Home, Bittersweet, Home

We finally made it back to the U.S. after a few days spent in Costa Rica, a whole day sailing through the Panama Canal, and a few more days on the open seas until docking in Miami. It was hard saying goodbye to all the friends we've made over the past four months. But it was also really comforting to see our families again.

Thanks for keeping in touch and reading our travel log. Hope you enjoyed reading it as much as we loved writing it!

Love,

Amber and Maggie

Happy Thanksgiving!

So I guess I’ll fill you all in on the past week or so of my life on the ship. We left Yokohama, Japan on November 18th and headed back towards the United States across the Pacific Ocean. On November 22nd we had to repeat a day in order to get back to real time, and now, our clocks are behind those of the West Coast in California.Thanksgiving was spent in Hawaii- a tease-of-a-port. We were only able to spend about 12 hours there. Hawaii basically consisted of beach, beer, and a turkey feast at a local buffet. That’s all we had time for. Oh, and a trip to Wal-Mart to pick up snacks for the rest of the voyage.As we sail away from Hawaii, we look forward to arriving in Costa Rica, our last port before Miami. Unfortunately, finals are during the week leading up to Puntarenas. I just completed my first exam, with two more to go, after pulling an almost-all-nighter to study for it. Only 2 more tests and 4 days until Costa Rica! Only 11 days left of the voyage. It makes me so sad to think about :(. But I’m getting excited about seeing my family, and my kitties :).That’s about all for now. I will update after Costa Rica.
Love you all (and see some of you soon!),
Amber

quick RED FEATHER update

I just thought I would make a brief list of where I have left my red feathers in the last three ports:
6) Vietnam: Since I travelled to Cambodia for most of my time in Vietnam, I left my feather in Cambodia at the central tower at the Temple of Angkor Wat. I felt a deep spiritual connection at this temple thus I thought it was an appropriate place to leave my feather.
7) China: I left my feather at the Water Cube in the Olympic Stadium, but when Amber found a red feather randomly for me on the ground on our way to the Great Wall, I decided to take this as a sign that I should leave a red feather there as well.
8) Japan: I left my feather by the Peace Flame inside the Peace Memorial Park at Hiroshima; the flame is an eternal flame that will only be extinguished when all atomic bombs are destroyed.
PEACE, LOVE, AND RED FEATHERS,
MAGGIE

THE AMAZING JAPAN

I cannot wait to share about my travels in Japan. It was one of my favorite ports by far and it exceeded all of my expectations. Let me start by saying that Sarah, Allison, and I decided to travel independently throughout Japan. This is a common thing to do with lots of SASers but most take the time to plan their travels in advance. However the three of us got overwhelmed with class, travelling in port, and with sickness so we didn’t even start to plan till the night before we docked. Luckily, we had a handy travel book that helped us out. We made a list of what we wanted to see and do and hoped for the best!
We started our adventures in Japan in Kobe where the boat initially docked. The immigration process was pretty intense. We had to have a face to face inspection as well as our temperatures taken and our picture taken. We thought this would take forever but they had a video camera set up in the teachers’ lounge that we just all walked by in a line and it automatically took our temperatures and pictures. After we all had to stand in line for a face to face passport inspection with officials. Since I had an FDP on the boat I decided to stay on the boat until the end since once you got off you had to wait until everyone was cleared to regain entry on to the boat. Once I was granted permission to enter Japan, I basically jumped right back on the boat for an FDP. My FDP was titled Multiculturism in Japan and was for my Biomedical Ethics class. A guest speaker came on the boat and basically talked to us about the effects of a variety of cultures that have influenced Japan due to the variety of foreigners in Japan. He talked to us about how US citizens are seen in Japan so it was a pretty interesting discussion. After the FDP we headed out to the city of Kobe via the rail. We shopped around the city for a little and I fell in love with Japanese fashion. Our first stop was to the Gap and it was amazing, I swear completely different that the US. All the girls in Japan basically wear tights, skirts, and boots. I enjoyed adopting their fashion trends for the week. After shopping for a little we headed back to the boat to get ready for a night out. Some of the bars in town held Semester at Sea specials so we basically meet up with a bunch of SASers and danced the night away before heading back to the boat to get some rest.
The next morning we woke up fairly early to get a start on our travels. On the agenda for the day was to get to Hiroshima for the day and then spend the night in Kyoto. First we had to figure out how to use our Japan Rail Pass which basically granted us permission to travel all around Japan via the public transportation system known as the rail. We went to one station and tried to figure out how to get on the rail to Hiroshima. We stood in front of this subway map with tons of different lines going everywhere trying to find our destination, soon a lady approached us and asked if we needed help. Clearly we did. She was the nicest French lady who told us exactly where to go and before we knew it we were at Hiroshima. Hiroshima was an incredibly humbling experience. I read briefly about the history behind Hiroshima in my travel book but had a very limited knowledge about the event before entering the area. The whole area, that commemorates the horrific event, is known as the Peace Memorial Park. When we first walked up to it there was a sign that recounted everything that happened and a building that was basically destroyed except its steel frame. Everyone in the building at the time of the bomb had been killed. I immediately became extremely uncomfortable in my American skin but the people at the park could not be nicer. When we told them we were from America they could not have been more thrilled that we were there. There were a variety of different memorials all of which had a variety of meanings. There was a peace bell and the paper crane statue. The story goes that a young girl who was injured by the bomb believed that if she made 1000 paper cranes that she would survive, unfortunately she died but a statue stands to remember her and paper cranes have been sent from all around the world to Hiroshima, so around the statue there are all these carts filled with colorful paper cranes. I left my red feather at one of my favorite memorials which was the peace flame which will not be extinguished until all atomic weapons are destroyed. We took time to walk around the museum where we saw a fragmented watch that had survived Hiroshima and saw a map of the city before and after the bomb. Some parts were horrifying to see and tears started to swell in my eyes, still I could not have more praise to give the memorial. It was the most positive way to recount such a horrific event in history. Instead of focusing on the extreme damage and heartache that the bomb caused, the park focused on how we can better what was done and how we can make sure that it does not happen again. The solution is peace and I believe it is a whole lot easier to manage than dropping bombs. After spending a few hours at Hiroshima we headed back to the station to get on a rail to Kyoto. Before we knew it we were at Kyoto Station which was one of the sites to see in Kyoto. It is an extremely modern building that is basically made of glass and is gorgeous. It was so lively when we left the station; there was a large Christmas tree that brightened our spirits for sure. There was a festival going on as well with a bunch of people painting large scale paintings, music playing, and people dressed in weird costumes. We were trying to be adventurous and did not book a hotel for the night yet but this quickly proved to be a problem. We saw Amber randomly outside the station and she told us that it was a busy season in Kyoto because it was tree season. We were going to look for a hostel or ryokan (traditional Japanese inn) but once hearing that it was hard to even find a room we decided to just try the hotels right by the station. We went to about 7 hotels all who were booked and finally while in a cab we stumbled upon a ryokan! I was so excited because I really wanted to stay in one and they ended up having a room open. It was such a cool experience. We had to take our shoes off before going up to our room and wear slippers. There were public baths. We had to be back to our room by 12 because that is when the front desk closed that had our key. Our room was basically a bunch of mats laid on the ground with a table in the middle that had tea on it and cushions to sit on. We enjoyed some tea upon entering our room and were relieved to see that we had our own private bathroom. We had a great view from our window and sliding doors that separated the sitting room from the area with the table. After enjoying some tea and relaxing for a bit we decided to indulge in the Japanese culture for the night. We had sushi and sake at dinner. The sushi bar was like a conveyer belt that you just took the plate off when you wanted that type of sushi. I even ate with chopsticks, somewhat successfully. We went to a top floor of a hotel to get an aerial view of the city and then went to one of the arcades/casinos that are all over Japan. They are loud and full of the most colorful machines. We walked around a little and saw a bunch of karaoke bars that are located in these little alleys and house maybe 6 people in each bar. However we were a bit tired and anxious to get back to our ryokan so we opted for an early night. When we got back we were thrilled to see that all the bedding that was in our closet was taken out and put together on the floor. The “beds” were extremely comfortable and I slept like a baby.
The next morning the three of us set our alarms early so we could site-see in Kyoto for a while before heading to Tokyo for the night where we had booked a hotel. We pulled out our handy dandy Japan book and decided to go to the Gion District. When we walked out of our hotel rain was pouring all over the city, so we decided to pick up some umbrellas to keep us dry all day. The umbrellas, equipped with our new found love of hats, kept us dry for most of the day. Our cab driver to the Gion District was so nice; he looked like a retired Sumo wrestler and told us all the streets and about different events that happen yearly in Kyoto. He would tell me a street and then I would use my map to tell him the name of the next street, I think he was impressed. He pulled out some papers with pictures of leaves around Kyoto and gave them to me as a present. Soon we arrived in front of the Gion District. There was a huge red archway that welcomed us into the district and once inside we felt transformed to a traditional Japanese village. We found the most beautiful park area that had ponds and a little bridge. The fall leaves that were falling in every color added to the perfection of the moment. We bought these little papers that you tied to a tree and made a wish. Then we continued on the windy stone paved paths and found Buddha statues and a huge Pagoda. We did a little shopping at some small local shops. For lunch we had “humbas” which is basically sweet tasting dough stuffed with meat. It sounds disgusting but they are yummy and we were proud we had something traditional for lunch rather than McDonalds. After lunch we finally found the main temple in the area which was bright red and gorgeous. I think we went at the best time of the year because the leaves everywhere were all so amazing. The best part of the area was that there were real life geishas dressed in the traditional kimono outfit, faces painted white, lips painted bright red, and hair pulled back in a tight bun. They would scuttle around in their tall wooden flip flop style shoes. They added to the ambiance of the area. After spending the afternoon roaming around the district, we headed back to our lovely ryokan to pick up our bags and jump on the train to Tokyo. On the train there Allison and I could not find a seat so we spent about an hour chilling in the corridor in between two of the train cars. It was not the most comfortable of seats but we made time pass by having a dance party/photography session and taking naps on our backpacks. We all arrived in Tokyo at about six at night and were eager to get to our hotel for some rest. When we walked in we felt like we were at the wrong hotel or something because there were tons of businessmen walking around. It turned out there was a business conference at the hotel so we felt somewhat out of place. The hotel was amazing though, we had a room on the 25th floor so we had a great view of the city. We took a much needed rest and watched some CNN. It was crazy because at the end of one of the sports segments they showed a clip of KU football. I was freaking out and my friends and I could not get over how weird it was that Kansas was on the television in Tokyo! Small world. Also my friend Allison is from Santa Barbara so her hometown was all over the news because of the wildfires. After a while the three of us got ready and had a lovely sushi dinner in the hotel. Then we met up with some friends who were at the hotel and went out to the bar district of Tokyo called Roponggi. We ran into a lot of SASers which was exciting because we had not seen them for a few days…we all had a very fabulous time that night before heading back to our lovely hotel (Grand Price).
The next day we woke up early again…I was very proud that we managed to wake up early every day even though we had no specific time schedule, we just were all determined to maximize our Japan experience. That day the three of us and our friend Lindsey took the subway to the legendary Harijuka district. It was amazing, the fashion there is insane. Girls were wearing everything from tutus to mickey mouse sweatshirts. There was a street with tons of shops and little knick knack stores. But the best part was watching all the Japanese teenagers walking around. I found the most amazing tennis shoes (bright and colorful and one pair designed after an Andy Warhol painting) and even found a vintage store which made me very happy. After reveling in the glory of Harijuka we left for our next destination….Disneyland Tokyo! Now I must preface this by saying that on this trip I have constantly worked hard to adapt to the cultures I am in rather than just running back to the American basics. We had Disneyland on our list but I did not think we would ever make it; I also wanted to make sure we saw plenty of Japan before heading to an American version of Japan Disneyland. But I was very proud of us girls for all we did so far and was itching for a little taste of America. Before we knew it, after a quick subway ride, we were thrown right into Disneyland. It fulfilled my itch for America and left me completely satisfied. I could not contain my excitement after seeing Cinderella’s castle. We basically ran and skipped all the way to the gate to buy our tickets. Once entering we were thrilled to see it was decorated for Christmas. The Christmas tree was amazing. We went on a few rides; my favorite was Thunder Mountain because I had only been on that once a long time ago. Pirates of the Caribbean was awesome, as always. Everything was pretty similar to the Disneyland in California, except one difference we noticed was that it was very difficult to find bottled water because all the stands sold bottled green tea instead. We skipped around the park like little girls in our Minnie Mouse hats and kept saying how perfect the day was. After our Disneyland adventure we headed back to our hotel. That night we tried going to an Ice Bar but unfortunately it closed early so instead we just went back to Roponggi Street and had a very eventful and amusing night, to say the least.
The next day we woke up for what was sadly our last day in Japan. After packing everything up in our fabulous Disneyland and Hello Kitty shopping bags we headed out for the day (side note: Hello Kitty is everywhere in Japan, it is like their mascot or something. The Buddha was everywhere in Cambodia and Hello Kitty is like the Buddha for Japan. Sarah and I both liked Hello Kitty so we did not mind!). I lead the group to a street that is a market under the train tracks and it was a nice taste of Japan culture. I was on a mission to get a kimono and could not find one anywhere. Oddly there was not a lot of touristy type sopping in Japan, we could not even find a Tokyo t-shirt anywhere, not even a Tokyo Disneyland t-shirt. Anyways, I was struggling to find a kimono, one lady led me to some mall and I was on my way there when at the last second I spotted a shop full of kimonos! I went in and soon realized this was not touristy type shop because there were tons of nice, gorgeous, 100% silk kimonos that included all the traditional accessories that go along with the outfit. Soon however the ladies that worked at the shop were able to help me and they were so sweet. It was such a fun experience to be at a traditional kimono shop where I am sure Japanese woman around the area come to buy their kimonos. The quaint little shopkeepers thought it was so funny that I, a little American girl, wanted a kimono but they helped me try them on a find the color I liked best. It was a perfect way to end my time in Tokyo. After we headed back to the hotel, picked up our bags, and headed to the train station again. After an hour or so we found ourselves in Yokohama and somehow managed to find the boat in the middle of the city. Unfourtantly we did not have a lot of time to spend in Yokohama but it seemed like a cool city, it had a British type of feel but also had huge skyscrapers and a ferris wheel that lit up in multi-colored neon lights. After hauling our bags to the boat we stood in line for an hour or two to clear customs and to get our bags checked by SAS.
We finally returned to our rooms on the boat at about 6:00 that night, with our hearts still yearning for our love known as Japan. All in all I think part of the reason why Japan was so awesome, apart from all the tea, sushi, sake, geishas, chopsticks, and kimonos we encountered, was that the three of us girls did it all by ourselves. The fashion, culture, and people of Japan are one of a kind. I HEART JAPAN!!!

