Mammoth

We classed a 3300 tonne weight limit on a lift to be quite substantial. But everyone here seems to say the ship elevator is for small boats. With 400 people on board and four floors (nominal size!), we sailed ever so slowly onto the winching platform at a height of 150m. I at least thought there would be four concrete walls, but we could see straight out the other side! If the boat was going some, I'm fairly certain it could have sailed straight through into thin air. I have a splendid imagination when it comes to danger! But it was an airily awesome feeling.

We'd joined another cruise boat to board this tourist boat to view and sail the Three Gorges Dam this morning. 

Improbable. Impractical. Impressive.

And big. No, mammoth! Kind of sums up the can do-will do determination of the Chinese.

(You might also get a little impression here of the level of local tourists we've encountered from this blip.)

Once down the lift , which takes 30 minutes to slowly descend 100metres, we docked on the other side of the dam and managed to fit in the short tour to the viewing platform which was the timing hiccup yesterday. 

We've since jumped from one mode of transport to another, including the bullet train which was completely in Chinese symbols until we boarded the train, so it's lucky we were told what to do! A vile concoction of fast food was all we could fit in to the schedule to make it to the airport in time - lucky it was a fine breakfast! Tight timings are something you don't really want to mess around with in Chinese traffic congestion but it worked out.

We're now wondering whether our plane is on its way. But, delay or not, at least we made it! Long day but an interesting one.