One step closer to Nature...
3 days past by too fast. I wish those 3 days would repeat itself once more. Just once. I miss everything.
The serene atmosphere, the peaceful sounds of Nature, the chilling wind, the moving mountains, the sparkling stars, the fiery sun, the bright moon, the rush of calm river, the rustling bright green grass, the swaying trees, the fluffy clouds..
To top it all…a peace of mind…
Something I would wish for the rest of my life…
Just once more please. Could history ever repeat itself? If it does, then there’s nothing I wouldn’t sacrifice for it.
First day was dedicated to the Three Gorges Dam. It was 7am. With us towing our backpacks and our bodies, the day started off with a 5 hour trip on the bus. Not a good way to kick start our day isn’t it? Much of the time in the bus was spent yawning, sleeping and snoring (in order). Lunch arrived soon after and for once, it was a proper one. It was a 10 course lunch if I’m not wrong. After which, we FINALLY reached the Three Gorges Dam. To tell the truth, I couldn’t feel my butt after sitting on the bus for so long. Once again, I was impressed that we were security-scanned just like in the museum. I used to have the impression that China always closed one eye when it comes to security. And so it seemed. I realized that those important places of interest have such high security status. With that done, we boarded an Eco-friendly bus (Sure? I noticed loads of smoke coming out from the exhaust just like any other vehicles on the roads of China) and brought to the first scenic point of the Dam. Such breathtaking view it was. Even though the Dam is not yet finished, it looked strong with water flowing to it in all directions and it surroundings covered with luscious greenery and mountains. I feel that the Three Gorges Dam is an Engineering feat even though it does have its disadvantages. It can produce a large amount of electricity that can reduce the usage of the natural resources to accommodate its energy needs (probably Singapore should take a leaf out of its book) This proves that mankind can create anything from nothing. Now that is something you can never get to see in Singapore. Even the Marina Barrage is nothing compared to the Three Gorges Dam. After touring the whole area, we were brought for dinner. It was at the same restaurant that we had our lunch though. Food was still nice I guess. With our stomachs loaded(and feeling abit light-headed), we set off on another bus journey to our river cruise ship. The best part was that we were extremely late. We were supposed to reach there at 6pm but we only reached at 6.45. Now that’s a major punctuality problem. We were told that the cruise boat we were living in is a 4-star boat. Oh my goodness. Little did I know that our version of 4-star and China’s version of 4-star are at two extreme ends.
Let’s compare:
Toilet:
Singapore’s version of four-star: Bathtub with heater. Toilet bowl that is flushable at all times. Complimentary shampoo/soap/towel provided.
China’s version of four-star: Shower head that spits out water every now and then when turned on. No heater. Toilet bowl has emotions. If it’s happy, it flushes with its contents spraying out. If it’s not, contents float around aimlessly. Complimentary hard toothbrush with a half-finger sized toothpaste tube provided.
Room:
Singapore’s version of four-star: Ample space that is good enough to fit 3-4 people.
China’s version of four-star: Ample space that is not enough to fit 1-2 people.
Bed:
Singapore’s version of four-star: Two pillows with a very comfortable bed and blankets to go with.
China’s version of four-star: One small pillow with a fairly comfortable bed and very thin blankets to help you withstand the very cold temperatures.
Cupboard:
Singapore’s version of four-star: Large enough to pack your luggage-load worth of clothes.
China’s version of four-star: Large enough to stuff one skinny human inside and nothing else.
Television:
Singapore’s version of four-star: Comes with all kinds of channels 24 hours a day.
China’s version of four-star: Has emotions just like the toilet bowl. If its happy, it shows Chinese channels that I completely do not understand. If its not, it shows attitude by giving you a blank blue screen.
P.S: The 1st night passed with insects flying around the lights while I was sleeping……..
Interesting isn’t it? Guess I can’t expect anything fancy for the next 4 weeks. Now I’m wondering what are those conditions for the 1-3 star rated places. Should I think about it? Maybe I shan’t.
