Costa Rica

Seeing as finals were over before we arrived in Costa Rica, I was really looking forward to some time to relax.  I know, I know, that sounds ridiculous coming from the guy who just spent 3 and a half months traveling the world, but by the time we hit Costa Rica, I needed some relaxation.  Two days prior to pulling into Puntarenas, we were informed that the ship would have to anchor outside of a different port for the first day.  This wouldn't have been such an issue if there'd be a city at this new port.  The port of Caldera is Costa Rica's major shipping port, (the yellow Dole freighter was there when we were) but there are no restaurants, shops or even neighborhoods for about 10 km.  The other problem with anchoring and not actually docking, is tendering.  We had to take ferries to shore, each one leaving every half hour and capable of carrying 100 passengers.  By the time we made it to land, there were about 100 students standing around, wondering which direction to walk, as there were no taxis in sight.  Benson and I went to the office of the port officials and asked if we could call a few taxis.  They called ten taxis, but there was no way for the drivers to differentiate who called them and who didn't, nor did they care.  Group after group would step in front of the next, creating an amoeba like formation that was neither a line nor a mob, though it was much closer to the latter.  Seven of us piled into the first van we saw come around the corner, but within a few seconds we were adamantly told that specific taxi had been called for a different group.  Each of the taxis by this time had been filled and were on there way to Puntarenas, but we (the ones who called the taxis) were left behind until the second wave of cabs came.  We fought our way to the front and eventually snagged a cab to Puntarenas.  All of us seemed kind of "out of it" for the day, we all followed each other wherever through the town for a while, sat and ate lunch and then headed to the beach.  Our first order of business, as you may have guessed by now, was to fly the kite.  Benson, Darren and I took turns flying it first, then Benson taught Vin how to fly it.  The wind was the strongest we'd pulled against yet, but Vin handled it like a champ.  He go lifted the furthest off the ground by far.  Some kids gathered and watched and laughed with us for a little.  Later, Darren met a few local guys juggling a soccer ball, so Darren, Vin and I kicked the ball around for a little and played a mini-futbol game on the beach.  They didn't speak English, but our some combination of humor and sportsmanship sufficed.  After the match, Darren, our futbol amigo Raul, and I went for a swim.  The waves weren't anything special, but the water was the perfect temperature.  We cooled off in the water and I practiced our Spanish with Raul.  I could see how living in a country for even just a few weeks would greatly improve one's bilingualism.  We left the beach after a few hours and made our way to Darren's beach house.  We got there just before sunset, flew the kite some more and watched the sky change from blue to orange to red to purple.  We were planning on getting back on the ship in Caldera, having dinner onboard, and riding over to Puntarenas.  We knew the last tender would leave the port at 8 o'clock, so we made sure we were there by 6:30.  We pulled up as a tender was leaving the docks, but knew there'd be another leaving 30 minutes later.  I took this opportunity to lie back on a bench and get a quick nap.  Twenty minutes later, the captain radioed the officer at the dock to notify him that the weather at the ship was too rough to bring passengers aboard.  The tender we saw leaving was turned around and we were told we'd have to find a way to meet the ship in Punatarenas 3 hours later; we were stranded.  It took some convincing but after a while, the captain informed us that SAS would call a taxi company and provide transportation for us back to Puntarenas.  We got back to the pier in Puntarenas and sat down for dinner.  Afterwards, some of us got some ice cream and waited for the ship to come in.     For our second day in Puntarenas, my group and I went on a canopy tour.  It was about a 45 minute drive out to a town called Miramar.  The tour was booked through a hotel located on the top of a hill, overlooking a lush green valley to the ocean below.  The view was incredible.  We harnessed up and followed our guides up to the first platform.  The first few cables we rode across were short and slow, to get us used to the zip line and how to control speed, but by the third one, we found ourselves 60 feet above the ground zipping across 100 meter cables between the trees. Jumping off a platform and trusting in the harness and cable to keep me up was a pretty intense feeling, but the view and the cool air absolutely made up for any nervousness.  Our particular tour included 13 cables, and the 11th one was the biggest.  We had to take a car to the top of another hill to get onto number 11.  It was 700 meters long and strung across that valley in front of the hotel. Our group finished our tour and thanked our guides.  Todd enjoyed the tour so much that he signed up to do the next one with a group of SASers who were just arriving.  We goofed around for a little on a rock wall and swam for some time in the pool before jumping the van and heading back to Puntarenas.  Benson and I were hoping to get to Jaco to visit some other friends who'd rented houses in that area, but we didn't have an exact address for anyone, nor a place to stay.  Our driver from the canopy tour offered us a much better price than taking a taxi, so the two of us got back in the van after lunch and drove a little over an hour to Jaco. Benson had not written down the address, but our driver was quite resourceful.  First, he stopped at the police station to ask if they could help us; they couldn't.  Then we stopped at the post office to see if anyone there could help out, but they couldn't either.  Then our driver said he had one more idea.  He took us by a beach house rental office and told us to go up to the second floor.  I stayed in the car with our bags, while Benson went up.  He just described the people that had rented the house we were planning on going to and in a few minutes we had the address.  We finally got to the house, but most of the people were out to dinner or on their way out.  Benson made the mistake of taking his sandals off for the ten minutes we were there, and in just that amount of time, they were gone.  We decided to walk back into town (Benson barefoot) to find him some cheap sandals and grab some dinner ourselves. We found him sandals, and while we were walking ran into a group of friends celebrating one of their birthdays, so we joined them! After dinner, we walked for a few more hours and ran into a number of SASers.  They'd ask what our plans were for staying the night, and each time we'd say we didn't know, some would just laugh and some would say good luck, but one group sincerely offered for us to stay in their hotel.  They'd booked two rooms for some people that ended up leaving that day, so they invited to stay there. Benson and I put our bags down and headed back to the beach house to see if anyone had returned from dinner.  A few people were there, but not who we were looking for, so we just sat out on the beach and watched the waves, looked up at the stars and talked about how awesome this trip had been so far.       In the morning the next day, Benson and I made our way to the beach.  We were really hoping to run into a bunch more people there, but most of the people that stayed in Jaco had left in the morning or were out on trips.  We flew the kite (again☺) and walked down the beach towards that beach house.  Benson was hoping he'd find his sandals or someone that had set them aside for him.  No one had, but along the way, we ran into a few small groups of people who were looking for rides back to the ship.  Benson and I were planning on calling the same driver who had brought us there, but were hoping to find more passengers to split the bill.  We wound up getting a group of 9 together, which brought the cost down to $9 per person. We flew the kite for a few hours, taking turns and trying new stunts and body surfed for a while as well.  We'd been told to look out for jumping manta rays, so that made us a little apprehensive, but we still had a great time.  For lunch, I had my first burrito since I left home.  It was delicious, but made me miss Chipotle all the more, can't wait! We met up with our group and headed back to the ship.  Our driver stopped along the way to show us some crocodiles.  He pulled the car over and walked us to the side of a bridge.  Looking over, there must have been 20 crocodiles right below us.  Felt a little like Captain Hook for a second.  There was another group of tourists stopped on the bridge hanging some raw chicken from a string over the crocs' mouths.  Seeing them jump out of the water and hearing those teeth chomp down was pretty scary.  After getting back in the van, our driver made the comment that those crocs usually eat cows or horses that come too close to the river bank.  He also made some silly comment that their favorite meal is American travelers.  We all slept a bit on the way back, but by the time we got there, there was not enough time to do much else.  I was planning on walking around Puntarenas and getting some more photos and such in our last port, but there just wasn't enough time.  So, we walked down the pier, stood in line and walked up the gangway for the last time.     I think Costa Rica was a great destination for our last port.  We made the best of the docking situation and had a great couple of days over all.  I definitely found that relaxation I was looking for.  And now the next time these feet reach land, I'll be in America. There are no more countries on the itinerary, no more adventures in foreign lands, but I refuse to see this as the end.  For me, it's only just begun. I'm coming home. -mason ¨Twenty years from now you will be more disappointed by the things that you didn't do than by the ones you did do. So throw off the bowlines. Sail away from the safe harbor. Catch the trade winds in your sails. Explore. Dream. Discover.¨ -Mark Twain

