continental drift

WE'RE BACK!

2010-05-05T06:55:00.000-07:00

I was brushing my teeth at 6:00 a.m. when all of a sudden on the loud speaker (emphasis on LOUD) Neil Diamond was singing "Coming to America." It was blaring all through the ship, as people came out of their cabins and gathered on the aft decks to watch the sun rise. Magnificent. Then we walked to the forward deck to see Ft. Lauderdale into view. The sun was so warm and welcoming, the sky clear and blue. When we docked at 8:00 a student was playing the bagpipes, parents were cheering from the pier, and soon the students were talking to those parents on their cell phones, "Look toward the back of the ship, I'm in the orange shirt waving at you from the 6th deck", etc. And now, it is 10:30, and we are back at the computer lab, which has been my nemesis throughout the voyage) waiting,waiting for passports to be stamped. It is so weird to have said all our goodbyes, not without tears, and then be milling around, chomping at the bit to get off the ship. And get to StarBucks! See Y'all soon!

So Long Salvador !

2010-04-29T10:26:00.000-07:00

Salvador, Brazil was interesting. People who traveled to the waterfalls had an amazing trip, as did those who traveled to Rio. The Amazon trip would have been amazing also, were it not for numerous cases of food poisoning. Dan and I decided to stay in Salvador (he had a lot of grading to do) and just take day trips from the ship. Not 2 hours after we first walked from the ship into the old, historic part of the city did we hear about several purse or camera snatchings, in spite of plenty of police standing around. Something fishy about this tourist area, but we still had fun. We later heard about a handful of people who used ATMs at BANKS and had their accounts plundered. You'd think their tourist industry would not want this to happen... Salvador looks very Mediterranean, from the Portuguese settlers. The city is right on the coast on the edge of the second largest bay in the world (the largest being Hudson Bay.) It was a big port for the slave ships coming straight from Ghana. We went to an orphanage one day, 25 children, mostly toddlers, some infants and handful of older children. Volunteering there was a woman from Atlanta, whose son goes to the College of Charleston. You never know when you're going to run into someone from back home! She volunteers through Cross Cultural Solutions, for 6 weeks at a time, and loves it, even though it is heart wrenching. We also visited one of Mother Teresa's places where 4 nuns try to meet the needs of the many poor here. We took a ferry to 2 lovely little islands one day, from which Danny has already posted pictures. The last day a big group of students and faculty helped to paint a community center in a favela (that is what they call slum communities here.) The young men who had built the very rustic center are very inspiring, working to give the young people a place to go. So, in the midst of deplorable conditions there is hope and very positive energy. Enough said..on to Fort Lauderdale!

Last Post from Dan

2010-04-24T16:16:00.000-07:00

As you can see from the number of posts I've made this evening, I am very bored without my wife, who will be back in an hour, at which time we are planning to go listen to Brazilian jazz with Stu, Don, Audrey, Amy, and perhaps a few others. (Note added the following morning: Three of us adventured out into this Bohemian area known as Rio Vermelho to a club called Sao Jorge and, unfortunately, because we had not made reservations, we heard little Brazilian jazz last night. We did enjoy a cerveja under the stars..almost as much fun.)

The last few days our thoughts have been drifting to how much we are looking forward to being with our kids, seeing the rest of our families, enjoying our friends, and returning to our lives in Pawleys Island. We miss you more than we could have imagined. Much more.

Our experiences have been amazing, and we have absorbed in these last few months a lifetime of stories. I'm not sure yet how I've changed, but I know I have, and I hope I don't bore all of you trying to figure out who I really am after all of this, what my place is in the world, and what I need to do to lead a moral life.

A few days ago I held a little girl in an orphanage in Salvador, Brazil. She cried when I tried to put her down. Finally, it was time to leave and I reluctantly returned her to one of the caretakers, and I walked away looking back through a haze of tears, her sobs penetrating to my soul. I wonder what her future is, and the future of all of the kids on this fragile planet that we are so awfully mistreating.

At the orphanage I also saw the Semester at Sea students playing with and hugging the infants and toddlers, brightening their day. I've witnessed this on several occasions, remarkable if ephemeral bonds forged between these privileged students and very less fortunate kids.

One young boy at the orphanage mistook a Chinese student for Jackie Chan, and spent the entire 2 hours trying to get this poor student, who knew no martial arts, to do some kung fu for him.

Sadness, wonder, joy, humor, celebration, hopelessness, and renewed hope on our long journey, and unmitigated excitement at returning to our little slice of this huge, complex, confusing world. Thanks for sharing and enriching the experience. ~dan

Dan Again: Brazil Photos

2010-04-24T16:10:00.001-07:00

From Dan: Some Photos from Ghana

2010-04-24T16:07:00.001-07:00

From Dan: Itaparica Island, Brazil

2010-04-24T15:48:00.000-07:00

As you can see, Mary had a difficult day today on this incredibly gorgeous tropical island. As I write, she's out dining with friends. Rest assured she will soon gather enough energy to resume blogging.

