Taj Mahal, Varanasi, Independent trip = SUCCESS

10/23/09

I finished packing and met my group at 1:15pm on 5^th floor by the Field Office. I was a little nervous about what was just outside the doors of the ship… India. I was really excited about my Independent trip, but still had some feeling of uneasiness. Once we walked outside we showed our papers to the guards and were on our way. Since our trip wasn’t an SAS trip we had to walk all the way to the gate to get on our bus. So the 30 of us trekked to the gate sweating like you wouldn’t believe, got our papers checked again and saw the bus 20 feet ahead of us. We got on the bus and there was no air conditioning on, so we waited a few minutes to see if they would turn it on. Nope, so we literally sat there for 20 minutes with sweat dripping off of us until the bus driver came back from LUCNH! This is when many of us realized what an adventure these next few days were going to be. Finally, we were on our way and I noticed we were going in a circle and then pulled over. A shop keeper got on the bus and tried to sell us stuff. Our leader Barbara had to explain we just want to get to the airport, so finally the guide understood and we were on our way.  We arrived at the airport about an hour and a half before our flight. We navigated our way around and then finally found the ticket counter and got our tickets. We put the tags on our bags and went through security.  We waited about 1 hour and then they called for boarding. We had our tickets checked again then boarded a bus that took us to our plane. We got off the bus and had our tickets checked again and finally boarded. I didn’t know who was sitting next to me and as more and more SAS kids took the seats around me I was getting nervous. I ended up sitting between two Indians. I actually had conversations with both of them about SAS and what we were doing in India. They both told me good luck. We had lunch on the plane and I was a little nervous because I didn’t know what I was eating. I ate some vegetarian curried meal that was EXTREMELY spicy. I also had some chocolate cake that was amazing. We had a two and a half hour flight so I watched Night at the Museum 2. This plane was pretty cool the TV screen was on the back of the headrest in front of you. We arrived at the airport in Delhi around 8pm and we were greeted by our tour guide. He took us to our bus which was a short walk from the front of the terminal. We were given leis and a warm welcome to Delhi. It was really awesome. Then we boarded the bus and did a little sightseeing around Delhi. We saw the president’s house, and other government buildings. After that we had dinner at a local hotel. Our dinner consisted of chicken, rice, potatoes, curry (I skipped it), bread, and dessert was a donut like shape with honey on it. Everything was absolutely delicious. Oh and of course I had a beer, it’s called Kingfisher and it was really good. By the time we finished dinner it was around 11:30pm so we headed to the hotel. We pulled up in front of a string of hotels and were told to get off and walk with the guide to check in. So, we walked and passed a few hotels covered in what looked like Christmas lights I wasn’t too sure which one would have been our best bet. We ended up in the hotel with blue stringing lights hanging down from the building. They collected our shore passes and escorted us to our rooms. They turned on the air conditioning which was blowing practically hot air at me and left the room. We decided to scope out the rest of the room. Two twin beds, a bathroom with a toilet, a desk, some furniture, seems nice right? Well, the beds didn’t have bed spreads, the tub shaped object didn’t have a shower curtain, the hot water heater plug was just dangling and the towels looked like they were from 1912. We all know how much I sweat so of course I try to fix the air conditioning to turbo and I end up with the handle in my hand. We tried everything to get it to work, but we just decided to turn off the lights and the overhead fan and suffer. It was our first hotel experience in India and it was funny to say the least. Oh and we had to be up at 430am because we had to meet our guide to transfer to the train station. We didn’t get to bed until after 12.

10/24/09

Today I had a wakeup call from the front desk and expected to hear a voice. NOPE! All I hear is annoying buzzing sound in my ear, exactly what I wanted at 430am. So, miserable I got out of bed and started to get ready. We went downstairs after packing up all our stuff and checked out. We were told to go to the roof top for breakfast. So we took the elevator to the 3^rd floor because apparently that’s as high as you could go and then walk up another flight to the roof. Literally we were outside eating a piece of dry toast. After eating quickly I ran downstairs and jumped on the bus to get to the train station. We got to the train station and waited only a little bit before boarding. We were exhausted and many of us slept. I wasn’t too tired, more excited than anything. We had “breakfast” on the train which consisted of tea and a cracker, how appetizing! After about a 2 hour train ride we arrived at 8:15am in Agra. We were met by our new tour guide who took us to the bus. We had a 45 minute ride to a palace called Fatehpur Sikri-a perfectly preserved red sandstone “ghost town” which was the estranged capital of mughal emperor Akbar, built in 1569 and deserted when its water supply failed. It was a beautiful place. The architecture was awesome. Some of the specific designs that went into the making of the town were unbelievable. I cannot wait to show pictures to everyone!. We left there and headed to lunch at the Taj Mahal restaurant which seemed to be a chain of Indian cuisine. It was a buffet style so I had some more bread of course, rice, and vegetables with pasta. After lunch we went to Agra Fort. It was so crowded trying to get in and I hadn’t mentioned this before, but the beggars and people selling stuff are everywhere. Sometimes they would listen and just walk away and others would follow you around making it uncomfortable. Eventually, we dodged most of them and made it to the entrance. But, before you enter if you looked to your right you could see the Taj Mahal off in the distance. We knew we were so close yet so far away. So we had a long tour of the fort which was really cool. There were monkeys everywhere hanging from the buildings. Inside was buildings after buildings with you unique designs even better than the first place we went. I couldn’t believe how articulate some of the structures and designs were. We eventually made up to the top right portion of the fort where we had a CLEAR view of the Taj Mahal. We took tons of pictures and then our guide asked us if we were ready to see the real thing. We obviously told him how excited we were and left the fort to go to the Taj Mahal. We arrived outside the reception area where we were given white booties to put over our shoes if we wanted to walk in or on the marble of the Taj Mahal and a bottle of water. We took an oversized golf cart half the distance to the front gate and then walked the rest. once inside we had to wait for our tour guide. The suspense was killing majority of us because we knew what was on the other side of the large stone entrance. We finally made our way with our cameras out and ready to film. It was absolutely beautiful, I cannot even begin to explain how we all felt seeing it right there in front of us. I snapped pictures and videos and couldn’t help but smile. I couldn’t believe I was standing there in front of the Taj Mahal with about what looked like a million other people. We were all amazed. We made our way toward it when a photographer stopped us and asked if we wanted pictures done. We had solo pictures done and also one group picture and if we liked them we could buy them right before we leave. We were given an hour on our own to explore, and needless to say it was not enough time. I kept taking pictures as I got closer and closer. I finally made it to the stairs and put on my booties and walked up to the platform. It was extremely crowded everywhere and the stairs were practically impossible to climb. It took a few minutes and finally I was standing right there on the marble, looking at the Taj about 10 feet from me. The sun was setting and it was just beautiful. Unfortunately, the line was toooo long to be able to see the inside but I did touch it and took pictures sitting on the outside of it. By that time we had to head back to our guide at the other end. We made our way back and then left to go have dinner. We had dinner at the same restaurant that we had lunch and it was good. I had practically the same stuff and some tomato soup too. After dinner it was now time to transfer to our OVERNIGHT train. Yes, that’s right I took an overnight train in India, to Varanasi our next destination. Our train was to leave at 9:10pm and arrive the next morning at 8:40am. We saw the train pull in and saw 2^nd class which was filled with people just squished everywhere with no room to move and no air conditioning. We all hoped that 1^st class would be much better. So we held our breath practically, and began boarding. All you could hear was  oh my god from the few people ahead of me. I was afraid to look and then once on board your mouth dropped and you couldn’t hold back from laughing. The walkway was no wider than two feet, there were six beds to a compartment (two of which fold up), one fan, one light, two beds across the hall, a blanket, a pillow, and two sheets. No door, no curtain, no lock, no privacy, no real bathroom just a hole in the floor. Once we got on there were people everywhere it was impossible to move and there were people in our beds it was crazy to say the least. Eventually we all got situated and did nothing but laugh for an entire hour. I paid for the experience didn’t I? we all thought what the hell have we got ourselves into. We were all so tired from the lack of sleep the night before majority of us tried to just pass out. I ended up having an allergy attack and couldn’t sleep very well, not to mention the fact that the beds felt like I was sleeping on ply wood which was probably less than 2 feet wide. Eventually I fell asleep or well somewhat.

