Comment from a friend/reader…Love hearing from all of you!…

Posted by worldwide-admin on January 22, 2016 with 0 Comment

It had rained for the first several days since we arrived. Yesterday, the first sunny day, we stumbled upon this view. We were both mesmerized by the beauty of Mount Taranaki. (We’re located in the Taranaki region of New Zealand). The trek up this mountain can be dangerous, which we heard aboard the ship, as per this link.

This morning, checking my email, as I do first thing each day, reading the comments from our friends/readers, I saw that Staci wrote the following:

“What a gorgeous place! I remember when you booked this location, I couldn’t wait to see how it turned out! I can tell you all are just having an outstanding experience, and you can write about the alpacas every day for all I care! 🙂 Have a great weekend.”

At the end of yesterday’s post, I commented how we laughed over her comment about us posting excessively about the alpacas. As each day passes, I’ve come to realize how impossible it will be for me not to write about them and post photos.

After all, there are approximately 90 alpacas surroundings us along with a wide array of cows on the bordering properties. How can we avoid noticing their activities throughout the day with a perfect spot to sit in the warmth of the sun on the veranda and with huge windows and walls of glass throughout the house?

This morning’s view from the veranda of the cows on the adjacent property. We easily hear mooing all day. Having never lived on a farm, this is all quite a joy for both of us.

The first thing we see each morning in the master bath’s window (instead of a mirror over the sink) is one of the many paddocks on this property with 20 alpacas huddled together to stay warm in the coolness of the morning. They recently had been sheared for their precious fleece which is hypoallergenic.

I’d rather look at them each morning rather than myself as I start my day! (There’s another vanity area with a mirror and sink in the master bedroom that serves that purpose).

As the sun rises each day, my heart flips in my chest seeing them, closely connected for companionship, love, and warmth. They’re still shy about us but surely in time, they’ll come to know us to approach more readily. For now, we wait patiently, keeping a distance to ensure their ease and comfort.

At some point, we’ll drive to the area of the mountain where there are beautiful lakes we’d like to see such as Lake Mangamahoe.

Over these past few days, that it’s nearly impossible for us not to address the alpacas in our posts, at least with one or two photos added to other photos for the day. Humor me, folks. I’m totally in love with them and Tom is a close second. The alpacas are our new “warthogs” with whom we also fell in love in South Africa after their multiple daily visits to our veranda.

Yesterday, was a wonderfully busy day. After finishing the last of the wash while delighting in hanging the clothes outside on a breezy, sunny day, we took a drive into the town of New Plymouth to check out the ocean views and become familiar with the “downtown” area. Later, after being back home, we went back out a second time, taking more photos.

New Plymouth, with a population of over 68,000 has commercial areas reminding us more of a community area than a tourist area. None of the areas we’ve seen to date feels touristy and over-marketed. We spotted a mall but it didn’t have that “tourist attraction” kind of appearance.

As we drove to another location again we spotted Mount Taranaki as the clouds had moved from the peak.

Of course, we’ve only been here a few days and have yet to formulate any concrete observations or opinions. Although, this we know for certain…we love it here, especially out in the countryside where we’ll live for the next three months.

In only a matter of 20 minutes, we’re able to drive to town to shop for anything we could want. With 117 restaurants listed in TripAdvisor for New Plymouth, we’ll never run out of dining out options.

The difficult part will be choosing to dine out when the robust selection of wonderful foods at the markets far exceeds anything we’ve seen in a very long time. In many ways, the options are even more abundant than what we discovered in Trinity Beach, Australia.

Hours after being born, this baby alpaca is nursing. Pinch me! This is so sweet!

Then again, with Valentine’s Day, my birthday, and our wedding anniversary all upcoming in the next six weeks, we’ll certainly plan a few nights out to dine at some of the above-noted top restaurants in the area. For now, we’ve just begun to explore the 35 acres surrounding us. Um…heavenly!

Photo from one year ago today, January 23, 2015:

One year ago, while living in Kauai, we stumbled upon this view driving down an unexpected road. For more details, please click here. (The same occurred yesterday when again we stumbled across the main photo view when we drove down an “unexpected road.”)

Figuring out and settling in…Life in a new country…Expenses to date…Wonderful year-ago photos!

Posted by worldwide-admin on January 20, 2016 with 0 Comment

Tom whistled to attract the attention of this baby alpaca.

Not only must we get comfortable and familiar with a new home in each new country but we must learn how to use a variety of household appliances and equipment that may be entirely different than we’ve used in the past.

Whether its running a washer or dishwasher, firing up an oven (referred to as a “hob”) or making coffee (no electric coffee maker) using with whatever is available, it all requires stopping and taking the time to learn something new. Actually, we never mind any of these types of learning experiences.

Baby alpaca nursing under this proud mom. Note another baby to the left.

Add figuring out the Satellite TV, sound and video system in this surprisingly modern house in a rural area near New Plymouth, New Zealand or simply how to hang clothes outside on the pulley type clothesline with the limited supply of clothespins all becomes part of the settling in process.

Then again, we’re not the typical tourist staying only a week or two with limited needs compared to those of a long term stay. Most tourists don’t do much cooking and laundry during a short stay.

Baby alpaca referred to as “cria” of which many were born in the past weeks. Many more will be giving birth over the next month. We’ll return with more photos, especially once we have a few sunny days.

Then, of course there’s figuring out a working wifi system and bearing the cost for the NZ hot spot we purchased yesterday at NZD $199, US $128, (useless to us once we leave) plus another NZD $270 US $173 for data, enough to last only one to two weeks.

Yesterday alone, we used NZD $45, US $29 of data. This could become pricey over the long haul. We hope Internet service will soon becomes available at the house as we continue to incur these unexpected expenses.

The car rental was affordable after careful online research months ago. For the full three months, the rental fees under a single contract was NZD $2848, US $1817, at a monthly rate of NZD $949, US $609. Sure, its an older car but it drives well, looks fine with has no apparent body damage other than a few scratches we documented with the rental guy.

Sunset last night and gas grill we’ll use tonight to cook prime rib.

As for the cost of groceries, we’d yet to address here, we’re pleasantly surprised. The first time we shop in each new locale, the cost is often higher for our initial purchases when its necessary to purchase household goods such as paper products, laundry soap and cooking supplies such as spices, coconut and olive oil.

After shopping at the Kiwi Meat Market yesterday, we’d purchased enough meat to last over a week including a huge prime rib (tonight’s dinner on the grill), four packs of streaky bacon, one large package lamb chops, several slabs baby back ribs and several pounds/kilos of beef and pork mince for a total of only NZD $80, US $51. All the meat is grass fed except for the pork which Tom eats when I have lamb.

