Fini

After 112 days of sailing, I'm now on firm ground with my bulldog, Alyce, beside me. I'd like to think she knew I was gone nearly 4 months, but it's probably more likely that she thinks I just went to the store. The welcome home from friends, family, and co-workers has been much more sincere.

After the stop in Hawaii and a week of exams, we had almost 3 days to unwind in Costa Rica, our last official port. There isn't a lot of positive press on Puntarenas, where we were docked, but sometimes having no expectations is best. Although the beaches within 3 hours of our port were all black sand beaches, they were cleaner than I expected, and the view from the ship was gorgeous. Plus, the town was quaint and offered some excellent local food. Most of the shipboard community took off for surfing beaches and rain forests all over Costa Rica, so the 75 of us who stayed behind felt like we had the place to ourselves.

After leaving Costa Rica, we spent almost an entire day going through the Panama Canal (complete with commentary throughout the day from our resident science prof), gathered for our formal Ambassador's Ball, and crammed in library cleanup, packing, and saying our goodbyes over the remaining three days. We rolled into Miami before 8 a.m. on Dec. 14, greeted by screaming parents and families meeting the ship. While this was the moment many of us had been longing for, it also became very real that what had now become comfortable and familiar was coming to an end.

I don't think I realized what I had done until I heard someone at work this week tell another person, "Cathy just came back from sailing around the world." But then I recalled picking up the students in the Bahamas and those first ports of Brazil and Namibia, and it started to sink in. I won't even try to express how it's affected me or what it all means, but will leave you with a thank you for following me along the way. And thanks to all who kept in touch by e-mail. And to Bruce for the songs.

Pictures: Dusk at Puntarenas Beach in Costa Rica; Molly and me with our 5 students, saying farewell in the library; me with students Michaela and Lauren at the Ambassadors Ball; my shipboard sanctuary "Myrtia," #4093.

Across the Pacific

I couldn't really give this blog entry the title of "Hawaii" since I was only there for 8 hours, compared to 18 days on the Pacific Ocean. But after 9 days of sailing and working, it was a nice break AND Thanksgiving. I think 99% of the ship took the bus to Waikiki beach, just 5 miles away, but I was tipped off by a former librarian who sailed, who told me about Ala Moana beach, just a mile walk from the ship. There wasn't a tourist in sight, and more importantly at this point in the voyage, not a soul from SAS. It didn't quite register that we were actually in the United States, and in fact, when someone asked me where I was from, my answer was "Virginia, in the United States." And he replied, "I'm from New Hampshire, in the United States." So I thought it was interesting, then, that the only restaurant besides KFC that we found open for dinner was a Korean restaurant, where everyone inside was Korean, and we had to point to the pictures on the menu to order. Ah, felt like the good ol' days.......

After Hawaii, we set sail for another 9 days across the Pacific, and we're almost to Costa Rica. Students were writing papers last week and are taking exams this week, so there's lots of library activity. I'm also working on the list of "end of voyage" duties, and trying to sneak a little time outside each day since I've heard it's not 78 degrees at home. More to come from Costa Rica and the Panama Canal......

Pictures: Ala Moana Beach; interesting tree in Hawaii; the infamous dining room's iceberg lettuce (served twice daily!); me on my morning treadmill run; students studying really hard for exams.

Japan - Kobe & Yokohama

Even though we're on our way to Hawaii (one day) and Costa Rica (three days), Japan felt like the last port for many of us. We began with two days in Kobe, where I did a Japanese homestay, along with 60 others on the ship. We each were assigned to a family, who met us at the port terminal when we arrived. I was expecting the formal bowing when we greeted each other, but when my host "mother" saw me, she ran over and hugged me like I really was her daughter. Her name was Hiroko Ohnishi, and her husband was also supposed to be there but was in the hospital for a minor procedure, so she was solo. Her English (some) was superior to my Japanese (none), and one of the first things I found out was that she was relieved I was older, since she was 68 and had worried about what to say to a 20-year-old college student.

