Thu 05.07.12:
The morning after the night before I jumped on the internet to find THE EMAIL. The email I had been waiting for, the email I had been dreading. CMA-CGM writing back to me with a decision.
Will The Odyssey Expedition be over in August? Will the last three FINAL FRONTIERS tumble like dominoes?
Or will I have to waste more time, more effort and take a completely unsuitable, dangerous and expensive method of getting to Fortress Maldives and Fortress Seychelles??
The news wasn’t good.
The email was pleasant enough, but the answer is NO.
I will have to waste more time, more effort and take a completely unsuitable, dangerous and expensive method of getting to Fortress Maldives and Fortress Seychelles.
So that’s three no’s in a row. With no marinas in this country and a general lack of cruise ships, fishing boats and rubber dinghies around here, it looks like the 411nm journey to the Maldives is going to elude me yet.
Anita got the call from her editor telling her she would be leaving on tonight’s 4am flight to Barcelona. That’s pretty gonzo. She left at 1am, leaving me in a three bedroom luxury hotel apartment by myself, everything’s paid for, check out by noon. HOW DID I GET HERE?! Under normal circumstances, this would result in a flat party of epic proportions. But with Lily and Livi ensconced to the left of the country, Natalie back in Negombo and the other usual suspects otherwise disposed I stood out on the balcony alone in the cool night air.
And so I look out from the 27th floor of the Colombo Hilton Residence across the city sprawled out below. The gantry cranes of the port are lit by yellow sodium-vapour lights. It almost looks romantic. In a cruel, industrialised way. They’re loading ships with rice and tea and grain. Everything but Graham. Stand by. Await further instructions. It’s a long way down.
Out of ideas, out of options, out of time.
The dizzying highs and the crushing lows. I’m amazed any of you are still reading this crap.
Some of us do want you to succeed. You got to hang in there. Walk along the shore and you might spot something… just trying to help…
We read this crap because we hope that you’ll find a way!
if you’ve come this far…
Would you be willing to hitch a ride on a small fishing boat like Dakar-Praia?
We want you to succeed Graham. Don’t give up.
Keep going! All best wishes. 🙂
You could go back up through india/mid east, go down to South Sudan find a way from the mainland to Madagascar, from their to the seychelles, and finally the Maldives, it make take a little longer.
The lovely people at PIL have already confirmed I can take a ship from Sri Lanka to Madagascar, so that’s not a problem. But getting from Seychelles to Maldives will be next to impossible. It would be much, much better (and safer) just to do the jaunt there and back from here. ARRRRRRRRRRRRRRRGH!!!
It will pass near the Maldives then, No? You could ask them very nicely to stop off.
What you need is a yellow submarine.
One word for you: Stowaway.
I stumbled upon your odyssey by accident – one word: WOW!
Yes, we are reading your crap because it’s well worth it. Love the candid humour and your style of writing too.
So, good luck – get on with it now and hope you’d make it back home in time.
BTW, I’m Sri Lankan living elsewhere and you made home sick!
I still think you should just join the pirates.
Graham! I have the solution!
What about Cilian and his superyacht supplies connections?! Just read a post back in 2010 that says that they know of boats going to 2 of your FINAL FRONTIERS: The Maldives and Seychelles !! Read up!
http://theodysseyexpedition.com/2010/12 (top Indonesia post, a paragraph or two before you bash Bono)
Mission (almost) accomplished?!
Oh, btw, Cilian and crew also hit SRI LANKA, meaning they prob head to your FINAL FRONTIERS from your current port of call! 😉
Stayed there after a surfing sting in Arugam Bay – the hotel is lux!