Around the world...

360º

2007-05-20T22:37:00.000-05:00

I've traveled completely around the world, completing a journey of a lifetime that i never would have dreamed possible without semester at sea. one chapter of my life has closed and another is about to begin. in which direction it will go, only time will tell. work, grad school, who knows. i just cant wait till i can reunite with everyone and travel around the world again. till then, i'll dream of what life will bring me here in good ol' pittsburgh.

almost complete

2007-05-14T16:45:00.000-05:00

its 3pm and i'm resting in the hotel. the ship arrived this morning in San Diego around 6:30am and we docked by 7:30am. i dont have the words to explain how good it feels to be back in the united states. the ship was finally cleared around 10:15am. thats when the 1st 4 people were allowed to get off the ship. Then the Aegean Sea got off at 10:20am. It was almost 11am before the 2nd group was cleared to get off but after that things went pretty smoothly. i was the in the 5th group to get off which was around noon. rumor had it that customs took at least a half hour to go through. now let me tell you about customs: we walked down the ramp and handed customs our customs card. that was it. nothing else. no checking of passports ~ not even for those who weren't US residents. just walked down the ramp and handed what i even believe were just cops our customs card. meanwhile we thought we had to find our luggage and go through customs like you do at the airport. none of that necessary. we werent suppose to bring off food. so of course i got rid of the food that i had left in the cabin. i could have easily packed it and brought it with. stupid american customs. well its time for a nap. i havent slept in days. i will update this again soon as i am staying here for a few nights and the internet is free.

traveling around the world at 20mph

2007-04-28T07:32:00.000-05:00

well tomorrow is my last day in japan. i plan on going to the zoo and maybe a maritime museum (for a class). i`m so glad that Japan was our last stop because traveling has gotten to be very exhausting but I am very glad that we stopped in Japan. In the 4 days that I`ve spent here I`ve been around Kobe, gone to a baseball game in Osaka, spent the day in Kyoto, went to Hiroshima to visit the Peace Memorial Museum and ended up at a baseball game. Baseball in Japan is like no other baseball game I`ve ever been. It is simply amazing. What else have I done ~ learned how to use the bus system, the subway system, and the JR system; I`ve mastered using a Japanese keyboard for the computer; and I`ve learned that even the people who claim they dont know english, still know enough to help you out and get you where you need to be. These people are so wonderful and the kids are all so respectful. I really think that people everywhere in the world should take a lesson or two from them.
Traveling around the world at 20mph has been the perfect speed. Back in December and January, I thought the day I left Pittsburgh for the Bahamas would never arrive, but finally it did. I`ve made some of the greatest friends I`ve ever had and have enjoyed just about every moment. The time that passed along on this trip has gone at just the right speed. Now I was feeling exhausted from all my traveling from country to country to country and it did feel like things were moving to fast but now that I look back on it, it was all the right speed. As of tomorrow there are only 2 weeks left. It`s going to be an interesting 2 weeks with classes and finals, a day in Hawaii, the Ambassador`s Ball, convocation, and packing, but I`m looking forward to every moment of it and I know that time will past not too slowly and not too quickly but just right, at 20mph while sailing around the world.
Okay, now its nice to walk back to the subway system on the non-scary streets of Kobe to get the subway back to the Portliner which will lead us back to the ship which I havent seen since 6am this morning. Good Night everyone.

Japan

2007-04-25T21:38:00.000-05:00

I`m currently in Japan trying to master using a Japanese keyboard. its quite complicated I must say because none ofthe keys are inthe same places and if you hit the wront button then suddenly i:m typing Japanese. so excuse any errors i might have.
Well coming into Japan after my not so wonderful adventures in China, I didnt really have any expectations or desire to really travel anymore. But now that I:m off the ship and wondering around, I truely am enjoying myself. Japan is like no other country I:ve been to so far. Everyone is helpful and no one is trying to sell stuff to me because I speak English. It is a wonderful feeling. I`ve never felt so welcome anywhere before, not even back home. I love it here. More people speak english that we were lead on to believe which is nice and all the signs are in english. Tonight I:m going to try to go to a baseball game because I:ve heard they are something not to miss.
Alright well more to come later. I`ve got to go enjoy my last few days of travel before I return home in 2.5 weeks.

Qingdao

2007-04-21T22:11:00.000-05:00

just a quick one...
i'm currently at the apple store using the internet on their display computers because its the only place where we found someone who spoke english and she said we could use their internet. craziness.

Beijing

2007-04-19T07:55:00.000-05:00

"He who has not climbed the Great Wall is not a true man." ~ Mao Zedong

Well I climbed the Great Wall today, does that mean I'm now a true man. It was incredible in so many ways. Incredibly windy. Incredibly steep. Incredibly beautiful. Incredbily breaktaking. I must give credit to all those people who built that wall because it truely is magnificent. I think going in April is the perfect time to go ~ its not too hot and its not overly crowded. We could see a part of the wall where it was overly crowded but that where the cable car and tramride took everyone who didnt want to hike it. We decided to 'ascend by foot' as the sign send and I'd have to say that was a much better idea.

We also checked out Tienanmen Square which was exactly that a square. The Mausoleum and 2 museums surrounding it were all closed for renovations and the Great Hall of People had already closed for the day when we got there. Tomorrow we are going to check out the Forbidden City and Temple of Heaven and perhaps the Chinese Natural History Museum. And then take an overnight train to Qingdao where we will meet the ship.

I definitely like this place, although the language barrier is a bit of a constraint. The few who know english are constantly trying to sell you something. There have been a couple that have been helpful but not too many. I'll update more later.

