Sailing Vessels and their Captains!

Backpacking on boats is an amazing adventure if you can handle small spaces and people in your own personal space!  Now I'm not that kind of person really.  I am a social animal, however I love my time and my space at the best of times and this was something that sorely lacked.  For me personally, each journey is a journey, no doubt about it.  I am always being taught a life lesson and if I am stubborn as a Taurian usually is, then the lessons are painful and take a while to sink in.

The lessons learnt in the last 10 months are many but the one I am going to focus on today is patience and tolerance.  Phew, two big words those and the lessons have been gigantic for me.  You may just laugh and think it's all so crazy.  Well yes this has all been pretty crazy :-)

You sitting back, you have a cuppa something to sip on?  ....  here we go.

Boats are incredible things, they have such character, they usually have a lifetime of history which they sail with and they usually out live their Captains if they don't sink with their Captain.  On our travels we have seen, 'met' and spent time on some of the most incredible vessels of all types, sizes, ages and colours.  Each vessel has it's name and it's 'birth date'.  Each vessel has a Captain.  And let me tell you a truth, any person can be a Captain!  Sad but fascinatingly true!  The age old saying 'the owner looks like it's dog?' well let me tell you, that applies to boat and Captains too.

We have stayed on 5 boats during our 9 months in the Caribbean.  Each boat completely different to the other!  The only common attribute is that they all float!  Nothing else in common!

The SV Dixi Rollar is a pirate like boat!  Just like the ones you see in the movies.  The Dixi Rollar is the exact replica of the first boat that circumnavigated the globe single handed, Captain - Joshua Slocum.  It's a 36ft, mono-hull.  A Bruce Robert's Spray. Black steel boat, gaf rig with brown sails and old school character.  A steel boat creeks and groan under one's foot steps so there was no chance of being totally quiet on this boat.  Of course with a 4 year old in tow, the Dixi Rollar didn't know what had hit her.  We spent 8 weeks on the Dixi Rollar, we quickly realized that sailing from Grenada to South Africa on a 36ft mono-hull with absolutely no privacy and very little space was not an option.  Besides, we were not ready to sail to South Africa only a few weeks after leaving.  So we had to find another boat and fast as we had been given little notice to leave the boat.

We then found ourselves on SV Inanna!  Now she was a beauty.  We had our own cabin, privacy at last.  A place where we thought we would have time to reconnect and re-look our plan.  The Inanna is a 49ft Bavaria.  Also a mono-hull.  Beautiful finishes inside of teak and leather.  Enough space for the 1 Captain, 3 crew, 2 children and 2 chihauhaua's!  Plenty of physical space yes but not nearly enough space for the extra hot and large personality of the Captain!  With Joshua in mind constantly we new right away we had to find our own little boat, with our own space to ensure we remain sane as a family!

Four weeks later and we were moving onto the Raggamuffin!  A very sweet but old fibreglass boat.  Only 29ft.  No cabins, so we slept on the fold out couches in the saloon.  The wood was old and the boat was horribly dirty and unkept. No fridge on board, a small ice box but with the price of ice it wasn't worth our while.  The other issue was that the fibreglass was old, so in addition to the mosquito and sand fly bites, our heat rashes, Joshua and I were also suffering with the itches from raw fibreglass.  I can't say we were very happy,  itching can drive a person in sane!  Anyhow, the deal with the Captain was that we could stay on the Raggamuffin while we fix up the boat next door, Delfine, and once she was good to live on we could move onto her.  Which is exactly what we did!

Delfine was disgustingly dirty.  Old oil on the floor in the galley, pots of old food that had been left by the last 'tennants' FOUR YEARS AGO!  The toilet was not working and everything had that horrible mildew smell which meant the boat had mildew too.  So we spent 2 weeks cleaning Delfine and fixing her up to a liveable standard.  Finally we could move our backpacks and Joshua onto the boat.  It felt like she was ours.  We were totally comfortable.  We put up rain catchers, reconnected the solar panels, installed a brand new toilet, cleaned and filled the water tanks along with our solar shower.  This was the first time in 16 weeks that we were able to take a warm shower with our own water, every day!  What a pleasure!  We spent an enjoyable 4 weeks on Delfine and then it was time to go sailing!

