Retrotrip (rĕt’rō-trĭp)

Day 3- Into the Groove

2011-08-07T10:26:00.000-07:00

It didn't take long for us to settle into the slow pace of life in Nerja. Nothing opens before noon and so we don't miss mush except the sunrise by sleeping in.

The coffee here is too strong for my taste. The only redeeming quality about it is the giant mountain of whipped cream that comes on top of the cappuccinos. There is no drip coffee anywhere in sight- it's all made from an espresso machine. After adding a packet of pure sugar and mixing the whipped cream in, it's drinkable. Gives me the shakes- and you all know I'm all about the good stuff. Life is just too short for bad coffee.

After saying hello to all the regulars at the beach, we settle back into the next chapters of Kon-Tiki and Animal Farm. Just after Old Major calls a meeting with all the farm animals, it's time for lunch!

We split boquerones en vinagre, melon y jamon de serrano and the fish of the day, the giant Groper from the display case which comes with a delicious baked potato! Tasty!

After the 2nd round of coffee for the day (I learned my lesson after this), the friendly waitress brings out 4 shots of caramel vodka in chilled shot glasses. Eeeyah! Tastes like medicine!

Every few minutes someone will walk by trying to sell you stuff. Africans come across and sell anything from sunglasses, musica, DVD popular, soccer jerseys, wooden carvings and jewelry. Locals sell sundresses and sarongs. There is a Chinese woman who gives EXCELLENT massages (although she got in trouble with the police for not having a permit so she had to stop) and 2 old Spanish men who have been there since Alex can remember selling a selection of fruit yelling "Tutti Fruiti" and delicious hot salted almonds.

The people who sell the sarongs have come up with an entertaining way of displaying their merchandise. Twice a day they come to the same spot in front of our beach chairs. After laying out their props, he'll ring a bell to get everyone's attention. Then, the fashion show begins!! He and his young helper model several sarongs and demonstrate ways to wear them. They literally STRUT up and down the beach as if they were on a runway. It's an entertaining performance... and IT WORKS!!! By the time the bell rings to signify the end of the demonstration, women from all directions rush up to get the best pick. They have a simple business plan and make a killing!

After getting some work done at Kronox, we head back to the apartment to freshen up for dinner. Tonight we were going to a fish restaurant. It doesn't look like much- it's mostly outdoor seating and a bar inside. Even at 10PM it's still light out so it feels much earlier than it is.

For starters, we had fried anchovies, fried baby fish that looked like minnow (which I had to decapitate) and delicious fresh scallops served in the shell which were prepared Pil-Pil style in a garlic oil concoction. Fresh tomato salad and papas fritas with salt and vinegar were passed around the table. For the main course, we all had another local specialty, a whole sole doused in lemon juice. After removing the head, I actually enjoyed de-boning the sole now that I know how. First you cut down the middle then along the top and bottom. Pull the meat from the middle out, and remove it from the rest. The meat slides right off the bones!

After enjoying 4 bottles of red wine between us, we joked saying we should have order the Jeroboam instead. The waiter brought out complimentary Baileys shots and dark chocolate squares with ice cream inside. Oh yeah!

After a delicious meal, we wandered back to the main square and resumed our usual spot at the Mediterraneo Cafe. The men had Carlos Primeros and we all enjoyed people watching and the cool evening breeze.

Someone noticed a picture of Katie, Vanessa and Francesco the owner or the cafe on the wall. It was taken a year before, at the Spain vs Portugal World Cup game! Too funny!

The wind and waves were stronger than night and every few minutes a wave would crash as high as the largest cliff under the Balcon. The view from the apartment is priceless and soon it'll be a full moon!

Day 2- Cumpleaños de Ricardo Bueno

2011-08-01T15:38:00.000-07:00

Jet lag from West to East is a doozie. With a 7 hour time difference, it took several days for me to adjust.

I was faced with the opportunity to eat fresh Sardines. Although I try to be open minded about trying new foods, I'm not a fan of anything with a head and eyes on it, so luckily these came in an eatable form for me! Pam demonstrated how to eat them, and since it was "Pam approved," I felt at ease :) I've now come to realize that just about anything tastes good with fresh lemon squeezed on top! First you take a few nibbles then peel back the bones from the top end and remove them. You can even eat the tail if you choose.

For the main course we shared Almejas de Carril which are large clams specifically from Carril, Spain. They are prepared with a white wine lemon garlic oil. I also found another favorite dish, Gambas a Pil Pil which are shrimp in a delicious chili oil. Both sauces are amazing! Perfect for dipping your fresh bread in!

After a relaxing nap on the beach, we began the birthday festivities for Richard. Grant had a bottle of nice cava delivered to the beach. What a nice way to celebrate!

I am managing things at work while I'm out so I started the weekday routine of logging on to wifi and taking care of business. I was able to get enough done in a two hour window- my early evening, their afternoon. I was very fortunate to be able to travel so checking in once a day was a fair compromise. Kronox Cafe in the main square has "tankes" of beer, tapas with Spanish olives and Manchego cheese, free wifi, and lots of people watching available. Not too shabby! I absolutely LOVE tapas! It's a small portion and perfect for a light meal or snack. Bliss!

For the birthday dinner, we went to the top rated restaurant in Nerja- Sollun. It was probably the best dining experiences I have ever had. Not only was every bite irresistible, but Chef Juan Quintanilla adds a personal touch to the experience. He passionately describes his recommendations and will even bring out the cut of meat and illustrates how he will prepare it. The restaurant is quaint with maybe 8 tables, and he and his wife walk you through each step of the meal. He personally takes your order, rushes back to the kitchen, and hand delivers a delicious work of art on each plate. He is quickly on his way to a Michelin Star.

Day 1- Acapulco Playa

2011-07-29T15:34:00.000-07:00

We arrived in Málaga at 10 am after an overnight flight. Alex's Dad kindly arranged a taxi for us so after hunting for our luggage, in the newly expanded baggage claim (Non EU section), we scanned all the taxi drivers holding signs until we saw one with "MacDonald" on it. This was the first time we had ever had this luxury! We always laugh at this anytime we arrive somewhere, and even made friends with a taxi driver holding a sign when we met Kevin at the Bali airport a few years back. We got a kick out of having our own private, prearranged car and driver- this was a first. When arriving to Nerja in the past, Alex would need to from the airport to the bus station and catch a bus (hoping for the "Express" bus, Line 75) from Málaga 50 km to the coast, but this time we went in style!

The landscape is breathtaking! I have never seen so many rolling mountains and green hills- they extend indefinitely in every direction. The air is cool and crisp, and the sun is shining. We take the "new" (10 years old) highway direct to Nerja for about an hour. The old road wound up and down- over the mountains and took twice as long. Although the new highway is more effecient and modern, the old road takes you down the shore and was the path to historic landmarks such as turrets. I'd have to keep my eyes open for one of those.

There are greenhouses (main crop is tomatoes) and olive fields pressed on the side of steep cliffs.

Pam & Grant are anxiously awaiting us. We slip on our bathing suites and head straight for the beach!

Huge cliffs fall sharply to the sand below. Tropical plants and flowers blanket the edge and beach umbrellas are scattered down below.

We are greeted by Paco, the fellow who runs the beach chairs in front of the Monte Mar Restaurant. He spots Alex from a mile away, and gives us a big hug as soon as we get within arm's reach. Paco shows us to our reserved chairs on the second row, and Grant & Pam take their place in front of us. Niccccce!! Time to kick back and relax!

We are introduced to Richard & Elsie Good (later to be referred to a Ricardo Y Chelsea Bueno) who are long time friends of the MacDonalds. Their daughters Liana & Vanessa are childhood friends of Jamie, Alex, Katie, Kristi & Andrew, and because of this the parents have become best friends. Being Scottish, there was an instant connection and the couples often plan their holidays at the same time as each other.

We mosey over to Monte Mar for a fabulous Sunday lunch of paella especial! With sand under our feet, we enjoy fresh clams, mussels, lobster, peel & eat shrimp and chicken. It was delicious!

I quickly learned that this trip was going to be an exploration in wonderful Spanish foods so now I intend to share my new found knowledge with you (hope you find the food as interesting as I do). For dinner that night, we dine on the patio of the small square under street lamps. Casa Luque also serves Carlos Imperial, a fine Spanish brandy. Salud!

Next Adventure- España and Morocco!

2011-07-29T14:52:00.000-07:00

I've really been looking forward to making the journey to Spain. Alex's family spent almost every summer holiday here as kids, and I've heard countless stories about their time there. Alex considers it his "first home," as it's been a constant throughout his entire life. No matter where else he's lived, their apartment in Spain was just a hop, skip and a jump away.

We were very thankful that Alex's Mum was able to stay at the house and look after Loki and Aries. It gave me great peace of mind, and I hope that she enjoyed her time here as well.

We would be based in Nerja, España which is located in a beautiful spot on this great Earth, along the Coasta del Sol. It's along Spain's Mediterranean Coast, about 50 km from Málaga.

Alex's Dad first visited 37 years ago, after seeing an advertisement for it in a British travel magazine. Alex was 2 weeks old when they purchased a small apartment hanging over the edge of a massive cliff, which overlooks a stunning coastline and a full moon. It was love at first sight.

As kids, Alex and his brothers and sisters spent their summers here- they have memories about eating fruit on the beach, playing mini golf, sneaking into the pool late a night, jumping off the highest cliffs, getting into mischief at the Tutti Fruit, making life long friends and much more.

I was really excited to get there and experience it for myself! And so, the adventures continue..

AHH! More on Roatan ASAP- gotta write about Spain while it's fresh on my mind.

2011-07-29T14:36:00.001-07:00

West End Wall

2010-10-31T10:36:00.000-07:00

Our first dive was at West End Wall. It was a small group, just Alex and I, our Instructor Joe and another Aussie named Mark. We told Joe about our adventures in Indonesia and Vietnam, so he knew he had a lot to live up to! lol

Roatan exceeded our expectations by far! We had an incredible first dive- I'm unable to express this into words. Diving is such an amazing experience. It enables you to explore an underwater paradise and immerse yourself in a delicate ecosystem which most of us go about our daily lives ignoring. I remember the first time I went snorkeling in Belize. I could literally stand in knee deep water and see the horizon, the sky, the clouds, birds, flowers, palm trees. When I dipped my head underwater, there were beautiful tropical fish and brightly colored coral right underneath the surface, for as far as I could see. At that moment I realized that there is a whole other world down there. My mind had just expanded. I wanted more.

West End Wall is on the lee side of a plateau where an underwater ridge slopes down to the western tip of the reef. It's home to pillar coral which can grow up to 8 feet tall, Azure Vase sponges, barrel sponges (also known as the redwood of the deep), dog snapper, horse eyed jacks, Spotted Eagle Rays, and much much more!

This area is known as a pelagic zone or open water zone because it's not near the ocean floor. On the other side of the wall is the blue abyss.

If you looked close enough, tiny coral banded shrimp were everywhere.They dance in the palm of your hand. King Crab and HUGE Lobsters hid in coral holes.

Just when we thought the dive couldn't get any better, we came out from an enclosed area and into the blue. Just about 30 feet away were 2, count them- 2 Hammerhead Sharks!!!! How exciting! Although hammerheads do generally swim in schools, it was rare to see them at all. As soon as they lied eyes on us, they took off in opposite directions. It was just a split second but was such an incredible site! They were about 7-8 feet long! What a thrill!

This was such a warm welcome to diving in Roatan! The island is known for it's reefs and most of the dive sites are just off shore. We decided to get our Advanced Open Water certification while we were here. What better place was there to explore?

Here's a good link to all the dive sites in Roatan.

Snorkel Test

2010-10-31T09:13:00.000-07:00

The second night there was a big celebration at the Green Flash bar, the resident bar of Land's End. Joe was bar tending that night and his buddy Alex was completing his Dive Master training. The last requirement is to pass the Snorkel Test! We were in for a real treat!

We had a front row seat- we had been there since sun down drinking rum and pineapples. An ole guy named Barry had his regular seat at the end of the bar. Eva was busy running around making sure the back up generator didn't blow the house up, and a couple from Massachusetts who were on their honey moon talked with us about the goings on of the island.

Just after dark people started trickling in. You would have never guessed that that many people would show up! It was quite the celebration!

Joe explained the rules of the Snorkel Test to Alex, who had been his first student to complete his Dive Master certification. Basically, he had to wear goggles and a snorkel which acted like a beer bong. Joe gathered a splash from everyone's drink around the bar, and added a few secret ingredients of his own also. (including 2 raw eggs and hot sauce...eek!)

Everyone cheered Alex on and he passed the test with flying colors!! What a rush!! Congratulations to Alex, he was now OFFICIALLY a Dive Master!!

With a warm welcome like this, we couldn't imagine diving with any other group than these guys. We signed up to dive with Atlantic Sea Divers and Joe would be our instructor.

Buenos Días- Austin to Roatan

2010-10-17T19:28:00.000-07:00

We had an early morning flight out of Houston. It was faster for us to drive to Houston rather than flying. We were to leave our house at 2 am- flight left at 5:40 am. The trip creped up on me- I had a giant workload and still had packing to do. I hadn't felt this close to exhaustion in a while. After turning on my auto responder, it was finally time to sit down and take a breather. We contemplated taking a 30 minute nap or loading up the car. We said goodbye to Loki and Aries and were glad that Kevin was staying at the house while we were gone to look after them.

Alex was nice enough to drive the entire way and I laid across the back seat. We arrived in plenty of time to get through security and board the plane. We both dozed on and off and woke up just in time to take in the rolling green mountains of El Salvador as the sun rose. Rivers flew in and out of the crevices of land.

We had a short stay at the bustling airport and quickly made our way to the mush anticipated island of Roatan. I gazed out the small window and my excitement grew! We flew over turquoise water and undeveloped landscape. It was just before 10 am!

A taxi driver escorted us to his car and rolled down the windows. The wind blew through our hair and the morning sun glistened through the trees as we zoomed by. We were headed to West End, to a small bed and breakfast that Alex found on Trip Advisor. Little did we know, Land's End would be such an integral part in our time there.

Eva greeted us and promptly got us settled in our ocean front room. She explained how the "Honesty Bar" worked and gave us a bamboo notepad to keep track of our beers. It was hot and sticky so we changed into our bathing suits and headed into town up the dirt path.

We walked down the main road and came across a lunch spot that served fried chicken, coconut rice, beans and plantains.

After a little more exploring, we stopped in the little convenient store and got a couple ice cold beers and headed to the beach. With our toes in the sand, we closed our eyes and at last, we were here!

Roatán, Honduras- the backdrop of our latest adventure!

2010-10-17T09:23:00.000-07:00

When Alex and I were researching places for our next adventure, one spot in particular kept coming up. My Mom and Doug told numerous stories of their honeymoon in Roatan and it sounded like paradise on Earth. They had been there in 1996 when the island was undiscovered by cruise ships and major resorts. Mom and Doug were passengers on a Windjammer Sailing trip aboard the Fantome, a majestic ship that frequented Roatan. I recall stories of the crew who lived aboard her. They would sing, dance and entertain the guests and my parents always thought very fondly of them. Over the memorable days and nights that Mom and Doug were passengers, they became great friends with the lovable crew.

Two years later Hurricane Mitch flexed his furry and destroyed much of the area. For five days and nights Mitch took its best shot at Guanaja Island and the surrounding areas. Roatan, a mere 35 miles away was left undamaged. In port, locals urged the captain to drop anchor and ride the storm out there, but the captain consulting with the Windjammer head office in Miami was instructed to take the passengers to a port with transfer facilities, Belize City, to let off the passengers. In Belize, some non-essential crewmembers left with the passengers. The number of staff and crew who remained aboard is undetermined, but estimated to be 31.

Read more here.

The Fantome decided to leave Roatan in spite of many peoples advice. She was never seen again nor was her entire crew. Bits and pieces peppered Guanaja's shores for months. Life vests, cabin doors, spiral staircases, the bow carving, a big wooden sign all came to rest on Guanaja and can be viewed in Savaghnna bight as they are now displayed on some of the local houses.

Read an account of the Fantome's last days here.

In addition to the natural beauty of the island, the thing that my parents loved the most were the friendly people. It's such a tragedy that the Fantome now lies at the bottom of the sea but the hearts of the crew aboard her live on today.

Roatan is also known for it's world class diving. This sounded like the perfect place for Alex and I to explore! It was a busy time for me at work but we were determined to get away. The past few months had been a stressful time for both of us and a little R&R is just what we needed. We would be gone for 17 days- a good amount of time to unwind and refocus.

Roatan is part of the Bay Islands, situated between Utila and Guanaja. It's 37 miles long and 4 miles wide at the largest point. It's home to the Mesoamerican Barrier Reef, the largest reef in the Caribbean Sea, and 2nd largest in the world. The reef is home to a diverse ecosystem of 65 species of stony coral, 350 species of mollusk, and more than 500 species of fish. It's a favored spot to manatees and wales sharks. It's a reef island so there is an abundance of dive spots right off shore. You can literally walk in from shore and within minutes you're submersed in a vibrate underwater world.

We were in for a real treat! We would soon discover not only the natural beauty of the underwater paradise, but the welcoming community that inhabit this cheerful utopia.

Little did we know, it would also lead the path into the next chapter of our lives...

Honeymoon Cove and Charlotte Amalie, St. Thomas, USVI- Day 10 & 11

2010-04-30T21:04:00.000-07:00

Again we woke up with the sun rise. I prepared the coffee while Alex did his last engine check. We checked the weather station but it was almost 100% static so it was completely useless. I wonder how people get reliable information. I can see how news travels faster by mouth.

We were continuing south between St. John on our left and St. Thomas on our right. We had to go far out to the middle of the channel to get around Packet Rock. I remembered our trip out and the 30 knot winds and 8 feet seas we encountered the first time we pass Packet Rock. Even that day, and had gusts around 18 knots. We reefed the main sail and jib. I think I was psyching myself out and making it much worse than it was. My mind and body were at odds. My mind was calm but my body was shaking, numb and stiff. I couldn't speak, felt short of breath and light headed. I tried to just stay still and quiet so I didn't make Alex worried. Although I knew we were safe, I couldn't help but feel that no matter how many times we do this, it'll always be exhilarating.

We were just ahead of a mean looking storm. We cut through the channel because it seemed like a short code and it was much more protected so the waters were calmer. Charlotte Amalie is a port town and hosts the major cruise lines. On cruise days more than 20k tourists invalid the island which normally houses 20k residents. We turn in past the giant ships and plan our arrival at back at Honeymoon Cove. It looks just like a Corona commercial with a white sand beach and palm trees lining the shore.

Exactly the moment when we were pulling up to the moor, huge rain drops pelted down on us. This made it more difficult to attach and we had to yell to hear each other. I ran down to get Alex's rain coat but he didn't want it. I was bundled up with a rain coat, hat and sunglasses.

Just as he was about to drop anchor, a man yelled for us to go further to the left for better holding. This was just a few seconds too late because we were already coming in for that mooring. The rain was pounding down. We could hardly see the boats around us.

I turn slightly left and gave it some gas. Alex yelled "depth!!" A coral wall was just to our left. Whew! It was a huge relief once we finally had out anchor down. At that moment the rain stopped and the sun peeked through the clouds. Nice timing, I thought.

Alex put on his snorkeling gear and went down to inspect the anchor. He always likes to swim down and take a look to make sure that we're secure. This time the anchor was turned upside down so he picked it up and dug it deep into the sand. He then told me to reverse a little to dig it deeper. We felt much better after knowing that we weren't going anywhere. Next it was time for a beer!!

We were enjoying the afternoon sun on the bow of the boat when a police boat entered the cove. We hoped that they weren't there to tell us that we were too close to the coral. The came up to the guy next to us and boarded his boat! We just sat there drinking our beer and guessing what the deal was.

After the cops left, the guy actually drove by on his dingy and said hello. A few minutes later he returned with another man who had dive gear. We thought something was wrong with their boat and he was going to go down and check it out. I few minutes later the diver pops out of the water with a small bright blue bag. The first guy starts dancing to celebrate. WOW!! Must had been something in that bag that they didn't want to cops to find!

We dingy over to the beach with our mats and books. There was a lady with a food cart making hamburgers for lunch. It's called Heidi's Mini Grill. She also had ice cold rum and beer... beauty! She invited us back a dusk for their Monday night movie on the beach!

The guy from earlier said "Welcome to the neighborhood!" So funny! There sure are a bunch of characters in these parts. Lol!

At dusk, we pull up next to all the locals. They had a white sheet tied between 2 trees and had the grill fired up. They were all very friendly and welcoming. It was all locals- they do this once a month to get to know each other. One man we talked to had lived on this tiny island for 20 years. He had a gray, handlebar mustache and long white hair.

We grab a couple chairs, homemade hamburgers and rum and pineapple drinks and plop ourselves down in the mist of the small group of residents. About 100 people live here on peak time. Their slogan was "Where the Weird go Pro" the continuation of "Keep Austin Weird."

The previews consisted of a Speedy Gonzales cartoon and the main event was "Wrongfully Accused" The backdrop was priceless- a purple sunset, sailboats, palm trees swaying in the wind, and white sand under our toes.

We had such a great time and imaged that we could someday try to replicate this in our back yard. We didn't sleep well on our last night on the boat. Alex was worried that we would swing too far over and scrape the coral. We were pretty close but we were fine. Alex kept getting up and checking the depth gage just to make sure. We woke up at 13.5 feet when we were around 11.5 the night before.

