Random Pix

Photo 1:
Upon waking in the back if the restaurant before our bus scar ride to the Golden Rock - Kinpun, Myanmar

Photo 2:
Archbishop Tutu...a cabbie we hired for 2 days leaked the news to his reporter friend that the Archbishop was on our ship. I heard he was stalked by fans most of the time we were in port.

Photo 3:
After a morning of snorkeling, collecting shells on a beach in Mauritius as we waited for our lunch to be grilled ; )

Photo 4:
Chris holding down the fort with students signed up to help One Earth Design while co-founder, Catlin, was in Germany.

Sailing, sailing!

Our voyage from India to Cape Town is a total of 12 days with a half of a day stop in Mauritius. Thank goodness for Mauritius! Otherwise the near two weeks at sea could be daunting. However, some people on the ship may be thinking they'd never heard of Mauritius...

At the Pre Port meeting the night before we docked, the Executive Dean gave his most solemn and serious warnings to the students about behaving in this port. Too many travesties have occurred in Mauritius and they make up the major reason why SAS does not schedule an overnight stop here. The Dean warned that there would be severe consequences to those who boarded the ship intoxicated or otherwise, the testing would be random and the standard penalties would be tripled. With such severe restrictions in place, even the cleanest of slates could result in expulsion from the ship, program and semester.

The Smiths split up in Mauritius. A gorgeous, lush island first settled by the Portuguese and lastly by the British but it was the French customs and culture that stuck. Chris and Jeremy went to the Tamarina Golf Course and then toured the city of Port Louis by cab. Ben and I hooked up with a group of people and went to Coin du Mire on the north side of the island and went snorkeling for the day. We swam around the base of the huge green island, one of the many that make up Mauritius, where the coral was vibrant and the fish were abundant. The air was just warm enough to feel refreshed as we hit the water which was so nice to finally touch after traveling on top of it for so long. It was such a great time although Ben decided that snorkeling is not for him. The feeling of swimming in an aquarium, that I enjoy so much, is a little overwhelming for Ben and would rather stay in his own habitat above water. At least he tried it.

Afterward, we were taken to a beautiful beach where we dined on a grilled lunch of beef kabobs, fish, chicken and pineapple along with a variety of culinary accompaniments, all you can drink beer, wine and rum punch.

On our return, the boat ran up onto a very populated beach. Upon closer inspection, we realized that most of our friends from the ship were here. Ben did not want to leave, of course, but our bus was waiting and transportation back to the ship was scarce. We got to the city center and did a little souvenir shopping and walked the last mile to the ship. As we neared the port, we collect a few others who were making the trek and heard the rumble of the first field trip bus coming back to the ship behind us. The last thing you want to do is get stuck in the back of the long line of people boarding the ship so we ran the last 200 yards to beat the bus. As we stood in line, we conversed with several students we know very well. It was obvious no matter how they tried to explain their condition, that they were 3 sheets to the wind.

We got through ship security and I was headed up the stairs to my cabin when Ben called me back to the gangway. One of our friends had gotten pulled aside for testing. I'd never seen Ben so worried. As we stood outside the clinic where they were doing the testing, we saw no less that 12 other students get pulled in AND one of the adults we'd just spent the day with!

29 students were thrown into the"observation room" (drunk tank) that day and with the threat of 3 times the penalty points hanging over their heads, the potential of severe consequences are looming. As much as I know they deserve whatever punishment they get, it's still hard to sit back and watch them throw away the privilege of sailing with SAS in a matter of only
a few hours.

The next day was back to school and work as usual for everyone. Chris is also leading a group of students for one of the entrepreneur companies that is sailing with us. It's called One Earth Designs and they have created a solar powered cooker primarily to help the nomads of rural china to give them a cleaner, less expensive way of cooking. It's Catlin's company, who you may remember, is one of the first people we met on the bus from Ensenada. She and her partner are constantly on and off the ship, flying to all different countries to promote their product while we are at sea and students fulfill research and marketing projects while they are away. She disembarked in India and we won't see her again until Cape Town so she has put Chris in charge. I don't particularly like to toot our own horn, but in the case of Chris, I can't help it. I think he still may have a future in teaching. I watch him in these meetings and he is captivating. The students willingly follow his direction and are genuinely interested in every word that comes out of his mouth. He's also made a great impression on the faculty on board who teach the business classes. Just the other day, he was invited to be on a panel for one of the ship wide seminars on the topic of entrepreneurship. Others on the panel included a venture capitalist who has raised billions of dollars for several Asian software products, a marketing professor from Stamford who is the founder of the Design School, the founder of The Unreasonable Institute, a marketing professor and entrepreneur from Stetson and the founder of Damascus Fortune who has created a carbon cylinder as a new source of energy. Chris is keeping some very intellectual company on board ; )

