March 27, 2009
I had the most wonderful time in Vietnam and its probably my favorite place so far. I know I’ve been saying that about every country, but everything I’ve been doing has been so great and so different, its hard to say. But I loved Vietnam. The people are so nice and friendly here. We we’re lucky in this port because unlike Thailand where we docked about an hour away from the city, in Vietnam we docked right in the middle of the city of Saigon so we could easily get around. The first day, I left with a friend I met the previous night at a meeting, Liz, who was also on the Facebook Vietnam trip that was put together independently. We decided to go out together and get fitted to have dresses made for us. We went to a tailor and picked out some fabric and a style. The women measured us and that was that. Getting dresses and suits made in Vietnam is something that everyone on SAS does every year, so we decided to all do it too. Things are pretty cheap here, its 1 US dollar for about 18,000 of theirs. We were paying in the 100,000’s. After the dress thing, we decided to get some lunch at the famous Pho 2000. I had some roasted seasoned chicken and rice with some soup. Turns out that Bill Clinton had eaten there when he was in Vietnam as president. They had pictures of him all over and even had a plaque made for the seat he sat in and his family, and also a copy of the menu that he ordered. It was really good food. After lunch we decided to just walk around the city. It was so hot outside and we we’re tired from walking everywhere so we decided to chill in the park for awhile. We ran into this funny man who lived there. He wanted to take us anywhere but we had big bags with us because we were leaving for our trip that afternoon. He was very helpful and pointed out on our map some things that we should do and see and how to get there. He also showed us a few journals of his. Inside we’re pages of letters and pictures of people from all around the world that he had driven in Vietnam. It was really neat to see. He calls them all his friends and writes back and forth with them. It was really cute. After wandering around the city we decided that we should get a cab to the airport. We stopped in a hotel and had the manager there call a cab for us, that way we would know it was reliable. Just a tip for people traveling and taking a random cab with a meter. Their meters are not like other places, these particular cabs with meters don’t charge right at all. The price doubles every minute. Our friends learned that the hard way when they each had to pay over 50 dollars for a short cab ride. We got to the airport and met everyone from our group. I didn’t know anyone on this trip but I ended up making some really good friends! We all checked in to the gates and went through security. Turns out that our plane was delayed a few hours and kept getting delayed more. That night we missed a water puppet show that we we’re scheduled to see. While we waited we all chatted and got to know each other better, I made good friends with Jeff, Gaylen Mary, Liz and Pepper while waiting to board. We all told each other of ourselves, talked about different things and played some cards to make the time go by faster. I didn’t mind too much about the plane being delayed because I enjoyed just talking and hanging out, but we we’re all a little disappointed about missing the water puppet show, we heard those we’re really neat to see.
We got to Hanoi finally, late and checked into our 2 star hotel which was pretty sketch but an interesting and fun experience anyway. We we’re all hungry cause we hadn’t eaten so we decided to see if there was something open. There wasn’t anything open because the market had closed. The small group of us ended up finding a small bread store so some people bought some roles to eat, I just had my animal crackers that I brought with me from home. We ran into some British guys who we’re also here visiting. They we’re really nice and gave us some good tips. They seem to just be vagabonds, traveling all over and staying in hostels. They we’re really cool and it was nice to talk with them. After getting something to eat we all headed back to the hotel to sleep and whatever. I was rooming with Mary who I had just met that day, she’s really cool and we got to know each other better which was nice.
The next day we got up and checked out of our hotel and met up again with our tour guide whom we called Mike. He was great, so friendly and helpful to us. We we’re driving up north further that day to Halong Bay (which is beautiful and a must see in Vietnam) I wasn’t sure what to expect out of this trip because I wasn’t really sure what we we’re doing. And because it wasn’t an SAS trip but independently planned. The bus ride was long, about 4 hours with some stops. We really got to see to real Vietnam, the country side. There we’re many people in fields working and it was really neat to see not only the bustle of city life in Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon) but to see the simple country side and rice paddy life. We arrived at the port to board our new home for the trip, and authentic Chinese Junk. It was a really nice boat!! The bottom deck we’re our cabins, the middle was the main dining area and the top was an open deck for laying out and spending time on. We all got settled in our cabins and came upstairs for lunch which was all seafood. I’m not a seafood person but I tried everything for the most part and took pictures. I was a little uncomfortable about eating the crab and fish when the head was still on it and it was staring at me so I turned it around. It was a really good lunch, and I was surprised that I’d like it. After lunch the 13 of us decided to hang out on the top deck and just talk and get to know each other better. I’ve never had such a good group of people on my trip. The last independent overnight trip I did was in Namibia, and those people we’re all really concerned about making sure they we’re drunk for everything. Some of them we’re on this trip too, but they we’re in another group and another boat, they we’re add-ons at the last minute. I was so happy to be in the original group so I didn’t have to deal with all the drinkers again. I was with really chill people, and some had some drinks but they weren’t getting drunk. It was a really great group and we all became friends right away. It worked out perfectly.
Halong Bay is absolutely beautiful, I was so glad that I did this trip. I didn’t think I would like it because I didn’t know what was going on, but I’m so glad I did this trip because I had the best time there than any of my other trips. It was a small group of us and everything was very relaxed, we all liked each other and enjoyed each others company a lot. We we’re cruising through Halong Bay and it was really neat. There we’re mountains around us and giant rocks the size of icebergs towering over us. There was a fog that covered the water and we felt as if we we’re in a pirate movie or something. It was really neat. We stopped at a mountain to get off and explore “the amazing cave” which was so sweet!! I’ve never been in a real cave before and this really was amazing!! I felt like the goonies or in Tom and Huck when they get lost in the caves. I loved it, it was so cool! I want to explore caves more often. After the cave visit we boarded our boat again and sailed to a house boat where we tied up and were able to get off and do some kayaking. I never kayaked before but I enjoyed it very much and want to do it again for sure. It was the coolest thing I’ve done yet. The scenery was amazing and I couldn’t believe what I was doing. I was so lucky. I wish I could have brought all my family and friends here because I wanted to share it with them too. It was beautiful and so peaceful out there. I loved everything about it. After kayaking and some swimming we all got back on the boat for dinner. They make some of the best meals for us, it was ridiculous we got so much good food. I’ve never had so much sea food in all my life, and I’m still not a fan of it, but I did eat it so I am making progress in that area.
After dinner everyone just hung out of the top deck and we had some good conversations. It was getting pretty late and some went to bed and others stayed up for awhile chatting. All of a sudden we heard a bunch of noise from the other boat with the other SAS group who was tied to ours for the night, so we went to go check it out. All of a sudden I heard 1, 2, 3 and then screaming and right overhead jumps off the top deck about 20 students, naked into the water for skinny dipping. That was sure interesting. And stupid considering it was dark and there wasn’t a ladder up. Pepper and I and one of the boatman put a ladder down for them to climb up. It was funny, they all had a good time and we all laughed at them. It’s not something I would do ever though. After that fiasco we all decided it was time for bed on out boat. After some more deep conversations with my new friends, I retired to my cabin, read a little bit more of “Pride and Prejudice” and then fell asleep.
The next morning we got up early and had some breakfast, today was a busy day with lots of activities. We cruised along some more and we’re able to go out kayaking again in the bay, which was a lot of fun. We transferred our things to another smaller boat that would be sailing us to Cat Ba Island. Before arriving there, we stopped on the opposite side of the island to do some cycling in the villages. I was so happy to go bike riding again and the scenery was amazing. I could believe where I was. I was riding a traditional Vietnamese bike through the mountains and farms in Vietnam. We rode to a small village where we we’re able to chat with some locals. After arriving there, we left our bikes and started a hike in the jungle to see the Snake cave. It was surreal to take in everything. Cycling in the mountains through villages, hiking in the jungle, exploring caves. I had a blast!!! After exploring the caves and the nature surrounding us, we headed back to our bikes and cycled back to the dock. I took a lot of pictures of the views from my bike so I would be better able to share them with my family. Most of the things I’m doing I find really hard to explain in words the feelings, the sites, sounds, emotions etc. A picture can help to better understand a little at least, so I did my best.
For lunch we sailed to a small beach area where we unloaded the tables and chairs on our boat and set them up on the beach. The boatmen unloaded the food they cooked for us and we had a really nice meal on this remote beach. It was wonderful! Seriously, who does that everyday? It was so much fun and we all we’re having such a great time! I collected some shells of all different colors to take home. After lunch we sailed to “Monkey Island” which we we’re all so excited about, especially me! It’s a remote island where monkeys live free and wild. Our boat was too big and the water was too shallow to pull close to the island so we got off in little lifeboats and were rowed in the rest of the way. I had a banana to give to the monkeys. People we’re freaking out. Monkeys, although they are really cute are not the nicest animals and will attack you. They are nasty little things. When I got off the boat a monkey started to run towards me and my friends yelled to just give it the banana, so I did and it left us alone. Some others took pictures of the monkey eating the banana I gave it saying it was a classic monkey picture. We tried to get as close as we could to them, but some didn’t like it and chases after the students who ran into the water for safety. I loved the monkeys! We we’re only there about a half –hour or so but I had a great time on Monkey island and was really happy that we went.
We continued sailing to Cat Ba Island and arrived there in the late afternoon and checked into our hotel. The island was really pretty and seemed to be the hot spot for the tourists. There was a lot of life on the island. Families and locals kids playing, many shops and things. It was really nice and our hotel was amazing as well. We had a waterfront view. It was beautiful. After getting freshened up we headed down to where we would be served dinner, which was really good. I sat with my new friends, Mary, Liz, Jeff, Thomas, Lianna, Jake, Emily, Craig, Gaylen and Pepper and others and we had some good conversation. I learned also how to use chopsticks, I could never do it before but now I’m a pro at it and its kinda fun. I think I’m a natural at it now. I think I’ll by my own boxed set of chopsticks in China if they sell them there. They did here in Vietnam so I’m sure China will too.
The group of us decided that we wanted to go out that night. We walked to a local store and bought some drinks and walked around the island until we got back to the hotel where we hung out in Emily and Lianna’s room for awhile having some drinks and good conversation, we each used Emily’s Skype on her computer because she was getting free internet from the hotel and we each called home for a short while. It was a very enjoyable night. At about 11 or so we headed back out to see if we could find the rest of the group, but we couldn’t. They we’re out somewhere, but we weren’t sure which way to go so we all headed back to the hotel after another stop at the store for some people. We then walked back to the hotel to hang out again. Turns out “The Patriot” was on which is one of my favorite movies and happened to be one of their favorite movies as well! We we’re flabbergasted that we all loved this movie a lot, we all watched it together and talked awhile getting to know each other better. I had such a great night and this trip was my favorite so far because I was having such a good time with all of these people. We ended up all falling asleep in Emily and Lianna’s room. We got up the next morning and packed up our things because it was our last day. We headed back to the boat and sailed back to Hanoi from Halong Bay. Upon arriving in Hanoi we boarded our buses again and had a long drive to the airport, we mainly slept on the drive there but also talked as well. I talked to Craig and Pepper for a while and shared our views on different topics. It was fun talking with them some more.
