Location: Vietnam
After breakfast this morning, a crowd of us were following Mike (he sailed last spring) into town to see where he recommends getting clothes made/tailored. Last year when he was in Vietnam he had a nice quality suit handmade for an inexpensive price.
We spent the entire morning at the tailor shop. It was much harder than I expected to communicate to the ladies at the tailor shop what we were picturing in our minds and then trying to select fabric. Oohemgee. Lucky for me, Mady had sent me a handful of pictures or suggestions to use in communicating to the tailors. It seemed as if the tailor had every color or kind of fabric I could imagine and I had to narrow it down to my favorite. I sent my pictures to the tailor shop via Viber so that there would be a real good chance that I would get what I had been expecting. Those who did not have a picture or sketch were more or less just wingin' it. We also had to emphasize to the tailor shop that we would need our dresses to be completely finished, including the fitting and final touches, in three days.
After we were all done at the tailor shop we walked around the corner to a Vietnamese restaurant for lunch. We still had a sizeable group of people with us and planned to regroup and make our way back to the shuttle bus drop off area to get back to the ship. We wanted to pack up for the next few days so that we could check-in at the hotel where we would be staying.
Once everyone in our now littler-group was packed up we took a taxi to the hotel. After we were checked-in, we walked to the Ben Thanh market. It was probably a 5 minute jaunt.The market wasn't really set up yesterday when Lauren and I walked through it. This time, there was a huge building filled with little shops where people sold various different products from backpacks to purses to perfume to snacks to jewelry to t-shirts to tailor shops. It was ridiculously hot in there. Keep in mind it is about 100 degrees Fahrenheit outside making it a scorcher in this building, complete with minimal airflow and way-to-many-people. It was very overwhelming with all of the people shopping and and all of the people begging me to buy a t-shirt or a pair of shoes from their little shop. We were literally dripping in sweat as we walked around. After pure exhaustion from heat and over stimulation from the new overwhelming culture we decided to just go back to the hotel, order pizza, hang out for the remainder of the evening and de.com.press.
Wednesday, February 13, 2013
Tuesday, February 12, 2013
Day 34: Good Moooorning, ViiiiETnam!!
Location: Vietnam
Lauren and I have looked forward to seeing the sunrise at we enter each port and so far, we have yet to see the sun actually rise from the horizon. There have been too many clouds until later on in the morning. This was the first port that we got closer to our goal of seeing the sunrise from the horizon.
We sat outside for a while enjoying the warm air. I expect it to be cold when I walk outside for breakfast and surprisingly, it is hot and sticky. I was pretty excited for the weather in Vietnam; I'm certain not everyone shared my excitement. It was supposed to be in the high-90's with the humidity equally high. I'll take the warmth any day over the cold and...the humidity is good for the hair and skin. Lord knows, I can use it!
Often as we travel from port-to-port there is an "interport" student on board the ship. For example from Hong Kong to Ho Chi Minh City we had Vietnamese "interport" students on the ship. They are able to interact with the students/faculty/staff/life long learners to inform us about what we might expect in Vietnam and answer questions. They are also on board to experience life as passenger on the ship in case they may want to sail in the future. Lauren and I went and learned about the best things to do and places to eat in Vietnam from the "interport" students.
We were told that we would be unable to get off the ship once we arrived until close to noon. Part of the immigration/customs process to get off the ship was that we would all need our landing cards to be able to get back on the ship. Typically over the loud intercom they call the students up to the faculty lounge by their sea and then follow by Unreasonables, Life Long Learners, and families.
After we received our landing cards it was time for lunch. I think they read my mind at lunch today. For dessert they had ice cream sundae's. I won't mention how many ice cream sundaes I had just know they were great. We could decorate them with chocolate syrup and sprinkles!
Feeling very full, I went back to my room to shower and pack. After lubing up on sunscreen, bug spray, and preparing myself to sweat all day I was ready to head out.
Semester at Sea was required to provide a shuttle for all of the passengers from the ship to the city (MAYBE a 10 minute bus ride) so that taxi's and motorbikes wouldn't crowd the ship. Lauren and I hopped on one of the first shuttle buses to begin our day of exploring Ho Chi Minh City.
We were pretty tickled because it was a breeze, compared to other ports, to get off the ship and hop on the shuttle bus. The bus driver was eating a granola bar or a bag of chips while he was waiting for passengers to board the bus. We were among the last passengers the bus could hold so Lauren and I end up seated right behind the driver. As we are driving into downtown Ho Chi Minh City I see the bus driver roll down the window. I wasn't quite sure why the heck he was doing that since it was already ridiculously hot outside. Apparently he was just tossing his trash from his snack out the window. I looked at Lauren to see if she saw what I just saw. She definitely did. The guy that was sitting across the aisle from us said "well that's one way to do it."
The shuttle bus dropped us off at the Rex Hotel. I'm pretty dang sure that is one of the nicest hotels in the area.
The shuttle bus dropped us off at a street with an amazing flower display. Multiple displays. The street was blocked off for at least six blocks. You are just going to have to look at the pictures. I don't think my words, much less my pictures, will do it justice.
Lauren and I walked the entire street full of flowers. We looked at our map, identified where our hotel was, and started to walk in that direction. Our hotel was only about 15-20 minute walk away from where the shuttle bus had dropped us off at.
Technically, we didn't have a reservation like how we are used to making reservations. We hadn't given the hotel any of our information. All they knew was one of our names. So if we didn't like the hotel or if it looked like a bad idea to stay there we could bail. When Lauren and I found the hotel we walked in to cool off and do a quick inspection on the lobby. We are definitely judging a book by the cover! We asked the receptionist for a map and to show s where the ship was in relation to the hotel. We also had decided to visit the famous Ben Thanh market that we were told was a must-see. Before we left we had made sure that we had a reservation for the next three nights like we had planned. It was a nice hotel, especially for the price we were paying.
