The Great Voyage (3)
After leaving New York Harbor, the first stop of the Queen Anne’s round-the-world voyage was Iceland, a journey in pursuit of the aurora. But to reach it, they first had to endure several long days of rolling seas, crossing more than half of the Atlantic.
At sea, the most abundant thing is time. Far from the bustle of the city and the anxieties of real life, the passengers have hours to spare, reading, listening to music, watching operas and performances, or simply lying on deck chairs, sipping a cocktail, gazing at the blue sea and white waves, and remaining there for an entire day.
A massive ocean liner drifting across the sea is like a moving castle, and also like a small, isolated country. Here, if one is inclined, one can meet all kinds of people, of every complexion and face: newlyweds on their honeymoon, three-generation families traveling together, lone backpackers, and wanderers who take the ship as their home.
People meet, get acquainted, and talk. Perhaps perfunctory, perhaps heartfelt, perhaps a fleeting romance for a single night. Yet there is an unspoken understanding that everything lasts only for the duration of this voyage. Once they disembark, they will scatter to the ends of the earth.
Tan Guhong also met a few people, chance encounters, only a handful of exchanged words. But more often, she spent her time with Luo Jingming.
There was no deliberate effort on either side, it simply happened naturally. She could not deny that he was a very good travel companion. They were in sync, effortlessly attuned to each other. As for anything beyond that, she had no intention of thinking further.
No one mentioned the tango from that night again, as if it had only been a midnight dream.
The weather at sea was unpredictable, at times calm and still, at times lashed by wind and rain. The closer they sailed toward the Arctic Circle, the worse the weather became. Some outdoor activities on the ship were partially closed, and their range of movement was suddenly cut in half. During breakfast, a topic sparked by the milk in their cups led Tan Guhong and Luo Jingming, out of sheer boredom, to start calculating.
This cruise ship had eighteen decks, a thousand cabins, and carried more than 2,500 people including passengers and crew. The demand for food was staggering. Taking just the fresh milk supplied at breakfast as an example, the daily consumption was roughly—
“Five thousand pints,” Luo Jingming announced.
Tan Guhong was skeptical. “That much?”
“To be precise, 4,857 pints. That’s the official average figure. Don’t forget, seventy percent of the people on this ship are Westerners.”
“All right.”
She conceded helplessly, having forgotten to factor in the dietary differences between East and West. But then another thought crossed her mind.
“Before refrigeration existed, did that mean people on ships couldn’t drink fresh milk?”
He smiled and shook his head. “They could. More than a hundred years ago, people would bring cows directly onto the ship.”
“Really?” she asked in surprise. “Where would they keep them?”
“They’d be hung in slings on the deck outside the dining hall. Back then, milking cows was a required skill for restaurant staff on board.”
She couldn’t help but laugh, lifting the glass in front of her.
“Here’s to advanced technology, letting us drink fresh milk anytime in the middle of the ocean, without having to trouble those poor cows.”
They clinked their glasses of milk with mock solemnity, as if truly toasting the cows that had once been suspended outside the decks a century ago.
Tan Guhong looked out through the glass wall at the surging sea and sighed.
“We’ll reach Iceland tomorrow.”
Perhaps their luck had not been very good. Not only had the weather been poor, they had not seen the main attraction, the aurora, at all.
“In fact, this isn’t the best time to see the Northern Lights,” Luo Jingming said. “Late autumn to early spring is ideal. It’s already the end of May now. Seeing the aurora at this time really depends on luck.”
As they sailed farther north, the days grew longer and the nights shorter, and the aurora could only be clearly seen in the night sky.
She gave a soft snort, accusing him, “You’re deceiving consumers.”
He smiled with polite composure, gentle and refined. “That’s clearly stated in the travel contract. After all, we can’t control nature. Miss Consumer, next time you sign a contract, you might want to read the terms carefully beforehand.”
She pressed a hand to her forehead and sighed in mock despair. “As expected, no merchant is without cunning.”
…
The Queen Anne’s bad luck continued into the next day as they entered Reykjavik harbor. The weather remained overcast with fine rain.
Reykjavik, the capital of Iceland and its largest port, is the world’s northernmost capital, nestled among snow-covered mountains, facing the rolling sea and breathing pure air. It holds both the elegance and chill of Northern Europe, as well as a sense of isolation and quiet ease, as though set apart from the world. It carries the wildness of Viking seafarers and the legends of an elf kingdom. It is the edge of the world, a cold fairyland.
