Tuesday, April 8, 2008
Viet Nam
My time in Viet Nam was an experience I will never forget. Before my visit I didn’t have much background on the American war in Viet Nam and was unclear as to why there even was a war here. The first day we pulled into port I stayed on the ship because I was required to attend an FDP (field directed practicum) for my finance class. For the most part, listening to a lawyer talk about business and economics in Viet Nam was pretty much a waste of my time – not gunna lie. He did, however, have a few statistics that were interesting to hear about. After our 2 hour lecture, we finally were able to leave the ship to head downtown. My first impressions of Viet Nam were not what I expected. For what I was expecting, Viet Nam is well built up with nice hotels, a beautiful opera house, and your everyday (legitimate) LV and Gucci stores. I, on the other hand, decided to buy my LV and Gucci supplies at the market for a fraction of the “real” price. We did some shopping (perhaps too much) and then went to find a tailor that could make us some dresses (pretty much everyone gets dresses and suits made in VN to wear to the Ambassadors Ball here on the ship). We went into one of the many tailor shops, busted out our pictures of the dress (es) we wanted and we were off – Taking measurements here, fabric there, we spent a total of about 2 hours there until we were forced to leave to meet some friends for dinner in town. We took a cab from the shop to a restaurant called the “Mandarene.” It was traditional Vietnamese food with people waiting on us hand and foot. Come to find out Condellezza Rice had been there sometime before and we sat at the same table! It was quite the claim to fame for a few of us… After our nice dinner we headed back into town to go shopping (again) at the night market. My friend, Anna and I ended up getting separated from the rest of our group and had to take a cab back to the ship because we missed the last free shuttle back to the ship. Anyhoo, I was proud of ourselves because we got the cab (which took close to 30 minutes) for like 4 USD. The joys of bargaining, hey? We made it back to the ship and I hit the sack by 1AM. The next morning I had to get up pretty darn early in order to make my trip to the Cu Chi Tunnels. The tunnels are only about 60km away but it took us 2 hours to get there because of the traffic. The Cu Chi Tunnels was where the war aspect actually hit me – In downtown Saigon it just looks like a big city – it doesn’t even look like a war would have ever taken place there. As lame of a comparison as it is, the area where the Cu Chi Tunnels are looks exactly like what you see on MASH. Anyways, during our tour we were shown how the Vietnamese used different techniques to kill Americans and obviously how and why the tunnels were built. We were actually able to go down into the tunnels for about 15 minutes – it was probably one of the most uncomfortable 15 minutes I have been through on this whole trip. These tunnels were not “American size” and were extremely hot and humid, not to mention I was doing the duck walk the whole way through because if I got down on all fours it hurt my knees too much. It was a good experience nonetheless. On our tour they had the option to shoot a gun on a shooting range. It was an eerie feeling hearing the gunshots from afar, being in the jungle, and knowing that is a tiny snippet of what it was like during the war. Also, it was weird to hear such a different story of the war. Americans were sometimes described as terrorist which is definitely not something I am used to hearing. After the Cu Chi Tunnels trip we came back to the ship and headed back out to Saigon to do some more shopping… good deals can be found in Viet Nam, believe me! The next day I woke up not feeling too well but I still went into town to explore and get a cheap manicure and pedicure! It was pretty much amazing! My friend and I also made our way over to the War Remnants Museum. This was a really different experience for me – everything in that museum was showing the American soldiers in such a horrible light. I know there was huge controversy over the Viet Nam war amongst the Americans as a whole but I feel like any American for or against the war would be shocked at the images portrayed there. The next day was my trip to the Mekong Delta. Again, I wasn’t feeling very well so my trip was a bit on the dull side but it was still nice to be able to see this historic river. We took many different types of boats up the river, stopped at various villages and I even got to hold a python – holy crap was that scary! The next day I went into town to grab some last minute things and to pick up our dresses from the tailor. On my trip around town I came across an internet café were I spent about 2 hours trying to sort some things out. I also joined skype and was able to talk with my brader for a while! I ended my last day in Viet Nam by picking up my dresses from the tailor. They turned out very well and I am very happy with them – that outcome was not had by all on the ship so I feel lucky to have a nice outcome. Overall my trip to Viet Nam was great. I learned a lot but I also feel like I need to learn so much more to see the whole picture. It has recently hit me that all the experiences I am having on this trip, many people will never be able to have. I have to pinch myself every morning to make sure that I’m not dreaming. I hope this finds you all well! Miss you! love love love Cherie
Monday, March 31, 2008
Next stop... China!
