Jumped head first into South Africa

I left South Africa this morning (scheduled for last night), and am now on my way to Mauritius! The fog was too bad last night to leave the port, so the captain decided to wait until this morning to leave, and we’re now traveling around 23 knots (a little faster than normal) to make up lost time! My apologies ahead of time if this update is a little long…I have so much to share, as I absolutely fell in love with South Africa!

The first morning, I woke up at 4:45am to watch the ship pull into port and get my first glimpse of Africa. Although it didn’t get light enough to see my hand in front of me until around 6am, it was well worth the early waking! I stood staring at the southern coastline of Africa in absolute disbelief that we were actually about to set foot in Africa. As soon as the ship had cleared customs, we raced off the ship to the V&A Waterfront. One of my friends realized that we needed khaki pants for our safari, so we looked for some in a mall at the port. We ate lunch at a fish and chips place outside where we spent a majority of the meal people watching!

That afternoon I had a township visit, organized through SAS. I’m not sure my description of this experience will do it any justice, but I’ll do my best. On our 30-minute bus ride to the township, I was amazed by the niceness, cleanliness, and beauty of the homes, shops, and land. As if we hit a brick wall, the drastic change from rich to poor, new to old, well maintained to run down, and white to black (note that this is factual, not racist) overwhelmed me. The houses, no bigger than what I think of as a normal size bathroom, were crammed together, row after row and we learned that 1.2 million people lived in this township. The shacks were made of cardboard, wood scraps, or pieces of rusted metal and most had fragments of tin weighted down by cement blocks or bricks for their roof. Barefoot children wandered around aimlessly and many stopped and stared as our coach bus passed through. We first stopped at a school, where children flocked us for money, food, or to have their picture taken. I willingly offered the last option, and spent nearly an hour taking children’s pictures just so they could see themselves in my digital camera…such simple pleasures. We then stopped at a weaving center and Vicky’s Bed and Breakfast (literally a bedroom that visitors can rent out for $5 per night) to meet the people. We visited another B&B where the owner had prepared tea and biscuits for all 30 of us. The people were all very welcoming, ready to share their stories, and wanting us to understand the effects of the Apartheid in South Africa. As we were leaving and passing the endless rows of these torn apart shacks, I couldn’t help but realize that I’m not even capable of imagining what life is like for people who live here – it’s beyond my scope of understanding.

At 3:15am, it was time to leave the ship for our Safari adventure. After a 2 hour flight and a 6 hour bus ride, we finally arrived at Kruger National Park around 3pm. On our way to our campsite, we saw a group of around 10 elephants and then a family of giraffe – what a start! We arrived at our campsite of 30 2-person tents and got ourselves situated in the tents. Our first game drive was from 4-6:30 that night, so we quickly piled into 9-person open aired jeeps to begin our true safari adventures. On the first drive, we saw hundreds of impala, 2 huge groups of elephants, zebra, giraffe, and most impressively a black rhino. Our tour guide said he has been doing game drives like this for just over 3 years, and this was only his third time to see a black rhino! Our group was the only jeep to spot it, so we were obviously excited to have had such good luck right off the bat. Once the sun set, we went back to our camp site for the most delicious dinner ever (plus we hadn’t eaten anything since about 10am). We had all campfire cooked food…chicken kabobs, creamed corn in squash, salad, and baked potatoes with some type of butter or cream sauce. When dinner was over at 8pm, it was already dark our and no one had any idea what to do! Some people had brought cards, so we played a few games of spades until our favorite guide Johnny came and taught us some of his favorite card tricks…be prepared for my return – I’m becoming quite the card player! Haha.

