#cayman sea elements

[vacationventurer0]

Cayman Islands Surf: Riding the Rhythms of Azure Embrace

It is not just a sport; it is a communion with the elements, a symphony of wind, water, and the intrepid spirit of those who dare to ride the rhythmic waves of this tropical paradise.

Dance of Liquid Silk:

Picture the Cayman Islands Surf as a dance with liquid silk. As surfers glide upon the undulating waves, they become part of a ballet, where the ocean orchestrates movements that mirror the ebb and flow of life itself. Each wave is a partner, and the surfboard, an elegant brush, paints strokes of exhilaration against the canvas of the sea.

Whispers of Tradewinds:

In the gentle whispers of the tradewinds, surfers hear the secrets of the ocean. These breezes, like ancient storytellers, carry tales of distant shores and untold adventures. As riders navigate the waves, they become part of a narrative that unfolds with every gust, a dialogue between surfboard and wind that transcends spoken language.

Turquoise Euphoria:

The waters of the Cayman Islands are not just turquoise; they are a manifestation of euphoria. Surfing here is not merely a physical activity; it's an emotional experience, a baptism in the hues of joy that the Caribbean Sea generously bestows upon those who dare to dance upon its surface. It's an immersion into a liquid paradise.

Sunrise Serenades and Sunset Silhouettes:

Surfing in the Cayman Islands is a symphony conducted by the sun. With each dawn, surfers greet the day with sunrise serenades, riding waves kissed by the morning light. As the sun bids adieu, their silhouettes become part of a sunset sonnet, a visual poetry etched against the backdrop of a painted sky.

Oceanic Resilience:

Beyond the thrill of the ride, the Cayman Islands Surf is a testament to oceanic resilience. It's a dialogue between surfers and the sea, acknowledging the force of nature and respecting its ever-changing moods. This communion fosters a deep appreciation for the delicate balance between rider and wave, a connection that goes beyond the surface.

Spiritual Connection with the Sea:

Surfing in the Cayman Islands transcends the physical; it is a spiritual connection with the sea. Riders become conduits of energy, channeling the primal forces of the ocean through every movement. The surfboard becomes a vessel, and the waves, a sacred language spoken in the heart of this liquid sanctuary.

[cobaltcustomcharters-blog]

The Bio Bay is an absolute must-do for anyone visiting the Cayman Islands. This magical site is home to one of only a small number of locations in the world. Please visit to get more information about best cayman islands snorkeling tours.

[pastiche-comic]

History

by Margaret Willoughby-Penderghast

The volcanic islands that would become Indisclosednia were thought to have emerged from the sea approximately 6,400 years ago. Evidence suggests that the main island experienced a cataclysmic eruption during the mid-1500s. This was thought to have nearly sterilized the island, much like the famous 1883 eruption of Krakatoa in Indonesia.

The islands remained uninhabited well into the 20th Century. Surveyors have noted the archipelago’s presence but had made little note of it in records and was summarily ignored for decades. It would remain untouched by humans until the fateful arrival of the transoceanic liner Serenity of the Sea in September 1982.

The Wreck of the Serenity

Engine failure forced the ship’s crew to seek safe refuge in the harbor for repairs. The crew successfully sent a distress call and expected a full evacuation of the Serenity over the course of two weeks. These crewmembers would later establish landfall on the island to supplement their supplies with coconuts and fish gathered from the islands. Not long after, the ship’s administrators gave clearance for supervised groups of stir-crazy passengers to wander the main island.

Evacuating that many people proved a logistical nightmare, however. Delays and a shortage of outbound craft meant that not everybody could be recovered at once. Although the first rescue teams arrived on schedule, the evacuation efforts for the Serenity took more than two months to complete. Eventually, the ship ran out of fuel.

The stranded crew and passengers were greeted to a sight not unlike this one, in Woodland Bay National Park.

The Harbour Authority

The remaining passengers and crew fled to the encampment at the main island. They formed what observers described as a minuscule society resembling a rustic resort. Representatives noted crew members performing as though the cruise line had not been interrupted. Despite this, the crew and passengers of the Serenity were described as egalitarian; they were “all on the same boat.” The distinction between passenger and crew became less apparent as able members of each group did their share. Many of those rescued became well acquainted with one another.

No government had exclusive jurisdiction over the islands. Rescue coordinators worked with an administration formed from the passengers and crew of the ship. Organizers deferred to these community leaders as they would government entities. This group, later known as the Harbour Authority, also built a small waystation on the islands to accommodate the rescue efforts.

Several members of the Harbour Authority would stay behind and began constructing the first long-term habitable structures in the main island, supported by a returning force of developers. By the end of 1982, their waystation became permanent, with sufficient logistical infrastructure to maintain regular contact with the outside world.

The Developers Arrive

Throughout the evacuation, many of the wealthier passengers saw great economic potential in the islands. A novel idea came when they realized that no nation had exclusive economic claims to the archipelago. On February 1983, the first surveyor’s offices were built at what was then known as Respite Harbor. Within a month, developers staked a claim for a proposed guano mine to the east. Other businesses—including agribusiness, minig, tourism, petroleum, and fishing—soon followed.

These developers received no clearance from any government with a claim to the now-discovered islands, for their operations. Many of them had companies registered in tax havens like the Cayman Islands and Luxembourg. They did defer administrative duties to the Harbour Authority. In exchange, they provided supplies, paid fees, and followed Authority regulations.

The islands and their surrounding atolls were even given a name, “Indisclosedia,” derived from a corruption of “the undisclosed islands” the activities were all taking place in. The humor extended to the chief port, Respite Harbour. Popular myth holds that activities in “who knows where” led to the present name of the capital, Hoonoisweir, though pronunciation differences dispute this.

The Need for Governance

The Harbour Authority held great sway as the main policymaker of the islands. The administration provided clearances for all buildings, held policy meetings for all stakeholders, and provided a means of individual private transport to other countries. They were also sought for guidance to settle disputes. Surveyors understood that the Authority always had the final say. But it wasn’t a government, and these settlers knew this.

Conflicts began arising between the companies in the islands and between them and the Harbour Authority. Resort planners debated with mining prospectors and agribusiness representatives on land allocations. Heated discussions concerning security, environmental protections, and labour rights were also on the table.

Ideological backgrounds exacerbated tensions. Libertarian idealists and socialist utopians alike saw an opportunity in terra nullius to build their own experimental societies. These fringe groups found themselves arguing in the Authority’s meeting rooms. More established businesses demanded an accountable, inoffensive administration that could rein in anything they saw as unpleasant.

Fears of the islands becoming a criminal haven was omnipresent. All factions feared the coming of lawless elements, especially armed ones. If word got out of the islands’ existence, they argued, it would attract drug dealers, human traffickers, and other unsavoury elements that could eject them with a show of force. Many of those early settlers also found complete lawlessness unpalatable for their business and labour interests.

Plans to expand the port to accommodate the industries faced difficulty in procuring supplies; fees collected from the partners were insufficient. Meanwhile, foreign financiers were put off by the lack of a government.

Arbitration

By mid-1983, claimants from across the region made overtures to assimilate the islands and claim exclusive rights toward resource exploration. One of the eager takers was Australia. However, their claims did not go unopposed. Besides Vanuatu and Fiji, they found one other opponent in the form of the Harbour Authority. Its members suddenly found themselves on a fork in the road. They were the first people there; sentiment that they should hold sovereignty over their archipelago grew as pressure from outsiders increased.

The move to declare a new sovereign state was not without precedent. Micronations emerging from territorial loopholes were common in Australia. In 1972, neighboring Tonga had challenged an attempt to create a libertarian “republic” in the disputed Minerva Reefs. The last libertarian attempt to control the reefs were abandoned in 1982, a year before the Serenity was stranded.

