Heading out one more time…Four days and counting…

Posted by worldwide-admin on with 0 Comment
We were overlooking a portion of the valley.

“Sightings from the Veranda in Costa Rica”

A fluffed-up version on an unknown bird Tom captured in the afternoon.

We decided to return to the market for a few more items for the upcoming cruise since there won’t be time or opportunity to shop when we arrive in Florida on Thanksgiving Eve (US holiday) while departing on the cruise the following day, on Thanksgiving Day. Most likely, stores won’t be open.

On most cruise embarkation days, we’ve been able to stop a pharmacy or market for any last-minute items we may need. The cruise lines don’t weigh baggage, nor are the number of things an issue. But, in most cases, we have a flight to the city where the port is located when baggage weight does become an issue.

While we were in Minnesota during the summer, we purchased an additional small suitcase. We knew that once our clothing for Antarctica arrived in Florida at our hotel (comes in the next few days), the sweaters, waterproof pants, hats, gators,  gloves, poles, and other items wouldn’t fit into each of our single clothing suitcases. 

Apartments are located on a busy highway.

There’d be no way to make the cold weather items fit into our existing bags, nor would the weight comply with the airline’s restrictions. As it turns out, we’ll only pay for having four checked bags, not additional weight, if we stay within the individual bag restrictions of 50 pounds (23 kg) each.

We’re flying from Costa Rica to Florida and will collect our new items from the shipment that will have arrived from our mailing service at our one-night hotel in Fort Lauderdale. 

We’ll unpack the box at the hotel, distributing the various supplies (including my new computer) between our usual single bag each while filling the new bag with the cold weather clothing. Apparently, according to our mailing service, the shipped box weighs about 75 pounds (34 kg).

Cattle on a hill.

Most likely, about a third of the contents of the box will be packing materials, which we’ll dispose of, item by item. The remainder should fit between the remaining bags. We’ll take care of this task as soon as we arrive at the hotel on Wednesday evening before going out for dinner.

When the cruise ends in Buenos Aires on December 23rd (Tom’s birthday), we’ll stay in Buenos Aires until the Antarctica cruise returning on February 8th. At that point, we’ll ship all the winter clothing (including oversized parkas the cruise line gives to all passengers at no additional charge) back to our Nevada mailing service, along with the new piece of luggage, to hold until some future date.

Perhaps, someday, we’ll travel to another cold climate, and it will make sense to have already the clothing being stored for us. This may sound like a lot of work, but we calculated the costs and convenience factor, discovering this process was most sensible for our needs.

A rare guardrail on a level highway but seldom seen in the mountains.

Today’s trip to town may not be the most practical outing when we intend to go to the supermarket for a few more purchases. Over these past many months, I’ve discovered I can drink herbal tea without causing gastrointestinal distress if I add a few tablespoons of unsweetened coconut cream, not coconut milk which often has other ingredients and sugar. Also, I use it in my daily turmeric tea, which I have each afternoon.

The product comes in cans, not my preferred means of storage, which seems to be the only containers used worldwide for this particular product. When I was sure this product wouldn’t be available on the upcoming 30-night South America cruise (I’ve asked on all previous cruises to no avail), I told Tom I’d live without it. 

Instead, I’d drink bottled water (I’m not too fond of the plastic bottles) throughout the cruise, forgoing tea, iced tea, coffee, wine, or other beverages in an attempt to keep me feeling at my best. It’s disappointing to be unable to drink any other beverages when food is already so restrictive. 

A hilly road is heading toward town from the mountains.

However, I’m grateful I can travel the world with my beloved husband/travel companion and have no complaints. Over the past few days, in his usual thoughtful manner, he’s been insisting we head back to the market once more to purchase eight cans of coconut cream to keep in our luggage. We can keep the opened cans cold, stored in one of our plastic containers in the fridge in the cabin.

I hesitated, knowing the added weight of eight cans would add 2.7 kg to our luggage at about one pound each. Purchasing them here in Costa Rica impacts the importance of the baggage for the upcoming American Airlines flight on Wednesday. 

He insisted on the premise that this item was well deserved when how I eat on a ship is very restrictive and relatively tasteless. Finally, yesterday afternoon, I relented.

Barrier trees lining the road the Roca Verde neighborhood.

This morning at 9:00 am we took a taxi to town once again for the market and another stop at a local pharmacy. By 11:00 am, we’d returned with at least another 10 pounds (4.5 kg) of additional “stuff” to load into our bags including three small bags of organic unsweetened cocoa, another item I seem to tolerate in moderation, another special treat.

On Tuesday, we’ll pack everything. In most cases, we can have everything packed within a few hours. I’ll have two posts to complete on Tuesday as well, one daily post and also Wednesday’s “final expenses” post which I’ll upload at the airport in San Jose. On Thursday, we’ll also do a daily post from the hotel with new photos and updates.

That’s our day folks! Once we’re done here, we’ll probably spend two to three hours in the pool on this blissfully sunny day while Isabel is busy cleaning the house.

House at the end of the mountain roads in Roca Verde, our neighborhood these past almost four months.

May you have a blissfully sunny day as well, if not in regard to the weather, in your hearts!

Photo from one year ago today, November 18, 2016:

A historic street in Perth which we visited one year ago while on the 33-night cruise circumventing Australia. For more photos, please click here.

Another outstanding photo for “Sightings from the Veranda”…Holy Moly!…Five days and counting…

Posted by worldwide-admin on with 0 Comment
White cows were grazing in a pasture.

“Sightings from the Veranda in Costa Rica”

Tom Lyman, you never cease to amaze me!  What a shot of the classic “Froot Loops” cereal (per Tom) Toucan, technically known as the Rainbow-billed Toucan, aka the Keel-billed Toucan (different than the Toucan in our previous post with the Fiery-billed Aracari Toucan as shown here) taken in our yard in Atenas, Costa Rica. The veranda never disappoints as we wind down our time in this tropical country.

