Another busy day on the horizon…Memorial dinner party tonight…Booking, booking and more booking…

Tomorrow, we’ll be busy listing Tom’s railroad memorabilia online for sale, including about 12 of these commemorative plates.

Last night, our plans with Madighan were dashed due to potential strep throat and flu. Neither of us could afford to get sick with plans to leave here in 20 days. Also, Tom is still on antibiotics and Prednisone, and getting sick on top of his awful cough would only worsen matters.

Instead, we’ll pick a date next week to get together and celebrate. Today, at 4:00 pm, we are heading to our friend Connie’s home for dinner at her home on Lake Minnetonka to commemorate her husband Jeff’s passing at our holiday home in Marloth Park one year ago today. It’s hard to believe that was a year ago. It seems so much longer.

After a while, we’ll go to the nearby liquor store and buy a bottle of wine to bring to Connie’s. We always feel it is essential to bring something when invited for dinner at a friend’s home. In South Africa, we only needed to bring our drinks, mix, ice, and possibly meat to cook on the braai. That tradition is not common in the US.

This morning, we spent almost two hours researching flights from Quito to Manta, a hotel for one night in Manta since we didn’t want to drive to the holiday home in the dark, and a rental car for three separate months. Tom will have to return to the airport twice while we’re at the house to get another vehicle.

As it turned out, each of the three rental car periods had much better pricing using three different companies rather than trying to book a car for the entire time at the house from October 24 to January 8. Plus, the rates had almost doubled over the Christmas holiday season.

As a result, Tom will have to make the one-hour drive from the holiday home to Manta twice during our stay; most likely, I will go with him each time to shop at the bigger grocery stores. I anticipate the remote location where we’ll stay won’t have any major grocery stores nearby.

Since our flight from Quito to Manta doesn’t arrive until after 8:00 pm, we planned to stay one night in Manta so that we can more easily find our way to the property in the morning. Also, it will allow us to do some food shopping in Manta before we head to the house.

No doubt, the small car won’t have a lot of room for lots of groceries, but at least we’ll be able to squeeze enough for a few days while we figure everything out from the house. Moving into a new remote location requires extensive research to see what’s available in the area.

In the worst case, we can buy coffee, cream, and staples for the first week. A few restaurants are near the house in case we have to eat out for several days. This part of our travels is fun for us when we find the best solutions for our needs while we’re there.

There weren’t a lot of options for flights from Quito to Manta. There were prices listed for half of what we ended up paying for the one-way flight, but those prices didn’t include any carry-on bags or checked bags. At the higher prices of $99 each, instead of $59, we saved over $200 for baggage fees. It made a lot of sense to go that way.

We found a highly-rated, inexpensive hotel near the airport so we wouldn’t have to drive far in the dark in unknown territory, which included breakfast. We’ll get up early, have coffee and breakfast at the hotel, and be on our way, as we mentioned, looking for a supermarket on the way.

It’s all becoming a reality now as we pin down our plans. Once settled in Ecuador, we researched where we wanted to go. Do we go to Brazil and Bolivia to the Pantanal or plan a cruise on the upper Amazon? Or both? Time will tell. Of course, this is all based on how we’re feeling at the time due to a few recent health concerns.

At 3:30 today, we’ll head out to the memorial dinner party at Connie’s for surely what will be a good experience.

Be well.

Photo from ten years ago today, September 21, 2013:

Moonbeams over the Indian Ocean last night at the Blue Marlin Restaurant in Kenya, reflecting off the ocean and lighting the sand. Tiny sand crabs were scurrying about at our feet as we stood in the sand. For more photos, please click here.

Back in Honolulu after a 21 minute flight from Kauai…Out and about for shopping, fun and food!

Crossing over a bridge in Honolulu.
Yesterday, we left the condo at 10:30 am to drive to the airport in Lihue. As always, Tom drops me off at the curbside with the luggage while I grab a skycap to take away our three prepaid checked bags while he returns the rental car.

