Waterfalls, Glowing Organisms, and Zip-Lining Oh My!

1/26 – 1/28

I have now lowered my average amount of sleep per night since leaving home to just above 5 hours after a short night sleeping out on the deck! What began as a hearty group of about 20 adventurers thinned out to a meager 3 of myself, Lauren, and Kayleigh. Wind and discomfort were definite factors as the ship has (and does indeed enforce) a policy that our pillows and other bedding materials are not to be removed from our cabins. As such my pillow was a squished up hoodie and I had nothing but the deck to lie on. This was fine for periods of 45 minutes or so until I would begin to stiffen up on the side in contact with the deck. Also the wind coursing across the deck seemed determined to unzip my sleeping bag and otherwise find its way into my protective cocoon.

But in the end it was absolutely worth while. We were treated to a spectacular pre-dawn view of San Juan as its distant lights seemed to rise up out of the water under a magnificent starry sky. Before long several of us were witness to a spectacular sun rise that coincided with our arrival into San Juan harbor.

After a quick bite to eat I stepped onto Puerto Rican soil with Kate, Megan, and Kristen and headed in a direction that looked interesting. We happened across one of the two old forts in San Juan (San Cristobal) and discovered that admittance to see it and a neighboring fort (El Morro) was only $5 which we gladly contributed. San Cristobal is a spectacular fort built by the Spaniards in the 16^th century to defend against land attacks while the neighboring fort of El Morro sits roughly 1 mile away to guard against invasion by sea. The fortress provided spectacular views of the surrounding landscape and Old San Juan and provided opportunities to explore the tunnels and battlements. Between San Cristobal and El Morro sits the center of Old San Juan. Rolling hills and cobblestone streets greet visitors as streetside bars and shops display their wares. We ended up having lunch at a place called Yurat, which was being run by an incredibly nice man who was very excited to have us eating there and animatedly showed us the various meals he had prepared in the last hour. I ended up with a meal called rice cerrada which was a rice, pea, corn, pepper, steak, and chicken dish which I thought was excellent.

After lunch we made our way to El Morro but made a slight mistake in our path to get there. Finding the old harbor gate to San Juan we thought we had found a walking path outside the city wall along the sea to get to the fort. While it was indeed a fine walking path the heat was stifling as the sun beat down on a windless walk. After about 15 minutes we came to a dead end and had to head back! But the incredible views of the harbor and the sea when we finally made it to El Morro quickly made us forget about the detour to get there!

After returning to the ship and a few hours break Robyn, Kate, Kait, and I went to a welcome reception at a Puerto Rican university. There we met several Puerto Rican college students who had prepared food for us and gave us Salsa dancing lessons. Some of them have quite different schedules than us as one student explained to us that he goes to school only on Tuesday and Saturday, 3 classes each day but each class is 4 hours! They also described how English speaking students are taught in a separate building from the Spanish speakers and that they are often harassed. We were also told that many people sign up for classes in order to get access to Stafford and other federally funded financial aid but never attend, effectively stealing money from the US government!

My Second day in Puerto Rico began with a chance meeting with a group of people going to El Yunque, the only tropical rain forest in the US Park System. A decent sized group of us caught a ride with an excellent Puerto Rican tour guide named Rupert. Rupert provided us with a narration of everything we were passing by during the trip to the forest. Before reaching the heart of the forest we stopped at an observation tower that provided an excellent view of the valley and mountains surrounding it! After moving to a trailhead shortly thereafter, we began our trek through the forest where the rushing sound of a nearby river meets the chirping of jungle birds in a fantastic setting of lush green plants covering every square inch of the ground save for the narrow trail path.

At the end of the hike a 20 foot or so waterfall provided a refreshing place to take a dip and stage a photo op! Afterwards we stopped at a little place near the forest where I sampled my first Puerto Rican brewed Medalia which is a quite good light beer as well as a pork and rice dish recommended by Rupert.