10/25/09

Today I had woken up several times because of a man walking up and down the aisles about 6am yelling CHAI tea CHAI coffee. It was annoying as all hell, but I dealt with it. Eventually we all woke up and got our stuff together so that we could get off the train. It was after 9 and we still weren’t there yet. Finally we asked the Germans that were staying next to us and said we have over a 2 hour delay and we won’t be arriving until about 11am. We all took of our shoes and went back to sleep. Finally we arrived at 11am and found our tour guide who took us to the bus. We were still in our pajamas and wanted a shower bad. So, he took us to the hotel and told us 30 minutes to shower. So we got into the room as quick as possible and started to get ready. This hotel was like 7 stars compared to what we had stayed in the past two nights. It had a large bed, dining table and chairs, living room set, a desk, a shower and closets. It was amazing. After we were done getting ready we headed downstairs to meet our group for lunch. We went to a place called BROWNIE’S. The first thing that they gave us was some sort of white substance in a glass. It looked disgusting and something that Dr. Dave would definitely not approve of. So, none of us drank it. For lunch we had rice, an orange gravy sauce that tasted like beef gravy, vegetables, and some bread. After we finished lunch we went to an Archaeological museum. All of the artifacts were discovered in 1905 in a site just across from the museum. Some of the items dated back centuries ago, it was really neat. We left there and went over to the site where all of it was found. It is also the site where Buddha gave his first speech. And then we went to a temple and the tree of enlightenment which was where he was enlightened. Upon finishing the visit of these two places we headed to the silk factory. We actually watched them make silk items such as scarves, table cloths, etc. it was really neat. After some people purchasing some of their products we got back on the bus and headed to the Ganges River for the ceremony. This was the point in which we had our Rickshaw ride. A rickshaw ride consists of a man on a bicycle with a small carriage attached for two people to sit. It was probably one of my favorite parts of this trip. They just weave in and out of traffic whether it be cars, crowds of people, or motorcycles or actually even COWS. Cows roam the street freely and are everywhere you go. It’s ridiculous and just wanted to inform you that cows are sacred. It was soooo much fun. The streets were extremely crowded because of everyone heading to the Ganges River for the ceremony. Don’t get me wrong the streets of India are crowded all the time, but especially at this time of the night. The dirt, the dust, the pollution was really killing my allergies this whole time and I was having a difficult time breathing. We eventually reached the river and walked down to the ceremony. We went up to a balcony in order to see it sat down and had a soda. It was amazing just to watch it. I have tons of pictures from it too. The ceremony is for the people to give back to the river and to thank it for cleansing their souls. Let me back track a minute, in the morning which we will see tomorrow people gather at the river and cleanse their bodies and souls. It is a ritual that is done and a part of the people of Varanasi. At night is when the ceremony happens to give thanks for this. After the ceremony ended we went to dinner at the hotel. It was pretty good and it was buffet style again so I chose what I wanted to eat. I had some soup, vegetables, rice, etc. We all hung out for a bit then went to the bars for a little then to bed because we had to be up early for the sunrise boat ride on the Ganges River.

10/26/09

Today I had a wakeup call at 435am went back to sleep until alarm my alarm at 5am. We met downstairs in lobby and made our way to the Ganges for the sunrise boat ride. Upon arriving there were tons of people worshipping in the river and the sun wasn’t even up yet. We got in a boat and made our journey down the Ganges. It was definitely a moving experience. There was a dead body floating down the river which caught majority of our attention. It was a little uncomfortable. We moved further down the river and the sun started coming up. It was a gorgeous red color that light up the sky. It was one of the most beautiful sunrises I have ever seen. I took tons of pictures. Down the river was a crematorium. This is where people bring those who have died to be cremated. By the edge of the river was a body wrapped in an orange sheet with the family standing around it. We weren’t allowed to take pictures because it’s insulting. We turned around and went back down the river the other direction. We were bombarded with people trying to sell us things which was annoying because many of us just wanted the experience of the river and the way of life early in the morning. Another crematorium was located at the other end of the river and there we actually saw a body. It was covered in sticks and lit on fire, but you could see the feet sticking out. It made me feel uneasy. We made our way back to where we started from and got off the boat. We headed back to the hotel and had breakfast. We were given the option of hanging out for the next 3 hours or going to see a classical Varanasi dance. We still had an hour to relax in between if we chose the dancing, so that’s what I did. I was able to watch the end of the Yankees game that brought them to the WORLD SERIES! GO YANKS! After the game ended I went downstairs and headed to the place where we could see the dancing. We were served some tea and sat around on couches. They told us that Varanasi dancing is much like story telling. It was really a lot of fun to watch and the girl had tremendous talent. After the dance we headed back to the hotel and some of us decided to head to the mall. I ended up eating McDonald’s for lunch which was pretty good! We met everyone back at the hotel, they had lunch, and we were on our way to the airport to fly back to Chennai. When we got to the airport it looked like a warehouse. I was a little sketched out. We got inside got our tickets and waited on the security line. Another SAS group was there and their plane was delayed an hour so we left before them. We walked out the back of the “terminal” and walked right to the plane. Needless to say this was an extremely small airport. We took our last group picture together too. We got on the plane and it was MUCH different than our first one. There were no TV’s or anything and it wasn’t very nice inside. I sat next to one SAS student and a creepy Indian who starred at me the whole time. Thank god the flight was only 1 hour and 20 minutes. We arrived at the Delhi airport and got word that our flight back to Chennai was delayed by 1 hour and wouldn’t leave until 8pm. We stood in line for about 45 minutes waiting to get our food vouchers for the plane, which was a pain in the ass. Then we all went up to the food court and had dinner. I ate a giant pizza from pizza hut. We waited about another 45 minutes and then we boarded the plane. Luckily, this time I got a seat in between my two friends. I thought for sure there would be TV’s, nope wrong again. So I listened to my iPod for as long as I could until it died. The flight was long and painful for me because by this time my allergies were killing me. The turbulence almost made me cry because of my ears hurting so bad. Eventually we reached Chennai and were escorted by our guide to the bus and made our way back to the ship. The bus wasn’t allowed in the terminal so we all had to walk back to the ship. Well most of us walked some jumped on the back of a flatbed truck and others took rickshaws. I didn’t get on the ship until after 1am. It was sad to say that our India trip had ended. I have a FDP in the morning I need sleeeeep!