Ghana, West Africa

2010-04-14T09:26:00.000-07:00

In the 4 days we spent here I have come to love Ghana, its landscape, its history, and mostly its people(mainly the children). The coast reminds you of southern California, cliffs overlooking the ocean, waves crashing on the rocks. But its weird to see a "California" coastline with thirdworld structures. The city of Accra is very hot, dry and dusty...and flat and crowded. Most of the commerce is through street vendors, who sometimes combine their stands to make a mall of sorts. They also have drive throughs, but theirs are so advanced that the merchandise is brought to you- balanced on their heads- while you sit in traffic(Which is what we were doing when Danny got the picture of the taxi with its 2 distinguished passengers). The history is mainly centuries of the slave trade and colonialism, and finally independence in 1957, so Ghana is younger than I am. After a series of coups they have had a constitutional democracy since 1992 (can you tell I am reading from the Ghana Fact Sheet?). And the people...at first I was once again disdainful of the aggressive marketing of the vendors, "Come to my shop, I give you good price, you buy my jewelry, or cloth, or drums,whatever", but relentless and multiplied several times over. But it finally hit me, after how many poor countries, that these people are just struggling to survive. I have more admiration for the fishermen who work just as hard and don't annoy me, but now I have respect for the dignity of the others. There are also areas of the city devoted to mechanics, where men salvage parts from old cars to keep other old cars running. "Running" sounds inappropriate in the face of their horrific traffic jams. And women set up cooking spots among the broken down cars, and children run around playing, and babies are slung onto their mothers' backs, so day care is not a problem. I offended one Ghanian (that I know of) when we were talking about healthcare, and he said that they have to pay for it. I asked,"but what about the poor?" And he looked back and sternly replied, "Poor! What is poor? If you have two arms and 2 legs you are not poor. If you have a family you are not poor." I guess I agree, but typing this I just remembered the dump that Danny visited, where people live and go through the garbage and live off what they can recycle, just surviving the best they can. Absolute poverty? Yes. Poor? Never!

SAFARI in South Africa

2010-04-10T23:53:00.000-07:00

We had to take a plane and then a 3 hour bus trip to get to this national park, but as you can see it was so worth it! The hippo's are camera shy, but the lion didn't even flinch with a truckload of us shining a spotlight on him from 15 feet away. We saw much more than I can post...will do a slide show when we get home if anyone is interested...birds, millipedes, fascinating plants. Oh, and jackals, springboks, and monkeys. And of course Dan has pictures of the meals they served at the lodge. Imagine how it feels to observe these majestic animals, then come back to a buffet of wildebeast and springbok stew. I feel so very fortunate to have had this experience....I hope this ecosystem can survive the human juggernaut. Now on to Ghana.

Cape Town, South Africa

2010-04-10T08:50:00.000-07:00

Capetown was great fun, and extraordinary to look at with Table Mountain looming over everything. Our ship docked at a wharf teeming with tourists and locals enjoying all the waterfront restaurants, shops and taverns. It felt just like a coastal city in the U.S. except for all the shops selling African souvenirs. We had a lovely Italian dinner there, and a fantastic Greek lunch. It doesn’t get any better than that. We started hiking up Table Mountain, but the wind was fierce and we stopped after 30 minutes. That was enough to get some exercise and good pictures. Our friends Warner and Nancy made it to the top, determined souls!

I worked on a Habitat for Humanity house one day with a group from the ship. The children playing all around were so sweet, to each other and us, very cute. They had made a go cart out of wheels from a baby stroller, a piece of re-bar (with a sharp point sticking out) scraps of wood and a plastic milk crate. They put various toddlers in the milk crate, then 2 more kids climbed on and several others pushed them down the road. It was priceless. The neighborhood had a lot of tin shacks, with outdoor toilets, but they were very proud of the Habitat homes. One family invited us in: the sofa took up the whole living room, there were no closets, but a roof to keep out rain, and real walls to keep out the cold and they were thrilled. It was an honor to get to work on the house, we helped get the whole roof on in one day. Many hands…

We had learned about the Truth and Reconciliation Committee so instrumental in resolving racial conflict after Apartheid. It was an extraordinary endeavor, and things would have been much worse without it. Nevertheless, friction remains. There is a huge new stadium for the World Cup in Soccer next month. The CEO of Oracle bought a yacht and docked it near where we were docked, so that he would have a place to stay when he came to watch soccer. (see pictures) Next day: Safari!

