mingalaba

It’s amazing how just a couple days or even a couple hours can do so much to change a person. Sights are seen, smiles are shared, memories are made. That is how Myanmar went for me. Everyone we passed on the streets was curious about us, but in such a friendly way. They’d smile, wave, and greet us all “hallo! mingalaba!” I was lucky enough to go on a trip that allowed us to meet kids at a small local school. We left the hotel in two rather sketchy buses (rusty exteriors, stained creaky seats, dirt everywhere) and traveled for at least half an hour down a bumpy dirty road. When we arrived at the village all the students were waiting to greet us in their green and white traditional uniforms.

The school consisted of an open courtyard area with open pavilions on one side for shade and an eating area. Buildings surrounding the courtyard held various classrooms. Our group was encouraged to draw, sing, and play with all the students. I did a lot of drawing myself. I would do my best to procure different animals and most of the students were able to say the English name. Then I would ask them to write their word in Burmese. One girl I worked with gave me her green and white hair ribbon. I took pictures with her. Boys outside played a game just like hackeysack, except the ball was the size of a kid’s soccer ball, hollow, and made with woven grasses. It was surprisingly heavy, but the kids used it just like the knitted sacks in the states.

Some of our SAS group had the opportunity to help the adults cook lunch for the students. I thought it was too hot to be anywhere near a fire, but I was eager to try the results. The students sat at low tables. They all waited to eat until we all got food. The kitchen area had a large pot full of chicken stew, another smaller one with something fishy. There was a giant bucket of rice. I opted for the rice and a bit of chicken. I saw the cooking women add about a pound of peppers to something, I passed on that. The meal was very good. We used spoons, but many of the kids used their fingers as well. I sat with some girls who seemed about ten. They spoke no English, but I think I managed to compliment one on her earrings. Soon after the meal our group made our way back to our buses with many of the local kids following. It was a difficult goodbye.

I was lucky enough to have another opportunity to spend the morning with kids. Though that experience was way different than the first. I signed up for a SAS program called a noviciation ceremony. The description included a brief recounting of a story of Buddha, how there was a prince who spent his entire life in his grand palace, not seeing the outside world and the suffering of the people until he was over thirty. It’s said he quickly renounced his secluded royal life style in favor of one more equal and helpful to the people and thus became Buddha. Young boys today go through a celebration to initiate themselves into monkhood. We saw four young boys all dressed like princes, riding horses and being carried on decorated platforms by others. We got to be part of the grand parade. I carried a plant, others carried flags, food, and other goods. There was music and dancers. We really didn’t know what to expect in our small group of foreigners. We just joined the crowd of a hundred or more people…and had a fabulous time. So much of that seemed so…old, a time honored tradition. But walking down the street near the monastery we passed people talking on cell phones, cars driving around, not to mention our group documenting the scene with pictures.

After the parade we were welcomed into the main room of the monastery by nuns young and old. The nuns were quiet, dressed in pale pink robes, and all had shaved heads. We took off our shoes, accepted cold juices, and found seats at tables and on the floor. The young boys changed their clothes out of the finery they’d worn moments before. They washed their faces and had their heads shaved. I am not sure what to call the man they brought to a chair in front of the boys, but he was elderly and in monk’s robes, definitely a leader within that community. He recited several chants and the boys repeated his words. I thought that would continue for longer than it did, but soon their chanting stopped and a nun brought the boys some cold sodas. Then the guide for our group announced that the boys would turn for photos, and that we could pose with them if we wanted. I am glad for the opportunity the others had, but personally I found that to be a bit disrespectful and declined. It was such a serious occasion. I thought for a while that it was a bit unfortunate that these boys weren’t acting like boys, the oldest once couldn’t have been more than nine. Well, perhaps it was only for that day.

What was most memorable about that day at the monastery was what happened after the ceremony was completed. We learned a bit about the daily life of these particular monks. They had certain rules to follow about how to act, to eat, to work. We were shown to a hallway with different stations set up with food prepared for the monks. So many of those men in robes walked past with their pots, accepting food from locals and from our group. So many walked past that my attention did start to wander…and I noticed two young boys in normal clothes (not robes) pointing towards me and giggling. When I looked their way, one dashed out of sight. I decided to investigate. That particular boy and I had that keep away game going for an hour. Many other kids, yet all of them boys, came over to interact with me too. We didn’t communicate much. I would try to say whatever they said. We made faces and shapes with our hands. I taught them the English words for different parts of the face. They had fantastic memories. One offered me some sunflower seeds. Another gave me a small package of condensed milk, apparently a treat for them. I slipped it subtly into the pocket of another boy. I asked one of the teenaged monks if he could take a picture for us. Thirteen boys joined me in it. I did not realize until later that the boy who started it all, the one who played stay away, was in the picture too, behind everyone else. I am so glad he is.

But the luck and joy I experienced in Myanmar did not end there. Not with the amazing people (especially children) I met, not with the delicious food I ate, not even with the luxurious hotel we stayed in the most charming traditional Burmese town right along Ngwe Saung Beach, did my wonderful experiences end with. While I could easily say that my time with the young boys at the monastery will be my most favored memory from Myanmar, it does not rest there alone. Right along side it in my head and my heart lie my recollections of my first up close and personal interaction with an Asian elephant. Her name was Zue an Lun and I was lucky enough to be last in line at the elephant mounting station and able to join to of my classmates on a short trek on her back through the jungle. She had a wooden contraption on her back that riders were meant to sit in. The handler rode in front, straddling her neck. Don’t worry, she was more than strong enough to handle all of us. I sat behind the handler, astride just behind her shoulders. Technically I was in the contraption too, but at first it didn’t feel like it. Elephants are big enough that as they step, your whole body sways from side to side, as opposed to just your hips when you ride astride a horse. Elephant riding, at least in that position, is very relaxing.

The area we rode through was just beautiful. I was able to reflect on that natural beauty as well as on how quiet it was, no sounds but the occasional camera click, the calling of the birds, and to quiet singing of our handler. Well, our group all rode in a line and naturally called to one another from various elephant backs, but it was easy to tune that out. Elephants are truly fantastic creatures. I have never seen such powerful, graceful, yet gentle animals. Of course they are capable of being anything but gentle too. Yet that day, nothing could (and nothing did) go wrong. The ride ended and, as I have so often felt when dismounting horses, I did not want to get off. Saying goodbye was even harder, but thankfully that did not happen for a while. After the ride we had the option of feeding the elephants some sugar cane (it’s amazing the way they can crunch that stuff, it is about the consistency of a bamboo rod) and of course to take more pictures. While elephants are definitely beautiful, their trunks are really weird. Fantastic, but weird. The can curve and bend any way they want. It is like an octopus arm or something. When I took a couple photos near Zue an Lun’s head, I was a bit nervous over what just might do with that trunk.

All she did was reach for the sugar cane that was being handed out. I could see the look in her eyes, it truly was so kind and wise. I really can’t explain it better than that. My first elephant experience, I will never, ever forget. I highly recommend that if the opportunity should ever arise, elephant interactions should definitely happen to everyone. Believe it or not, elephants now have just as much a place in my heart as horses do. And for me, that is saying something. While elephants may not be a feasible aspect of my life (as I plan to make horses be) they are most absolutely a treasured part of my memories.

And that, ladies and gentlemen, was Myanmar.

Singapore

The beginning part of this story is a homework assignment I turned in for my anthropology class. The parts about the second day in Singapore I added later.

