Hong Kong and Macau

So my first day in Hong Kong, I thought it was a pretty hilarious idea to go get lost around the city and actually it ended up being the best thing that I ever did as I hit all the museums in a single day J (GO ME!!) I went to the Hong Kong Museum of Art, the Culture Center, the Science & Tech Museum and history museum. I liked the Science and Tech Museum the best but it was fascinating to wander around, get food and enjoy the sights of Hong Kong for the single day that I was able to spend there so I found myself feeling pretty successful in what I did. I had a lot of food well I tried lots of soups (I honestly don't know why I did but I wanted to try a bunch of soups and it was really good except I forgot to ask the names of the soups but oh well China is in the back of my mind to note that I will be coming back next year or a little later J Still working on the logistics. Lights show in Hong Kong. So spectacular that I forgot to take pictures or video tape it lol. I loved the experience oh and FYI, there is a Disney resort on Lantau island near the airport for those who want a Disney entertainment in another country. J (I wanted to go so badly.)

My second day, I spent a total of two hours in Macau exploring on my FDP before I had to head back so I could catch my flight to Shanghai. It was so much fun and YES IT IS THE CHINESE VERSION OF LAS VEGAS! For example, MGM Grand and the Wynn both have hotels there. Shock! I wish I had actually stayed there and then left to the mainland but there is so much to do there. I wish I could have so spent more time at Macau. It would have been amazing but I went to the Maritime museum and had a good time there learning about the spice trade and Europeans colonizing the entire areas.

Change of plans

Hey everyone!

I have 5 quick things i want to say before i head into Hong Kong.

1. The Vietnam War post is being postponed until Japan.

2. For Dr. Sun: I am not heading to Beijing due to time constraints, changes and finances so i will be in Shanghai for about 5 days total. 2 of the days i will be doing class related trips and the other 3 will be on my own. Email me with suggestions

3. Japan plans have been changed and i will update with a new plan

4. All posts on China will not be put up until Japan

5. All Japan posts will be delayed because of school work.

 

Thats all folks!

Vietnam Day 4 & 5

Day 4:

It was amazing this morning as we went to a disabled school in one of the poorer areas of Ho Chi Minh City. The school had mainly deaf students who were really lively and reciprocated to us so well. It was such an amazing experience to be able to hand them pencils, pens, crayons and other things but the biggest reward was seeing a smile on their faces when you gave them something. The school works with these children and even assists in teaching the parents of how to deal with the children and some sign language so that they can communicate with the children better. I loved being able to play catch with them and just see their faces.

 

 

 

 

 

 

Day 5:

Today I went to the Mekong Delta and it was such an amazing experience and the food was so good (minus the coconut juice. sorry everyone, I normally don't like coconuts and I got a stomach ache from it)

We stopped at the markets on our way there and saw so much fruits, vegetables, chicken, meat, fish and tons of rice of all different types. Just an amazing sight to see so much food being sold in the area. J

(Above: These were how many types of rice? O.O Can you count them? Below: Eel it is! Good eating tonight! Ha ha!)

After the market we went on a boat across the delta and then rode on a horse carriage down the streets then went on several other boats and just for the record, I wore the hat! Proof!

We stopped at several places along the way and I enjoyed the time trying so many fruits and foods until I couldn't eat anymore! I loved the experience.

I had amazing tea with honey and Kumquat fruit which made it taste like apple cider along with other fruits.

 (Top: Pinapple, Jack Fruit (top left), Grapefruit (Top right), Mango(bottom left), Dragonfruit(bottom right) )

Yeah I ate this guy down here with vegetables, rice mixed with squid and shrimp, prawns, chicken and noodles plus soup.

 

FYI: The Vietnam War Piece will be up in a couple of days. Thanks and sorry about the delay!

