Today we’re on our way to Hawaii! We crossed the International Dateline and set our clocks back 24 hours so we had two Tuesday April 15th (and celebrated the second with an ice cream cake!) We have many more days to go before Honolulu and unfortunately we lose an hour each night for four nights in a row!
The ship has been rocking and rolling the past few days! (The Pacific is a total misnomer for this ocean.) It’s a bit boring- we’ve been so used to having a new port to explore every 2 days- but I have lots of work to do.
We have a whole 22 hours to live it up in Hawaii once we get there. Then a few days in Costa Rica for our last hoorah!
Thursday, April 17, 2008
Japan
We bought our Japan Rail Passes in Vietnam so we were ready to rock once we got off the ship on 4/11. This was after all 800+ passengers had thier temperatures taken, picked up passports, got pictures taken and fingerprints documented in a one-on-one with a customs officer. It took awhile. We jetted to Hiroshima on the bullet train that afternoon. Hiroshima is a beautiful city with very few physical remnants of the atomic bombing left other than the A-Bomb dome. The Peace Park is beautiful and the cherry blossoms were nearing the end of their week in bloom. The museums in the heart of the park are incredible- very moving, very informative- I highly recommend visiting. I am reading the book Hibakusha for Human Rights and it was most moving for me when I read the first dozen stories after boarding the train again that evening. Hibakusha means atomic bomb survivor in Japanese. (I think the direct translation is “one who met with an atomic bomb”.) That night we arrived in Kyoto and spent the night at K’s Guest House- and adorable and comfy hostel with great comforters and heated toilet seats! The 4 of us- Mason, Conner, and Eliza and I were in a dorm-style room with 2 bunk beds. The next morning we found some great toast for breakfast and went to the top of the Kyoto Tower waiting for Conner’s friend from Marist, Stu, studying in Osaka, to meet us for the day. He guided us to a cool temple that we explored for awhile- the grounds were very beautiful, saw more cherry blossoms, and we saw some fake geishas on the way too! We had some soba noodles for lunch. Then we walked around the Gion district for a while. Then Stu took us to a shrine that consists of hundreds of orange gates lined up which we walked through. That night we jetted to Tokyo and finally found our capsule hotel in Asakusa after battling the Tokyo subway system (we kind of got the hang of it after a few days.) The capsule hotel was quite an experience. They kind of look like slots in a morgue lined up against the wall- but with TVs and alarm clocks inside. Very uncomfortable mattress. Mason, Eliza, and I had some bonding time in the communal shower on the 9th floor. This hotel was one of 2 capsule hotels that even allows women (2 of the 9 floors were women-only.) Conner was all alone on the 4th floor. The next morning we grabbed breakfast and explored the large park (it felt like Central Park in NYC) and its lakes and flowers and museums. We had tickets to a Tokyo Giants baseball game at 1:30 at the Tokyo Dome so we made our way there to see the Giants beat the Swallows 6-4!
That night we visited Shibuya crossing (the busiest intersection in the world) and Harajuku District, know for people sporting crazy outfits and home to the hip shops (the hangout for teenage rebels). The next morning we decided to visit these same 2 areas again to get a sense of them during the day. We sat in Starbucks overlooking the crosswalk and watched the morning commuters and did some shopping in Harajuku.
We got up early that morning (by early I mean like 7am) to visit the Tsujiki (?) Fish Market- the largest in the world! It was fascinating to see but unfortunately it is only in existence to support the severe over-fishing of our oceans. Over-fishing is the most destructive issue facing our oceans today. It has to do primarily with the way we catch fish. We watched the BBC documentary “Deep Trouble” our first day back in Global Studies. It is really eye opening. (Interesting fact: 50% of the food eaten in Japan comes from the sea, whereas for the rest of the world seafood makes up 15%.)
Trawling the ocean floor is one of the destructive fishing methods. Prawn and shrimp trawling is the worst of all. 15 POUNDS of other species are discarded for every 1 lb. of shrimp caught. (Think about this next time you’re going to order shrimp cocktail.)
They actually served salmon last night after we had this whole discussion in Global- I don’t think many people ate it.One solution the movie mentioned is to create more no-take zones in the ocean. Something you can do personally is find a Seafood Guide on the Seafood Watch website- it tells you which types of fish are the Best to buy, some good alternatives, and which to avoid. (One to avoid include cod, mahi-mahi, salmon, and tuna.)
