Thanks again PDB, you brought back lots of great memories
I always preferred the Far East runs, I was lucky & spent most of the 4 years of my apprenticeship doing that. Penang, Port Swettenham, Singapore, Bangkok, Saigon, Hong Kong, Japan & occasionally across the Pacific to San Francisco (that is a ZB ing long way on an 8 knot ship).
I guess you became a regular in The Ritz Bar & Straits Cabaret in Singapore?
All good things come to an end, the ships got too modern & the runs changed, so once I got my 2nd mates ticket I mixed and matched my ships - I guess similar to you.
It wasn’t that long before I also switched to driving, the experience at sea, the ports & the people helped a lot in making the transition to the ME run fairly painless.
Thanks again Pal & hope your life continues to be as fulfilled & interesting