My Life In a Shed and a Van and other images Published in Adventure Kayak Magazine Spring 2014 Issue

This spring I got Asked by Virginia Marshal (editor of Adventure Kayak Mag) if she could do a feature on my life living simple in order to paddle more, and here is the result. I also had a number of other photos published from adventures over the years and from the Bay of Fundy Symposium last Fall (Bay Of Fundy Blog Here). Enjoy. 

Also thanks to TRAK Kayaks   (featured in the main image) for helping my life be lived the way it is.

Read more in the Free online Spring 2014 Issue here

March 22nd Pure Life, Rich Coast “Pura Vida, Costa Rica”

 

My first week in Costa Rica has been spent helping run an Client Group on the Osa Peninsula with Martine Racette. This Itinerary will become apart of my Company “World Wild Adventures” Key trips offered in Central America, and offers a wonderful rustically luxurious soft adventure trip for people keen to see one of the most amazing places in the America’s.

I personally have travelled extensively through central America over the last 7 years and spent a lot of time in the jungles and on the coasts of the area, though no place beats the Osa with Wildlife and Natural beauty. Four Species of monkey, Scarlet Macaws flying around like seagulls, primary rainforest, pristine ocean beaches and sheltered inner Gulf, friendly people and endless adventure options, this place is a mecca for Wilderness adventure seekers, surfers, fishermen and people who just want to escape and relax from the rush of modern life.

 

 

 

 

 

The lodge we stay is is called “Finca Exotica” or exotic farm in English, it is a sustainable eco lodge designed and set up by Markus, an eccentric German architect who originally planned it as an Artist retreat. The place has grown over the last 13 years from old clear cut farm to a bustling beautiful jungle orchard. The property is littered with fruit trees and edibles, with quaint little tepee tents and Cabaña's nestled about the premises (Some with astounding ocean views from aloft the hillside). Organic fresh food is served at the open planned Dinning room/ Bar/ communal area which sits half way up the hill and boasts a large deck with amazing views across the canopy to the ocean. Higher still is a wonderful yoga platform that gives you a large vista form its open walls out across the jungle canopy, the surf beach and the Pacific Ocean. Nothing beats a early morning session of sun salutations gazing across the blue, while Macaws squawk and fly in pairs between the trees and Howler monkeys great the new day with a roar of appreciation.

I have enjoyed the experience immensely and so have the clients, daily hikes and activities, of kayaking, horseback riding and hikes to stunning waterfalls where you can swim, interspersed with beach time and educational talks and Naturalist walks, keep everyone intent. Martine is originally from Canada though has been living and operating soft adventures in The Osa for 7 years, she has been telling me about its magic for a while now and I am now relieved to know it. I am happy to have my friend Martine Joining our World Wild Adventure Team and together we will bring some amazing trips on the Osa to people looking for that special trip to a special place. The next couple of weeks we will be exploring the Osa to get to know it better and create a more involved expedition style Itinerary for clients that explores more of the Osa and involves, Kayaks, horses, Hiking, and Camping out in amazing places. So stay tuned as I share the adventure that unfolds.

World Wild Adventures on the Leading Edge of Tourism.

A recent News Letter from the Adventure Travel Trade Association, has us all fired up in a very positive way, at WWA. With our new company beginning its growth with strong concepts of Indigenous inclusion and sustainable ethics, the news of shifts in the industry in that direction has us pumped.

Read the letter here.

As many of you know, we just completed our 9th Adventure Travel World Summit in Lucerne, Switzerland. At this event we had the privilege of welcoming UNWTO Secretary-General Mr. Taleb Rifai to our community.
While at the Summit Mr. Rifai stated, “Adventure tourism is what tourism should be today and definitely what tourism will be tomorrow.” I believe this is an indicator of a sea change in the world of tourism and directly impacts the future of all businesses working within the adventure sector.
Also during the event, two major ATTA initiatives were signed, a memorandum of understanding between the UNWTO and the ATTA, by which we have agreed to work together to promote advocacy, research, quality, and education/training within the adventure tourism sector. And secondly, the ATTA became the first United States-based association to sign the Tourism Child-Protection Code of Conduct, an internationally accepted industry-driven corporate responsibility initiative to protect children from sexual exploitation in travel and tourism.
By signing these two agreements, it is our hope that governments and policymakers begin to join hands with our adventure travel community -- to make a difference around the world now and shape a future for tourism that is both sustainable and ethical.
We hope that others within the industry will take up these initiatives as well, specifically by working toward their own agreement to protect children. Within the next 30 days, you’ll see the ATTA announce our values statement much of which is driven by our commitment to the above. In this statement we ask that ATTA members, and future members, share these same values in order to join our community.
Please take a moment to review the following press releases sent out to the media industry earlier today. These releases summarize the recent Summit news and initiatives mentioned above.

