Day #191 in lockdown in Mumbai, India hotel…The US Presidential Debate???…

Posted by worldwide-admin on September 30, 2020 with 0 Comment

The flowers that lined the walkway from the main building at Lantana Galu Beach in Diani Beach to the outdoor path were absolutely breathtaking.

Today’s photos are from the post on this date in 2013, while we were in Diani Beach, Kenya. For more on this date, please click here.

Note: Yesterday, when editing our 2000 word post on my chosen way of eating low carb/keto, I’d made a few errors on the links for the recipes. Last night, a few of our readers/friends brought this to our attention, when we made all the corrections. You may review the edited post here.

My dinner that night: Seasoned grilled red snapper with sautéed non-starchy vegetables

Currently, in the background, we’re listening to the US Presidential Debate. With the time difference between the US and India, it wasn’t available to us until this morning on YouTube. As always, we do not express political views on this site. Subsequently, we’re not expressing any comments or views. We respect each individual’s views and fully believe in a friendly, opinionated, and lively discussion. But, our site is not an arena for such conversations. Thank you for understanding.

I listen to countless podcasts unrelated to politics and often find myself annoyed by the podcasters using their podcasts to espouse their own views. Whether I agree with them or not, I switch to another podcast. If I want to listen to political pundits and often questionable news, I am free to do so, even while here in India.

Notice the lack of veggies on Tom’s plate? He requested they be placed on a separate plate to be handed over to me. I did the same with my potatoes, handing them over to him as shown at the far right of his plate..

Each time I walk the corridors I listen to a variety of podcasts, mainly centered around health and well-being. I can’t learn enough. After yesterday’s 2000 word post on the low carb/keto way of eating, we’ve adopted since 2011, we were thrilled and surprised at the positive response we received.

Times are changing, albeit slowly, over how the low fat, high carbohydrate, low protein way of eating has impacted the lives of people all over the world with more and more Type 2 diabetes and other inflammatory auto-immune diseases. It could be another decade until these changes are universally accepted. I continue to follow scientists, doctors, and other medical professionals who’ve realized the way “we were told to eat” may have been wrong.

After our walk back to the main building, once again, we were mesmerized by these gorgeous fresh flowers.

OK, on to the FedEx package. We received the replacement credit card in the letter envelope, two months later, after filing lots of personal information with FedEx in order to receive it. In the interim, the box of supplies we ordered from our mailing service in July had recently begun the custom fees assessment, after we sent in the same personal documents.

Last night, Tom received an email from FedEx, stating we owed.INR 69406, US $940.56 in custom fees! The value of the contents is only ½ this tax assessment! How can the tax be 200%? We replied by email and await a response, notifying them that there must be an error. I looked online and custom fees generally don’t run more than 28%. Now, this becomes another frustrating hassle we’re hardly in the mood to tackle. Hopefully, today this will be resolved.

The buds for the sweet-smelling flowers were intoxicating, as in a fine perfume.

It’s hard to believe how much we’ve had to handle these past few months. You’d think that being in lockdown would limit one’s responsibilities. Alas, our perceptions were wrong. The reality remains…”You can run but you can’t hide.” Regardless of where we are in the world, we have to deal with filing taxes, paying taxes, handling insurance, website updates, paying bills, and other personal and financial matters.

Wouldn’t this make a lovely bridal bouquet?

Often people presume our lives of world travel consist of simple living in beautiful places all over the world. In some ways, this may be true. Embarking on this lifestyle, we had no delusions that responsibilities would follow us. Lately, in light of COVID-19, and its lengthy lockdown, it’s been a time when we’ve been busier than ever. Perhaps, staying busy has been good for us and when we look back, once we’re back out in the world, wherever that may, we may reflect on this time as productive and worthwhile.

Time to go now. I need to look up our credit card balances to pay them all off on bill pay, on the first of the month, go for another walk, make yet another call to FedEx, get to work on the remaining two-2000 word posts I’ve yet to start and on and on…

Just as we began to exit the main door, this red plant caught Tom’s eye.

We’ll be back…

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Photo from one year ago today, September 30, 2019:

These ducks and chickens are on a mission at the farm in Tiverton, Devon, England. For more photos, please click here.

Day #113 in lockdown Mumbai, India hotel…Health Insurance during lockdown…

Posted by worldwide-admin on July 14, 2020 with 0 Comment

We loved seeing this flower growing in our yard in Campanario, Madeira, as it broke free from its pod.

Note: To all of our readers visiting our site via a smartphone, please click the “View web version” tab under the word “Home” at the bottom of the page to access the web version enabling you to access all of our archives on the right side of the page. We’ll be updating our site shortly, making these extra steps unnecessary. Thank you.

Today’s photos are from July 14, 2014, while in Campanario, Madeira, Portugal. See the link here for more details.

At the end of this month, our world travel health insurance policy expires. Generally, we purchase a 90-day policy from United Healthcare Global Safe Trip from this online site.

Before COVID-19, it was a breeze to choose our preferred policy and purchase it online, taking less than 10-minutes to complete. The documents arrive shortly after that, leaving us with 90 additional days of coverage.

Colorful steps, located at an elementary school in Campanario.