Magnificent Mauritius

2010-04-04T04:25:00.000-07:00

On March 23rd we arrived at Mauritius for 2 lovely days. It is an island country of 1,267 sq. mi and 1.2 million people, 550 miles east of Madagascar. The guide book says it is 11 times the size of Washington D.C. It is a melting pot of Indians, Africans, Chinese and others, with French and English influence from colonial times. Besides being an "island gem in the middle of the Indian Ocean" it has a stable democracy and one of Africa's highest per capita incomes. (not saying much, I know, but seemed to have good quality of life from my perspective.) Danny led a snorkeling field trip, and I went hiking with friends...As for quality of life, the pictures speak for themselves. I'm not ready to come home yet, but am really missing everybody. Maybe you could meet us in Capetown! Many thanks for all the comments that keep us anchored to home!

From Dan again: Not my words

2010-03-30T00:15:00.000-07:00

A still from a video on a friend's Flickr web site.

From Dan: AFRICA!!!

2010-03-29T00:07:00.000-07:00

Setting: M/V Explorer, Deck 7 aft (pool deck), 0800 - 0915

I took my marine biology class outside this morning, and taught in full sunlight on a calm Indian Ocean with the coastline of Africa as background (about 3 miles away). I don't have any words to describe the emotional high I'm experiencing. No words. Period.

Professor Abel

2010-03-28T06:56:00.000-07:00

Here are some pictures of Danny teaching, since that is the reason we are on the voyage. The students seem to enjoy his classes almost as much as he does. It may be hard to keep him on land after this. I know, I'll tell him he can't go back out to sea until he organizes all his sunrise/sunset pictures. That should take quite some time.

More on India

2010-03-27T06:34:00.000-07:00

First off, my apologies for lagging in the blogging recently. I've been keeping up with attending my 3 classes, but doing all the readings and taking tests would be out of the question. (I don't know how these students get it all done, and still have time to have a good time, which they certainly do. ) Speaking of my American Politics class, how about that health care bill! After learning about all the hurdles a bill has to go through I was amazed that it actually passed. Am not sure of all the details, but just the fact that you cannot deny someone health insurance because they are sick and really need it seems quite civilized.

Back to India, we did spend one serene, enchanting day on the lake and backwaters of Alleppey. People live on the narrow strip of land between the rice fields and the canals. We passed people washing clothes, dishes, and themselves in the canals. The big houseboats are what tourists rent for 75$ a night, meals included. In the bus out of town we passed a guy on an elephant, talking on a cell phone, a family on a motorcycle, and we stopped at a spice shop. It was a lovely, enchanting day. Then we were off to Mauritius!

Population

2010-03-22T19:58:00.000-07:00

So far we've been to Japan, 127 million people; China,1.3 billion; Viet Nam, 87 million; India-1.16 billion....Adding all the other countries we have a world population of 6.81 billion people. Oh! Add one more- Welcome to the planet Abel Zachary Thayer! We love you! Uncle Danny & Aunt Mary.

About India

2010-03-20T03:40:00.000-07:00

Yes, I've been avoiding blogging about India. It will take me a long time to understand what we saw in Chennai and Cochin. It is jangling to the senses. The cities were crowded, chaotic, dirty and hot, but women glide by in beautiful saris, all colors of the rainbow. There are piles of garbage, and there is the Taj Mahal, (which we saw only in other people's pictures). India is the largest democracy in the world, with a president and a prime minister, but apparently little central planning. The cab drivers cheat you, but the restaurants serve a delicious feast for 2 dollars. We loved every single meal here; everything else will take much longer to digest. Such as: Women getting water, the lovely port in Chennai, the rooftops in Pondicherry( a small coastal city), the salt farms, and I give up with trying to arrange pictures on this #*&%$##@!! thing. Love you all!

From Dan: Magical, Intoxicating Southern Hemisphere Sunrise

2010-03-19T23:17:00.000-07:00

I'm in heaven.

Homeward Bound, by way of India

2010-03-10T00:55:00.000-08:00

We have now crossed longitude 93, which means we are heading home! Things are really heating up onboard, and not just because we are so close t0 the Equator. In economics class we've covered Smith, Marx, Malthus and many in between. The professor is also an ordained minister, who just won a big faculty award at Va. Tech. He gets some good class discussions going with statements like, "According to Mother Teresa, if you have more than you need, then you have someone else's share." Am impressed by some of the students. In Am. Politics class, another great professor, we're learning how PAC's, lobbyists,political parties and voters behave. Again, many smart students, many views, including cynicism, (not just me). Then, in global problems class, the anthropology professor,whose textbook has been translated into several languages, has opened our eyes to how the World Bank and the IMF work, and how over consumption, with credit cards, is encouraged to stimulate economic growth. It is the use of debt as a commodity that is unsustainable economically and environmentally. (am still trying to understand the concept of credit default swaps) Last night in a seminar he made the case for a debtor's strike to bring about change in our current system. We have life-long learners on board, many of whom live on interest from their investments, and students, most of whom have college loans, not to mention the scholars in business, ethics, advertising, oh, and environmental sustainability. Needless to say, lively debate will continue through the rest of the voyage. I will keep you posted as the economics and business professors have their say. Initial response of some was that individuals need to live within their means, and that we need education in finance starting at earlier age.

