Bad news from the cruise line impacting many passengers on our upcoming cruise….

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This tucked-away restaurant in Atenas is reported to have good food.

“Sightings from the Veranda in Costa Rica”

It’s no wonder these birds are called “Social Flycatchers.”  They stop by each day to visit and sing.  As described here: In appearance, the social flycatcher resembles a smaller boat-billed flycatcher or great kiskadee. The adult is 16–18 cm (6.3–7.1 in) long and weighs 24–27 g (0.85–0.95 oz). The head is dark grey with a robust white eyestripe and a usually concealed orange to vermilion crown stripe. The upper parts are olive-brown, and the wings and tail are brown with only faint rufous fringes. The underparts are yellow, and the throat is white. Young birds have a paler eye mask, reduced crown stripe, and have chestnut fringes to the wing and tail feathers. The call is a sharp peeurrr, and the dawn song is a chips-k’-cheery. As the specific epithet similis (Latin for “the similar one”) indicates, this species looks much like its closest living relative, the rusty-margined flycatcher (Myiozetetes cayanensis), and also like the white-bearded flycatcher (Phelpsia inornatus), white-ringed flycatcher (Conopias albovittatus) and lesser kiskadee (Pitangus/Philohydor lictor). In fact, except at close range, these are all but indistinguishable from appearance alone. They and the two larger similar species mentioned above share much of their range. Though they all are relatively close relatives, the group they seem to belong to also includes species with a somewhat different head pattern, like the Grey-capped flycatcher, which also belongs to Myiozetetes.

Yesterday, we received an email (as indicated below) from the Celebrity Cruise line regarding our upcoming cruise sailing from Fort Lauderdale, Florida, on November 23rd. As previously mentioned, we’re leaving Costa Rica on November 22nd (two weeks from today) and flying to  Miami, spending one night in a hotel, and then taking a taxi to the port. 

A few days ago, once again, we walked through the Atenas Central Park searching for colorful birds, which we’d heard often stop here. After many such visits, we’ve yet to see any birds we hadn’t viewed from the veranda.

It’s a rarity that any cruise line has contacted us regarding any changes on an upcoming cruise that may impact the cruise in one way or another. In most cases, it’s been regarding lousy weather or political unrest at a particular forthcoming port of call.

Tall palm trees line the walkways at the park.

Here’s the message we received from Celebrity:

“Dear Valued Guest,

We look forward to welcoming you aboard your 15-Night Panama Canal and South America cruise departing from Fort Lauderdale on November 23, 2017. Still, first, we have some vital information to share with you.

 To ensure that you have the best experience on your vacation, we’ve changed your debarkation port from Valparaiso, Chile, to the stunning seaside town of San Antonio, Chile. San Antonio has a dedicated cruise ship pier and guest terminal that will make getting off your ship as carefree as your vacation.

 If you’ve booked transfers with us, there’s nothing you have to do. We’ll take you directly to the airport from San Antonio. If you’ve booked transfers independently, please get in touch with the company you’ve arranged your transportation with and have them pick you up in San Antonio instead of Valparaiso. Also, if you’ve booked any debarkation day shore excursions with us, we’ll automatically adjust them to accommodate your new debarkation port.

For your convenience, we’ve included your current itinerary and your newly revised itinerary below.

If you have any questions, please don’t hesitate to call us at 1-800-280-3423.”
A government building in the center of town.
In a split second, Tom, the cruise expert between us, sighed with relief.  He said, “This does not affect us other than missing Valparaiso as a port of call beginning on the second leg 
of our back-to-back cruise from December 8th to December 23, 2017.
 