We did a major clean up and packed all of our bags. We called CYOA on the radio and gave them a heads up. We were just about 20 minutes away but had to fill up with gas first. We slowly motored over to Grand Yacht gas station, trying to prolong our trip as much as possible.

We loved the Ryajen and had a fantastic trip. We both learned so much about sailing, the Caribbean and ourselves.

After the boat check, Doug the CYOA employee jumped aboard and we went out into the channel again. We pulled out the mail and jib completely out so he could check for any damage. It was truly beautiful! We did it perfectly! Next we pulled into the harbor and he would do an underwater check. We were a little worried but it was all good! While he was doing that, he let us tour the shiny Catamaran next to us.WOW! It was gorgeous! There was a huge dining room and sprawling kitchen with windows all around. It had 2 cabins and 2 heads, perfect for a couples get-away!

We gather up all of our luggage and head back to Villa Olga where we had stayed a few nights at the beginning of the trip. We had the same room as before. Then we went back towards French town for lunch. The deli had delicious sandwiches and chowder soup.

The we head across the main street to ask about dive trips. We signed up with Admiralty Dive Center for tomorrow! We did a little bit of shopping and got Sanna and Monique's souvenirs, a beautiful dress for Isabella and a monkey for Ian. The we went back to the hotel and relaxed at the pool.

I called mom to say hello and then talked to Monique. She was staying at our house while we were gone and the AC had gone out! She had some people coming to look at it the next day.

We sip our refreshing rum and pineapples from dainty coffee mugs that we found in our room. I noticed that there was a waiter from the restaurant next door sitting on the roof. He was smoking out of an apple! HA!

We had dinner at Bella Blu - it was so scrumptious! We split the seared tuna tar tar appetizer.Yummy! We had the pecan crusted snapper for dinner.

That night we enjoyed the A/C and a real bed! We woke up at 6:30 and had bagels for breakfast at the Frechtown Deli. We returned to the CYOA dock to meet our dive master, Fish Butt (John). Dwayne the shop owner was our captain.

He asked me if I had a problem with sharks. Honestly after our adventures in Indonesia, I can handle anything! I was pumped!! We dove a 90 ft wreck and reef dive (our first wreck)!

We had a small group so we had a good amount of time to explore. We came down at the bow of the massive ship named the WIT Concrete. It originally sunk during a hurricane but it was blocking the channel so it was moved to it's current location in 1995. It's 350 feet long and 50 feet wide! You can't see both ends at the same time. The ship is still intact.

We were able to go inside the vessel in some areas and shimmed our way up a narrow vertical passageway. Just as I cleared it, a huge grouper looked me eye to eye. It was spectacular!

Caneel Bay, BVI- Day 9

2010-04-29T11:30:00.001-07:00

No urgency for coffee, we proceeded to close up the hatches. After confirmation that we're ready to sail Alex grabbed hold of the bow line. A few minutes earlier, we noticed our neighbor take off without paying the mooring fee. We'd thought we'd attempt the same :) After all, we were in pirate territory! Just as we had one line disconnected, a man appeared in a dingy. Oh well.. twenty five bucks! We said goodbye to charming Treasure Island and settled in for our journey to marvelous Caneel Bay.

It was a travel day for us- the last stop before returning our fine vessel in St. Thomas. We had to stop in the immigration office before returning to the USVI.

The Indians pass us by as we head due South between Tortola and St. John - down the Sir Francis Drake Channel. Alex reefed the jib but kept the engine on for a little boost. I help tight to the wheel, watching for waves on our rear. We made excellent time in the open sea until losing our wind in between the landforms. We've found that the seas are generally calmer in the morning so we were happy to get an early start.

We abruptly approach a plastic milk jug floating in the water. Although it is illegal to fish the BVI without a permit, local fishermen make home-made traps. This is very dangerous for boaters as well as the tropical fish population. Due to high waves, it is difficult to spot the trap until you are right up on it. You should be very aware of the line to ensure that you don't foul your prop. You can often tell which direction the line will be depending on the current.

The shoreline is stunning! Palm trees line the rocky shore and green hills arise straight out of the water. The Great Thatch passes on by on our right hand side and we begin hugging the coast of St. John. Great Thatch is a small uninhabited island in west BVI. The island was previously occupied and was once a customs house checkpoint until there was a civil disturbance in 1856. Prior to that it was owned by pirates but was repurchased only 13 years ago. Today it is a national park.

Ruins remain standing there today and are thought to date back to the sugar plantation era. The ruins are extremely difficult to access as the paths are all heavily overgrown. After the civil disturbance the island was abandoned and it remains so today.

We swing closer in to shore and pass by beloved Mayo and Francis Bay. The Puerto Rican family's mega yacht was still anchored in the deep waters. It was nice to come back this same direction because it put everything into perspective. I was glad to have land on either side again! Because the islands are at most 3 miles from each other, the BVI makes a great place for beginner sailors to learn the ropes.

Jost Van Dyke was directly behind us as we turned past the bay. We minded the flashing yellow buoys that indicated the bounder of the National Park. Green and red approach on the horizon to indicate Johnson's Reef.

Caneel Bay was our least favorite spot to moor for the night because the moors aren't actually in the bay- the private hotel reserved it for swimming and snorkeling. It was not in a protected cove- we were tied up along the side of the channel so every time a ferry passed by, we rocked violently side to side. We wondered if this would continue all night.

We settled in just before noon and decided to prepare the last of our sandwiches while we waited for the immigration office to reopen after lunch.

We dingyed over to Cruz Bay and found a spot to tie up. This bay is commercial use only. No private or chartered boats can stop here overnight. Just as we tied up, a large ferry arrived. We hurried to beat the crowd to the immigration office. Too late. The officer made us wait until the entire load of people had checked in. Completing the forms was very confusing because it's not clear what each one is for and there were several choices. We were charged $35 because it was Sunday.

As we were waiting for our turn, our Canadian friends from Willy T's appeared. They had ridden over on the ferry and were headed home.

It was a relief to get that taken care of, it was a mad house in there. I wanted to get a few souvenirs since this was our last stop that would have a gift shop of any sort. We found a small convenient store and quenched our thirst with a large ice cold water as we figured out where to find an ATM. A homeless guy overheard us and insisted that the ATM was this way (as he started leading us down the main dirt road.) We were hesitant and kept expecting him to ask us for a few bucks but he pointed us to the machine and took off in the other direction.

I think he must have gone to go tell his buddy that we were in the vicinity. We were clearly tourists and just got cash for our pockets. The second man walked with us back up the hill to the main intersection of town. "It's a small place. You see everyone you know- everywhere" he said. Worn and sun tan, his guy looked like he wasn't doing too bad for himself. He enjoyed the nice view and temperate climate. He seemed content to be in such a beautiful place and was happy to walk and talk with us.

I stopped in one shop for a quick look around. We got trapped listening to the sales woman chat for at least 30 minutes. I suppose she was lonely and needed someone- anyone to talk to. Business was slow yet tourists are rude and ignorant, she said. Eventually we had to make a run for it. The rambling and complaining put but Alex and I in a bad mood, just listening to her babel. We had been 100% carefree this entire vacation and we realized that we were getting back to the mainland at that point. Back to civilization.

We shook it off and promptly returned to the boat to get our swimsuits on so we could go for a dip. The water is a stunning clear color of turquoise. Small tropical fish swam below us as we approached the white sand beach. We pulled right up to shore and drug the dingy a few feet up the beach so it was secure. Ahhh, this is more like it we thought.

I laid our beach mats out under a shade tree and read while Alex snorkeled around. He saw a spotted eel and a large shrimp just a few feet away!

I popped open an ice cold Heineken and felt totally at peace, toes in the sand.

That night we made dinner on the boat. It was a delicious cajun pasta with sausage and fresh tomato. We were doing well on finishing our food supply, we were trying to use everything we had.

Almost a full moon, we reclined under the stars... In Peace.

The Indians, Caves, Willy T's- Day 8

2010-04-26T09:21:00.000-07:00

A combination of heat and rain woke us. It would rain just enough where we'd need to close the hatches to prevent getting soaked. Just after drifting off again, a heatwave filled the front cabin and we'd need circulation. In the middle of a good dream rain drops return.

After a quick rejuvenation of coffee and breakfast, we pile our fins, masks and snorkels into our trusty dingy and head out for the longest ride yet. She had been reliable since Alex fiddled with her back on Mayo Bay. Crossing the channel in a jiffy was necessary. With sun overhead, waves crossed our bow and yachts approach on the horizon. We arrive at a spectacular rock formation- the Indians.

Here in the shallow "fish bowl," swirling clouds of bait fish are pursued by jacks and snappers below and dive-bombed by pelicans above. These rock pinnacles rise and descend roughly fifty feet both above and below the water.

The Indians are the second most popular dive site in the British Virgin Islands after the wreck of the RMS Rhone. The four rocks are so named because from a distance they were thought to resemble a head dress of a Native American.

We moor up and jump in the warm waters of the Sir Francis Drake Channel. Directly below us is a stunning coral wall. The rocks extend another 50 feet deep to form a diverse collection of colorful coral. This was the best display of coral we had seen yet!

A yellow fin snapper swam 5 feet below me on my left side as I examined everything in sight. An abandoned conch shell lay on the sandy floor. We could see clear down to the bottom.

Just at that moment, I hear an enormous splash 2 feet away on the surface. Four terodactyl looking birds (pelicans, lol) swoop down in the water. Alex yells "Look what's right behind you!" Nerve racked, I quickly turn 180 degrees to see a school of jack and a school of brightly colored blue fish an arm's length away being attacked from the surface. The pelicans enjoyed their breakfast. It was incredible to be right in the middle of this.

We snorkeled all around the huge rocks before heading back towards our dingy. Afterwards we zoom back over to the Bight to partake in a celebratory beer and bit of relaxation.

A visiting sea turtle examines us from a distance. Hawksbill sea turtles are endangered in the BVI so this was a rare sight. Alex periodically searches for his friend the tarpon.

As we sip on cold Heinekens, we provide commentary for the nearby sailors attempting to moor. At this point we're pros so we can afford a few laughs. (j/k)

Our afternoon excursion was around Treasure Point to the Caves where pirates once stored their treasure. Extending about 100 feet into the cliffs, they are only about 4 feet deep so you are very up close and personal with all of the sea life around you. It's best if you have a waterproof flashlight. It gets dark quickly and can be a little terrifying since you are in such an enclosed area and can't see anything in the dark. We decided to turn back when a jellyfish swam by at eye level with Alex. (I made him go first so he could protect me from the unknown.) You must keep your body buoyant on the salty surface so you don't scrape coral.

Along the cliff walls next to the caves are impressive coral walls that extend far and deep in either direction. We enjoyed exploring there before heading back to Ryajen. It looked like an afternoon rain was rolling in. We made it safely aboard without a drop so we toasted with a pineapple rum drink to celebrate! Just before sunset we scooted over to Willy T's for another fun filled evening.

It was packed then as well. Picnic tables were full and the bar was hopping. Next to us, there was a group of "30 something" men and their adorable young daughters. Curly blond hair in pig tails and tanned skin, they must have been on a daddy/daughter trip. The oldest one wore a "real pirate bandanna" and kept asking if they could get pirate tattoos (stick-ons) and dance on the bar. Willy T teaches them young! The girls were so cute! Alex and I day dreamed about when we would have a family of our own someday. We enjoy seeing young families on our travels.

Tonight's menu consisted of the delicious Anegada conch shell (we couldn't pass it up since it was a specialty) and fried chicken. At the bar, locals commanded the dance floor and everyone enjoyed the music and especially strong rum drinks.

A woman we recognized from earlier was helping Simon out at the bar. She runs a small boat named Deliverance and goes around to all the boaters selling odds and ins such as ice, beer, cokes, bread, etc to the visitors. It's a good little business and she seems to enjoy the scenery.

We asked Simon if the flamboyant man from last night was the owner of Willy T's. "I have no bloody idea who that guy was. He comes around here acting like the owns the joint." HA! What a sad existence we thought.

Between slamming shots and controlling the entire bar, Simon managed to DJ from is iPod. He liked Alex so much that every 30 minutes or so, he'd pour 3 Jager shots for us. I think he'd forget that we already did a shot but he seemed to be enjoying himself. He did an amazing job running the whole bar- having a blast and getting drunker as the night wore on.

There were some characters there that night. An Englishmen named Miles came right up to me and laid a kiss on my check. He had no concern that Alex was right beside me. His sister "Aim-ee" (very drawn out English pronunciation) eyed him from across the bar. An American woman sat beside us. I complimented her on the pretty shell necklace she wore. I asked her where she was from. "Alabama, but everyone always thinks we're from Texas" she uttered with a southern draw. She didn't talk to me for the rest of the night when we told her we really were from Texas. Drunk muchisimo Puerto Rican guy from last night came over to talk to us. Turns out he is moving to New Orleans to go to college. Hope he doesn't blow all of daddy's money on Bourbon Street! Last night he was such an ass to Simon. "My name is Manuel Rodriguez Rodriguez..."

We had a great time at Willy T's. It was the first island bar that we had gone to. Everything else was closed or non existent. Our bill came and it was surprisingly only $54, including a T-Shirt. We thanked Simon and let him a hearty tip.

The nightlight overhead lead us back home to our boat. We curled up and rested happily.

Sir Francis Drake Channel, Norman Island- Day 7

2009-07-31T16:00:00.000-07:00

Sleeping in was much appreciated. As I clumsily brewed coffee Alex preformed his daily engine check. We sat on the bow of our boat and enjoyed the scenery. Scrub Island to our left is being turning into a world class mega resort. It's crawling with cranes and bulldozers that are clearing the area. We hope that none of the other islands nearby become overrun with development. The natural uninhabited land provides a beauty like none other however tourists will soon flock to Scrub Island.

We prepare the boat for the sail south to Norman Island. After closing all of the hatches we wait for the dock to empty so we can fill up our tanks with fresh water for showers. The boat is equipped with 2 large tanks and we were more than half way empty. We wanted to fill up here because we were unsure if we would find another place to fill up. Having fresh water on board was a luxury. We could enjoy long warm showers and not have to be concerned too much with how much we used. Filling up both tanks was only $7-- not bad!

We motor past Scrub Island on it's north west side and found ourselves sailing down the middle of Sir Francis Drake Channel. We imagined Christopher Columbus sailing these same waters in 1493. He discovered the Lesser Antilles island chain on his second voyage.

The seas were manageable. Winds were at about 15-20 knots. Headed due south, we did experience a little rockiness. I'm sure I was very obvious with my body language but I was really trying to keep my cool about tipping so much from left to right. I just don't like being rocked back and forth so much. I sat on the edge of my seat with my feet planted firmly. One hand was holding onto the bar behind me and the other was securely holding onto Alex's arm for reassurance.

He's a spectacular skipper and sailed most of the way. I took control a couple of times when Alex reefed the main and checked the charts. When we turned downwind we pulled out a reefed jib but still kept the motor on to give us an extra boost. It was another enjoyable ride.

We passed The Baths at Virgin Gorda on our left and planned to come back there on our next trip. We would have loved to stopped there for lunch but figured we better keep moving since we were unsure of how long it would take us. The beach at The Baths shows evidence of the island's volcanic origins where deposited granite eroded into piles of boulders on the beach. The boulders form natural tidal pools, tunnels, arches and scenic grottoes that are open to the sea. The largest boulders are about 40 feet (12 m) long.

We pulled into The Bight at Norman Island around 2 in the afternoon which was earlier than we expected. Traditionally explorers defined a bight as a bay that could be sailed out of on a single tack. I say it's because it looks like a pirate took a big bite out of the island.

Legend plays a large part in the history of Norman Island with tales of pirates and treasure caves. With an area of 610 acres, the island is approximately 2 ½ miles long with a central ridge extending along the length of the island creating gently rolling hills. Norman Hill is the highest point at 427 feet above sea level. The coast line comprises a number of bays and offshore reefs providing excellent snorkeling. Norman Island lies close to the international boundary line separating the British Virgin Islands from the US Virgin Islands.

Norman Island has a history involving pirates and treasure. Norman was the inspiration for the famous Caribbean epic book Treasure Island by Robert Louis Stevenson. The influence of Treasure Island on popular perception of pirates is vast, including treasure maps with an "X", schooners, the Black Spot, tropical islands, and one-legged seamen with parrots on their shoulders.

As we approach the anchorage, we pick a mooring ball and attach to it on our first try. We let out a big "Hooray!" as this was the longest journey that we had left on our trip and in reality it really wasn't that long at all.

We prepare sandwiches for lunch and celebrate with an ice cold Heineken. Just then a 6 foot tarpon circles under our boat! Alex is amused and quickly grabs his mask and snorkel. We feed him some bread and were amused at him hanging out in the shade of our boat.

We were really looking forward to diving and we read that there was a dive shop on shore. We dinghy to the dock and head straight for the tiny dive shop. It was more of a wooden shack on the beach. A short stocky Australian guy greeted us but unfortunately they didn't have any dive trips for tomorrow. Their other branch located on Cooper Island was going out to Anegada to dive a Japanese refrigeration vessel but they were unable to pick us up since it was so far out of the way.

Anegada is the only inhabited British Virgin Island formed from coral and limestone, rather than being of volcanic origin. While the other islands are mountainous, Anegada is flat and low. Its highest point is only about 28 feet (8.5 m) above sea level, earning it the name which translates as “the drowned land.”

Many moons ago the Anegada Passage was considered the entrance to the Caribbean, and the protected waters of the Sir Francis Drake Channel attracted merchantmen and pirates alike. It's a spectacular destination for diving because there are so many wrecks. Anegada's reefs are a shipwreck treasury, with over 300 wrecks off its shore. 1/2 took place between 1654 and 1899.

The many hidden coves along with shallow waters and complex reef systems provided the perfect spot to ravage passing ships carrying riches from the New World back to Europe. The islands became a favored hangout of famous scoundrels such as Blackbeard, Bluebeard and Sir Francis Drake.

Tom handed us a printed map of the trails on the island so we took off in search of treasure. We weren't really prepared for a hike (flip flops and no water) but we are always up for an adventure.

We walked behind the dive shop and came to a steep gravel trail. At the top, there is a nice rock perch which is the perfect place to sit and take in the scenery. From here you can see a panoramic view of the entire island. There is an overgrown trail that leads down to the beach on the other side of the island but since we weren't wearing our Tevas, we stuck to the more well traveled path. We didn't see any other people the entire time and this reminded us of the island we hiked near Komodo.

It's a breathtaking view from the top. White sand beach surrounds the island, reef offers protection and turquoise water is calming. We follow the main trail around a few curves and pass openings in the trees which offer a beautiful view of our surroundings.

Hermit crabs rustle in the brush and we stop to admire them. We came across so many that were dead. I wondered what happened, it's almost like someone or something came and attacked them. Later we learned that wild cattle and goat roam here so we hope that it was caused by natural means and not by people. I did manage to find a couple of empty shells so I keep them as souvenirs. I hope this did not disrupt a small crab's house hunting endeavor by too much.

The land is very dry here. All of the islands are so different. Some are lush and green, some are rocky, others flat. The diversity makes exploring each island unique.

As we get back to the shore, we notice that all of the bars and restaurants are closed for down season. It just so happens that they closed yesterday and won't open until the snow birds come in November. We ran into some other hungry sailors who pointed out that Willy T's was open for dinner. Little did we know that we were in for a treat!

We head back to our boat for some R&R and take in a beautiful pink and purple sunset. After freshening up, we dinghy over to the dock at the floating restaurant and tie our dinghy up in a sea of others. The place was packed!

The back 1/2 of the boat is devoted to the restaurant. Picnic tables are full of patrons and the open kitchen is bustling. A line formed at the counter where hungry sailors placed their food orders.

Alex ordered up a delicious meal of Anegada Conch fritters and jumbo shrimp! It was my first time to eat Conch but its was soooo good! (I'm craving it now)

Conchs are the mollusks that live in the large beautiful spiral shells. In 2003, the export of Queen Conch shells was prohibited from the Caribbean. Many types of Conch live among sandy bottoms among beds of sea grass in tropical waters.

As we're eating a small motor boat pulls up next to the floating restaurant and ties on. The captain looks like an American and has a young local guy with him. The older, fat American man made quite a spectral of himself because he kept going around from table to table asking if everything was alright and if we needed anything. We thought he might be the owner but come to find out he was just a crazy old guy who wanted attention.

The front 1/2 of the old ship is designated for the bar and is complete with flashing lights, loud music and a hoppin' dance floor. We meet a group of 9 Canadians who are on a sailing trip together. They are young and friendly so we instantly struck up a conversation. The drinks started flowing!

A picture book was being passed around the bar. It was from the 90's (when people still used pictures books..hello!) Those must have been fun times at Willy T's! There were women jumping off the back of the boat topless and people doing body shots. The crowd we were hanging out with did their best to recreate those legendary moments. I couldn't help but think that Perry would love this place! lol

After a few more (strong) rum punch drinks, Alex and I hit the dance floor. The local guy, "Hollywood" showed his dance moves and a group of locals really got their bump and grind on. Ummmm, Wow!

A group of young Puerto Ricans take a 4 person shot and the old man flings his shirt off and jumps off the boat of the boat into the dark water! It was a hilarious site and everyone was really enjoying themselves!

Monkey Point & Marina Cay- Day 6

2009-07-30T17:01:00.000-07:00

Rays of sun shinning through the hatches awoke us. We were just in time for the morning weather report on VHF channel 6. Both channel 5 and 6 report weather for the Inter-coastal waterways however every single time you turn it on it's in Spanish. You'll need to wait for it to run all the the way through until they say it in English. Just then, the static picks up and it's impossible to understand what the reporter is saying. If you manage to pick up a few tidbits you're doing better than we did.

