Heading Home to Nine of Cups

Our last day in Vegas was hectic … go figure. We've been here since January and had plenty of time to get things done, but still some things got put off till the very last minute and we struggled to cram it all in before heading to the airport. David had some parts that he'd forgotten to order and we scrambled to locate them. We wanted to say goodbye to David's mum and a friend of hers (and ours) decided to give us a flat screen TV that we needed to pick up. A cruising friend's laptop died and they asked us to pick up a new one for them and bring it back with us to Trinidad. Then packing, last minute laundry, chores … and then we were at the airport hugging Mary and Karen goodbye.

We're budget-minded, as you know, so we booked a red eye to save a significant amount of bucks, but it takes a toll on these old bodies. Our previous experience flying to Boston from Trinidad with Jet Blue wasn't the greatest, but they're cheap (in more ways than one). Unlike the last nightmare flight on Jet Blue, however, this flight was on time, the crew was friendly and they even offered snacks and drinks en route. Heck, we even got hot towels to wash our faces before landing.

We arrived in Fort Lauderdale at 0500 EDT … 2am Vegas time. It was dark, much colder than Vegas (only 55F) and we were a bit stove-up and tired from the 4.5 hour trip. We had a 5-hour layover to look forward to and we were hoping to find something in the way of breakfast. Egg and turkey sausage patty breakfast sandwiches and weak coffee were the best we could find and reluctantly spent $15 on mediocre food to satisfy our hungers.

As I write, the final leg of our Jet Blue flight to Port of Spain, Trinidad is scheduled on time. We're sitting at the gate, charging all of our electronics and trying to stay awake. That darned sausage patty is doing a good job though … we're definitely not sleeping with that in our systems.

FAQ - Do you have boat insurance?

Well, it's boat insurance renewal time again … a depressing, expensive time of year and one which really impacts the budget. Comparative to house insurance or car insurance, boat insurance is over the top … thousands instead of hundreds of dollars. David's written about having boat insurance in the past and I thought I'd reiterate … mostly because misery loves company.

If you have a mortgage on your boat, just like a house, you must have insurance. We never had a mortgage on Nine of Cups, but the investment was substantial enough (like a house without a mortgage), that we felt insuring her was important. After a couple of years in the Carib, when it was time to renew, the insurance company told us we could not go to Colombia. We took exception to their exception and canceled the insurance and muddled around until 2009 uninsured and without consequence.

When we arrived in New Zealand, we were required to have insurance to check into any marina, be on one of their moorings or be hauled out in the boatyard. Only third party liability was required and it was relatively inexpensive ($300-400). We bought it, so we could haul out. We sailed to New Zealand's South Island that year and while we were in Picton, cruising friends who were on a land holiday, stopped by to say hello. We talked about boat insurance at length. They were insured, but it was such a huge chunk of their budget, they wondered if it was worthwhile and they were thinking about not renewing. Fast forward one month later … they hit a reef near Whangaroa and their boat went down in a matter of minutes. The insurance paid up and they bought another boat. When news of our friends' loss reached us, it gave us food for thought and lots to ponder.

We investigated several insurance companies and finally found one through a local New Zealand agent that was underwritten by Lloyds of London and that we think provides us with the best coverage without breaking the bank. We now renew our insurance annually as painful as it might be. Have we ever had a claim? No … and really that would be the ultimate test of how good the insurance policy really is.

I will tell you that reading the fine print of our policy is a lesson in patience and, at times, incredulity. For instance, we are NOT covered for cyber attacks, civil war, insurrection or rebellion (or mutiny of the crew). We are not covered for radioactive contamination nor chemical, bio-chemical, biological nor electromagnetic weapon attacks including the explosion and subsequent consequences of a nuclear reactor. Oh, the list of exclusions is very, very long, but of course, we're hoping we never have to worry about them.

One thing to consider with the cost of the insurance is that some agents charge credit card fees; there are fees for foreign-currency exchange if that applies and if not, fees from your bank for a wire transfer.

We know many, many cruisers who do not opt to insure and just as many who do. It really depends on your peace of mind, what risks you're willing to tolerate and how much you have invested in your boat. Again, some marinas (especially New Zealand and Australia) require proof of insurance. Australia, by the way, requires AUD$10 million liability insurance, but our $5 mil policy from New Zealand sufficed when we discussed it with them and they made an exception.

Our liability insurance was reduced to US$1 million this year because we're returning to the USA … not sure why, but it did. Americans are a litigious lot, perhaps that's the reason. We are required to be either south of 12.07N (e.g. Trinidad) or north of Cape Hatteras between 1 June and 30 November or losses from a named or numbered windstorm (i.e. hurricanes or tropical depressions) are excluded. We're also not insured if we opt to go to Venezuela, Haiti or Cuba.

