A sheepish story on the news…Shocking photo…Three days and counting…

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An overgrown sheep found by the RSPCA outside of Canberra on September 2 2015
This is a photo (not ours) of previously long lost sheep, now named Chris, who was lost for years to be found in this dreadful condition. With the help of professional shearers, Chris has been relieved of his mass of wool and is doing well. Stories such as this are newsworthy in Australia. See a portion of the story below and a link to the full story.

With a population of over 23 million throughout the entirety of the massive continent of Australia (as large as the US), there if often news broadcast via TV that is horrific and heartbreaking. Sadly, we watch this news along with the lighter versions presented on the many news broadcasting TV stations.

The passion of its people for “footy,” Australia’s version of football and other sports news occupies a portion of each day’s broadcasts as does local and political news.

An important element in the news in this country is surrounding the indigenous people’s lives, programs including both government and volunteer involvement in the betterment of the Aboriginals who occupy 3% of the entire population. 

Aboriginal selected statistics

“3%  Percentage of Aboriginal people in Australia’s population
93,200  Approximate Aboriginal population in 1900
670,000  Number of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people in 2011
721,000  Estimated Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander population in Australia in 2021
2.2%  Annual growth rate of the Aboriginal population. Same rate for non-Aboriginal population: 1.2 to 1.7%

Aboriginal population figures

Experts estimate the number of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islanders at 700,000 at the time of the invasion in 1788 [3]. It fell to its low of around 93,000 people in 1900, a decrease of almost 87%.

At present, 3% of Australia’s population identify as Aboriginal.

It will take until 2021 for population figures to recover. If the current annual growth rate of 2.2% remains stable Aboriginal people can be as many as 721,000 by 2021 and more than 900,000 by 2026.

The faster growth in the Aboriginal population (compared to 1.6% for the general Australian population) is the result of higher levels of fertility and better life expectancy. More Aboriginal people move into peak child-bearing age between now and 2026.

The median age for Aboriginal people, currently 22, is projected to reach 25 by 2026. But this remains much younger than the median age in the general population, which is currently 37 and is expected to rise above 40 by 2026.

A problem is though how many people identify themselves as Aboriginal. “There are a large number of people who don’t answer the Indigenous question in the Census,” explains Patrick Corr, Director of Demography with the Australian Bureau of Statistics (ABS).

“We have approximately 1.1 million people whose Indigenous status, we don’t know, so we have made some assumptions.” This uncertainty lets the ABS tag some figures as experimental estimates.”

Along with the above ongoing news, updates on local, national, and international affairs, crime stories, accidents, injuries, shark encounters, including any natural disasters, a substantial portion of Australian news centers around human interest stories. 

Tongue-in-cheek, Australians share many newsworthy stories with a sense of humor that is unstoppable. The news commentators spend little time hiding their perceptions and holding back comments they feel appropriate to express. In doing so, many human interest stories precipitate fits of laughter by them and by those watching, often including ourselves

We’ve loved their news. Knowing we won’t be able to watch the news in Fiji for four months without a TV, we’ll be reliant upon online news with apps we’ve already been using made into tiles on our Windows 8  laptops. A single click and we’re updated.

With Australia’s extensive animal population, we often watch stories regarding farm animals, wild animals, and domesticated animals, all of which appear to hold a special place in the hearts of most Aussies.

Yesterday, a story caught our attention, repeated again this morning that found us smiling from ear to ear from a great outcome about a stray Merino sheep lost in the wild near Canberra for years who suddenly appeared desperately needing to be shorn.

(Click here for full story)

Very woolly sheep before and after shearing
Chris, before and after his shearing (not our photo). The pink stain is not blood. It’s an antiseptic. He’s doing well now.

See a portion of the story here:

“Wool shorn off an overgrown sheep found near Canberra on Wednesday has set an “unofficial” world record for the heaviest fleece removed in one shearing, the RSPCA says.  The sheep, dubbed Chris, underwent a risky shearing operation to remove 40.45 kilograms of wool.

It smashed the previous world record held by a sheep in New Zealand called Shrek, whose fleece weighed 27 kilograms. ”  Click here for the balance of the story.

It is these types of stories that we’ve found clearly illustrate the compassion and love for animals so typical in Australia. That’s not to say that other country’s people are less compassionate. However, in Australia, we’ve found a greater focus on the love of animals frequently expressed in detail on the news.

We’ll miss these types of stories. From time to time, we’ll check on Australian news and those human interest stories will surely bring a smile to our faces. Most likely, while living in Fiji, we’ll seek and discover heartwarming stories as once again we embrace our surroundings.

