How to send me letters!

Feel free to send me a letter, a postcard, pictures, anything! :) I LOVE mail!

Here's how you address the envelope:

MV Explorer - Spring 2011 Voyage
ATTN: Alexa Rae Johnson
Port Agent Address (from list below)

In the port agent address, put one of the below addresses. Just make sure you send the mail in time! Semester at Sea
recommends sending all mail via courier mail with a guaranteed delivery date and a tracking number. Also, please refrain from sending packages (apparently it's just too difficult).


PORTADDRESS OF PORT AGENTSUGGESTED AIRMAIL DATE
Roseau, DOMINICA
Phone: 1 767 448 2181
Fax: 1 767 448 5787
H.H.V. WHITCHURCH & CO
71 Old street
POBox 771
ROSEAU, Brazil
January 3
Manaus, BRAZIL
Phone: 55 92 3234 4991
Fax: 55 92 3234 4830
INHCAPE SHIPPING MARINE SERVICES Ltda & AMAZON RIVER PORTS
Rua Eduardo Ribeiro 520
13° Andar - Sala 1301-1302
Ed. MAnaus Shopping Center Centro MANAUS - CEP 69-010-000 - AM
January 6
Takoradi, GHANA
Phone: 233 22 300 894
Fax: 233 22 202 989
HULL BLYTH
Seatec House / PO Box CO 214
Akosombo Road
Tema, GHANA
January 24
Cape Town, SOUTH AFRICA
Phone: 27 21 419 8660
Fax: 27 21 413 0290
JOHN T. RENNIE & SONS
19th FLOOR
No.1 Thibault Square
8001 Cape Town, SOUTH AFRICA
February 3
Port Louis, MAURITIUS
Phone: 230 202 70 40
Fax: 230 208 5814
Ireland Blyth Limited
Shipping Operations Department
No 6 Dr Ferriere Street
Port Louis, MAURITIUS
February 14

Cochin, INDIA
Phone: 84 8 825 7996
Fax: 852 2744 3240

J.M. BAXI & CO
N°26/1566 Subramaniam Road
Willingdon Island
KOCHI 682003, INDIA
February 21

Chennai, INDIA
Phone: 91 44 252 12032
Fax: 91 44 252 43813

J. M. Baxi & Co.
3rd Floor, Clive Battery Complex
4 & 4A, Rajaji Salai
Chennai 600 001, INDIA
March 2
Ho Chi Minh City, VIET NAM
Phone: 84 8 626 19602
Fax: 84 8 626 19603

CONTINENTAL CO LTD
55 Le Quoc Street
Ward 12
D. 4, Ho Chi Minh City, VIETNAM

March 7
HONG KONG, CHINA
Phone: 852 2786 1155
Fax: 852 2744 3240
Inchcape Shipping Services (HK) Ltd.
Units 1802-1805, 18th Floor
N° 3 Lockhart Road Wanchai,
HONG KONG - CHINA
March 14
Shanghai, CHINA
Phone: 86 21 6323 1350
Fax: 86 21 6329 1519
Penavico Shanghai
3/F 13 Zhong Shan Road (E 1)
Shanghai 200002, P.R. CHINA

March 17

Kobe, JAPAN
Phone: 81 78 391 3046
Fax: 81 78 391 3105
Inchcape Shipping Services (Japan) Ltd.
Kenryu Bld, Room 502
6, Kaigan-dori, Chuo-ku
Kobe-shi, Hygo-ken 650-0024, JAPAN
March 21
Yokohama, JAPAN
Phone: 81 45.201 6991
Fax: 81 45.212 1614
INCHCAPE SHIPPING SERVICES
F Asahi Seimei Yokohama Honcho Bldg
36, 4-Chome Honcho, Naka-ku
Yokohama-shi, Kanagawa-ken 231-0005, JAPAN
March 24

Hilo, HAWAII
Phone: 1 808 599 8604
Fax: 1 808 599 1950

Inchcape Shipping Services
521 Ala Moana Blvd.
Suite 256
Honolulu, HI 96813

April 4

Duffel bags!


