Five hour drive and four hour flight, …Saturday morning Rocks Market…Boarding day!…

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The aft of Royal Caribbean Voyager of the Seas. Soon, we’ll be boarding this ship for a 14-day cruise.

Yesterday, once we arrived at the beautiful airport in Auckland we checked our bags, purchased beverages, and sat at a table to wait for the flight. We’d prepaid the excess baggage fees online of US $270, AUD $350. Luckily our trusty little travel scale was accurate resulting in no additional fees.

In a few hours, we’ll board the ship across the street from the hotel.  To speed up the boarding process, passengers were given “appointment” times to get to the pier.  Our time is 2:00 pm. The ship leaves the port of Sydney at 5:00 pm. In the worst-case scenario, we’ll have to wait in line to board for a few hours.

Flying on Emirates Airlines to Auckland, NZ to Sydney, AU was less exciting this time around than on other occasions at the beginning of our travels. Sure, we get our own remote and TV screen with current movies to watch.

A glimpse of the Harbor Bay Bridge from the hotel rooftop.
(Tom watched Revenant and I watched Star Wars, The Force Awakens, a movie Tom wouldn’t be interested in watching with me. He didn’t care for his movie, but I loved the story and CGI in mine).
Vendors were busy preparing their wares for sale at the market.
And yes, we were handed menus from which to order dinner, but I’d pre-ordered a gluten-free meal much of which I avoided when it mostly contained gluten-free starches and sugars which I don’t consume. Even the baked salmon was covered in a sugary sauce. 
Most restaurants have outdoor dining.

Salmon doesn’t need sugar. I laughed to myself when I saw they’d put a GF fruit bread on the tray with a packet of margarine. Who designs these meals assuming passengers would prefer chemical-laden margarine over real New Zealand butter? Go figure.

It was fun to see the various handicrafts at the farmer’s market.

The huge plane, an Airbus 380, was packed extra tight which appeared to be due to the addition of extra seats.  We didn’t remember the aisles being so narrow on our last two Emirates flights. 

I’m always drawn to these exquisite smelling soaps but we have no room in our bags for such things.

Overall, other than finding humor in the contents of the meal it didn’t matter to me. We’d brought along an appropriate lunch of egg salad and smoked cheese which we stopped to eat at a picnic table in a small town on the five-hour drive from New Plymouth to the airport in Auckland. 

This is a large market extending over several blocks.

By the time we arrived in our hotel, the Old Holiday Inn the Rocks of which we’re “members” it was 9 pm (it was 11 pm to us), I had no interest in eating out as Tom had suggested, not for himself but for me. I passed on his offer. 

The smells of good food from a variety of cafes wafts through the air as we wandered through the streets.

Plenty of food will be available when we board the ship later today. This morning neither of us is interested in breakfast. There’s tea and coffee in the room which we both enjoying now as we’re online.

A charming building along the boulevard next to the Rocks Market.

This is the second occasion we’ve stayed in this particular hotel and we’ve found it to be an excellent choice.  The service is great, the bed is comfortable and the room has free wifi for members, perfect for our tastes.

We noticed the sign reading “free-range egg and bacon roll” which sounded great!

The port is across the street from the hotel.  The last time we boarded a cruise from this location was on January 5th when we hailed a taxi to drive us to the port. Today, Tom is bound and determined we can get our heavy bags down the ramps and steps. After checking out the ramp this morning during our walk, it looks as if we can do it.

We’ll need to get our luggage down this ramp with steps. We’ll figure it out!

Yesterday morning, as we drove away from the alpaca farm, tears welled in my eyes as I hummed out the car window like their hum. Instantly, they all turned to look at me as if they knew we were on our way. 

Amaranta Designs presented a unique product at the Rocks Market which is opened every Saturday and Sunday in Sydney in the “Rocks” area near the pier.
We were particularly fascinated with the flat handcrafted candles. The owner, Louise designs each candle which then are made by hand in Lithuania.  For her website, click here.
These beautiful flat candles took our breath away.  It was easy to appreciate the designs.
Moments later, we waved goodbye to our favorite brown cow and she too looked our way, licking her lips and kicking up a leg or two as soon as she recognized us. 
Lucky Penny Keyrings.

Tears welled up in my eyes as we drove away, not from sadness but from the joy for having had this amazing opportunity to experience this magical place with the mystical creatures. Thanks to Trish and Neil for their kindness, generosity and love.

Luckily, we arrived early enough to avoid big crowds. We chatting with a couple who’d just come off the ship we’ll soon be boarding. They had a fabulous time!

Now, we continue on with enthusiasm for what the moment brings, for what is yet to come and for the memories we’ve accumulated along the way. We’re so grateful…

Photo from one year ago today, April 16, 2015:

The waning sun on a less cloudy evening in Kauai taken outside our condo door.  For more photos please click here.

Heading out soon…Final expenses for New Zealand…Saying goodbye…The cycle of life on the farm..

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Me and Miss Jessica. I was flattered that Trish and Neil named this sweet girl after me.

Checking and rechecking, I confirmed our final expenses for 87 days in New Zealand. It’s important we keep accurate records for our ongoing world travels.It was a relief to see how reasonably we lived in this lovely country on this equally enchanting alpaca farm.

Then, they named a new male, Minnesota. 

When we originally booked the property, it was evident Trish and Neil gave us special pricing based on our long-term stay. Also, with the added worldwide exposure our landlords receive when we’re frequently posting links for properties in which we live, this becomes an additional factor in providing us with an excellent long-term rate.

Considering the reasonable cost of fresh organic produce, grass-fed meat, and free-range chicken and eggs, we’ve been pleasantly surprised with the cost of groceries.

One of our favorite scenery photos of the shore close to the town of New Plymouth.

Dining out was also reasonable, although we only dined out on four occasions. Do most people dine out a lot more often than we did here on an average of once every three weeks? We’ve been gone from the US for so long, we don’t have a clue what others may do. 

Most certainly working people purchase ready-made and carry out (takeaway)meals when busy and/or disinterested in cooking. Furthermore, most tourists dine out for most meals except perhaps one meal a day when they a kitchen or facilities in their hotel or vacation rental.

Trish and Neil’s two adorable pink cockatoos.

Then, again, we aren’t tourists. Dining out just isn’t important to either of us nor has it ever been. Even when I wasn’t eating this restricted diet, we seldom dined out, preferring to enjoy homemade meals and to entertain at our home. 

With these two above points in mind, most likely we spend less than most travelers would spend in this time frame. Also, the fact that Tom seldom orders a cocktail when we do dine out (except on cruises) and the fact that I haven’t been ordering wine or a cocktail for many years, that’s another area where we’ve saved tremendous sums over these past years on the move.

This face is too cute for words.  Is she smiling?

Recently, I had some wine while here at the farm, but once the two bottles we shared were gone, a red and a white, we had little interest in purchasing more.  I get drunk too quickly. I‘d have to build up a tolerance to the alcohol in the wine. Is that something I really want to do after my diligent efforts to improve my health?

