Japan Video Blog!

Well, I'm in Sharm el Sheikh, Egypt, preparing to hike up Mt Sinai tonight at 1am, to be at the top for the sunrise. I'm traveling Egypt with my friend Hannah, and we'll be in Cairo tomorrow afternoon for a few days before returning to Alexandria, and heading off to our next stop, Turkey, although I am dubious we'll be going there in light of current events.

I'm having an incredible time and my only regret is that it has been so difficult for me to keep this updated (I know I am SOO behind with writing about my experiences in each country!)

But... with no further ado, here is Joshua's Video Blog #1: Japan.

Enjoy!

Video: Life Aboard the Explorer

I'm leaving Thailand tomorrow, and heading to India. Photos from Cambodia are up now and Vietnam as soon as I find time to post them. Photos are at http://picasaweb.google.com/Joshua.Lederman.

In the mean time, check out my first video blog!

Photo Albums are Up!

My photo galleries are now active, with all my pics through Japan. When I get to Vietnam in a few days, I'll add China and Hong Kong. Also hopefully I'll have some videos edited and posted by then!

Check out the photos!

A quick update to anyone reading this... sorry I haven't posted about Japan yet, I haven't found the time to edit the videos and write up all my experiences. I'm in Beijng right now, flying to Hong Kong in the AM where I will be for a few days until I meet up with the boat and sail to Vietnam!

Today my friend Becky and I hiked 10kilometers of the Great Wall, which was one of the most strenous experiences I can remember, and also absolutely amazing. Tonight we went to Beijing's "Night Market," where you can sample all kinds of things that humans should really never eat... I was able to get myself to try emu, snake, fried scorpion and fried grasshopper! I'm not sure which of those, if any, are kosher... I recommend emu strongly, as well as scorpion, but I recommend you pass on snake.

Time for some pepto-bismal and immodium...

Shana Tova to all of you, I miss you and love you.

Skydiving Video!

Hawaii, the High Seas and Japan Preview!

Hello from somewhere off the coast of Japan! We’ll be arriving in the morning, and I’ll be traveling throughout Japan for the next 5 days with a couple friends. The itinerary we’ve planned includes Yokohama, two days in Tokyo, Hiroshima, Kyoto and Kobe. Should be incredible! The second day we are in Japan is Rosh Hashana, and I’ll be attending Chabad services at the Tokyo JCC.

Well it’s been less than two weeks since my last update, but it feels like forever; so much has happened! Ship life is great, I’m making more friends every day and we’re finally starting to develop a sense of community on board. Tonight we had a talent show (in which I sang of course), and it was amazing to see how supportive everyone was of each other, despite the occasional… lack of talent… The population onboard is definitely not what I was expecting, but I am finding those like-minded individuals to hang with.

My classes are also excellent. I am learning more about anthropology than I have in all my courses at GW so far combined, but in addition, I am realizing how solid of a foundation I had already acquired from my anth courses. It feels good to start developing a sense of expertise in this social science. In particular, I feel I am learning a ton about field and research methods. You would think that learning how to perform the science would be a central component of the major, but unless you elect to take the singular field methods course at GW, you don’t learn a thing about the practical aspect. I’ll be doing research for all three of my anth classes in each port, and that promises to be both fascinating and challenging.

Hawaii was incredible, not because of the gorgeous beaches (which I’d seen before on a trip with my family), but because I went SKYDIVING! Absolutely one of the most, if not the most, incredible experiences of my life. I am terrified of heights, but somehow I forced myself to do it, and I’m so glad I did. The scariest part of course was the anticipation. Once the parachute was open, it wasn’t scary at all, just gorgeous. We were dropped over the ocean, and had a view of 3 sides of Oahu as we descended. I CAN’T BELIEVE I JUMPED OUT OF A PLANE at 14,000 feet! Something I never, ever expected I would do…

Well, I have tons of incredible pictures and some videos to share (including footage I took with my camera while skydiving!), but internet is expensive and incredibly slow while in the ocean, so I’ll be posting those from an internet café as soon as I can locate one. In the mean time, here's a pic of us in our harnesses about to skydive:

Stay tuned…

First Post!

Wow... this has certainly been quite the start of what promises to be a fantastic voyage, and I'm feeling some definite sensory overload. We embarked just a day and a half ago, but it feels like at least a week. I haven't yet gotten over the sensation of seeing absolutely nothing but water in all directions as far as my eye can see. The trip from Ensenada to Honolulu is only six days, but the captain informed us that after that there will 3500 miles of ocean before I step on land again. It seems both exciting and intimidating to be literally in the absolute middle of nowhere.

This ship is absolutely incredible. I can't believe this is my home for almost four months! Built in 2002 as the fastest cruise ship on the planet (ostensibly), it was soon converted to a floating university. It is stunning. The crew of 200-some keep it spotless and the decor is so impressive. Not that all of that is pertinent to our objective on this adventure, but it sure makes it more comfortable. Everything else is pretty great too... pool, two dining halls, gym I'll probably never use, hospital equipped for minor surgery, library, etc. My room is bigger than I imagined, has a full window and everything else I need. My roommate... well, he isn't someone I would seek out as a companion, but he's perfectly nice and extremely easy-going. I don't think we'll have any problem getting along, but probably won't be best buds. He's an ex-football player who studies business at University of Alabama. So we have lots in common...

All of you who told me we wouldn’t feel the motion of the ship because it’s so big were LYING! Yesterday it felt like a rollercoaster, and we all looked drunk as we zig-zagged back and forth and stumbled on the stairs. Today is much better, but we slowed down to about 14 knots. I haven’t thrown up and don’t think I will, but it definitely is hard to walk!

There are 400 girls and 230 guys on board. I'd love to say we are an eclectic, diverse bunch, but I'll be honest: We're a quite homogenous, almost completely Caucasian group. Might as well be honest... But its sort of irrelevant because our exposure to new people, cultures and places will be in port, not on board. Everyone seems very friendly, although I haven't yet found a cohort of people I immediately "clicked" with. I'd say about half the kids are either from California or Colorado, for some reason.

On land, we can participate in the 200-some excursions, field practica and other programs planned by the program, or take off on our own. I've decided with a few notable exceptions to do the latter. Some people have already planned their itineraries to the minute, but I feel that is bound to lead to stress and disappointment, as nothing goes according to schedule when traveling, especially in foreign countries. In fact, I'm really excited about the spontaneity I can indulge in, as what happens to you when you go with the flow tends to lead to the best stories. For instance, I've purchased a rail pass for Japan, so during the five days we're in Japan, I'm planning to group up with a few friends and just go - take the next train wherever it's going, and explore wherever it takes us. I'm psyched. 

I'll keep this relatively brief for now. The Internet is really slow and expensive while at sea, but when I can get to an Internet cafe, I plan to upload some of the pics and videos I've taken so far! Stay tuned...