"I have seen the sea when it is stormy and wild; when it is quiet and serene; when it is dark and moody. And in all its moods, I see myself."                                 -Martin Buxbaum

Vietnam!

India!

A 14 hour overnight train heading north towards Goa!

SEA OLYMPICS!

Sea Olympics is a competition between all the different seas that goes on every semester! The competition consists of various games such as, synchronized swimming, tug o war, 3 legged dodgeball, trivia, lip sync, fashion show and so on! The day is filled with all the different sea's chanting and rooting for their teams! My sea is the Aegean sea, "the deck down under"! We represent ourselves by wearing blue and singing our spongebob inspired speech! Mel (the roomie) and I competed in the 3-legged dodgeball! Its exactly what it sounds like, but for some reason we thought we'd be able to Dive, Dip, Duck & Dodge while tied to our partners leg! This causes a little bit of difficulty ! After a few rounds of dodging and sweating in the blazing sun, we took home the bronze medal for the Aegean sea! After a day filled of activities each sea hit the dance floor to perform in the final round, the lip Sync! Now if anyone would have asked me if the Aegean Sea would have placed in the olympics I would of said we didn't stand a chance! But somehow event after event we placed in the top (except for a few events)! Going neck and neck with the team to beat, the team thats been on their game for every sea related event throughout the semester, the Baltic sea! We had taken the lead a few rounds before but after we saw them shake their junk we knew it was all over! Once all the points were accounted for and the bronze medal was handed out we all began bit our finger nails wondering who would take the gold. After a long silent pause and the runner up is........ The Baltic Sea!!! Meaning the Aegean Sea takes took the Gold Medal!!! Not only do we get bragging rights for the rest of the semester, but we also get a social thrown in our honor and the ultimate prize is that we get to disembark the ship before 700 other people in San Diego!! Although we are all thinking that we don't want to be the first to get off the ship and leave all of our new friends, but apparently during disembarkation we are all forced to stay in our rooms to make the process go as quickly as possible so apparently its a good thing! This means ill be seeing all of you bright in early on May 2nd!

India Bound!

Hi loved ones and friends! Ill be out of touch while I explore the marvelous lands of India and chat with Gypsy's! Ill be thinking of all of you and hoping your doing well! Talk to you guys in about a week or so!
Infinite xoxo's

Port Louis, Mauritius!

The "banned" port

         After the big fiasco of being forced to skip our scheduled 10 hour stop in Mauritius due to bad weather, WE ACTUALLY GOT TO DISEMBARK! The weather gods must have been on our side because yesterday (march 6th) as were floating past random inhabited islands cruising towards Mauritius for the sole purpose of stopping to get gas then continuing on to stay on time for our arrival in India the unexpected happened! Its announced that we will be able to see Mauritius! Only the catch is that we only have 5 hours to do so…

         Its seven am and were on land! Pretty much the whole shipboard community take off towards the beaches, the closest beach is 30 minutes away. Do the math, that's at least an hour of travel time out of a 5 hour day. And realistically to avoid dock time, one should be back no later than 11:15 to avoid long lines. So remembering that I currently live on a boat and I am from California, I had absolutely no plans to waste my time in Mauritius by going to the beach to see something I see every single day with the people I try to avoid every single day! Instead Haley and I  head into town to explore the waterfront and markets. The only problem is its 7 am on a Wednesday. Nothing opens in port Louis until roughly 9 o'clock. So we grab some fresh fruit juice and wander around until the markets open! We know absolutely nothing about the island or cultures, but as soon as the markets open we realize that Mauritius is mostly dominated by the Hindu culture! The markets were filled with beautiful colored fabrics and trinkets! It literally got me so pumped for India! The only reason im bummed out about India is because we miss the Holi Festival by just a few days! Its main day of celebration this year is march 8^th and ill be in the middle of the Indian ocean.. so since I couldn't be in India for Holi, I brought Holi to the sea! As soon as I spotted the bags of colorful dusts and powders I knew exactly what they were! Haley and I both purchased 5 bags of different colors for under 3 bucks and crossed our fingers we'd be able to get them onto the boat! While exploring the waterfront and the markets we ran into Holly, the life long learner so all three of us kept exploring and got some traditional henna tattoos and some delicious street food! ! Four hours seemed to go by faster than we expected and soon enough we had to head back to the ship. Four hours was clearly not enough time to even tip our toes into the cultures behind Mauritius, but yet again even the six days we get in other countries isn't enough either! Im always left wanting more and Mauritius left me craving a big bite of India!

