Stories Of A Seaman

By Vicario Ventura

The sailing profession gives me the opportunity to travel through different countries around the world and to participate in unusual events that do not occur in the lives of people who live in a city.

Some of the writings in this book are part of a historical and investigative compendium of facts that have for some time, provoked intense debates and that currently divide a part of humanity.

• Language: English
• Publisher: Vicario Ventura
• Release date: Feb 14, 2018
• ISBN: 9781370834211

Vicario Ventura

EspañolVicario Ventura es el seudónimo de un marinero colombiano nacido en 1951, quien a la edad de los 26 años suspendió los estudios secundarios y en un puerto de su país se fue de polizón a bordo de un barco de bandera extranjera, iniciando así una vida de viajes y aventuras eligiendo posteriormente la profesión de marinero, compatible con su vocación de viajero solitario, que con una mochila a la espalda lo ha llevado a conocer diversos países del mundo entre ellos Nepal y Suiza, que no tienen cercanía con el mar.EnglishVicario Ventura is the pseudonym of a Colombian sailor born in 1951, who at the age of 26 suspended his high school studies to direct his footsteps to a port of his country and leave as a stowaway on board a foreigner ship. Thus, began a life of trips and adventures which he later dedicated to the profession of seaman, compatible with his vocation of solitary traveller. With a backpack as his only possession, he has travelled to different countries around the world, among them Nepal and Switzerland, which aren't near to the sea.

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Stories of a seaman

By

Vicario Ventura

Dedicated to Hermes, my longtime friend descendant of Africans, whom I met 17 years ago in the streets of the city of Cali and to our friendship I want to keep.

The sailing profession gives me the opportunity to travel through different countries around the world and to participate in unusual events that do not occur in the lives of people who live in a city.

Some of the writings in this book are part of a historical and investigative compendium of facts that have for some time, provoked intense debates and that currently divide a part of humanity.

Vicario Ventura.

Contents

DISCOURTESY

ANCESTRAL HEDONISM

A CUP OF TEA

LEGAL PUNISHMENT

LAND AND SEA

DISSERTATION ON THE ROMAN CATHOLIC DOGMA

SEPARATE WAYS

HOMOSEXUALITY

FORBIDDEN DRUGS

HIDDEN WORDS

FULL MOON

EMERGENCY IN THE HIGH SEAS

THE SIXTH COMMANDMENT

FISHERMEN IN THE NET

MANILA 2015

IMPROVISED SURGERY

TWENTY YEARS OF ABSENCE

THE TOMATO SELLER

DYING FOR PLEASURE

EPHEMERAL FRIENDSHIP

CONJUGAL MONOGAMY

MARINE POLLUTION

WEDDING CEREMONY

UNDER THE RAIN

ADAM'S TEMPTATION

DESERT SAND

THE PATH OF TRUTH

DISCOURTESY

The ancient Greek language is more than 3,000 years old, while the English language is more recent. Old English, formally known as Anglo-Saxon, dates from 500 B.C. and becomes the official language of Great Britain in the fourteenth century. Nonetheless, it was not Greek, but English, which today has become the most relevant language in the world and which allows us to communicate between the different races and countries that make up the geography of this planet.

A few hours ago, the vessel I work in as deck seaman, was docked in Fangcheng, a port city located southwest of China, 93 kilometers away from the border with Vietnam.

The crew of the ship despaired to have time off-ship after a 40-day maritime crossing travelling from Murmansk, Russia. I was among the first to get off the boat but was not alone because, for convenience, we had to travel in groups to reduce the transportation costs. The single individual ticket costs $ 30 one way but among six passengers, the price came down to five dollars, reason why I went to Fangcheng with the Greek cook and four Filipinos.

In the city there were no shopping malls like the ones in the other Chinese cities and few bars and women, something that was quite unusual for a dock that is the largest in the region. Large ships charged with iron ore imported from other countries arrive in Fangcheng all the time.

It is likely that soon, some Chinese citizen will come up with the idea of setting up an ostentatious bar or cabaret to attract the sailors who frequent the city in search of such distractions. This is something very common in all ports of the world, including China and some Muslim countries.

The Greek colleague coming with me had no interest in taking a walk around the commercial district of the city nor did he plan to go to the supermarket to buy some goodies and personal items like toothpaste, shampoo, deodorant or razor blades, which are usually necessary in enough quantities when working at sea. The only thing the Greek sea dog wanted was to drink some beers and have a woman next to him.

