Mauritius and Olympics

“It’s like the Bahamas for the people of Europe”

 

It was like the Spring Break for the students on Semester at Sea.

Hey, we are in the southern hemisphere and seasons are opposite, so it makes sense!

 

We only had two nights in this port and we rented out a 30 person villa in the beach area of Flic and Flaq.

 

Only problem was the weather. It was kind of cloudy for the few days we were there so it didn’t give me the tropical vibe I was hoping for, but it was still fun. We spent the first day on the beach, swimming in the India Ocean, and trying to avoid the mass amount of coral reef in the water.

On our second day, I traded the party on the beach for some sight seeing and cliff jumping. Our cab driver turned into our tour guide and he drove us everywhere all day for about $10 a person! I couldn’t even get from one end of Newbury Street to the other for that cheep! Oh and he blasted Alanis Morissette the entire day. Why? “Because American’s love it!”. Fantastic stereotype.

Anyways, we went to see the giant statue of Sheva (a Hindu God), which is located at the top of the Grand Bassin. The Grand Bassin is a large lake in Mauritius and it rests within the crater of an extinct volcano and is home to some giant eels.

Next we headed for the Tamarind waterfalls, which are a stack of about 7 waterfalls tucked away in a mountain range. The hike wasn’t bad at all and the view was incredible. At the bases of some of the waterfalls were pools for swimming. This is where we were able to cliff jump. A few weeks ago, I plunged the highest bungee jump bridge in the world and I had to be pushed off the edge of this semi tiny cliff. Isn’t it ironic, don’t cha think?

They day ended with a taste of some sugar cane (which is what the island is mostly known for) and a hot pink sunset. Then our entire villa packed into a bus that took us to the touristy night life of Grand Bay. Party bus, in a dress, tons of intoxicated idiots…Prom? Even better.

 

Our final day was spent shopping and walking around the area. The ketchup on the ship has turned itself into this bright red sweet nasty junk and you know that I can’t deal with that. Therefore I bought my own supply of that Heinz goodness. I could not go the next few months without it!

 

We have been back on the ship for about 5 days now and I was busy planning for the SEA OLYMPICS, which took place in the middle of week. I was one of the two captains for my sea and we have been spending lots of time each night over the last few weeks planning for this event. It is a big tradition for Semester at Sea.

Basically, the entire ship community was divided up into 9 different seas, depending on what floor you lived on and what not. We were the Mediterranean Sea, and each sea was given a color to represent their team. We were yellow. It got pretty intense. Everyone got really into it with props and war paint and gear. It’s amazing what we can come up with in the middle of the ocean. I attempted to paint my face yellow, but everyone kept saying that I looked like I had jaundice. Anyways, it was like a giant field day on the ship, with all kinds of events- volleyball, easting contest, ‘beer pong’, synchronized swimming, a spelling bee, board games, and much more. There was a big finish with a relay race, and I am so surprised no one got killed. I did the butt scoot in the relay race and I also competed in the ‘sweatshirt medley’ where I had to jump in and out of the pool with a sweatshirt on and ring it out in an attempt to fill a bucket the fastest. I lost. But over all, our sea took 4^th place for the entire day. Not bad.

The day was perfect. The ocean was the calmest it has ever been, and the sun was shining all day.

We ended the night with a BBQ (which is like Christmas on this thing) and the sunset was the best I’ve seen so far.

 

Oh and school is going well too. I forget that this is college sometimes…

 

Tomorrow we arrive in INDIA!!! This is going to be the most intense experience of my life. I am non stop traveling all over the country…planes, trains, and automobiles. We are going to see the Taj Mahal of course, and we are going to the cities of Varanasi and Delhi. IT’S ALL BEING DONE THROUGH A TRAVEL AGENCY. No way would I ever attempt to travel in India independently. But maybe we should just tell Dolores that I am not leaving the ship at all…

I'm going into this adventure with this quote in mind-

"If you love India, it will love you right back. If you hate it, it will hate you back twice as hard"

 

Time to pack. And watch Slum Dog Millionaire for the billionth time. JAI HO!

 

 

South Africa Part 2

Over all, South Africa is a country that I will most definitely be returning to at some point in my life. There was no where near enough time to do everything I wanted to do. Like a safari and visiting a township. A lot of students went to Kruger National Park and got to see the Big 5 - Elephant, Leopard, Lion, Rhino, Water Buffalo. Not the zoo, real wild animals. So many students had some intense experiences with these animals, like a tour guide being chased by a lion.

 

I, however, did not get the chance to see any wild animals. Not even a baboon and they walk the streets like squirrels. That's why I will be back one day. And I will see a baboon and an elephant.

 

But I'm not upset about this at all because I loved everything that I did get to do in South Africa. The family that I was staying with took us to Boulders Beach. This is where the penguins are! They were much smaller than I thought they would be, and they are gated off like they were in the zoo. It didn't seem natural, but I guess it’s for their own protection from crazy tourist like us. I would have probably taken a few, have I had the chance to get within reach of them. After the beach, they drove us through the wine lands, but it was raining so we did not get the chance to get out and walk around and go to a tasting.

