Check out this great post from Astrolabe Sailing for some great tips on how to be a great guest so you’ll be invited back. Yes, it is just as much fun and MUCH cheaper to go with friends!
So you’ve been invited to go and stay on someone’s boat? Awesome! The next best thing to having a boat of your own is having friends who have boats. It is much cheaper and just about as much fun. So to increase your chances of having a fantastic time – and being invited to come […]
This sounds like my kind of thing! I always wanted to be a mermaid. Or a dolphin. 😉
Don’t forget, today is World Oceans Day. 🙂
Sorry I won’t be able to attend the parade (this year). I only just found out about it. I don’t remember this from when I was spending time up in that neck of the woods. I guess they hadn’t started it yet. If you’re going to be anywhere around NYC, you should plan a trip out to Coney Island. The 34th Annual Mermaid Parade is on for June 18th. It looks like a blast!
Anybody going?
Info on The 34th Annual Mermaid Parade, June 18, 2016, 1pm, including Registration, FAQ, Judgeship, Sponsorship Opportunities and Parade Route!
Source: The Mermaid Parade | Coney Island USA
It’s been another crazy day here in Minneapolis. Up early and busy all day attending presentations, meeting people from all over the country, speed networking, and picking up information from various travel related businesses. I’ve been running non-stop since I got here.
Yesterday, I was treated to a tour of the historic town of Red Wing by Erica from Explore Minnesota, along with 3 fellow bloggers. It was a great way to spend the day. A nice drive through rolling hills, farms, lakes and rivers. It took about an hour or so to get to get there. We crossed the Mississippi River, drove through town and headed to Memorial Park atop the bluffs.
We had about an hour to enjoy the view overlooking the town of Red Wing and the Mississippi River. I spent my time wandering through the park, enjoying the cool fresh air. I learned some interesting Minnesota history (first ski jumping in America began here), by reading the ‘interpretive signs’ while following the path of the ‘disc golf course’. This park would be a great place for a picnic. 🙂
We were on a ‘schedule’ so we headed back down to town. The historic downtown was very pretty. Lots of old stone buildings, flower baskets and American flags hanging from the lampposts and shady trees fronting quirky little shops. Our first stop was the Fair Trade Books store.
They have a great ‘marketing strategy’. On your first visit to their store, they give you a free book. 🙂
They pick it out for you (they ask first what kind of books you like). The only catch is, you have to say “books make great gifts’- loud enough for everyone to hear. 😉
My free book was “Lieutenant Hornblower” by C.S. Forester. A very popular series featuring naval hero Horatio Hornblower. I haven’t read any of this series yet, but it’s right up my alley. I bought “Dead Wake” by Erik Larson (about the Lusitania) while I was browsing around. I can hardly wait to start it.
I really liked this little bookstore. It’s right downtown, in an interesting old building with architectural details like high, patterned metal ceilings. There are cozy chairs and tables where you can linger a little longer making up your mind on the reading material.
They were very knowledgeable about all kinds of books, helpful and friendly (even to dogs). It’s an independent bookstore, but more than just a bookstore. They’re very community focused, they have all kinds of other things going on. Not only the ‘usual’ book signing events, but ‘open read’ where you can come share your writing with others, game nights, and open mike nights. They share other local events and even have an ‘arts and entertainment auction’ coming up on July 1. 🙂
From the bookstore, we headed to the shoe store. The Red Wing store, home of the “World’s Largest Boot“. I wear Red Wing (steel toed) boots all the time for work, but I didn’t know anything about this giant boot- or the shoe museum upstairs– until this visit. Since I already have a half dozen pairs of Red Wings in my closet, I passed on the shopping and spent my time in the museum- which actually was pretty interesting. If you’re into that kind of thing. 😉
We were all ready for lunch so we headed across the construction zone* on the main drag to the St James Hotel.
It’s located in a historic building (1874-1875) next to a pretty little park with a fountain right downtown and convenient to everything. We sat at the rooftop patio to enjoy the view over the park, train depot, and glimpses of the river.
Sunday brunch was tempting. The buffet was loaded with fresh strawberries and cream, cantaloupe, honeydew melon, apples, bananas, and pineapple slices. There were fresh cinnamon buns, french toast sticks, blueberry muffins, waffles, biscuits and gravy, cold cuts and cheeses. Cereals, yogurt and oatmeal were out if you didn’t want to splurge. There were chocolate cakes and dainty little squares of petit fours if you did. There was an omelet bar, with eggs cooked to order with your choice of ham, cheese, onions, or peppers added. Next to that was a ham sliced to order. Yum!
If you could eat your way through all of that, you were welcome to go back for more. 🙂
We all enjoyed our meal there. The food was great, the service was fast and friendly, and the prices were reasonable. It’s worth a try if you’re in the area.
On the way back to the car, I just had to stop in the chocolate shop I had noticed on the way over. The Red Wing Confectionary makes the cutest little chocolate critters.
They also had a great selection of other sweets, including taffy, jelly beans, chocolate covered cherries, gift boxes, ice cream and a large menu of coffees and other hot (and cold) drinks.
After tasting a free sample, I made up my mind and bought a few things- sea salted caramels, chocolate covered cherries to share, and a small gift box.
Next stop was the “Uffda” Shop– full of Scandinavian stuff. Enough to make you think you somehow landed in small town Sweden instead of Minnesota. They had everything from sweaters to socks, snacks to snowmen. Lots of beautiful decorated china, crystal and jewelry. A great place for Christmas shopping.
We headed back to the city before we spent too much money. The drive back was just as pretty. Rolling farmlands, green fields, and hills passed by quickly. We got back just in time for a quick nap before the ‘Opening Night Party” at the Nickelodeon Universe. 🙂
I’ll have to tell you about that tomorrow. Stay tuned. 😉
In the meantime, check out what my fellow bloggers had to say about our journey through small town Minnesota (and other things).
www.travelwithsara.com, https://twitter.com/TravelWithSara
https://twitter.com/PrairieStylFile, http://prairiestylefile.com
https://twitter.com/SheilaS, http://www.sheilasguide.com
* to ease the pain of the construction, the town has been promoting Hard Hat Thursdays.