PEACE LOVE & JAPAN,
MAGGIE

i <3 Japan

Our first day in Japan I hung around in Kobe for the day. From the dock, I had to take a subway into the center of the city. Dan, Ryan and I went to a local shopping mall in search of a ticket counter so we could, hopefully, purchase concert tickets for The Who, in Tokyo. After unsuccessfully searching and not finding the tickets, I went shopping with the girls. I only ended up buying a pair of tights and a necklace because everything is so expensive in Japan. Despite the fact that my shopping fix was not filled, I had to go back to the ship and meet up with Dan because we were traveling from Kobe to Kyoto that night.After a short hour train ride, we arrived in Kyoto. We tried to find a decently priced hotel, but since it is “leaf-viewing season” in Kyoto right now, all the hotels were booked. We bit the bullet and paid $200 for the night in a really nice hotel, centrally located though. After dropping our stuff, we went out in search of a good meal. The hotel concierge helped us find Donguri, an amazing hibachi-style restaurant. It’s different than our Beni Hana’s though, because the hot plate is in the middle of every individual table, and you get to cool your own food. We had the best food at this restaurant - noodles, sausages, an omelet-looking thing, etc.We were super tired, and really full, after dinner so we went down a little tiny alley that was filled with these small bars. We opened up one of the rice paper sliding dors and sat down on the stools at the bar. Literally, your back was against the rice paper door and your knees were against the bar. Only about ten or so people could fit in each bar. Plus, there was karaoke. Ryan sang Michael Jackson, Dan sang Michael Buble, and I sang backup. It was a great end to the first night in Japan.
I couldn’t wait to wake up on Saturday morning and explore the beautiful city of Kyoto. Our first stop of the day was the Botanical Gardens. Luckily, it was a sunny, crisp fall day and the gardens were gorgeous. The trees were all changing colors and the garden was a slash of red, orange, and yellow. It was like a floral fantasy- the Disneyland of all gardens. It’s hard to describe in words how amazingly beautiful this place was. Dan, Ryan and I spent about two hours in the gardens, just wandering around and enjoying the clean, fresh air. We were excited to move on to our next destination, though. Kyoto is known for its Golden Pavillion at the Kinkaku-ji Temple, a Zen Buddhist temple built in the 1200s. It is nestled in the foothills of Kyoto and the walk through the old part of the city was so nice. We walked up to the red archway that led visitors from the street down a pathway to the entrance of the temple. As soon as we went through the gates of the temple grounds, an explosion of autumn trees and wild flowers hit our visual senses and across the lake, there stood the Golden Pavillion, sparkling in the sun. I can’t wait to show the pictures to all of you. We also visited a rock garden temple, called Ryoan-ji. It was a little farther down the road. It was cool to see a real Zen rock garden. There were about fifteen larger rocks surrounded by gravel that was raked nicely and in a meditative manner, or so the brochure said. It was, actually, a place where people come to meditate because all around the garden were people sitting =, just sitting and looking. Dan, Ryan, and I partook for a few minutes.By the time we got back to our hotel, it was getting late. So we grabbed a quick bite to eat before going to the Gion District to catch a Geisha show. When we got back, there was a party going on outside our hotel- loud music, a crown of people, and a stage where local, young artists were painting pictures to the beat of the music. Apparently there was a big music festival happening in Kyoto that weekend. Unfortunately, we had a train to catch to Tokyo.
We took the Nozumi bullet train from Kyoto to Tokyo and man was it fast! When we passed through a station or went by another train, there was nothing to see out the windows but a 2-second blur. It was a two and a half our train ride. We passed the time by listening to music, sipping on white wine, and folding origami paper cranes. We finally arrived in Tokyo and easily found a hotel right on Roppongi Street- the main hang-out for young people. We got to the hotel at 11:30pm and followed the same routine as in Kyoto- dropped our stuff and went out for a night on the town. We found a nice little Irish pub called Abbot’s Corner, had a glass of Strongbow cider, some meatballs, and headed back to the hotel for bed.
I guess all the traveling caught up with us, because we slept in until about 10am and got a late start on the day. We still did a lot of touring and walking around Tokyo. We started at the Imperial Palace where we wandered through the gardens for about an hour and a half. It had just recently rained, so the gardens looked refreshed and clean. However, Ryan thought it would be funny to situate me underneath a bamboo tree and shake it. Of course, me being completely unknowing, I was covered in raindrops and soaked to the bone. Thanks, Ryan. I’ll get him back one day- I learned that he hates spiders so that might play into it.After the gardens, we went to the MOMAT- Museum of Modern Art in Tokyo. We explored the National Museum and the Craft Gallery that held a really cool jewelry exhibit. After the museum, we were moseying through the park and stumbled upon the Nippon Budokan- a concert arena where we were going to see The Who the following night. Sunday, though, the 19th Annual Karate World Championships were being held there. We took about twenty minutes and watched all the teams come up. There were some pretty tough looking women karate masters.Our second-to-last stop on site-seeing that day was a interesting shrine nestled in the back of a forest that had tons of colorful paper cranes strung up all over and racks upon racks of paper wished that people tied on to the fences around the shrine.We headed back to the Roppongi district, but right before grabbing dinner, we decided to go up the Tokyo Tower, which was modeled after the Eifle Tower in Paris. It was all lit up and there was even a Christmas tree outside. At the top of the tower, we were able to see the city and all its lights. During the day, you can see Mt. Fuji and Tokyo Disneyland, or so we’re told.Dinner that night was at a restaurant, I forgot the name, where you sit on mats on the ground. It was delicious skewers, edamame, and noodles. We were supposed to meet friends back at the hotel before going out. We went to Geronimo’s bar and walked around the Roppongi district for the rest of the night. And as always, we managed to find our way to McDonald’s, which has become the main hangout for SAS kids after midnight in mostly every port.
The next day, Monday, was our last day in Tokyo. We got up late, again, and went straight to the Sumo Museum, hoping to catch a wrestling match at the arena next door. Unfortunately, we traveled a long way for almost nothing. The museum was literally one building and there were no sumo matches that day. So we got back on the subway and headed to the Shinjuku area to Tokyo. It was supposed to be a mix between New York’s Times Square and Amsterdams’ Red Light District. We walked through many bustling streets with brightly colored flashing lights and even went into an arcade and played a few video games.After that, it was time to go back to our hotel and get ready for….THE WHO! I picked up a sandwich to-go while the boys got sushi. I needed ample time to get ready for the concert. By the time I was ready, the boys were back from dinner and we headed straight out to the concert. I only knew a few songs by The Who- Pinball Wizard, Teenage Wasteland, and Who Are You? We were on the left side of the stage and our seats with meters from the stage! It was awesome! I had such a good time singing along to the songs that I did know and dancing with all the Japanese. I swear, we were three of maybe 30 white people in the audience. Then we went back to the Roppongi district and hung out with friends at an underground Irish pub.
Tuesday, we had to take a train to Yokohama to meet up with the ship. Apparently, Yokohama is the “date” place of Japan. I definitely felt the romance as soon as I exited the subway station. The wind picked up the fallen leaves of the changing trees and swirled them around my ankles. Cafes were filled with businessmen having lunch with their girlfriends or wives out on the sidewalk. Artists were painting the scenery on street corners. Dan, Ryan and I walked in the swirling leaves, stopped to watch the artists paint, and had lunch at a café. Que romantica!Our last thing on the agenda before getting back on the ship was to do some grocery shopping. It’s going to be a long way to Hawaii.
I fell in love with Japan. And will miss it a lot.
Peace, love, and dumplings,
Amber