A few hours later I found myself heading on a bus to Bioluminescence Bay, a winding mangrove canal traversed by kayak where millions of tiny organisms inhabit the water. When disturbed such as by an oar or by one’s hand a chemical reaction causes them to fluoresce, in our case a pale blue. The experience was surreal and was very reminiscent of the canals in Pirates of the Caribbean where our heroes visit Tia Dalma. Another starry sky to top it off was spectacular and allowed me to put some of my Astronomy knowledge to good use by pointing out a few constellations and planets. I thought the whole experience was great though there were a few difficulties as navigating pitch black canals with only the starlight and the small glowing markers on the kayak in front of you led to several collisions with branches and trees lining the shores as if one person hit something the kayak behind them haplessly hit the same object because we were instructed to follow the light of the kayak in front of us! Overall though I found it a very enjoyable experience!

On our last day in Puerto Rico I once again found myself on a bus, this time bound to Guaynabo to partake in a zip-lining experience between several platforms scattered throughout a dense forest. It was a quite nerve wracking experience to put on all the gear and finally make ones way to that first platform, but the feeling of soaring over the forest floor and through the trees without hitting them was spectacular! Sarah from the rain forest hike happened to be on the trip too and so we were able to catch a few pictures of each other! Also one of our guides was kind enough to take a group photo with EVERY SINGLE ONE of our groups 20 odd cameras! Now that’s service!

After returning to the ship Kayleigh, Kait, Kate, Garret, Sarah and I went into a Starbucks in San Juan for free wi-fi access to get a chance to share photos and send email. Afterwards we enjoyed happy hour for a bit before meeting Robyn and Mandy for a bite to eat. Spooked by the harsh dock time penalties given for late returns to the ship we headed back early after dinner and a short few hours and last phone calls to family and friends later find ourselves on the way to Brazil!

¡Fotografías!

Since our internet availability is quite spotty I'm going to have periodic updates that are just photos, but BE WARNED these links are to mass quantities of photos as I have not had time to sort through and tag them so proceed only if you feel you can face the challenge of wading through hundreds of photos!

Leaving Nassau and the MV Explorer
Coming into San Juan and Fortresses (Part 1)
More San Juan and Fortresses (Part 2)
Yet More San Juan and Fortresses (Part 3)
And a Final San Juan and Fortresses (Part 4)
El Yunque Rainforest (Part 1)
El Yunque Rainforest and Waterful (Part 2)
Canopy Adventure

Avast Ye Scurvy Sea Dogs

1/24/08 – 1/25/08

Our first full day at sea was mostly spent in meeting after meeting covering everything we could possibly need to know about the ship and ship life. Our only breaks came for meals which provided a great opportunity to make new friends! It seems like everytime I sit down to eat or attend a meeting I’m surrounded by incredibly friendly people who are eager to introduce themselves and I can already feel the close community living aboard a ship creates! Most people have adjusted well to our first boat motions but there are those few souls who appear to be near death and obviously missing having a stable ground to stand on. There are often stumbles and collisions in the halls and speeches have lost the attention of their audience from sudden pitches and rolls of the ship.
The view out my room

I have to say though that this is by far the most amazing dining hall experience I’ve ever had. The food has been great and the staff friendly to the point of making me feel guilty for how helpful and willing they are to serve us.

Our Dining Hall

Already we have been treated to our second spectacular sunset following dinner and to have every dinner capped with a show like this has been incredible!

Just another day on SAS

My first day of classes went fairly well but I must say I can no longer complain about 8am classes on a traditional campus. With the exception of the one time of year where Daylight Savings takes effect the class always starts at the same time. Here things are different. We had our first time change so I lost an hour of sleep and this will continue approximately every other day we are at sea for the remainder of the voyage. What this amounts to is that my class that currently feels like 8am or 7am after the last time change will be starting at what feels like 4am in a few weeks and will continue to get earlier as the semester progresses!

Classes seem interesting so far and with the exception of Global Studies which the entire ship attends the classes are all smaller and much more personal with the professor which will be nice for a change. Also we sit around small tables and on couches instead of at desks which gives the class a much more intimate feel. It is also quite different to see a constantly changing scene out the window and feel your notebook, table, and chair rocking back and forth

Tomorrow we will be arriving in San Juan, Puerto Rico, and everyone is excited after our pre-port briefing tonight. In a little while I’ll be grabbing my sleeping bag and heading to the top decks to join in a massive slumber party on the top of the ship so that we can be awake when the ship pulls into San Juan tomorrow.

