Part 4…New bookings…A new country…A new lease on life!…Tomorrow, our new itinerary!…

Mumbai.

“Fascinating Fact of the Day About Ireland”
“The longest river in the country is the River Shannon. The river is 360 km, 224 miles long. The River Shannon (Irish: Abha na Sionainne, an tSionainn, an tSionna) is the longest river in Ireland. It drains the Shannon River Basin, which has an area of 16,865 km (6,512 sq mi), one-fifth of the area of Ireland.”

As mentioned in yesterday’s post, we hesitated over spending so much on this cruise, especially after the cost of the Maharajas Train on which we’ll embark on February 3, 2020.  

We have two months to travel while in India while we look forward to this upcoming cruise embarking on April 3, 2020, ending in London on May 2, 2020, 29 nights later.

We’ve yet to decide where we’ll go when we arrive in London. We have plenty of time for that, a little over 10 months. We may plan to stay around Europe for a few months. With the Schengen visa restrictions, we can only remain in most European countries for 90 out of 180 days.

There are several countries that aren’t part of Schengen. For more details on Schengen visas, please visit this site.

According to visa regulations listed on many sites for India e-visa, a traveler from the US and many other countries may only stay for 60 days. We’ll be in India for 63 days. If necessary, we’ll apply for an extension through the Indian Embassy through the consulate in San Francisco, the location we must use as residents of Nevada.

However, at the governmental e-visa site for India, the following is clearly stated as follows:

“Stay:
Continuous stay during each visit shall not exceed 90 days for countries except the USA, UK, Canada, and Japan. For the USA, UK, Canada, and Japan, continuous stay during each visit shall not exceed 180 days.

Today, I sent them an email asking to clarify if a 90-day stay is accurate. After all our visa issues these past few years, we aren’t taking any chances. Nothing spoils a visit to a country like immigration issues.  
 
Anyway, back to the cruise fare…We weren’t thrilled that Viking requires payment in full so close to the time of booking and far from the time of sailing. In this case, the final payment, as shown below, is due in full on July 24, 2019, a little over three weeks from now:  
 
Cruise Fare $19,998.00  
E-Check Discount ($633.53)       
Past-Passenger Discount ($800.00)            
Grand Total: $18,564.47   
Total Deposit Paid: $483.50    
Total Balance Due: $18,080.97  Final payment due July 24, 2019 

Tips/Amenities Included: 
Jessica Lyman: $300.00 Onboard Credit 
Thomas Lyman: $300.00 Onboard Credit 

We justified this expensive cruise based on the fact that we have three cruises we’ve booked with deposits we can transfer to later cruises, most likely to 2022, giving up plenty of time to recover the considerable expense.  

In the interim, we’ll wait and see if we can sail on the cruise from Lisbon to Cape Town on November 10, 2020, on Azamara, which visits many ports on the western side of Africa, a very rare cruise.  

We’re waiting to determine if the five-year ban from returning to South Africa is lifted for medical reasons.  We applied for the waiver almost seven weeks ago and have inquired several times to no avail. They don’t respond to our inquiries by phone or email.  

On Friday, we inquired again and will do so every Friday until we get an update. If we don’t receive the waiver, we’ll lose part of the deposit we paid and miss this exciting itinerary and plan when and if we’ll get back to Marloth Park.  When and if we do, we won’t stay longer than 90 days in South Africa.

Today, we’ve added photos and information about dining options on the Mumbai cruise with Viking, including the complimentary specialty restaurants. Please see below for details.


FastDeal
21770
29 nights departing April 3, 2020, on
Viking Cruises Viking Sun

Brochure Balcony $9,999
Our Balcony $9,999
You Save 0%
Brochure Suite $16,749
Our Suite $15,999
You Save 4%

Prices include select shore excursions and unlimited internet.
Book select categories by June 30 and pay a reduced deposit of $250 per person.
Promotions may not be combinable with all fares.
___________________________________________________________

Dining options on Viking Sun:

“The Restaurant
Cuisine: Continental
Dress Code: Elegant casual
Surcharge: No
Reservations Required: No
Hours
Breakfast: 8:00am – 10:00am
Lunch: Noon – 2:30pm
Dinner: 6:00pm – 10:00pm

The Chef’s Table
Cuisine: Continental
Dress Code: Elegant casual
Surcharge: No
Reservations Required: Yes
Hours
Dinner: 6:30pm – 10:30pm

Manfredi’s Italian Restaurant
Cuisine: Italian
Dress Code: Elegant casual
Surcharge: No
Reservations Required: Yes
Hours
Dinner: 6:30pm – 10:30pm

World Cafe
Cuisine: Variety
Dress Code: Elegant casual
Surcharge: No
Reservations Required: Yes
Hours
Breakfast: 7:30am – 10:00am
Lunch: 11:30am – 2:00pm
Dinner: 6:30pm – 10:30pm

Viking Deli
Cuisine: Scandinavian
Dress Code: Casual
Surcharge: No
Reservations Required: No
Hours
Check onboard for hours

Aquavit Terrace
Cuisine: Al fresco options
Dress Code: Casual
Surcharge: No
Reservations Required: No
Hours
Check onboard for hours

The Kitchen Table
Cuisine: Cooking school and restaurant
Dress Code: Casual
Surcharge: No
Reservations Required: No
Hours
Check onboard for hours

Mamsen’s
Cuisine: Norwegian breakfast and lunch
Dress Code: Casual
Surcharge: No
Reservations Required: No
Hours
Check onboard for hours

In addition to the restaurants mentioned above, the Viking Sun also features afternoon high tea in the Wintergarden, a pool grill, and 24-hour room service. “

Last night, our dinner for guests was canceled due to an unexpected illness of one of our guests.  We’re hoping she will recover soon.  We ended up thoroughly enjoying the dinner we planned and spent a quiet evening at “home.” 

Tomorrow, we’ll be back with our new itinerary. Please stop back to see it!

Be well.

Photo from one year ago today, June 30, 2018:

The particular “dazzle” of zebras visiting that morning was all female except for a youngster. For more photos, please click here.

 

Part 3…2018, “Year in Review” with favorite photos…They’re back!!!…Six years ago today…Itinerary re-post from one year ago.

We were so excited to see the kudus and other wildlife returning to our garden as the holiday crowds dissipated.  

“Sighting of the Day in the Bush”

One of our two favorite frogs took up residence in this cute little decorative basket near the pool on the veranda.

This morning, two bushbucks, one duiker, five zebras, and three warthogs stopped by simultaneously.Last night before the pelting rain began, 12 kudus and three warthogs stopped by for a snack. We couldn’t toss the pellets quickly enough.  

Notice the pellet crumbs on her nose.  Often, there are lots of crumbs in the enormous bags of pellets. Most wildlife is happy to lap up the crumbs if we place them on the tile steps. See more here at this link.

We’re so excited the animals have begun to return to our garden. After all, that’s why we’re here, the wildlife and the people. They’re all wonderful and have made this past year fly by in a flurry of activity.