We got to the airport and our plane back to Saigon was delayed so we tried switching to another flight, it was a stressful process but it was accomplished and we we’re on our plane back home. On this plane ride I sat next to Craig, Liz, Emily and Jake. It was a nice flight and I enjoyed talking with them. We had talked about going out once we got back to the ship. As soon as we we’re out of the airport we split into groups to get cabs back to the ship. I was starving so I changed into a new dress I bought in Thailand quick and went upstairs to get a sandwich to eat. I came back to the room and Val said they we’re leaving to go out so I went with her. We went to the grand opening of Club Buddha, which was really nice. We then walked to “Apocalypse”, a club nearby. It was huge and there we’re so many people there you could hardly moved. We stayed there and danced until close, it was so much fun! I’ve never been to a club before, I’m not a big fan of crowded, loud, hot places or dancing for a long time but I had a great time here!! We got back to the ship at about 3, showered and went to bed falling asleep to the movie “Juno” that was playing on our t.v.’s.
The next morning I got up early to meet up with Pepper and Courtney, we we’re going to pick up our dresses and walk to the market for shopping. We bought a lot of things at the market for really cheap and our dresses also turned out really good so we we’re happy about that. We all got some North Face bags, magnets, t-shirts, DVD’s and other gifts. We walked around all day and it was so hot outside so we stopped for a treat on the way back to the ship. After getting back to the ship. Courtney and I finished writing our postcards and headed up to dinner, it was BBQ night.
After dinner I started to feel really sick with severe nausea and cramping. I was in so much pain, I ended up going to the doctor that night to see if they could help me. They gave me a couple pills to take but nothing helped, I ended up sleeping in the bathroom that night because I had been getting sick all night. I’ve never felt so sick before in my life, it was awful. I didn’t go to any classes the next day, or even leave my room. I was so nauseated and was having really bad pains in my stomach and kept passing out during the day and slept for long hours. The clinic opened up again in the afternoon and I went back to see the doctors who did some more tests on me. The decided to give me a shot and some different pills to take, I stayed down in the clinic for awhile in one of the bedrooms so they could keep an eye on me. After awhile, they walked me back up to my cabin because I could hardly walk on my own without experiencing a lot of pain. I slept for awhile in my room and woke up to Courtney’s phone call, she had been stopping by to check on me and stuff. She ended up staying the evening with me to make sure I was okay, and running to get me some Gatorade and stuff which is something the doctor told me to drink. We watched one of the DVD’s we bought for a dollar that day. I got so many movies and tv series and even a boxed set of every Disney movie ever made and a collection of every movie nominated for a “Best Picture” oscar. I think the shot and pill must have worked because I was feeling a little bit better. I took a shower and when I was done, my dinner tray arrived. The doctor had put a note in for me to have all meals delivered to my cabin, they had me on a special diet because I was so dehydrated. They aren’t sure what caused me to feel so sick, but apparently there are about 5 of us or so from the Vietnam trip that have the same symptoms. They said it’s a combination and variations on TD, Heat exhaustion, food poisoning and dehydration, and its all just settling in right now. I still feel really sick. I haven’t left my cabin in 3 days except to see the doctor. I had time finally to check my email for the first time since arriving in Vietnam. The ship’s email doesn’t work unless you’re on the ship. So I’m unable to access email while in a country. For the most part, I had a lot of nice emails from my friends, so that made me smile and feel a little better.
The pills they gave me helped a little and the shot seemed to work for awhile. I had the most wonderful time in Vietnam and loved every minute of it except for the getting sick part. I’m still worried I won’t be able to get off in China because I’m still sick. We arrive there tomorrow and I’m really looking forward to the trip I’m on. I’m signed up for one of the University trips, I’m doing the Peking one. They say out of all SAS trips in all the countries, that these are the number one best ones you can do. I really want to go. I really hope I feel better real soon…
P.S. Happy 22nd Birthday Brinkley!!!! ☺ Miss you!
March 20, 2009
I had the most amazing time in Thailand!!!! After India, Thailand was a really good break. I didn’t know what to expect from Thailand. All I knew about it was what we talked about in class. First off, the people in Thailand are incredibly friendly!! On the SAS trips that I did, the tour company guides we’re some of the nicest people I met. They would do everything for us and they worked so hard to make sure everything ran smoothly and the everyone was happy. They really enjoyed what they we’re doing and had such a love for their country which I thought was great to see!
The first day I did the Sri Racha Tiger Zoo with a bunch of others on an SAS trip and it was really good, I got to hold a baby tiger! I also got picked up by the trunk of an elephant, which was a first for me but a lot of fun. We went to a tiger show, which was not that great because it was really obvious to the audience and everyone else, that the tigers we’re not happy to be there and it was clear that they we’re mistreated and not taken care of very well. We also went to an elephant show which was a lot of fun. They seemed to be better treated there and happier. I fell in love with Asian elephants in Thailand, they we’re so precious and I learned a lot about elephants because I ended up going on three different elephant trips. It was a fun day and Courtney was on that trip with me along with some of my other friends so we all had a great time!
After the day trip Courtney and I got dropped off at the Harbor mall with some other girls and our trip leader. We had all wanted to go walk around and see the place, grab some Thai dinner and hang out. Anything but go back to the ship when we really didn’t have to. Courtney and I walked around but shopping wise at this mall, things weren’t so great. We did find a DVD stand of recent movies in the U.S. and I bought 6 for fifteen American dollars, good deal. They all worked well, you just had to change the settings from Thai to American. They even had made a sticker for the DVD and a case so it looked really nice! There really wasn’t a Thai place in the mall to eat so we ended up going to a pizza place that tasted just like Pizza Hut even though it wasn’t called that. Trying to communicate what we wanted to order and stuff, brought us back to that time in Spain when we tried to get breakfast somewhere. It’s definitely a challenge communication with someone who doesn’t speak your language. But if there is ever a game of charades going on, I know that I’ll do really well! The food was actually really good. We ordered an appetizer of French fries, a pizza and dessert. It was amazing and we we’re starving so we enjoyed it very much!
We met up with the rest of the small group later and got a “cab” back to the ship. When we got back Courtney and I went to hang out in our friend Sylvia’s room, who was also on the trip and lived across from Courtney. We hung out in there for awhile, talking, writing blogs, listening to music and making signs for the countries but then we had to get back to packing for our overnight trips that we we’re doing. I was up early the next morning because I was on an SAS trip called, Bangkok Overnight. We we’re going to visit all the sites in Bangkok and sail down the river. I was excited! It was a two hour bus ride so I tried to sleep a little bit, Holly was also on this trip with me and we sat next to each other and it was really nice to catch up again because I hadn’t talked to her in awhile nor seen her much. We first got into Bangkok and got on a boat to sail down the canals and river tributaries around the city. It was really cool to see, and we really got a sense of homelife, atleast along this area on the river. We passed rustic home built on stilts above the water. They we’re all clustered along the river’s edge. Funny, it kinda reminded me of being home a little big this past summer, when our city got flooded really bad, people got around by boat downtown. We stopped at the “Temple of Dawn” (Wat Arun) whose 79-meter spire silhouette is often recognized as the symbol of Thailand. There were many Thai temples and things and they we’re all really neat, and so very ornate and painted with lots of colors and lots of real gold! For dinner we went to a local restaurant and had some tradition Thai dishes. We had to take our shoes off for this place too. Taking off your shoes to walk in certain places is a huge thing here. I might as well have not worn shoes. The dinner was great and we we’re entertained with some traditional Thai music and a dance performance as well. It was amazing! What a great night! After dinner a group of us walked to the night market. The place was the place to be. We had a lot of fun hanging out on the town, doing shopping and having a good time.
Holly and I had a good heart-to-heart that night. Turns out that we we’re kinda going through some similar things with people back home. She was really home sick and missed home a lot and I missed my friends, especially because I felt like I didn’t hear from them much anymore, especially my best friends. She brought up some good points as we reflected on things saying its interesting how you have a significant other or best friend back home that you always talked to 24/7 and hung out with all the time, they we’re always your go-to person and we’re always there for you and vice-versa. But it’s funny how you’re so important in someone’s life for a long time, but then when you leave and come here its like everyone is moving on without you, and you wonder…we’re you really that important to them in the beginning if they can so easily brush you aside now.
It’s hard to make people back home understand how much an email means out here. When I was at school, it was no big deal at all hearing about things and whatnot, I enjoyed it but I didn’t thrive on it. Out here, everyone comes back from port wishing and hoping that they have a letter posted on their door from their family or a friend that was sent to that country for them. We check our email all the time, just hoping that there will be an email from back home. Things out here are amazing but we all still miss home a lot, and miss hearing from people, especially our favorite people. I really understood what she was saying because I felt the same way. It sounds really dumb but I get really sad every time I come back to my cabin after a country and it seems everyone else had a letter on their door except me. I did get a package in Mauritius that I asked my parents to send me a couple things that I forgot, and I was so excited. Even though I knew what was in the box, I was still so excited and hoped there would even be a surprise letter inside. I had the biggest smile, and I wanted to capture the moment so Val took a picture of me holding my box before I opened it. We talked more about our best friends back home, and how they said they would email us everyday, yet both of us hadn’t heard from them in about a month and it made us really sad because we missed them alot. I felt like I was forgotten, that they we’re moving on without me. It’s wrong to want someone to wait for you and not do anything, that’s not right. But if your really that close and really best friends, then you’d think they’d write more. And when they don’t seem to take interest anymore by not emailing, that’s when you start to wonder about it. It was just making me really sad to think about and it sucked because I felt like I couldn’t enjoy my trip because of it. I was so concerned about what was going on back home, my friends, worried that things wouldn’t be the same when I got home, that others had taken my place. It was so dumb that it was hurting me that bad, that I felt distracted and sad on my trip. It was insane, how could I be sad. I was mad about it, that it was distracting me, that things would happen to make me question, because they shouldn’t be. I was in Thailand! I tried to make Holly feel better by telling her that as well. She was in Thailand and traveling around the world, there is nothing to feel sad about. That you shouldn’t let people back home make you feel bad and sad about being away. We’re are having such a great time out here, but its still hard to be away and away from home so long, especially when you know that your friends are moving on without you. It just makes you feel really left-out and uncared for the same way anymore. I don’t know, now I seem to just be rambling. But it was a good conversation anyway and I guess it made me feel a little bit better that I was able to talk to someone about how I was sad and how I felt, and I knew that she really understood me because she was going through the same thing as well. It’s tough to swallow, knowing your best friends back home are having fun without you, and making new best friends. Because to us out here, nothing can replace them. But back home, its like they are trying to fill in the hole that left. So we ask ourselves, do we have a place anymore when we get back?...or must we share it now?