So these are the duffel bags I purchased from WalMart a couple months back. After doing a fair amount of research online, I decided that these were perfect!

Reasons:
1. They have wheels. Rolling wheels are absolutely necessary!
2. They're soft on top so they will fit under my bed for storage purposes.
3. They're red and black, YAY for Aztec colors.
4. Durable lightweight material.
5. I was anxious and just really wanted to get them. hahahaha

So I purchased 2 of them. They're 30" x 13.5" x 13.25" rolling duffels by Protege. :)


Beach Towel!


I just bought this oversized ultra-soft beach towel for the trip! It's SO pretty! I love the colors/design. Can't wait to get it. :)

Choosing Trips, Making Plans, Getting Excited!! :)

Dominica: January 16 - 17

Sunday, Jan 16: Bumpiing Tour from 9:30 am - 2:00 pm.
Monday, Jan 17: Free day to explore the island.

Brazil: January 23 - 27

Sunday, Jan 23: MNS02 SERVICE VISIT: MONTE SALEM ORPHANAGE & SCHOOL – GROUP A
Sunday night to Monday morning: Flight to Sao Paolo, Brazil with Tram and Lilly!
Monday, Jan 24: Sao Paolo
Tuesday, Jan 25: Sao Paolo
Wednesday, Jan 26: Flight from Sao Paolo back to Manaus (very late at night)
Thursday, Jan 27: Free day to explore Manaus

Ghana: February 6 - 10

Sunday, Feb 6: Exploring Takoradi. Do some shopping in the street markets.
Monday, Feb 7: TAK16 COMMUNITY SERVICE VILLAGE PROJECT: ATOMKWA
Tuesday, Feb 8: (same as Feb 7)
Wednesday, Feb 9: KAKUM NATIONAL PARK WITH CANOPY WALKWAY w/ roomie TRAM!!
Thursday, Feb 10: TAK24 DRUMMING AND DANCE WORKSHOP – GROUP B

South Africa: February 17 - 22

Thursday, Feb 17: Horseback riding on the beach in the evening.
Friday, Feb 18: Cape Peninsula, Cape Point, Boulders Beach with roomie and other friends. :)
Saturday, Feb 19: CAP36 TOWNSHIP HOMESTAY – GROUP B
Sunday, Feb 20: Arrive back from homestay at 10 am. Leave for wine tasting (Stellenbosch) and Table Mountain gondola ride with friends.
Monday, Feb 21: CAP44 FOOTSTEPS TO FREEDOM AND TOWNSHIP
Tuesday, Feb 22: CAP56 OPERATION HUNGER - GROUP C

Mauritius: February 27

Sunday, Feb 27: Get a catamaran with friends!

India: March 6 - 11

Sunday, Mar 6: CHE02 YOGA DEMONSTRATION
CHE09 AGRA & VARANASI – GROUP A - FOUR DAYS/THREE NIGHTS
Monday, Mar 7: Same as above
Tuesday, Mar 8: Same as above
Wednesday, Mar 9: Same as above
Thursday, Mar 10: Same as above
Friday, Mar 11: CHE42 SERVICE VISIT: BALA MANDIR ORPHANAGE

Singapore: March 16

Wednesday, Mar 16: Explore Singapore!

Vietnam & Cambodia: March 19 - 23

Saturday, Mar 19: HCM05 CAMBODIA: PHNOM PENH & ANGKOR WAT – GROUP A
Sunday, Mar 20: Same as above
Monday, Mar 21: Same as above
Tuesday, Mar 22: Explore Saigon (HCM City), beach possibly, Spa Day with Tram and Lilly!
Wednesday, Mar 23: HCM31 MEKONG DELTA DAY TRIP - GROUP C (maybe)

