Panama Canal Tomorrow

Hey everyone, Nate here. So we have only 4 days left in our voyage. Crazy huh? Things are very hectic right now, especially with Sarah's duties, including, but not limited to: Ambassador's Ball (a huge event tomorrow night including dinner, dancing, and fun) and the Ship-Board Drive (a fund-raising program). It's stressful, but she's taking care of business, as only Sarah can. And I'm helping as her right-hand man.

As I said, things are hectic, so updates for Yokohama, Hawaii, and Guatemala are delaayed, but will arrive. It may not be until after we are home on land, but I promise you this blog will be finished soon. We'll see what kind of time we have after packing and such.

Now, onto the reason for this particular entry: Tomorrow we cross the Panama Canal! I am so excited to be able to witness one of the world's greatest engineering feats in person. And guess what, the Panama Canal has a web-cam. Just click on this link:

Panama Canal Web-Cam

That brings you to the main camera web page, and the tabs above the camera window navigates you to the different cameras located at different parts of the canal. This is so cool, because you will be able to see our ship, the MV Explorer, crossing the Panama Canal tomorrow...at some point.

The thing is, it takes 9 hours to cross the canal. We will be crossing from around 9:00 to 9:30 am and exiting around 5:30 to 6:00 pm. Unfortuneatly, I do not have a schedule detailing which lock we will be at during the day, so seeing us on the camera may be hit or miss. But the oppurtunity is there, and may be a fun activity to check in on now and then throughout the day.

Thank you again for reading, and hopefully you'll see our ship. We'll be waving, so look close!

Peace.

Kobe, Japan

Hi everyone. Nate here. Long time no blog entry. Enjoy.

Another great country and one of our favorite stops on this journey was Japan. We knew there would be wonders to behold and a culture as plentiful as any we have seen, so we were genuinely excited as we floated closer to this great island nation.

As with China, we had two cities to stop at in Japan, with two days to spend at each port. Our first stop was Kobe, Japan. What a beautiful city! Kobe was by far one of our favorite ports to visit. The city was large and modern, with plenty of people and traffic. But as you strolled down the main roads, even where the hustle and bustle is, there’s a mysterious quietness to the whole place. Maybe it’s the bounty of trees and bushes that parallel each street, absorbing noise and refreshing the air. Or perhaps it was the abundance of electrical or hybrid vehicles that created the pleasant hum of the city that never seemed to amplify above a whisper. Or maybe, quite simply, the amazing people of Japan can operate in normal, everyday life without the need to be exuberant, loud, or attention grabbing. Whatever the reason, I have never felt so at ease and comfortable while walking through such a large city as Kobe.

On the day we pulled into port, Sarah (along with all of the other staff) had to work passport duty. For anyone that was wondering, Japan’s immigration/tourist process is among the most thorough in the world (it’s usually compared to America’s customs practices). So, that meant hours of lines, passport stamping, and baggage checks before everyone was off the ship, and Sarah could not leave her shift until that happened. While she worked, I decided to leave first thing in the morning. I was among the first small group off the ship, and it still took me over an hour to depart...but depart I finally did, and the city was mine. With the few hours I had to myself before Sarah could join me, I decided to scout out the city in advance, so later Sarah and I would know exactly where we wanted to go and when. With only two days in port, time is of the essence, and getting a lay of the area ahead of time would save us valuable minutes, or hours, later. There was a monorail station at the port with downtown destinations, but I opted to walk. I’m glad I did, because downtown was only about 15 minutes from the port, and after days at sea, much needed exercise is welcomed. Eventually, I found myself on Flower Road (or Flower Load, as it’s marked on the local street maps). This is main street Kobe.

My first priority was to find a 7-11. This is because Japanese culture is largely cash based, and the concept of a credit card is not the same as in America. Plastic does not rule in Japan. For that reason, ATMs are plentiful, but only accept Japanese bank cards. It’s quite an adventure to find a machine that will give you yen from an American account. However, there are always 7-11s, and in Japan, 7-11s are not only convenience marts, but act as branches for a local bank (that accepts American cards as well). That’s right; 7-11s are considered banks in Japan. You want to get a Slurpee and open a checking account at the same time? No problem. So I found a 7-11 right away, pulled out some cash and was on my way to exploring my first Japanese city.