It’s been a whirlwind of activity since I got here, so this will just be a quickie til I get a chance to catch my breath. 😉
Met a fellow blogger on the ride to the hotel yesterday, we dropped our bags at the hotel and then went out for lunch at the Mall of America across the street.
I had just enough time after that to get a quick nap before the Travel Massive party at the FireLake Grill House (inside the Radisson Blu). It was a nice party. They had covered the pool tables and set up snacks. Plenty of food and drinks for everyone. 🙂
It was full of bloggers and travel industry professionals attending the TBEX. Everyone I met was easy to talk to and had interesting stories to tell. I wish I hadn’t been so tired!
I feel the same today. I’m exhausted. 🙁
So, I’m going to stop here and will continue this tomorrow when (hopefully) I will have caught up on my sleep a bit. 🙂
Stay tuned…
I know some of you are fellow bloggers. Can I get a show of hands? Click ‘like’ if you blog too. Feel free to comment too (even if you’re not a blogger). 🙂
How many are ‘travel bloggers’? I consider myself a travel blogger, even tho I blog about a lot of different things. I love to travel, love to take pictures of everything I see and do, love to try new foods/drinks/music/culture, and love to share all about it.
So, I decided to head up to Minneapolis for the TBEX next weekend. The “Travel Blog Exchange”. It bills itself as the “world’s largest gathering of travel bloggers, writers, new media content creators, and social media savvy travel industry professionals”.
Is anybody out there going to be at the TBEX (Memorial Day Weekend in Minneapolis/St Paul)? If you are, let’s connect!
I’m really looking forward to this as an opportunity to meet some great people and learn more about blogging and how to improve mine.
Have any of you ever been to a blogging event like this? I’m wondering how it all works. What did you like about it? Not like about it? What did you get out of it? Was it helpful? Can you give me any feedback?
Is anybody from around that area? Have any suggestions for things I really should see/do while I’m there?
Today’s post for the A to Z challenge is: Yangtze.
I’ve always loved to travel. I go somewhere interesting every chance I get. My first few years were spent living in a cab over camper while my dad worked contract jobs all over the US.
I guess it got in my blood then and it’s not going away. 😉
I’ve since been all over the US and lots of places around the world, but there are still so many places I want to go.
I was always interested in China. I loved the idea of a cruise up the Yangtze River. I wanted to do it before they built the Three Gorges Dam and it wouldn’t be possible (the same way) any more.
I signed up for a trip with Go Ahead Tours and was so glad I did. I actually got a late start joining the group due to screwed up flights. I got to Shanghai before the group left, but I missed a few of the attractions like the Bund.
We went to a school for music and the arts (which they take seriously over there). I liked seeing how all the kids were studying so hard. We went to see a performance of dancing and acrobats that was pretty amazing. We went to visit the Yuyuan Garden (Garden of Happiness), Suzhou and took a cruise on the Grand Canal.
We were all looking forward to joining our ship. It was beautiful. A long, lean riverboat, purposely made for cruising and passenger comfort. I had a single room and it was very comfortable, with nice big windows. There was plenty of space onboard to chill out, in the lounge or on the upper deck (where I was allowed to smoke).
The food was pretty good and the chef would do demonstrations of how to cut up fruits and vegetables for decorations or how to make egg rolls, etc. At night the crew would put on shows. Traditional dances in local costumes or plays re-enacting Chinese stories. Our tour group sometimes took part too, creating poems, singing or performing skits.
We stopped along the way to sightsee in Nanjing, Wuhan, and a temple along the way before we got to the Three Gorges Dam. We went through the locks there. WOW! What an amazing engineering project that was!
I was glad to have the experience of sailing up the river before the dam was completed. It won’t be the same now, even as we were sailing up the river the Chinese were busy demolishing towns and cities along the river.
I thought it was sad that the people had to tear down their homes, businesses, and lives. They had to carry away everything so it wouldn’t get sucked down the river in future and clog up the works at the dam.
We passed through the Three Gorges and then transferred to small boats for an excursion up the Lesser Three Gorges. I really enjoyed this, it was like looking into the past. The local people working their fields, doing laundry along the streams, children playing. 🙂
When we got to Chungking, we saw the Flying Tigers Museum, where I learned more about the American involvement in China during WWII. We saw a little bit more of the city, markets, etc. It was pretty cool.
We left our ship in Chungking and flew off to see the terra cotta warriors in Wuhan. On to Beijing and home. The Yangtze cruise was the best part of the trip. There is so much history and Chinese culture tied to that river. It’s the best part of China. I recommend it to anyone. 🙂
I should have saved this post for today’s A to Z challenge, but instead I’ll tell you about my high school- the Oceanics. That was such a fantastic experience! I’m so thankful I had that opportunity at such a young age. It really did change my life.
The Oceanics was a really special school. It was run by Chick and Stephanie Gallagher out of their apartment in New York City. They somehow managed to round up small groups of students and a few teachers and send them off on round the world adventures aboard various chartered square-rigged sailing ships.
I see a few organizations today trying to do something similar. Not the same tho, not gone long enough, not the right kind of ships, not the same atmosphere. I’m sure they’re still great experiences for anyone who is able to attend. I don’t think there’s any better way to create a confident, competent, creative, cooperative human being than the way they did it at the Oceanics.
Spending months at sea working together to sail the ship from point A to point B. Learning every aspect of how to do the job properly, we earned a sense of a job well done and self esteem. It takes a lot of teamwork and trust in each other to sail a square-rigged ship. Running up the ratlines to furl the sails in a squall with the wind howling and the ship rolling needs to be an immediate response with all hands on deck. Ask the worlds navies why they still use sailing ships as training vessels, they understand.
The ship was just one aspect of the Oceanics. Captain Jespersen was our sail training master. We spent time with him every day learning the names and functions of all the rigging and sails aboard. We sailed the ship from Pireaus, Greece across the Atlantic to Martinique. We spent our time aboard in school, taking regular classes in math, science (oceanology), world history, cultural studies, local languages (Greek, Spanish, Russian), literature, etc. We also learned seamanship, navigation, and how to take care of the ship.