Immediately, we checked to see the itinerary change on our newly revised cruise confirmation document we received shortly after that from Vacations to Go
as indicated below:
Fri, Dec 8 Santiago (San Antonio), Chile 9:00pm
 Sat, Dec 9 At Sea
 Sun, Dec 10 Puerto Montt, Chile 10:00am 7:00pm
 Mon, Dec 11 Chilean Fjords (Cruising)
 Tue, Dec 12 Strait of Magellan (Cruising)
 Wed, Dec 13 At Sea
 Thu, Dec 14 Punta Arenas, Chile 7:00am 5:30pm
 Fri, Dec 15 Ushuaia, Argentina 10:00am 7:00pm
 Sat, Dec 16 Cape Horn (Cruising)
 Sun, Dec 17 At Sea
 Mon, Dec 18 Puerto Madryn, Argentina 8:00am 5:30pm
 Tue, Dec 19 At Sea
 Wed, Dec 20 Punta del Este, Uruguay 9:00am 7:00pm
 Thu, Dec 21 Montevideo, Uruguay 7:00am 5:00pm
 Fri, Dec 22 Buenos Aires, Argentina 5:00am
 Sat, Dec 23 Buenos Aires, Argentina Disembark
The change is only for December 8th from Valparaiso, Chile, to Santiago (San Antonio port of call), Chili. The only way this change has an impact on us is the
We were looking forward to the stop in Valparaiso, known as a fascinating and steeped-in history city.
The Atenas Central Park is a popular meeting spot for locals and tourists.
After Tom conducted considerable research, he discovered that many cruise lines might no longer use this city as a port of call due to port charges, labor issues, and
preferences over cargo ship business instead of that of cruise ships. At this point, there’s no way we can confirm these reasons or if the
changes will be permanent. Valparaiso is listed as the port of embarkation on a cruise we’ve booked for March 2019. We’ll see how that rolls out in due time.
A restaurant on a side street in Atenas.
After reviewing comments in CruiseCritic.com (the online cruising forum for passengers), he discovered numerous posts from angry passengers who’d prepaid-in-full for hotels for several nights in advance of the December 8th embarkation. These non-refundable hotel fares and prepaid tours may be impossible to recover, even under these unforeseen circumstances.
In Spanish, “calle” means “street.” Thus the “calle” are numbered accordingly.
Here are a few comments from passengers booked on this cruise:

“We are in quite a fix because we have booked a night in Valparaiso, hoping to explore the city on our disembarking day. Now we have a three-hour drive if we can find transportation and make it through traffic and religious celebration to spend a short time in Valparaiso before heading back to ship.”

“Bit disappointed with Celebrity at this point right now after receiving the email about the change of disembarkation port. I phoned the toll-free number – longer than expected delays on hold.”

“We had booked a two-day non-refundable hotel in Valparaiso.  If you check out San Antonio, it has one hotel with terrible reviews. It’s 55 miles from Valparaiso.”
One must walk carefully on the uneven sidewalks in town.
For us, it’s but a slight disappointment since we won’t be losing money or having to change any of our plans. We hadn’t booked anything in Valparaiso when we’d planned to hire a taxi and tour the city on our own.
There’s little to do in the new port of call of San Antonio, Chili, as indicated in this link at TripAdvisor. One cruise passenger stated this port of call hadn’t been used by cruise ships in over 50 years. We aren’t able to confirm
this either.
Christmas decorations in front of an upscale spa/salon in Atenas.
In any case, we’re still excited about the cruise and grateful we hadn’t made unique plans.
Happy day! 


Photo from one year ago today, November 8, 2016:

This hallway is to the Shops of Centrum on Royal Caribbean Radiance of the Seas on our 33- night cruise one year ago. Would you please click here for more photos?

Shopping malls throughout the world….Final photos from Managua Nicaragua…

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The adorable costumed girl waved when she spotted us with a camera at the Metrocentre Mall in Managua, Nicaragua.

“Sightings from the Veranda in Costa Rica”

Sun setting behind the mountain

We’ve learned a lot visiting shopping malls throughout the world.  Neither of us cares to shop. In our old lives, I couldn’t drag Tom to a mall for anything. Now that shopping is generally off our radar, he seems to find it interesting from a cultural basis.

The Metrocentre Mall in Managua is a popular destination for tourists.  It was located across the street from our hotel and a convenient spot to tour. We didn’t buy a thing.

What are we looking for?  It’s fascinating to see products and pricing in each country and shopping to purchase the various items. Often, we find what may be local middle-income shoppers and a wide array of tourists from all over the world.

These smaller stoves are found in many vacation homes throughout the world.

In our travels, we’ve discovered that tourists love shopping. Many have a mentality that shopping is one of the motivators for visiting certain parts of the world, especially those known for great bargains.

Prices are high in electronics stores in Nicaragua and Costa Rica instead of what we’ve paid for such items in the US.

A faction of tourists isn’t aware (or perhaps they are aware) that many products sold at tourist shopping venues are often “knock-offs,” which may or may not be quality versions of the pricier originals. But, even these are snapped up by tourists. Locals are seldom seen making purchases at knock-off shops.