At the time, purchasing a year-long policy wasn’t possible when the requirement stated we had to return to the US every 90-days. However, the cost of the 90-day policy was no higher in shorter increments than an annual policy. It simply meant we’d have to visit the company’s site, enter some general information and pay online.

Fortunately, my previous pre-existing condition hasn’t been an issue, providing I haven’t had any recent additional treatment or significant medication changes within the prior 90-days.

This house appeared to be unfinished, as frequently observed everywhere we’ve traveled.

As of this date, we have not made a single claim since we began purchasing these two individual policies (one for each of us) with this reliable company. Years ago, we had United Healthcare as our insurance provider for several years. All was handled well without incident, giving us confidence in using them for our world travel policy.

The only drawback to the policy is the fact that we are not covered when visiting the USA. Yes, it’s possible to purchase an add-on for short visits to the US, but the cost was and continues to be prohibitive.

A stairway to a cave.

Thus, when we visit the US, we only have Medicare, Part A. We’re not willing to pay the additional INR 90426, US $1200, a month in the future for Part B plus supplements.

If and when the time comes that we’ll return to the US to live, when we cannot continue to travel, we’ll sign up for full Medicare insurance and accompanying supplements. Once one commits to the complete Medicare package, you’re locked in for life.

We haven’t wanted the burden of this significant expense while traveling the world, although some new supplemental insurance provides some coverage while traveling. Instead, we pay INR 31122, US $413 a month for both of us combined with an INR 15071, US $200 deductible. Additional features may be found online.

We didn’t see any reason to enter this cave.

Currently, due to COVID-19, United Healthcare Safe Trip website doesn’t allow purchasing without calling the company or sending an email requesting information. They are quick to respond.

With the current policy, which we’d renewed while in India in April, expiring on July 28th, I was a little concerned that COVID-19 and the lack of international travel may mean they no longer offer this type of policy. A few days ago, I sent an email requesting we renew the policy for the next 180 days to see how they’d respond.

Most likely, kids in the area played in these caves over the years.

This morning I received an email from the company authorizing the new 180-day period, asking if they could charge our credit card on file. I couldn’t respond quickly enough, thrilled they’d provide us with an extended period.

With over 2,000,000 US citizens losing their health insurance since the onset of COVID-19, for a variety of reasons, we didn’t want to take a chance and wait another day to find out if they’d renew us.

The pods growing in the garden finally bloomed, as shown in the above main photos.

During our last visit to the US from November 8, 2019, to January 30, 2020, (when we first arrived in India), I had a few medical appointments, all of which we paid out of pocket; one a visit to a cardiologist for a check-up and another to an urgent care facility when we both had an outrageous cough and flu that wouldn’t go away.

Had that cough and fever occurred a month later, we may have thought it was COVID-19 when we both coughed for over six weeks. After sailing on a 15-night cruise from the UK to the US, we’ve often wondered if it was arriving on November 8th.

Gina, our property manager, explained that the number of cloudy days we’d experienced while there was unusual.

Hopefully, we’ll continue to be able to avoid making claims on the policy. After our previous insurance company failed to pay for my emergency heart surgery in South Africa, which included four surgeries and follow-up, all of which we paid out of pocket, we now feel at ease working with a reliable company.

That’s it for today, folks! Stay safe and healthy!

Photo from one year ago today, July 14, 2019:

Cow grazing by the fence along our driveway in Connemara, Ireland. Please click here for more details.

Day #112 in lockdown Mumbai, India hotel…Adding comfort for the end of days for a loved one…Seashells from a beach in Australia…

Posted by worldwide-admin on July 13, 2020 with 0 Comment

The Aztec-type lines in this shell are unique, found on a beach in Australia five years ago.

Today’s photos are from July 13, 2015, while in Trinity Beach, Queensland, Australia. See the link here for more details.

Had we been anywhere else in the world in a COVID-19 free world, I have no doubt I would have flown back to the US for a few weeks to say goodbye to my dear sister Susan in person.

This shell had a rough exterior.

When I last saw her in Las Vegas, Nevada, in December 2019, and we hugged goodbye on the last of my many visits, we both cried when she said, “This will be the last time we see each other.”

I shook my head, insisting, “No, no, no! We’ll see each other again! We’ll be back to visit again before you know it.” In the back of my mind, I knew I could be so wrong.

This shell appeared to have an eye looking at us.

And now, as her time nears, I almost wish I would have accepted that reality at that time, when now, during these impossible circumstances, I know I’ll never see her again. Thankfully, we’ve both already expressed our love for one another, even going as far as expressing all the reasons we’ve loved each other throughout our lives.

Like most siblings, we had occasional ups and downs, during childhood but as adults, we became closer, relying on one another as the years passed.

This shell was an exciting find.

She lived a tumultuous life consisting of notable success while receiving considerable respect for her outstanding business acumen. And then, over the past 15 years or so, her health tumbled out of control with chronic conditions, leaving her a near invalid, lying in bed 24 hours a day, with countless situations, ingesting multitudes of prescribed medications with little to no hope of returning to a productive, meaningful way of life.

There’s never been a time we didn’t stay in close touch. Since we began our travels in 2012, I called her at least once a week, if not more, and we engaged in thought-provoking conversations often interspersed with outrageous laughter leaving us in tears.

This shell stood alone for its unique texture and color.