On April 1984, cease and desist letters against all economic activities were sent by Australia. This led to a strong of legal conflicts between the claimants (Australia, Vanuatu, and Fiji) and the Harbour Authority. Non-claimants (France) and observers (including New Zealand and the United States) favoured the Harbour Authority. When the move to invalidate the Harbour Authority’s legitimacy due to statelessness was put forward late June 1984, the Authority’s members knew there was no turning back. They shot back with a unilateral declaration of independence on the 7th of July.

The new republic, Indisclosednia, was recognized on the outset by France, New Zealand, and the United States. By 1985, the claims against the new nation were no longer being pursued. The fledgling state, however, would not be universally recognized until 1994, the same year it was admitted to the United Nations.

Implications

Unlike its counterparts in the Minerva Reefs, the Harbour Authority did not adhere to the concept of economic libertarianism. In many ways, it functioned like a government. It recognized the existence of labour unions and included them in policymaking meetings. Authority regulations included building codes and rudimentary sanitation and environmental policies.

Several factors in play included pressure from resort developers who were eager to make investments in tourism, which were impeded by the legal status quo of the islands. It was these regulations that won over the backing of the tourism industry. The islands’ own perilous legal state brought the need to establish order and arbitrate conflicts between the surveyors through government legitimacy.

[cireba-cayman]

[superear]

Zoro theme one piece chrome

Teach would go on to be referred to as the " Worst Generation". He, the other ten Super Rookies, and Marshall D. Having had a bounty of 300,000,000 before he arrived at the Sabaody Archipelago, Luffy was one of eleven " Super Rookies", pirates who simultaneously reached the Red Line with bounties of over 100,000,000 shortly before the Summit War. After learning of this and his exploits against the Big Mom Pirates, the press has labeled him the "Fifth Emperor of the Sea", though many prominent figures consider this to be exaggerated. Luffy also has a penchant for attracting followers and has unwillingly been named the leader of the Straw Hat Grand Fleet, consisting of seven pirate crews who swore to come to his aid whenever he wishes.

Luffy's accomplishments and heritage have caused him to be labeled as a "Dangerous Future Element" while in the process gaining a reputation for being "reckless" and, in some cases, "insane", earning the wrath of Fleet Admiral Sakazuki, the Marine Headquarters, and even the World Government. He either defeated or befriended seven of the eleven known past or present Warlords prior to the organization's dissolution, and has invaded the territory of two Emperors. He invaded and indirectly caused the annihilation of Enies Lobby, escaped the impregnable Impel Down, and was a focal figure in the Summit War of Marineford.

Luffy has gone up against numerous global powers around him, starting with fighting the most powerful pirates in the East Blue and moving to clashes against the Marines, Seven Warlords of the Sea, Cipher Pol, World Nobles, and even the Four Emperors of the Grand Line, emerging victorious in a majority of these battles. He is one of the few people in the world who carries the Will of D. Ace and Revolutionary Chief-of-Staff Sabo, and the foster son of Curly Dadan. Garp, the sworn brother of the late "Fire Fist" Portgas D. Dragon, the grandson of the Marine hero Monkey D. Luffy is the son of the Revolutionary leader Monkey D. He met "Red-Haired" Shanks, who gave Luffy the very Straw Hat that has become Luffy's signature accessory, having gifted it to the boy as part of a promise for them to meet again someday. īorn in Foosha Village, Luffy accidentally ate the Gomu Gomu no Mi at age 7, which turned his body into rubber. He believes that being the Pirate King means having the most freedom in the world. His lifelong dream is to become the Pirate King by finding the legendary treasure left behind by the late Gol D. He is the founder and captain of the increasingly infamous and powerful Straw Hat Pirates, as well as one of its top fighters. Luffy, also known as " Straw Hat Luffy" and commonly as "Straw Hat", is the main protagonist of the manga and anime, One Piece. Excludes: Africa, Central America and Caribbean, Middle East, South America, American Samoa, Cook Islands, Fiji, French Polynesia, Guam, Kiribati, Marshall Islands, Micronesia, Nauru, New Caledonia, Niue, Palau, Papua New Guinea, Solomon Islands, Tonga, Tuvalu, Vanuatu, Wallis and Futuna, Western Samoa, Afghanistan, Armenia, Azerbaijan Republic, Bangladesh, Bhutan, Georgia, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Maldives, Mongolia, Nepal, Russian Federation, Tajikistan, Turkmenistan, Uzbekistan, Greenland, Saint Pierre and Miquelon, Albania, Andorra, Belarus, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Gibraltar, Iceland, Macedonia, Moldova, Montenegro, Svalbard and Jan Mayen, Anguilla, Barbados, Bermuda, Cambodia, Cayman Islands, Central African Republic, Côte d'Ivoire (Ivory Coast), Croatia, Republic of, Cuba, Republic of, Cyprus, Egypt, Falkland Islands (Islas Malvinas), Gabon Republic, Gambia, Ghana, Guernsey, Guinea-Bissau, Guyana, Iraq, Jamaica, Jersey, Jordan, Latvia, Libya, Lithuania, Malawi, Mayotte, Morocco, Nicaragua, Norway, Korea, North, Peru, Puerto Rico, San Marino, Senegal, Sierra Leone, Somalia, Swaziland, Tanzania, Tunisia, Uruguay, Virgin Islands (U.S.Paramecia For other uses, see Straw Hat Luffy (Disambiguation).

[magicoldcottage]

A quick guide to salt types

Table Salt

Source : Harvested from salt deposits found underground.

Character : Fine Grain

Additives : Anti-caking Agent, Iodine

Description : Cheap and easily available, standard taste

Kosher Salt

Source : Harvested  from underground salt deposits

Character : Coarse Grain

Additives : Normally nil

Description : Used to make meat Kosher (draws out the fluids)

Sea Salt

Source : Harvested from evaporated sea water. Key producers are the Cayman Islands, France, Ireland, Sicily, Apulia in Italy, Maine and Cape Cod in the US.

Character : A far more complex taste than table salt due to the additional minerals.

Contains : A mix of the minerals phosphorus, bromine, boron, zinc, iron, manganese, copper and silicon.

Description : Prized for its taste there a subtle variations depending on where the salt is harvested.

Himalayan Salt

Source : Dug out by hand from the Khewra Salt Mine in the Himalayan Mountains of Pakistan

Character : A strong bold taste and one of the most pure salts

Contains : It contains 84 natural minerals and elements found in the human body with an attractive a deep pink colour due to Iron Oxide (Yes that is rust)

Description : Prized for spa treatments and the kitchen. This is one of the most healthy salts available.

Black Himalayan Salt (Kala namak or Bire Noon)

Source : Standard Himalayan salt is placed in a furnace for 24 hours while sealed in a ceramic jar with charcoal along with small quantities of harad seeds, amla, bahera, babul bark, or natron. Once cooled it is aged prior to consumption.

Character : Due to the sulphur formed It smells like eggs (Some say rotten eggs)

Contains : hydrogen sulfide (the smells) and bisulfates (slight sour taste)

Description : The eggy flavour is becoming popular with Vegans who are looking to add an egg flavour to their cooking.

FLEUR DE SEL

Source : Harvested from tidal pools off the coast of France. The salt crystals are delicately drawn from the water’s surface using wooden rakes

Character : Known as the Caviar of salts the delicate taste that is second to none and used by most high end restaurants. It is a pretty salt that resembles snowflakes.

Contains : Contains trace amounts of calcium and magnesium chlorides

Description : This salt can only be used for sprinkling not cooking.

Red Hawaiian Salt (Alaea)

Source : Hawaiian island of Kauai. It is a mix of evaporated sea salt enriched with purified volcanic red alae clay.

Character : It has a rich earthy taste and a deep red colour

Contains : It contains over 80 natural occurring minerals including Iron Oxide.

