Traveling the World

When I took this photo, I was standing atop a huge tower which overlooks the Yangtze River. To get here, you must pay 60rmb ($8.50) and walk a lot. The walk up the “mountain” to reach the tower is steep, but the scenery here is a nice change from the city that surrounds it. The tower gives you a 360 degree look at all three former cities Wuchang, Hankou, and Hanyang, which grew into each other to form Wuhan.

The Yangtze River has been extremely important to China for as long as people have lived here. The presence of a water source means those traveling (nomads/settlers) can survive. For this reason, you’ll find settlements and modern cities around the world that developed on or near a river or lake. Today, the river is heavily polluted and is about 50% biologically dead. Looking at it up close, it smells terrible and looks worse. Still, it’s a huge tourist destination and river cruises are in high demand.