I am also engrossed in a book by a Viet Namese American, who left VN as a boy after the American war, then went back 20 years later. It is Catfish and Mandala, by Andrew Phan. It is exposing all that I did not see there, what with my rose colored glasses. But as I type we are awaiting Indian Immigration to let us off the ship in Chennai, where we will visit an ashram among other things, namely lunch!

Nah Trang, Viet Nam

2010-03-09T23:44:00.000-08:00

This was a coastal city where we spent 3 lovely days touring more temples, sites with views,and an aquarium,eating great meals, and a day of swimming off a boat. It was vacation (within a vacation for me). We were with a great group of students and another faculty couple and a life long learner who was a real trouper. As I type this we are fast approaching Chennai, India. If I don't finish off Viet Nam before tomorrow morning, I know I probably never will. I am just scratching the surface of VietNam in this blog, but the book Catfish and Mandala by Andrew Pham is deepening my understanding. Now for pictures, hope the band-width forces are with me!

From Dan: South China Sea Sunset (out of order)

2010-03-09T02:20:00.001-08:00

From Dan: Bay of Bengal Sunrise

2010-03-09T02:15:00.000-08:00

From Dan: Simply Sublime

2010-03-09T02:05:00.000-08:00

Saigon or Ho Chi Minh City

2010-03-06T04:50:00.000-08:00

Either name for the city is acceptable here. Most people that live here call it Saigon, because that's what they grew up with, no offense to "Uncle Ho". The city is abuzz with motor scooters, horns honking, peddlers, and "side walk cafes". We had a great time walking around the city, first learning how to cross the street in this mayhem, then trying to capture it on video. We had coffee at the Rex Hotel, which is where the journalists and generals stayed during the American War. We also went to the Museum of War Remembrance, which is a testament, along with Pearl Harbor and Hiroshima, to the devastating waste that is war. Back out on the street the people are friendly, seem happy, and definitely now how to cook and eat. They say most of the population is under 35 years old. They sure seem optimistic about the future. Now to tackle some pictures...

On the river entering Saigon

2010-03-06T00:03:00.000-08:00

For some reason the blog won't let me put the pictures in the order they were taken as we sailed inland up the river at sunrise. It was a lovely 4 hour journey with civilization slowly, gradually emerging, as the sun and the fishermen rose. The river winds back and forth, you begin to see structures on the horizon, closer with each bend, until finally you are in the middle of a very busy river with an even busier city beyond. The first picture shows how the boats like to optimize their cargo for each trip. Danny took lots of pictures of these low riders, and this was lowest of them all. We never saw one sink, but we didn't get to follow this one ...I'll start another post for the city, because because by my count this one is already over 6,000 words.

Sunrise at Nah Trang, Viet Nam, March 1, 2010

2010-03-01T06:03:00.001-08:00

Dan, one more time

2010-02-24T19:59:00.000-08:00

Mary is doing an amazing job blogging -- I even read her blogs to heighten the experience of what we've done -- so I can't add much, except she hasn't commented on how absolutely exquisite it has been, and still is, to be on the ocean.

The Pacific, even when it seemed to threaten to capsize the MV Explorer (I was a little concerned once, but unnecessarily so), left me breathless and speechless. At times the hull of the ship dipped close to eye level of the tops of the huge rolling train of swells, some of which crashed across the deck at close to the highest level (deck 7). Then the ship would rise again and drop a few seconds later with a thundering thud that reverberated throughout the ship, and momentarily seem to stop dead in its tracks before inexorably plowing through the wave. Unlike Mary, I'd do the Pacific crossing again and again. It was as much a highlight for me as the Forbidden City and Great Wall!

We're at about 13 degrees N latitude in the South China sea, en route to Ho Chi Minh City, Viet Nam. VERY calm seas now, with sightings of an occasional fishing boat and lots of floating trash, even though no land is in sight. I held part of a class outside on deck 7 today, on a gorgeous, sunny, warm, tropical, South China Sea day. Don't tell my provost, but I'm not sure I can ever teach anywhere except on a ship again.

Yesterday, I saw Chinese white dolphins, apparently a very highly endangered animal (only 50 or so left, so a species or subspecies doomed to extinction or extirpation). Also, I saw more dried shark fins than a healthy ocean can continue to provide. I tried to explain to our Chinese guide why eating shark fin soup was harmful, but he did not understand, and I desisted because I felt I had no credibility lecturing him about a part of his culture, however environmentally destructive it was, especially considering the huge environmental impact that I as an American have on the planet.

Tomorrow we're off the Can Gio Biosphere Reserve. We've been to 2 U.N. World Heritage sites, but no purely natural settings, so I am quite excited (not sure my mind and body can tolerate this soaring, perpetual level of excitement and enthusiasm. I don't recognize myself!).

