A potentially life saving tool for yourself and others in the event….

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This morning’s view as I sit at my new ergonomically correct spot under a cabana by the pool.

“Sightings on the Beach in Bali”

This morning, three dogs running and playing on the beach.

Today’s story is about saving your life, the lives of your loved ones and the lives of others in the event of a disaster when a fresh water supply isn’t available. But first, a little background on how Tom (and eventually me) came to a point of following Bob Rinear’s daily posts, not unlike how many have many readers throughout the world have been following our posts.

Tom has been reading Bob Rinear’s financial newsletters, Invest Yourself, for the past eight years.  The first few years Tom only read the free edition and later, convinced it was well worth the expense, signed up for the for a lifetime membership for access to the full site and more in depth newsletters. It’s served us well. 

Bob’s newsletters not only discuss financial issues in the US and the world, but also includes topics relevant to many of us far beyond the scope of financial matters.

Although Bob is not a stock broker or a licensed financial planner, he shares with his 1000’s of readers “what he does” not what “we should do.” Thus, there’s no pressure to buy investments from him. He doesn’t sell them, nor give advice. However, his wisdom is vast, and we’ve learned a lot from Bob continuing to do so over time. 

The first view of the ocean of the four to five hour harrowing drive.

Today’s post is not intended to advise our readers to pay for a website. That’s entirely up to you and we reap no financial or other gain should you eventually decide to do so.

You may or may not agree with some of Bob’s philosophies, although his well thought out, researched concepts and opinions make for some interesting dinner table conversation. You can decide on that.

What makes us excited about Bob are the truisms he espouses that at many times can easily be incorporated into our lives of travelers.  On August 24th, he posted a story about how to save lives in the event of a disaster when fresh water supplies are unavailable.

In reading his post, we were literally in awe of the wealth of information and we encourage our readers to read his post as we’ve shown below, quoted directly from his site, the post entitled:  The Water Story.

Next view of the ocean during the long drive to the villa.

Here’s Bob’s post (although very long), is well worth reading in its entirety:
“8.24.2016 – Financial Intelligence Report Bookmark

on August 24, 2016 in Free Newsletter by BOB RINEAR

The Water Problem

Here it is, late August and the West coast of Africa is tossing off a line of unsettled weather, that crosses the lower Atlantic and ends up as a depression, Tropical storm or hurricane on our shores. I’m pretty darned familiar with such things as living through Super Storm, Sandy was the ultimate teacher of Preparedness.
 
I mentioned the other day that I think some form of “event” is going to take place over the next 6 months. Whether that’s a war, an economic disaster, a political assassination, etc., it just has a creepy feeling to it. So, with Hurricane season on us, the insane flooding in Louisiana, the fires out west…I figured it was time to do some articles about self preservation, both physical and financial. Let’s start with the most important life force….water.

Water is the most amazing fluid on earth, and yet we take it for such granted that no one gives it a moment’s thought. It isn’t just the “cool” facts about water that make it intriguing; such as the fact it is one of the only substances that exists in three states, being liquid, solid and gas without needing extreme temperatures to create each state. Water, for instance, is the only natural substance found in all three physical states at the temperatures that naturally occur on Earth.

 
But water is much more than “some wet stuff” we use to drink, cook and bathe. Studies have shown that water actually has a form of memory. Water can dissolve more substances in it than any other material known to man. Water is somewhat unique as it is one of the very few materials that increases in volume as it freezes. By expanding in volume by up to 9%, the density of water in its solid state is lower than it is in its liquid state. This gives ice the ability to float. Water has even been found to have “memory” something scientists are working with. (Continues below photo).
During the long drive, we crossed over many rivers, streams and waterways.

I could go on and on about the mystery that is indeed plain simple water, but for today I want to focus on the importance of it when we’re faced with a situation where there doesn’t seem to be any. Imagine for a moment if you will, a power outage that stops the town pumps from operating or your well from operating. Or maybe a disaster situation such as a flood, or Hurricane, or tornado.

While we take for granted the availability of water; when something ugly happens, water soon becomes a very serious focal point in your immediate life

Not to get terribly graphic, but even such things as personal hygiene become an issue when there’s no water around. Not only can’t you brush your teeth or bathe, the act of “going to the bathroom” becomes a major problem. If the toilets can’t flush, it won’t be more than a matter of a single day for a family to find out that they’ve got a serious sanitation problem. So, not only do we need water to survive, as the medical folks tell us that we can only last about 5 -7 days without water… We need it for much more than simply drinking.
 
So here’s the question. If something ugly happened… Say some natural disaster did knock out the power in your area for several weeks, and you were faced with the fact that the faucets weren’t going to work for quite a while, what would you do? Standard disaster preparing suggests that you have a gallon of water per person per day stored up, and you should have at least 3 days worth. Well, that’s fine if the disaster only lasts 3 days and all you’re doing is drinking it. Again, I’ll ask… How do you flush the toilets???
 
(Note… A lot of folks don’t know this, but you can flush your toilet simply by dumping a gallon and a half or so of water quickly -right into the bowl from a bucket. The toilet doesn’t care where the water comes from to flush, it works by water pressure in the bowl).  (Continues below photo).
A stream we crossed on the long drive.

If your home is secure, meaning you can live there, then, any old water will do as far as flushing the toilets. Get a 5 gallon bucket and fill it from the pool, a stream, a retention pond, a creek, a lake, Rain water you’ve collected etc. It doesn’t matter, you’re simply dumping it to flush the toilet. While certainly not convenient, just about everyone lives within a short walk of “some” body of water. Be creative in your thinking. When Sandy hit in NJ, and knocked my house down, my son and I had to move into an RV we had in a local campground. We had to take turns carting water from a small lake nearby, to keep the toilets functioning. It sucked… But it works. 

But what about drinking water? What about that morning cup of coffee or mixing up a can of soup? (Yes, I know this will require “cooking” and we’ll explore that in another issue. We’ll talk about easy ways to boil water and cook in the future) If you don’t have a store of water built up, are you destined to dry up and blow away? Not at all. But here’s why it is called “prepping” folks. You have to prepare ahead of time and have what you need on hand for when the disaster, outage, etc., hits. Once the power is down, once the water isn’t flowing, it is too late. You’re stuck.
 
I am certainly not against storing up gallons of water in your garage (again, remember seasonal temps …frozen water is a real problem if your house is just as cold as it is outside) or basement or what have you. The problem is of course that it is bulky stuff. It’s heavy and takes up a lot of space. You can easily store up enough to get you through a few days. But after that?? Now what? So what you need to do is have the tools on hand that allows you to “make” drinkable water from unlikely sources.
 
One of the remarkable things about our advancements in technology is that things that were impossible just 100 years ago, are very possible now. In the field of water purification, that is very evident. So let me ask you something. Did you know that there’s a water filter so advanced, that you can take stagnant creek water, and in ten seconds, produce clean clear drinkable water? Well, there is. In fact, there’s several ways to do this and we’re not talking about some thousand dollar giant set up here folks. I’m talking under 200 bucks. Later I’ll show you how to cut that to under 20. (Continues below photo).
This morning as the tide rises.

