Monthly Archives: October 2001

Semester at Sea Part VIII: India

19 Friday Oct 2001

Posted by in India, Semester at Sea 2001

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This is my last day in India. I’m in Madras (or Chennai depending on your perspective) after having
just spent the last four days in Delhi, Jaipur, and Agra.

India is…….holy shit…..can’t find the words to describe it, but that actually sums it up pretty well.


Christina, If you’re reading this, I have much admiration of your spirit for having lived here. Now I understand why it changed you the way it did.


Well, here goes. The flight to Delhi was smooth, despite the fact that many students were nervous as hell getting on the plane. The fact was, the security at the airport was tighter than I’ve ever experienced before. We were x-rayed, frisked, searched, battery removed, frisked a couple more times, then x-rayed again for a good measure. Wow!


On arrival in Delhi we transferred to the hotel. My experience thus far had been from the windows of a bus, first on my way to the airport in Chennai. It was hot. Unlike any heat before, this heat was body permeating, it invaded your soul like a hot hot treacle, except that you’ve gotta add flies, mosquitoes and a lot of dirt into the mix. Then you’ve got to add air pollution because I don’t think I inhaled a single atom of oxygen on the way to the airport – my body has miraculously adapted to respiring on pure car/motorized rickshaw/bus/more buses/cow and camel gas/elephant dung/sewage methane gases to survive. Then there is the visual experience. People, people everywhere – sleeping on the streets, peeing in the streets, kids naked in the streets, living on the streets, in the road, on bikes, everywhere. And then there’s the cows. Traffic drives around the cows, as they are sacred. They seem to be free roaming intermixed with city life – a sight so common I’m just used to it. There is trash everywhere, and buildings in mass disrepair. And then the smells. I’ve never known a country to have a more distinct odor. It varies between shit smell to sewage smell, to body odor smell, to exhaust fume smell, and sometimes, if you’re very lucky – you get a combination of the above simultaneously. Noise? Very loud in the city – mostly traffic. In the rural areas (we drove for over eight long long hours to Jaipur from Delhi) it can be pretty peaceful, just the mooing of cows and the snorting of camels to be heard.


So, I hope this gives you an idea of the ambiance of India. Madras was slightly more intense than Delhi – but it gives you the gist of things. To contrast this experience, we were greeted at our Delhi hotel with wreaths of carnations and a welcome cocktail. The hotel lobby was made entirely of marble with fountains and plush furniture. Kinda weird to step into another world that you can buy with money, if you have it….


We had a 4 am wake up call to catch our train to Agra. The station was unreal – rats everywhere, an entire settlement of homeless people living in the station. At the same time, the train was extremely decent, although slow, and I fell asleep almost instantly. We drove to the famed Taj Mahal upon arrival. Nothing prepared me for this incredible sight. We approached the white building from a red sandstone archway, and it reminded me of the feeling I had when I viewed the Grand Canyon for the first time. It literally took my breath away. The entire structure is immense in proportion and has a 100% symmetrical architectural
design. Inside lay the tombs of the last Mughal Emperor and his wife, for whom he built the Taj as a symbol of his eternal love…


Agra is predominantly a Muslim population, so there were not many women on the street, and if there were, they were accompanied by men. As such, I gained almost superstar status – every guy that saw me wanted a photo of him with me. So I kindly obliged the first 10 requests until it was just getting ridiculous. I got a glimpse of what fame is like, and it wasn’t very pleasant, despite the flattery.


Next we drove to Fakih Sirrar – the ancient capital of India – where, incidentally, they filmed the movie Octopussy – you know, James Bond. It is now an abandoned set of ruins, but very beautiful and interesting at the same time. Seven long, hot and sticky hours later we arrived in Jaipur and collapsed in a heap at the hotel before dinner and a dance performance with fire-breathing acts. The drive was a great insight into rural India – I saw many villages and farms with women carrying water on their heads, kids running alongside the road waving at the bus and crying out for food, and of course, more cows and camels. The countryside is beautiful and very green.