As her health and memory deteriorated in the past months, our conversations became short when she had little strength to engage in lively banter. All I could do was tell her I loved her and let her know I was thinking about her every day.

As the dementia worsened, I would often remind her we were in lockdown in India to understand why I was not at her side. She seems to grasp this concept and sounds content to hear my voice.

An intriguing three shells.

This past week, my sister Julie and Susan’s daughter Kely, both living in California, were tested for COVID-19 and drove to Las Vegas, staying in a nearby hotel, well-gloved and masked, and visited her each day. The nursing/hospice facility where she is living only has 10 patients and they haven’t had a single case of the virus.

Under these particular circumstances, with proof of their health, Julie and Kely were allowed to visit Susan all day over eight days, creating a familiar environment to provide Susan with some comfort.

The variance in color makes the shells particularly interesting to find.

They visited her storage facility finding pictures, wall hangings, and treasured items. They proceeded to fill the walls of her private room with a lifetime of memorabilia, all of which made the sterile, single space feel more like a home than a hospital room.

They helped her in preparing the necessary “end of life” documents, including medical directives, posted on the wall to ensure the staff would know exactly what to do “when the time comes.”

This was one of the more giant shells we discovered.

My phone number is posted in large letters on the wall, stating that I am her “middle of the night contact” should she awaken and need to talk or feel frightened. She seemed aware of this when I spoke to her this morning. With the time difference here, her middle of the night would be our middle of the day.

Knowing she can call during the night when she’s scared or wants to hear a familiar voice gives her great comfort. During the daylight hours (while we’re sleeping), she can call Julie and Kely. We’ve got it covered around the clock.

These three were similar. The next day, we returned all the shells to the beach where we found them.

This isn’t easy for any of us with loved ones in poor health, with COVID-19, in nursing homes, those requiring surgery and tests in hospitals or even, dealing with the ravages of the virus in lockdown in their own homes.

The issues of senior/disability care have become all the more pronounced during these challenging times. And yet, our emotions and love remain firmly in place to ease our loved ones through these sorrowful phases of life.

May you and your loved ones find peace, comfort, and love together now and always.

Photo from one year ago today, July 13, 2019:

“Do you have any carrots?” asks this Connemara Pony in Ireland one year ago today. For more photos, please click here.

Four years ago in Singapore…Escaping each other in a small space?…

Posted by worldwide-admin on July 3, 2020 with 0 Comment

The Chinatown Point mall in Singapore contained more restaurants than apparel shops.

Today’s photos are from July 3, 2016, while in Singapore. See the link here for more details.

We’d traveled to Singapore for one week at the end of June 2016 with a plan to apply for visas for upcoming trips, which, for us, required in-person applications at the two embassies, including Thailand and Vietnam.

Most food items contain starches, sugar, and grains.

We’d hoped to apply for an Indonesian visa while in Singapore. Still, since the Thailand and Vietnam embassies required that we leave our documents with them for a few days, we ran out of time, ultimately figuring out the Indonesia extension once we arrived in Bali, which later worked fine.

Our upcoming Mekong River cruise was fast approaching making the Vietnam visa most important, followed by Thailand, where we planned to stay for 40 nights following the river cruise.

As it turned out, everything went as planned. We had the two most urgent visas in hand one week later by the time we left Singapore. We could have applied for the visas online, but we’d have had to send our passports to the embassies via snail mail.

Of course, we stopped to eyeball the sweets. Tom didn’t buy a thing. He’s always looking for donuts which few countries outside the US offer.

When we first began traveling, we committed never to mail our passports to any visa service or embassy outside the US. If they were lost in the mail, we’d be in big trouble in a foreign country without our passports.

Subsequently, we had no choice but to go to Singapore, the country closest to Vietnam where we were headed next, knowing we’d enjoy the ultra-clean and safe country while handling the visa applications.

We stayed in a lovely boutique hotel in the center of downtown, close to restaurants and Chinatown, and each day we were able to get out and walk to check out the local flavor and restaurants. Taxis were reasonably priced and reliable, making getting around easy and pleasant.

The displays with menu options are meant to whet the appetite.

We’d been to Singapore once before, earlier in 2016, when we disembarked a cruise to catch our flight to Bali. At that time, we were rushing and couldn’t explore. The one week we spent in June/July was ideal for sightseeing in the unique country.

Although we enjoyed our week there, we weren’t interested in returning for a more extended stay. Most of the country’s holiday homes consisted of high-rise buildings and apartments, which weren’t then, and aren’t now our ideal holiday/vacation home environment.

In May 2013, in Dubai, UAE, on another occasion, we experienced condo/ apartment-living in a high-rise building on the 47th floor (of 87 floors). Again, this is not an ideal scenario for our tastes. See our photos here.

There were several appealing sit-down restaurants in Chinatown Point.

Over the years, at times, we’ve had no choice but to stay in condos when our options were limited based on availability and pricing. Preferably, as has been the case in the majority of situations in the past, we’ve stayed in houses.

I assure you, once we can leave Mumbai in many months to come, regardless of where we may go, we’d prefer a private house over other possible options. We’re longing for space!

Yesterday, when we disagreed about a tiny thing, I said, “I’ll go into the other room until you cool off.” Since I don’t like to argue and prefer to avoid confrontations, I’ve always used this tactic in the past as a simple means of avoiding a heated altercation.

