Honolulu

Friday December 3rd

Back in the USA!  This morning we arrived in Honolulu.  Finally my cell phone works again.  This is the last stop for me on what has been an unbelievable voyage.  I'll spend a few days here with my sister Barbara then its back to New York.  THe MV Explorer will continue on to the Big Island and from there to its final stop  in San Diego.

At every port I've enjoyed standing on deck as we set sail for a new destination.  It was always a time of reflection on where we'd been along with the anticipation of the next country.   This time that reflection will have to take place over a couple of mai-tais.   But it sure won't be easy standing on shore as my home for the last three months takes its leave tomorrow night.

So what's the voyage been all about?  In the words of one professor, Semester at Sea is really a "fast track to global consciousness."  In country after country we  witnessed  extreme poverty as well as exraordinary growth and  learned about the implications for the economy and the environment.  The world's center of gravity is shifting and we need to pay attention or get left behind.

Now it's back to New York and time to find a job.  But hopefully  I'll be bringing  the spirit of Semester at Sea along on this next journey.

 "The journey not the arrival matters."   TS Eliot

Japan

Friday November 19th  - Tuesday, November 23rd

Japan...our last international port.  We arrived in Kobe and  when it came to immigration,  this was definitely our most complicated entry.  Passports weren't enough here...they required photos and fingerprints.  Considering we're in the country for a total of 4 days, sure did seem like a lot of work.

 I spent most of that time in Kyoto, Japan's imperial capital for nearly 1000 years.  Our visit coincided with the full moon, a special festival, and the peak of fall foliage.  Finding a room was next to impossible. And the strong yen sure didn't help.

But good fortune was with us yet again as the tourist office helped us locate accommodations -- and we didn't even have to sleep on the floor.  Still we couldn't have picked a better weekend to visit Kyoto's temples and gardens.  Not only were the fall colors at their best, many of the temples -- and gardens -- were open in the evening.

We visited Nijo Castle with ts squeaky nightingale floors designed to warn the shogun of intruders.  There was the Ryoan ji with its world famous Zen dry garden.   We were even fortunate enough to see a wedding procession at one of the temples.

And my favorite, Sanjusangen-do.  Inside, 1001 Senju Kannon statues -- that's the Goddess of Mercy -- were lined up in 5 rows.   They were all slightly different yet each had 42 hands.  The purpose?  To take away evil and bring in the good.  Oh if I could only bring just one of those goddesses back home to New York.

Tranquility and spirituality was evident everywhere.  In many of the gardens you would see people throwing coins and then bowing their head in prayer.  You could buy flat sticks with wishes written on them to be burned by the temple as an offering.

People would fan  the smoke from burning incense to their face as if a blessing.  And everywhere, you would see people writing wishes on slips of paper that were then tied to a tree.

One morning, I was using a telephone right off the main floor of a department store.  Over and over, as sales girls  would leave the floor, they  would turn back to face the floor and bow.  I'm sure you won't see that in Macy's.

Speaking of department stores,  the  entire lower levels were dedicated to food.  I thought we had  some nice gourmet food shops in NYC, but nothing compared to what I saw on these floors.  What was  more impressive was the display and packaging.  Everything was beautifully and carefully wrapped.  For that reason alone, you just wanted to buy.

To my surprise, very few Japanese we encountered spoke English.  I traveled a lot by subway, and while the system is  extensive and consists of many private lines, it was easy to navigate.  With cushioned seats, it was even a comfortable ride.

So while travel here may be more complicated because of language,  the people of Japan were always willing to stop and help.  Their politeness and graciousness were a wonderful note on whch to end our international journey.

Thanksgiving

Thursday, November 25th

Tuesday evening we set sail from the beautiful port of Yokohama where a band of drums came to salute our departure.  Next stop, Honolulu....in ten days.  Yes ten days!   And I'm really looking forward to that time at sea.  The last few weeks have been incredibly hectic  as we've moved from country to country with little break in between.  OK, so that's not such a bad problem to have.

