Remember Table Mountain?

Isaiah, my roommate from SAS, sent me a link about the trail that we went up. If you may recall, it was called "India Venster" and was a lot more dangerous than we expected. Apparently there have been five deaths in the list six years.

They are putting measures forth to make it a little safer. Here's the article.

http://www.iol.co.za/index.php?set_id=1&click_id=124&art_id=vn20090428052610630C545037

Harder, Better, Faster, Stronger

Harder

Being home is not easy. I love my family, I love my house, and I love my friends, but this is not easy. All I can think about is the ship, the countries, being able to walk 30 seconds to my farthest friend's cabin, traveling, all my new friends, and the world.
I haven't really seen any friends yet. I don't really know where to start. I feel like I need to see everyone at the same time to avoid playing a perceived game of favorites, but I know that's impossible so I end up not seeing anyone because I don't know who to see and in what order.
It's hard sitting here doing laundry and typing and unpacking and watching the memories fly onto my shelves. I look at my map of the world with 108 dots on it and a red line connecting them all.
My parents bought a dog since I was gone, from a shelter He's SO CUTE but has some temper issues. He's so shy, and when someone he seems someone he doesn't recognize, he barks and goes crazy. So I get home and start living my life at home and this drives Dodger, the dog, nuts. He senses a disturbance in the force. When he goes crazy it doesn't seem right because he is so adorable. I have given him food and a toy, and sometimes he smells me, but after he barks at me and my dad comes out and calms him down, he gets very bashful and sad, as if he doesn't know why he did the things he did. We got him from a shelter and are pouring lots of money into setting him straight. If he can't get used to me within the next few weeks, we're going to have to take him back to a shelter. Nobody wants that to happen, but it may be the only solution. I felt really bad typing that. The weirdest thing is being unwelcome by my own dog (though he had never met me until yesterday). The last thing I need right now is a dog restricting my access to my own house and being not-so-happily acknowledging my presence at home.

Better

I am a better person because of this experience. I feel I am a better artist: I got to play piano in a band almost every day and practice comedy every once in a while. I feel better about myself, who I am, and what I want to accomplish in this life. I feel that I can better understand domestic and international political issues, and that I can better educate younger people, peers, and elders on them. I feel I have a better understanding of world cultures and how to compare them and how to appreciate them. I think about my friends whose grandparents and parents, even, are from some of the places I've been, and I feel a better connection to them and their culture. And I BETTER see all of my friends again and I BETTER be traveling again.


Faster

Nothing has ever gone by faster that SAS in my life, but it only feels like that right now. During the voyage, I made every day last. I don't have a single regret about the entire experience (except maybe bringing more sheet music with me).
Here at home everything moves faster, especially communication. I haven't really used my cell phone in a few months and it feels so strange that I can contact anyone so fast whenever I want. Having Facebook back is a blessing and a curse, after having been weened off of it for so long. I strive to not let the fast-moving stressed-out way of life we've got going on here in the USA take me over.

Stronger

I've made bonds with people, both friends and strangers, that are stronger than any I have ever made. I have a much stronger sense of empathy for foreigners in our own country (both tourists and immigrants) having been met with the most gracious welcomes in the world and the most intense get-the-hell-out-of-my-country glares you can imagine. I have a stronger sense of responsibility to the world. I can't solve world hunger or world poverty overnight, but I can take small steps like making others aware and treating the world around me in a more accommodating way.
I am a much stronger person when faced with adversity. I have thrown myself into a country with one of the highest murder rates, found myself a taxi, and found a hotel to stay in for two nights. The problems that I was faced with on a daily basis before I saw and did the kinds of things in the world that I did seem trivial, worthless, and negligible.
I have a stronger connection to the world as a whole. It seems smaller, not bigger. It seems more accessible, not less. It seems familiar, not strange.

More than ever hour after
our work is never over.

My work is never over. More than ever before, I feel a direct responsibility to the world, to change things for good however I can. Through art or education or whatever. All I know is that my life just got a huge jump start, and more than ever, my work is never over.

The Last Blog From The Ship

My luggage is packed and in some unknown corner of the ship ready to be whisked away when we arrive in Florida tomorrow. My friends and I are scrambling chaotically to trade pictures and videos. I still have half a bottle of ketchup to use up.

I am teetering on the edge of the most formative experience of my life.

Semester at Sea provided me with so much more than I could ever have imagined. They tell you: “Go around the world, 12 countries, 108 days, 700 college students!” That's only the tip of the iceberg. There are so many things they don't tell you.

-They don't tell you that you get to interact with your professors on a much deeper level. You see them in the cafeteria, you see them in class, and you see them walking around with their kids, with whom you become friends (and have to buy a pizza when one of them miraculously gets one point higher than you on a marine biology final exam).

-They don't tell you that you get to play piano every day and record music and accompany singers and that you get opportunities to practice comedy and hone your own personal skills in anything you wish to improve upon.

-They don't tell you how much time you are going to spend alone, thinking about what you've seen and what you've done.

-They don't tell you that by the end you are going to have friends around the world that you are going to keep in touch with for the rest of your life.

-They don't tell you how much shipboard life, which is about half of the time, becomes your way of life, and how much each and every nook and cranny of the ship holds some meaning to you.

-They don't tell you that it will either shatter your plans for the rest of your life, or, in my case, reinforce them.

-They don't tell you that you'll be able to fit everything you need in a bag you can wear on your back.

-They don't tell you that while SAS pretends to provide you with an external voyage around the world, they actually give you the most personal experience for growth you'll ever have.



Packing was sad. It was one of those things that I didn't want to do, because it represented the reality that the voyage is over. No, the voyage is complete. When I step off the ship in Florida tomorrow, this voyage is complete. Everything that will happen has happened, and my immediate growth is finished.

The real challenge is applying what I've learned and how I've grown into my life at home, with my family and friends and my career. I've been deeply inspired to tell stories. If I've learned one thing, its that everyone in every country in the entire world has a story, and they are all unique, and they all deserve to be told. I've been deeply inspired to keep playing piano. Bob, the a/v tech guy and REALLY professional musician just handed me a CD of 9 fakebooks in PDF form. He told me I got some good stuff going on and I should never stop playing. I am also inspired to keep on exploring comedy. I had so many opportunities to try comedy in so many forms, and found that people do enjoy listening to me.

I've seen the best and the worst things our world has to offer. The best gives you faith in humanity, and the worst makes you wonder how people in a rural village in India can live in filth and still be happy. While others feel guilty for living the way we do, I feel very lucky to have the standard of living that I have. I don't feel it is necessary for me to give up something like hygiene or a really hot relaxing shower just because someone else doesn't have it. But every hot shower I take now I'll be thankful for it, and I hope to spread this sense of awareness to my friends and family upon my return.

And now, the big question: “How Am I Supposed to Treat Jonathan When He Gets Home?”

This is tricky stuff. You've changed while I've been gone, and I've changed while I've been gone. We are both going to be different people when I return, but we are both expecting the other to be the same old person. I don't expect any preferential treatment, and I don't expect you to be asking me questions all the time about my trip. Don't feel like I'm expecting you to be totally wide-eyed and astonished every time I see you and that I'm wanting you to even feign interest. It's okay. Please, feel free to ask me questions – I'm SO EXCITED to share the pictures and crazy stories, but don't feel like I will be “offended” or something if every other word out of your mouth isn't “was it just amazing?”

I'll definitely need some space when I get home. I am going to give myself a day or two do decompress, so if you call me I may not return your calls straight away. I've got pictures to post, I'll probably write more blogs, and I've got sleep to catch up on. But know that I love all of you and that you were not absent from my thoughts on this trip and just because I'm not talking to you right away when I get home doesn't mean I don't love you anymore.

But I'm still me. I'm going on about changing and changing and changing but I'm still me. I just have a much broader view of the word. I'm still going to Panda Express and Disney at least once a week. I'm still a Delt. I'm still working for the BJE playing guitar. I've just got more life experiences built upon my previous life as a non-world-traveler.

This will most likely be my last blog before I get home. I want to thank you all for reading and letting me share this experience with you as best I can. I'll be posting pictures when I get home, so there will be thousands more words on these pages.

This is Jonathan Katz of Ship Quips, saying goodbye from the M.V. Explorer.

I Don't See a Fat Lady

And she definitely isn't singing.  I've got five full days left on this ship.  And I don't plan on letting any of them slip away.  Sure, I'm sad about leaving, but I have lots of time to be sad at home.  The last thing I want to do is let the thoughts of missing my friends and the ship and my life of travel and adventure consume these last five days.  That's not how I want to go out. 

I want to go out spending more time with friends than I do sleeping.  I want to go out playing piano and writing stories and playing Settlers and being out on deck.  I want to go out tanning, reading, and listening to music.

When I have sad thoughts about being home, I won't avoid them.  Just as one of the greatest television characters explained in the first episode of one of television's greatest endeavors, I'll let them in.  I'll let it in, but only for five seconds.  I'll admit that those feelings are there, I'll know that I can't escape them, but five seconds later I'm going to continue my last days on the ship like there is no tomorrow.

So I hope that the fat lady is warming up her voice, because she's going to be singing for a very, very long time.






P.S.  The post about me staying on the ship and playing piano was an April Fool's joke.  I'm sure you've figured that out by now, but there may be some who were still wondering.  I WILL be at Chapman in the fall.

The Final Exam

The days before Guatemala were fraught with hours of studying and final exams.  I had both of my tests on the same day, the day before we landed in Puerto Queztal, Guatemala.

A few weeks ago, the passed around a sheet to buy SAS trips for Japan, Hawaii, and Guatemala.  Isaiah and I figured we'd spent enough money on expensive SAS trips and it was time to give exploration a try.  We saw it as our own little travelers “final exam.”  As the day we were to land in Puerto Quetzal loomed closer, we were more and more disappointed with our decisions.