Description : Tribes in Hawaii have used this mystical salt for generations. Sadly due to it popularity china are mass producing cheap versions which are passed off on the internet as the real thing.

Magic : Used in Hawaii for religious purification rituals, Tool Cleansing and healing practices.

Black Hawaiian Salt

Source : Harvested from evaporated seawater in shallow salt marshes on Hawaii’s Molokai Island and then blended with activated coconut-shell charcoal.

Character : The salt should be used raw sprinkled over food and not in cooking. Tastes like sea salt but the activated charcoal make it more health.

Description : The activated charcoal makes this salt a perfect addition to your beauty treatments as it clears unwanted oils from the skin.

Magic : Used by locals for generations to drive away evil and negative energy

Celtic Salt

Source : Harvested from the bottom of tidal ponds off the coast of France. Character : This salt is actually wet still giving it a slightly brine taste and pale gray colour. Contains : It contains 82 trace minerals needed by the human body for optimal health.

Description : Extracted from one area in brittiny only using a rake technique for over 2000 years it is one of the most expensive salts on the market.

[artisanmetalworkscayman]

How Aluminium Fencing Adds Durability and Value to Your Cayman Islands Home

Not only are aluminium gates and fences strong and visually appealing, but they are also remarkably durable, customisable and often a lot cheaper than other materials. Fencing on your Cayman Islands property doesn’t have to be industrial; it doesn’t have to look like it’s surrounding a high-security prison or military base or something that was thrown up around a construction site. Metal fencing, particularly aluminium fencing, can be the classiest looking and most cost-effective solution to securing your pets, family and property boundaries.  And if it’s made from aluminium, it’s going to look good, last a long time and add value to your property. Ornamental aluminium fencing does the same job as wrought iron or steel but cheaper – up to half the cost in some instances, especially if you intend to customise your project with extra features such as gates and decorative embellishments. Why do we see so many aluminium gates and fences in the Cayman Islands? Not only are they strong and appealing to the eye, but they are also remarkably durable. Anyone who spends any time here knows that the tropical sun and the salt spray from the sea, along with high humidity, can be extremely harsh on buildings, their trim, fittings and fencing and basically anything exposed to the elements for a prolonged period. Metal fabrication services in the Cayman Islands offer aluminium products in a range of quality grades and powder coatings when designing and making fencing, meaning your project is easily customized, making a unique visual statement while still maintaining a very high level of durability and strength. Not only does it provide a high level of good-looking security to your property, aluminium fencing is also lightweight, very strong and easier to install than other materials. It will continue to look good and perform well after many years of exposure to some of the harshest conditions. Click here to read more: https://caymanislandsinfo.medium.com/how-aluminium-fencing-adds-durability-and-value-to-your-cayman-islands-home-90317da38b0c

[ericvanwesenbeeck]

2019 on Two Wheels to Nowhere ~

As we approach the day when the calendar turns the final page on 2019, I have plenty of spare holiday time to mull over both the mundane commutes and epic adventures of the past twelve months of riding my two-wheelers. Fortunately, even the mundane commuting to and from work and around town stirs a little excitement in me each time before I depart. I’m not sure exactly what it is but for me there is a distinct element of exhilaration each time I hop on a bike. Funny how such a simple thing (think “it’s as easy as riding a bike!”) can repeatedly provide such a positive visceral feeling. I’m sure you all get what I am talking about here; we all have the same condition, to varying degrees. Somehow, it makes me feel like a kid again even though the DOB on my driver’s license and my aching joints tell me otherwise. For the first three months of the year, in between bushwhacking on my cross-country skis, I managed to get on a bike a few dozen times. These rides were a combination of occasional commuting https://www.strava.com/activities/2027332120, a few spirited RadRoom time trials on Thursday nights, a few stationary bike workouts at home and a few opportunistic spins https://www.strava.com/activities/2058240437 out on the open road when the stars aligned to provide clear tarmac in spite of the snow banks and sub-zero temps. Just enough cycling, combined with some classic XC skiing, to maintain basic fitness during the dead of Winter. Early April brought Chris and me to Grand Cayman for a week visiting family, soaking in the Caribbean Sea, reading on the beach and of course, riding! Thanks to Keith R who lent me a bike bag, allowing me to transport the Batmobile safely to the island. It was so awesome to have my own wheels in Cayman compared to renting in previous years. Grand Cayman is a small, flat island with generally good roads that lends itself beautifully to fast and furious solo riding https://www.strava.com/activities/2272462632. You can imagine how good it felt to put on a simple summer kit and ride through the balmy air followed by a dip in the warm sea after riding the previous 4-5 months wearing full winter gear! April also brought the unofficial start of the BCC Thursday Morning Sunrise rides https://www.strava.com/activities/2299047313. Led by Craig S, these rides became a weekly staple for me in 2019 as I learned to drag my sorry ass out of bed at 4:55a to join a solid group of riders for a pre-work spin. As Summer progressed, ridership grew and we even got in some Friday morning rides, as well! These early mornings also provided me with numerous opportunities to capture some stunning Sunrises and Moonsets! Icing on the cake. https://ericvanwesenbeeck.tumblr.com/post/185114832427/recently-getting-into-the-routine-of-early April closed out with an awesome BCC volunteer group cleaning up the roadsides around Shanty Bay on a snow Sunday; part of our club’s yearly civic duty! The fifth month of the year usually brings a trip to Asheville, North Carolina with a cadre of the usual suspects from around town but this year it was not happening for me, having just returned from a week in the Carribean. Although May started kind of cold and dreary, some awesome riding began as BCC started regular Tuesday night rides and weekends offered opportunities for some long rides onto the Niagara Escarpment https://www.strava.com/activities/2381124819 with good friends and strong riders. Regular evening cruises along the Barrie Waterfront always brings me to randomly meet people or to see interesting scenes of life on the lake. https://www.strava.com/activities/2394518921 The next month started with a bang with our annual Tour de Lake Simcoe https://www.strava.com/activities/2415506469 on June first. Not for lack of effort, I only managed to get one other person out on the road with me. Well, when that person is Joe F, you end up with a rocket ride around the lake that left me sucking Joe’s wheel for an hour before he pulled away seemingly effortlessly for the last 20 kilometres! It turned out to be the smallest Tour group ever but the fastest Lake Simcoe circumnavigation I have ever ridden, with a blistering pace finishing the 200 kilometer rip in well under six hours. As the daylight got longer and the weather finally started to warm up in June, my rides got longer and faster. We had some great BCC rides as younger riders returned from school and the Tuesday night A-rides began to feel like a Runaway Train https://www.strava.com/activities/2443067914. All these fast, longer rides led us perfectly to the Summer Solstice on which the Toronto-Niagara Falls-Toronto Hairshirt Ride https://www.strava.com/activities/2475551164 is always scheduled. This was my third T-N-T Hairshirt Ride and it was hands-down the fastest! For the first half of the ride, I got caught up in the lead group which was more like a pro peleton, or so I imagine, because we completed the first 160 km in four hours!! While I stopped to fill my empty bottles, this group rode on to clock the fastest Hairshirt elapsed time in its 41 year history, smashing the record by riding 320 kilometers in 8h32m! Rolling with these guys for half the ride helped me to finish with a solid PB: elapsed time of 10h34m in spite of a broken rear derailleur with 120 km to go! June ended with my first of many “Rip ‘n’ Dips” https://www.strava.com/activities/2492727403 in 2019, enjoying the refreshing Kempenfelt Bay waters after an excellent escape on my bike. https://ericvanwesenbeeck.tumblr.com/post/186829227637/beautiful-sunset-today-as-i-cooled-off-in-the-bay July was full of fabulous riding, often with the Barrie Cycling Club during the week and then out for adventures on the weekends with some really inspiring, like minded people. One of these weekends was the first annual Hairshirt North double century ride around Simcoe County https://www.strava.com/activities/2532969425, showcasing the beautiful waterfronts we enjoy all around us! Eleven people started out and six people finished the full 320 km route on a pretty much perfect Summer’s day. I was rather stoked to ride with such a strong group on this inaugural ride, which I hope to make an annual event. Mark your calendars for July 12, 2020! Looking back on August immediately brings to mind one very special ride: the Terrific Tarmac Team Time Trial! https://www.strava.com/activities/2610234053 This ride is arguably, the highlight of the season for me. Exhausting but exhilarating. Four very determined and capable riders - Jason M, Steve E, Joe F and I - met up early on Sunday morning with one goal in mind: completing a 100 kilometre route in two and a half hours. This goal would require some serious suffering and some tactical teamwork. Sunny skies and very little wind definitely helped! We didn’t quite reach our goal but we came damn close at 2h33m, leaving us all the more determined to go for it again in 2020. This last month of Summer also provided some wonderful rides with family. Brothers Benjamin and Peter were in town and we got in some nice tours; I also managed some terrific tandem rides with my Mom. At eighty-four, she has trouble riding solo now as her strength and balance diminish however, her desire to be active outdoors is so strong and riding on the back with me she is able to pedal for quite a while! We enjoyed some memorable tours together around Barrie and the Bay on my now classic Motobecane bicycle built for two. https://www.strava.com/activities/2651817254 September and October made for some solid solo riding as several of my fellow riders headed to the south of France to ride in the mountains. I like solo riding a lot, so this was a chance to do my thing and keep fit for the Tour de T1D https://www.strava.com/activities/2750522352 organized by BCC’s very own Richard G and his wife, Darlene. This was a beautiful and challenging 100k route through the hills of Oro-Medonte raising over $47k for the Youth Diabetic Clinic at RVH, a worthy local cause! https://www.facebook.com/tourdet1d/ It was a really fun event with many friends from BCC participating. I plan to be there again on September 27, 2020! November and early December saw some spectacular Saturday morning group runs with a small gang of BCC friends looking to stay active as the cycling season wound down. We enjoyed early morning meet ups at the Spirit Catcher followed by easy runs around Barrie’s Waterfront paths https://www.strava.com/activities/2885344747. Unfortunately, as I headed into December my knees started chirpin’ at me as old injuries were aggravated by the pounding of the longer runs I was doing. So, I backed off and enjoyed the daily walking as I commuted back and forth to my work and let my knees settle down a little. In early December, I prepped and waxed my classic cross country skis but with a very hectic pace at work and at home, I haven’t yet used them! In the meantime, a mild Christmas holiday week has allowed me one last run of Winter riding before the year is out. https://www.strava.com/activities/2963626488 As usual, cycling was a big part of my daily work and leisure again in 2019. These activities inevitably bring me to meet new people on the road - Max R, Tyler D, Craig L, Todd R, Les - and several new BCC members. The cycling community I find myself in also has some very inspiring individuals! Max R and Larry O, whom I have ridden with in the TNT Hairshirt rides, were both inspiring in their completion of the world renowned Paris-Brest-Paris 1200 kilometer epic tour! Avery G inspires me as a young man building a career in cycling that I only dreamed of at his age - as a bicycle mechanic for touring teams and as an incredible rider in his own right, on the trails as well as on the road. Joe F and Todd R who completed their first Hairshirt rides in stellar form. Jenn J who seems to effortlessly pick up a new sport and within a season is competing at a top national level in it! Trevor O who races with the best in North America, especially inspiring in his crit performances. Eric J and Tyler M who inspired me to reconsider my days-of-old penchant for bike-packing with their three day epic road tour https://lostconglomerate.com/pages/joe-ride through Ontario cottage country. Mark L who “vEverested” https://www.strava.com/activities/2074501841 on a 12h43m epic virtual adventure that had him climb over 8900 metres in a single ride! I am also inspired by the new riders this season who stepped out of their comfort zone and into the world of cycling, which can be intimidating at first but opens up so many new experiences and relationships. With retirement now on my radar, I am inspired by recently retired Carol and Tony who are seizing life by the ball bearings and living their cycling dreams. And so, as we breakaway from 2019, I want to thank you all for your shared passion for cycling. Whether it’s commuting, recreation, racing, endurance, adventure, gravel, trails, roads or cruising, we all have this one simple thing in common. I am grateful for covering so many miles uninjured and in good health in 2019. I am grateful for the fun and fitness, competition and companionship that cycling with you all has brought me over these past twelve months. I hope to see each of you at some point in 2020 on two wheels to nowhere. https://ericvanwesenbeeck.tumblr.com/