Idk, I guess it could also be turned around because we are making such good friends out here also. We’ve only been here two months but living in such close quarters, with no phones, or way of contacting home regularly and traveling together and sharing these good and hard times with people, its amazing how close you can get and become such good friends with someone in a short amount of time. Traveling with someone you get to know them a lot better and being in bad situations together and working through it and having such great times and bonding. I’m happy I’ve made such good friends here and hope it will continue even after we all leave the ship. People are already making plans to visit each other over the summer and vacations and such. Anyways….I’m talking on a tangent again…
The next morning we got up early, packed up our bags and headed down to the buses for a full day of touring. We visited the Wat Rachabophit that was built in 1870 by King Rama V, to be in line with the tradition that each monarch constructed a temple to mark his reign. The temple is a mixture of local and western styles, showing an awakening interest in new construction design. It was beautiful and so intricate and ornate! After staying at this temple for awhile we next went to Wat Po to see the giant “Reclining Buddha”, a 46-meter long, intricately embellished statue with mother-of-pearl (from itinerary). It was made entirely of gold. I tried to take good pictures, but it was so huge it was impossible to get the whole thing in a shot, even a small portion of it in one shot. It was really neat to see. After that we visited the Grand Palace, which I guess since 1872 has been the main attraction and focal point in Bangkok. This place was huge and had so many buildings and structures made entirely of mosaic creations. It was fascinating! There we’re an extensive amount of murals, gilded spires, and lots of colors! The architecture was incredible! We had to take off our shoes to go into every temple. We went into the “Wat Phra Kaew” which is the temple of the emerald Buddha. It was so beautiful! I’ve never seen so many jewels and gold ever. After the palace we went to see some really old Thai ships. They we’re really cool to see. They we’re all decorated with jewels and had figures built on the bow of the ship with a canon in front also incase of attack. After touring, we went to a really nice hotel an had some traditional food for lunch. I really enjoyed the food and thought it was really good, not something I expected. After lunch we got back on the boat and headed across the river to get on our bus again.
We then visited one of the coolest places I’ve ever been to. We stopped and toured a private property, the privately owned Prasart Museum. The collector, Prasart Vongskul, began to acquire Thai antiques in 1965 when he was only 12 years old. The buidings in which they housed are also of interest, designed by the collector himself as either direct replicas or playful combinations of his favorite palaces and pavilions from around the country. It was really neat! There we’re so many collections and different little houses to display everything. Turns out he built buildings and a home for himself, created a large garden for everything to be stored in. It was amazing, I thought of my Dad because I think he would have really enjoyed seeing all of the antiques and random beautiful things this guy collected. Also, what was really neat was at the end of our tour we we’re able to meet Prasart Vongskul! He was really nice, and it was great to hear from him personally, when talking about his life and his collections, where he got them. After getting a picture with him, the group said goodbye and we all got back on the bus and headed back to the ship in Laem Chabang. The next day, I had a day trip for the Elephant village in Pattaya. I fell in love with elephants after this trip. We got to ride elephants and learned a lot about them in general. They are incredibly smart animals and they seemed so happy. They loved playing games and liked to dance a lot. I really enjoyed my trip to visit elephants. After that, the buses we’re heading back to the ship, but we’re dropping people off who wanted to stay in Pattaya, Holly and I, Emma, Amy, Katie all got off together in Pattaya and stayed there for awhile. We got a cab to the main mall in the area. I think it was called Central? Anyways, it was a huge mall with a lot of really neat things. We stopped at a restaurant in the mall, that was amazing. It was basically buffet styled. They give you a card and it get swiped every time you eat. The had food from all over the world there in their own little section. I had Chinese food, the others we’re eating Thai. But they also had Japanese, Italian, American, French etc. A lot of different choices. It was really good. We ate outside on their patio and the waiters we’re very nice to us. It was a really nice place. After dinner, we all walked around the mall together and then split off to do our own thing. We all met back up later that evening and walked together down the street to the markets which a busy at night but really neat. We all had a fun night just hanging out together. When it started to get late we got a cab back to the ship.
My last day in Thailand, I had a day trip to the Nong Nooch Cultural Village; it was probably my favorite trip I did in Thailand. It was a really nice place, we got to see a lot more elephants and animals, and there was also a show that we went to. It was basically a broadway/vegas show but Thai style. It was really neat, I recorded some of it and took a lot of pictures. There was singing and dancing so that was really neat to see. We also saw a sword fight show and some Thai boxing matches. I had a great time at this place. I got my picture taken with a leopard and a monkey! I was really excited. I also got pictures with the elephants, they we’re so cute. I loved them. I had a great time at that village and would recommend others to do that trip as well. In that trip you basically get a little taste of everything Thailand. I loved it. After we left the buses we’re dropping people off at the mall and then letting them find their own way back to the ship. Holly and I and some others got off at the mall stop. We each had some things to get and also wanted to use the Internet in their coffee shop. I basically spent my time trying to get some memory cards, blank DVD’s and USB jump drives. I had found out the night before that my computer hard drive was basically full from all the pictures I’ve taken. I think I have about 14.000 pictures on my computer right now 7,000 of which are just from SAS. I needed to back up all my pictures, so I wouldn’t lose them in case something bad really happened to my computer. I took it to the computer center and they said I needed to get an external hard drive so I could take everything off my computer and put it on there. If I can, I’m going to get one in China, they are supposed to be the best for electronics and things. It should be pretty reliable. The whole word after all seems like it was “made in China”.
CREW TALENT SHOW
That night after we got back was the crew talent show. I’ve never been so entertained in my life. All of them are so talented, everyone really enjoyed their performances. They can sing and dance really well, and even did bar tricks with bottles and things, it was really cool! Some even wrote songs to us, changed lyrics from a popular song and directed it towards us, and our time here and they would miss us. I started to cry during one of the songs because if was so bittersweet. I had a lot of fun that night and took some pictures and videos. All of them we’re really good, it blew me away! What a great night and great end to our time in Thailand. I would love to come back someday and bring my family along too, cause I know they would enjoy it. Off to Vietnam!!
(Started: March 10th, 2009)
So I’m sitting outside the computer lab in Tymitz Square just after post port. Post port is a discussion time that is held after we get back from a particular country in which the floor is open to anyone who would like to speak and share their experiences in that country with others whether it was a trip they did, someone they met, what they liked or didn’t like and what they learned from everything. I hadn’t gone to one before but I knew after experiencing India myself I wanted to hear what others did and what they had to share. I’ve been putting off writing my blog since I got back to the ship. I was hoping that after going to the post port discussions that I would have a little more inspiration on how to begin writing this thing but I find that I am even more unable to put into words what India is like, what I saw, smelt, did, experienced and how I felt. I guess the fact that I don’t even know what to say could sum it up. To be honest, the pictures and videos that I took do absolutely no justice. You can’t smell a picture; you can’t hear it or really even see all of it. It’s just a picture that you go through and toss aside in a stack. There is no way to capture India in a picture the way you can capture a moment with friends hanging out in a picture. In India, I didn’t take a whole lot of pictures, not only because in many places we couldn’t take them, in other places you couldn’t bring yourself to take a picture of these people in their conditions, I didn’t because you can’t see the real India through a camera lens, you just can’t do it.
I don’t know how to begin still because India really does have an impact on you and it’s nothing you can really explain to anyone who hasn’t been there and experienced it to. I know that the only ones who I will be able to talk to and who will really get what I’m saying will only be the ones who’ve done this too. I know that when I go home, I won’t have anyone to talk to about my trip and experiences, they just won’t understand nor will they really care. What’s sad is that its already started. I don’t get hardly any emails anymore from my friends back home and it makes me feel really sad because it tells me that they don’t care. It’s gonna be really hard and already is starting to be, because this trip, adventure, experience, this huge personal journey that is physically, mentally, emotionally, spiritually challenging and changing, is a HUGE part of my life now. It’s something that will always be, and if people like my friends don’t get that, and don’t care about it and me and what its done. Then things are going to be really hard. I write emails to my friends knowing that I won’t get a response for a long time or even at all. I realize people are busy back home. But coming on this trip, also makes you realize that you should never be “too busy” with trivial things that keep you away from family and friends. It’s not that hard to write a simple email. What’s even worse than not getting an email, is getting nasty bitter ones for no good reason. I don’t have time for that. But it has opened my eyes to what true friends are. The ones I guess I would have expected from can’t handle it, and those that I never asked anything from, write me all the time. And I appreciate it more than they know. It’s just hard emailing friends and never getting responses. But I understand that everyone is busy and they’ll get back to me when they can. I just miss them a lot.
My friends and I here were talking about this tonight and have been on the trip since we got here, but especially India is something we will never be able to talk about with anyone else and have them really “get it”. All that my friends have done back home is go to the same classes, the same conversations, go out to the bars and get drunk and hang out at parties. It’s the same stuff as it always is. When I get back, I know I will feel out of place, and will just want someone to talk to who really gets it. How do you answer the questions they will ask? They can’t be answered. And once you try and answer them, its over and its back to them and the latest ridiculous trivial drama going on, party to go to or bar to hang out at. Our friends really won’t care because they won’t be able to relate at all. And that’s really sad for all of us here. We are changing because of this and growing and becoming more aware of the world and things around us, being challenged in everyway possible. We’re experiencing something completely unreal! It’s normal for us to start a sentence like “…When I was staying with the Ovahimba tribe in Namibia we had a chance to talk to the chief about his views on our culture, they didn’t understand why the men weren’t married, and our chaperone on the trip who was married, the chief and the tribe asked why he didn’t have multiple wives…..etc” or “ the last night in India while waiting for a train, I had nothing to give to the numbers of little children who we’re begging me for money or food or anything, I didn’t know what to do but I saw a fruit cart roll up near me so I asked how much and the guy held up one banana and I said no, how much for two whole bundles. Surprised the guy stated his price and I grabbed the bananas and just started handing them out to the starving children begging at my feet for a bite to eat.” There are so many stories to tell. I wish I could tell them all. I want to tell them all to all my family and friends. I want to connect on that level with them the way I am able to and do connect with those here. It’s just going to be more challenging because they weren’t here to experience it first hand so it will affect them on a much different level.
