Moving day…Wow! What a lot of work!!…Time to unwind and relax…

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A beautiful sky before sunset.

With the family moved out and Tom and I now alone, yesterday we began the process of moving from the bigger house to the smaller house which Tom affectionately refers to as the “bird house.”

Usually when we move we only have to pack our clothing and supplies, tidy up after ourselves and be on our way.  With 12 days remaining on the Big Island, moving next door was the most comprehensive move we’ve had in 27 months.

A distant dorsal fin.

What made it more difficult was twofold; one, we paid deposits on both houses and want them back in their entirety, and two, we had food and household supplies to move, all in a 24 hour period. Now, this doesn’t sound like much. But, believe me, it was.

There were two refrigerators to clean and one to make room for the transferred perishables. (We’ll toss leftovers when we leave on January 15th).  There were beds to make, laundry to do, floors to sweep and wash, bathrooms to organize, and of course, the unpacking of our luggage. 

Lots of action here.

When we repack for the 15th, I will be reorganizing and further lightening our load for the next flight from Kona, Hawaii to Lihue, Kauai with a layover in Honolulu for an hour. 

The thought of staying put in Kauai for four months is pleasing for both of us. We’ll have plenty of time to explore the gorgeous island, lounge at the beach, and try a few of the highly-rated restaurants in the area. 

Correctly timing the shot from considerable distances is a craft that neither my bad shoulder nor our camera can do. If we upgraded to a camera with a higher capacity for distances, it would weigh more. It’s a catch 22.

Although there’s no pool at the condo we rented we’ll certainly find a good spot to whale watch when the Hanalei Bay is across the street in the fabulous Princeville area. We couldn’t ask for more especially since we chose this particular condo for its excellent price for the otherwise pricey area. 

Sacrificing a little in amenities over price was our plan as we prepare for the next leg of our journey. The segue in Princeville for us is a place to regroup, plan, and get ready for our next big foray outside the US which will be for at least the upcoming two years.

The black and white fluke. It was almost dark outside.

Last night, our final night at the big house, we found ourselves on the lanai having exhausted all of our energy in packing and moving all day, we saw one pod of whales after another, more than we’ve ever seen before.

Getting good photos of whales is especially difficult for me. My bad shoulder prevents me from holding up the camera for long enough to capture the perfect shots. Plus, our camera, although capable of taking good photos, is not capable of the long-distance shots required when whale watching. 

Two whales, side by side.  It could be a mom and baby.

Sure, a tripod would help but the added weight is not practical for us when we’re already up to the max with our two large and one medium suitcase, one carry on duffel bag, one computer bag, and one handbag. I can’t imagine a free hand able to hold a tripod. 

So, this is the way it is, the best we have to offer thus far as we continue to watch for the massive gentle beasts that waft through the sea with grace and ease. We love every sighting, hollering “blow hole” each time we spot the spewing stream of vapor exuded by these amazing animals.

When Tom yelled, “Over here!” I was focused on another whale and missed all but this shot when two whales did a full breach, simultaneously. I saw it but just didn’t focus on it quickly enough.

Now, each time we holler “blow hole” we’re reminded of the fun times we spent with our family, eyes peeled at the ocean, squealing with delight each time we spotted a whale. In their absence, we’ll continue this enjoyable pastime well into the future months to come.

It takes looking at this photo for a moment to see the fluke and how its positioned.

May you have a fabulous weekend. Once fully settled in a few hours, we’ll surely do the same.

Photo from one year ago today, January 3, 2014:

Often, when zebras came to call, they’d attempt a sip out of the pool. As soon as they detected the taste of chlorine, they wandered away in search of other more potable sources. For zebra facts and photos of multiple zebras at the pool and the story from one year ago today, please click here.

Aloha, Hawai’i! We’re settled in…What a view out the window!…Car rental wheeling and dealing…A fun photo from one year ago today…

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Tom was checking out the views, up close and personal.

Although yesterday’s flight was only 37 minutes long, traveling from Maui to the Big Island was still an all-day affair.

As usual, worried-old-man-mine, we arrived way too early at the Maui airport having no less than two hours of waiting time for the short flight. We left Maalaea Beach at 10:30 am, dropped off the rental car, and sat in chairs reading our books on our phones. 

The colors of the water is nothing like we’ve ever seen.

My android phone battery died in no time so I took out the broken screen unlocked phone and entertained myself reading unfinished books from long ago; dry, scientific stuff, that once I got started worked out well as I got into it.

Finally, we were situated in our seats for the short flight that literally went up and then back down. While onboard I busied myself writing the following.

“As always, we’ve said our prayers for another safe passage. This flight, only 37 minutes long, still had a bit of turbulence that always makes me a little jittery.  However, in no time at all, we’ll be on the descent of this island-hopping shuttle type flight.

The craggy lava rocks along the shore in front of the house is mesmerizing.

It’s odd to think that this time arrived so quickly. Either that’s a result of old age or we’ve been having so much fun that the time has flown. Perhaps, in our case, it’s a combination of both.

It was a full two years ago that we booked this first house in Hawai’i and over one year ago that we booked the second house next door. I remember finalizing the details of the second house on the day we left for the safari in the Masai Mara in Kenya, including my high-level of excitement over both events along with butterflies in my stomach over flying in the little airplane.

