Japan... Finally!

Well here it is- the last blog entry of my voyage. It has taken me a little while to get this one posted because things have been crazy here on the ship with trying to get this semester completed. Yes, we actually do have work to do out here, contrary to what some of you may believe, and as I sit here and write this… I have completed all of my exams, all of my papers have been turned in, and it feels so good to be done!! Now that finals are done, my last few days have been consisting of packing, catching up on much needed sleep, and much needed time in the sun relaxing and reflecting. This semester has been an amazing ride and I’m so glad that I have had this opportunity.

Japan, our last port, can be described with “e’s”. It was exciting, expensive, easy to get around, and excessively clean. It was exciting, just as all of the ports that we have visited, because my friends and I had planned a very rigorous schedule full of running around the island of Honshu, which is the biggest island out of the four that make up the main Japanese islands. My friends, including 5 of my best girlfriends bought rail passes that gave us unlimited access to the Japanese rail system for the 5 days that we were in port and we took full advantage of the passes. We docked in Kobe and took time to visit Tokyo, Hiroshima, and Kyoto. All of the cities were equally interesting and I will get into that later… but for now… I must get back to the “e’s”.

Japan was expensive. Since it is an island with virtually zero natural resources, almost everything is imported and that causes prices to be out of control. Japan was easy to get around because of the rail passes… I was actually on a bullet train that was traveling around 300 miles per hour and was one of the quietest ways that I have ever traveled. Forget those little prop planes that fly to from Pittsburgh to Philly and it sounds like you are sitting inside a blender. These trains were so quiet and so safe- it really amazed me! Finally, Japan was also excessively clean. However, it was amazing to me though that there were virtually no trash cans on the street. Some students were talking about the Japanese government being concerned with trash cans being bombed so they eliminated them from public areas, but I’m not 100% sure what exactly the real reason behind the trash can situation really was.

Ok, so now onto the Japanese cities. Kyoto, the first city that I visited is a little bit of a smaller city compared to crazy Tokyo, but it still very alive. My friends and I stayed at one of the traditional “mat hotels” which is just a big room with a thatched type straw on the ground and has a huge closet with futon type mats and pillows and sheets. I literally felt like I was at a sleepover in 5th grade because we were all sleeping on the floor in this big room. But… it ended up being quite comfortable and fun. We went to a geisha show and visited the Golden Pavilion and participated in a traditional Japanese tea ceremony. No offense to anyone that likes Japanese tea, but I pretty much wanted to throw up after I tasted mine… but hey, its all an experience and I would have been mad at myself if I wouldn’t have tried it.

After Kyoto we boarded a bullet train for Tokyo and spent two days in the city. We were looking for a hotel room for a few hours and thanks to my friend Cameron we actually found one where they spoke English. The hotel was listed in the Lonely Planet book as a “$” out of “$$$” and it was still close to $250 a night. We all decided that it was a little out of our price range to get two hotel rooms, so we figured that we could all squeeze into one and save some money. Well… we ended up getting a 3 person room and fit all 6 of us in it. One bathroom, three beds, and six girls- you do the math. Needless to say, we had a blast and it was the most fun that I have had with my good girlfriends during the semester and I am so glad that we were able to have our last port be so special.

While out in Tokyo one night we met some American baseball players that were playing in Tokyo for a Japanese team. They invited us to their game the following day and we actually went! It was fun to see a game, but so strange to hear typical cheers that you would hear at an American baseball game being chanted in Japanese.

After Tokyo, we jumped on the bullet train again and went to Hiroshima for the day. It was fascinating to see the memorial peace museum that has been built in the city to honor and remember the victims that were killed in the bombings that ended WWII. Since much of the city was destroyed in the bombings Hiroshima definitely has a feeling of newness that seems to be all over Japan. Many of the buildings are quite modern and it is evident that public places have been updated and taken care of.

There were a few things that surprised me about Japan. First the weather… ugh. I’m not usually a complainer and rain never hurt anyone, but it rained every single day that we were in Japan and it was freezing cold every day as well. They actually sell umbrellas in vending machines in Japan. No, I’m not kidding… you read that correctly… umbrellas in vending machines. Apparently it rains a lot in Japan. Another thing that really surprised me was the fact that most of the people that I tried to ask for help did not speak English. I would have thought that a country that is such a crucial trading partner with the United States would have more business people and people in the hospitality sector that would speak English. Perhaps I was just unlucky and did not run into the right people to ask for directions and ask how which train was going where, but I was really surprised.

After my friends and my little jaunt around the country we returned to Kobe to catch the ship, but not before we treated ourselves to the famous Kobe beef that the city is so known for. It was around $55 for the steak, but worth every dollar. I’m not exactly sure what they do to that cow, but wow, that was one good steak if I must say so myself.

Japan was a great way to end the voyage and I’m so glad I was able to finally travel with my friends and not have such a regimented agenda that SAS trips always make your group stick to. If we wanted to sleep in, we did… if we wanted a beer at 3 in the afternoon… we had one, if we wanted to eat as McDonalds instead of fumbling over a sushi menu… we ate at McDonalds. It was a wonderful port and I truly enjoyed myself in Japan.

