Yangtze River cruise and other stuff

Yesterday we took my parents back to the airport after a wonderful two week visit. They are still in the air as I write this and hopefully they were exhausted enough to sleep part of the flight because the boys never left them alone during waking hours. Here are some pictures of our adventures. Kenny wasn't able to go on the Yangtze cruise due to work. The boys had spring break so it was a great time to get some traveling in.

First we made the drive to one of my favorite spots - Silver Pagoda Forest

A stop at the Beijing Science and Technology Museum

Then it was off to Yichang to catch a cruise down the Yangtze River. I knew things were going too smoothly when we sailed through check-in, security AND our flight took off on time from Beijing which never happens. When we landed our tour guide told us the locks through the dam site had been closed three days earlier by the government for routine maintenance. They had all winter and now as the high season for tour boats commences they decide to start the maintenance - way to plan ahead. All was not lost for us though as they shuttled us around the dam to a higher spot on the river where all the cruise ships were docked. The only thing we missed out on was actually cruising through the locks, which I would have like to do and I'm sure my dad would have loved.

The Three Gorges Dam in the background

Making a rubbing of some famous etching

The view behind the boys is the one on a 10 yuan bill. We've now been to four of the spots featured on Chinese paper money, but unfortunately we didn't realize it when we were in Tibet so no picture of that one.

Baidi or White Emperor City

You could pay ~12USD to be carried to the top of the roughly 300 stairs

The boys giving it a whirl

Shibaozhai or Stone Treasure Fortress

Luc and Jack peeking out of the very top window

Boys with a view of our ship in the background

Panda from the Chongqing breeding program

And last but not least, my favorite sign of the trip and what I've started telling the boys when they are on my last nerve asking for things they know they aren't allowed to do/have.