Total Body Workout in Georgetown, the Third Oldest City in South Carolina

Lots of walking to RadioShack, an Urgent Care Center, MacDonald’s (for free Wi-Fi) and other stores (for boat repair items). Luckily, we found a universal charger for a laptop which was broken a couple of days ago. We have four laptops and an iPad but all need different chargers. We also walked to an urgent care center and John paid $130 (without insurance) prior to seeing a doctor. Since the doctor didn’t do anything to solve his problem, he asked for money back from the doctor but the doctor walked away (another long story). He is extremely unhappy with the health care system in the U.S.

Continue Reading >>



‘Yes’ to Adventure and to Life, behind of a Flock of the Boats

Finally, our sailing has begun on Monday, November 3, 2014. The first route is from Morehead City, North Carolina to Saint Martin. We plan to stop at many different locations on the East Coast of the U.S. We are about two weeks behind (weather wise) of the original schedule, due to the delay of the work on the boat. (We spent last 4+ months on boat work.) In general, most of the boats from North leave in October to head South, mainly to Florida, the Bahamas, and the Caribbean to avoid sailing in cold weather. Because we are behind of a flock,

Continue Reading >>



Minimalist with Comfort on ‘S/Y Bad Bunny’

I am officially retired (early) since June 2014 from a job as a Computer Programmer, to pursue my real dream ‘Living close to nature and loving all I can.’

The Sailing Yacht ‘Bad Bunny’, a Valiant 47 built in 1992! It has been my new home since June 21, 2014 after driving 14 hours from Fort Lauderdale, Florida to Morehead City, North Carolina where ‘Bad Bunny’ was. I brought my cat ‘Sesame’ with me joining the other two cats ‘Enemy’ and ‘Swat’. There are three cats and two people (John and myself) on board.

Because of a limited space,

Continue Reading >>



Perez Art Museum Miami

Perez Art Museum Miami (Driving Time from Fort Lauderdale: 40 Minutes): New addition in South Florida. PAMM was first opened in December 2013. The building was designed by architects Jacques Herzog and Pierre de Meuron who attended the Swiss Federal Institute of Technology (ETH) in Zurich. They were inspired by Stiltsville, a small community of houses on posts in Biscayne Bay. This building is eco-friendly and collects and recycles rainwater for the gigantic hanging gardens. The concrete floors, which are strong but lightweight, are filled with big plastic balls (acting like bubbles) that are not solid but hollow.

Continue Reading >>



Freeport in Grand Bahamas – 3 Hours Boat Ride from Fort Lauderdale

Day trip to Grand Bahamas from Fort Lauderdale (about 15 hours): Taking the Balearia Express Boat is a great way to touch the Bahamas. (Freeport in Grand Bahamas) Three hours after leaving Fort Lauderdale, I was enjoying the crystal clear water and white sand. The boat left Fort Lauderdale at 8 A.M. and arrived back in Fort Lauderdale at 10 P.M. (Very Punctual) I had about 5+ hours free time in the Bahamas. Special roundtrip fare of $67 ($49 + $18 Tax) purchased from TravelZoo. The ocean was calm during my trip. On the Island, I rented a bike for four hours ($15) and went to a local beach and local bar/restaurant.

Continue Reading >>



The Old 7 Mile Bridge in Florida Keys

The Old 7 Mile Bridge in Florida Keys (Day Trip from Fort Lauderdale): It takes about 3 hours by car from Fort Lauderdale to the ‘Old 7 Mile Bridge’ north parking lot (Mile Marker 47). Bike ride on the bridge is one of the memorable things to do in Florida. How one man (Henry Flagler) even thought about building the railroad on the ocean all the way down Key West and actually made it happen. How natural disaster (Hurricane ‘Labor Day’) can destroy the great dream/work in a day. The bike ride/walk is only allowed north side of the bridge.

Continue Reading >>



Costa Rica

Some say that Costa Rica is the Switzerland of Latin Americas. With its rich soil, sun, and rain, the whole country is indeed nature itself. It has healthy trees, juicy tropical fruits, beautiful birds, and all kinds of animals. A popular Gringo city, Atenas is close to San Jose (Capital of Costa Rica). The international airport, is about 40 minutes away. Because of the climate (no need for A/C or heater year around), Atenas attracts people from all over the world. Many expats enjoy retirement life here. Some even grow coffee trees, other tropical plants, and fruit trees. People in Atenas start the day early,

Continue Reading >>



Sailing Grenada-Martinique-Saint Lucia-Saint Vincent-Grenada

“Sailing is a sport that is both very new and very old at the same time. The earliest evidence of sailboats dates back to about 3,900 BC… The beauty of sailing is the trail is unmarked. You must make intelligent decisions about where and even whether to go… – Dennis Conner”

Prelude:

From time to time, I change my hobbies. Even though I took a sailing lesson from a local community school about seven years ago, my actual sailing training started a year ago with Sunfish (October 2012). I joined a local sailing club and discovered the humongous sciences and history behind sailing.

Continue Reading >>



Saint Vincent

La Soufriere, St. Vincent: Before my trip to the Caribbean, I gathered some information online. I was confused between St. Lucia and St. Vincent, both countries are very similar. Saint Vincent has a volcano mountain called ‘La Soufriere’ and St. Lucia has a beautiful bay and town called ‘Soufriere’. Both places have active volcanoes with volcanic gases (volcano sulfur). Hiking to La Soufriere in St Vincent is very adventurous. As recommended, hiring a local guide is a smart decision. Otherwise, it is easy to get lost as the hiking path is not obvious and some paths are covered with tropical bush like a jungle.

Continue Reading >>



Saint Lucia

The Pitons, Saint Lucia: UNESCO Heritage Site! Two steep mountains in the Caribbean; Petit Piton (2421 feet=738 meters) and Gros Piton (2283 feet=696 meters). I hired a local guide and started to hike the Petit Piton at 6 A.M. (The earlier the better because of the heat and humid). Very steep and rocky. Hiking to the Petit Piton is a real stretch the arms and legs. It took one and half hours to go up and 40 minutes to come down. The ocean view from top is one of a kind. You can view the town of Soufriere,

Continue Reading >>



Posts By Month

Top