River Watching 朝天门

(My friend Jane contemplating the level of pollution she is breathing in while sitting on the steps of Chaotian Men.)
(The docks at dusk at Chaotian Men [chow-tyen muhn] .)
(Sunset on the steps of Chaotian Men.)

One lazy Friday afternoon my friend Jane and I headed down to the tip of the Chongqing Peninsula. Chaotian Men [chow-tyen muhn]. Jane lives about an hour away from me, we hadn't seen each other for a while so we decided to meet up and have a chat. As we walked down the sloping streets of Chongqing, we passed tons of vendors. Selling pineapple on a stick, mending clothes (operating antique-looking sewing machines), minding drink stands, chatting with other vendors. Chongqing is most assuredly not a quiet place, but definitely not a boring one at that.
While we sat on the steps of Chaotian Men (which means "see the king/heavens gate" according to my Chinese friend) gazing at the river, and the boats that were docked near by.
The boats docked there are quite old and run-down. They are rusty looking, decked out with neon lights, and boast free karaoke on board. They look tired.
Jane and I sat there 'til just before sunset. Talking, commenting on the other people around us, exclaiming about the boats. Two (other) foreigners came round, we got all excited! I had never seen them before, she had not either. They too were there to take pictures and chat. After a bit we figured we should meet our other friends for dinner on time. Chaotian Men is one of the best places to chat idly in Chongqing.