An early start was welcomed today since we had a long journey and wanted to make a stop along the way to snorkel. We quickly enjoyed our coffee but had no breakfast foods on board since we gave our fresh fruits away as a thank you gift to Debbie and Rick.

It was time to do a little cleaning and reassess our food inventory. We gathered our trash and loaded up the dinghy. We needed to drop that off on shore and find a grocer to stock up on sandwich meats and ice.

We strolled passed the beach side bars and restaurants to a small narrow winding road. To the left was an extremely steep hill that lead inland. We curved around the main road and stumbled upon Bobby's Grocery. It was exactly what we needed. They were very well stocked and had everything we were looking for. Good thing we were still on island time because the clerk chatted with us about every individual item we selected. Most of the other little places we'd been had more of a bodega look and feel- with dusty half-empty shelves and freezers. We now had all the supplies we needed so we returned to the boat, closed the hatches and we were off.

I really liked Cane Garden Bay. I was sad to wave goodbye as we pulled out of the harbor. It had a nice feel to it, everyone was friendly and helpful and I really enjoyed the live reggae music. We would have liked to stay there a few more days but because we waited out the weather in Francis Bay we had to get moving.

We turned to our starboard side and headed north around the top of Tortola. We were really nervous about going out into the open sea because we weren't sure what to expect. It actually ended up being my favorite ride of the entire trip. I had finally gotten comfortable with our boat and kept reminding myself that we were 15 tons of weight. It was going to take a hell of a lot to tip us over.

We contemplated heading back south instead but Alex left it up to me. He's so great about making sure I'm completely comfortable. We enjoyed really nice sailing over to Monkey Point and even turned off the engines completely which allowed us to take in the peacefulness of our surroundings.

At the southern tip of Guana Island is a beautiful rocky outcrop known as Monkey Point It came highly recommended for snorkeling. As we slowly approached, Alex prepared to moor and anchor. We weren't sure if mooring balls were available since it didn't show them in our cruising guide.

Sure enough there were moorings however the one we came to was missing the ring to attach our line to. We circled around once more to double check but eventually anchored a little further back.

We had no problem anchoring and actually got it on the first try. We were very proud about that :) We thought we had left enough room between our anchor and the mooring balls but a Catamaran pulled right up on top of our line. We would have to wait for them to leave.

Under the water we saw large trumpet fish, rainbow parrot fish, 6 foot tarpon, huge angelfish, striped parrot fish, yellow tail snapper, and many more tropical fish. The coral life is rich and healthy. Large fan coral sway back and forth and red stag coral populate the area. A few large tube coral were present. I also noticed that there were very few sea urchins which is unlike a lot of the places we visited in SE Asia. That's the sign of a healthy reef.

All of the British Virgin Islands are protected by the national park. It is absolutely illegal to fish in the BVI without a permit. That along with plentiful mooring balls for boaters helps preserve the natural beauty of the sea life.

My absolute favorite thing was a school of cuttlefish! It was amazing!! I felt a rush of excitement flow through my entire body. To see one would have been awesome but I was face to face with 30 of them. They flashed purple and red to communicate with one another. Cuttlefish are referred to as the chameleon of the sea because of their remarkable ability to rapidly alter their skin color at will. Their skin flashes a fast-changing pattern as communication to other cuttlefish and to camouflage them from predators. WOW!

As I kept myself perfectly still in a state of amazement, I suddenly hear a large splash on the surface just a few feet away from me. I instantly peek my head above water and see a yellow tail snapper flapping it's tail violently on the surface. Seconds later, I witness a 3 foot pelican clear it's throat, tilt his neck back and devour the snapper in one gulp. It was a spectacular sight and I had a front row seat. I'm glad he went for the yellow tail instead of me!

Monkey Point offered some of the best snorkeling we've experienced and we hope that it remains a diverse ecosystem for generations to come.

We enjoyed several hours here and then proceed through the narrow passage way to Marina Cay. We found ourselves surrounded by private islands and water so clear that we could almost see the bottom. The water was calm here and we wished that these moments would last forever.

It was a bit challenging to navigate because Little Camanoe and Great Camaone Islands blend into each other in the horizon. It's not until you are close to shore that your eyes reveal a tiny passageway leading straight for Beef Island. It is privately owned and is home to a small airport that hosts propeller planes.

As we approach Marina Cay, I spot a baby dolphin jump out of the water twice. I had my eyes open for them the entire trip so I was really happy to finally see one.

Marina Cay is a cliche Caribbean island. I feel like we're on set for a Corona commercial. It's surrounded by a white sand beach. Palm trees line the shore, hibiscus flowers are in bloom, thatch roof covered picnic tables are perfect for relaxing at and a bar and restaurant await us. The entire island is 8 acres.

We moor successfully on our first attempt. It's always a relief to be securely moored for the night. Even through it was a nice cruise on the way over, we now realized why sailors drink so much! First thing, we popped open a can of pineapple juice and a new bottle of Cruzan rum and sat on the bow of the boat taking in the scenery.

I always love dinghy rides, they're fast and maneuverable and it's fun being so close to the water. We tie up to the dock. (and lock it for good measure) A stroll through the gift shop gave us a few ides for souvenirs.

Next we took a romantic walk up the hill on a secluded windy path. There were no other people in sight. Large hermit crabs rustled in the leaves and little jumping lizards crossed our path.

We wandered up to the very top of the hill and found a good vantage point of the entire island.

Afterward we moseyed down to the restaurant. A bartender greeted us and offered the house special- none other than the infamous Painkiller. This was made with a very special Pusser's Rum.

A rasta chef sat at the end of the bar waiting for the rush to start. We were getting an early start and other than us the place was deserted.

As we waited for our drinks a British woman came up and asked if we had a reservation. We both looked around and thought "What the hell do we need a reservation for? The place is empty!" We laughed about it but eventually filled up with other patrons arriving in boats.

Along one wall were faded black and white photographs of Marina Cay in the 1920s and 30s. A writer named Rob White and his wife lived on the island for 3 years. They were sailors and landed at what they believe to be a large island but soon realized that it was not what they expected. As soon as they set foot on shore, he walked in one direction and she took off in another. They meet up an hour later and realized that it was only 8 acres and was completely uninhabited by people. They quickly purchased the island outright for and incredible price of $60 US.

In the late 70's, Marina Cay became famous as an outpost for Pusser's Rum. Alex told how his dad had a ration of Pusser's when he was the Dr. on board the ship for the Royal British Navy.

Rum and the sea are inseparable, and no rum is more akin to the sea and the sailor than Pusser's Rum–the Original Navy Rum. For more than 300 years, from the earliest days of wooden ships and iron men, sailors of Great Britain's Royal Navy were issued a daily ration–or "tot"–of rum by the ship's "Purser" (corrupted by the sailors to Pusser's). Prior to 1740, the men's daily tot of Pusser's Rum was a pint a day, which they drank neat, that is without water!

From 1655 to the 19th century, Pusser's Rum was one of the few daily comforts afforded those early seamen of Britain's Navy as they fought around the globe to keep the Empire intact and its sea lanes open.

It was not until July 31st, 1970 that the Admiralty Board abolished the daily issue of Pusser's Rum. "Times had changed", they said as they concluded that "in a highly sophisticated navy no risk for margin or error which might be attributable to rum could be allowed". And so it was that the daily issue of Pusser's Rum, which had stood the test of time as the Navy's longest serving tradition for over 300 years, was cast aside like a piece of flotsam and jetsam where it lay quietly until 1979.

Jost Van Dyke, Sandy Spit, Cane Garden Bay- Day 5

2009-07-29T09:49:00.000-07:00

We woke relatively early and proceeded with our normal routine- engine check and coffee brewing. We were off to the next leg of your journey today. We had some extra fresh grapes and 2 bananas so I made a little plate to take over to Debbie and Rick since we couldn't take any fresh foods into the BVI. We also said goodbye to Lyn and Paul. It was a very nice feeling making friends and I can easily get used to this lifestyle. I see how they love it so much.

Alex took the fuel filter off of the dinghy and cranked it 200 more times to get the air out. She started right u after that and we didn't have a single problem with her since.

We set off at 9:30 and headed directly across to Jost Van Dyke to check into the BVI. It was much better seas today. We were glad that we stayed the extra day at Francis Bay waiting for the high pressure system.

It was a straight shot across the open water and we passed Great Thatch Island on our right. We've found that the waters are calmer in the mornings so it's nice to get an early start before the winds pick up.

We slowly cruise by the white sand beaches on Jost Van Dyke. Foxys and The Soggy Dollar Bar are famous hangouts here. Unfortunately we didn't have time to check them out since we were headed over to Cane Garden Bay for the evening. It'll give us something to check out the next time we are here!

We pull into the bay and attach to a mooring. I get a cool vibe from this place and would have liked to stay longer. We literally checked in with customs and grabbed some provisions and we were out. Customs checked us in and out of the BVI so we did not need to stop back through on our way out. We were told that this was the best port to check into.

Being on land made us feel a little sea sick. We had no problems while on the boat, but for some reason any time we went on land we would begin to feel it.

We walked up the sandy sidewalk to a small bodega. Everything was dusty and the shelves we half empty. We selected 2 bottles of Jamaican Rum, and 24 case of Heineken and a long stem lighter for the stove.

From there we took a sharp turn out of the bay and up to Sandy Spit. It's a tiny picturesque island would have been the perfect place to stop for lunch had it not been so windy! You have to anchor here since it's not an overnight stop and there were a handful of other sailboats already there. We choose a nice open spot to anchor but had some difficulty since it was so windy and wavy. We attemped 4 or 5 times but our anchor kept slipping. It was very stressful but we decided to give it one more go. We moved out to the edge of the island which was less protected but we were able to latch down. Our boat rocked violently back and forth in the wind.

We landscape was immaculate. It reminded us of the little island that we snorkeled on in Belize. I went down below to prepare sandwiches. We had all of the best ingredients- salami, turkey, cheese, tomatoes and mayonnaise. I felt the first instance of sea sickness while on the boat because I was down below in rough waves. Being down in the cabin is torture in big waves. Luckily I was a pro at making sandwiches by this point so I quickly put them together and got back to the cockpit as soon as possible.

We really enjoyed the breathtaking scenery. It looked like some sort of imaginary island, it was so perfect. Unfortunately wind and waves encouraged us to get going pretty quickly but we would love to return here to explore and snorkel.

It was a short distance across the channel to Cane Garden Bay. Towards the end of the trip, the waves picked up to 5-6 feet so needless to say we were very happy to have a mooring.

This was a cool little spot. It was pretty crowded since it was already later afternoon but we found a lice easy mooring towards the back. This was the first place that we stopped at overnight that actually had a restaurant and bar of any sort.

Beach front bars line the shore and Rasta guys are busy setting up for a jazz band that plays later that night in the open aired restaurant.

With our dinghy securely docked, we walked along the sand to a bright pink restaurant. We knew that was the one that we needed to pay for our mooring ball because the color matched. We patiently waited for the clerk to prepare our hand written receipt while Court TV was playing in the background.

Behind the restaurants was a narrow winding road that curved along the mountainside. This little place reminded me of Placencia, and how simple life was there.

We arrived just in time for Happy Hour so we ordered up a couple of Pain Killers to get it started. After having one drink at the Big Banana, we moved to the place with the band. Rum punch was the specialty there. It was laid back. Ragee music played over the speakers and the ocean breeze provided a nice wind.

Our bartender Braeton was Jamaican. He was probably 20 something, and moved here 2 years ago to be with his father. He said he loved it here but gets board of island life. He was saving up for a trip home to visit family but a one way ticket cost $800. He was a friendly guy.

We stumbled back to rest and clean up so we could come back for our first dinner at a restaurant. I ordered the catch of the day which happened to be grilled snapper and Alex had a paradise chicken roti. That was a curried chicken with potatoes in a West Indies flat bread. It was delicious! I was also proud of myself for ordering fish- I am branching out! We also had a large bottled water (sounded familiar from our SE Asia trip) which was much apperciated since the water jugs we had on board were absolutely disgusting and we were really dehydrated.

We thoroughly enjoyed our meal but felt very tired so we headed back to the boat. We laid on deck listening to the jazz music resonate throughout the entire bay.

We had all of the comforts of home- 2 pillows, a blanket, reading books, flashlights, Rum & sprite, and each other. Life is good! We must have fallen asleep there for a while because when I awoke the moon had almost set.

Snorkeling, Windy Beach, Good friends- Day 4

2009-07-28T08:32:00.000-07:00

We awake to a beautiful second morning in Francis Bay. Every few minutes we catch a 20 knot wind even though we are well protected by the lush rolling hills in front of us. Alex does his routine engine check in preparation for our journey tomorrow while I prepare coffee. We really enjoy this part of our day.

We do a little reading and writing. It's a little overcast this morning but we are ok with a little cloud cover. We get about 10 minutes of sprinkles every hour or so. That's what keeps everything so nice and green. We move from the cockpit to the galley when it rains.

Most everyone has cleared out of the bay but we decided to play it safe and stick around for one more day at the advise of our new friends. A tropical wave was expected and we certainly don't want to be stuck out in any bad weather. After all, this wasn't a bad spot to wait it out!

We were invited to come aboard Miss Heidi at 4:30 this afternoon to listen to the weather. The regular weather man was on vacation so we'd have to make due with the broad information given over channel 5 and 6 on the VHF.

After loading up the dinghy with our snorkeling gear, we headed to the east side of the bay. We attached to a mooring ball and swam over to the shore. There were millions of tiny translucent fish surrounding us- all staring intently so they can dash off in an instant if necessary. I felt a little claustrophobic at first and tried to stay on the outside of them but then I realized that they weren't interested in me, nor were they going away.

The other rockier side of the bay definetly had better coral but there was still good sea life none the less. We spotted brilliant blue tropical fish throughout. Alex picked up a soft shelled crab who was hiding under coral and it danced on his finger tips. He was purple and yellow with a spider like body.

We worked our way around the protected area and just as we were about to jump back in the dinghy, I spotted a puffer fish in the sand! He was all by his lonesome. He was light yellow with black spots. They are the second most poisonous invertebrate in the world!

Now it's time for some relaxation on the beach. We swing back by the boat to drop off our snorkeling gear and grab our beach mats. The mats have really come in handy. We first purchased them in Belize and carried them all over Southeast Asia as well.

Our friends Debbie and Rick were already on shore. They introduced us to another couple, Lyn and Paul, who had their teenage granddaughter with them on a 2 month summer vacation. What a great way to spend your summer vacation! Just as we arrived after what seemed like 100 more tugs on the dinghy, they were headed back to the boat. Alex and I found a nice shaded spot to lay out the beach mats. After we got settled, I popped open 2 ice cold Heinekens. Ahhhh, nice!

We were instantly befriended by a Pureto Rican woman whose husband forgot their bottle opener. We chatted with her for a bit. They came up on a power boat to do some deep sea fishing. Further down the beach to our right was the family who was in the mega yacht that was stationed at the very back of the bay. We had been curious about them, wondering who they were and what their story was. We people watched intently and laughed at the ridiculousness of the whole thing.

It appeared that there were 2 families. One of the husbands and the young boys were playing in the waist deep water. A crew member dressed in uniform (purple shorts, white polo shirt) brought the 2 woman and several young girls to shore in an over sized dinghy. They had so much gear with them, it was hilarious. The worker set up their beach chairs with foot rests and arranged their umbrella so they could get the perfect amount of sun and shade. That took several attempts to get it just right, under the direction of the woman, of course.

Once everything is settled, the guy takes off. Alex and I laugh at how simple our set up is and think about how much we are enjoying ourselves. We lay together on the sand with incredible surroundings. The sand is smooth and white, the water is clear and warm, and the palm trees provide us with all the shade we need. We pop open another Heineken and cheers to a beautiful day.

About 30 minutes later, a huge gust of wind comes along. We were amused to see that it has turned the woman's umbrella completely inside out. Alex and I had to turn our heads in the other direction so they wouldn't see us laughing.

The husband rushes over and grabs a hand held walkie-talkie. We couldn't believe our eyes. It was like a scene from a tv show! He radios back to the yacht and moments later the worker comes back with.....a new umbrella!!

Alex and I were narrating the entire thing, imagining what they must have been saying to one another. "You imbecile! You put this umbrella in wrong and now it's blown away! Bring me another, immediately!"

After all of the excitement, we decided to head back to our Rya Jen for a little R&R. At 4:30, we jumped in the dinghy but of course it wouldn't start for the life of us. Alex pulled and pulled until his muscle got 2 times bigger. Paul, the Aussie came to rescue us.

We arrived to a wonderful spread of appetizers and munchies. Debbie prepared all of this herself and it was such a nice treat. Rick poured stiff gin and tonics. We all sat around the cockpit exchanging stories of our travels.

Debbie is a petite, lovely lady who is maybe 5 feet tall. She worked for IBM most of her life and Rick owned his own computer company in Houston. They had a love for sailing so they sold their home and lived on the boat for 2 years before they came down to the Caribbean. They were members of Lakewood Yacht Club, where Alex's dad was a member. They've been sailing for 9 years now and say that these waters never get boring. They had plenty of great advise to give, and we listened intently.

Their friends Lyn and Paul had been out for 11 years so far. They were based out of Washington I believe. Paul was a real character (as most Australians are). He had to make a trip back to their boat for more tonic and almost fell head over feet in the dinghy. When he returned with full arms, I offered to help until he got steady footing. "To hell you will- never take a Aussie's beer away from him!" he instructed me. He told about raising sheep and lamb as a young boy in Australia. It was good company all around.

Debbie asked if we were on some sort of honey moon. I replied "I'm just happy to have Alex say the word honey moon!" LOL! She prepared a printed itinerary with some of their favorite places. We really appreciated that and it came in very handy for the remainder of our journey. It was a very thoughtful gesture and we'll always remember them for that.

After a great night of stories and good company, Paul returned us safely to our ship. Alex and I laid out under the stars reading. I got to the part in my book where Bella finds out that Edward might be a vampire and Alex reads about the possibility of other suns and solar systems.

We open all the hatches and pull in for a good night's rest in the front cabin.

Francis Bay, Snorkeling -Day 3

2009-07-27T17:13:00.000-07:00

We decided to take a much needed day of relaxation to recover from our adventurous sail over. First thing, I make a satisfying pot of coffee with a splash of milk and sugar. Mornings are a good time for me to write, and Alex enjoys catching up on Scientific American.

Today, he tells me about how humans have some of the same characteristics and features of baby chimpanzees. Neoteny is the retention of traits previously only seen in juveniles and it plays a role in evolution. Humans retain chimp's adolescent features throughout our lives but adult chimps develop larger jaws and become covered in hair. I enjoyed Alex's tidbits of interesting information.

We thoroughly enjoyed stretching out in the cockpit reading and writing. As I look up, the scenery is picturesque. The shore is lined with tall palm trees swaying in the breeze. The turquoise water is refreshing. It fades into a bold shade of sapphire in the distance.

To our left is a Whistling Caye and a narrow passage to the main island of St. John.

To our right the landscape becomes rocky and seagulls and pelicans enjoy the perfect perch to watch fish below the surface. It must be spawning time for the fish because every once in a while tons of fish jump clear out of the water. Of course this attracts the seagulls who zone in on their prey. It's a pretty incredible site.

For lunch we eat some more tasty sandwiches. I'm not much of a sandwich person at home but for some reason these were exceptionally good.

Late morning, we decided to move to another moor that was closer in to the shore. We had been eying one closer in. We untie the lines and slowly approach the moor. For some reason we missed it the first go around. A man from a nearby boat yelled "Don't go for the eye, just get the floater!" Good tip! Alex was trying to get ahold of the top of the line which is really heavy. He realized that he could just grab the end. By our second attempt, we were pros. I circle around (avoiding all the other moorings), approach slowly, and pop it into reverse while Alex reaches down and grabs it. Easy!

Now it's time for an afternoon swim! We load up our dinghy with our new snorkeling gear and motor up to the beach. Just in case, we pulled the anchor out and set it in the sand! We didn't want any big waves to carry it off.

Our new fins and mask work beautifully! They are very comfortable and easy to maneuver in. We follow the curve in the reef and begin to see hundreds of brightly colored fish! Right away, we came across a sea cucumber. Rock beauties, yellow tail snapper, glassy snapper, yellow mouth grouper, and a sand diver inhabited the reef. Alex waved his hand near the sand diver and he jumped forward towards us. He always searches for things hidden in small crevices or in the sand.

We swam through a school of millions of tiny translucent fish. I felt a little claustrophobic but then realized that they weren't going to touch me. Attached to a fan coral was a brightly colored orange creature with black spots and a hard shell.

After snorkeling we walked hand in hand along the beach. Giant fig trees line the beach. They have enormous green leaves with red veins and hard green figs at the tip. No unusual seashells on shore, sadly to say.

We hoped back in our dinghy and came back to the boat to rinse off. Jack fish jump out of the water all around us and somehow we attract a group of interesting seagulls on our dinghy.

I fell asleep reading Twilight and Alex dosed in and out. A relaxing afternoon nap was a real treat! Next we decided to check out Cinnamon Bay which was the next one over to the right. We jump in our dinghy and....it won't start!

Alex yanks on the engine a hundred times and finally she starts. We cruise along the shore and pull up to the beach. We spotted the endangered sea hawksbill turtle! We arrive at a nice stretch of sand and I was surprised at how many people were out. There was actually an Aussie giving people kite surfing lessons. What a life!