I took this photo this morning at 7 am from the lanai off of our bedroom.

Now, 14 months later, I have little fear, if any, of flying in a little airplane after all we’ve seen and done in these past two-plus years.

Grateful? More than words can say. If we had to stop now, our lives have changed forever. In some ways, we’re still the people we were long ago, only more peaceful, less stress filled, less fearful, and more than anything, happier.”

Once we arrived at the Hilo Airport, we hurried to get our bags to walk them a few blocks to the Enterprise car rental counter. With one less bag, it was easier. No excess weight fees and the two of us can manage to wheel it all. 

It’s way too dangerous to swim off the shore.

I wheeled the new but heavy 23″ bag (50-pound weight) and Tom’s 30″ 50-pound bag. He wheeled the cart loaded with the duffel bag, the laptop bag, the pill bag, and my handbag and,  my 30″ bag also weighing 50 pounds. It was OK. It’s all manageable well into the future.

At the Enterprise counter, Tom sat with the luggage, while I worked on the rental car. We’d ordered a full-size car but it only had seats five. With TJ, Sarah, Nik, and Jayden arriving on Saturday, we’d never have been able to go out together with a full-sized car only holding five.

When we booked the car for the family gathering with two of our adult kids booking their own cars, we decided we’d figure it out. The trick was that TJ and family would be alone with us from December 6th until December 20th when the others begin to arrive. We’d end up with two full weeks with only room for five when there are six of us.

The waves were impressive.

In my mind, I’d never intended to take the full-sized car, instead, waiting until we arrived to see what we could do in person. We’d booked online for a great rate for 30 days although we needed the vehicle for six weeks.  Most car rentals car agencies won’t rent a vehicle beyond 30 days. 

We always have to return the car to extend the rental period for each additional period of 30 days or less, signing an entirely new contract. We’ve been able to get the same great online price as we originally booked. (Italy was the exception, resulting in charging us a higher rate for the remaining period).

The rep, Philip Mootmag, Branch Manager at Enterprise in Hilo not only agreed to carry the great price over to the final 15 days but negotiated a special rate for us or a seven-passenger minivan at only an additional $9.95 a day. Based on minivan rental prices, we were thrilled with the $1367 for the month. I’d budgeted $1800. We had great customer service and an excellent vehicle that we’ll all fit in comfortably.

Once on our way and with only a half-hour drive to the vacation home, we decided to stop at the Malama grocery store in the village of Pahoa, the renowned location of the lava flow, a 12-minute drive to the house. 

It appears that a neighboring house (to the left) is building on the property.

The store was comparable to the Nakumatt grocery store in Diani Beach Kenya; vegetables were touch-and-go, meat was pricey, and missing a few items we often purchase. Next time we shop we’ll head the 30 minutes back to Hilo for a larger supermarket. For a few items, here and there, Malama will do the trick. 

We purchased plenty of items to get us through for a few days. Before TJ’s family of four arrives on Saturday, we’ll have made the trip to Hilo to the Safeway store which if all like the one in Kihei, Maui, we’ll be thrilled.

Before the next round of family arrives, we’ll head to Costco in Kona, a two hour drive each way, and load up for the two weeks we’ll all be together. We’ll have to purchase a cooler while we’re there to store the perishables for the long drive back. 

We were settled in at the house loaded with groceries and luggage around 5 pm. We’d have arrived an hour earlier had we not run into major construction traffic on the road to Hilo.

Today and tomorrow, photos of the grounds and the interior of the house. Although this house isn’t nearly as well equipped as the condo in Maui, we’ll figure it all out as we always do. The views easily make up for the missing large mixing bowls and a decent iced tea pitcher.

We’re good. We’re very good.

                                           Photo from one year ago today, December 2, 2013:

This was our first visitor in Marloth Park, arriving 30 minutes after our arrival. Immediately, we fell in love with these playful and funny creatures, the warthog. For details from that date, please click here.

Preparations for the Big Island begins…Flight, car and lots more…

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This looks like a Golden Orb spider we’d also seen in South Africa. Note the gold head and silver body.  We took this photo on the grounds.

This morning we booked our one-way flight from Maui to the Big Island on December 1st, a short 37-minute flight. Departing at 1:11 pm flight, it’s relatively low stress when we don’t need to be at the airport until 11:30 am. We love it when we don’t have to get up at 5:00 am or earlier for a flight.

The cost for both of us on Hawaiian Air, the most popular inter-island airline, is $368, plus another $120 for two checked bags each, making the total cost $488, which seems high for such a short flight. Then again, after all of our flights, it seems the shorter flights are higher proportionately.

Hot pink Bougainvillea.

With a rental car awaiting us at the Hilo Airport, we should be on the road by 2:45 heading to the first of the two houses in Pahoa, the home of the current lava flow. I doubt we’ll see any lava flow on our way to the house.  The lava hasn’t reached the highway or that particular neighborhood yet. Most likely, we’ll be able to see the smoke. 

By the end of our arrival day, after getting situated in the house, we’ll take off to a local grocery store for food and supplies for the first six days until family begins to arrive. Within a few days, a trip to Costco will be on the immediate to-do list with son TJ’s family of four arriving on December 6th.