         Once we got back on board we swapped our experiences with other students & I couldn't of been happier on my choice to stay in town. Apparently the beaches were jammed with SAS kids, chanting "U-S-A" and littering on the beach.(this also contributes to the reason SAS is banned form staying over night on this particular island). Now do you guys understand why I like to avoid the SAS crowds? Its bad to categorize everyone into this group, but a majority of my fellow students are really wealthy kids that did not have to lift a finger to achieve this awesome experience and have no sense of respect… and theres some really awesome people as well, theres just less of them! – but enough ranting! Although I only had a morning on this island I appreciate that I got to see what I saw and experience what I experienced! 

Love and miss you all! 

Cape Town, South Africa!

Day 1: The on-going day

            South Africa at last! A land filled with adventure and beautiful people! & when I say beautiful I mean B-E-A-UTIFUL! I got off the ship with Brittany, the roomie Mel and Byron a kid from down the hall. We had no plans and started headed towards the waterfront. Soon enough our stomachs grew hungry and my blisters turned bloody. This called for a brunch break and finding me sandals! I honestly don't know why I can where Converse all day long at home and the second my feet touch down on foreign dirt my feet blister up like no other! Anyways, we headed deeper into town where we sat and enjoyed a tiny café near some shops where I grabbed some flip flops and gawked at the south African world. After lunch Mel and Byron split back to the boat to go to a field trip they had for some class. Brit and I wandered through some artist markets until we hoped into a mini bus to head towards the famous Table Mountain! The long twisted road up the hill ended and it was time to hope in a cable car to get to the very top! It's absolutely gorgeous! Seriously such a stunning view of Cape Town! After a few hours of chatting and hiking around the top we started thinking we should get back to the boat and get ready for Lana's birthday dinner… and that's when a spot a few people in harnesses! I was curious so I wandered over and ask what their doing, ABSEILNG! There was absolutely no way I could pass this up.. But unfortunately I was in sandals. Rats! Well, I guess this means ill have to repel down the mountain barefoot! They didn't have a problem with it but warned that id have to hike about 25 minutes back up the mountain. There was no way I could pass up this experience, so I geared up and got ready to scale the mountain! While I was waiting I found out that Abseil Africa is the highest commercial abseil in the entire world, equaling to 112 meters! The nerves really hit me when I had to lower myself over the side, I wished It could be a fast 123! Like skydiving but abseiling is a slow process to start especially when your half way dangling over the side and have a moment to realize exactly what you've just signed up for! But once I got the hang of it was the BEST feeling! The views were so much more rewarding when my body was pumping with adrenaline!

We barely got back to the boat in time to change and meet Lana for her birthday dinner! After dinner we headed towards Long street where some night life was. Eventually, the bar we were at got invested with SASers so Melissa and I decided we'd wander. Eventually we found a roof top lounge and hung out there with a few locals we met! This was our first time actually hanging out in port, I already knew I loved her but it makes it even better that we work well in country too!  To be on the same page on the boat is off honestly seems rare. I feel very blessed that I was paired with a roomie that's so compatible with me!

Day 2: Yep, still awake..

The clock kept turning and eventually it was 2 A.M and Mel reminded me that I have shark cage diving at 430 and that we should head home. But as we were walking out and I saw Daniel, who was also going on my excursion and we decided that at this point we might as well stay up! After getting back to the ship at 345 to change into a bathing suit and sweats we realized our group is actually leaving at 4! Good thing we had a nice two hour drive to sleep on our way to a town know for great white sharks called Gansbaai! ! The sharks were huge; there was one that was a whapping 13 feet long! After a long day of swimming with the sharks I went to a professional Rugby game! The South African Stormers were playing against the New Zealand Hurricanes! It was the opening game of the season, so the stadium was packed with tons of rowdy fans! It was a close game but the Stormers took the win! After the game a few of us befriended an Argentinean Rugby team and they invited us onto their tour bus! Those Argentinean get loco, im talking like dance offs on the tour bus loco!!

