Photo Of The Moment

Gooood morning Vietnam!!! Nate here. We arrived in Ho Chi Minh City this morning and this was the view from our porthole.

Don't worry, there is still a Thailand update coming (as soon as Sarah writes it), but I wanted to post this in the moment.

Thanks to everyone reading.

Note from Sarah: We just made it into Vietnam! I am excited to learn more about Vietnamese culture! We have been learning so much about the Vietnam/American War and it is very sad... this week I will make peace with the war and move past it with the people here. Semester at Sea has a long history and relationship with Vietnam. Semester at Sea was the largest group of Americans to ever come to Vietnam since the war. And our ship was the first non-military ship to sail up the river since the war.... I think my Grandpa would like that! We will post updates soon! Love, Sarah

Peace.

One Night In Bangkok

Nate here. This is a photo I took of our view of Bangkok, Thailand from our hotel room, situated on the 23rd floor of the Sofitel Silom Bangkok Hotel (one of the fanciest hotels I ever stayed in).

Here are a couple of unique photos from our night in Bangkok:

Peace.

Update From Sea

Hello, this is Sarah! Here is another update from Sea! Thank you to everyone who has been emailing us at sea, we love getting updates! My email is swibenorris@semesteratsea.net and Nate’s email is nnorris@semesteratsea.net if anyone wants to contact us it is the quickest way! Also, a very special thank you to Bill and Heather who have sent us travel tips, pages from their scrapbook and wonderful notes in EVERY port! We love Bill and Heather and super appreciate all of the letters!

We have loved being at sea. We definitely have our sea legs now! I have spent most of my time working or in port… but when I do have free time I enjoy popcorn on Deck 7 Aft (by the pool), goldfish and friends at the Faculty and Staff Lounge, meetings with students, making birthday signs, napping, watching old episodes of Grey’s Anatomy, reading, and of course hanging out with the other passengers. During this stretch at sea we have enjoyed calm waters, warm air, frequent lightning storms and the occasional dolphin.

Here are some other fun things we have done at Sea Recently!

We had a fun few days planning and orchestrating the Sea Olympics. My students were the Baltic Sea Ninjas. The Baltic Sea won medals for the Twister and Soduko competitions, and placed in a few others including Tug of War, Workout Relay, and Flip Cup. Nate and I ran the Olympic Relay Race near the pool, it was pure chaos!

We made it to the half way point of our voyage and had a Mohawk party to celebrate. I cannot believe we are half way through our fabulous journey! At this point we are savoring every moment and trying to enjoy every second! I am considering rocking the Mohawk on a regular basis- let me know what you think! Here is a photo of my really really awesome Hawk!

Incredible India!

Nate here.

Incredible India! This is the slogan India’s department of tourism has adopted in an attempt to attract more western visitors to a country that is overflowing with culture and teeming with the nicest, most humble, warmest people (about a billion worth) anyone would be blessed to meet in a given lifetime. Incredible India! is a very appropriate slogan, but the way I see it, these other countries should be begging India to let them visit, creating their own ads, competing for the privilege to experience the cornucopia of humanism that is the transcendental India.

I’m not going to describe exactly what we did in India, because some of it is more of the same tourist crap everyone else is doing, while the rest of our adventures concentrated on the most important facet of India, the amazing human aspect. India is impossible to experience from a bus, simply visiting points of interest, viewing the country through a camera lens. That’s because photos can’t delineate everything else that comes with India. Sure, some of the photos may be beautiful. A particular temple may be the most colorful structure you have ever seen, or the image of a street packed shoulder to shoulder with people all the way to the horizon may be awe inspiring. But what you see is just a fragment of the whole picture.

India is a place where each and every one of your senses is bombarded in a way no western citizen will ever experience within the boundaries of their own home state or country. And although at times you may wish certain senses weren’t working, later you realize how much you would have missed had those faculties been inoperative.

