Two weeks from today and we’re off…Fun night last night with new arrival, another family member…

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Two years ago, Tom and I sat in the hotel bar in Palermo, Buenos Aires, watching the Minnesota Vikings playoff game. We were the only patrons in the bar but had a wonderful evening together.
Last night, Tom and Eugene picked up Kevin (Mary and Eugene’s son and Tom’s nephew) at the airport. Kevin retired a few years ago from a lifetime career as a police officer and wanted to spend some time with his parents for 11 days.

While they were gone, I finished the final details of the meal we were bringing over to their home to share with everyone. Tom dropped Kevin and Eugene off, and when he returned here to load up the hot food into Margie’s car, we continued to use it.

By 8:00 pm, we were having dinner amid non-stop talking and laughter. By 10:30, I pooped out and drove myself back to our place, falling into bed. It was a busy cooking day and a good night’s sleep was on the menu at that point.

In minutes I dozed off and awoke at 1:30 am when Tom came in. In no time at all, we both dozed off. Today won’t be as busy a day. All I have to do is go to OfficeMax to have the India 26-page itinerary printed and stop at a local outlet store to buy a few more items.

At 4:00 pm today, we’ll walk to the pool area, where the usual Wednesday evening fire pit get-together will be held. Most likely, we’ll spend the remainder of the evening in, dining on leftovers and relaxing.

There are several social events over the next several days, and most likely, we’ll attend most, if not all, of them.

Our long-time reader/friends Pat and Dan referred their adult daughter Christina to discuss suggestions for a single woman traveling to South Africa alone to spend a few weeks in Marloth Park.

Christina called yesterday afternoon, and we chatted for quite some time. It was delightful talking to her. She is a ranger in Yellowstone Park, and the thought of Marloth Park is a dream come true for her. Plus, she spent two years in India as a missionary, and it was fantastic to hear her enthusiasm for India.

Many people have stated concern about overstaying in India for so long, all of whom have never been there. Yes, we’re well aware of the pollution (and other issues) in the country. A few days ago, our two high-tech filtered face masks arrived. We don’t care how we look wearing them, which we’ll do when appropriate in big cities.

On Monday afternoon, Tom will drive me to Mesa (and pick me up later) to meet up with another dear reader/friend, Staci, with whom we’ve been conversing for several years. She’ll be in Scottsdale for a business trip and carved out time to meet up with me so we could get together for dinner and “girl talk.” 

I am so excited to finally meet Staci after chatting back and forth online for these past years. Hopefully, I’ll take photos and post them here the following day.

That’s it for today, folks. May you all have a fabulous day.

Photo from one year ago today, January 15, 2019:
Tom was sitting at the end of the big table on the veranda. It was such a happy time for both of us. For more from that date, please click here.

A year ago memories…That never happened…

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She decided to look at her reflection in the glass of the little red car, assuming it was another hornbill, perhaps a possible mate. For more, please click here.

As I read the year-ago post, I felt a little melancholy. It was a post about how we assumed we were leaving in one month on February 15, 2019. See the post here.

We were getting ready for an upcoming birthday dinner party for our friend Rita (husband Gerhard), whom we’d met from our site, who ended up living in the same house in Marloth Park where we’d lived for three months in 2013/2014. 

They rented the house when our site-directed them to Louise, our dear friend and property manager who’d rented the Hornbill House to them and us, and then four years later rented the Orange House to us. 

Rita and Gerhard became friends fast enough to host Tom’s birthday party on December 23, 2018, and reciprocate joyfully. We decided to host Rita’s birthday party several weeks later. 

The same wonderful group of friends was coming to the party. Linda and Ken from Pretoria were coming to stay with us for a week, adding to the excitement and fun.

In the interim, we were all headed to Tambarina Restaurant for dinner that night for the first celebration of Rita’s birthday. We all loved a reason to celebrate, and then again, we didn’t always need a motive other than the pleasure of sharing time.

Kathy had arranged a going away “girl’s day” for me on February 5th to include pedicures and lunch. That never happened.

Kathy and Don were hosting a going away party for us on Friday, February 8th. That never happened.

The next night on February 9th, our last Saturday night in the bush, we were all getting together for dinner at Jabula. That never happened.

