Hello everyone!
Sorry I didn't get to share stories of China Taiwan and Hawaii, but I can just tell you all in PERSON! I can't believe that we will be porting in the San Diego Harbor tomorrow, very bittersweet. I am so excited to see everyone but I am going to miss being in a new country every week. Love you all, thanks for following me around the World, right back to home sweet home. Hope you stayed classy San Diego, see you tomorrow :)
Saturday, April 23, 2011
Saturday, April 16, 2011
Singapore & Vietnam
Hello Family and Friends!
We are currently working our way back into American waters; we will reach Hilo, Hawaii on Sunday. We are currently docked in Honolulu, but can’t get off the ship, we are merely refueling, such a tease! I am busy with tons of schoolwork, essays, journals and finals right around the corner! (I actually had my first final today!) I am also trying my best to post a few last blogs before making it to San Diego on the 24th. I realize that I have yet to blog about Singapore, Vietnam, all of China and Taiwan. So I will try to just highlight some of the best parts of the last month of traveling. I will start with Singapore and Vietnam and hopefully post a blurb about China and Taiwan a little later.
SINGAPORE:
Singapore we were only there for a day so it was hard to get an idea of the culture and city there. The city was extremely clean and once we walked off the ship you would look out on the skyline to see all of these amazing buildings and architecture.
We went to this lunch market where you go around to the different booths and buy noodles there, buy fresh exotic fruits somewhere else, and sautéed vegetables and chicken another place. Needless to say it was delicious and I really enjoyed the set up, being able to look at this wide variety of foods and pick one dish from each. This was in Chinatown, and after lunch we went to little India. After a little while in little India we went to the main downtown area and shopped. I was so happy because we happened to stroll upon a MEXICAN FOOD RESTURANT! We had dinner and a few Coronas there, nacho, guacamole, and burritos oh my!
VIETNAM:
I absolutely fell IN LOVE with Vietnam. The city was bustling with motorcycles, European backpackers, and beautiful Vietnamese citizens. Saigon (also known as Ho Chi Minh City) was extremely urban and had so much going on including an amazing market, delicious Pho, and the backpacker’s district. I bought more movies and TV series than I know what to do with, all for under $30!
I took a trip to Nha Trang through Semester at Sea, which was about an hour plane ride from Saigon. It is a beach community that has recently been discovered by big name hotels such as Marriott, there is one being build! Nha Trang was absolutely gorgeous, light colored sand, turquoise waters, kind people, and it didn’t hurt to have a brewery a few steps from our hotel! We went out snorkeling one of the days, to one of the many nearby islands strung across the coastline of Nha Trang. The coral reef was so amazing full of colorful fish and a wide variety of corals. Once our trip to Nha Trang came to an end we flew back to Saigon, after a delay of course. The last day we spent in Saigon we went on an SAS trip to the Cu Chi Tunnels and Cao Dai Temple. The Cu Chu Tunnels were what the Vietnamese used to fight against the US in the Vietnam War. It was fascinating to hear some history of the war from the Vietnamese point of view and learn about how they had to live and fight from underground dirt tunnels. It was an extremely eye-opening experience. The temple was really spectacular also. We were lucky enough to see be in the temple during a worshiping ceremony. I look forward to taking another trip to Vietnam sometime soon.
So that’s the short and sweet version of my time in Singapore and Vietnam. China and Taiwan still to come, but for now, I need to get ready for my LAST PORT ☹ Hawaii!
We are currently working our way back into American waters; we will reach Hilo, Hawaii on Sunday. We are currently docked in Honolulu, but can’t get off the ship, we are merely refueling, such a tease! I am busy with tons of schoolwork, essays, journals and finals right around the corner! (I actually had my first final today!) I am also trying my best to post a few last blogs before making it to San Diego on the 24th. I realize that I have yet to blog about Singapore, Vietnam, all of China and Taiwan. So I will try to just highlight some of the best parts of the last month of traveling. I will start with Singapore and Vietnam and hopefully post a blurb about China and Taiwan a little later.
