Day 1
Woke up at 7:30 to see small fishing boats outside of my window as we sailed down the Mekong River. We finally reached Ho Chi Minh City at 11 and I left for city orientation tour. Our first stop was the City Hall plaza which has a large bronze statue of Ho Chi Minh city and the City Hall building. Next we stopped to take photos of a large Catholic cathedral that was built during the French colonization. My favorite stop was the History Museum were we watched a traditional water puppet show. The stage is small pool where the puppeteers hide behind the set and maneuver brightly colored puppets like dragons, fish, and people. Lunch was served at a small local restaurant. We were treated to a full five course sampler meal with rice, squid, crab soup, and other traditional food items. The last stop on our itinerary was a visit to China town and the gorgeous Thien Hau Pagoda which has different incense burning for as long as a month at a time.
After dinner a few friends and I visited the night market which is about a 15 minute walk from City Hall Plaza. Everything is so cheap in Vietnam, especially dvds which cost around a dollar. I got a t-shirt for two bucks and my friend bought a normally expensive north face jacket for about 30 bucks.
The exchange packets offered by SAS give you larger dong notes which can be hard to spend/break in the market. I would recommend that people bring smaller (1 or 5) dollar bills because they are accepted almost everywhere in Vietnam and Cambodia.
Day 2:
I Woke up at 8 AM to hop on the first shuttle into town to find some internet. My friend Steph and I had to research places to stay in Kyoto. However, she had to leave for Cambodia at 11 so we only had a short time to find information. We returned to the ship for an amazing lunch of French fries. After a short nap I decided to wander around the famous Ben Than market to pick up a few souvenirs and Christmas gifts. After dinner I walked around town for awhile and ate ice cream before heading to bed.
Day 1 Cambodia
I am in the Cambodia group C which had the smallest number of participants. Groups A and B contained about 60 students each while ours had only 20. This made the trip go much smoother! With our small number we managed to leave the ship at 10 o clock sharp. The drive to Tan Son Nhat airport took only about 20 minutes and the actual plane ride took only 45 minutes. When we reached Cambodia we filled out our visa applications and headed to visit the Royal Palace and Silver Pagoda. The Royal Palace was built in the 19th century and it’s interior is largely modeled after French design. The temple includes a monument built for the kings sister who died of cancer at the age of three. After finishing our tour of the palace, we visited the National Museum of Cambodia which houses some of the most marvelous statues and artwork from the Golden Angkor age. This just worked to increase my excitement of seeing the actual temples! Next we drove to the waterfront to take a sunset boat ride on the Mekong River. As we were waiting to exit the bus someone points at the window and yells “elephant!” Sure enough, an elephant is walking down the street. The sunset was amazing! We were supposed to visit a local orphanage, but we were running extremely behind schedule due to traffic so we went straight to dinner instead. We were served a delicious meal which consisted of rice, squid, spicy chicken, and other local delicacies. After dinner we drove to the Sunway hotel where we would be spending the night. This is one of the nicest hotels that SAS has booked. Much nicer than the hotel we had in Morocco. A few people decided to go out, but because our trip left early the next morning I decided to take advantage of the hotels spa/massage service and crawl into bed.
Day 2 Cambodia
After eating the most amazing French toast our trip left to visit the Toul Sleng Genocide Museum. The building was originally a high school that was converted into a prison, called S-21. The compound is separated into 3 buildings. Block “A” contained 6x4 meter rooms that were furnished with small metal framework bed and consisted of shackles and a small ammunitions box for human waste. This is where higher ranked officials from the previous Lon Nol regime were kept and tortured. Normally, prisoners were tortured here and taken to a nearby location to be killed. However, when the Vietnamese invaded Cambodia the guards killed the last fourteen prisoners on site and quickly fled the premises. Seven people were allowed to live. Out of those seven, four are still alive today. The fourteen bodies were buried outside of the museum and a memorial was erected at the site. A Photograph is hung on each wall that was taken by the Vietnamese to show how the body was found.
Blocks B, C, and D consisted of small 0.8x2 meters cells divided by brick walls and contained only a shackle and box for human waste. The buildings are surrounded with barbed wire to stop people from committing suicide. As each detainee was brought in there picture would be taken as evidence for the Khmer Rouges leader, Pol Pot. The museum keeps all of these pictures and display and includes other pictures of many of the guards. Prisoners were held between 2-6 months. During our tour we were allowed to speak with one of the seven survivors that were allowed to live. After seeing the museum we drove to the killing field of Cheoung Ek. The site consists of large monument where the skulls of victims that were found are kept. When you walk along the trails of graves you can still clearly see the impression of bone. Teeth and other small bone fragments litter the ground. a The usual method of death was to dig a shallow grave, have the prisoner kneel on his knees, and bash his head with a blunt object. A few were shot, but the Khmer officials did not want to waste bullets and believed that it did not cause enough suffering. It is estimated that a total of 1.7 million were killed in all of Cambodia during this time. Many SAS’ers have tried, but it is impossible to truly convey how powerful this experience is. Everyone was at the verge of tears even before we had reached the killing fields. I would suggest that every future SAS student take this trip to Phnom Penh. It impacts a person in ways are simply impossible to describe.
After the emotional morning we spent half an hour the Russian market. I finally found the 3rd season of Psych that I had been searching for in Ho Chi Minh City. Lunch was served at a local restaurant and was similar to yesterdays meal. I have been consistently pleasantly surprised by how much I enjoy the international food. After lunch we drove to the airport and boarded a plane for Siem Reap. Our flight took a total of 45 minutes. After landing, we checked into our hotel. Once again our hotel was amazing! Our rooms even had a balcony! Unfortunately, we didn’t get much time at the hotel except very late at night/very early morning. After dropping off our stuff we left for our first visit of Angkor Wat. The temple of Angkor Wat is the largest temple built by the ancient Khmer civilization in the 12th century CE. The temple is every bit as impressive as in pictures. You can see the marvelous spires from miles away. To get to the entrance of the actual temple you must walk across a large stone bridge and through a gate. We only spent a short time here today because we will have a full guided tour tomorrow. I did have enough time to find the “echo” room which all Amazing Race fans should recognize. If you stand in a certain spot within the room and clap your hands or thump your chest, the noise will echo throughout the building. After finishing our visit of the temple we drove to dinner. The food was served buffet style and included a show by local dancer in traditional costumes. After that we headed to the hotel to get a short nights rest before an early sunrise visit of Angkor Wat.
Day 3
I managed to stumble out of bed and make it to the bus by 4:30 AM. The best place to see the sunrise and take pictures is at the very edge of Angkor Wats moat. If you stand in certain spots you can see a perfect reflection of temple. It was totally worth getting up at 4 AM to see. At 8 we drove to see another temple named Ta Prohm a.k.a the “Jungle temple“. The temple is largely kept as it was found in a state of “picturesque disrepair.” Over the years the trees have merged and intertwined with the stone temple. The place is similar to a maze and it can be surprisingly easy to lose your way. After visiting Ta Prohm we were treated with a full guided tour of Angkor Wat including the central part where you can best see the spires. We ate lunch at the hotel and checked out. We drove to one final temple called “Bayon” This was my absolute favorite temple we visited. This temple is famous for it’s marvelous stone faces. The temple is divided into three levels. The first two have the stone faces and other carvings while the uppermost contains the inner sanctuary. We drove to the airport and boarded our flight back to Ho Chi Minh City.
Monday, November 9, 2009
India
India Day 1
I awoke to find a layer of dust outside of my window. I Ate breakfast and waited to be called to receive my customs form and shore pass which I must carry with me at all times while in India. I left for the city orientation with my friends Sam and Maggie at 1. We saw St. Georges fort, St. Thomas’s cathedral, visited a few shops, and the most pretty Hindu temple I have ever seen. The temple was built to honor the god Shiva. We had planned to take a rickshaw after that and find a place to shop and use internet, but we decided it was too late and planned for tomorrow. Traffic in India is indeed horrible, but in my opinion, Ghana was worse! The sidewalk is very rarely used for walking. The majority of people we saw on the sidewalk were sleeping. I’m extremely glad that we were able to visit Ghana first. I feel as if I would not have been prepared for the beggers and sellers that try to swarm you.
Days 2 and 3
The next two days consisted mostly of shopping and wondering around Chennai. We hit two major malls: the City Centre and Spencers Plaza. The City centre looked like a typical American Mall with about 4 stories. Spencers Plaza however, looked like a warehouse with as many stores shoved together as possible. I bought the movie Slumdog Millionaire, the first two seasons of Psych, and the first season of Heroes. We also managed to find internet for 30 INR an hour. We were extremely lucky that only one of our rickshaw drivers tried to take us to a store where he would get a kickback.
India Day 4
Maggie and I had been planning on visiting the local theme park, MGM Dizzee World, for quite awhile. The port agent that is employed by semester at sea was running a special to rent a taxi cab for 5 hours (or 50 km) for the flat rate of 850 INR. We were told to book two hours in advance so we were up and ready to book the taxi at 8 AM. We told the port agent that we would like to book a taxi and take advantage of the 5 hour special. Of course, he barely speaks English and has no clue what we are trying to say. We finally grab the flyer with the 5 hour deal printed on it and tell him we are trying to get to MGM Dizzee World. He tries to tell us that it’s too far and we would have to pay 3000 INR because it’s in Mallamapuram. This is a total lie. Dizzee world is 25 KM away and halfway to Mallamapuram. Even if it was in Mallamapuram, there is no way we would ever pay 3000 INR to get anywhere in the surrounding areas of Chennai. We filed a report with the field office on how unreliable their port agent is and then tried to decide weather or not we still wanted to try and make it there. We decided to nap on it and make a final decision at lunch. After eating a great meal of pita bread and tiramisu cake we (and our friends Katie and Kareem) decided to try and find a taxi willing to take us there. As we were leaving the ship, we noticed that a different port agent was sitting at the desk. We decided just to see how much they would try to charge us. Surprisingly, this person said it would only cost 1700 INR for the entire trip. So we ended up paying the 850 we thought it was originally going to be. When we pull up to the park we are not even sure if it’s open. Turns out, half of the park is under construction. We could still ride on the majority of the rides though. Dizzee World was huge! It was also somewhat sketchy. We probably wouldn’t have agreed to ride these rides if we were in America, but we decided to chance it J . We ended up staying for a good two 1/2 hours and rode as much as we could. The type of rides were the same you would find in America: tea cups, roller coasters, ferris wheels, swings, etc.
India Day 5
Drove 2 hours to the temple city of Kancheepuram. The name “Kanchepuram” literally means “Golden City” and is one of the seven most sacred places of pilgrimage for Hindu’s. We saw a total of 3 temples in the morning. The first temple is named Kailasanatha temple and is adorned with beautiful Hindi paintings. The second is called Ekambareswara which contains a total of 10 stories and was built to honor the god Shiva.
The final temple was named Vaikuntanatha and is one of the oldest temples in Kancheepuram.
After seeing the temples at Kancheepuram we drove to Mahibalipuram for lunch and more sightseeing. Lunch was served buffet style and had some of the best spicy shrimp I have ever eaten. They also served ice cream for desert! The town of Mahabalipuram is ancient port city. The place we visited was a cave with carvings that depict daily life and mythological Hindu stories. The second monument we saw is called the Five Rathas and contains amazing life size stone carvings of elephants. The last temple we saw was called the Shore Temple located along the coastline.
Overall I was pleasantly surprised by how much I enjoyed India. The only real negative I experienced was the “hawkers”, who are people who try to sell you stuff on the side of the road. I don’t mind being bugged by a few, but at one point I had about 7 people following me and trying to sell me stuff. They are not dangerous, just extremely annoying
I awoke to find a layer of dust outside of my window. I Ate breakfast and waited to be called to receive my customs form and shore pass which I must carry with me at all times while in India. I left for the city orientation with my friends Sam and Maggie at 1. We saw St. Georges fort, St. Thomas’s cathedral, visited a few shops, and the most pretty Hindu temple I have ever seen. The temple was built to honor the god Shiva. We had planned to take a rickshaw after that and find a place to shop and use internet, but we decided it was too late and planned for tomorrow. Traffic in India is indeed horrible, but in my opinion, Ghana was worse! The sidewalk is very rarely used for walking. The majority of people we saw on the sidewalk were sleeping. I’m extremely glad that we were able to visit Ghana first. I feel as if I would not have been prepared for the beggers and sellers that try to swarm you.
Days 2 and 3
The next two days consisted mostly of shopping and wondering around Chennai. We hit two major malls: the City Centre and Spencers Plaza. The City centre looked like a typical American Mall with about 4 stories. Spencers Plaza however, looked like a warehouse with as many stores shoved together as possible. I bought the movie Slumdog Millionaire, the first two seasons of Psych, and the first season of Heroes. We also managed to find internet for 30 INR an hour. We were extremely lucky that only one of our rickshaw drivers tried to take us to a store where he would get a kickback.