Leaving for Kenya for a fantastic tour and numerous safaris was on the schedule, with our intended departure date on February 15th, the day our visas ended. That never happened.

Eighty-four days later, we were supposed to be in Minnesota. That never happened.

On Friday night, February 8th, after the heart disease diagnosis with the subsequent emergency open-heart surgery scheduled for February 12th, Kathy and Don invited all of us for dinner at their house. I’ll never forget that night when we all sat around the fire in their garden, sharing stories and our deepest feelings.

The next night, February 9th, we all met again for my pre-surgery dinner party. It was a bittersweet evening with loving friends. I’ll never forget these times with heartfelt gratitude and devotion.

So, reading yesterday’s post reminded me of all of these events, which will permanently be emblazoned in our hearts and minds, grateful for our friends and for Dr. Theo, who discovered my condition on a hunch.

Yes, as we look forward to heading to India in 15 days, we’ll never forget what we’ve left behind and prayed for the days we’ll all be together again.

May you enjoy good health and loving friends.

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

“Pig in a pond.” Mom opted for a sitz bath on the steamy hot day while the youngsters played nearby in the bush. For more, please click here.

Recipe request from many readers…More fraud on one of our credit cards…

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One of several giraffes we spotted last night when dropping Rita and Gerhard back at the Hornbill house. The partial moon is shown in the photo. For more, please click here.

After yesterday’s post and mention of our dinner last night, we had many requests for the recipe. I must mention this high-fat recipe is only recommended for those on a keto or low carb diet, having converted their bodies from burning sugar for fuel instead of consuming sugar-inducing foods such as sugar, fruit, wheat, and other grains and starches. (More on this way of eating here).

We both decided to resume intermittent fasting several days a week to aid our health as described here, which may be highly effective in maintaining health and losing weight. These two means are effective for many health conditions, including heart disease, as described in a Harvard study.

(Please keep in mind, we are not providing medical advice nor recommending you eat this way. Please check with your physician before starting any new health regime or diet).

Many, who have been following us all along, may wonder, “If these ways of eating were so effective, how did I end up with the cardiovascular disease and the subsequent bypass surgery?”

The doctors in both South Africa and the US explained that I’d had hereditary CVD for 30 or 40 years, long before I started this way of eating. Also, I exercised all of my life. They stated that my low-carb diet and exercise most likely prevented me from having a fatal heart attack. 

Also, this way of eating and exercising prevented me from having type 2 diabetes, another hereditary condition. Before I started eating this way, my blood sugar was construed as pre-diabetic. Surely, by now, I would have been on medication.

Everyone has to make decisions that work best for them based on many factors, including heredity, lifestyle, sleep patterns, and stress. When my children were young, and I was a single parent with two young sons, owning a stressful business with no child support being paid, my life was exceedingly stressful. 

At that time, I drank caffeinated beverages all day to maintain a certain level of energy. However, I exercised all of my life and, at that time, consumed a low-calorie, low-fat diet. This, coupled with my bad genes, was highly instrumental in my developing severe cardiovascular disease.

I began this way of eating in 2011, and there is considerable information here on our site. If you type in ‘”low carb” into the search box on the right side of our home page under the word “Search” located below the advertisers, you find many posts on this topic.

Thus, here is the link to the recipe mentioned above, which we found many years ago. If you decide to make this, let me know if you love this dish as much as we do.

Today is a busy day, taking care of financial matters. We had another credit card number used fraudulently. That’s two-card numbers stolen since we arrived in Arizona. Go figure. This is more fraud than we’ve experienced in any other country. We’re awaiting the new card in the next few days.

May your day be pleasant and fulfilling!

Photo from one year ago today, January 13, 2019:

I’ll feed gentle Ms. Bushbuck from my hand, one of few instances in which we do so. For more, please click here.

The Minnesota Vikings continue to disappoint…Social evening softens the blow…Prescription drug error…

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In Kauai, Hawaii, on this date in 2015, here is another of Tom’s exquisite sunrise photos. For more photos from this date, please click here.

Yes, we were sorely disappointed by the Minnesota Viking’s loss yesterday afternoon. The playoffs and the season are all over for them until next season, when preseason games begin in August and the regular season in September.

