Check out Hurgada Passage under
Glimpses of the Road, back on
Randy's Travel Page.
There is a wonderful variety of water craft that you may have the opportunity to board, ranging from dugout canoes to river ferries, to large ocean-going ferries, to freighters. Yes, it is still possible -- but no longer cheap! -- to get passage on freighters. The best resource I can find is Ford's Freighter Travel Guide, published quarterly, with comprehensive ship and fare information. This guide also contains "Waterways of the World", a pretty good list of interesting river cruises all over the world, as well as ferry travel around Europe.
One of my favorites is the narrow launch that made a little hop from Santiago Atitlán to San Pedro La Laguna on Lake Atitlán in Guatemala. At noon, people would gather on a little beach below Santiago to get on. For 25-cents you got a seat and an paddle! Everyone paddled to get to San Pedro.
For water-borne travel, the main hazards to avoid are sea sickness and exposure to wind, sun, and rain. The first step to avoid sea sickness is to find the best location on the boat. The most comfortable ride is in the middle; since boats rock through their center of gravity, the fore and aft sections (where the cheap bunks are) will get a much worse ride than in the middle. In a fast speed boat, it will be more stable in the back, near the engine.
Try to stay in the fresh air and keep an eye on the horizon, preferably to the side. This establishes a steady reference point that prevents your body from becoming disoriented (seasick). Once you lie down or go below decks, you've had it! An empty stomach can be just as bad as a full one. Eat a moderate meal a few hours before departure, and bring some soda crackers to nibble on in route. If you fear a nauseous trip, use Dramamine or scopolamine patches about an hour before leaving; both can cause drowsiness.
Should you succumb to sea sickness, the only effective treatment is solid land. If at all possible, remain sitting or standing on deck (even if leaning over the rail) so you feel the fresh air and can watch the horizon. Motion sickness may not be contagious, but the reactions certainly are; stay far away from other sufferers on board. Regularly rinse your mouth out with fresh water and try to nibble a few crackers or biscuits.
Be sure to bring plenty of food and water, as these are often lacking or unpalatable on regular ferry services. Expect long delays and unscheduled stops on many routes, especially where the ship is also carrying cargo.
Any trip on open water can become quite chilly in spite of sunny weather. Although you may feel warm on the stationary deck, look for a place that will be sheltered from the wind, and bring a sweater or wind jacket. If there is no enclosed space available, the rear deck should be significantly protected from the wind. On longer voyages, put your back right up against a wall, as near the middle of the boat as you can, and face the rear. The front of the boat will be subjected to more wind and water, and the rear to exhaust fumes. Find out where the latrine and exhaust pipes are, and keep away from them.
Check out Hurgada Passage under
Glimpses of the Road, back on
Randy's Travel Page.
On slow river boats, the main problems will be exposure to too much sun, rain, or both, which can be a hazard on any boat. Try to find a covered spot that will protect you. If you are stuck in the sun too long, bring out your hat, sunscreen, and long trousers.
On longer journeys of several days it can be worthwhile to get a reserved seat or bunk inside and above decks, to protect yourself from the elements and have a smoother ride. You do owe it to yourself to spend a few days on the "travelers' deck"; there will be many occasions when it is unavoidable and several when it is the most pleasant. But once you have experienced the worst, you will better appreciate the benefits of securing a protected spot on board.
As an example, typical short-run ferries in the Philippines have two classes, often each with its own deck. Second class may cost $2 while first is $3. Second class can be at least as much fun as the second class bus, with everyone sprawled on the deck, shouting, laughing, trading, and eating. On other days, it could be more like one of those horrifying third-world mob scenes you read about in the newspaper with the "lower-deck crowds panicking and screaming just before the boat heeled over without leaving port, and immediately sank with all hands." By contrast, First Class is usually deserted and you have the deck to yourself and a few middle class families. Sometimes a more costly ticket is necessary to escape three days of sheer hell; at others you are missing all the fun if you don't "go deck". Ask travelers.
