School from Africa to Mauritius:
Basically my week sucked. 7 days straight of school, 2 big tests, one quiz and 3 papers totaling over 21 pages. It sucked. Plus I was very homesick during this stretch. I had no time for anything and what time I did had I devoted to sleeping. Mauritius is definitely a spring break and going to be filled with snorkeling and relaxing.
My Mauritius nightmare:
I was truly looking forwards to this port. I had a bunch of awesome plans made and none of them went through. Originally I was going to do this underwater safari in a submarine but we had a storm hit Mauritius before we got there so the water was really rough so we had to slow down. People were getting really really sick. We arrived into port around 1200 and disembarked around 1300. Originally we were to get there at 0800 but because of the time change my safari got canceled. We got into port and we just walked around and enjoyed being on land. Mauritius looks really pretty coming in but it is very dirty and messy. We had to pay a dollar to get to and from the ship or walk 25-30 mins through a not too safe round about road. Mindy, Tyler, Greg and I all got a villa in Grand Bay which is on the north west side of the island. It was about a 30 min drive. There were a ton of sugar plantations along the road and the views of the ocean were amazing. We got into Grand Bay and had the cabbie drive us around until we found (number 3) a villa/hotel that wasn’t gross and filled with bugs or too small. Once we found it we dumped our stuff nad went to go get dinner at this little restaurant. Dinner wasn’t too bad, the waiter gave me the creeps but the food was ok. After that we went back to the villa cause we were all tired. There was only one room with air conditioning so we pulled the other mattress in and placed it on the floor. Mindy and I slept in one bed, and Tyler and Greg slept on the one on the floor. We stayed up talking and playing games, I crashed early though because I wasn’t feeling too well. We woke up around 930 – 1000 and got dressed and headed to the beach. We went to this little grocery store and bought some snacks for the beach and bought croissants for breakfast. Mauritius was first inhabited by the Portuguese, then the French so there is a huge French influence. I tried speaking French but they didn’t understand me which sucked, but I could read most things still, which is exciting. We headed to the beach which was only about 2 blocks away. It was a small beach but the water was very blue. Because of the recent cyclone (hurricane) the water was all turned up otherwise I guess you can see all the way to the bottom. Greg and I forgot towels so we went and looked for sea shells while Mindy and Tyler laid out. We found a whole bunch. Mindy came and joined us for a bit and she and I decided to take a walk around. We headed north and found huge sections where the coral had washed up from the recent storm. The beach got more and more beautiful as we walked around. It was incredible. The water was so blue and the sand was so white. Sometimes it was a bit shelly but we were ok. After about an hour of exploring we headed back to the main beach. The guys went out next to explore and mindy and I chilled in the sun. I went swimming some and enjoyed alone time. At one point mindy and I were laying out and we had just untied our tops so as to not get lines on our backs and a wave came up and hit the bottom of our towels and stole Gregs shoe and got our bags wet. It was hilarious cause as mindy and I were jumping up we realized are tops were undone so we were frantically trying to tie those while keep an eye on gregs shoe before it got too far out. A lady grabbed it for us and we moved all our stuff up farther. It was pretty funny. Go boobs! Lol no we were ok. The guys showed up after awhile and we went swimming. Mindy doesn’t really like salt water or sand so she chilled and watched our stuff. We all went for a late lunch then and got some Chinese. It wasn’t too bad. Greg is a beast. He can eat more than anyone I’ve seen and I know he’s restraining himself. After that we packed our stuff and headed back to Port Louis and the ship. We were going to go to Flic en Flaq, the beach most of the SASers went to but decided to save the money and just chill at the ship. It turned out to be a great and bad idea. Most the people who went to Flic en Flaq got robbed ( big stuff- at least 6 i-pods, a lab top, speakers, wallets, backpacks, clothes, toothbrushes ect. Anything and everything was taken. (ps. We were warned about this happening but they didn’t listen. The one photo I saw, the robbers bent the steal bars on a gate and crawled through. I wasn’t like they just walked in, they literally pried the steal gates apart.)) also everyone got super drunk and went skinny dipping. Now imagine at least 300 hundred drunk college kids naked in the sea… it was an orgy. Everyone made out with at least 6 people. A lot of people impaled their feet on coral which is super dangerous because of how infected it can get. The other big thing was a girl got raped by a local owner of one of the villas. They were all at the clubs and three girls left the bar because they were really feeling the alcohol. I guess the local guys who owned the villa followed them and had keys to break in and the girls were all too drunk to really know what was going on. The one who was raped was blacked out and she woke up to the guys rapping her and she and her other really drunk fiends all tried to shove him off. It’s really scary. I know she’s ok but she may be going home- her choice. I know all this because while staying away from Flic en Flaq was great, we ended up going out to idnner on the pier and I got food poisoning-maybe. I woke up around 3:30am with my stomach really hurting, I laid in bed for a bit but I guess my moaning woke my roommate up and she got me some water and pepto but it didn’t help, so she called the doctors and I was down in the infirmary from 4-7am. I’ve never been in more pain in my life. Breaking my arm was a piece of cake compared to what I went through. My stomach was convulsing so bad my back muscles were hurting. The nurse massaged my stomach some and gave me a stomach relaxer but I was honestly laying there on my side or back when I could screaming. I was crying so much and just screaming it hurt so much. They gave me more stomach relaxer and then finally gave me this shot of pain killer in my butt. That kept the spasms from coming but it was still a constant 5 on the scale. I’ve never hurt more in my life. Ever. I had to skip my catamaran trip because I couldn’t move come 8 am. I slept till 11 or so then tried to move about my room. By 1200 I went to go get a little soup broth and potato stuff. I did ok with that and after awhile I felt ok. By 1:30 I felt well enough to wander so I went to the pier. Ran into Justin so he and I wandered, shopped, talked to other SASers till about 6. I went to dinner with a few friends and got a sandwich. I did ok with that for a bit but then was back on board by 1930 because I wasn’t feeling too hot. Lied down and watch some tv and talked to a few people but that was about i. I didn’t even watch the ship sail away. I helped with signs for Sea Olympics and then went to bed.
