Wednesday, February 18, 2009
Tuesday, February 17, 2009
Update On The Updates
Hey everyone, this is Nate. I know we've been a little behind on posts, but we are catching up. There are four brand new updates from Sarah just below this post regarding Morocco, the latest stretch at sea, Namibia, and heading into South Africa.
I will also post some new photos to our slide show soon (maybe after South Africa), as well as a video of the Namibian girl's choir, and I'm still working on my food blogs from the last three countries.
So check back often for new updates and as always, thanks for reading. We miss you guys!
Peace.
I will also post some new photos to our slide show soon (maybe after South Africa), as well as a video of the Namibian girl's choir, and I'm still working on my food blogs from the last three countries.
So check back often for new updates and as always, thanks for reading. We miss you guys!
Peace.
Update From Sea
Hello everyone, Sarah here!
Tomorrow we will be in South Africa, we just can’t wait! Gina and Devon (Nate’s Mother and Brother) will be meeting us in Capetown, we are so excited to see family! We had a long day today, since it was only one day at sea in between Namibia and South Africa. We spotted a few jellyfish! Just wanted to say hello and send our love from Africa!
We love and miss all of you!
Tomorrow we will be in South Africa, we just can’t wait! Gina and Devon (Nate’s Mother and Brother) will be meeting us in Capetown, we are so excited to see family! We had a long day today, since it was only one day at sea in between Namibia and South Africa. We spotted a few jellyfish! Just wanted to say hello and send our love from Africa!
We love and miss all of you!
Namibia's Highlights
Sarah here.
Namibia Day One: I worked until about 1pm, welcoming diplomats and a girls choi
r onto the ship. The girls choir sang while students exited the ship. They were from the Damara tribe and they have clicks in their language. They ranged from 7-17 years old. We held a brunch and the girls ate pancakes with chocolate syrup and whipped cream! The girls sang constantly and were wonderful. They loved my short hair and took a picture of me that Nate had in his wallet, so that is now somewhere in Africa. Many of the girls were AIDS orphans and the choir was a safe place for them (edit from Nate: I took a video of the choir putting on a personal show for the few of us lucky enough to have breakfast with them, and I will be posting that in due time. For now, the photo to the right is a small glimpse. They were amazing).
Nate, Andrea and I left the ship at 1:30pm and took a long, hot, sandy walk into town. We found a bar/pet shop in one called Pet Planet. It was awesome! There were fish, eels, gerbils, goats, cats, chickens, dogs, bird
s, etc. We had a lovely Valentine’s Dinner with a large group at Crazy Mama’s pizza and then headed back to the Pet Planet for dancing (edit from Nate: Sarah is seriously under-playing the awesomeness that is Pet Planet. It's a full bar and restaurant (nothing fancy, but food none-the-less) with a pet shop attached. When I say pet shop, it's no American "awww look at the cute puppies playing in newspaper behind glass" type pet shop. The puppies are in the bar with you, walking around. The goats are standing guard at the bathroom, waiting to eat your shorts! I could go on, but not now. Ask me when you see me for a full on gushing over my new favorite place that is Pet Planet, and honestly one of the top highlights on this trip so far (and that's saying something!) Pictured above, me anjoying a beer with some fish behind me).
Namibia Day Two: We took a 4x4 tour through the German town Swakopmund, pas
t the hotel that Angelina gave birth to Brads baby, then out to the Namib Desert. We drove through the desert Moonscape (a geological preserve), saw 2,000 year old plants (which are also the most ancient species of plant alive today...the dinosaur of plants), Nate ate oysters (in the middle of the desert) and we climbed sand dunes! Our car broke down in the desert and the group didn’t realize it for a bit! Nate found beetles and giant ants, so he was entertained during our desertion. We were brought a new 4x4 that had run over a dead seal and smelt worse than anything you could imagine! The desert was beautiful and we really enjoyed it. We had a great dinner and enjoyed ourselves long into the night!
Namibia Day Three: We ate a lovely lunch and walked around shopping and enjoying Walvis Bay. This was actually one of the only days on the voyage that we went to lunch just Nate and I, it was so nice! Sadly, we boarded the ship and said goodbye to Namibia. We loved it here!
