The crew lives on a ship, and when life is boring enough, going to a poor country can also make the crew excited, and even forget the taste of loneliness. Yes, Haiti is such a country that all sailors love to visit. On weekdays, the crew lives on the ship, facing a group of old men every day, although there are also gyms, sports halls, singing rooms, entertainment rooms and other places on the ship, but our crew has long felt that those are boring.
In search of pleasure, the crew has gone beyond the living quarters and started to learn about interesting places in various countries. Many people feel that the crew is really not satisfied, and the salary is tens of thousands of dollars a month, and even ordinary crew members have one or two thousand a month. But in the eyes of the crew, the salary is no longer attractive at all, but more attractive is to go to a poor country like Haiti, where the crew likes to do things and is full of passion.
That's right, I have been sailing for more than ten years, and I have been to more than 90 countries, each of which is wonderful, and each country has left a deep impression on our crew. Haiti is a special country, and if you don't know it, there is such a country in the world, which is really too difficult to find on the earth.
Those who know the geography should know that the full name of Haiti is the Republic of Haiti. It is located in the western half of Hispaniola in the Greater Antilles of the Caribbean Sea, bordered by the Dominican Republic to the east, Cuba and Jamaica to the west, the Caribbean Sea to the south, and the Atlantic Ocean to the north.
The climate here is also special, the north belongs to the tropical rainforest climate, the south is the savannah climate, the average annual temperature is only 25 degrees Celsius, throughout the year, November to March is the dry season, April to October is the rainy season.
The whole country is very small, with a total area of only 27,800 square kilometers, which is less than the size of our urban area. There are not many people living here, and seeing the way they are, I hope that there are fewer people here as much as possible, not that I don't pity them, but I feel that they have fallen.
In the more than ten years of sailing, I have been to many poor countries, and I think Madagascar is very poor in African countries, but I didn't expect to come here, and what I saw and heard made me a little unbearable to look at it directly. Their days are not describable in words, they are simply the taste of living in heaven on earth.
The small island country, where there is a serious shortage of energy resources, makes the local country's industry quite underdeveloped, the unemployment rate of the people remains high, and more than 70% of the people every year do not have stable jobs, or even completely displaced. Their daily diet is in a state of one meal and no two meals a day.
In such a poor country, tourists will definitely not set foot in it, let alone businessmen who want to make a fortune here, as for the reason, I believe everyone understands.
On the contrary, our crew members are in high spirits because they are going to this country, especially those old sailors, who have had more experience in going to this country, and some of the behaviors they show make me wonder. Of course, people all over the world don't want to go to this country, but they attract our crew to this country, and I believe there must be something worth attracting him.
In 2015, our ship embarked on a voyage to this country. We loaded 1,200 used cars from Germany and went to Port-au-Prince, Haiti to unload their cargo. In fact, these dilapidated cars are basically impossible to drive, and they are only used as parts and used to assemble them.
It is also difficult for a country that is so poor that it still has to import foreign garbage from abroad. However, our crew took a fancy to the good stuff of others. After learning that they were going to this country, the crew was very excited, and even the captain and first mate of our ship began to plan for the rest of their lives.
I have to say that Port-au-Prince, Haiti is attractive enough, and after one experience in Port-au-Prince, I fell in love with the country ever since. I didn't expect that such a poor country has resources that other countries don't have, which is really good.
The ship was sailing at sea, and the captain deliberately found the first mate to start planning the next meal. In the next voyage plan, we will go to several ports in the United States, and we will stay there for a longer time. The chef went to the first mate early in the morning to report that the food on the ship was not enough, so the captain happened to find the first mate, and the two of them began to discuss the next food supply.
Anyone who has ever been on the boat knows that if you apply for food in the United States, the local food is really expensive, and it is really difficult for the crew to eat something good. After all, the cost of food provided by the company is limited. That being the case, the captain also made a bold decision to abandon eating in the United States and choosing to eat in Haiti.
When the chef learns that he is going to the sea for food, he complains very much, believing that the captain has completely disregarded the life and death of the crew. The chef knew that the food on our ship would not last until Port-au-Prince, Haiti, and that if we continued like this, we would not even have the opportunity to eat potatoes every day.
The chef didn't dare to speak, so he could only cook silently every day. The captain and the first mate only discussed, and never explained to the chef, but some of the old crew members were very sophisticated, and when they learned that they were going to this country, they began their own actions. The boatswain was like this, sneaking into the drying room to pick up old clothes that everyone didn't want, and also collecting some used soap in the living common area.
As soon as we entered the first port in the United States, the local customs demanded that we be replenished in time because of the lack of food on our ship, otherwise we would not be allowed to sail.
The captain was very clever and had been prepared to deal with these people for a long time, so while the captain was still at sea, he exchanged emails with the Haitian supplier, saying that he would apply for food locally.