We all stood watch when we weren’t in class. The traditional 4 hours on, 8 hours off. Standing lookout and tending the helm. In between, we kept busy sanding, varnishing, washing the decks, painting, tending to the rigging, splicing line, even helping the cook peel potatoes.
My favorite time aboard was standing lookout on the bow. Watching the dolphins play in the bow waves on a bright sunny day. Seeing flying fish popping out of a wave, to spread their ‘wings’ to fly across the waves before dropping back into the water. Picking out the constellations in a starry, starry night sky. 🙂
I can’t express how truly awesome it was.
And then, when we got to port we could go ashore once we were off watch. Or we might all go ashore together for an adventure. We spent a few days on the Greek island of Agistri hunting octopus for dinner and playing soccer on the beach. I spent a few days with a family in La Gomera (Canary Islands) improving my Spanish and learning more about the locals.
We sailed the schooner Ariadne across the Atlantic to Martinique. On arrival we had a well deserved break on the beach. A few of us hitched our way up the island to hike up Mt Pele. I still remember the deliciously sweet pineapples we had to snack on.
Ariadne
We left the Ariadne in Martinique to fly into Caracas and our South American adventure began. We had been studying Spanish since we left Italy. Now was the time to put it to use. Our plan was to travel from Venezuela to Bolivia, we would figure out the details along the way. We got into some really cool, out of the way places. 🙂
Plenty of the places we wound up had never seen anyone like us before. My red hair stood out like a torch, the locals would surround me and ask to feel it. Young Joe with his bright blond hair was extremely popular with the ladies. People didn’t know what to make of us.
We might show up in a group of 6-10 students (ages 14-21) and 1-2 teachers trying to keep us focused on our studies but also allowing us to get out on our own. We had lots of independent projects. I did one on comparing fairy tales in different cultures and another one identifying plankton I caught in a net on the way over to the Caribbean while we were still on the ship.
We made our way from Caracas through Venezuela to Cucuta, Columbia. From Bogata we headed to Ecuador. Quito, Otavalos, and Guyaquil. We took a boat out to the Galapagos to check out the wildlife and swim with the sea lions and iguanas. We made our way to the jungle and the rivers feeding the Amazon. We traveled down the Rio Napo to visit the indigenous shamans and learn about the plants and animals, (I had to try the ayuhuasca).
In Peru we made our way from Lima to Cuzco (fantastic) and took the train to Macchu Picchu. That was back before it was overrun by tourists. We stayed at the Banos (hot springs) alongside the river and soaked in the hot springs at night after hiking back down the mountain. Another experience I’ll never forget. That place was magical, I could feel it.
We made our way across Lake Titicaca to La Paz, Bolivia to finish up the semester. We were all sad to leave. I didn’t want to go home.
I returned to meet the Ariadne in Martinique a month later. I had another semester to finish high school. Our graduation ceremony was on the pier side in Copenhagen. Another semester of overseas adventures at sea and ashore. It got in my blood and I’m sure I’ll never get over it.
I sure wish I had a better camera back then. Take a look here for some photos collected by Brian who was along for the trip with me and T. (who met me in Nicaragua). You can see me in a couple of the photos (in the yellow foul weather jacket by the cannon). 😉
Nicaragua is a beautiful and interesting country. There is so much to see and do there. Volcanos to hike or surf, jungles to explore, rivers to raft, oceans (2) to swim or surf, historic cites, small farming or crafting towns to visit, local markets to shop, you’ll never get bored.
I spent a few weeks vacation in Nicaragua last summer (they called me down there to lay me off). I was actually going to attend another blogging workshop in Costa Rica. It was much cheaper to fly into Managua (and cheaper for everything else too), so I decided to spend more time exploring Nicaragua instead of Costa Rica.
I started off by taking a Spanish immersion class for a week in Granada at Nicaragua Mia. They picked me up at the airport in Managua and delivered me to my home for the week with Sra Maria Elena. She took very good care of me while I was there and even gave me a nice birthday cake. 🙂
I spent the week exploring the beautiful historic city of Granada after my classes at Nicaragua Mia. It’s a small city and very easy to walk everywhere, or if you’re tired you can hop on one of the cute little horse drawn carriages. They’re all over the place and very affordable. I took a tour on one with a local guy and got to see a lot of the city and learn more about it’s history.
I liked to walk the few blocks down to Lake Nicaragua to check out the Malecon. They always had people selling snacks and drinks, sometimes playing music for tips. There were kids playing and couples strolling holding hands.
From there, I could walk back up a few blocks towards town and pass through the lively pedestrian street La Calzada, full of bars and restaurants with outdoor tables and wandering mariachi bands. I usually stopped for a 2 for 1 drink special or ice cream, maybe even stick around for dinner.
From there Central Park, surrounded by churches, hotels and government buildings was the next stop. I liked to go up the church tower to look out over the city skyline and the lake. Then come down to sit in the park (free wi-fi) to watch the ‘action’ for a while- the line of horse carts drumming up business, the food and drink vendors, the families watching their children play, the school kids heading home. It was all nice to see and calming in a way.
I was a little sad to leave Granada and my hostess Maria Elena, but excited to get to Costa Rica for my blogging workshop. I was really hoping to learn how to improve my blog and finally figure out how to monetize it.
After a long day on the bus, crossing the border into Costa Rica, I arrived at the hotel where we would be staying the next week. It was beautiful! Way out of my usual style of travel. Very nice, but unaffordable for the kind of long term stays I like.
I spent the week there with a dozen other bloggers, all of us excited to be learning how to better our blogs. It wasn’t all work and no play. We took day trips to hike a volcano, horseback ride, and to Tamarindo for a day out sailing, snorkeling and fishing.
When the class was over, I headed back to Nicaragua. San Juan del Sur was my destination for the next few days. I found a nice apartment right on the beach. Nothing special, but it was on the beach, close to everything and all I needed (full kitchen, AC, wi-fi). I spent my days walking the beach, wandering around town enjoying the laid back atmosphere, taking lots of photos and an excursion to see the sea turtles come in to lay their eggs.