India Day 4
Maggie and I had been planning on visiting the local theme park, MGM Dizzee World, for quite awhile. The port agent that is employed by semester at sea was running a special to rent a taxi cab for 5 hours (or 50 km) for the flat rate of 850 INR. We were told to book two hours in advance so we were up and ready to book the taxi at 8 AM. We told the port agent that we would like to book a taxi and take advantage of the 5 hour special. Of course, he barely speaks English and has no clue what we are trying to say. We finally grab the flyer with the 5 hour deal printed on it and tell him we are trying to get to MGM Dizzee World. He tries to tell us that it’s too far and we would have to pay 3000 INR because it’s in Mallamapuram. This is a total lie. Dizzee world is 25 KM away and halfway to Mallamapuram. Even if it was in Mallamapuram, there is no way we would ever pay 3000 INR to get anywhere in the surrounding areas of Chennai. We filed a report with the field office on how unreliable their port agent is and then tried to decide weather or not we still wanted to try and make it there. We decided to nap on it and make a final decision at lunch. After eating a great meal of pita bread and tiramisu cake we (and our friends Katie and Kareem) decided to try and find a taxi willing to take us there. As we were leaving the ship, we noticed that a different port agent was sitting at the desk. We decided just to see how much they would try to charge us. Surprisingly, this person said it would only cost 1700 INR for the entire trip. So we ended up paying the 850 we thought it was originally going to be. When we pull up to the park we are not even sure if it’s open. Turns out, half of the park is under construction. We could still ride on the majority of the rides though. Dizzee World was huge! It was also somewhat sketchy. We probably wouldn’t have agreed to ride these rides if we were in America, but we decided to chance it J . We ended up staying for a good two 1/2 hours and rode as much as we could. The type of rides were the same you would find in America: tea cups, roller coasters, ferris wheels, swings, etc.
India Day 5
Drove 2 hours to the temple city of Kancheepuram. The name “Kanchepuram” literally means “Golden City” and is one of the seven most sacred places of pilgrimage for Hindu’s. We saw a total of 3 temples in the morning. The first temple is named Kailasanatha temple and is adorned with beautiful Hindi paintings. The second is called Ekambareswara which contains a total of 10 stories and was built to honor the god Shiva.
The final temple was named Vaikuntanatha and is one of the oldest temples in Kancheepuram.
After seeing the temples at Kancheepuram we drove to Mahibalipuram for lunch and more sightseeing. Lunch was served buffet style and had some of the best spicy shrimp I have ever eaten. They also served ice cream for desert! The town of Mahabalipuram is ancient port city. The place we visited was a cave with carvings that depict daily life and mythological Hindu stories. The second monument we saw is called the Five Rathas and contains amazing life size stone carvings of elephants. The last temple we saw was called the Shore Temple located along the coastline.
Overall I was pleasantly surprised by how much I enjoyed India. The only real negative I experienced was the “hawkers”, who are people who try to sell you stuff on the side of the road. I don’t mind being bugged by a few, but at one point I had about 7 people following me and trying to sell me stuff. They are not dangerous, just extremely annoying
Sunday, October 25, 2009
Mauritius
First day in Mauritius:
We were docked in Mauritius and had the ship cleared by 8:30! Definitely the fastest time yet! I was lucky enough to be on the first “taxi” that was going to the waterfront. Mauritius has awesome taxis! Because Mauritius is an island nation and has a large number of ships docked across from the waterfront, they have a special taxi called a “water taxi.” It’s really just a boat with the word “taxi” painted across it. They cost $2 (or 60 MAR Rupees) to ride. I’m extremely glad that I took a large stack of one dollar bills from home. The taxis were fun to ride, but they were also somewhat a pain and kind of sketchy. The drivers wanted to wait until they had a large number of people so you could be just sitting for up to half hour until they decided to leave. I also heard a number of people say their taxi would stop halfway and the driver would try to charge them more money. Luckily that never happened to me.
The first morning I just walked around and looked at the different shops and places to eat. In the afternoon I went on a service visit to the Beau Bassin children’s village where children who are abandoned or taken from their parents go to live. They are situated in families of five-seven children living with a women to be their mom. Similar to the kids in Ghana, they were fascinated with our cameras. They loved taking pictures! We only had a short time to play with them though. I wish we could have stayed longer. After the visit I decided to stay on the ship and catch up on some homework and much needed rest.
Second day:
I didn’t buy any SAS sponsored trips for Mauritius and I hadn‘t planned on buying any. However, SAS has a “donation box” where people can donate the trips if they decide to not attend. Because I didn’t feel the need to see any “big monument’ I decided to just see what popped up in the box and basically take it hour by hour. I would advise any future SASer to keep a constant eye on the box while in port. You never know when an amazing trip will show up! Despite this, I ended up buying a ticket for the “Blue/Underwater Safari” trip. The trip description just looked to amazing to pass up. The trip was worth every penny and is now my absolute favorite trip that I have done so far. First we drove to the northern beach of Grand Baie which is where a ton of SASers rented villas. We were treated to a short presentation by a few activists who are concerned with how pollution and over fishing is affecting the oceans. After that we took a boat to where a submarine was stationed. I was lucky enough to get on a five person submarine which was completely see-through. The 10 person submarine had only small port holes to look through. Riding in a submarine is a completely amazing experience! The first thing I noticed was that my red shirt now looked completely purple. This is because infrared lights don’t penetrate the water. Some of the animals we saw on our “underwater safari” included: TONS of fish, an octopus, and an eel. My favorite thing that we saw under the water was a wrecked ship called the “Star Hope.” When I was little I used to be fascinated with the story of the Titanic so it was amazing to see an actual ship on the bottom of the sea. We wandered underwater for about an hour before we headed back to the surface. After we surfaced, we were treated to drinks and were presented with a cheesy “certificate” souvenir which included our name, the date, and which submarine we had been on. The day ended with some last minute shopping and a short water taxi ride back to the ship.
Day 3
I woke up very early this morning and trekked to breakfast. The previous day I had found a ticket for a trip named “adventure park”, but I wasn’t sure if I was really going to go because I was super tired. I’m glad I forced myself to go because it turned out to be an amazing trip. We left from Port Louis and drove to the southern part of Mauritius to begin the adventure park. The first part of the obstacle course involved rope bridges similar to the canopy walk I did in Ghana. However, I have to admit that I enjoyed these bridges more. There was no large net surrounding the entire bridge so it was actually possible to fall. However, everyone was hooked onto a rope that was suspended over the bridge so you could just pull yourself back up if you fell. The first few bridges had rope handrails to hold on to if you felt like you were going to fall and had only a few of the boards missing. The last two bridges had zero handrails and a limited number of boards to stand on. This was the easy part of the park.
After finishing with the rope bridges you went on to a second course. The first leg consisted of a few boards suspended every few feet with no hand rails. To get across you had to use a rope to swing from board to board. The second task was by far the hardest. This leg consisted of two large rope nets on either side of you, but nothing below you. To get across you had to place one foot on each side of the rope (which never stayed steady) and slowly pull yourself across. It may not sound difficult, but because the ropes wouldn’t stay steady you had to rely on mostly upper body strength to pull yourself across. The third leg consisted of “swings” (which were really small logs) that you had to stand on and swing/jump to the next log to reach the end. Next was a short zip line which was awesome. I only wish that the zipline would have lasted longer. The last leg consisted of literally two ropes (nothing more!) above and below you that you had to balance on and try to walk across. It was hard, but super fun. I have bad rope burn/bruises all over my arms and legs, but it was worth it. I’m posting this a week and half later and my upper body is still extremely sore!
After our tough workout we headed to Flic-en-Flac beach which is said to be the most beautiful beach in Mauritius. We stayed there for about an hour. During that time I mostly laid out and ate. The food in Mauritius is exceptionally cheap. I got some of the best pineapple for 15 rupees (30 rupees=$1), a bag of cotton candy for 10 rupees, and a big ice cream cone for 25 rupees. Three days was not enough time in Mauritius, but I suppose all “spring breaks” must come to an end.
We were docked in Mauritius and had the ship cleared by 8:30! Definitely the fastest time yet! I was lucky enough to be on the first “taxi” that was going to the waterfront. Mauritius has awesome taxis! Because Mauritius is an island nation and has a large number of ships docked across from the waterfront, they have a special taxi called a “water taxi.” It’s really just a boat with the word “taxi” painted across it. They cost $2 (or 60 MAR Rupees) to ride. I’m extremely glad that I took a large stack of one dollar bills from home. The taxis were fun to ride, but they were also somewhat a pain and kind of sketchy. The drivers wanted to wait until they had a large number of people so you could be just sitting for up to half hour until they decided to leave. I also heard a number of people say their taxi would stop halfway and the driver would try to charge them more money. Luckily that never happened to me.
The first morning I just walked around and looked at the different shops and places to eat. In the afternoon I went on a service visit to the Beau Bassin children’s village where children who are abandoned or taken from their parents go to live. They are situated in families of five-seven children living with a women to be their mom. Similar to the kids in Ghana, they were fascinated with our cameras. They loved taking pictures! We only had a short time to play with them though. I wish we could have stayed longer. After the visit I decided to stay on the ship and catch up on some homework and much needed rest.
Second day:
I didn’t buy any SAS sponsored trips for Mauritius and I hadn‘t planned on buying any. However, SAS has a “donation box” where people can donate the trips if they decide to not attend. Because I didn’t feel the need to see any “big monument’ I decided to just see what popped up in the box and basically take it hour by hour. I would advise any future SASer to keep a constant eye on the box while in port. You never know when an amazing trip will show up! Despite this, I ended up buying a ticket for the “Blue/Underwater Safari” trip. The trip description just looked to amazing to pass up. The trip was worth every penny and is now my absolute favorite trip that I have done so far. First we drove to the northern beach of Grand Baie which is where a ton of SASers rented villas. We were treated to a short presentation by a few activists who are concerned with how pollution and over fishing is affecting the oceans. After that we took a boat to where a submarine was stationed. I was lucky enough to get on a five person submarine which was completely see-through. The 10 person submarine had only small port holes to look through. Riding in a submarine is a completely amazing experience! The first thing I noticed was that my red shirt now looked completely purple. This is because infrared lights don’t penetrate the water. Some of the animals we saw on our “underwater safari” included: TONS of fish, an octopus, and an eel. My favorite thing that we saw under the water was a wrecked ship called the “Star Hope.” When I was little I used to be fascinated with the story of the Titanic so it was amazing to see an actual ship on the bottom of the sea. We wandered underwater for about an hour before we headed back to the surface. After we surfaced, we were treated to drinks and were presented with a cheesy “certificate” souvenir which included our name, the date, and which submarine we had been on. The day ended with some last minute shopping and a short water taxi ride back to the ship.
Day 3
I woke up very early this morning and trekked to breakfast. The previous day I had found a ticket for a trip named “adventure park”, but I wasn’t sure if I was really going to go because I was super tired. I’m glad I forced myself to go because it turned out to be an amazing trip. We left from Port Louis and drove to the southern part of Mauritius to begin the adventure park. The first part of the obstacle course involved rope bridges similar to the canopy walk I did in Ghana. However, I have to admit that I enjoyed these bridges more. There was no large net surrounding the entire bridge so it was actually possible to fall. However, everyone was hooked onto a rope that was suspended over the bridge so you could just pull yourself back up if you fell. The first few bridges had rope handrails to hold on to if you felt like you were going to fall and had only a few of the boards missing. The last two bridges had zero handrails and a limited number of boards to stand on. This was the easy part of the park.
After finishing with the rope bridges you went on to a second course. The first leg consisted of a few boards suspended every few feet with no hand rails. To get across you had to use a rope to swing from board to board. The second task was by far the hardest. This leg consisted of two large rope nets on either side of you, but nothing below you. To get across you had to place one foot on each side of the rope (which never stayed steady) and slowly pull yourself across. It may not sound difficult, but because the ropes wouldn’t stay steady you had to rely on mostly upper body strength to pull yourself across. The third leg consisted of “swings” (which were really small logs) that you had to stand on and swing/jump to the next log to reach the end. Next was a short zip line which was awesome. I only wish that the zipline would have lasted longer. The last leg consisted of literally two ropes (nothing more!) above and below you that you had to balance on and try to walk across. It was hard, but super fun. I have bad rope burn/bruises all over my arms and legs, but it was worth it. I’m posting this a week and half later and my upper body is still extremely sore!
After our tough workout we headed to Flic-en-Flac beach which is said to be the most beautiful beach in Mauritius. We stayed there for about an hour. During that time I mostly laid out and ate. The food in Mauritius is exceptionally cheap. I got some of the best pineapple for 15 rupees (30 rupees=$1), a bag of cotton candy for 10 rupees, and a big ice cream cone for 25 rupees. Three days was not enough time in Mauritius, but I suppose all “spring breaks” must come to an end.
Sunday, October 18, 2009
Neptune Day!!