Overall Japan was great! On our way back from Tokyo we bullet-trained it to Osaka- ate some pastries there and walked around, then continued on to Kobe. It was an action-packed 4 days and I’m leaving out lots but I highly recommend a visit! I would love to go back and see/climb Mt. Fuji and spend more time shopping in Tokyo!
That night we visited Shibuya crossing (the busiest intersection in the world) and Harajuku District, know for people sporting crazy outfits and home to the hip shops (the hangout for teenage rebels). The next morning we decided to visit these same 2 areas again to get a sense of them during the day. We sat in Starbucks overlooking the crosswalk and watched the morning commuters and did some shopping in Harajuku.
We got up early that morning (by early I mean like 7am) to visit the Tsujiki (?) Fish Market- the largest in the world! It was fascinating to see but unfortunately it is only in existence to support the severe over-fishing of our oceans. Over-fishing is the most destructive issue facing our oceans today. It has to do primarily with the way we catch fish. We watched the BBC documentary “Deep Trouble” our first day back in Global Studies. It is really eye opening. (Interesting fact: 50% of the food eaten in Japan comes from the sea, whereas for the rest of the world seafood makes up 15%.)
Trawling the ocean floor is one of the destructive fishing methods. Prawn and shrimp trawling is the worst of all. 15 POUNDS of other species are discarded for every 1 lb. of shrimp caught. (Think about this next time you’re going to order shrimp cocktail.)
They actually served salmon last night after we had this whole discussion in Global- I don’t think many people ate it.One solution the movie mentioned is to create more no-take zones in the ocean. Something you can do personally is find a Seafood Guide on the Seafood Watch website- it tells you which types of fish are the Best to buy, some good alternatives, and which to avoid. (One to avoid include cod, mahi-mahi, salmon, and tuna.)
Overall Japan was great! On our way back from Tokyo we bullet-trained it to Osaka- ate some pastries there and walked around, then continued on to Kobe. It was an action-packed 4 days and I’m leaving out lots but I highly recommend a visit! I would love to go back and see/climb Mt. Fuji and spend more time shopping in Tokyo!
China
Hi all, I’m way behind in my blogging- I think I left off early on in Vietnam, but I’m going to jump ahead to China! We docked in Hong Kong on April 3rd. a small group of us went out to explore the city. (I’d already been there a few years earlier to visit my friend Miho from SD). Miho actually met up with us in the afternoon so we had a tour guide to show us around. We walked around Times Square, went to Repulse Bay Beach, took a double-decker bus, and ended up back on the Kowloon side (where the ship was docked) for dinner and light-show viewing. Mason has a friend in HK too, Shobo, and she was so cute and treated us all to dinner. Then we all went out to the Lang Kwai Fong (?) district to experience the nightlife. The entire area was totally overrun with SASers but it was lots of fun.
The next morning my Beijing University trip to Tsinghua departed at 11am. Mason and I were on the same trip, which was probably the only reason we both survived it. We were able to entertain ourselves from certain death by boredom in the following ways: 1. Asian pictures. 2. Bucket-O-Noodles 3. Ass-less pants. I will explain. 1. You know how all Asians (I don’t want to generalize) put up their hands and make the peace-sign in all their pictures? Well- when you visit Asia you must do this also. Mason and I took every picture of each other, us together, and with random Chinese people and insisted upon the use of the peace sign. Regarding photos with random Chinese: various families would come up to us and ask us to be in what seemed to be their Christmas card photo with them. We accepted. 2. In the US we have this lunch item called Cup-O-Noodles (which I find disgusting). In China they have this as well, except its 5x larger, thus we titled it Bucket-O-Noodles. They sell this large meal in convenience stores and at most tourist destinations. At the Summer Palace Mason and I creepily took photos of the Chinese slurping their ginormous noodles- very entertaining. 3. Best of all: The assless pants. (or ass-less chaps as we like to call them). While trudging through the Forbidden City I noticed a child sitting on a fence and there was skin showing through his pants. I ushered Mason over and we giggled and thought the kid ripped his pants. Then- we noticed every toddler had this problem! They wear pants with big slits cut out of the crotch; their version of pull-ups or something- except opposite. We eagerly asked one of our University student guides about this and she said she used to wear them too and apparently it’s easier for the kids to “potty train” because they don’t have to pull their pants up and down. We’re still confused about whether this means they can control their bodily functions at this age or...not. Needless to say ass-less pant sightings and picture-taking made for hours of entertainment.
