Malaysia

I have now been away from home for over 8 weeks. I am a little bit more than half way through this so-called “journey of a lifetime” and I am absolutely exhausted. I woke up last Wednesday, our first day in Malaysia with a dull stomach ache that had been irritating me since before India (probably from the malaria medicine I have been taking) and with only four hours of sleep, lets just say I wasn’t at my best. I was planning on going on a trip to Kuala Lumpur (the biggest city in Malaysia) with all of my friends but as the group began to walk towards the buses I broke down and decided not to go. 

If you know me well, you know that I am a very stable person usually with my feet planted steadily on the ground however, with my physical exhaustion came mental and emotional exhaustion and the next three days became the low point of this journey as I struggled with homesickness, anxiety and fatigue. I needed time to myself and I needed time to reevaluate the reasons why I am doing this trip and what I need to get out of it.

So for the first three days in Malaysia I didn’t do much. I hung out on the ship, painted my nails, read some magazines and watched about 20 episodes of Friends. I was able to get online and talk to friends from home which helped a lot and for the first time in a long time I was also able to run on the treadmill because the ship wasn’t rocking.

I told myself before I started my run that if I could run 2.5 miles straight without slowing down or stopping to walk than I could get through these next 6.5 weeks. So I started running. My hip began to hurt, I was out of breath, sweat was dripping down my face, and I thought I couldn’t do it…but I kept running. I finished the 2.5 mile run, slowed down and realized that every journey whether big (like this trip) or small (like a 2.5 mile run on the treadmill) has easy times and hard times and you have to go through the low points to realize how great the highs are. I did this two days in a row and although still feeling homesick, I proved that the hard times don’t last for long and although I probably wont want to leave when the time comes, I know the time is coming.

My friends returned from Kuala Lumpur on Friday night and my mind finally took a break from thinking about home. Saturday was spent visiting some Buddhist temples in the city and shopping for gifts and souveniers from Malaysia. I got a lot of gifts for people from home (josh- I am still looking for a cricket bat for you…ill try my best to get you one!), and I learned more about the city that I had been sitting outside of for the past three days. Saturday night was my favorite part of the five days we had in Malaysia.

During my couple of days on the ship I heard rumors about a market held at night where you could find DVDs for a dollar and tons of cheap things to buy. My friends and I all went to the street night market around 8pm and we spent an hour flipping through stacks and stacks of DVDs…each only a dollar apiece. I ended up getting the entire SERIES of Sex and the City for a mere $25 and a bunch of movies that aren’t even out in stores yet. I was unsure if they were going to work in my DVD player so right when I got back to the ship around midnight I put a couple of them into my computer and luckily they worked!

Sunday was spent running a few errands, getting food from the supermarket and resting. I went out to dinner with a couple people not in my immediate group of friends, which was a nice change, and we headed back to the ship right on time. As we pulled away from Malaysia I decided to leave that anxiety and homesickness there and start a new mindset for the next couple of weeks.

I have 6 weeks to go until I am back in America and I am going to make the most out of these weeks. Although I know my homesickness won’t go away right now, I also know that it can’t stop me from experiencing Cambodia, Vietnam, China and Japan. I have realized that being homesick isn’t necessarily a bad thing. It means that I have such a great life to return to at home and so many people whom I love to share my experiences with. I am past the halfway point of this run and although it hurts at times, I know it is and will be worth it. The change in me that comes with this run will no doubt be a good one in the end.

India

A couple of years ago at a normal family dinner sitting around our round dinner table in the kitchen oh my home, my Bubbie gave me the best advice I've ever received. She told me that whenever I am walking alone or in an unfamiliar place “always walk with a purpose. Walk with a destination in mind”. That advice has stuck with me ever since that night and was most helpful when I was in India this past week.

We arrived in India on March 11th. I of course was nervous and resistant to this country because I knew going into it, it would be the most difficult to deal with and of course the big C-word (change) from what I am used to. On the other hand I was happy to be going on a four-day trip through India with SAS because I knew they would take care of all of the itinerary and in some ways “hold my hand” throughout the country. We left Chennai (in south India) during the first afternoon and flew to Delhi where we checked into a hotel, had our first Indian dinner and went to bed to prepare for an early wake up call.