So, I will be posting about Viet Nam as soon as I can... but it probably won't be until I get to Beijing in 4 days! Then I can post pictures from Malaysia, Viet Nam, and some from China! I am really excited for China and I will do my best to keep you all up to date on my travels!
love love love
Cherie
love love love
Cherie
Saturday, March 29, 2008
Malaysia and such...
First of all, again, let me apologize for not being more on top of my blogging. Since being in Asia our time between ports has significantly decreased. From Malaysia to Vietnam (where I am writing this from) we had 3 days at sea, so trying to write updates, do my school work and still maintain my social life (that’s right, I have one of those!) is quite difficult… anyhoo, on with what you really want to hear about…
My time in Malaysia was great! (And no I didn’t kill the Prime Minister). The first three days I was on a SAS sponsored trip to the Cameron Highlands and the next two days I spent with some friends at a sweet hotel in Penang. First of all, getting off the ship in Penang was not as easy as it normally is – we had to tender our way in… meaning that the ship was anchored in the harbour and we used the (HOT HOT HOT) lifeboats to get from land to the ship. Anyhoo, the first day began with a tender ride to land and then off to the busses for our 4 hour ride to the highlands. We stopped twice on the way for a “happy stop” as our guide called them and also for lunch at a Chinese restaurant. After our stop we continued to climb up into the highlands (6,000 ft). About a half hour before we made it to our hotel it started to downpour! Now, maybe its just because I have only seen the sun since beginning this adventure, but that kind of rain was foreign to me (and not because it was in Malaysia). We eventually made it to the hotel, broke out the rain coat and flip-flops and headed down to the city. We did a bit of shopping and found an internet café where we could make calls to the US for less than .10 a minute and internet for even cheaper – it was beautiful! Spent a few hours there and then headed back to the hotel for the evening. The next morning we had land rovers (like the ones on Ace Ventura!) that took us through the highlands to different tea plantations and to one of the highest peaks in Malaysia. Riding in the land rovers was an experience to say the least. With four of us in the back with no real seats it was pretty bumpy and uncomfortable but the sights that we saw were totally worth it. We went on two different jungle hikes and saw some native plants and insects. Our guides were great and explained everything very well. They even showed us different plants that the natives used and still use as medicinal. It was really interesting. We also stopped at a tea factory. BOH (Best of Highlands) is the brand that is most famous in Malaysia so I stocked up at the factory and I hope to share some with everyone when I get back (Yep, I kinda went a little crazy with the tea). In the afternoon we had planned to go to a village a visit with some of the native people but due to a gigantic tree in the road our plans changed and we visited a smaller village that we had passed earlier. The people that lived in the village were very welcoming being that we came in completely unexpected – our guide had lived with them for a period of time a while back so he knew it would be acceptable for us to just show up. The chief of the village was kind enough to give us a blow gun demonstration and even let us try it. It was a great experience and the pictures are priceless. After our visit we headed back to the main part of town where we stopped at a strawberry farm where I bought the most amazing strawberry ice-cream!! Yum! The Cameron highlands are known for its strawberries (as well as tea) so it was great to be able to make a short stop there. The next day we visited some temples and some sights on our way back to Penang. My favourite was a Buddhist temple that was built into a cave. Again, only the pictures can really explain. Once we got back to Penang I quickly got back to the ship, unpacked, repacked, and headed back out to a hotel in Penang with 3 of my friends. The hotel was built in the traditional