I could have stayed longer, but I wanted to get back to Granada for the Tope de Toros and Hipica. I was really looking forward to the celebrations. I wanted to watch the ‘running of the bulls’, see all the decorated horse carts and the competitions. I heard it would be a week long, city wide party. I was ready for some of that!
When I arrived, I was disappointed to learn that they had changed the dates at the last minute. Nobody really knew when they would have the parades, etc. But turns out not during my stay. So, I cut it short and headed to Matagalpa. I was ready for some cooler temperatures.
I met an old friend T., from high school there (he was looking to escape his kids), and we had a good time exploring the area. We found a small town of weavers, we checked out a waterfall on the way, we looked through the local markets. It was cooler than Granada and definitely worth the trip.
From there, since T. had a rental car, we headed to Leon, another colonial city. We spent the day hanging out in the city center, looking at old churches, listening to music, checking out a special food and drink show for the trainee bartenders and having lunch.
It was about time to go home, so we headed back to Managua for the last couple of days. I wasn’t really ready to go back home, but I still have too much to do here to just say ‘the hell with it all’ and stay down there. I really need to find a way to get rid of this stuff here!
*A post for the A to Z Challenge (N)
Today’s post for the A to Z Challenge is International Living (IL). It’s a magazine that I’ve been subscribing to for around 30 years (I love it- it’s so inspiring!).
I’ve always loved to travel. Even as a baby, living in a cabover camper on the back of dad’s pickup truck. When I got the chance to sail around the world on a couple of traditional sailing ships in high school I was hooked.
Schooner Ariadne
I wanted to sail around the world and get paid for it! Hopefully I could satisfy my wanderlust that way.
I have been able to do some traveling by sea, through my work as a professional mariner over the last 30+ years. But not nearly enough.
I want to move overseas. Permanently.
International Living has dozens of articles every month describing how others (mostly from US and Canada) have been able to make the move. It gives me all kinds of ideas. Sometimes I actually hurt over wanting it so bad.
IL publishes stories about people who’ve moved overseas and retired, bought property, started businesses (all kinds). People write about how much easier it is to do all of those things in places where the cost of living is so much lower and the bureaucracy is less burdensome (usually). They all mention how much less stress there is and how they’re able to really enjoy day to day life for a change.
I’ve just never felt that I could make it work. That I personally had the skills (and/or money) to be able to last for months, years, decades in foreign lands without being able to work (legally). Yes, I’m sure I could probably find some kind of under the table work (I’ve done it before), but I’m much more cautious now than I was at 16. I don’t want to worry about being deported and shipped back ‘home’. 🙁
I don’t feel comfortable with just dropping everything and leaving. With not having any money. Money is freedom in my mind. It allows for options. I’m not sure I want to travel as a backpacker, staying in hostels, etc. (in fact I’m pretty sure I don’t). I want to be sure I can at least be safe. I want to be able to move immediately if things start going wrong.
Then again, things here at home are not going very well, in fact it’s becoming unbearable. The more time I spend at home, not working, the more time I have to think. The more time to watch what’s going on in the news, etc. I don’t think things here are going to get any better. I feel like I need to get out while I still can.
I have been trying to follow some of the suggestions in IL for years. Things like find some source of independent income, multiple income sources, learn useful skills, find portable ‘jobs’, etc.
I’ve gone to some of their events over the years. Retire Overseas conferences, Fund Your Life conferences, travel writing and photography courses, etc. I’ve gathered up a lot of great information and met some really cool people, but still haven’t managed to do much to actually make a move. 🙁
I have been buying and renovating property for rental income since 2001. At this point, they mostly pay for themselves. There is only one that still needs supplemental income from my job. Since I have not been able to find work for the last 6+ months, I’ve had to put that one up for sale. I just can’t afford it if I’m not able to find work. Once that one is sold, I should be able to live on savings and rental income for at least a couple of years.
NOT the one I’m selling!
I’m thinking this would be the best time for me to move.
I have no job, I have nothing tying me down. I’ll have enough cash to live on for a couple of years when my house is sold. I even have a ‘useful skill’ now, since I just got certified to teach English as a foreign language (TEFL).
The only thing holding me back now is FEAR.
Now how to get rid of that (along with all the stuff I’ll need to pack up and get rid of so I can leave my house to the renters)?
I’ve joined in the A to Z Challenge, where the challenge is to post something every day for 26 days in April, using the letters of the alphabet. I’m going to try to post twice today, since I had to miss yesterday. I’ve been having so many problems with my computers. The internet has been completely out for 3 days now. Today, it’s back to shutting off at unpredictable intervals so I’m hoping I can catch up…
I was lucky enough to see the arribada last year when I was in Nicaragua. So sorry, I wasn’t able to get any good photos since it was night, it was very dark, and tho they passed out little red lights, they warned us not to shine them at the turtles. It might upset them enough to make them stop laying their eggs. I don’t know why they don’t go see them in the daytime, I never got a straight answer to that question. I hope one day to see them in the daylight. 🙂
I did take a few photos anyway. It was such an amazing experience, I soon gave up messing with the camera. There were dozens of turtles (olive ridleys) coming and going up and down the beach. Like all sea turtles, the olive ridleys are endangered, it was thrilling to see so many of them at once. It was hard to see them, but you could hear them coming and you’d better get out of their way cause they weren’t moving out of your way!
We went as a group (I signed up for a tour at a hostel- Casa Oro– in San Juan del Sur), we all watched a movie before we left and our guide explained everything for us. She even scooped out the sand behind the turtle as it was laying, so we could all see the eggs being deposited.
I’d like to go back someday, it was a fantastic experience. If you ever get the chance to see it, you should! 🙂
Here’s my entry for Jennifer’s Color Your World Challenge. Today’s color is Robin Egg Blue. I found a couple of photos from my travels that I think show this color pretty good.
The lagoon at Tarawa, Kiribati. While working as captain of a tuna boat, we frequently unloaded in Tarawa. One day we had a BBQ with some of the locals. This is the beach we went to. 🙂
Searching for the shipyards where they build the Pinisi Schooners, we passed through small villages of houses like this. I was just a couple of years too late to find a boat of my own there, the price had more than tripled since I had first heard about this place. 🙁
Here’s my entry for Jennifer’s Color Your World Challenge: Red-Orange.