After sleeping/dripping sweat all night long, we were awoken at 4am for our morning game drive. We left at sunrise, but were stopped quickly when we had to wait for a herd of elephants to cross the path directly in front of our jeep. For some reason, upon seeing them so close up and realizing how social of animals they are, I fell in love with elephants at this moment! Throughout the rest of the safari, seeing elephants became “routine” to most people, but I got really excited every single time! At this point, we had only seen 3 of the big 5 (elephants and rhino) and were determined to find the other 3 (buffalo, leopard, and lion). We quickly found a single water buffalo and learned that he must have been an old male, outcast from the group, because water buffalo typically travel in groups of around 100. Poor buffalo! Right after finding this buffalo, Johnny got a radio call that sounded urgent and he sped off with an obvious purpose. Since the guides spoke a language we couldn’t understand, we were all really excited to find out what we were chasing! We finally got there and learned that there was a female lion that had been spotted sleeping in the grass (lion’s are really hard to find because they are the same color as the grass and sleep all day long lying down). All of the jeeps waited for about 30 minutes and then most groups left, but ours was determined to get a better look at the lion! About 5 minutes later, it slowly stood up and started walking backwards. Then, out of nowhere, a whole family – two females, a male, and a baby crept out from behind the trees and walked away from us. They were shorter than the long grass, so they were still difficult to see, but the excitement in our jeep upon seeing them was unbelievable!

Last mission – leopards. We learned that Kruger National Park is 20,000 square kilometers and there are only around 200 – 300 leopards in the entire park (as opposed to 13,000 elephants), so we shouldn’t get our hopes up. We ventured on looking at elephants, giraffe, zebra, etc until finally our guide halted to a stop. He had spotted a leopard sleeping in the grass far off the road…so we can at least say we saw a leopard. It’s definitely our most iffy spotting, but a sleeping animal in the grass is better than no animal at all! After our lunch and attempted nap time (failed due to excessive heat and sweating), we were ready for our afternoon game drive. Our wonderful guide Johnny took us around, and we saw a lot of the same animals that we had seen the afternoon before, plus some cool birds, a turtle crossing the road, and a dying snake that wrapped himself around his neck to end his misery (very bizarre to watch). Johnny made a deal with the 9 of us in his jeep for the next morning. If we left right at 5am, he would take us to a spot with hippos and crocs that no one else in our group would get to see (it would take about 4 hours total and our morning drives are only supposed to be 2 ½ hours). We all excitedly agreed and couldn’t wait for the next morning! That night, we played some more cards and then found some other SAS kids staying in bungalows right near our campsite. Since they had air conditioning and I had not stopped sweating for the past 2 days, 5 of us went over there to hang out for a few hours before bed – it was a much needed relief from the heat! On my way back to my tent (in the pitch black), I fell into a huge hole and bruised up my shin pretty badly, but that’s what I get for only bringing a tiny flashlight with me on a safari J

The next morning, our game drive was incredible. We drove an hour and a half to a water hole where we saw hippos and crocs – just as promised! We only saw the tops of the hippos heads because we were told that the intense sun cracks their skin, but at least we could say we saw them! On the long drive back to our camp, most people slept, but I was too fascinated by the beautiful scenery to fall asleep. I realized something that sounds very strange – I knew I was in Africa by the trees. Yes, the animals were a pretty good giveaway, but what really struck me was the tangled, twisted, and sun beaten trees. It was like a scene out of the Lion King or a postcard of Africa. I’ll have to send you all a picture sometime for this to really make sense, but the trees were so different than trees I’ve ever seen before. Upon our return to the campsite, it was time to pack up and leave for the airport!

We learned an odd lesson about international travel –they do things really differently from the US. The flight was overbooked, so they randomly selected people to be bumped instead of asking for volunteers…luckily I wasn’t bumped, but the friends I was traveling were! Regardless, we all got home late at night (they got a flight an hour after mine), and crashed right away from exhaustion! Despite complete exhaustion from the safari, we woke up early to climb Table Mountain the next day. Most people decided to take a cable car up, but 5 of us were determined to hike it – how hard could it really be? Ha – joke’s on us – it was really really hard! 3 hours later, we all made it to the top, covered in sweat, hardly able to stand, and near tears, yet we all were so proud of ourselves for making it. If there had been an escape route at any point, I probably would have taken it, but thank goodness there wasn’t because I was forced to make it up on my own! We opted to take the cable car down, and got a beautiful view of the entire city of Cape Town. Up until this point, I wasn’t convinced that Cape Town ranked amongst the top most beautiful cities in the world, but from this incredible view – my mind was instantly changed.

