CAPE TOWN: The Anti-Bucket List but AMANDA BLAIR SUSSMAN

As many of you are aware I wanted to skydive AND shark dive in Cape Town. Mom and Dad- I respected your wishes and DID NOT skydive in Cape Town though it could have easily been made a reality. Just know that a lot of my friends did not understand why I wouldn’t just skydive and then tell you both but I resisted peer pressure and did not jump. I wish the peer pressure was more effective. In regards to shark diving (cage diving in the ocean with great white sharks) I was scheduled to go on Sunday, my last day in Cape Town. Unfortunately all of the diving trips were called off that day because the weather was not shark diving weather. Bottom line, Cape Town the land of the supposed to be bucket list has now turned into the anti-bucket list and I have big plans for my 22^nd birthday. Skydive Ann Arbor! Dad- you’re invited.

Right after I got back from the safari I quickly packed and made my way to Rondebosch, a suburb of Cape Town where Amanda Blair Sussman is living. Luckily a couple of my friends on the ship were staying with their Boulder friend in Cape Town who happens to be close with Amanda so all of us taxied there together. Seeing Amanda for the first time abroad, in a non-Michigan, non-NELP setting was amazing. It was so great to see her Cape Town life, the town she lives in, the restaurants she eats at, and the places she goes. This was my first experience of actually seeing a friend abroad who had immersed herself in the culture and country as opposed to our sweet life of traveling. Mands- you really have a good deal going on in Cape Town and if I wasn’t on Semester at Sea I’d be a little jealous…

Amanda’s house was awesome and homey. There were nine students living in it, three stories tall, nine rooms, two bathrooms, and a general common room and kitchen. All of the kids were really friendly and welcoming. After settling in for a couple minutes we got ready to go out for the night. As if everyone doesn’t already know this but it really is a small world. Amanda is close friends in Cape Town with Annabelle and Justine among others. Annabelle (who also goes to Michigan) and Justine both went to Beverly with me. Seeing them all together was literally a combination of both of my worlds- home and college. It was a little strange but at the same time makes complete sense. Annabelle, Justine, and Gabby all came over before we went out and it was great seeing familiar faces.

Long Street is the Lan Kwai Fong of Cape Town mixed with a little NOLA. The street consists of about three or four blocks packed with a large variety of restaurants and bars. Needless to say this is where every Semester at Sea student spent the majority of their nights in Cape Town. I went to Dubliner’s for the first time followed by a couple other bars. Honestly it was just great being with Amanda and being out with her. A little taste of Michigan for ya. At about 12:30, exhausted from the previous two Safari-filled days I told Amanda it was time to leave the festivities. On the way back to Rondebosch I left my mark on Cape Town. I hope that last sentence was ambiguous to everyone but Sussman.

The next day Amanda and I went to Table Mountain to go abseiling also known as repelling for all you Americans (which are all of you). We were in Cape Town over Easter- this means that like Disneyland on Christmas, places were crowded and lines were long. After being told to go in the line that did not already purchase online tickets, Amanda being the savvy individual she is, bought us cable car tickets online from her blackberry allowing us to cut the line. Unfortunately we missed about ten cable cars going up the mountain for various reasons or more accurately one specific reason due to yours truly. After struggling to make it into the cable car, we FINALLY made it to the top of Table Mountain which is a huge accomplishment in itself. It was a gorgeous day and the range of visibility was insane. NOTE: just take a look at the main picture for this blog post.

Time for the abseiling story. I have been repelling many times in the past and since I love rock climbing and anything related to it I was really excited to abseil off Table Mountain. The guys harnessed us up and explained the process of how we would descend. Sussman after realizing that we would be controlling our own descent, to be put nicely, FREAKED OUT. I have never seen her so scared in my life- and this fear was coming from a girl who has been bungee jumping twice. After we began to repel off the side, the guys running the show yelled down to us “enjoy the surprise!” Amanda had been semi-calm for the past two minutes but after hearing this, the freak out ensued. Unfortunately she had no choice but to go down. I was going quicker than her and got to the “surprise” first. The surprise- a complete drop off from the mountain, as in there was nowhere for our feet to go and we were legit hanging mid-air. Me, being the great friend I am, yelled back up to Amanda, “Sussman, you’re not going to like this surprise at all.” I enjoyed the harnessed free fall and took advantage of my new found swinging abilities. Poor, poor Sussy- she did not like the surprise. Anyway we both made it to the bottom and were safely on the ground. The guys above told us we would have a 20 minute stroll back to the summit. That was possibly the biggest lie I heard in my life. Amanda and I literally HIKED UP Table Mountain and it took much longer than 20 minutes.

After our abseiling experience we went back to Rondebosch for a quick lunch. Oh the wonders of technology. I had an interview with the psychology department at Michigan and was able to perform the interview via g-chat (skype for some reason wasn’t working). My interview went wonderfully and I am now officially a Psych Peer Advisor for next fall. Woooooo. Amanda and I proceeded to watch Friends in her bed, and honestly we could have been anywhere in the world.

That night for dinner we returned to Long Street to eat at Mama Africa’s. Amanda met a lot of my SAS friends but more noteworthy than that was the food that was consumed. At this restaurant I tried the following: ostrich, crocodile, kudu, and springbok. Believe what you want (though you really should believe me because I did try all these things). Jackie- when you go on Semester at Sea you have to go to this restaurant. My Michigan/SAS/Beverly worlds collided for a bit longer that night. All of us went to The Waiting Room, a bar that the local Cape Town abroad kids attend regularly. Sussman and I both decided to go back early because there was an off chance that we would be waking up early to go to a township to spend the remainder of the day on a yacht.

The yacht was an off chance (actually it turned out to be a reality for Mands later) and being realistic, we both slept in. That morning Amanda took me to Old Biscuit Mill a type of famer’s market that occurs every Saturday. On the way we took a Mini-Bus to the market. A mini bus consisted of a big van that would pick people off the street and drop them off at desired locations- in a sense it was a public taxi. In my mind it was kind of like a party bus because music was literally blasting and the car was filled with random people. Note: Semester at Sea tells us specifically not to ride in the mini buses because they are not completely safe. However since Suss lives in Cape Town and is familiar with the system, I was all for it. Old Biscuit Mill had a huge food section with lots of different foods, cheeses, sauces, etc. and a completely separate large shopping area. Old Biscuit Mill is where up and coming Cape Town designers sell their clothes and jewelry. The whole scene was really cool and really made me aware of how fashionable young Cape Towners are. These kids were really trendy and well put together- Sussman obviously fit in perfectly. For some reason the fashionableness of Cape Town kind of took me by surprise.