Hong Kong

2007-04-17T05:45:00.000-05:00

Right now I'm sitting at an internet cafe in Hong Kong. I spent the day in Disneyland Hong Kong which was an opportunity I could not pass up. I added some new blogs that I added in where they should be so you may want to go through everything again. It's the India blogs that I added. Okay well I'm trying to figure out my plans for Beijing tomorrow!

children

2007-04-17T05:23:00.001-05:00

Children smile and laugh the same in every country I’ve traveled to. In India I experience so many children who were far from camera shy. They loved to have their picture taken and be able to take the pictures. In the one school that I went to many of the children were asking me my name and then telling me their names. Then there was one more group of boys who decided to tell me their names: Superman, Spiderman, Batman, and every other superhero character that was popular in the US. I even experience the classical excuse of children who don’t want to go to school ~ I don’t feel good. The little boy of a worker at the farm house I stayed at told his dad he didn’t feel good so he needed to stay home from school. Now of course he was feeling perfectly fine and just wanted to stay at the farm to see all the excitement of new people visiting the house.

Position Report for April 14

2007-04-14T05:24:00.000-05:00

April 14, 2007
Today's noon time report was in Vietnamese so the Voice interpreted it:
We are somewhere above the equator
We are somewhere east of the prime meridian
Distance traveled: Length of the Saigon River
Distance to go: essentially the entire distance
Average speed: approximately 5 knots faster than the boats we are passing.

Traveling around the world.

2007-04-13T07:41:00.000-05:00

Traveling is crazy now a days. We go from one country to the next with only a few days between each country. Its very overwhelming without having time to reflect during that time period and not being able to take in everything. We are in Vietnam right now, but leaving at 6am and then we will be in Hong Kong on April 17th.
Vietnam has been crazy but I mastered crossing the streets w/o getting hit. Unfortunately there were a few students who did not and were hit. But luckily they are okay. Lots of shopping and buying movies for a $1. The Simpsons Seasons 1-17 for only $20. Unbelievable.
Well when I got to Hong Kong I'm traveling w/ 2 other girls independently to Beijing and the Great Wall. Then we will be heading to Qingdao to get back on the ship. It shall be an adventure. Hopefully there will be more of this when I get to China.

Malaysia

2007-04-13T07:35:00.000-05:00

okay so i know i'm horrible at posting on here. i just never know what to write.
Malaysia was a really awesome country except that the tourguides were full of lies trying to make their country seem better than it really is. Within the first 20 minutes of being off the ship I saw a rather large man get mugged by 2 kids on motorcycle, so I didnt' exactly feel safe w/in the city of Georgetown. It was also unbelievably hot. I was glad that I was heading to the Cameron Highlands. It was much much cooler. In the 70's instead of the 90's which was quite a relief. I ate lots of fresh fruit and rode around in land rovers all day. I really dont have much else to say right now. Maybe when I get the chance I will sit down and write more. It's just too overwhelming.

another on India

2007-03-29T05:21:00.000-05:00

hello, its 9:15pm here and i'm sitting in bed. i got back on the ship around 5 because i just didnt feel like dealing with the indian rickshaw drivers anymore. they are everywhere and want to take you anywhere, even 100 feet away. today i went to the post office to buy stamps and then i went to the internet cafe where i went on for 2.5 hours and it only cost me 50rupees ~ slightly more than a $1. both of these places were within walking distance so i didnt have to deal w/ the crazy rickshaw drivers as much.

this has nothing to do w/ today's events but anna was flipping through the tv station because when we are in port we get a few of the local stations. apparently abc is the popular station in india and for some reason the superbowl from last year that the steeler's played and won was being aired. i'm not sure what's up with that. another thing, prime time india announched that semester at sea would be arriving in india, so everyone in chennai was expecting us and new who we were.

my homestay was great. we arrived at the train station around 10pm and were split into 2 groups ~ a group of 14 and a group of 18 ~ i was in the smaller group in a much smaller train car than then other group had, which was nice because it was more private. ours only had 20 beds, so there were only 6 indians on our train car compared to the other group that was surrounded. we didnt sleep too much on the train just because once we finally got on we suddenly werent tired. the train arrived in erode around 7am and the 2 groups were rejoined and split into 2 more groups. this time i went with the bigger group. we were taken to our host family which was pretty wealthy. the daughter inlaw ~ Purdi ~ said that the house itself was roughly 3/4 acres big, though it used to be 1 acre. after having the best tea i've ever drank, we went on a tour of the farm and then to the local elementary school. we also went on a tour of where sugar is produced from the sugar cane and where they make rope out of coconut shells. after that we went back to the house for lunch and a rest. then we went to a village market but i didnt buy anything because it was all of very poor quality. then we had dinner around 8 and sat around talking for a few hours. me and lindsay lucked out an go a bed that we shared while everyone else slept on mats on the floors.

we woke up at 6:30 and had tea again. we left around 8 to go to a school in Erode where we had breakfast. After breakfast we went to 2 temples, a weaver where i bought a few things for about $10. then we went to a school for the handicap where most of the children suffered from polio though a few others had other deformities. the polio vaccine only arrived in india 6 years ago. lunch was at 2:30 back at the school where we had breakfast. then some of the girls danced a traditional indian dance for us. then we went to a medicine factory which was kinda long and boring and then we 'meditated'. dinner was at 8 back at the school and then we back to the train station to head back to chennai. i slept pretty good on the way back though we were woken at 5am to get off the train.

everday in india has been a long one, so i have a feeling i will be sleeping in tomorrow because we have the day off from classes.

