After a challenging 13 hour steam from Sorong to the government mooring buoy at Pulau Kri, we settle into life on the water where things just get better and better!
Tuesday 1300: There was a very strong current ripping through this area, we didn’t get a chance to get off the boat. So we decided to move locations. Pulau Friwen is only 5 miles to the north of here, let’s go check it out.
This was the best decision. We got over there easily, and in day light – though there was localised cloud burst, right on top of us just as we were approaching the island.
Calm but soaked in 5 minutes flat
Visibility became non-existent and we got soaked. We did a 360° circle to kill a bit of time before coming in closer and finding an anchorage. Then it cleared, as quick as it came, I guess that is the tropics for you! Actually we are only about 30 miles from the Equator here. Our GPS position is 00°28.6’S, 130°41.8’E. It is exciting for me to see 00 degrees, NZ is 37°S latitude, we are soo far north!
1500: We anchored just off the jetty in 19m. We are really close to the village and feel a little self conscious. You know the colour of our boat right? We don’t really hit the brief of “incognito” We hope we don’t upset anyone with being so close.
I can see locals washing their dishes on the shore line
Next minute, who should turn up in a little grey inflatable? our angels, Matt and Jo. It was so good to see them, we hadn’t noticed that one of the other 2 boats anchored in this bay was theirs, Jindarra. It was good to get their advice as they have been here before. They said this was a safe anchorage and the villages are really friendly and wont mind. We are able to repay their kindness withcold beer all round!
Wednesday: We went ashore with Matt and Jo for a walk around the village. There is a primary school on the island and all the kids were coming out for their break. They were so happy to see us.
Local kids loving chatting to the foreigners
This island is only .2 square kilometres in size, no vehicles at all, not even motorbikes. There are a couple of homestays with very basic accommodation right on the beach. This is magical, so unspoilt and natural. I imagine that some of the residents have never left the island, or if they have, then it would be only to the neighbouring islands.
This is also where we met the French family who knew of Antoine and Banana Split – check out our previous story here ↓
After lunch Matt takes us all around to the other side of the island in the inflatable to the Friwen Wall for a snorkel. There is a current running here too and the depth is off the scale. We jump into the water and just drift along in the current, taking turns at holding onto the dinghy as she bobbed along beside us.
This is the best dive I have ever done. I have never seen such a variety of colours and shapes of coral like this before. There was a shelf about 1-2 meters wide before a huge drop off, full of so many fish, every colour, shape and size you could imagine. All so curious and playful. They love seeing their reflections in our masks which makes for comical interactions. I would reach out and they dart away. I could have spent all day just watching and playing with them.
The current was gentle, and the water was warm. I didn’t even have fins on. Absolutely out of this world, I felt like I was in a tropical fish tank, it was that beautiful. Bobbing along watching this incredible example of nature at her bery best. Wow, wow and again just WOW!
Photos taken by Jo! The colours were amazing
We decided to go into the water again on the way back around to the boats. And again, stunning! A bit deeper here but just as beautiful as the Wall. I saw the tiny clown fish rubbing themselves amongst the sea anemones just like on Finding Nemo! This was the best day ever!
That evening we had a few drinks on the back of Banana Split and the local children put on a show. They were so funny. Dancing and singing and jumping into the water. They got really brave and swam out to the boat. They were having a ball, giggling and carrying on. It was pouring with rain and they were having the time of their lives. This was a real joy and an experience we will never forget.
See ya next time Jindarra
Thursday 0700: we say goodbye to Matt and Jo as they head off and we head to Batanta, which is about half way back to Sorong.
We feel like we have struck gold. This bay has anchorages of 15-20 meters and water the colour of gin. It should be quite protected from most winds. Here we can get into the water and cool off right from the boat.
The currents are still quite strong, but we are able to get PugWash down and row ashore. Coconut palms, white sand, clear water, is this paradise? Yes I think so.
We spend 3 nights here at anchor. During each night the wind comes up and there is thunder and lightning one of the nights. So, sleep is still not coming easy. We are both up checking our position several times each night. But by morning and we see that the anchor is still holding well, we relax again and enjoy this remarkable place.
We are approached each day by small boats with young people selling coconuts. We can’t resist; fresh coconut water is just the best. I had said no thank you as politely as I could one time as we already had 2! The boy was so polite and started paddling away. Out of nowhere I pulled out my only Indonesian – Hey! I said, Satu Lagi (one more) the smile nearly broke his face in half, we now have 3. We found an electric drill onboard so were able to get into them.
Peaceful evenings, just magic!
Saturday 1500: We took PugWash to the beach for a swim and a cold beer. While we were there, the crew from the super yacht we’d spotted up at Kri, which had anchored in the bay the night before, came ashore. We got chatting. There were 4 of the usual 6 crew. Canadian, English, French and a Kiwi! (so proud!) Young people living their best life. The skipper was 26 and had been master of this boat for 3 years! The owner had left the boat a few days earlier. We were super impressed with them all, they are out there doing it and absolutely loving their jobs! Well done team!
The crew from the Super yacht
The water here is stunning, so warm and clear. At the corner of the island the sand is pure white and the water shallow. It feels like being back in Vieques, bobbing around in the knee deep clear water, this is what it is all about!
Early start heading home
Sunday 0700: Anchor up and make way to Sorong. We make good time, 4.5 knots most of the way. 5 hours later we make fast at Tampa Garam Boat Harbour. We are getting better at this Med style mooring. Time to relax and high fives all round – Again! We did it, such a fantastic trip!
We have used all our provisions, and it is so hot back at the marina compared to out at sea. We decided to spend the afternoon at the pool beside the marina.
It is Sunday and the complex is full of local families. We feel like celebrities! We are approached by 3 different groups to get photos/selfies with them. The girls are giggling away as they get brave to come and talk to us. Google translate becomes our best friend. We swap Instagram profiles and share the photos. We even get asked to touch the pregnant one’s belly – to give them good luck. How about that! It has been quite a day – Quite a week!
Our next adventure begins. It was quite the trip from NZ which started with a very special treat – we flew business class. We were told that once you had flown business class you will never be able to go back to cattle class. It was such a great experience. I know exactly what was meant by that statement.
Arriving at Auckland Airport we went straight to priority check in and bag drop, immediately following that was an “Invitation” to go to the lounge. Ok, yes please! We have 3 hours until take off and we feel like kiddies in a lolly shop. Where do we start?
There is cooked breakfast on offer, a barista making coffee, all pastries and cakes you could dream of, and a full bar. 1 plate, 2 plate, 3 plate, oh hang on, here comes lunch! The mandatory glass or 2 of bubbles, even though it is only 10am. Oh this is lovely. We took a seat right by the window looking down at the departure lounge. Passengers waiting for flights, sitting on plastic seats, trying to get comfortable drinking cuppuccino’s out of takeaway cups – this is usually us by-the-way.
That was just the lounge! Now we get onto the plane. First to be called, down a seperate skybridge that I never even knew existed! Into our own little area on the plane. We have our own cubicle with a sliding hatch between us. Duvet, sheet and real pillow. A footrest with room to stretch right out into a bed. This is going to be good.
