When you think of Fiji you might imagine the crystal clear light-blue water and white-sand beaches that proliferate on the internet. Well, that’s not all of Fiji. We docked in the port of Suva, the capital and largest city in Fiji which is a more built-up and industrial area than most you’ll find. First up …
New Zealand was billed as an exciting thrill-seeking destination. Many people were exited to partake in extreme sports, Bungee Jumping or Zorbing, venture off to see the dramatic landscapes from Lord of the Rings, or get a sense of scale for the extensive sheep farming industry. But Dad and I were excited about visiting Auckland …
After 10 days at sea, we were very ready to get off the ship and see some sights south of the Equator in Australia. We docked in Brisbane, at the Queensland Bulk Terminal. (Not the usual spot for a passenger vessel, which was a constant source of confusion for taxi drivers during our stay.) Experienced …
My final day in Japan, I took a train up to the historic city of Kyoto with a friend from the ship. We arrived with little fuss, and got tickets for the sightseeing hop on hop off bus that allowed us to see many different sites in the city. We enjoyed a sampling of the …
Early the next morning I boarded a bus in Osaka and we headed to the Shin-Osaka bullet train terminal. The city was pretty empty still compared to the bustle I’d seen yesterday, but you can see there are signs of it awakening. Japan is very train focused and there’s a whole separate terminal for their …
Some of us on board woke up very early to watch the ship come into Osaka harbor. I was one of them and got a few shots of looming islands in the darkness. When we made our formal entry to the harbor, we were greeted by the local fire boat crew who made a sweeping …
Not an International Incident Our visit to Russia was not without drama in terms of State travel restrictions. Immediately upon dropping anchor in the harbor waters out site Petropavlovsk we were boarded by customs officials. We were woken up in groups to proceed to the union so we could be presented along side our passports …
Origination Our circuit around the Pacific on Semester at Sea began in Vancouver Canada. We flew to the city on June 12, 2003 with giant duffle bags packed with all the personal belongings we’d need for the next three months. My parents and I arrived in Vancouver a few days before the rest of the …
My visit to Madrid was, quite frankly, inadequate. We flew in from Palma and after getting settled into the hotel for a bit, we learned that our teacher (and group leader) was ill and unable to guide us for the day. There was quite a lot of consternation between 8th graders about leaving her behind …
We arrived in Barcelona and were taken to… somewhere in the City. I only recently located Carrer de Saragossa in the north-west as our insertion point. The bus couldn’t or wouldn’t drop us off any closer to the hotel, so we walked with our bags a couple blocks maybe to our first home-away in Spain. …