India

2007-03-29T04:22:00.000-05:00

horns honking
children laughing
people begging
dirt
everywhere
no skin showing
high temperatures
sleeper trains
picture taking
supermanny
1 acre houses
polio
dancing singing
colorful dresses
bargain
near head-on collisons
never happen
bikes, rickshaws, buses
cows
sugar cane and coconuts
vegetarian
squatter toilets
what's toilet paper?
hot tea
glass pop bottles
rupees
henna
hinduism

India - sorry things are a little out of order

2007-03-25T05:17:00.000-05:00

Right now its 11pm here, 1:30 in Pittsburgh. My first day in India was quite an experience. We were warned that we when we got off the ship we would be bomb-barded by rickshaw drivers. Our interport lecturer also told us that it should cost no more than 60-70 rupees, for up to 4 people, to go to the center of the city from the ship. Approximately 41.5 rupees equals $1. Well the 4 of us, Mary Jo, Shay, Amanda, and I go out to the rickshaws and they try to tell that it’ll be 200 rupees per person. So we use our recently learned knowledge and started to bargain w/ them to get the price lowered. Finally, we agreed on 200 rupees total for our drive into the city, for the rickshaw driver to wait for us, and then bring us back. These rickshaws are the bike kind ~ a bike w/ a wagon, I guess you could say, attached to the back. Well we go maybe a quarter of a mile when they tell us we are switching rickshaws. We thought, oh okay, we’re switching because these ones are faster. These are like tiny cars but only have 3 wheels. This is where the fun begins
Our goal was to go to Fabindia and buy clothes. First unexpected stop was St. Thomas Catholic Church. This was okay w/ us. It was a really beautiful church and we watched a few minutes of the service. Then we went to unexpected stop 2, a temple. This was also okay w/ us. We walked around barefoot for a little bit because shoes are not allowed. The next 2 stops were also not where we wanted to go and we especially did not want to be there because they were very expensive shops. Finally we get to Fabindia after our drivers got directions from someone. After that they decided to take us to a few more unwanted shops. Then when we told them we wanted to go back to the ship, they had no idea where it was. Luckily we remembered passing a beach and memorial, so we told them to take us there. This beach was huge. It took us probably close to five minutes to walk from the edge of the beach by the room to the water’s edge. We later learned that there used to be building along the road there on the beach but the tsunami that hit a few years ago wiped everything out.
Finally we get headed back towards the ship, when the rickshaw drivers suddenly pull over on a non-busy street. They demanded we pay them then. We told them no because we weren’t at our final stop. Then they went on to tell us that it was 5000 rupees per person. We just laughed at them. They lowered it to 2000 each and we still laughed and said that wasn’t what we decided in the beginning. Soon 2 military officials start to approach us and they drivers hurried up and agreed to 500 rupees a piece and told us to they would take us back. It was on the ride back to where we originally switched rickshaws that we realized that the military officials would have sided w/ us and not allowed them to charge us so much. When they did drop us off where we had originally switched, we decided to walk the ¼ of a mile back. We were very frustrated. When we got back in line, we heard similar stories although none seemed as frustrating as ours.
At this point it’s almost 5:30, so when we got on the ship we went to dinner. We were going to be going to the Welcome Reception at the local university so we needed to get ready. At Fabindia I bought 2 Indian shirts, black pants to wear underneath, and a skirt. All for around US$30. Of course I wore one of my new outfits to the Welcome Recption. At the Welcome Reception, we were given a sugar cube to eat and then had the red dot placed on our foreheads. From there we were able to get henna tattoos, free soft drinks and authentic Indian food. They also were selling clothes and jewelry, so I bought 2 more skirts for about 230 rupees. The food was interesting. Well it was good, just not something I could eat on a regular basis.
So this was my first day in India. Hopefully the rest go much smoother. Oh yeah, I also saw a cobra that a man was keeping in a basket on a sidewalk in the middle of the city.

im here

2007-03-16T02:20:00.000-05:00

okay, so i'm in mauritius now where we were told there was free wifi on the whole island. now that was a lie because no one can locate it. so now i'm wasting my time in an internet cafe, but i needed to catch up on a lot because i have no more internet minutes on the ship and i really dont want to pay another $100 for 250 minutes.

i finally feel like i'm out of the country. its wonderful. i will have to update more on this later. for now i'm going to go wander some more around the city.

hopefully i'll be able to post more pics at the next port. but dont get your hopes up.

on my way to the unknown

2007-03-16T02:17:00.000-05:00

Only one more day until we reach Mauritius. I have never been so excited to see land before. The Up until we left Cape Town the ship had only experience slight rocking. Now we are definitely experiencing rocking and rolling. Now I still haven’t gotten sea sick, but its getting to be really annoying sitting in the Union for Global Studies in the morning and feel the ship shake. When that occurs, you can hear everyone whisper “we’ve hit another whale”. I feel like I’m on a rollercoaster that just won’t stop. Now, don’t get me wrong here, I love roller coasters, but occasionally, I just need a break from that motion.

I think Sunday was the only day that wasn’t so bad and I think this is because how close we were to land. The day before, rumor has it, that we couldn’t be close to land because that area had Piracy problems, but then on Sunday it was okay to move closer. It was so strange to have cell phone service while the ship was moving. I obviously took advantage of this, but by only sending my sister random messages and an occasional one to my mom.

Today we passed Madagascar, but we never came close enough to see it. It was just on the other side of the horizon, or at least I would like to think that. This trip still seems very unreal to me. I still can’t imagine that I’m actually sailing around the world. Here I am in the Indian Ocean, almost half way around the world but it just doesn’t feel like it. Maybe, hopefully, it all seem more real when we reach India. I haven’t really experienced any type of culture shock yet. South Africa was very westernized, and Boipeba Island in Brazil gave me the feeling that I was just on vacation ~ being at the beach and having gourmet meals served to me for every meal just doesn’t let me feel like I’m in a third world country.

South Africa

2007-03-16T02:14:00.000-05:00

I’ve definitely learned something during my stay in South Africa ~ I am not in shape, at all.

South Africa has been an amazing place, somewhere that I definitely have to come back to. This country is definitely full of diversity, everywhere you look. There are so many things to do here, that I don’t think a person could get bored living here. I only had the chance to be here a week, but every minute of it has been jammed packed with someplace to go or something to do.

