Sorry I have not been posting much lately. I have been hard at work 16 hours a day at the ports in and around Nagoya. Above is a shot I took of the sunrise behind a container ship, a customer from yesterday. The Chief Engineer on that ship was crazy. Imagine a Korean Tommy Lee Jones constantly packing around a big wrench with his hair standing on end because he just woke up, who can’t speak English and must communicate to his Filipino crew through a series of grunts and finger pointing, and since they can’t understand him he gets pissed off and starts yelling at them in Korean, which obviously facilitates even less communication. Other than the crew in-fighting, this ship went smooth because I didn’t have to descend to the tanker 50 feet below hanging off of a Jacob’s ladder blowing in the wind. Thank Poseidon.

I also got a sunset shot on the same day from the deck of a coal ship registered in Liberia and crewed by a mixture of gold-toothed Ukranians and bundled-up Filipinos. This time I had to clamber up and down the rope ladder. At 65 feet the longest I have had to tackle since starting starting the job last week. Being windy and freezing cold, it was difficult going. Of course, speed is of the essence, which doesn’t help the situation. Curse Poseidon.

The hours are long, and the job is difficult at times, but so far it is a good experience. I might finally be able to get over my fear of low-heights, and am learning how to speak like a Japanese dockworker, which is sweet. Best of all, I am witness to the underbelly of the global trade infrastructure, and it is amazing. I will post pictures when I can on Flickr.

At least I haven’t been hit by a submarine ...

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