I took this picture back in August. I had gone to Costa Rico for a blogging workshop. I spent a few extra weeks traveling around down there. This picture was taken in Nicaragua. Near San Juan del Sur. During the Arribada, where the sea turtles drag themselves up the beaches to lay their eggs. I highly recommend it. 🙂
It’s over. The time flew by so fast. My time in Puerto Vallarta is coming to an end.
I went to class this morning only to have any last minute questions answered and to receive my final documents. I got my TEFL certificate and letter of recommendation. I have an official TEFL website now and it doesn’t look too bad. Check it out! Let me know what you think. 🙂
We had our class photo taken with our newly minted diplomas, and that was it!
Sunday the whole group of us from our school went out sailing Bay of Banderas on a friends boat (thanks again Memo!). We had a great time.
We left around 1030 and came back in around 1930. We cruised from the Puerto Vallarta marina down to Los Arcos. We set out a couple of fishing rods and trolled along as we made our way. We passed schools of fish and a few dolphins along the way. It was so nice.
We stopped for a swim at Los Arcos, a big bunch of rocks just offshore. The water was a clear blue-green. There were hundreds of fish swimming around. There were a few other boats there before us and people were busy feeding the fish, swimming, kayaking, and just generally having a good time.
It was so nice to dive in and luxuriate in the cool, clean, clear water. I swam around and took pictures of the fish. I wasn’t brave enough to try swimming through the arches and caves, but some people did.
We headed back out to sail some more after our nice swim, we were on our way to Las Animas Beach. Raul kept watch on the boat as the water taxi ferried us in to the beach. We had lunch over a couple of big margaritas at Los Conos.
The beach was actually pretty busy. Los Conos is right up on the beach. The view of the boats swaying on the bay and the kids making sandcastles on the beach was so relaxing. The few peddlers who wandered by were mostly entertaining, especially this one guy with his pet iguana. He was hilarious. 🙂
The restaurant was busy and the staff was a little overwhelmed, but they brought us our drinks quickly and the food was good. I had cheese quesadillas. I’m not big on seafood and that’s more their specialty. Everyone’s fish and shrimp looked very well prepared and no one complained about the food. 🙂
The water ferry took us back out to the boat and we clambered back aboard the Bella Maria. As we were getting underway, friends pulled up to say hi. They were in a little speedboat (the Calypso) and just out having a good time on the water.
We challenged each other with beer and raicilla, whistling and dancing to loud Mexican music. We rode together for about an hour before they got tired of poking around so slow with us and took off for home, leaving us in their wake. Who cared? We still had plenty of beer. They did make off with the last of the raicilla tho. 🙁
We sailed back towards the marina as the sun set to port and the full moon rose to starboard. It was a magical time. Everyone was in good spirits and happy to have spent the day together.
Today’s color for Jennifer’s Color Your World challenge is: indigo. Here’s my entry.
I took the photo a few years ago when we were working out of Singapore a lot. We spent a lot of time in the shipyard there and so we had a few chances to go ashore and see a little bit of the island city. This picture was taken down by the river at Clarke Quay.
What a day! Just got back from a day out exploring the beach town of Sayulita and the beautiful beach of Nahui.
We left at 1015, just got home. It’s 1930. I’m a little burned and beat. There was no shade (and I forgot my suntan lotion) and the waves were awesome.
I’ve got to go get some dinner. I’ll post a few photos when I get back. 🙂
We just got back from the market. Getting ready to go hang out by the pool for a BBQ. Tomorrow we’re going to Sayulita and Nahui. I could get used to this. 🙂
The market was cool (HOT, but cool). There were probably about 60-75 little stands set up with umbrellas to stay out of the sun. They had everything from healthy dog and cat food to artisanal chocolates.
I met some interesting people there while I was waiting for my friends from school. One lady noticed my Merchant Marine T-shirt. She told me her daughter had just graduated from the Great Lakes Maritime Academy. We got to talking about how we both loved the sea so much.
I’ll have to post pictures later, I don’t have the time to upload them right now. Check in tonight. 🙂
I left the house in a rush this morning, trying to make it to the airport on time. I slept a little bit late and took too long finishing up last minute business so I was cutting it close.
I was lucky there wasn’t a big line in security (it’s STILL an un-necessary violation of our rights and SO infuriating!).
I made my flight with 15 minutes to spare. 🙂
The school sent someone to pick me up at the airport and take me to my new home away from home. It’s practically right next door to the school and only a couple of blocks from the beach (which is gorgeous!- photos later). 🙂
It looks like it will be an interesting and fun month here. It is still hot tho, I was hoping for a little cooler weather. Also, internet is in and out so I’m not sure how that’s going to affect my blogging here.
It’s just turning dark here, so about time to go get some dinner. I saw a little pizza place around the corner that looked cool, there was another place up the block with ceviche and fish tacos. It looks like a good place for watching the people go by.
I think I’ll head out for a while. 🙂
Here’s another favorite quote of mine for the Daily Post’s prompt. This is also another post for the Just Jot it January challenge.
I LOVE to travel! I do every time I get the chance. I’ve been traveling ever since I was born (tho I had no choice about that!).
Until I was about 6 years old, we lived in a camper on the back of my dads truck. He would take contract jobs all over the country. When he finished one and found something interesting he liked, he would pack us all up and off we’d go. We lived in Boston, Syracuse, Minneapolis, Lake Tahoe, Phoenix, Anaheim, and others I don’t remember.
We settled down in Florida when I started school, but I still got to go places thanks to my grandmother. She lived in New York, so we (my brother and me) would fly up there for the summer. My grandmother would take us to Niagara Falls or Montauk, or we would go to day camp for the summer. I remember going skiing in Aspen, Colorado, tennis camp near Ashville, North Carolina, touring around the Western National Parks.
I was really lucky and got to go to high school on a square-rigger and sail around the world. I decided on that trip I wanted to be a ship captain and sail around the world (and get paid for it)!
I’ve been working toward that goal ever since.
