A step in the right direction…Domestic flights in India beginning on May 25…

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Playful elephants on the Sabie River in Kruger National Park.


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Today’s photos are from May 21, 2019, from Connemara, Ireland. Please click here for more details.

This morning’s news announced the reopening of some airports in India for domestic flights. This is a step in the direction for the same for international flights sometime down the road.

We love the reflection of clouds in the water as we drive through the countryside.

However, it’s impossible to predict when this may occur based on the original transmission of Covid-19 traced to passengers entering the country from other countries.

The US has allowed some domestic flights from the onset of the lockdown, but here again, it could be many months before international flights will begin. As for South Africa, our preferred next destination, there is no indication of its borders opening anytime soon.

As for Madagascar, it appears they may reopen their borders in the next 60 days. Tanzania will be opening its borders for international travelers within a week. This leaves us with a good option for staying in one of these countries, enjoying its vast array of wildlife while we await the reopening of borders in South Africa.

Yellow irises were growing wild in the countryside.  Please click here for information on the wild yellow irises in Ireland that often grow along the road. 

Madagascar and Tanzania allow a 90-day visa on arrival. Suppose South Africa’s borders aren’t open after 90-days or 180-days in these two countries (and others). In that case, we can visit other islands near Africa’s eastern border or other countries within Africa such as Namibia, Botswana, and Uganda, depending upon the degree of outbreaks in those countries.

In the interim, liquor shops have reopened in some areas in India for “home delivery” only. No pubs will be open, nor will bars available in hotels. Since we’ve gone so long without a drink, at this point, we won’t bother. 

Besides, having beer and wine delivered to the hotel in lockdown with a guard at a distant gate would be cumbersome. We’ve decided we’ll wait until we get to our following location, which could be many months from now. 

A little sheep family was resting near the road.

It’s interesting to read the comments our readers have sent. As we’ve mentioned in past posts, the most common word we receive is, “Why don’t you seek repatriation to the US and get out of this odd situation?”
We appreciate your comments and suggestions.

Another question we received yesterday was, “Can you fly to another city in India” while you wait?”

There would be no point in us considering either of these scenarios. No city in India would offer a safer, more comfortable environment than where we are staying now in this quality hotel. It would make no sense to fly any more than necessary to leave India when it’s allowed ultimately.

We anticipate the flight out of here with a certain sense of dread, as grateful as we’ll be to be on the move. The required five or six-hour early arrival at the airport, wearing a mask and gloves for such an extended period, the medical checks, the luggage fees, and of course, the long and laborious flight.

As we approached the town of Clifden, we noticed several apartments and townhouses on the inlet.  Clifden, our area to shop, only has a population of 1,597. “Clifden is a coastal town in County Galway, Ireland, in the region of Connemara, located on the Owenglin River where it flows into Clifden Bay. As the largest town in the region, it is often referred to as “the Capital of Connemara.” Frequented by tourists, Clifden is linked to Galway city by the N59.”

But, there doesn’t appear there will be any other options. We’ve got into the possibility of an upcoming cruise on a small ship sailing out of Mumbai at some point, but only if it brings us closer to a destination we prefer. This is highly unlikely.

It’s not as if we are overly picky about where we choose to go from here. The country has to have open borders, adequate incoming international flights, and not be a hotbed of Covid-19 at the time. 

We accept the reality that we may be required to be quarantined for 14-days (or more) once we arrive in any country significantly since India’s number of cases is rising rapidly and…we are US citizens, the biggest hotbed in the world.

Ah, by no means is this situation manageable, nor will it be when we have some serious decisions to make. But, the one thing we know for sure, it would have made no sense for us to return to the US when flights were offered for stranded citizens.

This precious photo was my favorite of the day.

Where would we have gone? We have no home. Many holiday homeowners are refusing to rent their properties during the times of Covid-19. Hotels and meals are twice as expensive as we’re paying here or will pay in other parts of the world.

I’m high risk. We have no insurance in the US except Part A Medicare, which isn’t nearly enough to cover costs if either of us were to become infected. Our international insurance covers everything with only a $250 deductible.

The reasons are apparent. But, we thank everyone who has taken the time to write and offer suggestions and will continue to respond to your requests.

Yesterday, we crossed this single-lane bridge on the way to Clifden. We can take a few different routes from here to Clifden and will change it up each week.

The weeks seem to fly by quickly, especially from weekend to weekend. Often, when we comment on what day of the week it is, we’re both surprised it’s Friday or Saturday once again.

Regardless of all of this, we continue to have hope for the world, India, our own country, fur readers/family/friends, and for ourselves that eventually this too shall pass and a new world will begin to emerge.

Stay safe. Stay hopeful.

Photo from one year ago today, May 21, 2019:

Donkeys are highly regarded in Ireland to the point there are special programs available to adopt and a specialized Donkey Sanctuary in Cork, Ireland. For more photos, please click here.

Cases rising in Mumbai as the country’s hot spot…How much is it costing us to live in this hotel?…

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This was our favorite videos we’d made in Africa. Kruger National Park requested to 
use this on their site, to which we agreed at no cost to them.


Note: To all of our readers visiting our site via a smartphone, please click the “View web version” tab under the word “Home” at the bottom of the page to access the web version enabling you to access all of our archives on the right side of the page. We’ll be updating our site in a few months, making these extra steps unnecessary. Thank you.

Today’s photos are from May 20, 2018, from Chobe National Park in Botswana. Please click here for more details.

Albert, our guide in Chobe National Park and on the Chobe River, had pulled the safari vehicle close to the river to take photos of the elephants easily.

It’s all over the news. Cases and deaths from Covid-19 are increasing rapidly, particularly in Maharashtra, where we are located, mainly due to circumstances increasing in Mumbai.

Three baby elephants were off at a distance, and the moms were angry they’d wandered off.  They started calling for them, and they came running. This happened so quickly we had no time to react and take a video. When the babies returned, it appeared the moms were scolding them as they kicked up sand while bellowing.

