Tripp Around the World

Finally....the FINALE!

2010-03-01T18:04:00.001-05:00

I know, I know. I have been home for almost 3 months without completing my blog. I am not going to apologize, though. I am proud of the commitment I made to keeping up with the blog as much as I have. Here are the last two entries smashed into one. Enjoy!

After leaving Namibia, one of our greatest and most adventurous ports of call considering the dune bashing, we began our long, wet trek across the Atlantic Ocean. I have crossed oceans before, but never on a ship and I honestly wasn’t looking forward to the whole thing. Being at sea for this long meant lots of duties, shows, and time for me to get bored, be stuck in my tiny cabin, etc. We sailed for 3 days to get from Namibia to St. Helena, Jamestown. Jamestown is a lovely little island halfway across the South Atlantic Ocean, isolated from the world by miles of water. It is a literal dot on your map, and tiny speck of land of only 50 sq. miles. Our ship had to use its tender services to get to the little town of St. Helena and when we arrived you would have thought we had brought along the Queen of England! Ha!

The native people on the island are a mixture of indigenous groups from Africa and South America mixed with British who settled here many years ago. They have mail service once every month and most grew up and live forever on this island. Upon arrival we were greeted with brochures about the island, its history and sites to see. The locals were SO EXCITED to have visitors. We soon found out that ship s stop here about 5 times a year, but because of rough seas they hadn’t had any ships in many months. We were literally the first outsiders they had seen in months. They had a market set up with a fall festival sort of feel. All the local shops had booths sets up. Our map pointed out personal homes where baked goods were being sold, etc. It was so refreshing to be somewhere not overwrought with tourism and money. These people were just glad to see us. Period. For our day there, Laura, Rose, and I decided to take on the main activity in town. There is this HUGE staircase referred to as “Jacob’s Ladder” that stretches up the steep cliffside. It is hundreds of steps and we had to take it on. We climbed and climbed and climbed, becoming more thankful we didn’t have a show that night with each and every step. We took 100 steps at a time with short sitting breaks on the steps themselves. We had a good time, but it was definitely tough! Ha! We proudly reached the top for a great view of the little village and our home, floating out in the bay close by. Our day was a short one in St. Helena, but it was a good one. A lovely city with even lovelier people. We quickly headed back to the ship, grabbing a certificate to commemorate our big climb! Ha! Ha!

We continued sailing for a whopping 5 sea days after leaving St. Helena to reach the mainland of the America’s! We sailed into the stunning port of Rio de Janeiro, excited to explore our LAST city before heading back HOME!!!! It had been an incredible experience, but home sounded sooooo good. I was thankful that Laura was sailing with us because she kept me excited and ready to see the next thing and take advantage of being in this last port of call. We immediately headed out with Brett and Elena to Corcovado, the famous peak in Rio that holds the monumental “Christ the Redeemer” statue. We got a taxi and then took the railroad car up the mountain. While anticipating the summit we got to talking with a young family in front of us from Greenville, SC! What a small world! We had fun at the top exploring and taking in views that we never could have anticipated. Rio is an amazing and unique city with a great landscape of steep mountains that seem to just sprout up out of nothing along its beaches.

To finish off our day in Rio Laura and I decided to splurge on a big meal. We headed out to one of the famous Churascurrias in the city. These restaurants are a meat-lover’s dream. We went to one called “Fat Pig” (translated) that overlooked Sugarloaf Mountain. We sat down and began partaking from the endless salad bar that also included sushi, pasta, etc. It was overwhelming, but we had not even scratched the surface. The main star at the restaurant is meat. We were given disks that were green on one side and red on another. When we wanted a server to come around with more meat selections we were to turn our disks to the green side. We quickly learned that the servers didn’t really care to follow this rule and came by no matter what. They would pass by carrying large skewers of every type of meat imaginable, all cooked perfectly and ready to be put onto anyone’s plate who was willing. We ate fillet, loin, hearts, pig, cow, chicken, duck….EVERYTHING! We were in pain from having such full tummies, but what a meal! Ha! It was unforgettable!

Laura had to leave right away and quickly traveled to the airport after ending the evening’s meal. I had one last night on board the Voyager, but one thing was different: my accommodations. Because the new cast had arrived and needed to move into the cabins, we were all given passenger cabins in which to stay for one night. We had an absolute ball! Elena and I had a bottle of champagne we had saved from a passenger named Ted from the Netherlands and we thought there was certainly no better time to open it than this night. We all took showers and got into our Regent bathrobes and stood out on our balconies chatting, laughing and taking in the last night on our mobile, luxury home. What a trip! What an experience. None of us knew what we were getting into when this all began, but as I spent that last night on board, sleeping in my pillow-top, luxurious bed and thinking about everywhere I had been I was just so thankful. I was thankful that I had made it I had literally traveled around the Western Hemisphere. I am 22 years old. This is insanity.

The next day was rainy, making us happy to leave Rio. We drug our bags through airports and with each stop at a security point or terminal exit we said goodbye to one or two people. I flew to Atlanta with Rose, Karen, and Melanie. From there I rode the shuttle through the ATL airport with Karen. Soon, though, my plane was the last to leave and I sat alone, waiting to head to Louisville. I was so excited. The arrival was a blast! I had friends and family waiting there and I went straight to lunch at Lynn’s Paradise Café! SOOO NECESSARY! What a homecoming.

After being home for a while and talking with friends it still amazes me the gift I was given during this contract. My friends, Betsy and Lance, were talking with me and joked, “What do you even have to look forward to now? You are 22 and have traveled the world!” I know what they’re saying. I don’t know yet what to look forward to. I have been auditioning for the next job and waiting for the next adventure. I don’t think it’s going to be on a ship, but who knows? I know that the Lord has blessed me so far in allowing me to be a working actor that can support himself by performing. It’s been fantastic! My hope now is just that my journey would stay in line with what God has planned and laid out for my life. May the next step be one that is in line with Him. Thank you for following along, dear reader. I love you. Really- I can’t believe someone besides my mother may actually be reading this. Thank you, though. Until next time…I’m looking forward.

Tripp Hampton, your loyal friend and travel buddy

Adventures in Namibia

2009-12-01T15:27:00.000-05:00

This particular cruise isn’t very port heavy at all! We only had 4 cities including our beginning and ending points over a four-week period. We honestly didn’t know what to expect for these ports, either, because they were basically whatever stops were there along our crossing across the Atlantic Ocean. After leaving Cape Town we headed north along the coast of Africa to Namibia, a country that has many different landscapes. We stopped in the coastal city of Walvis Bay. It is a really interesting environment here, as I later learned.

This piece of coast is known as the “Skeleton Coast” because of its extremely harsh conditions and the frequency of shipwrecks and whale skeletons that are washed up onto the shore each and every year to this day. The port of Walvis Bay is known for many dolphins and seals as well, but inland only a bit you find complete desert. When you picture the most remote, barren desert you can think of with nothing but enormous sand dunes reaching for miles in any direction, that is what you can find here in Walvis Bay.

When we arrived Laura and I decided to head out to try and get some insight into what we could do in the area to occupy our day. We started by talking to some tourist info people from town, but hey were extremely unhelpful and didn’t seem to understand that I wanted prices and times of things. They couldn’t give me many answers, but I really wanted to try to get out to the desert! When the Ballroom Couple, Olena and Sasha, came along and said they wanted to pitch in to ride to the desert we decided to go ahead and get a move on. We soon drove out into the barren land and drove up to a small shack on the edge of the road, overlooking a Dune 7, the largest sand dune in the world, which multiplied into a huge area of sandy mountains. Upon arrival we learned that we could get 4-wheelers (or ATV’s or quad-bikes…whatever you want to call them) and have a guide take us into the desert to go riding all along the dunes. We thought this sounded pretty awesome, so we paid up, got suited into helmets and glasses and got acquainted with our vehicles. They were actually manually able to shift gears for a stronger ride with a foot pedal.

Our guide, Joanie, was a guy who clearly knew this land like the back of his hand. After getting ready, we headed out to the dunes where our 4-wheelers slid around a bit, but mainly gripped well onto the solid ground that was formed by the mountains of sand before us. Joanie was showing off, doing wheelie’s and driving barefoot. We laughed as both Laura and I got stuck at different points going up hills because we didn’t properly shift gears, but we pretty much had the hang of it and quickly began having the time of our lives! It was seriously amazing. We would drive up HUGE hills and stop at the peak where our guide would pull us over and explain how to safely go down the extremely steep hills. We are talking hundreds of feet down and we would go one by one or all together, screaming and feeling like we were on top of the world. It was truly one of the most incredible experiences of my life. I will NEVER forget riding up and down dune after dune and looking around to the ever-changing, smooth formations made by the fine, glittering sand. It was unbelievable.

After a bit over an hour we headed back to the shack and turned in our ATV’s and decided to head over to the large dune right there and try to climb it. We had seen people walking along the rim of the dunes after climbing their steep face, so we thought we would give it a go. After about 10 tough strides up the hill that only left us about 5 feet off the ground, we knew this was no easy task. We kept going and going, huffing and puffing our way up the dune, but it was AWFUL!!! I have never had so much sand in my shoes in my life and we just kept sinking further and further back down the hill. We made it about halfway up, but gave up there, knowing we had no shot at reaching the top. We couldn’t help but laugh our heads off at our pitiful attempt, though! Ha ha!

When we headed back to the ship we found out that we had been put on the evening full-ship tour that was a dinner out in the dunes. We headed out that evening in a small van to the same area where we had been 4-wheeling. This time, though, the vans kept driving and driving and driving! It seemed like we would never get off the horribly bumpy roads, but we finally turned onto the soft sand of the dunes where there were small lanterns lighting our way between hundreds of feet of sand into a small valley where we parked.

I was BLOWN AWAY by the setup of the whole event. On every side of us were dunes climbing about 300 feet high, there were 4 camels that were there giving little rides around the dunes, and 50 lanterns sat in the sand, giving a special ambiance to the whole area. There was, of course, a red carpet that led to the main area of three large tents and a courtyard kind of setup. There was a tree lit with twinkle lights sitting in front of the main entertainment for the night, a Namibian youth choir, drummers, and some guys playing xylophones and things. They literally sang the most amazing music ALL NIGHT LONG! To start, Laura and I climbed up one of the dunes (on a much more shallow incline) to a peak with an awesome view. Then we headed down for pictures riding camels before going in for dinner. I couldn’t believe all the food! There were 3 or 4 buffets set up with oxtail, chicken, lamb, and antelope for dinner along with lots of veggies and desserts. We ate our weight in African food and finished up enjoying more music from the choir. As a grand finale to this magical night they had fire breathers and flame throwers perform for the crowd. I was definitely on sensory overload by this point, but what a great experience.