The Rewa Rewa Bridge in New Plymouth was quite a sight to see.

As a result, we spend less in many areas, one of the reasons we’re generally able to stay within our budget each year. Of course, the pricey Antarctica cruise is an exception we’ve chosen to make for the beginning of 2018 which we’re already considering in our future spending as we continue on.

In the photo booth at Everybody’s Theatre in Opunake.

To avoid prolonging the suspense a moment longer, here is the breakdown of our expenses in New Zealand:

Expense US Dollar New Zealand
Dollar
Vacation Rental  $  4,701.00  $ 6,855.00
Auto Rental & Fuel  $  1,999.00  $ 2,884.00
Airfare (arrived by ship)  $         0     $      0                              
Taxi  $         0                        $      0                              
House Cleaning  $       442.00  $     645.00
Wifi  $       528.00  $     770.00
Groceries  $    2,547.00  $  3,673.00
Dining Out  $       163.00  $      238.00
Clothing  $       263.00  $      384.00
Camera  $       404.00  $      589.00
Pharmacy/ Dental  $       564.00  $      814.00
Total  $ 11,611.00  $ 16,749.00
   
Avg Daily Cost –
87 Days		  $    133.00  $    192.00

Surprising? Perhaps to some, perhaps not to others. For us, we’re pleased. We certainly got our money’s worth out of this extraordinary experience. On numerous occasions, we’ve espoused the virtues of this beautiful, perfectly built, and well-equipped house, let alone the magnificent surroundings, views, sounds, and smells.

A bee on a flower at the botanical garden.

Tom mentioned a few days ago that he’d hesitated over the concept of living on a farm fearing annoying biting flies and the smells one encounters in close proximity to farm animals. Not the case here. 

Tom standing next to a Minnesota State Trooper vehicle when we were at the AmeriCarna show in Opunake.

The smells of the fresh green pastures, the clean air, the blooming flowers, plants, and nature itself were almost intoxicating. I’ll miss that. The alpacas don’t seem to have an unpleasant smell and walking through the paddocks doesn’t present any offensive aroma. 

The lily pad pool on the grounds was always blooming while we were on the farm.

The sounds? Music to our ears. The gentle humming sounds these precious creatures make, which we’ve been able to easily mimic to gain their attention, is unlike any sound we’ve ever heard in nature. I’ll miss that sound.

This Optical illusion photo made us laugh when we stopped to visit the Belted Galloways.

And them?  If a person can miss a razor-sharp-tusked warthog in the bush, can you imagine how easy it will be to recall the joy of the tender nature of alpacas? When people heard we’d be living on an alpaca farm, they warned that they spit and could be nasty. We never saw that, never once. 

Tom, my happy guy, when we were out to dinner on Valentine’s Day.

We laughed over their playful antics, whether young or mature, and the beautiful way they so lovingly relate to one another, even when competing for a handful of special grasses or bumping into one another. 

This is perfect for “overly grumpy” days which could prove to be today on travel day. We shall see how it goes.

In all this time, we never wrapped our arms around an alpaca other than in today’s photo of me and my namesake cria, Miss Jessica, a tribute to my love of them that Trish and Neil quickly discovered through our daily posting and stories.

Our favorite cow and her offspring separated by a fence often stood side by side.

And later, a male was named “Minnesota” which equally warmed our hearts as our home state from many moons ago. These namesakes were a gift handed to us on a silver platter. 

This face…so precious.

And then, Mont Blanc…we never once held him in our arms or scratched his head when alpacas prefer not to be touched by humans. But, the look in his eyes, said it all, and I fell in love with him from the moment he escaped the paddock. And then, he was gone. Tears well up in my eyes over the loss of his little life. He tried so hard to make it.

Alpacas mating.  The male is called the “macho” and the female, the “dam.”

So now, dear readers, we carry on. We learn we grow, we change in the process as we acquire a new perspective of an area of life we’d never imagined or experienced before. 

Mont Blanc and his mom Giselle on the day they were reunited after he’d escaped from the paddock.

We say goodbye to this wonderful life on the alpaca farm where we saw the creation of life, the birth of the cria, and the loss of little Mont Blanc. Once again, we say hello to the world…in awe, in love and eternally grateful.  There’s so much more yet to come.

Photo from one year ago today, April 15, 2015:

The sea across the street from our condo in Kauai always presented gorgeous views. For more photos, please click here.

Favorite photos..Leaving for Auckland tomorrow morning at 10:00 am…

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This cria who’s birth we were able to attend when we first arrived on the farm was born only 30 minutes earlier. 

Normally, a five-hour drive to get to an airport would be too long in our perspective. But, New Zealand is so beautiful, we have no qualms about the long drive, especially when we’re leaving early enough we won’t feel rushed. 

When we first arrived and the flowers were still blooming, we particularly loved this photo of Mount Taranaki.

On this return trip to the airport in Auckland, we won’t feel compelled to stop to take photos when we’ll have completed all of our NZ photos unless, of course, we see an irresistible sight.

A one-day-old cria nursing.

Upon arrival in Auckland, we’ll make our way to the car rental facility, drop off the vehicle taking their free shuttle to the airport. Our flight isn’t until 5:55 pm.

Our favorite neighborhood cow who’d walked up to the fence to see us when we were on a walk.

We’ve finished most of the packing except for the clothes we’re wearing today and the few toiletries we’ll use through tomorrow morning. Staying overnight in Sydney, we’ll both will wear the same clothes tomorrow and again on the day, we board the cruise, only changing underwear. 

This photo made us laugh over and over especially with the shorter alpacas ears down and other alpaca’s ears at full attention. 

Spending two weeks on a ship with limited wardrobes along with the cost of having laundry done by the ship’s laundry service (necessary mid-cruise) getting two sets of clothing dirty before we even board the cruise makes no sense. If we spill on ourselves, we’ll haul something clean out of a suitcase.  

Grapes growing at the OkurkuruWinery which we visited on two occasions.

Once on the cruise, we have enough to wear to avoid frequent repeats. Jeans and khakis are allowed in the main dining room except on dress-up nights. Shorts and nice tee shirts are acceptable everywhere on the ship during the day.

This peculiar occurrence, never observed by Trish and Neil, had us ready to go into the paddock to help these two tangled alpacas.  The larger alpaca wasn’t too happy with this situation. Fortunately, they managed to break apart.  Once we knew they were OK, we couldn’t stop laughing. 

We weighed our bags moving items around to reduce the baggage fees we’ll pay later today for the third checked bag. It’s tricky weighing the bags on our stand-on travel scale. Tom weighs himself first and then weighs himself again holding the bag. 

We visited the Taranaki Cathedral Church of St. Mary in downtown New Plymouth on its last open day when it was closing permanently due to earthquake instability.

The only way we could weigh the bags is in the upstairs bathroom with a solid surface floor with the remaining floors carpeted. Once Tom lifted the large bags he barely had room to stand on the scale and not bump into something. 