SINGAPORE:
Singapore we were only there for a day so it was hard to get an idea of the culture and city there. The city was extremely clean and once we walked off the ship you would look out on the skyline to see all of these amazing buildings and architecture.
We went to this lunch market where you go around to the different booths and buy noodles there, buy fresh exotic fruits somewhere else, and sautéed vegetables and chicken another place. Needless to say it was delicious and I really enjoyed the set up, being able to look at this wide variety of foods and pick one dish from each. This was in Chinatown, and after lunch we went to little India. After a little while in little India we went to the main downtown area and shopped. I was so happy because we happened to stroll upon a MEXICAN FOOD RESTURANT! We had dinner and a few Coronas there, nacho, guacamole, and burritos oh my!
VIETNAM:
I absolutely fell IN LOVE with Vietnam. The city was bustling with motorcycles, European backpackers, and beautiful Vietnamese citizens. Saigon (also known as Ho Chi Minh City) was extremely urban and had so much going on including an amazing market, delicious Pho, and the backpacker’s district. I bought more movies and TV series than I know what to do with, all for under $30!
I took a trip to Nha Trang through Semester at Sea, which was about an hour plane ride from Saigon. It is a beach community that has recently been discovered by big name hotels such as Marriott, there is one being build! Nha Trang was absolutely gorgeous, light colored sand, turquoise waters, kind people, and it didn’t hurt to have a brewery a few steps from our hotel! We went out snorkeling one of the days, to one of the many nearby islands strung across the coastline of Nha Trang. The coral reef was so amazing full of colorful fish and a wide variety of corals. Once our trip to Nha Trang came to an end we flew back to Saigon, after a delay of course. The last day we spent in Saigon we went on an SAS trip to the Cu Chi Tunnels and Cao Dai Temple. The Cu Chu Tunnels were what the Vietnamese used to fight against the US in the Vietnam War. It was fascinating to hear some history of the war from the Vietnamese point of view and learn about how they had to live and fight from underground dirt tunnels. It was an extremely eye-opening experience. The temple was really spectacular also. We were lucky enough to see be in the temple during a worshiping ceremony. I look forward to taking another trip to Vietnam sometime soon.
So that’s the short and sweet version of my time in Singapore and Vietnam. China and Taiwan still to come, but for now, I need to get ready for my LAST PORT ☹ Hawaii!
Sunday, April 10, 2011
India
So I realize that it has been a month since my visit to India but I thought that I would try to post a few last blogs before arriving to San Diego on April 24th. It is unbelievable to me how fast these past few months have gone by, but I guess that’s what happens when you sail to a new foreign country every week.
So lets talk India. It was one of the most spectacular cultures I have ever been exposed to. The streets are crowded with women in colorful saris, families of 4 to 5 on a motorcycle, and yellow rickshaws. I saw several temples, some of which carved and chipped away from huge boulders. I was amazed by the Hinduism religion; it was so breathtaking to see these masses of people worshiping the temples while learning a bit about the background of the religion. I also had the opportunity to visit a rural village, where we were carted around the large village by a couple of bulls pulling a wooden flatbed on wheels. We toured people’s homes, the small school house, and the coconut plantation where we watched a man climb up the tree and cut us down fresh coconuts to drink and eat. We learned all about the production of rice and I even had the opportunity to roll up my pants and climb into the food deep water and mud of the rice patties and assisted the women in planting the rice! It was an amazing day and I am so glad that I had the opportunity to be exposed to the rural life of India.
While in India I did a service project where we went to one of the poorest schools in the Chennai area to play with the kids and learn a bit about the school systems. The school ranged from kindergarten to 12th grade. The children were so excited to talk with us, show us their work, sing to us, dance for us and ask us to sing and dance for them. Somehow, I was convinced in front of a classroom full of 6th grade kids to sing our national anthem while doing the robot. I apologize to everyone if now the youth of India thinks that Americans are by far the worst dancers and singers of the world.
