So, after i write my china blog, ill write my japan blog, but here are some pictures :)
ps- the weird looking ones are from a baseball game!
Sunday, April 29, 2007
Sorry- China pics
ill add captions and organize the pictures later :)
hey guys! i am still working on my china blog before i can even get to my japan blog. the last few countries, the asian countries, have just followed each other so tightly making it very difficult to keep my blog updated. i just wanted to post some pictures so you know that i am doing ok. i absolutely loved china, and japan has been ok. we docked in a bad city and decided to save money and stay here, which probably wasnt the best idea, but oh well. we leave tonight and out next port is hawaii, yes, the united states, its crazy i know! so i will see you all soon.
Wednesday, April 25, 2007
VIETNAM and CAMBODIA and MOM!!!
[I just want to let you guys know that there was a lot of emotion going on in Vietnam and Cambodia, but it is too hard to put that into words. So in the blog, I am telling you simply what I did, which I think is still amazing. When I get home I will be more than willing to talk about anything and everything.]
I woke up early Monday, April 9th because I knew that someone special was going to be waiting for me… my mom! I had been so excited knowing that she was coming and I cannot even imagine how excited she was at home, preparing for her vacation. As we pulled into port, there was also a group of about 10-15 Vietnamese women holding a huge sign that said Welcome Semester at Sea to Vietnam. They were dressed in their traditional outfits with the hats and everything. It was beautiful. Aside from that, the SAS parents were there. They were waving frantically, looking for their children who were most likely hanging off the side of the ship somewhere. My mom, along with 3 other moms who were traveling solo, had a huge sign on a sheet with each of their child’s name on it; Jeff, Logan, Kalyn and Jordi. It was so cute. I was standing with Jeff as we pulled up and we were both able to spot our moms. After what seemed like an eternity of waiting, the parents were finally let on. I found my mom in the dining hall where I introduced her to all of my friends who had also been very excited to meet her. I had previously bought tickets for us to go see a Cambodian orphanage out on a traditional dance show, the performance was right on the ship. So we headed to the Union to watch the show. It was wonderful. They are so graceful and are able to move so well and the costumes were beautiful. After the show we had lunch in the dining hall. We took our time and caught up on things. Then I took her on a tour of the ship and then to my room. She could not get over how beautiful the ship was. It was so weird being with my mom on the ship. At school, your parents generally know where you live and they also know your friends and roommates and stuff. We have talked about that before on the ship, how it is weird that we don’t know each other’s family and stuff. So it was really cool that she was able to see it and meet everyone.
By the time we were ready to leave, everyone had already left the ship, so it was just going to be my mom and me for the day, which was completely fine. Although she was not thrilled about shopping because of the heat, she knew I had to at least do a little shopping. Apparently the thing to do in Vietnam is get a dress made. So I had cut pictures out of magazines and our first stop was a tailor. I got measured and described exactly what I wanted to the seamstress. I would be back to pick it up in a few days. We did a little more shopping for souvenir type things before heading back to the ship. I had gone back with the purpose to find Dannie, and guess who I found while waiting in line to get back on the ship!? It was perfect. The three of us went out to a nice seafood buffet at my mom’s hotel. Yes, seafood, but they did have other things too. It was probably the best, and definitely the most expensive, meal Dannie and I had had in a long time. We stuffed ourselves so much that we were not able to go back to the ship, so we slept at the hotel with my mom. The hotel was amazing. Definitely nicer than anywhere I have stayed on this trip. The bed and the comforter were great and I definitely got a good night sleep.
We all woke up early the next morning to go back to the ship since mom’s heat rash was horrible. I wanted to take her to the on ship doctor to see if there was anything he could give her to make her more comfortable since we were going to be doing a lot of walking the next few days. He gave her some type of steroid, which obviously would not kick in right away. I am glad I took her though so that she could be diagnosed. We had breakfast on the ship and then she headed back to the hotel to get ready to leave for Cambodia. She had to leave from the hotel and I had to leave from the ship, which was fine since I was still not packed.
I got myself ready and met up with my group in the Union at 9:00am. We headed to the airport, and did all that good stuff before meeting back up with the parents. Mom and me were not sitting together, but it was only a 50-minute flight so it was not that big of a deal. We got to Phnom Penh around 1:30 in the afternoon and went right to the hotel. We had a tiny break before visiting the silver pagoda and the royal palace. Those two places were beautiful. We had been warned before leaving that Cambodia had a lot of amputees. This was very apparent from the beggars outside these touristy places. There were people in wheelchairs, people with no limbs or limbs missing, people with completely burned faces; it was horrifying, yet I was unable to look away. Being with my mom was amazing. I have not done a lot of traveling with her and just being able to see her reaction to things made it even more amazing. We got to experience something knew together and I would not have traded it for the world.
Our next adventure was a sunset river cruise on the Mekong. It was incredible. I know I keep using the same adjectives but it is really hard to put what I saw into words. It had been getting harder and harder throughout this voyage and now it is nearly impossible. Pictures do speak a thousand words and you will see what I mean when you see my pictures, but I cannot post all of them. And even pictures cant completely convey what I saw, what I saw with my mom. So I know that it is cheesy but it is the truth. People live on boats the size of canoes, they build themselves a small roof for protection from the earthly elements. They wash themselves and their clothes in the river. Can you even imagine!? There were communities of these boats and then the occasional outlier; maybe an outcast. It was amazing to see these people conducting their everyday lives right there on the river.
What was really ironic was that after seeing that, we headed to dinner; an endless buffet of anything you could ever imagine. Table after table of sushi, stir fry, pho, anything and everything. After seeing such poverty we were taken in out air-conditioned luxury bus to a fancy dinner. It just seems kind of weird, right. After dinner we headed back to the hotel and everyone was pooped. I was asleep in seconds.
The next morning, breakfast was served from 6:00 to 7:00, so of course I slept right through it. I was downstairs at 7:00 though ready to leave for the day along with everyone else. Today was the day dedicated to the genocide. I was disappointed in myself for not knowing more about it. I have found myself not knowing a lot of things that I wish I knew. I somewhat plane the education system, but I also do blame myself. When I get home I want to do a lot of catch up learning on the history of the world. Someone said something that really touched me and I would like to make it a reality for myself too; I would like to be able to have an intelligent conversation about each of the countries that I have been to. This includes history, economics, politics, etc. It is going to be hard but I am going to try.
Normally when you go to a museum, there is information around so that even if you know nothing going in, you feel like you have learned something on your way out. Unfortunately, I was unable to say that about the Toul Sleng Museum. I know that it was a school that was turned into cells where people were imprisoned and exterminated. On the wire bed there were still the boxes for excrement and tools that were clearly used for torture. There was tree where people were hung to make an example for the others not to misbehave. It was fascinating, but I left with most of the same questions that I came with, and more.
Our next stop was the killing fields. Again, I did not know much, and I still don’t know as much as I want to know. I know what I can gather from the name; it was the spot of mass execution. There were graves dug and labeled ‘the grave of 60 beheaded men.’ There was a display case of thousands of skulls of all sizes. As disturbing as it was, it was so shocking that I just could not tear myself away. One sign said ‘86 mass graves, 8985 victims.’ That is a lot of victims in one grave, and a lot of innocent people to be killed. There was a ‘killing tree against which executioners beat children’ and a ‘mass grave of more than 100 victims children and women whose majority were naked.’ Although these served as ‘headstones’ for the most part, I felt that they were even more degrading than if there being nothing at all. There were bones sticking out of the ground or showing through the dirt. There were piles of bones laying around, proving that this really and truly was not that long ago. Horrifying.
Now, to drastically change the subject, our next stop was the Russian market. We only had an hour there, and everyone knows an hour is not enough time in a gigantic market place. There was so much that I wanted to buy and so many different stands. I could have spent an entire day there. But no, instead we headed to lunch. Being a vegetarian on this trip, I was put in a separate room at lunch with the other veggies and my mom was unable to join me. The food was ok. At lunch, a group of us decided to stray from the tour group and head on our own to an orphanage that is sponsored by the therapist on our ship and her husband. We figured we could miss the National Museum to go, and we definitely made the right decision.
