12 Countries in 24(ish) Pictures

So I have been debating what to do with this blog now that my voyage has ended.  I've decided that I will continue to write down the random thoughts that manifest themselves inside of my brain at random points throughout an ordinary day in my life.  For now, I have chosen the post my two favorite pictures from each country on my trip around the world.  Seeing as I have recently been sorting through literally thousands of photos, these ones were painful to pick out.  Feast your eyes upon these tasty morsels...

Canada

Peggy's Cove is a short drive from Halifax and boasts some of the best scenery in the area.  Taking this photo, I had no idea of what I was about to experience...

"The real voyage of discovery consists not in seeking new landscapes, but in having new eyes."--Marcel Proust

 Spain

Narrow alleyways, colorful buildings, beautiful people, and siestas...I will definitely find myself wandering these streets again someday.

"Hi guys.  So you know how a while ago you sent me to sail across the ocean and see whats out there?  Yeah well, you are not going to believe this shit..."--Christopher "C Money" Columbus

Morocco

Get lost in a Moroccan Medina and you just might stumble upon yourself.

"This water I can drink right now is a luxury for 1.2 billion people in the world.  Three-hundred million people south of the Sahara don't have this."--Jan Eliasson

Ghana

Children are a wonderful gift. They have an extraordinary capacity to see into the heart of things and to expose sham and humbug for what they are. --Desmond Tutu

If I grow old and forget everything about my time in Ghana, my one memory will always be the children.

The small village where I spent a few days immersing myself in Ghanaian culture.  Could you live like this?

South Africa

"After climbing a great hill, one only finds that there are many more hills to climb."--Nelson Mandela

Every afternoon, the "tablecloth" stretches itself across Table Mountain, Cape Town

Mauritius

 Two days of ridiculous partying and this is the only semi-decent picture I have to show for it.

India

"But nothing in India is identifiable, the mere asking of a question causes it to disappear or to merge in something else."--E.M. Forster

 

India is a place that will shake you to your core.  So much so that you will be left wondering who you are and what your place is in this world.

Singapore

A dense market in the "Little India" section of the city

Don't fuck around in Singapore, the Merlion will get you.

Vietnam

"All the wrong people remember Vietnam. I think all the people who remember it should forget it, and all the people who forgot it should remember it."--Michael Herr

Saigon Phone Booth

China

The Great Wall at sunrise

The view from the 100th floor of the Shanghai World Financial Center, one of the tallest buildings in the world.

Japan

The graffiti outside of our hostel, Asakusa, Tokyo.

The Imperial Gardens in Fall

Hawaii

I could have sat on these rocks for the rest of eternity.  Hawaii: still the most beautiful place I have ever seen.

"Hawaii: the loveliest fleet of islands that lies anchored in any ocean."--Mark Twain

San Diego

California Rising

Oh hello, America...

Ship Life

"We shall not cease from exploration and the end of all our exploring will be to arrive where we started...and know the place for the first time."--T.S. Eliot

The View from my Window

"Continue to be idealistic, dream, dream, dream the craziest dreams."--The Arch. Desmond Tutu in a speech made aboard the MV Explorer

"The world is a book, and those who do not travel read only a page."--St. Augustine

"All journeys have secret destinations of which the traveler in unaware."--Martin Buber

"I see my path, but I don't know where it leads.  Not knowing where I'm going is what inspires me to travel it."--Rosalia de Castro

The End of the Voyage, The Beginning of the Journey

After leaving Japan, we had a long trek across the Pacific over to Hawaii.  Let me put this ocean crossing in perspective.  During the entire month of November, we only had six days of classes total.  That's three class sessions per course!  We had ten straight days of class on the way to Hawaii, and I basically did an entire semesters worth of work in that time.  However, by the end of those ten days, it was relieving to have all the work behind me.  It's not every semester that you get a Hawaiian vacation in-between the end of classes and finals.

Our first port of call was Honolulu.  I spent all day laying on Waikiki Beach before checking into the Hyatt for the night.  A friend of mine works at the Hyatt at home, so he got us an employee discount on the room.  We partied all night and spent the next day at the beach as well.  I got back on the Explorer, went to sleep, and woke up on the Big Island in Hilo.  A group of us rented a jeep and drove the northern route to Kona, on the opposite side of the island.  We enjoyed a great plate lunch on the way.  We took the top off the jeep and let the wind rush through out hair as we drove along the coastal highway.  The night in Kona was spent eating and partying in our hotel room and out on the town.  I was sure to make the most of the night, seeing as it was our last night out together in a port on Semester at Sea.  The next morning, we woke up early and drove the long southern route back to Hilo.  We stopped along the way to visit black sand beaches and Volcanoes National Park.  Before I could say aloha, I was back on the Explorer watching the Islands fade away.  As I was walking up the gangway, I realized that I was doing so for the last time.  The next time that I find myself on those steps, I will be walking away from my floating home for good.  I have literally been around the world, but Hawaii is still my favorite place.  I cannot think of a better way to end this amazing voyage.