This morning we headed to the Trinity Beach post office sending two packages; one to our mailing service with my boots, medical paperwork, and receipts which won’t arrive for up to three months (lowest rate), and two, a 16 kilo (35 pound) box of food and supplies to Fiji, which should arrive within 10 days. Total cost for both packages: AUD $269.70, USD $188.97.

With the flight to Sydney at 5:30 pm on Monday, we’ll wrap up the final packing during the day, heading to the airport by around 3:30 pm. It’s a domestic flight and all we’ll have to do is pay for the extra bag and check-in. 

As we wind down over the next few days, we’ll be preparing and posting the final expenses for the time we spent in Australia, almost 90 days. You just may be surprised!

Photo from one year ago today, September 4, 2014:
DSC03394
Tom at Stonehenge.  Story and photos here.

DSC03395

Me, at Stonehenge.  We were both wearing headsets for listening to the history of this renowned site.  For details and more photos, please click here.

Handling excess baggage fees…Unable to prepay…Packing remains time consuming and tricky…Four days until departure!

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A sunny day makes all the difference in taking good photos.

With the complicated upcoming five flights necessary over the next many months and the slower Internet connection, a few months ago we decided to book all five flights with a local travel agency after we’d verified pricing online.

Travel agencies generally charge the same prices for their services that we’d receive on our own other than the voracious online searches, we may perform from time to time for the best possible fares. 

In the case of these upcoming flights, we could search day and night and the prices remained within a few dollars either way. Rather than using $100 in data searching online, a trip to the travel agency made sense, especially when it’s located in the same mall where we’ve shopped each week.

Visitors spending time at the beach in the shade.  We did the same sitting on beach towels we placed on the grass.

When we booked the five flights, we didn’t prepay baggage fees at the time. Knowing we had to further lighten our load to stay within the 23 kilo, 50 pounds, maximum weight for checked baggage, we had some work to do. 

We’d purchased a few items of clothing while here, received in a shipment from the US and had to reduce the weight to compensate for the new items, easily done with many items becoming old and worn from frequent wearing and washing.

With one checked bag allowed per person at or under this weight, our only excess baggage is our third bag which also now weighs within the 23 kilo range. 

People, young and old, walk along the esplanade.

For those who may have missed why we need five flights, here they are:

1.  Cairns to Sydney, Australia:  stay overnight in hotel
2.  Sydney to Nadi, Fiji:  two hour layover
3.  Nadi, Fiji to Savusavu, Fiji  (first smaller island we’ll live on for almost three months):  landlord picking us up at the airport, to take us to our new home
4.  Savusavu, Fiji to Suva, Fiji (main island we’ll live on for one month): on our own, rental car from airport to house. 
5.  Suva back to Sydney, Australia: to stay overnight for one night, board a cruise on January 5, 2016 which will disembark 14 days later in Auckland, New Zealand, where we’ll rent a car to drive to our new home near New Plymouth, New Zealand for the next 89 days.

With the confusion of booking all of these flights individually online it certainly made sense to see a travel agent to book all of these flights on one ticket, all the way through to Sydney in January.

Unfortunately, it appears prepaying for our extra bag for all five flights is trickier than one would think. We’d planned to return to the agency a few days before departure and have the agent set up the prepayment of the extra bag.

There are numerous resorts, hotels and vacation rentals overlooking the sea in Trinity Beach.

With all of our bags filled, we weighed them on the our portable travel scale, happily discovering they all were within the weight restrictions for individual bags. 

The only issue is the third checked bag, one we cannot live without no matter how we’ve tried to trim its contents: all of our shoes (six pairs each), a few small boxes of our business cards, a portable scanner, bottles of vitamins a few sandwich sized ziplock bags of cosmetics, teeth care supplies (fluoride free toothpaste), emergency medical/first aid supplies, insect repellent, power adapters and cords including HDMI and a small stash of other toiletries, such as organic antiperspirant and shaving supplies. All of these items are included in the lowest amounts possible. 

Walking along the beach is enjoyed by visitors to the many beaches.  Of course, keeping an eye out for crocs, sharks and stingers is vital at most beaches in Australia.

Having checked for stores available in each location, we determine the necessity of bringing more or less toiletries. Fiji is not going to carry fluoride free toothpaste or organic antiperspirant. We’re bringing enough to last 89 days. We’re always monitoring the amounts of products we use in order to avoid packing any more than the minimum.

In that bag, I only have one small plastic jar of face cream with no other lotions, potions, perfumes or sunscreens. We use coconut oil as a lotion if needed, purchased new in each location and left behind when we move on. We purchase hair products as needed at each new location.