Vietnam Day 2 & 3: Please Read the bottom for side announcements

Day 2 consisted of shopping and therefore I didn't take any pictures. I was having a good time and really enjoyed every moment of my time just walking about the city and enjoying the sights. Today I got up early to do my service visit at a government sponsored school in district 7 of Ho Chi Minh City or Saigon as most people still fondly remember it as. The school is for handicapped children and the ages range from 3 to 18 that are in this school. They were such an amazing set of children. Some of them had a lot of energy and one broke my card from around the key ring so my card is broken at one of the corners. I was a little surprised because I thought he was actually going to pull the camera bag from around my neck not the card. It was good to be able to interact with the children and play games as well as dance with them. One of the children, she was around 8 or 9 years old and she jumped on me and clung to my body. She wanted me to carry her but she was at least 85 pounds so I couldn't exactly carry her so I had to get her off of me. It was so much fun though but it ended so soon. I was glad to have had a great time though.

 

 

 

 

 

I went to the Notre Dame Cathedral which was a little bit north of city hall that I also took pictures of.

(Above: the City hall, Below: Notre Dame Catherdal)

FYI: I am not writing about Day 1 because it was all about the Vietnam War and I am still working on the whole thing. It might take me awhile so expect it to possibly not make it until the night before I get to China. J Miss everyone! BYE BYE!!

Singapore and some side notes

Sorry, but my relfection piece from Nassau to Cochin unfortunately will not get done because school is going to be crazy so it will not get posted so I will just do a huge piece at the end. I forgot to put the map and the flag up previously for you all for Singapore! So late as can be, here was everything I didn't put up prior coming here

Singapore was absolutely amazing from the subways to the history and all the rich culture within. You can seriously say that it is a land of immigrants but the religious tolerance there is so phenomenal that you can see a hindu temple straight across from a Christian church. The people themselves were so down to earth. I could so live here! J Singapore is very modernized as a country and to be frankly honest, more modernized than the US in respects to technology, architecture and transport systems. I practically wandered all over town in to areas such as Orchard Street, Chinatown, Little India and just the harbor front which was so amazing. I was pleased to have been able to come here. I loved it here and would love to come back here to eat food. There was nothing better than food here. Oh and FYI to everyone, Starbucks, Pizza Hut, Burger King, McDonalds, and Subway plus Seven Eleven all exist here too but if you want to try some awesome food, you have to go to Little India or China town. Amazing food! I love it! Most of the other ports we went to so far, immigration were done on board the ship. However here in Singapore, we actually had to take our passports with us and keep them around for the day as we traveled and then go through immigration with them later. I bought some really nice clothing here and it's so comfortable! This makes me so excited for Vietnam, China and Japan. Stay tuned for my next piece on the Vietnam War and surprise about my traveling in China J

 

 

Muslim Community

 

Architecture in Singapore J

 

Next up Vietnam!

Thank you for all the comments!!!! J Semester at Sea is an amazing experience and after Vietnam I will post a new thing on China and Japan together just because after China and Japan will be extremely exhausting for me. Love you all! A shout out to my parents and the staff at Aall Care! I miss you all!

India Day 5 and 6

Day 5: Alleppey Backwaters

I spent the day on a 2 hour bus ride that took us to the Alleppey village where we took a ferry for two hours across the backwaters. We saw how many of the people lived and what they did as part of their daily lives. It was mind opening to see how others lived simply compared to how we live in the US.

These were the types of house boats we saw. There were different varieties depending on if the house boats would be used for both homes and for tourist trips to go across the water. It was fascinating to watch.

This was a race boat that some of the villagers had to do the annual race across the backwaters. There were roughly about 34 of them in different shapes and sizes depending on what the families could afford to make but the races are a big deal around august when they happen. It's normally a big festival type event.

This was one of many hindu temples in the area. This temple according to what the guide told me was a Sivite (Shivite) temple.

Day 6: The Ghazal concert

I only did a simple thing on the last day that was to watch the ghazal concert on board the ship. It was a trio of musicians who played music and the middle singer sang songs in Hindu from Urdu poetry that was written from 1300s to present. It was nice to hear the different sounds from the instruments. The Pakistani drums, a guitar and another instrument that i could not get the name of offhand. It was a pleasant experience to be able to be in India and experience it.  

I will be working on a reflection on everything up until this point from leaving Nassau to going to India. I then plan to work on a final one just for the ports from Singapore to Japan after i finish them. the crazy end reflection will come after i get off the ship and am able to process what just happened this semester! I am glad that i am getting so many comments for my blog! thank you!