The Crew are amazing. Right there every step of the way making sure there is nothing we need; nothing is too much trouble. The meals come with linen tablecloth, proper cutlery and glass glasses – which, it seems, were never empty! My crew looked so disappointed when I said no to Champaign, a Sauvignon blanc would be just fine thank you – to be fair, he did not know I had already had 3 glasses of Champaign in the lounge! After the first meal, a little Baileys perhaps? how about a 12 year old malt whisky sir? Oh it would be very rude not to!
It was so very comfortable in our little cocoons. It was wonderful to get our feet right up. It was an 11 hour flight to Kuala Lumpur. We did not get the swelling in our legs that we usually do. It was the best thing for my ankle, as I am still having issues with swelling and stiffness. I think it would have been a lot harder with out the feet elevation.
It was very cool to lie right down and snuggle into the duvet, turn off the light and try to go to sleep. BUT, I was just too excited to sleep, just as well this was a day time flight. So nice to have the choice though. Imagine having this luxury every long haul!
So I sit up again, reclining in my wonderfully comfortable seat. I felt like a Queen. Another glass of wine perhaps, or something else to eat Miss Donna? Oh my Gosh, I could so get used to this.
3 nights back in one of our favourite cities, Kuala Lumper. We stayed at a usual spot in China town and reacquainted ourselves with the wonderful smells and food.
Kuala Lumpur
A few pieces of navigation equipment to pick up for Banana Split took us out to Port Klang. 45 minutes drive from the city. It took an hour to do the “deal”, sign the papers, pay the man, collect receipts, then the driver took us back. Now to readjust the packing to get it all in. We only had to buy 5kg extra baggage for each flight. It was an interesting exercise as you buy by the kilo, not by bag. Perfect for us carrying what we had. We ended up with 3 bags – well one was just a big box. As you tag your bags, the weigh scale counts down your allowance. That was concern No.1, will we get away with the allowance? – yes! Easy peasy.
A bit more than our usual
Concern No.2, getting said equipment into Indonesia. We landed at Jakarta airport. We had the right documentation, but alas, we were called into the office with the very official man asking quite a few questions. The guy on the x-ray machine said “is there something you want to tell me?” and pointed to the x-ray of the box. We were carrying a radar dome, he had no idea what it could be. Through the screen it really looked like something from outer space. I was visualising us being on the Indonesia version of Border Patrol – “do you know the contents of your bag?”…… All was good though. We had a laugh with the man in the office, right before he socked us between the eyes with the bill – he charged us 10% duty, 11% VAT and 10% Income Tax – yes Income Tax as we are not Indonesian citizens, then sent us on our way.
That piece of equipment was the sacrificial lamb, with a bit of clever accounting we got away with a fairly low bill. It could have been 3 times that amount. They were also so interested in the Navigation equipment, they forgot to ask about the brand new dive gear we were also carrying. Job Done!
Next flight, Jakarta to Sorong, 4 hour flight leaving at 1210 am, where is our business class now??
This part was easy, our faithful driver Neddy was waiting for us at Sorong and took us to Tampa Garam Marina where we found Banana Split. This is a small marina with no berths as such. It is a small rectangle of water with 8 vessels tied up in the Mediterranean style mooring system.
It was 0630, and though the manager knew we were arriving today, there was no one around. A quick discussion on how to get out to the boat as our dinghy is on the boat; not helpful. A call to the manager, who offered us to use the one tied up down at the other end of the marina, it has no oars; but there is 1 paddle.
Should I swim?Nah,There she is – Banana Split; our home for 3 1/2 weeks
We manage to get us and all our equipment safely onboard. Wow this is cool, we are back on a boat!! Now the real fun begins!
The story of the Cruise Ship – It just gets better and better!!
We feel we are lucky to have chosen this transatlantic crossing as our first cruise. It is 11 days long and we will not hit another port until we get to Miami. That is a lot of days to be at sea, nothing to do but be on the boat. It is a re-location voyage; this ship goes on to cruise the Caribbean for the season. No ports? Perfect for us as we feel that it has really given us a chance to get to know the boat. If this had only been 5 days for example, we would not have discovered all the hidden gems that we have done. We have walked and explored every corner of this ship. There is so much to see and do. We have loved every minute.
The weather has not been the best, but as we progress toward USA, the outside temperatures are getting higher. We were in fog for at least one whole day where every 2 minutes there was a 5 second blast on the horn – fog signal. Once the fog cleared the drizzle started and the swell got bigger and bigger. 10-meter seas, 40 knot winds, she got a bit rocky there for a while, about 3 days at its worst. The captain gives an update every morning at 10am and this is normal for the North Atlantic Ocean. We knew the weather was coming up when we saw the vomit bags being put out at the stair wells at every level.
The Observation lounge is one level above the bridge and has a fabulous view forward. We would sit up there and watch the ship riding up and down the swells. This is a huge ship, yet we managed to spray water up and over the bow as we dipped into the troughs and ploughed up and through the wall of water ahead – exhilarating! Each time another big swell came there was a collective “wow” from all watching, followed by nervous giggles! Day 8 the wind dropped to around 20 knots, and as we have been travelling at a constant 17knots, it is felt a lot calmer. This was just one day; the wind has been around 40 knots for most of the trip.
When we left Southampton, we did not expect to see land again until we came into Miami. On the evening of day 3 we had an announcement to say that there was a medical emergency, and someone needed to go to hospital so we would be altering our course to go to Azores Islands to medivac the patient. They were not sure at this stage whether we would go in and dock or stay off and transfer the patient by boat. We were a long way off these islands so would not arrive until 0500 in the morning. Of course, I had to get up to see this!
0445 I got up and could see the lights of the island in the distance. We stopped just outside the harbour of Ponta Delgarda. It was dark, but you could see the beach not far from us. The captain kept position using the starboard thrusters, the wind was pushing against our port side. The pilot boat approached and came alongside beautifully, and they loaded the poor man from the lower deck in a stretcher. He was waving so I felt happy that he was at least conscious and aware of what was going on, we never did find out what actually happened to him. The Pilot boat left, and we slowly moved off and headed back on our way. The diversion was a welcome change and something quite different. I was fascinated in the while process, having been involved in this sort of operation back in New Zealand. It was great work by all involved, very efficient and professional.
The lights of the Azores
Our diversion track around the islands
This ship can carry 3800 passengers and 1600 crew. We have heard that there are only 1000 passengers onboard! So that means there are more crew than passengers! We feel, again, so lucky that this is the case as it is not crowded at all. We try to imagine how different it would be with another, near enough, 3000 people on board. But as we have never done this before, we don’t have anything to compare.
The sun is out, so we have to try – its only 19 degrees and so windy!
There are over 13 bars – (we know because we pub-crawled 13 all in one day – took 8 hours, but that is a story for another day!!) There are 11 restaurants, a casino, car racing track, kids water slides, swimming pools, a library, cigar lounge, theatre, full spa, art gallery and shopping mall selling the best diamonds in the world. It has to be seen to be believed. There are millions of dollars’ worth of paintings onboard, Dürer, Dali and Rembrandt just to name a few. Full on art auctions are taking place under our noses. The bars all have themes, the Beatles are at the Cavern club, whisky “by the jar” at the Maltings, Mojito’s at the Sugarcane or 70 different craft beers at the Brewhouse. You want cocktails with breakfast – feel free, its all here, and no one will judge!! Gives new meaning to the concept of day drinking.
