Roben Island

South Africa - Day 4

I'm jumping around like crazy and I apologize; there's just way too much to keep up with!

Day four I had nothing planned, and so had breakfast on the ship and headed down to deck five with no real plan of action other than maybe walking towards the Waterfront to see what sort of adventures might present themselves (at this point the majority of people I knew were off on safari). Before I even got off the ship I ran into a friend and another person who were heading to Roben Island. I decided to join them as that was one of the places I wanted to see anyways and so we left the ship and headed to the Waterfront.

Roben Island is a little tiny island just off of Cape Town that you can easily get to in 30 minutes by ferry. There is a ferry that runs every few hours for just a few dollars and you get the whole tour along with your ticket (in fact it is pretty much impossible to explore on your own). As for the purpose of the island, it was used as a prison during the apartheid years for political prisoners such as Mandela. It was also used as a leper colony. Although it was fascinating to see, and I saw the very prison cell that Mandela lived in for many years of his life, I can't say it's something you absolutely must see, especially if you have as limited time as we had. You take the 30 minute ferry along with several hundred other people, get off and are divided up onto buses that hold 75? 100? and are bussed around the island, occasionally stopping at a particular building while a tour guide explains its importance. At the end you get to see the actual prison compound, and walk around in these gigantic groups of tourists. It's all very, very touristy. One really neat thing about it though is that the tours are led by actual former political prisoners.

After we reached the mainland we walked around and found a place to stop for lunch. My friends were going to go climb Table Mountain, which I was much too sore from the previous day to attempt again, and so I bid them good luck and walked a couple buildings over to the tourist office to see what excitement might be had in an afternoon. The lady there informed me I could go paragliding at 5:00, which I booked and then went to explore the markets around the Waterfront while I waited. Around 4:30 I hired a cab to take me up to Lion's Head. 5:00 came and left and no one ever showed up. I attributed it to African time and waited a good half hour, but still, no one. I finally found someone's phone to borrow and called the number that the lady at the tourist office had given me. The pilot was terribly apologetic and said that I was supposed to have called half an hour before hand (the tourist agency lady never relayed that piece of information). He told me to call early on the next morning I was free and see if the weather conditions would permit for flying. So I waited around for a cab to show up and headed back to the ship.

That night we all just stayed at a local bar on the Waterfront where SAS kids seemed to gather every night called Mitchell's. It was all good fun. I had a couple ciders and headed back to the ship early. I have probably already mentioned this many a time but I am not much into the party scene. There is a fair group of people on this ship who's main goal is to get belligerently wasted in every port (and I make every effort to avoid these people). What a waste. I am all for trying the local drinks; it's all part of the cultural experience. But why would anyone want to experience these incredible places completely hungover, and even worse, not even remember half of it? I just don't get it.

Meeting Point Of the Equator and the Prime Meridian

Location:

Latitude: 00° 00'00"

Longitude: 00° 00'00"

I know this is from almost a month ago now but I only just got a hold of it. It's really cool because if you look at the wake from the ship you can see where we made a sharp turn at exactly 0°,0° to head towards South Africa. 

The Shark Cage

 

 

Sunset From Table Mountain

 

 

Top Of The World

South Africa - Day 3

My descriptions are going to get a little scant, but I will continue to post random things as I remember them. Right now I just want to get caught up with South Africa. 

On day three we hiked Table Mountain. Four hours just to the top. And it was intense rugged steps the entire way. Try climbing a stairmaster for four hours at a decent pace. And don't use the rails because those don't exist. There are shorter ways to the top but somehow we missed those. But the view from the top was more than worth it. The second I saw the view around us, and just the fact that we were above the cloud line, I literally caught my breath and couldn't say anything but no freakin' way! 

Because Table Mountain is such a landmark of Cape Town, it has turned into a major tourist attraction and there is actually a cable car that runs all the way to the top (for those who don't feel the need to earn the view), and a restaurant. We stayed at the top for dinner, bought a bottle of wine, and watched the sun set over South Africa. 