The phone rang at 4am and I half asleep prepared myself for a 2.5 hour train ride to Agra. When we arrived in Agra we went straight to one of the most prominent landmarks in the world; one of the seven wonders of the world- the Taj Mahal. It was incredible and almost unrealistic to be standing in front of this building that I have heard so much about and seen so many pictures of. I felt like I was standing in front of a giant canvas painting of the building not the actual building itself. After taking close to one million pictures I walked closer to the palace and finally went in. The details of the marble carvings and inset jewels were beautiful. After spending about an hour at the Taj we headed back to our bus through the beggars and children asking for money. One of the hardest parts about being in India was ignoring the children asking for money. Our guide warned us that if we talk to anyone asking for anything they will take our “No thank you” as a “maybe” and continue to harass us. I had mixed emotions about this because I knew I had enough money to give to these children but I also knew that if I did give them anything more children would surround me and ask for more.

After visiting the Taj Mahal we went to a marble making place where we learned about how they make marble tables and how they inset the jewels into the marble permanently with a secret glue solution. I wanted to buy something from this place but it was all really expensive so I decided to try to find something similar somewhere else in India.

Next stop was Agra Fort, which are the ruins of an old palace used centuries ago for the king of Agra. We learned about his royal way of life and how he had may wives and servants at his disposal. Each room had different purposes but all belonged to him. After walking around this fort we got back on the bus for a 6.5 hour bus ride to Jaipur (also known as the “pink city”). On our way to Jaipur we stopped at another fort called Ghost City where we learned similar things in comparison to Agra Fort. After a long and bumpy car ride through the dangerous streets of rural India we arrived in Jaipur late at night and exhausted from a full day of traveling and experiencing India.

The next day we woke up early again to head into the center of Jaipur. We got to another fort and waited in line for about 45 minutes to ride an elephant! When we got to the front of the line 2 people at a time got onto a galley-backed elephant where we rode up to the top of an old palace. This was one of my favorite parts about my time in India. The elephants were decorated with blankets and paint on their tusks. They looked beautiful but I did feel bad for them because the harnesses looked like they were hurting and I could tell that this is the only thing they do all day and are not treated as well as they should be. I guess I have become more sensitive to different kinds of animal cruelty after going on the safari in South Africa and seeing the animals content in their natural environment.

After the elephant ride we were taken to a textile factory where we learned and saw how they make genuine wool and cashmere rugs. All of these rugs were beautiful and I impulsively bought a small very good quality rug made by hand by these Indian workers. It may look a little out of place in Syracuse, NY next year but it will always remind me of my time in India and on Semester at Sea. After the textile factory we went to a jewelry shop to see silver and precious stones and then headed to a local market. This was by far one of the most interesting experiences I had in India.

The street markets in India are full of stands selling saris, bangles, t shirts, fruits and vegetables and shoes made out of camel leather. My friend and I began walking around by ourselves but quickly learned that it would be better to walk with a couple of guys. We found some boys on our trip and began walking around with them so we wouldn't get harassed as much by the venders. I was overwhelmed by the amount of people staring at us and asking us for our money. I ended up buying some beautiful gold bangle bracelets but left the market early to make myself feel more comfortable. My friend and I walked with a couple of guys back to the bus but on our way saw a lot of teenage boys playing cricket in a field by the bus. We decided it would be fun to go play cricket with the boys or at least watch. As we approached the fence the Indian boys surrounded us because a) we are American and b) my friend and I are girls. The boys all wanted to shake our hands and take pictures with us. After doing this for a couple of minutes we decided to go over the fence to get closer to the cricket game. This was not the best idea for my friend and I. After getting over the fence we were literally surrounded by the boys who began to tease us, grab at us and tell us to take more pictures. We both became extremely uncomfortable (especially after one boy attempted to kiss my friend) so we quickly left and went to sit on the bus. I felt frustrated by this experience because as boys my other friends could easily hang out and watch the Indian boys play cricket, but as girls my friend and I were harassed and made to feel unwelcome. At this point I realized how much I as an American girl take for granted back at home.

After everyone returned from the Market we went to have dinner at an old palace then headed back to the hotel to rest up and prepare ourselves for our 1:30am wake-up call (yes…really 1:30am). We obviously didn't go to bed between 10pm and 1:30am but instead hung out at the roof top bar. At 1:30 we went back to the bus and began another 6.5 hour bus ride back to Delhi. The bus ride was freezing cold from the air-conditioning and uncomfortable. After getting to Delhi we headed to the airport for our 2.5 hour flight back to Chennai.