After Old Biscuit Mill we made our way back to downtown Cape Town for a Township Tour. Amanda being the wonderful friend she is booked and accompanied me on a township tour even though she volunteers in a township twice every week. Before the tour departed we made a quick stop at the Long Street Market which was more souvenir-y and what I was used to. I successfully purchased my South African flag along with three very cool paintings- happy birthday Sami and Jackie. The Township tour took us to two different townships- Langa and Khayelitsha (the township Amanda volunteers in). We toured the Black areas and the Colored areas and were able to enter certain hostels that were built prior to and after Mandela’s presidency. I tried local township beer (it kind of tasted like a hot dog in beer form) and visited a successful bed and breakfast whose profits are donated to children in the township. After seeing extreme poverty in almost all the ports, the townships hit me as less of a surprise. In a sense I was expecting what I saw. Despite that expectancy it was still a slap in the face reality check when I actually processed everything. My room in my house was often times bigger than a single family shack. The townships kind of resembled giant jungle gyms were hundreds of little children ran around in packs, independent of any adult supervision. Other observations included HIV/AIDS awareness campaigns all over as well as condom use promotions. I understand that it takes a very long time to reverse the effects of apartheid but it’s been 16 years. For a majority of South Africans to be living in this situation is horrible and change is long overdue.

After the township I packed up my clothes and Amanda accompanied me back to the MV Explorer- I wish she was allowed on the ship but unfortunately the ship has strict rules about not letting “others” on the ship. I said goodbye to Amanda and made my way back to my room to get ready to go out with other SASers for my last night in Cape Town. A bunch of us went to Fork, a tapas restaurant for dinner. It was amazing and I had the best tapas beef eggs-Benedict ravioli thing ever. After our prolonged dinner we walked back up Long Street for our last night in Cape Town. I left the night a tad prematurely because I thought I would be waking up two hours later to go shark diving. Unfortunately I did wake up at 4 AM only to find out that shark diving was not actually happening.

The last day in Cape Town consisted of hanging around by the waterfront- a really awesome place where the ship was docked. Since it was Easter Sunday some of the restaurants and stores were closed but overall the majority of things were still open. Ivy, Jill, Luke, Ricky, and I had a really nice breakfast on the water and proceeded to walk around the waterfront. I was in soccer heaven in the world cup store and proceeded to purchase the COOLEST South African Havaianas ever in addition to a couple legit 2010 World Cup shirts. Happy Birthday Daddy. Luke, Ivy, and I then went to the aquarium (we weren’t able to make it to the Cape of Good Hope and Boulder Beach where the penguins live because the cost was double to taxi us down there because of Easter). The aquarium actually turned out to be pretty cool and I did end up seeing my penguins. After the aquarium we got a quick bite in the mall area and walked around a bit more. I headed back to the ship for on-deck time and proceeded to sleep for the next four hours.

Cape Town is one of the coolest places ever and I had an amazing time. Amanda- once again thanks for everything, I hope you know how much fun I had with you and how much I love you. I feel like I really got a good overall feeling for Cape Town and was able to do a lot. I highly recommend everyone to visit Cape Town and possibly turn my Anti-Bucket list into a legit Bucket list destination. By the way, everyone should download Shosholoza- best song ever.

A couple side notes: the weather was VERY windy on Sunday, the day we were supposed to leave and as a result we were docked for a whole extra day because it was too windy for us to safely leave the channel. It was possibly the biggest tease in the world to have to sit through a day of class when you are able to look out the window and see Table Mountain. What a sick joke. Sorry for my delayed blog update- I actually had a legit paper and presentation I had to work on. Apart from literally spending the past week working on this paper/presentation, IM soccer (3 v 3) started on the ship and my team is in the quarterfinals tomorrow. Our team is called the Big Ten because I go to Michigan, Sam goes to Wisconsin, and Lucas goes to Penn State- I thought it was creative.

The past 3 months have gone by SO quickly and I can’t believe we are already at Ghana. I hate to say this but we’re coming home. Ghana on Sunday, crossing the Atlantic, Brazil and the Amazon, and Fort Laudy. The last noteworthy thing that has gone on in my life: YESTERDAY I REGISTERED FOR MY LAST SEMESTER IN COLLEGE (actually Joanna registered for me because I didn’t want to risk it with the unstable internet). Could that be any sadder or scarier? Fact: it’s all downhill after May 5^th.

CAPE TOWN: CALL ME SIMBA.

As I’ve said many times before, I had high expectations for Cape Town and now I can firmly state that the reality of Cape Town far surpassed those expectations and has undoubtedly been my favorite port thus far. I think it is now important to define “favorite” since I’ve been using that word a lot of over the course of the past three months. It should be pretty apparent from this blog (I hope) that each port and country is unique and virtually impossible to compare. Therefore “favorite” for the purpose of this blog and Semester at Sea experience, will be defined as the place I had the most fun, would want to live or study abroad in, and would be most dying to revisit. Let’s be honest- Cape Town is where it’s at.

We docked in Cape Town early Wednesday morning and once we were cleared by immigration, made our way off the ship to meet our Safari guide Quinton. The ship was docked at the V&N Waterfront, a gorgeous waterfront that was at the base of Cape Town and had a view of the entire city with Table Mountain in the background. I’m sure I will repeat this fact numerous times throughout my Cape Town story but Quinton was the man and made not only our safari experience but overall Cape Town experience unforgettable.

Quinton grew up in a well-off white family in South Africa during apartheid and as he said “had every advantage that could be given.” He tried to impress on us the cruelty of apartheid and the extreme inhumanity that occurred. One thing I definitely learned in South Africa is that Americans are way too politically correct. In South Africa it is completely normal to refer to people as white, colored, or black. Colored refers to light skin blacks or half-black, half-white citizens. I asked Quinton what I would have been recognized as during apartheid and he told me I would have been a question-mark. My skin color would label me as Colored but because I have a White person’s hair I could be considered White as well. Bottom line, he told me South Africa would not have been overly friendly to me during its recent history. It further dawned on me how ridiculous apartheid was. How could any sane person let alone an entire population that controlled the government think it’s humane to act his way? I understand the obvious comment would be to look at Nazi Germany or racial oppression in the US or Islamist Fundamentalists in the modern day Middle East but even with the long list of examples I still have not reached any clarity. You can’t understand insanity.