From the first moment the public service van took us to downtown, there, without us knowing it, a not very attractive, 36-year-old woman was waiting for us. Her English was quite fluent so she was immediately welcomed by our group because without this translator it would have been extremely difficult to communicate with others as there are very few Chinese citizens who speak English. Furthermore, foreign money is not received anywhere in China so it was necessary to have a native person who could carry on that process for us. Of course, we gave Weng (that was her name) the money that we each wanted to exchange for yuans, the currency unit of the country, and she exchanged us the dollars at a price of five yuans per dollar while in banks they changed it for 6 yuans. The process took time, though, and being the night already, the banks were closed. She was honest giving us that explanation, and finally with her intervention the problem was solved.

Her kindness went unnoticed among my colleagues who pestered her with questions concerning the interests that each one had in mind. The Greek colleague wanted some female company, a Filipino one wanted some laptop accessories, another one needed a supermarket to buy several dozen pasta noodles while another one of his friends was craving Chinese food. Me, for my part, I needed an antivirus for the computer and Weng was the only person who could understand and please our requests.

The first to be served was the Greek cook who, after listening to the explanation of our interpreter, realized that he had no other alternative than to settle for going to the only brothel in the city, a place with bad appearance served by four unattractive women who did the work of prostitutes. A place lacking in decoration and with a depressive atmosphere, told me the Greek friend the next day when we met again on board the ship. He had spent the night with one of the women and we did not accompany him to that place, nor did we see him again because none of us in the group was motivated enough to relate to that kind of women. Us, after shopping, we met in a small square designed for outdoor food sale, an improvised place without any distinction or comfort or even tablecloths on the tables and no music to listen to.

The price of a beer was very cheap: 2 yuans and each serving of food did not cost two dollars. The Filipino asked for mussels as there was not much to choose from besides oysters, squid, and snails without any complement, that is to say, without a sauce or dressing. Simply boiled and served.

The group of sailors was sitting around some tables full of beers and mussels and all five colleagues ignored the company of the only woman on our side. None of them spoke to her while she, silent and thoughtful, drank an orange juice, refusing the beers that the Filipino sailors urged her to accept without realizing that they were in another country and that Weng was not a person used to drinking alcoholic beverages. Several hours passed by when suddenly, she remembered the anti-virus that moments before I had not been able to obtain in original CD. With her telephone she made a call in English so I understood that her friend had an anti-virus of a not very well-known brand installed on his computer and for which, Weng, offered a quantity in American dollars for him to share it with me. During an interval in the conversation, she asked me if I had a USB (portable memory) and since I had one, she immediately established a $ 20 dollar deal on the condition that this would be the full price including transportation to the house where her friend lived. She accepted and thinking that we were going by taxi, I was surprised to realize that Weng had a motorcycle of an updated model. That's how we went to a place that was unknown to me but I felt very comfortable as I was sitting in the back, seizing the waist of a woman whose long hair was being blown by the wind and was gently touching my face as we were not wearing protective helmets. That sensation was stimulating me sexually and getting close to her ear, I whispered that I had an $100 bill in my pocket and that if she wanted, I would give it to her for an hour of pleasure. I heard her reproach my conduct, telling me I was crazy. I preferred to keep silent, reflecting on the unexpectedness of my behavior and asking myself why I was insinuating such an indecent proposition to a woman who was not offering herself. Fleetingly, I thought that it must have been because I had her so close to my body, but still was not satisfied with that justification and continued pondering, why? What was the reason of that unusual attitude? The introspection made me understand that it should have been the effect of the beers and also the influence of the enchantment of a starry night and a waning moon, but the main cause could have been all the months of chastity that I voluntarily had imposed to myself as a discipline to test my will and self-mastery.

Minutes later, the motorcycle stopped in front of an apartment building and she opened the main door pushing it gently and without the need of a key. With her finger she asked me to be silent and we climbed up the stairs to the third floor, where she opened the apartment door with her own key so I realized that this was her place of residence. Weng spoke out loud in English to announce my arrival and took me to a room where there was a man in front of a computer with his back towards us, trying to find an anti-virus. Without greeting him, I spoke to him in English when I saw on the screen the logo of the anti-virus that I needed. My excitement turned into disappointment because that program (Avast anti-virus), wasn't permanent and only lasted a period of 30 days. Without turning around, he suggested I install an anti-virus which was unknown to me, but which was the one he used in his computer, assuring me that it was quite effective and handing me a complete copy of it.