British colonial style. It was beautiful and the time to relax was well needed. That night we went out to dinner at a traditional Malaysian place and met an American family who just moved to Dubai about 6 months ago. It was really cool to hear their story and also just be in a “family” for a few minutes. After the restaurant kicked us out because we were there too late the mom would not leave without seeing us off safely and giving us a “mom” hug. She was so sweet! The next day, after lying out by the pool, we went for an early dinner to Subway – you should be jealous. It was the first we had had subway since leaving the states so it was quite refreshing, although it didn’t taste the same. For dessert we went next door to Starbucks! I got my traditional London Fog and man, was it good! – First time to have Starbucks since leaving the states too. After our dinner we headed to Gurney Plaza – a huge shopping center in Penang. We went to get some groceries and headed back to the hotel to watch a movie. The next day, Easter Sunday, we pretty much chilled by the pool all morning until brunch at the hotel. After brunch we packed up, took some “family portraits” and then headed back to the ship. I will admit that my time in Malaysia was more like vacation than an educational experience, although I did learn a lot at Cameron Highlands. The down time was well needed and it was a great time to spend with friends. Easter night we had a service on the ship which was great. The turnout was more than I expected and I think a lot of seeds were planted. I hope this update finds everyone well and I will try my best to give you my thoughts and feelings on Viet Nam as soon as I can – and I will try to upload some pictures when I find an internet café. Miss you all!
love love love
Cherie
My time in Malaysia was great! (And no I didn’t kill the Prime Minister). The first three days I was on a SAS sponsored trip to the Cameron Highlands and the next two days I spent with some friends at a sweet hotel in Penang. First of all, getting off the ship in Penang was not as easy as it normally is – we had to tender our way in… meaning that the ship was anchored in the harbour and we used the (HOT HOT HOT) lifeboats to get from land to the ship. Anyhoo, the first day began with a tender ride to land and then off to the busses for our 4 hour ride to the highlands. We stopped twice on the way for a “happy stop” as our guide called them and also for lunch at a Chinese restaurant. After our stop we continued to climb up into the highlands (6,000 ft). About a half hour before we made it to our hotel it started to downpour! Now, maybe its just because I have only seen the sun since beginning this adventure, but that kind of rain was foreign to me (and not because it was in Malaysia). We eventually made it to the hotel, broke out the rain coat and flip-flops and headed down to the city. We did a bit of shopping and found an internet café where we could make calls to the US for less than .10 a minute and internet for even cheaper – it was beautiful! Spent a few hours there and then headed back to the hotel for the evening. The next morning we had land rovers (like the ones on Ace Ventura!) that took us through the highlands to different tea plantations and to one of the highest peaks in Malaysia. Riding in the land rovers was an experience to say the least. With four of us in the back with no real seats it was pretty bumpy and uncomfortable but the sights that we saw were totally worth it. We went on two different jungle hikes and saw some native plants and insects. Our guides were great and explained everything very well. They even showed us different plants that the natives used and still use as medicinal. It was really interesting. We also stopped at a tea factory. BOH (Best of Highlands) is the brand that is most famous in Malaysia so I stocked up at the factory and I hope to share some with everyone when I get back (Yep, I kinda went a little crazy with the tea). In the afternoon we had planned to go to a village a visit with some of the native people but due to a gigantic tree in the road our plans changed and we visited a smaller village that we had passed earlier. The people