We took a taxi to the Palm Tree Orphanage. Upon our arrival, we were greeted by all the children and hugged and held. It was amazing. The smiles on the children’s faces were beautiful and you could tell how genuinely happy they were to have visitor. Marvel and Terry, the therapist and her husband, had taken a group of older children to the beach for the day, and no we were there to spend time with the younger children. We could have spent all day, but we only had 2 hours. The little ones held our hand while the older ones spoke in English and gave us a tour. They sleep on the floor. They wear any clothes that they can. They take dance class every morning and have school 5 days a week. They love it there. The facility was beautiful and Marvel and Terry are paying to improve it by adding a pool and redoing the bathrooms. There was a huge terrace for them to play outside. But then it hits you; the reason that these children are there. They have no parents. Some were sent there, some were found, and others, we have no idea. The fact that there are so many children in need is horrifying. And I want to help.
I fell in love with a little girl, around 5 years old, whose name was Titli. She is beautiful. Being in that orphanage with a dedication to education, they want the children to stay. They are not up for adoption. Besides the fact that there is a ban right now on Americans adopting from Cambodia…
Our flight to Siem Reap, home of Angkor Wat, was at 4:00, so the deal was that if we missed the flight, we were on our own. We got there before the rest of the group though, and before my mom. She was happy I made it. We landed 40 minutes later and instead of heading to the hotel, we went right to Angkor Wat to watch the sunset. It was amazing and I can definitely see why it is one of the Seven Wonders of the World.
Side note: what the hell are the Seven Wonders of the World. I looked it up on wikipedia, which is a free site, and it told me that they keep changing. So, my seven definitely include the Taj, Angkor Wat, and the Great Wall, no matter what other people say…
So, my mom and me watched the sunset at Angkor Wat, together. Crazy, right?! Then we went to dinner where there was also a show. It was another buffet with more food than imaginable, and the dancing was the same as the Cambodian orphanage we saw on the first day, but performed by older people. It really is beautiful and I would love to dance like they do, but at 20 years old I think it is a lost cause. After that, we finally went back to the hotel. It was such a long day and I was ready to go to sleep. But, there is this bar called Angkor What? that Sasers traditionally go to and sign their name and stuff. A bunch of people left dinner early to go there, so by the time I was ready to go out, it was me and four other people; Ashley, Amanda, Maddie and Cole.
There were tons of SASers there, like any other touristy place we go. I was tired so I watched other people dance and had a drink; a mixed drink with juice, which I would later find out, did not agree with me. We headed back after a while, and we were definitely the first to go. Other SASers stayed out a lot later. All I wanted to do was sign my name, so I was ready after that.
The next morning was an optional sunrise tour of Angkor Wat. Mom and I were there bright an early. It was cloudy so it was not all it was cracked up to be. We went back, had some breakfast, and mom and I decided to take it easy and skip the walking tour of Angkor Wat right after breakfast. We needed the rest since the days were jam-packed. What I did not know was that we were not going back. So, after lunch, Jackie, who did the same thing we did, and I left the tour group and headed to Angkor Wat on our own. I am so glad we did. It was amazing; we climbed those stairs you always see that go straight up, we took amazing pictures and had a lot of fun. We did it quickly though so that we could get back to the tour bus and go to the airport together with our parents (her dad was there). We met up with them at Angkor Thom, which is also the location of Bayon, Baphuon, Elephant Terrace and Leper King Terrace, and then went to the airport to fly back to Cambodia.
I don’t know how to explain the feeling that I had while in Cambodia, but I know for sure that it is somewhere that I want to go back to at some point in my life. I would love to work at an orphanage and if I have the money, I would love to sponsor an orphanage. Being there was amazing and I hope that someday everyone has the opportunity to experience it.
We flew back, on the same flight with another SAS group. Meaning, that with my 60-person group and their 60-person group, the line to get on the ship would be 120-people long, and everyone had a big bag. So, I had previously told Brenna that I would be back and we would go out to dinner, but since it would take hours to get back on the ship, I figured I would go to the hotel for an hour and then back to the ship. What I did not anticipate was that I would fall asleep for the night.
The next morning I woke up and went back to the ship to see if Brenna was there so that we could go out together, but she was on a SAS trip. [I went back to the ship on my own in a taxi, but then on the way back to the hotel I decided to test out the moped taxis. It was so much fun on the back of a moped and it got me there so much quicker. A lot of people ended up getting exhaust burns but I was fine.] So mom and me took it easy. We went out to an amazing lunch where I got hummus as an appetizer and then chicken fajitas. Yes, very Vietnamese I know. We got massages and pedicures and manicures and just had a really nice mom and daughter day. We walked around the city a little, did a tiny bit more shopping and then went out for a nice dinner. We also picked up my dress that needed a little altering, and unfortunately, I was not thrilled with it. Oh well.
The parents were only allowed to be on the ship until 8:00pm, although on ship time was not until 9:00 and the ship was not actually leaving until 9:00am. We bitched about it to the dean but they did nothing. I was pissed that my mom and I were going to be less than a mile apart in Vietnam for so many hours, unable to see each other. We said our goodbyes at the ship, but her bus was leaving and it was too rushed for me to be sad. So that was it. It was over in the blink of an eye and like the rest of this trip, it felt like a dream. It was amazing having her here.
I know I don’t mention mom a lot because I just wanted to get the gist of things written out before we arrive in Japan in 36 hours. But she was with me almost the entire time and we had an amazing time together. I love her so much and I never could have asked for a better mother. I loved experiencing this with her and I cant wait to get home and reflect on the rip with her. I met a ton of new people on the Cambodia trip, people from the ship that I didn’t know and people’s family members and loved ones. I spent time with one girl’s sisters who were incredibly nice and made me miss my sister so much. I knew I missed her, but being with other people’s sisters made me miss her that much more. I know that we will have more experiences together to come. I love you!
I woke up early Monday, April 9th because I knew that someone special was going to be waiting for me… my mom! I had been so excited knowing that she was coming and I cannot even imagine how excited she was at home, preparing for her vacation. As we pulled into port, there was also a group of about 10-15 Vietnamese women holding a huge sign that said Welcome Semester at Sea to Vietnam. They were dressed in their traditional outfits with the hats and everything. It was beautiful. Aside from that, the SAS parents were there. They were waving frantically, looking for their children who were most likely hanging off the side of the ship somewhere. My mom, along with 3 other moms who were traveling solo, had a huge sign on a sheet with each of their child’s name on it; Jeff, Logan, Kalyn and Jordi. It was so cute. I was standing with Jeff as we pulled up and we were both able to spot our moms. After what seemed like an eternity of waiting, the parents were finally let on. I found my mom in the dining hall where I introduced her to all of my friends who had also been very excited to meet her. I had previously bought tickets for us to go see a Cambodian orphanage out on a traditional dance show, the performance was right on the ship. So we headed to the Union to watch the show. It was wonderful. They are so graceful and are able to move so well and the costumes were beautiful. After the show we had lunch in the dining hall. We took our time and caught up on things. Then I took her on a tour of the ship and then to my room. She could not get over how beautiful the ship was. It was so weird being with my mom on the ship. At school, your parents generally know where you live and they also know your friends and roommates and stuff. We have talked about that before on the ship, how it is weird that we don’t know each other’s family and stuff. So it was really cool that she was able to see it and meet everyone.
By the time we were ready to leave, everyone had already left the ship, so it was just going to be my mom and me for the day, which was completely fine. Although she was not thrilled about shopping because of the heat, she knew I had to at least do a little shopping. Apparently the thing to do in Vietnam is get a dress made. So I had cut pictures out of magazines and our first stop was a tailor. I got measured and described exactly what I wanted to the seamstress. I would be back to pick it up in a few days. We did a little more shopping for souvenir type things before heading back to the ship. I had gone back with the purpose to find Dannie, and guess who I found while waiting in line to get back on the ship!? It was perfect. The three of us went out to a nice seafood buffet at my mom’s hotel. Yes, seafood, but they did have other things too. It was probably the best, and definitely the most expensive, meal Dannie and I had had in a long time. We stuffed ourselves so much that we were not able to go back to the ship, so we slept at the hotel with my mom. The hotel was amazing. Definitely nicer than anywhere I have stayed on this trip. The bed and the comforter were great and I definitely got a good night sleep.
We all woke up early the next morning to go back to the ship since mom’s heat rash was horrible. I wanted to take her to the on ship doctor to see if there was anything he could give her to make her more comfortable since we were going to be doing a lot of walking the next few days. He gave her some type of steroid, which obviously would not kick in right away. I am glad I took her though so that she could be diagnosed. We had breakfast on the ship and then she headed back to the hotel to get ready to leave for Cambodia. She had to leave from the hotel and I had to leave from the ship, which was fine since I was still not packed.