The Ben Thanh market was closed because of Tet. There were "shops" along the main street next to the market set up. I put shops in quotes because they weren't really shops. There were just Vietnamese people with their wares (t-shirts, sunglasses, wallets, etc.) basically just sitting on a table selling them. They were lucky if they were on a table or on a hanger. Some of the people were just sitting on the ground selling their products. I wasn't on planning on getting anything now at least. I was just seeing if something looked appealing and then I was planning on deciding if I wanted it. I knew we would be back multiple other times later in the week, especially since the market was only a five minute walk from our hotel.
It was almost 4pm and we were planning on meeting some friends at 6pm back on the ship to go see a water puppet show. We weren't quite sure what to do for the next 2 hours so we wandered through a park that was in the direction of the ship. You would never believe it but there were "workout machines" in the park. You would have thought that we stumbled upon a playground. Lauren and I "played" or "worked out" on the machines. I think this is a really cool addition to the park. They can have these in their park because they rarely get weather that is colder than 50 degrees Fahrenheit.
Lauren and I were parched. We grabbed a Coke at the Family Mart and then decided we should make our way back to the ship since we weren't a 100% sure where we needed to go.
Using our handy map we started heading in the direction towards the ship. It was not as easy as you might think to know which way to go. We had no bearings to say which direction was N, S, E or W. We weren't headed towards the ocean or the bay because the MV Explorer was parked on a river. So once we got to the river we knew that it was either right or left. I had thought that the ship was to our right. So we headed that direction and things weren't looking familiar. We asked a man who spoke English but clearly wasn't from Vietnam or the United States. He told us that we should have went left. We walked for quite a while that direction along the river until we were able to see the ship.
I think it is interesting how, as travelers in a foreign place, we put so much trust into the locals. In every country we have needed to put faith in the locals for suggestions on directions, food, attractions, and transportation. I can't even count on my hands how many times we asked someone in Japan for directions or help getting with one thing or another. All I can say is that next time I see someone who is in the States that needs help, I am certainly going to try to help them.
We made it back to the ship at 6:01pm. Let's just say we were both quite impressed. Our friends hadn't made it back yet, so Lauren and I decided that we were going to have dinner on the ship. After dinner, they still weren't back on the ship so Lauren and I decided to be productive and work on our blogs. After a while we made our way up to the seventh deck to socialize for a little before heading to bed.
Lauren and I have looked forward to seeing the sunrise at we enter each port and so far, we have yet to see the sun actually rise from the horizon. There have been too many clouds until later on in the morning. This was the first port that we got closer to our goal of seeing the sunrise from the horizon.
Sunrise
as we approach Ho Chi Minh, Vietnam
It was really early.
We hurried down to Alexa and Sawyer's room to see what time we were going to meet tonight. They had a field lab so they wouldn't be spending the first day in Vietnam with Lauren and I.
Often as we travel from port-to-port there is an "interport" student on board the ship. For example from Hong Kong to Ho Chi Minh City we had Vietnamese "interport" students on the ship. They are able to interact with the students/faculty/staff/life long learners to inform us about what we might expect in Vietnam and answer questions. They are also on board to experience life as passenger on the ship in case they may want to sail in the future. Lauren and I went and learned about the best things to do and places to eat in Vietnam from the "interport" students.
We were told that we would be unable to get off the ship once we arrived until close to noon. Part of the immigration/customs process to get off the ship was that we would all need our landing cards to be able to get back on the ship. Typically over the loud intercom they call the students up to the faculty lounge by their sea and then follow by Unreasonables, Life Long Learners, and families.
After we received our landing cards it was time for lunch. I think they read my mind at lunch today. For dessert they had ice cream sundae's. I won't mention how many ice cream sundaes I had just know they were great. We could decorate them with chocolate syrup and sprinkles!
Feeling very full, I went back to my room to shower and pack. After lubing up on sunscreen, bug spray, and preparing myself to sweat all day I was ready to head out.
Semester at Sea was required to provide a shuttle for all of the passengers from the ship to the city (MAYBE a 10 minute bus ride) so that taxi's and motorbikes wouldn't crowd the ship. Lauren and I hopped on one of the first shuttle buses to begin our day of exploring Ho Chi Minh City.
We were pretty tickled because it was a breeze, compared to other ports, to get off the ship and hop on the shuttle bus. The bus driver was eating a granola bar or a bag of chips while he was waiting for passengers to board the bus. We were among the last passengers the bus could hold so Lauren and I end up seated right behind the driver. As we are driving into downtown Ho Chi Minh City I see the bus driver roll down the window. I wasn't quite sure why the heck he was doing that since it was already ridiculously hot outside. Apparently he was just tossing his trash from his snack out the window. I looked at Lauren to see if she saw what I just saw. She definitely did. The guy that was sitting across the aisle from us said "well that's one way to do it."
The shuttle bus dropped us off at the Rex Hotel. I'm pretty dang sure that is one of the nicest hotels in the area.
A beautiful day as Lauren and I begin our adventure exploring Vietnam. This was taken right outside the hotel the shuttle drops us off at as we walk down a street decorated with flowers for the Tet celebration.
The first thing I saw, besides all of the flowers and fancy stores, was a "Tourist Information" building. I told Lauren that we needed to make our way there. If for nothing else, to find a map. We had a hotel, somewhere in Ho Chi Minh City for a few nights. We were on a mission to find our hotel as we wondered through the city.
The shuttle bus dropped us off at a street with an amazing flower display. Multiple displays. The street was blocked off for at least six blocks. You are just going to have to look at the pictures. I don't think my words, much less my pictures, will do it justice.
