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18 October 1891
Rizal left Marseilles for Hong Kong aboard the Melbourne. On board,
the beauty of Mme. De Block amused him
19 October 1891
He woke up near Corcega. The day was beautiful, fresh and carried
mild breeze.
He was surprised to hear
Bishop Volenteri talked much about the Philippines. The Bishop had
stayed in the Philippines for 23 years.
23 October 1891
He arrived at Alejandria where the boat was invaded by the vendors
offering the passengers their services. He was irked by the
natives’ behaviors.
24 October 1891
At six o’clock in the morning, he left Port Said to start his trip
along the Suez Canal.
25 October 1891
In the evening, while traveling in the Red Sea, Rizal had a long
discussion about religion with Bishop Volenteri. The Bishop was so
intolerant.
29 October 1891
He visited Aden and found the place more beautiful now than before.
Here he saw slave cargoes.
31 October 1891
He passed the point of Guardafui. This was his 14th day
on the sea on board the S.S. Melbourne since he departed from
Marseilles.
1 November 1891
He had a conversation with a Russian naturalist, who asked him
whether he was a patriot, whether his country was unfortunate. In
return, Rizal asked the Russian what consists the misfortune of a
nation.
2 November 1891
It was on this day that, on board the Melbourne, he made mention of
Mr. W. B. Prayer who later became Rizal’s correspondent regarding
the North Borneo settlement project.
3 November 1891
The sky was cloudy when Rizal woke up. Many passengers became sick
on board. His clothes became wet. In the evening, he heard an
Englishman sang ballads, among them the "Diver" and the
" I am Khulen Keller."
4 November 1891
The day continued to be cloudy. Rizal was surprised how fast the
oxidation took place among the iron bars. The fiesta prepared on
board was suspended because of the bad weather. After hearing the
discussion about "will "and "hope", he told his
listeners that without hope there is no will.
5 November 1891
He had a long conversation about things related to Medicine, towns,
girls, writers, artists, feeling and literature with Mme. De Block.
In the afternoon, he played
chess with the best players. He won. At 8:30 in the evening, he
arrived at Colombo.
6 November 1891
He took a walk around the town of Colombo. He went to see the
Museum, the hospital, the Temple of Buddha, and other places of
interest. Here he made a detailed observation of the different Buddha
peoples he met on the street.
8 November 1891
On board, Rizal met some Franciscans whom he informed about the
Franciscans in the Philippines. They told him that if the
Franciscans of the Philippines are rich, then they are no longer
Franciscans.
10 November 1891
Rizal had a talk with Mr. W. B. Prayer about the colonization of
North Borneo. At four o’clock in the afternoon, he arrived at
Singapore where he came to know about the departure of General
Despujol for the Philippines.
14 November 1891
He arrived at Saigon. He went ashore to visit the town. He saw the
Museum and the Zoological Garden.
15 November 1891
He was still in Saigon on this day. He made so many visits around
the town with his co-passengers. He went to Chelong, a city hall an
hour travel from Saigon, for observation.
16 to 19 November
1891
Rizal was again on board the S. S. Melbourne traveling from Saigon
to Hong Kong. |