We got back to Chennai in the afternoon and I immediately jumped into the shower. I have never felt cleaner than after taking that shower because I felt so dirty the three days prior. After showering I then proceeded to the snack bar where I had a good ol' American hamburger which was delicious after spending the past 3 days eating rice, bread and being overly cautious and nervous about food poisoning from the bacteria in India. For the first time in port I was actually content and happy to be back in my new safe-haven, the ship. I spent the rest of the night hanging out of the ship, napping and regrouping from the culture shock that was and is India.

During our last day in India, my friends and I decided to go to a shopping center to buy last minute things. We took a 10 minute rickshaw ride to the mall which was definitely an experience. If anyone has been to India before they know that there are no traffic rules therefore, trucks and motorcycles all go as fast as they want while cutting each other off at every corner. Nevertheless, being in a three-wheeled tiny tin-can that is a rickshaw was an adventure. After surviving the rickshaw rides both to and from the shopping center we headed back to the ship for a final time in India.

So I survived India; the place I was most scared to visit, but the place I had to visit the most if I wanted to get over that fear of change that I talked about in my first post. I am proud of myself for keeping an open mind throughout the experience even though it was difficult at times. For the first time in my life I felt like a complete minority. Being stared at for being a white American was an interesting experience and being harassed because I am a girl was eye-opening. I don't feel the need to return to India anytime soon because I feel that I will never truly feel comfortable in such a different society; however, I am glad that I walked through India with the purpose to overcome this fear of change and with the destination of cultural acceptance in mind.

Top 10 Things I as an American take for granted:
1. Clean/safe tap water
2. Green grass
3. Equality and feminism
4. Strict traffic laws
5. Cleanliness
6. Domesticated pets
7. Toilets and toilet paper
8. Health insurance, doctors and hospitals
9. Air conditioning
10. Freedom (in every sense)

Mauritius

When I first looked at the itinerary of this trip, there was one place that I had never heard of before- Mauritius. I didn't know what continent it belonged to, what language they spoke, or even how to pronounce its name. I quickly learned that Mauritius is a small island (only 205 mile circumference) off of the eastern coast of Madagascar in the Indian Ocean. It is a very diverse country consisting of Indians, French, Africans, and Chinese. I also heard from past SASers that there isn't much to do on the island therefore the 4 days on land consist of renting villas or hotel rooms on the beach, sipping pina coladas, getting a tan, and going out at night. This was a pretty accurate description.

We arrived in Mauritius on March 1st. Right when I got off the ship I went on an SAS sponsored trip to Grand Bay where we went on a submarine trip! We went out into the crystal clear waters off the shore and got into a cramped and closterfobic submarine where we went 112ft deep in the ocean. We were under the water for about 45 minutes looking at the fish and singing “yellow submarine” repeatedly as a group. I can understand why many people loved this trip; however, the whole time I was under the water I felt like I should be scuba diving in the open water rather than cramped in an uncomfortable submarine. Nevertheless it was a cool experience being in a submarine.

That afternoon my friends and I headed to the hotel we had booked a few weeks prior and settled in for a relaxing next 2 days. I ended up getting my first migraine ever that afternoon so I layed in bed while everyone else sat in the sun which was frustrating but luckily it went away so I could go out to dinner with friends that night. The next 2 days were spent lying out on the beach and swimming in the clear blue waters. The hotel we stayed at was better than expected…a little small but right on the beach and all inclusive.

On the last day in Mauritius my group of friends and I went to a place called Adventure Park where we walked over hanging rope bridges through the forest and did a ropes course which they said was for people with intermediate physical fitness levels but was actually for experts…the ropes course reminded me of overnight camp except an extreme version of it. It was a lot of fun attempting to complete the course even though I was sore for the next two days, bruised and mosquito bitten.

Overall Mauritius was really fun and relaxing. It was great to learn about a country I had no idea existed before SAS. The island was fun but made me appreciate the other countries we are visiting more because I feel they will have so much more to offer…like my next stop- INDIA.

South Africa

(sorry about the delay with this post!)

