Les Saintes

Aboard a Boat and Board

Week 1 quick recap:

We set sail from St. Martin on January 17 to reach Tintamarre, a small island only four miles from our lagoon. We were escorted by a dolphin as we left St. Martin (I filmed it all, but failed to press record) and then arrived to be greeted by a sea turtle. Not a bad way to start the journey.

After a slight sunburn, we again set sail the same day (well that night at 3am) and headed for Nevis. Which was a 15 hour sail that took us past rows of volcanic islands. The last one to erupt was Montserrat in 1995, you can still see traces of the lava flow down the side.

Because of the expenses of Nevis, we again (this time at 2am) cleared out for Guadeloupe, where we've been "stuck" all week. If you want to save money, go to the French islands, much cheaper to stay than the British ones: Nevis = $56 a day vs Guadeloupe = 4 euros for the week. So Guadeloupe is home for a little bit. Due to swells and winds it doesn't make sense to try to battle our way to Dominica. So we shall stay here snorkeling and paddling around until the winds settle.

No complaints here.

Life Aquatic

When on the French island of Guadeloupe for a week. 

Samoa, California

When you find a pond, get in the pond. 

2016 : R E L A X

San Francisco la Yerba Buena

2015 brought me over 36,000 miles, including my first visit to the West Coast. I have since passed through San Francisco 3 times and with each visit the city has grown on me. At first I didn't think it was so pretty- seeing as I spent the year before roaming Vienna, Salzburg, Anzere, Stockholm and the likes, I thought the architecture lacked immensely. It didn't seem so clean, it was expensive and I was always one of the many tourists snapping pictures. 

But SF is full of surprises- most of which you cannot get with just a few days tour. The city is so innovative and quick on its feet that I just began to roll my eyes with every new creation being developed. From art, to fitness, to startups, to American Bison, to apps, to restaurants, and so on, innovation is at the heart of this city. For example, I was introduced to at least four new foods, including a burrito made out of sushi- genius. 

Makoto Hagiwara designed the Japanese Tea Garden (below) and was the inventor of fortune cookies.