We take a leisurely stroll and decide to head back before the sun goes down.

Our biggest problem today was getting our damn dinghy to start! After several hundred more tugs, we creep along the rocky shoreline searching for wildlife on land. I really enjoy learning about the different types of animal life that we encounter on our travels. There's a huge rock that seems like it would be the perfect place for a sunbathing iguana.

We stopped by our neighbors who were aboard Miss Heidi. She's from none other than Houston, Texas! Alex sears that he recognized their boat from the Kemah Marina where his dad keeps his boat, and we had to say hello to find out. The blond haired man greeted us with a big hello and his petite wife smiled a very welcoming grin. She was tiny, and as I imagined her sailing the rough seas, I felt much more confident.

They were really great people. They were members of Lakewood Yacht Club when Alex was a kid and started sailing the Caribbean when the retired 9 years ago. They live aboard Miss Heidi full time. Their boat is fully equipped. It even has a wind turbine to save energy.

They sail sailing these seas never get old. We swapped stories while Alex and I held onto the side of their boat. They invited us back tomorrow afternoon at 4:30 to listen to the weather. I was looking forward to it. It's a social event in these parts!

We were contemplating heading out early in the morning but decided to take their advise and stick around for another night just in case the tropical wave made an appearance. It was supposed to bring in a high pressure system which would provide much more enjoyable sailing. We are totally fine with having another relaxing day in Francis Bay in hopes that we'd have calmer winds and waves to deal with.

Alex determines that the fuel filter is shot on the dinghy. He removes it and we hope that that will solve our problems.

For dinner we prepare a yummy meal of chicken breast, green beans and yellow rice. The only "spice" we had was an interesting ketchup/mustard concoction. We forgot to buy salt and pepper but we made due with what we had and it actually turned out rather nicely.

We ate at the table in the cockpit as the sun slowly dropped behind us. I really love our meals out here. It's so peaceful. The compass light even provides nice ambiance!

I snuggle up with a blanket and we read with the unreliable help of our crappy flashlights that like to blink for no apparent reason. Off in the distance at the very back of the bay is a super mega yacht. It's 3 stories high and has a swimming pool and hot tub on the roof. Every light on the entire ship is on and we wonder how much energy they are using. Who are they, we ask ourselves.

We finish off our bottle of Cruzan rum and move on to the next one as we lean back under the stars.

Packet Rock, Pillsbury Sound, Francis Bay - Day 2

2009-07-26T08:15:00.000-07:00

Our sleeping schedules quickly adjusted to the rise and fall of the sun. Every morning I pull out the well used coffee peculator from under the galley bench and begin boiling water for coffee. Pureto Rican coffee hit the spot! We even had milk and sugar- just the way we make it at home!

Most mornings for breakfast we had fresh fruit. A wooden table in the cockpit unfolds which makes the perfect place to sit and enjoy a nice meal. Breathtaking blue water surrounds us and the familiar smell of sea air reminds us of our excursion in Indonesia.

We pull anchor at about 9:30 that morning with plans to sail south around St. Thomas, stopping at Francis Bay, St. John overnight.

It was a little windier than we expected as we cleared Water Island. We are fighting the wind and waves going south, cutting across the bay. As we pass the first set of rocks to our starboard side, we decide that it's time to get some wind in our sails. I take the wheel and Alex mans the lines. He boldly pulls the main up then gives it a minute to adjust. "How does that feel?" "Good," I say.

Next, we crank the jib out. We are used to sailing in Galveston where you have to use full sail to catch the little wind there is. We quickly learned that this was different!

Before I realized what was happening, we were completely keeled over. Our starboard rail was almost in the water. "Babe.... I don't like this!!" I yelled. Alex reassessed the situation and said, "Yeah..... let's pull it back in a little." At this point I was frozen stiff, holding tight to the wheel, wishing he would hurry up so he could take back over. In reality he recovered very nicely, reefing the sails at a more comfortable pace. From then on we decided to take it nice and easy.

The wind was relentless. We had full sail up in 19 knot wind. It frequently reached to 30 knots throughout our journey. We continued straight out from Water Island so we could avoid the dreadful Packet Rock.

You must sail far away from the coast line here because coral is found between land and Packet Rock. The further you are away from the shore in this open water, the larger the waves become. We guessed them to be about 6-8 feet. Big waves combined with 30 knot winds made for a very stressful first sail. Needless to say, we kept checking our progress on the chart as we passed each landmark.

Eventually we turned into the wind. We quickly learned how to deal with the waves- as long as they are not breaking on our side, we're ok. As we approached a small channel in the distance, we decided to pull in our sails and motor in. This would at least get us there quicker and allow us to take a more direct path.

Every once in a while I caught a nice sea spray from the waves rolling over the bow of the boat. Alex did a great job as Captain. We were both a little nervous about the unusually high winds but tried to exude our confidence. We laughed to lighten the mood and anticipated our much needed rum drink!

I took the wheel every now and again so Alex could verify our positioning on the chart down below. We both kept an eye on it so we could make sure that we were on the right track.

Finally, we passed Packet Rock and cranked up the engine to 25000 RPU. We were thrilled to see Calf Rock. That would give us a little protection form the elements.

We passed cautiously through a narrowing crossing between Cowpet Bay on St. Thomas and Fish Cay on Great St. James. That stretch was absolutely beautiful!! The water turned from a stunning blue to a see-through turquoise color. I swear I could see the bottom! Rocky edges on shore jetted straight out of the water and connected with the rugged scenery on land.

Day trippers from a nearby resort crossed our path in a large Catamaran. We were relived to be in calm waters and we were allowed a few minutes to catch our breath. I offered to take the wheel again to give Alex a rest.

Next we approached Pillsbury Sound and we quickly started feeling the rollers from across our starboard side. There's a passageway here which is exposed to open water to our left and right, that brings big choppy waves. Any time you are protected by land, the waves break on the islands and become smaller. We had to pass through this little section before we'd have that luxury. Consistent winds of 20-30 knots taunted us.

This was equally as challenging to navigate, and this time, the 6 ft waves were hitting us directly on our side. We had to turn slightly into it, trying to keep far enough away from land and shallow spots. Finally we spotted Two Brother's Rock and we hoped the worst was over! We were sheltered by land again!

We sailed past Steven Cay and into the Durloe Channel which was much anticipated. We were now surrounded by land and the waves calmed considerably! We enjoyed the uninhabited shoreline of St. John which was covered in lush green landscape. All of the islands are very different. Some are dry with cactus and others are lush and green.

I mind the flashing yellow buoy which marks the edge of the National Park boundary while keeping the red buoy to my starboard.

At last, we swing into Francis Bay- completely exhausted and desperately needing a refreshing rum and pineapple!

It's gorgeous! There are no structures, restaurants, houses, or businesses. Rolling green hills cover the island which provide a protected shelter from the wind. Turquoise water surrounds us. The bay makes an almost perfect "C" shape. We were warned about a potential Tropical Wave on Tuesday so this is a great spot to be.

OK, now it's time to moor! This is our first time- we weren't given an opportunity to practice this in our orientation. We quickly decide which one we are going for- one on the left side in the middle.

Mooring is good for the coral because it's an alternative to anchoring. So much of the reef has been destroyed by anchoring. A mooring is a buoy that is attached securely to the bottom. There's a line coming from the buoy with a loop.

We approach the mooring slowing (we always did it on our starboard side). One person is on the bow of the boat with the boat hook. They visually inspect the mooring to make sure it's in good condition as you approach. As soon as you come up to the mooring, the person at the wheel briefly switches the boat in reverse which keeps you stationary, and then back to neutral. The person at the front reaches down and grabs the line with the boat hook and attaches it to the lines that are attached to the front of the boat. Tie several boat knots to secure it in place. We used two lines, one on the starboard side and one on the port side to give us more stability. Once you are secure, you can relax and know that you aren't going anywhere. Sounds simple enough, right?

We choose an easy mooring- one that gave us plenty of room. Our first time was a success! No problems! Alex did a nice job of communicating to me as I manned the wheel. After we knew we could do it and had a better vantage point of the bay, Alex contemplated moving to a more sheltered spot since we knew there was potential for bad weather. We should have just stayed put.

None the less, we decided that we should move over further to the right side of the bay which was much more protected from the rolling hills. We thought we'd have less winds there. That was just a practice round, we told ourselves.

Alex unties us from the mooring and I reverse and cut through several other sailboats to get to the other side of the bay. More on this later...

..........

Alex surfaces, giving me a thumb's up. We are all good! Whew! We were secure. We receive a round of applause from our neighbors. We certainly did make an entrance!! Alex was a hero, he really does deserve some sort of medal or award for his quick thinking.

So, here we are in absolute paradise and we are completely relieved to have made it this far! It was a rough day, not nearly as relaxing a vacation as we imagined but none the less, it was an adventure. We learned a lot in our first day!

Francis Bay is breathtaking. 2/3 of St. John's is a National Park so it's very well preserved. Families are swimming along the shore, sunbathers lay out on the white sand beaches, and people zoom by us in dinghys. We realize that sailing is similar to traveling in an RV- only way better! LOL

Alex looked relived when he finally got a chance to site down. Everything was perfectly alright now. Our teamwork got us through a very eventful day. Good communication is crucial. We were in good spirits the entire time, laughing nervously when we had a moment to let our minds wonder.

Alex later told me that for a brief moment he thought to himself that we had gotten in over our heads. We really hoped that the remainder of our journey would be smooth, calm sailing. We handled it well, we just hope to also get our fair share of relaxation in as well!

In the galley, I prepared delicious sandwiches. We relaxed and read on the boat for the remainder of the evening and I went to bed at about 8:30 which seemed much later than it actually was.

I woke up several times in the next several hours to find Alex still sitting out under the stars enjoying a nightcap. Eventually I got up again and grabbed some pillows and blankets so we could lay comfortably in the cockpit.

We gazed above us at the Big Dipper, our galaxy the Milky Way, and the millions of stars overhead. The moon was a crescent shape and I realized that I would get to watch it increase over the remainder of the trip.

We counted the flashing green yellow buoy in the distance every 4 seconds. That was the only light around.

When we crawled into bed and I closed my eyes, all I could see was giant crashing waves. I was happy to be safe and sound in Francis Bay. I felt so thankful to for this amazing experience that I get to live and for the stories I'll get to tell.

Beneteau 39, Water Island- Day 1

2009-07-25T06:06:00.000-07:00

We awoke to a spectacular view of blue waters, clear skies and lush vegetation surrounding us. A humming bird visited me on the balcony and a small black bird with a yellow under belly sat on a nearby branch. Butterflies fluttered around and the sun shined brightly. Water planes landed in the channel every few minutes.

We wanted a quick easy breakfast so we wandered in to the nearby Micky D's (we only do this on vacation) for a fast meal. CYOA Yacht Charters was expecting us at 9:30.

After crossing the gravel driveway we arrived at the French Town harbor to complete a few last minute forms. Afterward we return to our room to gather our things and enjoy our last "proper" shower in who knows how long. We leave the key in the drop and roll our bags down to the dock.

It was nice to be able to drop our things off at the boat and get a quick peak at was already provided. A bottle of Cruzan Rum lay waiting on the table.

We choose to do our own provisioning. We walked up to the main road then turned left for several more blocks until we came to Pueblo Market. Cars drive on the opposite side of the road which makes it very difficult when crossing the street. The market was crowded with people, some waiting under the shade trees in the front. A hand written sign on the door informed us that they only accepted cash today- their credit card machines were down. Good thing we brought enough with us!

We carefully went through every isle selecting rice, canned green beans, a box of mac and cheese, pringles, boxed meals, coffee, juice, etc. Everything was very expensive since it all has to be brought into the island. Creeping down every isle of dried goods, we wondered where the fresh vegetable and meats were. We made it all the way to the very back of the store and finally found a doorway to another room that was refrigerated. Ah-ha!

Since we would be preparing some meals on the boat we got a bag of chicken breast, sausage, and salami, ham and cheese for sandwhiches. Last but not least, a bottle of rum and a case of Heineken completed our trip.

As Alex paid I went outside to flag down a taxi. It was a much easier task than I thought. A man came up and said he would take me to a taxi. I was hesitant- I know how this game works and I didn't want to tip him for his help since I was perfectly capable of it myself. Anyway, he ended up leading me to a woman and her 5 year old son and said that they would take us.

We loaded their trunk full of groceries. The little boy only spoke Spanish so I tried my best to make small talk. We swung through an ATM which was also only in Spanish and after several attempts, we were on our way back to the harbor.

The little boy and his mom helped us unload the groceries into a rolling cart. Back at the boat, Alex handed the bags to me and we began finding a place for things. About half way through, a woman came over telling us to hurry so we could get our orientation underway. We quickly found a secure home for everything.

Jan was all business. She handed us a scavenger hunt of items around our boat along with several other forms to complete. The scavenger hunt was a very good was of familiarizing us with the boat. She walked us through everything piece by piece.

The orientation took several hours and completely exhausted us. Lastly, we pulled out the chart and went over all of the places that we could and could not go.

After Jan's part was complete, Doug jumped on board and took us out in the channel to practice pulling out the sails a few times.

I took the wheel and kept the wind at 20 degrees to our starboard side. Alex did a great job and I was also complemented on holding the wind so nicely. That gave me confidence. At that point, I hadn't even realized the instruments available, I was just going off of what he told me to do. Little did I know, they would come in very handy for the remainder of the journey.

Our Beneteau turns on a dime! This is going to be a real treat! It's so easy to maneuver and all of the sails are in one place which makes it easy for Alex since he'll be doing that himself.

Once we get the ok on our sailing, Doug radios back to the office and a guy meets us with our dingy. Doug jumps in the other dingy and off they go! We are now on our own!

It was late afternoon at this point so we decided to just go 2 miles through the cut to Water Island and anchor at (drum roll please...) Honey Moon Beach :)

It was picturesque- looked like a Corona commercial with a white sand beach and palm trees that lined the shore. This was our first attempt at anchoring and luckily we got it on the first try. The bay was pretty full so were were towards the back on the left hand side, but still protected from the wind.

A ritual began! As soon as were securely anchored, I said "Well, I think it's time for a rum drink!" I went below and prepared the refreshments while Alex made sure that the anchor was in place. We waited about an hour to ensure that we remained at approximately 34.2 feet. Ideally 15-25 feet is best but this was our first time so we were a little further out.

We jump in for a dip, the water is a perfect temperature! Our new fins and masks are comfortable. We had great viability in the clean clear water. Alex dives down to inspect the anchor.

The boat was equipped with an outdoor shower which was really convenient for rinsing off after swimming. It even had hot water!

After freshening up, we took our first dingy ride up to the shore and joined some of the locals for a "sun downer." A rope lay on the beach to tie up the dingy. A woman prepared refreshing drinks out of a tiny beach side shack.

She introduced us to the local drink of choice- the "Painkiller." It's absolutely refreshing- made of Cruzan or Pusser's rum, pineapple, orange and coconut juices with nutmeg sprinkled on top. YUM!

A fellow sailor from Mobile, Alabama introduced himself. When we asked how long he had been sailing he answered "Working on 10 years...on my second." He came took his first trip to the Caribbean two years ago and never returned. He was the first of several characters we would encounter!

We enjoyed a few drinks and then went back to our boat for dinner. Luckily we left the anchor light on so we could identify our boat in the dark! When there are 30 boats, the all begin to look alike after a few Painkillers!

We prepared chicken breast (flavored only with ketchup/mustard flavored sauce), my favorite- mac and cheese, and green beans. Delicious! We revved the engine to preserve battery life while we used electricity.

The evening ritual of stretching out in the cockpit reading books under the stars began that night. Hundreds of stars shinned above us although the moon was just a sliver. I read Twilight, a tale of a teenage girl who falls in love with a vampire and Alex read the Economist magazines. We snuggled up with pillows and a blanket up and were totally at peace.

St. Thomas, USVI

2009-07-24T17:06:00.000-07:00

We arrived in beautiful St. Thomas Friday evening around 9 and were greeted with chilled shots of pineapple and mango rum, the local spirit of choice. It was warm and muggy in the non air conditioned baggage claim and luckily our bags arrived quickly. We were carrying extra weight because I had to pack for my extended trip to New York so we had our hands full.

We jumped into a taxi and shared a ride with a photographer who was in town on business. We had a room reserved at Villa Olga in French Town, which is a short 5-10 minute ride from the airport. We hook a right onto a narrow winding dirt road and pass a baseball field and several bars and restaurants filled with patrons. The field reminds me of the soccer field in Placencia.

Villa Olga's is at the very end of the small road, overlooking the French Town Harbor and the bay on the other side.

It's late but Jill is there awaiting our arrival. She's very friendly and points out some of the great places to eat and drink in the area.

We lug all our our bags up several flights of stairs, pass the nicely lit swimming pool and up another set.

We finally arrive at room #4 and the a/c is blasting! We quickly freshen up and head down to Betsy's Bar for our first taste of rum and pineapple drink on the island. Ahhh! Refreshing! They were very stout drinks, and we both felt toasty after the first round! Local boaters crowded the bar and stories of sailing trips were the talk of the town.

Back in our room, the a/c hummed loudly to remind us that it was working hard. It was a familiar sound, similar to the a/c in our Enfield house which was more like a jet engine taking off than anything else. Non the less, it was a comfortable room with a gorgeous view of the bay. Waves crashed down below us and the silhouette of a nearby island was faint in the distance.

We settled in for a good night's sleep and dreamed about our upcoming adventures.

Last stop, Bangkok Thailand

2008-08-13T16:07:00.000-07:00

We set aside 3 days and 2 nights to stop in and visit Johnny one last time. He picked us up from the airport just like before and we took the 30 minute taxi ride to "Soi Bat, Rama Son."

Everything was strangely familiar. The old woman sat in her chair near the coy pond, the restaurant across the street smelt delicious, the store keeper smiled hello, and Duke Dig the dog lay on the front step. Staying with Johnny gave us a real feel for true Asian lifestyle. We purchased some large Singhas, sat in the terrace and talked as old friends until the wee hours.

The next day Johnny went into to work so Alex and I flagged down a motorbike taxi and went to our favorite coffee stand for a 12 Baht "cafe yen" (iced milk coffee). Then we made our way across the 16 lane stretch of highway to Central Plaza for a bite to eat. Although very convenient, it's a 5 story mega mall that seems very out of place.

After that we joined Johnny at school because we wanted to meet the kids and see how he spends his days. We were greeted by a 3rd grade class who was sitting indian style in a circle on the floor. Johnny started by saying "Good Morning class!" They answered in unison, "Good Morning Teacher John." We were then introduced as Crazy Alex and Crazy Loranda. We played a hilarious game of Simon Says and the kids loved it as much as we did. As we were leaving, Alex picked up one of the kids so she could jump high. Before we knew it, the entire class formed a line behind her! I was dying with laughter!

Next we went to a 5th grade class where the students raised their hands to ask us questions in English. They all spoke in perfect sentences and loved teasing Johnny about his lackluster Thai. As we went around the room we were asked things like "What's your favorite food?" Pad Thai of course, "What's your favorite animal?" Monkeys, no doubt (But then I realized that monkey translates into "Crazy" in Thai), hence the nickname, and "What's your favorite place to travel?" Oh, so many...

The kids are magical. Huge smiles light up their faces and their big brown eyes radiate with excitement. We loved spending the day with them! I see how it will be difficult for Johnny to leave this welcoming community.

After school we went back over to Central Plaza. We wanted to do something low key because we had an early fight the next morning. A game of bowling did the trick. There is a state of the art bowling alley inside the mall! American tunes played overhead and Thai twenty somethings drank beer and enjoyed themselves. It was a little odd but reminiscent of home at the same time.

We ate dinner at a local street restaurant. The entire menu was in Thai so we selected a few items and were pleasantly satisfied. We resumed our seats at the terrace of the apartment and enjoyed each other's company. Johnny had plans to return to Texas soon but we were unsure when we'd all be gathered at a table again.

The next morning we grabbed a bite to eat at the small restaurant across the street. Johnny, being the character he is, brought his video camera to film our departure. He recorded the women preparing our food and some Thai girls eating breakfast. We were laughing hysterically and I can only imagine what they thought! "The crazy white guy's here again..."

Some cardboard cut outs were leaned up against the wall of the restaurant. Johnny grabs one and hands it to Alex and gives the second one to me. Here we are at 8 in the morning, eating breakfast and talking to cardboard cut outs while being filmed. Like I've said before, there's NEVER a dull moment with Johnny around. That tape will be priceless someday.

Reluctantly, we piled our bags into a taxi and headed to the airport. We were in for a 22 hour flight. The drive out of town was emotional. I knew that once we step foot inside the airport, we would be so far away from everything that we had come to know and love over there.

Our journey had come to an end. It's impossible to describe our new found sense of appreciation. We'll miss the sights, the smells, the people, the beauty. We were in the furthest point that we could ever physically be away from home and we felt comfortable there. Realizing this made the world seem so much smaller.

We accomplished what we had set out for and so much more. We created memories that will forever be defining moments in each other's lives. We tasted new foods and new religions. We dove in the most beautiful places on Earth. We climbed to the highest mountains. We smelt tropical flowers and listened to the birds in the trees. We held wild animals. We relied on each other. We learned about Asian culture and strove to have meaningful conversations with people who were different than us. We shared ourselves with them. We witnessed breathtaking sunsets and gorgeous blue skys. Everything was new and different. This was significant in the discovery of our own identifies.