This photo, taken through the glass in the kitchen window, was the first of many times she peered inside watching me prepare dinner. Love this!

It all worked out when both of our larger bags weighed under the allowance of 30 kg, 66 pounds. The remaining third bag, based on our reshuffling everything should weigh under 20 kg, 44 pounds, resulting in fees of NZ $522, US $362. It’s frustrating to have to pay so much for the extra bag but as hard as we try we can’t dispose of one more item in our possession. 

Tom at Taylor Dental in New Plymouth on the day he had his abscessed tooth pulled a painless and inexpensive experience at NZ $170, US $115.

Today, when all is done, including both today’s and tomorrow’s post, we’ll spend time with the alpacas, hand-feeding those interested and laughing over the playful antics of the youngsters. 

There are countless creeks and streams in New Zealand.  We’d hope for sunny day photos but many times when we went out for the day it started sunny and clouded over within the first hour.

It’s not easy leaving here. We have many memories we’ll carry with us, some of which we’re sharing in today’s and tomorrow’s post as our favorite photos. Tomorrow, we’ll share the expenses for our 87 days in New Zealand.

We visited Plas Mawr, a historic architecturally interesting home by invitation of its owner June, whom we met while grocery shopping.

Unfortunately, the Internet signal here doesn’t allow the posting of as many photos as we’d have preferred and, with the many photos we took while here it was difficult to pick and choose favorites. Many others were left behind that our less frequent readers may have missed and possibly enjoyed.

When Trish and Neil went on holiday, we watched over the birth of two crias, an extraordinary experience for both of us.

Feel free to go through the archives on the right side of our daily homepage to see any posts you may have missed for this location or any other locations, all the way back to 2012 when we first began posting. To access each year, month or day, click on the little black triangle to open that period of time.

The front dining room at the Table Restaurant where we dined on Valentine’s Day.

We’ll be back tomorrow with the final expenses and a heartfelt goodbye to this special location and superior experience.

Beautiful flowers when we visited the Pukekura Botanical Garden near the mountain.

May your day bring you a superior experience as well!


Photo from one year ago today, April 14, 2015:

Sunset in Kauai, one year ago.  For more photos, please click here.

Two days and counting…Moving right along…The SHED…

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The alpaca in the middle here has a tendency to hog the food from my hand, never giving the others a chance.

Our goal had been to post favorite New Zealand photos today, but I’ve decided to do that tomorrow. Yesterday, when I’d intended to go through the zillions of photos we took here in New Zealand, I found myself distracted with organizing our stuff, tidying the house and preparing the final expenses for our last New Zealand post upcoming in two days.

Today, after we upload this post we’ll drive into town to purchase roasted chickens for the next two evening’s meals and to make a quick trip to the health food store to restock probiotics.

Hand feeding the alpacas has been pure joy! Often they “honk” at one another as they try to have a turn.

When we return we’ll finish packing, weigh our bags and pay the excess online to save 10% on the baggage fees as opposed to paying at the airport. Last night, Tom completed the online check-in for the cruise and tomorrow, 24 hours prior to the flight to Sydney, I’ll check us in for the flight. As always, it’s all coming together as we each undertake tasks we usually handle.

As Tom busied himself chatting with other passengers at CruiseCritic who are booked on the same upcoming cruise he discovered the following after posting an inquiry. He wrote:

“Last year, May/June, we were on a cruise from Honolulu to Sydney.
There were about 1400 Aussies on this cruise making it one of the best cruises we’ve ever been on.

On sea days at 14:00 or 15:00 there was a SHED get together for guys only.
All the problems of the world were solved each and every time we met.

Being a Yank, I didn’t know what the SHED was.  It was very enjoyable.

After the first get together ended I met up with my wife and she asked, “What is the SHED and what we did we discuss?”

I told her what the guys told me to tell her. “What happens in the SHED stays in the SHED.  If I tell you I’d have to kill you.”

I sure hope some of the Aussies set up a SHED get-together for sea days. It was very enjoyable.”

None of the youngsters are interested in being hand-fed.

A short time later, he received a response from another cruise passenger which read:

“Tom,
The shed meeting is on the ship’s Compass Magazine every afternoon at the Pig and  Whistle Bar on the Voyager. You will have your man shed for sure  🙂

Great< looking forward to them!  :)”

This made Tom smile from ear to ear.  Actually, it makes me equally thrilled to know he has a chance to interact with other guys without me always at his side. It’s a much-needed break for him although he’d never put it that way.
Many of the adult moms are shy and have no interest in being hand-fed.
The SHED will be scheduled on the daily “Compass Magazine” for mid-afternoons, usually around 3 pm, on the nine sea days during the 14 day cruise. During this two hour period, I’d often stay in the public areas reading, working on the next day’s post and photos.
More often than not, I’ll busy myself conversing with other women who’s significant others are also at the SHED. This was a good time for us to each have a little time apart.
This alpaca who’s name we don’t know if quite interested in the food.
Luckily, neither of us are the types that require “alone time.” I can’t recall either of us ever saying, “I need time to myself.”  If we feel compelled to get away from one another for a bit, we’ll naturally gravitate to some sort of project to work on without any analysis of any particular emotional need at the moment.
Over the years we’ve learned to give each other “space” when we’re engrossed in reading, writing or talking on Skype. It’s these commonalities that add to the ease of being together 24/7 as we live this peculiar life on the move.
A few will come to the deck after the hand-feeding ends to eat the scraps that fell during the process.

Speaking of this life on the move, as these last days wind down, we still spend as much time as we can interacting and observing the beautiful alpacas. Without a doubt, it will be hard to say goodbye but we look forward to all the wonderful people we’ll be meeting in the next few weeks aboard the ship.

Tomorrow, we’ll be back with our favorite photos of New Zealand and on the following day, the final expenses of spending 87 days living on the farm.
Have a beautiful day!
Photo from one year ago today, April 13, 2015:
This photo from the Princeville Botanical Garden was a favorite from the venue. The Jackfruit is known for its health benefits. See this link for nutritional details. Please click here for more photos.

Details, details, details…Not as uncomplicated as one may think…

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Ah, bull in the road. We stayed in the car while I took the photo through the windshield (referred to as a “windscreen” here in NZ).

Moving every few months has its challenges. If someone had asked me five years ago if we’d be willing to move every two or three months or more frequently, as will occur in a few months, I’d had said it was impossible.

Even now, after 42 months of experience, it could be an overwhelming task if we let the entire process flood our minds in one fell swoop. Instead, we take it in bite-sized pieces, collecting and sorting our stuff over a period of many days.

I handle all the small stuff and Tom handles the heavy stuff. Without ever discussing it or mapping a plan, we each gravitated toward the tasks well suited to our abilities and desires.

As a result, I handle the refrigerator, freezer, and food in the cabinets which in itself is a big job. We’ve been here for a full three months accumulating a number of ingredients, spices, and foods we’ve used in preparing meals.

