Adventure in the Dominican Republic

Hi everyone,

I've been in Cabarete twice before. Usually I prefer to see new places when I travel but since this is one of the best kitesurfing spots in the world, I can't stay away. Last week there wasn't any wind so instead a friend of mine I met here last summer promised to take me on an adventure. I hoped to experience some extreme things but this went way over my expectations.

Day 1
We left around 4 pm after my friend got back from work with the rental car which turned out to be a disaster. First lesson, always check that the car you rent actually works. The car stopped working twice. First it started to fill up with smoke and two hours later the battery broke. We had been driving for about 4 hours and only had 8km left.
We were in the middle of nowhere quite late in the evening and I thought we would have to sleep in the car. It wouldn't have bothered me if I wasn't so hungry. We hadn't eaten for 7 hours. Fortunately my friend speaks Spanish and we found some locals who called a mechanic who repaired the battery for 10 euros. A bumpy ride later and we finally arrived at the hotel.
They didn't have any rooms left but offered us a tree house. It was perfect.
Ever since I saw George of The Jungle I've always wanted to sleep in a tree house.
It was already close to midnight but they still served us food. I slept like a baby.

Day 2
My morning started with a proper rush of adrenaline I got when I jumped down a 50m cliff.
If it wasn't for the struggle to get back up I would have done it again. Thanks to my circus backround I was able to climb up the long rope that was hanging down in the water from the cliff. When I got up my whole body was shaking and I had a few new bruises. Breakfast has never tasted better.



We packed the bags and drove to a small shop to get the stuff we needed for the next

adventure.
We were a bit short on money and thought we might be able to catch a fish. All we bought was some chips, vegetables and some alcohol.
We left the car at the beach and payed a guy to drive us by boat to a desert beach and pick us up next morning. The desert beach turned out to be filled with tourists and other campers. Usually it's very empty but apperently that weekend happened to be the busiest in the whole year.
We weren't in the mood for tourism so instead we decided to take all the heavy bags and climb over a big rock to see what's on the other side. A half hour after climbing barefoot through the jungle we reached the most beautiful beach I've ever seen. There was not a single soul around and behind the beach were high mountains.
After setting up the tent my friend went out spearfishing. We deffinately hadn't brought enough food with us, so I decided to go on a coconut mission. I picked out a good tree, put the machete between my teeth and started to climb. I wish I hadn't done it in a bikini. It resulted in a lot of bruises. I cut down a couple of coconuts that unfortunately cracked but managed to get down quick enough to drink the remaining juice.

The hunger was still burning and my no fish was caught. Two coconuts wouldn't do so to instead he decided to cut down a whole coconut tree.
A half hour later we had more coconuts than we could eat and made some great tasting coco-locos (cocount juice with rum) with bambusticks as straws.
Everything was absolutely perfect until a guy who was walking by told us we shouldn't stay there over night. If anyone happens to see our tent across the water they might show up with machetes to steal our money and perhaps kill us. Even how much we wanted to stay on the paradise beach it wasn't worth risking our lives.
We moved our tent and walked back through the jungle right before sun set. We moved our tent twice. First beacuse of the wind and the second time because we realized the water was rising and our tent would have turned into a swimming pool. We made a fire and grilled the vegetables we had left.
Next morning we packed our stuff and took a boat back to the beach where we had our car. All I could think about was a warm wonderful shower. I kind of felt like I had been living in a trashcan for the past month, but my soul was at peace. That night I slept like a baby.

Cheers,

Jessica

Roadtrip

Hi everyone,

What a beatiful morning. There's no better way to start the day than jogging on the beach, and there's no better reward than a fresh coconut. I cut the coconut myself which resulted in a big mess, but at least I still have my fingers left.
The wind still hasn't been strong enough for kitesufring and the little kid inside of me is getting a little bit frustrated. Fortunately the upcoming days will be filled with action and adventure. I'm going on a roadtrip today. It's a place four hours away which is known for it's white beaches and waterfalls. Tomorrow I'll take a boat to a desert island and stay there one night.
Other than that I'm just chilling and going with the flow. I've been quite disconnected from music stuff but the other day I met a man who has worked with big stars like Led Zeppelin and Pink Floyd for instance. I gave him my single and he promised to sit down for a coffee and give me some advice.

