Home Free Global Nomads South Pacific - South America to Juan Fernandez (Isla Robinson Crusoe)

Our South Pacific departure began on 5Feb from Grand Rapids, MI uneventful trip to Chicago, Ill (ORD) then to Toronto for our overnight flight to Santiago.  We were able to stay in the Air Canada Maple Leaf Lounge in Toronto before heading to our gate, we had a several hour layover.  Trip was smooth and comfortable, arriving in Santiago feeling refreshed and excited as are heading to Valdivia to be back on Otra Vida.  

Feelings of joy to be in Chile, seeing Martin at the airport and meeting Emma Goldman. We arrived to the boat and loaded the gear for the boat, food, and unpacked the outboard.  Life on board Otra Vida feels like home.  We begin our week cleaning and organizing, clearing the lockers for the food we will buy for the next few months, Chile to Tahiti.  The four of us (Martin, Consu, Keith and I) spent an entire Saturday shopping for food. We had 10 carriages of supplies just at Unimarc, off to Jumbo next 3 more carriages, bulk store and last Taja for a lonely little basket.  We decided to stop at El Growler for a beer and just sit enjoying each other’s company.

On Otra Vida in Valdivia

Back on board 

Emma Goldman

10 carriages of supplies at Unimarc

The new bimini was ready and off to the university the last week in Valdivia.  The bimini is amazing, great work by Daniel and his crew at the university. It took 8 hours to put it in place, since it was late in the day we took the boat back to the marina.  We walked back to the University for a Chilean barbecue.  The guys are great, Daniel’s wife, Emily joined us for some beer, food and good conversation.

New Bimini

                              

Patty arrived on Valentine’s Day before we set off for sail to Juan Fernandez. Pere (Barcelona) and Piro joined the crew for our passage.  Six of us enjoyed 4.5 days at sea with little wind and motoring towards Isla Robinson Crusoe.  Spirits were high and full of excitement to be on the island of 800 people for some hiking and snorkeling.  

We left Valdivia setting sail to our new life to journey the globe.  The sail from the Continent was freeing, we saw a large pod of playful dolphins that lifted everyone's spirits. We all looked like children smiling and watching the play of these magical mammals of the sea.

Pere and Patty during our trip to Isla Robinson Crusoe (Juan Fernandez)

Sunset over the Pacific

The Parque Nacional Archipiélago Juan Fernandez Reserva de la Biósfera became a UNESCO National cultural site in 1976. Keith and I hiked one of the National Park sites Mirador Selkirk (565 meters above sea level) with Piro and Pere, we stopped along this vertical hike at the ruins of Alexander Selkirk’s home from 1704-1709. It was a grueling hike to the top taking us 2.5 hours but the panorama before us of Cumberland Bay was amazing then the clouds parted and we could see the other side of the island from here. Juan Fernandez is a hiker’s paradise with hard and moderate areas to hike on this volcanic island, some 298 nautical miles off the Chilean coast. A few days later we trekked with Martin and Emma to Al Centinela to the old radio station that existed from 1902 - 1927.  This hike was 2.2 kilometers took us 2.0 hours moderate trek, the view of Cumberland Bay and Pacific Ocean (we sailed past this point when we arrived).

View arriving at Isla Robinson Crusoe

Volcanic island with many hiking trails and views.

View of Cumberland Bay from Mirador Selkirk hike

Hiking to the summit

Monument to Alexander Selkirk  lived on the island for 4 years.

Keith in front of the Memorial to Selkirk

View to other side of the island from the top

Other side of the island seen from the summit

Anchorage where Otra Vida is anchored

We spent some time working on the boat, reading, on land for dinner at Cerveza Artesanal Archipiélago microbrew and fine dining.  The food was fantastic, so was the beer.  On our last night on the island we met Jon Dunn from the Shetland Islands, who told us about the endangered Red Hummingbird, native to Juan Fernandez.  He is doing a book on hummingbird’s and sea birds endangered by introduction of foreign plants and predators.

Jon Dunn

Before we left Juan Fernandez, Consu and I met Pere to find the red hummingbird, there are only 400 of this species in existence.  The Picaflor de Juan Ferández hummingbird habitat on Juan Fernandez is being destroyed by cats and rats.  We were thrilled that Jon showed up as we saw the female of the species then a male.  

Picaflor de Juan Fernández (hembra)

Picaflor de Juan Fernánadez (male)

This made our trip complete and we headed to the Armada to sign some forms then we left in the afternoon for a 19-20 day sail across the Pacific.

