Nick Vails Spring 2007 Semester at Sea

FINAL ENTRY AND REFLECTIONS :(

2007-05-24T17:35:00.000-05:00

FINAL THOUGHTS

One hundred days ago I was about to board a ship for a voyage around the world. I was excited about the journey before me and anxious about leaving home. One day before the voyage ends I am excited about returning home and anxious about leaving the ship and the people that have given me so much.

When one travels they often miss the place they left behind. As I traveled around the world I at times felt a longing for and appreciation of the wonderful aspects of my life that slowly became more distant and insignificant. The simple joys of falling asleep in my own bed, playing with the dog, the company of close friends, playing guitar, or fulfilling a particular food craving are pleasures now relegated to memory. In short time I will adjust back to “The Real World” but with an understanding that it is really just “My World” that I am lucky enough to live in and that the real world is much more complex.

I have come to appreciate the magnificence of the America in which I live and all its blessings of opportunity and freedom. However I have also come to appreciate the uniqueness and beauty of other people around the world. On this voyage I came to a conclusion different from the idea that, “America is the greatest country on the earth.” This is a saying I grew up with and that has been repeated numerous times by my parents, teachers, and myself but a saying I now realize is not true. For greatness is only a term used to describe something from ones relative perspective and its meaning is not a matter of fact but opinion. To believe America is the best nation only serves to enforce ones false sense of superiority in this world.

While traveling I perhaps have grown to see the world from a perspective similar to that of astronauts. Except instead of seeing the world as a geographic whole I saw the similarities and commonalities of humanity. The common emotions of happiness, despair, hatred, admiration, pity, humor, jealousy, and love cross geographic and cultural boundaries. I learned that the miniscule differences of language, religion, and culture pale in comparison to our emotional similarities as human beings. For these nuances are only a result of historical events, geographic separation, and time. I hope that one day kids can put a map on their wall without political boundaries and only the word “Humanity” across its surface.

This voyage again reinforced my understanding that some of the most important factors in ones life are out of their control. The location, time period, and parents to whom I was born have played a more significant role in determining my ethics, personality, ideological beliefs, education, and wealth than any other factors I have control over. The fact that I am one of the few people on earth with the opportunity to travel the globe, instead of one of the many people I met struggling to survive, only serves to remind me how lucky I am. This voyage has instilled in me a sense of responsibility as a person of privilege to help those less fortunate than myself and I hope this feeling remains with me for the rest of my life.

I have met many wonderful people and seen some incredible places on this voyage. I saw a dead body floating in the Ganges, partying in the streets in Brazil, kids begging from me in India, shantytowns in South Africa, an orphanage in Mauritius, a man whose face was severely deformed begging on the streets of Saigon, mountains in Malaysia, a rural agricultural village in Vietnam, Skyscrapers in Hong Kong, the great wall of China, the Taj Mahal, Hiroshima, Pearl Harbor, and other incredible places. I realize that few people are fortunate enough to visit these places in a lifetime yet I am still only 22 years old. Why Me?

I came to an interesting conclusion when observing and reflecting upon the youth I met in these countries. I realized that people my age and younger in these countries shared common interests such as watching movies, listening to music, and having fun. Kids seemed to enjoy similar activities and especially each others company. I ask, why can’t we have this attitude as nations? I feel that adults to often discount the knowledge within a naive kids mind. Perhaps kids are just better able to simplify situations into what is truly important while adults get lost in the confusions and complexities of life. We must realize that people everywhere of all races, religions, and creeds are still people and ultimately with education and tolerance can get along.

I originally was going to write about many other topics in this entry such as the danger of worldwide consumerism, the necessity to eliminate nuclear weapons, global environmental degradation and sustainability, and the urgent need for many changes in America. However, due to the delay in writing this entry and the high probability that few people will read this I am going to finish with one more thought.

MONEY DOES NOT EQUAL HAPPINESS!!! We have all heard this before but for many of us money remains the driving factor motivating our lives. I too still struggle with a strong desire to make money but I have discovered something more elemental and more important than money in our lives. I now understand that happiness is not obtained from the vacations we take or in the things we buy but in the daily beauty we find in our experiences and interactions with one another and the world around us. Descartes said, “I think therefore I am.” The world and your happiness in it is how you perceive it to be, and that perception will create the reality around you. So be happy.

I am going to end with a speech from a 1996 commencement address given By Carl Sagan in reference to a picture taken by the Voyager 1 spacecraft. The picture was of Earth 4 Billion miles away and showed our planet as a Pale Blue Dot in the vastness of the cosmos. For me it is a reminder of our insignificance in the universe and ultimately teaches me that the most important thing we have in this life is each other.

PALE BLUE DOT
We succeeded in taking that picture [from deep space], and, if you look at it, you see a dot. That's here. That's home. That's us. On it, everyone you ever heard of, every human being who ever lived, lived out their lives. The aggregate of all our joys and sufferings, thousands of confident religions, ideologies and economic doctrines, every hunter and forager, every hero and coward, every creator and destroyer of civilizations, every king and peasant, every young couple in love, every hopeful child, every mother and father, every inventor and explorer, every teacher of morals, every corrupt politician, every superstar, every supreme leader, every saint and sinner in the history of our species, lived there on a mote of dust, suspended in a sunbeam.
The Earth is a very small stage in a vast cosmic arena. Think of the rivers of blood spilled by all those generals and emperors so that in glory and in triumph they could become the momentary masters of a fraction of a dot. Think of the endless cruelties visited by the inhabitants of one corner of the dot on scarcely distinguishable inhabitants of some other corner of the dot. How frequent their misunderstandings, how eager they are to kill one another, how fervent their hatreds. Our posturings, our imagined self-importance, the delusion that we have some privileged position in the universe, are challenged by this point of pale light.Our planet is a lonely speck in the great enveloping cosmic dark. In our obscurity -- in all this vastness -- there is no hint that help will come from elsewhere to save us from ourselves. It is up to us. It's been said that astronomy is a humbling, and I might add, a character-building experience. To my mind, there is perhaps no better demonstration of the folly of human conceits than this distant image of our tiny world. To me, it underscores our responsibility to deal more kindly and compassionately with one another and to preserve and cherish that pale blue dot, the only home we've ever known.

Earth ... Home Sweet Home

Aloha Hawaii

2007-05-24T17:13:00.001-05:00

MAY 7, 2007
Today we arrived in Honolulu Hawaii and awoke bright and early to a song played over the intercom system at 6:00am. We were woken up early to meet with immigration officials to check us back into the United States. I did not leave the ship until around 8:00am and traveled with a SAS trip to Pearl Harbor to visit the Arizona memorial and museum. Being back in the United States was very strange. First of all I was no longer part of the white minority and secondly I felt skinny again being surrounded by many overweight people. Upon reaching Pearl Harbor we had to wait approximately two hours before we watched a short video then took the ferry to the Arizona memorial. It was a very humbling experience seeing the ship and oil leaks below the water and knowing that over 900 men were still entombed within its corroding interior. Also the USS Missouri is was positioned only a few hundred yards off Arizona’s stern bringing together the two ships that symbolize the beginning and end of the deadly Pacific War. After visiting the memorial we traveled to an American military cemetery and then Hawaii’s capital and received a brief history lesson on how Hawaii was taken over during the days of American imperialism in the late 19th century. We learned how King Kamehameha I unified the Hawaiian Islands, then American Businessmen took control of the islands, and eventually Hawaii became a state in 1959.

I returned to the ship after the tour and ate lunch with some friends before heading out with the goal of reaching Waikiki beach. Unfortunately we caught the wrong bus to the beach and it took over an hour so we did not arrive at the beach until nearly 4:30pm. It then took another 30 minutes to help our Chinese friend, Zhimin, buy and use a phone card to call home and settle some logistical issues. The beach was fantastic but I soon discovered that the beautiful white sand quickly gave way to rough volcanic rock about 20 feet offshore. The water was pleasant but for all they hype I feel that Waikiki is over rated. We then searched for a cheap place to eat and in the process caught one of the most beautiful sunsets I have ever seen. The sunset was incredible and I am jealous that the people here get to see sights like that every day. I ordered some Chicken Fingers at a local restaurant then we walked around the city some more before returning to the ship around 9:30pm for our ride back home.

USS Arizona Anchor with Zhimin

US Military Pacific Cemetary Monument and Graves

Waikiki Beach in Honolulu with Ashley

USS Arizona Memorial and Wall of the Dead

USS Missouri ............................. On the Arizona Memorial

Honolulu Overlook ................. Kamehameha Statue

Beautiful Sunset ...................... Once You Go Black

Konechiwa Japan

2007-05-24T16:45:00.001-05:00

MAY 9, 2007
So it has taken me a long time to get around and write this blog entry but the last two weeks have been extremely busy. As a forewarning, this entry is much more straightforward stating what I did day to day with less emphasis on detailed observations. I have final exams tomorrow and have basically adapted what I wrote in my class field journal for this entry. There is much more I could share about Japan but for this time around I kept it simple and as a result it is more boring to read than the other entries.

APRIL 25, 2007,
My first experience in Kobe Japan was an amazing Taiko drumming performance on the ship. A Japanese delegation boarded the ship to greet us and offer gifts to our crew and academic heads before we disembarked. The first difference I noticed in Kobe was the convenient and efficient public transportation network that existed in Kobe and throughout the country. The infrastructure in Japan was very impressive and their public transportation system should be an example for other nations to follow. When exiting Surrabayah subway station I was overwhelmed by the large numbers of people and flashing bright lights. There were arcades and vending machines everywhere as well as a McDonalds and KFC. In fact there were all sorts of machines everywhere that never ceased to impress me. There were claw grabber machines with full boxes of chocolate, watches, gold jewelry, and even a Nintendo Wii. There were also cool drink machines that would pour you a drink in a cup with ice or some coffee with creamer and a straw automatically. One of the most shocking things to me was the style of dress. I was surprised to find that the girls in Japan dressed more promiscuously in many ways than girls in America and guys too seemed to be more concerned with style than those in the states. That evening we went to a bar and had some drinks. We talked with a group of Japanese girls who taught English then headed back to the ship around midnight. I was very impressed my first day that despite Japans modernization I did not feel there was rampant Americanization. There truly seemed to be a unique culture behind all the modern amenities and I felt Japan was as different from America as any country we have visited on our voyage.

APRIL 26, 2007,
Most of the day I attempted to do some school work until mid afternoon. I then met in the Union at 4pm and traveled to Osaka stadium to watch a major league baseball game. Osaka’s team was called the Buffaloes and they were playing the Golden Eagles. Our guide talked to us about many issues during the ride and described the decimation that Kobe experienced during the 1995 earthquake. She said that over 6,000 people were killed and many buildings and roads collapsed including the one we were on. It was amazing that in Kobe today there is virtually no evidence of the destruction that occurred. She also pointed out a trash incinerator plant that was located on a man made island. There is little room for landfills so it is more efficient to incinerate their garbage. The trash bins were therefore separated by combustible and non-combustible. Finally, I asked her about major problems in Japan and she responded, “Bullying in schools.” This answer surprised me and I figured life must good if the first problem that came to mind was school bullies.

The stadium was gorgeous and extremely modern but the attendance at the game was surprisingly sparse. I learned from faculty on the trip that baseball was introduced to Japan following the American occupation after WWII. I was impressed by the many American baseball players who were on the team because they were undoubtedly paid better than in the US. One interesting happening occurred when our ship doctor and his daughter gave out Seattle baseball caps as gifts. Seattle is Osaka’s sister city and the cities have close ties. A few minutes after offering their gifts, some people returned with a present they bought to give in return. It was fascinating to see the importance of mutual gift exchange as a sign of respect in Japanese culture. After returning from the game around 11pm I went straight to bed.

APRIL 27, 2007,
Today was largely uneventful as I wandered around Kobe some on my own in the afternoon to find an internet café. The internet café’s were interesting in that one had comfortable and private computer booths with curtains for privacy. There were also many DVD’s and comic books in the café for their patrons to watch and read. I learned that many youths and adults would spend hours in cafes and sometimes spend the night if they missed the last train home after a long night out with friends or co-workers. After the internet I headed back to the ship for dinner then returned to Kobe to meet Suzanna and the friends we made in Malaysia. Two of the guys, Alex and Jeff, met me at the McDonalds and we headed out to a sushi bar and later a regular bar. There two are recent college grads who teach English in Japan as part of the JET program. It is a fascinating program for anyone still unsure what they want to do after college. We bar hopped some that evening learning various new drinking games as well as playing random arcade games. We said goodbye and headed back to the ship around midnight.

APRIL 28, 2007,
Today I woke up early and caught a train to Kyoto. I visited many temples including Kinkaku-Ji and Ryoan-Ji. Kyoto was the imperial capital of Japan for nearly 1000 years and contains many historical and cultural sites. The above sites contained the beautiful golden palace and the famous Zen rock garden. We stopped for a quick lunch at McDonalds and I tried the uniquely Japanese Teriyaki Burger. I also noticed that this McDonalds built a small kids arcade instead of a playground to keep the children entertained. Yet somehow the people in general seemed to be thin and healthy. Maybe in time fast food will take its toll on this country which has one of the world’s highest life expectancies. Overall Kyoto is an absolutely beautiful city. I later learned that during WWII it was considered as a city to drop the A-Bomb on but was spared because of its cultural significance. They made the right decision. Around 5:00 pm we caught the train back to Kobe for the evening. I ate some sushi and tried pachinko gambling before returning to the ship.

April 29, 2007
On my last day in Japan I caught a 7:00 a.m. bullet train to Hiroshima. I was extremely impressed again with the speed, efficiency, and reliability of the bullet trains that day. My first impression of Hiroshima was that it was an extremely modern and clean city. We visited the famous A-Bomb dome as well as a shrine commemorating the girl who folded over 1,000 paper cranes before she died. The peace museum was extremely well done and fairly documented the history of the decision to use the Atomic bomb on Hiroshima on August 6, 1945. The museum said that the day after the bombing, survivors were already repairing transportation networks and electricity lines throughout the city. The Japanese resolve to move on and their long term perspective on life was very important in helping Hiroshima rebuild into the wealthy modern city it is today. After visiting this museum I have decided that nuclear weapons are an unacceptable wartime option and should be eliminated by all nations. Their possession by any nation only encourages possession by other nations to protect themselves. I feel the US should take a leading role not only in telling other nations they cannot possess nuclear weapons but in the disarmament effort as well.

After visiting the peace memorial we walked into the shopping district downtown and were overwhelmed by the large number of stores and the size of the department stores in general. The outside shopping area was about a mile long and sold anything and everything one could imagine. The department stores were all 6 or 7 stories inside and were comparable in size to entire shopping malls in the US.

I left Hiroshima humbled by the past and amazed by the present. I was extremely impressed by the efficiency, cleanliness, and prosperity of Japan overall and believe it serves as a great example for more sustainable development in the rest of the world. The culture is great and the people are friendly. So despite the high cost I highly recommend Japan for anyone looking for a truly unique place to visit.