Japan

I love sushi. Needless to say, I was really looking forward to traveling in Japan. My buddy Eric, who'd been on SAS in 06, said Japan was his favorite port. I also knew my Dad spent part of his childhood in Japan, so I was excited to see his old neighborhood and explore the streets he may have played on. Both Kobe and Yokohama were on the itinerary, so we had one day at sea between. I decided to get back on the ship and sail from Kobe to Yokohama.  I really needed a day to breathe and separate myself from the routine. This left me with four days to explore. I chose to spend each day in a different city.     My first day in Japan was spent with about 6 friends in Kobe.  The only thing on our minds was finding sushi. It took a few tries to find the right restaurant that suited everyone, but eventually we found it. It was located on the 3rd floor of a mall and was much more expensive than we were anticipating. I knew Japan would be expensive, but I wasn't expecting to spend $35 on myself for a lunch. O well, it was an experience and it was delicious. From there we just wandered through the streets and weaves our way in and out of the little side shops and alley malls under the railway. One thing I miss already about Japan is the vending machines. They are EVERYWHERE! At no point in time could you go more than 15 paces without bumping into another one.  And they sold everything as well, hot and cold, drinks and food.  It was awesome. Another thing I enjoyed was Japanese fashion. The women wear tons of layers. Multiple sweaters and jackets with scarves, beanies and boots. The more layers, the better, it seemed.  The cool thing for men to wear were these "Michelin-man" looking shiny jackets. For dinner, Benson, Vin, Lily and I went out for a more traditional Japanese meal. We sat in the floor with our shoes off and shared a variety of items including tofu, beef, rice, noodles and shrimp.     I spent the next day with Kedren and Autumn in Kyoto. We took the JR (Japan Rail) from Sanomiya in Kobe to Kyoto station. This was about an hour's ride from the ship and from the station in Kyoto; we rode the buses around town.  We stopped first at an old castle from feudal times.  The architecture and gardens were more than breathtaking.  The best part about visiting Kyoto was the fall colors.  Much like in China, all the leaves had turned to deep reds and outstanding oranges. We grabbed a quick lunch at a restaurant where you place your order through a vending machine and the food is prepared and brought out to the table. Who needs waiters anyways, right? For the rest of our time in Kyoto, we'd planned on visiting the bamboo forest. Our group planned out the route using the bus system and jumped on the first bus headin that direction. After a few stop lights some of us started noticing the driver's head nodding at each stop. After more observation, we realized that he would stop, pull the brake, lean to the side and shut his eyes. He was falling asleep! We were the only ones evenly remotely disturbed by this, which made me wonder whether or not that was common for the avid Kyoto bus-traveler to witness. There was one time when a woman was standing next to him ready to pay her fare and exit the bus, when he decided it'd be a good time to take a snooze. We hit a bunch of traffic so by the time we arrived at the bamboo forest, we had to turn around. I think I if I get back to Japan someday, the first place I'll go is Kyoto.     After one day at sea, we arrived in Yokohama. I set out with Jocelyn, Michelle and Kedren for Kedren's birthday. She didn't care what we did all day, as long as we got some sushi for dinner. It took a few trains to get into Tokyo and we decided to explore three different areas of the city. First stop was Shibuya.  There, we found what is rumored to be the busiest crosswalk in the world. We walked around the Shibuya area for a little while and got lunch before jumping back on the JR. Our next stop was Harijuku Street.  Here we found some of the most unique and expensive fashions in Japan. There were a few "used clothing" stores, but even the used stuff was way overpriced. Japan's prices are in general much like the US, a tough thing to get used after seeing the dollar stretch so far in the last 7 countries. We then wanted to get into the Tokyo city center to find dinner. It was beginning to get dark by the time we reached the station, perfect time to be dazzled by the bright lights of the city. We weren't quite hungry when we arrived so the four of us decided to just start wandering. I knew there was a large Apple store somewhere in Tokyo, but "somewhere in Tokyo" isn't exactly sufficient for finding a place. It's not that had to go, but it'd be cool if we stumbled upon it. And so we wandered in and out of shops and stores and eventually turned a corner and found it! After exploring each floor, we hit the streets again to find some sushi for Kedren's birthday. Michelle ran into a convenience store to ask the clerk where we could find some, but she doesn't speak Japanese and the man didn't speak English. Quick on her feet, Michelle grabbed a postcard from the rack in front of the counter with pictures of sushi on the front. The clerk understood and responded with an equally clever charade to tell us there were many restaurants, but all were very expensive. We weren't too keen on spending a ton of money, as Japan had already been plenty expensive, so we jumped back on the JR and headed back to Yokohama. We wound up at a conveyor-belt sushi restaurant for dinner, which turned out to be excellent. And with that, our journey to Tokyo for Kedren's birthday was complete.     I'd been telling my friends how my dad had lived in Yokohama as a kid and how I was hoping to find his old street and take some pictures for him to show him how things look now. A number of them were interested in coming with me to find it, but when it came time to leave only Benson and Kedren were around. So the three of us grabbed a local map and started walking.  My Dad had given me a few directions and landmarks from his memory to assist in the hunt. A few blocks from the ship, Benson asked if we wanted to try to rent bikes. We went into a tourist information center to find the nearest bike shop. They were incredibly helpful and within half an hour, we were pedaling our way through Yokohama. It only took about ten minutes by bicycle to get to my dads neighborhood, but once we got there, we had to find the specific street. I used the different clues I'd been given to draw up a little map and then compared it to a real one I found mounted at a bus station on the side of the street. We were close! A few short pedals after that, we found ourselves on my dad's old street. The houses where his friends had lived were run down and the plants outside were overgrown.  His old cul-de-sac had been turned into some small medical facility, but the pathway from his house to the Motomachi shopping area still exists.  After taking a few photos of the street and the houses around, the three of us made our way down to the Motomachi district and then back over to the port area. There was a Ferris wheel and mall next door.  Benson met up with our friend Courtney and jumped on the Ferris wheel, while Kedren and I did some final shopping at the mall. I wound up finding one of those "Michelin-man" jackets like I described earlier, a big, puffy red one with brown leather shoulders (real classy-like). After doing some grocery shopping to prepare for crossing the Pacific, we rode on back to the bike shop, grabbed some stamps from the post office and headed back to the ship.     I absolutely loved my time in Japan.  If I get a chance to go back and explore, I would really like to spend some more time in Kyoto and maybe get to see Mt. Fuji (it was too overcast this time). The honor and respect in Japanese culture was more than evident. Everyone we interacted with was hospitable and friendly and made my short stay in Japan both special and memorable. Can't wait to go back! -mason "For my part, I travel not to go anywhere, but to go. I travel for travel's sake. The great affair is to move."-Robert Louis Stevenson

