For now I decided to include a few pictures for fun :)
Monday, April 18, 2011
SOME PICTURES
Due to lack of internet access while aboard the ship, I will not be able to post the rest of my blogs (Vietnam/Cambodia, China, and Taiwan) until I return to the United States in 1 week!!
For now I decided to include a few pictures for fun :)
For now I decided to include a few pictures for fun :)
Sunday, March 20, 2011
GOOD MORNING VIETNAM!
Due to lack of internet aboard the MV Explorer I am going to take this moment of free internet to post some pics of my time so far in Vietnam. I know I say this a lot, but YOU MUST VISIT VIETNAM!!!! EEEEKKKKK.
Ben Than Market- aka paradise.
pho- aka paradise in the form of food.
My favorite purchase so far.
chu chi tunnels.
M-16. no big.
SINGAPORE!
March 16, 2011
I set off in the morning with a large group of friends. We began our day in the Singapore Botanical gardens. The weather was so pleasant and the botanical gardens were beautiful. We spent the morning walking around the paths exploring different areas of the garden. It was perfect!
We then caught a few taxi cabs and moved our location to Orchard Road. A little over 3km long, Orchard Road is filled with tons and tons of shopping and food.
Kelly, Grant, Andrew and I ended up in a cab together and spent the rest of the day exploring Singapore! Great group of people!
We decided to try out one of the famous Hawker food centers for lunch. They are paradise for a food connoisseur like myself. There are food stalls everywhere with all types of food! The concept is genius- You find a table and then order from as many stalls as you like and they deliver the food straight to the table. We all went a little crazy and ordered tons of food for everyone to try. My personal favorite was the fried carrot cake. They also had incredible fruit juices that would have sent Brad Williams to heaven. I had the soursop juice. DELISH!
We spent a good amount of time at the Hawker Food center testing all different types of food and people watching.
(note the sweet authentic Indian henna on my hand)
After we ate so much we could barely move, we hobbled to a taxi and headed back to Orchard street to check out the shopping. I don’t really care much for shopping myself…hahahahhahaha ok I lie… THE SHOPPING WAS INCREDIBLE. I practiced as much self control as I could muster, but purchased a few things that I really “needed.”
We met up with the rest of our group on Orchard Road and tried some more food and the famous Singapore Sling. In my opinion, it is a very overpriced Shirley temple. BUT. When in Singapore!
Grant, Andrew, Kelly, and myself (the original crew) headed back to the waterfront to see the Singapore flyer and the Marina Bay sands hotel. The Singapore flyer is the largest observation wheel in the world, and the Marina Bay sands hotel is a new 76 floor hotel with an infinity pool at the top! Pretty cool!!! We ate dinner on the water front where we could see the beautiful sights of Singapore across the water. One word to describe it- lovely J
Unfortunately, after dinner it was time to head back to the boat. L Nobody wanted to leave (a consistent theme in each port).
It is such a shame that we only had one day in Singapore! On the other hand, it was so expensive and there was so much shopping, it may have been a good thing we pulled away around 11pm.
I have never visited a country as clean as Singapore. It is hard to believe we were just in India a few short days ago. What a drastic contrast!! There was no trash on the side walks anywhere! The taxi cabs were so clean. Even the bathrooms at the mall were spotless and stocked with plenty of amenities. The people of Singapore are very proud of their country and they should be! It was one of the nicest places I have ever visited.
I can’t believe we are already leaving Singapore. I feel like I just boarded the MV Explorer yesterday. This semester is flying by way too fast! I want it to slow down. I want to go back and re-visit every country multiple times. I may transfer my permanent residence to the MV Explorer and become a permanent global citizen. Who knows? JK fam. I would miss yall wayyyy too much! XOXO
Monday, March 14, 2011
INDIA!
Though I am not a world traveler (yet ☺ ) I think I can safely say that there is not another place in the world like India.
The first indication that India would be different than the previous countries we have visited was the fact that the crew saran wrapped the entire boat before arriving to prevent the dirt from getting everywhere. The second was the fact that we had not just 1, but 2 pre-port meetings with semester at sea to prepare us as best they could.
The night before arriving in India Liz and I hosted a fashion show in room 3018. It took us hours to find clothes that would be suitable to wear in the blazing weather yet appropriate for the culture. Many laughs took place as we attempted to be conservative without looking like we borrowed our clothes from a librarian.
Yes, India was bound to be unique.
Sunday, March 6, 2011
We arrived in Chennai, India on the morning of the 6th at 0800.
CRAZY how it happens. Days earlier I was studying for two tests. I finished the tests and wake up the next morning and I am in INDIA!
India, India, India, India. INDIAAAAA! ½ way around the world from little ole South Carolina. I wonder if I will ever be this far away from home again…….
Liz, Alison, Katie, Colleen, and I jumped off the boat ASAP and headed for the city. We found a rickshaw driver that looked like his rickshaw would fit 3 people. We fit 5. I would also like to remind you that Liz, Alison, and Katie are all 6 feet tall. They sat in the back with Colleen spread across them and I shared the front seat with the driver. Oh the driver… more will follow about him later, but for a short description he was wearing a skirt which he frequently lifted to wipe his forehead. I also am pretty positive that deodorant doesn’t exist in the country of India. Realllll up close and personal.