There are many beautiful small islands near the city, but because of the weather, boats from the harbor to the islands were suspended for the entire day, dampening the enthusiasm of many cruise passengers.
But Tan Guhong and Luo Jingming still braved the wind and rain to disembark, deciding to take a simple tour of the city. They did not follow the cruise’s arranged group tours, choosing instead to rent a car and drive on their own. By now, the two of them were already quite accustomed to this kind of travel.
At the turn of late spring and early summer, Iceland was neither bitterly cold nor covered in snow. Though it lacked some of its more iconic features, the temperature was perfectly suitable for sightseeing.
The ship was docked from nine in the morning until eight in the evening. With limited time, it was impossible to take in all the sights of the city, so they chose a classic route.
The Sun Voyager sculpture standing alone by the sea carried a strong postmodern aura. Hallgrímskirkja was grand and solemn. The glass façade of the Harpa Concert Hall, veiled by rain, resembled a translucent crystal palace. Tjörnin in the city center had become a paradise for wild ducks and swans. Iceland itself has a sparse population, and in the off-season for tourism, there were even fewer people on the streets. The drizzle draped the city in a thin veil of mist, while the gray clouds overhead deepened its somber stillness. Though their visit was hurried, overall, it was a very beautiful journey.
At noon, they went to the most famous hot dog stand in Iceland. Its storefront looked entirely unremarkable, yet a long line stretched outside. Sharing a single umbrella, Tan Guhong and Luo Jingming chatted as they queued, foolishly waiting for quite a long time before finally tasting the so-called “best hot dog in the world.”
When they took the first bite, the two of them looked at each other, then burst into laughter at the same time.
To be honest, it was quite tasty, but not nearly as exaggerated as people claimed.
Luo Jingming wiped the sauce from his fingertips with a napkin as he said, half in consolation, “At least, no matter what, we’ve tried it.”
Tan Guhong smiled and sighed. “All right.”
What else could they do?
“But thinking about it, it’s still quite amazing,” she said with a faint smile. “Half a month ago I was in a city on the equator, and half a month later I’m already in the capital closest to the Arctic Circle. In modern times, it’s nothing worth making a fuss over, but experiencing it myself, it still feels very interesting.”
Of course, the most amazing thing was that the person traveling beside her was still him. Half a month ago, it was him eating grilled cuy with her at a roadside stall at the foot of El Panecillo Hill in Quito. Half a month later, it was still him, standing with her on a street in Reykjavík, eating a viral hot dog. From the equator to the Arctic, either it was fate, or it was intention.
She let out a quiet sigh inwardly, finished the hot dog in a few quick bites, tossed the paper tray into a nearby trash bin, then patted Luo Jingming on the shoulder and said sincerely,
“Thanks for backpacking on a budget with me all this way!”
…
By the time they headed back, the rain had stopped. There was still some time before departure. As they approached the harbor, Luo Jingming suddenly turned the car left.
Tan Guhong frowned in confusion. “Where are we going?”
Luo Jingming smiled. “The old harbor.”
She still did not understand. The Queen Anne was docked at Reykjavík’s new harbor, so the old harbor must have been partly abandoned. Why go there?
But he only smiled without explaining, driving all the way to the old harbor pier. Compared to the busy new port, it was naturally quieter and more worn. There were no large cruise ships or cargo vessels coming and going, only a few small boats moored along the shore.
By the water was a rigid inflatable boat, clearly waiting for some time already. Two white men sat there idly. The taller, thinner one spotted them, jumped up, and waved his arm with excitement.
“Here!”
Still baffled, Tan Guhong was led aboard the boat by Luo Jingming. She took the waterproof thermal suit and life jacket he handed her.
“We’re going out to sea?”
“Yeah. How about considering eloping with me?” he joked, half serious, half teasing.
“You’re just going to abandon a ship as big as the Queen Anne?” she laughed. “Besides, this is already the edge of the world. Where else would we run to?”
After they finished gearing up, the tall, thin guy informed the driver to start the boat and blew a whistle.
“Adventure begins!”
The boat sped forward at full power, leaving the harbor in an instant. The salty wind and spray rushed against their faces. Only then did Luo Jingming finally explain the purpose of the trip.
“Iceland has an excellent natural environment, with a wide variety of wildlife. Many animal lovers head out from the old harbor to watch whales and seabirds. This is the fastest and most convenient option.”
