Click on the link to read an excerpt from my daily journal.
Click on the link to read an excerpt from my daily journal.
Today I left my island home for my second trip as a People to People Student Ambassador. I am looking forward to having an even better time than my last trip to the mainland of Europe. I traveled with two other Maui students to Honolulu where we joined other teens from across Hawaii. Unfortunately, Hawaiian Airlines forgot to take my luggage off the plane in Honolulu before the plane continued on to Kauai. It was a nervous 2 hours, waiting for the bag to appear for my connecting flight. After a quick getting to know each other exercise we were of to our first stop, London.
 Back to the map... |  |  City Link |
Day 3: London
After a total of fifteen hours in the air and four hours at Los Angeles International Airport we arrived in London during the morning time. We met our cheerful delegation manager, Corrina Gordon, and she took us to Hampton Court Palace. This was the elegant, extravagant home for Henry VIII, where he lived with each of his five wives. We visited beautiful rooms and got a chance to tour the grounds outside the palace. The Hampton Court Palace reminded me of the Iolani Palace in Oahu, the home of the Hawaiian queen during the monarchy. There was a lovely garden with a maze. The maze was very tricky. After about twenty minutes of trying to figure out how to get out we realized that the solution was to retrace your steps back the way you came in. We then left and walked to a Pizza Hut which had an upstairs game room. We played pool and ate pizza. We then traveled into the real city of London and had a tour of the Tate Museum. The Tate Museum has five floors of various types of modern art. The Tate Museum was recently connected to St. Paul's Cathedral by the Millennium foot bridge. The foot bridge has been closed since its grand opening two weeks ago because it was swaying. Prior to my trip, I had tried to use the web camera link with the bridge. The 11 hour time difference with Hawaii, made it hard to see any activity during the daytime. We then went to our hotel where I had a quick nap before going to dinner at the hotel.
Back to the map... City Link
Day 4: London
Today we had a jam-packed day full of the sites of London. We visited the Tower of London, St. Paul's Cathedral, Convent Garden, Westminster Abbey, Buckingham Palace, and even went to see a play called "Woman In Black." At the Tower of London we saw the "Beefeaters"--the official guards, and stood in line to see the famous Crown Jewels. We then had a meeting with Sir Andrew Bowden, a member of the House of Commons, a part of the legislature of England. He told us all about the English government and how it is organized. The British monarchy system of government has many parallels to the United States government. He also told us how he became involved with People to People, and why he felt this partnership would further world peace. People to People students are the link between the two countries. We had a photo stop at St. Paul's Cathedral, Westminster Abbey, and Buckingham Palace. At Convent Garden, we had a chance to shop for gifts and souvenirs and also had a chance to see where Audrey Hepburn walked the streets in "My Fair Lady." In the evening, we saw "Woman In Black." The play was a thriller and was intended to scare you to death. I am sure that someone in the group would have a nightmare, but I was only startled once when suddenly one of the actors cried out a blood curling scream.
Back to the map... City Link
Day 5: London - Warwick
This morning we took a journey out to the Globe Theater. We were greeted by an actor who took us to a room where he gave a drama lesson. Some of us performed scenes from "A Midsummer Night's Dream" by William Shakespeare. After our lesson we proceeded to the Globe replica. We sat in the section where the "groundlings" would stand. Our actor/guide also mentioned how the Globe theater would have optical illusions to enhance the show. We left the Globe to the first Hard Rock Cafe. It was established in 1971. We continued on a hilly road to Leamington Spa. Jeremy, Cory, and I were picked up by an unusual mother and son in a small mini with three large suitcases. The couple ended up being the daughter and grandson of our actual homestay family. They couldn't pick us up because they do not have a car. The only way for them to go from Leamington to Warwick is by bus or a really long walk.
Back to the map... City Link
Day 6: Warwick
Our journey today was all on foot and the local bus. We left our host family's home with Vi to Warwick's town center. It was a very small town and the only activity was an open air market. The market place was similar to a "flea market" in the US. We took the bus to the main town of Warwickshire, Leamington. In Leamington, there were a lot of modern shops and malls. It was very similar to any big city in the USA. There was a "Peace Festival" happening this weekend. It looked like a reenactment of Woodstock. After a couple hours of looking around and window shopping, we took the bus back to Warwick. We visited St. Nick's Park, where we rowed a boat down a small canal. The rowing made everyone very hungry. We had a fabulous dinner at a restaurant called Cape of Good Hope. Jeremy and Arthur ordered the "Cape Fear." It was a huge platter filled with steak, liver and lamb, mushrooms, roasted potatoes and onion rings. It could easily have fed two or three people. They were grinning from ear to ear when they saw all of the food. The rest of us had steak. After dinner my host family took us to a meeting hall called "The Women's Workers Association." Inside was the local pub. The people were smoking and drinking ale. We played pool and were amazed at how much ale and beer their friends could drink. Outside the pub, we could hear people honking their horns and shouting in celebration. England beat Germany 1-"nil" (0) in a Eurocup football match. It was the first time that England had beaten Germany in 30 years.