Some people have heard of the “life straw”, but many haven’t. While not the ultimate solution, this thing is cheap, works incredibly well and will keep you alive in ugly situations. It is a filter used by one person, to get a drink out of creeks, lakes, ravines, you name it. For 20 bucks a pop, it is something that everyone should have a few of. But they also make bigger units for filtering enough water for families to use.

http://www.vestergaard.com/our-products/lifestrawThe unit they call the “Lifestraw family 1,” will produce enough clean water for a family of 5 for 2 years. Yet it costs just 80 bucks. So “technically” you could go to a rain puddle, scoop up a couple quarts of dirty water, pour it through this thing, and end up with a quart and a half of clean drinking water. I quotation marked “technically “ simply because I’d take it one step further and boil the water that comes out, to make 100% sure it is sterilized and completely healthy. 
These units are used all around the world in humanitarian situations where they’re trying to help folks in Africa and other far off places with no clean drinking water, and it works. Is it perfect? No. It takes quite a while for 2 quarts of water to filter and although 99.99999 % effective, I’d want the last step of boiling or at least adding a drop of chlorine bleach just to kill that last chance something got through.
 
There’s another choice in the “portable” water filtering arena that bears mention for sure. This is called the Lifesaver Bottle. And it costs considerably more. It is 169 bucks for the personal version. But, I quote from the front page…
 
The LIFESAVER® bottle is the world’s first portable water bottle to remove all bacteria, viruses, cysts, parasites, fungi and all other microbiological waterborne pathogens without the aid of any chemicals (like iodine or chlorine) or the need for any power or UV light. Filtering down to 15 nanometers, that is 0.015 microns. With the smallest virus known being Polio at 25 nanometers, you are safe in the knowledge that LIFESAVER® filters all bacteria, viruses, cysts and all waterborne pathogens from your water.  (Continues below photo).
Ocean view when we stopped for one break during the drive.

On the site, they show the inventor drinking out of a polluted tank that they’ve tossed garbage in, rabbit poop in, you name it. He puts the bottle in, pumps the handle and drinks the clean water. It is quite amazing and yes,they have a larger version for more than personal use. It costs 209 dollars, and holds 18 quarts at a time. It too comes with the guarantee of removing virtually everything that can hurt you from a supply as ugly as swamp water. Amazing technology. Find it here…

www.lifesaverusa.com
Now for the more “handy man” of you out there, you can actually build something fairly similar to the Lifestraw family 1, for about 40 bucks. All you need is two food grade 5 gallon buckets, and a couple of these filters…
 
http://www.amazon.com/Doulton-Sterasyl-Ceramic-W9121715-W9121709/dp/B003VT5TEY/ref=cm_cr_pr_product_top?ie=UTF8
What you do is take one 5 gallon bucket and drill two holes in the bottom. Take these filters, and “stand them up” so the black plastic flange goes through the holes you just made and use the nut that comes with them to hold them in place. Take that bucket and place it on top of the other bucket. Pour your dirty water in the top bucket, and it will be forced by water pressure through the filters and drip into the bottom bucket. While certainly not as well as the lifestyle or lifesaver, if you started with relatively clean water, all you’d need to do is boil the cleaned water for 3 minutes and you’d have perfectly drinkable water.
 
For those of you with a few extra dollars to spend, you can make that same sort of bucket to bucket filter system with Berkey’s integrated filters. They cost about 107 dollars for two, but they are indeed state of the art. They not only get rid of parasites and bacteria, they remove like 70 different chemicals to “undetectable amounts”. You can find them here…
 
http://www.directive21.com/products/black-berkey-elements/
If you really want state of the art filtering, then you want one of the true life savers like the “big Berkey”. It will filter out the chlorine and other chemicals you don’t want to be drinking. They’re expensive units, but pretty attractive and work very well. Many people buy them just to run their household water through to get rid of fluoride and chlorine, etc. This is my favorite system, especially for a family.
 
http://www.berkeyfilters.com/
So obviously here’s my point folks. Yes, you should have some bottled water on hand for an emergency. But if the emergency outlasts your supply, you have to have some way to make water for hygiene and drinking/cooking. Those methods exist and they’re what I’d consider dirt cheap.
 
As far as finding water, again, most of you live at least “nearby” a stream, lake, pond, creek, retention pond, storm run-off pond, etc. From there you can get creative. Do you know how much water falls on your roof during even a small rain shower? It’s hundreds of gallons. Take one of your downspouts and run it into a food grade barrel or even buckets. Use one of the filters I mentioned to clean it up and then finally boil it for a few minutes for absolute safety.
 
I mention boiling because I’m paranoid. Yes, these filters are amazing, but I don’t want that one lone “tough guy” bacteria getting past it and infecting me. Science says boiling won’t reduce chemical pollution, but it kills viruses and bacteria. So if I can find what I might consider chemical free water, such as rain run off, then all I have to do is filter and boil and I’m good to go.
 
As you can see, the technology exists to take virtually any fresh water source and turn it into life saving, life sustaining drinkable water. It isn’t as convenient as turning on your tap, of course, but when the taps don’t work, it’s a true life saver. For the prices we’re talking, how could you not want a few of these things on hand?   (Continues below photo).
The river created by high tide waters next to the villa which is filled at low tide as well.

So here’s an action plan for you all. Get one lifestraw for each member of your family.They’re 20 bucks a piece. Keep them in your glove compartment or your kids backpack or whatever. They’re for emergency use only, of course, and not the most elegant way of getting water. But if you were stranded somewhere, it could keep you alive.

 
Buy either the lifestraw family 1, or the Lifesaver “Jerry jug”, or the Big Berkey for your family. The Lifestraw family 1 is 80 bucks, the Jerry jug, about 200, Big berkey about 230. They’ll all work well, I just give the edge to the Berkey.Then get yourself some food grade 5 gallon pails with lids. I get mine from the local “firehouse subs” joint. They’re the ones they get their pickles and other stuff in. They charge 2 bucks for them.
 
Look around your immediate block for sources of water. Because you usually view a little creek or pond as “icky” you probably didn’t pay attention to how many of them there really are. Find the closest one to you and then figure out the best way to transport water from it to your house. You might use a pull along wagon, your car if it has gas, a wheelbarrow, etc. Get yourselves a few larger food grade barrels, and figure out how to divert rainwater into it. You can grab it coming off a shed, your house roof, etc. If you only need it to flush toilets, toss a bunch of bleach in it, and it will stay for a long long time.
 
As you can see, there is now NO reason to not be able to produce drinking water for washing, bathing, drinking and cooking. A few simple steps now could mean a big difference in your quality of life in a bad situation. So, do some research on the things I’ve presented and get “prepared”.”
 

Tom reads Bob’s newsletters aloud to me a few times each day. After reading this newsletter about water we, along with many of his other readers, were appreciative of having this invaluable information.

Today, continuing our time in Bali, water surrounding us more than ever we find ourselves grateful for this useful and meaningful information. As a result, today’s new photos are all about water since we arrived in Bali a mere four days ago.