We had learned that the port itself was in the middle of nowhere.  Like Laem Chabang (Thailand) but much, much worse.  Guatemala City, they told us, was basically off limits (though they couldn't really stop you) because there are an astronomical amount of murders there.  Tikal, the city with all the Mayan ruins which would have been an easy SAS trip to be was a flight or a 10 hour bus ride away.  The insurance company that does reports on the safety of each country recommended we have an 11PM curfew, no matter where we are in the country.   The closest place we could go was the safest city in Guatemala: Antigua.  And its 2 hours away.

So now we're thinking “Great.  We chose a port where it is ridiculously unsafe and there is nowhere to go and nothing to do to not have any SAS trips.”  So the night before we arrived in Puerto Quetzal, we studied for this little traveler's final exam. Isaiah, Ari, and I hopped on wikitravel to garner some intel on Antigua.  We decided we'd go into Antigua, find a place to stay, and go from there.

We arrived in Puerto Quetzal and got off the ship and took the shuttle from our crappy port to another crappy port where the ship called “The World” was docked.  This ship is a ship of condominiums.  You live in the condo and travel the world.  Yeah.  Anyway, there was a transportation company who had a complete monopoly on all of the ways to get out of the port, and their prices were through the roof.

We were some of the last people off of the ship, so we couldn't take a bus to Antigua and get a good rate.  The price of a three-man taxi to Antigua was $160.  That was ridiculous.  We bargained and stood our ground since the diplomats at the diplomatic briefing that morning told us it shouldn't be more than $40 to get from Puerto Quetzal to Antigua.  They knew we weren't joking when they said the only way they could take us to Antigua for the price we were offering was in the back of a pick up truck. We thought this was awesome so we agreed, but we ended up in a regular old sedan taxi and were somewhat disappointed.

This man drove so fast, we made it there in half the time we were told it would take.  He dropped us in the center park of this city, and right away we saw some SASers.  But what struck us was the simplicity of this city.  There were fourteen streets: seven going N-S and seven going E-W.  It would have been much simpler if they had any street signs anywhere, but they didn't.  We grabbed a quick lunch with Tim and more people we found, and then went to find a place to stay.

The wikitravel sheet we had gave us a few options, and after getting lost and calling a hotel from basically right next door to it, we found a place.  The hotel we called was full but the man who owns it owns another hotel and he put us up there.  Our hotel offered a small travel agency, so we booked a 6AM hike up the Pacaya Volcano for the following day.

For dinner we hit a place called “Travel Menu” owned by a Danish man.  The food was AMAZING and the prices were cheap.  Here, Isaiah, Ari, and I reflected on our trip and asked each other questions about favorite moments, embarrassing moments, cultural slip-ups, etc.

We then went to a bar where it was “ladies night” which meant that girls got alcohol for absurdly cheap prices.  I think ladies night is a misnomer.  It really attracts more men when girls are getting drunk for low prices.  This place was crawling with SASers because it was the only place we could go because it was the safest. 

We left the bar past our “curfew” time, and had trouble finding our hotel because at night they close the doors and you have to knock and a man opens a little window to make sure you stay at the hotel.  We had walked past it twice before realizing what was going on.  We got back to the hotel and played a game of Settles of Catan.  I brought it because we didn't know how safe we'd feel in Antigua, so if we had to be in our hotel early, we would need something to do!

The next day was probably the best last full day in a port anyone could have asked for.  It had it all.  We did it all.  Let's get this started.

The next morning we work up at 5 30 and met some other SASers who were staying in our hotel on the shuttle to the Pacaya Volcano.  The shuttle was an hour of the bumpiest roads I have ever been on (I thought I was going to get to sleep a little on the shuttle...not so.)  We got there and everyone bought marshmallows.

The tour was in Spanish, but Ari could translate but it wasn't exactly a science tour and the guide's hand gestures were fine.  The first part of the hike was through a more forest-y type of mountain, with lots and lots of horse poop.  Lazy people or prissy girls or hung-over SASers can take horses up.  I was not and am not any of those three things, and neither were or are any of the people in our group so we were equestrian-free.

After the forest-y part we made it to the actual volcano.  It was covered black sand and we “skiied” down a large hill of this stuff.  As we walked closer the black sand turned into igneus rock that burnt the rubber off of your shoes it was so hot.  And then we made it close enough to the lava to feel the heat radiating off of it.  Lava has always been this mythical substance for me, hearing about it in science class or seeing it in movies.  I was standing three feet from molten rock!  I took lots of pictures and a video or two.

After the volcano we grabbed lunch at the Travel Menu place again because it was so good and then went to the market.

Another thing about Antigua is that it looks so small, but when you walk through a door into a shop, the volume of the shop seems impossibly large.  We were on a mission to get “pantooflas” (that spelling is purely phonetic, I have no idea how to actually spell it) which are really soft shoes that look like a Genie would were them.  Our friends told us they got theirs for 30 Quetzalas.


The first lady we find tries to tell us they are Q120.  That's ridiculous, so we find another lady.  She says Q75.  That was still crazy, so we found another lady who spoke english, who wanted Q50 (after some bargaining) that was still a little high so Ari and Isaiah went to look at jerseys and I went to find some cheaper shoes.  I found a lady to whom we hadn't spoken yet and I got her down to Q40 (which is what we were comfortable paying) but she didn't have our size.  I ran back to the lady who spoke English and said “Hey, I found a lady who is willing to sell us four pairs for Q40 each.  But I like you better.  Give us those for Q40.”  She got really excited and explained that the shoes she had showed us were her friends, who wanted a different price.  She ran away to her shop to find the shoes in our size but she didn't have them.  While she was gone, we got the Q160 together so we could pay in one swoop.

She gets back and explains that she didn't have in our size and that her friend wanted a different price.  I asked to talk to her friend.  We went to her friend who seemed upset that we weren't going for the rip-off price.  She really wanted Q50.  I took out the Q160 and said “Four for 40 each, right here, boom, take it or leave it.”  And they took it and now we have shoes to wear on the ship that are awesome.

After shopping we went to the big church that was right in the central square.  They have a Jesus whose elbows are jointed and whose hair blows in the wind.  He was in a box when we went there, but on Good Friday they take him out and re-enact the crucifixion and taking him down.  Since his elbows move and his hair blows, it is apparently really lifelike.

Then it was nap time.  'Nuff said.

We went across the street from our hotel for dinner, to a place called “La Pena de Sol Latina” where there was a live band playing.  It was great!  We ordered a giant plate of chips and guac and salsa and beans.  I got the best quesadilla I have ever had.  While we were eating one of the professors on the ship and his wife (who is also a professor) came in and recommended we have the brownie.  They also asked us how we were getting back to the ship.  We said we didn't know, and they offered to have their taxi guy pick us up.  We agreed.

This was the best brownie I have ever had.  I cannot even begin to explain.  It was warm and gushy, and with the cold ice cream.....it was just the best brownie in the world.

We had a few drinks here before trying to find a liquor store, which we could not.  We asked someone where we might find some alcohol, and they pointed us to a pharamcy.  Without thinking, we went in and asked them, and the guy said “big or small?” and we said “Big!” He hands us a big thing of rubbing alcohol.  Duh!  A pharmacy!  We can be such idiots.

So we go back to the restaurant with the band and have a few more drinks before heading out to the bar where we knew we'd find a bunch of SASers.  We also found some professors there!  Hanging out with professors has been one of the most rewarding things on this trip.  Getting to know these people on a personal level has really added to my learning.

We stayed at the bar for some time and then left to go to another one, but that one was dead so we went back and played Settlers of Catan again.  This game was hilarious because, well, we had spent quite some time at the bar.

This day had it all: sightseeing on a volcano in the morning, shopping in the afternoon, socializing at night, and then playing Settlers, the official game of the trip.

We slept in on the last morning (this morning) and got breakfast/lunch at “The Bagel Barn,” did a little more shopping and then caught a ride with the professors back to the ship.

We did it!  We got ourselves into a foreign city, found a place to say, did stuff, and made it out without having any concrete plans!  Having Ari speaking Spanish helped a lot.  We gave ourselves our Traveler's Final Exam, and we passed.

Back in the U.S.

We arrived in Honolulu on Sunday morning.  It is on the island of Oahu in the Hawaiian Islands.  The first thing I noticed about it was how similar the mountains look to those in the background of LOST.  It's because they actually film LOST here!

Anyway, we only had two days in Honolulu, and I didn't do all that much.  The first day we went snorkeling in Hanauma bay, a nature reserve and world's first non-smoking beach.  The bay went to nature reserve status when the vast amounts of people that were visiting it were causing damage to the marine ecosystems.  They limit the amount of people who go in each day to keep it healthy.

We had around two hours to snorkel, and I saw some beautiful things.  Lots of colorful coral, many, many fish, some urchins, and a sea cucumber or two.  Me and Isaiah saw this huge blue fish with bright pink and yellow on it and when it noticed us it got scared and flitted away.  It moved so quickly!  It seemed like all it did was swish its tail and it was gone, leaving a trail of white bubbles in its wake.

The second day we wanted to go to the North Shore, where LOST is filmed but none of the buses go up there and we didn't want an expensive taxi drive so we walked around the mall in port and went to K-Mart so I could buy some duffel bags for overspill luggage.

It was really strange being in the US.  It was strange not needing my passport and it was strange not having foreign currency.  It was weird to get a little preview of what life will feel like when I get home: no wondering where an ATM is, no bartering, no trying to find a taxi to get anywhere, no passport, no money belt, no constant state of flux.  I will miss all that, I really will.

If anything, Hawaii was a break from classes, for which we have finals the day before and two days after Guatemala.  I'm just trying to soak up every last minute of being on the ship and being around all my new friends and this life style because it is all going end in a matter of weeks and I may never ever get a chance to live like this again.