We couldn’t believe our eyes when we spotted this elephant digging a hole to access water in the ground below. Please take a moment to watch our video at the top of the page. See this link here for more.

The now working aircon in our main floor bedroom provided us with a good night’s sleep along with the fact the power stayed on for the past 36 hours. Add the fact that today, for the first time in days, the temperature is cool and comfortable at 21C (70F) and surprisingly doesn’t feel as humid as it had over the past several days. What a welcomed relief!

Louise and Danie joined us for dinner that night at Kambaku, the popular restaurant at the golf course in Komatipoort, as we celebrated their belated birthdays. We couldn’t be more grateful for all they’ve done for us.  See this link here for more.

Today, we’ll complete this three-part series of 2018, “Year in Review,” and return tomorrow with our regular posts and all new photos as we see more and more wildlife each day as the holidaymakers have begun to drift away.

Our photo of the blood moon was taken on July 27, 2018.  See this link here for more.

Holiday times are different in South Africa than in many other countries. In the US, kids return to school the first day after New Year’s Day. But here, the return to school varies from public to private schools but maybe as late as the middle of January. This fact determines when many of the holidaymakers leave Marloth Park.

Not a night passes without an opportunity to watch these adorable bushbabies enjoy the yogurt we place on their little stand. See this link here for more.

However, as we’ve seen from the gradual return of the wildlife to our garden, many may have left right after New Year’s Day. At this point, we’ll see how it transpires over the next week or two.

What an animal!  We feel fortunate to have been able to get lion photos. See this link for more.

This morning when Tom was reviewing past posts, he mentioned it was precisely six years ago today that we boarded our first cruise. See here for the link. (At that time, we didn’t post many photos and didn’t post daily). In 80 days, we’ll be boarding our 24th cruise in Santiago, Chile, ending in San Diego, California.  

Mom and baby love.  See this link here for more.

It’s even hard for us to believe how many cruises we’ve experienced in this short period, and other than a four-day back-to-back cruise in 2013 in the Mediterranean, we’ve loved every one of them.  

Every piece of art at WayiWayi Art Studio & Gallery was representative of Zambian culture. See this link here for more.

The four-day cruise was during spring break and was crowded with highly inebriated, loud, demanding, and pushing and shoving passengers. It couldn’t have ended quickly enough for us.  

We were excited to get a view of the leopard’s face after waiting for a considerable period while Samson, our guide in Chobe National Paek in Botswana, kept moving the vehicle for better shots. Upon careful inspection of this photo, you can see the pads of the feet of her kill in the tree near her head. See this link here for more.

Below included in our “one year ago today” feature, we posted the itinerary we’d included on today’s date in 2018. Certain aspects of our itinerary have changed, including the first year that has since passed. As we add more bookings in the next few months, we’ll be updating the itinerary and posting it here.  

Based on our position in the line-up of vehicles in Kruger, our photo-taking advantage was limited. See this link here for more.

As the years have passed, we don’t feel the sense of urgency to fill in the blanks and extend the itinerary beyond two years. It’s less about being lazy and more about feeling comfortable that all of it will work out as we go along.

Stunning female lion – as a part of the Ridiculous Nine, we spotted in a game drive in Marloth Park with friends Lois and Tom, who visited for three weeks. See this link here for more.

Tonight, we’ll be visiting Rita and Gerhard at their second condo at Ngwenya where they’re staying until tomorrow. Then, much to their delight, they’re moving back to the Hornbill house where they lived the first month they were here and will stay until sometime in March when they’ll be leaving Marloth Park.

After a highly successful game drive in Kruger, Tom, Lois, Kerry (our guide), me, and Tom. See this link here for more.

We’re hoping to see them in the New Year when they’ll come to visit us in Ireland during our three-month stay beginning in May. We’re also looking forward to Kathy and Don visiting us in Ireland as well.  How fortunate we are to have made such fine friends.

We encountered this stunning scene of zebras and wildebeest from the fence at Marloth Park. One reason zebras and wildebeests hang out is that they love to eat the taller grass and wildebeest the shorter grass – it’s a type of symbiosis. There is no competition regarding food. Also, wildebeests have a better sense of hearing, while zebras can see very well. It’s always great to have an ally to warn of any impending danger.  Another reason is zebras and wildebeest prefer to be in the open savannahs…the concept of safety in numbers comes into play.  See this link here for more.

Then upcoming on January 14, friends Linda and Ken will stay here with us for a week. They arrive from Johannesburg on the day that we’re having a birthday dinner party for Rita. We are grateful to have such good friends.

We’ve so enjoyed spending time with new friends Rita and Gerhard who came to Marloth Park after reading our posts years ago. They found the holiday home they’ve rented through our site and found Louise to help them get situated. They’ll be here in Marloth until March.
We look forward to many more exciting times together.  See this link here for more.

That’s it for today, folks. We’ll be back with more tomorrow. 

May you find your day to be fulfilling and meaningful!

Photo from one year ago today, January 3, 2018:

One year ago today, we posted the upcoming itinerary that included a total of 852 days, which is now down to 486 days since the first year of this itinerary has passed. Since that date, we’ve had a few modifications which we’ll include next time we update and post the itinerary. For details, please click here.

 Location 
Days
 Dates 
 Buenos Aires, AR – Prodeo Hotel 
20
 1/2/2018 -1/23/2018 
 Ushuaia, AR – Ushuaia, AR – Antarctica Cruise 
16
 1/23/2018 – 2/8/2018 
 Buenos Aires, AR – Prodeo Hotel 
2
 2/8/2018 – 2/10/2018 
 Marloth Park, South Africa – Bush home selected
89
2/11/2018 – 5/11/2018
  Zambezi River Cruise – Victoria Falls 
8
5/11/2018 – 5/19/2018
 Marloth Park, South Africa – Rent a bush home
89
5/19/2018 – 8/16/2018
 Uganda – See gorillas and the “Cradle of Mankind.” 
7
8/16/2018 – 8/23/2018
 Marloth Park, South Africa – Rent a bush home
89
 8/23/2018 -11/20/2018 
 Mozambique, Africa (get visa stamped) 
1
 11/20/2018 -11/21/2018 
 Marloth Park, South Africa – Rent a bush home
89
 11/21/2019 – 2/17/2019 
 Valparaiso, Chile – Rent vacation home or hotel
36
 2/17/2019 – 3/24/2019 
 Cruise – San Antonio, Chile – San Diego 
14
 3/24/2019 – 4/8/2019 
 San Diego, CA – Fly to Minneapolis, MN – Family visit
13
 4/8/2019 – 4/21/2019 
 Cruise – Fort Lauderdale, FL- Dublin, Ire (1-day hotel stay) 
15
 4/21/2019 – 5/6/2019 
 Ireland – Rent country house – Research Tom’s ancestry 
90
 5/6/2019 – 8/1/2019 
 Amsterdam, NLD – Hotel stay 
11
 8/1/2019 – 8/11/2019 
 Cruise, Baltic – Amsterdam, NLD – Amsterdam, NLD 
12
 8/11/2019 – 8/23/2019 
 England – Rent country home
62
 8/23/2019 – 10/24/2019 
 Southampton, UK – Fort Lauderdale, FL
15
  10/24/2019 – 11/8/2019 
 Henderson/Las Vegas, NV – Los Angeles, CA -Scottsdale, AZ 
25
 11/8/2019 – 12/3/2019 
 Ecuador – Galapagos – Rent vacation homes on islands
89
 12/3/2019 – 3/1/2020 
 Peru – Machu Picchu – Rent vacation homes, visit site 
30
 3/1/2020 –  3/31/2020 
 The Pantanal/Amazon River Cruise – Brazil (2 cruises)
30
 3/31/2020 – 4/30/2020 
 Number of days  
852