I have fallen in love with the country of South Africa. We arrived in Cape Town on February 19th at dawn. I woke up at 5am to watch us pull into the port as the sun rose over the famous Table Mountain and skyline of Cape Town. We got off the ship as quickly as possible so that we could have a full day of exploring and discovering this land that once was so foreign to us. We walked around the port area then headed down to the middle of the city where we visited the local market called Green Market and Long Street. That night 6 of my closest friends and I decided to go on a sunset cruise around the bay. Although many of them were reluctant to spend a mere 180 Rand or $25, we ended up having a great time drinking free champagne and sailing on a catamaran for 2 hours as the sun set over the bay while the clouds slowly rolled off of Table Mountain. It was so much fun to do something I love to do so much (sail) with my new friends. After the sunset cruise we went out to dinner on the docks then headed back to the ship for a goodnights sleep and to prepare for what would become one of the best days of my life the next day.

Exhilarating, Inspiring, and Beautiful: 3 words to describe my second day in Cape Town. I woke up a nervous wreck at 6:45am to unsuccessfully mentally prepare myself to jump out of an airplane. YES I was about to go skydiving. My friend Leila and I met up with a group of 8 other people where we took a shuttle to the site 20 minutes outside the city. We were quickly split into groups of two and three, harnessed and sent to the tiny airplane where we squeezed into the cabin. Sitting between my instructors legs as the plane slowly ascended to 9,000 ft my heart was pounding as I realized that there was no turning back. The 15 minute ride up felt like hours. As I tried to take in the beauty of the city from the air I couldn’t help but keep asking my instructor if he was absolutely 100% positive I was hooked onto him extra strong. He assured me I would be ok and before I knew it the door was open and my friend Jeff fell out of the plane. I was next. I slid my legs outside, tilted my head back and held on for dear life as I free fell for over 30 seconds through the South African sky. After these exhilarating 30 seconds the parachute safely opened (thank god) and we floated down to the ground for the next 4 minutes. At one point my instructor let me take the reigns as I steered us towards our landing spot. With only about 500 feet left I was instructed to lift my feet as we headed towards the safe haven of land. We landed, I stood up, the parachute fell to the ground, I was unhooked from my instructor and I felt the biggest adrenaline rush I have ever felt. The 5 minutes it took for me to jump out of the plane, freefall and then float down to land was by far one of the craziest, most fun and breathtaking experiences of my life. Surprisingly, skydiving was not my favorite part of this amazing day.
I got back to the ship by noon and spontaneously decided to join a group of people going to visit a township outside Cape Town. Townships are villages filled with shacks made out of tin cans and people living off of literally nothing. During apartheid the South African government moved the black people to these overcrowded villages where segregation and racism grew. Although apartheid was abolished in the early 90s many aspects of it are still very much alive in South Africa and especially in these townships where black people still live. Words can’t describe the experience I had in this township.

We arrived at the Khayelitsha township during the afternoon when all of the kids were being let out of school. We then proceeded to walk through the township to an after school program called “Lifelines” held in a shack made out of cardboard, metal and scraps. When we entered this shack 30 kids ages 5-20 greeted us by singing a song and welcoming us into their “family”. They introduced themselves by giving us all hugs and we were told to stand next to two people we didn’t know. Both the poorest of poor black children and the richest of rich white kids were standing in a single circle together…all with smiles on their faces. We then played some games, talked to the kids and hung out for about an hour. After this hour the kids then continued to welcome us into their family by singing a few songs. They sang about faith and about how thankful they are for what they have. This was one of the most powerful moments of my life when I realized that these children are so happy, and so grateful for what they have…and what they have we consider to be absolutely nothing. They then put on a play about getting tested for TB (something becoming very prominent in their community). These children are some of the best singers and actors I have ever seen and the passion they put into what they do is incredible. At the end of the play we had a few minutes to talk to the kids and say goodbye. I brought with me a Polaroid camera because I heard from past SASers that children in these poor countries love seeing pictures of themselves. As I started taking pictures with children they all gathered around me and each wanted a picture. I felt bad because I didn’t have time to give each one of them individual polaroid’s but was also overcome by so many other indescribable emotions. That afternoon was one of the most eye-opening, happy but heartbreaking and inspiring afternoons of my life. I will always remember the faces of those children and remind myself about how truly lucky I am to have what I have and be able to have these experiences. (I could go on forever about the people in this township and the experience I had that afternoon, but I will stop here and tell you all more in person when I get home in May).