Does anyone in China speak English?

The view through the ship’s windows of the skyscrapers of Hong Kong was like pulling into New York City’s harbor. You could immediately tell that it was a city booming with economic stability, a home for businesses, and a glamorous couture fashion capital. The gangway from the ship to the land went directly into a shopping mall. It was very convenient for the girls. However, we soon learned that the shopping in Hong Kong was only for those who could afford to spend thousands of dollars on a dress or a coat. It was fun to window shop, though. One of my friends on the ship, Jenny, was going to meet up with some family friends whom she had never met before. They were Hong Kong natives and had a few young boys our age that we could hang out with. We met up with Kathy, Paul and their nephew, Steven at the Longham Hotel. It was one of the most glamorous hotels that I have seen in a while. I definitely couldn’t afford a room, much less a soda, in that place. It was all gold, black, red and green. Very beautiful. We met the family in the lobby and expected to go to unch somewhere on the street. Instead, we were led up a flight of spiral staircases to the third floor, led down a hallway with many closed doors on either side and to a back private room. This is where we ate lunch. There was a table set for 8 and once we sat down, the food did not cease. It was course after course of amazingly delicious food- true Chinese food. We all left that room stuffed like Thanksgiving turkeys and ready to see the sights of Hong Kong, hoping to walk off at least part of our lunch feast. Paul and Kathy ordered a driver to take us around the city and Steven would act as tour guide (even though he had only been in HK for 4 days). We went to HK park which was really beautiful, walked through an aviary, explored a child’s playground, and rode the tram up to the top of Victoria Peak where you could see all of HK peninsula and island.It was time to head back to the ship to get ready for dinner and the rest of our night. We ate at CPK in the mall and headed off for the ferry that would take us to the island where we met up with another of my friend’s friend, Tim. He invited us to his apartment to hang out and then he would take us to LFK street which was apparently the best bar scene in town. Needless to say, the night was long, but extremely fun.The next day, Friday, was the day we left for Beijing. We had a few hours to spare before our bus ride to Shenzhen, a city just outside of Hong Kong, so we spent it shopping in the mall. I picked up a few things, including a 3-dimensional Hello, Kitty puzzle.After clearing customs in Shenzhen, we got onto our plane for the three hour journey to Beijing. I was so excited that I couldn’t sleep a bit on the plane.We arrived in Beijing at around 10pm. Luckily, we already found and booked a hotel- The Marriot right next to Tiananmen Square and the Forbidden City. We didn’t have much more energy to expel past finding dinner and watching a movie before groggily falling asleep. We had a busy day ahead of us, tomorrow.Saturday we decided to see all the touristy sights of Beijing. This included Tiananmen Square, the Forbidden City, other temples nearby, and the 2008 Olympic buildings. We left the hotel at around 9am. Since there were 5 of us traveling together, we had to split up between two cabs. Dan and I took one and Jenny, Maggie, and Darcy were in the other. When Dan and I arrived at Tiananmen Square we quickly realized that the other girls were no where in sight. We stood in the middle of Tiananmen Square for about 20 minutes, and when they didn’t show up, we proceeded into the Forbidden City, assuming the girls had done the same and we’d see them inside. Well, the City was more crowded than Disneyland on a weekend. We finally gave up hope of ever finding them in the City and we’d somehow meet up with them at the hotel later that night. The Forbidden City was awesome- so many pagoda-topped buildings painted in reds, gold, and greens. It took Dan and I about two or so hours to see it all. Then we wandered around the surrounding area before heading back to the area around the hotel. We met up with some other SASers and had dinner at a really good noodle and rice restaurant in the mall attached to the Marriot. The Forbidden City took a lot out of us so we napped for an hour or so before meeting back up with the girls.That night we went to see the Olympic buildings all lit up. It was really cool to see the Bird’s Nest and the Water Cube after watching it on TV this past summer. I saw where Michael Phelps won all those gold medals and where the opening ceremonies took place! It was an awesome end to a great day.Sunday was the day to do the Great Wall and Ming Tombs. Our group was joining another so we had 11 people in our travel group now. The van picked us up at 8am and we had many stops on our agenda. We saw three factories that produce traditional Chinese knick-knacks: first, a clossanaise workshop(pretty porcelain vases); next, a jade manufacturer and market; and lastly, a pearl shop. The Ming Tombs was our last stop before we climbed the Great Wall. It was pretty cool and in a beautiful location- right in the middle of fields of fruit trees.We spent two hours at the Great Wall, scaling the stairs which were extremely steep. The sight from the top, though, took our breath away, both figuratively and literally. I have plenty of pictures to show everyone when I get home.That night was pizza night and it was delicious! We were all pretty tired, but it was our last night in Beijing so we had to go out. We went to a few bars with a bunch of people before calling it a night.We had to get up super early on Monday because our flight from Beijing to Shanghai was at 8am. When we arrived at the dock where the boat was supposed to be, around 11am, we soon found out that it wasn’t there. Apparently, due to rough seas and a storm, the boat was going to be late- by 7 hours. All of us, with all of our luggage had to wait until 3pm to get one the boat. We left our bags at a nearby hotel and went off to get lunch and walk around a little to waste time before going back to the ship. We went shopping in People’s Square and had lunch at great Chinese restaurant. By the time we were finished with that, the ship had arrived in Shanghai Harbor. We wanted to rest for a few hours before venturing out again to find dinner and entertainment for the night. After a much-needed cat nap, Dan picked me up at my cabin (how romantic, right? Haha) to take me out to dinner. He had asked me out on a date about a month or so before and we were just now getting around to it. We went to Yuyuan Gardens which was a really pretty area of Shanghai. The pagoda-esque buildings were all decorated with Christmas lights which made it so beautiful. We walked through the gardens and across the nine bridges that wove their way between the buildings. We ended up finding a great little hole-in-the-wall noodle place for dinner. If was a good first date- noodles in Shanghai, I don’t know if any of my previous dates with other boys can top that.We ended the night by meeting up with friends at Bar Rouge for drinks. What a good way to end China!Unfortunately, there was a heavy damper put on our China experience. One of our friends and fellow classmates on the ship was killed by a drunk driver in Hong Kong the first night of our travels in China. We all learned of this terrible tragedy on Saturday morning. It was hard to react to the news because very few of us were close with Kurt. He was a super quite guy, but very nice and good-hearted. I only knew him because he was on my trip to Kuala Lumpur in Malaysia. When we got back to the ship and sailed away from Shanghai, the Deans of the ship called a meeting with the entire shipboard community where we could discuss what happened. It was an emotional meeting for all of us. We were still all so shocked that we had lost a member of our community.Just the other night, we had a memorial service honoring Kurt’s life. It was beautiful, emotional, touching, and inspiring. Even though I did not know him well, his friends’ words and memories made me cry and feel like I had known him just as well. We threw flowers off the aft of the ship and all said our goodbyes. It’s still hard to think that someone my age died in such an unfortunate accident. Kurt will be missed, that’s for sure, and he was definitely loved by all who knew him.I know that our families and friends back home, and even us on the ship, are praying for our safe return back to Miami. Keep us all in your prayers.
Love and peace,Amber

