Putting it into perspective

Big Buddha!

I had to work in the morning on my first day in Hong Kong and wasn’t sure what to do in the afternoon. The great thing about working in the field office is that I am in touch with the tour operators on a regular basis, so if I have any questions about sites to see I can simply ask them! They are the experts! This is what I did in Hong Kong and it worked perfectly.

I heard about a “big Buddha” on Lantau Island so I thought I’d check it out. When I asked the tour operator about this idea, she gave me quite a set of directions to get to this Buddha. Two buses and two ferries later…I arrived at the Buddha and monastery!

The Buddha is the largest sitting Buddha in the world and I have to say, yes it is pretty big. The Buddha is perched on a hill overlooking the monastery and surrounding hills. Although the grounds were teeming with tourists like me, the area had a sort of calm and peacefulness about it. I walked around the grounds for a bit, visited the monastery, purchased a [lovely] sparkly stocking-hat along with some Starbucks green tea because it was absolutely freezing, and made my way back to the ship via cable car and subway.

Happy Chinese New Year!

Having fully exhausted all possible forms of transportation for the day, I walked back to the ship and reflected on my successful day away from my work and school duties. Although I write often that my work is stressful and requires long hours in the office, I am so incredibly lucky to have the opportunity to travel around the world and see amazing sites like the Buddha, Dragon’s Back which I wrote about earlier, as well as Hong Kong in general. How many people can say their office window view changes on a nearly-daily basis? Who has the opportunity to pick up their life and travel around the world for four months?

I do. And I am so fortunate.

Small fishing village on the way to the big Buddha.

I was a long way from everywhere!

Big Buddha!

Monastery at the Big Buddha.

Big Buddha up on the hill.

Big Buddha.

Just a random cow at the monastery!

Great parking spot, right?!

Hiking in Hong Kong

Hiking along Dragon's Back.

In Hong Kong, I acted as a trip liaison for the first time on this voyage. Semester at Sea appoints a trip liaison to be the leader of each field program. The trip liaison is a go-between for the student participants and the tour guide, ensuring that the day runs smoothly, and is also in charge should a safety or security situation arise.

I was a bit nervous to be a trip liaison but it turns out, there was no need to worry. I had a wonderful day and a great group of students who made the field program a success.

Twenty-five students and I went hiking on Dragon’s Back in Hong Kong. I love Hong Kong because you can be in one of the most cosmopolitan areas in the world and 30 minutes later, you can be hiking up a mountain surrounded by trees in what seems to be the middle of nowhere. The balance of having both the city life and nature close by is wonderful.

I’m so glad I did this field program. Not only was it great to experience being a trip liaison, the field program was also very relaxing. My time in China was very busy so being able to get back into nature was just what the doctor ordered. Plus, what great views!

Here we go on Dragon's Back Hiking Trail.

Views during our hike.

My lovely hiking group.

View during our hike on Dragon' Back.

Alive and well

I haven't posted on my blog in some time because my work has been incredibly busy for the past few days. The Asian ports on my itinerary come at a fast and furious pace and we generally only have 2 days between ports. My work in the field office is crazy during those 2 days and my co-workers, Julie and Andrew, and I have been working 10+ hour days lately.

Needless to say, I am ready to slow down and have a break! We arrive for a 6-day stint in Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam, this afternoon and I'll spend a few days in the city as well as a few days in Hanoi and Ha Long Bay.

Updates to come from my travels in Hong Kong as well as Vietnam. I have lots of pictures to share so stay tuned.

This was the view from my cabin yesterday morning. Makes the long work hours worth it.

Another curve ball…damn you, China!

Yesterday, we arrived incredibly late to Shanghai because our pilot boat did not show up to help the ship navigate up the Huangpu River. The pilot boat’s tardiness dramatically affects my job in the field office and therefore, the last 48 hours have been a bit tiring and stressful.

My job in the field office is two-fold because there are two types of in-port experiences offered by Semester at Sea called field labs and field programs. Field labs, which are my primary focus, are opportunities for a faculty member to take their students on excursions related to the coursework. For example, an International Trade course may visit a Nissan plant in Yokohama, Japan. Field labs are included as part of tuition and each course has one field lab.

Field programs are for-purchase, additional excursions that are not required. Many students travel independently in-port but if a student doesn’t want to worry about planning, they can purchase Semester at Sea field programs in which arrangements such as flight, hotels, the itinerary, etc., are pre-planned and included in the program fee. Field programs are open to the shipboard community and I’ll be completing a few SAS field programs in Vietnam, Burma, Cape Town and Ghana.