Namibia was a wonderfully full, exciting day on the trip and I couldn’t have asked for any more adventures. What a FANTASTIC day to share with Laura and really give her an idea of how great the experience has been for me. It’s been so good to have her here visiting and hanging out with me, especially with all the sea days we are going through. I can’t wait to finish telling you all about the trip when I get home, but until then…

See you in 4 days!

Tripp

Capes and Grapes

2009-11-25T18:51:00.000-05:00

We were blessed with a perfect day for the sail-in to Cape Town, South Africa, a much-anticipated port considering I was meeting up with Laura and it was our last cruise! The views from the ship were amazing as we sailed around Table Mountain, the signature landmark of the city, a flat-top mountain that pours down into Cape Town and directly in to the ocean. What beautiful scenery for a great city! I finished up my duties for the day after we had docked and I headed outside, where Laura was set to meet me at 5:00 in the afternoon. I walked out into the prettiest port we have ever docked in. It looked like a cute little harbor town from a Disney movie or something and right down the main strip I saw Laura with a man she had wrangled to carry her bags for her! Ha ha! Always resourceful!

After hugs and laughs and lugging her giant bag (for coming from the African bush she sure had 2 VERY full bags! Ha!) to the ship, I got her checked in and acclimated, showed her the cabin, and we decided to walk around the harbor. We just went around through a mall and some shops, asked for information about the city, etc. Around 8:30 or so we headed out that night walking to a restaurant I had found in a guidebook on the city. It took us a little time, but we found the really fun spot, Col Cacchio, a pizza joint with crazy salads and combinations for pies. It was so nice to just sit over AMAZING food and talk for a few hours, catching up on the insane travels we have been privileged to have lately. It was so much fun to share adventures and know that we had plenty of time in the next 2 weeks to have some of our own.

The next day was embarkation day, but we got up early to try our hand at going up Table Mountain. When we headed out, though, our dreams were dashed by the notorious Table Cloth, the cloud cover that lingers at the top of the mountain, obstructing the views and making it impossible to enjoy any visit to the top. Since we had the time, though, we decided to walk around the city some and see what we could find. We wandered around through some open markets, down Long Street, an area with funky restaurants and shops, and through Company Gardens. This area is basically the city park with lots of paths and gardens around and some government buildings, all being looked over by Table Mountain, constantly in the background over the city.

After embarkation we went out and Table Mountain was clear so we got a cab to the cable car station. Our cab driver was Frank, a local man of mixed race (called “colored” here in town) who talked some about the city and the way it has changed along racial lines and the violence they have experienced in gangs. It was enlightening and always is nice to have an informative cab driver. When we arrived to the station he warned us that we needed to catch the first car up while it wasn’t too windy. We took his advice and soon boarded the car.

The cable car was a big, rotating marvel and we had a blast rising the 3,000 feet to the top of the table. It was a fun ride and had amazing views of the city and our ship sitting in the harbor. At the top we stood just at eye level with the clouds and began walking around the strange landscape. Somewhere between a desert and a forest (I know…they’re opposite), the mountain is covered in rocks and has some cactus, small bushes, but is mostly flat. We finished our stay at the top with a snack at the Table Mountain Café and went back down to the ship. That night I introduced Laura to the Compass Rose and the overwhelmed look on her face was priceless. We had a great meal and enjoyed Karen’s cabaret, performed after dinner and then I gave Laura the grand tour of the ship.

It was fun for me to be reminded by a friend from home how amazing this place is. Laura was BLOWN AWAY by the ship and its many levels, lounges, corridors, its size, its cleanliness, and the 6-star feel it had! Ha! She said it reminded her of a jewelry box! It was a nice finish to the day. The next morning we met up with Elena, who had met some family of hers from Cape Town! She had never met them before and stayed with them the duration of our time in the city, but she invited Laura and I along for the final day and we were HAPPY to head out with her and her 3^rd cousins, Isaac and Yvonne.

Starting out they drove us out of the city, being our personal tour guides and pointing out all sorts of insider info about how the town has grown, what different areas of the city are like, what changes are having to be made for the World Cup 2010 events, etc. It was great to learn things from LOCALS who actually knew what they were talking about. We immediately headed into the winelands outside the city. South Africa and Cape Town, in particular, are famous for their wines and have been growing grapes for hundreds of years. We first went to a place called the Vineyard Connection, which was a winery, but also had a restaurant, woolshop, and gift store. It was great fun and we looked around for a while and also enjoyed a small, private wine tasting they provided for us.

After finishing a drive through the beautiful green hills of the winelands we found out the WHOLE family was waiting for us at the beach for a picnic they had made. Yvonne and Isaac were so funny and I couldn’t wait to meet the rest of the family, so we headed out to a beautiful beach outside the city. There, 6 more family members and 2 dogs were awaiting our arrival with a cooler full of sandwiches, chips, strawberries, bananas, drinks, croissants, tea, and cheese with olives from the winery. It was seriously AMAZING! We couldn’t have been a happier bunch enjoying the sun and breeze on the beach and goofing around with Elena and her great family. What fantastic people! We did have to get back to the ship, though, and we were sad to sail away from Cape Town, a gem of a city. It was a really fun port to kick off our last cruise and a fun time with Laura was certainly had! Can’t wait to update you on our next adventures!

Love,

Tripp (and Laura)

Going on Safari

2009-11-20T04:09:00.000-05:00

After we left Kenya the ship went to Zanzibar, Tanzania. I had a tour in the morning that took me to the Jozani Forest, a reserve where I walked around mahogany trees that were hundreds of years old and also saw monkeys. The most interesting part of the tour was a walk through a bunch of mangrove trees. I had never really learned what they were, but mangrove trees grow with their roots above ground in bog-like areas. It was all very interesting, but not much to report about. After that we sailed to Richard’s Bay, South Africa, a port in the middle of Zulu country. This took 3 days, which may be my limit of time at sea. This ship is only so big and after more than even 48 hours I start to go a little crazy. The crossing of the Atlantic coming up is going to be a true test of patience! Ha ha!

On our first day in Richard’s Bay I decided to go out and inquire about a safari. I knew this would be the last port that I could make this dream come true. After having really wanted to go in Kenya and missing out, I was not about to let that happen! I wandered outside and found a guide who was willing to take people on safari, but I would need to call her and gather people together for the day trip. I went downstairs and spent the next hour desperately trying to gather people and convince them to spend their money on a safari! I was ready to pay up, but most people were a little wary. I finally convinced Brett, Rose, and Melanie to go with me and gave Lyn, our tour guide a call. We were off to Hluhluwe-Ifozi (pronounced Shlew-shlew-way Oof-ohts-ee) Game Reserve!

On our drive Lyn began telling us about herself and the area. She is of Indian descent, but was born and raised in South Africa and has broken into the tourism industry with her own company. We soon learned she had overcome many obstacles as an Indian woman in this industry and had recently been named the Tour Guide of the Year for 2009, a major achievement. I was so excited because I could tell it was going to be a great day. She told us all about how the Zulu people live now in the area, still preserving many of their rituals and traditions, and an hour-long drive later we arrived at the game park.

Lyn warned us that she would do her best to find anything and everything, but that we should not pray to her, but to God, because there were certainly no guarantees of seeing particular animals. This is a 96,000 hectacre park where the animals are not controlled in anyway. The land is not worked, the animals are not fed, and they are completely free to live as they do in any natural area. We all kept our eyes peeled and began driving through the park on the edge of our seats, nervously keeping a lookout for animals. After driving around for 5 minutes I was getting nervous until we ran into a warthog! While it wasn’t any big animal, I was so PUMPED!!! I told Lyn I would be super-easy to please and that I was already thrilled with the experience. We soon after saw rhinos in the distance and a herd of buffalo on a far-off hill. Our first close animal was a zebra who had a baby with her who was feeding off her mom’s milk. It was amazing to see and I couldn’t have been happier!

Throughout the day we ended up seeing so many animals! We saw 15 animals, including zebra, lots of giraffes, tons of buffalo, elephants, dozens of rhinos, nyala, impala, bush pigs, and hyena. There were some extra special moments including giraffes right by the car, watching a rhino mark its territory (different than urinating) and seeing lots of baby animals around the park! We had lunch at the Hilltop Camp, which was absolutely gorgeous. Lyn was such a champ the whole day, giving us lots of great information about the animals, searching diligently, and really opening up to us. She said we were such a fun group and that it was so nice to feel like she could just be herself and have fun with us! We ended up being with Lyn ALL DAY LONG and 8 hours after we started she dropped us back off at the ship. We were pooped!

The next morning I woke up at the crack of dawn for a tour! I headed to Dumazulu Cultural Heritage Center at 6:00 am with the guests. I was so tired that it wasn’t the most thrilling tour I’ve ever done, but I did have a good time. The closest thing I can relate this to is their version of a Colonial Williamsburg. The people are all dressed in traditional clothes and living in huts, making pottery, spears, baskets, and beadwork. It was fun seeing how the Zulu people would have operated in the villages years ago, but it all felt a little Disney to me! Ha ha! The highlight of the tour was seeing the people perform traditional dances to drumming. It was a really exciting show that they put on while we tasted their local beer and cheered them on! I felt like I got a really nice taste of everything Richard’s Bay had to offer, enjoying the safari and the Zulu culture. For the past 2 days we have been sailing through rough seas to Cape Town, South Africa where, I’m happy to report, I will be meeting Ms. Laura Cochran! Laura is going to be sailing with me on the last cruise of my contract and I am so pumped! I can’t believe I will be flying home in 2 weeks! I’m excited, but certainly sad to leave behind certain aspects like my crew members and the travel. Ugh- that will have to be a whole different post. Until then…miss you and see you soon!

Tripp

Kenya and Harrison, my personal guide

2009-11-15T08:13:00.002-05:00

This leg of the cruise is quite long and has a ton of sea days. It is a 19 night cruise and we are only in port for 8 of those days. It makes for a very different dynamic. We are seeing these passengers a lot and really getting to know them, which is great fun, but at the same time…they begin expecting all sorts of things and wanting new, special activities so this cruise we have had many events and special game tournaments, etc. When we sailed from the Seychelles we had 2 days at sea before reaching Mombasa, Kenya. It was bittersweet because I was excited to see the port, but I would not get to go on a safari like most cast members did because I had rehearsal that day. I played piano for Brett (the other male singer) whose cabaret we performed that night after sailing away from Mombasa. I was pretty bummed, but I decided to make the best of it and use what time I DID have in the port as best as possible.

