The freedom to choose…Tom trying new things…

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At dinner last night, he really stretched himself trying and very much liking this liver pate, another first for him, saying it reminded him of Braunschweiger.

With five more upcoming Australian cruises in the next 15 months, we don’t feel compelled to get off the ship at every port of call on this cruise. The nice part about cruising is we can do whatever we want. There is no schedule we have to follow. Our dinner reservations can be “whenever” we’d like. 

With a variety of functions in which we can choose to participate, most can easily be attended with a last-minute decision. Most often there’s room for two more. 

We love this freedom to decide.  In part, this sense of liberation and lack of feeling of being encumbered, owning “stuff,” had been instrumental in our decision to travel the world.

Tom, for the first time ever, ordered a Caramel Macchiato and liked it very much, ordering another while we sat in the Café el Bacio again today preparing today’s post.

Now, aboard this ship, we’re totally entrenched in this feeling of choice and freedom, exactly how we feel when we’re settled into a vacation home for a few months or more. 

There is no feeling of entrapment, no schedules other than those we freely choose with no obligations than those in our little world except for the responsibility for our health and well-being, taking care of the houses we’re renting, fiscal responsibility, record keeping, and future planning.

As for the “responsibility” of taking photos and posting each day, it’s done without any sense of obligation or pressure. It almost feels as if I have a remote in hand each morning and I select “play” as the process flows through my fingers with ease and purpose. 

If someone would have ever told me I’d have to conceptually write an essay every day of the week, 365 days (or this leap year’s 366 days) including adding new photos daily, I’d had said, “Bite me! I’m not doing that!”

His next “outside the box” new drink, a Café Diablo with Courvoisier VS, Grand Marnier, Sambuca and hot coffee.

And yet, day after day, without stress, without boredom, without “writer’s block” it all comes easily to me.  Motivation is a powerful thing. Documenting this year’s long journey, having the ability to look back and see what we’ve done day after day, sharing it with family, friends and the people we don’t know throughout the world has been all the motivation we’ve needed.

Onboard the Celebrity Solstice now for the past 48 hours, we’ve already had more fun, met more people, engaged in more lively conversation as we’ve wandered about the ship thoroughly entertained together as a couple as companions, shipmates, and lovers. Without even trying, cruising is romantic in its own unique way. 

Last night, as we sat on bar stools at one of the popular bars, The Ensemble Lounge, with a jazz band playing in the background, we were not only reminded of times long past but, of past cruises when conversations on a bar stool are especially memorable. 

Tom was drinking his usual Courvoisier with Sprite Zero while I sipped on plain bubbly water in a tall glass with lots of ice, a lime, and a straw. I miss drinking alcohol but my health is better without it. Last night, my glass looked like a “cocktail” while I almost felt a pleasing buzz from the power of suggestion.High on life? 

A few years ago while on a cruise, he tried frog legs, enjoying them again as an appetizer at last night’s dinner.

From meeting new people while sharing our mutual stories, a unique connection aboard a ship is generated hour after hour. We spend little time in the cabin. At the moment we’re situated in comfy chairs in the Café al Bacio, our newly discovered coffee/tea bar.

On our last cruise on this same ship, we rarely lounged in this area while posting instead spending time outside in warm weather. We’d never tried the coffee or tea. Tom has since tried a few coffee drinks as shown in today’s photos in his attempt at “trying new things.” 

It was exciting to find they offer my favorite oolong tea which I can drink all day when every beverage and sweet treat (for Tom only) they offer in this area is included in the two drink packages included on this particular cruise via promotion through Celebrity: free gratuities (usually charged at US $13, AUD $18 per person per day), free classic drink package for two (Tom’s cocktails, specialty coffees, imported teas, and a wide array of bottled beverages which is usually US $59, AUD $83 per person per day), and a cabin credit of US $100, AUD $141 to be used however we’d like.

Once on the ship we immediately signed up for the unlimited Internet packages which don’t allow sharing unless one goes offline while the other is online.  his plan, at US $244, AUD $345 per person (if we didn’t want to share, which we don’t) resulted in our paying a total of US $488, AUD $690 to ensure we both could be online at the same time.

Tom’s dinner was less adventuresome, tournedos of beef with red wine reduction with potatoes, green beans, and carrots. He found the entire meal and beverages to be pleasing to his limited palate.

With Tom enjoying time online while I spend the better part of each morning preparing the post, sharing is not an option for us. Plus, while I prepare the post, he assists with exchange rates, searching for links, and researching pertinent information while I’m in the process of posting. Having to go offline after each of my many questions is not for us.

Most likely, our final cruise bill will only include the above WiFi fees and a few odds and ends for any purchases we may make. The almost dried-out Max Factor mascara I’d purchased in Sydney made me drool over the prospect of purchasing a three-pack of Lancôme Definicils, my old US favorite for US $72, AUD $102. Gee…I haven’t purchased something this pricey and extravagant in a long time. 

I’ve gone back to the ship’s cosmetic store a few times looking at this potential purchase hesitating to buy it when for the past three-plus years I’ve used what I could find at a local chemist or supermarket. 

My “girlie” mentality hasn’t entirely wafted away while living this life and I’m glad for it. Who said I had to give up everything? No one. The freedom to choose is gratifying. 

No, I don’t own a handbag. I have only two pairs of jeans and five total pairs of shoes. We make do with what we have. An occasional splurge now and then reminds us that we do have the freedom to choose and that most often, we choose that which is relatively frugal and practical.

Today, we decided to stay on board the ship. We’re currently docked in Melbourne (pronounced “mel-ban” here in AU) until 5:30 pm. We may walk off the ship or we may not since we’re certainly enjoying the quiet while other passengers are off the ship shopping, riding in full buses, and sightseeing. 

We’ll be back here on another cruise in November. Knowing this, it’s easy to choose to stay onboard, simply because we feel like it. There are two upcoming ports of call for which we’ve booked all-day small group tours.  That’s enough for us. We had no commitments for today. When we return to Melbourne we may plan a small group tour or take a taxi tour. However, today, we’ll take a number of photos of Melbourne to share here tomorrow. 

So please check back, if you choose to…

Photo from one year ago today, January 7, 2015:

When daughter-in-law Camille and granddaughter Madighan stayed behind a few days before returning to the mainland, Madighan and I made the gingerbread house we’d been too busy to make before Christmas  For more photos, please click here.

Another possible medical emergency a few hours before boarding the ship…Thank goodness for a previous posts saving the day!

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The ship is still decorated from Christmas.

Yesterday morning, shortly after I uploaded the post, Tom told me his tooth abscess had returned overnight.  While in Fiji we’d decided dealing with it other than with the use of antibiotics was not necessarily the best course of action after our visit to the dentist’s office. We feared their equipment may not have been up-to-date and the most sanitary.

In November, when Tom was treated for the abscess at the dentist office in Savusavu for a fee of FJD $6, USD $2.78 with two free antibiotic prescriptions and a dose of Ibuprofen, we thought if he could last until we arrived in New Zealand, he’d visit a dentist shortly after we arrived.