[marcokovacs]

Seaweeds species, colours and sizes selection. Choice based in difference of shape and colour, as some species look very similar.

Colourful species of fish. Jellyfish as part of the environment Crab species to study the city shape. Jellyfish are icons of deep sea and fit in fantasy worlds with their glowing lights. The interesting about corals is how they are structured, with a rocky base that blends in the ground, with sand and usually colourful fish look for the same colour in corals to blend and hide in order to survive.

Gathering information about the sea fauna and flora, with a visit to the london Sea Life Aquarium and some research about the species of seaweeds and corals. The idea is to reproduce real species in stylized design and not necessary create new species of seaweeds. the study of the colours, shapes and texture of these elements will help me with my project development.

References

Q.U.I, (2018), Coral Reef [ONLINE]. Available at: https://unsplash.com/search/photos/coral-reef [Accessed 23 April 2019].

Eric Holthaus, (2018), CORAL REQUIEM [ONLINE]. Available at: https://grist.org/article/heartbroken-scientists-lament-the-likely-loss-of-most-of-the-worlds-coral-reefs/ [Accessed 23 April 2019].

From Press, (2018), Colourful Coral Reef [ONLINE]. Available at: https://pressfrom.info/uk/news/world/us-news/-311780-sea-cucumbers-bloat-themselves-to-zoom-around-the-ocean.html [Accessed 23 April 2019].

Julie M. Rodriguez, (2018), Coral Reef [ONLINE]. Available at: https://inhabitat.com/microsoft-co-founder-destroys-protected-cayman-islands-reef/ [Accessed 23 April 2019].

ptes.org, (2018), Common Seaweeds [ONLINE]. Available at: https://ptes.org/shop/wildlife-guides/common-seaweeds/ [Accessed 23 April 2019].

ScandPosters, (2018), Seaweed Poster [ONLINE]. Available at: https://scandposters.com/shop/seaweed-poster-10539p.html [Accessed 23 April 2019].

Aquarium Connection, (2019), polishprinces [ONLINE]. Available at: https://www.aquariumconnection.com/getArticle.php?ArtID=873 [Accessed 23 April 2019].

Wallpapers13, (2019), Entacmaea Quadricolor [ONLINE]. Available at: http://www.wallpapers13.com/entacmaea-quadricolor-commonly-called-bubble-tip-anemone-among-other-people-names-is-a-species-of-sea-anemone-family-actiniidae/ [Accessed 23 April 2019].

[michaeljtraylor]

Learning when to let go of free

One of the hardest lessons to learn in travel hacking is knowing when to let go of a trip, particularly when it is ‘free’.

Recently, we took another gamble on Vegas.  For new readers (or those who didn’t keep up with this) when we ‘Vegas’ we don’t gamble in the same way that others do.  To the casual observer, gambling means taking some money, putting it in a slot machine or table game, and hoping for the best (regardless of card counting ability).

We approach the gamble very differently.  My upside is not connected to winning or losing money, but whether the event of gambling triggers enough Comp to come out ahead of either financial result.  If I lose $5000 but ‘win’ $50K in comp, I’ll take it.   For those who MS, compare this to the guarantee of paying ~$7 to buy and liquidate a gift card that earns you $25 vs paying ~$0 to Kiva but knowing that there will be an element of randomness to the fee you pay.