10/27/09

Today I woke up and showered. Then, I made my way to lunch and met my friends there. I went on my FDP in the afternoon which was really awesome. We were able to see the 3 social classes of Chennai the posh, the colonies, and the slums. We spoke to women about the programs that they have set up for their communities. It is much like financial advisors; they have bank accounts and help each other when they need it. Each family contributes a certain amount per week and that goes into their funds. They use these funds for things such as starting a business and to help them get loans from the bank. We spoke to some students about how they go to school there in order to take the exams so they could get a certificate. This certificate helps them get a job in the real world. Next we went to a disabled children’s school. It was really cool they focus on educating the children, but also teach them daily tasks that can help them survive outside the school. One girl participated in Special Olympics in Ireland and competed in the sport of Basketball. She was very proud of the medal she won. I just want to mention that she was partially blind, deaf, and had a mental defect. It was amazing to see what such a poor community does to help all those in need in a community. Lastly, we went to a child labor school which gets children out of the jobs they are forced into and gives them an education. They sang us a few songs, it was really cute. All in all everyone was very welcoming. There were smiles and waves from side to side. Many children lined up to see us. It was an awesome experience. I headed back to the ship, relaxed, then had some dinner with my friends.  I spent some time outside on deck 7 then went to bed. Tomorrow is a reading day thank god!

I think India has become my new favorite country!!! I’m sad to see it go already!

10/28/09

Today I slept in because I could. No haha I definitely needed it after all the lack of sleep from my adventures in India. I wrote a paper for my Sociology of Marriage and Family class and relaxed. I had lunch with Brianne and then began making my plans for Japan. I’m not sure what exactly I’m doing, but I’m going to venture up to Tokyo for a few days. So I did a little research and figured out how to get there and stuff. I spent the afternoon pretty much doing that. Then, I watched Juno with my roommate and I had my ship picture taken too for SCRANTON! I had dinner with my friends and then relaxed for the rest of the night doing some small stuff. I cannot believe it’s back to classes tomorrow. I only have 3 more countries and I’m really starting to feel the end of this voyage coming. It’s already becoming hard.

10/29/09

Today we all had Global Studies together to watch a movie about Vietnam. It was really interesting and talked a lot about mending relationships with Vietnam after the war. After that I had some lunch with my friends and then read for my one class. I had Deviance and Social Control in the afternoon and the topic we discussed was sexual harassment. After class I watched Harry Potter because it was on the movie channel. We had a lifeboat drill at 5:45 which pushed dinner back a bit. So, I had dinner a little later than usual. After that I spent the night just playing a couple games with my friends and relaxing. Tomorrow is crew talent show which is supposed to be amazing so I’ll have to get there early!

10/30/09

Today I slept in a little later than I thought I would. Then, I did some stuff for class and ate lunch outside on deck 6. I had two classes back to back (International Law and Socio of Marriage and the Family). They were both pretty good. I had dinner with my friends and then relaxed for a little. Nothing to exciting has been going on lately except for CREW TALENT SHOW which took place tonight. I stood in line for 2 hours in order to get a good seat. I got to sit in row 4 not the best seats but I’ll take what I can get. The show was amazing. Some of the crew has amazing talent, singing, dancing, comedy, etc. it was so much fun and made me realize how much I love this community. They were awesome tonight. I’m exhausted and I have to write a long paper tomorrow, FUN!

Sorry for this being so long, but India was intense and exciting and I wanted to share everything with all of you. I figured you would want an explaination of why I think India was so great! I miss you all and HAPPY HALLOWEEN!!!!!!

 

I AM IN INDIA!

10/20/09

SEA OLYMPICS! It was a crazy day. We had opening ceremonies at 9am and that is where the beginning of the games also started. There was the picture with the torch contest, and your seas chant. Captain Jeremy is the person who officially opened the games. I made my way to where my first game was on deck 6 aft. The game was flip cup which was played with water not beer.. sad I know. We were competing in teams of 10 and the winner moved on. Well apparently not everyone decided to show up so 3 boys had to go twice. We ended up losing and were eliminated. I decided to go up to deck 7 to watch the beginning of synchronized swimming. Surprisingly it was mostly guys that were participating and it was absolutely hysterical. For my sea it was 4 girls that did a good job, but not good enough to pull out a win. I walked over and watched volleyball too. And guess what? We lost that too. We did pretty well in the pull-ups competition; the guy on our team did 25. After that I ran downstairs and watched my friend play Pictionary. There was a tie-breaker and we lost that too. I missed the extreme musical chairs, but apparently we didn’t do well in that either. We were off to a rough start in the morning until I went to watch the spelling bee. We ended up placing 3^rd which was better than the rest of the competitions we were in. then, it was about a 2 hr break for lunch and games would resume around 1:30-2pm.My friend was in the popcorn eating contest and that was hysterical to watch. We placed second in that too! I didn’t realize my next game started at 2:15 not 4:15 so I ran to the aft deck 6 to play. It was water pong, civil war style. It was best out of 3. And I was on the 3^rd team. The other team cheated  and were just annoying the entire time. We ended up losing so I went and relaxed up on 7^th deck. I watched some of the sweatshirt medley and then watched the dodge ball finals. Something we were actually in! We lost that too though. I decided to try the Caramel Coffee Freezer for the first time because it was so hot and I was already sunburned. It was AMAZING! It reminded me of dunkin donuts coolattas. I will definitely be getting more of them. Then, it was on to the relay which consisted of about 234233 different things and it was a timed event. If I can remember all of the events I’ll be lucky, but here it goes: butt scoot, dizzy bat, wheel barrel race, swim for a question, mystery cocktail, water pong into pitchers, three legged race, picture drawing, fishing, and run down to the podium. We came in 2^nd in this event! The last event that I watched was Don’t Forget The Lyrics. We ended up placing 2^nd but it was stupid because the judges changed the rules in the middle. Completely unfair, but we took the 2^nd place with pride. Then, it was on to the BBQ I had a cheese burger and some potatoes. It was heaven! I relaxed outside with a few friends and saw one of the most beautiful sunsets I have seen on this trip. I took tons of pictures of it, the clouds and sky were amazing. I watched slumdog millionaire in one of the classrooms. I had seen it before, but only once so I was really excited to watch it again. After that I went to bed.