Don't Japanic

The title is a reference to the mantra of the Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy.

As soon as we arrived in Japan, Taylor, Isaiah, and I hopped on the bullet train and traveled to Tokyo to meet Taylor's friend from high school, Shun.  Shun was born in Japan, but moved to the US when he was very young.  Then he moved back to Japan when he was still young, then moved back to the US for middle school and high school.  He graduated at the same time as us, but took two years to try to become a professional skier.  It didn't go the way he wanted, so now he's back in school, starting his second semester as a freshman.

Shun met us at the station and we took the most quiet subway ride of our lives (everyone keeps off of their cellphones and to themselves) to his suburb.  His place is meant for one person to live in.  We fit all four of us.  The layout is as follows: Door in, “kitchen sink” to the left, bathroom in front of you, turn right and there is a living room, then a ladder up to a sleeping loft.  Shun, of course, slept on his mattress up top so all three of us slept in a tiny room.  It was more fun that it was uncomfortable though.

Anyway, the first night we went out to a Jazz club to hear Shun's jazz club from school perform.  Prior to them, though, there was this crazy band who I'm sure were hilarious if I understood Japanese because all of the locals were laughing.  Afterward we went to dinner at a place called “Smokey” where (and this is in no way unique to Smokey, its how its done in Japan) they bring out the raw meat and you cook it right in front of you.  It was delectable.

The next day we went to Disney Sea, which is part of the Tokyo Disneyland park, though it is not actually owned by Disney.  Some company built the park and licensed the Disney name and characters.  This place had a Tower of Terror that was not as good as ours, an Indiana Jones that was about the same as ours (except for the themeing, it was the Crystal Skull and one illusion with a fireball that scared the crap out of me), a looping coaster, and some other stuff.  But the coolest part about this park was the themeing.

The area called “Mysterious Island” looked like something right out of Myst or some other sort of “in-the-past-but-futuristic” game or movie.  Here was the Journey to the Center of the Earth ride, that we rode six times because it was awesome.  We spent all day at Disney Sea, then met up with Shun to have our first real Japanese ramen meal.

You buy a ticket from a vending machine and then give the ticket to the chef who compiles the meat and vegetables and noodles and soup, slops it in a bowl, and serves it.  It was at this restaurant that I tried my first Japanese toilet treatment.

For those of you who don't know, many of the Japanese toilets have a little extra device for cleaning yourself after you're all relieved.  You press a button and it sprays water exactly where you need it to go, and then you press stop once you're good and satisfied.  I thought this would be a little uncomfortable, and it was.  But only for a minute.  I have never felt so refreshed in my entire life!  Not only did they have this but they also had toilet seat sanitizer, so you can wipe down the seat before you sit on it.  The Japanese are SO innovative!

The next morning Shun left us directions to meet him at his school, Sophia University.  We followed his very detailed subway directions and made in there without any problems.  We met his jazz club and some of his friends, as well as two American Japanese kids who are studying abroad at Sophia. Together we went around the Tokyo, going through shopping areas that reminded me of the East Village in NYC, and then to a much busier section.  One thing that was strange to me was that there was almost no littler on the street, but trash cans were hard to come by.  This was strange.  Anyway, the craziest section of town was the “Electric Town.”

*Some things not suitable for young children in this paragraph*We got off the subway and went outside and it was just full of electronics stores, lights, cameras, computers, everything you could imagine.  Along the street were what seemed like hundreds of stores.  We went in to lots of them to get the feeling for it, and in the process ended up in some “Adult” stores (if you know what I mean).  But these were not your typical porn shops.  These were 5 story buildings full of different types of pornography on every floor.  And there were people on every floor, including men in suits carrying briefcases.  I won't go in to details, just know that it was hilarious.

A word about the men in suits.  It seems like the culture is get up, put on your suit, go to work, work, leave work, buy porn, play Pachinko (a crazy pinball-like game where you lose money very quickly) and then ride home.  The line between what kids do and what adults do is much different than in the US.  All the adults still play video games like DS and Panchinko.

For dinner we had sushi, where you sit around the counter and take the sushi off of a belt that is going around it.  They calculate how much you eat by the design of your plate and charge you accordingly. I ate a modest amount.  It was very, very good.  I had shrimp and squid and some other fish I couldn't identify but it was really good.

Our fourth day there, we went back to the university and had lunch there, and watched some dance and jazz performances, but the real fun was that night when we met up with a lot of Shun's friends and went to a restaurant where it was all you can drink for two hours.  We had some fun drinks and ate some good food, and then did nothing but laugh and crack jokes until we went back to Shun's and went to sleep.

The last day we went to a more historical part of Tokyo before heading back to Yokohama.  There was a Buddhist temple and the first real touristy shops I had seen the whole time.

My experience in Japan was different than any other experience I have had so far, especially in Asia.  Since we traveled solely on our own, we had no SAS guidance to give us information about the country and its culture (apart from what we learned in class).  All my other trips in Asia were SAS guided, so it was weird not to have information being pumped through me.  For this reason, I feel like I didn't experience Japan like I did the others, and I feel like I know Japan in a different way then I know the others.

For instance, in Thailand I went to an historical place.  In Vietnam, we walk around the city but also did a lot of historical stuff.  In Japan, we traveled on the subways with the working stiffs, we walked the streets with students, we visited a university.  I feel like I have a good sense of the day in and day out activities of urban Japan.  That is something I don't necessarily know about Vietnam, but as a trade off my Japanese history is a little less developed than, say, my Chinese history.

The food was amazing, but expensive.  Everything in Japan was expensive.  It was my most expensive port so far, dropping almost $200 on transportation and food alone.  Sorry mom and dad but it was my only option.

But it was fun nonetheless.  One thing disappointed me, though, the puzzles!  I was hoping to find puzzle books oozing off the shelves, news stands with lines out onto the street and the subways and buses littered with people with their noses in their puzzles.  This was not so.  In fact, the puzzles were much less prolific than I had hoped.  I still bought a book though, just to keep my spirits up, and to say I got a puzzle book in Japan.  Looks like I'll have to keep buying them online because I was hoping to stock up.

Breezy Beijing Days 3 and 4

The Great Wall of China.  I cannot begin to describe how majestic this structure was.  It just stretches as far as the eye can see in every direction, curling over mounts and winding through the valleys.

The walk up to it was quite strenuous.  In fact, running around on the Great Wall and even just walking up its many mountainous staircases was a work out.  We ate our box lunch up there and enjoyed the view.  We took lots of pictures and had fun making echoes.

But I made sure to really take time to enjoy the view and to take in the experience.  Up until this point, the Great Wall was something I had only seen pictures of and read about, and now I've seen it with my eyes and touched it with my hands.  It really does qualify as one of the seven structural wonders of the world.  You just look at it and think “PEOPLE built this?” 

We only got to be on one small section of it, though, technically, you can walk across the whole thing if you want.  It is about the same length as the distance between the coasts of the USA.  Some SAS people slept on it the night before and there are probably some sleeping there tonight, but we didn't and are not going to.

To get down we took toboggans.  Like the alpine slides in Big Bear, its a slalom type track and you push forward on a level to accelerate and pull back to slow down.  I got it all on video, it was awesome.

Then we went down to buy the necessary and grammatically-awkward shirt “I have climbed up the Great Wall.”   This woman wanted 285 Yuan (like $45) for a regular 100% cotton shirt.  I got her down to 30 Yuan.  Not too bad, but I could have done better.

Afterward, though it was only slated on our itinerary to be a 10 minute stop to take a picture, we went to the where the Beijing 2008 Olympic games took place, formerly known as the Bird's Nest and the Water Cube.  Our tour guide rearranged the schedule for us to spend about an hour there, and me and Isaiah busted our patooties to get inside the Bird's Next even for just 20 minutes.

It was so inspiring to be where the Olympics took place.  The inside of the Bird's Nest had such an energy to it that made me want to be an Olympian.  We walked around and took pictures and sat in seats and pretended we were there watching it.

The next stop was a market, four stories, where the products get more legitimate as you go up.  The first floor was all the knockoff products you could ever want.  They even had a knock off iPhone!  This was by far the funniest thing I have ever seen.  It looked like an iPhone physically, but the resolution of the screen and the functionality of the touch stuff was crappy.  There is NO WAY anyone would ever mix it up with a real iPhone.

I bargained for Taylor and got him some lighter, and spent some time buying gifts for friends and family.  In one place I bargained with a hug, embarrassing the seller to the point where she sold me the thing for the price I wanted.

The night we went to the Hard Rock Cafe, Beijing, for dinner.  It was the most expensive meal I have ever had, but the band that played was good and the amount of bonding time we had was worth it.

Then the most hilarious thing happened.  Since we didn't want to drop another $8 on dessert, we decided to go to McDonald's to get some ice cream or milkshakes or something.  We left the Hard Rock and hailed a taxi, and the guy had no idea what we were talking about.  Taylor made the golden arches with his hands, and I drew them in Isaiah's notebook.  I also drew little cartoon french fries, soft drink, hamburger, and happy meal.  We had to take two taxis to fit all 8 of us, and as we're on the freeway we saw one and screamed and shouted and we got there.

Once we were in there, the guy didn't really speak English so we had to do the old point-and-guess menu approach.  But the funniest thing was that they were only playing one song over the speakers: Umbrella.  Over and over again.  Good thing I really like that song, because we heard it over 7 times before we left.

The last day we made a quick stop to a Tibetan Buddhist temple and the Summer Palace.   Both places were quite grandiose, and I took some fun pictures.  We took our plane ride back to Shanghai that evening.

Beijing was one of the best times I've had on this trip.  Not only did I make some great friends on the trip, but the sites we went to and the people we met will have a lasting impression on me.

