Author: Bill

Started our day off with a nice breakfast and slowly eased into discover mode. Jumped in the SUV (Mitsubishi I think) in search of the closest Post Office. Yes, I know it was Sunday and it was closed, but the plan was to find it so we had an idea where it was at and then find the closest beach. AAHhhh – the best laid plans…….. Not sure how we got so far off track, but got a real good look at the North side of the island where the big oil storage area place is. Got an even better look at the non-touristy side of the island as well. Went over a massive ass bridge that had to be at least 300′ in the air. Great view from up there~!

Nerves had all we could stand, so found a place to stop for a couple of really good ice cold beers and a couple of cigarettes (and some directions) and off we went….. amazingly, drove back to the house like we had lived here most of our life — yay~! Came home – started mixing drinks, soon was listening to golden oldies on You Tube. Wound up in the pool to cool off and continued the drinks and music. Long overdue for something solid in us – I wheeled the grill out and whipped up a couple of cheese burgers. Not sure if it was just long over due to eat, being half hammered and tired or what – but for not having my grill – those were some pretty damn tasty burgers. Ended the evening up by trying something I haven’t tried in 40 years – a backflip. Didn’t work worth a squirt – but it was fun trying. In all fairness, last time I did it [successfully] I was 20 years old and about 6′ above the water…… so I don’t feel too bad…..

So, no Post office, no beach, but a well learned lesson in island navigation…. we will try again tomorrow for Post Office and some beach time…… we’ll see how it goes then. ( and yes – I’m naked in the pool picture)~~~  😉

Wow – been quite a couple of days. Started yesterday – we were in 3 different countries in the same day. Left Grand Cayman, landed back in the good ole U.S. of A for a bit – then took off and landed in Curacao. Got us a nice little 3 bedroom place, private pool (some of you may have seen a picture of it on FB – and yes there was drinking involved) — Doesn’t have A/C throughout the house (just in the bed rooms) but there is always a nice trade wind blowing through keeping it tolerable. Free Wi-Fi and a nice big SUV also comes with the place and a grill so I can once again grill for my Queen – We pay utilities and gas for the car – but still a bargain -AND- we are on a tropical island 🙂

Got in late Friday and just drank and chilled on the patio to a cool night breeze and almost a full moon – got up today and just kinda hung out and checked out our new place. Did make a trip to the store for some groceries~ and chilled some more under a gorgeous full moon tonight.

Going to venture out tomorrow and check out our first beach. Haven’t seen much of the island other than what we saw coming in on the plane – but we definitely have some small mountains (or really big hills) as opposed to Grand Cayman which was flat as a pan cake. You can’t swing a dead cat without hitting some type of cactus plant around here. Can’t wait to get out and scope some of them out. There is the occasional mule running loose and much like Grand Cayman – chickens and roosters running amuck everywhere.

So tomorrow, the real adventure for the island starts as we start checking it out~! I promise there will be ample pictures…………

Today was a laid back, not do much kind of easy day as we start to prepare to move to a new island. We fly out bright and early Friday morning, returning to the good ole U.S.A. for a couple of hours before taking off for Curacao. Don’t guess I rightly understand why we have to do it that way – but that was the only flight path I could find to get us there. We will land in Curacao a little bit before 4:00 in the afternoon. We have a 3 bedroom house with a private pool waiting for us. It sadly, is not on the beach, but the beach is supposed to only be a 5-10 minute drive away. House also comes with a nice big SUV and a grill as well – so we won’t have to rent a vehicle for a month or so -and- I’ll finally be able to start cooking my bride her steaks~! Local web sites indicate there are supposed to be 23 top grade snorkeling sites on the island and we are looking forward to hitting everyone of them. SCUBA diving is supposed to be equally huge on the island as well and I’m looking forward to trying out my new skills there~!

As soon as we get landed, in our new place and connected, I’ll try and get a post up – but til then – not sure when will be the next time I’ll get anything posted. We’ve had a great time here on Grand Cayman, but entirely too expensive and we are both ready to move on.

So Adios from Grand Cayman and Bon bini to Curacao~!

I haven’t been entirely truthful with you all the past 5 days or so…. I wasn’t lying… just wasn’t telling the entire truth – that being said, I have spent the last week getting my PADI certification. Something I have been thinking about for awhile now, but never pulled the trigger. Kinda weird…. I’ve always been so used to just charging into damn near anything full steam ahead and worrying about the consequences and outcome after I’m in it. Is it getting ‘older’…. who the hell knows, but I was actually hesitant about charging into this one… especially after I read some of the requirements. 15 – 20 hours of on line training. Had to be able to swim 14 laps in the local pool (about 50′ long), without touching sides or bottom – followed up by 10 minutes of treading water (in 5’ of water no less, which made it even tougher, because you weren’t allowed to touch the bottom) so you had to keep your legs pulled up the entire time. Factor in sitting at the bottom of that pool and taking your mask completely off then putting it back on and clearing it, intentionally ‘losing’ your regulator (breathing device) and recovering it and a just a whole myriad of other crap that just didn’t seem ‘normal’…….. which in of its self seem really FUBAR’ed – but then have to do all of it again, [repeatedly] in 60′ of salt water seemed almost unreal.

Luckily I had a very supportive wife who encouraged me the whole time – plus a dogged determination to do “whatever the hell I want” – kept pushing me….. nerves took a little bit of a beating and as I write this, and I can’t hardly keep my eyes open right now, from being just dog assed tired…… (yes there is some celebratory drinking involved)but I can now honestly and proudly proclaim – I am now a PADI certified Open Water Diver~!!!!!!!!!!!