Hong Kong/Beijing/Shanghai: March 26 - April 1

Saturday, Mar 26: Visit Lantau Island and explore Hong Kong indy
Sunday, Mar 27: More Hong Kong exploration?
Monday, Mar 28: Travel with friends to Beijing for Great Wall Trip
Tuesday, Mar 29: Sleeping on the Great Wall?
Wednesday, Mar 30: Exploring the city of Beijing?
Thursday, Mar 31: Exploring Shanghai?
Wednesday, Apr 1: More Shanghai?
(China plans are all very tentative)

Kobe/Yokohama: April 4 - 8

Monday, Apr 4: Explore Kobe
Tuesday, Apr 5: Travel by rail pass to Kyoto
Wednesday, Apr 6: Travel by rail pass to Tokyo
Thursday, Apr 7: YOK06 ZEN TEMPLE & MEDITATION LED BY ZEN MONKS
Friday, Apr 8: Explore Yokohama

Hilo, Hawai'i: April 17 - 18

Sunday, Apr 17:HIL05 HAWAI’IAN EXPERIENCE (during the day - planning to just explore the island)
Monday, Apr 18: More exploration of the Big Island!

UPDATE: Hopeful Itinerary, (More to Come...)

Here is a update of a few things that I hope to do in the countries we will be visiting.

Orlando, Florida

Harry Potter Theme Park at Universal Studios



Nassau, Bahamas

Hang out with other SASers around Nassau

Visit Atlantis on Paradise Island



Roseau, Dominica

Bumpiing tour to Titou Gorge, Trafalgar Falls, Morne Bruce, and snorkeling at Champagne Reef.



Manaus, Brazil

undecided



Takoradi, Ghana

undecided



Cape Town, South Africa

Three Day/Two Night Safari at Kruger National Park

Visit Cape Point/Peninsula (Cape of Good Hope, Boulders Beach, etc.)

Horseback riding wine tour



Port Louis, Mauritius

Catamaran/Snorkeling



Chennai, India

Trip to the Taj Mahal and Varanasi for Four days/Three nights



Singapore, Singapore

undecided



Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon), Vietnam

Mekong Delta day trip

Trip to Cambodia: Phnom Penh and Angkor Wat for Three days/Two Nights



Hong Kong

Visit Lantau Island

Trip to Beijing including an overnight ON the Great Wall of China!



Shanghai, China

undecided



Kobe, Japan

Visit Kyoto



Yokohama, Japan

Explore Tokyo

Travel to Mt. Fuji



Hilo, Hawaii

Full-day Hilo Orientation




We get to apply for some of our trips/excursions in November so I will have a better idea by then about exactly what I will be doing! :)

110 days until we board the MV Explorer!!!!

Visas and Vaccinations!

I will be applying for my Visas this upcoming weekend! I need them for Brazil, Ghana, India, China, and Vietnam. I never realized how expensive visas are! And how complicated it is to apply for them! Lots of paperwork.

Also, I am making an appointment this week at a travel clinic to get my vaccinations/prescriptions. I need them for Yellow Fever, Typhoid, Malaria, Rabies, Polio, Japanese Encephalitis, and I need to make sure my Hep A and Hep B ones are up to date. That's a LOT of needles. hahaha

WEATHER

Average Temperatures


January =

Orlando, Florida - 61 degrees - 2.1 inches precipitation

Nassau, Bahamas - 71 degrees - 1.9 inches precipitation

Roseau, Dominica - 75 degrees - 4.2 inches precipitation

Macapa, Brazil - 80 degrees -

Manaus, Brazil - 81 degrees - (20 days of January have rain...) RAIN RAIN RAIN



February =

Takoradi, Ghana - 82 degrees -

Cape Town, South Africa - 71 degrees -

Port Louis, Mauritius - 80 degrees - 9.8 inches precipitation



March =

Chennai, India - 83 degrees - 0.4 inches precipitation
Agra, India - 72 degrees - 0.3 inches precipitation