that lived in the village were very welcoming being that we came in completely unexpected – our guide had lived with them for a period of time a while back so he knew it would be acceptable for us to just show up. The chief of the village was kind enough to give us a blow gun demonstration and even let us try it. It was a great experience and the pictures are priceless. After our visit we headed back to the main part of town where we stopped at a strawberry farm where I bought the most amazing strawberry ice-cream!! Yum! The Cameron highlands are known for its strawberries (as well as tea) so it was great to be able to make a short stop there. The next day we visited some temples and some sights on our way back to Penang. My favourite was a Buddhist temple that was built into a cave. Again, only the pictures can really explain. Once we got back to Penang I quickly got back to the ship, unpacked, repacked, and headed back out to a hotel in Penang with 3 of my friends. The hotel was built in the traditional British colonial style. It was beautiful and the time to relax was well needed. That night we went out to dinner at a traditional Malaysian place and met an American family who just moved to Dubai about 6 months ago. It was really cool to hear their story and also just be in a “family” for a few minutes. After the restaurant kicked us out because we were there too late the mom would not leave without seeing us off safely and giving us a “mom” hug. She was so sweet! The next day, after lying out by the pool, we went for an early dinner to Subway – you should be jealous. It was the first we had had subway since leaving the states so it was quite refreshing, although it didn’t taste the same. For dessert we went next door to Starbucks! I got my traditional London Fog and man, was it good! – First time to have Starbucks since leaving the states too. After our dinner we headed to Gurney Plaza – a huge shopping center in Penang. We went to get some groceries and headed back to the hotel to watch a movie. The next day, Easter Sunday, we pretty much chilled by the pool all morning until brunch at the hotel. After brunch we packed up, took some “family portraits” and then headed back to the ship. I will admit that my time in Malaysia was more like vacation than an educational experience, although I did learn a lot at Cameron Highlands. The down time was well needed and it was a great time to spend with friends. Easter night we had a service on the ship which was great. The turnout was more than I expected and I think a lot of seeds were planted. I hope this update finds everyone well and I will try my best to give you my thoughts and feelings on Viet Nam as soon as I can – and I will try to upload some pictures when I find an internet café. Miss you all!
love love love
Cherie
Friday, March 21, 2008
More Pictures...
Just a little photo shoot in the rik-shaw!
Our reaction to the smell of India...
Our unusual ride back to the ship...
Me in downtown Delhi
In front of a temple in Delhi
INDIA
Me and Zach on the rik-shaw ride.... before we got lost.
The Ganges River in VarinasiLong Overdue Pictures
Me and Kelli at the Taj!
GROUP C at the Taj!
The bellman at our hotel in Delhi
THE TAJ!!
Leaving for Delhi...
Me and Zach at our AMAZING hotel in Delhi.
Just a tad happy to be there...
Recognize this??
Me in the old Palace
Riding in Mauritius
Miss Anna riding...
Friends after our time riding...
Just some fireworks in the grocery store...
These are all from an orphange in Mauritius... so Cute!
My first time swimming in the Indian Ocean!
Me and some friends!
Catamaran cruise....
Me and Aliceson after our cruise!
This is on the top of a mountain in Mauritius
This was at lunch... and i wanted to be like the fish on my spoon! Don't judge!My India... experience
India… WOW! I really wish I could tell you every little detail (sights, sounds, smells, feelings, emotions) about my trip to India but that will not do it justice and I fear no one will be able to understand everything that I felt while in India. In this blog I will tell you more of what we did rather than what I felt because including everything would be way too long and also pointless because I cannot put it into words.