China Chronicles: HONG KONG. BEIJING.& SHANHAI

Although a few weeks late, below are the stories of my time in China!
We arrived in China by way of the Hong Kong port. We were all eager to get off the ship but immigration took some time, our temperatures were required to be taken before we could step foot in the country to make sure that we did not have the bird flu. However we eventually were granted access into the wonderful land of China. We docked basically right next to a mall and looking out the window in the morning we saw a California Pizza Kitchen which was a nice taste of home. We walked out of the boat into the mall, grabbed some Starbucks, and started our Hong Kong adventures. One of my friends Jenny had a family friend that lived in Hong Kong, she had never met the couple but they were friends of her uncles and they had a nephew living with them that had just moved to Hong Kong from the US. Jenny invited us to come to lunch with her so a group of us decided to go, a bit nervous about what to expect. However, we turned out having the most perfect day. We met the mother of the family at a hotel across the street from the boat and she led us up to a private room of the hotel. Luckily their nephew (Stephen) spoke perfect English and Mandarin so he served as an excellent translator during lunch. Soon the husband, Paul, arrived and we had the most amazing meal. We were a bit nervous about making sure to follow proper Chinese manners, but when Darcy and I were struggling with the chopsticks the couple quickly ordered us forks to make it easier for us. We had the best noodles, beef, tea, and much more. During lunch Paul asked what we were doing for the day and jenny told him we had no plans. Then he said that he would order us our own private van to take us around the city and that Stephen could come with us to be our personal tour guide. We were beyond ecstatic and grateful. Soon we were bustled away into our private van and driven to the Hong Kong Park. Stephen was the best tour guide, even though he had moved to Hong Kong only 4 days ago from Virginia, still we had a great time roaming the park looking at various gardens and a bird park as well. Then we went across the street and took a trolley/tram up to the top of a mountain that had the most amazing view of Hong Kong. We roamed around this area for a bit which was gorgeous; it was just a picturesque piece of nature situated right in the middle of the large industrial city of Hong Kong. After a while we headed back to the boat to change, and then we all indulged in a little flavor of home and had dinner at California Pizza Kitchen. I could not have imagined a better way to spend my day in Hong Kong. We took a ferry ride across the island to the main downtown area of Hong Kong. The lights in Hong Kong are incredible, they are bright neon colored and come in every color of the rainbow. After dinner we met up with one of Sarah and Allison’s friend from their home university who was living in Hong Kong. He basically showed us the best place for nightlife in Hong Kong, when we got there we ran into lots of SASsers on the streets. We stayed out till 5am…it was one of the best days turned into nights ever. It was such a treat to have two local tour guides that spoke both English and Mandarin.
After our late night in Hong Kong we woke up fairly early to get ready to head to Beijing! We had a few hours to kill in Hong Kong so we did a little shopping before heading back to the boat to pick up our luggage. I picked up the coolest pair of gold tennis shoes in Hong Kong. To get to Beijing, we flew out of the Shin Zen airport which was about two hours away from Hong Kong. I travelled independently to Beijing so my group and I were responsible for getting everywhere and seeing everything. We took a cab to a mall and then jumped on a bus. After the bus we jumped on our flight to Beijing. We arrived to some very cold weather which was very refreshing, I felt like I had just stepped foot outside of KCI after coming home for Christmas break from San Diego. That night, we just checked into our hotel and got some dinner. We headed to sleep early to rest up for our full day of touring we had planned for the next day and to catch up on some sleep we had lost.
The next morning we woke up and had The Forbidden City and Tiananmen's Square on our to do list. I got bundled in my warmest coat and boots in order to explore the city happily. I was travelling with a group of five so we had to take two cabs everywhere we went, usually we would leave at the same time and basically have the cabs follow each other but this morning the first cab left and we had to wait for the second cab. We planned on meeting back up but once arriving to Tiananmen Square we soon realized that was a lot easier said than done, and we ended up never finding the first cab of people! That left me, Darcy, and Jenny to be our own tour guides. When we first got out of the cab we immediately saw tons of stores with Olympic memorabilia. Then right ahead of us was the famous building with General Mao’s face! It was crazy to see the building after seeing it on NBC so often this summer when I was glued to the television watch Michael Phelps (who I defiantly had my eyes peeled for just in case he wanted to come back to Beijing after his Olympic glory). The building was huge and there were lots of guards standing in front of it. There were so many people standing around it and we were walking around lost looking like typical tourists. Soon Darcy noticed a lady with a baby walking towards us and then turn around and start following us. At first we were all kind of whispering to each other what was going on but as soon as we turned around the lady asked if she could take a picture with us. She wanted her baby in the picture too and as her daughter took the picture she was giggling making us all laugh a little bit. It was a bit awkward to say the least to have our picture taken by a complete stranger…I mean who knows where that picture will go, perhaps on their mantle? But we could not help but feel like celebrities, especially when this continued all day! A group of young girls asked to have their picture taken with us, a son asked if his mother could be in a picture with us, and a group of young school boys bombarded us for a picture. It was insane. After viewing the Mao building we headed further inside the city to walk around the Forbidden City. It was a city where emperors lived during the Ming Dynasty and was reserved only for the elect few chosen by the emperor. There were tons of palaces and gardens, it was gorgeous. The three of us were impressed but were kind of lost on the significance of the whole thing until we rented an audio guide that saved us. It was a really fascinating area that was only open to tourists about 50 years ago. After the Forbidden City, we headed to the Temple of Heaven which was located in the most gorgeous park. We came at the perfect time of the year because the leaves on the trees were bright yellow, orange, and red. The trees lined the most picturesque pathways that lead to a bright blue temple or a simple patch of a rose garden. It was magnificent and we did not expect much except a temple, but we got a lot more. After we headed back to the hotel where we finally meet up with our other long lost 2 travelers we lost earlier in the morning. We took a rest for a little bit and indulged in some Pizza Hut, then headed out for what I was looking forward to all ay…the Olympic Buildings! I was obsessed with the Olympics this summer so needless to say I could not wait to see the actual place where Michael Phelps swam or the actual place where the Opening Ceremonies took place. We decided to go at night because we wanted to make sure we would have time to go and thought the buildings would be cool to see at night. We were brave and took the subway all the way there, very impressive. I could hardly contain my excitement walking up the steps to the Olympic area. It was pretty dark out when we walked out but still the buildings were amazing! They were right next to each other which surprised me and the architecture was quite impressive. The birds nest is huge and it really looks exactly like a birds nest. The water cube glows just like a water cube and the walls look so thin just like ice. There were men selling all sorts of Olympic memorabilia there and we bought some kites to fly around. We met some local Chinese college students who we took a picture with and joked around with for a while. I told one of them my name was Tiger as a joke and he said his name was Pig, very clever! Unfortunately we could not go into the buildings because they were not open and we never had the chance to go back. Still just being around them and in that area was a dream come true. Plus when I marry Michael Phelps, we can return to the water cube for our wedding (kidding, kinda…) I dropped my red feather at the water cube, perhaps Michael Phelps will find it. We headed back to the hotel that night and then headed out for a little bit. We went to a really cool area where there was basically a warehouse with bars on each floor but we were all pretty tired so we made it an early night. First, however we found a DVD store and loaded up on some more $2.00 DVDs. Perfect ending to an exciting day!
The next day we joined with another group of SASsers who were staying at our hotel and signed up for a tour of the Great Wall. It was so easy and nice to have everything taken care of. We had transportation and an English speaking tour guide. To start our tour we stopped at a porcelain factory and got to see how traditional Chinese porcelain was made. It was fascinating to see but we cannot help but wonder who is really mass producing all the porcelain and to think of what they are not showing us. Still we took time to enjoy the creation of this art. Then we ventured to another palace area that had the tomb of one of the emperors. Mao had once visited this area which was a big deal. When we were there Amber found a red feather on the ground which was a random coincidence. Amber gave the feather to me and we both were amused at how there was a random red feather there. Next we headed to a jade factory and were able to see how jade was made and how to find out if a piece of jewelry is real or fake jade. We had an amazing lunch at this stop. It was served on the traditional Chinese table instrument known to us as the Lazy Susan! After it was time to head to the infamous Great Wall of China. We drove for a while and then out of the blue popped the Great Wall hidden in the mountains. The wall was huge and went on forever! We got dropped off at one part of the wall and were told we could go up a steep walkway with a better view or an easier path. We went for the steep path which was a bit difficult. I did not come prepared but the walk was not too bad, we just kept telling ourselves we could do anything after climbing Table Mountain in Cape Town. The steps were very tiny and very tall, all made out of stone. There were lots of parents carrying their children up and we talked to one man who had hiked up the Great Wall after having bypass surgery. After climbing to our hearts desires we headed back down the path. I ended up leaving the red feather that Amber found for me on this wall where people leave locks or string and make a wish. I tied my feather to the chain on the wall. Even though I broke my one red feather per country policy, I felt this was an exception because the red feather was found in the country! After the Great Wall we headed back on the bus and to a pearl factory. We had our tour guide drop us off at the Silk Market located in downtown Beijing and shopped around for a little. Then we headed back to the hotel for some rest. That night we met up with Sarah and Allison who were in Beijing with a SAS sponsored trip and we all went out for a little before heading back to the hotel.
The next morning we woke up bright and early to catch a flight to Shanghai where the boat was (in the 2 days we were in Beijing the boat moved from Hong Kong to a port in Shanghai). When we arrived to the port, sadly the MV was not there because it was delayed due to storms on the ocean. A big group of us rented a small hotel room and all paid only $2.00 to store our bags today. Although we desperately wanted to return to our beds and shower on the boat, we decided to make the most of our day in Shanghai and head out into the city. We first had an amazing lunch and then shopped around a little bit before eventually getting back to the boat. The architecture in Shanghai was amazing. There were the most insane buildings and skyscrapers. There was one large tower with a large sphere in the middle of it or a tall building with a huge crown on top of it. That night we headed out to Bund St. where we went to a bar that had the most amazing view of the city lights from the outside deck. The next day we woke up early and were determined to get our rail passes for Japan (you cannot buy them in Japan) so we spent about 2 hours hustling and bustling through the confusing streets of Shanghai trying to find this one little spot where we could get the rail passes. We finally got them and then headed back to the boat to join an FDP. Darcy and I went to the Children’s Palace which was similar to a YMCA type of place. It was a place where kids could go to learn skills like drawing, playing the piano, singing opera, or dancing. Unfortunately, there were only a few kids there that day so we did not get to interact with the kids a lot but it was still cool to see that type of organized establishment for children in China. We got to go to a little shop that had some of the artwork done by the children. After we headed back to the boat, absolutely exhausted! We were the last people on the boat and missed on ship time, luckily we did not get in trouble though because we were on an FDP. We raced to Sarah and Allison’s room so we could all catch up on our travels about the wonderful China!That concludes my tales about China. My highlights of the trip include seeing the Water Cube, the impressive architecture of Shanghai, and the spectacular Great Wall of China. It was different to travel without a SAS sponsored trip but it felt great to get everywhere independently. Of course, nothing can compare to my perfect day in Hong Kong. The language barrier proved to be difficult but I want to take up Mandarin when I get home just for fun! Having strangers take random pictures with us was another unexpected addition to our China travels!
LOVE ALWAYS:
MAGGIE
ps looking forward to seeing you all in a month or so!