My friend convinced me that visiting Universal Studios Singapore would be a lot of fun. He didn’t object when I asked if I could go with him. We agreed to meet the first morning in Singapore just after customs. So off I went down the gangway, back up the stairs, down the long hallway, through the customs line, and into that shopping mall lobby or whatever it was. It was pretty chaotic with all the groups meeting there. But soon I found my friend and off we went to find the tickets for the park. We got lost in the first building but eventually found our way to the ticket counter. I was starting to get pretty excited, rides sounded like a lot of fun. I had several reasons for agreeing to go there instead of visiting typical Singapore tourist places. Vietnam had been a very, very different country. I enjoyed my visit a lot, but I was really ready for something more familiar. I knew that Burma again would be different, so I thought I would see some more western themed things in Singapore as a nice break. I am very happy with the decision I made.

We needed to take a monorail train to get to the park on Sentosa island. There was a huge crowd of people waiting, I think we were the only westerners in that line. We made it on the second train that came. It was pretty crowded, but no one was super pushy or rude. We got of the monorail at the first stop with no problem and found the entrance to Universal. It was almost exactly the same as the Universal I had gone to in Florida a couple years back. The whole place did feel like the United States. The park had different rides than I had been on before, but the processes were very similar. The crowds, the lines, the effects, the characters. We went on the Revenge of the Mummy ride and enjoyed it so much we came back to do it again. The second time these local kids were behind us in the ride’s car. They were pretty annoying, actually. They weren’t freaked, but would scream as loud as they could anyway, and not in a nice way. At first we didn’t care, but they did it the whole time. Later we decided to go again, and they same boys were there but this time they were in front of us. One of them hid behind a corner and jumped out to scare me. It wasn’t a big deal, but I still really don’t like people doing that. They cut in the line soon after that and I was glad that we wouldn’t be near them anymore. The best part was that even though they cut, we still got to go in front of them on the ride. It was so much fun. I got a great picture out of the ride. My friend and I were sitting next to two young people from Britain in the front row. Behind us the entire car had local people in it.

We spent the whole day at Universal, going on various rides and seeing the different shows. Around the time the park was supposed to close, we went to a restaurant for dinner. I didn’t know we weren’t supposed to give tips to waiters but I found out before it was time to pay. My friend said he felt bad asking for extra stuff because of that, they couldn’t get anything extra themselves. But I didn’t really mind, I never asked for anything unreasonable at all and I knew that the staff still had to do their job. I showed my appreciation with smiles and verbal thanks.

The weirdest thing that happened that day was the ice cream parlor we decided to visit. It had a science lab theme. The glass counter showed large beakers full of various colored liquids. We guessed this would be what the ice cream was made out of. The workers all wore lab coats and would pour the ingredients into normal kitchen mixers, but something they put in it made lots of smoke, like dry ice. The toppings were all in test tubes and the steam was all over the counter. My friend ordered the weird flavor of red bull. I chose rum raisin. I was glad that there were no actual raisins when I was served. The ice cream was pretty different. My friend really liked his. Mine was okay. The lady who made ours was very nice. The parlor was busy though so she didn’t have time to talk. She smiled at us a lot and asked us if everything was okay. Of course, we said it was.

That day in Singapore really did not feel like an extremely different place. I think the people there like it that way, to be so modern and westernized. We all have different cultures and experiences, that is definitely true. We are not all the same. But we are all very similar. We are the same species, after all. Sentosa island has many different amusement areas, not just Universal. That evening after Universal we walked around the island some. We passed a large indoor skydiving building. We saw the large lion fish statue that is a landmark for Singapore (I can’t remember what it was called, maybe just Merlion). We passed a beach bar that seemed to have quite a few westerners playing pool. There were neon signs for different kinds of beer, and an American country rock song playing. Just a couple blocks away was a celebration on the beach involving people from India. They had the proper dress and hairstyles and the music sounded very Indian. I really wanted to join them, they looked like they were having so much fun.

We had to get back to the ship though and I really wasn’t that comfortable party crashing a bunch of strangers. But my day in Universal Singapore was a lot of fun. It was definitely an important part of the city of Singapore and I am so glad I went. I took my camera with me to the park and I got some good videos. We saw the parade the park put on in the afternoon. The participants saw that I was filming them and made a point of doing some fun action so I got a lot of good footage. It was nice to go over those and remember how I spent the day.

The next day I joined another friend of mine for breakfast on the ship. We were meeting to go together to Jurong Bird Park. We needed to take the public transportation system to get to that area of the city. The system and the machines were even nicer than those in Japan. The ride seemed very short. One thing that really stood out to me was the different names of the station. Redhill and Clemente stood out. It seemed to have international influences. Once we got to the last station, we needed to find a cab. There was no queue and we had to wait for a while for one to show up, but one did and we took it to the bird park entrance.

It was an absolutely fantastic establishment and led to an equally fantastic day. First we visited the owls. They had many different species, most from the area around Singapore but some from far off places. I learned something about snowy owls: the males are often pure white in their plumage, the females are heavily speckled with brown. It made me wonder if they didn’t use a male owl for Hedwig in the Harry Potter movies. I also didn’t realize just how good owl’s ears work. They can hear mice stepping on twigs from yards away. All the visitors to that exhibit were probably very loud to them. They are probably used to it. Next we visited the penguins. We got to see their feeding time. One stood out as she was all brown. The handler said she was younger and not fully molted yet. Her name was Chocolate.

After visiting the rest of the penguins (I got very excited when I saw one species was named after Alexander von Humboldt) we went to the park’s fancy fliers show. We saw pelicans, parrots, flamingoes, and hornbills. They had the parrots flying while they talked about deforestation. It made me tear up a bit…which I do feel was perhaps their intention, to try to make audiences care more. I heard the best advice I have ever heard with regards to the environment. One of the men said that to make a difference, everyone needs to buy less of everything. I’ve had that concept in mind for a while, but it was the first time I had ever heard that announced so publicly. Then we walked around the rest of the park. We ate an interesting lunch of food that really reminded me of Indian food.

Both of us decided to pass up the predatory birds, we have many falcons and eagles in the states. The prehistoric bird exhibits were really interesting but the best part was the tropical bird area. The enclosure was very green and vibrant with trees and the fences were just mesh. They built platforms and walkways at the level of the canopy and the birds were so, so striking. We got some absolutely fantastic photos. One bird flew down and passed me right in my face to land on the railing. People had the option to buy food for the birds and many did, so the birds had no fear of us visitors.

I was feeling very warm in the sun at that time so I got an ice cream bar. I think they have the same brand in the states cause it looked familiar. This makes me happy because that was the best ice cream bar I have ever had. It was probably just because of the heat but it did much to revitalize me. Anyway, the heat was pretty intense and we had seen most of what the park had to offer, so we decided to head back to the ship, after a brief stop for souvenirs. The park entrance had a queue for taxis. There were so many people in line, I thought it would take forever. Thankfully the area was shaded and there were fans and the line went faster than I expected. Our driver was a bit abrupt for some reason. Traffic in Singapore was way better than in China and Vietnam. He got us to a train station but it wasn’t the same one we had arrived at. I was falling asleep on the train back.

Getting back through customs was no problem. We got turned around trying to find our way back to the port terminal section. We stumbled upon a grocery store in the middle of the mall and picked up some snacks for the voyage. It’s been a couple days since as I write this and most of what I got is gone now. My friend got candy and finished all of it before I finished mine. Once I got back on the ship I felt too tired to do anything. I got a tropical smoothie and found a deck chair in the shade to rest on. On ship time was at that point just a couple hours away. I enjoyed watching the water in the harbor and seeing the lights of Singapore as we sailed away. It would have been nice to have had more time there, but I definitely had a fantastic visit with the time I had.