Our day spent anchored in the Huangpu River was dubbed “river day” (like a snow day) and was basically a lost day. Lost in the fact that many travel plans had to be cancelled including the plans for 7 field labs and 5 field programs. Therefore, my day yesterday was spent calling off field labs which included local hosts who were waiting for the M.V. Explorer’s arrival in Shanghai.

Shanghai skyline during our dreary visit.

Day 2 in China was a big day as well because we had a number of large overnight field programs departing Shanghai. Unfortunately there was a snow storm in Xi’an, a destination for 2 of the overnight trips, and I was on-call for the day to assist the tour operator in making alternative arrangements. Everything turned out fine but this was not how I planned to spend my one day in Shanghai!

I was able to get off the ship for a few hours, which was enough because the rain was still coming down full force and it was about 40*. Not ideal for exploring a city on foot, but the dreariness allowed for some great photography. I love the way the Shanghai skyline lights up with the backdrop of fog and haze. My lungs may have suffered a bit because of the population in the air but I’ll take it for the opportunity to take in this (literally) breathtaking site.

After a quick lifeboat drill tonight, we said farewell to Shanghai and are now making our way back up the Huangpu River to travel to Hong Kong. Let’s hope I have better luck work and weather-wise in Hong Kong than Shanghai!

Shanghai skyline.

Shanghai skyline with fish-eye effect. I love this feature on my camera.

Shanghai skyline. Taken from the ship's 7th deck.

Flower art in Shanghai.

Chinese curveball

On the evening of February 5, I went to bed thinking that when I woke up I would be in Shanghai, China. I had prepared myself to throw open the blinds and see the beautiful Shanghai skyline. On the morning of February 6, I woke up and saw this:

Where are you , Shanghai?

Gray skies. Gray water. Gray ships off in the distance. No Shanghai skyline. I thought “the ship must be docked in a fashion so that I see out onto the water rather than overlooking the skyline.” I went up to breakfast in the Garden Lounge, which has picture windows throughout, and no Shanghai skyline could be found. Hmmm…

It turns out China threw me a curve ball. After spending 4 months studying abroad in this crazy country, I should have known better than to think our arrival would run smoothly!

Docking in Shanghai is difficult because in order to get to the pier, the ship has to navigate up the Huangpu River. The pilot boat was supposed to arrive around midnight to help steer the ship safely into the city.

Well, the pilot boat didn’t show up until after lunch-my guess is the pilot boat drivers had a long night with some good baijiu and didn’t feel like getting up in the morning. Steering the ship safely into Shanghai took about 6 hours so we arrived right around suppertime in a driving rain storm. Although the weather was cold and wet, I got some great shots of the Shanghai skyline.

This photo was taken while I’m standing outside the faculty/staff lounge on the 7^th deck-what a view, right?!

Immigration took around 3 hours to complete, so 13+ hours behind schedule I finally stepped of the ship and into China for the first time in 5 years. Where did I go?! Straight for a drink with some of the other SAS faculty and staff. Much needed after a long day of anxiously waiting!

 My trip in China is off to an interesting start. Wonder what else China will throw my way?!

View of the Shanghai skyline from the Bund.

This photo almost looks fake but it's real. No editing or anything, just Shanghai lights and fog!

10 things I like about Japan

You may have guessed already from my previous blog post, but I really enjoyed my visit to Japan! First international ports on my itinerary and ding, ding ding, we have a winner! Wondering why I enjoyed the Land of the Rising Sun so much? Here are my top 10 favorite things about Japan:

1. The country runs on time. My type-A personality is going to come out for the next few sentences. It’s so nice to show up for a train and have it arrive exactly on time! We are talking opening of doors as soon as the second hand rounds the 12! The country runs like clockwork and it’s so refreshing to not have delays. To go along with timeliness, I enjoyed the…
2. Ease of travel. The train system is very easy to navigate and I had no trouble getting around in Japan.
3. Friendliness. I found Japanese people to be some of the friendliest people I’ve ever met. No matter where I went, there was always someone willing and able to answer my questions or point me in the right direction. In fact, I sometimes didn’t even have to ask for help! I simply pulled out my map and there was someone right there, asking if I needed directions!
4. Food. Any weight lost by walking all over Japan was gained right back by the amount of gorging I did on the food. Ramen, sashimi, green tea ice cream…the list goes on.
5. Cutesy society. For some reason, Japanese pop culture seems to be obsessed with cuteness. There are little cartoon characters everywhere. Even the Port of Yokohama symbol is a cute blue whale!