The activities on board during our voyage to Cape Town have increased as well. They've organized this leg of the trip well so that we don't get too crazy realizing we are somewhere in the middle of the Indian Ocean. Neptune Day was the start of it which was great fun and yesterday they held the Sea Olympics! Now, THAT was AWESOME!

The ship community is divided into "seas"...Agean, Red, Mediterranean, etc. Our group consist of the staff, faculty, life long learners and their kids. For some reason, we were not given an official sea name and were dubbed the "Luna Sea". Ugh...whatever. The median age of our sea is probably in the range of 35-40. Not huge competition for the 18-21 year olds that made up the rest of the field. But out of the 9 teams, Luna Sea placed 4th overall! We were ecstatic! There were quite a few leveling events that made the day much more competitive. Of the Smith family, we were in quite a few activities including, dodgeball, tank, ninja, ship/wave/captain (like rock/paper/scissors), tug of war, pb&j sandwich feeding, knockout and...SYNCHRONIZED SWIMMING! I'll have to ask you to use your imagination when deciding who of us did what. An added bonus to the day was that as we turn the corner around Africa, we enter an area where the Indian, Southern and Atlantic Oceans collide making for some pretty rough waters. That being said, the pool sloshed around enough to almost empty every drop of water so, the synchronized swimming event was held dry in the student union ; ) It was quite a day. Packed with fun, competition and camaraderie. You know you've had a great time when you're in bed by 8pm and your face and sides hurt from laughing all day long.

3 more days until we reach Cape Town!

Shellbacks Now Are We!

I had reservations...we were just crossing the equator by ship. So what? We crossed the International Dateline with no pomp and circumstance. Actually, we were rewarded with another hour of sleep. A celebration rather than a ceremony. That's how I like it. But then the longer I thought about it, the more I realized that crossing the equator by ship probably warrants a commemoration of some sort and if the explorers and travelers of centuries ago decided that Neptune Day was the way to do it, then who was I to question tradition. A pollywog, that's who I was.

The day began with a rude awakening. Seriously. Starting at 7am, crew members cloaked in white and gold marched up and down the halls with whistles and drums calling all passengers to the top most deck.

We all congregated around the pool as the ceremony began. In came Queen Minerva and her court each cradling large not-so-fresh fish, followed by King Neptune, himself in all his sea-green glory. The hundreds of Pollywogs recited a poem proclaiming our desire to become Shellbacks however unworthy we all were. Then came the rite of passage.

We lined up in groups of 5 at the first station where we were doused from head to toe in marine life liquid smelling much like the bottom of an aquarium in desperate need of a cleaning. We were then ordered by the king to plunge into the pool for a rinse before approaching him. (As you can imagine, waiting too long to get through the first station only resulted in a swim in a stinky, murky pool.) Upon emerging from the pool we found ourselves in a slimy, lukewarm lip lock with the chicken of the sea or some close relative. At the final station, we were face to face with the trident bearing king to whom we bowed and kissed his emerald ring. If he approved of your anointing, you were allowed you to pass. If he felt that you were still unworthy, he chucked you back into the pool to begin the process again.

If, for some reason you felt that you were still unworthy of the elevated status and needed the delve deeper into the ocean that is your psyche, you could cap off the ceremony with a visit to the Royal Barbers.

So, regarding to The Smith Family Four:
Shellbacks now are we
One with locks still flowing
And BALD are the other three!

We arrive in Mauritius on the 18th. We are at port for only 12 hours then back to sea for 6 days on our way to Cape Town!

Neptune Day

The practice of " crossing the line" is a ceremony that commemorates a person's first crossing of the equator by ship. Those who have already crossed are nicknamed "Shellbacks" and those who have not are called " Pollywogs". The day a ship crosses the equator is referred to as " Neptune Day". The ceremony features King Neptune, Queen Minerva and a court of Shellbacks.