Mauritius was ok. Don’t plan on coming back because what it offers is just the same as anything off the US coast. It was relaxing given my previous hell week but not worth the time or money.
Monday, March 19, 2007
Wednesday, February 21, 2007
Brazil in a huge nutshell
Brazil in a huge nutshell:
All these were written on the 20th so the details may be less than perfect (same with spelling and grammar. Sorry- too lazy to really care)
The day before we arrived in Salvador,
I had class and then at 8 we had a mandatory meeting. It was somewhat interesting. They just filled our heads with thoughts of murder, robbery and muggings. After the meeting Mindy, Tyler, Justin and I all hung out and played cards. It was one of the most relaxing experiences I’ve ever had. We just played simple cards and Justin played the guitar for us. It was really really nice.
We arrive in Brazil!!
Woke up this morning at 6 and watched the ship pull into port. It was beautiful watching the haze and sun hit the old church steeples. Mindy and Tyler were up so I took pictures with them. We went to breakfast and I showered then met for breakfast. After breakfast we went to meet the guest speaker in the Union. She works in the state department here and is the person to contact about lost passports and shit like that. The reason I’m explaining this is because in her first few minutes of talking she told us a story about Rio. How a woman stopped at a stoplight and was attacked. The guys took her car and as she was getting her 13 year old daughter and 6 year old son out of the car the boy got caught in the seatbelt and had the door slammed on his foot. The muggers than drove away and the boy was drug over a half a mile and died. Horrid I know. This is the story we got as we were about to disembark from the ship. Nice huh?
This girl Asta, Jeff and I went into Salvador then. We walked to the market which was about 3 blocks away. The street smelled like pee and there were people everywhere. The market was over flowing with paintings, clothes, knickknacks and anything else you could imagine. After wandering through there we walked across the street to the elevator. To get from the docks to the old section of the city you have to go up an elevator. You could walk but from what we’ve been told, the neighborhood outside of the dock area is the most dangerous in Salvador. The elevator is considered much safer and during carnival it is free. Once we got up there we watched some guys do candomble which is a form of dance preformed by the local African-Brazilians. It is actually a form of fighting but during colonization and slavery the Africans put music to it so they could still practice it without being found out. It’s very cool. We wandered to one of the main squares and shopped around. Jeff and I had lunch at a little restaurant while Asta made a phone call. It was so good. There was a ton of food though, we had a soft shell crab sauce with tomatoes and spice, on the side it came with sweet potato mash or something, potatoes and rice. It was amazing. After that we wandered around more and took pictures. Asta had brought her camera and recorder so Jeff and I played bodyguard and just had her take pictures of us. That way we could still get the pictures but there was less of chance of being robbed. Around 4 we headed back to the ship so we could shower and pack before we had to leave for Rio. Ate dinner quick and then we headed out to the bus. I think in all there were 38 of us. I road to the airport with Greg and the plane left at 8:30. The trip wasn’t bad, I got bitch middle but the flight was only 1 hour 40 min. once we got to Rio we took a bus to the hotel Rio Grande the hotel was on Copacabana beach. I roomed with this girl Jennifer Sears in room 1703. Our room overlooked the city and the beach. It was amazing. After we checked in her, Terron, Hilary and I went to the markets along the beach. We didn’t stay out long because we were all so tired but it was so nice out.
