A Special Night in Tulamben Bali

Hello Friends and Fam, Just a quick update. Andrew and I have been in Bali almost 2 weeks and have had so many amazing experiences. We have done 6 dives, including a night dive. We went under water around sunset while it was still light and dove for an hour, when we rose we were swimming under the stars. Pretty amazing. Anyways, we had a cab driver who Andrew and I bonded with a little bit and he has taken us under his wing and showed us some traditional Balinese customs. He picked us up from our night dive to take us to a Hindi temple, they were having a “ceremony,” what we might call some sort of special church service. He surprised us with a set of the traditional Balinese clothing to wear. He was so excited to share this experience with us. He drove us up into the mountains where hundreds of motorbikes and cars were parked along the gravel road. Once we found a parking spot we tried to find his family. We were late to the ceremony so we missed the music but what a great experience. Ketut (taxi driver) took us to his home afterwards and invited us to eat dinner with him and his family. He lives in a house with his wife, two daughters, his mother, his sister and her 3 kids. We ate on the floor, the family used their hands to eat but since we were guests we received spoons to use. What a priceless night! Ketut is one of the four names given to the Balinese people. Your 1st born is always Wayan, your second born is Madee, your third child is Nyman, and your forth is Ketut. Some times there is a female version but these 4 names are given to each Balinese child. What happens if you have 5 kids you ask? You start over with the 1st name, Wayan. I asked many people if this was confusing at all, since you could possibly have 3 or more people with the same name in a household, they all responded with "no, of course not." Interesting custom for sure. We leave for Ubud today. A village in the mountains with lots of yoga, art, and good food! The photos are of Andrew and I in our traditional dress. 3rd photo is of me waiting for our favorite restaurant to open, yes it looks like a shack behind me. The rice fields. And finally, me putting my yoga practice to use at the pool. Enjoy!

Day 4 in Indonesia. Andrew has already made the proclamation that Bali is his favorite place! So I suppose I should keep a good journal of the trip for him! We arrived in Denpensar, Bali at 3:30 pm local time, completing a 35 hour trip. Fhew! When we arrived at our accommodation house we were greeted by our charming and helpful hosts, Ana and Aljosa. We planned to clean up and get a bite to eat but succumbed to a "quick cat nap," insisting that we would only sleep for 20 min and go get some dinner. Well that didn't happen. We woke up at 1:00 am. So since dinner was now out of the question we went back to bed. After that we really adjusted to the time change well. We had 2 days in Seminyak. I shopped, and hit the beach. Then we got on a local ferry to the island of Lembongan. We have an amazing local style hut for the next 6 nights. Open air bathroom and a balcony off our room. We rented a scooter for $6 a day and our dinners out have been around $15 each night. Gotta love it!! (If you know me well, you know I'm cheap, so this makes me happy ;) We were hoping to scuba dive today but I have a pretty bad cold so we will hopefully dive tomorrow. Fingers crossed! There are 20 different dives here on the island so we need to get going! Andrew is away at a surf lesson. His new years resolution this year was to learn to surf so he has 4 months! We've met some great people so far. In the hut next to us is a couple from Sioux Falls, South Dakota. How ironic! They are living in Japan, teaching English. Glad we could go out with them and have so much in common. Anyways, I need to go put another layer of aloe vera on my sun burn. We'll keep you posted!

Hodnefield's Roam

As I sit in the Sioux Falls Regional Airport, waiting for a delayed airplane to arrive, I figure, this is the perfect time to blog. Andrew and I just had a few days at home this past week. Spent time in Jackson, MN and Okoboji, IA. It was perfect weather and a great opportunity to see family and friends. Today, we are on the brink of beginning the next AB Hod adventure. We have 3 weeks until we have to be back at work so we decided to vacation together, a location that has been on our list for a while now. Bali, Indonesia. This will be a 33 hour trip, so, as I can't say I am thrilled about that, what I AM looking forward to is our 14 hour lay over in Tokyo. We have never been to this part of the world so our eyes are open to new experiences and culture! While in Bali you can find me in the mountains of Ubud doing yoga, Andrew will be at the beach surfing, and we BOTH will be doing as much scuba diving as possible! I'll keep you posted! Here we go...

