Last Post

After an overnight flight and a lot of sleep, I am home safe and sound--so grateful for new friends, amazing experiences and new perspectives.... As someone said on ship, "Now the inner voyage begins..."

Thanks to everyone who has followed this blog....I look forward to seeing you all soon!

We're Coming to America!

Last Sunset at Sea

Sunrise over California

Coast Guard Escort

Parents' Boat

At 6:30 in the morning on December 13th we awakened to Neil Diamond's "Coming to America" played over the ship's PA system... The MV Explorer eased into San Diego Bay at dawn, escorted by a Coast Guard boat and several small craft full of parents with signs.  After docking, it was a busy time as luggage and boxes were offloaded and people said their farewells.  Then it was time to disembark, collect luggage and head for the airport....with so many emotions to sort through......

Almost Home!

Quote from Desmond Tutu at teh Alumni Ball

Rocky Rohwedder and I taught the Sustainable Communities courses

The trip between Hawaii and San Diego was a frantic time of final exams and grading....Finally, after the final grades were turned in, there was an Alumni Ball on the ship to celebrate the end of the voyage... Then packing.....

Hiking across a Volcano!

An Ohia tree in Kiluea Iki crater

The Kiluea Iki crater with the main Kiluea caldera in the background

The trip on the second day in Hilo was to the Hawaii Volcanoes National Park.  We hiked through a lava tube and four miles across the crater of the Kiluea Iki volcano.  The volcano last erupted in 1994, and the floor of the crater was like a moonscape.  We also visited the research site on the rim of the main Kiluea caldera, and saw the seismographs used to monitor the seismic activity on all of the volcanoes on the island.  Finally we returned to the ship and departed Hawaii...sad that our trip is almost over....

Hilo and a Luau...

Beach house in Hilo

Volcanic beach

King Kamehameha

Making a lei at the luau

On the first day in Hilo I took a walk with a friend on the ship to some beach parks near the port.  The hard, black volcanic rock with the crashing waves makes a dramatic scene.  That evening we went to a luau sponsored by the University of Hawaii at Hilo.  Students and residence life staff taught us how to make leis from tea leaves and dye scarves (and some learned how to do a hula dance). 

Honolulu!

A rainbow on our first day in Honolulu

Control room of the HPower facility

Students in front of the HPower Waste to Energy plant

The MV Explorer in Honolulu

On the beach with Diamond Head in the distance

On the first day in Honolulu I led a trip to the HPower Waste to Energy facility, where they burn municipal waste to produce electricity.  There was a great group of students on the trip who asked lots of good questions about the process, air pollution issues, and alternative forms of energy production.  Later that night I had a great Hawaiian dinner with some faculty from the ship at The Willows, an open-air restaurant that has been in Honolulu since 1947.  The second day was a relaxed day of hiking around downtown Honolulu and shopping....finding just the right Hawaiian shirt and some Christmas presents.

Ten straight days of classes....and rough seas!

My Sustainable Communities class

Our last lifeboat drill

After Japan, we had our final marathon of ten straight days of classes.  The seas were rough almost every day, so we all got used to the ship rocking and rolling during class....  Finally we had the last day of classes and reached Honolulu!  We will spend two days in Honolulu and two in Hilo, before setting sail for San Diego.  Final exams are after Hawaii, so I have lots of grading of papers and exams to do in the next week!

Tokyo and Yokohama....

Plastic Food Shop!

The Asahi Brewing Company Building

With Liz, Hale and Emi

With Emi, Yumiko, and Liz

In the evening, Emi's friend Hale met us at a local traditional Japanese restaurant, and we were joined by two other recent RC alums--Liz, who is doing graduate work in Japan, and Yumiko, who lives and works in Yokohama.  Thanks to Mrs. Sakae, after dinner we were able to have drinks at the Roppongi Hills Club, an exclusive club atop one of the tallest buildings in Tokyo.  The next day, we took a walking tour with Emi, Hale and Liz around one of the older sections of Tokyo and saw the Asahi Brewing Company headquarters building (shaped like a beer glass) and the oldest temple in Tokyo, built around 900 AD.  The neighborhood around the temple was fascinating, with many small shops and restaurants, including one that only sold the plastic replicas of food.  After a tiramisu latte at a local cafe, we all took the train back to Yokohama, where we met up with Yumiko again.  Tina and I are so grateful to Emi, Hale, Liz and Yumiko for sharing so much of their time on a holiday weekend with us!  It really made our trip to Japan memorable!... Finally, I had to board the ship again and Tina, Emi, Hale and Liz headed back to Tokyo.  Tina flew out of Tokyo the next morning....

Japan: Yokohama and Tokyo.... and Randolph Alums!

With Emi in front of the Diet Building

After a day sail from Kobe, we arrived in Yokohama.  Tina and I were met in Yokohama by Emi Tokubuchi, RMWC '94, who works for the Sakae Institute of Study Abroad in Tokyo.  The Sakae Institute helps Japanese students connect with colleges and universities in the US.  We traveled with Emi by train to Tokyo, where we took a walking tour of the area around the Japanese Diet Building, and met Liz at the Sakae Institute offices. We were warmly greeted by Mrs. Sakae, and Emi showed us some of her photos and yearbooks from her time at RMWC.

