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The nuances of booking hotels throughout the world…Expected costs for hotels meeting our criteria…

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On our first cruise and venture outside the US on January 3, 2013 on the Celebrity Century, an “Old Hollywood” style ship through the breathtaking Panama Canal.  This cruise line and particular ship still remain as our favorite, even after an additional 7 cruises that followed. Our all-time favorite bartender is shown in the far right, Juan.  What a guy!

Over the next 12 months, we will be staying in hotels for short periods while we’re between modes of transportation or, between pre-booked vacation homes. We’ve shared some of that information with you in prior posts.

But as time marches on, we realize how reliant we are on available hotels and the criteria we’ve established that fulfills our goals including:

  • Free WiFi (when possible)
  • Laundry facilities in room or in the building
  • A sofa in room (it’s tough to sit on the bed typing on my laptop for hours posting photos and writing)
  • Convenient location: to our next destination (when possible), for sightseeing, (if time allows) and for local modes of transportation for dining out, grocery shopping, etc.
  • Kitchenette or full kitchen for longer stays (when possible)
  • Reasonable cost (in most cities a decent hotel room will run from US $175 to US $200 per night or more with city taxes and fees
  • Air conditioning (we seldom, if ever, will travel in cold climates)
  • Safe in room
  • Good view. For us, this is important. If we’re to pay US $200 a night, we want a good, if not great view.
  • Great reviews by recent guests for a 4.0 rating or higher. Tom will read from 30 to 50 recent reviews to satisfy our objectives.

Researching online is a laborious process when trying to achieve all the above criteria, although filters are allowing us to select most of these features. However, we choose not to use the filters in the event we may be willing to forego features when the remaining aspects are more than befitting.

We tend to use the advertisers on our site, which includes: Hotels.com and Expedia.com for the best rates and convenience. We’re signed up for points and perks at both of these websites as is the option for any travelers. Feel free to use these and any of our other readily available links.

In our early planning stages, we’d hoped to avoid hotel stays as much as possible due to the added expenses, not only the cost of the room but also the necessity of dining in restaurants for all meals, extra cab fares, and tips which add up quickly.

So far, the necessity of booking hotels is for the following dates and cities (reasons are listed)

1.  November 30, 2013, Johannesburg, South Africa: With a 12-hour layover on our way to Mpumalanga, South Africa, we chose to stay overnight rather than wait in the airport. 
2.  August 1 to August 16, 2014, Paris, France: With a one-month layover in Europe while we await our transatlantic cruise out of London, we decided o the two-week stay we described in a prior post.
3.  August 16 to August 31, 2014, London, England: This period is the second half of our one month waiting period for our upcoming transatlantic cruise out of London on August 31, 2014, arriving in Boston, Massachusetts, US on September 14, 2014.
4.  September 14 to September 17, 2014, Boston, Massachusetts, USA. We’ll stay in Boston to spend time with family and to visit the cemetery where my father is buried, who passed away when I was 12 years old in a tragic accident. On September 17th we fly from Boston to Vancouver.
5.  September 17 to September 23, 2014, Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada. During this period, we get to know Vancouver while we’re awaiting our upcoming cruise from Vancouver to Hawaii, sailing on September 23, 2014, a partial Pacific Ocean crossing.
6.  October 5 to November 30, 2014, Honolulu, Hawaii, USA. At this point, we’re looking to fill this period with a hotel booking in Honolulu for a possible 2 weeks with the remaining period in vacation homes on other Hawaiian islands.  Hawaii is expensive, more than any other location we’ve researched thus far. We shall see what we find, posting our bookings here when completed.

For the best rates for many hotels, a prepaid, non-refundable price is an option. When possible, we prefer cancellable rates but often this runs as high as US $50 more per night. We weight each situation case by case, deciding, based on our options. 

Yes, we currently have paid out US $5100 in hotel pre-booking fees, US $3800 of which is non-refundable. This enabled us to get a fabulous room in an almost completely booked hotel at a considerably lower price. We decided to take the risk, which we won’t take in every case. But on occasion, it may be a decision one may choose to make.

As you can see, booking hotels (and vacation homes) is a time consuming, a thought-provoking process requiring diligence, persistence, and patience. I recall the amount of time I spent in our old lives, booking a hotel and air travel for a single trip. Now, faced with all of these, (some of which we’ve already booked), it can be a daunting task when looked at in its entirety. 

But, in line with our motto of “wafting through our worldwide travels with ease, joy, and simplicity,” we’ve chosen to take “bite-sized pieces,” nibbling away, in a manner we both find pleasurable and fulfilling. After all, the planning process is almost as much fun as “getting there.”

Last night’s unusual dining experience…Poisonous puffer fish?? Tom’s ruffled feathers…

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I would’ve loved to try the pufferfish (click to see NG’s pufferfish video), a deadly poisonous fish if not cleaned properly, but I passed since it was flour battered and fried. “Chips” in Kenya translates to French fries, not potato chips, which Tom promptly figured out.

With approximately 26 hotels/resorts along a 10.2 km (6.34 miles) stretch of beach across the road, there are plenty of dining options for our planned three dinners out per week.  We’ve tried many so far, with nine more dinners out to go until we leave Kenya on November 30th.

It’s a little surprising to us that we’re running out of repeat options.  The issues primarily revolve around Tom’s picky taste buds than my restricted way of eating. A decent piece of grilled fish, chicken or beef, a side of veggies and I’m content.  Tom, on the other hand, is a much more particular diner, although he’s willingly tried many new items in the past year. 

Much to my liking, many meals in Kenya are vegetable-based included eggplant, zucchini, cauliflower, carrots, and broccoli, all of which I can have. Unfortunately, many of the vegetable dishes are made with rice or flour, neither of which I can have.Tom only eats carrots and green beans. Thus, dining out is not always as easy as it may seem.
The entrance at the Baobab Resort and Spa. The white carving on the left of this appears out of place when in fact it was a post that was included in the photo. 

Last night we tried another resort new to us, Baobab Beach Resort and Spa, as we’ve made a point of doing as often as possible.\Oddly, few local residents dine at any of the resort’s restaurants. Each time our driver pulls up to the security gate at one of the resorts, the guards look inside the vehicle checking us out, asking why we’re there. 

When we explained that we have a dinner reservation, they looked surprised. Of course, we appreciate their conscientious “guarding” of each property. Most diners are hotel guests of the resort rather than “outsiders” like us.

Having made a reservation for last night’s dinner on Monday, receiving an email confirmation as required to get beyond the gates, we felt confident that our arrival would be welcomed and seamless. Last night, it was quite different than with past reservations.

The resort lobby had multiple lounging areas.  Crooked lamp shade.

After going through two guarded gates, Alfred dropped us off at the main entrance to the resort as the well-dressed security guard greeted us with the often-used enthusiastic “hujambo” (“hello”, the “h” is not pronounced); “karibu” (welcome) to which we responded, “hujambo” and “asante” (thank you). When explaining we were there for dinner only. He referred us to the registration desk. 

We explained that we were there for dinner, but the staff person couldn’t find our name in the system. Stymied, again, we explained we were not staying at the resort, but had a dinner reservation. 

