Mauritius

Mark Twain once said that heaven was modeled after Mauritius.  I couldn't agree more.  The island was absolutely beautfiul, with high hills and breathtaking beaches.  I was fortunate enough to stay at a Hilton Resort at Flic en Flac beach, one hour south of where our ship docked at Port Louis.  We hung out on the beach at night, went out to the bars, and met some friendly Mauritian locals.  I traded shirts with a guy I was talking to.

The next morning I went with my roommate Mike and my friend Clara to Casela Nature Park near where I was staying.  We went on what's called a Lion Walk.  For one hour, a group of us followed a guide and two full-grown lions on a walking path.  We were able to pet the lions and take all the pictures and video we could.  Near the end of the walk, the guide placed a piece of meat on a high branch and had one of the lions leap up to grab it.  Afterwards, the guide led us into the cheetah enclosure, where we met two cheetahs and had the chance to pet and interact with them.  It was one of the coolest things I've ever done.  We walked around Port Louis the rest of the day before getting back on the ship.

India

We arrived in India at the port of Chennai on March 11th.  My plan for India was to travel directly to the state of Kerala on the southeast coast with my friends Haley, Alyson, and Dave.  We agreed that we would all meet at the ship at 4:30 that evening.  Initially I got off the ship with Haley, Dave, and my other friends Martin, Danny, and Peyton.  Within 20 minutes of getting there, however, we got separated into two groups by auto rickshaws, small three wheeled taxis that carry three passengers.  Haley, Martin and I spent about an hour and a half trying to figure out where the other three of us went, but we never got back to them.  We eventually started exploring Chennai by ourselves.  We ended up at the train station to buy overnight tickets to Cochin, another southern port city in the state of Kerala.  Haley and I found the foreign tourist ticket counter and worked on getting the tickets for nearly two hours while Martin waited on a bench for us.  The first lady we talked to was not very helpful.  She told us there was a waiting list for the tickets we wanted; when we asked her if there was another way to get to Cochin that night, she told us that she only deals with trains and that she wasn’t a travel agent.  Eventually, to our confusion, she left the office telling us that the next guy whose shift was next would help us.  We waited another 15 minutes for the next guy.  He eventually arrived and started helping us get tickets.  He was much more helpful and got us on the waiting list for four tickets to Ernakulum Town near the wildlife reserve we wanted to visit. The tickets were Rs. 1,300 or around $30.  Haley and I met our friends Dave and Alyson back at the ship.  Luckily we were able to get on the train that night at 7:45.  We had the overnight sleeper train with air conditioning which was quite comfortable.  After switching seats with a few Indian friends, the four of us got beds next to each other.  I went with Dave for a cigarette and met two friendly Indian men that we think may have been police officers, but we couldn’t tell for sure because their English was limited.  Although smoking wasn’t really allowed on the train, one of the crew members told us that it was fine.  Our slogan for India is “It’s possible” because of all the times we heard that phrase.  For many of the things we did in India, it was kind of like the country telling us, “You’re really not supposed to, but go ahead and do it anyway.”  We met a woman on the train, Lakshmi, who told us she was a daughter of a government official in Kerala.  She told us to stop in Kotayam, which was closer to the Periyar Wildlife Sanctuary where we were going.  She also gave us her phone number and told us that if we lost or got anything stolen, we could call her and her father would get it replaced for us. 
        The next morning we got to Kotayam and took a three hour roller coaster bus ride for Rs. 75 through the hills to Thekkady Road in Kumily, about 4km from the reserve.  The area is about 800m above sea level and considerably cooler than where we were in Chennai, which was a relief.  Upon getting off the bus, a man who introduced himself as Osaka told us he would help us find a hotel and lead us around the area.  We agreed and didn’t know it then, but Osaka would help make our trip quite unforgettable.  Osaka told us he would take us to the Rainbow Hotel near the bus stop, so we started walking.  Around us we saw some of the slums of India and people outside working, talking, and enjoying each other’s company.  As we continued to walk we came upon a brightly colored edifice that definitely stood out among the Indian slums.  The hotel had just about every color and each room was a single bright color theme.  Dave and I got the blue room while the girls got the green room.  Later that afternoon Osaka took us to go ride elephants followed by an ‘elephant shower’ which involved us sitting on the back of an elephant while it took water into its trunk and sprayed it repeatedly onto us.  We were completely drenched afterwards.  It was one of the most fun things I’ve ever done.  We then went to a spice garden and got to see and taste plants like pepper, coffee, vanilla, avocado, nutmeg, and masala.  We even tried an insulin leaf, which the guide told us he gives to people with diabetes.  That evening we went to a local home where a family showed us how they make a traditional Indian dinner.  We got to help mix ingredients and roll dough.  It was the best meal I had in India.
        The next day we took a Jeep into the heart of the Periyar Wildlife Reserve.  It was an open-air back seat so we stood up the entire way there and took in all the sights, smells and sounds.  When we got there, we took a boat ride on a lake in search of tigers.  We got off near some muddy grass and saw tiger footprints, but unfortunately no tigers.  Afterwards, we took an hour and a half hike to our campsite in the jungle.  A moat was dug around the area to keep out any animals.  At night, while I was shining a flashlight into the brush, I saw two pairs of green glowing eyes making their way through the bushes.  I shined my light in another direction and saw what I thought was another pair of green eyes.  Desperate to see a tiger, I imagined what I saw was a tiger and even had my friend Haley believing it.  After getting so excited and calling over the guide however, we discovered that it was merely a bit of reflective material and a plastic bag.  The next morning, we hiked back and saw some wild bison.  The day before we had seen the national bird of India flying through the trees, as well as some wild monkeys and squirrels. After leaving the wildlife sanctuary, we took a taxi to Alleppey, where the backwaters of India are located.  The backwaters are a collection of villages on the edge of a long series of rivers and canals.  We stayed overnight on a houseboat that travelled around the canals and docked for the night.  We were able to go into town to pick up drinks and had quite the pleasant evening. 
        The next day we took a rickshaw back to Cochin and dropped off Haley at the ship.  Me, Dave, and Alyson explored the city and got a hotel for the night.  Before we went out that night, we went to a textiles store and asked for suggestions on traditional Indian clothing.  I’m wearing a dark green ‘skirt’ and green dress shirt as I’m writing this.  That night we went out to the bars in our traditional clothing.  We got many gestures of approval and amusement walking around the streets of the city.  When we got to our second bar and we met an Indian man that spoke nearly perfect English.  We asked him some questions about the culture and politics of the region and the rest of India.  Later he took us to another bar and bought us a round of drinks.  I bought the last round after that before we headed back to our hotel.
        While Dave, Alyson and I were walking around Cochin the next day, two Indian boys called out to us to play with them.  We had nothing else to do so we agreed.  We ended up playing cricket in the street with the two boys.  They used a piece of wood as a bat.  We asked them if there was a place close to them that sold cricket bats and they led us to a local sports store.  We asked one of the boys which bat he liked best and we paid 600 Rupees (around $14) for the bat.  We then gave the bat to the two boys.  They were in shock.  As we parted ways, we saw the boys ecstatic and running across the street to show their friends.  It was a good feeling.

