‘There is still SO MUCH to see’. Anonymous.
The next three days were sea days so we had a practice run to deal with any possible pirates. The crew were stationed outside on the decks dressed in full body armour including facemasks and helmets. Passengers were to stand in the corridors away from any portholes or Windows and the crew practiced antipirate manoeuvres. The captain issued a letter as follows:
During our transit of the Indian Ocean, towards Victoria, Seychelles we will enter the Indian Ocean high risk area. There has been a significant decrease in incidents in the past few years, nevertheless, it would be inconsiderate not to take precautions.
They include:
- Amsterdam will be reporting regularly to UKMTO in Dubai. UKMTO is the United Kingdom Maritime Trade Organization who coordinates all of the coalition warships in the area assigned to antipiracy operations. We are being tracked during our transit and although we may not see them, warships are not far away.
- A close radar watch will be kept on the bridge.
- We have extra security guards and they will be rotating a 24-hour antipiracy watch.
- We have four LRADs (long-range acoustic devices) rigged, manned and ready for immediate use. These are designed to paralyse any attackers with focused loud noises.
- We will also have charge of water hoses ready for use on both sides of the lower promenade deck.
- We are making high-speed, always a good deterrent.
In the unlikely event of an attempted boarding or even if we are suspicious of a vessel you will hear one long ring of the ships alarm followed by an announcement; testing, testing, testing from the captain, staff captain or the officer on watch on the bridge. Upon hearing the announcement you are asked to move out of your staterooms and stay in corridors or an interior space, please move from the outside decks. Stay away from windows and doors; please sit down, as any manoeuvres attempted by myself may result in heeling of the ship as we will be moving at high speed, we are capable of 25 knots.
‘We need the possibility of escape just as surely as we need hope’. Edward Abbey.
We crossed the equator last night at 9 PM but thankfully no pirates. I had difficulty sleeping so I went out on the deck two stern to find one of the security guards complete with computer, telescope and other paraphernalia to identify any potential attackers. The Capt. had speeded up to 19 knots through the danger area. After that we settled down to 14 knots
The entertainment in the evening was poor with singers off key and flat and amateurish with the usual poor vibrato. There was also a so-called mentalist who claimed to see inside minds and set up with members of the audience some tricks. He said he was a professional poker player and magician and had been a mentalist for one year. He claimed to cure joint pains with hypnosis and superficially it sounded good but I suspect most of it was psychosomatic or a fake. He claimed to cure a passenger with a post radiation neck lacking in saliva but in the end the patient was fed up with the prolonged treatment and just said he was cured to end the session.
‘ALL JOURNEYS have secret destinations of which the traveller is UNAWARE’ Unknown.
Puerto Princesa. Philippines. The last visit of the Amsterdam in 2013 heralded the pilot coming on board from a dugout canoe! It was steaming and humid and thankfully a shuttle bus took us to a shopping mall. This was depressingly similar to North American malls. The traffic was dense with both cars motorcycle taxis and people. The city was founded on January 1, 1970. Some passengers went to the Subterranean River national Park to see one of the world’s longest underground rivers necessitating part of the trip in Outrigger canoes. There were unique rock formations and cathedral like chambers. When we docked for Manila we found four cruise ships in at once and again encountered horrendous traffic. It was 34°C and wilting. We went to Tagaytay to see the smallest volcano in the world, the Taal volcano which is a volcano surrounded by a lake within a volcano. We had a brief tour of Manila which is full of high-rise buildings and depressingly Americanized. It has been in turn invaded by Spanish British and Japanese as well as Americans. They have each left a rich legacy. The road signs are in English and one of the legacies of America are the presence of jeepneys. These are large taxis or small buses with very colourful decorations being one of the main sources of transport. There are few regular buses and no underground system. The city seemed to be mainly concrete with multiple high flyovers. We had a police escort for our buses as otherwise we could not move because of the traffic density. In Manila we visited the old city of intromuros (between the walls). Traditionally wealthy people lived in the area. Although Imelda Marcos, of a thousand pairs of shoes fame, had a poor reputation internationally she did a lot for the Filipinos culture and new buildings. At present there is a major clampdown on drug pushers and dealers. In the hinterland high-rise buildings proliferated in the process of construction. They are trying to make a “city of dreams” with multiple casinos which abound not only in Manila but also throughout the island. The gangway was from deck one and I loved it. Much of new Manila is on reclaimed land. I wanted to see intromuros more closely so we hired a taxi. This taxi consisted of a motorbike with a side attachment for Lesley which was just at exhaust level and she inhaled copious amounts of carbon monoxide. I was on the pillion with my feet on the motor bikes exhaust which melted my sneakers. The traffic was awful and the young driver did not know his way around and we got lost. Overall it was very frightening and I was hanging on for grim death. For me this ranked among the worst lifetime experiences. I could not think of any worse at the time. We were very pleased to finish the tour. There was not a lot to see anyway.
‘TRAVELLING. It leaves you SPEECHLESS, then turns you into a STORYTELLER’. Ibn Battuta.