Most likely we’ll find a good dentist in the nearby town of Taranaki which appears to have several dental offices.  Of course, we’ll ask the owner of the house we’re renting for a recommendation.

This wonderful chemist saved the day!

With only two hours until we had to vacate the hotel room, after requesting a late checkout, we knew we’d better come up with a plan. An abscessed tooth could become serious while on a two-week cruise. We didn’t have enough time left in Sydney to make an appointment to see a dentist and follow up with any treatment or prescriptions.

The previous day, we’d visited a local chemist for toiletries and a variety of preventive over-the-counter meds, meeting Peter, the most friendly chemist on the planet. 

Yesterday, after Tom finally told me about the abscess returning we decided to go back to see him, a short walk in yet more rain, a few blocks from the hotel. Our plan…ask him to refill the same antibiotic prescriptions Tom had taken in Fiji which seemed to work within a few days.

The tiny chemist shop had more products than one could imagine would fit in the tiny space.

Our plan to get him to agree to refill the prescriptions without a new prescription from a local dentist was simpler than we anticipated. Once we arrived at the store, we’d ask him to bring up our website in November 10, 2015, where we’d posted a photo of the pills he’d received at the Savusavu dentist. Click here to read that particular post if you missed it. 

Below is the photo we showed Peter which he accepted as a valid prescription worthy of being refilled. We couldn’t have been more relieved. Immediately, Tom said it was “safari luck” that we had the photo on the post to refer to in order to show the chemist we had a valid prescription. 

Luckily, Peter was able to read the labels on these two antibiotics enabling Tom to take another emergency round to last until we arrive in New Zealand in a few weeks.

This photo would never have been accepted in the US as valid proof for a refill. But, in Australia which is still relatively strict with prescription laws, this case precipitated a solution with kindly Peter accommodated since we’d already built a connection with him on the previous day’s visit. He knew we weren’t buying the medications to resell them.
 
Practically jumping for joy with relief we quickly made our way back to the hotel, prescriptions in hand, to load up our gear and head out the door to the ship.  Oddly, we could see the pier across the street from the chemist but, it was too difficult a walk with all of our bags in the rain and attempting to maneuver down a steep flight of stairs.

The doorman hailed a taxi and for a fare of USD $14.33, AU $20, the driver dropped us off at the Port of Sydney with our two large bags, one medium bag, one duffel, one Costco bag, rolling cart, and computer bag. (We’re able to maneuver the load a short distance on our own with careful stacking and use of the rolling cart). 

Busy Sydney Harbour.

Somehow, in these past months, we’ve lost our bungees making securing the rolling cart difficult. Once at the pier, we had a relatively long line in which to handle the bags were normally at most ports, the moment we step out of the taxi, our bags are tagged with our cabin number and whisked away by port personnel too much later be delivered to our cabin.

In less than an hour waiting in various lines for check-in, customs, immigration, and security, we were on the familiar ship, the Celebrity Solstice, excited for the 14-day journey itself to New Zealand, and for the upcoming three months we’ll spend living on an alpaca farm.

By 2:00 pm, we’d dropped off our carry-on bags in our cabin, our hands were free and we roamed about the same ship we sailed on September 23, 2014, when we cruised from Vancouver, British Columbia to Oahu, Hawaii.  That seems so long ago in one way and like yesterday in another.

The ship was being fueled, maintained, and dumping sewage.

The day and evening were even more enjoyable than expected.  We met many other passengers, mostly from the US and the UK. There seem to be considerably fewer Aussies than anticipated. As a result, there are no “Shed” meetings for Tom to attend, but he’s rather content with all the people we’ve met so far, engaging in lively conversations. And, as always, we’re having lots of fun together.

The abscess is already improving from a few doses of the antibiotics. We’re not thrilled he has to suffer any potential ill effects of taking antibiotics twice in such a short time span. But, we had no alternatives other than to cancel the cruise or risk a more serious infection, building over the upcoming few weeks. 

Last night’s dinner was OK. Since it was my first meal in the Epernay Dining Room they had few options available for me other than a tiny plain shrimp cocktail (no sauce), a Caesar salad without dressing, a steak, and a few steamed veggies. I ordered sides of New Zealand seasoned butter and full-fat sour cream, dipped everything on my plate for added flavor. 

All other entrees had been prepared in advance using vegetable oil, sugar, soy sauce, starches, flour, and other items I can’t have. Last night, I ordered my meal for tonight and this morning’s breakfast of two hard-boiled eggs, smoked salmon with capers, and crispy streaky American bacon. It was fine.

Last night we experienced rough seas during dinner subsiding later in the evening. As always, it had no effect on either of us, although it certainly was noticeable.

When we returned to our cabin for the night we noticed Tom’s suitcase hadn’t arrived yet. We’d received all the other bags in the late afternoon. 

We spotted a message on our phone. Within minutes, we headed to Level 2 to security to respond to their request to show up if we wanted his bag which had been confiscated due to a power strip. They tagged it, made him sign for it, stating we could have it back at the end of the cruise. This wasn’t the first time this has happened. We’ll manage just fine in the interim.

Tom’s busy “trying new things” which we’ll share in our photos to come.  With the slow WiFi on the ship, we’ll only be able to post four to six photos per day. He always surprises me when he suddenly decides to be adventurous with food and beverages. After all, his inclination toward adventure is certainly pleasing to me regardless of what he decides to eat!

Happy day!

Photo from one year ago today, January 6, 2015:

One year ago, daughter-in-law Camille and granddaughter Madighan had a chance to pet one of the chickens at a local resort where they stayed for one night when Madighan had an allergic reaction to something in the house we were renting. The next day, they left for Kona to get ready for their upcoming flight to the mainland. For more details, please click here.

We made it to Sydney!…What a city!…

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He’s so happy. Gosh, we love this life!  I took this photo in the rain when we found an overhang on the sidewalk on George St. in Sydney .
OK, my hat was lopsided, but it made it possible for me to take a few photos in the rain. Fashionable? No. Functional? Yep.

OK, here’s how it went. On Sunday afternoon, we checked in for our flight using a bad wifi signal, from Suva, Fiji to Sydney, Australia, a four-hour non-stop flight.

Our flight confirmation paper documents stated our flight on Monday, January 4th was at 11:15 am. We booked several flights in and around Fiji using a local travel agency while we were living in Trinity Beach, Australia last June to September. 

It was the first time we’d used a travel agency to book any of our travels, other than Vacationstogo.com which we use to book cruises, mainly for their great prices and service.

The first four flights were fine. Yesterday’s fifth flight was “confirmed” in writing for the above date and time. As soon as we were online at Fiji Airway’s site to check in on Sunday, there was no flight listed at 11:15 am as stated in our documents, only one flight at 8:35 am with the same flight number as indicated on the documents. 