A pleasing sunset view on the island of Maui.

There will only be six of us until December 21st when the remainder of the family arrives at varying times of the day Two of the remaining families will each be renting cars with only two requiring to pick up at the airport. It will be a busy day, the beginning of many busy days to come which we anticipate with pure delight.

With our flight and car booked and out of the way, we need to consider yet one more car, the one we currently have here in Maui which has to be returned to the airport tomorrow to extend the rental period until we leave in December 1st. Having booked this and all other rental cars online for better rates, Enterprise, in this case, has agreed to re-rent the same car to us for the same great price we received online. That is a first.

A calm sea on a sunny day.  There’s always white billowy clouds on sunny days.

As a result, tomorrow we have a few tasks to tackle; one, the rental car and two, the return of Tom’s laptop to Costco which is next door to the airport, the a-no-questions-asked return of the first replacement laptop we purchased in Boston as a floor model. 

Having received the new Acer by UPS last Wednesday, which we have working well with all of his data transferred, he’s ready to return the first one. Most likely we’ll receive a store credit for $588 for the cost of the floor model which we’ll happily use for food when we get to the Big Island. That store credit won’t put a small dent in the groceries we’ll need for the family gathering.

These Calla Lillies are always so beautiful with the yellow and red coloration.

There’s also a Costco store on the Big Island, an hour drive from the house, a drive we’ll be making several times in December. Luckily, there are a few grocery stores closer to the houses for the short trips we’ll surely need to make every few days.

With these few tasks behind us and the fact that I’ll be totally done with the post revisions in the next few days, we’ll finally have some free time for the remaining days in Maui. Whew! That has been a time-consuming challenge.

Yellow Allamanda.

My next task is moving all the email messages that need to be saved in folders that have been lingering in my inbox for months. The folders are ready and waiting so it shouldn’t be too long of a project which I should be able to complete in a few hours.

With our Excel spreadsheet up to date, we’ll be in good shape to put this ‘housekeeping” behind us. The next big project will be doing the 2014 taxes when we’re in Kauai but who wants to think about that now? Yuck.

The property manager, Mike, explained that the sea turtles eat this green moss on the rocks, although they never actually rest on the rocks, instead of bobbing around in the sea close to the shore at high tide.

To all of our friends and family in Minnesota and other parts of the US and other countries where cold weather, ice, and snow has hit: stay warm, stay safe, don’t shovel snow unless approved by your doctor, don’t skid on the ice when driving, don’t trip and fall on the ice and on and on…

No wonder we left Minnesota!

                                             Photo from one year ago today, November 14, 2013:

Due to WiFi issues, there was no post, one year ago on this date.

Safari luck in Hawaii…Today’s flights to Maui cancelled…Luckily we made it to Maui yesterday…Love the new place! Here comes Hurricane Ana!

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The clouds have begun to roll in as Hurricane Ana makes her way to the islands.  View from our lanai.

Thursday afternoon we arrived in Maui after a relatively painless 39-minute flight along with the usual two hours of waiting time at the airport in Honolulu. 

For once, we weren’t charged for excess fees for overweight baggage, although, we were assessed $120 for the four checked bags, two large, two small. For the first time in a long time, curbside check-in was available, allowing us to avoid the long lines of travelers trying to get out of Hawaii before the arrival of Hurricane Ana.

Last night, we heard that all flights to Maui are all being canceled started today. Had we not left Honolulu on Thursday, we’ve been stranded with no place to stay other than moving to a pricey hotel. Safari luck prevails. Now let’s see how it does when the storm hits tonight.

View of Maui taken during the 39-minute flight from Honolulu.

As soon as we picked up the rental car we were relieved to be on our way with the good directions the property owner provided for our new home over the next six weeks.

View from our lanai.

As we pulled out of the Enterprise lot we noticed a long line of traffic moving in and out of what appeared to be a Costco parking lot. The car was loaded with our luggage but how convenient it would be to shop for food and supplies.

We decided to change it and shop for bottled water, non-perishable foods, and a small number of perishable items (in the event the power doesn’t go out after all). An hour later we were shocked by the $604 we’d spent and challenged as to how we’d fit it all in the car.

Surely, we’ll be spending time by the pool as soon as the storm is over.

Somehow, with the utmost creativity, we managed to fit every last item, including huge bundles of toilet paper and paper towels, into the luggage jammed vehicle.

A pretty flower in the yard.

In no time at all we arrived and couldn’t have been more thrilled with the first-floor ocean view condo. Not only does it have virtually everything we could possibly need or want, but it’s also appealing, spotless, and exceedingly comfortable.

The grills at our disposal in the yard.  What a view while flipping a burger!

The thoughtful owners left a gift bag for us filled with macadamia nuts, a lovely bottle of white wine, chips, and cookies. What a pleasant surprise. We’ve been lucky with property owners in our travels, seldom having any type of issue often overjoyed with their kindness.

The grounds at the condo complex. We’ll take more photos soon.

This condo is roomy, and much-appreciated after having lived in the most recent tiny studio, hotel rooms, and cruise ship cabins. 