We met up with two other Japanese mothers and their two SAS daughters, and all went to have lunch at a moving sushi restaurant. Apparently these exist in some parts of the country, but it's a great concept to have plates of food moving around that you just grab as it goes by. After that, Hiroko and I were dropped off, and I was given a tour of her lovely Japanese house. We then went on a walk around her neighborhood, which included a temple and some gardens, and I also visited her grocery store since I told her I like to cook. After some tea and cakes, Hiroko told me we were taking the bus to the community center and meeting the two SAS students and their mothers, as well as 8 Japanese families for a potluck and games (since there were children). At around 9, when I thought the night was over, we found out we were then going for karoke. This is widely popular in Japan and quite unlike American karoke....for starters, it doesn't happen in a bar in front of a big crowd, and you drink tea. We were assigned a room with leather couches and a tv, and ran into two other SAS students and their "brothers" so we all joined together---5 Americans and 10 Japanese. We took turns with Japanese and American music, and I did have a moment where I thought this must be a dream, as we were all singing "Close to You" by the Carpenters.

We left at midnight, and I was told before heading to my futon that I'd be going to one of the other SAS student's houses in the morning to be dressed in a kimono and participate in a tea ceremony. These same two students and me met again in the morning, and each spent 45 minutes getting layer upon layer of cloth wrapped around us like mummies, and were then told to kneel for the tea ceremony. That was easier said than done. Our mothers then made and served us each tea, and we in turn did the same for them. Dress-up time was over, and we were then taken to a noodle restaurant, where we again sat on the floor and slurped our noodles (slurping is essential and actually considered good manners). Finally, with just a few hours to spare before we had to be back on the ship, our mothers took us to the spa/hot springs. There were pictures, tears, and exchanges of emails before we said goodbye to probably the best experience I've had on the voyage.

We then sailed for a day before reaching Yokohama. Both Kobe and Yokohama are beautiful, clean cities, and the changing leaves in both places were the first indication of a season we had seen since leaving in August. And in Yokohama, there were Christmas decorations and music in the stores, so it started to feel like November (although it was 70). A group of us walked around the first day, going to several parks and Chinatown (the largest Chinatown in Japan), and having locals ask us where we were from, and then connecting a baseball team or player to that town. There were also a ton of dogs, all dressed in dog outfits, with they and their owners looking more stylish than all of us in our jeans and t-shirts.

On the last day, I went to Mt. Fuji, which was a 2 1/2 hour bus ride away. The weather was clear, so it was a gorgeous view from the bus. But when we got to the 5th station (a little more than half way up), it was freezing and windy, and you could just see the snow-capped top. I would have preferred to hike it, but that's only allowed every July and August.

So now we're heading east, with nothing but the Pacific Ocean for the next 8 days. The library's busy with students researching papers and finishing classes over the next week before exams begin. And then we'll be closing up shop and preparing for the next group of voyagers. I'll check in one more time before signing off........

Pictures: My host mother, Hiroko, and me; me in a kimono; Jennifer, Andrea, and me at our tea ceremony; students showing off the orgami Mt. Fuji's our guide had us make; view of Mt. Fuji from the bus.

Hong Kong & Shanghai

We had less than two days in each of these cities, so it was a bit of a tease, but both were magnificent. Hong Kong reminded me of both New York and San Francisco, and was much more modern and cosmopolitan than I imagined. I went on a walking tour of Hong Kong the first day, led by a professor who had lived there, and realized I would've been completely lost had I gone on my own. Hong Kong Island puts on a light show nightly, using all the buildings on the waterfront, and because we were docked at Kowloon, just across from Hong Kong, we had a perfect view.

We sailed for two days from Hong Kong to Shanghai, and there were only a handful of us on the ship. Most of the students went to the Great Wall and other destinations, so those of us remaining were treated to special dining both nights and movies running continuously in our Union. We also encountered the worst weather of our voyage, and as a result we were five hours late getting to Shanghai.