After reading the emails from the captain and the Haitian food supplier, United States Customs did not ask us to apply for food in the United States. In this way, we finally left the port of United States after another seven days, and the next Caribbean port was Port-au-Prince, Haiti. This port is unfamiliar to many crew members, and on the day of berthing, we really had a lot of effort to get the ship safely on the ground.
The moment they approached, a smile appeared on the faces of the old crew members on the ship. I thought they were going to go down and find happiness and relax. Unexpectedly, after getting the landing permit from the customs, these people went down to the dock with plastic bags, ready to find locals to replace things.
What the hell is going on?
On that day, before I could ask them, the captain made an announcement on the bridge, asking our crew not to go down now, and to let him, the first mate and the chef go down first to explore the way, and have complicated interactions with the locals before the other crew members could go down.
I found the head of the water and asked, "What did you old crew members want to do just now?" Everybody has a bag full of things in their hands, are you going to go down and buy something? ”
"yes, don't you know? You don't need money for things here, as long as you have something to exchange directly with the locals. Mizutou replied.
I didn't know much about this country, and I hadn't been to it before, but when I heard Mizutou say that, I couldn't help but think of the country of Madagascar. I've been to this country before, and this country is also poor, and I don't need money to buy things locally, just exchange things for them.
Now that they said that, I immediately became excited, and immediately went back to my room and began to look for something useless. It's a pity that Shuitou took the first step and directly collected all the things that everyone didn't want in the living area.
Well, now, Chef is just as much in the dark as I am. When he heard that he was going to follow the first mate to the local area to replace things, he also showed a very puzzled expression. What kind of country is this, I heard Shuitou say that people here eat not rice and pasta, but mud. Does anyone still eat mud now?
In order to have a good experience, I was ready to wait for the captain to say that I could go down.
The captain went down with the first mate and the chef, and a few of us crew stood on the upper deck watching the excitement. As soon as the captain and the first mate got out of the dock, the locals ran out of the huts, some empty-handed, some with baskets on their backs. They scrambled to get close to the captain, especially those who carried the basket, and took out a lot of seafood from the basket, and kept showing it in front of the captain, as if they were all saying that their things were the best.
Haitian locals don't speak English, many people don't understand what they say at all, only a few people can speak a little English, and the rest communicate by fingers.
The captain took a step, everyone chased a step, there were so many people in and out of the house, and they all seemed to be selling seafood. It seems that there is a lot of seafood here, otherwise they would not have exchanged seafood for what they wanted.
The captain saw a Big Brother thing, which looked like a cage of live crabs. The captain seemed to be very interested in this seafood, and after briefly asking them about the price, he immediately handed over the matter to the first mate to discuss.
The captain is only responsible for collecting, and the conditions for replacement are left to the first mate and chef. The first mate was the head of the food committee on our ship, and he sought rations for us, and the price was naturally in mind.
However, the captain also specially instructed that the people here are poor and pitiful, don't embarrass them too much, just do it.
The captain spoke like this, and the first mate was not a ruthless person, so after briefly looking at the other party's crabs, he directly asked the black man to say the number, and if he could accept it, he could make a deal directly, and if it was not suitable, he would change to the next one.
For us, if this is not suitable, we will change that one, and for them, how they want us to exchange their things. So, every black man tries to be high first, to try the first mate's style, and if he can get a little more, he wants a little more.
At that time, the big black man pointed to his crabs and said, "Sir, our crabs are all fresh, and they weigh fifty pounds, if you think it is appropriate, I want to change the light oil on your ship." ”
The first mate gestured, and then said, "How much light oil do you want to exchange?" ”
The other party also made a gesture, and then said, "10 liters, 10 liters, 10 liters is enough." ”
The first mate shook his head, and didn't say that this was inappropriate, but just looked into someone else's back basket. At that time, there were a lot of people present, and many people had seafood in their back baskets.
The black eldest brother thought that the first mate was too much, and was worried that the first mate would go to someone else to replace it, so he made a 5-liter replacement condition. Because the first mate was pulled away by others, the eldest brother was very anxious, and thought that the first mate didn't want him, so he made a 1-liter gesture.
The chef saw this scene and said to the first mate, "The other party said that he would exchange a liter of light oil for his crabs, what do you think?" ”
The first mate didn't sound right, just said 10 liters, the first mate looked back at his crab again, didn't say anything, and directly compared a 5 liters of light oil. The other party immediately nodded and agreed, and just like that, 50 catties of crabs in a basket were exchanged by us.
For us, we have already picked up a big leak, and we can't imagine such a good thing. We haven't had this in Madagascar before, which is really cool.
The first mate is not such a bad person, and he specially ordered to give him 5 liters of light oil and another set of clothes.
At that time, the chef first asked him to carry the crab back to the living quarters, and when he came down, the oil was in hand and the clothes were on board. This big black brother was so excited, he showed off in the crowd in his clothes, as if to tell everyone, look, how tall this dress is, I can wear it for more than ten years.
