Sympathy for the Devils
Even when reduced to a mass consumption, school dinner, kind of experience, travelling by boat should still have a deal of romance attached to it; maybe even a taste of adventure. The search for the room and the fist thump checking of bunks and pillows should add rather than subtract. The view from the window, rounded at the edges but not really a porthole, should be far more interesting than the view from a car. There should be places to explore and things to discover. There should be deck quoits and leisurely strolls before retiring to a cabin for drinks and nibbles. Reality bites as I brush the rice off my chair to sit and eat my one price, all you can eat dinner. Fear of a rough crossing and the prospect of becoming reacquainted with my food at a later date takes the edge of my appetite. Some people clearly do not suffer from such apprehension and feel the need to make the most of the one plate offer. The boat kicks up clouds of mud an...