Moving on from questioning the countless ethical issues in the global communities, it is time to discuss the best safari ever. We (me, Jenny, Rachel, Brooke, Jeff, Dominique, and Arin) left Cape Town as soon as we met Quinton at the waterfront and headed to the Ivendoorn Game Reserve about two and a half hours away from the city in the Karoo Region. Along the way we stopped to take pictures of the view overlooking Cape Town and the town of Paarl as well as numerous baboons along the road. We arrived at Ivendoorn where we had lunch and pool time before the afternoon/sunset game drive. The safari lodge was awesome and isolated from any noticeable forms of civilization. At full capacity the lodge can only house forty guests and which meant the atmosphere was very subdued and relaxing.

It is important to mention that a game reserve is basically a fenced in zoo minus the cages and spread out over hundreds of acres. We were not in random wilderness in hopes of finding animals- we were more or less guaranteed to see animals (though the guides always explained that nothing is a guarantee). The reserve was divided into three sections: the lion reserve, the herbivore reserve, and the cheetah reserve. We first visited the lions. The reserve had three lions, a fact that made us all a little nervous and question the reputability of the safari. The lions were canned lions or lions that were caged as cubs and who never learned how to live in the wild. The reserve was meant to attempt to teach the lions the ways of the wild but more to take the lions out of the inhumane or “inlione” conditions they grew up in. It is impossible for canned lions to ever return to the wild and the whole sight was pretty sad. We finally found the lions- one male and two female but unfortunately they were not very active and partially camouflaged in the grass. My lion pictures are basically “where’s Waldo” pictures, the best of which you may be able to see a raised leg. I’m not going to lie, at this point I think we were all a little disappointed with the way things were starting out. The lions were the low point, and after all they were lions so it wasn’t really a low point, but regardless everything was uphill after that.

We made our way to the main reserve with the majority of the animals: kudu, water buffalo, springbok, eland, wildebeest, rhinos, hippos, giraffes, mongoose, zebra, etc. Not only did we see all these animals but we got really close to the majority of them. Seeing these animals, animals that you grow up hearing about and seeing in movies like the Lion King was unbelievable. I don’t think I can express how cool the safari actually was. The entire time I kept expecting for our guide to say “ok it’s time to go back” but instead she kept saying “ok it’s time to find the rhinos” or “let’s find us some zebras.” After seeing a couple of these animals I basically forgot about the rest and got so excited every time our guide said we were going to see an animal I forgot about.

After thinking the afternoon could not get any better our guide surprised us and took us to where the cheetahs were about to be fed. As I’ve said we were not in the real wilderness but rather in a game reserve where the workers try to give the carnivores the best life they can since they can’t fend for themselves in the actual wild. Three cheetahs approached a truck where two men were ready to feed them. After taking lots of pictures the men finally fed the cheetahs. Feeding consisted of throwing dead chickens at the cheetahs and having the cheetahs duke out which would get the food first. Our safari guide then took us to the other side of the cheetah reserve to watch towers where we were met with refreshment and drinks. We were able to see the cheetahs race each other. The game reserved mimicked a food chase to ensure that the cheetahs got their proper exercise. This entailed a mechanically controlled rodent looking thing running away from the cheetahs. The fastest land animal did not fail to impress- they were fast, really fast. It was an awesome way to end the day.

That night consisted of a five course meal in the lodge restaurant where we had a further opportunity to talk with Quinton. We literally stayed at the table for hours and just listened to Quinton tell us about his life and discuss our past three months. During dinner Quinton took us outside to watch the full moon rise and after dinner he took us out to see the stars. We walked outside the lodge premises and were pretty much in the open plains of Africa. Call me Simba. I literally felt like Simba when he gazed up at the stars while talking to dead Mufasa. The vastness of the universe, the stars, being away from civilization, and more importantly being in a grass plain in Africa was once in a lifetime.

We retired for the night in our “chalets” where Jenny and I decided to watch an episode of Glee on her laptop and pretty much passed out before the opening credits. The morning drive left at 6:30 and was cooler than the afternoon drive. The moon was still out while the sun was rising and the combination of the two was remarkable. We saw the animals making their way out to the watering hole to drink and eat their breakfasts. Though we basically saw the same animals we saw the night before we did get the opportunity to see the hippos for the first time. I’m not exactly sure why but for some reason I became obsessed and most excited about seeing giraffes right before I got to South Africa. Let me tell you- they are awesome, gorgeous, and the supermodels of the animal kingdom. I had been asking the guide for a while if I could get out of the car and take a picture with the giraffes and the obvious, given answer was “no” because she was unsure where the water buffaloes and the rhinos were. It was about an hour later when we passed six or seven giraffes that Wilma (the guide) surprised us and said, ok you can all get out of the vehicle, stay within one hundred yards and don’t be loud. I WAS STANDING TEN FEET AWAY FROM GIRAFFES! For a girl from Los Angeles this was possibly the most amazing and surreal thing ever. I was now certain that my safari experience was beyond complete.

We headed back to the lodge for a “hearty English breakfast” as the itinerary stated, and were given one more surprise. All of the guests (about twenty-five total) were told that we would have to remain in our seats and be very quiet because the animal workers were going to bring out the baby four month old cheetahs! The baby cheetahs came out on leashes and were literally being walked around the pool/breakfast area. Quinton, being the man that he is, told us to pretend like we finished eating and quietly follow him. He took us to the back area of the building where the cheetahs left to and we were than able to play with the cats. The two babies named Velvet and Shady were gorgeous and regal. Standing next to giraffes was cool but sitting down and petting baby cheetahs was cooler.

We left the lodge/reserve and still had a full day ahead of us that consisted of going to a wine estate in Stellenbosch for wine and cheese tasting and seeing the prison Nelson Mandela was freed from. Since we had gotten really close with Quinton by this part in the Safari we also arranged to meet his wife Abby and Abby’s niece who was living with them, Mulenga, later for drinks back at the waterfront.