The very first sense that kicks into gear before you even set foot on the land of India is without a doubt smell. I once heard someone crudely describe the smell of India as if, “the whole country farted at the same time.” This is not even close to being true. The most prominent smell is actually diesel, or gas. The smog in India is the largest contributor to the aroma that hits your sinuses even a mile off coast. But that’s something we aren’t exactly strangers with in the states. The smell of the streets are the real prizes of India. Most of the smells are food, some that everyone would know, while the rest of the foods only a native Indian would call familiar. And don’t judge the taste of food from the smell. That’s why taste is also such a unique sense in India. A smell only gives a hodgepodge of everything in that dish, but tasting it activates each individual section of the tongue, bringing out the spicy, the tangy, and even the sweet in a way smell could never do. The other smells are people related, but again, it’s foolish for anyone, including western civilization, to assume they don’t have the same human smells. As the saying goes, everyone’s shit stinks.

Sight is the next most prominent sense when visiting India, and seeing is believing. Not only are the people, architecture, and landscapes of India some of the most unique in the world, but the colors are unbelievable! I think a lot of people picture India as being bland, but I saw colors while visiting Chennai I didn’t know existed. This country embraces colors in every way imaginable. A street full of houses looks like a rainbow, clothes and fabrics are rich in design and demand to be noticed, and even the cows walking around have painted horns, creating a movement of color everywhere you look. India is the contrary to bland. After being to India, everything else looks bland to me now and I realize we may have to spice up our everyday colors from now on.

Sound dominates India, with the constant chatter of a billion people, and the constant hum of what seems like double that in automobiles. But there is music, as well as the sound of clothes being washed in every pool of water you can find, people bathing in the same water, and again, cows, all combining to create the perfect sound track for India, a background noise that, if separated, may become repetitive, but together is harmonious.

Finally, there's touch. This is the sense that stays with you long after you’ve left India. You truly do carry a piece of India around with you no matter where you are if you still own the clothes or shoes you wore in that country, or bought a souvenir from there, or just didn’t shower after visiting India that day. It’s a hot place. There’s sweat involved, there’s dirt, there’s smog that coats the skin, and there’s moisture. It’s hard to feel completely…clean isn’t the word…rather washed of India. You take India with you on your clothes and skin when you leave, and it’s a great reminder of where you were and what you experienced.

Aside from the temples, we tried not to be tourists in India. We walked around Chennai, took tuk-tuks when needed, and interacted with the people. Our trip wouldn’t have been what it was had we not been fortunate enough to meet the people we did. Everyone we met was truly inspirational, from the poorest spectrum of India to the richest (really, the only two classes in India).

Another, more appropriate quote I heard about India before visiting was, “You don’t happen to India, India happens to you.” A truer statement has not been said on this voyage, and I am privileged to say I’ve been to India, and it’s the country I can’t wait to visit again and again, more than anywhere else I’ve been thus far.

Peace.

Photo Of The Moment

Nate here. We pulled into the port of Chennai, India around two hours ago at 8:00 am. I took this photo from the seventh deck of the MV Explorer moments ago. The imagery of an Indian band taking comfort in the shadow of our floating home, while providing the perfect soundtrack for this particular visit relaxed me. I am ready for India, my most anticipated stop on this voyage, and to welcome one of the most profound and poignant cultural experiences I will ever have during my life. Thank you for reading.

Peace.

Magically Mauritius

This is Nate.

Since the last update was my novella on South African tourism, I will keep this post short and sweet, mainly because our brief trip to the epitome paradise, also known as Mauritius (home to the now extinct Dodo bird), wasn't very eventful, but was very relaxing.

After leaving the ship, taking a water taxi to the Waterfront, and eating a great meal at an English pub called KEG, we found a very nice cab driver who brought us to the longest beach on Mauritius (also one of the longest in the world) called Fric an Frac. We got some beers from a local Japanese restaurant and played in the warmest ocean water I've ever had the pleasure of soaking in.

It was a nice day trip to break up long journey from South Africa to India.


Tomorrow we land in Chennai, India, and it should be an exciting next few days.