We were able to check-in thus affirming that somewhere along the way either the agency gave us the wrong information or the flight was changed and we weren’t notified. They had a record of our email and phone numbers for both Fiji and the US.

Immediately, we hustled to change our shuttle to Suva, Nasouri Airport from a 7:45 am pickup to a 5:15 am pickup which for us, is a bit challenging. Although we get up early most days, getting up at 4:15 and out the door, an hour later is not our thing.

No problem on the shuttle. They’d arrived at our door at 5:15 for the 90-minute drive to the airport. Hoping to arrive by 6:45 am, we’d have time to go through customs and immigration and an expected huge queue at the international flights when we realized it was the first Monday after the holidays and the tiny airport would be swamped

If we didn’t get checked in and dump our checked baggage by 8:05 am they’d literally “close” check-in and we’d miss the flight.

Awakening at 3:45 am, I bolted out of bed without the alarm on my phone never going off, and jumped in the shower, bleary-eyed after only about four fitful hours of sleep. Minutes later, Tom was awake and we dashed around the house, tidying up, closing our bags moving everything back to where it was when we arrived. 

When the driver appeared at 4:55 am we were ready to leave. Good timing.  Arriving any later we’d have had a problem at the tiny airport, which was more packed than we expected with mostly Fijians heading back to their homes in Australia. Oddly, we spotted only one person that appeared to be Caucasian among the hundreds waiting in line.  We were right at home. 

Taxidermy croc for sale in a shop window. My lower legs and feet are also shown in this photo. In the rain, I wasn’t particular about getting good shots.

(For some odd reason, wherever we may be, we always feel as if we belong. What’s the deal with that? The acceptance and welcoming we’ve received worldwide have been astounding).

When our turn popped up, we were hardly surprised to discover our luggage load was severely overweight. We didn’t have to step on the huge old-fashioned scale this time, only the bags.  We were presented with a bill over and above the already paid cost of the flight for FJD $936, USD $438! Even the rep winced when he told us how much it would be. 

Yesterday, we took the elevator to the hotel’s rooftop for a few photos in the rain. This was not our ship which hadn’t arrived yet.

At this point, we’ve come to accept that this is “the nature of the beast.” That’s why we love cruising so much (among other reasons)…no baggage fees. Sure, our readers may cringe and say, “Oh, I could get that load lightened enough to avoid excess fees.” 

Please, dear friends…walk in these shoes…these few pairs each, and see what you’d be willing to get dispose of. Not much. It’s bare-bones. I don’t own a bathrobe, a dress, or a bathing suit cover-up. Tom doesn’t own a suit coat, a pair of dress pants, or a robe either, which we both love wearing after a warm shower.

This is the Metcalfe Bond building.

We each have two pairs of jeans, several pairs of shorts, and a variety of tee shirts along with a few casual dressy shirts for dinner on cruises and otherwise. I have two lightweight casual skirts that I can dress up with one of two scarves and a belt. It’s truly bare-bones.

So…we pay the price, accepting the reality that we care enough that we look presentable in many situations with what we may have on hand. We’re not backpackers. We’ll never be backpackers. 

Finally, we were seated and buckled in on the fully packed 737 jet. Sitting next to me at the window was a man who had to weigh at least 400 pounds, 182 kilos, tall and burly. His thighs were the size of two of Tom’s. 

The Sydney Harbour Bridge. While taking this photo Tom suggested I zoom in for the people walking across the top of the bridge, as shown in today’s photos.

He occupied his seat and half of mine. I was in the middle, Tom on the aisle. Heavy breather. Poor guy was cramped. I did everything I could to contribute as much of my seat as possible to allow him to be somewhat comfortable. Instead, I was cramped and uncomfortable for the entire four hours sitting almost sideways on my seat. Tom offered to switch with me. I refused.

Instead of thinking about it, we played Gin. I wound up winning for Fiji. That helped. They served breakfast. I ate the scrambled eggs when they said were gluten-free but nothing else. It was fine. We were fine. There was no turbulence over the vast sea. A baby in the seat in front of us cried and fussed a lot.

Finally, we landed in Sydney. The plane had to wait 40 minutes for a gate. It was raining hard and we were glad there would be a “tube” instead of the usual steep metal steps outside the plane. It was worth the wait. We didn’t complain.

Brave souls, walking across the top of the Sydney Harbour Bridge, known as the Bridge Climb. Please click here for details. This might be fun for those that don’t mind heights. 

We breezed through immigration and customs after a long wait for the bags. Once out the door, we grabbed a van and made our way to the hotel, the Old Holiday Inn, a very nice hotel with mixed reviews. Very close to the port of Sydney, we were happy. Free WiFi with a strong signal. 

Tom was chomping at the bit to watch the Vikings game which was live on Aussie TV.  The TV wouldn’t work, nor would the phone in order to report it.

Mr. Overly Grumpy himself reappeared as I dashed off to the front desk to report the two issues. In no time at all, a maintenance guy appeared in our room, removing the bad phone replacing it with another, and got the TV working. 

Tom was so worked up he had to take off his shirt. I never take my shirt off when I get worked up. It must be a guy thing.

Notice the cruise ship in the background.  Our ship hadn’t arrived yet but is certainly there now.  How exciting! This building only had the letters “ASN” listed on the building.

Soon, the game was on and he was happy again, with a bit of tail between his legs. I stayed unruffled but gloated a little over my (mostly) continuing “overly bubbly” demeanor, weird in its consistency. How could I not?

In essence, we balance each other. When I was fussing over the prospect of getting up so early after our oddly discovered flight time change, Tom was calm and cool, making every effort to ease my concern over the prospect of having a bad night’s sleep. When all was said and done, I was fine, certainly eased by his ongoing emotional support and reassurances.  We each had about four hours of sleep.

We needed a number of preventive items for the cruise, just in case, and had to find a nearby chemist and an ATM.  We needed hand sanitizer wipes, (we already have those for cleaning surfaces in the cabin and elsewhere), nasal spray (specifically for travelers to prevent infections which we’ll report back if that works), cough medicine with codeine like an ingredient legal in AU, Benedryl, a mascara (mine was empty), and a few other odds and ends.

Our ship has arrived!  Tom took this photo a few minutes ago when he went back up on the roof.  So close but so far away with our luggage.

After the chemist, a several-block walk in the pouring rain, with success in finding varying degrees of the list on my phone, we found an ATM. It wasn’t working. Tom was worried. I wasn’t. We went back to the room to call Wells Fargo to find out the problem with our debit cards. We’d already notified them where we’d be traveling over the next year.

Calling Wells Fargo on Skype, there was no problem with the card.  We had to find another machine. Tom headed out on his own leaving me in the room while he dashed back out in the rain.  Within 10 minutes he was back with a handful of Aussie dollars. He was happy now.

Sailboat entering the harbor.

Not wanting to go back out in the pouring rain, we dined in the hotel’s restaurant, a fixed price menu that proved perfect for me; Caesar salad minus croutons or dressing;  salmon filet and steamed broccoli and spinach with butter. Tom had leek onion soup, steak, potatoes, veggie, and rolls. He especially liked the roll. His cruise dining habits have begun. Lips zipped here.

