Yacht owner travels back to the USA for an important business meeting, leaving the crew with his wife and dog in the beautiful Bahamas. Lovely wife decides to explore Albany Marina‘s luxury facilities enabling the crew to go snorkeling in the crystal clear blue ocean. BOOM! The best work day I have had in a while 
Snorkeling in the Bahamas
A photo-quote for today shot in Tortola, British Virgin Islands
“Half of the crew will have the day off tomorrow and the other half on Thursday,” first officer Nick told me on Tuesday evening. Wahoo!
So on Wednesday morning after a sleep in and a Skype session with my parents back home Rich, Jamie and I decided to do something different in West Palm. We checked the tides’s table up in the wheelhouse/ bridge and discovered that it was the perfect time to kayak across to Peanut Island.
Rich and Jamie headed to the lazarette to organize the kayaks, fishing and snorkeling gear while I made some sandwiches and packed a picnic. What a star stewardess! 
With SPF 110 sprayed on our skin and life jackets fastened, we set out towards Peanut Island.
The guys immediately cast their fishing lines and in two minutes Jamie had a bite. It happened so quickly that he didn’t even realize that his fishing line was tugging. Rich saw what was going on, gave Jamie a shout and by the time we paddled towards him the fish was flapping at the end of his line. Great success!
After exploring one side of Peanut Island, we parked the kayaks on shore and soaked up the sun. We devoured our picnic and continued to fish, snorkel, swim and of course, I was ‘snap-happy’.
Our adventure to Peanut Island felt like a mini getaway. I crawled into bed that night feeling sun-kissed, relaxed and with a smile on my face. Here is a photomontage of our day at Peanut Island. Thanks to Richness and Wranga for a ‘phenom’ day!
Kayaks, fishing and snorkeling at Peanut Island, West Palm Beach
Clubbing in Kos, Greece
Anyone who knows a thing or two about me; knows that I absolutely love Greece and I am always up for a party with phenomenal DJs, dance floors, lights, some beverages and good friends. So, put the two together and BOOM… think a Kos clubbing holiday!
Kos, it’s a bit of a cheeky one. With its gorgeous whitewash cubic builds, stunning shorelines and top-notch tavernas, it’s hard to believe that it’s the home of one of the up and coming clubbing destinations in Europe.
If you consider yourself a bit of a trendsetter, Kos clubbing holidays will be right up your street. As one of the Greek Islands you’re guaranteed gorgeous weather during spring and summer, as well as a bloomin’ beautiful base for all your clubbing carnage.
Carnage? Yes, carnage we say. Don’t let Kos fool you, it’s always the quiet ones.
You’ll be heading to Kardamena, the clubbing capital of Kos. Book with a well-known clubbing holiday company and you’re in for an epic itinerary of events, both at sunrise and sundown. If it’s 24/7 madness you’re after, Kos has it all and is eager to please.
Expect your week to go a little something like this…
Friday: touch down, welcome meeting, TFI Friday
Saturday: recover, Blue Inc. Pool Party, Frat Party
Sunday: chill by the pool, Silent Sunday (of course)
Monday: Lido waterpark, Glow Party
Tuesday: watersports on Kardamena beach, Foam Party
Wednesday: boat party, hotel games, clubbing carnage
Thursday: wave goodbye, then accidentally on purpose miss your flight.
Cos it’s like that, and that’s the way it is. Huh.
Not only that, pick your clubbing holiday company right and you’ll get a load of extras that make your break totally worth every single penny you’ve paid. Free events, photo CDs, wristbands, voucher books. Sometimes it’s tempting to do a DIY jobby, but when there’s so much on offer, including expert club reps, it really is a bit of a no brainer.
Get on it like a bonnet. Get your mates round, have a tinkle on the internet and get Kos booked. You’re gonna love it.
Please book now…do it for me (slight tear jerk) as we are no longer crossing to the Med this yachting season 
And here is the interesting and thought-provoking part 2 of Mike’s blog published on Future Cape Town…
Medellin is a city that has achieved a lot in the last 20 years. It has transcended its difficult past and become a better integrated, more accessible and safer place to live than before. It is no longer the ‘no-go’ city for Colombians, tourists and businesses that it once was.
Today Medellin is a bustling, cosmopolitan city with a good transport system that is clean, efficient and integrated. The city’s public spaces are well-used, accessible and contribute to uplifting the areas in which they have been developed. Citizens enjoy greater access – via the city’s integrated transit routes – to neighbouring communities, libraries, schools and other public facilities like community parks and educational institutions than previously.
Neighbourhoods, particularly in the city’s poorer areas, are safer than they were before.
The city’s murder rate, for example, has been reduced significantly over the last two decades. Prior to the death of the infamous drug cartel kingpin Pablo Escobar in 1993 and the subsequent dismantling of Medellin’s drug cartels, the city had a murder rate of approximately 381 homicides per 100,000. The New York Times estimates that “[i]n New York City that would add up to an almost inconceivable 32,000 murders a year”. By 2007 following improved law enforcement support and the upgrade of various public spaces and facilities, the murder rate had been reduced dramatically to 34 per 100,000. Since 2007, however, this figure has fluctuated and – while it significantly below what it was in the early 1990s – the incidence of violent crime remains a concern for the people of Medellin.