Taiko Drumming Group ...........Put that Dog on a Leash

Baseball Stadium Outside ......... Sponsored Bicycle Taxis

Drumming Arcade Machine ......... Inside Stadium

Golden Temple .......................... Funny Japanese Girls

Beautiful Garden ....................... Zen Rock Garden

Strange Place for a Baby ............... Women Only Rail Car

Hiroshima A-Bomb Dome ....... Hair or Cotton Candy?

CHINA!!!

2007-04-25T00:54:00.000-05:00

TUESDAY APRIL 24, 2007
I am now on my way to Kobe Japan after an amazing six days in China. What a strange mix between communist politics and capitalist economics. From the wealthy glass skyscrapers and malls of Hong Kong to the industrial and polluted Qingdao, I realized just how diverse China is. Today China is the largest consumer of steel, concrete, and soon oil. An article just came out predicting GDP growth of 11% this year which is up from before. That growth rate is phenomenal and was evident by the huge numbers of cranes and construction sites around the cities. There is also terrible environmental degradation that was obvious by looking at the haze that blanketed every landscape. For example, the sky was only blue one of the three days I was in Beijing and otherwise it was yellow.

One conclusion I would make about China from my short visit here is that this country is still imitating and not yet innovating. I did not feel a great sense of creativity among the people and perhaps this stems from the regimental and controlling communist regime. What I saw were people curious and perhaps somewhat envious of the west. The fact that Chinese persons were requesting pictures with me because I am white, or taking pictures in front of the ship, or taking pictures during group photos revealed to me the curiosity many Chinese had about the west.

In summary, China was great but the people did not seem as friendly or happy as those in other nations I have visited. Despite this some people I did meet were very nice, especially the students. I made great new friends at the university who taught me a lot about the culture and society of China today. And what were the means we chose to stay in touch? Facebook!!! If this does not reveal something about Globalization and interdependence I do not know what does. Now for a description of my experiences.

TUESDAY APRIL 17, 2007
We arrived in Hong Kong around 8:00am but instead of waking up to the standard announcements concerning passports and immigration we awoke to the news that a gunman had killed 33 Virginia Tech students the day before. Needless to say I and everyone else on board was shocked and the entire ship was asked to meet in the Union for a briefing. The room was tense as our dean described the incident that occurred a few hours prior. Desmond Tutu proceeded to give a short memorial service for the victims and lead a prayer before we all observed a moment of silence for the deceased students. It was a sad way to begin what should have otherwise been a great day but I was determined to make the best of it. I believe it is only when we allow our lives to be restrained by the atrocious acts of others that we are truly defeated.

I disembarked the ship around 10am to visit the American Chamber of Commerce (AMCHAM) in Hong Kong. We met with its president Jack ??? in the Bank of America tower for a one hour roundtable discussion on business in Hong Kong and China. He began by describing AMCHAM’s mission to foster commerce between the US, Hong Kong, and China to enhance that region as an international business center. I learned that Hong Kong is the world’s second largest shipping port and has the world’s second busiest Air Freight operations. I also learned that he was especially upset with the lack of intellectual property rights in China as he ripped into the group and I for buying burned DVD’s. He explained how over $1 trillion dollars in illegal goods is produced every year that could easily account for the entire trade imbalance between the US and China. He felt that China was very skilled at saying all the right things but has a poor record of enforcement. I will not go into the details but we discussed land values, political concerns, environmental degradation, taxes, corruption, business etiquette, and many other enlightening topics. While I do not remember all the individual points he made I did come to a general conclusion. Doing business in China is complicated and you better do your homework to be successful here.

After leaving the chamber I wandered around and arrived at a massive mall. Like the mall in Malaysia this one was huge except much nicer. I came to the conclusion that Asia has big malls and little people. Unfortunately I gave into a craving for familiar food and picked up a meal at McDonalds. One interesting thing I noticed about this McDonalds was how busy it was. While no bigger than a typical McDonalds back home there were about 75 people sitting down eating, another 30 or so in line, and approximately 35 people working. They even had a guy whose job it was to find empty tables but I found a nice bench outside instead. Another difference was the style of dress in Hong Kong. About 75% of the people in Hong Kong were dressed in business suits. This was not only during the day but also in the bars and nightclubs in the evening. There were also some strange outfits worn by “fashion conscious” teens trying to express their individuality. I was just thankful that the gothic look had not yet caught on.

After the mall I caught the Star Ferry back to Kowloon and found an internet café near the ship. I spent some time updating the blog, sending e-mails, and reading up on the Virginia Tech tragedy then headed to a HSBC bank for some money and then a JAL office to purchase a Japanese rail pass. I met friends on the ship then headed out at 8pm to watch the Hong Kong light show. The city synchronized to music about 15 of its buildings covered in neon lights. It was the most excited I have ever been looking at buildings. Our group headed to the Hard Rock Café down the street for more familiar food and music. The band played Mustang Sally and some Bad Company before we left to find the nightlife. We took the subway to central station in Hong Kong explored the many bars for about two hours. Bars were similar to those back home except slightly larger. One could also drink on the street in Hong Kong. We headed back to the ship around 1:30am for some much needed sleep.

WEDNESDAY APRIL 18, 2007
I met my group around 9:00am for our drive to Hong Kong airport. During the drive I realized how busy this city really was driving through the port area and passing dozens of residential skyscrapers housing thousands of people each. Hong Kong airport was absolutely gorgeous and I spent some time exploring before boarding our Air China flight to Beijing. Driving from the airport to our hotel the first thing I noticed in Beijing was the pollution. The sky was a hazy yellowish color driving through the city and it was obvious the government was planting tons of trees along the highways in an attempt to make the city greener prior to the Olympics. We passed the Olympic stadium still under construction for the 2008 games and it is absolutely awesome. Something that surprised and worried me was the large quantity of vehicle traffic on the highways. The roads were packed with cars, buses, and trucks and we came to many dead stops while sitting in traffic jams. With oil resources dwindling and pollution increasing, the current transportation model used by the world is unsustainable. The earth can not support 1.3 billion Chinese consuming like Americans do. Both the Chinese and Americans in my opinion must develop a new transportation model if we wish to avoid future conflicts over the scarce resources needed to support the current system.

We stopped at a Chinese restaurant for dinner and were served a huge amount of food on a large revolving tray. The food was delicious but sometimes difficult to identify. After dinner the group traveled to Peking University to meet with a group of Chinese students. There were about 30 Chinese students for the 75 of us and they proceeded to give us a tour of the campus in small groups. I was with two other SAS students and a girl named Fan Xia who went by Catherine for our convenience. In fact all the Chinese students had English names and all of them spoke very coherent English. I was not surprised by this because of the schools great reputation. Peking University is considered one of if not the best university in China. It is comparable to Harvard or Yale in the United States and has been visited by over 30 heads of state in the past 10 years. It is also where the student leader of the Tiananmen Square protests of 1989 attended school. Incidentally I would discover that the students at the university and the Chinese people in general knew very little about the Tiananmen Square protests and massacre of 1989. Catherine showed us the campus pond and store before returning us to our meeting point around 9:30pm.

We boarded the buses for the 10 minute drive to the Beijing Post & Telegraph Conference Center Hotel. After checking into our rooms I found out the hard way, literally, that Chinese beds were not as soft as those in other countries. I discovered that jumping into bed was a bad idea that should not be repeated. I turned on the TV and after flipping through the channels ended up watching CCTV9 because it was the only English language station available. The program was an interview with Robert Schummer by a very hostile host. The most interesting thing about this interview was not what Mr. Schummer said but what he didn’t say. At one point when Mr. Schummer mentioned “freedom” the station immediately went to a commercial break and came back on the next question. This happened later in the broadcast as well when Robert prepared himself to share a quote. After saying that he had one quote he would like to share, the broadcast skipped to the next question. The obviously censored station was quite an amusing way to end the day.

THURSDAY APRIL 19, 2007
Breakfast at the hotel was slightly different from that in the US. There was rice, noodles, soup, bread, eggs, and juice. I sufficed with some eggs, pineapple juice, and bread before boarding the bus. Our first stop for the day was a Cloisonné factory. Cloisonné is an ancient Chinese art whereby copper items are decorated with small pieces of wire, filled in with colors, and baked to form beautiful plates, vases, bowls, and a variety of other items. I am not certain on this but I believe Cloisonné work is what was traditionally referenced during meals when one says “Bring out the fine China.” After the factory visit we visited the site containing the Ming Tombs. This is where many emperors and their wives were buried during this dynasty. The tombs are about 50ft underground and are a network of approximately six large chambers. While most original artifacts had been stolen, the Emperors stone throne was still present and many people had thrown small offerings of money on top to request the emperors help in their eventual journey to the afterlife.

Following another large meal we headed for the Great Wall of China. About an hours drive out of the city our bus stopped at a rather touristy section of the wall for us to explore. The Great Wall was well, great! During our 2.5 hours there I hiked up to the peak of a section which was nearly a 1000ft vertical. My legs were burning and body sweating by the top but the cool weather and views made for an absolutely breathtaking experience. Upon reaching the top I took a large breath and let out a yell one could probably hear from the bottom. I am not quite sure why I yelled but at that moment it felt appropriate. While resting at the top and enjoying the views I could not help but think how much it must have sucked for the people who built this great wall thousands of years ago. Closing my eyes I traveled back in time and struggled to imagine the misery and suffering of the laborers who created this wonder by hand. To me the Great Wall is not only an incredible feat of human engineering but also one of human oppression. The hike down was much easier and I purchased some souvenirs along the way before boarding the bus back to Beijing.

After a short stop at our hotel we headed back to Peking University for dinner at a campus restaurant. We met with the Chinese students for the meal and talked about music, movies, our studies, and the strangeness of the food. One thing I learned is that Chinese food in America is not the same as Chinese food in China. Unfortunately my preference lies with American Chinese food. After dinner Catherine and I played host to about two hours of games meant to foster interaction and fun between the two groups. We set up events such as an eating competition, limbo, Simon says, and mission impossible. Fortunately the activities went over very well and most people said their goodbyes and traveled back to the hotel around 10:00pm.

I decided to stay at the university with my new friends and later that evening Catherine, her friend Tina and I took a taxi to a local bar for some drinks and conversation. The girls ordered margaritas and I had a beer as we talked about school, relationships, some politics, and music. I learned that Catherine was applying to go to Oxford because she was rejected by NYU. Both of them had traveled, spending the past semester in Denmark and 40 days in the US in the New York City area. I learned that both girls were only children as a result of the one child policy and had different views concerning that law. Catherine felt it was necessary but Tina wished that she had a sibling growing up to “fight with.” After some talk about politics we decided it was a poor topic for bar conversation so we changed to entertainment. One observation I made was that all the music in the bars and clubs was from abroad including Bob Marley, Dr. Dre, Nelly, and other typical music one might hear at a bar in the US. The funny aspect of this was that neither of the girls knew the artists or lyrics but they liked the music anyways. I wrote down a few suggestions for popular western music including Bob Marley, Red Hot Chili Peppers, Jimi Hendrix, Alicia Keys, and Mariah Carey. While I don’t really listen much to Alicia or Mariah I thought they might like the music. They both thoroughly enjoy the show Friends and said Prison Break was popular among students as well. For some reason they kept saying that I reminded them of Joey on Friends. I was not sure how to take that comment because he was the dumb one but I just went along with it. Eventually we came to the topic of relationships. They were both single and had boyfriends in the past but broke up. One interesting comment was that they felt dating in high school was difficult because there is too much homework and pressure to learn. Later in the conversation we played the game Never Have I Ever which was very revealing but inappropriate to share. Our conversation was then interrupted by the bartender show. The bartenders there were very good and comparable in my opinion to tricks I have seen in Las Vegas. After the show I purchased their first round of Pina Coladas which were not very good. Around 1am I decided to head back to my hotel and caught a taxi with the Chinese directions they wrote for me. I fell asleep about 1:30am.

FRIDAY APRIL 20, 2007
Today was extremely busy. Following breakfast we traveled to the Temple of Heaven. This is where emperors would pray for a good Harvest and make sacrifices for the gods. Supposedly the wall surrounding the temple is supposed to be a perfect circle and if you yell at one point on the wall a person directly across from you can hear your yell despite the 100 ft or so circumference. After yelling at the wall with no response I realized that this is perhaps the only place in the world I can yell at a wall without people thinking I am crazy. My favorite experience at the palace was talking to the groups of little Chinese kids on field trips. Whenever I walked by they would wave their hands and say hello. Also when I said “How are you” they would almost in perfect unison say “Fine Thanks and You.” Needless to say I asked “How are you” about 10 times to humor myself. On a serious note, I found it surprising that it was mandatory for these elementary school kids to begin learning English so young. It made me think that perhaps the US needs to adjust the way it teaches foreign languages. Also considering the growth of China it might be wise to begin offering more Chinese language lessons in US schools.

We had our standard lunch Daijiacun Restaurant except for a short performance. Five beautiful Chinese ladies did a few different dances on stage while we ate our standard servings of rice, chicken, soup, pork, peppers, pop, and a number of other items. After lunch we traveled to the infamous Tiananmen Square to explore for about two hours. I walked around the entire perimeter of the massive square which is surrounded by the Chinese museum, Mao’s Mausoleum, and the Great Hall of the People. Unfortunately Mao’s Mausoleum was closed for construction but I did get a picture in front of the large Beijing 2008 Olympic countdown clock. Something I did not expect was that I would become a tourist attraction myself. Multiple times I was asked in the square and at other sights to take a picture with various people. I learned that many of these people are tourists from other provinces and had perhaps never seen a white person before. I believe it is just a natural human reaction to be interested in anything that is different from the norm so I was happy to pose for their pictures. One very noticeable sight around the square was the high security. It is ironic that the large numbers of video cameras and soldiers within the square should make me feel less rather than more secure. I felt like I was in the middle of George Orwell’s book 1984. It was obvious that the Chinese government was not going to let another protest similar to those of 1989 occur again. It was sad for me thinking about how close those individuals were to gaining their freedom that year and how little the Chinese people and students know about those events today.

After exploring the square and taking many pictures we ventured into the Forbidden City. The history behind this massive area is fascinating. While entering the city one could only imagine the decadent lifestyle of the 21 emperors who lived within its walls. They each had hundreds of concubines and were waited on constantly by many more servants. Unfortunately many of the cultural relics that existed within the city walls have been stolen but slowly some were being returned. One fairly new addition to the Forbidden City I discovered was a Starbucks coffee shop. This was not outside the walls of the city but in one of the buildings in the middle of the compound. The shop was cleverly hidden with no Starbucks signs inside or out except for the label on the cups and the ropes for the payment line. Starbucks + Forbidden City = Sad.