I took a vegetarian cooking class where we learned how to cook Indian cuisine. It was so much fun and so fascinating to take a cooking class in a different culture. It was also interesting to learn what exactly it was that we had been eating the entire time in India.
On our last day in India we caught news of the earthquake and tsunami in Japan. Once back on board the ship, we were told that we were able to stream the news, we all gathered and watched the unfortunate events unraveling. We were fortunate enough to continue to get the news and kept up with Japan as much as possible. For a few days after, SAS continued to say that our route and itinerary would not be changing, explaining that the ports we were intended to stop in were not affected by the tsunami. After the nuclear power plants began to become more of a threat then expected, SAS announced that we would no longer be going to Japan due the unsafe conditions. They gave us three options as to where we could possibly go, South Korea, Taiwan and the Philippines. After many days of suspense of the upcoming mystery port, it was announced that we would now be traveling to Taiwan. There are mixed feelings and opinions towards the new port, although I think everyone is just disappointed that we will not have the opportunity to visit Japan. While I am sad that we will no longer be traveling to Japan, I feel that it would be overwhelming to try to travel there right now with all the devastation, I would much rather travel through Japan when I can travel freely and without feeling like a burden.
Now that we have already traveled to Taiwan, and yet another earthquake has hit Japan I think it was a smart call of SAS to change the itinerary, although I will make my way to Japan at some point in my life.
So lets talk India. It was one of the most spectacular cultures I have ever been exposed to. The streets are crowded with women in colorful saris, families of 4 to 5 on a motorcycle, and yellow rickshaws. I saw several temples, some of which carved and chipped away from huge boulders. I was amazed by the Hinduism religion; it was so breathtaking to see these masses of people worshiping the temples while learning a bit about the background of the religion. I also had the opportunity to visit a rural village, where we were carted around the large village by a couple of bulls pulling a wooden flatbed on wheels. We toured people’s homes, the small school house, and the coconut plantation where we watched a man climb up the tree and cut us down fresh coconuts to drink and eat. We learned all about the production of rice and I even had the opportunity to roll up my pants and climb into the food deep water and mud of the rice patties and assisted the women in planting the rice! It was an amazing day and I am so glad that I had the opportunity to be exposed to the rural life of India.
While in India I did a service project where we went to one of the poorest schools in the Chennai area to play with the kids and learn a bit about the school systems. The school ranged from kindergarten to 12th grade. The children were so excited to talk with us, show us their work, sing to us, dance for us and ask us to sing and dance for them. Somehow, I was convinced in front of a classroom full of 6th grade kids to sing our national anthem while doing the robot. I apologize to everyone if now the youth of India thinks that Americans are by far the worst dancers and singers of the world.
I took a vegetarian cooking class where we learned how to cook Indian cuisine. It was so much fun and so fascinating to take a cooking class in a different culture. It was also interesting to learn what exactly it was that we had been eating the entire time in India.
On our last day in India we caught news of the earthquake and tsunami in Japan. Once back on board the ship, we were told that we were able to stream the news, we all gathered and watched the unfortunate events unraveling. We were fortunate enough to continue to get the news and kept up with Japan as much as possible. For a few days after, SAS continued to say that our route and itinerary would not be changing, explaining that the ports we were intended to stop in were not affected by the tsunami. After the nuclear power plants began to become more of a threat then expected, SAS announced that we would no longer be going to Japan due the unsafe conditions. They gave us three options as to where we could possibly go, South Korea, Taiwan and the Philippines. After many days of suspense of the upcoming mystery port, it was announced that we would now be traveling to Taiwan. There are mixed feelings and opinions towards the new port, although I think everyone is just disappointed that we will not have the opportunity to visit Japan. While I am sad that we will no longer be traveling to Japan, I feel that it would be overwhelming to try to travel there right now with all the devastation, I would much rather travel through Japan when I can travel freely and without feeling like a burden.
Now that we have already traveled to Taiwan, and yet another earthquake has hit Japan I think it was a smart call of SAS to change the itinerary, although I will make my way to Japan at some point in my life.
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