Day 7 QT — Boats

I thought we’d leave the sanctuary that has become my place of work, rest, exercise and play for the past week and wander out onto the balcony.

I have a wonderful vantage point from here, where I’m able to watch the people below paddle in the shallows, dig for crabs (I think that’s what they are doing) and watch the boats spin on their anchors at various points throughout the day. Each morning, there is a man who hits a small heavy object with a rather large stick as a crowd gathers. I guess this is his form of exercise. In the early evenings, the dancing aunties spin and twirl in sync to music (a common site in this country).

I am situated close to a dry dock that services the 20 or so fishing trawlers anchored in this region of the harbour. For the most part, the trawlers haven’t left on any big trips but every so often I see a dingy head out to a larger vessel.

In the distance, on the far side of the harbour, a large cruise ship has been moored there the whole week, which gets me thinking. Apparently, domestic air travel within the country has returned to normal (full flights that are usually late from my experience). What about cruising? I’m sure the popular cruise path between China and Japan has halted, surely?

The balcony has offered great respite from the hotel walls and on less smoggy days, I quite like sitting out there.