The wine and cheese tasting was awesome. I obviously knowing nothing about wine but not having any problem drinking it was content. In all honesty I probably had more fun tasting the cheeses. We were served eight wines that were matched with eight cheeses. We were definitely enjoying ourselves and the whole experience because the wine and cheese tasting took a lot longer than it usually did. We had the option of buying wine and cheese which some of us did. This also meant that the wine had to be consumed prior to getting back to the ship since we were not allowed to take alcohol onboard. We left the wine estate in considerably happier and more light hearted moods than we arrived in. We proceeded to where Nelson appeared as a free man and stopped for a photo op.

The best safari and two days ended back at the waterfront where we met Quinton’s family. Quinton married Abby who he met in Zambia and brought back to Cape Town. Their niece Mulenga is living with them and finishing up the equivalent of high school in South Africa before all three of them move to Zambia. Abby and Mulenga were two of the nicest people I had ever met. According to Quinton “our enthusiasm is infectious” and we had a great time with his family. Brooke, Rachel, and Jenny had the opportunity to meet up with Quinton and Co. a couple more times while we were in Cape Town which I think shows how genuine and amazing him and his family are. I wish them all the best in starting their own business in Zambia!

As you can see the beginning of our Cape Town trip was incredible. Safari, playing with animals, wine tasting, meeting Quinton’s family- it was all awesome. The next portion of my Cape Town adventure will be referred to as The Anti-Bucket List Cape Town and Amanda Sussman. Also I would like to take this opportunity to apologize about my word usage (complimentary vs. complementary) and spelling (sedar not seder) mistakes. The purpose of family: to comment and call you to tell you about your inadequate writing abilities and not about the actual experience. Thanks Sam and Mom. Cape Town Blog Part II up next.

Almost to the Motherland

I cannot be more pumped for Cape Town. As I’ve said in a previous post, I have very high expectations for this week- possibly too high. Regardless I am sure it’s going to be awesome. Amanda has been slaving away and doing my bidding- making reservations for various activities, giving my friends advice, and more importantly determined to show me a good time. She has even asked for an extension on a paper because I am coming to town… For those of you are clueless about my Amanda, Sussman, Mands, or Sussy references, Amanda is one of my best friends at Michigan and studying abroad in Cape Town. After my two day Safari which starts tomorrow, I will be spending the remainder of the port stay with her! As if Africa Day did not put me in the Cape Town mood already (I went to a seminar on Great White Sharks, saw Invictus, etc.) for the past couple days we have been sailing so close to land that I literally look out my window and see the motherland. Let me tell you, it’s a pretty legit sight to wake up to.

Since we are heading around the Cape of Good Hope, the ship has begun rocking heavily- at times it has been as bad as the Ensenada-Hawaii stretch of the voyage. Luckily I have not been feeling sea sick. You can really feel the rocking as you go to higher decks on the ship. The pool water on deck seven usually crashes back and forth and over the edges of the pool causing a Sea World type of “splash zone.” It’s actually comical to watch the pool water crash back and forth onto unsuspecting tanners.

Apart from amusing myself by watching other students get soaked by the pool water not too much has been going on since Mauritius. The real dodgeball tournament began and although we won in Sea Olympics my dodgeball career has ended prematurely in this tournament. Our team, consisting of the same members that were on the gold medal team, won our first two games and made it to the quarterfinals. Unfortunately our winning streak did not last. Let’s just say that I got pummeled by a dodgeball thrown by a boy or beast that everybody on the ship refers to as “Tank.” You can use your own imagination for my fall. It was too bad we played this team early on- we beat a team in Sea Olympics that advanced to the semis on the other side of the bracket. Bad luck for us. 3 v 3 soccer is up next.

We had a lovely sedar on the ship last night and approximately 125 people showed up for it including a lot of non-Jews which was great. I had matzah ball soup which I could not have been more excited about. The highlights of the sedar included my table being the most audible Dayenu singers. We rocked it. After Sedar there was the Crew Talent Show in which members of the crew perform their many talents. Duh. It was great watching mostly Filipino crew members, rock out to Greenday and Blink 182. Let me just say, our crew is VERY talented.

The last noteworthy occurrence that has happened on this Mauritius-Cape Town stretch of the voyage is that I have FINALLY finished the Sex and the City Series. I have seen every episode since I bought the series for $20 in Cambodia. Now I have to find a new show to take up my time. As a result of actively pursuing this Sex and the City goal, I have only made it through 200 pages of Mandela’s autobiography. My goal was to finish it by South Africa but it doesn’t look like that is going to happen. Sorry Nelson.

200 nautical miles outside of Cape Town, safari tomorrow, Sussman the next day- game on.

MAURITIUS SPRING BREAK 2K10

Mark Twain once said, “Mauritius was made first and God modeled heaven after Mauritius.” There are numerous variations of this quote but you get the idea. It is 8:42 PM and we just left Port Louis, Mauritius, the ultimate tropical paradise. Though many of you would argue that this entire voyage has been a giant spring break, Mauritius is in fact the “spring break” of Semester at Sea. We only had a mere night and two days on the island, (the SAS faculty does not like us going to Mauritius AT ALL because it’s usually one big party and more kids do stupid things here than in any other port, hence the short port stay) but it really didn’t matter. We were in Mauritius.

I expected most places in Mauritius to be a fairly short distance because the island is pretty small but I could not have been more mistaken. I had made plans with one group of friends to go on a day cruise/snorkel adventure in Grand Baie and another to stay in Flic-en-Flac over night. Grand Baie and Flic-en-Flac ended up being over an hour away from each other… The plan was to take a cab from Grand Baie to Flic-en-Flac after the booze cruise. This was not the brightest or safest idea and was soon forgotten. After the cruise, Ivy, Jill, and I would be living in the moment without plans of any kind.

Twelve of us headed to Grand Baie to meet the catamaran company that would be taking us out for the day. Unfortunately, yesterday Mauritius was definitely not a paradise and better resembled a giant hurricane. It was pouring rain and windy- two things that were not supposed to be part of the Mauritian Spring Break extravaganza. The coast guard would not let any small ships or in our case catamarans out until the weather cleared up. Though it stopped raining early we changed our day catamaran to a sunset catamaran in hopes that the weather would be nice.