Tom watched the game with the boys at Colleen’s home while I stayed behind at our place, continuing to work on more of the contents of our package that arrived on Friday night. A year’s supply of my three prescription drugs had to be popped out of the plastic packs and placed into bottles with my name and prescription on the label. 

Carrying loose pills in those plastic containers asking for trouble. The medications could cause a real issue if stopped at security, as we discovered early on in our travels.

Also, I’d ordered several bottles of supplements suitable for the cardiovascular disease instead of taking statins, a decision I made many months ago. As mentioned, Tom and I went through the vitamin bottles consolidating as much as we could while leaving them in the original bottle.

In the process of going through the newly arrived prescription drugs, I noticed that the bottle of thyroid medication I’d been prescribed while in the hospital (when I was running out before the surgery) was for the wrong dose, .25 mcg as opposed to .75 mcg. 

My new prescription was for the correct amount of .75 mcg. Subsequently, I’d been taking ⅓ of my previously required medication. After all, we’d been through, I never looked at the tiny print on the bottle, but I did notice the pills were round, not oval. 

Since many drugs look different from country to country due to a variety of generic drugs, I didn’t give it another thought…not until yesterday, and then I understood why, after all this effort to feel 100% failed in part by not taking the appropriate dose of this vital drug.

Subsequently, I’ve had typical symptoms of hypothyroidism which may be found here. I wondered why I gained weight over the past year (15 pounds) and have been unable to lose it as I’ve always been able to do it easily. Also, it explains why I’ve had a hard time getting up in the morning, staying in bed until 8:00 am or later.

This all makes sense. I was always the early bird, along with Tom, bolting out of bed at 6:00 am, ready to tackle the day. Today, I took the first correct dose, but it takes about a month to see an improvement.

In India, I’ll continue to eat a healthy diet of mostly fish, chicken, and vegetables, and of course, we’ll be walking a lot while on tours over the next several months.

A few days ago, we received our final itinerary for our almost two-month tour in India. We were able to check the menus at the various hotels. Neither of us will have a problem based on these menus. 

The hotels are four and five stars and appear to have excellent, highly rated restaurants. No beef, of course, but plenty of other meat options that will work for both of us. Tom doesn’t eat lamb, a popular item on their menus, but he occasionally eats fish and chicken. We breathed a sigh of relief.

Last night, after the game, Tom returned. I sliced the remaining roast beef we’d cooked the previous night, reheated the huge pan of mashed potatoes, cooked green beans, and made a salad, all of which we loaded into the car and brought back to Colleen and Gene’s home.

The seven of us gathered around the big kitchen, eating our reheated leftovers that everyone seemed to enjoy. We had a great time! The conversation was lively as always, with many funny stories flying around the room.

This morning I made a favorite low-carb hamburger casserole with a big salad for tonight’s dinner. We’ll stay in while Tom watches more football today, and tonight, we’ll stream a few shows we’ve been watching.

May you and yours enjoy a fantastic Sunday!

Photo from one year ago, January 12, 2019:

Frank and The Mrs and friends stopped by for a visit. Frank is on the far right, the Mrs is found on the left. They never had a chick the entire time we were there. Maybe next time. For more photos, please click here.

Laundry and football day…

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Saturnalia, a Sculptural group by Italian artist Ernesto Biondi at the botanical garden Buenos Aires in 2018. For more photos, please click here.

This morning while it was still dark, Tom bolted out of bed at 6:30, gathered up most of the laundry, and headed to the laundry room. With many RV patrons here, most without laundry facilities in their units, lately, we’ve had a hard time finding available washers and dryers.

I got up shortly after he left, stripped the bed, and gathered more dirty items, and between the two of us, we had it all done by 9:00 am. We made breakfast of eggs, bacon, and sausages upon returning, re-making the bed, and putting everything away. 

With the Viking game not starting until 2:30 pm, we may not have dinner until close to 7:00 pm when we get back to our place from watching the game with Eugene at Colleen and Gene’s house. It appears the sisters will be getting together with neighbors in Margie’s home to play the popular Dominos game, Mexican Train. I prefer to watch the game with the boys since I am very interested in what transpires today.