We giggled when we enter the store, “As Seen on TV.”  I guess Costa Rica isn’t that far away after all.

We’ve often noticed cruise passengers disembarking the ship at various ports of call, wheeling empty suitcases ready to be filled with locally designed and made wares, trinkets, clothing, and art. 

Here are a few of our links to shopping in a few countries:

3/6/14  Shopping in the souks in Marrakech Morocco 
https://www.worldwidewaftage.com/2014/03/the-magic-of-medina-and-soukadjusting.html8/3/14 Shopping malls in Paris
https://www.worldwidewaftage.com/2014/08/paris-in-some-out-of-way-places-flair.html

7/21/15  Shopping mall in Trinity Beach Australia
https://www.worldwidewaftage.com/2015/07/a-diverse-and-unexpected-day-out-and.html

Years ago, when we occasionally traveled, I suppose I wasn’t much different than other tourists. It was fun to purchase gifts for family and friends and odds and end clothing and household items for myself. Tom would have nothing to do with any of it.
A tall Christmas tree was being decorated in the mall.

When we decided to travel the world in 2012, we explained to our family members that we wouldn’t be purchasing trinkets for them or our grandchildren that we discovered throughout the world. None of our adult children had room in their homes for useless decorative items. Nor did we want our children purchasing gifts for us at Christmas and our birthdays.

This store was packed with Halloween products.  We were there on October 29th with only two days to go for the big event.

Thus, we mutually agreed we’d only buy gifts for our six grandchildren, all purchased and shipped in the US. Our grandchildren especially enjoy gift cards to be able to buy digital equipment and games. As they get older (the eldest is 17), gift cards are the only sensible purchase.

Visitors standing in a long queue to get into the Western Union store.  Inside the store, dozens were seated in chairs awaiting their turn.

Since we’ve recently replaced all of our clothing while in the US this past summer and recently purchased all of the required attire for Antarctica from Amazon, we’re set until we return to the US for a visit in 2019.

The mall has two primary levels, which included a movie theatre.

When we return to the US, we’ll replace any worn items. In the interim, we have enough to last until that time.  We’re very cautious in laundering clothing to ensure nothing is ruined or shrunk in the wash. We prefer to hang many items outdoors to dry and, in most vacation homes throughout the world. We seldom have a clothes dryer.

This is a robot-type ride for kids.  Note the popular global clothing store in the background, originating from Italy.

Wandering through the Metrocentre Mall in Nicaragua was reminiscent of malls in the US with many familiar store brands, kiosks, and food courts. Although these types of malls are less attractive to us than the shopping areas in remote parts of the world, it’s always interesting to peruse the products offered in other countries.

We stopped to drool over baked goods, purchasing none.

As for grasping the pricing, as soon as we arrive in any country, we quickly learn the foreign exchange rate in comparison to US dollars, allowing us to make sensible decisions when grocery shopping or making any other types of purchases. 

Several small Halloween kiosks were set up for kids.

This morning we were both up and out of bed by 5:30 am. I’ve already made most of tonight’s dinner, one of our favorites, Low Carb Chicken Pot Pie. Over these past weeks, we’ve made a point of cooking our favorites when we know we won’t be cooking for 80 days once we leave Costa Rica in 15 days. 

Wow! The departure date is coming up quickly. We’re savoring every moment in Atenas, Costa Rica.

May you savor your day!

Photo from one year ago today, November 7, 2016:

Our ship docked in Darwin, Australia, for the day. Here is the downtown area of Darwin with office buildings, restaurants, and shopping. For more details, please click here.

Another horrific event in the USA…Is it safe anywhere?…A

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Today’s flowers from the grounds of La Perla are a token of our sorrowful expression for the loss of life and injury of the victims in the Texas mass shooting.

“Sightings from the Veranda in Costa Rica”

A view across the valley to Atenas on a clear day.
As we post each day, we can’t ignore the horrific tragedies occurring throughout the world. Our goal is to attempt to adhere as closely as possible to travel-related topics in our day-to-day lives as we live from country to country.


However, we are deeply touched by the seemingly endless shocking events occurring throughout the world. In reality, such events become an integral aspect of our decisions about where we’ll travel in the future. 

Essentially, the observation and subsequent discussion of these types of events can’t be ignored, not by us, not by any citizens of the world. No, we won’t get into highly charged mentions of political affiliations that rise to the forefront when such events occur. 