The décor in many resorts is similar leaning toward somewhat of a Moroccan theme.

Then, he asked for written proof of our reservation. Although we always carry our passports and ID when going out, we’ve never been asked to provide written proof for a dinner reservation. The thought of digging out our travel printer for dinner reservations has never occurred to us.

After no less than 15 minutes while waiting at the desk with various staff members speaking to one another in Swahili, we were told that the only dining option was for the buffet, at KES $2000, US $23.45 per person, must be paid now at the reservations desk in advance. We’d never heard of such a thing. 

Preferring not to make a scene, plus with our driver already gone and with no other immediate dining options, Tom pulled out a credit card and paid the KES $4000, US $46.89 which included all fees and taxes (not tips).

The dining room at Baobab Beach Resort and Spa.

Upon signing the slip, the staff member explained that the buffet dinner included basic bar drinks and soda. I wondered why none of this was explained at the time of making the reservation; the price, the fact that it was a buffet, paying at the desk in advance and the drinks being included. Had that been the case, we would have been prepared, still keeping the reservation. 

Apparently, like an all-inclusive resort they were ill-prepared for “outsiders.” Surely, we couldn’t have been the first outsiders ever to arrive for dinner. It wasn’t that they weren’t kind and willing to assist. They just didn’t seem to know what to do with us.

Tom’s feathers were ruffled (although he kept it to himself) especially when we’d arrived early, thanks to Alfred’s substitute driver’s showing up 45 minutes prior to our requested pick-up time. We were told we’d be escorted to the restaurant when it opened in 15 minutes. 

When no one arrived to escort us, we headed to the restaurant on our own finding an excellent table for two by a window in order to take advantage of the ocean breezes. It was still very hot and we were both wearing long sleeves. Bugs? Heat? It’s often a trade-off.

Tom’s ruffled feathers.

From that point on, our evening was pleasant. By far, it was the greatest number of diners we’ve yet to see in any restaurant over these past months, most of which were European, based on the languages we heard spoken. 

At no time during our evening did we hear anyone speaking English, other than the Swahili speaking servers who were able to handle basic requests. We’ve often wondered if tourists from the US and Canada find this location too far to travel. After all, it is almost halfway around the world, further time-wise to travel than most people are willing.

The servers promptly brought our drinks, a beer for Tom, and bottled water for me (no ice tea available) and we headed to the massive buffet. With my smartphone with the still-cracked screen, I displayed the screen below with the Swahili translation for my food restrictions which has been extraordinarily useful. There were no lengthy lines at the buffet, although the area was filled with diners at the numerous food stations.

Basically, this boils down to the fact that I can have fish, chicken, pork, beef and non-starchy vegetables, nuts and mayo (the mayonnaise we’ve found here is made without sugar). No soy, no gluten, no starch, no sugary sauces, no potatoes,  no rice, no beans, and no desserts.   

As is often the case, the main chef is summoned, reads the list, nods in understanding, directing me to the foods that are acceptable. It’s actually easy. Of all the foods offered last night, I was able to have approximately 25% with many variations of grilled, sautéed, and steamed vegetables and a wide array of grilled meats, fish, lamb, and chicken.

My plate of coleslaw without dressing was cold and refreshing.

Much to Tom’s pleasure, he was able to have roast beef and mashed potatoes, although he tried several other offerings. (He eats whatever he wants when we eat out since I do all the cooking my way when we dine in). He feels well and isn’t gaining weight.  Of course, I’d love for him to stick with my way of eating all the time.  

Finally, many months ago I gave up staring at his plate of food, giving him the evil eye, and making less than subtle comments such as, “Are you really going to eat that?”  Now I say nor imply anything derogatory about his food choices when we dine out when he doesn’t complain about my healthful cooking when we dine in.

I was thrilled with this huge plate of food by the time we started eating, close to 8:30 pm.

Will we go back to Baobab?  Yes, we will now that we know “the drill.” The food was very good, the choices many and the ambiance and service were both good.

Tonight and tomorrow nights we’ll dine in. Extremely hot and humid again, a cold dinner is on the menu for both nights, our favorite subway type unwich, sandwich using lettuce leaves instead of bread, a side of fresh green beans, our usual coleslaw, and nuts for dessert. 

Although I couldn’t have this rice salad, I loved the presentation.
Tom visited the dessert bar for a few items, but of course, I just took a photo. It was early in the evening, the buffet not opening until 7:30 pm, and the dessert table was already being restocked.

Bringing up another great episode of The Blacklist on my laptop for a typical Sunday night here in Kenya, we began batting off the creepy crawlies, swatting off the mosquitoes and flying ants and, using our flashlights to check for poisonous crustaceans in every crevice or corner before we go to bed. 

But…dear readers, we’re content. 

The long hallways were lined with these lounging beds.  After dinner, they were filled with overstuffed guests, sipping on after dinner drinks.  Tom insisted on a photo after I’d shot his grumpy pose.  I complied.

Three weeks from today…Off we go again!…We’ve only just begun…A typical Saturday morning in Kenya with animals in the yard…

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Look at those “bedroom eyes!” This was shot without zoom when I visited the goats in the backyard this morning. I was afraid to move in order to get a better shot. Sudden movements cause them to skitter off.

This morning this song was running through my head. When I mentioned it to Tom, he immediately found the YouTube video while I researched the lyrics. Tom, with his cup of hot coffee (yes, we have power) and me with my hot tea, sitting at the big glass table in our outdoor living room, are loving the sunny day after another night of pouring rain.

Each day as I write the post for the day, Tom is only a few feet from me. We share the process, me, writing,him, researching, us…talking, during the entire process. Never am I alone in a corner, typing away. It’s a tremendously enjoyable shared experience.

The babies were more curious about me. Most of the others, not so much.

Once completed and posted, Tom proofreads from the perspective of a reader looking for possible errors. He usually finds several which I promptly correct. We easily miss other errors as well, mostly those that spellcheck interprets as acceptable, some a result of our simply missing it. We don’t worry about it. We have a story to tell, photos to share, and writing every day means we’re going to miss some.

So, today, our story reminds us of this song, released in the summer of 1970, 43 years ago, a busy year for Tom, the year he graduated high school, the year he started working on the railroad, the year daughter Tammy was born.

Dad or utter? I say Dad. Tom says utter. Any input?

We didn’t meet until 21 years later, in 1991, each divorced with grown kids, ready to embark on a new life together.This song rang true for us in 1991 and is befitting again in our lives today. We’re sure many of our readers will remember and relate to this song as well.



We’ve Only Just Begun (video link)

by the Carpenters

We’ve Only Just Begun Lyrics

Songwriters: NICHOLS, ROGER S. / WILLIAMS, PAUL H.
We’ve only just begun to liveWhite lace and promises

A kiss for luck and we’re on our way

We’ve only begun

Before the rising sun we fly

So many roads to choose

We start out walking

And learn to run

And yes! We’ve just begun

Sharin’ horizons that are new to us

Watchin’ the signs along the way

Talkin’ it over just the two of us

Workin’ together day to day, together

And when the evening comes we smile

So much of life ahead

We’ll find a place where there’s room to grow

And yes! We’ve just begun

Sharin’ horizons that are new to us

Watchin’ the signs along the way

Talkin’ it over just the two of us

Workin’ together day to day, together, together

And when the evening comes we smile

So much of life ahead

We’ll find a place where there’s room to grow

And yes! We’ve just begun

In a perfect world, a few days before departing we’d start packing. Although the world is quite amazing, it’s not perfect. This is about the time we start thinking “packing.” 