The man was struggling to do his work so I handed him the USB to do the copy and it was then that I was able to see his face. He was about 50 and undoubtedly of European descent, with the characteristic white skin and blond hair which made me think that he could be British or American, which are the ones who most often adapt themselves far away from their country of origin. When he handed me the USB I gave him a $20 bill and at that same moment Weng appeared and hurried me to leave. Still, I wanted to speak a little bit to this foreigner who lived there in such a distant country so I told him spontaneously that I was a Colombian sailor working on a Greek ship.

Upon knowing my nationality, he spoke a few words in Spanish and explained that he had been to Mexico several times. Without asking what his native country was, I deduced, undoubtedly, that he had to be North American. To relate with him as natives of the same continent, I said goodbye to him in Spanish using the typical phrase sometimes used in western movies, Adios amigo, and I left the room immediately and headed towards the stairs where Weng was waiting for me in the gloom. The stairs were dimly lit but I still could see on her face the outline of a smile, perhaps of congratulation for having obtained the program that we needed. Before going on the motorcycle, I spotted a not very noticeable, thin marriage ring glinting on one of her fingers and indiscreetly asked her: How many children do he have? Without looking into my eyes she replied: I have no children, and to insist with the imprudence I asked her again: Was he your husband? No, he's my sister's husband, she replied.

Upon our return, the Filipino colleagues began joking with the topic of the anti-virus, implying that Weng and I had left to satisfy a sexual desire. She seemed unperturbed by this, realizing that these men were returning from the sea after prolonged sexual abstinence and that only in a port could they find prostitutes willing to please them with an hour of sexuality for $40 dollars. That's the approximate rate in developing countries although in Europe the prices are much higher.

On that cool summer night in Southeast China, the Filipinos were definitely not interested in copulating with that kind of women and decided to get drunk with beers sold at a ridiculous price. Me, on the meantime, I was getting bored of sitting there listening to nonsense and drinking poor-quality beer until I had the idea of going for a walk nearby and evoking the times I had visited other Chinese port cities such as Shanghai, Dalian, Quingdao, Nanjing, Yantai, Zhoushan, Guanzhou, and others.

Before leaving the table, I told everyone that I was going to take a walk and that I would be back in about an hour. My absence wasn't very noticeable because my colleagues are used to my unsociability and it was Weng, who, before leaving, asked me where I was going. I didn't even know it myself. I didn't know the surroundings and it only occurred to me to tell her that I wanted to walk with no fixed destination around the commercial sector. In fact, there were still several open shops and to my surprise I found one where wood carving handicrafts were being sold with such quality and wonderful perfection that it immediately provoked my admiration.

I chose a pagoda of almost 40 centimeters high and with signs I could make myself understood to find out the exact price, which came to be $ 50 dollars. I couldn't pay them in yuans but with a calculator I made them realize that it was the same thing if they exchanged them in a bank the following day. Perhaps because it was a warehouse frequented by foreign visitors, it was not hard for them to accept the dollars and with satisfaction I continued walking through that part of the city carrying with me a handicraft that I had acquired in its place of origin, something that not everyone can do.

An hour later I was back and my colleagues were sitting in the same place, seemingly unconcerned and unperturbed by the passing of time. It was Weng who, seeing me arrive, hinted at them that we return to the ship because it was almost midnight. They ignored her, though. I could see that our translator seemed tired and was probably bored with the company of those neophyte sailors who didn't include her in the conversation as they were speaking to each other in their Tagalog language.

I waited a few more minutes before urging my colleagues to return to the ship and when I did, they all obeyed to me as if it had been an order. I told Weng to phone the van that would take us to the ship. Minutes later we said goodbye to the Chinese interpreter, who asked us for a contribution of two dollars each for her work, which, counting, had been five hours translating for us and explaining and answering the questions they asked, because none had offered to her a friendly conversation.