Our new itinerary!!!…With a few gaps…In time, we’ll fill them!…

Upcoming Itinerary – June 21, 2018, to March 1, 2021
 Marloth Park, South Africa  56 6/21/2018 – 8/16/2018
 Zambia – Chobe National Park – Chobe River  7 8/16/2018 – 8/23/2018
 Marloth Park, South Africa  89 8/23/2018 – 11/20/2018 
 Leave South Africa for visa – not booked 7  11/20/2018-11/27/2018 
 Marloth Park, South Africa  89  11/27/18 – 2/21/2019 
 Marloth Park SA to Kenya – tour booked 15  2/21/19 – 3/8/2019 
 Valparaiso, Chile- hotel stay – not booked  15  3/9/2019 – 3/24/2019 
 Cruise – San Antonio, Chile – San Diego  14  3/24/2019 – 4/8/2019 
 San Diego – fly to Minnesota – hotel stay 17  4/8/2019 – 4/25/2019 
 Cruise – Fort Lauderdale to Copenhagen  16  4/26/2019 – 5/12/2019 
 Ireland – Connemara – house rented 90  5/12/2019 – 8/9/2019 
 Amsterdam – hotel stay – not booked 2  8/9/2019 – 8/11/2019 
 Cruise – Baltic – Amsterdam to Amsterdam  12  8/11/2019 – 8/23/2019 
 England – rent countryside house – not booked 62  8/23/2019 -10/24/2019 
 Cruise – Southampton to Fort Lauderdale  15  10/24/2019-11/8/2019 
 Las Vegas, NV – Los Angeles, CA – Scottsdale, AZ  22  11/8/2019 – 12/3/2019 
 Ecuador – Galapagos – rent a vacation home – not booked 89  12/3/2019 – 3/01/2020 
 Peru – Machu Picchu – rent vacation home, visit site  30  3/01/2020 –  3/31/2020 
 The Pantanal/Amazon River Cruise – Brazil (2 cruises)  30  3/31/2020 – 4/30/2020 
 Gap – to be booked  134  4/30/2020 – 9/11/2020 
 Minnesota – family visit – not booked 14  9/11/2020 – 9/25/2020 
 Gap – to be booked  46  9/25/2020 -11/10/2020 
 Cruise – Lisbon to Cape Town  22  11/10/2020 -12/2/2020 
 Cape Town/Marloth Park   90  12/2/2020 – 3/1/2021 
 Number of days   983

 *Cruises are indicated turquoise shading

“Photo of the Day in the Bush”

At night, Little Wart Face lies down for a nap, exhausted from eating pellets and his busy day.

A few days ago, when we mentioned we’d be updating our itinerary and posting it in the next few months, we became motivated to get it updated now rather than wait. 

We attempt to post a recent itinerary every six months, but it doesn’t always work out that way when plans are still up in the air.  Although we have several gaps and un-booked events listed in the above itinerary, we aren’t concerned about booking these now, especially those out more than a year or two.

Lots of zebras in the yard after dark.

It’s possible but tricky to book anything two years out, other than a few cruises here and there, as indicated above. Most owners of holiday/vacation homes prefer not to commit to a booking so far out, mainly when we often request discounts based on two factors: one, our long term stays and…two, the frequent online exposure of their property, which may result in more bookings for them from our worldwide readers.

We fully understand the hesitancy. When we find a possible holiday/vacation home, we’re interested in renting, if the owner says, “Check back in a year,” we seldom check back. When we’re ready to book, we’re ready to book and prefer not to spend time “checking back.”

The same goes for cruises. When we find a cruise we’d like, we usually book it within 48 hours of discovering it to ensure the choice of our preferred cabin and to take advantage of any early booking promotions that may be offered at the time.

After the zebras left, female kudus and youngsters arrived.

The good thing about working with Vacations to Go is they offer the lowest possible price (with perks) up until the final payment date, which is usually 75 to 90 days before the “sail date.”

As we’ve mentioned in prior posts, Tom checks prices for any cruises we’ve already booked almost daily. If he finds a cruise we’ve booked at a lower cost and with better “perks,” he’ll contact Vacations to Go to request the price adjustments. Once completed, we’ll receive an entirely new “cruise confirmation” document with the latest pricing and perks.

Cute young kudu.  Note the bushbabies knocked over their cup of yogurt on the stand above.

This process has served us well. Over the years, we’ve saved thousands of dollars on cruises making the almost-daily extra effort worthwhile.  But many cruise passengers don’t bother to check (or their agency doesn’t offer this feature), and the cruise line will not do the checking for you.

Contact your travel agency or however you’ve booked the cruise for the price reductions. Again, many travelers don’t take the time to check frequently enough for “daily specials.” Once the special offering is gone, one may not benefit from its price changes.

This morning, baby zebra nursing.

Fortunately, price increases do not have any bearing on existing reservations. As for the six/seven cruises, as shown above, we have not yet booked the Amazon River and Pantanal cruises which we’ll book within a year.

As for the other cruises as indicated above, most will stay in place. We’ve yet to cancel a cruise we’ve booked. On a few occasions, the cruise line has canceled a cruise we’d booked, and we had to make other plans with little compensation for the change.

Cruising is an excellent option for us for many reasons. Generally, it’s a cost-effective opportunity to see more of the world, rather than flying from place to place. Plus, it’s a lot more fun to sail between countries than fly on airplanes. Often, we use cruises to get us from one country to another where we may stay for some time.

The zebras also stop by during the day, more frequently in this past week.

As for yesterday, we attended an excellent presentation at the home of friends and Marloth Park Honorary Rangers, Uschi and Evan that we’ll soon share in detail. It will take a few days to prepare the comprehensive post.

Today, we’re off to Komatipoort and Lebombo to the grocery shop. Tom always drives to Lebombo for carrots and apples for the wildlife while I shop at the Spar Supermarket and the meat market in the Spar Centre. This way, he doesn’t have to spend so much time grocery shopping with me, which isn’t fun. I’m a slow and deliberate shopper.  Can you imagine that?

We’ll be back with more tomorrow and wish all of our readers an excellent day and evening, wherever you may be, whatever you may do.

Photo from one year ago today, June 21, 2017:

Grandpa and Vincent at Cardboard Camp in Minnesota. For more photos of the cardboard camp, please click here.