This huge 1.177 kilo, 2.6 pound boneless grass fed prime rib is tonight’s dinner to be cooked on the grill with a side of mushroom casserole, baby asparagus and romaine lettuce salad with homemade dressing. Check out this great price of NZD $17.64, US $11.34!

With the balance spent at the New World market, including organic veggies for sale in the market from local farms, and…the cost of the meat, we spent a grand total of US $326, NZD $508. With staples now in our household stock, our next shopping trip will most likely be half this amount.

This morning, I tried to walk closer to the alpacas for photos but after the rain, walking through the dense grass didn’t make sense. Once it dries out a bit, we’re surely head closer for better photos. All day, by looking out several windows we can easily see them. I’ve started calling to them in my “warthog calling voice” as they pick up their heads from grazing to look at me.

This morning, when Tom hung the first load of laundry they started walking toward him. They’re fenced in but may climb over the fence during the day returning later to stay close to the herd. Apparently, none of them wander away, not to return. There are dozens of alpaca on this 35 acre farm.

Photo taken last night shortly before dark of four alpacas who’d wandered to a distant hill. They seem to return to the herd on their own. We’ll discover more of their habits as we learn from the owners and observing them daily.

We’re staying in today, getting caught up on email from our readers, handling banking and financial matters, finishing our laundry and preparing our dinner, all tasks we both enjoy.

Whether we’re out and about or staying in with tasks to accomplish, we’re equally content. As we settle in we find our new location truly becomes “home” as we conduct our daily lives, just like YOU, enjoying the many trivialities of the day.

_________________________________________

Photo from one year ago today, January 21, 2015:

Ironically, yesterday we received email from Vicki and Jerry with whom we only spent one afternoon on the beach at Hanalei and yet they remain friends for life. I love this photo of, get this, “Tom and Jerry!” They became fast friends in only one afternoon. Click here for details.

I couldn’t resist posting two year-ago photos today when this photo included dear Vicki. Unfortunately, they were getting ready to leave Kauai and we never got to spend time with them again. To Vicki and Jerry: “Hello, you two! We think of you often and hope our paths will cross someday! Thanks for continuing to reads our daily posts.”

We booked three more cruises while on the ship with lots of extra perks…Off the ship in Tauranga…Photos!

Posted by worldwide-admin on January 17, 2016 with 0 Comment

Our ship, the Celebrity Solstice looked huge while docked at the Port of Tauranga, New Zealand.

Booking cruises while aboard ship definitely has perks often unknown to passengers until they decide to investigate. Although this is only our 12th cruise, many passengers we’ve met have been on dozens of cruises over the years with considerably more experience than us.

Those passengers have learned the ins and outs of saving the maximum number of dollars while gaining the maximum number of perks offered by the cruise lines. The more we cruise, the more savvy we’ve become in taking advantage of every possible benefit.

While on this cruise we booked three additional cruises, although we may not ever go on these specific cruises. For that reason, we won’t list the details and itineraries at this time. Should we decide to follow through on them, we’ll post the details at that time.

We stopped at a local park as we walked to the center of town in Tauranga, New Zealand located on the North Island where we’ll be living.

However, as explained by the “sales staff” in the Future Cruise Sales Office aboard the ship, if we book these cruises now, the perks we receive are fully transferable to any other Celebrity cruise, we may choose to book in the future with no time limits or constraints as to when we may use them or which routes we may choose to explore. This is a huge benefit.

Booking these same cruises through our usual Vacations to Go rep, doesn’t allow us the magnitude of these perks which are only offered while on the ship. And yet, our VTG rep will receive full commission credit for any cruises we book on the ship which, based on the good service we’ve received over the years with VTG, it’s important to us.

Plus, our rep at VTG will continue to handle when and if we decide to transfer these perks by moving them to a new cruise and canceling the prior booked cruise(s).

The bay in Tauranga.

The only “catch” is that the cancellation/transfer must be made 75 days prior to the sail date when the final payment is due and automatically billed to our credit card on file. Canceling after full payment results in hefty penalties, which we’d never incurred.

Yesterday, while I was busy posting Tom visited the Future Cruise Sales Office to review each of our upcoming Celebrity cruises to determine if re-booking was a benefit. The only existing booking which proved beneficial to change was the Alaskan cruise, at this time. That may change in the future when we’re aboard another cruise. This same policy applies to Royal Caribbean cruises, all under the same corporate umbrella.

For us, this could be a “paperwork” nightmare. But, with our spreadsheet with all the information detailed and documented and further noted on our online calendar with reminders, it’s relatively easy.

Tom spotted this street rod and suggested this photo. Note the license plate.

For the average traveler booking one or two cruises, it’s a breeze. As of today, we have nine future cruises booked over the next 26 months all with Celebrity and Royal Caribbean except the one upcoming Mekong River cruise (Viking lines) next summer.

Now, this sounds like a tremendous amount of cruises but considering we moved every three months, plus the fact that use cruising as a means of transportation when possible, it’s not so alarming.

Sure, we wish we’d never have to deal with airports, overweight baggage and long lines and could cruise everywhere we’d like to travel. It’s just not possible when there are only so many routes that cruise ships navigate throughout the world.

Cruise passengers, other tourists, and locals filled the busy Tauranga, New Zealand streets.

Each of the three cruises we booked in the past several days have offered amazing perks. One of the three cruises we booked in a replacement to the Alaskan cruise on May 17, 2017 we’d already booked. By making a second booking on the same exact cruise in a different cabin number, we’re able to acquire more perks.

Once we arrive on land and contact our rep at VTG, she’ll cancel the first Alaskan cruise and transfer the new booking to the cabin number we originally booked. The staff on the ship can’t do the cancellation from the ship, suggesting we do it directly with our usual rep. Maneuvering this seemingly complicated process got us more perks on the nine-day Alaskan cruise including:

1. Classic Beverage Packages, for two: Valued at US $59 per person, per day for the nine-day cruise, totaling US $1062
2. Unlimited Internet Package for two (no sharing required): Valued at US $488
3. Onboard credit of US $150 which can be applied to the mandatory tips required at US $12.95 per person, per day totaling US $234. (We could have chosen a perk to include full payment of the tips, but these other above packages gave us more “bang for the buck.”

On our prior booking for this particular cruise we only had one perk, not the above three perks as follows:
1. Classic Beverage Packages, for two: Valued at US $59 per person, per day for the nine-day cruise, totaling US $1062

By booking onboard, we’ve saved US $638. We’re still going on the same exact cruise with the same exact balcony cabin class. It’s certainly worth the time and effort.

