On to India......

Hello once again from the Northern Hemisphere. We said our last goodbyes to the Southern Hemisphere around 2100 hours last night and as I write we are just to the south east of Sri Lanka – Wow, I never would have imagined myself saying that before this voyage. It is sad for me to think that our trip is already almost half way over and sooner than I know it I will have to say goodbye to all these amazing friends I have met from around the world!
On a much brighter note we are almost to India! Tuesday morning (Monday evening for those of you in California) we will arrive in Chennai and that afternoon I fly to Delhi to begin our tour of the Taj Mahal, Agra, and Varinasi. Even thought I am a bit hesitant to experience a definite culture shock I am looking forward to learning more about their culture as a whole. We had a great introduction to what India is like is Mauritius, however on a much smaller scale. Although Mauritius is a French settlement the majority of the population is Indo-Mauritian, meaning people from Indian decent. While we were in Mauritius there was a big festival going on. Once a year Hindus from around the island make their way, on foot, to a river/lake (they believe it flows from the Ganges) just outside of Port Louis. As a result there are hundreds of groups of people that walk together carrying shrines of their god Shiva. I am not certain of every detail of the pilgrimage but it was an amazing experience to see all these people so dedicated to their faith and belief – something that is rarely seen in the states today.
On another topic, we did not have classes yesterday because of our sea Olympics on the ship. Each floor is divided into seas from around the globe and they all compete in many events with the prize of getting off the ship first in Miami – and of course my sea came in dead last! Good thing the rest of the standings do not count for order of disembarkation.
The other night we had a community college lecture on saris – how to tie them, where to buy them, and all that jazz. It was really interesting to see the different styles and it got me really excited to buy one! How cool would it be to be wearing an Indian sari in front of the Taj Mahal – so cool!!
Anyhoo, I should get back to my studies… I hope all is well at home! I miss you all!
love love love Cherie
PS. We move ahead 30 minutes tonight… weird, hey??

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!

Leaving Cape Town, Arriving Mauritius

So, wow! It has been a while since I have updated so I suppose I should catch y’all up. Well, we didn’t end up leaving Cape Town the night we were scheduled to because of fog. We actually departed Cape Town around 1000 hours on the 25th. I was outside while we sailed away and I convinced myself (and let me tell you, it didn’t take much) that I HAD to come back – anyone want to join? Anywho, we were at sea for a total of 5 days and it wasn’t until the last 2 days that the weather actually calmed down. Those first 3 days were pretty rocky which made things difficult but added that extra spice to life on the ship. We arrived in Mauritius (if you don’t know where it is look it up! Its somewhere off the coast of Madagascar) on Saturday morning around 700 hours which meant that we had to get up around 6ish to see the sunrise… needless to say it was an early morning for us. For the first day I had a trip through SAS to hike in the mountains and beach. In retrospect I really enjoyed it but during the hike I thought otherwise… See, being on the ship the most exercise we get is climbing the grand staircase about 10 times a day. Otherwise we are sitting in the classrooms, sitting in our rooms, or sitting down to eat – pretty much a lazy life. The have a gym on board but there are only 3-4 machines and signups are held the night before… its just a really complicated process that I haven’t figured out yet. Back to the story - We did the hike and the view from the top was amazing! After our hike we went to a French colonial home and had a traditional Mauritian meal. It was great! Soon after lunch we headed to a famous beach on the island called flick and flack (fun name, hey?). It was here that I had my first experience swimming in the Indian Ocean – all that’s left on my list is the Arctic Ocean, any takers? We stayed at the beach for a while and then headed back to the ship. Later that night I went out to dinner with some friends but soon after found my way back to the ship and to my bed! Yesterday was so much fun! I went on another SAS trip, but this one was a lot less challenging that the previous. We were on a catamaran, went snorkelling, and just chilled under the Mauritian sun for the day (with the help of Mr. SPF 30 this time!). On my trip I met a girl from Turlock (she knows where Porterville is!!!!) and she goes to Point Loma. We hit it off and went out for dinner with some friends after we got back to the ship. It was a great day! Today was my somewhat lazy day. I slept in, went to grab some internet on the waterfront, and then headed out to a service visit through SAS. We went to an orphanage where kids who aren’t necessarily biologically orphaned but socially orphaned, meaning their parents are in prison for prostitution, drugs, etc. It was great to see all these people care so deeply for these children who might not have any other hope otherwise. Tonight I decided to save some money and eat dinner on the ship – and I’m glad I didn’t miss it… it was ribs! I also got a phone card hoping to get a hold of a sibling of mine who lives in Russia but was not able to accomplish that… Peter, just know that I tried!! Right now I am in my friend’s room where I am going to spend the night so I best get to bed. Hope all is well back at home! Miss you all! love love love Cherie

These are some pics from the last few days in Cape Town. We leave in a few hours and I am so sad to leave. Just a quick update: I went to church this morning with some friends. Come to find out, we went to a township outside of Cape Town where one of my friend's "connections" is a missionary here - so he took us. These people are amazing and they are just so welcoming. I cannot begin to say just how sad I am to be leaving this beautiful country. I hope to come back soon!! There is no getting away from the travel bug now!!