The first day, Friday, I went to lunch at a place called Dodge where I discovered the wonderful world of Italian Gelato. After that we took a taxi to Table Mountain which we took the gondola up to because we didn’t have time to hike it. Although this gives me one excuse to come back here, I must hike Table Mountain. The view was spectacular. If you stood in just the right place, you could see both the Indian Ocean and the Atlantic Ocean. Cars looked like ants and the ship looked like just a toy. That night 11 of us, including Matt’s parents, went to a Mexican Restaurant (I know we are in South Africa) but the food was amazing.

It rained all day, for the most part on Saturday. That was okay though, because I spent the majority of the day in a bus. I went to the Cape of Good Hope and Cape Point with SAS. We walked to the lighthouse in the rain, but somehow I managed to stay dry. I also went to Boulder Beach where I saw African penguins and from there we went to lunch at a seafood restaurant where I ate ostrich. That evening I went out to dinner with some girls and a guy from the ship. We went to a sushi restaurant, where sushi and cocktails were half off. I don’t eat sushi, but I had chicken tempura, two sides, and a raspberry daiquiri for under $10.

On Sunday we were suppose to have rain, but we lucked out because it only rained about 10 minutes for us. I was quite lucky because I was cycling through the winelands today. Well the first cycling part was not through the winelands but more through a valley of a mountain. The first half was all uphill, so therefore the second half was downhill. Then when we got back to the bus, we had the option of riding in the bus for 5km, or biking. We decided to bike because this part was actually going to be going through the winelands and it was on the road, which made it a LOT easier. That afternoon, our guide drove us through some beautiful old Dutch towns. At the 2 wineries we stopped at, I had the opportunity to try 9 different wines, though I only tried the first 2 because I really don’t like wine. That evening, I went to the Codfather in Camps Bay for dinner with some of the same girls I went with the night before. This place didn’t have menus but rather you ordered directly from the kitchen what type of fish you wanted and then the size portion.

Monday, I just wondered around the V&A Waterfront for a little bit, and then I headed to the Green Market and Long Street for the afternoon. The Green Market was huge, but after awhile some of the stuff just all seemed to be the same. The walk back from Long Street to the ship was fun. We originally took a taxi there, but decided to walk back. We stopped at a book store and then a music store, and then Greg decided we had to stop at a wig store. That was an unexpected stop and buy for him. I didn’t really do much else that day, mainly just walked around the waterfront some more.

Tuesday. This is the day that I was really looking forward to. Back before I had even left, I signed up to go sandboarding independently with some people. Things were a bit unorganized at first, which really got to me since I like to have an idea of what’s suppose to be happening. But the girl who supposedly organized the trip didn’t know what was going on herself. Chaos. But anyways, when everything was finally together we headed out to the sand dunes with our guide. Now I’m horrible with names, so I cant remember what his was, except that he and the other guy with us were originally from England and both moved to South Africa during the last 5-10 years. Now sandboarding is basically just like snowboarding except for the obvious ~ its hot out so less clothing is needed and sand is softer than snow so it doesn’t hurt to fall. We were given snowboard boots and the sandboards and were off. They took us to the sand dune we would be spending our day at and we dropped off our backpacks and started the climb up the dune. The view from here was incredible. We were able to see Table Mountain easily, which is a fantastic view on within itself. We were given one on one lessons on how to sandboard which again is just like snowboarding. Fortunately for me, I was able to catch on quite quickly. I can’t now to be able to actually try snowboarding. The only bad thing about the sandboarding was having to walk up the dune each time and the wind blowing sand onto every part of your body possible. After the day was over and we headed back to the ship, there was sand everywhere. I still had sand on me after taking several showers, but still it was all worth it.

Wednesday, I did another FDP for a class and went to the Cape Flats Nature Project. This was actually pretty interesting and I did learn quite a bit about the conservation issues that Cape Town is enduring. Here is just one more excuse as to why I could come to Cape Town again, to work for the Urban Biodiversity Conservation program. I don’t really feel like going into details because for anyone who isn’t a environmental bio major, the stuff would be pretty boring.

Thursday was our last official day in South Africa. I did some last minute shopping in the morning and then I went to Robben Island that afternoon. Now I definitely started second guessing myself as to why I was going to visit an island that was formerly a prison, when I couldn’t wait to leave home so I could get away from visiting the WCP weekly. But in the end I was glad I went. I originally was by myself when I went, which I didn’t have a problem with. I figured with there being over 800 from SAS in Cape Town, there was bound to be at least another SASer going to Robben Island and if not, then I could just randomly meet some other tourist who was also visiting. Well it turns out that there was a small group of SASer’s going as well. So I ended up going on the tour with them and I actually did talk to some man for awhile on the ferry ride who is a travel photographer from Boston. The whole idea of Robben Island being a former prison seemed very surreal because it only closed within the last 15 years. Learning the history of the island first hand from former prisoners is definitely something I’m grateful for seeing that most museums anyone goes to these days just have historians, who weren’t really there and didn’t really know how the people felt, giving the tours. I spent the rest of my last day in Cape Town just wondering around the Waterfront before heading back to the ship.

It was a bit upsetting to be leaving such a wonderful place with such wonderful food and such wonderful Italian Gelattos. I almost forgot, I made it a point to eat a gelato everyday, because they were so cheap and so delicious. So it turns that due to “high winds”, our ship was able to leave the port to go bunker that night. We didn’t end up moving until early the next morning and we didn’t actually leave Cape Town till Friday at 5pm. Now that was torture. Going to class and eating ship food when Cape Town was right outside the ship.

About My Travels in Brazil

2007-02-27T16:16:00.000-05:00

Day 1 in Brazil

We left the ship around 10:45am after fighting out way trough the line to go down the gangway on Deck 5. Steep stairs. Before that at the Diplomatic Briefing, the US consulate scared everyone quite badly I was very happy to be going to Boipeba Island. When we got off the ship there were women in costumes ting the Brazilian Bracelets on the students’ wrists. I received an orange one.