I'll turn the blogging duties back over to Mary's very capable hands, but I wanted to make sure the oceanic parts of our voyage received their due respect.

From the Great Wall to the Great Mall

2010-02-24T15:47:00.000-08:00

We flew into Hong Kong from Beijing ( I get a kick out of typing that), arrived at the ship to find it parked,I mean docked, right next to a huge very upscale mall. Exactly 168 steps from our cabin into the entrance, with a Thai restaurant on the left and a coffee shop with great wireless service straight ahead. The mall was huge, went on for blocks, 3 stories, with all designer stores, even a floor for children's designer clothes.(Dolce &Gabanna, Gucci,etc.) It was a bit much, but when in Hong Kong....we went for Thai food first. Hong Kong has an even more densely packed population than I have previously seen. They can build very tall high rises because they are not in an earthquake zone, and build them they do. There are plenty of run down homes too, hope I put up pictures to show both sides.(In the first picture here each little square is one apartment, more like a closet.) By homes I don't mean individual houses, didn't see any of those here, just high rise apartments. The whole trip so far has been a contrast of old/new, run down/sparkling, dingy/shiny. Japan had by far the least number of run down buildings, small, but clean and habitable looking. Hong Kong felt like we were at ground zero for consumerism. Am not sure who's buying the expensive stuff, as most citizens travel back into China where prices are much lower.
We went on a tour bus to Lantau Island, part of HK. We walked around a quaint fishing village, where Dan was able to see some endangered dolphins. I saw some women scrubbing clothes at an outdoor faucet, chattering away. We then climbed back on the bus for the trip up the mountain to see the biggest outdoor Buddha in the world. He was big, and rewarded our climb up the 278 steps with a mocha ice cream bar sold in the gift shop underneath. We milled around for awile, trying to delay the inevitable chair lift down the mountain. We had the option of upgrading to a glass-bottomed car, can you imagine?! That night we enjoyed the bright lights across the harbor as the ship sailed out...cross your fingers that I can upload some pictures. Much love to everybody who is patiently reading this and posting comments, which we love.

From Dan

2010-02-22T02:40:00.001-08:00

Just a quick note: I remain stunned, overwhelmed, amazed, awed, bewildered, and extremely grateful. Today, while Mary updated her blog, I went on a search for shark fins in Hong Kong and, unfortunately, found them in spades.

But the reason I am writing is because we both are extremely thankful we have such great friends and family back home with whom to share these experiences. We're eating vegetarian with friends tonight overlooking one of the Hong Kong skylines (see picture above). The first toast is in your honor.

Up Against The Wall

2010-02-21T19:34:00.000-08:00

Dan has already posted 2 pictures of the Wall, for which I am grateful, as there aren't any words. It was not cold up there, I know Mother will be glad to hear. We walked up a long hill, past alot of vendors, then took a chairlift the rest of the way. I looked to see where the lift was made: Japan. We had a couple of hours up there. I just wanted to walk and walk and walk, and Danny humored me. Finally, we were far from the Mandarin crowds! It was spectacular. There was a small village down in the valley on the other side, but nothing else. Yes, this was the high point for me so far. The toboggen ride down the mountain was very fun. Some students liked it so much they bought another ticket up just for the toboggen down, as if this were Six Flags! It was a great day on the Great Wall.

Beijing

2010-02-21T18:26:00.000-08:00

Beijing was superb. First stop was lunch in a clean, warm restaurant with doors and windows closed! Then to put our stuff in the nice clean Marriot hotel, then to the Temple of Heaven, (no, I don't mean Starbucks) completed during the Ming Dynasty (1368-1644) where the emperor celebrated winter soltice by making prayers to his ancestors and making sacrifices. I did not ask what kind of sacrifices. The most amazing thing about this place was all the happy, joyful, dancing, singing Chinese people enjoying the large surrounding park. It is a meeting place for the people who are forced to retire at 50-55 years to give jobs to the young people. No wonder they are so happy! Then rides in bicycle rickshaws, a caravan of 50 of us, winding through the narrow streets of the hutong district, the small courtyard homes where families have lived for generations (which means I don't know how old they are). The government usually tears them down to build high rises, but has recently agreed to preserve a few areas. Probably because they saw the tourism $$$. Not unlike US. Anyway, we had a meal with a local family. Our meal "family" was a woman and her neighbor who live in the same courtyard and share a very rustic kitchen. The men were conveniently out for the evening. There would not have been enough room for them anyway. Sorry to prattle on so, but I relished this up close look at how they live, not to mention another delicious meal. Next day: Tian'an Men Square, yes, it's very big, awesome, crowded, and historic. Mao's mausoleum is there, only open a few days a year. It is bordered by 1950s Communist style buildings. Just beyond that is the Forbidden City, which is even bigger, more awesome and more crowded. (I've never seen such hoards or throngs of people. Someone said it's like leaving a UT football game, many times over. Of course, they were still celebrating new years.) The Forbidden City, completed in 1420, is supposedly a monument to dynastic China. I think it's a monument to the hard labor of the Chinese PEOPLE. Am glad they now seem to enjoy visiting it so much.

