Salvador, Brasil!

Brazil was so amazing! The first day I went to some markets and went shopping in the area around the ship and saw a golden church. The next day I went to a beach, a lighthouse, and a Jesus statue then some more shopping. The beach was amazing. The waves were much bigger than the ones in Mauritius and Hawaii so it was so fun to try to jump over them and dive underneath I could stand there and let the waves crash into me all day. I still don’t think I could ever get used to the salt though! That night we went to an outdoor restaurant and had to dodge inside to avoid the bursts of rain. But the rain didn’t hamper the night! The next day we went to a different beach and took a few buses to get there which was an adventure in and of itself. That night we went to the Portugal Circus! It was so fun! Its was a lot more theatrical than circuses back home and even though it was in Portuguese and I didn’t understand when they talked it was still awesome. The next day I went to the museum of modern art and a few other historical sites and that night went to an awesome club to celebrate the final night in port of the entire voyage! It was so awesome because a band came on and did a great concert and sang all the fun American songs to dance to IN ENGLISH. So we were up front dancing and singing all night and they kept bringing us up to sing along because most of the people there spoke Portuguese so we were the only ones who knew the words. It was a great way to end the voyage.

Brazil was a lot of fun but was also pretty sketchy. A lot of people got mugged and had things stolen. All the crime was during the day and right outside the ship! There was a lot of credit card fraud and some people even got beat up by the police! There were car accidents and robberies all over. I am thankful nothing bad ever happened to me. In fact I never felt unsafe at all! But I didn’t carry a purse or any jewelry or anything… I really wish I could have gone to Rio or Sao Paulo or the Amazon, but I didn’t have enough money left by the end of the trip. I sort of ran out of things to do in Salvador but I was perfectly content with beaching it up. Its ok because I feel like Brazil is the most accessible and realistic for me to get back to out of everywhere I have gone. It was a great port to end on.

Now I am on my way back and will be home in 8 days! Its really bitter sweet. I am so excited to be back but sad that my traveling is done for a while. Its going to be torture getting back into Fort Lauderdale and my family is going to be there waiting for me and its going to take forever to get off! Everyone has to go through customs and im one of the last people off cant wait to see everyone! I think when I get back its going to take a lot of time to process everything I have learned and seen on this trip and im not sure how it has changed me, if it is at all… im trying to prepare myself for all the questions! Its going to be weird getting back into a normal routine and starting work and im not going to know any of the music or movies! I have a lot to do in the next couple days with exams and papers due so I hope it goes by fast. I cant wait to get back and be more tan than everyone in MN See you all soon!!!!

Ghana Ghana Ghana

Ghana was a lot of fun but really busy and exhausting. The first day I went on a city orientation tour with SAS and saw some historical places like W.E.B. Dubois’ house and the peoples square where Ghana declared freedom from the British. Then I went to the a few markets a bought a dress, wooden masks, a soccer jersey, and some paintings. Next I had dinner and went back to the ship where I saw the doctor because I got this bug bite on my stomach in South Africa that started getting really infected. My whole side hurt around the bite so I thought I better get it checked out but they just gave me antibiotics and didn’t know what it was from… I still have it. Now it looks like an infected cigarette burn in my side, its so gross.

Anyways, the next day I took a trip up to northern Ghana to Wli Waterfall. The drive out was really cool because we went through a lot of little villages and townships but it was four hours long and for some reason they are extremely overzealous on the speed bumps in Ghana. I think it is because a lot of people walk on the roads to try to sell stuff so im sure there are a lot of accidents. Women carry huge baskets on their heads full of things like fruit and water bags and walk around trying to sell things. Most of them have babies wrapped around their backs like a backpack, yet they don’t need hands to keep the baskets up and are still so graceful! The hike to the waterfall was long and it was extremely hot and humid out but it was along a beautiful stream through the rainforest so it wasn’t too bad considering the scenery. The waterfall was amazing! We were even allowed to go stand under it! You would never be able to do that in the US! Next we took bananas into the jungle and found a group of monkeys that peeled the bananas and ate them right from our hands!

