More South Africa pictures...

The pictures in this group are from my day in Groot Constantia, our sunrise view of Table Mountain as we neared our destination (we woke up at 5:30)on the first day, and Margs Linley. I'm going to try and post all of my pictures but there probably wont be enough time to have a description for all of them. I am uploading them at my Indian family's house during my Rotarian homestay, which was been a great experience. I never realized how wonderful Indian food could be, and the people are so kind and welcoming. There is a huge culture shock but one that can be adjusted to simply if you let go of all cultural customs from home. And Inida is very, very, hot. My family said it was probably 95 yesterday, and that was not an extremely hot day. It has been an experience to say the least, but my experienes here, after spending time with the people, my opinion of India has definitely changed. As someone once said about India, all preconceptions you have about India will be changed when you visit, I agree. There is so much to say about India, it cannot be done in the little time that I have, hopefully I will be able to publish an entry before we reach Malaysia. I hope everyone enjoys these pictures, and keep in touch, I miss you all!!

South Africa...a bit late

It has been over 2 weeks since we left Cape Town and yet South Africa never leaves my mind. The seven days we spent there were absolutely wonderful, and the memories made there are ones I will always treasure. The highlights of the trip, if I am able to upload all of them to this blog will be shown in picture form in the blog. The day we visited the townships was an eye opening experience, and the children we met did not let their spirits dampen with the poverty we saw around them. They were all smiles and loved getting the chance to dance around with us as we meandered through their neighborhood. Many things are being done to alleviate some of the dangerous issues that arise with township living, such as fires because of shared electricity. But it was definitely a growing experience, and one that I'm glad I decided to do apart from Semester at Sea, our tour group was only 5 people. Sadly I don't have any pictures of that day because I didn't bring my camera but we were on the tour with a lovely German women who promised to send us the pictures she took within the next few months.

The day I will never forget was Sunday, the day that Lindsay and I spent in the company of the Margs and Pete Linley and their four sons: Oliver, Max, Joe, and Will. A day in the life both Lindsay and I hope we can someday live. The day began with an early visit to their church, a member of the Vineyard Churches which Margs said originated in California. It was a wonderful quaint church, held in a school which reminded me of our days in Clear River. The people were so kind and welcoming, and it functioned as a great start to our day. We then went back to the Linleys home which was spectacular to say the least. The interior decorator, or Margs herself, should be praised. We had a delicious lunch, one that Lindsay and I still recount today. Roasted Chicken, potatoes, fresh salad (which we are not used to on the ship), squash and great wine. Still thinking of it today makes me miss them, not just the meal but the kind hospitality that was extended towards us. The boys were so polite, so intelligent, and yearning to play tag. So we went outside to take part in different relay races with them, after which Will (the youngest) was ready to continue for the rest of the afternoon, but we felt like that was the biggest workout we had gotten in a long time. In the afternoon, we took a walk into the Cecilia Forest, on the back of Table Mountain with their three German Shepards. After a relaxing walk, and a detailed play by play account of cricket by Joe, very little of which I understood though still enjoyed his attempt, we were dropped off at the Kirstenbosch Botanical Gardens to take in the Sunday Afternoon Summer Concert. Margs had packed a wonderful picnic, and Lindsay and I snacked away during the concert. We had also bought a small bottle of sparkling wine from the Gerneral store at Kirstenbosch, and sipped on that. I dont think my words and descriptions can do this day justice! I truly had a wonderful time, and it wouldn't have been possible without the gernerosity and kindness of the Linleys. I only hope that some day I can return to Cape Town and spend more time with them. Gin, if you are reading this, thank you for making the connection, I couldn't have imagined my Cape Town visit without them.

On Monday Lindsay and I decided to go to Groot Constantia, a small vineyard in the Constantia region of Cape Town. We had wanted to go to Table Mountain, but a thick tablecloth covered the mountain all of Monday. OUr taxi driver, Allen who were lucky enough to make a connection with in the subsequent days in Cape Town suggested Groot Constantia as a great place to take a relaxing walk up the mountain and then have a simple lunch. We loved it. Walking up through the Vineyards reminded me of my time in Tuscany, though I have to say, South Africa's Winelands were very comparable to Tuscany. The views at the top of the mountain, the meal we enjoyed at the little Bistro, amazing. We still talk about the salad, as you can see we loved having salad, and the wine. The day fit all of our criteria, good food, great sights, and physical activity! It was only made better by Margs picking us up, and we got the chance to race again with Joe and Will, loving every minute of it. And being a little more prepared since we were wearing tennis shoes this time from our walk. Though when Oliver decided to join the race we were all left in the dust. Overall, the two best days!

