Vietnam // Happy Travels

Vietnam. Honestly, probably my least favorite country thus far. In my opinion, which many disagree with, there was just nothing “special” about the country. The city was bustling, the food was delicious in most cases (and so, so cheap), the people were neither overly friendly, nor were they mean, there was lots of shopping, if fake bags and tea pots are your thing. Overall though, when compared to exciting Rio de Janeiro or even overwhelming Ghana, both of which I visited recently, there was just nothing or no one that stood out to me in my travels here. Sure, paying $30 for a manicure, pedicure and full body massage was a great deal, but at the end of the day there just seemed to be a barrier of “blahness” that I just could not escape.

For me, the 5 days I spent here was a relaxing break from the hustle of all the other trips I’ve taken recently (I think I finally just recovered from India. I never realized traveling is so rough on your body!) I went with my roommate Liz and some other friends to Ha Long Bay in North Vietnam through a tour company of SAS called Global Citizens. We spent a night in Hanoi, which I liked much better than Ho Chi Minh (or Saigon to be politically correct) where the ship was docked. Everywhere we went, though, just seemed to be a tourist trap, which I seriously detest especially after this semester. I understand that people need to make money in these countries, but overcharging and targeting tourists just gets really old, especially when other idiotic students stupidly pay the first price, therefore making it difficult for others to bargain. Can you tell I’m a little aggravated here? You would be too if you knew a taxi price should be equivalent to 50 cents, yet because you are a white American the price automatically becomes 5 dollars.

After Hanoi, our group of 17 students led by the worst tour guide ever spent a night in Ha Long Bay on a luxury junk boat. The boat was really nice and we were served 5 meals of at least 12 courses each during the 24 hour period, it was great! The crew on the boat however, was completely odd. I don’t know what they expected of American college students, but it was along the lines of wild, crazy and extremely promiscuous. The speakers continuously blared techno remixes of American music (even at 7am breakfast), the TV only played the Victoria’s Secret fashion show and Girls Gone Wild on repeat, Christmas lights flashed on the bar, along with a strobe light, as the crew tried to make it a “club-like scene” and begged us to sing karaoke. I know they were trying to help us to have fun, but honestly it was hilarious and strikingly odd that they expected us American girls to come onboard and look like Victoria’s Secret models, while dancing on bars like Girls Gone Wild. I’m sure they weren’t disappointed at all! ;-) But I can say I was proud of our group for proving this theory of theirs wrong and hopefully showing the crew that all Americans are not crazy party animals...well at least not all the time!

Besides Ha Long Bay, the most memorable thing I did in Vietnam was to go to the War Remnants Museum. I went here on the last day with Paige and I am so glad I did. Although I know some of the information there was one-sided and propaganda, there are just some things that you cannot deny. As the saying goes, “A picture is worth a thousand words” and in the case of the Vietnam War the images I saw were truly heart wrenching way humans can treat one another. I think it is crazy, and extremely sad that I am a 20 year old college student and yet I have learned very little about the Vietnam War. 3 million of their people died? Agent Orange still affects children born today? Why had I never heard any of these disturbing statistics? The most moving part of the museum was definitely the section about Agent Orange and its effects on the Vietnamese people, as well as American soldiers who were exposed to this chemical compound. Vietnam has the highest amount of handicapped persons in the world. There is no denying that this is largely due to Agent Orange. This chemical produces many disabilities and diseases (body deformations, retardation, psychological disorders, even cancer…and the list goes on) and can pass down as far as 3 generations to children. This led me to think could this have anything to do with the increased cancer rates in the U.S., among many other health issues today? Hmm… the things you can learn at a museum! After spending just an hour at the museum, Paige and I had to leave and agreed to sit down at a coffee shop to try and sort this all out in our heads. I honestly felt nauseous at the idea of such inhumane treatment of other humans (on both sides). I also realized that there is so much I still need to learn about the war and that I cannot simply generalize what I saw at a Vietnamese museum as complete, unfiltered narrative.

Now, as I am back on the ship and headed for China and then Japan, I am thinking about how Hiroshima will affect me. Every student has to write an essay for our global studies class and I have finally decided to write mine about Vietnam and Japan- two countries that the U.S. was once at war with. I’m trying to focus on how they view Americans now, as well as their opinions on the wars. After going to the War Remnants museum I finally have the motivation and drive to write the paper and I know I will actually enjoy this topic. In two short days we will be in China for one week and then two days later we will be in our final country, Japan. The next two weeks are going to be amazing and I have the highest hopes for these two ports. I am so sad the trip is dwindling down, but I have learned so much already about myself, the person I want to be, the dreams I have for my own future, and about the outside world. I know that my life will be so different after this semester and I could not be more excited. The experiences I have had will most certainly shape my future and I think that is the most important thing I could ever take away from this semester abroad. Sure, there have been really difficult times being away from the comforts of home, but I do not think I could have ever learned this much about myself and my place in the world in any other way.

