South Africa!!

We arrived on the actual continent of Africa (Mauritius was an island so it doesn’t count ;) )  around 8 AM on Wednesday, March 31 (how did we get here?) and the water coming in was so rocky.   They warned us ahead of time but my wake up call this morning was the ship rocking violently back and forth.   It took Customs about an hour to clear the ship and we were off and walking around by 10 AM. 

The area where the ship is berthed is beautiful.  It’s basically a touristy waterfront.  The ship is in front of a gorgeous looking hotel and there’s a mall, restaurants, shops and so much else right outside of the ship.  It’s really, really nice to have because Cape Town basically shuts down after 5 PM (after business hours) and most people head home.  The waterfront is pretty much a bustling area of activity anytime of day.  We walked around just exploring the area.  It reminded me of the waterfronts in Port Louis, Mauritius and Hong Kong.  It also reminded me of Cape May, New Jersey.  I think it’s funny because I thought of Port Louis and Hong Kong first and then Cape May as an afterthought.  Never thought I’d do that.   
We got lunch at a delicious diner.  Yep, a good old-fashioned diner.  I had a cheeseburger, fries, and a milkshake.  It was the best meal I’ve had in a while.    After lunch we made a stop at a grocery store.  The grocery store smelled exactly like Acme and I thought I was at home for a minute. 

Our next stop for the day was a tour of Robben Island, where Nelson Mandela was once a prisoner. It was a scenic thirty-minute ferry ride from the dock to the island and I got some great pictures of Cape Town on the ride.    The island, oddly enough, was beautiful.   What once was there isn’t so beautiful.  The buildings there are all remnants of the political prison, during the apartheid years, that was there.  Our tour guide, once an anti-apartheid activist, also had been a prisoner there.   His descriptions of life on the island were horrifying.  The cells were 6 feet by 4 feet, with a pot and five blankets which was your bed.  Your meals depended on whether you were black, colored (in South Africa a colored person, even today, is a person with both white and black heritage), or Muslim.  A menu was still standing- can’t imagaine how they survived off of it   The prisoners were all forced to mine limestone, daily, and many of them (including Mandela) have eyesight problems because of the glare.  We also saw Mandela’s cell.  We had a few classes on apartheid and its consequences on South Africa; standing in the cells and just walking around the jail was very eerie.   It was so strange to think that Mandela himself once was here and so much of South Africa’s modern history is inside of that building. 

On a more cheery note, we saw penguins!  Troops of them randomly would be walking around parts of the island and we saw once which was definitely lost.   At least a dozen seals were also swimming in the harbor next to our ship! 

For dinner we went to a traditional South African restaurant with my friend’s friend who lives here in Cape Town.  There were two men playing African drums in the restaurant and they played the neatest versions of some American songs.   The menu was all over the place and I settled on an interesting chicken dish.  It was good, but very, very rich and filling.   I also had the most delicious calamari appetizer.  

I really enjoyed my first day in Cape Town.  It reminds me of any big city in the US, except with Table Mountain (I’m hiking up it tomorrow) behind it.   There’s lots of traffic (they drive on the wrong side though!), skyscrapers, malls, gangs (unfortunately), and it’s just a very, modern city.  Another plus is that the water here is 100% okay to drink.  This is such a HUGE relief!  Like I said in one of my India posts, I will never, ever look at a glass of water the same way again.

Madagascar and More Rough Weather...

Just two more days of sailing until we reach South Africa!  The waves are crazy again and I’d forgotten what rough seas were like.  I kind of like it because when it’s too calm you forget you’re at sea.    Apparently, rounding the Cape of Good Hope is where hundreds of ships have met their doom while sailing.   I guess the Indian and Atlantic Oceans don’t like each other too much.  A few days ago you could make out the coastline of Madagascar and then tonight the coastline of South Africa became visible.  Pretty neat stuff. 
We’re staying close to the shore because the seas are so bad the farther away from land you go.    

We’ve been planning South Africa and it already seems like it’s going to be a whirlwind of activity:  Robben Island, Table Mountain, Cape Peninsula, wine tasting, winelands, and hopefully to a church on Easter Sunday.  

Also, happy birthday to me!  I turned the big 2-0 on March 27. My friends and I had a nice dinner on the ship and are going to celebrate it again in Cape Town!  Thanks for all the Facebook messages and e-mails everyone! 