Since we now had the entire day at our disposal, we hung out at the beach of the Ocean Villas (most people get villas in Mauritius) where the other nine members of our group were staying. It turned into a mini beach party with a good amount of duty free beverages. The entire time I was in the ocean near the beach I kept thinking I would step on a sea urchin for not having bought water shoes like the ship Doctor recommended. This fear was not a reality and I swam unscathed. The Ocean Villas included complementary water activities so all of us ended up banana boating. I had never been on a banana boat before and though it was fun, tubing is a lot more fun. A bunch of us purposely flung ourselves from the banana boat to make it more exciting. We soon made it to the outdoor hotel restaurant because all of us needed food for multiple purposes.

Ivy, Jill, and I agreed to find a hotel rather than crash at the villa and forced ourselves to leave the beach and trek Grand Baie in search of suitable accommodations. After walking on the sidewalk for a good fifteen minutes (there was apparently a sign that had said Le Meridian Hotel was five minutes down the road) we came across your everyday friendly Mauritian. He helped us call several hotels and it turned out that he owned the company that was responsible for building kitchens in all of the top Mauritian hotels. After making sure the phone call worked, he offered us a ride to the hotel in his car with his driver. Safe or unsafe- not really sure but sometimes you just have to go with it. We made it to the hotel which turned out to be an extremely nice resort (we sat in the lobby and were immediately given warm hand towels and glasses of pineapple juice) but way more than we expected to pay. Luckily the concierge lady was really nice and told us of a hotel that was just down the road and probably more accommodating. We made it to hotel Hibiscus which was perfect for our sole night in Mauritius. We got a room with three beds and everything ended up being complementary which was an extra bonus.

After dropping our stuff off at the hotel we went back to Ocean Villas for our sunset catamaran cruise. A dingy came to shore to chauffer us to the catamaran. Aboard we had unlimited drinks as well as appetizers and dinner. Though the rain had subsided by this point it was still windy and the water was choppy. Though choppy water does not translate to a calm, serene, sunset cruise, it does mean a wilder ride. After sailing for about an hour and playing on the water nets we anchored. The sun had set (the sunset was basically nonexistent because of the storm but I’m not sure any of us noticed at the time) and we were able to night swim. All of us immediately jumped in the water. We were night swimming in the INDIAN OCEAN, pretty cool. Night swimming, partial skinny dipping and lots of jumping ensued. Soon into our swim I got pretty tired of treading water- blame it on me being asthmatic, not having worked out in the foreseeable past, or just not being a great swimmer- and found a life ring to chill on. I think it’s worth mentioning that one of the coolest things about our Indian Ocean night swim were all of the stars. In LA you don’t really get to see a full sky of stars but in Mauritius you definitely do. It was amazing- the swimming, star gazing, and just being. When in Mauritius.

The catamaran brought us back to Ocean Villas around 9:30 PM and Jill, Ivy, and I still had to make our way back to Hibiscus to shower, change, eat, and attempt going out. Exhausted and disgusting from the day we put off showering to enjoy our complementary dinner which turned out to be a legit five-course meal. We had been expecting a quick buffet type meal but instead sat through five courses all of which were surprisingly good. On top of it there was a huge flat screen TV showing the Manchester United/Liverpool game so I was beyond content with the situation at hand. We returned to our room to discover an ant infestation in our bathroom (they were attacking our complementary cocktails from earlier that day after booking the room)- complementary cocktails, dinner, and ants, oh my. For some reason the ant war did not seem to bother us at the time and we all managed to shower without complaint. By 11:30 we forced ourselves to get dress in hopes of going to Banana Bar which is where a lot of SASers were supposed to be congregating at. Unfortunately after stepping into the street to hail a cab we soon noticed that a. the street was completely dark and b. it was completely abandoned. The desk receptionist soon came out to tell us that the chances of us getting a cab were slim and that three girls should be careful at night. Not wanting to take any chances and more importantly now having an excuse not to go out, we made our way back to the hotel beach and later to our room.

Jill returned to the ship early the next morning which left me and Ivy together in Grand Baie. From this point onward, this day will now be referred to as Ivy and Alex’s Day of Fun. For some reason our hotel was not crowded at all and as a result Ivy and I had our own romantic breakfast without any other hotel guests and more importantly an omelet maker at our disposal. After eating breakfast we used more of the hotel’s complementary services and went kayaking. A motor boat picked us up from our hotel and took us two beach areas over to where the water sports equipment was held. We shared a double kayak and no doubt my shoulders and arms will be sore tomorrow… it was worth it. The water was turquoise and beautiful and the sun was shining. Today Mauritius looked and felt like paradise. We returned back to our hotel’s boat house to see what other fun things we could do when the words “Underwater Sea Walk” caught our eyes.

After booking our reservations with the Underwater Sea Walk Company we were shortly picked up once again in a motor boat and taken to the middle of the bay where another boat was anchored. Ivy and Alex’s Day of Fun was about to get A LOT more fun. For those of you who are unfamiliar with an Underwater Sea Walk, think walking on the ocean floor with a Harry Potter bubble charm on your head or being a part of 10,000 Leagues Under the Sea. We were given a very quick five minute orientation of what we would be doing and the signs we were supposed to use if something went wrong and soon were rigged up and ready for action. We had to hold onto the boat’s ladder where the workers placed a large, weighted bubble on our heads. The bubble or helmet weighed us down and we were soon on the ocean floor. The bubble was rigged so that air was constantly being pumped in and connected to the boat above. Though I could breathe in the bubble I initially held my breath on the way down. I don’t think I smiled more or was more amazed for any given period of time in my entire life. Ivy and I walked on the ocean floor, touched the coral, and were surrounded by fish. On top of it we had a personal photographer and videographer to capture the entire experience. Though I was the only person who could hear myself speak, I caught my times saying wow a lot. The workers brought bread into the water and threw it near us so that even more fish would surround us. They were everywhere it was almost like you were in a giant fish tank. Ivy eventually made me hold the bread and I received my second fish massage in a month. After about twenty minutes we resurfaced. I recommend bubble or helmet diving to anyone and everyone- just bring some bread with you.

