Binks on a Boat

I cannot find the time to finish my blogs about Vietnam,...

Mon, 04 Apr 2011 09:20:00 -0400

Mekong Delta

Angkor Wat

magic

Angkor Wat

silly string trees

Mekong Delta water village

Cambodia temples

out in cambodia

fish pedicures!

I cannot find the time to finish my blogs about Vietnam, Cambodia and China but i am going to load pictures!

Japan

Sat, 19 Mar 2011 22:35:21 -0400

We are no longer going to Japan. Although i am really bummed I completely understand why, not just because of the dangers to our health and well-being but so as not to hinder any relief efforts that are going on. We are now going to Taiwan instead. I can’t say i am particularly ecstatic about this because it was between Taiwan and the Philippines and i would of picked the Philippines. But, thats ok, i know wherever we do go i will have an amazing experience!

Singapore

Sat, 19 Mar 2011 22:28:00 -0400

read whats on the menu...

view from the Marina Bay Sands roof

Haley and I

cheers to Singapore and $25 drinks!

Singapore

India

Sat, 19 Mar 2011 22:17:00 -0400

March 6-11, 2011

India was another unbelievable experience. It’s a country I was visiting for the second time and a country I intend to visit again. What I loved so much is that this past visit was so vastly different from my first visit, both unbelievable, but in their own distinct ways.

Our ship docked in Chennai but most people on the ship were leaving to travel either to see the Taj in Agra, the Ganges in Varanasi, the beaches in Goa, the forts in Jaipur and/or a handful of other places. My plan was to fly from Chennai to Mumbai where I would meet my parents at the airport and continue on to Goa to spend 4 days and 4 nights.

My flight left at noon on Sunday, the day we got into port and the night before we found out that we would have to do face to face immigration which always takes a while. I found a group of kids also going to the airport and made a plan to travel with them there because the airport is about 40 minutes away and I didn’t want to go alone. After face-to-face immigration we were finally allowed to get off the ship, it was about 10:10 a.m., the group and I were probably the first people off the ship. We ran off the gangway and jumped straight in a taxi and told him to take us to the airport as fast as possible. We thought we had gotten over the biggest hurdles – getting off the ship and getting a taxi – we were mistaken. It turns out that the port we were docked in must check everyone’s passports with the ship manifest every time you were leaving or entering the port. So that was fun and a waste of about 15 minutes.

Our taxi driver drove as fast as he could which is difficult in the streets of India. If you have seen Eat, Pray, Love they are pretty much exactly the same as they are depicted when Julia Roberts first gets to India. There are no traffic rules, meaning no blinkers, no stop signs, no lanes. The only rule is that you must honk your horn every other second to annoy everyone around you. Oh and you must swerve or stop for the cows and goats that are constantly crossing the roads. It is definitely an experience.

Once we finally got to the airport we rushed out of the cab and to the check-in desks. It was 11:25. I thought I was going to be ok but little did I know they are very strict on their 45 minutes rule. You cannot check in under any circumstances 45 minutes or less prior to your departure. As soon as the man behind the desk told me I just burst into tears. Missing flights is the worst, especially when you are in India, alone. I quickly got over it and collected myself so I could walk over to the desk and see about getting a new flight. I ended up being able to hop on the 2:15 flight to Mumbai, which would give me (hopefully) enough time to catch my connecting flight at 5:15. I had to pay a fee to change it but in the grand scheme of things it wasn’t the end of the world.

I sat in the airport for a while waiting to board my 2:15 flight and I just observed. It was so neat to be in India again. My first trip was one of culture shock and adjustment. I felt really fortunate to have been able to have already gotten over the culture shock because I felt like this trip I would really be able to delve into the culture and see past the shock of it and really just observe more. I felt a sense of familiarity, déjà vu to two summers ago, only unfortunately missing Ally.

My 2:15 flight landed and I had to hop off and run, well take the bus from the plane 3 feet to the building and run to check in for my next flight. I made check in time with 5 minutes to spare, thank god. There was a lot of confusion between my mom and I where to meet so I just headed through security and went to the gate. I stood there anxiously waiting for my mom and Gino to appear, and what do you know – they did!! I was so excited to see both of their tiny little bodies rushing through the crowds to get to me! The second we were back together it felt like I had literally just seen them – so crazy how that happens. We hopped on the plane and had a quick 1 hour flight to Goa.

Once we got there we walked out and had a car waiting for us to bring us to where we would be staying. It was dark outside so we didn’t get to see much. After about an hour we pulled up to our accommodations - the Olalium Backyard. The Olalium Backyard is an eco-friendly lodge, bed and breakfast, home stay type place that my parents travel agent had suggested for us. It is run by a Finish women, Pirkko and a man from Goa, Savio, they also have 2 amazing kids – Shameena (7) and Manuel (10), 3 dogs, a horse and a donkey They have 3 adorable little villas that they have built our of coconut wood with palm leaves roofs. The rooms were designed around the existed lava rock that is on their land so it gives so a really cool design in the rooms. The bathrooms are attached to the villas, each has its own bathroom, but they are outside. Sounds like brazil again I know but it was actually very nice. The bathrooms were walled in by coconut wood and surrounded by lush greenery, it was literally like taking a shower in the middle of the jungle but in a clean glass box.

When we got there we pulled straight up to what they call the ‘down kitchen’ – or the kitchen that they use for guests. It is in an open hut at the base of the hill the villas are on and it has a wonderful view of the river and the infinity pool. I guess the travel agency had told Pirkko and Savio that my birthday was the day we were arriving so they had a birthday cake all ready and they had put a card and flowers in my room. It was so nice and thoughtful and we felt so bad telling them it wasn’t actually my birthday until Tuesday. After they brought us up to our rooms and we sat our stuff down we went back to the down kitchen for dinner. Dinner. Yum. Everything that we had to eat while we were there was unbelievably delicious. Pirkko makes sure it is all very healthy and also was so good about making sure that she made as many things gluten free as possible. While I was with my mom she informed me how all of my blog posts are about food – which I guess is true and kind of embarrassing. But, I really do believe that the food of a country is such a big part of the culture, as well as a way to bond with natives of that country, much like the way food is often a social aspect in the states.

After dinner we chatted with Pirkko and Savio and then headed to bed. The rest of the trip I am just going to highlight specific things we did because it would take too long to really detail everything. We spent a lot of time where we were staying – swimming in the infinity pool, laying in hammocks by the river, canoeing and kayaking on the river and of course eating. Pirkko cooked us three meals everyday – each consisting of about 7 dishes. I liked everything we ate and I was really impressed with how healthy everything was, except I think it might not of been as healthy because we were all eating until we couldn’t move. We spent a lot of time around the big table in the down kitchen just talking with Pirkko and Savio and the kids and really getting to know them. They are really the ones who made the trip for both my parents and I.

The first full day we were there Savio took off work and took us on a walk through the village in the morning. There’s about 80 homes in the village of Olalium where they live and he told us that everyone knows everyone. All the neighbors were really friendly and waving at as as we walked by. It was really neat to see the mixture of hindu and catholic houses. All the Hindu houses have a kind of alter type thing with flowers in the front and all the catholic houses have a cross out front. We stopped by the house in the village that has the flour and rice mill and provides the services for everyone in the village. We saw that which was cool and then we went into the home of the old women who owns it. She was so small and so sweet. Savio showed us the 4 rooms of the house and the traditional way in which they were cooking. Before we left I asked the women if I could take a photo of her and she was a little shy so I asked if I could be in it with her. After the picture my mom and I realized she was crying. Savio told us that she had been so touched by our desire to come in and see her home and to take a photo of her. It was so sweet and such a human experience to know that you connected with someone and touched their heart. When we got back to the house we just hung out and relaxed all day. For dinner Savio was preparing Mackerel in the traditional Goan style. Gino helped him to take the fish and lay in on a big banana leaf, they then wrapped the banana leaf up and covered it with straw. They lit the straw on fire and let it burn and smoke for about 30 minutes. While we were waiting for dinner to be cooked Pirkko, Savio and the kids took us out on a sunset canoe ride. The river they live on is so calm and there are really only a few houses that are directly on the river, it is mostly just land. We sat in silence in the canoes and watched the sunset. As always it was magical and just so relaxing. After the sunset we headed back home and had dinner. When we returned we discovered there were two more guests staying the night! An adorable Indian couple – Supriya and Vaibhav- who have started their own travel company called get off ur ass adventure tours. They were just staying the night and a little bit the next day to check the place out to write about it for their business. However we were so happy to have them because they were such great company. Oh and the banana leaf cooked fish was phenomenal. I seriously think I am going to start cooking my fish like that at home, well until the fire department comes.