The ones who will get it, will be spread all over the country. I broke down about it last night. It just finally really hit me. Everything about India just hit me. Yes it was beautiful but for the most part what we saw was poverty. There we’re kids with no shoes and no clothes laying in the dirt, people going to the bathroom on the street, dirty animals all over, cows and goats making there way through the crowded streets with all the other people and sick and dying people begging for money. I was swarmed by locals trying to sell me trinkets and jewelry and most of the time they we’re kids as young as four who we’re also carrying newborn babies in hopes that would sway people. It made me realize that most of these kids will never do anything else, they won’t go to school or anything, all they will ever know how to do is beg for their life literally. I talked to my friends about India and everything we experienced and everyone here agrees that it will be hard to relate to others when we go home. They won’t get it, they won’t comprehend, they will try to for a little bit but in all honesty they won’t care because they have no idea how to relate. It’s just going to be hard, its hard enough just trying to write about it or think about it. But it happens every time with students on Semester at Sea. It brings me back to one of my first blogs that I wrote when I posted a speech that one of the Deans on the ship gave to the students years ago on another voyage. The one about the fishbowl. Like the people back home now, I had no idea. But now that I’ve gone and done it, I can completely relate to everything that everyone here has been talking about and trying to tell us and prepare us for. You just really don’t know, you don’t get it until you’ve done it yourself. So in answering any questions about this trip such as how it was, what I did, what I saw, what I heard, what I smelt, what I felt, what I enjoyed what scared me. Everything was simultaneously happening all at once. You can’t describe the feeling. So in answer to that question….if you have to ask, you’ll never know. You just have to do this for yourself and find out.
Anyway, I’ll record the things I did and trips I went on like in my previous blog and try to put in to words what cannot be explained in words but only experienced in person. Therefore, this blog will continue to just be a “flow of consciousness” of writing.
This blog is something that I have been putting off for quite some time because like I said I’m not sure how to begin and what to say because India is something you can’t “say”, you just have to go and see it. So now that’s its taken me three days to write the previous portion and we’re going to be in Thailand in two days, I figured I should just sit down and write it, and atleast record what I did. It’s the 13th also, so it sounds like a good date to me.
We arrived in India on Thursday March 5th. We could tell because we could smell it. They say you can smell India 100 miles off the coast. I don’t know how true that is. I didn’t think it smelled that bad where we we’re docked. Some people said they couldn’t handle it but honestly it didn’t bother me too much yet. But then again, I am from Cedar Rapids, Iowa. I’m used to the smell of the country and its animals, I’m used to the smog smell of a city and the factory smells of Cargill and Quaker Oats etc. Another thing, was the flood this summer which left downtown smelling like sewage and mold, dead fish, dirty water among other things. The smell was so bad this summer that if the wind was blowing right, I could walk outside my house and smell downtown which was a couple miles or so away. So I guess all of those smells made the smell of India not as offensive to me at this point as it seemed to others.
It took awhile for the ship to be cleared because of everything that had to happen first. We first had our India briefing in the morning, which was actually very interesting. The officials did a good job at letting us know what to expect. We’ve been hearing from these embassy officials in every country so far and they are from the U.S. embassy in each country. It sounds like a pretty cool job that they have. Perhaps I’ll look into it for Ireland ☺
After the briefing our ID numbers were called up to the faculty/staff lounge to pick up our papers for this country. Its different for everywhere. In this case we didn’t need to carry our passports, only our shipboard ID and a Customs form and a Shore Pass which acted as our passport. We could not lose it, any of it obviously. They did a money exchange on the ship for this country as well which was really nice. They we’re also taking Rand so I was able to get some money from what I had left over from South Africa and use a little bit of cash. That’s one thing I wish I had more of. I wish rather than relying on ATM’s in the other countries, because they are not safe. I wish I had more cash on hand to exchange. Especially on the ship you know its completely trust-worthy. But it certain countries, I’m very apprehensive about using the ATM’s and when at all possible I don’t use my debit card in an ATM unless I know its reputable. Nor do I use it in the stores because of typing in a pin number. I’m really trying to be extra careful. They even said don’t use a debit card anywhere to buy things, use credit. Because they are more track able and you are responsible for as much money lost, if someone else uses it, whereas a debit card, if they get it and your pin number (like from a restaurant or store) your screwed. I don’t have a lot of cash on hand so I have to ration out what cash I exchange in each country. In Japan, the ATM’s should be relatively safe and maybe China. I can use the ATM in Hawaii for sure and get more American cash out so I can exchange cash in Guatemala.
Anyways…apart from that tangent. After going through everything to exchange my money to Indian Rupees and get my Shore Pass I met up with Janelle and her roommate Stephanie. Once the ship was clear and we had our stuff together we headed out to the gangway. It was so hot outside and muggy. What made it worse is that we we’re wearing jeans and shirts that covered our body fully, also a scarf for modesty and socks and sneakers to prevent catching a disease from the dirty ground that we’d be walking on. The ground was covered in dirt, suit, oil, mud, sewage, urine, trash, human and animal feces, dirty water and other things. We walked to the gate of the port and as we got closer past security we we’re hounded by taxi and rickshaw drivers wanting to take us somewhere for a ridiculous price. We wanted to go to Spencer Plaza, which is the big shopping center in Chennai that is huge and filled with every shop and thing you could eve find in India but at a fixed price that could be bargained with depending on the store. We agreed on a price of 100 rupees for each of us, for a ride there and back while waiting in-between. We made sure of our deal and after a tense conversation of repeating to the driver that we did not want to stop and any other stores, we bargained on stopping at two places for no extra charge (the embassy officials at the briefing explained to us that the drivers will always try and take you other places whether you want to go or not, and then they will charge you) We stopped at two of their stores. I didn’t buy anything there because I thought it to be too expensive. I knew the mall would have a lot more to choose from and be a lot cheaper.
As we traveled further into the city that’s when the smell really hit you. I can’t even describe it, it’s a mixture of everything. But it wasn’t pleasant at all. The traffic is ridiculous. There is no concept of lines and street manners like at home. The cars, rickshaws (men on a bike pulling a chariot behind them), Auto rickshaws (bikes with motors and chariot), Tuk-tuk (little car with no doors, only carries the driver and two passengers cramped together), people walking, cows walking …YES! Cows, goats, pigs and animals all walk in the streets with the people and traffic. It’s completely normal in India to be walking down the street right next to a cow, they view them as sacred and therefore are free to roam around just as the people are. The traffic is ridiculous, people just drive where they want to and use their horns constantly. There are no lines, its just a jumbled mess of traffic and people just trying to get to where they want to go no matter how they do it. It made me appreciate home even more and the simplest thing like having lanes and other things like organization. But its how they do it there, and they don’t seem to mind it at all. It was a new experience. Riding in one of these things with no doors, just an open area, inches away from another form of transportation on one side honking and a cow on the other. After traveling from one extreme to the next, I’ve learned to adapt to anything really fast and so well that nothing like this really seemed to bother me at all. I embraced the insanity and fun in it.
We wandered around the mall for a good while. It didn’t look like your average mall in the U.S. but more like an airport terminal, not very put together in some areas. We stayed at the mall for awhile and finally made our way back out to our driver who then took us back to the ship and told us to pay up 400 rupees each. We stood our ground in an argument with him telling us that because he took us to extra stores that we had to pay extra, even though he said it would be no charge. The way that they cheat you out of things in India because “you’re American and have a ton of money to throw away“ is ridiculous. We didn’t end up paying him the extra because that was not the deal we agreed on in the beginning. We got back on the ship and I felt so dirty and sweaty and hot. I took a quick shower and then Courtney called me to see if I wanted to get dinner before the Indian Welcome Reception trip that we both had together. We got ready, ate and headed down the gangway to the bus. A lot of people we’re dressed up in things that they had bought in India already, such as skirts, tunic shirts and sarees. We arrived at the reception, which was held in the garden of a hotel. We we’re greeted with music and Indian students who gave us a string of flowers to wear around our neck as a welcome gift and we each received a dot (I forget what they are officially called and what the color of some mean). But we we’re officially welcomed. As we all came in there we’re Indian students waiting to meet us and we’re so eager to learn from us just as we we’re eager to learn from them. There we’re tables set up where we could buy sarees, bags, dresses, jewelry and other things and the money would be donated to a charity. The things there we’re relatively cheap too so I bought a couple skirts. After looking at the items the food had been set out for us to eat. It was an entire buffet of Indian appetizers. My first taste of Indian food! I shared a plate with Courtney and we sat down in front of the stage to watch the performance. There was an Indian troupe that performed music live while dancers performed to the music in traditional ways. It was really neat to see! I recorded some of it! I remember when Clarke had the International concert and it was on India. That was my favorite one when the dancers came. I loved it then and I loved seeing it in India!! How exciting! Everything they do is so intricate and the tiniest movement has a big meaning. Every move they do has a literal meaning behind it to help tell the story in the music. It was very enjoyable! I loved the whole night and meeting the Indian students. They all looked so colorful and beautiful! It was a great night.
After getting back to the ship I quickly showered and began packing for my big trip that was leaving the next morning at 3am. I was on CHE 21 – Taj Mahal/Varanasi trip. I was way excited! It wasn’t hard packing. I’ve become a pro at it after traveling on SAS and little overnights in every country with limitations on luggage. I packed for 5 days/4 nights in one book bag! That brown book bag I bought for 12 dollars that my mom thought I wasted money on was the best purchase I ever made for this trip! That, and the fanny pack from Target and 10 dollar watch from Walmart. Can you believe I wear a watch now everyday? I used to hate watches and now I need one on me all the time or I go crazy.
I didn’t end up going to bed that night. I thought Val would be back and we’d set her alarm but she never came back and I didn’t want to fall asleep and miss the trip and I didn’t know if something happened to her and she wouldn’t be back. I watched a movie that was on T.V. and dosed in and out. Val finally came back at 2 from dinner and a movie. They had some troubles with their taxi and rickshaws trying to get them to actually take them where they needed to go and get back to the ship. Also, people learned on the trip that going to an Indian movie is fun, however they are REALLY long and they have an intermission. Val and the rest of our other friends who went weren’t expecting that, so that’s why they got back so late. We chatted while she packed and about a half hour later or so I got out of laying in bed and got ready for the day and put the rest of my things in my bag and we went to the Union at 3am where our trip was meeting.
The ship had a small breakfast set up for us while we did check-in for the overnight trip. I had some juice and a pastry and read my itinerary, which seemed to be very detailed and a lot of early morning wake up calls at 4am. But it looked like a good itinerary with a lot of neat things planned. I knew it was going to be one of the best ones and I couldn’t wait!
