Singapore... Sorry It took so long!

Wow... sorry it took awhile, but SINGAPORE! What an incredible city! It is very clean and very strict. if you didn't already know, canings are a common form of police action and no jay walking or gum chewing! Luckily I avoided getting caned and did not chew any gum. It is a very westernized country so in some ways it was very similar to an American city, except for the cleanliness and the rules. We only had two days and I had a field lab the second day so I was determined not to spend too much money there. A friend and I walked around China Town and Little India, did a little shopping. The highlight of the day was getting a fish pedicure. Yes, a fish pedicure. The first 5 minutes we were just screaming as these tiny fish just attacked our feet! You can feel them biting you lightly, it doesn't hurt at all but man does it tickle! We did our hands and feet for 30 minutes for $13! One of the guys who worked there was talking to us, he said he was 60 some (I guessed he was 30, they don't age ha) and told us he was married at 17, had kids by 19... then he promptly asked us how old we were. When we said 20, his eyes got big and he asked you are single?! And then when are we getting married? Too great.
That night we went out for a while and walked along the river where the night life is. It was pretty touristy, we heard good things about the Little Arabia night life but I had to be back on the ship before 12am for my field lab the next day so my night was cut pretty short.

My field lab was for my History of WWII in Asia and Africa, we went to the university in Singapore (NUS) and listened to two experts on the Fall of Singapore and then drove to the beaches where the Japanese attacked, standing where the British and Australian Forces stood during the attack. It was pretty incredible. They pointed out specific points across the river in Malaysia where the Japanese forces were stationed, how they attacked. We ended at a Cemetery from the soldiers of WWII which was a fitting way to sum up the day. It was a beautifully manicured cemetery and was very reflective of the age it was constructed as the "white boys" were in the front and the Indians and Asians in the back. The youngest I saw was a 17 year old Indian killed at some point during the Fall of Singapore. The whole experience had me thinking about my Grandpa Jack (Dad Dad to me) and his service in Iwo Jima and how young he was. All in all it was a very reflective experience for me, and I walked away with a much more detailed knowledge of the Fall of Singapore.

While I really enjoyed Singapore, but it definitely hasn't been my favorite country because it was SO western. There is also a very wide financial gap between the Millionaires (1 out of 6 in Singapore) and the Singaporean people who can't afford to move out of their parent's homes. The government is also very interesting and maybe a little controversial in my mind, however I cannot deny how successfully Singapore has risen to the top in such a short time period.

As always thank you for following, sorry for the inconsistency, and thanks for dealing with my musings :D All my love!

Vietnam

Day 1:

We came up a river to port in Vietnam so we didn’t port in Ho Chi Minh until noon or so but we were able to leave the ship quickly. I should explain it was TET, the Vietnamese New Year, which is celebrated for about 5 days and everyone goes home to be with their families, which really bogs down all the transportation and shuts down a majority of the businesses.  So we spent the day in Ho Chi Minh looking for a tailor to make suits and dresses for the Alumni Ball on the ship taking place April 23^rd.  Most everything was shut down and we were really struggling but we ended up going to the War Remembrance Museum.  It was incredibly powerful, sobering, and almost embarrassing to be there.  I feel fortunate to have seen it and I feel I can use my expanded perspective in the classroom and hopefully provide my students with a complete view of the war when I eventually teach. 

We finally found a tailor, had no idea what I wanted my dress to look like, so I pointed to a picture and picked out my fabric and crossed my fingers.  I’ll show you what it looks like after the ball but I really like how it turned out. 

Day 2:

I went to Ash Wednesday Service with Desmond Tutu preceding the services.  It was really incredible; I really enjoy his view on religion. 