Good Morning Vietnam

We first arrived at the port of Ho Chi Minh City via the Saigon River, which very much resembled the river in the movie Apocalypse Now. We cruised through muddy water, surrounded on either side by jungle.  When we first got off the ship, I decided to go with my friends Donald, Gabi, Alex, and one other girl.  We traveled around Ho Chi Minh city, seeing the sites.  I love traveling with Gabi from Spain, she’s absolutely beautiful and a lot of fun.  We talk in Spanish and joke that someday we’re getting married.  We saw the War Remnants Museum, talking about the Vietnam War.  It was covered in old military vehicles outside and powerful images and exhibits of the effects of Agent Orange, a toxic dioxin chemical, on the inside.  Also at the museum, a younger man with stubs for arms tried to sell me Vietnam guidebooks and had me shake his arm.  I felt awful for him and offered him 5,000 dong later but he wouldn’t accept.  He only replied, “No, I only sell books.” We took motorcycle taxis around everywhere.  For $1, drivers would take us anywhere in the city.  Traffic is chaotic, really like schools of fish navigating around each other in a sea of pavement.  For $.70 we were able to release a bird from a cage.  We saw a huge collection of live turtles at the only Chinese pagoda in Ho Chi Minh.  It made me think of my old pet Everest because all of the turtles were red-eared sliders. That night, we went to a bar called Apocalypse Now.
        The next morning, I ran into my friend Haley and we ended up going to Vung Tau beach with Ashley, Anella, Erica, and Mariel.  We took a Rex Hotel shuttle for $22 per person to the beach around 3 hours south of the city.  We then tried to find a hotel.  Unbeknownst to us, it was a holiday and nearly every hotel was full.  We were left with the option to either pay around $35 per person to stay at the high-end Imperial, or $15 per person at the Chinese hotel.  We chose the latter and got what we paid for.  The hotel was not the cleanest or in best shape (mismatched comforters), but it did the trick for one night.  We went out to dinner at the Imperial restaurant across the street from the Imperial Hotel, probably the most high-end hotel in the area.  I can only assume that the wait staff thought we were staying at the Imperial, and gave us complimentary glasses of wine.  Or that could have been because Ashley in our group ordered lobster for around 250,000 Dong, around $12 US.  The waiter came out to show us the live lobster before cooking it.  No one else was at the restaurant and we got seats right by the beach.  I ordered spring rolls, then a large bowl of white rice for $1.  I’m cheap.  During the meal, I asked for chopsticks.  The waitress brought me ketchup.  I utilized my charades skills and made a chopstick motion with my knife and fork.  She laughed and understood.  We had a very difficult time paying for the bill.  We tried to ask for separate checks but none of the wait staff understood.  It took us about 45 minutes to finally decide to put the bill on Ashley’s credit card while we paid her cash dong.  There was definitely some tension in the group throughout the two days regarding decisions about transportation, which hotel to stay in, and being on other people’s schedules. Though we almost all ended up going straight to sleep that night, I half-joking suggested getting a drink at the beach bar.  Anella said she’d go with me, so we started walking there while the rest of the group went back to the hotel.  Anella and I laughed about the fact that we were the stitching holding the group together with our positive attitudes.  In front the high-end Imperial Hotel, we noticed some locals taking pictures in front the sculptured fountain outside.  We walked by, and then asked them to take our picture.  They joined in on our pictures and eventually we had one of the local girls taking pictures of us with all of our cameras.  We eventually asked them to come to the bars with us after doing drinking gestures to help them understand.  They told us we could take their tandem bike, so Anella and I got onto it and led them to the bar.  It was a little shaky riding the thing, but we got the hang of it.  At the bar, we ordered two beers and our new friends ordered drinks.  Anella was able to talk to the girl who spoke some English, but me talking to the guys in the group was limited to sharing pictures and saying cheers in Vietnamese (‘Yo’).  Eventually our friends left, Anella and I ordered a couple more beers, and the bartender came to give us the bill.  It was for 390,000 VND (Vietnamese Dong), which comes out to about $20 US.  