Cows often stop grazing to check us out.  Are they happy to see us or annoyed?

Weeks before we leave, I assess all the remaining items. Together, we determine a menu based on what we have on hand in an attempt to “use up” the ingredients and what we’ll need to purchase to round out the meals.

For example, we had a partial bag of organic coconut flour, a jar of organic coconut oil, and an unopened can of unsweetened coconut milk, some of the ingredients used in making low-carb pancakes. Plus, there were several packages of streaky bacon left in the freezer.

With a trip to the Taranaki Farmer’s Market on Sunday, we purchased eggs we’d need to make for “breakfast for dinner,” one of our favorite occasional meals; coconut pancakes, scrambled eggs with onions and cheese, and a side of bacon.

Tonight, we’ll have this same meal for the second night, using the balance of the on-hand ingredients.  Tomorrow, we’ll head to town to purchase two organic, free-range pre-cooked chickens to which we’ll add a salad and green beans, more of which we still have on hand.

Green hills and the sea on a sunny day.

On Thursday, I’ll clean the refrigerator and freezer with a plan to leave it as clean as it was when we arrived.  We’ll leave behind only a few items; a can of salmon, a bag of unsweetened coconut, and a few spices.We have no room in our luggage to bring food with us, although we’d had done so in the past.

With the cost of baggage for upcoming flights, it makes no sense to pay to bring any type of food products.  Plus, both New Zealand and Australia have tight restrictions on bringing food into their countries.

Heading to Bali after the cruise we’ll board in four days, we’ll be living in a remote area for 59 days. We’re well aware we’ll have trouble finding many ingredients we use regularly, such as some of the above-mentioned coconut products. 

Every country has protein sources and vegetables. If necessary, if all we can eat is a grass-fed steak, free-range chicken, or wild-caught fish with a salad and vegetable, we’ll be fine. Also, we’ve yet to visit a country that doesn’t have free-range eggs and cheese. 

Cows, mountains, and sea at a distance.

Tom not only oversees the handling and weighing of the heavy bags, but carefully plans the packing, wrapping, and distribution of all of our power cords and power strips. Also, he’ll do the packing of our new wheeling computer backpack we purchased while here. We’re hoping to be able to eliminate a few carry-on items as we pack this time around.

Cruise lines don’t allow power strips in the cabins fearing too many items on one strip may present a fire hazard. Each time we board a cruise, our power strips are confiscated which we collect in “security” on disembarking day. Without these strips, we have a problem plugging in all of our equipment. 

In most cases, we’re able to get alternative smaller strips from our cabin steward which solves the issue.  There’s a shortage of outlets in the cabins although all ships on which we’ve sailed to date have US plug-ins. If we ever find that not to be the case, we can use the three converters/adapters we carry with us and use them in almost every country we visit.

Over the past few days, I tossed no less than 8 pounds, 3.6 kg, of “stuff” from our third bag. This bag has never been this light. At some point, we’ll replace our two clothing bags hoping to purchase even lighter weight bags as more and more styles become available. This may have to wait until we get to the US in 2017.

A cow escaped the paddock hanging out on the side of the road.

Today, I’ll neatly fold the shirts Tom wears to dinner on the cruises and a few shirts of mine, all of which have been hanging in the two closets. Most of our clothing is wrinkle-free, but we’ve yet to find any clothing that doesn’t wrinkle to some extent.

I’ve tried a number of methods to reduce wrinkles, but none seems to work or are too time-consuming and cumbersome to implement. Once we arrive at the cruise with our bags delivered to the cabin, we’ll immediately unpack and hang the necessary items, hoping the wrinkles will dissipate from the humidity in the cabin.

Also, today, I’ll restock our pill cases with my now only two prescriptions and a few vitamins and Tom’s few vitamins (he no longer takes any prescription meds). We both take probiotics daily. Long ago, we had to forgo packing vitamins and supplements when we just don’t have room in our luggage or access to restocking them in some countries.

In addition, we’re washing bath towels, bedding, and kitchen towels to leave everything in order when we depart. We’ll only have the sheets we slept on Thursday night and one bath towel each remaining unwashed when we leave on Friday morning.

Driving along a narrow road in farm country.

Yesterday, I completed the scanning of all of the tax-deductible receipts we accumulated while here in New Zealand. Our 2015 federal tax return, due on April 15th, was completed and submitted online by our Nevada accountant over a week ago. 

Later today, I’ll begin working on the final expenses (by category) for this three-month stay in New Plymouth which we’ll share in Friday’s post (Thursday to those on the other side of the International Dateline). Tomorrow, we’ll post our favorite New Zealand photos.

This morning, Tom gathered all the trash we’ve accumulated over the past few days as the packing began and drove it down to the recycle and trash bins at the far end of the road. We always attempt to leave no trash behind other than a few necessary items in the kitchen bins (tucked away in cabinets), never leaving any trash scattered about the house.

The ocean and a tiny island at dusk on a cloudy evening.

No doubt, we still have plenty to do. However, we’re on track, exactly where we need to be with three remaining days until we drive to Auckland for our flight to Sydney. 

As we peer out the windows on this rainy day, the alpacas continue to happily graze in the paddock. Although a little sad about leaving them, we feel complete and fulfilled by this memorable experience.

May your day bring you contentment and fulfillment!

Photo from one year ago today, April 12, 2015:

From the Princeville Botanical Garden one year ago today, we wrote: With many bees in this area, I chose not to move the green leaves for a better view of this exquisite bloom which was the size of a soccer ball. For more photos, please click here.

Wrapping it up!…Four days until we leave New Zealand…Fun videos…

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Video #1, of the alpacas coming down our driveway
on Friday morning. 
I started today’s post at 7:30 am.  Up at 5 am, my new automatic wake up time, I bolted our of bed, folding and packing more items that have since dried indoors after the past few rainy days.

Today, when it started as a sunny day I started the washer as soon as I made it downstairs. With no clothes dryer, we have to take advantage of sunny days if we prefer to leave here with entirely clean clothes. 

 

Video #2 as the alpacas entered the paddock in our yard.
This past week I’ve been washing and wearing the same two outfits over and over, knowing I’m giving the shirt the heave-ho before leaving. Having purchased some new items here in NZ, there’s no room for any questionable or worn items I seldom wear. Tom is doing the same. 

Generally, our individual clothing suitcases (one each) weigh about the same. This time, we plan to be completely packed, able to weigh our bags by Wednesday, and pay for any excess online. 

On Friday morning, Trish and Neil gathered the alpacas in the smaller mating paddock. Some needed injections to keep them healthy and Neil, a physician, can easily handle this process without calling the vet.

We’re flying on Emirates Airline, our favorite airline to date. Their baggage allowance for one “free” bag each is 30 kg., 66 pounds. This helps us tremendously on the flight from Auckland to Sydney this coming Friday. Emirates provides a 10% discount if excess baggage is paid in advance online. Many other airlines don’t offer ‘free” checked bags.