Written for 24 February 2014

Vietnam

Vietnam is hot. Hot and humid. At least it was in the south, where I spent my six days. When we were allowed to disembark on February 14 (happy Valentine’s day…) I was prepared. I wore conservative yet colorful shorts - the only kind I brought on this voyage – and my best light fabric t shirt. I had a ball cap, sunglasses, a full cold water bottle, and lots of sunscreen. I did wear sandals, but a kind that was good for walking. And off we went, my group of five friends and one person who tagged along for fun. Our goal was to see the major sights of Saigon. The proper term these days is Ho Chi Minh City, that’s what’s on all the new maps. But most people I heard referred to it as Saigon and that was the name on most of the signs.

(An important note: I had, overall, a pretty great time in Vietnam. But there was a lot about the visit that was very difficult. I couldn’t leave it out as it did add to my experience. Just so you know.)

We knew from the pre port meeting that the traffic was going to be crazy. We knew to be careful and alert when crossing the streets. We knew to never accept a ride on the back of anyone’s moped. We knew to look in every direction possible for cars, mopeds, motorcycles, buses, taxis, other pedestrians, and the occasional bicycle. Because all those and more, we were told, careened around the streets of Saigon with little regard to traffic laws. And this, we soon found out, was definitely the case. Our plan was to walk around and see the president’s palace (now a museum), the Saigon Notre Dam cathedral, the old post office, the jade pagoda, a fancy tourist restaurant (come dinner time) and the night market. We accomplished all of that. In that order, too. Originally we had plans to see the war remnants museum too, but that got vetoed in case of time constraints. I was relieved, I have no stomach for such things…and I knew I would get lots of history from the president’s palace.

The palace was pretty cool. We got to look at most of the prominent rooms, but we weren’t allowed in. Apparently the upper floors of the place are now private apartments. The palace had a clean and airy feel, which makes sense, given the location. We saw other SAS students there. They were on a mandatory field trip and were slightly surprised at our choice. On we continued to the church and the post office. They were very close to each other and near a large green park as well. We stopped for refreshments at a nearby café. I ordered lemon with milk and honey. I was served a pale yellow drink in a tall glass with ice. It tasted like liquid lemon bars. Very sweet but I was glad for the chill. The cathedral was honestly not that impressive. I had seen grander ones in Quito (Ecuador). The post office was pretty cool though. It was built in the 1930s and still had that historical feel. The floor was done in beautiful tile and there was what looked like original woodwork everywhere. On one side of the main hall were old phone booths with modern phones. On the other side were old phone booths that had been converted into ATMS. Lots of tourists took pictures. I saw a local mom there with twin girls. Maybe six years old. They wore identical braids in their hair, yellow sundresses, and shiny orange shoes.

The best thing we saw there was the wedding couple taking photos. She looked a lot younger than her husband, but both looked happy. They did somewhat silly photos. I am not sure of the significance to them of the post office, I didn’t stop and ask. A few blocks later near a park we saw another wedding couple across the street. They didn’t take photos with a wedding party either, just the two of them. We figured it was cause of Valentine’s that so many people were being wed. By this point in the day we had not really had to cross any major streets, but the amount of motorbikes passing us was still pretty astronomical. Many drivers would turn their heads and look at us. I suppose it was good for them, that so many people can get around easily on those things, taking up way less space than cars. But the smell on the streets! So much gasoline. I was getting to the point that every breath hurt. It was hard to distract myself from it. I felt so dirty just walking around. I was expecting China to be like that, where you can feel the dirty air. But I found Saigon to be way worse.

We got lost trying to find the jade pagoda. We’d had to cross some busy streets. I needed to hold my friend’s arm to do it. And there weren’t really sidewalks anymore, just narrow ones. We navigated between the parked bikes and the moving ones. Pretty much the entire time in Saigon groups walked single file. We passed the brand new McDonalds. It had a red carpet leading to the door, and a rope barrier maze like at and amusement park ride. The drive through line was all motorbikes, it went way out into the intersection. Other drivers didn’t seem to care, they would just go around…on the wrong side of the street. But their lanes were taken up. We didn’t enter the McDonalds. By this point I was starting to feel really done with the city. I wasn’t happy or amused by the newness.

Actually finding the jade pagoda didn’t help. It looked old cause it probably was. But not in a nice way, really. There were pools of shallow water with fish and turtles. But I could see dead fish floating, and lots of trash on the surface. There were three stands for the incense in the entryway alone, people would light handfuls and leave them. The smoke was so strong it had me tearing up. Inside was chaos. It was super dark in there, for one thing. And there were so many people going every which way. So many different rooms with statues. I was really worried about getting pickpocketed, I didn’t take photos. The guards outside had told us not to anyway. I wish I had one though, I feel like I can’t really describe what it was like in there. I’ve been to huge cathedrals and small churches in other countries, I had seen the temples and shrines they had in Japan and China. There I felt humbled, I felt awed, I felt impressed. At this place of worship I felt none of those things. The fault is probably all with me. It was probably because of all the new things I had already seen that day.

I didn’t stay inside for long. I rejoined one of my friends outside who had never gone in. I tried to tell her how I was feeling. Don’t get me wrong, I told her, I was so glad to be there, so so glad. I had no disrespect for what I was seeing either. I just really didn’t understand it and I didn’t feel comfortable either. She told me I was probably going through culture shock. She was probably right. Dinner was good. The portions were really small. The waiters tossed the rice around, broke the dish it was in. That was a pretty good show. At the night market, I saw three things I wanted. Pants, a shirt, and a gift for a friend back home. Bartering was difficult. My friend had to help me out. I was very appreciative. But the best part of that first day was getting back to the ship.

I slept well, but it took me a while to fall asleep that night. Along the street market sat lots of beggars. One man had no shirt or shoes and he was obviously handicapped. The worst were two separate women. I saw them at different places. Both had children on their laps. Thankfully just one child each. They slept as we passed, their moms held out various containers for money. They each held a ragged, filthy toy. They both had bare feet. Neither was over six years old. It absolutely broke my heart. I really wanted to share something, but I didn’t want to encourage begging either. It seems like most of us are so removed from that life, especially those of us not living in large cities. How can anyone know what to do? Maybe you could make it better for them, for a meal or for a day. But those pass so quickly. So quickly.

My second day in the city went way, way better. I had a fantastic time. I went around with a different group of girls. We did a lot of shopping. My bartering was way better. I got a pair of cheap sunglasses for half the price the guy wanted. I got pretty shoes. I got myself a dress. And I got some other things. But I was glad for all of it. My friends got dresses tailored. I cannot wait to see what they had made. I didn’t cause I didn’t see anything I liked. A traditional dress would have been cool, but where would I wear that? I had my best meal that evening. It was beef pho and sugarcane water. I had never had pho before but I knew what it was. Noodle soup with veggies and meat. We got fried spring rolls to share too. Delicious. Our waiter, we discovered, was Saigon local, but he had good friends that moved to Duluth, Minnesota. I thought that was pretty random. One of the girls in our group was from there. I gave the guy a tip as we left.

I had an early night. The next day I woke up early to have breakfast before meeting the SAS sponsored group going to visit Cat Tien National Park. Including the group leader there were only nine of us going. I thought this was a perfect size group, especially for visiting a natural place. Among our group we had five students (including yours truly), two life long learners (basically grown up students), and one man who was the husband of a professor. He had the biggest camera. I am pretty sure each of us had a window seat on our bus so we really enjoyed the ride, especially because of the air conditioning. Our guide for the next three days was named Hugh. He spoke English very well…and with a British accent. I asked him about that. He said he just learned at a local Saigon school. I meant it as a compliment and he took it that way.