Cheers,

Jessica

Sun, coconuts and beach parties

Hi everyone,

Right now I'm at one of the most beautful places in the world. I'm surrounded by wonderful people, coconuts and sand. I've barely used the Internet or my phone since I arrived last Thursday. My mother and flatmate both got very upset because I forgot to tell them I arrived safely after two days of travelling.



Unfortunately the wind hasn't been strong enough for kitesurfing yet, but there's still time. Instead I've been chilling, writing lyrics, swimming, making friends with the reef in a canoo, training Kung Fu on the beach, looking for amber in the sand and the other day I tried riding ont of the very primitive "motorbikes" everyone has got here.
Last night was aboslutely great. Went partying in town with some friends I met here last summer. Before going to one of the beach bars we stopped at a very known place called "Blue Bar". It's the best way to get a hungover. For 0,70 euros you get a half liter paper cup filled with rum and topped with coca-cola as a take away.

Later in the evening I had the weirdest bathroom experience ever. I was just about to close the toilet door when a Dominican guy pulls it open, comes in and locks the door. My body automatically prepared for defending myself but instead of attacking me the guy apologizes, pulls out a small plastic bag from his pocket, sniffs a bit of cocaine and leaves. I couldn't do anything but laugh. I mean, who does that?
Now I'm gonna go and get myself a nice coconut.



Cheers,

Jessica

New York

Hi everyone,

Oh, what a day. I woke up 05:30 and been travelling the whole day. Now I'm in New York and will continue to the Dominican Republic tomorrow morning at 04:30 am. There is something about the U.S security check that always makes me feel like a criminal even though I'm completely innocent. I hope they don't freak out because of all the vitamins I'm bringing with me to take care of my stubborn flu.
Now I'm waiting for some food delivery. I'm absolutely starving but unfortunately I kind of ran out of dollars so a small seafood soup will have to do. It better be good!

Cheers,

Jessica

All the bags are packed....

Hi everyone,

I've been packing the whole day. I'm going to the Dominican Republic tomorrow and will be back in the end of May. It's one of my favorite places. The picture was taken two summers ago at the same spot where I'm going.

My head is filled with all the possible things I have to sort out before I go. I can't wait to sit down on the plane. I love airports. I find them very relaxing, except for when you're almost missing your flight.

I always jump into this creative bubble when I'm on the plane. I guess it's because I'm not distracted by anything and free from obligations. It's a good place for songwriting.

I'll leave my laptop at home but I'll write when I get the chance.

Cheers,

Jessica

Lots of laughs and shaking teeth

Hi everyone,

Now the first part of the music video is done. I'm really satisfied and had an awsome day. When I woke up in the morning still in a slight fever and was coughing my lungs out but after a few Buranas I was already feeling better.

After we arrived to the shooting location, it didn't take long before we realized what a challenge it was going to be to stay warm.

We were filming in a an old factory that happened to be much colder inside than outside in the sunshine. The thought of taking my warm clothes off and perform in a top and a pair of short wasn't very comforting.

There was a lot of jumping around, hugs, standing next to the spot light and a few hours later a shot of Mint liquor when the coldness was close to unbearable. I prefer not to mix alcohol with work but this was a very good exception.

Even though most of the people thought they were going to freeze their butts of, everyone was in a very good mood and we had a lot of fun. We worked for 12 hours but it felt more like 5.

Big thanks to the awsome team, you guys did a great job!

Cheers,

Jessica

Ps. Thanks mom for the delicious food!

Snakes and blankets

Hi everyone,

Check out the picture my flatmate took this morning. Good morning beautiful! I felt like something the cat dragged out of the trash can.

I went to the doctor who informed me I have an infection in the thorat and the lungs. Why now? Can't the stupid infection wait til after my video shooting on Saturday? Maybe God is mad at me or something.

I spent a few hours being annoyed until I got bored of it. I soon realized it wasn't so bad after all being ill. It was a while since I took some time off to do something else than music stuff.

I watched a few movies accompanied by Squischy (it's a boa, not a guy), on the couch. He is the best to have around when you have a fever and always feel too warm with the blanket on and to cold without it. Snakes have a very cold skin temperature, so Squischy and the blanket makes the perfect combination.

Cheers,

Jessica

Gig

Hi everyone, Had a great evening in Le Bonk last Thursday. The gig went well and I'm satisfied. The only thing that wasn't so good was the mixing, so people couldn't always hear my voice and the guitar. Well, shit happens and then you die. Next time we'll have our own mixer. Cheers, Jessica