Today I was woken up at 8 AM by the crew, who were all wearing different costumes, playing drums and cymbals and whistles. After a good breakfast (with some new type of yummy yogurt!) everyone met on the top deck for the Neptune Ceremony. For those that don’t know, the Neptune Ceremony is performed whenever a ship crosses the equator. A person who have never crossed the equator while traveling on a ship is called a slimy “Pollywog.” The purpose of the Neptune ceremony is to prove that you have become a seasoned sailor with the nickname “Shellback.” To complete the Neptune ceremony a person must swear to honor and respect King Neptune and his ocean domain. In addition, to show him that you are a true sailor you must have fish guts, or whatever else the crew manages to cook up, poured on you and you must kiss a dead fish. After that Neptune is pleased and you are able to be called a trusty “Shellback.”
Another optional aspect of Neptune day is shaving your head. Although I did not shave my head, a surprising number of people did. At least 15 girls shaved their heads today. The rest of the day was free to work on homework and hang out.
Sorry these are late and not as well written. My schedule on the ship has become increasingly hectic.
Another optional aspect of Neptune day is shaving your head. Although I did not shave my head, a surprising number of people did. At least 15 girls shaved their heads today. The rest of the day was free to work on homework and hang out.
Sorry these are late and not as well written. My schedule on the ship has become increasingly hectic.
Last day in Ghana
My final tour in Ghana was originally scheduled to leave in the afternoon but because the traffic is so intense and the drive was longer than expected, we had to leave at 6 AM. I managed to grab a muffin from the dining hall at 5:30 and headed for the bus. The ride to Kakum national park took about 3 ½ hours. After that we took a short 5-10 minute hike into the forest to get to their famous canopy walk ways which hang 40 meters above the rainforest. The seven canopy bridges are surrounded by a net so it was impossible to fall even though I felt like I was going to the entire time. After completing the walkways we had time to browse the local gift shop. I really wanted to buy a shirt that said “I survived the walkway” but all they had was XS and XL. No larges or mediums.
We then drove about an hour to Elmina slave Castle which is situated in Cape Coast. The castle was built by the Portuguese in the 1400’s to house slaves that were going to be sold in the Atlantic Slave trade. It was the first European structure built in Sub-Saharan Africa and is also the place were President Obama spoke during his visit to Ghana. Despite the areas horrific past, Cape Coast contains some of the most beautiful beaches and scenery in Ghana.
Something I haven’t mentioned about Ghana is the street vendors. I’m not talking about people who set up shop on the side of the road (although they have plenty of those!) Traffic is crazy and often a 20 minute drive takes around an hour or more so Ghana has people that actually walk up and down the middle of the road selling items. Most of the items are food like Plantain chips, chocolate, bread, water, etc. However, they also sell really obscure stuff like ironing boards, binoculars, phone cards, ties, etc. Multiple times our tour guide would leave the bus and buy things. At first I wasn’t sure to think about this, but by the last day I decided it was wonderfully convenient! By the last day all of us were buying items! I bought two bags of plantain chips and three authentic Ghanaian chocolate bars. I wanted to buy my dad an ugly tie for Christmas, but I didn’t see any people selling them except on the first day when I didn’t have enough money.
This is the first port were I experienced true major culture shock. In Ghana, especially in Torgorme village, I was truly a minority being a Caucasian. Children would often stop and stare as if I were an alien. They would also point and say the word for “white person” (I’m not sure how to spell it.) This is also the first port where I really wish we had more time
We then drove about an hour to Elmina slave Castle which is situated in Cape Coast. The castle was built by the Portuguese in the 1400’s to house slaves that were going to be sold in the Atlantic Slave trade. It was the first European structure built in Sub-Saharan Africa and is also the place were President Obama spoke during his visit to Ghana. Despite the areas horrific past, Cape Coast contains some of the most beautiful beaches and scenery in Ghana.
Something I haven’t mentioned about Ghana is the street vendors. I’m not talking about people who set up shop on the side of the road (although they have plenty of those!) Traffic is crazy and often a 20 minute drive takes around an hour or more so Ghana has people that actually walk up and down the middle of the road selling items. Most of the items are food like Plantain chips, chocolate, bread, water, etc. However, they also sell really obscure stuff like ironing boards, binoculars, phone cards, ties, etc. Multiple times our tour guide would leave the bus and buy things. At first I wasn’t sure to think about this, but by the last day I decided it was wonderfully convenient! By the last day all of us were buying items! I bought two bags of plantain chips and three authentic Ghanaian chocolate bars. I wanted to buy my dad an ugly tie for Christmas, but I didn’t see any people selling them except on the first day when I didn’t have enough money.
This is the first port were I experienced true major culture shock. In Ghana, especially in Torgorme village, I was truly a minority being a Caucasian. Children would often stop and stare as if I were an alien. They would also point and say the word for “white person” (I’m not sure how to spell it.) This is also the first port where I really wish we had more time
Saturday, September 26, 2009
Living in Torgorme Village
This trip has been one of my favorite trips of the voyage so far. The day started with an early breakfast at 6:30 and an hour and a half drive to the village of Torgorme.
I had no clue what to expect and I was certainly not prepared for what awaited us in the village. As we pulled up, little children ran along side the bus and waved to us. As soon as we stepped off the bus we were greeted by almost the entire village. They all clapped and cheered and welcomed us warmly as we walked to a row of chairs they had set up for us. In front of us sat the chief, oldest male in the village, and other important members of the community. On our right were the drummers and dancers that performed for us during the ceremony. On our left were the host families that we would staying with. Right next to us were little kids who were not involved in the ceremony but wanted to see us and watch the performance. They were apparently not supposed to be there because every time they saw the strict school teacher they would run away until they thought she was gone.
The first event planned was a traditional dance performance from the school children. After the performance we were called to shake hands with the chief and receive our new name within the community. A persons first name is determined by the day they were born. I was born on a Saturday so my first name is Ami. My last name (not sure how that was decided) is Dodzi (pronounced Do-je) which means endurance. We then received a bracelet from our host family and a handmade pot with both our names written on it.
After the naming ceremony we drove to a nearby army barrack to have lunch. Lunch today was almost identical to what was served at the city tour yesterday. It was even better the second day! It was about that time that many people, myself included, began to feel very sick. The naming ceremony took about 2 and a half ours and we were told to leave our stuff on the bus so no one had any water during the time we were sitting out in the sun. I felt much better after sitting in the air conditioned bus for awhile and drinking almost my entire water bottle.
After lunch I and my friend Lilah (who received the same host family as me) went to our host families house to spend the afternoon with them. My host family included parents with 4 children. The youngest child was only a year old. We watched them cook an afternoon snack called “fufu.” It’s made by taking cassava and plantains which are put into a pot and mashed for about 5 minutes by a large pole that looks somewhat like a baseball bat. After she smashed it up, she shaped it into a ball and put it into a bowl already filled with spicy soup. You eat fufu by pinching a small part of the dough off and dipping it into the sauce. Also included in the sauce are small (whole!) fish. Which was surprisingly tasty. Dad would love Ghanaian food. Almost every piece of food has the perfect level of spiciness.
When we were done eating we decided to play with the local kids. Lilah brought a jump rope to give them. They absolutely loved it! I really wish I had brought something to give them. They have almost nothing to play with. I saw one kid with a pack of cards, but that was all I saw. It was dangerous to try and take pictures because as soon as the kids saw the camera you would have 20-30 kids trying to get in the picture. Their reaction to seeing their picture was astounding. They all pointed and laughed and were just amazed by it.
Later that afternoon the 16 year old daughter took us down to the Volta river bank. At first we thought she just wanted to show us how they fish and how pretty the river is, but then we realized she wanted to take us to the other side of the village in a canoe! It only took about 10-15 minutes but it was a lot of fun. When we had reached the other side we walked around the village to see what a normal day is like. We saw ladies making pottery, a man waving a special type of colorful cloth called Kente (pronounced Ken-tay). Along the way she taught us some basic Ewe words.
Around 6 everyone gathered were the naming ceremony had been held to eat dinner while some people danced and played drums. Around 10 we went home and sat outside to watch the stars. There are very few houses with lights in the village so you can see the stars extremely well. I wish my pictures could capture how beautiful it looked. The room we slept in that night had only one bed in the room and nothing else. People were up and the roosters started crowing at about 3 am. However, I managed to sleep surprisingly well.
Everyone met in the town church at 7 for breakfast. They served us eggs, AMAZING sweet bread, and the best pineapple I have ever tasted. We also got a bit of bad news this morning. We were scheduled to hike to the Tagbo waterfall and see monkeys and be back to the ship by noon. Turns out we had to drive 4 hours to where we would hike and then another hour to see the monkeys. By doing this we wouldn’t get back to the ship until about 9 that night. We were given the choice to take a shuttle back to the ship or continue on with the itinerary. Today was going to be my only free time in Accra so I decided to take the shuttle back to ship.
Soon after we had left a lifelong learner, an older non-traditional student, convinced the bus driver to take us the Shai Hills Game Reserve. At the reserve we saw a family of baboons and a huge herd of antelope. I managed to get pictures of both, but the antelope one isn’t very good because they all ran when they saw us.
After seeing the animals we hiked to the top of the highest mountain that Shai Hills offers. It took about 25 minutes and was very steep. Although their was a path, this place is obviously not a big tourist attraction because much of the hike was straight up rocks. Once we arrived at the top of the mountain we entered a small cave. At the end of the small cave was an extremely tiny opening that you could reach by climbing straight up the rocks and squeezing yourself through the exit. I’m pretty proud that I managed to complete everything. I even have the bruises to prove it!
After our hike we planned to return to the ship, but of course nothing ever goes as planned. The bus refused to start. The driver messed with the engine for awhile but he still couldn’t get it started so we all had to get out and push start it. After that we were on our way home! We managed to make it back to the ship by 3:30.
I ate lunch, showered, and took the next shuttle into Accra. I didn’t do much except shop and use the internet because I have an early day tomorrow.
I had no clue what to expect and I was certainly not prepared for what awaited us in the village. As we pulled up, little children ran along side the bus and waved to us. As soon as we stepped off the bus we were greeted by almost the entire village. They all clapped and cheered and welcomed us warmly as we walked to a row of chairs they had set up for us. In front of us sat the chief, oldest male in the village, and other important members of the community. On our right were the drummers and dancers that performed for us during the ceremony. On our left were the host families that we would staying with. Right next to us were little kids who were not involved in the ceremony but wanted to see us and watch the performance. They were apparently not supposed to be there because every time they saw the strict school teacher they would run away until they thought she was gone.
The first event planned was a traditional dance performance from the school children. After the performance we were called to shake hands with the chief and receive our new name within the community. A persons first name is determined by the day they were born. I was born on a Saturday so my first name is Ami. My last name (not sure how that was decided) is Dodzi (pronounced Do-je) which means endurance. We then received a bracelet from our host family and a handmade pot with both our names written on it.
After the naming ceremony we drove to a nearby army barrack to have lunch. Lunch today was almost identical to what was served at the city tour yesterday. It was even better the second day! It was about that time that many people, myself included, began to feel very sick. The naming ceremony took about 2 and a half ours and we were told to leave our stuff on the bus so no one had any water during the time we were sitting out in the sun. I felt much better after sitting in the air conditioned bus for awhile and drinking almost my entire water bottle.
After lunch I and my friend Lilah (who received the same host family as me) went to our host families house to spend the afternoon with them. My host family included parents with 4 children. The youngest child was only a year old. We watched them cook an afternoon snack called “fufu.” It’s made by taking cassava and plantains which are put into a pot and mashed for about 5 minutes by a large pole that looks somewhat like a baseball bat. After she smashed it up, she shaped it into a ball and put it into a bowl already filled with spicy soup. You eat fufu by pinching a small part of the dough off and dipping it into the sauce. Also included in the sauce are small (whole!) fish. Which was surprisingly tasty. Dad would love Ghanaian food. Almost every piece of food has the perfect level of spiciness.
When we were done eating we decided to play with the local kids. Lilah brought a jump rope to give them. They absolutely loved it! I really wish I had brought something to give them. They have almost nothing to play with. I saw one kid with a pack of cards, but that was all I saw. It was dangerous to try and take pictures because as soon as the kids saw the camera you would have 20-30 kids trying to get in the picture. Their reaction to seeing their picture was astounding. They all pointed and laughed and were just amazed by it.
Later that afternoon the 16 year old daughter took us down to the Volta river bank. At first we thought she just wanted to show us how they fish and how pretty the river is, but then we realized she wanted to take us to the other side of the village in a canoe! It only took about 10-15 minutes but it was a lot of fun. When we had reached the other side we walked around the village to see what a normal day is like. We saw ladies making pottery, a man waving a special type of colorful cloth called Kente (pronounced Ken-tay). Along the way she taught us some basic Ewe words.
