Las Palmas de Canaria's sunny embrace

The journey to the Atlantic, specifically to Cape Verde in West Africa took a detour. My co-traveller and SO (significant other) arrived in Las Palmas Oct. 26th - to claim ownership of Afriki, an Ericson 36 boat formerly owned by a Canadian who has spent many years exploring new territories, including Asia and later New Zealand. We bought the boat without having seen her, based on her pictures on a website about Boats and Yatchs for Sale.


Las Palmas is everything the promoters of tourism about sun says, plus a bit more. It is a favourite retirement place of boat-addicted seniors who got tired of Sweden and its very structured lifestyle. We met Dennis and Ulrika - both Swedes who never left Las Palmas since falling in love with the place 15 years ago. The place is extremely generous to seniors even with healthcare services. Living in a boat is cheap compared to a flat or house. One pays a daily harbour fee of seven EUR which is about 2,700 a month. How much does a flat cost in Sweden?

The boat is still Afriki, until we get its new name painted. It is a very spacious boat with lots of compartments for storing things. It can easily sit 10 people outside for dinners and drinks and another 8 inside. It is a perfect home for two people. The sleeping areas are also generous and can accommodate 6 people. It is equipped with fishing lines which is very important for our plan in Sal - special fishing expeditions.

The first problem we met was the non-functioning stove which made us dependent for coffee on our Swedish neighbours Dennis and Ulrika. At this writing, my SO is battling with the kitchen connections, possibly dismembering the connections. I escaped to Barabordo to do my IT and have a great lasagne lunch. Alone! We'll probably stay a bit more in Las Palmas. It feels so easy and stressfree.

On sunsets when we pop open a bubble ( wine and alcohol are really cheaper than in Sweden's Systembolaget's), we don't talk much and simply savour the gift of a changed lifestyle that allows us to learn not just about a boat and her attributes but about each other. It is surprising that getting to know someone actually takes longer than love at first sight.#

Life like a river

"Que sera sera" is the world of dreams beyond the narrow confines of young adulthood - an unescapable stage in one's life where parental supervision limits the wildness of the mind from seeking adventures beyond what is considered attainable. A small town girl opens her wings and soars the heights of the sky for an unknown destination where dreams could turn into reality. "Que sera sera" is an act of daring, a plunge into uncertainty, a leap of faith with nothing more than one's belief in oneself.

To be young and reckless in the name of adventure and growing up is life's biggest gift to those who believe that everything is possible and that "if there's a will, there's a way". Countless people have succeeded in overcoming limited spaces and resources. Think how many great technologies were conceived in humble college dormitories. And look at how Facebook has revolutionised social media.

How can one be young forever so that new discoveries in life, new meanings could continue despite setbacks. Dreaming as well as living is not one fluid movement like the river. When one is alone, there's no stopping one's search for something or someone. But family, career and relationships create a new dimension in one's search for life's meanings not just for one's self but with loved ones. Growing older helps to create a clearer view of life's destination and how best to navigate to get there.

What happens when the river flow takes a bend? Dreams are broken because relationships fall by the wayside and the dreamer may or may not accept to wake up and take the consequence. There are some who find failures easier to deal with by going along with the main current rather than finding some small outlet where life can find a new meaning that is different from the rest of the world.

How difficult would it be to live in both dream and reality after many moons and river bends? Is there something like middle age romance with life where time is no longer of essence, where a happening continues without interruptions and where love redefines time according to moments of happiness. The truest meaning of life comes from losing more than once and finding at the very end of the river flow just before joining the ocean, a steady skipper to sail a boat and hold one's hand when the sea goes rough. #