We hope that our blog shed some light on our journey into the unknown. We dedicate it to our families and friends who know us best. Traveling opens your mind and heart like nothing else on Earth. We trust that you will recognize how our beliefs and values may have been influenced as an extension of our travels. We encourage you to get outside of your comfort zone every once and a while. Home is always waiting for your return with open arms.

Love Always,
Loranda and Alex

To be continued...

Malaysia -Penang

2008-08-13T13:04:00.000-07:00

We woke up at 4 a.m. to grab a mini bus back to Medan and then catch a ferry for the 6 hour journey across the Strait of Malacca. Our guide from the jungle trek accompanied us and helped us get to the right bemo that went to the dock. We were happy to have his help, it would have been very difficult to figure out where to change buses, etc. The ferry was a small vessel with tiny windows. I usually don't get sea sick but I was fighting it this time. We rocked back and forth violently and there was nothing that seemed to help. Many passengers felt my pain. Needless to say, we were happy to arrive in Penang as it came highly recommended by David and his family. Recognized to have some of the best Indian food in Asia, we were really anxious for a taste test.

We decided to head towards the beach for our last few days of total relaxation. We found a home-stay in Batu Ferringhi right across from the beach. The Sunset Bistro right next door became our hangout. We enjoyed sipping a few beers and playing card games and Yahtzee to pass the time. A few strolls down the beach made us realize that our journey was coming to an end.

Sure enough, the Indian food was delectable! We had it 3 nights in a row and could have easily stayed there longer. We made a point to try a new dish at every meal and discovered several new favorites!

There were many tourists in Penang but few were of Western decent. Muslim travelers bring their families to enjoy the rich multi-cultural atmosphere. Women wore black burqas which covered them from head to toe. Several wore face masks where only their eyes could be seen. Their restricting attire did not stop them from having fun though. Many rode jet skis, enjoyed horse-back riding along the beach and para-sailing. One evening we were enjoying some delicious Indian curry at an open aired restaurant and noticed that there was a private enclosed seating area. We wondered what it was for. Moments later a Muslim family entered and was seated in that area. Then the waiter brought a partition to place around the family as they ate so no one could see them. Seclusion was necessary so the wife could remove her burqa. We were fascinated by the spectacle that this made.

Penang was also atypical because most of the businesses and restaurants didn't open until 5 or 6 in the evening. It was impossible to find breakfast! We thought that if just one of the street venders opened early, they could make a fortune! With a lack of other options, we had the opportunity of sun bathing and swimming in the sea. It was considerably more modern than the last few places that we'd been so we were happy for an upgrade even though it was considerably more expensive that we were accustomed to. It was a good segway back to regular US prices.

The Sunset Bistro had a recipe for relaxation. Every day at sunset we enjoyed playing with the white Cockatoo and 2 month old baby monkey. Alex loved jumping the waves and I enjoyed the last few pages of "A Fortune Teller Told Me," an account of a journalist traveling through Asia.

Our trip was over 100 days of pure excitement and we were in the last stretch. It all went by so quickly. On one hand we were really ready for the comforts of home but on the other hand we cherished all of the places we'd been and didn't want to leave this side of the world. The last few days provided us with mixed feelings and happy memories. We reminisced about all of the adventures that we encountered and wondered what life would be like back at home. The days and weeks slip by so quickly at home but here we were able to slow down, breath deeply, and appreciate every moment with each other. It was a time of discovery; personally, as a couple, and as a visitor of Earth.

Bukit Lawang, Trekking with the Orangutans!!

2008-08-02T12:13:00.000-07:00

Chartering a car was the best way to get half way to Bukit Lawang and then took the local bus for the remainder of the journey. The roads are in exceptionally poor condition so it took the better part of 10 hours. Bukit Lawang is in northern Sumatra and is known for the Gunung Leuser Orangutan National Park and dense jungle vegetation. This was the reason that we came to Sumatra!

Upon arriving at the local bus station, we needed to take a tuk-tuk into town. We met a guide back at the Hot Springs in Lake Toba and he happened to be on the same bus as us so he offered to help us find a guest house. We were spectacle of his willingness to help and told him many times that we would manage by ourselves. He insisted and it turns out that he never once asked us for a tip or gave us any grief about it; he was genuinely trying to help us.

The tuk-tuk only goes to one side of the river that runs through town. Then you have to walk over a suspended bamboo bridge to cross the water and proceed to the village. The river is slightly wider than the Guadalupe so you can imagine how long and rickety the bridge must have been. It was getting dark so we needed to find a place to drop our bags soon. We were exhausted after the long bus ride. I heard about the Jungle Inn so we were almost certain that we wanted to stay there but, like we always do, we stopped in several other places along the way to make sure that we were getting the best value. It just so happens that the Jungle Inn is the very last guesthouse so I got a good feel for all of the accommodations in the area! I was actually very glad to have help with my bag because there was just a narrow dirt path with lots of ups and downs for about a mile. We finally came to the end of the trail just as the sun set.

Our room was extraordinary, we had a huge private balcony with a hammock that looked out over two waterfalls and a rock wall. Each room had it's own perks and was designed to incorporate the natural beauty of it's jungle surroundings.

Everyone is friendly and greets us by saying "Welcome to the Jungle!" And we were in the jungle!! The river ran right outside our front door. We found a walking trail that lead us around some rocks alongside a cliff. Just as we came across the bend, we noticed that there were two Orangutans directly across the river from us! We hadn't even been there for five minutes! One was a female named Sasha and the other was a young male about 2 years old who following shortly behind her. The baby's mother died when she fell from a tree so Sasha adopted him. We watched as they climbed the rocks and made their way to the shore for a refreshing drink. Just then we spotted a worker from our hotel. He had his back turned away from the Orangutans so we motioned for him to turn around. The Orangutans passed right by him with no interruption.

We signed up for a Jungle Trek with a guide from our hotel. We choose to do a two day/one night trek in hopes to see lots of Orangutans in their natural environment. Anse offered to take the two of us alone with one other guide and a cook. We were thrilled about the idea of a private tour because it's much better to see the wildlife when you have a smaller group.

The next morning we woke up at 4 a.m. One thing that we didn't think about was that the electricity is turned off until about 6 in the evening so we were preparing the last minute items in complete darkness! We walked back up the dirt trail, into town and crossed over the river on the bridge. The very first thing that we saw was a giant shiny black scorpion that was about 5 inches long!!! AHHHHH!! We would soon be crawling on our hands and knees through the thick vegetation. We were in for a few surprises!

Next, we encountered a family of Thomas Monkeys; they're the ones with a white mohawk. We stood directly underneath them as they played and swung through the trees. It's so amazing to be that close to wild monkeys! At home we have squirrels in the trees but monkeys are so intelligent and human like.

We came across some massive trees that were hundreds of years old. It's crazy to think how much these trees have been through in their lifetime. There they were standing tall and healthy in the jungle of Sumatra. We felt so insignificant standing next to them.

Anse and his buddy have been jungle trekking since they were boys. They know these woods in their sleep. He decided to take us "off the path" to strengthen our chances of seeing more wild Orangutans. What he didn't tell us is that we would be doing vertical climbs through extremely thick jungle! Alex thinks that he lost 15 pounds on this trek alone. Luckily it was towards the end of our trip so we were in really good shape.

The first Orangutan that we came across was a male. His face was wide and he had fat cheek flaps which meant that he was pretty old. We sort of stumbled across him and didn't notice him until we were just a few feet away. He was very hanging very low in the tree and started coming down to the ground. We ran for a few meters until we were safe. Their movements are slow and calculated and they swing effortlessly through the vines.

Next we came up to another mother and tiny baby. Our guide suddenly yelled "Aggressive Orangutan! Aggressive Orangutan!!!!" The other guide told us to follow him. We dashed; jumped over tree stumps and vines and sprinted up to an elevated spot were we could see them from behind. Anse pulled out a bunch of bananas from his back pack and hand fed the mother and baby. A good portion of the Orangutans in this park were rescued from people who kept them as pets. Unfortunately many were abused and are accustomed to being hand fed. This leads to hostility because any time they see a human they expect to be fed. They have been known to bite guides and park rangers but this time she was just appreciative of the fresh snack.

After several hours of trekking up and down vertical inclines, we stopped for a Mie Goreng lunch. Sumatrans traditionally eat with their hands so this was our first real opportunity of adapting to their culture. One thing that I love is the fresh cucumber that comes with almost every meal. Yummy! Being left handed I didn't think about the social norms that go along with eating with your hands. I got some strange looks before I realized that I was eating with the wrong hand. Oopps!

We continued on and couldn't help but think that even though it was hot, it wasn't nearly as bad as our Thailand trek. There was so much to see in every direction, including up! The jungle was lush and green. There were interesting plants everywhere and Anse knew the medicinal use for many of them. It's very interesting to learn about how these plants have been used by villagers for hundreds of years. Every few steps we heard a new jungle sound. Wildlife was around every turn. I read, however, that there may be leeches so I was on the look out for them. Once we stopped for a quick breather and I looked down at Alex's ankle and said "oh look, there's an inch worm!" Anse looked over and said "That's not an inch worm, it's a leech!" From then on I kept imagining them all over me but we only came upon that one. That was the worst thing that we physically encountered.

We were content to slide down hill on our hands and knees through the mud and cross the stream to get to our campsite. The cook, refereed to as "Chef," already had a fire going. The aroma smelt so good that it attracted a female Orangutan to the area. She was perched over the river on a long vine. She hung there watching us as we drank hot tea and played games. Orangutans are very territorial so I suppose she was just making sure that we were being respectful of her terrain. She had the bet seat of the house, gazing out over her beautiful green jungle and winding river.

Dinner was delicious! Chef was a pro. He is a true jungle man. He trekked through the dense jungle with all of the gear without any shoes on! WOW! We felt very comfortable in his company.

The meal consisted of several courses: mie goreng, chicken, rice, vegetables, fresh tea and homemade spices. We sat together on a plastic tarp watching the sunset over the jungle. Just after dinner we were all sitting around in the candlelight and all of the sudden we hear some rustling in the bushes just a few feet away from us. Out comes a 5 foot water monitor!! He was looking for scraps so we threw him our chicken bones and he scurried off. He looked pretty ferocious! After seeing the Komodo Dragons he appeared to be a very close relative. Good thing that he was only interesting in chicken bones and not us!

We stayed up into the wee hours and played card games with our guides under the stars. They also showed us several "tricks" that they made up. They had us stumbled almost every time! We all laughed so much that our checks hurt. Once our candle ran out we had no light other than the moon. We slept in an open tent- it was more like a shelter with 3 sides and a roof. Chef poured salt around the shelter and comforted us by saying "It's to keep the water monitor and snakes out." We popped a sleeping pill and had a good night sleep listening to the sounds of the Sumatran jungle.

The next morning we awoke to a family of 20 Long Tail Macaques in the trees directly above us. Our friend the Orangutan was also back in her perch over the river. We laid in bed and watched the social interaction of wildlife taking place overhead. The oldest male monkey decided to be brave so he came down to get some food from our camp. We gave him a few bananas to keep him happy. Tiny babies jumped from branch to branch and played with each other. Females groomed one another and the dominate male watched over us very closely. It was such an amazing experience!

After a breakfast of delicious banana pancakes and Sumatran coffee, Alex and I decided to go for a swim before we started trekking again. We passed under the Orangutan in the tree overhead and climbed down the waterfall to a nice swimming hole. She kept a close eye on us but remained nestled in the vine. We both took a quick dip in the fresh cold water. I decided to sit on the rocks and relax while Alex continued swimming. Just then there was rustling form the bushes about 10 feet away from us. It was another female Orangutan! She was a very unexpected visitor! I yelled at Alex to come quickly. Our guides were up at the campsite and were too far away to do anything to help us. There we were, standing in the middle of two wild Orangutans!! We yelled to our guides to come down and they said "Don't worry, she won't come any closer to the others territory." That's a good thing, I suppose.

The visitor climbed up the waterfall where we were just at moments before. We made our way back to camp and tried to steer clear of the one in the tree. She started crossing the river to run the other one off. The Macaques were still playing above our tent. The second Orangutan ran up another tree in hopes to get away from the other one. Here we are with both of them: Then the first one followed that one all the way up to the highest branch in the tallest tree. There was no were else for them to go. Orangutans are very territorial so when one enters another one's territory, they must either fight each other for dominance or one scares the other one off by asserting her superiority. We knew that we were in for a good show and couldn't believe what we were witnessing!

Just when we thought that there was no where else for the Orangutans to go, one took a leap of about 10 feet to a neighboring tree! It was remarkable! They are large animals but have amazing dexterity and strength. She flew through the air right before our eyes and off she went. All animals have an instinctual "Fight or Flight" and it was amazing to watch the psychology of these great primates!

We couldn't believe the scene that was going on right above our heads. That was an excitement that I'll never forget!

From camp we trekked for several hours until we reached the main river again. Chef was there with our "Jungle Raft." It was actually several tubes tied together with rope. We loved the ride back into town. The scenery was breathtaking. Large rock cliffs on all sides, trees rustling with Orangutans as they glide through the vines, water monitors sunning themselves, crystal clear water and massive rapids!! We couldn't stop smiling and thinking about toobing in Texas once we got home.

We loved the Jungle Trek and I think it was one of our favorite parts of the trip. We're so fortunate to get close to these magnificent creatures.

We spent a few more days in Bukit Lawang. We rented tubes and did a 2 hour float on our own. We saw families bathing themselves in the river and children swimming. Everyone we passed was very surprised to see us toobing and they stopped what they were doing to wave and say "Welcome." Not many tourists make the full trip down the river, but hey, we are pros! We were unsure where to get off so when we came across 3 teenage boys with a hippy van, we offered them 20,000 Ruphia (about $1) for a ride back to town. They thought they were so cool!

We spent our evenings in the small quaint restaurants overlooking the jungle and river. The locals are extremely friendly and like to sit down with you and talk. A few local women offered to play Scrabble with us so they could practice their English. One afternoon Sasha and her baby came to the bank of the river to get a drink of water. I sat directly across from her on the bank of the other side of the river. She picked up large rocks and banged them together, had a stick that she splashed in the water, and cupped her hands to drink. I was snapping pictures and videos this entire time. She even stopped to smile for me!! We were communicating!

Later that afternoon we went to the park headquarters for Feeding Time. We walked up the hill with several guides and arrived at a platform where some of the Orangutans come for bananas and milk twice a day. We were able to get an arm's length away from a mother and her infant!! When we were ready to go we asked our guide if he needed to come with us. He said to just go ahead and he would be right behind us. We also thought that there would be other guides back at head quarters.

Alex and I made our way down the cliff and came to the flat area near the river. Just then we spotted Sasha and her baby. We stood behind a barbed wire fence and took pictures as they approached us. Then we realized that they can just climb straight through the barb wire! We backed away quickly. There were no guides in site and they were coming straight for us! Before we knew it, Sasha grabbed Alex's arm. I managed to snap a picture just before she had one hand on my arm and one hand on my leg. I couldn't move! She had a tight grip on me. Then she bent down and went for my ankle. She bit my coconut anklet right off of my ankle!!! It all happened so quickly. Their arms are very long so they have an incredible reach of about 8 feet! Once she had my coconut anklet, she and the baby enjoyed eating it right before our eyes. I felt a connection with her because we had amused each other earlier that day so I didn't imagine that she would be aggressive or hostile. She just saw that I have a good taste in jewelry. Literally.

Lake Toba, The largest volcanic lake in the world

2008-08-01T10:55:00.000-07:00

We endured the local bus ride and made it to Prapat, were we caught the ferry to the island in the middle of the lake. We had about an hour to kill so we sat down at an outdoor table. It didn't take long before many of the village children came to greet us. Their parents sell fresh fruits and vegetables at the market nearby and they were extremely curious in us. Of course we couldn't communicate with each other so we had to make do with funny faces and charades.

Lake Toba was a very popular tourist destination about 20 years ago but due to the political unrest of Sumatra in the 90's, tourists stopped coming there. The infrastructure sadly remains; waiting for tourists to return. Guesthouses and restaurants await guests and are extremely grateful for our business. It's now become a great weekend getaway for Sumatrans because of it's sheer beauty and dirt cheap prices.

Lake Toba is recognized to possibly be the largest volcanic eruption of the last 25 million years. To give you an idea of its magnitude, consider that although the eruption took place in Indonesia, it deposited an ash layer approximately 6 inches thick over the entire Indian subcontinent; and at one site in central India, the ash layer remains 20 feet thick today. In addition, it has been calculated that 1,010 metric tons of sulfuric acid was ejected into the atmosphere by the event, causing acid rain fallout. The subsequent collapse formed a caldera that, after filling with water, created Lake Toba. Samosir, the island in the center of the lake, is formed by a resurgent dome. Toba is the largest volcanic lake in the world. Samosir Island formed in the middle of the lake and is the fifth largest volcanic island in the world. The island is approximately 50 km long and 15 km wide, almost as big as Singapore.

The ferry dropped us off at our hotel's pier. We decided to splurge and stay at the "nicest" place on the island. The nightly rate was $6 and that included our own Batak style cottage, gorgeous views of the lake and wildlife outside our front door. The temperature was much cooler there and the locals were extremely welcoming. It was a perfect place to spend a few days relaxing.

Of course we rented a motorbike to explore the island. We passed by Batak homes, all of which have a steep curved roof. The saddle back roof actually represents the shape of two water-buffalo horns. The water-buffalo is the animal that helps the 'spirits' on their journey into the afterlife. No nails are used in the construction that is entirely of wood, rope and wooden pegs. In recent times the cooking area moved from inside the house to an extension that is added to the back of the building. Each 'jabu' will be shared by up to 8 families and there are no interior divides to ensure privacy.

The Batak people are some of the last known cannibalists. Hundreds of years ago humanitarians came to convert them into Christians. The first few were eaten but eventually Christianity caught on. It's very odd to see churches, crosses and graves with pictures of Jesus in this part of the world. We happened to be out on a Sunday morning just as all of the villagers were returning from church. They were dressed in brightly colored clothing and carried Bibles. Music is also a large part of Batack culture and I couldn't help but think that my Grandpa Stuart might enjoy volunteering here.

We rode past water buffalo and children playing on the streets. We were in the mist of local people and they were all friendly and welcoming, each waving and smiling as we rode by. We were so happy to rent a motorbike one last time on our trip. You get to see so much more on the back of a bike and it's something that we'll look forward to in all of our travels.

We curved around the island and came to the Hot Springs. The land is white with sulfuric acid as smoke escapes from the Earth. We took a dip in the Hot Springs which is known to be very healthy for your skin. We swam in the "Foreigner's Pool" which was in great condition because there is no telling when it was last used. (There aren't many tourists anymore.)Children sat under shade trees and watched us from afar.

We passed by a wedding ceremony and peered in to look at the festivities. There was a huge celebration and the entire village was there to honor the bride and groom.

The scenery is surreal. The landscape is lush and green and the water is crystal clear. Children like to throw coins into the water and dive for them. We couldn't help but wonder when the volcano would erupt next. Lake Toba is a special place with magnificent beauty. It's very peaceful, quite and very inexpensive. We're so glad that we came to Sumatra to witness the hospitality of the people and the beautiful scenery of the volcanic lake and it's wildlife.

Medan, Sumatra- largest Mosque

2008-08-01T10:05:00.001-07:00

We took a plane from Flores back to Bali and stayed overnight before Alex and I left Kevin and he returned home. Kuta Beach on Bali is a great place to pick up souvenirs so we did a bit of shopping before heading out on our next adventure. We flew from Bali to Medan, Sumatra.

We stayed at a local Muslim guesthouse complete with a prayer room and a place to clean your feet before you enter. We needed a day to settle in and get information on buses to Lake Toba. We found a nice bar to sit down and have a beer and just as we took the first sip, the prayers started over the loud speaker. We were directly across from the largest Mosque in Sumatra. Patrons were flocking and goats and children played in the yard.

We heard mixed stories about Sumatra. There has been some unrest in the past and our guidebook warned us of things to watch out for. However we always got a different perspective after talking to travelers who had actually been there. And I believe they were right, Sumatrans were some of the friendliest people that we encountered.

From Medan we took the local bus to Lake Toba. It think it was $2 each. It was about a 6 hour ride on a beat-up school bus with no A/C. There was no limit on how many passengers, eggs, chickens, livestock and produce could be piled in. We were lucky to get a seat but many people stood in the isles for most of the trip. Sumatrans are known as being heavy smokers and say that they are paying tribute to the volcanoes. Chain smokers were abundant on that journey, so I guess it's good that we had the windows down! The bus was decorated in a groovy 70's theme with florescent seat coverings, tassels on the curtains and ornaments hanging from the ceiling near the driver. At one point, we pulled over at a little tire repair stand on the side of the road to fill up the back tires with air. I really hoped that it would get us where we were going! Then, 3 teenage boys boarded and squished their way towards the middle of the bus. They started singing and playing musical instruments. It was great entertainment and turned out to be a nice way for them to make some income. We were the only Western travelers headed to Lake Toba and were fully immersed in local Sumatran hospitality and culture.

Diving in Komodo National Park!!

2008-07-31T15:00:00.000-07:00

What an experience! Komodo is notorious for some of the best diving in the WORLD! We had so much fun diving and can't wait to go back for more! The currents are generally very strong and the underwater life is abundant and diverse. The Indian and Pacific Oceans meet here. The water is a comfortable warm temperature and the visibility is great at 25-30 feet. We did four dives off of Flores Island, in and around Komodo National Park.