The next day – my 21^st birthday – we woke up to an amazing breakfast (as usual), every kind of tropical fresh fruit, fresh watermelon juice, eggs, and more traditional Indian foods. We ate breakfast with the Pirkko, Savio, Vaibhav and Supriya and sat and chatted for a long time. After breakfast Pirkko brought us to a nearby neighbor and friends house, Sylvia, who is a potter. She showed us her studio and all of her projects which was neat, Gino was in heaven. After Sylvia’s we went back home and had yet another meal. After I had already devoured a huge lunch Pirkko presented me with a gluten free chocolate birthday cake. It was made out of millet flour and had a layer of strawberries on the inside. So. Good. After lunch our driver from the first day picked us up and we went to see the parade that was going on because it was Carnivale in Goa (basically mardi gras). It was really cool to see the parade and they way they did floats compared to how it is in the states. Gino has never been to Mardi Gras so he was like a little kid in Disneyland.

That night there was a big street dance for carnival that would last all night and Pirkko and Savio suggested we all go (kids included) for my birthday. The theme of the dance was black and red so we all got dressed in black and red and went to dinner before the dance. After dinner we stopped by a bar on the way to the dance to take my first shot. I wish that all my friends could have been there to take the celebratory first shot as a 21 year old with me but it was so fun to be there with my parents and with the great family that we had become so close with. Savio’s sister and her two daughter who are in their 20’s met us at the bar and informed us that the dance had been shut down! I still don’t really understand why but it had something to do with noise but everyone was so disappointed because it is such a big tradition and usually goes all night long. We decided to have a few more drinks at the bar and then head to a club called ‘Down the Road’. We stayed at that club all night and it was so much fun. My mom, Shameena and Manuel (the little kids) passed out in a booth in the back of the bar but the rest of us spent the night dancing and drinking. Gino was in rare form which is always fun – well the two times I have experienced it. Savio and Pirkko along with their nieces made sure I had the time of my life. We ended up staying at the club till 3 am! It far succeeded my expectations. I had accepted that I would most likely not get drunk on my 21^st birthday and I was ok with that because I would be with my family and I was in India – I was most definitely mistaken. Once we returned home I guess I wanted to get on the computer so I sat in the living room of their house and skyped with about a million people. I don’t really remember many details but I know I was so happy to get to see a lot of my best friends faces on my birthday, and considering it was around 4 in the afternoon in Colorado and Missouri I am sure they got a kick out of seeing me too.

The next day was a little bit of a struggle at first. Shameena came to wake me up at noon which felt like it was way too early – she woke me up by asking, in her most adorable Indian accent – “Molly, is your head banging?” – it most definitely was. After we were all able to get ourselves together and eat breakfast we went to the most amazing flea market that is only on Wednesdays and is on the beach. It was probably my favorite market I have been to so far – well on a very different scale then the one in Cape Town. There were hundreds and hundreds of stalls selling all types of things, cool clothes, jewelry, spices, teas – everything. The best part about it was the people. Goa is kind of known for being a European hippie town and this experience definitely proved that. There were sooo many Europeans and tons of hippies. We saw a lot of Europeans letting their babies just crawl around naked on the sand and dirt, very interesting. After a long day at the market we headed to a restaurant that Pirkko had recommended. I am not sure what it was called but it was this beautiful Greek restaurant up on a hill overlooking the beach. The atmosphere of the restaurant really made us feel like we were in Greece and all three of us were just in heaven. I got the best mint and lemon slush that was so refreshing and so great to drink as we watched the sunset on the beach. The food and the service were just as phenomenal as the atmosphere. Our waitress was so sweet and helpful and the owner was too. After dinner the whole family came to pick us up and we went to a little bar on the beach before we headed home. When we got home I had to say goodbye to the kids because they would be at school before I even woke up the next day. I was so sad to say bye to both of them. I wish I could of taken them both back to the ship with me.

The next day was my last day and we had to leave around 9:30 am from the house. After one last phenomenal breakfast I had to say goodbye to Pirkko and Savio. I was so sad to say bye, it had felt like we were all one big family the past few days and I didn’t want it to end. However, I really do think that we will see them again, whether it be in India or in the USA.

After the sad goodbyes we got in the car and headed for the spice plantation. I really wasn’t that into the idea of going to the spice plantation but it turned out to be really neat. I learned a lot about spices plus it was in a beautiful location. At the end of the tour I even got to ride an elephant, so exciting! But, the bad news is, my camera died right before I got on so the only pictures we have are on Gino’s cell phone! After the elephant ride we headed straight for the airport to drop me off. I was sad to say goodbye to my parents but I knew I would be seeing them in 6 short weeks so I was ok with it. After saying goodbye to mom and Gino I headed into the airport, alone, for my 2 flight journey back to Chennai.

Getting back to the ship is always bittersweet. It really is home to me now and you always get such a sense of relief when you see the big blue Semester at Sea emblem as you pull into the port, its also so great to see all your friends that you usually spend every second of everyday with. However being back with 600 students always gives you a sense of annoyance, its hard to describe but once you have been off doing your own thing its difficult to come back and be with a million loud Americans. Wow I can’t even imagine what it will be like when I am back in the states.

India

Sat, 19 Mar 2011 22:08:00 -0400

Mom & Gino Kayaking

Shameena and I

Our backyard

my room/hut/treehouse

Mom and Gino!!

my 21st!

Baby Goat

Pirkko and Savio, the best hosts ever

the elephant i rode

India

Mauritius

Fri, 11 Mar 2011 05:11:00 -0500

the catamaran

beautiful mauritus

Mere and I

Mauritius

more Cape Town

Fri, 11 Mar 2011 04:59:07 -0500

more Cape Town

Cape Town

Fri, 11 Mar 2011 04:38:00 -0500

Cape Town

Mauritius

Fri, 11 Mar 2011 04:23:00 -0500

Well I don’t think many people on the ship really even counted Mauritius as a port. We were literally there for 8 hours. We docked in Mauritius at 8 am and got off the ship around 9 because they selected a random handful of students to do face to face customs. Immediately after getting off the ship I met up with the group of about 40 kids that I would be going on a catamaran cruise with. We all got onto 2 big vans and made our way through the town to the opposite side of the Island where we would be getting onto our catamarans. As we drove through town we were kind of surprised. We were all expecting kind of a cute little beach town because we have heard that Mauritius is where tons of rich Europeans come to vacation. It was anything but cute. The center of town was very industrial looking and not appealing at all. It was also Sunday so most of the stores were closed. After about a 20 minutes bus ride we got to waterfront where all the catamarans were. There was just a sea of Semester at Sea kids all getting on different catamarans. Ours was the best looking one by far – lime green and orange. The boat was huge, I had never been on such a big sail boat. It had tons of seating, a bbq grill, a bar area and two big nets at the front for us to lay on. The water was a magnificent topaz blue and the contrast of the beautiful mountains to the water was breathtaking. We spent the day sailing around and we docked at a little island to bbq for lunch. All the catamarans docked at the same island so it was fun to swim around with kids from all different boats. The water felt amazing and I love swimming when it is so clear but it was the saltiest water ever – my eyes were burning. The day was basically spent drinking, swimming and sailing on our green and orange catamaran. On ship time was 6 so we had to head back to the ship around 4:30 to make sure none of us got dock time so it really felt like the day went by in a blink of an eye. We got back to the ship and all had dinner up on the 7^th deck and had a dance party. I ended up going to sleep around 8:30 pm because I was a little drunk and exhausted from the sun. Mauritius was beautiful and I would love to go back for a beach vacation but I think in terms of cultural and learning significance related to semester at sea it was kind of pointless.

I am currently in India sitting in an internet cafe but i have so much stuff do do online and my blogs take forever to write so expect something from india in the next few days!