10/21/09

Today I spent most of the day just relaxing and taking a break from everything. I did only have one class which was Deviance and Social Control. There was a debate today on legalization of Prostitution. It pretty much turned into a screaming match after the arguments were presented. I thought it was hysterical. It was getting really intense so eventually my professor stepped in and opened it up to the class. That didn’t make it any better because everyone wanted to have the last word. I did get my midterm back and I did really well so I am happy about that. I had dinner with my friends it seems like it’s the same old every time; pasta, potatoes, and meat. Everything is really plain, but I just eat it anyway. Then, we had cultural pre-port at 8pm. It was really interesting and was mostly presented by our two interport students and Sanjoy the lecturer. After that was over I went to watch You Don’t Know Jack which was a gameshow that the programming board was putting on. It was really funny and some of the questions were impossible to answer, but it was a good time. It was really annoying though when some of the pairs were cheating by showing their answers to the partners by reflecting the image on their whiteboard off the mirror behind the audience. In the end two sisters ending up winning and the prize was special dining which is a 5 course meal that is nothing compared to the regular ship food. That ended around 11pm so I went to bed.

10/22/09

HAPPY BIRTHDAY SEAN! You are getting old hahaha. Today I had global studies and the interport lecturer Sanjoy gave an interesting presentation. He spoke mainly about the diversity and rich history of India. It definitely kept my attention. After that I picked out my classes for the Spring Semester and then had lunch with my friends. I had two more classes in the afternoon which weren’t bad; International Law and Sociology of Marriage and the Family. I relaxed for awhile after class and then had dinner on the 7^th deck with my friends because the main dining food sucked. I had a pizza which was my first on the ship it’s nothing like pizza at home, but it was good. I also had another coffee caramel freezer, soooo good. Then we had time before logistical preport so we decided to play SORRY. I lost both times and came in 4^th. It clearly wasn’t my day. After we finished we went down to logistical preport and sat through an hour and a half presentation. It was full of useful information such as don’t drink the water, be careful of the food, don’t use tap water when brushing teeth, close mouth when showering, mesquitoes are a problem use DEET, don’t use public buses, and don’t answer to the beggars or give them money. These are just a few of the important details that we were given. Other than that HAVE FUN! I came back to my room and did all of my packing! Oh and as for what am I doing in India is a ton of things! I joined a group on facebook in the summer of people who were interesting in doing some traveling independently from SAS, but with a tour company. So, I was able to join up with them and pay half the price that SAS was asking for. I’ll copy and paste my Itinerary below.

10/23/009

WE ARE IN INDIA!!!!!!! We’ve arrived at about 830 am. We had a diplomatic briefing and the ship has been cleared. I am catching up on blogs and journals as I am not leaving for my trip until 1:15pm. I am really excited because this is a completely different kind of experience for me. I mean that because I am not with SAS, there is no trip leader or anything. I am really excited for it and so are the other 29 people. I’m not good friends with any of them so it will be a good thing for meeting new people! I just wanted to add that I am currently 9.5 hours ahead of EST so for those of you who are emailing me it may be delayed awhile. I will be on this independent trip from the 23^rd-26^th. The last day I have a FDP that is my professor running it called Socioeconomic Problems in Chennai. It states we are not allowed to bring cameras as I will be going into the poorest areas of Chennai and understanding the problems that are prevalent. Well, I have to go finish getting ready for my trip! I miss you all so much and cannot wait to see you in DECEMBER!

Itinerary:
Delhi-Agra-Varanasi Tour

23rd Oct.09 / Fri / Arrival Delhi from Chennai
On arrival at Chennai dock meet assist and transfer to Chennai airport to board the flight to Delhi. On arrival in Delhi meet assist and transfer to hotel. Later proceed to visit sightseeing of Delhi covering India gate & President House. Dinner at hotel. Night stay in Delhi.   


24th Oct.09 / Sat / Delhi - Agra & Agra - Varanasi
Early morning pick up from hotel & transfer to railway station to board the superfast air-conditioned train to Agra. Breakfast in the train, Arrive Agra in approx. 02 hours & visit to Fatehpur Sikri-a perfectly preserved red sandstone “ghost town” which was the estranged capital of mughal emperor Akbar, built in 1569 and deserted when its water supply failed. Later visit AGRA FORT - Fort built in red sandstone with its magnificent palaces, halls of public and private audience and the beautiful gardens. This is where Emperor Shah Jahan was kept under house arrest by his third son Aurangzeb and spent the last year of his life viewing the Taj Mahal from across the river Jamuna. After lunch at good local restaurant. After lunch excursion to TAJ MAHAL at sunset- Built by Shah Jahan, the Taj is a white marble memorial to his beautiful wife Mumtaz Mahal. This monument took 22 years to be completed and was designed, and planned by Persian architect Ustad Isa. Apart from its stunning design balance and perfect symmetry, the Taj is also noted particularly for its elegant domes, intricately carved screens and some of the best inlay work ever seen. Evening dinner at local restaurant and transfer to railway station to board the air-conditioned train to Varanasi. Overnight in air conditioned sleeper class.            

25th Oct.09 / Sun / Varanasi   
Arrive Varanasi, said to be the India’s most sacred city situated on the western bank of the holy river Ganga. It is also the oldest living city in the world. As a place for devotion and worship, with hundreds of temples dotting the city, sunrise on the river front as seen from a boat can be a spiritually uplifting sight. It has a fascination uniquely its own, a quality of sublime beauty, a timeless eternal appeal. Varanasi is the city which cannot be described, only experienced. Meet assist at the railway station and transfer to hotel. Later sight seeing of Varanasi (the oldest and holiest city of India) covering Temples, Aurangazeb’s Mosque and one of the biggest university of India. Afternoon lunch at good local restaurant. Evening view “Aarti” ceremony on the Ghats. Dinner at hotel. Night stay in Varanasi.  

26th Oct.09 / Mon / Varanasi
Morning boat cruise at the river Ganges to observe the way of life of pilgrims by the Ghats. Later excursion to Sarnath,10 kms. East of Varanasi, is one of the Buddhism’s
major centers of India. After attaining enlightenment, the Buddha came to Sarnath where he gave his first sermon. Visit the deer park and the museum and later back to Varanasi. After finishing the lunch at good local restaurant transfer to airport for
flight to Chennai via Delhi. On arrival in Chennai meet assist at airport and transfer to dock to board the ship.

Mauritius & Intro to Sea Olympics!