Rio de Janero is the most beautiful city. The city itself is 7 million people but the way the landscape is around it, it hides most of the city. It feels like you’re in a little city surrounded but these mini mountains. To move from section to section you have to drive under the mountains through these tunnels. After breakfast a group of ten of us went to Ipanema beach I hung out there. I of course forgot my bathing suit in Salvador so I wore my shorts and sports bra. So all the photos we took are ridiculous of me. We walked around a bit and shopped and just laid out in the sun. it was beautiful. We grabbed a cab back and regrouped with the mass at the hotel. From there the guide Jana (pronounced John-a) took us to famous restaurant, Mario’s, it was an all you can eat buffet of fresh fish, fruits, anything. I had an urchin. It was so weird. After that the servers brought us meat on these skewers. They came up to the plate with their skewers and shaved the meat right on to our plates. It was the most tender, amazing meat you’ve ever had. I don’t think I’ve ever eaten more in my life but it was completely worth it. At the end they served us this papaya ice cream with liquor and through peanuts on the floor with rose petals. We left there and drove over to another section of the city were we joined a bloco. A bloco is the local carnival; ours was called “what is this shit?” we got t-shirts that said that in Portuguese (side note: Portuguese is kinda like Spanish so if you know a little Spanish you can barely get by. I on the other hand know no Spanish and had a very difficult time with understanding people. The ship didn’t not have any pre port Portuguese language sessions so I was basically on my own. Fingers and pointing are universal though )
At the bloco we followed this massive truck that was covered in speakers blasting out music. We walked behind it dancing and singing what little we knew of the song. At one point someone bought shaving cream and we all got into a huge spraying fight. It was so much fun. There were thousands of people in the streets, everyone was dancing and singing and just partying. It took us about 2 hours to go about 5 blocks there were so many people. Once you reached the end you were at Ipanema beach and we just went swimming. It was a great way to end the bloco. The weather, dancing and ontourage of people made staying clean impossible. After an hour of swimming or so (*note: swam in bra and shorts again because I didn’t have a swim suite) we hopped back on the bus and drove to the hotel. I showered, changed and then met up with a huge group and went to dinner. It was really late and not many of us were hungry so we just went to get drinks. The restaurant was overflowing with people. We pulled some chairs together and made it work out of the ten of us only three people ordered food while the rest of us just got some drinks. (note to travelers: when in a large group at a overcrowded restaurant and your server is over 60 years old, doesn’t know English DO NOT pester him about how weak your drink is or ask about what comes on a cheese burger. One of the girls I was with was so infuriating because she had to ask this poor man all these questions and was pissed when he didn’t understand her. The fact that he didn’t know English pissed her off. I was ready to strangle her by the end because she was being so impolite and horrible. )
After we left some people went drinking, others to bed, while we wandered up and down the beach. It was Terron, Jennifer (the b**** from the restaurant), Jennifer my Rio Roomate (and who knew? Neighbor on the ship), Greg and Craig. The 6 of us went dancing at this disco on the street for a bit. There were so many prostitutes out and it was funny watching their pimp try and push them on the guys. After that we walked some more and drank some mohitoes—vodka, lime, sugar and ice. Went to the beach and went swimming again. (in my bra and shorts again. Damnit—at this point I was completely out of all my clothes. Everything was wet and sandy.) After swimming we hung out with some girls from SAS and talked to the locals. It was around 5:30 am or so by now, my roomie had left already to go sleep around 4 when the 5 of us decided to go back to the hotel. Originally we had planned to watch the sunrise but we were wet, cold and the buzz from the drinks was wearing thin. We went back to the hotel and showered (this would be shower number 4-5 if you haven’t been counting). I went to Terron and Craigs room and watched the Carnival at the Samba drome with them and a few other girls. That’s the big carnival everyone thinks about. The one with the 400 dollar costumes that they parade down main street in. a few of the people from SAS went and it cost them about 300 dollars to go and watch. I figured seeing it on tv was just fine. around 6 the guys passed out and I figured that since I was already up I’d just watch the sunrise. I snuck out of there and went to my room and watched as the sky lit up Copacabana beach and Rio. It was beautiful. I took a quick cat nap from 6:30-7:30 then got up and packed. My roommate and I headed down to grab a quick breakfast before we joined the jeep group. We left at 8:30 or so and headed up to Christ the Redeemer monument. That’s the huge statue of Christ you see in all the images of Rio. We took a huge 4x4 open jeep up the mountain. The statue was really impressive. I took some photos and wandered around. The mountain had some amazing views. We could see Copacabana, Ipanema, the sugar loaf mountain, the down town where the Sambadrome was held and the soccer stadium... it was breath taking. There were there Amazonian raccoons that were digging in the trash too. They were super cute.
