Thanks to many of you, my little sister set sail last night from Ensenada, Mexico for her four-month around-the-world trip. I say “thanks to many of you,” because she had pretty much decided not to go until I wrote this post, and so many of you weighed in and convinced her she’d be making the biggest mistake of her life to turn it down. So, from the bottom of her heart and mine—probably not my parents’, though, who are currently in a state of mourning in San Francisco with us, bemoaning the day their baby gained her independence—you guys ROCK!
Our reactions to her departure yesterday varied a bit:
My mom, sobbing: MY BABY’S SET SAIL! I’m so glad we’re coming to San Francisco, otherwise I wouldn’t be able to handle it!
My dad, who hates to fly: If it weren’t tax season, I’d be meeting her at each port.
Me, only partially kidding: I’m an only child again! At last!
If it weren’t for the fact that Mom and I will be meeting her in Cape Town exactly halfway through Kari’s journey (and the fact that her favorite time of year looms near: Golden Globes–>Australian Open–>Olympics–>March Madness), I think I’d be spoon-feeding her Prozac right about now.
The funny part is that when I first heard of Semester at Sea—it’s been around for more than 45 years but I didn’t know about it until a classmate at Sewanee participated in 2003—I had this vision that they were actually sailing sailing, you know, mucking the decks and walking the planks and all the other swashbuckling maneuvers you see on movies like Pirates of the Caribbean and Hook. (Yes, I realize she’s not going off to join a Somali pirate ship, but all my preconceived notions are based on fantasy, OK?) Rather, they’re on a full-blown cruise ship—more than 800 passengers—which has a couple bar, swimming pool, hot tubs and even a gym. Sounds like a four-month-long Spring Break if you ask me. (Kidding. They do actually have class…occasionally.) In fact, this is what her cabin looks like (only with two single beds; she still has a roommate):
Envious, are we? No daily chores for this oceanbound gal.
Kari’s extremely shy about her writing ability (she shouldn’t be; she’s kind of awesome), but she did give me permission to post the e-mails and photos she sends from each port here in a new “Anchors Away” series that will begin upon her first stop in Hawaii next week. In fact, here is her complete itinerary, in case you want to follow along, as well (and be insanely jealous, as am I):
If you guys have any parting wisdom for my sister dearest, or good tips on any of the above destinations, I’d love to hear them and send them her way. Shockingly, Hong Kong aside, I’ve never been to any of the cities she’ll be visiting (other than her U.S. departure and arrival points, of course). And, while she’s never been a devout Twitterer before, SVV and I will be heavily pushing her to document this amazing journey (dear God, I’m starting to sound like Chris Harrison on The Bachelor) in as many ways as possible. Follow her at @karilynluna and send her some encouragement along the way!
How exciting! I was definitely one of those people who urged her to go. I set sail in the Fall of 2004 and it was by far the best decision I’ve ever made. Hope she has an amazing trip and that you have fun in Cape Town!
Cheers to the RTW traveler!
I would like to encourage Kari to go off the beaten path in Honolulu. If she is able to make it to the touristy Waikiki strip then dip into the side streets, especially 1-2 blocks west of the Embassy Suites and the new Trump towers. There is the cutest, and authentic, string of Japanese noodle houses. The menus are predominantly Japanese and I had no idea what I ordered. It was one of the most fun food excursions ever! At night, they make the noodles in front of you and everything is fresh as can be. Here’s my Chinatown tip: Go there! The leis are dirt cheap and just as beautiful as anything on the main drag, if not better. I should have stocked up on $4 Kukui Nut necklaces and seashell necklaces. I totally got suckered in the blue + white shops on every corner, my mistake. If you’re feeling adventurous dip into any of the Vietnamese shops for a Banh Mi sandwich. If you need any souvenirs, the pearls in the Chinatown jewelry shops were a deal. We wiped out one when our mom and aunts wanted to custom string their own necklaces!
Have fun and report back often! We’ll be living vicariously through you!