One might think it’s no big deal. Fold the clothes, throw in the shoes, and miscellaneous items, and be done. Not so fast! Virtually, every physical item we own is in our possession!

Determined not to pay excess baggage fees this time, we’ve made a plan. When grocery shopping at the local Nakumatt the customer’s items are packed into cardboard boxes which we’ve been saving these past several trips.

When we grocery shopped yesterday, Alfred pointed out the local post office, which we’ll use to ship the packed cardboard boxes to our new home in South Africa, which will be a huge portion of our stuff, to ensure we don’t get slapped with excess baggage fees this time. 

This goat was definitely not camera-shy, practically stepping on my foot as she approached.

The risk of our belongings being confiscated or stolen is high. We’ll insure it, and let the chips fall where they may. By primarily packing clothing and shoes, if it is “lost” it won’t be anything we can’t live without. The cost of shipping within Africa will be considerably less than excess baggage fees between continents. Of course, we’ll send it the slowest possible way which we speculate we’ll receive the boxes within a month of our arrival.

All of our safari clothing, hats, and boots, everyday clothing, shoes, electronics, prescriptions, everyday toiletries will be in our possession. Our goal is to ship everything else to South Africa a week before we leave Kenya, in the event, it arrives quicker than anticipated. We’re able to receive packages at our new home much to our delight.

Mother and kid.

In the past, I’ve started sorting and packing at about this point. But, I’ve changed my mind, preferring to continue to enjoy our time here, to begin the process a few days prior to the trip to the post office. 

This is one more example in my own mind of “letting go,” of always working hard to be done with tasks way before it is necessary. Chill. The new me. It’s this same “freedom” mentality that allows us to not necessarily have everything booked more than a year in advance.

Many laughed at our pre-planning two-plus years in advance, imagining we were limiting ourselves by committing out that far. But, leaving our home, our family, our friends, and everything we knew and loved behind was a monumental undertaking. 

After days of rain, the flowers are blooming.

Many embarking on years of world travel have a storage facility or condo somewhere for peace of mind. Not us. 

Planning the first few years gave us a sense of comfort and peace of mind. Now, with a number of holes in our itinerary over the next 18 months (as far out as we’re booked so far) we no longer need the reassurance that we have a “home” in place for every single day of our travels. 

At this point, our motivation to book travel arrangements well in advance is predicated by how fast properties, flights, and cruises are booking up. At that point, we don’t hesitate in locking in locations and times.

Beyond, May 2015 when we leave Kauai, Hawaii, after having spent time visiting many of the Hawaiian Islands with hopefully lots of whale watching, our upcoming time is free. 

We’re considering many options that appeal to us in order to take us on our chosen path for our love of nature and wildlife. With continued good health, we have no desire or plans to stop. After all, we have only just begun. 

Wow!…Scary insect….Wow!…Tom Lyman…Wow!…Amazing reader’s comment!

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After days of rain, last night this ugly thing came for a visit only inches from Tom’s bare feet. We’d always heard that bugs with red coloration on them indicated it is poisonous. This millipede is only poisonous to insects that it consumes, only leaving an itchy streak on a human if it walks over bare skin. No thanks. Tom picked it up with the dustpan and brush, tossing it well out into the yard.

Yesterday, a rainy 100% humidity day, prompted me to hide the camera from the moisture except for these few photos. The clothing we were wearing was damp, our insulated never-sweat mugs left puddles of water beneath them and my everyday leather Keds that I’d bleached and washed on Monday were still wet.

I had to soak my white leather shoes in soapy bleach water when I found little bugs living in them, not previously visible to the naked eye. No wonder I was always scratching the bottoms of my feet when wearing them. But, I couldn’t see the little bugs until the population grew to the size of a city. Yuck!

These comfy leather Keds, my everyday shoes, recently became infested with tiny biting bugs. Bleached, clean, and free of bugs, its been 4 days and they’re still wet.

Surely, soaking them for an hour in bleach with a subsequent lengthy hot water rinsing has solved the problem, if they’ll ever dry in this humid air.  If they take much longer to dry, mold will set in. 

The deck of playing cards we’ve been using to play Gin, that we’d grabbed out of our old house kitchen junk drawer, are now moldy. Apparently, they aren’t coated with enough plastic and have become moldy in this humidity. They aren’t washable. If only we’d thought of bringing high-quality washable plastic-coated cards. Who knew?

Our moldy playing cards, a result of the high humidity in Kenya.  We’ll toss these when we leave Kenya, opening a fresh deck once we get settled in South Africa where it also will be hot and humid. 

We’ve taken to thoroughly washing our hands after playing cards. With only one same type of deck of cards left, we’re trying the make these last until the day we leave Kenya, in 22 more days. There are no playing cards for sale in the stores in Diani Beach.

Besides, Tom beat me at Gin all the way through Italy. It appears as if he’ll do the same in Kenya.

Tom, after dinner last night in our outdoor living room as we were watching the latest episode of “Dancing with the Stars” on my laptop.  We usually dine out on Thursdays.  But, it was raining too hard to once-again walk the long, treacherous unlighted, uneven paths from the taxi to the restaurants in the pouring rain.
Reader comments mean the world to us.  Isolated from family and friends, any comments, questions, and suggestions are important to us.  When a comment is posted on the site it first arrives in my inbox for me to decide if it is appropriate to post. 
At times, we get comments from advertisers promoting products of questionable nature or products in general that are considered SPAM. I delete those, not wanting our readers subjected to these on our blog cluttered with junk. However, we do post most reader comments which overall are kind and thoughtful. 
Yesterday, one of our most dedicated readers wrote one of the kindest comments we’ve seen so far, that truly warmed our hearts. Pat and Dan, a lovely couple we met on the Norwegian Epic which embarked on April 20, 2013, also shared the scary three-day, 50-foot wave experience, a memorable Atlantic crossing for us all.

Here’s the link to Pat and Dan’s comment if you’d like to read it. 

Another comment we received a few days ago can be found on this link from a delightful young woman I met through posting who is from our old home state of Minnesota. Ashley has been a joy to communicate with back and forth as it has been with Pat and Dan and many others. 

Thanks to everyone for their comments and to you lurkers, like I used to be for years prior to writing here, please keep reading. We’re always amazed at how many readers actually read about our mundane days. But then again, we all have mundane days. I wouldn’t mind reading about what others do on such days to entertain themselves. Care to share???

(Comments are posted at the end of each post. If interested in reading them, scroll down through other posts to find more).

South of the equator…It’s spring here now…Monday was the hottest day so far…Power outages for over two days…Rain, rain and more rain…

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Three rainy days in a row.  Humid.

