Every two months we leave the boat (we work on) securely in a marina and take a week off to travel, explore a destination on our bucket list, and use the time to rest, recharge and do the things we can't while working/on the water.The first week we took off was last year, in early September 2016. One of the things Rufus doesn't get to do much while on-board is surf, as the places we go are focused on a specific kind of fishing which, up till now, has rarely coincided with decent surf breaks. I had been in contact with Petter from Sunshine Stories, picking his brain about good surf spots in Mexico. He suggested one of his and Linn's favourite places, Sayulita. After re-reading their posts on the town and googling some additional info we booked our flights, which were conveniently super cheap and fast from our location in Ft Lauderdale, and packed our carry-ons!Since it's almost the same price to fly your surfboard, to and from Mexico, as it is to buy a new one, Ruf decided it best to leave his Al Merrick behind and rather rent a board from one of the many local shops at our destination. I did however pack my new Fuji XT-1 mirrorless camera which I had just received for my birthday.I had been eyeing and throughly researching this beauty for over a year and finally saved the cash (and gathered the guts!) to splurge on the graphite silver model together with a 35mm prime lens. This was the first real opportunity I got to use my new camera and so needless to say I took a LOT of photos... Also, Sayulita is a seriously photogenic town. It felt to me as if all the locals get together on a regular basis to discuss and plan the aesthetic of the village, everything from the colour schemes of the buildings, the street signs, store fronts, street side vendor displays, right down to the type and arrangement of the potted plants and coconut palms. It's such a beautifully curated riot of colour and design, so all of the 6 days we spent there were a visual feats for our eyes!We visited in the off-season so rates were more reasonable and the town wasn't jam-packed with loud and rowdy tourists. We prefer a more chilled out vibe but still appreciate a vibrant atmosphere which Sayulita produced in bucketfuls. One thing we were disappointed with though, was the condition of the town's main beach, it was unfortunately rather dirty (we were prepared for this, having read the same in a few travels blogs beforehand) and the waves were underwhelming so we decided to do day missions down the coast to find better surf, a little further away.Note: I've decided to break this up into two parts as I have so many photos and I couldn't cut nearly enough to make one reasonable length post. So here's part one... enjoy!*Please ask before using any photos from this post, or anywhere else on the blog. We are happy to share but we've had some people poaching pics for their business websites without asking, making money off them. Be cool. Thanks!*
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Back In Bocas
It's been over a year since my last post... We have been fully focused on our work, running a private yacht, covering more than 5,000nm around the Caribbean Sea. Our semi-circular route began in the east Florida coast of the USA, heading east to the Bahamas, then southwards down the Eastern Caribbean Island chain and finally crossing west to Central America, ending in Bocas del Toro, Panama.It has been a phenomenal year in so many ways: The rare opportunity to set up a brand new private yacht from scratch, a beautiful blank canvass with almost total freedom to kit it out with all the necessary gear and design the interior. The running of the vessel to super yacht standards while travelling extensively in pursuit of the elusive "Permit" fish. Most valuably though, developing relationships with very special people we can now call friends for life.One of the many things Rufus and I have in common is our strong work ethic, and while that has always benefitted us professionally, it has not always been the best for us personally. We are passionate about what we do, we believe in excellence in all things, but sometimes it becomes hard to distinguish between the professional and the personal areas of our lives when we become so invested in our work. It has been an especially difficult lesson to learn to distinguish between work and personal life, switching off at the end of the day despite our home also being our work place.For that reason 99.9% of my time, effort and energy has been focused on the job over the last year. Thankfully there is something else we (hope) we are good at and that is learning from every stage in our lives, both good and bad.This year will ideally be different: no less commitment to our work, but a much smarter and more balanced approach to every aspect of our lives, especially the personal side, relationships and physical health. Here's to a happy year filled with many more rewarding challenges and experiences, starting with one of our favourite places so far, Bocas!
With a Sailing Yacht - Ambassadeur Joernaal
Our new job, setting up a new boat, means that we are bound to the marina here in Fort Lauderdale, while the works are being completed and until hurricane season is over...
