Home Sweet Home!

So much good stuff has happened in our lives since leaving Uganda and coming back to South Africa. After two years of life on the road, sleeping in strange place, uncomfortable beds, eating weird and wonderful foods and drinking all makes of local beers, we are now home.

Home is where the heart is, so they say. Then I must have quite a number of homes across the world, because my heart lies in many places. Non the less, I am super happy to be back home, in South Africa, close to my children, my Mamma and my soul mates. Familiar shops, places, brands and weather patterns all contribute to my being comfortable and I like it.

We have been so busy since landing in Jozi on the 1^st December. Both Baz and I started working temporary contracts on the 2^nd December. We gave the middle finger to jet lag and hit the ground running. Baz worked for a sound proofing company and I worked as a domestic worker. Yep, a domestic worker, and I did it with style. What a domestic usually takes a full day to do, I was getting it all done in half the time. What a blast! Nothing like a good workout from doing someone else's housework.

Christmas time and Christine's birthday was just around the corner and we were done with living so far out of town, so I placed a house sitting advert on Facebook and BAM! Three house sitting jobs. Extra income earned and we lived in three really beautiful and comfortable homes in close proximity to our place of work.

Christmas was fantastic! We spent quality time with those closest too us (those living in Jozi), we ate, drank, ate, drank and ate some more. Joshua has a blast with his sisters and his Ouma. Come to think of it, Joshua spent most of December away from home. Always sleeping over somewhere.

We celebrated Christine's 23^rd birthday on the 27^th December. It was soon awesome being home and with my girl on her special day. Not my baby girl any more. All grown up now.

Our new year started with a bang. Baz was offered a fantastic job with really good benefits (which none of his previous employers considered). A company vehicle, cellphone, laptop, cellphone allowance, petrol allowance and and and. Baz is a happy camper, loving his new job and working hard.

My domestic work has ended and I now work on 3 different projects. All work from home positions which suites me down to a T. I absolutely love online work and social networking. Working from home allows me to look after my families needs which is so rewarding.

We celebrated Kaelah's 12^th birthday with her. We have missed her last two birthdays, which were really tough for me. I can now quite honestly say that I am a happy hippie Mamma.

Joshua has started school, just a block away from home. He is absolutely loving it. He has made new friends and his teachers are really amazing people. They love their work and it beams from them every single day.

Other than the current political challenges that South Africa is facing, it really is good to be back. Saying that though, I do miss our Caribbean adventures and all the good friends we have made along the way. Thank the universe for social networking, it has allowed us to stay in touch with our friends from across the world.

Other than that, we are all good, healthy and happy!  Home Sweet Home

Love and light always.

Blu

Email: bazandblu@gmail.com

Facebook: Blu Costello

Blogger: Backpacks and Adventures

Its the small things I miss and love the most!

Since leaving Colombia and life on water (for now), we have been adventuring between Jozi and Pretoria via the public transport system.  It’s been a hoot.  The transport system here is so much better than the countries we visited, besides the islands.  The Gautrain is so convenient and the bus services are great! This cuts out most of the taxi’s and buses we would have to take.  Our most reliable mode of transport are our own legs and feet and taking to the streets on foot is thrilling!

The weather has been fab!  Hot sunny days with temperatures hitting 33 degrees.  Some days are rainy and wet and it’s those days I am loving the most.  I craved rain for 11 months and now it rains most evenings bringing relief and washing away the dirt and hurt from the day.  Saying that, I miss the hot and humid days while in the Caribbean and South America.  Those days where I sweated profusely from parts I didn’t know I had, which I now know I have and I know how to handle with ease!

I miss those lazy Caribbean days on the beach.  Those days where it was so hot all I could do was hang out in a hammock and drink island rum with ice.  Talk to the locals and sway slowly to the island music, slowly as a result of the rum!

I miss the friends I made along the way! Those all day and all night socials on the beach then in the water, then on land then on the boat.  Those late night and sometimes all night scrabble tournaments!

I miss those sun rises and sunsets that always took my breath away, those night skies and full moon extravaganzas.  Those skies that umbrella’d the excitement, laughter, love and the music of the people!  Where the people smile and talk to each other in the local shops, where people don’t need a reason to celebrate.  Because every day is a celebration.

I miss the crazy kayaking to and from our boats.  Shhhhhh don’t tell Barry I said that because it will be an ‘I told you so’ moment… lol.  No matter how crap the day was for whatever reason, a kayak journey always made my soul smile. 

I miss snorkeling whenever the urge grabbed me.  I miss the sea life which never ceased to excite me.  I miss the scares by my own dreadlocks underwater while snorkeling!  I miss the sand between my toes and the sound of the water below and around me.

Of all the things I miss, I miss seeing the thrill on Joshua’s face all day every day!

