7: Yokohama...At Last....

After 10 long days at sea, we pulled into Yokohama with the rising sun. I jumped out of bed in a hurry, as Gary had just sighted Mount Fuji beyond the container cranes from our balcony.  No time to waste…where was my telephoto lens?

We went to breakfast. But eating was not really a priority when there was so much to see outside. It was cold. But that didn’t stop anyone. It was our first foreign port. The sun was shining. The port was bustling. For a generation of students raised on Japanese anime, Japan was exotic, but also somehow familiar. They couldn't wait to stream off the ship, eager to begin their adventure...the excitement in the air was palpable and infectious.

Our ship was welcomed to our berth adjacent to the undulating Port Terminal by the rhythmic sound of enthusiastic Taiko drummers. The students cheered.

What we learned only later was that sighting Fujiyama is quite rare. We would not be graced with a view of its perfect snow capped form again.

6: Water, Water Everywhere…

We prepare for the long stretch at sea. Students hit their stride in classes. Life Long Learners and faculty families settle into a shipboard routine.  Children are in “school” with a parent or caregiver in the mornings and have afternoon activities.

I have 7:15am yoga everyday. We struggle to maintain our poses with the rolling and pitching of the ship. Tree Pose however, is impossible, so we have to cheat. In my Exiles and Visionaries class, we are reading Robinson Crusoe. 

When we get to Japan, a third of the academic semester will be over and between our stops in Japan, China and Vietnam, there would only be a handful of academic days. Gary decides he should give his students the first midterm before we dock in Yokohama while everything is still fresh in their minds.

With water all around us, it is the small changes in light that catch my attention. The sea is relatively calm for the first few days. With students in classes during most of the day, taking photographs with the Life Long Learner group that I am a part of, is a bit eerie...a massive empty ship on the high seas...

A few days out of Hawaii, we cross the International Date Line...well, we have some flexibility in deciding when to actually "cross" it, so the powers that be decide that we will celebrate Martin Luther King day (rather than skip it) and then go to sleep on Monday night, and wake up on Wednesday morning. Good choice.

A lone ship we encounter about five days out of Hawaii

Things seem to be going well. Then we hit some rough weather! I thought I had gotten away without the dreaded sea sickness, but it was not to be...both Gary and I suffered. His was over it in a day, but mine lingered...and lingered! The mornings were bearable and somehow I made it through yoga. But the afternoons and evenings were the worst.

I began to wonder what my life would be like for the next few weeks. My concern started to overshadow my anticipation and excitement over seeing Japan for the first time. I heard stories of people who were sick for the whole voyage. There was even an extreme case of one person who had to fly from port to port! Would that be me? Horrors!

Luckily once we make it to Japan, the sea crossings will be short, and we would make it through to China, Vietnam, Singapore and Myanmar with only having one or two days at sea. I could only hope that once on solid land, I could somehow regain my equilibrium...

Gary grades his Geologic Hazards field lab essays as it storms all around us...

5: Honolulu…so close, and yet so far away…

Looking up to the sky and saying goodbye to Hilo...

We pulled into Honolulu on yet another brilliant morning.  After twelve stimulating and adventurous hours in Hilo, most of the ship’s passengers were in high spirits. But it was to be a regular academic day full of classes.

There were conflicting reports on whose yacht this was (on the right).
Some said it was Elton John's...others said it belonged to Paul Allen.

The ship was to be “bunkered” (fueled up) in preparation for the long voyage to Japan, and the process would take several hours.

We were docked within walking distance of the city and all it had to offer, but none of us were allowed to disembark. So we did the next best thing – snapped photographs and took the opportunity to use our cell phones to call and text family and friends and one last time with our regular service plans.

Tonight we would begin the long haul to Yokohama Japan. Time to buckle down and get to work in earnest...

Just another study day in Glazer Lounge...