That afternoon, we tried to go to Robben Island to see Nelson Mandela’s jail cell, but the fairies were all shut down due to “rough sees” and we could not get tickets for the next morning. We did get to see the museum, which provided lots of good historical information, but I was certainly bummed to miss out of something I had really been looking forwards to! Instead, we looked around the craft market, where I bought some really exciting things including a beautiful elephant canvas painting (I’m collecting art from every port and since I fell in love with elephants on the safari – this was too hard to pass up). Earlier in the day, I had made reservations at a restaurant called “Moyo,” which was supposed to be a traditional South African restaurant in a tree house. When we got there, we didn’t see the tree house at all, but rather an open air, tented restaurant and were disappointed. Somehow, when I gave my name for the reservation, they led us down a small path to the back, up 2 flights of stairs, and onto a small landing in a tree with a table set for 10. Don’t ask me how we got such a special table, but it turned out to be such a great night. We got our faces painted, saw drum performances, enjoyed a complementary wine tasting, ate at a beautiful buffet, and left 4 hours later – satisfied as could be! I met some local South Africans at the restaurant who said there is a new place on Long Street (the main strip) that attracts all the students of the University of Cape Town, and he said we should go there to get a better flavor of college life in SA. We were definitely the only Americans there, but all felt completely welcomed and comfortable. I met several really nice college students, and wished we could stay in Cape Town to hang out with them more!

The next day, I spent a majority of the day in bed sick, so I’ll refrain from recounting the details there! But, so many of my friends have said to me “Lindsey, how are you so unlucky to get sick after ever port?” I usually just say “Oh, it’s no big deal,” but I’m tempted to answer….”Unlucky? What part of me is unlucky? A better question is how am I so LUCKY to get to go to all these ports and have the most incredible experiences while I’m there?”

Brigada for letting me go to Brazil

Brazil has come and gone, and I can’t even believe it! It’s a strange sense of finality to leave a country, after anticipating my arrival for so long, knowing I’ll more than likely never return. But besides having to leave – I fell in love with Brazil!

When I got off the ship Tuesday morning, it was the last day of Carnival in Salvador de Bahia, and I was immediately overwhelmed by the beginnings of the biggest day of celebration in the world. I was greeted by a traditional African woman who tied a friendship bracelet on my wrist, and used my first word of Portuguese (Brigada meaning thank you). We headed into the Mercado Modella, a flea market located at the bottom the cities elevator. The local handicrafts were incredible – intricate woodcarvings, beautiful jewelry, handmade hammocks, and more. The city is divided into two levels, and a huge elevator, several stories high, connects the lower level with Pellherino, the upper level. Walking the streets of the upper level was incredible – 3 year old girls begging for money, young boys tugging at your arm to sell you a beer, and drunk men whistling at every passing female.

Around 4 o’clock in the afternoon, Carnival really picked up. Groups of 200 people or so dressed in matching costumes or t-shirts and mounted giant floats to represent their Samba school. I can’t even explain the night to you, but my best summary is just to say it was the biggest festival/celebration/party I have ever seen. Apparently 3 million people were in Bahia (Salvador) for the night, the streets were crowded with dancing, singing, music, costumes, spray foam, and chaos. Once you were there, there was no “taking a break” – the entire city was consumed by and involved in the festivities – children, men, women, elderly, babies, locals, and visitors all alike. A truly unique but phenomenal experience!