Food, food, food, everywhere in Chinatown Point. Neither of us was hungry, so we decided to wait until dinner.

We both laughed out loud when we both realized there was no other room for my usual escape. This returned us both to a positive state of mind when we could laugh over our peculiar situation, living in one room, 323 square feet, 30 square meters (including bathroom, closet, and hallway) for over 100 days so far.

It’s no wonder we both make an effort to get along so well! Over the years, we’ve stayed in small cabins on cruise ships and, most recently, a train with a considerably smaller space. Fortunately, we spent little time in the cabin during those periods other than to sleep, shower, and dress.

Many dishes are prepared with noodles which I don’t eat.

Again, the hotel is entire. We noticed the rates for this hotel have increased by almost IND 747, US $10 a night, since we’d booked for July a week ago. From now on, we’ll check prices daily to see if we can again get the lowest possible prices for August. We’re accumulating lots of “free nights” through our Hotels.com rewards program (using the link on our site) and will use them soon.

Have a safe and fruitful day!

Photo from one year ago today, July 3, 2019:

While in Connemara, Ireland, one year ago, we learned how to recognize authentic scallops with the orange roe connection piece, which in itself is delicious! In markets and restaurants, “fake” scallops are often served that are “plugs” from other types of fish. For more, please click here.

Haters in the time of COVID-19…Yesterday was a stressful day…Urgent scientific update on COVID-19…

Posted by worldwide-admin on April 25, 2020 with 0 Comment

We took a heartwarming video of a precious little bird hitting the glass walls in the house in Costa Rica in October 2017. It’s a long video but worth watching. See the original post here.

Note: To all of our readers visiting our site via a smartphone, please click the “View web version” tab under the word “Home” at the bottom of the page to access the web version enabling you to access all of our archives on the right side of the page. We’ll be updating our site in a few months, making these extra steps unnecessary. Thank you.

Today’s photos are from the post on this date in 2018. Please click here for the link.

We were pleasantly surprised by the overwhelmingly positive responses we received from many of our readers yesterday based on my rant about losing our freedom of speech, particularly during this time of COVID-19. If you missed the post, please click here. Thank you, dear readers, for the feedback!

Happy caterpillar dancing across the floor! Later on, I learned these caterpillars cause a nasty itch that lasts for days when coming in contact with their venom. Later I realized these are Processionary Caterpillars who form a train and crawl up walls, verandas and form a train across the garden. Not so cute, after all.

Fortunately, we didn’t receive a single message from any “haters” which I honestly don’t believe we have who read our site. It’s not necessarily a site that would appeal to haters since we keep controversial topics primarily to ourselves and among our like-minded family and friends.

Haters are not necessarily searching for travel-related sites on which to espouse their toxic opinions. Most travel sites are happy places, sharing the joyful nuances of travel and its many benefits and pleasures.

Now, in this time of COVID-19, while stuck in lockdown with most of the world, I can’t imagine haters will come our way. What’s to hate about these two senior citizens without a home, traveling the world on their own dime, without too much drama other than occasional travel challenges.

We shot this photo of the Crocodile River while standing at the brick overlook.

Speaking of travel challenges, yesterday presented a few (unrelated to our post) stresses we’ve yet to discuss in detail here. One was the fact that our newer travel health insurance policy through United Healthcare Global’s Safe Trip, was expiring on April 28th according to notes I’d made on our online Cozi calendar.

Noticing this in the morning sent me into a tizzy when based on the time difference, I wouldn’t be able to reach the company until their offices opened in the morning, which would be close to dinnertime here.

I tried to renew the policy online, but their online site wouldn’t open to their usual purchasing page with various options. All I could find was a notice in bold to call their offices directly, due to COVID-19, during business hours. This meant we had to wait until 5:30 pm. I tried a few numbers, and a message stated. “This is no longer a working number.” I panicked.

Could United Healthcare, a vast US insurance company, be going out of business? Finally, I called the phone number on our insurance card for medical emergencies when the rep gave me a working number.

On that day, we didn’t see any wildlife along the Crocodile River but, the scenery was always stunning.

Moments later, I was speaking with a competent-sounding representative who explained, after looking up our policy, that our current policy was good until July 28, 2020.

When my computer crashed several months ago, which I replaced with a Chromebook I purchased in India, I’d misplaced the latest purchase on the wrong cloud and couldn’t find anything except the one that expires on April 28th.

We both had forgotten that at the beginning of the explosion of the virus when we hoped to return to South Africa, we’d read online they now require proof of insurance. Thus, we ordered the extension to July while we were still touring India. We would have done so anyway, but in this case, we called it to extend beyond April to be safe.

Male ostriches typically have black feathers, while females and youngsters are a greyish brown color.

Once we recalled this, we remembered the day we ordered the new policy and moments later the rep sent me the updated documents. He also explained, based on my inquiry, that even during this pandemic, we will still be able to renew in July for an additional 90 days. Whew.

By the time I was done on the phone, we had headed to dinner, both of us feeling relieved. The next thing on our mind was getting our refund from Viking Cruise Line for almost INR 1,526,360, US $20,000, for their cancellation of the 29-night cruise that was scheduled to embark out of Mumbai on April 3rd.

