Going to Maya country!

This year started with unseasonably cold temperatures even in coastal Georgia, and, after freezing for a few days, I had enough of both the cold and - to be honest - of too much leisure, as I have only worked very little during the last six months and started having vivid dreams in which my brain talked to me complaining: "Please don't put me on a permanent retirement, if you want me to continue to work for you. I need more intellectual stimulation, I need more challenge. Let's have another adventure, shall we!"

So I gave in... after founding a very exciting opportunity: a ground breaking model of nature conservation by indigenous people - in this case: Q'eqchi' Maya in southern Belize.

In a few weeks I'll be there... supporting this model, helping to make it sustainable, so it could attract replication elsewhere.

My leisure retirement in Georgia will have to wait... again.

And I do hope my body would do its best to keep up with my brain's demands.

Belize is far too interesting a destination to just work there. :-)

Such a fabulous snorkeling: Sapodilla Cayes, here I come!

Golden years on the Golden Isles of Georgia

My retirement merry-go-round, i.e. "living the world" retirement type ended - I resolved - two weeks ago, when I moved to the Golden Isles of Georgia, to live my golden years in a more stationary fashion, thus the retirement-merry-go-round blog comes now to an end.

June and July were filled with travelling all around the coasts of South Carolina, Georgia and Florida, (I promise to record those travels in this blog soon, under appropriate dates) before I settled on the Golden Isles, with their sandy beaches, fantastic nature preserves and the famous marshes of Glynn.

I shall continue my encore (= retirement, part time ) career of non-profit consulting offering hands on organizational and fund development to non-profits both locally and - for short term assignments - internationally, to aid them during the recession, and after it - especially rural and remotely located organizations, since these usually receive far fewer grants than other nonprofits, often due to lack of professional resources and far fewer public support due to their remoteness.

As for the rest, I plan to enjoy the beaches, forests and marshes, and the neighboring historical city of Savannah and the nearest large city of Jacksonville, Florida - both at a distance of 70 miles. I plan to visit my daughter in Atlanta often, visiting friends there and taking it the cultural offerings I so enjoyed there: opera, ballet, theaters, museums, my book clubs... enjoy what's left of my life!

I have enjoyed this blogging adventure for the last two years and all virtual - and personal - friendships I developed through it.

Till we meet again! :-)

El Faro de Cabo Rojo and La Playuela

At the beginning of this year I promised to show you more of one of my favorite spots in Puerto Rico. It is a nature preserve on the southwestern cap of Puerto Rico, Cabo Rojo, with great hiking areas, a lighthouse, dramatic cliffs,

salt fields
and the most beautiful beach in the entire Puerto Rico, la Playuela.

The beach is in a shape of a half moon, bordering a cove, enveloped in two "arms" of cliffs.

There is a lighthouse on one of the arms,

and a fan shaped escarpment at the end of the other.

Both arms have walking and hiking paths with tremendous views toward the playuela, the salt fields and the Caribbean sea on both sides of the cap.

La Playuela, lying in a protected cove, has a very calm water and the most azure caribbean color you can ever imagine. Its water is also very salty, so swimming and playing in it makes your skin very soft. Free natural thalassotherapy!

The beach is undeveloped, since it is within a nature preserve and only the most sturdy 4x4 with most skilled drivers are able to get there.

All others have to walk, leaving their cars somewhere along the road bordering the salt fields. But that is a small place to pay for having this place remain pristine, accessible to everybody and not marred by any housing and condo development. I love La Playuela and El Faro de Cabo Rojo and try to enjoy them once a week - preferably during the week, when there are a lot fewer other La Playuela lovers there.