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Sunday, 16 June 2013
Friday, 14 June 2013
Travelling with young children
I have always wondered how many families out there simply choose not to travel because they have young children. Well that seems to be a common thought for quite a few families in South Africa and I refer to South Africa simply because I lived in various parts of South Africa during my 3 decade stay.
Travelling with Joshua has been nothing but fun! We have been travelling with Joshua, Kaelah and Christine for the last 6 years and it has all been a breeze! Planning ahead and packing wisely is what will ensure you a happy and hassle free journey.
One of the secrets to a happy travelling child is to teach them from a baby to sleep in various places. This has been our saving grace with Joshua. He sleeps anywhere at anytime without wanting his bed at home. Now that we no longer have a permanent home, Joshua finds it easy to sleep wherever he lays his little head.
Flying with a child is really awesome. From the time of arrival to book in at the OR Tambo airport in Johannesburg, the airport staff to notice of Joshua and treated him as a 'mini passenger'. Boarding the plane and spending a solid 18 hours flying, the air hostesses always made a special round to check if he was comfortable. The attention on all modes of transport have been very much the same with fellow passengers keeping him entertained and vice versa.
Packing a a biggy! Joshua's daypack had a change of clothes and two spare t-shirt, a pack of UNO, a set of wax crayons and a soldier. His fellow travel buddy being his little stuffed turtle, 'Squirt'. Included were a couple of sweeties from Ouma and Christine (for the road), his water bottle, tissues, wet wipes, toothbrush and toothpaste and Tee Tree Oil for all types of scratches and bites. That was it, and it kept him well entertained and prepared for his 5 day backpacking trip from South Africa to Grenada.
As of Sunday, we move onto the Dixi Rollar. Joshua has his allocated space on the yacht and will settle in right away. We will be joining a community of sailing families. Some families have children and some have cats and dogs on board. Yes you read correctly...cats and dogs! The coolest sailing pets around I tell you. Most have more travels under the collar than most of the humans on this planet. From all over the world they come and each has their very own personality.
The local people absolutely love Joshua. They always engage in a conversation with him about all sorts and his happily takes part. We allow him to adventure, explore and speak to the people along the way... afterall that is how children learn.
Keep a close eye on Joshua Liam. This young boy of ours is truly an amazing adventurer :-)
Travelling with Joshua has been nothing but fun! We have been travelling with Joshua, Kaelah and Christine for the last 6 years and it has all been a breeze! Planning ahead and packing wisely is what will ensure you a happy and hassle free journey.
One of the secrets to a happy travelling child is to teach them from a baby to sleep in various places. This has been our saving grace with Joshua. He sleeps anywhere at anytime without wanting his bed at home. Now that we no longer have a permanent home, Joshua finds it easy to sleep wherever he lays his little head.
Flying with a child is really awesome. From the time of arrival to book in at the OR Tambo airport in Johannesburg, the airport staff to notice of Joshua and treated him as a 'mini passenger'. Boarding the plane and spending a solid 18 hours flying, the air hostesses always made a special round to check if he was comfortable. The attention on all modes of transport have been very much the same with fellow passengers keeping him entertained and vice versa.
Packing a a biggy! Joshua's daypack had a change of clothes and two spare t-shirt, a pack of UNO, a set of wax crayons and a soldier. His fellow travel buddy being his little stuffed turtle, 'Squirt'. Included were a couple of sweeties from Ouma and Christine (for the road), his water bottle, tissues, wet wipes, toothbrush and toothpaste and Tee Tree Oil for all types of scratches and bites. That was it, and it kept him well entertained and prepared for his 5 day backpacking trip from South Africa to Grenada.
As of Sunday, we move onto the Dixi Rollar. Joshua has his allocated space on the yacht and will settle in right away. We will be joining a community of sailing families. Some families have children and some have cats and dogs on board. Yes you read correctly...cats and dogs! The coolest sailing pets around I tell you. Most have more travels under the collar than most of the humans on this planet. From all over the world they come and each has their very own personality.
The local people absolutely love Joshua. They always engage in a conversation with him about all sorts and his happily takes part. We allow him to adventure, explore and speak to the people along the way... afterall that is how children learn.