After a long and delightful walk through the town of Tauranga, we sat on a park bench enjoying the beach on a sunny day.

As for the other two cruises we booked, we were able to pay a minimum deposit of only US $200 for the two of us with similar perks on each cruise, as above stated, transferable to any future Celebrity cruise. The fact that the two other cruises don’t meet our itinerary and criteria, is irrelevant. They’ll eventually be transferred long before the final payment dates.

We realize this information may be boring to many of our readers who don’t cruise or have little interest in cruising. For this, we apologize. But, as we’ve always attempted, if we can save our readers who do cruise a little money here and there, we’re more than happy to do so.

If any of our readers have questions we can answer regarding this, please comment at the end of this post and we’ll promptly reply sharing our suggestions with all of our readers.

Today is our final full day aboard ship. We’d booked a small group tour with four other passengers to go sightseeing in Bay of Islands, New Zealand but Tom is getting a sore throat. Not wanting to infect the four other passengers in the charter van we decided to pay our share of NZ $170, US $110 and not go.

The rocks at the shore were covered in a wire mesh to prevent erosion. The seagulls are so used to people, this one didn’t flinch when I took the photo.

The four other passengers appreciated our willingness to cover our share to avoid them paying more when last night we delivered the NZ $170 to one of their cabins. As it turned out, this morning another couple took our spot and we got our NZ $170 back! Safari luck!

Now, let’s hope Tom’s sore throat dissipates over the next few days. As always, many passengers are coughing and sneezing with colds, common on cruises. He can handle a cold and actually feels quite fine otherwise. The fact that its pouring rain today certainly doesn’t leave us disappointed that we aren’t going on the mostly outdoor tour.

This afternoon, we’ll pack, leaving out clothing and toiletries for tonight and tomorrow since our bags will be collected this evening. We’ll keep our carry on bags with our most valuable items, in our possession as always, including the yellow Costco bag, the computer bag and the wheeling cart to hold it all.

We’ve been assigned a disembarkation time of 7:00 am tomorrow although there’s a degree of flexibility in getting off a little later if we choose. We’ll play it by ear with nary a concern. By 9:00 or 10:00 am all the passengers will have disembarked as the ship prepares for the next load of 2850 passengers embarking in Auckland, New Zealand on the reverse of this cruise.

Today, we’ll prepare tomorrow’s “final expenses” post including our cruise fare, the included perks and the final bill we received for extras not included in the fare which will automatically be uploaded a bit earlier than the posts over the term of this 14 day cruise.

Thanks to all of our readers for cruising along with us. We thoroughly enjoyed the journey with all of YOU at our sides!

Photo from one year ago today, January 18, 2015:

View from our veranda in Princeville Kauai where we lived for four months. We enjoyed every moment on the exquisite island for its beauty, the Laysan Albatross, “Birdie” and for all the wonderful people we met and the lifelong friends we made. We love and miss you all! For more details, please click here.

Curiosity about our lives from many passengers we meet…How could this life come to a quick end?

Posted by worldwide-admin on January 14, 2016 with 0 Comment

Knox Church is a notable building in Dunedin, New Zealand. It houses the city’s second Presbyterian congregation and is the city’s largest church of any denomination.

As we’ve mentioned many times, people are exceedingly friendly on cruises, to a point that one would have to be a total recluse not to frequently engage in conversation with other passengers on a consistent basis.

There are countless areas where sharing a table is necessary, if not encouraged, which in doing so results in conversation no more than seconds after we’re seated.

The only time of day we’re seated by ourselves is in the Café al Bacio, drinking coffee and tea, sitting at an ergonomically correct table and chairs for two while we prepare the day’s post.

A view of the village.

That’s not to say we avoid socializing while working on the post. Many people we’ve met and others that have seen us seated at this table, morning after morning, have stopped to talk inquiring as to what we’re doing here each day.

We never mind stopping what we’re doing to chat. As a result, we’ve uploaded most posts later in the day than when we’re living somewhere for a period of time.

Need I say how much fun it has been to interact so freely with many passengers from all over the world aboard this ship? We’ve handed out dozens of our business cards and look forward to hearing from them with suggestions for our travels when we visit places where they reside and places they’ve traveled.

Homes close to the ocean in Dunedin, New Zealand.

During these delightful conversations as we all share our stories, Tom often interjects that when my health returned after changing my diet, we decided to travel while we can. Who knows? It could change in a day. I could wake up tomorrow morning and not be able to walk and be in excruciating pain as I was, almost five years ago.

After all, my dear sister Susan with the same inflammatory disease, four years my senior, has been lying in bed unable to walk for the past 10 years. That could be me and would have been having I not made this huge change in 2011.

It was three months after changing my diet, the awful pain subsided and only a few months later, we decided to travel the world. Who knew how long we’d have before it returned, making it impossible for me to carry on, putting a fast end to our world travels?

Early morning view to Akaroa, New Zealand. We’ll return on our own to many of these quaint towns over the next three months. At present we’re planning a few overnight trips to tour both the North and South islands.

This single fact has motivated us to travel, Tom’s idea, not mine. I’d have never asked him to do this, although many of our family and friends assume it was my idea. We never dreamed of traveling the world.

All Tom cared to experience was traversing through the Panama Canal which we accomplished in January 2013 on a cruise from San Diego to Belize. My dream was Africa. Now with these glorious experiences behind us, we hunger for more, as good health continues, for as long as we’re gifted with this blessing.

See how easy it is for me to avoid taking a single bite of food not allowed on my way of eating? The motivation is powerful and unwavering…food or happiness? I choose happiness over food every single day and have yet since 2011, taking one bite of any item not included in my way of eating. Why take the risk?

Reflection of the ship on the sea as we anchored in Akaroa. A 20-minute tender boat ride is required to go ashore.

As Tom often explains, “Touch a hot stove, burn yourself and you’ll never touch that hot stove again!” A simple premise but it easily explains it all.

Thus, as we continue to meet people who usually inquiry as to what motivated us to leave everything we knew and loved behind, he jumps in with this explanation which often precipitates many questions as to what I eat and don’t eat and ultimately what conditions I have.

When I explain the condition is not gone but that I simply don’t experience the accompanying pain they get it. We never forget for one hour, one day how fortunate we are and how humbled we are for the gift of having this opportunity to see the world for as long as we can.

While many passengers were off the ship on tours, we stayed on board when the crew had a mandatory emergency drill as shown in these photos.

