Drinking tea in Vietnam

After my experiences in India, I was desperately in need of a breath of fresh air. Thailand and Vietnam have been wonderfully refreshing, although not without challenges. I feel as though I understand Asia, and I’m at no loss to know why. I’ve had experience with the Asian culture before, and I’m fascinated by it. I can emotionally and mentally connect with the people’s customs and perspectives. I used to believe Europe would be the ultimate travel destination. Don’t get me wrong: I still want to visit all of Europe, but the world is so much bigger than that! The world is bigger than my Italian, British, Irish, and German ancestors. Its history is rich and it cultures are diverse; Europe cannot contain all of the things I’ve discovered and learned. It cannot contain all of the people I’ve met.
I think I like South Asia because of its reliance on water. I love being around rivers, lakes, and oceans. The people of Vietnam and Thailand greatly rely on rivers for transport. I suppose that’s where I should begin my reflections. While in Thailand, Abby, Maggie, and I travelled with a new friend, Donna, to Bangkok. We stayed at a hostel in downtown and used river boats to get around the area. River boats are Bangkok’s form of public transportation, kind of like New York’s subway system. It costs less than a dollar to ride the boats for an entire day, and, while riding the river boats, you have an excellent opportunity to people watch. We saw families, monks, elderly people, and businessmen all going about their daily lives: shopping, working, and travelling to various destinations.
While in Bangkok, we visited 2 temples: the Temple of the Dawn and the temple that houses the Reclining Buddha. The temple of the dawn was built in a location that magnifies the sun. It’s simply amazing at sunrise and sunset. The Reclining Buddha… well, it’s kind of self-explanatory. It’s a giant golden statue of the Thai-style Buddha, and it’s enormous! It’s plated in gold, which makes it an even more staggering sight! At the temple, I got to ring a gigantic gong for good luck. Maggie explained to me that, in the Chinese culture, if you ring the gong once, you’re wishing for good fortune for the year.
While in Thailand, we got to interact with quite a few animals. We rode elephants and held baby tigers, both of which I have wanted to do since I was a little girl! We were extremely fortunate to hold the baby tigers. We happened to be visiting a tiger nursery, and one of the workers pulled us aside and asked us if we wanted to see the babies.
Vietnam has really surprised me. When we arrived in Ho Chi Mihn, I felt very strange. All my life, I’ve heard stories about South Vietnam from war veterans. I wondered what I would see and how the people would receive me as an American. Now, I can honestly say Vietnam is an amazing place. My favorite experience was definitely visiting the Mekong delta. The Vietnamese use boats to transport rice, fruits, meat… well, all kinds of things! They have canals running all through the area and it’s quite an adventure to ride through them. They are packed with tiny canoe-style boats, and people are not afraid of crashing into one another!
The night markets are a great place to meet people and pick up some awesome items. I had a dress made at a silk shop and managed to pick up several plates, bowls, cups, and a tea pot. I have no idea how I’m going to pack it all, but I’ll work on it!
I’m extremely excited about China and Japan. I know so many people who’ve lived there or have family from there. I feel like it’s a chance to understand them and their heritage better. Not to mention, I love eating with chopsticks. I wish we used them in the U.S. more frequently. In Japan, I’m definitely picking up some manga comic books.

I’ll write again soon!

