5 More Days Until I am State-side!

I cannot believe that the voyage is almost over. It is incredibly bittersweet. I have made some awesome friendships on this voyage that I know  will stay in touch with for forever. But, at the same time, I am so incredibly excited to be able to see my family in less than a week. Hence the bittersweet feeling.

When I got on this voyage people kept telling me that it would change my life and I have to admit- I was fairly skeptical. But, I need not have been because it did, in more ways than one.  Globally I am more aware of the world. Culturally I am more in tuned with different people and the wonderful, unique experiences bring. Most of all though, I have developed a deeper understanding of the important things in life. Family. Friends. Love. Happiness. All of these traits are vital to living a complete and fulfilled life. That is what this voyage there and back again(Hobbit reference intended) has taught me. Love like there is no tomorrow J

We shall not cease from exploration

And the end of all exploring

Will be to arrive where we started

And know the place for the first time.

~T.S. Eliot

 

Ugh- 9 Days Until HOME!

Well today is not the best of conclusions for Portugal, but apparently 50% of travelers get traveler diarrhea and it doesn’t last for too long (24 hours) so I can’t wait for the end of these 24 hours. Nah, it isn’t that bad, but I am actually pretty excited to go home now. This adventure has been amazing. I now have 9 days until I get back to the United States and this whole entire voyage seems surreal and amazing.

I will continue with my almost post-voyage reflection in the coming days.

 

Sintra

Today I decided to head out of Lisbon for a bit and see what some of the rest of Portugal was like.  Sintra is a small, fairy tale-like city that is located at the bottom of the Sintra Mountains. It has a population of about 33,000 people and is essentially a tourist suburb of Lisbon. A 40 minute train ride, in a very clean train that was nowhere near as packed as the one to Civitavecchia, took us to Sintra.

We decided to try and get to the Palace of Pena which we had heard great things about but didn’t realize how far of a walk it was. Literally 5 miles of uphill walking led us to a beautiful park that was the grounds of the Palace. Interestingly enough the Palace of Pena is considered one of the Seven Wonders of Portugal and is often used by the Portuguese president for special occasions.

Historically the palace was a monastery that was destroyed by lightening in the 18^th century. Then, in 1755 the historic “Great Earthquake” of Lisbon occurred leaving the monastery in ruins. In 1838 King Ferdinand II decided to acquire the monastery and he transformed the remains into a summer residence for the Portuguese royal family. Ever since then it has been kept in pristine condition and is now a major tourist attraction.  But, enough for the history of the palace and let me tell you about how beautiful it was:

Gorgeous! Absolutely, unbelievably, breathtakingly gorgeous! The outside really looked like a real life fantasy tale. I felt I was in a Disney princess’s movie as I was walking through all 14 rooms of the palace. The outside had many turrets that seemed to tower all the way to the sky. And, let me tell you, the view from the top was incredible- I could see all the way across Sintra to the ocean (about 18 km away.) I am struggling to put into the beauty that the entire experience so I will put up pictures later (I know I have been saying that a lot but really- a picture is worth a thousand words.)

Then, it was time to get back to the train station. Only problem-a 5 mile walk downhill didn’t sound like the best, so we managed to convince a taxi driver to take 5 of us in his taxi. We had to stop a little bit away from the train station since he wasn’t suppose to have so many people in the taxi and since we saw an ice cream store nearby we, of course, had to stop in and get some before boarding the train back to Lisbon.

Once we got back to Lisbon it was time for dinner. Overall the food that I have had in Portugal has been sub-par compared to that from the rest of the countries I have been to so we decided to branch out and try some Thai food. It was the best Thai food I have ever had. The pineapple rice that we ordered literally came in a hollowed out pineapple! In addition all of the plates came with carrots that were cut into small Tulip shapes and was delicious. It was quite delicious and the mohitos that we went for after pretty much topped off a wonderful day. Overall it was an awesome way to end the last night in port J

 

Sharks and Skates and Rays.. Oh My!