 

Great White Shark Cage Diving

South Africa - Day 2

Day 2 was another early morning as we had to be up before the crack of dawn to catch our ride to the area where all the Great Whites hang out, which was about two hours away. You know where they film a good amount of Shark Week? That's where we were headed. And I was actually very grateful for the two hour drive because it meant a couple more hours of sleep. Although apparently I missed out on some gorgeous scenery in the meantime. We arrived at the dive shop where breakfast was sitting out for us. After we had eaten they gave us a brief orientation and led us to our boat, which was two decks and fairly large, as you would imagine it would be to accommodate an entire eight-person shark cage. The ride out to the site was fun in itself because we had to go straight through the area where the tide breaks. It felt like riding a roller coaster. We reached the spot and they lowered the cage into the water, then asking for volunteers of who would like to dive first. You better believe I was in there. The eight of us got in with nothing but wetsuits and a mask. The bubbles from regulators tend to scare the sharks away and so the top of the cage was left above water for us to breathe, and we would simply hold our breath and duck underwater when the sharks came around. What happened was they threw out the bait, used it to lure in the sharks, and then started yelling "Down! Down!" when a shark was near enough for us to see underwater. It was crazy because the visibility underwater was no more than a couple meters, and so you literally could not see the shark until it was right there in front of you, jaws gaping open, hungrily chasing after the bait. And these things were fast; they would swim straight at the cage, turn at the last moment, and usually ram into us on their way out, all in just a few seconds. Not only were they fast but they were massive.  I cannot even begin to describe the outrageous size of these things. They were terrifying to behold. Magnificent, but terrifying.  

 

Since the cage could only accommodate eight people at once we had to take turns. I managed to get in three separate times in the time we were there. And because they were so fast this was the best picture I managed to get of them. If you want a better idea just watch Shark Week. Or maybe don't; you'll think I'm positively insane for ever getting in the water with these creatures, and maybe I am, but I loved, absolutely loved every moment of it! Sharks are just too incredible. 

For dinner that night we went to this fancy Belgian restaurant on the Waterfront. Best meal I've had this entire trip. I ordered the tuna steak special and it was seared perfectly, like ahi, and caked in pepper. Divineness.  I would describe it for an entire paragraph, or an entire page, but I am looking ahead at four more days of pasta and potatoes before we reach India and I'd rather not think about real food. 

Five Hours of Heaven

I don't have internet to look up the exact quote, but Mark Twain, after a visit to Mauritius, said that God must have made Mauritius first, and modeled heaven after Mauritius. 

Yesterday I had just gotten back to my room when the announcement came on. First Stuart said that customs and immigration would be on board around 0600 this morning, (well wait a minute, why would they be getting on if we can't get off?), and then he told us the glorious news that we would be allowed off the ship for a few hours until noon. I was in my room, and I could still hear the shouts of glee coming from around the ship. It was the best moment ever. 

Prior to that, when they were still planning on stopping at Mauritius for fuel only, they made so many efforts to lift our spirits; it was getting a little depressing in the end really, seeing them try so hard. First, on what was supposed to be pre-Mauritius night, they threw us an epic dance party up on the 7th deck. I wasn't there, because I was stubbornly shunning any attempts at making up for not going to Mauritius. But I hear it was like the best club you've ever been to, but out in the middle of the Indian Ocean. 

On Mauritius day they gave us a barbecue, which was just as big a deal as Taco Day. Basically any day they give us a special meal, means a meal that isn't pasta and potatoes, and therefore is practically a holiday. Ok, I also admit that I took my money that I was originally going to use on scuba diving and treated myself to a massage at the spa. Yes, we have a spa. And their hot stone massages are to die for. 

So basically they felt really really terrible for killing Mauritius for us, spoiled us like rotten children, and then found a way to let us off in Mauritius anyway, which I must say was really incredible on their part. I mean as far as I can tell they gained absolutely nothing by staying those few hours to let us off. In fact they probably lost out in the fuel consumption it will take now to get us to India on time. Anyway, Semester at Sea, ISE, UVA, I know I can speak for the entire student community when I express my most heartfelt thanks for doing that for us. 