India: The Turning Point

I would like to say that I loved everything about India. Don’t get me wrong: India was wonderful, but I found myself culturally shocked and tested with every step I took. From the time we stepped off the ship to the time we pulled away, watching the port lights fade into the distance, we were constantly immersed in a drastically different way of life. Some of the differences were fascinating, while others shook me to the core.
India was the turning point in our voyage. It marked the middle of our expedition around the world, and everything shifted when we arrived. When I reflect on India, I’m exceedingly glad I visited, but it takes on a more serious tone in my mind. It affected me in a very different way than any other country. My perceptions are forever changed.
Two incidences stand out in my mind when I think of India. I had many experiences in India, but I feel that these two sum up my visit the best. The first occurred when I was returning with my friends from a tailor. We had just gotten outfits made and we were taking a tuk-tuk (a mo-ped taxi) back to the ship. As we approached the port, we were stopped at a rail road crossing for several minutes and a cargo train slowed to a stop on the tracks. I turned to chat with Abby, and when I turned around again two little boys were standing beside the tuk-tuk. We had been warned about beggar children in India. Many of them belong to beggar gangs, and giving money to them contributes to a dangerous cycle. Unfortunately, when confronted with hungry, desperate children, I was tempted to forget the warnings. I knew I wasn’t going to give the kids money, but I found myself quickly looking through my pockets for granola bars and chips. I only had one granola bar, and once I’d given it away, I was swarmed by kids looking for more food. I had just bought a set of bracelets, and I felt compelled to give one to a little girl who was standing by my side. The more I gave, the more the kids begged and crowded around me. My nerves became frazzled. All I wanted to do was get away because I didn’t have any more food or small presents to give away. When I finally got back to the ship, I was exhausted. My experience with the kids shook me up more than any occurrence on this trip thus far.
My watch battery had died the week before we arrived in India. I had borrowed a watch from my friend Nicole until I could find a replacement. Because it was very muggy, I had taken the watch off and put it into my backpack. Once I was back on the ship, I discovered that the watch had disappeared… no doubt in my mind it was taken while I was surrounded by the kids. The watch had only cost her $10 and it was 4 years old, so it wasn’t a huge loss. The fact that a group of kids all under the age of 10 could steal from someone who had showed them kindness hurt me. Losing the watch was not the problem. It was hard to see children, who should still be so innocent and carefree, hardened by circumstances. I struggled with this incident for several weeks, trying to understand how I felt about it. I will never give to the beggars of India again; I may not be able to return. I wish there was more I could do to remedy their poverty, but frankly, I don’t know what can be done. Seeing the poverty in India left me feeling very small; sort of helpless.
Although my experience with the beggar children was difficult, I also had the privilege of visiting the Bala Mandir orphanage while I was in India. I thought that seeing these orphan children would prove to be challenging too, but they brought me so much joy. They were filled with the curiosity and joy of childhood, and they simply wanted to hang out with us. We played on the swings, took pictures, and gave them stickers and coloring books. The boys at the orphanage taught us how to play cricket out in the yard. We had an amazing time.
As we were preparing to leave, one of the older girls ran up to me and began talking with me. She grabbed my hand and placed a small plastic ballerina in it. It was a strange moment for me. We had gone to the orphanage to give the kids toys, coloring books, time, and attention. I had not expected to leave with anything, yet I left with many wonderful gifts! The kids at Bala Mandir taught me that you can be joyful under hard circumstances. They renewed my hope for India. I tried to tell the girl that she needn’t give me anything. I was thrilled just to meet her. But she wanted me to have the gift. It is a gift I greatly treasure.
Before embarking on the voyage, multiple Semester at Sea alumni had told me about India. Some had greatly disliked it while others loved it. All agreed that India had a great effect on them. I agree. You cannot visit India and leave exactly as you were. Personally, I feel India has had a positive impact upon me. Although my experience was far from perfect, I learned a great deal.

I’ll write about Thailand and Vietnam soon!

From the Tip of Africa

Africa is multi-faceted, much like a diamond. Morocco, Namibia, and South Africa are vastly different: each one shines brilliantly. Morocco has an Arabian flair; alive with commerce. Namibia is very bare; raw and arid. South Africa is rich and colorful; bold with freedom. Africa is an ethnic and racial kaleidoscope. Languages, colors, and cultures abound.

In Morocco, we visited Casablanca and Marrakech. We caught a commuter train down to Marrakech. The trip took 3 hours and the train was very crowded. In Morocco, it is culturally taboo for strangers of the opposite sex to look each other in the eye. When we boarded the train, we were unable to sit in the same car because there were too many people. I sat in a car with 4 Arab businessmen. I wasn’t frightened by them at all, but I did notice something interesting about their demeanor. They seemed highly evasive to making eye-contact with me – the only female in the car! I eventually decided to stand outside the car near the windows. Morocco’s countryside is beautiful, and I was growing weary of the evasion.

Finally, when we arrived in Marrakech, we took a cab to the largest medina in the city. It was stunning! Quite honestly, I felt as though I had stepped into a scene from Aladdin. There were stalls selling dried fruits, lanterns, rugs, and leather goods. We decided to stop at a “restaurant” in the middle of the market. We ordered cous cous and meat skewers. To finish off the dinner, we had some fresh mint tea. The owner of the restaurant gave us a free cup of tea, but it was so sweet that we could barely finish the second cup!

