The night before arriving in South Africa the whole ship was so excited. We were sea bound for 7 days and ready to be on land. All we kept hearing about was how amazing this country was and we couldn’t wait to see. During sunset a bunch of my friends and I went on the top deck to watch it. It was the most beautiful thing I have ever seen. I’ve never seen the sky and the sun have so many colors, it was amazing.
Day 1
Arriving into Cape Town water front was breathtaking. The water was crystal clear, the mountains were beautiful and we were actually walking distance to the waterfront which hasn’t happened since Spain. None of us could wait until the ship was cleared so we could head out for our adventure. My roommate and my friends Riley, Matt, and Kevin decided that we were going to hike Table Mountain bright and early. Table Mountain is a famous mountain in Cape Town and about 1000 meters high. It is extremely hard to hike, but we were told it’s something you have to do when you go to Cape Town, and that the view is incredible from the top. The four of us got our hiking gear on and headed off the ship. We found a taxi driver and he took us up to the starting point. We all looked up at how far we had to go and were all silently freaking out. Wondering how in the world we were going to do this. The first half hour went by pretty fast, and mostly struggle less. Then all of a sudden the mountain got steeper and the path became more and more intense. We literally had to stop for breaks every 3 minutes. Our legs were burning, or hearts were pounding, and every time we looked up we knew we had so much more to go. We kept bumping into other SAS kids, everyone was sweating and tired, but we were all so happy to be there. Every time we looked out at the view it gave us motivation to keep on trekking. After about 2 hours and many stops in the shade we finally made it to the top. The feeling we had was indescribable. We were just so happy to be done but also so proud of ourselves for doing it. We then all looked out at the view and it was just breathtaking. All you saw was blue waters and sand on one side and the city on the other side. We took tons of pictures got some souvenirs, and then decided to head back down. We took the cable car down, there was no way we about to hike another two hours down. We then decided to head to the rugby game that was going on. We took a taxi got our tickets and headed inside. It was a fun experience. I have never seen rugby before and it’s definitely a cool sport. We got some hot dogs and burgers some beer and just relaxed. The game was about two hours long. After that we headed back to the ship to get ready for our night out!
A bunch of my friends and I thought it would be nice to have a nice dinner before we headed to Long Street (which is where all the bars and clubs are). We ate right in the water front, about 200 meters from the ship. There were tons of restaurants. We decided to eat at this place called Karibou, it was South African cuisine, and we were all pretty excited to try authentic food. It had been so long since we had a good meal. I ordered a beef kabob with some South African sauce. It was the most amazing thing in the world. It was huge and tasted so good. Everyone tasted it and wished they would have gotten that. My one friend got ostrich which is what you order when in South Africa. I actually tasted it and it was soooo good. I love going to these different countries and trying all different foods, it one of the best things about traveling the world. After our 3 hour long meal, and many bottles of wine later we all decided to head to Long Street. It was so much fun about 300 hundred SAS kids covered the streets, we went from bar to bar and club to club. We stayed out until 4 in the morning! It was one of the best nights I’ve had in a while.
Day 2
After waking up, my roommate and I found some other friends and started to make plans for the day. We all decided to go to this market that was only open on Sundays. We heard it was a must and you could get some pretty awesome gifts. We all headed out and got ourselves some taxis. The market was outside and it was huge. Every table had so many different things. Anything from pottery to jewelry, to animal skin rugs and pillow cases, paintings and picture frames. It was incredible, and the people were just so nice. I got a bunch of stuff and spent way too much money (of course). We were there for about two hours. We heard there was a soccer game going on and that it was another experience that we were told we had to do. We then headed to the soccer game, and when we got out of the taxi it was insanity! Thousands of fans running and screaming, going crazy. Security was high, and people were getting yelled out left and right to calm down. I have never in my life seen a sporting event or fans so nuts over a team. I thought Yankee fans were bad. We couldn’t get in because we didn’t already buy our tickets, but we found some scalpers and finally headed inside. The stadium was filled to the brims, not an empty seat in the house. You couldn’t even hear yourself think it was so loud. The teams that were playing were Cape Town Ajax and Johannesburg Cavaliers. For some reason everyone was a Cavaliers fan, literally the whole stadium. Every time they scored it was insanely loud with cheers. I left at half time because it was getting late and we wanted to get ready to go out. We later found out the cavs won. After getting ready my roommate, my friends steph kota and aryanna went out for some sushi! We all were craving it since it had been so long! After another nice long dinner we headed to this bar called Mitchell’s which was right on the waterfront. A bunch of kids were staying around the ship because many of them had trips planned for the next day. It was a cool bar, it head an upstairs and played some good music. We all had a really fun night.
Day 3
After finally waking up in the morning my friends Ali, Alyse, and Deb had all planned to go on a wine tasting tour. South Africa has many wineries and we heard the day of wine tasting was so much fun. We figured we would give it a try. We ate lunch and then headed out to try to find a tour. We bumped into three other SASers and we all decided to go together. We had a taxi driver for the whole day who took us from winery to winery we went to four over all. We tried tons of different wines. Red, white, rose, sweet, fruity, dry. It was so much fun. After each winery we also all bought a bottle and shared it as a group. Without realizing it we all kind of got drunk. So the day wound up being even more fun then we planned. The last winery we went to had cheetahs, and you were able to go inside for 5 minutes and pet and touch them. I wasn’t scared at all, but they gave you a big lecture on what to do and what not to do, because after all they are wild animals. My cheetah’s name was Joey, and he was the cutest thing. He was huge but I pet him and he was purring. It was so amazing to be next to and touching a huge wild animal. There were baby cubs too and they were so sweet. After about 2 minutes Joey stood up and I got a bit scared. The trainer said he was sorry but I would have to leave, because Joey was getting annoyed. He stands up and walks around when he’s had enough. I was disappointed I couldn’t stay in there longer, but it was still such a cool thing to do. After everyone got their chance with a cheetah we finally headed back to the ship. We had such a fun day. But we were all exhausted from drinking wine. I decided to go back to my room and pack for my three day safari that left the next morning.
