going to write the cliff notes version for Mauritius, India, and Vietnam. If I feel up to I will tell yall about my AMAZING time in China:
Mauritius: Although it was easy to get around due to the lack of a language barrier, I would not ever choose to go there or probably ever return. I am surprised I had never heard of it before SAS, since it is the only known habitat of the Dodo bird, and I had definitely heard of the Dodo before SAS. The most interesting incident that occurred to me was hopping a ride with these 4 Mauritians (haha likes like Martians) on my
way to hike “the thumb” mountain. Three other ladies and myself were lost looking for the bus station. Well, we could actually see the bus station but, we were on the other side of the road, and there was this huge gated median that prevented us from crossing. When we asked for directions, they offered us a ride. 2 minutes after jumping in the van, we realized they were going the wrong direction and I uneasily watch “the thumb” get smaller and smaller out the back wi
ndow. At first, I was thinking “oh shit, THIS is the situation that my parents warned me about.” Then I snapped back to reality since the Martians still seemed very harmless, the driver was a friendly guy, the older couple with him were using canes, and the lady next to me had just been telling me all about her daughters studies. We asked them to drop us at the next bus station, where we waited for about an hour, since we didn’t know that it was customary to actually flag down you bus, they don’t just stop.
Eventually after about 3 hrs of travel time (we had anticipated 1 hr max), we found ourselves at the bottom of the mountain at the end of a long dirt path.
India: I had signed up for a SAS trip called “The Art of Living,” which is an international course on learning to live a happy, healthy life. So upon arrival, instead of exploring Chennai, 18 of us hopped onto an airconditioned bus with our guide Ne, and headed for Dakinshana—the Williamsburg of India, to meditate and practice breathing exercises for 3 days. The accommodations were very “rustic,” aka a stone hard cot, no ventilation, dodgy electricity, and literally a hole in the floor for a toilet. Isn’t it funny how rustic is defined differently by everyone. The simple lodging was fantastic, and I wouldn’t have wanted it any other way. Although I enjoyed the retreat, it felt very cult-like, if you get a chance you should google Art of Living and see for yourself, the photos of Guru (blanking on his name), are hilarious, I actually purchased some of the literature just for the comic-value.
India was also the first country I really ventured off on my own. It was very empowering (/probably a little dangerous) to bargain for a rickshaw, find city center, and explore the city all on my own.
The food was amazing. I ate things with my hands, that you never knew were possible to eat with your hands. And most things were served on banana leaves. I also ate enough naan bread to feed the US army.
Vietnam: Vietnam. I loved it there. The first day I spent in Saigon and it was great. The city was super easy to get around, and I felt really safe, even though some SASers did experience some crime involved with theft. I explored the city with Christina, a chinese/peruvian girl from San Francisco. We got some Pho noodles, explored the market, and got some clothes made. I was fitted for a pair of linen paints and a nice cotton shirt. The first night I went with a whole bunch of SASers to a club called Apocalypse Now. It was so fun dancing, and drinks were very cheap—actually everything in Nam was cheap. Everyone in Saigon travels around on motorbikes, and you could hire one to take you anywhere in the city for less than $1. Crossing the streets was insane. You literally step off the sidewalk in front of traffic and keep a steady pace because they plan their routes around you and if you stop or speed up, you WILL get hit. There were a few student injuries and 2nd degree burns from the motor bikes, but I thought it was so much fun! I loved Saigon I was actually kind of sad that I was going to the Mekong Delta for 3 days and 2 nights, because SAS trips tend to be hit or miss.
Luckily, this trip was definitely HIT! We had the best tour guide EVER. His name was Thien (sounds like Ian with a T). He called us "semester family." He was 34 years old and had a great life story. One of my friends Bryan and I are planning on returning someday soon to backpack with him from Northern Vietnam to the South. Thien is very smart, speaking 5 languages fluently. When he was 13, he tried to flee the country and ended up living in a refugee camp in China for 7 years before they sent him back to Vietnam because he was too young to prove he was fleeing for political reasons. This set him back in his schooling but he managed to earn a degree anyway, and because of his language skills that were self taught while he was in the refugee camp, he was able to get a job with the tour company. He taught us a whole bunch of Vietnamese phrases that I will have to teach you when I get home.