Malaysia: Tales from Penang and the "City of Lights"

So...I noticed the other day that I never published this entry online. Althought it is late, here are stories from my travels in Malaysia!

Hello everyone, I hope all is well back in the states. Happy Halloween by the way! I keep forgetting that it is that time of the year but I hope you all are getting excited for one of my favorite US holidays. We are back on the boat after spending time in Malaysia! I had a wonderful time there and am excited to tell you all about it.
Our journey in Malaysia started a bit differently than our normal ports because in Malaysia we used tenders to get to shore. The MV Explorer could not pull directly up to the dock so instead the gangway was located on the 2nd deck and we basically walked right off the boat into the middle of the ocean. Then we jumped on the life boats that are usually suspended atop the MV, the boats were rocky and I felt like the waves were going to overtake us. However the crew worked so hard on all the trips from the boat to shore and back. They basically manually get out of the tender when we get close to the ship and throw a rope to the gangway so that we can link ourselves to the mighty MV. Then they all help us off the boat and hold our bags for us. The process proved to be somewhat of a hassle because there was only one tender leaving the boat an hour so you had to make sure to get to that tender in time and before it became full. However, I still thought it was kind of interesting and fun to just walk off the MV and jump into a another boat. By the last day, we were all missing the gangways we had become accustomed to that were located on land. While waiting for one tender we hung out with the crew on the dock and they told us they were tired of tendering, but luckily Malaysia was our only tender port.
The first day in Malaysia, Sarah and I went on an FDP (field trip) for our Asian Art class. It was a walking tour of the city but it was pouring down rain, which we were not prepared for. However, the tour proved to be a pleasant surprise. We got to see some really amazing mosques and had the best tri-shaw driver called Loo! He pedaled on his bike and pushed Sarah and I around on the tour. One of the highlights of the tour was seeing the Blue Mansion which was the home of a Malaysian king. The mansion is bright blue and is painted with natural indigo so when you touch the walls your fingers turn blue. It is also a hotel. There is a gorgeous courtyard in the mansion and there are tons of different architectural influences all in the mansion because the king wanted the best things from all over the world. After our tour, Sarah and I made a quick trip to the mall to grab some lunch and to shop around a little bit. In the evening we headed back to the boat to catch a tender. Once returning to the boat we packed our bags for a night out, since the last tender is at 1am we decided to get a hotel room in Penang. That night we took time to enjoy our hotel room and then went out on the town. It was really cool because when we went out there would be live Asian bands singing all these American songs, but their voices sounded exactly like the American singers. At our hotel bar, there were these girls singing Celine Dion and we thought it was a CD before realizing it was live music.
The next morning Amber and I woke up early because we had a SAS trip to catch. After enjoying some Starbucks (which we both missed greatly), we got on the bus to head to Kuala Lumpur with a SAS trip. Unfortunately the bus ride was 8 hours long so that day was basically spent getting to the city, but once arriving it was well worth it. When entering the city I immediately took notice to the great architecture that surrounds the city, the huge variety of amazing stores, and the streets jam-packed with traffic. It reminded me of New York City. We checked into our hotel that day, the amazing Swiss Garden, and then headed to a traditional Malaysian dinner complete with a show in which dancers performed a variety of traditional dances. That night we met up with Sarah, Allison, and Darcy who happened to travel to KL independently and stayed at our same hotel. That night, we hit the town of KL. Our first stop was a bar called Luna that had the most amazing view of the famous KL Tower that was lit up in purple and pink lights. Then to the other side we had a magnificent view of the Patroneas Towers (my favorite part of KL!). These towers are huge and at night they look like there are mirrors on them because the tower lights up so brightly. After seeing this amazing view it was easy to understand why KL is known as the “City of Lights.”
The next morning we got up early to start a tour all around KL. First we went to the King’s Palace, we felt like we were at Buckingham Palace in London because there were guards standing tall and proud or sitting on horses. We tried to make the guards laugh but they would not budge. We also saw the National Mosque but could not go inside since we were not Muslim. We went to a museum that chronicled the history of Malaysia, this museum proved to be interesting because it gave us a visual overview of Malaysia. After touring the city a bit Amber and I ventured off from the group to discover KL on our own. On the way back to our hotel, Amber spotted our friends Allison, Sarah, and Darcy in the middle of the streets so we rolled down the window and yelled for them. We quickly got out of the cab and headed into the city. After enjoying some McDonalds for lunch, which was a must needed taste of American food, we went shopping. The mall was amazing, it had stores like Topshop, Mango, Marc by Marc Jacobs, Forever 21, and much more. Then we shopped along the streets, Amber and I got Asian stuffed animals which proved to be a big hit among many travelers. That night Amber and I opted out of taking a 4 hour bus ride to another area of KL and decided to enjoy ourselves in the city. That night we all meet up with other SAS students and went out for a little before calling it a night and heading back to the wonderful Swiss Garden.
The last day we woke up and headed back on the streets of KL for to soak up some last minute times in the wonderful city. I let my feather go right outside our hotel in the middle of the busy street, with the KL Tower in the background. We got on the bus and took another long drive back to Penang. Along the way we stopped for a bathroom break at a wonderful fruit market and were able to enjoy the best watermelon ever. Once returning to the boat we all prepared to get on a tender late that night. We decided to get a hotel once again because we did not think we would be back to the boat by one. We did not have one booked which was kind of exciting to just walk into a hotel and find a room quickly that fit our budget. We enjoyed a night on the town before returning to our hotel room that had a wonderful view of both the MV Explorer and the city of Penang.
The last day we decided to venture onto the streets of Little India in Penang. It was a great relief that morning because the previous night I had left a bag on the bus, in the morning they said they had checked but could not find it. I was sure I left it on the bus so I asked someone if they could call one more time and before I knew it a man in a motorcycle zoomed up to the pier with my bag in his possession. It was a great relief and I felt very lucky to get my bag back. At Little India we stocked up on more staples of the Indian culture such as pictures and statues of Ganesha and “ohm” symbols. I also picked up a statue of a Laughing Buddha. After enjoying one last McDonalds kick, a couple of us headed back to the pier to meet for an FDP to the St. Joseph Orphanage. As always the kids were adorable, one little boy came up to me and we were blowing bubbles then all of a sudden he became obsessed with my camera. He would take the camera in one hand and mine in the other and we would walk all around the orphanage taking pictures of everyone. However there were lots of SASsers on the FDP and not a lot of children which proved to be a bit difficult but we still had fun coloring pictures and occasionally talking to the kids. After I headed back to the boat for some much needed rest.
My wonderful time in Malaysia ended with the most perfect sunset that I viewed back on the boat. The sun set through a series of fluffy clouds. As we laid out on the 7th deck, the sky looked like it was on fire setting over the Penang mountains, oceans, and skyline. Malaysia was a great place; it is some place that I defiantly want to go back to because I did not feel like I saw everything that the country had to offer. I loved the city of Kuala Lumpar and would encourage anyone to go there if they had the chance.

Good Morning Vietnam!