Our digital equipment was quickly set up with a good WiFi signal, each with our own plugin which was quite a novelty. The furniture is very comfortable.

Since July 31st each property in which we’ve stayed has been less than 200 square feet. We’veve eaten every meal out hoping that after the huge food purchase at Costco, we’d feel up to preparing dinner. 

Beach Bum BBQ & Grill where we dined last night.

After hauling everything inside, putting everything away, unpacking our luggage, and getting settled, we were too pooped to cook. Also, I’m still a bit under the weather with a recent virus.

Tom finally ordered a beer to celebrate our first night in Maui.

Dining out one more night was fine with us. We took off at 7:00 pm for Beach Bum’s BBQ & Grill for a great dinner, a mere two-minute drive from our condo. If we weren’t so tired, we could easily have walked. The food was great and worked well for my way of eating. Finally, we both felt as if we really were in  Hawaii, dining outdoors on a quiet evening in a more remote location.

My dinner, barbecue chicken, and ribs made without sauce but seasoned well. Tom helped me eat the ribs while I ate the dark meat of the chicken, bringing the chicken breast home in a doggy bag.

Today is a new day and we’ll enjoy chopping and dicing once again to make our favorite bread-free sandwiches and coleslaw, a dinner we both have missed. Plus, with a washer and dryer in the condo, I’m actually looking forward to our first load.

Tom’s dinner, pulled pork sandwich, fries, coleslaw, and cornbread. The bill for the dinner including one beer, tax, and tip was a total of $53 which we thought was reasonable.

With the news on constantly, we’re carefully watching for hurricane updates. As soon as we know something, we’ll add a note here to keep our readers well informed.

Stay tuned.

                                           Photo from one year ago today, October 17, 2013:

As our days at Camp Olonana came to a close, we attended a dinner in the bush, presented by our hosts. Again, a fabulous evening. For details of that day, please click here.

I forgot to upload this travel day post last night!…Written at the airport in Boston when heading to Vancouver…What’s the deal with that?

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Oh, good grief.  I’m bombarding our readers with posts. I wrote this at the airport in Boston and was sidetracked when we didn’t get in until late and I was falling asleep in the taxi on the way to our hotel.  So here is the travel day post, minus photos (sorry about that). Tomorrow morning or at your familiar usual time if outside the US, you’ll see a new post with many photos and more each morning thereafter.

Misty cloudy day view over downtown Vancouver.

Yesterday’s check-in at Logan International Airport in Boston was a breeze. We had to walk through the “naked scanner” and take off our shoes. I was frisked and Tom wasn’t. My solitary large handbag was carefully scrutinized when its weight raised a red flag.

Once again, after all of our efforts to reduce our load, we still had to pay US $100 for 12 pounds in overweight luggage for my large suitcase. I can’t imagine what 12 pounds I’m willing to kiss goodbye. Every item in that bag has an important purpose.

Before we fly again from Oahu to Maui, Hawaii on October 16th, I’ll have figured something out. Tom says it, “Goes with the territory” and not to worry. I just don’t like throwing money away. 

Otherwise, the curbside check-in was painless when we’d already paid US $120 for our two large and two small bags. Our luggage for this leg was US $220 for a one-way flight. So it goes.

With 90 minutes remaining until time to board the plane, we sat at the gate, our mugs in hand while using the MiFi (handy little gadget). Since we can’t carry heavy books and our phone’s batteries seem to die quickly when we’re reading for a few hours, our laptops are always the best option for staying entertained when a wait is for an hour or more.

How did we like being back in the US? We have mixed feelings. Some things were odd to us, such as the low toilets everywhere. We’ve never experienced low toilets anywhere we traveled. Sitting down and getting up was comparable to doing deep lunges. Our knees cracked. What’s the deal with that? 

When we went to the post office a few days ago we felt as if we were from another planet. How quickly we forget simple procedures that were familiar to us in the long ago past.

The menus in restaurants blew us away. How fun was it that they were in English. The number of choices and sizes of portions was mind boggling along with the English speaking servers committed to providing great service and expecting 15% to 20% in tips.

As we drove to pick up Uncle Bernie and Phyllis on Tuesday, we couldn’t believe how many stores and shops lined the boulevards, one after another, every possible store one could imagine. We gawked in childlike wonder at it all.

People were very kind in Boston and yet we heard people yelling at one another on the street, something we hadn’t seen witnessed since Turkey in June 2013. What’s the deal with that?

In a perpetual state of observation, we are reminded of how much “excess” there is in the US; big, better, safer, nicer, easier.

To our surprise, we never watched TV in our hotel room in Boston. In about half of our vacation homes, there have been TVs with only one or two English speaking news channels, mostly BBC news. Overall, I suppose we’ve lost interest in channel surfing instead, watching a few recorded shows on occasion on our own timeline.

Hawaii will be less of a location of “excess” when everything is imported and prices are high. Other than our 11 nights in Waikiki, Oahu upcoming on October 5th, our vacation rentals are in quieter, less “touristy” areas of Maui, Big Island, and Kauai.

The three days in Boston were unquestionably a culture shock for us which is surprising after our relatively short time away. In our old house, we’d remodeled our kitchen in 2004. The placement of the kitchen door had changed. At the time we had two Australian Terriers, Ben and Willie. 