Soon, we’ll be off to the ship. Tom had hoped we could walk our bags using carts to the port but the hotel doesn’t have carts or porters, plus we’re way too far away and also the pouring rain continues and there’s no way that makes sense. We’ll get a taxi to take us the distance of four or five long blocks.

Thanks, dear readers, for following us to Sydney and now onto the Celebrity Solstice. We hear the seas are rough!  Sounds exciting!

Photo from one year ago today, January 5, 2015:

Longs Drugs, permanently closed and boarded up due to pending lava flow on the Big Island, close to where we lived for six weeks. We’d shopped at this store the day they closed for some huge bargains but felt bad for the employees who’d be out of jobs.  For more details, please click here.

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We’re on the move!…Final expenses for four months on two Fijian islands, separately and combined…

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Sunset at the Uprising Resort in Pacific Harbour where we dined.

We’re on our way to Sydney today to spend one night in a hotel. While in the hotel Tom will watch the Minnesota Vikings game on his laptop while I work on the next day’s post. The following day we’ll board the Celebrity Solstice for a 14-day cruise, one of six cruises we’ve booked in the South Pacific, enabling us to circumvent Australia. (This doesn’t include the Mekong River cruise in July 2016).

By the time we board the final of these cruises, we’ll be on our way to the US in May 2017.  Upon arrival in Seattle we’ll head to Vancouver for a two-day stay, then board a nine-night Alaskan cruise. After that cruise, we’ll drive across the northern tier of the US to head to Minnesota for a visit. From there, we’ll fly to Nevada to visit more family members, renew our driver’s license and take care of a few business items. 

Then, on August 1st, we’ll make our way to the fabulous property, we booked in Costa Rica for a three months stay. Then…South America, here we come!  It’s all exciting to us, every single aspect including the time with family and friends.

Now, as we wrap up the four months we’ve spent in the Fiji islands, on both Vanua Levu and Viti Levu, the two largest of the 330 plus islands in the archipelago it’s time to wrap up the total expenses during this period. 

We’ve copied the figures for the first three months from the last day’s post in Savusavu as shown below. Further down, we’ve shown the expenses for the 28 days spent in Pacific Harbor. At the end of both of these, you’ll find the grand totals.

Bollywood Dancing at the Uprising Resort on a Saturday night.

Savusavu, Vanua Levu, Fiji
September 8, 2015 to December 6, 2015
88 days
Rent:      USD $6,000, FJD $12,832
Airfare:   USD $2,758, FJD $5,899  (This total includes five flights to get us here from Cairns, Australia and back to Sydney, Australia).
Food:      USD $2,293, FJD $4,904  (includes all groceries and household supplies)
Dining:    USD $165, FJD $353
Taxi:       USD $393, FJD $841
Tips:       USD $200, FJD $428
Postage:  USD $213, FJD $456
ATM fees:USD $234 FJD $500
Vodafone USD $495, FJD $1,059

Grand Total:  USD $12,751, FJD $27,271
Monthly Avg: USD$  4,250,  FJD $  9,090

Pacific Harbour, Viti Levu, Fiji
December 6, 2015 to January 4, 2016
28 days
Rent:      USD $2,800, FJD $5986
Airfare:   USD $0, FJD $0  (This total is included above in the cost of the five flights from Cairns, Australia, Fiji flights and back to Sydney, Australia on January 4th).
Excess Baggage Fees: USD $105 FJD $225
Food:       USD $667, FJD $1426  (includes all groceries and household supplies)
Dining:     USD $367, FJD $785
Taxi:        USD $177, FJD $378
Tips & Cleaning: USD $167, FJD $356
Postage:   USD $0 FJD $0
ATM fees: USD $17.50 FJD $37
Vodafone: USD $0, FJD $0  (Data was included in rental.  Hotspot we’d brought with us with many remaining gigs from Savusavu didn’t work well in Pacific Harbour).

Grand Total:  USD $ 4,300,  FJD $ 9,193
Monthly Avg:  USD$ 4,607 , FJD $ 9,849 (based on 30 days)

Fiji, four-month totals
Grand total:   USD $17,051 FJD $36,454
Monthly Avg:  USD $4,410  FJD $ 9,428 (based on a 30 days)
Daily Avg: USD $147 FJD $314 (actual cost per day for 116 days)

The vegetable stand where we purchased most of our produce during the 28-day stay.

We couldn’t be more pleased with these totals. Although it would cost considerably more to visit Fiji to stay in a resort/hotel at no less than USD $200, FJD $428 per day plus the cost of airfare, meals, tips, excursions, and transportation, an economically minded traveler preferring to stay in a hotel, could easily expect to spend an average of USD $571, FJD $1,021 per day.

For a two week holiday/vacation the cost may easily end up at a minimum of USD $8,000, FJD $17,105 which would not include shopping and miscellaneous expenses such as spa services, wifi fees, purchasing trinkets, excess baggage and fees for sports equipment. Of course, staying in vacation homes as we’ve done, considerably reduces the cost.

With many similar vacations requiring less travel time and lower expenses, many Americans and others may choose to travel to Mexico, Central America and the Caribbean, most of which are more readily accessible on shorter, less expensive flights.

Is Fiji worth a visit? We’ve enjoyed it very much under the circumstances by which we’ve traveled, arriving from Australia as opposed to traveling from the US and, in staying in vacation homes, purchasing groceries, using low cost taxi service as opposed to renting a car which is very expensive on most islands. 

For a luxury hotel experience, the cost will easily be two to three times or more than our estimates. As I prepare this post, Tom researched the cost of round trip flights from Minneapolis, Minnesota, USA to Fiji, staying on only the main island of Viti Levu. 

Papaya growing in the backyard reachable from the wraparound veranda.

With three layovers, the RT cost per person at today’s rates for next September (as an example since we arrived in September) is USD $1,784 FJD $3,814 per person, taking a total of 31.5 hours from takeoff to final landing providing there are no delays. 

This airfare was the lowest rate Tom could find, however there are shorter travels times at higher rates cutting the travel time by as much as 12 hours. Also, consideration must be made for an additional fare for a satisfactory return flight which can bump up the cost considerably. 

In all, for those traveling to Fiji from as far away as the US, it’s wise to consider almost three days of travel and recovery time. Plus, one must consider the loss of one day when arriving and then regaining the day should they commence their travel while crossing the International Dateline.

Whew!  For those with more time than two weeks, also visiting Australia, New Zealand, and other nearby countries, Fiji may make a lot more sense economically.

We have no regrets about visiting Fiji and are actually grateful for the experience. It further “toughened us” in being more tolerant with 10% of our time in power outages, near-constant heat and humidity, lots of mosquito bites, and the ants, many ants, many, many ants.

