Category Archives: Asia

Semester at Sea Part IX: The Seychelles & Neptune Day

06 Tuesday Nov 2001

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Anyway, I thought that it was time for an update after my very brief email from the Seychelles. Needless to say my time there was incredible. The first day was a nightmare both for us and for the islanders who suddenly had to deal with what was essentially 10% of their population descending on their homeland all at the same time. To make matters worse we were a) – American (only 1000 North Americans visit the Seychelles per year!), b) – college students (I don’t think the Seychelles is your typical Spring Break, Let’s go party and be wild destination)and finally c) – half of these college students being bald. (Neptune day shenanigans – will explain more later….) Anyway, there were semester at sea students EVERYWHERE and it was complete madness. I got off the ship with a friend of mine and headed for a ferry terminal to go to another island, only to be told that all the ferries were full. So we decided to head to the coast and go snorkeling. What we found on the north coast of Mahe was a re-enactment of Spring Break, with students frolicking, loving the whole topless beach scene, and generally making a lot of commotion.

At this point, I was just thinking to myself – “get me out of here” – The Seychelles is supposed to conjure up images of secluded beaches with white sand, nothing to hear but the sound of the surf, right? I therefore proceeded to spend the next two hours on the phone with travel agents, airlines and hotels before I finally found a room on Le Cerf Island for 3 people, and was guaranteed that the island was very secluded and unpopulated. I signed up and promptly dragged a couple of as yet homeless students off of the beach and headed for the marina. By the way, I have to mention that the Seychelles is not the kind of place where things get done “in a hurry”; these people are on island time, baby. I had issues with the telephone, then issues with getting a cab – I was told that you can’t hail cabs, you can’t call cabs, you just have to wander, and then maybe you’ll be lucky enough to have one pull over for you. OK. We did eventually find a cab and made it just in time for the boat to Le Cerf.

It was everything I had imagined, a beautiful little white cottage with gardens, a pool overlooking the cove and sandy beach. Le cerf was also located in one of the marine national parks and so it was supposed to have great snorkeling opportunities. I spent the next two days relaxing, (I even sunbathed naked at one point on a deserted beach – I swear there was no-one there!!) and went out on a few scuba trips. Our guide was French and very sexy. He took us out to numerous coral reefs and I saw a variety of amazing tropical fish, stingrays, eels, sea horses, turtles and coral. The water really is as clear as they show on documentaries – I could see for at least 100 ft down. We even ventured out to some deeper areas of water and that’s where I observed some reef sharks ominously circling below me. That was an incredible experience that I’ll never forget. We also saw an entire school of eagle rays, each one measuring about 3 feet in diameter – they were magnificent.

So, that was my time in the Seychelles. I was still sad we didn’t go to Kenya, but I was comforted by the fact that I was one of the lucky few that had already been.

I don’t want this email to be too long so I’ll just cover a few more articles of news. Yes, I did shave my head on the 24th of October. It was the day we crossed the equator, and about 150 of the students did it. Apparently it is British Naval tradition to shave one’s head the first time one crosses the equator on a boat. I had been toying with the idea ever since our itinerary change, and I have to say that it was extremely nerve racking. However, this voyage has taught me to see past social and cultural boundaries, and I could think of no better physical expression of that, and the personal journey I have undertaken, than parting with my precious curls. It was one of the hardest things I’ve ever done, and I just had to keep reassuring myself – it will grow back, it will grow back. Why is hair so important to me anyway – I kept asking? Why does it represent so much of who I am? (I know, I may be getting a little philosophical here) That day was really hard to understand, it was complete madness on the ship. We started the day with being “anointed” for the head-shaving ritual by being doused in fish guts before diving into the pool and getting fire-hosed down. It was the most grotesque smell- I can’t describe how vile it was. A friend of mine shaved my head, and I had decided to shave it to a ¼ inch, but she forgot to put the guard on the clipper and so took an entire chunk off of the back of my head. Its funny now, but I can tell you it wasn’t then. It looked so bad; I just decided to shave the whole thing to the scalp. Anyway, I’ve gotten a lot of compliments on my new look, so I hope you’ll all be understanding when I get back….

So, that’s it. We should be arriving in Cape Town, South Africa early tomorrow morning, and believe me, many of us are more than ready to get off of this boat!! We’ve been sailing for 8 days, and other than crazy Halloween celebrations (I dressed as an African Witchdoctor) I’ve been studying and taking exams most of the week. It is easy to fill one’s day on the ship, but sometimes you are just seized with longing for a change of scene other than seven decks. I can’t complain though – I am being seized with pangs of distress at the thought that this voyage is nearly over! I can’t believe it – Japan feels like years ago!! Anyway, I hope you enjoy the photos, and this letter – apologies for the length.

I’ll write again probably from Cape Town.

PS – For those of you who don’t know, I have been accepted into the BFA Theatre Performance degree program at CU for the Spring!

Semester at Sea Part VIII: India

19 Friday Oct 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

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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

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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.


Semester at Sea Part V: Beijing, China

24 Monday Sep 2001

Posted by in China, Semester at Sea 2001

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Greetings!

Well, I’m writing this to you all from Tianneman Square in Beijing – I can’t believe I am here. The
square is the largest city square in the world – it took us over an hour to walk across it! They have lit
it all up at night, and people are flying kites, speed skating, drinking coffee and admiring the various
pavilions they have set up celebrating Beijing’s nomination for the 2008 Olympics. There are fountains,
lasers and ornate gardens. Quite magnificent.

