AM and waited for the water to rise about 72 feet. The exit door opened at 11:04:15. The lottery winner was a member of our group.

About 10 boats in Gezhouba Dam lock #1
About 10 boats are within the huge GeZhouBa Dam lock #1

As we passed through the dam, we entered the XiLing (say SHE-Ling) Gorge. The sights were incredible. While we were on the forward deck, the wind blew very briskly. The temperature had dropped at least 15 degrees. Wouldn't you know it! Yesterday Virginia bought a parasol to keep the sun off of her head and a fan to keep cool. Today we wear jackets and there's no sign of the sun. It's almost misty ... and it looks spooky!

Our tour group left the ship about 1:30 PM for the new Three Gorges Dam site at Sandouping (say Sahn-do-PING). The main reasons given for this dam are flood control, electricity, better navigation on the Yangtze River and irrigation. Also a decrease in air pollution, as the result of substituting hydroelectric power for coal burning, is expected.

Sandouping - HK World Chinese Arts
SanDouPing - It's hard to fathom how immense will be the Three Gorges Dam
Photo by Hong Kong World Chinese Arts

When finished, this will be the largest water conservation project ever undertaken by man. It will produce one-and-one-half times the hydroelectric power of the next largest project in the world. Construction began in 1994 and the dam will begin producing power in 2003. The entire project is expected to be completed in 2009. 

Breathtaking views in Xiling Gorge
Through a gorge

Between now and the time the first stage of the dam is finished, the water level will rise to 135 meters above sea level, almost 450 feet. When the dam is completed in 2009, the water level will have risen to a level of 175 meters above sea level - that's nearly 600 feet. About 570,000 acres of farmland, as well as cities and villages in 19 counties will be flooded, causing one-and-a-half million people to be relocated. The resulting lake will cover about six times the area of Lake of the Ozarks. Some of the mountains that line the Yangtze will become islands in the lake. The scale of this project is unimaginable ... the projected cost of the project is 230 billion Chinese Yuan, the equivalent of 28 billion US dollars ... how many 000's is that?

All to be relocated
This entire settlement will be under deep water

Back on the boat, the mighty Yangtze squeezes between very narrow gaps in the gorges ... at one point just a little more than 100 meters. It's scary to consider the possibility of large rock masses under the water surface and the disaster that would occur if our ship were to scrape against one. 

On the steep walls of the gorges are the paths from which hundreds of trackers tugged heavily loaded junks upstream in times past. It was said that Chongqing was more difficult to reach than Heaven.

High above, a bridge spans the gap from one mountain to another. Occasionally, a small truck or bus may be seen. It's eerie to think that civilization has reached this far from the cities downstream. And yet, nestled here and there are villages ... homes, tiny hillside farms and industries, many of which will soon be well beneath the rising waters.

Bridge
One of many bridges that span the gaps in the Three Gorges region

We took numerous pictures in the gorges ... every one a striking view ... but not one of them can begin to convey the feelings one has while the boat is 'easing and squeezing' through them.

We went to bed early because tomorrow promises to be a very busy and interesting day.

Stay tuned - there's more to come! 

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