· UNWTO, WWF International and Google Hail Adventure Travel as the Future of Tourism at 2012 Adventure Travel World Summit

· Advocacy, Research, Quality, Education & Training Collaboration Central to New World Tourism Organization-Adventure Travel Trade Association Partnership.

· Adventure Travel Trade Association Joins ECPAT's Fight Against Sexual Exploitation of Children

Best regards,
Shannon Stowell
President, ATTA

Isla Coiba Feb 3rd 2012: Howlers in the Trees

Trip Log:
Distance: 6.5 KNM
Weather: Sunny too overcast too Slight showers
Dinner: Tuna Pasta
Story:
Tonight a coconut fell from a palm tree and landed with a thwack right between us, and there was only about a foot of space between us, the coco nut even bounced onto my foot. That was a good sobering reminder of how dangerous falling coconuts can be, the hard small green air to surface missile could have hurt one of us severely. At this point I we stopped trying to tie up the solar shower in that particular place and looked elsewhere.

We had a slow lazy start to the morning today, enjoying our non sandy beach, we swam in the sea, bathed in the creek and ate pancakes for breakfast. Now only a mere 6KNM from completing our circumnavigation of Isla Coiba, we were in no rush to get there.

Granito De Oro and rainbow.

Aiming to camp tonight somewhere near the ANAM station where we started at, we wanted to avoid the cruise ship hordes we sighted in the distance arriving this morning in the large thumping, floating resorts, so we headed to the forest Trail of “los Manos”. Sitting in the shade of an overhanging tree, by a gurgling stream that flowed over a rocky point into the salty sea, we watched across the turquoise waters the tiny yet stunningly beautiful island appropriately titled in Spanish “Isla Granito De Oro”( Grain of Gold Island), become a hive of activity. Boats raced from the cruise ships, multi colored umbrellas went up, along with deck cheers and tables ( we even imagined the luxurious food spread that was more than likely put upon those tables); Another boat came towing sit on top kayaks, we giggled at the luxury of it all as we snacked on nuts and chocolate in the shade. Both we and the cruise ship passengers will say “we visited Isla De Coiba and Isla Granito De Oro” but what different experiences they will be; we just kayaked around Coiba, and tonight we plan to stealth camp on Granito De Oro; both Allie and I fell very privileged we have had the chance to experience this amazing island in such an intimate and special way. We can only imagine what the cruise ship clients will remember.. the turtles that are abundant around the little island, Being pulled behind a power boat on an inflatable ring in a stunning place that was called….. hmm I don’t remember, Panama it was! Or perhaps some will remember the place and quote informative text they read in books prior there visit or on the info panels at the ANAM station, I am not a big fan of cruise ships and I will stop here with my bias towards them.


Walking up the trail behind us we left the cruise ship hordes to enjoy paradise and we came across the allusive Rufus Howler Monkeys we had been hearing the whole time we sat beneath the tree on the beach and in the far distance deep in the trees during the entire trip. Now they were right above us e us, these little monkeys let go a megalithic roaring cacophony that alluded to a monstrous devil waiting to eat your soul, not a small brown primate. No wonder the Spanish conquistadors who came to colonize Latin America thought the forest full of demons and beasts.

The sun sank on the horizon and rain clouds built, as we paddled across the small gap of water to the tiny golden sand island that is “Isla Granito De Oro”; as we paddled across a Rainbow came into bloom over the tiny Islet. A large school of big Tuna or similar, milled about on the surface feeding and splashing as we paddled past, then right next to Allie surfaced a Huge golden turtle, Allie’s jaw dropped as she cruised quietly past this big gentle giant who slowly sunk into the depths again.