Worthwhile itinerary changes added more time we can spend in Minnesota visiting family…Newly revised itinerary here today…

Tom, looking good with his recent haircut and, of course, always with a smile on his face.
The smell of the white flowers on this tree was intoxicating.

Every few days, Tom checks prices on cruises we’ve booked.  A cruise booking benefit provided to US citizens (may not apply to citizens of other countries) is as follows: 

If a price drop occurs before the final payment’s due date (90 days before the cruise sail date), we can ask that the price be dropped to the new pricing on multiple occasions.  If the price increases at any time before final payment, it has no bearing on our final price.

Entrance to Jardin Botanico. No entrance fees are charged.

However, a stipulation on this benefit is that we are responsible for discovering these price drops.  Subsequently, almost daily, Tom checks prices online for all cruises we’ve booked, searching one by one.  Doing so has saved us thousands of dollars over these past five years.

A map was posted with the layout of the triangular facility.

Yesterday, while he was searching for price drops, he noticed a newly posted cruise: Royal Caribbean’s Serenade of the Seas, April 26, 2019, a transatlantic crossing with an almost identical itinerary to the cruise we booked a few days ago, with a slight difference in dates and number of sailing days at considerably lower pricing.

A few remaining flowers blooming late in the season.

Immediately, he got to work to contact Vacations to Go to book this particular cruise based on two pertinent facts that particularly appealed to us:  one; we’d be able to stay in Minnesota with family for four more nights going from 13 nights to 17 nights and; two, we’d save a considerable sum.

A garden of stock-type plants.

In doing so, we eliminate the necessity of staying in Amsterdam for 11 nights. Instead, we’ll be staying three nights which is plenty of time to spend in the big city. Based on research we’d done, it would be costly to stay in Amsterdam for the prior extended period.

A statue of Julius Caesar.

Here are the changes we made yesterday: 

Originally booked cruise:
Celebrity Reflection 4/22/2019 – 5/6/2019
$4,497.10 (inc tax, no tips, no perks) (ARS 84,892)
$150 (ARS 2,832) cabin credit

Change to a different cruise:
RC Serenade of the Seas  4/26/2019 – 5/12/2019
$2,806.32 (inc. tax, no tips, no perks) (ARS 52,975)
$325 (ARS 6135) cabin credit
Includes two extra nights

Four additional nights in Minnesota:
4/8/2019 – 4/25/2019

We didn’t enter the information building.

Savings differences:
Difference between cost of two cruises:  $1,698.78 (ARS 32,068)
Difference cabin credit:  $175 (ARS 3,283)
Total savings:  $1,865.78 (ARS 35,220)

As a result of these changes, we’ve adjusted the itinerary we posted on January 3, 2018, as follows. To avoid confusion for those that closely follow our itinerary, we felt it was important to post the revisions as shown below:

 Location  Days  Dates 
 Buenos Aires – Prodeo Hotel 
20*
 12/23/2017 – 1/23/2018 
 Ushuaia – Ushuaia – Antarctica Cruise 
16
 1/23/2018 – 2/8/2018 
 Buenos Aires – Prodeo Hotel 
2
 2/8/2018 – 2/10/2018 
 Marloth Park, South Africa 
89
2/11/2018 – 5/11/2018
  Zambezi River Cruise – Victoria Falls 
8
5/11/2018 – 5/19/2018
 Marloth Park, South Africa 
89
5/19/2018 – 8/16/2018
 Uganda – See gorillas,  Visit “Cradle of Mankind” in SA
7
8/16/2018 – 8/23/2018
 Marloth Park, South Africa 
89
 8/23/2018 – 11/20/2018 
Mozambique, Africa (get visa stamped) 
1
 11/20/2018 -11/21/2018 
 Marloth Park, South Africa 
89
 11/21/2019 – 2/17/2019 
 Valparaiso, Chili 
36
 2/17/2019 – 3/24/2019 
 Cruise – San Antonio, Chili – San Diego 
14
 3/24/2019 – 4/8/2019 
 San Diego – fly to Minnesota – Family Visit 
17
 4/8/2019 – 4/25/2019 
 Cruise – Fort Lauderdale to Copenhagen 
16
 4/26/2019 – 5/12/2019 
 Ireland –  rent country house – research Tom’s ancestry 
90
 5/12/2019 – 8/9/2019 
 Amsterdam – (wait for upcoming cruise) – hotel stay 
3
 8/9/2019 – 8/11/2019 
 Cruise, Baltic – Amsterdam to Amsterdam 
12
 8/11/2019 – 8/23/2019 
 England – rent countryside house 
62
 8/23/2019 – 10/24/2019 
 Southampton to Fort Lauderdale 
15
 10/24/2019 – 11/8/2019 
 Las Vegas, NV – Los Angeles, CA – Scottsdale, AZ 
25
 11/8/2019 – 12/3/2019 
 Ecuador – Galapagos – Rent vacation home 
89
 12/3/2019 – 3/01/2020 
 Peru – Machu Picchu – Rent holiday homes, visit site 
30
 3/1/2020 –  3/31/2020 
 The Pantanal/Amazon River Cruise – Brazil (2   cruises) 
30
 3/31/2020 – 4/30/2020 
 Number of days  
852

*When we prepared this itinerary on January 3, 2018, we had 20 remaining nights during the first stay at the Prodeo Hotel in Buenos Aires until we depart for the Antarctica cruise on January 23rd. We have 16 nights remaining until we depart, but we chose not to change the published itinerary reflecting this difference.

An alternate view of the information center.

Yesterday, we went sightseeing to the Carlos Thays Botanical Garden, a 10-minute taxi ride from our hotel. The cab fare was a paltry US $3.22  (ARS 60), but we walked back to the hotel on the perfect weather day with brilliant sunshine and temperatures around 72F (22C).

A statue of a wild dog nursing two human babies.  This statue depicts the Roman mythological story of Romulus and Remus.

The season of flowers blooming was late for the botanical garden since it’s mid-summer here now. However, we were able to take many good photos of plants, trees, and a few remaining blooming flowers. 

Unknown pods preparing to bloom.

We walked through the garden for a few hours. The garden is located in the city, and the 17 acres triangle-shaped facility was surrounded by busy roads on all sides, making our long walk a bit noisy. Nonetheless, we had a pleasant stroll through the property, leaving with many good photos.

Small flowers in a garden patch.

After leaving the botanical garden, we decided to walk the busy streets of an area of Palermo we’d yet to see.  The hustle and bustle of Saturday shoppers and a handful of tourists filled the sidewalks and roads. We had to carefully watch where we were walking due to the uneven pavement.

Bamboo tree.

After walking for some time, we took a side street to head back to our neighborhood, an hour-long walk. It felt good to be out and about in the fresh air, away from our laptops, after staying indoors in the comfortable lobby of the pleasing hotel where we’ve worked for many days on future planning.

A decorative pond with a statue.

