9 hours of sleep in 3 days

I am EXHAUSTED. I just spent three very jam-packed days in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil. The trip began at 9pm Sunday night. We had an overnight flight from Manuas to Rio that was scheduled to leave at 11:30 but due to multiple delays, we didn't leave until around 1am. Tack on the two hours that we lost due to switching time zones, we arrived in Rio on maybe 1 hour of uninterrupted sleep. When we flew over Rio, it didn't even matter how much sleep I had or hadn't gotten. The excitement of a new city to explore was enough to restore my energy. The place was carpeted in green and its mountains crested in very unique hunch backs. The flyover gave us an interesting perspective. We could see the favellas climbing up the mountain sides, the very urbanized coastline full of high rises, the 'Big Jesus' statue, Sugarloaf.

The moment we hit solid ground, it was off and running on our first day in Rio. What a whirlwind. We were picked up at the airport by our guide, Riccardo,  who accompanied us throughout our stay. A native Rio de Janeir'an with excellent english, Riccardofilled us in on the history and landmarks of Rio as we traveled past favellas, through the suburbs, through downtown Rio, and finally dumping us on the beach at a quiosque for breakfast. A quiosque is basically a little stand that serves drinks and light fare. The beaches of Rio are covered in them and our breakfast was delicious. An assortment of breads, jam, cheese, and meat. Little cinnamon rolls. Fresh papaya and cantelope. Moccacinos and freshly squeezed orange juice. The food just kept coming. Sooo good! Right after breakfast, we hopped on some bikes and spent the next 3 hours biking the endless paths through Rio, occassionally stopping for pictures. One of the greatest things about RIo is how active its residents are and how easy it is to be active in Rio. They have bike paths lining the beaches and through the city that are constantly filled with people all hours of the day. There are countless beach volleyball courts and beach soccer fields along most of the stretch of the beaches and they are always occuppied by some pretty amazing athletes. I swear no one is bad at soccer in Rio. If you could see these average citizens out on the sand playing foot volley (a cross between soccer and volleyball), you would be amazed. It's so effortless and I can see why. Kids as young as 4 years old are out on the sand playing soccer. It's ingrained in their upbringing.

The bike ride took us through the beaches of Copacabana and Ipanema and on to the perimeter of Guanabara Bay. We stopped at a drink vendor to rehydrate. It was HOT. 35 degrees C and climbing! That's over 100 degrees F. I bought a coco water. They saw off the top of a cocunut, hand you a straw and you suck up the sweet cocunut juice. So refreshing! Next stop was the Flamengo sports club where we got a tour of the facilities. The Flamengo futebol team recently signed Ronaldhino so there were huge murals of him all over the walls. I never realized how futebol clubs worked until this tour. Basically a 'club' is like a gym, complete with outdoor swimming pools, tennis courts, training fields, etc. The club has teams for every sport and local residents can join the club to use its facilities. What a great way to gather support for the teams of the club. I wish they would start something like this in the states. This could be the key to building soccer's popularity in the US. We saw a group of little boys playing soccer in the indoor soccer field, watched a few world class gymnasts train on the parralel bars, and saw the synchronized swimming team in one of the outdoor pools.

When I say this day was nonstop, I mean it. From Flamengo, we went to a jungle oasis in the middle of the city for a canopy tour, complete with zip line to the finish and a well-deserved lunch. We were strapped into ropes and a caribiner to complete an obstacle course through the canopies of the trees. I wasn't expecting the amount of concentration required to walk across hanging logs and rope bridges and tight ropes. After lunch we were finally taken to our hotel, the South American Copacabana Hotel, just a few blocks fromt the beach where I think every last one of us crashed the moment we found our beds. This was the first chance we had to rest since we were first pulling into Manaus, over 24 hours prior. We had about 3 hours to reenergize before our beach soccer match later that evening.