Breezy Beijing Days 1 and 2

Why Breezy?  Because it's windy there?  Yes and no.  Butters, one day long ago, quoted a character on 30 Rock who said something about running away to breezy Beijing.  We started calling it BREEZY Beijing, and Sara Weinberg got irritated.  So we kept calling it Breezy Beijing, and the name stuck.  So there is a little window into one of the inside jokes we'll have when we get back, and that you can now participate in, if you choose.

Getting up at 5 in the morning wasn't too much fun, but hopping on the plane and flying to Beijing was awesome.  The group consists of around 35 SAS people, including myself, Isaiah, and Taylor.  Some more friends of ours coincidentally were on the same trip, and since we are Beijing – Group B, we decided to call it Beijing – Group Beef, because of Beijing Beef at Panda Express.

The first day, after our plane flight, our tour guide Andy (whose accent makes him sound like a cross between Jackie Chan and Nicholas Cage) brought us to the Temple of Heaven, which was beautiful.  It was used a long time ago to make human sacrifices.

The first day wasn't as busy as the second day, when we hit some very important places.  First, we went to Tiananmen Square, famous for the massacre and the man standing in front of the tanks.  It was incredible to be there and to think about what transpired there almost 20 years ago. 

On a more humorous note, we all bought these Communist hats and fake watches.  I bought two watches: one with Mao waving his hand and one fake Rolex, but I didn't want the Rolex so I traded it for a Beijing 2008 hat.  The lady thought my watch was real when I traded it to her, and then she noticed it wasn't but she had already given me the hat and seemed playfully frustrated that I had tricked her with her own game.

After Tainanmen Square we went into the Forbidden City.  We all got a personal electronic automatic guide, which consisted of a map on a thing you wore around your neck and an earpiece.  When you entered into a new section of the area, the woman automatically began speaking.  All we had to do was walk around and we got all the information we wanted.

We entered via the South Gate, which has the famous picture of Mao above it.  To the left of Mao it said in Chinese “long live the People's Republic of China” and to the right it said in Chinese some including “the unity of the world.”

It was startling to thing that when the Forbidden Palace was in use, only a few people were allowed in.  Anyone living in those times knew it was a forbidden place, and only saw its walls and the roofs of palaces.  The palaces were ornate and impressive, rich with history, culture, and tradition.  Further towards the north was the imperial garden with some interesting trees and such.

It is impossible to see everything in there in one whole day, it is just too big!  Everywhere you looked was another room; there's something like 9,000 rooms there.   And it was basically for one person.  Crazy, I know, but really impressive.

Then we got a rickshaw (human powered bike rickshaw) ride through a small suburb and got to see some homes.  Our guide explained the differences between privately owned houses and government owned houses.  I should mention China is a communist nation, and many of the stores around are owned by the government.  I can playfully compare it to when you go to Vons and you see real Froot Loops and then you see Vons' Fruit Swirls:  you're getting China government brand products.

After the rickshaw rides and home tours we went to the top of a bell tower to take pictures and then below it to a tea store.  They gave us tea to sample and then gave us a chance to buy.  On the way back Chandler, a guy in our group, had a crazy fit of laughing that we got on tape.

That night we were tired so Isaiah, Taylor, and I stayed in the hotel for dinner and I made it an early night.

King Kong

My one short day in Hong Kong was phenomenal. Our ship was docked across from the main area, Hong Kong island, in a port connected to a mall. We had a prime view of the Hong Kong skyline, which lit up at night.

I split up from the main group of friends because they all wanted to go have “camera day” and look at lenses. I find this incredibly boring and worthless, so me and Ari set off by ourselves to find some Dim Sum.

We took the Star Ferry (the first of many trips) across from our island to Hong Kong Island and walked through a giant mall and found only overpriced stores. A hotel gave us directions to the bus station and how to get to Stanley Market, which is on the other side of the island. At the bus station we ran in to Cara and Andrew and together we took the bus to Stanley Market.

The bus ride was around half an hour, and when we got there we did a little browsing through the market but our main focus was to find Dim Sum. We did and the waiter we had must have had a chopstick up his butt because he was quite stiff and not very customer friendly.

The Dim Sum was GREAT! We ordered six varieties, including beef, pork, vegetarian, and shrimp. They were all really good. The rest of the time in Stanley we did some shopping and I bought two Spider-Man ties.

We took the ferry back and met up with the camera day people and then took the ferry back again to grab some dinner before the 8 PM light show. I got noodles and beef, and then a hot dog but it was really gross. During dinner, Taylor told a story that made Isaiah laugh unexpectedly and he spat the water he was drinking all over his food and couldn't finish it.

We got on the ferry with something like 15 minutes to spare before the light show, and we wanted to be in the ship to watch it. Taylor, Butters, and I booked it off of the very, through the mall, and onto the ship in time to see the lasers on the city shoot out and do cool stuff. It was beautiful.

Someone joked with me if I was having another piano performance in Hong Kong, like the one in Viet Nam. I wish I could have played piano here and all over the world. I was asked by the man in charge of the service jobs on the ship if I wanted to work on the ship as a pianist for the Fall 2009 voyage. My duties would include playing piano in the piano bar, like a pianist at a mall. I haven't decided what I want to do, but he offered me good money and putting school on hold for a little bit doesn't sound like too bad of an idea. One thing I've learned on this trip is to take advantage of any opportunity, and getting a chance to have a professional music job is a hard one to pass up. I'll probably return to Chapman after the voyage, assuming they don't extend my contract or it doesn't turn into a larger career opportunity. I haven't decided for sure yet, but he needs an answer by tomorrow night so I'll be thinking about it a lot on the bus and on the plane (I'm blogging now from my hotel in Beijing).

I wish we had more time in Hong Kong. The atmosphere was great, the city was cool, and it was just such a unique place. I'd definitely like to go back there one day.

Temples and Tunnels

The fourth day was our trip to the Cao Dai temple and the Cu Chi Tunnels.

Another early morning, we got on the bus to the Cao Dai temple. We ate lunch at an astoundingly early 10 30 AM, but it was the only way to do it if we wanted to catch the noon Cao Dai ceremony.

The lunch was another constant barrage of food, which was much enjoyable. They didn't charge me for my water, so I got away with a free water bottle. They were charging double what it should be anyway.

Cao Dai is a very new religion. It is sort of a combination of many other eastern religions, and their temple was beautiful. The eye in the pyramid is their thing, similar to the emblem on the dollar bills.

We took of our shoes and went inside. The rules were that we could take pictures of the inside, just not pictures of OURSELVES inside of it. We took our pictures and walked around and then headed up to where we could watch the ceremony.

Many people wearing white robes followed a few people wearing red and yellow robes into the middle of the temple as music played. Then we stood there and watched them pray. Not the most interesting thing in the world, but the music was good.

The highlight, though, were the Cu Chi tunnels. It is where the Vietcong hid during the Vietnamese war. They developed some amazing ways of digging and living underground. We climbed through two of the original tunnels. The first one was incredible dark and there were bats whizzing by our heads. We saw booby traps that were scattered around the jungle and learned a lot about the survival techniques of the Vietcong.

Our tour guide, Mai, was incredible. She looked like was was 30 at the most, but was actually 52. She came from a very rich family, never having to lift a finger for herself. When communism came around, her whole family fell apart. She fled Vietnam when she was 22, was forced to drink diesel on the boat out of Vietnam, and made it to Canada. She came back to Vietnam in 1993 (circa) to be a tour guide and get away from her father, for reasons I am not sure. Someone needs to document this woman's story, but it cannot go untold for any longer.

She has no nationality. Her father is Chinese, but she was born in Vietnam. The Vietnamese say she is Chinese. But Canada and China say she is Vietnamese. She explained this in more detail then I can remember, but you get the idea.

She taught us so much about the history of that time in Vietnam, and I left with a much greater understanding.

Rah Rah Delta, Mekong Delta

The second and third day involved my trip to the Mekong Delta. The whole time I was there I thought about all my Delt brothers at home because you can't say Mekong Delta without saying Delt.

We left early in the morning and withstood a very long bus ride out to the river. The bus was crazy, hitting bumps really really hard. We sat up in the back, where the seats are sort of elevated, and we went flying with every pothole or little bump.

We arrived around 11 30 at the river. We got into two long wooden boats and they gave us a tour of the river. There were little houses all along the banks of the murky brown water. In some areas it looked like someone took a piece of a township from South Africa, lifted it up on wooden stilts and stuck it on the banks of the Mekong in Vietnam.

This river was just covered with these boats. People live on them as well as use them for business. The hulls had windows, the bows had hammocks, and every one of them had eyes painted on the very front. This was to scare alligators away, and it must have worked because I didn't see a single alligator on the whole trip.

We spent a few hours getting a feel for the lifestyle and then moved to go back on the bus but it had a flat so we had to wait. Our next stop was our hotel, which was in a city called Can Tho. We had to get off the bus to board a ferry to take us across the river because they were building a bridge. This ferry was large enough to fit charter buses, all the people on motorcycles, as well as pedestrians. In the waiting room, we were the first ones there but pretty soon it was filled with motorcycles. And when the gate opened the motorcycle people just went, not caring about us. It was quite scary.

At our hotel Isaiah and I took naps. Then it was dinner which was SO GOOD! I ate all kinds of meats and noodles and seafoods and everything. Yeah, mom, I ate shrimp. Maybe now you'll take me to Todai.

The next day we hit the floating market. I bought a ton of mini-bananas for a dollar, popping them off one at a time, unpeeling them, and throwing the peel into the river. Which is allowed.

After the floating market we went back to the rooftop of our hotel for lunch, where they served this ground squid/beef fried combo that nobody except Isaiah and I liked, so we had a ton of those.

Our bus ride back was a few hours, and that night we went out and got our suits fitted and ate some Pho. The Pho was excellent, I wish I would have had some more Pho before we left.