Then our group met our tour guide Charles. He and his brother, Mark, own the guest house that we stayed at. We boarded the bus around 11am. It was 8pm by the time we arrived at the guest house. On the trip there we stopped at a roadside fruit stand and tried jack fruit. It was sweet and sticky like gum. From there we drove to the village of Maragogipinho, the largest hand-made pottery center in South America. As we pulled into the village, the local boys began to run after the bus. Each boy picked on of us to become our own personal tour guide. The language barrier was a bit difficult, but we somehow communicated. My tour guide’s name was Van and he was around 10-12 yrs of age. I bought a ceramic frog at the village. After 1.5 hours of roaming around, it was time to go. We gave the boys our extra food from the box lunches that we ate at a very sketchy gas station. Some of the boys shared the food amongst themselves, and some of the others decided they weren’t sharing.

In Graciosa, we boarded the boat that would take us to Boipeba. The 2 hr boat ride down the Cairu River took more like 3 hrs, because we were traveling in the dark and the river was starting to go into low tide. The boat dropped us off on the beach around 8pm. It was just a short walk across the beach to the pousada. I stayed in room 6 with Brook which was an upstairs room. On the balcony there was a hammock and the showers did not have hot water. That night dinner was served to us in the outdoor library gazebo. I tried the shrimp stew – not my favorite, and I had linguini and apple crisp. After dinner I went straight to boat.

Day 2

okay, first the brief day of events and then the detailed version

I just hiked 7 miles across an island barefoot, waded thru water that was up to my chest, drank coconut water, and road on the roof of a boat down the river.

I woke up before 7am and it was raining. It was one of those rains that looked like it was going to last all day but luckily it ended by the time breakfast was over. While I looked around the plentiful gardens of the Santa Clara Pousada, I listened to the distant rumble of thunder. Breakfast was at 7:30am and consisted of mixed fruit, rolls, and carrot cake like bread.

At 8:30 we began our 7 mile hike. Our 1st stop was the village of Boipeba, with a soccer field in the center. We then went to a manioc flour mill and the place where they produced palm oil. From here we started our hike in the Atlantic Forest. Marcinos, one of Charles’ waiters, was our guide for the hike. Following us was Azul, with the mull that would end up carrying our shoes. We all took off our shoes when we discovered that we would have to walk about 30 yards through a knee deep stream flowing through the forest. Then we found out that we would be hiking through an even deeper part within the next half hour or so. It turned out that the much deeper part was up to our chests. Needless to say, I ended up carrying my backpack on my head for quite a ways. Half way through the hike, we stopped at a small village in the middle of the island where we cooled off on the porch of one of the homes and drank coconut water. The rest of the hike was quite strenuous, walking up hill a lot in sand, and then down hill on clay.

Eventually, we reached the village of Sao Sebastiao where we met a boat to take us back to our pousada. We made a few stops along the way though. First, was a sandbar where we ate our lunch until the tide started to come in. Then we rode in the boat for almost 2 hours. For awhile, I laid on top of the boat with a few others, enjoying the sun and the scenery. We were almost back, when Charles decided to have us stop at a floating restaurant, which was literally floating in the middle of the river. Here he allowed anyone who wanted to, to eat raw oysters. Yum, Yum. Then we went back to the pousada and rested for a little bit before having supper. Before supper, Hope and I wondered around the village and shopped some. Dinner was of course absolutely amazing again ~ New England clam chowder, Vietnamese Steak, and cashew fruit for dessert. Then I went to be because at this point in was 9:30pm and I was exhausted.

Day 3

Today we took the boat out to a coral reef in the ocean. Being that it was Carnaval and most Brazilians were off of work, we weren’t the only ones there. We snorkeled for awhile and then after it started to get too crowded, we decided to leave. There was only one problem. Low tide was at its lowest, which was to low for the boat that brought us there. The locals are all extremely nice, so we ended up borrowing a different boat to take us back to shore. We then began another very long hike, barefoot, back to the pousada. Along the way, a few of us stopped to play with the random crabs that were swept ashore. One even decided it wanted to be friends, when it clamped its claw shut on Tyler’s shoe and didn’t let go. Eventually, Marcino’s used a knife to pry the crab off. When we finally got back to the pousada, we were all drenched in sweat. After a quick cold shower, it was time for lunch. The rest of the afternoon was free for us. I laid on the beach for a half hour, but I was afraid I was going to fall asleep, so I went back to my room for another shower and a nap. Then we went back to the village before we were to meet again with Charles, and window shopped some more. Before dinner, we had a meeting with some of the locals to discuss how they liked living on the island. It was an interesting time and I definitely got a lot out of it. Dinner was excellent as usual, and we then decided that we didn’t really want to go back to ship, mainly because the food was so delicious.

Day 4

This whole trip, we definitely learned what it meant to be Flexible. Even more so today. It was decided upon that we would leave the island around 12:30 to head back to the ship so that we would be back around 6:30, in time for dinner. As you can guess, that did not happen. We left around 12:30, but it was not long before the boat got stuck. And then stuck again. And stuck once more. That third time, Megan and I decided to swimming. The boat wasn’t going anywhere for awhile, so we got out and swam for a bit, and then wondered around the mangroves and sandbars that were nearby. By the time, the water was high enough for the boat to get started again, we were behind schedule by about an hour. Of course, we got stuck again, but not for as long this time. We then went very slowly for awhile, which would put us about 2 hours behind schedule. When we finally got back to the bus, we thought that we would make up some time, since they like to drive fast. Well, see, the cars like to play chicken, you could say. They have the same passing zones like we do for the roads that go straight for awhile. Well, it was usually the car at the end of the line that would decide to pass, and they would go as far to the front as they could before the oncoming traffic came. That doesn’t always work which caused the traffic to be a bit slower because there was a head-on collision. Lucky for us though, they don’t close the road when that happens. They just push all vehicles involved off to the side of the road and then evaluate the situation. The Brazilians are definitely one of a kind.