Chinese New Year Fireworks

2010-02-21T18:12:00.000-08:00

We were to leave Shanghai at 5:30 A!M! on thursday. Wednesday night was a big night in the 2 weeks of celebration, mainly for fireworks. Knew we needed sleep, but went on deck at 11:30, because you could already hear them starting. It kept increasing and increasing until at midnight it was constant fireworks on all sides(because our ship was docked in the river right in the middle of it all). Explosions behind the buildings, which were all darkened for this, and in front of them, close up AND far into the distance and in between. I don't think my little camera video will do it justice. A student came up to see what was going on and said, "Sounds like we're in a war zone!" It was freezing out there, but I stayed to see what happened at midnight, which was just more of the same, because it couldn't increase any more. But it kept on and on. A new expression could be "....for all the fireworks in China!" And we thought they shipped them all to the U.S.

2010-02-21T06:42:00.000-08:00

SHANGHAI

2010-02-15T18:38:00.000-08:00

The ship has docked....OMG, more later!

Now it's several days and a thousand miles later. But China was amazing and confusing (not Confuscious, I think that's Japan). When we walked on deck after docking at Shanghai it was cold and early morning, but I hope the picture conveys what words can't. Spectacular city scape, but distressing how it went on for miles. None of these new buildings were even here 15 years ago, it was all farmland. The Bund is what they call the older section of buildings on the waterfront, dating back to early 1900's, colonial times. Then the market place was so crowded! It was Chinese New Year (Year of the Tiger) so many Chinese come to celebrate here. They were having a great time, we were just trying to keep our group together and our jaws from dropping. Intermixed with big, fancy, and new was the also big, shabby, and old. The most memorable experience for me was dinner in a restaurant with a guided tour (so we couldn't leave) where they didnot shut the front downstairs door nor cover a broken out window. We ate with our coats on. When I asked them to close the door they, they turned on heaters. The big shiny facade belies an awareness of basic conservation. Or we just had an unusual experience. I was more than ready to fly to Beijing. Yeah! Off the ship and out of Shanghai, but I'm not complaining!

Slow Boat to China

2010-02-14T21:08:00.000-08:00

We will be in Shanghai tommorrow morning, so I better write about Hiroshima and Kobe before we land. Otherwise they will be lost in the blur. Kobe is a big, bustling port city, with very high density living. The main thing I noticed was that Saturday is laundry day, because most of the balconies on the rows and rows of high rise apartment buildings had clothes hanging to dry. On the bus trip to Hiroshima we passed over a hundred miles of beautiful mountains, perfectly undeveloped. Such a contrast from the coastal area. There were small rice farming villages in the valleys we passed. Hiroshima is also a big commercial city. Visiting the Memorial was a somber experience ( Just as seeing Pearl Harbor was), but ultimately it was very uplifting, because it was about forgiveness and peace. An 85 year old man stopped us to talk. He said his father and younger brother died in the explosion. He said he was angry until about 5 years ago; now he just wants to talk about peace and living together and no weapons. And the 2004 Nobel Peace Laureate from Kenya just happened to be there that day. We heard her speaking to the press, and Danny videotaped part of it... We were in awe, as were the students. And our tour guide made the most beautiful origami ball ( out of 30 separate folded sheets,all different colors) ,and she gave it to me. The whole day left me speechless.

Shinto Wedding at Meiji Shrine in Tokyo

2010-02-13T00:10:00.000-08:00

Yokohama &Tokyo

2010-02-10T15:01:00.000-08:00

I am very happy to report that we had a lovely time here. The people are gracious and respectful, as you would expect. What you don't expect is the feeling of serenity you experience on such clean streets , with such polite people, even if there are alot of them. I am most surprised by the expanse of the urban area, dense high rises and factories continuously for the 40 miles from Yokohama to Tokyo. (If I am lucky there is a picture to convey this.) There are isolated green areas ( Shinto or Budhist shrines, a soccer field, the Emperor"s compound), but since the majority of people (almost 12 million) live in these 2 cities, the density is, well, very dense. I expressed my amazement to one of the Chinese students, and she said, "Wait until you see Shanghai." The other picture is from a sky scraper in Yokohama, showing our ship, and then we happened upon a wedding while visiting the Shinto shrine. As for the food here, most everybody eats Chinese. Maybe Shanghai will have a good Japanese restaurant.

A Video

2010-02-08T02:58:00.000-08:00

If I clicked on the right video, this should give you an idea of how rough the seas were. This is in the faculty lounge at the bow of the ship. It is now Monday night here, a lot of people watched the super bowl this morning. We couldn't use the internet during the game, A very nice couple who are on the ship as Life Long Learners are from New Orleans, so we are happy for them that the Saints won. Tomorrow we wake up in Yokohama! I can honestly say that crossing the Pacific is a once in a lifetime experience, 'cause I'll never do it again.

