Yangtze, Wu Gorge, early morning.

Another day, another dull hour! 06:15 the boat's horn sounds, loud enough to wake the dead, some of whom I think are on this vessel.
Mist down but lifting, and from the rising ground around us we must be at the start of the gorges. This was confirmed about half an hour later in a most confusing conversation with the tour guide. She met me as I went to fetch today's allocation of hot water and, I thought, tried to sell me a trip. After some intense listening on my part, as she repeated the same phrases over and over in the worst pronounciation yet, I gleaned that she was explaining that we were entering the first gorge, and that the boat does not go over the dam. I tried to explain that I was very glad that the boat does not go over the dam, but I'm afraid the humour stopped at Hong Kong.
Now we know where we are, one has to wonder why the hell we have been on this good ship for the last 32 smelly hours. There must be a better way, such as joining at Wanzhou, only 8 bus hours from Chongquing. This was one of our early thoughts but we allowed ourselves to be persueded otherwise.
Anyway, we will put that all behind us and see what the day brings.

CORRECTION:- Spotted a distinctive red arched bridge which tells us we are entering the second gorge, so our reckoning from last night proved correct. Gorge No.1 passed in the night, unseen.

Wu gorge is fairly unimpressive from a "Spectacular" point of view, but it is fascinating to see the buildings which pre-date the dam perching perilously close to the edge, some only just above what appears to be the high water mark, about 10 mtrs. above the current level. Don't quite understand this water mark / level. The dam was only completed structuraly in 2006, and only becomes fully operational this year, but it must have been holding back considerably more water than now at some time, for the water to make such a clearly defined maximum. There are no intermediate level markings apparent.
The dam's holding capacity in times of flooding has been progressively downgraded from "1000 year flood", to "100 year flood" to "the dam's flood capacity should not be overstated", so perhaps that's why the level is lower than one might expect now in spring with melt water from Tibet swelling the feed waters.
Sue has just put her fingure on what is strange about the buildings - no pitched roofs, other than on old pagodas and other such ancient structures.
We have just passed a couple of industrial plants on the gorge bank which slopes closer to vertical than 45 deg. Impossible to tell what the plants are processing other than about half way along there is a riverboat discharging what looks like quarry spoil into trucks. All very dusty, and the second plant is spewing out filthy looking smoke from a low-ish stack. All suitable film locations for Armageddon.
Have had a further conversation with the tour guide and now understand we get off of the boat at it's 13:00 hrs. stop and will be taken to visit the Three Gorges Dam and then on to Yichang. Research tells us Yichang makes cars and has an Roman Catholic Cathedral. Cathedral City? That reminds me, it's time to make up our processed cheese buns for lunch. Perhaps we'll push the boat out and have all three ingredients.
The remainder of the day was tedious in the extreme. Even escaping the stinking ship and a multi-stop visit to the great dam did little to lift our spirits. Then we got off our bus in the middle of Yichang only to discover our Booking.com reserved and non-cancelable hotel was 25 kms back up the road we had just been driven down, in another township entirely. Ah, the vagaries of the Chinese address system. All this despite showing the courier & bus driver the address.
Cut it short: Hotel good, town not. Bloody good fish-in-a-bun and chicken-without-bone-in-a-bun, then retired to post 3 days Blips.
!9 hour train journey to Xi'an in prospect tomorrow. Also, Louise will be delivered of her firstborn.
Another internet free night so late blip for 19th.