Cape Town Day 5

Tue, 01 Mar 2011 02:11:00 -0500

I ended up sleeping until noon today. I was pretty bummed about it but I quickly got over and got a hold of Farrah and went and met her and Cassie at a restaurant on the waterfront. We got a quick lunch and headed to the mall on the waterfront to do all our in port shopping for necessities. We really aimlessy wondered around the mall for a while, but the mall was so insane. We really didn’t know if we were in Africa, the US or Paris. There was a Louis Vuitton, Hugo Boss, Chanel – tons of crazy designer stores that we were super confused about being in Africa. We tried to hurry and get all our necessities, ending with the grocery store because you always want to go there before getting back on the ship to stock up on good food, something the ship lacks. I am really bummed because I was pretty hungover so I was just aimlessly wondering through the store and ended up only getting about half of what I really needed.

After we left the mall we ran back to the ship and grabbed our computers so that we could go somewhere to get wi-fi, another thing we don’t get on the ship. We ended up finding this cute restaurant called the Green Dolphin and we sat down, ordered a second lunch and got wi-fi. I got to skype with my mom and Annie and Patrice together which was awesome. Talking to Annie and PK made me kind of sad though because they were talking about all the fun stuff they are doing together over there in Europe and it made me miss them like crazy! But nonetheless it was great to hear their voices. I also got to load a few pictures onto here but my computer died so that’s why there is not very many.

After our second lunch and a few drinks we headed back to the ship to say the dreaded farewell to South Africa. We got back on the ship and to our surprise it was Taco Night! We were actually are pretty pissed because taco night is this long awaited thing that I think we may only get once the whole voyage and to have it the day we get back from a port where all we have been doing is eating the most amazing food kind of sucks. Whatever. We ate tacos and everyone sat out on the 7^th deck to watch the sunset. Like clock work the ship started to pull away from the dock at the most beautiful point in the sunset and it was the most amazing thing. It seemed like everyone on the ship was crowded around the rails on the 7^th deck watching as our ship pulled away from our favorite port so far. There was such a sense of community and happiness as we all leaned on each other and listened to Shakira’s Waka Waka (this is Africa) song, I felt as if I had known these people my entire life. It was truly euphoric.

I can honestly say that although I may not have truly immersed myself in the culture as much in South Africa as in the other ports it really was my favorite port and I cannot wait to hopefully return one day, next time with all the people that are nearest and dearest to my heart.

Cape Town Day 4

Tue, 01 Mar 2011 02:08:00 -0500

So as planned Haley and I headed out bright and early at 6:30 am to hike table mountain and begin our romantic day together. We shared a cab with our friends Addie and Justin and got dropped off at the bottom together but didn’t hike with them because they are both pretty intense and Haley and I knew we would not be able to keep up. So we starting hiking up as the sun was rising and we were immediately dying. The hike is kind of more like a climb and you are literally going straight up, my ass was burning. Haley brought her backpack where we put our cameras and water bottles and we had to take turns carrying it because it made hiking about 10X harder. We thought we were going so slow and were expecting the hike to take us like 3 hours because the normal time is about 2 and a half but suddenly we were at the top and were shocked to find out that it actually only took us an hour and 20 minutes – nuts! When we got to the top we sat for a little bit and just reflected and chatted about our trip so far. There weren’t many people at the top yet which was nice because it was really calm and relaxing. We didn’t stay up there for very long because we had spent so much time there the previous day and there were so many other things we wanted to do. We took the cable car down and once at the bottom bought a few souvenirs at the shop at the bottom and then got a cab.

We decided we were going to go back to the stores where we had gone the second day at the old biscuit mill. I wanted to exchange the skirt I got for a different one and we just wanted to explore a little more. We ended up getting a really awesome cab driver who opened up to us and told us his life story. He told us of his refugee status in Cape town because of his displacement in Burundi. He told us how his people (the Hutu’s) had wanted him to kill his wife because she was a Tutsi and how they had to leave because he would not do it but when they first got to Cape Town they had a lot of struggles because Cape Town blacks are very hostile towards blacks from other places because they are angry that jobs are being taken away from them. His story is too long to explain here but it was really interesting and eye opening to hear.

He dropped us off at the Old Biscuit Mill and we made plans with him to come pick us back up in 45 minutes. Hales and I went in and went straight to exchange my skirt and to the ATM. After that we really just explored the really neat stores that were in the center. There were a few really neat Antique stores that we were in heaven in, they all had really neat unique jewelry and cool nic nacs – Jennifer Pass you would have loved it. Then we went to this little coffee shop that grounded their own coffee and had a very simple menu – literally 8 things on the menu and the way it was set up was just so neat. Jenna you would have been obsessed. We talked to the two hottie baristas for a little bit which was neat, they were really funny guys. Oh and we both got lattes – amazing. We didn’t add sugar or anything and they were the most perfect balance of milk and coffee with I guess natural sweetener that the Barista added.

After coffee we went into one last store just before we were leaving even though we weren’t planning on buying anything. Good thing we did because we met this really cool Rastafarian guy who owned the store – Rodriguez. We bought these cool handmade bracelets that are like colorful rope from him and chatted with him for a little. I was wearing my semester at sea shirt that has a map and pictures of flags for all the places we are going on it – it always seems to come in handy – but we showed him all the places we had gone and where we were going. We talked a lot about India and I told him how I would be celebrating my 21^st birthday there and he then proceeded to give me another bracelet he made as a 21^st birthday present. Then he gave Haley a rock that he had in his pocket. It was really funny. Before we left Rodriguez gave us some cool Rastafarian Buddhist like parting words that left us feeling really fulfilled and happy for the rest of the day.

We met our cab driver friend outside and asked him to bring us back to the waterfront because we were going to go to the craft market right near the ship. We got out and went in the market for a little bit. It was a big huge industrial type building with a bajillion little stands with all the crafts and souvenirs you could imagine. We bought a few things but we both were so exhausted so we headed back to the ship so we could change and eat before our SAS trip at 1:30.

Our trip was to an orphanage and a bicycle tour of Khayelitsha – the biggest township in Cape Town. We first got on the bus with our group to go to the orphanage and only had to drive about 20 minutes to get there. Once at the orphanage we were introduced to the incredible women who runs it and she told us a little about the history and then gave us a tour. She showed and told us about the box room. It’s a room that has a window to the outside street and a crib in it so that if a mother needs to abandon her child she can put it in the room through the window and it is a safe place for the child rather then just literally leaving them on the street. Our idea when we signed up for the trip was that we were going to get to spend a lot of time at the orphanage but we really only got a tour and got to play with the kids for like 15 minutes. I of course held babies the whole time.

After the orphanage we got back on the bus and went to the location of a local NGO called Yelp! Clan – it is a kind of extracurricular/after school activity group for children of the township to help keep them away from drugs and other mischief. We met and played a pick up soccer game with a big group of kids that are part of the program. Despite the fact that every South African, even the 6 year olds, are amazing at soccer, the pick up game was really fun. After our game we all hoped on bikes and rode through the streets of the township. Seeing the township was really interesting but I felt like a total tourist and kind of out of place just storming through these peoples neighborhood and gawking at the way they lived. I think the people loved it though. Everyone came outside of their little makeshift shack housing and they were all waving and the kids were all running alongside our bikes. None of the houses in the township have running water and they all have makeshift ways to get electricity so there are outhouses every 100 yards and random power lines running every which way above our heads and through the streets. It was really crazy to think how many people lived in the township, literally there were shacks for miles and miles every which way you looked. So sad to think that the government actually thinks that it is suitable housing.

After the bike ride we got back on the bus and headed back for the ship. I was so exhausted and could not think of anything better but a nice long nap but of course I had not option but to shower and get ready for dinner.

For dinner a group of 9 girls and I had reservations at a restaurant called Moyo, its at a vineyard in Stollonbosch named Speir. We had so many recommendations to go there and heard it was phenomenal so we had to go. The restaurant was about 25 minutes away and we were all starving the entire way there but we would soon find out that it was well worth the drive.