We arrived at 2200 last night. I, of course, was up on the observation deck watching us pull into port as has become tradition for me and one of my good friends. It was actually a pretty cool experience, first, because we are probably one of the only voyages to ever dock in Mauritius at night, and second, because we are actually banned from being in Mauritius at night and yet there we were. Of course seeing as we were there, and not allowed to get off the ship until morning, it was the longest night ever and I could not sleep for anything. 

This morning I woke up at the crack of dawn to be first in the immigration line. No one is ever allowed to leave the ship until everyone on board has cleared immigration. They don't always do it in person, but what has happened the last two ports is that the immigration officials actually board our ship, we have to pick up our passports (they hold them all for us) present them to the officials, and then turn them back in. They usually set aside two hours for this entire process and so we were expected to be cleared by 8. Something Amazing happened though and it moved so quickly that they got us cleared by 7. One more hour in Mauritius! 

We were off the ship as soon as the announcement sounded that we were cleared. We really had no plans. I hung out with two of my dive buddies and we had decided there just wasn't enough time to attempt a dive. So four of us found a cab and asked him to bring us to the closest beach. This guy was really cool. He stopped at a little street food stand along the way and bought us all breakfast - Faratas. They were this thin Indian naan-type bread, more like a tortilla really, with spicy curry filling, much like an Indian burrito of sorts. They were so good! Our driver was so excited that we liked them that he bought us all seconds. (I can't decide if he was really that nice or if he just overcharged us for the cab without us realizing and was feeling guilty). 

A few miles later he dropped us off at a beach. I could have sworn I was back in the Caribbean, at Nautibeach, Isla Mujeres even. The sand was as white and fine as I've ever experienced it and the ocean was crystal clear and warm as bath water. I was actually surprised about how warm the water was because I'd had some delusion in my head previously that the Caribbean was the only sea/ocean water that was actually that warm. I would argue that the Indian Ocean here was even warmer though. Mauritius as an island is absolutely spectacular. I can see why it is considered Europe's Caribbean. It has the pristine beaches and they carefree island atmosphere. And the mountain ranges are simply otherworldly. The peaks come to such sharp steep points that they look like something out of a fantasy novel. The only difference is that the cultural influence comes majorly from India and China, and so every restaurant that isn't seafood is usually either Indian or Chinese. I am saying a lot for only having spent five hours there. Half of what I said is probably mere misjudged conclusions. 

We swam and relaxed in the ocean for a good hour before deciding it was time to move on. As we were deciding what to do next, a small boat pulled up onto the beach and a local jumped out and asked us if we wanted to go snorkeling. Why not? Next best thing to diving, right? So we hopped into his boat, which turned out to be a glass-bottom boat, and off we went. The view out of the glass bottom was so much fun. The coral was mostly dead but the fish were bright and colorful and everywhere. My friend and I laughed at what divers we were because we would get all excited every time we sailed over a particularly live piece of coral. I don't know if you know this or not but the entire island of Mauritius is surrounded by a reef. The boat slowed, our driver asked if we were ok with this spot, handed us masks and snorkels, and in we jumped. 

I love being underwater. I love marine life. I love the peace that comes from observing such beauty with no interference but the sound of your own breathing. My favorite fish to watch were the parrot fish. They were bright blue and yet somehow every other color of the rainbow at the same time. I don't know how everything always seems more colorful underwater. Physically speaking, colors get washed out the deeper underwater you go as the sunlight disappears until the only color you are left with is blue. And yet everything below the surface always seems so much more vivid and vibrant to me. I kept finding one particular parrot fish to follow and just watched and followed it around in crazy circles until I would surface and find myself a fair distance away from the others. I'd swim back to them and begin it again. The trumpet fish were also fun. 

Our boat driver gave us 45 minutes to swim before heading back. It's always hard to believe how fast time flies below the surface. I swear we were only in for ten minutes. The boat dropped us back off at the shore and we found our cab driver who had agreed to wait for us. On the way to the cab we found a little stand that had been set up selling fresh, whole, pineapples, with the skin cut off and sliced into a spiral. I bought one for a little over a dollar and devoured it. I can't remember the last time I tasted fresh fruit, which is a tragedy because that's what I live on at home. I had dinner with my extended family the other night and Mama Pris asked us all what we missed most about home aside from people. The first thing that came to mind was the produce isle of Whole Foods. Sure, they serve us the occasional piece of fruit on the ship, but you can taste that it's been frozen; how else would they be able to serve bananas after a week at sea? 