Our latest gamble didn’t pay off.  We were offered a free cruise on RCCL, but could get no further details.  It could be a 7 night on the biggest, sparkliest ship in a suite (spoiler alert, it wasn’t), or 2 nights cruise to nowhere on their oldest tug boat. We wouldn’t know until we went to the booth to pick up the certificate.  We rolled the dice.

Controlling the narrative

We stacked the odds in our favor by controlling the narrative of the trip. Rather than it being about going to Vegas to pick up the Certificate, it was about a nice vacation that incidentally involved us walking past this booth, and maybe hitting the Jackpot.  We used points for flights (outbound in First Class because we wanted to control the flow of the vacation) the room was comped, and we had several hundred in free money from MGM and Caesars to spend on food.

In the end, because we focused on spending the free money wisely, and willingly spent real money outside of those chains to experience things that mattered, the trip turned out really well. This offset the loss on the certificate.

Close, but no cigar

Our offer from MGM for RCCL

We came close to picking a 4 or 5 night cruise that visited Cuba, as we haven’t been before. I even took the step of seeing if we could work around RCCL’s Partial Cruise rules that specifically cite Nassau as a hotspot port for cabotage:

If a passenger (as listed on a vessel passenger manifest) embarks in a U.S. port and the vessel calls in a nearby foreign port (such as Ensenada, Grand Cayman and Nassau) and then returns to the U.S., the person must disembark in the same U.S. port. A passenger who embarks and disembarks in two different U.S. ports (such as Los Angeles and San Diego) would result in the carrier (not the violator) being fined. The vessel must call in a distant foreign port before the U.S. embarkation and disembarkation ports can differ. The nearest distant foreign ports are in or off the coast of South America. If either the passenger’s embarkation port or disembarkation port is in a foreign country, then the provisions of this cabotage law do not apply. Nor do they apply in Puerto Rico and the U.S. Virgin Islands.

The plan for this was to find an itinerary that touched base in Cuba first, to clear Cabotage, then disembark in Nassau to stay at Atlantis (also for free) before flying NAS>JFK non stop. It would be a good example of how we splice together travel these days:

JFK>FLL on ‘whoever is the cheapest in pts’

Feb 16th: Would need 1 night hotel pre cruise (to keep stress low)

Feb 17th embark 4 Night cruise, but exit in Nassau

Several nights at Atlantis, and home to JFK 

(the cabotage issue would be that ‘short hops’ outside of the US require you to re-enter the US at the same point you departed, so a nonstop to JFK from NAS might be an issue.. Cuba might address that, but Cuba also isn’t the best Country to be leaning on to help clear up US immigration concerns… oh, and incidentally I’m currently exploring Naturalization, so that would be a factor).

Letting go of free

It was almost a great trip. The cruise fare for two would be taxes and fees only, so around $230, but once you add in the 3rd guest, and the onboard gratuities, we would be around $800-900.  Also, the ship wasn’t that sparkly.  I might pay $800-900 to experience the Oasis Class, but for the older ships, I didn’t think it great value.  

I understand that to someone else, it would be great value, but the final piece for us was that we really want to see Cuba, so the alternative option of flying nonstop JFK>HAV and spending a few nights in Cuba seemed a lot more immersive. There was a lot of fluff and waste with the cruise, so despite it being a deal compared to paying full rate, it wasn’t a deal to us.

The decision increasingly includes the following:

If we’re going to a destination to see it, does the ‘free’ trip cover the bases, or is it only somewhat OK? Traveling even to somewhere close like Havana takes a fair amount of time (driving to/from airports+flights+whatnot) so it is important to us to visually walk through how the vacation would feel. Perhaps it would feel fine on a cruise in some cases, but in others, and when the price is already perhaps more than immersion, the ‘free’ option doesn’t fit.

Factors on why our thinking may differ from yours:

Demand/Load – we have other options.  The cruise gig is now totally out of hand where we could book at least 8 cruises in the next 6 months to basically anywhere in the world.  While it is hard to do, especially with a new line like RCCL, something has to give else we will just be on vacation permanently.  If we had no other cruise options, I think we’d likely go for this one, but at some point, we had to say no.

So.. we didn’t hit the jackpot in Vegas this time around, but we learned to say no to free. When doing so, we also agreed that we could risk losing Atlantis too, as it wasn’t a good time to travel right now.  The next challenge for us is whether we can say no to the gamble. IE, if we are offered a similarly obscure ‘free cruise’ if we go to Vegas, will we decline unless they give us the details, or will we roll the dice again?  

Here’s some posts on what I’ve been doing on the gambling stuff, so you don’t have to search for it.  For those following, our offers are now down to 3 nights in a room vs suite, and $50 in F&B, and I am now getting marketing from Circus Circus vs Aria Skysuites.  Our trip to Vegas to pick up this Voucher is written up here: Storytelling through food. We spend $0 ‘gambling’ because actual casino gambling, no matter how savvy you think you are, is throwing away money. 

mLife Gold Complimentary Cruises

mLife Math & the bet, the ROI, and the next step

Introduction to Manufactured Spend: at Sea Edition

Aria Sky Suites, a Bromance made in heaven

The post Learning when to let go of free appeared first on Saverocity Travel.

* This article was originally published here

from RSSMix.com Mix ID 8312273 https://proshoppingservice.com/learning-when-to-let-go-of-free/ from Garko Media https://garkomedia1.tumblr.com/post/183722193639

[garkodigitalmedia]

Learning when to let go of free

One of the hardest lessons to learn in travel hacking is knowing when to let go of a trip, particularly when it is ‘free’.

Recently, we took another gamble on Vegas.  For new readers (or those who didn’t keep up with this) when we ‘Vegas’ we don’t gamble in the same way that others do.  To the casual observer, gambling means taking some money, putting it in a slot machine or table game, and hoping for the best (regardless of card counting ability).

We approach the gamble very differently.  My upside is not connected to winning or losing money, but whether the event of gambling triggers enough Comp to come out ahead of either financial result.  If I lose $5000 but ‘win’ $50K in comp, I’ll take it.   For those who MS, compare this to the guarantee of paying ~$7 to buy and liquidate a gift card that earns you $25 vs paying ~$0 to Kiva but knowing that there will be an element of randomness to the fee you pay.

Our latest gamble didn’t pay off.  We were offered a free cruise on RCCL, but could get no further details.  It could be a 7 night on the biggest, sparkliest ship in a suite (spoiler alert, it wasn’t), or 2 nights cruise to nowhere on their oldest tug boat. We wouldn’t know until we went to the booth to pick up the certificate.  We rolled the dice.

Controlling the narrative

We stacked the odds in our favor by controlling the narrative of the trip. Rather than it being about going to Vegas to pick up the Certificate, it was about a nice vacation that incidentally involved us walking past this booth, and maybe hitting the Jackpot.  We used points for flights (outbound in First Class because we wanted to control the flow of the vacation) the room was comped, and we had several hundred in free money from MGM and Caesars to spend on food.

In the end, because we focused on spending the free money wisely, and willingly spent real money outside of those chains to experience things that mattered, the trip turned out really well. This offset the loss on the certificate.