Although Tom and I have distinct and passionate political opinions and views, we chose, many moons ago, not to express them here. This is not an arena for espousing our political perceptions. 

This is a site to share the lives of two very much in-love senior citizens who left everything behind, selling everything we owned, to embark upon a worldwide journey living in various countries along the way, experiencing other cultures, wildlife, nature, and history. There is no place for politics here.

Taking the political aspect out of such tragedies places them closer to our hearts with prayers and condolences for those who lost their lives and for the loved ones who are left to mourn and grieve their losses. Who among us can grasp the magnitude of such losses unless they’ve sadly fallen prey to such sorrow?

This week, as we have in many weeks, months, and years passed, stick close to the news hoping to glean a tidbit of information explaining how and why such horrors are perpetrated. 

Will knowing the “why” give any of the families and friends of victims peace? Momentarily, it may. But, moments later, the reality of their losses flood their minds, and they may never find life to be the same without their loved ones.

The concept that “time heals all wounds” may provide a modicum of comfort in the minds of family and friends, but when spoken by others, it sounds weak and meaningless. 

Even the frequently spoken words, “Sorry for your loss” bespeaks an easy “out” rather than a more thoughtful, “No words I can say can ease your loss. Our love and prayers are with you and your family”… or, in many other ways, one may express heartfelt concern and compassion. 

Yesterday’s loss of 26 lives and over 20 parishioners injured in Sutherland Springs, Texas, is another senseless event perpetrated by yet another angry and mentally deranged individual. Had it not been for the bravery of a local citizen shooting the attacker, more could have perished. 

As we continue in our world travels, as we mentioned in yesterday’s post, there is no country in the world safe from harm, not even our native country, the USA. We pray for the souls lost, their loved ones, and for peace in the world.

Be safe.  Be well.

Photo from one year ago today, November 6, 2016:

Check out this adorable honeydew melon mouse which was made during a fruit carving presentation aboard the ship. For more photos, please click here.

Preparedness…Moving right along…All tasks under control…More photos from Nicaragua…

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Tom at breakfast, waiting for his eggs to be delivered to the table.

“Sightings from the Veranda in Costa Rica”

Another visit from one of our little furry friends, the Variegated Squirrel, commonly found in Costa Rica.

It’s hard to believe we were in Nicaragua one week ago, leaving the next day to return to the villa in Atenas.  This past week has been filled with the completion of many tasks looming in our minds. 

Options at the complimentary breakfast buffet, including items for omelets.

Now, with so much accomplished, we can relax and enjoy our remaining time in this beautiful property and sleepy small town. Tomorrow, we’ll head out for one of the last few times to grocery shop, stop at the pharmacy and wander through the park and center of town. 

A variety of cheeses and nuts were offered on the buffet at the complimentary breakfast buffet.

We’ve purchased all the clothing we’ll need for Antarctica and a wide array of supplies we’ll need over the next year, which will be awaiting us when we arrive at the hotel in Fort Lauderdale, Florida, in November 22nd. 

We’re leaving the bulk of our bags at the hotel in Buenos Aires during the Antarctica cruise. Once the Antarctica cruise ends in Buenos Aires on February 8th, we’ll ship all the cold weather clothing back to our mailing service in Nevada to save them for possible cold weather expeditions in the future.

Fruit at the buffet.

We’ll have to be very creative in packing the new supplies, which undoubtedly will add to our overall baggage weight. However, we’ll only have one flight to deal with the excesses, from Buenos Aires to South Africa.

We’ve yet to book a place to live in South Africa, nor have we booked the flight from Buenos Aires, neither of which worries us.  Louise, our friend, and property manager in Marloth Park, along with her husband Danie, a home builder, have assured us they’ll find us suitable housing in the park, perhaps a last-minute cancellation or a property that didn’t get booked for our lengthy time frame.

Tom’s plate after visiting the breakfast buffet. The queso cheese squares are fried and prepared without a batter. I had a few of these with smoked salmon and veggies.

Louise and Dani know we’ll be happy to move every few weeks or so to another house that becomes available.  This is suitable for us, rounds out our experiences and assists them with vacancies. It’s a win-win for all of us.  The wild animals wander throughout the reserve, so we’ll be just fine regardless of where we’ll live.

