It was great to again be aboard ship. On awaking and looking from our balcony we found we were still in port. At 7 am we set sail and I went about exploring the boat. Some of our fellow travellers were found doing the morning Tai Chi but I preferred to catch the scenery.

After breakfast, on leaving the ship we dodged vendors on the way to our bus for a trip to the Three Gorges Dam. We were able to slow down to see the ships in the lock and then made our way to a boardwalk a very visitor friendly area for viewing the spillway.

We then travelled to the upper level where the Three Gorges Project Model Room showed off the structure as it will be when completed in 2009. We then set off to capture the views before making our way through the gift shop — just to remind us we were in China. When the time came, returning to the ship was the usual adventure.

Much has been written and it will continue to be written about the Three Gorges Dam — the largest and most powerful hydroelectric project in the world. Towering 610 feet and stretching over 1.3 miles, the dam will create a reservoir that will extend nearly 400 miles upstream. I'm not going to get into the discussion here.

Just before lunch we approached the five step ship-lock of the Three Gorges Dam. Passing through the system would take 3 to 4 hours. While this was going on we watched a Chinese finger painting demonstration by the ship's artist, Mr. Wu Xiaoping and couldn't resist purchasing his series of the three gorges.

Later in the afternoon we entered Xiling Gorge, the longest of the Three Gorges. It was too bad there was so much smog — not helped by burning practices that seemed all too common. Soon it was time for Happy Hour then the Captain's Dinner.

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