Greetings all! I am getting ready to go to bed and wake up in China, but first I thought I would update you all on my time in Vietnam and Cambodia.
Our journey in Vietnam started last week when we were able to disembark from the Explorer, waiting outside of the ship was a large banner held by woman dressed in traditional Vietnamese clothing and wearing the rice patty hats, that we quickly all came to wear while travelling around the country. It was a perfect welcome into the country. When we entered into the city of Vietnam, many of us were on a mission to get dresses made. It seems to be a Semester at Sea tradition that when the boat lands in Vietnam all the students make an effort to get dresses or suits made for the Ambassadors Ball that is held on the boat at the end of the semester. We headed to a tailor called My Song located right by the huge market in the center of the city. I decided to have a blazer and long dress made. We got to pick the fabric and style of the pieces, and our measurements were taken so that they would fit us just right. It was such a fun experience; however the language barrier made us all a bit hesitant that our designs would turn out the way we envisioned. After designing our pieces we walked around the city a bit to get acquainted with Vietnam and then we headed back to the boat. That night we jumped on the shuttle bus that the ship provided to the main downtown area of Vietnam and were dropped off at the Rex Hotel, where we went to the rooftop restaurant and bar. There we got to listen to music and enjoy some fresh Vietnam air. After a night on the town we headed back to the boat to get some sleep in before our journey to Cambodia.
The next morning (HALLOWEEN!), I woke up early to finish packing for Cambodia. Our flight to Cambodia was nice and short and before we knew it we were standing in line receiving a new visa on our passports. It was the first time since the trip that I had taken the time to look at my passport and there are plenty of new decorations in it! Lately I have felt like the trip is speeding by but seeing stamps from Brazil and Namibia made me feel like those port experiences were forever ago. After receiving our new visas we were granted permission to enter Cambodia. The first stop on our journey was to the Temples of Angkor Wat. There are temples all around Cambodia but we first stopped at the main temple and were given about 3 hours to roam around the temple. At first we were a little overwhelmed with this large chunk of time but the time exploring the temple grounds was amazing. The temples are gorgeous but they are also crumbling right before our eyes. I got the chance to stop at a alter area where a woman was handing out red string bracelets, I sat before her and as she tied the bracelet on my wrist she blew on my hand and stroked my hand, all the while chanting a Buddhist chant. I had no idea what she was saying but it was a powerful moment of spirituality for me, I felt connected to the temple at the point. At the temples there are monks dressed in orange robes roaming the grounds. I got the opportunity to talk to one monk who wanted to practice his English. He told us he was studying but was on holiday so he came to the temples. It was hard to understand him but it was also great to see his enthusiasm when talking to us. After roaming the temples we were able to shop around at some of the local stands and found some wonderful artwork. That evening we arrived to another luxurious hotel, showered quickly, and headed to a traditional Vietnamese dinner complete with Vietnamese dancers. The food was delicious, my favorite was noodles that were cooked with vegetables in a stir fry and then poured into a bowl with soup. The flavors were amazing! That night I decided to make the most of my time in Cambodia and head out on the town to celebrate Halloween. We went to a bar called Angkor What? Not to be confused with Angkor Wat....when I went to ask the front desk at the hotel how to get to the bar Angkor What?, he told me "You cannot go to Angkor Wat at night, it is closed at night." I told him we wanted to go dance and that we were told Angkor What was the place to go but he just kept saying, "You do not dance at Angkor Wat" and laughing. After a few minutes we realized he thought I was asking how to get to Angkor Wat, as in the temples! We both laughed and he told me I go to Angkor What? to dance, not Angkor Wat. We rode motos to the bar which are rickshaws driven by a motorcycle. Then on the way back we rode on motorcycles, which are my new favorite form of transportation. We got to ride 2 people plus the driver on the motorcycle so it was not too terrifying.
The next morning after just a few hours of sleep, I managed to wake up with half of the group that decided to go see the Angkor Wat temples at sunrise. It was gorgeous. We got to sit across a pond that was in front of the temples, so not only could we see the temples and the sunrise but we also saw the reflection in the pond. It was one of the most beautiful sights I have seen. After the sun rose we decided to venture to the back of the temples where we found a tree house randomly, we climbed the tree house and were able to see an aerial view of all the trees and temples. The rest of the day was spent seeing all different kinds of temples. Although we saw a lot they all stood out in their own way. One temple featured hundreds of Buddha statues along the walkway. At one temple I practiced some of my yoga skills because I thought there could be no better place to do yoga then at a temple in Cambodia! At another temple we got to interact with too small children who were sitting on a blanket under a tree while their mother was selling the most delicious pineapple. We gave the girl a lollipop and she shared it with her little brother. As the bus drove away she kept waving to us and her smile made my day. We got the opportunity to talk to more monks. They always wanted to take a picture with us and I showed them my IPOD and they loved it. During all these temple visits, we were bombarded as we were in India by children selling all sorts of souvenirs. After a while it can get annoying having to say no over and over again. I finally decided to bring stickers with me and gave them to the children or I would just talk to them. I was particularly curious to why they were not in school but when I asked they would say they sell in the morning and go to school in the afternoon. At one point when I was passing out number stickers, I would ask the kids their age and give them that number sticker. Soon older people came over and instead of bombarding us and trying to sell to us we all just hung out and laughed. I gave them stickers too and they were very amused. We let them listen to my IPOD as well and it was so adorable to see the awe in the little children's eyes when music would come out of the headphones. After visiting that temple, we went to one last temple to complete our day of temple tours. This temple is known as a linga form meaning it is very tall, so we climbed some steep stone steps up to the top and just sat down looking at the amazing view for a little bit. I took some time to do some yoga at the top which was the ultimate spot for relaxation and the best place ever to do some yoga meditation. After we returned to our hotel and had some free time. We decided to indulge in a little in room massage; I had reflexology on my feet which was amazing. The lady stretched me in all this different positions and my feet felt like brand new afterwards. That night we decided to have a casual dinner in the hotel through room service since much of the food was making our stomachs hurt; even if it was delicious. We headed out that night to Angkor What again; looking for the most efficient form of transportation, we decided to settle with the motorcycle; which is by far my new favorite form of transportation. It was crazy when we were at the bar we met a girl who had done Semester at Sea a few years ago making us all feel like we live in a small world. After a while we headed back to the hotel via motorcycles (obviously).
The next day was our last day in Cambodia and we were all anxious to see what else Angkor Wat had to offer. We woke up bright and early and loaded on the buses to head out to the Floating Village. We jumped on these small river boats and headed out on the river where it was basically a whole community living on small boats on this river. Our tour guide told us that the kids take themselves to school via boats and we saw all these families just living on the boat. There was a restaurant and a basketball court on the river; and tons of little kids were playing in the water or in little boats. We found it so amusing to think of growing up and taking a boat or swim to go get a cup of sugar or to play with your friend. We stopped at the floating market in the area and these little kids were putting on a show for us to get us to donate money. The kids would jump in the ocean and grab a water snake and then come up crying, begging for a dollar. Some people would give them a dollar but the kids would still cry asking for more. We have seen lots of people begging for money but this was a new form of asking for money. Afterwards, we headed back to the hotel for some free time. A few of us jumped on a rickshaw and headed to a market to pick up some last minute goodies. Then we headed back to the hotel for an amazing lunch and then packed up for the airport. On the way to the airport we stopped at one last temple. Although we were all a little "templed out," this temple still proved to be interesting in its own right. It was the temple where the movie Laura Croft was filmed and it had tons of trees growing out from the large stone temple. On our way out of this temple, I had one of my most powerful experiences in Cambodia and on this trip. We stopped to a group of people from SAS huddled around one of our trip tour guides. The tour guide started off by telling us how he had attempted to be a Buddhist monk but how it was too hard for him. He said that he would only eat two meals a day and that he wanted to do it for his family but that it became too difficult. Then he told us the story of how his parents were affected by a certain sect of the Cambodian government. He said when he was just 7 years old his parents left for what they were told would be a dinner party but they never returned home. His parents were educated so they were a target for this force that basically took over much of Cambodia. He continued telling us that afterwards it was very difficult for him to survive; he had to eat the bark from trees and constantly be scared of being killed. It was a sad story to hear and heartbreaking. To hear of this time in Cambodia that was not too long ago for the first time in my life was shocking. I felt denied part of the history of this country and am going to take my education from that one tour guide and expand it when I get back to the states. I am determined to understand more about the country's history. Sadly, the tour guides troubles did not stop there, he was working as a tour guide because his wife had been hit by a motorcycle which caused great injuries. Our group collected a donation to him and his family and he wept when we gave it to him. It was the least we could do for a man who had been through a tremendous amount of pain and heartache. We finally arrived to the airport to head back to Vietnam after a while. Our plane was late at night and we all desperately wanted to get back to the boat before the whole plane returned so a few groups tried to take cabs back to the boat to beat the buses but it proved to be unsuccessful as our cab driver got so lost in the city! We were the last ones to return to the boat; I guess that what happens when you try to beat the system. After returning to the boat; I decided to enjoy some Deck 7 pizza and a movie with some friends and then headed to bed because I was beyond exhausted.
The next day we woke up bright and early to head to the amazing market in Ho Chi Min. Naturally we took motorcycles there which was a bit more terrifying then the ones in Cambodia. Luckily we wore helmets this time but the drivers would weave in and out of traffic, drive right next to the huge busses, and race each other to our destination. Our first stop was to pick up our clothes we had made for us. My jacket was just what I had hoped for and I can’t wait to wear it in the cold Kansas weather. I tried my dress on and it was not exactly what I had expected so I asked them to cut it a bit lower because it had a very high neck. All the ladies laughed at me saying that I wanted it "more sexy." When we picked the dresses up we got to see where they were made. All week I felt a little anxiety about who exactly was spending hours making these dresses. But when we walked up to the area it was actually a bunch of older women laughing and watching a soap opera as they sewed the dresses and jackets. In the end I could not have been happier with how my dress turned out and I cannot wait to wear my custom made jacket. The rest of the day we spent in the market buying everything from china to DVDs to paintings to chopsticks. It was so much fun just being in the market and talking to all the vendors. One girl asked us how old we were and we said 20, she was 20 as well and amazed at how tall we were. She asked us how many meals we ate a day and we said, "breakfast snack lunch snack dinner dessert." We were all giggling and said she only ate 3 meals a day. She asked for one of my many bracelets and I gave her one because she was my Vietnamese friend of the day! One lady also brought us in her tiny china shop and gave us seats, put our bags to the side, gave us a pointer stick so we could point to what we wanted on the high shelves, gave us trays to put our possible purchases on, and even pulled out a fan to keep us cool. Moments like these when a foreigner like me can connect with a local on a basic human level is one of my favorite moments of my whole voyage because they feel the most sincere. After a while we indulged in some refreshing watermelon juice and picked up some groceries before eventually heading back to the boat.
In the days following my journeys in Vietnam, I kept learning more and more about the specific history behind Vietnam and the United States. A few evenings after we departed from Vietnam, Semester at Sea offered a panel discussion lead by men and women who had fought, taught, or lived during the Vietnam War era. In some of my classes we discussed the ongoing affect the US has had on Vietnam. After learning about everything that went on my sympathy for Vietnam grew, but more importantly my respect for the country grew. After everything that the US did, the people of Vietnam could not have been more friendly and respectful to me as a tourist. I am looking forward to getting home and discussing the role of the Vietnam War in my family’s lives. So although this is much belated, my stories from the wonderful Vietnam are now concluded. Good Night Vietnam!
PEACE and love,
Maggie