By 6:00 pm, we headed out to dinner. We found yet another restaurant we’d yet to try. (Only one repeat thus far).  I had a glass of Malbec (wine), and Tom had a few beers. By 9:00 pm, we were back in our room to relax and read for a few hours. It was a great day, especially after we had the opportunity to extend our time in Minnesota with family and also save a good sum in the process.

These purple flowers, Agapanthus, looked familiar, and we remembered there were blooming wildly in New Zealand when we arrived in January 2016.  Thanks to friend Louise in Kauai for once again being a great resource for names of flowers, trees, and birds!

Next week, we’ll head out for more sightseeing.  For now, we’ll be sharing photos over the next several days from yesterday’s outing. As I sit here in the lobby now well afternoon, Tom is wearing his earbuds while watching football on his laptop as we fast approach the time for Super Bowl. With the Minnesota Vikings in the playoffs, he is interested in how the competing teams are doing.

We’ll be back tomorrow with more. We look forward to “seeing you” then. Have a wonderful day, wherever you may be. 

Photo from one year ago today, January 7, 2017:

We saw Meerkats at a rescue center in Tasmania. These adorable creatures are marsupials in the mongoose family. For more details, please click here.

Finally…Itinerary for the next 852 days!…A daunting task yet to be fine tuned…

We stopped at a gluten-free bakery, but there wasn’t an item I could have when they all contain starch and sugar.

After many days of research and discussions, we’ve finally pinned down our travel goals for the next 852 days.  This extended period is a lofty goal. We realize we’ve left out some parts of the world we’ve yet to visit, primarily China, India, and Japan which we’ll save for the future.

We’ll return to Europe to live in many other countries we’ve also yet to explore and would love to visit down the road in due time. The world is a huge place, and we pray for good health to make it all possible in years to come.

As you review this itinerary, you’ll note that we’ll be in and out of South Africa, staying for 89 days on each occasion. Our intent during these multiple stays is two-fold; one to “lick our wounds” from the upcoming pricey Antarctic cruise and two to savor our last foray in living in my favorite place in the world, the Conservancy of Marloth Park, where animals roam free around the bush houses.

So here it is, folks (cruises are noted in turquoise shading):

 Location 
Days
 Dates 
 Buenos Aires, AR – Prodeo Hotel 
20
 1/2/2018 -1/23/2018 
 Ushuaiai, AR – Ushuaiai,AR – Antarctica Cruise 
16
 1/23/2018 – 2/8/2018 
 Buenos Aires, AR – Prodeo Hotel 
2
 2/8/2018 – 2/10/2018 
 Marloth Park, South Africa – Bush home selected
89
2/11/2018 – 5/11/2018
  Zambezi River Cruise – Victoria Falls 
8
5/11/2018 – 5/19/2018
 Marloth Park, South Africa – Rent a bush home
89
5/19/2018 – 8/16/2018
 Uganda – See gorillas and the “Cradle of Mankind.” 
7
8/16/2018 – 8/23/2018
 Marloth Park, South Africa – Rent a bush home
89
 8/23/2018 -11/20/2018 
 Mozambique, Africa (get visa stamped) 
1
 11/20/2018 -11/21/2018 
 Marloth Park, South Africa – Rent a bush home
89
 11/21/2019 – 2/17/2019 
 Valparaiso, Chile – Rent vacation home or hotel
36
 2/17/2019 – 3/24/2019 
 Cruise – San Antonio, Chile – San Diego 
14
 3/24/2019 – 4/8/2019 
 San Diego, CA – Fly to Minneapolis, MN – Family visit
13
 4/8/2019 – 4/21/2019 
 Cruise – Fort Lauderdale, FL- Dublin, Ire (1-day hotel stay) 
15
 4/21/2019 – 5/6/2019 
 Ireland – Rent country house – Research Tom’s ancestry 
90
 5/6/2019 – 8/1/2019 
 Amsterdam, NLD – Hotel stay 
11
 8/1/2019 – 8/11/2019 
 Cruise, Baltic – Amsterdam, NLD – Amsterdam, NLD 
12
 8/11/2019 – 8/23/2019 
 England – Rent country home
62
 8/23/2019 – 10/24/2019 
 Southampton, UK – Fort Lauderdale, FL
15
  10/24/2019 – 11/8/2019 
 Henderson/Las Vegas, NV – Los Angeles, CA -Scottsdale, AZ 
25
 11/8/2019 – 12/3/2019 
 Ecuador – Galapagos – Rent vacation homes on islands
89
 12/3/2019 – 3/1/2020 
 Peru – Machu Picchu – Rent vacation homes, visit site 
30
 3/1/2020 –  3/31/2020 
 The Pantanal/Amazon River Cruise – Brazil (2 cruises)
30
 3/31/2020 – 4/30/2020 
 Number of days  
852

You’ll note we’ve added some locations we’d never mentioned in past posts for those avid followers of our site.  As we began pinning down places and dates, Tom continued searching for cruises that can get us from Point A to Point B in many instances.

In other cases, we included 89 or 90 day stays in countries before or after specific cruises. Additionally, one may wonder, why are we going back and forth to South America? This was a plan Tom had suggested long ago, which I didn’t think made sense.

Artistic painting on a wall on a narrow street.

Now, as we map this out and, based on available cruises, it makes all the sense in the world to me. In reality, there isn’t much “jumping around,” and after all, we’re doing it precisely as we see fit, not by some preconceived notion as to how we “should” travel.

As always, we’re doing it exactly as we’d prefer, always considering the best possible experiences befitting our tastes along with the most reasonable costs in the process.

Diners sitting outdoors at a local dining establishment

There are a few other points we should mention, including Ecuador one year from now. Through our extensive research over these past years, we’ve discovered we can rent vacation homes on three of the islands in the Galapagos, enabling us many private tours to the areas where wildlife is found, rather than going out on tour with lots of other tourists. This is especially appealing.

Another point to mention is regarding Machu Picchu…by staying in the area for one month, the experiences will be more comprehensive and rich in culture, and we’ll have plenty of time to acclimate to the high altitudes staying at varying points partway up the mountains.

It’s too early to book the cruise to The Pantanal in Brazil, the world’s most extensive wetlands (10 times the size of the Florida Everglades) and home to 3500 plant species, 656 bird species, 325 fish species, 159 mammals, 53 amphibians, and 98 reptiles. Our kind of place.

On a narrow road, we walked in the Serrano Plaza area.

From there, either before or after The Pantanal, we’ll cruise the Amazon River. This type of journey may not be for everyone, but it fits well into our objectives of experiencing nature at its fullest.

From there?  At this point, we aren’t even thinking of terms of what will be next. Indeed, we’ll visit family in the US.  By that time, we’ll have a handle on where we’ll go next, primarily locations we’ve never stayed in in the past.

This morning our friends from the UK left to head to their home in the UK, and now it’s just the two of us. We’ve been highly social with others since November 23rd, and now we’ll happily return to our normal happy state of being “just the two of us.”

Inside the mall near Jumbo market.

St. Petersburg, here we come! Tomorrow, we’ll be back with more, including some details of the Baltic cruise we locked in last night, one we hadn’t seen on the horizon for quite some time based on high prices. But, when we could get the balcony cabin for an excellent price, it was time to book it.

