I opted for the Chinese cruise instead of the international one. It makes for more interesting traveling. The tour agency gave me a sheet of paper with some phrases in Mandarin on it. Nobody on the boat speaks English so this should be a bit of a trial. I’ve packed my bags with granola bars, dried fruit and the processed meat sticks the Chinese love to snack on. The canteen sells limited meals of greasy noodles and other unpalatable, nameless dishes.
Inside the ship the floor buckles and groans as I duck to fit through the low passageways. The sights are interesting but unremarkable generally covered in the dense fog usually reserved for Chinese cities. More interesting are my fellow passengers. Up on the sun deck they huddle in little groups under the awning avoiding the sun playing cards and constantly eating. There is a fight for the plastic seats anytime we leave and get back on the boat.
Near dusk as everyone eats dinner things start to heat up a bit. Riotous singing emanates from the Karaoke room below decks. A lone man missing a shirt drunkenly belts out tunes for his fellow travelers. Up top the men bring out clear liquor, passing around shots of the fiery substance. As it gets darker and people start to retire below deck they start to sing folk songs. Two older men with their feet up on the rails lead. As one forgets the words the other fills in and continues. I stare out at the darkness and the lights from a nearby town twinkling down the river. A little girl has taken her parents camera and keeps trying to take my picture, flashing the camera in my face. She tries to act stealthily but the obviousness of her intention is quite funny. The river continues to pass on in the darkness.
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