With the short night following the long bus ride, we opted against the morning shore tour, and played games instead. After 3 breakneck days in Shanghai it felt good to lay around a bit.
In the afternoon we took a trip to the Three Gorges Dam, a huge project opened in 2003 that caused the displacement of millions of Chinese. The guide was very informative, but I wasn't sure how to assess all the carefully included proclamations of environmental responsibility, clean power, and reduction of dependence on fossil fuel. It's certainly true the dam is providing a huge supply of hydro-electric power. But the huge visitor center, and multiple escalators in the side of a mountain to lure thousands to view seemed a bit over the top.
The guide seemed okay with his family being relocated in advance of their town being flooded by the reservoir, particularly since the new apartment has indoor plumbing.
Some fun phrases from the day:
"Happy room revolution"
(Western style toilets becoming increasingly commonplace)
"Maybe later market"
(Departing for an outing, the vendors knew we would be headed back by their booths at the conclusion and called "maybe later" as farewell.)
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