Day 4
I woke up at around 7:00 and got my last minute stuff together. I headed off the ship and went down to where the bus was waiting to take my group to the airport to go to Kruger. Kruger National Park is one of the best safari’s not only in South Africa but in the world. It’s a free range park, which means the animals are free to roam where ever they want, they are not fenced in or captive. They were here long before the park even existed. The whole park is about the size of New Jersey. We obviously were only going to see about a quarter of it. Once on the bus we met our guide for the next three days his name was Graham and he was such a nice man. He got us all so excited! After the 2 hour plane ride out of Cape Town we finally arrived in Kruger. The airport looked like a log cabin, it was so small and it was made out of real logs. It was beautiful. We then got on a bus that took us to our hotel. When we arrived at the hotel our mouths al dropped. It was the most beautiful hotel I have ever been to in my life. It was on a golf course, it had 5 pools, tennis courts, bars, and bungalows. It was amazing. People always tell you not to spend your money doing SAS trips, but the places they put you in are always the nicest so it’s worth it for sure.
When we arrived they had lunch for us and it was so good! Fresh veggies and fruits, all different kinds of meats. We then headed to our rooms threw down our stuff and headed to meet our safari jeep drivers. I was in a jeep with 9 other people and our driver’s name was doctor (yes that was his real name). He was amazing. In the first 2 hours we saw 3 of the big five. The big five are the most dangerous animals. They are the lion, leopard, elephant, buffalo, and rhino. WE saw elephants, buffalo and rhino, along with giraffes so many impalas and other cool animals. It was amazing to see these animals in real life, the only time ive ever seen them were on TV or in books. We were out on our drive until about 6 pm we got to watch the sunset it was amazing. We then showered back at the hotel and got ready for another great dinner. They BBQ’d for us, it was delicious. We all then headed to bed because we had to be up at 4:30 am for our next game drive!
When we woke up we were all so tired but it didn’t matter we were so excited to see more animals for the day! We drove to the park and saw a beautiful sunrise. It was just like the lion king! The rest of the day we spent driving around trying to spot animals. It was like those books you read when you were little. I Spy. We finally saw a leopard, which was amazing, Doctor said they are hard to find and we were so lucky to have seen one he hadn’t seen one in a month! We also saw a bunch of lions, and there were two lions that were walking around our jeep, it was amazing, they are huge and muscular, but such beautiful animals, all I wanted to do was play with them! After about 8 hours of driving around we finally headed back to the hotel. It was probably about 95 degrees outside, and all we wanted to do was jump in the pool! After about an hour relaxing in the pool a bunch of people signed up to go on a night game drive, but about 10 kids including me signed up to go to this place where you could ride wild elephants. I definitely wanted to do that so I was excited. When we got to the place, it was called elephant whispers. They people who worked there spent a lot of time explaining the safety of how to act with the elephants, and they told us all about elephants. I had no idea they were such smart animals. We got to take pictures with them and pet them and feed them! It was such a cool experience. They are such gentle giants. We finally got to get on top and ride them. That was so cool. Much more fun than riding a camel! After our night with the elephants we headed back to the hotel and had a nice dinner. A bunch of us stayed up late drank some champagne and talked all night. Besides having a great experience in the safari, that night was also a highlight of my trip. I got to know and learn things about people that I may have never became friendly with if it wasn’t for this particular SAS trip. It was a great way to end my time in South Africa. The next morning we went on one last game drive and then headed back to the airport. We were all exhausted; we probably slept 8 hours the entire 3 days.
When we finally got back to Cape Town we headed back to the ship to depart South Africa. It was the first time in my 6 weeks of traveling that I really did not want to leave. I loved South Africa so much, I loved everything about it; the culture, the diversity, and the fun. I know that I will come back one day! It had finally hit me that I was actually traveling the world. In every other port I kind of was just going through the motions, and it hadn’t really hit me yet. It is hard to explain to someone that has never experienced this, but it’s true. I don’t think my brain comprehended what it was I really was doing. When I got back on the ship I just had such an emotional moment where I was so overwhelmed and so happy to be having this experience. After each port we have what’s called cultural post port, where people share their stories and experiences. This was the first time I went to one. And it was so emotional to hear everyone’s stories and experiences. In South Africa I did fun things, but there were many people who had visited shanty townships, went to orphanages, and helped build houses for the less fortunate. Hearing all of these stories made me so proud to be doing what I am doing. I am learning more now than I probably ever will for the rest of my life. I really am the luckiest person
MV EXPLORER ( my new home )
friends leaving spain
friends leaving spain
Wednesday, October 21, 2009
Tuesday, September 29, 2009
Oh My Ghana!
GHANA
(9/22-9/25)
Ok so I know it’s been so long since my last blog and I’m sorry for my frequent readers, but I really have just been soooo busy! I know I missed my blog about morocco but I’ll get back to that another time..I just got back from Ghana and thought I would write about that so I don’t forget all that I did. Before I start I just want to apologize to everyone for being so behind on my emails too! When I’m in port I am never ever near a compute and when I am at sea I really am so busy with class and work and shipboard activities it’s just so hard to find the time! So I’m sorry everyone
So we got to Ghana early on the 22nd. It was a realllllly hot muggy day outside, but nonetheless I was excited for my day to begin. I was going to a school for my learning and memory class. We were going to observe and see what the differences are between American schools and this particular school in Ghana. This school was not like all the other schools in Ghana. This one was called Morning Star School and was a private school. It was started by a Ghanaian woman, who wanted to bring education into the lives of children. She has now passed away but her children now own and run the school.. They have all been to America and went to college in America, but decided to come back to share their education with their country. Most of the kids who go to this school are wealthier kids (in terms of Ghana) but there are definitely some kids who go there that are on aid or orphans who are fortunate enough to be getting help. The school itself didn’t look like a school it was just an outside facility with classrooms that looked old, and rugged, but the insides of the classrooms were bright and cheery. We first went into a kindergarten class, it was only their fourth day of school, and they were soooo well behaved it was amazing. We then walked around to the other grades and got to talk to the kids and interact with them. They were all soo happy to have us there. They treated us so amazingly well it was unbelievable. The things they were learning were definitely harder than the things we learned in the same grades in America. There discipline and behavior was also unlike anything I have ever seen. Talking to these kids was incredible as well..Every single child I talked to had a dream to be something great. The woman who was showing us around told us that these kids really understand the sacrifice their parents are making and that’s why they don’t take education for granted like we do. The school has almost a 100% graduation rate and almost a 100% rate of kids going on to college.. Those percentages are unheard of in America. After we looked at all the classes it was recess. We got to play with all the kids..we took tons of pictures. They loved looking at the pictures on the camera. I’ve never seen kids so happy to have visitors. If this was in America, and a group of Ghanaian kids came, I don’t think the reactions would have been the same, It put a lot in perspective. After the day was over we were all made food and got to have a nice meal. It was an amazing experience, and I would love to be able to go back to that school again,. I got the woman’s information and hopefully I can keep in contact with her. My teacher and a lot of the kids are donating money or things to the school and I would love to do that. She also told us that in Ghana there are government run schools, but some other people went to those schools, and said it was so sad. The classrooms were dark and old, had no pictures. The kids barely had pens or pencils. Its amazing what a little funding can do. I feel awful for those kids who don’t have the means to get a better education. And it really makes me want to do something about it. Hopefully one day I can help in some way.