Close, but no cigar

Our offer from MGM for RCCL

We came close to picking a 4 or 5 night cruise that visited Cuba, as we haven’t been before. I even took the step of seeing if we could work around RCCL’s Partial Cruise rules that specifically cite Nassau as a hotspot port for cabotage:

If a passenger (as listed on a vessel passenger manifest) embarks in a U.S. port and the vessel calls in a nearby foreign port (such as Ensenada, Grand Cayman and Nassau) and then returns to the U.S., the person must disembark in the same U.S. port. A passenger who embarks and disembarks in two different U.S. ports (such as Los Angeles and San Diego) would result in the carrier (not the violator) being fined. The vessel must call in a distant foreign port before the U.S. embarkation and disembarkation ports can differ. The nearest distant foreign ports are in or off the coast of South America. If either the passenger’s embarkation port or disembarkation port is in a foreign country, then the provisions of this cabotage law do not apply. Nor do they apply in Puerto Rico and the U.S. Virgin Islands.

The plan for this was to find an itinerary that touched base in Cuba first, to clear Cabotage, then disembark in Nassau to stay at Atlantis (also for free) before flying NAS>JFK non stop. It would be a good example of how we splice together travel these days:

JFK>FLL on ‘whoever is the cheapest in pts’

Feb 16th: Would need 1 night hotel pre cruise (to keep stress low)

Feb 17th embark 4 Night cruise, but exit in Nassau

Several nights at Atlantis, and home to JFK 

(the cabotage issue would be that ‘short hops’ outside of the US require you to re-enter the US at the same point you departed, so a nonstop to JFK from NAS might be an issue.. Cuba might address that, but Cuba also isn’t the best Country to be leaning on to help clear up US immigration concerns… oh, and incidentally I’m currently exploring Naturalization, so that would be a factor).

Letting go of free

It was almost a great trip. The cruise fare for two would be taxes and fees only, so around $230, but once you add in the 3rd guest, and the onboard gratuities, we would be around $800-900.  Also, the ship wasn’t that sparkly.  I might pay $800-900 to experience the Oasis Class, but for the older ships, I didn’t think it great value.  

I understand that to someone else, it would be great value, but the final piece for us was that we really want to see Cuba, so the alternative option of flying nonstop JFK>HAV and spending a few nights in Cuba seemed a lot more immersive. There was a lot of fluff and waste with the cruise, so despite it being a deal compared to paying full rate, it wasn’t a deal to us.

The decision increasingly includes the following:

If we’re going to a destination to see it, does the ‘free’ trip cover the bases, or is it only somewhat OK? Traveling even to somewhere close like Havana takes a fair amount of time (driving to/from airports+flights+whatnot) so it is important to us to visually walk through how the vacation would feel. Perhaps it would feel fine on a cruise in some cases, but in others, and when the price is already perhaps more than immersion, the ‘free’ option doesn’t fit.

Factors on why our thinking may differ from yours:

Demand/Load – we have other options.  The cruise gig is now totally out of hand where we could book at least 8 cruises in the next 6 months to basically anywhere in the world.  While it is hard to do, especially with a new line like RCCL, something has to give else we will just be on vacation permanently.  If we had no other cruise options, I think we’d likely go for this one, but at some point, we had to say no.

So.. we didn’t hit the jackpot in Vegas this time around, but we learned to say no to free. When doing so, we also agreed that we could risk losing Atlantis too, as it wasn’t a good time to travel right now.  The next challenge for us is whether we can say no to the gamble. IE, if we are offered a similarly obscure ‘free cruise’ if we go to Vegas, will we decline unless they give us the details, or will we roll the dice again?  

Here’s some posts on what I’ve been doing on the gambling stuff, so you don’t have to search for it.  For those following, our offers are now down to 3 nights in a room vs suite, and $50 in F&B, and I am now getting marketing from Circus Circus vs Aria Skysuites.  Our trip to Vegas to pick up this Voucher is written up here: Storytelling through food. We spend $0 ‘gambling’ because actual casino gambling, no matter how savvy you think you are, is throwing away money. 

mLife Gold Complimentary Cruises

mLife Math & the bet, the ROI, and the next step

Introduction to Manufactured Spend: at Sea Edition

Aria Sky Suites, a Bromance made in heaven

The post Learning when to let go of free appeared first on Saverocity Travel.

* This article was originally published here

from RSSMix.com Mix ID 8312273 https://proshoppingservice.com/learning-when-to-let-go-of-free/

[garkomedia1]

Learning when to let go of free

One of the hardest lessons to learn in travel hacking is knowing when to let go of a trip, particularly when it is ‘free’.

Recently, we took another gamble on Vegas.  For new readers (or those who didn’t keep up with this) when we ‘Vegas’ we don’t gamble in the same way that others do.  To the casual observer, gambling means taking some money, putting it in a slot machine or table game, and hoping for the best (regardless of card counting ability).

We approach the gamble very differently.  My upside is not connected to winning or losing money, but whether the event of gambling triggers enough Comp to come out ahead of either financial result.  If I lose $5000 but ‘win’ $50K in comp, I’ll take it.   For those who MS, compare this to the guarantee of paying ~$7 to buy and liquidate a gift card that earns you $25 vs paying ~$0 to Kiva but knowing that there will be an element of randomness to the fee you pay.

Our latest gamble didn’t pay off.  We were offered a free cruise on RCCL, but could get no further details.  It could be a 7 night on the biggest, sparkliest ship in a suite (spoiler alert, it wasn’t), or 2 nights cruise to nowhere on their oldest tug boat. We wouldn’t know until we went to the booth to pick up the certificate.  We rolled the dice.

Controlling the narrative

We stacked the odds in our favor by controlling the narrative of the trip. Rather than it being about going to Vegas to pick up the Certificate, it was about a nice vacation that incidentally involved us walking past this booth, and maybe hitting the Jackpot.  We used points for flights (outbound in First Class because we wanted to control the flow of the vacation) the room was comped, and we had several hundred in free money from MGM and Caesars to spend on food.

In the end, because we focused on spending the free money wisely, and willingly spent real money outside of those chains to experience things that mattered, the trip turned out really well. This offset the loss on the certificate.

Close, but no cigar

Our offer from MGM for RCCL

We came close to picking a 4 or 5 night cruise that visited Cuba, as we haven’t been before. I even took the step of seeing if we could work around RCCL’s Partial Cruise rules that specifically cite Nassau as a hotspot port for cabotage:

If a passenger (as listed on a vessel passenger manifest) embarks in a U.S. port and the vessel calls in a nearby foreign port (such as Ensenada, Grand Cayman and Nassau) and then returns to the U.S., the person must disembark in the same U.S. port. A passenger who embarks and disembarks in two different U.S. ports (such as Los Angeles and San Diego) would result in the carrier (not the violator) being fined. The vessel must call in a distant foreign port before the U.S. embarkation and disembarkation ports can differ. The nearest distant foreign ports are in or off the coast of South America. If either the passenger’s embarkation port or disembarkation port is in a foreign country, then the provisions of this cabotage law do not apply. Nor do they apply in Puerto Rico and the U.S. Virgin Islands.

The plan for this was to find an itinerary that touched base in Cuba first, to clear Cabotage, then disembark in Nassau to stay at Atlantis (also for free) before flying NAS>JFK non stop. It would be a good example of how we splice together travel these days:

JFK>FLL on ‘whoever is the cheapest in pts’

Feb 16th: Would need 1 night hotel pre cruise (to keep stress low)

Feb 17th embark 4 Night cruise, but exit in Nassau

Several nights at Atlantis, and home to JFK 

(the cabotage issue would be that ‘short hops’ outside of the US require you to re-enter the US at the same point you departed, so a nonstop to JFK from NAS might be an issue.. Cuba might address that, but Cuba also isn’t the best Country to be leaning on to help clear up US immigration concerns… oh, and incidentally I’m currently exploring Naturalization, so that would be a factor).

Letting go of free

It was almost a great trip. The cruise fare for two would be taxes and fees only, so around $230, but once you add in the 3rd guest, and the onboard gratuities, we would be around $800-900.  Also, the ship wasn’t that sparkly.  I might pay $800-900 to experience the Oasis Class, but for the older ships, I didn’t think it great value.  