That's right, the quality of our workwear is really good, and for people who don't have clothes to wear, they can wear them for years. Besides, a new set of work clothes costs more than 1,500 yuan, and a pair of crew anti-friction, anti-electric and anti-slip multi-functional work shoes cost more than 1,100 yuan. In their eyes, even used second-hand clothes and shoes are quite precious.
After changing the cage of crabs, our first mate also saw shrimp and fruits from others. The fruits here are tropical and very good indeed.
The first mate tried to exchange money with them, but I didn't expect everyone to want it. In their eyes, money is not practical, and what they lack is living materials. There is no industry in this country, there is no industry, they simply do not have the so-called means of subsistence. I can't even wear clothes and shoes, let alone use them.
Since everyone doesn't want money, let's exchange it for the clothes on the ship. The first mate on board controlled the daily necessities of the crew, and asked the waiter to get a lot of daily necessities such as soap, shoes and socks. At that time, everyone watched the waiter take it out and said that they wanted to change it with the first mate.
At this moment, the captain is no longer in charge, and directly asked the first mate and everyone to exchange 300 catties of crabs, 100 catties of shrimp, 180 catties of marine fish, and hundreds of catties of vegetables and fruits.
By calculation, we paid a total of 68 liters of light oil, 8 overalls, 5 pairs of shoes, 9 soaps on board. This kind of replacement is really worth it, and they are very happy, everyone takes what they want and leaves, and some people even take a lot of things after they go back.
At this point, it was finally our turn to replace the crew. After the captain allowed us to change, our sailors went down to exchange a lot of fruit and seafood.
The purpose of changing seafood is to open a small stove for yourself, and the purpose of changing fruit is to add vitamins to yourself. There is often a shortage of fruits and vegetables on board, which is very harmful to the health of the crew.
Watching them go to the spot to redeem, I also took a dress and a pair of socks to exchange for some big mangoes and local crafts.
Compared to the first mate, who changed the food on the ship, we didn't change much. They don't want money, and our supplies are limited, so we can only simply exchange some for fun.
Of course, exchanging things with the locals is also equivalent to having a simple interaction with them. Those who can speak English can communicate well, and those who can't can only communicate in sign language.
However, it is still necessary to save some money when communicating with these people, they still have the phenomenon of petty theft, and when I was there, I saw this phenomenon several times, and my colleague's mobile phone was almost stolen.
Through some communication with the locals, the security here is not very good, and the sanitary environment here is not very good. Special attention should be paid to the local malaria, typhoid, hepatitis B, AIDS and other viruses, which are still very challenging for our crew.
The captain also said that when the crew comes to this country, it is better to provoke them as little as possible, after all, in a poor country, people can do anything, especially the people near Port-au-Prince, who deal with foreigners all year round, and their minds are still relatively bad.
It wasn't safe, but it didn't stop me from visiting the country, so I went out on the street alone after swapping my belongings.
On weekdays, I only hear others say that the people of this country are short of materials and can't even afford to eat, so they eat soil.
I was thinking that it was not right, there are so many seafood, fruits and vegetables, how did they get to the point of eating soil.
I don't know, when I actually walked into their street, there were really people selling clay cakes on the street, and they were made of local mud.
Out of curiosity, I also got closer to the crowd and I saw a lot of local women buying it. Everyone is also more likely to take advantage, and the woman deliberately took a little bit to taste it, and then went to the next house to taste it, and it is estimated that she will be full after a circle.
I see that there are also people who buy it, and they all buy it in a small bag. I also bought a little bit, and since I didn't have change at the time, I just gave a dollar and didn't let her look for it. With curiosity, I tasted it. There is no fragrance, only a little sour and salty, and nothing else.
I really don't have such an experience, I've been to so many countries, and I've never heard of such a country on the earth, where the people are still eating soil.
I have to say that the local people live too poorly.
On the street, there are really few things sold, a few broken thatched houses, and people walk around, but they don't buy. It's not that they don't buy it, they simply can't afford it. In my opinion, these people gave me a sense of insecurity, and I was afraid that I would be targeted, after all, it was a person who came down, so I quickly left the street.
Port-au-Prince is the capital city of Haiti, and the capital city has become like this, so what will be the poverty in other places? I can't believe what the economic level of the whole country is, I just see that everyone is in a state of malaise.
I really don't know, but now after this experience, I can't be happy, and I can't be excited. Thinking that the crew is happy to exchange things with them, although it can't be selfless, but the conditions for exchange are too low. If it were me, I'd rather give them a little to eat.
However, the reality is that the crew is not allowed to send anything to people from any country, otherwise the consequences will be unimaginable.
Such a country is indeed very poor, and I believe that the local people want to leave such a country. I have to say that such a trip has opened my eyes and hopes that their lives will be better and better. #头条首发大赛 ##长文创作激励计划#