When we passed Taiwan back on January 24th, a stowaway hopped onboard for the ride. Every now and then, some fowl will stay onboard, so I thought nothing of it when this pigeon was seen for a few days straight. From dumb Sri Lankan herons who are constantly falling off whatever they try to land on and onto their face, to gargantuan Albatross, birds like to hitch rides.
Meet Siopao (pronounced SHOW-POW!), named after the delicious Chinese dumpling that has been served at coffee time as of late. He seemed like a normal dirty pigeon with some ID tags on his feet, until some of the Filipinos told me that he is no ordinary pigeon, but a racing pigeon (the tags are unique), commonly used to gamble with. I've never heard of such a shit.
Pretty fuggin sweet.
Ni hao ma, Siopao!
Normally, Siopao can be found in the area between the house and the Engine Casing, called the Grand Canyon. It is nice and shady back there, and is usually where his food is brought out to. Siopao is not shy, usually you can walk right up to him, and he just stares back at you with a "...what now?" look on his cocky, smug face (see above picture). I like that about Siopao.
Siopao, beng a racing pigeon after all, is unable to catch aquatic food, and with the absence of bugs onboard, he needs to be fed. He is an awfully fussy eater. He likes crackers and rice grain, but hates chicken (go figure), bread, and danish butter cookies . Damnit siopao, just eat what you're given.
To pass the time, Siopao likes to engage in various activites. His favorite is to watch the deck crew chip and paint the ship. He is a very sharp lookout, but reporting other ships can be a problem. Sometimes, he like to involve himself in safety related things, like firefighting.
Not yet, Siopao! Put on your firefighting suit first! He is always so eager to help out.
Actual Siopao. Pretty good, but still can't compete with the danish butter cookie.
More updates on Siopao to come, as long as he is still onboard.
<3 stow away
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