Local news as of May 18th from this site:
Coronavirus Lockdown Extension 4.0 Guidelines News (State Wise): With nearly 90,000 cases, the number of COVID-19 patients in India grows rapidly. India has already overtaken China in terms of the number of people affected by the Coronavirus. The number of positive cases in the country is now at 90,927, including 53,946 active cases, 34,109 cured/discharged/migrated cases, the Ministry of Health and Family Welfare said today. The death toll stands at 2,872. India has been under lockdown since March 25. The Modi government has extended the lockdown further till May 31 and released Lockdown 4.0 Guidelines today. The delineation of red, green, and orange zones will be decided by the respective State/Union Territory governments, after taking into consideration the parameters shared by the Ministry of Health and Family Welfare, the Home Ministry said.”

Approximately one-third of the nation’s cases have been in Maharashtra, particularly in Mumbai. 

They were so close to us we didn’t need to use any zoom on the camera. See below for stats from this site:

“COVID-19 cases in Maharashtra, India 2020 by type
Published by Sanika Diwanji, May 18, 2020

Maharashtra confirmed around 33,000 cases of the Coronavirus (COVID-19) as of May 18, 2020, with 1,198 fatalities and 7,688 recoveries. India reported about 96,000 cases, including this state, that same day. The country went into lockdown on March 25, the largest globally, restricting 1.3 billion people and extended until May 3, 2020. The lockdown was extended for another two weeks from May 4, 2020 (now until May 31). As per the new guidelines, the country was divided into red, orange, and green zones. Red zones are designated as the hot spots and will not see any relaxations in comparison to the areas considered less prone to the spread of the virus.”
A few stragglers who’d been grazing followed suit.
These stats don’t bode well for our hopes of the airport opening for international travel anytime soon. And, once it does open, the activity and crowds at the airport could be in excessive numbers. In any case, it will be a watch and see the scenario for us. 
 One baby insisted on suckling after all of the action.
Most likely, we won’t leave until: a). Flights are available for our next destination and, b). Crowds at the airport have diminished.
 
This may result in staying in this hotel for an extra week or more after the airport reopens for international travel. 
Things started to settle down.
On another note, with great difficulty, we were finally able to book extra nights at this hotel from today until July 1, 2020. Hotels.com was having some booking issues, and we couldn’t book more than eight nights in a row. 
 
This prevented us from taking full advantage of the double rewards points when only one booking per person would allow the double points. At this point, we’ve prepaid and booked nights in both of our names until July 1, 2020. 
Finally, they decided to wander off.
Who knows? Maybe by then, we’ll be able to leave. If we go earlier than July 1st, the hotel won’t charge us for the nights we haven’t used and will credit us accordingly. This gives us peace of mind.
 
Today, when the cleaners arrived, we headed downstairs for the first time in many days to pay our bill for the past 28 nights plus the dinners, which we hadn’t prepaid and was due today. Our bill for 28 nights plus meals was INR 260713, $3445.40, which averages at INR 9307, US $123 per night including dinner and taxes.
The worry exhibited by the moms was heartwarming to witness.  We were grateful to have seen such an event.
We’re appreciative and fortunate for this reasonable cost per day. It could have been twice as much in another hotel. It would have been tough to pay a more significant sum when this isn’t about “having a good experience” as we’ve had when staying in hotels in the past while traveling. This is hardly a “fun” time.
 
This is all so weird. We never imagined we’d be living in a hotel for three months or more, unable to go outdoors or enjoy any of the facilities, have a drink or a glass of wine, dine in a restaurant while handwashing all of our clothes in the shower.
 One baby insisted on suckling after all of the action.
Nor did we ever anticipate we’d be wearing face masks each time we left our room while it was being cleaned, to walk the corridors or stop by the reception desk. 
 
Many times, in our 2840 posts (as of today), we mentioned the peculiarity of our lives of long-term world travel without a place to call home, no storage, and only a few possessions in our bags. But, never once did we consider this added layer of peculiarity.
Another calf suckling.
These are indeed strange and frightening times, none of us ever anticipated would transpire during our lifetimes. In years to come, if and when this is ever over, we’ll look back and shake our heads in astonishment as to how we managed to come out on the other side.
 
Keep the faith, dear readers. It’s all we have to hang onto during these times.

Photo from one year ago today, May 20, 2019:

Appealing view of clouds reflecting into the body of water in Connemara, Ireland. For more photos, please click here.

Questions on yet another quiet day…Facing our reality…

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Elephants were playing in the Sabie River in Kruger National Park.

Note: To all of our readers visiting our site via a smartphone, please click the “View web version” tab under the word “Home” at the bottom of the page to access the web version enabling you to access all of our archives on the right side of the page. We’ll be updating our site in a few months, making these extra steps unnecessary. Thank you.
Today’s photos are from May 19, 2015. Please click here for more details.

A few times each day, I allow my mind to “go there,” to the place where I try to grasp the magnitude of the circumstances in the world during this unprecedented pandemic.

Huge boulders were placed on the beach as a breakwater, or were they there all along?

Then, I allow myself to contemplate our situation; locked in a hotel room in Mumbai, India, for two months so far and possibly more months to come, only allowed to walk the corridor, which I do ten times a day.

Of course, it’s during the walks that my mind wanders to the harsh realities. Sure, we’re safe, we have air-con, two meals a day, all the coffee/tea we can drink, a strong WiFi signal, daily cleaning service, a comfortable bed and seating, and an HDMI cord we can use to stream media on a flat-screen TV to keep us entertained.

A lone tree near the shore on the Kauai Path.

The hotel’s power has gone off several times in the past few days, if only for a minute or less. But are we headed toward a power grid shut down due to economic conditions and lack of workers in Mumbai? This is a frightening thought, but a situation that is entirely possible during these times of Covid-19. 

I always listen to podcasts or videos while walking, but it takes only a little flash in my brain to send it in to a whirlwind of thoughts often centered around this:

What’s next?

A bushy path to the beach on the Kauai Path.