Backpacks and all, we then boarded Moonjoos!  It felt like pure luxury!  Clean, new, spacious and just perfect continue our Caribbean experience.  Moonjoos is a 36ft Catamaran.  A South African catamaran with a South African Captain!  Finally a like minded person who wasn't only our Captain, he fast became Joshua's best buddy and a good friend to Barry and myself.  We were able to shower indoors, cook a healthy meal once a day.  There is a fridge and freezer on board so for the first time in 10 months we had access to ice cold water, beer and ice!  Total luxury on the seas!  We set sail on Moonjoos on the 18 August, crewing on a magical adventure from Grenada to Colombia via Venezuela.

 

We are still on Moonjoos.  Our final day on board is Thursday, 18 January!  20 weeks on board!  It has been so totally amazing in between my bouts of homesickness!  We crossed big waters, experienced some intimate moments with pods of dolphins, snorkeled some of the most breath-taking spots in the Archipielago, we cooked some of the tastiest meals and drank the most delicious rum!  Memories which will remain in our souls forever!

During our time on boats we have also met some of the most amazing families and single handed sailors along with their beautiful vessels!  One of our favourites was a Tug Boat called the Flying Buzzard,  Anchored in Grenada.  On board this mega steel structure were the most welcoming people,  Captain Mike, Julie, Angie, James and toby the dog.  Captain Mike took the time to give Joshua lessons on Tenders.  Julie always served the most delicious toast, coffee, soup or biscuits at the exact time our tummies were rumbling!

We were also honoured to spend time on the Stormvogel a 60ft mono-hull.  Now she is just a beauty.  We met Captain Ian and Darria in Curacao.  Darria and Ian fell totally in love with Joshua.  This meant he got to spend some special time with very special people on this magnificent 70 year old vessel! The Stormvogel is a famous vessel and known as the fastest sailing yacht of her time, winning many races and regatta's.  She is fully restored, the woodwork is immaculate! Lucky boy our Joshua :-)

The sailing families we have met and spent time with are all on catamarans.  It makes good sense!  A catamaran has space, space for children, space to cook and eat together, space to play and space to sit down and do their school work.  Each family has 2 or 3 children.  Most of them are are home schooled and under the age of 15 years.  Field Trip, Dafne, Day Dreamer and What If, are some of the most beautiful and comfortable Catamarans we have seen and been on.  The families of these vessels are amazing and their stories keep you captivated and wanting to experience their adventures for yourself!

Leaving some of our good friends behind in Grenada was pretty hard.  Goodbyes are never easy, especially for Joshua who made friends with all the children and the adults along the way.  We were however surprised to see SV Marlin in the anchorage of Los Roques.  Another warm and loving family!  Natalie, Mike, Lena and Maya.  Joshua is always the first to spot the boats we know so he was super excited to have friends to play with again.

In Cartagena, Colombia, we are sharing the anchorage with Dafne, Field Trip and Sea Shell.  More familiar faces and good friends whom we never thought we would see again.  What a nice surprise!

And so this chapter of our sailing adventure is drawing to a close.  We have only 7 days left on water and then our adventure takes to land.  From Colombia to Venezuela.  Backpacks are packed and we are ready!

Fears, Tears and Kayaking!

Please let me clarify before continuing any further.  When we departed South Africa, destination - the Caribbean, I was totally afraid of water, big expanses of water, like the sea for example.  I never went close to water, never offered to climb into water for any reason, not even to take a look at my reflection.

I was totally aware of my fear of water when departing so by the time we arrived I was overly aware of the fact that we had just crossed over large expanses of water, via aeroplane and ferry.  Both being pretty okay.  The ferry ride was my first experience climbing onto a large vessel and setting off into the wide blue yonder.  I felt a little better as it was a pretty large vessel in my books.  The weather was perfect so the 3 hour journey was great.

We were on the island Grenada, surrounded by water.  I am backpacking on water! I never for one moment thought how I was going to get from land to boat, boat to boat, boat to island and boat to land.  On land we rely on 2 wheels, 3 wheels and 4 wheels for your general getting about.  So when living on water, your mode of transport changes dramatically and ta-da, you now have dingy's, kayaks, paddle boards, sailing dingy's.  mmmmm.... fear of water, now I am having to live on and in and around water!.  'I must be crazy", I say to myself quietly.