Around 6 everyone gathered were the naming ceremony had been held to eat dinner while some people danced and played drums. Around 10 we went home and sat outside to watch the stars. There are very few houses with lights in the village so you can see the stars extremely well. I wish my pictures could capture how beautiful it looked. The room we slept in that night had only one bed in the room and nothing else. People were up and the roosters started crowing at about 3 am. However, I managed to sleep surprisingly well.
Everyone met in the town church at 7 for breakfast. They served us eggs, AMAZING sweet bread, and the best pineapple I have ever tasted. We also got a bit of bad news this morning. We were scheduled to hike to the Tagbo waterfall and see monkeys and be back to the ship by noon. Turns out we had to drive 4 hours to where we would hike and then another hour to see the monkeys. By doing this we wouldn’t get back to the ship until about 9 that night. We were given the choice to take a shuttle back to the ship or continue on with the itinerary. Today was going to be my only free time in Accra so I decided to take the shuttle back to ship.
Soon after we had left a lifelong learner, an older non-traditional student, convinced the bus driver to take us the Shai Hills Game Reserve. At the reserve we saw a family of baboons and a huge herd of antelope. I managed to get pictures of both, but the antelope one isn’t very good because they all ran when they saw us.
After seeing the animals we hiked to the top of the highest mountain that Shai Hills offers. It took about 25 minutes and was very steep. Although their was a path, this place is obviously not a big tourist attraction because much of the hike was straight up rocks. Once we arrived at the top of the mountain we entered a small cave. At the end of the small cave was an extremely tiny opening that you could reach by climbing straight up the rocks and squeezing yourself through the exit. I’m pretty proud that I managed to complete everything. I even have the bruises to prove it!
After our hike we planned to return to the ship, but of course nothing ever goes as planned. The bus refused to start. The driver messed with the engine for awhile but he still couldn’t get it started so we all had to get out and push start it. After that we were on our way home! We managed to make it back to the ship by 3:30.
I ate lunch, showered, and took the next shuttle into Accra. I didn’t do much except shop and use the internet because I have an early day tomorrow.
Ghana day 1
Our ship is now docked in the portside town of Tema which is about 30-45 minutes away from Ghana’s capital city of Accra. We docked at 8:45 and managed to clear customs by about 9:50. Almost all of the day trips were leaving at 10, including mine, so it was a mad dash to get off the ship. Today’s agenda was a tour of Accra.
The first monument we saw on the tour was the University of Ghana which is the oldest and largest University within the country. Next we stopped and ate lunch at a local hotel. They served a dish called “jollof” (a type of spicy rice served with chicken) and potatoes. Ghanaian food is very spicy and very delicious.
After lunch we received a guided toured of the Kwame Nkrumah Memorial Park. For those that don’t know, Kwame Nkrumah was the first president of Ghana in 1960 (I believe, please correct me if I have the date wrong). He was overthrown with help from the American CIA in 1966. I’ve heard very mixed reactions to his time in office and I am very interested in finding out more.
Located right next to the park is the “Arts Centre” which is an open market somewhat like the Souks in Morocco. Although everyone in Ghana is much (much!) more friendly than in Morocco, I’m still not a big fan of the markets. I’m not a skilled bargainer and I like to shop around in quiet before I purchase anything. In these markets you constantly have people yelling and often pulling you (literally!) into their shop. The last place on our tour was the W.E.B Dubois Center for Pan African Culture. This museum was formerly the house that Dubois lived in during his last two years in Ghana.
Interesting Facts about Ghana:
One of the most popular forms of transportation is the Tro-Tro. These are minivans that have had their seats torn out to fit as many people as possible. I get Closter phobic just looking at a Tro-Tro.
Ghana was the first sub-Saharan African nation to gain independence in 1957.
Ghana is the size of the UK and slightly smaller than Oregon.
Ghana supplies most of the worlds cocoa.
There are over 50 languages and tribes within Ghana.
Ghana is divided into 10 regions. We are docked in the Greater Accra region. The village that I will be living in tomorrow is in the eastern Volta Region. This region contains the contains the Volta river and dam. On the final day, I will visit tour Elmina Castle located within the Cape Coast region. This region is in the southern most border of Ghana and is where President Obama gave his speech last July.
The first monument we saw on the tour was the University of Ghana which is the oldest and largest University within the country. Next we stopped and ate lunch at a local hotel. They served a dish called “jollof” (a type of spicy rice served with chicken) and potatoes. Ghanaian food is very spicy and very delicious.
After lunch we received a guided toured of the Kwame Nkrumah Memorial Park. For those that don’t know, Kwame Nkrumah was the first president of Ghana in 1960 (I believe, please correct me if I have the date wrong). He was overthrown with help from the American CIA in 1966. I’ve heard very mixed reactions to his time in office and I am very interested in finding out more.
Located right next to the park is the “Arts Centre” which is an open market somewhat like the Souks in Morocco. Although everyone in Ghana is much (much!) more friendly than in Morocco, I’m still not a big fan of the markets. I’m not a skilled bargainer and I like to shop around in quiet before I purchase anything. In these markets you constantly have people yelling and often pulling you (literally!) into their shop. The last place on our tour was the W.E.B Dubois Center for Pan African Culture. This museum was formerly the house that Dubois lived in during his last two years in Ghana.
Interesting Facts about Ghana:
One of the most popular forms of transportation is the Tro-Tro. These are minivans that have had their seats torn out to fit as many people as possible. I get Closter phobic just looking at a Tro-Tro.
Ghana was the first sub-Saharan African nation to gain independence in 1957.
Ghana is the size of the UK and slightly smaller than Oregon.
Ghana supplies most of the worlds cocoa.
There are over 50 languages and tribes within Ghana.
Ghana is divided into 10 regions. We are docked in the Greater Accra region. The village that I will be living in tomorrow is in the eastern Volta Region. This region contains the contains the Volta river and dam. On the final day, I will visit tour Elmina Castle located within the Cape Coast region. This region is in the southern most border of Ghana and is where President Obama gave his speech last July.
Sunday, September 13, 2009
Marrakech and Camel Ride
Day 1
I woke up to an awesome surprise at breakfast. Today they were serving Strawberry banana yogurt! It was delicious. The camel trek group left on the first bus at 8 am sharp for a four hour bus ride to Marrakech. I tried to stay awake and take pictures, but I fell asleep for the last half of the ride. Almost as soon as we left Casablanca we were in the countryside. Every now and then we would see a little village off in the distance, but no other towns. We stopped at a convenient store on the side of the road for a bathroom break/snack run. My friend Alyssa bought some kind of wafer cookies and Chicken flavored chips. They taste better than they sound!
We stopped to eat lunch just outside of the city. The restaurant was gorgeous! It had traditional Moroccan carvings on the ceilings and walls. It even had stain glass windows! I admit that I was nervous to try Moroccan food, but I liked it much more than I thought I would! The first course we were served was bread and a mix of different appetizers such as: squash, lentils, eggplant, and zucchini. The entrée was couscous with mixed vegetables and beef. The beef was good but I wasn’t crazy about the couscous. At least I can say I tried it! Dessert was sliced melons and grapes. After the meal we sampled the famous Moroccan Mint Tea. I’m not tea person, but it was pretty good. VERY sweet. One thing I should mention is that drinks do not come with the meal. You must order them separately. Water costs about 20 dirham (roughly $3.) Soda is 25 dirham (I think.)
After lunch we were split into two groups. The first group rode camels to a Moroccan house a few miles away. The second group took a minibus to the house. I was in the second group. When we arrived at the house we were served more Moroccan mint tea and pastries. Once the first group reached the house, the second group rode the camels back to the bus a few miles away.
Camel riding was awesome!! Before we could get on the camels, everyone had to put on a blue turban so our heads would not get sunburned (it also looks really cool!) Getting started was somewhat rough. Camels stand up on their hind legs first, so you feel like you are going to fall off the front of the camel! However, once you get going at a good pace it’s kind of peaceful. Luckily, almost everyone had well-trained and cooperative camels. Mine was perfect! Someone in our group asked if camels run. As I found out the hard way, yes. Yes they do. It was actually fun (and very bumpy!) to run. Once the camel ride was finished, we drove to the hotel where we are staying for the next two nights.
We had about 2 hours to spend in the hotel before dinner, so I turned on the t.v. and was pleasantly surprised to find we got CNN international in English! This is this first time I’ve been able to watch the news since we set sail from Halifax. It wasn’t until I turned on the t.v. that I realized it was September 11th. The story on the news was about a scuffle that broke out during an Anti-Muslim protest at large mosque in London.
Dinner at the hotel was…alright. It was a buffet style dinner with bread and multiple other types of food. I ate some kind of thick soup, rice, and chicken wrapped in some kind of bread.
Day 2
I’ve never been much of breakfast person, but it has consistently been the best meal of the day on these trips. I had a muffin with cinnamon and strawberry yogurt. Although we had to buy drinks at lunch and dinner. The hotel served free coffee, orange juice, and hot chocolate for breakfast.
After a steaming cup of hot chocolate, I was ready to start the day tour of Marrakech!
Marrakech is very different from Casablanca. Casablanca’s buildings are all white and the town is very industrial. Marrakech’s buildings are built with red brick and is very lively. Although Marrakech is less Marrakech is less modern, I prefer it there because there is more to see and do. Casablanca is a nice city but it seems like people are much more interested in the other towns like Marrakech, Fes, and Rabat.
We saw four major monuments on our tour. The first was the national library that is open to students. The second was an old place, named “Bahia Palace”, the third was a cemetery for past kings and their family, the fourth was Marrakech’s “Medina” which means “old city” in Arabic. Every city has its own Medina. Lunch was very similar to yesterdays. We were served almost the same stuff in addition to some type of beef.
After lunch we went to a store to do some shopping. I bought quite a few things and spent only 80 dirhams (roughly $12-14.) When everyone was finished shopping we went to a local pharmacy which showcased different oils, spices, and creams that are produced in Marrakech. The day ended with free time in the “Souk” which is the local (crazy) Marrakech bartering market. All the vendors are very aggressive and some will even try to follow you! Staying in a large group is the best idea. Especially if you are a female with blonde hair. The most aggressive people are the henna tattoo artists. It didn’t happen to me, but they will often just grab your arm when you walk by and start squirting the stuff on your arm and then expect payment. This is also where you can find the monkey trainers and snake charmers.
Dinner the second night was better. It was served buffet style again, but this time they had some kind of pasta and meatballs.
Day 3
After grabbing a quick breakfast, we got back on the bus at 8. We arrived in Casablanca about noon and had to stand in line for an hour while they searched our bags to make sure we weren’t trying to sneak any prohibited items on board. When I finally got through the line I decided to eat lunch and take a nap. I’m not sure what I’ll do tomorrow. Probably just stay in Casablanca.
Traveling in Casablanca is much more of a hassle than in Cadiz. Our port is located in a zone with all types of construction so we have to wait for a shuttle bus to take us closer to town. Also, we are advised to travel in groups of at least 4 or more people. It’s somewhat difficult to coordinate a group that large for travel while people have trips and other things they have to do. In Cadiz you could just get off the ship with a friend, walk a few blocks and you would be in the heart of the city. Anyway, we leave Casablanca at 8 tomorrow night and we have week of classes before we reach Ghana. I’m not sure what to expect for Ghana, but I’m very excited to find out what it‘s like!!
I woke up to an awesome surprise at breakfast. Today they were serving Strawberry banana yogurt! It was delicious. The camel trek group left on the first bus at 8 am sharp for a four hour bus ride to Marrakech. I tried to stay awake and take pictures, but I fell asleep for the last half of the ride. Almost as soon as we left Casablanca we were in the countryside. Every now and then we would see a little village off in the distance, but no other towns. We stopped at a convenient store on the side of the road for a bathroom break/snack run. My friend Alyssa bought some kind of wafer cookies and Chicken flavored chips. They taste better than they sound!
We stopped to eat lunch just outside of the city. The restaurant was gorgeous! It had traditional Moroccan carvings on the ceilings and walls. It even had stain glass windows! I admit that I was nervous to try Moroccan food, but I liked it much more than I thought I would! The first course we were served was bread and a mix of different appetizers such as: squash, lentils, eggplant, and zucchini. The entrée was couscous with mixed vegetables and beef. The beef was good but I wasn’t crazy about the couscous. At least I can say I tried it! Dessert was sliced melons and grapes. After the meal we sampled the famous Moroccan Mint Tea. I’m not tea person, but it was pretty good. VERY sweet. One thing I should mention is that drinks do not come with the meal. You must order them separately. Water costs about 20 dirham (roughly $3.) Soda is 25 dirham (I think.)
After lunch we were split into two groups. The first group rode camels to a Moroccan house a few miles away. The second group took a minibus to the house. I was in the second group. When we arrived at the house we were served more Moroccan mint tea and pastries. Once the first group reached the house, the second group rode the camels back to the bus a few miles away.