We all walked down the gangway, there was about 60 of us more or less so we took two buses. I got on the same bus as Val and Janelle and we were off to the airport. After going through security and everything we all waited until our flight was boarding. We couldn’t wait to get on the plane because all that we wanted to do was sleep. The airline was very nice, nicer than I would have expected I guess but then again I didn’t really know what to expect. That’s something I’ve learned, you can’t expect anything to be as you expected it, because it never will be. Something different about Indian airline I noticed is they aren’t so gentle about take off. The engines start right away really strong and loud and then you just take off. It seems in the U.S. they take a little more time to take off gradually and more gently. This wasn’t uncomfortable or anything but it was rough enough that we all noticed it and weren’t sure if it was normal. After a couple flights like that, we knew that it was. Because the seating lists and tickets we’re all done alphabetically, I was sitting next to Val and Janelle was right behind us so that was nice. I like Indian airlines because we got headphones and a pen on every flight and also a meal! That’s something we don’t get in the U.S. anymore. It was about a two or three hour flight to New Delhi and then we switched planes and boarded another plane for an hour or so flight to Varanasi.
Once we arrived in Varanasi it was about lunch time and we got on another bus to go to our hotel which happened to be right next to a MacDonald’s which some people we’re really excited about. It was nice to know it was there in case the Indian food and I didn’t form a good friendship. The hotel was amazing! It was the Radisson Hotel in Varanasi. At home these hotels are nice, but its not like that in India. They are unbelievable!! I’ve never been in such a nice hotel before, SAS really does well in setting us up with the best and getting the most for our money. I guess in the U.S. a hotel like that would cost hundreds a night but in India it was cheap for us. I probably won’t get the chance to stay somewhere that nice again, so I soaked it up. They even had an Indian man all dressed up to open the door for us. They wouldn’t let us do it ourselves which is kind of unnecessary but it was still nice. I loved seeing the way the dress in India. For us, dressing up is dresses and suits but here it looks different because its their own style of uniforms and such, it was really cool to see. I found myself just staring at people because the way they looked and dressed intrigued me and I found them all to be so beautiful.
We got our roommates and I was rooming with a girl named Sahare (sp.?) and we we’re right next to Val’s room. Turns out Val’s roommate Laura who I met on the plane knew my old neighbors. I mentioned that I was from Iowa and she asked where and I said Cedar Rapids. Thinking the conversation would stop there because it usually does end in small talk like that because nobody here knows anything about Iowa and aren’t even sure where it is, I was surprised for her to get more excited and ask some more questions. She asked my high school, and I told her, somewhat confused on why she wanted to know this from me and then she asked if I knew anyone by the name of Harmeyer and I said “you mean like Melissa, Erin and Michael?” “Yes!” she screamed. Turns out she’s like best friends with Erin at college at Mizzou. Completely random but the only reason she knew of Cedar Rapids is because she went there for Erin’s 21st birthday. Just shows what a small world this really is. I never expected that in India. It’s kinda like me meeting Alec for the first time in Namibia, even though we went to college in the same town and both graduated from Xavier, we we’re even in plays together. Weird and Random things, but entertaining to say the least.
After checking into our hotel and getting settled into our rooms we had time to come downstairs and get some lunch. I was worried so I took some Pepto Bismol beforehand. I heard from last voyage that everyone got sick in India so I was pretty convinced that I had no escape from it but I came prepared with all the medication I bought a couple nights before after the pre-port meeting. They pretty much scared us at that meeting and set up a medical booth afterwards outside the Union so we could purchase pills and antibiotics and whatever to help us if we got sick. I swear the whole ship was standing in line. Anyways, I got a reasonable amount of what I might need for India and future countries.
To my surprise I actually liked the food. I kept asking Val if I could eat this or that and she kept telling me that’s its all in my head and if I keep thinking that I’m going to get sick then I will. That would happen to me, I would be the one freaking out and taking precautions. While others aren’t taking paranoid precautions with the food eating whatever, they would be fine and I would get sick. Turns out that I didn’t get sick and I actually liked the food. I was so hungry though so maybe that helped. I still ate my Pepto because I wasn’t sure how my body would react but I didn’t eat anything that would make me sick for sure such as salads and fruit that you can’t peel. I also brought my own water in order to save money in buying water bottles. But my water was warm and they had ice-cold water in bottles and it was so hot outside that it was almost necessary to have it be cold in order to quench your thirst.
After lunch we got back on our bus and drove to a silk factory and “The Indian Art Emporium”. They had the most beautiful things I’ve seen there and the silk tapestries we’re gorgeous and all made by hand! We went into the shop where three men at a loom weave the silk into colorful patters to create a blanket, tapestry, pillow case, table runner etc. It was incredible the amount of work put in and time! It takes days to get a centimeter of an item finished. I took pictures of them working and of many finished items that they we’re selling and bought some things for my mom that I thought she might like as well. After our visit and tour of the Silk place we we’re on our way out to the bus and it turned out that there was a children’s school next door that was getting out at the same time. The kids we’re very curious with us and we went up to go talk to some of them. They we’re really shy at first but then opened up with excitement. There we’re other kids standing further away also who seemed curious about us. They we’re not dressed in uniforms and had no shoes. I took some pictures of them. They are so impressed with cameras and that a picture of them can be caught on a little box, it really fascinated them. The kids there we’re all so nice and so excited to see us. Even when the bus drove by through the village it seemed that a lot of people we’re happy to see us and liked to wave at us in the bus driving by.
That’s something that hit me, is that many many of these people as we drove by we’re living in what seemed to us to be such horrible conditions. No clothes, no good food, no shoes etc. Just many things that when you looked at it, made you sad. But on the contrary a lot of them seemed very happy with where they we’re at and what they we’re doing. That sitting in the dirt next to filth, drinking sewage water and walking the streets with cows, was no big deal. And it wouldn’t be to them, because that’s there culture. It still fascinates me. One of our professors was saying when we we’re discussing this situation in class is that a lot are content and there are also a lot who are not as content and how education plays a major role in that. If someone isn’t educated and doesn’t know what else is out there, if there is something better or worse than they will be content….whereas others who know that there are things better, want to achieve for that are discontent until they can work to get to a better situation. I’m not sure specifically who is affected on either level, but there is a mixture of opinions on the subject.
After the tour of the silk factory, our tour guide took us on a walking tour to a bead factory that had so many different hand made jewelry and beads. The girls had a great time while the guys on the trip impatiently waited on the couch. Everyone was pretty exhausted by this point because we hadn’t slept in over 24 hours except for a nap taken on the plane. After going to the bead factory we all walked back to our hotel for dinner. I was excited because they had an entrée of sweet and sour chicken that was so good. In India, at the places we ate at anyway. They have many choices of appetizers and entrees set out in a buffet line for you to choose from. Maybe it was just because we had a larger group, but it was nice to have many choices. I’m not really sure what I ate, but I tried everything that looked and smelled good to me. And their desserts are SO good!!
After dinner we took the bus to a garden meeting place where we we’re to meet for our Rickshaw ride to the next location. This was probably one of the craziest things that I did in India and on this trip. Riding on a rickshaw has a wide variety of emotions to it that run through your head. Your so scared that your not only going to fall out of the device but get hit by others speeding by and driving so close to you. Again, the rickshaw is a bicycle with a man pedaling and on the back wheel of the bike is a small chariot seat that barely holds two people. Indian traffic is something I’ve never seen before or been in. It’s definitely different, exciting and nerve-racking for the whole trip. Because your driving so close to people who are driving other things and walking, also the cows and goats in the street have to be watched for as well. They must be pros and driving and dodging people. I was so nervous the whole time that we we’re going to his something, but we didn’t. It was for sure an exciting ride! It’s hard to explain our ride, but Val and I both took videos of it as best as we could but it was hard enough just trying to hang on.
We finally got to our destination and everyone was all buzzing about their rides on the rickshaw and how cool and crazy it was. We we’re just outside to the main stairs down to the River Ganges. We we’re coming to witness the Ganga Aarth at Dasaswamedh Ghat on the banks of the River Ganges. Basically it’s a river that is considered to be extremely holy and one that is worshipped by the Hindus. It is now known as the national river of India. There is so much pollution that lives in the river its unbelievable. At our pre-port meeting the medical team was telling us not to touch the water or get to close to it so that we wouldn’t get sick from what was in it. Most of the great Hindu festivals and worship happen here at the river. Tonight we came to watch a religious ceremony take place. And in the morning we would be back before sunrise to see more religious ceremonies take place at the riverbank. Hindus believe that the river is holy waters and drinking the water can be a cure. They also come to bathe themselves in the water as a way of cleansing their soul of ills and past sins. It is also the place where bodies are cremated.
There were so many people around us everywhere. We had to walk a short distance in the gated village to get to the river. Everywhere there we’re people of all caste systems but mostly of the lower. Lining the stairs we’re some of the smallest people I’ve ever seen begging us for money to put in their tin bowl or hand or whatever they we’re holding out. It was definitely something that I had not really yet seem to this extent and was another eye-opener. Everyone just quickly followed the person in front of them single filed. There was a point where everyone all of a sudden stopped and had to back up because of a cow coming up the stairs. Holy cow! I actually said that, no pun intended at the time but we found it funny. That was a huge cow! It was certainly something that you don’t see everyday, but we we’re here now and a part of their culture, so it became normal very quickly. It was a big culture shock again to be surrounded by so many different people from all over India and other places who had come to partake in this ceremony. We continued to be surrounded by so many beggars asking us for money and food. Some we’re moms with their babies, others we’re small children even holding babies. Others we’re trying to see us different jewelries and trinkets and such also just to make some money. It was an interesting place to be; I really didn’t know what to think. I just held onto my bag and kept moving through the crowd with the rest of them. I filmed part of the ceremony so I’d be able to show people what it was really like when I got home because I’m not sure how to describe it. It was a very ethereal feeling.
We left the ceremony as it was ending because it was getting really dark (they don’t have many street lighting) and we all still had to navigate our way up the stairs through the inner city where there was a ton of people all over the place. We found our way back to where all the rickshaws parked. I couldn’t find my partner because it was dark outside and I’m so short so I couldn’t see anything. I just tried to remain on the inside of the group as the outsiders we’re swarmed by beggars trying to sell us the same items. My driver came out of nowhere and found me thank god because I never would have found him. I got on the rickshaw while everyone else was scrambling and we we’re off back through the city. This time it was just as crowded and even more so full of people who we’re our wandering and shopping and the little shops. The nightlights we’re turned on and this is when the colors of India really popped out. All the store sold numerous items but the most popular item I saw was women’s dress. There we’re sarees and scarf’s, shawls and bags etc. And all the women we’re out with each other walking around. Everyone looks gorgeous in India and the colors are a real site to see! After another crazy and adventurous ride we finally made it back to the garden area and got back on the bus to head back to the hotel.