China

        It’s very hard for me to look back on my time in China without thinking about Kurt. It was in Hong Kong that our shipboard family got smaller, that we left one behind, that we were forced to say goodbye to a friend. For this reason, I am going to approach my writing about China in a different way than before. I went on a Beijing trip through Semester At Sea and was able to see nearly all of the major Beijing tourist sights.  I’ll mention them, but this will be much less about the minuscule details of my activities and more about my overall feelings while traveling through China.
        I did get to have the first day in Hong Kong before leaving for Beijing.  The night before arriving in Hong Kong, John and I sat down and looked at a map of places to see near Hong Kong.  We both were feeling like we didn’t want to spend the day in a concrete jungle, so we decided to head for a large Buddha statue hours away from the port. Before the morning, we added Darren and our friend Shamus to the group and the four of us hit the street in search of the nearest subway station. Traveling with these guys felt like true adventure.  We had no idea what lay ahead of us or exactly how to get around, we just went for it. Walking up the stairs to the Buddha made me feel so tiny and the view from the top of the hill where he sat made me feel even smaller. Looking out on the valley below us gave me a great sense of accomplishment. We took the cable car back to the subway station and from there decided to go into downtown Hong Kong for dinner. The city had a very “happenin” vibe to it, something like I’d imagine New York to be like. From the ship, we got to watch the laser light show that takes place every night and lights up the Hong Kong skyline.
        I left the next day really early for my trip to Beijing.  I’d signed up for the trip when I boarded the ship in August and hadn’t met anyone who I’d be going with yet. (This is where I’m going to have to switch into understatement). I got to see the Summer Palace from the Ming Dynasty, the Great Wall, the Bird’s Nest and Water Cube, Tiananmen Square, Forbidden City, the Lama Temple and the Temple of Heaven.  I was able to meet some new people outside of my usual gang, which I enjoyed for two reasons.  First: Its fun meeting all new people and branching out. Second: I felt like I had a certain amount of freedom to wander alone through the different sites and take things in at my own pace. All of these sites were amazing.  Visiting the Great Wall was my favorite part of this trip. Something about its size and age absolutely captured me. The trees had all turned to burnt oranges and vibrant reds with the fall.  I’d seen photos of the Great Wall covered in snow, but am so glad I got to see it surrounded by color. During that trip I made a handful of new friends, tried my first duck and got to stand in the Olympic Village.  Our group left the ship behind in Hong Kong and met up with it in Shanghai.  When our bus turned the corner and I saw the Explorer again in Shanghai, I started to cry. I’d always said it was like “home,” but hadn’t understood that emotion to its fullest until that night, when I truly saw the MV Explorer as home. 
        The events following China and regarding Kurt’s death bonded our shipboard family even more.  I began to clearly see and appreciate the people on the ship as integral parts of my experience. We are all deeply affected by both Kurt’s life and death. I was honored to have known him and to have been apart of organizing a service in his honor.
       