Good Morning, Vietnam (and Cambodia)

Good Morning, Vietnam!
Sorry it took me so long to write about Vietnam. We arrived to Ho Chi Minh City (some still call it Saigon) on October 30th and left November 4th. I have a lot of fun and I think Vietnam and Cambodia might be my most memorable experience to date.
On Thursday, the day we got in to port, we didn’t leave to ship until about noon because of all the immigration checks they have to do. Immediately, my girlfriends and I went to a dressmaker shop. Getting clothing made, like suits for the boys and gowns for the girls, is very popular in Vietnam. It’s really fast and super cheap.
We found a custom tailor after a little bit of searching and realized that pretty much every SAS kid was there getting stuff made too. I decided to get one floor-length gown. It didn’t turn out exactly how I wanted it, so I’ll have Mom fix it when I get home. She’ll make it beautiful. The boys’ suits on the other hand are amazing. They walk around in them on the boat just for fun, just to show off their $60 3-piece get-ups.
Ho Chi Minh City has 8.5 million people living in it and about 8 million drive motorcycles. All day, every day, people are on their motorcycles. And instead of jumping in a cab to take you to your destination, you jump on the back of a motorcycle. It’s only $1USD to get anywhere in the city. Not to mention super fun. Sometimes it was scary because there was so much traffic and the motorcycles weave in and out of cars and busses. After getting our dresses sized and measured, we decided to go check out Ben Than Market, the main shopping area in Saigon. It was so chaotic- row upon row of little stands selling everything you never knew you wanted. And knock-offs are everywhere. It was so overwhelming and hot that ew didn’t stay there long.
That night, Dan, Tyler, Ryan, Jenny, and I went out to dinner at a Vietnamese café called “Lucky.” The food was pretty good. Across the street was a bar with pool tables so we hung out there for a bit too. I lost every game. ☹
The bars that we hit up that night were Go2 Bar- a quaint little street bar that had super cheap drinks, and Apocalypse Now- a bumping club where all the Semester at Sea kids were hanging out. We didn’t stay out late because all of us had trips to Cambodia the next day so we hopped on our motorcycles and were off to the ship.

Cambodia was by far my favorite place so far. Every port provides something new, but Cambodia was filled with beauty and culture. After a short flight from Saigon airport, we got to Siem Reap, home of the Angkor Wat temples. Straight off the plane, we went to Angkor Way. We were given 3 hours to explore and we proved that that wasn’t enough time. When I noticed that it was time to go back to the bus after our explorations, I realized I had only seen about half of the site. What I did see was pretty cool. The temple is amazing, although it’s crazing and crumbling due to tourists crawling all over it. A group of my friends and I went walking off the beaten path for a while while we were there and good thing we did because we found a tree house in the middle of the forest that was about 6 stories high. You could see the spires of the Angkor Wat temple way in the distance about the tree line. From there, we watched the sun set. It was so picturesque and peaceful at the top of the canopy of trees.
Dinner that night was at a really good restaurant called Kulen and there was a show that accompanied the meal. It was the story of the Ramayana- a Hindu myth about love. The dancers were all dressed so beautifully and the position that they could hold themselves in were ridiculous.
The next morning we had to get up at 5am to catch the sunrise over Angkor Wat, we it was an early night for everyone. Luckily, the hotel was 5-star so the beds were like clouds and it didn’t take much to convince me to stay in that night.
Getting up at 5am was a challenge, but definitely worth it. Angkor Wat is more breath-taking at sunrise than at sunset. There is a pond in front of the temple that offers a great place for a reflection of the temple and the sunrise, coloring the water like the sky, with pinks, blues and purples.
After that, I took Christian and Lucas, the two young sons of my art professor, to the tree house. They loved it. I know 10 and 12 year old boys would appreciate a handmade tree house.
We were back at the hotel by breakfast time and got to enjoy the Borei’s brunch buffet. One word- delicioso.
The rest of the day was spent exploring temples: Angkor Thom, Bayon, Baphoun, Terrace of Leper King and Elephant Terrace- looked like something from Indiana Jones movie. They were pretty much all the same architecture and by the end of the day, I was sick of seeing temples. Some friends and I decided to cut the day early and go back to the hotel around 5pm, hang out in the Jacuzzi, order room service, and get massages. It was the end to a perfect day. Even though the day was ending, the night had not yet begun. We were going to go out and celebrate Dan’s birthday (he’s my some-what boyfriend on the ship). It was his big 23rd. Earlier that day I bought a bottle of champagne and had it placed in his room so that when he came in, it would be a nice birthday surprise. He loved it! We took him out to a bar called Angkor What? and had a blast. He definitely had a one of a kind birthday in Cambodia. We even met a girl at the bar who had been on Semester at Sea in 2005. Weird, huh? What she was doing in Cambodia was a mystery to us. Anyway, our last day in Cambodia was approaching so we went back to the hotel and to bed.
On Sunday, I was so sick (I must have gotten food poisoning) and didn’t get to enjoy the last few temples we were to visit. That night, we returned to Vietnam with Dan helping me throw-up in barf bags. Thank God the boat hospital had the right medicine to help me or I would have missed out on my last day in Saigon.
Monday I picked up my dress and went to Ben Thahn Market to buy a bunch of souvenirs. I got tons of DVDs, some clothing to give as gifts, and other knick-knacks. Dan, Tyler, myself, and a few other people went to a really nice restaurant called AnVien. The food was delicious but we had to rush because we were due back on the ship by 9pm. We took our trusty motorcycle taxis back to the boat, but only after them getting lost about 3 times. No one speaks English in Asia. It’s awful.

There’s this really funny saying in Vietnam and Cambodia that everyone kept saying and there were t-shirts that said it too. “Same same, but different.” It was what the street hawkers would say to us when they would attempt to sell us watches, purses, shirts, etc, and we responded with “I already have a watch.” They would say, “Yes, but mine are same same, but different.”

Goodbye, Vietnam. Onwards to China!