Yesterday, I completed the scanning of all our receipts and documents since the last time we did this while in Henderson, Nevada. Once we’ve scanned the receipts, we toss them to avoid carrying and paying for the weight of paper in our baggage.

Tom’s made to order fried eggs.

On the upcoming flight to Fort Lauderdale in 17 days, we can expect to pay for our checked bags with American Airlines as long as we don’t exceed the 23kg (50.7 pounds) limit to avoid excess weight charges.

We have left to prepare to pack our belongings scattered throughout the house in cupboards, drawers, and closets. All of our clothing must go through a short cycle in the dryer, resulting in the necessity of ironing a few items. The rampant humidity causes them to feel damp sitting in the closets.

The pool at night at the Real Intercontinental Metrocentre Mall in Managua, Nicaragua.

Most of our clothing is wrinkle-free, but regardless of such a claim on the label, most still wrinkle. Everyday items worn on the ship during the day aren’t much of an issue, but  I’ve made a pile of ironing for the evenings I can either hand off to Isabel or do it myself. We’ll see how it goes.

Yesterday’s pool time was spent under a dark cloudy sky. The sun is shining, but as often the case, we see the usual clouds rolling in. Once thunder and lightning began, we hightailed out of the pool.

The entrance to the hotel in Managua, Nicaragua.
May your day be bright and sunny!                                                                            

Photo from one year ago today, November 5, 2016:

Yorkeys Knob on a cloudy day in Cairns. Since we’d spent three months in Trinity Beach (to the right in this photo) from June 11 to September 7, 2015, and had seen so much when there, we decided to stay on the ship. For more photos, please click here.

Worrisome news about Madagascar and the possibility in South Africa…”Fake news” or reality?…

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More than 1,300 cases have now been reported in Madagascar, health chiefs have revealed, as nearby nations have been placed on high alert
This map of Africa illustrates where the high-risk areas for bubonic plague are located. We intend to be in South Africa beginning in February and in Mozambique and other countries to renew our visa status.

“Sightings from the Veranda in Costa Rica”

Tom’s early morning view of the moon setting on the horizon, taken from the veranda.

When I stumbled across the headline below, we immediately began to research the accuracy and validity of such claims that the eastern coast of Africa would likely fall prey to the ravages of the bubonic plague over the following months. 

With our plan to arrive in South Africa on or about February 10, 2018, that’s only 98 days from today. With the outbreak affecting over 1800 lives on the island of Madagascar, as shown on the above map, of course, this is a concern to us.

Our concerns aren’t necessarily revolving around the time we’ll spend in Kruger National Park or in living in Marloth Park, which is remote and relatively isolated but more so in traveling through busy airports such as in Johannesburg, which is a required stopping point to fly to Mpumalanga/Nelspruit our destination.

Here is the article we first spotted setting the research in motion from this site:

A deadly plague epidemic in Madagascar is now at a ‘crisis point and could reach mainland Africa where it will be ‘difficult to control,’ warns expert as World Bank releases $5M of aid.

  • Cases of the plague have spiraled by 37 percent in less than a week, data shows.
  • The World Health Organization now states that there are 1,801 suspected cases. 
  • At least 127 deaths have been recorded, but experts warn this could also rocket. 
  • The ‘unprecedented’ outbreak has prompted warnings in nine nearby countries
  • World Bank released an extra $5 million (£3.8m) to control the deadly outbreak

Read more: http://www.dailymail.co.uk/health/article-5046017/World-Bank-responds-calls-help-battle-plague.html#ixzz4xTb2JSg9
Follow us: @MailOnline on Twitter | DailyMail on Facebook

While we’re spending about a year in Africa, we plan to visit various countries to fulfill our goals of many yet-to-be-seen aspects of this vast and fascinating continent. Most likely, this will be the last time we’ll see the continent in our world travels. We still have more “fish to fry.”

A boy covers his mouth as a council worker sprays disinfectant during the clean-up of the market in the Anosibe district, one of the most unsalubrious districts of Antananarivo.
Street scene in Madagascar during the plague.  (Not our photo).

Visiting Africa is not for the faint of heart and maybe more challenging as we age. We’re saving all the less demanding locations in other parts of the world for the distant future, including several cruises we’ll easily enjoy well into our 80’s health providing. 

The research took us in many directions. Finally, we landed at the CDC (Center for Disease Control) in the US, which we’ve used on many occasions regarding health conditions in countries throughout the world.