After the Forbidden City our group traveled to another restaurant to eat the famous Peking duck. The duck was quite delicious but slightly less appetizing when served with the ducks head on the plate. Following dinner I walked down the street and discovered a large department store. What surprised me about this store was the huge variety of each product and the absolutely ridiculous number of employees working there. There must have been 200 different cell phones, 40 different fans, 20 different water jug dispensers, and the list goes on. It is well known that consumers are happier with their purchase when there is a smaller selection of items to choose from but this store did not realize that. Also there were nearly 70 employees working on the sales floor which was no larger than a Barnes and Noble. The only explanation I could come up with was that they must have worked on commission.

After dinner we walked to Chaoyang Theater to watch a Chinese acrobatic show. It was perhaps the most amazing show I had ever seen and the only thing I can think to compare it to is Cirque de Solei. They used costumes, music, lights, and flexibility to perform the most surreal human feats I had ever seen. There was a girl who did a toe stand on another girls head while spinning ten plates on sticks. There was a man who jumped up a series of posts using only one arm. And there were women who stacked themselves four high on a post holding themselves up by their mouths. While the feats were all amazing I felt sorry for some of the young kids in the performance only because I realized they had been forced into this profession at birth. I knew that many of these kid’s bodies were actually disfigured from such strenuous training at such a young age. They were given no choice in life but to be acrobats. I have a DVD of the show to share with anyone interested when I return home.

Following the show we traveled back to our hotel for the evening. Two friends and I did not want to waste our last night in Beijing so I called our friend Catherine from the night before and took a taxi to meet up with her and Tina at Peking University. They took us to a popular dance bar about 10 minutes away where we spent the evening. The bar was again very similar to those back home with English music, a Yankees game on TV, and cigarette smoke everywhere. We went down to the basement where the main dance floor was located and after a drink joined in the fun. It was at first strange as I and the two SAS girls with me were dancing together as the only white people in the place. I looked up and realized that all eyes were on us as we continued in our terrible American dance/grinding style. Eventually more people joined in and more Caucasians arrived who were either exchange students or enrolled in Chinese language schools nearby. I had to convince Catherine and Tina to join in dancing because they told me this was their first time at a dance club. Surprisingly they danced very well for their first times. We left the bar around midnight and while leaving I realized just how much of a fire hazard that place was. There was only one small wooden staircase down to the basement that held about 150 people and no sprinkler system. Fortunately we were safe and made it back to our rooms around 1:00am for some sleep.

SATURDAY APRIL 21, 2007
W left the hotel around 9:00am after a frustrating debacle with girls being indecisive on going to a Pearl Market. The only stop for us that morning was the beautiful Summer Palace where many emperors and empresses spent much time. The palace actually consisted of many buildings and gardens surrounding a decent sized lake. We explored the palace grounds for 1.5 hours then met our guides at the infamous Marble Boat. This was a boat built to signify the strength of the Chinese government and is never supposed to sink. I found out later that the marble boat did not actually float but was built up from the lakebed and only looked like a boat. The story goes that some empress built this boat and rebuilt the palace with funds that were supposed to be used for the Chinese Navy. This decision left China vulnerable to foreign invaders and eventually allowed the many European powers to establish strongholds along the Chinese coast and eventually invade into the heart of the nation. Oops! We took a ferry boat across the lake from the marble boat back to the entrance and then headed for the airport.

The rest of the day was rather uneventful and we caught our flight to arrive in Qingdao around 3:00pm. We traveled by bus back to the ship and I observed many industrial plants as well as rampant pollution. After a long wait in line to board the ship and another long shower I laid down and fell asleep. Until next time China.

Business Casual? ....................... Beautiful Hong Kong

Second Busiest Global Port ................I want a 747

Beautiful Cloissone ..................... Cash, Money, Tombs

Great wall and I chilling . Random Chinese People Picture

Temple of Good Harvest ..... Only 419 days left

Is Nick a Communist? ............. Big Brother Watching

They March Funny ................ Forbidden\Tourist City

Starbucks in Forbidden City?.... Are any of them single?

She might have neck problems? .... Strrreeeetttccchhh!!!

Must Peddle Faster!!! .............. Marble Stationary Boat

Summer Palace, Its Nice .......... Sweet Olympic Stadium!

Good Bye Vietnam!!!

2007-04-17T02:33:00.000-05:00

SUNDAY APRIL 15, 2007
As I said in my last e-mail, Vietnam is more than a war it’s a country. In my five days in Vietnam I further came to realize just how beautiful a country Vietnam truly is. The most remarkable aspect of the people here, in my opinion, is their ability to move beyond the past so quickly. My guide felt the Vietnamese people could more easily forgive and forget the wars of the past than Americans, and from my interactions here I am inclined to agree with him. Perhaps this is because the majority of the population in Vietnam today was born since the end of the “American War” in 1975. Also Vietnam has unfortunately been a participant in many wars throughout its history and I hypothesize that its people have learned to quickly rebuild and move forward out of necessity. Vietnam was occupied by the Chinese for nearly 1000 years, invaded by Mongolia in the 14th century and more recently fought wars with the Japanese, French, Americans, and Chinese in the mid 20th century. Despite the past, the Vietnamese people, especially the youth, were extremely friendly to us as Americans and many enjoyed American culture. Today people of all nationalities including the Japanese and French are visiting Vietnam as tourists and not as soldiers. The people of Vietnam are very future oriented today and are more interested in a prosperous future than the difficult past. At around 8% GDP growth per year and a booming export sector, growth in this country since opening the economy nearly 20 years ago has been incredible and hopefully some of the pictures will show that.

MONDAY APRIL 9, 2007
I woke up early this morning to watch as our ship sailed up the Saigon River into Ho Chi Minh City. We passed large freighters and small canoes as we traveled about 25 miles up the river. We docked about 1.5 miles from downtown Saigon greeted by throngs of parents who arrived to greet their children. Before disembarking we had the pleasure of watching a group of Cambodian orphans perform a traditional dance for us in the student union. One of the faculty couples on ship have been involved in running and funding a Cambodian orphanage for many years and invited the orphans group to Vietnam funded by $10 admission tickets paid for by the students. It really got me thinking about adoption later on in life but then I dispelled these thoughts remembering my age.

Following the performance I explored Saigon with my friend James for about two hours. We had lunch and I stopped to taste Durian which is the smelliest fruit in the world. My initial excitement was soon replaced with fear as the food vendor put a plastic glove on my hand and all the locals moved about 6ft away from me as I peeled back the plastic wrapping. HOT DIGGITY did that fruit stink. It is very difficult to describe but might be comparable to old rotten eggs with a touch of port a potty. Somehow I managed to bite into this so called “fruit” and fortunately the taste was not as bad as the smell. Don’t get me wrong Durian still tastes horrible but in comparison to the smell, not too shabby. James decided to leave and purchase a suit while I looked for an internet café. Many kids had suits or dresses custom made at a cost of between $100 to $150 dollars each. I would as well except for the lack of time available in my schedule. After much searching I hopped on a bicycle taxi for a ride to the internet café a mile or two away. The driver was in his late 50’s and pointed out the New World Hotel where the military ran an operations center. I decided not to ask about his involvement, if any, in the war. I sat down at my computer next to a 10 year old kid with a Mohawk playing a break dancing computer game. Once again the place was filled with Asian computer game addicts except this was the first café with females present. I tried to play a round of the dancing game with the kid but upon realizing I sucked he decided to resume control and attempt to sell me a guide book. I paid approximately $1 for nearly two hours of internet usage then explored the area looking for gifts. Stuff in Vietnam is CHEAP compared to the United States so I bought lots of gifts and decorations for back home. It became clear to me now how much stuff is marked up in the states and also how Wal-Mart keeps its prices so low.

After shopping I met up with friends on the ship for dinner and some nightlife. We spent about $8 each for dinner at a fancy restaurant then headed to club Apocalypse. When we arrived around 9pm the club was pretty empty except for the large police presence. There were about 20 officers standing around the front entrance and probably another 20 stationed inside along the walls of the club. I also observed some middle aged Caucasian men with young Vietnamese girls in their laps or beside them. The women looked bored while the men laughed and joked. They were obviously prostitutes and I realized there were a fairly large number of prostitutes in the club that evening. I felt bad for these girls who likely grew up in desperate circumstances forcing them into this profession. I met a nice Vietnamese guy named Tam who was about 24 years old, spoke good English, and worked in baggage claim at the airport. I introduced him to some of the girls I was with had them dance with him. He introduced me to some of his girl friends and after dancing with one girl I was amused when she gave me her phone number. The fact that we could hardly understand each other and I could not call her anyways made me laugh. The night was fun and I exchanged e-mail addresses with Tam before heading back to the ship in a taxi.

TUESDAY APRIL 10, 2007

Today I awoke for a morning flight to Hanoi. We met our guide Huy at Hanoi airport then boarded buses for our drive to a Mai Chu village in the mountains about four hours northwest of Hanoi. The first thing I noticed about Hanoi was that the weather and landscape were different from that of Saigon. The temperature was in the upper 60’s and humidity was much lower. There was also a low layer of mist and fog that shaded the sun and limited visibility to about three miles. Leaving the airport I was surprised by the large number of billboards rising from the rice paddies along the highway. Billboards are great for recognizing the impact of globalization and multinational company presence in a country. Panasonic, Yamaha, Canon, Nokia, Samsung, Sony Erickson, Pepsi, Honda, Suzuki, Intel, and many other companies had bought advertising space. There were also advertisements for apartments, condos, office space, and urban development planning. Huy was incredibly informative during our drive and he provided many insights into Vietnamese life today and in the past.

I learned that the years 1975 to 1986 were known as dark times in Vietnam. This was a period where the government tried to implement a model socialist economic system based on that of the Soviet Union. Huy described some of the conditions he experienced during this time in his youth. Private business was illegal, inflation was rampant hitting 700% in 1986, and food was rationed using a food stamp system. Huys family was allotted one chicken per month and if a family suspiciously had more than one chicken they would be investigated by the police. Also a black market emerged and Huy said many people would sell their food stamps for products on the black market because oftentimes the government distribution center would run out of supplies.

In 1986 the government implemented an economic reform program known as Doi Moi which essentially transformed Vietnam into a market economy. Since then the economy has been booming with huge increases in trade, FDI, GDP, and individual wealth. Private enterprise and private land ownership have been allowed which greatly increased the productive capacity of the nation. However there are still many problems facing the country including government corruption, education, and growing wealth inequality in the nation. Today 60% of the workforce still works in agriculture and the quality of education is lacking.

Despite the economic reforms there is still much to be desired in the political arena. As I said corruption is a problem and it remains illegal to speak out publicly against the communist party. Also to make corruption accusations one needs irrefutable evidence of a government official receiving bribe money or else the charge is considered blasphemous. Concerning democratic reforms, Huy said he did not think the people were ready for democracy and remained content because their lives were improving economically. I also believe their contentment stems from Confucian thinking that suggests citizens have a certain place in regard to the state and should be submissive to its authority.

We arrived in the village of Ban Luc around 5pm and walked about 15min from the bus to the heart of this rural paradise. Our accommodations consisted of a large thatch roofed longhouse on stilts with bamboo walls and flooring. Our beds were thin mats along the outer walls of the longhouse with mosquito nets overhead. In the center was our dining room and social area for the evening. We ate dinner cross legged around a small table before exploring the village. One modern convenience all the 40 or so longhouses in the village had was satellite TV. I remain curious if perceptions and attitudes have changed as these people become more exposed to the outside world. I bought a few small items then returned for a cultural performance that evening. Local men and women danced and played music then encouraged us to join in the fun. We all participated in the dancing before saying goodbye. That evening I had a beer at the local “Bar” with some students then called it a night.

WEDNESDAY APRIL 11, 2007
After a rough night sleep we awoke for breakfast around 8:00am then headed out on a walking tour of the valley and surrounding communities around 9am. We walked down the road crossing a friendship bridge build by the Japanese in 1998 and passing many other longhouses, a woman weaving on a loom, and a brick kiln operation before arriving at a small preschool. The children were extremely cute and friendly and we interacted with them for nearly 20 minutes. They studied in a small concrete hut with no electricity and very few school supplies. Our walk continued through the rice paddies observing people cultivating the crop. Rice is very important in Vietnam and I believe this country is the world’s second largest exporter of the grain. Walking through this village and countryside was one of the happiest times of my life. I can not fully describe the experience but I was in a highly euphoric state throughout the entire walk. It was just beautiful watching people perform their daily routines that had continued nearly unchanged for thousands of years. Also despite the difficult work and lifestyle people were friendly and happy. Perhaps this village was a manifestation of the natural paradise envisioned by Emerson, Thoreau, or Laozi.

We returned to our longhouse for lunch then boarded our bus for the ride back to Hanoi. After settling into our rooms at the Trade Union Hotel and enjoying a warm shower I did some channel surfing. Unfortunately most of the stations were western including HBO, Cinemax, Disney, Discovery, CNN, and the BBC. I did find one entertaining communist station that played communist propaganda. It was very cheesy with cartoon pictures of patriotic soldiers, farmers, and workers scrolling across the screen while patriotic music played in the background. Next the undoubtedly biased national news came on so I watched the end of the movie Heavyweights instead. We then ate a superb meal at a luxury restaurant with amazing service. Following dinner we traveled to a theatre to watch a traditional Vietnamese water puppet performance. It was amazing seeing the intricacy and skill with which the puppeteers controlled the puppets while listening to the talent of the musicians beside them.

After the show I returned to the hotel before heading out with a life long learner Gary to explore the area. We discovered a Karaoke bar about two blocks from the hotel and had a beer. The place was completely empty this Monday night except for three other SAS students. After the drink and some further exploration we returned to the hotel for a good nights sleep.

THURSDAY APRIL 12, 2007
I woke up at 7:45am and headed down to the hotel lobby for breakfast. I had a craving for eggs, bacon, muffins, and pancakes but unfortunately they were serving rice, fish, soup, and other unknown foods. I sufficed with some orange juice and pineapple then packed up and left the hotel around 8:30. Our first stop that morning was the Temple of Literature built c1070. This was an area of about 5 acres where many Vietnamese came to study philosophy and law over the centuries. After many years of study students were required to take a vigorous test. Less than 1% of students would pass in any given year however those who did pass were highly honored and respected in their communities and throughout the country.

Our next stop was Ho Chi Minh's Mausoleum and former home. I do not know why communists enjoy embalming their former leaders such as Mao, Lenin, and Ho Chi Minh but they do. After a long wait and checks by many soldiers we walked around Ho Chi Minh himself. He looked pretty good for a guy that has been dead for over 30 years. I was actually more impressed by the large number of soldiers stationed to guard a dead body. There must have been over 50 armed men we walked past just to see this man. Our guide Huy said as a child he used to go visit the Mausoleum every day, but his reasoning surprised me. It was not that Huy is incredibly patriotic or loves Ho Chi Minh but it was the only public place growing up with air conditioning. I found this comment to be an ironic testament to the ineffectiveness of Vietnam’s socialist economy. For a Vietnamese child to visit an important leader of the communist movement daily because it was the only place in Hanoi where the socialist economic system provided public air conditioning was discerning. We left the Mausoleum and further explored the grounds that contained Ho Chi Minhs home and study during the 1950’s. Then, like all famous monuments, we had to make our way through the gift shop area in order to return to our bus. I purchased a Hershey’s Ice Cream on my way out and wondered what Ho Chi Minh would have thought about Vietnam today.

