Day 103 North Pacific

Monday, very foggy at first light, with light rain. The sun brokethrough the clouds for about a minute in the early afternoon. The ride is still relatively smooth. I phoned home after midnight and talked to my bride. She is happy that less than a month remains of my odyssey. The total time at sea is almost double my time at sea in the Navy plus time on 3 cruise ships. I walked to the focsl after lunch. Wore my rain gear, but probably didn't need the rain pants today. The wind was brisk at 30 knots from the SSE.

We had a discussion at the noon meal about the helpfulness of the various Rickmers agents. It is important to remember that this is not a cruise ship, and passengers must be fairly self sufficient. Many agents provided no help, or offered some assistance at a steep price. The following, more or less in order, were very helpful to us. Japan, Nagoya; After whining about being stranded on the ship because Immigration is closed on the weekend, the Nagoya agent's assistant did an extraordinary job of helping us through Immigration and Customs on Monday, getting us to the train station and helping with translation. This was all at no cost to us.
Thailand; The agent drove us into Bangkok and guided us all day. There was a cost, but it was reasonable, and he was just a good guy. He even bought us Christmas puffed rice snacks that I finished only yesterday. China; The agents at all three ports were very helpful; Shanghai, Dalian, and Xingang. Viet Nam; Only George went ashore, but was happy with the agent's assistance.

The image I forwarded today is from the Fine Arts Museum of Antwerp. I like white marble sculpture. This is my all time favorite. Notice the smile. How alive! See her in Antwerpen.