Beach soccer is a popular pasttime in Rio and I soon found out why. Our soccer game was probably the highlight of my trip to Rio. We were supposed to verse a group of kids from a local NGO but for some reason that fell through so we versed each other instead. The man organizing the game was a local soccer coach who has won a few national titles with his club team. Our perception of this just being a friendly soccer game was quickly wiped away when he began giving us red and white uniforms, both a jersey and shorts. He quickly divided us into teams, blew the whistle and play began. Soccer in the sand is SUCH a work out. After working out all day on very little sleep, we were all dragging but as the game progressed, some locals started gathering around our little field to watch us attempt to play the sport they have pretty much mastered. Eventually, about four or five of them jumped into the game. They were amazing! At one point, two of them juggled the ball up the field, around our defense, and scored a goal. It was pure magic to watch and slightly embarrasing how easy it was for them to walk all over us. During the half (yes this was a full-fledged game, our 'coach' wouldn't let us even get a sip of water until the first 15-minute half was up), I checked off an item on my bucket list: juggle with a Brazilian. Our goalie, Henrique, and I juggled for the duration of the half until finally it was time for half number 2. It was so amazing. At the end of the game we all jumped into the ocean, cooling off from our unexpectedly intense match.

For dinner, we visited a restaurant that was reccomended by our tour guide called Terraforte. It was a traditional brazilian meal where you eat by the quilo, visiting the buffet, filling up your plate, then weighing it and paying the price. Food in Brazil can be very expensive. I'm talking about 35 Reais on average for a good hearty meal. But the food is absolutely delicious and I am hooked on the local soda called Guarana. I'm hoping I can find it in the states somewhere when I'm home.

Day 2 began with kayaking and a hike up Sugarloaf mountain for an amazing view of Rio. The hike was only about 30 minutes but it was STEEP. I didn't realize the Rio Through Sports Tour actually meant bootcamp. My body had more of a work out in these three days than it has had in a while. The final stretch to the top was via cable car. We ended the day at the open air markets along the beach where I bought a sarong, a signature fashion in Brazil and some havaina flip flops. Had to buy the Brazilian flip flops in Brazil, of course.

Day 3 was the day we had all been waiting for. We saw the world-famous Maracana stadium. It was under renovation for the 2014 world cup but still amazing to see. On the way into the stadium, there are footprints/handprints of the best Brazilian soccer stars like Pele and Kaka, kind of like getting a star in hollywood. Then we were taken to a Brazilian Steakhouse where I was adventurous and tried a chicken heart. Never again. It wasn't that it tasted bad. It was just knowing that I was chewing on a heart that made it extremely difficult to get down. Lunch was followed by an open air jeep ride up to Corcovado to visit the Christ the Redeemer statue. It was unreal. I've seen pictures of it and there I was standing right beneath it and overlooking one of the best views of Rio I had seen yet. It was such a great way to end the trip, the capstone moment.

Now I'm back on the ship, ready to catch up on sleep and brace myself for 9 days at sea across the rough seas of the Atlantic. Next stop: Ghana.