Tomorrow is my last full day aboard the MV Explorer.  I have taken my finals and the grades are slowly trickling in.  Yesterday we had the Alumni Ball, where we got to dress up, have a fancy dinner, and dance up on Deck 7.  I spent the whole day today packing and taking advantage of what little time I have left with my friends.  It is impossible to fathom that I will be stepping back onto mainland America in less than 2 days.  My next few hours will be spent exchanging pictures, stories, and tearful goodbyes.  A group of people cannot go through such a mind boggling experience like we have and not form strong, everlasting bonds with each other.  The sad reality is, our friends and family at home will never be able to understand what we just went through.  The experience is so moving that it simply cannot be described through words.  Right now, we can all look at each other and understand.  But in a matter of days, we all disperse throughout the country.  People will ask what our voyage was like and they will expect short and simple answers, but nothing we say will give this journey the credit it deserves.  We are all returning home as different people.  I ask everyone reading this right now to work with me as I make this difficult transition back to "regular" life.  For my shipmates who may read this blog in the weeks and months to come, I want to thank you for being an integral part of my journey around the world.  I am certain that 50 years from now, I will look back on the past four months as the greatest time of my life.  Fate brought us to this ship for a reason and I am sure we will cross paths again in the future. 

To all of my friends and family back home, I can't wait to see you--thanks for listening to my ramblings all of these months.  It is going to be an awesome Christmas this year.  Also, I hope everyone is ready for a crazy next semester--watch out Boulder.  I have spent the last few years working towards the absurd task of graduating from college, and in a few short months that is actually going to happen.  After that, it's anybody guess.  As this journey ends, an even bigger one is about to begin.

"Once you have traveled, the voyage never ends, but is played out over and over again in the quietest chambers.  The mind can never break off from the Journey." -- Pat Conroy

Once I am home, I will finally be able to post pictures and videos, so stay tuned and I will see you all very soon...

The Land of the Rising Sun

About an hour of my time in Hong Kong was devoted to running around a strange office building, attempting to purchase a Japanese visitor rail pass.  The pass allows unrestricted travel on most Japanese bullet trains to anywhere in the country and it is good for two months.  The only problem is that it cannot be bought in Japan, hence my need to do so in China.  I filled out the paperwork, handed over an exorbitant amount of cash (since they did not take cards), and had a friend pick up my pass the next day while I was busy being homeless in Beijing.

Anyways, on to Japan.  I had quite the adventure in my last international port.  The Explorer docked in Kobe, but I did not spend any time there.  Japanese customs took roughly 3 hours to pass through and my group had big plans to see the country via rail.  With our awesome rail passes in hand, we hopped on the next bullet train bound for Hiroshima.  Japanese trains are the nicest that I have been on--plenty of leg room and excellent service.  Before I knew it, I was walking around a city that the US had nuked not too long ago.  In the immediate area around the hypo-center of the bomb, Japan has built Peace Park in remembrance of the horrible tragedy and as a protest to war.  The park boasts ponds, rivers, flowers, and the remnants of a building that the bomb exploded directly over.  I felt eerie walking around the park and knowing the unimaginable death and destruction that happened there.  I explored the memorial museum that is located in the center of the park.  The walls were covered with the history of WWII and articles found after the explosion.  Directly under pictures of children running through the streets with their skin melting off their bodies, was that same child's clothing or shoes or schoolbag.  There were displays of steel fused with brick and peoples shadows burned into the concrete where they were standing.  The entire experience was sobering and profound.  We grew up learning about the war and how it was won, but seeing the destruction firsthand gives one an entirely different perspective.  The destructive power that humans have created is too great for any nation to possess.  Global nuclear weapon stockpiles are declining for the most part, but some countries are still developing their programs and building bombs.  The existence of such terrible weapons makes our quest for peace and prosperity that much more difficult.

We decided we were depressed enough, and grabbed some delicious dinner at a random little diner before jumping back on a train bound for Kyoto.  I spent two nights in this city in a hostel and a traditional Japanese room where we slept on the floor surrounded my rice paper walls.  We ate copious amounts of incredible sushi and drank sake until we could barely stand.  The nightlife was quiet here, so we enjoyed each others company and explored the Japanese culture.