Keep a close eye on Joshua Liam. This young boy of ours is truly an amazing adventurer :-)
 |
| Joshua Liam Sanders - 4years 3 months old Young adventurer and Eco Warrior |
Tuesday, 11 June 2013
Frim Trinidad to Grenada..
From Trinidad to Grenada... we finally departed Trinidad on Thursday, 6 June at 14h35. A very welcoming country when entering but attempting to leave is quite another story. This was the first time our luggage was searched and we had been travelling for 5 days already with no interest in our luggage at all. Our one backpack was also all of a sudden overweight by 10kg's. mmmm.... not sure how that happened as we were within limits on all previous flights, busses, taxi's and the ferry.
According to our flight schedule we had only one stop, well that was nonsense, we flew from Trinidad to St Vincent, St Vincent to Barbados and then Barbados to Grenada. A 5 hour flight! Yet another adventure to keep our excitement levels sky high. We finally landed at 19h35 and were welcomed by the friendliest immigration official.
Met by a friendly face, Barry's longtime friend, Shaun Tarr met us at the airport. He loaded up all our baggage, our weary bodies and off we went on a whirlwind drive to the local supermarket for milk, and to the local Italian restaurant for pasta and sushi. I had never met Shaun but always heard good things, so the evening was spent chatting up a storm. Showering him with question after question over some good Italian food. Shaun's 'island guiding' began from that moment.
A great nights sleep and we were up at 6am and ready for the day ahead. Joshua, Barry and I walked outside and we were met by the breath-taking view of Port Louis. With the old fort on our right and the volcano ahead, the harbor below, the old and modern style buildings on the opposite side of town... man! what a view. There and then the three of us knew this was the right decision. It was the right decision to sell up our entire existence to embark on lifetime of adventures abroad.
We then jumped into the car and Shaun took us on a guided tour around the Southern part of the island, St George's. The local mall is equipped with awesome air-conditioning, as with all the small shops. After getting shopping done for Shaun's upcoming sailing course we dropped all the shopping, drove back down to the harbor, parked the car and set off on foot to the local market place. Now this was exactly where we wanted to be! Meeting the locals, finding out where to buy fruit and veg, spice, chocolate and coconut milk. This is where you find fresh, healthy food within our 'shoe-string' budget. The locals make the most delicious sauces, pickles, preserves, fudge and this is where you buy the spices! After a swim in the warm sea we went home and enjoyed a divine meal called, Tequila and Lime Shrimp. Followed by glass of rum and ginger beer. The perfect way to end a perfect day.
Grenada the Spice Island. This is truly the most beautiful place I have ever been too. Grenada is RICH in culture in every part of the island. The views, the people, the buildings, the food, the harbor, the bird life, the chocolate, the rum, paw paws hanging from the trees. The list is endless! It is all just so different from the way our life was in South Africa.
It's summer here now, hurricane season has started with the first tropical storm hitting Cuba last week. It's hot and humid. Early evening brings relief with a cool sea breeze but along with that comes the mosquitoes and sand flies. Our day starts at 05h00 with a morning temperature of 25 degrees. No matter what the temperature is, the streets, shops, businesses and market stalls are alive with people. Everyone knows everyone and everyone has something interesting to share with you.
We are house sitting for this week and then we will board the yacht with Steve and Renata. Now this is what I am really excited about. Learning how to sail. A completely new way of life, one which I have never experienced. Tomorrow we are off to Hog Island to meet Renata and to spend time on the yacht, explore the island and to start learning. We are like three Joshua's in an ice-cream shop :-)
Remember to follow us on Facebook, Pinterest, Skype and Twitter (as soon as we figure that one out...lol). Share our blog with your family and friends and if you would like to sponsor us a day in the Caribbean, please feel free to donate 100 bucks in your currency to our adventure. Every cent will go to buying us another day, week or month in the Caribbean.
Have a magical time, wherever you are in this crazy but beautiful world.
Blu
According to our flight schedule we had only one stop, well that was nonsense, we flew from Trinidad to St Vincent, St Vincent to Barbados and then Barbados to Grenada. A 5 hour flight! Yet another adventure to keep our excitement levels sky high. We finally landed at 19h35 and were welcomed by the friendliest immigration official.