As Tom listened to his favorite podcast while sitting on the veranda in the late afternoon, “safari luck” prevailed once again as a stunning bird stopped by a distant tree. Tom has a good eye and keen vision with his glasses on, often observing a sighting long before me.

We were both pleased and surprised at how steady he was in taking this ideal shot of the colorful species, different from the Fiery-billed Aracari Toucan he’d captured a few weeks ago.

Here’s some information on this stunning bird from this site:

“Anatomy – Best known for its large bill, the keel-billed toucan is a large and colorful bird with black plumage, a bright yellow throat and cheeks, vibrant red feathers under its tail, and a yellow-green face. Its light green, the banana-shaped bill is splashed with orange and tipped with red and blue and can grow to be a third of the size of the toucan’s 20-inch body. Though cumbersome looking, the bill is relatively light because it is made of protein and supported by hollow bones. The toucan’s vast wings, however, are heavy and make flight laborious.
View over the valley as the clouds roll in.
Habitat – These unique birds are found in tropical and sub-tropical rainforests from southern Mexico to Venezuela and Colombia. The keel-billed toucan is crepuscular, meaning that it is most active during dawn and dusk. It lives in groups of six to twelve birds and rarely flies long distances because of its heavy wings — it is, however, quite agile hopping from branch to branch. The monogamous pairs make their nests in natural or wood-pecker created tree holes, taking turns incubating their eggs.
Diet – Keel-billed toucans feed primarily on fruits and eat insects, lizards, tree frogs, and even eggs. They consume their food by grasping it with their bill and quickly flipping it up into the air, and catching it in their mouths. They swallow their fruit whole and regurgitate the larger seeds while the smaller ones pass through their digestive systems. This method means that toucans play an essential role in reproducing the fruit trees they depend on. These beautiful birds are almost always seen feeding on fruits high up in the canopy; however, they will occasionally fly down to feed on the shrubs or catch a lizard from the undergrowth.
Threats – The species is not currently listed as endangered, but it is threatened by human activity. Habitat loss is a constant menace to the species’ populations. They are sometimes still hunted for their meat and ornamental feathers. At one time, they were prevalent in the pet trade, but it has since been revealed that their poor disposition makes them destructive pets. They’re valuable to Belize — where they are the national bird — bringing tourists who hope to catch a glimpse of their stunning plumage.”
Part of the road heading to downtown Atenas is closed due to the re-paving of the road.

This is the first photo we’ve captured in the wild of this particular Toucan. However, we’d seen several at the rescue facility, Zoo Ave, which we visited early in our stay, posting many photos over these past months.

Spotting this beautiful bird on the villa grounds only added to our exquisite experiences of spending most of our days outdoors in the pool area and lounging on the veranda. At the same time, we chatted, continued our continuing online research, and stayed in touch with family and friends.  It’s genuinely been blissful.

With relatively low taxi fares in town, locals and ex-pats often use taxi services to get around with the high cost of cars and trucks in Costa Rica. Each time we went into town, a 10-minute drive, the round trip taxi fare with a tip has been US $7.05 (CRC 4,000). 
We didn’t get out much in Costa Rica, mainly due to a lack of a rental car (costly here) and high costs for chartered tours at distant locations (we’ve “tightened our belts” for upcoming adventures). 

We arrived in Costa Rica during the rainy season, which also made sightseeing tricky when, at times when roads were washed out, and there were landslides and road closings. However, we’ve easily stayed well engaged and entertained during this past three months, reveling in the lush surroundings and vegetation, an ideal haven for birds and wildlife…equivalent to a rainforest in our yard.
We were surprised to find this vacant lot in town without a “for sale” sign (in Spanish, “en vente”).
As the time approaches for departure in five days, we feel a bit nostalgic. Last night, at dark, we sat on the veranda watching the village’s lights below in the valley and listening to the sounds of music and festivities that seem to permeate the air most nights. 

Now, with the weekend upon us, we’ll hear even more music well into the wee hours of the morning, pleasant Spanish dance music, as the little town of Atenas celebrates life.  We’re humbled and grateful to have been a part of it over this extended period while we anticipate what is yet to come…
Happy day!
              Photo from one year ago today, November 17, 2016:
Carlo, Michelle, friends we made on a prior cruise picked us up at the cruise terminal building in Fremantle, Australia, for a day of sightseeing in Perth and Freemantle. It was a memorable day. For more, please click here.

Wow!…Safari luck as we wind down our time in Costa Rica…Six days and counting…

Posted by worldwide-admin on with 0 Comment
The colorful entrance to an art store in Atenas.

“Sightings on the Veranda in Costa Rica”

Once again, Tom’s been able to capture another fabulous bird from the veranda while I was busy indoors making dinner. This Yellow-tailed Oriole, although at quite a distance, was a treasure to behold. More photos will photo with his mate! 

Each afternoon, after we’re done in the pool, usually around 3:00 pm, Tom takes his computer to the veranda to listen to his favorite podcasts. At the same time, I’ll busy myself indoors, preparing dinner, downloading shows on Graboid, working on photos for future posts, or returning email messages.

Eating only one meal a day, by 5:00 pm, we’re ready for dinner, and we both get into a full-on mode to get everything to the dining room table, hot and prepared for an enjoyable meal.

A cafe along the boulevard.

Yesterday, after spending time in the pool’s cool water, which hadn’t heated up by its solar power during the overcast day, we turned on the jacuzzi to let it warm. The air was cool and windy, and the thought of the warmth of the jacuzzi was rather appealing.

Stepping into the warm water of the hot tub was delightful. We stayed for over an hour, chatting endlessly as usual. We hadn’t used the jacuzzi much (this was only the second time) since we arrived over three and a half months ago in an attempt to keep the costs down for the owners. 

Bev and Sam had kindly given us an excellent rental rate for our extended stay. As always, in all vacation homes, we’ve been mindful of our use of the utilities, turning off lights, fans, and appliances when not in use.