La Isla Bonita

I’d never heard of the country of Mauritius until I saw the SAS itinerary about a year ago.  This island is absolutely incredible!  It is total paradise.  Those really are the only words I have to describe it.   Even though we were only here for thirty-six hours, I was fortunate enough to see two very distinct sides of this little republic in the middle of the Indian Ocean.

We docked in Port Louis, Mauritius a little after 8 AM on Tuesday, March 23.  Customs were no problem and people were happy to get off the ship.   We walked about a mile from the port to the center of town.  It reminded me a lot of Hong Kong, mainly because waterfront was the most prominent area of town.  Shops, bars and cafes dotted the waterfront area.   We walked around the town and got a delicious lunch at an English Pub.  There were a lot of cultures here on the island- African, Indian, and French.   Mauritius has influences from all over since the island is basically a colonial melting pot.   Because of its location, it was a hot spot for the colonial powers.   Most if the influence is French, who controlled it for a long time, but the British always wanted it (and controlled it at some points) because of its closeness to India.  

That afternoon I got to see another side of Mauritius: I went to an SOS Orphanage Village outside of Port Louis.  It was a good drive from where the ship was and the country definitely changes once you get out of the city proper.  The neighborhoods we drove through looked pretty rough.  The orphanage was at the base of these gorgeous (and humongous) mountains.  SOS (we couldn’t figure out what it stood for) is a group that had orphanages all over the world.   There are around ten houses where roughly eight kids live inside the “village.”  There is one “mother” in each house who takes care of the children and basically raises them.  The house I went to had kids from five years old to twelve in it.   Most of the children are there because their parents are addicts or were victims of domestic violence.    We had a really interesting conversation with one of the mothers.  She just wanted to work there because she loved children.  She was in her mid-twenties, loved her job, had no plans to leave, and was embarrassed that her English wasn’t that great.  She was one of the nicest women I’ve ever met.  After our chat with the mother, we went outside and just played with the kids.  I’ve worked with a lot of kids over the past few years, but I’ve never seen kids like these orphans.  One boy, who was about eight, and whose name I have no idea how to pronounce, just sat next to me and took my arm and put it around him.  All he wanted was for me to give him a hug.  He loved my camera and wanted a piggyback ride the entire time.   We played soccer, duck-duck goose, and other games with these kids for about an hour.  My friend (the little boy) kept saying to me: “stay here mister, don’t go.”  It was really hard to say goodbye and some of the kids actually got on the bus and tried to get us to come back and stay with them longer.  The good thing is that SAS visits this orphanage almost every voyage.   This also shows that no matter how beautiful a place is problems still exist.

After the orphanage we regrouped at the ship and then went out for a nice dinner at a great seafood place on the waterfront.   We walked around the town, and it reminded me of another place I’d been.  A few years ago my family cruised to Bermuda and Port Louis, at night, reminded me of Hamilton, Bermuda.  We also went to a really cool bar that overlooked the waterfront and saw some of the ship’s crew there.  It was neat to see them outside of their jobs on the ship. 

The next day, Wednesday, was really what gives my definition of paradise to Mauritius.  My friend booked a catamaran for fifteen of us in Grant Bay, which was about twenty-five kilometers away from Port Louis.  The catamaran left from the bay and it was about an hour ride out in the open ocean to another island.   This island was pure heaven.  I thought the beaches in Hawaii were nice but this one was ten times nicer.  The sand was white and the water was crystal clear. We got to snorkel and see all kids of fish (including eels) and then lay out.  The sand felt like mud beneath your feet and it wasn’t unbearably hot.  The water temperature was also perfect.   We had a delicious BBQ lunch provided by the friendly staff of the island.  The island and beaches literally “looked like a screensaver” to use a quote from a movie. It’s a beach you’d see in a magazine, on television, just not it real, everyday life!   It was an amazing afternoon and then the catamaran headed back to the bay, but first stopped in front of Gunner’s Quoin to let us off so we could do some more swimming.  Gunner’s Quoin is a HUGE bluff/ island that overlooks the ocean.   It was really nice to be out in the open water swimming.  I realized how much I miss swimming and am looking forward to taking a nice long swim when I get home.   I also realized that I’ve now swum in the Atlantic, Pacific and Indian Oceans! 

I mentioned that Mauritius has a long history of colonial occupation.  As we were sailing on the catamaran, I thought of how what it would have been like to have sailed here back in the 1700s when the world was unknown.  Unimaginable.  The bluffs and islands in the area of the ocean were amazing and it would have been so much fun to have had more time and just explore them like the old sailors did.