Anella and my beers combined should have been less than $5, but the bartender explained that we had to pay for the other people that just left.  I immediately refused to pay; we had never agreed to pay for their drinks.  We argued back and forth with the bartender, with her saying that they were our friends and we saying back that we had only just met them.  An Australian man to the left of us intervened and explained to us that in Vietnamese custom, if you bring someone to a bar or restaurant, you pay the bill.  We told the bartender we were sorry, but that we were not familiar with this custom and would only pay for the beers we had ordered.  She told us that was fine.  Before we left the bar, I was feeling pretty bad about the situation and offered to pay for all of the drinks, but the bartender wouldn’t take it.  I guess that’s one way to learn about the culture and customs of a country.
        The next morning, we all got up and after waiting for a long time for Mariel, who lost her ATM card, and the other group of girls, who just took a while to get ready, we made it to the beach.  We were definitely out of place.  It was a crowded Sunday and the locals looked at us like we had just beamed down from Mars.  We sat our stuff down after being told that we needed to pay for a cabana if we wanted to use one.  We sunscreened up, and eventually went in the water.  Beforehand, Anella and I went to the market across the street to pick up some Tiger Beer, a Capri Sonne, and a few other drinks.  I decided to buy a ball to kick around on the beach.  It was $1.  Me and Anella started playing at first, then we got three little girls to play with us.  They were really enjoying it.  Before we left, I gave the ball to the girls.  We also met two Japanese guys on the beach that happened to be vacationing.  Throughout the entire trip there was some tension between the group members.  Me, Haley, Mariel, and Erica took a taxi to get back to Ho Chi Minh. Haley and I were sitting uncomfortably in the back, hot from the poor air-conditioning, and exhausted from the beach.  As we sat there trying to be comfortable, Celine Dion’s ‘My Heart Will Go On’ came on the radio, in Vietnamese.  We both started dying of laughter.  That night we went back to Apocalypse Now.  We took motorbike taxis to the bar.  I met a Vietnamese girl named Tam and danced with her. At the end of the night, I gave her my email address, and she promised to write.  I figured I would never see her again.
        The next day, I started the day with Peyton, Danny, Olivia, and others.  We first stopped to buy some cheap DVDs.  Then we made our way to the Ben Tham market to get measured for suits.  I ordered a black suit for myself and a dark gray for John.  Together they were $170.  Then Danny and I split off the walk around the city.  I bought a bag of leechy fruits: red, spiky balls with sweet white fruit in the middle.  We got a one-hour massage for $8.  It was amazing. We were eventually talked into taking a one-hour tour on motorbike taxis for $5 a person.  He took us all around the city and we got to sit on a tank, in gunner seats, and in a truck that had a bullet hole in the front window where an American had been shot.  That night, all of us started the evening walking around the town, eventually making our way to the Wild Buffalo club.  It was a fun dance club; we partied for a while there then headed to Apocalypse Now.  After the bar closed at 2:30, we headed to another bar called the GO2 club.  We walked in and I saw Tam, the Vietnamese girl from the previous night. I danced with Tam until around 4 AM then decided it was time to go.  We said our goodbyes and she promised to come visit me one day.  I guess you could say I have a girlfriend in Vietnam.
        The next day, me, Danny, Peyton, Olivia, and Brooke took a taxi to the Cu Chi tunnels.  The guide first asked if we wanted to see a very one-sided 15 minute video about the war.  He explained the purpose of the tunnels afterward and then led us down a path through the dry jungle.  The entrance to the tunnels was unnoticeable from the surface; it’s just a wooden square cover with leaves on top.  I could see how Americans would never notice it during the war.  We all went down.  I was the only one with a flashlight, and fortunate enough to see a scorpion and bat on the inside of the tunnels.  At one point, we crawled for a grueling 30 meters from one chamber to another and were dripping sweat when we got out.  After going through the tunnels, I got to shoot an M16 for five shots.  I hit the deer target.  That night I picked up my suits and got back on the ship.