quick update while in Mauritius../

I'm sitting in an internet cafe on the beautiful island of Mauritius after spending a relaxing day in the sun, with few little sunburn, I'm very proud. We were unsure of how great our hotel would be after booking it on Expedia, but it couldn't have turned out better! Small, family oriented hotel right on the beach with a great pool and free meals! Life is wonderful. Plus it feels great being on the ship for a little while, even though we encounter Semester at Sea people everywhere we go, I'm still having a great time. And South Africa, for the record, was absolutely amazing, I should really devote some time to compiling an adequate blog post of my experiences. All I can say is I have to return. The sights, the people, the history, can't ignore the shopping, everything about it I love. I loved every minute of it. I am attempting to upload pictures of my time there, but it isn't working, so I apologize to anyone who reads this blog (mom, you already have moved on to bigger, better blogs, which I understand) and if you are reading this blog, yay! I will try to write more if I know people are reading because I really would love everyone to know how wonderful an experience this is. Better than I could ever have imagined. My eyes are opened each days to things that I was blind to before, if that makes sense. I really am loving every minute of it, and to think that this is only my fourth port in mind boggling! There is so much more to see, many more people to meet, and most importantly more cultures to experience! I only hope that at the end of these three months all of you will be able to put up with my stories!! And just in case you want to hear more about other peoples semester at sea experiences, look at my friend allie's blog, she has uploaded a lot of pictures, and we have been together in many of the recent ports! her blog address is: alliecatlx.blogspot.com! It will probably give you more of an idea of the trip so far.

Here are the remaining addresses to send me letters!! And remember you send me a letter YOU GET A GIFT!!


Currently the U.S. Post Office recommends sending international mail at least two weeks in advance. Please keep in mind that mail service in other countries may vary. Letters should be sent Airmail only. Please do not send any mail to the Institute for Shipboard Education or to the University of Virginia to be forwarded. Do not enclose currency in the mail.

Please do not send packages to the ship - Excessive duty is charged in some countries. In many instances, packages are not delivered to the ship. Packages may be held in customs, or at a local post office, and the recipient aboard ship is never notified. If you send packages, you do so at your own risk.

India: AIRMAIL no later than MAR 11th
Margaret Hannan
Cabin 4051
C/O: MV Explorer
Arrives March 25, 2007
J.M. Baxi & CO
52 Rajaji Salai
Chennai-600 001, INDIA

Malaysia: AIRMAIL no later than MAR 19th
Margaret Hannan
Cabin 4051
C/O: MV Explorer
Arrives April 2, 2007
Inchcape Shipping Services SDN
4th Floor Unit 4B
Wisma Saw Chong Thuah
39-c, Pengkalan Weld
10300 Penang, MALAYSIA

Vietnam: AIRMAIL no later than MAR 26th
Margaret Hannan
Cabin 4051
C/O: MV Explorer
Arrives April 9, 2007
General Forwarding & Agency
5th Floor Osic Building
8 Nguyen Hue Avenue
D. 1, Ho Chi Minh City, VIETNAM

Hong Kong: AIRMAIL no later than APR 3rd
Margaret Hannan
Cabin 4051
C/O: MV Explorer
Arrives April 17, 2007
Inchcape Shipping Services (HK) Ltd.
Units 1802-1805, 18th Floor
No 3 Lockhart Road
Wanchai, HONG KONG- CHINA

China: AIRMAIL no later than APR 7th
Margaret Hannan
Cabin 4051
C/O: MV Explorer
Arrives April 21, 2007
Penavico Qingdao
21 Wuxia Road
Quingdao, 266002, P.R. CHINA

Japan: AIRMAIL no later than APR 11th
Margaret Hannan
Cabin 4051
C/O: MV Explorer
Arrives April 25, 2007
Inchcape Shipping Services
Kenryu Bldg II, Room 303
6, Kaigan-dori, Chu-ku
Kobe-shi, Hyogo-Ken 650-0024, JAPAN

Hawaii: AIRMAIL no later than APR 23rd
Margaret Hannan
Cabin 4051
C/O: MV Explorer
Arrives May 7, 2007
Inchcape Shipping Services
Gentry Pacific Center
260 North Numitz Hwy, Suite 103
HONOLULU, Hawaii 96817, USA