The only negative thing about Mauritius is that things cost exactly the same as they do in America, because the island’s economy is based on tourism.  I’d figured this when I saw the pictures from Google Images and just reading up a little on the island.  There was a cruise ship docked behind us from South Africa.  I actually met several of its passengers in the post office and they told me some great to things to do in South Africa, which I’ll be in a five days!    A taxi driver also told me that ships from all over Europe dock in Mauritius, with the Queen Mary II, one of largest ships in the world, docking there just this past Saturday. 

Prices aside, I could have stayed on this little island for another few days, months, or maybe even a year.  It really is paradise.  Mark Twain once said: “You gather the idea that Mauritius was made first, and then heaven, and that heaven was copied off Mauritius.”  I think he’s dead on.  The Madonna song, La Isla Bonita, also matches the description of this island perfectly.

So now we’re off to South Africa.   We’ll be rounding the Cape of Good Hope and into the Atlantic Ocean, for the last leg of my journey.  Crazy.

The Southern Hemisphere!

We officially crossed the equator at around 4 AM on March 18.  I was up for it and there really is a big line going across the Earth.  Just kidding. There’s no line and I wasn’t even up for it…no one knew about it until the morning when we saw the ship’s position.   Kind of disappointing.  But it was very exciting to know I was in the Southern Hemisphere and that I’ve officially been in all four hemispheres.   
       
The water, also, looks a lot different for some reason.  I can’t put my finger on it but there’s something different about it, as well as the sky.  The sunsets the past few evenings have been absolutely gorgeous.    The water temperature is also hovering around 86 degrees Fahrenheit and it’s been around 90-100 daily.  I wish we could just stop the ship for a few hours and all jump in and swim around!  I don’t know if that would be such a good idea, because I have a feeling these are shark-infested waters.   So far I haven’t seen any sharks, but I have seen dolphins, sea snakes, whales, and flying fish.  There’s a lot more sea life around here then there has been on any other leg of the trip.  Pretty exciting. 

We only have a few more days until we get to Mauritius and everyone’s excited to just get to the beaches and relax!

Delhi, Agra, the Taj Mahal, Jaipur/Goodbye Asia

I left for the trip I was probably most excited for on SAS on Friday, March 12.  We had to be up by 4 AM for our flight to Delhi.   The flight was pretty standard, just like flying in the U.S., but the airport was a lot different.  We got off the plane and we were in the middle of the runway.  There was no terminal there to walk out onto.  We had to take a shuttle from the plane to the actual airport.   We then met up with our tour guide and headed for a much needed breakfast. 

The first thing I noticed while driving through Delhi was how the city contrasted itself.  There were slums, homeless people, and then a beautiful office or apartment building.  It was just strange.    Our first stop were the remains of a Mughal fort.  It was an enclosed structure with a tower, and mosque.   Just like when I was in Japan and China, you could just feel the history radiating off of the building.  They are hundreds and hundreds of years old and the awesomeness of them is amazing. 
We then proceeded to Humayn’s Tomb.  This is a tomb built in the same style of the Taj Mahal and was an excellent prelude to it.  The buildings were in the same style and the gardens leading up to it were beautiful.   There were a lot of Indian tourists as well as Westerners. 

Finally we then got to the hotel, the Shangri-La.  It was a five-star hotel in the middle of Delhi.  SAS trips really put you up in some nice places and you get your money’s worth.  This hotel also shows how much contrast is in India.  You had a five star hotel and only a few yards away were homeless people.  You feel guilty staying in such a nice place, eating as much food as you like at the buffet, and then there are starving people visible.   Still, I enjoyed myself while there and the buffet had lots of American food and I realized how much I missed it.   I got to bed early as we had another early wake up call the following day. 

We were up again at 4 AM and had to catch a train to Agra, where the Taj Mahal is located.  Getting into the train station was an adventure; poor and homeless people wanting money or food mauled us until we got on the train.   The train ride was okay, only because we were in air-conditioned first class seats.   Second class had open windows and they looked like mini villages.  There were tons of people inside and at every stop there were security guards getting people off of the second-class cars.  The ride there was interesting.  We passed through a lot of countryside, and saw a lot of different things.  People were “squatting” everywhere relieving themselves, as anywhere is a bathroom in the Indian countryside.  I’ve also never seen so much trash piled up everywhere.   We arrived in Agra a little after 8 AM and had a breakfast at another five-star, gated hotel in Agra.  The breakfast was excellent, but you again felt guilty after seeing such poverty and homelessness coming into the city.    From the top floor of this hotel you could see the Taj and it was a great way to warm up for it.