We stayed in a hostel while we were in Marrakech. It was hidden from the public eye to say the least. We ended up tracking down several winding alleyways before we found it. The hostel looked quite simple from the outside; it was just a solid oak door in the middle of an expansive alley. Luckily for us, it opened up into an amazing establishment! Our room was basically a four-person dormitory with cool, Arabian-style decorations. The common area had floor cushions and incense. We loved it, although I was slightly wary of bed bugs. We had been warned that hostel beds sometimes have scabies and bed bugs, but we woke up bite-free. In the morning, they served us crepes and orange juice for breakfast.

Our second day in Marrakech was kind of soggy. Out on the streets, the merchants had switched to selling umbrellas. We saw quite a few monkeys in the square, all performing tricks for spare change. As we traversed the market, we picked up some fun souvenirs including a few beautiful hand-made carpets. The trip back to Casablanca was pleasant. We were all in the same car, and we were able to watch the countryside whiz by while munching on snacks. A little girl kept darting past our car window, stopping occasionally to smile at us. She’d sing songs to us in Arabic, pressing her face against the glass before she continued skipping along the hallway.

In Casablanca, we decided to visit Rick’s Café. For all you avid movie-watchers, that the name of the bar and café in “Casablanca.” It was all decked out in memorabilia. We had cheeseburgers and cokes… the first “American” meal of the trip, and very likely one of the few cheeseburgers we will be having for the next 2 months! The ambiance was very fun. We topped off the meal with a delicious piece of cheesecake; a perfect ending to our visit to Morocco.

After Morocco, we ported in Namibia. Namibia used to be a part of South Africa. It recently gained independence as a nation in the 90’s. Namibia is a very natural, beautiful country. It reminds me, to some degree, of Arizona; extremely hot, dry, and sandy. A majority of the country consists of a desert landscape. Just 7 kilometers outside the city limits of Walvis Bay (where we were ported), the 4th largest sand dune in the world stand at 1,200 feet. Being the intrepid travelers that we are, we decided to hike it! Hiking a sand dune sounds a lot easier than it actually is. It took us 20 minutes of crawling and slipping to get to the top! It is extremely difficult to climb a mountain of sand when you can’t get a solid footing! We ended up taking off our shoes and using our hands. The view from the top was incredible and worth the effort, though.

While in Namibia, we took a tour of the harbor by boat. Many different types of animals inhabited the harbor including pelicans, dolphins, and some very friendly seals. Literally, they were VERY friendly. The captain of our boat opened up a gate, and several jumped on-board! We were able to pet them, feed them, and take pictures with them! It was quite an experience. Afterwards, the captain served us oysters on the half shell. I almost didn’t try one… but I decided that I would be missing out if I didn’t. I’m so glad I did… although they were quite slimy.

After Namibia, we ported in Capetown, South Africa. It is truly one of the most ruggedly beautiful cities I’ve ever seen. The city rests at the bottom of 3 mountains: Devil’s peak, Table Mountain, and Lion’s Head Peak. Our first day in South Africa, Abby and I bought tickets to see a play performed at Cape Town University. The played was called “Pictures of You,” and it was written for the deaf community. That means there was no speaking during the show! The actors expressed themselves brilliantly by means of body language. I was impressed.

The second day, we took a ferry to visit Robben Island. Robben Island is probably one of South Africa’s most famous monuments. It is the location of the prison where Nelson Mandela was held for several decades during the struggle against Apartheid. He wrote his book while he was in captivity there. We sensed a great deal of pride in the people who worked on Robben Island. The South African people do not see the island as an atrocity. Rather, they see it as a triumph over racism.

We went to the top of Table Mountain on the third day. Initially, we were going to hike the mountain, but we had heard that it wasn’t always safe to do so. People were getting mugged on the trail. We took a cable car and hiked around on top of the mountain instead. The top of Table Mountain is perfectly flat; it’s a pretty amazing sight to see! We took sandwiches up, and hiked out quite a distance. Eventually, we settled down to eat lunch on top of Table Mountain, overlooking the entire peninsula! I can’t think of any place more amazing to eat lunch.
Tomorrow, we will be visiting a township. Typically, townships are home to the poorer inhabitants of Africa. I’m super excited to go. Cape Town feels somewhat surreal to me. It’s amazing, beautiful, and filled with endless activities, but I find myself wondering what life is like outside the city limits. I embarked on this voyage to learn and experience. I feel like I need to visit the township before we depart. I need to see all the different facets of Africa. They might not be individually pretty, but each one makes up a beautiful whole.