Ivy and I made it back to the ship by 2:30 and I had just enough time to get a hotdog from the grill and take it to the trip bus by 2:45. Not wanting to solely have a “spring break” in Mauritius I volunteered to visit the SOS Children’s Village in Baeu Basin. Though I had been to two orphanages before on this trip (Xi’an and Phnom Penh) I was unsure what to expect at the Children’s village. It was honestly remarkable. The village is designed (there are approximately 480 SOS Children’s Villages worldwide) so that there are multiple houses that each have a house mother. Each house is home to around seven to nine children. The children are ordered to the village by the state as a result of home problems (sexual abuse, domestic abuse, parents with drug addictions, etc.). The children remain at the village until they are 18 however if they decide to continue their education which many are beginning to do, they are welcome to stay as long as necessary. The children are property of the state and cannot be adopted. The concept of having multiple houses, each with a house mother, was amazing. The children are given a real family situation with their own house and I think it is a nice alternative to most orphanages. A lot more attention is given to each child and each child is cared for by a mother. More importantly I really felt that these children viewed each other as family.

I had a really amazing two hours with the kids. After being told the logistics of the organization we were told to go play with the ninety eight children and have fun. The fifteen or so of us that made it on the trip ventured outside and started mingling with the kids. Once again language was irrelevant (some kids knew a little English but the majority spoke in French and Creole). I saw a group of boys playing soccer and immediately joined in. At first I think they were a little skeptical of my playing ability but after juggling for a while and successfully performing a rainbow, I earned their respect and passed the test. I’m pretty sure they had never seen a girl actually know how to play soccer before and they managed to tell me “you play very well.” On top of it I told them my name was Alex but they saw my full name on my SAS ID Card and refused to call me Alex because it was not a girl’s name and called me Alexandra. We juggled and ended up playing games of keep away. I was defending one of the boys (we were playing barefoot on mostly dirt and rock) and as luck would have it hurt my toe. I legit think I broke it (I didn’t actually break it but it hurts a lot, is swollen and bruised, and in my doctoral opinion is at least sprained). Regardless that was the end of my SOS soccer career and I resorted to playing with the younger kids and giving piggy back rides (like I said my toe isn’t actually broken). This was the perfect way to end the perfect two days.

Mauritius was the best remedy to a full week of classes with two tests (we actually do have tests on SAS) after India. I am now the proud owner of not one, not two, but THREE, Mauritian Flags- in case I don’t find them I tell my friends to buy them for me if they see them… this time we all found them. Brooke managed to find me one that was the perfect size though. Flag collection is going strong. Up next: Cape Town, South Africa and Amanda Sussman. I’m expecting big things.

NEPTUNE DAY

And that's how it's done.

Moment of truth.

Nickelodeon Slime anyone?

Neptune Day celebrates the crossing of the equator at sea,

It is a big deal with a bbq and an initiation ceremony

Shellbacks, polywags, dead fish, hair shaving, and slime

A day of no class, it was obviously a good time

We were uncertain what would happen on Neptune Day

The staff was ambiguous with very little to say

We would apparently know what to do when the time came

And sure enough early in the morning we knew things weren’t the same

Unlike NELP when I was woken up with Amelia’s Waltz and a glass of OJ,

On SAS the crew decided to wake us up in a most original way

Whistles, banging, and chanting could be heard down the hall,

Growing ever closer, a line of crew members were right outside our wall

We had crossed the equator, it was time to get out of our beds

And run upstairs where we would be reborn and could shave our heads

Us polywags were ready to be made shellbacks and listened carefully to the rule

Of how we would be converted by completing rituals around the pool

Fish guts and slime were poured on our heads first

We were then cleansed in the pool to ensure we weren’t cursed

Next up included kissing a very dead fish

There was no alternative way to grant our wish

Fish kisses aside, we honored King Neptune and his Wife,

By kissing their rings and offering prayers of long life

Then Sir Don knighted us with a sword and made it very real,

“I now pronounce you a shellback” he said, while we had to kneel

To acknowledge this crossing and sign of rebirth

Many boys and GIRLS shaved their heads to prove their worth

Shout out to Laura Budde, a fellow Michigan Wolverine

Who shaved her head and to me this is how she’ll always be seen

The day will end with a huge outdoor bbq,

I am now lucky to say I am part of an elite few

Who are true voyagers and friends of the sea

A shellback I will die and most happily!

COCHIN

After arriving in Cochin around 2:00 PM, the overwhelming majority of kids on my trip quickly made their way to the pool bar on the seventh deck for some hot dogs and burgers. Oh the joys of American food. Jenny and I decided to explore Cochin that afternoon and ventured out with a cab driver. We had two goals for the afternoon: find an Indian flag and visit the Jewish Temple and the Jewish quarter of Cochin.

Our cab driver ended up staying with us the entire afternoon for $20 (which was probably way more than he should have received) and acted as a guide. Whenever we exited the cab to go into a shop or down the road, he accompanied us on foot as well. The Jewish Quarter in Cochin was really cool. There were lots of little souvenir shops with tapestries, blankets, t-shirts, menorahs, candlestick holders, etc. Another bonus was finding Hebrew writing and the Star of David everywhere. We made our way through the quarter, which was relatively small and probably consisted of a two block street, to the entrance of the synagogue. The guards made us leave our bags outside the building which made me paranoid of being robbed the entire time we were touring inside.

The temple was smaller than most but elaborately decorated. There were chandeliers, bright colors, and the ark was adorned with lots of jewels. The decorations clearly screamed India and it was wonderful seeing a Jewish temple in South Asia. As a result of the Spanish Inquisition and expulsion of the Jews from Spain, many fled to India and the state of Kerala. The Cochin Synagogue was built in 1568 and is still active even though the number of Jews in India has decreased significantly. Today the temple has only ten congregants from five different families however services are still held on both Friday nights and Saturday mornings.

Visiting the temple in Cochin made me really proud to be Jewish. Though I’ve been to Israel and Jewish Quarters in Spain and Eastern Europe, I felt an equally strong if not a stronger connection with Judaism in India because it is so far removed from what I associate with Judaism. The sense of pride I felt could be related to the fact that I was in a 400 year old synagogue in a country that was dominated by mainly Hindus and Muslims. We had persevered and even though there are only ten congregants at this temple, they were still there and practicing. It was remarkable, overwhelming, amazing, pick your adjective.

The second part of the afternoon was devoted to finding an Indian flag which was pretty much impossible. I had failed in Chennai, Delhi, Agra, and Jaipur. All of the previous store workers had told me that it would be very hard to find a flag because there wasn’t an election going on and it wasn’t a national holiday. We basically told our driver “take us to where we could buy a flag.” After two failed attempts of ending up in small textile shops we found a small shop owner who lo and behold sold flags. Granted the flags were hand painted which better translates to having random paint blotches in various locations but it didn’t matter… mission accomplished. So far the flag hunt is going well though some of my flags are not the correct size but I am slowly realizing that this task is a lot easier said than done.