The Abyss

2010-02-07T01:56:00.000-08:00

I had planned to talk about all the cameraderie on the ship, of which there is alot, but this huge, rough ocean demands center stage. Actually it is the ocean that is facilitating the bonding. This morning, early, it started up again. Just like a rough landing in an airplane, continuously. Sometimes very rough. Julie would not do well with this. It is magnificent to look out at the waves, if you can stomach it. The good news is we are almost across the Pacific. We crossed the international date line a few days ago, so now we are about 16 hours ahead of y'all, instead of 8 hours behind. Just think how early I would be for work if I weren't off. One other thing about the Pacific, it is very scary at night to go out on the deck and look into that deep, dark abyss. Especially when I imagine going overboard. ( As happened to a student several years ago. Rumor has it he was drunk. It took 30 minutes to turn the ship around and go get him, which they were able to do with alot of luck. The crew was scared they would not be able to find him.)It is 3 miles deep here.I get very spooked by it. I just had to get that off my chest! Now I will tackle some pictures again. Thanks for the notes you all send, I love to hear what's going on at home. (Stay Warm!)

Dinner with the Captain

2010-02-04T02:24:00.000-08:00

Well, just as I thought things were getting routine on the ship, we recieved an invitation to dine with Captain Roman Krstanovic this evening. We just returned from the meal and I had to come back to the computer lab to write this down while it was fresh in my mind, and taste buds. We had to dress up, Dan looked very sharp in his suit (with shark tie). We started out in the faculty lounge at 1930 hrs for wine and hors d'oerves, then walked to the dining room with white table cloths and all for another 5 courses: roasted vegetables or shrmp cocktail, soup,Ceasar salad, salmon with Hollandaise and asparagus (or you could have filet mignon if you wanted), then coffee with a warm nutty chocolate cake with whipped cream. YUM. There were 3 tables of us (faculty, staff and Life Long Learners) It was such a treat from the normal loud and bustling cafeteria, with the normal cafeteria food. I am so spoiled, I know. Being waited on by Perry and Mardy and all, who are always cheerful and so very nice. In the morning when they serve me coffee I will have to thank them for staying late to serve me dinner. Then I will go to my "Global Problems and the Culture of Capitalism" class where we are learning about consumer culture, labor issues, poverty and inequality, outsourcing,and free market impacts on societies. Well, back to our cabin, where Armando has turned down the sheets and left fresh towels. What a life.

more pictures, Honolulu

2010-02-01T23:29:00.000-08:00

Well, this is NOT the picture I selected, but it is flowers in Honolulu. The other interesting thing about Hawaii is that alot of the people resent the way their country was "granted " statehood. They were happy as their own independent nation, with a King and Queen. Some are calling for sovereignty even now. This is all news to me, maybe I should have payed more attention in history class! Now back to try to get another picture posted. Thank y'all for being patient with me. .....There we are at the Royal Hawaiian Hotel for a Mai Tai, (that cost about $14, so that was also supper)

Volcanoes

2010-01-31T11:25:00.000-08:00

YEA! We have pictures! These are the huge volcanic craters of one of the many volcanoes that created the Hawaiian islands. Don't know if the pictures can convey how immense and awe inspiring these craters are. The volcanic sulfur gas is constantly escaping, this is an active volcanoe, but I forget when the last eruption with lava flows was. Maybe you could tell us, Bob.

2010-01-29T21:53:00.000-08:00

Our cabin..pretty nice digs!

Dan on the balcony

2010-01-29T21:48:00.000-08:00

This was taken I believe, as we were leaving Ensenada. It's hard to tell.

The M/V Explorer in Honolulu

2010-01-29T21:38:00.000-08:00

This is our ship at port...and we're posting this as a test of our ability to upload photos to the blog. The windows that are visible surround the faculty lounge. As we write this we are about 300 km from Honolulu on our way to Yokohama. There are whitecaps on the Pacific now, but we are holding up relatively well. We've been warned to put loose items away tonight in anticipation of some rougher seas. Back later with a new post, and more pictures.

HILO

2010-01-24T23:58:00.000-08:00

We're moving in on Hawaii. The ocean calmed down yesterday, so no more nausea. Night before last the motion was unreal. The bed would slide to the right 6 inches, pause, and then slide to the left. I felt like Dorothy when the tornado hits. In the cafeteria you'd hear a bunch of dishes crash to the floor when we hit a big wave. In the library books would fall off the shelves, and in the faculty lounge more than a few professors have toppled over in there chairs. We have several Albatrosses that have stayed near the ship. They are amazing, out in the middle of the Pacific. They can fly forever. They drink sea water and have some way to excrete the salt. They don't really sleep, just go on auto-pilot and drift on the wind. Have also seen little flying fish, which look like birds that pop out of the water and fly over the surface for 30 meters , then dive back in. The whales are out there, but haven't seen them yet. Ship board life is great now that it is calmer. Have done 2 yoga classes on the deck, you just can't do much balancing on one leg with the constant motion. Hope everyone back home is doing well and staying warm. Thanks for keeping in touch.

