12. Whether it's called WanXian or WanZhou, it's not FengDu 


Ten young ladies, ages about 10 to 20, put on quite a show.

Day 11

Today we were to arrive in FengDu -- believed to be the gateway to hell. The cable car was not in operation or we would have gone up the mountain to visit this City of Ghosts. Because of Bill's fear of heights, he probably would not have gone anyway, but it was a great disappointment to Virginia.

Instead, we went by bus to WanZhou. Given the name WanXian during the Ming Dynasty, it has been renamed in recent years. This mountain city, known as the gateway to the East Sichuan Basin, is located 360 kilometers downstream from Chongqing. It has a population of 1,600,000 in a land area of 2948 square kilometers.

First, we visited a museum. It was very rainy outside and very crowded and warm inside the museum, severely dampening what little enthusiasm we could muster.

Rain didn't dampen the enthusiasm of Wanxian free-market shoppers

Reflexions enhanced the beauty of the rain-wet sidewalks in Wanxian

Then, we drove to the Three Gorges Acrobatic Troupe Theatre. Our group entered the theatre at the side exit ... down an incline between the theatre building and a neighboring apartment building. Both were faced with white tiles, a commonly used low-maintenance covering. Above us were balconies and ... was that laundry hanging out in the rain? Our entrance was less than impressive but in no way indicative of what was ahead.

The unimpressive side entrance was not indicative of what was to come

We were seated in the front rows. While we awaited the start of the show, we exchanged glances and smiles with others in the audience who seemed to be just as curious as we were. We just didn't know anything else to do after saying "ni3 hao3".

Marquis of the Three Gorges Acrobatic Troupe Theatre

The lights dimmed and the performance began with a bang. First, a young man on a unicycle performed ... moving, turning, stopping abruptly, jumping ... all as if the unicycle were simply an extension of his own legs. A young lady, a contortionist, bent her body and limbs in ways we wouldn't have thought possible. Another young lady balanced five stacks of fine glassware ... one on each hand, one on each foot and another on her head ... and all the while rolling her body over 360 degrees. She did it once ... then she did it again in reverse. Incredible!

While rolling 360%, this very young lady balanced five of them

It appeared that the unicycle was a part of him

A magician amazed everyone with his marvels. Then, the bicyclists ... always two or more on a single bike ... sometimes with the bike leaning over within inches of the floor. More girls mounted the bicycle and soon there were six of them ... three standing on the tiny extended axles ... one sitting on the shoulders of the peddler and still another sitting on hers. At the conclusion of the show, ten young ladies came out to take their bows. They appeared to range in age from as young as ten to perhaps as old as twenty. This was an excellent show! World class! 

Six girls ... count 'em ... rode on one bicycle.

After the show, we stopped in WanZhou so that some of our group could shop in the free market. It was still raining steadily, so Virginia and Bill left the bus only long enough to take a few photos.

When we returned to the ship, many members of the ship's crew lined the entire pathway, from the bus to the lobby, to greet us with smiles and offer helping hands on our return. We were given warm, wet washcloths to wipe our face and hands and a cup of hot tea to refresh us. All of this was the usual custom and we enjoyed it immensely.

At 2:00 PM, there was a tour of the bridge. Four first mates on the bridge made all the decisions. Many of the things done by sophisticated equipment on more modern ships was done visually and manually. We were glad to have been ignorant of this until now but 'all's well that ends well'. Afterward, coffee, tea and cookies were served in the lounge.

The Captain's Farewell Banquet was held in the dining room at 7:00 PM. Our captain appeared to be very young but his years of experience would indicate that he might have begun his apprenticeship at age three. He spoke no English, but was flanked by interpreters who translated his words for the English-speaking and German-speaking tourists. Among his other remarks, he congratulated Virginia's cousins on their many years of putting up with each other. 

Our young-but-experienced captain bade us farewell on our last night aboard

The river cruise has just about come to an end, but there's still more to come.

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