Aside from general sight seeing, the next item to cross off my to-do list was to find a little place to eat that Bill and Heather told us about. It is a place called Kujira no Andy (roughly translated means Andy the Whale). You see, Bill and Heather, colleagues from UCSC, went on Semester at Sea last semester and have been unbelievably kind enough to send us a page from their scrapbook of each port we have visited. We have found amazing things with this information, so when our “Bill and Heather’s Guide to Kobe” came in the mail, and the recommendation for Kujira no Andy was on it, we knew we had to find it, which, after quite a search, I did find. I lost myself at the base of the mountain in town, in a small alley in a neighborhood (not a business area, but a real neighborhood) looking for a restaurant. Just when I thought this couldn't be the right location, I found it, and right away I knew it was everything Bill and Heather said it would be. The first thing I noticed was that NO tourists would be able to find this place. This was a local’s only kind of joint, which is always good find. I went in to the small, one counter eatery that can seat seven people at the most, attached to a house most definitely being lived in, and met Yoshihiro, the owner. I presented him with a letter from Bill and Heather, ordered an Asahi beer, and we talked all about the current trip we were on. Then his wife Hitomi showed up, pulled out the album of customer photos they have from years back, and found Bill and Heather’s photo taken at the very same counter. We laughed and a photo was taken of me with my beer, and already I didn’t want to leave. But it was getting close to Sarah’s quitting time, and I told them that I would be bringing her back that very night. So I left to make the trek back to the ship.

After four hours of passport duty to clear the ship (the longest it has taken to clear our ship at any port, by far) I grabbed Sarah. I told her I found Andy’s, and we decided to set out and make our way back there while meandering through Kobe on the way. As we walked back down Flower Road, we stopped by the local park where an eternal flame was burning for those lost during the tragic earthquake in 1995; saw a large clock made entirely out of flowers that is run solely off of solar energy; visited a magnificent temple that, although in the heart of the city, was one of the most peaceful settings I had seen on this voyage. And finally, we found our way back to Kujira no Andy for what became an unforgettable night.

We entered Andy's and there was Yoshihiro and Hitomi, waiting for us. Aside from us, there were only two other people at the counter. They were children who spoke perfect English as well as Japanese. One was a 7 year old boy named Aska and his 12 year old sister Ali. We came to find out that their father is and Australian native and their mother is a Japanese local who teaches English. They live in the neighborhood that Andy's is located in and frequent the restaurant daily. They became a great asset that night with the help they provided with the occasional translating required in the conversations between Yoshihiro, Hitomi and us.

That night at Andy’s was amazing. We talked about Semester at Sea, Bill and Heather, America, Japan, and countless other things. We ordered food, which was cooked at the kitchen right behind the counter. Aside from the food ordered, Yoshihiro also prepared several “extra” dishes for us, including Firefly Squid (very small, fresh squid you eat whole), various vegetable and rice dishes, our main courses (Sarah ordered pasta, and I got some beef), ice cream for dessert and several drinks, including my first time drinking sake. We stayed for hours, and at one point, Aska and Ali's mother and grandfather showed up and joined us. Aska, the 7 year old boy, even made fried rice for us. You see, he’s learning to be a chef, and since he frequents the restaurant so much, Yoshihiro has taken him under his wing and giving him access to his kitchen, where Aska regularly cooks for his family, and now us, his first real customers (by the way, his fried rice was amazing!). It was a great time, and one of the coolest cultural moments we’ve experienced on this whole trip. It felt more like we were guests in someone’s house then customers at a restaurant. Yoshihiro and Hitomi were the nicest people, and have invited to show us around next time we are in Kobe for a longer stay. Also, when we finally left for the night, Aska, the little boy, followed us down the alley, asking for us to stay. Many, many thanks to Bill and Heather for the recommendation! If we hadn’t visited Andy’s, I feel like this whole voyage would have been incomplete.

The next day in Kobe, Sarah, Shirl, Jeanetta, Lisa, Laury and I found a great hibachi style restaurant and tried real Kobe beef. It was good, but not worth the outrageous prices they charge for it. We then navigated the local train system and went to Kyoto, about 45 minutes away to visit Nijo castle where the cherry blossoms are in full bloom. The blossoms were amazing, and the castle and its palace was cool. The palace, built in the 1600’s, had wooden floors called nightingale floors that squeaked as you walked on it so no assassin’s (a.k.a. NINJAS!!!) could sneak around and kill the emperor.

All together, Kobe was an amazing city, and provided some of our most memorable experiences. We will definitely visit Kobe again. I will be posting our Yokohama entry today as well.