We’d been notified of the cancellation on March 12th and had begun to worry the smaller cruise line might go bankrupt with all the cancellations and subsequent refunds. Since that day, I checked our credit card balance to see if a refund had been posted.

When we saw these baboons, we immediately shut the doors to the house. Once baboons enter, they can tear a house apart.

Last night, after watching two episodes of a British TV series on Acorn TV, I decided to check one more time before settling in for the night. Alas, the credits appeared. We couldn’t have been more thrilled and relieved (other than the day we can finally leave lockdown in Mumbai).

I slept like a log, as they say. My Fitbit displayed that I’d slept for 8 hours, 9 minutes, only awakening a few times for short periods. I am a new person today.

With renewed enthusiasm and energy based on these two positive outcomes, it feels a little easier today as we tackle yet another day in a small room in a hotel in Mumbai. We’ll all get through this, each in our way of coping with a variety of stressors and complications.

What a shame, broken pottery next door, all caused bt the baboons. I suppose this lighter-weight pottery makes no sense in the bush.

URGENT: We do not profess to be medical experts by any means. However, the attached link of a scientific study on COVID-19 found that high doses and exposure (sunlight) of Vitamin D3 may be influential in reducing the severity of the worst cases of the virus. Right now, with so many of us indoors and not exposed to direct sunlight with bare skin, we may be particularly low in this essential nutrient.

Please see this link and decide from there if it’s appropriate for you. Patients with low Vitamin D3 levels are more susceptible to severe cases of the virus. I just ordered six bottles of 10,000 IU gel caps at this link. Please check with your medical professional if this is appropriate for you.
(We are not affiliated with this company in any manner other than for personal purchases).

Stay safe. Continue following guidelines…

Photo from one year ago today, April 25, 2019:

Rhino was hanging out with warthogs. For more photos, please click here.

Great time with Staci from Texas…Paperwork and haircut for Tom…8 days and counting…

Posted by worldwide-admin on January 21, 2020 with 0 Comment

Staci and I by the entrance to the Red, White & Brew restaurant. The wine and food were excellent, and the companionship was spectacular. Hopefully, we’ll meet up somewhere in the future.

Yesterday, Tom decided to drop me off and pick me up after dinner with friend/reader Staci from Texas. She and I had been communicating back and forth over the years, and it was such a delight to meet her face-to-face.

Tom drove me to the restaurant and picked me up when I called later. The packed restaurant (we arrived at 4:00 pm) had excellent food, wine, and service. As a result, I was able to enjoy some fantastic red wine with Staci.

The conversation was delightfully varied as we each reveled in the opportunity to talk to one another in person. Also, it was remarkable to share in some “girl talk” often missing from conversations when Tom and I are gabbing with other couples.

We feel so grateful for all the beautiful people we’ve met due to our daily posts. Meeting them in person is a bonus. Now, as we’re about to carry on in our world travels, many readers are writing to us, wishing us well.

We try to respond to each message, but please bear with us if we fail to do so due to the volume of email messages. Please know that we read every message we receive and, in most cases, respond within 24 hours.

Once we leave Arizona next Wednesday, heading to India, we’ll be traveling for almost two days to reach Mumbai (formerly Bombay). Then, on the train, a few days later, most likely, WiFi will be sketchy.

By February 8th, after the Maharajas Express (train) ends, our 55-day tour begins, again with unpredictable WiFi. Please bear with us if we’re unable to post or reply to messages as we usually would.

However, we’re hoping to upload posts and photos, which, based on information online, looks like a good possibility. We’ll have to hurry to get it done when our days and nights will be so full. But, as always, we somehow find the time to stay in touch with all of you.

This morning we ventured out in the rain to OfficeMax to print, sign and scan a few documents to send back to the immigration attorney. Once completed, we found the closest Great Clips, where Tom had hoped to get a haircut.

The place was so packed. The wait would have been at least one hour. Neither of us cared to wait that long. Tom looked online for other facilities only to be told the wait would be one or two hours.

Instead, he decided to show up early tomorrow morning, hoping to be their first appointment. I’ll stay behind and work on other projects, which are many at this point, with departure day looming.

Today will be low-key. I’ll run out for a few last-minute items. Tonight, we’ll dine in. I have completed the transfer of my data to Tom’s old laptop, and all is working well.

In rearranging the items on the start menu and the desktop, I have made Windows 10 work for me which I am using now as I prepare today’s post. I have a lighted keyboard, touchscreen, and one terabyte of storage, and all the features work. It feels good to use a faster machine after dealing with my slow, fast-fading laptop.

We hope you have a meaningful and productive day and that all is well your way!

Photo from one year ago today, January 21, 2019:

On many occasions, we’ve seen several bushbabies on the stand. For more photos, please click here.

Time flies…Emotions remain…Visa waiver attorney located…

Posted by worldwide-admin on January 7, 2020 with 0 Comment

One year ago today, we continued to have such a fantastic weekend celebrating Don’s birthday while staying at their gorgeous home in Pretoria. This photo was taken at a Mexican restaurant with 10 of us in attendance, again celebrating Don’s birthday. For more photos, please click here.

Time flies. It’s mind-boggling when we refer back to an event from one year ago when in actuality, it seems as if it was only yesterday. I often wonder if it felt the same years ago when we were younger. It’s easy to remember events. It’s not always easy to remember how we felt during “ordinary” times.

