Villas in Vietnam

Villa in Vietnam

Vietnam was amazing! So after leaving Hong Kong we sailed across the East China Sea and down towards Vietnam. 

Once we arrived in Ho Chi Minh City, we immediately disembarked and headed towards our villa along the outskirts of Saigon. The first thing I noticed upon walking off the ship was the immense amount of humid heat. It struck me right in the face and was a drastic change from China's chilly nights.

Upon disembarking from the ship, I hopped on the free bus with my friends and headed to Saigon City Center. The first thing I noticed was the sheer amount of motorbikes crossing the street at one time. We arrived at the city center, passing by the famous statue of Ho Chi Minh, Vietnamese Communist revolutionary leader. His grand posture and stoic expression appeared to be providing a honorary welcome to this new country. 

Once at the city center, I noticed the imposing presence of Notre Dame (Or really an exact replica of Notre Dame) looming over us. My friends and I rushed to exchange our Hong Kong Dollars and USD into Vietnamese Dong. After our exchange, we hailed a taxi. We were careful to hail one with green colors at the top, as we had been warned that fake taxis often overcharge customers and lead them into dangerous situations. 

So we hopped in two taxis, four people in each taxi. We split up so that there were three girls and one guy in each taxi, just to stay safe. Then we sped off through the city of Ho Chi Minh, passing a surprising mix of celebrations for Tet (New Year's in Vietnam), commercialized shops like McDonalds and KFC and an excessive surplus of motorbikes honking loudly. On some motorbikes, entire families of five sat, with the father driving and three children squeezed between him and the mother.

It took only ten minutes and for a short time we were unsure of what to do. Only after several hours of searching did we find our villa hidden amongst the houses in the area. Once we arrived at our villa we had a fun time settling down and exploring the area.

We went to Bahn Than Market, which is the local bargaining market. Music was blasting and we were a little overwhelmed, so we decided to grab some Pho (Pronounced "fuh") which is a classic Vietnamese dish. After a delicious Chicken pho broth, we went back outside into the dying light. This is when I realized that Vietnam comes alive at night. Shops were opening up and endless goods were being marketed. The items being sold were fake brand name items such as Louis Vutton purses, Ralph Lauren polos and Rolex watches.

I ended up bargaining with shopkeepers in a really confusing but extremely fun process. To give you some perspective: 1,000,000 Dong is equal to $50 USD. The whole experience was extremely disorienting, as I might pay up to 100,000 Dong  for three pairs of socks. It may sound expensive, but that translates to approximately $5 USD. At first, shopkeepers ripped me off quite a few times because they would quickly sell me overpriced items.

However after two hours, I became quite aware of the proper approach to bargaining. I always started much lower than the real price I wanted. Let's say I think a polo shirt is worth 200,000 Dong ($10 USD). I would start by bargaining for 50,000 Dong ($2 USD), the shop keeper would start at 300,000 Dong ($15 USD) and we would meet in the middle around 150,000 Dong ($7 USD).

Anyway, enough with the crazy bargaining situation. Next we drove back to the villa and ordered some more pho from a local restaurant before going to sleep. The following day, I woke up around noon and was well recovered from the busy first day.

My friends and I decided to visit the "American War Museum" (As it is called in Vietnam) to learn more about the infamous war. What we found there was beyond comprehension: the devastating war crimes that are part of United States legacy in Vietnam brought me to tears. We saw children without limbs, mass murdering of families and learned the atrocities of Agent Orange.

Agent Orange was biochemical warfare waged by the United States. It resulted in immense deformities that I was able to see in children on the streets even today. Oblong heads or children without legs were the result of this type multigenerational warfare.

   Finally, my good friend Jeanie wanted to celebrate her birthday and of course we were all in! So we went to the top floor of the tallest building in Ho Chi Minh (And all of Vietnam) and enjoyed an amazing view of the rest of the city while encompassed by beautiful sounding music. By far, one of the best, calmest, most relaxing nights of my life! 