The Last Frontier

I'm going to try and sum up our Alaskan summer in one blog. Here goes: We started the summer by going as far North as we planned to go, which was Kodiak, and slowly made our way down south to Juneau. The highlight of Kodiak was taking a float plane to a bear viewing tour. The guide was amazing, she and her husband have been doing tours for 25 years so we all felt very comfortable and had an up close and personal bear experience. The fishing has been amazing, lots and lots of halibut. Salmon, dungeness crab, cod, and the occasional shrimp as well. Tease 'em, our fishing boat, and it's crew of 2 have been learning a new style of fishing. Diego and Erick are from Costa Rica so talk about fish out of water. The boat cruised through College fjord, which is a narrow passage with glaciers on both sides. The glaciers on one side are named after women's colleges and the glaciers on the other are male colleges. This is where I did the polar plunge with the other stews, Hannah, and Haylee. You'll see in Andrew's videos that most of the crew did the plunge at one point or another. Checked that off the bucket list! The crew went with the owner's grandkids in Hoonah, Alaska for a zip line. It is one of the world's highest and longest zip lines. Going as fast as 60 miles per hour. The zip line is one mile long. Pretty amazing views! To finish off our time in Juneau, the owner gifted us a trip to go dog sledding. All 11 of us loaded into helicopters for a 20 minute ride over glaciers and mountains to land on "dog camp." I felt like I was landing on the north pole. Amidst complete whiteness you start to see a camp with rows and rows of small grey dots. As you get closer you see the rows are huts for each dog and all the dogs are outside the hut sleeping on the snow. (These dogs are breed as racing dogs. We learned that their most comfortable temperature is -15 degrees F. So they prefer to sleep on the snow and keep their bodies cooler.) The dogs and their handlers were rushing around emptying one load of tourists to make way for the next load. This is where I felt like I was looking at elves and reindeer rushing around before Christmas. Anyways, behind each team of 13 dogs there are two sleds, 5 people can ride behind. The dogs get harnessed in and start to bark, yelp, and get really excited. They love to run. So when the musher gives the word, they take off. We went for a 2 mile ride and each of us got to do the mushing. Really an amazing experience. We stopped in quite a few different coastal towns but I think Sitka was one of my favorites. It has such character and charm. Some Alaskan towns have really sold their soul to the cruise ships that come in and out each day but I felt that Sitka was really great. My parents came to visit us there. We had a complete out of body experience at a local restaurant, Ludvig's. You definitely need reservations for the downstairs restaurant, but the upstairs is where we ate. It is a tapas room, wine, salads, desserts. The food was amazing, all fresh, local, and handmade by the chef that is visible in the back of the room. The atmosphere was great as well. There are few things I enjoy more than a great dining experience! Way to go Ludvig's. Enjoy the photos, and watch Andrew's videos on vimeo! The season is coming to a close so I knew I had to get a blog post out there to remember all these amazing, breathtaking sites and experiences. I am currently cruising to St. Petersburg with 8 guests, so I better get back to my day job! C

Making up for Lost Time

It's been a while since our last post. We are nearing the end of our Alasaka Adventure but before I get into that I will catch you up to speed. Andrew posted from Los Suenos, Costa Rica after we had taken a weekend and drove to Rafiki Lodge. Once we left Costa we headed to Mexico. A quick stop in Huatulco and then off to Cabo San Lucas. We had a couple guest trips and got to explore a bit. Wow, What a party. We had a proper Spring Break. It was great because we met up with some friends from back home. They come every year, drive up the Baja Coast and find the best surf spots. Andrew put some videos up on www.vimeo.com , just search "Andrew Hodnefield" and all the videos will come up. After Cabo we continued to San Deigo. We docked right downtown in the Gaslamp District. It was great being within walking distance of great shops and restaurants. Andrew and the crew went to the Wave House. They surfed a big wave in the middle of the restaurant. (videos on vimeo) The boat stayed there a few weeks but I went home for a while. Yay! Then I met Andrew in Arizona to see family before he flew to Ft. Lauderdale to take some maritime courses. He's well on his way to being "Officer of Watch." San Diego to Los Angeles, LA to Seattle. We were there just long enough to get the boat ready for Alaska and eat lunch at the Space Needle. I can't wait to go back and do that again. 360 views of the city while you dine. Andrew was still away at class so he missed Seattle. Once we left Seattle the traveling was long but absolutely beautiful! We can only travel during day light hours in the Inside Passage. With so many logs drifting it's unsafe to be underway in the dark. So each night we anchor up at some gorgeous bay and start again at 4:00 a.m. Long days up north. Getting used to the almost constant daylight has been an adjustment. The scenery is nothing short of breathtaking. After 3 months here I still have to pinch myself sometimes. We have had such a life changing experience this year!