Yesterday I stumbled upon a quote that fits the personal growth and my travels perfectly. “Happiness is the consequence of personal effort. You fight for it, strive for it, insist upon it, and sometimes even travel around the world looking for it.” I am so thankful to have learned this lesson and I hope for everyone that you can all find your own path to personal happiness. Once you find this never let it go because boy, are you in for a fun ride!

XOXO – happy traveler

My day in Singapore

    Singapore: probably the most organized, modern and clean place you could ever go. In my short 12 hours here, I realized this and enjoyed it. After coming from India, a litter and dirt free metropolis was a welcomed change. To accompany this environment were warnings everywhere of the very many laws in place to actually create such clean and all-too-kind surroundings. “No pets outdoors! Fine $500” “No chewing gum! Fine $1000” “No food or drinks allowed on the train! Fine $1000”… The list goes on, but you can see how scary this can be as a foreigner, especially when you do not want to do anything wrong. Overall though, I think if the U.S. had more extensive and enforced laws, such as littering policies and no smoking allowed in any public places, that our cities and highways would look a lot better and create a healthier environment.

    Okay, enough of my ranting! In the morning I went to the Singapore Zoological Gardens, one of the world’s best zoos. It was a great zoo, with amazing gardens, but it just isn’t the same going to a zoo after you have seen the majority of the animals in the wild on a safari. I have to keep reminding myself not to take it all for granted, but it is difficult. We all joke about “the difficult lives of SASers” and in all seriousness about how spoiled/lucky we have come to be during our travels. We don’t clean, we don’t cook, we don’t walk if there is a taxi nearby, we get to go to exciting places weekly, we don’t have jobs…the list goes on, but you can see why going home will be a sad and drastic reality check for us all.

    At the zoo I finally got to ride an elephant with Liz and Paige, something everyone is probably happy for so I will shut up about it! After the zoo we took a bus to the train station and headed for a stop in China Town. Here we were recommended to try the cheap, “fast food” huts called the Hawking Center. These food centers are everywhere in Asia, so I finally had to try food. After my sickening experience with street foods in India, I was hesitant but finally had to at least try it. My dumplings and noodles were not bad, but tasted like ramen. It made me even more excited for the food in Asia, where I’ll get to eat lots and lots of carbs, sadly my favorite! After China Town we went to Orchard Road, the prime shopping district (where I did not allow myself to even walk into a store and be tempted…and yes they even had a Forever21!). Before our on ship time that night we met up with my hall mate Nick and some other SASers for an amazingly delicious dinner at the Hard Rock Café. Who knew I would ever miss BBQ, slaw, French fries and potato skins so much? They were phenomenal, to say the least!

    There are only 3 countries left to visit- Vietnam, China and Japan- all back to back in the next 3 weeks. Although I am excited to see everyone at home, I am starting to realize just how hard it is going to be to adjust to my old life. Traveling gives you such an adrenalin rush, along with a constant flow of stress and exciting events continuously occurring. For all these reasons I have always loved to travel, yet I know it will be hard to find these own excitements in everyday life. I think that is something I will definitely have to work on once I’m back in the states. With summer classes, work, and all the other commitments life brings your way, I’m sure I will have more than enough to keep me busy! And I think more than ever, I will truly appreciate being able to just relax with friends, sleep in often, talk with family, and play with my dog!

India

Cochin-Delhi-Agra-Varanasi

    India!!! I am still having a difficult time comprehending that I actually traveled throughout India. I’m beginning to fully realize that all of the countries visited and many of the amazing things I have been a part of on this voyage will not soak in until months after I return to the U.S. The way SAS works is that you literally attempt to squeeze months of traveling into just one week or less. This type of traveling is honestly stressful and tiring, but in the end it is always worth it because of the things I witness and people I am able to meet. My week in India was no different; I filled my schedule to capacity in order to visit two of my bucket list destinations- Agra and Varanasi.

    I traveled through SAS for this, so it was a nice luxury to have it all planned out for me along with tour guides. (Many SASers traveled independently in India and had amazing experiences. I was previously too scared to this, but now I can definitely say I would be completely confident traveling on my own throughout any country, especially India.) Anyways, my ship docked in Cochin/Kochi, India on March 12 and I immediately rushed to the airport with my group of 70 students. Later this evening we arrived in Delhi, a beautifully diverse city filled with immense poverty on the streets and the drastically wealthy elsewhere. This is a common factor of the modern caste system, which I never believed could be so evident, but regardless of what most Indians will argue, this caste system still exists. In addition to the caste system, I have to mention India’s population of approximately 1.5 billion which all live in a country that is 1/3 the size of the U.S. This can help explain the poverty and unemployment, but even more so this extreme number should help you to picture the crowded streets (which have no general direction of traffic), busy railway, and the inescapable rush of beggars and children everywhere. I only tell you about these factors of Indian life in hopes that you can create a mental image as I depict my travels through a truly amazing country.