An example of the flower displays that were set up for the Vietnamese New Year celebration.
Lauren and I walked the entire street full of flowers. We looked at our map, identified where our hotel was, and started to walk in that direction. Our hotel was only about 15-20 minute walk away from where the shuttle bus had dropped us off at.
Technically, we didn't have a reservation like how we are used to making reservations. We hadn't given the hotel any of our information. All they knew was one of our names. So if we didn't like the hotel or if it looked like a bad idea to stay there we could bail. When Lauren and I found the hotel we walked in to cool off and do a quick inspection on the lobby. We are definitely judging a book by the cover! We asked the receptionist for a map and to show s where the ship was in relation to the hotel. We also had decided to visit the famous Ben Thanh market that we were told was a must-see. Before we left we had made sure that we had a reservation for the next three nights like we had planned. It was a nice hotel, especially for the price we were paying.
The Ben Thanh market was closed because of Tet. There were "shops" along the main street next to the market set up. I put shops in quotes because they weren't really shops. There were just Vietnamese people with their wares (t-shirts, sunglasses, wallets, etc.) basically just sitting on a table selling them. They were lucky if they were on a table or on a hanger. Some of the people were just sitting on the ground selling their products. I wasn't on planning on getting anything now at least. I was just seeing if something looked appealing and then I was planning on deciding if I wanted it. I knew we would be back multiple other times later in the week, especially since the market was only a five minute walk from our hotel.
Here is an introduction into what the streets look like if pretty much no one is on them in Ho Chi Minh City. Just wait until I explain walking on the sidewalks and crossing the streets in Vietnam.
It was almost 4pm and we were planning on meeting some friends at 6pm back on the ship to go see a water puppet show. We weren't quite sure what to do for the next 2 hours so we wandered through a park that was in the direction of the ship. You would never believe it but there were "workout machines" in the park. You would have thought that we stumbled upon a playground. Lauren and I "played" or "worked out" on the machines. I think this is a really cool addition to the park. They can have these in their park because they rarely get weather that is colder than 50 degrees Fahrenheit.
The "workout" equipment in the park. I saw a different variation of these in China, too.
Lauren and I were parched. We grabbed a Coke at the Family Mart and then decided we should make our way back to the ship since we weren't a 100% sure where we needed to go.
Using our handy map we started heading in the direction towards the ship. It was not as easy as you might think to know which way to go. We had no bearings to say which direction was N, S, E or W. We weren't headed towards the ocean or the bay because the MV Explorer was parked on a river. So once we got to the river we knew that it was either right or left. I had thought that the ship was to our right. So we headed that direction and things weren't looking familiar. We asked a man who spoke English but clearly wasn't from Vietnam or the United States. He told us that we should have went left. We walked for quite a while that direction along the river until we were able to see the ship.
I think it is interesting how, as travelers in a foreign place, we put so much trust into the locals. In every country we have needed to put faith in the locals for suggestions on directions, food, attractions, and transportation. I can't even count on my hands how many times we asked someone in Japan for directions or help getting with one thing or another. All I can say is that next time I see someone who is in the States that needs help, I am certainly going to try to help them.
We made it back to the ship at 6:01pm. Let's just say we were both quite impressed. Our friends hadn't made it back yet, so Lauren and I decided that we were going to have dinner on the ship. After dinner, they still weren't back on the ship so Lauren and I decided to be productive and work on our blogs. After a while we made our way up to the seventh deck to socialize for a little before heading to bed.
Monday, February 11, 2013
Day 33: Could it Be...Valentine's Ice Cream?
Location: Just Outside of Vietnam
We arrive in Vietnam tomorrow! It doesn't sound real to say that I will BE IN VIETNAM tomorrow, let alone that I will be able to say that I have BEEN TO VIETNAM. That's pretty much how this entire trip has been.
In the morning, Lauren and I sat in the ship's library going through all of the travel books, Lonely Planets, and using the travel resources on the ship's computers to find the best places to go and the "must-dos" in Ho Chi Minh City.
When we arrive in Vietnam it will be the end of their Tet celebration (the Vietnamese New Year). We are told to expect many of the shops to be closed. At the same time we were told that it would be very difficult to travel anywhere in the country (flights would be difficult to get and very expensive).
In the afternoon I had a group presentation (that's why I had a group meeting yesterday). I also had another group meeting for a different class followed by a mini presentation (not a group one). It was exhausting to say the least. Life can be rough on board the MV Explorer. And you thought this was a vacation!
Lauren and I were making our way to dinner at our own pace, nonetheless. As soon as we walked in the main dining room on Deck 5, Sawyer and Alexa had said that Kyle was looking for us. Turns out, his real mom had ordered him a cake for Valentine's day. They wanted us to sit at their table. Typically people get cakes on their birthday and when a cake comes to a table you would have thought some people had never been fed. They rush over and ask for a piece, whether they know the birthday kid or not. We all think that is kind of rude. Anyway, as soon as I heard there was going to be cake I was hoping it was -- you guessed it -- an ice cream cake!! Sadly, it was not. But it was waaaaay too good because I ended up eating waaaaay too much ice cream to go with it, for my own good.
Tonight at pre-port, they had a lot to discuss. Vietnam was going to be very different from the previous countries we had visited. Everything from the way the local people acted to how we should act. We needed to be cautious of our surroundings more than the previous ports. Tom Jelke, Executive Dean, had warned us about not bringing our iPhones off the ship. You could be standing on the sidewalk looking at your phone for directional purposes and someone could come up and rip it out of your hands. Tom had also warned everyone about watching your drinks be poured. It was not uncommon for Semester at Sea kids to be drugged in Vietnam. They told us which taxis to take and which ones not to take. Apparently there are some very sketchy cab companies. There were a lot of Semester at Sea trips heading to Cambodia while we were docked in Vietnam. So the field office had to brief everyone on when to meet and other information about their trips.