Yesterday, I spent considerable time reorganizing my suitcase and the supplies bag, including new items we’d recently purchased. I decided against shipping any warm clothing to be stored in our large mailbox at the mailing service. 

I’d purchased all the warm clothing I’ve been wearing at excellent prices at TJ Maxx (average $12.99 per item), and it’s not worth incurring additional baggage fees when flying or bearing the cost of shipping the items back and forth. 

I can always purchase additional items along the way, which won’t be too difficult once we arrive in Europe in the spring. Also, it might be fun to buy a few cotton items while in India.

Today, Tom was reading the suggestions made by the Maharajas Express train as to what clothing we’ll need for the six-day journey. The weather is very cool in the mornings and evenings this time of year, and they suggest warm items for these periods.

It’s hard to believe we’ll be on our way to India in only 18 days. We still have a lot to do to be ready to leave. But, overall, my packing is almost complete, barring the addition of some of the warm clothing I’ve been wearing lately and a few more items I need to purchase. The same goes for Tom.

We’ve been in the US for over two months. We’ve accomplished our objectives and spent quality time with family (and some of our friends), our primary aim in returning to the US. We may not return for another two years, hoping to stay in close touch with those we love while we’re traveling.

Are we excited about heading out on the next leg of our journey? Of course, we are, very much so. And although there may be a little trepidation due to the events of the past year, we’re emotionally and physically ready to continue. 

Let’s face it, regardless of how we live our lives. There are always challenges. This nomadic life is no different. Although it may seem ideal always to be traveling with a sense of abandonment and freedom, there are always responsibilities, tasks, and unexpected events that may impede the quality of our experiences from time to time.

Nonetheless, we are in awe of the world around us and perpetually grateful to be able to live this life, with its ups and downs, with its peculiar nuances, all combined with our passion and commitment to continue to live “outside the box.”

Happy day to all!

Photo from two years ago on this date: (We hadn’t posted one year ago today due to illness):

Cactus garden at a botanical garden in Buenos Aires. For more photos, please click here.

Latest package arrived…Finding errors…

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These Hornbill mates are often very noisy around us, asking for seeds. They sure have us trained, says Tom. For more photos, please click here.

Over the past several months, we have been accumulating supplies to travel with us that have been waiting to be shipped to us in Arizona. While doing so, we don’t have the opportunity to inspect each item, each piece of mail, or each article of clothing we purchase when it arrives at the mailing service. Returns are an unlikely possibility.

As a result, we’re meticulous in what we choose to buy online, ensuring the quality of products, proper sizing, and receipt of the items. In the process, it may be challenging to determine what has arrived and what hasn’t.
 
Our mailing service enters receipt of items as they arrived by such comments in their online app, such as “Amazon, small gray bag.” They have 100’s of customers receiving packages. Opening the item itself and taking a photo would be a time-consuming process they do not offer.

However, they will open mail, scan it and place it in the system to see at the cost of $2.00 per page. We request this service on occasion. We can tell, based on who the sender is, if we need to have it scanned.

We had a good idea of what should have been in the 40-pound box but weren’t sure about some items. It’s the nature of our lifestyle, and we comfortably live with it as we continue on our travels.Last night when the package finally arrived at 7:00 pm by UPS, we couldn’t open it fast enough, especially when I suspected a few items wouldn’t be there.

One was the Cardiac Watch, which I’d ordered a few months ago. It wasn’t in the box. Immediately, I contacted the company, and they apologized that the order got “screwed up,” and it was never sent. They promised it would go out in today’s mail. Hmm, I’m suspicious of this one. We’ll see if it arrives.

I noted it on my calendar, and if it doesn’t arrive within a week, I will ask for a refund and, if that’s a problem, I’ll contact the credit card company to resolve the issue. They are very good at handling such matters.

Also, the two sets of earpieces we’d ordered from Google were missing from the box or our phones. The wireless versions were “out of stock” for months to come, and with the $100 credit we had at Google, we went ahead and ordered the wired versions, which also weren’t in the box. I’ll check on this today.Then, the most annoying news of all was from the state department. They didn’t like the photos we’d included with our four-year passport applications, which we’d processed in Minnesota in December.

