Life on the Ocean: Part 2

With each new breath-taking day comes more learning's, some funny and some that just take immense patience! Thank the heavens above for our very patient and ever eager to teach hosts, Capt. Steve and his wife Renata.

We have been on-board the Dixi Rollar for 12 days and so far so good. We learn new tips and tricks to living on the water, every single day. If you just follow the simple ways you will soon learn that's its all logical and easy! 
 
As promised, here is part 2 of life on the ocean along with some more tips to ensure that life on board is hassle free and easy.

8. Remember to tie every single thing down or it will blow away! The wind on the sea blows it all away, even the lettuce of your plate!

9. Use a minimum of 4 pegs per item of clothing when hanging washing. Or your washing will blow away! You will either never find it or you will feel like a right arse fishing your belongings from the water!

10. Always keep two 5lt bottles of water in the fridge, they keep the inside chilled when the fridge is off at nights or when out to town.

11. Never leave your bread dough out to rise on deck because Joshua WILL leave his footprint in it...lol

12. NEVER and hear what I say, NEVER hang your cozzie or damp clothes in doors to dry, it won't dry and you will stink to hell and back if you wear that cozzie or item of clothing again. Hear what I say... People will smell you from a distance!

13. Hold onto your eating utensils when eating a meal on deck. If you loose your fork, you eat with your fingers.

14. Your boat will stay pretty clean if you simply wash your feet and hands whenever you are near water, which is pretty easy as you live and travel on water anyway. You very rarely wear shoes so its easy to keep clean.  Just wash whenever you get the chance :-)

Ocean living is a wonderful way to live.  You are surrounded by the most exquisite views every moment of each day.  You only own what you really need.  Life is simple, nothing is big and complicated and there is no 'rat race' of big city life.  Each day is filled with new learning's and new people from all over the world.  We get to spend real time with each other, doing awesome stuff!

No TV, no laptop and no constant pinging of cell phones... this is true bliss!
 

bliss  

1. Extreme happiness; ecstasy.

2. The ecstasy of salvation; spiritual joy.

 

 

 

 

 

Bob Marley - One Love

More good vibes!

Jack Johnson - Better Together

Sharing some good vibes with you :-)

Life on the Ocean - Part 1

Life here on the ocean is completely relaxed, so relaxed that today I felt a little guilty about being this relaxed. I was soon reassured that its the right way to live life and to just keep on enjoying this feeling of relaxation!

Let me see if I can describe 'relaxed' to you. In my own words.
Relaxed: To think about nothing, to worry about nothing, to want or need nothing, to sit and do nothing while you stare into the vast nothingness across the horizon.

re·lax·a·tion  

/riˌlakˈsāSHən/

Noun The state of being free from tension and anxiety. Recreation or rest, esp. after a period of work.

Synonyms rest - recreation - repose

This is the first time in my entire life that I have felt complete and utter relaxation! I feel healthier, happier and younger every day. I do think that the constant close proximity to sea water is also a secret to longevity.
A morning at the beach means a free full body exfoliation, swim in the sea, a glorious sun tan and endless chats with those in close proximity. All of this costs me nothing!

The local sailing community is so relaxed, they shower in the nude on the back of their yachts, they tan in the nude and a couple swim in the nude every single day! Too cool I tell you. I too would swim in the nude of the water wasn't crystal clear..lol

There are some very basic rules to being on a boat/yacht simply because you live life in close proximity to people so being courteous is just the right way to live.

1.  No peeking into the hatches.  Or you may be surprised by what you see.  Each cabin has a hatch and because the cabins are small, when you peek through a hatch, especially the loo and shower area, you are guaranteed to be peeking at someone in their private space.  (Advice for all children who like to take a peek...lol)

2.  Tip Toe at all times.  You have to put some thought into your weight and way of walking.  Each foot step rattles through the boat so watch how you step, walk and climb when moving around the boat.

3.  SAVE WATER!  The days of long, hot, glorious showers end the minute you go onboard.  Water is scarce all over the world, but especially when on a boat.  Catch the rain water, so you have water to rinse dishes and clothes, for washing and drinking.  Wash your clothes and dishes in sea water first and rinse in a minimal amount of fresh water.

4.  Keep it clean and tidy at all times.  Because of the close living style, any untidy area makes the entire boat untidy.  Clean up after yourself and tidy what you use away.

5.  No mobile phones on the deck!  It goes without saying!  if it slips out of your hand it will end up in the sea and you will never ever find it!

6.  Cook meals and eat early.  Because you are on a boat, your exercise is minimal after meals unless you dive into the sea for a swim.  Eat earlier so your food has time to settle before bed time.

7.  Plan according to the weather.  Choose the right days for washing clothes, visiting the main land.  Saying this though, the weather changes with the wind so planning isn't always a winner.

The sailing community is very friendly and everyone is keen to assist and advise.  The local net (radio) is on from 07h30 to 08h00 daily excepting Sunday's.  Here you will find out about upcoming tropical storms, social outings, items for sale, free or swap, which boats are new and which are leaving.  The local restaurants also advertise special meals and celebrations.  If you listen to the Net daily you will have all the info you need.

There is so much to share so we will keep you updated on all of our experiences.  For now, it's time to fold washing and have a bite of lunch.

Until next time.

Blu, Baz and Joshua

Plot our journey on the map

Take a moment to look at the map of the Caribbean Sea and I will take you through the route we have taken since leaving South Africa on the 2 June. 

We departed SA and flew to Sao Paulo Brazil, then flew to Caracas Venezuela. We bussed all along the coastline of Venezuela and arrived in Guiria, the Northwestern tip of Venezuela.  We then ferried from Guiria to Trinidad and then flew from Trinidad to Grenada. We are now on the Dixi Rollar which is anchored off of Hog Island. In a few weeks time we will sail from Grenada to Union Island.

If you are planning to backpack to Venezuela or the Caribbean, feel free to email us for info, we will gladly share our tips with fellow travelers.  We very quickly found out that most information on the internet for this particular route is pretty sketchy and inaccurate.  But this is what makes the journey a real journey :-)

Blu

Backpacks, Adventures and Zip-lock Bags!

It took us only 30 days to reduce our entire existence down to 1 backpack each. We arrive in the Caribbean and our lives now revolve around zip-lock bags.

Every single thing involves water, we live on a boat, we motor to the mainland with a dingy and our primary transport is a kayak which takes us from bay to bay, boat to island and boat to boat.

We have a zip-lock bag for our mobile phone, money bag, lip ice and sunblock. There is another zip-lock bag for a towel, sarong and Joshua's t-shirt. The third zip-lock bag has fruit and snacks.

You don't leave the boat or land without all your belongings in a zip-lock bag. If you do you will suffer the wrath of salt water and beach sand.

Besides that, it is summer and its the rainy season. You can bet your bottom dollar that you will get caught in a rain shower along your journey whether it be on land or out to sea.

If you are walking the streets on the island and the heavens open, all you do is dash to the closest Rum House and take cover with the locals. There are at least 3 on any one road so shelter is easy to find.

The locals welcome visitors with open arms so feel free to take cover and enjoy a hearty chat. Friendliness is free of charge.

Back to the zip-lock bags... If you meat up with a friend, guaranteed she or he will pull out their famous zip-lock bag. Too hilarious for words.

If you are keen to send us a parcel then please pack in a couple of zip-lock bags too. They are guaranteed to come in handy :-)

Backpacks, Crocs and zip-lock bags are now our way of life and its just too cool!

 

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