I recently spent some time exploring Medellin and had the opportunity to experience some of the benefits of the city’s urban renewal programme.
I was impressed by how many public spaces in Medellin are functional spaces. These vibrant spaces fit into and uplift the neighbourhoods in which they are located. They have been created for and with the people who use them in mind. These spaces are well used and well maintained by the municipality and the people who use them.
I was equally struck by how much collective ownership the citizens of Medellin have in their public spaces and facilities, particularly given the city’s history. “You will see that the Metro trains are always clean, for example. They are our trains. We use them everyday and we therefore take good care of them. You won’t see anyone eating or drinking on them. We don’t like to see our trains and public spaces in a mess,” says Carlos, a young professional who lives in Medellin and who I met in the city’s El Poblado neighbourhood. It was refreshing to see people who are connected to and proud of their city.
The urban renewal of Medellin has sparked a paradigm shift amongst those living and those visiting the city (me included!). The citizens of Medellin are taking a greater interest in their city than before. Visiting the city and chatting to people who live and work in the area, one gets a strong sense of what collective ownership looks and feels like.
So how did Medellin become the city it is today? What steps were taken to upgrade the city’s public spaces and facilities? How was a culture of transformation created in a city once notorious for its violent crime?
Inspired by my experience of Medellin, I explored this a bit further to get some answers and identified two key ingredients that have contributed to Medellin’s incredible renewal: inclusivity and innovation.
Read Part 1 about innovation here
INNOVATION
Inclusivity means nothing if you are unable to design and build the kinds of neighbourhoods that people will value. The development and implementation of Medellin’s urban renewal programme therefore needed to be infused with a healthy dose of innovation, creativity and a “can-do” attitude. Ideas (particularly those identified during the community engagements) needed to become a reality if Medellin was truly to become a better place to live.
During my recent visit to Medellin I experienced innovation at work. One impressive example of this is the way in which the city’s transport system has been innovatively designed to be as accessible and functional to as many people as possible.
Since 2004, people living in areas located high up on the hills surrounding the city (typically the city’s poorer areas) can access the city’s integrated train and bus system by making use of cable cars.
The installation of the cable cars is reported to have reduced crime along traditional transit routes and shortened the travelling time of people commuting between the CBD and these high-lying areas to 20% of the time that it used to take before the cable car system was installed! Each day approximately 67,000 people use the cable cars as part of their commute.
Cable car stations are conveniently located close to public facilities (like libraries) and commercial enterprises (like cafes and convenience stores) so that people can make use of these facilities and do their basic shopping during their commute to and from the CBD.
Since the installation of the cable car system (which itself has become somewhat of a tourist attraction), the city is reportedly experiencing increases in foreign investment, commercial development and property prices in areas previously disconnected from the city’s public transport system.
In addition to installing the cable car system, the city installed escalators in 2012 in some parts of the city’s high-lying and more dangerous areas to improve the safety of commuters and to further reduce their travelling time to and from home.
Many people living in the city’s poorer areas live so high up on the hills surrounding the CBD that they cannot make use of cars, taxis or buses to get to and from their nearest cable car station. Before the installation of the escalators, people would make use of long staircases to get to and from their nearest transport facility and were often the victims of crime during this part of their commute.
Since the installation of the escalators, the commute to and from cable car stations is safer and quicker than before.
The city has also built footbridges in some parts of the city’s high-lying areas as part of efforts to connect neighbouring communities. Given the geography and terrain of these high-lying areas, it was not easy for people living in one area to access adjacent areas on foot or by bicycle. Since the construction of these footbridges, people are better placed to enjoy more of their city and connect with others than before.
While crime levels in the city’s poorer areas remain a concern for many and can only really be reduced further by creating greater economic opportunities for more people, the lives of many have been improved through innovation since the early 1990s. It is no surprise that Medellin was declared the world’s most innovative city in 2012!
The citizens of Medellin are better connected to their city and each other and exercise greater collective ownership over the development of their city than before. Medellin has transformed into a city that is fast becoming a city of choice for more Colombians, more tourists, more businesses and more foreign pensioners looking for a retirement spot.
By adopting an inclusive and innovative approach to urban renewal, Medellin has achieved what many cities have struggled to do: create a strong culture of transformation.
Additional sources:
My brother, Mike, is currently traveling through South America, Central America and up to see me in Florida in May. Wahoo! I have clearly inspired him to become a travel blogger Anyway, here is part 1 of a superb article about the Colombian city Medellin’s inspirational innovation and urban renewal. It was published on Future Cape Town’s website yesterday and can teach cities around the world a thing or five. Good job, Mike!