The event is a ritual that dates back to the early 1800's in which the shipboard crew indoctrinate the slimy Pollywogs into the mysteries of the deep.

Pollywogs are summoned before King Neptune, interrogated and asked to recite a poem regarding their worthiness. Pollywogs are then commanded to perform a series of tasks in order to be anointed as a proper Shellback. Oftentimes, as a matter of true respect for the sea, some Pollywogs visit the "royal barbers" to shave their heads in celebratory gesture.

Today is Neptune Day on the MVExplorer. Pictures forthcoming...YIKES! ; )


Sent from my iPad

India Revisited

The second day in India was much better in the fact that both boys had a good night's sleep and felt like 999,950 bucks! We ate breakfast and caught a cab to the hotel where our field trip, "The Art of Living", was already in progress.

We only missed the morning session, so we were confident we could catch up quickly and immerse ourselves into this new practice. But we ended up with an old fogie for a yogi.

She was not pleased that we arrived late and said she would not allow us to participate. Ok. Fair enough, but we just wish she let us know not to come if that was the case. Then she eyed Benjamin and asked what he was going to do. He was too young to attend the class at all. Surprised by that information as well and visibly upset, we packed up our things to leave. She tried to bring us back in saying that she would make an exception but Ben would only be allowed to sit on a mat and watch. No thanks!

We stayed in the hotel anyway and ate our meals since we had paid for all of it in advance. We spent the rest of the day at the mall and saw the new Bruce Willis movie, "A Good Day T Die Hard". I don't know if it was the circumstances that led us to seeking a slice of Americana, but I thoroughly enjoyed the movie and highly recommend it! ; )

Went back to the ship the next day which feels more and more like home with each and every port. We picked up our friend, Chrissy (another alum and Life Long Learner) and headed out for Jew Town. Don't stone me! That's what they call it! It is where the Jews first settled in India and its claim to fame is that they have the oldest synagog in all of India. Still, with all it's historical ties and the pride they have in calling it "Jew Town", it's still unsettling for us and most people from our ship only say it with volume just above a whisper ; ) We did some shopping at the "No Haggle" stores. Don't let the name fool you! It's haggle central. At one point, a store keeper asked me to just come inside and have a look. I didn't fall for it and instead, gently told him that I would be back. "NO ONE COMES BACK!" was his response to me. Hmmm....I wonder why.

That night we were probably 4 of 100 people on the ship. We had a leisurely dinner. Jeremy and Ben played "Halo" in one of the classrooms with our friend, Hassan. He is a junior at The College of William and Mary and just happens to be from Pakistan. He was not granted a visa from the Indian government so he was stuck on the ship for 6 days! Afterward, we played cards... "Pass The Ace" and "Spit" with Chrissy while a student entertained us at the piano. A very nice evening.

The following day....oh my gosh, was it hot! We thought we'd go into the city for a quick shopping spree. After several hours, we left empty handed, dirty, annoyed and exhausted. Dodging traffic, managing the language barrier, haggling, converting rupees, fighting the crowds. You'd know we are a close family seeing us squeezed into a 2 person auto rickshaw (tuc-tuc) on a day in march in Cochin, India where we were told that "the mercury had not risen this high in the month of March for 4000 years"! We needed a break!

We read about a "secluded" beach not yet overrun with tourists that was only a ferry ride away. It was about 15 minutes and we arrived at Vypeen Island. We asked one of the waiting tuc-tuc drivers to take us to Cherai Beach. The book failed to mention that from the ferry drop off, the beach is about a 45 minute ride. Ok...onward. Chris got the driver to accept a lower price than where the haggling first started and we again layered ourselves very cozily into the diesel run tuc-tuc. Did I mention that the heat made the place extremely dusty? Well, it did. I was never so happy to have Ben in my lap. I used him to block all the flying debris that enveloped us during the entire ride. And what a ride! Exactly like a video game, weaving in and out of oncoming traffic, slaloming through potholes and pedestrians.

As we drove through the beach town it was obviously very popular with the locals. The book said it was still unknown to tourists but a lot of India sure knows about it! But the driver took us to a restaurant/beach hangout called, Chilli-Out. Owned by a young couple from France, it was a European cuisine grill with a clean beach, clean restrooms and a tropical island buildout that made it just perfect. To top it off, it had...WIFI!

