Vietnam.

Moving South to Vietnam allowed for a much needed hit of sunshine and calmer seas, and time to break out my swimsuits (I had about 2 weeks of winter and that fact made me so happy because I hate the cold). Vietnam in February is about 90/ 32℃, and that would be the solid average temperature for the rest of the voyage, making my time as a super pale girl fairly difficult but also fairly incredible. But back to the topic at hand, Vietnam, might be one of the craziest and most amazing places I have ever been (will say that about anywhere I go, but I mean it) I would spend most of my overall time here in the North part of the country, but I got to explore Ho Chi Minh City our first day there. 

Walking in Ho Chi Minh City, and frankly all of Vietnam is probably the hardest thing to master. You have to be fearless, confident, and move fast. The barrage of motorbikes constantly speeding toward you on any given road means you can't be scared to walk in front of a moving vehicle (or 40). My friends and I went on a tour of the city, getting a tour of the Independence Palace, the Notre Dame Cathedral, the War Remnants Museum, a Vietnamese coffee shop, and a Buddhist Temple.  Small preface, if you ever drink Vietnamese coffee, there's a chance that its made from beans that were eaten by weasels, and the caffeine will keep you up for days (literally). 

The next day myself, my friend Kristin, a bunch of our Professors and Deans, and some other students flew up to Hanoi for the first leg of our trip to Ha Long Bay. Hanoi, just as bustling as Ho Chi Minh, but a little colder, gave us another look into the culture and subcultures of Vietnam. After a day of touring around museums, temples, and city life, we head to a water puppet show, which was one of the strangest things I had experienced, mainly because it was completely in Vietnamese and the storyline didn't quite make sense if you didn't already know Vietnamese legend or folklore about the country's beginnings. (No photos were allowed either) Nonetheless, the music was cool, the puppets, kinda creepy, but the overall act was pretty neat to see.

The next day, however was the start of what was probably the most relaxing trip I did on Semester at Sea thus far, which was going on a cruise through Ha Long Bay. Now when I told my friends that I was going on a cruise while in Vietnam, they were like, "Why would you want to go back on the water, you already live on a ship". Well, I've got to say, it was the right decision on my part. Ha Long Bay has one of the most striking landscapes/waterscapes, and a big part of why I put Vietnam near the top of my favourites list. Once we reached a certain island with a beach, we got off, and were able to kayak around the formations. Once we finished kayaking we really just got a chance to relax and take in the beauty around us. And even though I was surrounded by my deans and professors, the whole group just had a great 2 days on the water, with the worries of homework and projects drifting into the background, letting us really just enjoy the present. Any description I try to give this place will not do it justice, so I'll just let my photos speak for themselves.

Dreading the return to my pretty amazing reality, we disembarked and got on a flight back to Ho Chi Minh City. And on my last day in Vietnam I went to the Cu Chi Tunnels, which felt strange to go into because I had learned so much of the American side of the war, and now crawling through the tunnels  that people had to live and fight in to survive was just so strange to conceptualize in my head. Granted I do also find it weird to see and live in the same places that life-changing events happened in, whether it be last year, 50 years ago, or 500 years ago. While we were there we got to meet a Viet Cong soldier, who chronicled the events I had learned about from the other perspective, creating a whole new picture to understand and question even more. The tunnels themselves were fairly small, but originally were even smaller and made bigger so taller and larger tourists could see them. Even when in the tunnels it was hard to believe that they were actually where many people lived, fought, and died for their independence.

On a lighter note, after the tunnels we still had some free time and because it was hot and humid, my friends and I went to an ice cream shop where they make the ice cream with liquid nitrogen, mixing and freezing the ingredients right in front of you. So I ending my time in Vietnam with some mint chip ice cream, happy and already ready to go back to see even more.

Another country down, so many more to go. Next time I'll get to relive hot air ballooning over Bagan and so many other memories. But that's for another day.

Talk to you later,

-Karin xx

China.

Two days after leaving Japan we arrived in China, eager to another extremely rich and vibrant culture. My first day in the country I spent in Shanghai, visiting the Imperial Garden, National Museum, and experiencing Chinese New Year.  I didn't have much time in Shanghai to do much else because the next morning I began my journey to the Great Wall of China.

So after my day in Shanghai I got on a plane to Beijing, but not before oversleeping and almost missing my group (I made it though, thank god). But nevertheless, made it to Beijing Capital Airport, and got on a bus driving 75 miles away to Gubei Water Town. Now I can only describe Gubei Water Town as the Williamsburg, Virginia of China. The entire town is creation of what a village would have looked like several hundred years ago, along with a 5 star resort hotel sitting right outside the town walls. We get a tour of the town, and much like Williamsburg, Virginia, we see a very generalised, glossy version of what actually was. This fact, I feel, plays very much into the show that both China and the United States play for the world, in a scary effort to wash away the harshness and cruelty of reality. With that the censorship of media in China made my down time very strange. Everyone, both in my group of Semester at Sea students and people we ran into had VPNs to access social media sites like Facebook and Instagram, and not being able to talk about certain topics in in a public setting (will come back to this).

Hiking began the day after we arrived, bright and early around 7:30/8 am. I was not ready for the beginning of this hike. We start by scaling this hill, which turned into a mountain, with only a chain and fence posts to pull my cold, sniffly (it was windy), body up onto this mountain ridge. The mountain ridge eventually turns into some semblance of a ruined Great Wall, and the incline isn't too bad and I'm hiking along, having a great time - and then we hit a Chinese Military Base. Why is there a military base on the Great Wall of China, in a rural, inland area? I have no idea. But to get around this we hike down into this snow covered ravine, through an extremely isolated rural village, and then back up the ravine - all before lunch. Hungry and tired as all hell, I trekked back up this mountain in my neon orange sneakers that had no traction (thought I was gonna slip down the ravine, never to be found) to our lunch spot. We finish our hike shortly after, hitting a solid 12 mile mark when you include our diversion off the wall and then back onto it.