Our next stop was the very educational Museum of Ethnology. This museum documents the history and cultures of all the different ethnic groups living in Vietnam today. It is easy to assume that people in any country are homogeneous but I learned just how far this assumption is from the truth. There are dozens of different indigenous groups in Vietnam that speak a multitude of languages. In fact the people in the Mai Chu village we stayed in descended from Thailand in the 12th century and speak Thai as well as Vietnamese. There was an exhibit on recent economics in Vietnam that I found particularly fascinating. The tone of writing in the exhibit was interesting because it was highly critical of the socialist economic system before 1986. It also praised the decision in 1986 to open up the economy and convert to capitalism. However despite the hardships, one video interview praised the sense of community, sharing, and cooperation that existed between people during those times.

Outside the museum stood traditional structures built by different indigenous groups. One was a 19m tall thatch roof dwelling with two girls serving tea inside. We sat down with them and discovered she was a 23 year old student studying tourism and English. She felt English would give her greater opportunities and hoped one day to travel the world and see the United States. There were also many school groups around of elementary school aged children. The kids were very funny and would approach us to say “Hello Hello, How Are You?” about twenty times then wave their hands at you. I stopped with one group to corrupt them and teach them informal western greetings. I managed to teach about 10 kids how to say “What’s up man” and do a snap finger handshake. I was rather impressed with how fast they picked up the greeting but felt bad that I couldn’t explain appropriate situations when to use it. Maybe in 20 years Vietnamese will greet tourists with “Whats up man” and a funky handshake because of my doings?

After our short hour long visit at the museum we boarded the bus for one final stop in old Hanoi. The hour and a half was just long enough to eat lunch and explore the pond where a 500 year old turtle lives. There is an ancient story about how this turtle stole a sword from a prince crossing the pond hundreds of years ago and still keeps it to this day. While I am not sure about the sword the turtle is real and is apparently 6ft in length today. We then boarded our bus for the drive to Hanoi airport.

The rest of the day was uneventful except for one observation I made at the airport. While looking through some hats at an airport terminal store I came upon a surprising item. “Could it be?” I thought to myself and yes indeed I found a lone NCSU college hat. Even better this NCSU hat was strategically placed to hide and cover up the UNC hat beneath it. Of all the places I would expect to find NCSU gear, Hanoi airport was not one of them.
Boarding the Gorgeous 777 I spoke to the pilot in front of me because I was interested in the fact that he was Caucasian. I found out that he was a Russian pilot who flew with Vietnam airways because the Russian airlines no longer provided a secure pension for his retirement. I did not inquire further but I found it interesting that Russian pilots were now coming to Vietnam to fly planes because of the economic difficulties in Russia. The two hour flight was very nice and after returning to Saigon and the ship I headed straight for bed.

FRIDAY APRIL 13, 2007
My last day in Hanoi consisted of a trip to a Cao Dai temple and the Cu Chi tunnels. The day was basically an extremely long bus ride with four short stops in between. We left the ship around 8:00am and stopped first for lunch at 11am. Nobody was really hungry at the time but we all forced ourselves to eat some anyways.

Our second stop was a Viet Cong cemetery honoring the men who fought against the US during the American war. There were approximately 4,000 people buried in this cemetery and I observed one grave of a 16 year old kid. It reminded me slightly of the American cemetery in Normandy France except the tombs were all above ground. All I could think while walking among the bodies was, “When will humanity realize the futility of war?” I was reminded that while America lost approximately 58,000 persons during the war the Vietnamese lost between 1.5 and 2 million. After this short visit we boarded the bus and traveled to the Cao Dai temple.
We arrived at the temple at noon for the mid day service. It was a beautiful structure and they welcomed tourists to observe the service. Unfortunately they welcomed too many tourists as there were about 10 tour buses and nearly 500 people who filed into the temple to observe the 300 or so worshipers from the balcony. I do give the temple credit though for not attempting to sell us stuff while there. Caodaism is a relatively new religion established in Vietnam in 1926. They believe there is one God and practice prayer, ancestor worship, nonviolence, and vegetarianism. They believe god was born out of the big bang and combine aspects of Buddhism, Hinduism, Christianity, Daoism, and Confucianism. In the church there were small statues on the wall of Confucius, Buddha, and Jesus towards which the people prayed. Approximately 3 million people practice Caodaism today. Thanks to Wikipedia for most of that information.

After the temple visit we headed to the Cu Chi tunnels. This is an area where Vietnamese guerilla fighting groups known as the Viet Minh and later the Viet Cong dug over 125 miles of intricate tunnels to fight the French and later the Americans. One has to admire the persistence, dedication, and ingenuity of the people fighting here despite the fact that many American soldiers were killed by their tactics. While at the tunnels, now set up as a tourist destination, we first watched a short propaganda clip created by the Viet Cong. It was very one sided and aimed to persuade others to join the cause. We were guided around the area and saw hidden tunnel entrances, destroyed American equipment, and booby traps. The traps were very brutal and obviously instilled fear into the soldiers who fought here. I can’t imagine how petrified a soldier my age would have been leading his unit thinking his next step might plunge him into a pit of spikes. We reached the shooting range after a 10 minute walk and I paid $7 to shoot five bullets from an AK-47. The gun was much louder than I had expected and I left the range short of hearing for nearly 30 minutes. They sold ice cream and water at the range so I purchased one of each. I felt lucky to have ice cream and water available because it was damn hot and humid. I really can appreciate now the difficult conditions in which men on both sides fought. We proceeded to crawl through the tunnels hoping not to get stuck or have a claustrophobic panic attack. The reinforced and widened tunnels for tourists were about three feet tall by two feet wide and were dimly lit. The original tunnels were about two feet tall, two feet wide, and pitch black bar the occasional light and camera flash. I crawled about 50m through both of these tunnels and came out soaked in sweat with my muscles cramped and joints aching. We learned that during one American offensive the Viet Cong were forced to remain in these tunnels for a period of 55 days straight and I was struggling after 5 minutes. It is really a testament to the will power of the Viet Cong who endured these conditions while under persistent heavy bombing and attack. I also question the sanity of the American “tunnel rats” who voluntarily chose to fight in these hell holes. I later learned from my guide that some of the people working at the tunnels were born in them during the war or had parents who fought in them. I find it amazing how fast things have changed here in just over 30 years.

Our bus left the tunnels at 5pm and we arrived back in Saigon around 6:30. I left the ship for one last exploration of the city ending up in a fast food joint to fill my belly. It was similar to any fast food burger joint in America except much cheaper. My combo meal with hamburger, fries, and drink cost all of $2 and was delicious. However, the serving sizes were much smaller than in the US and I was somewhat envious of this. Who really needs a ½ pound burger, large fries, and a liter soda anyways? Too bad they don’t offer mini sizes alongside biggie sizes back home. Maybe I will watch my pirated copy of Fast Food Nation after I finish typing this?

Finally, I made my way back to the ship via crazy motorcycle ride. Despite the fact that motorcycles are dangerous as is, I illogically decided it would be fun to ride one in a city with almost non existence traffic controls and no helmets. Fortunately I survived received a good nights sleep before class the next day.

Welcome to Vietnam Dancing Cambodian Orphans

I found a Puppy Kid in a Basked = Cute

Driver Likey Britney Spears Man Herding Cattle

Our Longhouse Adobe Beds inside the Longhouse

Those Pesky Mosquitos Traditional Dance

Breakfast with the Crew Scenic Valley Photo

Lady Weaving a Blanket Big Kids like Se-Saws Too

Lady in Rice Field Beautiful Valley

Ho Chi Minhs Mausoleum New Apartments in Hanoi

Traditional Home School Kids Peacing Out

Crazy Vietnamese Power Grid Caodaism Temple

Stone work at Cemetary Viet Cong Graves

Diorama of Cu Chi Tunnels Tunnel Entrance

Firing an AK-47

Malaysia ... It's Nice I Like!!!

2007-04-09T03:00:00.000-05:00

APRIL 8, 2007

I am currently writing this while aboard ship in Singapore harbor two days after Malaysia. Before talking about Malaysia I just wanted to say that there are more ships around right now than I have ever seen. I did not count specifically but there must be 50+ huge freighters and tankers around Singapore right now and I thought it was just an amazing testament to the amazing economic growth of this tiny city-state-country over the past 50 years or so. Unfortunately we are still pretty far out from the city so I will not get a good view of the skyline. Malaysia was great and really renewed confidence in my ability to travel independently, flexibly, and cheaply in the world. I feel motivated to travel further away from home now to places that might have previously seemed to distant or dangerous.

I also want to add that my typing may be poor because I am sitting in the Union and the musical movie Rent is playing on the projector screen. This is slightly distracting because many musical loving singing shipmates who apparently love this movie are singing, dancing, and clapping along with all the songs in the movie. Isa if you are reading this, I am thinking that if you were here you would definitely be singing right along with all these kids.

I am going to keep my country summary short this time. I spent about 12 hrs writing the piece on India and it was extremely exhausting. I also have a test to study for tonight and just don’t have the time to elaborate as much so forgive me if the Malaysia summary is more direct and kind of boring. On that positive note I shall begin.

APRIL 2, 2007
I did not disembark the ship until about 4:00pm upon arrival in Penang Malaysia because I spent most of the day finishing my summary of India. My friend James and I set out on an exploratory walk of the city and found it to be extremely clean and modern. We walked through China Town and India Town then returned to the docks. By the way, we had to take the lifeboats between the ship and shore because there was no pier to dock to and this became a frustrating process. After walking around James and I met a group of girls we were friends with and took a taxi to a Thai food restaurant. I am not exactly sure what I ate but it was extremely spicy. For some reason I ate directly out of the extra spicy topping bowl when there was no water nearby to subdue the burning sensation. People laughed while I suffered until water finally arrived. After dinner we all traveled to a bowling alley in Georgetown because apparently they really enjoy bowling. The alley was very similar to bowling back home except the group next to us was insane. The reaction for every strike our bowling neighbors made me think they had perhaps won a billion dollar lottery or something. I bowled a 139 then a 92 which quickly reminded me that I suck at bowling. After bowling the girls left and James and I explored the nightlife area which was pretty dead on a Monday night. I did however listen to some cover bands. One band played Hotel California and another played Dani California by the Red Hot Chili Peppers. I decided that night that there are way to many songs referring to California and we need more for North Carolina. And I am sorry but Petey Pablos rap about “North Carolina raising up” just doesn’t do our state justice.

APRIL 3, 2007
Today my friend Suzanna and I left the boat around 10:30 am with the mission to somehow get to the town of Tana Rata in the Cameron Highlands.

Before I continue the summary I need to explain that Suzanna is not a girl I am interested in or a boat girlfriend or anything special like that. She is strictly a friend and has a boyfriend who she talked about annoyingly often. In fact it was strange because her boyfriends name is also Nicholas so at times she would be blabbing about Nicholas blah blah blah and I would think “Man she talks more than my mom.”

So now that I clarified that situation, we took the ferry from Georgetown to Penang to arrive at the bus station. We asked around and had help finding a bus to Ipoh. In Ipoh, the third largest city, we transferred busses and arrived in Tana Rata around 4:30pm. The drive was very revealing to me as the cities of both Penang and Ipoh were very modern and clean while the countryside was hilly with many rows of large palm trees. I think these are for palm oil harvesting but they may be for fruits or rubber extraction as well. Also, being the nerd that I am, the terra forming of land along the highways I found to be very impressive. There are huge terraced hillsides, drainage canals, and structural reinforcements everywhere I presume to prevent landslides during monsoon season. So after our arrival in Tana Rata our search for a place to stay began. After wandering around for about 30 minutes we found a place called “Fathers Guest House” for R35 a night or about $12. Our room consisted of two hard full beds in a building that resembled an old style army barracks. We shared a communal bathroom that reminded me of the facilities of former Boy Scout camps. After settling in we decided to make a short hike before sunset. We set off on a trail to a dirty small waterfall and up a hill to a fire tower and a nice view of the town. Arriving back in town after sunset we grabbed an outdoor table at a Chinese restaurant. After ordering we ran into a nice German couple who had sat near us on the bus ride and invited them to join us. They were in their late 30’s and traveled for a month each year backpacking somewhere in the world. We ended up spending the rest of the evening with them talking and then enjoying dessert at another place on the street. Our conversations were very interesting and we spoke about US politics, education systems, travel, and other topics. The one real interesting comment from the guy, Christian, explained how Germans had not flown flags and exhibited publicly nationalistic pride until the World Cup in 2006. He said before the World Cup Germans were still shy of being prideful in their country because of the past atrocities of WWII but that the event gave them a new sense of pride. We then went to bed.

APRIL 4, 2007
We grabbed breakfast around 9:00 am and met three young guys who were in their mid twenties and taught English in Japan. There were two Americans and a Brit who had been in Japan for about the past two years teaching. Quite randomly we decided to join up with them for the day hiking and set off on a big hike around 10:00am. The hike was great as the weather in this area of Malaysia is relatively cool with much lower humidity than along the coasts. It was extremely steep in areas and they had not yet embraced the concept of switchbacks. So we basically hiked straight up the mountain along our trail that doubled as a muddy gulley during monsoon season. The best part of the hike was observing a troop of loud baboons that swung past over us while near the peak. We finished the hike and arrived back at the hostel around 3:00pm. Everyone showered and took naps while I went back into town to use and internet café. I spent about 4 hours on the internet costing me $4 whereas on the ship 4 hours would have cost me $100. The interesting thing about the café was that I was surrounded by intense computer game playing young Malaysian males. Let me tell you, these Asians loved their computer games. People were yelling to each other, blowing stuff up, using magic spells, and having all kinds of computer game accomplishments. Finally, after updating the blog I returned to meet the group at the hostel. We all headed out to dinner at a local Indian food restaurant that served its meals on large tropical leaves. The food was spicy and delicious. Our German friends joined us again while passing by and we all had a great evening eating and talking to each other while drinking some local “Tiger” beer. Afterwards the meal we headed back to the hostel and played a quick game of Yahtzee. I won the game then headed to bed. This was also the night I lost my retainer. This is really upsetting because it may result in me getting a third round of braces which is just ridiculous.