After our day at the school me and a few friends went into the town of Accra (about 45 minutes away from our port) We did some shopping in the markets. I got some cool souvenirs. The people were all so nice. They did harass you a little bit, but in a nice way (if that makes any sense) They wanted you to buy things and did follow you and try to get you to buy things but in such a friendly way. They love Obama, everything was Obama this and Obama that, “we love him and we love America so we love you” It was so awesome to be so welcomed, because in Morocco we were not. After our shopping we headed back to Tema (port) to eat dinner and get ready for the night out. We decided to all go out in Tema because a lot of us had to be up early the next morning for trips. The cab drivers took all of us to the only club in Tema. There were like a hundred SAS kids in the bar/club in Ghana it was awesome. We walked in and it was all out in the open the dance floor was under the stars. It was in the middle of nowhere though. It was a little freaky getting there. The roads are all dirt and dark and scary. When we finally got a few drinks and the music came on we were all so happy! We then started to look around and saw something a little off. There were probably 15 Ghanaian women, walking around dressed like hookers, and much to our surprise that’s exactly what they were. They kept going up to all of the boys we were with, it was hilarious, the boys were frightened. It was a very funny experience. The night was a great night. Everyone was having a great time. It was getting late though so a few friends and I went back to the ship to get to bed for the next day’s adventures.
My trip was leaving at 7am and when I woke up I was glad I didn’t drink as much as my other friends did. I was ready for my day! I was heading to a village about 3 hours away from Tema that was famous for all the monkeys they have. After a very long and bumpy bus ride we finally arrived. It was so hot and sweaty, and we were in the middle of nowhere but it was still great. The scenery was beautiful. There were little kids running around all over the place, and all different kinds of farm animals too. The kids were all so happy to see us! They didn’t speak English, but we still played with them and took pictures with them. Our guide took us for a nice little 20 minute walk and then we finally got to see the monkeys. There were tons of them! They were just swinging from tree to tree. They were all playing with each other it was so cute. We had bananas and got to feed them. It was so cool having a wild monkey eat out of my hands. You just hold the whole banana and they peel it so fast right in your hands. It was the cutest thing. They looked like Rifki from the Lion King. That’s really what this part of the country looked like. After our visit with the monkeys we then got back on the bus and had another 2 hour bus ride to another village where the was the famous waterfall called WLI waterfall. It’s supposedly one of the highest natural waterfalls. When we got there we had to hike about 45 minutes to get to it. It was a beautiful hike. It was the jungle. There were amazxing trees and plants and really weird bugs. There were centipedes the size of hot dogs and ants the size of flys. It was gross! When we finally got to the waterfall I could not believe what I saw. It was the most breathtaking thing I have ever seen. This waterfall was just coming down. There was a rainbow surrounding us and it was so green. Words and pictures cannot even describe. We all went into the waterfall. There was a big natural pool and we all went swimming it was unreal. I remember just looking up and being amazed that this was my life. I was in the middle of Africa swimming in a waterfall! How cool is that? We all tried to get right under the fallll but it was so hard that it hurt and we couldn’t get that close. We all swam for about 45 minutes and then had to head back to the bus to go back to Tema. The bus ride abck was really long it took about 4 hours and we were late getting back. We all rushed to eat dinner and get ready for another night out. We all headed back to the same club as the night before. The night was just as fun.
The next day my roommate, my friends Alex, Sean, Sam, Andrew, Stephanie and Arianna, decided to head into Accra. WE wanted to eat some good food and head to the beach for the day. We found this place called Frankie’s and had the most amazing hamburgers ever (probably not ever, but we were so sick and tired of ship food that it tasted amazing) After we ate we took a 5-10 minute cab to the beach called La Bodi. It was awesome. We just went and played in the water. And Sean and I rode horses along the coast. It was so amazing. We also got serenaded by 3 reggae guys. They played Bob Marley for us for about 30 minutes it was awesome. It was Sam’s birthday and they sang their own reggae version of happy birthday too. All in all it was great relaxing day in Ghana. I also bought a cool painting on the beach. We headed back to the boat, ate and got ready for our last night out. We decided to go back into Accra. Tons of SAS kids were going so we all decided that was the right thing to do. Accra is supposed to have a much better night life. We got there and all American kids covred the streets (SAS). The owners of the bars were sooo happy to have us. We kept roaming around from bar to bar until we all finally decided on this club called Mirage. It was a really cool place with two levels. We spent the rest of the night there and had a great time. On the way home I went into a cab with my friends Vanessa and James. We then saw our friends in another cab getting pulled over, and then we got pulled over. We were all scared and wondering what the hell was going on (we heard from others that when they were driving back from Accra the other days they got pulled over too, but we didn’t know why) Our cab driver was telling us not to worry but of course we were! It just so happened that there are check points and the cops have to check to see if there are the right amount of people in the cab and if seatbelts were on. I don’t know if that’s the exact truth, but I’ll make pretend it is. When we finally got back to port it was like 4 am. The cab driver wouldn’t drive us to the ship, if we walked it would have been a 20 minute walk though industrial streets (not safe) Thank god James was there, he was fighting with the guy to let him drive us, but he wouldn’t, then the port security got involved and was telling us to get out they have a van to take us to the ship, we payed to cab driver but he wasn’t happy with what we payed him, he started yelling at James again, and me and Vanessa were scared out of our minds. The police and security took care of it and brought us back to the ship. It was one of the scariest things ever. Most of the people in Ghana are so nice and so happy and willing to help, but when it comes to money some people just turn into mean people. But we got back on safe and sound and it was a good story. T
The next day was our last day, but it was a gross rainy day. We already did all the shopping we could have and saw all we could see. We decided to take the day to rest and stay on the ship. I don’t regret doing that at all. We had to be back on board by 4 o’clock anyway and we didn’t wake up till about 12. The boat departed at 8 pm and we are now setting sail for Capetown, South Africa. Ill be better with my updates im promise! Miss you all!!!