We sat underneath a bamboo hut on bamboo chairs and the boys rented boogie boards and swam in the Arabian Sea. It was a great end to a long day. And although it started storming even cutting off the electricity (wifi), it was still the most beautiful spot we'd visited.

The next day was Sunday and we'd arranged for Rajeesh, our cab driver from the day before to take us to mass at the Santa Cruz Basilica. We befriended Rajeesh the second day we were in port. He is a taxi driver/tour guide and very good at what he does. In talking with him, we learned that his sister and family live in Cumming, GA! Small world. He called her and had Chris speak to her for a while. He gave us her number and asked us to get in touch with her when we get back home. I'm sure that although we were strangers, our meeting made him feel a little closer to his sister who he has not seen for 2 years.

Santa Cruz Basilica was first erected by the Portuguese in the 1500's, Pope John Paul II elevated it to Basilica status in 1984. It was very interesting attending mass in a different language. We could recognize the different parts of the mass and tried to participate in English but got very distracted by the rest of the congregation speaking in Malaymalam, the language spoken here in Cochin. A great experience nonetheless.

Afterward, we thought we'd reward ourselves and check into a nice hotel for our last night in India. We pulled into the Vivanta Hotel on Willingdon Island. We ate some great food, lounged by the pool, caught up via wifi, watched a movie and even had a private yoga session where no one yelled at us. I told Chris that it felt a little but like a cop out. Here we were, in this exotic country and we were settling into our western ways. But I let myself off the hook by realizing that we just need a break sometimes. We need some normalcy to get the travel juices flowing again.

So here I sit on our last day in India, overlooking the Arabian Sea (and the container rigs which load the barges). There is Hindu chanting being broadcast from across the way, my skin is moist from the humidity, Ben is getting a swimming lesson from a 40-something Indian man who has befriended him and I'm thinking I'm ready to move on. I don't think we gave India a fair shake but we did have some obstacles that helped in that regard. We probably should come back and explore beyond Cochin. I'm sure we have not even touched the surface of what this country has to offer.

India

We arrived in Cochin, India this morning around 8:00. Like China, there was a different smell to the air.

I was nervous to visit this country. I'd heard stories, especially from Chris, about how different a place this is. Beggars, pick pockets, hustlers all making their rupees by taking advantage of tourists. Aggressiveness in the bazars and toward women in general. The advise is that females should wear long sleeves and pants or skirts that cover the knees otherwise you can be mistaken as promiscuous. Warning upon warning of the unsanitary conditions. Only drink bottled water but make sure the bottle is sealed. Inspect the bottom to ensure it has not been tampered with. If your plate at a restaurant is wet, wipe it off because that small amount can cause severe GI problems.

We went to breakfast. Jeremy was late and Ben was not acting like Ben. We signed up for the Cochin City Cycling tour making us one of the first groups called to immigration. Jeremy dragged himself out of bed and Ben now had a stomach ache.

We stepped off the ship and were greeted by Indian drummers and dancers. The sun was beating down on us and the air was thick with humidity. Jeremy turned a lighter shade of white and Ben wasn't sure he could make it.

On the bus, waiting for the last passenger, Ben bailed out. Sick to his stomach. We did some shuffling of paperwork so that Ben and I could re-board the ship and Chris and Jeremy could continue on with the tour group. We realized we had "Jeffery" Smith's landing card and not Jeremy's! Not good as this is what India acknowledges as your ID card. Mad scramble to find Jeffery who was either on one of the 20 tour buses or on the ship. We tracked him down and he couldn't have been more surprised that he had the wrong landing card.

Returned to Ben who had just lost his breakfast.

Chris and Jeremy returned to the ship after only half of the cycling tour. Jeremy turned a nice shade of gray as he cycled through the city before calling it quits. Just before re-boarding, he saw his dinner again from last night.

There were 50 cases of GI illnesses reported to the ship's doc after leaving Myanmar. The Smiths made 52 but I saw at least 4 more people who stayed on the ship today for the same reason.

We'll see how tonight goes. Docked on Willingdon Island just to the west of Cochin, we will admire India from across the Arabian Sea, for now.

Last Day In Myanmar

The next morning in Mt Kyaiktiyo was the most beautiful I'd seen in my life. Just beyond the white shutters of our room was a thick carpet of clouds so opaque you could be tempted to lie in it. The sun was a vibrant orange so brilliant it shined an orange layer of light above the clouds.

