Reborn Action Star: Starting in Hollywood

Chapter 510: Something Crazier Than Living in Dharavi Slums

After Saragama's introduction, Lin Yuan finally understood why it was called the "Ship of Hell".

Simply put, the environment on the ship is too harsh.

All the passengers ate, drank, defecated and urinated on the large deck of the rear ship.

You said it was a big empty deck with no roof to protect you from the wind and rain, and there wasn't even a chair on the deck.

Not to mention water, electricity, toilets, etc., how can you ride this kind of boat?
The answer is to bring all your daily necessities with you.

The entire journey from Kinshasa to Kisangani is 2200 kilometers by water. It takes at least 20 days to travel on the "hell ship". If the journey is not smooth, it may even take 30 days.

During such a long period of time, eating, drinking, defecating, urinating and sleeping are all done on the boat, so it is necessary to purchase a large amount of daily necessities.

The reason why the dock area has evolved into a bustling living area is that all passengers need to purchase a large amount of daily necessities before boarding the ship.

The first thing you need is definitely a tent. Use metal tripods and tarpaulin to support a simple "home" on the deck. You must live in this tent for the next three weeks to a month.

After buying a ticket and boarding the ship, everyone can get a square area 3 meters long and wide on the deck to set up their own tent.

Adhering to the principle of first come first served, the area next to the boat is definitely the best.

Not only is the scenery beautiful, it is also convenient for dumping waste and garbage, and you can also hang a fishing net and try your luck.

If you board the ship late, you can only get a seat in the middle of the deck, which is much more miserable. You will be surrounded by other people's tents, and it will be extremely hot and noisy.

In addition to tents, the second most needed item is a portable coal stove.

The food on the boat can only be prepared by yourself. If there is no coal stove, you will really have to starve.

In addition to the above two items, various foods, spittoons for toilets, toiletries, soap for washing clothes...all kinds of supplies to support long-term life on the ship are indispensable.

After listening to Saragama's introduction, Lin Yuan lamented that his knowledge was still too limited.

Originally, Lin Yuan thought that he had fully experienced the life of the lower class people in the Dharavi slum in Mumbai, India.

But compared with life on the "hell ship", life in Dharavi slums seems like heaven.

According to Saragama, the Congolese people choose to travel by boat because the journey by land would be more painful.

In comparison, the more than 20 days of inconvenient life on this "hell ship" is actually a happier choice?

In this regard, Lin Yuan can only say that this world is too magical. For many things, only when you see them with your own eyes, you will realize that there is no lowest bottom line, only lower.

Suddenly, an idea arose in Lin Yuan's mind.

"Would you like to experience this 'Hell Ship' first?" Lin Yuan looked at GAKKI-chan and said.

GAKKI was stunned for a moment, then immediately laughed. "I had this idea when I heard Saragama's introduction just now. I used to envy you and Betty's experience of living in the Dharavi slums. Now it's their turn to envy me."

After hearing GAKKI-chan's answer, Lin Yuan felt really emotional: every one of his women is really not pretentious, and is full of curiosity and love for life.

Normally, women only yearn for a glamorous life. Most women will feel happy when they go to high-end places with beautiful environments.

However, if they were asked to experience the dirty and messy lives of the lower class, most women would feel disgusted.

For Lin Yuan, the greatest meaning of life lies in experience. Whether it is a high-end luxury life or a more down-to-earth urban life, it is indispensable.

The "Hell Ship" is such a crazy and interesting experience that it is definitely worth experiencing once in a lifetime.

His only worry was that GAKKI-chan would be unwilling to do so because she disliked such an environment.

Now the concerns are completely dispelled.

So Lin Yuan said, "Saragama, go and book our tickets and pick a good spot on the deck. We can use this time to buy some daily necessities."

"I understand, Mr. Lin." Saragama nodded.

There was a hint of surprise in his eyes. He originally thought that Lin Yuan was just curious and wanted to learn about the "Hell Ship", but he didn't expect that Lin Yuan would actually ride on this means of transportation for the lower class people.

