The sign said Sydport, and not knowing what that would lead us to, we turned left and ventured down that road. By the name, you would certainly have expected a bustling and busy area of shipping and commerce.
What we found however, was a quiet and near deserted industrial area. There are some small to medium sized buildings and a fleet of trucks, but the area was mostly void of people. A railway track divided both roads that created the loop through the industrial park. It lead to a small strip of waterfront, lined on the roadside with four large boats and across the inlet a large, multistory ferry.
The boats nearest to us seemed to be freshly painted but on closer inspection they were quite weathered and likely had been decommisioned. The ferry across the water, on a part of the dock that was fenced off, was sad and limping awkwardly in the water. Staring down the length of the area, further down could be seen large square frames of the steel cranes of the type that is used at most ports to load and unload cargo. They now stand rusting and decayed.
Here is a scant reminder that time is the great equalizer of all things. No matter your station or stature life is finite, and time marches on. While the world elsewhere is manufacturing and shipping, bustling and booming, here is a place that has past it's time and it's existence fading.
The glass windows of the ships look dark and sad, like the eyes of an old man, looking up from his faded and worn rocking chair, eyes lines with red from strain and age. He reminds us not to live in regret and remorse but in enthusiasm and charity, that while our lives too are measured, we still have time to live in happiness.