Day 2 of our hike started just about where we had left off, and although it was a reconstructed part of the wall, the inclines, subsequent stairs and slopes were actually comical. Like the stairs went up to my knees, so I was actively doing lunges up the mountain ridge for a solid 5 hours. But, like, honestly it was beyond worth it. We completed our two day hike at 24 (general consensus because our tour leader wouldn't tell us how long the hikes were) miles.  

We got back on the bus to see Beijing, China's capital, to round out our experience and see more than just Chinese wilderness for a week. Given the night off and staying in the same hotel as the other Semester at Sea groups, my friends and I got to talk about our experiences and see some Beijing nightlife (although I was actually dead after the hiking I had to rally). It was interesting to see the amount of American brands and fast food, because it almost could've been mistaken for an American city, if not for the obvious language difference. The next day was our one-day, full-day, highlights of Beijing bus tour. Hitting all the stops like Tiananmen Square, Forbidden City, Olympic Park, and Temple of Heaven. With all of these big sights, we were warned profusely by our tour leader to not mention 1989 while in Tiananmen Square, not to say anything against the government in any capacity, and that the extremely strong military presence was not just there for show - and not to point your camera at them. Scared of any and all consequences, I complied, got my selfie with Mao's portrait and carried on my merry way through the Forbidden City and taking in the hundreds of years of history. As we moved from place to place, I found past history lessons coming back into my memory, and how I was actually in the places that integral historical events occurred (this, I would find, would become a common feeling). After our city tour, we had our last Peking Duck dinner and got ready to fly back to Shanghai the next morning.

China was an enigmatic experience for me, because I both thoroughly enjoyed my time there and the people I met, while at the same time could feel a looming, ever-present military government that scared me. I don't tend to get scared too often, but a combination of my understanding of current events, the building tensions because of Trump, and not having the ability to understand the language while visibly standing out; put me in a situation that made me uncomfortable, yet allowed me to grow into something newer and bigger than what I had allocated for myself. Returning to the ship was a sanctuary of familiarity, but also let me reflect on the events and experiences that had occurred the week prior, and then, within 3 days I was in another contrasting culture, Vietnam.

Talk to you later,

-Karin xx

Japan.

After almost two weeks at sea, in January 2017, we arrived in Japan. This being the first country I had been to without being able to understand at least some of the language scared me, but my excitement to discover the country for myself overpowered any feelings of self doubt. 

It's best to let go of your inhibitions, like these balloons, when they are holding you back (probably not like these balloons)

After waiting for what felt like an eternity to get off the ship (although the welcome band was a pleasant surprise), my first stop was to explore the port city, Kobe. Kobe which is in Southern Japan, is home to temples, Mt. Rokko, and many other intriguing areas that reflect the city's colourful history. Some of my highlights include Kobe's Chinatown, nightlife, and Mt. Rokko. 

          

 The next day my World Art class went to Kyoto, where we got to meditate with a Buddhist monk, and then went to the Ryōan-ji rock garden. Learning how to properly meditate from a monk in the Shunkō-in temple, established in 1590, really makes you think about your place in life (something to contemplate while meditating, I think) and Ryōan-ji, the most famous rock garden in Japan, was certainly an interesting place to see.

 

The following day I went back to Kyoto, this time heading to Rokuon-ji Temple - the Golden Temple, Nijō Castle, Nishiki Market, and the Yasaka Shrine. The Golden temple was an incredible sight, that is hand leafed on both the inside and outside of the temple. All of these places really immersed me into Japanese history and culture, both medieval and modern. The Nishiki Market had an amazing blend of both traditional and modern vendors, selling everything from fresh fish and squid, to handmade figurines and touristy souvenirs. We ended the day wandering the geisha district that dates back centuries. 

I ended the day going out with my friends in Kobe before going on my last trip in Japan.

Went to a Canadian bar, owned by an American who I'm now friends on facebook with

We ordered "pizza"

My last and biggest trip in Japan happened on the latter end of my time there. I took a Semester at Sea run trip to Hiroshima and Himeiji, which included a trip to Miyajima Island and its famous Itsukushima Shrine. We caught a bullet train from Kobe, and then rode a ferry to the island. Going here was probably my favourite part of my visit. The island has deer roaming across the island that come right up to you (especially if you have food) and I also got to visit the Itsukushima Shrine, famous for its floating Torii Gate. It was also here that I took one of my favourite photos ever. 

Probably the best photo I have ever taken and will ever take

Following the visit to the Miyajima Island, we headed to Hiroshima and the Peace Memorial Park and Museum. After sobbing through the museum, we ended the night with some shopping exploring its bustling downtown. The next and last day was spent going to Himeiji Castle. And after climbing to the absolute top of the Himeiji Castle, seeing a ninja on the way up, I visited the royal gardens before getting on the bus back to Kobe. 

And with that, my Japan trip had concluded. The end of my first trip of Semester at Sea ended a chapter of naivety and self doubt, ushering in a new found confidence that only an experience can bring. Seeing so many stunning places in this country, I can't wait to go back and see even more. Throughout my travels, Japan has stuck with me as a place of astonishing people, history, and culture. It also helped to create a stronger definition of culture differentiation between the Japanese and the next country I went to: China. 

Talk to you later,

-Karin xx