We leisurely gathered our things for checking out, had a few minutes of wifi and ate a delicious Myanmar breakfast of eggs and fried rice. We complimented the hotel manager on the way out and thanked him for their gracious hospitality.
"Where do you go next?" he asked.
"We'll take the truck down the mountain to catch a 12:00 bus back to Yangon." Chis told him.
"You can not ride this truck. It is only for locals. No foreigners."
WHAT?!!! We explained that we arrived on that very same truck just yesterday. His response, "You were lucky they took you. Only for locals."
The only other way down is by foot which typically takes 4 hours. It was 10:00 and our bus to Yangon was leaving in 2 hours from the bottom of the mountain! Hearts pumping, minds racing, Chris and I looked at each other in complete shock!

Peering over his laptop, a gentleman looking very much like a local said to us in an undeniable Australian accent, "You can take the truck. Just go back to where they dropped you and they will let you on. "
Even with a disbelieving hotel manager shaking his head, we dropped our shoulders and thanked the man profusely!

The ride down was somewhat of a disappointment. As wild and dangerous as the uphill climb was, we were ready for more of the same and looking forward to it. The driver was much more cautious this time and we made it to the bottom barely having the urge to hoot or holler.

We reached the Kaung San Restaurant, our accommodations/eatery from the day before, and were warmly greeted by the ladies who shooed us down the ride that early morning. They fed us lunch and took pictures with us. Ben shared a bag of M&Ms that we had in our snack stash eventually handing over the bag to one girl who seemed to enjoy them the most. The boys spent the rest of the time waiting for the bus playing Myanmar hacky sack in an alley behind the restaurant. We've figured out that sports breaks just about any language barrier.

We prepared ourselves for another 4 hour ride back to Yangon entertained by the same popular music videos. But this time, we were headed back home. Nothing could be finer ; )

The bus stopped soon after we boarded and everyone filed off for an early pit stop...I thought. The conductor told us we could go visit the temple just across the road and the bus would leave in 20 minutes. It was a small temple out in the middle of nowhere which housed a very large reclining Buddha. It was not the largest reclining Buddha, that many flock to see, but it was pretty darned big.

Back on the bus we came to another stop just 30 minutes down the road. What's this? Another temple?! It appeared that we had purchased the "Temple Tour" as our return trip to Yangon. So instead of the 4 hour express bus we had prepared ourselves for, we had to endure the SEVEN hour tour! As Jeremy out pit it and with no disrespect intended, we were just plain "templed out"! We had to play the part though. Although we would have preferred to stay on the bus at the temples, we didn't want to appear rude.

We got back to the ship just after the dinner hour. I could have stayed in the shower for hours if we were not rationing our water. We can not use any of the ocean water until we get to Mauritius on March 18. Still, it was so nice to be home.

Our last day in Myanmar, we went on a service trip to the Suhtupan Parahita Monastic Center and Orphanage. SAS donates money to these facilities and in return, sends a bus of passengers to visit with the children.

The facilities were better than I expected but probably exactly what is expected in this part of the world. They had only what they needed and not any more. The buildings seemed sturdy but run down and in need of some repair here and there. Cleanliness is not high on the priority list if it is on it at all. Volunteers seemed plentiful as were the stray dogs that lived on the property.

Packed into one of the classrooms, it was slow going at first trying to get to know the kids and understand them. We used simple games like "Ring Around The Rosie" or "The Hokie Pokie" that some of the younger kids enjoyed. Jeremy and Ben attracted a group of boys around the ages of 8-10 that really weren't interested in the preschool games although they were a good way to learn English. They ended up arm wrestling, thumb wrestling, making paper airplanes, taking pictures of each other, playing paper football and just laughing most of the time. My boys couldn't seem to get enough.

We passed out school supplies which the kids really got excited about, played a little soccer and finished the day serving their lunch. Our visit seemed to make them happy. It surely put smiles on our faces.

We left Yangon just before dinner. I have much to say about Myanmar that i can not fully put into words here. But it was my favorite country thus far. I feel sorry for this reclusive country and the people who live here but at the same time I feel envious of their fortitude. "Myanmar" means, "Strong first" which completely explains their unwavering belief in total self reliance, why they have kept themselves closed off from the rest of the world for all these years and why most of them continue to be truly happy in what we would consider a poverty stricken country.

Mt Kyaiktiyo Pix

Yangon Pix