APRIL 5, 2007
My last day in Malaysia was pretty uneventful. We caught a bus back to Penang around 8:00am and did not arrive back on ship until nearly 3:00pm. After dropping off the gear I returned to shore to explore Georgetown in my last few hours there. I caught a bus to the mall with Suzanna and we both explored for awhile looking for souvenirs. This was without a doubt the largest mall I had ever seen in my life. It was six stories high with a large open area in the middle. There were also connection bridges to two other mall buildings just as large on the other side of the street. I spilt from Suzanna to find a mouth guard to hopefully serve as a temporary retainer. I explored all over the mall with no luck then caught a cab to another mall. The second mall I explored was also huge but much nicer with many expensive luxury stores. Again no mouth guard, but a guy at the exercise store helped me find a place in the phone book that had what I needed. Again I took a cab to this store and then finally returned to the dock. I spent three hours and $20 traveling around looking for and finally finding a $1 mouth guard. At the dock I ran into some friends going out and joined them to head right back to the first mall I was at. I sadly ate at McDonalds and then spent the rest of my money on illegal DVDs. At $2 each I could not pass up the opportunity and the quality is pretty good. It was very interesting to me that the movies were not sold by sketchy street vendors but instead by recognized operations that paid to lease space in the mall. There were about five of these stores in the mall and I would pick the DVDs, pay the money, and then return 10 minutes later while they burned the movies for me. Finally, with all my money spent I returned to the ship for good around 8:00pm.

FINAL THOUGHTS
As I said in my last e-mail, Malaysia is an extremely modern country and the people are very friendly. While there still seems to be some division between the three main ethnic groups Malay, Indian, and Chinese they manage to put aside their differences to coexist peacefully in Malaysia. I highly recommend this country for anyone seeking a fun, inexpensive, and exotic vacation. Time for me to go study.

INCREDIBLE INDIA!!!

2007-04-04T03:30:00.000-05:00

FRIDAY MARCH 30, 2007
I have been thinking a lot about how I might describe my experiences in India to those back home and frankly it is impossible. India is a place that can not be described but only experienced for oneself. It is a place that challenges your emotions, perceptions, and humanity. From hope, kindness, happiness, and awe to despair, anger, fear, and helplessness emotional states changed frequently and rapidly for me in this country and would oftentimes conflict. So where do I begin?

SUNDAY MARCH 25, 2007
Today I traveled from Chennai to New Delhi via Jet Airways. The first difference I came upon in India was the bureaucracy. To depart the ship we were required to fill out two customs declaration forms and meet with customs officials twice to gain approval to disembark. Unfortunately my Chinese friend Zhimin was unable to get through customs and had to remain on the ship the entire time in India. They refused to give him a reason for denial. Upon leaving the ship around 4pm and driving to the airport it was immediately noticeable that things were different here. The police guarded our ship with AK-47’s, the busses had no A/C, the fans did not work, and the smell was lets say unique. The drive to the airport was perhaps the most eye opening as I had not yet adjusted to the sights and smells I would experience regularly the next four days. I learned quickly that littering and public excretion had taken their toll on the city as clean and green areas were something reserved only for ones imagination. The streets were also occupied with bicycles, motorcycles, rickshaws (taxis), and daring pedestrians instead of the sole territory of cars and SUV’s as they are back home. But then something else began to attract my attention. Many of the sidewalks were not filled with people walking but instead small tents, blankets, and people sitting. And I realized that these people were not camping but living on these sidewalks, in the alleys, by the rivers/sewage systems, on the beaches, and in their rickshaws. In between decent gated concrete homes with a car in the driveway were thatched roof houses built of whatever shards of local vegetation could be found. In between modern glass hotels and office buildings were plots of land occupied by makeshift tents, tarps, and tenements. Underneath billboards selling diamond studded watches, HD Flat screen TV’s, and luxury condos were beggars, homeless, and the disabled. But as quickly as these observations came they went as we passed by in our bus and finally arrived at the airport.

For a city of seven million plus people, or about the population of North Carolina, the airport was very small. There were a total of six airline gates but all were serviced only by busses and the planes were all boarded out in the open on the tarmac. While on the bus headed towards the plane I had a completely unexpected experience sitting next to an overweight Indian lady and her young overweight son. She was listening to an iPod and holding Barak Obamas recently published book. I asked her what she thought about the book and she said it was interesting reading about the struggles he faced growing up. I soon learned that she had studied at Boston University studying law and she currently runs her own law firm in Chennai. She then inquired in to my thoughts on the 2008 presidential candidates and Obama’s chances. I shared my thoughts with her as we finally boarded the plane.

To my delight, I had received a first class seat due to the limited capacity of 70 students to fly economy on the Boeing 737. What fortune to ride in wide cushy seats and be served warm towels and cold drinks. While sitting in my comfortable seat I had a chance to read the in flight magazine and local newspaper. Fortunately the reading was for the privileged English literate societal class or about 3% of the 1.1 billion Indians in the country. There were articles on politics, agriculture, cement prices, astrology, banking, fashion, celebrities, vacations, cricket matches, and much more. One article contained a quote about economics that extremely fascinated and concerned me. Concerning a 32% rise in cement prices for 2006 the Indian finance minister, P. Chidambarams, was quoted as saying “The government owes responsibility to the people to moderate prices where prices have risen unreasonable.” From my western economics teachings this clearly would just limit the incentive of cement producers to increase production to meet the increased demand. There were also many interesting articles on call center (or BPO) worker wages, avoidance schemes of capital gains and dividend taxes, adoptions, investments of Indian FOREX reserves, the predicted slowing of Indian GDP growth to 8%, Garfield and Calvin and Hobbes cartoons, an Iran-Indian oil pipeline, Shakira performing in Bombay, investments in mega planned ultra-chic high tech cities modeled after Dubai, sex education in schools, and how US universities can invest in and expand their institutions in India. This last article discusses how only 7% of Indians between 18 and 24 enter a university, how US institutions are teaming up with Indian schools instead of setting up satellite campuses, and the increased use of telecommunications to bring US distance education to the Indian market. Finally, the classified sections were a little different especially in the employment and matrimonial areas. You HR folks would enjoy the ad that went “REQR: Female, Administrative Assistant, Young, Attractive, Computer Skills, Walk-Ins Accepted, Contact ******@yahoo.com.” Title VII provisions have not yet arrived in India it seems. I personally enjoyed the matrimonial section of the classified ads where families were looking for qualified husbands or wives for their children based on education, parental occupation, and caste. Finally the last article I will share with everyone was about a recent ruling on the permissible grounds for divorce. “If, WITHOUT the consent of her husband, a woman decides not to have children from her marriage or if she refuses to have sex with him for a considerable period, it would amount to mental cruelty on the husband, who could seek divorce citing this ground, according to the Supreme Court.” Furthermore sterilization by either partner without the others consent would also be “mental cruelty” and grounds for divorce. While those acts can be quite cruel, reasons of personal dislike or discontent with the other person, according to the article, are still not sufficient grounds for divorce.

Finally for me and for you my readings were interrupted by the in flight meal. “Vegetarian or Non-Vegetarian” were my simple choices, and I like meat. I quickly learned after eating some chicken curry that Indians like spicy food, really spicy food. Unfortunately for me water had not yet been served and I battled with the burning in my mouth until relief finally arrived. After the main dish I was served a chocolate parfait with coffee and a mint. While I and my fellow first class students indulged ourselves in this delicacy I stopped to look out the window for a moment. All I could see was darkness, but there was more than darkness, there were people. Yes, while I was indulging myself in parfait and coffee, 30,000ft below me fellow human beings were struggling. Below me people too were eating, but also sleeping, bathing, loving, and working themselves to exhaustion day to day trying to survive. I wondered, perhaps below me someone is looking up. Perhaps one of the 300 million Indians who survive on less than $1 per day was looking up at the lights of an airplane 30,000ft above them saying I wish I were you. Wishing they too had the ability, like an airplane, to so easily leave the location of their origin. Unfortunately, for many Indians and other people in the world I realized they don’t have this choice. Many of them die where they were born watching airplanes fly over their entire life unable to escape the vicious cycle in which they were conceived. The above thoughts really diminished my enjoyment of the food, but as soon as that feeling of guilt was beginning to creep in to me, it was time to land.

We landed at New Delhi airport around 8:30pm and were comfortably transferred to the Hotel Ashok. Once again Semester at Sea spoiled us in our 4 or 5 Star hotel as we were greeted with trays of cold juice, flower necklaces, and a custom made welcome sign. Quite a reception for 70 kids who had not yet really done anything in their lives to deserve this other than being born in the right place, at the right time, to the right people. I settled into my room with my same roommate from the safari whom I am not very fond of. I proceeded to explore some with a friend and we discovered a high class and ritzy Indian fashion show that was taking place in the conference center wing of the hotel. This show would not have been out of place in New York or Paris and was attended by some of the most “renowned” designers, models, and buyers throughout India and the world. I however was out of place wearing blue hiking shoes, nylon shorts, and a yellow Ronaldinho Brazilian soccer jersey. Despite this my friend and I managed to get through security, past the TV cameras, and stand by the entrance to the show. Unfortunately we did not have tickets but did garner lots of attention as two young white ruggedly dressed college students surrounded by hundreds of well groomed and dressed Indians. I prefer to think however that they were just highly impressed with my fashion prowess and strikingly good looks but I will never know for sure. Following the fashion experience I had a beer at the hotel bar and watched the fashion show on TV with some friends before heading to bed early, about 11pm. Indian TV kept me up until about 1am because I was amazed at the variety of the programming. Nickelodeon, Animal Planet, Discovery, History, Cartoon Network, CNN, BBC, and HBO were all available. After watching some Indian MTV and Pirates of the Caribbean I fell asleep. Unfortunately my roommate, who I am not fond of, was kind enough to come in later at 3am drunk with some girl on the trip and attempt some Kama Sutra. I being awake now not so kindly ruined their moment so they creatively proceeded to the bathroom out of “genuine courtesy” of my presence. I did not fall back asleep that night but we had to wake up a 4:15 the next morning so there was not much time available anyways. What a day!!!

MONDAY MARCH 26, 2007
So 4:15 a.m. and the phone rang as expected. I threw some clothes on, skipped the shower, and headed to the lobby to meet the group. We were handed boxed breakfasts on the bus consisting of a doughnut, bread, a nectarine, and some juice. Our group arrived at the New Delhi train station about 5:15am and to my surprise the area was bustling with people. Shops were open, traffic was heavy, beggars were begging, and people were sleeping on the curb. Rows of dozens of homeless people were lined up like body bags ready to go to the morgue. It was a strange sight and I was amazed at these peoples ability to sleep through horns honking, people yelling, and babies crying while lying on hard concrete wrapped head to toe in a dirty blanket. My difficulties sleeping the night before now seemed miniscule. So the train arrived around 5:45 and we were fortunate to have tickets in the nicer comfortable railcar for the two hour ride.

Upon our arrival in Agra we were immediately greeted by even more beggars, street vendors, and our guide. One could not help but feel pity for these people. I observed a man with elephantitis of the feet, another rolling around on a trolley because his legs were paralyzed, and a five or six year old boy holding his one year old sister asking for money. These were sights I would see regularly throughout India and that continue to haunt my mind. The first destination we visited was Fatehpur Sikri which in the 1570’s was the capital of the Mughal Empire in India. It was built by emperor Ashok and consisted of a large palace, many temples, and residences for his three wives and 300 plus concubines. I found it interesting that he purposefully chose his wives faithful to each of the three main religions Islam, Hinduism, and Christianity. This was to ensure his legitimacy of power through marriage. His only legitimate child was with the Hindi wife in an attempt to reconcile Hindu Muslim strife in the empire. I was persistently bothered by an orange haired Muslim man while exploring the abandoned city until I finally gave in and allowed him to guide me on a “private tour.” While slightly annoying he told me about his family and how he has survived by pestering tourists like me for 40 years. I finally gave him 150 Rupees as guilty payment for his services. We then headed towards a local fancy hotel for lunch.

Driving along the road through the countryside the sights, sounds, and smells were clearly not similar to those in the states. Where were the tractors and combines and pickup trucks we would expect in farm country? The few tractors present were used to haul grain and supplies to and from market but the prevalent mode of transportation for this activity was cow drawn cart. I was also curious about the large frequent piles of brown pancakes stacked alongside the road. I would later learn that these were piles of dried and hardened cow manure used mainly for cooking. Indians would burn this dung under a pot to heat water and cook food due to the lack of and cost of other energy sources. I personally would think the smell might perhaps tarnish the taste of the food but maybe that’s what all the spices are for? There was once again an oversupply of delicious food for us at lunch for which I felt spoiled. When leaving the hotel I noticed two sights in the courtyard that seemed strange. The first was two men cutting grass. Normally not a strange sight but these men did not have a lawnmower or even a weed whacker but were cutting the hotel lawn with scissors. At the other end of the lawn I also observed a man holding a leash. At the end of the leash there was not a dog but a baboon. Only in India! I am not sure if the baboon was a guard baboon or perhaps watching over the lawn workers but it did not look very friendly.

We left the hotel and headed to Agra Fort which became the capital of the Mughal Empire after Ashok left Fatehpur Sikri due to a lack of water supplies. It was restored and improved by Ashok but had existed as a defensive fortification in some form since the 11th century. While quite impressive in its own right, we all were distracted by the amazing view of the Taj Mahal approximately three miles away. The fort was interesting and well designed but by then our mind was set on what was to come. Unfortunately as we were leaving the fort a girl became sick and we were delayed for about 30 minutes waiting for her return from the bathroom. Thirty minutes in a bus with “Tourist” on the windshield filled with young Caucasian American college students and yeah, we got noticed. There must have been as many people outside our bus as inside. People were tapping on the windows, asking for money, and calling “My Friend.” I must have made 50 friends that day and I did not even know their names. Except all my new friends wanted to sell me necklaces, Kama Sutra books, figurines, postcards, carvings, and anything else I would give them money for. As many of you know I am pretty frugal and avoided buying anything but it was difficult as one vendor offered to sell me a small magnetic chess set for 5 Rupees or about 15 cents. Finally we headed towards the place we were all looking forward to the most, the Taj Mahal. To get to the Taj we had to board another small electric bus about a half mile from the entrance due to extremist group threats to blow up the structure. Security was extremely tight with armed guards everywhere and metal detectors present at the entrance. Finally after walking through the stone protective walls it was there in front of me. Probably the most majestic structure I have ever seen was right in front of me. But just as I was taking it all in, “My Friend My Friend I take Picture, good price for you.” I was still in India, and we were swarmed by photographers who would take, process, and attempt to sell pictures of you as you left. It reminded me of those cameras strategically placed on roller coasters that take pictures of you regardless of your preference. I proceeded to get some pictures of my own before walking around the premises. This was another of those indescribable sights that I can not really explain but just encourage all of you to see for yourselves. IT IS WORTH IT!!! The monument was built in the 1600’s by the emperor in honor of his wife who died while giving birth to their 14th child. There was supposed to be a perfectly aligned and symmetrical black Taj Mahal across the river but it was never built because the Emperors son seized power and imprisoned his father in Agra fort until his death. The one fact I found very interesting was that the four minarets around the structure were built leaning slightly outwards to prevent collapse on the Taj in the event of an earthquake. We left at late sunset around 7:00pm with some delay due to picture purchasing and headed on our way.