(9/22-9/25)
Ok so I know it’s been so long since my last blog and I’m sorry for my frequent readers, but I really have just been soooo busy! I know I missed my blog about morocco but I’ll get back to that another time..I just got back from Ghana and thought I would write about that so I don’t forget all that I did. Before I start I just want to apologize to everyone for being so behind on my emails too! When I’m in port I am never ever near a compute and when I am at sea I really am so busy with class and work and shipboard activities it’s just so hard to find the time! So I’m sorry everyone
So we got to Ghana early on the 22nd. It was a realllllly hot muggy day outside, but nonetheless I was excited for my day to begin. I was going to a school for my learning and memory class. We were going to observe and see what the differences are between American schools and this particular school in Ghana. This school was not like all the other schools in Ghana. This one was called Morning Star School and was a private school. It was started by a Ghanaian woman, who wanted to bring education into the lives of children. She has now passed away but her children now own and run the school.. They have all been to America and went to college in America, but decided to come back to share their education with their country. Most of the kids who go to this school are wealthier kids (in terms of Ghana) but there are definitely some kids who go there that are on aid or orphans who are fortunate enough to be getting help. The school itself didn’t look like a school it was just an outside facility with classrooms that looked old, and rugged, but the insides of the classrooms were bright and cheery. We first went into a kindergarten class, it was only their fourth day of school, and they were soooo well behaved it was amazing. We then walked around to the other grades and got to talk to the kids and interact with them. They were all soo happy to have us there. They treated us so amazingly well it was unbelievable. The things they were learning were definitely harder than the things we learned in the same grades in America. There discipline and behavior was also unlike anything I have ever seen. Talking to these kids was incredible as well..Every single child I talked to had a dream to be something great. The woman who was showing us around told us that these kids really understand the sacrifice their parents are making and that’s why they don’t take education for granted like we do. The school has almost a 100% graduation rate and almost a 100% rate of kids going on to college.. Those percentages are unheard of in America. After we looked at all the classes it was recess. We got to play with all the kids..we took tons of pictures. They loved looking at the pictures on the camera. I’ve never seen kids so happy to have visitors. If this was in America, and a group of Ghanaian kids came, I don’t think the reactions would have been the same, It put a lot in perspective. After the day was over we were all made food and got to have a nice meal. It was an amazing experience, and I would love to be able to go back to that school again,. I got the woman’s information and hopefully I can keep in contact with her. My teacher and a lot of the kids are donating money or things to the school and I would love to do that. She also told us that in Ghana there are government run schools, but some other people went to those schools, and said it was so sad. The classrooms were dark and old, had no pictures. The kids barely had pens or pencils. Its amazing what a little funding can do. I feel awful for those kids who don’t have the means to get a better education. And it really makes me want to do something about it. Hopefully one day I can help in some way.
After our day at the school me and a few friends went into the town of Accra (about 45 minutes away from our port) We did some shopping in the markets. I got some cool souvenirs. The people were all so nice. They did harass you a little bit, but in a nice way (if that makes any sense) They wanted you to buy things and did follow you and try to get you to buy things but in such a friendly way. They love Obama, everything was Obama this and Obama that, “we love him and we love America so we love you” It was so awesome to be so welcomed, because in Morocco we were not. After our shopping we headed back to Tema (port) to eat dinner and get ready for the night out. We decided to all go out in Tema because a lot of us had to be up early the next morning for trips. The cab drivers took all of us to the only club in Tema. There were like a hundred SAS kids in the bar/club in Ghana it was awesome. We walked in and it was all out in the open the dance floor was under the stars. It was in the middle of nowhere though. It was a little freaky getting there. The roads are all dirt and dark and scary. When we finally got a few drinks and the music came on we were all so happy! We then started to look around and saw something a little off. There were probably 15 Ghanaian women, walking around dressed like hookers, and much to our surprise that’s exactly what they were. They kept going up to all of the boys we were with, it was hilarious, the boys were frightened. It was a very funny experience. The night was a great night. Everyone was having a great time. It was getting late though so a few friends and I went back to the ship to get to bed for the next day’s adventures.
My trip was leaving at 7am and when I woke up I was glad I didn’t drink as much as my other friends did. I was ready for my day! I was heading to a village about 3 hours away from Tema that was famous for all the monkeys they have. After a very long and bumpy bus ride we finally arrived. It was so hot and sweaty, and we were in the middle of nowhere but it was still great. The scenery was beautiful. There were little kids running around all over the place, and all different kinds of farm animals too. The kids were all so happy to see us! They didn’t speak English, but we still played with them and took pictures with them. Our guide took us for a nice little 20 minute walk and then we finally got to see the monkeys. There were tons of them! They were just swinging from tree to tree. They were all playing with each other it was so cute. We had bananas and got to feed them. It was so cool having a wild monkey eat out of my hands. You just hold the whole banana and they peel it so fast right in your hands. It was the cutest thing. They looked like Rifki from the Lion King. That’s really what this part of the country looked like. After our visit with the monkeys we then got back on the bus and had another 2 hour bus ride to another village where the was the famous waterfall called WLI waterfall. It’s supposedly one of the highest natural waterfalls. When we got there we had to hike about 45 minutes to get to it. It was a beautiful hike. It was the jungle. There were amazxing trees and plants and really weird bugs. There were centipedes the size of hot dogs and ants the size of flys. It was gross! When we finally got to the waterfall I could not believe what I saw. It was the most breathtaking thing I have ever seen. This waterfall was just coming down. There was a rainbow surrounding us and it was so green. Words and pictures cannot even describe. We all went into the waterfall. There was a big natural pool and we all went swimming it was unreal. I remember just looking up and being amazed that this was my life. I was in the middle of Africa swimming in a waterfall! How cool is that? We all tried to get right under the fallll but it was so hard that it hurt and we couldn’t get that close. We all swam for about 45 minutes and then had to head back to the bus to go back to Tema. The bus ride abck was really long it took about 4 hours and we were late getting back. We all rushed to eat dinner and get ready for another night out. We all headed back to the same club as the night before. The night was just as fun.