My perspective on my life has changed and I love myself totally!  I love the way I look and feel, my soul, my heart, my mind and my body is healthy.  I have returned a little more loopy but I have a very good reason… it was the rude amounts of rum and ‘me time’ on desolate islands in the middle of absolutely no where!

I love and adore those little things that we miss the most when they are no longer there. I indulge in a hot bubble bath with a glass of red wine every day. I love that I now enjoy and ensure I have a healthy balance of ‘me time’.  I read a book a week, if however, it is 50 Shades then I read two in one week. I spend time working on my dreadlocks, I love lying on the soft green grass, I absolutely love being in the same time zone as my daughters.  I appreciate the clean crispy bedding when I climb into my soft and comfy bed in my large bedroom which has big glass windows and skylights.  I love all this space, my space!

I love that I can flush a toilet with one finger movement.  That I can walk to a shop and buy exactly what I need.  That I can pack my clothes into a cupboard and that I can wash laundry in a washing machine.  That washing day isn’t an event but now a simple and easy chore.  I love that I can listen to music and its music that I love!

Soon our adventures move up Africa and I am eager to pack my backpack and mission.  For now, I am loving my home base luxuries and my friends and family who surround me with their love and energy!  Pretoria is a fantastic city.  I am happy here J

Everyday is a celebration to me!

Blu

Life on a sailing vessel...not for the feint hearted!

I blogged a while back about life on a boat and that was merely covering what it is like living on a vessel of some sort, (I say so because we have 'lived' on many) but not detailing what it is like to be crew on a sailing vessel, which is totally different. So today I will tell you more about my experience as a crew member on board a sailing vessel.

First let me start with the correct terminology so you have a better understanding of what it is I am referring to:

1. Cabin - a bedroom.

2. Head - bathroom: small toilet, A basin and a shower head which is the nozzle on the tap in the basin. Drainage holes for the water.

3. Saloon - lounge/diningroom: definitely not a salloon as we know it!

4. Galley - kitchen: usually small, only one person at a time.

5. Cockpit - helm and seating area which is outside.

6. Foredeck - the front deck area of the vessel.

7. Starboard side - the right side of the vessel.

8. Lockers - cupboards, found all around the vessel, used to store items safely.

9. Port side - the left side of the vessel. Thanks to our sailing buddy, Shaun Tarr, who explained it like this. There is too much port left. Meaning the port side is on the left. :-)

10.Hatches - windows

Walking around on a vessel takes concentration, balance and at times good strategy! When you are anchored you are able to walk around, get boat chores done and possibly a good night's sleep. This is not the case when you are sailing, crossings or island hopping. The minute the anchor is up and you move into deep waters, the boat rocks and roles continuously until you get to the next anchorage and you lay anchor. When I say 'rocks and roles' I mean that everything moves and so do you. Walking is an adventure, to get from the cockpit area to the galley, which is 6 steps (in my steps) you have to stand up, compose yourself, find some sort of balance in your sea legs, hold onto the table, then the door, then the counter and then into the galley It's best not taking too long to accomplish this adventure. If the weather is bad, the waves are higher, the water sprays in from all angles so everything is wet including you, walking becomes that much more difficult and frustration levels increase quickly. I have found that crawling is usually best and if you can't crawl then whatever you do next just do it with style!. Eventually you don't care what your butt looks like from behind. LOL!

The doorways of all vessels are lower than those in a home. I would say only about 1.5 meters in height. It reminds me a bit of a submarine, with those small oval shaped doors that seal when they are closed. This results in a whole lot of head injuries if you are tall. Thankfully I am short so moving through on on a vessel is easy.

So back to the cabin. "ooh so I'm claustrophobic", I hear you say. Yes your are right! This is usually a small space, cramped, with a bed that is higher than what you would be used to in your home. The bed for me is usually way to high, with me being 5ft tall and all, I always need some sort of a box to stand on to hoist myself up onto the bed. The box always being Barry's camera case! Thank goodness we have had this camera case with us throughout out travels or I wouldn't have managed to get into bed at all. The mattresses are hard and thin, so please don't think that you will have a great night's sleep on any vessel. If you do it's because you have consumed way too much rum and you have passed out for the night!

The heat in a windless anchorage is a killer. Avoid it whenever you can. Not a drop of air or a breeze passes through your boat. If that happens then you kick back, siesta and swim.

You simply CAN NOT have tidy cabin lockers. I have tried for 8 months now being the tidy freak that I am. You have to hoist yourself onto the bed, to get to the lockers, and if the vessel is rocking and rolling then you simply grab the first item of clothing and pull quickly to get it out. If you haven't mastered the art of removing clothes from a locker, then all the clothes come out with that one item you are after. So what's the best solution? just bundle it all up and shove it all back in, with the thought that you will simply repack again when you have time.