In San Juan I’ll be attending a welcome reception where we’ll meet Puerto Rican students and have Salsa dancing lessons, going on a Canopy Adventure, and a kayaking trip to a Bioluminescent bay. The Canopy Adventure is a zip-lining course through the rainforest where I’ll learn about how gravity accelerates massive people-sized objects (after all this is school)

The kayaking trip will take a group of us out on a nighttime kayaking trip where we will pass through one of the few places in the entire world where luminescent organisms on the water’s surface are agitated by the oars of our kayaks and fluoresce several different colors.

A Journery Begins

The line to board the ship

The day to board the ship has come at last! This morning there was a steady stream of students, parents, and luggage to taxis outside the Atlantis. After a last breakfast in the hotel I gathered up my things and caught a taxi with a set of parents and their daughter and a guy from Canada who happened to be going downtown at the same time. It was there the fun really began. Being the Bahamas it was a very warm and sunny day which would normally be a nice thing but begins to really suck when you’re carrying over 100 pounds of luggage and moving at the rate of about 10 feet per minute! As our boarding times were assigned alphabetically I was toward the middle of the pack and scheduled to board the ship at 10am. I don’t think I even got to the first port checkpoint until around 11!

After clearing the final line and checking my heavier pieces of baggage I was treated to my first up-close view of my floating home for the next several months.

The MV Explorer

It was quite exciting to finally board the ship and after a 45 minute check in process I made my way to my cabin. So until May my address is now cabin 3039 Deck 3, Starboard.

Cabin viewed from the Bed

Cabin viewed from the door

The cabin is modest but should be fine. There isn’t a lot of room but I won’t be spending much time here either. My roommate’s name is Tracy and he is from the University of Arizona. We are both very easy going and I think we will have a great semester together as room mates! According to SAS legend previous voyages often write messages on the back of the pictures hanging in the rooms and sure enough a quick flip of our picture revealed the pearls of wisdom from previous voyages. I’m afraid the writings are privileged information to only those fortunate few who become SAS alums or at least until I can post pictures...

At about 5pm Bahamas time our ship blasted its horn and pulled away from the docks with the aid of our trusty tug boat Amber Jack. The outside decks were completely packed with people and a hearty cheer was heard after the horn began to sound. We were on our way!

Parents Waving Farewell from the Docks

Before we were out of sight of the Bahamas the sun began to set completing our picturesque departure into the sunset

Shortly after dinner we had a welcome to the ship orientation where our Assistant Dean informed us that we would be joining the less than 1% of the world’s population who have circumnavigated the globe! This thought makes me feel extremely privledged to be here!

Day 1-2 The Atlantis, The EXTREME Lazy River, and Senor Frogs

I've never had more trouble sleeping than I had my last night in Colorado. I think I wound up with about 4 hours and got up to 12 degree cold and snow.

A short hour or so later I was saying my farewells to Mom and Dad after finally passing through security (Mom I I am impressed how you somehow got behind the glass thing over the escalators down to the trains after security to wave a last goodbye.)

I was concerned that my massive hiking backpack with attached sleeping bag might not be very much appreciated by other passengers or the flight attendants but as it ended up there was no issue and I easily found a place to store it.

I have to say I was very impressed with the Delta flight I took to Atlanta, I was able to watch live TV from a touch screen, one of which was attached to the back of every seat. So I was able to watch several back to back episodes of Dirty Jobs to pass the flight.

After arriving in Atlanta I headed over to the Nassau gate and there saw a couple of college aged girls and a set of parents whom I had seen in Denver. Since they were going to Nassau I had an inkling they might be from Semester at Sea. Fortunately I was also a prime suspect with my massive backpack and they correctly guessed I was with Semester at Sea. So Katie and Jenna were the first two fellow SASers I met and fortunately for me Katie's parents were traveling along and were kind enough to temporarily take me on as an adopted son and I was able to share a cab with them from the airport in Nassau to the Atlantis hotel! With the exception of one of my bags not making it with me to the Bahamas this was a huge stress relief!

