Cebu, Philippines

Cebu is a long narrow island stretching 225 kilometers from north to south, surrounded by 167 neighbouring, smaller islands, which include Mactan, Bantayan, Malapascua, Olango and the Camotes Islands.  In 1898, the island was ceded to the United States after the Spanish-American War and Philippine-American War. In 1901, Cebu was governed by the United States for a brief period, however it became a charter province on February 24, 1937 and was governed independently by Filipino politicians. Read more on Wikipedia

Lowry refers to Cebu in his novel Ultramarine; "Whew, Christ it's hot..Reminds me of Cebu in the Philippines. Last voyage we tied up nose-on to the maternity hospital. They say they dump the miscarriages into the ditch. None of the crowd would go in bathing, anyway." (Pgs 70-71); " 'Manila, eh, reminds me of Cebu. That's the place for you, Hilliot, the town of ukeleles. We had a feller flogged his going ashore suit for one. Why he never even learnt to tune the damn thing' " and " 'We went to Cebu on the Plato. We tied up to buoys just alongside the maternity hospital. The mozzies was awful-' " (Pg. 177).

Lowry never visited Cebu on his 1927 voyage to the Far East. Cebu was not a port of call for Blue Funnel Line ships. Richard Eberhart refers to Cebu in his long poem 'A Bravery of Heart' which was an influence on Lowry.

Cebu has a long history of guitar making due to its traditional industry. Most of the guitar manufacturers are family-owned enterprises passed on from one generation to another.The centre of the guitar-making industry in Cebu is in Lapu-Lapu City in Mactan Island. In addition, other string musical instruments made in Lapu-Lapu City include ukuleles, banjos, and mandolins.

The guitar-making industry in Lapu-Lapu City started when the Spanish friars assigned in Cebu needed to repair the guitars they were using. Instead of waiting for the guitars to arrive from Mexico, they commissioned the townspeople of Opon village in Mactan Island to make new guitars and repair the existing guitars they had; thus began the guitar industry in Cebu. Read more

Bombay Port Trust

Mumbai Port, earlier known as Bombay Port, lies midway (Latitude 18° 56.3' N, Longitude 72° 45.9' E) on the West coast of India, on the natural deep-water harbour of Mumbai. The harbour spread over 400 square kilometres (150 sq mi) is protected by the mainland of Konkan to its east and north and by the island city of Mumbai to its west. The harbour opens to the south to the Arabian Sea.

The first of the present-day docks of the Mumbai Port were built in the 1870s.  Bombay Port Trust (BPT) was established as a corporation on June 26, 1873. BPT's founding chairman was Colonel J.A. Ballard. Port development was undertaken by the civil engineering partnership Sir John Wolfe-Barry and Lt Col Arthur John Barry as Joint Consulting Engineers to the Bombay Port Trust at the end of the nineteenth century.

Lowry refers to the Bombay Port Trust in his novel Ultramarine when Dana is drunkenly tells Popplereuter all officials who have seen him home when he was drunk; "At Bombay it was deputy conservator at the Port Trust." (Pg. 94). The conservator means some officer or body of persons appointed as such under section 7 of the Ports Act, 1908 (Act XV of 1908) to carry out certain tasks in the Port's Marine Department and will include Harbour Master.

Keelung, Taiwan

Keelung City (also Jilong or Chilung) is a major port city situated in the northeastern part of Taiwan formerly Formosa in the 1920s. A systematic city development started during the Japanese Era, after the 8 May 1895 Treaty of Shimonoseki, which handed all Taiwan over to Japan, went into force. A five-phase construction of Keelung Harbour was initiated, and in by 1916 trade volume had exceeded even those of Tamsui and Kaohsiung Harbours to become one of the major commercial harbors of Taiwan. Read more on Wikipedia 

Lowry visited the port on the inward bound voyage of Pyrrhus arriving August 4th and departing the next day for Foochow.

Lowry refers to Keelung in his novel Ultramarine; "Now ... I once pinched a five-pound packet of what I thought was Formosa tea from Kelung, only it turned out to be camphor!" (Pg.178).

Later in The 1940 Under The Volcano; "When I was on the Achilles I once saw the Helen coming out of Kelung, Formosa, with the Menelaus after her. The Minnylaws, as the limeys call her. But that's by way" (Pg. 61).

Lowry also wrote to David Markson in a letter dated 10th Setember 1951; "...(Though I've been to Ceylon, Likewise Formosa. Likewise China & Japan. Also Dollarton). (Collected Letters Vol 2 Pg. 433).

Images courtesy of Taipics

Saigon

The former colonial name of Ho Chi Minh is the largest city in Vietnam. It was once known as Prey Nokor, an important Khmer sea port prior to annexation by the Vietnamese in the 17th century. Under the name Saigon, it was the capital of the French colony of Cochin-china and later of the independent state of South Vietnam from 1955 to 1975. In 1976, Saigon merged with the surrounding Gia Định Province and was officially renamed Hồ Chí Minh City after Hồ Chí Minh (although the name Sài Gòn is still commonly used.) The city centre is situated on the banks of the Saigon River, 60 kilometers (37 mi) from the South China Sea.


Lowry refers to the city in his novel Ultramarine; "Or Saigon. Or Trebizond, Or Samarkand." I said."(Pg.84).

Trebizond

Now known as Trabzon, historically known as Trapezus and Trebizond, is a city on the Black Sea coast of north-eastern Turkey and the capital of Trabzon Province. Trabzon, located on the historical Silk Road, became a melting pot of religions, languages and culture for centuries and a trade gateway to Iran in the southeast and the Caucasus to the northeast. The Venetian and Genoese merchants paid visits to Trebizond during the medieval period and sold silk, linen and woolen fabric; with the Republic of Genoa having an important merchant colony within the city. Once capital city of the Empire of Trebizond between 1204 and 1461. During the Ottoman period, Trabzon, because of the importance of its port, became a focal point of trade to Iran and the Caucasus.


Lowry refers to the city in his novel Ultramarine; "Or Saigon. Or Trebizond, Or Samarkand." I said."(Pg.84).

Samarkand

Samarkand ("Stone Fort" or "Rock Town") is the second-largest city in Uzbekistan and the capital of Samarqand Province. One of the oldest inhabited cities in the world, prospering from its location on the trade route between China and the Mediterranean (Silk Road) and for being an Islamic centre for scholarly study. In the 14th century, it became the capital of the empire of Timur (Tamerlane), and is the site of his mausoleum (the Gur-e Amir). The Bibi-Khanym Mosque remains one of the city's most notable landmarks.

Lowry refers to the city in his novel Ultramarine; "Or Saigon. Or Trebizond, Or Samarkand." I said."(Pg.84).