Peace.

Jackass

Devon's impersonation of the South African Jackass Penguin

Cape Town: The Extended Version

Hello all you beautiful people! Nate here and I’m so happy to be writing to you.

I know this blog has been update free for a while, but our internet bandwidth has been next to nothing for the last week or so. Who knew how hard it was to keep 1,000 people hooked up to one wireless connection being fed from some random satellite while floating in the middle of various seas? The connection is better now, however, so I will get as much done within this window of opportunity.

Around six days ago, we left Cape Town, South Africa after spending five awesome days gallivanting around looking for adventure. As many of you know, my mom and my brother flew from California (all 27 hours on a plane worth) to join us for the five days we were in port in Cape Town.

It was so nice for Sarah and I to see two such familiar faces and forget the ship life for a while, and although there were ups and downs involved with our visit to South Africa, I’m confident everyone walked away happier then before.

Our adventure started the morning of Wednesday, February 18^th when we pulled our ship into the V&A Waterfront in Cape Town, South Africa. The view of the cape and its surrounding mountains, including the world famous Table Mountain, was supposed to be gorgeous, if not for all the fog that morning. All we were able to see was Signal Hill (which compared to Table Mountain is a small pile of dirt) and some seals resting on the port. Sarah was the first person off the ship due to her ambassador position so she could greet the diplomats. After our morning meeting with the students, we were free from the ship’s restraints and very anxious to see my mom and brother. We knew what time they were landing at the airport and the name of their hotel, but had no idea where the hotel was located and when and where they would be. After checking out the very rich and fancy waterfront, Sarah and I decided to set off on foot in search of the St. George’s Hotel. Yeah, it’s a new country to us, a huge city, and an all together foreign place, but how hard could it be to find a hotel by wandering aimlessly through dark alleys and dodgy neighborhoods? It turns out not very hard at all, but it wasn’t a cake walk either. After about an hour of weaving our way through traffic and round-abouts, and crossing (read: running for our dear lives) major South African freeways, we found the St. George’s Mall…home to the St. George’s Hotel. We arrived a good two to three hours after we knew mom and Devon had landed, asked the front desk if they were indeed registered at this hotel (which they were), but found out they had not checked in yet. This worried us. It was then we envisioned mom and Devon at the harbor, near our floating home, wandering the docks in search of us, lost in South Africa. But then we thought forget it, let’s get lunch and come back around check-in time.

That was the right idea. After a pretty crappy pizza lunch (but a very nice place) we headed back to the hotel and saw a long haired, lanky kid on the corner looking a bit lost. It was Devon. Mom pulled up minutes later in her rent-a-car, and we all rejoiced. They told us the tale of their crazy morning, driving on the left side of the roads looking for their very out of the place hotel. It didn’t help that they were beyond exhausted after 27 hours on a plane and enduring a 10 hour time change. We didn’t want to keep them up too long, so we all walked to our ship for a quick tour, then they took a cab back and passed out at their hotel. Sarah and I walked around the mall that night, and slept on the ship. It was a good first day.

The next day, we met mom and Devon at their hotel a little after 10:00 am. They were rested and much more excited about being in Africa. We had planned to go to the top of Table Mountain for the day, but I had been setting up a safari through e-mail with an agent and had to complete the deal the same day. This agent worked for Jenman African Adventures and had an office in a “suburb” of Cape Town. It didn’t look too far away on the map, and was relatively close to Table Mountain, so I figured we could do the deal first, then head to the mountain. We decided I would drive. The rent-a-car, aside from being made for the left side of the road, was also a manual transmission (and you had to shift with your left hand). Devon can’t drive manual, and mom and Sarah didn’t want the stress of driving on the left and shifting with the left. I was all over it. We started out, with Devon navigating, and soon realized these “suburbs” are crazy mini-cities crammed together and stretched for miles across Cape Town. It was easy to get lost, and when we finally found the right address on the right street, we were told we were in the wrong suburb. We then found the correct suburb, and decided to park the car and walk. This stressed Sarah out, considerably. Although they are called suburbs, each house is protected with steel plated walls, barbed-wire and electric fences. Also, tourists don’t go to these suburbs, because there’s nothing there for them but locals. So we stuck out like a…well, like a bunch of Americans in Africa. It was awesome. We found the office, paid up, than received directions to Table Mountain.