You can easily sign up (without any spam) for Bob’s free newsletter, if you’d like by clicking here.

Have a safe and refreshing day with ready access to a fresh water supply at your fingertips.

Photo from one year ago today, September 5, 2015:

The sun rising over Yorkeys Knob, photo taken from our veranda as we wound down our time in Trinity Beach. For more photos, please click here.

The wonders of paradise…

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Nothing better than a beautiful calf to spot on a walk in the area.

“Sightings on the Beach In Bali”

When we first glanced at these peculiar marking in the sand, for a moment we were baffled, only to realize these are “crab markings” made when tiny crabs go in and out of their specific holes. The patterns are each unique and interesting. As we stood quietly, we could see the tiny crabs. More of these to share at a later time.

It’s Sunday today. The staff is off for the day both at this villa and the villa next door, both owned by Egon.  We’re totally on our own.

Tom made coffee, one cup at a time in the small French press as we lounged in the still cool bedroom, each of us savoring two mugs topped with fine imported  Australian heavy whipping cream. 

Tom set up an outdoor work station for me, that’s ergonomically suitable making posting easy and comfortable. Why stay indoors when the outdoors is heavenly? Sitting in the otherwise comfortable chaise lounges with my feet up causes an undue stress on my spine. 

I can only sit on a chaise for about 20 minutes at a time, which I do when sunning while I read aloud to Tom. The 20 minutes flies by quickly. The remainder of the day, I walk around the house and grounds every 30 minutes for at least 250 steps each time. 

A sharp seashell edge mortared into on a stone wall to keep intruders out.  In Kenya, they used broken glass.

This “house, walking” adds up quickly when yesterday I managed over 7500 steps on the Fitbit including two other walks, one early in the morning in the neighborhood and again around 4:00 pm on the soft sand of the beach. We’ve adopted these habits to not only improve my condition, but also for good health in general. The goal is 10,000 steps a day. I’m confident I’ll be able to achieve it.

Sitting all day is easy to do with all the household help, but we must stay active. In no time at all we’ll be on a 33-night cruise with many ports of call to tour requiring lots of walking. Being prepared is vital to making the experience all the more meaningful.

The four to five hour harrowing drive set me back after sitting for such an extended period. Yesterday, I paid the price, forcing myself to walk as much as possible. This morning I awoke feeling much better, more hopeful, after the exercise and another good night’s sleep. 

There’s something magical about the sound of the surf, the familiar sounds of the motors of the fishing boats across the bay near Java and the roosters crowing beginning at 3:00 am. 

Motorbikes, the most common form of transportation in Bali is found everywhere. So are curious chickens, roosters and baby chicks.

We easily recall how we had trouble sleeping when the roosters began to crow. That was a long time ago. Now, they don’t awaken us. During daylight hours it makes us smile. In one way or another we get our “nature fix” especially here in Bali.

Coffee consumed, showered and then dressed in our swimsuits we headed out the door for the morning walk after dabbing on DEET in a few choice spots. The mozzies are fierce in Bali so a few times a day I use a roll-on DEET stick, the only product that seems to work. It’s not worth getting the bite, which results in three or four days of itching along with the risk of a variety of mosquito borne illnesses.

This morning’s walk was glorious with chickens and roosters dashing across the newly paved-with-pavers, road Gede had overseen shortly before we left over two months ago. Each six inch square was perfectly laid by hand without a single raised edge tripping hazard to be found. 

The locals living in the houses along the road wave to us.  Few speak English, but everyone says “hallo” in Bali. From the woman weaving prayer baskets while seated on a raised platform in her front yard, to the children playing with rocks in the road, perhaps their only toys, to the Hindu shrines adorning each simple house, to the cows and calves staring at us as we walk by …it all feels familiar and significant.

Landscaping in the yard of a house that was being built last time we were here which appears to be completed.

So far, we have 100’s of new photos. I’d forgotten how easy it is to find photos ops in Bali. They’ve all been taken in the past almost three days since we arrived in Kuta and then made our way to Sumbersari the next day.
 
In essence, it’s why we travel; the warm smiles; the genuine bow of the head with the clasped hands; the warm hugs offered in greeting and departing; and the simple surroundings; the sights and sounds of nature; people living their lives. 

Perhaps it’s all of these simple aspects of life in Bali that makes us so happy to be back as opposed to the isolation we felt in Phuket, spending days and nights in the bedroom with the air-con running when the immediate area didn’t quite offer what we find here; the ocean…right there, access to the people…right there and of course, an endless stream of “Sightings on the Beach in Bali.”

Roof ornament on another newer house in the neighborhood.

The future looks bright. We’re excited about our upcoming travels awaiting us; the long cruise, three months in Tasmania, 40 nights in Sydney, more cruises and our eventual visit to family and friends in the US, a mere eight months away.

For now Bali is our “home” and as they say “home is where the heart is.” At this moment in time, our hearts are right here together in this island paradise.

Photo from one year ago today, September 4, 2015:

An overgrown sheep found by the RSPCA outside of Canberra on September 2 2015
This is a photo (not ours) of previously long lost sheep, now named Chris, who was lost for years to be found in this dreadful condition.  With the help of professional shearers, Chris has been relieved of his mass of wool and is doing well.  Stories such as this are news,-worthy in Australia. For more details, please click here.

Ah…at last…We made it to the villa…It feels good to be here…All new photos going forward…

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The Chicken Run fast food restaurant on the highway in Denpasar. Fast food is common in most major cities around the globe, including many popular chains in the US.

“Sightings on the Beach in Bali”

We were thrilled to see the buffaloes strolling along the beach soon after we arrived. 
Two separate sets of two occurred a few minutes apart.

At 10:00 am, after the buffet breakfast at the hotel drinking very few liquids to reduce the necessity of stopping, we loaded the van and were on our way, first to the market and at some point, an ATM. 

Our regular Butu wasn’t our chauffeur this time. We got another Butu for the long journey to the villa. During our last stay in Bali, we wrote that children born of Balinese have only one of the four possible names. 

Here’s the link to the post with a further explanation about the four names including mention of why we included the above “Sightings on the Beach in Bali” for each post during our stay, repeated daily during these two remaining months of this stay.

Butu couldn’t speak much English. Gede had explained where we needed to shop, a small well stocked grocer that sells “mince” (ground beef). For the period of two months, we had hoped to buy again 10kg, 22.2 lbs.    When we approached the meat counter, the butcher explained he only had 5 kg available. 

As we drove away from the hotel to begin the harrowing four or five hour drive to the villa.

I asked if they could grind another 5 kg. The manager of the meat service came out of the back room smiling and bowing, happy to do pleasure.  That’s the Balinese people for you, always happy to please.

After an hour in the market, finding most of the products on our list and while waiting for the meat, Butu carried the cool box (cooler) inside the store from the van after which Tom packed the meat, streaky bacon and dairy products with ice for the long road trip ahead of us. 

