Back from Paradise

Little did we guess upon seeing this steep hunk of rock sticking out of the ocean that we were entering paradise. Saba was paradise. The scuba diving was fantastic, as we expected, but we didn't know this tiny, beachless former volcano would be the most magical place we had ever been.



The people, all 1,400 living there, are friendly and helpful. The pace of life is beyond slow. Life is simple. There are no beaches, there are no bugs, and there are few tourists. The top of the island is rain forest, at about 3,000 feet above sea level, and is the highest point in the Netherlands. We did some hiking, but we didn't make it all 1,064 steps to the top--we left that for next time.

It was a great break, and I came back full of focus and creative juice. So it's back to the novel for me.

Out for the Weekend

Back on Monday.

I'm taking the ferry over for a long weekend on Saba, an island near St. Maarten that supposedly had A-mazing scuba diving. Fingers crossed!






P.S. I am currently a fan of rust.

Open Water Diver

I am an Open Water Diver, at least according to PADI. That means I passed my written exams and did 4 dives. On the last one, I wasn't sure I was going to make it back to the surface. I figured I would have a heart attack after seeing a barracuda as long as I am.



Other island hazards:



You can only assume the mechanic of this grounded beer plane was also responsible for attaching these windshield wipers.

Scuba Diving Today!

Today I step out of the classroom and into the water.


Or, rather, I step away from the e-learning Open Water Diver course on my computer and into the pool to practice. Then I have lunch, a nice boat ride, and I hop into a much deeper ocean and hope I don't sink. And that the sharks don't get me. Depending on the dive schedules, I should be a PADI- certified open water diver come Tuesday.

It's a swim in the right direction.*




*Sorry, I couldn't help myself.