As soon as we got there we were escorted into what seemed like a magical fairy land. There were tree house tables above our heads in ginormous trees and stone pathways lined with white lanterns every way you looked. All of the staff was dressed in what appeared to be traditional African tribal outfits and all the tables had the perfect about of candle light. We sat at a perfect round top for 10 people and immediately ordered 4 bottles of wine. We sat for a while and just took in what surrounded us and then got up and headed to the buffet. Amazing. So many different kinds of food, there were like 8 different kinds of meat alone. I am not going to go into detail about what I ate because I think I tried a little of everything but the food was phenomenal. We finished eating and order a few rounds of shots and danced with some of the locals for a little bit. I really didn’t want to leave the restaurant because the atmosphere and overall feel was just so perfect but it was our last night in Cape Town and we had to do it big so we headed back to our cabs to meet up with all the SAS kids on Long street.

We ended up going to a club called Mercury. The club was pretty small so it was really crammed but the DJ was awesome and it was full of SAS kids and locals together so that made it really fun. Basically we spent the whole night dancing and taking springbock shots. Me and a group of about 15 others were among the last people in the club and we got asked to leave around 4 am. We got a cab and headed back to the ship but on the way to the ship we ran into some other SAS kids who were partying on some kids private boat so we hopped on and hung out with some locals on their boat in the waterfront for a while. We ended up walking back to the ship and watching the sunrise over table mountain – therefore getting in bed right around 6:45. Perfect last night.

Cape Town Day 3

Tue, 01 Mar 2011 02:07:22 -0500

Sunday morning Farrah, Haley, Patrick and I woke at at 5:30 got dressed for our safari and dragged ourselves to breakfast. We had to meet on the pier by 5:45 so it was a quick breakfast, one that I actually don’t remember because I think I was still asleep. We all got on the bus to head to our safari at 6 and we drove for about 2 and a half hours, all of which I slept, to get to Aquila Game Reserve. We got there and were served glasses of sparkling wine the second we stepped off the bus. We then were directed to a huge dining room where we had our second breakfast – this one I remember. It was a huge buffet that wrapped around the room. I had fresh fruit and yogurt and an egg along with some fresh papaya juice. Haley and I sat at a romantic two person table right against the window and in the midst of breakfast we were greeted by an ostrich just peering at us through the window. It was literally directly on the other side of the window, if there wouldn’t have been glass there he would have been basically sitting at the table with us. We finished breakfast and went outside to the deck with the beautiful infinity pool that overlooked the reserve and the mountains. As we relaxed outside before our safari we saw two elephants grazing in the field nearby! So cool!

We finally got into our big safari land rover cars and started our day of animal sightseeing. There were about 20 of us in the big car but it was exactly what you would imagine a safari car to look like. Tan with no windows and big bars on the sides. We basically sat in the car all day and drove around seeing all the different animals on the reserve. We saw zebras, elephants, giraffes, rhinos, gazelles, springbok, ostriches, peacock and lions. It was so cool and I got some truly amazing pictures. Our guide, Johnny, was also really excellent and told us all sorts of cool facts about every animal we saw. After the safari we went back to the big lodge and were served a delicious buffet lunch. After lunch we hung out at the lodge for a while and some people got in the pool and we all had another glass of sparkling wine.

After hanging out for a little bit we all got back on the bus and headed back to the ship. I again slept the entire bus ride home and could have probably slept the rest of the day but when you only have 5 days in Africa that is not an option. So we went back to the ship, changed our clothes and Haley, Farrah, Patrick, Kerry and I decided to go take the cable car up to the top of table mountain to watch the sunset. The cable car was really cool, you step in and they ask you to stay away from the edges because the ground of the car rotates so everyone in the car gets a 360 degree view in the mere 4 minutes it takes to get to the top of the mountain. Once at the top we were all in awe at the views. It was truly beautiful. You can see the entire coast with the gorgeous white beaches and the really blue water and then you can see the city trickling down the hillside with all the bright roofs. We could even see the MV from the top which was really cool. The really cool part is that the ‘table cloth’ or big clouds start to creep in when you are up there so half of the mountain is covered in this big white cloud and seeing it at sun set was just truly amazing. There is a little café and shop at the top so the four of us went in there and got a snack and a coffee and just sat on the patio outside and marveled at what we were surrounded by. After we’d been up there for about an hour the siren sounded that signaled that everyone needed to go down because the wind was picking up and the cable car would need to stop running soon. So we got back in the cable car and headed back down.

Once down we got a cab and decided to try out a restaurant that Patrick’s friend studying abroad along with many cab drivers had recommended to us called the CodFather in Camps bay.Good call. The restaurant was amazing. We had to wait for about 15 minutes for a table and for Kim to come meet us so while we waited we sat at the sushi bar. The bar had a huge track running around it with sushi plates circling and you could just grab whatever you wanted while you watched them make it right there. So before we even sat down we were impressed. Once we got a table we were informed that the restaurant had a visual menu – so basically your waiter or waitress brings you over to the two big glass containers and you pick from about 15 which fish or seafood item(s) what you want as they describe the tastes and texture of them all to you. Haley, Farrah, Kerry and I decided to get a platter to split so we got to choose as many items as we wanted and then it came with grilled veggies and French fries. We got mahi mahi, tuna, calamari and prawns. While we waited for our food to cook we all went over and picked up some sushi from the sushi bar for our appetizer. We also indulged in a bottle of wine. Big meal I know. The dishes came with this little tray with 4 bowls full of different sauces and recommendations of what fish they all go best with. We were in heaven. Once we all had to unbutton our pants and were just relaxing and chatting I realized something really cool.

The girls sitting at the table next to us were wearing ‘Global Project: South Africa’ bracelets, a bracelet that I also have and never take off which most of you have probably noticed. Ali told me about it and it is this girl Natalie who has a blog and sells these homemade awesome bracelets and raises money for a different global project every year. This year the money was for South Africa and was benefitting Khayelitsha – the biggest township in Cape Town. Anyway, I decided that I would go over and talk to the girls because it was just such a small world to see girls with the same bracelets. It turned out that the two girls – one from Toronto and one from Hong Kong - were actually in Cape Town with Natalie for two weeks to utilize and give the money in which the Global Wristband Project had raised in the past year! They had just finished up the trip and were planning on heading home in a few days after doing some sightseeing! They freaked out when I showed them my bracelet and we took a picture to show Natalie, the girl in charge of the program. The whole situation was just really cool for me and for them and it really made me realize how truly small and interconnected the world really is.

After dinner and my cool run in it was already pretty late and we all just decided to head back to the ship and have an early night. Haley and I were planning on waking up super early to hike Table Mountain at sunrise so I wanted to get more then my normal 4 hours of sleep.

Cape Town Day 2

Fri, 25 Feb 2011 08:13:00 -0500

Feb 19

Well today Jenna, Farrah, Cas and I were supposed to go on a tour of Robben Island, however since we hadn’t gone to sleep until 4 am we failed to wake up at 7 to our alarms and ended up missing our tour. We hadn’t paid for it yet or anything so it was fine. I called Haley when I woke up and she invited us to go with her and a group of people to a breakfast market. We met the group in Tymitz square (the lobby of the ship) and headed out. There was 9 of us so we were thinking we were going to need two cars but we ended up getting a ricky, a car that charges a flat rate and drives you around all day, that could fit all of us. It was a land rover type car with way back seats that face each other instead of facing forward.

Our driver, Johnny, first brought us to a place called the Old Biscuit Mill, a little shopping center where they have this amazing market every Saturday. Our friend Patrick who was with us had a friend studying abroad in Cape Town and she recommended we go there. Thank god she did. It was probably one of my favorite activities in Cape Town. I don’t think I can paint an accurate picture of how cool this market was. I cried I was so happy. The market was located in this little shopping center that normally has about 20 little boutiquey stores that kind of remind me of Sea Side but cooler and a few cool restaurants and coffee shops (on that Jenna and Ali would be obsessed with). But for the market on Saturday they put up big tents. One tent had tons of little different boutique stores with awesome clothes and jewelry and mini tent dressing rooms. All the designers were running their own booths and there were the coolest clothes and jewelry. Everyone shopping there was so hip. Farrah got an awesome necklace with an Africa charm with a heart cut out. I got this really cool turquoise embroidered skirt (mom you’re going to love it) and this cute blue-stripped dress with buttons. There were some many other awesome items but it was all kind of on the expensive side so I somehow resisted my urges and didn’t buy anything else.