All That Jazz

Bob Balsley, the AV guy here, had a guitar performance slated at “Sax 'n' Art,” a jazz club just minutes from our ship. I ran into him in the streets during the day and he gave me a business card. He also mentioned that I might be able to play with him. He is quite a prolific guitar player/teacher. If you Google his name, some good stuff will come up. I mean, he's really legit. Played with Van Morrison and Chuck Berry, to name a few.

But before I tell this story, there is some background info you need to know.

So, every sea day, at 7 PM, a bunch of us get together in the piano lounge to play music. Bob plays guitar. I play piano. Jordan plays guitar, Chazz plays bass, and there isn't usually any percussion. Bob has brought in random songs for us to play, but a lot of time we just jam. In the last few weeks, we've been getting together a nice repertoire of complete songs for the purpose of an end-of-the-year performance. On this list is “Mercy, Mercy” and “Rocket Man.” We also do some Spanish-style jams and of course, the blues.

So me, Taylor, Isaiah, Ari, Chris, Sara, you know the bunch, show up at Sax 'n' Art. I am really excited because I REALLY want to get on stage. It is a little stage with a piano, guitar, microphones, and a really awesome drum set. The band shows up and they start playing, and it is some great music. The main guy, Tuan, plays the saxophone. His picture is all over Sax 'n' Art, leading us to believe that he has some sort of history or link with the place.

Jordan also happened to be there. He heard about Bob's performance and ran into Bob earlier that evening and said that going on stage is a very good possibility. We can, at the very least, get up there with Bob and play a few songs. It was awesome. I told Taylor, who plays drums, that we might go on. He has never practiced with us, so he was a little apprehensive. I told him not to worry about it.

Also, Chazz, our bassist, was there. I hadn't seen him all day and I'm not sure whether he knew about Bob's performance, but all of us were there. It was looking like if we want this, it might happen.

Not so long into their performance, they invite Bob on stage. He played his regular style with the solos and the jazz chords and the virtuosic flourishes of talent. We ordered some drinks and when it was time to pay the lady was giving us a hard time. We sat there arguing with her for 10 minutes, trying to figure out why an extra 50,000 was on our bill! She showed us the total, and then the 10% for the tax but then she kept adding 50,000! Finally, I turned out, it was the cover charge. We didn't think it was going to be on our bill, but it was. It was funny, but stressful.

Anyway, around an hour and a half into the performance, Bob and Tuan pulled me aside and asked me if we wanted to go on. I said YEAH! Tuan asked me who was there and what instruments we had, and I told him the breakdown. Bob asked me what I thought we could play, and I suggested Mercy, Mercy, our standard, and some jams. Tuan asked me if we have anyone on drums. I told him my friend Taylor plays, but he may not want to go on. Tuan said if Taylor doesn't play, he'll play the drums himself. I found Taylor and, despite him being a little reluctant for never having playing with us before, decided to go on stage with us.

I wrote our names down on a little piece of paper, and Tuan introduced us one by one. So now onstage it is me at the piano, Jordan and Bob on guitars, Chazz on the bass, and Taylor on the drums. We're primed and ready to go.

We play Mercy Mercy and it went REALLY well. We're pretty solid at it. Then we did a blues and jam and then we did Rocket Man. This is when I sang. That's right, sang Rocket Man. I was slated to sing this song for our end-of-the-year performance, so I was happy to have some practice on this particular night.

We did more jams, and at one point Bob just packed up and left. I asked him about this later and he said he was just toasted, having played for two hours.

So now it is just us on stage. We were living the dream. Performing the music we want, on a real stage, for an audience of SAS people AND local Vietnamese people, with real instruments. Once I had the mic in front of me, we improvised lyrics and did harmonies and it was a lot of fun. Tuan even came on and did some sax solos for us when he was inspired.

The soloing was the best part. You just called out “and now, Jordan on guitar!” and Jordan would rip away on the strings. It was incredibly scary, but a lot of fun.

We played for 45 minutes. We never knew what we were going to play next, and we found that our beginnings and endings of songs need a little work. What we need is to work on our audibles, our little signals to tell when to start and end. And a setlist would be good too.

After we were all done, Tuan thanked us all and said it was a real honor. We took a picture with him on the stage. We also all bought shirts of the place to have forever. They gave us each a free beer, and one of the Vietnamese ladies working there wanted my business card. I didn't have one so I just wrote my information down on a paper. I'm not sure what she wanted it for, I couldn't hear her nor could I really understand what she was saying, something about her being a student as well.

Isaiah got it all on video. There is a short split when my camera ran out of memory and he switched to his camera, but it's mostly all there. I evaluated my performance and learned a lot.

SAS has not only given me an opportunity to see the world, but is has also given me an opportunity to practice my art. Incredible, right?

Measurements and Remnants

Our first day in Ho Chi Minh city was awesome! Isaiah, Ari, Taylor, Lindsay, and I went out as soon as they let us off the ship. Our goal: find a tailor.

The ship is docked right in front of a little restaurant/cafe/gift shop, which is quite convenient. Also, for our convenience, is a shuttle that takes us the 1 km to the city center. It runs every half an hour and is really, really easy.

We took the shuttle to the city center and walked around. Ho Chi Minh city (a.k.a Saigon) is quite urban, but there is still a rural feel to it. Lots of street vendors, lots of cute little shops, some homeless people, but the standout things are all of the motorcycles.

In a city of over 8 million people, it seems like everyone has a motorcycle. Crossing the street is like playing a game of Frogger. It is much easier to wait for a slight lull in the traffic and then walk than it is to wait for there to be no traffic whatsoever. The motorcyclists weave around you, so it's safer to just keep walking.

We went up and down, looking for a tailor, one that we liked. There were tailors all over the place. We went to a guy who was offering a "big promotion for SAS" but the shop was a little run down so we went elsewhere. We took a taxi that cost $1 to another place, but the suits were going for $100, and the people weren't very nice. Finally, we were just exploring after Lindsay went to go get measured for her dress, and found a nice little place with a very sweet woman working there. We asked how much for a suit and she said $80. That was the best deal we found so far, so we took her card.

After eating lunch (I had squid and garlic it was awesome!) we went and got measured and picked out our suits. It is a good thing Lindsay was there with us because we have no fashion sense whatsoever. I got two suits: a black one and a white one with black lining. It's gonna be awesome.

We grabbed some ice cream and then went to the War Remnants Museum. This was a very moving experience. They had pictures of the destruction and war crimes from the Vietnam War, recreation of cells, and pictures of people who were born with deformities due to the dioxin. It is impossible to describe the kinds of things that I saw in this museum. The testimonies in captions, stories, but most of all the photos will have a lasting impression upon me.

There were also guest books to sign, and there were messages in all languages, some thanking the Vietnamese for the museum, others wishing peace on Earth. Some of them were quite anti-American, calling us monolingual self-centered people. A lot of these things were shocking to read, and haunted me for some time. I like to believe I'm not self-centered (though I could use some work on my French) and that I truly empathize with other people. It is sad to see that that is how the individual who wrote that views the United States. That is why on this trip I strive to be a positive ambassador of the US to all of the countries we visit.

One last thing: there was a letter from Ho Chi Minh written to the people of the US who were supporting the antiwar movements, talking about how Vietnam has never attacked the US, thanking the anti-war supporters and saying that what is happening is inhumane and is harming the US just as much as it is harming Vietnam. He also said they won't be backing down until the US leaves.

Words cannot exactly do this experience justice. There is only one other place I have ever seen any images as sickening as the once I have seen, and I'm sure you can guess the content of that museum.

That night we went to a jazz club called "Sax n' Art" because Bob was slated to play there. But that will be in the next blog, an experience deserving its own space.

Running out of Thaime

While in Thailand, I had a lot of time to myself. I did a lot of thinking, being alone in 5 star hotel rooms for two nights in a row.

The finiteness of this trip has really sunk in. Compared to the first day when I sat on deck 6 and looked out at the Atlantic Ocean, when I knew I had the world ahead of me and kept saying to myself “what am I doin?” Now, I am a pro-traveler, awesome at bargaining, and aware that this trip is ending in less than two months.

The Buddhism concept of the impermanence of all things, as well as a little bit of This Too Shall Pass has helped me to begin to understand how to treat the rest of the trip. I believe I have spent my time well here, soaking up every minute I have. I will continue to do this, as it is the only way I can be sure that I won't look back and have any regrets. Right Lship 08? No regrets. I'm using it.

I feel like a different person than I used to be. In the 2nd hotel room I looked at myself in the mirror and saw short hair, necklace, glasses, and compared this to a person from not even a year ago this summer-long hair, no glasses. But besides any sort of outstanding physical difference or a piece of South African jewelry around my neck, it is my experience that has transformed the way I feel.

I don't want to make any sort of conclusive feelings about what I've learned on this trip because it is far from over. I imagine I will have quite the blog upon re-entry to the US when I will go home and cry on my family and friends and curl up into a little ball of “I miss the world.”

But home has been on my mind a little more lately than in the last two months, about what it will feel like to get back home. I don't believe in avoiding certain thoughts like “don't think about home!” Because avoiding it can only make it worse. I understand that this trip will come to an end and home will feel different, I just don't know how.

I am a world traveler. I will have flags from all of the countries I've been to flying proudly in my room or in my house or anywhere I choose to put them. I will have patches on my backpack or pillow or my SAS sash I will wear for graduation. I will have photos forever. But most importantly I will have the memories of the people I have met on and off the ship, the lessons I have learned, the places I have been, and the experiences that will have made me who I am.

Adventure Thaime

Five days in Thailand.

On the first day I went to the Sri Racha Tiger Zoo, where I saw some mistreatment of animals and got my picture taken with a baby tiger. It was fun, but not really.

The real fun started on my Bridge over the River Kwai trip.

There were only 16 people signed up for this three day trip to Kanchanaburi and Ayuthaya. Not even all 16 showed up. In fact, there were only 3 guys there of the 5 or 6 guys who signed up.