Second day was indeed a memorable one. We were woken up abruptly due to the loud banging of the tour guide on our room door. That’s their version of wake-up call I guess. Breakfast was served. After which, we transferred to another boat. Wondering why? This boat specially brought us through the Yangtze River. And oh my god! Such beautiful scenery there was! It was just fantastic! Amazing! Astounding! Out of this world! ________!(there’s no more words in my vocabulary to describe it any further). The mountains, rivers, clouds, sun, trees & grass perfectly complemented with each other. It’s like many pieces of jigsaw puzzles were put together to form a perfect, indestructible piece of Art. It was definitely a feast to my eyes. Now that’s something we don’t see in our everyday lives don’t we? It’s a pity that Singapore does not offer such beautiful scenery or it would be a perfect place to live and die in. I was also slightly surprised that there were people living on the mountains. It got me kind of jealous that they are able to live in such beautiful places whereas we only get to see such things once in our lifetime. After two hours, we were asked to leave the boat to transfer to a small sampan that is rowed by people with the aid of oars. We were brought on a mini tour around the river nearer to the mountains. The amazing part was that the water was sparkling, crystal clear. It was just captivating to sit on a small sampan and watch the sparkling water flow beneath and around you. I even drank abit of the water just to taste how it was like. It tasted just like pure water and tasted much better than mineral water. At one part, when the sampan reached shallow water, the boatmen got out of the sampan and attached strings to the boat and pulled it across the shallow water. Now’s that what I call sheer strength. That’s something that caught my eye. After that, it was back to the boat with our dinner served hot and tasting plain as usual. Once dinner was loaded with weird expressions on our faces, we went up to the deck. And oh my god. Stars, stars and more stars. Stars in every direction. Stars that shone brightly against the dark sky. Stars that shone brightly in unison at me. A view that was oh-so-beautiful. After that? WUST Sweet WUST.
There’s just too much that Mother Nature has to offer.
Memories that I would never forget..
Could history ever repeat itself?
The serene atmosphere, the peaceful sounds of Nature, the chilling wind, the moving mountains, the sparkling stars, the fiery sun, the bright moon, the rush of calm river, the rustling bright green grass, the swaying trees, the fluffy clouds..
To top it all…a peace of mind…
Something I would wish for the rest of my life…
Just once more please. Could history ever repeat itself? If it does, then there’s nothing I wouldn’t sacrifice for it.
First day was dedicated to the Three Gorges Dam. It was 7am. With us towing our backpacks and our bodies, the day started off with a 5 hour trip on the bus. Not a good way to kick start our day isn’t it? Much of the time in the bus was spent yawning, sleeping and snoring (in order). Lunch arrived soon after and for once, it was a proper one. It was a 10 course lunch if I’m not wrong. After which, we FINALLY reached the Three Gorges Dam. To tell the truth, I couldn’t feel my butt after sitting on the bus for so long. Once again, I was impressed that we were security-scanned just like in the museum. I used to have the impression that China always closed one eye when it comes to security. And so it seemed. I realized that those important places of interest have such high security status. With that done, we boarded an Eco-friendly bus (Sure? I noticed loads of smoke coming out from the exhaust just like any other vehicles on the roads of China) and brought to the first scenic point of the Dam. Such breathtaking view it was. Even though the Dam is not yet finished, it looked strong with water flowing to it in all directions and it surroundings covered with luscious greenery and mountains. I feel that the Three Gorges Dam is an Engineering feat even though it does have its disadvantages. It can produce a large amount of electricity that can reduce the usage of the natural resources to accommodate its energy needs (probably Singapore should take a leaf out of its book) This proves that mankind can create anything from nothing. Now that is something you can never get to see in Singapore. Even the Marina Barrage is nothing compared to the Three Gorges Dam. After touring the whole area, we were brought for dinner. It was at the same restaurant that we had our lunch though. Food was still nice I guess. With our stomachs loaded(and feeling abit light-headed), we set off on another bus journey to our river cruise ship. The best part was that we were extremely late. We were supposed to reach there at 6pm but we only reached at 6.45. Now that’s a major punctuality problem. We were told that the cruise boat we were living in is a 4-star boat. Oh my goodness. Little did I know that our version of 4-star and China’s version of 4-star are at two extreme ends.