While under the assumption that we were headed directly back to the train station, I learned instead our plans included snack stop. How amusing that our snack stop was at none other than the local Agra Pizza Hut. Now I am not only amazed and somewhat disappointed that we were eating at Pizza Hut but I soon learned that this was no normal Pizza Hut. This was super Pizza Hut compared to those back home. It was a two story building that was cleaner and more modern than any Pizza Hut I had ever known before. Astonished as I was already, during our snack some modern Indian dance music began to play loudly over the sound system. Next thing I know five Indian Pizza Hut employees are performing a modern Indian dance for us between the tables. Now if this isn’t the most obvious example of globalization and the blending of cultures then I don’t know what is. Pizza Hut America … You got some catching up to do!!!
We arrived at the train station once again to the greetings of beggars, hawkers, and street vendors about 8:30 pm. Exhausted from the days activities I was not in the mood for more friends and attempted to avoid their antics. But for some reason one little boy about eight years of age picked me and commenced the most persistent and uncomfortable begging I had experienced my entire life. For about 15 minutes straight this child tapped my waist pointing to my camera, watch, and wallet as suitable gifts for him. I honestly believe this child was in a semi-delirious state because despite my continued “No’s” and “I’m Sorry” he would not give up. As I looked into his eyes I could see the hopelessness and desperation in his soul, and while I did not giving him anything for fear of attracting others, he unknowingly gave something to me, motivation. The motivation and the belief that I can and must as a person of privilege help those less fortunate than myself. And for that lesson and gift I shall be eternally grateful to this persistent child.

We arrived back in New Delhi and proceeded to our hotel but I noticed something during the drive back that I missed in the morning. Glancing out the window I realized the homes we were passing were not the crumbling huts and shacks I had become accustomed to but huge mega mansions surrounded by high walls and gated driveways. These houses would not have surprised me in Beverly Hills but they did seem out of place in New Delhi. I asked my guide who lived in these homes and he said they were the residences of political representatives, ministry heads, and the business elite. How did all these people afford mansions on government salaries? Now while I knew from transparency international and general discussion that India had corruption problems, this was just ridiculous. Never did I think the wealth accumulated by corrupt officials through kickbacks and bribes would be so boldly displayed.
Arriving back at the hotel around midnight I headed directly for bet in an attempt to squeeze out every last minute of sleep before awaking at 6:00am.

TUESDAY MARCH 27, 2007
Up early again, we departed the hotel around 7:00 am for a quick driving tour of New Delhi before our flight to Varanasi. While driving we passed the home of the Prime Minister, the US and Pakistani embassies, some cricket fields, and more corrupt officials mega mansions. The most interesting feature of New Delhi was the manner in which it was designed. It was, like Washington DC, a large area planned out to be the center of government. According to Encarta encyclopedia New Delhi was built between 1912 and 1929 to replace Calcutta as the capital. Apparently it was designed by an English architect so European architectural influence is clearly evident. The streets are also laid out in a radial pattern with large open tree lined boulevards intersecting at well manicured roundabouts. Our one stop in New Delhi was at the War Memorial Arch. This is a commemorative arch honoring the Indian soldiers who died in World War I fighting for the British in Europe. Many thousands of Indians died in the trenches of World War I fighting for the nation that occupied them at the time, Great Britain. The arch was very similar to the Arc de Triumph in Paris except smaller and surrounded by large grass fields instead of a huge roundabout.

We arrived in Varanasi that afternoon after experiencing the fastest and hardest landing of my life. I don’t know if they are worried about surface to air missiles or something but man do planes land fast in India. While leaving the airport there was a sign that caught my attention that read, “Say No to Torture.” I felt fortunate that our society had moved past anti torture campaigns and can now focus more on saying no to drugs. Yes I do realize that domestic violence still occurs in our country but the sign caught me off guard. One of the first things I noticed driving towards our hotel was that this city had cows. The roaming holy cow density had increased considerably in this ancient holy city. We ate lunch and unpacked at our luxurious Radisson hotel before heading to the holy site of Sarnath. This is where Buddha (aka Siddhartha) gave his first sermon describing the four noble truths and eight fold path to his first five followers during the 5th century B.C. While very fascinating from a historical and geographic perspective there was not much to see at the sight because everything was destroyed by Muslim invaders. We were also once again harassed by street vendors and kids looking for money.

After visiting Sarnath some friends and I paid for a taxi, known as a rickshaw in India. It is basically a small three wheeled powered go-cart. Rickshaws are without a doubt the most dangerous form of transportation known to man. No seat belts, no doors, and six people traveling up to 45mph passing within inches of motorcycles, bicycles, pedestrians, and cows. We headed towards the Ganges River to observe an evening Hindi ritual along the river. As we approached, the road became narrower and the crowds denser until we finally had to walk the last quarter mile or so to the river. We passed many street vendors, beggars, and more cows before arriving alongside the Ganges. Along the river we watched a group of Hindis perform a cleansing ritual consisting of prayers, candle lighting, chanting, and bell ringing. It was a fascinating ritual to watch and I found it particularly funny that one boat on the Ganges had set up a billboard on deck behind the ritual selling water front property. The rickshaw ride back to the hotel that night was one of the biggest adrenaline rushes I have ever had. It was right up there with skydiving and I was literally scared for my life. Our driver would have made a great NASCAR driver because the speed and distance between which we were passing people was terrifying. I personally prefer more than 3” of clearance when squeezing between a pedestrian and another rickshaw at 35mph. Somehow we survived and spent the evening relaxing at the hotel and trying to get some rest. Except for my roommate coming in drunk again to cuddle with some new girl at 3 am I slept great.

MARCH 28, 2007
Up again at 4:15 am but for the experience I would have that morning it was well worth it. Today we were to have an early morning sunrise boat ride down the Ganges River. We boarded the busses, drove towards the river, and again walked the last quarter mile to the banks of the Ganges. Again I was convinced that people don’t sleep in this city because shops were open and vendors were wide awake trying to sell us stuff. We all boarded into two large boats holding about 30 people each and then departed. These were not motor boats as you might have imagined, but large row boats powered by two older frail looking men. The air was cool and crisp as the sun began to rise over the horizon and the sights I would see will remain engrained in my memory forever. Silence was all that could be heard except for a flute player on shore, Hindis splashing water while bathing, and the sound of bamboo paddles pulling us slowly through the water. As we drifted down the river the sights began to change and I observed two or three fires burning along the river. These were not fires to keep warm or to cook with but for cremations. Apparently it is considered an honor to be cremated and have ones ashes put into the Ganges. I watched as two men picked up a dead body and moved it towards a fire in preparation for its cremation. I thought how amazing it was to see this ritual that had taken place unchanged for thousands of years. It gave me a new appreciation for the scope and timelength of history and culture in this part of the world. Moving back up the river we were enjoying the sights and next thing I know “My Friend, My Friend.” You have got to be kidding me I thought, but sure enough some young boys had paddled up beside us in a small boat trying to sell us stuff. Their effort paid off as many people began to buy souvenirs. Just as this was going on I heard our guide casually say something I will never forget. “Dead body over there, dead body floating.” Sure enough as I turned my head there was a dead body wrapped up floating in the river about 30 yards from our boat. This must be the only place in the world where a dead body floating down a river is not considered to be a big deal. Again it is part of their religion and culture so instead of calling the police as I would do in any other location in the world, I took a picture. The morning river boat ride along the Ganges River was the most surreal experience of my life thus far, and a moment I will never forget.

We returned to the hotel for breakfast about 9:00 am to check out of our rooms then proceed to the airport. I spoke with a Norwegian couple on holiday for about 30 minutes before boarding our flight. The rest of the day was uneventful as we flew from Varanasi to New Delhi, then back to Chennai. I tried to reconcile in my mind the experiences of the last three days but fell asleep instead. I arrived back on ship around 9:00 pm and finally went to sleep around 11 pm to prepare for my last day in Chennai.

MARCH 29, 2007
On my last day in Chennai I participated in a socio-economic tour of a poverty stricken area of the city. We left the ship at 7:30 am and arrived around 9:30 am in a supposedly poor area of the city. To my surprise the conditions in this neighborhood were not as desperate as some places I had seen before but the experience was still very valuable. The area basically consisted of a few hundred acres where the government had come in to provide housing for these poor families. The buildings were all concrete two story setups with a private residence on top and another below. Each room was about 15’ long by 8’ wide and had electricity but no running water. Apparently the residents would claim ownership if they paid R150 (approx $4) per month to the government for twenty years. It seemed like a great idea to me in order to help these poorer people build financial equity in this unequal society.

After a short speech and question answer session in the community center we proceeded to walk to the primary school down the street. The school was in no way similar to schools in the states but consisted of a concrete room with no door and open square holes for windows. Inside were about 60 children sitting cross legged on the floor in perfect rows. The first thing I noticed was that the room was divided down the middle with boys on the right and girls on the left. The children were the most well behaved and disciplined I had ever met. They remained sitting on the hard concrete floor focusing on the teacher until she allowed them to interact with us. However, once she gave way we quickly became the main attraction. Next thing I know we were treated like rock stars and the mission of these children became to get an autograph from all of us. Seeing as most of them could not read or speak English and that we were not famous I did not understand the autograph hysteria, but I proceeded to sign about 120 notebooks and hands for the next 15 minutes. I then requested a map from the teacher and she brought one in from the other classroom. I enjoyed very much showing the children where Raleigh was on the world map in relation to Chennai and all were amazed. We left the school house but I managed to speak to an English speaking teacher for a few minutes about education in India. She was telling me how many of these children were hoping and studying to be trained and employed in IT jobs later in life. She seemed extremely confident and proud of these children’s abilities and prospects for a better life in the future. I also found it interesting that when telling her I studied Economics she asked about my knowledge of Amartya Sen. I told her I knew him but could not remember his arguments but I could tell that this lady was well educated and Amartya Sen well renowned in India.

We visited a private home afterwards and I was amazed at the items that lay within it. The first thing I saw was the 21” or so color television with cable. They had all types of stations including CNN, BBC, MTV India, and many of the stations I discovered in the hotel earlier. It will be interesting to see if resentment swells among the poorer people in the world as their access to knowledge of the wealth and lifestyles in the western world grows. These people also had a refrigerator and an electric cooking plate. What I found missing however in this 15’ long by 8’ wide room was a bed. This couple still, despite the nice appliances they owned, did not own a bed but still slept wrapped in blankets on the concrete floor. I inquired into their family life seeing three pictures on the wall and I learned they had two children. The hopeful part for me was that when I asked if they planned on having any more children the husband and wife strongly indicated NO, two children was enough. Hopefully more people will reach this conclusion soon before we get beyond the earths capacity to sustain us all. Solving the high fertility rate problem along with the West’s over consumption of resources, in my opinion, are the most pressing issues concerning the planets ability to sustain our species today.
One final experience I would like to share occurred as I attempted to purchase some candy from a street vendor. I approached an old frail lady about 60 years of age who was selling a small collection of foods displayed under a dilapidated thatch shack. After examining the products I became interested in some sealed candy packets hung over a branch. She allowed me to taste one and they were delicious so I attempted to purchase an entire rope of these candies. I handed her the candy and R50 which I assumed would cover the price and leave her some extra as a gift. She took the candy and money but instead just looked at me with a funny smile on her face. She then hands me three pieces of candy removed from the rope and the R50 I had just given her. I attempted to tell her that the money was for her but she continued to refuse payment. I finally gave in to her persistent pressure and took back the money I had given her. Walking away from her I was inspired by such a generous and selfless act. Why would an old poor lady refuse payment from someone like me who was clearly willing and able to pay? Like the child at the train station, this lady gave me something more than just free candy. This act of kindness by someone with so little renewed my faith in the good nature inherent in all human beings. It reminded me that what is important in this world is not how much stuff you have but the respect and empathy we hold for one another. I concluded ithout respect and love for one another we all truly have nothing.

While leaving the community we were once again surrounded by smiling energetic children who had just been dismissed from school. With our celebrity status revived I once again proceeded to sign more autographs and pick some children up in display of my “amazing strength.” I was shaking hands with children and smiling residents when an older man stopped me close to the bus. He showed me some letters he had received from past Semester at Sea students who visited his community and told me he had no gas for his rickshaw. I gave him R100 to buy gas and he thanked me profusely. He then kept bowing and thanking me saying how I was a god to him. Me a God? This comment for some reason motivated me to spontaneously give a short speech to him and the people around me assuring them that I was not a god nor any better than he or anyone else in this world. I felt like a preacher as I loudly declared to the group around me how we were all equal, all unique, and all human beings that must focus on the similarities and not the differences between us in order to ensure happiness and prosperity for all in the future.

Finally, after boarding the bus we were once again surrounded, but for a change people were not selling stuff or begging to us. In this community people had surrounded us in thanks and respect of our visit and to say goodbye. I was extremely happy for this experience during my last hours in India. This community had renewed my faith in the goodness of humanity and the mutual respect we could have for one another. With these final images in my head I boarded the ship that afternoon with a smile on my face and thanks for all India had given me.

Huts on side of the road Parfait and Coffee on Flight

Bar inside Hotel Ashok Man with Elephantitis

Harvesting Cow Dung Patties Guard Monkey

Guide and I Fatehpa Sikri Cows going to Market

Thanks Mom and Dad Swarm of Street Vendors at Bus

The TAJ MAJAL!! Pizza Hut in Agra

Importance of Sarnath Buddhist Monk Meditating

Young Children Begging Streets of Varanasi near Ganges

Sunrise on Ganges River Varanasi along Ganges

Ritual Bathing in Ganges Dead Body in Ganges

Holy Cow in Varanasi Family living on the Beach

Muslim Online Dating Ad Diamond Watch Billboard

Poverty and High Tech Center Poor Area of Chennai

Indian Primary School

Shipboard Life Mauritius to Malaysia

2007-03-29T05:36:00.000-05:00

Life on board ship has been fun at times, stressful at times, and lonely at times. I have made tons of new friends and learned so much from the classes and interactions on board. I have posted a few pictures below of some activities on ship to share with everyone back home. The first picture is obviously a beautiful sunset during the second barbeque on the back deck. The evening was absolutely perfect and the barbeque a welcome relief from the normally bland food. The next picture is of Juice Pong on the boat during the Sea Olympics. I was the male player for the Arabian Sea but my partner Chelsea let me down a bit. Despite being held back a bit we managed to place 3rd out of 9 teams. I LIKE CAKE and the birthday party some friends threw for me was nice. I am having trouble reconciling the fact that I am now 22 and even more trouble acting like a person who is 22. I am not quite sure what a 22 is supposed to act like but my new friends like to remind me that I am one of the goofiest 22 year olds they know. Finally there is a picture of me with Archbisop Desmond Tutu. I managed to get a shot with him before a class presentation that I sat in on. He is really an incredible humble and inspiring person who deserves the credit bestowed upon him for his role in ending apartheid in South Africa. He also has one of the strangest laughs I have ever heard and I think we share a common sense of humor. When I asked if I could have a quick picture with him he responded by telling me, "No, only a slow picture."