On the third day we set out to Cape Coast early in the morning with a group of people from the ship and a couple locals to help show us the way. They were so so nice and we never would have been able to find our way there without their help! We had to take a bus to the square, which is a big place where the locals catch trotros. Trotros are 16 passenger vans that are used as public transportation. The square was crowded and very busy and if we didn’t have locals with us we probably wouldn’t have even been able to get into it. Even if we did get it we would have been charged WAY too much. But they found us a Trotro for a good price and we took it for five hours. It was super crowded. And remember those speed bumps every five minutes? We definitely didn’t slow down to go over them. So by the time we got there I had a major headache but I tried not to let that ruin my day. The first thing we did was the canopy walk! We hiked through the jungle up as high as we could then walked on rope bridges above the canopy! They were squeaky and wobbly but made by the Canadians so I trusted it It was really scary at first but very fun. My head was still pounding and my eyes were throbbing so it made me a little dizzy. After the canopy walk we visited the Cape Coast Castle where slaves used to be kept and traded for the British. It was hard to imagine such horrible things happening in such a beautiful place. The ride home was horrible for me. My whole body was sore and every bump was like a sledgehammer to my head.

The last day I was only feeling well enough to run to the post office and get some lunch before taking the shuttle back to the ship. On the way back the bus knocked a lady over! She had a huge basket of things on her head that fell all over the ground and the lady’s friends and the bus driver started screaming at each other! He had a huge rock in his hand and was pounding on the bus with it! Then he tried to come on the bus and the police (with big guns) came and settled everything down but it was crazy. In general the people of Ghana are so friendly. Once you get past the pushy ones trying to sell you things, the people are so genuine and nice. They are all very proud of their country and believe it to be the best in all of Africa and they want you to feel the same way so they will go out of their way to make you feel welcome in Ghana. It was different from South Africa in terms of that people from all over the world live in South Africa so there are many different races. In Ghana, the only white people I saw were from SAS, but I didn’t feel out of place. Despite being sick the last two days, I had a great time in Ghana and I love Africa. The doctors said I might have Dengue Fever so ive been lying low the past few days but I feel a lot better today and I cant wait to get to BRAZIL!!!!!

South Africa <3

Im in love with South Africa and Capetown! The first three days I was on a safari at Kariega Game Reserve and it was amazing! I fly to port Elizabeth and got to see excellent viewings of all the animals. It was the best safari you could hope for. I saw baby lion cubs, which is rare because the parents usually hide them. We also got really good viewings of rhinos, giraffes, hippos, monkeys, zebras, elephants, and all sorts of antelope-type species. We saw a leopard run by which is really rare. Our guide had been working there for three years and never saw one because they are so sneaky and elusive so we got really lucky. We had game drives every morning at 5 am and evening along with three delicious meals. I accidently ate springbok and cried lol. Back in Capetown I went shopping and bar hoping every night and had a blast. Everything about South Africa (well at least Capetown) is so fun and lively! There is live music everywhere and the people are so friendly! It is a very cultural place but not in an alienating way like India was… the only down side was that it was pretty expensive compared to the other ports and I spent way too much money. I ate a lot of fried calamari and my new favorite drink is graptiser I don’t know what to expect from Ghana… I have a notion of it being war-torn and dirty but we will see! I get there in three days! I want to come back to South Africa for sure.

Update From South Africa

Here are the links to my photos and videos from South Africa! I have had an amazing time and will be writing a blog about it soon! I think you should be able to see these even if you dont have facebook…

Copy and paste this link into your search bar to see the picture album of my safari plus some from Mauritius: http://www.facebook.com/album.php?aid=168996&id=510697412&l=b117d44768

Elephants: http://www.facebook.com/aishabeaty?v=app_2392950137&ref=profile#!/video/video.php?v=382122597412

Giraffes: http://www.facebook.com/aishabeaty?v=app_2392950137&ref=profile#!/video/video.php?v=382124502412

Lions: http://www.facebook.com/video/video.php?v=382124972412&saved#!/video/video.php?v=382124972412

Great White Shark: http://www.facebook.com/aishabeaty?v=app_2392950137&ref=profile#!/video/video.php?v=382121262412

Mauritius <3

I am so sad we only got to stay in Mauritius for one night! I could have stayed there forever! I stayed on right on the beach at the Hilton hotel and it was the most beautiful place I have ever seen. Mauritius was fill of sandy beaches with bits of coral and seashells everywhere. I saw so much wildlife! There was a baby hedgehog (or something like that), a bat the size of my arm, a bird ran into me, I saw a huge fish chasing a small one in the ocean, a sea urchin, huge koi fish, and lots of tropical birds and butterflies. I went swimming in the ocean, kayaking, sun tanning, and had amazing food. I don’t have much more to say because I was only there for one day but I definitely want to go back.

