European Stars And Stripes (Newspaper) - August 27, 1950, Darmstadt, Hesse                                Rotterdam to Manila american girl dec for Home Yujia sues canal on freighter by Kate special writer f or my second departure As a government employee from i Fol Lowed what in sure is the secret dream of almost any american of what hell do when he 1 travelled on a Caneo vessel towards by Way of the Suez canal the Orient i say to wards America because Ive stopped off in the Philippines for an indefinite but the trip can easily be followed right into the Harbor of san for some reason the words travelling by freighter seem to conjure up a picture of helping the Crew As it weighs hard tack and a Scarcity of cutthroat sailors waiting to pounce upon you As you make your Way to your Ham mock at and i didst think it would be this but i was prepared to have a difficult time getting to be the Only person who spoke English to do without hot to lock myself carefully in at and to watch what few valuable pos sessions i had with an Eagle these reservations were doubled when various companies wrote to they did not takes pne women As that their ships went Only to and when they answered my letters in almost any language but English but then came a letter from the danish East Asiatic in Copenhagen and my Fate was the first week in december t sailed from Rotterdam Alcaid the a freighter carrying 12 and one of the trim Mest ships on the the fact that it carries cargo Means that it rides Low and smoothly through the water and though Ive been desperately seasick with every crossing of the i want sick once on this ship which took me half Way around the the accommodations were Superb i was the Only american after three years of living in yet Al ways in the Center of american com it was a real adventure to see what europeans Are really on this trip there were three English wives in route to join their husbands in Malaya and a British banker and his Canadian wife going to an English woman on her Way to be Secre tary to the governor of North a German japanese woman returning to Japan her two children after 13 years in a chinese couple re turning to Hon Kong after having plated two years of writing and lecturing in England a filipino doctor return ing to Manila from two years in the officers and men of the Crew were almost All and since the ship was Small enough to roam around pretty i could get a Complete picture about the life of a the cargo meant stopovers at each longshoremen swarmed aboard to unload the goods destined for their particular City and then scientifically Load Export products bound for the Philippines and Points most of the passengers boarded the ship in Rotterdam and from there we sailed past Gibraltar to a Day and night Here we moved on Genoa where we had a weekend of sight shopping and saying Goodby to our last european the trip to port was made especially interesting by the thrill of sailing through the narrow Straits of Messina and pass ing the dramatic Volcano of Stromboli which shot fiery lava High into the blackness of the night As our ship sailed port said provided the smell Iest most picturesque Street an election was going on and the candidate for office arrived in a sleek american he was whisked onto the shoulders the mob and carried into Aga Dily decorated loudspeakers were connected to the Street and Arab wailing a and chanting filled the everywhere were Trail ing Olive evil and pushing merchants accosting you in with i bought three ice handkerchiefs which Arent lace and do not keep their shape uhen by the Light of a weak Street i purchased a pure Silver Bracelet from a most insistent rag bedecked which turned out to be fragile tin by the cold Clear Light of the following my third Purchase m Egypt was a pure Gold perfume Container guaranteed to be the essence of Egypt to Needles to say the was a 1 i myth and upon closer inspection it even had the name of the country in which it was 1 guess one is not a real traveler until he has been a Complete sucker at least the next big adventure of the trip was the Suez the colouring was truly the Sand stretched for Miles of pin Golden the sky was brilliantly Blue with massive Silver White Cloud formations which Hung Low Over the camels dozed by the Stone embankment of the arabs shuffled along in heavy White women passed with jugs balanced on their there was a six hour Stop in As we took on this was time enough to take a glimpse of veiled women narrow streets Mongrel pigs and naked babies wandering in and out of crowded three walled rooms which seemed to serve As houses for from Aden to Singapore is a 10day stretch of we travelled across the Indian just touching the Southern Edge of the arabian sea within sight of the Island of Ceylon across the sparkling Bay of Bengal with its schools of por flying rainbows in the Spray and rare glimpses of sinister Sharks until finally we sailed through the Straits of Malacca and docked at the weather was the seas completely and we All spent our time living the life of a millionaire banker with not a care in the the moment we reached i set out for a Singapore Sling at the Raffles the waiter was a bit con hed never heard of a Singa pore 1 want to be outdone this late in the and we studied the wine list together until he decided that i meant a Gin a streets you pass men with shaven sparse gaunt Brown slanting Bare a great Deal of the life is found just squatting on the City i passed men playing net Ting at from a reclining position on the 1 wandered through big department into Back into countless across Bridges and narrow the shops Are a woman Satin native Jade Opal embroidered brocaded and Frothy nightgowns abound on every counter and Are almost invariably within ones the hotels and nightclubs Are either air conditioned or Well stocked with elec tric decorations Are wry tropical subdued color ing in soft golds and muted from Singapore we sailed the China sea to the boat anchors at an is land 60 Miles or so front and i was Lucky enough to ride up the River on a tugboat one spend the Day in and ride Down the River the following night just in time to Board the ship before she pushed on to three Days later we sailed into Manila Bay and i had reached my 1 find that i like the Philippines exceptionally but it cannot be denied Fiat one of the reasons is the anticipation of the rest of the trip Home will wide stretches of the Pacific Ocean and finally the Beautiful Harbor of san Kate Salter shoots the Sun with the Aid of third officer Neils Shalkham on the Quarterdeck of the motor ship r the of which miss former yer employed in the office Piolat Rhine main air made the the carried Only 12 passenger Fei Little Leslie six years was on her Way to join her father in she is Shewn gazing at a Middle East the Rickshaw in the far Here miss j Singapore in the Bike driven the Trisha in has taken Over from Salter rides through the streets of the stars and strip