We got to India on Tuesday morning but I left Chennai (southern India) at 1500 hours that same day to fly to Delhi (northern India). Our trip to Delhi started with a bus ride to the airport – this is when the actual culture shock set in. The drive to the airport was 45 minutes so we were able to see some of the sites in Chennai. We drove through a part of town that is very hard to explain to those who weren’t there. People were sleeping on the sides of streets and living in “houses” held up with 4 sticks of bamboo and covered with a tarp. It was my first real experience with this kind of poverty and it did not feel well at all. When we got to the airport we were immediately bombarded with beggars asking for food and money. Of course with our group being the only white people in the area we were looked at like a celebrity. It took a while to get used to everyone staring at us whenever we entered a room. When we got inside the airport it was really interesting to see the overwhelming majority of men – in India the ratio of women to men is 919/1000. This is partially due to the dowry system (which is illegal, however still widely used), as well as infanticides (women getting abortions because of the female sex of the baby) – but that is a whole other story. So we arrived in Delhi and went straight to our hotel. The hotel was amazing! There were also a lot of other SAS trips staying there so it was great to see some friends from the ship. We had dinner and headed off to bed for our 4 hour rest. Our hotel for the first 2 nights was the Ashok Hotel – it was amazing! When we first arrived they gave us lays and the traditional dot on our forehead. It was great! We got up the next morning at 0400 hours and headed to the train station to catch the train to Agra. This was another eye opening experience for everyone. There were people everywhere (I know where there 1.2 billion people come from)! We were still always surrounded by beggars and men trying to sell things to us for a “special price just for me” (where have I heard that before?). Anyways, we arrived in Agra after a 2 hour train ride and were swept away to the bus for our journey to Fatehpur Sikri. This is a deserted city about 25 miles outside the city of Agra. It was built by Emperor Akbar as his capital to honour a Muslim saint who prophesied the birth of an heir. The palaces are made of red sandstone and are in remarkable shape. This is also the place where the game Parcheesi was invented – personally I had never heard of it before but for all of you Parcheesi fans I have a great photo of the 5 story tower that is apparently on the box. We then made our way to the city of Agra where we visited a department store where we saw how cashmere/silk rugs being made. I would have bought one but the price was a little too high for my liking. Later in the day we went to Agra Fort which contains halls and palaces of the Mughals – my professor also got attacked by a monkey there… don’t worry I have it all on video! From the fort we were also able to see the Taj Mahal, our next and most exciting stop! When I first saw the Taj Mahal I was speechless – It totally exceeded my expectations and I was thoroughly impressed. I wish I could expand my vocabulary in order to find words to explain it but it was amazing! After visiting the Taj at dusk we headed to a hotel for dinner and then to the train station to get back to Delhi. The next day (after another 4 hours of sleep) we went for a driving tour through Delhi. The sites included the Burla Temple and a Sikh Gurdwara, the Indian war memorial, parliament house, secretariat buildings and the official residence of the President of India. From there we headed to the airport to catch our flight to Varanasi. After arriving in Varanasi we visited the ruins of the ancient city where the Buddha preached his first sermon - we also went to the Stupa and ruins of an ancient monastery. The Buddhist temple we visited was also saw the tree under which Buddha was enlightened (Now, this wasn’t the actual place he was enlightened but the tree is a sapling of the original tree he was enlightened under – just thought I’d throw that out there). That evening we were scheduled to go to the Ganges River to watch some of the traditional Hindu rituals, however the Prime Minister of India was scheduled to come to Varanasi the next day so the city was “practicing” for his arrival by closing random streets which made it impossible to get to the river that evening. We did have time for a rikshaw drive that turned into a nightmare with getting separated from our group and experiencing the real India at night. Don’t worry, my mom didn’t know about this until long after the whole ordeal. Our driver spoke NO English and I don’t think he really knew where we were supposed to go. After we were stopped in the middle of a busy street for about 10 minutes my friend Zach and I finally found someone with a cell phone and were able to call our guide to find out where to go. We ended where we started with out seeing the Ganges… The next day we got up at 0430 hours and finally made it to the Ganges River. We boarded a small boat and sailed along the river to