Namibia Day One: I worked until about 1pm, welcoming diplomats and a girls choi
r onto the ship. The girls choir sang while students exited the ship. They were from the Damara tribe and they have clicks in their language. They ranged from 7-17 years old. We held a brunch and the girls ate pancakes with chocolate syrup and whipped cream! The girls sang constantly and were wonderful. They loved my short hair and took a picture of me that Nate had in his wallet, so that is now somewhere in Africa. Many of the girls were AIDS orphans and the choir was a safe place for them (edit from Nate: I took a video of the choir putting on a personal show for the few of us lucky enough to have breakfast with them, and I will be posting that in due time. For now, the photo to the right is a small glimpse. They were amazing).Nate, Andrea and I left the ship at 1:30pm and took a long, hot, sandy walk into town. We found a bar/pet shop in one called Pet Planet. It was awesome! There were fish, eels, gerbils, goats, cats, chickens, dogs, bird
s, etc. We had a lovely Valentine’s Dinner with a large group at Crazy Mama’s pizza and then headed back to the Pet Planet for dancing (edit from Nate: Sarah is seriously under-playing the awesomeness that is Pet Planet. It's a full bar and restaurant (nothing fancy, but food none-the-less) with a pet shop attached. When I say pet shop, it's no American "awww look at the cute puppies playing in newspaper behind glass" type pet shop. The puppies are in the bar with you, walking around. The goats are standing guard at the bathroom, waiting to eat your shorts! I could go on, but not now. Ask me when you see me for a full on gushing over my new favorite place that is Pet Planet, and honestly one of the top highlights on this trip so far (and that's saying something!) Pictured above, me anjoying a beer with some fish behind me).Namibia Day Two: We took a 4x4 tour through the German town Swakopmund, pas
t the hotel that Angelina gave birth to Brads baby, then out to the Namib Desert. We drove through the desert Moonscape (a geological preserve), saw 2,000 year old plants (which are also the most ancient species of plant alive today...the dinosaur of plants), Nate ate oysters (in the middle of the desert) and we climbed sand dunes! Our car broke down in the desert and the group didn’t realize it for a bit! Nate found beetles and giant ants, so he was entertained during our desertion. We were brought a new 4x4 that had run over a dead seal and smelt worse than anything you could imagine! The desert was beautiful and we really enjoyed it. We had a great dinner and enjoyed ourselves long into the night!Namibia Day Three: We ate a lovely lunch and walked around shopping and enjoying Walvis Bay. This was actually one of the only days on the voyage that we went to lunch just Nate and I, it was so nice! Sadly, we boarded the ship and said goodbye to Namibia. We loved it here!
Nate and I eating some of the best pizza ever at Crazy Mama'sLove, Sarah!
Morocco To Namibia
Sarah here.
We set sail for our next 8-9 days at sea and prepared to cross the Equator!
Here is what you missed:
- We crossed the Equator, held Neptune day and cut our hair
- I love my short hair! I realize that years of my life have been spent pruning and I want those years back!
- We welcomed an interport student and interport lecturers onto the ship
- I worked…. a lot! :)
- Our Captain celebrated his 4 year anniversary as Captain of this ship
- We celebrated Darwin’s birthday (and Cynthia’s since it is the same day!)
- We dressed up for a Captain’s dinner (photo below)
- We saw many flying fish!!!
- We soaked up the sun and now Nate’s head is peeling…
Love, Sarah.
We set sail for our next 8-9 days at sea and prepared to cross the Equator!
Here is what you missed:
- We crossed the Equator, held Neptune day and cut our hair
- I love my short hair! I realize that years of my life have been spent pruning and I want those years back!
- We welcomed an interport student and interport lecturers onto the ship
- I worked…. a lot! :)
- Our Captain celebrated his 4 year anniversary as Captain of this ship
- We celebrated Darwin’s birthday (and Cynthia’s since it is the same day!)
- We dressed up for a Captain’s dinner (photo below)
- We saw many flying fish!!!
- We soaked up the sun and now Nate’s head is peeling…
Love, Sarah.
Morocco's Modern Life!
Sarah here.