Brett and I headed out via the shuttle bus into the city of Mombasa wehre we were dropped off on a main strip that was all banks, hotels, and souvenir shops. This was a very modern, not too nice part of town, with people trying to sell things to you and stuff. We weren’t too impressed, but after getting some money exchanged we headed toward the area known as the old town. (It’s not particularly old, but it’s older…I guess.) On our way to Fort Jesus, one of the main sights of the town we had all sorts of solicitors wanting us to buy from them, etc. Then we were approached by a young guy who asked us our names and where we were from. He wore a badge and said that he worked for the government and as I was trying to shoo him off assuming him to be another salesmen, he explained that he was a tour guide for the old town area. I still was wary, but I decided we might as well let him help us get situated as far as what we should see and where we should go in the town. He walked us to the Fort and we said we really didn’t have enough money to go in, but he explained that we should walk to the gate and look in because that wouldn’t cost anything, but we could still see the thing. Along the way he explained all sorts of historical info about the fort and I realized he seriously knew what he was talking about.

Harrison (our personal guide) stuck with us and took us along the coast of Mombasa Island where we got to see slave tunnels, were guided through markets, handicraft stores, an ancient well, a grocery, and a fish market. We also saw kids playing a local game (kind of a variation on pool in a miniature form) and were introduced to all sorts of things in the way of Kenyan life. Harrison loved teaching us the three key phrases in the area, “Jambo” which means “hello”, “hakuna matata” (see Lion King), and “pole, pole” (pronounced pohl-eh) which means “slowly, slowly”. They have a great sense of community here and are incredibly welcoming. Harrison was seriously such a lucky find for Brett and I because he knew those streets like the back of his hand. We wove around for a few hours, finishing up at a Hindu temple where Harrison went over some of the traditions with us. Kenya is a Christian country, but Mombasa has a large Muslim population and smaller Hindu population, as well. Harrison is Rastafarian, but he knew all about the ways of the other religions. Ha ha! One funny thing was that there were Obama souvenirs and posters and bumper stickers all over the place. People would shout out his name to us and Harrison said that many of the people in town actually call him Obama because his father’s village is the same as Obama’s father’s village! Ha ha!

About 3 hours after we met Harrison, Brett decided to go back to the ship and I told Harrison I wanted to do a little souvenir shopping before going back. We walked back to some shops that he knew of and he continued giving all sorts of great information and discussing our jobs. He is only one of 15 certified guides in the city and if the police catch others of trying to do his job they can be arrested. There is a specific way of knowing what guide gets to go out at what time of the day, etc. This was a full, legitimate operation. We ended up going to some stores where I would look around and the shopkeepers, who all knew Harrison, would ask me to please purchase something, from their shop. They all were so sweet and I hated to turn them down. They were asking me to please spend 250 shillings (not even 3 dollars) in their shop so they could feed their families. While it may have seemed like a scheme…it’s not. These people are so poor, but so kind. (Okay- I did have one little boy no older than 5 years old walk right up and try to grab my wallet out of my back pocket.) I did buy some things and joked with them that I was going to end up supporting the whole continent of Africa if I didn’t stop! Ha!

Finally I finished up, gave Harrison a nice little contribution and he called a tuq tuq for me. These are 3-wheeled little cars that hold only a few people and are super cheap. Harrison felt bad because he tried to negotiate a lower price for me, but the driver insisted on 100 shillings for the 10 minute drive back to the shuttle bus stop. That’s about $1.25, so I felt okay about it. I thought I was finished for my adventures that day, but once I returned to the port I saw all sorts of people selling souvenirs all along the dock. I knew I didn’t want to buy anything, but I though I’d just look. One man approached me and said, “Jambo! What is your name sir?” After introducing myself he said his name was Taylor, which I informed him was my sister’s name. He began bargaining and selling to me, but I said I didn’t have any money to spend. He said, “We don’t need! We will trade you something!” He wanted my watch, my bag, my water bottle…all of which I refused, but finally I agreed to look through my bag to find some things. I kid you not; these people would have taken ANYTHING! I couldn’t believe it! After offering a couple bananas from in town and an old key ring, Taylor encouraged me to add to the pot, so I pulled out 4 “Thank You” notes and a pen with no cap. He was excited and asked for one more item. After reaching into my pocket and offering my USED chapstick, Taylor was satisfied. While I didn’t even WANT a souvenir, I was far too amused with the whole situation to stop now. I ended up with a hand-carved, wooden letter opener and a clean backpack.

At the end of it all, Taylor asked where my sister was and if I could bring her outside. No- I explained that she was in the States and he said, “Is she married?” I laughed and said that she was and wondered out loud if he was wanting me to trade her for something! Ha ha! I said she was very beautiful and before I even got the words out, Taylor came up with his offer. “I will give you 30 camels for her,” he exclaimed resolutely. I died laughing and said when I returned to Kenya I would bring her a long to make a deal with him so they could be Taylor and Taylor and live happily ever after! Ha ha! What a trip! I had such a good time with these people and I truly cant’ wait to return and explore this part of the world more. Hope all is well…only a couple weeks left!

Tripp

Ps- I just wanted to mention…I have discussed how much I love the crew on board. I have gotten quite close with a number of the Filipino crew and know most of them by name, but 2 days ago I was over the moon. I was walking down the hall at night and my friend, Wayan, said, “Hello, Papa!” Papa is used as a term of endearment between Filipino men and I have only heard them say it to each other and one other white guy who has worked with them for 10 years or so! I couldn’t believe it. I am so glad to have gained such a good rapport with them to for them to trust me and respect me enough to call me Papa. Anyway- it was a really special moment for me on board. Talk to all of you soon!

Paradise Found: A Little More Wet than I Pictured

2009-11-11T14:53:00.001-05:00

We continued sailing for a couple of days down to a group of islands known as the Maldives (pronounced Mahl-deevz) where we would port in the capital city of Male. We have been looking forward to this and the ports that would follow because they were known for being some of the most incredibly beautiful beaches in all the world. We had seen pictures and heard stories about the perfectly white sandy beaches on these tiny islands in the Indian Ocean and about the warm, clear waters where we would swim.

Well- some things don’t work out like you plan, as we have learned, and when we arrived to Male, what do you know? It’s POURING down rain. Lovely. We were super-bummed, but just decided to go on and take a tender to the island and find a café. We did and got online for a bit before it started to rain even harder, when we decided to go on and head back out to the ship. It just wasn’t going to be the best way for us to see this port, so we resigned ourselves to heading out. No big deal.

The next two days were days at sea so we continued floating along and making our way toward the Seychelles (pronounced Say-shellz) where we were told we would find more of these idyllic beaches. Along the way, though we had a big event on the ship: we crossed the EQUATOR! Now- of course I found this really exciting…to be able to say I had gone into another hemisphere was totally cool! Apparently, though, this is a really big deal when you are on cruise ships, though. The ships are required to do a big ceremony and we were in charge of helping put it on. I’ll give you the quick version…

A narrator comes out on the pool deck where all the guests have gathered and announces the arrival of King and Queen Neptune, who process down the outdoor stairs to the pool deck. (This was a guest lecturer and our cruise director dressed in crazy outfits with crowns, tritons, and wetsuits on!) I played a bodyguard, wearing a dark suit with sunglasses and an ear bud, protecting the royal King and Queen of the Seas! Ha ha! Then there are two mermaids that also accompany the king and queen and a bunch of pirates that help keep the ceremony moving along. This was all the cast dressed up, of course. There are little rituals that are performed like having guests and crew who have never crossed the equator dumped with nasty green slime and thrown into the pool. It was a lot of goofy fun and I am happy to report that King Neptune gave us permission to go on and pass over the Equator safely! Ha ha!

While we were supposed to arrive early morning to Port Victoria, our first port in the Seychelles, the weather was not very kind to us. You have to remember: I am living on a moving vessel. The captain did his best, but with the rain and headwinds there was just no way to get to Port Victoria on time. We didn’t end up arriving until after dark, unfortunately, so again…no beautiful beaches. I did head off the ship with Elena, Rose, and Brett and we found a cab and asked the driver to take us to a beach close by and he began to drive us. Brian, the driver, was FANTASTIC, giving us all sorts of info about the islands, their agriculture, crime rate, educational system, work force, etc. We arrived to a gorgeous resort and he dropped us off outside and we agreed to a time for a pick up. We headed into the hotel, which was more than welcome to have us just hanging out on their beach even though it was after dark and we were not paying guests. We played in the warm water and walked along the beach for a while. Then we sat down and had a nice time just taking in some live music and having fruity drinks at the hotel’s restaurant. It was such a nice respite and even though it was dark out, we didn’t even care! It was great. Brian came and picked us up and finished our night with more great information and we went back to the ship.

We were surprised when we woke up to not be in the next port of call, as scheduled! The ship had been refueling and still wasn’t finished getting filled up! Oh my word! Seriously- you never know what is going to happen living on ships. The guests have been pretty good sports, but having to cut ports altogether, arriving late, and canceling tours hasn’t been what they’d expected for their cruise! Anyway- we eventually left and made it to another island, Praslin (pronounced Prah-len) in the Seychelles. I was glad to go on tour and rode with guests to a really pretty beach. This place reminded me of “South Pacific” with its overgrown, but incredibly lush landscape and granite mountains in the distance. We had a nice time swimming and I enjoyed a fresh papaya the size of my head before heading back to the ship. Oh! And the sun even came out for about 30 minutes while we were there at the beach! Ha ha! Who would have thought?!

Now we are back at sea for two days before arriving to Kenya tomorrow morning. It’s been an interesting cruise so far, but I am hoping things will begin to be back on schedule soon and that everything will get back to a routine eventually! Ha ha! Here’s to 24 days more on the Voyager!

Tripp

India and the Snake Boat Races

2009-11-11T14:48:00.000-05:00

Alrighty- the second day in Mumbai was also an embarkation day, so I had very limited time to get out and see anything, but Brett decided he would brave the streets with me to go see a few more places in the city before reporting for duty by noon. We woke up early and headed out of the terminal to the line of taxis. The taxi union here is VERY strong and will not allow the company to have shuttle buses into the city and insists on getting all control of people leaving the port. We knew we were going to have to bargain with them, though, for a decent price.

We picked out one of the city’s signature black, yellow-roofed taxis and started going back and forth with the driver. We told him that we just wanted to go around the city, stopping at various places, but having him stay with us for the whole morning, which he agreed to. We talked him down to $30 for the 2.5 hours and started on our way. One thing that was quite different on this drive was being so low to the ground. The previous day, having been in a tour bus, we somewhat ruled the road, but today we were just another car in the shuffle…and boy what a shuffle it was! The traffic is truly astonishing in this city because there are NO RULES. There are people, bikes, taxis, cows, carriages, buses, people pulling carts, etc. and the most daring driver wins. If you don’t like the sound of car horns…AVOID MUMBAI!!!