That night we all couldn’t wait to get back to the hotel and get to bed. None of us had slept the night before and had been just going and going all day. It was an exhausting day and I couldn’t wait to crash. We got a wake up call at 4am the next morning and headed downstairs for breakfast. I was really excited for today. We all got on the bus and headed for the banks of the River Ganges, where we we’re the night before. It was still really dark outside, we had to get to the river and board a boat before sunrise. Probably one of the most memorable moments of my trip in India was this experience. As we drove to the river, I looked outside my window and on the streets we’re so many people sleeping. They have no homes or anything so they all just sleep in the same areas. Not only do they sleep in these areas but they go to the bathroom in the same spot (not excluded or covered area, they just go) and they eat there too. It was all very insanitary but that’s they way they live and it made me feel really sad.
We finally arrived in the inner city of Varanasi and followed our guide through the tiny streets down to the riverbank. It was so dark outside so I stayed to the front of the line so I could see better, plus the guide was pointing out things such as a person sleeping that we had to walk over or around and animal/human feces and other things that we would want to avoid stepping in. We walked down the main stairs to the river bank and the same beggars that we’re sitting lining the walkway we’re still there sleeping, some had woken up from hearing us walk by and again held our there tin bowls. Being surrounded by stuff like that is unreal. I don’t even know what I was feeling, just a mixture of things. I felt sad for them, ashamed of being so lucky as I was, I felt useless, selfish, unable to help, frustrated that I couldn’t help and didn’t have enough for everyone, sad to look at them but sad that I had to keep walking and couldn’t stay. The feelings you get from India are indescribable. I didn’t know what to think, I just kept walking with everyone in line. At the river bank there we’re more people trying to sell us things and by this point I’d become a pro at saying no to things I didn’t want. They told us to be careful in these areas to the extent that it made me so paranoid I wouldn’t talk to anyone there. But I hadn’t had any bad experiences and I really felt like I was missing out by not connecting with the people because I was afraid everyone was out to get me. I can still be careful while trusting people and interacting. I hate that at the pre-port I had that in my head to be so careful. Perhaps, I had some wiggle room. So I started talking to the people who we’re selling things and being more open and interested in them rather than my first reaction to be brushing them away. I met this Indian man who was deaf and he was actually really nice and very helpful. I don’t know his name or anything. At first I just thought he didn’t know any English (most Indians use English or Hindi) but I discovered that he actually couldn’t talk at all. I’m not sure if he could hear, he understood what I was saying because he responded to me in hand gestures, sort of like a charades game, but he also could have been reading my lips. He was curious about us who we’re there and he asked if we we’re going to be getting on one of the boats in the river, I said yes and then he went on to explain to me (all acted out, charades) that I should not go in the water or touch it because it would hurt me, he said it was okay for him, that he could go in the water and bathe and drink it but he wanted to make sure that I didn’t. That conversation is one I’ll never forget because it was like none I’ve ever had. I just met this guy and knew nothing about him and yet he wanted to talk to me, and he couldn’t even speak. It was really neat how we found a way to communicate over so many barriers and he was so friendly and genuinely nice. Something else about him is after our trip, he walked back to the bus with our group just so he could wave goodbye to me and our group.
We each we’re helped into one of the boats until each was full and the boatman rowed us out further into the river and we rowed down the bank slowly. These two kids, or whom looked like to young kids but acted much older as children here seem to need to do. They we’re selling tiny hand-made bowls that hand potpourri in them with a lit candle. They said we could buy one if we wanted and then let it go into the river and make a wish. I bought one and Val took pictures of me dropping it into the river. I made a wish for my family and friends, for good health and happiness and then I dropped it in the river and watched it float away. There we’re some men in boats who rowed up right next to ours. Their boats we’re full of things that the other men we’re selling on the street. They would have everything in their hands and just come up to you as you we’re walking and follow you trying to see things to earn some money. And here on the river, they we’re doing the same thing. I gave in after a bunch of other bought some things. I had my eye on this pretty coral necklace for a while and after no-one got it I decided to buy it. The boatman also threw in some extra beaded necklaces for me. He was very nice and friendly to us and we we’re able to bargain with him about prices and items.
The sun began to rise behind us and it was probably the most beautiful sunrise I’ve ever seen in my life. It was so bright and was a gorgeous orange-red color. We couldn’t take our eyes off of it. I was completely mesmerized. I thought to myself “I can’t believe I’m here in India, watching the most amazing sunrise coming up over the horizon while sailing in a small boat on the Ganges River, the holiest of places in India.” This was one of the most incredible things I had done yet. The Indian people had started their personal religious rituals along the banks of the river. As it said in our itinerary program: At dawn, pilgrims converge at the holy waters for the ritual immersion and prayer to release their souls from the cycle of rebirth. Some we’re shouting and chanting, going through a series of movements and gestures. Others we’re parading behind one man holding something up to the sky, chanting as they processed into a small sacred space. Others we’re bathing in the river and collecting water to drink. Further down we watched men and women beat and wash their clothes in the river. After spending quite some time observing the traditions of India along the riverbank, we had turned the boat around and started rowing back towards where we got on. We rowed past where we came in and sailed further down the other end of the river where the Indian cremation rituals take place. For obvious reasons, we had to remain very still and quiet and weren’t allowed to take any pictures or videos while sailing by. We had arrived at the area of the riverbank where bodies are cremated. We had got there just as one body was finishing being burned and another one was laying covered on the stairs waiting. It was something I’d never experienced before and was incredibly sacred to be a part of.
After we left our boats we had to walk back to where the buses had dropped us off at. The streets and lanes in the inner city did not allow for transportation. It was hard enough just to walk through. Varanasi is the oldest living city in the world, it has been a center of civilization and learning for over 2,500 years. We walked through the narrow lanes that were completely flanked with shops selling various things, people sleeping and begging, we walked through the most disgusting areas that wreaked of trash, urine, death, feces, mold and animals and who knows what else. I saw so many people in need, so many in such poor conditions. And again it made me feel so many things. At one point our group lost our tour guide and tried to find a way back to some place familiar but we’re having no luck. Many people we’re in culture shock. For some reason, I was not in a big culture shock where I was literally shocked by what I saw and didn’t know what to do, like in Morocco. For some reason, I was very much at ease and felt comfortable walking through these narrow streets of filth. I didn’t feel in danger at all. When people looked at me, it wasn’t in hate and disgust like it seemed in Morocco, but more friendly. It was a strange feeling but I just felt “at home” in India. Maybe because it’s the place I’ve always wanted to go and I loved everything about it. I’m not sure, but even in the most disturbing places, I still loved being in India.
I can’t describe the things I saw while walking through these small corridors of the inner city of Varanasi. The smells we’re unbearable at times. We we’re walking through trash, disease, dead rats and other things, cows and goats we’re walking right next to us covered in filth with foam at there mouths. There we’re the poorest people sitting in the trash trying to see us scraps of food from the street while someone next to them was going to the bathroom at the side of a wall. I’m so glad I wore tennis shoes that day! I had no idea; this is what they don’t tell you. I was followed at my side by a man skinny as a crayola marker showing me his mangled arm, talking to me in his native language that I didn’t understand crying to me and begging for something, anything. The group was getting split up as we walked single file through these tiny alleyways of people and animals, beggers and sellers desperately following beside us. My friend Dave came up to meet me when one of them wasn’t letting me get through. We walked together the rest of the way. If you’re with someone, they aren’t as likely to hound you because you’re not alone and easy. Once we got out of the alley, I thanked him for joining me and helping me out back there and formerly introduced myself, which we hadn’t done yet. You kind of just know everyone on the ship after awhile, you’re able to talk to anyone before you actually formerly introduce yourself. After that, we hung out a lot on the trip.
We arrived back at the buses after a long walk from the river. Sounds like a simple walk, but it was really a profound mental and emotional journey. I was talking with some friends on the trip later about how not only physically, but spiritually, emotionally and mentally trying this trip was, this whole experience was. There is so much to take in all at once. There’s no way to prepare for it unless you’ve done it all before. But it’s something that we couldn’t resist anymore. It was all hitting us at once, everything we we’re doing, what we we’re seeing etc. We didn’t no what to say, we didn’t know what to think or even remember how. And we didn’t have to say anything, because we all knew what the other was thinking and feeling because we we’re all there together going through the exact same thing.
The deaf man who I had communicated with earlier was at the buses waiting to say goodbye to us. He seemed very happy to have met us and been able to talk with us for a short while. He had the biggest smile on his face. And I waved bye to him as the bus drove away.
The buses drove back to the hotel where we had breakfast waiting for us. It was only about 7 or 8 in the morning and we felt as though a week had gone by when it had only been a few hours. So much happens on this trip in such a short amount of time. After breakfast it was time to visit the archeological museum of India, which was very interesting. It was fascinating to see the things that we’re made years ago, and they looked even impossible to create now. It was really cool to see. I walked across the street to our next tour location, passing local street sellers on the way.
We then went to tour the ancient city of Sarnath, about 6 miles away from Varanasi lie the ruins of the ancient city where the Buddha preached his first sermon. It is as holy to Buddhists as Varanasi is to Hindus. This place was really neat. We saw the Stupa and ruins of the old monasteries from so many years ago. Basically all that was left was the foundation of the buildings. We also saw the new Buddhist temple that was really neat. We weren’t allowed to take many pictures inside but it was a really neat place to be and was very peaceful.
I had the most incredible time in Varanasi and life-changing experience but now it was time to catch another flight and travel back to Delhi. We all had lunch at the airport, which really looked very sketch (or dodgy, as they say in South Africa). The lunch was fine though and I stocked up on some more bottled water. I felt so thirsty all the time. It’s here, that I now appreciate having clean healthy water so readily available to me all the time, I never have to worry about it running out at home, its just always there. It’s something that a lot of people take advantage of back home, I did as well. They and I had no idea how lucky we are just to have clean water available to us. I do now, now that I can’t drink water here, that I have to carry my own bottles of water with me, to last me a week.
We boarded our plane and had a nice flight to Delhi. Upon our arrival we got on some more buses and had a city tour. We drove along Rajpath, the ceremonial avenue, past the War Memorial, Parliament House, and the Rashtrapati Bhavan and saw where the president lives. The president here, is a woman! She is the first woman president in India, which I found to be very interesting. We drove by all of the nations embassies and cheered when we saw the U.S. embassy, we we’re so happy and proud. After the city tour, we visited the Birla Temple and a Sikh Gurdwara, which was really neat! We had to abide by a certain dress code and take our shoes off to get in.
