Ha Long Bay
Northern Viet Nam 2005
Huge orange-colored sails like butterfly wings sprouted from the upper deck of our cruise boat at Ha Long Bay. A canopy covered the upper deck where wicker chairs and little tables that meant we would be served cool drinks as we gazed upon the strange rock formations that Ha Long Bay is famous for. Sweet!
An hour or so later, I stood on that deck trying to do photographic justice to that unbelievable landscape. Somehow the boat never seemed to be exactly where I needed it to be. I needed some foreground, some focal point, some spot of light or color. Nope. A humidity filled vapor rose from the water and diffused the light from the setting sun. The sky, sea, trees, shrubs and rocky outcroppings morphed into a mass of greeny/gray.
A crushing heat and humidity added to my frustration. All those cool drinks I had envisioned worked only while I was swallowing. As soon as I put my glass down, I became torpid and stuporous. It was all I could do to keep from running below deck to our air-conditioned state-room.
Then this lovely little fishing boat hove into view. I leapt from my chair, all energy and alertness now. I put him on the 1/3 line and, lo and behold, the karst mountains lined up as well and I had a lovely scene where the channel through the rocks leads the eye from front to back.
Moral of the story: Wait.