Now, 39 months later, we’ve seen so much. On the other hand, we’ve seen so little with oceans of opportunities facing us in the near and distant future. We don’t worry about what we’ll do if the pain returns and we can’t carry on. We have no doubt, we’ll figure it out when the time comes.

Yes, dear readers, one day, you’ll open this post and you’ll see we can no longer continue. But, for now, we’re like two 20-year-olds, having the time of our lives, feeling wonderful, tightly wrapped in each other’s arms, hoping and praying for one more day. This is the story we share.

Be well.

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

This photo of the snorkeler was somewhat confusing. Could they have been conducting some type of research? For details, please click here.

Ship docked in Tasmania today…Great comment from a loyal reader…

Posted by worldwide-admin on January 9, 2016 with 2 Comments

Due to a poor signal aboard ship, we’re unable to post many photos each day.

Last night at the show, Jane, Tom and Rob, our new Aussie friends.

Today, our ship has docked at the port in Hobart, Tasmania. With our upcoming three months on the island beginning in less than 11 months, we decided we’ll save touring this interesting location for that time.

We’ll have a rental car for the full period and can travel at our own pace as we choose. Besides, I’m still nursing a cold/virus I picked up on the flight to Sydney when the man sitting next to me sneezed and coughed during the entire flight. With the use of Tylenol and a nasal spray I’m nursing it, hoping to return to total health in a few days.

As much as we’d prefer not to whine about being ill, we feel it’s only fair to our readers to tell-it-like-it-is including the less than ideal periods we experience from time to time.

On occasion, most of us get colds, flu, viruses, infections or injuries which regardless of our aggressive preventive measures we can’t seem to avoid. It’s life. Ups and downs. How foolish and unrealistic our site would be if we only shared the “up” times and not the “down” periods.

The thought of doing more today than lounging with a cup of hot tea was beyond me. Thank goodness I’m not sneezing and coughing during the day or I’d quarantine myself to the cabin. Now, as day four since the onset of these symptoms, I’m hoping I’m not contagious.

No flash photography was allowed during the performance, making these photos a bit dark.

Luckily, over the past five days, I haven’t felt so badly that we weren’t able to go to breakfast and dinner. Last night, we dined with new friends, Jane and Rob from Australia. After dinner, at 9:00 pm we all attended the Andy Joy show in the Solstice Theatre, who’s a talented and versatile musician and singer.

When the show ended, we said good night (no handshakes, no hugs) and headed to our cabin where again I had a good night’s sleep, vital during periods of feeling less than ideal.

Now, with 80% of the passengers off the ship for one of many Tasmanian tours, we’re again quietly content to be lounging in the Café al Bacio coffee bar. We’re contemplating spending a little time at the pool once we’re done posting.

Today is a mild, not humid, sunny day, a rarity in our lives over these past many months of living in outrageously hot and humid weather. As we move along on this cruise, we’re expecting cooler weather which we’ll fully embrace.

As our posts have continued over the years, we’ve had countless heartwarming experiences of hearing feedback from our readers. Often, they prefer to email rather than post a comment at the end of any day’s post. Some prefer anonymity while others find it quicker and easier to email rather than post a comment. Either way is fine for us.

However, we suspect that many of our readers enjoy reading the comments of other readers, although they may not be comfortable posting their own comments. I can easily be a “lurker” never saying “boo” on another blog or website I may peruse regularly or on occasion.

Getting into the theatre at the last minute we had no choice but to take seats on the side, not center section.

Our reader, Amit, who stumbled upon us accidentally only a short time ago, has sent email and also posted a few comments. An email he sent a few days ago lingered in my mind that it may be of interest to our other readers. Here’s Amit’s email message sent on January 5, 2016:

“Hi, Jess,

I have continued reading your blog with great interest and have gotten to the part where you visit the Namale resort to celebrate the third anniversary of your adventure with Tom. Belated congratulations on your new to me occasion.

One of my Facebook friends from my only adventure in the last 25 years, a trip to Central Europe, posted about her upcoming trip to Australia and Fiji and asked for advice. I eagerly recommended your blog and have showed it to other friends, especially the 8 visitors in 1 day post from Marloth Park.

It’s exciting to realize that I am only 2 months of posts away from your real-time adventures, on a new Pacific Cruise if I remember correctly. In the post I’m reading now you talk about the world map of your travels which I always open in another window when I read your blog.

You talk about updating and correcting the map and I’d just like to make one minor observation. The map has a link to Borabora in New Guinea rather than Bora Bora in French Polynesia. It would be so exciting if you did get to New Guinea on a cruise. Maybe later.

Thank you so much for all happiness you have given me with this blog. It makes me excited for my own travels in the future. I really would like to go to Morocco now, although just for a short trip. And I never even knew about your favorite place, Marloth Park.”

His message immediately inspired Tom to correct the map on our homepage. Tom, who handles the map, got to work to make the corrections. In our ongoing efforts to always present a realistic and accurate representation of every aspect of our lives of travel, we can’t express how much we appreciate Amit alerting us to the error.

The performer was versatile, playing multiple instruments including the piano.

In the past, other readers have offered correction suggestions all of which we’ve taken seriously which we’ve immediately implement when applicable. We welcome suggestions provided they aren’t of a “bashing” or bullying nature. We’ve certainly had a few such comments we soon deleted to which we’ve seldom responded.

This is a positive and “happy” place for us to share our experiences. Yes, some days things go wrong or we’re “under the weather” but that doesn’t diminish the overall depth of the quality of our journey. It all a part of life which for all of us is rarely a constant stream of perfection and ease.

We wrote back to Amit, thanking him for sharing his thoughts with us, explaining that he started at the beginning to read from our first post in March 15, 2012 to the present, which he’s almost reached. Perhaps, by the time he reads about himself here, he’ll be caught up.

Today’s post is #1257. Amit, that’s quite a commitment and we thank and commend you for tackling it and, for sharing it with your friends and for writing to us.

As we strive to continue to grow our worldwide readership, sharing our web address with family and friends is so appreciated and meaningful to us. All you need to do is send them an email including this link: www.worldwidewaftage.com

It will direct your friends to today’s newest post which changes daily as we continue to post 365 days a year…366 this year, a leap year.

That’s it for today, folks. We hope you have a wonderful day. We’ll be back tomorrow with more new photos as we continue to revel in our “boatload” of new friends and experiences!

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

A map illustrating how the city of Hilo near the bay was wiped out from tsunamis over the years. Notice the Lyman Museum name at the top of this page, which we’d also visited in December 2015 with the family. Click here for details.