We headed in to the most famous landmark in the city, the Gate of India. It is a large monument right on the water and is the city symbol. There were, of course, hundreds of people here, including lots of Indians trying to sell cheap souvenirs. At one point a guy came up offering to sell us a map. We said no and then he said, “How about the good map?” and showed us some drugs! Ha ha! We said, “No- but we may be back tomorrow!” and headed back to our cab. Ha ha! Welcome to India! Our next stop, we decided, would be the Dhobi Gat, the outdoor laundry of Bombay. There are a few of these, but our driver took us to the largest one. We drove for FOREVER and I thought I would never recover from the diesel fumes I had taken in, but we finally arrived to an overpass sort of spot where here were stairs that led down to a maze of laundry lines, soaking stations, and people making laundry their living. It was quite literally a city of laundry men and women. Seeing hundreds of people living in this spot, slamming the laundry onto stones to make it dry, scrubbing away, and hanging the beautiful, colorful saris was one of the most enduring visions I think I will take from the trip. It was unbelievable.

On our way back to the taxi I saw a young boy with just a pair of shorts on sort of smiling and dancing around. I snapped a picture of him really quickly and continues walking to our cab. He followed me, though, and all of a sudden the happy boy turned into a little beggar, holding out his palm for money and then putting his hand up to his mouth as if to ask for food. As much as I would have loved to give him something, I knew I shouldn’t because this was his game. This was his family’s business; send out the kids to smile and get tourists to give them money. I avoided it until his mother came over and started talking to our cab driver who eventually gave her a couple euro so she would head off. It is a different world than what I have been seeing in Kentucky and even in Europe. This is a way of life only familiar to me in stories and pictures until now. Now it is part of my life experience.

We got back to the ship and sailed away that night, but Mumbai made a huge imprint on my heart. These are incredibly proud people, filled with a RICH, beautiful culture and kind hearts, ready to welcome any traveler. I must return here later in life. The next day we were at sea, but the following morning I was up early ready to go on one more tour in India. We docked in Cochin, at the south of the country. India is divided into a number of different states and regions that all have specific cultural aspects unique to their area. On this day almost everyone on the ship was on tour to a boat race. We boarded coaches for the hour- long ride to a beautiful lake area. From there we got on boats that took us out to a large viewing platform. It was like a big, floating amphitheatre, with the water being the stage.

Upon arrival to the stand we watched some local drummers and dancers performing ceremonial exorcism dances and learned some of the history and tradition of what we would be seeing. We were watching the local snake boat races. This is a very competitive event among the different villages in the area. Each village is represented and comes to the race with one boat to compete. The boats are only a few feet wide, just enough to hold two people, but are extremely long, with the backs rising up out of the water, giving the appearance of a rising snake. The boats hold 100-120 men from each village who all wear the same colored shirts to be easily identifiable and they race in a number of heats.

I was with Rose and we picked a team to cheer for from the beginning. The pink team won their first heat, getting them to the final round. The teams were competing for the “Seven Seas Trophy” that one of our guests would present to them! It was so much fun! We were cheering and enjoyed a fresh coconut milk right from the fruit itself, ate local oranges, cashews, and tapioca chips! All of this was given to us by the people there who were SO SWEET, wanting to explain exactly what was going on and giving us all sorts of info about how competitive these races can get. Anyway, between races some Indian men came up to me and asked if I was enjoying the races very much and if I had been to something like this before. I of course told them how much fun we were having and they asked if they could interview me on camera and ask these questions for a local news station! Ha ha! I said sure and immediately I was being filmed and had a mic in my face. They wanted to know where I was from, if I had fun, etc. Suddenly the questions changed from, “What do you think of these boat races?” to “What is your opinion of the economic crisis? Has it affected you much?” and “What about the swine flu? Are you nervous about getting infected with H1N1?” Oh my word! I gave quick, polite answers and got out by insisting on watching the next race, but I laughed thinking about some special report that night on local Indian TV where the little blond American was commenting on the snake boat race demonstration…and H1N1. Ha ha! What a riot.

The final race was terribly exciting and all the passengers were shouting and cheering for different teams and it was a photo finish, but our team came in second! Immediately the captains of the winning teams jumped off their respective boats to come receive their trophies. After getting them they got back in the water, holding the trophy on their heads until they reached the boats with the rest of their teams! Ha! We had a really fun day and it was a great little taste of local flavor meeting some of the athletes and watching this fun event! With that, we sailed off from India, but this country has made a huge impact on me. I cant wait to return to this colorful land, learn more about the people, and experience even more of the wonderful hospitality the people have to offer. I really hope everyone is doing well back home! Miss ya!

Tripp

Overwhelming, but Beautiful India

2009-11-04T13:11:00.000-05:00

The past 3 or 4 days have been spent in the country of India. We first were in Mumbai for 2 days, which was an incredibly humbling, shocking cultural and human experience. We arrived to the port and were cleared and I headed off to go on tour to some of the markets in the city. Mumbai is one of the most populated cities in the world, it has 54% of its people living in slums, and is home to Bollywood, India’s film industry capital. It is a bustling, lively city unlike anywhere in the world I’ve ever been.

I knew it was going to be a unique tour from the first moment of boarding the bus when our sweet guide said, “I want to let you know…EVERYONE will be staring at us all day long. Just go on and expect that. You are the first tourist group to ever go into these markets, so many of these people will have never seen a white person in this environment.” She said that people may gawk and wave, and speak to us, but that they meant know harm and were just curious. Boy- I could have never expected this. I was first BLOWN AWAY on our ride just out from the port. Our guide said, “Okay- today is just a typical, lazy Sunday afternoon.” I laughed out loud because there were hundreds of people covering the streets and cars honking everywhere and people waving to our bus as if we were celebrities and taxis by the dozens lined up at intersections and shacks with small children playing in the street. IT WAS A ZOO!!! I had never seen so many people in my life living at such a low standard before. Most people were barefoot or had thin sandals, they all looked quite dirty, but the women were wearing gorgeous, bright sari’s, a traditional Hindu wrap dress in all sorts of colors and jewels. Among all the traffic there were also lots of men pulling large carts piled 20 feet high with milk crates, bags of peppers or cotton, etc.

We made our first stop in a market where they were selling mostly spices like curry, cumin, pepper, and coconut. Our guide showed us how the coconuts are tested for quality by hitting them with a mallet and listening for a certain tone that ensures a certain taste. We also were shown some young women who were cleaning small, red chili peppers. Our guide said that if we even touched one of these we would just die because they were so hot. These girl were right in there, just working with them in their hands and we were standing a good 6 or 7 feet away, coughing up a storm just from the spice in the air! It was unreal. Next we continued by bus to the next area, but I was overcome with the reaction of the locals to us in the bus. People were smiling, waving, trying to get our attention, wanting us to take their pictures, etc. It was like they had never met people of our race or class or something. I couldn’t believe it was like this in such a large city.

On our next stop we had to walk a little ways to a local Hindu temple, but on the way we stopped a few times. When we would stop and our guide would explain something, at least 20 local Indians would gather right around us as well, just looking, listening, smiling, and saying hello to us. No one was trying to sell anything, but they would ask us where we were from, how we liked India, etc. They just were curious. It was amazing. One interesting stop along the way was to a local animal shelter that held cows and pigeons. Both of these animals are thought of as being lucky, sacred creatures that the Hindus revere, so they are protected here. (Which is why we saw cows wandering the streets free.) While we were in this area, though, I was…blessed by a lovely pigeon…right on the forehead. It was a nice little green surprise, but I was told it was a sign of VERY good luck. Ha! Whatever- can’t cry over spilled…pigeon poop…right?

Soon after we headed back to the ship, but I just want to comment once more on the incredible poverty in this city. These people are in quite good spirits, but they are sleeping right on the street, walking barefoot through the trash that is overtaking the city, and are surrounded by the most OVERWHELMING smells that I may have ever encountered. Sometimes it smells of feces, lots of times of spices, many times of diesel fumes, and many times of a mixture of trash and any of the previously mentioned scents. It is truly astonishing and literally takes your breath away. (It’s blogs like these that I wish you could understand better through smell-o-blogging.)

Upon arrival to the ship we had the pleasure of having a local group perform traditional Indian music and dancing. It was a high-energy, interesting show with very colorful costumes and WONDERFUL dancing. I realized that much of hip-hop dance must have come from these dances because it was really similar. That night I also performed my one-man cabaret called “Boy with Dreams.” I had worked on the show a lot, but was quite nervous because it was just me on stage for 45 minutes and that’s a lot of responsibility. Think- if ANYTHING goes wrong there is no cast or band or anyone to blame it on…it is just my little self up there on the piano screwing it up! Ha ha! Thankfully it went off without a hitch (thanks to the lucky pigeon poop, I believe) and it was a really nice night. I was really blown away by this city, but I did have a chance to get out for just a bit more the next day and then had a wonderful experience in our other port of call in India today, Cochin. Those stories will be coming in the next post. I will tell you, though, these people are some of the most interesting, beautiful, hospitable people I have ever encountered and I can’t WAIT to return to India, hopefully for a more extended visit. I was sad to hear that many crew and passengers couldn’t see through the poverty and smells to the incredible color, personality, culture, and beauty of this land, but I hope to explore it even more. Hope you have a wonderful day and hope to hear from each and every one of you out there in cyber world. Love ya!

Tripp

Finishing up the Middle East

2009-11-03T02:13:00.000-05:00

You have good days and bad days in all aspects in life. Regent prides itself on offering some of the most unique and exciting itineraries in the cruising world. Hello! I am seeing amazing places. Sometimes, though, there are things that are just out of the company’s and the ship’s control. We arrived in Al Bahrain, Bahrain and everyone was excited and getting ready to head out into the city for tours. We loaded the buses with passengers and were driven about 2 blocks to a passport control building. Before heading in we waited in the bus for a little over half an hour. Upon entering the building the officers were holding people, taking far too long to look at every passport, not accepting crew, etc. It was a DISASTER! By the time we left the port we were almost 2 hours late and everyone was quite grumpy.

As a tour escort I am only there as a liaison from the ship for the guest’s sake in case I am needed. When our tour guide got on the bus and didn’t know how to use a microphone for his commentary…I knew we were in trouble. The guests and I had to show him where the microphone was…literally. Oh my word. We began driving and he would say one or two things that were practically inaudible and then he would just giggle into the mic over and over and over! He had NOTHING to say. We stopped at deserted sights and I had guests immediately BEGGING me to take the bus back to the ship. About an hour into the tour I pulled the guide aside to tell him we needed to head back, but he had other concerns. There was one man on tour that wanted to go shopping (even though nothing was open) and he was furious that the tour had the potential to be cut short! UUUGGGHHH!!!!! Anyway- after sitting for 2 hours in traffic in downtown Bahrain, the man was satisfied and we came back to the ship 2 hours late. The guide was COMPLETELY oblivious to how horribly the tour had gone, but I was mortified as a representative of the company. What a mess!

