Page 43 - Michael Frost-Voyages to Maturity-23531.indd

Filipinos having been trained by the Americans, largely for equipping the US
to fight the Japanese and, latterly, the Vietnamese, there was an abundance of
skilled steelworkers within the islands; their mechanical skills were apparent on
virtually every vehicle. However, none appeared to have been trained in the art
of driving, and as we were berthed close to downtown, I had good opportunity
to see something of the city; my primary impressions were simple, these being
that Manila, particularly its traffic, was chaotic, that there were as many cinemas
in the city as there were people (largely, I surmised, because they meant air-
conditioning in the blistering and dust-laden heat) and, lastly, that there were
more beautiful women there than anywhere I had ever been.

While we had miscellaneous cargo for Manila, I noted that the gangs appeared
to take no time off, even for meals. To my inexpert eyes, the people seemed quite
impoverished (and this in the middle of the American Empire when vast sums were
being spent to destroy much of nearby Indo-China). To me, an odd, if bustling, city.

The journey to Iloilo was a day’s sailing, but Iloilo is one of those ports not
much in evidence even when one arrives, the city apparently being little more
than a collection of huts. The enforced idleness was by no means unwelcome.
We were anchored in a very secure spot, the hot days were alleviated by some
pleasant breezes, and apart from those odd packages seen in London, our cargo
comprised little other than vast quantities of urea. This cargo has one or two
purposes, but it is mostly used as fertiliser, a product that was hardly likely to be
broached and which therefore could be left to the ministrations of the unloading
gangs. And as we were to be in port for at least three days, we could waste our
time in feckless pursuits; the 2nd mate went sailing in a small, and somewhat
crude, boat that he had loaded in London, all who wanted to could play deck
tennis – always invigorating and hotly competitive – and, on discovering that the
4th engineer had his record collection with him, and that it included every bit of
Sibelius’ music that had until then been recorded, I set about his collection with
alacrity. Of course, knowing that at a time not so far off I would have to know by
heart the Collision Regulations, lying around time was not completely ill-used.
Additionally, I volunteered to keep watches while the other two cadets took out
a lifeboat for fishing; the exchange of that time allowed me ten hours sleep, an
almost erotically pleasant interlude, six unbroken hours to this time having been
all that I had been able to take.

Our final Philippines port was Cebu City, barely 350 km from Iloilo. Never
having heard of it before, I was surprised to find it to be that nation’s second
city and virtually where the Spanish had originally created their colony. It was,
however, notably scruffy, and as we had little need to go there other than to
unload some excess urea, I took the opportunity to walk around. At that time, the
city had no worthwhile skyline and a modest population, and the transportation
seemed mostly to be horse-drawn carriages. I also noted a few bandy-legged men

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