Although we don’t necessarily believe what every governmental agency espouses, we’ve found the CDC less prone to exaggeration, fluff, and fake news. We found this recent article as to what’s transpiring in Madagascar and how it may affect travelers to Africa.

Based on this article by the CDC, at this point, we don’t see a reason to change our plans, although we have decided to purchase face masks to wear while at airports or public areas as we travel through the continent should the plague spread to countries we’re visiting. We’ll buy them today to arrive at our mailing service to be shipped to the hotel in Florida, where we’ll come on November 22nd.

People queue at a pharmacy in downtown Antananarivo, Madagascar to buy protection masks against infections and medicines against plague on Monday, October 2.
Locals outside a pharmacy in Madagascar. (Not our photo).

As we’ve often mentioned in past posts, no country, city, village our countryside in the world is exempt from the risk of one type or another. Whether it’s an infectious disease, crime-related threats, or heinous acts of terrorism, we always proceed with the utmost sensibility and caution, which in itself is no guaranty of safety.

May your day find you safe from harm.

Photo from one year ago today, November 4, 2016:

One year ago today, we stood on our cabin’s veranda awaiting the arrival of this medevac helicopter to transport a heart attack patient from the ship to an appropriate hospital. For more photos, please click here.

Results from appointments with Dr. Candy in Atenas…

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The clinic has an ambulance, ready to go in an emergency.

“Sightings from the Veranda in Costa Rica”

Once back at the villa, the clouds started rolling in from the mountains.

Yesterday afternoon, with a bit of trepidation, we took a taxi for our appointment with Dr. Candy Midence Noguera, Medico Cirijano Cod, 7620, Consulta Medica – Ninos – Adultos (for children and adults). Phone: 2446-7440 or 2727-6868.

We’re posting the above information if any of our readers visit Atenas and its surrounding areas in the Alajuela Valley, Costa Rica, and need to see a physician. The delightful, bi-lingual Dr. Candy was the perfect choice for our needs. 

The reception desk at Dr. Candy’s office, Linea Vital de CR.

We couldn’t have been more pleased with the quality of service we received from Dr. Candy. She brought both of us (on time) into her office, conducting an exam, and walked through each question on the detailed forms with us. 

The cruise line, Ponant, requires the exam and accompanying documents to be completed anywhere between 40 and 90 days before the cruise date. This worked out perfectly for us when we’re leaving Costa Rica in 19 days. 

The waiting room at the doctor’s office.  A patient came out of an appointment with the doctor with an IV bag attached to her arm.  She sat on this sofa while the IV bag was hung on a small hook attached to the bulletin board.

As of today, we’ll sail on the Antarctica cruise in 82 days. (The upcoming 30-night cruise to South America sails in 21 days, for which we needed no such documentation).

Fortunately, we passed the exams without any issues. Neither of us has any conditions that might prevent a traveler from embarking on such a cruise that travels well outside the scope of air ambulance service while in one of the most remote areas in the world, Antarctica.

As usual, the afternoon sky was cloudy, and rain had begun to fall when we arrived by taxi from the villa. The round trip taxi fare with tip was US $7.03 (CRC 4,000).

Our total doctor bill for both of us was US $120 (CRC 68,297), not covered by our major medical insurance.  Had we been in many other countries, the bill could have been considerably higher. We paid with a credit card and were on our way after big hugs from Dr. Candy.

We now have all the completed documents in hand. Today, we’ll scan and email the medical forms and other forms we had to complete in this time frame, including passport and additional general information. It will be a relief to have this out of the way today, along with all the other “paperwork” we mentioned in yesterday’s post.

Now, during these remaining 20 days in Costa Rica, we only have to scan a pile of receipts, make one more dental appointment for me (something’s wrong with another crown), grocery shop on two more occasions, and of course, pack.

View across the street from the doctor’s office.

We’ve accessed the food on hand and what we’ll need to purchase as we’ve scheduled meals on our calendar for each of the remaining days. After I make tomorrow’s pizza (enough for three nights), we’ll only cook dinners for two more weeks. 

This morning it dawned on me that we won’t be cooking for another long stretch, this time from November 23, 2017 (sail away date) until we arrive in South Africa (on or about February 10, 2018), for a total of 80 days. 