For Saragama, who has followed Mukesh Ambani for a long time, he has seen too many luxurious lives of rich people.

Originally, looking at the Boeing 747 private jet, he thought that there was not much difference between Lin Yuan and Ambani, but now it seems that the two are really completely different!
There is absolutely no way Ambani would board any "hell ship". For him, even approaching such a place would make him uncontrollably show disgust.

Saragama bowed respectfully to Lin Yuan, and then went to contact the boarding arrangements.

After Saragama left, Lin Yuan immediately took out his cell phone and called Kane.

As soon as the call was connected, Kane's voice came: "Mr. Lin Yuan, I'm sorry to have kept you waiting. I'm making good progress here. You can take a vehicle to berth 4. We'll board the ship directly there."

"I'm sorry, Mr. Kane, please forgive my willfulness. I want to make some changes temporarily." Lin Yuan replied.

"You are so polite. Please let me know if you have any requests." Kane replied respectfully.

"I want to ride on the 'hell ship' and experience what it's like for the Congolese people to travel. You guys can go first in your Humvees. My conditions here aren't very good, so don't follow me and suffer like that."

We can just arrange a meeting place later." Lin Yuan replied.

Kane was stunned when he heard Lin Yuan's words.

Although he had not been in Congo for long, he had heard of the name "Ship of Hell", which was simply synonymous with dirtiness and disorder.

He didn't expect that Lin Yuan actually wanted to squeeze in with a group of lower-class people, which made him feel embarrassed.

Lin Yuan specifically emphasized that they did not need to follow for protection and could only rely on Saragama alone. Was that really possible?

But Kane knew that he couldn't refuse Lin Yuan's request, so he felt quite embarrassed.

He could only ask quietly: "Mr. Lin Yuan, I'm worried that your trip will take too long."

Kane is talking about a problem. The 2200-kilometer waterway from Kinshasa to Kisangani takes at least 21 days on the "hell ship", and in extreme cases it may even take 30 days. However, it only takes 4 days on the ship arranged by President Kabila.

Lin Yuan did not have much time to spend on the road this time. He wanted to complete the preliminary preparations for filming the movie within 7 days. The entire crew could not wait for him for 20 more days.

Actually, this problem is easy to solve. Lin Yuan smiled and said, "I just want to experience it, I'm not really ready to participate in the whole process. Your boat will wait for me in Lucolella, and we will meet there."

Kane felt much more relieved after hearing Lin Yuan's words.

Lukolela is also a port city on the Congo River, and it takes about three days for the "Hell Ship" to travel there.

After arriving in Lucolera, the "Hell Ship" will dock there for 12 hours to allow passengers to disembark and purchase supplies.

After Lin Yuan has experienced life on the Hell Ship, he can disembark in Lukolela and reunite with Kane to continue to Kisangani. This will only take less than 3 days, which is completely acceptable.

So Kane said, "Mr. Lin Yuan, I will follow your instructions. I wish you a pleasant journey."

After ending the call, Lin Yuan took GAKKI-chan to purchase supplies.

The first thing must be the tent. Lin Yuan didn’t want to buy a brand new one as it would be too eye-catching.

As a foreigner, he was already attracting a lot of attention. If he continued to show off with the new tent, he might get into trouble.

Although Lin Yuan is not afraid of trouble, it is better to have less trouble than more.

So Lin Yuan chose to rent a tent from a chain tent store.

The deposit is $100 and the rent is $20, which is quite affordable.

Then Lin Yuan took GAKKI to purchase coal stoves, spittoons, rice, instant foods and other daily necessities.

The temperature in Congo is very high, so don't even think about bringing fresh meat and vegetables on board as they will easily rot and spoil.

Choose instant food, which can be eaten by simply heating it up, and saves the trouble of buying seasonings.

When all the supplies were almost purchased, Lin Yuan's phone suddenly rang.