As I lay in bed this past Monday morning thinking of getting up after a fitful night, to turn on the hot water heater for my shower, the sudden sound of the overhead fan going off, alerted me once again to a power outage. How long will it be this time? 

Lizards live inside the webbing of the chair. I’ve tried to get a photo, but they move too quickly. Jessie and Gucci chase them when they exit, to later spend hours looking at this chair, hoping for more action.

Here it is, now Thursday with our power finally stabilized on Wednesday. During several periods of time, we had no juice left in our computers and our smartphones were dying rapidly, leaving us with nothing to do but play Gin, which with Tom constantly beating me, was getting dull.

When the power would return in an hour or less, we’d quickly charge everything, repeating this process throughout the days. How we managed to write and post the blog, escapes me. I must be online with power to write in the website. 

As long as he keeps smiling…

Feeling hot and sticky from the humid nights after several reapplications of insect repellent, I decided to go the cold shower route two days in a row, which in this heat,  wasn’t so bad after all. After drying off, the usual lathering up with more insect repellent is a must before dressing for the day in the most minimal of clothing, shorts and a tank top. Tom sits around in a swimsuit on most days.

When the power returned for short periods, Tom showered and we both changed into our BugsAway long pants and shirts for the evening outdoors. It’s not easy to put on warmer clothing after such hot days with temperatures in the 32C+, 90F+(very humid heat) but, it is worth it. 

The ebony handmade base to the glass table where we sit each day.

Although there’s a generator here it seldom fulfills our needs. Hesborn has managed to get the generator going from time to time but it becomes difficult when the power goes on and of so frequently, often for hours at a time. 

With the gas-powered generator serving both houses and the likelihood of running out of gas quite high, we suggested he hold off using it until dark if need be. With no one here having a car, going out to get “petrol” would be inconvenient, to say the least, especially at night. 

Hand washing our underwear and placing it in the kitchen window seems to dry it more quickly than hanging it anywhere else inside. I no longer use the clothesline. The last time I walked out back to hang a few items in the tall grass, I was stung on my thigh, resulting in a very painful huge welt that eventually turned into a huge black bruise, lasting for weeks. 

It’s been raining in buckets since Tuesday, all day, all night. On Tuesday, the outdoor switch for the generator to our house blew out from the rain, making a loud sound. Then, neither the electricity nor the generator was working. 

We waited for the electrician to arrive, but with all the problems in the area, we anticipated that he wouldn’t arrive by nightfall. This would result in yet another night in the dark, all equipment dead; laptops, MiFis, and phones leaving only candlelight. To date, he hasn’t arrived.

Gucci, a fabulous watchdog is always on the lookout, mainly for monkeys. When he spots one, he “tells” Jessie and they run to the walk toward the monkey. They never bark at the monkey, knowing that the barking will chase it off..  Quietly, they wait, never “catching” one, thank goodness.  A baboon would tear them to shreds in self-defense.

With plans to go out for on Tuesday night with the power still off, Tom had no choice but, the cold shower route. Plus, as we wrote yesterday, we got soaked on the treacherous long path from the taxi to the restaurant and back. 

As I was writing this a few days, the power went out again. I had to shut down my laptop to save “juice” so we can have something to do in the dark, perhaps watch a downloaded TV show or movie. I’ll continue when the power returns at some point. 

Now, here it Thursday, one of three of our usual dining out nights. Tonight, we’ve decided to eat in, not interested in getting soaked again. None of the local restaurants are indoors with a close drop off point. 

Jessie waits patiently for a sign from Gucci that a chase is on following him in a flash. Although I adore them both, she and I have a very special bond.  This fluffy little mixed breed, age unknown, was tossed aside by her original owner, taking up residency in Jeri and Hans’ yard and glomming onto Gucci.  Tom says that Jessie is Gucci’s pet.  She lives completely outdoors, day and night, only coming inside to look for us or to be fed.  In the mornings she comes to the door of our house, making a wild animal sound we’ve never heard, wanting us to open up for the day.  If I look outside during the night, I see her sleeping on the floor or looking at the door, waiting for us. It will be hard to say goodbye to these two dogs.

Today, our future planning continues. Although living on a safari game reserve in South Africa for three months will be exciting each day by not only going on game drives and game walks, but watching numerous animals visit us at our vacation home in a remote location, we still feel a desire to venture out while in Africa. 

At this point, we’re planning another flight on yet another tiny plane to spend three or more nights at another tented safari camp in Zimbabwe to finally fulfill Tom’s dream of seeing Victoria Falls. Guess I’ll jump into that dream!

Mid-January will be a good for this adventure, midway into our three months in South Africa. As soon as we book it, in the next month, we’ll share the details and of course, post days and days of photos of all-new wildlife and scenery. Hopefully, our “safari luck” will continue in Zimbabwe.

Last night flying ants were attacking our faces during dinner in our outdoor living room. I put on my BugsAway hat, wearing it during dinner and into the evening. Our surge protector and one major adapter was blown out by the generator. We found out we can receive a package in South Africa. We’re ordering replacements. The humidity is so high that it takes three days for my hand washing to dry. I noticed mold on a pair of socks I’ve been drying for days. Eventually, the sun will come back out and everything will dry. I finally found a bottle of bleach at the Nakumatt grocery.  I’ll bleach the socks.

A few mornings ago, I felt crunching under my foot when I stepped outside the bedroom door. I’d stepped on a bright green leaf-like insect that had come inside from the rain. I had recently started keeping my Minnetonka Moccasins inside the mosquito netting at the foot of the bed so I can put them on when I get out of bed, taking my LED flashlight with me. Glad they were on my feet that morning.

This is a False Katydid, the leaf-like insect I accidentally stepped on, which was too destroyed to take a photo. This is a “borrowed” photo as shown in the link.

For today, we have power, the temperature is in the ’70s for the first time during the day in over two months, we have plenty of food for cooking meals; Jessie and Gucci are at our sides continually making us laugh, my shoulder is getting better and the world. It’s a big place. Life is good.

Health concerns for travelers of any age…Questions and answers applicable to all…

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Sunday’s sunset from Jeri and Hans’ third-floor veranda, the last rain-free day.

The following comments are not intended in any manner to substitute for professional medical advice. This post is entirely based on our personal travel experiences regarding preparedness in the event of medical issues or emergencies.  Please seek the care of your medical professionals in regard to your personal healthcare.

Coupling our interest in health and well being with our worldwide travels has been important to us. Many seniors and younger travelers alike choose to address health concerns before traveling. Many others “wing it” hoping for the best, in many cases a poor decision or, simply a lack of a decision at all.

Checking online over the past almost two years, we have discovered a wealth of resources available that may be of assistance, too many to list here.

We’ve found that researching credible medical sites are crucial, not simply the opinions of a few travelers with a good or bad experience, often seeking a place to vent frustrations and unfortunate experiences.