see all the different religious practices that have remained unchanged over the centuries. We saw many pilgrims come to the Holy water for the ritual immersion and prayer to release their souls from the cycle of rebirth. The walk to and from the river was, like many of my experiences, indescribable. People were everywhere asking for money, wanting us to buy things, wanting food, or simply staring at 60 white kids walking down the street trying not to be killed by all the cars/rickshaws/motorbikes. We then made our way to an Indian art emporium. They hand make 100% silk scarves, shawls, and tie. I might have gone a little crazy with the scarves… maybe! Don’t worry, they are super cute! After lunch and packing we headed back to the airport for our flight to Delhi and then Chennai. Before we flew out though, the Prime Minister flew in so we were able to see him which was really cool. I had a very interesting conversation with a local in the airport about the politics of India and the comparison/contrast to that of the states. Just a little side note – every person I have talked with about politics in the states seems to really like Obama… I just thought that was interesting. By the time we got back to Chennai we were all pretty delirious from our lack of sleep and would start cracking up at the smallest comment. It was good times! The next day I slept in until 1000 hours (that is good on the ship). After lunch my friends when to St. Thomas church and saw the tomb of doubting Thomas. It was not what I was expecting but it was still nice to see one of the three churches in the whole world that are built over the tomb of an apostle of Jesus. We also went around pretty much all of Chennai… our rik-shaw driver would take us everywhere except where we asked – talk about frustrating. We stopped in the middle of a busy part of the city and saw type of juice/smoothie stand and braved the ice/water that they told us NOT to eat multiple times… but hey, ya gotta live a little, right? 3 days later and I’m still not sick!! Well, this is getting to be really lengthy so I best give it a rest. Miss you all! love love love Cherie
We got to India on Tuesday morning but I left Chennai (southern India) at 1500 hours that same day to fly to Delhi (northern India). Our trip to Delhi started with a bus ride to the airport – this is when the actual culture shock set in. The drive to the airport was 45 minutes so we were able to see some of the sites in Chennai. We drove through a part of town that is very hard to explain to those who weren’t there. People were sleeping on the sides of streets and living in “houses” held up with 4 sticks of bamboo and covered with a tarp. It was my first real experience with this kind of poverty and it did not feel well at all. When we got to the airport we were immediately bombarded with beggars asking for food and money. Of course with our group being the only white people in the area we were looked at like a celebrity. It took a while to get used to everyone staring at us whenever we entered a room. When we got inside the airport it was really interesting to see the overwhelming majority of men – in India the ratio of women to men is 919/1000. This is partially due to the dowry system (which is illegal, however still widely used), as well as infanticides (women getting abortions because of the female sex of the baby) – but that is a whole other story. So we arrived in Delhi and went straight to our hotel. The hotel was amazing! There were also a lot of other SAS trips staying there so it was great to see some friends from the ship. We had dinner and headed off to bed for our 4 hour rest. Our hotel for the first 2 nights was the Ashok Hotel – it was amazing! When we first arrived they gave us lays and the traditional dot on our forehead. It was great! We got up the next morning at 0400 hours and headed to the train station to catch the train to Agra. This was another eye opening experience for everyone. There were people everywhere (I know where there 1.2 billion people come from)! We were still always surrounded by beggars and men trying to sell things to us for a “special price just for me” (where have I heard that before?). Anyways, we arrived in Agra after a 2 hour train ride and were swept away to the bus for our journey to Fatehpur Sikri. This is a deserted city about 25 miles outside the city of Agra. It was built by Emperor Akbar as his capital to honour a Muslim saint who prophesied the birth of an heir. The palaces are made of red sandstone and are in remarkable shape. This is also the place where the game Parcheesi was invented – personally I had never heard of it before but for all of you Parcheesi fans I have a great photo of the 5 story tower that is apparently on the box. We then made our way to the city of Agra where we visited a department store where we saw how cashmere/silk rugs being made. I would have bought one but the price was a little too high for my liking. Later in the day we went to Agra Fort which contains halls and palaces of the Mughals – my professor also got attacked by a monkey there… don’t worry I have it all on video! From the fort we were also able to see the