Mauritius Its More Than A Beach

2007-03-17T10:35:00.000-05:00

March 21, 2007

So I left Mauritius three days ago and I am now on my way to Chennai India. We passed Diego Garcia earlier today where the US has a large military base and a pretty nice beach from what I could see. Seeing as it has been almost two weeks since the last update there is much to talk about but I will attempt to be brief. I just reviewed this and realized it is not brief at all so sorry.

MAURITIUS BACKGROUND
Initially settled by the French in 1722, Mauritius was used as a re-supply point and military base. The French introduced the sugar industry to the island creating wealth for many individuals who owned plantations worked with African slave labor. The island was administered by the French East India Company for a long time before coming under direct French governmental control. In 1810 during the Napoleonic wars, the British took over the island and maintained control until 1968. Finally in 1992 the island broke ties with Great Britain to become a republic. The island has been growing sugar for over 250 years and sugar exports still account for 45% or so of GDP. Over 45% of the island today is covered with Sugar fields and there are six or so sugar refineries on the island today. Here’s a fun fact! Over 40% of the electricity on the island is produced by the combustion of sugar cane residue. The economy also relies on some simple textile mills and tourism for significant portions of its GDP. There are also programs in place to market Mauritius as an African offshore banking system as well as a current initiative to create a free WiFi network across the island. Already something like 25% of the island has free high speed wireless internet access. Furthermore the majority of the people on the island are of Indian descent. This is because after the British outlawed slavery in the empire in 1835, a new source of cheap labor was needed to work the sugar fields. Indentured servants from India were used and today Indians account for 68% of the population while 27% of the population considers themselves Creole. One final interesting aspect of the island is the political system. There are over 20 political parties and the government does an amazing job of allowing fair representation in its legislature. They even appoint nine seats of the legislature to the political party or parties that received the smallest number of votes in the election. If you are interested in politics look at the unique democracy in Mauritius. So that’s enough textbook talk, time for the fun stuff.

MARCH 15, 2007
My first day in Mauritius and what better way to enjoy myself than to visit a beach. We arrived late in port in the early afternoon so I missed the ropes course trip I was initially signed up for. Instead I met up with some friends and rode a bus to a beach at the southern part of the island. The bus ride was packed and cost us 21 rupees each or about 60 cents US. The exchange rate of rupees/USD was very good at about 42Rupees/1USD. So anyways, we went to Flic n’ Flac beach which was nice but had a lot of dead coral on the seabed that would poke your feet. I bought a beer at a beach bar and ended up meeting a local with about 5 teeth who ran a catamaran tourism operation. He was very friendly and we talked about George Bush, Iraq, and human tolerance. I was surprised at his sympathies for the US and his support for our initial invasion of Iraq. Later in the evening the group headed back to Port Louis (the capital) to eat dinner at a Chinese restaurant. We then proceeded to an English Pub on the waterfront to have some drinks and watch NCAA March Madness Basketball. Yep nine hours difference from the east coast and we were watching Georgia Tech vs. ??? whoever they lost too. I asked our waitress about the game and she said many people enjoyed American Basketball, British Futbol, Indian Rugby, and American Snowboarding. This young waitress about 21 years of age who had never left the island told me she had always wanted to snowboard and loved watching it on TV. There was also a Pizza Hut, McDonalds, and KFC in the capital city. Globalization at its finest? I will admit on the last night I was sucked into the Pizza Hut as my pizza craving got the best of me.

MARCH 16, 2007
Today started early with a “Sugar Adventure” trip. I really did not know what a Sugar Adventure would be but it sounded fun. Maybe an amusement park where you get a really crazy sugar high and go on lots of rides? Perhaps a sugar pit to play in? Well that did not happen but I think it is a good idea. I would go there at least. Anyways, it was actually an old sugar mill that was converted into a museum. The museum was extremely well done and explained the history of Sugar on the island from a historical, economic, and agricultural perspective. There were many hands on activities including an old plantation train that would make smoke, blow its horn, and chug along if you answered some question about sugar correctly. It reminded me of the little train at Pullen Park which I need to ride again. I used to love that little train. We also tasted about 20 different samples of sugar with different levels of sweetness. This gave me a little sugar buzz which was appreciated because I did not get much sleep the night before. About five minutes after returning from the Adventure du Sucre I left for another more serious trip to a children’s orphanage. The orphanage was run by an NGO that took in children who were removed from their parents due to neglect or abuse. The school enrolled about 60 kids and maintained residence for about 10 kids who lived there full time. I was fortunate in that I was put with the group that had recreation day which meant I got to go back to the beach and play with all the kids. The kids were boys and girls approximately between the ages of 10 and 16. I did not have my bathing suit so I just went in my shorts and boxers. Needless to say I was the palest kid in the group and garnered much attention. However I was also the most hyper student, perhaps as a result of the earlier sugar tasting, and everyone seemed to enjoy my presence. I became an especially in demand person after I began throwing the little kids into the air and holding some on my back to do chicken fights with other kids. My age gave me quite an advantage along with the suns reflection off my white body so I became the chicken fight champion of the day along with the kid on my shoulders. I later found out the kid on my shoulders was 14 and had tattoos all over his left arm which was interesting. The best part was the drive home when Bob Marley came on the radio and all were impressed that I could sing along with the song. In fact I was the only one who actually knew the song. I forgot to mention that most of the kids were illiterate and only spoke Creole. Very few knew French and even fewer English so communication was difficult and their illiteracy will likely hurt them in becoming productive members of society. The NGO did have a small program to place graduates in apprenticeship positions at local hotels and tourist resorts but opportunities were limited. I inquired into the annual operating budget which amounted to around $125,000 USD per year. I was disappointed however to learn that there was no record as to how the kids fared after graduation. I was curious as to how many children turned to drugs and crime later in life and the gentleman had no idea and did not feel it was their business to “tag them like fish.” I find this to be unfortunate as one can not tell how effective their NGO really is without this type of data. Maybe I have just taken too many accounting courses by now? On a good note, all the children were very friendly and happy and seemed to enjoy their place there and were much better off than they would likely have been otherwise.

MARCH 17, 2007
My last day in Mauritius and I spoiled myself with some fun and relaxation by going on a full day catamaran and snorkeling trip. We boarded a beautiful catamaran about ten in the morning and returned to the dock about four in the afternoon. It was fairly uneventful but the water, air, and views were incredible as is the sunburn. While I did not get very tan, I did manage to miss a few spots with sunscreen so I now have about five random burned spots on my body which looks pretty good if I say so myself. Others may not agree but that’s alright. So the best part of the sailing was when we came up upon dolphins that were swimming and playing games with the boat. Unfortunately the snorkeling was pretty bad as there were not any coral reefs nearby so we just looked at some rocks and a sandy bottom. Lunch and beer were provided so we still made a great time of it.

FINAL THOUGHTS
While Mauritius was beautiful, I felt as though I were in the Caribbean or any other tropical region. The culture was diverse, the people were friendly, and the beaches were beautiful. While there was interesting history and great food I felt as though Mauritius was a destination better suited for Spring Break or a Honeymoon than anything else. In fact I ran into some British gentleman who just finished packing up from an IBM corporate celebration event there the week before for their outstanding employees or something. Don’t get me wrong, I am not saying to avoid this Island, but it is a long ways to travel when the Caribbean is so much closer.

WHATS NEW
The day after Mauritius we held our Sea Olympics which was a day off from classes where our respective residence halls competed against one another for the sea flame. Events consisted of a relay race, basketball, flip cup, synchronized swimming, juice pong, lip singing, scavenger hunt, team cheer, and some other stuff. It was a plethora of fun and I participated in the Juice Pong event. I spent over two hours playing juice pong in three consecutive games in the sun. Furthermore the boat was rocking and the wind blowing making for the most difficult game of pong ever. My hall, the Arabian Sea, placed second in the day’s events and hopefully that means we can depart the ship early when I arrive in San Diego. As an update I will be arriving in Chennai, India in three days. While in India I am scheduled to do a quick and exhausting tour including New Delhi, the Taj Mahal, Agra, and Varanasi where Hindus bathe in the Ganges River. On the last day I am scheduled to do a walking tour of the untouchable poverty stricken areas of Chennai. India should be a pretty eye opening place and perhaps somewhat disturbing, but I CANT WAIT!!! I will be out of touch from March 25 to 29 but will check e-mail again before Malaysia.

Mom, Dad, and Art thank you so so so so much again for this experience. I am learning so much and have not forgotten how lucky I am to be on this voyage. I am beginning to feel less like an American and more like a global citizen while on this journey. Stereotypes are being shed, my eyes are being opened, and my mind is expanding. That’s all for now and I look forward to sharing more with everyone soon.

South Africa Africa Experiences Yall

2007-03-10T14:31:00.000-05:00

February 10, 2007

South Africa is now behind me and I am on my way towards Mauritius. What a vibrant country where people are full of pride and hope despite 25% unemployment, a 20% HIV infection rate, and an average life expectancy of only 45 years. What horrible numbers yet South Africa accounts for 28% of the entire GDP of Africa and is the wealthiest nation on the continent. Needless to say this is a country of inequality and is relatively new considering apartheid ended in 1991 and Nelson Mandela the African National Congress (ANC) only came to power in 1994. Despite these hardships the country is growing at around 5% per year while inflation is declining to a mid 3% level. Sorry for the data as my economic and finance interests are kicking in. Enough numbers and statistics for now, what did I do?

MARCH 2, 2007
The first day I arrived we had a wonderful visit and speech by the Premier of the Cape Province who is a Muslim member of the ANC. He was a wonderful speaker and made insights into religious extremism and the need to reconcile our differences to move forward together as a tolerant world civilization where everyone can live peacefully together. The afternoon I met up with my Mom and Art to ride up and watch the sunset on Table Mountain. This is a huge 3,000 ft flat mountain that hovers above the city with incredible panoramic views. I have added a few pictures of this experience below. We had a few beers on top and spoke with some kids studying from Europe before returning for dinner and an early nights sleep.

MARCH 3, 2007
So apparently Cape Town has a large wine industry and since I am in college a visit seemed like a great idea. Needless to say I may have overindulged in Reds, Whites, Chardonnays, Merlots, Schnapps, and other assortments I don’t really remember. I really should start making an effort to distinguish between wines but I think my taste buds are still recovering from the past years consumption of cheap beer. Our guide was great minus the fact that he talked more than my mom. For those who have met my mom this is quite an incredible feat. The only interesting fact of many I will share about him is that he was apparently laid off due to affirmative action policies implemented by the government since the end of apartheid. He said that he was replaced by a black man who was less skilled and they paid him three times as much in a managerial position. Our guide said that these policies were creating a brain drain on the country where many educated whites were leaving due to the affirmative action policies. I do not have an opinion on the policy one way or another but it was just interesting to me the positive and negative effects that policy was creating. The rest of the evening was uneventful.

MARCH 4-6, 2007
SAFARI TO KRUGER NATIONAL PARK!!! One of the most exciting experiences I have ever had. In North Carolina we have deer, squirrels, deer, bears, deer, and more deer. Kruger Park had Hippos, Zebras, Owls, Vultures, Crocodiles, Jackals, Warthogs, Impalas (aka deer), Rhinoceros, Leopards, Buffalo, Hyenas, Elephants, Giraffes, and Lions. I was fortunate to see every one of these animals except the lions. I did two “game drives” during the day and one at night. Most of the sightings however were relatively calm and consisted of an animal eating grass or walking very slowly somewhere. Some animal pictures are below and I have some great videos to share as well when I come home. The lodge we stayed at was gorgeous and luxurious beyond my expectations. Food was wonderful and one evening we had a local group perform a native tribal dance and song ritual for us. I felt as if I were in the middle of an Animal Planet episode or a National Geographic article the entire time.

MARCH 7, 2007
Today I visited Robben Island where many of the political prisoners arrested during apartheid were held including Nelson Mandela. The history of the prison was fascinating because it had existed as a prison island from 1660 until 1996. Nelson Mandela and the other prisoners were treated terribly and he specifically spent 18 years on the island and another 9 years in other prisons before being released in 1990. Cells were about 8’L x 6’W and consisted of a blanket, pillow, bucket, and table. Black prisoners were given no socks, shoes, or long pants or shirts even in the winter months and were also rationed fewer quantities of food. During the day they were forced to work in a limestone quarry with no sunglasses or dust masks creating many medical problems for the prisoners later in life. Despite these hardships Mandela promoted forgiveness and reconciliation when he was released instead of vengeance. It was frankly one of those experiences that reminded me how lucky we are to have been free our entire lives.

MARCH 8, 2007
My final day in Cape Town and I was able to convince my mom to join me on a township visit. The townships are mostly black poor areas on the outskirts of town that were created to house black laborers during apartheid. Many of the laborers were housed in barrack style accommodations that were for males only. Because of this people were separated from their families until the end of apartheid. After apartheid their families joined them and a great migration of people moved to the urban areas of the country. This also included people in rural areas looking for jobs as well as refugees and immigrants from other African countries. It might help to recall that Botswana which borders S. Africa on the north has a much higher unemployment rate and average life expectancy of ONLY 28 YEARS. So of the four or five million people that live in the Cape Town area approximately two or three million of these people live in townships or squatter camps. I visited Khalitsha Township which is a massive expanse of over 1.2 million people where unemployment hovers around 50% and aids, poverty, and crime are rampant. Despite these circumstances people were happy and hopeful that things were improving. The government has sponsored a massive development project to give everyone suitable housing and some of the pictures below will show these new homes in comparison to the squatter shacks. We also visited a school where the principal requested help in creating the non existent school library and I spoke to a teacher who was teaching Marxism and the exploitation of workers under capitalism. There was also an NGO we visited where adults and disabled persons were taught trade skills such as painting, carpentry, metal working, bead weaving, and other skills. This was similar to our community college and was to help the unemployed create a source of income. It was quite a humbling experience to say the least.
FINAL THOUGHTS
Despite the hardships and the inequality in the cities and the entire country South Africa is growing and improving and the people seem happy. Like any country, including our own, there is room for improvement but considering the first free elections were only held in 1994 they are doing pretty well. One very important fact I learned and was unaware of is that the World Cup will be held in South Africa in 2010 so anyone interested in coming here for some soccer and the time of their lives in three years then please let me know. What have I learned from South Africa? Forgiveness and reconciliation can work if given a chance. I apologize, for after reviewing the entry I realize it reads more like a history or current events piece than a personal experience, but there was so much information I thought that was important to share to everyone to broaden all of our perspectives. Hope that everyone back home is doing well and I enjoy receiving messages from all of you. Wolfpack beating Duke helped brighten my day as well. GO PACK!!!