One of Kurt’s favorite quotes: “Take the anger from your hearts, wipe the tears from God’s eyes, and live a life of love.”  - Archbishop Desmond Tutu

Vietnam

        Coming into Vietnam, the ship had been passing around a pretty nasty cold.  I wasn’t feeling it too badly the first day we got there, but I woke up the morning of the second day as if someone flipped a switch on my strength, energy, and overall wellbeing. I could barely open my eyelids and my body was feeling pretty achy, but even though all I wanted to do was sleep all day, I knew I should take time to explore and enjoy Vietnam. 
        SAS provided a shuttle to the city center, which ran all day until 11PM. For the first time leaving the ship, though, I wanted to walk.  I was worried that if I didn’t explore Ho Chi Minh by foot, I wouldn’t have a good enough feel for the city.  So, the first day I met up with John, Darren and Jeff and the four of us set out with no direction or idea of what we wanted to do.  Immediately after leaving the gates, we were bombarded by bicycle and motorcycle rickshaws.  We insisted that we were just walking, that we didn’t want a ride, and that they were wasting their time following us.  Despite these efforts, we were followed by 6 rickshaws for a solid mile. They gave up eventually and we were on our own.  The main thing to get used to was the traffic.  Motorbikes were everywhere and there was never a break in the traffic.  There were few traffic lights, and no true cross walks.  As a pedestrian, I learned the best way to cross streets was to watch for cars and trucks and wait for them to pass first. There would never be enough time to wait for the motorbikes. They made up a constant stream, river and torrent of chaos.  Once I found a gap in the cars or trucks, I would just step off the curb right into the fray. As long as I kept a constant gait, the stream would flow around me.  Each driver would anticipate my path and would alter course as necessary. It was a little scary to begin with, but once I’d crossed a few streets, I felt like an old pro. It may seem strange, but I felt safer crossing streets where the drivers just expect people to walk in front of them, than in the States where drivers forget to look at crosswalks before making a right hand turn.
That day, the four of us wound up walked through neighborhoods and markets, stopping sometimes along the way and taking in as much of the city as possible. We wandered through the Ben Tanh market, ate Vietnamese dinner together and were even followed and pursued by a prostitute.  We finished the night by meeting up with some more of our friends at a local jazz club called Sax-n-Art.  Turns out the owner and main performer is good friends with one of the SAS faculty members and is also one of the judges on Vietnam Idol. That night I fell more in love with the saxophone and decided that learning to play the sax is one of my new life goals. Its so expressive and warm, I just love it!
        On the morning of the second day, there was a new ship docked just behind us.  It was the South African Navy! I got to meet the captain and talk with a number of the sailors.  One of them has already contacted me on Facebook. His name is Jurie, and he mentioned that the purpose of their tour around the world was essentially to show the world that they had a navy. They had just come from China and were on their way to India before returning to Cape Town. When I went kayaking in Cape Town, I paddled right around the sea wall for their base. They were there for the rest of the week, so we got to see them a few times around the city.  It was fun talking about Cape Town again, and listening to their accents and slang. For the majority of that day though, I went on a trip to the Mekong delta. I’ve spent so much of my time up on the Sacramento River delta, I was curious to see what this one was like.  Turns out, the Mekong Delta is a major major source of income for Vietnam. It is the livelihood of their main fisheries and is also utilized for transportation of goods.  We got off the boat and walked on land over stones and bridges to where lunch was being served. We had fish, spring rolls, octopus and noodles.  That was easily one of the best meals I’ve had abroad. After lunch we got into canoes and paddled through a small waterway back to the boats. I kept imagining the reactions of the Vietnamese fishermen if I were to pull a banana boat full of campers through the main channel of the Mekong; guess that’ll have to wait for next summer;-)
        I spent most of the third day resting up, as I wasn’t feeling well at all. I did go out for lunch wit Darren and Jocelyn to a place recommended by our interport student, but returned to the ship to spend most of the day sleeping.  I wanted to be well for my birthday the next day! For my birthday, I went with Darren and Jocelyn to the War Remnants Museum and Reunification Palace.  It was pretty awesome to connect all the lessons about the Vietnam War with these historic sights.  The museum had exhibits of photographs, art and letters. Much of the information was heavily one sided (which is expected), but nonetheless it was interesting to be in Vietnam and receive their perspective on the matter.  Something I found most significant and contrary to my own education and knowledge about the war in Vietnam is the amount of other nations that openly protested and demonstrated our involvement. It was also incredible to read about all the war photographers that were killed.  Near the exit was a notebook for visitors to sign or express any thoughts or reactions.  Everyone that signed told where they had visited from and some were in other languages, but the ones in English, I did read. I honestly felt embarrassed and altogether uncomfortable to be an American at the museum.  Outside, a huge storm was beginning to crack the sky and flood the streets. There were so many hateful notes and comments towards the US. Reading further though, I was happy to read the reactions of the Americans who got to see another point of view and had altered their opinions or empathized with the Vietnamese for the first time. The three of us grabbed ponchos on the way out to stay dry in the rain and made our way back to the ship. Benson had been in Ha Noi up until the night of my birthday, but wanted to be back to go out for it. For my birthday we went out to the Ben Tanh market where there were outdoor restaurants lined up on the street.  I had some beef pho noodles with spring rolls (soo good, I love pho noodles!) and Benson picked up the tab for me saying, “You shouldn’t have to buy your birthday dinner!” I enjoyed the night out with my new friends, even though I was still feeling sick and could barely keep my eyes open.
        For our last day in Ho Chi Minh, I went on a trip to the Cu Chi tunnels with Darren, Benson and Jocelyn. Crawling through those tunnels and walking through the jungle was quite an experience.  Granted, its been entirely turned into a tourist attraction. Despite that fact though, I did my best to catch a glimpse of actually being there, but it was impossible.  There was a shooting range at the end of the tour, so while I would stare into the jungle and try to envision being there during the war, there were gunshots in the background…still, I found it impossible. Benson and I took the opportunity to fire an AK47 at the end of the tour. I can’t imagine being ordered to fire a machine like that at another human. Getting to tour the tunnels was a great compliment to visiting the War Museum the day before. Both were a great way of better informing me of the events of such a controversial time in our history. After getting back to Ho Chi Minh City, Benson and I walked around aimlessly for a few short hours.  We were on our way back when we happened into a frozen yogurt place.  We weren’t planning on it at all but after seeing the sign, we decided it sounded delicious☺ We went inside and I heard a, “Mason!” It was Becca Wegener from houseboats.  She’d been traveling with a friend of hers whose sister, Megan Erstad, was on the ship. I knew Becca would be in Vietnam, but we hadn’t planned on meeting up. A few minutes after sitting there, my friends Ben and Paige walked in. And if you didn’t think that was a big enough coincidence, Paige has a cousin who works with Becca and I at houseboats.  Small world huh?
        Despite my lack of energy all week, I think I made the most of my week. If I learned anything in Vietnam, its that I love Vietnamese food.  I can’t wait to look up some good local pho places at home!