The next day my roommate, my friends Alex, Sean, Sam, Andrew, Stephanie and Arianna, decided to head into Accra. WE wanted to eat some good food and head to the beach for the day. We found this place called Frankie’s and had the most amazing hamburgers ever (probably not ever, but we were so sick and tired of ship food that it tasted amazing) After we ate we took a 5-10 minute cab to the beach called La Bodi. It was awesome. We just went and played in the water. And Sean and I rode horses along the coast. It was so amazing. We also got serenaded by 3 reggae guys. They played Bob Marley for us for about 30 minutes it was awesome. It was Sam’s birthday and they sang their own reggae version of happy birthday too. All in all it was great relaxing day in Ghana. I also bought a cool painting on the beach. We headed back to the boat, ate and got ready for our last night out. We decided to go back into Accra. Tons of SAS kids were going so we all decided that was the right thing to do. Accra is supposed to have a much better night life. We got there and all American kids covred the streets (SAS). The owners of the bars were sooo happy to have us. We kept roaming around from bar to bar until we all finally decided on this club called Mirage. It was a really cool place with two levels. We spent the rest of the night there and had a great time. On the way home I went into a cab with my friends Vanessa and James. We then saw our friends in another cab getting pulled over, and then we got pulled over. We were all scared and wondering what the hell was going on (we heard from others that when they were driving back from Accra the other days they got pulled over too, but we didn’t know why) Our cab driver was telling us not to worry but of course we were! It just so happened that there are check points and the cops have to check to see if there are the right amount of people in the cab and if seatbelts were on. I don’t know if that’s the exact truth, but I’ll make pretend it is. When we finally got back to port it was like 4 am. The cab driver wouldn’t drive us to the ship, if we walked it would have been a 20 minute walk though industrial streets (not safe) Thank god James was there, he was fighting with the guy to let him drive us, but he wouldn’t, then the port security got involved and was telling us to get out they have a van to take us to the ship, we payed to cab driver but he wasn’t happy with what we payed him, he started yelling at James again, and me and Vanessa were scared out of our minds. The police and security took care of it and brought us back to the ship. It was one of the scariest things ever. Most of the people in Ghana are so nice and so happy and willing to help, but when it comes to money some people just turn into mean people. But we got back on safe and sound and it was a good story. T
The next day was our last day, but it was a gross rainy day. We already did all the shopping we could have and saw all we could see. We decided to take the day to rest and stay on the ship. I don’t regret doing that at all. We had to be back on board by 4 o’clock anyway and we didn’t wake up till about 12. The boat departed at 8 pm and we are now setting sail for Capetown, South Africa. Ill be better with my updates im promise! Miss you all!!!
Thursday, September 17, 2009
Espana!
Before you start Im just warning you that this is pretty long, but i didn't want to leave anything out! ENJOY!!
Spain (September 5-8,2009)
We arrived in Spain on September 5 at 8 am. I had a flight to Barcelona at 2:50 so at about 9:00 my group (most of whom I’ve never met) got off of the ship to head for the bus station. Getting on land for the first time in 7 days felt great. It was nice to see civilization. We finally found the bus stop after walking around in the scorching heat for 35 minutes. We got on the bus and headed to the airport. We arrived really early so we all got some food to eat and some mini bottles of wine. Our flight wound up being about an hour delayed. We were all a bit disappointed, we wanted to get to Barcelona and start experiencing all the fun we were about to encounter. In the airport I met these two girls Kelly and Danielle they were friends from home and go to the University of Arizona. I instantly connected with them. They were visiting they’re friend from home who is studying in Barcelona for the semester. I was a little disappointed that I wouldn’t be with them for the next three days. The people in my group were all very nice, but people I’ve never met, or seemed to have a connection with. I was kind of worried that I wouldn’t have the time I wanted to have.
We finally arrived in Barcelona around 6:00. It then took us another 2 hours to figure out what train/bus to take to get to La Rambla (the main street in Barcelona where our hostel was). After the long hot struggle of making sure all 13 people were together we finally got to Kabul (our hostel) I was surprised at how nice the hostel was (under hostel standards of course). In Italy I stayed in some gross ones, and this was decent. We had a big room with about 10 bunk beds.
Me and 4 of the other girls in the group decided to shower and get ready to go out to a nice dinner before we would go out to the bars. We asked the guy in the hostel were he recommended eating, and he gave us a name of a tapas place. We of course go lost, and had no idea in the world where we were going. I decided to take it into my own hands and went go into an Irish pub I saw to ask for directions, I wound up finding an Irish man from New York City who recommended another place to eat, after another 15 minutes of roaming around like a chicken with its head cut off we finally found the tapas place. It wasn’t the best food I’ve ever ate. I’m pretty sure I’ve had better tapas in New York City but the atmosphere was nice. We of course got some pitchers of sangria and it was amazing. We were still eating when the time turned about 12:30, next to the restaurant we saw a million people walk into this bar called chupitos. We decided to go in and see what was going on. It just so happens that Chupito means shots, and in this bar there were over 500 shots! It was insane they were all written on the wall. We decided to take the harry potter shot! (for you Amanda!) It was delicious they lit it on fire. We wound up bumping into this group of British and Spanish boys and hung out with them the rest of the night. The Spanish boys took us to a local bar they like to go to. Most of the people in there were people from town. We then proceeded to this club which just so happened to be right next to our hostel. It was already getting late and I decided if I wanted to do anything tomorrow I must go to bed, so I stepped outside and walked about 2 feet to the hostel. I was so happy to finally be sleeping after almost 24 hours of being awake.
