Happy Valley

[Louis the Amigo]

Hi Shipmates, Hi Grant,The club Laurie 86yrs and myself go to every week. For a £5 sub today you would not get two single rums !!! Never mind a Taxi ride home and two young ladys and a bottle ? We had real value for our money in them days The British pound was worth more than a yankee dollar

[Tony Wilding]

I tried to get a residents permit to live there ! Found my way in but not out, anyone go to beaunaventura in colombia ? And go over the hill, the higher u went the wilder it became, eventually the bars became tin shacks with 1 naked lightbulb, the girls the same, i woke up the next day in a mud hut miles from anywhere , apparently i had bought a parrot, and a girl, left the girl and brought the parrot home, had him for years, he spoke spanish, often wonder if i should have brought her home as well, oh well, such is life, youngsters today have no idea what they missed.

[Ivan Cloherty]

I tried to get a residents permit to live there ! Found my way in but not out, anyone go to beaunaventura in colombia ? And go over the hill, the higher u went the wilder it became, eventually the bars became tin shacks with 1 naked lightbulb, the girls the same, i woke up the next day in a mud hut miles from anywhere , apparently i had bought a parrot, and a girl, left the girl and brought the parrot home, had him for years, he spoke spanish, often wonder if i should have brought her home as well, oh well, such is life, youngsters today have no idea what they missed.

Hi Tony

Certainly taking your chances with your important parts going ashore in Beunaventura, used to sail in there regular in the 50's, medicine chest was well utilised. Lucky to get out with your head, during my time on that coast three sailors lost their heads, literally!. Don't know when you were there but do you remember the Indians walking round town with their spears and a belt of monkey heads, well they say they were monkey heads. The place was something out of a wild west movie, even the police wouldn't go beyond the boardwalks after dark, the Indians didn't like them, anyway I see from your story that electricity finally made it there

Ah ! memories !! You were definately better off with just the parrot

[Tony Wilding]

Hi ivan, never thought of danger in those days, but it was wild there could not wear a watch, it would be cut off your wrist. It was in early 60,s on mv salinas psnc. 3 trips.i know in the morning i paid an indian boy to take me back to town, was a long long walk, monsoon rain, soaked to the skin, parrot on my shoulder, soaked also, was so tame, logged of course, back late, was on the net recently looked up beunaventura, the columbian army wont go there, its a drug haven now, apparently a very dangerous place to be. Only time i felt uncomfortable ashore was in lattakia in syria, was in 61/62 lots if troubles with the arabs there, egypt/syria, no subs allowed, but i had a big white £5 note, so it went in my sock, and ashore we went, everyone had a kalashnikov. Was scary, that was on mv wanstead, watts watts., regards tony

[Louis the Amigo]

Hi Shipmates, Hi Tony you were like me very very lucky never had any probelms in any place or on any ship on my time at sea The only time I came close was in BRIDGETOWN all the locals smoking weed a crazy place

[Ivan Cloherty]

Hi ivan, never thought of danger in those days, but it was wild there could not wear a watch, it would be cut off your wrist. It was in early 60,s on mv salinas psnc.

Hi Tony

See we sailed on the same ship, albeit at different times, I was on "Salinas" in 1955, 1956 on her New Zealand trip and also the Suez invasion, also sailed on her in 1958. Best Captain I sailed with in PSNC was Capt Litherland.

Worst place for me ashore was mainland China at the time of Chairman Mao's little red book, they were so rude, arrogant, unpredictable and trigger happy

[Tony Wilding]

Happy valley was tame compared to over the hill, la palota! I think they called it in buenaventura, happy valley was called campo allegro, had a lucky time at sea, was shot at twice, first time in valencia by guardia civil, 3 shots, all missed, second time on mv tuscany, in hamilton bermuda, a crew member run amok with a berreta automatic,was in my cabin with my mate, door open then , bang, bang,bullets richochetted all around cabin, misseed us then he demolish the bookshelf with a karate chop and flake out, we run, he was taken ashore, never seen again.