We arrive on time this morning – Captain’s time because if you listen to Ted, the CD, or read the Patter, the times are always different than the itinerary – and from what the Captain says. So we’ve learned by now to listen to the Captain, and not rely on anything else. This morning we are one of the first off the ship, because it is a short call and we have an all day tour booked just for the 2 of us. We need to take a shuttle to the port gate, which is rumored to start at 8:30, but we’re out on dock a little after 7 and the ship’s crew says the gate shuttle will start shortly. And it does…trust your instincts, not the Patter!
We’re on the first shuttle and outside the gates by 7:30, which is a little early for our pick up time, but nonetheless, our guide, Il Son, and driver whose name I think he said was Howard, are already there waiting for us. They are both young and adorable, and whisk us off to our first stop which is the Fishing Village right near the port. On the way, Il Son explains he moved to the city from the country 10 years ago, but Howard is local to the city and a “professional driver.” Great! We can take the short cuts then!
It is a very quick trip to the fishing village where Howard drops us off as Il Son begins his narrative. This is one of the biggest fishing villages on the coast. I don’t know how many fishing boats come in and out of here, but there are hundreds here now. As we walk down the pier, we pass processing areas where woman are crouched over tubs filled with fish and squid, cleaning them before separating them into other tubs for processing.
….he also explains why the women are in the fish house, the fishermen are very superstitious and don’t want women on the boats. Since boats are considered female, they worry the boats will become jealous if a woman comes aboard, so they are not allowed. If a woman does come aboard, the fisherman will have another man come and pray (which Il Son pronounces “spray” and it takes us a good long while to figure out what he means!) over the boat. There are also bows and cloth or flower-like “necklaces” placed on the front of each boat for good luck and in hopes of satisfying the “lady” boat.
Further down the pier we come across a boat unloading it’s catch. It’s amazing the size of the haul and the amount of ice on the bottom of the boat to keep the fish fresh.
There is an ice house at the end of the pier that delivers the ice, then puts it on a conveyor apparatus that crushes it and sends it into the hold of the boat. Most of the fish here will go to animal feed, but some of the better quality will make its way to restaurants and local people for food as well.
Towards the end of the pier, we finally see a large boat. It’s pretty impressive that these guys go out on these boats, in the open ocean, for days or weeks at a time. As Il Son says, they are like the fisherman’s little apartments – they live there, and consider it home, and when at dock they visit each other just like a regular home.
Back out on the road, we head up into the hills around the city for the Upper Pagoda. We, of course, are the first ones there and pretty much have the run of the place. There is a ceremony going on, all the village women are there, offering food for the monks, so we content ourselves with walking around the outside of the large pagoda and carefully avoiding the monkeys in residence.
The architecture is lovely, as usual with Buddhist temples, the Naga on the stair railing, the cornices, the stupas (mausoleums really), all make a wonderful peaceful and pretty place to worship up here on the mountain.
There is also a lovely patio with a view across the city, where we spend a few minutes looking out over the town, and posing for photos across from the main temple.
Next stop, the primary school.
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