Day 19 - Cruise Control

The bed seemed like a cradle, rocking back and forth, which made sleeping so peaceful. This morning we headed to Bai Di Cheng bridge, where we had sight-seeing. After which, we boarded a small boat wrapped around in life jackets, and paddled upstream where the waters were much cleaner and cold. Next, we got on a ferry which took us for a tour around the dam where we saw many eye-opening sights.


Our Cruise
We woke up in the morning ready for a brand new day! The room is very stuffy and still, so we decided to take a breath outside of the window.


Strong Bridge
When we turned our heads, we saw a long bridge stretching over to the other side of the river. The structure is supported by strong red steel pieces in an upward-curve design. This design is effective in holding thousands of tonnes of weight.


Bai Di Cheng
After docking, we got off the ship and headed to the bridge leading to Bai Di Cheng.


Back Drop
The view from up the bridge is quite high and scary!


Bridge to Bai Di Cheng
It is astonishing on how they build this long and strong bridge centuries ago. The bridge also has to be constructed to allow height clearance for ships passing through the river.


Comb Manufacturer
Finishing the walk through Bai Di Cheng, we exited through several shops. There were many shops selling antique combs with ancient designs on it. This one however, has a pixel glass with workers behind manufacturing combs.


China Gondola
We down-sized from a cruise into a small boat, which is powered by 5 lean men with heavy endurance. They are aged between 30 to 65 years. And that was what kept us going for the next 11 kilometers.


Brute Force
The boatmen sling ropes around their body and used pure strength and weight to pull the boat upstream. This requires great teamwork and coordination. At the end of the ride, we showed our token of gratitude by donating some money to the boatmen.


Pyrotechnics
We upgraded to a ferry this time, and toured around the dam. Behind me is a smoke screen where farmers burn dead debris and collect the ashes as fertilizers for their crops.


Secret Hideout
Between the towering rocks is a hideout for small boats in case of bad weather conditions such as strong winds, heavy rain, or choppy waters.

The Mind Creates
Can you guess what this rock resembles? It looks like a face, whereby there are hair, eyes, nose and a mouth. I was chatting with a man from Beijing when we saw this rock, and he said: "The mind creates what one wants to see."


Floating Coffin
Between the crack of the rocks lay a coffin. The mystery of how the coffin is placed at such great height is not revealed. However, skeptics made several possibilities, and that is:

• Coffin was lowered by ropes from the top of the rock
• The water level was at that height in the past
• People raised the coffin from their boats to the crack

In the end, mysteries will always remain unknown.


House Warming
The night ended with a game of cards and company of good friends. The whole day was filled with fun and new experiences!

REFLECTIONS

I was very excited about putting on the life jacket and getting onto the small boat. However, I felt pitiful for the elderly boatmen as most of them were around their mid 40s, and some were as old as 50 ~ 60 years of age. I felt that my extra weight on the boat was a burden to them, but that is what they have been going through for decades. It is their livelihood. Even though they were old, their body still supports the kind of physical stress, as their body condition were still learn, fit, and full of endurance.

In Singapore, almost everything is motorized or computerized. This is what makes Singapore one of the growing economies in the world, as everything is up-to-date and kept as advanced as possible.

On the ferry, the man beside me from Beijing said: "The mind creates what one wants to see". I believe what he said is absolutely true. In life, you are the creator of your own world. Anything that happens is a manifestation in the past. One can also view things the way he wants it to be, whether it is wrong or right, bad or good.


You must learn day by day, year by year, to broaden your horizon. The more things you love, the more you are interested in, the more you enjoy, the more you are indignant about, the more you have left when anything happens.
-Ethel Barrymore