After Cristo we went to anther lookout point and saw more of the city and a distance view of Cristo. We went back to the hotel then. (side note. Rio de Janero looks like it was built around the forest. The trees line the every street. The difference between that and the us is that they are aloud to just grow. So the trees are massive and hang over the road creating a tunnel. There are vines growing up all the buildings and the houses can only be recognized by their gates. It was really beautiful.) after packing quick and last minute shopping, we hopped back on the bus and headed to the Sugar Loaf mountain. This is where the big cable cars are. (if you want to see them go check out Moon Raker. ) it was exciting riding them. They are just giant gondolas but the views are amazing. There are two gondolas. One from the ground to the top of Sugar Loaf, and the other from there SL to another mountain. The views were awesome. We were right up there with the eagles that circulate the mountain tops. You were almost at the same altitude of the Cristo but the clouds had moved in around the mountain then and all you could see was the statue standing on clouds. Very beautiful. Jen and I wandered and found the old stairs that were originally used to climb up the mountain. The jungle was overflowing here to and we got some awesome photos of little monkeys. It was nice exploring that section because most of the tourists were too lazy to wander down the steep stairs. We headed back to S.L then and met up with the group to head back down towards the bus. There we had the choice to drive around downtown or go shopping at the mall. I’ll give you once guess as to where we went. The mall. It seems that most of these girls have an endless supply of money. Anyways we got to the mall and surprise! Every store was closed due to Carnival! The only things open were a few fast food places. The bus had left too so we just chilled there for an hour or so. After that we went to the airport. We got there about 3 hours early, Micah, our tour guide from SAS (also Neil Diamonds son/nephew), is kinda nervous about things like that. We just chilled. I tried to sleep and function some. That hour in the morning wasn’t holding out. We got on the plane and I sat bitch again. This time next to a really loud, very drunk SAS kid from Texas. If that wasn’t enough to make the plain trip miserable there was a baby about 3 rows up who decided crying the whole trip was a good plan. The parents didn’t even try to make it stop crying.
We got back to the ship around 12 or so and I basically went strait to sleep. I got to hear about all the muggings and stuff though before I passed out. Almost everyone who stayed in Salvador got pick pocketed. Several got robbed. I think my favorites were of the girls and guys who got held up at rusty knife point and had all their stuff stolen or the guy who got pistol whipped and woke up in the back of an ally. Everyone is fine, no one was seriously injured. In some of the cases the people were drunk and being stupid but in others they were just walking around. If you come to Brazil go to Rio, and pay the extra money to be in the nice part of the city.
Today I slept in till about 12 and then went out with Asta and Angela. We just walked around and looked at paintings. Angela wanted one of these weird modern cubist paintings of a woman with cucumbers. It was kinda ugly, not going to lie. Anyways they were going to charge her like 700-1200 reals (which is about 350-600 US dollars) pretty ridiculous. She didn’t buy it while we were out but she still might go out tomorrow. I bought some shoes, but that was about it. we got back around 5 or so because the girls had a bloco to go to. I chilled till about 7 or so and then went out with some other people. I was originally going to go to Baha but it would have taken an hour or so in the taxis because of the traffic so I stayed in Salvador and just went up the elevator. I was with Amy, Raisa, Chris, Ryan and a 3 other girls who left early. We sat around at the center square for awhile and talked to some of the kids who were selling beads. It was really sad. The one boy was 15 but was so malnourished he looked about 12. the kids were so cute though. After staying with them we went to a Reggae bar and danced and drank. I had a few shots of this drink made up in a cooler. It was really good but really strong. We stayed there dancing and just partying till about 3. Then we all came back and I passed out. All in all, an interesting day for sure.
Today is our last day in Brazil; most of the ship is back on board. I think we all partied strong and now are just chilling before we take off. I can’t wait to see my friends who went to the Amazon or the villages. They were gone all week. I think my plan for the day is to just relax and get some homework done. I feel I came out of this pretty unscathed and don’t want to push it. Today is the last day of Carnival and I think the muggings are still going to be going on. It’s their last chance to get some free money and cameras so they may be getting desperate… I’d just rather not chance it.
Overall: Brazil has been amazing, Salvador not so much but Rio for sure :)
All these were written on the 20th so the details may be less than perfect (same with spelling and grammar. Sorry- too lazy to really care)
The day before we arrived in Salvador,
I had class and then at 8 we had a mandatory meeting. It was somewhat interesting. They just filled our heads with thoughts of murder, robbery and muggings. After the meeting Mindy, Tyler, Justin and I all hung out and played cards. It was one of the most relaxing experiences I’ve ever had. We just played simple cards and Justin played the guitar for us. It was really really nice.
We arrive in Brazil!!
Woke up this morning at 6 and watched the ship pull into port. It was beautiful watching the haze and sun hit the old church steeples. Mindy and Tyler were up so I took pictures with them. We went to breakfast and I showered then met for breakfast. After breakfast we went to meet the guest speaker in the Union. She works in the state department here and is the person to contact about lost passports and shit like that. The reason I’m explaining this is because in her first few minutes of talking she told us a story about Rio. How a woman stopped at a stoplight and was attacked. The guys took her car and as she was getting her 13 year old daughter and 6 year old son out of the car the boy got caught in the seatbelt and had the door slammed on his foot. The muggers than drove away and the boy was drug over a half a mile and died. Horrid I know. This is the story we got as we were about to disembark from the ship. Nice huh?