The next day our plan of waking up at 8:00 am didn’t quite work out so well. At about 1130 we were all finally up and ready to head out to be tourists for the day. The same four girls and I decided it would be a smart idea to take a city bus tour so that way we could get on and off at the different stops all day and do what we please. Barcelona is a big city and there would have been no way to get around to the all the famous cites. The first stop on the bus loop was La Pedera. It was a beautiful building built by Antonia Gaudi. He was a famous architect in the 20th century. His stuff is absolutely amazing. It looks like a fairy tale building from the outside. I have tons of pictures that I will post to show the interesting architecture. We did an audio tour so we would actually understand and know what we were looking at. It explained why his creations were all so fun and imaginative. Gaudi liked to use designs that reminded him of nature whether it be animals plants or the ocean everything flowed into one another just like it belonged it was breath taking. On top of the building there was a terrace that was designed as if it was from the middle ages, the chimney and water pipes were all designed as beautiful pieces but all had functional purposes. The view was amazing and you could see a big chunck of the city. It was a hot day, but at that moment I was just blown away at what I was looking at that I didn’t even mind. After la Pedera we headed back to the bus and got off again at La Sagrada Familia which is a famous church built by Gaudi. We didn’t go inside because we were all starving and ready to eat, but I did take tons of pictures and it was beautiful. We then found a pace to eat on one of the side streets. It was a real authentic Spanish place, not one person spoke English in the entire place. I decided to order the sea bass. I was surprised when my dish came out of the kitchen. It looked as though the chef had just caught the fish from the ocean and placed it on my plate. It still had the head and tail on and it wasn’t even opened to where the meat was. If any of you know me, you know I’m terrified of fish. I then proceeded to scream and made the boy next to me cut off the tail and head and open it so I could eat it. I was proud of myself that I still tried to eat, but it we just so fresh I could taste the fishiness. It was an interesting experience and one I certainly will never forget. Everyone got tons of other food so they let me help them out. After lunch it was already about 4:30 so we headed back on the bus and went to Park Guell which is a park full of Gaudi’s architecture. I’m not quite sure if these building have a purpose or if he was just given the area to spread his creative ideas, but either way it was the most interesting and beautiful park I have ever been in. Each sculpture and building had a life of its own. It was magical I felt like I was in a child’s story book. I tried to capture these things on film, but I don’t think that would do it justice. The colors and details and shapes were all just incredible I don’t know how one person could build and create such interesting and imaginative things. I wanted to spend more time in this park, but two girls I was with were leaving the next day and wanted to see other things. We got back on the bus and did the rest of the bus tour. I was exhausted and fell asleep the rest of the hour on the bus, but they said I didn’t miss much. We finally got back to the hostel at 8:30 and showered to get ready for dinner and another night out. We met up with Kelly and Danielle and their friend for dinner. I was happy that they came; we had a great dinner at this place right next to our hostel. I forget the name but it was a French restaurant which we were all very happy about. We had enough of Spanish food. The food was amazing and the sangria was even more delicious. It was about 1:00 when we finished dinner and then went back to the shot bar. We stayed there for a while and then headed back to the hostel. It was a Sunday so not many things were open which was kind of a bummer, we were hoping to go to some real fun club that lasted until 6 am, but I think we were all secretly happy that didn’t work out, we were exhausted. On the way back one of the boys wanted food and he stopped at the burger king were he got his meal and as his drink he got a soda cup filled with beer. It was hilarious how all the fast food places sell beer just like its soda (its cheaper then soda!)
The next day was our last day so me and the one girl that was left decided it’d be a great idea to go to the beach. The walk to the beach was beautiful and the beach itself was gorgeous. The water was so unbelievably blue it didn’t even look real. We lay out all day, and it was pretty much uneventful. Just a relaxing day that was much needed. When we got back to the hostel we decided it would be a good idea to take a siesta. Our flight was at 6:30 am and we were almost positive we would not be sleeping at all that night. As I was looking through my stuff I realized my IPod was missing. At the beach while I was passed out on my chair someone stole it. The first rule that my parents gave me before I left was to be mindful and don’t lose anything important! Well of course at the first port I disobeyed that rule. I also got my cell phone stolen later that night. It wasn’t fun but let’s all be thankful for the fact that I still have my passport!!!! (Knock on wood). When we woke up we finally had a delicious Spanish meal. We ate tons of tapas: meatballs, paella, cheese, chorizo, potatoes. It was amazing. We then spent the rest of the night chatting and drinking sangria until about 3:00 when we had to head for the airport.
We arrived at the airport, got on board, and landed in Seville. Some of our group was staying in Seville for the day, but I just wanted to get back and see my roommate and all the great friends I’ve already made. It had only been one week but I missed these girls so much, it was like I’ve known them my whole life. When I get back on the ship it was this weird feeling of excitement. This ship has become my home and it felt so amazing to be back home. I loved traveling, but I was glad to be back in one piece. I bumped into my friend Kelly and we decided to roam around the city of Cadiz and head to the beach where everyone else was. We took a long two hour stroll around and went into some shops and boutiques. Cadiz is a beautiful city, looking back I wish I would have spent more time there and less in Barcelona (I guess I have a reason to go back and visit). We finally got to the beach and found other SAS kids. Everyone was drinking big buckets of sangria on the beach and in the water. It felt like spring break all over again. We had a blast! It was definitely a day I will remember for the rest of my life. We then headed back to the ship because we were departing at 8 PM. I met back up with my roomie, friends, and we hung out and finally went to sleep.
All in all my adventures in Spain were great. If I could do it again I would be traveling with friends for an even better time, but I guess you learn. That’s the point of this trip, to grow and learn and to be put into situations that are out of your comfort zone. In Spain, it had not hit me yet that I’m on this amazing voyage. I felt like I was still in a place where I was used to, but Morocco was only a day away and I had no idea what to expect.
Spain (September 5-8,2009)
We arrived in Spain on September 5 at 8 am. I had a flight to Barcelona at 2:50 so at about 9:00 my group (most of whom I’ve never met) got off of the ship to head for the bus station. Getting on land for the first time in 7 days felt great. It was nice to see civilization. We finally found the bus stop after walking around in the scorching heat for 35 minutes. We got on the bus and headed to the airport. We arrived really early so we all got some food to eat and some mini bottles of wine. Our flight wound up being about an hour delayed. We were all a bit disappointed, we wanted to get to Barcelona and start experiencing all the fun we were about to encounter. In the airport I met these two girls Kelly and Danielle they were friends from home and go to the University of Arizona. I instantly connected with them. They were visiting they’re friend from home who is studying in Barcelona for the semester. I was a little disappointed that I wouldn’t be with them for the next three days. The people in my group were all very nice, but people I’ve never met, or seemed to have a connection with. I was kind of worried that I wouldn’t have the time I wanted to have.