Today was quite the day. I think that after so many different countries, so much different weather, and so much less sleep I have pretty much did myself in and now am feeling the effects by getting sick. But, ah well, such is how life goes and so these next few days in Portugal might just have to be a bit less hectic then my previous adventures.

Firstly today I went to Lisbon’s famous Oceanarium. It is the second largest aquarium in Europe and comes highly recommended by many guide books and my marine biology teacher (thank you Dan Abel.) So, my friends and I set out to try and figure out the tram system here in Portugal. It is much more confusing than any public transportation system I have encountered yet and I was very thankful when this nice college-aged woman asked us if we needed help. We responded “yes please” and she proceeded to push all of the button on the machine (of course it was in Portuguese) and then we were on our way to the Oceananium.  When we got there we had to walk through this huge 3 story mall to get to the entrance of the aquarium (which seemed kind of weird.) My first thought when I saw the Oceanarium was something along the lines of “they built a skyscraper for fish.” (once again- just remember that I am in a sick, sleep deprived state.) But, it was very much like a skyscraper and was by far and away the most impressive aquarium I have ever seen. Then we went inside.

I could have stayed in this aquarium for hours and hours and never been bored. There was a huge tank in the center of the aquarium with so many sharks, (sandbar, white tipped, black tip, mako, ect.) apex predator fish, (blue finned tuna, ) rays, (mostly giant manta rays) skates, (they swim with this very funny swishing of their pectoral fins that are connected to their head) and so many other fish that were fun to try and identify (including the oceangoing sun fish which is quite possibly the most ugly fish that I have ever seen.- google it)

That was just the big tank.

All along the two stories in tanks that lined the walls were many different aquatic organisms including penguins, sea otters, (my favorite J) many different frogs, tropical fish, sea horses, bioluminescent fish, and I could continue this list forever. There were over 6,000 species contained in the two story aquarium. When I thought about it that way, the magnificent skyscraper I had observed from the outside seemed quite small.

After the Oceanarium it was onto lunch. I have to say by this time I probably looked like a zombie. So, because both my friend Prachi and I were the living dead we decided just to go to the food court in the mall that we had passed through (I know, I know.) Well, it turned out to be an awesome idea because this food court had some ridiculously gourmet and healthy restaurants. The restaurant that I got my “fast” food had make your own salad. So, I got the weirdest salad ever. Imagine this: Half pasta, half romaine lettuce with watermelon, papaya, egg, fresh feta cheese, and cherry tomatoes with plain yogurt as a dressing. Mmmmmm sooo yummy and so weird J

Then we went to this gorgeous park and laid under a tree for a bit just taking in the general splendor that is Portugal. After that I really needed a nap and I was super excited because we had gotten tickets to go to a jazz concert that evening so we headed back to the ship.

The concert was awful. I have never hated classical music this much. When they said improv jazz apparently it meant a bunch of noise. I feel like I need to preference this concert a bit before I rant about how terrible it was. We bought tickets to what we thought was a jazz quintet consisting of a marimba, double bass, cello, violin, and viola. Well, this is what we went to see but it was not jazz, it was just noise and they were some of the most passionate musicians playing some of the worst junk that I have ever heard.

This is the dialog that went between my friend Chil’in and I during the first 20 minutes of the concert (the parentheses are my commentary now):

                Chil’in: “opps” (it was she that found the concert and bought the tickets for us online)

                Me: “I think the marimba player is on some sort of drug, most likely cocaine” (weed and many other drugs are legalized here in Portugal and the marimba player kept sniffing and rubbing his nose while playing)

                Chil’in: “I think all contemporary musicians are on cocaine- probably some bad second grade coke that inspires pretty much rubbish.”

                Me: “The cellist needs to leave. The bassist is very talented and is the least high of all of them. The marimba player is psychotic. The violinist needs to retire (he was like 70 years old) and the violist is most likely a serial killer.”

                Chil’in: “I’ve never seen someone play rubbish with so much passion. These guys score an A for theater school of melodrama. We need to cleanse our ears after this. But this is quite an eye opener- never realized music can be THAT bad.”

