Goodbye Asia: India Trip Log
Hello beautiful people! After trying to upload my Vietnam and Malaysia blog post with my minimal wifi on the boat, I have come to realize that is simply not a possibility. So, I will be uploading while in port whenever I can. I have been unable to upload the last few posts because of either no wifi while on a safari or because I was just having way too much fun. I will be detailing everything I did in my last port in Asia, India, and my opinions on everything!
India
We arrived in Kochi, India on February 4th. I had hyped up India so much in my mind that I felt it didn’t quite live up to the hype. I loved the food more than anything in the world and I could literally eat Indian food for the rest of my life, but I definitely could feel the pollution, litter, and large population. Even with full conservative dress, I was cat-called at all times and constantly approached by men who would not take no for an answer. Unfortunately this behavior happens everywhere, but in India it was escalated to the nth degree.
My other issue was that as I arrived in India I was still feeling my sickness from that sea stretch. Coughing non-stop, runny nose, couldn’t breathe, etc. The massage I got to reward myself for surviving the flu by myself in the middle of the Indian Ocean, ended up being more frustrating than anything because of my coughing. I am by no means trying to be negative, I just want to share my opinions! What made everything worth it was seeing the tigers and the Taj Mahal. Get you a man who will build a building like the Taj Mahal for you when you die.
Let’s start from the beginning though. After my sickness I needed a bit of boujee-ness in my life so we went to lunch at the Hyatt and had some of the best Indian food I have ever had. This meal was honestly one of the best meals of India and I would highly recommend. My massage and a day of walking around followed this. I returned to the ship because the next morning I had to meet up with my travel group at 2:30 AM for our early departure. I booked another Field Program for India and this time my roommate also booked the same one so we were super excited to have an awesome time together. The first day was a ton of driving. What I noticed all throughout India is that 7 hour drives are common when getting around. I think you could probably take flights to divide this up, and I am not sure why we didn’t, but it was a bit rough to be honest. Due to the crazy amount of driving, we only saw the City Palace and Jantar Mantar and got to our hotel in Ranthambore at around 10 PM. We were all hangry and tired, but the hot, pillow-like naan saved us all.
We saw some sights along the way to our hotel.
Tigers above the bed?! Say less. Time to sleep tight before our early morning.
Two fabulous game-drives filled the next day. The weather was way colder than any of us expected so we had to bundle as much as we could with the limited clothing we brought. On the first drive we weren’t able to see anything, but the second drive was most exhilarating. The game drives were around 4 hours long and by hour 3 of our second game drive we hadn’t seen anything and we were getting discouraged. We took a stop for people to stretch their legs and next thing I knew, the driver was hurrying all of us into the car. He had just gotten a phone call and immediately called us all in and sped off. He told us to hold on tight as he drove as fast as possible to the most magical sight, a beautiful tiger. His name was Jay and it was so insane to see such a creature in person. He was calm, yet scary. He was simply minding his own business.
During our last game drive in the morning we didn’t see much, but it was oh so enjoyable to be outside observing India. It was so freezing that our guide let us get out of the car as he made us a fire. It was such a fun, wholesome experience as we talked and laughed around the fire. After the most yummy food and a nice shower, we had to get onto the bus for yet another long drive. We drove to Agra and visited an awesome cafe called Sheroes that was run by survivors of acid attacks. The women told us their stories while preparing beverages and drawing henna. A few of my friends and I were dying to get traditional Indian sarees for our visit to the Taj Mahal. While in some countries wearing traditional clothing as a traveler is frowned upon, but in India was suggested and cherished. Of course as soon as I saw a bright pink saree, money didn’t exist and I just had to have it. Let me tell you beyond worth it!
We arrived at our gorgeous hotel late that night where a traditional Indian wedding was going on. Decorations and people decked out with insane clothes were everywhere. We were welcomed with flower garlands and a bindi (the red dot in the middle of the forehead). We ate another insane buffet and after a much-needed refreshing shower, I slept like a baby. We woke up in the morning at around 4 or 5 to get ready for sunrise at the Taj Mahal, the most insanely magical experience. The hotel employees taught us how to properly put on our sarees, thank goodness because let me tell you I had no idea what I was doing. Despite the early hour, I was full of excited energy. The Taj Mahal… are you kidding me?! It was even more gorgeous in person than the pictures of course, but seeing the sun hit the building changing the color from yellowy to stark white and watching more and more people enjoy the beauty was incredible. Everyone around me was so happy to be in a place of rarest beauty. What a sight to see.
While the Taj Mahal and tigers were experiences I will remember forever, I was exhausted from all of the driving and early wake ups so I was happy to be back on the boat sailing away to Africa.
Sea Stretch:
The sea stretch taking us from Asia to Africa was tons of fun for so many reasons. I was FINALLY getting over my sickness and feeling like myself. After being quarantined all of last sea stretch I was exhilarated to be out tanning and talking again! I felt so fully myself and it was so incredible. On Semester at Sea and before getting the flu, I had never felt so myself, so happy, and so relaxed. SAS has given me so much more than travel and learning about cultures. It has given me, me. After a few hiccups in life I have made it my life goal to never dim my sparkle for anyone else and to always be authentically myself which is one of the main reasons I started Ellavate. As many of you know, though, I am a perfectionist, type A, ultra planner, and like to pack in as many things as possible. Let me tell you, this is exhausting and not always healthy. Trying to be productive and perfect all the time is draining and last semester it really got to me. It was my biggest burnout yet as I started to isolate myself from others and not allow myself to do anything fun. This is not living. You can go through life without ever really living. I love how I am a productive queen and dedicate to everything I do, but I also love my enthusiasm for life. I was not going to let wanting to do more, more, more make such a negative impact on my mental health anymore. So, SAS came at the most perfect time. This is the longest stretch of time that I have not experienced crippling anxiety and it is the best thing I have ever experienced. Without my anxiety and the pressures of the real world, I am myself all the time on this boat. I am social and smiley, loud and happy.
Unfortunately, the flu took that down quite a bit because I felt absolutely terrible and missed my family because of that. After India, the SAS Ella full of joy was back! This was one of the best sea stretches ever because every single day was relaxing and fun and perfect. I think the big piece that made this sea stretch so amazing was gratitude. My focus was on being grateful and it made all of the difference.
If you have any bit of you that wants to do SAS, do it. It has been the best thing of my entire life and I am honestly so insanely happy basically every minute of every day. It doesn’t feel real that so many amazing things can be happening all at once.
This sea stretch was also incredible because of Neptune Day! This is the longest maritime tradition that occurs when you cross the equator. There is no school and no one knows what is going to happen on that day. We were woken up by crew members that went through the halls with drums, tambourines, and cowbells. We were told to have a quick breakfast and be ready at the top deck in less than an hour. The idea is that everyone who hasn’t crossed the equator on a boat before is called a “pollywog” and must go through steps to become a “shellback.” Every single voyager, crew member, teacher, etc was on the top deck celebrating. The music was blasting and students were lining up. Each student has to agree to a serious of statements, gets salt in their mouth, slime poured on them, and then must swim across the pool. Once getting out of the pool we had to kiss a fish and King Neptune’s ring. Some people also opted to shave their heads which is also part of the tradition, but I can’t say I was up for that lol. The rest of the day was everyone mingling and chilling.
