Garbage Art: A Wreck of Beauty

Who knew rust could be so lovely? The wreck of El Maud in Galisbay is not so enticing from land, but a closer look had us all surprised. 

Baie Rouge

This is exactly why cities just won't work for me.  I could never give this up for a smelly sidewalk or grimy metro station.  Not even a penthouse suite with a park view.  Baie Rouge is a five minute drive from our place.  It is a public beach so it is more crowded, but not terribly so.

I went for a swim along the rocky coast up to "the arch."  I can't believe I haven't gone here before.  The rock formations were too cool.  Fish were here and there, but because of the cliffs and the arch, the lighting changed a lot... which made for neat images. 

Here I am in the cave under the arch.  The water was shallow enough to stand in, but to avoid messing up any corals/sea life I brought a boogie board to balance on.  Just being my good, environmentalist/naturalist self. 

Down to Berth

As I am quickly approaching my twenty-fifth year, I've had a lot of worrying thoughts pass through my mind.

For one, where am I going in life?  Literally and figuratively.
I've gladly decided to settle in Saint Martin; however, this decision means a lot less opportunity for me to grow professionally. To get work on the island I'd have to start my residency, which is a long and costly process, not to mention I don't speak Dutch or French. So that's not going in my favor.  Also, the available work around her is very limited– in all areas.

So I've been trying to keep up freelance writing to get me by.  It was working for a while, but I was still having trouble supporting myself being isolated on this island.  Which brought on thoughts of: whats your happiness worth?  Would you rather be making money back home or spending days swimming in a free ocean and being as frugal as possible?  I know I'd be happy with both, but there is something about clear, warm water and fresh coconuts I can't give up.

But still I worry, whats next?  Where do I go from here?  After a few months of stressing out I realized what I've been doing over the last few years is exactly what I'm meant to keep doing.  Learning by experience.  I was never hired as a travel writer, I just started traveling and writing and pushing articles to publications.  I never considered myself a photographer until I said, "Actually, yeah, I am photographer.  I've even got two cameras."  I don't need a certificate, degree or desk to be what I want.

Altering watching "Maiden Trip" I knew I had to sail the world.  So I jumped on a boat and learned the ropes.  Literally.  I have no sail school backing, but I became damn good behind the helm.  So with all these thoughts, I finally came to the conclusion... there is not going to be opportunity for me unless I make it myself.  I don't need someone to hire me,  I'll submit my CV directly to my own inbox.

The question became, what am I good at and can enjoying doing for a living?  Dancing would have been the dream gig, but I landed on adventuring.  I am a really handy explorer, especially when it comes to being on limited funds.  I've seen most of Europe, North America, bits of Africa, and 15+ islands in the Caribbean while on a student or writer's budget.  Not too shabby.

Now I need to make my talents profitable.  If I were a business, what would I be?  An adventure guide who takes likeminded travellers to cool places while scrapping every last penny.  Ta-da!  That's so me.  There are so many ways to avoid spending a fortune when going to new places, we just have to be smart.

Plus I don't know what I'd like more than to take people on hikes, swims, sails, culinary tours, and so on.  That sounds like a good way to make a living... so I'm going to make something of it.

That's how I came up with Down to Berth.  Berth meaning the part of the boat in which people sleep, and also a play on "earth."  I believe we all should live simply and naturally, and as I love puns, it felt right.  Your average joe should not have to take out a second mortgage because he can't afford to relax on a tropical island.  Joe, you are better than Myrtle Beach, I promise!

So I have set up this business as an all-in-one venture where people come join in my lifestyle.  The sailboat offers both the accommodation and charter as one.  The food is not included in the stay, but we are more than willing to create a menu and cook for you.  And if you're not trying to spend 25 euros on a conch soup, then we'll take you to the local Spanish shack that does it for $8 on Saturday nights.  Or if you want to do your own grocery shopping and just stack up on sandwiches, fruits and snacks– that's fine too.

We get what it means to live frugally.  Surf boards, paddle boards, snorkel gear, fishing poles, bikes, yoga mats, hammocks, and cars don't have to be rented because we already offer it in the stay.  As long as guests assume responsibly for any damages caused to the equipment, then they are free to use them whenever. (I'll still need that in writing)

We can also teach people the ways of the calm Caribbean.  For example, learn how to chop down coconuts, open them and turn them into delicious milks.  Want to know how to make the best pizza ever?  Out of cauliflower?  Yes, a vegetable.  Let's make an entire pizza out of a vegetable– it's amazing.  Interested in beet chips?  Or just healthier ways of living and eating in general?  Let's explore my garden and kitchen.

Down to Berth is not just supposed to be a vacation, it has to be more.  The tourists here spend their days drunk on the beach and I don't think that is doing the Caribbean or their time justice.  We offer a more wholesome experience, from the stay (on a beautiful boat) to the locations (hopping to and fro islands) to the activities and to the food.  We want to make this the coolest adventure one can have in these waters. 

This is what we want to do, love to do and are meant to do.  Being able to share that experience with new friends makes our vagabond lifestyle worth while.  Contrary to popular belief, it’s not about the Get Rich or Die Tryin’  scheme (sorry 50 Cent).  We prefer simplicity, nature and the slow movement of life that the Caribbean bids us.

As of June 16, Down to Berth is up and running... and we'd love to have you aboard!  