Thanks for reading. Peace.

Shanghai Through Photos

Hey everyone, Nate here.

We loved Shanghai, China. The city was awesome, the sights were superb. We didn't do any planned trips or tours of Shanghai, we just walked around for two days and enjoyed what the city had to offer. So here is a series of photos to do the talking for us. Enjoy:

Thanks for reading everyone. Look for Kobe, Japan and Yokohama, Japan later today. Our internet is giving us a break recently and providing a window of opportunity to post entries.

Peace.

Photo Of The Moment + Update Information

Hey everyone, this is Nate. First of all, happy Easter. Today is the ship's first Easter this year...our second will be tomorrow. April 12 happens to be the day we cross the international date line. That means we have two April 12's, and it also means I get to run around the ship annoying everyone with my best Bill Murray impressions from Groundhog Day. It also means that on today's April 12, we are 18 hours ahead of California, and tomorrow's April 12 will leave us behind California by 5 hours or so. It's trippy, but we are now officially on our way from one side of the world to the other, with Hawaii just over a week away.

Today's photo of the moment is from Hakone, Japan and is a scenic, panoramic view of Mt. Fuji from a field atop a crater/mountain at the Hakone National Park:


We were on Mt. Fuji as well, in the snow. Look for photos later.

Finally, I have done some massive updates to our slideshow, on the right of the page. Hundreds of new photos have been added (comments on each photo to come soon) from Walvis Bay, Namibia all the way to Kobe, Japan. Just click on the slideshow photo to bring you to our album where each photo can be viewd in an embiggened manner.

Tune in soon for blog updates on Shanghai, Kobe, and Yokohama...including who we met, what we ate, and a few suprises as well.

Thanks for reading. Peace.

Once Upon A Time In Hong Kong

Hong Kong! Day One: The Search For Something Greater

Sarah here. Today we are back in the Pacific Ocean! Seeing “our” ocean makes us feel good, even if we are still so far away from home. Wow! After being in many developing nations we noticed the drastic differences in Hong Kong. The clean streets, city lights, luxury cars, designer malls that go for miles, Luis Vutton’s stores the size of a Walmart!

As many students and staff left the ship looking forward to California Pizza Kitchen, Starbucks, designer shopping and Hong Kong Disney… Nathan and I went in search of something more elusive! And we found it! Nate and I led eight students on an adventure to see one of the most beautiful sights Hong Kong has to offer. Yes my friends, we saw THE PINK DOLPHINS!!!! The ten of us boarded a small boat and kept our eyes peeled for the dolphins. Initially our guide said sometimes groups do not see any dolphins and that seeing one or two dolphins is a great treat. It was raining lightly and a bit chilly, but we stayed outside on the boat just searching the water. We were out maybe 15 minutes and saw several dolphins! It was amazing, it’s like they knew that I came all the way from the other side of the Pacific to see them! We saw several dolphins over the next 3 hours, it was indescribable! The dolphins are only found in the waters off of Lan Tau island, the largest island off the coast of Hong Kong and they are actually pink, I swear! There are a couple of theories as to why they are pink, but no one knows for sure.

We learned that there are millions of Styrofoam lunches eaten in Hong Kong every day, and just as many plastic bags… all of which were floating in the dolphin's habitat. We learned that the new airport in Hong Kong was built in the dolphin's feeding grounds, which took away over 9 kilometers of their environment. The pollution in the water and high toxicity rate has caused a high infant mortality rate for the dolphin babies, not to mention the fishing and boating dangers that all marine animals face. I find myself apathetic. So go soak up the fluorescent lighting and choke on your Styrofoam, because we are killing the pink dolphins people! My frustration and sadness about the pollution did not take away from my excitement though. We are so privileged to have seen them in the wild.

We spent the day with the dolphins and our evening in town for amazing Chinese food and a late night movie! Nate and I were so excited about being here and had a great day!

Hong Kong! Day Two: A Place With So Much To Offer

We began our day early and led a trip of 40 students to Lan Tau Island. We stopped at the largest multi-level suspension bridge in the world, with a beautiful view of the area. Then went to Cheung Sha Beach, one of the famous beaches on the island, which was recently damaged in a typhoon so the government contractors were bringing in tons of new sand in preparation for beach season. We visited the Tai O fishing village and local temple, which was busy but quiet and quaint. I found myself just wanting to sit down in a little boat in the village and watch the locals, but there was not enough time. The little temple was beautiful and we learned so much!