I got myself ready and met up with my group in the Union at 9:00am. We headed to the airport, and did all that good stuff before meeting back up with the parents. Mom and me were not sitting together, but it was only a 50-minute flight so it was not that big of a deal. We got to Phnom Penh around 1:30 in the afternoon and went right to the hotel. We had a tiny break before visiting the silver pagoda and the royal palace. Those two places were beautiful. We had been warned before leaving that Cambodia had a lot of amputees. This was very apparent from the beggars outside these touristy places. There were people in wheelchairs, people with no limbs or limbs missing, people with completely burned faces; it was horrifying, yet I was unable to look away. Being with my mom was amazing. I have not done a lot of traveling with her and just being able to see her reaction to things made it even more amazing. We got to experience something knew together and I would not have traded it for the world.
Our next adventure was a sunset river cruise on the Mekong. It was incredible. I know I keep using the same adjectives but it is really hard to put what I saw into words. It had been getting harder and harder throughout this voyage and now it is nearly impossible. Pictures do speak a thousand words and you will see what I mean when you see my pictures, but I cannot post all of them. And even pictures cant completely convey what I saw, what I saw with my mom. So I know that it is cheesy but it is the truth. People live on boats the size of canoes, they build themselves a small roof for protection from the earthly elements. They wash themselves and their clothes in the river. Can you even imagine!? There were communities of these boats and then the occasional outlier; maybe an outcast. It was amazing to see these people conducting their everyday lives right there on the river.
What was really ironic was that after seeing that, we headed to dinner; an endless buffet of anything you could ever imagine. Table after table of sushi, stir fry, pho, anything and everything. After seeing such poverty we were taken in out air-conditioned luxury bus to a fancy dinner. It just seems kind of weird, right. After dinner we headed back to the hotel and everyone was pooped. I was asleep in seconds.
The next morning, breakfast was served from 6:00 to 7:00, so of course I slept right through it. I was downstairs at 7:00 though ready to leave for the day along with everyone else. Today was the day dedicated to the genocide. I was disappointed in myself for not knowing more about it. I have found myself not knowing a lot of things that I wish I knew. I somewhat plane the education system, but I also do blame myself. When I get home I want to do a lot of catch up learning on the history of the world. Someone said something that really touched me and I would like to make it a reality for myself too; I would like to be able to have an intelligent conversation about each of the countries that I have been to. This includes history, economics, politics, etc. It is going to be hard but I am going to try.
Normally when you go to a museum, there is information around so that even if you know nothing going in, you feel like you have learned something on your way out. Unfortunately, I was unable to say that about the Toul Sleng Museum. I know that it was a school that was turned into cells where people were imprisoned and exterminated. On the wire bed there were still the boxes for excrement and tools that were clearly used for torture. There was tree where people were hung to make an example for the others not to misbehave. It was fascinating, but I left with most of the same questions that I came with, and more.
Our next stop was the killing fields. Again, I did not know much, and I still don’t know as much as I want to know. I know what I can gather from the name; it was the spot of mass execution. There were graves dug and labeled ‘the grave of 60 beheaded men.’ There was a display case of thousands of skulls of all sizes. As disturbing as it was, it was so shocking that I just could not tear myself away. One sign said ‘86 mass graves, 8985 victims.’ That is a lot of victims in one grave, and a lot of innocent people to be killed. There was a ‘killing tree against which executioners beat children’ and a ‘mass grave of more than 100 victims children and women whose majority were naked.’ Although these served as ‘headstones’ for the most part, I felt that they were even more degrading than if there being nothing at all. There were bones sticking out of the ground or showing through the dirt. There were piles of bones laying around, proving that this really and truly was not that long ago. Horrifying.
Now, to drastically change the subject, our next stop was the Russian market. We only had an hour there, and everyone knows an hour is not enough time in a gigantic market place. There was so much that I wanted to buy and so many different stands. I could have spent an entire day there. But no, instead we headed to lunch. Being a vegetarian on this trip, I was put in a separate room at lunch with the other veggies and my mom was unable to join me. The food was ok. At lunch, a group of us decided to stray from the tour group and head on our own to an orphanage that is sponsored by the therapist on our ship and her husband. We figured we could miss the National Museum to go, and we definitely made the right decision.
We took a taxi to the Palm Tree Orphanage. Upon our arrival, we were greeted by all the children and hugged and held. It was amazing. The smiles on the children’s faces were beautiful and you could tell how genuinely happy they were to have visitor. Marvel and Terry, the therapist and her husband, had taken a group of older children to the beach for the day, and no we were there to spend time with the younger children. We could have spent all day, but we only had 2 hours. The little ones held our hand while the older ones spoke in English and gave us a tour. They sleep on the floor. They wear any clothes that they can. They take dance class every morning and have school 5 days a week. They love it there. The facility was beautiful and Marvel and Terry are paying to improve it by adding a pool and redoing the bathrooms. There was a huge terrace for them to play outside. But then it hits you; the reason that these children are there. They have no parents. Some were sent there, some were found, and others, we have no idea. The fact that there are so many children in need is horrifying. And I want to help.
I fell in love with a little girl, around 5 years old, whose name was Titli. She is beautiful. Being in that orphanage with a dedication to education, they want the children to stay. They are not up for adoption. Besides the fact that there is a ban right now on Americans adopting from Cambodia…
Our flight to Siem Reap, home of Angkor Wat, was at 4:00, so the deal was that if we missed the flight, we were on our own. We got there before the rest of the group though, and before my mom. She was happy I made it. We landed 40 minutes later and instead of heading to the hotel, we went right to Angkor Wat to watch the sunset. It was amazing and I can definitely see why it is one of the Seven Wonders of the World.
Side note: what the hell are the Seven Wonders of the World. I looked it up on wikipedia, which is a free site, and it told me that they keep changing. So, my seven definitely include the Taj, Angkor Wat, and the Great Wall, no matter what other people say…
So, my mom and me watched the sunset at Angkor Wat, together. Crazy, right?! Then we went to dinner where there was also a show. It was another buffet with more food than imaginable, and the dancing was the same as the Cambodian orphanage we saw on the first day, but performed by older people. It really is beautiful and I would love to dance like they do, but at 20 years old I think it is a lost cause. After that, we finally went back to the hotel. It was such a long day and I was ready to go to sleep. But, there is this bar called Angkor What? that Sasers traditionally go to and sign their name and stuff. A bunch of people left dinner early to go there, so by the time I was ready to go out, it was me and four other people; Ashley, Amanda, Maddie and Cole.
There were tons of SASers there, like any other touristy place we go. I was tired so I watched other people dance and had a drink; a mixed drink with juice, which I would later find out, did not agree with me. We headed back after a while, and we were definitely the first to go. Other SASers stayed out a lot later. All I wanted to do was sign my name, so I was ready after that.
The next morning was an optional sunrise tour of Angkor Wat. Mom and I were there bright an early. It was cloudy so it was not all it was cracked up to be. We went back, had some breakfast, and mom and I decided to take it easy and skip the walking tour of Angkor Wat right after breakfast. We needed the rest since the days were jam-packed. What I did not know was that we were not going back. So, after lunch, Jackie, who did the same thing we did, and I left the tour group and headed to Angkor Wat on our own. I am so glad we did. It was amazing; we climbed those stairs you always see that go straight up, we took amazing pictures and had a lot of fun. We did it quickly though so that we could get back to the tour bus and go to the airport together with our parents (her dad was there). We met up with them at Angkor Thom, which is also the location of Bayon, Baphuon, Elephant Terrace and Leper King Terrace, and then went to the airport to fly back to Cambodia.
I don’t know how to explain the feeling that I had while in Cambodia, but I know for sure that it is somewhere that I want to go back to at some point in my life. I would love to work at an orphanage and if I have the money, I would love to sponsor an orphanage. Being there was amazing and I hope that someday everyone has the opportunity to experience it.
We flew back, on the same flight with another SAS group. Meaning, that with my 60-person group and their 60-person group, the line to get on the ship would be 120-people long, and everyone had a big bag. So, I had previously told Brenna that I would be back and we would go out to dinner, but since it would take hours to get back on the ship, I figured I would go to the hotel for an hour and then back to the ship. What I did not anticipate was that I would fall asleep for the night.
The next morning I woke up and went back to the ship to see if Brenna was there so that we could go out together, but she was on a SAS trip. [I went back to the ship on my own in a taxi, but then on the way back to the hotel I decided to test out the moped taxis. It was so much fun on the back of a moped and it got me there so much quicker. A lot of people ended up getting exhaust burns but I was fine.] So mom and me took it easy. We went out to an amazing lunch where I got hummus as an appetizer and then chicken fajitas. Yes, very Vietnamese I know. We got massages and pedicures and manicures and just had a really nice mom and daughter day. We walked around the city a little, did a tiny bit more shopping and then went out for a nice dinner. We also picked up my dress that needed a little altering, and unfortunately, I was not thrilled with it. Oh well.