-mason

“Love is the overflowing result of one person in true fellowship with another” -Oswald Chambers

Malaysia

The only thing I really knew about Malaysia, was that they manufacture a great deal of hockey pucks.  Needless to say, I had no expectations for what I would see, do and experience in Malaysia. I had made plans with a group of friends to travel all around Malaysia and get a more holistic view of the country.  Michelle, Jocelyn, Darren, Benson, Johnny and I decided we’d fly to Kuala Lumpur for the first two nights, fly to Langkawi for the next day and a half, and then ferry back to Penang to spend the last night on the ship and our final day in Penang.
        We arrived in Kuala Lumpur right around dinner-time as the sky was getting dark.  We’d taken a charter bus from the airport into the city with a bunch of other SASers to save money on cabs.  The six of us reached our hotel, dropped our bags and headed out. 
You could see both the Petronas Towers and the Kuala Lumpur Tower from the street in front of our hotel.  We used these landmarks to navigate the city.  Our hotel was located on the outskirts of the downtown area and so most of the shops and businesses around it were closed or closing as we passed by.  Turning up a street that seemed to be better lit than the others, we began to recognize a few smells, sights and sounds.  We walked under a huge sign reading “Happy Deepavali.”  We were in Little India!  It was fun to compare prices and observe subtle differences in the people.  For example, in India they do this “bobble-head” motion while talking or listening to someone.  Its neither yes or no, more of an “mhm, I’m listening.”  Its pretty frustrating when you need a yes or no answer and then you get the head bob, especially when you’re ordering food and are asking what’s in it.  I suppose is also doesn’t help that we don’t speak any Tamil:-/ I was really hoping that we’d get the “head bob” from the Indians in Malaysia, but they just didn’t do it.  I wondered if they’d been born in India and moved to Malaysia or if they’d ever been to India at all and therefore wouldn’t even recognize the “bob.”  We ventured on, had dinner and made our way back to the hotel.  We found out the hotel had free internet access downstairs, so most of us jumped online and caught up with our friends a bit.  I spent a few hours Skyping with Megan, as it was the middle of the day for her and made my way to bed.
        The next morning, we got up around 8 to get as much time in the city as possible.  We jumped on the monorail at the nearest station and made our way across the city. Neither of us had any clue where we should get off or had a plan of what exactly we were to do that day, but we all figured we’d just see how it went, or as I like to say, “play it as it lies.” Getting off the monorail, we walked through some shops and markets and wound up in China Town.  Benson kept reminding me that if I wanted to save money for anything electronic, to save it for Hong Kong.  I didn’t end up buying anything I just enjoy looking at the different fake brands and knock offs.  Benson actually ended up buying a watch and Darren picked up a new wallet. Benson’s watch was a fake Bell and Ross watch (which I’d never heard of, but then again I’m not all to well versed in watch brands).   From there, we made our way to a large mosque a few blocks from China town.  Along the way, I saw a bunch of unique stencil graffiti, including depictions of the Statue of Liberty with a gas mask on.  Underneath was written, “stop war, start class war.” I wonder if the message was pointed at America or if it meant to comment on Malaysia’s social situation.  The mosque was huge, but unfortunately would not allow non-Muslims inside at that time.  We’d been told that up the road was the world’s largest terrarium.  There were all kinds of birds there, including flamingos, peacocks and eagles.  After grabbing lunch and watching a show, we left the bird park and headed for the Petronas Towers. When we got to the towers, all of the tours to the bridge were full, but the guide told us to standby just in case people didn’t show.  There were 6 of us, so I was a little nervous they wouldn’t have enough spots for us, but it turned out that they did! We took the elevator to the 41st floor, where the bridge between the towers is.  The elevator was so smooth and fast, it traveled at one floor per second! The view from there was pretty awesome, nothing like standing forty stories above the ground between the two of the world’s largest towers. At the base of the towers was the biggest mall I’ve ever been to and much larger than I’d ever imagined. There must have been 10 floors, each one the size of any other typical mall. Every brand from Levi’s, Adidas and Canon to Converse, Nordstrom and Nike was represented.  Benson picked up a small photo printer while at the Canon store, so we could print and mail photos to friends as postcards. From the mall, we headed back to the hotel to rest up a bit and grab a quick bite. The following day was Benson’s birthday, so we were planning on staying out until at least midnight. We left the hotel around 10:30 to meet up with some other friends at a club called Luna.  It was located on the roof of a 34 story building next to the KL Tower. There were a bunch of SAS kids there to visit with and celebrate Benson’s last night as a teenager with us. The atmosphere on the roof was incredible, but the view from the bathroom was even more spectacular.  There was a man hand rolling cigars at the entrance, so Benson, Vin and I grabbed a few a smoked them on the roof, looking out over the city.  Instead of having the urinals facing a wall, each of the faced out of a large window, overlooking all of KL with the lighted tower in the foreground.  That was awesome☺ We left Luna after a few hours and went to a place called Beach Bar.  There we found some live music, dancing, and a whole lot more SASers. Benson wanted to stay out much later, but I was ready to call it a night at 2 am, so I jumped in a taxi and rode back to the hotel.