Looking back at Isla Coiba and the nine days we spent circumnavigating it.

Tonight we camp under the half full moon on a gorgeous island, we have done our yoga, eaten a big pasta meal, showered under the solar shower and now drift off to sleep ready for our next step, the paddle back to the mainland. We are sad and emotional to be leaving this magical treasure that is this island paradise called Coiba, an oasis of untamed life in and ever more industrialized world. What an unforgettable yet hard to fully grasp adventure this has been; I would love to spend more time here, 25 days would almost be enough perhaps? Good night Coiba thank you for accommodating us and sharing your beauty.
 

The gold beaches of  Isla Granito De Oro (Grain of Gold Island)

J.

Published in White Sea Magazine

Here is a Piece Marty Perry, of White Sea Magazine and the Hurricane Riders, did on the NZ expedition in 2011 and some other stuff on me, as well as some of my pics used for illustration.

Cover.

See entire issue at www.whiteseamag.com

Arrival in Santa Catalina

After a rough bus ride and a feisty barter with the flat deck taxi driver ( he wanted to charge $50 to Santa Catalina) due to no more Buses that night. We eventually settled on $35 though Allie wasn’t totally happy with that. With the Back fully loaded with TRAK Folding kayaks and bags we where off to Santa Catalina.
Here is Allie’s point of view on arriving.   
- J -


 
“Um Paradise? Hi, lovely to meet you, name’s Allie, I think we’re gonna be best friends. Ok?” (Hmm, strikingly similar to how my best friend Bree and I met years ago, pretty sure it’s the exact same conversation we had. It sure turned out alright eh Bree?!)

Allie putting up a fight for a better fare.

We are Loaded (yes, capital L loaded) down with gear. These folding kayaks are heavy business, thank god they’re on wheels! We pull into Santa Catalina in the dark, and already the vibe is laaiid back mon. Barefoot, surfboard-toting locals and gringos alike, pedestrians and bikes roam the roads, the air is smelling oh so sweet. We find a lodging right on the beach that offers a spot to pitch our tent. I can barely see our surroundings save for the twinkling lights in the trees, but I don’t need to - the surf below the ledge we’re on is loud and tells me enough to know I love where we’ve landed! The crickets might be louder though, I’m not sure. I’ve got a $@!# eating grin on my face and I squeal as excitedly and quietly as I can so as not to wake up the neighbouring tent. I’m in paradise.
 

Our first morning we rise with the sun, in a full screen tent with no fly, open to the light and warm breeze. Ahhhhh......next to a hammock, this is best way to wake up. I notice the surf is waaay out now, I can still smell the smoldering of last night’s bonfire down the beach, and a young palm frond grows in the grass right next to my face. I take a deep inhale....stretch my limbs....curl up and go right back to sleep. There’s all the time in the world today and I’m in no rush to get anywhere. When I do finally wake up, I take a good morning yoga stretch and look out to the water where I see Jaime playing and doing handstands on the beach. Yes! Let’s go! I grab my bikini, and head out to meet him where we spend the next 3 hours playing in the waves next to the surfers and other body surfers. Amazing. I let out a few good squeals left from the night before, and a few newly refreshed this morning. I look back at the beach where a line of perfect palm trees are backed by small slopes of lush greenery, little cabanas painted bright pink, green, blue, and purple rest in the shade. I squeeze my fists so hard in excitement throwing my arms in the air and fall back splashing in ecstasy.

Welcome to the next few months of my life in Santa Catalina.
Time for a siesta in the hammock while the reggae plays in the surrounding yard, and some light work in the afternoon doing editing on the computers then exploring the town on bike. To the good life!
- Allie -

Tracking Down Our Second TRAK Kayak

 

Jan 11th - 13th

The rest of our time in the city was spent taxi-ing back and forth between old town and downtown, barely taking any real deep breaths of clean air (cough hack cough!), finding one tropical park for a moment of respite, taking cold showers in the land of one-tap showers, (I love even when there’s two taps you know you’re not getting any hot water) searching out the forgotten gear for our camera equipment and computers, (what a headache) finding a decent English speaking dentist for Jaime and tracking down the second TRAK kayak at the FedEx office.