That night (at 2:30am), my series of connecting flights left for Manaus (Amazon). I experienced my first real barrier when a women thought I was sitting in her seat, and we had no common language with which to communicate. I’m not used to feeling like such an outsider, but it was eye-opening to feel so helpless. Our boat was for 30-people, and much simpler than I expected – a small open area on the bottom (used for eating), and another open area on the top (for sleeping in hammocks). The first day, we took canoes out to look at massive lily pads (with alligators sleeping on them), went piranha fishing, and caught Caymans (a type of alligator). Unfortunately our canoe (6 people) didn’t catch any piranhas, but it was fun to learn how to slap the water with a reed to attract them! I think the highlight of that day was getting to hold a Cayman that we caught! For those of you who don’t believe me – I have a picture as proof!

The second day, I was awoken in my hammock around 5:30 by the rising sun and chirping birds – incredible! Breakfast each morning was bread, watermelon, papaya, and watermelon – perfect for me! We started the morning with a canoe ride into the Flooded Forrest, an area that rises and falls 23 feet every year between rainy and dry season. It felt very much like what I expected from the Amazon, steering between branches, lily pads, and other plants. We then took a 6-hour jungle hike into the forest and learned about medicinal uses of plants, such as an insect repellent, “cure for diabetes”…hmmm, and headache reliever. I thought we’d see a bunch of animals, but apparently the Amazon doesn’t have too many animals! Upon returning to our boat, we were told we could jump into the water and swim. The water was filthy dirty, but we were told that it was completely safe – no animals or anything! Down the bank a bit, we saw some local children in the water – washing their clothes, showering, and brushing their teeth. Since there was no shower on the boat and the idea of not showering for 4 days did us all in, we decided to “do as the Amazonians do” and we proceeded to jump in with bottles of shampoo and body wash for a refreshing shower. I’m not sure if we came out cleaner or dirtier, but we all felt a lot better! At night, we had a barbeque and beach party with some of the locals from a nearby tribe. They showed us their music, style of dance, and ways of festivities. Another night of sleeping in a hammock under the stars (I thought the Amazon would be hot the whole time, but I had to use my damp towel as a blanket to stay as warm as possible).

The third and last day of the Amazon started with a hike up to a remote Indian village. They were not expecting us, and we had no way to alert them of our arrival besides just walking up, so after their initial shock, they were incredibly welcoming and warm. Around 140 people lived in the village that consisted of a large hut for sleeping and some smaller huts with specific functions (wash tub, food storage, etc). The most fascinating part for me to see was the children – and not just the fact that they were adorable. What really stood out as different was their freedom, independence, and self-sufficiency. A few kids ran up to us, grabbed our hand, and ran through the woods to a field where they showed us they were playing soccer with a coconut. Their parents never asked what they were doing, where they were going, or why they were with strangers. Can you imagine in the US letting your kids run off through the woods with some foreigners and not thinking twice? After another canoe ride through a different part of the jungle, we visited another village. When we approached their land, our first observation was the lack of clothing. Men wore fabric speedo-looking things, women wore hula skirts and no tops, and a majority of the children were unclothed. They showed us their ceremonial dance and then took pictures with us. The women showed no notice that they were topless and we were fully clothed, yet all of the Semester at Sea kids (especially males) clearly looked nervous hugging topless women – different cultural expectations.

I fell in love with a precious little girl – maybe 4 years old. She spoke no English, Spanish, or Portuguese, and I didn’t know a single word of her native language. I approached her and said “Hi”, but with no response. Finally, upon almost giving up on communicating with her, I laughed and went to stand up. She laughed back, so I mimicked her and laughed once again. Within seconds, we were hugging, laughing, smiling, and playing. I threw her up in the air a bit and said “Boom”. She jumped up into my arms and repeated “boooooooom.” I don’t think I’ll ever forget the feeling of communicating without a single shared word. I contemplated kidnapping her but decided her village might not appreciate that…..

