2/23/2007
15° 38.98S
035° 22.73W
Welcome back! Well, I am now back on the ship after 5 unbelievable days in Brazil. My first experience in the southern hemisphere was more than I could have ever expected. Right from the beginning, I was in awe at how different the culture was in the area. We had a lady from the U.S. State Department join us before debarkation for a diplomatic briefing on Brazil. She told a terrible story of a Brazilian child being murdered in Rio de Janeiro (I will spare you the details here), which scared the heck out of everyone. I have no doubt some students didn’t even get off the ship as a result. It was a totally inappropriate start to our visit. As we were coming into the harbor, I was shocked to see the size of Salvador. Music was still filling the streets as the Carnival festivities wore on from the night before (it was 7am). It certainly was not difficult for me to come to the realization that I was no longer in the states.
The first day we hit up Carnival in Salvador. Salvador is considered to be the original party city where 2 million locals celebrate the coming of Lent with music, food and dance. After exploring the local culture all day, we headed off to Bahia for the evening’s festivities. Musical floats circled the city as people ate cheap food, drank cheap beer, and danced to Brazilian/African dance music. At one point, my friends and I were the only Caucasians in a crowd of 200,000 or more. Talk about feeling like a tourist! Many, many of my peers were mugged...some at knifepoint. Did you know there is actually a law that one doesn’t have to stop at a red light at night when driving in Brazil? I guess the idea is to keep citizens from being jumped while stopped at the light. Yikes! Although Carnival was a rather sketchy experience, I don’t think the true nature of Brazilian society can be judged off this annual party. I met many locals who were very kind and genuinely wonderful people.
The second day I headed to Lencois, a town 300km inland of Salvador. Lencois is located in a beautiful national park where I did a ton of hiking, swimming and checking out the local culture. The local food was amazing, the people were wonderful, and our hotel was immaculate. We had a guide, named Roi, who was super gnarly and hiked us to death. One day we hiked for 9 hours, half of which was in a downpour. Unfortunately, the rain happened to come during the first half of the hike leaving us to hike in soggy running shoes for the rest of the day. Words can’t explain the beauty of the area. Rivers, waterfalls, caves and cliffs fill the surrounding wilderness landscape. The town of Lencois was a fun mountain town with stone streets and small, bright colored buildings. The nightlife was mellow, but very welcoming. Many of the locals spoke decent English and were very fun to talk with. On the way back to the ship, we drove through Salvador’s favelas. The favelas are endless slums built on the outskirts of Brazilian cities, only some of which are supported by electricity and water. Talk about an eye opening experience.
Now I'm back on the ship and headed for Cape Town, South Africa. We should be there in 7 days or so. Classes, sleep and many, many papers will occupy my time. I'm totally exhausted! Sleep doesn’t exactly take priority in this lifestyle. Check back soon. I’ll keep you updated on my transcontinental travels.
Till then,
Mike
Friday, February 23, 2007
Tuesday, February 13, 2007
2/13/2007
07° 59.10N
053° 2.00W
Hey there! Well, classes have begun and they certainly will not be a walk in the park. It looks like I will be doing a lot of writing this semester. I am taking Global Studies, International Political Economy, Economic History of a Global America and an anthropology course on gender, race and ethnicity. It should be interesting studying the economies, political systems, culture and social norms of the countries we visit.
Getting used to life at sea has been no easy task. The classrooms sway back and forth (especially the ones at the front of the ship), walking takes on an entirely new challenge, and the bedrooms are tiny. My roommate and great friend, Frank, snores so loud he often awakes himself. Good thing the beds are so close together that I can drill him with my pillow without leaving my bed. Another challenge of living of on a ship is meeting so many new people. There are 702 students on this voyage, about 600 of which I have met, and about 100 of which I can remember his or her name. This is an area that certainly takes some effort.
San Juan, Puerto Rico was amazing. I spent the first day touring Old San Juan with a large group of friends I met on the ship. First, we checked out San Cristobal and El Morro, both of which are forts used in the 16th century to protect the island and neighboring civilizations. We then cruised the shops of downtown and ate at a local bar. The local beer, Medella, is quite good. That evening we attended a welcome reception at a local university, Sacred Heart, for an evening of music, dancing (I attempted to learn how to salsa with the help of many Puerto Rican students), food and drinks. The culture in Puerto Rico, like many Latin American countries, is very cherished. The rest of my port stay consisted of touring the countryside, enjoying the beach and eating many, many hamburgers. One evening, I kayaked to one of the three remaining bioluminescent bays about 2 hours out of San Juan. We paddled up a twisting stream through a dark mangrove forest to reach the bay. Once there, we jumped in the clear, fresh water that literally glowed in the dark. Such an incredible sight to see! Overall, San Juan was a great start to my adventures to come.
Check back next week to hear about my travels in Brazil as I visit Carnival and a national park in Brazil named Lencois.
