A trip to Woolies turned into a sightseeing adventure…

Many small islands lie near the shore.

Woolworths grocers, known as “Woolies” are popular in Australia. We went shopping at the Woolies in Trinity Beach during our 3 month stay beginning in June 2015. 

For our first big grocery shopping trip, we decided to forgo a farmers market and meat market for the purpose of getting the staples we’d need during our three month stay in Tasmania.  Anything left after this first six weeks will be taken with us to the Huon Valley for the second six week stay at the other end of the state.

View on the road to Ulverstone to do some shopping.

We realize that many of our readers are perhaps not interested in our grocery and/or food purchases and for that, please be patient with us. For us, with our way of eating it becomes very important and, for many of our readers who have written to us, they’re curious as to food products available in other countries.

With the winding narrow road, I had to take photos while we were moving.

I should mention that even in large market Woolies most vegetables are organic, most meat is grass-fed and chicken is organic and free range. The labels clearly indicate the origin of the products available for sale, including indications for farmed fish, which we do not consume. 

The head of lettuce we bought required a lot of washing and eliminating insects. What does it tell you? No pesticides. It was misshapen and uneven. There again, indicating true organic products. We easily found chemical-free eggs, free range, directly from the Woolies farm. In essence, we could, if we so chose purchase all of our food from this market.

A large house sits at the tip of a peninsula.

However, we plan to visit the upcoming farmers markets, mostly available on weekends, grass fed meat markets and locally caught fish markets while we’re in Tasmania. Doing so becomes a huge part of our enjoyment in an area giving us an opportunity to mingle with locals and hear about and see their farms. 

The beautiful road to Ulverstone.

Planning our meals and shopping for ingredients becomes an integral part of our desire and pleasure in living in rural areas, visiting farms, learning the culture and blending in as much as possible.

Our host and landlord Terry has been so helpful. Not only has he provided this impeccable property for our use over these six weeks, but he delivered three bottles of his homemade purified/distilled water for our use, although tap water is safe to drink in Tasmania.

Although we won’t be able to see sunsets from our location, the morning sun offers a stunning view.

The kitchen and property is so well equipped we avoided the expenditure of many staples we usually buy including many spices, quality olive oil, herbal teas, vinegars and toilet paper.  We created a grocery list with these items in mind and headed along the ocean to drive to the next town of Ulverstone where the Woolies is located.

Ulverstone is at a distance from this spot.

Penguin has a few markets, but they’re small and less well stocked. Also, the smaller local markets have higher prices, making it worth the drive to Ulverstone to the popular supermarket. 

In future visits, we’ll get out and explore this reserve.

Little did we know, the 20 to 25 minute drive was much more interesting than we’d anticipated. Terry suggested we take the coastal route if we were interested in some amazing scenery.  He was so right! With the bright morning sun shining on the sea, the scenic route took our breath away. For that reason alone, we’ll be looking forward to returning to Ulverstone for grocery shopping in the also quaint 7000 population town.

We’re excited to see the trains pass by our view several times a day. 

The temperature here is considerably cooler than we’d anticipated. With no warm clothing in our tiny inventory, we both needed to find something in the way of a sweatshirt or flannel shirts while in Ulverstone. In Australia, sweatshirts are called “jumpers.”

Parking on the main boulevard where literally all the stores are located, we found a few shops, one where we each purchased soft flannel shirts, both men’s sizes, Tom’s an XL, mine, a small for US $20, AU 27. I found a perfect hooded jumper in another nearby store for US $15, AU 20 which I’m wearing now, feeling cozy and warm on the chilly morning.

Historical Furners Hotel in downtown Ulverstone. There are many other small towns we’ll explore while in Penguin.

A visit to the pharmacy, a stop at a dollar type store for a pitcher for our iced tea and a few kitchen supplies including parchment paper, tin foil pans and environmentally friendly laundry soap rounded out our shopping. 

Then, we drove further down the same road to a computer store where we’d hoped to purchase a power cord for one of our laptops which quit working while on the cruise. They didn’t have such a cord available, but suggested we drive to Devonport where surely we’ll be able to make the appropriate purchase. In the next few days, we’ll make the 40 minute trip.

The main street in Ulverstone where all the shops can be found.

Lancaster House, another historical building in Ulverstone.

Back in the car, we drove to Woolies, finding every item on our list. Our total bill including enough groceries for eight days, totaled US $209, AU 280. In most new locations we’ve easily spent 30% more.

Back on the scenic road, again we stopped for photos when possible on the narrow oceanfront road. We can’t wait to make that drive again soon. Today, we’re sharing some of the photos from yesterday’s drive. In time, we’ll continue to share more photos from our two day road trip.

Again today, we continue to wash and hang our clothing after all the germs on the ship. It’s the first time in four months, we’re doing laundry. Tom helps with the hanging and heavy lifting while I sort and fold.

Tom’s busy catching up on all the Vikings games he missed during the 33-night cruise with the poor streaming signal on the ship. He’s catching up on several games he missed using his membership in NFL Game Pass. The WiFi is excellent in this property and he’s watching a game as we speak.

Tom commented that the gauge (the distance between the two rails) is considerably smaller in Australia than in the US.

We’re busy making plans for the upcoming few days/weeks, including an exciting Saturday night social event with our landlords which we’ll share in a future post. Thanks to all of our loyal readers for “traveling along with us.” It’s been delightful sharing our travels with all of YOU.

Happy day!

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

What can I say? This was my favorite photo we’d taken in Fiji. It so bespeaks a life in Fiji, the freedom of barnyard animals to roam, to thrive and grow. The fact that we find barnyard animals so worthy of mention only enhances our experiences throughout the world. For more details, please click here.

Day 32…Circumnavigating the Australian continent…Seminar Part 2 was a success!! Thoughtful email from attendees!

We were surprised by the number of attendees at our second presentation.

“Sighting on the Ship in Australia”

Zebra’s painting located in the gallery.

Those of our readers who’ve followed along with us over these past years know how humbled and in awe we are in our lives.  We never fail to remind ourselves to be grateful for each and every day of this unusual life and… for life itself.

Awakening each morning to the joy of another day of life is a gift in itself. Good health, being together, living within our means and the love of our family, friends and new people we meet along the way only adds to the exquisite pleasure of traveling the world.

The huge Colony Club was also packed for our second presentation.

We ask ourselves, is it luck? The perception may be that we “landed on something.” As we look back over our lives, we realize that getting to this point wasn’t a stroke of luck. We gave up a lot and, over the long haul, we worked hard to make it possible.

Many find our lifestyle foolhardy and impractical. Others revel in a sense of wonder over our “bravery.” We aren’t foolhardy and we aren’t brave. Is it foolhardy to fulfill a dream one is capable of turning into a reality? Is it brave to jump into the cool water of a pool on a hot day? No bravery required here.