After the fishing village we headed up the mountain to visit the Po Lin Buddhist Monastery. We viewed the world's largest outdoor bronze sitting Buddha (26 meters high). Like the temples in Bangkok, this Buddha is so hard to describe because of its sheer size and beauty! The Buddha is huge and there are six statues of ladies paying respect to Buddha which are also beautiful! We then went into the museum which is located inside the Buddha. The museum had spectacular art, some of which was painted with blood (I am not sure who’s blood, but blood nonetheless). In the top of the museum there was a Buddha Relic, which is one of the crystals or stone like pieces that were left behind in Buddha’s ashes after he was cremated. We had a lovely vegetarian lunch at the monastery and walked around the grounds. Then we took the cable car back into town which was spectacular!

We came back into town and had another amazing dinner! Then watched the Hong Kong light show from the ship and ate ice cream. It was a packed two days, but so much fun. We loved our trip here and wish we had more time to explore!

Goodnight Saigon

Sarah here. Similar to India, I found Vietnam to be a place of great contradiction. On one hand Vietnam was a beautiful country with modern cities, parks, and lots of young people! On the other hand Vietnam is still a developing nation with a fierce strength and sadness. Vietnam has had to fight for survival and independence, and you can see that in the people. This beautiful place seems haunted with the wars of the past thousand years. In Thailand the happiness poured out of people, and they smiled with their entire face. In India people laughed and their eyes even smiled. This was not the case in Vietnam. People were cordial and welcoming, but the space was not filled with smiles and laughter.

Initially we left the ship and thought we might be in Paris! The French Colonial influence radiates in Ho Chi Minh city! We had lunch at a French café looking out at a park and Cathedral. After many days at sea or in busy cities, I am appreciative of the parks! We were so happy to see trees and grass! I smile as I write this, thinking how different the park would have looked had it been in India or South Africa! We visited the Reunification Palace on our first day, which is where the first communist tanks in Saigon crashed on the morning of April 30th, 1975 the day Saigon surrendered. The tanks are still there! The Palace had the most beautiful grounds and we enjoyed walking around there, even though it was over 100 degrees! That night we met friends for yummy Vietnamese food.

Our second day took us to the Mekong Delta. We visited the Cao Dai Temple (which has Buddhist, Confucius, Taoist, Hindi, Muslim, and Catholic representation); walked through a fish market; tasted banana wine, rice wine and fruit; toured a coconut candy making factory, had lunch on the island and took several boat rides! Nate tasted wine that was infused with the beating heart of a cobra. The Mekong Delta was a location for many battles during the American War, and before that battles with the French… and before that battles with China!


We took a small 4 person boat through the jungles, I wondered about all the things that had happened in those trees. Then I realized that I knew some of the things that had happened in that jungle and it was more than I could fathom. As we toured the river on our larger boat I stared up at the beautiful sky. Weeks of smog and overcast weather have made me see the blue sky with new eyes. I was in awe. As I looked up I thought about other Americans who had floated down this river and looked up at the sky, maybe they had been in awe as well? I don’t know why I thought these things, you just do in a place like Vietnam.


Our third day we explored Ho Chi Minh city, walked around, ate the most wonderful food and people watched. We went to the markets and met up with friends along the way. It is easy to see why so many Americans and Europeans have moved to Ho Chi Minh city.

Day 4 began with the War Remnants Museum. This Museum documents the atrocities of the war, mostly the atrocities that Americans committed. It was an overwhelming experience. We were staring at the most gruesome photos of the war and then in a split second we were pulled out of the museum because it was closing for lunch. We hurriedly walked outside and I instantly shut down, we were swarmed with men selling coconuts or tours and 100s of motorbikes were driving by me on the sidewalk and street. It was sensory overload while I was still processing all of the photos of “War Atrocities”…. “War Atrocities” which is a nice way of saying photos of mangled bodies and the like! I wanted to sit down in the street where I was, but I made myself cross the street away from all of the people selling things. Then I leaned again the wall and tried to breathe before I could even speak to Nate… We decided that we clearly were not ready to eat lunch after that experience. We opted to get out of the heat and went to see “Watchmen” an American movie. Little did I know that the movie had a few scenes about the Vietnam War/American War, but it did help to calm us down a bit. We went to dinner after that and then came back to the ship because I was on duty.