Side entrance to Catholic Church in Atenas, Iglesia Catolica Atenas, located in the center of town.

These two-hour afternoon “breaks” from each other are by no means “needed” to be away from each other.  But, somehow, we’ve just gravitated toward this time apart to engage in activities that may not appeal to one another.

While I’m bustling indoors, Tom has the camera close at hand during these periods and has been fortunate to capture several outstanding bird photos, especially over several weeks.

Cafe and bakeshop.

Perhaps it’s the time of day or weather conditions that bring more birds to the grounds than other times of the day.  It’s been the rainy season in the Alajuela Valley over the past months. Each day, we see more birds shortly before the deluge begins each afternoon. 

Yesterday was no exception when Tom called out to me to also take photos of stunning birds resting in the various trees on the grounds, sometimes in flocks or pairs and with many singles on their own.

We squeal with delight when we see less common varieties, often colorful and bespeaking one’s perception of wildlife in Costa Rica. Over the past five years, we’ve become more and more interested in birds, as shown in our many posts. 

Our final walk through Central Park in Atenas.

We’re certainly not birding experts, and at times, we struggle to identify specific species when we can’t readily find information online. Thanks to the assistance of many of our regular readers, we often receive an identification 24-hours after we’ve uploaded a post after mentioning we’re seeking the identity.

Recently, our most avid participants in providing information have been our friends Louise in Kauai, Hawaii, where we spent four months in 2015, and here in Atenas in our neighborhood, Charlie, who’d be also quite a bird enthusiast. Thanks to both of you!

Each week we’ve had the taxi driver drop us off at this location so we can walk through the town on our way to the Supermercado Coopeatenas, the grocery store where we’ve shopped during this past many months.

Throughout the world, we’ve been able to ask our readers for assistance. Invariably, we receive a response, after which we edit the specific post to reflect the name of the bird as opposed to my inquiry in the caption. Thanks to all of our worldwide readers for your assistance.

While we were there for almost a year, from 2013 to 2014, we were so busy observing and photographing large and small creatures. We failed to spend much time on birds. Now, as we contemplate our upcoming stay in Africa in less than three months, we do so with added enthusiasm.

This trip to Africa will be different from our enhanced interest in birds. For us, when no “big game” is handy for observation, birds are an equally fascinating alternative. We commend avid bird watchers for their patience in getting the perfect shot.

A famous pizza shop, Pizza Olivera, is often attended by ex-pats.

With the planned purchase of a new longer-range camera soon, we look forward to enhanced shots of birds and other creatures we find in the wild before the Antarctica cruise.

There will be no shortage of photos for the “Sightings on the Veranda in Costa Rica” we’re wrapping up at the end of our remaining six nights in Atenas. Soon, we’ll be posting our “favorite photos” of Costa Rica, and next Tuesday, we’ll share our final expenses on our last post before heading to Florida for the South America cruise.

Have a blissful day.

Photo from one year ago today, November 16, 2016:

One year ago, our friends Michelle and Carlo, whom we’d met on a prior Australian cruise, picked us up at the port in Perth while we were on another Australian cruise. We had a fabulous day. Michelle and I shopped while Tom went with Carlo to his office nearby. This is CJ (for Carlo Junior), the family’s Char Pei, who took a liking to Tom. For more photos, please click here.

The countdown has begun…Seven days and counting…

Posted by worldwide-admin on with 0 Comment
A local grower was wheeling his bananas on the road near the bus stop.

“Sightings from the Veranda in Costa Rica”

Tom’s photo. Love it! Three in one…Green Parrots…

In only one week, on November 22nd, we’ll be on our way once again. This wind-down week has begun as we wander through the house, reminding ourselves of what we have to pack that have been scattered about; the camera battery charger plugged into an outlet in the kitchen; the tripod standing in a corner in the living room; a few kitchen utensils and special spices in the cabinets.

We have a reminder list on my laptop, but it seems to change at each vacation home we’ve occupied. We make a concerted effort never to leave anything behind. 

But a few years ago, we left my comfy neck pillow on a ship and an adapter in Penguin, Tasmania, which our friend/landlord Terry sent to us in the Huon Valley, Tasmania, our next move from there.

One of a few liquor stores in Atenas.

Each time we pack, we attempt to lighten our load by donating or tossing worn clothing or items we never seem to wear. Our motto;  If we haven’t worn it in a year, let it go. Since most things we purchase are done online from time to time, we aren’t happy with the fit or appearance.

We purchased plenty of clothing while in Minnesota this past summer which should last until we returned to the US in 2019. After leaving Bali on October 30, 2016, I’d gained 12 pounds while trying to eat more frequently (and most likely eating too many carbs) with my gastrointestinal issues. 

Since we arrived in Costa Rica, I’ve lost 10 pounds and am almost back to my usual weight with my clothes fitting more comfortably. The next few pounds will easily fall off in the next few weeks, even while on the cruise where I never gain an ounce eating the bland food I’m often served, such as a piece of salmon, some broccoli, and a salad.

An unidentified old building in the village.

Since Tom stopped eating fruit, he’s lost seven pounds. Wow! What a message that is about the sugar and carbs in fruit! Instead, we both eat lots of non-starchy vegetables.

It’s imperative, not only for health reasons, to maintain our weight but also in considering the fit of our clothing.  We cannot run to the mall to our favorite store to purchase the next size up. This fact certainly is an excellent motivator to keep us on track.

Before completing today’s post, we called the taxi to take us to town for our final shopping and visit to an ATM. We needed to get enough cash for taxi fare to the airport and tips for the villa’s staff. Once we get to Fort Lauderdale, we’ll visit another ATM to get US dollars, enough for miscellaneous tips for the upcoming cruises.

A clothing store was claiming to sell American products.

With a necessary stop at the Pharmacia (far-ma-see-a) and another for our final groceries for the remaining meals, we’ll be set to go. Clothes are washed and ironed, all receipts are scanned, and we have sufficient toiletries for the upcoming 30-night cruise. 