Jaipur was magical. The following day we rose at dawn to ride an elephant to the top of Amber Fort, in the middle of the beautiful Rajikstan desert hills. The experience was unforgettable – I even got my photo taken on top of an elephants’ head!! The view of the “pink city” (so called because the majority of buildings are pink in color, and because the land is pinkish) was spectacular. We also visited a carpet making factory and a Jewellery factory. Yes, I gave in and bought a few precious stones – but they were ridiculously good value. I got very upset at this one historic sight, where I found 4 puppies trapped in this 2 by 2 corridor of a fort surrounded by barbed wire. They were starving and so weak from dehydration they couldn’t move their heads and just lay there whimpering waiting to die….. it was horrible. Of course, seeing the hungry children everywhere we went was highly disturbing, and constantly in my mind is the question of whether to give or not? Does it simply reinforce the begging, or does it really help?


I ended up giving away all of my food.


My other highlight was taking the sleeper train back to Delhi. It was an experience to sleep as you watched the Indian Countryside flash by your window…. Also, of interest – Colin Powell was in Delhi at the same time as us, and we called the US embassy to ask if we could meet with him. We were informed that he had been “evacuated” from the city. WTF??


We also visited the Gandhi museum and walked around the garden where he was assassinated in 1949. I bought his biography at the airport – its fascinating.


Ok – I better go – I’m sorry this letter was SO long, hopefully you enjoyed reading it. I’m about to go shopping for a while, and then maybe head to the beach for a horse back ride. Back on the ship at 9pm and we’re sailing for Kenya tomorrow….

Please please stay in touch and let me know how you are all doing!

Semester at Sea Part VII: Singapore & The Indian Ocean

13 Saturday Oct 2001

Posted by in Semester at Sea 2001, Singapore

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Well, we’re on our way to Madras in India after four great days in Singapore, marred only by the disturbing news of the US attack on Afghanistan. Once again, I am feeling the frustration of being so far removed from “reality”, unable to stay informed or updated on the latest developments. Any emails that briefly cover major events would be greatly appreciated from you guys. I am trying hard to reach a balance in terms of my feelings, because if I dwell too much on these disturbing events, I can’t cope with my pending exams, or even enjoy my time spent in port. My thoughts are as ever with you all during this time.

I wanted to give you guys an update now, because it is unlikely that I’ll get to an Internet cafe whilst in India. I will be flying to Delhi and then visiting Jaipur – the “pink city”, followed by the Taj Mahal, Amber, Agra and New Delhi itself. The US State department issued a worldwide caution for all US citizens traveling in India, and as such, Semester at Sea gave students the opportunity of canceling their trips to North India for a full refund to stay in Chennai. Over half of the students have cancelled their plans, but I didn’t give going a second thought. I am actually pretty sick of listening to students whining about risks to their personal safety. I understand their concern, but at the same time, I believe that we need to embrace this opportunity to visit a country where we may potentially come into contact with people who are having strong negative feelings about the US, and perhaps through our example and our humanity we can leave a positive impression. Last night, the ship had a community meeting to discuss the war in Afghanistan, and I was so tired of the selfish attitudes in the room, that I was moved to go up to the microphone and express my feelings about the conflict. I got extremely emotional, encouraging the students not to be scared, but to open our hearts and minds to learning, listening and experiencing India and the people that live there, even if we encounter hostility. I feel so grateful for such an opportunity.

At this point, you may know about our altered itinerary. From India, we will be sailing to Mombassa in Kenya, Cape Town, South Africa, Salvador in Brazil, Havana in Cuba and then back to Miami. I look forward to giving you updates from all future ports of call.