Met by a friendly face, Barry's longtime friend, Shaun Tarr met us at the airport. He loaded up all our baggage, our weary bodies and off we went on a whirlwind drive to the local supermarket for milk, and to the local Italian restaurant for pasta and sushi. I had never met Shaun but always heard good things, so the evening was spent chatting up a storm. Showering him with question after question over some good Italian food. Shaun's 'island guiding' began from that moment.
A great nights sleep and we were up at 6am and ready for the day ahead. Joshua, Barry and I walked outside and we were met by the breath-taking view of Port Louis. With the old fort on our right and the volcano ahead, the harbor below, the old and modern style buildings on the opposite side of town... man! what a view. There and then the three of us knew this was the right decision. It was the right decision to sell up our entire existence to embark on lifetime of adventures abroad.
We then jumped into the car and Shaun took us on a guided tour around the Southern part of the island, St George's. The local mall is equipped with awesome air-conditioning, as with all the small shops. After getting shopping done for Shaun's upcoming sailing course we dropped all the shopping, drove back down to the harbor, parked the car and set off on foot to the local market place. Now this was exactly where we wanted to be! Meeting the locals, finding out where to buy fruit and veg, spice, chocolate and coconut milk. This is where you find fresh, healthy food within our 'shoe-string' budget. The locals make the most delicious sauces, pickles, preserves, fudge and this is where you buy the spices! After a swim in the warm sea we went home and enjoyed a divine meal called, Tequila and Lime Shrimp. Followed by glass of rum and ginger beer. The perfect way to end a perfect day.
Grenada the Spice Island. This is truly the most beautiful place I have ever been too. Grenada is RICH in culture in every part of the island. The views, the people, the buildings, the food, the harbor, the bird life, the chocolate, the rum, paw paws hanging from the trees. The list is endless! It is all just so different from the way our life was in South Africa.
It's summer here now, hurricane season has started with the first tropical storm hitting Cuba last week. It's hot and humid. Early evening brings relief with a cool sea breeze but along with that comes the mosquitoes and sand flies. Our day starts at 05h00 with a morning temperature of 25 degrees. No matter what the temperature is, the streets, shops, businesses and market stalls are alive with people. Everyone knows everyone and everyone has something interesting to share with you.
We are house sitting for this week and then we will board the yacht with Steve and Renata. Now this is what I am really excited about. Learning how to sail. A completely new way of life, one which I have never experienced. Tomorrow we are off to Hog Island to meet Renata and to spend time on the yacht, explore the island and to start learning. We are like three Joshua's in an ice-cream shop :-)
Remember to follow us on Facebook, Pinterest, Skype and Twitter (as soon as we figure that one out...lol). Share our blog with your family and friends and if you would like to sponsor us a day in the Caribbean, please feel free to donate 100 bucks in your currency to our adventure. Every cent will go to buying us another day, week or month in the Caribbean.
Have a magical time, wherever you are in this crazy but beautiful world.
Blu
Saturday, 8 June 2013
From Venezuela to Trinidad!