I'll be back with more later!!

love love love

Cherie

Pictures from Brasil

Cape Town #2

We went to the Cape Winelands today! It was absolutely beautiful there. Our first stop was just outside Stellenbosch at JC Le Roux Winery. To be honest I was a bit worried because I am not a huge fan of wine… but these wines weren’t too bad. There specialty is sparkling wine, also known as Champagne. We tasted four of there specialty wines, were shown the bottling line of their winery and then took off for our next stop. Our next stop specialized in brandy, so that’s what we tasted… it was pretty much the most disgusting thing I have ever had. They also gave us some chocolates that supposedly “complimented” each of the 4 brandies – I wouldn’t know, after that first taste I was done – the chocolates were great though! I was really surprised at the prices of the wine around here. The most I saw for a reserve wine was around 80 Rand which is just over $11 – I would have bought some to bring home but we aren’t allowed to bring alcohol on the ship – sorry dad! We went to lunch at another winery but ran out of time to do a tasting there as well. Overall, I had a great time! I am still in love with this city and I am not looking forward to leaving at all. I have had the best time and I can’t wait to come back!
Miss you all!
love love love
Cherie

I have fallen in love!!!

Big news!! I have fallen in love… with South Africa! I have been here only two short days and I am in awe of this beautiful country. Yesterday we pulled into port around 0630 but pretty much everyone on the ship was up and out on deck by 0500 to watch the sunrise over Cape Town – it was absolutely beautiful and sadly none of the hundreds of pictures I took could do it justice. Before we disembarked, we had a diplomatic briefing for all the SAS participants. It was so interesting and it really got me thinking about possible future career paths. J After we got off the ship we headed toward the waterfront and started our exploration of Cape Town. I talked to some local guys on a sail boat (funny story that, if you really are that interested, you should ask me when I get home) and they welcomed me to Cape Town. After a few more hours we headed back to the ship for our FDP to Robben Island. I cannot even begin to tell you about the experience of Robben Island. When we got off the ferry it just hit me of everything that went on there. Not only was I stepping where hundreds of innocent prisoners walked but it really hit me that this happened during my lifetime. Its not like Hiroshima or Vietnam where no matter how many times I will go, visiting those places will not have the same impact on me as it will as someone who lived through them. The Apartheid is still “fresh” history and being at Robben Island and speaking to past political prisoners was amazing! I learned so much and feel much more of a connection for South Africa and the apartheid period. If you ever have any free time definitely look up a man by the name of Robert Sebuque (I think that’s how his last name is spelled). Most South Africans don’t know his name at all, but he played such a vital part of the Apartheid movement… his story is very powerful and worth looking into. From Robben Island my friends and I went back to the ship and got some dinner (or tried to straighten out an ATM situation with their bank… goodness!!) We then had plans to head up to Table Mountain. We caught a cab for the 10 minute drive up to the cable car only to find out that it was closed for the day due to high winds. Talk about a major downer – we ended up just taking pictures from the view we were at and then headed back to the waterfront to get a second dinner of sorts. After our long day we decided to call it a night after our late dinner and headed back home, aka: the ship!
Today (Wednesday) I went on an SAS trip to Cape Point. The views we saw were absolutely amazing! For those of you who don’t know, Cape Point is said to be the place where the Indian and Atlantic Oceans meet – it is also the most south-western point in Africa. We also went to see a colony of penguins (Jackass penguins, if you want to be specific) that are indigenous to this area. They are so cute! Oh, and a little side note – the restaurant we went to had to shut their windows because there was a troop of baboons that were just outside… no big deal! HA! Once we returned to the ship I went out to dinner with some people I had just met the day before which was so much fun! We went to this restaurant called Moyo where customers have the opportunity to eat in a tree house! We didn’t because we had too many people in our party. We still had a great seat though – right by the center stage. Every so often they would have dancers and singers come out and do a traditional African dance for us! It was a great time! The dinner was an all you can eat buffet with many different types of meat – traditional steak, , ox tail, antelope, and of course chicken. Talk about a mouth watering meal… YUMM! These past 2 days have been amazing and I can’t wait to see what the next few days have in store for me!
I am so excited I get to share this with you! Hope you enjoy!
Love love love Cherie