Taj Mahal, our next and most exciting stop! When I first saw the Taj Mahal I was speechless – It totally exceeded my expectations and I was thoroughly impressed. I wish I could expand my vocabulary in order to find words to explain it but it was amazing! After visiting the Taj at dusk we headed to a hotel for dinner and then to the train station to get back to Delhi. The next day (after another 4 hours of sleep) we went for a driving tour through Delhi. The sites included the Burla Temple and a Sikh Gurdwara, the Indian war memorial, parliament house, secretariat buildings and the official residence of the President of India. From there we headed to the airport to catch our flight to Varanasi. After arriving in Varanasi we visited the ruins of the ancient city where the Buddha preached his first sermon - we also went to the Stupa and ruins of an ancient monastery. The Buddhist temple we visited was also saw the tree under which Buddha was enlightened (Now, this wasn’t the actual place he was enlightened but the tree is a sapling of the original tree he was enlightened under – just thought I’d throw that out there). That evening we were scheduled to go to the Ganges River to watch some of the traditional Hindu rituals, however the Prime Minister of India was scheduled to come to Varanasi the next day so the city was “practicing” for his arrival by closing random streets which made it impossible to get to the river that evening. We did have time for a rikshaw drive that turned into a nightmare with getting separated from our group and experiencing the real India at night. Don’t worry, my mom didn’t know about this until long after the whole ordeal. Our driver spoke NO English and I don’t think he really knew where we were supposed to go. After we were stopped in the middle of a busy street for about 10 minutes my friend Zach and I finally found someone with a cell phone and were able to call our guide to find out where to go. We ended where we started with out seeing the Ganges… The next day we got up at 0430 hours and finally made it to the Ganges River. We boarded a small boat and sailed along the river to see all the different religious practices that have remained unchanged over the centuries. We saw many pilgrims come to the Holy water for the ritual immersion and prayer to release their souls from the cycle of rebirth. The walk to and from the river was, like many of my experiences, indescribable. People were everywhere asking for money, wanting us to buy things, wanting food, or simply staring at 60 white kids walking down the street trying not to be killed by all the cars/rickshaws/motorbikes. We then made our way to an Indian art emporium. They hand make 100% silk scarves, shawls, and tie. I might have gone a little crazy with the scarves… maybe! Don’t worry, they are super cute! After lunch and packing we headed back to the airport for our flight to Delhi and then Chennai. Before we flew out though, the Prime Minister flew in so we were able to see him which was really cool. I had a very interesting conversation with a local in the airport about the politics of India and the comparison/contrast to that of the states. Just a little side note – every person I have talked with about politics in the states seems to really like Obama… I just thought that was interesting. By the time we got back to Chennai we were all pretty delirious from our lack of sleep and would start cracking up at the smallest comment. It was good times! The next day I slept in until 1000 hours (that is good on the ship). After lunch my friends when to St. Thomas church and saw the tomb of doubting Thomas. It was not what I was expecting but it was still nice to see one of the three churches in the whole world that are built over the tomb of an apostle of Jesus. We also went around pretty much all of Chennai… our rik-shaw driver would take us everywhere except where we asked – talk about frustrating. We stopped in the middle of a busy part of the city and saw type of juice/smoothie stand and braved the ice/water that they told us NOT to eat multiple times… but hey, ya gotta live a little, right? 3 days later and I’m still not sick!! Well, this is getting to be really lengthy so I best give it a rest. Miss you all! love love love Cherie
Wednesday, March 19, 2008
Hello from Malaysia! I know what you are all thinking - i will have my HUGE update from my happenings in India as soon as i can. We just arrived in Malaysia this morning and as soon as the ship cleared customs I was off to the Cameron Highlands - about 4 hours sounth of Penang. It is beautiful here and has not stopped raining since we got here. Anywho, I am limited on my time but once I get back to Penang and get into the hotel me and a friend are staying at, I will upload my update from India and possibly some well needed photos of me and the Taj Mahal! I am having a blast (as usual) and I am really looking forward to sharing my MANY expierences from India.
Well, my time is going fast so I better get. Miss you all!
love love love
Cherie
Well, my time is going fast so I better get. Miss you all!
love love love
Cherie
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