Most cruise ships have travel-sized items for sale, but they are often two to three times the cost we’d pay at a market. Before our final shopping trip before packing, we always check our inventory of toiletries to see what we’ll need to fill in, especially for cruises. We avoid carrying items we may easily find at a market in the new country.

Besides a small inventory of cosmetics I keep in a few Ziplock sandwich bags, we carry one normal-sized shampoo, conditioner, gel and hairspray, toothbrushes and toothpaste, shavers, and blades, and a variety of items for emergency medical issues that may arise. 

Swimming pool supplies store.

We attempt to keep it “light,” but based on never going to a “home” to restock and repack, we have no choice but to carry everything we own with us. They confiscate our “power boards” (surge protectors) on cruise ships, returning them to us when we disembark. They always provide us with alternative devices they deem safe aboard ship to handle our many plug-ins for recharging our equipment.

Today, we’re making low-carb pizza, our favorite meal, for the last time in the upcoming 80 nights when we won’t be preparing any meals. We’ll make enough to last for three nights and then begin chipping away at the items we purposely froze for the remaining four nights. We like the ease we plan for these final days and nights, keeping stress and rushing at a minimum.

The busiest petrol station in town next to the ATM we’ve used during these three and a half months.

A week from now, we’ll be at the San Jose Santamaria Airport awaiting our flight to Miami, Florida, for a one-night stay at a hotel near the port, boarding our ship the next day. We’re excited!

Have a pleasant day filled with sunshine!

Photo from one year ago today, November 15, 2016:

The supermoon over the sea. For more cruise photos, including people we met, please click here.

Surcharges are a necessary evil we chose while traveling the world…More wildlife photos from Costa Rica…

Posted by worldwide-admin on with 3 Comments
Look closely to see the face, only a mother could love, of a live crocodile behind a chain-link fence at Zoo Ave.

“Sightings from the Veranda in Costa Rica”

Tom’s photo, early this morning, of a cute dog that stopped by to say “hola.”

Definition of “surcharge:”

noun

1.
an additional charge, tax, or cost.
2.
an excessive sum or price charged.
3.   an extra or unreasonable load or burden.

Word Origin and History for a surcharge:

v. early 15c., from middle French surcharger, from Old French sur- “over”
(see sur+ chargier “to load” (see charge ). The noun is also first attested early 15c.

When most of us think of a surcharge, we believe in terms of an automatically imposed fee or tax added to a purchase over which we have little choice to accept as “the cost of doing business.”
Here’s a longer view of the above crocodile.

As world travelers these past five years, we find that we must bear the cost of a wide variety of surcharges that we chose to impart generally for the usual benefit of convenience.

Convenience is a huge factor in our financial lives. We choose convenience when we pay more than preferred or expected prices for many items, in an effort to ensure a better experience.
Let’s review some of these self-imposed surcharges, we encounter as a result of traveling the world:
1.  Baggage fees: Sure, we could travel “very light” hauling only backpacks and carry-on luggage. However, for the sake of having enough clothing, supplies, and digital equipment in our possession, we often pay excess baggage or baggage weight fees, depending on the airlines.
A curious turtle scurried quickly toward us.
2.  ATM fees: We do not go into banks or currency stores, paying exchange rate fees and credit card fees to obtain cash. More economically, we use ATMs to save money using our debit cards and thus incur only two fees; one, the cost of using the machine; two, the charge from our bank when using an ATM at an international ATM facility.
3.  Rental cars: At times, we pay higher fees for rental cars when we need a large enough vehicle to accommodate all of our bags; three checked bags and three carry-on bags.
4.  Medical costs: Recently, we incurred added medical fees to acquire a medical certification enabling us to board the upcoming Antarctica cruise, beyond the cost of the cruise itself. Soon, when we arrive in Buenos Aires, we’ll make an appointment at a travel clinic to update our vaccinations and get prescriptions for malaria pills prior to returning to Africa. We pay a premium for the few medications I use that aren’t covered by insurance and must be shipped to our location at any given time.
Turtles tucked away under the bushes.
5.  Tips: Particularly on cruises, we choose to add tips to the cost of the cruise at the time of booking which at this point, is running US $27 (CRC 15,372) per day. While on the ship, we may choose to pay additional tips for enhanced services and attention to detail befitting our convenience and experience.  In addition, for convenience, we may pay porter and bellman fees, depending on the circumstances.
6.  Flights:  On many airlines, they are now added extra fees for specific seats on the plane in the “coach” or economy section. At times, since we’re taller than the average passenger, we may choose a bulkhead seat or other seat with more legroom.
7.  Vacation Homes with added amenities: We prefer to rent a vacation/holiday home that includes Wi-Fi and all utilities paid, a pool, an upgraded kitchen with modern appliances and ample kitchen utensils, although we’ve had many exceptions. Of course, we always pay a premium for good views, which we’ve found is ultimately important to the our level of enjoyment.
8.  Mail and shipping fees: Since we’re unable to receive mail, piece by piece, in most countries, we often make purchases for clothing and supplies, accumulating them along with any snail mail that may arrive, placing them in one large box to be shipped. Most products we purchase include free shipping, but we must pay exorbitant fees to have all of the items sent to us at specific locations. For example, the box being shipped today which includes all the clothing we had to purchase for Antarctica, my new laptop and other supplies, we’re incurring a US $450 (CRC 256,199) shipping fee for the items to be shipped FedEx from Nevada to our upcoming hotel in Fort Lauderdale. This requires our mailing service to open all the arriving packages and boxes, toss the paper and packing materials and neatly place all the items in one box. Their fees imposed for this process are included in the above price.
A leopard atop a high perch.

9.  Internet/Wi-Fi/SIM card fees: We cannot travel without regular access to Wi-Fi; not at hotels, airports, and vacation homes. With our daily posts, photos and research, we chose not to be without Internet services for even a day. Ensuring a connection is always readily available often results in us paying added fees, including SIM cards for phone and data, when we chose not to pay the outrageous costs for roaming cell service in the US.