Let’s compare:
Toilet:
Singapore’s version of four-star: Bathtub with heater. Toilet bowl that is flushable at all times. Complimentary shampoo/soap/towel provided.
China’s version of four-star: Shower head that spits out water every now and then when turned on. No heater. Toilet bowl has emotions. If it’s happy, it flushes with its contents spraying out. If it’s not, contents float around aimlessly. Complimentary hard toothbrush with a half-finger sized toothpaste tube provided.
Room:
Singapore’s version of four-star: Ample space that is good enough to fit 3-4 people.
China’s version of four-star: Ample space that is not enough to fit 1-2 people.
Bed:
Singapore’s version of four-star: Two pillows with a very comfortable bed and blankets to go with.
China’s version of four-star: One small pillow with a fairly comfortable bed and very thin blankets to help you withstand the very cold temperatures.
Cupboard:
Singapore’s version of four-star: Large enough to pack your luggage-load worth of clothes.
China’s version of four-star: Large enough to stuff one skinny human inside and nothing else.
Television:
Singapore’s version of four-star: Comes with all kinds of channels 24 hours a day.
China’s version of four-star: Has emotions just like the toilet bowl. If its happy, it shows Chinese channels that I completely do not understand. If its not, it shows attitude by giving you a blank blue screen.
P.S: The 1st night passed with insects flying around the lights while I was sleeping……..
Interesting isn’t it? Guess I can’t expect anything fancy for the next 4 weeks. Now I’m wondering what are those conditions for the 1-3 star rated places. Should I think about it? Maybe I shan’t.
Second day was indeed a memorable one. We were woken up abruptly due to the loud banging of the tour guide on our room door. That’s their version of wake-up call I guess. Breakfast was served. After which, we transferred to another boat. Wondering why? This boat specially brought us through the Yangtze River. And oh my god! Such beautiful scenery there was! It was just fantastic! Amazing! Astounding! Out of this world! ________!(there’s no more words in my vocabulary to describe it any further). The mountains, rivers, clouds, sun, trees & grass perfectly complemented with each other. It’s like many pieces of jigsaw puzzles were put together to form a perfect, indestructible piece of Art. It was definitely a feast to my eyes. Now that’s something we don’t see in our everyday lives don’t we? It’s a pity that Singapore does not offer such beautiful scenery or it would be a perfect place to live and die in. I was also slightly surprised that there were people living on the mountains. It got me kind of jealous that they are able to live in such beautiful places whereas we only get to see such things once in our lifetime. After two hours, we were asked to leave the boat to transfer to a small sampan that is rowed by people with the aid of oars. We were brought on a mini tour around the river nearer to the mountains. The amazing part was that the water was sparkling, crystal clear. It was just captivating to sit on a small sampan and watch the sparkling water flow beneath and around you. I even drank abit of the water just to taste how it was like. It tasted just like pure water and tasted much better than mineral water. At one part, when the sampan reached shallow water, the boatmen got out of the sampan and attached strings to the boat and pulled it across the shallow water. Now’s that what I call sheer strength. That’s something that caught my eye. After that, it was back to the boat with our dinner served hot and tasting plain as usual. Once dinner was loaded with weird expressions on our faces, we went up to the deck. And oh my god. Stars, stars and more stars. Stars in every direction. Stars that shone brightly against the dark sky. Stars that shone brightly in unison at me. A view that was oh-so-beautiful. After that? WUST Sweet WUST.
There’s just too much that Mother Nature has to offer.
Memories that I would never forget..
Could history ever repeat itself?
posted by kumaran | 8:35 AM
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