India Day 4

Today was a simple day in that I took a harbor cruise that took us to see the Chinese nets and other villages that lay on separate islands of Cochin. There was a group of about 10 to 15 of us on a little ferry that spent about 4 hours of our time showing us what the normal person lives on daily and the apartments of the new Cochin. Oh I forgot to mention on the first day that there is an old Cochin and a new Cochin and they are separated by an island that is where our ship is docked. There are a number of other sporadic islands throughout the canal area. The small cruise itself was an eye opener as to the widening gap between the rich and the poor as well as what differences you saw in lifestyles. I learned that India, like the US is going through its troubles of higher than usual unemployment rates and trying to accommodate its market for the average of nearly 12 million workers who prepare to enter the workforce each year. It was a bit interesting to think about everything and put it more into perspective.

(Above) These are the Chinese fishing nets. There were a lot of these spread out in between the islands

Anyways, I hope you are enjoying the blogs! Email me if you have questions!

miranda.denny.s12@semesteratsea.org

India Day 2 and Note about Day 3

Oh my god such good food! It's a bit spicy though and didn't set too well with my stomach. We went to the home of Nalini Verma who teaches Kerala Cuisine in Cochin and other places in India. She is an amazing cook and her food was simply delicious! She showed us a few of the dishes  which included Fish Mappas, Cabbage Thoran and Avial.

This was our main food dish below which consisted of many items. Some of which were the following:

Fish Mappas, Meat Ularthiyathu, Pachadi, Cabbage Thoran, Sambar, Avial, Pulleshery, Masala Potato, Kochi chicken masala, Kerala Mutton Pulao, carrot and mango pickle,Vermicily Payasam and rice

If you want the recipes, email me at miranda.denny.s12@semesteratsea.org

www.keralacuisine.in or email nalini@keralacuisine.in

 

As far as day 3 is concerned, due to exhaustion and illness, I spent the third day in bed sleeping and resting to regain strength for the last three days of craziness in India. I am looking forward to everything coming up.

India Day 1

I woke up super exhausted this morning from getting sick off the food the previous night and immigration took a long time so all the morning trips left really late. I really spent the time resting on board from lack of sleep the last three days until my FDP this afternoon with my art history teacher, Professor Wilkinson. We went to the original palace of the Cochin king and the jewish synagogue in the older part of Cochin and then got to look at the spices in the newer city area.

I could not take pictures in any of these areas because they are still considered very important sights to the locals but the experience of going into the palace and seeing the entire paintings of Krishna, Shiva and Vishnu were just amazing. The walls in some of the rooms were entirely painted with scenes from the Veda texts describing items like the family of Krishna and Rama. I saw vibrant colors along the walls even though some had faded or been destroyed from the Portugese around the 16^th century. The Synagogue was something different. We could not go into the place without our shoes being taken off and we had to leave our bags with the people outside so that we could go in. Inside this synagogue, if you look at the floor, the art on the floor were depictions of nature and buildings which appeared to be Japanese homes which was an odd contrast to all the colors and gold in the room. These tiles were all white with the blue paint what I described. On the ceiling, the items hanging were almost chandelier like, but are made of what I remember him mentioning to be crystal. The way they were made was adopted from the Italians which was completely fascinating. I wish I could take pictures. It was truly amazing to go and just be able to sit in the synagogue and admire the work in the place.

Going to the spice market was an experience in itself because of just how you had to cross the streets and it could be difficult because the cars did not always stop for you. We went to several spice shops and I was just enthralled with how the spices smelled. It was just divine. Different types of cinnamon, cloves, pepper, and numerous other spices. I would love to just buy out that shop but I did not buy anything and I really just want to experience India and learn as much as possible.

Email me with questions!!! miranda.denny.s12@semesteratsea.org J

Mauritius kind of came to be

So Mauritius did actually happen but only for a span of four hours and I spent most of that time hanging out with friends and of course shopping. The place is positively beautiful and has a rich mix of Indian and African heritages. The waterfront is fairly large though not as large and expansive as the one in Cape Town. I wish I could have stayed long enough to learn more about this place but we only learned about  its rich culture and it's democratic society. I did get a chance to talk to some of the people who asked about SAS and how long the ship would be here. Overall it was a nice stop and a nice break from the craziness of the midterms and everything. I only have a couple pictures to post for this and that is pretty much it. Nothing more to comment about it.