- A -

 

I have a cracked root canal and cavity, the dentists in panama are a wonderful cheap and well trained option for the world traveler. $50us gets you a filling and $500 gets you a high end tooth cap. I will talk more about this adventure later when I find the time to go through with it. For now I just had a really good tooth cleaning for $25us.

Now it is time to pick up the Other TRAK, I had flown via Belize with one TRAK Kayak, it had cost me $200 dollars to get it to Belize (for $10 more i got a first class set, so that was a given). From Belize to Panama no one even flinched at the Large bag even though it was slightly over the 70lb allowance for Taca. The Other TRAK kayak had been posted from Canada for a little bit less money, when we eventually found the Fed Ex station the boat was waiting in its box, I signed for it and then we unpacked it. getting a Taxi from there to the bus station proved tricky with two large Golf bags and our Backpacks. We ended up making Friends with a Venezuelan political outcast who now runs a restaurant ("Finca" with the best fruit Shakes) next to the FedEx station. Our new friend told us her interesting story of not agreeing with the politics in Venezuela thus was forced from her government job and the country to Panama. In the meantime she had called her friend, also from Venezuela, who took us for $10 to our Bus in her thankfully large trunk car! - J -

Now - it’s on the bus and off to Santa Catalina via Santiago and Sona, About a half day trip. Beaches, Surf, Sun and sand along with small town living, here we come!!

- A 'n' J -

Worlds Colliding in Panama

Jan 9th -10th 2012

Here is the first blog post, it outlines our first day in Panama city and the journeys Allie and I took the day before we meet in Panama City's Tocumen International Airport to begin our 7 week adventure in Panama. Allie's travel day began before mine so her story starts the Narration:

7:30am:  Getting to bed at 12:30am the night before I leave Vancouver, I’m already up again at 4.30am. A breakfast smoothie in hand, I arrive at the airport with plenty of time to weigh my bags; crossing my fingers they come in underweight, that my hula hoop can be allowed as a carry on, and that I don’t get questioned over my donning of my PFD for the flight.  Turns out they don’t even check my bag for me, let alone weigh it, only telling me to pass it off down the hall onto a conveyor belt. Done deal. Phew! I pull my rain jacket over my PFD to casually hide it. No one notices.

Seated in last row of the plane - great.

                                    - Allie -

12 pm:

I catch a small plane from the town of Dangriga in Belize to Belize ctiy. The journey to Panama begins; 1 Check in folding kayak weighing around 73lbs, 1 carry on bag weighing 35lbs, 1 personal item (a kayak Deck bag) loaded with film gear and a computer, a Fuel bottle strapped on as a drink bottle and me wearing my Kayaking PFD. I am flying from Belize to Panama Via TACA Airlines, they allow 70lbs combined check in, a carry on and a personal item, I wasn't sure how they were going to react to me with my gear.

                                                     - Jaime -

2 pm: I’ve got a tight connection of only 20 minutes once we land in Houston and I manage to thankfully squeeze my way off the plane past the other passengers, running to my next gate only to find out the plane is late by an hour; most flights for Panama are late due to weather. My 3 hour wait for Jaime is now only 2 hours, but will his flight be late as well? Hmm. 

                                    - Allie -

3pm: At check in they looked apathetically amused at my appearance and odd assortment of baggage and outer wear. “how many bags are you checking?” the bored looking lady asked; when I replied "one", she seemed a little startled and I quickly stated that I had flown with the other items as carry on to this point already, she excepted that and I placed the folding TRAK kayak, with paddle and safety gear all in the TRAK golf bag, on the scales, the scales were too small to weigh the boat it seemed and I told the bag man it weighed 70lbs and he unhappily shrugged and tagged the bag. I was issued tickets and off I went, looking like a right character in my Chaco sandals, shorts, singlet and wearing a PFD while backing a Back pack.