I would have loved to taken some pictures during my 4 open water dives, as there were Sting rays, Barracuda, Lion Fish and so, so many more fish to photograph- but safety first – and my instructor absolutely held me to the no camera rule…. The young man that went through the course with me, had some (SCUBA) friends on our last dive, that snapped some pictures – so I will share them as soon as I get them. Kudo’s to the young guy as he battled an UGLY case of sea sickness on the 3rd dive – but he powered through it and made the last dive like a champion — way to go Gary — you done good and I enjoyed having you as a dive buddy in the course~!!!

So not a lot of pictures for today – but will share what I can, when I can….. and my pictures should be a lot more interesting going forward as I can now freely dive to 60′ when ever, where ever,  I want~~ 🙂

Spent the morning chillin’…… spent the bulk of the afternoon on a gorgeous reef with some of the most awesome fish and Stingrays~!!  Would have taken some pictures but the instructor would not allow me to bring my camera……. ooops….  😉

Working with some filters on my laptop to enhance pictures….. whadda ya think ?

What a difference a day makes… woke up to a glorious sun rise, blue skies and a warm Caribbean breeze to die for…. Sea was too churned up from last 3 days of storms for decent visibility – so spent several hours in the quiet pool on  the complex. Came back to the apartment to turn right around and get in the big pool right outside our door. (Actually, we ran out of booze and being Sunday – the liquor store was closed and ‘our’ pool had a swim up bar, so we opted to hang out there  😉  )

Made a bunch of new friends while we drank and swam…. more drinking than swimming – but you know…….. You’ve already seen pictures of the ‘island’ in the pool with the palm trees, so I got a little creative taking some pictures. I hope you enjoy the pictures half as much as I did trying to get them……..

Hoping to get out in the ocean tomorrow – but have to wait and see what the weather does…… until then – via con dios~~~

Third straight day of rain today and while rain usually don’t keep me in (I’m mean, you’re swimming and already wet) I stayed inside today looking for another place to live. Think I found another place to hole up and as soon as the owner confirms… looks like we will be spending Thanksgiving in Curacao and Christmas and New years on Bonaire.

Lots of things I will miss about not being ‘home’ for the holidays, an equal or slightly more number of things I won’t miss about being home for the holidays too. Weather being # 1 on the list. Going to be an interesting experience, not being surrounded by family and friends for those big holidays – but I have my Bride with me and we will have a wonderfully warm tropical environment to help us  make it through. I personally am looking forward to going snorkeling, diving or just lounging on a hot tropical beach for the holidays than I am tolerating the miserable weather and headaches that go along with that time of the year. I’m sure there will be some tears, maybe from both of us – but a crystal blue ocean should help distract it from both of us….. that and maybe the thought of not cooking for 8 hours and cleaning up for another 2 after the meal. Again, it’ll be a learning experience for us both, hopefully a fun enjoyable one.

Couple of pictures for you, mostly of outside our new place…. enjoy~~

Changed rooms [again] today. Staying in the same hotel, just changed rooms. This one is much better. Got a little bit of living room space, separate bedroom, MUCH better internet service – just all around much better than previous…… Yay~! Down side to the day, today was much like yesterday — LOTS of clouds, even more rain, but you’ll have that living on a tropical island…. dammit – just some things you have to put up with.  😉

Between rooms, ran around and checked mail, had a fun lunch at TUKKA’s — My bride had a Lionfish taco and I had a Conch/Crocodile burger. Both wonderfully delicious followed up by an Oreo/Bailey’s ice cream something or other for dessert…yum~! Stopped at a spot I noticed during the drive and watched the ‘angry sea’ throwing waves at the beach. I filmed a little bit of it for your watching/viewing pleasure (well worth waiting for the upload)…….. Hope to have some sunshine tomorrow to take pictures of the awesomeness right outside of our new place…  which includes more palm trees and a swimming pool with a swim up bar – kinda like the place was designed for us~!!  🙂

Until next time…. keep on, keeping on~~~~~~  🙂

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Well worth the wait to upload~!

Woke up this morning to some of the heaviest clouds and wind to date – and lots and lots -O- RAIN…. Kept temperatures as low as we have seen them since we’ve been here… actually almost cool while sitting out on the dock having dinner… almost~ 😉  Forecast is same for tomorrow  🙁

Spent the better part of the day on the computer trying to get anything done. Friggin’ mickey mouse internet here is creating a real challenge. We move tomorrow to a new part of the complex. Sure hope we get better internet there, as apparently, it changes every 10′-15′ or so…. at $12.99 a DAY you’d think we’d have top of the line service…. but not even close. I need to get in the water soon….

Couple of pictures for you that I don’t think I have put up yet……..

I’M BAAAaaaaaaack……. Battling some really interesting internet in this particular location….. holy crap Batman….. my servers have been coming from Yugoslavia, Japan and even Russia — makes for some pretty funky Google logos when it comes up though  😉

Not a heckva lot going on right now, not doing a lot of snorkeling, but going to try and rectify that tomorrow by getting out to snorkel the big dock located on property. Have been keeping up with my morning walks [mostly] and scored some pretty fun pictures for you — so until I get my touchas back in the water – I hope you enjoy these pix~ Thankx for checking in……………….. 🙂

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