One must also consider the weather which while we’ve been living in Fiji has been cloudy and rainy no less than 80% of the total time. The rainy season in Fiji is as follows (which apparently has been higher this year per this chart):

Suva, Fiji Weather
Temperature (Fahrenheit)
Jan Feb Mar Apr May Jun Jul Aug Sep Oct Nov Dec
High 86 86 86 84 82 80 79 79 80 81 83 85
Low 74 74 74 73 71 69 68 68 69 70 71 73
Average 80 80 80
78
 76 74 73 73 74 75 77 79
Temperature (Celsius)
Jan Feb Mar Apr May Jun Jul Aug Sep Oct Nov Dec
High 30 30 30 29 28 27 26 26 27 27 28 29
Low 23 23 23 23 22 21 20 20 21 21 22 23
Average 27 27 27 26 24 23 23 23 23 24 25 26
Precipitation
Jan Feb Mar Apr May Jun Jul Aug Sep Oct Nov Dec
Inches 11 11 15 12 10 7 5 8 8 8 10 13
Centimeters 28 28 38 30 25 18 13 20 20 20 25 33
Precipitation Days
Jan Feb Mar Apr May Jun Jul Aug Sep Oct Nov Dec
Days 16 16 18 17 16 13 11 15 15 15 16 17
On the flip side, we’ve loved the local people we’ve met along the way, the availability of fresh organic food, the high level of friendliness, the beautiful scenery and the reasonable cost of living.


As for the two houses we’ve lived in, by far, we’ve preferred the house here in Pacific Harbour with many more amenities, considerably larger with three bedrooms, two bathrooms, a larger refrigerator, AC in the bedroom (which eventually we had to use), is in better overall condition with easy access to the pool outside the backdoor. As shown above, the rent differential was well worth it. 

For the link to this property, please click here. Susan, the owner, is a breeze to work with and extremely helpful.

The river bridge we crossed many times on our neighborhood walks.

Vinaka, Fiji. We’ve enjoyed our time in your country and although we doubt we’d ever return for a long  stay, we have good memories to carry in our hearts always.

Next time, we’ll “see” you, will be the post I’ll prepare for the following (Monday for some, Tuesdays for us) from our hotel in Sydney, Australia while Tom’s wrapped up the Minnesota Viking football game. Hopefully, the playoff games will be broadcast aboard the ship. Thanks to all of our readers for sharing Fiji with us! Stay tuned for lots more!

Photo from one year ago today, January 4, 2015:

One year ago today, we moved from the second house we rented back to the first house as the last of our family member left the Hawaiian Islands. Moving was time consuming and challenging and we were relieved to be settled with a remaining 10 days until we’d depart for Kauai for a remaining four months.  For more details, please click here.

One more day…Wrapping up the details…This and that…More favorite photos…

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Tom and I after dinner on his birthday when my clothes were dirty from my flying lobster tail landing in my lap.

Yesterday, I finished packing except for a few toiletries we’ll need today and tomorrow morning. Tom has waited to pack until today, but all of his clothes are neatly folded, button shirts plastic wrapped and stacked on the extra bed in his clothing bedroom.

Gee…its been nice for each of us to have one extra bedroom to store our clothing, making packing all the easier and more convenient. We’ve rarely made extra bedrooms a criterion in selecting vacation homes. If they have more than one bedroom, great. If not, we carry on.

When we originally planned our travels in 2012, we’d expected family and friends would visit from time to time. This hasn’t occurred much when we’ve been too far away in most cases. 

Tom’s sisters and brothers-in-law visited us early on in our travels in the vacation home in Henderson, Nevada, our kids and grandchildren visited the Big Island and my sister visited Kauai this past March. A few other visitor possibilities have arisen but unfortunately, we didn’t have enough space at the time.

Making three bedrooms or more a criteria would greatly reduce the opportunity to visit certain countries when prices for vacation homes may be higher in some locations due to demand with an overall higher cost of living.

We spent time with the honeymoon couple, Samantha and Danny at dinner. This photo was taken by our taxi driver after a dinner out at the Arts Village.

As a result, we’d chosen location and price as our top priorities, number of bedrooms as a matter of convenience, not a necessity. Since we plan almost two years out, if family or friends would like to visit, we’ll always know well in advance what’s booked in the future and if it will work.

This Pacific Harbour house has actually been one of our favorite houses as far as houses go, although we haven’t had a view other than exquisite vegetation which has been fine. The private pool has compensated for a lack of oceanview. On a few occasions, we’ve had both with more yet to come.

Anyway, on to this and that…many months ago when we lived in Trinity Beach Australia, we were contacted by a couple from the US, around our ages, who planned to travel the world for two years to then settle down. 

They’d asked lots of questions as to the feasibility and the particulars and we were happy to offer suggestions.  Tom had met them online at the popular cruisecritic.com and, we’ll be on the same cruise in two days, departing from Sydney. 

It’s not unusual to meet other passengers on cruisecritic.com well in advance of the cruise with plans to meet in person once on board the ship. At this point, we have three such meetings planned for this cruise, two separate groups for private excursions for six, a planned dinner, and of course, the couple traveling the world for two years who’s cabin in on our same deck.

Tom, on the night of his birthday for a fabulous dinner at the Pearl’s gourmet restaurant, Seduce, definitely deserved a five-star review.

As we chatted back and forth with Doreen for over a week via email we realizing writing was taking too much time, we decided to speak on Skype which worked much better. We covered a lot of ground. Our site has tons of information on the “how-to” of world travel from what we’ve learned over these past four years on continuing research. 

But, with over 1250 posts to date, searching through our archives for each entry is time-consuming, especially for the less experienced web users. We’re always happy to assist in any way we can. Of course, after these 39 months of travel, we still have a lot to learn but feel we have a handle on many areas of concern.

Last night, I heard from Doreen once again after a few month’s hiatus to hear they’ve been enjoying living in an apartment in Sydney and are busy packing for the cruise. We made a loose plan to meet in person at the first organized cruisecritic.com party which most likely will be held within 24 hours of boarding the ship. A notice will be posted in our cabin as to the dates and times of parties.

It’s from these events (as well as simply sitting about the ship) we usually have an opportunity to meet many other travelers, some on vacation/holiday only and others who travel frequently. 

This photo is so me…lots of disgusting looking seafood which I find delectable.

At times we hear of others who’ve sold everything, as we have and are traveling permanently like us, but we’ve yet to meet anyone, as yet, who has no home base. We’ve met many couples and individuals who’ve been traveling long term or to many locations over a period of years with a home base they return to from time to time. 

However, we often find tremendous enjoyment in meeting others who may not travel more frequently than once or twice a year or less. After all, there’s more to us and to them than travel. All of us have a diverse range of interests that has nothing to do with where we live or where we visit, providing many opportunities for engaging conversation and commonality.

Tonight, we’ve decided to dine in having “breakfast” for dinner using our remaining eggs, cheese, fresh mushrooms, onion, and tomatoes. Mainly, we’re motivated to dine in more due to the fact that we didn’t want to wear anything that may need washing other than the few casual items we’re wearing today, than in using any leftover items. 

