Life on a boat ...

Short little post to let you all know I'm rapidly adapting to life on a little sailboat :)
I've already had many people assure me I'll never want to live on land again ...

We'll see about that ... who knows what life brings, right?

In the mean time we're getting ready to sail out sometime next week.
I couldn't be more excited!

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Au Revoir Saint Barth!

Last pictures of Saint Barts ... for now anyway.
I might return ... but I have a hard time making plans and promises because I have no idea what will happen in the next couple of weeks.

And that's exactly what I like!

Thinking about everybody at home, in France, Belgium AND Sweden!
Hope you're enjoying yourselves too :)

Xxx

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Rise Above Plastics

Here's two images I came across on Facebook today:





The first one by the Surfrider Foundation, and the painfully beautiful second one by Advertisers Without Borders.

A nice little reminder for all of us ...

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Shells and beaches ...

My time here on St.Barts is coming to an end ... It's time for a new island, a new adventure, more fabulous people and exciting places!

The photos above are taken on my favourite beach here. Trust me, it was a tough choice, all beaches are fantastic. Colombier, a beach you can only reach by boat or after a 20 minute hike came close second (the snorkling there is simply amazing!) but Shell Beach offers a great view on Saba, and for those who stick around long enough, spectacular sunsets!

I can't believe the luck I have sometimes. If you read this Stéphane: Merci encore! Prends soin de toi, et à bientôt!

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So Swedish yet not at all ...

Today is my fourth day on Saint Barts and I'm happy to report my life has turned into one big joyful beach holiday :)
Not even twice the size of Saba but with over 6 times more inhabitants Saint Barts is definitely completely different.
Walking around Gustavia I was amazed by all the Swedish details that remain since they owned the island. They sure know how to leave their mark!

Oh and although recycling is something that Caribbean islands seem to not take part in, I was quite relieved that here they do at least have a proper incineration station (with energy recovery!)
I guess the Dutch government thinks it's ok for a population of 1400 to burn their trash in open air. (Shame on them!)

Can you spot Saba in the distance on the last picture?



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Bye Bye Little Rock

I have a hard time understanding why Saba is thought of as a daytrip destination among tourists. I was here for 11 days and haven't even done 1/4 of all the hikes!

I feel so grateful that I managed to step out of the passive tourist roll and was able to meet so many people. Locals, as well as those who decided to move here from abroad.

Angelita and Bastiaan, thank you for your hospitality. I couldn't have wished for a better start of 2012 :)

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Geocaching

www.geocaching.com










It really felt like I discovered a treasure of great importance when I noticed this little plastic container during my hike yesterday.

Initially I thought it was some little girl's hiding place ... Or maybe something someone had just forgotten ...
I'm happy I was curious enough to open the box to have a look at what was inside.

Apparently this is called Geocaching. A real-world outdoor treasure hunting game, where the goal is to locate hidden containers armed with a GPS.

Cool right?! What a great concept!
I was still a little shocked about my little sliding adventure in the mud so I forgot to write that I found the box by accident but I wanted to leave a little message anyway :)

Cache in trash out, one of geacaching environmental initiatives definitely deserves to be mentioned too, encouraging people to pick up trash during their hikes looking for the hidden treasures ...

According to their website, there are 1 619 875 active geocaches in the world. I'm seriously thinking of making and hiding one of my own ... And put smiles on other peoples faces when they find it, intentionally or not!

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The highest point of the Netherlands

What an idea to hike up a mountain in sneakers with absolutely no grip!
Today was not necessarily the best day for it because once I got up there, at 877m above sealevel, I was pretty much caught in the middle of a cloud, but at least I can say that I've done it!

I didn't only leave footprints however ... Somewhere along the trail is a butt-print too :p

Mount Scenery ... Secondary rainforest, fascinating changes in vegetation along the way, beautiful butterflies, bananas, the black eyed Susans (Saba's national flower), and even some raspberry-like berries near the top (which I didn't dare to eat) ...

The focus of the island, according to the brochure I picked up at the tourist bureau, is nature and conservation.
It supports ecosystems of distinctive floristic and structural form and contains a disproportionately large number of the world's endemic and threatened species.

Works for me!

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Discovering Saba - Part 2

Saba is a paradise for divers, hikers, and those who just want to rest.
I want a little bit of everything, so after a couple of days of resting (mostly to recover from my jetlag), a fantastic dive/lionfish hunt with the marine park, and a short little hike to the tidepools I decided it was time to step it up a notch and pack my backpack and explore the Sandy Cruz Trail.
My first thought when walking under an overhang and past that wall covered in bright green moss was that "this is almost just as exciting as diving!" (minus the huge barracuda, the tiny seaturtle, the fireworm, the adult spotted drum and all the other fishies I saw on my dive here)

The views were amazing, as was the feeling I got when I reached the top (Troy Hill) much quicker than the signs predicted :)

Now that my calves have recovered I'm thinking it might be time for a second hike ... Probably tomorrow!


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Saba Sunsets

I thought I'd share some Saban Sunsets with you.
These pictures are taken from the balcony of my friends' house, just to give you a clue of the amazing view they have! And how lucky I am to be staying here!


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An Afternoon with Jo Bean

One of the tourist attactions here on the island is Jo Bean's glass art studio.
There, you can not only buy her colourful creations, you can also get to learn how to make your own glass beads and design them exactly the way you want them!

I showed up unexpectedly on her porch and was immediately sucked into the action, for an afternoon full of bead making and great conversations.

Jo Bean is a dive enthusiast and passionate about the underwater world, which clearly shows in her work. I especially liked her glass coral pieces. And as you can see, I thought the thousands of Venetian glass rods in her workshop were particularly fun to photograph.



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Discovering Saba - Part 1

The beauty of Saba is astonishing!
Everything is so green and pretty and pure, just like the brochures promise :D

Last Sunday we went to the tidepools.
First time I regretted not taking my little underwater camera - tidepools are fantastic little ecosystems, complete with hermit crabs, sea urchins, little fish, and anemones! (we even spotted a christmas tree anemone!)

I'm obviously very impressed by everything here ... Don't even get me started on the diving!!!

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