Five years ago today, we boarded the first cruise (for either of us), embarking from San Diego, heading through the Panama Canal (we recently transited the canal a second time during the most recent cruise), and ending in Fort Lauderdale. Here is the link from that first day!

Enjoy your day with any plans you may have on the horizon!

Photo from one year ago today, January 3, 2017:

Trespassers entering this field in Tasmania, thinking they could “get high” from the unprocessed poppy/opium, have died from doing so. For more details, please click here.

Part 2…Our year in review…Photos of us…Busy preparing new itinerary, ready for tomorrow’s post…

In July, we had a great evening at The Elephant Bar in Henderson, Nevada, with friends that live in Las Vegas.

New Year’s Day proved to be another good holiday. We stayed busy posting until later than usual and then spent the rest of the afternoon making future travel plans.

Why do we plan so far ahead? Our lifestyle gives us tremendous piece-of-mind knowing what’s coming down the road. Also, it gives us an opportunity for good prices for upcoming venues.

Tom standing next to the Giant Bamboo tree to gain a perspective of its massive size. The vegetation at Zoo Ave in Costa Rica was almost as interesting as the wildlife.

Although we’ll post the itinerary tomorrow, we’ve yet to book all of the vacation homes for the upcoming visits to various countries, but the cruises are already booked. Over the next few months, once we’re in Africa, we start booking vacation/holiday homes in these various locations.

As we’ve mentioned in the past, cruises are a driving force in our decisions to visit certain countries, although as shown, we don’t hesitate to fly when necessary.

I used repellent while at Zoo Ave in Costa Rica but still got a few mosquito bites.

Planning is a daunting task, and today, we’ll continue with the preparations for tomorrow’s post. We’re happy we’d committed to posting the itinerary. It motivated us to “get the show on the road” and finally decide for the future.  

By no means, our failure to get this done wasn’t due to any lack of enthusiasm on our part. Instead, it was based on the simple fact that we’ve been rather busy this past month with the cruise and socializing. 

We set up the tripod to take this photo of us in Costa Rica on October 31, 2017, the fifth anniversary of our world travels.

All along, we have intended to post a new itinerary around the first of the new year. We’ll have this accomplished by tomorrow as we joyfully share it with all of our worldwide readers.

As for yesterday, New Year’s night, we ate the remainder of the food purchases we’d made for sharing with Margaret and Con. By 7:30 pm, once again, we gathered in a big booth in the Prodeo Hotel’s dining room with food which included roasted chickens, coleslaw salad which I made in our room, olives, cheese, meat, and nuts.  It was another fine evening.

On formal night aboard Celebrity Infinity only weeks ago. My teeth were purple from the glass of red wine I’d just finished.

By 11:00 pm, we were sleeping, and although intermittently, I feel hangover-free and refreshed today, ready to tackle a new day in Buenos Aires. In a short time, once we’ll upload today’s post, and we’ll head to a local barbershop for Tom’s haircut, which opens after 12:00 pm.

He hasn’t had a haircut since October. He’s facing “hat hair” on the upcoming Antarctica cruise when we’ll both be wearing hats for several hours each day. This is less of an issue for me when a few swipes with the flat iron and I’m back to normal. 

We were with our wonderful new friends, Lisa and Barry, whom we hope to see in June in South Africa.

But for him, his hair tends to be spikey when either too short or too long. He’s thumbing through past posts right now to see how short he wants it cut today. We’ll post photos soon.

Tonight, we’ll walk to Serrano Plaza, our favorite area for dinner. There are many restaurants we’ve yet to try.  After eating in these past few nights, we’re looking forward to getting out again. Now that the holiday season is over, we expect to find more dining options.

On the ship’s deck as we sailed through the Chilean Fiords on the most recent cruise.

May your new year begin and end with considerable contentment and joy in all of your endeavors, whatever they may be. Happy day to all 

Photo from one year ago today, January 2, 2017:

Green/spring onions were being processed for wholesale distribution at a Penguin, Tasmania vegetable processing farm. For more details, please click here.

Visit to Dover, Tasmania…Uncertainty in filling gaps in the itinerary…Worrisome?

Turkeys crossing the road.

As we drove through the foreshore of Dover, Tasmania, it felt as if we could be in an oceanfront town in the world, even in the US. The only difference on a sunny day was the lack of traffic, sunbathers on the beach, and vendors pushing passersby to partake of their offerings.

“Hey, you guys!  Wait for me!”

From the web: “Dover is the southernmost town of its size in Australia, located on the western shores towards the southern end of the D’Entrecasteaux Channel, south of the Huon Valley, southwest of Hobart, located on the head of Port Esperance in Tasmania.”

  After looking online, we couldn’t find the motivation for the name of this little town.  Any comments from locals? We veered off the main road to Police Point to find a few farms and turkeys walking on the road.

We’d heard about Dover from the butcher in Geeveston, who recommended we make a point of visiting the scenic ocean town. We weren’t disappointed. Our love for the sea is the driving force behind most planning in building our itinerary year after year.

Cattle on a hill seeking respite from the sun under the shade of a tree.

Now, as we review the upcoming itinerary, we’re well aware of a few holes we need to begin thinking about. (Please click here if you’ve missed our most recently posted itinerary because we’ve moved down the page a few lines since we posted it).

The word “foreshore” in Australian speak refers simply to ocean frontage/beach.

The most imminent gap is the month-long gap in Buenos Aires, Argentina, beginning on Tom’s birthday on December 23, 2017, a mere 10 months from now. 

Sailboats moored in the bay in Dover, Tasmania.

Continuing for a period of one month, we haven’t yet decided how we’ll spend that month in Argentina as we peruse several possibilities. However, it appears the cost of vacation/holiday homes is high in this city, and its surrounding areas inspiring us may remain open-minded as to our options.

The tide was low as we drove through the town of Dover.

Based on the upcoming Antarctica cruise at the end of this one month beginning on January 23, 2018, and its outrageous cost, we must steer ourselves into a somewhat economical budget-friendly mode of living. We’re still researching.

Pier in Dover.

As for the gaps following the Antarctic cruise, we’ll be flying from South America to South Africa to begin a period of time yet undetermined. Where we’ll stay, there is also “up in the air” when Louise, our friend and past property manager, has promised to find us an ideal scenario in Marloth Park/Kruger National Park.

Pier in Southport, Tasmania.

Once we arrive in South Africa next February with no definitive plans booked for the future, we’ll begin to explore various expeditions we’ve long to experience while on the continent, such as the gorillas in Rwanda, Victoria Falls, and more safaris.

Occasionally, we discuss these particular gaps in our itinerary, but with plenty of time to pin down accommodations and activities for Africa, it’s more of a concern to begin searching for options in Buenos Aires.

More of these exquisite white sand beaches in Dover as well as in Southport.

Today, cloudy and foggy, we’re staying put while taking care of some business-related tasks, making another great meal (with a few photos for tomorrow), and contemplating plans for the future. 