Leaving tomorrow (Monday) at 7:45 am, and with rain today there’s no further opportunity for another load of laundry. Yesterday, with the sun out off and on, we managed a bit of pool and chaise lounge time. We both have a little tan base which will enable us to spend 40 minutes a day at the ship’s outdoor pool without the necessity of sunscreen.

(From considerable research over these years, we’ve discovered that the use of sunscreen prevents the absorption of Vitamin D. Only about 20 minutes on each side should be a small enough dose of sun to reduce the risks of skin cancer and yet add an excellent dose of the vital vitamin. More sun exposure may be risky, especially for fair-skinned individuals such as Tom).

This photo from Christmas Day at the Pearl is so “Tom,” who loves good meat and sweets.

Thanks to all of our readers for continuing to share in our ongoing journey over this past year when we’ve stayed in locations for longer periods than we may in the future; eight months in Hawaii and four months in Fiji.  During these longer stays, we’ve come to realize that future bookings will most likely not include four months in one location, except for one. 

The only country where we’ll live for four months is upcoming in Bali beginning in April when we’ll live in the same property two times, two months each, with a two-month break in between, all due to visa restrictions.  The property was irresistible, affordable with the ocean and a pool, and breaking it up into two segments should work well for us. More on that later.

After tomorrow’s post which will automatically upload while on our way to the Nausori Airport in Suva, which includes all of our expenses for both islands and a grand total for the four months we’ve spent in Fiji. The next morning you’ll see a post about our one-day stay in a hotel in Sydney with a few photos. From there, posts will be aboard ship and on the excursions, we’ve planned.

Happy day after the New Year’s celebrations and may those still working, may you have an easy and painless entry into the new year when heading back to work. 

Photo from one year ago today, January 3, 2015:

This sign served as a valuable warning to keep us and others from exploring beyond this point when we visited Lava Tree Park one year ago. For more details, please click here.

Two days and counting…Packing has begun…Favorite Viti Levu scenes…

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The pool at our vacation home was cleaned three times a week, making it appealing to use. We took this photo on one of the very few sunny days but we also used it for cooling off on many hot, humid, and cloudy days.

Here we are, repacking once again. When I got up this morning the temptation was to start packing before getting ready for the day. Instead, I forced myself to do my usual routine knowing once dressed I’d have coffee, prepare and upload today’s post and then motivated to pack as much as possible to get it out of the way.

Having to leave out clothing for Monday’s morning flight and dining out in Sydney on Monday evening and, boarding the ship the following day can be tricky. With two upcoming weeks on the cruise ship, the less clothing we get dirty, the better. 

If we can wear the same clothes from 7:00 am Monday, showering and changing underwear only, until late Tuesday afternoon, we’ll be able to change into fresh clothes when our luggage is delivered to our cabin before dinner.

Lily in the pond at Arts Village, which we visited often for its nice restaurants and grocery shopping which proved to be adequate for our needs.

This way, we leave only a few dirty items in the ship’s laundry bag to be washed after five or six days into the cruise. We simply can’t last a full two weeks without having the ship’s laundry service wash our clothing. 

On most two week cruises, we have our laundry done twice after they offer the usual promotion for USD $30, FJD $64 for one stuffed bag. The clean, neatly folded (not ironed) clothing is delivered the following day.

As much as we’ve tried hand washing some items on the ship, it just doesn’t work well.  Hanging clothes on the balconies is not permitted. Hanging wet clothes in the shower is pointless when it takes forever to dry in the tiny humid space.

A decorative playhouse in the pool of a resort is under renovation.

Tonight, we’ll finish our last meal at home, dining out tomorrow, our last evening. We’ve consumed almost all the food we had on hand except for 14 eggs, butter, and spices all of which we’ll leave behind. This time we’re not bringing any foodstuffs with us. We’ll start anew when we arrive in New Zealand on January 19th.

With all of our cruise clothing (anything that’s not a tee shirt or shorts) clean and hanging, today I’ll wrap each item individually in large plastic bags neatly folding the bags.

Using a plastic bag wrap is a surefire way of keeping clothes wrinkle-free. This is only important to us on cruises when we make every effort to look more “put together” for dinner. Otherwise, leaving clothes to hang in a humid climate while living in vacation homes eventually removes most wrinkles.

This tropical flower was new to us.

Today, Tom can’t seem to wipe the smile off his face.  I know he’s especially excited about the cruise and its two weeks of socialization. Anyone that knows Tom is aware of his friendly and sociable demeanor coupled with lots of laughter and storytelling.  Here comes the “shed!”

I’m not at all offended that he’s chomping at the bit to interact with “the boys”  and other couples. He’s certainly had his fill of me! If you asked him, he’d genuinely say he’s enjoyed every single day we spent alone together and I wholeheartedly agree. Although, the thought of sitting quietly chatting with other women is equally appealing to me. Girl time!

I’ve always been able to easily make friends with women young and old. In Minnesota, we both had many friends and couples with whom we socialized on a regular basis, often entertaining at our home or theirs. We’d be foolish to say we don’t miss that.

A 4 foot, 1.22 meters,  tall lawn decoration handmade with small vines
 befitting the Fijian style.

Cruising is an easy way to connect with other couples. We often plan a few meals and outings, often staying in touch long after the cruise has ended. Based on passengers Tom’s communicated with in CruiseCritic, we already have dinner plans organized and on our calendar. 

With socialization almost all day we get a major dose of fun often staying with us until the next cruise. With several more cruises planned over the next 17 months, we have no doubt we’ll find each fulfilling and rewarding.

The sun keeps peeking in and out.  Hopefully, its sunny after I finish packing to allow for a quick swim in the pool and a 40 minute dose of Vitamin D with only four sunny days in this past almost 28 days, one last plunge would be great.

I just came back inside from hanging a few remaining items on the clothesline, receiving no less than 10 mosquito bites. Unfortunately, I hadn’t put on enough DEET and now will pay the price with five or six days of constant itching. With all the rain this month, the mozzies are on a rampage. I should have known better!
 
Have a wonderful New Year’s Day to those still celebrating on the other side of the International Dateline!  See you tomorrow.

Photo from one year ago today, January 2, 2015:
One last photo of the second house we rented next door to the first, on the Big Island.  We particularly enjoyed the more modern, more well-maintained second house with a small pool. For more details, please click here.

Happy New Year!…Do we make resolutions? Do you?..Acceptance of aging in today’s world…

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Riverfront property in the neighborhood.

Do you make New Year’s resolutions? Tom explained the only resolution he ever made years ago was to quit smoking, which lasted for eight months when he purchased a pack of cigarettes at the Minnesota State Fair the following summer. He no longer smokes.

My resolutions of the past were always the same, common with many women and men; lose weight, exercise more, or smarter. I always worked out but never understood why I didn’t lose 10, 20 pounds, or more as shown in yesterday’s photo.

Now summer in Fiji, more and more flowers have begun to bloom.