Our final day in Vietnam started early as we led a trip to the Hy Vong School for the Deaf. We interacted with the students who ranged from age 3-18. All of the students had some hearing loss, most were deaf and had various levels of communication. At one point I was coloring with a 5 year old boy when I realized that I was under fire! Suddenly a 10 year old boy, with crazy blue eyes (see the photo below) began throwing crayons at me, so I hid behind one of my students and gathered ammunition! It was quite fun and the kids were so sweet. After a few hours there we headed out! We brought 24 of the children to the zoo with us, each Semester at Sea student was assigned paired with a child for the afternoon. Nate will tell you more about this in his section! After the zoo we headed back out into the city for last minute errands- buying shampoo and snacks!


As I have stated many times in this blog… Vietnam was beautiful. Vietnam does seem to be a place of change, having moved towards modern communism with some freedom in the economy. It was educational and more than I could have ever imagined.

Thailand, It Was Our Pleasure

Hello, Sarah here! What to say about Thailand… WE LOVED IT! We truly enjoyed the Thai culture and would like to explore Thailand again in the future. If you have ever thought about visiting Thailand, do it! The people in Thailand were by far the nicest and the most accommodating people we have met so far. Maybe it is because so many of the people here are Buddhist, but for whatever reason the Thai people were so sweet. Thailand was beautiful, with tropical trees and Thai architecture. The Thai people are also very proud of the fact that Thailand was never conquered by imperialists and they have maintained fierce protection over their people. I asked one woman if people in Thailand were happy with their King and she said, “104% of Thai people love the King, we love the King because we know he loves us.” Well, that just sounded nice to me!

We spent our first day in Thailand. I worked until after lunchtime. So after lunch we explored Laem Chabang, an up and coming port city. We found a local mall without any tourists and just people-watched, then came back to the ship because I was on duty that night.

Our second and third days in Thailand we spent in Bangkok. Bangkok is the shortened name for the city, the full name is the longest city name in the history of language and it is several sentences long! Bangkok is known as the City of Angels, which of course made me think of home and I told our guide that Nathan and I met in the American City of Angels. Bangkok was a huge bustling city full of lights! The city is networked through a series of canals. So people row to work instead of drive to work, there are also floating markets and most houses are on stilts above the water.

While touring the canals by boat we observed so many fish, mango trees, a huge monitor lizard, temples and the most beautiful tropical plants! We visited the Temple of the Dawn or Wat Arun which has a 79-meter spire silhouette and is the symbol of Thailand. We also toured a museum of the Royal Barges, which are the Kings ornate boats…they were so beautiful! I loved being on the water and exploring the city by boat. We also watched a beautiful dance show and had a lovely Thai dinner! Bangkok at night was something that I will not forget, the lights were amazing.

After a good night’s sleep in our beautiful hotel, we then went to the temples Wat Rachabopit and the Wat Po. Wat Po holds the Reclining Buddha, a 46 meter long statue with mother-of pearl and gold embellishments. This Buddha was huge, it is so hard to describe! We then visited the Grand Palace, that holds a huge Buddha made out of a single piece of Jade in the 15th century. We traveled by boat to a Thai lunch and then visited the Prasart Museum.



After two days in Bangkok we were pretty tired! We slept in a bit and then took a cab to Pattaya, a city nearby famous for its beautiful beaches and sex workers. We arrived in a rain storm, which was much appreciated after the 100+ heat in Bangkok. We went in the pool, walked around the beach, and had a mango daquiri! Our hotel had lovely gardens full of frogs and lizards which was fun as well! Pattaya was an interesting place though…. When we arrived at a restaurant for dinner there were a few families and locals. When we left the restaurant though the only people around were old white men in their 50s-60s with very young Asian women who were clearly not their wives in their teens-20s. It was interesting to see that sex work is so out in the open, when a white man walks into the establishment several women come out and try to proposition him. I don’t judge the women because we have learned that for many of them it was a choice between prostitution or poverty. And many of the women did not have a choice at all, they are survivors of human trafficking and slavery from Burma. At massage parlors and salons women sit outside marketing themselves.

We came back to the ship torn, loving so much about this Tropical place and then questioning so much about what is happening here. Gangway duty in Thailand was hectic…dealing with lots of bag searches and intoxicated people while getting sun burnt. All in all though, we truly enjoyed our Thai experience and can’t wait to travel here again. Thanks for reading everyone!