The Daily Diary of a Wandering Restaurateur
May 1 - Baidecheng
Baidecheng is at the entrance to the Qutang Gorge, the first of the famous Three Gorges. The map shows what it was like before the dam project started flooding the area. Now the area between the yellow arrows -- the site of the old town -- is underwater, the residents have been relocated to the new town and the temple area has become an island. Access to the temple island is via a new bridge built on top of the old town. It seems a little creepy to me.
Tourism is a major support of the local economy. There are 200 steps up to the temple area. You can walk it, of course, or you can take the chairlift! There is not much to do after one tour group arrives except to wait for the next boat to pull in.
The temple area of Baidecheng is worth the climb (although I would have wished for a cooler day to make the trek).
We said goodbye to our guide, Kitty, a local 21-year old with quite good English. All the service people in China have given themselves Western names in addition to their Chinese names. On one hand it certainly makes it easier for us ... but on another level, it seems like there is something wrong with the idea. Then we returned to the ship to (finally) see what the Three Gorges were all about.
© 2008 Restaurant Doctor
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