As a result, the only thing I have to document is a construction site of a catamaran. So, instead, I have been going through my archives and catching up on events that haven't yet been included on the blog yet. This particular one is special because it involves some of our closest friends back home, in South Africa:
Carla is one of our dearest friends and you might remember her from previous posts. Carla's friend Derick Muller is the creator and editor of a new Afrikaans journal called Ambassadeur and he wanted to include a story of adventure, which is a big part of what the journal is about:
"Ambassadeur is an Afrikaans literary lifestyle journal with a penchant for adventure. We celebrate the creators, the thinkers, risk takers and artists, the craftsmanship and business acumen, the extraordinary, the creative, the filmmaker, musician and author. Hoist the anchor, raise the sails and come with us on this new journey."
Through Carla, Derick heard of our story, Wilhelm, Vivian, Rufus and I refitting Melody and crossing the Atlantic in 2012. He asked Vivian to write an article which detailes the journey with all four of us and then her and Wilhelm's year aboard Melody while Rufus and I returned to work in Zambia in 2013.
She wrote a brilliant piece, which was expertly translated into Afrikaans, and included some of her beautiful photos as well as one of Rufus'. Ambassadeur was launched last year November and since we weren't in the country, the first time we actually got our hands on a hard copy was this past June when we visited home for a few weeks.
It is something truly special to see friend's work in print, especially in such a well executed piece of literature. To make it extra special Carla did the cover interview with talented photographer, Daniel Naudé, who also happens to be a friend since school days!
Derick funded the entire project himself, with no advertising in the first edition. This is no small feat, especially in South Africa, and an impressive undertaking in the current world of digital magazines. I have included an interview he did with Flits on Kyknet, explaining more about Ambassadeur and plans for another publication to be launched this year, especially for the ladies!
Thank you, Viv, for our copy and for so beautifully illustrating our and your story so well. What a special way to remember such a key part of our lives together!
Our very own copy, with Daniel on the cover!
Team Melody on our last together in Tobago, before Rufus and I left to Zambia and Viv & Wil continued sailing.
Viv at the helm
Derick, Thys and Carl at the launch party. Photo credit: Abassadeur
Carla, Vivian and Wilhelm at the launch party. Photo credit: Ambassadeur
Ambassadeur launch party. Photo credit: Ambassadeur
Rufus' photo of Wilhem repairing boards as we crossed the Atlantic, ready to surf in Brazil!
Interview with Derick on Kyknet
With a Sailing Yacht - Ambassadeur Joernaal
Our new job, setting up a new boat, means that we are bound to the marina here in Fort Lauderdale, while the works are being completed and until hurricane season is over...As a result, the only thing I have to document is a construction site of a catamaran. So, instead, I have been going through my archives and catching up on events that haven't yet been included on the blog. This particular one is special because it involves some of our closest friends back home, in South Africa...Carla is one of our dearest friends and you might remember her from previous posts. Carla's friend Derick Muller is the creator and editor of a new Afrikaans journal called Ambassadeur and he wanted to include a story of adventure, which is a big part of what the journal is about:
"Ambassadeur is an Afrikaans literary lifestyle journal with a penchant for adventure. We celebrate the creators, the thinkers, risk takers and artists, the craftsmanship and business acumen, the extraordinary, the creative, the filmmaker, musician and author. Hoist the anchor, raise the sails and come with us on this new journey."
Through Carla, Derick heard of our story, Wilhelm, Vivian, Rufus and I refitting Melody and crossing the Atlantic in 2012. He asked Vivian to write an article which details the journey with all four of us and then her and Wilhelm's year aboard Melody while Rufus and I returned to work in Zambia in 2013.She wrote a brilliant piece, which was expertly translated into Afrikaans, and included some of her beautiful photos as well as one of Rufus'. Ambassadeur was launched last year November and since we weren't in the country, the first time we actually got our hands on a hard copy was this past June when we visited home for a few weeks.It is something truly special to see friend's work in print, especially in such a well executed piece of literature. To make it extra special Carla did the cover interview with talented photographer, Daniel Naudé, who also happens to be a friend since school days!Derick funded the entire project himself, with no advertising in the first edition. This is no small feat, especially in South Africa, and an impressive undertaking in the current world of digital magazines. I have included an interview he did with Flits on Kyknet, explaining more about Ambassadeur and plans for another publication to be launched this year, especially for the ladies!Thank you, Viv, for our copy and for so beautifully illustrating our and your story so well. What a special way to remember such a key part of our lives together!
Our very own copy, with Daniel on the cover! 
Team Melody on our last together in Tobago, before Rufus and I left to Zambia and Viv & Wil continued sailing.