The parents were only allowed to be on the ship until 8:00pm, although on ship time was not until 9:00 and the ship was not actually leaving until 9:00am. We bitched about it to the dean but they did nothing. I was pissed that my mom and I were going to be less than a mile apart in Vietnam for so many hours, unable to see each other. We said our goodbyes at the ship, but her bus was leaving and it was too rushed for me to be sad. So that was it. It was over in the blink of an eye and like the rest of this trip, it felt like a dream. It was amazing having her here.
I know I don’t mention mom a lot because I just wanted to get the gist of things written out before we arrive in Japan in 36 hours. But she was with me almost the entire time and we had an amazing time together. I love her so much and I never could have asked for a better mother. I loved experiencing this with her and I cant wait to get home and reflect on the rip with her. I met a ton of new people on the Cambodia trip, people from the ship that I didn’t know and people’s family members and loved ones. I spent time with one girl’s sisters who were incredibly nice and made me miss my sister so much. I knew I missed her, but being with other people’s sisters made me miss her that much more. I know that we will have more experiences together to come. I love you!
The Vietnamese women welcoming our ship to Veitnam!
This was when I first spotted mom! She is waving on the left with the huge sign beneath her.
Me and Titli, the girl I fell in love with at the Pal Tree Orphanage.
Me and mom at the airport.
Me, Cole, Maddie, Ashley and Amanda on our way to Angkor What?!
I signed the bench at Angkor What?!
Me and mom on the balcony of our hotel room in Cambodia.
If you look closely, I am wearing a blue shirt. I was half way up at Angkor Wat.
Me and mom out to dinner in Vietnam.
I am wearing the dress I had made; not what I expected but I like it.
Tuesday, April 24, 2007
PASSOVER!!! (look dad!)
Happy Pasach a little late I know. I just wanted to let all of you guys know that I celebrated Passover here on the ship. It had to be a couple days late since we were in Malaysia when Passover started and there are no synagogues there, we looked. So we had our Seder and sang songs and made it fun. There were a lot of people there, a lot of Jews and a lot of non-Jews. I invited friends to come with me, and they came; some of which had never celebrated before. So it was an educational opportunity for everyone and we had a good time. Anytime matzoh ball soup is served, you can’t go wrong.
Eric and me at Passover; the only other Jew :)
The plate so you actually know it was passover and not just another meal on the ship.
My table; me, Brenna, Dannie, Tim, Jaime, Wendy and Eric.
The girls at Passover dinner; me, Brenna, Dannie and Wendy.
Eric and me at Passover; the only other Jew :)
The plate so you actually know it was passover and not just another meal on the ship.
My table; me, Brenna, Dannie, Tim, Jaime, Wendy and Eric.
The girls at Passover dinner; me, Brenna, Dannie and Wendy.
Friday, April 6, 2007
MALAYSIA!!
We arrived in Malaysia at 8:00 in the morning on April 2nd. I cannot believe that it is already April. That means my little sister is going to be 18 very soon. That is crazy. I also cant believe where in the world I am write now. We talk about it all the time; how far we have come and how it does not feel like we are clear across the world. Right now we are 12 hours ahead of Eastern Standard Time. It is 4:00 in the afternoon right now, meaning you are all fast asleep because it is 4:00 in the morning. It really is crazy.
But anyway, I got off the ship almost right away because I had an SAS scheduled tour. Getting off the ship is not what you would expect it to be. The port was under construction so we had to take our tenders/emergency lifeboats from the ship to the port. It was the biggest pain in the butt ever! Malaysia is very hot and humid and the small lifeboats were horrible. The seas were rocky and only so many people could fit on each boat and you never really knew the timing of the boats so you could be waiting an hour just to leave the ship or get back on it. It was horrible and it was a shame because it discouraged a lot of people from leaving the ship. I know that I spent a lot more time on the ship than if I had just been able to walk right off.
So my tour; Ethnic Communities in Malaysia, left at 9:20am from the Union, and since we did not have a trip leader, me and this other girl Robyn (who was on my safari) were the acting trip leaders for the 13 of us students. We took attendance and led the group. When we got off the tender on land, we found our tour guide and loaded the bus. It was nice being in a small group and not having a million people everywhere we went. He gave us somewhat of a city orientation that was great, telling us what a lot of the buildings that we passed were and telling us where to go and where not to go and giving us some history as well. Our first stop was the Chinese community. They live on the waterfront in small, but very clean homes. They have shrines/alters set up in their homes as well as stuff for the devil to take so that their loved one can be left in peace. Each makeshift street houses one extended family, so people never get married to someone on his or her street. It was amazing to see and the views that they see everyday were beautiful. Our next stop was Little India where we visited the oldest temple in Malaysia and at Somosa or Momosa or something like that. It was delicious. Then we headed to the Malay community, which was far off in the mountains.
When we got there, the Malays had a traditional lunch prepared for us. Like usual, I stayed away from the meat and stuck to the rice and vegetables. It was good, but due to previous upset stomachs, I am skeptical. They were so nice. The entire village had come together to welcome us and they had put up special decorations that are reserved for special occasions like weddings. We were that important to them. After lunch, they gave us a tour of their beautiful community. It was nothing like that of the Chinese. Their houses were more spread out and they were freestanding. Their homes were larger since extended family often lived together, but the cluster of houses on a huge plot of land was the community. The showed us which berries to eat and we got to try them, and after seeing us all dripping sweat they showed us how to keep cool; they make this powder-like substance that when mixed with water and put on your face, keeps you dry and is supposed to keep you looking youthful. We all used it and bought some so we’ll see house young we can keep ourselves looking. After that, we headed back to the ship, but most of us got dropped at the mall to do some shopping. We set up a meeting time to get a cab back together.
The mall was huge and overwhelming. It was 7 stories tall with a movie theatre and stores set up outside the stores sort of like a marketplace. I bought some bootleg dvds of movies that you all have probably seen already, and I bought a dress incase I don’t have time to have one made in Vietnam. (We need one for the Ambassador’s Ball at the end of the voyage.) We met up and came back to the ship. At that point, I could have showered and got dressed to go back out for dinner, but the difficulties with the tenders made me want to stay on the ship. I was tired anyway, and I had movies to watch. So Dannie came over and we watched Dream Girls, and then I went to bed.
The next morning, Mary (my roommate), Brenna and I went shopping again. We had a taxi driver take us to Little India to do some shopping and then to the mall again. we used the internet café in the mall and found a phone calling place where we could call the United States. I got to talk to Paco before we continued shopping.
On the ship, there is this one girl who has magic pants, Lindsey. She got them in Mauritius. Now, let me explain magic pants; you have to put them on like a diaper because the pant leg is not sewn together on the outside. So they tie at the wait in the front and the bag and they are so light and airy and I have wanted them so bad ever since I saw her wearing them. Lindsey was in my SAS group in India so I talked about them A LOT and looked for them everywhere but had not luck. So, while shopping, I saw another girl, not from SAS, wearing magic pants. I asked where she got them, and in her British accent she told me she got them from the marketplace in Kuala Lumpur. At that point, I turned to Mary and Brenna and asked if they wanted to go to KL that night. They said that they had wanted to go anyway. So, we came back to the ship, dropped off our purchases, packed a few things in a backpack, and headed back to the bus station. Since the tender we were trying to get on left early, we missed it and ultimately missed the 8:30 bus we wanted to get on. So we got to the bus station area, ate some dinner, and got on the 10:00pm bus instead. We slept a little, ate some snacks, and talked a little. We were supposed to arrive at 2:30am. I woke up at 2:10 when we were pulling out of a station. I had no idea what station and no one seemed to speak English. So I waited hoping that another stop would be soon. I was worried we were going to end up in Singapore which would get us kicked off SAS since we are not allowed to leave the country we are docked in. I kept asking around but no one spoke English. There was no point on waking Mary and Brenna because all it would do is worry them and there was nothing we could do. Finally, the next stop came at 3:30am and some of the people on the bus turned around and looked at us, so we assumed it was our stop and got off. We were not at a station, we were at a bus stop. But it was KL so we were fine. We had a taxi take us to a hotel. Mary had looked up a few online, but the first one he took us too only had one room left that was too small for us. So we went to another hotel, each paid 20 dollars, and slept very comfortably in one king size bed. We could see the twin towers from our balcony. (If any of you have seen that movie with Catherine Zeta-Jones and Sean Connery, that takes place in Malaysia on those towers with the bridge connecting them.) They are now the highest twin towers in the world. We got to the hotel at passed out.