During periods of sorrow, worry and stress, we can easily recall our feelings many years back. During periods when life was relatively uneventful, we struggle to remember how we felt at the time. It’s ironic.

It’s no wonder any of us can fall prey to becoming emotionally engaged in less desirable-times-past, carrying them as baggage into the future. This past year will be decorated in my mind for years to come, regardless of how well I’m feeling physically, spiritually, and emotionally.

The only baggage I want to carry with me into the future is our single suitcases filled with clothing and shoes, our third bag of supplies, and three miscellaneous carry-on bags.

No doubt, my level of ease, comfort, and happiness has been tempered. Will I ever return to those carefree days? By no means am I down or depressed? I feel optimistic about the future. There’s so much ahead of us, bringing both of us a powerful sense of anticipation, joy, and contentment.

But, the facts remain. Can we visit some of the highly remote areas we’d considered in the past, far from quality medical care? Are we at risk during month-long cruises or during extended periods in rural areas in countries where medical care is questionable?

We wish we had an easy answer. As we plan the over six months, we have to fill in and around Europe before the cruise ends in Cape Town, South Africa. We considered many facts on December 2, 2020.

Hanging over our heads is the visa waiver issue in South Africa (resulting from overstaying our visas due to my heart surgery in February, requiring us to stay an additional almost three months).

If this issue isn’t resolved by the time the ship is ready to set sail, we won’t board or. We’d have significant problems at the end of the cruise. Of course, we won’t take that risk.

Instead, in the past 24 hours, we have contacted an immigration attorney in South Africa who is working on our file. The firm has a 98% success rate of resolving immigration issues such as these. The fee for services is ZAR (Rand) 30000, which translates to US $2,101.

We’ve decided to move forward rather than be banned from South Africa until 2024. Plus, we don’t want an “undesirable” status to be a part of our passport records.

The law firm estimates it will take eight to twelve weeks to get the issue resolved. It will be fantastic to have this behind us. We’ve provided the law firm with all of the necessary documents, and they will send us a contract with a statement for services which we’ll handle this week to proceed with the process.

There’s no such thing as a “free lunch,” as the saying goes. Everything in life has its pluses and minuses, its rewards, and its consequences. But, how we choose to handle the challenges ultimately determines the quality of our lives.

As we move forward into this next phase of our lives, of our world travels, we strive to do so with the determination, the hope, and the joy we so much enjoyed in the past, long before we were faced with these challenges.

In a mere 22 days, we’ll continue on our long and fruitful journey, hopefully with many more years to come.

Be well.

Photo from one year ago today, January 7, 2019:

Last year on this date, our party of 10 consisted of (from left to right) Kathy, Linda, Tom, Don, Keith, Ken, Cynthia, Robin and Karen with me taking the photo. For more photos, please click here.

Oh, my…what a night we had!…

Posted by worldwide-admin on November 21, 2019 with 0 Comment

Our hosts and dear friends Karen and Rich.

Today’s another busy day as we prepare for our upcoming four-year passport appointment tomorrow at the local government service center at 11:40 am. We had piles of forms and paperwork to prepare and accumulate for the upcoming appointment.

Also, I needed to make copies of all the medical documents from my heart surgery in preparation for my upcoming cardiology appointment next Wednesday, November 27th.

The two of us were at dinner last night.

Subsequently, it made sense to place everything on a flash drive to take to an OfficeMax store for printing. With so many forms, it took me almost an hour to get everything printed at the store resulting in a stack of about 80 pages.

Before heading to the OfficeMax store, at 10:00 am, I visited my dear long-time friend Chere at her home in Eden Prairie, only a few miles from Karen’s home. We chatted in her cozy living room, sipping on organic caffeine-free tea as Chere and I had often done over the years, anxious to take advantage of every moment as time is running out until we leave Minnesota a week from today.

The four of us were ready for dinner at the fabulous Gianni’s Steakhouse in Wayzata, Minnesota.

After leaving her home, I headed to the Office Max store and then stopped to purchase a few “unwiches” (breadless healthy sub sandwiches like we often make in our travels).

Tom has some leftovers from last night’s big dinner at Gianni’s Steakhouse but may need to supplement it with at least a part of an “unwich.” Since I couldn’t have bread or potatoes, I ultimately finished my salad and scallops and thus purchased an “unwich” for tonight’s dinner.

Tom was thrilled to dig into these rolls and garlic toasts.

We’re at a point where we don’t feel like rushing off to a restaurant every night but rather save those meals to enjoy with family and friends. At this point, selecting some healthy “to go” dinner options fit the bill for us.

A few nights ago, we had Chinese food (I had steamed prawns and vegetables), and then the next night, I had the Chipotle chicken bowl; double grilled chicken, lettuce, tomato salsa, cheese, and guacamole while Tom had Chinese leftovers. The abundance of food offerings here in the US is quite a treat for us.

Our efficient and friendly waiter prepared our choose-your-ingredients-salad tableside. Delicious!

Last night’s dinner at Gianni’s Steakhouse in Wayzata was the pièce de résistance when it comes to dining. We insisted on taking Karen and Rich out to dinner at this fantastic restaurant where, many years ago, Tom and I dined on special occasions.