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

Posted by worldwide-admin on January 2, 2016 with 0 Comment

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Credit card compromised…How to handle…Out to dinner with friends in Fiji…

Posted by worldwide-admin on December 19, 2015 with 0 Comment

Danny, Samantha, me, and Tom, standing outside our house in Pacific Harbour, Fiji.

Handling our five credit cards requires a certain amount of attention other than merely paying off the balance each month. The vast amounts we charge on the cards often including rents for three months, full cruise fares, pricey airline tickets, long term car rentals, groceries, and dining out. The new statements can be well into the thousands in a given month.

Keeping an eye on these expenses for their accuracy and for any potential unknown expenses, excess fees or instances of fraud drives me to check online every few days.

With a tile for each credit card company on my touch screen desktop in Windows 8, it takes only seconds to log in and check each of the five cards with the fact they’re all from only two banks making the process easier. We seldom find an error. When we do, we contact the toll-free number on the card and get to work to solve the problem.

Last year around this same time, one of the credit card companies had contacted us by phone and email to notify us of fraud charges that hadn’t yet posted in “pending transactions” making it impossible for us to see online.

Danny’s curry dinner, which he said was good.

The credit card company’s system is sophisticated enough to be able to pick up “test” charges used by credit card fraud companies and individuals to determine if they will in fact be able to use the card for larger purchases.

Over the past year, most of our cards have been replaced with the supposedly more secure cards containing “computerized chips.” However, having these cards with chips hasn’t prevented fraud on the cards.

A few days ago, we received a fraud alert to which I immediately responded with a phone call. Yes, Tom’s card number with a chip that replaced his compromised card last December was compromised and charges had started rolling in, first in “test” charges for $1 and then hotel bills and fuel charges in Kansas City, Missouri, USA.

How did this happen? This occurred both last year and this year (in December) on the card, we use most often when Tom usually handles the checking-out using that particular card when we’re dining out and purchasing products and groceries.

We’ve been in Fiji for almost four months. Most likely at some establishment where we’d paid using the card, the number was noted and “sold” to those who conduct such illegal behavior across the globe.

The upper portion of my plate contained the salad with the entrée on the bottom right. There was a tiny portion of squid, perhaps a tablespoon. To balance my meals carbs and protein, I must eat a larger portion of protein at least 6 ounces. Thus, I ordered a small steak, which worked well. (The plate appears larger in this photo).

The fact that we’re in Fiji didn’t necessarily create a greater risk. This transpires throughout the world with billions of dollars each year. No one is exempt from the potential risk.

It may surprise some, but when this happens, it’s not a personal serious situation. It is definitely not as serious and destructive as “identity theft” when a person’s entire credit profile is compromised, which may result in the life-changing destruction of one’s entire creditworthiness. A compromised credit card is a simple process for the customer:

1. Immediately respond to the email and/or phone card from the credit card. Those with late payments or a poor credit card history may hesitate to return the call when they may assume the call is for collection purposes. Failure to respond to the inquiry can, in fact, create a more difficult situation after the fraudulent charges have been posted.

2. The quicker one returns the call, the better, using the phone number on the back of the card (for added security). The bank’s fraud department wants to decipher which charges the customer actually made as opposed to those charges made fraudulently to avoid further fraudulent charges. When doing so, the customer will not be charged any amount for the fraudulent charges. The concept that you’ll only be charged the first USD $50 is not true unless you are aware of some obscure stipulation in the bank’s regulations that allows for such a charge. It’s unlikely.

3. Carefully review all the charges you’ve made with the fraud department representative We’ve read online that there have been a few rare instances whereby customers of less than ideal ethics attempted to pass off some of their own purchases as fraudulent when they were not, hoping they’d “go away” during this process. This behavior, in itself, is fraud and may result in termination of the card, bad credit ratings, and possible legal charges.

4. Upon the bank’s recommendation destroy the card from which the charges were made and any other cards with the same number. The card will no longer work after the company has posted the number as compromised. We usually cut the card into tiny pieces and dispose of the pieces. Even if the card could be pieced together as in a puzzle the fact the number has been flagged, it would never work anyway.

Tom and Samantha had the burger topped with egg and fries.

5. When the new card arrives in the mail, immediately sign and activate the card which has a new number.Visit every website where you may have stored the card for frequent purchases, and change both the number and expiration date which will also be new, or the next time you make a purchase it will be declined. The three or four-digit number of the back near your signature will also have changed. Use your best judgment, only releasing this number of highly secure and reputable sites.

Done and done. When chip technology is used on a shared account, Tom and I each have a separate number as opposed to sharing the same card number. Thus, my card, a different number, wasn’t compromised. Until we receive the new card in an upcoming supplies shipment while in NZ, we’ll use other cards or my same card for this particular account.

While traveling, every 60 days, we contact the credit card companies either by phone or online to notify them of “travel alerts,” specifically in which countries we’ll be using the card including when we’re in the US in May 2017. The alerts only last 60 days. This information prevents the card from being declined when rightfully making purchases while traveling. This must be done each time one leaves their home country to avoid the resulting embarrassment and delays.

Feel free to contact us if any of this is confusing, or better yet, your credit card provider with specific personal inquiries.

On to the second part of today’s post. First off, our newly made friends, Samantha and Danny (he’s from Minnesota, she’s from Wisconsin, small world) have left Fiji to return to their new home in Seattle, where Danny returns to his medical residency (sure, Tom asked if Danny worked at “Seattle Grace”) and Samantha to her social work practice.

We noticed the lily pad flowers close at night as darkness fell while we dined at Oasis Restaurant.

You may ask, “How do we refer to people we met for short periods as “friends? Doesn’t a friendship require time and nurturing?”

In this life, with access only to short term relationships, we prefer to call those with whom we especially connect and interact in social settings, as friends. For us, these short-term interactions possess a special meaning often staying in touch for years to come.

Dinner at the Oasis Restaurant at the Art Village was enjoyable with the lively conversation between the four of us. Tom enjoyed his burger, as the best of the three burgers he’s had to date in Pacific Harbour.

My entrée was tricky; the portion tiny although tasty, a spicy squid and vegetable stir fry (no sugar, starch soy sauce or rice). It was no more than one cup of food with a small side salad without dressing.

As an “intermittent fasting” advocate consuming one meal, no snacks a day, a one-cup portion of food with a salad without dressing won’t cut it. After the small entrée arrived, I ordered a steak, which was quite good, cooked to perfection.

We shared a taxi ride home, hugged goodbye, and had the driver take today’s main photo of the four of us, once outside our house. It was wonderful to spend time with this lovely honeymoon couple and we’re grateful to our host Susan who encouraged our meeting.