For as much as the US Consulate had us scared about Salvador, I’d have to say that we experienced a completely different perspective up the people of Brazil. The people of Boipeba Island were extremely friendly and I hope that someday I will be able to travel back to the island and stay in the Santa Clara Pousada.

Brazil

2007-02-18T18:39:00.000-05:00

We have just been given the 15 minute warning to be in the Union for the Diplomatic Briefing. The pilot boat met our ship at 6am, and we docked at 7am. I woke up at 5:45, but stayed in bed till 6:30 because I had missed the sunrise already. I did watch us dock though. It is incredibly hot already and its only 9am. The view from the ship really isn’t very nice at all. It looks more like the cargo area, but there is another cruise ship here. The elevator to go up to the upper city is directly outside the ship. Today I am heading to Boipeba Island. Itinerary:Day 1: Depart Salvador by air-conditioned motorcoach, taking the local ferry to Itaparica Island and then driving south to the village of Maragogipinho, the largest hand-made pottery center in South America. Observe local artisans and then drive to Graciosa on the western bank of the Tapperoa Canal and board boats for the two-hour ride dow the Cairu River. boxed lunches will be provided for this section of the trip. Arrive in Boipeba in the mid afternoon for check-in and dinner at a pousada (guest house). After dinner, enjoy an informal meeting with local residents to discuss ecological programs on the island. Day 2: After breakfast, take a 12-kilometer trek (about 7 miles) to the southern tip of the island, Sao Sebastiao. Begin by walking through the village of Boipeba, stopping to see how palm oil is made from the dende fruit and visiting the local manior flour mill. Continue on your hike, passing remnants of the Atlantic Forest, and getting to know much of the local fauna. On arrival in Sao Sebastiao, travel by canoe and by boat to Pratigi Beach for a picnic lunch and a swim. Return to the pousada for dinner.Day 3: After breakfast, walk along the beach and then follow the trails from the Boca da Barra Beach to Tassimirim to Coeira Beach, with beautiful hilltop coastal views. There is time for swimming or relaxing on the beach before returning to the pousada for lunch. The rest of the afternoon is at leisure to enjoy the pousada and beach.Day 4: After breakfast, departure by boat down the Cairu River to Graciosa, where your air-conditioned motorcoach will be waiting. Box lunches will be provided for the trip. Drive to Itaparica and cross the bay by ferry, and return to the ship. On day 4, we will get back around 6 in the evening. Not sure yet if I'll venture into Salvador at that point. It'll probably depend on when the sun sets. I will definitely walk around Salvador on the last day though. Carnaval will be over at the point so everything should be back in order and open. The whole city seems to shut down while Carnaval is occurring. Okay I will try to post again later.

during the week

2007-02-17T06:48:00.000-05:00

The day before Valentines Day

So tomorrow is Valentines Day, but it’s come to pass as just another day for me. I’ve never really had a decent one, though I suppose last year’s wasn’t too bad. But I must say that this year’s will be the best. I am on my way to sailing around the world and we are to pass the equator tomorrow. Who else can say, besides the 701 other students aboard, that they sailed over the equator on Valentine’s Day. Apparently they are going to be having people read poems and the such from deck 5 to the people on deck 6. It shall definitely be interesting to say none the least.

So things have definitely changed this Semester at Sea. Drinking is allowed every evening during dinner and from 2100-2300. It seems to be working well actually. The first night was a little crazy, obviously, but the second night only about half the amount of people showed up. I went the first night, though I didn’t drink. I don’t like beer or wine. Then last night, I went up to the 7th deck but I didn’t go over by the bistro where they serve the alcohol. I stayed on the other side of the pool where it was extremely windy and talked to some people that I had just met.

I found out today that I got into all the trips I selected. I somehow lucked out especially since 3 of them ended up being in lotteries. In South Africa, I will be going to Cape Peninsula and Cape Point, Cycling in the Winelands, Cape Flats Nature Project, and a Performance by Township Choir; in Mauritius ~ Adventure Park & Beach ~ this one I’m most excited about; in Malaysia ~ Cameron Highlands ~ which is a jungle; and in Hong Kong/China ~ Beijing: Peking University ~ which means I get to go the Great Wall!

Well tonight we switch the clocks ahead again, so I will now be 3 hours ahead of everyone in Pittsburgh. I get to go through the whole losing an hour of sleep 21 more times, and then I will live April 30th twice. It’s a very strange concept, I must say.

Still no seasickness. There was quite a bit of rocking yesterday, and the crew placed seasickness bags along all the stairwells. Always a good sign when the crew seems to be one step ahead of the rest. The ship seemed to be rocking more front to back to front, then side to side. They actually had to drain the pool because the splashing got so bad that the pool started to flood the deck. Apparently we also went through a storm last night, but I definitely slept through that.

Alright well I’m going to go read for a bit. For pleasure this time though, I’m starting to burn out already from all the reading I have to do for class.

Barbados ~ February 11, 2007

Right now we are passing by the island of Barbados, and at 1330 we will be within 3 miles of the island. Its such an incredible sight to see land while sailing across the ocean. The water was much choppier this morning and apparently a lot of people have gotten seasick. There are now seasickness bags along all of staircases. It’s just a bit gross to think about that. I’ve been feeling fine. I took off the bracelets yesterday while I was lying out/reading and haven’t put them back on since. The amount of reading I have to do is absolutely ridiculous. I’ve never had to reach so much before. Well maybe I have, I just never did so. I’m making a great attempt at doing it though. The articles on the intranet seem to be more interesting than what’s been in the textbooks.

