Australia!

So here I am in Auz! Still can't quite believe it even tho I've already been here for nearly a month! Here a few pics of my time for you all to enjoy. These photos are from Tasmania, Brisbane and then Perth. Currently in Cairns and on my way to go diving on the Great Barrier Reef tomorrow. Very excited! Will write more stories soon!! xoxo love to you all!

Change - this is the rhythm of living

I have seen a transformation in my life as I reflect on the past six months working on Kismet. Crease lines that were furrowed between my eyebrows from stress have now become laugh lines around my mouth from so many good times. Sore wrists from too much typing have now been replaced with sore knees from squatting down to wipe the floor or dust base boards. There is something quite liberating when all of your essential needs are provided for. I have found that with all of these fundamental needs met, I am free to just relax, chill out and enjoy life without having to stress to get these things done in my free time like I would in normal life. So when I think about this transformation I realize that it isn’t really a transformation of the inside out but rather the opposite, a change of my environment, influences and responsibilities and my body's reaction to these changes.

However, even in the midst of my contentment of the present moment somehow I’m still overtaken by the curiosity of the unknown. So alas, I’m hopping ship (literally) and packing up all my belongings and heading off to a little place that they like to call “the land down under” or also as my friend Matt calls it, “the land under the land down under”. On Nov 2^nd I’ll be flying out to Tasmania to kick off the start of 4 months traveling around Australia, New Zealand and wherever else strikes my fancy. I’m a little scared because I’m leaving such a place of comfort, simplicity and security to manage in the big old world all by myself again but the allure and discovery of unseen beauty, stories, cultures, and people keeps me trucking along and certain that I’ve made a good decision. How will I ever know what is there if I never go there myself? A discovery channel special can only show you so much and I want to see it and experience it all for myself.

And as much as these last 6 months have influence me, I know that this next trip will bring an entirely new transformation of its own as I adjust to my new surroundings. Is it change that I want? I don’t know but we’ll just have to see to find out.

And yachts, yachts will always be there. This is an industry that is not going out of style any time soon; if anything it just keeps on growing. I definitely want to work on yachts a bit more in the future, but I always want to keep in mind that it isn’t reality. It’s a little pseudo reality. It’s fun, it’s provides financial means in reaching other goals, it allows you to travel and see the world…but I also want to be there for one of my niece’s birthday parties, have a house of my own and develop roots in a community. So I’ll ride this wave a little bit longer and with open heart receive all the good lessons that I’m learning that I can bring to real life like how to get stains out of shirts, how to make a bellini cocktail and how to make a perfect bed!

So that is where my heart is at and I’m just as curious as you all on how this next chapter of my life will span out. Stayed tuned for more stories and photos of the adventures that lie ahead! Love to you all!! xo

The Corinth Canal

So, call me ignorant, but I had never heard of the Corinth Canal until we came right up to it and I said..."Hey, what's that?" Apparently it began construction way back by Nero in 50 AD but was finally finished over 100 years ago. It connects the Aegean Sea with the Gulf of Corinth by 6.3 km of a narrow passage way and sheer cliff. It was pretty impressive, silent as we went through and only a couple of feet on each side. Normally we would be let through by a pilot boat but since the Greek transport strike conveniently landed on Thursday, we went through on our own anyways. Bravo to Kyle, our captain, because he did a great job. There was a local Greek news station filming us from a helicopter the whole time. Probably doing a story on the crazy private motor yacht that wouldn't wait until the strike was over or for us to run aground. Anyways, it was a pretty cool experience. Enjoy the pics!

My Big Fat Greek Charter

Greece is one of those places that I always knew that I would get to. Like Russia, I had this serendipitous feeling that someday, somehow, I would have the opportunity to go to a country that had been immortalized in so many images that I’d seen. Globalization is making the world ever smaller however visiting places like this make you realize once again how big it really is with a population of 3.7 million in Athens and every Greek island having it’s own personality, culture and story. Last night pulling away from Mykonos at 1am, I finished my long shift on the top deck, trying to track down all the guests to make sure that they had really gone to sleep and it hit me, I’m here. Looking up, the twinkling stars caught my eye and the quaint city lights and dwindling music from beach disco as we made our departure, brought me directly to that moment. I’m here. I’m right where I’m supposed to be. After 2 long years of struggling against myself, knowing that my life in Florida was not in the direction that I wanted to be going, I finally feel right. That I have finally turned around and instead of going against the current, I am letting it take me with its natural flow and that in this space and time, I feel good. I knew that I would always make it to Greece, and although this is a whirlwind tour with a smorgasbord sampling of this mythical nation, it is more than I could have dreamed. Picturesque white washed walls, bright blue trims, bursting pink bougainvillea scattered with a few old men playing chess and a stray cat curling around the foot of their chair, I’m here. Catching snapshot images where I could in our miniscule time off, I absolutely know that I want to come back, when I can lounge on a lazy café window seat, sipping a cool drinking on warm day and wait for the sun to dip, casting orange and pink shadows on the canvas white walls. With a too short break in Athens today I was unable to visit the city, but I grabbed the binoculars and wow, there it was, the Acropolis perched on top of the hills above the city. All I could say was… “it’s sooo…Greek!” With perfectly defined columns this picture that I had burned into my brain my entire life was sitting right in front of me! I couldn’t take my eyes off it for a while. Yes, hopefully one day I can come back here and get my fill of ancient Greece, olives and ouzo….ok maybe not the ouzo but I’d like to come back here all the same.