We spent a few days getting rid of our sea legs and talking to all of the dive shops on the island. We ran into the lost divers at our hotel and we were glad to see that they were ok. We decided to go with the crew that rescued the lost divers. We choose an easy low current dive for the first day. We loved every minute of it. Diving is so relaxing, it feels like you are floating through space. Each time a fish swam close by I realized how effortless their movements are.

We spent the evenings in Labuan Bajo with David and his family, sharing stories of all of our adventures. It's a quaint little town right on the coast. We enjoyed the slow pace of life there. One thing that was irritating was that our hotel was smack dab in the middle of two Mosques so five times a day we were forced into listening to the prayers over the loud speakers. I think Alex said it best when he said "Religion and loud speakers just don't mix." One evening we took a walk through a back alley and waved to the women and children in the streets. Goats hurried by and everyone stopped what they were doing to smile at us.

The second day we determined that we were prepared for a slightly difficult dive. As the group gathered around the dive master on the deck of the boat, he says "Now, this is the spot that we had some trouble at a few days ago, but all that is over now. You are going to have a great dive here today." Just then Alex and I turned to each other and thought "Oh boy!" This was the exact site where the divers went missing!!! We didn't realize that we were going to be the very next people to dive this site! One of the girls on our boat turned out to be an ABC news reporter who was there to film our experience. We were each interviewed but we are unsure if the story ever aired.

Dive 3 was breathtaking!! I don't even know how to explain the feeling. It's a drift dive so as soon as you jump in the water you immediately go under. The island is in the shape of a triangle and we were swimming in the protected area. The sea wall is at least 100 feet tall and as wide as you can see in both directions. Every color and texture of coral live in these waters. The fish life is copious; there are all sorts of things that we had never seen before. The current was especially strong that day. We were instructed to stay right next to the sea wall and stay behind our guide. Once you start noticing that the fish are swimming up straight, it's time to turn around because the current is too strong. Drift diving is different from other dives because everything is moving by you very quickly. Once Alex and I turned around to find our instructor and he had both of his arms straight out, flying through the water like an airplane. He nodded and gave us a big smile and two thumbs up. All we could think was "Man, I bet he loves his job!" We saw Lion Fish, Stone Fish, Napoleon, Tuna, Scorpion Fish, Puffers, Angel, Clown Fish, etc. There was so much to look at! We have to go back there again. SOON!!!

The next dive was even better. (If you can believe it!) The site was an island about the size of our living room. Hovering at 75 feet, two white tip sharks caught our attention. They were less than 10 feet below us. It was a mother shark and her young and they were asleep on the coral. I could see their gills moving in and out as they breathed. My heart was racing. These weren't the nurse sharks that we saw in Belize, these were the real deal! We hovered over them for about 5 minutes, clinging to the coral to keep us in place. Just when I felt comfortable our guide motioned for us to turn around. There was another white tip shark swimming right above us!! It was exhilarating!! We saw at least 8 sharks. I motioned for Alex to turn around and look up at the sun shining through the water. Just then another white tip swam past the ray of sun on a backdrop of the seawall. It was picture perfect! We really wish that we had an underwater camera but we'll have to freeze that moment in our minds instead.

We stopped to look at some shrimp in hopes to see a seahorse but instead I looked right below me and there was a 10 foot sea snake slithering through the coral that I was near. It was a brilliant blue with black strips. I'm glad that it wasn't interested in me! Alex, however, spotted a foot long tuna who was very interested in him. He decided to reach out to touch it and the tuna took off as quickly as he could. Just then thousands of reef fish ducked in the coral to protect themselves. They keep an eye on what the big fish are doing!

When we got out of the boat we were so excited! I don't think I've ever felt the same excitement! The sensation overcame us and we realized how fortunate we were to be able to see the underwater world in all of it's glory. We were fulfilled because we saw even more than we imagined.

There are so many Indonesian islands to explore. Now we know of some excellent spots to come back to and want to visit many others. It's important to take full advantage of swimming with the underwater life because of all of the pollution and global warming. We are so lucky to experience that and will never forget the majestic seas of Komodo National Park.

Boat Trip through the Indonesian Islands

2008-07-31T09:33:00.001-07:00

This was definitely one of the highlights of our trip!! We were able to take a 4 day/3 night boat trip headed east through tiny deserted islands. We were out in the open sea with no other boats around!! We had a crew of 4 men who knew the seas like the back of their hand. In fact, there were no compass or radio on board and when we asked how they knew we were going in the right direction, the captain said "We use the stars to guide us."

Kevin, Alex and I first hit up a grocery store for a few essentials. The caption took a survey of how many beers we would like. I think we had 4 cases of Bintang between us; after all, we would be confined to a boat for the next several days and we don't want to be stuck without our Bintang! There were about 12 other people on board so we all piled into a beat-up hippy van and headed towards the dock. We had only seen a tiny picture of the boat we would be sailing on so we were all a little curious about the accommodations. Along the way, our driver stopped to pick up a few essentials for the trip; we made a ice run at an ice factory, loaded up about 20 cases of Bintang on top of the van, and picked up two chickens for our eating pleasure.

We had a great group. There were several Belgiums, some Slovakians, and an adorable British family. David and his family are traveling for 14 months and had visited New Zealand, India, and most of Southeast Asia. Charlotte is 9 years old and Adam is 7. We had a blast hanging out with them and hearing about all of their amazing adventures. It just goes to show ya that just because you have children doesn't mean that you can't travel. The kids remember ever detail of their travels. They learned much more this year that they ever could in a classroom. They truly are an inspiration.

Day one was fantastic!! We sailed off into the horizon as the sun set behind us. We had an incredible view of the vast sea. The temperature was comfortable and the company was friendly. At meal times we would all gather around the bottom deck and sit indian style around the food. There was always plenty to go around. We slept on the top deck of the boat with the sea air brushing our faces as we sailed through the early morning hours.

We awoke to the sun rising as we peered out over the edge of our ship. There were small deserted islands to the left and right of us. We anchored in a cove and swam to shore to visit a waterfall, swimming hole and snorkel around the island. We encountered a huge school of jellyfish on the swim over which came as a bit of a surprise. We sat out on the bow of the boat to watch the sun set and counted the shooting stars overhead.

That night was sailed through the darkness. We went through several straights and the water was very, VERY rough. At some points I think we were all terrified. The boat was rocking violently from side to side and it was completely pitch black. We had no radio or compass but the crew was confident that they knew these waters well. We had to trust them. The stars were bright that night.

Day two we stopped at a small island and trekked up to the top of a mountain. At the top there is an incredible 360 degree panoramic view of Komodo Island (where the Komodo Dragons live). Our group were the only people on the island and we couldn't see any other boats in any direction. Talk about getting off of the beaten path! We were able to snorkel again at a secluded area. Snorkeling is almost as good as diving because the sea life is so abundant and diverse due to the water currents of the Indian and Pacific Ocean that come together. The water is crystal clear and a beautiful shade of turquoise blue.

Later that afternoon we trekked around Komodo Island in hopes to see Komodo Dragons in their natural habitat. It was the beginning of mating season so the dragons were being a little shy. Our guide took us to the camp kitchen were 2 dragons were patiently waiting for leftovers from the staff. We were amazed at their size. These were small at about 8 feet. They really are descendants of dinosaurs of so many millions of years ago. They are very lackadaisical and sun themselves in the afternoon however they can run very fast when attempting to catch their prey. The saliva in their tongues is very poisonous and there is no cure for the bite. The Australian couple told us that when they were there about a week before, a water buffalo had been bitten. We were hoping to see the poor fellow but he was too far from where we were. The dragons bite their prey and then wait several weeks for the infection to set in before going back to feast.

The next morning we visited Rinca Island which is right next to Komodo. Dragons also live there and we were able to see about 15 of the prehistoric creatures in the wild. Adam and Charlotte took a running count of each dragon that we encountered. When we first arrived at the dock, there was a baby Komodo on the pier to greet us. There were several more at the camp site and they were not bothered by us one bit. We were fortunate enough to see them mating which apparently is very rare. A TV crew from BBC's Planet Earth was also arriving to film mating season. We can't wait to see the episode and remember that we were there that day!

On the boat trip into Flores island, we were informed about a group of divers that were lost at sea. They were all dive masters from Europe and had not taken a local guide with them. They got swept out in a strong current and drifted for 8 hours in the sea with no drinking water or food. Eventually they floated to shore on Rinca but had to fight off Komodo Dragons with rocks. They ate clams and mussels while they waited two days to be rescued. They were all ok, just a little shaken up by the whole experience.

We landed on Flores in the late afternoon and were ready to find a shower and bed. We hadn't had any fresh water on the boat and were sleeping on thin mats on the deck. We will probably soon forget the uncomfortable conditions of the boat but will never, ever forget the magnificent beauty of the open sea and Komodo Dragons and Indonesian Islands.

Mataram, Lombok

2008-07-27T09:50:00.000-07:00

Mataram is a launching point to the east. We enjoyed it very much because it offered the first opportunity to eat street food like we loved so much in Vietnam. It's not directly on the coast so very few tourists stay there for long because there are so many beautiful beaches nearby. We befriended a local who introduced us to a few traditional dishes to order at an open aired restaurant across the street from our guesthouse. We encountered a few people who spoke English but most of the locals gave us a gazing stare followed by a smile as we passed them on the sidewalk. We enjoyed sitting on the balcony of our guesthouse planning our next adventure.

One evening we discovered a street stall that made Teran Bulan, a very unhealthily but delicious dessert. It's made in a large baking pan over a propane tank. The pastry is made of two layers of thick cake with chocolate sprinkles, condensed mile, shredded cheese and two enormous clumps of butter in between. We were unsure about the combination at first but the flavors melted in our mouths the moment it hit our tongues. Butter was dripping off our fingers. We felt guilty after eating so unhealthy, but damn, it was good!

We took a short ride to Sengigi Beach were we rented a mask and snorkel. It's unbelievable how much diversity is just a few feet off shore. We saw a Lion Fish and a foot long clam in a small rock maybe 20 feet out. We were the only tourists on the beach that day and we joked around with the "pineapple ladies" as they walked by with baskets of fruit on their heads.

A walk through the local farmer's market had a very different feel than those in Vietnam. This island is predominately Muslim. Women dress with head coverings and men wear a traditional sarongs tied at their waist. Everyone was very friendly and offered us free samples of their fruits and vegetables.

We knew that cock fighting was a past-time of Indonesians and we couldn't pass up the opportunity of witnessing one first hand. Our local friend told us of one that was getting started in about an hour so we jumped on the first horse drawn buggy that we found. We were dropped off at a small narrow alleyway that lead back to a neighborhood. The yard was fenced off on all sides. As soon as we rounded the corner and came through the entrance, every head in the place turned to look at us. We were the only foreigners and I was the only woman in the entire place. (Except for an 80 year old woman who's home we were at.) All eyes were on us! We tried to blend in as much as possible so we bet on the first round. Kevin and Alex threw in a collective $3.70. We were standing on a wooden bench and I could see the roosters as the men tied the razor blades to their feet. As soon as the fighting began, everyone huddled around so we couldn't see a thing. I don't know how they determine who the winner is because both of the chickens died. Of course we lost the bet, but hey, it was a 50/50 shot! It was a very intense 5 minutes. As soon as the fighting was over Kevin looked up at us and said "Well, should we get outta here?" I think we were all on the same page, after all, it was 11 a.m. on a Wednesday morning.

We met an Australian couple who just returned from a boat trip through the eastern Indonesian islands and we quickly signed up for the adventure. We knew that the accommodations may be a little rough but the idea of sailing through the islands sounded just like what we were looking for!!

Ubud, Bali

2008-07-27T08:52:00.000-07:00

The transportation in Bali is not what we were accustomed to. Roads conditions are poor and we were told that a bus ride from Kuta to Ubud would take several hours. We decided to rent a private car and save some time. Ubud is known as a cultural destination. The modernness of Kuta is nonexistent and the pace of life is much slower. Ubud is inland and we came there to visit the Monkey Sanctuary. It's tucked away in the rice fields and mountains of green lush jungle.

The first night Alex, Kevin and I went out to a nice dinner at the Dirty Duck Restaurant. Alex is a big fan of duck and the atmosphere was magical. None of the tables have chairs, we sat Asian style with mats and pillows. Our table was perched in a bamboo bungalow overlooking a coy pond. It was nice to have Kevin around, Alex and I hadn't had anyone else to talk to in a while and we had plenty of stories to share.

Later that evening we walked down to a small bar and ended up inviting our waiter to join us. He was very interested in our culture and wanted to practice his English.

The next day we visited the Monkey Sanctuary were families of long tail macaques run freely. There are about 1,000 of these little guys and they are not shy at all. We purchased two bunches of bananas at the entrance but they didn't last long. The monkeys actually climb on you to reach them! They are very friendly and are accustomed to being near humans. We saw so many tiny babies gripping tight to their mothers. I love it!!!
I could have stayed there with them all day. The temple is ornately decorated and the natural scenery is unlike any I'd ever seen.

We also visited several other Hindu temples in the area. In this area, most of the people are Hindu and they pray openly several times a day. After saying the first morning prayer, they slip a tropical flower behind their ear. Rice is placed on the forehead in the afternoon and a jar of holy water blesses their restaurants and homes. Offerings lay on the sidewalk to keep away bad spirits. One of the temples we visited was known as the Goa Gajah Fertility Temple and people have traveled there for thousands of years to pray for the blessing of children.
Inside the cave you can see fragmentary remains of Lingam, the symbol of the Hindu God Shiva, and its female counterpart the Yoni, plus a statue of Shiva's son, the elephant headed God Ganesha. In the yard in front of the cave are two square bathing pools with water gushing into them from waterspouts held by six female figures. The water is believed to come from a holy river thousands of miles away in India. To the left of the cave entrance in a small pavilion, is a statue of Hariti, surrounded by children.

We also visited the Bat Temple. The cave is also said to lead all the way to India, but nobody has yet volunteered to confirm this since the bats provide sustenance for the legendary giant snake, Naga Basuki, which is also believed to live in the cave. This ancient reptile is believed to be the caretaker of the earth's equilibrium, a belief which stems from pre-Hindu animism. A distinctly batty stench exudes from the cave and the roofs of the temple shrines in front of the cave are liberally coated with bat droppings. Superficially, the temple is small and unimpressive, but it is very old and of great significance to the Balinese. Goa Lawah Temple is one of the island's nine special Sad Kahyangan Temples, and as such it is the designated holy place to honor the God Maheswara, who resides in this section of the island. Religious processions visit the temple every day, and it is a particular focus for religious rites associated with death.

We enjoyed learning about Balinese culture and religion. It's nice to talk with people of other religions and it helps us realize that we are free to choose our own believes.

Ubud is also home to the largest bird and reptile zoos in the area. They house all types of species from around the world. Our favorite part of the day was seeing a pair beautiful blue and scarlet Macaws fly freely above us. It's rare to see the full wingspan of these majestic creatures. Of course the guys loved the reptiles and the feeding of a Komodo Dragon.

From Ubud we took a 6 hour ferry ride to Lombok, the next island over.

Indonesia - Kuta Beach, Bali

2008-07-27T07:59:00.000-07:00

We arrived to Bali late. The runway is surrounded by water on both sides and the waves crash as you approach land. You can see the lights of civilization illuminating the coast line.

We needed to get past immigration to reach the ATM, they only accept local currency for VISAS. As we asked to go through, the immigration officer told me to wait there while Alex crossed the line of armed officers. When he returned, the officer said that we could give him our money and he would run our passports through, for a small charge of about $2. It saved us some valuable time waiting in line, and just happened to be the second immigration officer that day that was willing to "help" us.

As we drove into Kuta Beach by taxi, McDonalds, Pizza Hut and KFC passed our window. I was disgusted and told Alex that we should leave ASAP, that we should find somewhere more secluded. Keep in mind, we hadn't seen any recognizable chains since Thailand as Vietnam has strict laws forbidding most foreign chains.

We selected a small guesthouse from our trusty counterfeit Lonely Planet (that we bought back in Siem Reap for $5). The taxi driver said that the street was too small to drive so he dropped us off at the Mickey D's and we were told to walk "about 200 yards" to the hotel. By this point is was reaching midnight. We hurried down the narrow alleyway, turned left and veered right and finally came across some guesthouses about 10 minutes later. Full. Next one was too expensive. And the next was dirty. We searched and searched. Every time we arrive at a new town, Alex lets me go into the rooms while he waits outside with our bags. I always compare at least 3 or 4 guesthouses to insure that we are getting the best value then we decide on one. I was having a tough time and it was really late and dark in the narrow alley. My standards were high; coming from Vietnam where we could get a room with A/C, a balcony, small fridge, international TV and a clean bathroom for $10. On the outside, these guesthouses have a beautiful charm, fresh flowers, small gardens, swimming pools...but the rooms could have used a fresh coat of paint and bleach.

We eventually settled in near the end of the alley way at the Suri Balley Guesthouse. We were curious about our new surroundings and still wide awake so we decided to venture out for a beer at a nearby bar. This was the latest we had been out since the nights of sitting around Johnny's table.

The next day we hit the beach early. Breakfast was included and we were greeted by the manager who had a tropical flower behind his right ear. He served us a pitcher of coffee and banana pancakes. Alex was anxious to check out the surf and I was looking forward to stretching out my beach mat with a good book. The beach was just what you'd expect from a postcard, beautiful white sand, tan people, massive waves, palm trees, women walking around with pineapples on their heads, children playing in the sand. Ahhh....paradise! An offering was laid in the sand by a Hindu group.

It only took Alex a few trys to become a surfing pro. In a matter of an hour, he was riding the waves in like the old guys do in Riding Giants. You can rent boards for about $2 a day. We had been looking forward to getting back to the beach.

We were waiting for our friend Kevin to meet us in Kuta the next day. He was going to be with us for the next 2 weeks. Kevin's plane was delayed so he arrived the next day about noon. I decided to be silly and made a sign for him to hold up at the airport. When you exit the airport, there are taxi drivers and hotel staff dressed in traditional outfits holding up a sign with their guest's name on it. I was trying to blend in. We managed to entertain ourselves with the locals while we waited. We considered picking Kevin up in a horse drawn cart but figured that would take too long so we opted with the taxi. Next time tough, it's on!

We dropped Kevin's bags off and hit the beach again. Sunset is just incredible. You've got a panoramic view of the entire sky. Silhouettes walk by with surf boards. Flowers drop near my mat.

Right across from the beach is a small 7/11 convenient store. They have a small outdoor patio out front with tables, chairs, traditional music, and sea breeze. It makes for the perfect spot to relax with a beer (at the 7/11!) and people watch. We loved the concept! Later that night we decided to check out the night life since Kevin was in. We wandered in the Bounty Bar which had 4 clubs in one. We first stopped to listen to a regee band who quickly pulled me up to dance. Then we made our way back to the Foam Party for some real entertainment. Four punch bowls later and it was time for bed.

We spent the remainder of our days in Kuta on the beach and Alex was improving his surfing skills every minute. He realized how strong your upper body must be, the waves are 20 feet high and paddling out against the tide is challenging. He wanted to stay here forever to surf, but we only had 4 weeks left and so much else to see....

Taking Care of Business, Saigon

2008-06-24T00:21:00.000-07:00

Back in Saigon, we decided that we had a few things to take care of before we left for Indonesia. I needed a new pair of glasses (I lost my pair in Ha Long Bay), I wanted to get my teeth cleaned and Alex wanted to buy some paintings.

We found an optometrist who completed an exam, frames and lenses for $12US...I'll take it! The dentist came recommended to us by our hotel clerk. I was a little weary of it at first, but decided to go in for a look. It was in a very modern clean office building. When you arrive at the entrance, you must take off your shoes. They provide slippers for everyone, a nice beginning. I saw the dentist who informed me that I had no cavities and that a simple cleaning would be a piece of cake. He wanted to know all about Obama and American politics. On the third floor, I awaited the nurse to get me. There was classical music on the overhead speakers, normal, I thought. She proceed to clean my teeth and did an excellent job. No pain and very clean instruments. I paid 140,000 Dong which is the equivalent of $8.75!! I could stay here forever!

The streets are lined with art shops. The artists specialize in reproductions (surprise, surprise!) Alex spotted a nice version on Van Gogh's Sunflowers, Iris Garden, Irises and Starry Night. He couldn't resist at $25 each for a quality replica with thick strokes of oil paints.He also had them create a painting of Picasso's Portrait of Sylvette (cubist version). Our house is going to be overflowing with great art if it ever arrives. (We shipped by sea) It'll be a nice surprise when it arrives on our doorstep in three months!

At the airport, we had to pay a little money under the table to the immigration officer on our way out of the country. He was convinced that we enjoyed Vietnam because we had overstayed our Visa by almost a week. Luckily, money talks. Only 1 Million Dong and we were on our way to Indonesia.

After arriving in Indonesia, we bribed a second immigration officer in the same day to hurry along the process for our Visa. More about that later...

Mekong Delta by boat

2008-06-23T23:30:00.000-07:00

Not quite what we expected, but interesting none the less. We took a motor boat from Saigon up the delta. Alex and I were able to get the best seat of the house, on the bow of the boat, with the wind blowing through our hair. We saw fishing boats loaded to capacity, fresh fruit boats on their way to market, and kids swimming in the river, waving hello as we passed.

Later on during the first day we stopped at several small islands, and the guide made sure that we stopped at every guide-sanctioned tourist shop along the way. We saw how coconut candy was made, took an unauthentic canoe trip through a fruit farm, and sampled honey tea at yet another tourist shop. There were plenty of opportunities to buy expensive novelties. Not what we were looking for, but maybe we've become travel snobs!