         Eventually their bus dropped us off in the waterfront where we were docked so went and got ready to go out with Gregg. Gregg was our guide from shark diving that said he would take us out to where locals go in camps bay! Camps bay is gorgeous and where we ended up spending most of our time from then on out. After blowing up a few dance floors we headed to the hotel to catch some sleep before I depart for my 3-day safari in Kruger!

Day 3: Ooops!

         Ring, ring, ring… Mam its 5:50 your flights in 30 minutes and the taxi is here…. SHIT! I grabbed my backpack and sprinted towards the stairs hoped in the taxi and crossed my fingers id make it on time. I have no clue what state of mind I was in to think I could actually make my flight in 30 minutes. Well, I arrived at the airport at 6:22. Unfortunately, 3 minutes is just not enough time to board a flight! I ran around the airport for the next hour like crazy women trying to figure out any and every way to get to the other side of the country. I found a few options but they resulted in me driving seven hours through Johannesburg to get to the game lodge. And it just didn't seem to be worth it, when Cape Town still had so much to offer! So I shrugged it off, went with the flow and got in another taxi and headed back to the ship in hopes of finding someone that hadn't left for a safari to hang out with. I get to my room and decide I should try to catch a few more hours of sleep. Just as I turn off my light Haley calls and tells me to get dressed for the day since she had a feeling I wouldn't make my flight. We ended up hiring a cab to take us down the coast to capes point, boulder beach and the surfer beach! Boulders beach was filled with Penguins while the surfer beach had washed up jellyfish all over shore! 

         Haley and I spent another evening watching the sunset over camps bay! Eating at the beachfront cafes enjoying our amazing lives. Eventually we meet up with Gregg and Michael (shark tour friends) and went to see Greggs house that is at the top of one of the hills that has a gorgeous view of the city blending together with the sandy beaches!

Day 4: Cheetah's & Cricket, Oh My!

         I had absolutely nothing planned for day four so a friend Daniel and I decided to go to Speir where we went to a cheetah outreach reserve. Where we learned about how cheetahs are going extinct and what this organization does to stop extinction. One of the main reasons Cheetahs are going extinct is because farmers are killing them to protect their herds. The organization gives farmers a trained shepherd guard dog and provides veterinary support, husbandry and monitoring for working dogs. The dogs are trained to protect the herds of animals and fight off prey. Cheetahs are known for fleeing before coming in contact with animals that could possibly hurt them. We were lucky enough to get to pet 8-month-old cheetahs! I had no idea what to expect, they were so lazy and cozy, and when you stroked their back you could feel the vibrations of their purrs! After playing with the cheetahs we went to a winery that's right next door to the reserve and had a tasting! This part of South Africa is famous for the wine, and for a good reason!

         On our drive back towards the boat we begged our cabbie to make a detour. Eventually he gave in and took us towards the townships. He had been hesitant because townships are a very dangerous part of South Africa, even for locals. The thing most people don't realize about South Africa is that is a very diverse country, filled with very wealthy people and very poor people. Kyalicha Is a township that has over 1.5 million living in shacks made of tin sheets. Our driver explained that it was even too dangerous in the area we were in for him to get out, let alone us. The townships are split into two sections; black and colored. From what I observed, a lot of the white south Africans seem to ignore the poverty going on around them, just like a majority of Americans.

         After driving threw Kyalicha, we went into a cute colorful town to walk around. This is when we accidently stumbled upon a gang of locals playing a street game of Cricket! We spent the next hour striking out and bonding with some new friends! This night Haley and I kept it mellow and got some shwarma's in the waterfront for dinner and hung out with one of the lifelong learners, Holly that ive really grown to like. I think of Holly as a big sister, she's got stories for days and will listen to our craziness grinning and laughing but will also keep us in line and out of trouble (or at least she tries)! I seriously forget that she isn't a student!