We'll be lucky if we get all of our work done on Cups and get out of the marina by June, so this time we're okay with the restrictions. Now if we can just keep the crew from mutinying ...

Las Vegas' Ethnic Markets

Like many large cities, Las Vegas is a melting pot of people … all colors, religions, nationalities, ethnicities. Nowhere is this more evident than in the ethnic markets that abound in the city. Some large grocery stores and many tiny, strip-mall shops offer goods specific to the needs, wants and preferences of “the old country”. We enjoy just stopping in and wandering around, checking out things with which we're unfamiliar, smelling the spices and generally just browsing. It's also a great way to enhance your language skills.

Hispanics comprise about 30% of Clark County's population (the county in which Las Vegas lies), as evidenced by large grocery stores such as Cardenas, Marianas, La Bonita, El Super and several more. We receive their flyers every week in the mail and enjoy our Spanish language lessons as we're reading. I love walking through Cardenas or Marianas especially. The stores are big and modern, but with a decidedly Spanish flair in décor and certainly in the merchandise offered. Instead of white loaf bread, tortillas are on offer and in fact, in several stores there's a tortilleria viewing area for watching the tortillas being made.

There are lots of unusual veggies and fruits for sale that we wouldn't usually see in a regular grocery store here, like tomatillos, cactus leaves, sugar cane, chayote, mounds of jalapeno peppers and huge calabazas (squash). We saw a mountain of piloncillo on sale and it took us awhile to figure out it was formed, cone-shaped Mexican brown sugar.

Colorful piñatas hang from the ceiling and the walls are decorated in a Spanish/Mexican motif. Why not? After all, Las Vegas was once part of Mexico and it was a Mexican trader who first discovered the “oasis” for weary travelers here and named it Las Vegas, the meadows.

The Asian population has doubled over the past 15 years and Asian stores are flourishing. We stopped in at Ranch 99, a popular Asian supermarket that was celebrating the grand opening of a new store. It was absolutely wonderful. Red Chinese lanterns hung from the ceilings. In addition to the usual products you'd see on any grocery shelf, there were all sorts of Asian spices and sauces, an entire rice aisle, sweets and sours. Seaweed snacks were on sale. Canned jackfruit, lychee and sapota were available. Asian beers like Saporo, Tsingtao and Kirin were stacked on end caps. I was pleased to see Year of the Monkey graphics on the Tsingtao six packs and fine, colorful dragons on the Kirin. A change of pace from the Budweiser Clydesdales.

The best part of Ranch 99 was the live fish tanks. Catfish, tilapia, carp and lobsters swam around in their respective tanks, waiting for customers to choose them. Talk about fresh! On second thought, “being chosen” is probably not all that great if you're the fish. Salmon heads were on sale at 99¢/pound.

We also stopped at Las Vegas' Chinatown. It's an interesting part of town at the corner of Wynn and Spring Mountain. All the signs are in Chinese although Filipino, Japanese, Vietnamese, Thai and Indonesian all seem to be well-represented in restaurants and shops.

There's an elaborate paifang (traditional Chinese entry arch) and the area roofs are all embellished with tiny, classic animal statues known as roof charms.

A huge statue of Xuanzang, a legendary priest who traveled with his disciples (a monkey, a pig and a goblin) in search of Buddha, is the centerpiece of the market area. We learned a bit of Chinese mythology while touring the ethnic markets.

India Market caters to the Asian Indian population. Instead of white bread or tortillas or mung bean buns, we found naan, the traditional, delicious Indian flatbread, on sale. Ads for the upcoming Holi, Festival of Colors, celebration were posted on the windows. Rose water and ghee and dal and lentils were being offered. The aisles were narrow and the shelves crammed with interesting items. Indian spices were pungent and plentiful. Ganesh and other Hindu gods stood sentry over the aisles.

The Aladdin Market specializes in mid-Eastern foods. Fresh pita bread filled a center aisle table and customers were scoffing it up continually. Turkish coffee and exotic teas, cans of stuffed grape leaves and fried eggplant, and jars of hummus and Moroccan harissa lined the shelves. Samovars were for sale. Fresh honey-infused baklava was available in the pastry area. The shop was filled to capacity with products and more were being delivered while we visited.

We didn't spend enough time in each shop and there were still more shops that we didn't have a chance to visit like Chez Chantal, an African-Caribbean store, and The Brazil Store. There are Italian trattorias like Siennas and Kosher delis and all sorts of little shops catering to specific appetites and niches in this city's diverse population. I'm sure we'll discover many more on subsequent visits to Las Vegas and we'll make an effort to seek them out.

It's possible to travel the world and sample different cultures without even leaving the city … just try their food. Though we enjoy traditional American fare, it's interesting to taste the traditional foods of other cultures and people, and what better variety than at the markets where they shop.