Welcome to my new blog!

I already run a successful blog: www.leavingcairo.blogspot.com - a blog about an English girl the wrong side of 35 who finds herself settling (for the moment) in the beautiful country of Greece.
But there's more to Bex, the author - hence "The this 'n' that blog".
Documented here will be every day ramblings and observations - enjoy!

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Thursday 9 February 2012

Container ship anyone??

Those who've read earlier posts will know that I love the sea, and yes, a few years ago I travelled across the Atlantic to the Caribbean by container ship.  I will write a separate post about this soon, I promise.

But now I am considering the ultimate: from Piraeus in Greece (where I am currently) to Melbourne to visit family, but it has to be on 2 ships, via Korea.

Am I mad???  Do I have the money more like.  I will have to look into it some more.  But let's get back to the 'Are you mad??' bit:
No, I don't think I am actually.  It is clear that there is room for passengers on such a journey, and surely the journey is all part of the adventure, not just getting from A to B.

One thing my first experience of a container ship voyage taught me: it's an incredibly humbling experience, being amongst and at the mercy of the elements and Mother Nature.  And sea faring men are very gentle, if not spiritual creatures (despite their gate, build and dour expressions).
And besides, isn't it always nice to try to do something a little different?  And I'll have plenty to write about!

So!  Take a look at this route:

Piraeus                   Day 10 (journey starts in Thamesport)
Suez Canal             Day 12
Jeddah                    Day 15
Colombo                Day 23
Tanjung Pelepas    Day 28
Kaohsiung             Day 34 (24 days total to Kaohsiung)

*****************************

Kaohsiung - Melbourne 11 days on HANJIN PRETORIA
No stops, so 11 days straight at sea.


I better get my world atlas out!

10 comments:

Jessica, NL said...

Cool!! That would be a great trip, what are the accomodations like, just a simple cabin and bed I suppose? To me, a container ship would go before a big cruisemonster anyday :)

(and I like the layout of this blog better than the other one, easier to read!)

Lettie said...

I deal with container shipping a lot - I didn't realise they took passengers! If you make it to Shanghai and need to get back to the uk let me know! We ship once a month, you could keep an eye on our container lol!!

Kevin Griffin said...

That was fast off the mark Bex, this service from Piraeus has only just opened. Too bad really, the last time we had direct service from Europe to Australia via Suez was 2008, but at least people can still do it by changing ships en route. And Taiwan is worth a visit on the way.

Kevin Griffin

Unknown said...

Thanks Kevin. I certainly am looking forward to the planning of it - I shall ensure I stay in touch with you guys, you've looked after me well in the past.
Anyone interested in Container ship travel (or travel by sea) can look at www.cruisepeople.co.uk for more information about Kevin and his team of people who can help you come up with the trip of a lifetime.

Kevin Griffin said...

Bex, I also liked one of your posts on "Leaving Cairo" - so I tweeted it this morning:

"a positive way to start a Friday: 7 things to love about Greece and Greeks http://t.co/dj2uK5Bx" - don't know if the links work here but people can find it on your "Leaving Cairo" blog.

Kevin

Areti Gavalaki said...

Congrats on your new blog, Bex!
From Athens to Melbourne by boat? Are you sure you're not a descendant of seafaring Odysseus? It sounds an exciting adventure and a great experience!
Good luck with your book writing!
Areti

Unknown said...

Thanks Areti. Yes, I secretly believe I was Odysseus in a past life ;0) It'll takea lot of planning, and won't be for a while yet - and who knows what might happen in the meantime? That's my plan anyway, let's hope I can do it.

Unknown said...

It will certainly be the trip of a lifetime! And the cabin accommodation is not as simple as it sounds (just cos it's a containership). I will write about my last Container ship travel soon, and post photos for you to enjoy. Yes, it beats the naffness of cruiseship travel all the time.
I glad you like this blog - I've altered the layout of my "Leaving Cairo..." blog - you might prefer that one now too.

Kevin Griffin said...

Quick additional comment. These services have a habit of changing from time to time but now we have a ship called the NYK Galaxy taking passengers from Hong Kong to Australia so there is now a choice of changing at either Hong Kong or Kaohsiung (no Singapore any more though)

Unknown said...

Great - I've never been to either, but like the idea of Hong Kong, so might give that some serious though
:0)

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