Back to the map... City Link
Day 7: Warwick/Stratford
This morning we rejoined the rest of our delegation and traveled to Stratford-Upon-Avon, a city devoted to Shakespeare and his life. First, we visited the house of his mother, Mary Arden. She was born into a rich and powerful family who owned most of the land. We then drove by Anne Hathaway's thatched roof cottage. Anne was Shakespeare's wife. We then had free time in the center of Stratford-upon-Avon where we could shop and visit Shakespeare's birthplace, house, and burial site. I had to buy another SmartMedia card for my camera, I was taking a lot of pictures.
Back to the map... City Link
Day 8: Warwick - Glasgow
Today we had to leave our homestays. We headed North to Scotland where we made a quick stop at Gretna Green. Gretna Green is famous for performing marriages to young runaways from England. It reminded me of the drive-thru Las Vegas wedding chapels. At the Blacksmith's forge, Miko and Oliver had a ceremonial wedding. Most marriages were performed at the forge because people felt a blacksmith was skilled in joining two metals, and therefore should be capable of joining two people in marriage.
Back to the map... City Link
Day 9: Glasgow/Edinburgh
Today we traveled to Edinburgh where we visited the National Museums of Scotland. This museum was quite interesting because the entire building is organized like a timeline. The bottom floor shows the geologic origin of Scotland and the artifacts from the first native people. As you proceed to the upper floors, the history becomes more current. On the top floor of the museum is an open deck overlooking the entire city of Edinburgh. It was a Kodak moment. We then proceeded to the top of an extinct volcano where Edinburgh Castle rests. Maui, my home, is also an extinct volcano. The sky was a beautiful blue color, however the vegetation was not tropical. We took our bus down the "Royal Mile". The Royal Mile is a very straight road which links the Edinburgh Castle with the downtown area. It is well known for its stores and shopping district. We tried to support the local economy by buying things to take back home.
Back to the map... City Link
Day 10: Glasgow
The day started off at the David Livingstone Center, a museum created at his childhood home. David Livingstone was the discover of Victoria Falls in Zimbabwe. Last winter I had the opportunity to see Victoria Falls with my family. We celebrated the new millennium there. Our afternoon was spent at Culzean Castle. It was home to a family called the Kennedys. It was very picturesque. We also had a great buffet presented to us in the castle before our tour. The castle was designed to allow a smooth flow for guests. Each room served a purpose and was linked to the next room. After an hour or so at the Castle, we went to dinner where I got to try a traditional Scottish food, haggis. Haggis is oatmeal, lamb's liver, stock, onion, peppers and other spices boiled in a lamb's stomach. It sounds pretty gross, fortunately the restaurant didn't identify the ingredients until we had completed the meal. I do not think I would have tried it if they had told me in advance. But I really did like the haggis. It was served with mashed potatoes and mashed turnips.
Back to the map... City Link
Day 11: Glasgow - Caernarfon
Today we had a long bus drive from Glasgow to Caernarfon, North Wales. We had a stop in Llandudno. Llandudno is a seaside village where most people in North Wales go to retire or go on vacation. I was anxious to see the ocean, but never got the chance. The village was filled with older adults, and very few young people. When we finally arrived at our hotel, we met our Wales manager, Bethan. Today is Bethan's birthday! She taught us some common Welsh phrases. One phrase was "Croeso I Cymru", which means "Welcome to Wales." People in Wales speak English and Welsh. It is similar to Hawaii, where we know some words and phrases in Hawaiian, but also speak English most of the time.