Everyone Should Visit India

Its really not a place you can see on tv and understand or even see through a bus window. Its really something you have to feel and smell and hear and experience for yourself. Talking with the people is the best way to get to know a place. One day while walking along the coast, I was taking pictures of the Chinese fishing nets. They are huge wooden contraptions like a levee with boulders holding one side on a dock and a large homemade net on the other, when one of the old fisherman asked if we wanted to come out and help pull up the nets! It was so fun! We heaved and hoed yelling in unison. I caught a catfish and a baby puffer fish.

Cattle and goats roam the streets freely and there is trash everywhere. I definitely want to go back someday and see northern India. Apparently it’s a lot different. There is also a huge difference between the cities and rural areas. I took a three hour bus ride into the country and even far away from big cities there are still people bustling in all the streets. I guess that is the 1.3 billion people. I got to see a kathakali dance drama where actors dress up in intricate costumes and makeup and perform to loud rhythmic drums and tribal singers. Cochin was a lot more tropical and less polluted than Chennai except for the garbage in the streets, which was EVERYWHERE. I have come to the conclusion that there is no such thing as an un-adorable Indian child.

I think I am still processing my thoughts about India. It wasn’t my favorite port but it was definitely a place I think everyone should get a chance to visit and I would like to go back and see the north. Next is Mauritius. A nice little tropical island We crossed the equator today! I can officially say ive been to all four hemispheres of the world

India Makes Me Sneeze

So I don’t know how representative of India Chennai is because I hear that the northern part is a lot different. There is a lot of poverty and a lot of pollution. I felt like I was choking all the time because I was scared to breath deeply because of all the smog and black dust floating in the air. The stories you see in Slumdog Millionaire about the hustlers stealing children and mutilating them to get more money on the streets is true. Babies are passed around from person to person and given sedatives. The country is very sexually discriminatory and kissing in public is an arrestable offence (for the women anyways). I took a rickshaw all around the city for most of the time and riding in one of those is a crazy experience in and of itself. The world is a bathroom anywhere anytime for men. I saw a guy take a crap on the sidewalk like three different times. Most people don’t wear shoes and people on the streets are relentless when trying to get you to buy their products. I had a guy follow me around for hours trying to get me to buy a wooden drum. I got some cool henna tattoos up my arm and bought a bunch of Indian jewelry for really cheap. Everything closes at like 9 o’clock and cab drivers really don’t know where anything is so one night we got dropped off like a couple miles from the ship and walked all the way back only to find the gate locked and we had to take the road way around. For some reason there were lines and lines of trucks waiting to go into the port and I thought they were stopped and turned off so we were walking in between them then they started moving and I about died of a heart attack because ive always thought I was going to die in a freak accident involving semis. I saw a lot of cool religious items but mostly a lot of poverty. Every time I walked past a begging little child my heart broke a little bit people sleep on cardboard on the side of every road but its normal there.

Right now I am on the ship in between ports and there isn’t many people on board because most of them flew to New Delhi instead of taking the ship but I really enjoy the ship when its empty. I just relax, paint, read, and tan all day next is Cochin, India and its sure to be totally different than Chennai.

Good Morning Vietnam

Finally warm weather! Vietnam has been great! The first day I just went to the local markets and bought some DVD s. I got like 12 brand new movies for 8 dollars lol AND… (roomies get ready for this one) EVERY SINGLE DISNEY MOVIE EVER MADE for 40 dollars! Omg so excited! Then I found a legit clean tattoo parlor and got a Monroe! I think it looks really good J I will probably have to take it out when I get back home to start my internship I don’t think you can wear jewelry but oh well. The traffic here is crazy! There are hardly any cars except for taxis and everyone drives mopeds. Mobs of little scooters are everywhere and they tell you that when you cross the street you just have to walk straight across with purpose and people will go around you. But its still really scary! Cars have the right away here, not pedestrians. The next day I had a field trip early in the morning.