Willie, the younger of the two, easily adapted to the location of the new door. But, Ben, the old timer, would stand at the blank exterior outdoor wall exactly where to door used to be, tapping the siding to get us to open the invisible door. 

We howled when this went on for weeks. We’re like Ben, scratching at a blank wall, assuming that everything should be as it was. It’s not. We change. Things change. Somehow we adapt. We create new ways of living our lives, regardless of how old we may be or how many habits we have ingrained into our way of life.

What’s the deal with that?

                                           Photo from one year ago, September 18, 2013:

On this date one year ago, while living in Kenya, we had a small dinner party for Hans and Jeri. We had a wonderful dinner in our outdoor living room. For details of that date, please click here.

Layover in Lisbon…Flight late in leaving Madeira…

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Tom’s fairly relaxed at the Lisbon Airport.
Tom took this photo of me at the Lisbon Airport.

The packing was seamless. Getting out the door was a breeze by 7:00 am when my phone alarm woke me at 6:00 and I bolted out of bed to run my bathwater. It’s amazing how we’ve learned to hustle. 

We left the house tidy, finished up the last of our pizza, and watched the final episode of our recent obsession, the TV series “Luther” on BBC. What a show!

Our flight leaving Madeira was late departing. Fortunately, the next flight from Lisbon has an over two-hour layover, which now is greatly reduced from arriving an hour later than expected.

At the moment, we’re sitting in the same café as when we arrived in Lisbon on May 15, 2014 when our flight was delayed for hours where we spent over US $65 for a plain burger, a beer and a cup of tea for me.

Tom’s sipping on a beer and I’ve already guzzled my first cup of tea, ready to order another. A tiny cup of tea is hardly satisfying for this tea lover.

Have I said how much I dislike flying? I’m sure I have. Recalling the small plane we flew from Diani Beach, Kenya to the Masai Mara, Kenya, I’m amazed that I did so well, preoccupying myself writing on an app on my phone as I often do to kill time. Taking photos on that flight also helped divert my attention preventing me from any anxiety during the flight.

Now as I write this during our now short layover with 30 minutes of free WiFi, I’ve come to the realization that its not the flying that bothers me the most. Its the hours of waiting, the frustration of overpaying for overweight baggage (we just paid US $340, EU $250 at the Funchal airport), the crowded bus to the plane and the steep stairway to board the plane with our still heavy carry on.

Once the plane was finally in the air heading for Lisbon, I seldom thought about the flying part in itself. Most flights are uneventful (hopefully).

Understanding the complexity of one’s discomfort is a small conciliation in reducing one’s anxiety. I think I finally have it figured out.

While waiting “in chairs” to board the bus, we reviewed our upcoming itinerary from memory to realize that we won’t have to fly again until September 17th when we fly from Boston to Vancouver.

Considering all that we’ll experience over the next few months, relatively little flying is involved: Paris, London, Normandy, Portsmouth, UK, Cork, Ireland, the Faro Islands, Reykjavik, Iceland, Boston, MA, USA, Vancouver, BC, Canada, ending in Honolulu Oahu, Hawaii.

We discussed the issues we experienced on various flights over the last almost two years in both airports and at ports when boarding cruises:

1.  Belize: Our vitamins were confiscated by security when we boarded the ship
2.  Dubai: Our power cords were confiscated by security as we went through the line.
3.  Barcelona: Someone put a knife into our plastic bin as we were going through security.
4.  Istanbul: An over eight-hour delay on our way to Kenya
5.  Numerous short and lengthy delays in and out of three countries in Africa.

But, who’s to complain when we’ve arrived safely on each occasion? Not us.

If anything, its made us more seasoned travelers to “expect the unexpected” and continue on with a smile on our faces and the anticipation of knowing we’re on our way to yet another adventure.

We’ll be back tomorrow when first thing in the morning, we’ll head to the hotel’s restaurant for our first breakfast in Paris, sipping Parisian coffee and looking forward to sharing our first tidbits about this famous city.

                                            Photo from one year ago today, August 1, 2013:

No photos were posted on this date one year ago.  Please click here for the story.

More new road trip photos…Worried about flying?…A year ago…A procession in the neighborhood…Remedy for keeping flies away…

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Map of the close proximity of Madeira, Portugal (“A” on map) to Algeria, where yet another plane was found this morning in Mali. According to news reports causes of the crash are unknown at this point.

During the day when we’re home and busy online, we may have the TV on to international news. We’re able to receive a few US news stations. 

The shoreline is always breathtaking.

In a way, life was less worrisome when we had no TV during most of our travels, as opposed to here in Madeira where there are several English speaking channels. Other than the news and financial information, we don’t watch TV instead, watching movies and shows on my laptop that we’ve downloaded from Graboid.com, a monthly subscription service.

Homes in what appears to be a newer area.
Neither of us actually “watch” the news. Instead, we’re busy with other tasks, reading or busying ourselves with laundry or preparing meals with the sound of the news in the background.
Exiting yet another tunnel.

Perhaps, ignorance is bliss after all.  Watching the varying opinions of world affairs is frightening and frustrating. What’s happening in the world? Oh, yes,  I could get into a lengthy recitation about our opinions of world affairs but, that dear reader is not the intent of our postings.  