So we get to Lower Woburn Bay in Grenada and it's time to move onto the boat.  First step is to get onto a tiny dingy with our backpacks and food shopping.  Never mind that, the water is NOT the magical blue you see in the travel magazines.  It's a dark green with a touch of brown from the Rum Factory in Woburn.  The water is choppy and the wind is up.  Immediately I am very aware of this uneasy feeling in my tummy and in my head.  Anyway, with Barry close and the smile on Joshua's face, I realised it was time to give that fear the middle finger!

Mode of transport number 1:  A single man river kayak.  Bright yellow.  It's time for us to go to the beach, we are unpacked and ready to go.  The 3 of us must get onto this kayak without falling into the water.  Let me again remind you that I had never done anything like this before.  First you have to hoist your leg over the railing, then step right down onto the kayak, get your balance and then sit quickly.  Barry of course has no issues with this exercise, Joshua just has no fears which I am so grateful for, then you have me, a short 'arse'.  Of course when I find something funny I giggle.  This was funny and so I giggled!!  Didn't land in the water, made it to the beach and back to the boat with no hassles.

Our second mode of transport was a wooden dingy.  Oh my hat!  It was like a nut shell in water.  If you sit wrong, or you stand up too soon or simply loose your balance you WILL end up in the water.  Still not any closer to getting into the water so I do everything it takes to ensure that I don't.  Sit correctly, stand when the time is right, don't overload etc etc.  We had a hilarious dingy accident at one of the little mariners, Barry landed in the water but boy oh boy did I make sure that I didn't!

Third mode of transport was a yellow sea kayak, two man.  It was like getting from your VW Beetle into a VB Bus!  We had space, two paddles and a seat for Joshua on the back.  This is when I started having fun.  I loved every minute of this kayak.  All I wanted to do was kayak, so we did, all over the place.  My technique improved immediately, I was more relaxed about the water and it was so awesome to have a kayak partner like Barry.  Just his patience allowed me to gain confidence.  It's a sport/hobby that all three of us enjoy and will continue to enjoy on our travels.

We move onto our own little boat and had to lend a kayak from friends of ours.  Now this kayak was a machine!  Bright orange, wide base and loads of space for our little family, our laundry and our weekly shopping.  I was ready to kayak from our boat all the way to the mainland.  What a fantastic achievement for me personally.  After a few days I could feel how strong I was and how confident I had become compared to that first day on the jetty.  Kayaking to the mainland had to be done first thing in the morning when the sea and wind is calm.  Kayaking in the afternoon is not always the way to go, kayaking through high swells is pretty frightening and the rain doesn't help much either.

I have only fallen into the water 3 times in the last 8 months.  All three times involved a kayak.  On two occasions I was fully clothed and ready to go to town.  Both occasions were just as hilarious as the first.  Both right next to the boat.  And both times I had visions of big ugly creatures in the water below me.  Sailing across the seas is an amazing adventure, but there have been times where I have told myself, "you must be a crazy lady to be doing this!".

I now jump off the boat into the sea, I snorkel and I swim and I enjoy it.  If this trip has taught me anything, it was how to be comfortable in and around water.  I have snorkeled the most beautiful places around the Caribbean.  I have snorkeled in some pretty deep water too.  The sea life took my breath away!  I have spent time with dolphins, star fish bigger that your largest frying pan, pipe fish, rays, schools of fish, my list is endless.

My fear of big and deep water remains.  I have not 'conquered' my fear.  I just have confidence to be around water and in water.  It's all a head thing, which I can control as it is my head after all.  I do have one rule though, if I don't want to get in the water I simply wont. That way I will always be fine.

After all of the fun and laughter, sometimes tears of frustration, we will now be leaving the waters for a while.  It's time to get back onto land for me.  I am craving some time on solid ground.  On a bed that actually has fresh, clean sheets.  I want to cook a meal without moving from side to side and I want a good night's sleep, without worrying about a thing....

Thalassophobia

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

Thalassophobia (Greek: thalassa, "sea" and φόβος, phobos, "fear")^[1] is an intense and persistent fear of the
sea. Thalassophobia is a clinical phobia generally classified underspecific phobias, fear of a single specific
panic trigger. Symptoms for thalassophobia are the same as for most specific phobias.