The head is pretty cosy, the toilet is just big enough to fit your butt onto. They remind me of the small toilets you find in a nursery school. Ideal form me, cos my feet still touch the ground! They remind me of the toilets you find in a nursery school. The toilet is usually one of those that you manually flush. So you fill the toilet bowl with water, do your business, then you pump at least 10 times, this flushes your business through the pipes, then you have to close the sea cocks (this is the valve that allows the water into the toilet) and pump another 5 times to empty the bowl again. If you enjoy reading on the toilet then this kind of toilet environment is not for you! There is no time to read while the boat is rocking and rolling. The room is also small so the stink can kill a person. It's best to do your business and get the hell out of dodge!

Your showers are usually cold, so don't for a minute think that you will enjoy a warm shower after your night watch is over. This is usually when you crave a warm shower the most. Because you are always in 'concerve water mode' its best to run 250ml of water into the basin. Soap yourself down and then use the shower to wash the soap off. You can not simply hang around under running water for the sake of hanging around under running water. If you are blessed and anchored in chrystal clear water then you simply jump into the ocean, climb back onto the boat, soap yourself with 'colgate shampoo' (the only shampoo that lathers in sea water), jump back in the sea to wash the soap off and then back on the boat to rinse the sea water off with fresh water (sweet water). If you don't have enough water on board then you simply don't shower until you do have water.

Better yet, always have a solar shower packed in your backpack! you will love every minute of your showers!

Showers in the rain are the absolute best, when it starts raining you strip to your bare essentials, lather yourself up, arm yourself with a mop and you go onto the foredeck. That way you get to shower for as long as the rain lasts and the boat gets a good wash too. Don't be shy, every other 'yachtie' also does it, some more brave and do it in the nude, others in their costumes. Warning! Don't shampoo your hair! I repeat, Don't shampoo your hair. The rain doesn't last long enough to get it out. Either way, its an experience to tell your grandkids!

By the way - You usually looked beautifully tanned, just a friendly bit of advice, the top 2 layers of brown are usually dirt and when you wash at least 3 times you will see that your 'tan' will fade...lol ;-)

While sailing, water is the damndest thing! Collect rain water when and wherever you can! from the rain, from a lonesome tap at midnight (covert operations...lol!) or you have to buy water from a mariner. The crew must always ensure that water is a priority because you don't want to get caught in the middle of a crossing without water. When it rains, you have to line every single empty container up at the water catchers and you fill them and now you have to work in the rain. So what if it's raining and you will get wet. You can deal with your bad hair do later (later never comes by the way) and the bruised ego about slipping your ass off.

The boat is only neat and tidy while you are anchored. Its easy to tidy and clean when you are not rocking and rolling. When you sail its the complete opposite, the tools are out in the event of something on the engines needing attention, so the saloon area becomes a workshop. Dishes will pile up unless you are as skilled as I am and can wash, dry and pack dishes in the middle of high swells! Plain and simple...it looks like a bombs hit it!

When you are anchored you have to get stuck in and work like a hound dog! Wash windows, sweep the carpet, wash down the floors, repack lockers, wash down the heads, do your laundry (by hand), get your laundry washed and dry, clean the dingy and kayaks, clean the bottom of the boat, feed yourselves (because you haven't eaten properly in a few days), go shopping, have a shower because you probably stink! and the list goes on.

When crossing from one country to another you are out at sea for a few days and nights. Our first long crossing was 4 nights and 5 days, this was from Curacao to Colombia. Just when I thought I was equipped to handle night watches and possibly crazy weather, NOT! On the first night during my watch, 11pm to 2am, we sailed right into a rain squall. The wind was crazy, the rain was pouring, the swells were high, I was soaking wet, I couln't see through my eyes with the amount of water pouring down my body! And through this chaos you have to watch for giant tree logs in the water and tankers. Ha ha ha! anyway I survived that episode, at the end of my watch i dried off, put on a sarong and attempted to sleep. Thats not easy when the waves are crashing and everything inside of the boat is creeking or knocking.

On the 4th night, Joshua, Barry and I went to sleep leaving the Captain to handle the watch, we sail into another squall, which lasted the entire night or so it felt, we didn't close our cabin hatch properly, a huge wave hit us from the port side and swoooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooshhhhhhhhhhhhhhh, we were woken with about 50 litres of water pouring onto the 3 of us. What a way to wake up! Wet, ice cold, 2am, dark, waves crashing, the Captain cursing! What a crazy experience.

"Well at least I you're in paradise." I hear you say. In my mind, paradise = peacefulness, tranquility, splendour. Well yes, that does very much exist and I have 'lived' that way for the last 7 months. Now we are anchored in the harbour.' We are anchored right off the Old City and the Town with rolling suburbs behind the high rise buildings lining the promonade.