Later that week I traveled to one of the only Car Die Temples in the world. Can Die is a mixture religion of Buddhism, Confucianism and Taosim. Inside smelled like incense and a loud metallic bell was rung every two minutes. The bell communicated with heavenly spirits and was in a room of armor to be defended. We listened to a monk speak for quite sometime. I learned it takes 10 years for someone to advance in their religion and at 8 levels of advancement one is guaranteed to ascend to heaven. Better not die to early then! It was an eye-opening experience.

Thank you Vietnam!

Shanghai Stories

         

       Shanghai Stories

        Sooo I haven't posted in a bit. That's because we have been moving like crazy. We went from Japan to China in two days and from there, stayed in Shanghai at a nice hotel overlooking the skyline. You could see the tallest building in the world from our perch (In the picture above it is the tallest one on the far right). 
      We also traveled downtown to explore the markets. In China they are celebrating New Years. It is the year of the Monkey and celebrations were everywhere. There are sooo many people and it was rather overwhelming. We bought some postcards and I negotiated a way to purchase an awesome ying and yang necklace for 2,000 yuan (Not actually that much).

     On the second day we also traveled to a small water village on the outskirts of Shanghai. This village is known as the "Venice of Shanghai". It was extremely cold in the village and it smelled of roasted pork and fish the result of the local food industry. I walked around and up a large bridge that overlooked the murky waters. Attitudes towards hygiene were also extremely different: hawking, spitting and dirty bathrooms (Often just a hole in the ground) were par for the course in this area. Also, staring is culturally far more acceptable, so numerous people walked by staring intently at my friends and I. We stood out in stark contrast to a predominantly Chinese population. 

     I actually got lost from my friends for several hours. During that time I wandered into a Bhuddist temple and participated in a ritual. I lit an incense candle and carried it from one area to another, then rang a bell. A Bhuddist monk took my hands for several minutes and said something in Mandarin. Then I made a donation of about ten Yuans and headed out. Ultimately I am so grateful I got lost, as I was able to have an immerse experience of being alone in China for a few hours. 
      Later that night we snapped some pictures of the famous Shanghai skyline. We would have climbed the tallest building in the world, but it was way too cold outside! Temperatures were dropping and snow was falling, so instead we crashed in our hotel in preparation for our flight the next day.
      Then we took an early morning flight via Hong Kong Airlines. That required waking up at 4am and grabbing a taxi ride through busy Shanghai Traffic. We arrived and hopped on our flight from Shanghai to Hong Kong. The flight was literally amazing and featured free full course meals and movies. The people onboard were so polite and got me excited for Hong Kong. Honestly I was ready to leave Shanghai. The city was so heavily polluted with smog and smoke that it was nearly impossible to breathe.
    As soon as we started to descend, I knew that I would love Hong Kong. The city was excruciatingly beautiful with sloping mountains and valleys and hills. 

 
      Once we arrived, we were far happier with the nearly tropical climate. We found a bus and made our way to Tsim Sha Tsui, a central area in downtown Hong Kong near the shoreline. From there we had  access to several museums including the Hong Kong Space Museum and the Star Ferry, which takes tourists across the water towards Victoria Peak. At night, all of the buildings lit up with different colors and patterns, creating an amazing kaleidoscope of colors. Each beat of music played outside was matched by a pulse of light from the buildings, this was their unique way of celebrating the Chinese New Year.


Hong Kong is an incredible place.
     
      

Japan Day 3 - Tokyo Tower Time

Tokyo Tower Time

東京タワーの時間

      I don't exactly know why I added "Time". The alliteration just sounded much better. But yes, you guessed it...today I went to the Tokyo Tower! 

      The day started off super lazy as I lounged in my cousin's apartment updating this blog, talking to my family and just chilling. Then around 6pm I got off my behind and went with my cousin to explore Tokyo Tower. We took a taxi across town and the tower glowed bright orange like a beacon in the distance. Perhaps the beacon symbolizes hope or human innovation. For me it just symbolized dinner because I hadn't eaten a full meal all day.

A beacon of hope, shining in the darkness of night. Reminding me that I am extremely hungry...and my cousin will buy me dinner once we get there. 

    We pulled up and I immediately felt a sense of Deja Vu. The Tokyo Tower looks so much like the Eiffel Tower. It's giant pillars, struts and beams criss cross to create a magnificent architectural marvel. 