 

 Some of you may realize that I was scheduled to travel home yesterday.  I did in fact have a flight from Tokyo, but decided to stay on for the journey across the Pacific.  Crossing the ocean by ship is something I've always wanted to do, not to mention I wanted the time to unwind from this incredible adventure.  And of course, I'm way behind on my blog.

Today we celebrated Thanksgiving on the MV Explorer.    I had dinner with my ship "family"..... life learners are asked to serve as surrogate families for the students...and we tried to capture a bit of the feeling of home.  Still, with  no relatives, no ballgames, and no dishes to wash I think a lot of us were feeling a bit nostalgic. 

But then I found my connection to home through Brooke.  As usual, Marc and  sister Gail are doing their annual Thanksgiving extravaganza.  Among the guests this year are a Princeton family who just happen to  have a college aged daughter who just  happens to be traveling with Semester at Sea.  Small world!   We finally met tonight.

While I'm missing Thanksgiving in Princeton,  I'm  ever so grateful that I've been able to go on this amazing journey around the world.

HERE'S WISHING YOU ALL A VERY HAPPY THANKSGIVING !

Beijing

Saturday, November 13th - Tuesday, November 16th

With a population of over 17 million, I knew Beijing was a large city, but that didn't prepare me for the size and scale of China's "Northern Capital."  Mao himself probably wouldn't recognize the place.
Beijing is a booming metropolis spread over a wide area.  There is no "downtown."  I didn't see Mao jackets, and I didn't even see many bicycles.

What I did see is a lot of new construction and a lot -- I repeat-- a lot of traffic. You don't go anywhere quickly in this town.  And if you're getting in a taxi, it doesn't hurt to have someone write out your destination in Chinese.  It also helps to have a guide...and we had the best in Tony and Sara.

The first morning we headed to the infamous Tian'anmen Square.  It's the largest public square in the world and these days it also includes two of the world's largest video monitors.  There were tourists everywhere you turned.  Groups with red hats, with yellow hats, burberry hats, even Panda hats.  In a space this large, those hats come in handy if you lose site of your group.

 Straight ahead  the familiar photo of Chairman Mao gazed down from the Gate of Heavenly Peace.  Beyond  was the Forbidden City,  home at one time to some 10,000 people.  We passed through one gate after another entering courtyards with the most beautiful temples.  Its apparently good luck to rube the gold nobs on the gates (9 is a lucky number, and each door had 9 across and down)  as you pass, so  I did my share.

Lunch that day was at a private home where we not only got a home cooked meal, but the opportunity to learn about the owner's daily life in Beijing .  The family live in an area called Hutong, which is a charming old neighborhood of narrow lanes and picturesque houses.  It was hard to believe a neighborhood like this exists amidst this cosmopolitan city.

To get there you had to take a pedicab--that a 3-wheeled bicycle. I shared my cab with ship guest speaker, Judith Mayotte.  She's a former television producer turned refugee advocate.  Talk about changing your life.

Next stop, The Great Wall.  The day was really cold, but the sun was shining and even the wind cooperated.  Best of all, there were few tourists.  That's because we visited a section of the wall well over an hour from the city.  It took 300,000 workers more than 10 years to complete construction and according to our guide, the wall is one of the world's larges cemeteries.  Seems that the workers who died during construction were buried right there in the foundation.  That's a comforting thought.

We rode a cable car to the tower. (when you have only 6 days, you have to take some shortcuts) and hiked the wall for an hour.  Some SAS students did a trip that allowed them to sleep overnight on the Great Wall -- in the freezing cold .  I'll save that for my next visit.

It was truly amazing to stand on the towers and look at the wall snaking across the top of the mountains.  And it was surprising to experience the steepness of the wall, especially the stairs.   Afterwards we took a toboggan--yes, a toboggan...back down.   According to Mao, "You're not a hero till you've climbed the Great Wall."  So I guess I can now add "hero" to my list of accomplishments.

Those are the highlights of an amazing visit.  But our journey also included a trip to the Olympic village's "Bird Cage" stadium as well as a chance to experience the many Chinese arts.  We saw acrobatics, the performance of ancient traditional music and dance and of course, Kung Fu.