Although many people are nervous when on a ship, this phobia is not one of the most common. People with
Thalassophobia fear being in the large bodys of water. A common case of fear of the ocean is sometimes
 triggered by fearing the thought or sight of any creature under the depth of any body of water, not just
 directed toward oceans.

Many people with this phobia fear what lies beneath them, mostly sea creatures

Loosing our virginity at the Hash!

First time walkers/runners of the weekly Hash are called Virgins and on completion of your first Hash your virginity is broken!

Well what an awesome experience!  We all piled into Greg's van and off we went to join the weekly Hash which started on BBC Beach.  On arrival there were hundreds of people waiting to kick start their walk or run, dependent on your ability and energy levels.  Everyone signed in, the crowd was briefed and the trails were opened.

Off we went, along the beach, up some very daunting hills, through the local homes, past the children's home, alongside the airstrip, over a river, up some more daunting hills, through the forest/bush, past some very inviting rum shops, down some steep hills, through the town, down dusty highway, and then up another daunting hill, down onto the beautiful white sands of BBC Beach and right into the warm Caribbean Sea!

We met some very cool people along the way, we bumped into many people we have already met on our travels around the island and also had the pleasure of meeting Paul from the DSTV series, Distant Shores. 

After a grueling 7km walk/run, we enjoyed a few ice cold beers and a hearty meal.  A swim in the sea and some great conversation.  The sunset was breath-taking and we were all pretty exhausted!

Joshua took on the walk/run with us like a superstar!  He had lots of fun and enjoyed meeting up with some of his friends from Kids Camp. 

A long hot shower, dinner, a cup of tea and that was it... lights out and fast asleep!

We are signed up to join next weeks Hash and it's going to be fantastic!  This is a brilliant way to see the island and meet some very nice people. 

If there is a Hash taking place in your area, take the time and join in the fun.  You won't be sorry, you will be sore, you will be exhausted afterwards but it is all well worth the effort.

Until next week!

All good people meet at Nimrods!

That I now believe wholeheartedly!  All good people meet at Nimrods, that's no lie!

Let me first tell you a bit about Nimrods.  Its a fantastic Rum Shop that is situated in lower Woburn, on this magical island called Grenada in the Caribbean.  Nimrods sells all sorts of necessities such as milk powder, eggs, bread, condensed milk, fruit, muffins, cooking oil, tea bags, ice cold beers and of course a good hearty rum!

The staff and owner, Sep, are friendly and happy people!  They welcome you in and enjoy having a good chat!  You will always find someone playing a game of backgammon which Joshua is now learning to play.

The kitchen serves delicious meals daily and Friday nights is the BBQ on the deck.  Their prices are affordable and even more so for families with healthy appetites!

We have met the nicest variety of people there from locals to sailors to visitors of the island.  I had the privilege of meeting a wonderful lady and writer by the name of Nora Dunn who has a fantastic blog called The Professional Hobo.  A great read and jam packed with useful and humorous  info for travelers! 

Nimrods is now our pick up and drop off point, the local buses travel past there so this makes getting around so easy to do. 


After a visit to Nimrods you are guaranteed to be remembered and usually by name!  After a couple of visits you will be well known to the locals. 

Nimrods is one of our absolute favourite places to hang out and if you are ever blessed to visit this island, be sure to make a turn at Nimrods.  If you don't know where it is just ask the bus driver to take you to Nimrods, everyone knows where it is!  And I mean EVERYONE!!

If you are looking for good people, food, conversation and vibe, then Nimrods is the place to be.

 

Ship Jumping, Dingy Accident and Siesta's!

It's time to grab a cuppa, sit back, feet up and enjoy my Caribbean ramblings...

We have 'jumped ship' as my cousin Lawry so put it.  Well yes we had to jump ship, the Dixi Rollar is setting sail soon for Brazil and then onto South Africa. Our travel plans include a trip back to South Africa in March 2014.  This year we travel the Caribbean, so with that in mind we jumped ship right onto a beautiful Bavaria called the Inanna.

The Inanna is a fantastic yacht!  We have been blessed with a comfy and private cabin, which earned huge points from me.  The yacht is large which allows for more people on board, a maximum of 12 passengers.  The Inanna is equipped with all you need including access to wifi, a flat screen television, access to a laptop, sufficient water supply and true sailor's, Jason and Gro, who own and sail this yacht.