The ground beef was a whopping US $97, IDR 1,278,250, translating to US $4.37 a pound for freshly, ground grass fed sirloin steak! Our total grocery bill was US $420.94, IDR 5,557,058, including most of the other grocery items we’ll use during the two month period.

Our total grocery bill was US$420.94, IDR 5,557,058, including most of the other grocery items we will use over the two month period. 

Note the number of air con units atop this building.    Many of our photographs will feature power lines that are seen everywhere.    I’m sorry I didn’t take the time to remove those. I have software to that effect, but it is a tedious process that I would prefer to avoid. 

Most of the meals they prepare for us average at US $10, IDR 132,015 making our total daily food cost around US $17.52, IDR 231,290, quite the bargain considering we don’t do any of the cooking or cleanup. Having them cook and clean spoiled us so much that it was painstaking cooking in Phuket. 

Anyway, once on the road on a beautiful sunny day, I decided I could distract myself taking as many photos as possible. With the massive amount of traffic, stopping frequently, I was able to open the van window to take shots while we weren’t in motion creating clearer photos. 

On April 30th, when we made the first trip from the airport to the villa the long drive occurred later on a cloudy, rainy day, dark before we arrived. Taking photos during that drive was pointless.

Yesterday was heavenly, perfectly sunny with stunning clear skies. Figuring that searching for photo ops during the entire drive would keep me preoccupied, the time went more quickly than I imagined possible. 

Internet cafes in other parts of the world may be referred to as “chat cafes” as is the case in Denpasar.

Even Tom, who wasn’t happy about the long drive, spent time searching for photo ops distracting him for a while. By 3:30 pm, five and a half hours after we began, we arrived at the villa.

Ribud greeted us upon our arrival with two frosty glasses of fresh squeezed orange juice (none for me, thanks). Shortly later, Gede arrived to welcome us  to see if we needed anything. Of course, we each shared how we’d spent the past two months. In the early evening, he returned, bringing us a loaded SIM card for my phone.

By the time the two Katuks arrived at 5 pm, we’d put all the groceries away, unpacked everything we’d use while here, leaving most of our clothing folded in our individual suitcases.Wearing swimsuits, all day, an occasional tee shirt and shorts, we put a few items in the closets and drawers.

The Ketuts prepared a lovely chicken satay dish with a peanut sauce (no sugar added), the stir fried vegetables we like so much, our usual salad and a serving of white rice for Tom. We were content. 

There was no shortage of elaborate Hindu statues in front of and atop a building in Denpasar, the capital of Bali. It takes a full two hours to drive through the city.

Again, we suggested they have dinner ready each evening at 5:00 pm allowing them to get home earlier to their families.

When we dine at 5:00 pm, they can be out the door by 6:00 pm leaving us to enjoy the remainder of the evening to ourselves. 

Arriving each morning at 8:00 am, after shopping at the open markets, they clean  the villa and do some prep for dinner. That leaves us with the middle of the day to ourselves.

As for my ongoing recovery, the flight day was easy. The four or five hour harrowing drive was tough. At this point, I just can’t sit for long periods in any type of seat. Even after a good night’s sleep, I’m still feeling the consequences of the long drive. 

This morning once the girls arrived, we went for our first walk of the day with a plan to walk the roads in the mornings, the beach in the afternoon when they return. This prevents us from the necessity of closing the big doors and locking the house, especially when we have our digital equipment sitting out.

Apartments and houses line the highways.

Also, it’s cooler during these two periods of the day, making the walk all the more enjoyable without the scorching sun beating down on us. Today, we’ll commence 20 minutes of basking in the sun for a much needed dose of Vitamin D and a little color to our now pale skin after a two month hiatus.

Then, each day we’ll spend time in the pool while I’m especially careful to avoid re-injuring my spine on that same sharp edge as I’d done on June 1st, a full three months ago. It’s been a long and painful period and I’m anxious to have it all behind me.

With the slow Wi-Fi connection here, we won’t be able to post lots of photos each day, but we’ll do what we can. No more than 45 minutes after we arrived, four buffaloes made their daily trek along the beach as shown in the above photos.

We laughed heartily watching the buffaloes, then looked at one another, smiles on our faces to be back in Bali.

For those in the US, have a safe and enjoyable Labor Day weekend.

                                Photo from one year ago today, September 3, 2015:

People, young and old, walk along the esplanade, the walkway along a beach in Australia.  For more photos, please click here.

Today’s the day, the four or five hour harrowing drive to Sumbersari…

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By far, this is the best bargain in a hotel we’ve experienced in our travels.

With Butu picking us up at 10:00 am this morning after our included breakfast at the excellent and outrageously affordable Hilton Garden Inn Bali Ngurah Airport, with room rates around US $50, IDR 663,300, we had a little time to complete this post, pack a few items and be on our way.

As for the flights from Phuket to Bali, we found comfortable seating at The Coffee Bean & Tea Leaf in Singapore for the three hour layover. We signed up at the information desk for free Wi-Fi after showing our passports and boarding passes, purchased tea for me and bottled water for Tom and there we were comfortably situated, writing to our loyal readers.

A bubbling oval rock in the hotel lobby.

The drive from the villa in Rawai to the Phuket airport was a solid 60 minutes in rush hour traffic, although nowhere near as frustrating as the traffic in Bali. By the time you see this post, we’ll be in Egon’s air conditioned van, pillow behind my back, prepared to tackle the day ahead including a stop at an ATM and the big supermarket in Denspasar, a harrowing event in itself.

The first flight from Phuket to Singapore was relatively painless, smooth and uneventful and not too uncomfortable for me during the two plus hours in the air. 

Ninety percent of the Balinese people observe the Hindu faith and their lives are steeped in the rich history and traditions.

Unexpected meals were served during both SilkAir flights (owned by Singapore airlines). Tom had already eaten a Reuben sandwich at the Phuket airport when we had to use our remaining Thai baht and had no idea meals would be served when online stated that no food was served.  I’d purchased two bags of nuts with the remaining baht to munch on in the event none of the food worked for me.

An hour into the first flight lunch was served. Tom ordered the “free” beer (I ordered a second beer for him) but declined the food especially when it consisted of dark chicken meat. I ate a little of the chicken that didn’t appear to have sauce on it, knowing it would be a long time until we’d eat again. 

I’d considered having a meal at the Singapore Changi Airport but couldn’t find anything suitable in the terminal for my way of eating when most of it is Asian with sugary sauces, batter, flour and rice. No problem. I’m used to it.

The pool at the hotel.

If I was up to walking a longer distance than necessary to reach our designated gate, we probably could have found a more suitable restaurant. I wasn’t about to push my luck when so far, halfway through our day, we’d walked almost 7500 steps (per the FitBit).

Having spent the last six weeks resting with minimal walking, after yesterday’s long walks I may be able to start walking a little in Bali, maybe a few short trips each day; one on the soft sand of the beach in front of the villa and the other, on the soft surface of the smooth road in the quiet neighborhood.

The dining room at the Hilton Garden Inn Ngurah Airport Hotel, a great place to stay when being close to the airport is useful. 