My last two days in Vietnam were incredible. I took a two hour cyclo (bicycle cart) tour in Hanoi which took us to a residential area of Hanoi that was away from the maddening noise of the city. We watched children play in the street and people preparing meals outside their homes. My last day in Saigon, I traveled to the Mekong Delta, where we visited a village and interacted with the local people. They fed us wonderfully exotic fruits and let us play with the children. We took a canoe ride through the jungle and drank from coconuts. It was hard to believe that this area was where a great deal of fighting was taking place in South Vietnam during the war. That evening, I visited the War Memorial Museum in Saigon and saw some horrifying exhibits of the Vietnam Conflict, as told from the Vietnamese perspective. I saw photos of American soldiers holding up shredded bodies of civilians as if they were trophies, and photos of massacres of women and children. There was a display dedicated to the chemical agent “orange” which the US Army used to wipe out vast areas of vegetation to clear the way for fighting. This chemical agent produced severe birth defects in future generations, there were even aborted Siamese twins and deformed babies on display in glass jars. It was a gut wrenching sight. I bought several books about the Vietnam conflict, and have been reading them voraciously. There is so much information that I have been ignorant about all these years, and in some way, it makes our current situation feel so much more real and frightening.

Singapore was vastly different to prior ports. I felt almost like I was back in the US – except that it was much warmer and only 1 degree north of the equator. For an island the size of Chicago, its hard to believe that Singapore is a country in its own right, but you can tell they are proud of being “different” to the rest of south east Asia. Much of the island has been very disneyfied – almost to try and convince the citizens of Singapore that they’ve found Utopia. On my first day, I visited Changi Prison, which was a prisoner of war camp during the Japanese Occupation of Singapore during the second world war. The Japanese invaded Singapore only a day after Pearl Harbor. Seeing the prison was a good contrast for me, especially after visiting Hiroshima. It made me remember how viciously cruel both fighting sides were to the “enemy” they were fighting. I don’t want to make this email entirely gruesome, so I’ll leave out the description. I took a Night Safari at the Singapore Zoo, which was again, very Disney – but well worth the visit. The highlight was the Bat enclosure, where I had flying Fox Bats soaring over my head with a 4-6 foot wingspan. Amazing.


The highlight of my time in Singapore would have to be the day I spent on a small island north of Singapore called Pulau Ubin. It’s a fishing/farming island with only a several hundred inhabitants, and it is covered with lush green rain forest and beautiful beaches. I went with a group of friends, including faculty, by boat to the Island and we rented bicycles for the day. We cycled around the entire island, stopping for the local dish of Pepper Crab which was spicy and delicious. The weather was Hot, Hot, Hot – a pattern I believe will predominate for the remainder of the voyage – and then I’ll come home to snowy Colorado!! My last day was spent on Sentosa Island – which is like a recreational retreat for Singaporeans, – it has the southernmost tip in Asia, an aquarium, observation tower and various other themed attractions. My favorite were the musical water fountain shows at night, together with classical music. I also did a little shopping, although Singapore is very expensive, I went to Little India (just in case they cancelled our port there altogether) and Arab street. Oh! I almost forgot – I went for “High Tea” at the famous British Colonial Raffles Hotel. It was completely decadent – I ate Cream scones with strawberrys, rare fruits, cakes, sandwiches, salmon and lots of English tea. It was a real treat, and the hotel itself was beautiful. Many movies have been filmed here.

Back on the boat – I’ve really hit crunch time academically. I am in the middle of taking mid terms for three of my classes, in fact, I’m struggling to stay awake right now, because I pulled an all-nighter yesterday studying for my Geology Class. Whoever said classes on Semester at Sea were easy were kidding. I have one more exam in the morning, which I should be studying for now, but I really wanted to write this letter first, so oh, well! Life on the ship has gotten a lot more natural. Tuesday was hell because we were given a field trip list for the remainder of our voyage, and then told we had to make decisions by 6pm! I decided to take a safari of Tsavo and Amboselli in Kenya, a day visiting Townships in Cape Town, with a 2 day venture into the mountains, and I left Brazil and Cuba open for independent travel. Many signed up to go to the Amazon – but it was over a 7 hour flight just to get there – and it was over a $1000! Besides, if I ever go, I would rather not do it with a huge group of loud students. I have been making some good friends finally on the boat. One of them happens to be the Philosophy professor – an Orthodox Jew from New York, who is absolutely hilarious to be around. Also a Resident Director, Alison. She is extremely cool, studying for her PhD in Cultural Studies at UNC, Chapel Hill, and a political activist for Amnesty International. She has incredible insights into this world, and I’m thoroughly enjoying getting to know her. We’ve agreed to travel together when we get to Brazil.