That night Rachel, Jenny, and I got our own tuk tuk driver (meaning he would stay with us throughout the night) and went to a recommended local Indian restaurant. Up until this moment we had mostly been eating “Indian food” that always had a couple simple dishes like plain rice or pasta and cream sauce, so I never had to fully go native. I figured on the last night I would try my luck. The owner of the restaurant ordered our meals for us and I made sure to tell him that I was picky and to go easy on me. I LOVED what he served me- I forgot the exact name but it was basically chicken and eggs in a crunchy pastry wrap thing. I probably got the simplest Indian food ever made but in my mind it definitely counts as Indian. Jenny and Rachel went wild with different sauces and dishes but unfortunately the pepto was not enough. At least they got sick from an amazing meal. On the way back from the restaurant the tuk tuk driver asked us if we wanted to drive the tuk tuk. Without hesitation Rachel and I responded yes. Driving the tuk tuk was awesome- it was actually really easy and set up like a motorcycle with handlebars rather than a steering wheel. For something we had been driving around in since Cambodia, it was cool to actually drive one.

The next day I went on a field trip to the Chendamangalam Village, a rural village two hours outside of Cochin. We were hosted by a women’s group and brought inside the village where we saw traditional dances and songs, and were made a traditional Indian lunch. Note about the lunch: I had to eat (and look like I was enjoying) River Fish in a green curry sauce. For those of you who don’t know, I don’t do fish. I consumed half of it before I felt that it was a sufficient attempt and would not be considered rude to stop eating. I was able to interact with the women and learn about their lives. There were fourteen members in the woman’s group and the purpose of the group was to microfinance female business ventures. Their motto was along the lines of empowering women through women. They stressed the importance of education and learning a trade so that women in rural areas could learn to be self-sufficient. These groups are becoming more common in rural India and it was amazing to see these women really striving to reduce the great gender inequalities.

Once again my camera proved to be a friend maker- this time to a ten year old boy who was one of the group member’s sons. I ended up with about one hundred more pictures that day of the village and random things he thought was worth photographing. At the end of the day I gave him a mechanical pencil I had in my bag and he was so amazed and thankful for it. The gifts we received were cooler- the group hand made us beaded purses and filled each purse with a bag of many different spices. Overall it was a really amazing day and I loved the fact that I was able to meet real Indians and was welcomed into their village, lifestyle, and culture. It was a much needed break and experience from the many tourist sites.

Brooke and I were just discussing how hard it has been to write our India blogs. It is easy to retell where we went and what we did but really hard to convey why India was so amazing. I’ll give it a shot. I think the reason I loved India is because it was so different than anything I had ever been to before. The Indian culture is so welcoming and it was remarkable to see so many happy, and I mean genuinely happy Indians who had so little. I constantly push myself to do better or get more- in essence I am never fully content because there is so much more that I can achieve. I am a very happy person and content with my life thus far but would not be content if I did not pursue higher ambitions. In India I feel as though that drive or need to earn more, do more, achieve more, is reduced. Perhaps it is not that they are happier but rather content and more grateful. Always being thankful allows them to live happily and without resentment of what they do not have. India is a completely different world with a lot of disparities and heart breaking qualities. After visiting the country I believe that there are more heart “mending” or “strengthening” qualities than breaking ones. Go to India- you won’t get it until you visit.

Northern India: Delhi, Agra, and Jaipur

I’ve decided to combine these three cities and the majority of my trip into one blog post to ease you of the pain of having to read about every single fort or museum and instead present you with the highlights of my Indian adventure. Some parts are a lot more rushed than others so deal with it.

Day 1 Start Time: 3 AM

Delhi consisted of boarding a tour bus and visiting every major monument or noteworthy site in the city before dinner time. We went to the Qutub complex which is home to a large number of buildings, ruins, and above all a five-story tall tower called Qutub Minar which was build in 1192. After exploring the area we went to a banquet buffet lunch (sounds a lot better than it was- there were some bugs in my cup and on my silverware, cool) where I experienced amazing naan. Further sightseeing included going around New Delhi by bus and seeing the Parliament houses, Embassy Blvd., India Gate, and the President’s house. We visited Humayun’s tomb which is like a mini Taj Mahal. This was followed by a bus tour of Old Delhi which could not have contrasted greater with New Delhi. New Delhi was well developed with cleaner roads, nice landscaping, and lots of green. Old Delhi was more like Chennai in the sense that it was a chaotic mess, a lot poorer, dirtier, and crowded. We went to Gandhi’s memorial which had a constant burning fire surrounded by a pond with lilies. Finally we hit up the hotel for dinner (this was the best buffet dinner ever, and where I found out that I like Water Buffalo). A quick word on the hotels: it’s so weird to be in a country where you see such poverty and then sleep in a five star hotel. You can’t help but feel a little guilty for the privileges you are given.

Day 2 Start Time: 4 AM

After a 4 AM wakeup call, we were at the Delhi train station by 5:15 and ready for our two hour train ride to Agra. It was still dark when we got to the station and immediately stumbled upon a rather depressing sight. Upon entering the station, we passed by hundreds of primarily Indian men who had been sleeping outside the train station all night. I am unsure if they were all homeless, or perhaps from a naïve perspective waiting to catch a train, but regardless one could not help but sympathize for them. Many of them were sleeping barefoot and in ragged clothes without other belongings. To add to the reality of the situation there were dogs intermingled with the men. I hate to make the comparison between these men and the dogs they were sharing the floor with but the reality of the situation really equated the two... the expression “men living like dogs” never had as much meaning to me as it did then. The train station resembled a NYC subway station but on a much larger scale. It was extremely crowded with men and dogs alike crossing the tracks at their own peril. Once you got over the chaos, the whole situation actually seemed pretty normal. It was just another day and another train ride in India.

We arrived in Agra at around 8:30 and headed to a hotel where we would be eating both breakfast and lunch. We had the privilege of seeing SASers who were on one of the just Taj trips. Our group (Taj and Jaipur) then headed to the infamous Taj Mahal. We had to walk a fair amount and were bombarded by child hawkers who were really good at their jobs. The females and males were separated into two security lines before being granted entry into the actual site. Even though there were specific gender lines, there were many Indian females who remained in the male line with their husbands for fear of something happening to them if they were alone.