We’ve got this routine down pat for check-in only. When we’re leaving an airport, we haul the bags ourselves, which we’re able to do with me pulling the wheeled cart with all the carry on bags and wheeling the smallest of the three bags while Tom wheels the two heaviest bags. This way, we only have to pay for assistance part of the time. 
We took the Pink Trolley to the shopping mall in Honolulu.

After the flight as we made our way to baggage claim, Tom suddenly realized he didn’t have his driver’s license in his pocket. Having to show it several times to board the plane, he kept it in his shorts pocket.

When he realized he must have dropped it on the plane, he left me outside with the carry on bags while he ran back to see if it could be recovered. Losing his license would be a fiasco when at many ports of call, showing it is required to get on and off the ship.

And, what about the rental car in Cairns, Australia which requires a driver’s license?  How would he get a replacement through the mail from afar? It was a dreadful thought. Again, “safari luck” kicked in. A kindly baggage agent ran to the plane moments before it was taking off again to recover the license, refusing to take the generous tip we offered.

The fare was $2 per person each way.

After the 25-minute taxi ride, we finally arrived at our hotel, Hyatt Place Waikiki by 3:00 pm. It was hard to believe it took so long considering the short flight. It’s all the “monkey business” in between that takes up the time, typical on every flight regardless of its actual flying time. The hotel room was small but conveniently outfitted with a big-screen TV, free wifi, and a comfortable king bed.

As I write this now, the Indy 500 just ended and before too long we’ll check out and head to the pier. Having not seen the race in a few years while living outside the US, it was exciting to see how the presentation of the race has escalated with newer video technology making it all the more exciting.

Over the past several days I’ve been thinking about purchasing a pair of white pants to go with the many tops I purchased a week ago in Kauai. To avoid putting pressure on our time, I threw it out there as a possibility if time allowed.

The exterior of our hotel, Hyatt Place. 

Yesterday, once we were settled in the room, I looked online and called Old Navy to see if they had white jeans in my size. With a few options in stock, Tom who despises clothes shopping agreed to go with me to the Ala Moana Shopping Center a few miles down the main road. 

Instead of spending $50 for the round trip taxi, we decided to take the Pink Trolley that travels directly to the mall and back. All we had to do was walk two blocks to the trolley stop in front of a hotel down the road. Within minutes we were riding on the open-air Pink Trolley, thrilled that we’d decided to do this enjoying the scenery along the way.

A ukulele store we passed on the ride.

When we were in Honolulu/Waikiki last October for 11 days, we walked everywhere instead of taking the trolley. But, as the day wore on and wanting to have dinner at our favorite local restaurant, Cheeseburger in Paradise, taking the trolley ensured we could accomplish it all.

And we did accomplish it all. Not only did I find a pair of white pants, modeling them for Tom while he sat in a chair in the fitting room, but I was also convinced I’d found exactly what I wanted when he smiled and gave me the thumbs up. I think that the first time Tom had ever been in a fitting room with me.

A blurry photo of a Banyan tree which lines the boulevard in Waikiki.

The only item I needed to complete my wardrobe for the cruises was a pair of high-heeled shoes, preferably with a cork wedge-type heel for added stability. Recently, tossing a pair of shoes, I was down to five pairs. I had no qualms about replacing the sixth pair with something new and attractive in light of three upcoming four dress-up nights on the cruise.

In no time at all we found the shoes and were back on the return trolley, getting off at the correct stop for the restaurant.  It was 7 pm. All had worked out as planned, we had a great time and didn’t have to wait more than a few minutes to get a table. The dinner was great as expected. I had my usual Cobb Salad and Tom splurged with a burger and onion rings.

Before dark, we arrived at the restaurant for another great meal.

By 11:00 am, we’ll be checked out of the hotel and shortly on our way to the pier taking a shuttle arranged by the hotel for $17. Cruise check-in begins at noon.

Tomorrow, we’ll be back with ship photos and more. Please check back then!

Have a safe Memorial weekend!

                                               Photo from one year ago today, May 24, 2015:

A breathtaking view from our veranda of the private home we rented in Madeira, Portugal for two and a half months. We were never tired of this view. For details from this date, please click here.