We are off to India!

We left Mauritius yesterday around 2230 hours and are slowly making our way to Chennai. Overall Mauritius was good but I was still excited to get on our way to Asia. The last two days in Mauritius were pretty laid back. I went to an orphanage on Monday (which I already told you about – pictures to come soon!) and then went horseback riding with some friends on Tuesday. Riding was a lot of fun mixed with a small amount of fear. First of all the stables we went to were owned by a wealthy Frenchman – I wasn’t too surprised to see that since Franco-Mauritians make up only 2% of the population but are also the wealthiest population in Mauritius. Anyhoo, we got to the stables, paid, and then got on the horses. There were a few things that stuck out to me: 1. They brought the horses out of the stables with English tack on – maybe I’m just weird, but I have never been on a trail ride with English tack. 2. The owner was pretty much threatening us to make sure these horses came back the same way they left. He reminded us numerous times that these were HIS horses and they were Thoroughbred. He pretty much seemed more concerned with the wellbeing of the horse than the rider. My question… If he was so worried about the horses, why in the world would he let US ride them? 3. I have never seen a person have so much hatred toward his own country. He was pretty much weird! – end of story. On the way back from riding our driver took us by a grocery store to get some necessities (ship food gets a bit old after a while). We went in to find a wide variety of things. On aisle 6 you got your everyday fireworks, aisle 2 you have Nutella and TimTams, and finally on aisle 9 you have some French novels. Too bad we only had a few minutes to get our things – I would have loved to explore more! I ended up getting some crackers, rice cakes, and TimTams (to educate the ship on how to properly execute the “TimTam Slam”). Later we finally made it back to the ship and said our goodbyes to Mauritius – and here we are! As for my thoughts on India – I am not quite sure what to expect. Everyone says that its major culture shock but I suppose know one will know until they have been there. In India I have a 3 day trip to Agra, Delhi, and Varanasi planned and am hoping to get on a service visit if there is extra space. The reality that our next port is India has not set in yet. For one, it marks the half way mark of this amazing voyage around the world, and two, I know I will be faced with circumstances that I have never experienced before. It will be, as this whole trip has been, a time when I am put out of my comfort zone, which of course is the time that we grow the most. So, I am looking forward to these challenges, as tough as they may be – I will learn so much! That’s all for now – I hope everything is well back home! I miss you all! love love love Cherie PS. Ethan – How long did it take you to fit all those cities into one sentence? Oh, how I wish for time like that! Love you!