Next came the best part. There were two huge circus like tents full of food stands. There were stands lining the edges and then an inner circle of stands and in the middle, rows of community picnic tables with adorable wine bottles made into candleholders. There were food stands for anything you could possibly imagine, cheese, chocolate, dried fruit, smoothies, meat, bagels, asian food, Mexican food, African food, sea food, health food, tons of local fruits and veggies. Literally everything. It was a farmers market on steroids (Jamey you would have been in heaven). Farrah, Haley and I settled on this great stand that was serving eggs benedict. It was a flat hash brown on the bottom, topped with smoked salmon and an egg with that sauce. Best. Thing. Ever. We also got sangria with the most delicious fresh fruit. We were all in heaven and did not want to leave but we knew there was so much else to see. So we said goodbye to the best market ever, piled back into our car and headed to our next destination.

Next we stopped in this little town called Simonstown. It had historic looking buildings but had a beach town feel. There were a few really cute little quaint cafes and some waterfront restaurants that looked right out to the harbor where there were a few dozen beautiful sailboats. There was also a few waterfront market stands, including a fruit stand. Of course I stopped and brought pineapple and some lechi.

Next our driver brought us to Boulder’s Beach (good name huh?), the beach where all the penguins walk around. It was so cool. I was expecting it to be like a big crowded tourist attraction with the penguins kind of in captivity but that is not how it was at all. The penguins were just waddling around minding their own business and there really weren’t too many people at the beach. It was a beautiful day and the massive rocks and clear water made for a perfect backdrop for our first encounters with mini penguins. We hung around at the beach for about an hour, just observing the penguins swim and waddle and marveling at the beauty that is South Africa.

After Boulder’s Beach we had to ride in the car for about 40 minutes to get to the Cape of Good Hope – the most south-western point of Africa! It’s a national park so we had to pay to get in and we went right to the place where the sign is. We took some pictures with the sign and then climbed around on the rocks that lined the water. We ended up climbing out as far as we could and we were standing on this big rock that the waves were crashing up against. Haley and Jenny stood at the very edge and waited for a big wave to come. It came and it soaked them and got the rest of us pretty wet! After we climbed around on the rocks a little more we got back in the car and Johnny drove us to Cape Point, which is where you walk up a pretty long walk way to over look the cape of good hope from a light house.

The view from the top was breathtaking; we had a 360 view of beautiful white sandy beaches, lush greenery and massive rocks. There was also a cool sign at the top that points in which direction and how far big cities are, like New York was 12,541 KM and it was so weird to see it say Rio de Janeiro and New Delhi – where we came from and where we are going. We headed back down the path and stopped at the restaurant at the bottom to get a drink and a snack. We sat at an awesome outside table and all just sat and wondered if we were really in real life or if we were dreaming.

On the way back to the ship we stopped at another local beach because Jenny wanted to jump in the water. The water was freezing and she didn’t end up getting in past her knees but Jenna got to swing on a swing set and we got to play around with some local little kids and the boys got to see some fisherman bringing in their nets.

We got back to the ship and all showered and met back up around 8:45 to go to dinner. We decided to just go somewhere in the waterfront so we settled on a South African cuisine restaurant called Karibou. We Sat outside but it was so nice because they gave everyone their own individual fleece blanket because it was chilly. We started dinner off by taking a round of Springbox shots – spring box are South Africa’s signature animal and we figured while in South Africa. The shots were so yummy, they tasted like andi’s mints. Dinner was awesome, I got sweet potatoes and a chicken salad. That was one of the best parts about Cape Town, eating real food. After we all ate and had a few more rounds of drinks we headed to the bar in the port called Mitchell’s, it was basically the bar where all the SAS kids start the night out before everyone figures out what clubs to go to.

Soon after getting to Mitchell’s we decided to take a cab to go to a club called Fiction that a lot of people had been talking about. We got to fiction and there was a crazy Dub Step concert going on so we hung outside for a while. Haley, Farrah and I were exhausted and decided we should go home early because we had to wake up at 5:30 for our safari the next day.

Cape Town Day 1

Fri, 25 Feb 2011 08:11:00 -0500

Feb 18 - Biking Wine Tour

So I am going to do my blog posts for South Africa one day at a time because if I try to do them all together it will be way too long. Each day was so packed and I have so much to tell so I think this will be much easier to write as well as to read.

So we were supposed to dock in Cape Town on Thursday the 17^th however, that did not happen. The winds were too strong and I guess it’s a tight squeeze into the port and so the pilot (dude who steers the boat into port) couldn’t come out and the port wouldn’t let us come in because if the wind blew us just a little bit we would of smashed into things. So we spent the entire Thursday sitting on the boat doing absolutely nothing, I think I played 4 hours of cards and 3 hours of catchphrase. It actually did suck for a lot of people because tons of groups missed flights to places for safaris and what not. We finally were able to pull into port Friday morning around 11 am! A few trips got cancelled but most people ended up still being able to get to where they needed to go.

Pulling into the port was so beautiful. It kind of looks like Fishermans Wharf in San Francisco, ships everywhere and a really lively waterfront with beautiful table mountain in the background. After doing face to face customs we were finally able to get off the ship around 12:30. Me and a group of 7 others (Farrah, Jenna, Cassie, Sarah and her three friends) headed straight through the waterfront to a parking lot where we were meeting our guide for our biking wine tour. We met our guide, Charlie, at his car and were on our way to the town of Stellanbosch to get on our bikes. When we got to Stellanbosch we met our two guides – Jenny and Craig and boy were they hardcore. They were both dressed in hardcore biking gear, I guess Jenny is the Swedish biking champion. I don’t think they were expecting us to be so amateur. We got on the bikes and started our ride. It was pretty difficult through the city because half of the people we were with are not very good bike riders and we were riding through a busy city where the cars drive on the opposite side of what we are used to so that was really humorous. My bike was way to big for me so every time we had to stop I had to hop down off the bike seat so my legs could touch the ground. We got into the winelands and it was beautiful. Vineyards lined the sides of the road accompanied by beautiful little houses and some huge mansions up in the hills. The weather was the most perfect temperature, warm with a cool breeze. After about a 6 mile bike ride we came to a little park and stopped to have the picnic lunch our guides had packed us.

After lunch our guides broke it to us that we would only have time to go to one vineyard because they all close at 4:30 and because we had been so delayed getting off the ship our day had started really late. So after lunch we just got back in the van and loaded the bikes on the back and headed to the Lanzerac Vineyard. We sat down and 4 of us decided to do the chocolate and wine tasting and the other four decided to do just wine. I of course did the choice with the chocolate, 4 pieces of chocolate paired with four wines. The wine and chocolate were great and our waiter even gave us all a surprise at the end. He brought us all little chocolate shot glasses and filled them with this special Honey Liquer that is only made two places in the world, the winery we were at being one of them. He put a little bit in our wine glasses also for us to try. It was so yummy. It tasted like a honey vodka but the honey really masked the intenseness of the vodka. It was even better when taken with the chocolate shot glass.

After we finished our wine tasting we got a tour of the cellar and the processing room where they make all the wine. Our guide was great and gave us so much information. We finished our time at the winery by buying bottles to drink in the car and we all got a free wine glass. We also got to walk down to the vineyard and try some of the grapes off of the vines – yum. Our driver took us on a scenic route home which was nice because we had bottles of wine to drink anyways. We stopped by an ostrich farm on the side of the road and saw tons of ostrichs. We also stopped at this beautiful beach to watch the sunset over table mountain. It was breathtaking. There were tons of people kite boarding in the water and the sun was setting right behind them, my pictures look like postcards.

After the breathtaking sunset we headed back to the ship to take showers and get ready for dinner. As we were getting ready someone knocked on our door – I was expecting it to be Haley or Jenna but it was Meredith – I thought she had already left for her safari but it got postponed a day and since I was a little tipsed I freaked out. She invited Farrah, Jenna and I to go to dinner with her and some people she had been hanging out with all day. We went to a restaurant in port called Ferrymans. It was really good and only $180 for 12 people – including drinks. After dinner we headed to a club called Fez that supposedly all the SAS kids were going to. Somehow we all got VIP which was great because there was a nice upstairs bar that wasn’t as busy. The club had all these big screen tvs in the corners with some cool videos being played but there was also this head hanging form the middle of the ceiling. There was just a face being constantly projected onto this head shaped object hanging from the ceiling and the face was just making all different weird faces. It was really interesting.