I’m glad we choose to use diapers in the Western world.
I do have one major regret in China: I didn’t buy and wear a face mask. I wish I had one to wear in every Asian picture. Bejing was constantly overcast- we were told later that 80% of the grey sky was smog, 20% fog. Everyone wears masks in Beijing to protect their lungs (supposedly breathing the air there is like smoking 8 packs a day.) Yep- big regret.
Some other adventures in China: As part of our university stay they offered Tai Chi classes at 7am each morning. We begrudgingly got up the first morning to check it out. It was freezing and we couldn’t stop laughing so we decided to sleep in the next 2 days. We spent one evening at the Silk Market in downtown Beijing. Basically it’s a big 4-story building with aisles and aisles of booths manned by extremely pushy salespeople. They sell North Face jackets, designer jeans, dresses, shoes, polos, t-shirts, and lots lots more for really cheap! But you have to bargain! This was the most thrilling experience of all. We did one walk-through of the shops then stopped at am ATM (where I accidentally got out $4,000 yuan instead of $400. Equivalent to almost $600- oops.) We found some really cute dresses (the labels say Chole and Marc Jacobs but I’m pretty sure they’re not real). The woman was asking for about $2,000 yuan. We countered by saying she already offered one of them to us for $100 yuan (we did stop by there earlier but I don’t think she actually said $100.) She was flabbergasted of course and we went on debating for a good 10 minutes- finally we got our two dresses and a coat for Mason for $200 yuan each ($14 US). We were thanking her and she told us in defeat, “you are very good bargainer.” This happened to us lots- some women would be so dejected after giving in to our low price and then pop back and say- “you are very clever!” Needless to say this was an extremely exhausting process but very fun! Some women on the other hand would get furious and when we named a ridiculously low price they would say, “are you joking?” “No! Be serious with me!” Like I said- so much fun.
Bejing is furiously preparing for the Olympics. They have built numerous new buildings and stadiums and infrastructure. Who knows what they’ll do with it all in a few months. Of course it’s a huge source of conflict for many (for me anyway) to decided whether or not to support to Olympics in light of the Tibetan issue going on right now and the numerous human rights violations that China is guilty of. China executes 3 times more citizens in one month than the rest of the world combined does in three years. And they execute for such crimes as: stealing a stick of gum, tax evasion, or killing a panda (and many many more). They are increasing patrols in their lethal injection vans to get rid of any undesirable people so as to cleanse the city for the Olympics.
I know of a few athletes (distance runners mostly) who have dropped out of the Olympics because of the pollution.
Our last day in China was spent in Shanghai. It was a miserable day though; rainy, windy and cold, so Mason and I trudged to the nearest grocery store to stock up on chocolate for the Pacific crossing (they had Dove!) and then to the Post office, and then back to the ship. The whole outing took about 30 minutes. (I’ve already been to Shanghai so I don’t feel too guilty.)
The next morning my Beijing University trip to Tsinghua departed at 11am. Mason and I were on the same trip, which was probably the only reason we both survived it. We were able to entertain ourselves from certain death by boredom in the following ways: 1. Asian pictures. 2. Bucket-O-Noodles 3. Ass-less pants. I will explain. 1. You know how all Asians (I don’t want to generalize) put up their hands and make the peace-sign in all their pictures? Well- when you visit Asia you must do this also. Mason and I took every picture of each other, us together, and with random Chinese people and insisted upon the use of the peace sign. Regarding photos with random Chinese: various families would come up to us and ask us to be in what seemed to be their Christmas card photo with them. We accepted. 2. In the US we have this lunch item called Cup-O-Noodles (which I find disgusting). In China they have this as well, except its 5x larger, thus we titled it Bucket-O-Noodles. They sell this large meal in convenience stores and at most tourist destinations. At the Summer Palace Mason and I creepily took photos of the Chinese slurping their ginormous noodles- very entertaining. 3. Best of all: The assless pants. (or ass-less chaps as we like to call them). While trudging through the Forbidden City I noticed a child sitting on a fence and there was skin showing through his pants. I ushered Mason over and we giggled and thought the kid ripped his pants. Then- we noticed every toddler had this problem! They wear pants with big slits cut out of the crotch; their version of pull-ups or something- except opposite. We eagerly asked one of our University student guides about this and she said she used to wear them too and apparently it’s easier for the kids to “potty train” because they don’t have to pull their pants up and down. We’re still confused about whether this means they can control their bodily functions at this age or...not. Needless to say ass-less pant sightings and picture-taking made for hours of entertainment.