Tom was enjoying himself during our presentation.

Then, what is it, if not luck? Many years ago I taught sales/motivational classes centered around the Dale Carnegie concept of the fact that there are five steps to making a sale;  Attention, Interest, Desire, Conviction and Close. 

In essence, subconsciously we maneuvered our way through these five steps as we made the decision to travel the world as follows:

1.  Attention: That day in January, 2012 when I asked Tom what he wanted to do when he’d be retiring on October 31, 2012.  He got my ATTENTION but could we make it work?
2.  Interest: Once we started investigating the possibilities, both financially and logistically, we developed a strong INTEREST in pursuing it further.
3.  Desire: Once we realized it was feasible a powerful sense of DESIRE kicked in and we began to embrace the concept.
4.  Conviction: The more we researched, the more committed we became and during the first 30 days, a powerful feeling of CONVICTION to make it happen captured us both.
5.  Close: Like the finale of an actual sales transaction, we truly CLOSED when we began to pay deposits on future bookings and planned for the sale and disposal of all of our worldly goods.

The ship is beautifully decorated for Christmas.

These thoughts came to mind from so many years ago, as my brain was spinning with the enthusiasm we both are feeling from the second of two seminars we conducted for passengers aboard Royal Caribbean Radiance of the Seas. 

The positive feedback we’ve received from attendees both in person throughout these past days and by email has truly been overwhelming and appreciated. Who knew? Not us. We expected a handful of attendees when in fact there were in excess of 100 at each presentation. Go figure. 

Even staff at the customer service desk is prepared for Christmas.

If we’d had more lead time to prepare and announce the two part series, surely we’d been able to garner more attendees. We can’t stop smiling. This happy and fulfilling experience will stay with us for a long time. 

Will there be more in the future? In the next two days, we’ll be talking to Kevin and Steve, activities director and cruise directo,r respectively, to see if this can lead to something that appeals to us in the future. 

With bookings well into 2018, we’ll have to see if it is a possibility for us since it’s unlikely we’d want to change our itinerary going forward. We’ll see how and if it rolls out.

The ship is decorated for Christmas.

Last night, before bed, we checked our email to find this message:
On Wed, Nov 30, 2016 at 1:51 PM, Mary wrote:

Dear Jess & Tom,
We have attended both of your presentations and have enjoyed them thoroughly.  Jess, you are a better speaker than MANY of the presenters we have had on many cruises.  Good amount of both information, humor, pictures, and you have no repetitive phrases or awkward pauses – brilliant!  I was a high school science teacher for over 20 years and have some familiarity with quality speaking

The other day we introduced ourselves to you in the Windjammer.  We are the 2 gals who have lived full time in an RV for 22 years, while also doing international land trips, and many cruises.  I’m sure we have been in more countries than you have, yet that doesn’t matter – we still learned a few things from you.  Thank you for that

Since we often travel spontaneously, with hardly any plans, and no reservations, and hardly ever stay anywhere longer than 3 weeks, we found it very interesting to learn of your travel style.  You are right;  people have to discover what works for them, no matter what anybody else does.  But you gave some excellent tips which everyone should know, just to be safe.

Hoping to cruise with you again some time.

Warmest regards,  Mary & Elaine

We are so appreciative of this message from these lovely people. It means the world to us to hear from those we meet in our travels, especially when they take a few minutes to say hello or share their story. Thanks to Mary and Elaine for sharing your thoughts with us!

In the interim, we’re down to our last few days aboard the ship, cherishing every single moment of this extraordinary adventure, made all the more exciting by the serendipity of our lectures and making so many new friends aboard the ship.

Luck? Maybe a touch. Happiness? In abundance.

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

In Fiji, one year ago, we drove under canopy of trees in a nearby neighborhood. For more details, please click here.

Day 23…Circumnavigating the Australian continent…Adelaide is quite the city!…Is this cruise too long?

Once outside the train station we spotted a casino. We weren’t aware that gambling was legal in Adelaide.

“Sighting on the Ship in Australia”

Model steam locomotive on display on the ship.

It’s been a while since we’ve been traveling by train.  In terms of our global travel, most often we will have a rental car or driver that we have arranged for our trips and tours.

View of the river from the train bound for Adelaide.

From time to time, when we don’t have a rental car or driver readily available, we’ll use public transportation when it’s convenient and safe to return to our vacation home at night in the dark which in many locations, isn’t always the best option.

Yesterday, when our ship docked in the Port of Adelaide, we had no other option than to travel by train to the city of Adelaide when it was a long distance from the port.

There are American stores all over the globe.

The train trip began at the port and ended in the city, to continue on the same route back and forth all day into the evening with the engineer walking to the end of the line at the terminal to begin again, driving the train from the opposite end each way.

We giggled over how many times a recording stated, “Mind the gap,” referring to the gap between the train and the platform.

We waited to leave the ship until after we’d uploaded yesterday’s post and thus were able to avoid the crowds.  There was no more than a dozen passengers in our coach.  Not only did the train serve the needs of cruise passengers but also many locals who lived and worked along the route.

  Not only did the train meet the needs of cruise passengers, it also met the needs of many residents who lived and worked along the highway.Homes along the railway tracks.

The cost for one round trip ticket (a plastic bar coded credit card-like pass)included a full day’s pass which may be used for all forms of public transportation in Adelaide was AU 10, US $7.37 each, a reasonable amount considering the distance and the potential of using street cars and buses while in the city.

Passengers are departing the station.

After arriving at Adelaide station, we were surprised by its size and volume of activity. This was a bustling city.    For whatever reason, there was an expectation that Adelaide would be a picturesque historic city.  It definitely qualified as historic but this was no small town. See details below, we gleaned from this site

“Population
The city of Adelaide is the capital city of South Australia and the fifth-most crowded city of the country. During June 2014, the city had an expected inhabitant population of 1.30 million. Adelaidean is utilized as a part of a reference to the city and its residents. The city is situated in the north of the Fleurieu Peninsula, on the Adelaide Plains between the Gulf St Vincent and the low-lying Mount Lofty Ranges which encompass the city. The city also boasts one of the biggest cricket stadium in the world.

Demographics
People that were born abroad, make 29.8% out of the aggregate population. Suburbs areas including Newton and Campbelltown in the east and Torrensville, West Lakes and Fulham toward the west have vast Greek and Italian population. The Italian consulate is situated in the eastern suburb of Payneham. Extensive Vietnamese populations are settled in the northwestern of Woodville, Pennington and Athol Park. People from India and Sri Lanka have settled into inward regions of Adelaide including the internal northern suburbs of Blair Athol and Enfield.”

Skyscraper in downtown Adelaide.

We left the station to follow the map we received when disembarking the ship. This map highlighted the major points of interest many of which appealed to us as we took photo after photo as we walked along the main downtown road.