We stayed at Fez all night and when we were ready to leave we found that Farrah had made two local friends – what else is new. She introduced them to us and we walked out with them. Outside the club I was arguing with cab drivers for prices back to the ship and Farrah just told us he friends would drive us home. So since there were 3 girls and 2 SAS boys we figured it was safe and headed with them to their car. Don’t worry mom it was safe, we made it back to the ship safe and sound. The boys that drove us home walked us all the way back to the ship but to their disappointment they were not able to get on to see where we lived! All in all the first day in Cape Town was so fun.

Photo

Tue, 22 Feb 2011 09:48:30 -0500

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Tue, 22 Feb 2011 09:43:20 -0500

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Tue, 22 Feb 2011 09:38:16 -0500

Ghana

Sat, 12 Feb 2011 05:24:21 -0500

Wow. Another amazing set of experiences in another amazing country. The Ghanaian people truly are amazing. Every person we came across was so kind, friendly and helpful. Never once did I feel uncomfortable or anxious, well ok maybe a couple of times but that’s only natural of being in a foreign country. The first day Farrah, Jenny (from Berkley), Kelly (theta at CU) and I headed out right away to get a bus to Accra, the capital city of Ghana where Farrah’s best friend from SMU is studying abroad. The port where the boat was docked was horrible, we were kind of in a cove in the back of the dock and you had to walk about a mile through all the shipping yards to get out of the port to where you could get a cab. There was a shuttle but it only ran every 30 minutes so we usually walked. We barely saw any of Takoradi, the port city, because we got in a cab and went straight to the ATM and then to the bus station. It was really nice because most of the Ghanaian people speak English so its much easier to get around then it was in Brazil. As we drove through Takoradi it reminded me a lot of of India. Lots of people and lots of street stands everywhere. When we got to the bus station we were expecting to get on a small, shitty bus with no a/c but we were pleasantly surprised to find out that we would be riding a bus nicer then any greyhound in the states. We got on a huge air conditioned bus with TV’s and reclinable chairs with wood accents – and we only paid 10 cedis – about $5 or a little less.

We had to wait about 30 minutes for the bus to leave so Kelly and I decided to go find a bathroom. We asked a man right when we got off the bus and he kindly walked us over to the toilet store…literally you walk in the door, pay 20 pesewa (like 8 cents), and are handed a neatly folded chunk of toilet paper and walk into a dorm like row of toilets in little stalls. This was our first experience with Ghanaian bathrooms, it was an interesting concept to say the least. Kelly and I headed back to the bus and when we got back found out that Dr. Bill, the ships doctor, and his wife Susie were on the same bus. That made us feel really safe and comfortable. The bus finally left and we were beginning our 4 hours journey to Accra.

On the bus ride Jenny talked a lot to a Ghanaian graduate student named George who had been visiting his family in Takoradi. He was so nice and gave us hotel recommendations and lots of information. The drive to Accra was really neat. We drove along the coast for a while so that was beautiful, we also drove through a lot of little villages which were cool to see. When we got to Accra we got off the bus in the middle of this huge, bustling city. It was Sunday and Ghana is a very religious country so everyone was dressed in their Sunday best which was cool to see. We talked to Dr. Bill for a minute and got his cell number and then he left and we stood in awe wondering what to do now. George, Jenny’s friend from the bus noticed how lost we were and offered to help us out because he had some time before he needed to be somewhere. He got us a trotro (a van which is used as public transportation) and brought us to a hotel he recommended. George was obviously mistaken as to how much money us Americans were willing to spend on a hotel because he brought us to a beautiful, nice hotel but it was $220 a night for a single bed, great if we were with our parents but we’re college students and have 6 more countries to go so we needed to stay someplace else.

We decided it would be best to contact Dana, Farrah’s friend and meet up with her and stay somewhere near her home stay. So George let us use his phone to call Dana and then brought us to another tro tro station and talked to the driver and made sure we were going to be brought where we needed to go, Banku Junction, an intersection near Dana’s house where she would meet us. This is when I discovered the best thing about Ghana: the mango and pineapple. Kelly and I were starving because we hadn’t eaten since 7 and it was now 4 so we bought some fruit from a street stand near where we were getting on the tro tro. I have literally never tasted anything better. I would choose it over Frozen Yogurt, even chocolate lava cake any day. Anyways, we took the tro tro to Banku Junction and got out. We were in a super nice neighborhood with Mercedes and beamers driving by but we were standing on a random street corner with our huge hiking backpacks looking like lost American idiots in the middle of Ghana. After about 10 minutes Dana appeared and we met her and everything and then she brought us to her homestay house. Her family wasn’t home but we got to see her room and meet the other homestay girl there. Then we headed out to get a hotel. We checked out about 3 different in one in the neighborhood and the two nicest ones were pretty expensive so we settled on the shitter one for $100 a night, so only $25 a night each plus it included breakfast. It was by no means a luxury but it was comfortable and we had beds and a bathroom so we were content. We put down our packs and freshened up and went to dinner. Dana and her roommate brought us to a local restaurant around the corner. It was so good. I got chicken, rice and plantains. We also got French fries, an actually really big thing in Ghana, which were sooo good too. After dinner we headed to the local bar that Dana and the other homestay kids hang out at, Jerrys. It was a cute little outside bar with a tiny actual bar part, a window where you order your drinks. We met a lot of Dana’s friends and hung out and drank for a little bit. A big group, including Farrah were heading to another bar to watch the super bowl but Jenny, Kelly and I were way too exhausted so we went back to the hotel, showered and used the internet. I got to skype with Emily and Ash and my mom and Gino, which was really nice!! It wasn’t the best connection but it was better then nothing, which is what we have on the ship. Before we went to bed we called Dr. Bill and asked him about something he had brought up on the bus, an invitation to go with him to an orthopedic center outside of the city.

We woke up at 7 with a knock on our door from the hotel worker bringing us breakfast – how nice!! We had omelets, which were amazing and toast, which I didn’t eat. We went out and got a cab to take to Koala Market where we would meet Dr. Bill. The cab ride took about an hour and a half because there was such bad morning traffic. It was not fun. When we got to the market Dr. Bill was waiting and we got in his cab with him and his wife Susie. It was a 5 person car and we had 6 including the driver so we were in for a kind of uncomfortable ride. The center was about an hour and a half away but once we got more out into the country we got stopped at a road block for having to many people in the car. The cop was kind of scary at first, especially because he had a machine gun, but then he was kind of joking with us and laughing about it because we were ‘orbuni’s’ what they call white people. Our cab driver had to pay him 5 cedis and he let us go on our way. We got to the center and went to the office to talk with the Sister who runs it. We talked with her for about a half an hour, she gave us the whole history on the center and we asked a bunch of questions. Its run by her and another nun along with a father who started it over 50 years ago. Its basically a place where they make prosthetics and braces and what not for people who have physical deformities or impairments. The center is there because the local hospitals don’t have doctors that do such things. The center has an outpatient program where the kids stay after they have surgery for 3 months for rehabilitation and what not. They also have a program for babies, many of which have club feet. The babies get the proper surgery and braces and the mothers stay with the babies in the center so they can learn how to properly care for them once they go home. The center also has a mobile unit that goes all around Ghana providing care. The actual factory where the prosthetics and braces are made is part of the center. We got to tour the factory where everything is hand made. Many of the tools are over 100 years old but they keep them because they are much easier to fix then anything that is high tech. All of the prosthetics were being so carefully hand crafted and each patient gets perfectly fitted for their own individual needs. The center is able to make so many because they have donations from a few rotary clubs in Holland. The men in the clubs collect prosthetics from centers that have extras from patients that have died before theirs were finished. They are then taken apart and the materials are re-used. We then got to see the classrooms and all the living quarters which were all so clean and neat. I was really shocked because a hospital similar to this one in Guatemala that I visited had just such horrible conditions that it was awesome to see one in which the kids really were being taken care of so well. We then got to spend a little time with the kids. They all have different physical handicaps but they are all the nicest, happiest, sweetest kids. Sister was telling us how people who visit always ask how it is possible that they don’t have a counselor on staff but she said there is no need. The kids are so perfectly happy and grateful that they have been given a second chance. The whole experience was just really humbling. Seeing how grateful and happy these kids were and thinking about kids in the US who are such brats even when they have all their body parts and everything else they could want in the world is just crazy.We also met ‘Sweetie’ who is like the mom at the center and was formely a patient there. She was a big old Ghanaian women and was so kind and welcoming! We left the center all feeling so happy and full of hope.