Last night, we dined at Baka Blues in the Arts Village, which we’ll share photos and stories in an upcoming post in a few days. For today, we’re content to stay in on a rainy, hot, and humid day preparing enough of a dish to last for a few upcoming meals and to freeze the balance for a later date, as we wind down the time in Pacific Harbour, Fiji.

For our readers, take a break from the busy activities of the holiday season, grab a cup of coffee or tea and read our posts as they’ll continue through each day of the season with Tom’s upcoming birthday celebration on the 23rd, Christmas Eve, and Christmas Day and New Year’s Eve.

Photo from one year ago today, December 20, 2014:

Tom is at the far left. TJ is in the middle and Jayden is on the far right after they decided they also needed haircuts. Three generations of Lymans having haircut simultaneously. Too cute! This was the last day, the hair salon was taking customers. They were closing the next day for the arrival of the lava flowing from Mount Kilauea. For more info and close up photos, please click here.

Part 1…Road trip…Tour of Suva, the capital city…

Posted by worldwide-admin on December 16, 2015 with 4 Comments

Breathtaking shades of pink.

With it planned for over a week, we’re looking forward to getting out to see some of the sites in Suva on Wednesday morning as well as take a trip to a pharmacy and market for a few remaining items on our list.

Unfortunately, on Tuesday night, I barely slept all night, tossing and turning, reading intermittently, and spending hours wide awake just laying there most of the night. I wasn’t necessarily in a state of worry.

As we’d seen at the huge farmers market in Cairns, Australia, beautiful bouquets of locally grown flowers are offered for sale.

I had most of Wednesday’s post completed so there’d be no issue uploading before our 11:00 am driver appeared in his air-conditioned vehicle on a very hot and humid day. I was feeling fine. There was no reason not to be sleeping at least for six hours, my usual skimpy night’s allotment.

Never a good sleeper, fitful most nights, and always an early bird, if I’d get a full six-hours, even in a few segments, I’d feel fine. But, yesterday morning, dragging myself out of bed, I knew I was in trouble. Most likely I hadn’t slept three hours off and on.

Individual flowers for those who prefer to make their own arrangements.

The thought of sightseeing, shopping, and taking photos all day didn’t seem possible in my exhausted state. Had we been staying in, it would have been easy to pamper myself resting for a few hours here and there, although I can’t nap during the day, never have.

Making certain everything we’d need for dinner when we returned home took every last bit of energy I could muster; making the salad, slicing the cucumber, and preparing the vegetables wiped me out further. With roasted chicken planned as the entrée, by the time we left, dinner was under control.

No photo can do justice to illustrate the massive size of this market.

We could have dined out, but I knew by the time we returned home, my comfy long tee-shirt would be my single article of clothing on a hot day while Tom languished in his swimsuit with no shirt, his usual warm day outfit.

Ready to go at 11:00 am, Alfaan arrived with the newer SUV, another driver with Alamanda Tours. The round trip fare for the day was FJD $100, USD $46.70 plus we gave Alfa a generous trip for his fabulous help, even pushing the cart of the New World Market and helping carry the groceries into the house.

Lettuce is easily found at this market at FJD $1, USD $.47 per bunch.

By the end of the day, I was determined to notify the tour company that we wanted Alfaan as our permanent driver going forward which I did by email upon returning home. This morning I received a confirmation that they’d arrange for him to handle all of our trips.

As it turned out, during the long drive each way, sitting in the front seat, in my exhausted state, I interviewed Alfaan for details on his lifestyle as a local Indo-Fijian and will share his story in a few days. He was eager to answer my questions while I was enthralled by his interesting responses.

This Women’s Centre has clothing, handbags, and jewelry for women only.

Had I felt better, we surely would have visited more sites. I just didn’t have the energy to do much walking although, in all, we walked a fair amount. We did what I could and by 2:30 pm, I’d was done-in and ready to wrap up the day.

We’d made it to the pharmacy to purchase contact lens solution to ensure I have enough for the upcoming cruise and my second bottle of fingernail polish in order to do my own pedicures.

Handmade ribbon bouquets for the holiday season and other celebrations.

Through these past three-plus years, I’ve managed to get by with one bottle of red fast dry polish. Now, it’s thick and unusable and going into the trash. I purchased a regular polish (no fast dry here) in a pinkish color which most likely will get me through the next three years.

We also purchased 3% hydrogen peroxide which we use regularly when brushing our teeth and for mouth rinsing after we’ve done the daily coconut oil teeth pulling we’ve described in earlier posts. (Please write if you’d like more info).

Handwoven bags made onsite at the Women’s Centre.

At the end of the day, we headed to the Cost-U-Less store which is comparable to a lesser version of Sam’s Club or Costco. We walked out empty-handed when they had few items on our list and only huge sizes of most food products, not suitable for our remaining 18 days in Fiji.

Alfaan drove us the short distance to the New World Market, similar to the same-named market in Savusavu and although we couldn’t find a number of items, we wrapped it up and headed home. Aside from eggs, cream and produce, we won’t need to grocery shop again other than purchasing the chickens each week.

The locals hope to earn a reasonable day’s wage working in the market. But, most tourists don’t purchase produce when they’re staying in hotels and resorts, other than fruit. Mostly, the customers were Fijians.

Finally, back home, I was grateful I’d prepped everything for dinner other than toss the salad, cook the veggies and reheat a chicken. We’d purchased many veggies at the huge farmer’s market in Savu, known as the Suva Municipal Market, as shown in these photos, one of the biggest we’ve seen to date.

I washed everything putting it away, relieved when done, anxiously to plop into my comfy chair with a fan blowing on me. It must have been 90F, 32 C inside the house when we entered. When it hadn’t cooled off by the time I lumbered off to bed at 9:30 as late as I possibly could, we turned on the wall AC for the first time. I needed to sleep.

Not unlike the rest of the world, Fijians have cell phones and are often found talking loudly in public.

Today, I’m feeling much better although I awoke dozens of times during the night when the air-con cycled through various stages. Unless it’s as hot tonight as it was last night, most likely we won’t use it again. Hot or noisy, which is preferable?

Tonight, we’re meeting honeymoon couple, Samantha and Danny, for dinner at the Water’s Edge restaurant at 6 pm. We’re looking forward to a casual dinner out with this lovely couple who Susan, the owner of both houses, encouraged us all to get together.

Although I asked the vendor the name of this item, I was unable to understand his response. Looking online, I couldn’t find it. Any ideas?

