I remember my first ocean crossing, Atlantic 2003, working as crew on a traditional sail training ship. The journey took almost a month longer than what we had thought. The blue dish around us (a.k.a. ocean) became our world, the colour green started to fade in our memories and life, at times, got pretty monotonous. The starry nights when the guitar and maracas came out often brought back sparkles to our eyes and brightness to our minds, when we were else trotting along like work horses from one four hour shift to the next.

Although nowhere close to being a great musician, I love pulling out my guitar whenever I can or tinkling out a few tunes on pianos I find in random places. How grateful I am to Mum and Dad for having pushed me through music lessons, at times reluctantly, throughout my childhood and youth! Now, one of the best moments I remember from most countries I have lived in are those in a circle, shared with friends, singing and dancing, and sometimes fire twirling, around a fire.

Have you ever thought how a world without music would sound like? Like life without colour? My current favourite Mariachi is Luis Miguel’s (the younger and Latino version of Frank Sinatra) Si nos dejan (Yes, you may call me cheesy, but at times there’s nothing better like melting away like butter to Mexican folk music.).

“Si nos dejan, nos vamos a querer toda la vida… nos vamos a vivir a un mundo nuevo… buscamos un rincon cerca del cielo…y ahi, juntitos los dos, cerquita de Dios, sera lo que sonamos…”

Although the English translation sounds nowhere near as romantic as the Spanish lyrics, here it is if you are interested:

‘If they let us, we will love each other forever… we will settle in a new world [and] look for a corner near heaven… and there together, near God, will be what we have been dreaming of…’ 

Next post, less cheesy, more sweet, I look forward to sharing one of my favourite raw cake recipes with you – easy to replicate without fuzz, nor oven, on any boat – as well as in your home town kitchen.