 
Derick, Thys and Carl at the launch party. Photo credit: Ambassadeur 
Carla, Vivian and Wilhelm at the launch party. Photo credit: Ambassadeur 
Ambassadeur launch party. Photo credit: Ambassadeur
Rufus' photo of Wilhem repairing boards as we crossed the Atlantic, ready to surf in Brazil!Interview with Derick on Kyknet
Behind the Scenes with Kia Motors
In my last post I briefly mentioned how we got the opportunity to travel to South Korea for 10 days with Kia Motors last year. In this post I have included another one of the marketing videos (the more adventurous of the 3, with surfing and zip-lining etc) and some behind the scenes photos showing what it was like in front of camera and our experience of the amazing country.
For the long version you can read my account of the trip below, after the video. For the short version scroll down to the pics and just skim through the captions ;)
We arrived in Korea after 5 days travelling from Belize via Guatemala and the US on water taxis, tiny 6 seater planes, chicken busses, international flights, high speed trains and more! We were exhausted but so flippen excited to be in Seoul!
We were beyond starving and so hopped up on natural "yay-were-in-a-new-country!" adrenaline, caffeine and whatever kicks in to combat sleep deprivation that after meeting up with Timmy and Faan, the creative and technical brains of the operation, we had TWO dinners that night! Let me use this opportunity to mention that Korean food is phenomenal. It blew our minds. But more on that later.
The next morning the four of us flew to Jeju Island where we met up with Hyejin, from Kia Motors and Sunny, our local guide and driver for the duration of our trip. The first thing we did was get lunch, of course, and again we were blown away by the array of local seafood dishes served.
The whole trip lasted a total of 10 days and we packed every day full of adventurous activities and, of course, a lot of driving around the island's most beautiful spots. We landed just in time to avoid a typhoon which had grounded all domestic flights right up till our arrival. We were to discover the next day that the typhoon had also taken most of the warm turquoise water with it and replaced it with freezing murky liquid ice. Why is this worth mentioning, you ask? Well, Rufus and I were scheduled to do a lot of swimming, snorkelling and waterfall jumping over the next 9 days and when the water feels as if it is of a hypothermia-inducing temperature and you have to keep re-shooting scenes because your chattering teeth and inappropriate nipple stands are ruining the shots it becomes rather important (let me also mention that after so much time living in tropical climates, any water temp below 26'C is "freezing" to us... ). Also, a lot of the aerial shots depended on the clear weather and even clearer water but Timmy did a great job of making everything work despite Mother Nature's curve ball.
Our guide, Sunny, took care of us like a caring mother hen and she fed us till we felt like we were going to burst! I asked her one day, "What are the three things that Korean's like to do most in their spare time?" Her reply was "Eat, drink and then eat some more." An so we did! More eating than drinking though, we were there for work after all...
Sun and Hyejin, from Kia Motors, were incredible hosts. We spent time with them at the start of the trip and at the end, after we finished and returned to Seoul, the day before we flew out. They are both so passionate about their country, their culture, their heritage, their traditions and of course their food! Both were extremely warm and friendly, welcoming and generous with their time, answering all of our questions and going the extra mile to make us feel at home.
Rufus and I have visited countries that are classified as "first world" before but never have we encountered a country like this. It is so clean you can eat off the streets. Everything is efficient and everyone is always genuinely keen to help. Rufus and I were welcomed at 5 star hotels as if we were VIP guests, and not in fake way, in a warm and genuine "we don't judge a book by it's cover" kind of way. Because believe me, after 5 days of travelling, no showers, little sleep, part of which we had our luggage strapped to the roof of a chicken bus across Guatemala and Belize during a tropical downpour, we did not look or smell like 5 star VIP guests...
The very first thing we observed upon arrival was the selfie culture. I am not exaggerating when I say that easily 85% of all the people we saw carried selfie sticks with them. Permanently. I thought I had seen it all when Rufus and I witnessed locals photographing themselves with lettuce and spinach in the veggie section of Zambian supermarkets, but Korea tops that. Every moment, any location is an excuse to take a selfie and no one is shy about it. It is amazing to watch.
It also helps their selfie culture that the Koreans sense of style and design is impressive to say the least. I wish I had had more time to capture the street fashion. Couples coordinating their outfits and managing to execute it in a way that made you wished they would dress you too. Korea is also known for its groundbreaking skincare and cosmetics industry and when you are there you can see why - the Korean woman know what they are doing when it comes to beauty, their skin is so luminescent I kept having the urge to touch their faces to see if it was real. Hashtag "skingoals".