Our first stop was the San Thome cathedral or St. Thomas’s cathedral. St. Thomas the Apostle came to India from Palestine in around 52 A.D. where he was killed. The San Thome cathedral was built in honor of St. Thomas and his relics are kept inside. There are only 3 churches in the entire world that are built over an Apostle of Jesus Christ.
Because it was Sunday there was a church service going on when we arrived. Walking around a church that was built over the remains of an Apostle of Jesus Christ while listening to singing coming from within he cathedral was incredible.
We attempted to do a little shopping that afternoon to find some more exciting, appropriate clothes to wear while in India, but our rickshaw driver had his own agenda. He proceeded to take us to overpriced tourist stores which paid him commission for bringing us there. Needless to say. We didn’t acquire many purchases.
We headed back to the boat after our driver went a bit crazy and started yelling at us to pay him more money. There is a thick line between charging us more because we are tourists and majorly ripping us off. He jumped the thick line and a little more. Sitting next to him on the ride back to the ship was loads of fun considering I was afraid he might push me out of the rickshaw into the road he was so mad at us. We made it back to the ship safely which was wonderful!
You live and you learn. Don’t get in a rickshaw with a crazy man in a short skirt who multiplies the cost by 7 when you are ready to go home.
We headed back to the ship to pack for our trip to Agra and Varanasi.
At the airport we were notified- no razor blades, no batteries, and no spices. Yes, no spices.
Also, our airline was appropriately named “Spicejet”
I spent the entire 3 hour plane ride to New Delhi reading my National Geographic guide book. India is filled with so much history. The entire history of the Unites States could fit into one bullet point on the time line for India’s history. I won’t bore you with facts and details, but I learned so much about the history and culture of India! IT WAS AWESOME!
We arrived in New Delhi, India around midnight and headed to the hotel to get some rest. We are going to the Taj Mahal tomorrowwwwww!
Monday, March 7, 2011
We woke up early at 5am and grabbed a delicious breakfast at the hotel. I could already tell I was not going to be losing much weight in India. We traveled to the train station and took the Bhopal Shatabdi Express to Agra, the home of the Taj Mahal!
We were fed another breakfast on the train ride and got a good nap in before arriving in Agra. Our guide told us to stick together and head straight for the bus. I don’t think any of us were prepared for the atmosphere outside of the train station. It was so overwhelming. Hundreds of beggars swarmed us. Many of them were children. They kept telling us how hungry they were and it was so difficult to keep walking towards the bus after I had already eaten twice and it was only 8am. It made me sick to my stomach.
Our first stop was Fatehpur Sikri also known as the ghost city. When we arrived at the city a large group of kids swarmed the bus asking us to come visit their stall in the market located next to the city. Asif was a little boy who followed me all the way from the bus to the entrance of the city. He made me laugh out loud when he asked me if I was from Obamaland, and gave me his card to visit stall #28 in the market. We soon learned this was a common experience when visiting any tourist attraction in India.
Fatehpur Sikri was beautiful. It was built by the Mughal Dynasty in 1571 and was abandoned just 14 years later! It is a remarkable city and is still in great condition. It is amazing how much intricate design and architecture is in each of the buildings. Very cool!
Driving in India is very unlike anything I have ever experienced before. To say it is frightening would be an understatement. It is TERRIFYING.
Our tour guide told us when driving in India you need 3 things. A good horn, good breaks, and good luck. He also told us that there are 3 ways of driving- the right side of the road, the left side of the road, and everywhere. India drives everywhere.
We stopped for lunch at the Gateway hotel. I LOVE INDIAN FOOD! It is so wonderful.
After lunch, we went to visit Agra Fort which was also built by the Mughal dynasty. Emperor Akbar built his fort between 1565 and 1573. It is a double walled fort made of red sandstone, a distinguishing feature of many buildings built by the Mughal dynasty. The fort was huge!!! It felt so powerful and strong. It was also like Fatehpur Siki in that the architecture was so ornate and detailed. It was walking into Agra Fort that I caught my first glimpse of the Taj Mahal. WOW. I couldn’t wait.
After Agra Fort, we stopped at a marble company where we saw a demonstration of marble making. Our tour guide told us that in America you can tell someone is rich if they have marble in their house, but in India marble is so common that you can tell someone is rich if they have hardwood floors. Marble is such a beautiful material. We saw the process of workers hand carving the colorful designs into a piece of marble. It is such a slow methodical process and each peace of marble is decorated with all different types of beautiful stones. It is no wonder why marble is so expensive for us! I declined the purchase anything from the marble store… tad out of my price range. ☺
AND THE MOMENT I HAD BEEN WAITING FOR!!!!!! THE TAJ MAHAL!!!!!
Though I know you don’t want boring facts and would probably rather just see pictures.. I am sorry… I can’t help myself… hehe
The Taj Mahal was built by Emperor Shah Jahan (also a Mughal) as a memorial for his wife Mumtaz Mahal who died in 1631 while giving birth to their 14th child. She was said to have been the emperor’s wife, companion, adviser, and support for 17 years.
Emperor Shah Jahan wanted to get it right- He assembled a council of top architects and craftsmen from Persia and beyond. Craftsmen, laborers and the semiprecious stones that embellish the marble came form all over the world! It took 22 years to build the Taj Mahal. AH! What love!
