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Drinking Water, Fruits and Vegetables in Santa Marta

Posted on by by Posted in Sailings, South America
Plastic bags of drinking water are economical.

The Central Market in Santa Marta is busy and alive. Fruits and Vegetables are real tasty here. Tomatoes taste like tomatoes and Pineapple melts in your mouth. We have been eating lots of fruits. Making a big jar of Salsa with fresh Cilantro, Tomatoes, Onion, Pepper, Garlic, Lime Juice, Salt, Pepper, and Sugar. For breakfast, we put salsa and oil in a pan. Then, add eggs. It is simple to make and very delicious. For drinking water, we are cautious. Thus, we buy bags of water and transfer it to bottles.

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Welcome Aboard, Santa Marta, Colombia Part Dos

Posted on by by Posted in Sailings, South America

S/V Bad Bunny at Santa Marta Marina, Colombia

I am back on the boat. Good or bad, I chose to live this way. Some challenges and some incredible experiences. During my absence on the boat, John’s Spanish skills improved greatly. We lost one cat, and now have only the other cat, Swat.

People start the day early in Santa Marta in order to beat the heat of the day. For the last 15 months, John hired a local worker, Daniel for his boat projects. Daniel’s schedule was 6 am to 11 am, 3 hours lunch break,

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Year 2020 – Wishing You LOVE and PEACE

Posted on by by Posted in Florida, Greetings, Sailings, South America, USA

Leaving Fort Lauderdale Airport on January 1st, 2020.

(January 1, 2020) New Decade, I started a new chapter in my life today. Fort Lauderdale Airport was quiet on New Year’s Day: one way ticket to Santa Marta via Bogota, Colombia. John’s sailboat (in Santa Marta) has been waiting for me. As soon I get organized, we plan to sail to San Blas, then cross the Panama Canal, weather depending.

I am wishing you LOVE and PEACE. Also, happy MIND and BODY. Wherever I am, I am hoping our friendship grows continuously. Friends and families are my asset.

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Sailing from Suriname to Trinidad

Posted on by by Posted in Atlantic Islands, Boat Projects, Caribbean Islands, Sailings, South America

(February 13 – 16, 2018) From Suriname (South America) to Chaguaramas in Trinidad, we sailed a total of 565 miles in 77 hours. On the second day, even including the slowdown for the autopilot repair, we still made our fastest daily trip, 184 miles.

Motoring out of the Suriname River, we scheduled our departure time with the tides. Not wanting an incoming current slowing us, we left the Waterland Marina at 6:50am, about two hours after Paramaribo high tide. It might have been better if we left one or 1.5 hours after the Paramaribo high tide, but we waited for daybreak.

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Relaxing in Waterland Marina in the Jungle and Driving in Suriname

Posted on by by Posted in Atlantic Islands, Caribbean Islands, Sailings, South America

Suriname is not well-known as a travel destination yet. It is an easy going country. A massive river flows through it, and thick green forest are all over Suriname. It offers jungle tours and a unique mixed cultural experience. Most of the sailboats and travelers are from the Netherlands.

Driving on the left side of the road was new thing for us. We managed quite well even while avoiding lots of pot holes and slowly driving over the Drumpels (Speed Bumps). With a non-Suriname Driver’s License, we can drive for two weeks. John applied for a ‘Suriname Driving Permit’

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Internet SIM Card in Suriname – Digicel Prepaid SIM Card

Posted on by by Posted in Internet Abroad, South America

(January – February 2018) In Suriname, I bought a SIM Card from the Digicel store in Paramaribo, Capital of Suriname. SIM Card cost 30 Suriname Dollars (about USD4) and 6GB data cost 153 Suriname Dollars (about USD21) which is good for 30 days. I paid it by US Dollars and received change in Suriname Dollars. The store person setup my phone. There was no waiting line in the store.

We stayed in the Waterland Resort Marina near Domburg (http://waterlandsuriname.com/w/). There is Wi-Fi available at the outdoor café/restaurant in the marina. This Wi-Fi speed was good but the connection speed from the boat was not fast enough for me.

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Entry Clearance, Roti Curry Chicken and Saoto Javanese Soup in Suriname

Posted on by by Posted in Atlantic Islands, Caribbean Islands, Sailings, South America

The Customs and Immigration clearance took us only a half day because we hired a special taxi service through the marina we are staying at. The taxi driver took us to the right locations: (1) the Maritime Authority Suriname (MAS), (2) Tourist Visa Issuing Agency, (3) Suriname National Bank (30 Euros or USD35 Tourist Visa Fee/Person), (4) Back to Tourist Visa Issuing Agency, and (5) Military Police/Border Patrol (for Passport Stamp).

Suriname is for me the most harmonious melting pot country among all the countries I have visited so far. Some people were originally from Africa, India, Java/Indonesia,

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Visiting Salut Islands in French Guiana and Sailing to the Suriname River

Posted on by by Posted in Atlantic Islands, Sailings, South America

(January 9 to 10, 2018) The ruins of an old French Prison on the Salut Islands were interesting, especially the solitary confinement. I watched the old movie “Papillon”, as this is where he was imprisoned, and finally escaped. I understand many prisoners died because of the hardship in the tropics. Despite of seeing some cute jungle animals during a half day strolling on the island, I had enough of the island because it was hot and humid. We went to back to the boat.

A loud horn woke us up when we just started taking a nap in preparation for night sailing to Suriname.

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No Rental Car and No SIM Card in French Guiana

Posted on by by Posted in Atlantic Islands, Sailings, South America

(January 10, 2018) Upon arrival in French Guiana, we cleared our entry at the Main Port (Degrad des Cannes). The Harbor Master near the anchorage kindly drove us to the French Customs Office. He also showed us a series of animal pictures we can look for in French Guiana: Jaguars, Monkeys, Birds, Snakes, and more. We were excited to meet the exotic jungle animals.

On Saturday, we hitchhiked to a town (Cayenne) to get a rental car. It turned out we needed an International Driver’s License. With a US Driver’s License, we couldn’t rent a car. We didn’t have enough time to get a SIM Card because they were closed for their long lunch hours.

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Sailing from Cabo Verde to French Guiana and Suriname – Day 14 (Arrived Safely! Huge Applaud Goes to Bad Bunny and Mother Nature!)

Posted on by by Posted in Atlantic Islands, Caribbean Islands, Sailings, South America

(January 4, 2018) No words can fully describe our current feelings. After safely arriving in French Guiana, South America; John asked me how many people I personally know who have crossed the Atlantic Ocean by a sailboat. I took a moment and said “Nobody except certain cruisers I have met.” Thank you all for wishing us a safe journey crossing the Atlantic Ocean.

From the channel entrance to the marina (Degrad des Cannes) is about 8 miles on the Mahury River. The river water looks like milk coffee or yellowish chocolate milk. It is so thick and creamy looking as it is mixed with a tremendous amount of soft yellowish silt.

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