They all look on as others got their injections.

When the upcoming cruise ends on April 30th, we’ll fly from Singapore to Bali on Jetstar Asia. They too have a “free ” allowance for one 20 kg, 44 pounds, checked bag. In this case, we’ll have considerable excess baggage fees and reorganizing our stuff the night before the cruise ends.

In both cases, we’ll have to pay extra for the third bag (between us) that contains shoes, toiletries, powers cords, business cards, and medical supplies. 

Sure, it would be great not to have a third bag, but as often as I go through that bag there is nothing we can eliminate.  After all, our bags contain every physical possession, we own and duh, we don’t have anywhere we call “home” to regroup and repack, unlike most other travelers.

Finally, they were done and releases the alpacas into the paddock.

We always get a kick out of seeing cruise passengers with more luggage than us. That used to be us in our old lives on the few occasions we traveled over the years – way too many heavy bags. As we’ve learned in our travels, at times, it’s a painful and expensive lesson.

Through the glass at the kitchen window, sleeping while standing.

Now, we accept the reality that what we have is what we have. Eliminating many items isn’t practical when many countries don’t have what we’d need to purchase to replace certain items during a short-term stay. 

Trish and Neil left for their three-week holiday in South Africa on a 17-hour flight on Friday. Early that morning they moved 47 of over 100 alpacas to our yard now that the grass has regrown. Also, they wanted us to have one more amazing week to interact with them.

Being an alpaca mom is an exhausting job and many naps on occasion during the day. The adult alpacas are tagged through their ears. The cria (newest babies) wear collars with nag tags until they later receive their permanent tags. It’s imperative to tag them for health and mating reasons.

A local woman they employ as a farm helper stops by a few times a day to add the extra nutrients the alpacas need, lined up in colorful bowls along the inside of the fence of the paddock. It’s hysterical to watch their enthusiasm when they see her coming with the bowls as they hover in one massive group close to the fence.

Today, our two videos include one; when Trish and Neil walked them up to our driveway, and two; as they entered the paddock outside our back door. Have a look! 

They’re funny and so adorable.

Most afternoons many will rest at the side of our house.  On sunny days most will sit in this location with shade, providing a break from the heat of the sun.

Since they arrived in the yard, we’ve spent hours outdoors watching their playful antics, treasuring every moment knowing soon we’ll say goodbye. Last night only minutes before dark, the antics of the young ones running and leaping through the air, left us laughing again and again.

Now, it’s time to stop “playing” and get “down to business” with laundry, packing, scanning receipts, and reorganizing the house to put everything back in its place.  We always attempt to leave the property as tidy as it was when we arrived.

May your day be productive as well!

Photo from one year ago today, April 11, 2015:
Although Hawaii may not be the perfect climate for cactus to proliferate, many varieties of cactus seem to thrive as this has that I spotted on the tour of the Princeville Botanical Garden. For more photos, please click here.

Itinerary for the next 666 days…In five days, we’ll leave NZ…In six days, we’ll board a cruise in Sydney…Tomorrow…two great videos!

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Colorful sunset over the farm.


Our itinerary for the next 666 days…more to come in the future…

 Sydney Hotel 1  4/15/2016 – 4/16/2016 
 Cruise – Sydney to Singapore  14 RC Voyager of Seas   4/16/2016 – 4/30/2016 
 Bali House  59  4/30/2016 – 6/28/2016 
 Hotel Singapore 7  6/28/2016 – 7/5/2016 
 Hanoi Hotel 3  7/5/2016 – 7/8/2016 
 Cruise – Mekong River – Hanoi to Ho Chi Minh City  15 Viking
Mekong
  		  7/8/2016 – 7/22/2016 
 Phuket House  41  7/22/2016 – 9/1/2016 
 Bali House  59  9/1/2016 – 10/30/2016 
 Sydney Hotel  1  10/30/2016 – 10/31/2016 
 Cruise – Sydney to Perth  16 RC Radiance of the Seas   10/31/2016 – 11/16/2016 
 Cruise – Perth to Sydney  17  RC Radiance of the Seas   11/16/2016 – 12/3/2016 
 Tasmania #1 Beach House  44  12/3/2016 – 1/16/2017 
 Tasmania #2 River Waterfront  44  1/16/2017 – 3/1/2017 
 Cruise – Sydney to Sydney  12 Celebrity Solstice   3/1/2017 – 3/13/2017 
 Sydney House 40  3/13/2017 – 4/22/2017 
 Cruise – Sydney to Seattle   24  RC Explorer of the Seas   4/22/2017 – 5/15/2017 
 GAP 5/15/2017 – 5/17/2017  2  5/15/2017 – 5/17/2017 
 Cruise – Vancouver to Seattle – Alaska   9 Celebrity Solstice   5/17/2017 – 5/26/2017 
 Seattle to Minneapolis – drive through Yellowstone – hotels  13  5/26/2017 – 6/8/2017 
 Minneapolis Family Visit – RV rental  42  6/8/2017 – 7/19/2017 
 Nevada Family Visit – Stay with son Richard in Henderson 11  7/19/2017 – 8/1/2017 
 Costa Rica – Atenas House 114  8/1/2017 – 11/22/2017 
 Hotel – Fort Lauderdale – Not booked  1  11/22/2017 – 11/23/2017 
 Cruise – Ft. Lauderdale – Santiago, Chile  15 Celebrity
Infinity		  11/23/2017 – 12/8/2017 
 Cruise – Santiago, Chili – Buenos Aires, Argentina  15 Celebrity
Infinity		  12/8/2017 – 12/23/2017 
 GAP Buenos Aires – Hotel or vacation homes 31  12/23/2017 – 1/23/2018 
 Cruise -Antarctica – Ushuaia, Argentina – Ushuaia, Argentina – 16 Ponant
Le Soleal		  1/23/2018 – 2/8/2018 
 Total number of days  (153 days cruising) 666

Each time we’ve posted an updated itinerary at least one reader writes asking if our journey will end at the conclusion of the posted itinerary. If and when we’re forced (for health reasons) to change the course of our travels, we promise to post our intent of the necessity of doing so. 

Also, we’ll certainly continue to document that process (health providing) including medical treatments, settling in to a new location whether temporary or permanent and the resulting expenses for all aspects of such a transition.

While on the way to shop we stopped for cows crossing the road.

Is there a chance the above won’t transpire? (Warning: morbid talk here). If we stay relatively healthy and are able to continue on, we may find life comes to an end for one of us during the journey. One way or another, we’ll notify our readers.

As we age, along with the rest of us, we realize that life may change at some point. Actually, life will change at some point. For now, we don’t worry or concern ourselves with that eventuality. 

The farmer offered to stop the flow but we insisted they carry on.

Striving for good health, living in the moment and joyful planning for the future are the main focus of our nomadic lifestyle. As we peruse our above itinerary it’s hard to wipe the smiles off of our faces. If happiness is instrumental in living a long and healthy life, we should be around for awhile.