Back to the map... City Link
Day 12: Caernarfon
Today we visited a slate mine. Slate is to Wales like coal mining is to the Appalachian section of the USA. We visited the Llechwedd Slate Caverns where we took the Deep Mine tour. We got to wear hard hats. We went on the steepest passenger railway in Britain. It was very cold down inside the mine. After the ride, we got to explore the caverns. There was a presentation describing a miner's life who started working in the mine when he was nine years old. It was very similar to the life of coal miners in the United States. They start young, and often die in the mines working. Later we went to the Slate Museum. The museum showed what happens to the slate after it is mined. We also got to see real slate cutting and how difficult it is to cut slate into certain shapes because it is very fragile. I also learned that only 1 out of every10 pieces of slate mined is good enough to sell. The leftover slate is used for ground cover or walls. Then we traveled by bus to the Greenwood Center, where we got to try archery. In Wales a lot of people use the Welsh Longbow. The longbow is easier to use. I only got one out of three arrows on the target board. It was a good thing that no one wanted me to shoot an apple on their head.
Back to the map... City Link
Day 13: Caernarfon - Lucan
Before leaving Wales, we walked from our hotel to Caernarfon Castle. Caernarfon Castle is part of the Wales' ring of castles. It is best known for being the castle where Queen Elizabeth gave Prince Charles, her eldest son, the title of Prince of Wales. Although Prince Charles does not have a residence in Wales, it was just a royal title given to him. Before catching the ferry to Ireland, we went to the local Safeway supermarket (also by foot) where we shopped for items for our picnic at Holyhead. The Safeway was just like ours on Maui except it was larger and had four different styles of shopping carts. The carts were designed for different ages and medical problems. I had my passport stamped at the railroad station with the world's longest name--Llanfairpwllgyllgogerychwyrndrobwyllllantysilogogogoch. The name means "The church of St Mary, in the valley of the white hazel, near the rapid whirlpool, nearby the red cave of the church of St. Tysilio. I thought that learning words in Hawaiian like Kaahumanu and Humuhumunukunukuapaa were long! . Once everyone was done we went by bus through the island of Anglesy and found a nice park in Holyhead. We had a delightful picnic lunch. Then we left Bethan at the ferry station and drove onto a ferry which would take us to Ireland. Once we arrived in Dublin, Ireland we bypassed the city and went straight to our Irish homestay center. Cory, Eric, and I met our homestay family, The Dowds. Their family was made up of Mr. and Mrs. Dowd, their two sons and a daughter.
Back to the map... City Link
Day 14: Lucan/Glendalough
We left our "bed and breakfast" homestay for the day to Glendalough. Glendalough means the "Valley of the two lakes." We got to see beautiful scenery and an area which was used in the James Bond movie, "The World Is Not Enough." In Glendalough, a monastic settlement was founded by St. Kevin. We got to visit houses, churches, and towers left by their settlement. There was a tower there called the Round Tower (since its base was a circle) which is the best preserved tower in Ireland. After a nice packed lunch from our homestay we went to Blessington Land and Water Sports where we got to rock climb and kayak.
Back to the map... City Link
Day 15: Lucan/Dublin
Today our trip was into Dublin where we started the morning at the Gaelic Athletic Association Center. There, we learned the history and how to play Gaelic football and hurling, two of the most popular sports in Ireland. Hurling is played with a stick and ball. It is one of the fastest field games in the world. When women play hurling it is called camogie. The ball (sliothar) may be struck with the hurling stick (cam…n), kicked, or struck with the open hand but may only be lifted directly from the ground using the cam…n. Physical contact is allowed, shoulder to shoulder. Gaelic football is played by women or men in teams of fifteen. The ball may be carried for up to four paces and then bounced or released to the toe, kicked, or struck with the open hand or fist, in any direction. When played by men, it may not be picked directly from the ground. Physical contact is allowed, shoulder to shoulder. The center is connected to the main stadium in Dublin, Croke Park. We then went to a museum where we saw an exhibit called "The Way We Wore." It was about the clothing worn by Irish people through out the decades. Later we saw Phoenix Park where we passed the Irish Prime Minister's house. The Irish Prime Minister is Mary McAleese. She is the second woman prime minister of Ireland. We ate our packed lunch on a section of the park where Pope John Paul II had celebrated a mass. People had almost filled the entire park. Phoenix Park is Europe's largest enclosed park.