This morning we headed to Walgreens and started over, having new photos done, heeding their comments in the included letters, hoping the new photos would be satisfactory.

After grocery shopping at Safeway, we drove to the closest post office in Apache Junction and mailed the photos in the provided envelopes with the letters. Whether the passports arrive at our mailing service before we leave the US remains to be seen. 

If they don’t arrive on time, we’ll have them mailed to us once we arrive in the UK in a few months. Sending them to India would be impossible for several reasons.

Then, a bill for $157.50 from the Urgent Care facility we visited in Minnesota shortly after we arrived when the cough and virus I had was becoming unmanageable. We’d paid in full for the services at the time.

Since we had no US insurance that covered such care, they required we pay the entire bill in advance of $189 to be seen. This morning I called their billing department, and they acknowledged the bill was an error. They removed it from their system.

Speaking of medical bills, today, after receiving the invoice, I paid for my visit to the Minneapolis Heart Institute. We suspected it would be as high as $800, but much to our surprise, the hour-long appointment with a highly competent cardiologist, was $449. 

After doing considerable research from equally competent cardiologists and medical centers worldwide, I discovered that those patients not taking statins do well with a litany of supplements that have been found to aid in cardiovascular disease.

I ordered the supplements online from Puritan’s Pride when they were having a sale, “buy two, get four free.” Oh my goodness, there were dozens of bottles of supplements in the box.

Last night Tom and I consolidated the bottles when often the bottles were only filled one-quarter full. We narrowed it down considerably, and this morning we loaded them into the third supply suitcase, and they fit well. 

You would not believe the trash generated as we opened the box of items. It practically refilled the entire box the items were shipped in. Whew!  All I have left to do today is go through the many packages containing the three prescribed medications I take and reduce that to a minimum. 

We’re staying at the same hotel in Mumbai on both ends of our two months in India. We’ll likely have them hold some of our luggage until we return to board the cruise in April.

Today, we’ll work on a few remaining projects and financial matters and stay in tonight for a great dinner of roast beef, mashed potatoes (for Tom), veggies and salad. There are no big plans for the weekend other than watching the Minnesota Vikings game tomorrow. We’re rather excited about that!

Happy day!

Photo from one year ago today, January 10, 2019:

This is Basket, the Bully, who scares off all the other warthogs, including Little and Little’s Friend. For more photos, please click here.

The cost of our upcoming 55 day private tour in India…

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A dazzle of zebras in an open field, from one year ago post. For more, please click here.
Yesterday, we paid the balance of India’s upcoming 55-night private tour, which begins in Delhi immediately after the six-night tour on the Maharajas Express. This luxury train travels from Mumbai to Dehli.

Of course, the cost of this tour is daunting, along with the cost of the train excursion. We thought long and hard deciding if these decisions made sense considering our budget.

But, one thing we knew for sure. We had 55 days to spend in India until the cruise from Mumbai to London on April 3, 2020. There was no way it made sense to attempt to book this extended period when we knew nothing about the country.

Having a professional, highly experienced company making arrangements for all the hotel reservations, flights, and tour guides, made all the sense in the world. 

We specified what we wanted to see and do. The tour was arranged, including all those requests, such a staying in the beautiful lake town of Udaipur and embarking on a few tiger safaris in different national parks. 

We realize the possibility of actually seeing a tiger is relatively slim when there are only 3000 tigers in the entire country. But, we were willing to take that chance. Perhaps safari luck will prevail. Besides, there is other wildlife we’ll see in the national parks such as:

“Indian safaris are anything but tame. Elephants, rhinos, reptiles, bears, and wild dogs roam the lush rainforests, while snow leopards make lonely footprints in the Himalayan snow. Of course, the holy grail of any safari is in seeing the big cats, and in India, that means the elusive wild tiger.”

No doubt, we’ll be posting many photos along the way, not only of wildlife but also the sites we tour; the culture; the architecture; historic and significant buildings; exquisite scenery; local food, and of course, its people.

The magnitude of this tour is daunting. We never imagined being on a private tour for so many days and nights, staying in many hotels, flying on many flights to get from place to place. We’ll undoubtedly be busy and hopefully treasuring every moment.
 