I understand that to someone else, it would be great value, but the final piece for us was that we really want to see Cuba, so the alternative option of flying nonstop JFK>HAV and spending a few nights in Cuba seemed a lot more immersive. There was a lot of fluff and waste with the cruise, so despite it being a deal compared to paying full rate, it wasn’t a deal to us.

The decision increasingly includes the following:

If we’re going to a destination to see it, does the ‘free’ trip cover the bases, or is it only somewhat OK? Traveling even to somewhere close like Havana takes a fair amount of time (driving to/from airports+flights+whatnot) so it is important to us to visually walk through how the vacation would feel. Perhaps it would feel fine on a cruise in some cases, but in others, and when the price is already perhaps more than immersion, the ‘free’ option doesn’t fit.

Factors on why our thinking may differ from yours:

Demand/Load – we have other options.  The cruise gig is now totally out of hand where we could book at least 8 cruises in the next 6 months to basically anywhere in the world.  While it is hard to do, especially with a new line like RCCL, something has to give else we will just be on vacation permanently.  If we had no other cruise options, I think we’d likely go for this one, but at some point, we had to say no.

So.. we didn’t hit the jackpot in Vegas this time around, but we learned to say no to free. When doing so, we also agreed that we could risk losing Atlantis too, as it wasn’t a good time to travel right now.  The next challenge for us is whether we can say no to the gamble. IE, if we are offered a similarly obscure ‘free cruise’ if we go to Vegas, will we decline unless they give us the details, or will we roll the dice again?  

Here’s some posts on what I’ve been doing on the gambling stuff, so you don’t have to search for it.  For those following, our offers are now down to 3 nights in a room vs suite, and $50 in F&B, and I am now getting marketing from Circus Circus vs Aria Skysuites.  Our trip to Vegas to pick up this Voucher is written up here: Storytelling through food. We spend $0 ‘gambling’ because actual casino gambling, no matter how savvy you think you are, is throwing away money. 

mLife Gold Complimentary Cruises

mLife Math & the bet, the ROI, and the next step

Introduction to Manufactured Spend: at Sea Edition

Aria Sky Suites, a Bromance made in heaven

The post Learning when to let go of free appeared first on Saverocity Travel.

* This article was originally published here

from RSSMix.com Mix ID 8312273 https://proshoppingservice.com/learning-when-to-let-go-of-free/

[nicholerestrada]

Learning when to let go of free

One of the hardest lessons to learn in travel hacking is knowing when to let go of a trip, particularly when it is ‘free’.

Recently, we took another gamble on Vegas. ; For new readers (or those who didn’t keep up with this) when we ‘Vegas’ we don’t gamble in the same way that others do. ; To the casual observer, gambling means taking some money, putting it in a slot machine or table game, and hoping for the best (regardless of card counting ability).

We approach the gamble very differently. ; My upside is not connected to winning or losing money, but whether the event of gambling triggers enough Comp to come out ahead of either financial result. ; If I lose $5000 but ‘win’ $50K in comp, I’ll take it. ; ;For those who MS, compare this to the guarantee of paying ~$7 to buy and liquidate a gift card that earns you $25 vs paying ~$0 to Kiva but knowing that there will be an element of randomness to the fee you pay.

Our latest gamble didn’t pay off. ; We were offered a free cruise on RCCL, but could get no further details. ; It could be a 7 night on the biggest, sparkliest ship in a suite (spoiler alert, it wasn’t), or 2 nights cruise to nowhere on their oldest tug boat. We wouldn’t know until we went to the booth to pick up the certificate. ; We rolled the dice.

Controlling the narrative

We stacked the odds in our favor by controlling the narrative of the trip. Rather than it being about going to Vegas to pick up the Certificate, it was about a nice vacation that incidentally involved us walking past this booth, and maybe hitting the Jackpot. ; We used points for flights (outbound in First Class because we wanted to control the flow of the vacation) the room was comped, and we had several hundred in free money from MGM and Caesars to spend on food.

In the end, because we focused on spending the free money wisely, and willingly spent real money outside of those chains to experience things that mattered, the trip turned out really well. This offset the loss on the certificate.

Close, but no cigar

Our offer from MGM for RCCL

We came close to picking a 4 or 5 night cruise that visited Cuba, as we haven’t been before. I even took the step of seeing if we could work around RCCL’s Partial Cruise rules that specifically cite Nassau as a hotspot port for cabotage:

If a passenger (as listed on a vessel passenger manifest) embarks in a U.S. port and the vessel calls in a nearby foreign port (such as Ensenada, Grand Cayman and Nassau) and then returns to the U.S., the person must disembark in the same U.S. port. A passenger who embarks and disembarks in two different U.S. ports (such as Los Angeles and San Diego) would result in the carrier (not the violator) being fined. The vessel must call in a distant foreign port before the U.S. embarkation and disembarkation ports can differ. The nearest distant foreign ports are in or off the coast of South America. If either the passenger’s embarkation port or disembarkation port is in a foreign country, then the provisions of this cabotage law do not apply. Nor do they apply in Puerto Rico and the U.S. Virgin Islands.

The plan for this was to find an itinerary that touched base in Cuba first, to clear Cabotage, then disembark in Nassau to stay at Atlantis (also for free) before flying NAS>JFK non stop. It would be a good example of how we splice together travel these days:

JFK>FLL on ‘whoever is the cheapest in pts’

Feb 16th: Would need 1 night hotel pre cruise (to keep stress low)

Feb 17th embark 4 Night cruise, but exit in Nassau

Several nights at Atlantis, and home to JFK ;

(the cabotage issue would be that ‘short hops’ outside of the US require you to re-enter the US at the same point you departed, so a nonstop to JFK from NAS might be an issue.. Cuba might address that, but Cuba also isn’t the best Country to be leaning on to help clear up US immigration concerns… oh, and incidentally I’m currently exploring Naturalization, so that would be a factor).

Letting go of free

It was almost a great trip. The cruise fare for two would be taxes and fees only, so around $230, but once you add in the 3rd guest, and the onboard gratuities, we would be around $800-900. ; Also, the ship wasn’t that sparkly. ; I might pay $800-900 to experience the Oasis Class, but for the older ships, I didn’t think it great value. ; ;

I understand that to someone else, it would be great value, but the final piece for us was that we really want to see Cuba, so the alternative option of flying nonstop JFK>HAV and spending a few nights in Cuba seemed a lot more immersive. There was a lot of fluff and waste with the cruise, so despite it being a deal compared to paying full rate, it wasn’t a deal to us.

The decision increasingly includes the following:

If we’re going to a destination to see it, does the ‘free’ trip cover the bases, or is it only somewhat OK? Traveling even to somewhere close like Havana takes a fair amount of time (driving to/from airports+flights+whatnot) so it is important to us to visually walk through how the vacation would feel. Perhaps it would feel fine on a cruise in some cases, but in others, and when the price is already perhaps more than immersion, the ‘free’ option doesn’t fit.

Factors on why our thinking may differ from yours:

Demand/Load – we have other options. ; The cruise gig is now totally out of hand where we could book at least 8 cruises in the next 6 months to basically anywhere in the world. ; While it is hard to do, especially with a new line like RCCL, something has to give else we will just be on vacation permanently. ; If we had no other cruise options, I think we’d likely go for this one, but at some point, we had to say no.