I never understood why working out 90 minutes at least five times a week had no apparent bearing on improving my health other than strength and cardiovascular endurance, until 2011 when I changed to my current way of eating. I’d already lost about 50 pounds in 2004 and kept it off for seven years through a very difficult-to-follow, low calorie, low-fat diet. 

But, why didn’t my blood lipids improve on a low calorie, low-fat 1400 calories a day diet?  It was only after I began this low carb, high fat, grain, sugar, and starch-free way of eating in August, 2011 that my lipids greatly improved along with my health. 

Pretty blooms in the neighborhood on one of our walks on a few less rainy days.

From 2011 on, I no longer had to count calories and monitor how much I consumed by eating only to satiety.  My ravenous hunger was gone along with years of pain and disability, enabling us to travel. 

Basically, I eat food in its natural state; grass-fed, free-range, organic, without grains, sugar, starch, and chemicals. (Although I’m able to consume small amounts of full-fat dairy; quality cheeses, real cream, sour cream, cream cheese and, yogurt without additives, sugar, and fruit).

Modern house in the neighborhood with a name of its own.

With Tom following along in this way of eating, now at his lowest weight in many years, not smoking, and feeling healthier than ever, he doesn’t feel compelled to adopt any new resolutions to tackle. He’ll eat what he likes on the upcoming cruise and once we settle again, he’ll return to our healthy diet. (I maintain each of my food restrictions while on cruises with the help of the usual conscientious chef and other staff, never experiencing too many obstacles).

As a result, we can’t think of a lot of resolutions we feel compelled to make in this new year. Sure, we all have personality flaws and areas in our emotional lives that could prompt thoughts of a resolution. 

Several times we’ve walked along to road, beside the local golf course.

When one is happy and enjoying good health, it’s difficult to muster the motivation to make any major life changes. Are we cocky? Not necessarily. We’re simply content.

It’s ironic how as we’ve aged, we’ve learned a few basic life principles that may have been instrumental in easing many of the realities of aging and adding to our level of happiness:
1. We don’t need to analyze everything
2. What we perceive others may say about us may stem from their own experiences
3. We have choices we can make for our own happiness which others may perceive as selfish and that’s about them, not us.
4. Life is shorter than we imagined so live every moment to the fullest 
5. Physical signs of aging can be minimized with good health. But gravity is more powerful than anything we may try to do in an attempt to postpone it, so accept it with grace and dignity.

One of the green on the golf course.

6. Avoid disharmony. Baloney…that “stuffing it” is bad for one’s psyche. Doing so gives us an opportunity to think over the situation later in a calm manner and if one can put aside ego and apologize, accept and rewarm the relationship, harmony and happiness is retained. No snipping! We’d bite our tongues before being snippy at one another.  Ignore grumpiness rather than get involved in it.
7.  Avoid stressful situations by planning ahead as much as possible. When unexpected situations arise, breathe, think and come up with a mutually agreeable solution.
8.  Don’t worry in the middle of the night. Everything is easier during the day when we have an opportunity to work on a solution. (It’s only been in the last year that I’ve learned to do this and am still working on it after considerable improvement).
9.  Take risks and stretch ourselves while making safety and health the first priority. Fear is good when it protects us, not so good when it’s irrational and immobilizes us.
10.  Appreciate, be humble, thank your God or higher power every day. Pray, as well as take action, for the things we want to achieve.

The road along the golf course.

The above may not apply to everyone although we’ve found these ten points to highly contribute to our sense of well-being making us grateful and fulfilled while making these the best years of our lives. 

None of the above has anything to do with traveling and exploring the world and everything to do with exploring and developing our own personal growth and horizons.  We’re never too old to grow and learn. 

Happy New Year, everyone! It’s New Year’s day here in the South Pacific; very hot and humid with pouring rain. In three days the journey continues…


Photo from one year ago today, January 1, 2015:

Raging sea with heavy mist on this date one a year ago on the Big Island of Hawai’i. For more photos, please click here.

Its New Year’s Eve in the South Pacific….A happy, healthy New Year to everyone!…A long ago, goofy photo!

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Hahahaha! We sure didn’t look very healthy here on New Year’s Eve in 1999. We were both overweight (40 pounds each heavier than we are now), on multiple medications, and looked less healthy than we do today.  t goes to show that our way of eating coupled with low stress, happy life can contribute to one’s state of health. 

For many years in our old lives, we hosted New Year’s Eve parties often with a special theme requiring a little preparation for those so inclined. If a guest preferred to come “as is” there was no ribbing, only good cheer that they’d decided to come out on what was often a very cold, below zero degrees F, (-18C) night in Minnesota.

On New Year’s Eve in 1999/2000, when much of the world was terrified something bad was about to occur at the turn of the hands of the clock to midnight, we had our last New Year’s Eve party with a change of the millennium theme. 

Tom and I dressed as “bugs,” computer bugs” specifically as shown in this photo when many techies along with the general population worried that computers worldwide would crash. Remember that?

Photo of us two months ago today, slimmer, healthier, and happier than ever. Sure, we have a few more wrinkles than 16 years ago ,but who cares when we’re enjoying our lives and good health?

Sadly, that particular party, the first time ever, was a total bust. The weather was bad in Minnesota, the roads icy and without a doubt, a certain degree of fear left many preferring to stay home. Only six die-hard partygoers attempted the long drive to our home. 

We celebrated together, ending the night early so our guests could get home before the weather and the traffic with impaired drivers got any worse. Over the next 11 New Year’s Eves, we didn’t have a big party, instead, getting together with our fabulous neighbors, greatly reducing the risk of getting home on a bad night.

Having left Minnesota before New Year’s Eve 2012, spending it in Scottsdale, Arizona after spending Christmas with family in Henderson/Las Vegas, Nevada, we were busy finishing our preparations to leave the country on our first cruise on January 3, 2013, as mentioned in yesterday’s post.

New Year’s Eve 2013 in Marloth Park, South Africa at Jabula Lodge with Piet and Hettie.

On New Year’s Day, we drove to San Diego to stay with our niece and her husband for two nights while we waited to board the ship at the Port of San Diego. 

In these past three years, we’ve made little hoopla of New Year’s Eve except in 2013 when we attended a party at Jabula Lodge in Marloth Park with our new South African friends, Piet and Hettie whom we’d only met on Christmas Day at the same location. 

Having never met Piet and Hettie prior to Christmas Day, we shared a table that day when Jabula Lodge became packed and we’d offered to share, making an instant connection with this wonderful couple, hopefully, friends for life.

Last year in 2014, we were still on the Big Island with two weeks remaining until we’d fly to Kauai for four months. Our remaining three family members had traveled the two-hour drive to Kona to swim with the manta rays on New Year’s Eve and stay overnight. Tom and I stayed in settling into a quiet evening as the year wound down.

Our friends, Piet and Hettie with whom we spent Christmas Day and New Year’s Eve in 2013. For more photos from that date, please click here.