You enter through one of three gates to the complex and at first you cannot see the Taj Mahal. On the great gate is inscribed the quote known as Al-Fajr- “O Soul that art at rest. Return to the Lord, at peace with Him and He at peace with you. So enter as one of His servants And enter into His garden.”
As I turned the corner the Taj Mahal came into full view through the opening of the gate. It didn’t feel real!
I took a break from my surreal moment to discover that my big attempt to not dehydrate myself left me in desperate need of a toilet. I noticed on my walk to the restroom that there was an entire class on Indian girls who looked to be in about the 4th grade headed from the restroom as well. Call me crazy but I took up a sprint to beat them there. I paid my 10 rupees and waited in the small line. There was a moment there in the small bathroom at the Taj Mahal that I thought I wasn’t going to make it. The smell was beyond anything I had experienced before. Though there was one door labeled “WC Indian” and another labeled “WC Western” they both consisted of a hole in the ground. By this point in my voyage I can handle the hole in the ground. It was the penetrating smell and dampness of everything (including the door) that really got to me. I finally got my turn at the hole and when I emerged after a minute of not breathing the entire population of the restroom erupted in laughter (45 4th graders and 20 older Indian women). I didn’t say anything funny so I am guessing that my face told the story of my discomfort. I figured that I had provided them with some entertainment (silly, silly western girl) and didn’t think it would be offensive to pull out my camera and snap a pic ☺ They loved it.
Back to being in front of one of the 7 wonders of the world.
My words cannot do it justice and neither can pictures. The Taj Mahal is much more grand and beautiful than both my words and pictures.
I still cannot believe I have been to the Taj Mahal! AHHHHHH!!!!
Today was absolutely incredible and exhausting in every way possible. When we had been waiting in the Agra train station for an hour waiting for our train back to Delhi my friend Colleen described it best. We were like little kids who had a REAL long day at Disney world and were waiting for the metro. Like a little kid at Disney world, we had just had the greatest day of our lives- one we had dreamed about for so long- but we couldn’t even speak or change facial expressions we were so exhausted. Our senses had been overwhelmed, overloaded, and overworked. My brain hurt from everything I attempted to absorb. IT WAS INCREDIBLE.
Tuesday, March 8, 2011
We were granted a full 4 hours of sleep last night. Hopefully I managed to grab a full sleep cycle!
We began the day with a delicious breakfast followed by a bus tour of Delhi. The city of Delhi is divided into three parts- New Delhi, Old Delhi, and British Old Delhi.
We drove past the Raj Ghat, the cremation spot of Mahatma Ghandi.
Side note- I have spent a good deal of time learning about the importance of Ghandi to the people of India and I feel as if he more than deserves a mention in my blog. After witnessing the racial apartheid in South Africa, Gandhi retuned home to India to help fight for freedom. He used tactics such as nonviolence and truth to achieve a united, independent India. He was a strong leader in the fight for Indian independence and saw its independence in 1947. He was assassinated by a Hindu extremist who was angered by Gandhi’s tolerance of Muslims in 1948. *** finish
We drove past La Qila (red fort), the Jama Masjid (India’s largest mosque), and India Gate (memorial for the 90,000 soldiers who died in WW1 and the Afghan war).
We stopped at Humayun’s tomb which is the monument that is the forerunning to the Taj Mahal. Built 87 years earlier, it is said that the Taj Mahal was inspired by Humayun’s tomb.
New Delhi is the Washington DC of India. It’s capitol hill is Raisiana Hill, India’s political center.
I won’t bore you with the pages of facts I learned from my guide book (☺)
That afternoon we caught a flight to Varanasi. The stark contrast between the city of Delhi and Varanasi was evident as soon as we left the airport. The “main road” to the airport was dirt and we practically blew small villages over as we road past in our big bus.
We checked into the hotel and were instructed to quickly put our things away so we could head to the Ganges River. Key word quickly. This became an issue when the hotel elevator decided to quit working in between the 3rd floor and the lobby. Hmmmm. It appeared as if we were stuck in an elevator in India. At first it was funny…. Then the 6 of us crammed into a small elevator started profusely sweating and we realized the alarm in the elevator wasn’t functioning. Problem. All I could envision was a scary movie in which the elevator disconnects and crashes all the way to the ground floor. HA. Luckily 7 long minutes passed and the elevator began moving again and dropped us off in the kitchen of the hotel. My roommate Liz was smart enough to video the whole thing. It is worth watching for a good laugh. ☺
We headed to meet our rickshaw drivers who were going to take us though Varanasi to the river Ganges. There are two different types of rickshaws in India. The first is like a 4-wheeler with a seat in the back that we rode the first day in Chennai. The second type are the ones we rode in Varanasi. Two people can squeeze onto the seat of a buggy type contraption that is carried by a bike.
My friend Kendal and I picked the toughest looking rickshaw and hopped in. The rickshaw ride was AWESOME!!!!
We were speeding over pot holes, dodging cars and various animals such as camels and water buffalo. Once we loosened our death grip on the handles we really absorbed what was around us. It was SO COOL! We were on the streets of India breathing in the same dirt as the tons and tons of people walking around. We whisked past women wearing beautiful sari’s, temples dedicated to Hindu gods, and stalls selling everything from jewelry to sticks that were supposed to be tooth brushes.
