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Published: August 17th 2009
After a brief visit to England to pick up our camper van we are now working in France.
It occurred to me that our journey was similar to an old time voyage and that is where the idea of "The ship without a sail" was born.
A SHIP WITHOUT A SAIL
Gather round me hearties while a story i'll regale
Bout a daring voyage a motley crew and a ship without a sail
Twas the end of last September when Jack and Jill set to
Gordon the Grey a pirate and his first mate Saucy Sue
In the garb of simple travellers cross the continents they strove
to the lands of silks and spices, foreign faces, treasure trove
After countless leagues they rested on a beach in fair Siam
spending time carousing with corsairs from celtic clans
Able seaman Erin Ciaran and Cally Lassie Lisa Mac
matched them drink for drink each night till Erin landed on his back.
After such a time twas a sad farewell they reluctant bade at last
Setting off full sail for far Cathay 'fore the growing storms full blast.
Exotic ports were tasted, they crossed the seas there with the blow
'till the southern briny washed 'em up in China's fair Yangshuo
by the lazy Yu long river midst the mystic limestone stacks
little Manderins learnt their English from the Manitoba Macks
Cap'n Lawries crew's not pressed though, volunteers all to a man
Rich, Kyle, Mark our Gord and Sue showed when the Cap;n cried All Hands!
Landlubbers for a time they were young Sue and Gord the Grey
Trailing mystery and history cross vast and wild Cathay
Towards the north they ventured to the great walls of XiAn
Where an ancient king laid buried with a terracotta clan
of 10000 faithfull warriors fully armed for battle dressed
'till a farmer's well disturbed them from their 2 millenium rest
Them walls may be formidable but what they fail to hide
are the curious and friendly hearts of the residents inside
and cheek by jowl amongst 'em we spotted buccaneers
well met in subterranean inns with laughter songs and beers
Once more several new bonds were formed with Mary, Joe and Hannah
'twas some surprise to find fair Rich away from Yangshuos manor.
Bearing west south west they journeyed on, watching landscape changing hue
Through the spicey uplands of Szechuan to its capital Chengdu.
Where both Pandas and Tibetans smile out fox-ed by the jape
that states they are protected when in truth they can't escape.
And fate unfolded news 'bout their future journey planned,
East Indies men a'chanced upon extolled their spice-ed land
Thence heading south they reckoned to escape the wintry blast
by way of bustling Kunming on to old Lijiang at last
but it's cold though in the shadows of that Tiger Leaping Gorge
and it wasny just the stove but the friendships that were forged
spread the warmth back through them in Pamba's smokey snug
It was Colony Ron, Steve, Laurel, conversation, travel bug
In the mountains there's a valley in the valley there's a town
where since time immemorial the villagers come down
to market with their stock and goods and chattels there to sell
on Friday Sha Xi's brimming full, on Saturday a shell
Though slow anticipation builds throughout the following days
for a quarter million Fridays of colourful replays
The weather was fair the wind was true to carry them due west
from the Orient to the Indies to Goas heat they pressed
t'wards a rendezvous with a solid crew, the band of forest brothers
reformed to gambol in Arambol, make merry like no others
When Mike and Gord on native drums caused noise and consternation
Sue and Trace ignored them lest it spoil their conversation
More rovers harboured near the shore to share the festive season
From Europe to the antipodes each for their own sweet reason
all shipmates for a time we were sharing drinks and jokes and stories
of life and love and death and pain the losses and the glories
Peter Derek and Jean were sat at captain George's table
With the forest band they had a time well worthy of a fable.
Like all good things there comes an end but still they do maintain
That farewell nells the certainty, old friends will meet again.
Low latitudes they chased then heading down to 10 degrees
the southern tip of india where meet 3 mighty seas
But on their way they tarried, to lend a helping hand
to the young unfortunates, oft forgotten in this land
To BGM and DCH and a hundred childrens tales
where poverty, neglect and abondonment prevail
'till a Wilson or an Alice raise a hand” now there's enough!”
and seek to offer hope and love and trust though times are tough
Iinspiration perspiration determination too
whenever asked these heroes try to make small dreams come true.