Half way through our pub crawl – we are still looking ok!!
The food is incredible. We have tried all the restaurants that are part of our package and they do not disappoint. Whether we have A la Carte or the buffet, the food quality is sensational. We had one meal at the steakhouse as it was part of our “specialty dining package” OH MY, WORD! 5-star dining, 500g steak perfectly cooked, 4 courses, outstanding! And it is free! We are still so blown away by what is on offer, and we continue to pinch ourselves every day.
The Garden Café is the buffet restaurant and is the typical buffet style with multiple dishes of many cuisines. They usually have a different theme each night or a specific roasted meat. Rib Eye, pork, lamb, chicken and turkey, its all been pretty good. We are certainly not going without our protein! One night they were advertising “Steamship” as the specialty. We asked, what is this? Beef, they said. Ok lets have a look. Have you ever seen a whole cow leg roasted? Well, that is what Steamship is. We could not believe our eyes at the size of this roasted piece of meat, complete with bone out of the top! 10 hours cooking at 120 deg apparently, and it was delicious.
A Whole leg of beef – the Steamship
The staff are so friendly, everyone has a smile and hello. I have been amazed to see the natalities of the staff. Everyone’s name badge has where they are from. I read somewhere that the crew are made up of over 50 different nationalities. It is a wonderful mix. Evening 10 after the Broadway Cabaret, a huge collection of the staff came onto the stage for a farewell. Representatives from every part of the ship from the engine room, catering, housekeeping, retail, bar and restaurant, to the captain, were there. As they filed out, up the stairs of the theatre we were able to say thankyou and show our appreciation. As we then filed out of the theatre, they were all there, almost as a guard of honour, thanking us! I was quite overcome by this gesture; this could almost be my highlight of the trip.
Thank you to all the crew!
We have not spent much time out on deck because of the weather. We thought that we would start getting better weather by the time we were a few days out from Miami. Surprisingly this was not the case. The temperature got up to 20°C on the last day, but the wind was still cold. The pools remained closed and half empty until day 8, a small handful of brave soles got in.
not a lot going on out on deck
We were at sea for 11 days, I saw 2 other boats on day 11, we had our Medi-vac on day 4, but other than that we have not seen any other signs of life besides what is here on this ship. It has been so peaceful. We have been able to find quiet spots and been able to relax and just ponder this amazing planet and the enormity of the ocean in front of us which is 5km deep right here. Watching the ever-changing clouds and the colours, the swells and currents. The gentle hum of the engines underfoot and the slight sideways rock is reassuring as we make our way towards land.
After 3 weeks of holiday and visiting friends – its time to get back to work. We took the overnight train from Padang Besar to Hua Hin, Thailand. A driver was waiting to take us to Pran Buri where Cristina has a home with 37 dogs. We have done this house sit before for Cristina but she was on the island of Koh Phayam then and there was only 16 dogs.
It was so great to see Cristina again and see the wonderful place her and her husband Paul had created. It felt like it was just yesterday that we had last seen her. 10 of the current 37 dogs were there last time and we think they may have remembered us……. Of maybe that’s just being romantic.
Bob and YakBob and Yak, maybe they remember us
We spent nearly a week with Cristina and along with the care of the dogs, she showed us around the town of Pran Buri and Hua Hin. We were armed with lots of tips on where to shop and where to eat. She left us with a car and introduced us to a few people we could call on if needed. What could possibly go wrong!!
Feeding time is a little chaotic. The first time we just watched and frantically wrote down all the details. 37 dogs, we don’t know their names yet, how are we ever going to remember who gets what! There are three different types of food, vitamins and medicines for some and liver and chicken treats hand made by a wonderful volunteer Chris, some get and some don’t. Not quite as simple as a cup of biscuits each! When we looked after the dogs on Koh Phayam, we cooked the food every day and we thought 16 was a tough gig!
So we set off on the feeding program ourselves. Cristina is still here and she is just pottering over there, sweeping the floor, the odd little suggestion when we get it wrong, or reminder that the dog I referred to as she actually had a penis. She must have been having quite a giggle to herself watching us try to put it all together.
Showing us the ropesDear wee Muffin and Queen Feisty waiting their turnOur book of instructions didnt last the distance
Once we took the training wheels off and started fending for ourselves, we got into a fantastic routine. We got to know all their names and didn’t put up with any of their shenanigans. We fed them in groups and, all in all, they were very well behaved and knew when their turn was coming. Occasionally one would “slip” into the wrong place and try to get another bowl. Bob – the policeman of the pack, would stand guard over the old girl Poon’s food while she took herself out for a pee half way through her meal. We thought this was very admirable of dear Bob, until one day we saw he had an ulterior motive.
TinTin – not much between the earsGiGi and Big Mama – soft and gentleHowie – Ladies man through and through
Dogs can be so smart! Buttercup was a bit of a food junkie and could not help herself when any food was around, so at feeding time, she would jump into Nimbus’s sleeping crate (she could get in but couldn’t get out) and just wait her turn, she could not trust herself with all the other bowls of food around. How about that for discipline!
Feisty – 17 years old, food coma after the excitement of breakfastTilly – the newest addition – fur is starting to grow back
There is a gate between the kitchen area and the garage area and when feeding the group in the garage they all rushed up to the gate. But we just opened and closed the gate, just like herding sheep into a pen, yes-no-yes-no, the odd one got through but we got is right most of the time. They could be so quick! Sometimes I would turn around and there was one I wasn’t expecting, looking up with big brown hopeful eyes – and where did YOU come from?? Then it was the mad rush to pick up all the bowls before someone peed in the empty bowl, some with incredible accuracy!
Mumble – a bit wary of us, he has no back pawsTruffel – short for Trouble!King Louie and Blossom – ready for bed
The property is about 2 acres. They bought it as bare land and have done an amazing job of creating a paradise for the dogs. There is a big pond, several shade houses, big boulders and concrete pipes for playing on. It is fully fenced with internal fenced off areas for some of the dogs and the house section. It rained for days at the beginning, and this did cause a bit of mud in places, particularly the walk way down to the big paddock where the pond was. Some would go through but most were “NO! not doin it” haha Those rainy days were quiet, the dogs just hung out and didn’t want to go out, we just hung out with them, we even managed to watch a couple of movies.
Nobby keeping an eye on thingsBut I have to sit ON you!Yak and Mouse – digging up treasurePonfuu only has 3 legs, but still watches out for his best friend Nimbus Toffee and OscarPlay time in the paddock
We got to know the dogs really well. They all have their own personalities and problems or attitudes. Some don’t get on with others, some are obsessed with others. They love attention, I likened the pack to a group of children on more than one occasion. They had this massive big playground, a paradise for dogs, but would they go out to play? No, not unless you went with them. We got into a lovely routine every evening – once the path was passible, once the last food bowl was picked up, lets go! Down to the paddock. They would all run off barking and excited, it was so much fun. We would sometimes take a beer down and try to sit on the platform. We gave this up pretty quickly as they all followed up the stairs, and at least 2 wanted to sit on our laps, or at least sit right by you and demand attention. Dirty wet paws all over us from a swim in the pond – Oh it’s a dogs life!!