This won’t be the most extended period we haven’t cook. When we left New Zealand on April 15, 2016, and eventually ended in Phuket, Thailand, on July 23, 2016, we didn’t cook a single meal for a total of 100 days.

Cows grazing in our gated neighborhood on the return drive from the doctor.

These long stretches seem to trigger my enthusiasm for cooking once we’re settled in a new location and have begun thinking about some of our favorite meals. Years ago, I loved to cook, but once we left the US, my interest seemed to wane due to the difficulty in finding ingredients we use for our cooking style.

Today, we’re hoping the sun will continue to shine long enough for pool-time, after which I’ll get to work on scanning all the documents and receipts. It will be good to have this task off my mind.
Have a peaceful day.

Photo from one year ago today, November 3, 2016:

View one of the 70 islands in the Cumberland group as we sailed by early in the morning. This is one of the main reasons we prefer a balcony cabin. For more photos, please click here.

Paperwork galore… Why so many errors?… Multitasking myths… More Managua photos…

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A colorful collection of hammock slings in the Market Restaurant at the Real Intercontinental Metrocentre Managua.

“Sightings from the Veranda in Costa Rica”

Tom got this distant shot of the Montezuma Oropendola, which is a New World tropical icterid bird. It is a resident breeder in the Caribbean coastal lowlands from southeastern Mexico to central Panama but is absent from El Salvador and southern Guatemala.

We spent most of the day yesterday working on paperwork. I prepared a new food list for today’s appointment, which must be reviewed by the doctor for the upcoming Antarctica cruise. We completed all the forms necessary for the appointment, leaving the remainder required for the doctor to enter.

The lunch buffet at the Real Intercontinental Metrocentre Managua Hotel in Managua, Nicaragua, was tempting. But, after the complimentary breakfast, neither of us was interested in lunch, a meal we rarely consume.

We must always do some paperwork for various world travel and financial matters, including gobs of forms to print, sign, scan, and email. Some documents require faxing. Who still uses fax machines?  Aren’t they obsolete?

Most of the items in this buffet were suitable for my way of eating.

When we must fax a document, we can either email it to son Richard in Henderson, Nevada, during business hours or email it to our mailing service, where they can fax whatever we need. This is only concerning documents in the US, where all of our document processing is done with various businesses.

Seafood, chicken, and ham are great additions to salads. 

Often, mistakes are made on the other end; lost documentation, failure to complete processing, and the necessity of frequently making phone calls using our Skype phone number to confirm everything are correctly done. 

This is time-consuming and disappointing. We’ve learned never to assume the paperwork was handled properly, and we tend to check and re-check many times to discover the task wasn’t completed. We could quote dozens of such incidents over these past five years, but…we won’t bore our readers with this.

A sushi bar at the hotel.  Tom doesn’t care for sushi which I used to love in my old life.  Now, without the rice in the sushi rolls, I have no interest.  Plus, I’ve lost my taste for raw fish over these past years of travel.

Oh, don’t get me wrong, we’re not exempt from making errors. In our old lives, I recall having to call when cable and other utility bills had errors. What’s the deal with this?  

Even while in Minnesota, we discovered I’d booked our flight to Nevada on the wrong date, and it cost us over US $700 (CRC 398,574), never to be recouped. It was the first significant booking error I’d made that couldn’t be reversed or revised in some manner.

Comfortable seating in the sushi bar.

We, humans, are undoubtedly responsible for the words “human error.” It’s rampant. And, even the most meticulous of us can find ourselves in a pickle from our errors. Why does this happen?

After careful consideration of my own errors, I’ve come to realize it always occurs when I’m multitasking and not paying enough attention. There’s no excuse. 

The outdoor sports bar.

Since my flight booking error, this past summer occurred while we were so busy in Minnesota, I’ve carved out specific time without distractions to handle anything that could potentially cause us a problem. Tom and I now review bookings together, checking and re-checking each other’s work in booking events to ensure we have no errors.

In my youth, I was always proud of my ability to multitask. But, as we’ve aged, I’ve discovered doing so is not a benefit at all. Being able to focus on a critical task at a time is more fulfilling in the long run.

We sat in the lobby when we prepared the day’s post.

Recently, I’d read this article, The Myth of Multitasking, and completed the test shown in the report. There’s no doubt that multitasking doesn’t achieve one’s original intention of getting two or more tasks completed at one time in less time. 