There’s been little rain and yet the hillside is lush and green.

We’re all about low-stress living, finding joy in our surroundings coupled with a profound sense of freedom as we wander about the world at our leisure.

In a busy beach area, cars were parked inside this frequently used tunnel.

Last night, I received a worried email from my dear sister Julie about a news story she’d read about a female tourist being fatally shot in the past few days in Mombasa, Kenya. 

Another cloudy day on the road.

Ten months ago we were on the island of Mombasa, taking a ferry across the waterway to the mainland which was packed like sardines with a possible 1000 people on board. We spent 90 days in Diani Beach, Kenya where there have been multiple fatal incidences since we left last December 1st.

On a few hour outing, we’d go through as many as 20 tunnels.

Then, I read US news about a killing at a hospital in Pennsylvania and two deaths from tornados in Virginia and we remind ourselves that nowhere on earth is truly safe. “Drive by” incidences occurred frequently only 30 minutes from where we lived in Minnesota. 

Bathers on a cloudy day in a protected area of which there are many on the island.

With all the recent planes disappearing from the sky including yesterday’s flight to Algeria and planes being shot down, we can’t help but think for a moment of our upcoming flight from Madeira to Lisbon to Paris six days from today. 

A “massage salon” at the beach.

There’s no reason to think that our upcoming flight is particularly high risk. It’s not. However, after days and days of horrifying news, its human nature to let such fearful thoughts waft through our minds a mere six days away from departure. 

An old building along a craggy rock wall.

I don’t like flying in any case. The actual flying time to Paris is actually shorter than the layover in Lisbon but, that provides little comfort. The length of a flight appears to have little bearing on its risks. 

We’ve been amazed by the quality and excellent condition of the roads in Madeira better than we’ve seen anywhere.

Do I allow my brain into a frenzy of fear? I choose not to. I gave it some thought tinged with a touch of angst deciding to let it go. Worry serves no purpose. Tom, of course, doesn’t join the worry train with me for a moment.

As we entered a seaside village this tree reminded us of the flat top trees in the Masai Mara when we were on safari.

Today, I’m fussing over two horsefly bites from a few days ago. The one on my thumb which is swollen to twice its size, kept me awake half the night last night. The other on my upper arm is slightly less annoying. 

Ruins of what appeared to be a factory or commercial building.

In the realm of things, my bites are a trivial matter. Then again, whatever transpires in the world, most of us are caught up in the trivialities of our daily lives, at times to deflect our attention to the deeper more serious matters, over which we have no control. Human nature. It’s rampant.

                                              Photo from one year ago today, July 25, 2013:

While in Tuscany, we’d read online that hanging a plastic bag with pennies inside would keep flies away.  With no screens, no AC, and the heat of summer it was one long summer when this “home remedy” worked to a degree but not entirely. Luckily, it’s been cool here in Madeira and we’ve kept the windows shot most of the time. Somehow, the flies still make their way indoors looking for me for what must be a tasty bite. For detail from the story that day with a video and photos of a procession through the neighborhood, please click here.

New photos from road trips…Annoying flight changes….Why?… A year ago…Sport cars driving up the hills…

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We stopped along a beach to enjoy the views.

So far we’ve booked 12 round trip flights from Minneapolis to Hawaii for our family members while waiting for dates that work for eldest son Richard in Las Vegas/Henderson, Nevada. He’s a successful real estate agent experiencing the busiest time in his 20+ year career. Getting away is not so easy for him. We’re confident, he’ll figure it out soon.

Close up of flower in the above beach photo.

After booking the remaining 12 tickets, we sat back comfortably knowing that the booking aspect of our upcoming family vacation in December was almost complete. How foolish we were to make such assumptions when dealing with the airlines!

Most beaches are rocky in Madeira. Wooden planks are provided for sunbathers to avoid sitting on the rocks. On many beaches, these thatched umbrellas are also provided. 

Speaking of airlines, a week ago, we mentioned the possibility of going to Malaysia in between our two stays in Bali in 2016.  After the tragic downing of yet another Malaysian Airline plane, we’ve rethought our decision to visit Malaysia and will find another country in the South Pacific to visit for the 60 days we’ve yet to fill.

This morning, as I sat down at my computer to begin writing today’s post, I noticed an email from Expedia.com informing us that there have been changes from our flight from Boston to Vancouver on September 17th. Not huge changes, but changes nonetheless. In this case, there was nothing required of us.

There were many roads along the steep cliffs that were wet from water running down the mountains.

Over the past few there have been no less than four notifications of flight changes for son TJ and his family of four with changes on departure times, layovers, and arrival times. In their most recent notification, it required selecting new seats when the actual plane was changed. 

When the airline toll-free number was blocked to Skype, we were unable to speak to a rep to make the new seating arrangement. (This was the first time that we experienced the blocking of a toll-free number via Skype). At the airline website, it stated that one couldn’t change the seats online and would be required to call. 

From what we could determine, this small one-lane rock tunnel was very old.

We contacted TJ explaining that they’d have to book their seats for that leg of the flight, especially important when traveling with two grandsons, Jayden and Nik.