The Filipinos climbed into the vehicle and none of them did the gesture of introducing the hand in their pocket to take out the miserable amount the kind woman had requested. We each earn a monthly salary of $ 1,500 dollars, a good amount of money for those of us who live in underdeveloped countries and they could easily have given that woman the little money she had asked for. However, in an act of disdain, they made fun of her saying almost with one voice, Next time while me, somewhat uneasy, left in her hand two bills of a dollar each which she thanked me with her eyes. Then, losing her self-control, she cursed them saying May your boat sink in the ocean and go to hell. Those words made an impression in their minds, wasted by the consumption of alcohol, because moments later, traveling in the vehicle, one of them repeated them and at that moment the others who were listening, remained silent because they knew that they had behaved like louts with that honest woman. Without her help, we wouldn't have been able to change the money or made ourselves understood for the acquisition of the purchases that we all made.

When we had been to the supermarket, Weng had put a pint of orange juice and two yogurts in a basket and at the moment of paying she went behind me and asked me if I could include those foods in my account, and I kindly replied yes. At that moment, I remembered that in the city of Yantai, a translator had charged me $30 for the two hours that she had accompanied me while I purchased some things I was needing. That's why in the supermarket, without knowing how much Weng was going to charge us for her services, I agreed to please her so that she would be condescending with the rate she was going to charge us.

This time we had been accompanied by a humble woman who asked for her work, a derisory sum of money which was denied by sailors who have known poverty. Almost all Filipinos who become sailors, come from poor families and yet, now that they begin to progress economically, they become stingy and unaware of the need of others.

The Greek cook came back to the ship at about five in the morning. I was on duty and saw him arrive on a motorcycle driven by a man who at that time of the morning became a taxi driver in order to earn some money.

ANCESTRAL HEDONISM

Hedonism is a word of Greek origin that defines pleasure as the main goal in life. The same is true for the term sybaritic, which also derives from ancient Greek and refers to the devotion to sensual pleasures.

Greeks and Romans are famous for their contributions to philosophy, literature, art and a political organization which introduced laws and benefits to citizens. They're also famous though, for the libations and orgies that they celebrated in banquets that nowadays would be considered as the beginning of moral decadence.

History shows us that hedonism has presided over human's existence. Nevertheless, in contemporary times, pleasures have become more sophisticated because wine and champagne, for example, are of better quality and there's a proliferation of liqueurs of all kinds. Dishes also have better ingredients and music, dancing and fun in general, have evolved.

Pleasure is part of life and hedonism is an excess of enjoyment and excitement that transcends the senses and sometimes culminates in a state of tedium or degeneracy.

Woman is the essential hedonistic complement because her presence can replace the sound of music or the taste of the most exquisite food that a diner can ever imagine in a banquet. You may ask this to Greek sailors, descendants of those ancestors who were already sailing back in the time of the Phoenicians.

Several times I witnessed the joy of the Greek sailors and also the euphoria shared by the Polish, Bulgarians and Chileans, the ones I spent more time with on the ships, when they were celebrating the bacchanalia in which I myself participated.

This is no thing of the past because, now, in the 21st century these are still being repeated on board vessels that stop in countries like Thailand, Indonesia, Brazil, Colombia and Ecuador. Here, the presence of women who make a living pleasing men with their bodies, offering themselves to the highest bidder, is inevitable.

For this to happen, the captain of the ship has to be acquiescent with his crewmen because if they're ever caught doing this without his permission, they would have to pay a penalty. Some Greek captains have no objection to allow access to women on their ships and it is even considered as a stimulus for those navigators who have just arrived at a port after crossing an entire ocean surrounded by constant solitude.

I like to work with those captains who, from time to time, tolerate a bit of indiscipline without falling, though, in too many luxurious concessions which wouldn't go well with the norm established for those who are used to discipline and rigour.

The maritime company of the ship where I'm narrating this episode operates with very strict policies and for several years, has prohibited the use of alcoholic beverages aboard. Any crew member classified positive in one of the unannounced tests by urine sample that seafarers may have to undergo ashore, will be severely sanctioned. The samples are sent to a clinical laboratory for analyzing any evidence implicating the staff member of drug or alcohol use.

The punishment is impartial and consists of immediate dismissal and repatriation back to the country of origin. No one wants this, so we all try to avoid violating the rules which, only exceptionally, some brave, hedonist captain would dare to challenge.

In the port of Manzanillo, Mexico, a Greek crewman once invited a woman aboard while I was on my watchkeeper night shift. He kept her in his cabin until dawn without the captain noticing that mischief that violated the policy imposed on the vessel. The captain didn't allow women on board with the purpose of bringing some joy to the crew.