That night there was a ship-wide tour (that many decided to skip after other awful experiences on tour during the day) to the Formula One race track. It was a really fun night. We boarded buses and drove up to the beautiful, new facility that seats 45,000 people and with an escort we actually rode the buses around on the track! It was so funny and you could tell how excited our driver was; he kept laughing and shouting like this was the greatest thrill in the world! Ha ha!

After our drive around we headed to the royal, VIP box where there were local dancers, musicians, henna artists, falconers, etc. We got to go up to the top floors and have cocktails, finger food and stand out on the balconies while cars did a racing demonstration. It was a very lovely evening, which was a good make-up for the TERRIBLE day almost every guest had on tour. It was such a mess.

The next 2 days we were docked in Abu Dhabi, which we had heard being compared to Dubai. It is another very big, wealthy city in the United Arab Emirates. This city was quite different, I thought, though. It didn’t seem to be quite as much of a “Disneyland” sort of set up with bizarre high-rises in the middle of sand. There wasn’t some sort of a competition for who could build the strangest building or have the most glamorous, over-the-top façade. It seemed like this city has used their money to build a very stable society and normal downtown area.

Our shuttle bus service took us to the Marina Mall, which gave us a nice overview of the city on the drive there. I was blown away by how much greenery there was along the waterfront promenade the ENTIRE length of this huge downtown. This road was called the corniche and was an extensively landscaped park that I knew I wanted to explore. Anyway- on the first night I headed to the mall and looked around for a bit before I decided to go see a movie. Having been out of society for almost 6 months now, I hadn’t heard of any of the films playing, but I didn’t care. I picked some thriller called “A Perfect Getaway” and headed in to the theatre where I was one of about 10 people not in traditional Muslim robes of the 50 people in the theatre. I was SO glad to have a night alone, though. I hadn’t realized how much it had gotten to me to not have that time away, by myself. When I am home I love to disappear and just take drives every once in a while and do things by myself, but always being on the job and in different cities everyday, it’s hard to do that! Afterwards I headed to a restaurant that had internet access and just sort of vegged on hot chocolate and wifi! It was a great night.

The next day I headed back out to the mall by shuttle bus, grabbed some food and then began making my way back toward the ship via taxi. I had the taxi drop me off toward the top of the corniche so I could go exploring through the park myself. I turned my ipod on and found all sorts of great fountains, gardens, water features, lakes, cafes, a hedge maze, and some really beautiful views of this skyline. It reminded me of Waterfront park in Louisville, but about 20 times as big and more landscaped and designed. At one point I heard the call to prayer ringing out from a mosque and I was made fully aware that I wasn’t in the West. It’s bizarre feeling out of place in my own skin at times. I have rarely been the odd man out, but after the Middle East and Mumbai (which you’ll hear about soon…I promise) I have become much more aware that a blond kid from America can sometimes be about as odd as they come, depending on where in the world you are.

After Abu Dhabi we made one more small stop and sailed away heading toward India. I have never been more surprised by a visit to anywhere I have traveled like I was with the Middle East. It was shocking, beautiful, HOT, I met lovely people, and I really would like to come back to explore more. I felt like I only got to scratch the surface, but I am only fascinated more by the Muslim world and the wonderful characters I had the privilege of meeting in the last couple of weeks. Hope you are all doing well. I officially have 32 days left on my contract. Can you even believe it?! Miss you guys!

Tripp

Hitting the Slopes

2009-10-29T17:38:00.000-04:00

The next port of call was Dubai, which the whole ship was excited about. Even from the beginning of our contract Dubai was one of the ports that people said was very fun and exciting. Dubai is one of the largest, most modern cities in the world and we were in port there for three days. The stop started off with a bang when we realized that the port had free internet!!! It wasn’t the best signal, but it was strong enough that we were able to get the signal even on the side of the ship if you sat close enough to a door or porthole. Ha ha! I know it seems silly, but when you are counting your every minute and second on the internet and having to pay for it all, being able to surf for free is a huge blessing!

Now this city is completely unique from anywhere I have ever been. It was really only built up to be as large as it is in the last decade or so from finding major wealth in oil and tourism. It now resembles some sort of a Disneyland version of Chicago and Las Vegas combined. There are some of the most unique skyscrapers and incredible hotels unlike anything you’ve ever seen. One of the incredible sights is just driving through the city and seeing all of these buildings rising up out of the sand. That’s what makes this place so crazy! In most cities it grew gradually from older, established towns, but here it is just a series of skyscrapers connected by sand. I couldn’t believe how odd it was to not have older, smaller buildings connecting these gigantic, modern structures.

On the first day I went with Rose on a shuttle bus to the Mall of the Emirates. This is one of the largest malls in the world with stores and restaurants from all over. We were dying when one of the first shops we found was a Krispy Kreme store! Ha! Clearly a necessary stop. After making our tummies more than satisfied we began wandering through the stalls of normal stores like H&M, Guess, a supermarket…we were a little overwhelmed, having not seen a mall in about 5 months! We had fun wandering around and eventually ran into some friends who were admiring the mall’s signature INDOOR ski slope. Now you have to remember; we are in the middle of the desert. The winter here is maybe into the upper 60’s and these people have never seen snow, so having the 3^rd largest indoor ski slope in the world here is really unreal. We couldn’t believe the whole thing and decided to try to go the next day. That night we just stayed on board, though, sitting on the crew deck with food and drinks, music, and laptops as a large majority of the crew sat out taking advantage of the free internet.

The next morning I got up early with Rose, Elena, and Bruno (a worker in the boutique) and we headed to the mall. Now: I have never set my feet in skis or attempted to ski in my life! I was a little nervous, but I figured I would be fine…hmmm. Upon arrival we saw signs posted everywhere stating that if that staff of the facility felt you were not strong enough in basic areas (turning, stopping, speed control) you would be asked to leave without a refund. I obviously became more worried. I stepped up to the ticket counter and ordered one “slope pass” to which I was asked, “Are you an experienced skier?” I paused, kept my mouth shut, but grinned, raised those eyebrows and nodded, “Mmhmm!” Got through that.

Now remember: all the while I am asking all sorts of retard beginner questions to the girls, but acting like I know what I’m doing. I did this through the process of picking up our jackets and pants, putting on the ski boots and skis, picking out poles, etc. I was in a nightmare. We finally got inside and we were blown away. This place was AWESOME with a full ski lift, about 4 slopes or so, a “snow park” with toboggan slides, tubing, ice bar, etc. I headed straight for the bunny slope with all the 4 and 5 year old kids where I started walking to get on the little moving sidewalk-syle lift to take me up the hill. I was off to a good start when I stepped right out of my skis before even getting on. After getting to the top I began down the hill, trying to turn just as the girls had shown me while they watched from the bottom of the hill. I turned, but it didn’t work so I tried turning more and all of the sudden I started spinning round and round! Ha ha! My arms and poles were flying, I was screaming, the girls were on the ground laughing and by the time the third turn came around I got stopped turning, but was facing the wrong way, going backwards now down the hill! HA! Oh my word! Anyway- I made it down and was just thankful no one seemed to have seen my brilliant skiing debut. I was quite proud that I hadn’t fallen, though!

After a few successful trips down the tiny bunny hill I headed up to the smallest of the normal hills. We were glad to find Brett at the top, snowboarding his way around, so he joined us the rest of the day. I started down and went straight into a wall (they don’t have any trees to run into, but the walls are plentiful. Ha ha!), but again I stayed on my feet and completed the slope. I was really proud that by the end of the day I went from the very top down the hill a few times and now I can’t wait to go down some real slopes OUTSIDE! Ha ha! To keep the snow frozen they had to keep the facility really cold, so we were only able to bear it for about 2 hrs before Elena looked like a little blueberry and we decided to head out. We had a really nice lunch at Chili’s of all places! We were glad for big ole’ American portions! Ha!

The last day was pretty quiet just walking around and got some good lunch. Overall I was really impressed with Dubai. The people were very nice and hey- I learned to ski! Who can say that they learned to ski in Dubai- in the middle of the desert of the United Arab Emirates?! Ha ha! It’s certainly an experience I won’t soon forget. Love you all and can’t wait to talk to you more in person. My time on the ship is coming to a close very quickly; only about 5 weeks left! Miss you all!

Tripp

Oh Man! It's OMAN!!

2009-10-28T17:11:00.000-04:00

Alright- we have major catching up to do. I know it seems like I am just lazy, but honestly… after writing so much for the past 5 months and seeing so much everyday and talking about it and living it with passengers… the blog can get a little daunting. I will make sure to get caught up in the next few days, though, as we will be at sea and I should have plenty of time to write.

The next port on our journey was Salalah, Oman. It’s pronounced just as you may think and yes- I did enjoy saying it each and every time it came out of my mouth. This southern part of the country of Oman is famous for frankincense! I was on tour and hopped in my bus where we headed to a frankincense tree. The incense is basically just sap droplets that are scraped from the tree, dried for a few days, and sold for burning, creating perfumes, using to breathe for medicinal purposes, etc. It’s a very strong smell (think Catholic mass), but the Arabs just SWEAR by the stuff. I wasn’t impressed, but I found the tree and harvesting process to be very interesting.

Then our bus headed to a very large, stretching beach and some cool rock formations that overhung like stalagmites (or tites… whichever comes down from the ceiling) and where we got to see some natural blowholes. Unfortunately the tide was down, so we didn’t see them blowing L. Following our beach visit we began to climb up mountains inland of the port of Salalah. This land looks like the surface of the moon at some parts and then has huge canyons and cliffs covered in grass. The variety of the landscape made this a very unique port. We reached the top of the mountain (after dodging camels that were heading back home on their own like dogs…seriously) and visited the alleged tomb of the prophet, Job. I was very skeptical of the whole thing, but when I asked my guide how we knew it was Job’s tomb he said, “It is! It is! “ I inquired again and he said, “We know because a few years ago the government told us!” Ha ha! After the clear explanation I was truly a believer. Driving back down the mountain we watched an AMAZING sunset and headed to the local souq. The souq is a local market hear in the Middle East and they usually sell local handicrafts, frankincense, clothing, jewelry, etc.