After walking on hard marble surfaces inside both the Bali and Phuket villas, I’ve come to the conclusion that walking on marble floors in detrimental to one’s spine health. In Phuket, we didn’t have the option of walking in the neighborhood when the roads were filled with potholes and uneven surfaces.

By 4:00 pm, we boarded on the second flight with SilkAir. The huge plane was fairly comfortable with personal video screens, although neither of us could find a movie we liked or hadn’t seen. The time went quickly, although the flight was longer than the first. 

Fresh orchids in the hotel lobby.

By 8:30 pm, we checked in the hotel provided with a free upgrade to what proved to be a great night’s rest after the bad prior night. (Neither of us sleeps well on the night before travel day, hardly able to get in three hours).

There’s seldom an exception to this. We have a tendency to associate travel days with feeling exhausted, more from the lack of sleep the prior night than the activities of the day; the long walks in the terminals, the commotion, the taxis, the lines at immigration, customs and baggage pickup (none of which I’m handling) never seem to make us weary. 

Light fixtures in hotel lobby.

Today will be a little more challenging when we’ll be sitting for so many hours during the long harrowing drive. I must admit I’m having a little angst over the prospect of stopping for a restroom break when all of the toilets are flush on the floor. This is nearly impossible for me to navigate with my current condition as noted in a prior post. 

We’ll be back tomorrow with the four or five hour harrowing drive behind us, our groceries stocked, our bags unpacked and looking forward to enjoying 60 days and nights in the beautiful oceanfront villa in Bali’s countryside.

Life is good. Hope it is for you as well.

Photo from one year ago today, September 2, 2015:

Midday sunlight filtering through the trees in Trinity Beach, Australia with only a few days until departing.  or more photos, please click here.

Final expenses for six weeks in Phuket, Thailand…Departure to Bali today…12 hour travel day…Final favorite Phuket photos…

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We stumbled upon the scene in Phuket.

By the time you see this post today, we’ll already be at the airport in Phuket awaiting the flight to Singapore with a three hour layover until the final leg of the flight to Denpasar, Bail. 

Colorful shrine in front of a property!  Wow!

Neither of these two flights are very long, the first only 1 hour, 50 minutes; the second under around 2 hours. These shorter flights shouldn’t be too hard on me. Once we arrive in Singapore, we’ll get a passcode for the free WiFi, find comfortable seating in a restaurant in the terminal and busy ourselves online while we wait.

Many fruit and coconut stands are found along the road.

Although it will be a long day, expecting to arrive at the hotel in Kutu, Bali around 8:30 pm after departing the house in Phuket at 7:00 am, there is a one hour time difference resulting in a 12 hour travel day.

We’ll always recall the 34 hour travel day from Venice to Kenya in 2013 making this 12 hour travel day seem like “a walk in the park.” We don’t anticipate too many more lengthy travel days in the immediate future when we only have a few more flights until heading back to the US for a family visit via a cruise embarking in about 8 months.

In rained and was cloudy almost every day for a period of time. 

Once we arrive in Bali we only have a few more flights pending until we head to the US in April, 2017:
1.  Bali to Sydney:  October 30, 2016 (Yuck! A red eye)
2.  Sydney to Hobart:  December 3, 2016
3.  Hobart to Sydney:  February 28, 2017

Well care for wood boat tied to a tree in the bay.

Now for the final Phuket expenses, keeping in mind that these expenses are less than expected and budgeted when we weren’t able to get out to dine and do much sightseeing based on my health condition. 

Colorful shells from the Phuket Seashell Museum.

Most tourists stay in resorts with minimal cooking facilities (if any), dine out for most meals, pay for a more expensive rental car or multiple taxi rides and go out on a number of tours and sightseeing adventures.

Blue-green water at a distance.  Sandy beach at the shore.  Beautiful!

Here are the total expenses:

Expense
US Dollar
Thai Baht
Vacation Rental  $            2,603.19     89,994.51
Airfare   $               830.00     28,693.81
Visa  $                 74.14       2,563.08
Taxi (inc. tips)  $                115.75       4,001.58
Rental Car  $                260.33      9,000.00
Wi-Fi  $                    0                0                  
Groceries  $                948.60      32,793.92
Dining Out  $                     0                         0                  
Miscellaneous $                    24.12            833.85
Tips (for cleaners)  $                  115.50         4,000.00
Total  $             4,971.63      172,196.91
Average
Monthly Cost		  $             3,688.30      127,747.61
Avg Daily
Cost – 41 nights		  $                 121.25           4,199.60 
Spiky colorful shells.

In the next few days we’ll be writing an online review for the vacation rental at the owner’s preferred site. Soon, the cleaners will arrive and we’ll present the four delightful helpers with tips as indicated above.

Had I been feeling well, this 41 nights in Phuket would have been an entirely different experience.  Hopefully, as we go forward and the healing continues, we’ll be able to return to our former more active experiences.

No disrespect intended.  When I spotted Tom posing next to this statue, it was a LMAO experience. He’ll do anything to make me laugh during these challenging months of healing. I couldn’t resist taking a photo.

Thanks to all of our loyal readers for hanging in with us during this very quiet, relatively uninteresting period in Thailand. I know you may be anticipating that the upcoming two months in Bali won’t be much different. But, we promise to make every effort to share great new photos and experiences as circumstances will allow. 

Midway through the next two months, we’ll be spending four nights in a hotel in Lovina, Bali in order to acquire the necessary visa extensions. While there, we should have some new and exciting photos and stories. Please stay tuned.

Back at you soon!

Photo from one year ago today, September 1, 2015:

Clear blue skies contributed to our colorful beach photos of our final days in Trinity Beach. For more photos, please click here.

Tom’s short haircut in Phuket…Winding down for tomorrow’s departure…Final Phuket expenses tomorrow…

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Shorter than he would normally prefer, Tom’s latest buzz will hold him during the 33-night cruise beginning on October 31st.

Tom needed a haircut before we left Phuket. There’s a little salon at the end of the road where it meets the major highway. We had driven past many times and he thought that it could be a good place for his much needed haircut.

The plan was to have a buzz cut that would be perfect by the time we were ready to board the 33-night cruise coming October 31st. We didn’t know it would have the best cut since we started our travels.

When we drove up to the tiny salon we asked if someone was available. A young woman, named Seven, was ready to get to work on his hair.  We asked for the price of the haircut in advance. Her associate Maw, spoke very little English, but she understood when we asked about “how many bahts.”

The exterior of the nearby tiny spa and salon.

Maw explained the cost of a men’s haircut is THB 150, US $4.34. In Singapore, where he had his last haircut, the cost was considerably higher at US $32.74, THB 1,134 (after a 20% discount for new customers) and the quality of the cut was only a fraction of the quality as compared to yesterday’s meticulous cut. 

The attention to detail was flawless as Seven spent no less than 40 minutes cutting his hair using both scissors and an electric hair trimmer. She was gracious when he included a 35% tip. (Tipping isn’t common in Thailand and any amount tendered is appreciated with a hands-pressed-together-bow-of-the-head).