The same happened in Esmeraldas, Ecuador when the vessel was anchored in the bay and a launch arrived carrying some women while the captain was sleeping. The women boarded the vessel stealthily, where they were well received by several crew members, and before dawn they came down again satisfied with their business which consists of getting undressed, giving themselves away, enjoying, receiving the money and saying goodbye to a new friend that who knows when they will see again.

With this, what I want to say is that the Greek sailors don't always respect this kind of orders given by a captain, because taking the risk, some manage to embark the precious reward that a woman awards when she offers her body without the slightest trace of prudishness.

In the 1980s, the bacchanals were dantesque in the ports of Colombia because the consumption of whiskey, beer, aguardiente or any other liquor was not prohibited at the time and women could remain on board while the vessel was in port. Wow, what fun the crew had.

In Barranquilla, I was 14 days aboard a ship that had to discharge potash coming from Germany, and there was not a single day without female voices and laughter rejoicing us and sharing our lives without the problems or regulations that now exist everywhere.

Sea life is monotonous and the work unceasing and arduous because even at night there has to be a seaman constantly watching the horizon to prevent any collision, as well as an officer on duty maintaining proper lookout of the functioning of the radars and the other sophisticated devices used in modern navigation. Then, when a ship arrives in port, it does not mean that the work is reduced and that sailors can go for a walk around the city. Shore leaves are allowed only after sunset when the corresponding working schedules are concluded. A ship should never, under any circumstance, remain without a minimum staff on board, always ready for any emergency such as a fire or any other unexpected event which might force the vessel to set sail immediately. This happens, for example, in the case of an approaching hurricane.

Likewise, there are times when a ship is at anchor in the bay waiting for its turn to dock or it anchors several miles away from mainland because the port lacks the economic resources to have enough docking facilities upon ship arrival. In such cases, the cargo comes in huge barges towed by tugboats to one side of the ship and placed aboard by a floating crane. This process can take several days while the load is handled, as occurs, for example, when coal is lifted by a crane which then services the ship's holds.

In Indonesia there are several bays destined for this kind of loading of coal that is produced by the country for export purposes. Vessel traffic is heavy as well as the movement of boats transporting women offering their business of giving sexual pleasure for a certain amount of cash ($40 per hour or $80 per night). The crew, for their part, find this very convenient and do not disdain at all the easy opportunity of acquiring such an attractive offer which also gives these women abundant profits as their visit aboard most ships is received with much excitement.

In the Indonesian bay of Taboneo, near the port city of Banjarmasin, women accompanied us during the five days the ship was anchored in the bay slowly loading thousands of metric tons of coal. During that time, the female presence was a unique event for the entire crew, especially for the neophyte Filipino crews who had just started sailing. The Greeks, on the other hand, have been sailors for generations and are already used to relating to this type of women all around the world and in their comments the name of Colombia is always highlighted, perhaps because of the good memories they have of the women met in this country. For me, that charm lies in Brazil.

The women of Indonesia, a Muslim country, do not show the idiosyncrasy and the sexual ardor of the Latin woman. That has always been the personal idea of the Hellenic crew once the ship has set sail and they comment on their recent sexual activity during break time while drinking coffee and smoking cigarettes.

Filipinos tend to be more romantic than sexual experts. According to the Kamasutra, the Indian treatise on amatory arts written in Sanskrit in the second century B.C., to be a good sexual lover one requires dexterity and vitality, skills that make Greeks famous. On holidays, Scandinavian female tourists travel to the Greek islands searching for an Hellenic lover who will make them feel passionate and who will help them forget the cold weather that constantly prevails in that beautiful region of septentrional Europe.

This us why I was not surprised that a 57-year-old Greek crewmember had drunk almost an entire bottle of Swedish Vodka and to top it off he had gone to bed with two women at the same time (the only women between 30 and 35 that were aboard. The rest were younger). The next day, the rumor spread among the sailors, without the protagonist ever knowing, was that the women took turns moaning with pleasure because who knows how many times, in fact, some women can reach an orgasm that only an expert copulator can grant them. The Greek colleagues staying in the adjacent cabins said that they couldn't fall asleep, disturbed by those female exclamations that every man would like to hear.

My good friend, the Greek cook (54) locked up in his cabin with a 23-year-old girl and had her at his disposal for four days. During the day, he would work and in the evening he would meet with his colleagues in the hall to drink Scotch whiskey and smoke like a chimney playing his favorite Greek music