Atlantis is BREATHTAKING... It definitely was a welcome change from the 12 degree weather I left in Colorado!)
I am overwhelmed by the size of this place and the variety of exotic things it has. Things like the predator lagoon, where full grown sharks are kept and can easily be seen as you walk the paths meandering by it


My room is an average hotel room with an okay view of the top one of the restaurants overlooking the rest of Atlantis. My roommate who is also going on Semester at Sea is named Mike and he has followed in the tradition of me having great roommates with that name!

After meeting Mike, we decided to do some exploring of the equally spectacular inside of the hotel. There is a huge casino, several bars, all kinds of sculptures and shops. Also it was interesting to note that all of the establishments had signs prohibiting the presence of minors, but declaring that age to be 18... Meaning I suddenly had a whole new array of things I could now do ;) So what better way to start than by being crowned King of Atlantis?


My first night Mike and I met a huge number of people also staying at Atlantis who are here for SAS. We ended up going to a bar/club and there I subjected new friends Lindsey, Kayleigh, Courtney, Mackenzie, and various others off and on to my so called "dancing" We still ended up having a blast and a few of us ended the night by a trip down to check out the beach under the full moon and the stars.

Today was spent mainly with the various water features of Atlantis. For those of you from Colorado, think of Waterworld with hotels around it and the ocean on one side. Mike, Katie, Jenna, and Katie's parents spent the morning exploring and found the infamous Leap of Faith waterslide.

Jenna, Me, Mike, and Katie and The Leap of Faith

Yes that is a waterslide going through a shark tank!

Later in the day Mike and I went on several of the slides including the Leap of Faith with Kayleigh and Courtney. We found a racing slide of which yours truly was the champion of the day (Although there was some suspicion of foul play ;) )

The racing slide

This structure actually houses about 10 different body and tube slides

We also took a few laps around the Lazy River. Now this isn't your stereotypical Lazy River which floats you around in a gentle circle. No this one had moments like that but also rapids, caves with shooting smoke and fire light effects, a wave channel (Like an extremely narrow wave pool where the waves are designed to propel you forward) and exits directly into the entrances to the water slides!

As closing time of the water attractions approached I made a horrible realization. The four of us had locked our valuables into a locker and were instructed to return the key by 5pm and not to lose it or we would have to pay $50 to replace it. Apparently my brief stint as ruler of Atlantis had angered the Gods and they had seen fit to remove the key from my pocket at some point during our body slide escapades and leaving us with 30 minutes to find it lest we be faced to pay the fee. We had nearly given up hope when fortunately Courtney's keen eye spotted it in the splash down pool at the bottom of the Leap of Faith! Woo Hoo!

Courtney, Kayleigh, and I and then Mike, Courtney, Kayleigh and I give smiles of relief at the lucky ending to a great day!

After a quick bite to eat we readied ourselves for what has become the traditional SAS take-over of the Nassau Senor Frogs in town. We arrived at about 10:30 to a full crowd of SASers! As we approached the place everybody except for me was waved into a line to pay a cover but the bouncer simply waved me around the payment line and directed me to go straight into the bar! At first I thought maybe I had finally figured out how to pull off a convincing famous person impression but I later discovered that it was simply because I had a Semester at Sea wristband which some of us had been lucky enough to have received at the hotel earlier. Our original plan to check out the place for an hour or so turned into a 3 1/2 long party with a live band and DJ and a view of our ship from the shore!

Kevin, Mackenzie, Christine, Kayleigh, Stacy, Me, and Mike (Courtney as the photograper) and later the inside of Senor Frogs as it appeared for about 3 hours!

After a thoroughly enjoyable evening 10 of us somehow squeezed into a taxi back to Atlantis, which nearly burnt out the cabs clutch going up the ramp of the bridge back to Paradise Island! But we arrived safe and sound and everyone has gone to bed excited that tomorrow we will at long last be boarding our ship and starting this adventure!