After breakfast we finally headed to the Taj.  We got there and were again mauled by street hawkers and homeless people.  Our tour guide (a bit of a character) just had us cut in line so our group could stay together.  He just did it and didn’t seem to think anything of it.  We cut in front of Indians, and if the situation were reversed (Indians cutting in front of Americans in the U.S.) I don’t think it would have gone down so well with the Americans in line.     Those we cut in front of didn’t seem to care and were probably thinking “arrogant Americans.”

After we got past security we all headed straight for the monument itself.   When I was actually staring at it I had to pinch myself to make sure if was really happening!  I mean this wasn’t a picture online or on a postcard…this was the real thing!  It’s just there, adorned in splendor in the sun, staring at you.  The water in front of it makes it look even more perfect and it truly is one of the wonders of this world.  Staring at it is an awesome sight and there really are no words to describe it. 

We took pictures with the help of the gardeners there and then walked around the building.  It was neat to walk inside but a bit of a let down.  Inside isn’t that great; just a bunch of empty rooms with a tomb in the middle.  The building from the outside is a much better view.  I took plenty of great pictures I will upload them all…hopefully in Mauritius. 

We left the Taj and headed to the Red Fort of Agra.  It literally is read and was a pretty awesome fort.  It was used by the Mughals and again by the British when the occupied the country.  After the Red Fort, we went to a marble factory.  The same marble that was there was used to build the Taj Mahal.  I would have loved to buy some of it, but it was over $100 for almost everything in the place.  And it’s worth it.  Some of the tables and bigger pieces take eight years to build.  Definitely a fine art. 

After the marble factory, we had lunch at the same hotel as breakfast and then headed on a five-hour bus ride to the city of Jaipur.    The bus ride was interesting and we again were able to see a lot of the countryside in India.   We also stopped at the Abandoned City on the way there.   The city was build as a home for a Mughal emperor, but he moved to Agra when he discovered that the water there wasn’t drinkable.  Speaking of water, there was a pool in the middle of the city and the water was green.  I mean really green and it looked toxic.  This Indian boy did a dive in for us and we were all shocked.  I mean this water was the most disgusting water I’ve ever seen in my life.  He thought nothing of it and just smiled and wanted a tip from us.  

We then continued on our drive and it was getting dark by then and most people just napped or listened to music.  Traffic on the streets of India is crazy…nothing compared to Vietnam.  There are auto-rickshaws (the most fun way to travel), cars, motorcycles, and animals.  Dogs, cows, camels, and pigs just roam the streets and people look out for them.   I have no idea how the driver made it three days without hitting anything.  It definitely is a skill.  

We stayed at another five-star hotel in Jaipur, the Ramada.  It was nice and even nicer to get to sleep after such a long day of traveling.   The next day was total surprise to me.  We rode elephants!!!  It had been on the itinerary and I remembered reading it when the guide told us what we were doing, but it was a surprise.  We rode them up a hillside where there was yet another Mughal fort.   They were awesome animals and it was so cool to actually ride them.   The only negative thing was the smell.  Not that pleasant.  I also got a lot of cool pictures with the guys playing music with the cobra snakes.   After that we went back to the hotel and had the afternoon off.  Most people just wanted to sleep and I was one of them.  I took a nice nap and then had a great evening with my friends on the trip.  We relaxed at the hotel and enjoyed a few drinks at the bar. 

We left early in the morning for our flight to Cochin where the ship was.  The flights took forever as the two cities we were going to had terror warnings.  A terrorist attack had been foiled in Mumbai the day before and Cochin was/still is under a high terror alert.   Rumors were spreading all over our group that we weren’t going to be able to get back to the ship, that the ship wasn’t docking in Cochin and all other sorts of crazy things.  There really was a terror warning and security was heightened everywhere, but we didn’t have a problem.  Just shows how easily rumors get started. 