10. Visas – entering and exiting fees: Upon entering and exiting some countries, an arbitrary fee is charged for visiting their country. This is not the case in every country, but when we encounter such situations we may pay as much as US $40 (CRC 22,7773) at each immigration stop.
All of the above fees and more quickly add up to thousands of dollars each year. Although under many circumstances, we’ve opted for the lowest possible costs for each of the above, willing to forgo some conveniences, we’ve found paying these fees, although often begrudgingly, make life just a whole lot easier.
Sloths, known to by shy, are not easy to photograph when they tend to stay well hidden and out of sight.
We’re not backpackers. We don’t live in hostels. We don’t always use public transportation, preferring taxis and rental cars as an alternative. We aren’t 25 years old with minimal requirements. Nor, are we “high maintenance” always requiring the “best” of everything. Most likely, we fall somewhere in the middle, seeking a somewhat comfortable and somewhat convenient life as nomads.
May your life be comfortable and convenient.
Photo from one year ago today, November 14, 2016:
Tom’s shot of the sunset as we set sailed to our next destination. For more details, please click here.

Earthquake hit last night in Costa Rica… 6.5 magnitude… Epicenter only 50 miles from us… Second earthquake for Tom…

Posted by worldwide-admin on with 0 Comment
Image result for earthquake costa rica stats today
The epicenter of last night’s 6.5 magnitude earthquake was in Jaco, 67 km (50 miles) from us in Atenas.

 “Sightings from the Veranda in Costa Rica”

Another of Tom’s excellent bird photos, two Green Parrots admiring each other.

Last night, around 8:30 pm, we lounged in the screening room while binge-watching the final season of Mad Men. With time running out before we depart Costa Rica (9 days) when we’ll cancel the Netflix account (we won’t be watching anything for a few months while cruising), we were wrapped up in this delicious drama when suddenly, the glass walls in the room began to shake violently.

For that post, please click here., occur for Tom, this was only the second time in his life he’d experienced a quake, the prior in Italy in June 2013, while we lived in a 300-year-old stone house in Boveglio, Tuscany. Having grown up in California, where earthquakes frequently occur of varying magnitude, this was yet another such experience for me.

Although the house shook rather violently, I’ll admit, it seemed to last much longer than the typical 10 to 30 seconds as indicated next.

From this site:
“Generally, earthquakes only last for seconds. Strong ground shaking during a moderate to large earthquake typically lasts about 10 to 30 seconds. Readjustments in the earth cause more earthquakes (aftershocks) that can occur intermittently for weeks or months.” 

Maxi Pali market in Esparza Costa Rica.

Within seconds, Tom and I realized what was happening as we left the room to find a safer area in the house with less glass. Within seconds we were standing in a safe spot in the center of a small hallway between the screening room and the living room.

Once it ended, when neither of us panicked, we wandered through the house, assessing for any damage.  We were shocked when we noticed multiple ceiling fans still moving from the shaking, none of which had been turned on.

Moments later, Tom said, “Let’s get the camera! Look at the pool!” Had we moved a little more quickly, we would have had an opportunity to take a better video of the water sloshing in the pool with water splashing violently onto the veranda floor. It was astounding. As a result, our included video isn’t as outstanding as it could have been if we’d had the camera on hand.

Here’s our video:

The property itself suffered no apparent damage. This sturdy, well-built house survived without any issues whatsoever. The lights had blinked off and on several times, but luckily (safari luck prevails), we hadn’t lost power.
 
After assessing the house for damage, satisfied all was fine, we returned to the screening room, checking our laptops for the latest news on the earthquake. Varying magnitude readings were scattered throughout the web from 6.3 to 6.9.

This morning the various geological centers throughout the world seemed to settle because it was a 6.5 magnitude. There were numerous injuries reported throughout the area affected by the quake. Luckily, Costa Rica, from reports thus far, didn’t suffer the loss of lives, although it’s been reported two or three fatalities from heart attacks occurring at the time of the quake.

From this site:
“Costa Rica hit by 6.5 magnitude earthquake

A 6.5 magnitude earthquake struck off the coast of Costa Rica on Sunday night, the US Geological Survey (USGS) said. According to the USGS, the quake was centered 16 km west of Jacó, Costa Rica, at a depth of 10 km. It gave the quake a preliminary magnitude of 6.8 but later downgraded it.  The observatory at the Universidad Nacional Costa Rica said the earthquake measured 6.9. Jacó lies southwest of Costa Rica’s capital, San Jose, and is part of the region of Puntarenas, on the Pacific Coast.

According to a statement from Costa Rica’s presidency, three people suffered fatal heart attacks that coincided with the time of the earthquake — two in Jacó and one person further south in Coronado. It said the country’s Judicial Investigation Agency was investigating the deaths.

At least one building in Jacó had been evacuated due to apparent damage, and there were reports of walls collapsing and objects falling in other parts of the country. Still, there were no reports of any further injuries, the statement said.

Costa Rica’s hospitals were functioning normally, and minor power outages had been quickly resolved, it said, with the quake felt most severely in the provincial districts of Quepos, Parrita, and Garabito — of which Jacó is capital.
The presidency said that emergency response agencies had been activated and remained on.”
From this site:
“Strong Earthquake Rattles Costa Rica
There were no immediate reports of deaths or serious injuries Sunday night after a strong earthquake shook Costa Rica. With a preliminary magnitude of 6.5, the quake knocked items from store shelves and sent people rushing out of buildings in panic. Four minutes after the initial earthquake, a magnitude 5.2 aftershock struck.  President Luis Guillermo Solis said via Twitter that the government was still gathering information. He urged people to remain calm and prepare for aftershocks.

The U.S. Geological Survey said the quake was centered along Costa Rica’s Pacific Coast, about 10 miles southeast of Jaco, which is about 60 miles southwest of the capital of San Jose.