The main road wasn’t too busy while we walked.

The weather was perfect, only warm under direct sunlight. The city, with busy with traffic moving at a good clip, provided an excellent glimpse of what Adelaide is all about; many free venues for tourists; historical buildings, upscale shops, plenty of dining establishments and of course, its own variety of friendly Australian citizens.

Madame Hanoi restaurant on the boulevard.

Although many passersby had their heads down to peruse their phones (typical in most cities these days) we never felt rushed, overcrowded or unsafe in any manner.

Historical old Parliament building on a corner.    The new building is adjacent (see picture below).

Since we’d had a late start and the round trip train ride required about two and a half hours including waiting time, we wandered the downtown area for the perfect amount of time allowing us to get the full flavor of the attractive, spotless city. 

Protests in front of the Parliament building.

By 3:45 we were back on the ship with ample time to dress for the evening to meet our friends for Happy Hour in the Diamond Club Lounge by 4:30 to begin the evening’s activities.

Once again, we had a lovely evening as we wind down the remaining 11 nights on this cruise.

Was this cruise too long for our liking?

    We heard from some of the under 500 passengers who had booked the round trip that it was a bit too long for them. 

Protest signs at the Parliament building in Adelaide,
For us, this cruise will have been our “home” for 33-nights, and none of it has ever been boring or tiring when everywhere we travel we find “home is where the heart is.” How can we ever question that premise?

May your day be happy and fulfilling!

Photo from one year ago today, November 22, 2015:

One year ago, we wrote about the culling of animals in Marloth Park due to lack of rain. It was heartbreaking to hear of this and we pray for, good weather and abundant vegetation for the wildlife as we make plans for the future to return to Marloth Park, South Africa. For more details, please click here.

Day 17…Circumnavigating the Australian continent…Visiting Perth and Fremantle today with friends…

The super moon over the sea, of a few nights ago.

“Sighting on the Ship in Australia”

Another beautiful piece of art from the ship art gallery.

The first leg of this 33 night tour of circumventing the Australian continent ends today as the ship docked in the Perth/Fremantle area. At 9:00 am, we’re disembarking the ship with a plan to return in the afternoon long before the ship sets sail on leg #2.

Our friends, Michelle and Carlo will be picking us up at the pier once we disembark the ship. They asked if there was anywhere special we’d like to see. We suggested we go wherever they’d suggest. 

Kat and John live close to Sydney will see us in March when we stay in Manley Beach for 40 nights. They are as beautiful on the inside as they are on the outside!

Mostly we’re interested in seeing Fremantle and spending time with them catching up over these past seven months since we sailed together on RC Voyager from Sydney to Singapore in April.

This is William, Kat and John’s six month old adorable boy.

We can’t stop smiling. The routine we’ve established on this ship has been ideal for our tastes and desires. We continually visit with people engaging in the most interesting and varied conversations. We eat, we drink, we play pool and attend some activities with other passengers. 

We dance. We revel in the entertainment that suits us. We dine where and when we desire and then, head to our cabin only after we’ve exhausted every moment of pleasure we’ve been able to glean from our surroundings.

Tom’s steak dinner in Cascades dining room.

Could we sail over longer periods of time, perhaps a 90-day world tour? I don’t think so.The novelty of this long cruise is exactly the right amount. Any longer could take away its  feeling special. But, we’d easily consider another month long cruise in the future. 

When we return to the US  by cruise for the family visit in May, that’s a 24-night cruise with a two day break in Vancouver and then we’re off on the 9-night Alaskan cruise resulting in cruising for 33-nights over a period of 35-nights. In that case, it won’t be quite the same as this consecutive 33-nights, but certainly we expect boat cruises to be time well spent.

My nightly plate of stir fried veggies cooked in butter, which is my only side dish to whatever protein source I’ve ordered. Everything is perfectly prepared to my dietary specifications.

Last night was another of those amazing evenings spent with our friends which we anticipate will continue through this second leg. At this point, we’re considering plans to get together next year, along the way of our travels. Details will follow in the future.

The six of us said our goodbyes to Kat, John and little William whom Tom and I will see in March when we’re in Sydney (Manly Beach) for 40-nights. We’ve all exchanged email and Facebook info ensuring we’ll easily stay in touch.

My plate of garlic butter prawns.

Up early this morning, by 6:45 am, I’d saved us seats in the “Latte thuds” café while Tom showered and dressed. This has been and will continue to be our favorite spot on the ship when preparing the post or conducting other online activities. 

Tom visited the 13th floor to the Diamond Lounge to get us each big cup of the complimentary latte offered to Diamond Club members, another of the rewards perks we’ve accumulated as frequent cruisers on Royal Caribbean. With Celebrity and RC owned by the same corporation, these benefits are carried over when we cruise on either line. 

Many evenings after dinner, we stop at the Schooner Bar for entertainment. These two performers are excellent.

We won’t be posting the final expenses and bills (we’ll receive two, one for each leg of the cruise) until the last day at the end of the second leg on December 3rd. We were pleasantly surprised by our modest bill for the first 16 nights of this cruise.

Soon, prior to 9:00 am, as required for back-to-back passengers, we’ll disembark the cruise, to find Michelle and Carlo awaiting us at the pier as we’ll spend the day. 

The city of Geraldton, Australia, where the ship anchored yesterday. With little to do in this small town, we stayed aboard the ship and played pool. Tom is now ahead by four games.  He’s improving  much more rapidly than I. As competitive as we are when playing any game together, I’d better get “on the stick.”

It’s an overcast day forecast for rain so I doubt we’ll be spending much time outdoors, instead exploring Australia’s Twin Cities of Perth/Fremantle, not unlike our former Twin Cities in Minnesota of Minneapolis/St. Paul.

We’ll be back tomorrow with new photos of Perth/Fremantle, new stories and the continuation of this glorious cruise aboard Royal Caribbean Radiance of the Seas.

Have a glorious day!

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

Too often, we’ve been sightseeing on rainy days such as this day one year ago in Fiji.  Photos are much more appealing on sunny days.For more photos, and a review of our travel criteria, please click here.

Day 11…Circumnavigation the Australian continent…Quite a day in US politics…Interesting email from a loyal reader…Medical emergency one year ago!…

A small rescue boat anchored to the side of the ship.

“Sightings on the Ship in Australia”

Not sure what this display is about… footballs of some sort?

With the election behind us, we can now return our focus to life aboard ship. That’s not to imply that our focus has diverted from having a great time. But it has been on the minds of most Americans and others worldwide for some time, and often the topic of conversation among our fellow passengers, both Americans, and Australians.

I’m looking forward to being able to read the posts and see photos of family, friends and readers on Facebook without the toxic vitriol espoused by those expressing their personal views of either candidate. 