Will we continue traveling, and if so, how can we protect ourselves from Covid-19 when we continue? Yesterday, our dear friend Louise sent us a news report that Tanzania may be opening its borders soon. As a developing country, they cannot afford to continue to block international tourists from entering. 

Tanzania is rife with wildlife and home to a part of the vast Serengeti well-known worldwide for the Great Migration, which often occurs from June to October each year. 

While in Kenya in 2013, we had the opportunity to witness the tail-end of the migration, but having the entire experience would be exciting. If we were living in Tanzania, it would be accessible to time it correctly for the best advantage of this unbelievable experience.

The beach in downtown Kapaa.

During this annual event, over five million animals, many of which are wildebeests and zebras, cross the Mara River over and over again as it weaves through Kenya and Tanzania. This may be an excellent opportunity for us down the road once we can leave India.

But, any hopes and dreams for the future continue to be on hold at this point. Another question that looms in my mind is how we will protect ourselves from the virus once we do continue? 

A house during construction above the Kauai Path has a magnificent distant view of the sea.

Will a vaccine be available at some point? Will it be safe? Will it work? Will it mean we can be more relaxed in wearing masks, gloves, goggles while social distancing? Will we always need to social distance?

What will the world look like in six months, a year, two years for travelers? Will lengthy delays at airports, baggage restrictions, and increased fares impact our way of life?

The Kauai Path is well maintained and has several restroom buildings and lifeguard vehicles with surfboards for aiding in water rescues.

We don’t know the answers to any of these questions now and may not know for some time to come. At this point, we aren’t considering stopping our world journey, but will circumstances dictate we cannot carry on?

From there, more big questions loom; Where would be live? Where is there such a place that would be affordable for us? And could it be in a place where we’d find the joy and fulfillment we’ve had while traveling? And, above all, would it be safe?

In every direction, a mountain view enhances the exquisite scenery in Kauai. On most days, clouds hover over the mountains. The sky is seldom apparent for more than an hour.

Are we headed to a dystopian society, one I’ve watched in countless sci-fi movies over the years? Dystopian is described at this link. I no longer watch such movies.

No, I don’t mean to be negative. However, we both tend to try to be realistic and face our fears.

This photo makes us smile as we recall how lucky we met Jerry and Vicki in January 2015.

In my wildest nightmare, I would never have imagined the situation we are experiencing now. On the flip side, we are hopeful that the virus will eventually waft away, and all of us can continue with our lives, our plans, and our hopes for the future. 

Stay safe. Stay hopeful.

Photo from one year ago today, May 19, 2019:

This morning view from our holiday home in Connemara, Ireland. For more details, please click here.

Please people…stop gathering in crowds!…No hope until people take this seriously…

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Mongooses are carnivores. When we gave them a rib bone, it was devoured.

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Today’s photos are from May 18, 2016. Please click here for more details.

The reporting of Covid-19 cases in India may be highly skewed, with many citizens with symptoms not going to hospitals or seeking medical care. With a population of over 1.3 billion, they can only speculate on the number of cases occurring behind the scenes where many don’t have access to medical care or won’t seek medical care. 

As of today, there are 96,169 documented cases with 3029 deaths. This is only the tip of the iceberg of what is yet to come for India. These past 24-hours resulted in the highest number of new cases in a day, with over 5342 in the entire country, with 34% of the cases occurring in Maharastra, where Mumbai is the capital city.

In Nagara, Bali fish are brought in from the various boats at the Negara Harbour to be distributed to many vendors. 

These conditions don’t bode well for us getting out of here anytime soon. Why would India open its second busiest airport (next to Dehli) for international flights with these types of numbers? They won’t.

Each time I walk, I look out the window at the end of one of the corridors ten times a day before I turn around to retrace my steps. Invariably, a group of men, many not wearing face masks, commiserating in a parking lot, standing close to one another. This is common in India, and unless this behavior changes, Covid-19 won’t have a chance to level off soon.

This fishing boat with its pink and black sail passed by a few days ago.

A few of our readers have written suggesting that we can fly out when outgoing flights to other countries. But, the reality remains that planes won’t be flying empty into India to transport international passengers “out” of India. International flights won’t be available until India is willing to allow international travelers “in.” We don’t foresee this happening at any time soon.

Today, the lockdown was extended until May 31st, although some businesses have been allowed to open, including trains, buses, tuk-tuk, taxis, and small shops. Liquor and cigarettes sales continue to be banned.

These ducks hang out at the rice paddy fields, awaiting their share of rice the locals provide.

Also, several readers have suggested we order takeaway (carry-out) meals based on the repetitiousness of our meals in the hotel. Most takeaway restaurants offer foods we don’t eat or don’t comply with my way of eating. Plus, we can’t help but consider the safety of foods/meals from outside restaurants. 

During our entire time touring India, before the lockdown, we rarely dined in any local restaurants, except for a few high-end facilities while we made stops while on the Maharajas Express Train in late January and early February. 

The rice paddies are ready for planting.  See this site for more details.  “The Balinese system of irrigating their rice terraces is known as Subak. It is such an important part of Balinese culture that in June 2012, it was awarded UNESCO World Heritage Status. This method for irrigating the land was inspired by ancient Hindu philosophy, and it has been used since at least the 11th century. Using this method, the rice fields were built around temples, and the allocation of water was the responsibility of priests. For this irrigation management to work successfully, it has required that members of each community cooperate and work in partnership. Each community member takes responsibility for maintaining the system’s integrity, which is why the terraces tend to look so well maintained. The rice farmers work as a unit to create appropriate canals and dams. Another important element of the Subak system is the religious festivals that mark the cycle of the year.”

Even then, a few passengers complained they’d acquired some gastrointestinal distress from dining in those few upscale spots. While in Udaipur, we walked across the street to dine at a lovely restaurant without any issues.

But, “fast food” restaurants may not be as safe and as strict in handling food during the pandemic, making takeaway meals out too risky at this point. This is our reality.

Huge bags of rice, ready for processing, at the side of the road awaiting pickup.