Anyway, the Mekong Delta was so great. We went to a water market, where each boat sold specialty fruits or goods. Then took a riverboat to the house on stilts where we spent the night on cots with mosquito nets. Bryan and I were the only ones adventurous enough to go swimming in the river and I am hoping not to get any parasites, but I just couldn't pass the opportunity up. That evening, we were invited to help prepare our meal, and then a traditional Vietnamese band and professional amateur singer preformed for us. It was so magical. I can't even explain.
From the Mekong Delta, we took a bus ride, and a ferry ride to Can Tho, the 5th largest city in Vietnam. It was really fun, and we stayed in a 4 star hotel. Most of the other guests were Americans with the Operation Smile campaign--fighting against cleft palates. I met this guy named Jay from New Jersey who graduated from Uni of MD a few years ago—small world, and is presently working on a documentary about Operation Smile. He also taught English in Thailand for 2 years and absolutely loved it. I really fell for this country, I know I said this about India too, but I know I am going to return to Vietnam, I did not want to leave.
Before heading back to Saigon, we had some free time, so 3 other girls and Bryan and I decided to get a massage. It was 11 am and the hotel spa was closed so they set up appointments for us with a place that was extra cheap because the massage therapists were blind. We show up and the girls are put in one room, and Bryan in another. It was a little awkward because we got completely naked and the massage therapists were all men, but it was okay because they were blind, at least that’s what I told myself. The massage itself was pretty good, although they could learn a thing or two about atmosphere. There was no calming music, and the guys all chatted in Vietnamese the whole time. Things got even more awkward and interesting when the little blind asian man jumped up on the table, straddled me, and started beating on my back, and twisting my legs in positions I did not know were possible. I almost put a halt to it, but luckily things did not cross the line, and I felt safe because the 3 other girls were literally in the same room as me. Things did not go as well for Bryan. Apparently, if you are a male, it is expected that you expect a little more than the average massage. Let's just say he was not pleasantly surprised, or relaxed to find out that his therapist was not blind, locked the door, and was overly eager to please. He put a halt to his massage about 5 minutes in, and had to explain that this was NOT the kind of massage he wanted. When he first objected, the receptionists response was "do you want a younger boy?" Sad. The whole massage cost $2 for an hour and overall was good, but it was creepy seeing all the married Western business men in the bars and clubs with Vietnamese women on their arms. We even saw Capt. Jeremy.
The final two evenings in Saigon were the best. After so many Pho noodles, a few of us decided we wanted some burgers and fries so we ate at a western restaurant called The Underground in the developed section of Saigon. Then I met up with some friends at a jazz club called Sax & Art. Best live jazz I have ever seen. My friends Eric and Annie had been going every night, and had become friendly with the owner, who happens to also be the best saxophonist in all of Vietnam. He could play two at the same time. Anyway, we were sitting front and center in this crowded jazz club. Some people were dancing and Eric and Annie danced so great, the previous night Annie actually got to sing with Jung. I told Eric he was a good dancer, and a few songs later, he asked me to dance with him. No one else was dancing, and all eyes were on us. It was so much fun because he is so great at leading that it made me look like I kinda knew what I was doing. The club photographer was taking pictures and everything, and we might end up on the website! After that we headed to a couple night clubs and danced with fellow SASers. The final evening, we met up with Thien after his last tour for some Vietnamese BBQ.
So much for keeping this short…
CHINA!
The ship landed in Hong Kong on the 11th. After traveling to all these developing countries, it was crazy to be in a developed economically stable city once again. Not to mention, it is the same harbor that scenes of Batman were filmed in. I spent the majority of the day running around the city, going to the tops of tall buildings, visiting museums, and ending at Victoria’s Peak—the best place to view the sunset. When I was at the top, I spotted KR and the crew several levels below me and I got their attention, we grabbed a bite to eat, and headed to the harbor for the symphony light show.
The next day, I sent all my postcards, made some phonecalls then made the 2 hour bus ride to Shenzhen airport, only to find out that my plane ticket had been cancelled. Fantastic. I am stranded in an airport, where no one speaks English! Luckily, I found Roy, and e-ticket employee who hooked me up with a ticket on the same flight as Amanda (girl I was traveling with). Unfortunately, the ticket was $100 more but Roy felt bad for me and arranged a free meal for us. So it worked out.