After the tours we we’re all pretty exhausted, it felt like forever had gone by and it was only evening. We arrived at our hotel for dinner and we’re greeted at the door by the hotel staff lined up to give us each necklaces of sewn flowers and a dot on out forehead to welcome us. I thought the last hotel was ridiculously gorgeous, but this one blew it out of the water!! It was called the Ashok Hotel and it was unbelievable!! It was huge! It had its own set of shops around the whole first floor and even its own art gallery! Everything was incredible, even the rooms we’re huge and looked like royalty! We we’re amazed and so excited to stay there! SAS does a really good job at getting really nice hotels in these places. We had an amazing dinner and I ordered a drink even because they actually had it on the menu, a Singapore Sling. I’ve only seen them in Asian restaurants or really fancy ones. It sounds like an Asian drink because of the name so I was excited to try the drink over there. They ended up putting ice in it which I completely forgot about and I was worried I’d get sick but I didn’t. I ended up making some new friends at dinner who are really cool. Dave sat with me and I got to know him better which was nice. After dinner we decided to explore the hotel, we wandered around the shops and found some really neat things! Dave was excited about a book about his “lost city of Mustang”. He was so excited about it. He was telling me about it before we even got there and then I pointed it out in a store and he was so happy to find a book on it, because apparently there’s nothing written about it. I had never heard about it before but it seems very interesting, it reminded me of the lost city of Atlantis.
We spent the rest of the evening walking around the hotel and talking and ran into a couple other friends in a store and we just hung out at chatted for awhile getting to know each other better. We all decided we wanted to check out the nightlife. We couldn’t get into the club upstairs because there was a very fancy dress code to get in and we weren’t dressed up like that at all. We headed toward the hookah bar but decided not to go and ended up chilling in a coffee shop in our hotel. We stayed up for awhile chatting about our lives and things and our trip and whatever else came up. I had a great night and was so excited and happy to have made even more friends and get to know others better and just hang out and talk. We felt like celebrities, because all the shop keepers kept there stores open just for us and the restaurants opened up after they we’re closed so we could come in a sit. It was unnecessary really but really appreciated. They made a lot of sales off of the SAS-ers. After it was getting to be pretty late we decide we should all get to bed, considering we we’re up at 3 or 4 that morning and had to get up at 4 again this next morning. We had a big day, we we’re going to see the Taj Mahal in the afternoon and we couldn’t wait!!!
We got a wake-up call at 4:00am and left from the hotel by 5:00am. We headed to the railway station in to take a train to Agra. We had no idea what we we’re about to run into. We we’re all so excited to go see the Taj Mahal but when we got to the train station, reality sunk back in. There we’re people everywhere at the train station. It was so dirty and people covered the ground sleeping. They we’re all so skinny and sickly looking, we all felt so bad. I’d never seen anything like this before. Such poverty here! I felt so uncomfortable about it, about myself and having something as simple as shoes when these people had nothing, it made me feel so sad. I thought walking in the inner city was bad but this was so much worse. There we’re babies being taken care of by 5 year olds and some that we’re just left by themselves in a corner of trash and urine crying for food or some comfort of arms. They we’re all wearing dirty and tattered clothing begging us for food or money. We didn’t have time to even process our thoughts, we moved quickly single file through the large crowds or beggers holding on to our things so that we wouldn’t be robbed. They we’re everywhere. Hello again, culture shock and an abundance of indescribable emotions.
We had each received a boxed breakfast on the train, which a lot of us didn’t finish so we gave those to the poor people who we’re starving. They we’re so happy to receive this box of leftover food that we didn’t eat. It made me really sad to think about and take everything in. I had felt like I never had before. We all made it through the crowds and to our busses. It was still dark outside so it was hard making our way through the environment. We had to make sure we weren’t stepping on people who we’re sleeping on the ground, or step in something we wouldn’t want to. It wasn’t a real nice environment at all, but very rough and dangerous in some areas if by yourself.
We boarded the buses again not knowing what to think or how to feel, this overwhelming encounter of emotions and feelings struck us all again. We drove to Fatehpur Sikri which is known for its red sandstone palaces. We drove through the countryside of India to get there and it was really neat to see how country life in India was. You could really get a feel for the labor that these people put into their fields and work. On this trip, we we’re really seeing all sides of India which was very interesting. We got out to tour the Agra Fort to view the halls and palaces of the Mughals. It was a beautiful place! I loved the architecture! I actually got scammed at one of these places, but I wasn’t hurt in anyway. Apparently there are people who come there that see tourists and take advantage of them. They come up to you saying they are free guides who want to practice their English. They take you on a tour of the place away from your group and give you a detailed tour of the place and then at the end bring you by little shops to buy things from you. I knew it was a scam when the guy brought me to his families shop and we’re selling things they made for way overpriced. They we’re trying to sell me a carved elephant that they said they made. But it looked exactly like what everyone else was selling and what they sold in the mall that at went to. I had already bought an elephant just like it, more detailed and prettier even for half of half the price they wanted for theirs. I was getting upset when they kept trying to tell me that I needed to buy it. I told them I didn’t want it and I didn’t have money with me. They said I was American so I had a lot of money. I talked back to them saying just because I was American didn’t mean that I had money, I was a student and had to save money. I came here to see the Fort and the Palace and learn about it, Not to buy anything. When they realized I wasn’t going to give them money they got upset. And the fake guide took showed me back to the entrance area. My roommate from the trip was taken away by a guide as well, and saw me and ran up to me upset. She was tricked into it also, like a lot of us we’re. We stuck together and walked back to the main area hoping to find SAS-ers. The fake guides we’re following us trying to get money from us saying to get it from our friends when we found them or go on the bus and get money for them, saying we stole from them. We hadn’t done anything wrong, except get separated from our group. We found a chaperone from our trip and she explained that there are a lot of “fake guides” here who will scam you and that’s what just happened to us. She said our trip tour guides forgot to mention that to us when we got there. I said there we’re a lot of others who had been taken by them as well. She told us where our SAS group was and to stick with them and she ran to go rescue the other students. Sahare and I found the rest of our group taking pictures in a building and we joined up with them and got some pictures with them as well. It was nice and comforting to see and be with our friends again.
We finished our time touring these places and we’re now off to see the Taj Mahal!! We got to the Taj Mahal and there we’re a bunch of sellers there also. There we’re even little boys and girls as young as 3 walking around trying to sell things to people. This one little boy followed me to the line to get into the Taj Mahal and tried selling me his snow globe key chains while I waited in line with my friends and the rest of our group. I kept telling him nicely that I didn’t want or need one but he persisted with the same script that every other seller used. After I found ways around him talking me into buying something, he stopped pestering me about it and told me I was “very smart lady” and I was good at not giving in to street sellers overselling things. I was really nice, and we proceeded to have a normal conversation where we introduced ourselves and I chatted with him for awhile, he told me he was 8 years old. It was then time to go into the Taj Mahal, he said he would wait for me when I came out in a couple of hours. I didn’t expect much, because there was so many people.
We walked into the Taj Mahal and it was huge. The grounds we’re a lot smaller in person. We had two hours at the Taj. I walked around with Val and Janelle. After I took some pictures of the Taj my camera died and it was up to Janelle to get all the pictures for us. We took a lot of pictures. There we’re so many people there, pushing around each other. Guards we’re blowing their whistles constantly. The Taj Mahal was beautiful though and it looked so perfect against the clear sky that it almost looked fake like a old Hollywood backdrop or something. We walked around for about two hours or so taking lots of pictures of the Taj and each other in front of it. We walked around the gardens and made our way to go inside. There was an insane mob of people trying to get in and out of the one tiny little door at the same time. I noticed that just like in the traffic system, Indians just go wherever they want to. It seemed that they had never heard of the concept of a line or politeness in letting others go ahead or waiting for others. They just go where they want to, pushing and shoving along. It’s like they have some form of tunnel vision or something, as long as they see where they are going they are going to get there and it doesn’t matter what is in there way, they will weave and push through everyone. The only slightly nicer thing about this situation was there was no honking, like they do on the street, which I did not enjoy at all. It was so unorganized and chaotic. We we’re at the Taj just when the sun was setting so we got some really good pictures with great lighting. When it was closer to the time we had to leave a lot of SAS-ers just sat on a ledge and watched as the sun set on the Taj Mahal. I couldn’t believe where I was, it was crazy. I was in India, sitting at the Taj Mahal!
After we we’re done at the Taj Mahal we all walked outside and I was sort of surprised to see the little boy who I was talking to earlier, run up to me with his friend and asked me if I remember him. I said “of course I remember you” and patted him. I thought it was silly that he thought I’d forget about him. But that made me wonder, maybe people in his life had. He walked with me to the end of the road where the gift shop for the Taj Mahal was and told me not to go in there. I told him I was going to because I was curious to see what they had and I wanted to stay with my friends. He said he just wanted to tell me that they didn’t have anything good, that the kids we’re selling the same things and the store was overcharging people by a lot. I said I wouldn’t buy anything in there I just wanted to look. He said okay. He was really friendly and I thought that was nice of him to watch out for my friends and I. He happened to be right about the store, there really wasn’t much in there and it was basically the same things that they we’re selling outside and they we’re very overpriced. I came out of the store and he walked with my friends and I to where the buses we’re located. It was time to go and I said goodbye and as he ran away he gave me two of the little snow globe key chains and said “gift for you” and ran away before he got in trouble.
I had a really good time at the Taj Mahal and am really glad that I decided to do this India trip in particular and go see the Taj and Varanasi. It was really nice meeting the little boy and talking to him normally. It was very interesting and I enjoyed being able to let my guard down and just get to know someone. I wish I had gotten a picture with him, but I didn’t even think of it at the time. But I’ll always remember the experience I had at the Taj Mahal.
After going to the Taj we all headed back to the hotel to get some dinner and then were back on the bus to head to the train station in Agra to go back home to the ship in the morning in Chennai. After being on such a huge high from visiting the Taj Mahal, our spirits we’re brought back down to reality when we got to the train station, the situation seemed to be far worse than it was in the morning. There was alot more people there begging for food and money. Lying on the ground in the filth. The smell was awful. This trip was full of highs and lows like that. One moment we’d be so excited about where we we’re and what we we’re doing, seeing all these cool things and then we’d turn the corner and see some of the poorest people in the worst conditions and we felt so sad. Our train was about a half hour late so we had to wait on the platform waiting all together in a group holding our things tight as beggars came up to us asking for money. I had to take off my bracelets and watch because the kids kept coming up to me asking if they could have it. Same with some other girls. I felt like I had to hide away who I was to an extent, like I felt guilty about being me. I’ve never been in a situation like that before, it was a very different feeling I got out of it.
All of us just watched life and death play out right in front of us. We didn’t say anything because we didn’t know what to say. We didn’t have to say anything to each other because we we’re all wanting to say the same thing and not wanting to say it at the same time. We all we’re thinking the same thing and didn’t know what to think all at once.
