Zhangjiajie 2 - The River China

The itinerary for the 10-day Zhangjiajie Tour included a 4-day river cruise along the Yangtze River which is the 3rd longest river in the world. This idyllic cruise is an antidote for the 4 days of climbing up and down steps and slopes of the mountainous region. A great way to relax, not too long nor too short.
The cruise ship passed through the three gorges, Xiling, Qutang and Wu. The scenes are similar all throughout the journey along the Yangtze.

 

 

 

 

Zhangjiajie 1 - The Mountains

Google 'Zhangjiajie' you will find a lot of beautiful photographs of its vast scenery, mountains mostly, which usually are associated with the film "Avatar" (Wulingyuan Scenic Area). The area is now very touristy but its rawness is still evident. It is situated in the northwestern part of Hunan Province, China

Reached the top of "gate to heaven" after 999 steps from base

The other side of "gate to heaven"

 

Group picture at the base of 'gate to heaven' Tianmeng Tong at Tianzi Mountain

 

Below are the various views of the beautiful scenery which inspired the movie "Avatar". There are deep gorges and cliff mountains, scenes prevalent in Chinese art/paintings.

 

Holiday Group Tours - The Gullible Tourists 2

The Gullible Tourists 2 - Medical Hall

After jewellery, the other common factory outlet that Holiday Tour Groups have to visit is the 'Medicine Centre'.
In Chengdu we experienced an unforgettable incident. In the itinerary, it was supposed to be a Foot Massage session at a medical hall. After so much of walking and sitting on the tour b us, it was a welcome relief, not knowing that we will be shocked.
Leg Massage
It began simple enough that we were told to place our bare foot in a basin of warm medical liquid. The masseuse softly massaged our feet and calf half heartedly. After about 5 minutes, a group of white coated personnel came in, introducing themselves as 'sifu'. There was a leader amongst them, who, we were told, happened to be there as he often travelled around.
While still grabbing our feet, the 'sifus' positioned themselves among us, looking into our eyes, skin, etc. The common illness they identified was 'fatty liver'. They then proceed to use their 'qigong' to clear our blood stream or nerves. We were like sheep trapped in a pool of water as we could not move unless we forcibly do so. Majority of the members remained seated and listened to the 'sifu's' advice.
The stronger ones forced themselves off but they were not many.
Blood
The chief sifu then used the cup suction method to 'draw' blood from some of the members, creating great concern amongst those who saw what happened and believed. To solve the 'problem', the types of medicine were then introduced and shown. We were still leg-bound in the basin of liquid, not able to move out.
Credit card
It was a big mistake for those who took out and hand their credit card to the servers. The amount of medicine purchased was based on 'monthly intake' starting with the minimum of 3 months for it to take minimum effect, amounting to about S$600! When the take up rate was low, some sifus started to spoke loudly that they cared for our health and if we were to deny, it was our fault. At this moment, the psychological fear of being sick, when you might not be, struck and one became vulnerable. When we asked for our credit card back, they delayed and dithered. We literally have to snatch it back from their hands!!!
Trash
On reaching home, we decided not to take the medicine as it was an unknown oral prescription. We felt conned but then we signed for it with open eyes..... By throwing the powder down the drain with great relish, we also felt pain at the same time on the money lost. We swore not to be fool again the next time.

One other medical hall dealt with a type of cream which can heal any burn wound. The demonstration involved a gongfu master grabbing a red hot rod and then applying the cream to show its curative effect.
Anything that is used externally may be purchased but not those which we ingest!!!