Some of the questions we had and the answers we’ve discovered that have worked for us, that we’d asked ourselves when planning our world travels include and on an ongoing basis:

  • Will we get intestinal distress from eating uncooked fruits and vegetables? If so, how does one reduce that risk? Yes, illness is often a result of produce eaten raw. This risk does exist when non-purified water is used to rinse produce, which is then eaten raw, such as lettuce, celery, and fruit. Usually, cooking vegetables destroy most of the bacteria. We rinse all of our produce in a bowl of purified water, replacing the water as needed. Always remain mindful of cross-contamination of washed and unwashed produce. We washed all of our produce immediately before placing it in the refrigerator.  This may reduce shelf life, but our “shelf life” is more important.
  • Is it safe to drink the water? Before we arrive at each location we research to determine if the water is safe to drink.If not, we arrange for the property owner to have a several-day supply of purified water awaiting us to ensure we have ample time to get to a grocery store.
  • What about brushing our teeth? This is often a cause of illness. We keep small bottles of purified water in the bathroom for wetting the brush, rinsing our mouths after brushing and rinsing our toothbrushes. Daily, we brush with baking soda and then do a full 20-minute coconut oil gargle which kills bacteria in the mouth, spitting it out when done. Once a week we disinfect our toothbrushes (and my contact lens case) in hot boiled purified water.
  • What happens if get water into our mouths while taking a shower? Immediately, spit it out and promptly rinse the mouth with mouthwash, and brush our teeth following the above process using purified bottled water.
  • Can water be boiled to become safe to use? We don’t recommend this process. Considerable bacteria may remain if the water is not boiled long enough, 15 to 20 minutes, or more. This would only be done in the case of a dire emergency.
  • What about washing dishes?  Ideally, we could use purified water to wash dishes.  Unfortunately, the cost of bottled water is prohibitive and if done properly this isn’t necessary. Wash and rinse dishes, pans, and flatware in the hottest cleanest soapy water your hands can take. Drain on a clean cloth. Wipe dishes dry with another clean towel and leave out, not stacked, to further dry on the clean counter to ensure that no water molecules remain.  Wash your hand before handling dishes which we each do so often it’s ridiculous.
  • Do we need to take malaria pills or other prophylactic medications while traveling? Taking pills for the prevention of malaria depends on the location of your travels. Check with your local travel clinic for detailed maps and information for every country in the world. Other prophylactic medication? For us, we take a Bifidus Probiotic  (30 billion CFU minimum) supplement daily to keep the balance of good bacteria in the gut.  These may be purchased online or at any quality health store.  Research for a quality brand, most of which require refrigeration for freshness.  We have been taking multiple individual supplements for years.
  • What do we do if our luggage is lost or stolen containing all of our daily medications? Do we need to bring along copies of our current prescriptions, written letter explaining the use of medical syringes, if applicable, etc.? Yes! Yes! Yes! We have copies of all of our prescriptions and a doctor’s letter listing all of the supplements we use. Even so, we had trouble boarding a Carnival Ship in Belize (see the posts of April 9th and 10th, 2013 for details of our ordeal).  Also, we carry several Epipen syringes, in the event, we have an allergic reaction (anaphylaxis) to stings from insects or other substances, including a doctor’s letter of authorization.
  • Will our insurance pay if we become ill?  Do we need to purchase emergency evacuation insurance?  Is it costly? Every policy is different.  Check with your policy benefit well in advance of travel to determine what will or won’t be paid. Generally, Medicare usually doesn’t pay outside the US, but check on your supplemental policy’s terms and conditions.  Emergency Evacuation insurance is a must if you’re traveling outside your home country unless your regular policy provides this coverage. Check for specific details well in advance of travel.  On its own, emergency evacuation insurance usually is US $200 to US $300 per person for a two-week vacation. Keep in mind, that “travel insurance” and “emergency evacuation insurance may be entirely different from one another; one if in case of cancellation on non-refundable fares, etc. and, the other is for medical purposes. A few policies have both features combined. Check carefully for details.
  • Do we need vaccinations to travel abroad?  Again, check with your local travel clinic, a highly valuable resource when planning a trip abroad.  Countries in Africa may require proof of vaccination for Yellow Fever and other communicable diseases.  We keep a copy of our entire vaccination record (we had around 18 separate vaccinations) on the inside flap of our passport holders. We haven’t been asked to produce these records yet , but entry into a country can be refused if not provided.
  • How much in advance must we plan for the vaccinations? We both began the vaccination process 6 months in advance of our departure from Minnesota.  Many vaccines require waiting periods between boosters.  Many vaccines may be given at one appointment, which is not detrimental to their efficacy.  The question becomes…how will you tolerate multiple vaccines in one appointment? If dubious, space them out as I did with no side effects.  Many vaccines such as Yellow Fever don’t require a booster for 10 years.
  • Did our insurance cover the cost of the vaccinations?  At the time we had the vaccines, both of us were covered under Tom’s policy from work which much to our surprise, paid 100% of the cost.  With the number of vaccines we chose to receive, the total cost would have been over $1500 each.  If you have Medicare or under the new guidelines, this may not be covered. Please check with your company to determine what, if any is now covered.
  • Will the tours and excursions in which we plan to partake fit within the confines of our current physical conditions and limitations?  Most tour operators specific the “difficulty level” of each of their tours and excursions.  However, these are often minimized, leaving participants gasping for air and exhausted or perhaps at severe risk.  Read reviews and comments online at travel websites such as Cruise Critic and Trip Advisor.  These comments are often a better resource of “factual” information as opposed to the sales orientated tour companies and cruise lines.
  • Did we bring along extra prescription eyeglasses, contact lenses, and supplies, (and hearing aid batteries, if applicable).  What if we lose any of these?  How do we plan to replace them?  We both have our optical prescriptions with us, even if they expire.  In the event of a loss, most prescription eyewear and contacts can be replaced locally or through the mail.  Tom has three pairs of backup prescription eyeglasses and sunglasses. I brought along 24 boxes (6 packs) of contact lenses enough to last three years. I do purchase lens solution at a local pharmacy due to the added weight of the bottles which may be difficult to find in some locations (Belize and Italy).
  • If we use any particular medical supplies, what happens if they’re lost or quit working? Although Tom nor I use any particular devices, we suggest bringing a backup in the event of loss or failure.  We do have a thermometer, small blood pressure cuff, emergency suture kit, and emergency dental supplies (dental glue) in the event a crown or filling falls out or dislodges.
  • What over the counter medications did we include? We packed Aleve, Tylenol, Tylenol PM, aspirin, Milk of Magnesia and Benadryl, cortisone cream, antihistamine cream, antibacterial cream, and hydrogen peroxide.
  • What first aid supplies did we bring? Besides the above comments above, we have Bandaids, bandages, sterile gauze pads, sterile gauze wrap, ace bandage, liquid bandage, and Lidocaine patches.
  • Immediately upon arrival,l in a new location, what precautions do we take in the event we become ill or injured? Upon arrival at our new home, we ask the owner/landlord or property manager the location/phone of the best local hospital, medical clinic, physicians, and dentists in the event of any emergency. For example, here in Kenya, we have the phone number of a physician who will make a house call in the event of a non-life-threatening emergency.  Otherwise, there is a hospital within 10 minutes on the main road.