In the realm of things, eating the same two meals twice a day is no big deal. They are tasty, nutritious, made with the utmost care, and served hot even when delivered to our room.

We found out we can now order our dinner at 6:30 instead of 7:00 pm, which helps since my breakfast doesn’t hold me all day. By mid-afternoon, I get ravenous, but it often passes after a few cups of decaf coffee.

The rice begins to grow for eventual harvesting by hand. Rice paddies are a prolific source of revenue in Bali and many other parts of the world.

Life in lockdown continues, day after day, week after week, and now month after month. We have no idea when this will end, where we’ll be able to go when it does, and what life will be like on the other side. Then again, neither do any of YOU.

Please hang in there with us as we pray for good health and safety for us all.

Photo from one year ago today, May 18, 2019:

A cow in a field with her two white calves in Connemara, Ireland. For more, please click here.

Attention wildlife enthusiasts…”Spy in the Wild”…A must see…Ideal for families…

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Many animals use tools. Watch this funny video of a mongoose’s creativity in cracking an egg.

Note: To all of our readers visiting our site via a smartphone, please click the “View web version” tab under the word, “Home” at the bottom of the page to access the web version enabling you to access all of our archives on the right side of the page. We’ll be updating our site in a few months, making these extra steps unnecessary. Thank you.
Today’s photos are from May 17, 2019. Please click here for more details.

During the lockdown, most of us are looking for special programs to stream. We stumbled across a show entitled “Spy in the Wild” that requires a subscription to the documentary service on Amazon, “Curiosity Stream.”

They are offering a free one-month trial which, after a month, the credit card on file at Amazon will be charged INR 227, US $2.99 a month until canceled. We’ll finish watching the series “Spy in the Wild” before the free trial ends, never needing to pay the monthly fee.

After reviewing other series they offered on this channel, we didn’t see any others we longed to see and canceled it already. However, when canceling one of these streaming services, you will be allowed to continue streaming until the end of the free trial period.

From this site:  “In 1842, a German writer and geographer called Johann Georg Kohl traveled around Ireland, publishing an account of his journey the following year. “Of all the countries in the world,” he observed, “Ireland is the country for ruins. Here you have ruins of every period of history, from the time of the Phoenicians down to the present day… each century has marked its progress by the ruins it has left. Nay, every decade, one might almost say, has set its sign up on Ireland, for in all directions, you see several dilapidated buildings, ruins of yesterday’s erection.”

As for this series, it is absolutely “over the top,” inducing laughter and smiles. Great for kids and adults, it offers a wealth of information from man-made cameras in the form of the actual animals they are spying on, such as Spy Mongoose, Spy Warthog, Spy Meerkat, etc., which looks almost exactly like the animal it’s representing. 

This is hysterical, as the automated animal replicas provide an up-close view of animals’ emotions, behaviors, and actions in a way we’ve never seen before. We couldn’t recommend this series more, keeping you and your family entertained for hours.

If you are outside the USA, you’ll have to use a VPN to get into Amazon USA, which you can upload for free at some locations on the web. Once you have the VPN working, it’s necessary to set it at a USA location, or you’ll receive a message stating you cannot stream outside the USA.

A Belted Galloway cow. From this site:  “Belted Galloway cattle originated from western Scotland, a region whose weather is strikingly similar to Ireland’s damp climate! This makes Belted Galloways perfectly suitable for the wet, cold winters and the soft boggy terrain of Irish farms. Their long, curly outer coat is ideal for rainy weather, as its coarseness deflects moisture from the animal’s skin. They also have a soft undercoat to keep them warm in colder temperatures. The head of the Belted Galloway has long hair around its ears, preventing frostbite in a case of an extreme Irish freeze. Common nicknames for these cattle are ‘Belties’ or even ‘Oreo Cows’ due to their peculiar resemblance to the popular treat!”

Also, you can sign up for their free trial at Curiosity Stream’s site, for which you won’t need to use Amazon.

We use ExpressVPN, but there is an annual charge which you’ll have to check based on your location and operating system. Their customer service is exemplary, and they will walk you through the easy installation process. Right now, they are offering a free 90-day trial. Click here for the link.

So what’s new in our Covid-19 lockdown world today? I know I promised not to get into much Covid-19 information, but I have a safety suggestion to offer if you plan to fly on an airplane.

We spotted several Belted Galloway cattle in the country.  The last time we’d seen this breed of cattle was while living in New Zealand in March 2016.  See our link here.

The airlines that are operational in the world claim they are providing social distancing on flights. I am reading this is typically not the case on total flights. Please do your research, and you’ll see this is the case.

Many require masks, but now it’s been discovered that in a confined space such as an airplane, train, bus, or public venue, one may acquire the virus through their eyes. It may not be widespread, but it is happening. How easy it would be to have droplets get into our eyes from coughing, sneezing, or even talking to passengers within proximity.

Also, have you ever noticed how often we might rub or touch our eyes daily, as well as our faces? After reading this on various reputable sites, I decided we need to “up the ante” and wear clear goggles along with masks and gloves when we finally get to fly out of India or on any flights in the future.

As we drove through the countryside in Connemara, we were amazed by the number of ruins.

Yesterday at Amazon India, I purchased a few pairs of re-usable clear goggles for a low price. Also, the fog-free goggles help prevent eyeglasses from steaming up while wearing the masks.

Now, my challenge is getting Tom to agree to wear the goggles during the flights and while at the airport. There’s no point in me taking extra precautions if he, too, doesn’t follow suit since the virus is so easily passed among household family members.

I don’t care one iota how it “looks” to be walking around an airport and on a plane wearing a face mask, goggles, and gloves. Who cares what others may think or say? We’re trying to save our lives. It’s our business.

From this site:  “In Ireland, large-scale domestic and industrial peat usage is widespread. In the Republic of Ireland, a state-owned company called Bord na Móna is responsible for managing peat extraction. It processes the extracted peat into milled peat used in power stations and sells processed peat fuel in peat briquettes used for domestic heating. These are oblong bars of densely compressed, dried, and shredded peat. Peat moss is a manufactured product for use in garden cultivation. Turf (dried out peat sods) is also commonly used in rural areas.”

