You would think it would be places that stuck in my mine and while the places play a part it is the people I met at those places that stay in my memory. Here are a few of the places and the people.
Cartagena, Colombia – This was my first tour and what sticks in my mind is the guide. He told us a lot about life in Colombia and how people made a living. He had taught himself English and French and made his living doing tours. What I remember most was him telling us how the government paid people who could not find work and that was a high percentage of the population. . The amount was not enough to support anyone so the people looked for other ways to bring in money. That he said was why we saw so many people on the street trying to sell us things. What struck me and what he did not say was that he had done exactly what they were doing. He taught himself two different languages and by doing so carved a living out for himself.
Napier, New Zealand – My card in my Nikon SLR went bad. In today's terms this is an old camera (6 years old) and will not take the huge memory cards cameras today use. I went into a camera shop and the owner had to search high and low to find a replacement card small enough to work. It was really great customer service for something that sold for 7.95 in New Zealand dollars.
Wellington, New Zealand – I had done all the sight seeing for the day and was sitting on a beach in the harbor using free wifi (something all cruiser look for) when a local couple joined me. We had a wonderful visit about thing to look for in New Zealand and about the World Cruise I was on.
Kangaroo Island, Australia – Here it was the lady who took me back to her house to see the two baby kangaroos she was fostering. It was a big treat for me and something she did not have to do. We had a great visit and I learned a lot about the island from her.
Fremantle, Australia – I left the ship and rode the free bus around the city. While waiting an Aborigines woman sat down in the bus stop with me. We started talking and I told her I was visiting the city. She made sure I knew how the busses worked, when to get on and off and a little about herself. She could have ignored me, instead she went out of her way to try to make sure I had a wonderful visit in a city she loved.
Bali, Indonesia – This was a big change for me. I found that I did not really like the tours and I had gone out on my own at other ports but had never hired anyone to drive me around. I did that for the first time in Bali and I was very nervous when I did it. (There is a picture of my driver on one of my posts). We talked the entire time. It started by him thanking me for giving him the opportunity to work and earn money. He told me about his wife and two daughters. His goal was to earn enough money to buy a house and not have to rent. He had endless questions about me and my family. He did not own the car. Someone in Australia owned it and he was very thankful that he was allowed to drive it. He only got ¼ of what he charged but he was happy with that. His dreams were very small by US standards. What he mostly wanted was the opportunity to work and earn a living. When we got back to the ship he got out of the car, and hugged me. He gave me his card in case I ever got back so I was to hire him again. After that I was much more confident about hiring someone and going off on my own.
Puerto Princesa, Philippines - Here there was another young man I hired to show me around. I walked up from the ship into town. The town was filled with their homemade vehicles. At the heart of the vehicle was a small motorcycle with a covered sidecar that made it a three-wheeled vehicle. There were two small seats that faced each other. The young man I hired had offered to give me a tour of the town several times. When I needed a bathroom and had no idea where one was I hired him for $20.00 (he named the price I did not) as long as he got me to a bathroom. He took me to MacDonalds. From there he took me all over the city. Like my driver in Bali, he told me about his family and his dreams. He had two daughters and lived in one of the houses build out over the water. You could build there for free but there were time that the water came in the houses. His wife had left him and his mother kept the girls (age 2 and 4) while he worked. Like the guide in Columbia he had taught himself English. He rented but did not own the vehicle. He wanted land to build a house but between vehicle rent and food he said he never had any extra money to buy his own vehicle. He also asked a lot of questions about me life and my family. He took very good care of me. He was always out and around to help me out at all stops even though I did not really need any help. He saw I found many bathrooms. His vehicle was not registered with the port so he borrowed one that was registered so he could take me all the way to the ship. It was one of the best times I had on the whole trip and when I paid him I made sure that for one day he had extra money.
Colombo, Sri Lanka – Here I hired a taxi to give me a tour. The gentleman was older than the previous two and was very interesting. Like the others he wanted to know about me and my family. He was the only one who wondered why I was alone. He loved talking about his city. I got a lot of information about natural medicine. He was another one who gave me his card so I could hire him if I came back. We were gone half a day and he had another tour in the afternoon. I was out on dock at the shops when he got back from that tour and he come over to speak when he left his passengers out.
Walvis Bay, Namibia – There was a difference in attitudes when we got to Africa. There is still a lot of deep-seated resentment there. Mr. Alex (who only told me his name after I asked) did not talk much. He took me everywhere he promised but getting him to talk to me took a lot of effort. He asked no questions about me or where I was from. So why do I remember him? I remember how surprised he was when I asked if I could take his picture and how big he smiled when I as taking it. It was the only time he did smile during the entire trip.
St. Lucia – The last one was at the last stop. I took a taxi to the beach. When I got ready to leave I went to the taxi stand. There are no meters so we agreed on a price and I got in the taxi. The driver was older (on the way back he told me he was 86). We were just pulling out when another taxi pulled along side. That driver opened the back door of the taxi I was in and told me to get out because it was his turn to take a passenger. I refused to get out. The two drivers argued but not in English while the other driver and I were discussing it in English. I kept refusing to get out because I had not hired him and I was going with the driver I hired. It was funny after the fact. I did stay in the taxi I hired and I could tell the driver was really enjoying the fact that I refused to get out. I had a nice visit with my driver on the way back to the ship. He had been to the states and I invited him to come to Northwest Arkansas on one of his trips. He was another one who gave me a card and told me to be sure to let him know if I ever came back and needed a taxi.
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