http://www.travelblog.org/Central-America-Caribbean/Netherlands-Antilles/ Travel adventures in journals and photos from Central America Caribbean , Netherlands Antilles en-us Tue, 05 Jan 2010 06:03:46 +0000 Tue, 05 Jan 2010 06:03:46 +0000 Well it looks like we have been stuck in St. Martin for about a month now. Although that isnrsquot necessarily a bad thing. We love St. Martin It is a fun and lively island with great shopping and beautiful beaches friendly people and great food. Plus the anchorage here inside the lagoon is one of the best in the Caribbean protected from all weather. It is so convenient to get everythi http://www.travelblog.org/Central-America-Caribbean/Netherlands-Antilles/Sint-Maarten/blog-461822.html We left Barbuda at first light and had a beautiful trip to St. Martin. The wind and seas were calm and the fishing was amazing We caught 3 yellowfin tuna along the way which is awesome It definitely was the best fishing day all year. Unfortunately we havenrsquot caught much fish in the Caribbean. Most of the time it is too windy and thus we are too busy sailing to throw out a line. Bu http://www.travelblog.org/Central-America-Caribbean/Netherlands-Antilles/Sint-Maarten/blog-432077.html Well I've been wanting to use this thing since I found out about it sometime earlier this semester. I guess the plan is to update this blog once a week. This is how I can update and keep in touch with a bunch of people at one time though I do want emails and stuff.Just some stuff for everyone to know my flight is at 1130pm tomorrow I arrive in Bonaire around 5am on the 30th my phone has http://www.travelblog.org/Central-America-Caribbean/Netherlands-Antilles/Bonaire/-Kralendijk/blog-432008.html Side note I have been writing in my journal weekly but have not been able to get online regularly to update my blog. So I will now be visiting Intermezzo my favorite dining spot on Statia to update my blog. I will first go back and add the weeks I missed and will also write new blogs on Sunday.Week 7 New Friends New GardenThis was a hard week Not only did I just get back from http://www.travelblog.org/Central-America-Caribbean/Netherlands-Antilles/Sint-Eustatius/blog-424667.html After almost 24 hours of traveling Nick and Mary finally arrived in BonaireWe picked up our rental truck. To our surprise it was a manual which meant Nick was incharge of driving and Mary the navigator. The speedometers are in kilometers and so are the speed limits. Mary's favorite street sign We followed Kaya Grande through downtown Kralendijk and finally arrived at our hotel Golden Reef I http://www.travelblog.org/Central-America-Caribbean/Netherlands-Antilles/Bonaire/blog-414280.html I can't believe another week has almost gone by. I have been working hard all week trying to get the Children's Garden plots ready for summer club which starts on July 6th. A typical day begins at 6am for breakfast and picking up Carlton at the office then starting the manual labor in the garden at 7am breaking for lunch around 1pm and then working on the planning and research for summer club i http://www.travelblog.org/Central-America-Caribbean/Netherlands-Antilles/Sint-Eustatius/blog-409913.html I love Curacao This is thge best place in the world. Nice people good weather wonderful sea http://www.travelblog.org/Central-America-Caribbean/Netherlands-Antilles/Cura-ao/blog-409909.html What has happened since I last wrote .....Let's see last week I did a mix of labor in the garden with the volunteers and personal project work in the office. I am working on building the foundation of a communityfamily garden plot in the Botanical Garden. I would really like to find a way to educate and excite the children of Statia with educational gardening. Furthermore I would like the ener http://www.travelblog.org/Central-America-Caribbean/Netherlands-Antilles/Sint-Eustatius/blog-407883.html Maintenance MondayEvery Monday we go around the garden and clean up weed mow rake leaf blow...it is no one's favorite day. Part 1 I actually had a Botanic Garden committee meeting that took me away from helping the volunteers on their first real day of work. I also had to get them started before 7am when I usually let them linger a little with their coffee and finishing breakfast but because http://www.travelblog.org/Central-America-Caribbean/Netherlands-Antilles/Sint-Eustatius/blog-404562.html What a week and weekend The volunteers arrived last week and everyone is great We spent the beginning