Unlike any of the other countries we've visited, almost no one spoke a word of english in Shanghai, so we couldn't even get a cab. I realized how spoiled I've been, and between that and the chinese signage everywhere in the city, I actually felt like I was in China, which wasn't the case in Hong Kong. The city is under a lot of construction, and there is some incredible architecture, new and old, in this city. There's no building code, so apparently architects worldwide compete to have their buildings constructed here. The shopping was also insane, with the usual bartering we've encountered along the way.

We're sailing for two days to Japan, in rough waters once again. In fact, as I'm typing this, a bunch of reserve books and cd's just fell onto the floor and the library cart rolled into a table. More to come from tranquil Japan......

Pictures: Hong Kong Park; walking thru the street markets of Hong Kong; my first bulldog sighting (Hong Kong); Melly (student) and me at a Starbuck's in Shanghai (coffee is still a priority); some of the unusual architecture in Shanghai.

Good Morning Vietnam!

This was the greeting we woke up to on the loudspeaker as we pulled into Ho Chi Minh City, and as corny as it may sound, it was an impressive start to what would be my favorite port so far. I had heard about the traffic, the cheap shopping and food, the tailored clothes you could have made, the war museum, the beaches......and after 5 days in just Ho Chi Minh City, I felt like I had barely done what I wanted to do there, let alone visiting Ha Noi or other parts of Vietnam.

I literally walked off the ship and within 30 minutes someone was walking on my back and putting cucumber slices on my face. This was the first of three massages, and at the last one I asked the young woman with her knees in my tailbone to move to America, where she could live in my house and I'd even teach her to drive. She laughed as though I was kidding. Also on my first day I went straight to a tailor shop and got measured for a traditional silk Vietnamese dress and pants, as well as a linen dress, which I picked up the last day and fit perfectly.

The next day was my birthday (Halloween), and as much as I actually do love giving out candy at the door to trick or treaters, how often can I tell people that I spent my birthday going down the Mekong Delta, wearing a rice hat? And to have 14 strangers on the day trip, all from different countries, singing "Happy Birthday" was also something I won't forget. The day ended at a wonderful Vietnamese restaurant, sitting outside with a plate of noodles, veggies, and seafood, and sharing a bottle of local wine with some friends.

On the remaining days, I'm sure I walked at least 10 miles, shopping at the Ben Thanh market (seeing yet another rat...) and a hundred other shops, as well as visiting the Vietmam War museum, which was graphic, powerful, and essential to see. One minute I'm looking at pictures of deformed children, the result of Agent Orange, and the next I'm being thanked by a local in a coffee shop for my patronage, and asked how I like Vietnam. Besides the warmth and hospitality of the people, I loved the energy of Ho Chi Minh City, with scooters and crowds everywhere, but unlike the chaos of India, it was organized and efficient (8.5 million people and 8 million scooters!). We were taught how to cross the street before we got there, and am finding that I'm missing it.....the key is to not stop once you start and to never run. I also did a service visit to a deaf school, where we took the children to the zoo for the day.

The only incentive to get on the ship after Vietnam was the fact that our Presidential election would be covered over the two days of sailing to Hong Kong. We had live coverage beginning the morning of Nov. 5, and by noon we knew Obama would be our next President. I can't begin to describe the excitement, but someone had to have heard our roar, especially when Obama made reference to "our Americans abroad." Lots of tears, and lots of phone calls home. Next up--- China!

Pictures: Presidential Election coverage on the ship; Scooters in Ho Chi Minh City; Happy Birthday to me; Jane, me, and Nancy on the Mekong Delta; Molly picking out fabric for a blouse.

Mellow Malaysia

Malaysia was unlike any other port for a couple of reasons. We sailed to Penang, and due to the size of our ship, were unable to dock at the port. So we got to and from our ship by "tendering," which meant taking little ferries back and forth, that ran every hour. The novelty of tendering wore off after the first time, as we quickly realized how it affected your planning each day. I'm sure the students were more annoyed, because if you didn't catch the last one at 12:30 a.m., you were stuck till the next morning.