Is this extreme? Possibly. But I urge all of our family members/readers/friends to exercise the same caution while in crowded spaces. Until we have a better handle on the path of this virus in the future, extreme caution makes a lot of sense.

Otherwise, nothing much is new here.  As of tomorrow, India’s lockdown is continuing for another two weeks, but we anticipate this will continue for many weeks, if not months, to come. Like many of you, we stay in a holding pattern.

Stay healthy.

Photo from one year ago today, May 17, 2019:

A handsome horse at a pasture with other horses a few doors from our holiday home in Connemara, Ireland. For more photos, please click here.

Disputing charges due to Covid-19…Trouble with new booking in times of Covid-19…

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Cape buffalo grazing on the Crocodile River as seen from the fence in Marloth Park
.

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Today’s photos are from May 16, 2015. Please click here for more details.

As mentioned in prior posts, on March 20, 2020, when we arrived at Mumbai’s Chhatrapati Shivaji International Airport at 3:00 am, after waiting in line for over an hour to check our bags and check-in, we were refused an opportunity to board the scheduled flight.

South Africa, our destination, was in the process of closing its borders and began refusing all incoming international flights due to Covid-19. Had we left a few days earlier, we could have been allowed to fly and could have made our way to Marloth Park when the country-wide lockdown didn’t begin until March 27th. Here’s the link with the story about South Africa’s lockdown.

The chicks were born in early February and will fledge in the next month or so. It’s been amazing to watch their fluff fall away as their feathers suitable for flying grow in.

We could kick ourselves for not leaving a few days earlier when we’d already ended our tour of India due to the risks of large crowds at various sightseeing venues. But, who knew? We had no idea how the worldwide lockdown would escalate at that point.

We’d booked the flight with Kenya Air at a ticket price for each of us at INR 32627, US $430 for a total of INR 65254, US $860. We considered this a reasonable fare for the one-way flight that would require almost 16 hours of travel time including layovers for the three legs of the flight.

An un-banded Albatross out for a walk. Its impossible to determine the albatross’ gender without a DNA test. There are no obvious markings or physical definitions. Since both parents equally share in sitting on the nest and the care and feeding of the chick, perhaps nature has made them visibly indistinguishable. 

Once we returned to our hotel, the shock left us reeling for a few days. After being turned away, we figured it made sense to wait a few days before applying for a refund with all the cancellations.

As it turned out, we didn’t apply for a refund until several days later once we were situated in this current hotel knowing full well, it would be a time-consuming process.

We began the process by contacting Kenya Airways directly for the credit. This resulted in no less than 12 hours on hold over a period of several days. Finally, we reached a human who instructed us to apply online at their site. Immediately, we used. 

All of the chicks now have both fluffy and new feathers, as shown in this napping chick.

Several weeks later, we received an email stating that they would not process a refund. We were required to seek a refund from Expedia.com where we’d originally booked the flight.
The lengthy process at Expedia commenced; hours on hold; chat modules with no results until finally, Expedia sent us a message stating we’d have to get our refund from Kenya Airways. How’s that for shuffling us back and forth.

Our only option, at that point, was to contact the credit card we’d used to dispute the charges. There was no “live” chat module or option to send an email for a dispute… only a phone call would be accepting.

This banded albatross appeared to be a parent when she or he was hovering near a chick.

Again, I spent hours online, only to discover they were closed during the daytime hours during which we could call with the huge time difference. Usually, the number on the back of the card is a 24-hour phone number. But, again, due to Covid-19, they too, were operating with a limited staff.

There hadn’t been a single evening that I felt like spending an hour on the phone working this out. Once, in the past, about a year ago, we disputed a charge with Ethiopia Airlines to get a refund when they, not us, canceled a flight. The credit card company took care of it for us but it still required considerable time on hold.

This morning, much to my delight, I was only on hold for 10-minutes and, they had staff working at night, their time. A pleasant woman came on the line who was more than happy to assist after I explained the circumstances.

This chick has been a favorite of ours, with their nest reasonably close to the road and her/him often checking out the scenery.

The end result? In a few days, we’ll see the full refund on that specific card while they continue to work on it over the next 90-days, during which they may contact us to forward the supporting email messages if they run into any problems. In a few clicks, I’ll send the relevant messages without thinking twice.

With this resolution, we’ll have finally received all the refunds for any future travel plans impacted by Covid-19. Subsequently, we have some credits on credit cards, as opposed to debits, which we can use to pay for this past 28-nights in this hotel, plus our meals, when we’re required to pay on May 20th.

Here are two chicks approximately six feet apart although they look closer in this photo. Here again, they are tucked away napping during the wind and rain.  The parents lay one egg and thus these two are not related or, perhaps, they are.

Hotels are often paid after the stay, although some may require full payment in advance during the booking process. That hasn’t been the case here at this Courtyard Mumbai International Airport. They let us pay-as-we-go every 28 days.

When there was a problem with the Hotels.com site, a phone rep was able to get our reservation booked for the first part of our hotel reservation extension from May 20 to June 1, 2020, but not the second portion due to issues on their site.

There is a promotion for double points that we’re trying to take advantage of for the second part of our stay from June 1 to June 17, 2020, which is only applicable for bookings made after June 1, 2020, resulting in our preference to break up the two bookings for a combined 28-night stay into two segments.

By the time we left the area, the sun was shining and we spotted this typical lawn mowing scenario…Cattle Egret hovering near the mower hoping for morsels the process may unsettle. This always makes us laugh. For this story, please click here.

Now, the second part of our booking won’t process. Their tech department will contact us with a resolution in the next few days and hopefully, we’ll be able to get these other dates with the extra points booked.

There go another 90 minutes of my life while in lockdown spent on the phone in a state of utter frustration during these times of Covid-19. Everything is different now.