We headed back to Accra and got dropped off at the Art Market, a big market in the center of the city. Dr. Bill and Susie were heading back to Takoradi that afternoon so they left and Kelly, Jenny and I just hung out at the market. It was very overwhelming, which most markets like this are because everyone is screaming at you to buy their products. We got some good stuff and met some great people. We actually started talking to a guy who went to Berkley Music School so naturally jenny was obsessed with him and we talked forever. He was a Rastafarian drummer and he brought us back to his drum shop and gave us some lessons. It was so cool and fun. We were getting drum lessons from a Rastafarian at a drum shop in the middle of Ghana. So cool. We chatted with him and some other drummer guys and then decided we needed to head home before it got dark. We told the guys we wanted to get mangos before we got in the cab , of course, so they brought us to a little street stand and we got some mangos and fried plantains, said bye to our friends and got in a cab.

The cab ride again was forever long because of all the traffic and we were all really tired and cranky so that was fun. When we got back to the hotel we met back up with Farrah and Dana who had visited a village where Farrah had lived the summer before. We freshened up a little, not like it made a difference because you were disgusting with sweat the second you stepped outside, and then headed to dinner. Dana brought us to the university she attends which has a night street market, its basically like the farmers market with a ton of different stands and a ton of community tables to sit and eat. It was really awesome just to see all the stand all lit by gas lanterns. Kelly and I got chicken kabobs and rice and Farrah, Jenny and Dana got egg sandwiches which are really popular in Ghana. I tried the sandwich, it was awesome. Of course for dessert we got pineapple, mango and papaya. After dinner we went back to the local bar, Jerry’s and had a drink then headed back to the hotel and went to bed.

We slept in a little the next morning, we got breakfast again at 7 am but went back to bed until 8. Dana met us at our hotel and brought us to a local fabric store. She knew the owners so we got to go back in the back and see where and how all the cool African fabric was made and talk to the guy who made it. We also met one of the girls who was staying at that house, the other girl wasn’t there but she was a student from CU – how crazy!! After the fabric store we decided to go to the Accra mall before we got back on the bus to Takoradi. We went to the big department store and I finally got a yoga ball which I have been looking for everywhere, I use it all the time and I have been dying without one on the ship. We ate lunch at the mall at a place called chicken inn. I got French fries and grilled chicken. I also got a drink called ‘blue skies’ – its basically like a naked juice but about a million times better because the fruit was so fresh in it. After the mall we went back to the hotel, picked up all our stuff, paid and got a cab to bring us to the bus station. The hotel worker told the cab driver which bus station to bring us to but once we got there it was so sketchy and nuts with people screaming at us through the windows that the cab driver decided to bring us to a safer bus station. The safer bus station was definitely a lot better. It was actually much more like a legit bus station where we bought a ticket and everything. We had to wait about 30 minutes for the bus to come. Once it came we started to get on but they wanted to weigh our luggage, then they wanted us to put it under the bus but we didn’t want to because our computers were in our bags. The workers looked at us like we were crazy but we didn’t think much about it. Bad idea. The bus was much smaller then the first one and I had literally no foot room because my pack is so big. I sat next to a Ghanaian lady who had blue eyes and was beautiful. She got off with about an hour left so I got the whole seat to stretch out.

Once back in takoradi we took a cab back to the port and headed to the ship to shower. Getting back to the ship was pretty bitter sweet. It really feels like home now and it is such a relief when you get back on the ship but then again once you have been traveling with such a small group and been away from the masses of college kids you kind of don’t want to be back. Don’t get me wrong I love everyone, well mostly everyone, on the ship but theres something about experiencing so much with a small group of people and then coming back to masses of Americans. Its like the ship is our own little floating America. Once back on the ship we showered and ate quickly and then headed out. There is a duty free shop in the port right across from the ship that the SAS kids essentially turned into a bar so we hung out there for a little and then headed to a local bar called Ocean Bar. There was an outside part to the bar where we hung all night and chatted with locals. Jenny befriended these two young boys selling peanut cakes and we talked to them a ton. Neither of them were in school because they were selling sweets to earn enough money to buy textbooks. Jenny made a plan to meet up with them the next day to bring them to the textbook store. After a few hours at the bar we headed back to the ship and went to bed.

The next day Kelly, Farrah and I decided to go to the beach. We got a cab and headed to Busua beach, one that had been recommended by a bunch of other SASers. We got to the resort type thing and ran into a bunch of professors and the deans at the hotel. We chatted with them for a little and then it started raining!! The beach was beautiful anyways. We sat under a little pavilion and ordered a kind of overpriced lunch. After lunch it had stopped raining and we decided to go for a little walk. We walked down not to far to where the beach turned into a big cliff and there was a little fishing village. It was so cool to see. There were so many kids just playing futbol (soccer) on the beach and so many men out in fishing boats. Once back at the resort place we rented chairs for 1 cedi, put our stuff down, and ran for the ocean. The water was perfect. It was the most perfect not-to-warm temperature and it felt like heaven. We swam for a while and then laid out. I started out writing in my journal but quickly passed out. I had a nice long nap, as did Kelly and farrah. When we woke up it was about 5 so we decided to head back to the ship. We asked our cab driver to stop somewhere where we could get mango and pineapple on the way back to the ship. He brought us to this fruit center store with literally every fruit you could ever imagine. We got two pineapples, three mangos, sugarcane and a papaya. We decided to wait until we were back in the port to eat. Once we got back to the ship we sat down on a stoop and devoured all of the fruit. We all had stomach aches but it was so worth it. I really wish I could of brought tons of pineapple and mango back on the ship. That night we did the same thing as the night before. Nothing too exciting.

The next morning Farrah, Marge, Jenna and I had a trip to the water village. We got on the bus and were all still exhausted and delirious from being so tired so that was funny. It rained the whole 2 hour bus ride to the village and we were not happy about it. Once we got to the village we were given life jackets and led to canoes, which we would then ride in for an hour, in the pouring rain, to the water village. We were less then enthused. As much as we wanted to embrace everything, we were all exhausted and miserable because we were cold and wet. Marge, Jenna, Farrah and I shared a canoe with a paddler named Stephen. The ride really wasn’t that bad it just sucked that we were wet dogs and freezing cold. However it was really cool, there were parts when we were in the jungle and it was really tight, the canoe was basically squeezing through the water. Once we got to the village we got out of our canoes and were brought to a meeting type room where we were briefed on the history of the village. The man speaking had such a thick accent that I really didn’t understand much of what he said, plus I was distracted because I was freezing and soaking wet. After our talk we only got a few minutes to talk and play with the kids which we were all disappointed about. We then walked through the village and got back in our canoes to head back. About 20 minutes outside of where we started it stopped raining. Cool. We ate lunch at the center where we got the life jackets and then got back on the bus and headed back to the ship. I was really hoping I would have time to run out of the port and get some last tastes of pineapple and mango but we got back with only an hour to spare and I did not want to be late because I did not want to have dock time for cape town.

All and all Ghana was amazing. I feel like I really got to see so many different cities and aspects of the country. I also met so many cool locals and I will never forget how kind and welcoming all the people were. I had two goals for the trip: 1, carry a baby on my back like all the women do. Its so beautiful, the wrap the babies on their backs with colorful clothe and I love it. 2. To learn to carry a basket on my head. I didn’t get to carry a baby on my back, I was very close to doing it at the water village but I was unsuccessful because I don’t think the women understood why I wanted to put her child on my back. I did learn how to balance a basket on my head though! Alright sorry readers for the novel, if anyone even made it this far. Next up: Cape Town!