Saturday february 10 2007

2007-02-11T08:22:00.000-05:00

Right now I’m currently watching the cartoon version of Tarzan on TV. They play quite an array of movies each night.

Today was the first day of B classes. I only have one class on B days besides for Global Studies. Conservation Biology ~ should be a good class, I hope. I woke up with a really bad headache that didn’t seem to want to go away, so after reading for awhile out on the deck, I went back to my room and slept for 2 hours. It was a much needed nap.

They seemed to have changed the alcohol policy. No ones really certain if they will be serving alcohol every night but it seems that way. We now get a card that is good for 18 drinks total. Beginning tomorrow, 2 drinks are allowed at dinner, and then 4 drinks from 2100-2300. I do believe that quite a few people will be getting drunk, quite a bit. Drinks work out to be $2.50 each, although its only beer and wine. Apparently UVA wants to make this college trip more “normal” by allowing drinking to occur more often. As you all know this doesn’t really affect me at all since I’m not really a drinker, especially of beer and wine. But I’m sure once this gets out to past voyagers, they will be a bit surprised/upset.

Tomorrow’s laundry day, but I’ve decided to pass this time around. I just did my laundry in the sink because I wasn’t about to pay $5 for a bag of laundry that wasn’t even filled completely. I don’t think I’m the only one. I was helping a couple of the guys down the hall try to decide how to rig up a clothes line around the room.

Also tomorrow, the field program sheets need to be turned into for the trips we want to do in the next couple of countries. I signed up for 4 things in South Africa – although one of them is free. I’m going to Cape Peninsula and Cape Point, Cycling in the Winelands, Cape Flats Nature Project, and a Performance by Township Choir. I think that I will find out for sure if I actually got into all of the trips I signed up for on February 13. In Mauritius, I only signed up for the Adventure Park & Beach ~ this one will probably end up being a lottery because a LOT of people I’ve talked to want to do this. It’s a high ropes course in the rainforest there with zip lines and obstacle courses high up in the trees. I’ve got my fingers crossed that I get in. then I also signed up for Cameron Highlands in Malaysia, which is a 3day/2night trip. Then in China I signed up for Beijing: Peking University which is another multi-day overnight trip. I’ll get to see the Great Wall, Tiananmen Square, and the Forbidden City.

In the mean time, I’m going to Boipeba Island in Brazil which is 4days/3nights and involves lots and lots of walking and being outside ~ ideal for me. Also I’m doing the Erode homestay in India. I’m keeping in mind the warning of the cockroaches on the sleeper trains.

Tonight was also the activities fair. We got there about 10 minutes early and I’m so glad we did because the dining room filled up quickly and there was quite a line waiting to get in. I only signed up for the Adopt-a-Family and a club my RD started called lifesaver. I’m also doing Vicarious Voyage, so I’m sure I will be busy enough with all the ridiculous amounts of reading I have to do plus those 3 clubs, and I might try to get motivated and join some sort of fitness club, though I’m not sure if I’ll want to do yoga or pilates. Perhaps there will be other type of cardio work that I’ll be able to join. Though I’m sure the amount of walking I do in each port will be enough exercise. Okay time for bed. I feel drained already and its only a week into the voyage so far.

“The use of traveling is to regulate imagination by reality, and instead of thinking how things may be, to see them as they are.” ~ Samuel Jackson

pictures

2007-02-09T16:24:00.000-05:00

i've added pictures at:

http://community.webshots.com/user/frga129

i'll add more throughout the trip

So Far

2007-02-09T09:20:00.000-05:00

Sunday February 4, 2007

Today is the first day of my journey around the world. After standing in line for slightly less than an hour I was finally able to board the M.V. Explorer for the first time. The ship is incredible, and so are all the people on board. And dinner was excellent.

I’ve been in the Bahamas since January 30th and staying at the Nassau Beach Hotel at Cable Beach. The Bahamians are the nicest group of people that I have ever met. I am so glad that I was able to spend a few days on the island before heading out to sea.

Yesterday at the beach I started meeting other SASer’s. It was incredible how we were able to all just randomly meet. I believe I met sixteen total at the beach and Café Johnny Canoe, and twelve of which were from PA, two from Boston, one from North Dakota, and one from Alabama. It really helped today having a few familiar faces to turn to amongst the crowds of people on the ship today. This morning I rode in a limo for the first time I ever. Corrine, Sean, Tom, Matt, and I took one to the harbor, and I think the taxi driver charged us more for the luggage than actually us for the ride there. We did have a lot of luggage.

At our general orientation tonight, we learned that this voyage has a record number of people aboard the ship. There are 702 students, two thirds of which are girls. There is at least one student from every state and quite a few from other countries. The total number of people aboard the ship including crew is currently 1,002 people. Now this number will change after each port as some staff/family members travel back home and others arrive. The dean announced that the youngest member of the ship is 7 months old and the oldest is 91 years old.

I must say I am rather sore after dragging my luggage around today and trying to open the extremely heavy cabin doors. Perhaps I’ll have a bit of muscle by the end of the trip
Tomorrow I am meeting for breakfast at 8:30. I wonder if we’ll finally get a glimpse at Archbishop Desmond Tutu.

Oh yeah, by the way, if anyone decides to write to meet while I’m gone, my cabin number is 4104. Write that also with the address. It’ll help the mail get to my room faster.