See you soon!

Photo from one year ago today, February 10, 2016:

Surfing and kayaking are popular in both New Zealand, Australia, and of course, Tasmania.  For more photos, please click here.

A new future booking…A change in our itinerary…It pays to be frugal…

?

It’s great that we can make itinerary changes whenever we deem it necessary, for cost-saving or befits our desires. The exception in doing so is often predicated by the fact that we may have already paid non-refundable deposits or full payments such as for flights, vacation homes with a no-refund policy, and cruises after paying the final payment 90 days prior to sail date (partial refunds may be applicable).For the remainder of our itinerary, we have the option of changing our minds, finding better deals, and instituting price reductions, particularly on cruises. So far in our travels, we haven’t made any major changes, other than for a few cruises.

As Tom continually peruses our existing booked cruises, of which we currently have seven (with more to come), he’s always hoping to find price reductions that may suit our needs. After considerable research over these past few days, he found a change for a cruise we’d considered changing at some point anyway.

We spotted these flowers in many areas of Tasmania.

We’d booked a cruise from Buenos Aires, Argentina to Santiago, Chile while aboard a prior cruise in order to lock up the offered low down payment of AU $274, US $200 (for two), including several perks and cabin credit. 

When booking onboard a ship, our cruise rep still gets “credit” for the transaction and continues to handle the booking. At any time prior to final payment, we can transfer the low down payment to any future cruise, with the same cruise line.

When we booked the above-mentioned cruise, at the time we anticipated we’d never keep the booking for two reasons; one, it was the reverse of an itinerary on which we’ll have already sailed; two, the total cost for the cruise was more expensive than we preferred. Tom watched and waited.

Wildflowers along a country road.

Finally, in the past few days, as more and more cruises became posted, Tom found a replacement for the more expensive, “reverse repeat” cruise that will be much more suited to our future plans to try to visit family in the US every two years.

The fare for the cruise we canceled yesterday was AU $10,960, US $8,005, as mentioned, way more than we prefer to pay for a 14-night cruise (the exception to this is the upcoming pricey cruise to Antarctica in less than 13 months).

Instead, after speaking with our cruise rep Shanon, aka Brooklyn, at Vacations to Go, we moved our deposit over to the following cruise in its place (see below for itinerary):

Charges

Cruise (includes port charges) 3,198.00
Price Match – 200.00
Government Taxes*    452.68
Pre-Paid Gratuities    405.00
Total Sale (US$) $ 3,855.68


*Subject to change by the cruise line.

Payments

Paid To Type Amount



Celebrity Paid Direct 200.00

Total Payments (US$) $ 200.00
Balance Due (US$) $ 3,655.68


Final payment due January 1, 2019.

The total fare for this new cruise, including prepaid gratuities and taxes, is AU $5,278.90, US $3,855.61 which based on the above other cruises, constitutes a savings of AU $5,681.16, US $4.149.39. 

We didn’t have to think twice about this, especially when this new cruise is an easy means for us to return to the US for a visit slightly less than two years from our upcoming visit in May 2017. 

Here’s the itinerary for the new cruise:

Celebrity – Celebrity Eclipse, departs 3/24/19, 15 nights

Day Date Port or Activity Arrive Depart
Sun Mar 24 Santiago (Valparaiso), Chile 9:00pm
Mon Mar 25 La Serena, Chile 10:00am 6:00pm
Tue Mar 26 At Sea
Wed Mar 27 At Sea
Thu Mar 28 Lima (Callao), Peru 7:00am 5:00pm
Fri Mar 29 At Sea
Sat Mar 30 Manta, Ecuador 10:00am 6:00pm
Sun Mar 31 At Sea
Mon Apr 1 Puntarenas, Costa Rica 7:00am 4:00pm
Tue Apr 2 At Sea
Wed Apr 3 Huatulco, Mexico 10:00am 8:00pm
Thu Apr 4 At Sea
Fri Apr 5 Puerto Vallarta, Mexico 9:00am 5:00pm
Sat Apr 6 Cabo San Lucas, Mexico 9:00am 5:00pm
Sun Apr 7 At Sea
Mon Apr 8 San Diego, CA 7:00am

Once we arrive in San Diego, we’ll begin the process of visiting family in San Diego and Los Angeles, California; Henderson, Nevada, and then on again to Minnesota.

We noticed these wildflowers on the roads from Hobart to Penguin.

Those of you familiar with our upcoming itinerary may ask, “Why are you going back to South America, after spending many months in Africa?” The answer is clear for us…we’ll return from Africa to head to South America since the proximity makes sense (although it’s still very far away).

This plan provides us with about a combined year to spend in Africa and South America (during the second visit to the continent) which we’ll continue to plan as we go along. While in Tasmania at this time we don’t feel any pressure to pin down specific details. 

Once we have pinned down more of the above plan, we’ll update our itinerary and post it here accordingly.  Overall the last itinerary we posted while in Bali, still is accurate except for the change of cruise and time spent in Africa and South America. Please click here for the link to our most recent itinerary which was posted on October 14, 2016.

Bushy looking plants.

In any case, we haven’t booked this new cruise a lot earlier than many other cruises we’ve booked in the past.  Using cruises for transportation has always been our objective when neither of us cares for the commotion at airports, baggage issues, and uncomfortable seating on flights.

This morning, as we reviewed the figures we’re posting today, Tom discovered price reductions on other upcoming cruises. Once our rep returns to work on Monday in the US, Tuesday here in Australia, we’ll call her and update our pricing to save even more. 

So maybe today, we aren’t out sightseeing on this cool and windy day (8.3C, 47F) but instead we’re staying indoors saving money. That’s not a bad way to spend a day!

Happy day to all!

Photo from one year ago today, December 17, 2015:

There are rows upon rows of exquisite colorful Hindu gowns in a store in a mall in Sava, Fiji, worn by Indo-Fijian women on special occasions. For more details, please click here.

At last! Our new upcoming, updated 669 day ITINERARY!!! Especially exciting news for Jess!!!

It’s easy to spend lazy afternoons lounging on the cabana. Here’s the link to this fabulous vacation rental.

“Sightings on the Beach in Bali”

Muddy white horse getting a bath in the river.
  • With my 70th birthday in 16 months (no, Mom, I’m not wishing my life away!), Tom decided to surprise me with a new plan, after the Antarctica cruise ends on February 8, 2018, we’re heading back to Africa! 

