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| A variety shop down the freeway. |
Tommy’s smartphone died last night. Not the battery, only the phone. Kaput. Today I am going to contact Microsoft for a possible fix, but the message on the screen appears to indicate that it is everywhere. It’s almost two years old and although he only uses it for reading, its been an important device for him.
We tried installing my good battery which didn’t help and we were unable to bring up the home screen to reset the phone. This occurred last night, after coincidentally, we ordered a new battery for it yesterday, thinking that’s all it needed before it went belly-up.
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| This is the Palm Breeze apartment rentals. For prices and information, please click here considering that THB (Thai Baht) 1000 is equal to US $28.85. To calculate various currency denominations, click here. |
Once the error message appeared on the screen, long after placing the battery order and it had already been shipped, we decided a new phone may be on the agenda or, perhaps a Kindle Fire device which we’ll order online.
The new battery will work on my phone so it won’t be a total loss that we ordered it. It will be good to have a backup battery we can keep charged for travel days and also so I don’t run out of juice in the middle of the night when I’m online for hours when having trouble sleeping.
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| Restaurants are abundant serving popular local foods. |
Over these past few weeks we’ve been in the process of ordering much needed supplies which we’ll have shipped to us in Bali in the upcoming month. We purchase most items using Amazon Prime with the link on our website receiving free shipping on most items sent to the US.
Our mailing service in Nevada receives all of the purchases, removes all the boxes and packing materials and ship everything to us in one big box. We usually request a three day shipping option, receiving the package within a week, even in the most remote areas of the world.
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| Many signs indicate rooms for rent. There are many affordable places to live in Phuket. Many young travelers come here for water sports and adventure. |
The cost of shipping is high, often hundreds of dollars, but what can we do when none of the items we purchase can be found or shipped locally based on the countries we visit?
What do we buy that can’t wait until we arrive in the US in nine months? We include such items as: Crystal Light Ice Tea; water shoes and underwear for Tom; a special travel sized neck pillow for me; sleep tee shirts and two swimsuits for me; a few vitamins (probiotics and B6 for Tom for kidney stone prevention) and so on. Today, we’ll add the reading device for Tom to include in this upcoming shipment to Bali.
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| Certain days, the traffic is light on the highway and others its bumper to bumper. |
Ordering supplies such as these are a reality of our lives of travel. Besides the shipping costs, we’ll have to “negotiate” with customs in Bali over how much we’ll be required to pay in custom fees. Generally, we’ve been able to keep these costs relatively low.
Our readers and family members occasionally send us links on how to “pack lighter.” We appreciate their good intentions. But, traveling with literally every physical item we own, is an entirely different scenario than a traveler packing for a trip.
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| A variety of businesses line the highway with many laundry services as shown on the right. |
We need the third checked bag to contain items such as the above, including all of our shoes (with only four pairs each), although clothing goes into our individual suitcases with electronics packed into Tom’s laptop backpack.
Surely, we’ll have to toss some old clothes to make room for the new items which by the time we leave Bali won’t be a problem. Wearing the same items over and over does result in wear and tear, although we’re often surprised on the durability of some of our tee shirts and shorts.
We continue to see family, friends and readers enjoying time at the Minnesota State Fair, posting photos on Facebook. Thanks to everyone for sharing their photos. We’re happy to see you’re having a good time at the “Great Minnesota Get Together!” Tom didn’t like the traffic. I didn’t eat the food.
Have a fabulous last weekend in August!
Photo from one year ago today, August 28, 2015:
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| At the Great Barrier Reef, this semi-submersible had seats for 20. As shown, it was packed as tight as sardines, not good for those who may be claustrophobic. For more photos, please click here. |