After an eye-opening 2 days in Venezuela we finally managed to book our space on the C Prowler ferry, which ONLY departs Guiria (Pier 1) on a Wednesday at 3pm. This ferry transports passengers only from Guiria to Trinidad. The immigration and customs officials are strict and thorough. In order for us to leave Guiria we had to have: * Passports * Proof of accommodation in Trinidad * Proof that we are 'moving on' * Itinerary The ferry costs $130 one way and that includes soft drinks, coffee, good island style music and a very comfortable 3 hour ride. The views were just amazing! The sea was calm, the skies clear and the people could speak English :-). We sailed all along the coastline, passing the island which Christopher Columbus first discovered! Around that island... and there she was, Trinidad! A sight for sore eyes! The immigration officials came on board, checked papers, stamped passports. We then disembarked and moved to the customs officials. This was the first time that our bags were searched and inspected by a sniffer dog. A big no-no is camoflaged items of any sort, clothing, accessories... Not even a sleeping bag. Thanks to a very pleasant customs official and to the fact that we were in transit, our 2 items were not confiscated, with a stern warning to keep them packed away throughout our stay in Trinidad. We then had to make our way to the main road to find a Maxi Taxi. These are yellow and white mini busses that run throughout the city. The cabs that wait at the port for passengers are far too expensive, wanting to charge $30 to Port of Spain. We opted to take the Maxi Taxi which cost us $10 for the 3 of us. Our drivers name was 'Cookie Monster' which Joshua found totally amusing! He took us to the Melbourne Inn, an awesome bed and breakfast. We were greeted by a friendly woman with that beautiful Jamaican accent, which I soon realised, is how everyone speaks. We dumped all our packs and set off up the main road to find a bite to eat. A busy road, buzzing with night life, restaurants, ice cream shops, bars, food vendors and... Every single person spoke ENGLISH! We settled with a veggie pizza from Domino's 100TT, a cold beer each and enjoyed our meal in the garden at the inn. The heat is just another story altogether! 25 degrees at 5.30am, room fans working overtime, all the time! A minimum of 3 showers per day is a must to survive! The streets are spotless! Not a piece of litter or cigarette 'stompies' anywhere. The shops and banks open at 7.30am. Each offering a variety of coconut milk, coconut breads and fresh fruit and veggies. A welcomed relief for us vegetarians :-) We have only been travelling for 4 days but in this 4 days we have eaten weird food, drunk strange coolies, met the scariest and nicest people and encountered different cultures and beliefs. In 4 days we have been to: * Sau Paulo * Venezuela * Trinidad
Much love!
Blu, Baz and Joshua
Wednesday, 5 June 2013
Our EPIC journey from South Africa to Venezuela!
Wow! What a crazy colourful 3 days it has been!
We departed SA on SAA at 6pm and flew through 2 time zones which resulted in our first flight from SA to Sau Paulo being 12 hours. We then waited for our connecting flight on TAM airlines which then took another 6 hours to get to Caracas.
On arrival in Caracas it took 4 hours to get the local tourism desk to understand our route! Spanish is the language and the Spanish don't speak English at all! It was too funny! There are soldiers everywhere! It was both relieving and scary at the same time.
The legal exchange rate is $1 = 6Bolivar. The black market exchange rate is $1 = 20 Bolivar! But its a chance you take, you have to make sure you speak with the right people or you will end up in the slammer!
From the airport we walked down to the internal departures where you buy bus tickets and flights. Another mission to get the people to understand our route but finally we got our bus tickets and soon were on our way through the hussle of the city centre to Hotel Alba Caracas or better known to the locals as Bellas Artes.
From there we caught a taxi to the Terminal de Oriente. There we booked our bus tickets on the Expreso Los Llanos to Guiria de la Costa, the closest town to Trinidad. This bus ride was 16 hours long!! We travelled along the coastline, through the most amazing local villages, towns and part of the jungle!
We booked into a hotel here in Guiria de la Costa for the night. The heat in this place cooks you from the inside, no jokes! The locals can't believe that we are from South Africa as they are under the impression all Africans are black... Lol!
The locals all drive old cars! Fords, Valiants, Dodge, Crysler and Jeep.. All OLD cars with large tanks! Cars that we would never afford in SA as the petrol would be ludicrous! Here the petrol is .80c for a gallon! No wonder they can afford the petrol!
The local transport is quite affordable, you can even hire a 'moto taxi' which is a scooter. They however drive like maniacs with only mountain bike helmets so that is not an option...lol!
No one here drinks tea, only espresso's which are 5 Bolivar each and they are guaranteed to get your tummy going! Breakfast is all meat which is also proving to be difficult as we don't eat meat!
Venezuela is known as one of the most dangerous countries in the world! So we have eyes on the back of our heads! It turns out that Guiria is known to be one of the most unsafe towns in Venezuela!
We are taking a ferry to Trinidad today and then hoping to fly to Grenada tomorrow. The ferry costs $330 for the 3 of us and flights are $495. Our budget has just become so much smaller but we are just focusing on getting to Grenada and once there we will focus on earning some money.
Joshua is having an awesome time, he is loving everything and is handling the journey like a true champion! The local women adore him. We have him attached to us at all times as I am sure they would steal him in a heartbeat!