She also gave us a suggestion for walking across the streets in Vietnam...find an older Vietnamese person and shadow them!!
Sunday, February 10, 2013
Day 32: A Typical Day on the MV Explorer
Today was a very stressful day balancing all of the things I had to do with all of the things I wanted to do. There wasn't going to be any napping today.
In the morning I wrote all of the papers/reflections that were due following our stay in China. For a few of my classes, we have to observe the culture of each country and then write about our adventures and observations when we return to the ship. For example, in my Digital Media course we have to pay attention to the advertisements, how the culture/country advertise which includes -- what kinds of advertisements they use, the types of digital media the country/culture uses, how frequently we are able to find Internet, when/if we find Internet what we do on the Internet.
In the afternoon after class, I had a group meeting. A lot of the professor give group assignments. It seems to be a way they can balance their classroom activities with what they would have balanced it with had we been going to school on a normal campus.
After dinner, Lauren had her first soccer game. I was going to go watch so I could figure out how on earth this was going to work. Turns out, no one from either team showed up besides Lauren. I didn't have much time before my family was meeting. My ship mom wanted everyone to meet up on the seventh deck at 8pm. She was going to buy everyone an ice cream cone before we arrived in Vietnam. My ship mom was not going to be getting back on the ship in Vietnam. Her plans include a Cambodia trip with Semester at Sea and then independently traveling to North Vietnam to see Ha Long Bay and Hanoi before meeting the ship in Singapore. I think she was treating us to ice cream because we weren't going to meet after Vietnam.
After ice cream, I hurried back to my room to grab a Coca Cola and head to the Union. The Residential Directors on the ship airing The Dark Knight Rises with free popcorn in the Union at 9:00 pm. Free popcorn + Dark Knight Rises = a packed Union. They should have started the movie at 8:00 pm rather than 9:00 pm because --with no nap-- I didn't make it through the movie (and I lasted like an hour and a half). By the time I left only about half of the students/viewers were remaining.
Side note.
Saturday, February 9, 2013
Day 31: RIP Professor Wade Lancaster
Location: Leaving Hong Kong
While we were in China the shipboard community received tragic news. On the first day in China Professor Wade Lancaster passed away from natural causes. He was 70 years old.
In all of the chaos while I was waiting for the ship and the Chinese government to clear my dad to come on board in Shanghai I knew that something was up. I was waiting at the Purser's desk for some paperwork and there were too many deans and professors walking around talking. When I was standing outside with my dad, some people walked up to Bob to ask him directions to the hospital. I had assumed that a student had gotten into some trouble.
Professor Wade Lancaster's wife, Jeanette Lancaster, was also teaching on the ship. Questions began swirling about who would teach their classes, if Jeanette Lancaster would return, and how he died.
He was actually on a field lab with his Service Marketing class and they were on the bus returning back to the ship when he had a heart attack. Jeanette, as expected, flew home with him from Shanghai. A professor that was already on board the ship took over her Health Promotions class. Dr. Gary Oliphant is teaching Wade's Service Marketing course. By the time we arrived back on the ship in Hong Kong, we were told that Jeanette was planning to return to the ship in Singapore with her brother to continue the voyage. Strangely enough, there was very little said about the tragic news we all received once we arrived back on the ship.
It is hard to believe that I have been on board this ship for one month. It's hard to comprehend that I have traveled across the Pacific Ocean, through that terrible storm, explored two countries that were completely unknown to me, and enjoyed one of the countries with Dad. My classes are a quarter complete for the semester, I've had a round of midterms, enjoyed my first taco day on board the ship, and made many new life-long friends. It is a bitter sweet feeling to know it's flying by so quickly. I'm excited to see what the future will hold on this journey. Only the Lord knows what's in store and I pray that I can absorb the culture in each country and get my arms around the fact that the world is really small.
There is not much to talk about in the days right after we leave a port. For the most part, besides going to class, eating, and a little bit of homework a lot of my time is spent catching up on sleep. I try to make the most of my time while in port because I always think that I can sleep on the ship. While that is true, it is so hard to get back into a routine when we are on the ship.
After dinner we watched Taken 2 in Alexa and Sawyer's room. Great movie! Everyone that had seen Taken was skeptical about watching Taken 2. Totally worth watching! At the same time, I'm not sure why on earth we watched that movie as we are traveling around the world visiting all kinds of strange places.
Friday, February 8, 2013
Day 30: Goodbye, Dad!
Location: Hong Kong
Before we left for our adventures for the day I had to pack up most of my stuff. We weren't exactly sure when we would be back to the hotel and I couldn't be late to board the ship if we were running late. When Yuki and the driver picked us up from the hotel we went to the largest (or most popular) temple in Hong Kong. Buddhism and Taoism are both practiced at this temple making it pretty dang popular.
Yuki thought that this "market" would be a pretty cool place for us to see. She called it a "market." I would consider it was more like going to a fair. It was set up especially for the New Year celebration.
There were rows and rows of stands selling all kinds of flowers.
A few rows of food. The rest of the stalls were selling much of the same things such as t-shirts, key chains, purses, dresses, and other trinkets.
We got done with the market/fair just at the peak of the lunch hour. We decided that it would be too chaotic if we went to lunch now so we drove up to the top of Victoria Peak. By the time we got up there it was way to foggy for us to even see a few feet in front of us. But heck, now I can say that I have been to the top of Victoria Peak!