We got off in Mauritius the day after we were supposed to be there. We were supposed to be there March 6^th but instead we got off March 7^th since we came in so late on the 6^th So for March 6^th, the ship planned the following activities for us. (side Note: Times are in military times so anything after 12pm, you just subtract the 12 hours from to get the pm time up until 2359 or 11:59pm, after that it starts over at 0000 = 12am. Ex 1pm = 1300, 2pm=1400 and so on.)

Tuesday, March 6 Agenda (Maurit-ish Day)

• 0700-0830 – Lite Continental Breakfast. (Garden Lounge only)
• 1030-1300 – Brunch! (both dining rooms)
• 1300-1415 – The Writing Center. (Classroom 5)
• 1300-1430 – Zumba. (Union)
• 1300-1500 –Soccer Games. Open to all (Sports Deck)
• 1400-1600 – Family Friendly Movie: Emperor Gusto's Café. (Classroom 3)
• 1430-1600 – Sock, Porcupine, Clock, Toaster Improv. (Union)
• 1500-1700 – Dodge Ball Games. Open to all (Sports Deck)
• 1600-1700 – Insanity. (Union)
• 1700-1800 – The Writing Center. (Piano Lounge)
• 1730-1930 – BBQ (Deck 7 aft)
• 1900-2100 – Are you Smarter than a Dependent Child? (Union)
• 2100-2300 – Movie Night: Moneyball. (Classroom 4)
• 2100-0000 – Special Event: Karoake.  (Union)

 

Here is a picture from the BBQ.

Mauritius is Cancelled, On to India!

Due to some unfortunate weather, Mauritius that was originally on our itinerary has been cancelled and we are heading straight to India from there (I guess after we refuel there or something like that however I have been told that we are also avoiding the pirates too so who knows). 11 days at sea and everyone is complaining about guess what...the food! Ok let me admit that I have already gotten sick off of it enough times so i have my stock supply of food from Cape Town! (Go me for some smart thinking!) I wanted to let you know that midterms are going alright and My Global Studies midterm was an A and my Operations Management is a B and i am waiting to hear back on my other two midterms. Anyways time to leave some maps and flags. For the sake of Mauritius, I will put it up but after that, I will make some few comments on India and leave it at that. There will probably be a post on the Sea Olympics sometime before then too and the talent show on board the ship. (There was a Neptune day which I forgot my camera and didn't take pictures for and King and Queen of the Seas in which I was sick that night and had to miss so I will post pics up of those from a friend of mine who was so nice to give some to me.) Anyways…

Moving on from Mauritius, we are heading to India!

                We are docking in Cochin, India which according to some of the crew is a more upscale area of India but I don't know. Ok, so I have my two cents about India, this country is the country that I was not looking forward to going to this country so I am going to actually keep not only my spending close to nothing in this country (well, I want to have an awesome time from Singapore to Japan here! I did pick this trip because of the last four countries that I was dying to visit and yeah having the last port being my home town of San Diego! Can I get a little love here! ). Keeping that in mind, I am still going to experience as much as I can and learn about society because I did come on SAS to learn and experience even if I will not be able to ever go to India again. The experience so far has been an amazing journey, while I haven't had much time to reflect upon some of the countries, I found myself starting to see the world in different eyes just a little more every day and trying to put myself in their shoes for just a moment. As I learn about the histories on board and see what has become of the nations because of their histories, I find myself saying a couple of things. One, the people in the USA have such a bad understanding of many of these nations or they know nothing at all and two, our education for schools is sad just for public schools alone. The last thing I seem to notice is how we take democracy for granted and I can admit myself that I take voting for granted but I learned first-hand in the Bahamas how important it really is (I will elaborate on that a bit more to the end of this trip. There will be some reflection pieces and East Asia will have a huge reflection piece but it will take time for me to write). I really hope that India will indeed change my mind or at least start opening up a whole new perspective in me. I have about 7 trips planned in India, each one to give me a new experience and I will reflect on this country as to whether it  left something in me or not but each country has instilled in me a lesson on the things I take for granted in the USA and also just important life lessons that I plan to carry on with me through college. This trip everyday changes something of my attitude towards everything as I miss many of the things at home and am pretty much detached from the world at large so I have no news of world or anything since no one will email me the full article as an attachment or actually in the email: miranda.denny.s12@semesteratsea.org The only news I have really gotten was some of the news in Ghana and in South Africa. I did not get to do a lot of world news reading. I like to be kept up on the current world news, Wall Street, International Business and Economics but not the celebrities. Anyways, I miss everyone back home and really hope to hear from people soon even if it is a simple "hi how are you?" That always makes my day. That's all I have for you! Stay tuned for the next update on Sea Olympics! My camera will be ready for that!