SO COME GET YOUR HAIR WET

Downtoberth.com  Facebook.com/Downtoberth  

Sail-Snorkel-Surf-Swim-Relax-Revive-Rejoice

Pirate Pup

This past weekend, (as part as some R&D for my new company Down to Berth) we took Margo on her first real sail to Tintamarre.  This small island is only 8 miles from where we anchor in Saint Martin. It is the perfect trip for people who are not used to boats: quick, easy and to one of the most beautiful islands we've hopped.

Life is but a dream... 

Down to Berth is designed to give people this exact view.

If you or anyone you know is interested in a custom adventure, please contact us! Downtoberth.com gives people a part of our lives. Full of fun explorations on and in the water. 

Take it from Margo, life is better with friends on a boat. 

Margo's Ruff Life

The sweetest.

Nature's Decor

"It is better to be small, colourful, sexy, careless and peaceful, like the flowers, than large conservative, repressed, fearful, and aggressive, like the thunder lizards; a lesson, by the way, that the earth has yet to learn."

All of these photos were taken this morning (June 11) just after 6 a.m. When the lighting is this good, and you have a pup who loves to walk next to you, it just makes sense to explore.  Even if we don't make it past the driveway. 

Fast & Slow: my week without food

Most people from my region in the South Eastern US don't know too much about fasting.  It's not part of our culture, religious practices (Bible belt, y'all), spiritual preferences or medical treatments.  So I think it's safe for me to assume a lot of people haven't researched or studied fasting.  I have.  Hence, why I took on a week-long experiment (originally only for 3 days, but then... go big or go home, right?).

I looked into fasting because I was experiencing many problems that store bought products couldn't fix.  My eyes were constantly irritated and blood shot, even with the doctors rx, they would not heal.  My skin was flushed with bumps and the all natural homemade remedies: coconut oil/aloe body scrubs failed miserably.  My hair became straw-like and was falling out at alarming rates.  I was gaining weight even though I swam all the time and my (mostly) vegetarian diet remained unchanged.  So a lot of things didn't add up.  Some of these factors had to have been linked to stress and the environment, nonetheless, I was tired of zero progress.

So I became obsessed with how fasting works and who supported it in the past (Hippocrates, Socrates, Plato, Gandhi, Upton Sinclair, and many modern doctors/scientists).  It is found all throughout history, especially as a religious tradition for detoxifying the body.  There is a ton of research on it, books explaining how it is linked to nature, people beating cancer with it, animals living longer when scientists put them on fasts, and so on... I watched youtube videos of people going through it, read blogs of their experience, got my doctor's approval, read Sinclair's book and it all made sense.  I can do this and I should do this.  Everyone who has has benefited from it.

I got some negative feedback when I was explaining my ordeal.  People told me that it's not good to starve myself, I need food for fuel, lack of vitamins only makes things worse and so on.  But they were all wrong.  And I told them so, but it hard to explain so much information to people who are set in their lifestyles.  Something so off-the-wall is hard to accept.

The week I became a plant: sunshine and water for all.

So I began my water-only fast feeling good- it's 90% mental anyways.  Not that I had to prove to anything to anyone, but I wanted to know for myself.  If all the research I did was true and it could work.  I'm naturally a hangry person so it was a real test to myself.  

I spent the week drinking lots of water, resting, watering my plants and writing articles.  When my stomach started to growl, I hushed it.  And it worked.  Real hunger is felt around the 35 day mark (we can go without food for 40 days) and it's not by a growling stomach.  Throat pains tell you you are really hungry and running out of reserves.  My squeaky grumbles were no problem and I felt full off of all the water.  It was much easier going without food than I imagined.

My biggest struggle was my mind.  I would get a slight headache from time to time, but the thoughts of food were endless.  This is also because I am cooking and experimenting with food everyday, so I am always thinking these thoughts anyways.  The funny part was that I remained clear-headed and creative.  Others have spoken about "mind fog" that is frequent... not for this girl.  I had trouble sleeping because I could not shut my mind off.  An increase in creativity was noted as a common side effect, and for this I was happy.

To wrap this up, it was a nice little fast and I'm glad I did it.  I broke the fast on the sixth day as I was losing too much weight. I am already a lean girl, and with all my muscle gone, I called it a week.  My skin cleared, my eyes have yet to act up (it's been over a month now), my hair is healthier but still falling out.  Maybe I'm just old now?  I was also having a leg pain for a few months, but that has stopped as well.

The greatest part was what I learned after breaking the fast.  Once I started introducing foods into my system again, I could directly see how they affected me.  I've known dairy upsets my stomach, but I didn't realize meat did the same and then some.  Sugar makes my skin break out and I feel drained/gross after eating it.  So now my senses are more heightened to my bodily reactions and I can understand what they are saying.  I read that most people feel more in tune with their bodies and desire foods less.  Which is good. 

There is a lot here that I haven't said.  I would encourage anyone to try it out, even intermittent fasting, or just juice fasting one day a week.  I would like to do a week-long fast once a year with intermittent fasting throughout.  "The Fasting Cure" by Upton Sinclair and "Eat Stop Eat" by Brad Pilon were good resources.  This lady: personalexcellence.co/blog/fasting-series/ explains and records it very well.  Youtube also has tons of day by day videos and reviews.  Your body deserves a break from digesting so it can focus its energy on the parts of us that need healing.  Sometimes we just need to slow down and fast.