I’m glad we choose to use diapers in the Western world.
I do have one major regret in China: I didn’t buy and wear a face mask. I wish I had one to wear in every Asian picture. Bejing was constantly overcast- we were told later that 80% of the grey sky was smog, 20% fog. Everyone wears masks in Beijing to protect their lungs (supposedly breathing the air there is like smoking 8 packs a day.) Yep- big regret.
Some other adventures in China: As part of our university stay they offered Tai Chi classes at 7am each morning. We begrudgingly got up the first morning to check it out. It was freezing and we couldn’t stop laughing so we decided to sleep in the next 2 days. We spent one evening at the Silk Market in downtown Beijing. Basically it’s a big 4-story building with aisles and aisles of booths manned by extremely pushy salespeople. They sell North Face jackets, designer jeans, dresses, shoes, polos, t-shirts, and lots lots more for really cheap! But you have to bargain! This was the most thrilling experience of all. We did one walk-through of the shops then stopped at am ATM (where I accidentally got out $4,000 yuan instead of $400. Equivalent to almost $600- oops.) We found some really cute dresses (the labels say Chole and Marc Jacobs but I’m pretty sure they’re not real). The woman was asking for about $2,000 yuan. We countered by saying she already offered one of them to us for $100 yuan (we did stop by there earlier but I don’t think she actually said $100.) She was flabbergasted of course and we went on debating for a good 10 minutes- finally we got our two dresses and a coat for Mason for $200 yuan each ($14 US). We were thanking her and she told us in defeat, “you are very good bargainer.” This happened to us lots- some women would be so dejected after giving in to our low price and then pop back and say- “you are very clever!” Needless to say this was an extremely exhausting process but very fun! Some women on the other hand would get furious and when we named a ridiculously low price they would say, “are you joking?” “No! Be serious with me!” Like I said- so much fun.
Bejing is furiously preparing for the Olympics. They have built numerous new buildings and stadiums and infrastructure. Who knows what they’ll do with it all in a few months. Of course it’s a huge source of conflict for many (for me anyway) to decided whether or not to support to Olympics in light of the Tibetan issue going on right now and the numerous human rights violations that China is guilty of. China executes 3 times more citizens in one month than the rest of the world combined does in three years. And they execute for such crimes as: stealing a stick of gum, tax evasion, or killing a panda (and many many more). They are increasing patrols in their lethal injection vans to get rid of any undesirable people so as to cleanse the city for the Olympics.
I know of a few athletes (distance runners mostly) who have dropped out of the Olympics because of the pollution.
Our last day in China was spent in Shanghai. It was a miserable day though; rainy, windy and cold, so Mason and I trudged to the nearest grocery store to stock up on chocolate for the Pacific crossing (they had Dove!) and then to the Post office, and then back to the ship. The whole outing took about 30 minutes. (I’ve already been to Shanghai so I don’t feel too guilty.)
Sunday, March 30, 2008
Vietnam
3/29
Today was my third day in Vietnam. I have been to Fanny’s Ice Cream 4 times and picked up 3 of my 6 hand-made articles of clothing. Two friends and I made our way to the War Remnants Museum this afternoon which is an intense place depiciting the atrocities of the American War (Vietnam War) from the Vietnamese perspective. The exhibit focused on the massacre at My Lai as well as the legacy of deformation, erosion, and contamination that the widespread use of Agent Orange left behind. Yesterday I visited an orphanage for mentally and physically disable children. The physical disfiguration that some of these children are born with is unbelievable. Their limbs are bent at unimaginable angles, and sometimes without limbs at all. It seems impossible but children effected by Agent Orange and Dioxin are still being born. If one of their parents was exposed to it in the war they are at risk of passing it down to their kids. (Not to mention the high levels of the chemicals in the water, soil, and food.)