It's Carnival weekend so we are guests on the Inanna for the next few days and then the actual 'crew' work begins next week.  We will be officially signed on as crew which ensures we are not deported which could have happened if we weren't offered this opportunity.  The law here in Grenada says that we have to be signed onto a sailing vessel as crew, at all times!

I am very keen to get started with my crew training.  Sitting under a tree on the beach all day isn't my idea of stimulation and motivation.  Sitting under a tree on the beach for most of the day is guaranteed to result in an ice cold rum and coke or a Carib beer, and of course one will always mean a two and a three.  Then the remainder of the day is just a complete party.  You are thinking that that's also not a bad idea but let me tell you that it often is a bad idea, all in 'hind sight'.

Our Kidz Club program has been a hit!  We have the next few days off to rest and  enjoy Carnival, then we kick off again next week Wednesday.  We now have 5 students for Conversational English lessons, twice a week and it is going really well.

We had our very first dingy accident a few days ago.  Now that was just to hilarious!  Off we go to Whisper Cover to use the wifi and have a fanta each.  The jetty on the one side was jam packed with dingy's so we eye out a free spot on the other side.  Off we go put putt putting along into the opposite entrance, the plan was for Barry to grab the side of the jetty, cut the engine and we would slow down and 'park' with ease.  WELL we put putt putted in, and somehow with Barry standing up to grab the jetty and Joshua and I still seated, we all ended up on the one side which resulted in the dingy tipping to the same side, next minute SPLASH and Barry is in the water and hanging from the jetty and Joshua and I plus the dingy end up put putt putting into the mangroves.  Of course everyone along the jetty and in the restaurant heard the big SPLASH and all came out to have a look.  There I was totally laughing my ass off, tears rolling, Joshua hanging on for dear life and Barry soaking wet and hanging from the jetty... waaahahahahahahahahaaaa... too funny!

With access on the yacht to wifi, I will be blogging more often.  In the meantime, I will continue to enjoy my siesta's under the trees on the beach :-)

Peace, love and happiness xx

Caribbean Kidz - Holiday Program

What a fantastic two weeks we have had!  We facilitated a holiday program for the cruising/sailing children for 10 days.  From 08h30 to 12h30, Monday to Friday and each day we had an average of 15 children attend.  The children came from all over the world, Australia, America, Germany, Sweden, Island and of course Joshua was from South Africa :-)

We decided to host this program to introduce Joshua to the various children that sail and in turn to the lifestyle of sailing families, which is very different from those that live life on land.  Joshua made a great friend by the name of Michael and the two of them hit it off from day one!  This resulted in Joshua being invited to spend some time on their beautiful floating home and he had an awesome time.

The program was pretty easy to run as we hosted all of the activities on Hog Island and in the ocean.  The activities included:
*  Snorkeling
*  Sand castle competition
*  Jam sessions
*  Hiking
*  Bug Hunting
*  Fire Making - the safe way
*  Coconut Boats - each child had to make their own coconut boat which had to be decorated and it had to stay afloat.  The regatta took place on the last day of holiday care and it was AWESOME!

We investigated every inch of Hog Island, there are various private little beaches around the island, along with that came some interesting findings and learning's.  We identified the poisonous plants and trees and so everyone new what to stay clear of.  We were surrounded by bugs and lizards, birds, fish, squid, sea cucumbers and lots more, to many to list.

The children all had a fantastic time together, they educated each other on their home countries, the songs they sing, the food they eat and their way of life.  How interesting it all was!

We look forward to the next opportunity we have to meet more of the sailing children out there!  Until we meet again :-)

My life on the road as a woman!

Coming from South Africa and travelling various parts of Africa, the safety of women and children always come's up in discussions and is more often than not a concern for most.  Travelling as a family is very different from backpacking as a family.  With your entire existence in your backpack, your hat on your head, a map and your trusted feet and legs to take you to your destination, with the odd good deal and you get to take local transport of possibly even a taxi. 