We stood there and we’re just blank faced, shocked and watching. At one point there was a fruit cart rolling by and Dave walked up to the man and asked him how much for bananas. He only told him the price for one banana and Dave was like “no, how much for the whole thing”. The man looked surprised and told him, and Dave paid him for bundles of bananas. He turned around back to the kids and just started tearing the bananas off the bundle and handed them to the starving children. We watched as he did this and others joined in with him and bought some fruit to feed the kids. Dave handed the first banana to this little girl wearing such dirty and torn clothes, not wearing any shoes. After she received the banana from him she turned around back to us SAS-ers who we’re watching and just had the biggest smile on her face that it made us all get tears in our eyes and some started crying. She was so happy for this one banana, and it was the sweetest thing I think I’ve ever seen. It was a moment I’ll never forget and one that has touched me forever. All the kids we’re so happy. Some of the kids we’re seemed about 3 or 4 or so, we’re carrying their younger siblings who we’re babies. Sometimes they would just set them down and runaway to try and get more food. This little girl just set down this baby right in front of us. The tiniest baby I’ve seen and it kept crying. We didn’t know what to do. A girl asked me what should we do, I said feed him, rub his back. Atleast that was my first instinct so I bent down to do so. Another girl came by with a banana to feed him, I told her to mash it up a lot because he didn’t look like he had many teeth, he was very young, and also they weren’t used to eating a lot, we didn’t want them to get sick. So we tried feeding it some of the banana that we mashed up. Honestly, I don’t know if we knew what we we’re doing, we just tried to do something to help. We all felt so bad and so sad about the whole situation. We wondered where the parents we’re or anyone. We’re they just depending on us to take care of their kids while we we’re there. One of my friends had a woman hand her, her own baby and asked her to take it. Luckily the woman didn’t run away afterwards because we we’re told that that has happened in the past. The Indian woman assumed because she was American that she was better able to care for a child. It really struck Taylor when she said that. She’s only nineteen she thought, what did she know about taking care of a child, she felt she couldn’t do it. She was really taken aback by it.
What really affected her and us was that this woman was so willing to give away her baby. A child to a mother is her whole world and she was so easily trying to just give it away to someone. I don’t know really know what to think about all that. It really made me think about things, about my family and my friends and how we all interact in our world. I wondered what I was doing with my life, and I felt compelled to come back and help this situation somehow as much as I could. I don’t know what to do. Some others we’re talking about the same thing. Something as simple as what you see on t.v., sometimes about “adopting” a child, and basically just sending a small amount of money to them once a month or so. It’s something anyways.
Dave later told us that a man who was watching them hand out food was saying to them that it was really doing nothing to help. He said “you want to help?” They said yeah, and the man said you’re giving food but they are just going to sell it or eat it right away, it does nothing to help in the long run. The poverty situation is so huge and vast that something so small won’t effect anything. However, he thanked them for helping with what they could. But it just makes your realize the situation and how bad it is. They really live for the moment, cause that’s all they’ve ever known, they don’t know what’s going to happen, over there, a moment could be all you got left. You never know, in those types of situations.
I learned more about life, death, the world, people etc. in that train station than I think I ever have. They don’t teach you this stuff in school. There is so much about the world and going on that people have no clue about. I was upset, because I never knew the realness of all this, and I’m upset that people back home still don’t either. It’s hard to be one of the few who’ve seen it like this, been there, experienced it, felt it for real. Not hearing about it in a class lecture that you aren’t really paying attention to because your concerned about social events afterwards, you just memorize what you need to for a paper or a test. You think can go back to your life after class. We can’t here, we are here. We are living it with them for the moment, and its not something that will be forgotten at all.
The train finally arrived and we held on to our stuff as we we’re being grabbed at and got on the train. I sat down by my friend Jessica whom I actually met the first day while waiting in line to get on the ship for the first time. I had also gone abseiling in South Africa with her and we hiked up table mountain. We talked about the trip and everything we saw and did, how hard it was going to be to go back home and try and relate this to everyone. What an unbelievable experience. I feel like I’ve seen every side of life just by being in India, you really see reality. That’s one thing I hate when people tell me when I get back from my little “vacation” as they call it that I have to come back to the “real world”. Um no, they mean the American life, the easy life, go to work get paid, eat, sleep, security, trivialness and frivolity among other things, yeah things are tough sometimes, but its not even close to being on the scale of what I’ve seen, it’s nothing compared to it. I’ve seen the REAL world, THIS is the real world right in front of me.
We got back the the ship finally and we’re so exhausted. I immediately went to my cabin and dumped my stuff off. The only thing I wanted to do was take a shower and sleep but all I could do was just lay on my bed on top of all my stuff. I decided I was way too hungry to not eat lunch so I went upstairs with Val and Janelle to get some lunch. We had lunch with another girl we met on the trip Natalie. She wanted to go to Spencer’s plaza, the place that Janelle, Stephanie and I went on the first day. The plan was that Janelle, Val and I we’re going to go again, but after shopping in the hotel, Val had gotten the sari, scarf’s and shirts that she wanted and didn’t need to go to the mall. Before we got back, I still wanted to go and atleast walk around and not stay on the ship when I could be spending my last hours in India, out and about. Natalie really wanted to go, but needed someone to share a cab. I felt bad, and I had wanted to go before I was just worried we wouldn’t be back in time but we decided to leave right away to get a cab and head to Spencer’s plaza.
We got downstairs and tried to get a cab but these particular drivers we’re being very unreasonable and asking a ridiculous price for where we wanted to go. I saw my friend Chris leaving the ship with someone else and we left the drivers inside the port and walked with them to the outside of the port gate where it was supposedly to get a cheaper and more reasonable deal. We walked pretty far out and we’re offered some rickshaws at a reasonable price and they said that they wouldn’t stop anywhere. We all got in and as we started moving, the driver kept pushing us to stop somewhere at a few shops before the mall. We didn’t have time to stop, nor did we want to. We ended up getting into an argument with him about it because he would not drop the subject. We then threatened to get out of the rickshaw but then he said he wouldn’t stop anywhere so we’d get back in and we did. Once we got back in and he started driving he started the same argument again and this time told us that we had to pay him more money that the deal we agreed on wasn’t enough, we we’re getting really upset with him because he wasn’t being very nice to us nor was he sticking to our deal at all. Eventually after a long struggle we got to Spencer Plaza without any previous stops. The deal originally was that they agreed to take us to the plaza and wait a couple hours for us and then take us back. When we got there however, we paid him what we agreed and he ended up speeding away, which we we’re fine with because we didn’t want to come back to him anyways after that fiasco.
Natalie wanted some scarf’s so I took her to the store that I really liked the other day that had scarf’s for really cheap. The owner and worker ended up remembering me from the other day and took me aside to thank me for coming back to his store again. They we’re very nice. Natalie got her scarf’s after a long time bartering with the price and I ended up getting some more also for gifts. There we’re some more girls in the shop from SAS who, after talking to them I found out that they had been there all day hanging out with the shopkeeper and his wife. Turns out that they came in here also the first day and made a good connection with the owner and his family and ended up getting invited back to their home for dinner. Ever since then, they have hung out with his family in India. He drove them around to see things and took them places and had meals at their house. They said they we’re going back to his house for lunch and tea after they we’re done at the shop and the owner invited Natalie and I to come along too. They we’re so nice. Before we left they asked if there was anything else we needed from the mall. Natalie and I had planned to also look for stamps and postcards before we left but we wanted to get dinner with them too. No worries they said and the shopkeeper ran down the hall to another store and shortly came back with some postcards and magnets from another store and gave one to us as a gift. They we’re so gracious and such friendly people and nice. Not what I was expecting at first. But you just have to put aside what SAS recommends you to do sometimes. They tell you not to go off with people and stuff, but really its just so you will be more careful and more aware of what you are doing. There are some sketchy people out there, who aren’t friendly and will take advantage of you. But for the most part, everyone is very friendly. Maybe because the Karma thing is pretty big over here. They do so many good things in this life, to prepare for the next.
I found the people in India to be very nice and hospitable. The only ones that I didn’t trust we’re the cab drivers because they we’re always trying to cheat us out of something. However, I had talked to people who had very nice cab drivers. One of my friends, Tucker met a cab driver that had been driving SAS students around for years. He even had a book in his car that he had all the SAS-ers sign and leave messages that ever rode in his car. The said when they opened it the first entry was from the early 90’s! I thought that was really cool. He said the driver (I forget his name) took them around all day and was incredibly helpful and generous for them. He even waited for them the next day to come out to his car because Tucker said that he would bring his other friends back the next day. And he waited for them and took them around again. The people in India are so nice and friendly and so excited to see you and learn as much as they can from you. The only problems I had we’re people involved in scams and trying to cheat you out of things. But other than that for the most part, I loved everyone there!
Normally I wouldn’t go home with a stranger in a foreign country especially Ha, but it was obvious that they we’re very trust worthy, the girls had been with the family for the whole week, so we decided to go. I took a chance and what an experience that was! We got to their house and had conversation and tea until the meal was ready. We all crowded around their family table and had some of the best food. I’ve never ate so much, my mouth was on fire from how hot and spicy the food is over here. They we’re nice enough to also go out and buy us some bottled water so we we’re be able to drink something. They also gave us what silverware they had, because traditionally they eat with their hands. The food was amazing (besides how spicy and hot it was, something I normally can’t handle) haha. I never got to do an SAS home stay on the trip yet, but this one was awesome and spontaneous which I loved. They we’re so friendly and nice and they didn’t want us to leave. We had a deadline back at the ship though because it was the last day and “On-ship” time was 6:00pm so we wanted to be back at 5:00 so we could get through the line before the deadline otherwise we’d get “dock-time” . I’m so glad I went with them and met these people and stayed the afternoon with their family. It was a great experience and I had a blast. We got back to the ship and we said goodbye to the family and thanked them and walked up the gangway to security check.
After getting back to the ship I just laid in bed and couldn’t believe where I was and what I had just done. India was amazing and had a significant affect on me. I will never forget what I saw in India and what I learned, the memories I made. As for this whole trip, its simply impossible. You think you know, but you have no idea. I had dinner with Courtney that night and she told me about her trip. I didn’t know what to say about mine, there was so much to say, I was so affected by it. It really hit me after the post-port discussion when people shared their stories, some we’re really sad as I’ve mentioned before at the beginning of this blog. I started this after I got back from India and I’m just finishing it the day before we get to Vietnam and I still have Thailand to write about and the crew talent show which was so much fun!! It’s only taken me a couple weeks, to write 30+ pages single spaced on word, but in the midst and craziness of everything else I finally finished it!
This is a small description and recollection of what I did in India, but I still feel that my little writings don’t do it justice at all. It’s not something I feel I can ever explain to the fullest because its something you just have to go see and do yourself. I don’t know how to describe everything there and what you get out of it, the affect it has on you and what you bring to it. If you have to ask, then you’ll never know. You just have to go, and then you’ll understand how much it really changes you, because it will, a lot.~Emily(Finished: March 21, 2009)