Before I knew it, I was standing in the main train station of the largest city in the world, Tokyo!  Ever since I was little, I have wanted to visit this city.  From the train station, we were supposed to take the subway to the district where our hostel was located.  The huge subway map in the main hall of the station looked like some kid had scribbled crayon all over the wall.  Eventually, we found our way to the right line and were quickly whisked away to the Asakusa district.  There, we found a long street populated with little shops and food stalls.  People were everywhere, something one should get used to if they plan on spending any time in Tokyo.  I spent the next two days rambling about the city.  One of my friends had a friend who was studying abroad there, so we had someone to show us around.  The streets are ablaze with flashing lights and video advertisements at night.  The young Japanese people walk around with crazy outfits and outrageous hair--and they love to party.  The first thing everybody should add to their to-do list is to drink and sing karaoke with drunken Japanese businessmen.  On multiple occasions, I crossed the most busy intersection in the world.  At any given time, roughly 1,000 people cross the street every time the light changes.  It's like Times Square on crack.  Oh, and the women in Tokyo are by far the most beautiful that I have ever seen.  The shear immensity of the city was daunting.  To get from the main downtown area our to our hostel took a 45 minute ride on the subway.  I never saw a building that was lower than ten stories.

There was something about going into a convenience store and buying a little bottle of sake, going out for a fine sushi dinner, and enjoying the Tokyo night with my closest friends that put my soul at ease.  One night, we stayed up through the night and made our way to the Tokyo fish market when it opened at 4am.  Usually the market is not open to tourists until 9, and even then you usually have to go on a guided tour.  However, we just waltzed right in and wandered about for hours, staring at the massive piles of fish, squid, and octopus.  By the time we got back to the hostel, it was 9am and we went straight to bed.  The next day we jumped on a crowded commuter train for the short ride to Yokohama where we met back up with the Explorer.  Getting back on the ship was strange.  I knew that I would not be setting foot on foreign soil again for quite a while.  As I watched the country fade away into the horizon on the back deck of the ship, I felt sad that I would be returning to familiar territory.  Whether I wanted to or not, we were officially on our way back to America...

Sleepless in China

I don't think that I have ever seen a more beautiful sunrise than the one that occurred as we pulled into the port of Hong Kong.  Ridiculous skyscrapers loom over the waterfront and nestle up against the green mountains in the background.  Immediately, I could tell that this was a city worth spending days exploring.  Unfortunately, I only had about three hours.  You see, weeks earlier I booked a flight to Beijing that left the day we were to arrive in HK.  My plan:  go with the flow and somehow find my way to Shanghai to meet back up with the Explorer before it left me behind.  This being the case, I enjoyed a delicious meal of dim sum in a giant restaurant full of Chinese businessmen in Hong Kong, and then made my way to the airport via subway.  The airport was by far the largest building I've ever been in, or so I thought... 

Much to our liking, there was a bar conveniently placed directly next to our gate.  I decided to have a few drinks to make the next flight pass by more quickly.  Before I knew it, it was nearly time for boarding.  We walked to our gate only to discover that our flight had changed gates.  Since Chinese flights close the doors 15 min. before departure time, we had roughly eight minutes to get to the new gate, which was on the other side of the massive goddamn airport!  I sprinted for what must have been more than a mile, only to reach the gate and discover the flight had been delayed 30 minutes.  After catching my breath, I sat and talked to the volleyball players of Team India.  They were traveling to Guangzhou for the Asia Games, and they took up the majority of the seats on our plane.

I had a short flight to Guangzhou, China's main airline hub.  We were to have about an hour and a half layover here, before our two hour flight to Beijing.  Because our flight was delayed, we figured the first thing we should do was find our gate  The size of this behemoth airport put Hong Kong's to shame.  What we did not account for was having to pass through Chinese customs.  Since we were coming from Hong Kong (not officially considered part of China), we again had to present our passports to immigration.  By the time I got to the security line, I had ten minutes to make it to my gate.  By the time I was though, I had five.  I immediately took off at full sprint down an awful hallway separated by a dotted yellow line, like a road.  This time it seemed like two miles (although, if I could run a five minute 2-mile, I would have already been to Beijing for the Olympics a few years ago).  By the time I reached the gate, I was covered in perspiration.  Unlike the last flight, this one was not delayed and I barely made it.  The gate attendants were literally cheering me on as I ran across the moving walkway towards the door.  I found my seat, quickly ordered a rum and coke, and slept the whole way to the capital city.