Best,
Christina
Aah, I hope she has a fantastic trip
All of those destinations sound amazing, and I’m sure she’ll enjoy every second! Can’t wait for her updates!
I just got back from studying abroad in Cape Town (well, Stellenbosch), South Africa and it was amazing. Make sure she visits as many vineyards as she can (and you too!) as the exchange rate is phenomenal and the wine is even better. Enjoy ZA…wish I was going with you!
I’m thinking I need to go back for another undergraduate degree so I can do some of these study abroad trips I missed out on! Wonder if I could talk my mom into paying for it
I am so excited to follow along in Kari’s adventure and pretend I’m 21 and carefree vs 31 with a mortgage and a baby on the way!
Bon voyage, Kari! I’m so glad she went for it – it’s going to be an amazing journey!
My advice: have fun, take pictures, and try not to get too caught up in the drama of life aboard ship. Translation: don’t skip sightseeing or some activity you really want to do just because of a boy.
Don’t get me wrong. Boys are great. I like boys. They’re some of my favorite people. But never again will you have the opportunity to spend a semester at sea (unless you become a teacher, I guess), so get out there and explore! Or, as Jane Austen put it, “what are men compared to rocks and mountains?!”
Bon voyage, Kari! What an amazing experience this is going to be. Though I’m somewhat disappointed that she gets a TV when she climbs on board, rather than a parrot and a swashbuckling sword belt.
Bon Voyage Kari! This will be an amazing adventure. I sure look forward to peeks into the journey. And those accomodations, snazzy. Sure hope some actual learning gets done along witht he fun.
Couldn’t see the itinerary. When will you all be in Cape Town? I’ll be there a few days the end of March.
Bon voyage Kari! I hope you have an amazing time on your travels and I’m looking forward to reading all about it!
I’ve only been to one of your destinations, Accra in Ghana but I had a fantastic week there and I do have a couple of recommendations. If you have time try and visit the Ghana National Culture Centre which is an enormous craft market with tons of stalls selling jewelery, carvings, bags and pretty much anything else you can think of. We had fun wandering round looking at everything.
If you’re looking for real Ghanaian food head to The Original Blue Gate which is famous for its amazing food!
And for drinks check out Monsoon which is a fancy ex-pat type bar, then Cels Bridge which is a tiny little Ghanaian bar tucked away in the middle of nowhere with a beer garden and Club beer which is made in Accra!
Have fun!!
Looking forward to reading the “Anchors Away” series. Wishing your sister safe and fun trip.
Oh, and enjoy your four months in the sun as the only child!
And I noticed the miss in the sentence just as I hit the submit button. It really was meant to read as, “wishing your sister a safe and fun trip.” Drat!
Bon voyage, Kari! I am extremely jealous of your trip, and looking forward to reading all about it.
If I didn’t get horrible seasickness….I would be insanely jealous! Have fun and enjoy this amazing opportunity!
Hey, there’s another Caitlin on here! *waves*
Sounds like fun. I think you meant that your parents were mourning the day their baby gained (rather than “lost”) her independence.
I hope she likes her cabin-mate!
Lucky, lucky, lucky girl! Happy travels!
I’m so glad about this! I can’t wait to read her emails and photos about her trip!
I am SO envious of her!
I am SO GLAD she decided to go! I can’t wait to hear all about her trip!! Keep us posted!
Go little sis, go! Isn’t so fun to be able to share something you love with a sibling? My brother is a winemaker and spent about six months living in New Zealand a couple of years ago (where I was an exchange student in high school). I think I was almost more excited than he was to go there & sharing our stories has been so much fun ever since!
I work in university housing, and my supervisor took a semester leave of absence last spring so that he (along with his wife and daughter) could be a staffer on the ship and sail around the world. It looks like their itineraries are fairly similar (though they did Hawaii on the back end of the trip). They kept a blog while they were there. I’m not sure if their reflections will appeal to Kari, but if so, tell her stop by http://dostaldauers.blogspot.com/
Take pictures. FOR THE LOVE OF GOD take pictures!