The very first time I felt uneasy and felt I was always looking over my shoulder was whilst travelling through Venezuela.  I think the language barrier was a big contributing factor which I look back on now and laugh heartily about!  We never bought a Spanish dictionary before we left South Africa and on arrival at Caracas airport, there are no shops that sell dictionaries.  So there we were with our fingers in our ears for the first 2 hours.  But as I always now find myself saying.. faith does move mountains.  And there before my eyes, stood a person that spoke v e r y s l o w and basic English, from there on everything worked out as planned. 

A 10 minute walk in the searing humidity and hot sunshine to the local departures ticketing offices.  Each one a small cubicle with a no English, irritated looking person.  From there we hopped on a local bus which took us to a hotel on the one side of town.  From there a cab to the long distance bus station.  In between all of this driving and sight seeing, there are just hundreds of scooters and old style motor-cycles.  The drivers and passengers either wearing no helmets or cycling helmets...lol!  They add to the chaos, people everywhere, all busy with everyday life. 

At the station and there we waited in a pretty dirty, stuffy, loud and busy multi level 'spaza shop' style area.  Meat being cooked and sizzled in close proximity, stray dogs lazing about, others playing with eachother and some just watching the people go by.

Three hours pass and we finally board our luxury liner bus.  This was a welcomed relief to our tired bodies and over excited minds.  Our plan was working, we enjoyed a good nights sleep in comfy seats.  A 16 hour bus ride and we woke up to the most breath-taking views of the jungle, green and beautiful as far as my eyes could see, ahead, up and behind.

And there we pull up in the furthermost town of Guiria!  It felt like we were in a desert town, with no water, searing heat, dust, strange smells, some friendly people and others that really made me feel uneasy.  This is where Joshua and I stayed in the hotel most of the time, where we viewed from the safer place.  This was our own choice as we are aware of the human trafficking concerns across the world.

It was a welcomed relief to board the ferry for Trinidad.  There we were welcomed and assisted along the way by local people and officials.  We walked along the main street at eight in the evening and sleep soundly for the night.  Leaving Trinidad posed to be a bit difficult with all the searching of travelers but it's their process, we complied and we then took another three flights until we landed on the Island of Grenada.

This is where we are currently visiting whilst sailing the Caribbean.  Here I felt instantly at ease when we entered the airport.  Immigration and customs officials were all helpful and eager to give you assistance.

Here I am able to catch a local taxi from one side of the island to the other, by myself, with no worried.  That is for me, amazing.  How many of you catch local transport in your city?  I can visit the beach with Joshua and not have to watch over my shoulder in fear of being robbed or raped.  Here I can walk through the bush from one bay to the next by myself. 

This Spice Island, Grenada is a wonderful destination for travelling families, for those of you who prefer to take the road less travelled, for those of you wanting a taste of the Caribbean way of life.

Our life is now a journey, in Crocs, with a backpack each and a whole lot of faith and courage.  This journey we take together, Barry, Joshua and myself, in my heart and soul...Kaelah, Christine and you, no matter where you are in the world :-)

I wish you a magical day!

Blu

Our latest news!