Camel riding was awesome!! Before we could get on the camels, everyone had to put on a blue turban so our heads would not get sunburned (it also looks really cool!) Getting started was somewhat rough. Camels stand up on their hind legs first, so you feel like you are going to fall off the front of the camel! However, once you get going at a good pace it’s kind of peaceful. Luckily, almost everyone had well-trained and cooperative camels. Mine was perfect! Someone in our group asked if camels run. As I found out the hard way, yes. Yes they do. It was actually fun (and very bumpy!) to run. Once the camel ride was finished, we drove to the hotel where we are staying for the next two nights.
We had about 2 hours to spend in the hotel before dinner, so I turned on the t.v. and was pleasantly surprised to find we got CNN international in English! This is this first time I’ve been able to watch the news since we set sail from Halifax. It wasn’t until I turned on the t.v. that I realized it was September 11th. The story on the news was about a scuffle that broke out during an Anti-Muslim protest at large mosque in London.
Dinner at the hotel was…alright. It was a buffet style dinner with bread and multiple other types of food. I ate some kind of thick soup, rice, and chicken wrapped in some kind of bread.
Day 2
I’ve never been much of breakfast person, but it has consistently been the best meal of the day on these trips. I had a muffin with cinnamon and strawberry yogurt. Although we had to buy drinks at lunch and dinner. The hotel served free coffee, orange juice, and hot chocolate for breakfast.
After a steaming cup of hot chocolate, I was ready to start the day tour of Marrakech!
Marrakech is very different from Casablanca. Casablanca’s buildings are all white and the town is very industrial. Marrakech’s buildings are built with red brick and is very lively. Although Marrakech is less Marrakech is less modern, I prefer it there because there is more to see and do. Casablanca is a nice city but it seems like people are much more interested in the other towns like Marrakech, Fes, and Rabat.
We saw four major monuments on our tour. The first was the national library that is open to students. The second was an old place, named “Bahia Palace”, the third was a cemetery for past kings and their family, the fourth was Marrakech’s “Medina” which means “old city” in Arabic. Every city has its own Medina. Lunch was very similar to yesterdays. We were served almost the same stuff in addition to some type of beef.
After lunch we went to a store to do some shopping. I bought quite a few things and spent only 80 dirhams (roughly $12-14.) When everyone was finished shopping we went to a local pharmacy which showcased different oils, spices, and creams that are produced in Marrakech. The day ended with free time in the “Souk” which is the local (crazy) Marrakech bartering market. All the vendors are very aggressive and some will even try to follow you! Staying in a large group is the best idea. Especially if you are a female with blonde hair. The most aggressive people are the henna tattoo artists. It didn’t happen to me, but they will often just grab your arm when you walk by and start squirting the stuff on your arm and then expect payment. This is also where you can find the monkey trainers and snake charmers.
Dinner the second night was better. It was served buffet style again, but this time they had some kind of pasta and meatballs.
Day 3
After grabbing a quick breakfast, we got back on the bus at 8. We arrived in Casablanca about noon and had to stand in line for an hour while they searched our bags to make sure we weren’t trying to sneak any prohibited items on board. When I finally got through the line I decided to eat lunch and take a nap. I’m not sure what I’ll do tomorrow. Probably just stay in Casablanca.
Traveling in Casablanca is much more of a hassle than in Cadiz. Our port is located in a zone with all types of construction so we have to wait for a shuttle bus to take us closer to town. Also, we are advised to travel in groups of at least 4 or more people. It’s somewhat difficult to coordinate a group that large for travel while people have trips and other things they have to do. In Cadiz you could just get off the ship with a friend, walk a few blocks and you would be in the heart of the city. Anyway, we leave Casablanca at 8 tomorrow night and we have week of classes before we reach Ghana. I’m not sure what to expect for Ghana, but I’m very excited to find out what it‘s like!!
Thursday, September 10, 2009
Morocco!
Morocco day:
I woke up at 8 am to see a giant rock outside of my window. After our long voyage across the Atlantic Ocean we are docked to refuel at Gibraltar. So I suppose I can at least say that I’ve “seen” the country of Gibraltar J . Global studies was (surprisingly) really interesting this morning. An Islamic professor gave a lecture about gender relations in the Islamic world. She’s teaching a class on the ship called Women and Islam. I wish I had taken that class!! After global studies I went back to my cabin and took a nap. I wanted to sleep until dinner, but I was required to watch a film about the underground hip hop scene in Morocco for my music class. I’ll be meeting one of the musicians featured in the documentary on our last day in Morocco. I managed to get a little homework done after dinner. It’s hard to believe we still have homework and required reading while we are traveling in countries from sun up to sun down.
We have only one day before we reach Morocco which is why today is called “Morocco Day.“ We have both the cultural pre-port and the logistical pre-port meeting tonight. I am exhausted! Although I am very excited for Morocco, I wish we could have another day to unwind from Spain. However, We GAIN two hours tonight! Yay!!
First Day in Casablanca, Morocco.
Ali and I woke up at 6:30 to get ready to pull dock in Casablanca, Morocco. For the first day I planned to do a city orientation which included a visit to the famous Hassan II mosque. It is the words 3rd largest mosque and was completed by the pervious king of Morocco in 1993. We were originally scheduled to leave at 1 o clock in the afternoon, but during the month of Ramadan the mosque is only open in the morning. So our trip ended being the first to leave when the ship cleared Moroccan customs at 9 o clock.
Ramadan is the Muslim holy month of fasting. During this month, Muslims are not allowed to eat or drink anything from sun up till sun down. They can only eat and drink after the sun sets. For this reason, many of the restaurants are closed (except in very touristy areas.)
The tour was supposed to contain a bus tour and a walking tour, but we didn’t get to do much walking because it was raining today. I’m amazed by the modern and traditional contrast of the city. In one block you can see people dressed in jeans and shirts eating a McDonalds. The next block over you can see people fully dressed in traditional clothes and pulling carts.
Visiting the Hassan II mosque was by far my favorite part of the tour. I have seen many grand European Cathedrals in both Spain and France. Although they are all gorgeous, it was nice to see a place of worship with such a different cultural design. During every pre-port meeting females were advised to dress modestly while in Morocco. Nothing that shows your shoulders or anything above the knee. We were also told yesterday that females were not allowed to enter the mosque unless they had their head fully covered. Turns out, we only had to make sure that our shoulders were covered. Most of us covered our head out of respect anyway.
Our last stop on the city orientation tour was to a local craft shop. Everything was very pretty but I didn’t buy anything. Most of the items were fragile pottery and I wouldn’t have a good way to get it home. It seemed like a fairly touristy shop so I’m sure the bus driver and our tour guide got a cut of the profits.
I have always been interested in how women are treated in other countries. Although women are still not quite treated as equals, Morocco is making great strides. The wife of the current king, King Mohammad VI, is the first royal female to have a full education. She is a computer engineer and even maintains a position in the government. Also, In 2003 women were granted the right to initiate a divorce. I was honestly surprised by how many women wore modern jeans and shirts instead of the traditional clothing.
After the city orientation I went back to my cabin and packed for next trip. I will spend 3 days and 2 nights in Marrakech. I leave at 8 in the morning and it’s about a 3-4 hour drive to Marrakech. Upon arrival we will eat lunch in a typical Moroccan restaurant and then depart to ride camels! I’m not able to take my computer with me so this blog will not be updated until I return on Saturday afternoon.
Interesting history fact about Morocco: It was the first country to recognize the U.S. as an independent nation in 1777.
Tuesday, September 8, 2009
Final day in Spain and a few observations
My final day in Spain was fairly uneventful. A few friends and I spent the majority of the day shopping around town. Every morning the city of Cadiz hosts a farmers market with all the fresh meat, fish, and fruits you could want. Except for strawberries! I looked everywhere and couldn’t find any. So much for my quest to eat strawberries in every country! I wish I could have bought a few bags of grapes for future snacks but we are not allowed to bring unopened (or fresh) food back onto the ship. We did, however, buy some fresh Churros. They were amazing! We bought a huge bag for only 2 euros. We couldn’t even eat all of them!
After we finished all of our shopping we decided to find some free wifi. My friend Kathy and many other SAS students were busy using skype. Although I’d heard of the program, I’d never actually used it. It’s really simple to use. I created my account, put some minutes on my account, and called my parents within minutes of downloading the program. It was sooo good to hear my parents voices! I wanted to call my sister but she was already at her job by that time. After everyone’s computers ran out of battery power we bought some ice cream and walked back to the ship. I’m currently waiting for the ship to set sail in about an hour. I think I’ll go to bed pretty soon after that. I have a 9 o clock Global Studies class tomorrow.
Observation #1: The biggest difference I noticed in Spain was with the transportation. The majority of streets within the inner city are very narrow. Most of them do not have (or have a very small) sidewalk. Cars and motorbikes drive fairly slowly and people are just expected to move out of the way when they see them coming. Other than that, people walk in the middle of the streets.
Observation #2: Unlike in America, the majority of stores do not open until 10 pm. Also, most stores close between the hours of 2:00-4:00/5:00 pm. This time in Spain is considered “Siesta” or nap time! My only real comment on this is: BEST. IDEA. EVER. I would love to have an expected time everyday to catch up on sleep.
After we finished all of our shopping we decided to find some free wifi. My friend Kathy and many other SAS students were busy using skype. Although I’d heard of the program, I’d never actually used it. It’s really simple to use. I created my account, put some minutes on my account, and called my parents within minutes of downloading the program. It was sooo good to hear my parents voices! I wanted to call my sister but she was already at her job by that time. After everyone’s computers ran out of battery power we bought some ice cream and walked back to the ship. I’m currently waiting for the ship to set sail in about an hour. I think I’ll go to bed pretty soon after that. I have a 9 o clock Global Studies class tomorrow.
Observation #1: The biggest difference I noticed in Spain was with the transportation. The majority of streets within the inner city are very narrow. Most of them do not have (or have a very small) sidewalk. Cars and motorbikes drive fairly slowly and people are just expected to move out of the way when they see them coming. Other than that, people walk in the middle of the streets.
Observation #2: Unlike in America, the majority of stores do not open until 10 pm. Also, most stores close between the hours of 2:00-4:00/5:00 pm. This time in Spain is considered “Siesta” or nap time! My only real comment on this is: BEST. IDEA. EVER. I would love to have an expected time everyday to catch up on sleep.
Monday, September 7, 2009
Day 2 and 3 of Spain
Day 2: Old cities of Arcos and Ronda
Today started at 9 am. We got on the bus and drove about an hour to the city of Arcos. The first thing I noticed about the city is that it’s built high up in the mountains. As is typical of Spain, Arcos had a grand old Catholic Church. Outside of the church, we saw the two cutest dogs! One looked like a tiny Yorkie. Yankee is probably three times his size! That’s how small he was. Someone asked and the guy said he was four months old. As I mentioned, the town is built on a hill. The church’s balcony looks out over the road WAY down below. It would have pleased even a balcony snob like my mother :).
The first thing we did in Ronda was eat a typical Spanish lunch at a restaurant called Sol Y Sombra. The tour wasn’t very expensive so I didn’t expect much of a “real” lunch. I was pleasantly surprised when we were served a full 3 course meal! First we ate some type of soup with rice and bread. The entrée was pork with some type of sauce. Custard pudding was served for desert. I’m not a huge fan of pork, but this was delicious!! I wish we could have eaten more of it!
Ronda is most famous for it’s history of bullfighting. Many of the locals claim that the “art” of bullfighting was created in Ronda. It just so happened that today was the last day of one of their festivals and a bull fight was planned for later that day! Banners were hung all around town and flowers placed on all of the statues of past famous bullfighters. Everyone was dressed in their best clothes. We saw many beautiful rich ladies wearing old Spanish dresses and veils. They rode on horse carriages through the city and into the arena. It kind of reminded me of a parade. I did some shopping and bought a shirt that says “Espana” and a few postcards. We arrived back to the ship around 7:30 that night. A ton of people are going back out to party tonight but I’m going to bed. I’m just not the type of person that can stay out until 4 in the morning and then get up and start the day at 8.
Day 3: Seville
The day started with an early wake up call at 8:00 am. I got up to eat breakfast (no raspberry yogurt today, just plain) then got ready for my day trip to Seville. The ride took about an hour and a half. I tried to take as many pictures of the countryside as I could, but I (along with everyone else on the bus) kept nodding off.
When we reached the city, we took a walking tour of the Alcazar which showcases the Muslim influences on Seville. This historic fort was built by the Moors in 913 and remained under their control until Fernando III (Christian) took over in 1248. Although it was originally a fort, it was later used as a palace. The place was huge (and we didn’t even get to see half of it, I’m sure.) It was one of the prettiest places I’ve ever seen. The blue and gold Arabic colors on the wall mix beautifully together. Of course, no palace would be complete without large and luscious gardens with fountains. Not just fountains, but pounds where multiple ducks had made their home. The ponds were even filled with fish! My words don’t really do the place justice. I’d advise everyone to look at my face book pictures once I’m able to upload them.