At times over this past year, I’d considered giving up on FB, but its also been a great means of seeing family and friends photos and staying in touch across the miles of sea between us. 

Clothing for sale in one of the ship’s shops.

Hopefully, now and in the future, opinions will be focused on our own efforts to make the US and the world a better place with love, understanding and compassion in the forefront. Amid that, supporting our new President’s efforts will surely unite our country whether we agree with his plans and ideas at this time. Time will tell.

Speaking of our readers, yesterday we received this letter from a long time loyal reader Tom met long ago on another cruise. Of course, I asked her permission to post her letter to which she happily agreed. I’ve also included my response.

Please see below:

“Jessica, you and Tom have been our inspiration. 
 
We just sold our house and our things are about to be given away/stored for now. We have taken a severance package from our employer. 
 
Our plan is a 2 year adventure for now. I have been reading your blog since we briefly met Tom on Brilliance of the Seas TA (I have written before) a few years ago now. We begin in January. Our plan is similar to yours, avoiding flying, cruising to destinations and AirBnb etc., monthly stays in cities we like, along the cruise repositioning routes.  (Continued below).
Men’s clothing.
have learned a lot from your site. I still have not decided which direction we are going yet. I couldn’t plan as this all happened rather suddenly (sold our house while cruising to Australia lol). Any advice about direction?  Follow the sun in warm weather.. (Australia, New Zealand first, then Singapore to Dubai, then Suez canal to Europe) or do
 
South America followed with a Transatlantic with summer in Europe?
 
I hope you enjoy your Transpacific on Explorer of the Seas in April. We have done it both ways this year. If you ever make it to Pt Vila Vanuatu you must tour with Atmosphere tours and ask for a guide named Alfred – he is passionate about his culture and a fabulous guide. Best guide, we have ever had.
 
In closing, I wish you and Tom all the best and continued happy and healthy travel. The memories of the life you are leading mean more than all the “stuff” people have.
 
I hope we run into each other on a future cruise. Would love to chat.
Elaine”
Logo wear.
We replied as follows in bold type:
“Elaine, how excited we both were to see your message. We’re so excited for both of you embarking on your own adventure.
 
It’s not easy answering your questions when so much is predicated by what appeals to you both to see over the next two years. Our desires may be entirely different than yours.
 
We both believe your best guide is to make a list of where you’d like to visit and then using the world map, map it out so you don’t waste time and money jumping all over the globe.  (Continued below).
Perfume and cologne shop.

We don’t like big cities but you may. We no longer care if the weather is ideal. We’re looking for the experience.  We don’t care to live in apartments.  You may find this works for you.

 
Since our focus is wildlife and nature, you may find historic buildings more interesting. If we never enter another old building, we’ll be fine. But, Africa is calling us for another visit in 15 months.  Antarctica in on the schedule for 14 months. 
 
You see, how it’s so hard to say where and when to go. Our tastes are all so diverse and unique. But, I will say we’ve loved NZ and AU. By the time we leave the South Pacific for a 9 week family visit, we’ll have spent almost two years in this part of the world.
 
Thank you so much for reading our site. You have no idea how much it means to us if we’ve inspired you even one iota. We’d love to hear what you decided to do and wish we could be more helpful.
 
May I copy and paste your email to our site. We won’t use your names, but what a great story to share!
Warmest regards,
Jess & Tom
Tourist trinkets.

Then, Elaine responded again:
“Sure, go ahead and post my email Jess and Tom. Thank you for your responses. They actually do help a lot. We want to do Antarctica too, and the Northwest passage. We must see the pyramids in Egypt.   wo years probably won’t be enough, but as long as finances hold and we don’t get tired of travelling (not likely for us) we probably keep going. 

One more question for you.  Which are your favorite booking sites?  Vacations to Go?  For cruises…VRBO for bookings (have you had any bad experiences with bookings?)  Favorite Airlines (sometimes a necessary evil)?   Any favorite ways to save money…ie Airline Miles plans etc.  Diamond status is lovely isn’t it.  We just hit it on our last cruise and I expect it’ll be great.
 
Quote “You have no idea how much it means to us if we’ve inspired you even one iota”  (Continued  below)
Bargain tables with handbags.
Our whole idea for doing this began with the posts by Tom made on Cruise Critic which led us to your website, talking briefly to him and reading your words each morning before I go to work. We always intended to travel, as we do already now, but not to just cut loose and go. That cutting loose is what is enabling us to finance this trip by investing our money. 
 
The next 7 weeks are going to be crazy! We love Australia too, but have never been to New Zealand. I’m not sure what our focus is yet. We’ve seen many historic buildings already.  I love art and sculpture. My husband loves history. Wasn’t Petra amazing, but I could do without that walk in the heat!  I think we just want to go everywhere and see and experience as much as we can, while we can, make memories for when health fails us and have no regrets. So exciting to see all the wonders of the world we’ve heard about all our lives.
 
I’ll email our choices once I figure them out! Wish I had more time to plan, but what a wonderful conundrum to have!
 
So, Thank you both once again. You are changing our lives.
 
 Elaine”
Scuba, beach and snorkeling products.
Our dear reader posed some excellent questions as shown in blue above from her most recent response. Due to space and time limitations today, we’ll answer the above questions in blue in tomorrow’s post. Please check back.
Have a beautiful day!

Photo from one year ago today, November 10, 2015:
One year ago, we visited the dentist in Fiji when Tom developed an abscessed tooth. The bill for the dentist visit was surprising at FJD 6, USD $2.76, AU 3.60. The two antibiotic prescriptions were “free’ when we walked across the parking lot in the local hospital’s pharmacy. For the full story and photos, please click here.

Today, Tom talks…To mustache or not to mustache?

Tom with the beard and mustache.

When I asked Tom if he’d write a post, he declined. It’s just not his thing.  Oh sure, he writes wordy quips at Cruise Critic asking and answering questions about particular cruises, having built himself quite a reputation as an active contributor on their boards.

Clean shaven for the first time since we were in Barcelona, Spain, sitting in a café across from Segrada Familia. See photo below.

Then, of course, he spews endless comments and observations on Facebook, often keeping him busy for hours. But, write a post? That’s not so much in his wheelhouse, so he says.

Tom, the last time he didn’t have a mustache in May, 2013. We were at a café across the street from Segrada Familia in Barcelona, Spain.

Oh, don’t get me wrong, he’s an active participant in what I have to say in our daily posts by  researching, fact checking and proofreading each post immediately after it’s uploaded. Then, upon his suggestions, I edit each inconsistency he catches to reload the post once again. 

It’s a good system. Writing a post every day, at times rushing through it to get on with our plans, is a breeding ground for errors and I certainly have made my fair share. It’s a rare occasion that he doesn’t catch at least one mistake. 