Now… San Diego is in sight. In fact as I write this we are about 24 hours from arriving. I truly think its going to be a bittersweet feeling when I leave the ship. I’m sad I will be leaving my friends that I have made and the memories that we make almost daily, but at the same time I know we will be in touch and I know that I have an exciting summer full of more travel and fun ahead of me. Thanks for reading and following me this semester. Its been quite an adventure and I’m so glad that I have been able to share it with you.

All the best!
Love,
Leah

Japan Blog... Almost

I know many of you have been asking about my blog... I'm sorry its been taking me so long to post it. Things have been a little crazy out here with finals and getting things in order for the end of the semester. I promsie I am working on it and hope to have it up before San Diego.

In the mean time, things are great here and I am looking forward to geting back to the States. I'm of course returning on the 28th... so that means that the blog will be coming soon! Keep checking and sorry!

In the mean time... here is a picture from the Ambassadors Ball.

Cherry Blossoms in Japan

Hong Kong, Beijing, and Quingdao

Hello from the Yellow Sea! As I write this blog post we are one short day away from arriving in Kobe, Japan, our final port on the semester long itinerary. Don’t even think for a second that since the trip is winding down our schedules are getting lighter. As typical with the Semester at Sea lifestyle (which is go, go, go if you haven’t noticed) this particular port stop was a combination of three cities in 6 days for me! The ship pulled into Hong Kong on April 3rd, I left for Beijing on the 4th, and ship left Hong Kong and sailed to Quindao on the 5th, and then flew to Quindao, China on the 7th to meet the ship and we left for Japan on the 8th.

Hong Kong was incredible. It was extremely western, very clean, and very urban, which were all welcome changes to what I have been experiencing in some of the more rural ports that I have visited on this voyage thus far. My one and only day in the city was as always spent exploring. My friends and I jumped on one of the many double decker cable cars that run throughout the city and rode it wherever it happened to take us. We didn’t know the route and had no idea where we were going, but I guess we got lucky and ended up in a beautiful shopping district. One thing that really amazed me about this city was the amount of construction that was taking place. Although the city is incredibly land locked it seemed as though they were building and improving property everywhere you looked. The scaffolding that was used was actually made out of reinforced bamboo rods that looked as though they would be pretty unstable, but I guess it worked because I saw it everywhere.

The next morning I was up early to catch my flight to Beijing. Our agenda for the three days that I spent in the city were tours of the Summer Palace, the Great Wall, Tiananmen Square, the Forbidden City, and about 40000 temples. (Yes, I have seen a lot of temples on this trip. They are great, but I am starting to feel like once you have seen 20, you have seen 40000.) The first day that we were in the city was like traffic overload for me. I have been in some very high traffic areas on this trip, but I think Beijing’s traffic was the worst. The combination of bikes, motor bikes, buses, cable car busses, cars, and trucks in just incredible if you aren’t used to it. I did my best to adjust and within a few hours of knowing what to expect, I was fine. The city, although very modern, was surprisingly gray to me. It could have been the weather, but I just couldn’t help but think that I was in the middle of the Russian Tundra. Beijing is of course the site of the 2008 Olympic Games and let me tell you the Chinese people are psyched about the games. There are large countdowns all over the city and the Olympic logo is on everything you see from billboards to beer bottles. Like Hong Kong, there is also an incredible amount of construction going on in this city for rush to get hotels and other facilities built to handle the crowds that the city is expecting.

The Great Wall was of course one of the best parts of this trip. We got up quite early and drove about 2 hours outside of Beijing to the section of the wall that we would be visiting. We climbed the 1600 steps up to the actual portion of the wall in about 20 minutes and by the time I got up there I was pretty exhausted. I thought it was going to be a nice easy walk on the wall after that point, but someone had failed to tell me that the wall is anything but flat!! There are lots of portions that go uphill and downhill again to follow the landscape of the countryside. My friends and I had a great time exploring and trying to take creative pictures. When it was time for us to walk down we found an Alpine Slide that actually was a slide that you can go down the mountain on. It started snowing (!) while we were on top of the wall and we wanted to get down as fast as we could, so the slide seemed like the best option. It reminded me so much of my younger days at Sever Springs riding that slide 10 times in a row. Needless to say it was a good time and when you say I took a slide down from the Great Wall I guess it makes for a good story.

The next day we spent mainly in Beijing exploring the city and Tiananmen Square and the Forbidden City. Tiananmen Square is the largest public square in the world and covers an area of about 100 acres. Needless to say… its huge! The Forbidden City was pretty cool too, but under major reconstruction and renovation due to the Olympics (I told you these people are psyched about it). It snowed again and some of the Chinese locals were laughing at lots of people in my group that had flip flops and summer jackets on. I don’t think many of us were prepared for the freezing weather that we experienced.