The bus ride there was long, and I took a nap, but then we had lunch and hopped on the Death Railway, a railroad build by POWs in WWII. It runs over the River Kwai, where we got off. It was really interesting to see the real bridge and read about the kinds of things that went on there.

After the bridge we went to visit a temple. It was beautiful! They called it the “son of Angkor Wat” the great temple in Cambodia. I climbed to the top of the steep staircases and look around at the wonderful Thai landscape.

We checked into the hotel, since there was an odd number of guys, I got the room to myself. It was a 5 star hotel, and I had the “superior king” room. All to myself. I felt like James Bond. We ate another Thai meal which was incredible. I have never eaten so much food in my life. For the entire trip, even, I have had so much food. I don't know when I turned into an eater. On the other hand, I don't know when I had a shaved head and wore a necklace.

Then came my massage, which you've read by now. The next day came our boat ride on the River Kwai itself. They put us in these small boats with the largest rudders I have ever seen. The boat ride started nice and calmly, and then out of nowhere we jumped to lightspeed! We TORE down that river! All along the river there were small cabins and floating dance floors where you could have a party. I thought about what it would be like if I flew all my relatives out to Thailand for my son or daughter's bnai-mitzvah and had it on the River Kwai on a float.

After our boat ride we went to the JEATH museum, which was a small museum dedicated to showing the torture of the POWs who had worked on the River Kwai and lived in the area. Some of the photographs were sickening, and even the paintings were appalling. It amazes me what incredible things humans can accomplish, like building a bridge, and the terrible things they can do, like make people live in loincloths and feces.

The rest of the day we visited various temples. One stood out in particular because it had the largest bronze Buddha in Thailand. It was an incredible sight to see. Our tour guide took some pictures of me in front of it, which I'll include in a later post.

We checked into our hotel, and I, of course, had the room to myself. I sat down next to the bed to see if there was a Gideon's Bible, and as I took off my left sock I saw a book below the Bible that was called “Teaching of the Buddha.” So I picked it up and started to read. I sat there and read it for 20 minutes, with one sock on and one sock off. I was so enthralled by it I couldn't put it down. After a nap, dinner, and some socializing, I went back upstairs and read it for another hour before falling asleep.

Buddhism has got to be one of the most interesting religions out there. What it teaches about controlling desire and keeping the mind pure and understanding the impermanence of all things struck me deeply, and I have not been able to stop thinking about it. I have already started to apply some of things it teaches into my life, and it has fared quite well.

The last day of our trip (my 4th day in Thailand) we visited the summer palace of the king and it was beautiful. Various types of architecture. We also stopped in Bangkok for a little bit, and saw the largest mall I have ever seen in my entire life. It has 7 or 8 floors stretching across 5 sections. I could not believe how big this thing was.

One great thing about the trip were our trip leaders, Joe and Susie Brazas. Joe is the conduct officer and Susie is his wife. They were wonderful! They invited us all to their giant house in the woods up in the Tahoe area whenever we want.

After India, Thailand seemed really clean and really empty. The hospitality of the Indians will never be matched by anyone else, so I feel like Thailand was beaten before it could get started as far as life changing experiences go. Don't get me wrong, I had a great time,it was beautiful, and the history is so rich! I was sad to leave, but I am much, much more excited to get to Viet Nam than I am sad about leaving Thailand.

Thai-ed Up in Knots

The second night of my trip to Thailand, the night in Kanchanaburi, I went for a Thai massage. It was also my first full-length professional massage.

I showed up with my friend Adam and then put us in a room with four mats in a row. There was a TV across from them. We took off our shirts and shorts and put on the loner white tee and the cloth maroon pants with the awkward drawstring. We were then instructed to lay down on the mats.

I was so glad we were in a more public type of setting. I had opted out of having the massage in my room for fear of getting any sort of “extras” imposed upon me. Then the ladies came in. Me and Adam were right next to each other, and we were both thinking “alright, here we go!”

This was the full-body Thai massage. It was 600 Baht which is around $16. It was for an hour and 45 minutes. Good deal, I know. The other option was a foot massage. I was like bah! Foot massage... who needs it! But when she started on my feet for my Thai massage I thought “wow, I could take this for an hour no problem!”

Adam's masseuse was a little more effervescent than mine. She reached over and squeezed my leg and then my masseuse reached over and squeezed Adam's leg. They were obviously comparing us, and they weren't shy about it at all.

She started on my left leg, and I could feel my muscles moving around and releasing all of the tension. And then, two SAS girls from our trip walked in and we had to change rooms.

We got relocated to a more private venue. We were now each in our own little private room surrounded only by curtains. I was thinking. “great. Now the chances of any more 'extras' being offered is a little bit higher.” But regardless, the massage continued.

Every limb of my body got massaged, even my eyebrows. The most difficult thing about it was the language barrier. She barely spoke English, and I definitely don't speak Thai. At one point she asked me if me and Adam were sleeping together. I promptly said “no. Friends.” I wonder if she was asking me this just in case there was a possibility for all four of us to engage in some sort of post-massage special event.

Another funny thing was when she would massage my leg really hard it would feel like she wanted me to move it. So I would move it, and then she would push it back down and say, “no,” all matter-of-factly.

She cracked ever knuckle in my right hand, and then on my left hand my index finger and thumb didn't crack. She looked at me, confused, and and shrugged. We both laughed.

There was a fair bit of laughter, partially due to the communication barrier, partially due to when she stretched me in such a way that I made a funny noise: like when she twisted my legs and put them almost all the way behind my head. Or when she dug her knees into my back and arched my entire body. But the most tickling part of the massage was when I was on my stomach and she kneaded my butt with her knees. I had to hold back from bursting out in laughter.

But at the end, all the tension in my back and neck were gone, and all my muscles were completely relaxed. I felt like I was walking on air. When it was over, though, some awkward stuff went down.

I was sitting up and she was putting the finishing touches on my back, and Adam asked me “are you sitting up now Jonathan” and I said “yeah, I am.” My masseuse pulled open the curtain and Adam was just sitting there, his masseuse laying down, giggling about something. Then my masseuse said “okay, done.” And laid down in the same fashion.

I tried to avoid eye contact because it was obvious she was trying to solicit me. She handed me my clothes back and I said to myself “I have to get dressed right here in front of her?” That wasn't a big deal, all my years at camp I'm comfortable changing in front of other people. But here, and what the taking off of clothes suggests, it seemed a little awkward.

I also feel like these women were expecting me and Adam to ask for something extra. Maybe it is because we're obviously American, or whatever. But we didn't. We made it out safely. I'd rather not contract some disease from a strange Thai woman. She did have good hands though, and I've never seen anyone do the types of things she did to my body, but I kept thinking about how many other people she's done this to and how many people may have gone for the extra mile.

I'm sorry if I have disappointed everyone who ever wanted to go to Thailand and get a full body massage with a happy ending, but come to Thailand and see the sex workers and see the shows and see all the crazy things these women do, and then try to feel comfortable having one of those ladies do anything more than a massage.

As we say at camp, bad touch. Very, very bad touch.

But, the massage was AMAZING. I really needed it too! Traveling can be stressful, not to mention I have a test the day after Thailand. If you ever feel stressed, go get a massage. You won't be disappointed.

The Post-Post-Port Reflections Post

We had post-port reflections tonight, and I heard a lot of great stories. I spoke about the students and how they changed me and all of that stuff. A lot of people told stories about their experiences giving out food to the beggars, and I was thinking how I didn't really talk about that too much in my blogs, so I'd like to now.

I wasn't really bothered all that much by the poverty. Of course it was challenging to see and upsetting at times, but I think it was because I was mentally prepared for it. I also understand how there is very little I can do, a real clash of emotions and realizations. It is a byproduct of an overpopulated nation and one of the things that just comes with crowded life. Its hard to realize that, but its the truth. I FEEL like I want to help every last one, but I realize that I just can't. As much as it is sad to see people living on the street, there are very few solutions to solving that kind of thing, and none of them can happen overnight. Charities and developing the economy all take a long time and a lot of work. Chennai is a developing city, and one of the doctors on the trip here told me that Chennai has many less beggars than it did when she was here around 10 or 15 years ago. It was really tricky, too, dealing with this kind of stuff. Confusing, even.

I only gave stuff out twice. The second time was on the last day and the tuktuk guy was like "give them some, you're leaving" and I gave out a little bit and got swarmed and a train was passing and I got stuck.

I felt worse for being able to choose who got what than when I gave nothing at all.

The first time I gave was much more confusing:

I had two water bottles left over from a dinner one night, and as we were walking back I saw a man near the port entry. I walked toward him with my water bottles and he sprang up like a spring, really excited. I gave him the water, and he was still asking for money. "Dollar, dollar, dollar." I said "I can give you the other water bottle" I held it out for him but he wouldn't take it, so I walked away. When I thought about it, I was like "seriously? Beggar denying more water? No way. I'm done" The beggars in the US say things like "godbless" even when you give them a nickel. Their faces light up when you give them half a sandwich. But for some reason water, the essence of life, was not good enough for this man.

So what am I supposed to think? Did I help this man? I gave him something he didn't want. Someone in post-port reflections told a story about how he gave some peanuts to a woman and an Indian man engaged them in conversation and said something like "that isn't helping" and they saw her drop the peanuts. He also said "she wants money or death, so she can come back and have a better life." So is it really worth it to give to the beggars?

I am glad I had these three types of experiences: not giving, getting swarmed, and someone being unsatisfied with what I gave. I feel that I can adequately provide perspective on dealing with beggars in India, and am very thankful for what I have. If I can't help the beggars, then I can learn to appreciate everything I have to the fullest, and generate good karma that way.

Incredible !ndia (part 5): A Barrel of Laughs and Final Thoughts

Today was very simple. And hilarious. We (Me, Isaiah, and Ari) got up moderately late (okay like 11), grabbed a ship lunch, and went into town to do some last minute shopping.

