Crossing to Penang

Saturday April 20th
Got taxi at 10.00. Went first to G.P.O., but no letters for us. Posted letters home. Took taxi on to Quay and went through Customs etc. Terrible performance – queues for everything, but we managed to jump most of them. Everything filthy dirty – then on to ship. Have nice cabin for two (B Class). Could have travelled cheaper on C Class, but it involved segregation of the sexes and 6 to a cabin, and I don’t fancy 5 strange women, so for an extra fiver, it’s worth it. People seemed to be under the impression that Peter and I were husband and wife – no particular compliment to me – but they didn’t understand the cabin situation. Ha Ha! Ship sailed at 5.00 p.m. She appears to be a fairly old tub and the plumbing is very dicey. The shower emits about 2 trickles of water, so when you get the soap on you can’t get it off again.

We have to contact Harper Gilfillan on arrival in Penang for clearing the van through customs. Harpers are the B.I. Agents. The ship is full of other overlanders, all of us looking pretty unkempt, and are hardly well-dressed. Below decks the deck passengers are herded in like cattle – millions of them – mostly tappers. Peter and I are sitting at the Chief Officer’s table – just the three of us. Went up to his cabin for drinks after dinner – he’s Australian and seems very nice.

Sunday April 21st
Put into Nagapatam – south of Madras – lay off and didn’t go right in. Watched loading of cargo – chillies and onions, and scores more deck passengers.
Slept all afternoon. Cargo brought on board in attractive sailing boats. Sailed at 10.00 p.m.

Monday April 22nd
Read most of the day on deck. Rained about tea-time – first rain we’ve seen for weeks. Wrote letters home. Film in the evening, but we didn’t go as the Captain invited us to have a liqueur at his table after dinner, and from there we drifted up to his cabin, and finally left at 3.30 a.m. Peter, having consumed 2/3rds of a bottle of rum on his own, had to be put to bed – paralytic.

Tuesday April 23rd
Peter alive in the morning surprisingly enough. The Captain asked about 20 of us up to his cabin for a party in the evening. It was held on the deck outside the cabin – good fun – lots to drink and we danced to his tape-recorder. Late to bed again.

Wednesday April 24th
Did washing and ironing and mending – nothing fit to wear, and Peter has gone through the seat of his only remaining pair of shorts. Patched them. Washed my hair which is like a load of straw.

Thursday April 25th
Had dinner with the Captain, which lasted till about midnight, with at least 15 rounds of liqueurs. Didn’t seem to see much of our beds that night either. Everyone very friendly, kind, and hospitable, and it is difficult to return hospitality as they won’t let you.