Fengdhu

Wednesday, 14 May 2014

Misty Yangtze River

Walking ashore from our ship

Local Macpac Possum

Kindergarten playground

Making friends

No translations necessary

Food market

Tofu anyone?

Gorgeous greens

Pork butcher

Street market

Locquot season

When we awoke this morning, we were docked in Fengdhu, with a floating convenience store alongside.  Our shore excursion after breakfast was to a local kindergarten, market and farm.  Before getting to our bus, we had a long trek of about one kilometre on pontoons across part of the river and mud to a high staircase.  After 150 stairs, we were all quite glad to sit down for ten minutes.  The kindergarten visit was a highlight, with the four and five year olds just starting their day with some singing and exercise.  Cat proved very popular with some of the young girls (fortunately I could remember the Chinese word for cat), with much kissing and cuddling – he was rather frightened at one stage that he would be whisked away and clung tightly.  Needless to say, Cat has had a good wash since returning to the boat.  The children were all very friendly and we played a number of games with them before moving on to the markets. 

 

The vegetable market was very impressive, with many different types of vegetables (some which were completely new to us) and a large variety of tofu available for purchase.  Then it was upstairs for a very quick look at the pork market.  Enough said!  The majority of us then followed our local guide into the street market, with its large variety of shops and people.  It was here that a search party was sent out for a few stragglers before we were able to get back on the bus.  One does wonder what the locals think of the foreign tourists who walk through their streets and markets.

Fish (and mosquito) pond

Original farmhouse

Grinding corn for pig feed

Farmland

We were then taken to a farm, where two different families lives – one in their original house of fifty years and a relocated family in a house only twenty years old.  The difference was incredible.  The newer house was huge (obviously a very wealthy farmer), but very sparsely furnished and apart from a couple of bedrooms, not like the houses we know in Australia.  We sat around the living room while our local guide explained the family and house to us, and we were either sitting directly above, or next to, the pig sty or pig dung was used as a fuel in cooking.  The fresh air outside was rather welcome.  The farms around this area were very lush and green, with any available land being cultivated.

Crowded bridge

Meeting the Emporer

Fish dumplings

Our waitress and waiter

We returned to the boat just in time for a reflexology lecture, for one of us, anyway.  While Himself headed to the bar to check his emails and the news, I headed for the theatre.  I couldn’t really understand the lovely young lady giving the lecture on foot and hand pressure points, but did enjoy the neck and shoulder massage that was on offer.

After lunch, we were invited to the bridge for a quick look – definitely not a smoke-free workplace.  Learning mahjong was great fun during the afternoon – slightly different version to Shan’s but still great fun.

The weather today is much warmer than yesterday, but still very, very foggy – we couldn’t see across the river this morning!

This evening was our farewell dinner on board the Yangtze Explorer and the Emperor honoured us with a visit and was happy to allow us to be photographed with him, the Empress and his “associates.”  All the staff dressed in Chinese costume and the guests were also asked to wear something appropriate if possible.  A Chinese banquet was served, as opposed to the normal a-la-carte, and I think we must have been served at least nine courses.