The Taj is probably 1000 times more amazing than anything your imagination could generate. Its massiveness, white marble, symmetry, exterior fountains and landscape, all assisted in making a typical tourist’s jaw drop for a solid three minutes. Similar to the “oh my god we are on the Great Wall of China” feeling, the “oh my god we are standing in front of the Taj Mahal” feeling was just as wild. There are certain pictures that everyone must take at the Taj. These include holding the tip of the Taj in between your thumb and index picture, perhaps a jumping photo, and a standard size comparison photo. I’m happy to report that “professional” Indian photographers insist on taking your pictures and are able to print them out for you for a total of one hundred rupees or approximately $2. Needless to say, there is a great picture of me at the Taj up on the wall next to my bed. With the digital age upon us, having a printed picture is really nice.

We were given special booties to wrap around our shoes (so that we would not have to go barefoot) before entering the Taj. Walking up the stairs to the Taj and around the exterior of its raised platform really gave you a sense of its size. The whole time I could not help think about the irony in having something so big to hold something so small. All I know is that any girl would be lucky to have a husband who would build a rival world wonder in memory of them. I guess Shah Jahan was a bit of a romantic.

Post Taj we visited the Agra Fort that the Indian Military still partially uses today followed by Fatehpur Sikri, an ancient abandoned city. Not to go into detail about these places but Fatehpur Sikri was built in 1570 but was abandoned only fourteen years after its completion because the water supply was unable to sustain the growing population. It was pretty awesome to see this city exactly how it was five hundred years ago and how well it has been maintained. Our trip was titled Taj Mahal and Jaipur. We had now been to Delhi, Agra, and the Taj but still had to venture to Jaipur. This “venture” would be in the form of a five hour bus ride. It was on said ride that I began reading Nelson Mandela’s autobiography. We made it to Jaipur late that night and had a quick dinner. Though I missed out on the festivities because I was exhausted, there happened to be an Indian nightclub attached to our hotel.

Day 3 Start Time: 6 AM

Jaipur is dubbed the Pink City because the city wall and many of the city’s buildings are pink. I believe the story of why Jaipur is pink (though I could be lying right now) is because the British architect who was assigned to design the city wanted to be in the King’s good graces and used pink because it was a color of royalty and respect. That description is probably inaccurate but I think the story goes something along those lines… feel free to make any clarifications- my lack of comments is becoming humiliating.

We visited the main area of the city wall and the palace to find SNAKE CHARMERS on the sidewalk enjoying their mornings. It was so cool to see a real snake charmer in India though I am not sure how legitimate they were- most of the King Cobras were defanged and once one started losing concentration the snake charmer would quickly switch baskets a take out a new snake to hypnotize. I regret not taking a picture up close and personal with the snake charmer… oh well, next time I’m in India I’ll be sure to do it.

We started our day so early because we were proceeding to the Amber Fort which we would ascend by riding ELEPHANTS. Riding an elephant was something I had always wanted to do and was so excited about. My excitement slowly diminished as we entered the back of the long tourist line and watched hundreds of exhausted elephants trek up to the fort and then back down over and over again. Though I definitely felt horrible for these animals, I was still obviously going to ride the elephant. Honestly my camel riding experience in Israel was a lot better than my elephant riding experience in India. The fact that Indian men kept hitting the elephants with pointed spear like sticks did not make the experience any more satisfying. The elephants were decorated with paint and jewels but most just looked sick. Next time I ride an elephant I am going to make sure it is not in such a tourist-elephant riding assembly line setting.

We visited the fort, the observatory and the city palace followed by a “jewelry” store that was a lot like the silk market in China. Honestly it is just annoying to be taken into these stores (Marble, Jewelry, and Carpet) where we are shown how to make the items for maybe two minutes and then asked to buy $500 carpets. The fact that three hours of our time over the course of two days was wasted at these stores was absurd. I understand that the tour guides probably receive some sort of commission for bringing tourists to the stores but how much commission can they actually receive if no one buys anything? By the time we were supposed to be taken to the carpet store, the overwhelming majority of students on our trip signed out and did our own thing for the remainder of the day.

After signing out of the trip I had a goal: find an Indian flag. After buying almost everything but an Indian flag I had learned that it would be very difficult to find a flag at this time because no election or holiday was occurring the market was closed on Sunday. I gave up for the day but did end up purchasing an elephant tapestry, a quilt/bed throw thing, and two floor cushion seats, all of which will be mismatched with the rest of my trip’s purchases in my room next year.

Day 4 Start Time: 5 AM

Flight from Jaipur to Mumbai (Bombay) and then a second flight from Mumbai to Cochin. After a long day of flying, an hour drive from the airport to the port terminal, and a long amount of waiting to enter the ship after immigration and security, I was back on the ship.

I would like to take this moment to say two things. In comparison to the Xi’an/Beijing SAS trip, the India SAS trip was subpar. I felt that it consisted of not having enough free time, too much time spent traveling, and a very constricted amount of time at each site. Essentially the time was poorly allocated. Though the trip itself was not amazing in terms of organization or structure, India was so amazing it did not matter. I am going to make a pretty bold statement right now but I think India has been my favorite country to visit so far. This entry is a mere regurgitation of where we went and what we saw and it fails to accurately display the beauty, happiness, and hospitality of the country. I have more to say about India than only the places I visited but all that will have to wait for a later blog.

The last thing I would like to end my Delhi-Jaipur entry with is the fact that I might as well be Indian. I cannot even count the number of times that I was asked where I was from, where my parents were from, or if I was Indian. My tour guide went as far to tell me that I looked exactly like his fifteen year old daughter. I was constantly asked to have pictures taken of me or with me. I was awkwardly the center of a picture surrounded by ten Indian men. On the topic of my “Indian” look, I also apparently look like a thirteen year old in India. Along with the “where are you from” questions, I was also asked how old I was. Almost every Indian thought I was somewhere in the 14-17 age range and was shocked to know I was 21. All I can say is that I looked Asian in China, Viet Nam, and Cambodia, Indian in India, and will probably be dark enough to fit in in Ghana. Bottom line: thanks mom and dad for really making me a global wonder.