He checked his phone and saw the caller: Betty.

Lin Yuan knew that Kane would definitely report to Betty about his plan to board the "Hell Ship".

Otherwise, if something unexpected really happened, Kane himself would not be able to bear it.

Lin Yuan picked up the phone with a smile: "Betty, it seems you already know?"

Betty's voice came from the phone: "Lin Yuan, you really surprise me. No matter where you go, you can always come up with such interesting things. I'm a little regretful now that I didn't go to Congo with you. I missed such an interesting trip."

Lin Yuan smiled and said, "If you miss this time, there will be another time. The world is so big, there are many new and interesting things waiting for us to experience.

You know, I'm not just looking for trouble. If I want to integrate with the Congolese, I have to understand their lives and mindsets more deeply.

Otherwise, it will lead to the kind of joke in Chinese folklore like "Why not eat meat?"

"Next time if you're planning on doing something crazy, be sure to tell me in advance. Taylor Swift once told me that you went to the primeval forest in a rainstorm to film a scene where you fought against an anaconda. I still feel full of anticipation and regret," Betty said.

Lin Yuan could only promise to make up for the missed moments for her, and only then did Betty hang up the phone in satisfaction.

If you want to make a woman fall in love, you must give her the life experience that she lacks in her current life.

If she is new to the world, take her to see all the prosperity of the world; if she has experienced all the vicissitudes of life, take her on the merry-go-round with her.

Born into the Adams family, the eldest daughter is no stranger to the luxurious lifestyle of the top elites.

But an experience like living in the Dharavi slum is enough for her to remember for a lifetime.

Today, she heard that Lin Yuan was going to challenge the "Hell Ship" which was even more exciting than the slums. How could she not be excited?

Lin Yuan dared to bet that when Kane reported to Betty, he might have been thinking of asking Betty to come forward to stop him.

But he never expected that Betty would be even more enthusiastic about this matter than Lin Yuan.

After hanging up the phone with Betty, Saragama came back. He walked to Lin Yuan's side, took the things from GAKKI-chan's hand naturally, and then said:
"Mr. Lin Yuan, the boat tickets have been purchased. The boat will depart in an hour, so we should go now."

"Okay, you lead the way, let's go." Lin Yuan nodded.

Led by Saragama, the three of them made their way through the crowded crowd and arrived at the berth at the dock.

When he walked to the berth and looked closely at the endless "Ship of Hell" in the dock, he felt more and more magical.

This feeling reminded him of China's Spring Festival travel rush in the 90s: the same crowded crowds, the same slightly awkward atmosphere, and the same anticipation for the journey.

The three of them climbed onto the deck along the sampan, where a strong black man was checking tickets. When Saragama handed over the deck tickets, the strong black man looked at Lin Yuan and his group in surprise.

For black people, the yellow race makes them face-blind, and Lin Yuan was already disguised, so he couldn't recognize Lin Yuan's true identity.

But he could see that the clothes Lin Yuan wore were of very good quality and his financial situation seemed to be quite good.

Such a person actually bought a deck ticket?
The black man smiled and asked, "Sir, cabin tickets are still available. Would you consider upgrading to a cabin ticket? The riding experience is much better than on the main deck."

The cabin ticket that the black man mentioned refers to the ticket for the small cruise ship located in front of the large deck ship, which pulls the large deck ship forward.

Deck tickets are $30, while cabin tickets are $120.

In fact, both prices are quite affordable.

For a 2200-kilometer journey that takes 20 to 30 days, neither the $30 for a deck ticket nor the $120 for a cabin ticket is considered expensive.

When most ordinary people in Congo can only afford deck tickets, the difference of $90 in ticket price is a huge sum of money for them.

The Democratic Republic of the Congo is one of the poorest countries in Africa. Even by 2024, its per capita GDP will still be less than US$500.

In 2004, the war had just ended and various data were missing, making it impossible to estimate per capita GDP.

