Hurricane OMAR and what we learned from it

Ooooooh, happy people :D Omar came and left us bruised and battered but alive and well. There was only minor damage on Saba (unlike St Maarten), except for the harbour area (Fort Bay, as pictured above the morning after), where a couple of diveshops were left with quite a mess. So, this is how my last few days went...

ZCZC MIATCMAT5

ALLTTAA00 KNHC DDHHMM

TROPICAL DEPRESSION FIFTEEN FORECAST/ADVISORY NUMBER 1

NWS TPC/NATIONAL HURRICANE CENTER MIAMI FL AL152008

1500 UTC MON OCT 13 2008

That's how it started on Monday when Omar was not Omar, but Tropical Depression Fifteen. After that, we were all glued to the internet (http://www.nhc.noaa.gov/ is a great website if anyone is interested). Jan decided to pull the marine park patrol boat out of the water and the fishermen were discussing taking their boats to relative safety in St Maarten by Tuesday.

The situation changed 24 hours later, when Omar was named and the predicted direction was corrected as well. Bad news for Saba! By then it was clear that we'd be hit and a "Storm warning, hurricane watch" was issued for Saba. That means, any boats still on Saba would not be covered by insurance - so all fishermen and diveshops drove their boats to St Maarten or had them pulled on shore here on Saba. It was a lovely calm day btw.

Omar was forecasted to be a hurricane category 1 or 2 and to affect us between noontime Wednesday and Thursday early morning.

My careful suggestion to Jan Tuesday afternoon to maybe start installing shutters instead of going out for a beer was met with a "nooooo, we'll do that tomorrow after I'm done at the Marine Park". Who am I to argue? My concern was that he'd have to secure the office AND our new house (for which we didn't have shutter yet, so he'd have to get materials first) AND the place we currently live in including the big house of our landlord. But hey, who am I to argue?

So, Wednesday morning Jan went to the harbour to secure the office and hyperbaric chamber. I went to work and must admit to getting increasingly nervous, until Jan finally came back to Windwardside at 12:30-ish with loads of plywood, 2x4's and tools. By then it was raining heavily and in addition I had not eaten anything that day - expecting Jan back within "an hour or so", giving us plenty of time for the task at hand.

As it happened, we were now really in a hurry! No time for food, just enough to grab a jacket and a baseball cap. Both withstood the rain for approx. 8 minutes, guess it could have been worse. Oh wait, it got worse....

We drove down to the new house first and started carrying the wood up the steep hill. Jan was quite stressed out - understandably so - and thus I resisted the urge to say "I told you so". Matter of fact I didn't say that once during that whole ordeal. When, however, Jan tripped over a rock walking backwards as we were walking with a very heavy piece of plywood (1.50x1.50 m would be my guess), leaving the wood no other place to fall than onto my ancle after a short stop on my knee, I did say (through clenched teeth) "Now, can we pleeeease start a day earlier next time".

No time to relax though, we were running out of time. So with a bump on my knee and a gap in my ancle, blood literally running down into my (previously white) running shoes and rain-soaked through three layers of clothing, here I found myself putting up shutters. Since someone had forgotten to put all the tools in Jans truck, we did not have the right equipment and had to improvise a bit. Obviously that did not make the task at hand any faster and/or easier. Another day in Paradise, hey?

We finished with the house at 15:30.......one down, two more to go, rain getting heavier, wind getting stronger - and darkness just 2.5 hours away. At our current place, there were waterfalls on each side of the house, the amount of rain was unbelievable.

At least we had pre-made shutters for these two places, so work went faster. This is when I have to mention that despite less than ideal conditions and both of us under a considerable amount of mental and physical stress, we never argued or yelled at each other. Quite a significant indication of a good relationship I'd say ;)

Anyway, we worked on and by 18:00 there was just one more shutter to put up. Unfortunately, this was by far the most heavy one (35-40 kg) and quite awkward to carry. Jan and I were both in automatic mode I think. We were beyond cold, and probably beyond caring as well. We carried the shutter through the garden, up the stairs, through the house and managed to attach it. Yeah. Done.

We rewarded ourselves with a hot-hot shower and then went in pursuit of a beer and a meal, unaware that restaurants have to close during a hurricane, so our first attempt only brought us an hour with a couple of beers in nice company. Luckily, hotels stay open, so we had dinner and were home before the worst hit Saba. And before they had to shut down the power plant.

Of course we should have been too scared to sleep that night, but completely exhausted as we were, we slept like babies until 8 Thursday morning. A beautiful, calm day, the sun was shining. Then it was time to assess the damage: several trees were gone and the lawn was basically covered in broken-off branches, the water was running down the wall inside our flat. Apart from that, everything appeared fine.