As you, who live in the city, have taxi's, busses, bicycles, people etc etc, so we on water have 'water taxi's, fishing boats, speed boats, power boats, yachts, dingies, cruise ships, tankers.. etc etc. There isn't a quiet time on these waters. The rocking and rolling here is driving me crazy..lol. Like when you hike and climb to the top of the mountain and that wind just blows and blows and blows? Like chinese torture at times :-).

Saying that though, not always chinese torture. Every day continues to be an adventure, the awesome always outweigh the 'crap' days. Every morning we are greeted by the most beautiful sunrises and blessed good night with magical sunsets.

Life on the water. With only a few days to go until we finish on Moonjoos, I am both sad and extremely excited. Sad because I already miss that peace, tranquility and splendour but I carry it with in me, the smells, the sounds, the views..the very place where I discovered a whole lot more of myself. Extremely excited to be taking all I have experienced and learnt from the Caribbean and living on boats, to the city, back to my daughters, my family, friends and everyone we encounter, especially on our next adventure!

Travel, journey, have adventures, open your world to something new every day!

Blu

　

Christmas in Cartagena, Colombia!

Christmas was super special, with skype calls with people that I miss dearly and simply cant wait to see again when we are back in South Africa. We also received heaps of messages and comments via Facebook which were just awesome. It's so important knowing that people actually miss your presense when you arent a hop skip and a jump away.

On Christmas eve we went to the ATM to draw our last R200 to buy food for dinner and Christmas day lunch. There we had R490 instead, someone had deposited R290 into our account in Johannesburg the day before. What an awesome surprise! We bought what we needed and ate like royalty.. well as close to.

Father Christmas found Moonjoos and the Sanders- Costello clan. Christmas morning was magical. Joshua woke up at 6am with his cousin Faith, calling him on Skype. He flew out of the cabin and straight to the computer to say hello and merry Christmas, Feliz Navistad (in Spanish), and then he saw his pressie under the tree. His eyes grew big, looked at the plate where he place and ice cold beer and a traditional Colombian cookie. Just a quarter of the cookie was left and the beer replaced with a handwritten note from Father Christmas.

"Dear Joshua, I have heard so many good things from so many people around the world and this makes me proud. Thank you for the beer and cookie, I saved you a piece of my cookie to share with you, and I saved you a sip of beer too, it's in the fridge." Lots of love, Father Christmas.

Joshua ate the piece of cookie and drank his sip of beer and then opened his pressies. An awesome water pistol from Captain Brett and the Moonjoos Station. A small bag from Colombia which he uses to carry his UNO cards, a car, an army man and his bean bag. A holy stone necklace. A packet of chocolate and toffee lollipops, and a packet of fruit sweets. All small enough to travel with which is a blessing!

Christmas lunch was delicious. Barry did the cooking this year. Baked potatoes, cold meat, white sauce, fresh tomato and salsa. Full tummy's and it was time to siesta!

Travelling takes you away from those traditions which you have with your family back home. Thank goodness for skype, which allowed us to connect with some special people. Home sickness always hangs around and is a reality. With Joshua and Barry making it so special, I did just fine :-).

The best present I received was to speak to my girls and then my Mom. Mom only has a basic mobile phone without the bells and whistles that you and I are used to. So when my friend Christopher called my Mom, placed her on speaker phone and then connected to us via skype, and I heard her say "hello my lovie, merry Christmas", I new all will be just fine. Oh how I have missed chatting and being close to my Mom. Christopher rocks!

The streets, buildings, boats, cars, trucks, busses and taxis, the horse and carriages, everything is drenched in Christmas lights!  Every night there has been a Christmas pageant at the old fort which is a few meters from the boat.  The fireworks displays at night are just breath-taking, like nothing I have ever seen.  Every single person in Cartagena have been in the Christmas spirit since we arrived here on the 2 December.  Can you imagine, 23 days of celebrations and music all around us!

With just 26 days until we fly out of Caracas, Venezuela, we have a whole lot still to accomplish on our 'to do list'. Our backpacks are packed, and we are in full swing with the boat jobs that must be done by the 10th January. We are also working to raise money to get from Cartagena, Colombia to Caracas. Its going to cost us $550 USD.

We are so looking forward to this adventure. We have been on Moonjoos for 15 weeks now and living on water since June this year. Life on the water is magical but I am so ready to sleep in a comfy bed that doesn't move, to have a good shower so I can wash properly and smell good afterwards, and to enjoy nature along the way.

Then we fly from Caracas to Brazil to South Africa! Bring on the African sunsets, braai's, friends and family!

　

 

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.