Brenna and I probably could have slept the entire day, but Mary was forcing out of bed since we did not have that much time in KL. So we got up and left around noon. We went to the towers but the free tickets were already for 3:45. We got them and decided that if we made it back, great, if not, it was fine. We saw them and they were beautiful. We also saw the KL tower that looked like a space needle. I am not one to notice architecture, but the architecture in KL was amazing. There were round buildings, triangular buildings; it was beautiful.
The three of us were talking about how much we stood out in this country as white Americans, all of which were wearing shirts we had bought in countries we had previously been to. Mine had a picture of the Taj, Brenna’s said ‘I love India,’ and Mary’s said something about Brazil. When we left the towers, we were bombarded by a tour group of Indians who all wanted to take pictures with us because of our shirts. They wanted group shots, individual shots, everything. It was so funny and we were laughing hysterically. We were taking pictures with them for a good 15 minutes and every time we tried to walk away, one more person wanted a picture. It was a great way to start the day. We got in a taxi and went to what we thought was a marketplace but was actually another gigantic mall. We did a little but of shopping, ate at Chile’s and found another phone calling place, before getting into a different taxi and heading to the real marketplace.
The Central Marketplace was bigger than I ever could have imagine; fake handbags, sneakers, t-shirts, jewelry, clothing, anything and everything you ever could have imagined… and hopefully magic pants because we were not leaving KL until we got them. We shopped every inch of the marketplace for hours and hours, finally finishing at 8:00pm. We bought out the marketplace and I loved it! We had so much fun bargaining and walking away from people and having them come after us with a different price. The three of us just had a great time doing exactly what it was that we wanted to do. The problem with big groups is that some people always have to give in and it is impossible to make everyone happy. The three of us were happy. By the end, we had bought one of everything and were so hot and sweaty it was ridiculous. As we were coming to the end of the market after hitting up each and every store, Brenna saw magic pants. I was in heaven. I was so happy I couldn’t believe it, and Brenna and Mary were lucky because I wasn’t leaving without them. I bought three pairs and I LOVE them. Brenna bought some too so it wasn’t all for me. It was a great day.
We went back to the hotel, where we had left our backpacks, walked somewhere close to eat dinner, and then took a taxi to the bus station. We bought tickets on the nicest bus we could fine, with beds (seats that completely reclined and had foot rests and had individual entertainment systems). It was supposed to leave at 11:00 and get in at 3:30, but we ended up leaving at midnight. It was fine and we were all sleeping immediately. It was that comfortable. Around 3:15 we stopped at a gas station and all three of us went to the bathroom thinking that we would be back to Penang very shortly. We got back on the bus and all fell asleep again, until 6:00am when the bus stopped again, finally at the Penang bus station. The trip had taken forever, but there were no complaints since we all slept so well. We got back onto the ship, after the tender and everything, around 7:00am. I had another SAS trip planned for that day that left at 8:20am. I debated going, but ended up showering and grabbing breakfast and going.
It was a trip to a disabled person’s home and I am so glad I went. We got a tour of the facility before being able to interact with them. We colored and talked and watched them do aerobics. It was very rewarding. There was a store in the facility where they all sold what they made. Half of the money went right to the person that made it while the other half went to the facility itself. It was wonderful and it was great to see in another country. I got back on the ship around 1:00pm, at lunch, and went back to sleep. I was on the ship for good since I knew that everyone else would be waiting in long lines for the tender to get back on the ship. I love Malaysia and I definitely want to go back. We were told that the culture here would be more different from the United States than any other country thus far, but I, along with everyone else, didn’t really see it. It was different, but I wouldn’t say the most different. I loved it. The atmosphere was relaxed and I had a great time.
Now I am anxiously awaiting our arrival in Vietnam on Monday where my mom will be waiting for me!
But anyway, I got off the ship almost right away because I had an SAS scheduled tour. Getting off the ship is not what you would expect it to be. The port was under construction so we had to take our tenders/emergency lifeboats from the ship to the port. It was the biggest pain in the butt ever! Malaysia is very hot and humid and the small lifeboats were horrible. The seas were rocky and only so many people could fit on each boat and you never really knew the timing of the boats so you could be waiting an hour just to leave the ship or get back on it. It was horrible and it was a shame because it discouraged a lot of people from leaving the ship. I know that I spent a lot more time on the ship than if I had just been able to walk right off.
So my tour; Ethnic Communities in Malaysia, left at 9:20am from the Union, and since we did not have a trip leader, me and this other girl Robyn (who was on my safari) were the acting trip leaders for the 13 of us students. We took attendance and led the group. When we got off the tender on land, we found our tour guide and loaded the bus. It was nice being in a small group and not having a million people everywhere we went. He gave us somewhat of a city orientation that was great, telling us what a lot of the buildings that we passed were and telling us where to go and where not to go and giving us some history as well. Our first stop was the Chinese community. They live on the waterfront in small, but very clean homes. They have shrines/alters set up in their homes as well as stuff for the devil to take so that their loved one can be left in peace. Each makeshift street houses one extended family, so people never get married to someone on his or her street. It was amazing to see and the views that they see everyday were beautiful. Our next stop was Little India where we visited the oldest temple in Malaysia and at Somosa or Momosa or something like that. It was delicious. Then we headed to the Malay community, which was far off in the mountains.
When we got there, the Malays had a traditional lunch prepared for us. Like usual, I stayed away from the meat and stuck to the rice and vegetables. It was good, but due to previous upset stomachs, I am skeptical. They were so nice. The entire village had come together to welcome us and they had put up special decorations that are reserved for special occasions like weddings. We were that important to them. After lunch, they gave us a tour of their beautiful community. It was nothing like that of the Chinese. Their houses were more spread out and they were freestanding. Their homes were larger since extended family often lived together, but the cluster of houses on a huge plot of land was the community. The showed us which berries to eat and we got to try them, and after seeing us all dripping sweat they showed us how to keep cool; they make this powder-like substance that when mixed with water and put on your face, keeps you dry and is supposed to keep you looking youthful. We all used it and bought some so we’ll see house young we can keep ourselves looking. After that, we headed back to the ship, but most of us got dropped at the mall to do some shopping. We set up a meeting time to get a cab back together.
The mall was huge and overwhelming. It was 7 stories tall with a movie theatre and stores set up outside the stores sort of like a marketplace. I bought some bootleg dvds of movies that you all have probably seen already, and I bought a dress incase I don’t have time to have one made in Vietnam. (We need one for the Ambassador’s Ball at the end of the voyage.) We met up and came back to the ship. At that point, I could have showered and got dressed to go back out for dinner, but the difficulties with the tenders made me want to stay on the ship. I was tired anyway, and I had movies to watch. So Dannie came over and we watched Dream Girls, and then I went to bed.
The next morning, Mary (my roommate), Brenna and I went shopping again. We had a taxi driver take us to Little India to do some shopping and then to the mall again. we used the internet café in the mall and found a phone calling place where we could call the United States. I got to talk to Paco before we continued shopping.
On the ship, there is this one girl who has magic pants, Lindsey. She got them in Mauritius. Now, let me explain magic pants; you have to put them on like a diaper because the pant leg is not sewn together on the outside. So they tie at the wait in the front and the bag and they are so light and airy and I have wanted them so bad ever since I saw her wearing them. Lindsey was in my SAS group in India so I talked about them A LOT and looked for them everywhere but had not luck. So, while shopping, I saw another girl, not from SAS, wearing magic pants. I asked where she got them, and in her British accent she told me she got them from the marketplace in Kuala Lumpur. At that point, I turned to Mary and Brenna and asked if they wanted to go to KL that night. They said that they had wanted to go anyway. So, we came back to the ship, dropped off our purchases, packed a few things in a backpack, and headed back to the bus station. Since the tender we were trying to get on left early, we missed it and ultimately missed the 8:30 bus we wanted to get on. So we got to the bus station area, ate some dinner, and got on the 10:00pm bus instead. We slept a little, ate some snacks, and talked a little. We were supposed to arrive at 2:30am. I woke up at 2:10 when we were pulling out of a station. I had no idea what station and no one seemed to speak English. So I waited hoping that another stop would be soon. I was worried we were going to end up in Singapore which would get us kicked off SAS since we are not allowed to leave the country we are docked in. I kept asking around but no one spoke English. There was no point on waking Mary and Brenna because all it would do is worry them and there was nothing we could do. Finally, the next stop came at 3:30am and some of the people on the bus turned around and looked at us, so we assumed it was our stop and got off. We were not at a station, we were at a bus stop. But it was KL so we were fine. We had a taxi take us to a hotel. Mary had looked up a few online, but the first one he took us too only had one room left that was too small for us. So we went to another hotel, each paid 20 dollars, and slept very comfortably in one king size bed. We could see the twin towers from our balcony. (If any of you have seen that movie with Catherine Zeta-Jones and Sean Connery, that takes place in Malaysia on those towers with the bridge connecting them.) They are now the highest twin towers in the world. We got to the hotel at passed out.
