16 days and counting, and I finally found out about my pre-sale trips! I wanted these trips, run through SAS for varying reasons. Although they're generally more expensive than doing them independently, I think the extra costs are worth it in each case.
The first trip I got is in Brazil - I want to do a trip through SAS here because it's the first port, and I don't want to gamble on whether or not I'll have people to travel with yet and it will be a good opportunity to meet people. I signed up for a 3-day trip to Iguacu Falls. I'll get to see the falls, which are wider than Victoria and higher than Niagra, by air, land, and water. I also get to cross the border into Argentina! (We're not allowed to cross country borders unless we're on trips with SAS for safety reasons.)
My second pre-sale trip is in India - I'm doing this through SAS because as a white, American female, I am not comfortable travelling alone in India. This trip will take me to the Taj Mahal and Varanasi for 3 days.
My third and final pre-sale trip is when we're at port in Viet Nam and will be taking me to Cambodia for 3 days to see the temples of Angkor Wat. This trip can only be done through SAS because we're crossing country borders. It's supposed to be one of the can't miss trips, and since I'll still have time to explore Viet Nam, I couldn't pass up the opportunity to tack on another country to the itinerary.
Besides these trips, I have arranged a safari in Namibia with around 10 other students through Facebook. I'm very excited about this trip because not only do I get to do a safari cheaper than the ones in South Africa, but there's sooooo much I want to do in South Africa and now I don't have to worry about fitting a safari in there too.
I really have no plans for any other countries besides abstract ideas - I'm waiting to see who I befriend on the ship so I can make plans with them. Just as a reminder, these up-for-grabs countries are South Africa, Malaysia, China, Japan, and Costa Rica. It's a bit intimidating to not have things booked before I leave, but I think it will help me loosen up and learn to live in the moment. South Africa I plan to do lots of day trips - vineyards, Roben Island, Table Mountain, and more! In China we port in Hong Kong and then are free to travel the country while the ship travels to Shanghai, where we will meet up with it. I just know I can't leave without going to the Great Wall and probably checking out the Olympic venues. Japan the plan is to buy a rail pass and travel like mad to hit as many cities as possible - We port in Kobe and Yokohama (same deal as in China) and I'm going to try to also get to Tokyo, Hiroshima, and Mt. Fuji at least, pretty ambitious for 5 days! We only have 3 days in Costa Rica, and it's the last port. Most of my time will probably be spent on the beaches since I'll be tight on money at that point, but I also reaaaaally want to do a canopy tour and conquer my fear of heights.
This weekend I went shopping for everything I needed for the trip. It's satisfying to have it done and everything sitting in my room waiting to pack, but it was so terrifying at the same time. How do I really know how much shampoo I need? I never really notice how long it takes me to go through a bottle, and why would I? It was always just a Target run away. Having to pack absolutely EVERYTHING I will need for 3 months is very scary. This is not the trip to forget to pack your underwear, to say the least!