We finally arrived in Barcelona around 6:00. It then took us another 2 hours to figure out what train/bus to take to get to La Rambla (the main street in Barcelona where our hostel was). After the long hot struggle of making sure all 13 people were together we finally got to Kabul (our hostel) I was surprised at how nice the hostel was (under hostel standards of course). In Italy I stayed in some gross ones, and this was decent. We had a big room with about 10 bunk beds.
Me and 4 of the other girls in the group decided to shower and get ready to go out to a nice dinner before we would go out to the bars. We asked the guy in the hostel were he recommended eating, and he gave us a name of a tapas place. We of course go lost, and had no idea in the world where we were going. I decided to take it into my own hands and went go into an Irish pub I saw to ask for directions, I wound up finding an Irish man from New York City who recommended another place to eat, after another 15 minutes of roaming around like a chicken with its head cut off we finally found the tapas place. It wasn’t the best food I’ve ever ate. I’m pretty sure I’ve had better tapas in New York City but the atmosphere was nice. We of course got some pitchers of sangria and it was amazing. We were still eating when the time turned about 12:30, next to the restaurant we saw a million people walk into this bar called chupitos. We decided to go in and see what was going on. It just so happens that Chupito means shots, and in this bar there were over 500 shots! It was insane they were all written on the wall. We decided to take the harry potter shot! (for you Amanda!) It was delicious they lit it on fire. We wound up bumping into this group of British and Spanish boys and hung out with them the rest of the night. The Spanish boys took us to a local bar they like to go to. Most of the people in there were people from town. We then proceeded to this club which just so happened to be right next to our hostel. It was already getting late and I decided if I wanted to do anything tomorrow I must go to bed, so I stepped outside and walked about 2 feet to the hostel. I was so happy to finally be sleeping after almost 24 hours of being awake.
The next day our plan of waking up at 8:00 am didn’t quite work out so well. At about 1130 we were all finally up and ready to head out to be tourists for the day. The same four girls and I decided it would be a smart idea to take a city bus tour so that way we could get on and off at the different stops all day and do what we please. Barcelona is a big city and there would have been no way to get around to the all the famous cites. The first stop on the bus loop was La Pedera. It was a beautiful building built by Antonia Gaudi. He was a famous architect in the 20th century. His stuff is absolutely amazing. It looks like a fairy tale building from the outside. I have tons of pictures that I will post to show the interesting architecture. We did an audio tour so we would actually understand and know what we were looking at. It explained why his creations were all so fun and imaginative. Gaudi liked to use designs that reminded him of nature whether it be animals plants or the ocean everything flowed into one another just like it belonged it was breath taking. On top of the building there was a terrace that was designed as if it was from the middle ages, the chimney and water pipes were all designed as beautiful pieces but all had functional purposes. The view was amazing and you could see a big chunck of the city. It was a hot day, but at that moment I was just blown away at what I was looking at that I didn’t even mind. After la Pedera we headed back to the bus and got off again at La Sagrada Familia which is a famous church built by Gaudi. We didn’t go inside because we were all starving and ready to eat, but I did take tons of pictures and it was beautiful. We then found a pace to eat on one of the side streets. It was a real authentic Spanish place, not one person spoke English in the entire place. I decided to order the sea bass. I was surprised when my dish came out of the kitchen. It looked as though the chef had just caught the fish from the ocean and placed it on my plate. It still had the head and tail on and it wasn’t even opened to where the meat was. If any of you know me, you know I’m terrified of fish. I then proceeded to scream and made the boy next to me cut off the tail and head and open it so I could eat it. I was proud of myself that I still tried to eat, but it we just so fresh I could taste the fishiness. It was an interesting experience and one I certainly will never forget. Everyone got tons of other food so they let me help them out. After lunch it was already about 4:30 so we headed back on the bus and went to Park Guell which is a park full of Gaudi’s architecture. I’m not quite sure if these building have a purpose or if he was just given the area to spread his creative ideas, but either way it was the most interesting and beautiful park I have ever been in. Each sculpture and building had a life of its own. It was magical I felt like I was in a child’s story book. I tried to capture these things on film, but I don’t think that would do it justice. The colors and details and shapes were all just incredible I don’t know how one person could build and create such interesting and imaginative things. I wanted to spend more time in this park, but two girls I was with were leaving the next day and wanted to see other things. We got back on the bus and did the rest of the bus tour. I was exhausted and fell asleep the rest of the hour on the bus, but they said I didn’t miss much. We finally got back to the hostel at 8:30 and showered to get ready for dinner and another night out. We met up with Kelly and Danielle and their friend for dinner. I was happy that they came; we had a great dinner at this place right next to our hostel. I forget the name but it was a French restaurant which we were all very happy about. We had enough of Spanish food. The food was amazing and the sangria was even more delicious. It was about 1:00 when we finished dinner and then went back to the shot bar. We stayed there for a while and then headed back to the hostel. It was a Sunday so not many things were open which was kind of a bummer, we were hoping to go to some real fun club that lasted until 6 am, but I think we were all secretly happy that didn’t work out, we were exhausted. On the way back one of the boys wanted food and he stopped at the burger king were he got his meal and as his drink he got a soda cup filled with beer. It was hilarious how all the fast food places sell beer just like its soda (its cheaper then soda!)
The next day was our last day so me and the one girl that was left decided it’d be a great idea to go to the beach. The walk to the beach was beautiful and the beach itself was gorgeous. The water was so unbelievably blue it didn’t even look real. We lay out all day, and it was pretty much uneventful. Just a relaxing day that was much needed. When we got back to the hostel we decided it would be a good idea to take a siesta. Our flight was at 6:30 am and we were almost positive we would not be sleeping at all that night. As I was looking through my stuff I realized my IPod was missing. At the beach while I was passed out on my chair someone stole it. The first rule that my parents gave me before I left was to be mindful and don’t lose anything important! Well of course at the first port I disobeyed that rule. I also got my cell phone stolen later that night. It wasn’t fun but let’s all be thankful for the fact that I still have my passport!!!! (Knock on wood). When we woke up we finally had a delicious Spanish meal. We ate tons of tapas: meatballs, paella, cheese, chorizo, potatoes. It was amazing. We then spent the rest of the night chatting and drinking sangria until about 3:00 when we had to head for the airport.