10/15/09

Today was exhausting!! We arrived at Port Louis, Mauritius at 8am and by 9:15am I was already boarding my bus and heading to my SAS trip. We drove about 45 minutes to the mountain called Le Pouce. It was 2,661 feet high and it is shaped like a thumb. We were told it was a very difficult hike and it would take us around 1 hour to get to the top. I looked at the mountain and thought there was no way in hell it’s only going to take me an hour to get up there. We got off the bus and put on our bug spray and grabbed our water bottles. We began our trek to the top of the mountain. The walkways were very small, covered with uneven rocks with bushes and sticks coming from every direction. Oh and I wanted to mention the fact that it was practically a vertical journey the entire way. I was having difficulty breathing because of asthma and didn’t have an inhaler so I did struggle a bit. However, I did make it to the top of the mountain. The view on the way up and once you reach the top is absolutely gorgeous. You could see our ship on one side of the island and other the side you saw ocean and beaches in the distance. Down below were farms filled with sugar cane and just beautiful mountains and landscape. We relaxed for awhile and took in the scenery while drinking water and eating cereal bars. We made our way back down the mountain which was a little bit difficult. It was really steep at some points and I felt like I was bouncing the entire way down. After reaching the bottom, one of our guides was cutting fresh sugar cane to try. I had never tried sugar cane like that before so I put it in my mouth and bit down sucking the sugar out. It was delicious so of course I had another. We waited for everyone else and then boarded the bus for lunch at Eureka’s Colonial House. This place was absolutely amazing. The view was overlooking a lagoon with a waterfall. There was a pool and palm trees with wooden chairs to sit in on the ground. Inside was a table set up for 20 of us with pretty flowers as center pieces. We were all starving so thankfully they put out some bread. There were also different types of sauces on the table too. I tried one that tasted like peanuts and another that tasted like mint. It was definitely something different. Next we were given a plate of rice and then curried chicken. I tried the chicken, but it wasn’t for me so I just ate my rice. Dessert consisted of a coconut mousse and I did in fact try some it was pretty good. After we finished lunch we headed to Flic-en-Flac beach for about an hour. We passed shopping and bars on the way in so we decided to walk down there rather than spend all the time on the beach. Besides it was a really cloudy day. I did most of my shopping in one store so I was able to get salt and pepper shakers too!!! After about an hour we walked back to the bus and headed back to the ship. I relaxed for awhile and then we decided to go out in search of some REAL food. The way that you get to the waterfront since it isn’t connected to the port like South Africa is by using the water taxis. They are little boats that take you across the harbor. You pay $2 USD to get there and the same for a return. It was interesting trying to get in and out of them. You had to climb down a ladder and hop into a boat. It was always and adventure with that. We decided to eat at a place called Black Steer bar and grill. I had fish and chips which was GREAT! After we had dinner we decided to find a bar for some drinks. We found a bar called Shooters that was part of a restaurant on the 3^rd story of this building overlooking the waterfront. We went up and found a few friends that we knew and sat with them. The local beer in Mauritius is called Phoenix. It was actually really good. We stayed there for awhile and then took a water taxi home at about 1am. The best part of the ride was when one of our friends realized she had a huge cockroach crawling down her back onto her legs. Well, I checked some email after returning and off to bed. I have a service visit tomorrow!

10/16/09

I got up this morning and grabbed a quick breakfast. I went to my bus at 8:30am for my service visit to Terre De Paix children’s center which is an orphanage for neglected and abused children. Upon arriving the woman in charge explained a lot about what they do and how it works. They house approximately 60 children the youngest being 6 and oldest being 17. Most of the children come from families who cannot support them, been abused, or leave in an unstable home. These children participate in activities each day that help them therapeutically. Some of the activities include weaving, sculpting, music class, physical education, and a class on sexuality. There was also a pre-school that was located on the grounds and this is where I started. There were about 50 children in total and 7 teachers. All of the children spoke French so it was very difficult to communicate with them. The teacher asked me my name and all of a sudden the children were singing a song with my name in it. After the song ended and we all had clapped she told me that they were telling me that they loved me. It was adorable and totally melted my heart. The room was filled with different kinds of food, to be specific sweets. There is a holiday called Divali. It’s the festival of lights and everyone shares sweets with each other. They even say those who are enemies, don’t know each other or, are angry with someone it doesn’t matter on this day. Everyone is welcoming to everyone. So, I tired one of the sweets and it tasted much like licorice. After this station we moved to the next one which was weaving. We looked at the many types of designs these children were making some were simple and some were extremely difficult like the bunch of apples or a flower. We were able to look at the collages that these children make that represent a topic that they are learning about. They use magazines and books to make the artwork. The next station we went to was sculpting so we sat down and made some objects with them. After that we headed to the music room where they played instruments and sang us songs. It was really a cool experience. When we finished with going around to the different stations we walked down the street to see the new center that will open in March 2010 which is a preschool and nursery school. We stood in the foundation and were told about the improvements that are being made to the orphanage and this is one of them. We returned back to the orphanage and had a drink and some wafers. After that we boarded the bus and came back to Port Louis.  I still needed to get some shopping done and I heard two other kids saying there getting off so I joined them. We had lunch at La Petit Gourmet and I had some fried shrimp. When we were done with lunch we walked around the waterfront and I bought a few things that I needed. I eventually took the water taxi back to the ship and relaxed for a bit before eating dinner on board. Then, my friends wanted to eat and I wanted to have a few drinks so we headed to the Keg and Marlin which is an outdoor bar and restaurant just like the Black Steer. I shared some nachos with a friend and we drank a few beers. There was live music also which was really good and seemed to draw a crowd. We took a taxi to other parts of the island and had a great time. We didn’t reach the ship until 5am and the sun was rising. I was exhausted so I went to bed for a few hours.

10/17/09

After the 3 hours of sleep from the previous night I went out with my friends to do some last minute shopping.  I didn’t need anything, but I wanted to go out for our last day. I couldn’t believe how fast 3 days went by. After a little shopping we grabbed some lunch. We ate at McDonald’s! It wasn’t as good as the US, but it was better than ship food. We walked around with a couple of our friends for a bit more then took the water taxi back to the ship. I got on board and relaxed for the rest of the afternoon by uploading pictures to my computer and writing in my journal. We got dinner in the evening and for dessert was chocolate filled éclairs!!! They were so good. I spent some time on the 7^th deck talking to a few friends and then went back to my room. I was so exhausted I put on a movie and went to bed.

10/18/09

Today I had my last midterm it was for deviance and social control. It was relatively easy and I think I did well on it. It consisted of answering two essay questions that we could pick from out of 6. It was stuff I had already learned. I started reading my new book for Sociology of Marriage and the Family called Promises I Can Keep. It’s about young women who struggle with being pregnant and the problems and issues that come with it. It’s been interesting so far so I think I will enjoy it. I had dinner with my friends and read for my classes. Wasn’t much of a busy day, but it is our first day  back so you can never expect much.

