May 29

Awoken by some muzak on the PA system, and then the announcement that breakfast was being served in the Dynasty Dining Room. Got my usual scrambled eggs, bacon, and bread of some kind. There were some power point presentations on the river and the dam project, but I watched a DVD on the whole thing before I left, so I sat on the balcony of my room. The fog makes all the river cities look like ghost towns, and I thought they were abandoned, but then realized if I looked hard enough I could see people.

We stopped at the ghost city of Fengdu. There were various trials you’re supposed to complete, which determine if you are a good person, and if you get to go to heaven or hell. There were three bridges you had to step across in a certain number of steps. And we ran up some steps holding our breath and not looking back. I made it up, but my hat fell off so I turned around and looked back. Oh well. Also balanced on a small rock for three seconds on one foot, while looking up at some building. There were a bunch of really crazy looking statues, of disciples and gods and torture procedures (representing hell).

Later on the boat, our crew had a costume show, displaying various periods of Chinese dress. I have video of the guys in silk robes, strutting their stuff to "Staying Alive", so stay tuned.

Two of our travel companions are leaving in the morning. One has to stand in a friend’s wedding on the 1st, the other has to be at basic training. So they’re taking a hydrafoil, and flying to Shanghai, and then back to Baton Rouge. But in their honor a few of us stayed in the bar for a good while, some of us longer than others.