Dad wanted to have a little bit of Korean food. We had barbecued Korean. It was quite tasty. We cooked the meat ourselves in front of us on a grill. They gave us rice that was freshly cooked. And then gave us 6-8 cold dishes containing vegetables, meats, salads, and fish. We had about an hour left until I would have to head to the ship. We went back to the hotel so I could quickly write my postcards and finishing packing. I made sure to get all my stuff done as fast as I could so that I could get a little bit more ice cream before I had to get on the ship.
When we got to the terminal dad and Yuki walked as far as they could with me to the ship. They were stopped just before I got in the line to board. By then, I had about an hour to get on the ship before I would be "granted" dock time. I said "good bye and thank you" to my dad. He traveled half way around the world just so that he could hang out with me in China. He's pretty great! I was so excited to see him and hang out with him. It was nice to see a familiar face and get to talk to someone. Thanks, Dad!! I got on the ship in time faster than I expected and did not receive dock time. <Whew!>
Dock time is given out for multiple reasons. In this case if you have not dropped your passport off at the purser's desk and swiped your card by "on ship time" (typically 1800) you will receive dock time. You may recall that for every 15 minutes you're late getting back on the ship, you receive 1 hour "dock time" at the next port. AND, they broadcast your name for all to know!! If you have 12 hours of dock time from India then you won't be getting off the ship for 13 days (because you will be stuck on the ship while we are docked in Mauritius). That sounds terrible to me!
Story time is pretty much a necessity when we all get back on the ship. We all share our adventures with our friends. Dinner is a pretty good time to share our adventures.
After dinner, I grabbed my camera and went out to the sixth deck to watch us pull out of Hong Kong. We would have to travel down river with the cityscape in the background. At 8pm, we were all told that there would be a light show. The light show was kinda lame without music. But lots of buildings would light up at different times with laser lights.
Tidbits about China:
1. I never want to actually drive in China. Sitting in the car is just an experience in itself. 2. Now I want heated floors at my house.
3. Seeing the Chinese culture prepare for their New Year was definitely an experience (as they decorate or prepare to travel to spend time with their family).
4. We saw people doing their "business" and throwing up on the streets.
5. Purchasing/picking out wallets was far more overwhelming than I had ever expected.
6. Eating meals in China was family dinner like.
7. When grabbing something from one of the "family dishes" you are expected to use the bigger end of your chopsticks.
8. Google, Facebook, YouTube, and other sites are not accessible in mainland China.
9. Hong Kong and China are two very different places.
10. I will be very interested in seeing Hong Kong as it transforms and goes farther under the Chinese rule (especially in 50 years).
We weren't able to take pictures inside of the temple and it was raining so these are all I have.
Yuki thought that this "market" would be a pretty cool place for us to see. She called it a "market." I would consider it was more like going to a fair. It was set up especially for the New Year celebration.
The market/fair that is only held during the Chinese New Year Celebration.
These are a few of the many plants and flowers that were for sale at the market.
The orange plants are like tangerines. They were everywhere decorating for the Chinese New Year Celebration.
A few rows of food. The rest of the stalls were selling much of the same things such as t-shirts, key chains, purses, dresses, and other trinkets.
We got done with the market/fair just at the peak of the lunch hour. We decided that it would be too chaotic if we went to lunch now so we drove up to the top of Victoria Peak. By the time we got up there it was way to foggy for us to even see a few feet in front of us. But heck, now I can say that I have been to the top of Victoria Peak!
Dad wanted to have a little bit of Korean food. We had barbecued Korean. It was quite tasty. We cooked the meat ourselves in front of us on a grill. They gave us rice that was freshly cooked. And then gave us 6-8 cold dishes containing vegetables, meats, salads, and fish. We had about an hour left until I would have to head to the ship. We went back to the hotel so I could quickly write my postcards and finishing packing. I made sure to get all my stuff done as fast as I could so that I could get a little bit more ice cream before I had to get on the ship.
When we got to the terminal dad and Yuki walked as far as they could with me to the ship. They were stopped just before I got in the line to board. By then, I had about an hour to get on the ship before I would be "granted" dock time. I said "good bye and thank you" to my dad. He traveled half way around the world just so that he could hang out with me in China. He's pretty great! I was so excited to see him and hang out with him. It was nice to see a familiar face and get to talk to someone. Thanks, Dad!! I got on the ship in time faster than I expected and did not receive dock time. <Whew!>
Dock time is given out for multiple reasons. In this case if you have not dropped your passport off at the purser's desk and swiped your card by "on ship time" (typically 1800) you will receive dock time. You may recall that for every 15 minutes you're late getting back on the ship, you receive 1 hour "dock time" at the next port. AND, they broadcast your name for all to know!! If you have 12 hours of dock time from India then you won't be getting off the ship for 13 days (because you will be stuck on the ship while we are docked in Mauritius). That sounds terrible to me!
Story time is pretty much a necessity when we all get back on the ship. We all share our adventures with our friends. Dinner is a pretty good time to share our adventures.
After dinner, I grabbed my camera and went out to the sixth deck to watch us pull out of Hong Kong. We would have to travel down river with the cityscape in the background. At 8pm, we were all told that there would be a light show. The light show was kinda lame without music. But lots of buildings would light up at different times with laser lights.
Tidbits about China:
1. I never want to actually drive in China. Sitting in the car is just an experience in itself. 2. Now I want heated floors at my house.
3. Seeing the Chinese culture prepare for their New Year was definitely an experience (as they decorate or prepare to travel to spend time with their family).
4. We saw people doing their "business" and throwing up on the streets.
5. Purchasing/picking out wallets was far more overwhelming than I had ever expected.
6. Eating meals in China was family dinner like.
7. When grabbing something from one of the "family dishes" you are expected to use the bigger end of your chopsticks.
8. Google, Facebook, YouTube, and other sites are not accessible in mainland China.
9. Hong Kong and China are two very different places.
10. I will be very interested in seeing Hong Kong as it transforms and goes farther under the Chinese rule (especially in 50 years).