Brenna and I probably could have slept the entire day, but Mary was forcing out of bed since we did not have that much time in KL. So we got up and left around noon. We went to the towers but the free tickets were already for 3:45. We got them and decided that if we made it back, great, if not, it was fine. We saw them and they were beautiful. We also saw the KL tower that looked like a space needle. I am not one to notice architecture, but the architecture in KL was amazing. There were round buildings, triangular buildings; it was beautiful.
The three of us were talking about how much we stood out in this country as white Americans, all of which were wearing shirts we had bought in countries we had previously been to. Mine had a picture of the Taj, Brenna’s said ‘I love India,’ and Mary’s said something about Brazil. When we left the towers, we were bombarded by a tour group of Indians who all wanted to take pictures with us because of our shirts. They wanted group shots, individual shots, everything. It was so funny and we were laughing hysterically. We were taking pictures with them for a good 15 minutes and every time we tried to walk away, one more person wanted a picture. It was a great way to start the day. We got in a taxi and went to what we thought was a marketplace but was actually another gigantic mall. We did a little but of shopping, ate at Chile’s and found another phone calling place, before getting into a different taxi and heading to the real marketplace.
The Central Marketplace was bigger than I ever could have imagine; fake handbags, sneakers, t-shirts, jewelry, clothing, anything and everything you ever could have imagined… and hopefully magic pants because we were not leaving KL until we got them. We shopped every inch of the marketplace for hours and hours, finally finishing at 8:00pm. We bought out the marketplace and I loved it! We had so much fun bargaining and walking away from people and having them come after us with a different price. The three of us just had a great time doing exactly what it was that we wanted to do. The problem with big groups is that some people always have to give in and it is impossible to make everyone happy. The three of us were happy. By the end, we had bought one of everything and were so hot and sweaty it was ridiculous. As we were coming to the end of the market after hitting up each and every store, Brenna saw magic pants. I was in heaven. I was so happy I couldn’t believe it, and Brenna and Mary were lucky because I wasn’t leaving without them. I bought three pairs and I LOVE them. Brenna bought some too so it wasn’t all for me. It was a great day.
We went back to the hotel, where we had left our backpacks, walked somewhere close to eat dinner, and then took a taxi to the bus station. We bought tickets on the nicest bus we could fine, with beds (seats that completely reclined and had foot rests and had individual entertainment systems). It was supposed to leave at 11:00 and get in at 3:30, but we ended up leaving at midnight. It was fine and we were all sleeping immediately. It was that comfortable. Around 3:15 we stopped at a gas station and all three of us went to the bathroom thinking that we would be back to Penang very shortly. We got back on the bus and all fell asleep again, until 6:00am when the bus stopped again, finally at the Penang bus station. The trip had taken forever, but there were no complaints since we all slept so well. We got back onto the ship, after the tender and everything, around 7:00am. I had another SAS trip planned for that day that left at 8:20am. I debated going, but ended up showering and grabbing breakfast and going.
It was a trip to a disabled person’s home and I am so glad I went. We got a tour of the facility before being able to interact with them. We colored and talked and watched them do aerobics. It was very rewarding. There was a store in the facility where they all sold what they made. Half of the money went right to the person that made it while the other half went to the facility itself. It was wonderful and it was great to see in another country. I got back on the ship around 1:00pm, at lunch, and went back to sleep. I was on the ship for good since I knew that everyone else would be waiting in long lines for the tender to get back on the ship. I love Malaysia and I definitely want to go back. We were told that the culture here would be more different from the United States than any other country thus far, but I, along with everyone else, didn’t really see it. It was different, but I wouldn’t say the most different. I loved it. The atmosphere was relaxed and I had a great time.
Now I am anxiously awaiting our arrival in Vietnam on Monday where my mom will be waiting for me!
gMe, Robyn and Anna with the Malay women at the village.
Mary, me and Brenna in Little India with Buddah.
Me, Mary and Brenna at the twin towers in KL.
Me, Brenna and Mary eating in KL.
Me with my new friend from the disabled person's home in Malayasia.
INDIA!!
When most people think of India, they think of a poor, overpopulated country. While that description may be accurate, there is also so much more that the country has to offer. The culture is completely different than that of the United States. While it is deemed inappropriate to show your stomach in the states, here it is one’s knees and shoulders that should always remain covered. Men walk down the street holding hands or with their arms around each other and it is considered normal. Their sexual status does not come into questions at all. It is a sign of beauty to wear a colored powder of a gem on your face, where at home, if you did that, you would get talked about and someone might tell you that when you washed your face that morning, you missed a spot. You can see a family of four on a motorcycle, not one person wearing a helmet, and the newborn baby is in the arms of the mother who is sitting sideways on the motorcycle so that her legs are together and not straddling the seat. There were cows walking the streets and laying down in the middle of the street. Driving laws do not exist and traffic lights and stop signs are at the most suggestions. Just because there is a cow in the middle of the road does not mean that the driver of a car will stop. I was in awe at everything that I saw. I could not believe that I was actually in India. Don’t get me wrong; the country itself was extremely dirty. There were piles and piles of garbage all around, people urinating all over the streets, the air was filthy and at times it was hard to breath. You could tell how dirty the air was when you blew your nose and whatever came out was black. There were awful smells in the air and a lot of the people smelled as well. Antiperspirant is not widely used here, and showering and laundry are not everyday occurrences. I did not judge and was very open to learning about the county and the culture.
Ok, so the first day I left the ship with Brenna and Kelsey, and we got in a rickshaw, an open air vehicle that somewhat resembles a golf cart but is smaller and goes on main roads and highways. We had him take us to what we hear was the best shopping in town, Spencer’s Plaza. We were prepared for them to tell us that the plaza was closed but that they would take us to their friend’s shop. This is exactly what happened. But since Brenna did her homework and knew this would happen, we knew Spencer’s Plaza was open and insisted that they take us there and not to their friend’s shop. If they take us to their friend’s places, they get 160 rupee even if we don’t buy anything, but we wanted to get to where we wanted to go. So after three different drivers told us that they would not take us, we finally found one who said yes. His name was Logan. He was an older man with very limited English skills. He dropped us off at the Plaza and said he would wait for us. He did not want our money then, he said we would pay him when he drove us back to the ship. We wanted to pay him them incase we didn’t find him, but he would not accept the money. If he wanted to wait, that was fine because we knew he was legit, but we felt bad. We did a good amount of shopping but I didn’t find much that I liked. The stuff is beautiful but it’s just not my taste. Brenna was leaving for Delhi later that day, so Kelsey and I took Logan’s rickshaw back to the ship with her. Kelsey and I were not ready to call it a day, so we said ok to having Logan take us to some shops so that he could make some extra money. It is not very time consuming and we felt like it would fun and a nice thing to do. We went to three, and then back to Spencer’s plaza where he again waited for us. We did some more shopping, ate at Pizza Hut, and then got back in Logan’s rickshaw. He took us to two more shops before taking us back to the ship.
We got back just in time to meet Kelsey’s friends who were going out to dinner. Terron and Derron were also on their way out so they joined us. We were a group of 7 and then there were supposed to be 4 more people meeting us at the restaurant. The restaurant was in a hotel right next to Spencer’s Plaza. The meal was long and stretched out and the 4 girls showed up late and it was expensive. It was good but I had not idea how much it was going to cost and I was a little disappointed especially in a country were that kind of money can get you so far. But oh well, I was in India so there was not much to be upset about. My SAS trip was leaving at 4:00 the next morning along with a few other people’s trips, so we went home after dinner. I packed and went to sleep.
I woke up at met up with my group. I did not really know anyone going on my trip, which was fine since I knew that I would meet new people. One girl Deb, I had hung out with a few times was on my trip, and Lindsey was also on my trip, who is a friend of a friend. There were 40 people in my group. We had the same itinerary as another group of 70 people. I knew several people in the group as well. So, we left for the airport, which was an hour away and boarded our flight. I had an aisle but I switched for the window. I slept the ENTIRE flight.