                Me: “I have honestly never hated classical instruments this much and I have heard some pretty bad beginning violinists. I just don’t see any beauty in it. I mean, passion… but please.. are they all deaf?”

                Chil’in: “Maybe they think we are. But yea- who ever invented the instruments they are playing now should be jumping out of their graves. I guess we have them to thank for putting out all remaining hope for modern art music. Can I just say- the cellist might end up in cellist hell for his insufferable pretentiousness”

                Me: “I have never detested the cello (or any instrument for that matter) more than I do now.. I want to jump in a hole where I never have to listen to this audio agony again.”

Then we left.

The only good part of the concert was the concert hall. Well, it wasn’t really a concert hall, it was more of a room with a bunch of tables and a stage and some standing room in the back. We got there early enough so we got a front row table and were able to sip a couple of beers while we waited for the concert to start. In fact, by the time the concert started there was about 50 people who were standing in the back. 

And then I listened to Beethoven before I went to bed.

 

Best Field Lab Ever!

Today I had my ecology field lab.  Normally when I think of “lab” it is kind of a dreary feeling of knowing I have to go sit in a lab room or 4 hours. Well, let me tell you that my ecology field lab today was about the farthest thing from sitting in a lab room. We started off at 8:30 with about a 45 minute drive through the countryside of Lisbon. We picked up a couple of biologists who know the area and continued up into one of Lisbon’s natural reserves. I have to admit, of all the ports Lisbon has been the one I have been looking forward to the least. I think it is because it comes right after Morocco which is by far the most exotic place I have been on this voyage and so going to yet another place in Europe seems fairly tame. In addition, I am pretty worn out and am need of about 50 hours of sleep to be fully awake.

Anyway, even though I was not super looking forward to Lisbon I have to say I was surprised and very impressed. The natural reserve was absolutely gorgeous and had some of the best scenery I have ever seen. It very much reminded me of Oregon (which made me kind of nostalgic for home :/) I shall put pictures up when I get internet because the views were quite stunning. After gorgeous views and some educational information from the biologists came some free time on the beach. Can I just point out that I got to go to the beach for a field lab? (ya… best field lab EVER.)

Then it was a (paid for) 4 course meal. Yummy, yummy bread, cheese, deep fat fried veggie patties, green beans, cookie cake, and espresso to top it off. (yummy, yummy.) I was pretty much in a food coma after that. Then we went into this fortress on the top of a nearby hill that had an oceanographic museum in it. Climbing all the way to the top of the fortress meant more gorgeous views and the water was so clear that I could even see the tiny little fishes swimming around in the blue water.

After taking pictures and looking around the museum for about 20 minutes it was up a large hill to the bus and then back to the ship. Can I just say: “Best field lab ever?!”

For dinner I went to this quaint restaurant where I split some salted cod and honey almond cake with a friend. The salted cod is a specialty in Portugal and it was what the waiter recommended so we decided to try it. We also had some really good sparkling green wine (another specialty in Portugal- the vineyards are everywhere here!).  After that it was a nice walk/ taxi ride back to the ship (like 4 miles) and then into bed by midnight. Overall, it was a pretty good day J

 

 

Camel Riding on the Hottest Day Marrakech Has Seen in 50 Years:

Today it is 122 degrees outside in Marrakech. That is the hottest that it has been in Marrakech in the last 50 years. It just so happened that it is also the day that I get to go ride camels. But, before I get to go camel riding it was a stop at the spice bazaar.

This spice bazaar in Marrakech is nothing like the one in Istanbul and reminded me more of an auction. When there is a large group that comes in, like the tour group I am in, they hold an informational session of about 45 minutes that allows everyone to smell all the spices, try all of the cosmetic products, and view all of the henna. Then, the guy in charge goes through each item and asks who wants it and how much. Overall, the entire process takes about 3 hours and you end up with a lot of great spices and way too many random cosmetic products. Overall, it was a pretty fun time smelling all of the different spices and my skin felt great after all of the various creams and ointments that I tried.