Although I’m still relatively sick from drinking the Amazonian water, I figure a visit to the doctor tonight should help that, and I cannot explain how glad I am that I’ve been to Brazil and the Amazon River. Brazilians in general seemed warm, friendly, curious, and jovial. It’s scorching hot there, a majority of the people I met lived far below the poverty level, many Brazilians work unbelievable hours for little pay, and yet – despite all this – I saw more smiles, received more hugs, and danced to music more than I could ever conceive in the US.
Now I’m back on the ship for 8 days until South Africa. Tonight is a “party animal” social, and we’re all supposed to dress up like animals. Since costumes in the middle of the ocean are limited, I’m going to be a flamingo with black leggings and a pink beach cover up! Tomorrow is a day called Neptune Day (no classes!) that celebrates crossing the Equator (even though that was a week ago). It is a tradition for everyone to shave their head and have fish guts poured over their now bald head. Despite strong temptations to partake in this incredible fun, I think I’ll stay a spectator J Sorry for the length of this email – I just have so much I like to share! Hope all is well in the US – keep me updated! I miss you all so much!

Found a note in Puerto Rico

Hello from the middle of the ocean! We left Puerto Rico on Monday and we’ll be arriving in Brazil the day after tomorrow, so I figured it’s about time for an update on all the activities from Puerto Rico.

First, a little update on the ship…it’s absolutely wonderful! I wasn’t too sure how I’d adjust to life on a ship, but I’ve fallen in love with everything about it! I have a great roommate named Christy from Pittsburgh, who is as sweet and considerate as could be – we’re getting along phenomenally! With SUCH limited Internet, and no tv/video games/etc, I’ve spent a lot of time outside, from lying out to eating on the deck to sitting around talking with friends or playing games (I’ve learned sooo many new card games already as that seems to be the primary source of entertainment). Sometimes I just get lost looking off the side of the ship, staring at the horizon or watching the beautiful sunsets... I feel so spoiled! The food is very mediocre, but it’s really the least of my concerns…a little diet certainly won’t hurt! My classes are all really interesting so far: Human Unity and Diversity, Intro to Music Therapy, History through Memoirs, and Global Studies. I’ve made some great friends already, and the students, faculty, staff, and crew all seem to be absolutely wonderful!

On to Puerto Rico…I wasn’t even expecting it to be a favorite, but I had the best time there! We arrived on Saturday, and immediately got a group of 17 people to go to El Yunque rainforest. We saw 2 amazing waterfalls and swam in one of them (albeit freezing!). The highlight of that day was finding a not mom and dad had left for me when they were in Puerto Rico 2 months ago. It was on a small gum box and they told me exactly where they left it – I was SHOCKED to actually find it there, but extremely happy! The sounds of the birds, coqui frogs, and moving water were enough to relax us all. On our way back, we found a “chicken on a stick” stand….live chickens walking around while they served grilled chick on a stick…hmm! I was terrified of it, but convinced that it is a very typical and authentic Puerto Rican snack.

The second day highlight was the bioluminescent bay trip! Mom and Dad convinced me to do it, and I’m so so glad I did! I didn’t get it through SAS, so I found a group of 7 other kids to go with me. We took a 12 person boat through the canals as our tour guide pointed our iguanas, water bats, constellations, flying fish, and more! When we got into the bay, our tour guide let us swim, and I can’t explain what a surreal feeling it is to move and see glowing bubbles radiate off your skin. My best comparison is that it looked like an outline of glowing sparking cider every time we moved.

The last day we went to Kmart (to stock up on some granola bars, sunscreen, games, etc) and then sat on the edge of a cliff that overlooked the shore and reflected on our amazing time in Puerto Rico. In one class of mine, students complained that everyone in Puerto Rico spoke English, ate American food, and lacked a unique culture. However, the people I traveled with had a completely different experience, and I’m so glad for that! We ate at all local restaurants where no one spoke English and we had to point to order, saw housing arrangements out of San Juan, and spoke to many local people around the city.

We’ve been at sea for almost 7 days, so I’m VERY anxious to get to Brazil. Tonight I’ll be spending the night on the deck of the ship so I’ll wake up to the beautiful horizon of Brazil…I’m so excited for Carnival and my Amazon adventures….I hope everything back at home is going well! I miss all of you greatly, and would love updates from you too! Mom and Dad – I can’t thank you enough for this incredible opportunity – no doubt the best of my life!