We had a great Indian buffet lunch at a hotel before we were transferred to the train station.
Our train was delayed two hours so were all sitting on the dirty ground with beggars all around. Some people played cards, other napped and others just talked. When we finally boarded our non-air-conditioned second class, I was pleasantly surprised. It started out great, we each got our own three seats to lie down on and I slept for a good part of the 3 and a half hour trip. I woke up to someone saying my name and when I opened my eyes, there were Indians standing and sitting all around. The cart was packed. It was not too hot though since the sides were open with bars and it did not smell too bad at the time. I sat squished among Indians for a little while before finding a new place to lie; the storage space. They were the same material as the seat and the same length and width, only they were located right about the seats so you had to jump to get up there. They were also just as clean as the seats. I was able to go back to sleep until the end of the ride.
We got in late so our shopping trip was cancelled and were taken right to the hotel. The hotel was really nice and I was roomed with Sami. I had never spoken to her but she was very sweet. We all showered before having a late dinner, which was followed by a little bit of shopping at the stores in the lobby. I was ready to go to sleep before Sami was so I took the room key, which was an actual key and there was only one. I know am I a hard sleeper so I tried to keep myself awake by reading, but I fell asleep. I guess I did not respond to her knocking or calling the room because when I woke up at 5:00 am, she was not there. I felt horrible that I had locked her out all night. She had a good friend on the trip so she slept with her, but I still felt horrible.
So, our wake up call was at 5:00 the next morning. We loaded our buses and took the short drive to the Taj Mahal where we were going to watch the sunrise. On a side note, the sun does not rise or set behind the Taj, which would have made it even more magnificent. If I had built it, the architecture would have been the same; I just would have changed the location slightly. Walking down the strip from the street the Taj, we were bombarded by beggars, some of which were selling anything from pens to keychains to peacock feather fans. I was the sucker who gave in and bought a ton of things from the children. If I could bargain with them down to 100 rupees, I bought it. It was $2.50 to me and it meant so much to them. I loved seeing the children’s faces when you said ‘yes’ because they were continuously going up to people asking if they wanted to buy something and they kept hearing ‘no.’
We arrived at the Taj and I immediately found Dannie and I was so excited! She had flown down independently with Eric. She originally was not going to go to the Taj Mahal and she was going to stay in Chennai, but in the end, a few days before arriving, she changed her mind and Eric decided that he wanted to go also. So I was so excited to see them!! Dannie and I walked around the Taj for an hour and then it was time for us to go. Dannie and Eric were going to head back to Delhi that day and stay at the hotel that we were going to be staying in the next night so that we could meet up again then.
We got back to the hotel, had breakfast, and then were taken on a shopping store. This shop was somewhat like the stores that rickshaw drivers had taken us too. It was very expensive and it was a factory where carpets were made. We thought we were going to village like stores. Oh well. We stayed there way too long before heading back to the hotel for lunch. After lunch we were taken to Fatehpur Sikri. It is a deserted city 25 miles from Agra. Emperor Akbar built it as his capitol to honor a Muslim Saint who prophesized the birth of an heir. Its red sandstone palaces are still in a remarkable state of preservation. Then we went to Agra Fort, which contains halls and palaces of the Mughals. After that, we went back to watch the sunset at the Taj Mahal.
Our next stop was Pizza Hut, yes Pizza Hut, which I love by the way even in India. After a while everyone has had enough of the ethnic food. So, SAS decided to schedule us dinner at Pizza Hut and it was amazing. The waiters also put a show on for us with great music and great dancing. I have it on video but I don’t know how to post it on here so I will have to show everyone when I get home. So, after Pizza Hut, we went back to the train station to head back to Delhi on an express, much nicer train. I missed the old train though. I liked having my three seats to spread out on. This train had normal, slightly reclining airplane seats and no leg room. I didn’t sleep at all, and instead talked the whole time to two other girls. I was exhausted but uncomfortable and I knew I would get to sleep at the hotel.
We got to the hotel around 11:00pm and the first person I saw was Brenna! She came running up to me a gave me a huge hug and I was just as happy to see her. She had done India indy with a friend from school named Max. She had a good time but would much rather have been with me or Dannie, who she had also found earlier that night at the hotel. There were a bunch of SAS groups staying at this wicked nice hotel, and I had told Brenna and Max and Dannie and Eric to come stay there too. There was a bar and a club in the hotel, but Brenna, Dannie and I just spent the night talking before going to sleep. Brenna, ready for a break from Max, spent the night on Eric and Dannie’s couch. Fortunately, there were 2 keys this time so I could not lock Sami out again. It still seems surreal to me, bumping into friends in foreign countries, although I know they are there since we arrive on the ship together. It is really cool.
The next morning we got to sleep. Wake up calls were at 8:00 for an 8:30 breakfast, but I slept through it and went right to the bus at 9:15. We were going to have a tour of New Delhi. We drove past the war memorial, the Parliament House, the Secretariat building and the president’s house, before visiting the Gandhi museum. We only had a half hour at the museum, which was very disappointing because there was so much to see. I took pictures of a lot of the things that I wanted to read so I could read them when I got home. The museum was beautiful and there was a garden with his final footsteps to the spot where he was assassinated. I definitely would have skipped the other stuff to have more time there. We left the museum and went back to the hotel for some final shopping and lunch, before heading to the airport. It was the busiest 3 days of my life but so worth it. I had a wonderful time and would love to go back with the people that I love.
On my final day in India, I went with Dannie, Andrea, Kevin, Kelsey and a few other people back to the shopping plaza to get a few more things that I had wanted to buy. I hardly bought anything while other people were complaining that they spent way too much money. I loved the fact that I saved money, but now after the fact, I wish I had bought more. Oh well, I will just have to go back. We had dinner at the mall before heading back to ship. I loved India! I know a lot of people had mixed feelings because of the filth, but I looked through the dirt and saw the culture. Although I would not want to live there, I definitely hope to return someday to travel the country and see the Taj Mahal again.
Ok, so the first day I left the ship with Brenna and Kelsey, and we got in a rickshaw, an open air vehicle that somewhat resembles a golf cart but is smaller and goes on main roads and highways. We had him take us to what we hear was the best shopping in town, Spencer’s Plaza. We were prepared for them to tell us that the plaza was closed but that they would take us to their friend’s shop. This is exactly what happened. But since Brenna did her homework and knew this would happen, we knew Spencer’s Plaza was open and insisted that they take us there and not to their friend’s shop. If they take us to their friend’s places, they get 160 rupee even if we don’t buy anything, but we wanted to get to where we wanted to go. So after three different drivers told us that they would not take us, we finally found one who said yes. His name was Logan. He was an older man with very limited English skills. He dropped us off at the Plaza and said he would wait for us. He did not want our money then, he said we would pay him when he drove us back to the ship. We wanted to pay him them incase we didn’t find him, but he would not accept the money. If he wanted to wait, that was fine because we knew he was legit, but we felt bad. We did a good amount of shopping but I didn’t find much that I liked. The stuff is beautiful but it’s just not my taste. Brenna was leaving for Delhi later that day, so Kelsey and I took Logan’s rickshaw back to the ship with her. Kelsey and I were not ready to call it a day, so we said ok to having Logan take us to some shops so that he could make some extra money. It is not very time consuming and we felt like it would fun and a nice thing to do. We went to three, and then back to Spencer’s plaza where he again waited for us. We did some more shopping, ate at Pizza Hut, and then got back in Logan’s rickshaw. He took us to two more shops before taking us back to the ship.
We got back just in time to meet Kelsey’s friends who were going out to dinner. Terron and Derron were also on their way out so they joined us. We were a group of 7 and then there were supposed to be 4 more people meeting us at the restaurant. The restaurant was in a hotel right next to Spencer’s Plaza. The meal was long and stretched out and the 4 girls showed up late and it was expensive. It was good but I had not idea how much it was going to cost and I was a little disappointed especially in a country were that kind of money can get you so far. But oh well, I was in India so there was not much to be upset about. My SAS trip was leaving at 4:00 the next morning along with a few other people’s trips, so we went home after dinner. I packed and went to sleep.
I woke up at met up with my group. I did not really know anyone going on my trip, which was fine since I knew that I would meet new people. One girl Deb, I had hung out with a few times was on my trip, and Lindsey was also on my trip, who is a friend of a friend. There were 40 people in my group. We had the same itinerary as another group of 70 people. I knew several people in the group as well. So, we left for the airport, which was an hour away and boarded our flight. I had an aisle but I switched for the window. I slept the ENTIRE flight.