Despite what you would think there is little or no hostility here towards Americans. Of course there are little or no people of that generation (in their 50s/60s) around. It is still “a big deal,” as our professors explained it, to Americans because it is considered recent history.
Two nights before Vietnam I attended Professor Wager’s Community College event. We was in the infantry during the wat from 1969-70. He graduated from college on a Saturday and his draft notice was waiting for him on Monday. He was a philosophy major and debated the ethics of war extensively. In order to make his decision (fleeing to Canada or enlisting) he asked himself 3 questions. 1. Is any war moral? He decided that no- it isn’t inherently wrong to be in the army. 2. Is the Vietnam War moral? And 3. Is the way we’re fighting the Vietnam War moral? He went to Vietnam and was one of the oldest soldiers there. (Most were in their late teens and early twenties). He explained it as a bunch of college freshmen with weapons and no teachers let lose in the country. They way the war was fought- the tactics he saw implemented and the orders given- were immoral. He refused an order to board a helicopter in the invasion of Cambodia in May 1970 and was court marshaled. Despite facing jail time (5 years), demotion, and dishonorable discharge without any money- he evaded it all. His laywer was prepared to take the case all the way to the top (the illegality of the order to invade Cambodia) and instead of risking it, they let him off the hook. In part he believes it was because the military was by that time full of people who had their own doubts about the war. Wager’s ultimate message was that the army is a moral organization despite its flaws.
Today I wandered to the military surplus market in HCMC and looked through various odds and ends and remnants of the war that are all piled into this warehouse of tools and parts (that looks amazingly like Opa’s garage) and stumbled across some dog tags. Most of them were Vietnamese names but there was one American one in the mix- a Rheuben L. Early- who I know was A neg (blood type?) and a Protestant, along with his U.S. military and social security numbers. I assume that because his dog tag is still in HCMC that he died while in Vietnam- one of 59,000. And 60,000 sounds small compared to the millions of Vietnamese that were killed. I guess for this reason I find it strange that is isn’t a lingering issue here like it is at home (perhaps that is in part because they won.)
On a lighter note, HCMC has provided some great experiences. One of the many highlights thus far has been the overwhelming shopping excursions to Ben Than Market and the buying in mass amount of bootleg DVDs (including many TV shows!) Let’s just say that there will be no work being done from this point in the voyage on. (We were warned about this.)
Tomorrow I’m off to the Mekong Delta!
Today was my third day in Vietnam. I have been to Fanny’s Ice Cream 4 times and picked up 3 of my 6 hand-made articles of clothing. Two friends and I made our way to the War Remnants Museum this afternoon which is an intense place depiciting the atrocities of the American War (Vietnam War) from the Vietnamese perspective. The exhibit focused on the massacre at My Lai as well as the legacy of deformation, erosion, and contamination that the widespread use of Agent Orange left behind. Yesterday I visited an orphanage for mentally and physically disable children. The physical disfiguration that some of these children are born with is unbelievable. Their limbs are bent at unimaginable angles, and sometimes without limbs at all. It seems impossible but children effected by Agent Orange and Dioxin are still being born. If one of their parents was exposed to it in the war they are at risk of passing it down to their kids. (Not to mention the high levels of the chemicals in the water, soil, and food.)
Despite what you would think there is little or no hostility here towards Americans. Of course there are little or no people of that generation (in their 50s/60s) around. It is still “a big deal,” as our professors explained it, to Americans because it is considered recent history.
Two nights before Vietnam I attended Professor Wager’s Community College event. We was in the infantry during the wat from 1969-70. He graduated from college on a Saturday and his draft notice was waiting for him on Monday. He was a philosophy major and debated the ethics of war extensively. In order to make his decision (fleeing to Canada or enlisting) he asked himself 3 questions. 1. Is any war moral? He decided that no- it isn’t inherently wrong to be in the army. 2. Is the Vietnam War moral? And 3. Is the way we’re fighting the Vietnam War moral? He went to Vietnam and was one of the oldest soldiers there. (Most were in their late teens and early twenties). He explained it as a bunch of college freshmen with weapons and no teachers let lose in the country. They way the war was fought- the tactics he saw implemented and the orders given- were immoral. He refused an order to board a helicopter in the invasion of Cambodia in May 1970 and was court marshaled. Despite facing jail time (5 years), demotion, and dishonorable discharge without any money- he evaded it all. His laywer was prepared to take the case all the way to the top (the illegality of the order to invade Cambodia) and instead of risking it, they let him off the hook. In part he believes it was because the military was by that time full of people who had their own doubts about the war. Wager’s ultimate message was that the army is a moral organization despite its flaws.
