Day 46- Logistical Pre-port

Oct 13th

Logistical Pre-port
After a traditional Indian dinner including such things like cucumber and tomato raita (yogurt), aloo goti (potatoes), dhal (lentils) and tandori chicken, we headed to the Union for logistical pre-port. After Bob (aka. “The Voice”) shared his rendition of Robert Frost’s “The Road Less Traveled,” we delved into the security and disembarkment details for Chennai. In India, we will have a heightened security level (level 2), so both local and ship board security will be checking bags and going body checks more than usual. We were instructed to reframe from using phrases like “You Suck” during the process. Since there has already been 2-3 incidents of students trying to sneak people on the boat, we were also warned that this will be particularly difficult and is a big “no, no.” (Legend has it, last semester SAS found a Vietnamese prostitute in a ceiling compartment of someone’s room. Apparently, the student was on some sort of mission to “save” the girl and bring her back to the US.) We are also not allowed to bring hookahs or stuffed (dead) animals back on the ship. Crime supposedly isn’t that bad in India, but they did say there were incidents of petty crime and laced drinks. Bhang Lassis, commonly dubbed “special lassi,” (a yogurt, iced beverage) can be laced with bhang, a derivative of marijuana. Some travelers have even stuck in bed for several miserable days after drinking it, while others have been robbed while lying in state of delirium. The most serious problem for past SAS voyages, however, has been the fact that students don’t look LEFT when they cross roads. Chennai has the highest number of deaths for any SAS port for this reason. The medical staff also warned us about the cute strays that have rabies and the malaria prone mosquitoes. To finish off the evening, special guest Professor Laki “G” Towari, who studied traditional Indian music for 25 years, sang us a beautiful tune.

Evening Activities
Most students spent the night pouring over Lonely Planet guides, exploring wikitravel.com which was recently added to our list of free “educational” sites or playing cards in the dining halls (like always). After heavily investing Pepto-Bismal from the ship store, a bunch of us headed to the Union with snacks to watch the GLBT’s screening of the comedy “But I’m A Cheerleader.” The movie hilariously depicts the story of a Christian who is sent to Gay Correction facility and finds out she is actually a lesbian. It was the perfect distraction and a great way to taper our excitement for tomorrow.

Highs and Lows
My “high” was having my first “homely” experience by watching season one Gossip Girl episodes. My “low” starting a pink malaria pills regime that will last for about a month until we get back from Vietnam/Cambodia.