The ride was four hours, we did make a couple stops. First to a sort of restaurant to get snacks and use the restroom. Next along the road to look at a village that was build on a manmade lake where the people would raise fish to sell underneath their floating houses. The rest of the drive to the park was very pleasant. We passed some awesome sights. It felt great to get out of the city. The bus stopped at the end of the road near a wide brown river. There was a building with open walls and tile and dirt floors. We sat at a table with large stone benches. Small, dirty, yet not unhealthy looking dogs slept in the sun and half grown chickens strutted around. It didn’t exactly look tropical, that place, but it looked like it belonged in the location it was.

We all got into a boat that would take us across the river to the hotel for the park. We were expecting pretty rough accommodations. But what we got was actually pretty nice. There were many rooms in separate cabins. There were two restaurants. There were lots and lots of activities provided by the park. We ate each meal at the same restaurant, they gave us lots of good food. I shared a room with my friend Kim. There were three beds in the room but just the two of us…and lots of bugs. Our beds had nice nets which we really appreciated. The bugs we found in the bathroom we did not like as much. Kim was way better at disposing of them than I was. We really bonded, she and I, sharing that room.

My favorite part of visiting the park was by far being out of the city. The activity I enjoyed most, however, was whenever we got to ride in the trucks. The trucks came in two sizes. One had two benches built into the bed of the truck. The other had ten or twelve. I liked the smaller truck better. We took a boat on a ride down the river which was great fun and had us seeing a lot of different birds. We got out of the boat and looked at a small local village. Our guide said the people had lived nomadically in the jungle, but the government provided the money to settle them in this more westernized town. The people looked happy and healthy. It was getting time for dinner so we did not spent much time in the village. We went back to the hotel in the small truck. It was just like a roller coaster ride. I loved the wind in my hair. The driver went down these tiny dirt roads pretty fast, too. He would honk coming up to a turn, then speed up to complete it. Goodness, was it fun.

In the evening we went in the bigger truck for a night safari. We got to see deer and a wild pig. This truck didn’t go as fast. But it was still lots of fun, and the stars that night were especially beautiful. My parents long ago taught me to identify Orion, but thanks to my astronomy class aboard the MV EXPLORER I was able to also locate some of its stars, Rigel, Mintaka, Betelguese. I also knew the various stories that go with him, I told them to my friend in the trip. The moon that night was gorgeous too. This was after the full moon but it was still pretty large and at first glowed with an orange light. I slept very well that first night.

The next day I had a harder time of it. I wore plenty of sunscreen and drank a lot of water. But we went on a hike to see the crocodile lake and it definitely took its toll on me. I was fine by the next day, but I didn’t do much once we got back to Saigon. Anyway, the hike was totally worth it. I got to talk to a Vietnamese park ranger. We got to see many birds and butterflies. We saw a giant tree and small delicate flowers. The crocodile lake was not what I was expecting. Well, the lake was. It was absolutely beautiful. But I wasn’t expecting a military establishment at the end of the trail. Some of the people that live in the area still go hunting for sustenance, but that is not allowed anymore within the borders of the national park. So these soldiers are stationed out there at crocodile lake just in case there are any infractions. It was a very relaxed place, like a campout. I wouldn’t have known those guys were soldiers if Hugh hadn’t told us. They seemed very nice, those guys, but they didn’t approach us to start conversations.

We headed back to the trail and finally the truck. The day had us walking 10 kilometers. I guess maybe around five or six miles. It wasn’t a difficult trail but the heat made it a struggle. I relaxed the rest of the day. I did get to see some monkeys though, near the restaurant at the hotel. They were very playful and very graceful. The proprietor had a little girl who would run around the restaurant and talk loudly to her mom. She was adorable and shy around us. They had a orange and white cat that was not shy at all. I didn’t touch it, I was worried about possible foreign germs, but he did rub on my shoes. I didn’t eat much dinner that night but the conversation around the table was fantastic. We were all talking about our favorite classic novels and giving recommendations to each other. It was absolute camaraderie. I have plans to revisit these conversations with the others throughout the voyage.

Coincedence struck that day too. I found out that the man who’s wife was a professor on the ship knew people in Arcata, where I go to school. Apparently his wife’s father was involved in science programs at Humboldt State. Her mom still lives there and though she is older she still is active in the community and enjoys spending time in nature. They told me they could put me in touch with her so I can meet her when I go back to school. They also gave me good resources to check out for my education and career in environmental sciences.

So though my trip to Vietnam was sort of fraught with troubles, it was still a fantastic trip and I am so glad I got to go there. My best souvenir (despite all the shopping I did) is some leftover money. The American dollar has a lot of value there and things were not that expensive. 2000 Vietnamese dong is equal to about ten cents. They only have bills, no coins in their currency. The zeros just get bigger. I think it might be the most interesting money and one of the most interesting countries I’ll visit. But I am super excited for the next one.

Posted for 20 February 2014

China

My first night in China was very different than I expected. First, we all thought the ship would be along side the dock in the afternoon. That didn’t happen. The port of Shanghai is several miles inland from the East China Sea along the Yangtze River. It would take time to travel that distance. When we get to every port, the MV stops long enough for a local pilot to board the ship and help our captain navigate to the dock. The pilot for Shanghai was supposed to board the ship sometime overnight so that we could arrive at the port by morning. But actually we spent the night at the mouth of the Yangtze River and spent the day traveling to Shanghai. There were no classes and most of us had to reschedule our plans. The staff started calling it a River Day, like a snow day.

            Once we finally got to Shanghai, immigration was pretty easy. They took all our passports and looked at them and our other information in some office somewhere, the officials never needed to see us face to face. At around six, we were called to get our temperature taken and to collect our passports. Apparently they have super advanced temperature taking technology these days, cause they got ours just when we walked into the room on some sort of camera, there was never any visible instrument. I had made plans to go get dinner with friends. Our group had about ten people, maybe. I knew many of them already but I also got to meet some people.

            Together we set out to get some hot pot. I had no idea what that was but was excited to try it as one of the students I was going with was Chinese. Her home school is even in Shanghai so she knew how to get around. It was a weeknight, but I was expecting the city to be busy and bustling as it wasn’t even nine pm. But the streets were almost empty. The whole walk to the restaurant and back to the ship didn’t have me seeing even ten people. There were some cars on the street, and buses and taxis and such, but we passed lots of quiet streets. The cars we did see would honk at us and one another and in some cases for no apparent reason and we did almost get hit by a bus. But it wasn’t going that fast and did stop about a yard away from us. The streets had lights and pedestrian accommodations, but cars that want to turn can go anytime they want, no matter who else is in the intersection.

            Dinner was worth it, though. Hot pot is basically like fondue stew. You choose a broth, any flavor on the menu. At our restaurant we could have two choices for the table. We chose our broth. Both were veggie based and one was spicy. Then we chose different foods we wanted to eat. The servers poured the broth into this contraption on the table, it looked almost like a sink in the middle of the table, but it was what would heat the broth and cook our food. We chose various meats and vegetables to eat. At intervals, the servers would bring our choices and add them to the hot pot broth. They would cook in the boiling soup for a while and then we could pick them out with our chopsticks. The meal lasted a while, which was fine with me. It was very filling. The servers were everywhere and would speak to each other loudly across the restaurant in mandarin. The decorations there were very pretty too.