We have had a pretty busy week which is awesome, simply because we love to be busy! The more productive you are the more motivated a person is. I did however have a day of doing absolutely nothing which ended in me feeling home-sick! Home-sick? How can a person feel home-sick when you no longer have a home... :-). I felt home-sick for chocolate, yogurt, home made biscuits and joko tea! I also felt like having a chat with my girls but the lack of internet connection on our side makes it a tad difficult! Some encouraging words from around the world and a good nights sleep and I was right as rain the next morning. Our internet connection will soon be resolved and all will be good again. We have fast realised that, Its time to start growing our own veggies! Trekking all the way into town is an adventure via dingy, taxi, walking, taxi, dingy and by the time you have bought what you need its been a 4 hour round trip! And your mangoes are bruised :-( anyhow, so Baz has been gathering items for the water catcher, he's dug a hole to recycle peels and tea bags. We have also got a good starter collection of seeds, paw paw, avo, pumpkin, beans and watermelon. This week we will collect the old tyres to begin planting sweet potatoes and garlic. The week ahead is going to be awesome! Our holiday programs kicks off on Monday and runs through until Friday, 08h00 to 12h00. The theme is Coconut Boats and Seedlings. We will also be cleaning up Hog Island, enjoying jam sessions, swimming and snorkelling. The age group starts from 4 years right up to teens. We are super excited this upcoming week! As you are aware, we are raising funds to sponsor us another day in the Caribbean! Sponsorship doesn't always have to be in the form of money, it can also be in the form of goods that we can barter with or plant. There are a couple of items that we need personally which you can't get here on the island. Below is a short list. If you would like to contribute to our travels through the Caribbean then we would greatly appreciate it! * Chocolates * Seeds (must be sealed in original packaging) - parsley, peppers, carrots, gem squash, rosemary, basil, origanum, spinach, any will do. * Tea Tree Oil * Lavender Oil * Citronella Oil * Rolling Tobacco - Drum Light Blue * Small Hemp Rizlas (unbleached) * Small Liquorice Rizlas * Joko Tea * Rooibos Tea * Ziplock Bags We will have our postal address finalised by next week so I will be sure to upload the address for you. If you would prefer to make a monetary contribution then please contact us for the banking details. Last but not least, I have received my first online marketing work from a South African based company. Online work is a great way to make a steady income while travelling. This work kicks off on the 1 August and I am super excited! I earn a commission on each sale which comes from my marketing. With that in mind, if you have a small business that needs some online marketing to be done, and you simply don't have the time, and you are willing to pay commission on sales then please email me, no matter where you are in the world! The email address to use is: bazandblu@gmail.com. Okay, definitely last, we set sail in a weeks time! Yes we do! The moment we have been waiting for! we will be sailing from Grenada to Union Island. Too excited about this upcoming adventure! Watch this space for photos and video footage! Its 22:15 and its time for bed! Its been a long, hot and humid day. Time to rest my body, mind and soul! Until next time! Blu

Our day at Mt Qua Qua, Concord Falls, Grenada

Sunday, 16 June and it's Fathers Day across the world, even here in the middle of the Caribbean!  The tropical rains have passed and we took full advantage of the sunshine and clear skies.  We packed up a barbeque, a braai in the South African language, refreshments and off we went with an awesome group of friends, to the West side of the island. 

Destination:  Mt Qua Qua, Condord Falls.  Off we drove in convoy along windy single lane roads, past massive houses scattered up along the mountains.  All of the houses are painted with bright colors so they are easily spotted.  The local people are friendly and eager to tell you a story or give you some history of their island.

We parked the vehicles along the narrow road, gathered up all of our picnic bags and off we set, into what immediately felt like the jungle, the rain forest, the mountains.  Everything is green at this time of the year, tropical rains feed the island vegetation which is thick with fruit trees, wild flowers, moss and various other beautiful plants and trees.

The walk up to the flat rocky picnic area is easy but slippery in certain parts along the path.  It is shady and protected even when it rains. We soon found the ideal picnic spot and off loaded all of our bags and the resident barbeque.  We set off on a hike up the side of Mt Qua Qua to the Concord Falls.  The hike is slippery because of all the rain and there are a couple of river crossings which are knee deep (for me anyway).  The river is crystal clear so that made the crossings pretty easy for all of us.  The entire hike required concentration and balancing skills to ensure we didn't fall.

The mosquito's were shameless and zoned in on us from the first river crossing.  Millions of them all along the way.  The secret to shaking them off it to keep on moving, don't stop just keep on walking :-)

After around 30 minutes of walking, climbing, jumping, wading, laughing and admiring, we looked up and there she was, the Concord Falls.  The falls were gushing with fresh rain water and the rock pool at the bottom was oh so inviting.  A swim in the crystal clear and chilly pool was great reward.

Back down we walked, to the picnic site and everyone eagerly starting preparing food.  We had a delicious spread for lunch:

• Tuna - cooked on the braai
• Chicken pieces
• Cous Cous with garlic and sundried tomatoes
• Pumpkin - cooked in the coals
• Corn (mielies)
• Rock bread
• Garlic bread
• Freshly picked mangoes

What a spread that was!  In no time we had cooked, eaten and cleared up.  Time for a swim in the river a short siesta and that was us, done for the day. 

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We made our way down to the parking area, spent some time chatting to the locals and finally left for 'home. 

This spice island is such a fantastic destination, especially for families.  Everyone and everything is ideal for children and this makes it so enjoyable... each and every single day.

Until next time..

Blu