That’s it for today, folks. Stay safe.

Photo from one year ago today, May 16, 2019:

John, the fish guy with Tom. John will stop by once a week. The prior night I had fresh-caught haddock without a single bone topped with the freshest crabmeat. For more from this date, please click here.

The routine…The routine…The routine…Checking the time..Favorite time of the day…

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Warthogs warfare in the garden.

Note: To all of our readers visiting our site via a smartphone, please click the “View web version” tab under the word “Home” at the bottom of the page to access the web version enabling you to access all of our archives on the right side of the page. We’ll be updating our site in a few months, making these extra steps unnecessary. Thank you.
Today’s photos are from May 14, 2015. Please click here for more details.

Finally, we got a good shot of this pair of cows, most likely a mom and baby, after waiting patiently.
Never have any of us been so trapped into a routine as we are during the lockdown in most of our lives. I can’t recall ever checking the time as often as I do now.
For me:
Is it time for another walk? 
Is it time for another meal?
Is it time to prepare the post?
Is it time to stream a few shows?
Is it the day to hand wash my clothes in the shower?
Is it time for another cup of coffee/tea?
Is it time to do research online as to when borders and international flights will reopen?
Is it the day to pay the credit card bills?
 
For Tom: (After 42 ½ years of checking the time while working on the railroad, he doesn’t pay much attention to the time):
Is it time to take my vitamin B6, which has prevented me from getting more kidney stones?
Is it time to order dinner?
Is it time to wash my clothes?
The island we encountered during the drive to Clifden.
Tom is less time-concentric than I am. We all have our specific routines, even before Covid-19. But, I’ve always been the type of person to become entrenched in what I should have, could have, would have done next. Benefit, now it seems more apparent when the days drag on.
 
Fortunately, there is a favorite time of the day, usually around 7:00 pm or shortly after that when our dinner arrives. Although we eat the same foods each meal, I’m hungry and looking forward to the food (less so for breakfast which I could take or leave) by that time.
From African wildlife to barnyard animals, we’ve found a degree of contentment, especially when they are as cute as these two cows, huddled together to stay warm on a chilly morning.
Lately, the decaf coffee with the powdered cream (yeah, I know, it’s not so healthy, but it’s what’s available right now) has turned into a delightful few minutes; the preparation and the sipping on the hot cup of goodness bring me a few minutes of pure joy.
Sheep are marked with paint as described here: “Farmers “paint” their sheep for identification.  Frequently, you’ll notice large pastures blanketed in green grass and dotted with sheep.  Typically, these pastures are enclosed by stone walls or wire fences and are shared by multiple farmers. When it comes time to claim ownership of the animals roaming around hundreds of acres, a customized painted sheep is easy to identify. Also, during the mating season, the male ram will be fitted with a bag of dye around its neck and chest. When mating, the ram mounts the ewe, and a bit of dye is deposited on the ewe’s upper back. This way, the farmer knows which ewes have been impregnated and moves them on to another field away from the ram.”
After dinner, we settled onto the bed to stream two episodes of the “show of the moment,” all of which we binge-watch.” Variety under these circumstances isn’t necessary. We just finished season eight of Game of Thrones and all episodes of Tiger King and Succession. 
We’ve seen these three burros. “The only real difference between a donkey and a burro is their domestication status. A donkey is domesticated. A donkey is wild. Other than that, there is no difference — burro is just the Spanish word for donkey. There is no physical or genetic difference between a mule or a donkey otherwise.”
Now we’re watching Australia’s Jack Irish in the late afternoon and then the last season of Poldark in the evening. During dinner, we just finished season eight of Doc Martin and began working on season two of Australia’s The Heart Guy, both of which don’t require much concentration and are delightfully simple, ideal for watching while dining.
Cows are curious. They often stopped grazing to check out who was driving by.
Yep, this is our lives right now, folks. Bland is always alert as to what’s happening throughout the world during these difficult times of Covid-19. We’ve found a few good news channels on Indian TV that we have on in the early morning. After breakfast, Tom listens to his favorite radio show, Garage Logic from Minnesota. 
The Clifden town square.
As I prepare today’s post, NatGeo Wild is on the TV with the sound turned down. Usually, Garage Logic is on in the background for a few hours while I do the post, listening simultaneously. AIt provides us both with a bit of wildlife fix while we’re in lockdown. 
St. Joseph Catholic Church is located in downtown Clifden where we shopped for groceries.
It sounds like a lot of mental stimulation during these otherwise dull days and nights, but it works for us, keeping our minds engaged. Neither of us has been interested in reading fiction books right now. It doesn’t seem easy to get out of our heads enough to get wrapped up in a novel.
Plants for sale at a local garden store. The owner came out to greet us. The Irish are very friendly.
I almost feel as if I need to stay alert, pay attention to what we’ll do next, allay boredom or negative thoughts from setting in, doing exactly what, and when it appeals to us the most.
The strips of shops made it easy to get around the downtown area.
How are you coping with staying level-headed during times of Covid-19? We’d love to hear from you! Please comment at the bottom of our page, and indeed we will reply within 24 hours.
 
Stay safe.

Photo from one year ago today, May 15, 2019:

A ram painted red for identification purposes with curved horns. For more on the year-ago post, please click here.

Reminiscing about this past year…Losing weight during the lockdown…

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Hippos on the Sabie River in Kruger National Park.

Note: To all of our readers visiting our site via a smartphone, please click the “View web version” tab under the word “Home” at the bottom of the page to access the web version enabling you to access all of our archives on the right side of the page. We’ll be updating our site in a few months, making these extra steps unnecessary. Thank you.
Today’s photos are from May 14, 2015. Please click here for more details.

It was one year ago that we began a three-month stay in beautiful Connemara, Ireland. In many ways, it seems so long ago, as well as all the places we stayed in this past year since leaving Ireland, which includes (see below):

A small lagoon between Anini Beach and Ke’e Beach while we were in Kauai, Hawaii, on this date in 2015. Please see our link here.