Sure, I can multitask when cooking a meal; boil the water, stir fry the veggies and cook the bacon in the oven simultaneously. But, that’s cooking, not handling important financial and other matters that can result in chaos if not caught in time.

Bread items are offered at the complimentary breakfast buffet.

Today, we have tunnel-vision in getting our medical forms signed by the doctor, hopefully finding us both in good enough health to embark on the upcoming expedition cruise.

May you be able to focus on what must be completed in your life today! Happy day!

Photo from one year ago today, November 2, 2016:

Tom, during breakfast in the main dining room on Radiance of the Seas 33-night cruise circumventing the Australian continent. For more details, please click here.

Exceptional anniversary day…Preparing for tomorrow’s big day…More Managua photos…

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Coconut residue under a tree.

“Sightings from the Veranda in Costa Rica”

Last night’s view of Atenas from the veranda.

After a wonderful anniversary day with pool time cut short due to rain, we had a delicious dinner and evening lounging in the electricity-restored screening room. The power in the room had gone out before we left for Nicaragua, which was repaired by Julio while we were away.

Street view as we drove through Managua.  There are security guards at every intersection.  If you’re traveling to Managua, Nicaragua, we had a fabulous taxi driver. He has a college degree in “travel” and conducts tours. Jeffrey Ocampo at phone: 7782-3211, email: ocampojeffrey136@gmail.com.
We watched a downloaded episode of Shark Tank, Australia Survivor, on Australia’s TenPlay channel and on Netflix, two episodes of season five MadMen, which series we plan to finish before departing Costa Rica. 
Second-hand clothing shop with cola sign.
Before leaving Costa Rica three weeks from today, we’ll cancel Netflix until we’re settled in South Africa in a little over three months. We use various mediums for entertainment at night when we hunker down after dinner.
Shoes store on the highway during a half-price sale.
I often fall asleep during the last show, but Tom keeps waking me up so I won’t miss anything and also so I’ll sleep better without taking a “nap” at 9:30 pm. Since I awaken at 4:00 to 4:30 most mornings, by 9:00 pm or so, I’m nodding off.
Statues and artifacts at the entrance to a building.
Today, I’m committed to staying up later and sleeping later in the morning. It won’t work for me to be nodding off at the dinner table, dancing at the “silent disco,” or watching productions in the theatre. 
Veterinarian’s office.
Tomorrow is a big day for us. Yesterday, we printed all the necessary documents required for the January 23, 2018 cruise to Antarctica, which includes a litany of medical forms completed by a physician and sent by email to Ponant in the next two weeks.
Tom by the pool at the hotel.
Weeks ago, we booked appointments at 2:00 pm with Dr. Candy, a popular bilingual doctor located close to the center of Atenas. Many ex-pats have recommended her and our property managers, Aad and Marian, and owners, Bev and Sam.
Tom opted for pasta last night at the hotel, knowing he’d be back to healthy eating when we returned to Atenas.
I’m always apprehensive about doctor visits, but this is a must-do.  The forms are long and complicated to ensure we are fit for this expedition cruise, which has no means of evacuating sick passengers from the remote Antarctic.
My side order of sauteed vegetables at The Market Restaurant at the hotel.
Although there will be two doctors and a nurse or two on board, the small ship of only 200 passengers doesn’t have the more comprehensive medical facility found on huge cruise ships. 
As a result, Ponant doesn’t want high-risk patients on the expedition cruise. Also, getting on and off the Zodiac boats may be difficult and subject to injury by passengers with limited mobility.
I ordered grilled salmon on a bed of thinly sliced zucchini with gluten and starch-free sauce. 
We don’t expect any issues to prevent us from getting these documents completed as needed after an exam.  On Friday, we’ll post information as to the exam and the results. 

 Next, we’ll forward the completed forms by email to Ponant along with the “passenger information” forms with copies of our passports, credit card information (for incidentals on the cruise), etc.

 I’m rushing a bit today, so we can get outside in the sunshine before the afternoon clouds roll in and the rain begins to fall. Swimming and lounging in the pool is a favorite daily activity that we’ll miss tomorrow afternoon when we head to the doctor’s office.
Be well, dear readers!  We’ll be back tomorrow!

Photo from one year ago today, November 1, 2016:

One year ago, almost every evening during the 33-night cruise, we played pool at this self-leveling (for rough seas) pool table in The Colony Club.  For more photos, please click here.