Look at the Contrast in the Pictures Above to get an

idea of the inequality in South Africa

Atlantic Crossing Complete

2007-03-02T04:46:00.000-05:00

March 1, 2007

So it has been a long eight days or so from Brazil to Cape Town and we are scheduled to arrive tomorrow morning. For anyone who thinks Semester at Sea might be an easier semester and lighter course load than back home, think again. I have read more and slept less in the last week than any week at NCSU. Man I wish I could speed read right about now. Anyhow, we also had Neptune day on ship where we paid homage to the god of the seas, King Neptune, for crossing the equator. Apparently, King Neptune is pleased if you have powdered milk poured over your head, salt water in your mouth, kiss two dead fish and kiss his ring. All of this of course needs to be done at eight in the morning. We also had a barbeque on board that same night which was greatly appreciated because the food has become quite repetitive. Food basically consists of a salad with no normal dressings, some potatoes, pasta, some type of meat or fish, steamed vegetables, and a bread roll. This is the same for lunch and dinner so anyone back home complaining about Fountain Dining hall on campus being bland, well it aint that bad. Don’t get me wrong I am still very thankful for the meals that we have as they are healthy and a hell of a lot more than many people are getting in some of the ports we visit. I also learned that despite the size of our ship it still likes to rock back and forth, A LOT! So understand when I come home and stumble around it is not because I am on drugs or have been drinking, it’s because that’s how I stay on my feet every day. We also had the Archbishop Desmond Tutu speak in our Global Studies class the last two days. He is the most compassionate, humble, friendly, and inspiring person I have ever listened to. He spoke about his experience as the head of the Truth and Reconciliation Committee (TRC) which from 1994-1996 was the commission in charge of addressing retributive actions and crimes carried out by the apartheid government and other parties. They granted amnesty to anyone who admitted their crimes publicly and some of the stories were horrendous. The examples were as horrendous as you might find in any genocide around the world but the committee and the people chose forgiveness instead of vengeance making the transition miraculously peaceful. How apartheid did not end in a bloodbath is still hard to imagine knowing the circumstances. He also addressed Iraq and some US policies and humanized the innocent Iraqis that die everyday in Baghdad. Some of the inspiring quotes of his I have listed below:

“I’m hoping you guys are going to say, our security is bottled up with the security of everybody else.”

“We have an incredible capacity for evil, but an even more incredible capacity for peace.”

“It’s the best form of self interest to care about that one over there, because like it or not we are bound together … and we are going to swim or sink together”

I was quickly reminded that insecurity anywhere and for anybody will inevitably lead to insecurity for us all and I believe we have forgotten this in America. Ultimately, it can not be through force in which we defeat terrorism, but through friendliness and compassion. To defeat poverty, hopelessness, and despair should be our goal. And as Thomas Friedman said, “We need an America that exports hope, and not fear.” On a lighter note, I am extremely excited about South Africa and if anyone wants me to pick up a pet giraffe, lion, elephant, or shark for them then let me know soon assuming one of the above doesn’t eat or trample me. That’s enough for now. Adios.

Stories From Brazil

2007-02-22T19:06:00.000-05:00

February 22, 2007

So its been a while since I last updated my blog and seeing as we just left Brazil yesterday I figure now would be a good time to fill everyone in on what traveling Nick has been up to. To put it in a simple mathematical formula, BRAZIL + CARNAVAL = INCREDIBLE!!! So to keep this reading simple, as it will be long, I am going to break down this entry into different sections based on daily events as well as subject area. Those who know of my ridiculously strong organizational instinct will understand. So as everyone always told me “education first,” and therefore I will begin by sharing some of the knowledge I have absorbed about Brazil.

SCHOOL STUFF
So as many of you may know Brazil is a former Portuguese colony and therefore speaks yes Portuguese. It was also the most likely destination for ships of the Atlantic slave trade. In fact over 4,000,000 slaves ended up in Brazil accounting for over 35% of the total trade. America accounted for about 5% of this trade. This was in large part due to the harsher living conditions in Brazil as well as the Portuguese view of slaves as a disposable source of labor. In Brazil as slaves died they were easily replaced and had an expected useful economic life of around 8 years, where slaves in the United States were used for life and for reproduction of more slaves. Today Brazil has the highest income inequality of any country in the world with the top 10% of the population making over 60 times the income of the lowest 10% of the population. This was clearly evident in Salvador Brazil where over 2 million of the 3 million residents live in poverty. Politically Brazil has been incredibly unstable with its constitution only written in 1988. Previously the country has changed from dictatorships, to military rule, to democracies on a regular basis. On a final note, anyone interested in HIV/AIDS prevention and treatment programs should look at Brazil. They have the most effective prevention program in the world as was obvious by the multiple awareness centers stationed throughout the city giving out information and free condoms. Brazil is one of the few places where the annual number of deaths attributed to AIDS is decreasing. Ok enough school stuff time for the fun stuff.

SATURDAY FEBRUARY 17, 2007
BRAZIL!!! Excitement on arrival was diminished somewhat by the multiple pre-port meetings warning us how this will be the most dangerous port on our itinerary. Since I am a big kid with a strong muscular figure and my paleness and blond hair blend into the population I was naturally not too concerned. In fact they were correct about the dangers of Brazil but only if people were stupid and made themselves obvious targets. A small group of girls were robbed at knifepoint but they were by themselves and my roommate was robbed but he was drunk and by himself in a bad area. Otherwise the worst I experienced was a few wandering hands around my pockets in large crowds. One interesting experience the first day was being sprayed by super soakers from taxis by men dressed as female warrior princesses. There were thousands of these people driving down the street but hey its Carnival. The evening of the first night was incredible as I had a nice dinner and watched a “Capoeira” performance. Capoeira is a fighting style disguised to look like a dance that African slaves developed because they were not allowed to fight. The athletic finesse of these men was insane and the ladies especially loved it. Imagine a man doing 20 back hand springs in place in about 10 seconds or a double back flip six feet in the air. After watching this performance I decided to spend the evening working out and resting for the next day.

SUNDAY FEBRUARY 18, 2007
I spent most of the day walking around still getting acquainted with the city. We had an incredible lunch on the second story in a colonial style structure. For about $20 I had a beer, coke, fish, pork, chicken, rice, beans, and potatoes while listening to music in the streets below and watching a light rain shower come through. It was quite an experience. The evening came and I did a trip called “Traditional Carnival” in the old Pelourinho district of the city. This is where more African influenced groups march through the streets in elaborate costumes or some only in body paint with mainly percussion instruments playing behind them. People then follow them through the streets dancing and drinking until the early hours of the morning. Later that evening was the most fun as I and two friends went to an area with a free outdoor concert and danced with local children and families until about 1:00am. The kids were great and were between 7 and 14 years of age. I also danced with their grandmother who must have been in her 70’s and still out danced me. Note to self: learn to dance.

MONDAY FEBRUARY 19, 2007
Today I visited a nice area about 50 miles north of Salvador called Praia Du Forte. This is the headquarters of Brazil’s marine turtle project. Apparently five of the seven sea faring turtles in the world lay their eggs along the Brazilian coast and due to fishing, soup eating, and turtle shell sales the population has been declining. They had a corny cartoon video explaining the project but also the biggest turtles I have ever seen. The Loggerhead species must have weighed 300+lbs each and were about 4 feet long. Unfortunately I did not see my favorite Ninja Turtle Donatello which was kind of disappointing, dude. For lunch we had a buffet again and I ordered a Capparinah drink but spelled differently. It was basically lots of Brazilian liquor with a lot of sugar and a lime in it and WOW I need to learn how to make it. Following lunch we walked around on our own some and found a flock, litter, den, or whatever of monkeys. If anyone knows what a group of monkeys are called please let me know. I also discovered that Brazilians have not yet distinguished between male and female bathing suit attire. Women in small bikinis and thongs, nice. Men in thongs, not so nice. Forget having tan lines, I mean that’s just got to be uncomfortable. I also took some pictures with some strange carnival revelers that will be posted below. They really put our Halloween to shame down here.

TUESDAY FEBRUARY 20, 2007
So I believe the night of February 20 may have been the craziest night of my life. What did Nick do? Well picture 4,000 people wearing the same shirt, a 40ft tractor trailer truck with a three story building/stage on it, a sound system that would put rock concerts to shame, another support truck with bars and bathrooms, and a four hour, three to five mile, non stop dancing and drinking party. YES THIS IS CARNIVAL!!! There are about 20 of these groups as well. At any given time 1 to 2 million people were dancing in the streets in the city. The party goes from about 4pm in the afternoon to about 8am in the morning. After about 5 hours there I was exhausted and headed back with the group but not before eating some delicious cheese and meat on a stick from some lady on the street. I did not know exactly what the meat was but it tasted good and I have not gotten sick yet so great. The pictures can obviously speak much more for this experience and I have great video as well to share when I come home. By the way for you Beer fans out their, Brazilian beer is delicious and comparable to any beer back home.

WEDNESDAY FEBRUARY 20, 2007
Today was my last in Brazil and began around two in the afternoon due to the previous night. It was basically a recovery and shopping day. I along with about 100 other people on the boat bought the same Ronaldinho soccer jersey as well as some nice paintings. I then boarded the boat early after giving the rest of my change to a beggar lady with a baby.

FINAL THOUGHTS
While Carnival was amazing and the Brazilian people were friendly, fun, and beautiful it became easy to forget the terrible conditions in which much of the population live. The heat and humidity were also terrible and much of the city had the stench of urine as many people, during Carnival in particular, I observed used the sidewalk as a public toilet. According to some Brazilians from Sao Paulo, they said that Salvador was a pretty dirty city in Brazil. Despite these facts the most important question is … Would I come back? In a heartbeat!!!

Puerto Rico

2007-02-09T22:42:00.000-05:00

February 9, 2007

Hola amigos y amigas!!! Puerto Rico es excellente. Los personas es muy simpatico y tenemos mucho energia. Welcome to my blog for those that are new and I feel privileged to have friends that are interested in following my experiences on this voyage. Ok so my Spanish is terrible but the country is beautiful and the people friendly and fun. Perhaps one day they will become our 51st state. If that debate ever arises in the United States vote yes for Puerto Rican statehood. However 51 stars would kind of mess up the nice symmetrical look of our flag. Anyways, the past three days have been incredible and I feel as though I have experienced more in three days here than I would in three months in the United States. I will attempt to summarize Puerto Rico in a compressed manner but I apologize if this entry is extremely long as there is much to share. Also please understand if this seems boring or too formal as I am struggling to address an audience that ranges from high school to those old on the outside.

So what the heck is that pale blond kid/adult named Nick that you all know doing. Where to begin? The first day here in San Juan I spent getting acquainted with the city. After listening to some remarks by the Governor of Puerto Rico I took a standard bus tour visiting the government center and the El Morro Fort. The 16th century fort built by the Spanish was very impressive and was meant to protect Spanish claims in the Americas from the other European powers of the day. Following the tour I walked around with some fellow students and ordered octopus for lunch with a local beer. Octopus is one strange creature to eat and I learned no matter how many times you chew the thing it just will not go away. But the beer was good as some of you Puerto Ricans reading this will know. Well the only thing worse than my Spanish is my dancing so Wednesday evening was logically spent learning to salsa dance with local Puerto Ricans who spoke limited English. I attended a welcome reception at Inter Americana University de San Juan. The students were great, the music electric, the food spicy, and my dancing still terrible.

Thursday was a long day much of which was spent on a bus traveling to Ponce and an archaeological site of Tibes. The natives of the time were pretty primitive and the only thing there was old ball courts in the shape of a rectangle lined with rocks. Apparently the native population was decimated by disease following the arrival of Columbus in 1493 and other explores afterwards. They estimate the native population went from 60,000 to 3,000 in fifty years. We visited Ponce afterwards to eat lunch and explore and I found a great local store. Walgreens, met all my suntan lotion needs and I was graciously encouraged in Spanish to find the lord and follow Jesus while purchasing my special lotion. After informing him I spoke little Spanish he decided to continue his sermon anyways which was very nice. So now the question everyone is really dying to know. How was the nightlife? Well that evening we got ripped off by a cab driver and arrived at our party location in Old San Juan. Cheap beer, strong mixed drinks, and 150 fellow students with the same idea made for a typical bar night in Raleigh. Finally around midnight the crowd thinned out and we met up with some locals who took us to a dance bar and then a pool hall. So the conclusion I made, kids here do the same things in the United States. The only difference here being the “Gasolina” song is still incredibly popular here a year after its reign in the US. I never would have imagined a song about gasoline would be at the top of the charts, go figure. Maybe my next song about fuel cells will make it big too? Thursday night is now over.

Friday, consisted of a trip to the gorgeous El Yunque rain forest and Luquillo Beach. Dad you might recognize some of the pictures and perhaps Rachel and Lucy as well. The air was some of the most clean and fresh I have never breathed in my life and was rejuvenating after the night before. Trees grew at gravity defying angles, creatures blended in to their surroundings, and swimming in a pool under a cool waterfall washed away any unpleasant smells. The world is really a beautifully place if you stop and take the time to look around. Wow that was a corny line. The beach was also gorgeous, warm, and clear.

So that’s about it and I am sorry again for the length of this entry if you made it this far. I attempted to publish this entry with the wireless connection at McDonalds but it did not work so I am back on ship sitting on deck enjoying my last views of this gorgeous and lively place. Please feel free to e-mail me if you have specific questions. I have added some photos as well to speak the millions of more words about this place I do not have the time or room to type. Buenos noches and I will attempt another entry in a few days on my way to Brazil.

Pre Departure Stay at Atlantis

2007-02-03T22:36:00.000-05:00

I finally found so time for the internet before I board the ship tommorow so I thought I would give an update. I have been staying at the Atlantis resort since arriving on Thursday and it is absolutely amazing. The place spans some 60+ acres, has over 2,000 rooms, and cost an estimated 2 billion USD to create. Since my body and the sun do not get along real well I have gone from bright white to red very quickly. I have met many of my future shipmates while here and everyone seems very nice. A large group of us went to Senor Frogs to socialize and begin forming new friendships early. Already I have found new interesting cultural norms here, one being instead of having to fight for a cab in Raleigh the cab drivers are everywhere and fight and bargain to give you a ride instead. We paid $5 per person for a stretch excursion limo downtown and $3 per person for a taxi ride back. Quite reasonable compared to back home. I am currently in a state of anxious excitement as I am coming to realization with the fact of being away for so long and the opportunity to explore so much of the world in such a unique manner. I am also having trouble absorbing the fact that I will be going from a place of such grandour and wealth to those of widespread poverty and desperation. Below I have posted some pictures of my time at this luxurious mecca known as Atlantis and I will attempt to update this blog again in the next three days or so before arriving in Puerto Rico. Oh and one more thing ... State 83 vs UNC 79 ... GO WOLFPACK!!!

First Blog and First Post

2007-01-30T11:26:00.000-05:00

Hi Everyone,

Thanks for visiting my blog as I attempt to share with all of you my experiences as I travel around the world in 100 days on the MV Explorer. Thanks to my wonderful parents and family for providing this amazing opportunity for me and I will be forever grateful. Blogs are new for me and I just started this the day before I am leaving so I am still trying to figure it all out. If this site comes together as I hope, it should be the most effective way of staying informed on my whereabouts and experiences. Well I think now would be a good time to begin packing so I will work on creating this site later and hopefully get on a regular updating routine soon.