Then, I thought it was onto camel riding, but in fact it was onto dune buggying. Apparently the place that we were taking out camel ride through also offers dune buggy adventures. So, I got to drive this very rickety old dune buggy that make screeching sounds when I tried to turn and had no power steering for about a 20 minute ride through the palm groves. When my friend Dawn and I got out of the buggy we were both covered in dust and it looked like we were the tannest people in the world because dust had literally covered every inch of our skin. But, it was very much a good time and I felt like quite the cool race car driver J

Finally lunch time. The restaurant that we were eating at for lunch was a traditional Moroccan style restaurant. There were no chairs only seat cushions, pillows and very low to the ground tables. So, we all sat on the cushions and dug into the delicious food they brought us. Like the other meals that I have had, the vegetarian food was quite lacking. Because I am terrible with identifying meats I will just give a detailed description of the vegetarian food.

The first course was cous cous with cooked carrots. The carrots were absolutely exquisite and the cous cous had mint flavoring in it which made it very refreshing. After that was homemade bread and for dessert there was orange slices with cinnamon and some interesting melon I had never had before.  Then it was onto camel riding! J

I have ridden horses a lot before and they are very fun, but a camel was much better. The saddles that were on top of the camels were so comfortable and I sat cross-legged most of the time on top of my camel looking out at the palm groves. (Margaret- someday we will have to go together.)  The guide that was walking beside the camel train carried a huge water bottle and would go around spraying all of the people in the group to cool them off. In fact, because it was so hot we all wore blue turbans to stay a little cooler. My guide came around once and dumped a bunch of water on my turban and it was all dried up within about 20 minutes (wonderful, wonderful 122 degree heat.) J

Camel riding was pretty much the high point of the day. The evening involved another trip to the square to do some shopping and haggling. One thing that bugged me was that the gender gap in Morocco is very big and the guys in my group could get better deals then I could. But, seeing all of the snake charmers and monkey people again were pretty fun and all of the shops were so colorful (I will put pictures up when I can!!)

 

Goodbye Africa!

Today involved a 3 and a half hour bus ride back to Casablanca, where the ship is docked (thank God for air conditioning!!!)

I wandered around Casablanca for a bit, doing some shopping and looking at all that Casablanca had to offer. Because Casablanca is not primarily a tourist town, there is a lot of industry to see (especially the industry of shipping things across the Mediterranean.) I was very, very tired and so I headed back to the ship around 4 for a 2 hour nap until dinner. Being in the suffocating heat for multiple days really just wiped me out.  In addition, the day after tomorrow is Portugal, so I have to recoup a bit before that new and amazing adventure begins J Exciting!!!

 

Marrakech Day 1

Today was the first full day in Marrakech, Morocco. The day started with a delicious breakfast and then it was on to the first tour of the day: the impoverished neighborhoods. I have to say, I had my eyes open quite wide as I walked down the streets full of water, sewage smells, and so many homeless people I could not believe my eyes. Coupled with that, I felt kind of uncomfortable walking down these narrow, impoverished streets with a group of 29 people and two tour guides. Honestly, I felt like I was in the zoo and that I was intruding onto these people’s way of life. We past this one guy’s establishment where he handmade giant padlocks. I have never seen so many unique and decorated padlocks. I did not get many pictures because no one wanted their picture taken.

Oh! Did I mention it was 119 degrees? 119 DEGREES! AHH! So, the next stop (before anyone passed out from heat exhaustion) was one of the local palaces. It consisted of beautifully decorated tiles that covered the walls, ceilings, and floors and all together gave it a very busy feel. It was very interesting to see because there were tons of nooks and crannies all over the place for who knows what. After the palace we transitioned on to seeing some old grave sites. One of the ones that we saw had ceramic huts to house the dead bodies which I thought was pretty cool.