August 2019: Amsterdam for a 12-night Baltic cruise to St. Petersburg and other cities

August – September 2019: Cornwall, UK, where we stayed in two-holiday homes over one month, Falmouth and then on a farm in Witheridge

September – October 2019: Devon, UK, for three weeks on a farm

October 2019: Wales in a holiday home for 11 days

October 2019: Southhampton in a hotel for two nights and then sailed on a 15-night cruise to Fort Lauderdale, Florida USA

The reflections in the water caught our eye as we walked along the beach.

November 2019 – January 2020: USA – Visited family in Minnesota, Nevada, and Arizona

January – February 2020: We flew from the USA to arrive in Mumbai on January 31, 2020, to begin a journey on the Maharajas Express, followed by a scheduled 55-night tour of India, which we ended abruptly. 

March 14, 2020: We began self-isolation in hotels in both Chennai and Madurai until March 18, 2020, when we flew from Madurai to Mumbai.

March 18 – March 20, 2020: We stayed in a hotel until our scheduled flight to South Africa prevented us from boarding after arriving at the airport at 3:00 am. 

March 20 – March 24, 2020: Stayed in a hotel in Mumbai in self-isolation until they closed when we had to find a place to stay

There’s an expanse on Kuhio Highway a few miles outside of Princeville, where the scenery is breathtaking with many Acacia trees.  Unfortunately, there wasn’t a single spot for a car to stop to take a photo. I’d tried taking the photo from the moving vehicle, as in this case, unable to capture the expanse of the beauty below this bridge.

March 24 – May 14, 2020: Stayed in the Marriott Hotel in Mumbai until the present day. We may have to stay for months to come until international flights begin to depart Mumbai once again and an airport opens in one of the countries we’d like to visit. We’re keeping our options open.

The time we spent in Ireland is somewhat of a blur. I was still on many heart medications, which caused me to sleep half of each day and could barely move my legs and walk. 

Feebly, I attempted to walk each hour, but it was painstaking and left me breathlessDuringng that time in Ireland, I realized the drugs were causing me pain, weakness, and lethargy. 

Ke’e Beach in Kapaa.

Slowly I began weaning myself off of pain medication and the three heart drugs, following the guidelines I’d found at various reputable medical sites. By the time we reached Falmouth, UK, I had noticed a marked improvement in my well-being.

Over the next few months, I began to walk without so much pain, stay awake throughout the day, and start feeling like myself again. But, it’s been the walking I’ve done here in this hotel that escalated me to the next level. 

Although I’m walking for only 5-minute stints once an hour (10 times a day), I now feel I can handle walks over more extended periods. I prefer to do the hourly walk rather than walks for more extended periods when it gets me up and out of my comfy chair. Each time I walk, I attempt to increase the pace.

It’s not unusual to find free-range cattle in Kauai.

In this one way, being in isolation has been good for me, forcing me to become motivated to get some exercise. It’s now a habit I hope to maintain going forward regardless of where we live in the future.

Also, not having access to food in a cupboard or refrigerator and while eating the limited portions served during breakfast and dinner, I’ve been able to lose 4.5 kg, 10 pounds in the past month since I quit eating the overly fattening Paneer Makhani.  

Oddly, many open-heart surgery patients gain 9 to 11 kg, 20 to 25 pounds while healing from the surgery, mainly due to the slowing of one’s metabolism, from the heart medications that slow down activity. With the continued walking and smaller meals (all the while maintaining my usual way of eating), I’ll surely continue to lose weight to get back to my old self once again. 

A relatively young calf is in the foreground.

I am hoping by the time we leave here. I can lighten the weight of my suitcase by donating the clothes I can no longer wear. Then, I can toss all the “Heidi” clothes (my sisters and I always called larger-sized clothing as “hide-y” clothes which mask one’s added weight, often loose and in dark colors). In this respect, the lockdown has been good for me.

Again, thanks to our many readers who continue to write the kindest and most supportive email messages. Each message means so much to us. 

Hang in there, everyone. This too shall pass in time.

Photo from one year ago today, May 14, 2019:

Due to the high outdoor winds, I took this photo from inside the house in Connemara, Ireland. To the left is organic salmon fishing which is common in IrelandMany more and better quality photos will follow. . For more details, please click here.

How do our prospects look for cruising in the future?…

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Loving animal family assisting newborns in getting on their feet.

Note: To all of our readers visiting our site via a smartphone, please click the “View web version” tab under the word “Home” at the bottom of the page to access the web version enabling you to access all of our archives on the right side of the page. We’ll be updating our site in a few months, making these extra steps unnecessary. Thank you.
Today’s photos are from May 12, 2016. Please click here for more details.

In the past 7½ plus years, we’ve sailed on 27 cruises. For us, cruising has been a substantial part of our worldwide experience. Also, we’ve cruised as a means of getting us to one part of the world to another, often staying for extended periods at the location (or nearby) of disembarkation.

At this point, there are thousands of media sources spewing their opinions on when and how the cruise industry will open, if ever. Thus, I am not selecting a link to review with the same number of varying opinions that we may or may not agree with.

The beach on Mystery Island is a port of call from Sydney to Seattle from this post here on May 12, 2017.

Enthusiastic cruisers each must formulate their own opinions as to when and if we’ll cruise again, once the cruise industry gets back to business. In the interim, this could be many months away or even a year away.

Currently, we have four cruises booked (three in and around Japan), but we’re more interested in the one upcoming in November, a mere six months from now. We’ve heard nothing from Azamara regarding canceling this cruise on their ship, the Journey, with a capacity of 690 passengers.

A thatched hut on the island.

We were looking forward to this cruise that sails from Lisbon to Cape Town. Initially, we planned to return to Marloth Park at the end of the cruise, December 2, 2020, after spending two or three days in Cape Town which we’ve yet to visit.

The appeal of this cruise was not only its ending point, but also the scheduled ports of call which are listed here at this site, the small number of passengers, and a number of included perks such as WiFi and beverages.