I arrived in Beijing sometime around midnight.  Knowing I had no place to stay for the night, I figured I might as well make my way into the city and explore.  Unlike the rest of the places that I had visited so far, it was cold here.  I was far enough north to be affected by winter.  Seeing as all of the signs were in Chinese and nobody spoke English, I hopped on a random bus that everyone else was getting on.  The bus drove past Tienanmen Square before stopping in front of a government building.  I got off and spotted a KFC in the distance.  I wandered in and ordered a chicken sandwich.  When I went to sit down, I noticed about 20 Chinese hobos sleeping at the tables.  Apparently that type of thing is cool in China.  I woofed down my sandwich and fries before resting my eyes for an hour.  That's right, I slept in a Chinese KFC with a bunch of homeless people.

I woke up and found my way to a train station.  I bought a ticket for the overnight bullet train to Shanghai for the next night.  I then hailed a cab and told the man to take me to the Great Wall.  We arrived around dawn.  Wondrous views of the Chinese countryside whizzed by as I rode the small gondola to the top of the wall.  The sun had just risen and the November air was freezing.  In every direction I could see the wall stretching off into the horizon.  The walkway on top of The Wall twisted and turned up and over impossible mountains.  Some steps were four feet high while others were less than an inch.  Other sections were stair less but ridiculously steep.  The shear immensity of the structure is overwhelming.  The thing was built thousands of years ago, and is longer than traveling from New York to LA and back again.

I spent the rest of the day exploring Beijing.  I mulled around Tienanmen Square and saw the Forbidden City.  It was hard to imagine thousands of people being massacred in the very square I stood--and not too long ago either.  I saw the Olympic Stadium and the Water Cube before finally heading for the train station.  I had a few hours to kill, so I sat and drank rice wine in the station lobby.  It was at this point that I realized that I had been awake for 36 hours straight (minus the KFC nap).  When the train arrived, I climbed into my top bunk bed and slept the entire eleven hours to Shanghai.  If you are bumming it around Asia, overnight trains are a great way to get around and skip paying a hotel bill for the night.

I spent two days in an awesome hostel in downtown Shanghai (five Euros a night?  I think so).  The city blisters with energy and lights.  Hands down, the most incredible city skyline these eyes have ever feasted upon.  The nightlife was incomparable.  My friend made reservations months ago at a club named M1NT.  It was the first time I was ever on "the list", and it felt strange.  The place was on the top floor of a tall building.  It featured two incredible DJs, a shark tank that spanned the entire length of the floor, and $15 drinks (thank god for plastic flasks).  Other than going out at night, I rambled about the city via subway and ferries.  I stoop atop the World Financial Center, the third tallest building in the world.  We ate great Chinese food (which consisted of me pointing at some mystery Chinese characters on the menu, and usually enjoying my unknown meal).  The late night street food was absolutely the best (try the pickled chickens feet, you won't be disappointed).  I awoke one morning to find the big blue MV Explorer docked smack dab in the middle of downtown Shanghai.  I felt as if I was seeing home again after years of being away.  I packed my backpack and made my way to the boat on foot.  Other SASsers slowly trickled in the rest of the day, returning from their own adventures through this crazy country.  That night, I went out with my friends for one last blast in China.  Definitely a night that I will never forget...  The view of the skyline as I looked out of my cabin window at the end of the evening will forever be ingrained into the back of my eyelids, like those strange translucent shapes that form when you close your eyes after looking into a bright light for too long.

China was an insane and exhausting adventure.  The culture is as complicated as it is beautiful.  I find it hard to describe the feeling of flying into a huge foreign city with no plan at all, no direction home, with nothing but what you could fit into a backpack.  A place where nobody speaks your language and all of the signs are unreadable.  If I were to make an attempt, I suppose I would say it was freeing, terrifying, and exhilarating.  Although, that does not even begin to describe what it was like--a theme that I imagine will be reoccurring when I return home.  Many people will ask me, "So Ross, how was your trip?"  Let me apologize in advance for staring back at you in bewilderment, unable to vocalize the emotions bouncing around in my mind.  Truthfully, it is impossible to understand what I have been through unless you do so yourself--perhaps a reason why the bonds that I have formed with people on this ship are so deep and powerful.  This blog is a vain attempt to clue you in on how I have been living my life for the past three and a half months.  However, I hope that you are getting some sort of idea of what this adventure was really like. 

I don't think I was ever as tired as I was when we pushed off from Shanghai.  Before I could catch my breath, we arrived in Japan two days later.  More on that when I can find the energy to continue.  I hope everyone had an awesome Thanksgiving.  As bittersweet as it is that I am nearing the end of this journey, I am becoming increasingly excited to return home and see everybody.  Don't be surprised if I greet you all with an extra long hug.  I'll be in Hawaii in three days, but I'll try to tell you the story of Japan before then.  Check back tomorrow night for my ramblings from the Land of the Rising Sun.