[Itinerary Page]The Daily Diary of a Wandering Restaurateur
April 30 - Three Gorges Cruise - Day 1
Our first full day on the boat started in the fog as, it seems, do most of the days in China. We were moored outside the city of Fengdu, also known as the Ghost City. It was called the Gateway to Hell. It is also the site of the Temple of the Jade Emperor, a Taoist site. The idea was that if you could pass through here and successfully complete all all the tests, it would show that you were a good person and would have a happy life.
The tests involved passing over the Bridge of Good Health in nine steps, running up 33 steps to show something else metaphorical and so forth. At the top of the hill were the ghosts - the ghost of alcoholics, the ghost of dead babies and other delights, all to show the dangers of a misspent life. If you could get through here without having your soul stolen by the devil, you were considered worthy to go to heaven. (If you didn't, I suppose you were condemned to spend the rest of your life as a tour guide!) Fortunately this part of the city was far enough above the new water level to be preserved.
That was what Hell was like then. Now Hell is the gauntlet of vendors you have to pass through going to and from this spot! Hell is also the crowds you have to fight, since every tour boat on the river (and there are a lot of them) stops here for a shore excursion!
The rest of the day passed quietly and we floated downstream toward the first two of the famouse three gorges ... which we don't get to see until tomorrow.
© 2008 Restaurant Doctor