Ha Long

We’d been onboard for almost two days before Jen said a word to me.

“It’s not so bad, right?” I said, as we queued for the buffet.

The deck was dimly lit with paper lanterns. There were other boats moored in the bay.

“The food’s disgusting,” Jen said. “All western crap. There’s nothing local.”

“Scenery’s pretty special, though.”

“The water’s dirty.”

She was right, of course. The food was awful, and the water was polluted.

After dinner, Jen went to bed. l nursed a beer at the bar.

A band played ‘80s covers. Things were getting rowdy. Everyone was drunk.