        We walked inside and bought tickets to the top ('Cause thats how we roll). We first checked out the "main" floor, which had some cool looking light shows and mini fireworks shows. Then the elevator slowly took us to the top deck. 

       From the top you could see all of Tokyo. At night, the city blinks with thousands of red lights atop the buildings. I guess they are for safe nighttime helicopter landings? The blinking lights are pretty awesome, although it kind of makes you feel as if an alien invasion is occurring. 

Dramatically looking away from the camera

         My cousin pointed out Yokohama in the distance, which gave me a good perspective on how far I had traveled in order to meet him here in Tokyo. Pretty dang far.

        Anyway, we headed back downstairs to find some dinner. After grabbing another taxi, we went to Gong Zhou, a famous restaurant where the movie "Kill Bill" was filmed. Johnny Depp and Henry Cavill ate there at one point. Their pictures were on the wall.

Cenry Havill

Dhonny Jepp

       The food was great, as always. We ordered a California Roll (Eel Fish, Fish Eggs, Snow Crab, Salmon), a Shrimp Tempura Roll and Dragon Roll (Avocado, Salmon and Fish Eggs). Good food is often accompanied with good conversation and that was the case with my cousin and I.

Food is Good

          That's it! It's 2am and I am going to sleep.

         Tomorrow's adventure is...

         Finding the famous Meiji Shrine, then taking the Bullet Train to Kobe

Peace,

AJ

P.S. Hit that follow button on the top right! It's near my smiling face. You know you wanna do it. Can't miss out on all the adventure that awaits...

Reflections - Technology is a Distraction

This is a short series I want to call reflections, where I share my perspective and thoughts on certain subjects. My views will evolve over the course of the voyage so I will update accordingly. First subject is...    

 Reflections - Technology

     
     Okay so let's get this straight.
     I love technology. It's great. It gives me access to loads of information, millions of people around the world and tons of life-draining mindless games like Flappy Bird. Yet there is also a problem. As we increasingly come to own technology, technology has slowly started owning us.

    I say this because on our cruise ship there is no Wi-Fi. That means there is no Snapchat, no Instagram, no Twitter. No News Feed. No Facebook. No YouTube. Nope, not even every college student's best friend - Google.

     Instead there is us. Human beings. We have to entertain ourselves. Within the first few days of being alone at sea, I still saw everyone carrying their phones around, anxiously flipping them on to check messages that did't exist. They were absent-mindedly refreshing pages that were never going to reload. There was a habit, an addiction, that had to be satiated.

      I found myself often using my phone as an alarm and just staring at the screen blankly, uncertain what to do. I ended up just looking through all of my photos out of an incessant need to flip through memories, to see virtual peoples, to artificially feel connected.

      And then I did connect. We all did. However, these connections are for real. As we put down the phones and removed the "connectivity" we learned how to exist together. We watched sunsets and sunrises together. We played Cards Against Humanity together. We practiced ballroom dancing, swing dancing and hip hop dancing routines. We sang songs as a group as someone played their guitar. We talked and learned about each other's cultures, stories, upbringings, hopes and dreams. We connected. 
       Seek to connect genuinely and authentically with at least one person today. Seek to look them in the eyes and listen.

    Also, learn how to be alone.

    There is a huge amount of value in being alone. Completely alone. No notifications, no computer, nothing but the man or woman in the mirror. When we are completely alone we have to face all the fears, the worries, the doubts that plague our minds and crawl at the edge of our consciousness. Our uncertainties scare us, yet they only shrink away when we look them dead in the eye. Fear grows in the darkness, but when you shed light on your fears, when you address them, think about them and then overcome them, they melt away like sticky ice cream on a hot summer day. 
       Mmmmm...tasty.

      So yes I am going to say it....turn off your phone and be alone.

     Just for one hour today. 
     If that's too much, just do thirty minutes. 
     If that's too much, just do fifteen minutes. 
     If that's too much...you need to have an intervention.

Reflections - Time is an Invention

Time is An Invention

     On the voyage, time began to evaporate.

      Time became fluid, flowing from day to night with reckless abandon. Rather than being solid, established in stone by the ticking of a clock, it became a nebulous essence controlled by the whims of our Captain. 