We dined in a traditional Italian restaurant in the walled city of Lucca in July, 2013.  Note Tom’s Fu Manchu mustache. I still laugh over this photo when I know this look was all about the fact that he wasn’t thrilled about the pizza menu that didn’t have all of his favorite toppings.

There are numerous situations when neither of us had noticed an error and a year later one of us stumbles across it. Immediately, I take action to make the corrections. It’s an ongoing process that will never end as long as we continue with our story.

As for Tom’s story, in person, you’d have no trouble getting it out of him as any of his/our friends out there can attest. He’s a great conversationalist and fun to engage in conversation. He’s well read with an opinion on almost any topic that comes to light.

After unsuccessfully prodding him to tell me what he’d like to say here, I decided my only option would be to interview him and post his answers, in his words, exactly as he responded. Here we go:

Pretty carvings in the hotel in Kuta.

Are you enjoying traveling the world? 
“Yes, it’s even better than I’d anticipated”

What is your least favorite aspect of traveling?
“Airports; arriving many hours early, the long lines, the schedules with layovers, the delays and all the other BS.”

What part of traveling the world do you enjoy the most?
“The weather, being away from ice and snow.”

When you look back over the experiences of these past four years, what has been your favorite?
“The next one.”

Of your upcoming plans, which do look forward with the greatest enthusiasm?
“Of course, seeing family and friends in Minnesota.  As for our continuing journey, experiencing places we’ve never seen and, meeting the locals.”

Flower arrangement in the hotel in Kuta.

You often mention how much you love cruising? What is it about cruising that appeals to you?
“Relaxing. It’s a great means of transportation. Meeting new people, making new friends and the bread. I can eat like a normal person on a cruise!”

What do you like least about cruising?
“The muster drill on embarkation day.”

How do you feel when getting settled into a new vacation home?
“Pleasantly surprised when there’s comfortable furniture and bed. Happy if we don’t have to purchase bottled water. Looking forward to checking out the area.”

What food concerns do you have at a new location?
“Will they have the ingredients to make our pizza?  Do they have streaky pork bacon?”

Flowers in standing bowl in hotel.

What items do you find lacking in a vacation home that you wished were always available?
“Good WiFi, an electric coffee maker and a flat screen TV we can use to plug in the HDMI cord.”

How long does it take you to pack?
“It takes about 20 to 30 minutes to pack. I seldom unpack my entire suitcase. I take out underwear, shorts, tee shirts and swimming trunks. The rest stays in the bag.”

How do you feel about renting cars and driving in other countries?
“The turn signal and wipers are on the opposite side of the steering column than I’m used to.  Every time I go to use the turn signal, I turn on the wipers. We laugh every time!”

What booked plans for the future are the most exciting to you?
“The upcoming Alaskan cruise in May, 2017; a cruise from Fort Lauderdale to Chile in November, 2017 when we’ll traverse the Panama Canal, a second time (since 2013) to see the new locks; a cruise we’ve booked that sails around the southern tip of South America (Cape Horn) in December, 2017: and of course, the Antarctica cruise in January, 2018.

Precious statue near the hotel pool.

Is there anywhere you’ve lived in these past four years that you didn’t enjoy?
“Marrakech, Morocco, two weeks would have been plenty, not two and a half months. The house and staff were great, but we felt trapped living inside the souk. Didn’t like the spicy food.”

Do you ever think about stopping this year’s long journey?..
“No, it never enters my mind. In this crazy world, we’d better hurry to see everything we want to see. Who knows what the future holds?”

Why did you shave the beard and the mustache?
“The beard was just a fluke to see if I could grow one. I found out I could. At night it was irritating on the pillow.When it needed a trim it was too difficult to do so I shaved off the beard and also the mustache. Jess likes me either way.”

There it is folks, all Tom has to say for now. Perhaps we can do this more often. I know many of our readers are curious as to what he thinks about living this peculiar life. Feel free to inquire by email or via comments at the end of any post.

Have a great day!

Photo from one year ago today, October 27, 2015:

Ratnesh took this photo of us, in from of the Vuadomo Waterfall. We were hot and sweaty, but the long trek was worth it!  For more photos, please click here.

Final post from Sumbersari with Bali expenses…Soon, we’ll be on our way on the four or five hour harrowing drive…

We attended the buffalo races.

“Sightings on the Beach in Bali”

Balinese people certainly take advantage of using their heads to carry heavy or cumbersome loads.

After nearly four months of living in Sumbersari, Bali today, we’ve uploaded our final post for this location and also for “Sightings on the Beach.” Perhaps down the road in future posts we’ll be able to have a similar feature depicting special scenes we embrace each and every day.

With an exciting future ahead of us, we certainly have no doubt there will be many of those types of scenes. We look forward to seeking them out to share with our readers each day. On the upcoming 33-night cruise embarking a week from today, we’re discussing possible feature photos we’ll include comparable to “Sightings on the Beach in Bali,” of course, related to the cruise experience.

Workers in the rice fields.

I know, you may be thinking…”How in the world will they possibly hold our interest while they live on a ship for 33 days and nights?  Won’t it be more and more of the “same old, same old?”

This presents a unique challenge to us, one we’ll adopt with the utmost enthusiasm to ensure you’ll be intrigued to see what we’ve discovered each day. As we meet other passengers, we’ll ask for their assistance as well in spotting particularly interesting photo ops.

Nature at its finest on the edge of the infinity pool. We spent hours watching this praying mantis.

Today, as we’re uploading this final post for the villa in Sumbersari including the final expenses, we’re excited to continue to share the last of the favorite photos during this extended period on the west end of this island.  

It was highly unusual for us to return to Bali after a two month hiatus for the Mekong River cruise through Vietnam and Cambodia, a one week stay in Singapore and six weeks in Phuket, Thailand. In the future, we only have one country planned for a return visit in 16 months, South Africa as we mentioned in this earlier post.

A working well at a neighboring home.

Unfortunately, from June 1st on, I was suffering with the spinal injury resulting in a considerable portion of this period spent distracted by the discomfort and an amount of concern that it might never heal. 

Alas, here we are almost five months later and once again, I’m my “old” self, pain free and again delighted for the many plans on the horizon as well as reveling in the joys of the moment, reminded to always “Love the One You’re With!”

As you read this post, we’ll already be on the four or five hour harrowing drive from the villa to Denpasar to the hotel we’ve booked through the week, departing at 10 pm on Saturday night for the red eye flight to Sydney. 

“Rustic” residence on the beach.

It will be a relatively easy few days as we lounge by the pool, walk the neighborhood and if we feel like it, grab a taxi to check out the area. But, Tom’s aversion to traffic may prevent us from venturing out when the Kuta area is so congested it takes 30 minutes to get to the airport that’s only a kilometer from the hotel.