                                                     - Jaime -

5pm: board plane, no one blinks much at me and all my gear (from what I can tell any way), everything fits well on the plane, I am impressed by the newness of the TACA plane.

                                                     - Jaime -

6.30pm: Touchdown San Salvador City, El Salvador.

                                                     - Jaime -

8:45pm: Arriving at Tocumen Airport and the first thing I do is get to the bathrooms to wash the stinky sticky sweat off me, a much needed freshening up.  Feel much better. Sit myself down in baggage claim and get comfortable for the next couple hours with my book, iPod, Spanish phrasebook, people watching and an attempt at some shut eye.

                                    - Allie -

8.50pm: Boarding was supposed to be at 8.10pm, after a long wait we are told the flight is delayed until 2am, and we will be put up in a hotel until then. We file after our attendant, get stamped into EL Salvador and board a bus (it seems I always have a misadventure when passing through this country, last time I was driving through El Salvador with my mate Ian and we had a lady drive into the rear of our vehicle; $500us later and a police escort to the border we were cleared of further responsibilities and well on our way to the Honduras Border). 20 mins later we Pulled up outside the Intercontinental Hotel and were put in super Plush rooms and given dinner.

                                                     - Jaime -

9.55pm: I Sent Allie and email to tell her what had happened as she would now be in Panama airport awaiting my arrival (as long as she had no delays). I hopped she got the message soon and would sort herself out room in the city and would let me know where to find her. I enjoyed a hot bath and slept till 12.45am

                                                     - Jaime -

10:45pm comes and goes. One plane-load of passengers arrives and I squint my eyes at the distant crowd, worried that I don’t see him, that he might have passed me by, that I forget what he looks like and I’ve missed him.....crap

                                    - Allie -

12:45am I pass the hours repeating my routine; pacing, wondering, waiting. Dos Policia (2 Policemen) approach me. I was prepared for this so I had managed to string together a decent phrase explaining what I was doing.  They asked me to wait outside past customs for Jaime and that his Taca flight from San Salvador would be arriving in about 25 minutes. Great!

                                    - Allie -

1am: back on the bus to the airport. Going through customs with my bags again I ended up having a bunch of stuff pulled out that I had flown with so far, they dug out a well buried Lighter, took my sewing repair kit (the needle was dangerous), went through my first aid kit; removed my tweezers, my safety pins, my wire ties though strangely left my syringe needle. The officer then repacked my stuff and I was on my way again. Annoying to have your first aid kit depleted of useful tools. Back on the Plane TACA then issued all the passengers a $300 flight voucher to compensate for the Delay. Wow good service.

I hope Allie has sorted herself out, I haven’t received an email from her yet, there should be one once I arrive in Panama, or maybe she is waiting for me by sleeping at the airport ( I hope not, it’s been a big delay).

                                                     - Jaime -

3am: I’m now really restless. There’s no internet anywhere, no food kiosks, I’m rationing what little snacks I brought with me from home, and I manage to find some grossly uncomfortable chairs on which to contort my body for a half reclined ‘rest’. Growing increasingly impatient, I can’t sit still. I do some stretching in the empty corridor, and in my forward standing bend I spot some TV screens through my legs, waaay down the hall. Ah! Arrival screens! I finally gain some information about his flight....yes, scheduled arrival 10:45pm. It’s now 3am. New estimated arrival: 5:45am!!!! I’m cursing the airlines in disbelief, shaking my head, turning to walk away only to look back again just to make sure I read it correctly. Arrgh!

                                    - Allie -

5 am: Almost time for touch down, i have been given quite a good meal, and watched a movie, also i have been sitting in the exit row and have had lots of leg room! despite the delay the service and my experience with TACA has been great!

                                                     - Jaime -

5:40am: After managing about an hour of rest on a couch found in one of the car rental agencies, I awoke to the sounds of people stirring in the airport. Yay!! I hoist my pack on my back, rub my bleary eyes, and head towards the arrival doors and not 5 minutes later, I see him walk through the doors, laden down with boat, backpack, camera bag....yup it’s really him! I drag myself towards him, so completely exhausted. 

He doesn’t understand why I’m so exhausted... “You got my message right? Did you get a hotel in town?”