Brazil

Sat, 29 Jan 2011 20:56:31 -0500

I don’t think there is any way I can possibly put into words how amazing the past 4 days have been but I am going to try my best. But beware – this will be a very long post. I’ll start with the first day we spent in Manaus, the city where we ported. I set out bright and early again with Farrah, Jenna, Margaret, Lisa and a group of girls from Bucknell. It was Sunday so just like Dominica most everything was closed but there was an awesome street fair type thing going on which is where we spent most of our time – it kind of reminded me of Greentree Festival. So we walked through the street fair that was probably about 6 blocks long and looked at all the little tents. Most of them were just little souvenir type things and lots of jewelry. I bought a real Brazilian wish bracelet and two cool headbands. After we made our way through the market we headed to the Opera house, we heard it was a perfect place to visit if you only had a day. Architecturally it was really neat and we got to go inside and explore which was awesome considering it was a million degrees outside and the opera house had air conditioning. After the opera house we decided to head back to the market to get lunch. I got some rice and beans and the most amazing corn tamale I have ever had. All the people working at the booth were so helpful and kind despite the language barrier. After lunch we decided to head back to the ship to get our computers and try and find an internet café. We talked to a guy working at a travel desk before getting back on the ship and he told us that the only place that would be open and have Internet would be the mall which was a 25 real (about $12 US) cab ride away. So we went to the ship and grabbed our computers and headed to the mall. The mall was super nice and huge with people everywhere. We all got our computers out and no one could get Wi-Fi so we went into a travel agency store to ask if they spoke English and the one guy said he spoke a little so we asked him about the internet and he gave us the password to his business’ wi-fi. He started to just type it into Jenna’s computer and then all 7 of us whipped out our laptops and he just wrote it down for us. So we all headed down to the food court and sat like the biggest nerds at a big round table glued to our computers. After we got our internet fill we decided to head back to the ship but not before we stopped at the FROZEN YOGURT shop in the mall!!! Best part of my day for sure. We went to dinner that night at some random Italian restaurant that wasn’t very good but we didn’t have many options because everything was closed. After dinner and a few bottles of wine we headed back to the ship so we could pack and get ready for our trips in the morning.

At 8 am Farrah and I met our FDP group in the union ready to start our journey to the little village in the Amazon where we would be spending our next 4 days. Our group of 22 along with another group of around the same size all boarded a boat together, which we would take for 2 hours to a small little village on the water. The boat ride was fantastic. You couldn’t even tell that it was about 100 degrees out because the wind felt so wonderful. The best part of the boat ride was when we came to where the Amazon River and the Rio Negro (the river that Manaus is on) meet. The two waters literally stop when they meet each other, forming a magical wavy line between the black Rio Negro and the brown Amazon because the two have differing sediments and densities that don’t mix (I got some great pics). After 2 hours on the boat we came to the village where all 44 of us boarded a nice hot bus where we would spend what felt like a whole day. It was really only about 2.5 hours but we had to stop twice and get off the bus while it (and we) boarded a barge to cross mini rivers that did not have bridges. The last 40 minutes of the bus ride was a nice bumpy roller coaster because of the huge amount of pot holes in the red mud road. After traveling for 4 and a half hours we arrived at the school in the little village where we would be working and departed from the other group of students who would be going to a lodge nearby.

We spent the rest of the day starting to paint and get acquainted with the people and kids at the school. Around 5 o’clock we left the school and again boarded a new mode of transportation – canoes - to get us to where we would be staying. After a 40-minute canoe ride we finally arrived at the lodge where we would be staying. The other group was staying there also but they got to stay in nice cabins while we were staying in a tree house – which actually was much cooler minus our outhouse for a bathroom. As we pulled up to the lodge we were all in awe. We were literally in the middle of nowhere pulling up to a beautiful eco lodge on the Amazon River. We pulled up to a dock and hiked up what felt like a million stairs to get to the lodge. We immediately were brought to our new home - a 65 foot round tree house with 22 hammocks strung in a circle all around the same pole. It was the coolest, most magical, almost fake, thing I have ever seen. After getting situated we ate dinner in the lodges screened in dining area, the food was awesome traditional Brazilian food. After dinner we went out for a sunset canoe ride which was beautiful, not only seeing the sunset over all the trees and the river but also just seeing all the stars once the sun had set. We headed back and had an early night because everyone was exhausted from all the traveling. First night in the hammocks was interesting to say the least. All 22 of us were basically on top of each other. I was in between my friend Joellen and Farrah, every time I moved they moved and every time they moved I moved. At around 5:45 am the whole tree house woke up to Farrah yelling “Shit no monkey no!! Shit! The monkey has my ambien! Shit” and we all heard her running around chasing the monkey who had stolen her bottle of ambien out of her bag and opened it up and was starting to drink the bottle. Tattiana – another girl on our trip - ended up sticking her hand in the monkeys mouth and pulling out as many pills as possible. It was the funniest thing ever. We were all expecting the monkey to pass out but it must have not actually swallowed any pills because it was just as energetic as usual.

After breakfast we headed out on canoes back to the village where we would be working. We spent the day interacting with the teachers at the school and playing games with the kids. We taught them head, shoulders, knees and toes and duck duck goose. We also got to work on painting. We would be painting the entire school house and all the classrooms (about 5). We spent the whole day at the school from about 8:30 am to 5 pm – a very long, hot day in the sun. They fed us lunch there, I ate rice and beans, but we later found out the meat that a lot of people in the group ate had been horse – yum. After lunch about half the group and Jeffery – our professor – headed out to take a little stroll through the village. We ended up climbing an unfinished bridge a little ways down the road from the school. A political representative was building the bridge during her campaign but when she lost the campaign she halted construction on the bridge and just left it unfinished. I was so frustrated by it because the bridge is so near completion, all it needs are ramps but I’m sure it will never get finished because the village has nowhere near enough money or resources to do so.

After our second day at the school we went back to our tree house and had dinner. Our two awesome guides – Nigel and Simom provided us with some nighttime entertainment by bringing in all the wild creatures they could that they caught in the rainforest. First Nigel brought in the biggest grasshopper I have EVER seen. It was probably the size of my foot. Everyone was holding it and letting it crawl around and as scared and disgusted as I was I knew I had to hold it, so I did and I got a great picture. After the grasshopper Simom brought in a HUGE tarantula. Yes a tarantula. Which scared the bejeebies out of me because I knew I was sleeping literally outside with no way to prevent tarantula’s from crawling into my hammock at night. We finished our night with Nigel bringing in another GINOURMOUS spider monkey which he continued to tell us was extremely poisonous – the perfect thing to see before we headed to our hammocks.

The next morning was the same routine – a wake up call from someone screaming at the monkey for digging in their bag and breakfast on the porch. We headed to the school and continued to paint and play and talk. Since it was our last day working on the school we knew we had to get our butts in gear so we could finish everything. We also tore down the bridge and began to rebuild it. I actually helped a lot with the bridge which I am now paying for with my extremely sore right forearm from hammering wooden planks. The day went the same as the day before with a lot of painting, building and interacting with the kids and teachers. We headed back at 5 and had dinner and went for a swim in the river and finished with dinner on the porch.

The trip all in all was extremely amazing. I loved sleeping in the tree house and getting to know all the people in my group. It was also amazing interacting with all the kids in the village and the teachers. We were the first westerners that had ever come to their village to help so it was extra special for us as well as them. One of the teachers at the school, Ricardo, really made an impact on me with his hunger to learn English. He was constantly asking how to say things in English and teaching us things in Portuguese. It was amazing to me how eager he was to learn English when he lives in a tiny village in the middle of the Amazon, a place where he will most likely never need to speak English. I also was really humbled when we saw the homes of all the children that attended the school. They all live so simply and comfortably. They live in shack houses with minimal electricity and no running water, no TV’s or internet, yet all of the people were perfectly content. And to us it may of seemed like they were poor but to them they were comfortable. One of our guide’s pointed out to us that although their way of life may have seemed like poverty to us – to them it is actually perfect and they are all happy and comfortable. When he told us that it was just very humbling, it made me feel so selfish and spoiled because of all the things I have and my constant need to have more things. I left Brazil with the thought that I should try and live more simply, more like the people of the small Tupana village on the Amazon River in Brazil.

dominica

Sun, 23 Jan 2011 16:19:17 -0500

dominica