This girl Asta, Jeff and I went into Salvador then. We walked to the market which was about 3 blocks away. The street smelled like pee and there were people everywhere. The market was over flowing with paintings, clothes, knickknacks and anything else you could imagine. After wandering through there we walked across the street to the elevator. To get from the docks to the old section of the city you have to go up an elevator. You could walk but from what we’ve been told, the neighborhood outside of the dock area is the most dangerous in Salvador. The elevator is considered much safer and during carnival it is free. Once we got up there we watched some guys do candomble which is a form of dance preformed by the local African-Brazilians. It is actually a form of fighting but during colonization and slavery the Africans put music to it so they could still practice it without being found out. It’s very cool. We wandered to one of the main squares and shopped around. Jeff and I had lunch at a little restaurant while Asta made a phone call. It was so good. There was a ton of food though, we had a soft shell crab sauce with tomatoes and spice, on the side it came with sweet potato mash or something, potatoes and rice. It was amazing. After that we wandered around more and took pictures. Asta had brought her camera and recorder so Jeff and I played bodyguard and just had her take pictures of us. That way we could still get the pictures but there was less of chance of being robbed. Around 4 we headed back to the ship so we could shower and pack before we had to leave for Rio. Ate dinner quick and then we headed out to the bus. I think in all there were 38 of us. I road to the airport with Greg and the plane left at 8:30. The trip wasn’t bad, I got bitch middle but the flight was only 1 hour 40 min. once we got to Rio we took a bus to the hotel Rio Grande the hotel was on Copacabana beach. I roomed with this girl Jennifer Sears in room 1703. Our room overlooked the city and the beach. It was amazing. After we checked in her, Terron, Hilary and I went to the markets along the beach. We didn’t stay out long because we were all so tired but it was so nice out.
Rio de Janero is the most beautiful city. The city itself is 7 million people but the way the landscape is around it, it hides most of the city. It feels like you’re in a little city surrounded but these mini mountains. To move from section to section you have to drive under the mountains through these tunnels. After breakfast a group of ten of us went to Ipanema beach I hung out there. I of course forgot my bathing suit in Salvador so I wore my shorts and sports bra. So all the photos we took are ridiculous of me. We walked around a bit and shopped and just laid out in the sun. it was beautiful. We grabbed a cab back and regrouped with the mass at the hotel. From there the guide Jana (pronounced John-a) took us to famous restaurant, Mario’s, it was an all you can eat buffet of fresh fish, fruits, anything. I had an urchin. It was so weird. After that the servers brought us meat on these skewers. They came up to the plate with their skewers and shaved the meat right on to our plates. It was the most tender, amazing meat you’ve ever had. I don’t think I’ve ever eaten more in my life but it was completely worth it. At the end they served us this papaya ice cream with liquor and through peanuts on the floor with rose petals. We left there and drove over to another section of the city were we joined a bloco. A bloco is the local carnival; ours was called “what is this shit?” we got t-shirts that said that in Portuguese (side note: Portuguese is kinda like Spanish so if you know a little Spanish you can barely get by. I on the other hand know no Spanish and had a very difficult time with understanding people. The ship didn’t not have any pre port Portuguese language sessions so I was basically on my own. Fingers and pointing are universal though )
At the bloco we followed this massive truck that was covered in speakers blasting out music. We walked behind it dancing and singing what little we knew of the song. At one point someone bought shaving cream and we all got into a huge spraying fight. It was so much fun. There were thousands of people in the streets, everyone was dancing and singing and just partying. It took us about 2 hours to go about 5 blocks there were so many people. Once you reached the end you were at Ipanema beach and we just went swimming. It was a great way to end the bloco. The weather, dancing and ontourage of people made staying clean impossible. After an hour of swimming or so (*note: swam in bra and shorts again because I didn’t have a swim suite) we hopped back on the bus and drove to the hotel. I showered, changed and then met up with a huge group and went to dinner. It was really late and not many of us were hungry so we just went to get drinks. The restaurant was overflowing with people. We pulled some chairs together and made it work out of the ten of us only three people ordered food while the rest of us just got some drinks. (note to travelers: when in a large group at a overcrowded restaurant and your server is over 60 years old, doesn’t know English DO NOT pester him about how weak your drink is or ask about what comes on a cheese burger. One of the girls I was with was so infuriating because she had to ask this poor man all these questions and was pissed when he didn’t understand her. The fact that he didn’t know English pissed her off. I was ready to strangle her by the end because she was being so impolite and horrible. )
After we left some people went drinking, others to bed, while we wandered up and down the beach. It was Terron, Jennifer (the b**** from the restaurant), Jennifer my Rio Roomate (and who knew? Neighbor on the ship), Greg and Craig. The 6 of us went dancing at this disco on the street for a bit. There were so many prostitutes out and it was funny watching their pimp try and push them on the guys. After that we walked some more and drank some mohitoes—vodka, lime, sugar and ice. Went to the beach and went swimming again. (in my bra and shorts again. Damnit—at this point I was completely out of all my clothes. Everything was wet and sandy.) After swimming we hung out with some girls from SAS and talked to the locals. It was around 5:30 am or so by now, my roomie had left already to go sleep around 4 when the 5 of us decided to go back to the hotel. Originally we had planned to watch the sunrise but we were wet, cold and the buzz from the drinks was wearing thin. We went back to the hotel and showered (this would be shower number 4-5 if you haven’t been counting). I went to Terron and Craigs room and watched the Carnival at the Samba drome with them and a few other girls. That’s the big carnival everyone thinks about. The one with the 400 dollar costumes that they parade down main street in. a few of the people from SAS went and it cost them about 300 dollars to go and watch. I figured seeing it on tv was just fine. around 6 the guys passed out and I figured that since I was already up I’d just watch the sunrise. I snuck out of there and went to my room and watched as the sky lit up Copacabana beach and Rio. It was beautiful. I took a quick cat nap from 6:30-7:30 then got up and packed. My roommate and I headed down to grab a quick breakfast before we joined the jeep group. We left at 8:30 or so and headed up to Christ the Redeemer monument. That’s the huge statue of Christ you see in all the images of Rio. We took a huge 4x4 open jeep up the mountain. The statue was really impressive. I took some photos and wandered around. The mountain had some amazing views. We could see Copacabana, Ipanema, the sugar loaf mountain, the down town where the Sambadrome was held and the soccer stadium... it was breath taking. There were there Amazonian raccoons that were digging in the trash too. They were super cute.