There are a number of international ferry services which can save you from less interesting and more expensive flights. These include a number of services across the Mediterranean to the Middle East and Africa, Egypt to Jordan, Japan to Shanghai, Japan to Korea, Malaysia to Sumatra, and occasionally Malaysia to India. The ferry from India to Sri Lanka is not currently running, but neither was it any good. Unfortunately, Taiwan to Hong Kong ferries have not run for many years, nor is it legal to go by boat from Indonesia to the Philippines. But there are new ferry services from Okinawa, Japan to Taiwan, and several weekly ferry services from Shanghai, China to Kobe and Osaka, Japan; it takes 2 days and costs about US$180.
Check out Shanghai'ed under
Glimpses of the Road, back on
Randy's Travel Page.
Among the more interesting, if intrepid, passenger boat journeys you can make are on coastal dhows down the East African coast or boats among the Indonesian islands, Belize to Honduras on a cement boat, a felluca down the Nile, a river boat down the Zambezi (Zambia) or through Sumatra to Singapore, a steamer up the Amazon, a barge down the Irrawaddy or the Mekong, all around North Borneo, and a number of shorter and more intimate river trips and irregular boats to offshore tropical islands. If you are prepared to hire your own boat and operator, you can get yourself into some really deep spots.
Now, sailboats are a different subject altogether. I'm talking about finding people who will give you a ride on their private sailboat or motor yacht. In return you either work and help with basic expenses, or pay a fee, or both. It can be an interesting way to hop down a long coast, or even to sail across a major ocean. If this sounds good to you, rest assured that it sounds good to every other traveler out there; there is no shortage of "volunteer crew" for sailboats.
Often the original crew leaves the boat once they get someplace interesting (where you are already sick of the place), or a small group just wants a little company on their boat. Because of the large number of travelers who think crewing on a boat would be great fun, the yacht people get tired of being asked for rides. There is one major exception. If you happen to be a woman, especially a young, reasonably presentable woman, many of the yachties will be very interested in signing you on to their boats. It is not uncommon to see signs posted in yacht harbors, and even travelers' hostels: "Crew Wanted -- Female Only, No Experience Necessary".
This is one of the (few) advantages that female travelers enjoy (although it is not always enjoyable). I have met many women travelers who had no trouble finding several rides on sailboats -- in fact, were offered rides without even looking for them. They told me that it was so easy, why didn't I try it myself?
For the men, however, you are usually out of luck unless you are an experienced crew member looking for a long trip, or just happen to strike up a friendship with the right folks. For short hops and easy sailing, women are preferred over experienced men, and you should ask yourself why. Once at sea, women can expect some chauvinistic behavior from the captain and crew; if you are tough and firm, you will probably be able to handle them for a while, until you get totally sick of such behavior.
Another long-distance option is actually something like a budget tour for backpackers. You can book "passage" on an overland truck tour lasting from six weeks to six months. Everyone piles in the back of a big Bedford or Dodge truck, and ten to twenty travelers spend the time camping, cooking, and sightseeing together. They mainly operate on rugged routes across Africa, down South America, and when possible, from Europe to Asia. In particular, the cross-Africa trips can take you through places that would be difficult to see on your own, and provide the gear to subsist for days of travel through forbidding deserts.
Anyone can go, but the emphasis is on youth. The general consensus seems to be that within a few weeks, the trip has degenerated into petty squabbling among the travelers, or with the drivers, or both. This doesn't prevent them from having a great trip, but those who are more used to traveling on their own will probably not last long in this environment.
Just because people do drop out along the way, there are sometimes opportunities to join up with an overland company for only a small part of their trip. It might even be an interesting way to get from Kenya to South Africa, and travelers used to 'hitch' rides on overland trucks to get across the Punjab in times when it was too dangerous to travel alone. In African cities it is not uncommon to see their oversized trucks disgorging a platoon of western travelers into the amazed populace. Go have a word with the drivers, if only to hear their wild tales or get some advice on where to go.
Many of these trips are operated out of England or Europe, and most of them begin there. In London, pick up a copy of Time Out or Trailfinders magazines to find advertisements for overland companies. Those that run through South America usually require you to get there yourself (they don't run through Central America). Some companies are much worse than others, and a few have left their passengers stranded in the middle of nowhere! So before you invest in such a trip, get as much information as you can and don't shop only on price. "Adventure Vacations", by Richard Bangs has a thorough list of overland companies that you could investigate.
Some people travel around the world with the single rule that they
will never, ever pay for a ride, while many travelers never
hitch-hike. I cannot recommend either approach as a fixed policy.