Even if there is data, Lin Yuan estimates that the official will not announce it because it will definitely be very ugly. Maybe the per capita GDP is only US$200?

It is not difficult to understand why there are still vacancies for cabin tickets, which offer a much more comfortable riding experience, while deck tickets have long been sold out.

After all, it's $90!

Lin Yuan has been to the market today and has experienced the terrifying purchasing power of one US dollar.

Although the cabin will be much more comfortable, can it be more comfortable than the freighter that Lin Yuan was supposed to take?
He came here specifically to experience life on a large-deck ship.

So Lin Yuan shook his head: "No need, we can just take the deck ticket."

Hearing Lin Yuan's answer, the black man's eyes showed a trace of disdain, and he whispered: "Could it be that you have met another Sap? You are so young, why don't you learn something else and become a Sap?"

Lin Yuan and the other two had already passed the black man and walked towards the selected position on the large deck, but he still heard the black man's muttering coming from behind him.

"What is Sap?" Lin Yuan asked in a low voice.

"A Congolese version of a gangster. If you are interested, sir, I will tell you in detail later." Saragama replied.

Lin Yuan nodded to show that he was very interested. Since arriving in Congo, the guide provided by Ambani has been constantly demonstrating his extremely high value.

This made Lin Yuan unable to help but want to give him a raise because he was really so useful.

Led by Saragama, the three of them came to the side of the middle section of the left side of the ship.

This position can be said to be quite good, perhaps only slightly worse than the wide-view positions in the four corners, and can be considered a quasi-top position.

Three people bought three tickets, so there was a 3*9 space with lines drawn on the deck with red paint.

So they began to set up tents within their own space.

At first Lin Yuan tried to help, but when he realized that he was only making things worse, he handed the work entirely over to Saragama.

As a former guerrilla in the Sri Lankan Civil War and a jungle survival expert in the Congolese Civil War, setting up a tent is as instinctive to Saragama as drinking water and breathing.

With Saragama's skillful movements, a tent divided into two layers of space, inner and outer, was set up.

Lin Yuan immediately understood Saragama's intention:

He slept in the outer room, guarding the door for Lin Yuan and GAKKI-chan.

Lin Yuan and GAKKI-chan slept in the inner room.

In fact, this is just a token of consideration. After all, it is a tent made of tarpaulin. If there are really criminals who want to harm them.

You don't have to go through the outer room to enter the inner room. You can just cut the tarpaulin with a knife and go straight to the inner room.

Lin Yuan’s worries were not exaggerated at all. He learned from Saragama that there were at least 500 people on the big deck.

On this large deck, there is a small society.

Once the ship leaves the port and arrives in the middle of the wide Congo River, the ship becomes an even more closed society for the next few days.

So it's never too late to be cautious.

Although there are many people on the boat, Lin Yuan only needs to consider the relationships with the neighbors in front, behind, and on the right.

At this moment, a shout came from the entrance of the tent:

"Excuse me, is anyone there?"

Lin Yuan walked to the door and found a black woman in her early twenties with a little girl about five or six years old.

As we all know, black women can be roughly divided into two types: one is a black woman with white appearance, and the other is a black woman in the public stereotype.

The first type of black women is represented by Ethiopians and Egyptians. Their facial features are more in line with Chinese aesthetics: big eyes, high nose bridge, thin lips. Except for their darker skin, they look almost like white people.

The other type is black women south of the Sahara Desert, who generally have fluffy curly hair, a flat nose, and thick lips.

The woman in front of me looks like a typical black woman from sub-Saharan Africa.

Logically speaking, she should not meet Lin Yuan's aesthetic standards, but Lin Yuan unexpectedly felt that she must be very beautiful in the eyes of black men.

First of all, the height. This black woman is over 1 meters tall, not much shorter than the tall Lin Yuan.

The second thing is the skin. Black people are known for their chocolate-smooth skin. Many white people's skin is only noticeable from a distance. Once you get close, you'll notice large pores that completely ruin the skin's delicate texture.

