S. S. Asia

I was glad that my friend, Joyce, decided to go to London for further education, so the two of us made plans to travel together.

Father was generous and gave me a First Class ticket on an Italian Liner, S. S. Asia, which would carry us to Genoa, Italy. From there, Joyce and I were to take the train, traveling through France, crossing the channel, and end our journey in London.
So, the summer found me busy, getting ready to leave HK.  
Like many unseasoned travelers, I probably packed way too much unnecessary items. I busied myself with the preparations. It kept me occupied.

The day finally came for us to board S. S. Asia.
Both Joyce's parents and mine came to see us off. After our parents viewed our cabin, the grand Dining room, the awesome Ballroom, the library, the theater, and so on; then it was time for them to get off the ship.
Joyce and I went to the upper deck, leaned over the railings and throw confetti and colored paper streamers down the side of the ship  - just like what you see in the old movies. The ship bellowed out its loud "Ohmmm", we were ready to "set sail."  Slowly the big ship turned away from the dock, with its tugboats leading the way, gracefully gliding over the water, heading out of the harbor. Till this day I get excited whenever I witness "setting the sail". Of course, now-a-days, we don't have confetti or streamers for the cruise ships. And, believe me, even the cheapest cabins are more roomy than our cabin on S. S. Asia. 

Joyce and I were to share our First-Class cabin (mind you, First Class!) with a middle-aged WAC from the U.S. She was a plus-sized woman, I don't know how she ever fitted into that bunkbed. Joyce and I were skinny then (I only weighed ninety-three pounds and Joyce was not much bigger) so we did not have too much trouble. There was about a four feet space between the bunkbeds, barely enough room to turn around. Our large trunks were in the ship's storage, we had suitcases in the cabin, still - it was tight. Now, the bathroom was such, the wash basin was the size of a large salad bowl (I swear it was the truth.) And, the shower was so tight you could touch both sides with your elbows bent. We also had to learn how to conserve water - no waste!
Don't get me wrong, the cabin had old-world-charm with its mahogany wood everywhere and polished shining brass fittings, good linen, it was not shabby at all. But the SIZE! Alas, we were in the 1950s.

With all the excitement, I forgot to take my seasick pills.

Lunch was served soon after we set sail. I sat down at the dining table, took one look of the table . . . ( we did not even have the first course yet!) I had to excuse myself and barely made it to my cabin's tiny bathroom. I took a pill and flopped down on my super-narrow bunkbed - to sleep off my embarrassment!

The ship picked up speed.