Yes, I know, this stuff is difficult to address. And for many of you who seldom travel it may be boring. But, for those who travel even short distances on a day-long road trip, being away from one’s home base can present challenging health concerns.

Years ago, I was meeting up with a bunch of girlfriends in Mexico for pre-arranged dinner plans. When they hadn’t arrived after a two-hour wait, I tried calling to no response. A day later, I received a call from one of the other friends in the group informing me that the friend had fallen into a hole under a “grate” on the sidewalk resulting in a serious compound fracture of the leg.

The only way to receive quality medical care was to return her to the US immediately.  With her not having emergency evacuation insurance and the requirement of payment in full in advance of the flight with the air ambulance service, the friend had no alternative but to ask family members for their credit card numbers to cover the then cost of US $25,000 when her own card had a US $5000 limit. Can you imagine the stress of returning home facing your own credit card bill, but also that of the cards of family members? That airfare was 30 years ago. Can you imagine how much it would be in this day and age?

This scenario remained stuck in my mind for 2 reasons; one, don’t walk on grates, wooden boards, or any potentially unstable surfaces on roads and sidewalks (in any location). Of course, Tom has adopted this practice also, as we’ve always alerted one another to possible hazards.  And, the second reason, always have an emergency evacuation policy in effect when traveling outside your home country.

Last night, we ventured out to dinner during a massive rainstorm that had started on Monday continuing all the way through today, Wednesday.  As is typical in Diani Beach restaurants, the walk from the taxi drop off area to the restaurant is long and treacherous with uneven steps, many often twice as steep as we’d expect, multiple tripping hazards, slippery surfaces, and the risk of falling tree limbs and coconuts.

Always carrying our LED mini flashlights has proven to be vital to our safety.  Last night, leaving the restaurant in torrential rains and gusty winds, luckily under an umbrella provided by the restaurant, I hung onto Tom for dear life.  If one of us went down, we both were going down. The long, steep outdoor steps were particularly hard to maneuver when their design was inconsistent and there was not a light or handrail at any point.

We both sighed with relief when we found Alfred, our trusty regular taxi driver, waiting for us and quickly jumping out to open the car doors as we handed off the umbrella to the restaurant server who escorted us. We were soaked all the way through to our underwear, but grateful to have made it to the taxi without incident.

No traveler can sit back and make the assumption that they are invincible and exempt from possible injury or illness when traveling.  With all the effort we’ve made, on a few occasions, we’ve fallen prey to unforeseen illness and injury. We can only hope and pray that we’ve exercised more than adequate foresight to guide us through those tough situations.

As they say on a mindless drivel TV show, Big Brother…” expect the unexpected.”  Doing so need not reduce the quality of our experiences or result in needless worrying.  But, preparedness, certainly minimizes the risks enhancing the quality of our experiences.

Today, we’re published on Dr. David Perlmutter’s website, Grain Brain! ..See article below…

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After hitting our top numbers of over 100,000 readers on our site, the opportunities for us continue to grow.  In addition to attracting the interest of new advertisers (we’ll be posting new links in the next few days, removing the old), we also have the opportunity to share our story on related websites. 

A few weeks ago, I suggested a book I’d read, Grain Brain, by Dr. David Perlmutter, a renowned neurologist, backed by years of diligent scientific research that further exemplified the reasons why I’ve gone to the extremes of my restrictive diet for the past 2 1/2 years.  This diet ultimately changed my health to such an extent, that finally I could be mobile, able to travel the world.

After reading Dr. Perlmutter’s book, I contacted him and his media department who enthusiastically asked me to share my story of renewed health with his readers. 

Please click here for our now published story, part of which is listed below. 

Recently, Dr. Perlmutter appeared on the Dr. Oz TV show.  Click here and scroll down the page for the informative and surprising video about brain health.

Jessica L. Grain Brain Success Story

Jessica L.

Jessica’s story is truly inspiring. Her battle back to better health is the kind of empowerment I hope to facilitate with Grain Brain. Adopting a Grain Brain-friendly lifestyle not only gave Jessica back control of her health, but her entire life. – Dr. Perlmutter
As a travel writer with a somewhat unusual story of having sold everything my husband and I valued and owned, with no storage, on Halloween, one year ago, we left our lifetime home, family, and friends to travel the world and write about our daily adventures and share photos.
Just one year prior to that, I wasn’t able to go to any of our grandchildren’s ballgames, unable to sit on bleachers, due to excruciating pain that encompassed my entire body due to severe spinal degeneration.
Having been told the only solution was a total spinal fusion from C1 to L5, I spent an entire year researching medical studies online in search of an answer for my unbearable pain, horrible lipid profile, pre-diabetic state and recurring abnormal lymphocytes and neutrophils, requiring 2 bone marrow biopsies revealing abnormal bone marrow regeneration but, luckily, no cancer. Alzheimer’s Disease and dementia are rampant in my family history.  My own memory was fading fast (I am now 65 years old).
In August 2011, after reading Gary Taubes, Dr. William Davis, Dr. Michael Eades and dozens more, along with suggested links to studies, I was determined that a change in diet was my only hope. Immediately, I embarked on a low-carb, gluten-free, grain-free, starch-free and sugar-free diet.
It took 3 months to see a change. One morning I awoke and could actually stand up when I put my feet on the floor, a first in years.  The pain was gone, never to return in 27 months.  I never consume a morsel of food that doesn’t fit my criteria, basically everything you describe in your book.  Of course, I tested negative for celiac disease, as you mentioned many do.
Several months later, I had a new lipid profile completed.  The year’s long abnormal lymphocytes and neutrolphils were normal.  All other tests were normal, something I hadn’t experienced in over 20 years. My HDL went from 38 to 72.  My triglycerides went from 256 to 52.
As a result of this phenomenal change, in January 2012, my husband (who also follows this manner of eating, lost weight and no longer has IBS, acid reflux, gas, etc), and I decided that on October 31, 2012, his retirement date, we would liquidate everything we owned; house, cars, household goods, clothing, jewelry to travel the world for years to come.  In a few days, it will be our one year anniversary of “living in the world” with no home to return to and we couldn’t be happier.
Finally, I fulfilled my lifelong dream of writing, of seeing the world. I could now travel, sit in an airplane, walk the streets of Venice, visit the towers of Dubai and make the long difficult trek to see Petra in Jordan.
As part of my blog/website, starting in March 2012, I’ve often discussed how to live in places such as Tuscany, Italy where we recently spent this entire last summer, without a taste of bread or pasta, never feeling deprived. For example, today, I posted last night’s dinner of Crusted Coconut (flour) Parmesan Chicken, a favorite recipe I created (I’ve always been a foodie). We’ve also been following “Oil Pulling” by Dr. Bruce Fife, using coconut oil as a daily mouth rinsing and yesterday, we began your suggestion of swallowing a teaspoon a day.
Yesterday, at the end of my post, I suggested your book, Grain Brain, which I downloaded a few days ago and couldn’t put down. You, Dr. Perlmutter, have put on “paper” the epitome of the gift of life I’ve been given by changing my diet.  Dr. William Davis, Dr. Robert Lustig and Jonathan Bailor have been a few of many who’ve been instrumental in my following this path.
Now, with your book, here is another amazing fact…my memory is better today than when I was in my 20′s.  About 10 years ago, I had a brain MRI showing a large portion of my frontal lobe missing. I know little about brain loss but I imagine that I’d have continued on the path of brain shrinkage had I continued eating “whole grain” products and high carb foods, (although I haven’t consumed sugar for many years). Instead, I consumed high carb fruits and vegetables and grains such as winter squash and corn, equally filled with sugar, all foods of my past.
As I sit here in the humid heat in Diani Beach Kenya, batting off the bugs and flies, I need only remind myself of the amazing safari we took in the Masai Mara only a few weeks ago, bouncing around on bumpy roads for 8 hours a day in the heat.  I couldn’t ride in the car for a 45 minutes drive to visit family or friends in my “old life.”
At 65, this way of eating is has given me back my life.  I’ll never go back.
-Jessica L.