        The next morning, we had to rise early and drive back to the airport. We made our flight on time, but once we cleared security, Benson turned to me and asked me a question. Looking at himself, he asked “what’s wrong with this picture?” I looked and noticed his luggage, but couldn’t tell what he was getting at.  He asked me again, but I still didn’t catch on.  “I left the printer!” Benson and I had double checked our room a few times, but must’ve seen the printer box and assumed it was just trash. It was way to late to go back to the hotel, so Benson called and had them hold it for him, hoping he’d get a chance to ask someone else to pick it up before leaving KL. We had a 3 hour flight to Langkawi and were picked up by the owner of the house we were renting for the night. We drove across the island in about twenty minutes on the only main road. It was green everywhere.  The hills were covered with all kinds of palms and the only colors you could see were the greens of the treetops and the blues of the sky. After getting settled and paying the owner, we walked out of the front yard onto the beach. Time for some more kite flying☺ Here, we taught Johnny and Jocelyn how to fly it, but a storm blew in after a few hours, flooded the skies and made it impossible to continue flying. It was getting dark, so we went into town to pick up some food for dinner and breakfast the next morning. For dinner, we made chicken fried rice. Actually, Michelle showed Darren how to make the fried rice and the chicken was more of the oven chicken nugget style, but it got the job done;-).
        The next morning for breakfast Darren made eggs and we had some left over sweet breads from the airport the day before. After breakfast, the six of us went on a bat cave tour. We were picked up by car and taken to a small marina where we got on a riverboat.  The banks of the river were lined with mangroves, their thirsty branches stretching low to the water’s surface. Most of the tour took place on the boat.  We saw monkeys and snakes along the way, and got to watch a large group of eagles feeding on the fish in the river. Watching them circle and dive so effortlessly and gracefully was my favorite thing I saw.  At one section, we had to drive through a cave; reminded me of Pirates of the Caribbean…but real! We got off the boat for a short walk through a bat cave. It was pitch black inside and the only glimpse you could get of the bats was during that spit second of light from the flash of a camera. There must’ve been thousands of them, hanging from the ceiling with an eerie pestilence. Groups of monkeys crowded around us as we walked down the pathway back to the boat.  After grabbing lunch at a floating restaurant, our driver took us out into the open ocean to drop us off on the beach in front of our house.  Great service huh? That skinny boat was certainly not built to handle open ocean waves.  We were rockin side to side and taking on spray from all direction.  I had to put up and umbrella to protect my cameras from getting soaked. We had a few more hours to play on the beach before making our way to the other side of the island where the 3-hour ferry would take us back to Penang.
        Our final day in Malaysia was our first full day in Penang, so Benson, Jocelyn and I set out on foot from the port with no plan or direction. After walking a considerable amount of time through the neighborhoods of Penang, we decided to jump in a cab and go see the botanical garden.  A number of exhibits were closed, but we still had a good time enjoying the beauty and serenity of the park. While we’d been walking earlier, I saw an advertisement for a “mind festival” which was taking place that day at one of the local colleges.  From the garden, we took a cab to the school to see what the festival was all about.  The actual “mind festival” was going on inside the gym of the school, but outside in the courtyard were a number of campus clubs having a food fare. We were definitely the only SASers that made it to the mind festival that day.  The students were so excited to see visitors from the US and to share their food with us.  After we’d eaten, we asked them if we could borrow a phone to call another taxi, and they asked to take pictures with us in return.  Benson was able to communicate best with them in Mandarin, though they spoke some English.  The mind festival itself was more of a seminar type event on memory and other things related to the brain.  We sat in on a memory demonstration and talked with the presenter for some time afterwards, but were most excited to get out to that food fare.  We had to get back to the ship, so we grabbed a cab and headed towards the port, calling it a day.
        My favorite thing about Malaysia was the way in which I decided to spend my time.  The differences between Penang, Kuala Lumpur and Langkawi were so stark.  I really got a taste for multiple environments within one country.  The people we met and interacted with made the trip even more special. I really wish we could’ve had more time in Langkawi, but maybe someday I’ll return.