It was great to get back to the ship.  We relaxed for a little and then headed out to see a Bollywood movie.  The movie was entirely in Hindi, with no English subtitles, but it was funny to watch and try to piece the story together.   It was an action/love/musical all in one.   Two characters fell in love mixed with gunfire and singing.  The singing was a little different but interesting.  It was also interesting to see how conservative the film industry is in India.   No kissing, sex, and barely any skin was shown by any of the characters in the entire film, which is very different from movies in this genre (love) in the U.S.    Seeing a movie is also A LOT cheaper.  Tickets, popcorn, and a drink cost about $2.  A nice break from the $20-25 you pay when seeing a film at home. 

The next morning we took an auto-rickshaw drive around the city of Cochin and saw various parts of city.  The city’s main industry seems to be the resorts.  Signs were everywhere for resorts that are located inside of the city.  It really is a perfect resort town: tropical, hot, and right on the ocean.  It would be a nice to take a vacation there one day. 

So as my time in India comes to a close, I have mixed feelings on the country.  It is a country of majesty, history, and amazing architecture.  There also is a different side:  poverty, homelessness, garbage, running sewage, and helpless children.  I got a nice mix of all India has to offer.  I’ve also really seen how privileged we are in the United States.  We have so much compared to these people.   It’s hard to ignore children begging for food and mothers with babies begging for anything.  I’m glad I saw it and again, I’ve seen just how easy and blessed I have it.  My everyday problems seem meaningless compared to the problems of the people here.  

So we’re officially done with Asia!  I can’t believe it.  We’ve been to Japan, China, Vietnam and India…where did it all go!?!?  We now set sail for Africa and are heading home.  Our first stop is Mauritius and I’m really excited for this little island off the coast of Africa.  I had no idea how to pronounce it or even that is existed until about a year ago when I saw the itinerary for SAS Spring 2010.  Google Image “Mauritius”  and see what comes up.  It’s going to be a nice break there before we’re actually on the African continent.   Only six days of ship life until we arrive!

Hello India...

We arrived in India around 8 AM on March 11.   The neatest thing happened as I was having breakfast outside as we were pulling into the harbor: we went right by a group of Indian fishermen who were all waving, ecstatic that we were there!   They were waving frantically and just looked happy to see the Explorer pulling into Chennai or Madras as it was called.

Customs took a long time and we finally were able to get off the ship at around 12.   Our only plans for the day were a walking tour we’d found per a recommendation from a former SAS student.   The port was very, very dirty and it was about a mile walk from where the ship was berthed until we got out.  That was kind of a pain as there was oil, dust and all kinds of disgusting things around us.  We were literally swarmed by auto-rickshaw drivers wanting to take us places.   It was very overwhelming and hard to handle at some points.   You just have to say NO very emphatically, several times, and they get the picture. 

The first thing you notice while walking around is how dirty the country is.  Garbage is everywhere.  Men are urinating ten feet away from you and it’s no big deal.   This probably has been the only time I was really just shocked so at what was going on.  I mean it’s gross.  Bathrooms don’t have toilet paper (we carried it) and clean water is a true commodity.   When we went to lunch we got bottled water and it wasn’t sealed.  We spent at least ten minutes deciding whether or not it was just a super glued cap.   Some people were brave and had some but I didn’t.  I just had sodas.  I will truly, truly never look at water the same way again back home.   We really do take for granted the cleanliness of our water.  It comes out of the sink and it’s just there and perfectly fine.  Here it’s not.  I washed my hands in a bathroom to get the sweat and dirt off and then hand sanitized them.   We will be brushing our teeth with bottled water in any hotels we stay at while on the Taj trip.  It’s something we take for granted back home, I know I said that before but I’ve honestly never thought about it.  Up until now sealed bottled water was no problem to find.  Here it really is a rarity and just different.   Bathrooms too.  Think of the dirtiest, little gas station bathroom that you would hate to have to go in and then multiply it by a thousand.  Even that dirty, little, gas station bathroom is 1000x nicer then the toilets in India.  Talk about culture shock. 

When I told people about my SAS trip before I left I got a few curious looks when I said India.  I mean it is undeveloped, ridden with poverty, and homelessness..why would anyone go there, right?  I’m glad I’m seeing this.  I really cannot imagine looking at things the same way back home. I really see how blessed we are and how much we take for granted. Families are cramped into little makeshift tents with rags as the bed: no electricity (I hate when the power goes out in the summer…it’s the end of the world without that air-conditioner), no chance in hell there’s running water (the shower takes forever to get hot…such a pain), and no anything.  Just their little tent, and yet the people seem happy.  Twice kids came up to us today and hugged us with the biggest smiles on their face.  For no reason other then the fact we were American.  Parents had their kids look at us, wave and just stare.  Our lifestyle to them is one of a king and queen, and compared to theirs it is.  

