One of the things I loved most about becoming an Island Girl was that my life transformed into something so, so different from anything I had ever known up to that point. Long gone were the days of stuffy suits and stressful commutes, replaced with flip flops and decidedly less safe modes of transportation than my uber-safe Volvo S60 with seven hundred airbags and solid Swedish safety engineering.

After dabbling in island Suzuki Samurai ownership (even my teenage son – who embraces danger – exhibited concern over the safety of my first island “jeep” when he saw it), I threw total caution to the wind and bought a used scooter. (You know your jeep must be a total safety hazard when you consider a scooter a safer transportation alternative.)

I affectionately referred to my new-to-me scooter as The Hulk – for obvious reasons.

The Hulk provided all manner of fun and carefree transportation. I blinged it out with loads of girly stickers to offset the Hulkness of it all. I was smitten. But eventually I transitioned back to driving something with four wheels and a roof – a much more practical SUV. Turns out, transporting kite or scuba gear requires way more concentration and balance on a scooter.

Fast forward two years. We are moving back to the island and in need of transportation. And while we plan to buy a solid truck as our primary kite/scuba/life vehicle, we need a second option. While we could get away with one vehicle between us on Guernsey, no way will that ever, ever, ever work on Bonaire.

So, of course, the dormant Island Girl inside me jumped at the chance to buy another scooter. Except this time, I’m upgrading a bit, and taking a new approach to island living. I’m considering this iteration as Island Girl 2.0 – safer (I’m going to wear a helmet this time around) and a bit more refined (hey, I have a proper office job now that requires a bit more formal wardrobe than bikinis and board shorts).

Without further ado…I introduce my new ride…retro cool. Just like Island Girl 2.0! 😉