Also, in the past few months, we received another two flight changes for daughter-in-law Camille and granddaughter Madighan who are flying on different dates than son Greg, granddaughter Maisie, and grandson Miles. As in the past, we forward these notifications to our kids, reminding them of the importance of noting these changes.

A bridge over a ravine.

Fortunately, the airlines haven’t changed any departure and arrival dates, only the times. In most cases, the time changes aren’t substantial. What’s the deal? We have to book early to ensure we secure the flights and yet, they keep changing the times.

With many flights in our future travel plans, this is annoying. However, once we fly to Paris in 10 days, and then fly from Boston to Vancouver in September our only flights will be from island to island in Hawaii when we’ll be living on four different islands over a period of months.

A fast-running small creek in the ravine.

Travel days?  We don’t like them. It’s the only part of our travels that give us a sense of angst and uncertainty.  Will we be charged for overweight baggage? Will our flights change or be canceled at the last minute? Will our bags get lost or the contents stolen? Will we have problems with immigration? And most importantly, will we arrive safely?

As for long layovers, we’ve learned to accept this as a reality of our world travels. If the airport has WiFi and a recharging center, we’re at ease. More and more airports are providing these services, which we surprisingly found available in some airports in Africa. 

A natural rock formation.

We’re content to read books during layovers on our phones as we do each day. Our older smartphones don’t have the extended battery life as some of the newer phones. If no recharging stations are available we may be out of luck during a long layover. Why not read a hard copy book? Simple answer. We can’t carry any extra weight reading hard copies of books.

Corn grows wild in many areas of Madeira.

With the new rules in the US that all digital equipment be charged enough to turn on when going through security, this presents a whole new problem for travelers. When we depart on a flight, all of our equipment is fully charged. But, in the case of a layover, we may run out of juice. We’ll worry about this later, definitely keeping it in mind. 

A fountain in the center of a round-about.

Oh, enough whining about flying. I’m sure our regular readers have heard all of this many times in past posts.  I apologize for the redundancy. Please comment if you’ve had similar experiences. We love hearing from our readers.

Photo from one year ago today, July 21, 2013:

We stood outside of the 300-year-old stone house in Boveglio, Tuscany, Italy while a parade of old sports cars drove past perhaps on their way to a car show. For more car photos, please click here for the link from that day.

A second booking in Fiji…Keeping it all straight…A year ago, puffy clouds in the mountains…

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Photo of beach at our second Fiji house.

After booking the house on the island of Savusavu, Fiji for 89 days ending on December 6, 2015, as described in this previous post (click here), we had a month “to kill” before our upcoming cruise as described in our posts of a few days ago, leaving Sydney, Australia on January 5, 2016.

Originally, we thought that the easiest thing to do was to stay in Sydney for the month over the holidays. After considerable checking for one-month vacation rentals near Sydney, we had little luck. With the holiday season in full force, the rentals were either already booked or too expensive.

Veranda overlooking the pool.  The average year-round temperature in Fiji is in the 80F, 30C range with little variances from month to month.

Staying in a hotel in Sydney for a month was another option but proved to be prohibitive when hotel rates were high and we’d have no choice but to dine out for every meal.  (Although, next month we’ll be in hotels for a month split between Paris and London, in both cities we were able to get excellent rates and, most importantly, we’d budgeted for these expenses). 

However, we hadn’t planned for an expensive month in Sydney, no doubt a beautiful city. Most likely, we’ll have an opportunity to see the sights of Sydney when we are on any of our three cruises in Australia.

The kitchen appears to have everything we’ll need. Many of these photos were taken at night. We’ll be taking plenty of photos during daylight.

At this point, we discussed our options. We had to get back to Sydney by January 4th for the upcoming cruise the next day.

With Fiji’s 120 day visas for US citizens, we had the option of staying another month in our booking in Savusavu, a separate island in Fiji with challenging transportation, or, as Tom suggested, fly to the main island of Fiji to ease the flying back to Sydney on January 4th. We both agreed this was a better plan.

Most likely we’ll find a table somewhere in the house to use as a coffee table.

While I was busy logging all the data for our recent multiple bookings, Tom went to work to find something suitable on the main island of Fiji. Much to our surprise, in only one day, he found the house which we’re sharing today.

We booked this house from December 6, 2015 to January 4, 2016 when we’ll fly to Sydney, spend one night in a hotel and board the cruise the next day. Whew! Lots of monkeying around!

We love having a pool!

After contacting the owner, we worked out an equitable rental amount, paid the deposit, and took a deep breath, knowing this leg of our journey was handled. 

Here’s the link to our second house in Fiji, on the main island:
http://www.homeaway.com/vacation-rental/p3665385

When the January 5th cruise ends in Auckland, New Zealand on January 19, 2016, we’ll rent a car and make our way to the Alpaca Farm as posted here. 

Side yard.  The ocean is beyond the bushes.

With our comprehensive record-keeping, it’s easy to keep track of the “holes” in our itinerary. At this point in time, we have only a few one-night hotel bookings and a few flights yet to book, all the way to the last booking ending on June 26, 2016, almost two years away. It’s too soon to book anything beyond that date.