A few stopped to check us out as the crossing continued from the paddock.

No, we aren’t slapstick happy every single day. Like the rest of us, we have quite uneventful days. We have other days where we may feel worried or angst-ridden. On occasion, we have fitful nights spent worrying about the well being of family and friends. 

But, overall, a powerful sense of contentment surrounds us. Yesterday, on the deck with 47 alpacas within our reach, we felt the endorphin rush of interacting with nature. Laughing, commenting, smiling while handing them an open palm of their grassy treats, we can’t help but appreciate every moment of our lives.

The cows were being moved to milking. Moving them must be a daily occurrence.

For however long this journey lasts, we remain grateful each and every day. Grateful for the experiences, grateful for the good health and grateful for the opportunity of sharing it with all of you!

Photo from one year ago today, April 10, 2015:
One year ago today, we wrote about “Birdie,” a Red Cardinal who visited our veranda in Kauai more times a day than we could count. I chopped batches of unsalted organic macadamia nuts, almonds, pecans and walnuts feeding them to him and his “wife” when they came to visit.  He sang a song when I didn’t get the nuts outside to him quickly enough. To hear his song in our video, please click here.  To see the year-ago-post, please click here.

A dream come true…Antarctica, here we come!…Exciting and…pricey!…Tomorrow…the 666 day itinerary!

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Not our photo, but not unlike the experience we hope to have on our booked cruise to Antarctica in 21 months. The cruise was booked up so fast on the day it was posted, we decided to book this far ahead.

When we first conceived of the idea of traveling the world in January 2012, a few of what we considered as “must do’s” in our travels have changed or have since been fulfilled.

That’s not to say the list isn’t still extensive at this point. The more we learn about this enormous world we live in, the more we find appealing to our tastes and desires.

For me, my number one dream was to see wildlife in Africa.  After almost nine months on the continent, my greedy self longs for more. Someday, we’ll return to fulfill my desires to return and also to fulfill one of Tom’s dreams to see Victoria Falls in Zimbabwe and Zambia. Of course, that future trip will include seeing the gorillas in Rwanda, an experience we both will treasure.

As for Tom in the beginning, his first priority was to visit the Panama Canal.  Our first cruise in January, 2013 our ship traversed the narrow passageway at the Panama Canal, which proved to be an extraordinary experience for both of us. 

The newly built locks on the Panama Canal are yet to open due to construction delays although the expectation is that it will be operational by the end of June. Even if the new canal its not open by the time we arrive in 2017 we still look forward to it once again as another layer in the experience.

The Panama Canal is not a “final” destination, instead its a means for us to make our way to South America from our location in Central America at the time. As mentioned in yesterday’s post, in November, 2017 we’ll again cruise through the canal on the first of the two cruises we mentioned.

As we’ve continued on our travels incorporating almost constant ongoing worldwide research, we’ve added many locations to our list of places we’d like to visit. Will we be able to see them all?  Most likely not.  Both time and finances have a bearing on our ability to do so.

However, added to our list of “hope to see,” eventually moving over to the “must see” list, Antarctica quickly moved up to the top of the list over these past few years as we conducted more and more research.  We knew the price would be outrageous. As we’ve fine tuned our budget, we’ve saved and trimmed to make this possible.

The itinerary for our upcoming cruise to Antarctica.

Availability of Antarctica cruises for the right dates became imperative based on current bookings and, as described in yesterday’s post, as we began to explore South America for the later part of 2017 and 2018. 

Here is a link with considerable information about cruising in Antarctica from the International Association of Antarctica Tour Operators (IAATO) that has provided us with valuable answers to questions.

The quality of the cruise lines and ships became a vital aspect as we continued in our extensive research. We watched videos, read hundreds of online reviews as well as endless comments in CruiseCritic, constantly on the search for the perfect scenario for our needs and wants.

The most important criteria for us is taking an Antarctica cruise is the inclusion in getting off the ship to board small Zodiac boats that travel to the ice floes for close encounters with wildlife.  

The “cruising only” options of many ships with no “off ship” experiences typically last for 10 to 11 days. This was definitely not worth the lower cost to us.  We wanted more. We knew a 14 to 17 day cruise with use of excursions on guided Zodiac boats for up close and personal wildlife experiences was the driving force behind our research and ultimately, our final decision.

Then, of course, the price, age of the ship, quality of ship, number of passengers, reviews and accommodations on the smaller ships that visit this vast area of the world became a vital factor in finding the right cruise.

ITINERARY
DAY DATE PORT ARRIVE   DEPART
Tue Jan 23 Ushuaia, Argentina 6:00pm
Wed Jan 24 At Sea
Thu Jan 25 Grave Cove, Falkland Islands / New Island, Falklands
Fri Jan 26 At Sea
Sat Jan 27 At Sea
Sun Jan 28 South Georgia Island
Mon Jan 29 South Georgia Island
Tue Jan 30 South Georgia Island
Wed Jan 31 At Sea
Thu Feb 1 Elephant Island
Fri Feb 2 Astrolabe Island, Antarctica
Sat Feb 3 Neko Harbor, Antarctica
Sun Feb 4 At Sea
Mon Feb 5 At Sea
Tue Feb 6 At Sea
Wed Feb 7 Ushuaia, Argentina 5:00pm
Thu Feb 8 Ushuaia, Argentina Disembark

For me, I’d have been content to sail on the less luxurious ships with minimal accommodations if necessary to make it affordable. But, as our research continued, the lower priced older, less luxurious ships didn’t offer much lower pricing and…sacrificing luxury no longer became an issue. In any case, it was going to cost us dearly.

After considerable research, we decided on the French Ponant Cruise line which has small enough ships to maneuver into areas larger ships cannot navigate. Also, the cruise line offered excellent accommodations and amenities including tips and alcoholic beverages, upscale food with scientists and professional photographers on board.

Over these past 18 months, as we continued our search, we resigned ourselves to the outrageous cost of these 14 to 16 day cruises.  Prices on most Antarctica cruises begin at a low of NZ $14,682, US $8800, per person for more modest accommodations on less desirable ships to a high of NZ $79,285, US $54,000 on luxury ships.

Ships are categorized by “number of stars” ranging from a low of “3” to a high of “6” for the pricey high end ships.  The ship we selected, Ponant’s Le Soleal, is rated a “5.5”. We’re very happy with this. The price, on the other hand made us cringe a little although we were prepared it would be high.

The cost for the balcony cabin we selected on the fourth deck of Ponant Le Soleal is a combined (for two) NZ $50,654, US $34,500, as opposed to the much lower priced third deck where the medical center is located. We didn’t want to be close to that!  

Here’s information about the ship:

Le Soléal

Ship Rating:
Le Soléal features a sleek silhouette and a welcoming, intimate atmosphere. Le Soléal accommodates up to just 264 passengers and embodies the philosophy and spirit of yacht cruising that has made Ponant a success.

