Cruising The Dragon – China’s Yangtze River

Written by Phyllis Steinberg


Continued from page 1

Ritz Tours offers a combined experience of visitingrepparttar interesting cities of Beijing and Shanghai withrepparttar 133728 Yangtze River Cruise, which is reasonably priced and very well organized.

Ritz Tours has a guide that stays withrepparttar 133729 group forrepparttar 133730 entire trip, including onrepparttar 133731 cruise, and has a local guide in addition at each city. This is extremely important for visitors to China because most ofrepparttar 133732 population does not speak English and it is difficult to obtain directions fromrepparttar 133733 locals.

The Yangtze River flows through eight provinces and has more than 700 tributary rivers. It isrepparttar 133734 longest river in China andrepparttar 133735 third longest inrepparttar 133736 world, traveling more than 3,900 miles.

Victoria Cruises, an American cruise line in China, has four cruise ships sailing up and downrepparttar 133737 Yangtze River.

The downstream itinerary isrepparttar 133738 most popular. It departs from Chongqing to Yichang. The cruise takes passengers throughrepparttar 133739 Three Gorges shiplocks and offers a complimentary shore excursion on a smaller vessel throughrepparttar 133740 Lesser Three Gorges which were formed about 70 million years ago. These Gorges, formed by earth movements intorepparttar 133741 sea, create spectacular scenery dotted by perpendicular cliffs and curves inrepparttar 133742 gorges.

The breathtaking Three Gorges, Qutang, Wuxia and Ziling, will probably disappear whenrepparttar 133743 Three Gorges Dam Project is completed in 2008. The 28-mile Wu Gorge isrepparttar 133744 most beautiful. It is lined by many picturesque peaks and valleys. Even thoughrepparttar 133745 water level ofrepparttar 133746 Yangtze is being slowly raised in a massive effort to subduerepparttar 133747 annual floodwaters that devastaterepparttar 133748 river valley,repparttar 133749 Gorges are a spectacular sight. Two million people who live alongrepparttar 133750 Yangtze River will have to be relocated whenrepparttar 133751 dam is completed.

Ship locks onrepparttar 133752 Yangtze River.

The Dam Project has been taken on byrepparttar 133753 Chinese government to improve shipping, prevent flooding, and provide hydroelectric power to China ’s interior.

The downstream cruise also includes a visit to The Three Gorges Dam Project which provides an in-depth look at this modern technological structure.

Going throughrepparttar 133754 ship locks is an unforgettable, unique experience ofrepparttar 133755 Yangtze River cruise. Unlikerepparttar 133756 Panama Canal, ships go throughrepparttar 133757 locks on their own power. The raising ofrepparttar 133758 ship as it goes throughrepparttar 133759 locks is quite dramatic becauserepparttar 133760 ship is just four stories high allowing for great visuals and picture taking.9. More scenery onrepparttar 133761 cruise

Three Gorges scenery.

The scenery ofrepparttar 133762 Three Gorges and going throughrepparttar 133763 locks is more than worthrepparttar 133764 price ofrepparttar 133765 cruise, but Victoria Cruises also gives passengers fine dining and entertainment.

The ship offers a variety of cuisine. There was a daily breakfast and lunch buffet that included American items such as waffles, a pizza and a salad bar, in addition torepparttar 133766 traditional Chinese cuisine.

Read this entire feature FREE with photos at: http://www.jetsettersmagazine.com/archive/jetezine/cruise02/china/yangtze/yangtze.html

By Phyllis Steinberg - Visit Jetsetters Magazine at www.jetsettersmagazine.com

Phyllis Steinberg - Join the Travel Writers Network in the logo at www.jetsettersmagazine.com


Sea Kayaking Baja Mexico

Written by Robert LaGrone


Continued from page 1

People taking kayaking trips should understand that they can be somewhat strenuous. The next morning, after waiting twenty minutes for my breakfast at a small outdoor café across town, I had to sprint a mile with a tummy full of chorizo and eggs to catchrepparttar tour van fromrepparttar 133727 hotel. I think it wasrepparttar 133728 toughest part ofrepparttar 133729 trip. Many restaurateurs here seem also to be in "vacation mode."

The van, with Judy as our guide, was taking us southwest to Magdalena Bay for whale watching. The twenty-two-foot open boats, owned byrepparttar 133730 local fishing cooperative, are used for tours inrepparttar 133731 winter whenrepparttar 133732 Gray Whales are in town. Our young boat captain, Jimmy, knew how to get close torepparttar 133733 whales without crowding them. He loved his job and cooed overrepparttar 133734 calves as if they were his own children.

I feel like I need to make a disclaimer here, something like "Results not typical and may vary." We were a lucky group. Jimmy drove us acrossrepparttar 133735 lagoon to La Boca de Soledad, where it opens torepparttar 133736 sea. He placed us well ahead of a mother and female calf (another driver had notedrepparttar 133737 telltale ridges onrepparttar 133738 calf's head), and we waited to see ifrepparttar 133739 two would come closer. The mother, about 45 feet long, checked us out whilerepparttar 133740 month-old calf, about 18 feet, playfully breachedrepparttar 133741 surface nearby. Thenrepparttar 133742 two sidled in close torepparttar 133743 boat and lolled about inrepparttar 133744 calm water. We could hardly believe our eyes whenrepparttar 133745 mother gently liftedrepparttar 133746 calf torepparttar 133747 surface, as if to present her little girl for our approval. Whenrepparttar 133748 calf had lost all inhibition, she swam right up to me, lifted her head, and let me tickle her nose. She may have been attracted torepparttar 133749 underwater camera I was holding belowrepparttar 133750 surface as I leaned out overrepparttar 133751 gunwale, but I like to think she chose me in particular. I'm usually not fond of spending my time on structured, organized tours, but this one was worth every minute and every peso.

Judy has been living in Baja for over ten years. An English tourist traveling in British Columbia, she came down to escape winter's onset and never went back. Many people come south downrepparttar 133752 Peninsula in airplanes or R.V.s to get away from inclement weather orrepparttar 133753 bustle of civilization. We thought we were about to escape both, but things don't always go according to plan.

Read this entire feature with photos at: http://www.jetsettersmagazine.com/archive/jetezine/sports02/kayak/baja/baja.html

By Rob LaGrone, Las Vegas Correspondent, Jetsetters Magazine at www.jetsettersmagazine.com



Robert LaGrone, Las Vegas Jetsetters Magazine Correspondent. JOin the Travel Writers Network in the logo at www.jetsettersmagazine.com


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