Turkish Delight

Hello everyone! Well it has sure been such a treat to come to Turkey this summer. Our owner, Mr. Khan, along with family and friends will be on board for the next 3 weeks, taking us up along the Turkish coastline, island hoping around Greece, a stop in Athens (fingers crossed to get a few hours off!) then curving around the tip of Italy to finish in Rome. Pretty fun itinerary to some new spots for me! We spent the last few days in Bodrum, Turkey which is like the St. Tropez of Turkey they say. Lots of water front bars and cafes, winding pedestrian shopping areas through out the old town and the wonderful Turkish touch of old relics, blaring middle eastern music, cool copper tea pots and chai and the call to prayer sporadically heard through out the day. Currently we are anchored in a beautiful little bay surrounds by cliffs, green trees and bright blue water. Yesterday we lucky enough to get the afternoon free to swim while the guests were off the ship. Floating in the Aegean Sea surrounded by so much beauty, I just couldn't be happier....until I had to hop out to go back to work! =) Joking aside, I'd love to explore this part of the world some day on my own leisurely pace. Lots of gems to discover. Enjoy the pics. love to you all!! xo

Sardinian Road Trip

Today I had the most incredible day! Being that it was our only free day here in Olbia, Sardinia before our busy charter this week, we all really wanted to take advantage of it. Already knowing what I really wanted to do, I secretly planted the ideas in everyone’s heads and rallied a group of 4 boys and myself from the crew to hire a car and explore the breathtaking Italian island. We had so much fun zipping along the winding Italian coastal roads as we blasted Italian pop, discovering hidden beaches that we'd spotted from cliffs then chased down dirt roads to find, swimming in the clear cool water, eating fresh mozzarella on crispy pizzas with a bubbly bottle of Prosecco in classy Porto Rotondo, homemade gelato in a sunshine filled patio in Porto Cervo. The views were spectacular dotted with tons of distant islands and dramatic cliffs, huge rock figures and century old farm house ruins. Today was one of those days where I pinched myself and said, “I can’t believe that I’m here!” I loved it and sprinkle it with a bit of newly acquired Italian phrases and yes, I’m beaming!

Atlantic Sea Crossing

Days are starting to blur together as I hold on tight feeling the roller coaster ride sensation as motor yacht Kismet bounces and dives with the never-ending swell of the Atlantic Ocean, trying my best not to get queasy. I can feel my insides stay put while my body hovers and fall and gives way to the ship's movements. Giving up the desire for control, I stop resisting and let myself be flung weightlessly to the ocean’s demise, walking sideways and zig-zag down the corridor, jumping then running down the stairs, grasping strongly to the hand rail knowing that it's the only thing that we keep me in one spot. The small port-hole window next to my top bunk bed switches from dark ocean, to bright sky, to white sea spray in matters of seconds and then continually repeats with an occasional POW of a pounding crash of water against the hull. Although the Kismet has been across the Atlantic many times now I still fantasize that the water impact will come bursting into Cabin #8 and I've formed a little emergency plan in my head: First grab the radio next to my door and my life jacket in the closet, then run quickly down the hallway, alerting all in path. Yet, luckily, warm in my cabin, I continue to stare out my port-hole and wait to see fish as the live aquarium passes by. We have seen a few dolphins and turtles, still waiting on the whale though.

Trying to keep occupied really hasn’t been too hard since I’m the type of girl that can’t get enough free time and have LOVED this perfect prison to keep me focused on things I’ve been wanting to do for a while like learn Italian and read as many books as I can in these short 17 days. Sadly, coming from the generation of ADD, cell phones, facebook and many more distractions I find it hard to concentrate on one task most of the time and I end up running around to meet people, pick up odds and ends and never really stop during any of my leisure time. The physical act of travel, however, has this amazing ability to freeze time and as I’m sitting on an airplane, a bus or train or now, on a journey across the ocean by boat, there is positively no other place that I could be or thing I could do and finally I allow myself to breath, to sit back, relax and indulge in some of the simplest pleasures…like daydreaming, reading, writing and yes, italiano.

Yet, with this amazing amount of time for self-reflection and sharpening of my intellect, muscle atrophy is quickly setting in! We, our stewardess crew of 3 girls, only have to do a measly 4-hours of work a day cleaning up the main crew areas, laundry, etc. (aka. cleaning up after the boys!) I’m not complaining, it’s great and easy, but other than that it’s bed, deck (if it’s sunny), bed, deck (for sunset), bed and then the day begins again. This could be recipe for a large derrière but luckily I’m taking precautions by forbidding myself to eat chocolate, to not snack between meals, and yes, there is a exercise bike on board but that task still sounds a bit daunting as we tumble and rumble across the Atlantic. I might just wait to take a stroll down Las Ramblas or a nice jog along the beach once we arrive in Barcelona. Street wandering through Gaudi’s living masterpiece sounds like a much more appealing form of self-preservation.

Until then, I will continue to cherish the sunsets and the sheer enormity of nothing but endless ocean for as far as the eye can see. I wish you all could be with me