Jan tried walking down to our new home, but after falling on the slippery path twice and doing his best to let his elbow wound compete with my ancle, he gave up...

Then the phone call: Fort Bay harbour is a mess! The power had not yet been turned on, so without coffee or breakfast we made our way towards Fort Bay. On the way, we passed big tree trunks and even bigger rocks that had fallen off the mountain sides. And yes, Fort Bay was a mess...

- yes, that's a piece of concrete there

- that used to be a pier









- I am trying to imagine the force necessary to move those boulder up into the harbour and then across to the diveshop








- the harbour office survived, but the road was burried under boulders and rocks






- this is the road to the dump; guess those things have to end up there now anyway

Fortunately, the Marine Park office was ok, so after a bit of chatting, we made our way back up to Windwardside, where we decadently decided to go out for breakfast. Yummi. And quite necessary, facing the task of taking some of the shutters down and cleaning up the garden....it took us 3 hours to clear it reasonably. By then, we both felt about 16 years older - all muscles aching after two days of pretty hard workout.

- too bad we don't have any before pictures :(

Today, our lives are pretty much back to normal. We're going to have a weekend of doing as little as possible. Must take care of that huge pile of still soaking wet clothes though ;)

Anyway, that was my week ;) Take care lovely people, I'll now walk home through the rain, taking comfort in the knowledge that it won't be as bad as Wednesday

xxx

No news = good news?

.........possibly............


Or maybe it's just a sign that nothing is happening; it's been a long time since the last really dramatic development in my life.

In the meantime I'm a year older (and of course much wiser) and have gotten into a certain routine with job etc. After working on the Caribbean Explorer (see last post) for a week, I am now being invited for fundive + dinner every week, when they pass Saba. GREAT. First of all, fundiving is of course one of my favourite activities. Secondly, the food is excellent. Thirdly - and most important - the crew on the boat is awesome, we have lots of fun together. Oh, and of course it's good to get off the rock once in a while, even if it's just for a couple of hours.

They would like me to work for them more often, but unfortunately I cannot combine it with my current job. Working fulltime for them is no option because I don't have the 1500 USD for a safety course I'd have to do - and more importantly, because it would mean being on the boat 24/7 for months. Not the best recipe for a happy relationship obviously ;)

In an unpleasant way I have also experienced what it can be like to live on a tiny island, where even a non-existing feather can turn into a chicken farm in no time. And there is absolutely nothing anyone can do about it. Hrmpf. This has led to a new personal record for me: I am now on my 12th day of migraine - and yes, it's driving me mad and pretty much draining me.

A spot of light at the end of the tunnel: Jan and I are planning to go to St. Maarten for a couple of days. He needs to go there for work and then we'll combine it with shopping, getting things for the new house and of course a romantic dinner in a place where nobody interrupts our time together; simply because nobody knows us.

All in all it's fair to say that my life is less than ideal or super-happy these days; but even if I didn't have the wonderful friends I do, the struggle would still be worth it as long as it enables me to be with Jan. He's intelligent, handsome, sexy, wonderful and I love him to bits!

Rather than posting pictures, there are a couple of links to my Facebook albums here:

http://www.new.facebook.com/album.php?aid=51263&l=56fe2&id=703045613


http://www.new.facebook.com/album.php?aid=45998&l=80cf7&id=703045613



http://www.new.facebook.com/album.php?aid=46294&l=655ca&id=703045613



http://www.new.facebook.com/album.php?aid=46001&l=1f630&id=703045613



http://www.new.facebook.com/album.php?aid=45993&l=f5e2d&id=703045613


And for all you people, who are still not on Facebook: tsk, tsk, shame on you. It's easy, it's free and it's a great way of staying up-to-date with friends all over the world.

Here's one for those of you, who call me the QoW: did you know that Saba is called "the unspoiled Queen"? How very (in)appropriate I should say - in soooo many ways *lol*

Well, enough for now. Hopefully I'll have a more optimistic and positive update next time - but still, don't worry..........I'll be fine and everything will be O K ;))

Lotsa love and hugs

Life on the Rock

Important news first: since my last blog update I did not and do not plan to move to a different part of the world ;) I'm still on Saba and still very much in love :D

My dream of going to Denmark on holiday did not come true, but at least I have a job now: assistant project leader for www.childfocussaba.org - it's obviously an office job, and it's only part time. My contract starts 18th August, in July I've been volunteering for the summer programme of the foundation.

Next week I'll be doing my "old job": the only live-aboard operating this area has problems with staff on sick leave, so I'm doing a week of divemaster work on it. It'll be tough to be without Jan for a whole week - especially on his birthday - but I really look forward to being back in the water. I have volunteered for the marine park a couple of times, but it's more difficult now that I actually have a job.