After Cristo we went to anther lookout point and saw more of the city and a distance view of Cristo. We went back to the hotel then. (side note. Rio de Janero looks like it was built around the forest. The trees line the every street. The difference between that and the us is that they are aloud to just grow. So the trees are massive and hang over the road creating a tunnel. There are vines growing up all the buildings and the houses can only be recognized by their gates. It was really beautiful.) after packing quick and last minute shopping, we hopped back on the bus and headed to the Sugar Loaf mountain. This is where the big cable cars are. (if you want to see them go check out Moon Raker. ) it was exciting riding them. They are just giant gondolas but the views are amazing. There are two gondolas. One from the ground to the top of Sugar Loaf, and the other from there SL to another mountain. The views were awesome. We were right up there with the eagles that circulate the mountain tops. You were almost at the same altitude of the Cristo but the clouds had moved in around the mountain then and all you could see was the statue standing on clouds. Very beautiful. Jen and I wandered and found the old stairs that were originally used to climb up the mountain. The jungle was overflowing here to and we got some awesome photos of little monkeys. It was nice exploring that section because most of the tourists were too lazy to wander down the steep stairs. We headed back to S.L then and met up with the group to head back down towards the bus. There we had the choice to drive around downtown or go shopping at the mall. I’ll give you once guess as to where we went. The mall. It seems that most of these girls have an endless supply of money. Anyways we got to the mall and surprise! Every store was closed due to Carnival! The only things open were a few fast food places. The bus had left too so we just chilled there for an hour or so. After that we went to the airport. We got there about 3 hours early, Micah, our tour guide from SAS (also Neil Diamonds son/nephew), is kinda nervous about things like that. We just chilled. I tried to sleep and function some. That hour in the morning wasn’t holding out. We got on the plane and I sat bitch again. This time next to a really loud, very drunk SAS kid from Texas. If that wasn’t enough to make the plain trip miserable there was a baby about 3 rows up who decided crying the whole trip was a good plan. The parents didn’t even try to make it stop crying.
We got back to the ship around 12 or so and I basically went strait to sleep. I got to hear about all the muggings and stuff though before I passed out. Almost everyone who stayed in Salvador got pick pocketed. Several got robbed. I think my favorites were of the girls and guys who got held up at rusty knife point and had all their stuff stolen or the guy who got pistol whipped and woke up in the back of an ally. Everyone is fine, no one was seriously injured. In some of the cases the people were drunk and being stupid but in others they were just walking around. If you come to Brazil go to Rio, and pay the extra money to be in the nice part of the city.
Today I slept in till about 12 and then went out with Asta and Angela. We just walked around and looked at paintings. Angela wanted one of these weird modern cubist paintings of a woman with cucumbers. It was kinda ugly, not going to lie. Anyways they were going to charge her like 700-1200 reals (which is about 350-600 US dollars) pretty ridiculous. She didn’t buy it while we were out but she still might go out tomorrow. I bought some shoes, but that was about it. we got back around 5 or so because the girls had a bloco to go to. I chilled till about 7 or so and then went out with some other people. I was originally going to go to Baha but it would have taken an hour or so in the taxis because of the traffic so I stayed in Salvador and just went up the elevator. I was with Amy, Raisa, Chris, Ryan and a 3 other girls who left early. We sat around at the center square for awhile and talked to some of the kids who were selling beads. It was really sad. The one boy was 15 but was so malnourished he looked about 12. the kids were so cute though. After staying with them we went to a Reggae bar and danced and drank. I had a few shots of this drink made up in a cooler. It was really good but really strong. We stayed there dancing and just partying till about 3. Then we all came back and I passed out. All in all, an interesting day for sure.
Today is our last day in Brazil; most of the ship is back on board. I think we all partied strong and now are just chilling before we take off. I can’t wait to see my friends who went to the Amazon or the villages. They were gone all week. I think my plan for the day is to just relax and get some homework done. I feel I came out of this pretty unscathed and don’t want to push it. Today is the last day of Carnival and I think the muggings are still going to be going on. It’s their last chance to get some free money and cameras so they may be getting desperate… I’d just rather not chance it.
