Land of the Setting Sun
5/18/2007 - Captain Quarrels
There was something to be said for sleeping in a hotel that was not traditionally nice, but rather cozy instead. I slept like a cadaver, and rose feeling invigorated for the day's events. Dr. Blythe had already woken, and had already prepared a pot of Earl Grey, which I partook in. The caffeine was a welcome treat.
As the sunlight peeked through the suite’s light blue curtains, everyone gradually woke up. Ogasawara prepared a very traditional Miso soup using a variety of ingredients he’d found at a local market. He said he’d substituted chicken for tofu, which most of us agreed was a solid trade-off. I downed two bowls. It might be our last real meal for the entire trip. The rest of the food was going to consist of rations, similar to the military MREs, but without the portable heater. I’d had them before, and they were pretty shitty.
We packed up shortly afterward, and traveled to one of Taipei’s many dockyards. As soon as we caught glimpse of the magnificent vessels, our spirits were restored. Dr. Blythe in particular seemed recharged, and he segued immediately into a tale about the time he and Ogasawara had been attacked by pirates outside Somalia.
“...and then Oga, he threw me the telescope. I could see the vessel approaching eastward, a classic strafing maneuver used by Somalian pirates. I’d never seen anything like it but the Captain reassured us. Then, and I hardly believe it even now, he called up one of his men, a native Mongol and an expert bowman. I swear the bow he wielded was nearly twice the size of his body. Anyways, the guy nocks two arrows at the same time and takes aim at the pirate ship’s mast. They cut through the entire section of rope that was holding up the largest sail! It fell forward, draping itself over the ship and pirates, some of them even jumping overboard. Hands down the most skilled marksman I'd ever seen!"
I wasn't sure whether to believe his stories sometimes, but they put a smile on my face. The cabbie dropped us off roadside next to a Dr. Blythe-recommended Taipei shipyard and dock. The place was massive, with several hangars constructed of steel beams and cables hundreds of feet high. Half-built ships hung from them, suspended over the water. There was also an area for smaller boats, where we headed. I spotted a variety of tugboats sitting in the dock, including some fire-boats. They bobbed like caramel apples in the smooth, steady rhythm of the tides. Some of the ships had people on them, laying around drunk and basking in the warm sunrise. Itaki and Aubrey broke off immediately to speak with the captain of one of the larger tugboats, who tottered over to them on questionable legs. Dr. Blythe shook his head.
"Cmon James, we're not going to get swindled by some ego-bloated pseudo-Captain. I've got the perfect contact already set up." Qara and Ogasawara tagged along with us, and Qara shot me a raised eyebrow. We approached the smallest tugboat in the yard, coming aboard and immediately stepping over some poor sap asleep with half his body hanging outside the rails. The entire ship was weathered to hell and back, corrosion lining the formerly white cabin walls. Half of the windows were punched out either partially, or completely, and the ones that weren't were yellow and cracked. The entire boat looked like it was one decent storm away from splintering in half. Dr. Blythe seemed completely unphased, slamming his fist against the Captain's door. Qara pulled me aside.
"Is this guy out of his mind? You're seeing the same boat I am, right?" she whispered.
"I know he's a bit out there, but sometimes you just gotta trust his methods." Even as I said the words I doubted them. The sound of shattering glass and a few groans arose from within the cabin. The door swung wide open, and a short, muscular Asian man stood in its wake. He shielded his eyes from the sun, grimacing and squinting to look at us all. He seemed extremely annoyed until he found Dr. Blythe to his left, then became actively angry.
"Rodney, what the hell are you doing on the deck of my ship in the middle of shipping season! You know damn well I can't take anyone anywhere with all these damn orders to fulfill." His pitch-perfect English was completely startling. You'd never heard anyone call Dr. Blythe by his first name before and it left a bad taste in your mouth.
"Better than coming during typhoon season, old friend," he laughed. "Besides, I'm fairly certain we can work out a deal."
----------
The sun rose to the highest point in the sky before the captain (whose name you learned was Ganbaatar) emerged with Dr. Blythe. Before that time, Itaki and Aubrey had returned to give their good news. The captain of their vessel, the Jia Li, was willing to take us to Japan for an excellent price. Itaki, surrounded by our dingy, disgusting boat, remarked on the well-oiled machine that was the Jia Li, commenting on its superior living quarters and relatively clean state. He was in the middle of describing how he could see his reflection in the latrine's bowl when someone put a heavy hand on his shoulder, startling him.
"Any boat that clean hasn't seen the true face of the ocean. It's what the ocean does after all, it corrodes. Who am I, a servant to the sea, to go against its will for my ship?"
Dr. Blythe explained that he and Captain Ganbaatar had made an arrangement: eight thousand dollars for a round-trip to Japan. Itaki's mouth fell open in shock.
"What do you mean, eight thousand dollars? The captain of the Jia Li offered the same thing for a quarter of the price! And his ship is immaculate! Yours is crustier than the barnacles attached to the side of your pathetic tugboat!" Captain Ganbaatar scratched the side of his face with a potato chip nail, disinterested.
"Then by all means, go with your yuppie crew of sea cadets. You think this is some kind of game? There's real danger out there, and my crew is hardened." Tension mounted between the men on the dock, and you knew you had to intervene.