We really just spent the day wandering, and taking the entire city in.   All of us were going to the Taj and we wanted to see what “real” India was like before we got the tourist side.    We also met an auto-rickshaw driver who had postcards, and letters from former SAS students.  He was a really friendly guy and tagged along with us for a good portion of the day.  His names is Jalhal (I’m butchering the spelling) Hussein, but “not like Saddam Hussein he’s a bad guy.  US kill him.”   He said all of Chennai looks forward to SAS coming.  I think he was serious.  People certainly did seem to know us, and where we were from.  Chennai is almost always a port of call on all fall and spring SAS voyages. 

So I have to be up at 330 AM for my trip to Delhi and the Taj Mahal.  I’m so excited.  It’s a four-day, three night trip and I promise to get an update here right when we get back.  I’ll also have one and half days in the city of Cochin in western India.  We meet up with the ship there...I'm excited/nervous to see what the rest of India is like.

The Indian Ocean

We officially made it through the Strait of Malacca even though there was a terror/pirate warning issued by the Singapore Navy for all ships traveling through.   The warning was mainly for oil tankers, but like anything, it got blown out of proportion on the ship and rumors were spreading like wildfire.  People were saying our ship was getting a naval escort or that we were altering our course…totally crazy!   We did see a lot of little dinghies that looked suspicious but they probably were just fisherman.  

Yesterday was one of my best days on the ship.  We had the “Sea Olympics,” which is a series of competitions that take place on the ship.  It was a fun day off from classes and the day ended with a delicious BBQ and everyone was outside watching the beautiful sunset.  Afterward pretty much everyone on the ship crammed into the little pool.  There had to be at least two hundred students in a pool that’s maybe ten meters by ten meters.  It was awesome!  The crew had trouble getting us all out when the time came to close the pool. 

Another thing that hit me today, as I was eating outside looking at the ocean, is that I’m sailing through the Indian Ocean!!!  This is a place that has only ever been a blue area on a map to me!  Luckily the sea’s been very calm and it’s been perfect weather:  sunny with no clouds in sky!    We also were able to get a good look at the Nicobar Islands as we head towards India.  These islands officially belong to India and no foreign citizen is allowed on them. It's a shame because they were pretty and would be a fun vacation spot.

We arrive in India this coming Thursday and the excitement all around the ship is building!  

Singapore!?!

There’s a station on our cabin television that gives us the exact location of the ship, our speed, and our route.  When I turned it on after we left Saigon, it read “Saigon to Singapore.”  What?  We’re going to Singapore was my immediate reaction.  I had heard that sometimes SAS makes surprise stops along the way.  Rumors immediately began floating around the ship.  Some said we were losing one port and gaining Singapore and some were crazier than that. 

The real reason we were docking in Singapore was so the ship could refuel.   We docked on Friday morning at around 7 AM and we could get a pretty good view of the city, but not a good enough view to take any decent pictures ☹ We spend the entire day anchored there as the ship refueled.  It was neat to be in the area and seeing all the different types of ships go in and out.  Singapore is one of the busiest ports in the world and you can definitely tell. 

So now were heading through the Strait of Malacca and on our way to India.  We should get a pretty nice view of the Indonesian and Malaysian coastlines, as part of the strait is only 1.7 miles wide!  All we have to watch out for is pirates...

Last Two Days in Vietnam...

My last two days spent in Vietnam were a blast!  On Monday, March 1 (I can’t believe it’s March already…where did the time go??? It’s still January in my mind…) I had a trip to the Mekong Delta.  It was a nice, scenic drive from the port to the Delta.  I got a good look at rural Vietnam; saw rice paddies and other farms along the way. 

The delta was a totally different view of Vietnam then I got in Saigon.  The people there seem so simple and so far removed from modern city life.  Most of the roads weren’t paved and they were farmers or shop owners.  The houses were all made with wood.  We took a ferry ride to two of the different islands.  The first island we sampled different kinds of fruit grown on the island (all delicious) and took a ride through the town.  The ride was really neat because we sat on the back of wagons drawn by horses.  The town was just so simple and like something out of a movie.  We then went to a coconut candy factory and we watched them make all different kinds of coconut candy.   This factory was unlike anything I’d ever seen; it was basically a pavilion in the middle of the jungle we were in.  There were coconut trees all around.  The candy was delicious!!  It’s basically a coconut paste that is made from coconut milk and you can get it plain or with things inside it.  I really like it with peanuts.  I got two packets, but I doubt they’ll last me past India.   At the shop they also had the most bizarre wines I’ve ever seen.  There was snake wine and scorpion wine I’m guessing.  The snake wines literally had a dead snake (it was a cobra) inside the bottle.  There were other selections that featured a snake and a scorpion inside the bottles.  They were giving out samples but I didn’t try it…too exotic for me.