Overall: Brazil has been amazing, Salvador not so much but Rio for sure :)
Friday, February 9, 2007
Puerto Rico – The Pearl of the Caribbean
I awoke to the site of the orange sun rising over the skyline of San Juan, Puerto Rico. The sky was glowing as our ship pulled into to port. We were assembled in the main room as the Governor and State Treasurer joined us to speak. The Governor was quite entertaining as he welcomed us to his island. After that a few friends and I wandered to old San Juan and had lunch in a little café on the terrace over looking the ocean and old forts. After that I left to go kayaking over coral reefs and relax on a secluded beach. It was incredible. The animals, water and view were unbelievable. Puerto Rico has the most wonderful mountains. After that I chilled with two other girls and the locals while the rest of the group left. We wandered around the town and hung out with our tour guides as we waited for time to pass. The local people are very kind and helpful. The rest of the group joined us towards the evening and we went night kayaking to a bioluminescent bay. We traveled up this little river to an open lagoon and swam in the warm glowing water. There are microscopic organisms in this bay that glow a soft lime green when touched so when you move through the water your body lights up as you touch the organisms. I felt like I was covered in fairy dust. It was an incredible evening.
The following day I explored old San Juan with two girls. We checked out the capitol building and the old forts. We wandered the blue cobble stone streets looking at the shops and beautiful buildings. There wasn’t a street unturned by the end of the afternoon. After dinner I returned and went to a hole in the wall restaurant and watched the flamenco dancers perform. After that we bar hopped till 4 am.
Today I took it easy and went to the beach all day. The water is warm and crystal clear. The sand sticks to you indefinitely and the ice cream tastes like pina colada. It is a beautiful place, and if one can, it is worth it. We leave tonight at nine for Brazil.
The following day I explored old San Juan with two girls. We checked out the capitol building and the old forts. We wandered the blue cobble stone streets looking at the shops and beautiful buildings. There wasn’t a street unturned by the end of the afternoon. After dinner I returned and went to a hole in the wall restaurant and watched the flamenco dancers perform. After that we bar hopped till 4 am.
Today I took it easy and went to the beach all day. The water is warm and crystal clear. The sand sticks to you indefinitely and the ice cream tastes like pina colada. It is a beautiful place, and if one can, it is worth it. We leave tonight at nine for Brazil.
Monday, February 5, 2007
The MV EXPLORER
So I am here. We boarded yesterday and are currently our way to Puerto Rico! I am on the 3rd deck, starboard side with a huge window. My roommate, Angela Atlas, is from Texas but goes to an art school in Boston and is majoring in television. She seems really nice and I hope we get along. So far I have been busy familiarizing myself with the ship. It has 7 decks, most of the student rooms are on the 2nd, 3rd and 4th floors. There are two main dinning rooms and a few bar/food areas. We have a library, gym, spa, computer room, pool and several large sitting rooms. The captain is from England and he has been sailing for 32 years. Everyone is very friendly, staff and crew included. I have met so many of the students and am trying desperately to remember all their names. There are a total of 702 students on board, an all time high for semester at sea. I have not met the Archbishop yet but I am sure he is hiding out from all us starry eyed students.
Today I attended several mandatory meetings on how to ship is run, what is expected of us as students and travelers and so on. I am currently at odds with the sea as she is tossing our ship around. The ocean is very calm right now but I am still sea sick, I also have an awesome bruise from running into a door handle as I wobbled my way through my room. Other than that everything is awesome. The food is great, the people are amazing and the staff is very down to earth. They seem to really want to know each and everyone of us. Classes start tomorrow, I’ll have one at 9:45 which is required for all students as it is our Global Studies course. I will try and get more pictures up soon other wise next time I post I will fill you all in on Puerto Rico!
Today I attended several mandatory meetings on how to ship is run, what is expected of us as students and travelers and so on. I am currently at odds with the sea as she is tossing our ship around. The ocean is very calm right now but I am still sea sick, I also have an awesome bruise from running into a door handle as I wobbled my way through my room. Other than that everything is awesome. The food is great, the people are amazing and the staff is very down to earth. They seem to really want to know each and everyone of us. Classes start tomorrow, I’ll have one at 9:45 which is required for all students as it is our Global Studies course. I will try and get more pictures up soon other wise next time I post I will fill you all in on Puerto Rico!
Friday, February 2, 2007
Last day in Freeport
So I leave Freeport tomorrow morning. Our week here has been wonderful; full of days lying in the sun, soaking up her rays and playing in the water. Tomorrow morning we head off to Nassau to spend a few days at the Atlantis before I leave on the ship.
As for the rest of the week, we went to the Lucayan National Park yesterday. We rented out scooters and rode the ‘15-30 min” – it actually turned out to be 50 or so-- to the park. It was very small, but kinda cute. There were two caves that you could walk in. They had a mixture of fresh and salty water that created an interesting net for the fishes. They could not come up to the surface really because they came from the salty waters of the sea.