            I went right back to the ship afterwards because the next day I had to meet my travel group early for our flight to Beijing. I was all ready to go on that, I had spent some time of the River Day preparing. I got a good night’s rest and joined the group at 7:30 the next day after breakfast. There were enough kids signed up to fill three buses. We took them to the airport. It was nice that they had already arranged everything for us. All we had to do was get in the line, show the man our passport, get our ticket, and stand in the next line. This is how it was in both airports (the second flight was Beijing to Hong Kong to meet the ship and that airport was the same though the lines were longer). The flight to Beijing was only an hour, but it ended up being delayed about an hour first. Still when we got off the plane, our buses and tour guides were waiting for us.

             Our guide’s name was Connie and she was very good at her job. We learned about history and modern Beijing life. There was snow on the ground outside in Beijing. I liked it. The entire visit in Beijing was very interesting. But there were parts of it that I did not like very much. We stayed at a holiday inn, but it was not like those in the states. The one we stayed in was a very nice hotel with the biggest continental breakfast I have ever seen. There were at least five different stations with attendants, and that many more were self-serve. I got to see some of the Olympics in the evenings from the room TV.

            The first day we were scheduled to ride in rickshaws (sort of like a buggy pulled by a man on a bike) but we didn’t go until evening. We rode to a local family’s house for dinner that was absolutely delicious. Before we went inside, our rickshaw driver made sure we remembered his number, which was 12. But when we were ready to go back to the bus, my friend and I couldn’t find our number 12 anywhere. There were many rickshaws in the small street, but none of them said 12. Soon many of them had left as groups relocated theirs. Eventually it was just my friend and I left along with Connie the tour guide. The street was very narrow and it was dark outside and since we were not in a large group anymore, I started to feel a bit nervous. It was the two of us standing in a circle with a couple of other rickshaw drivers and Connie as they all spoke and gestured to each other. We didn’t know until we asked Connie later, but it turns out they were only conversing with each other normally. It had sounded to us like they were all yelling angrily. So we did get in a rickshaw, a different one, and made it back to the bus. I am glad I have this for a story now, but at the time it was pretty stressful. My friend and I were convinced the new rickshaw was going to take us somewhere we didn’t want to go.

            The next day we went to Tina’men square, the Forbidden City, lunch and a silk factory, two different temples, an acrobatic show, and dinner. We spent about an equal amount of time and each place, I think. The meals were great, the acrobatic show full of talent, but the highlights were definitely in the morning. I wish we could have spent more time in the Forbidden City though, our schedule had us rushing through it. The day after that we visited a kung fu school, a jade factory, the great wall, and ate dinner at a Peking duck restaurant. I think the great wall was the best part of the whole trip. The weather was fantastic. It is hard to imagine how armies walked along it, let alone built it. When there are stairs, they are all uneven. There are areas with no stairs, just a sloping walkway, and that is somewhat slippery, especially in the snow. But I think in the major tourist areas like where we were, they have people shovel it. In some areas you can see where necessary repairs were made, but the whole place still has a very ancient feel. The wall was built on a ridge, not along side the peaks, so the views from all directions are fantastic too. I rode the chair lift up. Something I have never done before, even though I am from Alaska (this had a few people surprised). I took the toboggan down.

            I didn’t even know that was a thing, tobogganing down the great wall. They were plastic sleds with thin metal runners that slide down a metal shoot like a water slide, only with no water. It had a lever that you’d push down to speed up and pull up to slow down. It actually took a lot of effort. I was holding on to my bag at the same time, so I didn’t get any pictures during the toboggan ride. I was also keeping my eye on the track to make sure I stayed on it and that there was no one less that three meters in front of me as all the signs said, so I missed a lot of the landscape as well. But the view from the top of the great wall made up for that.

            Unfortunately, there was one aspect of my visit to the great wall, and similar things happened every day in Beijing, that occurred to put a more negative memory on my trip around China. The first day, the same day as the rickshaw ride, we visited a tea factory and learned a lot about the ceremony, traditions, and history of tea in China, as well as various uses. The lady who spoke and displayed for us was so energetic and knowledgeable, it was fantastic to listen to her. But after the lecture and the tea tasting, we were escorted into a giant gift shop where she began to try to sell us things. Relentlessly and for more than twenty minutes. They were beautiful, all the different cups and mugs and teas and utensils. But it would have been nice to just have the cultural learning experience of the tea, without the salesmanship.

            But the same thing happened again. At the silk factory. Look at that quality. You can only find this here for this price. So many people love it. We got to see the whole process of what the silk worms make and how they turn thread into beautiful things, but most of it was just a store. Where we spent a lot of time. And again. At the jade factory. I have never seen such a big store for just one thing, it was like a museum. But everything was for sale. And so many people were persistent that we purchase. Jade is also very expensive when it is real. I don’t know why they brought us there, a large group of college students. Where do they think we get the money to spend on stuff like that? One of the salesladies got to me there, and I did leave with a small piece of jade of my own. I really like what I found, but I would have preferred not to go there at all.

            The street at the base of the great wall was the worst. Sure, they were willing to bargain with you, but they acted, or perhaps really were offended if you didn’t buy more once they saw you had money. One lady was especially rude to me when she found out she took the last of my money, about $5 USD, on a packet of postcards. I heard others in my group say these people would try to look and see in people’s wallets, someone even said they almost had their wallet taken. I am so glad I went to China, and especially the great wall, but all this really put a damper on it. Maybe I should have been prepared. I wasn’t, but I am now, for the rest of the countries. I am sure that knowing what might happen will make my visits to the rest of the ports better. The only place I saw on the Beijing trip that didn’t try to sell us anything was the kung fu school. They put on quite a show for us there. When we took photos with them afterwards, they would have serious faces. But I can hardly say the same for myself, though I did try.

            Hong Kong was our second port in China, where I spent a day and a half. It was very different that China, which makes sense. Though it is technically on Chinese land, Hong Kong for the past hundred years or so had been a British colony and so the policies there were very different than those in China. This is no longer the case, and in Hong Kong things will slowly change to be more like the rest of China. Though there the people still have more say in what goes on in their city. The native language in Hong Kong is Cantonese. They would learn English in school. We learned that they might start teaching Mandarin in the schools, to prepare students to communicate with the rest of China. Perhaps the next generation there will be trilingual and even bilateral, if they don’t want to stop learning English. I didn’t spend much time in the city, beautiful as it was. I noticed it was cleaner there than in China, and a lot more green with vegetation. The people did seem a bit nicer on average also. This is a sentiment that I heard from many other voyagers, that Hong Kong was more appreciated.

            The day we left Hong Kong I went with my class on a field trip to Mai Po nature reserve. It is primarily a bird sanctuary, though they also have research areas and even some fish farming going on. We got to see many different birds. Some had interesting names: pied avocet, garganey, oriental pratincole, ruddy turnstone, and more. The weather was pleasant too there, not as cold as Beijing. Mai Po nature reserve is also a large habitat for mangrove trees, which in turn provide homes for other species. Big worries for Mai Po and areas like it are climate change, and the fact that there aren’t enough untouched or protected natural coastal environments anymore. Migratory birds need food and shelter as they travel, coastal wetlands provide that, both on the western (American) side of the Pacific, and the eastern side, the Austrailasian Pacific Flyway.

            Another issue that arises when trying to manage natural areas the world over is just how to manage them. Many places these days need human involvement or they would be overrun but invasive or non native species. So we need to figure out how to manage these areas. Do we want them to look like they did before any humans came at all? Or just how they did three hundred years ago, when the world human population was way less significant? It depends on the area. But at this point, it seems like there are two major environmental questions that should be answered in the same way. Yes, climate change exists and over time yes there is something we can do about it, and, yes, natural areas are diminishing and yes they definitely need to be managed.