Traveling is not just seeing the new; it is also leaving behind. Not just opening doors; also closing the behind you, never to return. But the place you have left forever is always there for you to see whenever you shut your eyes. ~ Jan Myrdal

Puerto Rico ~ February 8, 2007

Day 2

Today was absolutely amazing. Woke up and went to breakfast with Sean, Tom, and Matt. Here we saw Archbishop Desmond Tutu walk through the dining hall. He hasn’t made too many appearances yet due to a lot of traveling. But, anyways, after breakfast we went down to catch the bus to El Yunque Rainforest for a 0.86 mile hike through the rainforest. That was the longest 0.86 miles I have ever hiked. At one point we stopped to swim under a waterfall. That was quite enjoyable, although a bit chilly. After the hike, we continued back onto the bus where just about everyone slept the rest of the ride back to the bus. After we returned, Corinne, Tom, Sean, and I went to this restaurant that overlooked the ocean. Very good Puerto Rican food. From here we proceeded back to the ship to swim in the pool and relax until it was time to go again.

At 17:15 a large group of us were to meet outside of security to go to Bioluminescence Bay. This trip was organized on facebook so of course it turned out to be very unorganized and quite a few people showed up who were signed up originally and some of those who did showed up late. The kid in charge seemed very overwhelmed, so me and this other girl took charge and started writing down names and collecting money. Everything went rather smoothly after that. Together there were approximately 36 people. Well actually more, because the vans were only suppose to fit 15 people each, and a third only held 6, and somehow it ended up that I didn’t get a seat so I sat on the floor. Quite an experience I must say. I think I’m glad I sat on the floor because this way I couldn’t see how chaotic the driver was driving.

Finally after an hour or so we arrived at the bay. This was an experience all in itself trying to get people organized in the kayaks. Once we were in the water there were quite a few pile ups and traffic jams. I think someone forgot to teach the SASer’s what a straight line is. Oops, oh well. I was in a three person kayak which resulted in a very large bruise on my knee because I didn’t have much leg room and kept smacking my leg with the paddle. The kayak trip was unbelievable. Kayaking in complete darkness between and under mangrove trees. I never experienced anything like it. Then when we finally reached the bay where the plankton was, they tied our kayaks together in a circle and then let us swim. I’m so glad I went on this trip. There are only 3 Bio Bays in the world, and 4 of them are in Puerto Rico. The kayak trip back to the vans was interesting to say none the least. We had a few head-on collisions with tours that were arriving as we were leaving. Some people just don’t know which direction right is. I guess that’s another thing people did learn in school.

We got back around 2300 starving only to find out that McDonalds just closed. This was told to us by the crew of the ship who were sitting on the sidewalk using McDonald’s free wireless internet. I guess they would be the ones to know where to go for that. So a couple of the people that I met on the Bio Bay trip headed up to the 7th deck for some pizza. Now here I am, trying to stay awake to recall everything that occurred today. But I think I shall go to bed since its now after 0100 and I’m suppose to go to breakfast at 0800.

less than 11 days

2007-01-19T11:53:00.000-05:00

It's friday morning, and I've only have 1 more friday after today until I leave. Everyone I talk to on facebook who are going on the spring 07 SAS voyage are just as anxious as me to leave. We all seem to spend countless hours staring at the message board trying to overcome boredom. Not sure how well that is working except that it slowly allows time to move forward and put us one second closer to leaving. I'm still slowly buying things that I need to take with me. I have a list somewhere of all the stuff I still need to purchase and a list of the stuff that is around the house that I cant forget to pack. I keep thinking of more things to add to both lists. Hopefully I dont forget and hopefully its not too much. I really dont think I'll pack too much but we'll see when I finally do start to pack. As of right now I have 10 days and 18.5 hours until I board the plane that will take me to Charlotte and then to Nassau. I cant wait to just relax on the beach for the first time in years before I begin my voyage around the world.

So much to do, but no desire to do it. Well at least not at the current moment.

Well hopefully all of you reading this will write to me at least once. That would be really really nice. Here is the link to the addresses of where you can send me mail.
http://www.semesteratsea.com/voyages/spring2007/sp2007_communicatewship.html

Also if you can send me emails to keep me up to date on whats happening around home. And let me know what your email is and I'll keep in touch with you that way. frga129@gmail.com

Well I'm cold so I think I'm gonna get back in bed while I wait for someone to come back from class.

Me and the 570 lb stubborn bear

2006-11-14T15:18:00.000-05:00

Today I went to work at the Game Commission to get ready for the Bear Check Station next week. Starting Monday is bear season, so I'll be working with the bears that come in on Tuesday and Wednesday. Should be lots of fun. Definitely will be interesting if that bear in the trap in the pic is shot. He sure was a stubborn bear. Didnt want to cooperate at all when we wanted to tranqulize and tag him. Then he didnt want to leave the trap when we were setting him free. Who knows.

2006-11-13T14:41:00.000-05:00

okay this is my first attempt at using this. i thought id try it out now so i know how to when it comes time to actually be traveling and because i am not at all motivated to be writing the many papers i have due during the next few weeks. as of right now i have only 77 days to go until I leave Pittsburgh and head down to the Bahamas. I am so excited and cannot wait till I'm sitting on the beach getting some sun, but time definitely does not need to speed up since I still have the rest of the semester to complete at UPG. I need as much time as i can get to write my papers which i need in order to graduate.
But here is my Itinerary:

Nassau, Bahamas
Arrive: Jan 30 Depart: Feb 4
San Juan, Puerto Rico
Arrive: Feb 7 Depart: Feb 9
Salvador, Brazil
Arrive: Feb 17 Depart: Feb 21
Cape Town, South Africa
Arrive: March 2 Depart: March 8
Port Louis, Mauritius
Arrive: March 15 Depart: March 17
Chennai, India
Arrive: March 25 Depart: March 29
Penang, Malaysia
Arrive: April 2 Depart: April 5
Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam
Arrive: April 9 Depart: April 14
Hong Kong
Arrive: April 17 Depart: April 18
Qingdao, China
Arrive: April 21 Depart: April 22
Kobe, Japan
Arrive: April 25 Depart: April 29
Honolulu,Hawaii
Arrive: May 7 Depart: May 7
San Diego, California
Arrive: May 14 Depart: not sure yet