“Después de haber escrito Cien años de soledad, apareció en Barranquilla un muchacho confesando que tiene una cola de cerdo. Basta abrir los periódicos para saber que entre nosotros cosas extraordinarias ocurren todos los días.” Gabriel García Márquez El otro día fue mi cumpleaños. Sentí el deseo de una montaña y así subimos a la […]
As the sun shies away behind the abraded slopes of Cotacachi, the sharp mouth of the Imbabura fills up with gold. The boys look up, frozen in trepidation. Mid-air, the basket ball hesitates, a flaming sky for backdrop, like a planet seeking its orbit. I look away with a grin on my face, uncaring of […]
Baia Concha is a nice secluded bay in the Tayrona National Park. Late in the afternoon, when all the people are gone, fishermen and tourists boats have stoped and the sound systems have been shut down, the sun sets behind the greenest hills, the sky turns orange and one can enjoy the sudden silence and […]
Dominica has taken the full hit of Cat 5 hurricane Maria. There is very little news coming through at the moment. I tried to contact my friends there with no success. I suspect all networks are down. I can only hope they are ok. Last night Dominica’s president reported: “So far the winds have swept […]
Back from the market this morning I realised I left behind a pineapple and a pound of fresh tomatoes. The little girl behind the stall, probably not even 10 years old, had run off to get my change. She took long enough for me to get involved in negotiations with a Rasta man for fresh […]
“I guess this is it. As we leave Palma, we are faced with at least two weeks of beautifully vast ocean. You will probably see the snow, some might go skiing, others will get stuck on public transport. You will celebrate Christmas, eat loads of sweets, make new resolutions, then you will get drunk and […]
“As we left Maidera a school of pilot Wales approached us in the falling light. So gracious and calm, they surfaced to breathe and to inspect those funny looking creatures peering at them from a plastic box.” Day Ten – 11th December, Sunday, Madeira 11.00am It is sunny out here. João is taking us to […]
“The boat reacts to the ever changing wind, dancing its way from one wave to the next. And I, with her, advance in my journey.” Day Seven – 8th December, Thursday, Atlantic Sea heading South-West 9.00am I had another tough night with very little sleep. Strong winds forced us to roll up the Jib, take […]
“A red rising moon slowly creeps over starboard side, its reflection is like a bloody arm stretched towards the boat.” Day Four – 5th December, Monday, Off the coast of Portugal 8.30am At last I can go to sleep. It has been a tough night watch. With plenty of fishing boats without AIS, we had […]
“There is no doubt I am staring at the reddest moon I’ve ever seen. To its left the lighthouse of Isla La Malante adds an ominous touch to the scene.” Day One – 2nd December 2016, Friday, La Rochelle – France 6.30pm This is it. We are finally off. It is hard to believe this […]