            The last question I pondered as I sailed away from Hong Kong is whether or not I would ever return to China. The answer is probably yes, someday. But there are many other countries, new and previous ones (like Japan) that I would visit or revisit first.  

Posted for 11 February 2014

vicarious voyage - Japan

I am joined in a program on Semester at Sea called Vicarious Voyage. The program connects us with classrooms back in the states and our job is to write a sort of report about each country or each port. Ideally, students would just choose one topic to share with their class about, but a general overview of our experiences work too. For Japan I decided to write about the public transportation system. I thought I would share with all of my friends, not just my brother’s classroom at Polaris K-12. Enjoy! (feel free to ask any questions about anything, my email is sheffieldjulia@gmail.com. As an extra incentive for emails-those for questions or news- I may just send you some photos…)

Japan, compared to the United States, is a very small country. In the United States, it is most common for people to get from place to place by car over short distances and by plane over long distances. This is probably also true for Japan, but the in Land of the Rising Sun it is also possible and very easy to get around by trains. Of course as I was a visitor to Japan and one who only knew a couple phrases in the language so for me, navigating the rail lines were perhaps not very easy. But I was able to get around just fine on my own and with my friends.

            I spent five days in Japan. The first day I traveled from Yokohama to Tokyo. I spent two days in Tokyo then went to Kobe to meet the ship and join in some activities. After one night and part of the day in Kobe I continued on to Kyoto, spent one night there, the next day went to Nara and spent the night there, and the last day returned from Nara to Kobe and got back on the ship to sail to the next port. In every city, we rode subways and metros to get around. The longest trip was from Tokyo to Kobe, that trip lasted about three hours. Kobe to Kyoto was an hour’s journey, the rest were shorter train rides.

            While staying in one city we would use the subway to get around. The average ticket then was about two dollars, or 200 yen in Japanese money. Of course in the stations the signs were mostly in Japanese characters but usually we would be able to see the English translation of the place and station names. No one I spent time with in Japan got lost in the public transportation system. This is not because it was not confusing, but because the people working in the stations as well as the passengers were so nice and helpful. I am not sure any other country or culture could match what I experienced in Japan when it comes to public transportation.

            I asked multiple people for assistance in almost every large station I visited and not once did anyone not do their best to assist me. The language barrier was a bit of a problem but I found that if I just said in English the place I was and the place I was trying to go, they would be able to point me in the right direction. In the Kobe station I wanted to make sure I was on the right platform to get to Kyoto, so I used English words to ask the lady next to me and showed her my ticket. She instantly took me over to look at the information board on the platform and nodded that I was in the right place. When the train pulled up and the doors opened, she beckoned me on behind her with a smile. This ride was about an hour long. After a while I felt tapping on my shoulder. The same lady from the platform showed me her phone where she had translated text to tell me that I needed three more stops to get to Kyoto. Then she got off the train but waved to me as she walked away.

            When my friends and I were finished with our time in Nara and were trying to return to Kobe, there arose a problem that we needed help with. We asked the man in the ticket kiosk if he could help us. He came out of his station, took us to the ticket machine and showed us the way to go. He was extremely patient with us and did not return to his place until he was sure that we were okay. I have similar stories and examples from all the towns I visited. But the most memorable experience I had with the Japan public transportation system was my trip on the bullet train from Tokyo to Kobe.

            In the larger cities and main transportation systems in Japan, the train stations have platforms for many different rail lines and train types, but they also often have many restaurants and shops inside also. The morning I was to go to Kobe I did not have time to visit any of those areas, but I did have to navigate them to find the area for my train. I knew from visiting the station the day before that I would be on the Nozomi train that left at 8am. I did not know exactly where that area was, but I had given myself enough time to find it. The first ticket office I spoke to knew of the train I needed and where it was. I used my credit card instead of yen to buy the ticket and did my best to follow his directions. I did have to ask someone else but I did find the train and even a window seat.

The Nozomi train I went on was called the Shinkansen. It gave written and recorded information in both Japanese and English. The experience was a lot like being on an airplane, only on the ground and with a lot more leg room. But we were able to walk around and there was a beverage service. Tokyo to Kobe took about three hours. In Japan, all the bullet trains are called Shinkansen and are run by different transportation companies. The Shinkansen lines cover almost 1,500 miles and can go as fast as 199 miles per hour. The word Shinkansen translates to new trunk line in reference to the new lines that the bullet trains run along. The bullet train name is due to the speed and appearance of the trains. This information on the Shinkansen I did find online and there is a lot more history there about them, I suggest looking into it more.

Anyway, I got to ride on a bullet train and it was a fantastic, definitely the highlight of my Japanese public transportation experience. I even made a friend. The person who sat next to me was very interested in my home and why I was traveling. Once I got to the station where I needed to switch trains, he helped me find my next train. Tokyo to Kobe was the longest travel day I had. But the train made it fun. While all of the stations and trains were very different, the routine of getting tickets and boarding did not change much. If I ever return to Japan I know that I will be able to navigate the country and the train stations pretty well.

Big in Japan

So far on this voyage I have seen more of the world’s oceans than I have of it’s countries, including those I visited before Semester at Sea. Still Japan is one of the most beautiful countries I have ever seen. Everything there was wonderful: the places, the people, the history, and even the food. I am not a huge fan of fish and by the end of my five days there I was pretty much done eating seafood. But I definitely went out of my comfort zone there and in other areas and I am glad for all of it.

The ship’s first port was Yokohama and I did see some of that city but I did not spend more than a few hours there. With two of my friends I traveled to Tokyo from Yokohama by train. Even by that point it was hard to believe I was actually in Japan. It took us a while, more than an hour, to find a hotel to stay the night. Finally we found a place called Capsule 510. When I learned of capsule hotels I was imagining a big wall full of small sections with the beds. I was worried about sleeping in one in case I got claustrophobic. But the place we stayed was nothing like that. There were different rooms for relaxing in, a locker for our things, and even a shower area. The bed wasn’t even so bad, there were two rows of beds with a small ladder for the upper ones, almost like a bunk bed. And instead of some sort of plastic shield over the opening like I expected, we had curtains for privacy. I kept mine partially open. There was even a TV, but I did not use it.

By the next day our group expanded from three to six as more of our friends joined us. That full day in Tokyo we did quite a lot. In the morning we went to the area called Asakusa (perhaps not spelled that way) and visited a shrine there. There weren’t any other groups of obvious foreigners besides one other semester at sea group. Many local school groups were visiting, all dressed in their matching uniforms. Almost all of the groups of girls we saw asked for photos with us. I posed with different groups at least ten times. I almost felt famous or something, never have I experienced such a thing before. I did get photos with them on my own camera too. Next we visited an area of Tokyo where there used to be a castle. Now there are historical signs and maps posted there and the gardens remain like a park for locals. The view of the city from there was fantastic.

The weather turned a bit rainy after that and we decided to find a place to sing karaoke. I have only been to karaoke once in my life and that was a bar in Quito, Ecuador. There I didn’t stay long and didn’t overly enjoy the experience. I was expecting something similar in Tokyo but I was way wrong. The building was like a hotel, with a lobby and front desk and elevators and everything. We split the cost for the six of us for an hour, and the man showed us to our own private room. There were windows overlooking the city, and couches, and two microphones for us to share. It felt great to sit and relax and be out of the wet. There was a huge selection of English songs, and when the lyrics and music would play the background images were very amusing. We all had a fantastic time.