It was as spectacular as we remembered. Every morsel, every bit of service, the presentation, the options, and the ambiance was over-the-top. We feared the food and service may have declined over the past seven years, but we were delightfully wrong. It was as wonderful as we remembered.

Karen and I each ordered the scallops with pureed butternut in a delicious gluten-free buttery sauce.

Adding to the food and ambiance of the celebratory evening was being with Karen and Rich, with whom we made an even greater bond than we’d expected. I’ve been friends with Karen for many years but only met her love and partner, Rich.

He and Tom have hit it off famously, and I haven’t fallen far behind. Our evenings together, after family events have ended for the day, have been exceptionally enjoyable, as we’ve mentioned several times over the past few days.

Both Rich and Tom ordered the grilled “double” pork chops with baked garlic and creamed corn.

With one week remaining until we depart for Nevada, we’ll continue to make the most of each day with our family and friends. This has been a great visit, one we’ll always treasure.

These hashbrown potatoes, a signature dish at Gianni’s Steakhouse, are filled with cheese and sour cream.

Next, we’re off to see daughter Tammy say goodbye. Tomorrow, their family leaves for Washington, DC, for a holiday and then spent Thanksgiving with Tracy’s family in Pennsylvania.

Please check back for more as we continue over the next several days. Finally, I am on the mend from this dreadful cough and virus, looking forward to feeling well once again.

Photo from one year ago today, November 21, 2018:

We drove past friends Kathy and Don’s home yesterday, and their front garden was filled with kudus and impalas. Click here for more photos. Take care, dear readers.

Contemplation…Off and about today…The last of the Port Isaac photos…

Posted by worldwide-admin on September 13, 2019 with 0 Comment

A gorgeous countryside view as we drove toward Port Isaac from St. Teath (pronounced “breath”).

Fascinating Fact of the Day About Port Isaac:
“Port Isaac’s pier was constructed during the reign of Henry VIII. A 1937 history said, “…Tudor pier and breakwater have now yielded to a strong new sea-wall balanced by the arm on the opposite side of the cove, and we do not doubt that the fishermen sleep more soundly in their beds on stormy nights.” The village center dated from the 18th and 19th centuries when its prosperity was tied to local coastal freight and fishing. The port handled cargoes of coal, wood, stone, ores, limestone, salt, pottery, and heavy goods, which were conveyed along its narrow streets. Small coastal sailing vessels were built below Roscarrock Hill.

Often, we strive to share the details of our daily lives, however uneventful and straightforward or exciting and heart-pounding. In either case, we share our dreams and hopes for future travel.

Over the past several months, with so much up in the air, the future unknown, our dreams were on hold while we tentatively booked only a few plans for the future. We’d lost so much when we had to cancel many plans losing tens of thousands of dollars in deposits we’d paid and flights we’d booked, most of which was non-refundable.

The tour I longed for the most, the comprehensive safari in Kenya for exquisite luxury tented camps and hotels including Little Governor’s Camp, Giraffe Manor, and the Maasai Mara (where we’d been on safari in 2013), had to be canceled. We were scheduled to leave South Africa on February 15th (when our visas ended), three days after I had the bypass surgery. We weren’t able to go until three months later when I was cleared to fly.

Port Isaac’s ocean views are stunning.

And then, three months later, while attempting to leave the country, accompanied by copies of medical documents and doctor’s letters, we were determined to have immigration accept our reasons for the “overstay.”

Alas, they did not do so, and we were labeled in their system as “undesirables” and told we couldn’t return to the country for five years. However, we had the right to request a waiver based on the circumstances by filing copious documents with their “overstay” department at immigration.

We filed the documents well within the required seven-day period and have inquired numerous times to no avail. It appears our only recourse is to hire a South African immigration lawyer, which we are considering.

The Cornwall area is known for its craggy cliffs.

We’d be less concerned about getting back into South Africa sooner than the five-year ban. Still, we have a cruise booked from Lisbon, Portugal to Capetown, South Africa, embarking on November 10, 2020, a cruise we’ve been excited to experience and for which we could lose the deposit.

This particular cruise with Azamara cruise line has an itinerary we’ll most likely never be able to experience in the future, an itinerary that may eventually be discontinued.

It sails along the western coast of Africa with ports of call to include: Casablanca, Morocco; Agadir, Morocco; Canary Islands; Banjul, Gambia; Abidjan; Ivory Coast; Takoradi, Ghana; Luanda, Angola; Walvis Bay, Namibia; Luderitz, Namibia, and then to Capetown where we plan to stay for three days.

Access to the ocean for swimming and launching small boats.

Of the total 18 months we’ve spent in South Africa, we’d never visited Capetown when we didn’t want to leave Marloth Park any more than we’d have to for an “immigration stamp” allowing us to stay 90 more days.

Twice during this last 15-month stay in Marloth Park, we flew to Zambia and then visited Botswana. Zimbabwe returned to the airport known as Nelspruit/Mpumalanga/Kruger to have our visas stamped once again.

The second time we made this trip, we were told we wouldn’t be allowed another extension unless we applied with Home Affairs immigration department. As mentioned earlier, we were granted an extension until February 15, 2019, three days after the dreadful surgery resulting in numerous complications.

A typical narrow road in Port Isaac.