The quake was at a depth of about 12 miles. The country’s Public Safety Ministry said there were reports of two serious injuries resulting from the earthquake but did not provide additional details. Electricity was knocked out in some areas as power lines and poles fell. Still, there were no reports of significant infrastructure damage from the quake, which hit a lightly populated place on the Pacific Coast. The government reported some rockslides obstructing highways near the epicenter. The U.S. National Weather Service said there was no Pacific-wide tsunami threat, Reuters reported.”

Please click here for a more comprehensive map and more details from this Costa Rica agency, Vulcanological and Seismological Observatory of Costa Rica Ovsicori. We’re grateful to be safe, hoping we won’t experience too many violent aftershocks, chalking this up as one more experience in our vast world travels.
May you be well and safe as well.
Photo one year ago today, November 13, 2016:
It took a while to get the passenger off the ship to load the bus to head to Port Hedlund, Australia. We were surprised by the steep level of this gangplank when so many passengers are disabled seniors. For more details, please click here.

Tom correcting me when I’m wrong…

Posted by worldwide-admin on with 0 Comment
Pigs were cuddling while snoozing in pen.

“Sightings from the Veranda in Costa Rica”

Tom took another excellent distant shot of a bird we couldn’t identify online. Costa Rica neighbor and bird enthusiast Charlie identified this bird as a Clay-colored Thrush or Yigüirro in Spanish.  Thanks, Charlie!

After reading yesterday’s post, Tom corrected me on a few items, which is often the case when I make an incorrect or inconsistent statement. After 1,935 posts in five years, I’m bound to be inconsistent from time to time. 

In this post dated June 17, 2013, I referred to our “bucket list” upon visiting Venice, Italy. In yesterday’s post, as shown here, I stated we don’t use the phrase “bucket list” so much anymore.

I can justify my inaccuracy by saying that we’ve changed our views on specific topics or phrases over these years, one being “bucket list.” It had become too repetitive and overused in travel circles, and I became tired of using the phrase. 

In searching our site for how many times I referenced this phrase, it appears it may have been dozens of times dwindling as time passed, as it became apparent to me that it may not necessarily apply to us.

Squirrel Monkeys in pen.

If our travel lives consisted of a “bucket list,” we may have felt restricted to fulfilling each item on the arbitrary list.  Instead, our curiosity and desires have been fluid, changing from time to time. As a result, I dispensed with using the expression overtime during the past five years.

When meeting ambitious travelers throughout the world, I often chuckle to myself when I hear the phrase repeated repeatedly. In essence, for most travelers, it clearly defines an objective…see these places while we can.

Secondly, Tom reminded me of yesterday’s post when I went on and on about what Tom had envisioned for his retirement years, failing to mention what I’d imagined for myself.

“Oh, good grief,” I spewed. “Haven’t our readers heard enough of what I think and what I imagined?  Surely, after 1,935 posts, don’t our regular readers see me like an open book and easily recite my opinions and perceptions with an uncomplicated sense of fluidity?

Two parrots who refused to turn around for a photo op.

Tom reminded me that at any given moment, don’t we have hundreds of new readers stopping by to grab a snippet of that which we espouse in our endless ramblings? They may not as yet have grasped the flow of opinions and ideas that fly off these pages day after day.

To satisfy Tom over my supposed incomplete post yesterday, I agreed, albeit tentatively, to share what I had imagined my retirement years long before we decided to travel the world. After all, we decided in January 2012 and left Minnesota on October 31, 2102, less than 10 months later.

I began contemplating my retirement years after I turned 50, which was long before I changed my way of eating to achieve pain-free living, which transpired in August 2011 from a hereditary spinal condition.

By the end of November, I awoke one morning, and for the first time in decades, I could stand, walk and maneuver without pain in my back and legs. It was indeed a miracle. Only a few months later, Tom asked me if I’d like to travel the world now that I was pain-free, and we, unsure as to how long that would last, began planning the adventure.

Easy walking path in Zoo Ave.

At that time, little did we imagine we’d last this long. We thought, two or three years tops and we’ll lose interest after tiring of moving around. It hasn’t happened. 

However, before that recovery in 2011, always in chronic pain, preferring not to complain to family and friends, I imagined my “elder years” would be wrought with the painful condition while continuing to attempt to live as normal a life as possible.

My life would have consisted of spending time with family and friends, cooking and entertaining, keeping a tidy and organized household, and attending an endless array of activities, functions, parties, and events. 

Cute sign, Zoovenirs as opposed to souvenirs.

It would have been a relatively simple life comparable to that of many retirees, which was highly enjoyable when I could mentally put the pain aside.

That’s it. But now, my imaginings are very different…in 82 days from today (February 2, 2018), we’ll be standing on Astrolabe Island, Antarctica, with 100,000 Chinstrap penguins.

In approximately 90 days, we’ll be living in the bush in South Africa, surrounded by wildlife with a camera in hand, reveling in the wonders of nature and wildlife far beyond any dreams we may have had in the past. Pinch me. Is this really our lives?

Am I going to awaken one day to be pushing the grocery cart at the Cub Foods store in Minnesota or…awakening in Buenos Aires beginning in 41 days staying in a lovely hotel in the hub of the fascinating city for an entire month? 

Variegated Squirrel at the rescue facility, Zoo Ave in Costa Rica, comparable to those we’ve seen at the villa.

We made a choice. It wasn’t an easy or flippant decision. We have no regrets. Life is good. We’re grateful, we’re humbled, and we’re at peace.

Thanks to all of our readers for sharing this life with us.

Photo from one year ago today, November 12, 2016:

We dined almost every night during the 33-night cruise circumventing Australia, with new friends from the top, left to right, John and Kat from Australia, Cheryl and Stan and Lois and Tom from the US and us. (Not our photo). For more details, please click here.

Reflections on this life…No “bucket list” for us…

Posted by worldwide-admin on with 0 Comment
On a rainy day in Zarcero at the Senor Scissorhands Topiary Garden.