We had a great Indian buffet lunch at a hotel before we were transferred to the train station.
Our train was delayed two hours so were all sitting on the dirty ground with beggars all around. Some people played cards, other napped and others just talked. When we finally boarded our non-air-conditioned second class, I was pleasantly surprised. It started out great, we each got our own three seats to lie down on and I slept for a good part of the 3 and a half hour trip. I woke up to someone saying my name and when I opened my eyes, there were Indians standing and sitting all around. The cart was packed. It was not too hot though since the sides were open with bars and it did not smell too bad at the time. I sat squished among Indians for a little while before finding a new place to lie; the storage space. They were the same material as the seat and the same length and width, only they were located right about the seats so you had to jump to get up there. They were also just as clean as the seats. I was able to go back to sleep until the end of the ride.
We got in late so our shopping trip was cancelled and were taken right to the hotel. The hotel was really nice and I was roomed with Sami. I had never spoken to her but she was very sweet. We all showered before having a late dinner, which was followed by a little bit of shopping at the stores in the lobby. I was ready to go to sleep before Sami was so I took the room key, which was an actual key and there was only one. I know am I a hard sleeper so I tried to keep myself awake by reading, but I fell asleep. I guess I did not respond to her knocking or calling the room because when I woke up at 5:00 am, she was not there. I felt horrible that I had locked her out all night. She had a good friend on the trip so she slept with her, but I still felt horrible.
So, our wake up call was at 5:00 the next morning. We loaded our buses and took the short drive to the Taj Mahal where we were going to watch the sunrise. On a side note, the sun does not rise or set behind the Taj, which would have made it even more magnificent. If I had built it, the architecture would have been the same; I just would have changed the location slightly. Walking down the strip from the street the Taj, we were bombarded by beggars, some of which were selling anything from pens to keychains to peacock feather fans. I was the sucker who gave in and bought a ton of things from the children. If I could bargain with them down to 100 rupees, I bought it. It was $2.50 to me and it meant so much to them. I loved seeing the children’s faces when you said ‘yes’ because they were continuously going up to people asking if they wanted to buy something and they kept hearing ‘no.’
We arrived at the Taj and I immediately found Dannie and I was so excited! She had flown down independently with Eric. She originally was not going to go to the Taj Mahal and she was going to stay in Chennai, but in the end, a few days before arriving, she changed her mind and Eric decided that he wanted to go also. So I was so excited to see them!! Dannie and I walked around the Taj for an hour and then it was time for us to go. Dannie and Eric were going to head back to Delhi that day and stay at the hotel that we were going to be staying in the next night so that we could meet up again then.
We got back to the hotel, had breakfast, and then were taken on a shopping store. This shop was somewhat like the stores that rickshaw drivers had taken us too. It was very expensive and it was a factory where carpets were made. We thought we were going to village like stores. Oh well. We stayed there way too long before heading back to the hotel for lunch. After lunch we were taken to Fatehpur Sikri. It is a deserted city 25 miles from Agra. Emperor Akbar built it as his capitol to honor a Muslim Saint who prophesized the birth of an heir. Its red sandstone palaces are still in a remarkable state of preservation. Then we went to Agra Fort, which contains halls and palaces of the Mughals. After that, we went back to watch the sunset at the Taj Mahal.
Our next stop was Pizza Hut, yes Pizza Hut, which I love by the way even in India. After a while everyone has had enough of the ethnic food. So, SAS decided to schedule us dinner at Pizza Hut and it was amazing. The waiters also put a show on for us with great music and great dancing. I have it on video but I don’t know how to post it on here so I will have to show everyone when I get home. So, after Pizza Hut, we went back to the train station to head back to Delhi on an express, much nicer train. I missed the old train though. I liked having my three seats to spread out on. This train had normal, slightly reclining airplane seats and no leg room. I didn’t sleep at all, and instead talked the whole time to two other girls. I was exhausted but uncomfortable and I knew I would get to sleep at the hotel.
We got to the hotel around 11:00pm and the first person I saw was Brenna! She came running up to me a gave me a huge hug and I was just as happy to see her. She had done India indy with a friend from school named Max. She had a good time but would much rather have been with me or Dannie, who she had also found earlier that night at the hotel. There were a bunch of SAS groups staying at this wicked nice hotel, and I had told Brenna and Max and Dannie and Eric to come stay there too. There was a bar and a club in the hotel, but Brenna, Dannie and I just spent the night talking before going to sleep. Brenna, ready for a break from Max, spent the night on Eric and Dannie’s couch. Fortunately, there were 2 keys this time so I could not lock Sami out again. It still seems surreal to me, bumping into friends in foreign countries, although I know they are there since we arrive on the ship together. It is really cool.
The next morning we got to sleep. Wake up calls were at 8:00 for an 8:30 breakfast, but I slept through it and went right to the bus at 9:15. We were going to have a tour of New Delhi. We drove past the war memorial, the Parliament House, the Secretariat building and the president’s house, before visiting the Gandhi museum. We only had a half hour at the museum, which was very disappointing because there was so much to see. I took pictures of a lot of the things that I wanted to read so I could read them when I got home. The museum was beautiful and there was a garden with his final footsteps to the spot where he was assassinated. I definitely would have skipped the other stuff to have more time there. We left the museum and went back to the hotel for some final shopping and lunch, before heading to the airport. It was the busiest 3 days of my life but so worth it. I had a wonderful time and would love to go back with the people that I love.
On my final day in India, I went with Dannie, Andrea, Kevin, Kelsey and a few other people back to the shopping plaza to get a few more things that I had wanted to buy. I hardly bought anything while other people were complaining that they spent way too much money. I loved the fact that I saved money, but now after the fact, I wish I had bought more. Oh well, I will just have to go back. We had dinner at the mall before heading back to ship. I loved India! I know a lot of people had mixed feelings because of the filth, but I looked through the dirt and saw the culture. Although I would not want to live there, I definitely hope to return someday to travel the country and see the Taj Mahal again.
Brenna, me, and Kelsey on the rickshaw in India
Dannie, me and Deb at the Taj!!!
me at the TAJ!
me with my peacock fan and my bindi outside the TAJ
me wathcing the sunset at the TAJ!
Wednesday, March 21, 2007
SEA OLYMPICS
Sunday was a day of no classes, but by no means was it a day of vacation. We were woken up at 8:00am for opening ceremonies for the sea Olympics. Each hallway is a certain sea; my sea is the Arabian Sea. And each sea had a color and our color was white. The day was going to be filled with competition ranging from trivia to ping pong to synchronized swimming. My contribution was the opening ceremony. I was on the committee that came up with the chant/song and made the banner. I was not the most helpful person. I would have participated in more events but there was nothing I was passionate about while other students REALLY wanted to do certain events. The day got off to a good start and we got 3rd place for our chant. I think it was partially because we had no explicit lyrics while other teams did. It just seems like common sense not to because our professors are watching along with their children and the life long learners. Oh well. I did not have very high hopes for my team, I am not sure why. I watched a few things, including the synchronized swimming and the limbo just to cheer my friends on. I also watched the lip-synching which was what locked us into 2nd place. I was very impressed. You may be wondering what the prize was for this competition, and dad, I am sure you will be very pleased by this. The 1st place team will be first off the ship on May 14th, the 2nd place team will be second off the ship, and so on. Generally, the disembarkation process takes about 7 hours, but being the 2nd place team means that I will be off the ship relatively early. There were about 10 teams. The sea Olympics was fun and I have some funny pictures to share with you guys. But while a lot of it was going on, I watched the Illusionist with Kelsey since I had fallen asleep the previous time I tried watching it.
The dean and professors considered this a day off. But it wasn’t. A day off is a day where you can catch up on work you have fallen behind in and maybe even get ahead for the next week. This day was more jam packed than any school day. I guess the professors realized this and the dean called a meeting where they decided that they are going to lighten the load of work. The problem is, they are trying to give us a normal semester’s amount of work, when in reality, it’s not possible. They don’t want us to do work while in port and they aren’t expecting us too. Everyone is stressed out and they are recognizing it and I look forward to seeing how things are going to change. This far, I am doing very well in 3 of my courses. The required one, Global Studies, is torture and I’m definitely not the only one who thinks so.
Ashley and I ready for opening ceremonies of the sea olympics to begin
TUTU announcing that the olympics had begun!
Subscribe to:
Comments (Atom)