Japan: Kobe, Osaka and Kyoto

Our welcoming band in Kobe

Bunraku Theater poster in the subway station

Bunraku Theater performance in Osaka

Nijo Castle main building, home of the shogun

Nijo Castle

Zen dry gardens

Bell at Ryoan-ji Temple

Buddha at Ryoan-ji

The Golden Pavilion

After a couple of days at sea, teaching classes between China and Japan, we arrived in Kobe, Japan on November 19th.  We were greeted at the dock early in the morning by a small brass band that played "When the Saints Come Marching In"!  Kobe is an industrial port with not much to see in terms of culture, so many of the field trips in Kobe involved train or bus trips to nearby cities.  On our first day we traveled to Osaka for a performance of the National Bunraku Puppet Theater.  I really did not know what to expect, but the performance was fascinating.  Bunraku is a complex form of puppetry that dates to the 17th Century.  Three puppeteers manipulate the puppets in extremely complex and subtle movements, while narrators tell stories passed down from generations.  We were able to see two very different performances.

The second day in Kobe involved a day-long trip to Kyoto.  Kyoto was the capital of Japan for 1,000 years, and many of the best temples, gardens and palaces are there, making it a very popular destination for both foreign tourists and also Japanese tourists.  We first saw the Sanjusangen-do temple which has 1,001 statues of a Buddhist goddess of mercy.  Next we toured the extensive Nijo Castle, home to the shogun and his samurai.  Photos were prohibited inside the temple and palace, so we bought postcards to remember our visit.  The third visit was to the Ryoan-ji Buddhist temple, which features a Zen dry garden for meditation.  We also were able to wander around the tranquil lake and gardens that surround the temple.  Our last stop for the day was the Kinkaku-ji temple, containing the famous Golden Pavilion.  It was a holiday weekend in Japan, so the temple was crowded, but we were able to stroll around the gardens for awhile and take some wonderful photos. 

Shanghai, Day 2

Shanghai Urban Planning Exhibition Hall

Sculpture in the Shanghai Museum

The skyline just before we sailed

The trip on the second day in Shanghai was to the Shanghai Urban Planning Exhibition Hall--a six story building next to People's Square in the middle of Shanghai, devoted exclusively to displays of urban planning and the history of Shanghai's architecture.  One entire floor of the building is devoted to a model of Shanghai.... it is overwhelming!  We had a very knowledgeable guide who talked with us about the challenges that Shanghai is facing as it expands to an expected 30 million people in 2050.  The upper floor of the building contains several displays about Shanghai's greening efforts.  I took lots of photos that I have already used in classes on ship.  In the afternoon, Tina and I visited the Shanghai Museum and took a walk through downtown Shanghai and along the Bund near the river back to the ship.  Shanghai overwhelms the senses... It is a dynamic city with incredible architecture and ambitious plans......

Shanghai!

We spent two relaxing days at sea between Hong Kong and Shanghai.  Many of the Semester at Sea folks were taking overland tours to Beijing and the Great Wall, so there were few people on the ship.  The crew made us special dinners and we were able to catch up on some reading and sleep.  We arrived in Shanghai early on the third day, and again docked right in the center of the city, with amazing views of the skyline.  The photo at the top above is the view from our ship.  Fifteen years ago, that area was all rice paddys!  Shanghai is a city of between 21 and 22 million people--twice the size of New York City, and is growing exponentially, with all of the development and planning issues that kind of growth brings.  We had scheduled two trips in Shanghai, both related to sustainable development.  On the first day a group of several faculty, along with about 15 students met in the offices of Gensler Architects, designers of the Shanghai Tower.  The Shanghai Tower is scheduled for completion in 2014 and will be the second tallest building in the world.  It incorporates many green building features, including geothermal HVAC, wind turbines at the top of the building, and a rainwater collection system for greywater use.  The shape of the building is a spiral which reduces wind force, so the building can be designed with fewer materials.  The Gensler architects were very generous with their time and described in detail the structural and environmental characteristics of the building.

Last Day in Hong Kong

Planning and Infrastructure Exhibition Gallery

Overlook at the Peak Tram station

Bubba Gump Shrimp at the Peak

On our second day in Hong Kong, Tina and I explored Hong Kong Island.  We first found the Planning and Infrastructure Exhibition Gallery that our guide for the hike recommended.  It had some great interactive exhibits on current conditions and future plans for Hong Kong, with an emphasis on environmental sustainability. Afterward, we rode the Peak Tram to the top of the ridge overlooking Hong Kong.  There was a huge shopping and restaurant area at the top, so we indulged in some western style food by having lunch at Bubba Gump' Shrimp at the top.  On the way back to the ship we explored some of the incredible commercial architecture in Hong Kong's financial district, and then set sail for Shanghai that evening...