The next day I had an AMAZING tour in Muscat, Oman. I was in a tiny van with 7 passengers, a driver, and our guide whose name has escaped me. Ugh. Anyway- it was amazing because it was like we were on a private VIP tour, able to ask our young guide anything and everything. Of course being here we are always around women in black robes and men in their traditional white robes. Our guide was able to explain all about his outfit and how it is illegal to not have fresh, clean, ironed robes because the Sultan wants his country to be viewed in a positive light. OH! The sultan! He has been ruling Oman for over 40 years and the people here LLLLOOOOVVVVEEEE him. Genuinely- he is doing an incredible job and is taking care of his country in a big way. These are proud, happy, beautiful, smart people. Muscat was one of the cleanest places I have visited. It looked like the whole city was a private country club. The Sultan makes sure of this and you can get fined for not having fresh paint on your house, having a dirty car, etc. It’s amazing.

Our first stop in the van was to the local fish market. Now, I have been to fish markets before, but we were the ONLY non-locals and we went right down to the sea where small boats were still coming in with young men on them delivering their catch. We next went up to a large concrete slab where there were GIGANTIC fish everywhere being scaled, shopped, chopped, and bled. It was disgusting…and awesome. Next we went to an old fort that has been restored and there, again, were no other guests there. We went through different rooms and our guide showed us what each room was used for like the guest rooms, where court was held, the ladies sitting room, etc. He got into the different customs of his people including how men have to sit a certain way at all times, but women can sit how they like. He explained the marriage process and how a boy must ask for the hand of a girl and there is a 3-week period where the family of the girl goes around asking EVERYTHING about the boy’s habits, responsibilities, family, education, money, aspirations, and then if approved the boy must present a dowry to the girl, who will give it to her sisters and family. It was incredible to hear him talking about this not in a storybook, but as part of his own life coming up.

The next stop was a natural spring further inland. We saw many local families having fun here, some dressed traditionally, but others not. It was strange every once in a while to see a man with 2 or 3 wives, but besides that it was all quite normal, including the teenagers banging on trash lids and coolers and singing to the rhythm! Ha ha! It was really fun. Next we went to the 5-star Hyatt Hotel in town for lunch. This place was INCREDIBLE. I can’t even describe it, but to say it was huge and opulent and fantastic. We had a GREAT meal with the guide where we got to ask more questions. He showed us his hand-embroidered hat that the women of the family make, told us about his education, and joked about the joys of having a Sultan. He said, “You all think democracy is so great, but every 4 years you have people lie to you over and over to get into office. You pick them and then you usually HATE them. We don’t get to pick our Sultan, but we LOVE him and are SO happy with what he’s doing!” It was just interesting to see this young man explaining a benevolent dictator as the greatest ruling power. It was very interesting to see that point of view.

To finish up our time we headed to the beautiful palace and Grand Mosque, one of the largest in the world. It was so amazing of these guys to be so open and genuine with us as we traveled. I felt like I was really learning so much through the whole experience and I’m so grateful for my guide. Now if I could only remember his name… OH MY WORD!!! That makes me so frustrated!!!

Tripp

Yo ho! Yo Ho! A Pirate's Life for Me!

2009-10-19T18:25:00.000-04:00

I know it’s been a while since I wrote, but there hasn’t been too terribly much to tell. I will get you all up to date, though. After Petra the ship returned to Egypt to the port of Safaga where the guests were touring to Luxor and the Valley of the Kings. The crew had organized the third and final crew tour that day, but there were complications. It seems the Safaga Port Authority really screwed up and took forever to clear all of the crew passports for our tour. As we waited and waited, we finally had to cancel the tour because with the travel inland and everything we would have no time in the port. This was a big bummer especially for those poor crew members who were only going to be able to get off the ship in this particular port by special permission, etc.

Instead we took the shuttle bus in to a resort that had a really big pool spread out along the coastline with some beach, a swim-up bar, restaurants, etc. We just spent the day soaking in the 100+ degree heat and awaiting our departure from the frustrating, hoop-jumping, haggling, dirty Egypt. We had just about had enough. That night we also had a special event called “Sheik, Rattle, and Roll” where we were dressed in Sheik-inspired outfits and performed 50’s and 60’s music on the pool deck. It was actually really cute and we tried to have fun with the whole thing.

Finally we sailed away from Egypt and had basically 4 sea days until we would port again in Salalah, Oman. This was where things starting getting interesting. Donna Hampton has certainly been concerned because the past 24-28 hours we have been passing through the Gulf of Aden, off the coast of Somalia, also known for the recent pirate attacks in the past year or so. Now- we have been fully briefed and prepared and I have felt 100% safe on board the ship, but of course we have to be prepared for anything.

The ship has had Israeli guards on board for the past few days that are here specifically to protect the ship. Also our ship is certainly not a target for the pirates and we travel too fast for them to even have any way to attack us. We also have taken other safety measures like closing off some of the open decks, shutting off certain outside lighting, we have had ship escorts around us from various countries, and even had a couple helicopters circling today as we cleared the more dangerous area. Everything has gone very smoothly and I am glad to report that there is nothing to report! Donna- breathe.

We did have some fun yesterday, however, by making light of the situation and sort of giving everyone permission to be distracted and laugh at our own fears. We did a Pirate Treasure Hunt on board! Ha ha! It was actually really cute. It was a big scavenger hunt where guests broke into teams and had to complete pirate-themed tasks in order to get “skull points” and win a small prize. Of course guests were more than ready to get into full competition mode and all the entertainment staff were ready to play, too! We were each in charge of a different station. I was decked out in full bandana-clad, tattooed, eye patch-wearing, blacked-out-tooth, scruff-covered glory! Ha! It was really fun and definitely got our minds off everything happening that day.

Anyway- I can’t believe I haven’t gone insane having 4 days at sea like this, but I have been keeping busy preparing my cabaret for next cruise. (It’s a one man show with me on the piano called, “Boy with Dreams.” Look for details and hopefully recordings in the next couple weeks!) I have also had fun eating in Compass Rose almost every night and watching guest entertainers perform. One lady performing on board right now is Giselle Summers and her show the other night was a tribute to Barbara Streisand and she BLEW ME AWAY! If you closed your eyes you would absolutely believe she was Babs herself. (I couldn’t help but get a little sentimental thinking of Dad crying listening to “The Way We Were” during her rendition. Ha ha!) My last saving grace to stay busy has been 2 Arabic channels that have been showing on our tv while sailing through the Red Sea. They play English movies with Arabic subtitles and I couldn’t be any more thrilled! It’s the little things. So…that’s my life right now. Not too much to report, but I will be glad to head to a port tomorrow after a long break! Hope you are all doing well and the crisp autumn air is making you feel more alive everyday. Enjoy it!

Tripp

A Stroll through the Siq

2009-10-14T17:29:00.000-04:00

Today we were in Aqaba, Jordan. The ship was here overnight, mainly for the big tour today to Petra. Now I have been now to quite a few ancient cities and very famous ruins and truly beautiful sights, but I can tell you… NONE of them have been like this. It’s such a completely unique experience and archeological find that I just found my self fascinated, asking our guide tons of questions.

We were on a crew tour again today and we took the 2-hour drive to Petra through amazing terrain. It was true desert, with rising rounded mountains and just really dry, arid climate. I know we have areas like this in the states, obviously, but I really had never seen anything like it. At one point I shouted, “This is just like Big Thunder Mountain Railroad!” While I was proud for having found some corollary, I would have preferred it be something other than a Disneyworld roller coaster. It really was all I could relate it to, though! Ha ha! Finally we reached the bus lot, but we were far from the actual city of Petra.

We slowly walked down a large gravel road that was surrounded by the same canyon-looking rock formations and had horses traveling parallel to its path. We began to see carved openings in the rock faces more and more. Our guide explained that we were entering the city of Petra, but that this was just sort of the entrance. He said that throughout the day we would mainly be seeing these large openings, some ornately carved, others simple holes in the wall, and that they were actually graves. The city is still being excavated, but much of what we see is thousands of graves they have found.

We walked down the hill for a while until we reached what is called the Siq. Now, the city was actually not discovered until 1812 when an explorer convinced some Bedouin people (Arab desert dwellers) to show him the city. He had heard of a secret city, but no one knew where it was. The secret to its anonymity is the Siq. Pronounced “seek,” this is just a rock formation where two walls are formed by the rock faces and a small opening is formed. This particular Siq was formed after an earthquake and the opening between these two giant rock walls ranges from 8-30 feet along its over mile-long stretch. You see, the city is hidden past this tiny, natural canyon pathway. The people didn’t carve it, but just took advantage of the rock hallway of sorts. It’s AMAZING! You walk and walk and walk down this tunnel sort of thing, many times with sheer rock faces on either side of you reaching hundreds of feet high. It’s one of the most ridiculous things I’ve ever seen. We had fun just exploring the Siq, climbing the rock faces and taking pictures. One of the most interesting parts (I thought) was the hand carved water drain or aqueduct carved into one of the rock faces. To get water the people carved this gutter that wanders the entire length of the Siq.

Once you reach the end your breath just catches in your throat. Talk about a grand entrance. All of the sudden from the dark canyon you literally see a light at the end of the tunnel. The walls open up into a giant area and you are standing directly in front of the grandest tomb of them all! The ancient people called the building the treasury, but this tomb, built for the king, is an ornate façade covered in details of columns, figures, etc. The amazing part is that it isn’t built, but CARVED directly into the red sandstone by hand. Our guide said he wasn’t sure how long it took, but they began with a solid rock face and chiseled in a full front of columns and gable, porch area, and the inner tomb. The room inside was HUGE (probably 30 feet high and 15 feet wide) and to think that it was all carved out of the mountain by hand is just incredible.

We proceeded to walk through past more large facades of the wealthy and past huge walls covered like a honeycomb with tons of simple tombs for everyday citizens of Petra. To walk around and realize what must have been here some four or five thousand years ago is amazing. The town was abandoned and covered with sand until being discovered in 1812, but what a treasure. It has recently been added to the list of 7 wonders of the world and I can certainly see why. The sad thing is that just from natural disintegration, Petra is slowly disappearing! What a lovely spot and an AWESOME archeological find. If you have any chance of making it here I would highly recommend it.

Our day was finished with a walk (or hike) back up to the bus through the dust, sand, horses, camels, and in 100 degree heat! It was a refreshing stroll to say the least. We had lunch overlooking the scene and rode back to the ship completely pooped. It was a long, but fun day. Tomorrow I am excited to go to the Valley of the Kings in Luxor, Egypt. Who knows what adventures are in store? Hope you are all well. I am having a blast, but I will be so happy to be home with friends and in a place that is familiar. Have an awesome week. Love you all!

Tripp

PYRAMIDS!!! (Who needs a better title?!)