August is booked!…Paris and London, here we come!…Solar eclipse not visible from here…

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Eiffel Seine Hotel Paris, where we’ll spend 15 nights from August 1, 2014 to August 16, 2014.

Going against everything that we’ve said that which we love; nature, wildlife, and vegetation, we decided, once again, to “step outside the box” using our “free” month before our cruise from London to Boston on August 31, 2014, to finally see London and Paris.

After considerable research over the last few weeks we decided yesterday that we’d be foolish not to visit Paris and London, neither of us having seen either. While checking various hotel booking sites, it was obvious that many of the choice opportunities were filling up fast and it was time to book which is exactly what we’ve done for both locations.

The Regency Hotel London, where we’ll stay for 15 nights before boarding our ship at the port in Harwich, a three hour drive from London.

To simplify the process, we’ll fly directly to Paris after our two and a half months in Madeira, Portugal, stay at a hotel for 15 nights, a short distance from the Eiffel Tower, with easy access to transportation and many of the sights within walking distance. So far, the airfare appears to be in the range of KES $19080, US $225 per person, one way.

At the end of the 14 days, we’ll head to London, either by way of the “tunnel/chunnel,” ferry or flight (yet to be determined) to spend 15 more nights in an old historic hotel, walking distance to Kensington Palace and many popular tourist attractions. We’ll share details of the hotels after we arrive at each.

Why did we chose hotels over vacation rentals? To stay in a vacation rental, the planning and booking is more time consuming, the cost in these cases was compared to the hotels and grocery shopping, with the necessity of transportation to and from, and purchasing so many basic household goods, it made no sense to stay in for these short stays.  Also, both of these hotels had excellent reviews, which is vital to us each time we book any property.

We may not be able to see the Eiffel Tower from our hotel room, but if we walk outside we will be able to see it.

Did we pay more for these conveniences, especially when we factor in the cost of eating out at least once a day?  Yes, we did. But, the necessity of being close to London for our cruise leaving out of Harwich on 8/31, Tom suggested Paris knowing I have always wanted to see it. Speaking and understanding a bit of French and totally able to read signs, menus, instructions, etc., this trip will be all the more meaningful.

What prompted Tom’s desire to offer up Paris to me was the fact he booked us for a shore excursion with a group from Cruise Critic, while we’re on the cruise from London to Boston that has a port of call in Le Havre, France on September 1, 2014. The excursion, for a maximum of eight people, tours the historical World War II sites. 

Knowing this excursion is of little interest to me (he’s the history buff in the family), if he’d suggested a night or two in Paris, I’d have been thrilled. With 15 nights in Paris, in the heart of the city, I’m delirious with joy! 

London Tower Bridge, a good spot to visit in an evening.

I guess I’ll live vicariously through his dining on French epicurean delights.  But, none of that matters to me. It has been this special diet that has given me the health necessary to allow me to travel the world. 

Who’s to complain about not having a mouth-watering, custard oozing French pastry? Not I! Instead, I’ll enjoy Bearnaise sauce over my Filet Mignon with Cabernet steamed garlic buttery mushrooms and a classic Caesar salad, minus the croutons! Or, Eggs Benedict’s minus the muffin, a treasure I’ve devoured on several occasions.

(We’ll purchase snacks to keep in the mini-fridge, to eat only when hungry; cheese, hard-boiled eggs, cooked meats and nuts, we’ll be content. Based on our way of eating, we seldom are hungry in the morning, preferring the above items to tide us over until dinner).

Then, as mentioned above, on August 16th we’ll make our way to London to spend the second half of August, heading out on foot each day utilizing the readily available modes of transportation to the same places of interest appealing to most tourists.

This will be different for us. But then again, it’s all a part of our new life of wonder and adventure, perhaps befitting for the contrast after spending almost a year in Africa and two and a half months on the remote island of Madeira, Portugal, 1200 miles off of the northwest corner of Africa. 

From a tropical island paradise to the bush on safari, to rough water seas crossing the ocean, to dangerous nights in the seas of the Middle East, to the tall buildings of Dubai, to the hills of Tuscany, to the narrow passageways of the Panama/Suez Canals and to the rugged life in Kenya and more, we’re fulfilling dreams we never knew we had.

So, for a month of our travels, we’ll behave like typical tourists; MiFi in my pocket, “Maps” on-screen on my smartphone, pre-purchased tickets on the smartphone rather than the typical piece of paper, camera charged and ready to go with an extra battery, local currency (Euros) on hand, comfortable shoes and the usual smile on our faces, grateful for yet another amazing opportunity.

Above all, we’re stretching ourselves to enrich our life experiences both individually and as a couple. Thanks, Tom Lyman, for giving me Paris. I imagine I’ll end up going nuts taking photos in Normandy and you’ll be intrigued at the Louvre. There’s no one in the world, I’d rather share this life with than you.

Settling back into our routine…Quiet, not dull…New travel plans in the works…Eclipse of the sun today…

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The Indian Ocean, clean, white sand beaches only cluttered with seaweed coming ashore during the rising and falling of the tides.

Having returned from our mini holiday 48 hours ago, we’re settled in and at ease. Everything is unpacked and Hesborn has returned our freshly washed, dried, and neatly folded laundry. Jessie and Gucci, our temporary dogs, are at our feet and we’re all content.

We’ve washed everything in sight that may have been contaminated by the exterminator that was here while we were gone and, blessed be, the crawling insect population has been greatly reduced. Of course, those that fly cannot be eradicated.

With summer in Africa fast approaching on December 21, the temperature rises a little each day and along with it, the humidity. We seem to be tolerating it well, living outdoors 18 hours a day. Even the three days of available AC at the resort didn’t matter to us as much as we’d anticipated, staying outdoors most of the time.

Walking the beach near the resorts, felt safe with security guards visible at every resort property. A reality we’ve found at other beaches in the world is the vendors freely approaching trying to sell their wares. This can be annoying, but we both respect the hard work of the people of Kenya. With no government assistance or food stamps, the work ethic is strong and when work can be found, the Kenyan people will go to any lengths to support themselves and their families. 

Now, we’re back to “work” researching where we’ll spend the “free” month we’ll have after living in Madeira, Portugal, from May 16, 2014, to August 1, 2014, a mere nine months away. 