“Sightings from the Veranda in Costa Rica”

Another of Tom’s wonderful bird photos, in this case, a small Green Parrot.

Often retirees contact us asking questions about traveling the world when they retire, after their house and belongings sell, or after some other life event that allows them the freedom to travel the world.

Some have a few specific locations in mind that’s they have on their “bucket list,” visiting family and friends in foreign lands, the cuisine they’d love to experience, and specific sights they long to see. 

Others are on a mission to visit a certain number of countries, all seven continents (we’ll have this accomplished in January), or other goals on a growing list as they contemplate life in the future.

We don’t have a “bucket list.” We never have. Nor do we refer to such a list as impacting our goals of travel.  We’ve often been asked, “What are your goals?”

It was fun to walk under the topiary arches.

What else is there? And, the answer is always clear to us…to experience nature, wildlife, culture, and history. For us, there’s no timeframe within which we must accomplish a particular feat, with no clock ticking other than that of old age.

We decided early on to maintain a life without constraints, restrictions, and unrealistic objectives. On a larger scale, we wanted to feel a sense of freedom with few obligations other than managing our daily lives, health, and finances with the utmost care and diligence. Selfish? Perhaps.

But after a lifetime of obligation and “must do” items on what seemed to be an hour-by-hour schedule, we finally unentangled our lives in such a way that we have the flexibility to experience exactly what appeals to us without feeling any pressure to perform, achieve or accomplish.

And yet, without conscientiously trying, we’ve performed, we’ve achieved, and we’ve accomplished in ways we never imagined possible for either of us. The sense of fulfillment and joy reaches far beyond that which we ever dreamed possible at these ages. Tom will be 65 years old on December 23rd and me 70 on February 20th.

The door to Senor Scissorhands Topiary Garden

How had we previously imagined these years of our lives? From Tom’s perspective, he imagined spending three months in Washington, DC, scouring the Smithsonian and other American history facets. Also, he imagined driving two-lane highways and stopping along the way to read historical markers and visit out-of-the-way points of interest. We’ll do these someday.

He’d envisioned visiting the Suez and Panama Canals, both of which we’ve already experienced, and soon, in 16 days, we’ll see the new, improved Panama Canal for the second time.

He never imagined being a “snowbird,” owning two homes and going back and forth during the bitter cold Minnesota winters. But he did conceive of the concept of having a “loaf of bread and a gallon of milk” on hand during a blizzard. 

A good TV show, reading the daily paper, and visiting with family and old friends could have been satisfying in many ways. Add a donut and a Bismarck from SuperAmerica and a good cup of freshly brewed coffee, and he’d be content.

Basilica Nuestra Senora de las Piedades in Naranjo, Costa Rica.

Throw in our enjoyable time spent together and with family and friends; what more could a person need or want? We never dreamed of this life until it happened. 

Now, five years later, we can’t wrap our minds around any other type of lifestyle other than that which we currently live, filled with awe, gratefulness and wonder, never feeling a need or desire to “settle down.” 

So, dear readers, we continue with 11 more nights in Costa Rica, treasuring every last moment here while anticipating the future with boundless enthusiasm and joy.

May your day be filled with enthusiasm and joy.

Photo from one year ago, November 11, 2016:

View to the ceiling and elevators in the Centrum area on Royal Caribbean Radiance of the Seas. For more details, please click here.

Tom’s excellent veranda photos…Purchasing a new laptop…A must before the next adventures…

Posted by worldwide-admin on with 0 Comment
An iguana is basking in the sun.

“Sightings on the Veranda in Costa Rica”

Tom’s photo from the veranda of this Flame-colored Tanager.

Over the next several days, we’ll be posting Tom’s photos (at quite a distance)from where he was seated on the veranda while I was indoors ironing clothes. He considered coming to get me but feared if he moved, his gorgeous subjects would fly away.

Entrance sign to Zoo Ave (In this case, “ave” refers to “aviary” in Spanish.

I was impressed by his photos. Although a bit blurry from the long-distance, many clearly defined various feathered species landing in the vast amount of greenery surrounding this lovely Atenas property.

We’re looking forward to sharing the photos in our “Sightings on the Veranda in Costa Rica” section over the next several days. As we wind down these remaining 12 days in Costa Rica, we’ll finish posting photos we’d yet to share from various sightseeing venues we visited during our over three-month stay in Atenas.

Map of all of the animal rescue areas at Zoo Ave in Alajuela.

With time rapidly wafting away, I knew the time had come for me to order a new laptop. My current Acer laptop is definitely on its last leg after purchasing it while we were on the Big Island, Hawaii, around Christmas-time in 2014, making it almost three years old.

With Africa on the horizon, I’m reminded of my difficulty when I dropped my computer in 2014, breaking the screen, making it entirely unusable. It’s the longest I’ve had a laptop survive since the onset of our travels in 2012. Click on this link here for details.

Giant turtle on a rock.

It was frustrating trying to find a replacement in Nelspruit, South Africa, resulting in my purchasing a low-quality HP with difficulty with the letter “t.” I kept that awful piece of equipment until January 2015, after the family visit on the Big Island in Hawaii when I replaced it, making a new purchase at the Costco store in Hilo.

She was sunning and funning.

Many have asked why we don’t switch to Apple products and why we don’t use iPad or other tablets instead of clunky laptops often weighing more than 5 pounds (2.27 kg.). With Tom’s sturdy backpack, he has no trouble lugging around both of our laptops.

It’s funny how most of us get stuck on name brands and features we’re not willing to forgo. For both of us, they include a 15.6 touchscreen, HDMI outlet, one terabyte of storage, and a lighted keyboard. Such specs aren’t always easy to find.

Turtles are stretching their necks toward the warmth of the sun.

Now that all new PC products have Windows 10 operating systems, which neither of us favors than Windows 8, we found we have no choice but to adapt to this more unique and often painstaking system. 