I’ve never felt so engaged, so alive, so in the moment as when I’m traveling (and/or sailing). It can be totally absorbing. I love to explore, even in my home town. I used to ride my bike up and down every street in town, just to see where they went. I did the same thing when I first got a car here in Texas (before gas got too expensive for joyriding).
You never know what you’ll find, who you’ll meet, what can happen. 🙂
I hate the thought of working in an office all day, doing work I’m really not interested in, for just barely enough money to pay the bills. That’s why I decided to go take the TEFL course in Mexico. At least I’ll be learning something new and useful, in a different place. Who knows what it might turn into, right!? Here’s a bonus quote and another one of my favorites…
I think it’s a real shame how many people all over the world are basically doing just that. I don’t know how to fix it, but I’m sure there’s GOT to be a better way! None of us are meant to just work our whole lives just so we can pay the bills!
It’s New Years, traditionally a time to reflect on the past and think of the future. I’ve pretty much given up on making New Years Resolutions. I always make the same one every year: lose weight. For 40 years I’ve never managed to accomplish that goal. 🙁
If you do make resolutions, you are in step with the ancient Babylonians who started the whole malarkey. They began each year with oaths to kings and gods. The Romans swore to the two-faced god Janus who looked back and forward into the old year and the new.
That was the beginning of an email I got this morning from International Living. It got me interested enough to read further (I’m studying how to write good leads).
I’ve subscribed to their magazine for a LONG time. Just like it sounds, they’re all about living internationally. Somewhere other than your original familiar surroundings.
I’ve been wanting to move overseas somewhere for a LONG time. At this point, I don’t even care too much where, there are so many good choices! Mexico, Belize, Thailand, Italy, France, Philippines, Malaysia, Honduras, Costa Rica, Nicaragua, Chile, etc. The ONLY reason I haven’t done it yet is (of course) money.
It’s MUCH cheaper to live overseas, but you still need to have some money. If I was retired, it would be no problem, but I don’t want to wait another 15+ years to leave. I haven’t yet been able to figure out how the heck to support myself anywhere without being able to work. I’ve researched it and it’s damn near impossible to get a work visa other than as a teacher (and teaching doesn’t pay enough to cover my bills).
But, it IS a way to make the move. It IS a way to immerse yourself into a foreign country, to learn the language and the culture, to live like a local and not like a tourist, to spend enough time in a place to see what it’s really like.
I’ve been researching language schools online. I’m just about ready to sign up for a TEFL course in Mexico. I’m having a hard time adjusting to the idea of staying ashore for that long, but right now I can’t seem to find a ship anyway. 🙁
So maybe this year I should try again to make a resolution. Something a little different. Something to at least move me somewhat nearer my ultimate goal.
Forget about losing weight and just concentrate on trying to find a way to GO somewhere!
Sign up for the course and just go with the flow. Go to Mexico and see what happens. It can’t hurt, right? 🙂
This last quote from the email is some serious motivation. I might just accomplish ALL of my goals if I just concentrate on this one!
And here’s something: A list of the most popular resolutions is identical to the most commonly hailed benefits of a move overseas…lose weight, save money, enjoy life more. “Get organized” is another one on many lists.
My resolution for 2016 is: take the TEFL!
PS-all posts for this month link to Just Jot It January
I went to New Orleans for the Workboat Show again this year. I didn’t stay as long as usual (due to not working this year), but I still had time to catch the Christmas Parade. 🙂
I had actually forgotten about it. They changed the usual schedule for the Workboat Show, so I was off on my planning. I flew in the morning of the show, made the WISTA tea that afternoon, went to a party that night, spent the next day working the Show. I spent all day Friday tracking down paperwork from my last boat (in Fourchon).
I had to return the car Saturday morning, so got up early. I had planned to go to the WWII Museum right next to the car rental, but I saw them setting up the streets for a parade and it was going to start in only a little over an hour. I wanted to see it for sure!
I decided to spend the time before the parade started in the Ogden Museum of Southern Art. It was interesting and I managed to check out all of it and still have enough time to get a good spot to watch the parade. I even had time to wander around, check out the costumes and take photos before they started marching. 🙂
This is the Krewe of Jingle parade, they’ve been doing it the last few years right around the same time as the Workboat Show (Dec 5 this year). I LOVE this parade! They have such great people, fun costumes, and they’re all having such a great time. It’s contagious. 🙂
I’ve got a lot of great photos from the parade. I’ll share more later, don’t want the blog to get bogged down loading. 😉
I found another challenge in my Reader tonight. It’s from Ailsa at Where’s My Backpack? She does a Travel Theme challenge every week. This weeks travel theme is: fabric. So, here is my entry for the challenge.
I took these photos on my last big trip abroad (the last trip I have any photos for, the actual last trip was to Nicaragua but somebody stole -hacked the computer and encrypted- all my photos and wants $1000 to give them back! So sickening, but I don’t have the money, so they’re all gone forever- lesson learned: BACK UP YOUR PHOTOS in at least 3 places!!!)
The first photo was taken in the museum of the last palace of the rulers of Malacca, Sulawesi Island, Indonesia. The cloth is woven from real silver and gold thread. Indonesia is well known for its beautiful fabrics. They do a lot of intricate patterns and batiks.
The second photo is from Northern Thailand. I took a day trip from Chiang Mai to see the hill tribes. This was taken at the village of the “Long Necks”. The ladies were busy weaving these fabrics, the little girls would watch the stalls and hope to sell you something. They all seemed quite shy and quiet.
I love beautiful things like this, it’s funny, but it’s only when I’m traveling that I ever think to look at anything like this. I never think about my usual simple shorts and t-shirts. Who made them and what it took. I assume they’re made in some big factory by machines. What a different way of doing something. Making fabrics, clothes. Handmade, local, careful, beautiful. Nice. 🙂
Staying home tonight, waiting for my TEFL conference call to begin.
I signed up for this program on teaching English overseas a few months ago. Another of my attempts to find a way to support myself when I move out of the US.
So far, I haven’t made the move. I still haven’t even taken the actual TEFL course, tho I am getting closer to signing up. I have started actually researching different programs, at different schools.
My old friend from high school just finished his TEFL course and he’s already teaching. So far he’s loving it.