Back to the map... City Link
Day 16: Lucan - Waterford
We sadly had to leave our Irish homestay families today. We barely got to know them since we only saw them at breakfast and dinner. We had a long bus drive to a park where we ate our lunch. PJ, our "singing bus driver" maneuvered through narrow roads, up and down hills, and sharp curves to get us to a beautiful park with a tall waterfall. It was the perfect spot to eat lunch. After retracing our steps back to the main highway we proceeded to Waterford (another long ride) where we arrived at the famous crystal factory. We got off the bus and went straight to Waterford crystal gallery. People were buying crystal items like crazy. We went on the official factory tour where we visited the blowing, cutting, polishing, and inspection rooms. After dinner at our hotel we went to learn Irish dancing. We were not taught the Irish jig but a dance that is the basic step to what is performed in "Riverdance." We were being taught by a dancer who was considered by our bus driver, PJ, as a better dancer than Micheal Flattnery. Also, she was accompanied by her teacher and other students. They were leaving that night for Dublin to compete in a tournament.
Back to the map... City Link
Day 17: Waterford - Cardiff
Today we had an early morning start, supposedly a test for our last day in which we will have to wake up even earlier. We traveled to Fishguard from Waterford where we said bye to PJ and went on the ferry to take us back to Wales, but this time we were in the South. We spent almost the entire day on the bus driving to the Alford Farm. Since there are no signs on how to get to a personal farm we had to search the town for the local fire station where Mrs. Alford was going to meet us. We spotted her and we followed her up a mountain to her farm. When we got off the bus we got on a hay... We took it all the way up to their residence where they set up nice cold drinks and snacks for us. Then came our lesson of Welsh farm life. We were shown how the sheep have their wool removed with shears. No one volunteered for this type of haircut. Then we were taken to an open field where we watched their sheep dog let round up the sheep scattered all over the field. He went back and forth and got them all into their pens.
Back to the map... City Link
Day 18: Cardiff
Cardiff Castle is located in the center of Cardiff. It was built by the Romans. Today you cans still see part of the original wall. The Normanscame later and took over the castle. What is seen today is the renovation done by the Butes, a very rich family. Before the Butes occupied the castle, seven other families made their mark. We then went to the a museum on Welsh life. It had a dozen cottages all showing different elements of a daily routine in Wales. In the evening time we had a game of trivia about the places we have been.
Back to the map... City Link
Day 19: Cardiff - London
Our morning started on a sleepy ride from Cardiff to the Roman city of Bath. Bath happens to be famous for Roman baths. In the town's center there is a museum which we visited that incorporated the ruins with a museum which resembles the old layout of the baths. In the afternoon we arrived in London. At night we had a guide who's a drama student and she gave us a tour along the Thames about the Bankside history. She told her stories in various costumes she brought with her. She did a very good job.
Back to the map... City Link
Day 20: London
Today we got to visit the highlight of my trip, the Millennium Dome. We got there by the Tube on the new Jubilee Line. The Jubilee Line won best design of last year beating the more logical choice, the Millennium Dome. At the Millennium there are many different zones. My favorite zones were Talk, Rest, and Play. The Talk Zone was put on by British Telephone Company. It showcased past and present forms of communication and presented cool new technologies. One technology was called an Avatar which is computer rendered image of a person made by 4 pictures and special software. The Rest zone was a big room that has an illuminated ceiling. Its purpose is to relax a person using colored lights and soothing music to calm you down. The Play zone had some of the sports or games that might become popular in a computerized world. One was called Cats and Dogs which can be played with a hundred people. Its a big game of pong where using your "magic wand" make you bar go up or down protecting your cats from the dog. The magic wand controls it by the color seen in the sensor above you. The sensor sends the color information, red means down and green means up. We left the Millennium Dome after spending the entire day there. We left the dome by boat. Our boat ride down the Thames ended with the London Eye. The London Eye was quite interesting because it would go around and around without stopping. When we got on our pod we went up and about 15 minutes we were on the top of the ride and we could see for miles. We also had an exceptional view of the Big Ben tower which was across the river. Our day ended by taking the tube to our hotel/dormitory.
Back to the map... City Link
Day 21: London - Maui
Today we said goodbye to Corrina at Heathrow Airport and to the other Hawaii ambassadors that were flying elsewhere. They were not allowed to go with us to the gate due to security reasons. We boarded our plane for our 10 hour direct flight to the United States. It definitely was our longest journey, from London to Honolulu, or it felt like it. I was excited to be home and was anxious to develop my film and tell my parents the details of my trip. Many of the students were greeted with flower leis. Some were crying when they saw their parents. At the end, we were like a big family. It was the end of a fabulous trip.
Back to the map... City Link