All 132 staterooms and suites feature ocean views, and the interior of the ship boasts contemporary décor with fluid lines and a modern color scheme. Trips in a Zodiac boat will allow passengers to get as close as possible to the natural grace of the Arctic lands, and a team of naturalists and lecturers will accompany guests and share their knowledge, experience and passion for their subject.

Carrying on a tradition of reducing impact on the environment, Le Soléal also features a state-of-the-art navigational positioning system, eliminating the need to drop anchor and therefore protecting the seabed. This advanced system also lowers smoke emissions and includes an optical and submarine detection system to avoid collisions with marine life, both day and night.

 Le Soléal
Detailed Information
Deck Plans Dining Wireless
Internet  
 Ship Statistics 
Year Built 2013
Tonnage 10,944 tons
Registry France
Length 466 feet
Beam 59 feet
Passenger Capacity 264
Crew Size 139
Total Inside Cabins 0
Total Outside Cabins 132
Cabins & Suites w/ verandas 124
Suites 4
Maximum Occupancy per room 4
Age Restrictions One person must be 18 or older
Dinner Seatings 1
Seating Assignments
in Main Dining Room		 Open
Dining Hours Open Seating
Dining Room Dress Code Dining
Tipping Recommended? No
Tipping Guidelines Gratuities are included in the cruise fare.
Onboard Currency European Union Euro
Services & Amenities
Bars/Lounges 3
Beauty Salon/Barber Shop Yes
Casino No
Chapel No
Disco/Dancing Yes
Elevators Yes
Hot Tub No
Cell Phone Service No
Internet Access Yes
Internet Center Yes
Wireless Internet Access Yes
Laundry/Dry Cleaning No
Library Yes
Movie Theatre No
Outdoor Movie Screen No
Onboard Weddings No
Self Serve Laundromats No
Shops Yes
Showroom Yes
Spa Yes
Video Arcade No
Fitness & Sports Facilities
Basketball Court No
Fitness Center Yes
Golf Driving Net No
Golf Simulator No
Ice Skating Rink No
Jogging Track No
Mini-Golf Course No
Rock Climbing Wall No
Swimming Pool Yes
Tennis Court No
Water Slide No
Water Sports Platform No
Cabin Features & Amenities
24-Hour Room Service Yes
Hair Dryer Yes
Safe Yes
Telephone Yes
Television Yes
Kids Facilities
Babysitting No
Children’s Playroom No
Kiddie Pool No
Supervised Youth Program No
Teen Center No
Special Needs & Requests
Adjoining Cabins
(private connecting doors)		 No
Kosher Meals No
Single Occupancy Cabins No
Single Share Program No
Wheelchair-Accessible Cabins Yes

Yesterday, we paid the non-refundable deposit of 25% at NZ $12,666, US $8,625. Even that made us cringe.  But, we look at this much desired cruise as a once-in-a-lifetime experience, one neither of us ever dreamed possible. 

Going forward, we’ll share more information on this cruise including the cost and details of renting appropriate outerwear clothing, boots and gloves which the cruise line arranges after we make our online selections. 

The cruise lines have requirements on which items we must rent to ensure they don’t have to deal with less appropriately dressed passengers. Today, we received an online form from our highly competent cruise rep at Vacations to Go, Brooklyn Earnhardt who can be reached here which included medical forms we must have signed by a doctor no more than 90 days before departure date.

Over the next 21.5 months until we board the cruise on January 23, 2018 in Ushaiai, Argentina, referred to as the most southerly city in the world (the ends of the earth) we have plenty of time to take care of everything we’ll need to do

Here we are today, only one week from boarding the Royal Caribbean Voyager of the Seas at the Port of Sydney, Australia.  No, this upcoming cruise may not be as exciting as the Antarctica cruise. But, our enthusiasm and level of excitement is high, as always, as we continue on to our next adventure. 

May your day find you filled with enthusiasm for whatever your day brings. Today, we’ll be hanging out with 47 adorable alpaca moms and babies. What more could we possibly want?

Photo from one year ago today, April 9, 2015:

A juice bar on wheels in Hanalei. A tour we’d planned was rained out.  Instead we visited Hanalei, a small tourist town in Kauai. For more photos, please click here.

Part 1…South America, here we come!..A new continent…A new leg in our journey…

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With only one week until departing New Zealand and an upcoming cruise beginning next Saturday, the 16th, we decided to wrap up a few bookings for the distant future while we had a good Internet connection.

When we reviewed our itinerary ending on our five-year travel anniversary on October 31, 2017, a mere 18 months away, we knew it was time to pin down what was next on the horizon. 

In the past few days, we were able to extend our vacation rental in Costa Rica to November 22, 2017 (19 months from now) making all of this planning work well. Costa Rica has a 90-day visa maximum for US citizens.  Halfway through our stay we’ll leave the country for a day and re-enter providing us with a new visa end date.

ITINERARY
DAY DATE PORT ARRIVE   DEPART
Thu Nov 23 Fort Lauderdale, FL 4:30pm
Fri Nov 24 At Sea
Sat Nov 25 Grand Cayman, Cayman Islands 8:00am 5:00pm
Sun Nov 26 At Sea
Mon Nov 27 Panama Canal (Full Transit) (Cruising)
Tue Nov 28 At Sea
Wed Nov 29 Manta, Ecuador 7:00am 2:30pm
Thu Nov 30 At Sea
Fri Dec 1 Lima (Callao), Peru 9:00am
Sat Dec 2 Lima (Callao), Peru 7:00pm
Sun Dec 3 Pisco, Peru 8:00am 6:00pm
Mon Dec 4 At Sea
Tue Dec 5 Arica, Chile 8:00am 5:00pm
Wed Dec 6 At Sea
Thu Dec 7 At Sea
Fri Dec 8 Santiago (Valparaiso), Chile 5:00am

Although pre-planning to the extent we do may not appeal to some, without a home to return to, we find tremendous peace of mind in planning well into the future. In any case, it’s always delightful anticipating future plans and adventures. 

In reality, most of us take great comfort in knowing where we hope (and plan, if possible) to be in the next few years. It can be a little unsettling not knowing what the immediate future holds. 

No doubt, everything can change in a moment or in a day.  But, that reality seldom prevents us, humans, from planning for the future and comfortably settling into the present.

For our way of life, however quiet or adventuresome it may seem at times, we find packing our itinerary with future plans a huge source of excitement and anticipation while we’re fully embracing our lives at the moment.

Now, with leaving this glorious location one week from today, we decided to wrap up a few bookings to place us well into the future, after we’ve left the US for the family visit and after over three months in Costa Rica living in the fabulous villa owned by our friends Bev and Sam whom we met in Kauai.

After accepting their generous offer of an excellent “friend” rate for the Costa Rica property we realized that keeping our costs down during this period enables us to plan a few pricier plans for the future when after Costa Rica, we planned to head to South America.

In today and tomorrow’s post, we’ll share these few cruises that will be instrumental in taking us to the perfect locations in South America as a segue into our possible two-year tour of the continent where again, we hope to fulfill more of our dreams.

