If you could pick any place on earth to work remote, where would you go? To me, it would be a place where I'd be working, while looking at white sandy beaches filled with palm trees and where crystal-clear ocean water is shining in the bright rays of the sun. This January I opened my laptop on three Caribbean islands.
St. Maarten/St. Martin - The Friendly Island
About ten years ago my cousin Bas moved to St. Maarten, met his wife Orianda and bought a house. I hadn't seen him for years and had never even met Orianda. They had prepared a guestroom and welcomed me into their home. During the day we were all working (I didn't mind their porch overlooking the ocean at all!), and during the evening we had a chance to have dinner together, catch up and get to know each other better. How well do you know people, if you haven't seen or talked to them for many years?
Bas let me borrow his car, so I could tour the island after I completed my work for the day. I coincidentally ran into my former GM of Macola, visited Orient Bay, the Loterie Farm, Pinel Island and Mullet Bay. White sand, palm trees and a bright blue ocean; such beautiful places! This was exactly what I was hoping for!
While enjoying the warmth of the sun on my skin, I took the time to read some books on my e-reader. Not long ago I discovered reading for fun. I've always focused on reading non-fiction books as I wanted my reading-time to be 'useful'. As a result, I associated reading with studying and found it exhausting, as there was so much information to absorb. I'm now switching between non-fiction and fiction. I finished “The Untethered Soul" by Michael Singer, “Absolute Power" by David Baldacci and started with “The subtle art of Not Giving a F*ck" by Mark Manson and “The Surrender Experiment" by Michael Singer. Who would have thought that I would enjoy reading just for fun? It makes me feel calm and relaxed.
Bas invited me to participate in a football game and we went surfing together. I used to surf quite a bit when I lived in San Diego, but now I was struggling. I tried to find reasons to explain what the matter could be. Is it my board? Are the waves so different than the ones in San Diego? Am I not good enough? Will Bas think I was bluffing about my surfing qualities? How can I let Bas know that 'normally' I would be able to stand up properly without sounding like I'm looking for excuses? Then I thought about Michael Singer's words in the Untethered Soul: “just observe your thoughts and emotions, don't let your 'likes' and 'dislikes' control how you perceive a moment." I took a deep breath and realized: I'm surfing in the Caribbean see with my cousin. How awesome is that! The water temperature is pleasant, the sun is shining and it's a beautiful day. Yes, I had different expectations about surfing again, but that's OK. Then I look up at the horizon and the most beautiful rainbow forms on top of the water.
After a week I thank Bas and Orianda for their hospitality, for making me feel welcome at their home, for preparing many delicious lunches, for letting me borrow a car, but most of all for having great conversations.
Guadeloupe - The Butterfly Island
My journey continues to Guadeloupe: an island in the shape of a butterfly. Considered an overseas department of France, Guadeloupe is part of the European union. Suddenly, I'm paying in Euro's again and using my Dutch power adapters.
I booked an AirBnB in Bas Du Fort and got a rental car for two days to explore the island. Wow! Just wow! This island is gorgeous: the roads are perfect and easy to navigate, it is green all around me, and the beaches and natural rock formations are spectacular. I visited Grande Anse and the botanical gardens in Deshaies, Pointe des Châteaux in Saint François and Le Souffleur in Port Louis. A mixture of relaxing, hiking and simply enjoying nature.
After I returned the rental car I in the evening I decided to walk back to the AirBnB. It was a 10KM walk and my host thought I was crazy. As Google Maps' walking route had sent me in all kinds of directions to avoid highways, it turned out to be quite the adventure with steep hills and somewhat shady neighborhoods. I listened to a podcast about Essentialism with Tim Ferriss and Greg McKeown and simply kept walking. After about two hours I reached the AirBnB. I'm safe mom!
During the week my work looked like it would from home: attending many conference calls, conducting training sessions and programming new solutions for customers. The only difference was that I took long breaks during the day to enjoy the beach in my front-yard and made up for those hours in the evening.
I saw a guy playing football on a piece of grass near my apartment and I challenged him to a one vs. one game. The 17-year-old complimented me after I beat him 10-4: “You're pretty good for your age." “-Wait, are you calling me old!?" The next day he knocked on my door for a re-match. No change in outcome.
On Friday morning it was time to pack my bags and leave one of the most beautiful islands I've ever seen. If you are unsure about which Caribbean island to visit, pick this one!
St. Thomas - Rock City
The last stop on my trip was St. Thomas in the U.S. Virgin Islands. My friend Kale, who I've met in New Orleans, moved to St. Thomas a couple of years ago, so I asked him if I could work for a week at his place. “Yeah man! Come down and stay with us!" Different flights took me from Guadeloupe to Dominica, to St. Maarten, to San Juan and finally to St. Thomas, where I got a big hug from my friend. After a quick stop at their home to drop my bags, pick up his girlfriend Tiffany and to admire their amazing view from their house, we made our way down-town for a few drinks.
The next morning we woke up early, because we were going on a boat trip to Culebra: an island of the shore of Puerto Rico. Kale and Tiffany had arranged a captain and gathered a group of 12 people to spend the day with. The water was so clear, the beaches so white and the sky so blue. What a stunning place.
There was no shortage of alcohol on the boat and all of a sudden we had a serious dance party going on when the music got louder. Crowds were forming on the beach to spectate what the heck was happening on our boat. That's all I remember of that day.
Tiffany told me that she was afraid of heights and falling. To concur that, she wanted to go sky diving, but nobody wanted to join her. I want to start practicing to surrender to whatever the flow of life presents to you, so this was a great opportunity. “I'll join you," I said before even thinking twice about it.
We got into the tiniest airplane, and started to climb towards 10.000ft.
That was the moment when the door was opened and it was time to jump. What a thrill, what an adrenaline rush! We had a free fall for about 30 seconds, before my instructor told me to open the parachute and start cruising down to our landing spot. To see the Caribbean from that altitude, with many small islands and many shades of blue and green, is breathtaking.
During the week we all worked our regular hours and had dinner together with a couple of pretty interesting conversations. I also had a chance to have lunch with Amanda, a girl I've met during my college semester at St. Lawrence University in upstate New York in 2007. It's amazing how time flies. That was 12 years ago!
Before I knew it, it was time to pack my bags one last time. Time to go home.
I've thoroughly enjoyed my time in the Caribbean. I consider myself a blessed man to have family and friends all over the world and to be able to travel and work from 'wherever'. On the other hand: on any day during the last few weeks, one could have told me that it was time to go back to the Netherlands, and it would be totally fine. To be happy wherever I am, is what I'm truly grateful for. Cheers.
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