I’m now in the process of laundering all of Tom’s cruise clothing which on this beautiful sunny day will readily dry carefully hung on hangers on the clothesline. Yesterday, we purchased a roll of plastic bags.

The day before we depart to fly to Sydney we’ll carefully wrap each cruise item in an individual bag for wrinkle-free clothing when we unpack on the cruise. This has proven to be the perfect solution for wrinkle-free clothes upon unpacking.

Fruit of unknown variety. They looked like pears but upon closer inspection, we weren’t certain.

We’ll be back tomorrow and over the next several days with more photos from the trip to Suva and later share details of tonight’s dinner at another new dining establishment.

Today’s another scorcher. Soon, we’ll head out to the pool for a refreshing swim. Enjoy the day!

Photo from one year ago today, December 17, 2014:

Our family members found a level spot easier for getting in and out of the Kapoho tide pools. With no post on this date one year ago, here is the link from the prior day’s visit to the tide pool and why we stayed behind rather than walk over the uneven terrain of massive lava rocks.

A lifestyle story from a local worker…Far removed from the reality of many throughout the world…Familiar to many others…

Posted by worldwide-admin on November 29, 2015 with 0 Comment

Overall, the beaches in this area are rocky.

At the moment, we’re the only residents at our resort other than Mario and Tatiana, whose house is quite a distance from ours, almost inaccessible on foot. Other guests are arriving after we soon depart.

As a result, the housekeepers haven’t been as busy as usual with only our free-standing house to clean and the other units in the main building requiring only dusting and general upkeep in the interim. Tidy and often doing much of the cleaning ourselves, our little house requires little work each day.

When Vika arrived yesterday, the younger sister of Usi with whom she splits the workweek, I finally had a chance to “interview” her knowing she didn’t have to rush off to clean the other units. I’ve wanted to inquire more as to their lifestyle since we arrived, but was only able to do so in snippets as they breezed through doing their work seven days a week.

Vika, who lives with her older brother happily shared the nuances of her everyday life, which was surprising in many ways. We had some idea as to the everyday life of many locals from prior conversations and subsequent posts.

Each household operates on its own level of affordability based on amenities in their homes, income levels, and also a desire to maintain the integrity of their ancestors and generations past, preferring not to adopt many modern conveniences more out of familiarity than for any other reason.

We stopped many times on the beach road to revel in the views.

Vika’s home currently has no electricity. When the power was out over a week ago, it never came back on at her house. I asked her if electricity was generally available at her home.

She explained having power was an on and off thing and she needed to visit the power company to discuss it further. I offered her my phone to make the call and that I’d look up the number for her online. She graciously declined seeming unconcerned that they’d again have power.

They have no appliances…no stove…no refrigerator…no radio…no TV…no washing machine…no means of cooking indoors or preserving food from spoilage…no coolers.

We spent considerable time discussing the preparation and storage of food. When our refrigerator didn’t work for 24 hours, we threw away the roasted chicken, mayonnaise, and many other perishable items.

Now, we understand why the locals were shocked as we tossed what they may have construed as “edible” food into the trash. They have fewer concerns over spoilage. Perhaps, their bodies have adapted to withstand possible illnesses wrought by unrefrigerated foods. I don’t know for sure.

Cooking is another challenge, all done outdoors on rough wood stoves. Also, without a kitchen in their house, all food prep is handled outdoors as they fire up the woodstove to prepare it for cooking for each meal. All wood used for cooking is gathered outdoors, never purchased, other than if it’s a big holiday celebration with lots of food being prepared.

The narrow road we toured.

Keeping in mind, that Vika lives walking distance from us, albeit up and down a very steep incline, it may be difficult for some to envision the simplicity of life in such close proximity. When she or Usi arrive each morning they are beautifully dressed, coifed, and wearing pretty handmade jewelry and earrings.

They appear as if they are preparing to attend a party as opposed to cleaning in their colorful dresses, often a long skirt and matching short sleeve top. I always genuinely compliment them on how lovely they look as they shyly smile offering a heartfelt “vinaka” (thank you) for the compliment.

The smile on their faces truly reflects the kind, loving and happy spirit they each possess, as we’ve seen in the Fijian people since we arrived almost three months ago.

My questions continued with such things as:

1. Do you shop at the Farmers Market? “No, we have a garden and get all of our vegetables from there and fruits from the trees.” On the property here we could easily gather enough fresh fruit for a family from the available papaya, cassava, pineapple, lemons, limes, breadfruit, and a variety of other pods that are fit for human consumption.
2. Do you shop at the grocery stores? “Only once in a while if we need a few items like soap for hand washing clothes and other household items. But, not food.”
3. What do you do for meat without refrigeration? “My father lives nearby and has electricity and a small freezer where he keeps some meat we can use. Mostly, we eat fish that we catch and only a little meat once in a while all cooked on the fire.”
4. We’ve noticed the locals like bread and sweets? Do you purchase any of them at the bakery in the village? “No, I know how to bake over the open fire to make the bread and sweets which we do quite often.” (Her mastery of the English language is flawless and the local accent is easy to understand as is the case for both the native Fijian and the Indo-Fijians whose ancestors came to the islands from India with a current language which is a combination of Fijian and Hindi. Vika and Usi are Indo-Fijians, as is the case for Rasnesh and Sewak).
5. How do you bake over an open fire? (I knew the answer to this question but wanted to hear how the locals do this). “We will place the baking pan in another larger pan of water making steam and then cover it. It bakes the bread and sweets easily.”
6. The biggest question in my mind was this: What do you do with leftover food without refrigeration? In a way, this question may have been ridiculous. For millennium, the human race survived without refrigeration. It is only our narrow minds (mine included) that assume that people always become ill from leftover unrefrigerated foods. Vika explained: “We often have leftover foods from cooking. We place them in containers on a shelf in the house. I pack my lunch for work each day. It may contain leftovers foods from the last day; meats, rice, fruits, vegetables, and a sweet treat.” I didn’t react, preferring not to embarrass her with my western mentality and concern for the safe preservation of food. They obviously have survived for generations eating leftover food without preservation.
7. My last question: Do you sleep in a bed? Vika replied, “My bed is a mattress on the floor. I am happy with this. Growing up, we slept on a mat on the floor. As we got older we got one mattress which my siblings and I took turns sharing. It was so comfortable, we couldn’t believe it.”

The occupants of the houses across the street have to travel a short distance for a sandy beach.

As we’ve slept on one of those uncomfortable locally available mattresses for these past 83 nights, it did enter our minds how many locals may actually be sleeping on mats of the floor. We didn’t complain and made the best of it with no box springs and a blanket under the sheet so we couldn’t feel the mattress springs as much as they were digging into our ribs and hips.