Rafiki Safari Lodge

This past weekend we had a chance to do a little exploring of Costa Rica's more wild side. We took a 2 hour car ride into the jungle from Los Suenos and headed to Rafiki Safari Lodge. Bethany, myself and 3 other crew members decided to spend our Valentine's day road tripping, and to make it even more romantic all 5 of us shared one tent. The roads were mostly paved except the last 45 mins. If there weren't signs saying, "Your almost there," or "Your not lost," we may have turned around long before our destination. As we were cruising through the jungle going up and down steep rocky roads the sun had set making the experience even more adventurous. We made the most of the trip and got most of it on video. Once we got to Rafiki we had dinner and went down one of the fastest water slides I have ever been on! The ride lasts only 8 seconds and has one left turn but throws you out into this little pool that you think your going to skip over the water and land on the grass. Since it was night the owners of the lodge told us to take a flash light to avoid any snakes. The next morning we woke up with the birds, crickets, monkeys, and every other jungle creature that refuses to sleep as soon as light hits this part of the world. We had reserved a horse back ride to our white-water rafting tour. Since it is dry season here the white-water wasn't so white. It was pretty mild on adventure but was still a great time. We had a few stops to look at a water fall and jump off a 30 ft. cliff into the river. The horse ride was pretty entertaining. I wouldn't say any of us are expert riders but we managed to hold our own. At certain times the terrain was so rocky and steep I didn't think my horse would make it. I nicknamed him, "Ricky Bobby," because if he wasn't first in his mind he was last. The day finished with a nice dinner and some card games. Our trip wouldn't have been complete without our favorite dice game, "Farkle." The car ride home wasn't as exciting but we made a stop in a little surf town littered with backpackers, surfers, and tourist. Manuel Antonio was the town we stopped at due to its high population of monkeys. That was our weekend I would suggest the trip to anyone!

Panama and Winter 2014 Season

Hello Everyone, this is a much needed update on what we have been up to and where in the world we are now. I will try to keep it short as it has been half a year since our last post! We are currently on the move to Costa Rica for an up coming fishing trip with the boss, which gave us some time to write. We left Florida early Jan. and arrived at Bocas Del Toro, Panama 5 days later. We had left later then we hoped due to weather and even after waiting, the seas still weren't the kindest. After 5 days in 6 to 8 foot seas we made it to Panama. As we waited for the boss to arrive to transit the Panama Canal, we had a week and a half in Bocas Del Toro. I think all the crew thought we died and went to heaven. This spot was one of our favorite locations and definitely in the top 3 in the "Caribbean Sea." If you enjoy surfing, Bocas is the perfect spot. It's filled with back packers and adventurous people. One of the things we did was rent a 4-wheeler and cruised the jungle and beaches. We were totally on our own with no map, guide, or other bikers. Mother nature can be quite fierce in the jungle and trails can quite easily be swept away. We had an awesome time and brought us back to our roots in the midwest, as we both grew up riding 4-wheelers. Once we had our fill of adventure and surf it was time to head for the canal before a big swell was due to hit. We managed to leave a day before the peak but still had a rocky ride. Thankfully it was only a 13 hour trip and we made it to the entrance of the canal. Once there, we cleaned up and waited for the boss and family. Most transits through the canal are during the night and if you request a day transit you pay more than 3 times the cost of a night trip. We opted for the night trip as we were on a time schedule. The canal is a series of locks that are fed from lakes raising the boats 85 feet above sea level and is 46 miles in length. The system is similar to that of the locks we went through

in the Great Lakes. I slept through most of it because I was on early shift that trip. We made it to the Pacific and this is the first time we have cruised this Ocean. We are very excited for the next few months of travel and especially this Alaskan summer!