Cape Town, South Africa Day 5 & 6

Day 5:

So I decided that instead of going to a SAS trip for the day, I decided to go to Table Mountain but the trip there was well worth it! I went with one of my good friends Hannah and we took a taxi all the way up to the cable cars to go up to the top of Table mountain. It was extremely cloudy on the mountain with risks that we might not be able to go up there but we did make it there and we hiked around the mountain area. It was amazing to take pictures that would literally scare me but it was awesome to see everything.

We stayed up there around three hours before heading back to the ship and that night I went to dinner on my own for some relaxing time and had some sushi. (Forgot to take pictures of it sorry) It was my second time going to this place because I liked the food and finally asked the waiter why they put mayo and caviar on top the rolls and he told me that for those who dislike the fishy taste, it removes that part of it allowing the individual to enjoy the sushi more. I had to admit, he was right. The sushi tasted really good with mayo and caviar mixed together on top not to mention that having a Sapporo with it was just divine. I was relaxed that night.

Day 6

Today I went to Warwick Wine Estates for a tour, a wine tasting session and a picnic. It was amazing to go through the winery and check out how the process works but most of the time, the wines are usually in a fermenting stage within the winery. The grapes that go into making the wines are so good to eat! To make the white wines, they use just the grape juice and to get the red wine they use both the grape juice and the skin of the grapes to get the color. They outsource only the barrels and the bottling because it is too much to actually produce the bottles and barrels as well for the company.

 The wine tasting was interesting though I did not care for most of the wines. Here is what we tasted:

Professor Black Sauvignon Blanc

Chardonnay

The First Lady Chardonnay

The First Lady Cabernet Sauvignon

Old Bush Vines Pinotage

Three Cape Ladies

Trilogy

After all of that, we still had a picnic and the food was so good!! I loved the food and I enjoyed the experience of having my first wine tasting session in South Africa on February 29^th 2012. It was so much fun and a few guys in our group got a bit drunk. (Ok they shared about 6 wine bottles together on the bus before we got back to the ship so they were pretty much drunk at around 3pm in Cape Town. Nothing wrong with that right? I thought they were hilarious as they were drinking.

Cape Town, South Africa Day 4

Today I went to the Amy Biehl Foundation for a Service visit done by Semester at Sea. Amy Biehl was stoned to death in 1993 in South Africa during the time that the issues of Apartheid were going on. It was amazing of the transformation that her parents went through from not only forgiving her killers that they came face to face with but they also pushed to have the killers released from prison and gave them chances at the better life and these individuals currently work for the foundation as coaches and teachers. It was amazing to see the strength of her mother and father in the films that we watched. This was where she was stoned to death at and a memorial was erected in her honor

 It must've taken so much to be able to not just forgive someone for murdering a loved one but to also give them a second chance at making a better life for themselves. After learning of her story we went to some of the sites that the foundation focuses on.

 

The foundation helps students in the poorer regions of Cape Town which are called Townships, start going to school more by not only getting the students to go but to motivate the parents to play an active role in the student's lives. They have assisted especially in creating the afterschool programs that run during the week and on Saturdays.

The children can participate in all sorts of things such as dancing, musical instruments, sports, and other recreational/non recreational clubs. I have some amazing videos that I will put up at the end of the voyage of performances at two of the schools that we went to. I had a fantastic time with the children and learned about how much different it was to be in a welcoming school environment instead of being out in the streets wandering. The foundation also helps the students with vocational trading skills and job skills that will be useful to them as they enter the workforce to be successful further in life. The foundation is wonderful and the staff that work at the office are just amazing but I think the most important thing are the children that are being affected and changed by the work that is done by this foundation.