Thursday, February 7, 2013
Day 29: American Tourists Do Hong Kong.
Location: Hong Kong
This was one of those mornings when I just wanted to throw my phone (aka my alarm clock) at the wall. I was not ready to wake up! The morning came way too fast. Mister Lu was outside our apartment at 6:20 am. Dad asked him if he could stop by Starbucks before we headed to the airport. (Mister Lu does not speak any English, so just picture my Dad trying to explain...).
When we got to the airport we had to check in, clear customs, go through immigration and get to the gate. That was a lot of work. We made it to the gate with about five minutes to spare before boarding started. This boarding process was a little strange. They scanned/took our boarding passes and then we all had to get on a bus. The bus then took us (to what felt like the other end of the airport) to our airplane. We had to walk up the stairs of the plane and then find our seats. It wasn't even like we were on a small plane. Dad said that he has never had to board a bus before he boards the plane before. On our flight to Hong Kong the flight attendant gave us the option of omelet or spaghetti. I just wanted something to drink and I didn't really care about the food...but who am I to pass up food? I chose omelet thinking who would want spaghetti at 9:30 am. It was definitely not my favorite. I'm not even going to inquire further, we will just leave it at "omelet". A little while later, she came around with the options of drinks.
As soon as we got off the plane I started to sweat. I was still dressed for the 30 degrees Fahrenheit waking up in Shanghai. Hong Kong was now in the mid-70s. Once we got to the airport we cleared immigration and then grabbed our bags at baggage claim. Tiger had made arrangements for a tour guide and driver to pick us up. Ah Yee (the driver) was holding a sign that read "Mr. Steve Nedved / Ms. Jillian Nedved" while standing next to Yuki (the tour guide). They took us to the hotel and helped us check in.
I think it is interesting that the country is very much in a transition phase. People from the mainland need passports to visit Hong Kong. And those people from the mainland are only allowed to visit for seven days at a time. I think this is a way for the Hong Kong culture to slowly transition to the new rule. It will take 50 years before Hong Kong will totally be under Chinese rule.
Food was a necessity at this point. It had been far too long since I had actually ate. The food on the plane was merely just a snack because I didn't like it. So Yuki suggested a place that served noodles for lunch. They served our food at the speed of light. It hit the spot. This restaurant served their Coca Cola in a bottle. Yuki said that this was pretty common in Hong Kong.
Yuki took us to the area known as the Walk of Stars. Basically it is the Hollywood of China. We were going to walk down the walk but since we only really know of Jackie Chan we decided it wasn't worth it.
When we were on the ferry we realized that the ferry was parked practically right next to the MV Explorer. How neat! Now we know where we will need to go tomorrow so I can get on the ship.
It was very foggy out. Our itinerary included a trip up to Victoria Peak. Since it was so foggy out, Yuki thought our time would be best spent only going half way up. On our way up, the van that Ah Yee was driving started to have problems. All of sudden the van stopped and we weren't moving. Ah Yee called another driver to come pick us up so that we could continue. We just stood on the side of the road looking like American Tourists!
Within about 15 minutes, the new driver was at the curb and we were on our way to the midpoint of Victoria Peak. We got out walked around a little and attempted to snap a few pictures but again it was just a little too cloudy. Yuki pointed out a building that was shaped like a candlestick. In the culture having a lit candlestick is bad luck. So the fungshew masters suggested that they put a pool of water on top of the building as if they were blowing out or distinguishing the flame so that there was no longer any bad luck.
Then Yuki took us to another part of the island. When we got out of the car she walked us through a little park or area designated to the Chinese culture. On the other side was the beach and ocean.
She let us wander around the beach for a while to take pictures and explore. There wasn't much to explore but we enjoyed the sunset.
Little did we know, while we were walking on the beach a 3rd driver had come (the 2nd one had prior plans). So Yuki and the new driver took us to dinner. Last night at dinner Tiger had suggested that we eat at the Spicy Crab Under the Bridge Restaurant. Tiger was right, Spicy Crab was delicious. At the end of the dinner, I was wishing that crab wasn't so much work because I enjoyed the crab so much. We had Yuki and the driver take us back to the hotel for the rest of the night. We had decided that if we wanted to do anything else we could probably figure it out on our own or just walk there.
Later in the evening I decided that I was craving ice cream. Dad and I went down to the concierge desk to ask for the closest ice cream shop. Luckily it was right around the corner. I had a waffle cone full of coffee ice cream mixed with chocolate syrup and Oreos. Mmmm it was so good! After our delicious ice cream we walked the streets of downtown Hong Kong for a little while.
This was one of those mornings when I just wanted to throw my phone (aka my alarm clock) at the wall. I was not ready to wake up! The morning came way too fast. Mister Lu was outside our apartment at 6:20 am. Dad asked him if he could stop by Starbucks before we headed to the airport. (Mister Lu does not speak any English, so just picture my Dad trying to explain...).
When we got to the airport we had to check in, clear customs, go through immigration and get to the gate. That was a lot of work. We made it to the gate with about five minutes to spare before boarding started. This boarding process was a little strange. They scanned/took our boarding passes and then we all had to get on a bus. The bus then took us (to what felt like the other end of the airport) to our airplane. We had to walk up the stairs of the plane and then find our seats. It wasn't even like we were on a small plane. Dad said that he has never had to board a bus before he boards the plane before. On our flight to Hong Kong the flight attendant gave us the option of omelet or spaghetti. I just wanted something to drink and I didn't really care about the food...but who am I to pass up food? I chose omelet thinking who would want spaghetti at 9:30 am. It was definitely not my favorite. I'm not even going to inquire further, we will just leave it at "omelet". A little while later, she came around with the options of drinks.