The grace of all the performers was remarkable. especially in the expressiveness of  their hands.  My favorite was the dancers who twirled the long sleeves of their blouses as if they were streamers.  I'm going to have to find a class for that in New York.  Who says you can't see China in 6 days.

From Beijing we journeyed to Shanghai where we once again hooked up with the MV Explorer for our evening departure.    Shanghai  has got to be one of the most beautiful city skylines I've ever seen.  These photos are a part of Shanghai known as Pudong.   A few years ago this area was only a small fishing village.  Its just one example of what's happening here in China.  The world's  center of gravity is definitely shifting.
                       

FU LOO SHO  (Long Life, Good Fortune, Good Health)

Xi'an & The Terra Cotta Warriors

Thursday, November 11th  -  Saturday, November 13th

NE HOW FROM CHINA! 
We sailed into the port of  Hong Kong on yet  another beautiful clear morning.   Unfortunately there was no time to see the sights here as I opted for a tour of Xi'an and Beijing.  It's not easy when you only have 6 days to see all of China.   

Around 11 we headed to the airport for our 3 hour flight to Xi'an--the city of "western peace."  I thought Xi'an was just a sleepy town that only got put on the map with the 1974 discovery of the Terra Cotta Warriors.  But what did I know.   I soon learned that this city of over 8 million is a birthplace of Chinese civilization not to mention the capital of the Chinese Empire for some 1000 years.  If that's not enough, it's also the city where the Silk Road began.

Two things you notice immediately upon arrival in Xi'an:  lots of traffic and lots of pollution.  Neither however interfered with what turned out to be an amazing visit.  First there's the food.  We sampled  dumplings and noodles -- whole wheat noodles at that--and the latest Asian fusion creations.

If you thought dumplings were only an appetizer, think again.  Meat, vegetable, seafood, steamed, boiled, pan fried and roasted. Different colors, different shapes.   Breakfast was a real adventure featuring all sorts of foods I'd  never seen before.  You could select among a variety of noodles which they cooked  right in front of you adding condiments you selected.  Virtually none of the items looked familiar to me, so  I just followed what the locals were doing. 

Xi'an made a good first impression.  At night the town's historic buildings are lit up, including the City Walls  -- complete with moat and hanging bridge as well as those beautiful orange lanterns.

Its the  most complete city wall that survives today in China and is one of the largest ancient military defense systems in the world.  The wall doesn't see much defensive action these days, but you can -- and we did -- ride bikes around the wall.  In the evening there was an impromptu band playing at the entrance as local residents did some spontaneous dancing around the plaza.  Guess they were letting off a little tension from the office. 

That first morning we went to an art museum where we had a private lesson in Chinese calligraphy.  There are 8000 characters int he Chinese alphabet and fortunately our instructor demonstrated only a few basic symbols.  Then it was our turn.  With  rice paper, ink and brush we were able to try our hand.  It was fun, but I don't think calligraphy will be my next career move.

 
Next stop was the real reason we had all come to Xi'an....the Terra Cotta Warriors.  There are some 8000 of them arranged in battle formation to stand guard over the tomb of She Huangdi.  Never heard of She Huangdi?   Well neither had I.  He's the first Emperor of a unified China and also the one responsible for construction of the Great Wall.  Apparently he wanted to make sure he continued to rule in the afterlife, which is why this army of warriors even exists. 

One thousand of these life-size statues have been pieced together--each with its own unique features and expression.  You really have to see these warriors in person to grasp the magnitude of this undertaking.  From what I can tell, She Huangdi had quite the ego.

We closed out our visit to Xi'an on a more humble note by visiting an orphanage about an hour outside the city.  In honor of our visit, the children had prepared a presentation of dance and songs.  And then it was our turn.  Our turn to do what??   Dean David, who was leading our trip, quickly organized us to sing "Row Row, Row your Boat"... in rounds.  The students seemed impressed.  I guess that's why he's Dean.