2014-01-11

【Aiden in English】

        The worst part of the vacation was constantly having to leave. The experience was dreadful and bittersweet. I'd been through it many times before, but this was different. Never before had I been on such a long trip. The total getaway granted me almost six weeks of excitement. Even though it was only a month and a half ago, I thought Dubai seemed centuries away.

        After leaving home for so long, the school woul

2014-01-10

【Aiden in English】

        Johannesburg, the largest city in South Africa, resembled an alien planet. It was only a step ahead of the other large African cities, but the difference was clearly visible. More modern technologies were used in the central business district. The houses were displayed extravagantly in European styles, and the lavish neighborhoods were built with high walls on leafy streets in the northeastern suburbs. The roads seemed so clean that a pie

2014-01-09

【Aiden in English】

        I always loved animals. At the zoo, I would spend hours looking at the large animals. But when I meant love, I didn't mean waking up at the crack of dawn love. Even so, that's exactly what we did. It started with a short ride on the highway to Chobe National Park, the first park established in Botswana. It was covered with dry savannah, floodplains, and teak woodlands, which became ideal habitats for various an

2014-01-08

【Aiden in English】

        The first night of sleep in Chobe Marina Lodge, Botswana, after a 30-day cruise, made me feel like I was landing and sleeping on the moon, which seemed impossible. When it was time for the boat cruise down the Chobe River in Chobe National Park, which borders Botswana and Namibia, I still had black spots under my eyes.

        This afternoon, the three-hour boat cruise was for wildlife. We immediatel

2014-01-07

【Aiden in English】

        Finally, it was time to get off the cruise ship Nautica Oceania. After 30 days of swaying and bumpy nights, I wanted to free myself. But I didn't want to wake up at 4 a.m. to catch a flight from Cape Town to Johannesburg. From the most populous city in South Africa, we flew to Victoria Falls National Park, situated on the border between Zimbabwe and Zambia, to see one of the world's largest waterfalls and a UNESCO World Heritage S

2014-01-06

【Aiden in English】

        After about a month at sea, the cruise was going well. It was too well. The sky was always cloudless, and the sun shone brightly, but not today. The day in Cape Town, the legislative capital of South Africa, was cloudy and foggy. The damp air and the ever-blowing winds from the Atlantic Ocean didn't help either.

        We were scheduled to ride a cable car up to Table Mountain. However, if it were too windy, we wou

2014-01-05

【Aiden in English】

        I was never really a shopper. The reason was that I never knew what to buy. That was why it became torture today trying to redeem things with my Big-O-Points as we left Durban for Cape Town and sailed across from the Indian to the Atlantic Ocean in South Africa.

        I had 112 points from Shuffleboard, Baggo-bean, Team Trivia, Miniature Golf, Table Tennis, and Brainteaser. The most expensive was the 50 lb. luggage sc

2014-01-04

【Aiden in English】

        Under the vast yellow sun, life in the Tala Private Game Reserve was remarkable. Everything was in motion and had a role in the ongoing cycle of life. Three African Big Five could be seen there: the black rhino, elephant, and Cape buffalo in the wild savannah outside Durban, South Africa.

        As we drove through, the first animal we saw was a gun that was sitting in the middle of the road. Its short, pointy horns st

2014-01-03

【Aiden in English】

        If you love hippos, crocodiles, and aquatic birds, the iSimangaliso Wetland Park in South Africa is the place to be, mainly when you happen to be in Zulu territory, on the outskirts of Richards Bay. Many animals reside there, and it has also been declared a UNESCO World Heritage Site.

        The iSimangaliso Wetland was well protected since St. Lucia Lake flourished with life, thanks to a rich supply of fish. The hippo

2014-01-02

【Aiden in English】

        When I was little, I loved natural history museums. But never in my life had I seen something like this. The Natural History Museum in Maputo, the capital of Mozambique, was like none other. 