Singapore, Singapore - 83 degrees - (15 days of March have rain...) RAIN

Saigon, Vietnam - 84 degrees - 0.4 inches precipitation

Siem Reap/Phnom Penh, Cambodia - 83 degrees - 1.4 inches precipitation

Hong Kong, China - 73 degrees - 5.5 inches precipitation
Shanghai, China - 59 degrees - 3.7 inches precipitation
Beijing, China - 57 degrees - 0.7 inches precipitation



April =

Kobe, Japan - 58 degrees - (15 days of April have rain...) RAIN
Yokohama, Japan - 57 degrees - (same with rain)
Kyoto, Japan - 53 degrees - (5.9 inches of precipitation)

Hilo, Hawaii - 73 degrees - (13.5 inches of precipitation) RAIN/CLOUDS

San Diego, California - 62 degrees - 0.8 inches precipitation

Currency Exchanges September 7

So today is September 7th. I lied. It's now midnight, so I guess it's September 8th. But anyways... I will be flying to Orlando exactly 4 months from yesterday!!!!

I thought I would look up the exchange rates of the American dollar in the places that I will be traveling to. I'll compare them just before I leave and see how they differ between now and then.


1 Bahamas Dollars per United States Dollars


2.6849 East Caribbean Dollars per United States Dollars


7265 Brazil Reais per United States Dollars


1.44 Ghanian Ciel per United States Dollars


7.2277 South Africa Rand per United States Dollars


30.840 Mauritian Rupee per United States Dollars


46.519 India Rupees per United States Dollars


1.3456 Singapore Dollars per United States Dollars


19469. Vietnam Dong per United States Dollars


4200 Cambodian Riels per United States Dollars


7.7657 Hong Kong Dollars per United States Dollars


6.7883 China Yuan Renminbi per United States Dollars


84.208 Japan Yen per United States Dollars

SAS Bucket List

I have been inspired by another SASer, Lilly Sutherland, and her idea to create a Bucket List for our "voyage".

My amaaazing roommate, Tram, and I will be gathering ideas to add to our list of things we want to accomplish during the spring semester. Please comment or message me with any ideas you have! I will gather all of the ideas, we will choose the ones we like, and I will post the list the night before I fly to Orlando (the evening of January 6th).

This could get interesting...

ROOMIE and Bahama Plans :)

Ok so I am going to add a few posts and kind of catch everyone up...

First of all, one of the most recent pieces of news in regards to my semester abroad is the addition of my roommate, Tram!

We met in the SAS Spring '11 Facebook group and decided that the other would make a great roommate so we requested each other and now it's official!

Currently we are discussing decor for our cabin, and other personal things like... shampoo. hahahaha

We have also made plans for the days leading up to when we set sail.

January 7: I will be flying to Orlando where Tram is staying with her boyfriend, his grandma/grandma's friend in a condo.

January 8: We are going to Universal Studios, and the Harry Potter themed area of the park, which I am SOOOOO excited for!! haha I can't wait to drink my butterbeer and buy my wand. lol

January 9: Tram and I are flying to the Bahamas from Orlando. We will check into our hostel in Nassau, called the Towne. :)

January 10-11: Go around the island, do a little shopping, try some conch at the Fish Fry, visit Paradise Island/Atlantis, meet up with other SASers, etc.

January 12: Board the MV Explorer and begin our journey!!!

I just love this cartoon!!


I'M ACCEPTED!!!

Email to me:

Dear Alexa,

It is my absolute pleasure to congratulate you on your academic admission to the Semester at Sea program! In the coming days, you will be receiving additional information from us about your admission and how to reserve your space on the MV Explorer for your voyage.

Once again, congratulations and we look forward to seeing you onboard the MV Explorer in the near future!

Sincerely,

Office of Admissions and Financial Aid
Semester at Sea
Institute for Shipboard Education






My reaction:

I am SOOOOOOO excited!! I found out at around 1:30 pm this afternoon, right before I left for my hot stone massage (which was incredible). hahaha

I just can't even believe this is all happening. It's a dream come true and i'm really looking forward to beginning the process. It's going to be the trip of a lifetime and I cannot wait!!!

How to Sponsor Me!!