Like bargaining or trekking, hitching is one of the fun and
adventurous things you can do on your travels that you might never try
at home. I would like to recommend that all travelers at least
consider hitching from time to time, just for the fun of it.
Personally, I'm a fair-weather hitcher -- I hitch when it's fun,
convenient, or necessary. I still get some pretty wild rides, but I
will not try to convince you that it is the only way to travel.
[Photo :
One
finger out in Jordan]
See Hitching the Peten on
Randy's Travel Articles Page.
Saving money is not the main reason to hitch; public transport in much of the Third World is quite cheap. Aside from the fun and excitement, there are a few situations where the only way to get from point A to point B -- with the possible alternative of hiring a jeep or taxi -- is to hitch a ride. There may be a dozen locals competing with you for rides!
In some cases hitching may be faster than the bus, or the only bus of the day passes through at 3 am., the buses are incredibly crowded, or perhaps you want to stop off and see some sights along the road. This could be your opportunity to become an international hitch-hiker, so don't discount the idea on principle.
Hitching in the Third World does not carry the element of danger that we can associate with it at home. Unfortunately, this is not always true for women alone. There are quite a few intrepid females who do hitch around the world, and have astounding tales to tell of it, but I cannot recommend it for women alone. "Seven League Boots" is Wendy Meyers' story of her seven-year hitch around the world.
Otherwise, the biggest danger you'll encounter is getting stranded in the middle of nowhere when night falls. There are a few cases, like the Centre of Australia, where you can wait days for a lift in places where there is no food or water available, and you could perish from exposure. If you plan to do a lot of serious, long-distance hitching, you should definitely prepare yourself for spending some nights out where you would rather not be. If you don't carry a tent, at least an emergency shelter (bivouac sack) and maybe a sleeping bag are in order.
On some routes where buses are infrequent or overcrowded, I just go out and flag down anything I can to get where I want to go. If it's a bus, that's fine, but if I have to wait two hours for a bus, I can probably hitch a ride much sooner. This is the easiest kind of hitching, especially on busier routes, and it's a good way to introduce yourself to hitch-hiking as just another transportation alternative. Hitching into town, or out to the beach for the day can be quite straight-forward in many areas.
Hitching Techniques
If you are a hardened veteran, you have your own hitching style, but for beginners, (and quite a few remedial hitchers I've seen), here are some basic guidelines:
Location is the most crucial factor in hitching. Drivers must be able to see you from a distance, recognize that you want a ride, and have an easy place to pull off the road, preferably beyond you. If you don't have a good spot, not much else matters. Serious hitch-hiking can easily involve as much hiking as hitching. To find a good spot, you may have to walk miles through a town, to the next major crossroads, or just to find a wide place in the road. Places where vehicles naturally slow down, stop for intersections, or pull out of service stations can also be good choices.
You want to be in a place where most of the traffic is going where you are going. Usually this means getting out of town, and in big cities you will need to take a bus to get there. As long as you're at it, why not just take a bus to the next small town or major cross-roads, where you can find a good hitching spot that is not too far from a place to eat, or sleep if necessary.
Look like someone drivers want to pick up. This could mean that you look harmless, friendly, interesting, or just able to pay. Looking like a foreigner usually satisfies all of the above. Dress reasonably; there are plenty of drivers who will only stare at neon shorts and a dirty vest on their way by.
Drivers want to see your face before they decide to give you a ride. Brave the sun and take off your hat and dark glasses, at least when a vehicle approaches. Walking with your back to traffic and your thumb out not only hides your identity, but shows that you are perfectly happy to walk! Show your smiling face -- you are friendly, harmless, interesting, and full of wild stories that you are just bursting to tell someone.
Although you'll need some extra gear for bivouacking outside, the smaller your luggage the better for hitching. You will be jumping in and out of vehicles on a moment's notice; if you have more than one bag, you are likely to lose one along the way. You should be able to carry your bag with you wherever you go, putting it between you legs, on your lap, or sitting on it in the back of trucks. As soon as it gets stowed away somewhere, you have lost a great deal of maneuverability in your hitching. And you will definitely end up carrying it for quite a few miles between rides.