of the week helping them orient themselves to the Botanic Garden lifestyle and eased them into the manual labor aspect. On Thursday we went on a guided hike up and into the Quill volcano. We saw about 5 snakes 2 hummingbirds and their nests an endangered iguana and many hermit crabs...the be http://www.travelblog.org/Central-America-Caribbean/Netherlands-Antilles/Sint-Eustatius/blog-404305.html Another week full of new activities and people. Now I am now giving the house and garden orientations. It is still really strange for me to fully realize that my current address is the Miram Shmidt Botanical Garden. Even more weird is that I am starting to get used to it. I don't even mind cold showers or rats anymore. I still may scream and have one of the boys in the house rescue me from the ha http://www.travelblog.org/Central-America-Caribbean/Netherlands-Antilles/Sint-Eustatius/blog-402763.html Wow I have been blessed with the luck of seeing baby hatchlings and a nesting turtle on the same day http://www.travelblog.org/Central-America-Caribbean/Netherlands-Antilles/Sint-Eustatius/blog-400578.html To celebrate surviving my first week on the island we Caroline Micah Mariel and I went for a night on the town. A night on the town is quit different here in comparison to San Francisco. There are only a couple of restaurants and they are almost all Chinese food. It's weird. We went out to Sonny's for Chinese food and I hate to say it but it was the worst Chinese food I have ever had. Almost http://www.travelblog.org/Central-America-Caribbean/Netherlands-Antilles/Sint-Eustatius/blog-400287.html Day 6 on StatiaIt feels like I have been here for a month now. I am still in shock that my life here has only begun... Though I am loving the weather the cold showers and mossies mosquitos are definitely things I hope to get used to. However it is also hard to complain when I wake up on a hill of flowers and fruit trees surrounded by hummingbirds and the quiet of nature that I haven't experi http://www.travelblog.org/Central-America-Caribbean/Netherlands-Antilles/Sint-Eustatius/blog-399566.html I have been here a little over 48 hours now but have had an easy transition. The weather is humid and hot but I am fairing well. There are donkeys chickens piggies cows goats iguanas...and more animals everywhere. I am pretty much camping in all ways except I have a twin bed under a roof and inside a mosquito net. Other than that everything is pretty much outdoors and very rustic...but I love http://www.travelblog.org/Central-America-Caribbean/Netherlands-Antilles/Sint-Eustatius/blog-398421.html Irsquove been wanting to get out on a tour and Jody and I decided to do one together in St. Maarten today. His only request was that it was something to do with water. As luck had it today a crew tour was happening so we managed to get on that. It was the Americarsquos Cup Regatta one Irsquove done before and loved. Today was no exception. So much funFor the Americarsquos Cup Regat http://www.travelblog.org/Central-America-Caribbean/Netherlands-Antilles/Sint-Maarten/blog-393280.html Bon dia everyoneIt has been a while and a lot happenedLast days of Januaryfirst days of February PanamaOn a Thursday evening just a few hours before I had to board the bus to Panama City I got an injury at my ankle. I was playing volleyball and jumped to block a guy smashing from the other side. His feet crossed under the net and I landed with my left foot on his foot. I couldnrsquot walk http://www.travelblog.org/Central-America-Caribbean/Netherlands-Antilles/Cura-ao/blog-376854.html I helmed a boat in celebrity match races during the Curacao Heineken Regatta. Our good friend Gayle sailed with us from Curacao to Aruba Bonaire and Puerto Rico. http://www.travelblog.org/Central-America-Caribbean/Netherlands-Antilles/Cura-ao/blog-356184.html We enjoyed sailing and diving in Bonaire. http://www.travelblog.org/Central-America-Caribbean/Netherlands-Antilles/Bonaire/blog-356176.html So I guess I have two things to write about. I'll do so in two posts.I've been getting quite a few emails from Mom asking about the boat show so I guess I should post about it. Unfortunately I have almost nothing to write about. The boat show is a very exclusive event. It's easier to get in to Chretien's bedroom then it is to get into the boat show but I guess that isn't saying much. The four day http://www.travelblog.org/Central-America-Caribbean/Netherlands-Antilles/Sint-Maarten/blog-352607.html