“What! No?!”  I reply in disbelief. I’m shaking I’m so tired and hungry. I tell him my story.

“You have been in the airport all night?" he states. "Oh. Well I guess you don’t wanna hear where I’ve been then!”

                                    - Allie -

7.30am: We are now combined as a team for the Adventure in Panama, we make friends with an Israeli couple, Yeffat and Gillad, and we share a taxi into the city to their Hostel. There was originally no room for us at the hostel so we went looking for a pay phone and found a cheaper room in the old town of Casco Viejo, only $22 a night with free Wi-Fi, breakfast and a kitchen for cooking. On our return to the original Hostel we are informed there is a room available for $40 a night, we thank them though move on, with hopes of catching up with Yefet and Gillad later in the trip.

9am:

After boarding a Taxi for a $4 ride across town through the bustling streets and skyrise apartments of Panama city, we find our way into the narrow cobbled streets of the old town, and eventually find our budget accommodation. The area is wonderful, the room spartan yet comfortable with a nice open air window. we are more than happy we eat some of the Banana's provided for breakfast, then go looking for Brunch before passing out for the afternoon, to catch up on much needed sleep.

Panama here we are and it is nice to be here! The day was Allies Birthday and the coming night presented some crazy adventures stay tuned!

                                      - A 'n' J -



The Panama Adventure Begins

Here is a little video to bring you into the Adventure Allie and I are having in Panama. stay tuned for more written, visual and audio adventure logs.

-J-

PANAMA 2012

Filming for upcoming episodes of the "TRAK Files" (Sponsored by TRAK Performance Folding Kayaks) that I am working on will be priority, along with a couple of short films on the country and our adventures. Keep up with our adventures while we greet new days with yoga, learn to surf on warm friendly beaches, meet interesting characters, paddle the coastline of an island chain in the pacific, camp under starry skies or in jungle canopies and explore lush jungle rivers in hopes of a river journey from the mountains to the Caribbean sea.       - J -

“Travel and writing go hand in hand for me. I love to wander the wilds seeking out adventure and showcasing that which is curious and finding the unexpected and remarkable in it.  Sometimes it’s aimless, allowing space for it all to unfold, sometimes there’s a more solid grasp of its focus.  Travel is my way of life, it is what colours my tapestry so intrinsically and I find great value in connecting with kindred spirits and familiarizing myself with other fascinating cultures. 

Adventure for me can come in so many forms - where do you feel the most alive?  Where do you release to what is happening in front of you in this very moment? It can be found in physical endeavors such as sea kayak expeditions, or getting lost in a foreign city or the world’s largest souks, to midnight missions in the mountainous forests on a summer solstice.  ‘The best journeys answer questions that in the beginning you didn’t even think to ask’ (180 degrees South;2010), they push my limitations, expose my fears, and as a result leave me with a better understanding of myself.

 

Through writing I strive to continually refine my greater purpose, to vulnerably let all parts of me, good and bad, shine through, to nurture my voice and develop my style.  This is what I most admire in other writers and I hope to instill a similar sense of inspiration in my readers when they can connect with what I write about. I love learning to bring images alive, to convey feeling so the reader may get inside the memory of my shared tale rather than from the outside watching me remember it. It is my outlet for creativity and a forum to provoke conversation and action in our lives.”                                      --allie carroll

Just Released; Trak Files Episode 1 !

After over a year of filming, and 2 months of editing episode 1 of the TRAK Files is finally released! 7 months more of filming and editing to come too fully produce the entire series!.

The TRAK Files will follow Jaime Sharp along with the TRAK folding kayak as they explore the world of kayaking, international travel and Just what the TRAK Kayak can deliver to current and potential clients, wether they are weekend warriors, technical paddlers or international adventurers!

Enjoy the begining of a fun adventure! J

Released Today From Wandering Wolf Productions

A great adventure at the Northern end of vancouver Island turned into a spectacular journey of wildlife encounters. while filming for TRAK Kayaks new TRAK FILES webisode series we encountered curious sea lions who allowed me to create this wonderful campaign starter for TRAK. Enjoy! (yes our hearts where racing at the time these are big animals!)