Subsequently, the cost of the 55-nights tour is as follows:
US Dollars $9,765 Per Person US Dollars $19,530
Total US Dollars $19,530
Amount Paid US Dollars $9,765
Balance due 10 January 2020 US Dollars $9,765 (we paid this balance yesterday)The average daily cost is $355.09, $121.75 more per day than what we usually spend to travel each month, not including cruises. Keep in mind; this also included being picked up at the Mumbai Airport when we arrived, a hotel two nights before the train, and transportation.
Most dinners, cocktails, and tips are not included. Breakfasts are included at all of the hotels. We don’t know what the cost of dinners will be and the tips will be paid based on performance.

In all, these expenses could result in an additional $4,000 to $5,000 for the entire period, which we’ll pay as we go. We have already paid in full for the train and will only incur additional tips and drinks.

We realize this is expensive, but, in essence, it’s no more costly than a typical cruise and, in many cases, less. It’s all relative. After the trials of this past year, we decided to take advantage of as many opportunities that appeal to us that we can afford. This is a once-in-a-lifetime experience.

Yes, we’ve said this before, the “once in a lifetime” thing. But, then again, our entire lives are a “once in a lifetime experience.” We are grateful, more than words can express, and humbled by the world and its people, places, and wildlife.

In a mere 20 days, the journey continues. Stay with us as you have during this quiet time. The adventure is soon to begin again.

May your day be purposeful and fulfilling!

Photo from one year ago today, January 9, 2019:

A hippo on a bit of island in the Crocodile River. For more photos, please click here.

The challenges of dining out in Arizona…Ultimately, weather-related reasons…

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When we visited friends Kathy and Don in Pretoria, South Africa, one year ago, we visited this monument, the Voortrekker Monument, an unusual-looking structure located in Pretoria, South Africa. When I walked up all these steps (not all steps we tackled are shown in the photo) without getting out of breath or having any health issues. A little over a month later, I had open-heart surgery with three main arteries 100% blocked. Who knew? For more photos from this date, please click here.

Let’s face it, many of the patrons of restaurants in the area are seniors, based on varying stats online from several sites, none of which I will quote based on this variable.

But, overall, it appears approximately 25% or more of the population of Arizona consists of “snowbirds,” those who migrate to the state during the colder winter months from other parts of the US and other countries.


Some have moved here to live year-round, even with the sweltering summers in the Arizona desert. Some have chosen to live in cooler summer temperatures, such as stated here from this news article at this site:

“When the temperatures heat up in the Valley, many head north to escape the heat, but where is the coolest place to go?

Let’s start with a popular destination, Flagstaff. On average, in July, the afternoon high temperatures are 25 degrees cooler compared to Phoenix. In perspective, the average high temperature in Phoenix during July is 106 degrees, while Flagstaff comes in at a cool 81 degrees. 

While Sedona is also a popular place to escape the heat in the Valley of the Sun, it is on average only about 10 degrees cooler compared to Phoenix.
So where is one of the coolest places in Arizona to go to escape the heat? That would be Greer, coming in with an average high temperature for July of only 76 degrees! 

That is, on average, 30 degrees cooler than Phoenix.
Here are a few other northern Arizona locations, along with their average high temperatures during the month of July:

Grand Canyon: 86°
Holbrook: 93°
Payson: 91°
Prescott: 89°
Show Low: 86°
Williams: 83°
Winslow: 95°”

Here are the average temperatures in Apache Junction during the summer months:

