Erawan National Park, Thailand

Erawan National Park was quite a trek to reach, but once we did it was so worth it. The main hike has seven levels to it, and it is one of the hottest and most humid hikes out there!

Surrounded by the gorgeous foliage and breathtaking water color (this photo is unfiltered, it was really that cool!!), we hiked all the way up, past some quick sand (quick sand!!!) and some crazy looking monitor lizards, spiders, and monkeys. 

We saw the amazing water fall the entire time, and when we got to the top we put our feet in! The pools were filled with fish that nibble the dead skin off your feet to clean them. This was one of the weirdest feelings ever, but hey, people pay lots of money at spas to get this done so you have to try it! It was refreshing and relaxing since we sweated for an hour to get all the way to the top!

Just your typical sturdy Thai bridge....

Phi Phi Islands-I love Southeast Asian Islands!

The Phi Phi Islands are tiny and right off the large island of Phuket. These two islands are incredible! They are tiny but beautiful and full of nightlife and amazing views. As we ferried to the islands, we could not believe the amazing rock formations. 

Once we arrived, we were in awe of the perfect water color with all of the long-tail boats. The locals were friendly and spoke enough english to get around. Though things here were a little more expensive than Bangkok, it was still cheaper than America! These two islands provided us with one of the best weekend getaways we had this semester. 

We took a cruise around the two islands and enjoyed all the famous locations, lunch, snorkelling, music and new people, and finally a gorgeous sunset. It was incredible! (Blanco Boat party for anyone who wants to know!)

We made new friends and had such a blast. I will return to the islands of southeast Asia because they are pristine!

Loy Krathong Festival-Chiang Mai, Thailand 2018

The Festival of a Lifetime:

Loy Krathong is a festival in Thailand which means to "float a Krathong" (the objects we are holding made of banana tree stump and leaves, flowers, incense, and candles). One floats a krathong in order to pay homage to the river for all the water provides, as well as to apologize for polluting. It was such a unique experience to learn to make these out of the traditional materials from our hostel owner, Nam (Pictured on the far left). He explained why they make Krathongs and showed us how his mother taught him when he was young. 

We bought lanterns off the street (3 for 100 baht = 3 for $3). We took the lanterns to the designated releasing area and found a spot in the crowd (there were so many people there!). Once we found a spot, it was like we were in the movie Tangled! We each released lanterns into the night sky and watched as everyone else's lanterns started to look like stars. 

After releasing the lanterns, there was an amazing parade marching down the street, and all the floats were gorgeous and traditional. I would highly recommend visiting Thailand for this festival!

Sailing The North Atlantic

After 6 weeks of classes in Woods Hole, it was finally time to set sails aboard the SSV Corwith Cramer!!

For my program, we sailed from Woods Hole to Grenada, which means we spent about 5 weeks on the open ocean without any stops, and then the last week was spent docked in Carriacou and Grenada. In my opinion, if you want to learn how to sail, this is the perfect program! Because you get 5 weeks of uninterrupted sailing experience!

The first week on the Cramer is very intense with a lot of safety training, seasickness, learning a new language, and learning how to stow your bunk so you don’t fall out when the swells pick up (and trust me, they DID). And when I say a new language, I mean learning what all parts of the boat is called, because boat folks have decided that kitchen is called galley, bathroom is head, floor is deck, walls are bulkheads, stairs are ladders, etc., and let’s not forget that each individual line has a different name! So, the first week is very confusing before knowing what everything is! But we used these terms every day, so I get into it super quickly. I learned more the first week on the ship than I have ever done before.

When embarking on the ship, you’re not a student anymore, you’re a part of the crew. This means you’ll do everything the professional crew does. Which entails standing watch, being at the helm, raising sails, and preparing food in the galley.

It might sound like a lot of work, but it's really worth it. While standing at the helm and/or lookout, I got to see some of the most beautiful sunsets and sunrises I've ever seen, and during the night the skies very so clear you could see the entire Milkyway. Oh and let's not forget the dolphins that frequently came to visit!!

Sunset

Rainbow!

Standing at the helm

Standing at the Helm

Standing at the helm

Music on the quarter deck

Furling the mains'l

Celebrating Halloween onboard the ship

SEA Semester – Ocean Exploration

For my Study Abroad semester, I decided to go sailing with SEA Semester. This program is quite different from others because it mixes normal school work with sailing experiences. I spent six weeks in Woods Hole, MA at the SEA Semester campus and then I spent six weeks aboard their school sailing vessel, the Corwith Cramer.  The best thing is, you do not need to have any sailing/boat experience, they will teach you everything you need to know!

For this post, I will explain what to expect from the shore component of the semester.

Their campus is located in Woods Hole, which is a beautiful quiet little town. You live on campus in houses together with all your classmates (you also share a room with 1-3 other people). You will cook, clean, and do basically everything together with your classmates to prepare you for living together on a ship. The houses are located right next to the main building where all your classes will be held, it’s not even a minute walk away.

Academics on this program is a little different from normal. To be able to fit the academic schedule within just 12 weeks, whereas 6 weeks are on board a ship, the first weeks in Woods Hole will be asking a lot of you. If you’re thinking about going on SEA Semester, know that you cannot expect everything to go by easy without any work.  But, the hard work pays off!! Because when embarking on the Corwith Cramer it will all be worth it and you’ll have the time of your life!

The main building where classes are held

Watching the SSV Corwith Cramer arrive in Woods Hole

My shipmates at a field trip to Boston