We had a cab driver drop us off in China Town, since we figured it would be a cheap place to find food and close to the ship. He dropped us off right next to a little street stand selling every kind of fresh tropical fruit imaginable. I handed over a couple rupee and helped myself to something called Fire Pearl. We walked around in search of a restaurant for lunch, but really didn't find much aside from endless hardware stores and street-food stands. We went into one market-looking store in search of souvenirs instead, and found a wide array of snacks imported from Hong Kong. We continued on our way, found another souvenir-ish shop where I picked up a couple shot glasses (I collect them), and then realized we had 30 minutes to be back on the ship. Every port we have "onship time" This is the time we have to be through the customs line, and have our id card swiped back on. If you are late, you get dock time, which means you are forced to stay on the ship for a certain amount of time when we reach the next port; I think it is an hour of dock time for every  15 minutes late you are. The closer to onship time it is, the longer the line is, the greater chance you have of being back on the ship late because the line was too long and you didn't get through in time. So the smart thing to do is show up an hour or two early, before the line gets too crazy. The only downfall there is you are missing out on an entire hour in port, which is pretty big when you are only there for five hours to begin with. So deciding when to get back to the ship is always a bit of a gamble. Having 30 minutes and not even being in the vicinity of the dock area is a "ding" Bad Idea. 

We finally found a little Chinese home-cooked snack shop of sorts and hurriedly bought as many friend sesame balls and donuts as we could with our remaining rupee. And then we ran, somehow managing to shove food down our throats at the same time (they don't allow unpackaged foods through customs and back onto the ship). 25 minutes to onship time and we were in China Town, running through the entire city in a desperate attempt to get to the ship on time. We found the dreadfully long line with 15 minutes to go. Of course everyone showed up last minute and was in line at that moment. If you had five hours in Mauritius, what time would you go back? I breathed a huge sigh of relief when I finally swiped my card. The crew person told me it was three minutes til noon. 

We're Going To Mauritius!!!!

They're letting us off the ship for a few hours tomorrow!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

This Is What We Get Paid $26/Hour To Do

REVISED List of Things to do in Mauritius:

-Enjoy a spectacular lunch in the Garden Lounge.

-Visit the Aquamarine Pool Deck, with fantastic views overlooking Port Louis.

-Play basketball with the locals.

-Make the arduous hike to the Observation Deck - the view from the summit is worth it!

-Snorkel in the pristine, chlorinated waters of the Thalassa Swimming Pool. 

-Try a fresh smoothie made from fresh, local fruit obtained in Cape Town.

-Observe local culture in the Pritzlaff Study Area, known by locals as "The Piano Lounge."

-Grab a pair of binoculars to catch a glimpse of the world famous beaches!

-View the local marketplace, the Campus Store, which will be closed in accordance with Customs Regulations while in port.

-Enjoy the delicious local cuisine of pasta and potatoes.

-Visit the internet cafe, where you can get emails and browse a large collection of free sites after a mere 30 minute wait. 

There will be a white board in Tymitz Square for students to write their own suggestions based on their experiences in the wonderful country of Mauritius! Don't forget to join us for a Mauritius reflection at 2000 in the Union on Tuesday, March 6th. 

There Be Pirates In These Waters

With no Mauritius, this will be our longest stretch at sea. Eleven days of pasta and potatoes. Crossing the Atlantic only took nine. Thank goodness I bought two gigantic jars of peanut butter back in Cape Town. I asked why we can't just go to Mauritius a day late and then book it to India, I mean this ship doesn't normally sail at full speed anyway. But apparently it does on the stretch from Mauritius to India because Somalian pirates are such a major threat.

I kid you not, we literately speed up the ship to outrun pirates. They chase us on these high-speed boats and then used giant magnets to climb up onto the ship. Apparently on a previous voyage the crew were all armed on the deck with fire-hoses to ward them off. Oh the excitement of living at sea!