Today I wandered to the military surplus market in HCMC and looked through various odds and ends and remnants of the war that are all piled into this warehouse of tools and parts (that looks amazingly like Opa’s garage) and stumbled across some dog tags. Most of them were Vietnamese names but there was one American one in the mix- a Rheuben L. Early- who I know was A neg (blood type?) and a Protestant, along with his U.S. military and social security numbers. I assume that because his dog tag is still in HCMC that he died while in Vietnam- one of 59,000. And 60,000 sounds small compared to the millions of Vietnamese that were killed. I guess for this reason I find it strange that is isn’t a lingering issue here like it is at home (perhaps that is in part because they won.)
On a lighter note, HCMC has provided some great experiences. One of the many highlights thus far has been the overwhelming shopping excursions to Ben Than Market and the buying in mass amount of bootleg DVDs (including many TV shows!) Let’s just say that there will be no work being done from this point in the voyage on. (We were warned about this.)
Tomorrow I’m off to the Mekong Delta!
Friday, March 28, 2008
First Day in Vietnam
3/27
Today was a long and exciting day in Ho Chi Minh City. I was up at 5:40 to see the sunrise but it was too hazy. Then i went to bed till 8:15 when i got up for breakfast. Then mason and I headed off the ship with a full itinerary of thigs to do. Evan and Clint wanted to do their manly stuff (getting suits made and DVD shopping). So the 2 of us did lots of shopping!! And found an amazing ice cream shop- Fanny's!- so yummy (we went there 2x). (Those were really the main two priorities on the intinerary.) We found a seamstress shop off the beaten path (undiscovered by all the SASers) and told them we'd come back after we bought fabric. So we bought enough for a few dresses at a Silk shop, then continued to Ben Than Market- where almost everything imaginable is sold for super cheap. Northface galore, designer bags, arts and crafts, t-shirts, polos...everything. I got a small northface backpack because i didn't bring a day pack with me. (If anyone wants one let me know). my small one cost $5 and i should be able to bargain that down too. they have every single style/size/color you can imagine.
So we bought even more fabric in the market (i bought lily pulitzer pink paisly) and then we went back to the seamstress. I am currently getting 4 dresses made? no- 3. and shorts and a skirt. Mason has 4 dresses and skirt. i'm going back saturday evening for fitting, mason will be gone but we'll both go back monday afternoon after our trip to cu chi tunnels. we are both really nervous/anxious/excited/intrigued for how our new wardrobe will turn out!
3/28
I have a service visit at the Hy Vong 8 School for the Deaf this afternoon.
On Sunday I'm going to the Mekong Delta, and on Monday- the Cu Chi Tunnels.
Today was a long and exciting day in Ho Chi Minh City. I was up at 5:40 to see the sunrise but it was too hazy. Then i went to bed till 8:15 when i got up for breakfast. Then mason and I headed off the ship with a full itinerary of thigs to do. Evan and Clint wanted to do their manly stuff (getting suits made and DVD shopping). So the 2 of us did lots of shopping!! And found an amazing ice cream shop- Fanny's!- so yummy (we went there 2x). (Those were really the main two priorities on the intinerary.) We found a seamstress shop off the beaten path (undiscovered by all the SASers) and told them we'd come back after we bought fabric. So we bought enough for a few dresses at a Silk shop, then continued to Ben Than Market- where almost everything imaginable is sold for super cheap. Northface galore, designer bags, arts and crafts, t-shirts, polos...everything. I got a small northface backpack because i didn't bring a day pack with me. (If anyone wants one let me know). my small one cost $5 and i should be able to bargain that down too. they have every single style/size/color you can imagine.
So we bought even more fabric in the market (i bought lily pulitzer pink paisly) and then we went back to the seamstress. I am currently getting 4 dresses made? no- 3. and shorts and a skirt. Mason has 4 dresses and skirt. i'm going back saturday evening for fitting, mason will be gone but we'll both go back monday afternoon after our trip to cu chi tunnels. we are both really nervous/anxious/excited/intrigued for how our new wardrobe will turn out!