        An artificial 4-D of a typical African ecosystem is collected from the first floor. It had the African Big Five: the lion, leopard, Cape buffalo, elephant, and rhino. The 4-D picture had them set around a small pool of

2014-01-01 New Year's Day

【Aiden in English】

        The first day of 2014 wasn't going so well. I felt queasy about the food I ate last night while crossing the Mozambique Channel from Madagascar to Mozambique. I also overslept at the golf tournament. If I were to catch up to a table tennis tournament, I had to hurry.

        The problem wasn't "Am I going to make it to the game," but "How am I going to d

2013-12-31 New Year's Eve

【Aiden in English】

        The liveliness of New Year's Eve was spectacular. Everyone was getting ready for the New Year Show, which didn't begin until another hour later. The Nautica lounge was packed, and I couldn't wait for the show to start.

        The first song the cruise entertainers performed was a classic about New Year's and Christmas. I could see everyone enjoying it because the a

2013-12-30

【Aiden in English】

        The lemurs of Madagascar had large eyes and resembled cats in size. Their long, puffy tails dangled down while they rested. It was an endemic primate, and Mom and I didn't want to miss it. In addition, the lemurs were so famous that they were featured in the Hollywood cartoon Madagascar by King Julien.

        We boarded a Dinghy, a small speedboat like a tender, and came to Nosy Be Island, Madagascar. From there, w

2013-12-29

【Aiden in English】

        Today was a sea day. Even so, the cruise ship hosted special activities, played games like the British "Olde fair" that sold their stocks, cattle, and food, and performed circuses in late summer. Since Oceania was a British company, it also hosted a similar country fair while sailing from Dar es Salaam, Tanzania, to Nosy Be, Madagascar, in the Indian Ocean.

        The country fair took place on the pool deck

2013-12-28

【Aiden in English】

        Mom and I were woken by the morning call to start the day. It was 6:30 a.m., and we had a tour at 7:45 a.m., so we had to hurry to catch it.

        The upcoming tour was a safari, and it began with a short flight on a propeller-driven private plane from the capital city, Dar es Salaam, also known as the "Abode of Peace," to the Selous Game Reserve, the first and oldest national park in Tanzania and a UNE

2013-12-27

【Aiden in English】

        The narrow, winding, and serene alleys made it a mysterious place. The bare stone walls, iron-bar windows, and pointed wooden doors created a gloomy atmosphere. But as I entered the more extensive road, the place burst into excited activity. I felt as though I was transported back to the "Arabian Nights" in ancient times (1706-1721). This is Stone Town, Zanzibar, in Tanzania, a Swahili coastal trading center in East Africa

2013-12-26

【Aiden in English】

        Kenya is now one of my favorite places. I went on my first wilderness safari there right after Christmas Day.

        The Safari began with a two-hour drive from Mombasa to Tsavo National Park, the largest park in Kenya. That's when we climbed aboard a van. At first, the van didn't look like something fit for the Safari. But as if the truck was trying to prove me wrong, the roof opened, allowing the passengers t

2013-12-25 Christmas

【Aiden in English】

        Merry Christmas to all! It was another sea day, crossing the Indian Ocean from Mahe, Seychelles, to Mombasa, Kenya. I had nothing to do. The regular activities on cruise ships mainly involved getting people to distribute Big-O-Points.

        The first thing was the indoor putting tournament. You put the ball into a hole on a raised threshold to score. Today, scoring a point was nearly impossible. Everyo

2013-12-24 Christmas Eve

【Aiden in English】

        Question number one! I was part of my team, Team Trivia, which consisted of eight people, including me, the two brothers, Alex and Nick, their dad, and four other adults.

        This was how trivia worked. There were 20 questions that the cruise director, Willie, would give slowly, one by one. Each person had a piece of scrap paper and a pen. You wrote it down on scrap paper when you thought you had

2013-12-23

【Aiden in English】

        The closest thing to the Seychelles is Hawaii, except that the Seychelles are located in the Indian Ocean, while Hawaii is situated in the Pacific Ocean. Our tour took Mom and me to the National Botanical Gardens in Victoria, the capital of the Seychelles. Victoria is on Mahe, the largest island in the nation.

