Hey flat-earthers around the globe – you see THIS?
The morning was nearly normal but around noon, I realized that the end of this trip was near. For me, maybe at least five days more would have been good for finding out what I can and want to do when I am not busy anymore. A bit of that was in the morning, I read in the offline Wikipedia about Malaysia
and Thailand and whatever came to my mind when I was not busy with some new photos or videos.
At noon, I began with some preparations for leaving like finding my pro-forma flight ticket out of Malaysia (when you want to come in you have to prove when and how you get out, a bike doesn’t count as a proof).
The chief officer had told me that around 15:30 at the bridge the preparations for landing would start, so I went there. Everyone was in the white uniform and although the most striking activity was using the looking glass from time to time, higher concentration was perceptible.
A boat with the pilot came and he joined the captain although obviously there was no actual need, but it is part of the ceremony (ok, sometimes maybe it has a safety aspect, too).
After taking some photos from the bridge,
I went to deck F in front of my cabin to see more of the landing as we this time berthed from the starboard side.
The “parking slot” came nearer and nearer and it was only a bit longer than the ship.The huge ship had been moved laterally by three small boats that pushed it, but it was, very slow.
I couldn’t see the process of anchoring etc., so I went to the cabin. But soon after I got a call to the office on deck G.
The captain and two Malayan officers were there. One of them asked them from where I came and how long I was in Dubai and when I would leave Malaysia. I told them that I have a flight ticket for 19th of November. The captain started to say something like, “But you said you will go by bike…?!” but luckily, he stopped again. I was sorry that I had not told him about that problem but first, I had not thought about that until noon and second, I did not expect that he would be involved.
And then I was informed that I would be brought to the immigration in 15min. I went to take my passport and that flight ticket and, on the way back, I tried to explain the captain in a convoluted way abought that ticket. The agent came and was not amused that he would have to come 2x as he thought I would disembark in the evening and come and go with him. The captain explained in a strict way that allowed no protest that I would go to immigration now, would come back, stay on the ship and leave on my own tomorrow morning.
The agent went off with me. When we were alone he brought his protest and combined it with demanding 70$, I understood 20$ for immigration and 2×25$, because he has to go 2x to bring me back to the ship.
It was a long way from the ship to immigration and with his car, the agent would not have been able to transport my bike anyway. I had to wait at a counter to get my passport back and the agent went off and said I should wait there. After some minutes, I got my passport without any problem and a stamp without showing any flight ticket.
I had to wait long enough for the agent to start worrying, but at least I saw his car in front of the office. Finally, he came back with a second guy who had two bills and wanted 50$ for the immigration and 20$ for the agent. I don’t know if the immigration was really 50 and not 20$ or what was going on now but compared with Dubai it was cheaper anyway and I had what I needed.
He brought me back to the ship and I tried to remember the way and to memorize that I had to drive left. This is no big problem as long as I go straight, but I remember how confused I was last time in Sydney when Markus, Martina and I went by bike and made a turn to the left or right and I was glad that I just was following them to make no mistake.
If I had known everything before, including that it was still not dark when I came back to the ship after 19:00, I could have thought about leaving this evening, because in the city the lights could have been enough, but so I am on the safe side.
I didn’t see the captain anymore, so I said good bye to the chief officer and will find the captain in the morning.
Meanwhile, the cargo-work had started and it proceeded the whole night.