If you're interested in more of my Atlantis pictures click here

The Waiting Is The Hardest Part

So it has now come to my final week Stateside before embarking upon my great adventure! I can't believe it's already almost time to go as this trip has seemed like a distant plan for such a long time that it seems unreal I'm actually going to be leaving for Nassau soon!

So here's some details about our ship as quoted from the Semester at Sea Voyager's Handbook:

"The MV Explorer is the dedicated shipboard campus for the Semester at Sea program. The Explorer was built in Germany as the world's fastest cruise ship and completed in 2001. She has a gross tonnage of 24,318, a length of 590 feet, breadth of 84 feet, draft of 24 feet, and a cruising speed of up to 32 knots. There are 418 cabins (296 outside and 122 inside) and six participant decks for a total of 918 berths."

The MV Explorer

I can also add that there will be somewhere between 650-700 students representing over 250 different universities and colleges on this voyage and that approximately 75 of them are from CU Boulder! I'm getting very excited though I must say I will miss seeing the majestic Flat Irons everyday and I will miss all my family and friends!

For now though, I suppose I should focus on packing as I really should probably get started on that...

All I Ask Are Calm Seas and a Star to Steer By

2008? How can that be possible? As yet another year passes us by and I finish my fifth (fifth?!?) semester as a college student I can feel the winds of change just beyond the horizon.

I've moved everything out of my home for the last 18 months at University Village and finished the last page of a chapter of my life. I know it's just a building but I have a strange sentimentality and nostalgia towards it and... well... everything. Perhaps this arises from the fact that I've only lived in 5 different places in my entire life including the year long stint at the dorms Freshman year. Or maybe it's because as Michael, my roommate of the last two and a half years and longtime friend, pointed out: that last chilly day in Boulder will likely be the last time we will ever live together for the rest of our lives. That was a profound realization for me. Not only that fact itself but just the fact that 2 1/2 years flashed by in the blink of an eye. It feels like my life has been stuck on fast forward and that the days are ticking by faster than I can keep count.

Complicating the matter is the fact that I am rapidly approaching one of the greatest adventures I will ever have embarked upon. Beginning on January 21st I will be leaving the United States for 108 days to participate in the Semester at Sea program sponsored by the University of Virginia. Leaving from the port of Nassau in The Bahamas, SAS will sail us around the world on a journey stopping in 10 different countries across 3 continents before transiting the Panama canal and a return to the States. (If you're interested here's the full itinerary) Needless to say this is quite an undertaking for a mild-mannered Colorado boy who's never spent more than 2 weeks outside of the shadow of the Rocky Mountains.

If the reactions and memories of the more than 45,000 students that have participated in SAS over it's 30 year history are any indication, the person that I am today will be a different one from the one that returns home in May. This thought is both immensely exciting and greatly nerve-wracking for me. I hope that this journey will help me grow as a person and give me perspective on our increasingly intertwined world. I hope to return with new friendships and a new appreciation for the friends I'll be leaving behind. I hope to bring home a lifetime's worth of stories. I hope to return humbled and grateful for all that I take for granted. And I hope to return without Malaria, Yellow Fever, Japanese Encephalitis, and generally still alive!

So now that the profound segment is out of the way... This will also be the first time I have dealt with the experience of having an unknown roommate as I dodged that bullet Freshman year by rooming with Michael. So I hope we get along well and that he doesn't have any weird habits like stockpiling massive quantities of potatoes or making string-cheese stick figures. I also hope that I'll be able to overcome my usual tendency to be shy and that I won't become "that guy who supposedly lives in cabin 215."

Packing is also interesting for me as I need to plot out about how many diabetes supplies I think I'll go through in the time I'll be gone. In a way the whole experience is just like playing Oregon Trail where I have to decide how many boxes of each kind of supply I think I'll go through during the trip. Except this time around there aren't any forts to resupply from and the consequences for running out of wagon wheels will be a bit more severe.

Overall though the idea that I'm leaving in 18 days still hasn't quite hit home...