10/19/09

Today I had global studies which is almost always boring. It was a little better today because we watched a movie and had a guest lecturer from India (our next country of port). I also had him in my International Law give a presentation on Refugees. Sociology of Marriage was interesting we talked about the different kinds of marriage contracts that are used in India. There is at least 4 or 5 different kinds specific to certain people. I never knew that and found it to be really surprising. Nothing too exciting going on lately, oh wait tomorrow is SEA OLYMPICS!!! When we all first arrived on the ship in Halifax and were assigned our rooms we were assigned a sea too. I am a part of the Sargasso Sea which is out in the middle of the Atlantic Ocean located near Bermuda. It is the only sea in the world without shores. It is said to be distinct for its deep blue color and exceptional clarity. Anyway, the purpose of SEA OLYMPICS is to decide who gets off the ship first once we reach SAN DIEGO, CA our final destination. Our sea only consists of 44 people; we are the 2^nd smallest on board. Therefore, many of us have to sign up for the events that I’m going to list. It is an all day event beginning at 9am with opening ceremonies and going all the way to after 5pm with closing ceremonies and a BBQ. Some of the events include: pie eating contest, don’t forget the lyrics, tug-o-war, pull-ups, dean Byron says, spelling bee, game room (Pictionary, scrabble, etc.), synchronized swimming, banner contest, torch contest, reverse scavenger hunt which requires you to take a pillow case back to your room and fill it with as many things as you can and bring it back to the judges. The judges have a list of items that they will read off if you have that item you will receive a point. There is volleyball, make up put on a girl by 3 boys, make me laugh, extreme musical chairs, knot and lap sit, relay race which combines everything,  trivia, Hawaiian bowling which has something to do with throwing bars of soap, sweatshirt medley which is 4 people on a team have to one at time jump in a pool with a sweatshirt on take it off and wring it out into a cup and then the other members go and the two that I will be participating in: water pong, and flip cup. There are tons of events going on at different times and it’s going to be a lot of fun. Our team color is GREY so I will be wearing that tomorrow morning. I’m really excited it’s finally a break from everything and seems like tons of fun. I’ll update you on how it turns out and on my plans for INDIA which we get there on Friday. Sorry that I am not updating a lot it just gets so busy. Thank you to all that are still following me along! I love and miss you!

PS. It's offical as of tomorrow I will be halfway complete with my voyage. I don't even know how to feel about that. It's just going by so fast.

Midterms... now MAURITIUS!!

Sorry for not updating all that much especially in the previous week. After leaving South Africa I was getting into midterm mode. Well I’ll update you what I did this week. We had a sea meeting for SEA OLYMPICS that will take place after Mauritius. We are a small sea; I mean not many of us in my hallway so a lot of participation is going to be required of us. There have been events set up for the entire day and we compete against other “seas” in a variety of events. Apparently from previously voyages it’s ranged from jeopardy, scrabble, to athletic events. At the end there is a barbeque so, all in all it sounds like a really great day. That will take place in exactly a week from today. Also, in previous years the winners of Sea Olympics are the first ones to depart the ship in San Diego. There has been no confirmation of that yet, but we all wonder what really is the prize. Lola did turn 11 months this past week and I am very sad that I’m not there. I really do miss her! On Sunday I watched a movie called Milk in the Union which is the main “classroom” where global studies takes place. It was about the rise of a gay rights politician and what it took for him to gain a seat as city supervisor. The end of his reign came about when he and the mayor were both assassinated. it was filled with great insight and understanding of growing up in California and fighting for equal rights for gays. It was an excellent movie and I happy to have had the opportunity to see it. Tonight I had a meeting for my India trip and met a bunch of people that will be going with me. It seems like a fun of bunch of people about 30 of us in total. It will be my frist independent trip and from the looks it will be an experience within itself. Flights, overnight trains, and hotels in India. Haha But, we do get to see some cool places which I will go into detail after Mauritius. Other than these few things I have been studying for a few midterms and watching movies on the movie channels. I had Sociology of Marriage and Family on Monday and I did excellent on that exam. Today I had Global Studies this morning and Globalization and International Law in the afternoon. Global Studies was an absolute nightmare he pretty much lied about a good chunk of what was on the exam, so everyone is pretty much miserable right now. Then, I had my international law exam this afternoon which I think I did well in. The upside of all of this is MAURITIUS tomorrow!!! It is called by many the “British Hawaii.” Many of us are taking it as our spring break and relaxing in this port. They apparently have good rum and beer and the food is safe to eat. What more could I ask for? I have a Hike in the Mountains and Beach planned for tomorrow so I’ll be doing some hiking and then we go to a beach for the afternoon. The next day I have a service visit to a children’s center who have been neglected or abused by families. The last day I do have a scheduled trip to go zip lining, but I may just skip it and explore the port city of Port Louis. We will see how it all works out. Yesterday we had cultural pre-port which is always helpful. We learned they do speak English which makes it that much easier. Apparently Mauritius is good for buying clothes, so I hope to add some new things to my closet.  We had some recommendations of bars to go to so that helps too haha. Tonight was logistical pre-port and it went well. We learned that the crime is pretty much only petty crimes, food and water are safe to eat/drink for the most part, malaria is not a problem, and water taxis are the way to get to the port city from where we are docked. I am really excited for tomorrow and cannot wait to experience Mauritius. I am sad that we are only going to be there three days, but I plan to make the best of it. I miss you all at home!

Goodbye Cape Town, South Africa... :-(

10/07/09

Today I did all my shopping. I slept in a bit too, so that felt good. We grabbed lunch on the ship and headed out for the day. We went to the market which is really a craft warehouse with over 110 stations of merchandise. It was a really cool place and I wanted to buy everything. I did get a couple of things that I needed; including really cool salt and pepper shakers! After that we went to a couple of shops at the waterfront to check prices for things and then went into the mall too. We ended up walking in a few circles and going back to all the places we were at originally. But, it was fine we had all day to shop and stuff. In the afternoon we decided to get lunch and then the plan was to head back to the ship. I got a piece of pizza and French fries with a COKE LIGHT. I haven’t had pizza since we left, it was so good. Then, we came back and relaxed for awhile. I took a nap and then we headed back out for dinner and drinks. It was our last night in Cape Town and I knew I wanted to get to the bar. For dinner I had chicken and cheese quesadillas that were really good. After dinner we went to the brewery that is located in the port area. I wasn’t sure what to get as there were soooo many beers on tap. So, I saw a man whose wife teaches a class on this trip and asked him what he was drinking. He told me it was called Old Wobbly and it had 11% alcohol. So, I went to the bar and got myself one. It was fantastic! I really enjoyed it, so of course I had another. Then, we headed home because I have Operation Hunger tomorrow.