Our next stop was the Cathedral of Seville. It is the third largest cathedral in the world and houses the remains of Christopher Columbus. I didn’t know this, but he apparently requested to be buried above ground. His tomb is in the main room and is held up by four large bronze statues. Another impressive feature of the cathedral is it’s fully accessible bell tower, called La Giralda, which offers an amazing view of the city (hah, I sound like a travel brochure!) Before we started to ascend, I was unsure how many flights of ramps (there were no stairs, just ramps) we would have to climb. That’s probably a good thing. The total ended up being 34(!!) flights of ramps. I have officially strengthened my leg muscles for the year. However, the view at the top was totally worth it.
Around 1:15 we took a tour of the old Jewish Quarter and ate lunch. I’ve officially decided that I love Spanish food. We were served a sample platter with all types of different cuisine: chicken, ham, pork, bread, watermelon, asparagus, squid. Yup, I ate squid today! It was surprisingly yummy! After lunch we headed back to bus and drove back to Cadiz. Although the tour was great, I don’t feel that one day in Seville was enough. We toured much of the historic side of Seville, but didn’t get to see much of the modern side.
After the tour, I went to a park and used my laptop for awhile. I also watched the local kids play soccer. It’s amazing how many little kids are still out at 9 and 10 at night.
Sorry if this entry has a ton of typos and mistakes with grammar. It’s almost 11:30 and I am exhausted!
Today started at 9 am. We got on the bus and drove about an hour to the city of Arcos. The first thing I noticed about the city is that it’s built high up in the mountains. As is typical of Spain, Arcos had a grand old Catholic Church. Outside of the church, we saw the two cutest dogs! One looked like a tiny Yorkie. Yankee is probably three times his size! That’s how small he was. Someone asked and the guy said he was four months old. As I mentioned, the town is built on a hill. The church’s balcony looks out over the road WAY down below. It would have pleased even a balcony snob like my mother :).
The first thing we did in Ronda was eat a typical Spanish lunch at a restaurant called Sol Y Sombra. The tour wasn’t very expensive so I didn’t expect much of a “real” lunch. I was pleasantly surprised when we were served a full 3 course meal! First we ate some type of soup with rice and bread. The entrée was pork with some type of sauce. Custard pudding was served for desert. I’m not a huge fan of pork, but this was delicious!! I wish we could have eaten more of it!
Ronda is most famous for it’s history of bullfighting. Many of the locals claim that the “art” of bullfighting was created in Ronda. It just so happened that today was the last day of one of their festivals and a bull fight was planned for later that day! Banners were hung all around town and flowers placed on all of the statues of past famous bullfighters. Everyone was dressed in their best clothes. We saw many beautiful rich ladies wearing old Spanish dresses and veils. They rode on horse carriages through the city and into the arena. It kind of reminded me of a parade. I did some shopping and bought a shirt that says “Espana” and a few postcards. We arrived back to the ship around 7:30 that night. A ton of people are going back out to party tonight but I’m going to bed. I’m just not the type of person that can stay out until 4 in the morning and then get up and start the day at 8.
Day 3: Seville
The day started with an early wake up call at 8:00 am. I got up to eat breakfast (no raspberry yogurt today, just plain) then got ready for my day trip to Seville. The ride took about an hour and a half. I tried to take as many pictures of the countryside as I could, but I (along with everyone else on the bus) kept nodding off.
When we reached the city, we took a walking tour of the Alcazar which showcases the Muslim influences on Seville. This historic fort was built by the Moors in 913 and remained under their control until Fernando III (Christian) took over in 1248. Although it was originally a fort, it was later used as a palace. The place was huge (and we didn’t even get to see half of it, I’m sure.) It was one of the prettiest places I’ve ever seen. The blue and gold Arabic colors on the wall mix beautifully together. Of course, no palace would be complete without large and luscious gardens with fountains. Not just fountains, but pounds where multiple ducks had made their home. The ponds were even filled with fish! My words don’t really do the place justice. I’d advise everyone to look at my face book pictures once I’m able to upload them.
Our next stop was the Cathedral of Seville. It is the third largest cathedral in the world and houses the remains of Christopher Columbus. I didn’t know this, but he apparently requested to be buried above ground. His tomb is in the main room and is held up by four large bronze statues. Another impressive feature of the cathedral is it’s fully accessible bell tower, called La Giralda, which offers an amazing view of the city (hah, I sound like a travel brochure!) Before we started to ascend, I was unsure how many flights of ramps (there were no stairs, just ramps) we would have to climb. That’s probably a good thing. The total ended up being 34(!!) flights of ramps. I have officially strengthened my leg muscles for the year. However, the view at the top was totally worth it.
Around 1:15 we took a tour of the old Jewish Quarter and ate lunch. I’ve officially decided that I love Spanish food. We were served a sample platter with all types of different cuisine: chicken, ham, pork, bread, watermelon, asparagus, squid. Yup, I ate squid today! It was surprisingly yummy! After lunch we headed back to bus and drove back to Cadiz. Although the tour was great, I don’t feel that one day in Seville was enough. We toured much of the historic side of Seville, but didn’t get to see much of the modern side.
After the tour, I went to a park and used my laptop for awhile. I also watched the local kids play soccer. It’s amazing how many little kids are still out at 9 and 10 at night.
Sorry if this entry has a ton of typos and mistakes with grammar. It’s almost 11:30 and I am exhausted!
Saturday, September 5, 2009
The wonderful portside town of Cadiz
Hola!
My roommate and I woke up at about 6:30 this morning and headed up to breakfast. Breakfast was really good this morning. They had raspberry yogurt!! This may not seem like a big deal to anyone else, but they usually only have cherry and “plain.” Finally a change of food!
Everyone was outside trying to get pictures of the port but, It was still dark so most of the pictures came out blurry. All you could really see were a ton of lights in the distance. We finally docked at about 08:00 and Ali left to go on a trip to the Spanish coastlines plus a visit to Gibraltar. Their group was the first ones off. I left the ship with my friend Kyle around 9 to go explore the city. We were soon joined by his other friend, Cal. We walked around for about half an hour until Kyle told us he had to go back and leave for his “Churches of Cadiz” tour. We walked as fast as we could, but we just couldn’t make it in time. So we headed back to the city to explore and find a place to eat for lunch. We spent a good 3 hours walking around the town and beaches. The beaches are absolutely gorgeous! There is a long stone walkway from one of the old beaches out to an old fort, San Sebastian, which was built to protect the city against an invasion from the French. It was a good 10 minute walk out to the fort! Kyle dubbed it “The Little Wall of Spain.” The actual fort was closed so all we could do was get to the gate and turn around.
The Cadiz city orientation started at 13:00 and I didn’t want to miss it, so we tried to stay close to the port. Of course, things never go quite as planned and we got a little lost. We ended up almost on the other side of Cadiz (the town itself is not that big.) Luckily, we realized we were going the wrong way and hurried back the way we came. I got to the orientation meeting with about 5 minutes to spare. Whew!
The description of the tour says “part bus and part walking.” What they didn’t mention is that the bus portion lasts about 10 minutes and the other 3 hours is walking! We went to a lot of really cool sites. We saw the old official Cathedral of Cadiz and even went into the crypt. Halfway through the tour we were allowed some free time in a local market for shopping. I didn’t have time to eat lunch, so I was really hungry and decided to try some “local cuisine.“ I can officially say that chocolate gelato ice cream tastes wonderful in Spain :). The best part of the tour was visiting the Museo De Cadiz. In the Archaeological department they had a sarcophagi and an old reconstructed pit with skeletal remains. I took about 20 pictures of that. It was awesome!
When I got back to the ship around 5 o’clock my feet were killing me! I decided to go up deck and soak my sore feet in the pool. It felt WONDERFUL! After finally getting some food in my stomach, my friend Andrew and I decided to look for a free wifi spot to use our laptops. It turns out there is a park with free wifi about 5 minutes from the ship! It was awesome to finally use face book again. I tried to upload my pictures but it kept saying “error.” I’ll try again when I have free time on Tuesday. When our laptops died we decided to walk around and do some evening shopping. I bought 2 postcards and got a DBZ figurine out a small gumball type machine for one Euro. Leave it to me to find the anime in every country! I was exhausted by this point so we headed back to ship. My day ended with watching a documentary about the Christian/Jewish/Muslim influences on Spain.
Tomorrow I’m going to visit the old Spanish towns of Ronda and Arcos! I’ll be gone from 09:00-20:15 so the blog might be a tad late. I’ll do my best to get it posted by tomorrow night.
My roommate and I woke up at about 6:30 this morning and headed up to breakfast. Breakfast was really good this morning. They had raspberry yogurt!! This may not seem like a big deal to anyone else, but they usually only have cherry and “plain.” Finally a change of food!
Everyone was outside trying to get pictures of the port but, It was still dark so most of the pictures came out blurry. All you could really see were a ton of lights in the distance. We finally docked at about 08:00 and Ali left to go on a trip to the Spanish coastlines plus a visit to Gibraltar. Their group was the first ones off. I left the ship with my friend Kyle around 9 to go explore the city. We were soon joined by his other friend, Cal. We walked around for about half an hour until Kyle told us he had to go back and leave for his “Churches of Cadiz” tour. We walked as fast as we could, but we just couldn’t make it in time. So we headed back to the city to explore and find a place to eat for lunch. We spent a good 3 hours walking around the town and beaches. The beaches are absolutely gorgeous! There is a long stone walkway from one of the old beaches out to an old fort, San Sebastian, which was built to protect the city against an invasion from the French. It was a good 10 minute walk out to the fort! Kyle dubbed it “The Little Wall of Spain.” The actual fort was closed so all we could do was get to the gate and turn around.
The Cadiz city orientation started at 13:00 and I didn’t want to miss it, so we tried to stay close to the port. Of course, things never go quite as planned and we got a little lost. We ended up almost on the other side of Cadiz (the town itself is not that big.) Luckily, we realized we were going the wrong way and hurried back the way we came. I got to the orientation meeting with about 5 minutes to spare. Whew!
The description of the tour says “part bus and part walking.” What they didn’t mention is that the bus portion lasts about 10 minutes and the other 3 hours is walking! We went to a lot of really cool sites. We saw the old official Cathedral of Cadiz and even went into the crypt. Halfway through the tour we were allowed some free time in a local market for shopping. I didn’t have time to eat lunch, so I was really hungry and decided to try some “local cuisine.“ I can officially say that chocolate gelato ice cream tastes wonderful in Spain :). The best part of the tour was visiting the Museo De Cadiz. In the Archaeological department they had a sarcophagi and an old reconstructed pit with skeletal remains. I took about 20 pictures of that. It was awesome!
When I got back to the ship around 5 o’clock my feet were killing me! I decided to go up deck and soak my sore feet in the pool. It felt WONDERFUL! After finally getting some food in my stomach, my friend Andrew and I decided to look for a free wifi spot to use our laptops. It turns out there is a park with free wifi about 5 minutes from the ship! It was awesome to finally use face book again. I tried to upload my pictures but it kept saying “error.” I’ll try again when I have free time on Tuesday. When our laptops died we decided to walk around and do some evening shopping. I bought 2 postcards and got a DBZ figurine out a small gumball type machine for one Euro. Leave it to me to find the anime in every country! I was exhausted by this point so we headed back to ship. My day ended with watching a documentary about the Christian/Jewish/Muslim influences on Spain.
Tomorrow I’m going to visit the old Spanish towns of Ronda and Arcos! I’ll be gone from 09:00-20:15 so the blog might be a tad late. I’ll do my best to get it posted by tomorrow night.
Friday, September 4, 2009
Long post
Hey! I’m sorry that I haven’t had a chance to update my blog in a few days. It’s been a hectic last few days of classes. I’ll try to do better on updating the blog while we are in port.
Wednesday September 2nd. I think…
Classes at Semester at Sea are starting to get into a normal routine. I’m enjoying most of my classes, except for global studies, and I don’t think any of them are too tough yet. I got lucky with good classes. So far, I’ve just had a ton of reading, but I know at least one class already has a power point presentation due tomorrow.
I didn’t do much during this afternoon. My “B” day classes are over at noon so I took a nap until about 3. After that I went up to the top deck and studied next to pool. As the boat swayed, the water would shift to one side. It sounded like the way the tide recedes on a beach. It was very peaceful.
I went to one of the explorer seminars that night. Explorer Seminars are an evening lecture and discussion held by either one of the teachers or lifelong learners. They usually hold 2 or 3 different seminars each night. The one I attended was about noticing not just the cultural differences in the countries we visit, but really paying attention to the similarities as well. When I returned to my cabin, I got sucked into some British documentary about fish and oceans and finally went to bed. After tonight there is only one more night of losing hours!
Thursday
Today was extremely hectic! The Vicarious Voyage program had it’s first informational meeting tonight at 1745-1845 so I only had 15 minutes to eat dinner. We didn’t do much at the meeting except meet our group members, and find out which classroom we are connecting with (if we didn’t already know).