A Day in Manaus

Hot. Sticky. Smelly. Disheveled.  That about sums up what I feel like right now after a full day in the Amazonian city of Manaus.  Sitting right on the equator, the sun just beats down on you. Might I also add that I feel energized, excited, adventurous, and changed after my 8-hour excursion through the markets, cathedrals, opera houses, and churrascurias of Manaus. That is one common theme I am picking up on after now having stopped in two ports. Every step into a new country is leaving me full of life and energy. I just want to go, go, go. I don’t think 10 cups of coffee would even match up to the liveliness coursing through my veins right now. My first introduction into Brazil was definitely an adventure. I left the ship around 9am with no plan, just willing the day to unfold naturally. Accompanied by two of my roommates, a few others and one very bare map, we attempted to wing it in through a bustling jungle city. Right off the ramp, cars whizzed by, one man was praising god for bringing such “beautiful ladies” to Manaus, the smell of trash filled the air, and street vendors covered every sidewalk selling exotic fruit, cell phones, and delicious-looking fried goods. We chose a direction and began walking until we realized this town plopped in the middle of the Amazon is actually pretty big and we have no idea where to go, what to see, what to do. We resorted to our map to try and pick a numbered location from a list of destinations all in Portuguese. Settling on the Teatra Amazonas, we headed that direction. Along the way we came across a gorgeous cathedral with a huge mosaic dome. As we walked by, we could hear the church hymns from a mass in progress. Beyond the church, was a long street bustling with vendors farther than the eye could see. There was jewelry and crafts and baskets and finally the one thing that I have no problem spending money on, authentic Brazilian food. I bought a coconut pastry and one little taste of white chocolate with raisins and apricot(?) inside it. Weird combo, but very good. My roommate bought some creamy egg pastry, an acai shake, AND coconut water straight out of the coconut. We each tasted each other’s goods. The acai shake was gross but the coconut water surprisingly good. Finally we reached the opera, another gorgeous piece of architecture. The interior was very ornate and the ceilings were covered in murals. We had arrived just in time for a free performance by the local orchestra. We had seats about two stories up, built into the wall, like individual box seats. What a great view of the surroundings! The performance was just what the doctor ordered. The heat and the sun were really starting to get to me. It was nice to relax in a velvet cushioned chair and sync into the classical sounds of violins, flutes, oboes, violas… So peaceful. After the opera, our group sort of split up due to different intentions for the day. My roommate, Alyssa, and I wandered the streets on our own. We stumbled into some back areas that left us a little uneasy but the citizens of Manaus are some of the friendliest people I have come across. People were greeting us left and right with smiles and “Bom dias.” We made our way into one of the only open shops, a convenience store, where we each bought a refreshing ice cream. We also stopped into a local grocery store (Carrefour) full of interesting food. This was a godsend because the food on the ship can get pretty old. Snacks are a MUST. I bought mango juiceboxes and banana doughnut cookies. I was going for something new. I have no idea how those are going to taste. Ok here comes the good part and the highlight of my day. We were both ready for a real meal so we consulted our trusty map and discovered a recommended restaurant called Churrascaria Bufalo. I thought I had remembered the interport student from Manaus recommending it as well. We attempted to map out the best way to get there and began on our way. Apparently neither of us are any good at reading maps because after about 45 minutes of weaving and backtracking down abandoned streets, passing homeless men sleeping curbside, ignoring whistles from passing vehicles, and battling the heat and dehydration that was starting to set in, we arrived at the restaurant. Looking back, it was probably not the smartest idea, being two lone females wandering such abandoned streets but we made it and laughed about it all the way through an absolutely amazing meal. After we were seated, we each ordered a local soda called Gaurana. Then sat. and sat. and sat. Until finally we struggled to ask a passing waiter why we hadn’t received a menu yet. He pointed to a previously unseen buffet. I guess the restaurant was buffet style. I headed up to fill my plate. There was spaghetti and fish and fries and salad and corn and beans. I was a little let down by the selection but willing to embrace it. When I got back to my table, the waiter came up to me, pointed at my plate and starting saying something to me in Portuguese. I had no idea what he was saying so I just nodded my head and smiled. That obviously wasn’t sufficient because he kept throwing Portuguese at me and began frantically pointing at my plate and then the buffet. Eventually he gave up and walked away. Five minutes later, he comes back to my table and says “Meat, meat!” My plate was full of the side dishes. The real food was at the barbecue, just behind the side dish bar. Somehow I had totally overlooked that too. I wasted no time and soon enough I was standing face to face with some pretty delectable meat all on these huge skewers. I tried a little bit of everything; bacon-wrapped chicken, roasted chicken, beef, mozzarella cheese, garlic bread. It was sooooo good!  The same guy who enlightened me to the wonders of this great restaurant visited our table for the remainder of the meal. We actually made some progress with a broken conversation in English. I got across that I was on a ship and here for 5 days. I also told him again and again how great the food was. I learned his name was Lucas and we got a picture together. He was so nice. Actually the whole staff at the restaurant was great. If I was in Manaus longer I would definitely go back. It was such a great experience and full of hilarious moments that I will never forget. I’m back on the ship now and will be leaving at 9pm tonight for Rio. It’s a 7 hour flight but I am so excited to see what adventures unfold there!

Floating down the Amazon

Right now I am floating down the Amazon River in the heart of the Amazon Rainforest. To say this cool, is an understatement. We still have another two days until we reach our port of Manaus. It's so wierd seeing insects again. I didn't realize they had dissappeared until they were back (and bigger than ever). The water is a murky brown due to the sediment that gets washed down the Andes 3000 miles to our west. The coastline is far enough away that all I can make out are a few scattered houses, no life. I really want to see a pink dolphin. Apparently, they inhabit the Amazon River. I won't be spending much time in the Amazon, so I'm really enjoying this stretch on the river. As soon as we dock, I'll be flying out to Rio for the remainder of our stay in Brazil.