If you are able to sponsor our adventure to the Caribbean that would be wonderful! 100bucks in your currency will buy us another week :-) and it would be most welcomed! Please message us for our banking details.
Our new comms device doesn't work here so we are relying on the local internet cafe's. We will get it up and running when we arrive in Grenada, where the locals are friendly and are able to speak English!
Speak again soon!
Toni, Baz and Joshua
We departed SA on SAA at 6pm and flew through 2 time zones which resulted in our first flight from SA to Sau Paulo being 12 hours. We then waited for our connecting flight on TAM airlines which then took another 6 hours to get to Caracas.
On arrival in Caracas it took 4 hours to get the local tourism desk to understand our route! Spanish is the language and the Spanish don't speak English at all! It was too funny! There are soldiers everywhere! It was both relieving and scary at the same time.
The legal exchange rate is $1 = 6Bolivar. The black market exchange rate is $1 = 20 Bolivar! But its a chance you take, you have to make sure you speak with the right people or you will end up in the slammer!
From the airport we walked down to the internal departures where you buy bus tickets and flights. Another mission to get the people to understand our route but finally we got our bus tickets and soon were on our way through the hussle of the city centre to Hotel Alba Caracas or better known to the locals as Bellas Artes.
From there we caught a taxi to the Terminal de Oriente. There we booked our bus tickets on the Expreso Los Llanos to Guiria de la Costa, the closest town to Trinidad. This bus ride was 16 hours long!! We travelled along the coastline, through the most amazing local villages, towns and part of the jungle!
We booked into a hotel here in Guiria de la Costa for the night. The heat in this place cooks you from the inside, no jokes! The locals can't believe that we are from South Africa as they are under the impression all Africans are black... Lol!
The locals all drive old cars! Fords, Valiants, Dodge, Crysler and Jeep.. All OLD cars with large tanks! Cars that we would never afford in SA as the petrol would be ludicrous! Here the petrol is .80c for a gallon! No wonder they can afford the petrol!
The local transport is quite affordable, you can even hire a 'moto taxi' which is a scooter. They however drive like maniacs with only mountain bike helmets so that is not an option...lol!
No one here drinks tea, only espresso's which are 5 Bolivar each and they are guaranteed to get your tummy going! Breakfast is all meat which is also proving to be difficult as we don't eat meat!
Venezuela is known as one of the most dangerous countries in the world! So we have eyes on the back of our heads! It turns out that Guiria is known to be one of the most unsafe towns in Venezuela!
We are taking a ferry to Trinidad today and then hoping to fly to Grenada tomorrow. The ferry costs $330 for the 3 of us and flights are $495. Our budget has just become so much smaller but we are just focusing on getting to Grenada and once there we will focus on earning some money.
Joshua is having an awesome time, he is loving everything and is handling the journey like a true champion! The local women adore him. We have him attached to us at all times as I am sure they would steal him in a heartbeat!
If you are able to sponsor our adventure to the Caribbean that would be wonderful! 100bucks in your currency will buy us another week :-) and it would be most welcomed! Please message us for our banking details.
Our new comms device doesn't work here so we are relying on the local internet cafe's. We will get it up and running when we arrive in Grenada, where the locals are friendly and are able to speak English!
Speak again soon!
Toni, Baz and Joshua
Saturday, 1 June 2013
We're leaving on a jet plane.. and a bus and a ferry and another ferry..
Its our last night in Jozi, bags packed, on-line check in done! We finally get to enjoy our pricey flights.
Our travel plans are in place, whether all works out as planned or not is all part of this adventure.
Fly to Sao Paulo
Connect and fly to Caracas (Venezuela)
Bus to Barcelona
Ferry to Trinidad
Ferry to Grenada
Departing Sunday, 2 June and planned arrival in Grenada on Wednesday, 5 June.
We will get phones up and running when we arrive in Venezuela. Then we will keep you updated along the way.
Now for some well deserved and needed family time. Kaelah is with us for the night and its awesome!
Thank you all for your well wishes and prayers. This is just the beginning so keep them coming.
Much love!
Blu, Baz and Joshua
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