Expedition blues and a hitchhiker

Its the 2nd month now here in Tonga onboard the boat ICE. We were suppose to be doing magnotometer work but it turns out the mag isn't working. Its unclear whether it EVER worked. It was a 2nd hand model - the previous user claimed he bought it but never used it.

So we are now back in port - we are going to freight it from Tonga, South Pacific to Canada. There is a FedEx office here so hopefully the repair/re-delivery will take about 2 weeks.

There is of course a chance that it is not the mag that is at fault. Maybe there is a kink in the 200m cable. Well, fuck.... fuck fuck fuck fuck fuck fuck fuck m,othterhgfucketingeveryshitthingis going fucking wrong. OK.... rant over.

Small shitty things- I don't know why some of the crew are so fucking adverse to taking a shower when we are at port. We have practically an unlimited supply of fresh water here which is also free if the watchman doesn't swing by and ask for a US$8 bribe fee. Don't they want to wash and be fucking clean?

I understand if we are a fucking a million miles out at sea and unable to replenish or resupply - but we are at port for frack sake.

Sure. We gotta save water - oh for fuck sake - it just rained like a fuck load of water the last month into the sea. Spare the whales - use the fucking water and take a fucking wash for fuck sake...

One of the crew members also had the fucking audacity to complain about me drinking the coffee - HELLO? I bought the fucking imported coffee beans which you are fucking using. I don't expect a fucking thank you but I do fucking object to being rudely interrupted when I'm reading Murakami and scolded for drinking coffee which I fucking bought!!!!!!

Get this  -The coffee pot only has the capacity for two cups. And the stupid greedy bitch wanted to drink two cups - ie the whole motherfucking pot.

@#$%$????????

I mean, seriously WTF is wrong with some people?????

Rant2 over....

I made some scones - everyone seemed to like them. Its easy to make - Three cups of flour, 100g of butter, 2 - 3 teaspoons of baking powder, a pinch of salt, a shake or two of cinnamon, a few strips of Tongan (bitter) mandarin peel, a dash of vanilla...

We picked up a hitchhiker - a PRC Chinese girl - 27 years of age, pretty. She worked as an auditor in China - she claims her parents work for the Nuclear program in China. She got bored of her job and decided to hitchhike around the world.

As we were about to sail off a couple of days ago - she bicycled by the wharf and chatted with us. The captain liked her and asked her to join us a few days. She seems pretty smart and capable but a little naive and foolhardy. She has been hitchhiking all the way from China. Traveling by boat, container ships even, car, bus, avoiding plane travel - through HK, Indonesia, Malaysia, NZ, Australia, Korea, Japan etc.. She was abducted in Indonesia when she was hitchhiking (she escaped by jumping out of the car and luckily finding a white knight) and robbed in Malaysia when she wandered around the streets at night looking for a place to stay (her motorcyclist robber pulled her backpack a distance but gave up cos it was too heavy).

She seems unfazed by it all - and wants to wander and hitchhike in South Africa, Middle East, and India - Our ship's electrician, also another PRC girl, warned her of the dangers for a young female traveler in those regions.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sexual_violence_in_South_Africa

But PRC hitchhiker's attitude was that there were more good people than bad people in the world.

Well, that's true... but... you have to have precautions. Its asking my trouble jumping off a boat in a fucked up place like Johannesburg with no idea of where you are going to stay that night and chat up total strangers.

(OK. I dive with sharks. But I'm not going to cover myself in blood and wrap Tuna bits all over my body and swim with them, C'mon show some common sense)

Her eyes just rolled when we gently cautioned her about the dangers. She seemed more horrified when I told her about my 400 scuba dive trips - she was mortified because of the expense.

She seems cost adverse - she had just recently arrived from Niue - she hitchhiked on a boat - I asked how she enjoyed the amazing dive conditions there - she replied she didn't want to spend the NZ$100 for the dive - and thought I was stupid for spending a week there for that purpose.

Amicable conversations between us ended about there.

When we got back to port - I tried to help her get onto the dingy to go back to shore - she refused my help. It was pitchblack and there she was stumbling into a rubber boat and trying to struggle up slippery algae slimy steps. I asked again. "Do you need help?"

"NO!", she replied.

OK, good luck. Goodbye.

Let's get out of this emo mood by listening to the gorgeous voice of Priscilla Ahn...