-mason

“If you only knew how much peace you give yourself and joy you give to others by living as you should, I think you would show greater interest in your spiritual progress” –Thomas Kempis

Finals

I'm done! That's right, you heard it...Mason's on Christmas vacation:-) I'll be updating y'all on my activities since India in the next few days, things have just been incredibly hectic lately.  Until then, take care!

-mason


"He who is coming after me is mightier that I, whose sandals I am worthy to carry"- Matthew 3:11

India

I had been told before that I would need to prepare myself for India, that it would be unlike any other place I’d seen and especially distinct from the other countries on our itinerary.  As some of you found out before I left, I was most excited for India.  My excitement was found in both the mystery of those forewarnings and in the overwhelming sense of the unknown.
        I woke up on the morning of October 14th to a violent, nearly suffocating smell; we had arrived.  The thickness of the air was shocking and offensive.  The ship was cleared for disembarkation.  I gathered my things and set out with a few friends.  Once we got outside the gate to the port, we were bombarded with offers from the rickshaw drivers.  There were too many of us to fit into one, so we were forced to split up.  We figured as long as we told both drivers where we wanted to go that we could just meet up.  This was certainly not the case.  My driver took a slight detour down to the beach and let us each take turns driving it.  We were so suckered into his little game.  Of course, being our first ride, we went along with it all.  After taking my turn at driving the rickshaw, we piled back in.  Benson would be leaving for his trip to the Taj Mahal in a few hours, so I was eager to meet up with him at the mall we were all headed to.  Along the way our driver tried to guilt us into stopping quickly to help him.  We were persistent in demanding he take us straight to the mall, but he pulled over and wouldn’t drive further until we agreed to make a pit stop.  It didn’t take long to figure out was going on when we pulled up to and “Indian Silk and Rug Emporium” and saw multiple groups of other SASers coming out of the building to meet their rickshaw drivers.  Turns out the owners of the Emporium pay commission to the rickshaw drivers for bringing tourists to their shops.  We all shared a few laughs at the con and then jumped back in the rickshaw.  A few minutes later we pulled over and got out of the rickshaw. Having never been to Chennai before, we could only trust that our driver had brought us to Spencer’s Plaza, like he said he would.  We knew there were two shopping centers within a few km of each other; Spencer’s and the City Center.  I looked up at the building we’d been dropped off at and asked again f this was Spencer’s Plaza.  He assured me that it was, so we paid him and he drove off.  We crossed the street and approached the front of the building to find a large sign, reading “City Center.” We’d been dropped at the wrong place! By this time, we’d been split up from Benson’s rickshaw for a good hour.  We jumped in another rickshaw, headed towards Spencer’s Plaza and hoped we’d be able to find Benson’s group.  Ultimately we did not find him by the time he had to back at the ship, so we just accepted that we’d have to wait until the last day to see him again and ask about the Taj Mahal.  So now it was just Jocelyn, Johnny and me.  We were getting pretty hungry, so we located the mall’s food court. The layout of the food court was just like you’d expect with different restaurants and counters lining the walls and clusters of tables and chairs in between for people to sit at.  I’ve been to a few food courts in my day and figured it’d be the same operation, standard procedure.  This wasn’t the case.  We were walking in front of the restaurants, taking glances at each one, trying to get a feel for what was being offered and at what cost.  We had barely walked by the first two restaurants when we were again bombarded, this time by representatives of each one.  They were all shouting and shoving menus in our faces, trying to persuade us to sit and order from them.  We could only take so much of this and eventually gave in to one of them.  Even after we sat down though, the bombardment continued.  Menu after menu was stacked in front of us while we tried to point to and communicate our orders to the waiter. We eventually got our food and I enjoyed it for two reasons: 1) Indian food is spicy…like, REALLY spicy and 2) Indian food is eaten with your hands! That may have been my favorite part about India altogether.  Each meal consists mostly of rice and then a variety of different spices, sauces and meats that you just ball together in your palm.  I really dug that. 
        The following day, I traveled with Jocelyn, Darren and my friend Frank.  We headed out in the morning to an outdoor market called the Pondy Bazaar.  Our driver this time tried to tell us it was closed and that he had some good shops to take us too, but after the events of the day before, we were not going to give in.  We made it to the street and the bazaar was definitely not closed.  There were all kinds of things being sold including fabrics, foods, spices, candles, books and clothing.  Darren found a pretty awesome turquoise Nike hat and I found a few gift items and an Indian shirt.  After the bazaar, we headed back towards the wharf and rested a bit on the ship.  We knew that there was a service visit to the Missionaries of Charity Orphanage through SAS the following day, but we didn’t make the list.  The orphanage as visitation hours though, so we decided to go on our own that afternoon.  We were greatly looking forward to playing with the kids, hoping maybe they’d have a jungle gym or a swing set.  Once we got there we were told to leave our bags in one room and that we couldn’t bring cameras in.  This came as somewhat of a shock because kids usually have so much fun taking pictures and looking at themselves in the camera.  That was my first clue though that this may not be the kind of orphanage we’d been used to seeing.  Missionaries of Charity was founded by Mother Theresa for abandoned children.  This was not the original site, but was founded and operated under the same principles.  Most of the children were abandoned and found living on the streets and all of them suffered mental illnesses or physical deformities, often both.  Once we saw the first room of children, I understood why no cameras were allowed in.  The children were all laid across the floor, each of them unique.  There was a small boy with no legs and a cleft lip and a little girl who was born with only the left side of her body.  These realities were hard to accept.  These were children, they should be laughing, running, playing, smiling.  The most we could do was sit down next to them and wave and smile and hold their hands.  I still have trouble processing the amount of misfortune and pain I witnessed that day, but walked away with a certain obligation.  I have been given capacity to speak, think and imagine; the ability to walk, run and jump; and the opportunity to achieve, dream and succeed.  My obligation then, if ever I loose sight of my original motivations, is to take advantage of those opportunities for the people that will never be given those chances.
