Our four day cruise along the Yangtze River was beautiful, but tempered by the ever-present reminders of the imminent flooding once the Three Gorges Dam is completed. All along the river, large white signs were posted for "135m" and "175m" indicating the flood level in 2003 and 2009 respectively. Besides wiping out some of the beautiful scenery, many of the towns and cities along the river will also be underwater. I'm also quite concerned about the almost-extinct Yangtze River Dolphins whose few remaining numbers inhabit the river.

Honestly, the Three Gorges themselves were a bit of a letdown. My expectations had been set too high by the unrealistic portrayals in traditional Chinese scroll paintings. While the mountains were majestic, they didn't assume the mythic proportions and shapes I expected. Also, virtually all of the hillsides have been deforested and any land even passably usable has been terraced and turned into farmland.