As soon as we got off the plane I started to sweat. I was still dressed for the 30 degrees Fahrenheit waking up in Shanghai. Hong Kong was now in the mid-70s. Once we got to the airport we cleared immigration and then grabbed our bags at baggage claim. Tiger had made arrangements for a tour guide and driver to pick us up. Ah Yee (the driver) was holding a sign that read "Mr. Steve Nedved / Ms. Jillian Nedved" while standing next to Yuki (the tour guide). They took us to the hotel and helped us check in.
I think it is interesting that the country is very much in a transition phase. People from the mainland need passports to visit Hong Kong. And those people from the mainland are only allowed to visit for seven days at a time. I think this is a way for the Hong Kong culture to slowly transition to the new rule. It will take 50 years before Hong Kong will totally be under Chinese rule.
Food was a necessity at this point. It had been far too long since I had actually ate. The food on the plane was merely just a snack because I didn't like it. So Yuki suggested a place that served noodles for lunch. They served our food at the speed of light. It hit the spot. This restaurant served their Coca Cola in a bottle. Yuki said that this was pretty common in Hong Kong.
American Tourists
Yuki took us to the area known as the Walk of Stars. Basically it is the Hollywood of China. We were going to walk down the walk but since we only really know of Jackie Chan we decided it wasn't worth it.
Outside the Walk of Stars
Instead we took a few pictures of the landscape/cityscape and hopped a ferry across the island.
When we were on the ferry we realized that the ferry was parked practically right next to the MV Explorer. How neat! Now we know where we will need to go tomorrow so I can get on the ship.
A view of the MV Explorer from our ferry.
When we're in port, they turn on the lights at night. It's nothing much, just a string of bulbs from stem to stern. They're prettily ornamental, hundred watt bulbs strung in a single great line that must be seven hundred feet long. They're the first thing you see of the ship, once the sun is set. When the cab driver doesn't know the way, you spot those lights above the warehouses, and suddenly you can find the ship. They shine out into the night, into the strange, sultry darkness of foreign ports, and they call us home.
It was very foggy out. Our itinerary included a trip up to Victoria Peak. Since it was so foggy out, Yuki thought our time would be best spent only going half way up. On our way up, the van that Ah Yee was driving started to have problems. All of sudden the van stopped and we weren't moving. Ah Yee called another driver to come pick us up so that we could continue. We just stood on the side of the road looking like American Tourists!
Within about 15 minutes, the new driver was at the curb and we were on our way to the midpoint of Victoria Peak. We got out walked around a little and attempted to snap a few pictures but again it was just a little too cloudy. Yuki pointed out a building that was shaped like a candlestick. In the culture having a lit candlestick is bad luck. So the fungshew masters suggested that they put a pool of water on top of the building as if they were blowing out or distinguishing the flame so that there was no longer any bad luck.
The view of the city from the midpoint of Victoria Peak.
See on of the taller buildings on the left? That's the candlestick shaped one.
Then Yuki took us to another part of the island. When we got out of the car she walked us through a little park or area designated to the Chinese culture. On the other side was the beach and ocean.
The view from the beach.
There's a building off in the
distance (just to the left of the tall brown building) that has a
"hole" in the middle of it. The fungshew master said that it is bad
luck to have a building
that is that tall without a "hole" in it. The
dragons cannot get to the seas fast enough.
She let us wander around the beach for a while to take pictures and explore. There wasn't much to explore but we enjoyed the sunset.
Sunset on the beach.
Little did we know, while we were walking on the beach a 3rd driver had come (the 2nd one had prior plans). So Yuki and the new driver took us to dinner. Last night at dinner Tiger had suggested that we eat at the Spicy Crab Under the Bridge Restaurant. Tiger was right, Spicy Crab was delicious. At the end of the dinner, I was wishing that crab wasn't so much work because I enjoyed the crab so much. We had Yuki and the driver take us back to the hotel for the rest of the night. We had decided that if we wanted to do anything else we could probably figure it out on our own or just walk there.
Later in the evening I decided that I was craving ice cream. Dad and I went down to the concierge desk to ask for the closest ice cream shop. Luckily it was right around the corner. I had a waffle cone full of coffee ice cream mixed with chocolate syrup and Oreos. Mmmm it was so good! After our delicious ice cream we walked the streets of downtown Hong Kong for a little while.
Hong Kong at night
Wednesday, February 6, 2013
Day 28: Squatty Potty!
Bob informed us last night that the breakfast at the hotel was outstanding!. He said that when Kobe Bryant stayed at the hotel he spent so much time at breakfast that fans and paparazzi started to show up and want autographs and pictures. And…true to his word, the breakfast was spectacular! They had fruit, pastries, and every kind of juice, smoothies, omelet, and waffles. It all looked so good! Diet be gone!!
The toilets in these countries have been different. For the most part there have been normal (at least it is normal for me) sitting toilets.
At some places there are only, what we have started to call them, “squatty potties”.
Terrifying, right?
It is devastating at times when there isn't a sitting toilet. As of now, I refuse to use them. If it comes down to it, a girl has to do what a girl has to do…but for now, attempting to use them is terrifying.
On our way back to Shanghai Bob took us to the water village in Wuzhen, China. Bob said that there were two projects in China: the Great Wall and the Canal. The water village is built on the river that is directly associated with the canal. This village was built hundreds of thousands of years ago. There were homes built directly above/on the river.
The water village.