Timmy, Faan, Rufus and I stuck out like sore thumbs everywhere we went. I think I only saw 2 other westerners in the 10 days we were there. Never once did we get ogled or made to feel "out" though, as so often happens when Rufus and I travel in Africa, Central and South America (I'm pasty white & blonde and he has striking eyes which strangers regularly stare at and like comment on).
The other interesting thing I noticed is how happy the Koreans are, especially the families. We saw a lot of young families, in the airports, in the streets, malls and restaurants. We never once saw kids throwing tantrums or disgruntled parents having to dish out discipline. The parents (and grandparents) were always smiling, happily and actively engaging with the children, not grumpy and scowling like we so often see in the US or SA.
And then theres the food. This my friends was our favourite part. There are rarely occasions when we are consistently, day after day, so stuffed full that we are in pain but we still want more! The food in South Korea is irresistible and the team at Kia gave Sunny strict instructions to feed us well, and so she did! The variety and the festivity and the traditions and history and joy that surrounds meal times pulls you in till you almost can't anymore. It is such a fundamental part of their culture that if you don't engage (not that you wouldn't want to) you are in danger of seriously offending your host(s). The Koreans, in our experience, love to share and this is most evident during their meal times.
Overall Korea was a 10 out of 10 for us. Thank you Hyejin, Sun and Kia Motors for hosting us and thank you to Timmy and Faan for including us in your project. South Korea, we will be back!
Faan, Rufus, Kate, Timmy and Sun (Kia Motors International) - our first night in South Korea, Seoul. Photo credit: Sun Hur
we were so hungry that we had two dinners on our first night, this was our first and then the second with Sun, from Kia (above) - Seoul
after 5 days of travelling across 4 countries and 2 oceans, with 6 different types of transport, we were beyond excited to see our hotel bed! Lotte City Hotel, Gimpo Airport, Seoul.
On the second day we flew from the capital city, Seoul, to Jeju Island
above & below: our first meal on Jeju - L-R: Hyejin from Kia Motors, Timmy, Faan. front L-R: Kate, Rufus, Sunny our driver and guide
the aftermath...
our nifty new Kia Rio in my favourite colour, blue :)
Rufus at the wheel
Timmy's drone, ready to capture the aerial shots
first day shooting at Jeongbang Waterfall
Rufus discussing the waves with local surfers - the board he used was rented from the guy on the right, who we met in the parking lot!
amped to get in the water!
Korean's are very conscious of taking care of their skin and protecting it from the sun - this guy was filming Rufus in the water
watching Rufus and the charter boats
intricate murals along the water's edge at Jungmun Beach
interesting seafood for sale along the promenade
Faan operating the drone camera behind us
Faan & Timmy setting the camera up on our bonnet
sunrise shoot at the beach - Gujwa-eup
morning walks - Gujwa-eup
Gujwa-eup
Gujwa-eup
the food was one of our favourite parts of the trip - the Korean cuisine is phenomenal!
enough food for the five of us...??!!
we snacked on the delicious mandarins found everywhere on the island
how many Faans can you fit in a Kia Rio boot?
Rufus' close-up
the things you have to do for the perfect shot...
the boys taking a roadside coffee break at Beach Boys
faithful to Kia
overlooking the crater of Seongsan Ilchulbong (Sunrise Peak) - UNESCO World Heritage Site
Seongsan Ilchulbong - Sunrise Peak
baby cheeks wasn't keen on a selfie...
view from Seongsan Ilchulbong - Sunrise Peak
its a wrap! Sunny, Faan, Timmy, Rufus, Kate & Sun celebrating the last day of shooting on the charter yacht. Photo: Timmy Henny
Hamdeok Beach
Hamdeok Beach
Hamdeok Beach
Italian pizza and pasta in Korea
lunch at Hamdeok Beach - everything on the table was raw
raw crab
mosaics along the Hamdeok Beach promenade
a young fisherman at Hamdeok Beach
Hamdeok Beach
boys playing games... they all won fireworks which we set off on the beach later that night
Hamdeok Beach
even the pets wear make-up in Korea and this cutie took a shine to Faan!
watching the rugby on Faan's iPhone. Photo Credit: Faan Rabie
our last evening on the island. Photo Credit: Faan Rabie