We made it to Can Tho where we stayed the night. Alex and I decided it was time for a beer so we found a street vendor with lots of locals. The girl poured our beer and refilled and replaced ice cubes as they melted. We felt much better. We then came across a Bun restaurant where the staff politely showed us how to roll fresh spring rolls. We were the spectacle and no one spoke English. The food was excellent and cheap.

On day two we went to the largest floating market on the delta- the Cai Rang. It was incredible. It stretches for 3 kilometers and hundreds of boats trade and sell fresh goods daily. Sellers tie their goods to a tall pole so that buyers can see from a distance what they are selling. The floating market here was fantastic and we got to see an up close view of daily life on the delta. We were really impressed with this and you could tell it's purpose was genuine and was not for tourism. We sampled a pineapple and it's polite to throw your left overs back on the seller's boat, that way they know we thought it was tasty.

Families live on the boats, when they are done selling for the day, they head back to the fields to collect more. Children live on the boats and have no formal education. Small children just two years old hold up fruit and drinks to sell to us as we pass by.

We also visited rice paper and rice noodle factories. We learned how the noodles were made, paper thin. The factory was filthy, trash everywhere, the floor covered in it. The noodles are laid out on bamboo boards to dry in the sun. Lemongrass is planted around to keep the snakes away (who would have thought that snakes don't like lemon grass!)

From there we went back to Can Tho and had free time. Our guide said to be ready at the hotel at 2 pm. We didn't hear from him until 4. Everyone was upset and the guide was extremely unpopular. At one point Alex decided that he was no longer going to unhappy with him, and readjusted his expectations very low so that anything that happened would be above his expectations. We were not happy that our last few days in Vietnam we were stuck on a bad tour but we tried to enjoy ourselves none the less. Later that night, on the fifth floor of the hotel, we were considered "illegals" (because of our Visa situation) and were forced to sleep on a mattress on the floor in the maid's room. This was my second breakdown, not happy. Alex continued to be happy due to his new set of expectations and proclamation to no longer be unhappy with the tour. Wah!

Day three we trekked up to the top of Sam Mountain to a very old Ba Chua Xu Buddhist temple on the Cambodian-Vietnam border. What a view! It was very peaceful and the Buddhist shrines and incense calmed us.

Then we took a canoe ride to a floating village. They were having a festival and canoe races as we arrived. We stopped at a fish farm where you could throw in a handful of rice hull pellets. You'd better step back because the fish jumped straight out of the water and soaked everything nearby.

Next we visited an indigenous tribe who practiced Islam. The children spoke five languages: Vietnamese, Cambodian, Islam, their local language and English. There were little kids running around bottomless, and young girls with scarves over their hair. Supposedly they are able to get good paying jobs because they are multilingual.

From there we jumped on a large motor boat and headed back down the delta to Saigon. We had plenty of room to spread out, relax and take in the natural scenery. The third day was at least a nice ending to a difficult tour.

Saigon, Ho Chi Mihn City- A city of 3 million motorbikes

2008-06-23T23:02:00.000-07:00

We did the unthinkable-rented a motorbike in Saigon! Where we crazy? By this point, Alex had become a true professional, and I'd become an equally good photographer and map reader, gripping on to him tightly. There are 7 million people in this crazy metropolis and half of them own a motorbike. We took on the challenge and blended right in.

We were on the edge of our month long allotted stay in Vietnam so we needed to go to the Immigration Office to get a Visa extension. We were told to go to the airport, and they would be able to stamp our passports, easy. We fought traffic and one way streets and eventually made it to the office only to find the immigration officer with his bare feet up on the desk, smoking. He told us he could not help us here, that we needed to visit the headquarters. So we headed back to the motorbike parking and scanned the hundreds of bikes until we found ours.

From there we managed our way to the immigration office (we found out it was right nest to our hotel)and was closed for lunch. We had worked up quite an appetite ourselves so we found a nice small restaurant right around the corner that served our favorite dish "Bun Thit Nuong." After our stomachs were satisfied we braved the traffic once more but realized that we were completely turned around. The street numbers went in one direction to the left and the same direction to the right. What was the logic? With Alex's keen sense of direction, we found the office about an hour later.

We waited, and waited, there was no apparent line, people pushed and shoved to get to the front. Alex was at least a head taller than everyone so he managed his way up to the front. Eventually they called our names. We went into a small office where the officer said that it would take 8 days to complete the paperwork. We had air tickets out in 5 days. We would have to risk not getting the visa extension.

We found a nice place to get a coke above a major intersection where we laughed at the organized chaos below us.

Diving in Nha Trang, Vietnam

2008-06-23T22:44:00.000-07:00

We got our diving certification in Nha Trang! We did a three day course, first day in the pool and the other two in the clear water of the sea. The forth day we were able to do a fun dive where we saw a pair of Lion Fish, giant clams, Angler Fish, Scorpion Fish, Clown Fish, Stone Fish, Angel, Trumpet Fish, Sea Robin, beautiful coral and schools of smaller brightly colored fish of all kinds. We were very pleased with the instructor, Tri who was Vietnamese. He had worked there for several years and even had a dive spot named in his honor.

We spent most of our time here completing the course but did manage to rent a motorbike for an afternoon to explore the interesting scenery. We cruised around the narrow back alleyways of the city and the huge food market where you can find anything from fresh fruits and vegetables to live fish, eels, frogs, cut up meat sitting out unrefrigerated...

Alex got the best haircut ever for only $1.00. The woman took great precision, using a straight razor to clear up the edges. We also had excellent Indian food several nights! One evening after a big rain, all of the electricity went off in the restaurant so the waiter immediately switched on the generator and candles. I guess it happens pretty often! No one even blinked and the meal was much more romantic in the candlelight and rain.

We really enjoyed our time here and would love to visit again someday.

Quy Nhon

2008-05-29T06:11:00.000-07:00

Feeling adventurous, we decided to go somewhere that was not mentioned in the guide book. We arrived by bus late and took two motorbike taxis 15 km to the nearest guesthouse. Everything was closed and it looked like a ghost town. The hotels had shut their metal doors for the evening and we were in need of a bed to rest our heads. Eventually a man lifted the door after a few minutes of knocking. We were relieved!

The next morning we rented a bike and headed out to explore. It was raining, part of the huge typhoon headed for Ha Long Bay. We geared up with our ponchos and headed out in search of an authentic Vietnamese lunch of beef noodles.

Quy Nhon doesn't get many tourists. There is one expat hangout were all 10 of them congregate in the afternoon for a beer. This is the first time we pulled out the food section of the Vietnamese translation section in our book.

The people were very friendly and helpful. After a recommendation, we found a local restaurant that serves what we know as "bun". We figured out that it is called "bun thit nuygen" (meaning noodles with grilled pork) Dishes are severed differently in the north and south so it took us a few attempts to get it right. They also had fresh spring rolls that you roll yourself, and homemade peanut sauce for dipping. The owner kindly showed us how to roll it.

Every morning we awoke and headed to a cafe for our ritualistic "cafe sura daa" (Vietnamese iced coffee with milk) Then we got back on the bike and explored the small country roads.

We spotted a small fishing village along a cliff and headed straight for it. The entrance to the village was a small sidewalk and all of the village children greeted us with "HELLO!!" They lead us down to the shore where their fathers kept the hundreds of fishing boats. They loved admiring my bracelets and looking at the pictures we took of them.

We drove down a small dirt path to a group of bungalows along a rocky beach. The waves were rough that day and they were splashing up 20 feet in the air. We found two hammocks and spent the rest of the afternoon talking over a few beers.

It was nice to get off of the main tourist path and immerse ourselves in true Vietnamese lifestyle.

Hoi An, a town full of tailors

2008-05-29T05:54:00.001-07:00

Hoi An has found it's niche. It's a small town of only 80,000 but I think almost everyone of them is a tailor. Shop after shop of clothing, ready for the tourists. It's just incredible. You can take in any picture and they will make it for you over night. The trouble was finding a quality shop and reasonable price. We felt very overwhelmed the first day.

Each shop had cabinets full of fabric. Silk, wool, cashmere, cotton, polyester....You select the material and style, take a few quick measurements and return the next morning for a fitting.

Alex had been looking forward to getting a suit and tux made. We selected the material after some grief and research on the internet. The fun part was choosing the interior silk lining! For the suit we selected a lovely purple with Chinese good luck symbols and a nice bold red for the tux. He looked like a model at the fitting.

I opted to get an Asian inspired silk dress made. We had some trouble with the alterations but I was happy with the finished product. It fits just perfectly. At one point we actually went to the tailor's home to finish it up. She was a young girl. Apparently as long as you have a sewing machine and work space, you are in business.

We spent most of our time in Hoi An going from fitting to fitting. We did really enjoy the food here. Fried spring rolls were a must at every lunch and we found the best bakery ever. Alex gets the "Opera" cake and I get the White Kahlua. Yummmm!! I've craved it ever since and nothing has compared.

I also had a leather purse specially made and designed an awesome pair tennis shoes. I selected the purple silk flowered material at a fabric stand and took it across the street to the shoe maker. (You'll just have to see them!!) Alex got some tuxedo shoes to complete the outfit. Now we just need somewhere to wear all of this!!!

We did manage to get away to the beach for a few hours in between appointments and take a motorbike ride through the countryside, our favorite thing to do. There was also a large outdoor market. Unfortunately it rained most of the time that we were there but that didn't stop business as usual.

Hue, Full of history and memories of war

2008-05-13T03:38:00.000-07:00

Hue is a quaint little town, overfilling with historical sites. We arrived by sleeper bus. That in itself is pretty cool! It's a charter bus with beds! It looks comfortable at first until you get in. They are clearly made for short Asians because our feet were cramped after the first 5 minutes and our heads hang off the end! We did meet some other travelers and were able to share a few laughs. As we were leaving town, our driver decided to drive through a construction site for some reason and we thought we were going to fall out of our bed! We were literally hanging on!! I was crying because it was such a funny concept!

The first day we rented a motorbike and decided to drive around ourselves. Alex was driving and I was on the back of the bike with a map out, trying to figure out where the heck we were. A man flagged us down and said that he had a few hours so he would show us around the King's Tomb and Pagoda. We took him up on it. First we went to the Pagoda. It was ornately decorated, with Chinese pottery and figures of Buddha that were hundreds of years old.

Next we went to the King's Tomb. It was amazing how good of shape the stone carvings were. We walked along the moat and came to a tall gate with a pad lock on it. That area is blocked off to tourists because there are still live rounds in the area. We stayed clear of that! There were also 2 lightening rods that stood tall, we were impressed that this was taken into account so long ago.

Our friend Mr. Dung spotted a buddy of his who was cleaning a pellet gun and sharing a giant cucumber with some teenage boys. They invited us over. Mr. Vin invited Alex to take a few shots with the pellet gun. Being from Texas, Alex couldn't refuse. He laid out 3 bottle caps about 30 feet away. Bang....bang....bang. Bullseye! Alex was a pro. (It's all that video game playing!) Because of his excellent aim, we were accepted and invited to join the group. After a game of suraides, (only our guide could speak English) Mr. Vin suddenly said "Shhhh!!!" grabbed his gun and ran off to the hundred year tree near by. He shot, and down fell a beautiful green parakeet, it's heart still thumping. One of the boys grabbed the bird and started pulling it's feathers out one by one in frond of us. Then he ran off into the distance. Just then rain fell from the sky, and we moved undercover, next to the King in his Tomb. Ten minutes later the boy returned with a cooked bird. Mr. Vin pulled off a leg for Alex and the breast for me. He gave us a pinch of spicy salt and we were expected to eat the bird "for good luck." I must admit, after I got over the initial shock, it did taste delicious. I just needed to get past the sight of the beautiful wild parakeet who once lived in the tree....

We waited for the rain to stop with a few bottles of rice wine and hopes that someday Mr. Vin and Mr. Dung would visit us in Texas. They made an appointment to meet us at our wedding...they have always dreamed of visiting the states but had no money to afford the ticket. Mr. Dung had fought next to American solders and drove Doctors around during the war. He had great respect for Americans.

After the rain slowed, we followed him back to his home in the countryside. He wanted us to meet his daughter. She was studying English at university and dreamed of being an interpreter. She was about my age and spoke perfect English. His wife served us fresh fruit on the front patio and then asked for a donation for the daughter's tuition. We knew something like this was coming but we were happy to help since we knew it was going for a good cause.

The next day we rented a bike again and followed another guide 170 km north to the DMZ. The demilitarized zone was the border line between the north and south Vietnamese. We passed several historical sites, including Hamburger Hill. We took a short swim at the beach and quickly learned that in these parts, we were Canadian. Next we marched under ground to the Vihn Mock tunnels. Hundreds of people lived underground for years. There were three levels, complete with family rooms (maybe 4x4) a nursery were babies were born, supply rooms and security posts. We had to duck down as the tunnels were only 5 feet tall in some areas. They were made of thick clay and protected hundreds from the bombs that fell overhead. You can still see the intentions in the land after all this time. At the 17th parallel there is a memorial on the South side. It's a statue of a woman standing next to her children. She is looking off into the distance for her husband who has gone to war. The nothern side has about 100 loud speakers pointed directly at the south. They were used to spread propoganda across the border. There is still a lot of tention in this area.

Going there and back we managed to get 2 flat tires. Good thing there are small stands that repair them for $2 about every mile or so, so we were never far from help. Only an hour and a half left and we would be back in the citadel of Hue for sunset.

From there we left on short sleeper bus to Hoi An.

Sapa, a charming village in the rice fields of Vietnam

2008-05-05T04:02:00.000-07:00

Sapa is just magical. It's high up in the mountains of northwest Vietnam, close to the Chinese boarder. The sides of the peaks are covered in rice fields, green in the sunlight. Hill tribes spot the horizon and children tend to the water buffalo around every bend. The H'mong girls are the friendliest people we've met. They really are special- full of energy, charisma and character.

We took an overnight sleeper train from Hanoi to Sapa. (Much more comfortable than our first train ride!) We trekked through the rice fields in the heart of the villages for 2 days. The first night we slept at a home-stay with a young family. We had 7 people in our group and we were presented with a feast for dinner. As far as home-stays go, the accommodations were very comfortable. We actually had a pad to sleep on, a thick blanket and pillow and a warm shower! Our guides Lang and Pan poured the rice wine freely over a game of cards. We slept well that night!

We awoke to a scene out of a picture book. The sun rose over the fields and we set off again on a fun filled day. We stopped in a each village to rest and chat with the girls. They all wear traditional hill tribe attire, with colors that represent their particular tribe. The guides are young girls, between 15-19 years old and they became close friends as the days went on.

The second and third night we slept in Sapa town at a hotel. Ben was our guide the third morning and took us to Cat Cat village where they were having a cultural festival. We were able to see how silver jewelry was made, basket weaving, farming, etc.

Later that day, Ben invited us to come with her and her friend CC to Ban Ho village. We rented a motorbike and cruised around sharp curves and high cliffs. We went to a waterfall and hot springs. Just the day before, there was an American tourist who was only 25 years old who drowned in that waterfall. When we arrived, the entire village was out to help rescue him. His body was found 3 days later. It was heart wrenching to been so close to such a tragedy. The village pulled together and used whatever resources were available however there were no true emergency personnel present. We are relieved that his body was found so it could be returned to his family. It just makes you appreciate just how fragile life is...

Ben is a beautiful girl who speaks extremely good English. She has only been speaking for 2 years and never went to school to learn. She has a very large vocabulary simply by speaking with tourists. She was very informative about village life, rice fields, and culture. It's really great that the girls get to be guides, it appears that they make a very good living and are able to assist their families with necessities. We had a wonderful time with her and will miss her deeply.

As we walk along, the girls ask us our name, age, number of brothers and sisters we have and how long we have been together. As you can imagine, this opens up the conversation and we became very close with them after hearing about their family life. All of the girls wear silver necklaces with charms that tourists have given them. Before we left, my mom gave me a silver necklace with the state of Texas on it. I've carried it around with me everyday and then I decided that Ben would love it. She was very happy when I presented it to her, as she had never even heard of Texas before! Now every time she looks at it hopefully she will remember Alex and I.

We definitely want to return to Sapa. The girls made it such a wonderful experience that we will not forget. The countryside is picturesque and the people are so friendly.

Vietnam - Good Morning, Vietnam!

2008-04-30T05:56:00.000-07:00

Vietnam is a country who has preserved it's culture. Hanoi is full of charm and is not dependent on tourism as much as other places that we've visited. It is home to 3.5 million people and I think that they all must own a motorbike! There is one intersection where 5 streets come together at once and there is not a single traffic light! We managed to find a bar on the 3rd floor of a building and watched the traffic for hours. It's quite comical!! There are people on foot, bicycle, motorbike, taxi and tour bus. There are no cross walks so people just walk clear across the intersection with no worry. We didn't see a single accident. Now I understand why there is such a stereotype about bad Asian drivers, it's just a completely different mindset!! Alex calls it controlled chaos!

We've also enjoyed our morning Vietnamese coffee and street food. There are little restaurants that set up on the street every evening. The food is delicious and less than $1 per meal.

There is a lake in the center of the city and in the mornings there are thousands of people (old and young) practicing tai chi and playing chess. Hanoi is exactly what we were expecting our of southeast Asia!!

We just got back from a wonderful 3 day/2 night boat trip in Ha Long Bay. It was absolutely beautiful, no doubt the most breathtaking place I've ever seen. There are over 2,000 islands in the bay that are jetting straight out of the water. We spent one night on a junk, kayaked around and listened to unique birds, trekked in the national park and stayed one night on Cat Ba Island. We wished that we could have stayed another night but today was a national holiday (Vietnam unification day)and all of the buses were full.

Every restaurant on the island had fresh salt water tanks with huge crab, clams, fish and lobster. We saw fishermen with nets full of seafood coming directly to the restaurants. Now THAT'S fresh!!!

We are now headed northwest to the mountainous region of Sapa. We will trek for 3 days and visit several hill tribes with traditional dress and trades. We've really enjoyed Vietnam so far and have had a lovely time.

We'll post more pictures soon! We love you all and look forward to your comments.

Love, Loranda and Alex

Cambodia - Siem Reap and Angkor Wat

2008-04-22T03:48:00.000-07:00

It's amazing how much difference a border line makes! We are in the quaint touristy part of Siem Reap however the countryside is a sight to be seen. Cambodia is much poorer than what we were familiar with. The road from the Thai border is a 3 hour bumpy ride with most of driver's attention spent diverting pot-holes and cattle.

Angkor Wat is spectacular! We purchased a 24 hour ticket and saw the sun set the first evening and then woke up at 5 a.m. to see the sun rise the next morning over the east temples. We greatly enjoyed the day and were thankful to beat the heat for much of it. The temples are just incredible- some were built as early as 809 AD and were still standing strong today. We took 376 pictures so it's obvious that we were quite impressed!! The complex is enormous, we hired a tuk-tuk driver to cart us around from one temple to another.

The people here are very talkative and enjoy practicing English. We spoke with one waiter who informed us that a month's wage is only $45US. Unbelievable! There are children at every street corner begging for us to buy bracelets or give them money or a cold drink and men with their limbs missing from the mines. It's really taken a toll on us but we realize that we just can't help everyone.

All of the guesthouses are located near the old French Market area and there is a road full of western style restaurants and pubs. We haven't been very impressed by the cuisine however. We did venture into "Vive," a Mexican joint but were sadly disappointed....(what could we expect?)We are dreaming of a big ole' Margarita at Cantina Laredo! We tried dinning at a traditional local's hangout but were not greeted with a welcome reception. Past the point of being able to turn around, we noticed that the floor was literally covered in trash. It is customary to dump everything on the floor (including leftovers) and clean up at the end of the evening. We were uncomfortable with the uncleanliness and just ordered a canned coke. The cats were well feed though....

Yesterday we took a boat ride out to Tonle Lake to visit a floating village. The houses are built on bamboo stilts that are 10 meters high. The lake water is a mucky brown, completely filled with trash and waste. People were in the water waist high with fishing nets. There was a school, library, barber shop, TV repairman, etc. all on the water! We stopped at a crocodile farm and snapped a picture of a 5 year old girl with a 6 foot snake wrapped around her neck. It was quite an experience! Back on land, our driver recommend a local restaurant so we stopped in for a traditional Khmer meal and pitcher of iced Angkor beer. We had a much better time since we were in the company of Mee, a local.

We are headed to Hanoi, Vietnam from here and are ready to be near the coast again. The sun beats directly down here.

Love and miss you all,
Loranda and Alex

Songkran!!!!

2008-04-13T23:34:00.000-07:00

Thai New Year is a blast!!! We are in Chiang Mai where the biggest festivities take place. It's been amazing! We are told that since everyone is on holiday, they all come to Chiang Mai to celebrate.

The Thai ride around town in the back of pickup trucks overflowing with kids and all, and have huge barrels full of ice cold water. They use water guns and buckets to drench each other as they drive by. Some even stand outside their shop or restaurant and wait for people to walk by. The kids just love it! It's so fun to see the big smiles on their faces as they completely soak us...and of course we are a target!!