Fist we took a bus a couple hours to a Buddhist pagoda, then stopped at a little market in the country. People outside of the bigger towns we stop in are so different from the ones at ports. They never see tourists and they think it is the coolest thing ever. People practically throw their children at me and tell me to take pictures with them! This one guy had his cell phone in my face for like five minutes trying to take a picture… then we went to the Mekong River delta and got on a boat where we were served whole coconuts with a straw in it to drink the (warm) milk. They boat took us to a little hut on the river side where they make coconut candy. We got free samples and were showed how they make it. It is just a small hut out in the woods with like five workers stretching and wrapping taffy but apparently they export this stuff all over the world! Then we got into four-person pony-drawn carts that took us into this small village with naked little children running around in the streets! We stopped at some grass covered huts to have lunch. I had the most amazing lunch you could imagine! They brought out an entire elephant ear fish with the bony fins and scales peeling off and all. A lady came to the table and picked it apart and made rolls at our table. Then we got mystery meat rice and some pork dish and a noodly thing and whole shrimp. Then they brought a fire and kettle and made soup right on our table! It was so cool! There was a brown mucky stream flowing right next to our table and a wild water buffalo walked by during lunch! Then we got into wooden canoe things and paddled down the river back into the delta. Wow what a day!

But after that awesome day something bad was bound to happen and yesterday was horrible. We found a ferry that would take us to a different town to a beach. It was pretty expensive but it is like 100 degrees here so we figured it would be worth it. So we took this ferry for two hours and when we got to the beach the water was brown and nasty and I didn’t want to risk swimming in it for fear of catching some random Vietnamese disease. So we layed out and sweated in the sweltering sun on this beach which happened to be infested with tiny spider-like crabs for a  couple hours. When we tried to go back we found out at the ferry back to Ho Chi Minh was full so we paid a cab driver 1.2 million dong (70 US dollars) to drive the seven of us the two hours back. On the way we went through a toll booth and the driver had to pay 10,000 dong (not even a dollar) and then when we arrived he tried to tell us that we each needed to pay him 200,000 dong (about 10 dollars) EACH for the toll booth. Even though we already paid 1.2 million and the meter only read 930,000 and he only paid 10,000 so we were like hell no this guy is just trying to screw us over! So we just walked away and he swore at us and drive away. Then I walked about 10 steps and realized my wallet was in the cab. Great. I should have just paid him the money then I would have realized I didn’t have it on me. UGH. So I lost all my check cards, credits cards, and IDs. And its not like I can just go to the bank and get a new card im in frickin Vietnam! So now I have no money and had to wake my mom up at 3:30 in the morning panicking for her to cancel all my cards because I know this asshole cab driver would probably charge them up once he finds it. But it could be worse, at least my passport wasn’t in there because then I would be screwed for the rest of the trip… and I had another card in my room so I will just have to transfer all my money to this other account but this card probably wont work everywhere like my regular one did… mostly now im just really sad because I lost all my cool little souvenirs for my scrapbook and my wallet that I loved… I sat in my room and watched all my new pirated DVDs and moped around for the rest of the night.

Today I went on a service visit to the Hy Vong school for the deaf and took the kids to the zoo. It was fun but Vietnamese deaf children are just as wild as any other kid so im pretty exhausted, hence sitting around in a café and playing on my computer for hours. Tonight I am going out to make up for my bad day yesterday! Hope everyone is well!

Adventures of Hong Kong

So far Hong Kong has been my favorite port! The first day we went to Hong Kong Island by ferry and took a double decker bus to the stop of the peak which was terrifying riding this crazy bus flying around bending next to cliffs. I also went shopping and out to the central club district. The second day i went to the worlds largest buddah and rode a cable car to the top of a mountain which was pretty scary but the buddah was so awesome! Then i went to an outdoor food market and saw some pretty sketchy food situations lol Today i have some SAS trips i just got back from the endangered species resource center and the bird market. The center was a bit boring but the bird market was really cool but kind of sad. This is just a market for selling birds which is apparently a popular pet choice for people here because they can keep them in apartments which is what most people live in… there were hundreds and hundreds of birds in handmade wooden cages. Now im about to go to the Hong Kong Museum of art… Things are very english friendly here and there is so much to do i wish i was staying longer! I put pictures up on my facebook because they upload a lot faster on there so check it out if you are interested here is the public link to them:

http://www.facebook.com/album.php?aid=159201&id=510697412&l=920fd357f0

next i have two days on the ship then will be in Ho Chi Minh City, VietNam!

A Few Pictures From Japan