I think if I didn’t have so many bills, I would be much more likely to do it myself. I definitely worry too much.
I hope tonights call will help me get off my ass and make some kind of decision! If I can’t get back offshore, I need to find SOMETHING to do that will bring in some money to pay the bills. I figure if I’m living somewhere cheaper, I won’t be spending so much money. I hope that’s how it works!
I talked to a couple of old friends today. Both of them have made the move and encouraged me to ‘just do it’ too.
One friend I used to work with on the ships has made the move to Thailand. He’s still working for the same company we were at together, but he has been working in Korea for a few years now. He spends his time off in Thailand. He’s married a Thai lady and is VERY happy there.
My other friend went to high school with me on the sailing ships. He’s got the same adventurous spirit that I have, but he’s actually DONE something with his. Soon after high school, he spent 10 years living in Venezuela. He moved back to the states to raise his family, but now they’re grown and he’s looking for a change. He’s just finished his TEFL course and is now teaching in Mexico.
I’ve been trying to find something to do with myself for years now. Decades really. I’m so tied up in trying to find a way to get out of here, but I want to do it safely. I don’t really love the idea of trying to sell everything I own, cut all ties, and give up everything I’ve ever worked for in order to support myself overseas. Is that possible? I know I’ve been trying for a LONG time and still haven’t really come any closer to finding an answer.
I’ve been lucky to have had a good job (until a couple of months ago). One that paid me enough to pay the bills and put a little aside every month. In trying to find some way to support myself, so I could leave the US, I’ve started a vending machine business (total failure), bought rental properties (which I am going to have to sell since I can’t afford them if I’m not working), working on stock photography, blogging, writing.
None of those projects has yet brought me anywhere near the amount of income I need to start the process to emigrate somewhere else. Only the rental property will bring in enough money so that I can apply for residency (not citizenship) in a few places.
I’ve been hoping to get at least a couple of weeks of regular work over the holidays. That would help a LOT. At this point, that doesn’t look like it’s going to happen. So, now what?
I’m thinking my best alternative would be to take the TEFL course myself. At least that would give me the option to live someplace cheaper and get away from some major expenses here. Also, find a much less stressful lifestyle somewhere.
I’m still worried about so many things, pretty much all of them to do with finances. How will I pay my bills? How will I be able to keep up my ‘training’? How will I be able to keep my LICENSE? I need that license in order to work offshore and I can’t imagine giving it up after working so hard for 34+ years to earn it.
I need to renew it by December 2016. If I want to keep it after that, I HAVE TO find work at sea! So, I have about 9 months to find something else to do before I need to be back here to start the renewal process.
So, does anyone have any helpful ideas for me? Something other than “just DO it!” Some ‘it” to do?? I’m open to suggestions. Send ’em over here. 😉
I was in New Orleans last week for the Workboat Show. I got there Wednesday morning, had enough time to check out the show and then walked over to the WISTA tea at the Windsor Court Hotel.
Some friends invited me to a party held jointly by the Massachusetts and Maine Maritime academies. It was high up on the 23rd floor at the W Hotel with a fantastic view of the Mississippi River. There were more parties to attend afterwards, but I was pooping out. I didn’t think I could stay up partying too much longer so I headed back to my hotel.
On the way I stopped in at Harrah’s casino. I played the nickel video poker machines. I only put in $20, but it was after midnight by the time I thought to make a move. I still had over $10 left.
After breakfast at the hotel (not worth getting up early for), I wandered back over to the show. I talked to friends at all the recruiters (C-Mar, Oceanwide, CLS). I stopped by my old shipmate’s booth to say hi and catch up on news.
I checked out some of the more interesting booths like the one promoting tall ship sailing for everyone. I’ve always loved the tall ships, that’s what made me decide to become a professional mariner. I’ve been trying since my high school sailing trip to recreate that experience.
I was hoping to find someone hiring at the job fair, but no such luck. There were no offshore companies attending this year and so no work available. There were a few inland companies there and they were hiring. Marquette, Kirby, Canal Barge). There were a couple of engineering companies (Downey Engineering, Schottel). The hiring companies were completely outnumbered by the hopefuls looking for a job.
The Show closed down pretty soon after I finished with the job fair. I headed through the Riverwalk Shopping Center and had lunch overlooking the river. It was getting dark and cooling off when I finished so I stopped in again at the Casino and wound up spending another couple of hours there.
I wandered over to the French Quarter and did some window shopping down Royal Street. Lots of interesting art and good music even on the street. I walked back to my hotel down Bourbon Street and wondered at my lack of desire to join in the party.
I was in bed by 11 PM. Up in the morning in time to pick up the rental car I needed to run down to Fourchon to pick up some paperwork from the Mystic Viking. I spent the day driving back and forth and got back too late to return the car.
I got up early enough to return the car. I wanted to go to the WWII museum nearby, but I found out there was a parade starting soon so I changed plans. I went to the Ogden Museum of Southern Art instead. They had a lot of really interesting stuff. Anything from the usual classical paintings you’d imagine belong in a museum, to ‘art’ I bet any monkey could do. I’m always amazed how those sorts of things wind up in a museum or why anyone would pay anything for it.
mud & paint on plywood by Jimmy Lee Sudduth
I left the museum in time to find a good spot to view the parade. It was fun to watch the kids lunge for the candies and beads. The costumes were fun and of course in New Orleans they weren’t what you would expect. Not just the usual cheerleaders and marching bands, but roving bands of Elvi’s and ice cream girls in pink stripes. I’ll write more on the parade later.
I’ve been so lazy the last few days, I haven’t even managed to look at my own blog! I’m pretty much over the Thanksgiving food coma now so I figured I had better start catching up around here. I had started this 3 Quote Challenge last week, but if you have been paying attention, you’ll notice I only made it to Quote #2.
Here’s #3…
Yeah! I really DO believe that one and I TRY to act like it. BUT, things just keep getting in the way. Yeah, things like bills mostly. Things like fears more importantly.
Somehow I need to find a way to get rid of my fears (of how to pay the bills, of what might happen if I just GO- pack it all up and leave!). Could I get mugged? Could I lose my stuff? Could I be physically attacked? What if I get stuck in a bad place? With bad people? What options do I have if I don’t have plenty of money? How can I possibly support myself in a foreign country? Will I be able to renew my license (to work) if I leave? How?
