August 3, 2010 - Chongqing, China

Pinyin: Ke zhou qiu jian

Translation: Notching the boat to find the sword

Idioms Meaning: Satirizes those who stick to rigid rules instead of taking circumstance into account

Until 2007 Chongqing was part of the Sichuan Province.  With the Three Gorges Dam completion, China's governmental authorities wanted to bypass Sichuan's politics to gain control of lands and the people where future waters would flood.  Thus the Chongqing region became a "direct-controlled municipality" ran by the central government.  There are four direct-controlled municipalities including Beijing, Shanghai, Tianjin, and Chongqing - comparable to Washington DC.  Villages and lands were taken, new apartments and villages were built at higher elevations, and financial compensation for the people came directly from Beijing.  Many villagers whom lost their homes have migrated to Chongqing for higher wages in the construction and factory industries.  

This morning a flight from Guilin to Chongqing.  Little did I know that Chongqing is the largest city in the world, which no one has heard of, with a population of 33 million people.  The drive from the airport to the central bus station took over 90 minutes without traffic.  Perhaps because Chongqing is a new city the western influenced architecture should not have been a surprise.  Chicago style sky-scrappers, San Francisco row-houses, European fountains, tree lined streets, flower boxes, and gated communities.  Also a first in China, the traffic was orderly and turn signals used.  

Although Chongqing is no longer part of Sichuan, the locals still serve the incredible-traditional-world famous-savory-spicy foods. On a future trip, I plan to eat my way across Sichuan Province.  From the central bus station, I searched for the busiest, loudest, dirtiest hole-in-the-wall to have one of the regional boiled dumpling specialties.  In a backstreet restaurant with six tables crammed together, people sit and stand everywhere.  Wall photos displayed dishes served, so I pointed to dumplings for 6 Yuan ($1 US).  The cashier was overly welcoming and accommodating.  Eating while huddled in the corner, still wearing my backpack, the locals took cellphone photos of this strange foreigner.

Catching a taxi to Dock #8 for boarding the Victoria Princess Cruise, I quickly dropped my backpack in the cabin, and set out again.  Although Chongqing city is relatively new, the old town is home to a Qing Dynasty Buddhist temple.  The meditative Luohan Temple is an ancient sanctuary amidst a modern metropolis.  Within the time span of first boarding the Victoria Princess to the actual evening departure, the flooding river waters visibly dropped at least three feet.  However, from saturated mud remnant on the shores, this years floods have been at least 30 feet higher.  An estimated 30,000 homes were destroyed last week within the Chongqing region.

Today's Victoria Princess Cruise Schedule:

14:00 Victoria Princess check-in

20:00 Victoria Princess set sail

22:00 Meet river guide & Table 17 in lounge