Oggie – precious little guy with a big personality, doesnt let his missing leg slow him downjust a bit of space please
Whenever we say to people that we are house sitting in Thailand and looking after 35+ dogs, we get puzzled looks, really? 35+ dogs? Why? Who for? Is it a dog sanctuary? Well yes, that is exactly what it is. This is a self-funded rescue shelter. Cristina came to Thailand from Denmark about 7 years ago, she is incredibly selfless, she feels very deeply for the dogs on the street who have been miss treated or injured and not cared for. She will not only look after and provide for her own pack, she will drive around the neighbourhood feeding street dogs. She knows them all and they know her. She has taken in and rescued most who are there today. She tries to get them adopted and occasionally they will get to go to a forever home. Buttercup was one while we were there, she got to go to a loving family which was awesome. So our original 37 is now 36! It takes so much dedication and time to rehabilitate some of the sorry stories, not to mention money.
Cristina loves and adores every one
Out of the 36 that are there now, we had 1 paralysed from the waist down, 4 with malformed or missing paws or parts of legs, 2 with only three legs, 1 with one eye, 1 with one ear and 1 with fur just starting to grow back. There is 1 Great Dane, 4 Chihuahua, at least 1 purebred that I know of and a whole lot of loveable mutts of every description in between. It’s a motley crew! But every one of them has been loved and cared for unconditionally.
Nimbus is incredibly agile considering he has no use of his back legs Such a loving boy
We spent 12 days on our own and were exhausted. Cristina does an amazing job and she is on her own most of the time. Her husband Paul works abroad, he is home as often as he can be. There are two wonderful volunteers who come and help out a couple of times a week, Sue and Chris. They both also have a passion for dogs and put their heart and soul into their care. Picking up poo is done with a smile! Chris cooks treats for them every week. Together with Cristina they sweep and scrub, bandage and brush, administer meds and creams, clip and snip, hug and kiss, they are a great team.
Volunteer SueVolunteer ChrisChris feeding the dogs in the communityNimbus needs his back legs bandaged to protect them from the ground
Remember if you see a stray dog on the street that looks in such a bad state of neglect and full of skin decease and you feel afraid because you think that dog is most likely aggressive, so you just walk on by, most often than none you are very wrong. Because under the superficial scaring, wounds and skin decease is a wonderful dog that once rescued, treated cared for and loved will in turn love you for ever.
Taken from Cristinas facebook page
This is one of Cristina’s stories,
Gi Gi.
November 2020. Cristina noticed Gi Gi tied up by the side of the road, skinny and scabby with no fur. She was told the dog was a street dog and they were trying to help her with no luck. Cristina started caring for her by going to the house 3 times a day and slowly the story began to change. Gi Gi is a purebred Thai Ridgeback and was bought together with a male to breed. After she had puppies without proper nutrition and tick protection, she got sick. No longer useful, she was given to the owners brother, who kept her tied up on the side of the road with no shelter or protection. This is where Cristina found her. They claimed they were looking after her but this was very obviously not the case. Cristina managed to negotiate with the man and took Gi Gi home. It took a lot of time and love, along with good food and supplements, but she slowly built up her mussels, her fur grew back and she blossomed into the wonderful dog she is today.
BeforeNowMiss Gi Gi
This is just one of many success stories. Working in Thailand has its challenges and Cristina does an amazing job especially when, at times, her heart is breaking with the neglect and cruelty.
BeforeNowAnother example – meet Mr Cody
Everything Cristina does is totally self funded, she depends on the help of her volunteers, any donations and sponsorship. It is humbling to know that there are still people like this in the world and we found it a privilege to have been part of it. If you are ever in the area, get in touch and go and check out this amazing operation, you will be welcomed.
SueSue cant get enough cuddlesFlipFlop and BaileyMuffin gets so excited, she dances in circles on her hind legs – she is adorableThe puppies looking guilty in Rufus’s bedTime out for the humansFixing Little Mama’s bed after Cody pulled it apart
And then it was bed time. Navigating 6 in the bed was a challenge at times, but we did it!
We had a wonderful time. At times the noise would get to us, and at times we felt so grubby we would never be clean again! But we loved every minute, Challenging? YES! Rewarding? YES YES YES!!!
We now have 36 best friends!
I know you are not supposed to have favorites …………. If only I could take you home to NZ Toffee!!!!
Thank you for reading our story
I have mentioned 31 of 37 in this story, Twiggie, Biscuit, Latte, Mr G, Big Ear and Gizmo, we love you too!
It is now November 2022. We have just spent the last seven 7 months on the island of Vieques, Puerto Rico, which is in the Caribbean. We are leaving the island with a few tears as we say goodbye to many people we have come to love and will sorely miss.
But, this is the end of only 1 chapter in the book of our adventures, AND as we leave the island we have this amazing little distraction – a tiny puppy called Iain.. While here on Vieques, we have been walking the dogs for the Vieques Humane Society and we offered to transport a pet needing to be taken to USA. We were thrilled to hear, four days before we were leaving, that there was indeed a little puppy that needed to go to Boston to a foster family to wait for his forever home.
A very welcome distraction indeed! And the best little travel companion. Iain was so chilled, he took to the car ride, ferry ride, trip to dinner and another long car ride to San Juan airport, all in his stride. We arrived at the airport at 9pm, our flight was not leaving until 5am, so we had a very long wait. The time went by very fast with Iain to keep us entertained. He was so popular, everyone wanted to give him a pat. So, we were able to, mostly, kept him awake. When we finally got onto the plane, he was so exhausted, he just went to sleep in his carry cage under the seat in front of me. When he woke, he sat on my knee and snugged back to sleep again – until the steward discovered him – ooops! “He must be in his cage for the duration of the flight” – but look at this little face!! Cant he just stay on my knee?
We arrived in Boston 4 hours later. Iain’s foster family were waiting and fell in love the minute they saw him, and then he was gone! We have heard since that he has found his forever home already and is a very loved member of the family. It was so cool to have been part of that story!
We have a week here in the north east of America. A few days in Boston, a few days in Kennebunk then back to Boston to fly out to Jakarta. This part of the trip was primarily for seeing friends. We were so lucky to be able to borrow Pam’s car to drive up to Kennebunk to see Joan. It was perfect as it meant we could take her out and about while there. We got to see part of the New England coast too, which was so beautiful.
It was so much colder than what we had been used to, we only have hot weather clothes with us! So as soon as we arrived in Boston, Pam and Kim opened up their wardrobes and said go for it! Fleeces and sweaters, jackets and thermals! Girls! you are life savers!!
We had one spare day so took the train up to a small town called Salem. As it is Halloween next week, this was quite a timely visit to the home of witch trials and superstition. The whole town is dedicated to the “scary” . More than 200 people were accused of being witches between 1692 and 1693. 30 were found guilty and 19 were executed by hanging right there in Salem. It was the deadliest “witch hunt” in the history of colonial North America.