As we looked for a rickshaw, a man came up to us, named Matthew, and was very nice. Ari negotiated a good deal and he took us to Spencer's Plaza. He offered to wait for us and give us a ride back, but we told him we'll take his phone number and call him if we need him. He said “if you see your friends, tell them Matthew, and I'll be right here.” I said “If you see any one from Semester at Sea, tell them you met Jonathan.”

The walk from the street to the building was short, but interesting. It was raining, a light shower, but enough to get our hair wet and make puddles in the street. It reeked. I thought India smelled bad during sunlight! What really caught our eye were some workers in a manhole. The brown water was up to his chest, overflowing over the side. There was a tube going into it as he removed some rocks. If he wasn't working, then he may have been taking a bath. I have never seen anything quite like that.

So into Spencer's we went, back into the labyrinth of “will you see my shop?” and “special discount for MV Explorer.” Isaiah made a phone call to his family friend up North, but I struck out on finding my flag. Me and Ari bought half a kilo of cookies and had them put it in a vacuum sealed bag so we could take it back on the ship.

Throughout our time in Spencer's we ran into lots of people we knew, and one such person was hanging out with some Indian people who bought her an antique pocketwatch. Ari asked one of them where he could get a Cricket jersey, so this man took us to a store and Ari got a jersey for 300 rupees. Good price, good price.

After that guy had gone, Ari decided he wanted another jersey. I found the store from before and we went in. Ari goes up to the store worker:
“Do you have an XL cricket jersey? I'll give you 250.”

I'm thinking. Seriously? He just bought this here for 300 ten minutes ago.

The man says “Sorry, 300 only.”
“I just bought this downstairs for 250.”
“It is 300”

I am holding back laughter. I can't believe what Ari is trying to do right now!

“I paid 250! He was there, am I crazy?”
“I'm sorry, it's 300.”

I am about to burst out laughing, but then the guy recognized that the bag Ari's jersey was in matched the bag that he put his merchandise in! But the kicker was the store worker opened the drawer and Ari's 300 rupees were it! I told Ari to just take the 300. I was so shocked that he was trying to lie to someone to get a better deal. Turns out he didn't realize we were in the same store, nor did he realize he had paid 300 instead, and didn't know why I was laughing. We all misunderstood what the other person was doing and then we all had a huge laugh.


We bumped into the same guy who helped us before. We asked about where to find a flag, and one of them called a place in Parrys (a busy district buy our port) and told us how to get there. He said it shouldn't be more than 200 rupees.

We went outside to find a rickshaw driver, and we were immediately approached by one.
“Will you take us to Parrys and then the ship?”
“Yes”
“How much?”
“400 rupees”
“No way! We got here for 100! We'll go for two hundred!”
“No, 400.”
“We're not stupid tourists, we know you're ripping us off. Nevermind”

Another man came up and we had a similar situation. As we walked away another man approached us and Ari did the funniest thing:
“Ok you got one chance. Take us to Parrys and then port, its one stop. We got here for 100. How much”
The guy points to each of us in turn and says “Two hundred, two hundred, two hundred.”
We all shout “NO WAY!” and walk back into the store laughing really hard.

We go back to the phone where Isaiah called his family friend to call Matthew. At first he didn't pick up, but then he picked up the second time. Ari was on the phone and said “Hi, its Jonathan!” Which was hilarious even though we knew he did it because it was the only name we gave him. Unfortunately, he was picking up his daughter at school and couldn't take us, so we went out of a different exit and the negotiation began again.

We told them Parrys then ship because we want to buy a flag and tried to tell us that we can't find a flag in Parrys and would take us somewhere else. We were just told where to get it! After lots of fighting we got it for 200 rupees. The driver took us to this place and worked really hard to find us a flag and it was only 40 rupees! Yay! It was great.

When he bought us back to the ship there was a train running. We paid him, and he asked for more He told us our Indian money is useless now since we are leaving. There were beggars too. I hadn't really given to beggars (I gave a water bottle the night before), and knew I would get swarmed but I gave a few dollars (in rupees) and got really swarmed.

Since there was a train running, there was nowhere to run. Nowhere to hide. Swarmed with beggars who all knew we were leaving and that we had money. A boy gave me the same “no mama, no papa” speech but I wasn't going to give anymore. SAS told us to be careful about beggars. I had ignored enough and didn't really feel that bad, and I felt worse after I gave an old woman and two small boys and then denied everyone else.

This boy poked and prodded me the whole time the train was running, while I kept my conversation going with my friends. Once the train passed, he really grabbed my arm. He was also carrying a monkey and was asking for the monkey and for him. It sounded like he was asking for milk, which I obviously couldn't give him. We just kept walking until we were in the port, which was our safe zone.
I have to say I didn't feel too bad not giving to the beggars. In fact, I felt worse giving to some and then not giving to others. I donated to HIV/AIDS kind of stuff in the stores which was enough for me. I'm not sure if I should feel bad or not, it's a very strange feeling that you cannot explain even if you've experienced it.

India was amazing. The culture seeps out of every nook and cranny of this country. It is crazy to think that there is so much of this country I did not see. I felt that way about every country, but this one especially. There are over 20 states, many festivals, languages, and so many people I did not get to meet. I will come back to India one day, I know I will. I AM changed since India. I don't know how, but I can feel that I have changed. I guess we'll have to see.

Incredible !ndia (part 4): Grass and Sand

Another early morning for my trip called “Rural India and Heritage Village.”

Our program for the “rural India” portion of the trip was twofold. The first village we stopped in was a little more urban than a completely rural village, with some business and small buildings. We were there during a festival, and people were shaving their heads and painting them in celebration. Everyone was happy to see us, introducing themselves and saying hello. We saw some abandoned houses that were built in 1931 and other long-ago dates. Our guide told us that those houses will most likely be knocked down in favor of business, as the economy grows.

The next part of the rural India trip was a village. This village was a great experience, meeting men and women of all ages living there. We saw where they get their water, where they worship, and someone even let us all into his house so we could see bedrooms, the kitchen, and the worship room. Letting us into the worship room was unheard of. After the tour, he gave us tea.

Then they put us on cow-drawn carts and drove us around the village, children coming out of orange and lime-green houses and straw huts to see us. They smiled, laughed, ran with the cows and asked for our names in the very little English that they knew. They were in awe at us, maybe because of our skin and maybe because of our very presence. An old man just sat and stared at us.

They took us to where the coconut trees are, and there were droves of them, all lined up perfectly. They demonstrated how they climb with and without ropes, and I tried it. I didn't get very far, and they spotted me, but it was a lot of fun. They also cracked open some and let us drink out of them.

The sheer happiness of these people to see us was one of the greatest things so far on this trip. I feel like I have a better understanding of rural life in India.

Following this was the Heritage Village, which is more like a museum, showing off different types of houses from all over south India. The entire day was exhausting, but there's more.

Remember the Indian guys we met the night before? And how we scheduled to see a movie? Well, we decided not to see a movie but just to go out and get some food. So all 7 of us from the night before took a taxi ride out to Elliot's Beach (yeah, Dad, I got a picture) to a place called Planet Yumm, which was a food court and arcade. As silly as it sounds, it's a really popular place. Shiva wasn't there because his mom wanted him home to do homework (some things are the same no matter where you are in the world. But in his defense- college students in India are not as independent as US college students), and another friend named Mahon came too.

Tejas said not to feel bad if I don't eat Indian food because I must have had enough by now. I ate a chicken burger and smiley french fries. We got ice cream and hung out on the beach, sharing stories and laughs, then they called us a taxi. Upon leaving, they gave us little gifts: each person got a scarf and a little card! It was an unbelievable treat that made me really appreciate the power of welcoming people. We had an emotional goodbye as we got in the cab and went back to the ship the long way because the cab driver made a mistake.

I have decided that in each port, when I can, I need to find the University and walk around the campus and meet students. The best part of this trip was meeting people our age and having them take us around and show us what India is for them. I have friends in India now, and they have friends in the US. If I continue this, I will have friends all over the world. These guys made our trip infinitely, so thank you Tejas, Tarun, Shiva, and Mahon. Thank you for your generosity, hospitality, and friendship. Thank you.

Incredible !ndia (part 3): A Day in Chennai, A Night at the Movies

We rolled out of bed moderately late (like 10 AM) to grab breakfast and head out to Spencer's Plaza. We caught rickshaws, once again, and it was so much fun!

Spencer's was nothing like I thought it was going to be. They described it to us as a mall, which, technically, it was. But it was more like a giant bazaar with three stories all under one roof. Store after store after store of anything you could possibly want, from traditional Indian décor to CDs to cell phones to Zippo lighters. Food, drinks, ice cream, and lots and lots of people. Isaiah mentioned how culture kind of seeps into everything here. This place was a wonderful example. The smells and sights really still were India, not like the mall in Cape Town which was really western.

I bought my sister a scarf (yes, stephanie, I had a girl help me out, I hope it's good), and some books, including a book about Hinduism, and some CDs. I got a CD (Actually, a 3 disc set) for 160 rupees which is around $3.20. The artist—A.R. Rahman, the man who did the Slumdog music. The guy is one of the most prolific composers in India, and they call him “The Mozart of Madras” Madras being the former name of Chennai. He was the sole breadwinner of his family when he was 5 years old and always had a talent for music. He studied in the UK and has written music for many films. Every Indian I have met said that Slumdog is amazing work but he is more famous for other things here. So, I bought three discs worth of his music.

After Spencer's we walked around and asked directions for the post office to buy stamps. We found a nice man who asked us where we were from. We told his SAS, and he took us to the post office and got us stamps (with our money, not his, he just talked for us). When I tried to give him some money for taking us around he said “I am not a guide, I'm a cab driver.”