   

   Welcome to Yokohama, Japan!
6.  It’s so clean. The country is very clean! I have been in this country for five days and I have seen a total of three pieces of garbage on the streets. There also isn’t much graffiti and the trains are clean. It’s beautiful!
7. The cleanliness extends to the bathrooms. Unlike other country’s public restrooms that I’ve frequented, Japanese bathrooms are clean and complete with heated toilet seats and bidet options. I did not try out the bidet options (I thought that might be kind of gross, considering they are public restrooms) but the options abound for those more adventurous! Unfortunately, a huge long line at the women’s restroom seems to go along with all cultures.

   

   I was greeted with all of these options and buttons in the public restrooms in Japan.

8. Women only train cars. During rush hour, there are certain cars on the train and subway that allow only women. This is for safety reasons so women don’t have to worry about being groped in a packed subway car on the way to work. Genius!
9. Vending machines. You can purchase anything your heart desires in a vending machine in Japan. They are everywhere!

   

   Vending machines at the Port of Yokohama, Japan

10. So much to see and do. There are many sites packed into this little country the size of Montana. Don’t worry, Japan, I’ll be back for more someday! 

    

    No idea what this is about, but I'm intrigued!

Japan, you top my list

After 10 days at sea, we finally arrived in Yokohama, Japan, on January 29! As you may have guessed, I was VERY ready to see dry land! Other than stretching my legs on solid, non-rocking dry land, I didn’t make any Japan major travel plans in advance because I wasn’t sure if I had to work. I found out just a few days prior to arrival that I would have some time off, so I tried to take full advantage.

Here’s how I spent my time in Japan:

·         Wednesday, January 29: After being welcomed by a view of Mt. Fuji right outside my window, I rushed off to work in the morning but spent the afternoon in Tokyo with two staff members named Andrew and Sara. We wandered around the city for the afternoon and had an A-MAZING dinner before coming back to the ship to spend the night. When asked “if you could eat only one food for the rest of your life, what would it be?” I would strongly consider answering “Japanese ramen” after the wonderful meal we had on Wednesday night. 

I see you, Mt. Fuji!

·         Thursday, January 30: I had to work in the morning and explored Yokohama in the afternoon with two students named Bethann and Nicole. We went to the top of Landmark Tower to see panoramic views of Yokohama and even into Tokyo, had a great lunch of an egg/noodle combination that I can’t pronounce, and explored Chinatown in the afternoon. Chinatown was fun because Chinese New Year celebrations were in full swing and there were many good food stands to sample. In the evening, I helped with an open ship event. Open ships are opportunities for study abroad professionals from local universities to visit the ship to learn about the program. I was on a panel with some other faculty and staff members and also gave ship tours to the study abroad visitors. The spent the evening in the faculty/staff lounge, toasting my co-workers as we pulled away from Yokohama.

View from the top of the Landmark Tower.

·         Friday, January 31: Transit day. The ship repositioned from Yokohama to Kobe and we encountered more rough waters along the way. Boo. However, we had a special dinning event on Friday night! Generally the meals are buffet-style but this meal was served at the table with wine as well as dessert (these two items may be common place at your dinner table but they are not on SAS voyages!)

Welcome to Kobe drum performance.

·         Saturday, February 1: After arriving in Kobe, Japan, at 08:00, I jumped on a train with two faculty members named Maria and Greg to visit Kyoto. Kyoto is about a one hour train ride from Kobe and is an older, more historical and traditional city in Japan. Maria and I spent the day visiting temples, frequenting tourist shops and sampling the local cuisine along the way. After a lovely dinner of fried octopus (it really was good!), we returned to Kobe completely worn out at 21:00.

Temple in Kyoto.

·         Sunday, February 2: This morning I had to work and this afternoon, I’m taking it easy. I’m going to stick close to the ship, do some exploring and also work on my capstone paper (remember, I’m still in grad school and supposed to be doing homework as I traverse the globe.)

I have one more day in Japan and I’ll spend the morning working and the afternoon at a traditional bath house. Bath houses are said to be very relaxing which I’m looking forward too. However they also require you to be naked, which I was ok with until I remembered that I’d signed up for this trip with several other SAS students, faculty and staff members none of which I really know. This may be slightly awkward but we’ll see how it goes!

Japan has treated me so well and I would gladly come back to the country to continue exploring. I think I’m going to do another post listing the things I liked so much at Japan, so stay tuned for more information about this unique destination.

Welcome to Kobe, Japan!

Home sweet home after a long day in Kyoto.

Temple in Kyoto, Japan.

We saw many women wearing traditional Japanese clothing in Kyoto.

At one of the temples in Kyoto.

One of the temples in Kyoto.

At one of the temples in Kyoto.

Gardens at one of the temples in Kyoto. It was so quiet and peaceful!

Temple in Kyoto.

View of Yokohama and Tokyo in the distance from the Landmark Tower in Yokohama.

Yokohama by night.