In an earlier post, we wrote about the often lack of a TV, computers, and cell phones for many locals in this and of course, many other countries throughout the world.

Their evenings are often spent reading by lantern or candlelight, playing games, and doing a variety of handicrafts. We thought of this a week ago when we had no power for less than eight hours. Working hard during the day, plus the difficult walking required to get anywhere with the steep mountain inclines draws them to crawl into bed early.

Keeping one’s mind engaged may be a challenge for the local people without modern conveniences, digital equipment, and electricity. And yet, they’ve found ways to busy their minds in idle hours. The crime rate is nearly non-existent on this island (not the case on the bigger island).

This is a popular snorkeling area with extensive coral reefs.

We’ve yet to hear a siren other than an ambulance on a rare occasion, more often than not used by the foreign residents and travelers. The locals would most likely figure out how to get to the hospital with the help of friends or families with some type of vehicle. Ratnesh explained he often provides “free” taxi service for his friends and family, whether on a trip to a shop or for any type of emergency.

Vika and I spoke about cultural differences which she’s observed working around tourists she’s encountered in this job and her past job at a larger resort. She explained that many are demanding with unrealistic expectations.

Finally, it was time for her to go but before she did, I showed her a few of our favorite videos on YouTube we’ve taken over these past three years. She giggled, enjoying every moment, thanking me profusely for sharing these morsels of our travels with her. She especially loved the wildlife, “Birdie ” and the albatross videos from Kauai, a few of our favorites.

My heart was singing over her joy from this simple pleasure. Without a doubt, sharing with her yesterday was a day I’ll always treasure. Between humans, animals, and exquisite scenery our travels continue to be enriched in each location in a variety of ways.

We are humbled. We are grateful. We continue on in six more days.

Oh, oh, ironically, the power just went out…

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

A classic car hanging from the ceiling at the Hard Rock Café in Lahaina, Maui. For more details, please click here.

Thanksgiving holiday approaching for US citizens…Pumpkin pies…Do we miss it all?

Posted by worldwide-admin on November 25, 2015 with 0 Comment

Our condo in Scottsdale, Arizona in November, 2012 where we lived for a few months as we finished the final preparations for leaving the US. We had the table set for company when two of Tom’s sisters and one brother-in-law were coming for dinner (not on Thanksgiving Day).

With tomorrow’s Thanksgiving holiday celebration, the second most celebrated holiday in the US, next to Christmas, in our past lives this would have been a busy day for me. Tom always worked and at times, based on his schedule on the railroad, he may have had to work on the actual holiday, missing all or part of the meal.

With Thanksgiving always occurring on the last Thursday in November, Wednesday would always be my pie baking day…pumpkin pies to be exact, making no less than eight pies, often more, depending on how many were coming for the holiday dinner the next day.

I rolled the dough for each of the pies, but typical for pumpkin pies, a doughy top crust isn’t included, just ample room for gobs of whipped cream for those who prefer to indulge.

Whether we had a houseful or not, which some years we did not, I made the pies. We’d eat a few and share the remainder with our family and friends. Never once did a single pie go to waste.

With the change in my way of eating in 2011, I still made all of the traditional foods on that last Thanksgiving before we left, making a few extra side dishes befitting my diet. Nothing was lacking in tradition or taste.

We left Minnesota on Halloween, 2012 (October 31st) and I haven’t made a Thanksgiving dinner since. Many countries don’t offer turkeys for sale in the markets, although resorts and some restaurants may order them from their suppliers to fill the needs of tourists from the US on this special holiday.

Before the storms of the past few days, a blue sky inspired this photo of the cotton tree.

The last time Tom had a Thanksgiving meal was when we dined outdoors (the first time either of us dined outdoors on Thanksgiving) while we spent the last few months in Scottsdale, Arizona completing our “paperwork” and digital needs before leaving on our journey.

There was much to do for the final preparations and we’d decided to spend it in a warm climate, close to Tom’s sisters in Apache Junction, Arizona, and no more than a five-hour drive from eldest son Richard in Henderson, Nevada, eldest sister Susan in Las Vegas and my younger sister Julie in Los Angeles, California.

We stayed in a lovely condo in the Old Town area of Scottsdale. With Tom’s car still in our possession which son Richard took off our hands at the pier in San Diego, the day we left the US, we were easily able to get around Scottsdale.

When Thanksgiving approached, we decided to try a popular buffet known for extraordinarily great food at a local casino in Scottsdale, the Talking Stick. They didn’t take reservations so we decided an early meal might be advantageous. Once we arrived at the casino, the line for the buffet was at least 200 deep. It would take hours in line.

We left the casino, heading to a popular eatery in quaint Old Town, and somehow managed to snag a cozy table for two on the patio. It was a sunny, warm day.

These red flowers continue to thrive in the rainy weather.

Tom ordered the Thanksgiving meal while I ordered a meal prepared to befit my diet. Apparently, in looking back at old posts during that period of time, I didn’t write anything about that day, at that point not as committed to our daily ramblings and photos as we are now.

The Thanksgiving years from there on; 2013 was spent in Kenya, 2014 in Maui, Hawaii, and now, here in Fiji. Last year in Maui, we opted out of making the meal, although all of the ingredients for making the big dinner were available in the markets.

Last year, making a Thanksgiving dinner in Maui wasn’t worth the trouble when Tom was also following my way of eating. Plus, it wouldn’t be the same without the pumpkin pies which was equally meaningful as the turkey itself.

Do we miss it? We’ll always miss big family celebrations. But, not with tears in our eyes. We chose this life and have accepted the reality that we’ll only see family (in person as opposed to “face time”) every few years.

With the holiday actually occurring tomorrow where it will be Thursday in the US (it will be Friday here) we hope to speak to everyone at some point. The huge time difference makes it challenging but we’ll figure it out.

To all of our family and friends in the US, have a wonderful Thanksgiving tomorrow, enjoy every last morsel of the scrumptious meal while we’ll be thinking of you with love in our hearts and smiles on our faces.

Today, our usual shopping day, we’ve postponed it to tomorrow. There a huge tropical storm (not necessarily dangerous). Neither of us sees any reason to go out in the high winds and pouring rain when tomorrow will be just as fine. We have plenty of food for dinner and with only 10 days until departure, we don’t mind using what we have on hand.

Photo from one year ago today, November 26, 2015:

One year ago today, we visited Whalers Village in Kaanapali Beach, Maui, a favorite tourist attraction. We had a fabulous day, enjoying every moment. For more photos, please click here.