The tall, thin guide added cheerfully, “There are three routes. One for puffins, one for seals, and the one we’re taking is for whale watching.”
“Whales?”
“That’s right!”
He pulled a wrinkled leaflet from his pocket and handed it to Tan Guhong. She glanced at it. It showed the route and pictures of whales.
The guide’s voice went on and on beside her, filled with biological terminology she could not quite follow. So Luo Jingming leaned close and translated for her, sentence by sentence.
“He’s saying that along the route we’ll commonly see four species: minke whales, humpback whales, white-beaked dolphins, and harbor porpoises. If we’re lucky, we might also see fin whales, orcas, pilot whales, and basking sharks. Besides marine animals, there are sometimes seabirds too, like puffins, seagulls, cormorants, and northern fulmars. It’s a pity the weather’s cloudy today. Otherwise, from here you could see the nearby Reykjanes Peninsula and Snæfellsnes Peninsula.”
She asked him, “Why did you suddenly decide to come whale watching?”
“Because whales are the most intelligent, the most mysterious, and also the most solitary and the most free creatures in the deep sea.”
He smiled, lowering his voice. “I thought you might like them.”
In May, Iceland’s days are long and its nights short. At this moment, the sky was still bright, and as the dark clouds cleared, the weather gradually turned fair. Seabirds passed overhead from time to time.
After about half an hour, they reached the whale-watching area. On the surface of the sea ahead, a deep blue mass slowly emerged, like a moving, mysterious piece of land. Suddenly, a tall column of water burst upward from it, forming a faint rainbow under the sunlight.
The guide pointed, smiling. “Look! A minke whale breathing!”
Before Tan Guhong could take a closer look, the water to the left of the boat suddenly stirred. A massive whale’s tail rose lazily from beneath the surface, like the wing of an eagle, tracing a perfect arc in the air, sending up white spray, before slipping back into the sea and vanishing.
She let out a soft gasp. The image lingered on her retinas.
Then, near and far, that deep blue shape rose and fell beneath the waves. She could feel it clearly. Beneath them, under the small boat, in the vast ocean, there lay that deep and silent force. It was a god of the deep sea, the guardian of the blue abyss, the eternal voiceless singer of this planet, the lonely traveler.
She suddenly thought of the loneliest whale in the world, singing at a frequency no other whale could hear, drifting alone through the cold North Atlantic for a lifetime, waiting to encounter another solitary whale.
Almost unconsciously, she turned to look at him, wanting to say something, only to meet his gaze.
His eyes were deep and boundless, flecked with starlight in the darkness, like drifting ice upon the sea, like the small boat they were at this very moment.
All around them was endless expanse, a boundless ocean. Fish leapt from the depths, birds settled upon the water. You and I rise and fall with the waves, asking nothing of east or west.
It was a moment, only a moment.
And yet, in an entire lifetime, perhaps such moments are all we ever truly have…
Suddenly, a whale burst out of the water beside them with a thunderous splash. Seawater surged over, drenching the two of them halfway through.
The guide shouted excitedly, “Ah, an orca!”
As if waking from a dream, Tan Guhong laughed, wiping the water from her face.
“An orca.”
Luo Jingming smiled as well, lowering his gaze as he murmured softly,
“Mm. An orca.”
✦
m&m: whales as symbols of loneliness will never not make me cry 🥲 my favorite chapter so far
Today’s Film Recommendation:
The Secret Life of Walter Mitty (2013, United States)
Location: Greenland, Iceland, the Himalayas and more.
Synopsis: Walter is a manager in charge of the negative assets department at a magazine who loves to daydream. He often enters a sort of “trance,” imagining himself doing all kinds of incredible things. But when he returns to reality, he realizes that his actual life is nowhere near as legendary as the one in his imagination. One day, when a photograph sent by the adventurous photographer Sean O’Connell, played by Sean Penn, goes missing, Walter decides to set out and look for him himself. And so begins an incredible adventure.
Recommendation: In modern urban life, with its endless busyness, who doesn’t long for a trip taken on a whim? From New York to Greenland, from Iceland to the Himalayas, the magnificent mountains and seas make this practically a breathtaking travel film in its own right. On top of that, there’s a witty and entertaining story, a plot that unfolds almost like a mystery, and a romance between the two leads woven throughout. In the end, when the mystery is finally revealed, it is deeply moving.
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