We're hitting the rainy seasons in a number of these countries, and Malaysia did not let us down. It poured the first day, but even in the rain Penang is a beautiful place, with a combination of old and new architecture, little traffic, and a charming Chinatown and Little India. The highlight, though, was the food. In addition to restaurants on every block, there are numerous "food courts" where vendors set up under large tents, you choose the food you want (I just pointed to pictures) and they bring it to you. Malay food is a combination of Indian and Thai, and generally spicy. My bill for anything in the food court was the equivalent of $1.00, and in nicer restaurants, where I'd have a glass of wine, along with atmosphere and terrific service, I'd spend a whopping $10.

A group of six of us left on the second day for three days on Langkawi Island, a little paradise that was a 3-hour ferry ride away. We stayed in a resort, surrounded by.....yep, more amazing restaurants, and probably the nicest beach and pool I've ever seen. Tourist season doesn't start for a month, so there were only a handful of people around. We had rain the first two days, but I ignored it and ran outside, and swam in the pool and ocean anyway. The sun finally appeared our last day, so we got a late checkout, and at least returned to the ship looking like we had been to a beach. I appreciated the lack of activity in Malaysia, especially after India and before Vietnam.

A few people have asked what happened to my library job, since apparently my blog suggests I'm on the longest vacation of my life. So I'm attaching a photo of Molly and me (the librarians) and our 5 student employees, although we are drinking smoothies at the snack bar and there don't appear to be any books. Perhaps I'll be more convincing at the end of the voyage, when for 18 days of sailing they'll be nothing to photograph but the library. Molly and I actually do keep the library open from 8 am - 11 pm daily when we're sailing, and we alternate early and late days. We mostly check out travel guides and reserve readings, but we also assist students with researching papers, since they have access to all of the UVA databases. I think the faculty and I felt there would be more faculty research going on, but after the first week, they realized how hard it was going to be to cram a semester's worth of material in half the normal number of class days. It's odd how we all shift gears constantly from ship to port and back again, especially in this last half of the voyage, with just a few days in between each place. So back to the library, and on to Vietnam!

Pictures: Molly and me and our library students; view of the beach from our Langkawi resort; the pool; the beach; me, Molly, and Christine (sociology prof.) having breakfast across the street from our resort.

India

I'm still recovering (along with half the ship) from the flu that I picked up the last day of India, and with just 3 days of sailing between there and Malaysia, I'm going to throw this entry together before I get behind. While a number of people traveled in the country (Taj Mahal trips, etc.), I stayed in the port city of Chennai. The people were gentle and friendly, but it was an intense city to spend 5 days in, because of the sheers numbers (7 million people), heat, trash, smell, and poverty like I had never seen.

On our first day I led a trip to a Dalit Village school, where we were told we'd do some chores and mingle with the children. But the minute our bus arrived, we were met by a group of people in the village who placed fresh flower necklaces over our heads, and were then led by the group and a marching band to the school. Next, we were introduced to several school administrators, who gave speeches and arranged for an Indian singer to perform for us. We were told repeatedly how grateful they were for our service, even though we had done nothing up to this point. And as the "trip leader" I was given a special seat in the front, presented with an Indian shawl, and asked to give a speech! Soon after, we were given paint buckets and began our painting assignments for the next couple of hours. My task was to paint blackboards with black paint (??!). The children were so excited though, that they kept interrupting us to shake our hands and ask our names and for autographs. We were told that none of them had seen anyone outside their village before. As trip leader, I was also interviewed by The Hindu newspaper, and a number of pictures of our group were taken---it was published the next day, so my status on the ship was elevated to "the queen" for a day or two.