After the haircut we took off for the pharmacy which can be found in Phuket  every five or six blocks when driving along the main roads. We decided to stop at the same tiny store we’d visited a few times in the past for hydrogen peroxide, Tylenol and contact lens solution.

Tom removed his glasses, closed his eyes and the 40 minute cut began.

This could prevent us from having to make yet another stop (beside the supermarket) on the four or five hour harrowing drive from the hotel in Bali to the villa in Sumbersari. 

Pharmacies in most countries are just that, they carry medicinal items only; no mascara, no shampoo and no razor blades. Most supermarkets don’t carry most of these items either requiring travelers must be well stocked  with such toiletries and supplies when staying in the more remote areas.

During the cut, I asked him to open his eyes and smile for a photo.

Also, we should mention that pharmacies in many countries do not carry commonly prescribed medications one easily finds in the US, Australia, Europe and other parts of the world. It’s best to bring enough of any necessary medications in one’s carry on bags (along with a copy of prescriptions) in the event of lost luggage.

Having found each of the three items we needed, we made our way back to our villa. It was raining hard and we saw no reason to be driving any further than necessary with the poor working windshield wipers in the less-than-stellar rental car. 

Seven analyzes Tom’s hair for his buzz cut.

We giggled over how little fuel we’ve used in the rental car when we filled it upon arrival.  Of course, my desire to stay close to “home” while recovering contributed to this fact.

Today, we’ll finish packing with only a few items we’re still using yet to be added to the bags. Tom will place everything by the front door so we’ll be ready to head out first thing in the morning. 

The interior of the salon area was no larger than a medium sized RV or caravan.  A massage area was located in a back room we didn’t see.

Hopefully, we’ll both sleep well tonight. We have a tendency to toss and turn on nights before departure, especially when we have to use an alarm to ensure we’re up on time.  Invariably, I awaken before the alarm goes off.

Tomorrow, the post with our final expenses for the 41 days in Phuket which we’re preparing today will automatically upload in time for your usual viewing. Please keep in mind that these total expenses are lower than we’d expected when we spent a little during my convalescence. Dining out, boat tours and other tourist activities would have increased the total costs. 

Coconut shells stored on the side of this building near the salon. Coconut shells may be used to make charcoal which is used as fuel.  See here for details.

When we commence the long drive to the villa another new post will upload. As a result, no daily posts will be missed during the two day’s traveling.

We’re looking forward to the dinner the two Ketuts which will have waiting for us upon our arrival around 5:00 or 6:00 pm. We’re both anticipating their happy faces, their fine food and again seeing Gede, the house man and Ribud, the pool guy. Of course, seeing the buffaloes walking along the beach during dinner makes us smile as well.

Happy day!


Photo from one year ago today, August 31, 2015:

The view of Double Island and Scout Island are a pleasant beginning to any day in Trinity Beach. For more photos as we began our final week in Australia please click here.

Spending idle time…Two days and counting…Favorite Phuket photos begin today…

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Boats anchored in shallower waters.    The owners are welcome to walk to the boat.

Although we rise early most of the time, the thought of setting an alarm is always done with a bit of fear. Having retired in 2011, in my old life, there had been few mornings where I had to get up and be at the door in a rush.

Since beginning our travels in October, 2012, there’s been more mornings than we can count where we’ve had to be up and “at ’em” early in the morning in order to begin a travel day. What time do we consider early? 

Appearing before 5 in the morning is considered early by our standards, especially when we need to be somewhere.  Most mornings, I’m awake that early, but not necessarily preparing to head out. There’s a big difference, isn’t there?

Chalong Beach.

Why I dread those mornings where we must leave early disconcerts me. I find it easy to get out of bed when the alarm goes off. Is this the prospect of another long day on the road? The heavy bags? The long lines? Immigration? Customs? Pay for excess luggage? The tight seats on the flight? Maybe it’s all of those things.

Once we get into the taxi for the ride to the airport, a bit of the angst begins to waft away, escalating further after we’ve checked in for our flight disposing of our three heavy bags, left with only a few carry on bags. 

With international airports requiring arrival two hours prior to a flight’s departure, we’re often left with more than 60 minutes until boarding. In most cases, we find a restaurant, purchase a beverage and get online if the airport has free Wi-Fi, which we find more and more common. Only a few airports charge for WiFi access.

Boats tied to shore at the beach. Life jackets hanging on a post.

The next issue is our laptop batteries discharging. For Thursday’s upcoming flight, we’ll have no less than an hour of waiting time at the airport in Phuket and then another three hour layover in Singapore (our third trip to Singapore in these past four months). 

Some airports have recharging stations, but we’ve seldom needed to use them. In this case, it may be necessary when it seems our laptop batteries are losing life after almost two years of use.

My laptop may indicate I have seven or eight hours on a charge when in fact it’s much less. Tom has a similar laptopm but can function unplugged a few hours less than mine.

Boats in the bay.

These were a time that reading a physical book would have been handy, but there’s no way we’re willing to carry books with us. 

Now that Tom doesn’t have a smart phone until our shipment arrives, he won’t be able to read books on his phone. The charge on my phone may last eight hours if I don’t get online. Good thing, I saved my phone with the rice after dropping it in the toilet, or neither of us would have a working cell phone.

In most cases, I read books on my phone during flights, putting the phone in “flight mode” as required. I usually save the phone for the flight as opposed to reading while waiting in airports. When a flight has individual video screens, a movie is often ideal as opposed to reading.

Entrance to the long pier at the beach.

I suppose we’re not unlike many others who use electronics to whittle away idle time.  Where are the days when we’d sit quietly in an airport reading a People magazine which now holds no interest whatsoever? Where are the days when people watching could occupy two hours of idle time?

We’ve trained ourselves in this digital world to need constant stimulation. Tom and I are no exception. Sure, in Bali again we’ll spend some idle hours staring out at the beach and its wildly interesting activities, which again we’ll continue sharing in our “Sightings on the Beach in Bali” daily feature on the posts.

But, there again, its all about mental stimulation. Neither one of us are inclined toward quiet contemplation without any form of activity for the brain. Maybe to an extent this is good for our aging brains as both of us still possess great memory and recall as we’ve aged. 

Second long pier at the beach.

We can’t believe much of which we read about these topics online when the speculations change week by week. (We’re talking about adults here, not children, which is an entirely different scenario).

What is one to believe? I guess we can leave it to our own devices, figuratively and literally. What gives us the greatest sense of engagement with our surroundings, our world and with each other?  What makes us the most fulfilled?

If spending hours online, on our tablets, computers and phones provides us with a sense of accomplishment and pleasure who’s to argue with this? Then again, perhaps the biggest concern is a lack of physical activity while we’re entertaining ourselves. 

“They” say sitting is bad which may be true. But which group of seniors (or those younger) spends eight to ten hours a day on their feet? Few. Very few.

Fisherman searching for a possible catch.

Off we go in two days, arising at 5:30 am on Thursday to be ready to head out the door by 7 am for our arriving taxi.