Dominica

        If you’re reading this and you are not in a location that you could randomly start talking to your computer, promise me you will do this later. I want you to just simply say the name of the most amazing island in the Carribbean out loud. Dominica. Dom- in- NEE- ca. Not Duh- min- Ih- ca as I have been calling it since I first looked at the itinerary for this voyage. The sound of the name itself is just a taste of the beauty that Dominica possesses. It is such a beautiful name for such a beautiful place. In just two days, I have already formed attachments. I have never gotten such an energy from a place. Every glance off the deck at the mountains or trek into the little village of Roseau resulted in this sort of charge that coursed through every fiber of my being. It sounds dorky but it is so completely true. I am dreading the moment Dominica slowly fades under the horizon as we hit the open ocean. Seriously. I have never felt this way about any other location. It is just breathtaking. The mountains are covered base-to-peak in the most lush, green vegetation, their summits shrouded in wispy clouds. There are tiny villages built into the greenery, peeking through the palms and jungle. Both days we have been here have begun with a light shower giving way to double rainbows that start in the mountains and end in the ocean. Yesterday, the morning showers were all the precipitation we saw until later that evening. Today was another story but rain or no rain it’s hard to put a damper on any time spent in Dominica. 
        Day  1 involved some stressful searching for my already misplaced camera (which happened to be tucked in a pocket of my backpack that I didn’t even know existed), canyoning (repelling down waterfalls and cliff-jumping) through the jungle, wandering the streets of Dominica, and sampling the nightlife that opened just for us (due to it being Sunday and no places usually being open).
        Canyoning was one of the most amazing things I have ever done. Apparently canyoning in Dominica is on National Geographic’s top 20 things to do in the world and I totally see why. We did it through this company called Extreme Dominica (definitely recommend them if my entry is enough to convince you to book a trip to Dominica). The tour begins at their headquarters that sit up some winding roads with spectacular views, at this treehouse-type dwelling called Cocoa Cottage. It’s called ‘cocoa’ for a reason. They make their own chocolate. I spent $10 for a small bag of chocolate with coconut shavings on top but it was worth every dollar. It literally was the richest, creamiest, most flavorful chocolate I have ever tasted. I wish I could have brought some back to the ship with me but it melted in the carribbean sun almost instantly.
        The cottage was storybook. It was built into the mountain. The entire back wall of the house just didn’t exist, completely open to nature. There was a little walkway just outside the open side of the house and beyond was a pretty good sized drop to the next landing in the mountain. I’d like to thing the dense jungle would ease the fall a little bit.
        Our training session for a bunch of first-time canyoners consisted of repelling down this 8-foot ledge next to the cottage. Hardly a taste of what was to come. When we were all deemed ‘trained,’ we loaded ourselves back into the vans that took us 2000 meters above sea level to begin the repel. The first repel was a good 30 feet tall, complete with gushing waterfall. It was amazing being completely surrounded by moss-covered canyon walls and the sky peeking through the trees way up above us.  The key to canyoning is trusting the ropes and the guys at both ends of the ropes. You literally approach the cliff backward, grip the rope and throw all your weight into the little diaper-like thing that holds the caribiner (sp?) attached to the rope as you descend, like you’re sitting in a chair whose legs are attached to the wall. One minute your standing vertical, the next your staring at the sky as water rushes down on all sides. We were able to repel at 6 different sites until we finally descended the entire stretch of canyons. Then, to all of our surprise (it shouldn’t have been but it was) we had to hike back up the mountain. What a workout!  Along the way we snagged a grapefruit off of a tree and passed it along, each of us taking a wedge. We also tasted these coffee berries. They sort of look like cherries but inside there are two coffee beans that you’re supposed to suck the sweet covering off of. Dominica is known for its coffee. I bought a café mocha at one of the downtown cafes. Delicious!