     You see, from the moment our ship the MV World Odyssey departed from the shores of Ensenada, Mexico we crossed a new time zone almost every other day. As a result, I would go to bed at 10pm, sleep for eight hours and wake up at 5am. This would happen every two days. I was updating my watch so often I often forgot which time was real and which was fake. Our whole ship relied on the Captain to announce our official time over loudspeakers. This all culminated with us crossing the international date line along the Pacific Ocean and "skipping" an entire day of our lives. One precious day that technically I'll never get back.

    The feeling of having time shift like quicksand beneath me was both uncanny and unsettling. However, it provided a freedom I never though possible. I was no longer enslaved by the typical dictates of time. Each hour and minute did not need to be structured and squeezed into a day, but instead flowed from one day to the next seamlessly. This does not mean that I was unproductive. Instead I was unworried about wasting seconds. Excess stress saps the meaning from every second. So by being stress-free, I was more productive and more appreciative of each breath during that short time than any other in my life. Each experience shaped the next and I simply followed my internal rhythms, making most of the sunlight while marveling at the moon at midnight. 

    It felt like we were sailing the world on a floating island, a cocoon shelter, detached from the worries of the mainland and living in our own alternate reality, our own alternate timeline. All that mattered were actions and interactions, experiences and memories - momentous moments - regardless of when they were formed. Thriving in that mental state was pure bliss. As a result, slowly, an idea began to dawn on me.

      It began to dawn on me that time does not really exist. 

      The units of time are a human invention. We have all agreed to participate in our imaginary construct of time and the measurements of time can be manipulated to reduce the quality of time we have each day. So instead of counting minutes to get something done, counting moments with friends exploring something new is much more rewarding. When we choose the metrics that matter most for our lives, instead of the ones expected by others, we maximize our moments. When your time finally runs out, you are the only one who must consider how you chose to spend your precious time. Choose wisely.


    Sometimes, when I close my eyes to dream, I am back on that ship, that floating island. We are forever forging forward on eternal seas, untethered by time and floating in the bliss of open space. I am at the helm, wind whipping past my grinning face. I am measuring life's joys not in minutes but in moments. In Memories.

    I hope you experience similar bliss one day soon, but until then just remember...

    Time is just a human invention.

Japan Day 2 - Feeling Fresher than Fuji Water

Mt. Fuji

フジ

      Off we go again...

      Yesterday was pretty awesome. Another early morning...but for a great reason. We were going to travel to see the iconic Mt. Fuji! At 7:45am I met a group of about sixty students and ten faculty outside our Yokohama port. We got in two busses and began to travel through the streets of Yokohama towards Mt. Fuji National Park. The ride was about an hour and a half long. Towards the end, as elevation began to change I felt a little light headed. Snow began to appear on the sides of the windy and rugged roads as we worked our way up the sloping mountainous peaks.

    Adventure Time.

    I don't mean the TV Show. This is real life baby. We pulled up to Hakone (pronounced Ha-cone-ay) a quaint little village area situated under the giant shadow of Mt. Fuji. Then we got in a creaky gondola and slowly climbed up the hundreds of meters to reach a mountaintop. By this point I was pretty freezing cold. 

   Then we finally reached to top. You could see all the islands of Japan from this vantage point and the ominous Mt. Fuji loomed in the distance. It. Was. Amazing.

            So we snapped a bunch of pictures in our brief ten minutes, then went back down the super shaky gondola. Then we hopped in the bus and headed to the giant lake below to board a pirate ship. Yes indeed, a pirate ship.

     They remodeled pirate ships from the 1700's to be used as tourist ships and to cross the famous "Hakone Lake". Legend has it that at the bottom of Hakone Lake resides a fire-breathing dragon. Every once in a while, children were sacrificed to the lake in order to pacify the dragon's hunger to devour the whole village. 

Argghhhh!

            So thankfully we were not devoured by any fire breathing dragons but rather successfully crossed the Lake in about 30 minutes. Once across, we approached a sacred religious shrine area, known as a Torii. "Torii's" mark the boundary between the earthly and the sacred. Once you cross over, you are in the realm of the sacred and must pay your respects. 