10/08/09

Today is our last day in Cape Town. I can honestly say I’m going to miss this place. I don’t want to leave. These past 6 days have gone by way too fast. It’s sad to see South Africa go. Anyway, I got up in the morning and had breakfast. We had to be on the bus and leaving by 9am. We had practically a full bus. We had 3 stops on our tour today. The first stop was in a township, which are the poorest areas of Cape Town and all throughout South Africa for the most part. The “houses” were made of anything that they could find such as strips of metal, all sorts of wood, and pieces of glass. It was definitely a shock to see some of these places people call their home. We walked up to the structure that was of mint green color. It said educare and aftercare on the outside. It was the daycare center. We entered and were greeted warmly by the two women who ran the center. They explained to us what we were to help them do for the morning. Some of us would be in the room with the babies, some of us with the toddlers, and some of us with the older children. Also, in those rooms some people were to record the age, weight, height, and arm circumference. I chose to be in the toddler room. I walked in an looked to see all these children sitting on the floor waiting for us. It was a little awkward at first because we all didn’t really know what to do. Eventually the children came to us and we all sat down on the ground. That was a huge mistake haha. They began to flock toward us and would come and sit in your lap. I brought stickers with me and they loved them. They were all bombarding me to get one. They were so intrigued by them. But, the best part was that they loved digital cameras. They understood the concept of taking a picture and an instant the image appears on the screen. They try to take pictures with your camera and take it out of your hands. It was difficult at times, but needless to say I now have over 100 pictures of small children haha. There were two little boys who seemed to like me. Or well that’s because I would pick them up and carry them around. The first one was a little boy who was a bit chubbier than the rest wearing a maroon sweater. He didn’t talk and seemed to be a shy one, and probably age 3. So, I picked him up and brought him around. He liked to just look around at everything. He was adorable. The second little boy approached me because he wanted to see what was going on in the other room. He was very active and wanted to see where all the action was. So, I carried him around to see what was going on everywhere. He loved loved loved to be tickled.  He also liked to give lots and lots of high fives. He was probably about 2-3 yrs old. It was toward the end I sat down on the small chair because I was getting tired. It was 3 and a half hour of playing with toddlers. Well the two little boys climbed into my lap and laid their heads down on my shoulders and closed their eyes. It was absolutely adorable. It made it even more difficult for me to have to leave. So I gave them hugs and high fives and slowly made my way out of the center. We left and headed to lunch at a nice little community hall. Most of us donated our Oreo packages that came with our lunches to the Soup Kitchen that we visited later. Next stop was the Soup Kitchen. When we arrived there were people standing there waiting in line for food. Mostly were children. We gave them our juice boxes, apples, egg, chicken, and sandwiches that were from our lunches that people donated. A child would get a bowl of soup and 2 rolls. An adult would get a bowl of soup and 4 slices of bread. I was able to hand bread to a few of the people. They were so thankful. As we left many children and adults came up to us thanking us for coming, helping and donating. I left with a big smile on my face and so did they. We headed back to the ship and relaxed. I had dinner and then watched some of a movie. I went up to the 7^th deck and watched the ship pull away from the dock. It was so sad to see us go. There was a huge cruise ship next to us and all of those people were waving bye to our ship, it was really cool. In about 12 days I will be half way down with my voyage. I cannot believe it’s going so fast and it’s going to go faster once we get to India. I hope to get back to South Africa sometime in the future. I feel like everyone would have loved Cape Town. Well, I’m heading to bed. The seas are supposed to be extremely rough tonight so I’m going to try and get some sleep.

I LOVE SOUTH AFRICA

10/03/09

I woke up extra early today so that I could see us sail into the harbor. Well let’s put it this way, there was no disappointment on my face at 7am this morning. It was chilly outside, the sun was shining, and there was South Africa. Table Mountain, the new soccer stadium, and the port off in the distance were all just too much to take in so early in the morning. I went and had breakfast and waited for the ship to be cleared so that I could step off the ship and explore!  Isn’t that what I’m here to do?? I was very excited to finally be here I could hardly hold it in. One of my friend’s parents had flown to South Africa to meet her for the week. They were going on a safari for a few days. After meeting her parents we began walking into the port. I don’t even know how to describe it. One word = GORGEOUS. Hotels, fancy restaurants, shops, live entertainment, people everywhere. Also, probably one of the biggest malls I have ever seen. I walked through mostly all of the souvenir shops, walked through the entire mall, and scoped out some places I plan to shop in the end of the week. I had to be back on the ship at 12pm because I had my City Orientation with SAS at 1pm. I had some quick lunch and headed to the bus. Well it seemed most of the people on the bus were part of the senior citizens club hahaha. Mostly life long learners and professors, but some students. We passed by the new stadium they are building for the world cup, its sooo awesome. I want to come back for it. Our guide was telling us that they are expecting so many people and they are even setting up big screen tv’s everywhere for people who don’t have tickets. Sounds good to me. haha We visited a castle that is shaped like a pentagon. It was really an interesting place with a beautiful view. Next, we went to this place that was a park/garden. It was full of history and monuments. We stopped at a café for coffee, tea, drinks, and light refreshments. After that we went to the museum that was located at the end of the park. We were free to roam around for about an hour. I took tons of pictures. It had everything from parasites & viruses, to the 8 tribes of Africa. I really liked the floor they dedicated to the marine life; sharks, fish, whales, sea turtles, dolphins, etc. We headed back to the ship and I got back around dinner time. A few of my friends and I decided to go out and get some dinner. We ate at a place called Spurs. It reminds me of a Fudruckers. I had a cheeseburger and French fries and it was pretty good. Well anything is better than ship food.  We decided to get Gelato for dessert and I tried milk chocolate. I really liked and glad that I got it. Then, we headed back to the ship as I have to be up early for my Cape Point and Peninsula trip tomorrow. Great first day in South Africa and I’m loving this country more every minute!

10/04/09

I woke up early and had breakfast on the 6^th deck. Then, went and boarded the bus for my SAS trip Cape Point and Peninsula. Our guide’s name was Peter and he was an older man. We did stop off a few places along the way. The first overlooked a beach, the ocean, and a rock formation. It was really a pretty site for pictures. The second stop was at a dock that had a little market type of idea going on. Also, had a nice little shop too. Then, we progressed forward to Cape Point. We got to the Cape of Good Hope around 11:30am and were given an hour to roam. I took some great videos of the view. It was just so beautiful. Don’t worry I took tons of pictures too! Then, we took the railway up to the top for an even better view. It was awesome. After boarding the bus and being “late” we almost received dock time at the next port. I argued what the time was and ignored the field office coordinator. Needless to say I do not have dock time hahaha. Next we headed to Boulder Beach. This is where we had our seafood lunch. I was dying to eat and seafood sounded delicious. Our lunch consisted of: bread, fried calamari, fried fish with sauce, buttered vegetables, rice, 2 drinks, and a bread pudding for dessert. I couldn’t even finish it all, but it was soooo tasty.  We finished our lunch and headed down to the see the PENGUINS! Yes, it’s true there are penguins on the beach in South Africa. I took tons of pictures and videos of them. They are absolutely adorable little guys!!  Then, we got back on the bus and headed back to Cape Town. I was exhausted, so I relaxed for a bit then had some dinner. I went out for a little and tried a different type of Gelato called Belgium Chocolate. It was even better than the first one I had. I came back to the ship watched a little bit of a movie and went to bed. Up even earlier tomorrow for Robben Island!!!

10/05/09

Today I woke up and was at breakfast by 615am. I had two chocolate croissants some water and met my group at the bottom of the gangway. We walked over to the Robben Island ferry and got on at about 730am. We were taking the crew ferry over because our tour was special. It had a spiritual and religious component and we were spending the day reflecting. I didn’t know about this until we arrived, but I was ready to enjoy the day.  Our ferry ride was about 40 minutes and I was absolutely FREEZING. My eyeballs felt like they were frozen when we arrived at the island. We had readings and reflections at each portion of our tour. We made about 6 or 7 stops along the way. We saw more penguins today too!!  We learned about Robben Island and what it was used for. How the country of South Africa dealt with people who didn’t fit in or rebelled. We had lunch inside a church and listened to our tour guides fight as a peace activist. After lunch we had a tour of the Robben Island prison. The most interesting part of it was that the tour guides are actually ex-political prisoners. Our guide was in prison for 5 years on Robben Island for apparently a laundry list of things. He explained about the different sections of the prison how it goes from A-F. The closer to A the better chances at privileges you are able to get. He spoke about a typical day and how they were locked up for majority of it. We were able to see Nelson Mandela’s actual prison cell which was really moving. After being shown around the entire prison compound we were released and told to do whatever we want for a few hours. We had tickets for the 4pm shuttle and the 2pm was full. So, I listened to some music and reflected on the day. We got back around 5pm and I ate some dinner on the ship tonight. I’m exhausted and I have to be up at 530am tomorrow for my SAFARI! I was able to buy a ticket off of another student so now I get to go! I’m really excited. I’m watching Mrs. Doubtfire and heading off to bed.