Saba is in the middle of the week-long annual carnival, but we have not participated - we'll go to the parade tomorrow though.

Jan's house building project has moved veeeery slowly the past two months. I've been painting the walls, and the tiles will be put in soon. We need to be out of our current appartment by mid-September, but realistically the new house will not be ready before October.

Oh, and do remind me to post some pictures....

Lotsa xxx
Karin

Back on the Rock - never say never.....

It was a looong journey, but I made it without permanent damage - and even got my suitcase with just one day delay.

Jan was sweet and picked me up on St Maarten, so that we could take the boat (the "vomit comet") back to Saba together. How strange that was; I really believed that I'd never come back to this place. Never say never, hey?

I've been here a week now and the jetlag has finally left me alone, 11 hours time difference will take its toll on even the most experienced traveller, I guess.

So, what have I done the past week? - Well, first of all there's been a bit (yeah sure, just a tiny bit) of partying going on; people here have been amazing in making me feel welcome. I'm trying to find work - which will probably not be within diving. Apart from the financial worries, I guess I'm not very good at being without a job ;)

I've also started as a volunteer for the Marine Park, which allowed me to try out my brand-new custom-made 7 mm wetsuit yesterday. Cozy and warm, I'm loving it :D It was a different experience to dive for a real reason (moving mooring blocks), but it didn't stop me from noticing several Southern Stingrays and a group of 3 squids out of the corner of my eye - whilst still completely focused on and dedicated to the task at hand naturally ;))

It was difficult to leave Asia and the friends I have there; I miss them, but thanks to the internet we can at least still stay in touch. As summer approaches I also miss my family more and more. I am still hoping for a miracle, so that I'll be able to go to Denmark in July - but tickets are just too expensive at the moment. It feels wrong not to be in my sisters "hacienda" in the summer. And it feels wrong to miss out on my "little" niece's wedding and my brother's 50th birthday. Guess that's the downside of having chosen to live in the warm countries.

Apart from missing family, friends and the work I like, I am ridiculously happy :D I am sure coming back to Saba was the right decision.........I feel very very lucky and thoroughly enjoy spending time with Jan. He's - almost - too good to be real ;)

Hopefully my next post will follow quickly, and hopefully it will tell you that I have a job - and stumbled over a ticket to Denmark walking down the hill ;)))

Take care lovely people

xxx

Holiday - and what happens next

Holiday is such a great invention. Should do it more often. As usual, nothing went as planned; but this time it was not because I changed my mind: the weather (of all things) played a major part. And chemistry. That one is a bit tougher to explain though.

At Songkran - Google it; it's the time of year when people look like this:

- "my" boat went out for the last dive trip this season. And since Khao Lak was practically empty anyway, I left the office to a colleague and spent a day doing what I love doing: tourleading the boat and guiding experienced fundivers.

Nothing like a day in the other office.....it charged my batteries just enough to get me through the end of season. By then I had worked 135 days in a row.

After closing the shop, weather was so bad in the Andaman Sea that a live-aboard was no longer an option - especially since a friend from Saba, Jan, and I wanted to go to Burma/Myanmar. Good thing we didn't. Instead we had a look at Koh Lanta, which was actually a lovely place.

We dived Koh Bida Nok & Nai at Phi Phi one day, but conditions were not good and the day after, weather turned really bad, so diving was no longer possible.

After some wonderfully relaxing days we continued to Koh Tao to meet up with Debbie and Beto. Now, if you want to do a dive holiday in Thailand, please don't go to Koh Tao. It was wonderful to see the Debs and Beto again - and several of my friends from Khao Lak - all good. But to me, that would be the only reason to go to Koh Tao.

We had a great time though. They manage a great dive shop with a really good boat, so that we had some lovely days. And some nice apres-diving as well (goes without saying)

Now comes the chemistry part........thing is: Jan and I got along ok on Saba, but weren't exactly best friends. After I came to Thailand we stayed in touch with at first sporadic and then frequent emails and MSN conversations (don't you just love the internet?). And then in Thailand, spending time together, we realised that we actually like each other. Quite a bit.

So the shocking news for all of you: I am moving back to Saba. An intercontinental relationship is not an option; especially in the first stage. Jan is under contract on Saba - and I'd have to get a new job anyway. So why not try to go for it? We have absolutely nothing to lose and everything to win.

I know, I know........I didn't like Saba and I love Asia, BUT one has to give love a chance, doesn't one? - Well, I do.