Back at cocoa cottage, there were hummus and cucumber sandwiches and fresh papaya juice waiting for us. I’m not really a fan of hummus but the ingredients were so fresh that I actually enjoyed it. What a change from the processed junk they serve on the ship. We also were able to taste a cocoa bean. It pretty much tasted like the darkest chocolate you can imagine.
        This all happened on Sunday. So when we were dropped back off at sea level, the town was dead. Channel the movie 2012 now. No one was out. The only sign of life all day was the sound of the church choir as we waited for the vans to cocoa cottage. Nonetheless, one of the guides from our tour had a brother who owned one of the local bars. We let him know there were about 600 college kids in town looking for something to do that night, he made a call, and our plans were made. We even started a chain reaction. A few other bars opened up shop as well. The most memorable moment of the night was dancing at one of the bars, named RJ’s, and looking up to find no ceiling. Just stars and the moon until suddenly those skies clouded up and let loose a downpour. I was completely soaked.
        Day 2 began with a snorkeling trip to Champagne Reef and Souffriere Preserve. I’ve only been snorkeling a few times and haven’t been a huge fan of it but now I get it. I get why snorkeling has such a following. The number of different fish and coral that I saw was innumerable. My favorite was the spotlight parrot fish. Look it up. It literally glowed an omniscient blue in the water. The crazy thing was, this snorkeling trip was a field trip for one of my classes. At one point, as I was slipping on my flipper, I had to stop and ask the girl next to me, “Am I really at school right now?”  That is one question that has already been asked many, many times in the five days we’ve been out to sea and in port. It’s just so entirely unbelievable. Thank god out of all of the many activities I could have signed up for on this day, I was snorkeling, an activity that worked rain or shine. This day brought rain, waves of intense downpours that at one point made me question whether rain or sleet was falling on me. We would see the next band of rain off in the distance as the once-clearly visible mountains became hazy and then 5 minutes later we would be drenched. The first snorkeling site was called Champagne because little pockets of hot water flowed out of the ocean floor and bubbled to the surface. It looked like I was swimming in a glass of champagne. The second site, Souffriere was even better. The diversity of the fish and the coral was better and we were right near the location where the Pirates of the Caribbean films were shot. If it hadn’t of rained, we would have missed out on the multiple double rainbows that kept popping up all day long. I have about 50 pictures of rainbows beginning in the misty mountains and ending in the open ocean. It never got old.
        I could write a book on my two days in Dominica. I can’t even imagine how I am going to capture the week-long port stays in one entry. Moral of the story: Go canyoning, have a city open up their closed shops just for you, taste a freshly picked grapefruit, snorkel through a coral reef that bubbles like a glass of champagne, wander through the streets of the friendliest town on earth, and experience multiple double rainbows in one day. A.K.A. Go to Dominica. Or if money’s an issue just wait until I move here someday and crash in my tree house. And I will move here one day. I’ve fallen in love with this place. 

