Yapei Queen - Day 288

Date: June 2nd, 2010
Distance: Ferry cruise
Country: Ghana
Song of the Day: Sealegs - The Shins

I woke up with the sun today. I was ready to be up anyway though. I was pretty sore from sleeping on that wooden bench. Years ago I saw a picture of ship breakers in Bangladesh sleeping on sheets of steel (presumably cut from ships). I didn't understand how they could sleep like that. After my night I can see how it is possible. I also feel for those men.

Once I was up, I had the whole day and nothing to do. That is a weird experience for me. Almost anywhere I have been I can at least sleep to pass time. That I figure is at least giving me the rest I need. I couldn't even do that. If I had a cabin I could have slept, or watched some movies on my computer. Or done some writing. Something. Anything. Nope, I was basically confined to the back deck of the ship. I did take a shower which was great. I really needed that. I was at least clean and bored. Not having a cabin sucks. I spent most of my time just staring out as the scenery slowly passed.

The ship would stop occasionally at these tiny villages and load up with yams. These aren't like the yams I am used to. They are more like huge potatoes with a bark-like husk. The women of the village would bring them onto the ship. Each one would place an aluminum bowl of them on her head and walk out through the water out to the ship. (The Yapei Queen has a shallow draft, but it can't quite reach the shore in these villages.) I would watch the lines of women moving back and forth between the ship and shore bringing yams. Once the yams were on the ship young men would stack it into wooden crates for the journey.

That was about all there was to do. It was very pretty though. It also gave me lots of time to think...

-Dravis