The skin of black people is often like the finest silk, full of delicate luster.

The black woman in front of him was obviously an even better example. Lin Yuan rarely saw a woman with better skin than hers.

Finally, it’s about the body shape. It’s common sense that black people have long legs.

The proportions of this black woman are even more exaggerated than those of other black people, giving people the feeling that her legs are all below her neck.

Coupled with her tight body due to her strong muscle proportions, Lin Yuan exclaimed that it was no wonder that there were so many black supermodels in the world.

"Madam, what can I do for you?" Lin Yuan asked.

"Hello sir, my name is Gary, and I'm your neighbor behind you." Madam named Gary introduced himself.

It turned out to be a neighbor. Lin Yuan was just thinking about how to greet the neighbors nearby, but Gary came to the door on his own.

"Sir, I see that your financial situation seems to be pretty good. Do you need someone to help you wash your clothes while you are on the ship?" Gary asked.

Hearing Gary's words, Lin Yuan was a little surprised: Is this a proactive door-to-door promotion of housekeeping services?
Seeing that Lin Yuan didn't answer, Gary continued, "My fees are quite low. If you give me the laundry service, I'll only charge you $5 for the entire voyage."

After hearing what Gary said, Lin Yuan sighed that the fee was indeed very low.

The entire voyage may take 20 days or 30 days.

The temperature here in Congo is very high, and we have to change clothes almost every day.

According to the calculation, Lin Yuan, GAKKI-chan, and Saragama each change a set of clothes every day.

In 20 days, that’s 60 sets of clothes, and the total charge is only $5.

On average, they charge $12 for every 1 sets of laundry washed.

This is based on a voyage of only 20 days, not 30 days.

Lin Yuan and the other two only changed and washed one set of clothes every day, not more.

So Lin Yuan nodded: "No problem, then I'll leave it to you."

After saying that, Lin Yuan took out a $5 bill and handed it to Gary: "I'll give you the money first. Come back to collect the clothes in an hour."

"Thank you so much, sir! I will do my best and will not let you down." Gary bowed to express his gratitude.

After saying that, she retreated from the tent.

Watching Gary leave, Lin Yuan felt that with her figure, she should have become a supermodel on the international catwalk instead of washing clothes on the "hell ship".

It was obvious that her financial situation was not good as she was raising a little girl.

After she took on her own laundry business, she would undoubtedly need to find more work.

Lin Yuan is always willing to help those who are hardworking and self-reliant, so even if he only stays on the ship for 3 days, he is still willing to pay the full cleaning fee of US$5.

At this time, Gary's voice came from outside the door again: "Sir, I think you need some water to wash your body?"

Lin Yuan looked towards the door and saw Gary struggling to carry a large bucket full of water.

On this large deck ship, if you want to take a bath, you can only do it this way: scoop water from the bucket, pour it on your body and scrub it.

As for the source of the water, there is definitely no tap water, but rather river water directly pumped out from the Congo River.

Although the water of the Congo River may not be very clean, it is definitely much better than that of the Ganges. It is still necessary to wash it properly in such hot weather.

I have to say, Gary is really the kind of person who knows how to handle things.

Lin Yuan gave her the task of washing clothes. She did not wait foolishly for an hour to pick up the clothes, but took the initiative to provide water for several people to take a bath.

In this way, after everyone has taken a shower, she can naturally collect their clothes and complete this job.

This work attitude of doing more will indeed make people look at you with higher regard.

Lin Yuan then smiled and expressed his gratitude: "Thank you for the water, we just need it."

Seeing Lin Yuan's approval, Gary bowed again and then walked out backwards.

Lin Yuan asked GAKKI to take a shower and change clothes first, and he went outside the tent to help her watch the door.

At this moment, Lin Yuan saw an extremely incongruous black man appear in front of him.

This man's awkwardness and eye-catchingness were several times greater than that of a yellow-skinned foreigner like him!
(End of this chapter)