In another post upcoming this week, we’ll be including our itinerary for the next 666 days that contains only a few gaps we’ll fill in months to come. If life proves to be quiet while in Bali and the wifi is adequate, we’ll be able to spend time searching for bookings to fill the gaps.

Then, of course, we’ll be posting our total final expenses for New Zealand on the morning we leave to drive to Auckland, one week from today, to take the flight to Sydney, Australia, where we’ll once again spend one night before the cruise the following day.

Sure, we’ve thoroughly enjoyed quiet farm life here in New Zealand. But now, as we continue on, we look forward to “shaking it up” a bit while seeing more of the world as you’ll observe in the upcoming post with the itinerary.

ITINERARY
DAY DATE PORT ARRIVE   DEPART
Fri Dec 8 Santiago (Valparaiso), Chile 6:00pm
Sat Dec 9 At Sea
Sun Dec 10 Puerto Montt, Chile 9:00am 6:00pm
Mon Dec 11 Chilean Fjords (Cruising)
Tue Dec 12 Strait of Magellan (Cruising)
Wed Dec 13 At Sea
Thu Dec 14 Punta Arenas, Chile 7:00am 5:30pm
Fri Dec 15 Ushuaia, Argentina 10:00am 7:00pm
Sat Dec 16 Cape Horn (Cruising)
Sun Dec 17 At Sea
Mon Dec 18 Puerto Madryn, Argentina 8:00am 5:30pm
Tue Dec 19 At Sea
Wed Dec 20 Punta del Este, Uruguay 9:00am 7:00pm
Thu Dec 21 Montevideo, Uruguay 7:00am 5:00pm
Fri Dec 22 Buenos Aires, Argentina 5:00am
Sat Dec 23 Buenos Aires, Argentina Disembark

These two cruises we’re posting today are “back to back” which we hadn’t posted at an earlier time. To explain “back-to-back” for our less experienced cruisers, it’s when passengers stay on the ship for its next cruise continuing on later in the day.

In most cases, we’re required to get off the ship for a short period, leaving all of our belongings in the same cabin while the ship is prepared for the next barrage of passengers embarking a few hours later. 

In most cases, we won’t need to stand in long lines when we re-board and will be pushed along to easily gain access without any commotion since “back to back” passengers are given priority re-boarding.

On two other occasions, we’ve booked back-to-back cruises, once in Belize in April 2013 and another in Barcelona in May 2013. In both cases, it worked well when we were able to keep the same cabins except mid-cruise when we asked to be moved to a different cabin as a result of the pounding noise in the middle of the night from the disco below. (That was the last time we selected Carnival Cruises, not quite our type of cruise).

We’ll be back tomorrow sharing a “dream come true” while in the interim we’re totally wrapped up in the excitement in our backyard after Trish and Neil moved the alpacas to our backyard enabling us to enjoy them up close and personal during this final week. We’ll be sitting on the veranda most of the day watching them. It’s wonderful! 

May your day be wonderful as well.

Photo from one year ago today, April 8, 2015:

Could this albatross chick be any cuter?  A year ago while living in Kauai we spent hours observing the lives of the Laysan Albatross and their growing chicks.  This experience added so much joy to our four months on the exquisite island, along with all the friends we made. What great memories!  \Click here for more photos.

Final photos of Taranaki Pioneer Village including a peek inside an historical hospital…A new way of life upcoming soon…

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This could come in handy on “overly grumpy” days!

We’re still awaiting final documents for upcoming bookings which we’ll share as soon as we have them in hand which should be later today.

Here’s the library and general store at Taranaki Pioneer Village.

Yesterday, we breezed through town making the multiple stops we’d planned. At the pharmacy, several staff members who’d assisted me over these past three months gathered around to wish me goodbye. That’s amazing! 

Each room in the settlement houses contained authentic antiques with some funny plaster characters.

Tom usually waits in the car while I shop except at the meat market and at the farmer’s market, which we’ll visit for a final time this Sunday to return eight empty egg cartons and to purchase our last batch of eggs, enough at that point to last only four more days.

A hat and garments shop.

As of today, we’re leaving in eight days. It’s at this point we begin calculating how we’ll use the remaining food in the freezer, fridge, and cupboards. We’re in great shape for using up most of our supplies as we plan the menu for the upcoming week.

It was enjoyable to see the clothing from the era in various shops.

Today, we’re laundering the remaining few loads of cruise clothing, especially when it’s a sunny breezy day when they’ll dry quickly. The house cleaners will arrive soon. We’ve decided to have them clean one more time, next Thursday, leaving us to focus on packing instead of cleaning the house before we go. At a weekly price of NZ $60, US $41, it’s worth it. 

These bottles in the Chemist shop may have contained a variety of ingredients for making potions.

Today, it dawned on us that we won’t be cooking for ourselves until moving into the house in Phuket, Thailand on July 22, 2016, over three months away. I enjoy preparing our meals but in Bali with a household cook on staff, I’ll only assist in the menu and choosing appropriate ingredients.

Authentic grocer.

The owners of the Bali house explained we could have the cook do all the prep and cleanup while we season the meal putting it all together at the end for cooking. As for the shopping, at this point, we’re assuming we’ll do the shopping to ensure we’ll have the correct ingredients. We’ll know more once we arrive after the cruise.

An old telephone switchboard.

We have no doubt that the local grocery stores will be small with limited availability of products, not unlike in Kenya and Fiji, both of which had sparse options at the local markets.

The bedpan department in the old hospital on the grounds of the Taranaki Pioneer Village.

For our way of eating, if we can purchase free-range chicken and eggs, grass-fed meat, wild-caught fish (caught away from the shore), dairy, and vegetables, we’ll have everything we need. 

The operating theatre.  Scary.

There are no villages in which we’ve lived to date that don’t sell meat/protein sources, veggies, and full-fat dairy which are universal food choices in most parts of the world. 

The maternity theatre. 

However limited the food supply we can always figure it out. In reality, our way of eating is easier than trying to find specific packaged and processed food items many people use in their daily lives. 

The blacksmith shop.
The interior of the blacksmith shop.

In my old life before 2011 when I adopted this diet, I’d have been frustrated if unable to purchase “whole grain” bagels, low sugar jelly, and unsweetened low-fat yogurt. Now, with those foods on my prohibited list, shopping is much easier. Plus, eating only one meal a day makes meal options relatively simple.

The check-out desk at the library.

Today, we’re wrapping up the photos from our recent tour of the Taranaki Pioneer Village and hopefully, tomorrow, we’ll be back with exciting news we’re looking forward to posting.

Printing equipment from a long-ago era.

May your day bring good news, good health, and contentment.
                    
                                                Photo from one year ago today, April 7, 2015:

This was the local health food store where we often shopped for specialty items while in Kauai. Most likely, such a store won’t be available in Bali. We’ll manage without it. For more details, please click here.