Kuta is not necessarily known as an area suitable for sightseeing of any major consequence. In a way, we don’t mind laying low in air conditioned comfort for a few days after six months of scorching heat and humidity, day after day. The only time we’ve been cool has been at night when we finally headed to bed to turn on the AC.  It may prove to be a welcomed relief.

Frangipani flowers blooming in the yard, aka Plumeria in Hawaii.

As for the expenses for Bali, we’ve decided to keep these last two months from September 2, 2016 to October 24, 2016 separate from the first two months we spent in Bali from April 30, 2016 to June 28, 2016.  

We’ve made the calculations based the 59-night stay, although we’re leaving a few days earlier since we’d already paid for 59 nights in full. (We’re not receiving any compensation for leaving earlier nor do we expect it.  It was entirely our decision).

We considered each of the two stays in Bali as individual stays when the expenses varied for the time we spent at the resort in Lovina. If you’d like to review our expenses from the earlier stay, please click here.

This appropriately muddy pig posed for our photo. 

Expenses for 59 nights:  US Dollar to IDR Indonesian Rupiah
Vacation Rent:   US $ 4,648.03  IDR   62,330,082.30
Transportation:  US       759.13  IDR    9,909,557.43
Visa Extension:  US         54.63  IDR       713,130.98
Tips/Laundry:    US       389.00  IDR     5,077,941.65
Clothing & Misc. US     1,144.88 IDR    14,945,074.12*

Groceries:         US       947.00  IDR    12,361,981.33
Hotel & Meals:   US       739.49  IDR      9,653,180.12**

Total:                              US $ 8,409.16   IDR 109,771,783.48
Average Monthly Cost:  US $  4,335.23   IDR   56,587,713.48 

Average Daily Cost:       US $    142.53    IDR     1,860,442.65

*The above total includes the pants we purchased at Lovina when long pants were required at the immigration office.
**The above total includes the entire bill for hotel ad meals for four nights in Lovina during the visa extension process.

Recent photo repeated, nonetheless a favorite with Tom dressed in traditional Balinese/Hindu attire.

Although our previous stay in Bali was less costly, the addition of the shipment we received with many supplies including Tom’s new phone, iced tea, clothing and shoes and, the hotel in Lovina, the average daily/monthly costs increased exponentially. Another traveler may spend comparable amounts shopping while on such an extended trip.

We’ll post the upcoming hotel stay expenses when that period ends as well. With the low cost for the hotel room, the included breakfast, with dinner as the only add-on, most likely the total will be reasonable.

Tomorrow, we’ll be back as usual with more photos and updates. Thanks to all of our loyal readers for hanging in there with us during this relatively quiet time spent in Bali. We appreciate each and every one of YOU.

Be well!

Photo from one year ago today, October 24, 2015:

It was a cultural day in Fiji one year ago when we visited this modest village. This structure is used in ceremonial rites and kava drinking. For more details and photos, please click here.

Photo of us dressed for a Hindu holiday in traditional Balinese attire!

Tom and I dressed for a Hindu holiday in traditional Balinese attire.
Tom and I dressed up for a Hindu vacation in traditional Balinese costume.
Fishing nearby the shore in these tiny plastic floating boats home.

A couple of days ago, Gede suggested that we attend a Hindu religious celebration on Saturday (yesterday) in a temple just after the end of the paved road. He’d asked the two Ketuts to bring the traditional colorful clothing for us to wear which is required to enter a temple which includes sarongs, special shirts, lacy women’s tops, colorful silk sashes and for the men, a cloth hat called a udeng.

We were excited at the prospect of dressing in the beautiful clothing and taking photos of the special annual festival, Sharad Purnima, which includes offerings of food, incense and flowers, music, dancing and a prayer service.

Ketut, one. 

Sharad Purnima is described here:

Here is a description of Sharad Purnima: It marks the end of the monsoon. There is a traditional celebration of the moon and is also called the ‘Kaumudi celebration,” Kaumudi meaning moonlight.

At night, goddess Lakshmi is worshiped and night vigil is observed. According to a folk-tale, once a king fell on evil days, and was in great financial straits, but then his queen observed this fast and night vigil, and worshiped the goddess of wealth, Laxmi. Consequently, they were blessed by the goddess and they regained their prosperity.

It is also believed that on this day as the moon and the earth are very close to each other, the moon rays have certain healing properties of nourishing the body and the soul.”

Regardless of one’s personal faith and spirituality, its difficult to find fault with the teachings and philosophies of the Hindu way of life.  Hinduism, when practiced and fully embraced results in the astoundingly truthful, gentle, loving and thoughtful nature of these special people as shown below:

“Truth, kindliness, austerity, purity, forbearance, discrimination (not in a negative manner against  discrimination of others), control of mind and senses, ahimsa, compassion, contentment, detachment, and devotion to the Supreme Lord are some of the virtues that Narada talks about. Among the basic virtues that testify to one’s integrity, being truthful and honest tops the list.”

Ketut, two.

As we were about to embark on the long walk to the temple, it began raining in buckets. (With no parking available at the temple, we’d have no choice but to walk). Only recently have I started to recover from my June 1 injury. Tom suggested we not go out into the rain. The muddy road is slippery when wet and I would run the risk of slipping or falling.  

After a recent rain storm we’d attempted our usual walk on the only road from the villa, but had to turn back when it was simply too slippery for me at this time. We just couldn’t take any chances after over four months of pain and discomfort which finally began to abate in these past two weeks. 

Usually I’m not that sensitive, but we’ve had to make some hard decisions about what I can and can’t do at the moment. We decided that while we waited for the rain to dissipate, the road would remain slippery. It just didn’t make sense.

We’ve never minded getting wet as evidenced in this and many posts of our past adventures. In Paris in 2014, we visited Versailles (see photo below) after spending no less than 90 minutes in the pouring rain at the exquisite Gardens of Versailles, a venue not to be missed.

Here are our favorite views in the Gardens of Versailles.All of our photos shown on this post were taken during a torrential downpour. By the time we entered the Palace of Versailles we were soaked through to our underwear. It was worth every moment.

Getting soaked on the promenade here in Bali was not our preoccupation, other than to prefer not to ruin the beautiful clothes. This special dress is required to enter a Hindu temple, especially wearing a sarong. 

There are umbrellas in the villa, but the use of one would barely have had an impact on the reduction in the probability of falling. Sadly, we stayed behind. Instead, the two Ketuts created a special celebration with us as they “dressed us” in the layers of traditional clothing and took today’s included photos including a lovely offering bouquet with incense and flowers they’d picked for the occasion.

In our travels around the world, we have been limited in participating in some activities that other tourists can participate in such as bungee jumping, zipline, scuba diving and snorkeling.

Tom, dressed and ready for the Hindu celebration in proper attire.