Mid-Pacific

2010-01-20T15:50:00.000-08:00

Hey! We are now at longitude 131 west, latitude 19 degrees N, 2 days out from Ensenada, Mexico. Ensenada was nice, only went into the town once. It was almost a ghost town with empty restaurants. They must spring to life when the Carnival cruise ships are in. Dan had meetings on the ship for 2 days there. I read, and ate, and slept, fought with the computer, explored the ship, alphabetized the loaner library, and read some more. On Sunday the students, all 586 of them arrived. That night we left...I couldn't see any reason to stay in Ensenada, UNTIL we started feeling these big ocean swells. I had not realized how much the ship would rock, even on a calm day. The little loaner library shelves have had to be straightened several times already.I guess you could say the Pacific Ocean is nauseatingly beautiful. Am hoping that as my semicircular canals acclimate it will become less nauseating. It couldn't be more beautiful.

From the other Abel: Hola and Aloha

2010-01-20T11:01:00.001-08:00

Dan here, with a quick note. I'm sitting in the Faculty Lounge on deck 7 of the M/V Explorer, overlooking the 15-foot rolling Pacific swells that pitch us from side-to-side, en route from Ensenada to Hilo. The first thought that comes to mind is how grateful I am for the generous and sincere enthusiasm that all of our friends, and a number of acquaintances too, showed in the nearly 14-15 months we waited for our sojourn to begin.

Secondly, I am in my element. I am ever-mindful of the expanses of the blue Pacific, and I feel insignificantly small. At the same time, I am surrounded by an amazing group of fellow travelers (the dean calls us his "dream team' -- a bit hyperbolic, but I like the basketball metaphor), and I feel truly valued by my colleagues. The food is amazing as well, not as good as what you all make, but definitely not dorm food.

One of my colleagues held a reading of Jaws at 9:00 PM last night on the stern, and I gave a history of the true story on which the book was based. The rapt attention on the students' faces reinforced why I'm here, although I miss Pawleys, particularly friends, more than I imagined.

Glad we had the opportunity in San Diego to see my sister Sara and nephew Harris and his beautiful family before we left.

Well, this is no longer a short posting. Troubling times, these, but the sense of serenity is overwhelming, and this is good.

San Diego to Ensenada

2010-01-14T19:19:00.000-08:00

San Diego was beatiful, with probably the best weather in the country this week. We did some visiting, took a long walk along the ocean cliffs. My next task is to figure out how to post pictures on this blog. Anyway, S.D. was fantastic, don't know why anyone would ever leave there. Nevertheless.... we boarded our ship yesterday afternoon and left port before midnight. This ship is great, even better than the http://www.semester@sea/ ship tour shows. WE HAVE OUR OWN BALCONY!!! After a night of the ship rolling from unusually large waves (it was a little hard to sleep feeling like you were going to roll out of bed ) we woke to see the sunrise over the mountains of Ensenada. Will stop for now and get the pictures up...

Gratitude

2010-01-11T06:34:00.000-08:00

I haven't been this filled with gratitude for 22-24 years, when my children were born. Nothing like 4 months off work, an upgrade to first class for the flight to San Diego, 2 free glasses of wine, AND a cruise around the world to fill you with gratitude. But mostly its the family and friends giving us such a great send off , with art supplies, a Vera Bradley bag, a silk dress,travel journals(one for each of us), a Pawley's Is. sea shell and an ocean of warm wishes, including the going away party my brother-in-law planned for us....the day after we left! Everyone has been sooo wonderful that I don't know why we would ever leave South Carolina. Nevertheless we are now in San Diego and the ship leaves Wednesday. And, after the free wine, you can add motion sickness bags on airplanes to my gratitude list.

Still Packing

2010-01-02T07:53:00.000-08:00

We leave in 1 week, things are starting to come together. Just want to take a moment to document my gratitude: for Danny, whose hard work made possible this opportunity, for my job graciously allowing a leave of absence, for my mother reminding me to take sunscreen, gloves, and zip-lock bags, for Sara lending her long-underwear, for our friendsand family being so happy and excited for us, and for the earth for being round, so that we will come home!

Start Packing

2009-12-12T05:45:00.000-08:00

28 days until we leave for the JOURNEY OF A LIFETIME. Danny has been working incredibly hard for months to prepare lectures and field experiences for his classes. I've been busy planning my wardrobe (no malfunctions here) and deciding if a blowdryer, electric rollers, and a straightener are all necessary.