 We’ll arrive at our hotel in Bali around 8:30 pm that evening after a very long travel day.  In the morning, we’ll have breakfast at the hotel and begin the four or five hour harrowing drive with a few stops along the way.

I’m a little concerned over how I’ll do over these two extended periods based on my continuing recovery. But, with digital equipment in hand, hopefully, I’ll be able to distract myself well enough to maneuver through the lengthy process.

Be well and stay entertained, however that works for YOU!

Photo from one year ago today, August 30, 2015:

We couldn’t resist taking photos of these Flintstone’s character statues in a nearby yard in Trinity Beach, Australia.  For more photos, please click here.

Bit by bit…Piece by piece…Getting it all together…3 days and counting…

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Flowers blooming in pond in front yard of the villa.

It’s surprising how easily I’m getting through my share of the packing this time considering my extra caution in avoiding bending over.  Sure, there are certain aspects of pulling it all together that are tricky right now when I’ve always been the one to gather all the odds and ends we’ve placed throughout  the vacation home.

Tom handles all the cords, electronics, emptying, washing and drying the ice cube trays and packing his clothing, while I usually gather and pack the toiletries, shoes and the few kitchen items (place mats, a few dish towels, measuring cup and spoons, turner and peeler).

This style of house in Phuket could be anywhere in the world, including the US.

Slowly, over the past few days, I’ve gathered what we won’t need to use with only two meals left to prepare.  On Wednesday evening, we’ll pack the remainder and be ready to walk out the door at 7 am on Thursday morning (its Monday here now) when the driver arrives to take us to the airport.

With my clothes packed except for what I’ll wear over the next few days, I’m beginning to have peace of mind knowing its under control.  Over this past year I’ve been able to get the packing down to less than an hour (prior to the injury) but now it’s proven to be a cautious step by step process in a determined attempt to avoid further injury.

If I had to leave the entire process up to Tom, he’s do it without question.  But, the time has come for me to be a little more active.  What better a time than to do it now when soon we’ll be walking long distances in the airports in Phuket, Singapore (a long layover) and Denpasar.

Driving on the highway to the market.

I’m thrilled we’re staying overnight in Denpasar, Bali (the capital city) at the same hotel close to the airport we used on the prior trip to Bali before embarking the following day for the grocery shopping and the four to five hour harrowing drive to Sumbersari.

Our driver Butu, will arrive at the hotel at 10 am Friday to take us to the supermarket (the grocery list is already on the phone app) and then commence on the dreaded trafficked drive to the villa.

Salons, spas and nail studios are popular in Phuket.

For my comfort Butu will be bringing a pillow from the villa.  Also, he’ll drive Egon’s (the villa owner) comfortable newer air con van. These two facts help immensely.

Now as I speak into my laptop using speech recognition, Tom is watching the Minnesota Viking pre-season game in the living room using the NFL GamePass app with the HDMI cord.  He doesn’t yell or make a peep when watching the game so I have no idea how its going.  He’s always been a quiet observer, considering his propensity to lively conversation.

Yesterday, we both researched online to find him a replacement smart phone.  He’d considered a Kindle device but after reading many reviews, it didn’t appear that any of the available models would be meet his criteria. 

This view although cloudy on many days always takes our breath away.

He didn’t like the idea of the larger sized reader although insisted on having a good Wi-Fi connection on such a device.  After reading dozens of reviews we discovered that Kindle devices can be data hogs with lots of uploads transpiring in the background at all times in an attempt to get the user to buy, buy, buy. 

With the reality that at times we’re paying for data (metered or on a SIM card using device) that made no sense at all.  A new smart phone was the best decision.  Also, he didn’t want to add to our overall weight by purchasing a larger device.

Tom doesn’t relish the idea of learning how to use new and different devices, software and operating systems.  For me, its the opposite.  I love new technology.  Based on this fact alone, it made sense for him to purchase the identical phone, Blu Win HD Lite; ideal for reading books, email, surfing the web and use as a factory unlocked cellphone. 

The elaborate sign at the entrance to the Muay Thai Kickboxing facility down the road from us.  Many nights we can hear the activity.

The price was under US $100, THB $3466 for the smart phone including tax with free shipping (to our mailing service), not bad for an unlocked phone when unlocked phones were close to US $1000, THB $34,660 when we first started traveling.

This item along with the many other items we described in yesterday’s post will arrive with our shipment in Bali sometime in the next month. (We’ve yet to place the shipment request).

As its turns out we won’t need another trip to the grocery store.  We have enough food on hand for tonight’s, Tuesday’s and Wednesday’s meals.  The only outings necessary before Thursday’s departure is a haircut for Tom and a quick trip to the pharmacy for a few items, both on tomorrow’s agenda. 

We hope that whatever you tackle today brings you considerable pleasure, whether its reading a good book, watching a favorite TV series, preparing a great meal or out on an exciting adventure.

________________________________________


Photo from one year ago today, August 29, 2015:

Seagull in flight in during our visit to the Great Barrier Reef.  For more photos, please click here.
 

Equipment failure…Shopping for upcoming shipment to Bali…

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A variety shop down the freeway.

Tommy’s smartphone died last night. Not the battery, only the phone. Kaput. Today I am going to contact Microsoft for a possible fix, but the message on the screen appears to indicate that it is everywhere. It’s almost two years old and although he only uses it for reading, its been an important device for him.

We tried installing my good battery which didn’t help and we were unable to bring up the home screen to reset the phone. This occurred last night, after coincidentally, we ordered a new battery for it yesterday, thinking that’s all it needed before it went belly-up. 

This is the Palm Breeze apartment rentals.  For prices and information, please click here considering that THB (Thai Baht) 1000 is equal to US $28.85.  To calculate various currency denominations, click here.

Once the error message appeared on the screen, long after placing the battery order and it had already been shipped, we decided a new phone may be on the agenda or, perhaps a Kindle Fire device which we’ll order online.

The new battery will work on my phone so it won’t be a total loss that we ordered it. It will be good to have a backup battery we can keep charged for travel days and also so I don’t run out of juice in the middle of the night when I’m online for hours when having trouble sleeping.

Restaurants are abundant serving popular local foods.

Over these past few weeks we’ve been in the process of ordering much needed supplies which we’ll have shipped to us in Bali in the upcoming month. We purchase most items using Amazon Prime with the link on our website receiving free shipping on most items sent to the US.

Our mailing service in Nevada receives all of the purchases, removes all the boxes and packing materials and ship everything to us in one big box. We usually request a three day shipping option, receiving the package within a week, even in the most remote areas of the world. 

Many signs indicate rooms for rent. There are many affordable places to live in Phuket. Many young travelers come here for water sports and adventure.

The cost of shipping is high, often hundreds of dollars, but what can we do when none of the items we purchase can be found or shipped locally based on the countries we visit?

What do we buy that can’t wait until we arrive in the US in nine months? We include such items as: Crystal Light Ice Tea; water shoes and underwear for Tom; a special travel sized neck pillow for me; sleep tee shirts and two swimsuits for me; a few vitamins (probiotics and B6 for Tom for kidney stone prevention) and so on. Today, we’ll add the reading device for Tom to include in this upcoming shipment to Bali.