        There were exotic flowers and trees, such as trumpet pitchers, screw pines, Coco de Mer, Spanish dagger

2013-12-22

【Aiden in English】

        A famous part of Nautica Oceania was its Big-O-Points program. There were normal activities around the cruise ship, and multiple activities gave out Big-O-Points.

        Big-O-Points were little rectangular cards as big as a Pokémon card with a number. The number indicated the value of the cards. The passengers on board then traded in their points for hats, T-shirts, sporty pants, and other items. A card was worth one

2013-12-21 Winter Solstice

【Aiden in English】

        When the alarm clock woke me this morning, I thought today would be another boring day at sea when Nautica Oceania was en route to Mahe, Seychelles, from Male, Maldives, crossing the Equator in the Indian Ocean. But oh, how I was wrong.

        From the beginning of time, seafarers had partaken in ancient ceremonial initiations for crossing specific global navigational coordinate

2013-12-20

【Aiden in English】

        The sand was as crystal white as the clouds, and you could clearly see the bottom of the turquoise sea. If you are looking for exotic tropical beauty, the atolls in the Maldives are the perfect place to be.

        When the boat arrived at the Chaaya Island of North Male Atoll, I zipped off the ship and shot to Dhonveli Beach. It's a unique, authentic Maldivian bungalow architecture that blends seamlessly with natur

2013-12-19

【Aiden in English】

        If there was a time when I was hyperactive toward saltwater, it was now. Today, we came to Male, the capital of the Maldives, in the Laccadive Sea of the Northern Indian Ocean. With an average elevation of 1.5 m/4'11" above sea level, like my height, this garland of islands consisted of 26 atolls and became the lowest nation on our planet.

        We were about to see the coral life in a sub

2013-12-18

【Aiden in English】

       The stench of fish was disgusting! The fishing area we entered was the main port for fishing in Cochin (Kochi), popularly known as the "Queen of the Arabian Sea" in India. From here, our cruise ship, Nautica Oceania, could be seen very clearly from the backwaters of Vembanad, the longest lake in India.

        The water was severely polluted with trash and encroachments. Birds plucked candy wrappers and Ga

2013-12-17

【Aiden in English】

        Bang! Bang! The drum's noise was earsplitting. While the people were praying, the drum made the only sound that could be heard for miles.

        We were at the Kudroli Gokarnath Temple in Mangalore, an auspicious place in India. It was dedicated to Lord Gokarnath, also known as Shiva, the Hindu deity of destruction, in one of the three most influential denominations. The temp

2013-12-16

【Aiden in English】

        We sailed from Mumbai to Mormugao off the western coast of the Arabian Sea. Mom and I would tour the town of Old Goa, where the Portuguese colonized and once lived as the former capital of the Portuguese Indies from the 16^th to the 18^th centuries. In ancient times, Goa was a nation of cowherds and was quite overpopulated. The villagers were forced to abandon their homes and escape the plague and malaria in history

2013-12-15

【Aiden in English】

        I was so excited for today! We finally did a tour that involved some exercises, such as climbing 120 stone steps along the slope.

        The shore excursion started with an hour-long boat ride from Mumbai harbor to the Elephanta Caves off the western coast of the Arabian Sea. Its name is derived from a vast elephant statue. When the Portuguese arrived and first discovered it in 1

2013-12-14

【Aiden in English】

        Finally, after spending more than two days crossing the Arabian Sea from Oman, we arrived in Mumbai, India.

        As for its beautiful bay, Mumbai, formerly known as Bombay, was the Indian financial center, making the city a melting pot of people and cultures. On the one hand, colonial architecture incorporated elements such asd German gables, Dutch gambrel roofs, Swiss timberin

2013-12-13

【Aiden in English】

        Today was my second day at sea, so I still had nothing to do. Because of this, I tried to spend some more time in the restaurant.