He took us to a shop where I bought two pieces of Indian handmade sculptures of Hindu gods while this guy brought us his rickshaws. He must get some sort of commission from the shop, but we all got 10% discount on anything, and 20% if we bought a bed sheet set. Some girls bought the bed sheet, but I stuck with my two things. The people working gave us all drinks for free and were very hospitable.

Hospitality seems to be the theme of this entire India experience.

When the man came back (I forgot his name and it was hard to remember) he gave us a deal on the rickshaws and showed us a bag full of postcards from other SAS students, dating really far back, at least to 1993. He was so proud to have been a part of so many people's lives and I feel lucky to have been able to meet him.

After a short break, a group of seven of us including Isaiah and Ari (you may remember Ari from our Table Mountain experience) met up with three Indian students named Shiva, Tejas, and Tarun. I had met Shiva at the welcome reception but our friend Holly had stayed in touch with Tejas who brought these guys along.

We met up at the movies (which had 8 screens...HUGE for India) and the only one available was “Thee,” a movie that we saw on the share and learn board not to go see. We went. And left at intermission. But you must understand—it is supposed to be bad. No one expects it to be good. Here's the scoop on this movie:

India is divided up into many states, each state with it's own language. Where we are in Chennai is in Tamil Nadu, and everything around here is in the local language Tamil, including this film. Tamil Nadu releases at least three Tamil movies a week, and this “Thee” was one of them. It only gets viewed, basically, in this city. It is shot on crappy stuff (it looked like a home video or some kind of porno) had ridiculous sound effects and music, and a silly plot that (though I could follow it) really didn't make any sense. They just pump it out, put a hot girl in it (Shiva said the actress is like a Jessica Simpson type) make a bunch of money and then disappear.

It is so funny because they said “buy us tickets we will meet you there” so we bought tickets and told them “hey, we're seeing Thee” and they were like “grrrrreeat.” Isaiah and I decided it is the equivalent of us meeting Indian tourists in the US and telling them to get us tickets and then they say “yay! We got tickets to Epic Movie!”

But we would go and enjoy ourselves. And here, we did, and the experience was a lot of fun. The spices on the popcorn were great! In fact, the popcorn was only $2. They told us that that was really expensive for popcorn, but we told them that it's like $5 dollars where we come from.

After the movie (leaving at intermission) we walked to a restaurant, and while we were waiting for the table, some workers in the back were staring at us, wide-eyed. They stared just like everyone else. Not as if they want us to leave, or that they are scared or upset. The way they look at us is like “wow. We are graced with the presence of Americans. Oh, and check out that white skin.” Chennai doesn't get much tourism, so it's special.

Dinner was awesome. Our new Indian friends helped us pick out food, and I tried everything. EVERYTHING. It's so good. I tried this chutney, this bread, this cheese, this veggie, it was great. We took pictures and traded e-mails, wrote names in Hindi, English, Tamil, and I wrote their names in Hebrew. And then all three of them said they would pay for us, and we declined. It was tough, but we managed to get them to let us pay for ourselves. Then we tried to sneak in money for them but they paid too quickly.

If you guys are reading this, I can't thank you enough for how much you made me and everyone else feel so welcome and comfortable. I felt less like a tourist and more like a traveler because of your helpfulness and hospitality.

There's that word again.

We made plans to get together again the following night, to see a real Indian film. They called a taxi but it was going to take too long, so they regretfully put us on the rickshaws.

The students really made our night, and meeting people is by far the best thing ever. Especially students. More on this later.

I've included a photo, I hope you can see it. From left to right: Isaiah, Tarun, Tejas, Me, and Shiva.

Incredible !ndia : Temples and Mario Kart

This morning we got an early start, waking up at 6 AM to grab breakfast and get on a bus at 7 AM for our giant day trip of visiting two cities called Kancheeparum and Mamalaparum.

The two-hour westward drive from Chennai to Kancheeparum consisted of taking a nap in the back of the bus and swatting small mosquitoes. We arrived in Kancheeparum around 9:30. It is a more rural town, with some dirt roads and lots of cows and goats. It is known as “the land of a thousand temples.” It's pretty much true. Everywhere you look there was another Hindu temple.

We went into two temples. The first was was outside, not covered, and we took off our shoes and walked around. Though it was mostly stone-colored, everything used to be painted but over the hundreds of years that it had been there the color wore off. Chiseled into the rocks were inscriptions in Sanskrit as well as sculptures of the various Hindu gods. Each carving had a story behind it. For instance, one of them showed a god whose leg was bent way up by his head, smiling, and dancing. The story goes that he was challenged by a dancer and showed off his skill. In the middle of the temple was a room we were not allowed to go into, but we saw the idol inside.

The second temple, which was a Shiva temple, was much bigger. It was covered and wasn't directly exposed to the sun so it was a little darker and a little more dank. On the way to it, we saw a painting representing how that particular temple was made: the story goes that Parvati, Shiva's wife, covered his eyes, and darkness fell over the world. In order to make up for the darkness she caused, Shiva sent her down to earth to plant a mango tree and build a temple. We saw that mango tree, which is supposedly 3500 years old.

Once again, within the middle of the temple was a room only Hindus could enter, so we went around it. We saw a small cage with 9 idols, each representing a planet in the solar system. There were also lines of an idol that represents Shiva and Parvati, and very abstractly represents the male/female genitalia.

I am fascinated by the Hindu religion. The imagery is stunning and powerful and the legends and history are strong and rich. I hope to educate myself more on Hindu during this trip and when I get back to the US. The trip to the temples helped to take away a lot of the mystery of Hinduism, but opened up many more doors for understanding.

After the temples we went to a silk shop and then got on the bus and drove to the next city, Mamalaparum. The first thing we did was stop for lunch and I tried a lot of new Indian food and it was all very good. I was told they dumbed down the spices for us, for which I was thankful, but I could have taken a little bit more of a punch.

They brought us to what we thought was a playground because it was swarming with children. We greeted them all Namaste and they loved it. We took lots of pictures. One kid went around asking “what is name? What is name?”and didn't even give us a chance to answer. The kids were all climbing over this stuff so we did too and when we left an Indian woman seemed mad at us and told us that they are very old monuments and we need to set a better example. I felt horrible, because the impression I wanted to leave was not one of disgracing holy monuments.

Then they took us to a natural body of water, clean (they said), where we could swim if we wanted. Of course we wanted to wade, it was so hot and we were all sweaty. Some people splashed their faces and some went in a little more. There was a cliff that was pretty high, probably around 30 feet, straight up on one side and a staircase on the other side to walk up and jump. Isaiah and I jumped off of the cliff and into the water! It was one of the most exhilarating things we have ever done. I'm totally kidding, mom and Joan. None of that happened. this entire paragraph is fiction.

Before leaving, we visited the shore temple, a temple that is literally on the shore of a beach, separated only by some trees and rocks. The part where we could walk was outside, and the room in the middle was closed (not that we would be able to go in anyway).

The annoying guys on the street trying to sell you stuff here seem much more desperate than any other street vendors I have seen. It seems as if they really NEED this stuff to survive, not just trying to make a quick buck. I ended up buying an Om necklace for 30 rupees (like 60 cents) and a really cool elephant sculpture for $2. We bought from this particular vendor because we saw the people actually making these things by hand, right in front of us.

The bus drove us back to the ship, where we had a quick dinner, and then I went out for a friend's birthday.

There were 8 of us for Julia's birthday, and we were going to the Park Hotel for a nice dinner. Our transportation of choice were the auto-rickshaws. They are the cheapest form on transportation available, and for good reason. They are a three-wheeled automobile, it can fit three people in the back, one in the front next the driver, whose steering wheel is more like a motorcycle's handlebars.

The driving in India is crazy. It is more of a give-and-take system where when you can scoot by someone, you just go. People drive against traffic all the time. The best way I can describe it is ordered chaos. It seems like everyone is doing their own thing but there is a sense of organization about it. It is Mario Kart.

So there were four of us in each rickshaw. They try to charge you way too much; we were told that it shouldn't be more than 50 rupees for the ENTIRE car, but we say 50 rupees per person. They try to rip us off but we eventually get it our way. 200 rupees for a trip is a great deal.

So we got two rickshaws. A quarter of the way through our drive, we make a daring left turn and pull over. One of their buddy rickshaws needed some help because he was out of gas. So, the other rickshaw full of our friends drove behind the broken one and the driver put his foot out and pushed the other one. That's right, PUSHED him down the streets. We were driving behind this one too, so we are sort of in a triangle formation and creeping into the lane of oncoming traffic. Then we split up because they took him to a gas station.

So we turn down a sidestreet to wait for the other rickshaw, and the driver asks our friend next to him, Spencer, if he wanted to drive. At first he was terrified, but he gave it a try. The driver gave him some pointed and he drove a little bit.

They don't really stop at stop signs and as soon as a traffic light turns green everybody starts honking. The honking! Everyone honks, and I feel like when I get back to the US I won't hear honking which is dangerous.

We made it to the restaurant safely, and had a great dinner. They gave us a free cake for Julia's birthday. This restaurant and the hotel was known for their chocolate devil's food cake, and it was REALLY REALLY good. I also had a garlic type of bread called garlic naan which was also really good.

Our rickshaw drive back was not nearly as heart-racing as our ride there, but it felt even more like a video game. On the way to the port, there was a giant line of trucks trying to get into the gate, with enough room to their left for a rickshaw, so our driver decided to drive in this little strip of road. It was like an X-Wing in the Death Star. But it turns out we couldn't get in that gate so we went AGAINST TRAFFIC to backtrack to a place we could turn around.

They dropped us off a ways from the port and we had to walk quite a ways. We passed a few beggars and it is very difficult to ignore them, but that is the only thing to do. Some child beggars work for people, and we are told that if we want to help there poor there are a number or reputable charities to which we can donate.

We made it back safe and sound, another great day in India.