Yangtze River Cruise

          It was a welcome break in the middle of a busy trip and somewhat of a luxury for me to have three nights and four days floating down the Yangtze River without having to worry about finding a place to stay for the night or deciding where to eat.  The hotel had booked me on the MV Dragon (and from my Navy days, I knew that MV stood for Motor Vessel) for the equivalent of $556.00.  I had checked one local travel agency and two online travel sites before my trip and knew right away that I’d saved a lot of money by waiting to book the cruise until I arrived in Chongqing.  The MV Dragon definitely lived up to its reputation as a five star cruise ship and its dragon-like appearance established it as a familiar sight along the Yangtze.  I had a nice room with private bath and balcony all to myself and the three delicious meals each day provided more food than I could possibly eat.

          Out of about 300 guests I was the only Caucasian, and once again, I felt like a celebrity.  Both the crew and guests knocked themselves out to be friendly and everyone wanted to meet me and get to know me.  I found it nearly impossible to pay for my own beer, because everyone wanted to treat me.  Most of the other guests were middle class Chinese couples and families with a number of young adventurers mixed in.  By the end of the cruise I felt like I had made 300 new friends!  One of the most interesting encounters was meeting an older gentleman at my table who had been a pilot in the Red Chinese Air Force.  As a Naval Officer, I had been on the opposite side during the Cold War, and now we were sitting down at the table together as friends.

          The cruise started at 6 PM on the evening of June 2 and the skyline of Chongqing was spectacular from the river.  I stayed up late on the top deck with some of the other guests I had already met, watching the lights on shore go by as we steamed silently through the night.  The next day we made our first stop to visit Fengdu, known as the City of Ghosts.  That evening the crew put on a show and the main cruise director, Jerry, blew everyone away with his rendition of “I Love You More Than I Can Say”.  Jerry was a young Chinese man who already seemed to run everything on the ship and was obviously also loaded with talent, like so many of the young people I met on my trip.  The next morning we would begin our transit of the Three Gorges, so it was early to bed for me that night.

Chongqing City Skyline from the MV Dragon on the Yangtze River