Photo of the Day: Sunset on the Yangtze

For our week-long May Holiday vacation, my study abroad group started with a four-day cruise on the Yangtze River. We set sail from Wuhan and sailed upriver to Chongqing, stopping along the way at various cities affected by the Three Gorges Dam, as well as visiting the dam project itself. Funny thing was, the cruise was marketed towards Germans- so the majority of the passengers were German or Dutch, and all announcements were made first in German, then English.

The gorges, which are also depicted on the back of the 10 rmb bill, were incredible. Sailing through them while sitting on the top deck, with the sun on our faces and wind in our hair, was indescribably relaxing. Being surrounded by such tranquility in nature led to much introspection and (greatly needed) clarity within all of us.

Of my entire year in China, cruising the Yangtze was my absolute favorite experience. (National Holiday in Ningxia being the second and the Harbin Ice Festival, third.)