A New Life

I like Sibu. It's a little cramped and the traffic is chaotic but there is a certain air of quaintness around it. The food is excellent.

I'm staying at my friend's former employer's house. The house is beautiful. And they have wifi. Our hostess has been nothing but nice to us.

By the way, there are two people on this trip. Me and my friend.

I start my GMDSS GOC course tomorrow so I don't think I'll be going anywhere tonight. Maybe dinner.

We arrived here yesterday afternoon. Let me say that getting here by express boat is much, much more comfortable than by bus. I stayed topside the entire trip. It was great. I could walk around, smoke cigarettes, enjoy the view and take some pictures. The trip took four hours. Imagine if we had stuck to our original plan and used the bus. The trip would have taken 6-7 hours and we'd be stuck on a bus the entire time. So the boat beats the bus. Except when the weather is bad.

The ticket costs 45 bucks. You can't book in advance. You just go to the Express Wharf in Pending (it's by the KPA building) board the boat and choose a seat. When the boat gets underway, a conductor will go around. You pay the man and take your ticket. Do not lose the ticket. Later they will check you again.

I enjoyed the trip very much. So if you're thinking about going to Sibu consider taking the express boat. It's very cool.

We went to a bar last night to meet up with my friend's friend who happens to be the Chief Officer on board a service vessel. We got some great tips on life at sea and heard some really good stories. Very cool guy. He promised to back us up if we're interested in joining his company.

There are in fact many, many, many companies working at sea whether in oil and gas or merchant shipping. Also true is the fact that not a lot of people want to lead a seaman's life. That's good news for me. Less competition.

Well, there you go. This is the start of a new part of my life. I'm hoping it will be a successful part.

Right now, I'm thinking about what I was doing at work last week. It's been only a few days but it feels like a lifetime ago.