Knowing that we’ve booked two years out with deposits paid and rental agreements, in hand we can now sit back and enjoy ourselves knowing that we don’t have to think about future bookings for another year. 

Yesterday, Tom and I were giggling over how much we both enjoyed this process over the past month. The anticipation and the hope of working out equitable rental amounts and deposits left us flush with excitement as we waited to hear back from owners of the various bookings. 

Over the past month, I was often so excited that I awoke early in the morning to see if we’d heard back from an owner overnight. In many cases, there was as much as an 11 hour time difference making communicating online tricky. We’d jump for joy when we’d see that our proposal, or a workable alternative to our proposal, was accepted by the owner.

Settled down and content with the outcome of our hard work, we can’t stop smiling. Yes, we know that there will be mosquitoes, no screens (we have no screens now), creepy-crawly, and flying things but we’re tougher now. 

On both islands in Fiji we’ll have several hours of driving on scary bumpy roads from the airport to our homes, one as long as the four-hour drive in Belize. Here again, we’re tougher now and give it nary a thought.

We continue on, dear readers, fine-tuning our skills and our psyches as we grow and learn more each day as we live as nomads exploring the many treasures our world has to offer.

Tomorrow we’ll share our most exciting booking since we began our travels. Please check back!

Photo from one year ago today, July 9, 2013:

It’s ironic that here we are in Madeira, Portugal one year later and we have similar puffy clouds as we watched in the mountains in Boveglio, Lucca, Tuscany, Italy. Although close to the ocean in Madeira, the clouds are much denser. A year ago, we wrote the story of living life without cell phone service when no SIM cards were available. For details, please click here.

The progression of a moonlit night over Madeira…Scroll down to listen to a humorous Minnesota podcast where Tom’s is mentioned…A year ago trip to Ephesus, Turkey and a fashion show…

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Last night’s view of the moon and the lights from our veranda over Campanario, Madeira. 

I often walk up the steep hill that begins outside our door, snapping photos along the way, puffing and panting less and less each time. The lack of activity in Morocco greatly reduced my level of fitness, now returning with painstaking effort. 

The moon making an appearance on Wednesday which ended up clouded over after dark.

I needed to do this hard work. With no health club nearby once again I’m left to my own resources in an effort to stay fit which is easier now that we do our own day-to-day housework, laundry, and cooking. Tom, prefers not to exercise at all, except for necessary walks.

Last night, the moon began its ascent over the top of the mountain.

His exercise (besides household tasks) consists of standing up several times a day, walking to the kitchen to get two more Oreo cookies, walking back to the sofa, sitting down, and eating them. Oh, how happy I’d be if he’d give up the gluten and sugar. 

It rose so quickly, we could hardly look away for a moment.

I only want him to be healthy in order to continue this journey for years to come. He’s betting on his good genes. Recently, I read that good genes only attribute to 10% of one’s health and longevity. The rest is based on lifestyle choices. Our meals are healthy but, I can’t control what he puts in his mouth in between. We don’t argue about this nor do I nag him. He knows.

Only a minute later, we had a full view.

Yesterday, after posting here, we busied ourselves checking airfares from Funchal, Madeira to Paris, France on July 31st, a mere 48 days from today. The quickest flight left us with only a 45 minutes layover between Funchal and Lisbon, not enough time to go through customs. 

Tom insisted I point the camera in the opposite direction over the sea to capture the colors in the sky as the sun set and the moon arose.

Instead, we booked the safer bet, the flight with a two-hour layover in Lisbon, arriving in Paris at 5:15. By the time we’ll get to our hotel, it may be 7:30 pm or later, after another long day of travel. Then, we’ll quickly shower and change, heading out for our first dinner in Paris. How exciting!

The sky began to darken as a puff of clouds swept into the moon’s view.

Many travel days are ahead of us over several months after we leave Madeira on July 31st, not settling into another “home” until October 5th when we disembark the cruise from Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada to Oahu, Hawaii.

Again, Tom remembered to catch one last shot of the sunset on the opposite side of the island.

Again, we won’t be cooking our meals for a combined total of 66 days while dining in restaurants during a month of cruising and several weeks in hotels in Paris, London, Boston, and Vancouver.  

As the sky cleared we knew that soon the moon would too high to get any good shots.

In the interim, we’re loving life in Madeira, especially after last night’s full moon which will be reaching its peak tonight when we’ll be dining out at a higher elevation. Hopefully, another relatively cloudless sky will bring the moon into its full glory into our sight once again.

Our last shot of the evening as it made it way to the heavens.

A full moon on Friday the 13th may bring out the superstition in some. But, for us, it’s another opportunity to revel in the beauty of the world surrounding us as we remain grateful for each and every day.

Here’s the link to the humorous podcast from Minnesota from June 12, 2014, where Tom is mentioned. 

His mention comes up in the first five minutes of the first hour in the podcast, making it unnecessary to listen to the entire podcast.

Very funny!  
                                                         __________________________

Photo from one year ago today, June 13, 2013:

Spending part of the day in Ephesus, Turkey was not as interesting as we’d hoped. Seeing ruins after ruins had finally begun to wear thin. After we left Ephesus, we were taken to a runway fashion show. What???? For details of that story, photos of Ephesus, and the fashion show, please click here.