There was something to be said for sleeping in a hotel that was not traditionally nice, but rather cozy instead. I slept like a cadaver, and rose feeling invigorated for the day's events. Dr. Blythe had already woken, and had already prepared a pot of Earl Grey, which I partook in. The caffeine was a welcome treat.
As the sunlight peeked through the suite’s light blue curtains, everyone gradually woke up. Ogasawara prepared a very traditional Miso soup using a variety of ingredients he’d found at a local market. He said he’d substituted chicken for tofu, which most of us agreed was a solid trade-off. I downed two bowls. It might be our last real meal for the entire trip. The rest of the food was going to consist of rations, similar to the military MREs, but without the portable heater. I’d had them before, and they were pretty shitty.
We packed up shortly afterward, and traveled to one of Taipei’s many dockyards. As soon as we caught glimpse of the magnificent vessels, our spirits were restored. Dr. Blythe in particular seemed recharged, and he segued immediately into a tale about the time he and Ogasawara had been attacked by pirates outside Somalia.
“...and then Oga, he threw me the telescope. I could see the vessel approaching eastward, a classic strafing maneuver used by Somalian pirates. I’d never seen anything like it but the Captain reassured us. Then, and I hardly believe it even now, he called up one of his men, a native Mongol and an expert bowman. I swear the bow he wielded was nearly twice the size of his body. Anyways, the guy nocks two arrows at the same time and takes aim at the pirate ship’s mast. They cut through the entire section of rope that was holding up the largest sail! It fell forward, draping itself over the ship and pirates, some of them even jumping overboard. Hands down the most skilled marksman I'd ever seen!"
I wasn't sure whether to believe his stories sometimes, but they put a smile on my face. The cabbie dropped us off roadside next to a Dr. Blythe-recommended Taipei shipyard and dock. The place was massive, with several hangars constructed of steel beams and cables hundreds of feet high. Half-built ships hung from them, suspended over the water. There was also an area for smaller boats, where we headed. I spotted a variety of tugboats sitting in the dock, including some fire-boats. They bobbed like caramel apples in the smooth, steady rhythm of the tides. Some of the ships had people on them, laying around drunk and basking in the warm sunrise. Itaki and Aubrey broke off immediately to speak with the captain of one of the larger tugboats, who tottered over to them on questionable legs. Dr. Blythe shook his head.
"Cmon James, we're not going to get swindled by some ego-bloated pseudo-Captain. I've got the perfect contact already set up." Qara and Ogasawara tagged along with us, and Qara shot me a raised eyebrow. We approached the smallest tugboat in the yard, coming aboard and immediately stepping over some poor sap asleep with half his body hanging outside the rails. The entire ship was weathered to hell and back, corrosion lining the formerly white cabin walls. Half of the windows were punched out either partially, or completely, and the ones that weren't were yellow and cracked. The entire boat looked like it was one decent storm away from splintering in half. Dr. Blythe seemed completely unphased, slamming his fist against the Captain's door. Qara pulled me aside.
"Is this guy out of his mind? You're seeing the same boat I am, right?" she whispered.
"I know he's a bit out there, but sometimes you just gotta trust his methods." Even as I said the words I doubted them. The sound of shattering glass and a few groans arose from within the cabin. The door swung wide open, and a short, muscular Asian man stood in its wake. He shielded his eyes from the sun, grimacing and squinting to look at us all. He seemed extremely annoyed until he found Dr. Blythe to his left, then became actively angry.
"Rodney, what the hell are you doing on the deck of my ship in the middle of shipping season! You know damn well I can't take anyone anywhere with all these damn orders to fulfill." His pitch-perfect English was completely startling. You'd never heard anyone call Dr. Blythe by his first name before and it left a bad taste in your mouth.
"Better than coming during typhoon season, old friend," he laughed. "Besides, I'm fairly certain we can work out a deal."
----------
The sun rose to the highest point in the sky before the captain (whose name you learned was Ganbaatar) emerged with Dr. Blythe. Before that time, Itaki and Aubrey had returned to give their good news. The captain of their vessel, the Jia Li, was willing to take us to Japan for an excellent price. Itaki, surrounded by our dingy, disgusting boat, remarked on the well-oiled machine that was the Jia Li, commenting on its superior living quarters and relatively clean state. He was in the middle of describing how he could see his reflection in the latrine's bowl when someone put a heavy hand on his shoulder, startling him.
"Any boat that clean hasn't seen the true face of the ocean. It's what the ocean does after all, it corrodes. Who am I, a servant to the sea, to go against its will for my ship?"
Dr. Blythe explained that he and Captain Ganbaatar had made an arrangement: eight thousand dollars for a round-trip to Japan. Itaki's mouth fell open in shock.
"What do you mean, eight thousand dollars? The captain of the Jia Li offered the same thing for a quarter of the price! And his ship is immaculate! Yours is crustier than the barnacles attached to the side of your pathetic tugboat!" Captain Ganbaatar scratched the side of his face with a potato chip nail, disinterested.
"Then by all means, go with your yuppie crew of sea cadets. You think this is some kind of game? There's real danger out there, and my crew is hardened." Tension mounted between the men on the dock, and you knew you had to intervene.