Onboard and Underway

So a LOT has happened since the four-hour layover in Orlando. I landed in the Bahamas, paid an outrageous cab fare to a hostel in the heart of downtown Nassau called The Towne Hotel, and met a ton of amazing people who would be traveling with me on Semester at Sea. I am not exaggerating when I say, Semester at Sea not only took over The Town Hotel, but we took over the island. I think we brought down the median age by a few years with the number of college students roaming the streets.
        The hotel was sufficient. It had a bed, bathroom, tv…but two nights was a long enough stay. The water in our bathroom tended to stop running, refuse to warm and/or spit out brown water. Apparently from other people’s reviews, I lucked out with one of the nicest rooms in the place. I’m shocked. It might have something to do with the fact that I had stopped by the hotel with my family four days earlier while in nassau on a cruise port of call. I had met the owner and received a tour. They hooked me up.
        After meeting a ton of people in the lobby, we all made plans that evening to head over to Senor Frogs, which was about a five minute walk from our hotel. It was so strange how dead the streets were at like 8:30 at night. No one was out. All of the businesses shut down at 6pm sharp everyday. Senor Frogs was the place to be. Once again, Semester at Sea took over.
        The next day was spent at the beach with my two roommates from the Towne. Gorgeous beach. Water was freezing though. I tried and failed to catch up on sleep due to a Bahamian trying desperately to sell his coconut rum drinks by shouting, “No sleeping, no reading, only drinking!” over and over… and over again. Later that evening, the entire semester at sea population of the Bahamas made their way over for another eventful night at Senor Frogs, our last night in the Bahamas before boarding the MV Explorer the next morning.
        In the morning, I made a quick Dunkin Donuts run and helped stuff a taxi full of people and bags. Before I knew it, I was on board the ship. It was surreal. I felt so lost, just following the directions of the work-study students strategically standing at every turn and staircase. I made my way to my cabin, 3161. Deck 3 outside! Not bad for a girl who signed up for economy. When I got to my door, I saw four names on the door. Four roommates??? In a tiny cabin???? Uh oh. As soon as I entered, my fears faded away. The set up of the room is perfect. We actually have one the biggest rooms on the ship that’s divided into two and connected by a door, sort of like a suite. No bunking. No sharing a single closet. My roommates are awesome too and very diverse. One is from Singapore. One is from Minnesota but originally from Ethiopia and another is from Ohio. This feels like freshman year all over again, not knowing anyone, being completely lost on campus, so having three roommates instead of one is definitely a blessing.
        I have to tell you, the food on board is not something to brag about. It’s pretty much different forms of pasta dishes, salad, some type of fish or meat and fruit that probably should have been thrown out yesterday. It hasn’t mattered much for me though because the seasickness has completely wiped away my appetite. I didn’t really think I would be affected by the motion of the boat but this boat rocks. Realllly bad. I literally have to grip a railing everywhere I go otherwise, I stagger around the halls and stairs bumping into people. Just waiting for my sea legs to kick in. Any day now.
        I’ve already had two full days of classes. I’m not going to lie, it’spretty amazing looking out the window in class and seeing the open ocean. I’m taking Global Ecology, Physical Oceanography, Philosophy of Nonviolence and Global Studies. All of which are amazing.
        Tomorrow is our first port: Roseau, Dominica. I am soooo excited. We had a pre-port meeting that explained the culture, sights, and taught us a few common phrases to get around although most Dominicans speak English. I have a canyoning tour set up for tomorrow that involves repelling off waterfalls and cliff jumping. Should be a good time. Next update after Dominica.

Email Test

Just checking to make sure I can make posts through email. 

Gate 101 blog sesh

I'm sitting in the terminal at the Orlando airport with 3 hours to kill before I officially leave American soil for the next four months of my life. It's crazy. If not for the palm trees out the window and boarding pass with my name on it reading 1:30 pm flight to Nassau bahamas, I probably wouldn't believe this is really happening. But I'm here, done with the first leg of the trip, a 2 hour flight out of Dulles. My flight took off at 6:50am, which means I am running on about three and a half hours of sleep tops right now. I didn't get to bed until around 12:30 last night due to all of the anticipation and nerves and then had to wake up at 4am. I'm exhausted! Probably should have slept on the flight but JetBlue's free television was too enticing. Plus I had to be awake in order to get my mini bottle of water and bag of popcorn from the stewardess. No way was I missing that. Big fan of anything free, especially food. Saying goodbye to my mom, who was crazy enough to wake up at that early hour, almost killed me. I couldn't stop the tears from spilling. Proof that maybe the magnitude of everything is finally sinking in, at least subconsciously. I'm going to miss everyone so much! Oh gosh, just thinking about is bringing tears to my eyes. This is definitely going to be one of the biggest adventures of my life. It's scary. I have no idea who I am going to meet, what I will see, do, experience. Everything is completely unknown. I can't even fathom it. The hardest part will be the limited communication I will have with friends and family back home. My phone is out of commission as soon as I land in Nassau. My only means are the email account Semester at Sea will provide at check-in. Just words on paper, no familiar voice at the other end of the phone line. It will be tough in the beginning but I have no doubt that in time it will grow easier. This limited contact with home and all that I am familiar with will force me to step up, step out and gain my own footing in this world and discover who I am, independent of the support network that has carried me through life so far. I'm excited to see how I grow from this experience. I have one rule so far for this journey: No regrets. This is my chance to experience some pretty extraordinary things and there is no way I am going to let any inhibitions or fears prevent me from seizing every opportunity that presents itself. As the blog title states, I'm keeping my eyes wide open, soaking up every moment and acting on intuition. That's my plan, anyways. Let's see how it goes.