2009-10-13T16:49:00.002-04:00

I did it! I have seen the pyramids! I can’t believe it still, but it was an amazing day! The ship docked at Port Said, a port at the north end of the Suez canal, about a 3 hour drive from Cairo. These Middle Eastern countries were so different right from the start. For instance, before the workers on shore would help tie the ship and let us dock we had to throw over cartons of cigarettes and boxes of liquor to appease them. Oh boy. They also gave us a really hard time and forced us to do a crew drill that morning, making our time at the pyramids shorter and shorter. After a lot of hassle, though, we got off the gangway to do our crew tour…but we didn’t know where to go. No one seemed to be in charge and we seemed to just wander around for about 20 minutes before we finally figured out the busses to hop on. Finally we were off!

Our tour guide’s name was Ahmed and he was a 30-something Egyptian that had recently gotten married and was super nice, trying his best to give us lots of info about Cairo, the port, etc. and figure the best schedule to see the pyramids. We drove and napped and drove some more. I was overwhelmed with the amount of poverty I saw as we were driving, though. I couldn’t believe the mud houses, trash EVERYWHERE, what seemed to be sewage in the streets, etc. It was really awful. Ahmed told us about how Egypt has control over the Suez Canal (the man-made canal connecting the Mediterranean and Red Seas) and makes 40 million dollars per day from it. This is a major passage for war ships, cruise liners, cargo ships, subs, and just about anything else. He joked that he doesn’t know where any of that money goes, though! We were all a little wary of the whole situation, though, when we quickly realized everyone was watching as we drove by and staring into the busses. We also had a POLICE ESCORT taking us into the city. Ahmed said not to worry about it, but the armed gunmen in the back of the car weren’t too comforting. (I wish I was making some of this up!)

After the 3 hour drive we reached Cairo, drove over the Nile River (HELLO!!!) and reached Giza, home of the pyramids. It was astounding to see such iconic structures just rising up out of the city in the blazing heat. I didn’t realize how close they were to the city, but their looming silhouettes were visible for miles as we drove nearer. We finally arrived and I thought I was going to scream I was so excited. We jumped out at a panoramic viewpoint and took pictures with all 3 pyramids in the background. It was just unbelievable; to be standing in a place that is multiple THOUSANDS of years old was humbling. I have never felt like such a speck or blink of an eye in my life, but I felt good about my insignificance at this truly mighty sight. The three pyramids were tombs, of course, and we learned of the 3 generations of pharaohs who had them built.

Dealing with the locals was interesting here, as well. Everyone wants money and the Egyptians try their darndest. There are men ready to whisk you away for a camel ride, dressed as sheiks for your picture-taking pleasure, men selling plastic pyramid carvings (that are 2,000 years old, of course!) and everything else under the sun. They cried out to us, “Where are you from?!” and would start bidding, “10 dollars.” Brett was successful at buying a souvenir offered to him at 10 dollars for 1 euro and 1 dollar! Ha ha! I thought that was an interesting purchase. Anyway- as much as the haggling is a nuisance, it’s impossible for any of it to take away from the glory of the pyramids.

After the first stop we had another stop closer, right between the two largest pyramids and we began having photo shoots and even climbed 3 or 4 tiers up the pyramid of Cheops, all next to a “No Climbing” sign and with the Tourism Police blowing their whistles in the background. It was necessary. Lastly on the plateau we went to the Sphinx where we walked through part of the ancient tomb to arrive close by. To see this guardian standing with the icons of the pyramid shadows as a background was just surreal. Even now I am reviewing the day through pictures and I am blown away. I can’t believe I was actually there.

It was an awesome day and on our way home we were all starving, so Ahmed decided he would take orders and he stopped at a local Egyptian restaurant and got us all falafels and sharmas (a chicken wrap thing). Here in the Arab countries the sun is BLAZING hot during the day and when it sets it goes down for good and it gets really dark. On our ride back to the ship it was itch black so we all fell asleep and couldn’t believe it was only 9:00 when we arrived back! Still having growling tummies, Elena and I got the idea to go see if there was time to make it to Compass Rose, the main dining room. Luckily, the maitre’d knew us and was happy to help out! Ha ha! (Helps to be friends with the right people!) Oh my word. What a long, exhausting, fantastic day!

The next day we sailed through the Suez canal and we’re now ported in Aqaba, Jordan. Going on another tour tomorrow! Woo hoo! Love and miss you all…

Tripp

The Waiting Game

2009-10-09T16:46:00.000-04:00

This past week had some definite highlights and lowlights. We started off strong, going to the beautiful port of Mykonos, a fun island where we had a nice day. I laid out on the beach for a few hours before wandering the very cool steps and little sugar-cube houses looking at shops and munching on a gyro. I ended up walking to the top of the hill of the city where an old windmill sat and I just took a few minutes appreciating where I was, looking down on my ship sitting in the blue bay and Greece pouring out below me, tumbling into the Med. It was a great sight.

The following day we returned to Kusadasi where I spent all day using the internet since I had already explored the port. I was able to really get caught up on pictures and things, too! That night and into the next morning, however, I got really sick. I don’t know if it was some food I ate or what, but my stomach didn’t feel good at ALL and I was very weak. It’s so awful to get sick away from home, much less on the ship. I felt like I had nowhere to go and no one to help me. I was stuck in my tiny cabin and just wished I could be at home! L I went to the doctor on board first thing in the morning, though, and she gave me some medicine, plus a bottle of Gatorade to re-hydrate myself. We were in the port of Rhodes so I tried to get out for a while, but I still wasn’t really up for exploring.

The next two days we spent in Greece and I got off the ship, but nothing much to report because I had duties to fulfill. Between rehearsals and games…I usually only had time to have a meal and call it a day. Nafplion was nice with a cute restaurant in a park and some shopping, but no big stories. One reason I wasn’t set on seeing everything was because I knew we were gearing up for a big week. This cruise (starting today) begins the “Discovery Collection.” This is a series of cruises that completes my contract and covers a lot of really fascinating Middle Eastern ports of call. We have been looking forward to this cruise for a long time!

To get ready, though, there was a lot of preparation. We are doing some new shows, resurrecting some extra activities, etc. There has also been a full overall of all the “big wigs” on board; today we got a new captain, general manager, cruise director, and staff captain! They are all here for this grand voyage and we have to keep everyone occupied for MANY sea days coming up and some of the passengers are going to be with us for months! (Many beyond the end of our contracts on board.) These are guests that have sailed with Regent for HUNDREDS of nights and know more about how this whole thing should go than many of us even! Ha ha!

This week we are looking forward to some MAJOR highlights. If everything goes as planned I should be able to see the last remaining wonder of the ancient world, a mystical ancient city, tombs of pharaohs, and many other exciting things. We are all just holding our breaths, though, to see how it all works out. Our new cruise director holds the power in her hands to make or break these last weeks for us and, let’s just say her reputation isn’t promising…boo. Anyway- we’ll see what happens and I’ll continue to think positively! I really can’t wait to see you guys and hope everything is going well. Let me know what’s up in your life… I would love to hear!

Tripp

Istanbul part 2

2009-10-06T13:03:00.000-04:00

The next day in Istanbul was an embarkation day on the ship, which would normally prevent me from going out, but I had this particular day off, so I decided to go see EVERYTHING I could. I wasn’t sure how long it would take me to get where I wanted by walking, so I just began and hoped for the best. I was pleasantly surprised that it didn’t really take me any time at all to get across the river and into the old part of town where my main stops were. As I wandered up a hill I grabbed some lunch at a kebab stand and continued to the gate of Topkapi Palace.

This enormous compound was the home to the Sultan for many years. It is made up of a series of courtyards and small pavilions that serve as different rooms. Each building is unique and decorated to the HILT! We are talking major mosaic and intricate painting that covers every surface inside and out of these buildings. Among the pavilions was one containing the Sultan’s ceremonial robes from the 16^th Century and earlier. Another was the treasury, which contained the most elaborate gem and jewel-covered thrones, swords, pendants, etc. I have ever seen. There was even one stone that was 86 carats!!! I couldn’t believe this stuff. I also was able to go into the turban room, libraries, the pool and many other rooms. I spent a lot of time here because it was just some of the most beautiful grounds I had ever seen. It reminded me very much of what I would imagine the palaces in the eastern Asia would look like.

Following my visit to Topkapi I continued walking through a park which sat between two of the city’s most famous mosques, the Aya Sofia and the Blue Mosque. I took some pictures and headed to the Blue Mosque. Again I had to remove my shoes before entering and I marveled at the incredible tile work…21,000 blue tiles cover the inside of this mosque! What I was most taken with, though, was the smell. The first mosque I visited had no smell at all and was nice and quiet. This was a whole different story! Because of all the sweaty tourists cramming in to the building, this place smelled like FEET!!! I was just glad I had the first point of reference and didn’t think that was how all mosques smelled! Ha ha! Needless to say, I moved on fairly quickly and began following my map as best as possible through the strange, ever-changing streets to my next stop.

I had heard so much about it and had gotten a small taste of what the bargaining could be like in a covered market, but nothing can prepare you for the Grand Bazaar! I made my way through one of its many entrances and the stalls went on and on in front of me. In this particular market they have everything: leather, jewelry, clothing, dishes, appliances, tools, etc. I couldn’t believe the variety and just quantity of shops all under one roof! There are approximately 4,500 shops in this MAZE of a market. Now- I have pretty good sense of direction and very rarely get turned around, but after going to one stall and saying that I would return…I practically gave up. I had no clue which way was up and I felt like I kept walking in some sort of crazy circle or something. I had no idea where I was, but I did a little shopping and bargained very well. I was told before going to never pay more than half of what the shop owner offers for an item. I considered my shopping a success because I was able to stick to that principle! Ha ha!

Leaving the market I knew I needed to get back to the ship, but I had one problem...I had no IDEA where in the world I was. I was spit out of the market and decided to just start heading downhill. I figured water must be at the bottom of the hill and I would find the ship there. I was right, thankfully. A bit later Brett, Elena and I went out to a traditional Turkish restaurant near the port for her birthday. (Long birthday celebration, huh?! Ha!) It was a cute little place covered in teal, black, and white tiles that my tour guide the previous day recommended. We were having hard time communicating with our waiter, but he found a guy to help translate. We started with some amazing Mezes, or cold appetizers, including eggplant, hummus, and dolmades. Next I had some filo dough straws with feta cheese inside and koftes (meatballs). It was an amazing meal made that much better by great company and a helpful staff!

To finish up the day we headed back to the ship where some local entertainers were performing. First we saw a belly dancer who had a very elaborate costume and was very good, but we laughed because no one was paying too much attention to what her belly was doing. She happened to be blessed in other areas ;) and the girls were joking that she was more of a “booby dancer” than a belly dancer! Ha! It was a good time, though, and some folk dancers finished up the night getting the audience to dance with them.