3/28
I have a service visit at the Hy Vong 8 School for the Deaf this afternoon.
On Sunday I'm going to the Mekong Delta, and on Monday- the Cu Chi Tunnels.
Sunday, March 23, 2008
Malaysia
So my Malaysian experience in a nutshell:
We arrived on Wednesday morning and my friend Evan and I were on an SAS tour of Penang’s Temples and Mosques. Malaysia is so multicultural that there are Hindu temples, Buddhist temples, Daoist temples, churches, and mosques all throughout the city. I was shocked at how clean this place it- a huge change from India. Penang still has a very colonial feel- it gained independence from Britain only 50 years ago. There are many beautiful mansions around and the Eastern & Oriental is a beautiful colonial hotel. That night a group of 6 of us took the sleeper train to Kuala Lumpur. We departed at about 10:30pm and arrived at about 8am. (We later found out the bus only took 4hours.) But it was all about the experience- which I loved! It was so fun! (Of course I didn’t get all that much sleep- maybe 5 hours max). We all had top bunks and it was extremely loud. Evan and I were near the bathroom so it reeked when the doors weren’t closed. We stopped every hour or so and my backpack was taking up the last few feet of my bed so I couldn’t stretch out. But perhaps the worst part was that they left the lights on all night! I brought my cool max cocoon with me and it was wonderful! It was a really fun experience and I highly recommend it.
Then we got off the train and went straight to the Petronas Towers in the Golden Triangle District of KL. (The subway system in KL is awesomely easy). We got free tickets for later than afternoon and spend the interim hours laying in the park in the shadow of the towers. (Then we got yelled at by a policewoman who told us we could sit, but not lie down, in the grass. Strange.) There are lots of “PDA” police here because it is such a conservative country (60% Muslim). We went to the skybridge at the Petronas which is only half way up the World’s Tallest Towers.
We stayed the night in Chinatown at the Swiss Inn. Our 4 person room with 2 bunkbeds and a shower (and breakfast) cost $15USD. The next morning we went back to the Golden Triangle to go up in the KL Menara Tower (looks like the Space Needle-Seattle). It is 430+m and we were actually higher there than the sky bridge at the Petronas towers. We had lunch in Little India and then caught a flight on AirAsia (Airline of the Year 2007!) to Langkawi Island (up near Thailand). We spend our 4th day on the Beach and at Malaysia’s longest swimming pool! It was a great day (except the sunburn on my back.) Today I wandered around Penang and hit up the Chocolate Boutique!
We are refueling in Singapore on our way to Vietnam. We’re now half way through our ports with 7 weeks to go- it is flying by!
We arrived on Wednesday morning and my friend Evan and I were on an SAS tour of Penang’s Temples and Mosques. Malaysia is so multicultural that there are Hindu temples, Buddhist temples, Daoist temples, churches, and mosques all throughout the city. I was shocked at how clean this place it- a huge change from India. Penang still has a very colonial feel- it gained independence from Britain only 50 years ago. There are many beautiful mansions around and the Eastern & Oriental is a beautiful colonial hotel. That night a group of 6 of us took the sleeper train to Kuala Lumpur. We departed at about 10:30pm and arrived at about 8am. (We later found out the bus only took 4hours.) But it was all about the experience- which I loved! It was so fun! (Of course I didn’t get all that much sleep- maybe 5 hours max). We all had top bunks and it was extremely loud. Evan and I were near the bathroom so it reeked when the doors weren’t closed. We stopped every hour or so and my backpack was taking up the last few feet of my bed so I couldn’t stretch out. But perhaps the worst part was that they left the lights on all night! I brought my cool max cocoon with me and it was wonderful! It was a really fun experience and I highly recommend it.
Then we got off the train and went straight to the Petronas Towers in the Golden Triangle District of KL. (The subway system in KL is awesomely easy). We got free tickets for later than afternoon and spend the interim hours laying in the park in the shadow of the towers. (Then we got yelled at by a policewoman who told us we could sit, but not lie down, in the grass. Strange.) There are lots of “PDA” police here because it is such a conservative country (60% Muslim). We went to the skybridge at the Petronas which is only half way up the World’s Tallest Towers.