After the caves we crossed the street to another section of the park which included the marshland and the beach. The marsh was full of aquatic life, fish were circulating around the bridge supports and crabs could be seen hiding in the root systems of the trees and brush. Once we got to the beach all else was forgotten. It was stunning, miles of pristine white sand --softer than anything at the resort--squished between our toes as we walked out towards the sea. The tide was low creating sandbanks and pounds. As we headed south along the shore mom, Miss Eagle-Eye as Pam affectionately calls her, found not one, but two starfish. The larger one was alive so she hung on to it to show it to a few kids who were also at the beach, while keeping the dead one to bring home. Pam and I had a little luck with coral that had washed up. The past few hurricanes destroyed much of the reef system here and the broken coral has drifted onto the beaches.
After that we scootered over to a local town for a bit of lunch and headed back to the resort before we got trapped in the approaching storm.
Pam and Mom have found this retreat to be very “productive.” I find that an interesting word choice beings that all we mainly do is sit on the beach and let our dry Colorado skin absorb the moisture. Ah well, ces’t la vie.
As for the rest of the week, we went to the Lucayan National Park yesterday. We rented out scooters and rode the ‘15-30 min” – it actually turned out to be 50 or so-- to the park. It was very small, but kinda cute. There were two caves that you could walk in. They had a mixture of fresh and salty water that created an interesting net for the fishes. They could not come up to the surface really because they came from the salty waters of the sea.
After the caves we crossed the street to another section of the park which included the marshland and the beach. The marsh was full of aquatic life, fish were circulating around the bridge supports and crabs could be seen hiding in the root systems of the trees and brush. Once we got to the beach all else was forgotten. It was stunning, miles of pristine white sand --softer than anything at the resort--squished between our toes as we walked out towards the sea. The tide was low creating sandbanks and pounds. As we headed south along the shore mom, Miss Eagle-Eye as Pam affectionately calls her, found not one, but two starfish. The larger one was alive so she hung on to it to show it to a few kids who were also at the beach, while keeping the dead one to bring home. Pam and I had a little luck with coral that had washed up. The past few hurricanes destroyed much of the reef system here and the broken coral has drifted onto the beaches.
After that we scootered over to a local town for a bit of lunch and headed back to the resort before we got trapped in the approaching storm.
Pam and Mom have found this retreat to be very “productive.” I find that an interesting word choice beings that all we mainly do is sit on the beach and let our dry Colorado skin absorb the moisture. Ah well, ces’t la vie.
Monday, January 29, 2007
The Bahamas
They are everything the travel magazines promise, crystal clear aquamarine waters, soft white sand and miles of blue sky.
The resort we are staying at is in Freeport. It’s right on the beach and it’s lovely. The room is awesome with a beachfront view and two beds and baths. It’s very quiet save for a few loud tourists.
Dinner last night was an all you can eat/drink buffet. Touristy we know but it was fun. There was dancing and a bonfire, a fire dancer and line dancing contests and games. Pam, Mom and I did a form of musical chairs where the person left holding the ball when the music stopped was in the middle. The game transformed into a line dancing contest. Mom and half the group was told to sit down while Pam and I danced and embarrassed ourselves completely. It wasn’t too bad; I came in second with a small bottle of tequila as my prize while this elderly woman came in first. All in all it was amusing.
Today we have been fulfilling our roles as beach bums. The wind is from the north and makes for a cool breeze once in awhile but the sun is shining in a clear blue sky. We walked along the beach and found some little shells and a group of 15 or so conch. They were so beautiful with their orange pink shells on the pristine white sand…
Tonight we are going to the Cold Crab, a local restaurant, for dinner and then probably exploring the city life.
The resort we are staying at is in Freeport. It’s right on the beach and it’s lovely. The room is awesome with a beachfront view and two beds and baths. It’s very quiet save for a few loud tourists.
Dinner last night was an all you can eat/drink buffet. Touristy we know but it was fun. There was dancing and a bonfire, a fire dancer and line dancing contests and games. Pam, Mom and I did a form of musical chairs where the person left holding the ball when the music stopped was in the middle. The game transformed into a line dancing contest. Mom and half the group was told to sit down while Pam and I danced and embarrassed ourselves completely. It wasn’t too bad; I came in second with a small bottle of tequila as my prize while this elderly woman came in first. All in all it was amusing.
Today we have been fulfilling our roles as beach bums. The wind is from the north and makes for a cool breeze once in awhile but the sun is shining in a clear blue sky. We walked along the beach and found some little shells and a group of 15 or so conch. They were so beautiful with their orange pink shells on the pristine white sand…
Tonight we are going to the Cold Crab, a local restaurant, for dinner and then probably exploring the city life.
Thursday, January 25, 2007
So Mom and I head out on Saturday. We're leaving the house at 5am and will be in the Bahamas by 4:30 pm. Our good family friend Pam is coming along also. I am trying to set up a photo album so any input on the photo's would be appreciated. My friend used this site when he went abroad and he had issues with the photos. Mainly, I want to know you can see them :)
Yay Bahamas!
Yay Bahamas!
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