 

I had a lot of 'not getting a chance' in this country, so I guess a return is a must. But the time I did have there was still so incredible. Sorry for the repeat of words, but I'm running out of adjectives to describe these experiences. I got to try some interesting foods, such as Ostrich and Crawl Fish. Both were SO good. Especially the Ostrich. And the Crawl Fish was a lot like lobster.

 

South Africa was a lot like the States, except that they drive on the opposite side of the car and road. It was the last bit of home that we will be experiencing until December. Everyone stocked up on groceries and toiletries, because no one wants to deal with that mess in India or anywhere else we are heading. We are almost done with Africa, and then we are off to ASIA!!

 

I did take some time on the last day to upload pictures onto Facebook, so check those out if you have not already. Those are just a very small handful, and they are missing Spain and most of Morocco.

 

We are now off to the island of Mauritius. I am so excited!! It's like a vacation WITHIN a vacation. School for another 6 days, and then off to paradise!

 

And finally....HAPPY 21ST BIRTHDAY MAYSSA!!! Enjoy & Stay alive.

 

South Africa Part 1

If your friends jumped off a bridge, would you???

Yes.

This was my 'Dun dun dunnnn' adventure that I could not tell anyone about until I actually went through with it... and Dolores is never allowed to see this picture.....

The Bloukrans Bridge is the worlds highest commercial bungy jump at 216 meters. It was so amazing. They have you stand at the edge and they count down - 5,4,3,2,1, BUNGY and I just jumped. I'd like to say that my buddy Jack Daniels helped me jump, but my one prejump shot had worn off before my free falling. Heights are a buzz kill. It was all a huge adrenalin rush and Jay Z blasting behind me that got me over the edge. I couldn't even scream for the first 2 or 3 seconds. And the 20 seconds of hanging there waiting to be lifted back up was not very fun. The guys came down to get me and asked me how it was. I responded with "So amazing, I would do it again in a heartbeat! Just not today, and get me back on land RIGHT NOW!"

Oh and then the next day, I cage dived (dove?) with some great white sharks. Yup. Just another manic Monday. Except I did get sea sick and threw up 3 times over the side of the boat that took us out to these man eaters. So all of the day was not so grand. I'm so classy, I can't take it.

Anyways, I have 2 more days in South Africa and I am trying my best to find time to go to an internet cafe to upload pictures!!

Cape Town is so incredibly beautiful. Our ship is docked right in the main waterfront, and is steps away from all the shops and restaurants. It's very modern and very much like the States, which is a place that I'm having a love/hate relationship right now. I walked into a mall the other day and I actually missed my mud-floored markets from Morocco and Ghana!

The whole city is surrounded by these giant mountain ranges, including the famous Table Mountain, which I climbed within the first 2 hours of arriving in Cape Town. Pete's Rock aint got nothing on that shit...

One of the first pieces of advice that we were given on the ship was to take the time on bus rides to turn off your Ipod and just take in the sounds and scenes of each country. Well, I don't turn my Ipod off, but I do keep my eyes wide open forever while most of the bus sleeps. I have John Mayer's 3X5 on repeat. It's my anthem.

The mountains are my favorite part about this country. Our drive to the bungy jump was about 7 hours and it was not bad at all considering we got to drive through all these mountain ranges. They are just winding road after winding road and each turn gives you a new view of the country. Pictures do not do it just what so ever, so I gave up for the most part on taking any. Ok I did get a few. However, I do keep saying that if I were to ever do this trip again, I would do it without a camera all together. Hands down.

So right now I am staying at my friend Lauren's family's house for a few days (which is where I was able to gather my whole ONE picture via Google for this entry). Her brother is married to a girl who grew up in South Africa and still has some family living in the town next to Cape Town. It is called Fish Hoek (pronounced Hook). When we were driving into the town, I was able to look to my left and see the India Ocean and look to my right and see the Atlantic. I put my feet in both oceans today, and tomorrow we are going to the point at which they litterally meet. Other than that, I was able to watch cable television, go on Facebook for the first time in a month, youtube the Kanye's ditch to Taylor Swift, and drink real milk!! Oh the finer things in life. But then I was taken off my cloud when I ate chicken liver for dinner. Actually, it wasn't too bad. But the ketchup is going downhill in each country. I'm getting very worried.

Nevermind food, lets get back to experiences. So the family we are staying with has two sons- one who is 20 and the other is 18. They have been driving us around all day and showing us the hidden jems throughout the country. This is one of my favorite experiences so far. I haven't had the chance to really sit down and have long conversations with any locals in any of the countries so far. It is so interesting and the best way to really get to experience the culture. They have been teaching us the local lingo (such as 'I need a kip' means 'I taking a nap') and trying to explain how the sport Cricket works (still don't get it). And one of the sons rocks a Red Sox cap, woot woot.

Ok it is now past 5am here and I think it would be best that I sleep now. I got me some penguins to play with in the morning. Expect part 2 and hopefully some pictures soooon!! I also got a video of my near plunge with death. And a T-shirt, but I am only willing to share the video with everyone...