So I think that I speak for the whole shipboard community when I
say that Trinidad has been the best port to date. From the time we were
able to access the hotels wifi nearby (yes, wifi availability has a
major impact on how we view a country) which was before we even docked
we new that the next two days were going to be amazing.
For those of you
who don’t know, my dad was born in Trinidad and all of his family is
from there so I have visited a couple times before and was so excited to
be back. As we were walking down the gangway outside, we were greeted
with steel drums and musical performers and it was awesome.
Once we were
out of the terminal my friends and I were greeted by my uncle! He took
us to this amazing breakfast place and then we went right to the beach.
The beach we went to was Maracas Beach and is hands down one of my
favorite beaches. 
It
was the first beach I went to when I visited for the first time and it
was everything I remembered and more. As usual, there were several
hundered of us SASers there and it was a blast. We got there around 11
and stayed until late in the evening and there wasn’t a minute wasted.
We played volleyball, went swimming, layed out, and enjoyed the
beautiful scenery.
It
was the first beach I went to when I visited for the first time and it
was everything I remembered and more. As usual, there were several
hundered of us SASers there and it was a blast. We got there around 11
and stayed until late in the evening and there wasn’t a minute wasted.
We played volleyball, went swimming, layed out, and enjoyed the
beautiful scenery.
It felt like I was on Spring Break vacation with all
of my friends (throwback to freshman year lol) and was so much fun. And
to top it off I got to enjoy my favorite meal in the entire world which
is Bake-and-shark.
I
know it sounds odd, but don’t write it off until you’ve tried it
because I promise you it’s life changing. That was the one meal that I
told all my friends and teachers to try and they fell in love. That
night I was so exhausted from being out all day that I stayed in and
utilized all the free wifi I could get.
The next morning, my friends and I got an early start and went back to
the same breakfast place as the day before and got some bake-and-shark
while we waited for my uncle to come and get us. Once he did, we made
our way north to his beach house stopping off at the super market to get
all the necessary beach essentials.
After 30ish minutes we finally arrived, but beforehand went to beach we embarked on what my family likes to call the hike of death. I don’t know if it’s because I’m out of shape, the hike is just really hard, or any combination of the two but it’s intense. My uncle walks it 5 days a week and has for at least the past 5 years so he literally zoomed right up this mountain like it was a piece of cake.
Meanwhile, my friends are struggling and taking baby steps up this thing while breaking for water every 5 minutes. The beginning was so easy, we kept up good pace, enjoyed the Bamboo Cathedral, and even saw some monkeys.
But shortly after the hike took a turn for the worst and the incline started to increase and we eventually lost my uncle because he was so far ahead of us. Even though it was tough it was very rewarding to make it to the top. It was an abandoned American base to there’s a huge satellite and a bunch of Buildings up there. The descent down was way more enjoyable and as a reward for making it without passing out my uncle got us fresh coconut from his tree and we sipped on the coconut water on our way to the beach.
This
beach experience was completely different the Maracas because there was
so few people here and was so relaxing, expecially after that hike. We
hung out for the next few hours until we had to go back to the ship
since it was our last day there. But right outside of the port was a
party in itself because everyone was hanging out at the restaurant they
had in the terminal and there were a ton of vendors outside so we were
all buying last minute souvenirs. And, just as in the beginning, the
sent of off to the beat of the steel drums.
Even though we were only there for barely 2 days, I had so much fun! I loved being able to see my uncle and intriguing him to some of my friends. Being able to see my favorite places and eat my favorite made the two days there absolutely amazing!
Towards the beginning of the voyage, we got divided into “seas” based on which hall we lived in and my sea was the Baltic Sea and our colors were blue!
What
we didn’t know was that the point of these seas were to help for the
Sea Olympus that took place a few days after departing Trinidad &
Tobago. We had an opening ceremony where we created and showcased a
music video, mascot and chant, and a lip sync battle (which we took home
the gold in all 3). Day two was jam packed with tons of events. There
was ping pong (which I got first in), egg toss, tug of war, water pong,
arm wrestling, three-legged race, hula hooping, and synchronized
swimming, just to name a few.
We spent the entire day competing and it was a blast. Day 3 was even crazier than the previous! There was only one event that day and it was volleyball which was supposedly going to be the deciding factor for who won. But before I say who ended up winning I forgot to mention the best part about today.
WE CROSSED THROUGH THE PANAMA CANAL.
After
going through 6 locks and a casual $100,000 dollars we made it from the
Atlantic Ocean to the Pacifit Ocean. (Check my Facebook for a really
cool time-lapse). The whole experience was undeal. We learned so much
about the history behind it and seeing it in person was just amazing.
We got the whole day off from classes to watch the whole process. The
best part about it was that we had cell phone service for the day!!
Now, back to the Sea Olympics.. My sea ended up winning the volleyball tournament and we knew that we were neck and neck with another sea to be the first place champions. Later that evening at the awards ceremony, they announced that there was a tie and the tie breaker was going to be a whip cream and bubble gum contest.