The price we paid for both of us for this 22-night cruise was INR 996,146, US $13,251, and is now listed at a much higher price at INR 1672671, US $22,252.We certainly hoped to capitalize on this excellent pricing for this high-end cruise with such exciting ports of call.

Ship passengers were browsing the tropical island.

In all likelihood, this cruise will be canceled. The question for us remains… Will we go ahead with this cruise if it doesn’t cancel? We both feel, at this point, especially if we can’t get to South Africa sooner, we would like to go ahead and keep the booking following whatever Covid-19 precautions they establish for this relatively low number of passengers.

There’s no doubt in our minds that if the cruise isn’t canceled that social distancing and face masks will be a part of the experience. This may mean the single most enjoyable aspect of cruising, table sharing at breakfast and dinner, may become a thing of the past. We can live with this.

Royal Caribbean Explorer of the Seas.

After all these years of traveling together, we can easily enjoy just the two of us, which has easily been reaffirmed after we’ve spent the past two months in lockdown in a small hotel room in Mumbai.

We may be bored with our situation but, miraculously, we’re not bored with one another. We still laugh, talk, share dreams and hopes and frequently discuss what’s going on in the world and information on Covid-19. This has been our saving grace, keeping us upbeat and emotionally balanced during this trying and unusual situation.

Jetty in the coral reef in Vanuatu.

Cruises or not, we hope to continue, although we accept and realize that many aspects of world travel will change in many ways that we may not even know at this point.

May you continue safely during this challenging time with good health and a hopeful state of mind.

Photo from one year ago today, May 12, 2019:
There was no post on this date one year ago as we made our way to Ireland with a full day of travel.

Where in the world will we go when the Mumbai airport opens to international travel and possibly other airports?…

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Zebra Day in the garden in Marloth Park.

Note: To all of our readers visiting our site via a smartphone, please click the “View web version” tab under the word “Home” at the bottom of the page to access the web version enabling you to access all of our archives on the right side of the page. We’ll be updating our site in a few months, making these extra steps unnecessary. Thank you.

Today’s photos are from May 12, 2016. Please click here for more details.

Our friends in South Africa continue to send us reports that indicate the possibility of the airport opening are very slim in the foreseeable future. Based on a report out yesterday, it could be as long as a year away from now.

Not only does this prevent us from traveling to SA when the airports open in India, but this destroys tourism in a country that desperately needs the billions of dollars generated by international visitors.

We’re frequently touching base with friends in South Africa who are highly frustrated over the severe restrictions imposed on citizens and the lack of encouragement for the future from a failing government and economy.

This is a Blue Kingfisher we spotted on this date in 2016 in Sumbersari, Bali. Click here for the post.

The likelihood of us making it to South Africa in the next 12 months is relatively slim. Perhaps, I’m ahead of myself here on this topic. There’s no word on airports in India opening for international travel, nor are there many countries we may consider staying while we continue to wait it out.

In any case, we’d like to go somewhere we’d particularly enjoy in the interim. Right now, islands in the Indian Ocean seem to pique our interest the most. The thought of an ocean view, the ability to shop and cook our meals, even if we have to stay away from others, is especially appealing at this point.
We never had an opportunity to socialize in many locations. Yet, we still had beautiful experiences, reveling in our surroundings, mainly when we had an ocean view, a must wherever we go next.

If you watched yesterday’s boring video of my walk in the corridors (click the link here) with the view out the window, it’s easy to understand how vital a view will be to us in the future.

Yes, we have creature comforts while in lockdown in this hotel room in Mumbai; air-con; comfortable bed and seating (we now have two comfy chairs); boring, although repetitious, fresh-tasting meals; cleaning service; courteous staff and above all, relatively good safety from COVID-19 if we stay in our room and our cleaners and room service staff stay free of the virus.

With mountains in Java obstructing the final setting of the sun, we relished every sunset scene.

As we all know, one’s state of mind is the essence of our perceived quality of life regardless of our circumstances. And, being in lockdown for us, for you, isn’t necessarily an upbeat set of circumstances.

Here’s a list of the islands in the Indian Ocean at this link. The majority of the islands are too small to visit with limited services, WiFi, access to shopping, etc.

However, among this list, there are a few possibilities;
1. Madagascar (six-month visa)
2. Maldives (30-day visa, extendable to 90-days)
3. Mauritius (60-day visa)
4. Reunion Island (90-day visa)
5. Seychelles (90-day visa, extendable up to one year)

In checking information for each of these locations, it appears Seychelles is out of the question due to the high cost of holiday homes on the luxury island. We couldn’t find any possibilities within our budget other than hotels. After this extended hotel stay in Mumbai, we are not interested in staying in a hotel for any time.

The Maldives, with its 30-day visa and also highly-priced holiday homes with a few exceptions, maybe a short-term possibility. Mauritius may be a possibility with good holiday home options, but with a 60-day visa.

Tom took this distant photo when he spotted this peculiar boat that appears “sunken” in the middle. At the time, we had no idea what type of boat this was.  Later, we discovered it was the design of a typical fishing boat in Bali.

The best option based on the availability of reasonably priced oceanview holiday homes and a lengthy visa allowance leaves us with Madagascar on our minds. Plus, after watching David Attenborough’s story on Madagascar with its abundant and unusual wildlife, the handwriting may be on the wall for this location.

Madagascar is located slightly northeast of South Africa. We could stay there until South Africa reopens their borders, all the while free from crowds, on the beach, and able to prepare our meals in addition to opportunities for a wide array of safaris during our stay.

Well, we can dream, can’t we? We’d love to hear from some of you by commenting at the bottom of any post as to what you are dreaming of at this point. Feel free to comment anonymously if you’d prefer.

May your day be peaceful and filled with dreams for the future.

Photo from two years ago today, May 12, 2018:

There was no photo one year ago as we traveled to Ireland. Instead, we were gifted with a rainbow in the shallow area of Victoria Falls, but this was the first of many we saw throughout the day. Please see here for more photos from that date, two years ago.