    My 70th birthday is on February 20, 2018 and hopefully, we’ll be celebrating at Jabula Lodge in Marloth Park, South Africa, with all of our friends whom we’ve stayed in close touch since our departure on February 28, 2014, a full four years ago.









































































































































































































Sumbersari,
Bali to Denpasar, Bali
1 road trip 10/29/2016 –
10/29/2016
Hotel – Kuta,
Bali
1   10/29/2016 –
10/30/2016
Flight –
Denpasar, Bali to Sydney, AU
1 red eye 10/30/2016 –
10/30/2016
Hotel –
Sydney, Australia
1   10/30/2016 –
10/31/2016
 Cruise – Sydney to Perth  16  RC Radiance of the
Seas 
 10/31/2016 –
11/16/2016 
 Cruise – Perth to Sydney  17  RC Radiance of the
Seas 
 11/16/2016 –
12/3/2016 
 Tasmania #1 Penguin Beach House  44    12/3/2016 – 1/16/2017 
 Tasmania #2 Anchorage Waterfront  44    1/16/2017 – 3/1/2017 
Cruise –
Sydney to Sydney 
12  Celebrity Soltice   3/1/2017 – 3/13/2017 
 Sydney House – Fairlight  House – Manley 40  3/13/2017 – 4/22/2017 
 Cruise – Sydney to Seattle   24  RC Explorer of the Seas   4/22/2017 – 5/15/2017 
 Hotel – Vancouver Marriot Pinaccle 2  5/15/2017 –
5/17/2017 
 Cruise – Vancouver to Seattle – Alaska   9  Celebrity Soltice   5/17/2017 – 5/26/2017 
Flight –
Seattle to Minneapolis 
0   5/26/2017 – 5/26/2017
Hotel –
Minneapolis Family Visit
42   5/26/2017 – 7/7/2017
Nevada Family
Visit 
21    7/7/2017 – 8/1/2017 
Costa Rica –
Atenas – La Perla de Atenas 
114    8/1/2017 – 11/22/2017 
Flight –
Costa Rica to Fort Lauderdale
0   11/22/2017 –
11/22/2017
Hotel – Fort
Lauderdale, Florida
1   11/22/2017 –
11/23/2017
 Cruise – Ft. Lauderdale to Santiago 15 Celebrity Infinity  11/23/2017 –
12/8/2017 
 Cruise – Santiago to Buenos Aires,
Argentina 
15 Celebrity Infinity  12/8/2017 –
12/23/2017 
Hotel – Buenos Aires  – not booked 31    12/23/2017 – 1/23/2018 
Flight –
Buenos Aires to Ushuaiai, Argentina
0    1/23/2018
Cruise –
Antarctica – Ushuaiai to Ushuaiai
16 Ponant Le Soleil  1/23/2018 – 2/8/2018 
Flight –
Ushuaiai to Buenos Aires
0   2/8/2018 – 2/8/2018
Flight(3) –
Buenos Aires to Nelspruit, SA
3   2/8/2018 – 2/11/2018
Neslpruit to
Marloth Park, South Africa
0 road trip 2/11/2018 – 2/11/2018
South Africa
– Marloth Park
88 Tom’s 70th BD gift to
Jess
2/11/2018 – 5/10/2018
Rwanda,
Africa for Gorilla Expedition
7 flights TBD 5/10/2018 – 5/17/2018
Victoria
Falls, Zimbabwe/Zambia
7 flights TBD 5/17/2018 – 5/24/2018
Cruise –
Zambezi River
7 flights TBD 5/24/2018 – 5/31/2018
Flight –
Zambia to Nelspruit, South Africa
2 flights TBD 6/1/2018 – 6/3/2018
Neslpruit to
Marloth Park, South Africa
0 road trip 6/3/2018 – 6/3/2018
South Africa
– Marloth Park
88 return stay 6/3/2018 – 8/30/2018
Total Days
Booked – More to Follow
669

No words can describe my surprise and excitement when Tom sprung this happy news on me as we swam in the pool.  Sure, he knew I was chomping at the bit to return to both our human and animal friends in Marloth Park but I’d expected it would be several years out. 

Was he motivated by the fact that many of our vaccinations are good for ten years and by then, we’ll be into the sixth year of world travel when we were originally inoculated in the US in 2012, shortly before we began our journey?  Or perhaps he was motivated by the reality that we aren’t getting any younger and this long journey can be challenging, especially arriving from South America.

What a fabulous villa this has been in Sumbersari, Bail.  Note Tom’s head in lower right as he lounges on the sofa out of the sun while I finish the post at the dining table.

Not only did we long to return to Africa to stay in Marloth Park, living in the bush with wildlife surrounding us, we’d yet to see the gorillas in Rwanda, cruise on the Zambezi River and see the largest waterfalls in the world, Victoria Falls by none other than a helicopter.  As we pieced together today’s itinerary, it all became a reality. I’m so excited!

Each time I’ve brought up this topic in our future travels conversations, Tom said he’d be delighted to return although we still had a lot of world to see.  Long ago, we agreed that all decisions we make must be unanimous.  We’ve followed that edict to the letter. 

This has to have been our favorite dinner time view.

Now, he’s come my way on this topic when he too realizes, we may not be able to do this forever.  Although I didn’t nag him on the subject (I don’t nag), he knew my heart longed for Africa one more time.  Many who’ve visited the continent feel this same affinity to returning someday.  Knowing he’s now as enthused as I am, makes my heart sing.  Thank you, my dear husband, lover, travel companion and friend!

Speaking of birthdays and life’s milestones, Tom 65th birthday will be spent the day we arrive in Buenos Aires, Argentina on December 23, 2017, another special day to celebrate.  I’m certain we’ll have no trouble making the event celebratory in Buenos Aires!

As you peruse this itinerary, you may wonder…Is this the end of our travels which at that point, as stated above, which will be only a few months shy of six years from the onset of our world travels?  As we’ve stated in many posts over these years, health will always be the determining factor.

High tide view from the villa’s second story veranda.

We’d anticipated that “getting tired of it” would be as crucial a reason to end this year’s long journey as for any health reasons.  As time has marched on and we’ve became more and more adapted to this peculiar way of life, this reason would no longer be an issue for either of us. 

When we first began, we made a pact that if one of us wants to stop, we would.  Now, that prospect is somewhat of a joke.  Every so often we ask one another the question, “Are you tired of this yet?’ 

Invariably, we laugh at the preposterousness of the question.  It would be comparable to one asking, “Are you tired of being happy yet?” 

There are many unknowns in this world we live in, risks and dangers we can hardly bear to imagine.  But, as always, we continue on with love and hope in our hearts and minds, in awe and humbled by the world around us, and always longing for more.

Dog on the paved road.

With the kindest of good intentions, many often wish us, “Have a nice holiday!  Enjoy your vacation!” to which we always say a simple, “thank you.”  We look at one another with crinkly eyes twinkling, as wide smiles spread across our faces while these unspoken words spin simultaneously through our minds, “This is no holiday or vacation.  This is our lives! 

Its not always profound.  Its not always exciting.  Often, its challenging and frustrating.  At times, we have no choice other than to adapt to our surroundings, making the best of what may be excruciatingly difficult for a period of time. 

Isn’t that how life is for all of us?  We’re all longing for fulfillment in one form or another whether its for today, tomorrow or the future yet to come.

May you find life fulfilling, now and always.

_________________________________________


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

Cars and trucks could easily fit inside the ferry in Savusavu, Fiji.  Prices vary by weight as shown here at the ferry company’s website.  For more details, please click here.

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

Colorful sunset over the farm.


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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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