Laura and I ventured into Ho Chi Minh to find the train station, succeeded, bought one-way tickets to Nha Trang, and spent the day wondering around Ho Chi Minh and got a $7 mani/pedi :D

Day 3:

We were up at 4am, left the ship at 5am, and were on a train headed to Nha Trang at 6:30am.  The train was actually really pretty; we were finally in the country! I felt very at home, saw cows and rice patties! We got into Nha Trang at 1pm and we went to get our return tickets and they told us all the tickets were sold out until the 17^th.  The ship was leaving from Ho Chi Minh on the 17^th, so clearly this was a problem.  After some pleading they told us we could get tickets for 6:30am the next day so we took those and we had 17 hours in Nha Trang! We decided not to sleep or get a hotel so we went straight to the beach and at 6pm ate, started the bar hoping, met people from New Zealand, Britain, USA, Norway, and Russia, and we ended at 5am swimming on the beach and then started walking back to the train station.  The train back was horrible.  It took 10 hours, it would stop on the tracks for up to an hour just because the trains were backed up.  We passed out when we finally made it back to the ship around 6pm.  I think in 48 hours we slept about 8 hours. 

Day 5:

We did to the Cu Chi tunnels, which I thought was overrated.  We took public transportation and it took around 5 hours to get there and back and I had a bat fly over my head in a tiny tunnel, which really freaked me out.  I wish we had made it to Mekong Delta.  It is my only regret!  We met an Australian and Lithuanian on the bus to the tunnels and we met up with them that night and went to the backpacker district and bar hopped.  We ended up running into the guys from Britain, New Zealand and the US from Nha Trang that night again.  Very small world!!

Day 6:

I got in around 5am and had to be up at 7am to go pick up the dresses we had made, needless to say I was pretty exhausted. 

I loved Vietnam.  It was the first time I’ve really felt like things were different.  It was also the first time I’ve really been able to get out and see the agriculture, which is so near and dear to my heart. 

And let me close saying I'm sorry for the poor grammar and writing style, I have reached a level of exhaustion that until now was incomprehensible to me.  That being said, I don't think I've ever had so much fun becoming so exhausted.  

Vietnam Pictures

China Pictures

My Friend Christina and me at Tiananmen Square in the Snow! 

The Imperial City in the snow

The Great Wall!

Imperial City in the snow

The Great Wall 

More Pics from Japan

The Golden Temple in Kyoto

Me, Christine, and Laura at the big Temple in Kyoto

At the Onsen in Tokyo in my Kimono 

Laura and me at Harajuku in Tokyo

Our bike gang in Kyoto!

Mainland China and Hong Kong

The Great Wall was incredible.  Definitely my favorite thus far (I'll probably just keep saying that) but really, it was humbling and amazing.  The part of the wall we were on was built during the Ming Dynasty and the whole wall stretches more than 4000 miles.  We did dinner at a local woman's home that night in the older part of Beijing.  She actually lived in a house that was built during the Qing Dynasty (China's last dynasty ending in 1911), her grandparents owned it and her grandfather was a painter for the Imperial Court.  It was small on Western standards, the whole house was probably the size of my mom's kitchen and laundry room combined, but for the Chinese this is a fairly good sized home.  It was a good reality check and a reminder how fortunate we are.  The next day before flying out we stopped at the "Temple of Heaven," which my friend Christina and I are in front of in the picture.  It was somewhere between -10 and -17 degrees Celsius, which was COLD! We flew to Hong Kong right after that and it was in the 70s Fahrenheit there which was great!  I went out with friends to the bar scene and ran into a friend from LA. I saw him in San Diego before leaving and I knew he would be in Hong Kong but hadn't talked to him since, and then I was just walking around between bars and there he was! Small world! On our way to Vietnam now, we will be there day after tomorrow! Enjoying the warm weather.

Also, Happy New Year!  Today (Sunday February 11th) is TET the Vietnamese New Year! Chúc mừng năm mới 

Great Wall Video

Sorry I took this a little fast, and it's windy but enjoy!

Beijing Acrobatic Show Video

The Great Wall video

Sorry I took this a little fast, and it's windy but enjoy!

Shanghai photos

China

Time to catch up! I'm writing this on the bus up to the Great Wall right now, will send later! So we are in China! Much different from Japan. We were in Shanghai the first day, I had a field lab to Funan University in the city to listen to some diplomats and professors talk about sino American relations essentially, with a little history mixed in. It was really interesting but too long! 6 hours of lecture!

That night Laura, Christine, Wade and I went out into the Bund, a nicer part of Shanghai next to where we were ported. We were followed by some guys for awhile, we lost them tho over a bridge, it's really weird. Wade was followed all afternoon I guess. We went to a jazz and blues club that night which has been one of the best night time experiences I've had, great band from Boston actually with a really cool mix of people, and we even heard some locals get up and play for "Jam Night".

