It started off in Bali, the timing difficulty that is; as pleasant and welcome as it was, Bali affected our arrival in Medan, and was not done with until Port Klang, Malaysia, 19 days later. And long days they were…
We drove into Medan in an almighty storm two days after a weekly ‘closing’ (the date after which shipping companies will no longer accept goods for a scheduled voyage, to allow time for transporting, loading, etc. of containers or loose cargo), so five or six days elapsed ‘till the next closing. It was great then to drive the car into a container, see it tied down and watch the doors being bolted closed. The ETA then was 1st August at Port Klang, (call this ETA 1). A day or two later ETA 2 was given as 2nd August and I subsequently booked a flight to Kuala Lumpur (KL), Malaysia. [Immediately prior to flying out ETA 3 was emailed as 6th August.]
On the 2nd August, eleven days after our arrival in Medan, with Will teed up to re-join me and my flight booked, I flew to KL (arguing with the becak (motor bike and sidecar) driver at 5.30 am, in the dark, at Medan airport over an exorbitant fee claim for the ride from my hotel). Will flew in almost at the same time, on the same day from Kok Phi Phi, Thailand, (after seeing Lauren). Oh well, we’ll just have to wait to the 6th…I told Will. Together we bussed from the airport to KL Central, took a train to Klang and then a taxi to Bandar Botanic where Infinity had booked our hotel. Mr James, manager of Infinity, Klang, then drove us to the hotel (opened only 2 weeks prior), being new and unable to be found by the taxi driver.
On the 6th the (further) bad shipping news continued to flow from Infinity sometimes on a daily basis (Infinity, were the agents arranging the shipping and clearance through both Indonesian and Malaysian customs, but not the actual shipping company, and had no control over actual shipping schedules). Mr James was phoned at appointed times - “bad news I am afraid, David…. the vessel has been delayed and the port is congested and is now due at 6pm today (6th), but call me tomorrow. Mr James again on 7th - “more bad news David, weather has delayed the vessel , and it didn’t dock but is due in at 4am tomorrow (Sunday). I’ll see if my staff will work Sunday to let you have your car tomorrow…call me this afternoon at 2.30... Mr James at 2.30: I’m sorry David but the arrival is too uncertain for me to ask my staff to stand by on Sunday…Call me on Monday.
Monday morning 10am call to Mr James: I’m glad I did not have my staff on standby - the ship did not dock - not sure where it is…Call me this afternoon at 2.30... At this point I did express to Mr James a certain exasperation with the shipping news to date and asked Mr James what on earth the ship was doing out there - driving around in circles, waiting for favourable winds to fill its sails…? But by the 2.30 call the ship had been found - at the North Terminal of Port Klang, but yet to unload at the West (“our”) Terminal…The ship is suffering mechanical problems and I am unsure how long it will take…Call me tomorrow…
At the 10am call on 10th (very unreasonably, I know) I asked Mr James what bad news he brought today…The reply was “David, I have nothing but good news: the container with your car is in our yard and I’ll pick you up at 11.30 to take you there - it is ready to go (with customs clearance done some days before). Payment, provision to us of the Bill of Lading (proof of cargo being on the water, with container number listed) and return of our Carnet were to happen at the hotel.
And so it did… Mr James was somewhat surprised (as I must admit, was I) for us to be now three, rather than the two (Will & I) he had driven to the hotel nine days prior (Lauren, transiting for a few hours at KL on her way to the UK, met Will, skipped the onward flight (as one does I guess, when young) and joined MelbournetoLondon until Laos…[Lauren’s email to her Mum in Melbourne, anxiously awaiting the safe arrival of her daughter in London: “Hey Mum, guess what…”]
Annie Proux, your book was great, and your story was far, far better than mine, but someone may read the above, with some bemusement, at our shipping news…
To put our 19 days in context, the actual time for a ship to cross the Straight of Melaka is one day, or an overnight voyage…We are now in Thailand and heading North…
[Photo: Will & Lauren at the opening of the shipping container at Port Klang. ’Unstuffing’ is underway to untie the ropes used to hold the car in position inside the container].
* with apologies to Annie Proux
No comments:
Post a Comment