We stayed the night in Chinatown at the Swiss Inn. Our 4 person room with 2 bunkbeds and a shower (and breakfast) cost $15USD. The next morning we went back to the Golden Triangle to go up in the KL Menara Tower (looks like the Space Needle-Seattle). It is 430+m and we were actually higher there than the sky bridge at the Petronas towers. We had lunch in Little India and then caught a flight on AirAsia (Airline of the Year 2007!) to Langkawi Island (up near Thailand). We spend our 4th day on the Beach and at Malaysia’s longest swimming pool! It was a great day (except the sunburn on my back.) Today I wandered around Penang and hit up the Chocolate Boutique!
We are refueling in Singapore on our way to Vietnam. We’re now half way through our ports with 7 weeks to go- it is flying by!
India
Namaste! This is the Sanskrit way to say “hello.” Literally it means “I see God in you.” My time in India has been wonderful. I unfortunately was not on a trip to the Taj Mahal in Agra but I had a great time in Chennai and its surrounding areas. Chennai is the capital of Tamil Nadu, one of 4 South Indian states. Chennai has a population of 7.5 million. Upon arrival on the 11th I attended a yoga demonstration and bought a great poster with all the Sanskrit pose names. I went on a City Orientation Tour that day which stopped at some of the most well known sites in Chennai- St. Thomas Basilica, the Kapaleeshwar Temple, Fort St. George’s museum detailing India’s history under British rule, and Marina Beach (the second longest beach in the world). Marina Beach is essentially a fishing village. Thatch-roofed huts line the beach and fishing boats and nets are everywhere. The beach is completely covered in trash. This area was hit by the Christmas Day tsunami of 2004. Today on my FDP, Socioeconomic Problems of Chennai, we visited a slum along the beach and talked to some its residents and were bombarded by excited kids. It is amazing to see the poverty they live in- it is unfathomable. The food is swarmed by flies, their huts are dark and unfurnished, and the water would make us sick instantly. The ocean is violent and I can’t believe there are so many young kids running around so close to it and even swimming in it. 250 million Indians live in desperate poverty.
The port area is a very sketchy area and we had to walk through the cargo-loading areas and often wade through tar and oil slicks. It is the dirtiest place I’ve ever seen and people work there all day long without shoes or gloves.
On my second day in Chennai I did a little shopping at Spencer Plaza- pashminas galore. Then in the afternoon I visited the Bala Mandir Orphanage. We saw kids of all ages- from day care to high school- and all of them were excited to see us. They were obsessed with our cameras! They love to shake hands and they were very cute. The high school girls were extremely talkative- and many spoke English very well. Their school buildings were sparse and the power went in and out while we were there, but they seem to have very dedicated teachers.
The next day I was on an overnight SAS trip to Kanchepuram/Mamallapuram. There were only 8 students accompanied by Dean Enbohm, Student Life Director Al, and 2 life-long learners: 80-year old-Nancy and Ernest from Sri Lanka. We visited 3 temples in Kanchepuram (the Golden City)- which were all extremely beautiful and fascinating. I didn’t know much about Hinduism before arriving here but our adorable guide, Kala, taught us all so much. We had a great Indian lunch at a local hotel and visited a silk house- Sreenivas- which is know for child-free labor.
The port area is a very sketchy area and we had to walk through the cargo-loading areas and often wade through tar and oil slicks. It is the dirtiest place I’ve ever seen and people work there all day long without shoes or gloves.
On my second day in Chennai I did a little shopping at Spencer Plaza- pashminas galore. Then in the afternoon I visited the Bala Mandir Orphanage. We saw kids of all ages- from day care to high school- and all of them were excited to see us. They were obsessed with our cameras! They love to shake hands and they were very cute. The high school girls were extremely talkative- and many spoke English very well. Their school buildings were sparse and the power went in and out while we were there, but they seem to have very dedicated teachers.
The next day I was on an overnight SAS trip to Kanchepuram/Mamallapuram. There were only 8 students accompanied by Dean Enbohm, Student Life Director Al, and 2 life-long learners: 80-year old-Nancy and Ernest from Sri Lanka. We visited 3 temples in Kanchepuram (the Golden City)- which were all extremely beautiful and fascinating. I didn’t know much about Hinduism before arriving here but our adorable guide, Kala, taught us all so much. We had a great Indian lunch at a local hotel and visited a silk house- Sreenivas- which is know for child-free labor.
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