I also went (no leading) on a trip to the Bala Mandir orphanage, meeting children from age 6 months to 21. Most were female, since males are the preferred gender, and I was struck by the clean conditions and loving atmosphere. We met teachers as well as housemothers, and spent time in the classrooms and their living quarters. One group of girls asked a student and me to sing for them, so the only songs we both knew the words to were "Yesterday" and "Santa Claus is Coming to Town." They all danced and then played some of their music for us.

Our mode of transportation was the auto rickshaw, which was a 3-wheeled semi-open vehicle with a motor that sounded no bigger than a lawnmower's. But the drivers sped around and wove thru traffic (sometimes with goats and cows in the road) with the skill of a racedriver, and what seemed like sure death the first day soon became addictive. There were also bicycle rickshaw drivers that took us from the ship to the port entrance (a mile or so), peddaling up to 3-4 passengers barefoot. After seeing two rats in the port, I never walked this stretch at night, and was willing to pay anything to keep my feet above ground.

The food was a real highlight. I had several Indian meals out, which were spicier than what I've had at home, and ridiculously inexpensive....between $1 - $3 for an entire meal. I also had fabulous Thai food one night and one of the best chocolate desserts at a funky coffee shop called Mocha. I couldn't find a good cup of coffee, however. They put milk in their coffee and tea and my three efforts to get good black coffee failed.

A part of me was ready to leave Chennai, to return to the comforts of the ship, but another part of me wanted to stay and do anything to help. I would guess most of us were similarly affected, and we'll all figure out ways to not forget our Indian experience.

Pictures: People from the Dalit village watching our "parade" (pics 1 & 2), getting a lesson on how to paint a blackboard, me at the orphanage, Annamarie and me in a bicycle rickshaw on a foggy morning (notice no trademark UVA sweatshirt).

Capturing Cape Town

Our pre-port lecturer from Cape Town mentioned that this is one of the top ten cities in the world, and as soon as I got off the ship I could understand why. The waterfront is an area of upscale shops, hotels, and restaurants, with yachts and sailboats in the harbor, and the imposing Table Mountain in the background. South Africa has 11 official languages, but everyone speaks English, so I almost felt like I was in San Francisco.

I spent the first couple of days on trips to an ostrich farm (hey, they needed a leader!) and several wineries in the Stellenbosch winelands region (including one that we biked to), as well as shopping and eating at the waterfront. But on day three I visited the Khayelitsha township, where blacks settled after being pushed out of the city during the apartheid regime. Even though apartheid ended, the shacks made of tin, wood, and cardboard and about 1.5 million people remain. The government is slowly building concrete housing for them, but the townships feel that by letting tourists know about their conditions, it may attract funding for better housing, education and health care. Despite the poverty and high incidence of HIV, there is a surprising feeling of hopefulness and community there.

I also attempted to go to Robben Island, where Mandela was imprisoned for more than 20 years, but rough waters cancelled the ferry rides the majority of the time we were there. I spent my last day at the Kirshenbosh botanical gardens, regretting that I had left this for the last day and only had a few hours. The highlight of Cape Town, though, was a last minute visit on the ship by Desmond Tutu. He only talked for an hour, but spoke humorously and eloquently about politics and issues in the United States and South Africa, as well as Iraq and the world.

We are now on our way to India, sailing for 12 days across the Indian Ocean. We have a day of Sea Olympics half-way through, where the faculty and staff and all the student "seas" compete in a variety of sports such as synchronized swimming, relays, paper boat floating contests and volleyball. I'm participating and judging, which tells you how low the bar is. Students are also in the midst of midterms, so there's lots of activity in the library. So it's back to work until Chennai.

Pictures: Cape Town waterfront (where our ship is docked), me on an ostrich (!), children from the township, flowers in the botanical garden, Desmond Tutu on the ship.

Namibia Notes

This was Semester at Sea's first trip to Namibia, and no one on the ship had ever been here before, so none of us knew what to expect. But apparently we all had similarly favorable reactions, because none of us wanted to leave. We docked in Walfish Bay, where there's not much more than a handful of grocery stores and restaurants, but I think the fact there wasn't a lot going on was part of its charm. Ten years from now, all of this will be built up and catering to tourists, so I was happy to see it in its desolate state.