“Apache Junction, AZ
Month High / Low
June 103° / 71
July 105° / 78°
August 103° / 76° “
It’s no wonder that most seniors who purchase or rent homes live in Arizona during the cooler winter months. Subsequently, a tremendous number of seniors dining out on any given day/night of the week.
Since we arrived here a month ago (as of tomorrow), we’ve only dined out during lunchtime or by 3:00 pm. These times were busy but not outrageously so.
At 4:30 pm, the seven of us arrived at a popular Italian restaurant, Babbo, located about 10 minutes from here in Mesa. As soon as we walked in the door, we knew we’d have a long wait. People were lined up outside, 90% of whom were seniors, dining out early as most seniors seem to prefer.
Also, seating a table of seven would be tricky when tables would have to be set up specifically to accommodate our small group when most tables and booths were for four diners.
It made no sense to leave to go to another restaurant, since, if the food was good as it is at Babbo, we’d encounter the same scenario at other restaurants mostly attended by seniors. (No reservations are allowed unless made 24 hours in advance which we hadn’t done).
We waited patiently for 45 minutes until we were seated, with our eyes on a table of eight that were eating, hoping they’d leave soon. At such a busy place, it appeared patrons dine and leave shortly thereafter rather than remain in idle conversation.
The smells in the restaurant of freshly baked bread and Italian spices sent me to the moon. But, ahead of time, I’d scoured their online menu to find they had many suitable full meal dinner salads that would work for me.
I ordered a steak and blue cheese salad with walnuts, roasted peppers, and mushrooms. It was delicious. Tom had spaghetti and meatballs, which he seemed to enjoy, along with the warm crusty bread served with dipping oil. The sisters and spouses enjoyed their meals as well.
As busy as the restaurant was, the service was excellent. In no time at all, we forgot about our long wait. By 6:00 pm, we were out the door heading back to the resort.
We spent the evening back at our place, watching a few downloaded shows, relaxing, and later getting a good night’s sleep.
This morning, after receiving a few email messages from the law firm in South Africa, we reviewed the documents, signed as indicated, and asked how we’ll pay for the guaranteed maximum fees. With the time difference, we won’t hear back until tomorrow.
Today is another low-key day. I’ll do my usual walk, and this evening, we’ll cook bone-in chicken breasts on the grill. Yesterday was a blissfully 72-degree day but today, it’s in the 50s and 60s, a little cool to spend much time outdoors.
May your day be blissfully comfortable!

Photo from one year ago today, January 8, 2019:

Exquisite paintings and tapestries lined a number of walls at The Voortrekker Museum. For more photos, please click here.

Time flies…Emotions remain…Visa waiver attorney located…

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One year ago today, we continued to have such a fantastic weekend celebrating Don’s birthday while staying at their gorgeous home in Pretoria. This photo was taken at a Mexican restaurant with 10 of us in attendance, again celebrating Don’s birthday. For more photos, please click here.

Time flies. It’s mind-boggling when we refer back to an event from one year ago when in actuality, it seems as if it was only yesterday. I often wonder if it felt the same years ago when we were younger. It’s easy to remember events. It’s not always easy to remember how we felt during “ordinary” times.

During periods of sorrow, worry and stress, we can easily recall our feelings many years back. During periods when life was relatively uneventful, we struggle to remember how we felt at the time. It’s ironic. 

It’s no wonder any of us can fall prey to becoming emotionally engaged in less desirable-times-past, carrying them as baggage into the future. This past year will be decorated in my mind for years to come, regardless of how well I’m feeling physically, spiritually, and emotionally.

The only baggage I want to carry with me into the future is our single suitcases filled with clothing and shoes, our third bag of supplies, and three miscellaneous carry-on bags.

No doubt, my level of ease, comfort, and happiness has been tempered. Will I ever return to those carefree days? By no means am I down or depressed? I feel optimistic about the future. There’s so much ahead of us, bringing both of us a powerful sense of anticipation, joy, and contentment.

But, the facts remain. Can we visit some of the highly remote areas we’d considered in the past, far from quality medical care? Are we at risk during month-long cruises or during extended periods in rural areas in countries where medical care is questionable?

We wish we had an easy answer. As we plan the over six months, we have to fill in and around Europe before the cruise ends in Cape Town, South Africa. We considered many facts on December 2, 2020.

Hanging over our heads is the visa waiver issue in South Africa (resulting from overstaying our visas due to my heart surgery in February, requiring us to stay an additional almost three months). 

If this issue isn’t resolved by the time the ship is ready to set sail, we won’t board or. We’d have significant problems at the end of the cruise. Of course, we won’t take that risk.

Instead, in the past 24 hours, we have contacted an immigration attorney in South Africa who is working on our file. The firm has a 98% success rate of resolving immigration issues such as these. The fee for services is ZAR (Rand) 30000, which translates to US $2,101. 

We’ve decided to move forward rather than be banned from South Africa until 2024. Plus, we don’t want an “undesirable” status to be a part of our passport records.