We ended our time in Beijing the next day and we flew to Quingdao the next day to meet up with the ship. That evening was the eve of my 21st Birthday and like all 21 year olds, my friends made sure that we celebrated in style. The port we docked at in Quingdao is in the middle of no where, but my amazing friends pulled through and found a place where we could go to celebrate.

I guess that pretty much wraps up my time in China. Now it is onward to Japan and its so hard to believe that this is our last and final port. A huge part of me is looking forward to getting back home and getting into a routine, but another huge part of me doesn’t want to leave this ship, the friends that I have made, and the feeling of having so many new experiences each and everyday. They say that Semester as Sea changes you… it really does… and I love the change that this program has brought out in me.

As always, thanks for reading. I appreciate your love and support more than you realize. In fact it means everything to me to know that so many of your have been behind me and sending me encouragement through all of this. Where would I be without all of you? I hope all is well at home.

Love,
Leah

Climbing the Great Wall

Dinner in Vietnam

Saigon, Vietnam

What an incredible place. Vietnam is a country with an obvious rich history, generally wonderful people, and an extreme diversity in things to do, see, and enjoy. Whether it was flying around the city on one of the million motor bikes for rent, learning about the history of the war, or even taking a riverboat ride down the famous Mekong River, I had a blast in this port and it definitely ranks in the top three places that I have been on this trip. I feel as though all of this was so unexpected from Vietnam and I am so glad that I got to experience all of it.

The Explorer pulled into Saigon on March 26 on an absolutely beautiful morning. After spending a few days in Thailand, my mom came to meet me in Saigon with the SAS parent trip. As we were pulling in I was looking for her all over the pier and she was no where to be found. We later found out that the ship pulled in early and the parents were unaware that we were docked. There were close 50 parents and family members that came all the way across the world to see us. I was pretty impressed. The parents finally made it to the dock and boarded the ship. The reunion with my mom was wonderful and it was so great to finally see her after all of the anticipation.

On the first day that we were in Saigon my mom and I met up with a few of my friends and we all walked around and explored the local market, had some local Vietnamese food, and just took in everything that is Saigon. I was amazed at how incredibly modern most everything is and I just kept thinking to myself how much the city reminded me of NYC. There were obviously many differences that were all around, but for the most part the city is very similar to a bustling metropolis that you would find in the states. We did go shopping in the local market where the electricity was not turned on that day. It was interesting to watch as you walked down the many isles of clothing, shoes, luggage, and other items for sale how little portable lights would magically turn on and merchants would invite you to look at the things they had for sale. I have never seen so many kinds of knock-off Nikes, Prada Purses, North Face backpacks, and Ralph Lauren Polos in my life. I almost left like I was on Canal Street in New York City. It was fun for a while. The marketplace was quite intense though and after a few hours of “Madam, Madam, I have many colors” and “I will find your size” I had to get out of there. It is interesting to tell a sales person that you are looking for a black polo in a size Medium and they pull out a red polo in a size Triple Extra Large and expect you to like it. The saying “Same, Same” meaning what the merchant is showing you is the same thing that you are asking for (which is never is) is VERY popular here. Its rather frustrating to be continuously sold things that you are not interested in. Oh well its all a fun experience!

The second day in Vietnam I went on a day trip to the Cu Chi Tunnels. These tunnels were originally built by the Vietnamese people as they rebelled against French. They were later used by the North Vietnamese army as a major strategic war tactic against the Americans and the South Vietnamese. It was truly fascinating to see how these tunnels worked, but at the same time was very sobering to think of the death and destruction that these tunnels helped to create.

Also while in Vietnam I took a day trip the famous Mekong River. This river acts as a major transportation system for the people that live along it and also provides a very interesting area for tourists to get a view of Vietnam outside the glitz and glam of Saigon. On the tour of the river I don’t know if I have ever been in and out of so many different types of boats in such a short period of time. It was starting to become a joke between my mom and I as to how many different kinds of river vessels we would be in over the course of the day. The tour took us to various villages and small businesses along the river and showed us how the rural population of Vietnam actually lives. It was a really great day and something that I’m glad I got to do to see another side of Vietnam.

There is so much more that I would write about regarding Vietnam and my words simply cannot do this interesting and exciting country any amount of justice that it deserves. I am unfortunately cutting this blog entry short because we are pulling into Hong Kong in less than 12 hours and I told myself that I would have this posted before we arrived. I know I say this all the time, but I simply cannot believe how fast this trip has been going. I can remember sitting in my apartment last fall just dreaming of seeing the Taj Mahal, and now it has been nearly 4 weeks since I watched the sun rise over the amazing structure. I remember dreaming about what it was going to be like to climb the Great Wall and now I am going to be walking on it in less than two days! This trip has been one of the most amazing experiences of my life and I feel so blessed to have been given the opportunity to travel and see the world as I have been able to do. One of my friends here on the ship said to me the other day that her motto for life is “If you aren’t living on the edge you are taking up space.” I’m starting to like that way of life…”

As always, thanks for your love and support. Keep your wonderful e-mails coming.

Love always,
Leah