Pam and Kim live in central Boston, but they have a holiday home at Cape Cod, would we like to go? Hell yes!! The four of us pile into the car and travel the 2 hours to the Cape. Wow! We were so lucky to have this opportunity! Cape Cod and Provincetown are so beautiful and we were blessed with perfect weather! We ate so much and drank far too much! We had so much fun. Their house is right on the beach. There are oyster farms along the coastline and Chris managed to find some rogue oysters in ankle deep water. They were immediately shucked and eaten with a cold beer to wash them down. It was a beautiful warm day. It still really amazes me how this part of the world can get so very hot in the summer time and then turn around and be frozen solid, snow up to the window ledges and frozen water pipes come winter – it is so hard to imagine.
It is only days before Halloween and there was a “Tea Party” on in Provincetown the weekend we were there. So we, all four, dressed up in kind-of-scary but really it was just kind-of-crazy-pretty – yes even Chris! It was so much fun dressing up and doing fake face tattoos, we had a ball! Some of the costumes people were in were amazing, there had been a lot of effort put in and it was so much fun! It was a different story in the morning-we had all sorts of hilarity when we tried to get the tattoos off our faces! Then …. more oysters, more wine in the sun and then back to Boston – we have a plane to catch!
What a weekend! We haven’t laughed this much in a long time! Pam and Kim!! You rock!
Now it’s off to South East Asia, Thank you for reading our story, we hope you can join us for the next one….. coming soon xxx
At the end of one of my stories about Vieques, I mentioned that its “quirkiness is it’s magic”. This is so true! Vieques is a quirky little place, full of colour, vibrancy and life. There is color everywhere you look. The turquoise ocean the blue skies the white puffy clouds, even the iguana’s are bright green, and buildings of every color you can think of.
I am sure you have seen enough pictures of the amazing beaches, coconut palms and sunsets. There is a lot more to this place than that. Though that seems to feature highly in our priorities, and why not? we are, after all, on a Caribbean Island. So, I wont bore you with the same old, here is a slightly different look at Vieques.
Check out this rainbow of houses.
There it is – Red Orange Yellow Green Blue Indigo and Violet – all present and accounted for.
As we walk around this quirky little place we are never short of amazement at the next colour combination we come across.
We have the Brights……
And the Pastels……..
And then all these awesome combinations…..
And this is just a small example of what is here.
How many different colours can you see in this scene? Love it!
Even the masks are all colours!
Our time here is almost up. We leave in 9 days! It is so hard to believe that it is over six months already, it has gone super fast! We have been really busy, it hasn’t all been hanging out at the beach! We have both put in many hours volunteering to various places. Chris has done many days with Kim, watering gardens when it was really dry and weed-wacking when the rain came and made it all grow again. I have helped at the kids art camp during the summer holidays and done some admin for Our Big Fat Caribbean Rescue, which is a non-profit organisation dedicated to improving the lives of Vieques’ animals, during their free Neuter and Spay clinics.
Both Chris and I have been walking the dogs at the Humane Society most weeks – Friday, our favorite day of the week! We have been very creative in the kitchen, creating wonderful dishes with the, often, lack of available ingredients. We have immensely enjoyed our social gatherings, and sharing all these wonderful culinary creations with dear friends, whom we are going to sorely miss!
We have had our own property here to caretake for, there has been gardening, painting, building and maintenance to carry on with. I have been going to Zumba and Aqua Aerobics a couple of times a week. We did several trips to the big island for various supplies, and had our fabulous yet disastrous visa trip to the Dominican Republic AND had pretty bad storm (Fiona wasn’t quite a hurricane as she went past us) – No wonder the time has gone fast!
This says it all!!
So where to from here?
Boston (USA) – Jakarta (Indonesia) – Penang (Malaysia) – Hua Hin (Thailand) – Chennai (India) – NZ all by Febuary 2023!
We are here on this tiny island as if in a time warp. The time goes by so fast. One minute it’s the weekend and then the next it is Friday night again, how does that happen? We have 6 weeks left of this house sit, we have been here for over 5 months already!
I sit here on my deck chair under a coconut trees shade, at Caracas beach. This is one of our favourite places on the island. Not because it is the most beautiful, there are some spectacular beaches, I think it is because we have the best memories here. Last time we only had bike power for getting around and this was the best beach we could reach by bike – still a 9 km cycle over the spine of the island. We were so much fitter then! And it is just as memorable now. The water is as clear as crystal, gently lapping on the perfectly white sand. The sky is deep blue and the clouds are so white.
Playa Caracas
Today is very quiet. It is Sunday, it is usually “Sunday Fun-day”, where crowds of friends and family gather for a day at the beach. Bringing with them BBQ’s, hammocks, cooler boxes groaning with food and alcohol, chairs, tables and gazebos and music. That’s what we are missing today – Music! The thump thump thump of the Puerto Rican rhythm. It is very distinctive and very conspicuous in its absence.
This is the off season. Not many tourists come to the island at this time of the year and a lot of the businesses close down for a month – 6 weeks. Holiday rentals shut down, restaurants and bars, some tour operators, it is very quite. The supermarket and the roads reflect this. The fruit truck doesn’t have as much to offer at the moment. We didn’t notice this the last time here as we had just had Hurricane Irma, it was a very different place then.
It is so hot! I have just been reading through my story of the last time here. It got to “feels like” 46°C then! It hasn’t got to that this time – well not that I have captured! So hot though. You can’t have a cold shower because the water out of the cold tap is always warm. I am sweating buckets every day! It drips off my chin and runs in my eyes, and that is just going outside to the washing line! The temperatures are so consistent, 27deg – 31deg every day! When we have a bit of rain we celebrate! But then if it rains for more than a day, everything starts to feel damp, your clothes, bed sheets, cushions even the floor. And my hair!! Humidity frizz! I would like to make it a new fashion statement, but no one in their right mind would want this! So, the best thing for it is to get into the ocean. The water temperature is 29.3°C – I just looked it up. Slightly cooler than the air temperature. Though I would like to challenge this. We have a hot tub – yes, it’s true!! here at the house and it is constantly sitting at 32°C and that is with no heating, just the ambient temperature and I am sure the ocean is warmer than that tub.
Disease-causing organisms??
We are smack bang in the middle of hurricane season, in fact the peak of hurricane season was on Saturday. It has been really quiet this year, so much so that, for the first time in 25 years, there have been no named storms during August. But we are still feeling a bit nervous to be honest! There are lots of different web pages and Facebook groups that we keep an eye on as we know that there is always a bit of notice if there is something coming our way that we need be aware of. We have been collecting water and have bought extra canned and dried foods just in case we do lose power. It was 5 years ago this week that Irma came through, caused 10 days of power outage then 4 days later Maria made an appearance and…… well…… that was power, and water gone for quite some time. We have bought a GPS tracker which can also send messages through the satellite system if standard communication is lost. We have done a couple of tests and it works well. Having all communication gone was one of the hardest things to cope with. We were alive a relatively well, but family on the other side of the world did not know this. Tough times, don’t really want to go through that again!