As much as we’d enjoy some of these activities, we accept my limitations as a result of my precarious spinal condition. Not an excuse. Just a reality. A single injury worse than the most recent could put a quick end to our travels. This possibility became especially relevant over these past months.

I’d rather be a joyful world traveler continuing with our plans and dreams for the future than one who is required to abruptly discontinue traveling due to a single incident. We’ve hardly spent these past four years avoiding many activities as illustrated in our over 1500 posts, nor will we in the future.

Today is Sunday, our staff-free day. It’s sunny, hot and humid.  Yesterday’s temps rose into the 90’s F, 32’s C which is expected to continue through the week with humidity averaging in the 80% range creating hot and relatively uncomfortable days.  Today, at 11:00 am, it was 88F, 31C, feels like 102F, 39C.

But, folks, we’re in gorgeous Bali for 11 more nights and pay little attention to the weather as long as we stay safe. Hot?  Dripping in sweat? No matter! Be happy!

May you be happy as well!

Photo from one year ago today, October 16, 2016:

Coincidentally, one year ago today it was raining so hard in Fiji, we couldn’t see the ocean. For more photos, please click here.

 

Bye, bye, perfectionism…Is low stress living possible?…

Balinese food truck.

“Sightings on the Beach in Bali”

We wondered who’s claws, these could be.

I used to be a perfectionist, a people pleaser and outrageously organized. Over these past four years I’ve come to grips with the fact that being a perfectionist is only useful when it comes to booking vacation homes, cruises and flights, to ensure we have the dates, times, pricing and circumstances done correctly. 

Tom, who’s become more detail orientated than me, is my backup, as I am his when we make plans for the future: checking and rechecking to ensure we don’t encounter any trying situations at the airport, cruise check in or when arriving at a vacation home.

A grocery shop along the highway.
As for the rest, I’ve lost interest in attempting to be perfect. It’s an unattainable goal. Anyway, who cares? After these four years, my goals are wrapped around the things I “want to do” as opposed to the things I “have to do” or “should be doing.”

Whew! That makes a huge difference in life. Living in the states fed into my need to do everything …the Martha Stewart syndrome …not the insider trader part (we trade on the outside), but the constant attempt to have everything perfect in our personal lives. No one can live up to that.  Certainly, I didn’t.

Hand made decorative exterior wall hangings.

Living this life with few expectations placed upon myself (it was always my own expectations, not anyone else’s) I feel free, unencumbered and ultimately content. The only alarms we have to set in our lives is for travel days; traveling by car, traveling by plane, cruising, etc. We both appreciate the sense of ease and freedom during the remaining days.

Tom spent his life in the US working for 42 years on the railroad, being ruled by the clock. Railroad timelines are unforgiving. My life’s work was equally demanding in meeting certain time limits and constraints. 

Exterior of neighborhood home.

Even as children, we had to catch the bus, get to school and make it to activities requiring that the clock ruled most of our day. That’s a lot of pressure for kids when growing up in itself is a huge responsibility, but, it best be learned in youth to prepare for the inevitable responsibilities of adulthood.

Sure, the two Katuks come here every morning around 8:00 am and clean our bedroom most days before 9:00 am. But, we’re up early anyway. There’s no stress associated with that. Even the walks each day don’t feel stressful when they’re so enjoyable with our encounters along the way.

Restaurant seating.

Hmm… some may ask, “Does preparing this post every single morning 365 days a year cause stress?” None at all. When and if it does, I’d stop. This is post #1503. I’m still not tired of doing it, nor have I ever experienced “writer’s block” although on occasion I may stare at the ocean to think for a moment or two before I begin.

Recently, my injury has created an amount of stress. But that stress has motivated me to walk, maintain good posture, exercise in the pool and to sit and lay ergonomically. As the benefits of my efforts continue to become evident, the stress wafts away, leaving hope and optimism in its path.

Police department in small town outside of Denpasar.

Life is complicated.  No doubt there are people we love and desire to please. No doubt there are obligations and tasks we perform to illustrate that love. And without question, we have responsibilities including filing and paying taxes, preparing a plethora of documents from time to time, renewals of this and that, applying for visas, paying off credit card and overseeing and managing financial matters.

There’s no “free lunch.” Some people assume that “living off the grid” would be an ideal escape from the trials and tribulations of life, that growing and managing their food, livestock, water sources and power supply would be easy. It wouldn’t be. Therein lies an entire litany of new responsibilities and subsequent stresses that wouldn’t be as easy as one would think.

Exterior of a nearby home.

This is evident in the lives of the locals we see with water wells in their yards as shown in yesterday’s main photo; chickens, pigs, cows and buffalo living in their yards as shown in many of our photos.  Its not easy. Then again, what about making a living? How’s that done without some amount of stress?

Perfectionism is a stress inducer, but reducing that element of behavior doesn’t guarantee a life free from stress. Accepting stress as a normal part of life in itself reduces stress. Balancing the degrees of stress we experience in life to ensure we maintain good health, happiness and a quality of life in our longevity, is a little trickier.

Special building along the highway from Denpasar.

I truly believe each and every one of us was placed upon this earth to find something meaningful to accomplish, a true stress reliever, whether it’s as simple as sharing a little piece of who we are as individuals, or as complicated as pursuing and executing a lifelong dream.

Two holiday dressed young women walking on the road.

We’ve opted for a more complicated fulfillment of a dream neither of us ever knew we possessed until it happened. With that comes a certain amount of stress which we attempt to balance each day within our blissful surroundings and the companionship we share. 

Perfectionism has no place in this life since moments ago, a giant flying thing landed on my mug and I brushed it off and kept drinking and, I trade off wearing the same two swimsuits day after day.

It’s all good. We hope you’re finding your life fulfilling as well.

Photo from one year ago today, September 10, 2015:

The captain made a safety speech before we took off for Savusavu, Fiji in this little plane. See here for more details.

Part 2…An inquiry from an old friend and long time reader…Artwork in Phuket house…

This is my favorite piece of Thai art. It’s quite large placed above the TV in the living room.

In yesterday’s post we answered the first question posed by longtime friend and reader, Cathy in Minnesota as shown in a statement as below which she’d asked in a private message in Facebook.

With Cathy’s permission I posted her questions as follows:

Cathy wrote:
“So this is my question for you two. Honestly, have you ever gone someplace and after about a couple of weeks wish the stay was shorter? With your back hurting the way it does sometimes do you wish you were closer to a doctor. I just know how painful back problems are from experience.  I read your blog every day.”

As a result, yesterday’s post addressed the first question in detail, particularly as it applies in our current location: “Honestly, have you ever gone someplace and after about a couple of weeks wish the stay was shorter?”

Some of the art work is lopsided on the wall, but we didn’t want to straighten them for fear they’d fall off.