Then it was onto lunch. One of the challenging things about Morocco thus far is that the amount of food that is vegetarian is limited. Chicken and pork seem to be pretty much endless in this country. But, I managed to have some funny tasting rice, bread, and some cooked carrots for lunch. Lunch lasted about an hour because it was so hot outside that no one wanted to go back into such an intense heat. Did I mention 119 degrees? J

The next place that our lovely guide, Abdule, took us was an indoor Moroccan market (air conditioned.) it was fun to look around and I was endlessly amazed at the amount (and size) of the jewelry. All of the jewelry that I have seen in both Morocco and Turkey has been huge, gaudie, and the locals are never wearing it. This market also had a surplus of wooden boxes and trinkets.

Then it was a look at the outside at one of the local mosques (we could not go inside because I am not Muslim) and onto a look at the Marrakech irrigation system. The water was absolutely disgusting (brown with small minnow-like fish in it) and I could understand why everyone says don’t drink the water in Africa.

I have pretty much detailed this day as it was, there was not much excitement or much very intense to report. I think most of the reason is because the heat was pretty much the most exciting part of the day. By exciting I mean most time consuming because it took so much water and so much rest to not pass out from heat exhaustion.  I still cannot get over how the native Islamic people survive during Ramadan when they cannot eat or drink from 4 am until about 8:30 pm.

But, after 8:30 pm, when the heat goes down a little, and the sun disappears, the entire city of Marrakech comes alive. The shops reopen up, ready for haggling, and the main square becomes alive with storytellers, snake charmers, and people with monkeys. In addition, all of the food vendors set up their tables and serve all different types of local food. The orange juice vendors make the most wonderful fresh squeezed orange juice. J

 

My Waiters

Delphi Photos

Culture Shock (8/1)

I am sitting on my 4^th floor balcony overlooking a beautiful garden full of palm trees and a gorgeous swimming pool. It is about 5 am.

So, where to being? Firstly, let me just say I AM IN AFRICA! Marrakech, Morocco to be specific. Apart from the whole 115 degree heat thing it is perfect. In general, Africa is like nothing I have ever experience. On the four hour drive from Casablanca (where the MV Explorer is docked and a huge shipping magnet) we passed by so many Berber villages. These villages housed some of the poorest people I have ever seen. Many had goats or donkeys and it became not uncommon to see someone trotting down the highway on a donkey or with a donkey pulling a small cart. That in itself was a huge culture shock. Maybe that should be the theme for this post- culture shock.

Let me point out a couple things about Moroccan culture before I proceed much more. Firstly, it is currently Ramadan in the Muslim world which entails no eating or drinking from sunup to sundown. In fact, because Morocco is an Islamist state (culture shock there too) it is in fact illegal for anyone to drink or eat during that period in public. For instance, last night dinner was held at 8:45 pm because that is when the sun went down.  One more culture shock and very interesting thing is that you are not allowed to bring in or leave Moroccan money (dirham.) I have yet to figure out the logic behind this rule- counterfeiting maybe?

One more thing before I continue with the excitements of the day: yesterday was kind of bitter sweet because many of the crew members are leaving for their homes. I mentioned the two waiters that I became fond of both were giddy in the morning for breakfast because they had less had hardly an time left on the ship. One of them even said that he woke up at 4 am and couldn’t get back to sleep because he was so excited to go home (to the Philippines.) It was pretty heartwarming to see J I can’t even imagine what it would like to be on a ship serving people for 9 months long.

Alright, enough reminiscing about those long gone friends (tear) and move onto recounting the travels of August 1^st. Marrakech is about a 4 hour bus ride from Casablanca and is the biggest tourist city in Morocco.  It is the third largest city behind Rabat (2.5 million) and Casablanca (6 million.) One of the things that struck me as interesting and different when I got into Marrakech was the immense amount of brown that I saw. All of the buildings and most of the ground is covered in brown colors. The hotel that I am staying at for the next three days is pretty cool. All of the electricity in the room is activated by inserting the room key into this little slot in the wall and then all of the lights and the AC turns on. Also- we have a fridge (cold water J ) and a very nice balcony.  It is quite the fun place to stay!

Tonight encompassed dinner (a bunch of unique food that I have never tasted before, and gave me a tummy ache.) and then it was onto bed (and of course watching Olympic swimming for a little bit.) I can’t wait to see where tomorrow takes me.