On August 31, 2014, our ship sails from Harwich, England to travel across the Atlantic Ocean to Boston, MA as we work our way back to the US to hook up with our family for Christmas 2014. Taking our time, enjoying the process is the utmost in our minds as well as carefully planning as much stress-free travel as possible.

Figuring all of this out is more complicated than it sounds, for example:
1.  Where do we spend the “free” month after leaving Madeira that fits into our budget and time frame?
2.  Where else in Europe that we haven’t visited are we most interested in.  Do we break it up into a few places or stay put to keep our costs down?
3.  How do we get to the pier at Harwich, England from wherever we’ll be, which is somewhat of a remote location, a three-hour drive from London?

Hopefully, in the next few days, we’ll have all of this figured out sharing the details here. 

Although our luggage is greatly reduced, we still have two large, heavy suitcases, two smaller suitcases, two laptops bags, and a handbag, too much to haul easily with me unable to hold up my end with the bad shoulder. Also, it doesn’t all fit on our one remaining luggage cart.

Many times travelers simply hop on a subway or train to get around but we keep in mind, that most often, travelers only have two weeks of luggage with them, not everything they own, like us. 

There’s no way in the world, we could maneuver our bags down the steps of a subway or into a car of a train when one must change trains. (We read on CruiseCritic that the train from London to Harwich was a nightmare, travelers hauling their bags up and down long flights of stairs when required to change trains). Why create such stress? For approximately another US $150 over the cost of the train, we can take a private shuttle. For us, it’s a no brainer.

The end result of these limitations, we pay a little more and take easier modes of transportation. Once situated in a hotel or vacation home we’ll take trains and subways to see the sights that without hauling our bags will be fun and easy.

From the first day we left our old lives in Minnesota, our goal has been as we’ve represented in our motto at the heading this site, “Wafting Through Our Worldwide Travels with Ease, Joy and Simplicity.” 

When one’s goal is ease, joy, and simplicity, there’s a price to pay. We’ve budgeted for that. There have been no surprises. Does that make us “travel snobs?” Hardly. It makes us mindful of keeping the stress to a minimum in an effort to avoid us getting “tired” of world travel. 

We continue to be as excited and enthusiastic now as we were the day we left, enjoying where we are at the moment, anticipating the next location and adventure, and loving our life “on the road.”

In a short while, we’ll walk to the produce stand to get fresh vegetables which are delivered daily from the farm by motorcycle. Fresh, grown without pesticides or fertilizers, there is a certain amount of waste, worms, and bugs to remove. But, once cleaned and washed using bottled water, they are as good as one might pick from their own chemical-free garden.

Tonight for dinner (after a disappointing dinner out last night), we’re having steak taco salads minus the shells, minus the sugary taco seasoning packets, instead of using real spices.  We’ll top the meat with hand-grated cheese, diced onions, olives, tomatoes, and avocadoes atop a batch of shredded head lettuce, the only lettuce we’ve been able to find in Kenya. 

Today is a total eclipse of the sun which will only be partially visible in Kenya, totally visible in Uganda. Later today, we’ll go to Hans’ and Jeri’s third-floor veranda to get a better view, well aware one cannot look directly into the sun. Point and click may be possible.

Reptiles from Kenya…Snakes and more…Phython for Tom…See the photos!…

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This African Chameleon, variety unknown, is winking her/his left eye for the photo! Neither of us hesitated to handle this non-poisonous creature.Check out the funny little mouth!
On Wednesday afternoon, an enthusiastic resort staff person approached us while on our chaise lounges inviting us to a show at 5:30 pm by the pool, a reptile show. Let’s face it. We love wildlife, so I suppose reptiles fall into that category.   With neither of us squeamish about reptiles, provided they aren’t poisonous, we couldn’t wait for the show.
Arriving promptly, we grabbed the best seats available while waiting for the other guests to arrive. The looks on the faces of many of the approximate 15 guests were as equally entertaining as the reptiles. Although, both Tom and I may have grimaced a time or two.
The two handlers were locals, most likely work only for tips while moving from resort to resort along the beach, which we gladly proffered at the end of the show, us as only one of two guests doing so. 
These harmless (to humans) reptiles have no teeth using a very fast tongue to grasp their prey, usually insects.
We were both at ease handling this harmless reptile, fascinated with its pre-historic appeal.(Yes, a visit to the Galapagos Islands is definitely in our future).
Chameleon on my leg. Its legs were sticky grasping at the fabric of my pants.

Starting out with chameleons was probably a good idea on the part of the handlers as an excellent segue to prepare everyone for the scarier reptiles, semi-poisonous snakes, and the renowned python, all of which we handled (except I avoided the python which required raising one arm up to hold it around one’s neck and my bad shoulder couldn’t handle it at this point.

This is a grass snake, non-poisonous, slithering on Tom’s arm. 
This semi-poisonous snake paralyzes its prey. If they bite a human, the area of the bite will feel numb for a few hours but poses no systemic risk. We were told to keep the head away from us while handling it. This is me holding it, as Tom took the photo.
Tom wound it around his hands, keeping the mouth at a distance.
For a small snake, this snake has a large head.
This is me holding the semi-poisonous snake, again keeping its mouth out of range for a potential non-life-threatening bite.

Here’s a link to the 5 deadliest snakes in Kenya. Yikes! I’m glad we didn’t look at this site before going on safari! Gee, when we were on a safari often “checking the tire pressure,” didn’t assume for a minute that we didn’t have to check the grass for snakes!

Tom was particularly surprised by the weight of even the smaller snakes, most likely due to their muscular strength. 

The snakes were kept in cloth bags to which they were returned after each was presented. The handlers seemed knowledgeable and very concerned for our safety, although there were few risks, other than the wild flailing of the squeamish guest’s arms.

This python posed no risk due to its small size. As it matured, growing in size, it would gain its deadly strength to squeeze the life out of its unfortunate victims.
I love this look on Tom’s face as he’s learning how to handle the python. Like an infant, the python’s head must be held up to avoid injuring it.
At last!  He’s got python handling figured out!  He couldn’t have looked more pleased! 
Close up of the python Tom handled.
With the snake show at a close, once again, we were thrilled about the experience. Going forward, we’ll watch not only the ground beneath our feet but also that which could be lurking above our heads.
Speaking of potentially scary creatures, while we were dining at The Sands at Nomad on Tuesday night, there were two women sitting across a walkway from us. I could easily see them, based on the direction I was facing.  While chomping on a chewy bite of octopus, I noticed one of the women and then the other, pointing toward my chair, hands over their mouths, with muffled screams.
I  bolted out of my seat at precisely the same moment that two male staff members went into action to kill what turned out to be a GIANT spider, frantically stomping their feet to kill it. I never saw it until after it was dead, but from the sound of the stomping and crunching, it must have been huge. It was less than a foot from me when it was sighted. 
For our three day holiday, I had packed three casual long summer dresses to wear to dinner. From that point on, I wore my BugsAway clothing to dinner with shoes and socks, never wearing the dresses in the evening. Do you blame me?