This was my first experience really feeling apart of the culture. No one seemed to notice the massive amounts of rickshaws carrying camera clad westerners. Everyone was engulfed in their daily lives and we were able to be apart of it! AHHHH. It makes me so excited just thinking about it! The rickshaw ride was by far one of my favorite experiences in India.
Varanasi is the holiest city for Hindus. Just to visit it once in a lifetime is every Hindu’s goal. The city is overflowing with pilgrims traveling to and room the river. Every night thousands gather to worship at the River Ganges.
We ended our rickshaw ride at the River Ganges. In the Hindu faith, the River Ganges is as sacred as a god. The experience was so real. It wasn’t a reenactment of something that has occurred in the past. It was the real thing- untouched by the passing of time.
We waked around absorbed by all of the activity around us. Incense, prayer, singing, pilgrims rejoicing at having made their journey to the river. It was INCREDIBLE!
Wednesday, March 9, 2011
Wake up call at 4am and then back to the Ganges River to watch the sunrise and early morning rituals.
On the walk to the river I noticed many pilgrims returning from the river. I am so fortunate that I was able to see something that is so important to so many people.
Floating down the River Ganges in a boat was like going back in time. The calmness of the river mixed with the chanting of rituals was an experience unlike any other I have had on my voyage so far.
We watched as pilgrims arose from sleep and made their way to bathe in the river. Hindu’s believe that the water from the river is purifying and to bathe in the waters is to cleanse oneself of the karma of previous and current lives.
The mood all over was serene. It was an unforgettable experience!
We headed back to the hotel for breakfast and then visited Sarnath, a holy city for Buddhist people. Buddah preached his first sermon at Sarnath and began the basis of the future development of the religion. SO MUCH HISTORY IN INDIA! It is so amazing!
PICTURE
We stopped at a silk factory on the way back from the hotel. Silk is famous in Varanasi. I picked up a few gifts ☺
We headed back to the hotel for lunch, packed our things and headed back to the airport for our 4th flight of the week. Whew. The flight was delayed, but we eventually made it home (back to the ship) a little after midnight!
SO! After 4 plane rides, 4 train rides, lots of bus rides, and quite a few rickshaws, I experienced the cities of New Delhi, Agra, and Varanasi. India has been the most fascinating place I have traveled so far! I wish I had more time!!!
Stimulus overload- I cannot believe the things that I did, saw, heard, and smelled.
Thursday March 10, 2011
We found a rickshaw driver named Shakir to be our personal guide for the day. We did lots of shopping and sightseeing around Chennai.
For lunch, Shakir took us to one of his favorite Indian restaurants where we ate off leaves!! The food was DELICIOUS!
At the end of the day Shakir took us to see his home. His neighborhood was one of the worst I have seen since I have been in India. He lived with his wife and 3 kids in a one room apartment with only a concrete floor, no bed. It was so heart breaking to see where Shakir lived after we had spent the entire day shopping.
Sometimes it just hits me. Why am I so blessed? I am not thankful enough for the blessings that I have been given. Such simple things such as a bed slip my mind. I have never worried about where my next meal will come from. For a large portion of the world this is not the case. They worry. They have “real” problems of which I know nothing.
Friday, March 11, 2011
Today I visited the Missionaries of Charity Orphanage. The orphanage was founded by Mother Teresa and is home to abandoned kids, many of which have mental and physical disabilities.
It was heart breaking. I kept thinking to myself- What is going to happen to these kids? Most of them are never going to be able to take care of themselves. One little boy in particular had the worst cleft palate I have ever seen. It was painful. He was so severe he barely spoke. It broke my heart.
I spent most of the time passing out stickers and silly bands. The kids loved them! They received such satisfaction out of something that kids in America have hundreds off.
The sisters who ran the orphanage were great. They really cared about each of the children there. It was comforting to know that the children there were taken care of, but still extremely sad.
They need so much love. I wish I could have stayed longer.
Again, it leaves me counting my blessings. I cannot get the faces of the children of India out of my head. Their eyes tore straight through you and yet we had to walk away again and again.
I am adding some of my favorite pictures from India.
Saturday, February 26, 2011
CAPE TOWN, SOUTH AFRICA!!
Thursday, February 17th, 2011
Our visit to Cape Town, South Africa began a little rocky. Literally. The boat was forbidden to dock in Cape Town because of the rocky waters. We were scheduled to arrive at 0800 on Thursday, February 17th.
I am not sure if I have mentioned “the voice” to all of you blog listeners out there, but if not I will explain. “The voice” is the dean who makes all of the announcements over the loud speaker. She is actually the same dean whom I mentioned in an earlier blog pertaining to the first day of orientation. She does not have the most welcoming of voices so why she was given the job of “the voice” I haven’t a clue. She tends to provoke feelings of anger when she wakes you up at 8:00am on the only day you don’t have an 8:00am class just to tell you to that we are losing another hour.
Anyway, back to being stuck in the ocean…..
After being awoken by “the voice” who notified us we would not be docking in Cape Town as scheduled due to the windy conditions, most of the students congregated on the 7th deck to evaluate the situation. I could see Cape Town in the distance! There is was…. Just sitting in front of us… but we couldn’t reach it! Such a tease. Because the boat had slowed down significantly, we were really rocking. I felt at times that the boat was actually going to tip over. Walking across the deck became a real challenge. I grabbed a breakfast burrito from the grill and waited for “the voice” to finally give us some good news. If you ever go on SAS, GET THE BREAKFAST BURRITO!! You won’t regret it.