Afterwards, I attended the second meeting of the Alcohol Free group at 1900. The majority of us are going on the Cadiz City Orientation and have Friday free. We are not quite sure what we will do on Friday yet, but I think we will probably find a good restaurant to eat at.
I hadn’t planned on attending the LGBT group, but a few of my friends decided to go at the last minute, so I went with them. I’m glad we decided to go. There were quite a few (about 25) people. The Dean of Students, who is gay, talked about his sailing many years ago and how a group like this would never have happened. It was sad to hear how alone he felt.
At 2000 I attended the mandatory cultural pre-port meeting, which is where someone from Spain lectures about what to expect form the culture. Afterward, I had planned to watch a movie in the Union about the Jewish/Christian/Muslim regions of Spain, but I was exhausted by the time it came on. It usually takes me awhile to fall asleep, but not tonight. I was out the moment my head hit the pillow! Also, tonight is the last night that we will lose hours for awhile. YAY!
Friday(today):
The first half of the day was a fairly routine “B” day. I finished all of my classes and then took a nap until about 1600. After that I did something very out of the ordinary. I laid by the pool to get a tan! I only laid out for about 5-10 minutes but I’m sure I’m still going to burn anyway.
We reach Spain tomorrow! And we don’t have to lose an hour tonight! Just as classes start to become routine, we take almost a two week break. We will be in Spain for four days (Saturday September 5-Tuesday September 8). We have ONE DAY before we reach Morocco. This day is appropriately titled “Morocco Day” and we will have all the usual meetings we have before reaching a country. Everyone will have Global Studies class that day but all other classes are canceled. We will arrive in Casablanca at 8 am on Thursday September 10th and stay until Monday September 14th. Unfortunately, it’s back to the regular class routine after that. We don’t reach Ghana until September 22nd.
Bye all! Next blog will be from Spain!
Wednesday September 2nd. I think…
Classes at Semester at Sea are starting to get into a normal routine. I’m enjoying most of my classes, except for global studies, and I don’t think any of them are too tough yet. I got lucky with good classes. So far, I’ve just had a ton of reading, but I know at least one class already has a power point presentation due tomorrow.
I didn’t do much during this afternoon. My “B” day classes are over at noon so I took a nap until about 3. After that I went up to the top deck and studied next to pool. As the boat swayed, the water would shift to one side. It sounded like the way the tide recedes on a beach. It was very peaceful.
I went to one of the explorer seminars that night. Explorer Seminars are an evening lecture and discussion held by either one of the teachers or lifelong learners. They usually hold 2 or 3 different seminars each night. The one I attended was about noticing not just the cultural differences in the countries we visit, but really paying attention to the similarities as well. When I returned to my cabin, I got sucked into some British documentary about fish and oceans and finally went to bed. After tonight there is only one more night of losing hours!
Thursday
Today was extremely hectic! The Vicarious Voyage program had it’s first informational meeting tonight at 1745-1845 so I only had 15 minutes to eat dinner. We didn’t do much at the meeting except meet our group members, and find out which classroom we are connecting with (if we didn’t already know).
Afterwards, I attended the second meeting of the Alcohol Free group at 1900. The majority of us are going on the Cadiz City Orientation and have Friday free. We are not quite sure what we will do on Friday yet, but I think we will probably find a good restaurant to eat at.
I hadn’t planned on attending the LGBT group, but a few of my friends decided to go at the last minute, so I went with them. I’m glad we decided to go. There were quite a few (about 25) people. The Dean of Students, who is gay, talked about his sailing many years ago and how a group like this would never have happened. It was sad to hear how alone he felt.
At 2000 I attended the mandatory cultural pre-port meeting, which is where someone from Spain lectures about what to expect form the culture. Afterward, I had planned to watch a movie in the Union about the Jewish/Christian/Muslim regions of Spain, but I was exhausted by the time it came on. It usually takes me awhile to fall asleep, but not tonight. I was out the moment my head hit the pillow! Also, tonight is the last night that we will lose hours for awhile. YAY!
Friday(today):
The first half of the day was a fairly routine “B” day. I finished all of my classes and then took a nap until about 1600. After that I did something very out of the ordinary. I laid by the pool to get a tan! I only laid out for about 5-10 minutes but I’m sure I’m still going to burn anyway.
We reach Spain tomorrow! And we don’t have to lose an hour tonight! Just as classes start to become routine, we take almost a two week break. We will be in Spain for four days (Saturday September 5-Tuesday September 8). We have ONE DAY before we reach Morocco. This day is appropriately titled “Morocco Day” and we will have all the usual meetings we have before reaching a country. Everyone will have Global Studies class that day but all other classes are canceled. We will arrive in Casablanca at 8 am on Thursday September 10th and stay until Monday September 14th. Unfortunately, it’s back to the regular class routine after that. We don’t reach Ghana until September 22nd.
Bye all! Next blog will be from Spain!
Tuesday, September 1, 2009
A2
This blog is meant to be an accurate record of my journey. That includes both the good and the challenges.
First the challenges.
For perhaps the first time in my life, I am experiencing true homesickness. Nobody here has heard of Truman or Kirksville. Although I often email, not being able to hear my families voice (or bark/meow) has really hit me hard. Many people on this voyage most likely learned how to deal with homesickness during their normal “on land” college years. I, however, was never more than 5 minutes away from home while at college.
The other “challenging” aspect is the schedule. We are losing hours almost everyday. Yes, we will eventually gain all the hours back but that will be on the return voyage. It is this exhaustion that has prompted this somewhat negative blog post. Tonight is the first night of the voyage that we will not change the clock. People is the dining room all cheered when the announcement was made during lunch. After tomorrow, we will again lose hours for the next two days. I knew I’d be grateful for many things while on this voyage, but finally having a full 24 hour day was not one I expected. Despite losing hours, the days seem to be extremely long. It’s been said in other blogs, but you truly have zero sense of day or time while on the ship. I know it’s an “A” day but that’s about it.
Now on to the good!
My vision has returned to normal and I don't feel seasick without the patch. Yay!!
My multicultural detective fiction class was really interesting today. My teacher was born in Spain so he knows all about it firsthand. We talked about how much has changed in the last 30 years or so. Such as becoming more industrialized and moving from a dictatorship to a democracy. It was really cool to get a first hand account of someone who has lived through it.
The best part of the day was the BBQ to celebrate the 100th voyage! We had all types of food: burgers, hotdogs, baked beans, ribs, coleslaw, etc. It was the first time since we set sail that I felt really full. SAS also set up a huge banner in the 5th floor for everyone to sign. It will apparently be auctioned off at the end of the voyage. Well, It’s midnight and I have an early class tomorrow so I’m off to bed. Goodnight!
First the challenges.
For perhaps the first time in my life, I am experiencing true homesickness. Nobody here has heard of Truman or Kirksville. Although I often email, not being able to hear my families voice (or bark/meow) has really hit me hard. Many people on this voyage most likely learned how to deal with homesickness during their normal “on land” college years. I, however, was never more than 5 minutes away from home while at college.
The other “challenging” aspect is the schedule. We are losing hours almost everyday. Yes, we will eventually gain all the hours back but that will be on the return voyage. It is this exhaustion that has prompted this somewhat negative blog post. Tonight is the first night of the voyage that we will not change the clock. People is the dining room all cheered when the announcement was made during lunch. After tomorrow, we will again lose hours for the next two days. I knew I’d be grateful for many things while on this voyage, but finally having a full 24 hour day was not one I expected. Despite losing hours, the days seem to be extremely long. It’s been said in other blogs, but you truly have zero sense of day or time while on the ship. I know it’s an “A” day but that’s about it.
Now on to the good!
My vision has returned to normal and I don't feel seasick without the patch. Yay!!
My multicultural detective fiction class was really interesting today. My teacher was born in Spain so he knows all about it firsthand. We talked about how much has changed in the last 30 years or so. Such as becoming more industrialized and moving from a dictatorship to a democracy. It was really cool to get a first hand account of someone who has lived through it.
The best part of the day was the BBQ to celebrate the 100th voyage! We had all types of food: burgers, hotdogs, baked beans, ribs, coleslaw, etc. It was the first time since we set sail that I felt really full. SAS also set up a huge banner in the 5th floor for everyone to sign. It will apparently be auctioned off at the end of the voyage. Well, It’s midnight and I have an early class tomorrow so I’m off to bed. Goodnight!
B1
I started my other two classes today: Global Studies and History of Ancient China. History of Ancient China should be a fairly exciting class. It’s obvious that the teacher is very passionate about Asian history. Global Studies was alright. We talked about foreign outsourcing which was an interesting topic, but it’s my earliest class and the loss of sleep is starting to catch up with me. Not only that, the class is held in the main lounge at the front of the ship where you can feel the ships rocking more than any other place. It was a real struggle to stay awake. Luckily, I was done with all of my classes by noon so I decided to do what I do best: NAP!!!
Student activity groups are finally starting. I attended the first “Alcohol free voyagers” group meeting. There were about 10 of us in attendance and we decided to go to a Flamenco Dance lesson in Spain.
The day ended with my roommate and I watching Finding Nemo on our small t.v. I don’t think I’ve mentioned anything about our T.V. yet. We get 6 channels. The first channel displays the ships location, how fast we are going, how many miles we’ve traveled, etc. Channels 2, 3, 5, and 6 all show a different movie or documentary every day. Channel 4 shows the “Dean’s Memo,” which is basically SAS’s version of the carnival capers. It shows all the activities for the day, reminds people to keep their cabin clean, has meal times, etc.
Tomorrow SAS is holding a “100th voyage kickoff party.” Apparently there will be barbeque and a “mash up” dance where we wear mismatched clothes. After eating the same food for multiple days, I’m extremely excited for something different. Tomorrow is also the last day to sign up for trips in Ghana, South Africa, Mauritius (pronounced like vicious, the “T” makes an sh sound fyi.), and India. I only signed up for few trips which I will post when I find out which one I’ve been accepted for.
Student activity groups are finally starting. I attended the first “Alcohol free voyagers” group meeting. There were about 10 of us in attendance and we decided to go to a Flamenco Dance lesson in Spain.
The day ended with my roommate and I watching Finding Nemo on our small t.v. I don’t think I’ve mentioned anything about our T.V. yet. We get 6 channels. The first channel displays the ships location, how fast we are going, how many miles we’ve traveled, etc. Channels 2, 3, 5, and 6 all show a different movie or documentary every day. Channel 4 shows the “Dean’s Memo,” which is basically SAS’s version of the carnival capers. It shows all the activities for the day, reminds people to keep their cabin clean, has meal times, etc.
Tomorrow SAS is holding a “100th voyage kickoff party.” Apparently there will be barbeque and a “mash up” dance where we wear mismatched clothes. After eating the same food for multiple days, I’m extremely excited for something different. Tomorrow is also the last day to sign up for trips in Ghana, South Africa, Mauritius (pronounced like vicious, the “T” makes an sh sound fyi.), and India. I only signed up for few trips which I will post when I find out which one I’ve been accepted for.
Sunday, August 30, 2009
Day 2
Day 2
Last night I attended the activities fair. I didn’t sign up for much though because I’m already doing vicarious voyage. There was not a big variety of activities, but the dean said that many students choose to start clubs. One student is already working on starting an astronomy club. The ship would be a perfect place to see stars!
Today was fairly uneventful. Someone said that people had seen a dolphin today, but it’s probably just a rumor. I woke up at 7:30 to go eat breakfast. It’s true that breakfast is the best meal of the day on the ship. There is almost no variety of food for lunch/dinner. It’s not horrible, but you get sick of it pretty fast. After breakfast I went to the gift shop and bought a few t-shirts, a hoodie, and an SAS blanket. I spent a little more than I had planned, but I think it was worth it. The rocking of the ship has been CRAZY. It’s gotten to the point where things are sliding off our dressers and we have to keep one hand on our plate/drink at dinner so it doesn’t end up on the floor. Luckily, I’m still not seasick! I am however, feeling a little homesick. I’m not used to being away from home for an entire semester. I already miss my family, especially my furry family.
I started two of my classes today: History of Jazz and Multicultural Detective Fiction. I like both of them so far, but there is a ton of reading involved. Tomorrow I start my other two classes: Global Studies and History of Ancient China. We lose another tonight. I’m pretty sure we lose an hour every night until we Spain, in about 5 or 6 days.
Oh! I don’t think I’ve mentioned my ID number yet. I’m number 100. On voyage 100. I should get SOMETHING for that, right? :)
Last night I attended the activities fair. I didn’t sign up for much though because I’m already doing vicarious voyage. There was not a big variety of activities, but the dean said that many students choose to start clubs. One student is already working on starting an astronomy club. The ship would be a perfect place to see stars!