After the factory, we took a jungle boat ride (I don’t really know how else to describe it) down a stream.  This was amazing.  I was literally in the jungle on a boat.  There were snakes and eels all around the boat.  It really reminded me of the jungle boat ride in Disney World (which my cousins and family love!) but the real thing!  I don’t know why I keep comparing things to Disney World- I think it’s because of the heat. Our next stop was a nut place where they had all different kinds of nuts and things made from coconuts we could sample.  They were good, but not good enough to buy.  We also got to take pictures with a Python snake.  I literally had a snake around my neck!  I think I held it too close to its head because he didn’t seem to like me too much and kept trying to get away.   Our day ended with a delicious seafood lunch and then we headed back to the ship.  That night we found another good place to eat in Saigon and spent more money on DVDs.  

Our last day in Vietnam was probably one of my most favorite days on SAS so far.  I got the chance to visit a Vietnamese elementary school.   Being a future elementary school teacher, this visit was awesome for me.   We first had a meeting with the headmaster of the school and the Youth Union Secretary of the Communist Party of Vietnam (there is one in every school and his/her job is to make sure that the school is following the Party’s message), which was very interesting.  They welcomed us and then we were able to ask any questions we wanted about the school and how it was run.  It contained about 1600 students, 140 staff members, grades 1-5 and every subject is taught.  Everything that is taught, however, is pre-approved and under strict control by the Party.  The teachers really have no flexibility to deviate from the approved coursework.   It was also sad to learn that any type of Special Ed inclusion is not present. 

After the meeting we split up into groups and visited the individual classrooms.  The first thing I noticed about the students is how perfect their cursive was. It was impeccable- it looked like computer print.  It puts my own cursive to the ultimate shame.   The other crazy thing was that the first graders’ handwriting was the exact same way.   I was BLOWN AWAY by this.  I don’t think I’ve ever seen anyone in the US with handwriting as neat as these little Vietnamese first graders.   The other thing that I noticed was the content of the subjects seemed to be much harder.  Second graders were multiplying mixed numbers and improper fractions when we walked into the classroom to say hello.   They also have a 9 hour school day- 7:15am-4:15pm.   

The most fun and moving experience for me was how these kids treated us.  We were rock stars to them.  We walked in and they were having recess out in the yard and they all yelled “hello” and many came over to hug us.  They all wanted to test their English and see if it really worked. You could really see their little eyes light up when we said “hello” back or answered what our name was.  Every single student wanted us to write our names somewhere in their notebooks.  They just came up to us and would shove their notebooks and pens in our faces wanting us to sign our names. The students also seem to follow a rigorous English learning program and many of the older kids could carry on conversations with us.  I was almost embarrassed to say “no” when they asked me if I knew any Vietnamese.  Words cannot even describe how impacting this experience was to me and how excited I am to bring it to my own classroom someday. I took lots of pictures- pictures of the students, their handwriting, and me with a group of them! I tried to upload pictures in Vietnam but it didn’t go so well.  The Internet in the country was horrible.  For some reason, I don’t think India will be much better.

I really liked Vietnam.  It’s a country with so much history, friendly people, cheap DVDs, clothes and food, motorcycles, jungles and heat.  It really was a great port of call.  Before I set sail, I never really gave the country much thought.  I really enjoyed my time here and hopefully will one day get to come back and see northern Vietnam.   

So now we’re off to India.  We have just about a week of sailing before we arrive.  It’s going to be a nice break!  I can’t believe we only have one country left in Asia!  Where did it all go?  It really was quick so it’s good to now have a week to reflect and think back to everything we just experienced over the last few weeks. Think of me sailing for the next week…hopefully the seas will be as calm as they have been.  The crew recently opened up the pool on the top deck.  It’s really nice to be laying out in the sun and then just being able to cool off…it’s been a HUGE problem up until now.   I know, I know we SAS students have such a tough life…haha just kidding!