There’s no disappointment for us in having another quiet New Year’s Eve. Having the opportunity to spend them each year in different parts of the world provides us with all the excitement we need. Down the road, should social activities ensue, we’ll certainly participate but, in the interim, we’re thoroughly content.

We’ll play a little Gin, enjoy a good meal, and perhaps if the WiFi signal is good enough, download a movie to watch after dinner. 

Yesterday, Susan, the property owner, arrived from another of her homes in Argentina with her significant other and stopped by in the late afternoon to say hello. What a delightful woman, who ironically was born in Wisconsin, USA! As a world traveler, a writer, a businesswoman, and an adventurer, it was wonderful to hear her stories of frequent world travel.

They were busy with plans for a few days but surely, we’ll all get together in our remaining time in Pacific Harbour, now down to a mere four days. Sunday, we’ll pack. Monday at 7:45 am our driver arrives to take us to the airport in Nausori for a non-stop flight to Sydney. 

We’re ready to begin a New Year, grateful for the New Year of the past, and hopeful for the New Year of the future. May all of our readers have a safe, happy, and healthy New Year!

Photo from one year ago today, December 31, 2014:

Late in the day yesterday on December 31st last year, we spotted these whales. The much-anticipated fluke, the tail was the prize. Wonderful! For more details and photos from that date, please click here.

Memories come to mind…Readers, thank you for the inspiration!

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We often encounter unknown flower varieties when we walk in the neighborhood.

When we recall our first foray outside the US on January 3, 2013, when we embarked on the classic old-style Celebrity Century, the first cruise for both of us, the level of anticipation and excitement was indescribable.

At the time I was a little fearful of heading out to sea on such a big ship. The first few nights I lay awake from the creaking and rolling, wondering if something was wrong with the ship. 

By the time the Century made its way through the Panama Canal with the new locks being built beside it, I felt like an old ship’s hand, comfortable and at ease.

The pebbly road we walk in the neighborhood.

After 11 cruises all fear had long since dissipated as I embraced the wild seas, the rocking and rolling and what became familiar ship sounds both during the day and at night. 

When we sailed on our first Atlantic crossing in April 2013 to experience our roughest seas ever, 50 foot (15 meters) waves on the Norwegian Epic, we both wandered about the ship excited and amazed by the rough seas with nary a hint of seasickness while most passengers were tucked away in their cabins on medications and patches for seasickness.

The infirmary was packed with ill passengers while we visited with others like us, who enjoyed the excitement and for whatever reasons, don’t suffer from seasickness. 

Many homes are tucked away in the neighborhood, down long driveways, difficult to see beyond the dense vegetation.

For three days, the same few of us wandered about the ship thoroughly relishing in the unique experience while the remaining staff members who hadn’t become ill helped carry our coffee and beverages to a table. The pools were closed, as were many of the activity areas and some restaurants. 

We all managed to stay busy for the three rough days and nights at sea, watching movies in the rolling theatre, playing cards slipping and sliding on the outdoor tables, and dining in the main dining room as our plates and drinks slid across the table if we didn’t hang onto them. 

When it was finally over, the passengers began to quietly exit their cabins, all a little pale from being unable to eat and drink for three days. Within a day of smooth sailing the flurry of activities including drinking, eating, and socializing was once again in full force.

A wide array of plants and flowers are found in the neighborhood.

We treasure these memories, especially when we can look back at our over 1000 archives not only to refresh our memories in our telling of the stories but in seeing those memories in our photos. What a treasure to have this journey documented to this degree! 

We never stop appreciating our readers for being the catalyst and the inspiration to continue posting day after day. Had it just been a personal travel journal with a collection of photos, we may have made excuses day after day not to write the experiences, both big and small. 

In our old lives, I seldom wrote anything on the back of a photo describing who, what and where the photos were taken. Now, an entire story and multiple photos accompany every memorable experience.

The river winds through the area.

Knowing 1000’s of our readers throughout the world has spurred us on, day after day is life-changing. Those bringing up our site day after day to see what’s happening, at times finding only our mindless drivel or gentle ramblings over a sometimes simple life and at other times, finding an exciting memorable experience. 

No excuses are needed here to avoid posting. The only potential reasons we don’t post are due to a total lack of available WiFi service or during long travel days. Even on those days, we attempt to get something uploaded.  We’ve continued to post on sick days even if only to whine about being under the weather.

Last night, as we watched Episode 3 of Season 6, the final season of Downton Abbey, tears came to my eyes, not over a sad episode but due to the fact that we’d visited Highclere Castle in August 2014, home of the filming of this fine BBC series and its series end upcoming at Episode 9. 

Our photo. We held our breath as we approached Highclare Castle, home of the famed BBC Downton Abbey TV series. No interior photos were allowed.  Please click here for interior photos of the house

With only six more episodes to watch, for us, it’s the end of an era. Having walked the grounds and the familiar rooms of the castle, we became entrenched in its rich history and exceptional design and the very way it fit into the exceptional series.

Please click here for the first of two days of photos and stories from our visit to Highclere Castle, the filming site for Downton Abbey.

Please click here for the second of two day’s photos and story of the village of Bampton.

Last night’s episode showed several scenes in the village. The sleepy town of Bampton, England was used in the filming of the series including the interior of the church and a few other buildings. Having been inside that church, in that village, the memories brought huge smiles across our faces and for me, tears to my eyes, tears of joy for having had the experience.

This is the altar inside the church where the Mary and Matthew of Downton Abbey were married. To be able to visit this village, take this and other photos inside of this church and village, shown many times on the series, including last night’s episode (spoiler alert), was a memory we’ll always treasure, among others in our journey.

The long time span between series seasons was due to the show’s producers wanting to give the owners of the castle and the villagers time to recover from the last disruption of filming which sends their lives into total upheaval. 

The notoriety of this series has brought new revenue streams to both the villagers and castle owners along with the commotion which they seem to have appreciated and enjoyed.

Now, as we countdown to departing Fiji in five days with more upcoming memorable treasures behind us and more awaiting us, we’ve kept the TV tuned to a combination of BBC news and Fiji’s own channel 18 for Nat Geo Wild with one episode after another of places we’ve been, the wildlife we’ve seen up close and personal and of course, places we’ve yet to visit.

The river is lined with houses many with docks and boats, able to head out to sea from this waterway.

All we have is the moment in which to live.  In another moment, it becomes but a memory. It’s those moments and memories we treasure whether it’s a face-to-face encounter with a crocodile, a visit to a world-renowned castle, or a warm and unspoken wide grin to one another… it’s all worthy of a memory!

We carry on, hopefully with humility, grace, and ease…May you continue to do so along with us.

Photo from one year ago today, December 30, 2014:

From left to right; Sarah, TJ, me, Tom, (front) Vincent, Jayden, Nik, Tracy, and Tammy, a photo we took yesterday of our remaining family members.  Tammy, Tracy, and Vincent remained in Pahoa for four more days while the others had headed home. For more details, please click here.