Morocco… what to say about Morocco? We had a delay on our arrival into Morocco due to a storm. The rough waters prevented us from bunkering (taking on fuel) in Gibraltar. So instead we floated off the coast for an extra day… I began to curse that giant rock (Gibraltar: photo below) because I wanted to be in Africa! Sailing into Morocco was an experience in and of itself as the waters were so rough, everyone fell out of there seats at dinner and dishes fell out of cabinets or off tables…basically it was a big broken mess!
Things I learned about Morocco:
1. Women cover themselves.
2. Women do not make eye contact with men
3. They love dates
4. They have 33 political parties
5. The government gives away free satellite dishes, so you will see a small clay/mud house with three dishes, providing cable television goodness!
6. Cows live in the house
7. Many keep a picture of the King and his son in the house
8. Cats are loved
9. They speak several languages- Arabic, French, Berber, etc.
10. Most women speak Berber but are not taught Arabic or French… newspapers and tv broadcasts are in Arabic or French, so many women do not have access to information.
11. 80% of women are illiterate, this makes me so sad since I love to read and had read 6 books on the voyage so far…..
Morocco Day One: We finally arrived and headed straight for our tour. I lead a group of 33 students on an overnight trip to Marrakesh. We drove through the beautiful countryside while farmers wa
ved at the bus. We learned quickly that Marrakesh was a bustling Arabic city! Marrakesh looked sort of like Indio, mainly the desert with palms that had been given by Saudi Arabia. We had a lovely lunch of eggplant (pictured to the left), lamb with dates, bread and yogurt (which I did not eat because dairy is not pasteurized here.) We then traveled through a garden, spice store, palaces, mosques, a library, square and the Souks (market). The Souks were barely large enough for two to three people to walk down, yet motor bikes zoomed through the crowd constantly! We walked through the Souks for over 4 hours and did not see the same place twice.
It was mentally and emotionally exhausting being bombarded with peddlers, children touching us, the poverty, trying not to be run over by the bikes, making sure our passports were not stolen (because people were crowding and touching us) and of course making sure that the 33 students I brought into the Souk came out of the Souk (photo below). Our counselor on the ship, Carol, keeps imagining parents waving from the dock and saying “you lost my Susie or Johnny!” And that is all I could think about!
The market and square was full of snake charmers, henna, monkeys on chains and in diapers, water sellers, food vendors, etc. The square was beautiful… there were cats EVERYWHERE! Not to stereotype, but Nate and I are Disney kids, and the market was very reminiscent of Aladdin (edit from Nate: I never wanted to be a street urchin more than at that moment, breaking out into random song and dance about petty shop-lifting crimes with a monkey wearing a fez at my side)! After checking in to our hotel we went to a dance/music show with dinner (bread, soup, meatballs, couscous, chicken and oranges!) Followed by a folklore reenactment of Arabian wars with horse running and men shooting and ladies making crazy sounds with their tongues… I was sad for the horses.
Day Two: I found a huge brown spider in my backpack, AHAHHHH!!!!! We traveled to Ourika Valley, which was beautiful and looked sort of like Colorado. We visited a Berber house and had mint tea. We also went to a pottery house. Then back to the Souks for lunch and shopping.
Day Three: I was feeling a bit under the weather - so Nate went out for a few precious hours in Casablanca. Shortly after Nate left I became violently ill, throwing up constantly (the high double digits here people) and was so dizzy! The nurse came and gave me a shot, then had to come a second time and give me additional meds because I still kept throwing up. Nate had fun in Casablanca though and did bring me a lovely silver tea pot! (edit from Nate: While in Casablanca, I went to the nearest market (souk) and got to know the locals on my own terms, and how to haggle like the father from 'A Christmas Story' (except he haggled for Christmas trees, and instead I bought monkey paws (not really) and came to realize everyone was named Abdul and were somehow related...it was awesome).
I finally stopped throwing up around 8:00pm- which was a blessing. Because a few minutes later we pulled out of the port and the ship was rolling. Everything flew off surfaces and the bed (which I was laying on) rolled across the room practically pinning Nathan who was falling back in a chair, it was scary. People fell (stitches, broken arms, a few crutches), televisions fell and our phone broke. But we made it back out into the Atlantic! It was fun, but very mentally and emotionally stimulating, and a unique experience for sure. Here is Nate and I in the Ourika Valley. That's snow on the mountain behind us.
Love, Sarah.