The rest of the day everyone awaited anxiously hoping to receive word that we would be landing soon… we never did. Therefore many of us spent the day staring at Table Mountain in the distance and eating one too many candy bars from the grill. I also may or may not have purchased two ice cream cones… call me crazy.
Before bed, we received word that we would be able to dock the next morning, so we set our alarm clocks for extra early so we could run off the boat and start our lives in Cape Town!
At 6:30am I awoke and attempted to stand. When I fell back down again because of the intense rocking of the boat I knew it wasn’t good. I called the front desk and sure enough we were still in the middle of the ocean.
It wasn’t until around lunch time that the MV Explorer finally docked in the Victoria and Alfred Harbor in Cape Town, South Africa. To say that we were excited to get off the boat is an understatement. Think black Friday- sas style. People pushing people over racing to be the first off the gang way. Elbows flying. There may or may not have been injuries.
We landed in Cape Town on such a beautiful day!!!! The Victoria Alfred waterfront is SO BEAUTIFUL!!!!! We walked around the waterfront with gigantic smiles on our faces! WE HAD MADE IT!!! EEEEKKK!!!!!! I cannot attempt to use enough exclamation points here!!!!!!!
Not wanting to waste a minute of our precious time in Cape Town, our group set off! Liz, Sarena, Katie, Alison, Natalie and myself were joined by Sarah and Elizabeth. Great group. We decided to try and tackle Cape of Good Hope/ Cape Point and Boulders Beach where there were supposed to be penguins! WAHOO!!
After speaking to information we hopped on a bus to take us to the train station. Thankfully, people speak English in Cape Town or we never would have made it. We sat on the bus and began chatting excitedly about how happy we were to finally be in Cape Town. We weren’t paying very close attention to where we were going and after a few stops a man stuck his head back on the bus and said, “Girls this is the end, the train stops here.” HA. We got off the bus.
There was this funny moment when we all looked around, saw no train station, and realized that we had no idea where we were. I asked a man in an orange vest and he smiled and pointed us around the corner where we found the train station!
Yes, most of the people in South Africa speak English but it is a different kind of English than mine. It is laced with such a strong accent that it can literally sound like they are speaking in a foreign language at some points.
I loved the train ride to Cape Point! The scenery along the coat of South Africa is so beautiful!! The colorful houses dotted along the white sand stand in front of the most beautiful backdrop of mountains. We attempted to not look like tourists buttttt I am going to go ahead and say that we did. I practically had my head stuck out the window the entire way giggling with excitement. Yes giggling.
A lady on the train told us that we probably didn’t have enough time to fit everything in because we really shouldn’t ride the train after dark. Great. Just a small glitch in our plan. The rest of the day turned into something like a scavenger hunt.
We located a white van that looked like it would fit all of us and convinced the driver to be our personal tour guide for the rest of the day. We had only a few hours to fit everything in so we were in a bit of a time crunch. I don’t know if you have ever ridden the Mad Hatter ride at Disney world… but if so… replace the ride car with a big white van with dark green velvet seat covers and you have a picture of us racing to Cape Point.
We passed Boulder beach on the way and stopped to take a picture of the penguins. Yes PENGUINS! Penguins were just walking around the rocks and beach enjoying the sunshine. I snapped a picture of two that were playing together like they were the best of friends! Such a moment!
The penguin visit was more like a drive-by considering we were on a mission to make it to the Cape of Good Hope/ Cape Point. SO penguin pictures and back in the mad hatter mobile.
The drive to Cape Point was beautiful! It didn’t take us long to get there and as soon as we arrived in the gate we saw a baboon. They actually have pink butts. I was laughing so hard that my stomach hurt. BRIGHT PINK BUTTS. Toooo funny!
Our van driver was so speedy that we made it in time to see both Cape of Good Hope and Cape Point. Cape Point is the end of Africa and the meeting place of the Atlantic and Indian Ocean. Pretty dang cool!
Cape of Good Hope!
Converting currency really throws me off. It is something like 7.4 Rand = $1.00 USD and so you never have any idea how much money you are actually spending. I felt as if I was throwing out 100’s spending a fortune and at the end of the day we had only spent $23 USD!
We made it back to Cape Town just be before dusk! I’d say it was a success!
We noticed masses of crowds all headed in the same direction and realized they must be heading to the U2 concert! Yes U2 was scheduled to perform at the World Cup soccer stadium the same night we were in Cape Town. (OMG OMG. I really feel like my life is not real!!!!! EEEEKKKK- A frequent thought running through my mind during our entire stay in Cape Town)
We followed to crowd towards to stadium and stopped at Romanos to eat. American girls WOULD eat pizza for their first dinner in Cape Town, South Africa. Yes, we would.
We spent the next few hours outside the world cup soccer stadium listening to “IT’S A BEAUTIFUL DAYYYYYY” (Bono, obvi) We ended our night on Long Street, the entertainment district of Cape Town, dancing to Justin Beiber.
Saturday, February 19th 2011
After a solid 3 hours of sleep, Liz, Katie, Alison, Sarena, Brendan and I woke up early the tackle the hike up Table Mountain.