        My favourite dish of the day was an Italian plate of delight. I expected it to be awesome because Italian food, in general, is very popular, featuring dishes like pizza, pasta, bologna, and ravioli. If my dish were anything like that, I'd be

2013-12-12

【Aiden in English】

        Today, our cruise ship will be at sea for the whole day. Since a lot of time needed to be saved, I checked to see if the other kids were on board and hung around for a while. I found them quickly because their shouts could be heard a mile away.

        Just as expected, all the other children waited for me. Excluding me from the USA, the group consisted of two Kiwis, two Canadians

2013-12-11

【Aiden in English】

        From Fujairah, UAE, we sailed to Muscat, the capital of Oman. I'd never heard of this well-known "falling place" in the Arabian monarchy kingdom before, and I started to understand why when I stepped into the largest natural harbor in the world.

        Muscat is a small city with a few skyscrapers. But that wasn't the main attraction for us. Today's excursio

2013-12-10

【Aiden in English】

        During the night, Nautica Oceania sailed to Fujairah across the chokepoint—the Strait of Hormuz—from the Persian Gulf to the Gulf of Oman. Fujairah represents one of the seven emirates in the UAE and is the only Trucial State with a coastline solely on the Gulf of Oman, unlike the other six.

        I was so excited today because Mom and I were going on the Rub Al Khali Desert saf

2013-12-09

【Aiden in English】

        Today, we will tour Sharjah, the Pearl of the Gulf. It was once considered "the cultural capital of the Arab world," a designation bestowed by UNESCO 15 years ago.

        Sharjah was one of the seven emirates, located adjacent to Dubai, and was home to numerous mosques, museums, and markets. The Cultural Square was enormous, featuring the Ruler's Office, the Quran Monument, the Ahmad B

2013-12-08

【Aiden in English】

        I was really excited about today. This afternoon, Mom and I were scheduled to board the Nautica Oceania cruise ship for a trip to the Middle East, South Asia, and Africa. However, first, we visited the world's largest mall and the tallest tower in Dubai, known as the city of merchants. I couldn't wait to get started.

        When we arrived at the Dubai Mall, it looked lik

2013-12-07

【Aiden in English】

        I went to bed when Mom and I returned from Dubai International Airport and checked in at the Raffles Hotel. As my head hit the pillow, I fell asleep like a log.

        As Mom woke me up at dawn for the tour, I tumbled around for a while and was still half asleep. After a brief breakfast, we hopped onto a city tour bus to Abu Dhabi, the capital of the UAE. There, we would see the Sheikh Zayed Grand M

2013-12-05

【Aiden in English】

        This was it! I couldn't believe I would go to the Middle East, South Asia, and Africa. Already, I was imagining the endless desert and the leisurely animals. Just thinking about it, the trip made me so hyper that half of the time at the airport, I would run ahead of Mom and tell her to hurry. But I didn't know today would be one of the worst days of my life.

        We arrived at Philade

2013-12-03

        迄今为止，我如果没有涉足上百个国家，至少也申请过几十张签证，从来没有像这次出游印度，临行前不到36小时才最终得到印度许可。

        在美国都说工作难找，殊不知申请印度签证谈何容易！

        话说找工作，你投注精力搭上时间，在职的时候骑驴觅马边干边寻摸机会，什么时候发现合适的地方，什么时候再跳槽赶赴新任职场；即使下岗身处被动地位，你仍然可以横下一条心，倘若钓不到大鱼，绝不轻易收

2013-10-23

        中美洲加勒比海紧邻美国北大西洋海域，常年气候和暖湿润，水面多半浪静风恬，自然景观秀美怡人，再加上物价消费水平较低，社会治安又相对稳定，拥有天时地利人和等诸多优良因素，堪称旅游度假的世外桃源，难怪从美国往返加勒比海沿岸之间各种规模的游轮一年四季源源不断，多如牛毛。

       相形之下，起始中东、途径南亚、纵贯东南非洲的水路航线则屈指可数，“航海‧大洋号”游轮(Nautica Oceania)几乎成为2013年全球唯一一艘勇往直前敢于穿越印度