        Day three was packed full.  In the morning, Jocelyn, Darren and I jumped in a rickshaw together and headed for a Hindu temple, called Sai Baba.  It rained pretty hard on the way there so our driver rolled down the tarps to cover the outsides of the rickshaw and make it “waterproof.” He then proceeded to light a cigarette…Once we got to the temple, we removed our shoes and followed the crowds inside.  The exterior of the building was incredibly decorated and vibrant with color.  The inside had pictures of Sad guru Sai Baba, who is believed to be a reincarnation of the Shiva god.  He was a peaceful looking man, always barefoot and often depicted with children.  The worshippers would stand in line to pray at the picture and touch the feet of Sai Baba.  We roamed for a few minutes before being approached by a local woman who asked if she could give us a tour.  We were thrilled! She showed us around the various rooms and then took us up to the offering alter where people had stood in long lines to pray, give money or burn incense.  After the tour we thanked the woman and headed back outside to the rickshaw.  We had told our driver, “John,” not to wait for us, but they never listen.  From there we headed out to St. Thomas Hill in Maylapore.  The church built on this sight claims that St. Thomas was martyred and buried there, though the Vatican claims that St. Tomas was buried in the Vatican.  The hill gave us an incredible view of the city and I also took one of my favorite pictures of the trip there.  We walked through the cathedral, although the hanging pictures and display cases all seemed to be very phony and unnaturally plastic.  Made me question how authentic the sight really was, but who knows?  From our inter-port students, Amog and Preshant, we learned that there were film studios nearby that were open to the public.  It took some time to communicate to our driver John that we didn’t want to go to the movies, but to the actual studio.  He asked a nearby local man to help translate for us and eventually he got it and we were on our way.  The rain had been off and on since the morning, mostly on though and the streets were incredibly flooded.  Unfortunately, we got to the film studio back lots on a day they weren’t shooting anything, but we got to walk around.  We first went into a large house with an upstairs and a piano room downstairs; the piano wouldn’t play though.  After that we came upon a sound stage where they could build indoor sets.  The ceiling was a massive network of wooden catwalks and bare bulbs.  It was definitely a pretty low budget film set, but I enjoyed the experience.  (Remember how I said day 3 was “packed full”…well, we’re still goin!)  We left the studio and made our way to Golden Beach- Universal Amusement Park.  We were curious to see what the prices, rides and people that would go to the amusement park were like.  Admission was 150 Rupees (about $3), but there was an extra charge for bringing a camera or camcorder in, so I grabbed a locker.  By the time we got inside, we were ready for lunch, and what better food to eat than India amusement park food…that’s sitting out…served by people eating in front of you…(I’ve already explained how Indians don’t use silverware, right?).  We got our lunch, used some Purell, and dug right in.  The food was actually reasonably good, despite the unsanitary conditions.  After lunch we were excited to explore the park and jump on some rides.  The first one we came to was kinda like those Giant Swing rides, but with outward facing birdcages.  I was a little hesitant at first, but figured if a bunch of the locals were getting on, it couldn’t be so bad…right? From there, Darren spotted a yellow roller coaster.  As we got closer we noticed that the track ended by going over a pool before returning to the terminal.  I took a good look at it and was positive we wouldn’t get wet; the car rode much higher than the water level.  So, we jumped on and started the climb upward.  Tick…tick…tick.  We rounded a quick U-turn and then whoosh! We were accelerating at quite an uncomfortable speed downward, towards that pool.  Darren had given me his camera to film him on the ride, so I wasn’t paying full attention to the tracks ahead.  SPLASH! My assumptions were wrong.  We got soaked.  I was able to tuck the camera in my armpit to keep it from getting wet, but we spent the rest of the afternoon trying to dry off in the off-and-on rain of the day.  There was a terrifyingly creep doll maze ride with a grungy Mickey Mouse outside and lots of armless, headless dolls inside.  Golden Beach is so named because it backs up to the ocean.  There isn’t even a wall or gate separating the park from the sand.  We walked past that invisible boundary and stood on the beach for a while, observing the fully clothed swimmers in the water and the cricket players on the shore.  Our last stop was another roller coaster (a dry one this time, I learned my lesson).  The park turned out to be a lot of fun.  The rides don’t seem to have had maintenance for years and much of the park seems stuck somewhere between construction and demolition.  Our rickshaw driver returned us to the ship and we took time to rest a little.  When we returned to the ship, we were told by some people that Spencer’s Mall had a few bootleg DVD stores in the upper floors, so naturally we went to check it out.  They were charging 50Rupees per disc, so many of us loaded up on some movies that we knew would help ease the upcoming Pacific crossing.  I got the Planet Earth series and a few other movies. 
        For the fourth day in Chennai, Darren, Jocelyn and I went on an SAS trip into rural India.  We drove a ways into an agricultural village where there was a community water hole and the families farmed palm trees and rice.  One family welcomed us into their home to show us what a typical house looks like.  Many of the villagers are in the process of improving their houses on the property they are currently living on.  We rode on cattle drawn wagons through the town.  Not many of the people in Chennai were excited to see us or at all open to smiling at a stranger, but the people in this village were.  The children and the adults would stand in their doorways and wave and smile at us riding by.  We then stopped at a palm tree farm.  Here, some of the men demonstrated how they climb the trees to gather the coconuts.  Each tree was numbered and there must have been over 300 trees.  After the demonstration, they let us try climbing the tree with our bare feet and a leather belt wrapped around the trunk and our upper body.  I gave it a shot and made it up a few feet, but it took a great deal of strength and flexibility.  I’m really glad I took the opportunity to get out of the city of Chennai and see another face of India.  The hospitality and warmth we were displayed that day speaks a lot louder than the thickness of the air that initially tainted my perceptions of India.  Later that night, Benson returned from the Taj Mahal and we were reunited☺ We went out with a group of five to take him by the DVD stores and for our last night in India, we were determined to find a hookah lounge.  We found both! The new comers to the DVD stores bought some movies and things and after that we went out to a lounge called Mocha, where we shared a few hookahs and some delicious grilled sandwiches. 
        I met Benson and Darren for breakfast on the last morning in Chennai.  Benson had a silly grin on his face and asked me if I’d noticed the trees that morning.  I was a little confused, but by the look on his face I could tell he was trying to clue me into something.  He was hoping I’d noticed the wind.  Even after he said that, I wasn’t putting it all together.  “The kite!” “Oh yeah!” We ran downstairs and got ready.  It’d now been a good two weeks since Benson surprised me in Cape Town by buying that huge kite.  The three of us rushed out the gangway and made our way towards the line of rickshaws.  We made it to the beach and stretched out the kite strings.  A small gathering of bystanders drew near with curiosity while we attached the strings to the fabric of the kite.  Benson was the first one to fly it and the moment its bright orange wings took off, that crowd began to multiply.  By the time Benson handed over the reigns, there must’ve been 30 people crowding us, touching us and asking us questions.  After a half hour or so of flying, a storm started building from over the ocean.  The kite began pulling harder and harder and instead of just dragging us across the beach, it began lifting us completely off the ground (I’ve got videos).  We pulled the kite down just in time for the rain to begin falling.  It was more than rain, though. It was more of a flash flood.  Everyone on the beach was running for cover under the tarps, but the three of us just walked slowly, taking every drop and enjoying the time we’d just shared together; as if we knew at that moment without saying so, that we’d remember that day forever.

-mason

“One individual life may be of priceless value to God’s purposes, and that life may be yours” -Oswald Chambers