Red Cliff here we come!!

Weekend trip to Red Cliff!!! Most of us weren’t as enthusiastic as to going due to the last weekend trip to Wudang Mountain which was really cold. Well if we thought Wudang mountain was cold and worse we were wrong. Upon arrival at Red Cliff, it was drizzling. I wouldn’t have minded if it was cold and dry but it was cold and wet, which made it even worse!!! We first checked into the resort and it was AMAZING!!!! The room was really well decorated and posh looking and the view was so majestic it looked like there was a castle in front of us!! We then headed over to the so-called Red Cliff, it’s not even red. Though the weather was worse than the Wudang Mountain trip, I find that the view and scenery here is better. The buildings looked like they were from the times of knights and ancient Rome. There were catapults and towers all around. It was a real historical place. Our lunch was similar to that in Wudang Mountain, a 10 course meal, 9 dishes and 1 soup. We then continued walking. On the way, we saw these men shooting tennis balls out of a cannon. It was quite cool like the olden days cannon. We then headed to a museum like place where they showed all the relics from the Red Cliff battle. As we walked about, the scenery was so beautiful and amazing. The greenery was newly blossoming out and it looked so breathtaking, but the bad thing was that it was raining and most of us were drenched and cold and had to buy overpriced raincoats and umbrellas. It was a good thing I brought my own umbrella. We headed back to the hotel for 2 hours and I had a quick nap to recharge my energy. We then headed out to the same restaurant but this time by bus. I tell you I think our bus driver is the most skilled driver I’ve ever met. He can maneuver through the small roads and curves without killing us and I am so grateful for him. The next day we woke up around 6 am. According to the guide, breakfast was supposed to be Western style. I have no idea what the Chinese have in mind when they say Western style breakfast but it was NOT Western style breakfast!!! When I think Western style breakfast, I think cereal, toast, scrambled eggs and pancakes, not steamed buns and hard boiled eggs and batter fried bananas. We then got on the bus and headed to the wharf. The plan was to go island hopping today but I think on the way to the wharf the driver got lost so the journey took longer than expected. We got on the boat and it took us about 15-20 minutes to the first island. The boat ride was quite interesting as the lake was really large that it looked like the sea and it felt like we were in the middle of now where. There wasn’t much on the first island. There was just a shop where they sod you a paper with the meaning of your Surname but I think it applied more to the Chinese people. There was also a Chinese temple but I’m not sure of what religion it was. As we kept walking, there was this contraption which allows 2 people to sit on it and it gives them the experience an astronaut would have for only 5 Yuan!!! I think no one dared to do it especially since it was perched at the edge of a cliff, on a wet rainy day and nobody thought it was safe but Joel and Wei Seng were brave enough to try it out and it looked quite fun!!! Though they said they were getting a little dizzy half way through the ride but they enjoyed it. I think after seeing them do it a lot of us wanted to try it out as well but we had no time so we headed off to the boat to head to the next island. The name of the island was The Exotic Dragon Island. There was a real life python on display there and I think the python is more pampered than us as it had a blanket covering it and even a heater. There we were also treated to a few folk dances by a minority group. In China, there are 92% Han Chinese, which are the Chinese you usually see every day and 8% minority groups, which are ethnic groups. So apparently there was also a ‘chair dance’, if you know what I mean, done by a transsexual. It was so disturbing I swear that I think most of us were traumatised by the experience and need therapy after this. Even the host who everyone, but me, thought was an old lady, turned out to be a guy. The disturbing part was that he said Kyle looked like his first love. Oh my god why!!!! We were all glad when it was time to leave this island. I think many of us rushed back to the boat. We were supposed to go to another island but the tour guide said that it wouldn’t be nice to climb it in rainy weather. So we headed off for lunch. According to our tour guide today’s lunch was supposed to be the best. I guess I have really high standards cause lunch wasn’t up to my ‘best standards’. It was filling though. I think it was the meatiest meal we’ve had so far. Then we set out to head back to Wuchang. It was about a 3 hour journey and I think the driver took a different route as it seemed much bumpier than the journey to Red Cliff.  We reached back around 4pm. Later for dinner we headed out to the Korean shop which we had gone to on one of the first few times but this time we went because Samuel had mentioned to Priscilla about this dish called Taiwan Pork Rice which was exceptionally scrumptious and it actually was. It had rice, sunny side up egg and pork bits. I think this trip was much shorter than last week’s but I enjoyed the scenery and greenery in this trip much more. 

Photos, photos and more photos:

DAY 1

Statue in the resort lobby

Decorations around the lobby

Check-in counter

Our room key

The corridor

Our beds

The window area

Closet area

Sturdy oak door

The shower area

The sink area

The view from our room

Beautiful hand sewn artwork

Clearer view of the whole lobby

Entrance to the Red Cliff

Please be prepared to see many old building as such!!

Group photo with Dr Sujit and Ms Mikia. Our last trip with them as they will be going off soon.

Beautiful river view

Shop houses

Part of an old fort

Another fort

Lookout tower

The cannon which has retired to shooting tennis balls instead of cannon balls

Asaph trying his hand at the cannon though he wasn't shooting anything.

The restauran where we had lunch

Tea again!!

Stir fried fish cake

Tofu

Of course what dish in Wuhan wouldn't be complete without capsicums!!

Fried fish

Simmered lotus root

The bowl our rice came in. So unique!!

Steamed egg. My favourite!!!

Spicy potato strips

Fungus

Bak choy

Dr Sujit looks so cute in his raincoat!!!

One of the many relics from the Red Cliff battle

Bricks from parts of the forts from the battle

Ships used during the battle

Coins from the ancient times

It never fails to amaze me that wherever we go in China we always encounter stairs

Us with our umbrellas and raincoats listening about where the ships docked during the time of the battle

The landscape around the area

Amazing greenery

The General asking us if we wanted to join him for tea.. Hahaha!!

The 4 beauties of China

Dinner; stir fried some kind of vegetable which deceived us with it's chicken look

Stir fried tofu

Cauliflower and tomato

Spicy fish

Stir fried yam

Stir fried brinjal

Fungus and egg

The view from our room at night.

DAY 2

Our so-called Western breakfast

Where we had breakfast

Us heading to the wharf

The boat we took when going island hopping

Us in the boat

The view from the boat

The houses on the small islands

Someone's house with their boat

Literally in the middle of no where

More residential areas of small islands

A group photo of us

The first island

One of the many temples

If you're gonna slip, please do it gracefully at least

The greenery around the island

The amazing view from the island

Us heading over to the temple

The amazing craftsmanship of the temple

Joss stick vat

Yet another tree being tied with red ribbons for luck

The Lucky Drum

The contraption which gives you the astronaut experience which Joel and Wei Seng were so brave enough to try

The second island

The python exhibit

Part of the python's body

The theather

The host who everyone thought was an old lady

The tribal dance

A guy playing a leaf like a flute

More tribal dance

Our lunch

My Taiwan Pork Rice dinner