Flagging down rides is a very common form of transportation in much of the Third World. Local people just go out to the road, stick their hand out, and take anything they can get. Local buses stop just about anywhere to pick up a fare. There are also minibuses and share taxis which carry passengers as a business, and trucks and private cars that may get a little extra money by picking up passengers along the way, in addition to the free rides.
As you can see, some "hitching" involves paying a fare, it's not always free! If your intention is just to save money, or to prove that you can do it, you may spend much more time standing by the road waiting for a free ride, but you can usually get one eventually. In places where the poorest people pay a few centavos for a ride in the back of a truck, I find it a bit ludicrous to demand a free ride.
There are still plenty of places where you can just jump into a truck or car, ride to the next town and ask, "What do I owe you?" You will either get the local rate or a free ride, and you don't need to worry about haggling or fixing the price beforehand. The longer the ride, the more careful you should be about establishing the rate (if any) before you get in.
I once flagged down a taxi in rural Mexico. When I saw that it was a taxi, I explained that I was just hitching. That was fine with him, he was on his way home and would be happy to give me a free ride. In Japan, I once hitched a ride with an off-duty taxi driver who proceeded to give me a tour of his town for free.
Unless you end up riding in the back of trucks, you will be expected to provide conversion with the driver. That is one of the main reasons he picked you up. He wants someone to talk to, and in your case, lots of stories to tell his friends and family about the foreigner he spent the afternoon chatting with. If you are feeling sullen, maybe you should take the bus. Language is no excuse. I spent three days in the cab of truck across the Tibetan Plateau with a Chinese and a Tibetan; I don't know what we talked about, but it went on all day.
The Mechanics of Hitching
The world-wide hand signal for getting a ride is just to hold your arm out straight to your side with the hand open, palm facing down. Now just wave your hand or fingers up and down a bit -- that's it. In many places it can be even more casual, extending only your index finger, lowering the arm a bit, and perhaps not waving anything at all. But the more difficult it is for the driver to see you, and the more desperate you become, the more action you will put into your hitching arm. On long stretches of highway where the trucks blow by at top speed, you will be waving your whole arm up and down frantically as soon as you spot a truck.
The "thumbs-up" sign is also recognized in many countries;
unfortunately, it is most often recognized as an obscene gesture, so
use your fingers unless you are in very Americanized areas.
"Thumbs-down" is not terribly rude anywhere that I know of, and is
often used in Australia and New Zealand, but the old hand-wave is much
more versatile and familiar.
[Photo :
Thumbs
down in New Zealand]
Hitching Alone
The best number for males hitching is one. For women it is two, and safer if the other is male. Anything over two is just impractical, so split up and agree to meet somewhere at the end of the road. When men and women hitch together, they should definitely try to sit together, and in many places, the woman should sit on the window. It is a good policy to always profess to be married.
Who Picks You Up?
In many developing countries where private cars are rare, most of your rides will be with commercial truck drivers. Modern trucks have room for three in the cab, so two people may be able to hitch into the front of a truck, but only if he does not already have a relief driver. This is the situation where a lone hitcher gets more rides.
See Iraqi Hitch under
Glimpses of the Road, back on
Randy's Travel Page.
Next will be local farmers or business people, driving a truck and not going very far. Traveling salesmen are the best kind of rides to get; they travel alone, fast, and in reasonable autos. While mobile salesmen are not present in poorer countries, their place may be taken by government workers, bank officers, or relief workers.
The next step up are the elite, the local muckety-mucks and expatriate foreigners who whiz around in very nice cars at high speeds. If you can ever find them, they can be quite interested in picking up foreign travelers and for free. The cliche in Malaysia used to be that you turned your back on trucks, and waited for the air-conditioned Mercedes. My girlfriend and I got a ride with the aide to a Malaysian Sultan. He bought us lunch at a nice restaurant and had the driver drop us off at our hotel.
Finally, you may actually get a ride from other tourists who have rented a car or van. Some tourists are quite friendly about picking up foreign hitchers, while many choose to ignore you. However, it can be pretty easy to chat up some tourists at a sightseeing spot and get a ride, at least back into town.
I have ridden on cracked corn, lumber, soda bottles, and in the back of an unrefrigerated meat truck. I have also been picked up by the army, smugglers, an ambulance, a taxi, a foreign tour bus, and a local school bus full of kids. More serious hitchers can keep you up all night telling stories much more interesting than mine.
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