Yangtze River - Quongqing to Yichang, China

We boarded the Victoria 5 ship and spent four days and three nights travelling 650 kms down the Yangtze River from Quongqing to Yichang. We stayed in Stateroom (?) 106 with a small deck facing onto the river and an ensuite bathroom. On board we practiced tai chi in the mornings and played mahjong in the afternoons. 

On day three we passed through the Three Gorges section of the river - Qutang Gorge, Wu Gorge and Xiling Gorge. The mountains rise nearly vertical to over 3000 meters on both sides of the river.

On day four we passed through the five lochs adjacent the Three Gorges Dam, dropping 100 meters in elevation. We then took a 3 hour tour of the dam complex. The dam, the largest hydroelectric project in the world, perhaps the largest construction project in the world, was completed in 2009 after 17 years of design and construction. One estimate of the total cost was $US50 billion. The reservoir behind the dam raised the water level in the river 135 meters stretching back tens of kms and displaced 1.4 million people.