The "Torii" divides the Earthly from the Sacred

     I walked through the Torii and then up a series of steps. Several elderly Japanese individuals make the pilgrimage journey too, slowly making their way up the concrete steps to reach the shrine. Once at the top, I approached a snow encrusted shrine and paid my respects. I rang a bell twice, tossed in 100 yen, clapped twice, bowed twice, made a wish and then bowed once more, following their ritual religious customs. My friends did the same. 

    Although Westerners may look down on this type of religious ritual or worshipping nature, we should contemplate our own religious traditions and customs first. Every religion employs a series of repeated gestures and often they only make sense to those who practice the religion. Furthermore, as I approached the humongous trees and snowcapped mountains, they seemed to glow with a certain aura of power.

    Nature is very obviously alive and it is very obviously powerful. I can understand how a people in tune with nature and their role in the world would come to worship the "kami" known as the the "spirits of nature".

    Up next we had some break time for lunch. Everyone went to go buy Ramen Noodles. I instead, I went off on my own and meditated for about thirty minutes. While at peace, I came to a revelation about my purpose in the universe and here on earth, specifically "what" I am destined to do. As far as the "why" and the "how" I am still uncertain. But I now know "what" I am destined to do. Feel free to reach out to me if you want to know more.

   

I meditated right here

       So that was great.

       Final destination was an open air art museum. It was quite...unique, in the sense that it had some really eccentric art. I thought it was generally pretty coolio. I can only really convey the artistic merit through photos so here you go:

Selfie on top of that tower (pictured above)

        So then I wrapped up by going to a hot spring with everybody. We all warmed our feet and enjoyed the bubbles and exfoliating rocks. I know that sounds weird but it was a great experience. Don't judge me.

      So that was the end of the day's adventure. I packed up and we drove the hour and a half back to Yokohama. Then the real adventure begins. Now I cannot stay on the ship, I have to travel overland from Yokohama to Kobe (About 1,000 miles) in order to meet up with the ship again, which is moving from port to port. So what that means is I'll be taking a train several hours to Kobe and figuring my way out in Japanese :O. 

     I am sure it'll be fine. I am writing this in Tokyo at my cousin's house. Here are a couple pictures to wrap up...Peace!

       

       

       

Japan Day 1 - The Man in Japan!

Kon-ich-iwa!

こんにちは!

      I am writing this sitting in my cousin's posh apartment in downtown Tokyo. Yesterday, however, when I arrived, I had no idea how in the world I was going to find him in one of the most densely packed cities in the world. I woke up at 5am to the sound of the ship's engine screeching to a halt. I rolled out of my cabin bunk bed and rushed up to the ninth deck to see us pull into Yokohama, Japan. 

     It was pitch dark outside and freezing cold. The silhouette of the moon was slowly dipping behind one of the modern buildings of the port city of Yokohama. Water lapped against the side of our ship and I couldn't help but grin at my first view of the Land of the Rising Sun.

I grabbed breakfast around 7am and at 7:30am heard drums playing outside. I rushed with my friends to the top deck and witnessed an amazing drum performance by traditional performers. It was awesome to watch the sun rise while listening to the slow beat of these gigantic drums.

    Next up was immigration. It was a lot of waiting in line, getting our bags checked and showing identification. Then came currency exchange...$50 for about 5,560 yen (about equivalent). Afterwards I packed my things, said goodbye temporarily to my friends and headed off seeking Yokohama Train Station. I took a free shuttle and arrived at the station about ten minutes later.

   The station guide showed me how to take the JR Train to Tokyo for about 450 yen ($4.00 USD). I bought a one-way ticket and hopped on with a few fellow Semester at Sea "SASers" and we took a 45 minute train ride to Downtown Tokyo. 

    On the train ride I observed how homogenous Japanese society seems to be. Although there is little difference in race or ethnicity, different styles of dress, hair, makeup and personality add much diversity to the peoples. I watched a proud Japanese father playing with his baby daughter and could't help but smile...relationships between father and daughter, parent and child, transcend all geographic differences. Regardless of where you are in the world, love is the same.