Morocco… what to say about Morocco? We had a delay on our arrival into Morocco due to a storm. The rough waters prevented us from bunkering (taking on fuel) in Gibraltar. So instead we floated off the coast for an extra day… I began to curse that giant rock (Gibraltar: photo below) because I wanted to be in Africa! Sailing into Morocco was an experience in and of itself as the waters were so rough, everyone fell out of there seats at dinner and dishes fell out of cabinets or off tables…basically it was a big broken mess!
Things I learned about Morocco:
1. Women cover themselves.
2. Women do not make eye contact with men
3. They love dates
4. They have 33 political parties
5. The government gives away free satellite dishes, so you will see a small clay/mud house with three dishes, providing cable television goodness!
6. Cows live in the house
7. Many keep a picture of the King and his son in the house
8. Cats are loved
9. They speak several languages- Arabic, French, Berber, etc.
10. Most women speak Berber but are not taught Arabic or French… newspapers and tv broadcasts are in Arabic or French, so many women do not have access to information.
11. 80% of women are illiterate, this makes me so sad since I love to read and had read 6 books on the voyage so far…..
Morocco Day One: We finally arrived and headed straight for our tour. I lead a group of 33 students on an overnight trip to Marrakesh. We drove through the beautiful countryside while farmers wa
ved at the bus. We learned quickly that Marrakesh was a bustling Arabic city! Marrakesh looked sort of like Indio, mainly the desert with palms that had been given by Saudi Arabia. We had a lovely lunch of eggplant (pictured to the left), lamb with dates, bread and yogurt (which I did not eat because dairy is not pasteurized here.) We then traveled through a garden, spice store, palaces, mosques, a library, square and the Souks (market). The Souks were barely large enough for two to three people to walk down, yet motor bikes zoomed through the crowd constantly! We walked through the Souks for over 4 hours and did not see the same place twice. It was mentally and emotionally exhausting being bombarded with peddlers, children touching us, the poverty, trying not to be run over by the bikes, making sure our passports were not stolen (because people were crowding and touching us) and of course making sure that the 33 students I brought into the Souk came out of the Souk (photo below). Our counselor on the ship, Carol, keeps imagining parents waving from the dock and saying “you lost my Susie or Johnny!” And that is all I could think about!
The market and square was full of snake charmers, henna, monkeys on chains and in diapers, water sellers, food vendors, etc. The square was beautiful… there were cats EVERYWHERE! Not to stereotype, but Nate and I are Disney kids, and the market was very reminiscent of Aladdin (edit from Nate: I never wanted to be a street urchin more than at that moment, breaking out into random song and dance about petty shop-lifting crimes with a monkey wearing a fez at my side)! After checking in to our hotel we went to a dance/music show with dinner (bread, soup, meatballs, couscous, chicken and oranges!) Followed by a folklore reenactment of Arabian wars with horse running and men shooting and ladies making crazy sounds with their tongues… I was sad for the horses.
Day Two: I found a huge brown spider in my backpack, AHAHHHH!!!!! We traveled to Ourika Valley, which was beautiful and looked sort of like Colorado. We visited a Berber house and had mint tea. We also went to a pottery house. Then back to the Souks for lunch and shopping.
Day Three: I was feeling a bit under the weather - so Nate went out for a few precious hours in Casablanca. Shortly after Nate left I became violently ill, throwing up constantly (the high double digits here people) and was so dizzy! The nurse came and gave me a shot, then had to come a second time and give me additional meds because I still kept throwing up. Nate had fun in Casablanca though and did bring me a lovely silver tea pot! (edit from Nate: While in Casablanca, I went to the nearest market (souk) and got to know the locals on my own terms, and how to haggle like the father from 'A Christmas Story' (except he haggled for Christmas trees, and instead I bought monkey paws (not really) and came to realize everyone was named Abdul and were somehow related...it was awesome).
I finally stopped throwing up around 8:00pm- which was a blessing. Because a few minutes later we pulled out of the port and the ship was rolling. Everything flew off surfaces and the bed (which I was laying on) rolled across the room practically pinning Nathan who was falling back in a chair, it was scary. People fell (stitches, broken arms, a few crutches), televisions fell and our phone broke. But we made it back out into the Atlantic! It was fun, but very mentally and emotionally stimulating, and a unique experience for sure. Here is Nate and I in the Ourika Valley. That's snow on the mountain behind us.