The next day I flew to Beijing with Semester at Sea (I bought a trip through them so they plan everything for you) and we saw the Olympic buildings the "bird's nest" and "water cube" and saw an acrobatic show! The acrobatic show was incredible! Ill try to post some video.

Yesterday we went to Tien a men Square and the Forbidden City, which was so cool. It was snowing yesterday and was super cold which was a bummer because I had my head stuck down in my jacket and I wasn't taking my time to look at things. But the snow was beautiful on the Square and in the Forbidden City. We went to a government silk factory (quality guaranteed because it's gov owned) and I saw start to finish how the silk is made and bought a wholesale price scarf (about $16 USD)! Ate a fantastic authentic family style lunch, becoming a pro at eating with chop sticks! We saw a Confucian Temple and then went to a 6 story Chinese market (which is mainly for foreigners so they can haggle). Everything is knock off or stolen but the will sell anything from beats headphones, Burberry jackets, north face, Ralph Lauren... You name it. I bought another scarf which I'm taking up to the Great Wall today, some baby fake UGGs because they were so adorable for brand new baby Lillian Hendrickson born Feb 4th! Congratulations Billy and Jenna!

So today if you haven't already figured it out, we are headed to the Great Wall! About a 2 hour drive from Beijing into the mountains. Experiencing my first Beijing smog right now but it should be clearer higher. The traffic is insane. There are basically no rules, cars do not stop for pedestrians and if you get hit as a pedestrian it is your fault.

I'm really enjoying china, can't wait to send you all pictures! Ill try to post some tonight from my phone, sorry the quality will probably be minimal.

Love you all, as always thanks for following, I love seeing your comments and getting your emails!

Sent from my iPhone

Shanghai

We just pulled up to dock at the Shanghai port, we come up through a river so you could watch all of the city as we pulled in this morning! I have a field lab to a University here today for my World Diplomacy class and then tomorrow I am going to Beijing with Semester at Sea to see the Great Wall among other things! Will keep you posted, sorry for the hit and miss posts!

Japan Continued

Day 3: 

We accidentally slept in, which was ok with us but we went across Tokyo to a man-made island featuring a replica Statue of Liberty (much smaller) and went to an "Onsen" which is a Hot Spring Spa.  The Onsen is very traditional so you walk in and take your shoes off, and you get a Kimono to wear for the day.  You may do a foot bath which is communal with both male and female and then go to the large baths, gender separated and NO clothes allowed! Laura and Christine and I got to know each other very well.... ha It was a little touristy, it had a food court type thing inside so we ate there and then went to the "relaxation room" where we sat in comfy chairs and you could watch Japanese television if you wanted.  

We stayed there until 5pm! so it was kind of a long day at the spa but well worth it! We packed up from Fattiah's house, and went into the city had dinner, and got on an all ladies night bus to Kyoto called "Beaute4ladies" haha! It was pretty interesting, not really the best sleep I've ever had but we saved money! 

Day 4: 

We got into Kyoto at 7am, found an internet cafe and then rented bicycles for the day! All of our favorite thing we did was biking in Kyoto.  We made it to two big temples and went through part of the Imperial grounds.  We got to see the ins and outs of Kyoto when we were biking, highly recommended! We went to a huge temple high on the hill where you could overlook the whole city, and then biked the other direction and went to the "Golden Temple" which was so incredibly beautiful and awe inspiring.  By about 4 we were exhausted so we hopped on a train to Kobe and eventually found the ship and took showers!  We met up with a friend from class and we went out for dinner and then met up with more students in the city and about 15 of us did Karaoke together which was so fun! We had to walk back to the ship because the subway shuts down at midnight, which was a little bit of an adventure after drinks at the Karaoke bar :D but we found it! 

Day 5: 

We slept on the ship, and went out and wandered around Kobe for the day.  I really liked Kobe, it was smaller than Tokyo and I think it made the night life scene more fun.  We ate lunch in town and then we all came back to the ship and I fell asleep for about 3 hours ha! 

Japan was so great.  I'm still so impressed by the people.  They were ALL so nice! So many people helped us, we would have never made it without all the people who helped guide us along the way.  I'll have to pay it forward!