Other than study, I’ve been trying to get back into shape after having truly pigged out for over a month on the amazing food on the ship. I’ve been taking conditioning and kickboxing classes on the ship – and trying to swim in the pool. We’ve also had some great social events, including a Las Vegas Evening, where I got to perform a song. It was really fun.


Anyway, I really better go study. I’m sorry this letter was so long – I hope I haven’t bored you to death.


Will write again after India. I should have some photos posted online soon – so keep watch! Love you all.


Anita

Somewhere in the Indian Ocean, SS Universe Explore.

Semester at Sea Part VI: Vietnam

02 Tuesday Oct 2001

Posted by in Semester at Sea 2001, Vietnam

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Greetings from Hanoi, in North Vietnam!!

So, We arrived in Saigon (Ho Chi Minh city) 3 days ago and then I flew to Hanoi the next day. This country is beyond words.

The end of my stay in Beijing was very memorable. We visited the Forbidden City on the last day, which was incredible. In the evening I saw an acrobatic show in a large theatre, and quite honestly, it was the most entertained I have been in my life. It was so good it brought tears to my eyes, and I was constantly cheering and ovating. The performance was just like a Cirque du Soleil – only better – and they even had little kids like 7 or 8 years old, doing contortions, and tumbling, plate spinning and balance acts. It was amazing, I almost felt like I was ready to go home, because nothing could possible beat that experience…

Except Vietnam did. I got up at dawn again to watch us enter Ho Chi Minh via the Saigon River. The river banks were scattered with stilt homes and rice paddies in the background as far as the eye could see. It was thundering pretty bad too, which added to the whole atmosphere. Arriving in Saigon – we visited the Reunification Palace, which is the state building that North Vietnamese tanks crashed through its gates on 30 April 1975, essentially ending the war and re-establishing a communist state. The two tanks there were on display. Saigon itself was completely insane – There are motorcycles EVERYWHERE!!!! – and no-one wears helmets, so there are about 30 fatalities a day. Its hard to watch, especially entire families with two babies all clutching on for dear life on a single bike. Obviously, crossing the street was quite an adventure in itself, Apparently, you just have to walk, and trust that the traffic will go around you!


You get the hang of it after a while….

The city was filthy and just as densely populated as I’ve ever seen. I was pretty sick, just getting over a head cold, so I didn’t stay out late. We paid about $3 for dinner, inc beer and then I headed back.

The following day we flew to Hanoi and then drove for 4 hours to the coastal region of Halong Bay. It was a quiet little tourist trap- where the female masseuses give oral sex and even offered it to me and a couple of my female friends – EWW?? We spent the evening drinking milk from Coconuts on the beach.

The following day we took a boat ride out in the bay. The scenery was incredible, If anyone has seen the movie Indochine – it was set here and I highly recommend seeing it. The islands are huge limestone cliffs jutting out of the sea which is emerald green. We visited the largest cave I’ve ever seen – and then had some time for swimming. We all dived from the second deck of the boat – it was crazy. We even swam like a 20 minute swim to a nearby island!! We then dined like kings on whole king crabs and shrimp. Definitely the highlight of my trip so far…

We are now back in Hanoi, which is slightly less hectic than Saigon, and very very French. There is beautiful french architecture and signs are in French also. I’m shopping right now, and then we have to travel back to the airport.