Guess this is enough information for you to digest for now! Thanks for all the nice feedback, I am glad you are reading the blog - and I'll be back with an update shortly

Take care

xxx

Green Season

I never thought the day would come when I'd switch on the air-condition voluntarily. Trust me: it gets warm down here. Really warm. Scandinavia had snow at Easter - well, here green season (much nicer and more tourist-friendly term for rainy season) seems to have started two months early this year.

Temperatures are around 36 (yes, celsius) and I believe the device still remains to be invented that can actually measure this level of humidity. All good.

Apart from the thunderstorm last night, which was the loudest and longest-lasting I have ever experienced. Following the storm, the surge was so bad today that our diveboat (and all other speedboats) had to turn around after 10 minutes and go back to the harbour. The guests were not exstatic - but would have been less so, if they'd been stuck on a 26 ft speedboat for three hours in 2 meter waves. Trust me on that one too.

Easter was peak season here and again business went far better than expected for us. Which meant another three weeks without a day off. Supposedly it's really quiet this week, but we still have full boats both for diving and snorkeling. Maybe next week.

The plan is to close the operation here end of next week. My first action will be going to Phuket for two days of shopping with one of my friends. Khao Lak has absolutely nothing in terms of shopping - unless you're looking for a tailor or an optician. After that, I'll be going on a liveaboard or two for some diving. NOT working, just diving. I can go practically for free, so it's not as decadent as it sounds.

Then I'll be packing all the equipment and office stuff here and get it to our office on Phuket.

Beginning May I'm likely to go to Koh Tao to visit Debbie and Beto. One of our friends from Saba comes to Thailand on holiday, so it would be nice to catch up and do some diving together.

After Koh Tao it's decision time........what am I going to do this green season, what am I going to do next high season (why is it not called brown season?). I have several options....Right now I'm extremely tired of working these ridiculous hours in the office. Sick & tired & frustrated actually. Which is why I am not making any important decisions right now - not the right state of mind. Right now I'd go for any job that involves diving.

Even life in Paradise is not always perfect ;)

The friend and Goddess who named me "qow" asked me whether people in general know, what the origin of that is. I'm sure some of you do. For all the rest of you, I'll give the explanation in my next blog update (now THAT's a cliffhanger).....

Take care lovely people
xxx from the QoW

Life in Khao Lak

So, what's it like to be an office worker in Thailand? Pretty much the same as in Europe, just a lot warmer. And possibly a bit more challenging logistically. One must never forget that time is even more relative in Thailand - tomorrow in Thai time is probably/possibly sometime this week. Or next. But not more than two weeks; generally.

Apart from that, the issues are the same: trying to get customers to sign and then making and keeping them happy, trying to motivate colleagues, trying not to throw the desktop out of the window, when it's painfully slow, trying to cope with the fact that the day only has 24 hours. And in between all of that it's a matter of being flexible and improvising as we go along.

Today, I've finally managed to take a day off. Well, obviously not an entire day - but 3-4 hours of time for myself. Went to the gym and then decided that it's about time I update you.

My life these days consists mainly of work, no fun. I do go out from time to time, but it's a bit tricky, cause I'm the office every day from 9:00-21:00 (just decided that we're closing at 21 "already"). That doesn't leave much time for social activities - especially since restaurants here close at 22. But yeah, we do manage to create a bit of a want-to-be-vortex feeling on a weekly basis ;))

In the meantime, Beto (former colleague from Saba and Debs' boyfriend) has arrived in Khaolak - and has had work pretty much every day since. Sarah has left for Malaysia, where she's working for the company I was supposed to work for. She does not sound overwhelmingly happy, but suggests that I go there as well in low season.

That's not the plan though: I'm supposed to work for Scandinavian Divers in Patong (Phuket). My job description there seems to have changed a bit though - from being on the boats every day (which I really want) to being part-time office as well. We'll see about that...

Last Monday I actually went diving! First time in about 5 weeks. And it was almost perfect: gentle current, fantastic visibility, ok divers. The "almost" bit refers to the only underwater creature I actually hate: Titan Triggerfish! Nondivers among you will not appreciate how horrible they are. First of all, nesting season has obviously started and secondly I obviously must have come a bit too close to a nest..........so this huge, mean-looking trigger decided to attack me, coming up from behind and biting my upper arm! Interestingly enough, the (quite painful) bite didn't go through my wetsuit (another reason not to wear shorties), but I now have a very impressive purple-yellow-black bruise. The bastard continued his attempts to kill me - but was unsuccessful as you may have guessed. My fins show the scars including a 3 cm long hole, where he managed to bite all the way through. Damn, I hate Titan Trigger!

Enough for now, I'll go back to enjoying my day off (still have an hour until I have to work)

Lotsa xxx