However, our comprehensive May 2019 request for a waiver for the five-year ban and our status as “undesirables” has been ignored. We’ve decided if we don’t receive a result by this November, we’ll contact an immigration attorney in South Africa.

Ah, those who think that a life of world travel is easy are kidding themselves. Sure, a one or two-year adventure may be relatively uneventful, other than the joys of the travel experiences.

But, now, almost seven years later, we accept the harsh reality that life is complicated and may deviate from the desired path over which we choose, regardless of all of our best intentions.

A typical narrow road in Port Isaac.

Oddly, even to us, we still feel passionate and hopeful for the future of our ongoing world travels. We also realize that we will have to stop traveling at some point in the future, health and age being the relevant factors.

In the interim, we may have had to refocus our activities to accommodate my “new normal,” but our hearts and spirits stay strong and motivated to continue.

Please continue with us…

Photo from one year ago today, September 13, 2018:

This could be two females with this male lion or a female and a young male whose mane has yet to develop. There’s a male behind the male in front. For more photos, please click here.

Will today be a good day for sightseeing?…The consumption of animal products…

Posted by worldwide-admin on September 10, 2019 with 0 Comment

The first animal we encountered in the paddock was pigs. As our readers know, I love pigs. However, as cute as they are, they can’t match the appeal of a handsome warthog.

Fascinating Fact of the Day About St. Teath, Cornwall*:

From this site: “The village has an interesting history. St Tetha, (from whom this village acquired its name) came over from Wales, with her sisters, to this area of Cornwall to bring Christianity to those living here. Since then, the village has seen much change with the rise and fall of both mining and the railway. There is plenty of evidence of both around the area. The oldest part of the village surrounds the village square – the focal point of the annual summer carnival, Remembrance day, Christmas lights, and New Year Celebrations.”

So far this morning, the sun is shining, but we’re noticing dark clouds rolling in. If it doesn’t rain, we’ll be on the road to go sightseeing in a few hours. Taking photos on rainy days has become a source of frustration for me, and I am determined to avoid adding rainy day photos to our inventory.

We were especially enthused to see the pygmy goats. Unfortunately, the grass was too mushy and wet for us to get closer for better photos.

Yesterday, as I’d promised myself, I finished our 2018 tax prep and forwarded the documents and worksheet to our accountant in Nevada. It was a tedious task, but somehow I managed to get through it when I already had a considerable amount of the information in place, ready to enter the form. What a sense of relief that was!

Adorable pygmy goat “baaaahing” at us as we admired him.

Now we wait to hear from the accountant with questions. We’ll probably chat with him in the next week and wrap this up, putting it behind us. We have until October 15th to file the return electronically, which he’ll handle for us.

A few mornings ago, after a rainy night, we decided to explore the various paddocks to see the farm animals. It was lightly misting and still quite cloudy, but we couldn’t have been more pleased.

Beyond this bush are two wind turbines which are prevalent in England.

After a lengthy walk in thick grass, we had to wash our shoes, leaving them outdoors to dry when the sun finally peeked out. The shoes I wear most days when we’re going out are water shoes.

With only five pairs of shoes, I can’t risk ruining a pair in rainy weather making water shoes perfect for our travels. They are ideal on rainy days and yet, are outrageously comfortable. Tom’s tennis shoes were also a mess, but he waited until the grass dried and then brushed off the grass using a dustpan brush.

The countryside beyond the farm is comparable to a patchwork quilt with varying shapes and colors.

As we walked through the paddocks, we realized we’d have to ask the owners, Lorraine or Graham, to escort us so we could take better photos on the next sunny day. Undoubtedly, over the next ten days, it will be bright once or twice.

Geese and ducks co-habitat peacefully in a paddock.

We love African animals, but we are also drawn to barnyard animals who have a unique charm of their own. Sadly, some of the animals we saw here will eventually be slaughtered. I doubt the goats or the ducks and geese, kept for their eggs, will be subject to that dreadful fate.

Yesterday, I wrote about how we eat meat, chicken, and pork, yet we have angst about slaughtering animals. Isn’t that hypocritical? I suppose some would say it is. But, the reality remains…we have emotions about this topic.

More beautiful scenery as seen from the farm.

Unfortunately, I can’t be a vegetarian/vegan based on my strict diet, nor would Tom, who doesn’t eat vegetables or fruit. The way I justify this in my mind, which I must do to make peace with it, is the concept that God, a higher power or whatever your beliefs, created an environment with a “pecking order.”

Every morning and also during the day, we hear the roosters crowing. It reminds us of living in Kauai, where there are thousands of feral chickens.

As a result, readily available protein sources (necessary for life itself) are provided to each creature on the planet, including humans. Living in Africa for two years during the past seven years placed us in a position to accept the hard facts about the animal hunt and subsequent consumption of the captured food source.

No, I won’t get further into a philosophical view of whether or not to consume animal products. We each have our reasons, rationalizations, and dietary needs.

The last time we had access to a clothes dryer was in Costa Rica over two years ago. What a treat! Our clothes were washed and dried in a mere two hours, compared to a day or two of hanging them in humid weather.

Now, as I wrap this up, we’re watching the weather to see if today will be a good day for a road trip.

Have an excellent day filled with beautiful surprises!

Photo from one year ago today, September 10, 2018:

Check out those long eyelashes. For more photos, please click here.