After the township visit we went straight to the bottom of Table Mountain where I met up with a couple of my friends and took a cable car up to the top. It was a perfect night to go up to the top of the mountain- not too hot, not too windy, perfectly clear without a cloud in the sky. We walked around for a while then ended up sitting on the edge of the mountain to watch the sunset. At one point I could turn my head to the right and see the sunset over the ocean then turn my head to the left to see the moon rising in the pink sky over Cape Town. It was absolutely beautiful and a perfect ending to an unbelievable day.

I got back to the ship late that night. As I sat in bed I was speechless and shocked by what I had experienced that day. From the EXHILIRATING experience of skydiving to the INSPIRING performances and interactions with the children in the township to watching the BEAUTIFUL sunset on the top of Table Mountain I can truly call my second day in South Africa one of the best days of my life.

On the third day in South Africa I woke up early to head out on a safari. We took a 2 hour plane ride from Cape Town to Johannesburg then quickly got on a bus for a two hour bus ride to the Ivory Tree Game Lodge in Pilanesburg, SA. When we arrived we immediately ate lunch then headed out for our first game drive. 10 of us piled into a custom made landrover with Hayley- our ranger for the next 3 days. On our first game drive we got right into the wilderness where we saw zebras, wildebeests, white rhinos, and elephants. At one point during our first drive we got stuck on the road between two elephants blocking our way. We were in a stand-off with these two elephants for about 15 minutes then they finally left the middle of the road so we could drive around them and move on. It was so cool to see these wild animals so up close. We got back to the lodge at around 8pm where we ate dinner outside by a bonfire. The food at the lodge was absolutely delicious- so much better than the shipboard food! After dinner we were all exhausted from the day of traveling and the excitement of our first drive so we went to bed early knowing that we would have to wake up at 5am to go on our first early morning game drive.

The next morning we woke up at 5am to head out on another drive. This was one of the most exciting drives of the trip. As we headed through the national park we came across a male elephant known as “steroid”. You can imagine why- he is huge and is known for having a bad temper. We stopped our car pretty close to him and as word spread that Steroid was in the road more landrover’s arrived. This must have angered him because he turned his head towards our car walked towards us then began running after us…we were being charged by a 2.5 ton elephant! Luckily I had my video camera out when this happened so I have proof on tape! After our morning game drive we went back to the lodge to arrange a trip to the Predator Park about 20 minutes away from the lodge.

That afternoon we went to the Predator Park where we saw many animals. I had mixed feelings about this place because the animals are all kept in captivity. After seeing how free many of these same animals are in the wild it was hard to enjoy seeing the lions, tigers and cheetahs in captivity. The one reason we came to the park; however, was to pet and play with baby lion cubs! We went into the cage and were able to pet them and play with them for about 15 minutes. There were three 4.5 month old males and they were so adorable! After leaving the predator park we went back to the lodge where we rested and prepared for our afternoon game drive. On our afternoon drive we saw lions! One of them even walked right next to our landrover.

The next day I slept in and relaxed then headed out for another game drive in the afternoon where we saw giraffes up close, more elephants and went searching for leopards and cheetahs. We didn’t see a leopard or cheetah but ended up seeing a lion who had just made a kill. After watching the lion eat his dinner we headed back to the lodge for our dinner. We ate outside next to the bonfire again while an African band played music throughout dinnertime. After dinner I showered in our outdoor shower overlooking the valley of Pilanesburg and got to bed to prepare to wake up again at 5am for our last early morning drive.

During our last drive we went back to where the lion had made his kill the day before and saw him and a couple other lions eating. We also saw more zebras (and baby zebras), giraffes, warthogs, birds, wildebeests, and many other animals. We wrapped up the drive by singing songs from the Lion King and headed back to the lodge where we got our bags and made our two hour bus ride, two hour plane ride back to Cape Town.

We arrived back in Cape Town around 4pm and had a few hours to go shopping and take in every last bit of culture before finally boarding the ship at 8pm. We ended up leaving the port the next morning because it was too foggy to leave the night before and we are now on our way to Mauritius (a small island off of the coast of Madagascar).

Everything about South Africa was absolutely amazing. From the markets in Cape Town to skydiving, the township, Table Mountain and the safari I couldn’t have wished for a better experience here. I only wish I had more time! If anyone feels the need or want to travel back to South Africa I would be more than happy to join you (maybe in 2010 for the FIFA World Cup?).