Out of the blue there joined the crew a cabin girl named George
a breezy wench of good intent on cider she would gorge!
They all set sail together adventure for to seek
from India's tip to the Frenchies keep in less days than one week
They cruised the calm back waters in a craft woven of wicker
to Secret beach then Cochins quay none could have travelled quicker
Leaving Kerala behind they headed east to Tamil
On horseless coach and cart they rove and train without a camel
From Madhuri to Trichy then on to Pondicherry
finding France in India was most extaordinary.
Mamalapurum and the beach with time to gaze at leisure
Ancient palaces and temples long since plundered for their treasure
To Indias sultry beauty the crew soon said their goodbye
to find Madras has gone alas they fly off from Chennai
to Pulao Tioman, fabled isle in glassy sea
where every sea borne creature seems to call out look at me
Gord and Sue went snorkeling but it was diving Georgie wished
so she swam about with turtles and giant cuttlefish.
Too soon their week was over and northwards they were borne
getting soaked in Singapore in a sudden monsoon storm
afore landing back in Bangkok their eastern home from home
to plot a course and plan a route to where they next would roam
before this trip was started to the south and back they went
to Trang and Mook and emerald cave with Patt was time well spent
The journey's course took them on to Chiang Mai's northern throng
from where they joined a slow boat crew to sail the old Mekong
they left Siam for Laos stopped off in Luang Prebang
past countless forest fires causing smoke like mist to hang
On Vang Vien's small river in tubes there folk do frolic
and then they dance the night away in a haze that's alcoholic
East from Laos cross hill and vale to Vietnams border valleys
and on towards the coast and Hue's citadel they sallied
exploring palaces and temples o'er the shoulder and the back
of the toiling moto rickshaw boys whose smiles their faces cracked
and south along the coast to aged Hoi An's cobbled streets
where in My Sons ruined temples new pals were chanced to meet
Ivan and Ivana became Australian Czech mates
joined by Canadian Ally for a perfect dinner date
promising to meet again in some far distant land
they bade farewell kissed a cheek and warmly shook a hand
then ventured off by train again to Nha Trang and the south
to sprawling Ho Chi Minh and the mighty Mekong's mouth
Then all about back north'ads their quest now Kampuchia
to seek traces of the ancients in a land once full of fear
In Pnom Pen they saw scenes of Cambodias recent past
S21 and the killing fields left them silent and aghast
Till the majesty and awe that envelops Angkor Wat
left them full of wonder, Ta Som like, rooted to the spot.
Their last view of that country ere the ventured north once more
was a taste of life on Tonil Sap that is unseen from the shore
this vast lake harbours villages anchored midst its ebb and flow
where the children swim like fishes tis the only life they know
they can swim to play and swim to school and swim to buy a sweet
while parents sell their fish, line and net caught, never fleet.
A new course soon was plotted when a message came to hand
'bout a Koh Phangan reunion as the new moon blessed the land
soon the harbour there was brimming with shipmates from far and wide
George and Jon and Steve and Tom disembark-ed with the tide
making for the southern beaches where they have a new moon ball
until the days light welcomes a sunrise not seen by all
As the seasons they are changing and Monsoons coming too
the charts they are consulted to rest up in Banglampoo
to join a water party thrown as only Thailand can
you've never had a water fight till you've been there for Song Kran
falling in again with Alli our pistols full of water
we roamed the streets and bars revelling in a water slaughter
Time was sadly fast approaching for the voyage homeward bound
Saucy Sue was wistful Grey Gord barely made a sound
as they contemplated back along their journeys turns and twists
'bout the times they should have tarried, snubbed the voyage winds insists
how their ships wake did unravel when whimsey steered their way
where their ship will take them when they set sail another day
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Lynn
non-member comment
This not only captures what you expected, what you hoped for and what you experienced, but gives others the privilege of sharing it. Obviously a magical time, now a magic shared. Each time you write something new Gordon, you give your readers expectations- so now on your future travels we need a blog (travel writing) and poetry. What next? Thank you for sharing it. Lynn