I don’t think any of us knew what to expect. I pictured us casually walking up neatly mulched trails all the way to the top; maybe climbing over a rock or two. False. The word hike now means something more to me. We were literally climbing straight up rocks the entire time. One of our group members turned around after 7 minutes and said she thought it would be best for her to meet us at the top via cable car. Hha the rest of us pushed through the massive amount of pizza and McDonalds we had consumed the night before and made it to the top!
It was worth it!!! THE VIEW WAS AWESOME!!!!!! J
After taking 1 million pictures and enjoying the incredible view we opted to taking the cable car back down the mountain. Not trying to break any records or anything.
We headed back to Long Street for an incredible, well deserved lunch.
We spent the next few hours browsing the Green Market which is SO COOL! Shout out to the fam- I got yall some sweet gifts. Be excited!!!
Market shopping in SA is veryyyyy different than Ghana. People weren’t breathing down our necks, forcing stuff into our hands. It was actually a rather enjoyable shopping experience.
We stopped by a gelato store next to satisfy our sweet tooth. What happened next would defiantly not be FDA approved.
The two employees immediately put an apron on Alison and offered her a position at the gelato store. They let us taste every single flavor 10 times each. I was ushered behind the counter where I was allowed to scoop my own gelato!! (with my dirty, mountain climbing hands haha) They next took Brendan behind to counter where he proceeded to taste every flavor with the same spoon- defiantly not sanitary. We probably spent over an hour socializing with the gelato men! It was a blast. Before we left they obliged for pictures with everyone and then Acorn (one of the employees) picked up Alison (6ft 4in D1 basketball player) and swung her around and around. We were in tears laughing so hard. I love South Africa.
That night we ate a restaurant in Stellenbosch called Moyo. We were seated underneath this huge tent and immediately had our faces painted with traditional African artwork. So cool! It was buffet style with the most delicious food known to man- chicken, steak, venison, springbok (the national animal of SA), and more and more delicious food! My stomach is growling just thinking about it! We all ate so much that we had trouble moving.
We then met some of Alison’s friends who are studying at the University of Cape Town. A few of us had to head back to the ship eventually though because our stomach’s hurt from eating so much. High five Carter
Sunday, February, 20 2011
We woke up early to meet our guide for our arranged Bikes and Wines tour. We rode a train out to Stellenbosch to begin our tour. Our group consisted of Liz, Alison, Katie, Natalie, Serena, and I. The other two members of the group were the nicest ladies from Canada named Caroline and Monique.
Upon initially signing up for a “cycling through the wine lands” tour, I pictured myself on a beach cruiser with a big fat seat, riding my bike along shaded,paved paths though the wine lands.
Therefore, I was a tad surprised when our guide, Dan, brought out mountain bikes and helmets. We began our journey on a rocky pathway alongside train tracks. To say that I was sweating would be an understatement. I was pouring.
The first winery we visited was Welmoed, followed by Spier. Spier is a very commercialized winery and has the most beautiful wine lands. We rode through them before our tasting. Despite what you might think- the more wine tested the better I became at riding my bike!
After Spier, we visited a cheetah conservatory. Cheetah’s are such beautiful animals. So perfect looking.
We visited one more winery, ate lunch, and finished our tour at a brandy factory. Brandy… hmmm. The tour guide told us that it was an acquired taste, but I can honestly say I don’t think you will ever catch me walking around sipping on brandy.
We concluded the tour and caught the train back to Cape Town. Again, I really do enjoy trains. The scenery is wonderful and if they aren’t too crowded the ride is quite pleasant! Plus you can buy everything you need from candy to q-tips from the man that walks up and down the train car. How convenient.
Liz and I then made an attempt to attend the Hillsong- Cape Town church service. Our attempt was a bit of a disaster considering our cab driver got lost, charged us too much, and we were an hour late. We ended up at the Crystal Towers Hotel attempting to get a taxi back to Cape Town and when the taxi finally arrived we were so ready to get back to the boat. 10 minutes into the ride back I realized that I had left my phone at the hotel. Good one. The taxi driver was so wonderful though and whipped the car around, called the hotel, and had them bring it out to the front! WHEW. What a close call. I kept calling myself an idiot and told the taxi driver that my dad would kill me if he knew I lost my phone. He thought it was hilarious.
On the way home (for real this time) the sun began to go down and I relaxed and admired the orange sunset behind the black shadow of Table Mountain. It really was incredible.
I turn to comment to Liz when I notice that she is as pale as a white sheet. She hadn’t been feeling well all day, but in the taxi car she actually looked like she was going to die. We finally arrived back to Cape Town where I drug her to get something to eat at the mall food court. I figured she was just exhausted and dehydrated. I ran to the pharmacy and grabbed some electrolyte packets and forced her to drink them. Poor Lizzy was struggling! She finally ended up getting a bit sick (I’ll leave out the details) and felt much better!!!
That night there was a concert in Camp’s Bay that everyone from the West Coast was excited about. (apparently everyone from the West Coast has cooler music than those of us from the East Coast. Pshhh. To each his own). I decided to join up with the west coast kids and head to Camp’s Bay. It was such a pleasant taxi ride when all of the sudden I reached into my purse and noticed my wallet was missing. I had my chap stick and my cell phone, but not wallet. Grrrreeeatttt. I’ll make a long story short by saying- after crying to a taxi driver, and questioning a security guard and some homeless people, I was able to recover my wallet with everything in it. Sorry dad. I promise it won’t happen again.