With all of the festivities still going on in town, we went on a 3 day/2 night trek through the jungle. I must say that that was the most challenging physical activity I have ever done. For two days, we walked 4 1/2 hours up and down a mountain through the dreadful heat of Thailand.(110 degrees)

We kept joking that we should have read the fine print on the brochure better but even still, there would be no way to prepare ourselves for what we were in for! Luckily we had a really great group, and we kept each other entertained knowing that there would be ice cold beer waiting for us at the end. The first day we marched, and marched and marched. Up and down, and around the mountain. We finally arrived at a small village with about 150 residents. The Karen hill tribe greeted us with a big mound of delicious steamed rice and curry. We walked around the village and were surprised to find that some even spoke a few words in English. There were men cutting bamboo pole to make a new house.

The Karen have their own language however the younger generations now learn Thai in school. I was able to spot a school house, and it just amazes me how isolated they are from the rest of the world. Most children just learn the skills that have been passed down from generation to generation and have no concept of the outside world.

The villagers farm chickens and cattle and use the slash and burn method for rice fields. Everything was dry and dead because we are in the middle of the dry season. We would love to come back again when we can see the green fields. The Karen live deep in the jungle and have beautiful views of the surrounding mountains.

That night we sat round and sang songs to remind us of home!! All 10 of us slept in a bamboo hut. We had no padding and slept directly on the bamboo floor. After walking 4 1/2 hours up and down mountains, we were very stiff the next morning. We awoke to roosters crowing and a large plate of eggs and toast.

The second day, we trekked again, and 6 hours later, were rewarded with a magical waterfall and swimming hole.

We stopped for lunch at another village where the women were selling handmade jewelry and bags. They dress in bold colors, usually blue and red and have head wraps. They are skilled weavers.

Our sleeping arrangements were slightly better than the first day but not by much. We were very fortunate to experience how the Karen people live, and were thankful that they took us into their homes. We had such a fun group also, which made the trek very memorable. We really bonded with them and hope to keep in touch as time goes on. We met an Australian couple Alan and Kristen, Jenn, from the French Provence of Quebec, a girl from London and Maddie, from Delaware. I'm so surprised to see so many single girls my age traveling alone. I really admire them!

The third day really made up for all of the struggling of the first two days. We trekked about 1 1/2 hours to our truck and then floated down the river on a bamboo raft!! That was so much fun!

It was the day before New Year and the week long festivities were in full swing. The river banks were full of families enjoying the celebration. As we floated by we would splash each other! We even got surprised by a group on monks hiding in the bushes who jumped out and splashed us with buckets of water! The festival occurs on the cusp of the dry and wet season and represents a "Spring Cleaning" theme. They splash water to wish each other well in the new year.

We really wish that we had a water proof camera but hopefully the Australian couple will share some of their pictures with us. After that, we continued up the dirt road to meet the elephants!!! Alex and I took turns riding on the elephant's neck, it was such a neat experience!! We fed our elephant bananas and learned some of the commands. They have very course and hairy skin and are surprisingly gentle. It was an incredible feeling!!

Next, we piled in the back of the pickup truck and headed back to Chiang Mai. As we drove through town, we got soaked with freezing cold water!!! We were completely drenched!!! Luckily we put all of our belongings in plastic bags so nothing got wet. Later that night, we found a really nice restaurant called "The Riverside" and our entire group went there to celebrate being back to "civilization."

Songkran has been a blast!!! It lasts for 5 days, and is quite a celebration. Yesterday we found a dry place to sit and people watch. It's just a wild party!!

The city has an old brick wall surrounding it and people use water from the moat. It's dirty river water and everyone we've met felt sick to their stomach after getting a big mouth full. Today "Potato," our guide from the trek, offered to take us in the back of his truck. We drove around with a huge barrel of water with an enormous block of ice!! You just have to prepare yourself, knowing that you are going to get completely soaked. The ice water actually feels nice sometimes because it is so hot outside.

We are here for a few more days and booked a bus back to Bangkok on the 16th. From there we will get another bus ticket to Siem Reap, Cambodia. We have really enjoyed our time in Thailand and don't want to leave however we know that there are many more great things to see! I can't believe that it's almost been a month, time has really flown by!!!

Thanks for all of your comments, we love getting them! We'll try to post pictures when we have the opportunity.

Love to all~
Loranda and Alex

Island Retreat- Tonsai Beach southern Thailand

2008-04-08T23:58:00.000-07:00

Hi everyone! We have been without internet access for the last several days. We spent about a week in Kho Lanta and then took a 3 hour mini bus ride to Krabi Town where we jumped on a long boat. It's about 40 minutes by boat to Railay Beach. You get off on one side of the island and then take the only sidewalk over to the other side to Tonsai Beach (where the backpackers stay). It was just amazing. It's a rock climber's paradise. There are huge rocks that stick straight out of the water, some of them must be 2,000 feet high!

We stayed at the Kasbah Bungalow for 450 Baht/night. Hammocks were abundant and they had a nice place to relax with pillows, Happy Hour prices, and good music. A family of monkeys jumped from tree to tree overhead. Our bathroom had a stone floor and one night we came home and heard a noise. Johnny looked down and there was a 2 foot snake in our bathroom!! The Thai guys were not scared at all, and told us to "Be one with the jungle!"

We did do a little rock climbing but not the type with ropes and caribeners. To cross from Tonsai back to Railay during high tide, you must either pay 50 Baht for a long boat or rock climb! We stopped to ask a climber for directions and he said that you just "walk over" these rocks...HAH! I determined then that I am REALLY out of shape!

We also did an evening snorkeling trip to 4 tiny islands. It was just incredible. The coral was severely damaged from the Tsunami however the fish life is very abundant. We saw 4 lion fish, giant clams about 2 feet long, angle fish, cow fish, spiny sea urchins, parrot fish, etc. I can't even describe how cool it was so see these up close and personal! Alex and Johnny also swam at night in the phytoplankton.

We met a little Thai boy and girl who were about 4 years old. Everyday we eat at their family's restaurant. One day during low tide they came along with us looking for seashells. The children here are just magical, they have huge smiles and they all help their family with the business. We will miss those two!

Johnny decided to return to Bangkok to look into his passport situation. He may try to meet us up in Chiang Mai or return to Texas soon. It was a ton of fun having him around and we'll definitely miss his company. There is never a dull moment with Johnny around!

Alex and I left Tonsai in a long boat at went over to Ao Nang. When we arrived, we asked around for a remote place on the beach and were taken to PAN Bungalows.

It was secluded and beautiful! The beach wrapped around the bay and there was nothing else in sight. We paid only 300 Baht/night however our beers added up to be much more than the cost to stay! Our skin is tan from laying out our beach mats and reading.

During low tide you can literally walk out about 250 yards to search for sea shells. We saw tons of sand dollars, star fish, giant crabs, and others.

Alex even attempted to catch his own dinner. A French couple showed him that you take a rake and walk along the soft sand to find cockles. He was gone for quite a long time and returned with a handsome find- 2 cockles!!! Local fishermen bring nets out during low tide to catch crab.

From there we took a VIP bus (double decker charter bus) for 12 hours to Bangkok and then caught another bus to Chiang Mai (another 14 hours of watching horrible Thai movies). We are here for about 8 days. Tomorrow we are leaving on a 3 day/2 night elephant trek through the jungle!! We also float down the river on a bamboo raft and stop in to meet the Karen people. We are really looking forward to it. Sunday is the Thai new year. Chiang Mai holds the largest celebration in Thailand.

We miss you all, keep in touch!! We'll write again soon!
~Loranda and Alex

Sunsets and Scooters, Kho Lanta

2008-03-30T06:18:00.000-07:00

We've been on the laid back island of Kho Lanta for a few days now. Everything is slow here, the people are friendly and the warm water is refreshing. Sunset is the best part of the day, we have a 180% view of the breathtaking golden colors in the sky and the peaceful coastline.

We've explored most of the island on motorbikes. It's a great way of discovering the places we visit. We only paid 250 Baht per day. Johnny ended up with a really old bike so it's been pretty hilarious trying to repair minor problems. Yesterday we ran out of gas 3 times. They only hold 2 liters at a time and there are very steep hills that eat it up quickly. Luckily almost every shop has a barrel of gas. Muslim women fill up our tank with a hand pumped barrel of gas. Somehow he also managed to loose the ignition key to Johnny's bike while driving! All of the sudden the engine puttered to a stop before he realized it. We were a good 10 miles outside of the village but luckily a local women saw us and came up the dirt road to help. Eventually we got it started. We never found the key so we had to rig the ignition switch.

We headed to the south east part of the island and had lunch at a very nice lookout point. We continued on until we found a sea gypsy fishing village at the end of the island where all of the houses are on stilts.

We rented the motorbikes on Long Beach and are now staying further down the island. We left our bags at the first place so we could look for another bungalow. We eventually found a quant guesthouse right on the beach but were then faced with getting our bags from our first place. Luckily the owner here had a Tuk Tuk that we could borrow. That was interesting!!! I was very happy to have my feet on the ground after that trip! They are very difficult to drive apparently but Johnny did a great job. The Tuk Tuk was also a manual which took some getting used to. We some curious glances from all of the locals as we sputtered by at 20 miles an hour, laughing so much that our checks hurt.

The next morning we woke up early and stopped in a coffee shop for "real coffee" and a homemade coconut pie. The owner's name was Ya. We asked him where some good places to go exploring were and he told us that we could take the small road behind his shop to a cave and mountain, and he offered to lead us up the winding path. We stopped at this home which happened to be on the way so we could see how he lived. An entire room was dedicated to his shrine. He explained his shrine and Buddhas that he prays to. It was very touching. Ya enlightened us on meditation and the importance of the body's balance with Earth and the gods. We were invited to pray. Ya told us of the proper way to sit while praying.. keep your head high to the gods, quiet your mind... Ya had a very meger home but it was filled high with love and apperciation of natural beauty. I remember the bright sunlight shinning through the big cracks in the wooden floor. He also taught us about his rubber trees. The trees have a bucket at the bottom and the rubber sap drips in. When it is full, he can take it market to see for a decent amount of money. He must tend to them every day. There was a creek that ran next to his home and he was widening it to change the flow of the water to it wouldn't flood.

After that, we followed the curve to the right on a small dirt road through a rubber tree plantation and stumbled upon Tiger Cave. We didn't see any tigers but there were elephants!!! The island is mostly jungle with steep mountains. After the cave we stopped at the corner shop for another liter of gas and drinking water. The kids had a pet monkey and we were able to touch his palm and feel his fur! Next we continued southeast and rode into the National Park. We saw monkeys in the wild here!! They we sitting right by the road and we were only about 5 feet away from them. The coast line was stunning and we swam in the warm water during sunset.

That night Alex and I rode into town and had a nice meal by ourselves. We spent Saturday and today relaxing on the beach reading books. Can't complain! In the evenings we play Yahtzee and Jenga under the stars.

I think we may travel to Tonsai tomorrow. Johnny says that he will join us for a few more days, but will be getting back to Bangkok soon. It'll be nice to have some one on one time with Alex although we have really enjoyed having Johnny around.

One evening we heard classic rock playing at a beach bar nearby. It was late and all of the restaurants were already closed. The waiter said that he could make us "something easy" for dinner. We still aren't sure what we were given, but we ate every bite. The bar tender caught our attention becuase he was stabbing the bar with a huge knife. Johnny volunteered to spread out his fingers on the bar. The bar tender stabbed the knife quickly around Johnny's fingers in a pattern. I thought that was enough, but just then he went to the back and brought out an axe and does the same thing! Just when were thought we had seen everything, the bar tender goes behind the bar again and pulls out a power drill!! We do have pictures to document Johnny's bravery. He was offered a shot of something in a clear bottle as a reward, which turned out to be Money Brains!! There was another bottle on the top shelf with monkey sperm and a thrid with cobra whiskey. Don't want to know what you have to do to get a swig of that! lol

Train ride to Koh Lanta Island, Krabi Provence, Southwest Thailand

2008-03-26T20:45:00.000-07:00

We are in paradise! We arrived Tuesday evening after a 16 hour train ride followed by an additional 3 hour van/ferry trip. Kho Lanta is a tiny island in the Provence of Krabi. The water here is a blue/green turquoise and the white sand sinks perfectly between my toes.

The train ride was quite an experience. Our only option was 3rd Class. I must say that one of the only good things about it was that it only cost $750 Baht for all 3 of us (about $8). We sat on broken benches and there were no AC or suitable restrooms. We quickly encountered the dinning car that was decorated like a disco. Flashing Christmas lights strung all around the car added to the ambiance of the dancing music and festivities.

Guards dressed in full military gear hung out at the back table of the disco car drinking buckets of whiskey and coke. Each stop they jumped out onto the tracks, adjusted their military cap and saluted passengers as they boarded. As the wheels began rolling, the guards resumed their positions in the disco car sipping whiskey from bucket through a straw.

Passengers from all across different walks of life were present. Music bumped through the open windows as we passed small farming towns in the middle of the night. I remember a full moon. At one point, Johnny told the DJ that is was my birthday so "Happy Birthday" played over the speakers as everyone sang to me. That really got the party started! The guards and other travelers were dancing recklessly and having a good time drinking heavily! That part was great fun while it lasted. The remainder of the trip was not so much.

We stumbled back to our broken bench in 3rd class. At one point Johnny asked the Thai girl sitting next to him if she would like to lean against him to sleep. She declined so he shrugged his shoulders, gave her a quick glance, and laid his head on hers. He passed out immediately. The poor girl stayed there for hours with Johnny snoring on her shoulder.

Alex ended up laying out his sleeping mat under our benches on the floor to stretch out. Venders boarded at each stop throughout the night selling coffee, sweets, chicken wrapped in banana leaves, etc. Each time we drifted off into sleep we were abruptly awoken with someone stepping over us trying to sell us something.

16 hours later and we arrived in Trang at 10:30 am. We grabbed a bite to eat, found a decent restroom (much needed) and took a van and ferry to the island Koh Lanta. This area was effected by the Tsunami so everything has since been rebuilt. People here look different than those in Bangkok. Their skin is much darker and they have big eyes and round faces. They are mainly farmers.

We stayed at "Somewhere Else" Bungalow right on the beach for $800 baht/night. It is much more expensive than we expected but it's very comfortable. There are seating areas with triangle floor pillows that we like to relax at in the evenings as the sun sets. The water is a breathtaking blue. Yesterday we walked all along Long Beach and collected beautiful colored seashells. We hope to rent a motor bike today to explore the rest of the island.

Alex and I are so excited to be here! He is really amazing and I am so lucky to experience paradise with him.

~Loranda

Bangkok Temples

2008-03-23T13:59:00.000-07:00

Samphran Elephant Zoo and Site Seeing in Bangkok

2008-03-22T19:04:00.000-07:00

Johnny's land lady Yui and her family treated us to an elaborate brunch at a swanky hotel in downtown Bangkok. The food was delicious! There was an entire room filled with mouthwatering cuisine. It was nice to eat at a proper setting in the air conditioning. Yui's husband, their 3 kids and Grandma were all very welcoming and generous. They own the apartment building that Johnny lives in as well as a chicken farm and coffee plantation. They supply the delicious coffee to the hotel that we eat at. When we came into the banquet room, nice relaxing dinner music was playing.

We loaded our plates with incredible variety. This was the first full blown feast since Texas. We were all pleased with the selections.

As soon as the waitresses saw the "Farongs", they immediately pulled Alex and Johnny up to the stage to sing karaoke. Alex sang Desperado. Next Johnny sang his classic "Noting but a hound dog." It was the funniest thing because everyone was peacefully enjoying their nice meal and here were two Americans singing on stage at 11 in the morning!! Thai's are really serious about karaoke. I took some hilarious videos of them on our camera.

Next we went to the Samphran elephant and crocodile zoo! I was really looking forward to this! First we saw teenage boys wrestling crocodiles. There must not be any laws about child labor. The third boy could not have been a day older than 8 years old. The boys stick their entire head inside the croc's mouth! I had to turn away sometimes as my nerves were getting to me. However, the boys seemed to we extremely comfortable with the ferocious reptiles. After the show, we got to hand feed the crocs raw bat meat. They were very docile until the meat was right above their nose. They opened their jaws wide and snapped them shut before you could blink.

Next, we went to the large stadium for the elephant show. The crew puts on a big production with lights, sounds and smoke! The performers enacted how elephants where used in the past to pull heavy things, help with building houses and also that they were being hunted for tusks, etc. They also reenacted Thailand's independence from Burma with cannon fire, large explosions and sword fighting.

Then the fun began! The elephants were trained to play musical instruments, kick soccer balls into the goal and do hand stands. After the show we purchased bamboo sticks and bananas for 10 Baht. We walked right up and hand feed the majestic creatures. Elephant skin is rough and their hair is very coarse. One of them extended it's trunk and reached out to hold my hand. It felt like he was giving me a hug around my arm. Although they are large, these were very gentle creatures. Asian elephants are actually much smaller than African elephants.

We took a few videos of the performance. We really enjoyed the opportunity of getting so close to the elephants.

Today we went back into downtown Bangkok to see the reclining Buddha at Wat Pho Temple. It was magnificent. It's enormous and takes up an entire building. The temple itself covers 20 acres. The Buddha is 46 meters long and 15 meters tall. He is designed to illustrate the passing of the Buddha into nirvana.

We took the sky train to the Jatujak Market (JJ) which is a wholesale venue. Anything and everything is available there. Street stalls span for miles in every direction. It's easy to get lost in the maze. Luckily they have it divided into sections. There one for clothing, wood carvings, jewelry, antiques, etc. We could have spent days here.

At 6 p.m. we are arrived at a garden party at Johnny's friend's house. Boaz and his wife are both artists. He's a photographer and she's a painter. Their home is smack dab in the middle of downtown Bangkok and is very modern in style. The downstairs is primarily used as a studio and the living quarters are on the second floor. We enjoyed sitting in the terrace drinking Hong Thong whiskey and freshly imported olives from Dubai. Several other photographers arrived so we had plenty of interesting conversation. They were all ex-pats living in Thailand and we enjoyed their company immensely.

In the morning Johnny needs to go to the state department on official business and then we will catch the train to the beach!!

We love you,
Loranda and Alex

Our first excursion without Johnny! Bangkok

2008-03-21T19:04:00.000-07:00

Hello there! We have spent a couple of days in the hustle and bustle of Bangkok and Alex and I are both looking forward to the beach white sand and relaxation!

Yesterday was our first time to go into town without Johnny and it is much different without him to translate. We were definitely marked as "Forongs" (foreigners). We made it back home so that was a big accomplishment! We actually did very well for not being able to communicate much. We stopped in for our morning "cafe yen" (iced milk coffee) in a plastic bag for 12 Baht and then jumped on the local bus.

To get into town, we head up Soi Bat to the Big C, cross over the highway and catch bus 76. The buses are have no air con so having the windows upen is much apperciated. It begins to fill up with people on their morning commute. Once we cross over the river, we get off to catch a water taxi. The bus is only 15 Baht and it takes about an hour to get into the heart of the city.

We wandered in a temple. There were several monks sitting on the floor infront of a shrine of Buddha, lighting incense. This was our first encounter- we silently observed with intense interest.

Next we weaved through the maze of streets and made it into the heart of downtown. We found the famous Reclining Buddha but it was closed. We will definitely come back before we leave.

Alex and I walked around the little neighborhood alley ways. It is just indescribable to explain the living conditions. There are people everywhere!! We walked down one alley and there was a one room house with the door open. The family of 5 was gathered around, sitting in Indian style on the floor. There were 4 dogs tied to a table. 4 dogs and 5 people living in a one room house. Seems like it might be a little cramped for my style.

The street stalls are abundant. The blistering heat of the day combined with steaming street food is overwhelming. The is so much going on in every direction. Tuk-tuks fly by and motorbikes loaded beyond capacity are nothing unusual. It's difficult to walk down the sidewalk without bumping shoulders. It's necessary to stop for a fresh pineapple snack and ice cold coke to refresh.

In the evenings we unwind around Johnny's neighborhood and get to know to some of the locals. His favorite bar in called Long Dang. (It doesn't translate correctly in English!) It's the local hangout. Teeny boppers go crazy over for the live music. We had a personal waitress who stood at the end of our table refilling our drinks after every sip and made sure that we have fresh ice cubes. Now that's service!

There is live music in every bar and restaurant, not matter how big or small. It's either karaoke or a cover band. We were at a hole in the wall outdoor karaoke bar and a group of people invited us to go up to sing and dance. We were quite the spectacle! While Alex and Johnny sang "You're nothing but a hound dog," one guy invited me up to dance. It was pretty hilarious!

There is also a new mega bar across the highway called Holland Beer. It's very out of place. It's about the size of half a football stadium, there must be 500 tables and chairs. The stage is the size of a concert hall. It's so funny to see the elaborate productions that they put on every night of the week! They had an 8 piece band, lights and TV screens broadcasting the performance. The singers had elaborate costume changes after each song. The beer is served by the yard. The waiter attaches a plastic tube to your table. Could we ask for more?

For dinner we went to a buffet where the meat is raw. You select what you want and then take it to your table to cook on a hot pot. There are also fresh vegetables for seasoning. It's an interesting concept because the buffet definitely does not look very appetizing but it's neat that you cook the food at your own table. All of the restaurants are outside so there in no escaping the heat. After finishing the meal, we realized that the hot pot was adding to the uncomfortable evening heat. It is customary to leave the dishes on the table until the guests leave but we just couldn't take it any longer. We had 3 waiters servicing us so Johnny waived one of them down and, as politely as he could, motioned "YOU, get THAT outta here!" We died laughing and felt much better after the hot pot wasn't steaming all over us. After all, our ice cubes where melting in our Singha.

We really enjoy staying with Johnny and love that we have the ability to experience the Thai lifestyle.