So.. we didn’t hit the jackpot in Vegas this time around, but we learned to say no to free. When doing so, we also agreed that we could risk losing Atlantis too, as it wasn’t a good time to travel right now. ; The next challenge for us is whether we can say no to the gamble. IE, if we are offered a similarly obscure ‘free cruise’ if we go to Vegas, will we decline unless they give us the details, or will we roll the dice again? ; ;

Here’s some posts on what I’ve been doing on the gambling stuff, so you don’t have to search for it. ; For those following, our offers are now down to 3 nights in a room vs suite, and $50 in F&B, and I am now getting marketing from Circus Circus vs Aria Skysuites. ; Our trip to Vegas to pick up this Voucher is written up here: Storytelling through food. We spend $0 ‘gambling’ because actual casino gambling, no matter how savvy you think you are, is throwing away money. ;

mLife Gold Complimentary Cruises

mLife Math & the bet, the ROI, and the next step

Introduction to Manufactured Spend: at Sea Edition

Aria Sky Suites, a Bromance made in heaven

The post Learning when to let go of free appeared first on Saverocity Travel.

* This article was originally published here

Source: https://proshoppingservice.com/learning-when-to-let-go-of-free/

from Garko Media https://garkomedia1.wordpress.com/2019/03/26/learning-when-to-let-go-of-free/

[geracaoalpha]

Oceanic Interview: Claire Milner

Please check out this interview our partners at Oceanic Global conducted with artist Claire Milner.  

Claire Milner, Ocean Rainforest

Claire Milner creates art for environmentalists, conservation organizations, celebrities, large corporations and advertising agencies. Her works have been displayed in institutional and museum exhibitions and are held in private collections around the world, including the crystal portrait of Marilyn Monroe commissioned for Rihanna. Her paintings have been featured by The BBC, BLOUIN ARTINFO, Channel News Asia, Elle, Forbes, HuffPost Arts, The Telegraph, The Times, Vogue. They have been described as “metaphors of our time” in examining the effects of humans on the environment and other species. The main body of her work focuses on threats to the natural world. Miller created artwork “Ocean Rainforest” for Oceanic Global’s Artivism Challenge, in partnership with Alpha’a Inc

What’s your background as an artist, and how would you describe your style?

I have a degree in graphic design and typography, have worked as an illustrator, studied ancient mosaic techniques and eventually combined all of these skills into my own style as an artist. I work in themed collections with art historical references that simultaneously focus on topical issues relating to the environment, our place within it and encroachment upon it. The effects of humanity are implicit within my paintings, even when the human figure is absent or takes a secondary precedence.

Can you tell us a little bit about your work? How did you come up with the concept and how did you bring it to life?

My process involves traditional painting techniques and rigorous mosaic methodologies. It has evolved organically from early illustrations in paper collage, to mosaic, and more recently to paintings incorporating crystal mosaics. In a series of thematic and technical juxtapositions, the work utilizes construction and deconstruction to demonstrate appearance and disappearance. Creatures created from thousands of individual elements represent the last of their species and precious crystal mosaics are undercut by painted backgrounds as a metaphor for abundance and loss. The works confront minute detail and the big picture simultaneously, contrasting the profound and the superficial to accentuate the human capacity for greatness and great harm.

What ignited your mission to raise awareness through your art? Is there a particular moment or realization that inspired you to focus on the relationship between civilization and the natural world?

The subjects I pursue, relate to the personal values I have held all my life, yet now they are universal and reaching a critical tipping point for everyone. Climate change, ocean pollution, environmental degradation, habitat loss and the rapid rate of extinction are all issues that could have devastating implications and also represent some of the largest challenges we face. Art doesn’t exist in a vacuum; artists throughout history have interpreted the critical issues of their time. The international language of art is a means of reaching a wide audience with accessible yet critical messages. I value my many wonderful clients and commissions that enable me to use the privilege of being an artist and the power of art to raise awareness of the significant issues facing our planet, as, without urgent action on these momentous issues, we may not have the luxury to concern ourselves with others.

What’s one of your favorite experiences of your career as an artist and ocean advocate?

Oceans cover the majority of our planet, but little is known about their depths. The life forms surviving in these hostile environments are thought by some to be the beginnings of life on earth. During the International Year of Planet Earth in 2008 designated by IUGS and UNESCO, I conducted extensive research and created a semi-abstract mosaic now owned by BBC broadcaster and Earth Scientist Dr. Iain Stewart. This artwork represents volcanic mid-ocean ridges or hydrothermal vents and life in the ocean depths and the materials used to exemplify those found around ocean vents, such as silver and gold, with text giving factual information and statistics. I was later thrilled to learn that UK scientists had discovered the deepest, previously unknown hydrothermal vents, in the Cayman Trough.

What is your relationship with oceans and the environment? Have these relationship influenced your work?

I have had a strong connection to the ocean since I was a child and still spend part of every year at the coast on or beside the ocean. I am currently working on a huge ocean themed wrap-around artwork where each painting connects with its predecessor, yet also exists individually, representing symbiosis. It begins at the coastal ecosystems and moves into the open seas and the Mariana Trench in the ocean depths. As a lifelong vegetarian and environmentalist I constantly research issues facing the planet and the paintings I create are an interpretation of this research. My latest collection entitled ‘ANTHROPOCENE XTINCTION’ is a reflection of the impact of humans on the planet. These paintings depict a crystal mosaic X on the face of the principal animal, which at once highlights their preciousness, and draws attention to their fate.

What reactions would you like people to have to your work and what message do you want them to take away?

I like to give the viewer something new to discover each time they look at my paintings. To engage people, I want them to have an initial emotional connection to the aesthetic qualities of the work, and from this starting point to be curious about questioning and understanding the more cryptic messages contained within. My work has been described as having many layers of meanings and discoveries to be made on closer inspection. If that incites further research or action on the part of the viewer or collector, then the work is a success.

You can find more of Claire Milner’s work on www.claire-milner.co.uk or on her Instagram, Facebook, and Twitter.

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Florida Springs is fantastic place to go freshwater snorkeling. For example, you may have tapped capital realty for Cayman property of particular specifications. As maybe you've guessed, a lien theory state takes a judicial foreclosure the courts have to acquire entangled. Many banks call for a life insurance plan for mortgages.

Agents can assist with every step along the process from helping clients pick the suitable residence, advice on legalities of purchasing a house and assisting in the comprehension of the procedures when buying a property in Aruba. Your Tranquil Realty agent will be pleased to help you with further information regarding all of the information and assistance you need to obtain Cayman Islands real estate at the very best possible rates. Our agents are qualified to deal with all elements of purchasing and selling real estate to create the buy or sale of your house a seamless transaction. Every realtor in Cayman employs the synergy potential.

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Most condos have a tendency to be older but well maintained. Consider the assorted kinds of things you get started searching for in a vacation condo in Maui. Generally, Cayman Islands Real Estate it was among the best vacations we have had. In general, it was one of the greatest vacations we have had. Lifestyle vacations can acquire expensive since it's such a specialized sector.

Get to comprehend what the results are on property. This property is just one of only four here, or so the location is really exclusive. Rental property is a significant part of the housing market in the Cayman Islands.  Properties of Cayman has the ability to help you with any rental need. It has the ability to help you with any rental need. Purchasing property in Cayman has become more and more competitive, so its important to locate a professional Cayman real estate agent to lead you through the purchasing approach.

Whether you would like to put money into real estate or buy residential or business propertyon St. John, the true estate professionals at American Paradise Real Estate will supply you with complete info and trustworthy property consultancy services. This estate has plenty to offer anybody wishing to reside within this lovely country which is made up of over 700 islands. Cayman real estate does not have any restrictions on foreign ownership and is a favorite pick for non-resident buyers seeking to buy a vacation home. When it's time to obtain Cayman Islands real estate, Prime Locations Cayman can help you find your ideal house or property.

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There's a newly built main house plus another guest cottage. The homes also arrive in several price ranges. Cayman Brac houses for sale and Little Cayman houses for sale offer a great chance for wealth creation and an excellent vacation destination. They are located on the shoreline, along the bluff edges, as well as inland. Little Cayman houses for sale are on the shoreline or inland.