Ever since I was a little girl I dreamed of traveling the world. Hiking the Great Wall in China, seeing the Taj Mahal and having a life changing experience at the Ganges River in India, tasting the spices and sipping mint tea with locals in Morocco, trying on a Kimono in Japan, and seeing the island of Cuba first hand and not by what we are being fed by the media. I thought to myself, "Maybe one day if I win the lotto I will get to do these things" or eventually I would save up enough money to do one or 2 of these things. NEVER in my wildest dreams did I ever think that I would have the opportunity to visit all of these places in one trip. In a little less than 2 months all my dreams will come true as I embark on the journey of a lifetime aboard the M/V "Explorer" as a student on the 107th voyage of Semester at Sea. We will circumnavigate the globe in 111 days making stops in 13 different countries and traversing the Panama Canal. The ship departs from Montreal, Canada and the voyage ends nearly 4 months later in my hometown of Ft. Lauderdale, FL. In between we'll be making stops at the following ports:
- Casablanca, Morocco
- Tema, (Accra), Ghana
- Cape Town, South Africa
- Port Louis, Mauritius
- Chennai, India
- Penang, Malaysia
- Ho Chi Minh City, Viet Nam
- Hong Kong / Shanghai, China
- Kobe / Yokohama, Japan*
- Hilo, Hawaii, USA
- Puntarenas, Costa Rica
- Traverse Panama Canal
- Havana, Cuba**
Aaaah! Its still all very surreal at times. This blog will serve as a diary as I prepare for the trip, documenting my adventures, experiences and feelings while exploring the world and as a communication tool for everyone I'm leaving behind at home. Phone calls will be very few and far in between but at least you'll all know I'm alive and kicking!
<3 Ionna
Disclaimer: As this is my diary sort of speak, there will be no filter about some of the things I say, I did, felt, and think of. I also have a sick sense of humor. With that being said my thoughts, actions and writings do not reflect those of my employer, school, and parents/family. And unless your name is God, don't judge! Just saying ;)
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