To cut this shorter, we ended up driving the long way around to Table Mountain due to a few wrong turns, but it wasn’t bad, and the actual mountain was awesome. Although we didn’t see any dassies (more on those later), the view was one of the coolest I’ve ever seen from a higher vantage point, and the hiking was nice. The cable car freaked Sarah out a bit, but in the end it was a great time. After the mountain, we drove to a local beach we saw from the mountain called Camp’s Bay. We didn’t stay long, but vowed to make the next day a beach day.

So a beach day it was. On Friday, we drove to Boulder’s Bay first, which was about an hour from Cape Town. This is where the famed African penguins live. They are called Jackass penguins, because they sound like donkeys. The beach they lived at was very nice, and the water was the warmest in South Africa. Mom and Sarah chilled on the sand while Devon and I explored the boulders. We swam with the penguins, got bit by the penguins, and fed the penguins. It was amazing. Also, while at Boulder’s Bay, we finally saw some dassies. Dassies are local animals that are supposed to be very abundant on Table Mountain, but instead we found them mingling with the penguins. They are medium sized, gopher like mammals, and their closest relative is the African elephant. Devon and I called them elephant gerbils. After Boulder’s Bay, we went back to Camp’s Bay and killed the last half of the day on the beach (with freezing water) playing frisbee and interacting with the locals. We also found an amazing bead artist and picked up some souvenirs. The next day was our safari, which meant we needed to be up and ready by 6:00 am, so that night we went to St. George’s Hotel and spent the night.

We finally woke up at 5:00 am on Saturday the 21^st after a restless night (a club down the street filled our dreams with the loudest techno music I’ve ever heard until about 4:00 am). Safari time! We booked our safari with a reserve called Aquila, which is located only about 2 hours outside of Cape Town. Aquila’s focus is on conservation and most of its wildlife have been rescued from hunting reserves, where they are then rehabilitated and eventually released into the wild. We were picked up at the hotel in a van with several other safari goers. Once we arrived, we were treated to free drinks and breakfast, than we set out on a 3 hour safari. It was amazing. I’ll let the photos do most of the talking, but one thing did happen that I’ll explain. Near the beginning of the tour, we came across some elephants, both male. It was also at this time our caged-for-our-protection-safari-going-vehicle broke down. The battery died, and one of the elephants became very interested in us. The elephant started resting his head on the hood of the vehicle and slinking his trunk all along the front. The driver and our tour guide became visibly anxious, telling the elephant to go away. After several minutes, he did, but it was a cool close-up experience. Here are some photos of the safari:

Afterwards, we had a chance to hang out at the pool at the lodge in the reserve. There was lunch, a bar, and shade. Devon took a nap. Then we went back to the harbor, had dinner, and said goodnight. The next day was our last and we had tickets for Robben Island.

On Sunday, or last day in Africa, after eating a restaurant breakfast in 15 minutes, getting to the Nelson Mandella Gateway a half hour early, and in line for our ferry to Robben Island, we were informed that all the tours had been cancelled due to rough sea water and high winds. It was a bummer we didn’t get to the island, but we did walk around the mini-museum at the gateway, and with time granted to us, it meant we got to shop at the mall. C’est la vie. Devon got a haircut, mom got souvenirs, and we said our goodbyes.

It was sad to see our family go. Sarah especially had a strong bout of homesickness afterwards. But it was so nice seeing them and spend time with them in such a new and exotic place. Thank you mom and Devon for joining us, and we miss everyone that much more! We can’t wait to see everyone.

Next, we’re off to the small island nation of Mauritius. Look for more updates.

Peace.