When we arrived in Beijing at 12 am, it was freezing, literally. Our plane had been delayed due to SNOW. Let me remind you that for the past few months, I have been in a deep depression about missing autumn because it has been so freaking hot. And when I was packing for this voyage, I didn’t consider winter weather. I had every warm layer I owned on, and was dubbed the “walking, talking closet” by some of my friends.
Anyway, back to Beijing. We found a taxi, and he took us to the SWEETEST hostel I have ever been to. And it was $12 per night. We went to sleep as soon as we arrived.
The next night Peking Hostel was completely booked, so we spent the entire day with our packs on. We visited the palace featured in disney’s Mulan, secured tickets for the sleeper train to Shanghai to meet back up with the MV Explorer, and figured out travel plans for the Great Wall. We bought tickets for and acrobatic show, and ended up finding a shitty hostel to stay in for the night.
The Great Wall was GREAT! But it was actually a pretty intense hike. And it was really really really cold—4-10 degrees Celcius.
This farmer lady named Show, followed us the whole time trying to sell us souvenirs. Even though she only followed us to guilt us into buying things, I took a liking to her. She was so cute, she was 57 years old but did not look a day over 40, not to mention she was hiking way better than any of us. When we got back to Beijing, we met some of our SAS friends that knew Americans studying in Beijing, ate some spaghetti at the hostel and got tickets to see the Ying Yang Twims at this trendy night club. Non of us brought going out clothes, so I danced the whole night, shook the Ying Yang Twins hands, and actually danced on stage. That night we stayed at the nice hostel.
The next day we went around with Paul and Samar, two other peeps staying at the hostel. Paul is from Australian but he is Chinese born and raised (until he was ten) so he is fluent in Mandarin. Against his wishes, we deemed him our tour guide, and he got us all the local prices. Samar is Sundanese but is studying nin Vancouver and she is awesome. She invited you and me to come vist her this summer, which I totally want to do. She is moving onto Commerical drive, the hippie district of the city, and I am stoked to go. I am planning on being on the west coast this summer, so maybe it will work out.
We also went to the movies to see “This Is It.” While Paul and I were waiting in line, this man approached us and offered to sell us vouchers for tickets lower than box office prices. It is crazy that this is how Asia works. There are no rules, and the trickiest get the best deals. I still don’t know if I like this mentality. It is very survivalistic (is that a word?).
For dinner, we ate at this open-market, and I ate a whole baby shark on a skewer (Sorry Georgia and Nima, I am going to put my money where my mouth is and be Vegan again, I just couldn’t turn down the opportunity), the worst part, which I don’t even think I should admit, is……..
I tried a bite of Paul’s dog meat. It tasted just like beef. I’m sorry, I ask forgiveness for my inhumanity and cruelty.
Lauren tried water beetles. The whole experience was crazy. There were maybe 100 vendors and you just purchased your food from the stalls and ate it right there. We were all bundled up and still freezing, with cans of beer in one hand and food in the other. The venders were having fun with us. We would try to bargain, and they teased us saying they would give us free food for kisses. Paul ended up getting us pretty good prices and we walked away without suffering the taste of sheep penis.
From the food-market, we hopped a cab to the train station where we were to catch a sleeper train at 9:40 to arrive in Shanghai at 8am the next morning. I was a little apprehensive since I had been warned by people who traveled on sleepers in India, but it was actually really nice and pretty comfortable.
While we waited to board we met “Ruby” a homeless lady who took it upon herself to follow us. She spoke no English, and we spoke no Mandarin, but there was definitely a connection, and this did not prevent her from having a conversation with us at all. She chatted on and on and gave us all pamphlets from church. We shared our dinner with her and it was really great.
Honestly, I am ready to part ways with SAS. Not that I am ready to quit my circumnavigation. I just want to do it on my own terms. I feel rushed to make it to “on-ship” time, and the ship is too luxurious and wasteful. I feel like a seasoned traveler now, and no longer want to be babied by SAS. I can’t have imagined coming this far entirely on my own but I feel that I can go anywhere now. It is very empowering.
Dear World, you are now my backyard!!!
Luckily, this trip was definitely HIT! We had the best tour guide EVER. His name was Thien (sounds like Ian with a T). He called us "semester family." He was 34 years old and had a great life story. One of my friends Bryan and I are planning on returning someday soon to backpack with him from 
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