Monday, February, 15, 2011
I woke up this morning to a call from Chris saying- “get up here you are going to miss the safari!!!” AHHHHHHH.
In record speed, I brushed my teeth and ran off the boat to join a group of people for a one day safari to Aquila game reserve.
The ride there was beautiful! I love the mountains- they look so incredible against a blue sky with a few white clouds.
We arrived at Aquila and ate a delicious buffet breakfast!! Next, our ranger Timothy took us for a drive around the reserve. I have been to the zoo before, but seeing these beautiful animals close up in a natural environment was AWESOME!
We saw ZEBRAS, SPRINGBOKS, OSTRICHES, WILDABEASTS, RHINOS, ELEPHANTS, ALLIGATORS, WARTHOGS, HIPPOPATUMUSES, AND LIONS!
My favorite animal was defiantly the lion!! I took some awesome pictures and hopefully I will be able to upload them sometime soon! They really are wonderful!
David, Chris, Armand, and I ate a delicious sushi lunch back at the Cape Town waterfront and then took care of some computer issues at the mall.
It was our last night in Cape Town L No one wanted to leave! We met at Mitchels and then headed to Mercury (something cool from the West Coast- called dub step (sp?) was playing).
Tuesday, February 22, 2011
Today Joellen and I walked around the Green market and just took in the sights of Cape Town one last time before heading back to the boat. We sat at a café and people watched for a while.
When we pulled away from Cape Town tonight I really almost cried. It was such a wonderful few days! I loved every minute of it!!!
I can’t believe we are already leaving Africa. It is going by too fast. I am looking so forward to the other countries, but I don’t want this trip to be over. I have loved the traveling we have done so far. Figuring out train stations and working past language barriers, it is all so new, but so exciting!
I LOVE LOVE LOVE SOUTH AFRICA!
GHANA!
Sunday, February 6, 2011
Today we arrived in Takoradi, Ghana at 0800. SO happy to end our 9 days straight at sea!
First on the agenda was a visit to the castles and slave dungeons of Cape Coast and Elmina.
We arrived at Elmina first.
The Portuguese first came to Elmina in 1471. The name Elmina is derived from a word meaning “The Coast of Gold Mines.” The city of Elmina sat at the heart of the West African Gold trade at one time. The castle itself has two names St. George castle and Elmina Castle.
I was confused at first as to why the building was referred to as a “castle.” The curator, George, explained that the building itself was originally built to trade goods. It wasn’t until the Dutch took over in 1637 that the store rooms of St. George castle were converted into slave dungeons.
Over 400 women could be held in the women’s slave dungeons at one time. They stayed at Elmina for 1,2, or 3 months. Conditions were terrible. The women were only provided with enough food to sustain them. They wanted them to be so weak that there was no chance they could fight back. Many died just waiting for the boats to arrive.
George showed us a cannon ball located in the middle of the courtyard between the dungeons. If a woman “misbehaved” she was strapped to the cannon ball in the middle of the blazing sun for hours at a time.
The governor of the castles would look down into the courtyard and choose women to rape. They were escorted up a trap door into the governors quarters (which were triple the size of the dungeons themselves.)
George then showed us “the gate of no return.” The gate was intentionally built narrow so that slaves didn’t have room to resist or fight back. Slaves were escorted out this small gate to awaiting boats and never returned again.
We then visited Cape Coast. Cape Coast’s economy was dominated by its role at the heart of the transatlantic slave trade throughout the 18th century. Much larger in size than Elmina castle, the Cape Coast Castle held 1,500 captured individuals at a time. 1,500 is about the size of my high school.
Upon beginning our tour of the Cape Coast Castle our guide told us that he hoped the Cape Coast Castle remained standing forever. Many people have petitioned for its destruction hoping to forget the atrocities of the slave trade. He said that it was not good to completely erase reminders of a painful past. We need to forgive, but never forget.
At the entrance to the Cape Coast dungeons is a plaque which was presented by the Ghanaian chiefs at a reconciliation conference in 1998.
The plaque reads-
“In everlasting memory of the anguish of our ancestors
may those who died rest in peace
may those who return find their roots
may humanity again never perpetrate
such injustice against humanity
we. the living. Vow to uphold this.“
There is a similar plaque at the entrance to Elmina castle. I found it very profound that the Ghanaian chiefs took responsibility for their part in the slave trade. Instead of passing all of the blame to the outside forces that invaded Ghana, the Ghanaian chiefs took their part of the blame and apologized.
We passed the stone and walked into the male slave dungeons.
The eerie feeling in the bottom of the dungeons cannot be explained with words. There was no light and no one spoke.
It was in the bottom of the pitch black slave dungeons at Cape Coast Castle that I was suddenly overwhelmed by the connection between the place I was standing and the Charleston market.
Growing up in South Carolina, I visited Charleston, SC and it’s famous slave market many times. I remember walking through the market buying jewelry and candy. I own a t-shirt that I purchased in the market many years ago. The same market the conjures pleasant childhood memories for me is the exact market that was a living hell for many people not too long ago.
Our guide told us that when the dungeons were cleaned many years after the end of the slave trade, 24 inches of waste were removed from the floor of the dungeons.
60 million Africans were taken captive. 12 million made the middle passage.
The massiveness of the slave trade is appalling.