For our Hurricane story and photos, check out the link below
There has been a lot of Sahara dust most of the time we have been here. They say that this dust, which blows all the way from the deserts of Africa, helps to ward off hurricanes. It chokes out the systems, and they don’t have enough moisture to keep going, then a hurricane can’t form. Though the dust is a pain in the butt-ocks, makes it hazy and the windows get filthy, we like the idea of it being our “hurricane angel”
Being on a rock of 135m2, sandwiched between the Atlantic Ocean and the Caribbean Sea, makes for interesting weather conditions. I studied weather for my skippers licence a million years ago, we had to recognise and understand clouds, and what they represented for predicting weather……… Well, I didn’t do too well in that section! I can hardly tell one cloud from the other. But I do remember there being the “castle clouds” the Altocumulus Castellanus clouds. I have always wanted to see them; they don’t seem to form in NZ. Here on Vieques there are clouds every day and we often see the Castle Clouds. We don’t usually get just a plain blue sky, like at home, and these clouds here are the whitest I have ever seen. The sky here is amazing, moody and bright, the sunsets and sunrises, the rainbows and clouds are so vibrant and brilliant.
Altocumulus Castellanus clouds take their name from their resemblance to turrets of castles and are often a warning of thunderstorms
Things can be difficult here, but we are all in the same boat. Everyone can’t get that special ingredient to make that dish they want, and that’s after trips to 3 different stores in the hope 1 will have it, and then you pay the earth for it. I needed cream the other day and had a route mapped out of the stores I would try, if I couldn’t get it after store number 6, we would go without. I got it at store number 3!! So glad too because it was for Betsy’s amazing bread pudding!!
Perfect with caramelised banana and whipped cream
Everyone has to wait for months for contractors or parts for broken cars, so many cars are in poor condition because of it. The power goes out and the water slows down for no apparent reason at times, this affects everyone, one Barrio at a time it seems. The fire ants and mosquitos are pretty unbearable, but everyone has them. Oh, the heat and the sweat – we all sweat buckets, it is never offensive and everyone has a sweat rash somewhere! It doesn’t seem to matter here, everyone just gets on with it, you just adjust that recipe or menu to suit what you find at the store, you hold your car together with duct tape. It is just part of the charm of Vieques!
It’s quirkiness is its magic, and we all love it!
It’s a great life here and we feel so privileged to have had not one, but two chances to experience life as a local on Vieques, Puerto Rico. 6 weeks to go and we will be very sad to leave.
What a cool holiday! 5 days of pure doing nothing but eat and drink and swim, read and sleep! If you have read our last story, you will know that we had a pretty tough time getting out of the DR, but that has not spoilt our memories of a wonderful holiday.
Boca Chica is a 10 minute ride from Santo Domingo Airport. Don’t get fooled by Booking.com telling you it is a 40 minute ride and charge you accordingly. We only paid $12USD on the way back with Uber, compared to the $40USD on the way in.
The Hotel Zapata was basic but totally adequate, and it had air conditioning! We had a restaurant and bar on site and breakfast was included, which we always love! It was a mere 30 meters from the water with nothing in between but sand and a security fence and gate. Our thatched roof bar was on the sand right beside the lounge chairs we occupied each and every day. What more could we want!
We had the best part of the beach as there were no restaurants out the front of the property. This was an area where locals would come in their family groups and set up camp for the day bringing home made food in huge pots, blankets, hammocks and music. The atmosphere was great, there was no hassles on this beach as we were expecting. There were street vendors all day every day but when you said “no thank you” they respected this and moved on.
There is an outer reef about 300 meters off shore, so the water inside was calm and shallow. Only about waist deep at the most almost right out to the reef. The water was crystal clear, Caribbean blue, and so warm. Beautiful white sand and so many coconut palms. This reminded me so much of out at One Foot Island in Aitutaki, Cook Islands. So beautiful. I really feel we found a absolute gem!
Many restaurants lined the beach and the shore to the east of us and to the west, a city of beach umbrellas over tables filled that part of this super wide beach. We walked up and down this many times, stopping at the little stores in the streets behind the beach, to get cold beers and sit on the sand.
There was a big police presence both in the streets behind and on the beach front. There were the normal police and the tourist police, who ever knew there was such a thing! It felt safe.
Dominican Republic is well known for its “All Inclusive” hotel deals where it is a one-stop-shop. Where there are restaurants, bars, beaches, pools, everything you could want, all very safe and included in the deal, they are very cost effective. We went to one for the day, just a walk away at the end of the village. It was great fun, I lost count of the cocktails we tried after I ran out of fingers! We ate plenty and wobbled our way back to the Hotel Zapata and crashed at 7:30pm. It was a good fun day but we were so happy with our little hotel and the location was just perfect! Even if you are travelling with children, I would recommend this part of the country.
The one thing we were not so impressed with was the food. If you read any of our other stories you will know that we love exploring food. I have said it before, the humble supermarket and even more so the local markets are our favorite tourist attraction in any country we visit. The food here was very average. Not horrible, but very definitely, not special. Not to worry, there was more than enough other beauty to make up for it – and the beer was Dam good!!
Thank you for reading our story, I hope you enjoyed the photos!
We are travelling with 10-year multiple entry Visas to the USA. This allows us to be in The States for up to 6 months at a time. Our house sit here in Vieques will be slightly longer than 6 months, so we have to figure out a Visa run, ie leave The States and come back in again to re-start a 6 month phase. There are plenty of islands around us here in the Caribbean, some really close. So, we have to think of what will be the quickest and easiest and of course the most economical place to go. Tortola? That’s BVI, could work. What about St Thomas? No that’s Part of The States, so that’s no good. What about Cuba? We tried to go to Cuba following this house sit in 2017 but didn’t make it due to the hurricane. Cuba is now fully out of our price range for a Visa run! Bahamas? Barbados? Colombia? All too far and too expensive. Dominican Republic? Yes! That will do us, its so close and well-priced.
You can’t exit The States to Canada or Mexico for a Visa run. I’m not sure why, maybe as it is a land border? Not entirely sure so we are looking at our 36-minute flight to the DR and hoping that it is going to be far enough and we are away long enough to satisfy the Visa requirements. Time will tell…… we are committed, tickets in our hot little hands!
It is an easy run through, everything in order. Stunning flight right over Puerto Rico. The e-ticket required by the DR Government worked surprisingly well, a QR code saved to my phone, not one hick-up, easy place to get into.
E-Ticket required by DR Govt. for landing
We have 5 awesome nights.
But it is time to go. We can’t stay on holiday indefinitely…….. or can we? That’s a story for another time! We have been so impressed with Boca Chica, the beach and the people, just wonderful. We get an Uber, it costs about $12USD, much better than the $40USD on the way in, through booking.com
So, this is the part where we start to wonder if maybe we won’t be granted another 6 months. Remembering this is a “Visa run” trip so there is a definite possibility that we will come across some problems with said Visa. The US Govt. have said that it would be up to the agent on the day on how the “staying in/staying out” part is interpreted, there is no set amount of time, unlike Europe for example which is 3 months in – 3 months out. But that’s all that could go wrong, right? ……. Wrong!!
Here we go.
We are at the airport with loads of time. Its 1215, flight leaves at 1403.