While all my experiences and sight-seeing in Istanbul were just superb, I was much more impressed by the people I encountered throughout my visit. I heard the same sentiment from the guests on board, as well. The people of this city were so gracious and accommodating. I have never experienced something quite like it, but everyone I met from waiters to guides to ticket sellers to the man at the juice bar was happy to teach me about their culture, show me the language, help point me in the right direction, etc. I NEVER felt overwhelmed or like I was in any danger whatsoever because I knew these were good people. I don’t know what it is about the Turks, but I seriously can’t wait to return. I hope many of you have the chance to travel to this completely stunning city. I certainly will never forget my time here.

Love you all!

Tripp

Istanbul Part 1

2009-10-05T10:15:00.004-04:00

The ship was in Istanbul for 3 days so we were all very excited to explore this great, big city! We had been in Kusadasi, Turkey the day before and I had already experienced the pushy bargaining and a bit of overwhelming, in-your-face sort of a feel there. I was scared Istanbul may be that multiplied over and over. I just didn’t know what to expect! Istanbul is one of the only cities in the world that spans two continents. It is divided by the Bosphorous to have a European side and an Asian side.

I started out my visit by going on tour. We arrived in the afternoon and I went directly out to a bus with some passengers where we headed out into the city. Okay- I say we headed out, but the traffic here is INSANE! Really we just sort of sat for a while in our coach bus while cars were beeping and reversing and passing each other on streets so narrow they couldn’t possibly be 2-way! One of the first things our guide said was, “Be careful walking in the city. The traffic lights are only suggestions.” Ha ha! The most amazing part of all this is that they don’t have any road rage! It’s incredible; they will honk and sit for forever and have to back up over and over to move out of the way, but they are never yelling at each other or giving mean gestures. We would see people get out of cars to talk over solutions and then hug, get back in, and traffic begins to move. I was astounded already.

Our first stop on our tour was a small church-turned mosque famous for its Byzantine mosaics. Let me explain some Turkish religion for you: Turkey was a Christian nation many years ago with the seat of Constantinople in present-day Istanbul. Eventually the Ottoman empire came and the Turks invaded, etc. Islam came to the country and everything changed. Today Turkey is a secular nation, but 99.9% of the country is Muslim. This means that there are mosques everywhere, but you also find churches, synagogues, etc. and the people are able to do whatever: drink, smoke, practice different religions, etc. The church that we toured had incredible Christian mosaics everywhere, but mosques are not permitted to have any figures on the walls. Because of this, the Muslims actually came in and white-washed over all the mosaics and they were discovered many years later when this church was transformed into a museum. It was just amazing to see this many tiny, intricate mosaics and know that they had been painted right over. I can’t imagine someone standing in these rooms and deciding they could do such a thing, but they felt it necessary.

Next we headed to a practicing mosque nearby. It was small, but really beautiful and I was fascinated to learn more about the religion. We had to remove our shoes before entering, which I learned has nothing to do with any belief of the Islamic nations. They do this purely for sanitation purposes. Since they are kneeling and bowing during their prayers throughout the day, they find it more sanitary to not have people’s dirty shoes all over the floor. (Pretty practical, huh?) We were there right before midday prayers so some people began to come in and find spots to worship. Here in Turkey you can’t just leave work or anything for prayers. If it fits in during a lunch break or something then you can go pray, but otherwise you just have to do your prayers later. We also learned about the incredibly intricate tiles that cover many of the mosques and buildings in the city and how priceless they really are.

For our next stop we walked through a large square where I became fully aware that I was further from home than ever. Walking under banners of the Turkish flag towards a large mosque the call to prayer began. 5 times per day Muslim mosques have live singers give a call to pray that is projected from the minarets. When there are dozens of mosques all around it becomes a beautiful, haunting sound. More of a cacophony of chants and prayers. I literally stopped in my tracks. This may sound weird, but it was really a beautiful sound. I had never heard anything like it, but I became more aware of this culture than ever before right then.

We continued walking to the Spice Market, a large covered hall of stalls selling…you guessed it…spices (an much, much more). There was Turkish delight, lamps, nuts, berries, meat, etc. I was glad to be with my tour guide because she took us to one of her favorite stalls where they were happy for all of us to try anything and everything. I was trying different dry rubs and all sorts of baklava along with nuts and Turkish apple tea. Before leaving one of the young guys working in the stall said, “How can we help you spend your money?” I insisted I had no money to spend and was trying to leave when he handed me a bag and said, “Here you go!” I said no, that I was leaving and the guy said, “No- it’s for you. It’s a gift from us!” They had given me a huge bag of all different sorts of native nuts. I was blown away by their hospitality, but they were so proud and glad to give it to me and then laughed at how I was trying to not take it. Ha!

Finally the tour went to our last stop, the Basilica Cistern. This is a completely underground, cavernous room that used to hold the city’s public water. It was built by Constantinople and is held up by over 300 found columns. Each column is from a different place, time period, etc. and they each look different from one another. The cool part is to imagine this place actually filled up to its 30 foot height. It is 9,800 square meters and one of the biggest surprises I had on this trip. I just didn’t expect to see anything like it!

The tour finished up and that night a big group of us went out to celebrate Elena’s birthday! It actually wasn’t for 2 more days, but we were all able to go to a fun restaurant and enjoy, so we seized the opportunity. We found a fun spot where we sat on big pillows and for dessert we smoked hookah. (For those who don’t know, including Donna Hampton who is already terrified: Hookah is a completely harmless, flavored tobacco that has no nicotine and is completely legal all around the world, including in the States! Don’t fret!) We had strawberry and apple flavors, which I bravely tried! Ha ha!

The following day in Istanbul was just as full, but I am going to put it up in another installment. Hope you are doing great and the sun is shining bright in your part of the world.

Tripp

Welcome to Asia!

2009-10-03T19:40:00.000-04:00

It’s been a busy few days, but I am going to catch everyone up in the next 2 blogs. Let me just say that this whole blog thing is EXHAUSTING! I feel so much pressure from you people and it’s much different doing it for 6 months than for 5 weeks! Ha ha! Anyway- I really love it, but I’m finding it harder and harder to sit down and write. So- back to business; we went to Kusadasi (pronounced kush-ah-duh-sih with accents on the first and last syllables like the word “applicable”…random, I know) where I went on tour to the ancient city of Ephesus. Before I get into that visit let me mention a few things. Turkey is one of the only countries that spans two continents. This day I was in Asia (my first time on the Asian continent) and the next day I was on the European side! Also, Turkey is a secular Muslim country meaning that they are allowed to do whatever they want. 99% of the country is Muslim, but they can still drink and they do observe prayers, but not like many Middle Eastern countries; they don’t drop down at work and begin praying, but they do go to Mosque, say, during their lunch break if they have time to pray. Anyway- it’s a very interesting culture and they are excited to welcome people to their country with open arms.

To begin the day we went to the ancient city of Ephesus, which is still being extensively excavated. It is probably the most beautiful of any of these ancient cities I have seen and the restoration work that has been done is really incredible. They have been able to put back together the façade of a few buildings, including the incredible library which was the largest in the world, second only to the library at Constantinople. It’s really just an amazing place and I found it fascinating to learn from my guide all about daily life in this city. To see the public toilets where the men would sit to socialize for hours at a time together was amazing. Or to see that a brothel was put right across the library! They even had a tunnel connecting the two underground where it is thought men would sneak in and out of the library to get to the brothel. Anyway- this city was home to 250,000 people in its heyday.

We had some free time at the end of the tour and I went with a British couple to view the city’s theatre a bit closer. We had been told it had perfect acoustics and I marveled at its size. It’s certainly the largest and best preserved Roman theatre I have seen, holding 24,000 people even today when they hold concerts there! Anyway- when Sam, the husband, found out I was a singer on the ship he INSISTED that I had to sing in the theatre. I resisted, considering I was surrounded by hundreds of other tourists at the theatre. Also I didn’t know what to sing! I mean in a theatre like that I felt like I needed some great Italian aria or some classical art song, but I didn’t have anything off the top of my head, so I tried to say no. Sam wouldn’t have it. He said, “You have to do this. You have to be able to say you did this” and went on and on and on until I finally caved. I said, “Well, I will sing something classical in my genre!” So I proceeded to go on with the first few lines of “Oh What a Beautiful Morning!” Ha ha! Things to note:

-The acoustics were stunning. I mean the sound was just ringing loud as anything!

-I got some stares.

-I certainly am glad Sam was so persistent and he’s right: I won’t ever forget it!

Following our visit there and to a nearby museum about the city we had a great lunch. Set up in a garden were canopy-covered tables with local dancers and musicians performing while we just FEASTED on a wonderful Turkish meal including mezes, cold appetizers, grilled chicken and koftes, or meatballs, and plenty of local desserts like baklava. (I know what you’re thinking: Baklava is Greek. WRONG!!! The Turks insisted that they came up with baklava, not the Greeks. They stole it! And claim it! It makes sense, too, if you consider that sugar came through Asia and would have reached Turkey before Greece.)

Following lunch we went up a mountain to a house where they claim the Virgin Mary spent her last few years on Earth. I think it was more of a tourist trap than anything. Apparently some German nun dreamed that her house was on top of a mountain near Ephesus and archeologists found some rocks dating back to the right time period. The people around here always say she was here with John because he came here and was supposed to have been looking after Mary at the time or something. They said they rebuilt the home from the rocks how it was at the time, but to me it looked like a church…not a house. Anyway- the Pope has recognized it as a sacred site, so people flock there like madmen.

To finish up the tour we were taken to a local shop were we watched a master weaver give a demonstration on making a Turkish rug. These women work for months and sometimes years at a time on one rug, making each knot by hand to form the intricate patterns. Then, of course the men wanted to sell the rugs so they began showing all sorts of things. It was AMAZING! There are three kinds of rugs: wool on wool, cotton on wool, and silk on silk and they raise in price by size and material used. For instance, a 2x4 silk on silk rug was costing around $4,000! I saw wool on wool rugs, big enough to cover a large room, that were selling for $10,000! I mean- these things are absolutely incredible. Of course, I was traveling with the right crowd, so the salesmen were happy to see some very wealthy Americans ready to buy! Ha ha! It’s interesting because the people of Turkey (whose currency is the Turkish Lira) have been the most accepting of US dollars and Euros than any other place we’ve been. They also are incredible sales people. EVERYONE is trying to sell something and they’re willing to do whatever it takes to make a deal! Anyway- I’ll have to tell you more about my buying experiences in Istanbul, Turkey tomorrow. Hope everything is good back home. Miss you guys.

Tripp