The nearest town is a place called Swakopmund (aka Swakop), a seaside town about 20 miles away, that was once a German colony, so most of the residents and shopowners are German. The taxi ride there is breathtaking, with the ocean on one side, and desert and sand dunes on the other. It was also a somewhat breath gasping experience to travel back and forth in the local taxis, because it's a straight shot, and you're crammed in a little car that sounds like it'll break down before you get there. And you're going at least 100 mph, instead of the speed limit of 80. So you pay your 2 bucks and close your eyes. I had one of the best cups of coffee in my life at a cafe there (you can't beat a good German bakery), walked on the nearby beach, bartered with the local craftspeople, and shopped in the boutiques. It was so pleasant, I went back another day.

I also went on two trips with fellow shipmates---one was a 4x4 geological wonders exploration of the desert and dunes, where our guide told us we were standing in the oldest desert in the world---250 million years old. There, we also saw a welwitchia plant, which lives to be 2,000 or more years old and is only found in Angloa and Namibia. The leaves grow outward and the plant's age is determined by the length of the leaf (starting at several feet). At the dunes, we only had time to ooh and ahh, but several people had spent a day sandboarding or just purchased a piece of plastic at a gas station and gone down headfirst, like on a sled. The second trip I took was a kayaking trip in the ocean, where we kayaked among hundreds of seals and dolphins. From the kayak I could see the sand dunes against the skyline and it hit me then that I was in Namibia. It was the last day, and a perfect ending to a pretty perfect place.

We've now shifted gears and are back into the routine on the ship for just two days. We'll be in Cape Town in the morning........I'll be sitting on an ostrich this time tomorrow.

Pictures: oldest desert in the world, Cathy in Swakopmund, Dune #7, seals awaiting the kayakers, Portuguese curried seafood at a restaurant on the lagoon.

Heading to Namibia

As I imagined, getting off the ship (after 12 days) in Salvador was just what I needed. As much as I love the challenge of running on a treadmill while bouncing along the ocean, I forgot how good it felt to run outside, as a group of us did at 6 each morning. I was also able to buy the items I needed to make my own coffee on the ship, and as trivial as that sounds, it was essential. But more importantly, our first port made me realize what everyone who has sailed before was raving about. Almost no one spoke English in Salvador, but we communicated with gestures and smiles, and the people in the Pelourinho and outdoor markets seemed happy to barter with the "Americanos" on the ship, and frequently yelled out "Obama."

While many people flew to Rio or went to the Amazon during our 5 days, I stayed in Salvador and did a 15 km bikeride in Pituacu park (ecological reserve) with a group, and a ferry boat trip to Itaparica island in the rain. A bunch of us also took cabs one afternoon to the local Barra beach, where it was even more obvious that we were Americans. I also went to a condomble, a Brazilian religious ceremony, where everyone wears white. So a group of us put together outfits that more or less conformed (like an inside out SAS white t-shirt) to the dress code. Pictures weren't allowed, but it was an amazing visual experience.

The food in Salvador has an African influence....lots of meats (lamb, oxtail, beef, tongue, etc.) shellfish, coconut, rice and spices. A local cooking school offered a buffet lunch and dinner, and a number of us went there to get a sampling of the cuisine. I have a number of color and texture issues with food but was proud of the fact I tried some things that resembled baby poo and survived.

We're all back to the routine of classes for the 7 days we sail until Namibia. We're also losing an hour a night, for 5 nights. And I believe I've finally found my "sea legs"---that, or I just got tired of complaining about not feeling quite right each day. So between that and good coffee, all is well.

Pictures: Cathy at a Brazilian grocery buying chocolate and coffee, some SAS friends on the beach, another view of the beach, the MV Explorer ship at night, a shot from the ferry on the way to Itaparica island.