We arrived at the airport, got on board, and landed in Seville. Some of our group was staying in Seville for the day, but I just wanted to get back and see my roommate and all the great friends I’ve already made. It had only been one week but I missed these girls so much, it was like I’ve known them my whole life. When I get back on the ship it was this weird feeling of excitement. This ship has become my home and it felt so amazing to be back home. I loved traveling, but I was glad to be back in one piece. I bumped into my friend Kelly and we decided to roam around the city of Cadiz and head to the beach where everyone else was. We took a long two hour stroll around and went into some shops and boutiques. Cadiz is a beautiful city, looking back I wish I would have spent more time there and less in Barcelona (I guess I have a reason to go back and visit). We finally got to the beach and found other SAS kids. Everyone was drinking big buckets of sangria on the beach and in the water. It felt like spring break all over again. We had a blast! It was definitely a day I will remember for the rest of my life. We then headed back to the ship because we were departing at 8 PM. I met back up with my roomie, friends, and we hung out and finally went to sleep.
All in all my adventures in Spain were great. If I could do it again I would be traveling with friends for an even better time, but I guess you learn. That’s the point of this trip, to grow and learn and to be put into situations that are out of your comfort zone. In Spain, it had not hit me yet that I’m on this amazing voyage. I felt like I was still in a place where I was used to, but Morocco was only a day away and I had no idea what to expect.
Wednesday, September 2, 2009
The Beginning...
It’s been only 5 days since we left Halifax to set sail for Spain, and it already feels as if I have been here forever. I never thought that I’d get used to living on a ship, but I think I could perhaps do this for a very long time. I feel like I am on a permanent vacation. Every day after class hordes of students are outside tanning, lounging, and studying by the pool on Deck 7. The first few days at sea I was a little worried I wasn’t going to get to meet all 520 students, but as the days go on, and the more activities and classes we have the more people I meet. It’s really fascinating how quickly you get to know people when you’re living in a space that is so confined. I also never thought I’d be swimming and tanning with my professors. It’s a weird way to go to school, and so far I don’t even feel like I am at school. I forget that the main purpose of this voyage is to learn and get credit. I’m taking four classes: Global studies, Geology, Learning and Memory (psych), and controversial issues in psychology. I really love my two psych classes, my professor is great. Geology and Global studies I could do without.
As we get closer and closer to Spain the weather keeps getting warmer and warmer (it was cold in Halifax!) We arrive in Cadiz in 3 days and I can’t even describe to you how excited I am. Besides the fact that the food on the ship is horrible, I think everyone is more than ready to touch land. They warned us that instead of being sea sick we might get land sick. Our bodies will be so used to the movement of the ship, that I bet it probably will feel weird to be on stable ground. For a few days we had some rough seas and even though I’ve been on cruises I’ve never felt rocking like this. You could just be walking down the hall or up and down the stairs and you would literally see everyone just fall into each other. It’s a great way to meet people very fast. Working out is also one of the hardest/funniest things to do on a rough day. You have to hold on to the bars while running on the treadmill or else you WILL fall, which I of course did the first time I tried.
Most nights when we’re at sea we have what they call pub night. They allow us to have 2 drinks of either beer or wine at dinner and 3 later on in the night until about 11:00. For most of the guys that sucks, but fortunately for me I can get a little tipsy off 3 glasses of wine. Last night we had a BBQ and dance party for celebrating our voyage being the 100th voyage. It was so much fun. We all had to dress up in mismatched clothes. I don’t think any of us has had that much fun sober in a long long time (sad, but true). It was another great way to meet people that we haven’t already met. I’ve met some really awesome people so far from all over the country. My roommate, her name is Alex, is awesome. I got so lucky. She is from Baltimore but goes to University of Miami. She’s super funny and really laid back. We have had so much fun together already. The other girls we’ve met are all extremely nice, and fun as well. After the Dance last night we went to one of my friend Vanessa’s room and had a dance party in there. There were probably 15 of is in this small little cabin, but it was a blast. Soon enough of course we got yelled at to be quiet and to leave. There are a bunch of little kids on the boat (their parents or grandparents are faculty) so we have to “respect quiet hours.”
Tonight at 9:00 I have a meeting with the ship’s photographer. We were able to sign up for different things to be involved in on board the ship, and one of the things I signed up for was to be a part of the semester at sea yearbook that we all receive at the end of the voyage. Over 100 people applied and only about 20 of us got picked which is really exciting. I looked at the previous yearbooks and they look absolutely amazing, so I am excited to be a part of that. There really isn’t much more to update you all on, but as soon as I get back on board after my adventures in Spain I promise to update again! Miss and love you all!
Wednesday, August 26, 2009
Sitting...waiting..
So im currently sitting in Newark airport waiting for my flight to Halifx to get here. Of course it's delayed. I figured I'd waste my time updating. It's unreal that this trip is already here. I feel like I have been preparing for this for a whole year (i practically have). I can't even describe the feelings I have right now. It's truly surreal. I'm not nerrvous and I'm not scared, and I'm strangely not overly excited. I really just can't believe its here. It hasn't hit me yet that this once in a lifetime journey is going to be happening in less then 48 hours. Im more anxious and excited to just meet everyone, to finally know who my friends are going to be and my roomate. I think that's what I'm anticipating most at the moment. Going in this not knowing anyone is kinda scary, and I just hope I make some awesome friends. As for my roomate, I hope she packed lightly because I think I packed enough for 4 people. I just couldnt decide what to bring and what to leave out, so I brought it all! Oh well (I get my packing genes from my mother). Tonight me and my dad get into Halifax around 12:30. Tomorrow we are heading to walmart to do some last minute shopping for things I need, and then hopefully the rest of the day I'll be able to meet some people who are staying at the hotel. The ship leaves Friday at 5 pm, and then off to spain I go. I'm so excited for the first week at sea. I know it's going to take a lot of getting used to living on a boat. But i'm sure it will be a blast. I should be leaving sooon, so until next time! BON VOYAGE!!!
Friday, August 21, 2009
One Weeek!
Exactly one week until I leave! Almost done packing! Im getting a little nervous, and wondering what the hell i got myself into!
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