Post.....15, Somewhere on the Chinese coast.

We left H.K.as quietly as we sailed into the harbour in the evening dusk,
full ahead for a destination in China which until this day I don't know or can not remember the port of call.
All I know is that it was at night when we arrived,really cold,damp,rain and dark,.
I believe it was just a port of call for re-fuelling. maybe the oil was cheaper there.
Nobody that I know of went a shore, not even the passengers.
I spent a lot of my time in the engine room at this particular time,
It was warm and comfortable down there.
We left as quickly as we arrived, a stay of no more than 12 or 16 hours,the next port of call was Kobe in Japan.

Post 14.....Hong Kong

A 24 hour turn around in Darwin was ok with me, not really a tourist place in those days, but just a stopping off place for refuelling and provisions.

We left Darwin and headed straight up to Hong Kong, very cold and misty place, and I think I can use the words mysterious also.
We had a 5 day turn around here, the chinese flooded aboard, set up shop in the ships alleyways,and sold just about everything you could imagine.
I purchased to suits, made in 24 hours, and kept them for at least 3 years after that.
We had chinese in the engine room bilges, cleaning and painting,and smoking opium at the same time, at least I think it was opium.
While this was going on,there were chinese outside chipping and re painting the hull of the Chusan white, extraordinary sight to see, all these guys balancing on ropes hung down from the railings..
Surprisingly nobody fell into the water or got hurt.

I had several trips ashore with my fellow engineers, while off watch, we took the ferry to Kowloon and toured the red light district of clubs and pubs and beautiful girls.
My eyes were opened wide on this visit, but sorry no details..
All in all, Hong Kong was my first visit to the far east, and I remember it today, as clear as it was in 1967.

A great visit, then we upped anchor and left, destination CHINA,

Post 13.....

We headed out to the great blue leaving circular quay behind, I was off watch and at the stern of the Chusan, so I saw the Sydney harbour bridge get smaller and smaller as we sailed away from Sydney.
Our next port off call was Auckland,New Zealand.
From there we went to Fiji in Samoa and up to Darwin, Australia.

This was a very dry and desertless place,
I through an apple in the sea water,it was devoured by fish in a matter of seconds, scary thought if you decided to go for a swim.

post 12.....Just returned from Sydney

We have just returned from our visit to Sydney,the last visit was over 40 years ago,
when SS Chusan called into circular quay and stayed for 6 days on a short maintenance period to take on supplies and passengers.
Wow!!, What a beautiful city, so many changes and modernization over the last 40 years.
Peter Doyle's restaurant on circular quay, at the foot of Sydney Harbour bridge was my favourite restaurant of all the restaurants that we dined in , super food at a reasonable prices, bravo Peter..
We found Darling Harbour, not only a beautiful family corner, but a very friendly tourist area with so many things to see, with a very high quality of restaurants of different types of cuisine.
A plus, was the things to do, to see, we loved the harbour movements with the ferries and cruises,darling harbour to circular quay and visa versa, is my favourite, under the bridge,the smell of sea air and the magnificent views,..
Bravo Australia !!!!.
Sydney, I like you, a city you are, a city that talks,
A city of the old ways and a city of our new modern ways.
You won me over and I,we, will come again, soon I hope...............

But now I must return to my younger days of 1967, and complete my voyage.

Part 11..... Sydney, half way point.

It's funny, but today I leave for Sydney,7th February 2010,
In 1967, it was my 1st visit there.

From Melbourne to Sydney Harbour (Circular Quay)was a very calm an uneventful journey of a few days.
It was a pleasure to see,also a pleasure to leave.

I will be spending a few days in Sydney so I will hold my conversation until I get back, surprises are waiting for me,that I am sure.
40 years and more after my 1st visit, the changes must be enormous.
So let's go on vacation!!.

Part 10.....Arrival at Melbourne.

The bay of Melbourne was huge, we docked like we do in most other ports.
This time I had shore leave and managed a trip around Melbourne city with some guys who were working the same watch as I.

What I always remember about Melbourne, even today, is the old train from the port to the city boundary.
This was an old train with hard wooden seats,a sight which was really from the old days, the colonial days, but this was my view and picture in 1967.
I wonder if it's still there?.
Also I remember walking through the shopping centers to adjoining shops across the high streets by overhead enclosed walk ways, unusual for me to see this, as it did not exist in the UK at this time, 1967.
We,as young guys checked out the local bars, but no heavy drinking, watch keeping and work were the order of the day and waiting for us on our return.
Not much to say about Melbourne, just that it was a very large city,very busy,and really Australian, real nice place.
I know we did a lot more things and saw a lot more, but I just can't remember at this moment in time,never mind ..

Part 9.....Well talked about Australia.

Little did I know, but this huge great Continent as the World knows as Aussie today, would be come a great talking point in my life, and in fact change my life.

We left Perth under blazing sunshine (en route) for Adelaide, a few days at sea, 'getting to know you time' with the new embarked passengers, some for a short trip, others going back to Southampton ,England.

We arrived at Adelaide, with an approx. 24 hour layover, disembarkation, embarkation was the order of the day.
No shore leave, so I didn't get to see this city, just the same it had
a very dominant Colonial look about her.
We sailed from Adelaide the next day for Melbourne where we would stay for about 3 days.
Maybe here I will get the chance to visit another part of AUSSIE.

All these 18th century sailors, world conquerors, James Cook being the number 1 in the English Language.
These times must have been fantastic, not knowing what to expect, eat, see, the people they would meet,(hostile or non hostile).
I did not actually feel like they did, but the excitement and curiosity was there for me, each time we arrived at another Port or destination that had been discovered by our predecessors.
They also sailed all this way in small WOODEN galleons or ships with wind sails...
Fantastic achievements when you consider the distance, time it takes today, and the weather changes.
Not forgetting the Academics of those days, who thought the world was FLAT.

We approached our destination, Melbourne, first visit for me, I am not James Cook, or a Captain, just a young man, satisfying his adventurous needs,
And this first trip at sea for me is certainly adventurous and far from over.