Eric's Beijing Diary

My berth on the river boat.
Sitting here in the galley of the river boat, which is wending its way through the Grand Canal to Suzhou. It's almost one o'clock in the morning, but I went to bed at 8:30, so now I'm wide awake--one of those things. Actually, this boat is not overly crowded. I'm the only one in my cabin, but there are large vent holes in the bulkhead, so if I keep the light on, it might disturb my kind neighbors. So, I came up here to the galley. No one here except one sailor playing solitaire.

The Grand Canal, all told, is some 1000 miles in length. The northern portion is largely silted in, I'm told, due to lack of use, and therefore, lack of maintenance, but the southern part is still used quite heavily. This section between Hangzhou and Suzhou was built in the Seventh Century, but has been refurbished recently. Well, that is, if you can call the Ming Dynasty recently. Four hundred years isn't that long, right? Remember, we're talking about China.

I boarded this old tub last night at about 6 pm. My neighbors invited me into their cabin. They were eating some delicious jerky or something. It was a very tasty roast beef. I sat there with them for awhile, but I didn't want to eat all their food, so I went up the galley. You know how it is in a Chinese restaurant--you order several dishes, then share them. But when you're alone, it's awkward. So I just ordered a plate of green vegetables. Some other folks saw me and invited me to their table. I appreciated their generosity, but you know, it's a bit awkward, too. Here's the problem: If you are by yourself, you end up eating a little bit of each dish and leaving the rest. But if you are invited by some strangers, they won't let you pay, so you feel like a bum, and that's not good either. When I was a kid hitchhiking across the country, then I was a bum. People would always buy food for me. But that doesn't bother me so much. Kids are kids. They're supposed to be bums. A little. But now, I'm 52 years old. I don't mind paying my own way, I just don't want to buy and pay for a meal for three people and then throw two thirds of it away.