In recent years the village has been turned into more of a museum. There are hotels in the village now. There are also markets where locals and foreigners can purchase produce and other trinkets. There are museum exhibits. One of the museum exhibits that we walked through was about shoes. These aren't the kind of shoes that you or I would wear. These are shoes that the Chinese would wrap.
This is what it looked like as we walked down the street.
At another one of the museum like exhibits they demonstrated how they dye fabric. They showed the fabric hanging out to dry after it had been dyed. They also had a man in the museum demonstrating how they get the flowery pattern onto the fabric.
Fabric hanging up drying before they sew into products to sell such as
purses, headbands, dresses and flip flops.
Bob made us try stinky tofu. It was definitely stinky and not my favorite. Bob and some of Dad’s other friends in China refer to tofu in front of the Americans that come to visit them as "stinky tofu." Very few –if any- of the Americans like "stinky tofu." Fortunately, Bob took us to have a real meal later and not just stinky tofu. It was so much better than the stinky tofu.
Here is the view from a bridge looking at the village.
"This is likely hotel rooms", said Bob.
Once we got done walking much of the village, we took a cute little boat back to the beginning of the village (aka where the car was parked). The boat ride was very cool. It was one of those times when I had to remind myself that I was riding on a boat in a river in the middle of China with my dad. It was surreal. AND it was freezing outside. It was on the verge of snowing and we are riding a boat on a river. Not the smartest idea but heck it was a lot faster than walking back to the car. Plus, I had not brought the warmest clothes along with me.
The boat we took across the river. "No, those doors don't shut", said Jillian.
Air blew in and out freely. F.r.e.e.z.i.n.g. Are you with me on that one?
The view from the little boat we road in.
Dad had thought of one more thing while we were in Hangzhou and Wuzhen that he wanted to get while we were in China. Bob took us to get a Starbucks (we were freezing) and get dad's souvenir. It was late afternoon by now and we were going to be having dinner close to 7pm. Dad asked Bob to take us back to the apartment so that we could relax and pack. We have an early flight tomorrow morning and who knows how long dinner will take.
We were having dinner with Dad’s friend, Tiger. When I heard that I was thinking Oh Lord that means there will be a lot of people at dinner and then Dad mentioned that it also means that this will be a looooong dinner. Tiger and his half brother (Da Ge Da), Bob and his wife (no American first name), Denny Garcia (the pro that runs Tiger’s Golf Academy) and Richard and his wife (Olivia) were all at dinner.
At this point in all of the ports, I start to get sick of the food. I'm not opposed to trying everything but after a while I start to want something familiar and get sick of foreign food.
I had already eaten a lot of shrimp and sushi on this voyage. I was actually surprised how much shrimp I had ate because the texture of it typically bothers me. This meal was, again, family style. The first dish that came around was sushi. I said that I was going to pass and wait for the next dish to come around. I think Tiger may have been offended. He started ordering dishes for me personally. (Oh crap. I’m gonna be so full after this meal. Where’s the dog under the table when you need him?) He ordered beef for everyone to eat. Everyone just passed their beef to me. Throughout the dinner people just passed me some of their personal dishes. I was soooo incredibly full. I need to not eat so much.
I think it was a very cool experience to be able to eat with these people. Danny is an American who is working in China for Tiger Tech. Danny's wife had just died a few months back and he was still struggling with moving on. He made the comparison of life being like a movie. Now he is working to change the script of his life without his wife. I thought it was a pretty solid cultural experience to watch these Chinese people interact and socialize.
Tuesday, February 5, 2013
Day 27: Slurping Noodles!
Location: Hangzhou, China
We got up early this morning, well, early for me. I think it’s smart to make the best use of my time while I'm in port. I don’t know if I will ever be back. We went to Starbucks, grabbed our drink and went back to the apartment. Bob and Mister Lu were going to be picking us up at 10am. Of course, while I had use of Internet (and it was quiet) I used my time to FaceTime/Skype with Mady, my mom, and Mickey.
Mister Lu drove us to Hangzhou. It is a town about 150 kilometers from Shanghai. Driving in China is somethin' else. As we are driving down the highway, just as I'm getting sleepy, Mister Lu swerves the car to another lane. There was a car in front of us going in reverse down the road. The driver had missed his intended exit and apparently was not willing to continue down the road until the next exit and then turn around.
Once we arrived in Hangzhou food was a necessity. (Grampa is right; it does sound like I’m eating my way around the world!) The traffic to get to Hangzhou was worse than Bob had predicted so we ended up just grabbing a quick lunch at a restaurant. We had noodles with a little bit of meat in it. The meal was absolutely delicious. I'm not sure if that is just because I was starving or if it really was. I'm going to guess it really was. I have decided that one of my least favorite foods to eat with chopsticks is noodles. It is a joke. Luckily at this restaurant they gave us a spoon. So I would pick up some noodles, let them sit in the air to cool down, and then plop them onto the spoon we were given. From there I would just use the spoon to feed myself. (Dad and Bob did the same thing so I'm not such a newbie). If you attempt to just use the chopsticks to feed yourself the noodles you end up slapping yourself in the face with noodles. That can be very hot and messy. No thank you. It is also almost an expected thing to do in Chinese and Japanese cultures to slurp your food. For an American it is obnoxious to do that in public. (It would make you crazy, Mom!) I wanted to try to do it in these cultures when it was considered acceptable. I tried a time or two until I got sick of wiping my face from the mess I was making after every time I put food into my mouth!!
The Leifeng Pagoda in Hangzhou
The view from the top of the Pagoda overlooking Westlake and the city.
It was too chilly to take a boat across or a bike around the lake so instead we just drove around. On the other side of the lake was our hotel for the night. Once checked in at the hotel and walked outside, there was a water show occurring on the lake. Apparently the water show occurs on the hour, everyday.
A little glimpse into the show.
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