    My second day in India was probably one of the most difficult days of my life. At 5 a.m. I groggily followed my group as we ran to the Delhi railway station in the dark, cold and pee-smell filled air. Good morning India! The entire city was already and up and moving so early, I don’t know that India ever really does take a break, unless it is to go to a religious ceremony. After taking my first train ride, well ever, I can say it was quite the experience, but it was difficult to meet locals since we were placed in first class seating. After looking at the overcrowded, animal trailer looking general cars though, I can say I am appreciative I was not sitting there at my grumpy 5 a.m. state. Once we reached Agra we visited 3 World Heritage sites- Fatehpur Sikri, Agra Fort and finally the Taj Mahal! They were each so uniquely beautiful and the Taj Mahal was fascinating to see, yet much smaller on the inside than I ever imagined. Sunset at the Taj was breathtaking and I even enjoyed the Indians attempting to sneak pictures of me as they walked passed…hey everyone needs to feel like a celebrity at some point! :-)

    The following day we departed Delhi for our second major part of the trip- Varanasi. I was so excited for this important city and ultimately had no idea what to expect. After an entire day of flying/driving we finally reached Varanasi just as the sun was setting and the city prepared for their evening ritual. Every evening the Hindus conduct the Aarti service on the River Ganges. I climbed out of the rickshaw, attempted to walk through the streets without being hit or sold junk, and finally reached the river bank. The bright colors, strong smell of incense, bells ringing, candles everywhere and the mass amount of people- Hindus and many white tourists all mixed together, surrounded me. It was breathtaking and I was immediately drawn to the stage front where the crowd surrounded the Brahmin performers. At this point I purposely separated from my large group in order to fully immerse myself in this celebration. It was so different than any religious experience I had ever seen and I loved it. I have never seen people so devoted to faith and it made me long for such a beautiful religious experience for my own faith. As with many other things, this trip puts all your beliefs to the test and has taught me a lot about what I do believe and should believe, rather than a close-minded approach I am sad to say I used to possess and many still possess.

    The fourth day we went back to the Ganges River for yet another religious ritual, the morning cleansing bath in the river. We rode a boat through the river watching the refreshing morning life- people bathing, others meditating- and I made a wish with my candle lit, flower filled bowl before placing it afloat in the river. The entire experience was all so serene and peaceful. My time at the River Ganges was the most memorable in India. Forget the sightseeing and monuments, this was a real and living experience, and more than ever I felt so alive and awakened to the beauty of life. Even days later I still feel as though I gained more than I will ever understand from this experience and the rituals I witnessed. I am by no means a Hindu, but I do believe their faith has value and I respect the loyalty and devotion that its followers possess.

    The remaining days I spent in India were on my own in Cochin, where the ship was docked. I went shopping, a lot, and actually enjoyed the task of bargaining in the Jew market. Paige and I also went to Kodanadu elephant sanctuary, an hour rickshaw ride outside of Cochin. We watched as the elephants were bathed in the river and followed the commands of their trainers. It was an interesting experience, but I don’t exactly see how this can be considered an “elephant reserve”? We were so close to the elephants and were able to pet them, but unfortunately were not able to ride them, which was our initial motivation for going to the reserve. Overall I absolutely enjoyed India. Its distinct people, beautiful religions, busy streets, and diverse cultures- I learned so much from everything I did and saw and even more from the people I conversed with. India taught me more about myself than I ever thought possible and left me with a hunger to learn more about what happiness is really about. Aside from being thankful, I feel truly blessed that I have had the opportunities to learn, question and grow individually that so many people never take the chance to do. Take any opportunity life brings your way…you could learn more about yourself than you ever imagined!

Mauritius

Change of plans, again! We actually made a 4 hour stop in Port Louis, Mauritius on the morning of Wednesday March 7^th.  The short time was enough time to walk around the city with Paige, Nick and Michael, stop by the mall and then have brunch and mimosas before heading back to the ship. It was good to stop even just for a short period! I didn't make it to the beach, but good thing it was a lot more entertaining watching all the SASers drunkenly stumbling or being carried onto the ship. Anyways, 2 more days until we dock in India, I’m so excited/nervous! As always keep me in your prayers! XOXO