Flew into Beijing from Hong Kong yesterday and visited the summer palace. I was pretty oblivious from
exhaustion at the end of the day, and collapsed in my room after having a 24 course Peking duck banquet
thrown in Semester at Sea’s honor at this palatial restaurant/thingy….Can’t describe it – I was a
little inebriated on the wine and beer. The food was spectacular.

Today was also exhausting – we visited the Great Wall of China. It was a good hour’s hike to the wall,
battling non-stop peddlers trying to sell “I climbed the wall” t-shirts. The weather was wonderful – not
too hot in the mid 60’s, but the mountains spread out for miles and were enveloped in a sea of mist. We
climbed on the wall itself for another mile or so and then came down on, wait for it, a toboggan!! yes, can
you believe it? They have a theme park ride at the great wall that you can descend for about $5!!

Spent the evening shopping – got a red silk dress that I’ve always wanted, ate dinner, took several
frightening trips in cabs where I feared for my life, and then came to Tiannamen square with Andy, the philosophy professor!

Will write more soon

Semester at Sea Part IV: Hong Kong

22 Saturday Sep 2001

Posted by in China, Semester at Sea 2001

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I hope this email finds you all safe and well. I’m in Hong Kong, in the strangest Internet cafe I think I’ll
ever experience!! For some reason, people come in here to play interactive video games, most of which
are dealing with warfare – so I’m sitting here writing to you all while I listen to what sounds like a war
zone all around me….Guns, tanks, missiles, screaming – It is most bizarre and hard to concentrate.

Well, we made it hear with quite an adventure – and yet ANOTHER typhoon!! – this one complete with
thunder, lightning, howling wind, crashing waves, and torrential rain. I was out on deck this morning at
5.30am watching us trying to battle our way into Hong Kong Harbor, fighting to stand upright, and watching the ocean light up every few seconds in a burst of lightning. It was an incredible sight – I can tell you. At this point, I’m so used to the movement of the boat, it feels weird to stand on land!

Luckily the weather cleared a little before our arrival – enough for me to take in the unbelievably
awesome skyline of Hong Kong. I’ve never seen anything like it in my life – Skyscrapers looking like
they’ve been built on top of other skyscrapers, buildings as far as the eye can see, all amassed and
compacted together in front of green peaks shrouded in mist and cloud.. Amazing. The weather is so humid it is like walking through a permanent shower – your clothes are always wet….

I’ve just returned from my city orientation which covered the historic and modern sections of the city.
I met a lot of English businessmen, whom I tried to stop and chat to – Most excused themselves as “too
busy” to talk to me, others looking at me like “you are a stranger, so why are you talking to me?” I’m
sorry to all of you who are still in the UK, but it gave me a bad feeling about people ‘back home’.
I was told that there are over 200 000 brits still working in Hong Kong, but that a vast majority left
and went back to the UK after the handover to China in 1997. Still, most people speak English here.

Walking around Hong Kong – I think I just gazed upward with an open jaw for most of the trip – the enormity of the structures are just boggling. The highlights for me were the colonial tea drinking museum, the St. Johns cathedral which the Japanese occupied in the 1930’s and transformed into a dance hall, and the antique markets where you could still buy opium snuff boxes and miniature portraits of the late General Mao.

We also took a Sampan ride through the harbor and got to see some of the Hong Kong ‘boat people” who live their entire lives on the water. That was almost in poor taste – I felt like some American who had come to gawk at the less fortunate… I didn’t take pictures of that.

Tonight, I intend to take a cable car up to Victoria Island for dinner, and take in the electric
views of Kowloon and Hong Kong Island. I’m leaving at 6.30am tomorrow for Beijing for 3 nights. I can’t
wait to visit the Great wall and the forbidden city… I will write again at the end of that trip..

By the way, there has been a change to our itinerary, but for security reasons, we are not ‘supposed’ to
tell our friends and family yet. Suffice to say that we are not going through the Suez canal, but will be
taking a southerly route around Africa. I’ll let you know the exact details when I get word..

Please let me know how you are all doing – I will do my best to reply to you on an individual basis as time
permits…

Love to you all.

Semester at Sea Part III: Japan

17 Monday Sep 2001

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This is my last day in Japan. We leave at 4. Its been an strange experience – mixed joy with
uncertainty over this world’s future, and the future of the US. I read the paper each day but still have been
unable to watch any news coverage. Please, if any of you have cable and a VCR – could you tape some
coverage for me so I can at lease have a record of what happened when I get back?

Things on the ship are quite sketchy right now. Some students seem unaffected, others are distraught –
especially those whose parents are in the military. We are going to be re-routed just no one knows where or when yet. I don’t think we’ll be travelling to Malaysia or India at this point, we’ll probaby head to
Africa or Australia. We are waiting to hear.

Other than that, Japan has been very memorable. The people here are warm and welcoming. Every Japanese person I’ve met, upon learning we’re from the US, has bowed and offered his or her consolation for what has happened. Despite the enormous language barrier – I have been touched by their grace and serenity. I have seen more temples and shrines than I can count – the most memorable of those in Kyoto, the ancient capital.
It was set in a hillside, with dense rainforest rising above it into mist and clouds, with the city in the
background and ornate 10th century buildings, whose size and magnitude took my breath away.

Other memories :getting caught in a downpour and drenched to the skin, gathering with Japanese and
other students under a bamboo roof, being served some hot sake with rice in a bowl, enjoying the view and distinct smells which made me so heightened and aware of being in a distant and unfamiliar place.

Yesterday was sobering. We visited the peace memorial museum in Hiroshima. I saw images which will stay in my mind’s eye forever. Last night was full of dreams. It was ever more poignant when I thought about how we might all be on the brink of war which will result in more death and suffering….

Anyway, I better go…I love you all and will write to you next from China…..