Day 5:

         By this point in the week I had been going going going nonstop and needed a day to actually catch up on some sleep and spend sometime by myself. After finally getting enough hours of sleep for a night, I headed out around the waterfront to explore some more! I attempted to go shopping but my ATM card had been blocked the day before, making it impossible to get any cash! I was left with only 40 rand cash... for the next two days. Luckily I was able to buy myself food with my credit card and just saved my rand for things like cabs that don't accept cards! This day wasn't that eventful just a lot of wondering and alone time to reflect on everything.

         And as you can predict I ended up in Camps bay to watch another lovely sunset! I ran into Haley and some other friends on my way back to the ship just as they were getting back from their tour and hopped into a cab with them! It was perfect timing, the sun was just setting and clouds were sinking over Table Mountain! With beautiful views all around us we headed back to our favorite bar, Caprice where we befriended some guys celebrating a bachelors last night of freedom! They invited us to join them for some dinner so we hopped into their limos and off we went! With no clue where we were headed but just trusting the good vibes and our sense of, well I would call it adventure but some might call its stupidity! We ended up at a place called Van Hunks on Kloof street about twenty minutes from where we were. Where we indulged in delicious food and good conversation! The bachelors ranged from all ages and seemed to be mostly from South Africa with some exceptions! As the night went on we eventually decided we needed to head back to somewhere more familiar and meet up with Gregg like we were apparently suppose to! By the time we got back to camps bay, the Sasholes had finally found out about our secret hole in the wall and invaded. After about forty minutes of mingling we decided to turn in early and head back towards the ship where we indulged in a some ice cream on the waterfront!

Day 5: A little bit of hard work!

         Although my week was filled with much adventure and excitement, the most rewarding experience I had in South Africa was volunteering to build houses for Habitat for Humanity. The organization and the government are working together to give under privileged people better living conditions by having volunteers help build them new houses from the ground up. I woke up on my last day in cape town with no plans but an idea that I wanted to try to get a ticket to join the Habitat of humanity service trip and headed to breakfast where I sat with table of life long learners for breakfast, I must really have good luck because John, one of the life long learners that I just introduced myself to had an extra ticket for the service trip! Unfortunately his wife had gotten sick and couldn't attend leaving him the extra one! So spent my last day in Cape Town shoveling sand to lay the foundations for a few houses. We would walk through the townships until we came across an empty lot that basically looked like a sand box with huge heaps of sand that needed to be shoveled and evenly distributed. Despite the fact that I am blistered and sunburn from the hot African sun, building those houses really made me feel like I was doing something selfless, and for the greater good. The 6 houses I worked on should be ready in the next week or two for their new lucky owners to move into! It's amazing how that one-day of hard work is going to change someone's life forever! 

Check check check it out!

http://blog.isevoyages.org/category/current-voyage/

Follow the SAS blog for more stories! Id check out the city of refuge video, you never know who might pop up... 

Breaking News

            As midterms have been approaching the swells have been rising. Since the MV Explorer left the port in Cape Town we've been swallowed by the sea! Deck two has had all of our porthole's sealed shut since we are completely submerged! The upper decks have the waves lapping at their windows, I only wish we could lookout our portholes and see the world from a fishes view! I don't find the swells to be as bad as I was told to expect, but yet again we haven't even entered the heart of the tropical storm yet… As our cabins spin our belongings into cyclones and students suffer through seasickness the news is broken to us that we will no longer be able to disembark in Port Louis, Mauritius due to a conflicting arrive time in India. You can imagine the uproar of 500 livid college kids. We were only docking in Mauritius for 12 hours or so because SAS is banned from spending the night (long story) but those were still 12 hours we had to explore another culture. Im really trying to swallow my tongue and remember that I am lucky enough to be sailing around the world, theres bound to be a few mishaps here and there. As of now some students that represent our student union are writing letters to propose the different alternatives or at least get a clear reason to this revamp on our voyage. For now ill be waving to this tiny, tiny island from Deck 7 with a smile on my face remembering that I am bless and everything happens for a reason!

 

‎"Always be on the lookout for the presence of wonder." - E.B. White

Sneak Peek!

Ive got two midterms the next few days, so all of you will have to wait on hearing my wonderful stories of Cape Town! Here are some pictures for you to visualize whats to come! Be Creative and make up your own stories!!
xxo