To me, the slave trade highlights an ultimate evil- Man’s greed for money, power, and control. Chiefs betrayed their own people for money. Christian nations purchased slaves as property; something to be owned and exploited. It is scary to think that there were probably many people who didn’t think they were doing anything wrong. It is terrifying.
The sad thing to me is that there are many other forms of slavery still taking place all over the world. Just on this voyage we have learned of the child soldiers in Uganda and the enslavement of the Nepali school girls. The wickedness of slavery did not end when slavery was abolished in the United States.
Monday, February 7, 2011
Today I was supposed to be on a trip at 7:00am. At 7:02am my friend Katie starts banging on my door. She had been waiting on the bus and when 7:00am hit she realized I had probably overslept. For those of you not familiar was SAS trips. They aren’t joking around. The bus will leave you when you are late. She told the trip leader that she forgot something (me) and sprinted back onto the boat. What a dear!! I awoke and looked at my alarm clock, brushed my teeth and sprinted to the gangway. The bus didn’t leave me! WHEW! Close call! I blame it on the super bowl.
We headed three hours away to a rural village to work with Habitat for Humanity. My only job the whole day was to carry water from a barrel to help mix cement. Access to water is very limited in Ghana, making the process of building a house very slow. We worked with some Ghanaian men who laughed at us for commenting on the heat and did not stop working once to take a break. When we stopped for lunch, they didn’t. They worked so so hard and let me tell you the work was no cinch. My back was actually sore for two days from carrying the water back and forth.
We spent the next few days exploring the city of Takoradi. We spent a day and one night at Axim beach which was a wonderful way to bond with some of the SAS kids. Not too much to report.
One piece of advice if you ever travel to Africa. Don’t tell anyone your name. DEFIANTLY don’t write you name down on a piece of paper. 10 minutes later that same kid that you thought wanted to just be friends will walk up to you with a woven bracelet with your name on it. You will then be guilted into paying wayyyyy too much money for it.
Many SASers returned to the boat with bracelets.
Thursday, February 10, 2011
Today was our last day in Ghana. I woke up for an early FDP for women’s health and childbirth practices in Ghana. We traveled to the Cape Coast Regional Hospital.
The OBGYN Doctor Evans Ekanem greeted us and took us for a tour. The hospital we visited was a government run hospital that was considered to be one of the best in the region. It was an example for other hospitals… It was in very poor condition.
Here are some notes that I took from our visit to the hospital… I apologize for the randomness.
-Epidurals are not provided to women giving birth because they are too expensive.
-The average life expectancy for Ghanaians is 60.
-Abortions are not technically illegal or legal. The government turns a blind eye. If an accredited doctor performs an abortion it is okay.
-Many children born with mental illnesses die. They do not have the resources to care for them.
- Many women in Ghana do not care to attend family planning centers (which are provided by the government) because they are concerned they will be perceived by their communities as promiscuous. –lack of education
- Some women also believe that if their child is mentally ill they have done something to upset a goddess and they are being punished. –lack of education.
One thing I have learned on this voyage is the value of education in terms of developing countries. Education is vital to the improvement of developing countries in so many areas- including health. I have so much respect for my sisters who are both in the field of education. It is so so important. GO SK AND TY!
Random thoughts on Ghana-
Smells- Ghana reminded me of Haiti in regard to the variety of smells. Unique to the west of Ghana is the export of coco. One word to describe the smell of coco- potent. I still am not sure if it was a good smell or a bad smell… (maybe a little of both), but the smell of coco is strong and powerful!
According to our tour guide- “the best come from the west.”
One of my favorite things about driving around in Ghana is reading all of the signs for businesses. A few examples I noted:
“Lord Most High Beauty Salon”
“Showers of Blessing Food Market”
“In His Time Car Repairs”
hilarious.
I love the uniforms that the beautiful children wear. All of the different color combinations- yellow, light blue, navy, green. I love the way the big white smiles of the children contrasts against their dark skin.
The people of Ghana are so proud of how far they have come. Our taxi driver, Bob, confidently turns to me and asks me what I think of Ghana. I am so caught off guard all I can say is that it is wonderful. He nods his head and smiles because he is so proud of his country.
I wasn’t honest with Bob. I looked around and saw intense poverty. I saw children with no shoes. I saw women laying in filthy hospital beds with their new born babies unprotected from the filth. Some say ignorance is bliss.. and to a certain point I would say I agree… Many Ghanian people are happy and content.
In America we have something called the “American Dream.” Kids are asked their entire lives what they want to be when they grow up. I have never doubted that I could be anything that I wanted to be. We asked our tour guide on the way back from the hospital if Ghana had anything similar to the “American Dream”. He sadly shook his head no. He said that they try to encourage such things, but it is so hard because of what they face. We are so fortunate in America for so many things beyond just basic necessities. Not only do we have hope, we have the American Dream. We have the possibilities and opportunities that are so foreign to some places that they don’t even dare to dream.
Ghana is a country plagued by poverty. What is the best way to help? At what point does our helping become harmful? As I mentioned earlier, many Ghanaians are SO happy. They live their lives content in their villages. Attempting to “modernize” or “improve” their way of life with our way is not always the best option. Our way is not always the right way. I feel as if the best way to help developing countries such as Ghana is to help provide drinking water and other basic needs. Many illnesses and deaths result from simply lacking access to clean drinking water.
I am thankful for my time in Ghana. I hope I don’t forget a moment of it. I learned so much.
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