Today, we’re addressing the second question in Cathy’s inquiry: “With your back hurting the way it does sometimes do you wish you were closer to a doctor.”

We chose to break up these two questions, especially since this second question requires a certain amount of comment and reflection that we wanted to share with our readers, many of whom are in our age bracket subsequently more likely to require medical care.

Our reality when we began our travels was the fact that I have a serious spinal condition that is exacerbated by inflammation triggered by certain foods and chemicals. By changing my diet five years ago this month, within a period of three months I was pain free although I still have the condition.

Plus, I was pre-diabetic within months of requiring medication when I started this way of eating and now my blood sugar is normal with these dietary changes. Two major problems were solved by a change in diet. 

Many of these works of art consist of design and texture.

It was these massive improvements in my health that inspired us to travel the world, when prior to the change in diet, the possibility of travel was very limited when I couldn’t sit on a plane for two hours. In these past 46 months, we’ve experienced as much as a 34 hour travel period and though tired at the end as anyone would be, I did fine, pain free.

In the early part of June, slightly over two months ago, I injured my spine in the swimming pool in Bali while walking backwards in a particular exercise feeling fine and pain free. I was using the pool each day as a form of exercise with no health club in the area. 

In June, I accidentally walked into the sharp stone edge where the end of the steps meets the main part of the pool. The second I did this, I knew I was in trouble.  The impact hit me from my neck down to my tailbone. It felt as if I’d been in a car accident.

There is a pair of these, each slightly different.

At first I didn’t say anything to Tom hoping the pain would subside. I didn’t want to worry him. But, by the next day I knew was in big trouble when the pain was awful running from my neck down to my tailbone. 

Having heard stories of horrible medical treatment in the remote area of Bali, I decided to wait it out knowing it could be months until the injury would heal. My arms and legs were working fine convincing me I hadn’t injured my spinal cord itself. 

In time, the pain reminded me of when about eight years ago I had a compression fracture, compounding the pain I already had at the time. It took several months to heal. 

Recently with a lack of good medical care nearby, I made the assumption that again I had a compression fracture which is a very common condition for seniors, even those with less precarious vertebrae than mine.

This style of Buddhist statue is commonly seen in Thailand.

This statement is from a document at the following site from American Family Physicians :

“Vertebral compression fractures affect approximately 25 percent of all postmenopausal women in the United States. The prevalence of this condition steadily increases with advancing age, reaching 40 percent in women 80 years of age. Women diagnosed with a compression fracture of the vertebra have a 15 percent higher mortality rate than those who do not experience fractures. Although less common in older men, compression fractures also are a major health concern in this group. Because the age group of those older than 65 years is now the fastest growing segment of the U.S. population, the incidence of this age-specific fracture is likely to increase.”

Based on the fact that there was no need for surgery, I self treated doing the best I could. What would a doctor do, when only in very rare cases, there’s an impingement on the spinal column (which I didn’t seem to have) during which surgery may be required. 

Rest, hot and cold packs, limited movement with no bending, not spending days laying in bed and the fractures would eventually heal without further incident. Many times I had read that the pain could last for three months or longer in typical cases. I guess I’m a typical case. Had I not experienced this type of injury in the past, I may have been more intent on having x-rays, MRI or CAT scan.

Plus, I determined, that if the fracture was spotted in a scan, what would a doctor do anyway?  Prescribe narcotic pain meds? Not only did I not want to take narcotics for such an extended period I didn’t want to be hauling narcotic meds in our luggage as we travel in a variety of countries. 

This larger statue is located in the kitchen and dining area.

I had one old bottle of painkillers in my luggage with 30 pills (I’d never used any of them) in case of an emergency. During this two plus months I used 10 of the pills when I couldn’t seem to get the pain under control, especially when we were in Singapore and then on the Mekong River cruise, going out on tours. 

Tylenol, Paracetamol, Aleve, Motrin and aspirin haven’t helped at all, even after trying them for weeks. I take nothing now, instead finding a new way to sit, stand and rest using the ice and heat packs to relieve more painful periods. It’s getting better, now only painful during the second half of the day when I may have sat too long, bent over too much or walked too far. It’s a balancing act.

Back to Cathy’s question, “With your back hurting the way it does sometimes do you wish you were closer to a doctor.” 

My answer is clear.  Had we been living in the US I may have gone for an x-ray or MRI, but the ultimate treatment would have been the same except with the addition of pain relieving medications I’d surely have been prescribed of one sort or another. 

Interesting rendition.

Most likely physical therapy would have been prescribed once it healed, which is often postponed until after several months to avoid further injury. After years of experience with a variety of spine related physical therapy modalities, I feel confident once the pain is gone, I can begin walking more once again and incorporate light physical therapy type moves as I progress.

Once we arrived in Phuket I considered going to the local hospital for an x-ray but after reading many poor reviews about the local private hospitals, I decided against it. Finally, over the past few weeks, I’ve noticed a subtle improvement each day and feel confident that it will continue over time. 

Since the injury, I’ve managed the following:
1.  The four to five hour harrowing drive from Sumbersari, Bali to Denpasar Airport
2.  The flight from Denpasar to Singapore with considerable walking at both terminals
3.  The week in Singapore with several trips to immigration offices to acquire  the two visas
4.  The flight to Hanoi, the flight to Siem Reap, 18 days total touring Cambodia and Vietnam, including rides on non-motorized tuk tuk, motorized tuk tuk and a rickshaw along with many tours requiring lots of walking and stairs.
5.  Flight from Saigon (Ho Chi Minh City) with a layover in Bangkok, then another flight to Phuket.
6.  One hour van ride from Phuket Airport to vacation rental
7.  Lots of bouncing around in the less-than-stellar rental car over the past three weeks since our arrival.  Three weeks from today we depart Phuket.

This statue is located on the marble kitchen counter.

Over the next few months, we only have to get back to the airport in Phuket, with a layover in Singapore, then on to another flight back to Denpasar, an overnight in a hotel and then, the next day, the four to five hour harrowing drive to the villa. For sure, these next few months will be easier than the past two months.

I’m anticipating by the time we board the back-to-back cruise in Sydney, Australia after a seven hour flight from Denpasar (after one more four to five hour harrowing drive), on October 31st (our four year travel anniversary), I’ll be back to my “old self.” If not, we’ll carry on with our plans. I’ve proven to myself, I can do this.

Many people suffer with chronic conditions and maintain active and fulfilling lifestyles. Until such time as either of us cannot travel as such in the above listed points, we’ll continue to live life to the fullest, enjoying each and every day while dreaming and planning for the future.

May you do the same.

Photo from one year ago today, August 11, 2015:

It seems we awaken every morning at 5 am.  Tom gets up and I read in bed until I fall back asleep, usually until 7:00 am. Up so early he has an opportunity to capture these amazing sunrises. For more photos, please click here.