10/06/09

I woke up this morning and felt like I had been hit by an 18 wheeler. I was extremely exhausted and just wanted to go back to bed. I got to the bus and hoped for a long ride. Who would ever think that I’d want that? Well, it was a 2 and a half hour ride. I’d say I slept 2 hrs and 15 minutes of it. Haha. Upon arrival we were told there was a breakfast buffet. I decided to check it out and have a little bit. There was sooo much food. It was all cooked on these little black stoves in front of you. I had a good amount of food to eat. We waited a little while and headed over to the Rescued Animal Section. We saw some lions, and crocodiles. I got some good pictures and videos of each. After that we went back to the reception area and waited for our Land Rovers to arrive for our Safari. We were told there were 9-16-30 passenger vehicles. I hoped for a smaller one. I was lucky enough to get into a 10 person one, and an outside seat. So, I knew that I was going to be able to see everything pretty well. As soon as we pulled out, one guy started making sounds from the Indiana Jones theme song. Shortly after that a bunch of girls started singing all the Lion King songs with sound effects and all. It was not a quiet ride at all, and I enjoyed it that way. The animals we did see consisted of: zebras, ostriches, rhinos, elephants, water buffalo,  hippos, lions, and others. The zebras were absolutely gorgeous and were like 5 feet away. The ostriches were really cool because they had little babies with them. They looked like little ducklings. The Rhinos did not like us at all. A guy in my Land Rover was doing monkey noises and clearly pissed off the Rhinos while taking their nap. They stood up and looked like they wanted to charge at us. Our guide quickly put it in reverse and moved away. However, there were 2 other vehicles there too and were using us as a shield.  Eventually we drove away and moved to the water buffalo. They just looked angry to begin with, but were really fun to watch. The hippos didn’t move at all they looked like lumps in the middle of the water. Lions were sleepy, but did move around a little bit. The land was beautiful and the mountains and hills were gorgeous. It was just so unreal that I was able to experience it. When we were finished with our tour of the reserve we headed back to the reception area. We had another buffet lunch that was pretty good. I enjoyed dessert the most, obviously. I was still full from breakfast so I didn’t eat that much either. We got back on the bus and I went back to sleep haha. We arrived back in Cape Town at 5pm. I had dinner with my friends and we went out for a little while. I’m just so exhausted from these past few days. Finally, I have a free day tomorrow so I plan on sleeping in a little bit. I have some plans to do my shopping tomorrow, so I am pretty excited. I also am hoping to go to the bars and stuff tomorrow night! I have Operation Hunger on Thursday and then we leave. I cannot believe how fast it’s gone already. I am loving every second of this country though and I am so happy that I am here!

Cape Town, South Africa TOMORROW!!!

09/30/09

Wednesday night I went to a seminar for HIV/AIDS 1 in 3. It was an awesome presentation given by interport student Bulelani. He actually works for a foundation called LoveLife. He explained how prevalent HIV/AIDS is in South Africa, the way of transmitting the virus, social factors, and prevention efforts. As I took a class last semester on strictly HIV/AIDS at Scranton it really brought it to life. As entering this country we needed to be more aware of our surroundings. With this type of virus and it’s rate of prevalence it can have an effect on some of us which in turn can affect the entire shipboard community. They do accept volunteers, and are encouraging more people to participate. So, I relayed the message back to my professor as Scranton and we’ll talk more about it come the spring semester.

10/1/09

Happy October! I cannot believe it’s already October. Today I had two classes as usual. In my international law class we talked about the United Nations and how many countries are eager to make changes to the current organization. It was a really interesting class and opened my eyes to a lot of issues around the world. Today also marked the start of presale #2 which is the countries of Vietnam to Hawaii! I do have major trips in most of the second half of the voyage so I only really am picking 2 day trips. Hopefully, I will get them and they are a trip to Mt. Fuji and a trip to a YMCA in Japan for a kindergarten and pre-school visit. I relaxed after classes in the afternoon until dinner. There was absolutely nothing on the movie channels except….. Hannah Montana. Unfortunately, I had to give in and watch it. Maria, I cannot believe I am even repeating that I actually have seen Hannah Montana the movie. Anyway, I went to dinner with my friends and then we had a cultural pre-port meeting at 8pm. This pre-port definitely got me really really excited for Cape Town. We dock in the waterfront they tell us it’s absolutely gorgeous. There are no buses, shuttles, or any of that needed in the port to get to Cape Town. Everything is to be found generally right there. They told us of some good restaurants to go to for some seafood! I am so excited you have no idea. They also told us places to shop, and bars to go to at night. We can even see the stadium that is being built for the World Cup 2010 which I really hope to get to!! Okay as for what I am doing in Cape Town. I am going to do a city orientation on the first day, the second day I have cape point and peninsula tour with SAS which takes us to the Cape of Good hope and a beach with penguins on it, and other fun things haha. The 3^rd day I will be going to Robben Island where Nelson Mandela among other historical prisoners were held for many years. I have 2 free days to roam and do whatever I want. The last day I will be going on a trip called Operation Hunger we actually get to go into the townships which are the poorer areas of South Africa and see how they live. Some pretty cool stuff that I am really looking forward to! Oh and it’s been like 50-65 degrees lately, I am in complete HEAVEN! My kind of weather! I may have to break out the northface before China!

10/2/09

Today I had my last two classes prior to CAPETOWN! The day went by relatively slow, but I think it’s just everyone’s excitement including mine of arriving in South Africa tomorrow! I had lunch with my friends and caught up on some stuff this afternoon. I went to have dinner with my friends and it was awful so we went up to 7^th deck to get something better to eat. I had a turkey sandwich that I have probably mentioned before. It’s practically thanksgiving dinner on bread. As it was sooo big I had to eat it with a fork, but it was amazing. (not like traditional thanksgiving, but I’ll take what I can get). After that we played Uno for awhile and then had another pre-port tonight for Logistics. We learned about the safety precautions that we need to take, don’t be stupid was our Dean of Student’s motto for the night. We also learned about our trip times/breakfast, current trip openings, etc. We are told it’s an absolutely amazing view as you pull into the port so I will be getting up at 7am in order to see it. I don’t have any trips until 1pm and as we are arriving around 8am I hope to get off early and explore!  I’m sure you can tell I am very ecstatic about this port and I cannot wait to experience it! I’ll be sure to update when I can. Hopefully every few days if I have the time! Missing everyone!