After that we all split up. Two of our friends went to the airport to fly to a different town, and the next morning I left on my own to get to Kobe and meet the ship for an activity. Tokyo Central Station is very large and confusing, but with the help of three wonderfully nice people, I found the right train and even got a window seat. The experience reminded me of riding the Amtrak in California, though the views out the window were very different. I didn’t sleep, just looked outside. I saw Mount Fuji and even got a few decent pictures from the speeding train. The man sitting next to me was extremely kind. He didn’t speak much English and I had only a sheet with a few Japanese phrases (my name is this, I am from here, how are you?) but with his mobile translator, lots of mimed hand gestures, and drawings we were able to communicate quite well. His name is Mr Murai and I have a photo with him to remember him by. I had to switch trains at Shin Osaka station (another large and confusing place) and he went well out of his way to help me to the next train. I kept all my tickets from that day as mementos.

Kobe is not one specific town, it is more spread out over a larger area. Or that’s how it seemed to me. I spent the rest of my day in Sannomiya, an area of Kobe very near the ship. I found my way to a hostel to stay at and along with Mr Murai were some of the nicest and most helpful people I have ever met. This is common for Japan and their culture, I think. I have heard many other voyagers mention strangers being extremely helpful and patient to them. The main lady who ran the R2 hostel did not speak a whole lot of English but enough for me to get by. Her friend was a man who was there a lot but did not work there, he recommended some fantastic places to eat. My best dinner in Japan I ate there. I went to bed early that night in the R2 hostel and I slept very well.

The following day I met the ship to unpack some things and to meet the group I would go with to visit a local Japanese family through Semester at Sea. There were less than ten of us signed up for the visits that day, they split us into two groups. One group had four people, mine only two. To get to our family we rode the subway for quite a while, almost 20 minutes. But we knew that they would be waiting for us outside the main station. Sure enough, upon seeing us and older man stood up with a young girl who jumped around and pointed. Mr Oshima was his name and the girl Idina lived with his neighbor. She was seven years old and chattered away in Japanese the entire three block walk to the apartment. Some Mr Oshima would translate, if she had a question, but mostly he just let her chatter. She commented on my sunglasses so I gave them to her before she left. The Oshima family was extremely hospitable and very nice. When we came in the house there was a huge table of food they had made for us.

They were worried that I was wearing shorts, I assured them I was fine. When we entered the house we took off our shoes and accepted the slippers they offered. There was a second set of slippers for the bathroom. I knew to expect that cause the hotels I had stayed in were the same way. They had a pet golden retriever, I was super excited to play with a dog. Mr and Mrs Oshima were retired and had a grown up daughter. She couldn’t be there to meet us but she left us each and entire bag full of Japanese souveniers. One of them was a wind up toy that we gave to a girl on the train back to the ship when she gave us some of her candy. Mrs Oshima used to do shows for the tourists, it seemed. She knew how to do the tea ceremony she said, but she didn’t offer and we did not ask for her to do that for us. She did, after we ate, take out a large wooden instrument Mr Oshima translated as a Japanese harp, and began to play it. She but our hands over ours and had us play it too. It wasn’t with our fingernails, there were small pieces of ivory attached to leather bands to put on the fingers and used to pull the strings. It was really cool. They had a friend over too, similar in age to them. She showed us her photos of traveling around Asia and taught us how to make origami trains.

I hope I will be able to keep in touch with that family, it was such a great experience to meet local people and see how they lived. I got on a train that night to meet up with my friends again in Kyoto. Our hotel there was really cool, the floor was all woven mats and we slept on the floor and ate from a low table. Kyoto is an older city, the buildings aren’t as modern and large as Tokyo. The next morning we checked out of that hotel and went to a really big temple and lots of things to see. Going there was one of my favorite parts of Japan, the architecture was really old and authentic looking. Also there was a trail through the woods, we could hear many birds calling. It was like a rainforest. It led to a small area, like an outside temple, that was very private and secluded. It was like a great discovery. I am not sure I can really explain it, why that sticks with me.

Before we left Kyoto to go see the town called Nara, we visited a monkey park. The hike up was pretty tiring after such a long day, and I was not expecting to see many monkeys, I thought they might be a rare sight. But I saw three before I even reached the top of the trail. They were everywhere. The rules were not to touch them, not to look them in the eye, and to only feed them inside this building with protective wire over the openings. The food was fruit or peanuts we could buy inside, no outside food was allowed in the park. Lots of Semester at Sea people were there and many took lots of photos. I did too. The view of Kyoto from up there was spectacular.

I think once we got to Nara we went to bed pretty early so we could get up early the next day. That day was the last full day we had in Japan. We spent the morning in Nara, looking at various sights. The town and some temples. Nara is an interesting town. It, like Kyoto, is older and smaller. The most interesting part about it was the wildlife. Japan, at least the areas I saw, were really developed. So I wasn’t expecting to see lots of monkeys in Kyoto, and I was not expecting to see deer in Nara. I knew they were there, I heard the professors talking about it at the preport meeting. But I thought they would be only in certain areas, on the outskirts of town. But no, they were everywhere. Like ravens in Anchorage. People and cars would just go around them. We fed a few of them our frosted flakes. One ate our map at one temple we visited. They weren’t large deer, just small ones. And they were quite an important part of that community, deer symbols were on various buses and buildings.

We left Nara in the early afternoon and returned the short distance to Kobe. I was a bit sad to leave Japan, the land of the rising sun. I am pretty sure that in the other ports we visit, we may not encounter such nice people. I am more excited though for the food in the other ports ;) I had no issues returning to the ship and was glad for my own bed and the predictable pasta dinner I ate in the main dining room. The MV EXPLORER really does feel like home. 

Posted for4 February 2014 

Aloha Kakou

Aloha everyone. This is one of the terms I learned at the Hawaiian language lecture the night before we arrived in Hilo. I am taking four college courses while aboard the ship, but we have extra opportunities to learn in the evenings. Every night in the meeting hall of the ship some members of our faculty, our professors give talks or lessons about certain topics. Usually there are powerpoints to accompany their talks. At the Hawaiian language talk there was music and a handout so we could see the words translated from Hawaiian to English. What stuck with me most was the phrase “aloha kakou.” I decided that I would remember this phrase while I visited Hawaii.

            There are 553 students aboard the MV EXPLORER for this semester. Getting that many people off the ship is a bit of a process, especially when we need to go through customs. But eventually we made it off. My friend and I first went to the grocery stores to stock up on some snacks and things for the trip on to Japan. The weather they told us on the ship would be overcast and cool. Instead it was clear and at least 70. It was simply beautiful. We weren’t at the grocery stores very long, and the only true highlight of the shopping was finally, after looking in two stores, finding some Nutella. I just have to say, major props to the local government of Hawaii. They have outlawed plastic bags. The large stores give away cloth ones. I was extremely pleased.

            Once my friend and I dropped off our goodies on the ship, we made plans to head to downtown Hilo and check out the fairly famous farmers market there. We decided to take a taxi. A word on the public transportation we experienced the entire day in Hawaii: ‘aloha kakou’ was definitely a notion I observed in each vehicle. Of course, they were doing their jobs. But each taxi we rode in, the drivers were extremely friendly. They were so excited that we were visiting their town and gave advice and recommendations on what to do. More on the drivers soon forthcoming.