The Start of Our Summer Season

The last place I left you was about 4 months ago in Guadeloupe. Well a lot has changed since then and a few more places were visited. We finished off our Caribbean season going to Barbados, St. Lucia, St. Vincent, Bequia, The Grenadines, Grenada, and a few more. Barbados ended up being our favorite island out of the Caribbean. The surf was awesome, the people were so friendly, the island had a good culture and laid back feel. As we headed down the chain to Grenada we stopped at some of the Grenadine islands which were some of the most breath-taking sites, with crystal clear blue water, and remote islands. Also a great spot for kiteboarding. The furthest south we got was Grenada (720 miles north of the equator) which was very brief but a nice little stop. We ended our guest trips in St. Lucia and had a 4 day cruise back to Ft. Lauderdale. We waited there for a month for a mid-May graduation trip to the Bahamas. We hit up Atlantis, which was a first for me. Then we went to Harbor Island and had 3 days in a row of amazing kiteboarding. The weather was pretty rainy and overcast which gave the deck crew a chance to sneak away and get some kiting in. The boat finished up back in Atlantis and made its way back to Ft. Lauderdale. As the boat was on its way back, I started my 100 ton captain's course which took 2 weeks. I took all my exams on Friday and submitted all my paper work to the Coast Guard. Hopefully within a few weeks I will hold a 100 ton Captain's license. As I type we are on our way to Bermuda, roughly a 4 day cruise. Bermuda is where our summer season will start. We will be there for the next month for a few fishing tournaments. The boss has brought up his 70 ft. sport fisher from Costa Rica to enter the tournaments and the big boat to hang out on. After all the fishing we are continuing north first to Halifax, Canada. We're heading up around Nova Scotia and into the St. Lawrence seaway and in as far as Lake Ontario. Towards the end of summer we will head back out and make a few stops at Newfoundland and hopefully New York before returning back to Florida. We have some maintenance work to get done so we are expected back early October. We have a busy season ahead but it will be over before we know it!

Guadeloupe. The good, bad, & ugly.

It's that time again. We just picked up our guests and we will be on the move again heading Dominica. We have been in Guadeloupe for the past 3 weeks. While we have had some good times I will share some of the bad ones too. First after 2 nights of being here we had our first burglar. A very intoxicated gentleman walked on the boat around 5 a.m. and proceeded to find one door unlocked (shame it was the one night a door was unlocked but it happens). He managed to steal some things in the pilot house including three binoculars, an antique sextant, keyboard and mouse, laptop and almost a pair of shoes but was to drunk to remember where he placed them. All of this was viewable from our video cameras but even with the help of the police and some CSI work we weren't able to find the culprit. Another time at the beach Bethany had a pair of flip flops stolen. Our chef had her bag stolen with some money and her camera. Another night we had left our flip flops on the edge of the dock before entering the boat and a group of kids came by and kicked them in the water just for kicks! The French are not to kind and seem to hold a grudge. If you don't speak French they feel they shouldn't have to try and communicate with you. After all, language is a choice and we choose not to speak French, which is their attitude. Apart from all the bad we have managed to make the best of it. Guadeloupe has an active volcano (on Basse Terre one of the two conjoined islands) which is a good hour 45 min hike one way. Once at the top it's pretty cloudy and not much of a view but there are plenty of good shots along the way. After the hike there is a hot spring bath which is awesome after a long hike. On valentines day we had a great scuba dive. We drove to Basse Terre early that morning and got set up. It was a nice little reef dive about 60 feet deep. We saw a shark, a huge green moray eel and some other interesting stuff. It wasn't the best dive to date but was fun and worth the trip. On the way back we couldn't resist having a rum tour of an old rum disterlary. We snuck in a few kiteboarding trips as well. The wind was cranking 4 days in a row so we loaded up the cars, cut work short and drove 15 mins to Les Salines Beach. It was a perfect calm body of water with a reef break 600 yards out, ideal for catching some waves. We opted for the calm water to focus on our board and kite skills. Guadeloupe also features some pretty amazing rainforests and 3 massive waterfalls. So far we seen two and had much exploring and driving through the forests. It was a little touchy at times driving a tiny manual up some really steep inclines. Bethany can contest to that and would probably admit I may have taken a few years off her life. All in all we made the most out of a not so good situation. With all the activities, surf, and beaches we made it fun. As a tourist it ranks a 5 out of 10. As a yachtie it's a 3.