Preparing for the journey getting the propane tanks tied down 

Putting nets of citrus out

Offering to Poseidon for safe journey

GPS of our setting as we settled

Leaving Juan Fernandez

Leaving Juan Fernandez

Our first sunset on our journey to Easter Island

The hiking in Juan Fernandez was incredible, some difficult due to terrain and incline.  We recommend trying Cervaza Archipiélago for dinner, view is great and the food is very good.

Home Free Global Nomads Seven: 1Nov to 3Nov 2018 The Netherlands

We spent our last couple of days in Europe with Michiel and Stefan in Amsterdam. We drove from Hannover to Düsseldorf arrived then packed our suit cases to leave for Amsterdam when Michiel and Stefan get home. We cut our visit to Europe short due to a death in the family.  We changed our flights home to Grand Rapids to 3November.  

We arrived early in the evening in Amsterdam, got settled in then Michiel, Keith and Wayne headed over to Ocha for dinner. Ocha is a Thai restaurant, no frills, not expensive and fantastic cuisine.  Three sisters own and run this tiny restaurant not far from the flat.  

After dinner we called it an evening.

Fri: 2Nov

When we woke in the morning, we ran out to the market to get food and fresh croissants for breakfast.  Michiel and Stefan had planned a trip for the four of us to Den Hague (The Hague) for a day trip. They had been telling us this was a must see place for us but so much better to be with them and share the experience.  

The train to Den Hague was seamless and easy. We already had train passes for the rail in The Netherlands.  We walked over to the 

We stopped at Lola’s Bikes and Coffee for coffee and cake, I had the most delicious date cake and Keith had Banana Cake. Next stop is Panorama Mesdag.

Panorama Mesdag is a panorama by Hendrik Willem Mesdag. Housed in a purpose-built museum in The Hague, the panorama is a cylindrical painting (also known as a Cyclorama) more than 14 metres high and about 40 metres in diameter (120 metres in circumference). From an observation gallery in the centre of the room the cylindrical perspective creates the illusion that the viewer is on a high sand dune overlooking the sea, beaches and village of Scheveningen in the late 19th century. A foreground of fake terrain around the viewing gallery hides the base of the painting and makes the illusion more convincing.

Mesdag was a notable marine painter of the Hague School; in 1880 he was engaged by a Belgian company to paint the panorama, which with the assistance of his wife Sientje Mesdag-van Houten and some student painters (including George Hendrik Breitner), was completed by 1881. However, the vogue for panoramas was coming to an end, and the company went bankrupt in 1886. Mesdag purchased the panorama and met its losses from his own pocket. The panorama is now the oldest surviving panorama in its original location.

Panorama Mesdag 

Panorama Mesdag

We had not heard of the Panorama Mesdag, Michiel and Stefan had not experienced it since the painting had undergone restoration.  It is one of the most amazing spectacles, you feel like you have gone back in time and standing on a platform experience being on the dunes looking over the beach.

Peace Palace

Neo-Renaissance style building, which was actually the winning design of an architecture competition in the early nineteen hundreds, and the organizations.

Scheveningen Pier and Beach

Scheveningen Beach and The Kurhaus

Scheveningen Pier

On 17 September 1959 the current structure, designed by Dutch architects Hugh Maaskant and Dick Apon from Rotterdam. Its construction boasts two levels for the main pier, the lower deck a closed-in section, the upper open to the elements, and four terminal sections called 'islands', each originally with a separate focus. Its total length is 382 meters.

Keith and Wayne at the pier overlooking Scheveningen Beach

We returned to Amsterdam then went to dinner at Hotel Jakartaar and went to the Cocktail Bar Marabar.  

Dinner with Michiel and Stefan at Hotel Jakartaar in Amsterdam

We had a wonderful time with them in this beautiful building on an island overlooking Amsterdam. The food was Indonesian cuisine, delicious and unique dishes. The Hotel takes you into the forests of Indonesia with high ceilings and large palms in the common area. The  design is like a 'flat iron' building.

Having a cocktail in the bar on the upper floor looking over Amsterdam

View from the Cocktail Bar Marabar at Hotel Jakartaar

On Saturday, 3 Nov we are up and out with all our things for Amsterdam Centraal to Schipfol Airport by 7:00. Michiel and Stefan were up to say goodbyes. We arrived at Centraal and took the  Inter-City train taking us to Schipfol. We checked our luggage and then went to the United Lounge (Aspire).  The flight was on time  for us to land in Washington Dulles.

Us at the Aspire Lounge at the airport.

We are so thankful for this trip and spending quality time with our dear friends, Michiel and Stefan hold a very special place in our hearts. We look forward to coming back to Europe to spend time with you and you joining us anywhere in the World to share our lives.