Malaysia- The Essence of Asia

We arrived in Penang on Tuesday, October 28 and I decided to relax for a few hours before getting off the boat. It was a more difficult and longer process in this port to get off the boat because we were not anchoring at a dock, but rather in the middle of the ocean and had to take the little tender boats from the MV to the pier in Penang, about a ten minute ride. Luckily, about one hundred people can fit on each lifeboat. Unfortunately, however, there was only one boat running at a time. By the time I got off the ship, it was noon. Lunch time. I decided it might be fun to go with one of my professors to lunch and see a few Buddhist temples around the city. Myself and about ten other students, after dodging through the throng of taxi drivers trying to coerce us to employ them, we clambered into a van and told Tan, our driver, to take us to an “authentic Chinese restaurant.” We arrived, about twenty minutes later, at the May Lei Garden Palace. The smell of seafood and spices penetrated our nostrils the moment we stepped through the glass doors of the Palace. It was almost too much for me to handle and I debated walking out. We all were seated at a giant circular table with a Lazy Susan in the middle so that we could all share the exotic dishes we each chose. We didn’t get the opportunity to really look through the menu and each pick an item because Professor Groner told the owner of The Palace to give us seven of the best dishes in the house. I was scared. I knew that real Chinese food was nothing compared to the Pick-Up-Stix and P.F. Chang’s that we enjoyed in the states. While sipping on sweet hot tea and snacking on peanuts, an array of dishes was placed on the lazy Susan. One dish had fried pig skin, Peking duck, and Chinese style ribs. Another was cooked prawn and rice. We had stir fried vegetables, seafood noodles, seaweed soup, and fish. Two full, with heads and tails fish smothered in an orange and green sauce. I thought to myself that since I am only in Malaysia once, I might as well enjoy all this country has to offer. That thought was a bad one. For the next two to three days I was so sick from the Malay food that I vowed not to eat anything but rice or McDonald’s french fries for the remainder of my Asian tour. After lunch, we headed to the Reclining Buddha Temple and the Standing Buddha Temple. You could immediately tell the difference between the two. Walking into the Reclining Buddha temple was like walking into a Disneyland ride. Everything looked so fabricated and plastic, bright colors everywhere, and a million Buddha statues. I have expected there to be a roller coaster running through the middle of it. Across the street at the Standing Buddha, the atmosphere was much more spiritual and peaceful. I witnessed a young Malay man make an offering to one of the monks. He knelt ritualistically in front of the meditating monk, presenting him with an orange robe. The monk took the robe from the young man, surrounded his head with incense, blessed him, and tied a yellow ribbon around his wrist for protection against evil spirits. It was a really cool experience. The last stop on our temple tour was the Khoo Klan house, a building where all the ancestors of one family are kept and worshipped. It was the most ornately decorated building I had ever seen. Gold, red, green, and blue was splashed everywhere. It’s hard to describe in words, but I took some great pictures that I’ll upload when I get to an internet café, hopefully in China. The rest of the day was really relaxing, I headed back to the ship to grab my overnight backpack because my friends and I were planning on staying the night at the Shangri-La Hotel, a 5-star hotel in Penang that was only $60/night. It was amazing! The rooms were fabulous and the beds were to die for. Too bad we were only staying a night there. The rest of the night was spent dancing at Slippery Senoritas, one of the most popular night clubs in Penang. It was definitely a favorite with the SAS crowd. The next day, Thursday, it was time to leave Penang and head to Kuala Lumpur, the capital city of Malaysia. KL or “Garden City of Lights” is the gateway to Malaysia, resembling a small-scale New York City. Greater KL, with a population close to two million, forms the powerhouse of the Malaysian economy. Despite its rapid development, KL has managed to maintain historical edifices and plush greenery. Colonial buildings stand proudly in the center of town, and lively Chinatown, with its street vendors and night markets, can be found in the heart of the city. You will also see fine examples of Moorish architecture in contrast with the new Petronas Twin Tower that is the tallest building in the world.We departed by bus for KL (4 hrs) at 10:30am by the way of 13.5-km Penang Bridge that connects the island of Penang with peninsular Malaysia. Along the way, we saw picturesque paddy fields, Malay kampongs, and oil palm plantations. Lunch was at an authentic Chinese restaurant- it was very good but the last Malay food I ate because I became pretty sick. We arrived in KL in the late afternoon, checked into the Swiss Garden Hotel, which was spectacularly beautiful. That evening, we went to a Selamat Datang Malay dinner complete with a cultural show at the Sri Melayu Restaurant. The dancers were really good and dressed in traditional garb found from many cultures around Malaysia. It is the melting pot of Asian cultures mixing Chinese, Vietnamese, Japanese, Indian, and Thai. The finale of the show was the singing of the “Malaysian theme song.” The lyrics went something like this: Malaysia! It’s truly Asia, the essence of Asia- Malaysia!” After that, we returned back to the hotel. Most people went out to tour the nightlife while I stayed in the room (due to the Malay cuisine), falling asleep to Mary Poppins.Friday, After breakfast at the hotel, we went off for our city orientation. We drove by the Petronas Tower, went to the front doors of the Jamek Mosque, saw the Sultan’s palace, and the railway station which was a brilliant display of Moorish architecture. We continued on through Chinatown and had a brief visit to National Museum and the National Monument. Lunch was at McDonalds and then shopping in the afternoon. We were supposed to go to see the Firefly Phenomenon in Kuala Selangor, where we would watch thousands of fireflies blinking in dark as we took a dinner cruise but instead of doing the fireflies cause it was drizzling so they wouldn’t be out anyways, I went shopping with Maggie, Sarah, Allison and Darcy. The Pavillion Mall was where we were headed and let me tell you, it was the best mall in the world! After dinner at the hotel pool bar, I met up with some friends not on the SAS trip (Dan, Tyler, and Ryan) and went to a bar called the Beach Club. As soon as I walked in I noticed a line of young women all standing tall and looking pretty. Dan quickly informed me that they were “call girls looking for rich tourists to pick them up. I was shocked. I had never really seen a prostitute before and now, here before me, were about 50 of them. The coolest thing about Asian nightclubs and bars is that instead of a DJ, live bands play all the popular music for the crowds to dance to.On our last day in Kuala Lumpur, we had our morning free- I choose to get up and have breakfast at the hotel and headed back upstairs for a quick nap before our five hour drive back to Penang. When we got into Penang, my friends and I got a hotel room for the night at the Cititel Hotel. We Packed 5 people into a king sized bed that night- not the best night of sleep in my life..The last day in port, the only energy I had was to go shopping in little India for about an hour and lunch at McDonald’s before heading back to the boat to do some homework and relax a little bit. It was about100 degrees with humidity outside, so Dan, Jenny and I decided to go lay out at the pool, swim a little bit. However, there was no water in the pool. I convinced a waiter in the dining hall to supply me with pitchers of cold water to cool myself off. Luckily, I didn’t get a sunburn.Overall, it was a good trip to Malaysia. I want to go back, though, because I feel like I didn’t get to see enough of the country. Anyone want to join me?

Dean's Memo Quote

Every day we are graced with the wonderful Dean’s Memo in our e-mail inbox. It is basically just a newsletter full of updates about the shipboard community. Meetings, important notices, events, announcements, and the TV schedule is listed in the memo. I like to call the memo “Daddy’s Memo” since my adoptive father on the boat is the dean. However my point of sharing this with you is that every memo there is a daily quote. Some of them are too great to pass up and I particularly felt today’s quote was very fitting, so I have decided to share it with you all as I feel it is a perfect testament to my personal thoughts lately!

“For whatever we lose (like a you or a me) it’s always ourselves we find in the sea.”
-e.e. cummings

Our AMAZING Cabin Steward

I must mention that Amber and I have the best cabin steward. Every day he comes in and makes our bed and leaves us fresh towels. His name is Joel and he makes me smile every day. Whenever I come out of my room early in the morning he always screams my name and subsequently wakes me up with a smile. He can be found singing songs such as “Shake Your Booty” or various versions of a song in which he says our name over and over. We even saw him out on the town in Penang once. He is the best! We have a crew talent show tonight and encouraged Joel to sing a song, hopefully we will see him on stage in a bit.

Mes Amies (My Friends) :)

I thought I would give a brief update about “my friends” on this voyage. I often refer to them in my blog and they are a large part of my wonderful experiences during these past few months. We already talk about how hard it will be when December rolls around and we all venture off the boat back into our lives at our individual universities. We try not to think about that dreadful day and rather enjoy all of our adventures on the boat (and plan trips to see each other at our respective schools come next semester). With this said, I have met such an amazing group of people on this boat, a list which would go on forever. However below are brief descriptions of a few of my close friends that I am constantly with and who I typically refer to in this blog.

Amber: Well many of you obviously know Amber but just to introduce her to all of you who do not know her, Amber and I were roommates at USD last year. She is from Newport Beach, California and after spending a summer apart we could not have been more excited to start on our journey around the world.

Sarah: Sarah and I had actually met before Semester at Sea, one of her friends from high school goes to USD with me (Amanda Shaffer). Sarah has visited Amanda at school and I had met her then, thus when we found out we were both coming on SAS we were excited but we did not know each other well. Now we are quite close, the crew always asks if we are sisters or cousins. Sarah is from San Diego and goes to school at Santa Clara University.

Allison: Allison and Sarah knew each other before as they both go to school at Santa Clara. Allison is from Santa Barbara, California. I met Allison the first day on the boat randomly when Amber and I were exploring the MV and I saw Sarah who was with Allison. Since then, we have all been inseparable. I am constantly in Sarah and Allison’s room laughing, watching DVDs, or just hanging out.

Darcy: Darcy is from Wyoming and goes to school there. Allison and Sarah met Darcy randomly while we were in Brazil and we all hung out a lot in Cape Town and ever since then. We can are all commonly be found in Sarah and Allison’s room (laughing, watching DVDs, or just chit-chatting about our experiences) or on the 7th deck hanging out with our favorite crew members like Lazlo, Edguardo, and Miserm.

Lots of Love,

Maggie

Amber and I @ Amber Fort

Allison, Me, Sarah, and Amber @ the Taj

Allison, Me, Sarah, Darcy & Jenny @ the "Gods & Godesses" dance on the boat

Allison, Me, & Sarah @ a beach party in Namibia

The Long Journey From Cape Town to India

Hello…so this boat must have made my mind a bit loopy, but I forgot to post this brief entry updating you all on life at sea. I wrote this before we got India…enjoy.

Hello All:
I just thought I would give a quick update before we arrive to India. This has been the longest stretch on the boat thus far and is the longest time we will have to be on the boat, it has been 11 days. It has gone by really fast thanks to all the midterms we have had this week. We have spent this stretch studying and writing papers it feels like, but now we will have a nice break. Classes on the boat have proved to more challenging than expected, but we are still “making it work.”
On our day off we had the Sea Olympics which basically is a day full of relays, games, and competitions. Your team is determined by your “sea” or floor that you live on. Our sea name is the Caribbean Sea. The whole day was lots of fun and we all dressed in orange to support our team color. I (Maggie) competed in the orange pass (where you can’t use your hands and have to pass an orange down the line)…naturally I dropped the orange but I was at the beginning and our team still managed to win. I also competed in the paper boat contest where we had 4 sheets of paper, a spoon, and a 10 inch piece of tape to make a boat. Our boat did really well. The pool had to be drained that day so we had to float our boats in buckets. Our boat lasted 30 minutes, at that point we had to add water and a spoon to the boat and our boat sadly got 2nd but I was still proud of my boat making skills!
That night we had a “Gods and Godesses” dance on the 7th deck which provided us with a nice excuse to get dressed in our best goddesses-esque clothing. Needless to say our options were limited to the clothes we brought with us but we still managed. The dance was lots of fun except it was on the 7th deck when it was extremely rocky so dancing basically consisted of us running into one another.
Right now Amber is reading a book called Shantram. It was recommended to us in Namibia and now all of our friends are reading it. I have just started but I would recommend it if you are looking for a read. It is set in India so it has made us very excited to get to the city!
That is all for now, expect to hear from me again very soon!
Love,
Maggie