The CDC rescinded the need for COVID testing, pre-flight and on arrival, in June, so we didn’t think to take our vaccination cards. The first thing we were asked to produce – while standing in line, pre-check in – yip! Our COVID vaccination certs! Oh crap! Chris finds a photo of his, I couldn’t find mine! I had a photo of it somewhere in the 1000’s of photos on my phone. Everyone is waiting, scrolling scrolling, getting hot, scrolling, getting hotter, had I deleted it? When had I taken the photo? oh man! Finally, I find it and then we both sign a piece of paper which she files, very carefully(not), in the drawer. Name, signature, todays date – that’s it! not sure what this is going to prove, oh well. Then, when we get up to check in, the check in lady also wants to look at our vaccination certs. But somehow while I was signing the paper, I had deleted the image by mistake. How the *#@ did I do that!! So she called the other lady over and they accept that the cert. has been sighted. We didn’t see that one coming, of all the problems we thought we would have!
It takes an hour and a half to get through security and into the airport air-side. This is where we stay now for the next 24 hours……. Yip!!
We are leaving from terminal A, check the board for the gate closer to departure time. OK. Our flight is direct Santo Domingo to San Juan, departure time 1603. We have time for lunch then wait in terminal A. We are supposed to be boarding at 1518, its 1500, still no flight F996 on the board. We found one larger board at the far end of terminal A and it said change of gate, B1, but the departure time was showing as 1638?? but now delayed to 1644. That’s weird, oh well, it’s delayed, no biggie, now leaving from B1, sure, let’s go.
We get to B1 and it is total chaos, no room to move. It’s now 1525, there is a line to the gate door at least 4 thick and no one is moving. We get past the crowd to the other side, close to B2 and sit down out of the way. Chris keeps getting up to check the board, no change, no instructions to be at the gate, no indication that it is boarding. No announcements that the flight has started boarding. So we sit and wait.
1630 we decide to go wait with the millions of other people; it has to be boarding soon. I txt Lidia, our friend who has driven from Ceiba to meet us at the airport, and say I think our flight is delayed again, we still haven’t started boarding! She is already nearly at San Juan to pick us up! Almost immediately after that the sign on the screen flicks over to Fort Lauderdale. What? Oh, they must be loading that plane first. The huge line starts moving, yip, these are passengers to Fort Lauderdale. 10 minutes later we think, should we ask what’s going on? We make it through the throng of people to the podium and ask. Wait for it………..
Your flight has gone!
What??? Gone where?? When???? How?? But we were right here!!!! All frontier staff have disappeared, these are Spirit staff, they even point to their logo and are very clearly NOT INTERESTED! So we try to find a security guard or someone, we so need to talk to a Frontier rep. Up and down the airport we run looking for someone who will talk to us! No One! So many staff here with various colour uniforms, lanyards, walkie talkie radios, but no HELP! No one wants to know!
Oh My God, what do we do? We have missed our flight!!! How did that happen?? We are both feeling quite stunned, nobody wants to know, we are stuck here, can’t get in, can’t get out!!
There is a JetBlue flight going to San Juan, maybe we could talk to them and try and get on that flight.
That flight has a 2-hour delay, leaving at 2030, but totally full. The girl at that gate was so lovely, she went to find a security guard to escort us out through immigration. We were to wait there, and security would come and get us in 20 minutes. 90 minutes later, this lovely girl sees us again and is surprised no one came for us. She goes off again and when she returns she said she can take us through, yes! we are getting out of here. We follow her down the back corridor, down the stairs, only to be stopped and told “you can’t come through here” even our JetBlue lady was surprised, she had been told we could. Oh well, back up the stairs and into the terminal.
The JetBlue flight has been changed to gate B1 now, so we should go down there and wait, maybe get on stand-by, or at least find someone who can help. Mean while we have been trying, with the dodgy wifi, to find new flights. I am in communication with my friend Sarah on Vieques, she is looking for flights for us, as this wifi keeps crashing!
Back at B1, less people around now, JetBlue leaving in half an hour, still hoping for a miracle that we can get onto this flight – No, not going to happen. OK, fine.
The last flight out of this airport tonight is 2110. We are starting to realise that we are here for the night, thoughts of that movie with Tom Hanks where he is stuck at an airport – that’s a familiar feeling for us right now.
As the airport empties, the wifi gets better and we find a spot to figure out what the heck we are going to do. I started a chat with Frontier on messenger. They were very good and because the flight hadn’t been registered as a “no show” yet, we could change to another date, now this sounds hopeful! BUT…. The next flight with 2 seats is next Monday, do we want it? Oh Man! We can’t stay another 8 nights here. We take the cancel option, we end up with a $58 credit after all the fees. 2200 and our lovely JetBlue lady appears, she is heading home and offers, once again, to take us through. We decline the offer as we are just starting to get somewhere online (I am in the middle of the chat with Frontier) We find out later that we would not have been able to go through anyway, so nice of her to try though, she has been the only one.
Right, what to do, flight now gone, stuck air-side of the international airport in The Dominican Republic – not how we expected our day to go.
We find a flight for tomorrow with interCaribbean, leaving 1345 to San Juan via Tortola. $300 USD each, done! Booked! Right we really need to get out of here, we can’t check in to that flight while being on this side of the airport. Oh and I haven’t mentioned our checked bag? Where is? Did it go to San Juan without us? Will we ever see it again? No flight should ever go with an unplanned, unaccompanied bag, right? Must still be here somewhere. They would have had to off-load it. We hope to find it in the morning.
Back down to B1, no one even wants to make eye contact, it is so bizarre, the airport is basically empty except for the cleaners and these other people with lanyards, who knows what their roles are! We talk to one big fella, and he says he will go find a security guard to escort us out, just sit here and wait – this sounds familiar! So we wait and wait, nobody’s coming are they. We never see him again.
About and hour later we talk to a lady, who takes photos of our boarding passes and passports and tells us to wait there, this sounds promising! ……. We never see her again either.
Finally at 0130 a nice man comes to our rescue. We explain, his English is pretty good, and he takes us down the back corridor, down the stairs and into an immigration supervisors office. Oh my! She was not happy that we had missed our flight…..Why did you miss your flight?? HMMMM? Tell me! We don’t know, we didn’t WANT to miss the flight! Please Miss, let us go! She scanned the passports and scribbled out the dates on the original stamps and let us go. We are free, now officially back in The Dominican Republic. The nice man shows us where the Frontier office is to try to find our bags, they will be open about 0800. We find a quiet spot and try to get some sleep. Like that’s going to happen!
This is turning out to be a long story, I hope you are not bored, but the best is still yet to come!………
We are feeling really bad, really stupid. How could we have let this happen? We are experienced travelers….. what went wrong? How did we drop the ball so badly!
Good News flash! We find our bag! Sitting in the Frontier office, right, we are back on track.
Check in opens for our interCaribbean flight at 1130. We line up at 1100, 3rd in the queue. When we had good wifi last night I found a copy of the deleted photo of my vaccination certificate in Google photos. So we are ready.
The staff start appearing and the pre-check in girl comes to us and asks to see our passport. Can I see your onward ticked from Puerto Rico? What? Why? We don’t have one, we have a B2 Visa. You cannot fly today without an onward ticket Sir! Yes we can! They let us through yesterday without one, and the prior 3 times entering The States on this Visa! No you can’t, step aside! Can you imagine how we are feeling at this point – total disbelief! WHAT THE ACTUAL!! We go to the interCaribbean rep we had talked to earlier and he really wanted to help and listened. He was willing to confer with a Frontier rep to see why we had been let through yesterday, he didn’t get it either, but they didn’t open until 1300.