But, like Tom, who purchased his laptop from Amazon on our site in April 2017, which we had sent to us in Fairlight, Australia, arriving on April 5th, 19 days before our departure on a cruise to the US, at an outrageous expense of US $400 (227,862) for the shipping costs alone.

Pelican is lounging with turtles on a log in a pond.

To avoid a similar shipping expense and being reminded of the difficulty we had making a replacement purchase in South Africa, we decided to purchase a new laptop for me from Amazon now, having it shipped to our mailing service (free shipping with Prime).

Once it arrives on Monday, our mailing service will ship the laptop and our other supplies and clothing purchases for the Antarctica cruise and the lengthy period we’ll spend in Africa. This way, the entire contents can be insured and shipped to the hotel in Florida (where we’ll be for one night on November 22nd). Since it won’t be international shipping (Nevada to Florida), we’re hoping it will arrive on time and intact.

It’s so much more meaningful to see birds in the wild than in cages such as this, although they were rescued.

Since my current Acer product still works, we plan to keep it and bring it to Africa. Once it arrives in Florida, I’ll have time during the 30-nights on the ship to transfer all my data and get everything set up. If the old laptop holds up until February, we’ll keep it and use it as a small TV screen if we don’t have a TV in the vacation property, which is often the case in Africa.

May your day be filled with sunshine and light.

Photo from one year today, November 10, 2016:

View of the bridge from our veranda where the ship’s navigation is conducted by the captain and his crew. For more photos, please click here.

Fiery-billed Aracari…Three gorgeous birds in the yard…The story continues…

Posted by worldwide-admin on with 0 Comment
“I’ve got mine!”
“Sighting from the Veranda in Costa Rica”
Sadly, another bird hit the glass wall and failed to recover.
“The Fiery-billed Aracari (Pteroglossus frantzii) is a species of toucan that is found on the Pacific slopes of southern Costa Rica and western Panama. Its binomial name commemorates the German naturalist Alexander von Frantzius. Its habitat is lowland forests and clearings.

The Fiery-billed Aracari has bright markings and a large bill, like other toucans. The adult is about 17 inches long and weighs 8.8 ounces. The sexes are similar in appearance. The head and chest are black and the upper parts are dark olive-green. The rump and under tail are reddish. The collar on the rear of the neck is also reddish. The underparts are bright yellow.

There is a round black spot in the center of the breast and a red band appears across the belly. The thighs are chestnut colored. There is bare black facial skin. The upper mandible of the bill is bright orange. The lower mandible is black. The legs are green. The young are duller in color, with a dirty-black head and brown-green upper parts. The breast spot and belly band are unnoticeable in juveniles. The call is a loud, sharp peek or keeseek.

This species is mostly a fruit-eater, but will also eat insects, lizards, bird eggs, and other small prey. They are seen in small flocks of up to 10 birds. They have a rapid and direct flight pattern. They nest 20 – 100 feet high in a tree. The female lays two white eggs that are incubated for 16 days by both parents. 

The chicks are blind and naked when hatched. Both parents feed the young, which leave the nest after about 6 weeks. The adults feed the young chicks for another several week after they leave the nest. The Aracaris roost socially throughout the year, which is unusual among toucans.”

After groundskeeper, Ulysses alerted us to the sighting, we were thrilled to see three of these outstanding birds on the grounds of the villa while standing on the driveway. The fallen trees from Hurricane Nate were being removed by local workers opening up an area where the birds were able to be seen eating fruit from the remaining trees. See our post on that date here.

Unfortunately, our photos weren’t as clear as the above main photo with our less-than-professional camera and our long distance from the birds.

In the previous post about this sighting, we failed to mention much about these stunning birds due to writing about the storm and the effect on the property after the high winds and pounding rains lasting for days.

Also, we had today’s photos of the Fiery-billed Aracari we’d yet to post and in reviewing our remaining photos to get us through the next 13 days until we depart (two of which will be spent re-posting some of our favorite Costa Rica photos), we decided today was the perfect day to post these photos and description from this site so kindly sent to us by our friend Louise in Kauai, Hawaii.

Louise has been an avid supporter of identifying birds and vegetation when we’ve often been unable to find answers online. Often, we have a less-than-ideal Internet connection which makes research cumbersome and time-consuming. 

“I can’t find one!  What’s the deal?”

Thanks to Louise and many other friends and readers, we’ve been able to update a prior post with the new information properly identifying the animal, bird, plant, flower, or a tree.

As much as we’d like to be able to spend hours in research identifying photos of interesting creatures and vegetation, the fact that we post 365 days a year spent as much as the entire morning in preparation, by the time we get done, we’re ready for a break, especially when we’ll be spending the rest of the day searching for additional photo ops and story content.

No, we’re not tired or bored with posting daily nor do we expect we’ll ever be in such a position. In fact, as we look forward to our next adventures, our interest in posting escalates to an indescribable level, especially when we’re easily able to take photos of a plethora of outstanding sightings in nature. 

“I’d better not drop this!”

With the massive cash outlays we’ve faced while here in Costa Rica, as mentioned many times in past posts, we’ve really had to “tighten our belts” and not spend money on rental cars and tours. We’ve gone over our budget in a few categories.

Surprisingly, groceries have been high for us in Costa Rica. We’ve spent around US $1,000 (CRC 569,713) per month, especially when we only eat one meal a day, don’t snack, or purchase any type of bottled beverages or alcohol. (We’ll be sharing our total expenses for Costa Rica on our final day’s post on November 22nd). 

“Finally, I’ve got one!”

Today, I’ll begin working on our clothing, to be packed before too long, all of which need a wash and dry due to the high humidity.  They actually feel damp and dusty after hanging in the closet for over three months. The end result may require I do some ironing for the first time in so long I can’t recall. I don’t like to iron, but then, who does?

May your day find you engaged in projects you hopefully enjoy!

Photo from one year ago today, November 9, 2016:

A small rescue boat anchored to the side of the ship. For more photos, please click here.