Transport and communicationThere is so much water in Fanigawi that most of the transport takes place over water. There a various boats in the lands, each with their own sort of water to sail on.The bank-to-bank-ferries have a flat bottom and are very broad, usually in the form of a large rectangle. They are pulled forwards with a cable than is connected between the riverbanks. They do have a cabin for the passengers to shelter from the bad weather conditions in Fanigawi. The riverboats also have a rather flat bottom with a small “keel”. The usual way to move these boats is rowing or punting. They do not have cabins, and many of them only transport goods. The ships that sail the sea do have sails and are dedicated to the Gods of the Winds. They usually have two masts, a keel and a very high bow. The latter is necessary to cross the “surf” (also known as “Lands End” - it is believed that the land continues this far if only the tide is low enough). The coastal boats are flat with a high bow, they are easy to pull upon the beach. They can be rowed or sailed. They have wooden "swords" on both sides to prevent the boat from falling over while sailing; of course these swords are pulled in when approaching the beach. The marsh boats are the same, but are broader so they are steady upon the dry marshes during low-time. Jumping PolesEach adventurous Fanigawi has a jumping pole to cross the wet parts of his homeland. The poles, about 2-3 fathom long, are made of young wood that does not break easily.The point is to jump over water to a save, dry spot on the other side of the water. The Fanigawis will know whether the spot on the other side is dry by the look of the plants over there. On some often used trails, the Fanigawi have marked the save spots with kites. The WoodwaysThe lands are flooded every once in a while and quite muddy throughout the year. To provide steady roads, the Fanigawis have build wooden ways through the landscape, interconnecting isles and islands, crossing mud pools, brooks and small rivers, over creeks, swamps and beaches.There are two basic ways to build the wooden ways, an architecture that splits the Fanigawi culture and climate: in the round and the rectangle upper bars. The KitesAll along the coast, kites are flying in the sky. The kites, made of reflective white cloth, can be seen from far away, no matter what the weather is like. The form and number of kites on a specific place will tell the sailors where they are.At night, some kite stations provide a light up above, usually this is a kite that is painted with rotting seegrass, that shines brightly. In cases of emergency, the kites are used to send messages all over the land.
|