            The market was quiet, its main days were on the weekends. Still there were some vendors set up there. The distribution over tropical fruits and Hawaiian trinkets was pretty even. We stopped at one particular booth when the lady offered us a taste of an unusual fruit. It was called rambutan. I think they were about the size of a mandarin orange, they were bright red, and had a soft yet prickly surface sort of like Velcro. Inside the fruit had a white and somewhat stiff flesh over a pit the size of an almond. The fruit had the consistency of a grape, but a taste unlike any other fruit I have had. Maybe a combination of a plum and a grape. The flavor was not strong. She did not charge us for the fruit we tried. She also gifted my friend with and orange and was very interested in talking to us about where we were from and what we were doing in Hawaii. She along with all the other vendors at the Hilo market were very welcoming.

            After we left the market we strolled downtown Hilo, looking at shops and searching for a restaurant for lunch. We decided on a place called Tina’s Gourmet Garden Café. I had a ‘thai pizza.’ It consisted of a large tortilla type bread folded over on a sweet yet savory mix of chicken, spinach, pumpkin, pineapple, and various spices. It was extremely filling. Our waitress was one of the most friendly I have ever met. Her parents were from Alaska, she said, but she grew up in Minnesota and moved to Hawaii for the warmth. She wasn’t that much older than me. We ended up spending quite a while in the café as we met some other Semester at Sea students and decided to spend the rest of the afternoon with them. I asked our waitress if she had heard of the term “aloha kakou.” She said that she had. She smiled when I told her she embodied it well.

            My friend and I were joined in our plan to spend the afternoon at the beach by the other girls from the café, and we became seven. Still we fit in the van that was our cab, the driver was nice enough to let me fit in even though there weren’t enough seats. The beach had many other Semester at Sea students visiting. The afternoon passed quickly with visiting, exploring, swimming, and relaxing. I made sure to avoid sunburn. The best part of the beach, and perhaps the day, was seeing the sea turtles. The beach we visited was called Richardson’s Beach, and I would recommend it to any visitor to Hilo.

             I wouldn’t at all say that it is necessary or even expected that all Hawaiians know the phrase of ‘aloha kakou’ but it is true that, given my Hilo experience, they all embody the concept of welcoming all. They interact with tourists in that way and with each other. The islands are absolutely beautiful and the people who live there are also. So, so kind.

            When we left the beach to return to the ship, we met another girl on her own and decided to travel back with her. There were eight of us then, but luckily we were able to share between two cabs. We all made it back to the ship with plenty of time to spare. I am not sure how many students went to the language lecture, but all the other students we met with seemed like they agreed completely with the concept of welcome everyone also. They still do. Though there are so many of us, we are all living on one ship and  though it can be difficult we must do our best to get along while sailing.

            Tomorrow we arrive in Yokohama, Japan. It’s been ten days since we were last in port. It passed very quickly. Now, we will only have a couple days between ports for a while. The voyage has only just begun.

Written for 17 January 2014

"The MV - EXPLORER is now under sailing instrucions"

“this is not a signal to abandon ship”

These two statements, my title and the phrase just above, were heard by us all not respectively and not in direct relation to one another. They were, however, said over the PA system on Friday the 10^th of January, 2014. Embarkation day. I have no idea at this point how long we had been on the ship before those announcements were made. I had arrived in Mexico though not less than two hours before. There were quite a few notices given over this beautiful vessel’s PA system but these two were what stuck with me most and caused for myself - as well as others, I am certain - the most emotion. The first, my title, caused in me a frenzy of spasmic (that is totally a word now and should be self explanatory (;  ) excitement. The second statement I chose to share with you because I found it amusing (while the circumstances I viewed as necessary and somber) enough to ensue a chuckle from my throat. Yes, I know, it doesn’t take much for that to happen for me but still. I also find it amusing that those should be the first two statements read. It’s an attention grabber and one so clever if I do say so myself that I couldn’t resist. Anyway. Back to my voyage.

I can’t say the exact reason but all the students boarded the ship in Ensenada, Mexico, a different location than the check in station of the San Diego Hilton. I arrived at the San Diego Hilton at about half eight the morning of the 10^th. There were lots of people and even more bags. Thankfully there were also lots of SAS staff members to help us out. I got my luggage tags and my own name tag with plenty of time before my shuttle bus left for Ensenada. I even had time to fill up my water. The drive was beautiful and not too long, no more than three hours. Customs was a breeze. I practiced my Spanish some. The customs officials did not seem impressed. Then we were standing right next to her. The MV EXPLORER, gleaming patriotically in her red, white, and blue paint. Earlier arrivals were strolling along her decks and waving at us. Despite the heat, the wait to board was short. On we went to check in to the ship. This went flawlessly for me also. At this point I had met quite a few of my shipmates: one from Texas, one from Alaska, one from Mexico, one from New York, one from China, and one from Philadelphia. We do seem to be quite the eclectic mix.

Of course, when travelling, it is rare that logistics always work perfectly. Somehow SAS assigned me to a two person room…with two other girls. It was easily remedied from a helpful crew member at the pursers desk. Getting a new key was, anyway. The hard part was getting my luggage (already marked with the wrong room) to my new location. I tried to tell the crew members whose job it was to deliver bags, but still I worried. I made my way up to one of the higher outside decks where I could see the cityscape and the dock. There were so many bags being lined up near the customs building. I could not see which were mine.

I knew though that my bags would be on the ship somewhere and that it wouldn’t be impossible to find them. I was feeling quite a few different things at this point, nerves and excitement and amazing curiosity that the last thing I felt like doing was eating but I had lunch anyway. Met some new students and one of my new teachers. Then I went on to do some more exploring. I will be using nautical or military time from now on as it is commonly used here and because I like it…I will try to remember also to translate it: at 1400 (2pm) there was a meeting for us. A man spoke about his profitable and worthwhile career after his SAS voyage. What he lacked in speaking and organizational skills he made up for tenfold in enthusiasm. When he finished speaking we were asked to return to our cabins for the lifeboat drill. The MV EXPLORER’s life boats are quite the sight. They look large enough to hold at least 50 people. They are roofed all out of the same material and even have small rudders. Like a mini cruise ship. I am not sure how many there are but my guess would be at least four.

Once I returned to my room on deck three (that’s the Dionysus deck) I met my roommate in cabin 3044. It happens she sat behind me on the bus. She is very nice. Together we looked for our life vests. The PA system beeped and the captain began giving instructions. There was silence for a while, then a number of loud beeps sounded. My roommie asked what that might mean and I said it was probably that they were testing and letting us hear the emergency signal. We put our life vests on. On cue, the captain’s voice returned telling us those beeps were the emergency alarm signal, and then he said…”it is not a signal to abandon ship.” Well, I thought it was funny. We found our emergency muster station on the deck near life boat 6. There we waited a while until finally the all clear signal was heard.

Everyone took off their vests right then and slowly we made our way to our rooms to return them. I was on my way to go look around some more when the PA system blared again and the captain requested all visitors to the MV EXPLORER return to the dock because…the ship was then under sailing instructions. Right there on the stairs between deck 5 (Selene) and deck 6 (Apollon) I had a little freak out moment. Still, my situation still didn’t seem real. Lots of people gathered on the decks outside to see off Mexico. It was sunset and simply gorgeous. We even saw some seals. Everyone cheered when the horn sounded. And off we sailed. But the day was far from over. I didn’t feel tired until it was fully dark (I had found both my cases by this time, thank goodness) and land, if we were near any, was not visible. There were more meetings to attend though and I had to wait up some. I was not expecting to be sea sick at all, but I did not feel completely normal. Still, sleep came with ease and lasted through the night (except one moment when I woke up with a start and had no idea where I was…recognition came eventually as did, with a smile, I fell asleep again).

Written for 10 January 2014