Yeah, I really do think of stuff like that (and more). I have to admit, those thoughts, more than anything else, is what is keeping me here. I’m sure things can’t be as bad as I worry myself about in my mind. After all, there are thousands of people wandering the world, doing just the kinds of things I want to do.
I want to travel. I want to see the world. I want to sail. I want to SAIL around the world! I want to explore, to learn new languages, to meet new people, to try new foods, to really get to know a place. I want to spend more time being creative, reading, writing, painting, photographing, playing music, singing, playing.
I just need to get over my fears and just DO IT! Anybody have any suggestions?
Hey out there, anybody know any cool stuff to do for a day out in Mesa (Wrigleyville West) Arizona?
I’ll be there for a conference this week, but I have all day tomorrow to explore. 🙂
Any ideas?
Here’s another challenge from Cee. I really like her blog. She always has something interesting going on over there (and she takes some gorgeous pictures!). One of the things she does is run a “Share Your World” challenge. Check out the link to see others answers to her questions or to join in yourself. Here’s my answering post for this weeks challenge…
If you have been to a foreign country name those you have been too? I’ve been to a lot of foreign countries (check out my previous port calls). There are still plenty I haven’t been to yet and would love to go visit at the first opportunity. I’m still looking forward to seeing India, Egypt, Chile, Vietnam, Uruguay and Antarctica (even tho it’s not a country). I travel every chance I get!
I started out young, I went to Canada and Mexico with my grandmother. Then I got to go to school on a sailing ship. We left Athens, Greece on the ship and sailed to ports in Italy, Spain, hit the Canary Islands and crossed the Atlantic to Martinique. We left the ship and flew to Caracas, Venezuela. We traveled overland to Columbia, Ecuador, Peru and Bolivia. I joined the same ship again in Martinique. We sailed to the Azores, then France, Germany, Denmark, Sweden, Finland, the USSR and back to Copenhagen (Denmark).
After that trip I was hooked on traveling. I’ve since been to the UK (England, Ireland, Scotland). I’ve been to Turkey, the UAE, Oman, Bahrain, Mauritius, Angola, Congo, Solomon Islands, Kiribati, Korea, Japan, Hong Kong, China, Indonesia, Thailand, Laos, Singapore, Honduras, Belize, Nicaragua, Costa Rica.
Is the glass half empty or half full? What type of glass is it and what is in the glass? I have to admit, I am a natural pessimist. I almost always see the glass as half empty. I will say, I’ve never really thought about what kind of glass it is. I would say it’s probably a beer glass. One of those hour glass shaped ones they give you at the beer joint. And of course, BEER would be in the glass!
If you could have an endless supply of any food, what would you get? I would get a burger. I LOVE a good burger and there are so many ways to make them!
List: List at least five places worth shopping. I’m not much of a shopper, I usually only really enjoy shopping for books and food. 🙂 I like shopping at AmazonSmile, a (small) percentage of everything I spend there goes to a charity I choose. I also liked to shop at Powells Books in Oregon (tho I haven’t been able to get there for ages). I like Half Price Books on the way to Houston. I like to ‘shop at the Goodwill and Salvation Army stores. They have lots of interesting things and decent prices. I go there when I’m looking for furniture or appliances for my properties, or for work clothes. I also like to shop at museum stores, I almost never buy anything, but they always have beautiful and interesting items for sale.
Bonus question: What are you grateful for from last week, and what are you looking forward to in the week coming up. I am grateful to have a job, but I am SO looking forward to getting off this ship and going home!!
I’ve been having a hard time keeping up around here lately. Since I moved my blog, I’ve had nothing but problems. I’ve been spending a hell of a lot of time just trying to get things working around here again.
But I always like Cee’s photography challenges and I did have a few decent photos of orchids around on the computer. So, I figured I’d join in on this one.
Here are some orchids from the Singapore Botanic Gardens, they have a really great orchid garden along with a lot of other beautiful plants. It’s a very relaxing place to go when you get tired of the ‘city’ of Singapore. 🙂
The weather here in Matagalpa is SO nice! It’s so cool. 🙂
After spending the last couple of weeks down around the coast of Nicaragua and Costa Rica where I was so hot it felt like I was sweating to death every day, it’s great to be in a new place where it’s actually enjoyable to be outside. At night it actually gets a little chilly when the breeze is blowing. 🙂
My old friend Tom from high school on the ship (the Oceanics) showed up the other night to visit me down here. That’s a whole ‘nother story! Yesterday we went to check out the local market which we both have always loved to do. It’s a great way to learn more about how people live. It’s also fantastic for photography.
We went looking for a nearby town that my (2006) guidebook mentioned had an indigenous market with weavings and pottery. Turns out there was no market in San Ramon. Just like when I came back to Granada because the Hipico was supposed to be last weekend and they changed it without telling anyone! Too bad I can’t stick around Granada til the end of the month!
So, since we couldn’t find the indigenous market, we came back through Matagalpa and stopped by to visit a guy I had met in Granada. He’s been living in Matagalpa for a while and knows about the area. He told us about las Cascadas.
It was a beautiful waterfall with a big swimming hole beneath it. We only managed to find it after we stopped to ask directions of a group of kids by the side of the road. One little boy was going that way so we gave him a ride. He told us to stop as we drove right past the place.
It was worth the drive through the mountains. Even with the hairpin curves and steep slopes. The place was really pretty. Lots of plants and flowers. The sound of the waterfall and the little river flowing by. We were the only ones there. We had a little snack and a couple of drinks (non-alcoholic) at the little restaurant /hostel about halfway down the slope.
We made it back to town late in the afternoon and had a quiet evening at the hotel. Sitting out on the veranda having rum and cokes and dinner from the little place next door. Nice BBQ chicken, beef, pork, tortillas, pinto gallo (rice and beans), and plantains.
I was still tired from partying too late the night we got here, but still managed to stay up til midnight last night. I think I’ll need a vacation from my vacation when I get home (and sadly, it looks like I will get one). More on that later.