Today was fairly uneventful. Someone said that people had seen a dolphin today, but it’s probably just a rumor. I woke up at 7:30 to go eat breakfast. It’s true that breakfast is the best meal of the day on the ship. There is almost no variety of food for lunch/dinner. It’s not horrible, but you get sick of it pretty fast. After breakfast I went to the gift shop and bought a few t-shirts, a hoodie, and an SAS blanket. I spent a little more than I had planned, but I think it was worth it. The rocking of the ship has been CRAZY. It’s gotten to the point where things are sliding off our dressers and we have to keep one hand on our plate/drink at dinner so it doesn’t end up on the floor. Luckily, I’m still not seasick! I am however, feeling a little homesick. I’m not used to being away from home for an entire semester. I already miss my family, especially my furry family.
I started two of my classes today: History of Jazz and Multicultural Detective Fiction. I like both of them so far, but there is a ton of reading involved. Tomorrow I start my other two classes: Global Studies and History of Ancient China. We lose another tonight. I’m pretty sure we lose an hour every night until we Spain, in about 5 or 6 days.
Oh! I don’t think I’ve mentioned my ID number yet. I’m number 100. On voyage 100. I should get SOMETHING for that, right? :)
Saturday, August 29, 2009
Embarkation and Day 2
Embarkation turned out to be a fairly easy process. I woke up at the wee hour of 6 o’clock (That’d be 4 o’clock for all the American readers.), trekked to the ship, and waited to pass through security. Although the line looked long from a distance, people moved up quickly. Upon boarding the ship I had to pass through 8 “checkpoints.” These stations were just making sure that I’d paid all of my money, didn’t have any trip delays, and other general information. After that I was able to check out my cabin, #4151. My checked luggage arrived about 5 minutes after I did so I went ahead and started unpacking. Luckily, both of my suitcases fit perfectly under my bed. After getting settled in I left the ship to find my dad and get some lunch. We considered a few different places, but eventually decided to try some local subway. Then we walked down to the harbor front and back to the ship. I told him a final “farewell” and got back on the ship.
My roommate had arrived by the time I got back on the ship. Her name is Alison and she is from Baltimore. She seems pretty cool. I think we will get along fine. Me and a few of her friends went up to the top deck to socialize. I’ve met quite a few people, but I’m having trouble remembering everyone’s name. The muster drill was a pain. We had to stand in rows on deck 5 for almost an hour. After the drill was over we were ready to set sail. Although parents were not allowed very close to the ship, I could see my dad waving to me just outside of the pavilion. I stood outside watching land get smaller and smaller until we were finally completed surrounded by ocean. I was pretty exhausted by that point so I headed down to my cabin and went to sleep.
DAY2
Day 2 was the first day in a long time that I have actually eaten a real breakfast. I had a pancake, some mixed fruit, and scrambled eggs. It was delicious! So far, all we’ve down today is attend multiple lectures on rules. Most of the information was just common sense: Don’t plagiarize, don’t steal peoples stuff, etc. At 11:30 I went to deck 6 for lunch. It wasn’t quite as good as breakfast, but it wasn’t bad. The rice curry was REALLY good. After lunch we had another 3 hours of lectures. I was hoping to buy a few shirts today, but the store is closed until tomorrow. We lose our first hour tonight. I’m already tired as it is so hopefully my first day of classes wont be too bad. I know this has been said in every other blog, but it’s really funny to see people trying to walk straight while the ship is rocking. Luckily, the rocking doesn’t seem to be affecting me too much. In fact, I enjoy the rocking! The water is a gorgeous crystal blue and we’ve had mostly smooth sailing these past two days. There is an “activities fair” tonight. Next blog will be about my first day of class and the activities I decide to join.
My roommate had arrived by the time I got back on the ship. Her name is Alison and she is from Baltimore. She seems pretty cool. I think we will get along fine. Me and a few of her friends went up to the top deck to socialize. I’ve met quite a few people, but I’m having trouble remembering everyone’s name. The muster drill was a pain. We had to stand in rows on deck 5 for almost an hour. After the drill was over we were ready to set sail. Although parents were not allowed very close to the ship, I could see my dad waving to me just outside of the pavilion. I stood outside watching land get smaller and smaller until we were finally completed surrounded by ocean. I was pretty exhausted by that point so I headed down to my cabin and went to sleep.
DAY2
Day 2 was the first day in a long time that I have actually eaten a real breakfast. I had a pancake, some mixed fruit, and scrambled eggs. It was delicious! So far, all we’ve down today is attend multiple lectures on rules. Most of the information was just common sense: Don’t plagiarize, don’t steal peoples stuff, etc. At 11:30 I went to deck 6 for lunch. It wasn’t quite as good as breakfast, but it wasn’t bad. The rice curry was REALLY good. After lunch we had another 3 hours of lectures. I was hoping to buy a few shirts today, but the store is closed until tomorrow. We lose our first hour tonight. I’m already tired as it is so hopefully my first day of classes wont be too bad. I know this has been said in every other blog, but it’s really funny to see people trying to walk straight while the ship is rocking. Luckily, the rocking doesn’t seem to be affecting me too much. In fact, I enjoy the rocking! The water is a gorgeous crystal blue and we’ve had mostly smooth sailing these past two days. There is an “activities fair” tonight. Next blog will be about my first day of class and the activities I decide to join.
Thursday, August 27, 2009
In Halifax!
Halifax is a lovely place and the people are all really friendly! My dad and I spent the morning just wandering around the harbor looking at all the different ships and shops. Our hotel is about a 10 minute walk from the harbor. Although we couldn’t get very close, we could at least the MV Explorer! Don’t worry Nichole, I’ve already taken quite a few pictures. Along side the Explorer there are two other cruise ships docked. The Caribbean Princess and the Carnival Triumph.
After finding the ship we decided to eat at a small restaurant located inside of the pier. I just ordered a plain turkey sandwich and chips but it was still pretty yummy.
Later we wandered downtown just looking at different shops and possibly a place to eat for dinner. We found a really interesting store called the “Freak Lunchbox.” It sold all types of old fashioned novelty/joke items and different types of candy including Wonka Bars and Gummy Brains. I bought a delicious chocolate shake and an assortment of chocolate and gummy stuff to hopefully take on the ship.
I board the ship at 8 am tomorrow morning! I'll post about embarkation and ship life tomorrow.
After finding the ship we decided to eat at a small restaurant located inside of the pier. I just ordered a plain turkey sandwich and chips but it was still pretty yummy.
Later we wandered downtown just looking at different shops and possibly a place to eat for dinner. We found a really interesting store called the “Freak Lunchbox.” It sold all types of old fashioned novelty/joke items and different types of candy including Wonka Bars and Gummy Brains. I bought a delicious chocolate shake and an assortment of chocolate and gummy stuff to hopefully take on the ship.
I board the ship at 8 am tomorrow morning! I'll post about embarkation and ship life tomorrow.
Saturday, August 22, 2009
4 days to go!
It's almost time to set sail! I'm busy packing and trying to make sure I've got everything ready. My cats new favorite place to sleep is my large suitcase. She is currently sitting on my pillow and refuses to leave my bed. I think she realizes that I'm about to leave.
Visiting Hawaii is going to be awesome! Not just because it's going to be December and freezing in K-ville, but because I'm going on a Lost tour! I can't wait to see where they filmed my favorite show. The tour visits about 25 different locations such as: Jacob's Cabin, the tempest, the hill where they filmed all the Darhma van scenes, and even the beach where they filmed the initial plane crash! It's rare but the tours sometimes even see actors. Pictures on the site showed people meeting Terry O' Quin and Micheal Emerson. Season six starts filming on the 25th and lasts until April so I hope I get to see someone famous!
Visiting Hawaii is going to be awesome! Not just because it's going to be December and freezing in K-ville, but because I'm going on a Lost tour! I can't wait to see where they filmed my favorite show. The tour visits about 25 different locations such as: Jacob's Cabin, the tempest, the hill where they filmed all the Darhma van scenes, and even the beach where they filmed the initial plane crash! It's rare but the tours sometimes even see actors. Pictures on the site showed people meeting Terry O' Quin and Micheal Emerson. Season six starts filming on the 25th and lasts until April so I hope I get to see someone famous!
Wednesday, August 12, 2009
Two weeks to go!
Holy crap! It's hard to believe that I leave for my amazing voyage around the world in only two weeks! It doesn't even seem real yet.
Cadiz, Spain: Airmail no later than Aug 21st. Arrive Sept 5th.
Accra, Ghana: Airmail no later than Sept. 8th. Arrive Sept 22nd.
HULL BLYTH
Cape Town, South Africa: Airmail no later than Sept 19th. Arrive Oct 3.
John T. Rennie & Sons
Port Louis, Mauritius: Airmail no later than
Oct 1st. Arrive Oct 15th.
Ireland Blyth Limited Oct 1
Shipping Operations Department
No 6 Dr Ferriere Street
Port Louis, MAURITIUS
Ho Chi Minh City,Vietnam: Airmail no later than Oct 2oth.Arrive Nov 3.
General Forwarding Agency Oct 20
5th Floor Osic Building
8 Nguyen Hue Avenue
D. 1, Ho Chi Minh City, VIETNAM
I've bought most of the things I plan to take, but I haven't even started trying to shove everything in suitcases yet. How does one pack for enough stuff for four months in only two suitcases? "Packing" for my freshman year of college was a much different experience. My dorm was litterally a 5-7 minute walk from my parents house. Needless to say, I didn't do much "packing" at all.
I'm not sure how much free time I'll have, but I will try to update this blog as much as possible. Students got only 250 minutes (yup, minutes!) of free internet. After that it's 40 cents a minute. Luckily, we do get a free email address to use. Mine should be Arconner@semesteratsea.net
While on my journey, I'll be earning 12 transferable college credits. My classes all look pretty interesting, but we'll see how I feel once I start having to do work haha. I'm taking Global Studies, Multicultural Detective Fiction, History of China I, and History of Jazz.
I'm not used to getting and writing snail mail, but I'd like to ask people if they would send me short letters every now and then. I'm sure I'll go stir crazy if I don't hear from home for four months. When sending mail please mark “MV Explorer – Fall 2009 Voyage” on the first line and “Attn: Participant’s Name” on the second line. The Port Agent’s Address (from the list below) should be written on the subsequent lines. Here is the list of the places I'll be visiting and their addresses.
Cadiz, Spain: Airmail no later than Aug 21st. Arrive Sept 5th.Perez Y CIA S.L.
C/ Ecuador, 2
11007 Cadiz, SPAIN
C/ Ecuador, 2
11007 Cadiz, SPAIN
Casablan
ca, Morocco: Airmail no later than Aug 27th. Arrive Sept 10th.
ca, Morocco: Airmail no later than Aug 27th. Arrive Sept 10th. LASRY MAROC S.A.
30 Avenue des Far
20000 Casablanca
20000 Casablanca
Accra, Ghana: Airmail no later than Sept. 8th. Arrive Sept 22nd.HULL BLYTH
Seatec House / PO Box CO 214
Akosombo Road
TEMA
Akosombo Road
TEMA
Cape Town, South Africa: Airmail no later than Sept 19th. Arrive Oct 3.John T. Rennie & Sons
19th FLOOR
No.1 Thibault Square
8001 Cape Town, SOUTH AFRICA
No.1 Thibault Square
8001 Cape Town, SOUTH AFRICA
Port Louis, Mauritius: Airmail no later than
Oct 1st. Arrive Oct 15th. Ireland Blyth Limited Oct 1
Shipping Operations Department
No 6 Dr Ferriere Street
Port Louis, MAURITIUS
Chennai, India: Airmail no later than Oct 9th. Arrive 23rd.
J. M. Baxi & Co.
3rd Floor, Clive Battery Complex
4 & 4A, Rajaji Salai
Chennai 600 001, INDIA
J. M. Baxi & Co.
3rd Floor, Clive Battery Complex
4 & 4A, Rajaji Salai
Chennai 600 001, INDIA
Ho Chi Minh City,Vietnam: Airmail no later than Oct 2oth.Arrive Nov 3.General Forwarding Agency Oct 20
5th Floor Osic Building
8 Nguyen Hue Avenue
D. 1, Ho Chi Minh City, VIETNAM
Hong Kong/Shanghai , China:Airmail Oct 28th. Arrive Nov 11th.
Inchcape Shipping Services (HK) Ltd.
Inchcape Shipping Services (HK) Ltd.
Units 1802-1805, 18th Floor
N° 3 Lockhart Road
Wanchai, HONG KONG – CHINA
N° 3 Lockhart Road
Wanchai, HONG KONG – CHINA
Yokohama/Kobe, Japan: Airmail Nov 6th. Arrive Nov 20th.
INCHCAPE SHIPPING SERVICES
F Asahi Seimei Yokohama Honcho Bldg
36, 4-Chome Honcho, Naka-ku
Yokohama-shi, Kanagawa-ken 231-0005, JAPAN
INCHCAPE SHIPPING SERVICES
F Asahi Seimei Yokohama Honcho Bldg
36, 4-Chome Honcho, Naka-ku
Yokohama-shi, Kanagawa-ken 231-0005, JAPAN
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