The law firm estimates it will take eight to twelve weeks to get the issue resolved. It will be fantastic to have this behind us. We’ve provided the law firm with all of the necessary documents, and they will send us a contract with a statement for services which we’ll handle this week to proceed with the process.

There’s no such thing as a “free lunch,” as the saying goes. Everything in life has its pluses and minuses, its rewards, and its consequences. But, how we choose to handle the challenges ultimately determines the quality of our lives.

As we move forward into this next phase of our lives, of our world travels, we strive to do so with the determination, the hope, and the joy we so much enjoyed in the past, long before we were faced with these challenges.

In a mere 22 days, we’ll continue on our long and fruitful journey, hopefully with many more years to come.

Be well.

Photo from one year ago today, January 7, 2019:

Last year on this date, our party of 10 consisted of (from left to right) Kathy, Linda, Tom,  Don, Keith, Ken, Cynthia, Robin and Karen with me taking the photo. For more photos, please click here.

Knocking down the “to do” list…Contacted an immigration attorney in South Africa…

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One year ago today… Tom and I hid in the bedroom, and once the others arrived for Don’s birthday, we suddenly appeared to be surprising everyone.  In the background are Keith (Don’s brother) and Ken, with Don and Linda in the center and Robin and Karen in the foreground.  It was a fun surprise. We had a fantastic stay with Kathy and Don. For more photos, please click here.

It was a quiet but good weekend. We had a happy hour party here on Friday night and attended a party by the pool on Saturday afternoon. The Vikings won their game, making Sunday special.

Last night, we laid back and watched a few shows, including Jack Ryan on Amazon and a good show we’d downloaded on Graboid, The Resident, a medical series we’d missed along the way. 

The Resident would be a tremendous binge-watching series, but right now, we don’t want to take the time to be watching too many shows. We have other “fish to fry” while also participating in a multitude of social events with the sisters and other locals.

When I finish the daily posts and respond to any email messages from our readers/friends, the day passes quickly. Then, there’s dinner to prepare each day, our almost daily walks, cleaning and laundry (every four days), financial matters to attend to, leaving little time for research and planning for the future.

As far as research goes, we’ve made some headway in the past few days. So far, it appears Scotland, like Spain and Portugal, has some beautiful holiday homes within our budget. We’ve enjoyed doing the research and need to focus on this in the next several weeks.

Today, I ordered the shipment of our accumulating supplies at our mailing service in Nevada. It should arrive by the end of the week. Once it comes, we’ll assess any additional items we may need and have them shipped to us in Apache Junction, or in the worst case, I’ll head out shopping.

I don’t enjoy shopping in stores, although I didn’t always feel that way in my old life. The varied selections and the abundance of items can be daunting, making the process somewhat unpleasant. I don’t think that way about grocery shopping which has always been enjoyable.

This morning, after researching online and reading many reviews, I found a South African immigration attorney to whom I wrote an inquiry explaining our situation, asking if they could assist and their fees for such services. 

The time difference makes it difficult to call during their regular business hours from 9:00 am to 4:00 pm. We’re hoping they will assist in expediting this immigration issue, enabling us to sail on the cruise arriving in Cape Town on December 2, 2020. We’ll report back what we hear.

Once we arrive in India, the time difference will only be three hours making any necessary phone calls more practical time-wise than now while in the US. 

Today, I sent another email requesting an update from Home Affairs in South Africa, the department which handles immigration issues for locals and foreigners. We’ll see if they respond.

The research will continue after we clean the house. The kitchen and bathroom are done. All that’s left is vacuuming the floors (Tom does this) and washing them with the mop (my job). It didn’t make sense to hire a cleaner for this small place, and now that I’m feeling well, I can share in the process.

However, in future full-sized vacation homes, we’ll hire a once-a-week cleaner as we had in the past when such a service wasn’t included in the rent. Heavy-duty cleaning is not something either of us cares to do in our retirement.

That’s it for today, folks! We hope you had a fantastic weekend and all is well your way!

Photo from one year ago today, January 6, 2019:

One year ago…Two hippos we spotted when visiting Rita and Gerhard’s temporary condo at Ngwenya in South Africa on Thursday evening. For more photos, please click here.