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

So you want to see my office?

No problem, this is my office most days:

And this is me - with a bad hangover - in the office:

Sometimes - but rarely these days - I get to see this view from my other office:

And of course there is a beach in Khao Lak too:

Business is going better than expected - or even hoped, but it's taking blood, sweat, tears and a lot of time. Luckily some of my staff members are really great - Debbie is one of them, she didn't go to Malaysia after all :D

I wasn't too impressed with Khao Lak when I first got here, but I am actually starting to like this place a lot - it is not at all like Phuket.

We're closing down end April and I am planning to take the entire month of May off - travel a bit around Thailand.

Hopefully I'll find the time to write a bit more soon-ish - but at least you got some of the requested pictures

Lotsa xx