I love it when you suddenly get reminded of a classic old dish or a cake or something else intensely flavorful, while realizing you have all the needed ingredients at home. That was the case with home made French fries the other day. Making them at home, you'll get them exactly as burnt and crispy as you want them and these were just disgustingly delicious.

Let me clear out a confusion by the way. Wikipedia is often very reliable but sometimes, in particular with food items translated into different languages, it sometimes gives the wrong information. The meat that I spoke about here isn't called Sobrebarriga here at all. There is something called just that, but it is not to be mistaken with the wonderful thin flank steak/bavette that I presented in the image. 

Another English name of the meat might also be flank skirt, though it's often refereed to as only thin flank steak.

I know my meat when I see it, but the words in different languages gets confusing and I wouldn't want you to order a sobrebarriga when looking for a flavorful thinly cut red meat, as the sobrebarriga in fact is more dull in flavor and has a more pinkish colour reminiscent of pork and is also way more chewy. Something we learnt after ordering it in a local restaurant. The sobrebarriga is apparently another part of the cows belly and thus they call it flank steak here without being anything close to the real thin flank steak I am referring to.

If we rely on another source, this beef glossary tells me that the bavette aloyau/thinly cut flank steak/flank skirt that I showed in my photo and which is the one we're always looking for, is something they call vacio/carne de falda in Spanish - but then again, it all depends on which Spanish spoken country you happen to be in. It's all very confusing. And it doesn't help that many tellers in the local supermarkets are equally confused. Note to self: find nearest real butcher and stick to it.

Above pictured meat is a (bit too) thinly cut lomo ancho which is the same as beef tenderloin but the French fries were the real masters of the show this time. 

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So now we've got the cabin and head in order. Sorting out wardrobes and drawers as we speak. Though we don't own very much these days, there's still some clothes that we rarely or never use that can go to someone who might be in better need of it. The longer I live on a boat, the less does it feel that I need, and these days I'm just happy if I can shut the drawers and doors without having miscellaneous garments and things floating around everywhere. The boat's still not exactly as organized as we envision it but we're slowly getting there. Such a relief having decided to stay here in Cartagena a bit longer so we have time and peace of mind to take care of all these small and other big details that makes life on a boat more comfortable and enjoyable.

A few photos taken by Jade while they still were here. Should always have a professional photographer around for more lovely candid shots like these! She doesn't update her blog often enough - though I wish she would share more of her stunning shots with the world - but here it is if you want to have a look.  

One of the things we decided a while ago was that we must not get into another rush. Many parts of the past three years has been stressful for the simple reason that we wanted to first get moving and start the circumnavigation already while still in Barcelona preparing the boat. And later on after we've been stuck in the Caribbean for almost two years due to change of boat etc, all we wanted was to get going forward. I guess acceptable and something most people might have done out of excitement and anxiousness for another adventure. But still, after arriving to Cartagena, we decided that the final big boat work will have to take the proper time it takes. Would we then be delayed from here to the extent that we would need to rush our way through the South Pacific to not hit the tropical storms when they start on that side in early November, well then let's not go right now and instead we'd stay around here for a few extra months until storms are over. 

There's no rush really, there's no deadlines to meet, and most importantly - we are in a good place and there are still a few areas which we haven't discovered on this side of the world. Cuba, Jamaica, Mexico and even Miami or why not New Orleans? These places are only hypothetical destinations right now, as we might as well be ready to transit the canal in time or make some other plans on the way. But if there's one valuable lesson we've learnt on our years at sea, it is that with stress comes pressure, with pressure comes unnecessary fights and arguments and if we take the time to remind ourselves, these were exactly the things we wanted to escape and get rid of when we first left Europe two and a half years ago.

Colombia has also been so good to us. Though I must admit, Cartagena is very touristy in the historical center and that's something one can get a little sick of after a while. But if you know where you're going and try to avoid most traps, this town is one interesting and inspiring place. It might not be super easy to find boat equipment and spare parts here, but on the other hand we've got most things we need onboard already, and there are so many other things that are way more economical and accessible here than in other parts we've been with the boat thus far. There's always pros and cons with every place. Big plus is that we feel very much in peace here, much thanks to the friendly and helpful people we've encountered.

So bottom line with this text is, we'll see what happens in the next few months. We are not going to stress it, though we do our best in finalizing our boat projects as swiftly as we can. Another option in case we won't be done before the Atlantic hurricane season begins - is that we could possibly sail out to Ecuador on the Pacific side, leave the boat there in one reputably safe and good marina for a couple months, and get out exploring the inside of South America by foot. Or why not from here? Cartagena is also out of the hurricane belt.

So many options. Best thing is that we still have time to experience it all, be it this season or the next. Safety and peace of mind is most important to us, neither of which we are planning to sacrifice this time around.

One Italian dinner.

Alex making a groove for lumber-holes and prepping gelcoat for epoxy application under the hatch cover.

So glad we've had the company of these cool people for a few days.

A great spot for traditional home made, qualitative and affordable local lunch and dinner. 

Traditional food in the making.

Always waking up with these two guys on my side. 

Great mixture of events this past week. Rooftop cocktails, late dinners with new friends, back to sleep in our own bed and some real good progress been made on the boat. Now back to the final boat projects here in the marina and soon we're off to the yard..

Last night, we had the best nights sleep since we got to Colombia. We've squeezed ourselves into a tiny quarter berth for a month now due to the cabin and bulkheads refit, so you can only imagine what a difference and relief is's been getting back to our huge 150 cm/60 inch bed. Now also freshly painted all around. And with crispy new linen it felt like the best bed and place ever. 

That's one of the pros of undergoing an extensive refit while living on the boat. As soon as the projects subsides, you'll see your home and boat with brand new eyes. And as the frustration for not finding things or having everything and all covered in plastic fiberglass protection diminishes, you'll begin to appreciate the smallest things as they were grander than ever before.

Can I go back to sleep already? 

This is how the bedroom looked one month ago. Here's one of the bulkheads, and this the other one. Finally all in place now, just some mahogany trims to be installed. Read more about the refit here.

Collection of the remainings of the gradual rig replacement we've done on the boat in the previous few months.. old pieces of stainless steel and bronze. Some of which had been on this boat for forty long years.

Speaking of bags, there are a couple stunning handmade clutches added to the shop this morning. These are made with a mixture of mola art hand-woven by the Kuna Indians, palm fiber, silk and or cotton. All very well detailed in great quality. It has several smaller compartments inside. Check them out here.

Just another turn at our favorite coffee shop in town.. Mila. I like the water bottles they've produced especially for the café. The brownie was delicious, and my bag is gorgeous. You can find it here.