   I watched baseball fields pass by outside the window. Baseball is a huge sport in Japan. Once I arrived, I looked around for my cousin. It wasn't hard to find one of the only African Americans in the station. My buddy Lincoln joined Cousin Leslie and I as we grabbed some sushi. We drank green tea and ate eel, fish eggs, salmon, and several other unrecognizable fish. Of course, it was accompanied by rice. On the whole it was delicious.

Yum!

     Next we headed out into the extremely manicured and organized center of downtown Tokyo. By comparison, New York is extremely dirty. We hopped on the Hato Bus tour guide and drove near the imperial palace. During the heyday of the Japanese economic boom, the Imperial Palace (3.41 square kilometers) was estimated to have a real estate value equivalent to that of the entire state of California. 

    We then passed the prime ministers palace, finally arriving at a huge temple area. We got out, passing ladies in ceremonial kimonos and smelling incense in the air. We approached a bright red gigantic structure with traditional architecture. I walked up the steps and completed a religious ritual, tossing in 100 yen and then bowing twice and making a wish before entering. I'm not allowed to tell you my wish...otherwise it won't come true.

Not bad, eh?

     Next we walked down this packed alleyway with vendors selling their wares. It still smelled like incense and easily three thousand people passed by in less than five minutes. I bought a beautiful hand-crafted pair of chopsticks for 860 yen. Men walked by wearing Utaka's (Male kimonos) and I saw a small zen worship area. 

     We stepped aside into that peaceful area and discovered a tree that those of the Shinto religion worship as a god. There was a small fountain and someone was completing a religious ritual with water. One thing that I love about Japan though, is that the mystical is always juxtaposed with the modern. In the background, above the shinto shrine, you could see the gleaming metal spires of the Skytree, the world's tallest Radio Tower. That awe-inspiring visage would be our next destination.

        In thirty minutes we were at the Skytree base. We all (about thirty people) shuffled into a large elevator. Once the doors shut, my ears began to pop. It hardly felt like we were moving until I read an electronic sign that showed we were moving up at a rate of 300 meters/minute. Finally the doors swung open and boom...all of Tokyo sprawled out before me. From the panoramic windows of the Skytree, I could see the entirety of this massive city extending for miles. Several large rivers cut through the city like blood veins in a beast and webs of bridges crossed over them with cars and trucks populating the streets like tiny blood cells. The majesty of Mt. Fuji sat on the distant horizon, supervising the city like a dissatisfied god. The city of Tokyo is both alive and beautiful.

We went further up on the elevator, reaching the top floor (635 meters up - double the height of the Eiffel Tower). Slowly the moon began to rise. To be completely honest, I began to cry a little, in awe of the beauty and the fact that I had accomplished my dream of seeing Tokyo, Japan in the grandest way. Thank You so much to everybody who supported my dreams and helped me make this voyage possible. I will never forget these moments and promise to give back to others in a powerful way in the near future.

    For whatever reason, they were also playing the iconic Star Wars theme music on the top floor, so that did not help my feelings of emotional nostalgia. Disney was doing a cross-promotional marketing thing and had stormtrooper models and lightsabers all over the place. So, I took a picture with Kylo Ren's lightsaber....because I'm still such a kid:

May the Force Be With You

   Then we went back downstairs. Up next was Shibuya Crossing, the busiest crosswalk in the world. Every green light up to 3,000 people cross the street. It is Tokyo's version of Times Square. 

     My cousin took me to one of his favorite restaurants, styled like a Harlem Diner. They served classic Chicken and Waffles :) but I decided to go with Salmon and Avocado. However, I still went for a Triple Berry Waffle for dessert! At this point I was dead tired and ready to crash. I took the train home back to the ship, exhausted yet thrilled and excited. 

    Afterwards I wandered around Yokohama for a solid twenty minutes before finding a taxi cab back to the ship. It cost 2,300 yen (too much) so next time I'm going to walk. Approaching the ship, I watched someone who shall not be named shotgun a beer. It was hilarious. Once back onboard. I shared my adventures with my friend named Anusha, who was born in India but grew up in Dubai. She shared with me that she had gone to Tokyo for a Field Lab and watched an awesome play in Japanese about a Samurai who betrayed his country and committed suicide. 

      On that pleasant note, I finally went to sleep.

      But the next day I went 3,000 meters in the air to Mt. Fuji....