So
there we were, two team eager to get the first place victory and all of
the bragging rights that came along with it. We were all so nervous and
anxious that it seemed like forever but WE ENDED UP WINNING!! Our sea
went crazy!! We were screaming, yelling, chanting, and being the most
obnoxious people ever.
All in all, it turned out to be a great event and helped pass by the time until we get to Peru! As always, for more pictures go check out my Facebook! And if you wanna contact me then download the app “WhatsApp” or email me at: andrew.santiago.fa16@semesteratsea.org
Next stop—-> Peru and Machu Picchu!!
--
Don't miss the boat!
Read more from Jordan at https://suitelifeofsanti.wordpress.com/
Find your own study abroad program to hone your professional skills and enhance your resume at: http://studyabroad.uark.edu/search
If you need help getting started with study abroad, take a look at this: http://studyabroad.uark.edu/getting-started/index.php
After 30ish minutes we finally arrived, but beforehand went to beach we embarked on what my family likes to call the hike of death. I don’t know if it’s because I’m out of shape, the hike is just really hard, or any combination of the two but it’s intense. My uncle walks it 5 days a week and has for at least the past 5 years so he literally zoomed right up this mountain like it was a piece of cake.
Meanwhile, my friends are struggling and taking baby steps up this thing while breaking for water every 5 minutes. The beginning was so easy, we kept up good pace, enjoyed the Bamboo Cathedral, and even saw some monkeys.
But shortly after the hike took a turn for the worst and the incline started to increase and we eventually lost my uncle because he was so far ahead of us. Even though it was tough it was very rewarding to make it to the top. It was an abandoned American base to there’s a huge satellite and a bunch of Buildings up there. The descent down was way more enjoyable and as a reward for making it without passing out my uncle got us fresh coconut from his tree and we sipped on the coconut water on our way to the beach.
This
beach experience was completely different the Maracas because there was
so few people here and was so relaxing, expecially after that hike. We
hung out for the next few hours until we had to go back to the ship
since it was our last day there. But right outside of the port was a
party in itself because everyone was hanging out at the restaurant they
had in the terminal and there were a ton of vendors outside so we were
all buying last minute souvenirs. And, just as in the beginning, the
sent of off to the beat of the steel drums.Even though we were only there for barely 2 days, I had so much fun! I loved being able to see my uncle and intriguing him to some of my friends. Being able to see my favorite places and eat my favorite made the two days there absolutely amazing!
Towards the beginning of the voyage, we got divided into “seas” based on which hall we lived in and my sea was the Baltic Sea and our colors were blue!
What
we didn’t know was that the point of these seas were to help for the
Sea Olympus that took place a few days after departing Trinidad &
Tobago. We had an opening ceremony where we created and showcased a
music video, mascot and chant, and a lip sync battle (which we took home
the gold in all 3). Day two was jam packed with tons of events. There
was ping pong (which I got first in), egg toss, tug of war, water pong,
arm wrestling, three-legged race, hula hooping, and synchronized
swimming, just to name a few.We spent the entire day competing and it was a blast. Day 3 was even crazier than the previous! There was only one event that day and it was volleyball which was supposedly going to be the deciding factor for who won. But before I say who ended up winning I forgot to mention the best part about today.
WE CROSSED THROUGH THE PANAMA CANAL.
After
going through 6 locks and a casual $100,000 dollars we made it from the
Atlantic Ocean to the Pacifit Ocean. (Check my Facebook for a really
cool time-lapse). The whole experience was undeal. We learned so much
about the history behind it and seeing it in person was just amazing.
We got the whole day off from classes to watch the whole process. The
best part about it was that we had cell phone service for the day!!Now, back to the Sea Olympics.. My sea ended up winning the volleyball tournament and we knew that we were neck and neck with another sea to be the first place champions. Later that evening at the awards ceremony, they announced that there was a tie and the tie breaker was going to be a whip cream and bubble gum contest.
So
there we were, two team eager to get the first place victory and all of
the bragging rights that came along with it. We were all so nervous and
anxious that it seemed like forever but WE ENDED UP WINNING!! Our sea
went crazy!! We were screaming, yelling, chanting, and being the most
obnoxious people ever.All in all, it turned out to be a great event and helped pass by the time until we get to Peru! As always, for more pictures go check out my Facebook! And if you wanna contact me then download the app “WhatsApp” or email me at: andrew.santiago.fa16@semesteratsea.org
Next stop—-> Peru and Machu Picchu!!
--
Don't miss the boat!
Read more from Jordan at https://suitelifeofsanti.wordpress.com/
Find your own study abroad program to hone your professional skills and enhance your resume at: http://studyabroad.uark.edu/search
If you need help getting started with study abroad, take a look at this: http://studyabroad.uark.edu/getting-started/index.php