Thanks for tuning in…
Adios,
Mike
07° 59.10N
053° 2.00W
Hey there! Well, classes have begun and they certainly will not be a walk in the park. It looks like I will be doing a lot of writing this semester. I am taking Global Studies, International Political Economy, Economic History of a Global America and an anthropology course on gender, race and ethnicity. It should be interesting studying the economies, political systems, culture and social norms of the countries we visit.
Getting used to life at sea has been no easy task. The classrooms sway back and forth (especially the ones at the front of the ship), walking takes on an entirely new challenge, and the bedrooms are tiny. My roommate and great friend, Frank, snores so loud he often awakes himself. Good thing the beds are so close together that I can drill him with my pillow without leaving my bed. Another challenge of living of on a ship is meeting so many new people. There are 702 students on this voyage, about 600 of which I have met, and about 100 of which I can remember his or her name. This is an area that certainly takes some effort.
San Juan, Puerto Rico was amazing. I spent the first day touring Old San Juan with a large group of friends I met on the ship. First, we checked out San Cristobal and El Morro, both of which are forts used in the 16th century to protect the island and neighboring civilizations. We then cruised the shops of downtown and ate at a local bar. The local beer, Medella, is quite good. That evening we attended a welcome reception at a local university, Sacred Heart, for an evening of music, dancing (I attempted to learn how to salsa with the help of many Puerto Rican students), food and drinks. The culture in Puerto Rico, like many Latin American countries, is very cherished. The rest of my port stay consisted of touring the countryside, enjoying the beach and eating many, many hamburgers. One evening, I kayaked to one of the three remaining bioluminescent bays about 2 hours out of San Juan. We paddled up a twisting stream through a dark mangrove forest to reach the bay. Once there, we jumped in the clear, fresh water that literally glowed in the dark. Such an incredible sight to see! Overall, San Juan was a great start to my adventures to come.
Check back next week to hear about my travels in Brazil as I visit Carnival and a national park in Brazil named Lencois.
Thanks for tuning in…
Adios,
Mike
Monday, February 5, 2007
2/5/2007
The journey begins. After months of preparation and anticipation, my Semester at Sea voyage is finally underway. On January 31st, I left my house in Sun Valley, Idaho and boarded a flight (or three really) for Nassau, Bahamas. My flight from Orlando, Florida to Nassau, Bahamas ended up getting canceled leaving me to travel back and forth across the country from Boise, ID to San Francisco, CA to Charlotte, NC and finally to Nassau. Great start!
In Nassau, I stayed at the Atlantis with several buddies from Sun Valley and Boulder as well as hundreds of other Semester at Sea participants. White sand beaches, clear blue water, various pools, waterfalls, waterslides and tropical drinks consumed much of my time. Other than the outrageous price tag, the Atlantis was perfect. A great resort, on a great island, with extraordinary people.
On the morning of February 4th, I boarded the MV Explorer to begin my journey around the world. The reality of what I was about to do was finally setting in. After spending several hours getting through customs and security to board the ship, I wandered the ship meeting my neighbors for the semester and checking out the facilities. Nearly every student mingled by the pool in the hot Bohemian sun that afternoon…what an awful way to start the trip. We embarked on our journey that evening setting to the sea. I never though I would be one to get sea sick, but boy was I wrong. The rock of the ship is very noticeable, especially for a person not accustomed to the water travel such as myself. After some medicine however, things were looking bright once again.
Tomorrow, we have our first day of classes aboard the ship and then it is off to Puerto Rico for three days. Check back in a week or so for more details on life aboard the floating campus as well as news from our first port stay.
Thanks for checking in…
Peace,
Mike
The journey begins. After months of preparation and anticipation, my Semester at Sea voyage is finally underway. On January 31st, I left my house in Sun Valley, Idaho and boarded a flight (or three really) for Nassau, Bahamas. My flight from Orlando, Florida to Nassau, Bahamas ended up getting canceled leaving me to travel back and forth across the country from Boise, ID to San Francisco, CA to Charlotte, NC and finally to Nassau. Great start!
In Nassau, I stayed at the Atlantis with several buddies from Sun Valley and Boulder as well as hundreds of other Semester at Sea participants. White sand beaches, clear blue water, various pools, waterfalls, waterslides and tropical drinks consumed much of my time. Other than the outrageous price tag, the Atlantis was perfect. A great resort, on a great island, with extraordinary people.
On the morning of February 4th, I boarded the MV Explorer to begin my journey around the world. The reality of what I was about to do was finally setting in. After spending several hours getting through customs and security to board the ship, I wandered the ship meeting my neighbors for the semester and checking out the facilities. Nearly every student mingled by the pool in the hot Bohemian sun that afternoon…what an awful way to start the trip. We embarked on our journey that evening setting to the sea. I never though I would be one to get sea sick, but boy was I wrong. The rock of the ship is very noticeable, especially for a person not accustomed to the water travel such as myself. After some medicine however, things were looking bright once again.
Tomorrow, we have our first day of classes aboard the ship and then it is off to Puerto Rico for three days. Check back in a week or so for more details on life aboard the floating campus as well as news from our first port stay.
Thanks for checking in…
Peace,
Mike
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