Medellin is a city that has achieved a lot in the last 20 years. It has transcended its difficult past and become a better integrated, more accessible and safer place to live than before. It is no longer the ‘no-go’ city for Colombians, tourists and businesses that it once was.
Today Medellin is a bustling, cosmopolitan city with a good transport system that is clean, efficient and integrated. The city’s public spaces are well-used, accessible and contribute to uplifting the areas in which they have been developed. Citizens enjoy greater access – via the city’s integrated transit routes – to neighbouring communities, libraries, schools and other public facilities like community parks and educational institutions than previously.
Neighbourhoods, particularly in the city’s poorer areas, are safer than they were before.
The city’s murder rate, for example, has been reduced significantly over the last two decades. Prior to the death of the infamous drug cartel kingpin Pablo Escobar in 1993 and the subsequent dismantling of Medellin’s drug cartels, the city had a murder rate of approximately 381 homicides per 100,000. The New York Times estimates that “[i]n New York City that would add up to an almost inconceivable 32,000 murders a year”. By 2007 following improved law enforcement support and the upgrade of various public spaces and facilities, the murder rate had been reduced dramatically to 34 per 100,000. Since 2007, however, this figure has fluctuated and – while it significantly below what it was in the early 1990s – the incidence of violent crime remains a concern for the people of Medellin.
I recently spent some time exploring Medellin and had the opportunity to experience some of the benefits of the city’s urban renewal programme.
I was impressed by how many public spaces in Medellin are functional spaces. These vibrant spaces fit into and uplift the neighbourhoods in which they are located. They have been created for and with the people who use them in mind. These spaces are well used and well maintained by the municipality and the people who use them.
I was equally struck by how much collective ownership the citizens of Medellin have in their public spaces and facilities, particularly given the city’s history. “You will see that the Metro trains are always clean, for example. They are our trains. We use them everyday and we therefore take good care of them. You won’t see anyone eating or drinking on them. We don’t like to see our trains and public spaces in a mess,” says Carlos, a young professional who lives in Medellin and who I met in the city’s El Poblado neighbourhood. It was refreshing to see people who are connected to and proud of their city.
The urban renewal of Medellin has sparked a paradigm shift amongst those living and those visiting the city (me included!). The citizens of Medellin are taking a greater interest in their city than before. Visiting the city and chatting to people who live and work in the area, one gets a strong sense of what collective ownership looks and feels like.
So how did Medellin become the city it is today? What steps were taken to upgrade the city’s public spaces and facilities? How was a culture of transformation created in a city once notorious for its violent crime?
Inspired by my experience of Medellin, I explored this a bit further to get some answers and identified two key ingredients that have contributed to Medellin’s incredible renewal: inclusivity and innovation.
INCLUSIVITY
Central to the development and implementation of Medellin’s urban renewal programme is the view that new or improved infrastructure innovatively designed in line with a vision shared by all relevant stakeholders and supported by appropriate law enforcement measures can be used to build better social cohesion and reduce the incidence of violent crime in an area.
If Medellin’s urban renewal programme was to succeed, it had to be inclusive. It had to connect all stakeholders around a common social development agenda in a very real sense. This was sought in a number of ways.
It was important to the success of Medellin’s urban renewal programme that people previously excluded from participating in their city – typically those living in Medellin’s poorer and more inaccessible areas – were central to and included in the development and renewal of their neighbourhoods.
Two decades ago, the city’s poorer areas – typically located high up on the hills that surround Medellin’s CBD away from the city’s transport system – had increasingly high levels of crime and unemployment. People living in these areas faced high barriers to participating socially and economically in their city and took little or no ownership in improving their city.
The expansion and continued neglect of the city’s poorer areas therefore had to be avoided wherever possible. Instead, poorer areas needed to be upgraded so that people living in these areas could actively enjoy being a part of their city.
Medellin’s urban renewal programme – led by an independent commercial entity established by the municipality – was therefore focused primarily on improving the city’s most neglected and more dangerous areas. These areas were identified based on their relative Human Development Index and Quality of Life Survey Index.
It was also important that all stakeholders supported and valued the city’s urban renewal programme. This required all relevant stakeholders – including community members, local specialists, civil society and government – to take ownership not only of the programme outcomes but also of the process followed in reaching those outcomes. A comprehensive process of consultation, co-ordination and communication between all stakeholders was therefore followed at all stages of the programme. This process went a long way in helping all stakeholders to understand and define what role they could play in building safer and better integrated neighbourhoods.
To demonstrate and reinforce the valuable role that citizens and civic organisations can play in developing their neighbourhoods, regular community engagements were held to determine and understand what kinds of communities people wanted to build. This was typically done before any plans were drawn up andthroughout the development and implementation of those plans. These engagements were also informed by inputs received from local architects.
During the implementation phases of the programme, efforts were made to use local labour wherever possible. Skills development and training opportunities were also made available to people wanting to improve their skill sets and, in turn, their employability. Steps that further enhanced the inclusive nature of the programme.
Read part 2 on innovation tomorrow.
Additional sources:
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