I ran back to the office behind the check in counters where we found our bag, and asked that lady to come out and tell these interCaribbean people that they had it wrong. She wouldn’t, of course – I get that. We are feeling so wrung out by now with stress and no sleep, we are probably not making rational sense. Anyway, she tells me that different airlines have different rules. You have got to be kidding!! Really?? Visa requirements and immigration are up to individual airlines?? Not the Government? This is unbelievable!!!
I run back to Chris, he is starting to look, with the dodgy wifi, at flight options to satisfy this supervisor so she will let us fly today. We put our heads together and find a flight on Frontier for end August, San Juan to Santo Domingo, $66 each, one way, no bags – booked! I could hardly get our names into the fields on my phone, I thought I had gotten hot and bothered yesterday……. Time is now running out, it is now 12 o’clock and we know from yesterday how long it takes to get through the next bit. The supervisor glances at the booking on the phone and nods, that’s it! Nothing recorded anywhere, just the “NOD” and we get our boarding passes and told to run! You are kidding me, all this time here and we are now running!! And what about our COVID certificates, they don’t matter today??
Screen shot
But wait, a bit more good news! The next bit only took 10 minutes today – perfect, straight to the gate – you guessed it B1!
Beef I is Tortola………for this flight anyway
It is the same as yesterday, total chaos and mayhem. The board shows 1 flight to Tortola, 1405 departure, flight number 0411…. We are 1345 departure, flight number 0413….. Really, not again!! So we ask and are told that there are 2 flights to Tortola, but only 1 on the board. Crazy place! No wonder people get confused. Anyway, this is getting too long, so long story/short…. This flight is delayed, so is flight 0411, people are arguing, getting stressed, shouting. The ground staff are getting stressed. They seem to be only using this one gate in terminal B, where they are trying to load planes at the same time as disembarked transit passengers are trying to come though. I lost count of the number of flights that got loaded from here, but we kept asking – we CANNOT miss another flight.
B1
We were being so hard on ourselves about yesterday, but seeing it all again today and really taking note, it is no wonder we missed the flight. Total disorganisation, no communication, the information that was available was incorrect. Nightmare!
Finally at 1600, we board the plane to Tortola……
Ok. So we are all (12 of us) sitting in the 30 seater, twin prop plane, no AC until airborne, so hot, plane looks to have come off the arc. Doors shut, port engine starts, then stops. Captain comes out of the cockpit and tells all the passengers something in Spanish then opens the front door and the two side doors. What’s going on? Is the plane is broken? I’m just waiting to see the Roadside assist truck appear! Will we ever get off this island??!!
Doors open waiting, don’t know what’s going on – but we are on the plane at least!!!
We do end up taking off!!!!
Beautiful flight over Puerto Rico and into Tortola, we stay on the plane while the other 10 get off, they load some more people, and we take off again. We made it – touch down in San Juan at 1900.
Entry into Puerto Rico – So simple – we have a Visa!!! Come on in folks, and why don’t you stay till February! You are aloud!! WHEW!
And our wonderful friend Lidia was there to pick us up – for the second time!!!
Quite the adventure – don’t ever want to do that again! Remember I said it was a quick 36-minute flight???? And it would be an economical destination for a visa run?……….HA!
We have returned to the little island of Vieques which is off the east coast off the main island of Puerto Rico. We had a strong desire to come back to this unique little place. We had left in such a hurry after Hurricane Maria, we didn’t get a chance to say goodbye or thank you to our friends. So, unfinished business, I guess you could say.
We are doing the same 6 month housesit we did in 2017.
It was so good to see Bob and Lou again. They surprised us with a gathering of people to meet and connect with, introduced us to Pickleball and the awesome group of Pickleball players, so we are hitting the ground running this time. In 2017, this was Bob and Lou’s second season here. Five years on and they know so much more about the island and know so many more people, add that to our experience and the people we met then, we are in for an awesome 6 months!
It feels like we have never been away, but there is a different feel to the island. The same wonderful people, but somehow, much more friendly, much more relaxed with each other. Our favourite part of travelling is meeting people from other cultures, making friends in different languages and crossing that “foreigner” barrier.
Hurricane Maria almost wiped this island out. In the aftermath the people came together, they supported each other and helped each other, there was an incredible bond, a bond of survival. The need to purely survive continued for months and months. Things finally came back to a kind of normal, but, it seems, the people have not lost that special bond, that appreciation of each other, knowing that we are all in it together and we really are one big family. We feel right at home! Reuniting with friends we had become close with has brought tears to our eyes at times, and catching up with friends we had not known so well, but connected with all the same has been a joyous thing!
So what else is the same? Well it’s the same heat. It is almost summer time here and the temperatures are so consistent. They only fluctuate about 3°C in a 24 hour period. 27°C – 30°C every day at the moment. (80°F – 86°F) The humidity is sitting at about 75% but we know it will increase as the summer goes on. The maximum temperature will probably only reach to 31°C but we remember the “feels like 42°” (107°F) temperature VERY well. We would freeze a small wet towel in the shape of a C shaped sausage, and use this to put around the backs of our necks to try to cool down. We feel we are better acclimatised this time with being in Queensland for a while before getting here. And we know what to expect. News flash! We have Air conditioning in the bedroom! We feel so lucky to have this, what a treat!
The same beautiful clear water! The colour of Bombay Sapphire Gin. Water temperature is currently 27.6 °C. Gently lapping the white sand under the blue sky. The beaches are wonderful. The tradition of spending all day Sunday at the beach with a bunch of friends and family, eating loads of food, drinking loads of alcohol and listening to music, is alive a well! I believe there are 40 beaches here, that’s a lot of parties
The same beautiful views – but now even bigger! The island is looking really good, really fresh and tidy. A lot of trees came down in the hurricane which opened up views all over the island. We say to ourselves “could we see that from here before?” well, we couldn’t! All the vegetation has recovered, but where there were big trees knocked down, there are now small trees, so the views are amazing. There are a lot of freshly painted buildings. Still the run down places and falling down properties, but overall the whole island is looking great.
The same old horses! There seems to be more horses around. Vieques is known for its wild horses all over the island. I read once that they are as much a part of the island as the sand and sea. You have to be very careful when driving as they don’t know the road rules and they don’t seem to be afraid of being right in town. It has been very dry here the last few months and we were told that they are looking for water and food, so therefore, there are more around. There are a lot of foals around at the moment, so beautiful. It is a co-habitation which has been going on for generations.
The same strong cocktails. A plastic cup, five different spirits, a dash of coke, lots of ice – yip it’s the Vieques Pain Killer! Only need one ……. Or two….. before you fall off your bike! Good old Medalla though, is still the same, cold and wet and bubbly – BUT new colour can! This is only temporary as they raise awareness of the coral reefs – but oh how I love the current colour!
The same abundant Mosquitos!The town clock still has different times on all four faces
It is pretty great to be back! We are already in week 6, the time is really going to fly. Many adventures to come!
Kiwis Do Fly 