Welcome to the Amazon- where the bugs are gigantic and the water is disturbingly brown. We are currently stopped in the middle of the Amazon River by Macapa, Brazil, waiting for some Brazilian dignitaries to board the ship. They are supposed to debrief us on the country, customs, dangers etc. tonight at our Pre-port meeting. We are 2 days away from our Amazon destination of Manaus, Brazil. Which means I am only 2 days away from my dream trip to Rio de Janero, also a destination on my bucket list! I will spend the first day travelling around the Amazon and then we are flying to Rio de Janero where I will spend the last 3 days. I am so excited!!! But, I’m also extremely nervous because of the high crime and corruption of the police. I have heard way too many bad stories in the last week from other students about being robbed there and even arrested by the cops for doing nothing just so they would have to pay the cops off. It also seems to be very popular for Brazilians to slash the bottom of your backpack and steal everything that falls out of it- some people are just desperate and obviously don’t have much of a conscious. Needless to say I am going to be extremely cautious, especially with my Canon Rebel and Iphone. I’m pretty sure I would freak out without them the remainder of the voyage! Attached are a few pictures of the river, I will update again in a couple of days after Rio de Janero. Keep my safety in your prayers!!
I've been on the ship less than a week now. At times it can be very boring because you can only go so far and of course we have classes, even on Saturday and Sunday. Overall it is so much fun though. There is a lot of down time, but with the right friends and free emails the time is passing by way too quickly. Here are a few pictures of my insanely tiny cabin which I share with another girl from Maryland, Liz. She's awesome and very laid-back, maybe she can teach me a thing or two after all! Another picture is of my closet which surprisingly fits a lot, but probably because I seriously under-packed (for the first time in my life I can honestly say). And the last picture is a snapshot of the ship- MV Explorer. This is my home for the next 3 1/2 months. I know these pictures make it look a bit rough, but honestly no one is ever is their cabins there are just too many interesting people to meet. Everyone is really settling in to ship life at this point, including me. I'm definitely enjoying the relaxed environment and ability to lay out everyday in January, ah the benefits of ship life :-)
Even though Roseau, Dominica was the first port of call, I was not very excited! The one trip I had planned months ago though, turned out to be the best $40 I have EVER spent. CANDOLAND tours went above and beyond to make our trip in Dominica a day we would never forget! The ship docked at 8 am and I was so glad to finally get off after being in such a confined area for 4 straight days. It’s funny how you come to appreciate the small things like land and the ability to walk outdoors on a trip like this. Anyways, after eating a large breakfast Paige, a friend from USC, my roommate Liz and I headed to meet our tour guides. We soon learned that our driver was also the driver for Orlando Bloom when he was on the island filming Pirates of the Caribbean!!! Supposedly Orlando was a very normal, personable celebrity…I can definitely respect that!
Our first stop was snorkeling in Champagne Reef. The water here actually bubbles up from the heat escaping the ocean floor. I didn’t see too many bubbles, but I did get to see some Rainbow fish, a Dory fish, Puffer fish and BEST OF ALL a sea turtle!! I was soo excited and got some awesome pictures. Come to find out it is very rare to see these turtles up close, lucky me!
Next we rode through the botanical gardens, which were cool and very rich in history, much like the entire island. The Dominicans’ lives are very much focused on hurricanes, the aftermath of previous storms and protecting themselves from future storms. It really seemed like the entire community pitched in- building barrier walls to protect from waves and even digging better ditches. It was something you would never see in the U.S. It even made me wonder if I would do that kind of work, for free, simply for the better of my community.
After a 30 minute scenic drive up the mountains, we arrived at Titou Gorge. We walked through the rainforest, listening to our guides describe the leaves, trees, and basically how every part of nature is used by their country. Talk about sustainability! From bananas to cocoa to lemon grass, Dominica produces so many of the products that we use daily and I had no idea this country even existed. At Titou Gorge we took turns jumping off the cliff and swimming through the cave to the small waterfalls. And another fun face, this is where a part of the Pirates of the Caribbean movie was filmed, pretty cool to be in the same place! We climbed the waterfall and later jumped off. I think anyone who knows me could say this doesn’t sound like me at all, but I think that’s the beauty of a trip like this. You have such short periods of time to spend in such an amazing country that you refuse to let any experience pass you by. I think everyone has an adventurous side to them, but sadly so many people will never even learn this about themselves. Give yourself a shot, you honestly will never know how free and amazing an opportunity could be so why not experience all that life brings your way? Believe me, you won’t regret it!
The final stop of our day was at Trafalgar Falls where we hiked and lastly we relaxed in the natural hot baths at the bottom of the falls. It was so relaxing and I’m pretty sure I have the softest skin ever right now. It’s crazy what nature can do for you!
Monday night I went on a wild goose chase for wi-fi and finally found it after a bus ride to town. After chatting with the family and Brandon I headed out for a night on the town with Paige, Amanda, Grace and Caroline. We started at JRs a local bar that was filled with SAS students and a few locals. It was a great time, with lots of dancing and meeting new people over the local drink- Rum punch. By the way, after you drink one of these concoctions you will never think of rum the same way. After this we hopped in a taxi with some new friends and went to Crazy Coconuts. The scene was wild and completely filled with SASers and I even saw my taxi driver from earlier in the day, Ashar. To my surprise he still remembered my name and offered us a ride back to the ship.
On Tuesday, Paige, Amanda and I just took it easy and walked around town, shopping at the local market and found wifi for a skype session before coming back to our skype-ban ship. I mailed some postcards and we ate at a KFC because I was craving a biscuit so badly. Bad mistake. Word of advice- even if its fast food, the chicken is not the same. Needlesss to say, 2 days later I am still feeling sick. After this we got mangoes and little bananas across the street at a fresh market. The fruit was delicious, especially the mangoes…yum! Literally the best fruit I’ve had in a long time, hopefully I can find some back in the states somewhat comparable. We headed back to the ship early and called it a night after an exhausting 2 days in port. I don’t know how I am going to make it a week straight in ports because you literally try to fit any and everything into this time and sleep is not a priority…Emergen-C here I come! Catching up on some much needed rest and getting my stomach bug to hopefully go away this next week until Brazil in 5 days. Will post more later this week...sending love from somewhere in the ocean near South America xoxo!
2 days until I leave for the Bahamas!! After all this time, it is all finally setting in that I will actually be going on this trip not just planning for it. On Tuesday morning my family & I will fly from Charlotte to Nassau, Bahamas where we will be until Semester at Sea (SAS) finally departs on Thursday. Nassau isn’t that exciting, but I am definitely looking forward to spending my last few days with my family, as well as meeting all my fellow SASers!
Up until this point I really didn’t feel like the trip was ever going to get here, but once it hit me this week I felt completely overwhelmed in all of the packing and preparations that come with leaving the states for 4 months. I guess that is what I get for putting everything off until the last minute though ;-) The packing, shopping and repacking are all finally complete and, as always, I have completely over packed. Prime example- Luggage can weigh 50 lbs. per bag. My 2 XL duffels weigh in at 60 lbs and 95 lbs. Guess I’ll be paying the overweight fee for both, because repacking again is not happening.
Anyways, just wanted to give you guys a quick update before departing. Please keep my family & I in your prayers as we travel and also that I can quickly grow my sea legs and settle in nicely aboard the MV Explorer.
Bon Voyage!
"That moment when dreams become a reality...now that's what life is all about"