Love, Sarah.
Monday, February 9, 2009
Neptune Day!
We are about to cross the equator in a day or so and today was the celebration for that event, which is aptly named Neptune Day. Today is the day all the Polliwogs (people who have never crossed the equator on a ship) become Shellbacks. Sarah and I are now Shellbacks. I'll let the photos tell the story. Enjoy.
King Neptune (the green guy) is the ship's captain. And the last photo is us with Nicole and Ben (Ben is an LLC and Nicole is his fiance). Fun times were had by all!
King Neptune (the green guy) is the ship's captain. And the last photo is us with Nicole and Ben (Ben is an LLC and Nicole is his fiance). Fun times were had by all!Peace.
Friday, February 6, 2009
Photo Of The Moment
Hello everyone, this is Nate. We are currently passing between the coasts of Africa and one of the Canary Islands, called Tenerife (which is one of the islands we happened to visit on our honeymoon, which means I may have a photo just like this one somewhere on my computer back home on land) on our way to Namibia. I took this photo less then ten minutes ago (which means it's about 10:20 am for most of you reading this), so enjoy our view in real time. Notice the silhouette of the island with the rays of sun beaming down. Pretty dramatic, huh?
Also, please check back soon for our blog on our awesome trip to Morocco, as well as my first two installments of my Culinary Adventure blog. I apologize for being behind in posting, but part of that has been due to our busy schedule, as well as an unfortunate stomach bug Sarah acquired while in Morocco that she is still recovering from. But more on that soon.
We miss everyone and can't wait to see you all as we make our way around the globe.
Peace.
Also, please check back soon for our blog on our awesome trip to Morocco, as well as my first two installments of my Culinary Adventure blog. I apologize for being behind in posting, but part of that has been due to our busy schedule, as well as an unfortunate stomach bug Sarah acquired while in Morocco that she is still recovering from. But more on that soon.
We miss everyone and can't wait to see you all as we make our way around the globe.
Peace.
latitude: 29° 2.7N; longitude: 013° 14.7W; speed: 24.4 knots; course: 193°
Thursday, February 5, 2009
We Land In Spain!
Hello from Spain! This is Sarah! Nate and I have enjoyed this brief trip to Europe immensely. We love Espana and do not want to leave! We have spent the past few days eating, walking and eating! I have had helado (gelato) every day! Nate is in love with the little sandwiches called “Mondaditos.” They mix red wine and 7up soda, its so good! I have had a bad cold, but we kept going!Our first day here we took a city tour, went to a museo (museum), town hall and a cathedral. The museo was for the Cathedral, and I felt like I was the only one who appreciated it. Some of the artifacts were robes that priests wore in the 1700s, and chalices and tabernacles from the 1700s. Some people laughed at things or just were not sincere, and it pissed me off because they did not realize how important those items are. It upset me, but I tried to ignore it and appreciate the history that was before me.
Our second day in Spain we slept in! Which was perfect because lunch is so late in Spain! We went in search of tapas and we found some! We spent 1:00pm-9:00pm just walking around, eating and shopping with some Semester at Sea folks. We even bought some Spanish candy bars, yum!!!!
Our third day in Spain, Nathan and I walked along the coast. We walked on the wall that
kept the town safe from Napolean’s conquest. The view of the ocean was beautiful. It’s a unique greenish color in Spain. After a few hours to ourselves, we returned to the ship and met up with some more Semester at Sea folks and headed back out for some gelato and more mondaditos. The night life on a Friday in Cadiz is crazy. We also found a “Supermarcado” and stocked up on snacks.On our last day in Spain, we woke up bright and early for brunch in Cadiz. I wanted to get the “churros con chocolate” I had been hearing so much about. I did and they were great. Nate ate kidneys instead. A group of us just meandered for a few hours after that, buying last minute gelato and candy and looking for last minute souvenirs. We definitely didn’t want to leave Spain. Nate and I seem to love Spain more and more with each visit. It was sad getting back on the ship, but we are very excited for Morocco!
Love, Sarah
latitude: 36° 32.07N; longitude: 006° 17.43W; speed: 0.0 knots; course: 237°
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