Certain days, the traffic is light on the highway and others its bumper to bumper.

Ordering supplies such as these are a reality of our lives of travel. Besides the shipping costs, we’ll have to “negotiate” with customs in Bali over how much we’ll be required to pay in custom fees.  Generally, we’ve been able to keep these costs relatively low.

Our readers and family members occasionally send us links on how to “pack lighter.” We appreciate their good intentions. But, traveling with literally every physical item we own, is an entirely different scenario than a traveler packing for a trip. 

A variety of businesses line the highway with many laundry services as shown on the right.

We need the third checked bag to contain items such as the above, including all of our shoes (with only four pairs each), although clothing goes into our individual suitcases with electronics packed into Tom’s laptop backpack. 

Surely, we’ll have to toss some old clothes to make room for the new items which by the time we leave Bali won’t be a problem. Wearing the same items over and over does result in wear and tear, although we’re often surprised on the durability of some of our tee shirts and shorts.

We continue to see family, friends and readers enjoying time at the Minnesota State Fair, posting photos on Facebook. Thanks to everyone for sharing their photos. We’re happy to see you’re having a good time at the “Great Minnesota Get Together!” Tom didn’t like the traffic.  I didn’t eat the food. 

Have a fabulous last weekend in August!

Photo from one year ago today, August 28, 2015:

At the Great Barrier Reef, this semi-submersible had seats for 20. As shown, it was packed as tight as sardines, not good for those who may be claustrophobic. For more photos, please click here.

The prospect of a scary change in plans?…Five days and counting…Photos at a premium…

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Chalong Bay in Phuket.

While living in most locations where we get low on photos this is not a problem. We rush into the rental car for a walk seeking interesting scenes to capture. If we don’t have a rental car and are using a driver, we get out often enough each week to get all the photos we need for the posts.

Now, down to five days until departure, with my ongoing recovery process and the less-than-stellar rental car, I’ve had little desire to get out to take photos. With the blurry film on the windows it requires I get out of the low seat in the car to avoid taking photos through the glass which in itself in my current condition feels like an athletic event.

If you’ve ever owned or gone for a ride in a Corvette, it kind of feels like the same thing, not necessarily the right vehicle for getting it and out of when suffering from a spinal condition. Under normal circumstances, this would not be so difficult.

It’s not as if I can’t get in and out of the less-than-stellar rental car. It’s that I don’t want to re-injure myself subsequently starting the healing process all over again.

Boats stored on the shore as opposed to a marina.

Only days away from a full three months of recovering, I’ve only spent half of this period over these past almost six weeks in Phuket actually “working on” getting better, I’ve finally begun to turn the corner.  

On many occasions over these past weeks, I’d mentioned improvements in our posts, although it was in such small increments it was barely noticeable. Frustration easily set in when I’d awaken each day only to find the pain was basically still the same.

A few times, as recently as in the past two weeks, we considered a visit to a hospital. After reading many negative online reviews about local medical care, we decided against it. Instead, we made a plan that if I didn’t improve close to our scheduled time to leave Phuket, we might head directly to Sydney and drop out of our airfare and booking for Bali. 

As we seriously considered such a plan we had to accept the reality that we’d lose rent for the two month booking in Bali (on such short notice) and also the non-refundable airfare. This change would ultimately cost us thousands of dollars. Tom, as worried as he’s been about me, never flinched over this prospect while I cringed over the prospect.

Yard of a house in the neighborhood with motorbikes and clothes drying on a line.

As soon as this possibility came to light, I decided I had to do something different to escalate the healing process to ensure we could continue with our future plans. 

I began reading volumes of books on the topic of healing compression fractures, speeding recovery for back, neck and spinal injuries and came to a few new conclusions:

1.  Started a light exercise program, very light and gentle following recommendations from a great book I read.
2.  Changed the pillow I was sleeping on from flat to slightly fuller, creating an indentation for my head.
3.  Changed from using mostly ice to using mostly heat on and off throughout the day and evening. (Using a microwaveable gel pack). At bedtime, I positioned an ice pack close to my spine using a rolled towel to hold it in place while lying on my side.
4.  Have Tom massage pressure points on my back twice a day.
5.  Only lie down for 10 minutes at a time instead of long periods during the day. Spend more time standing and walking around the house.
6.  No bending at all, which seems to be the most harmful at this point.
7.  Sleep with a medium sized pillow between evenly placed bent legs, again lying on my side.
8.  Focus on having perfect posture when walking and sitting.
9.  Using the speech recognition software for better ergonomics when typing.

With only five days until departure, I can definitely say I’ve improved by no less than 75% in these past weeks, no longer feeling as if we must change our plans to get me to a major accredited hospital.

Oh, maybe it was “safari luck” and the implementation of the above changes or a combination of both. That’s the thing about medical care, when one begins implementing multiple modalities, it’s difficult to determine which measures most contributed to the improvement.

The mix of the old and the new is commonly found in Phuket.

I’ll continue with all of the above even after we arrive in Bali.  With no required cooking, cleaning, laundry or tidying necessary with the daily household staff I’ll spend more time focusing on continuing to improve on this remaining 25%.

By far, these past three months have been the most challenging since we began our travels on October 31, 2012. Surely many of our readers can look back over the past four years to recall periods of time when life wasn’t exactly as you might have liked it to be.

Tom comments about how I overall maintained a good attitude through this. Each day I’ve struggled to stay optimistic.

 I was scared to death, to be honest, scared our travels were over, scared our lives would have to change to accommodate my limited range of motion, my ability to walk long distances and my overall interest in getting out.

Yesterday, I packed my single clothing suitcase which in doing so gave me hope, leaving out clothing for the next few days. I sat on the bed folding everything and then standing straight I placed them into my open bag which is situated on a tall luggage rack. The rest will be easy. 

This simple act added to my optimism removing a sense of dread I had about packing. Tom would happily have packed for me, but I needed to know I could do it.

Many homes are raised above ground in the event of flooding.

As we continue over these next few days, we apologize for the lack of interesting photos. It’s the way it is for now. And, once we arrive in Bali, we may be posting similar photos to those we’d taken during our last stay, although all photos we’ll share in future posts will be new. 

Halfway through our second round in Bali we plan to stay in a hotel in Lovina for five days to complete the every-other-day-three-step required visa extension process. During that mini vacation/holiday, we’ll explore taking many photos we’ll excitedly share in posts to come. 

Once we leave Bali at the end of October for the 33 night cruise to circumvent Australia, we’ll have many months of exciting cruises and tours, along with the stay in Tasmania at two separate locations for six weeks each and a 40 night stay in the exquisite city of Sydney.

So, loyal readers, on we go to continue in our world travels with a renewed hope for the future, as always striving for good health as we share all of our steps along the way.

Have a healthful, productive day!

Photo from one year ago today, August 27, 2015:

The colorful views around us was only a small section of the Great Barrier Reef which we visited by boat one year ago today. For more photos, please click here.