The top level of this condo complex has great ocean views.

On Tuesday, when we stopped in at the travel agency to hopefully pay for the extra bag, the rep explained that once she entered our confirmation numbers, a message appeared stating the excess bags can only be paid at the airport at the time of checking in.

This is odd to us. But, we too saw this notation online. Since we preferred to pay the excess all the way through, it appears the flight with Fiji Airways are tripping up the process. Smaller planes may dictate actual allowable weight once other passengers check in.  his is the only reason we can determine as to why we can’t do this in advance. The excess bag may have to be shipped on a different flight.

The shaded walkway, the esplanade, is an ideal path for walking.

As a result, we have no choice but to wait until we’re at the airport in Cairns on Monday, arriving in plenty of time to handle this and pay for the excess. Of course, we’d have preferred to have it handled up front but undert these circumstances, have no other option.

We’re expecting to pay no less than AUD $800, USD $562. Anything less will be a pleasant surprise. 

Tomorrow, we’ll head to the post office to ship the box of food supplies in Vanua Levu, most of which is only purchased in the health food sections of a large grocery store or in a health food shop. None of these types of stores exist  in Vanua Levu. 

With the intense sun in Australia, many former sunbathers spend only short stints in the sun, as we do on occasion.  On the date we took these photos, we spent all of the time in the shade except during the walk in the sand along the beach.

None of this planning is easy. Those who may believe that living a life of traveling the world is free of responsibilities with little planning are kidding themselves, especially if they have any types of special needs that requires certain products, foods and equipment.

As time marches on, we’ve accepted the reality of shipping certain products to ourselves in advance and paying for excess baggage fees. If we were 25 years old without any medical or health needs driving us to purchase and use specific products and, we were able to carry an even a smaller amount of clothing in  backpack, it could be an entirely different scenario.

A palm tree casting a shadow in the sand, a perfect spot for a beach chair.  We wished we had the two chairs we’d purchased at Costco in Kauai which we gave to Elaine and Richard before departing.

But, we’re not 25 years old. We’re grateful that we’ve figured out a way that makes this life work for us ultimately reducing stress of feverishly scrambling to find the items we need once we arrive in a new location.  

Once we unpack our bags and the shipped box we can sit back and relax as we settle into a new life in a new country knowing we have the supplies we’ll need for the best possible experience.

We’ll be back soon as we fast approach our departure from Trinity Beach, Australia to head to a new and different country where we’ll live for the next four months.

                                           Photo from one year ago today, September 3, 2014:
No photo was posted one year ago today when we had a very early morning departure from the ship to visit Stonehenge, although we posted a short blurb. Please click here for details.

Beauty is subjective…We’ve changed our perspective…

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Midday sunlight filtering through the trees.

Kenya was dark in its mystery, its eerie sounds, its dry, dusty plains, and its sudden pelting rains. At night, we’d hear a freaky indescribable sound, comparable to the tones in the movie, “Close Encounters of a Third Kind,” a sound that impacted the way we felt about it, a little frightened, a lot in awe. 

The full moon rising as it made its way through the clouds above Yorkeys Knob.

In many ways, Kenya was far removed from our familiar, as familiar as one can feel traveling the world with the certain ungainly expectations we’ve adopted as we’ve continued on. Nothing was the same from that point on.  We’ve changed.

We aren’t as afraid. We learned to live outdoors for 16 hours a day with no living room or lounge area inside the house, no screens on our outdoor living room, a spacious veranda with a wide array of venomous insects always in attendance. I was stung on the thigh early on and a year later it still hurt when I touched the spot. We’ve changed. 

The moon offers up quite a show.

Now, as we prepare to move to Vanua Levu, Fiji, where we won’t be able to rent a car when only a 4×4 is able to manage the steep and rocky roads near our vacation rental, too expensive to rent on this remote island. 

Compared to most of the remaining nine months we spent in Africa, we’ll have a driver, not as convenient as having a car, but manageable for our needs, shopping, dining out, and touring the area.

The esplanade in Trinity beach doesn’t disappoint with easy facilities for visitors of all ages.

One may ask, “Why make ourselves uncomfortable?” It’s not our intent to be uncomfortable. It’s simply a part of the experience as a way of life, not what one would want or expect from a two-week vacation or holiday. 

In our old lives, if we’d taken a two-week trip and had no AC, no screens, no place to be indoors if desired, with insects scampering about the floor, we’d want our money back. 

Signs were posted with the history of the area.

It’s different now. This is no two-week vacation or fluffy holiday. This is taking things as they come as we saunter about the world with expectations in check striving for the “experience.” Some of the best experiences we’ve had are when we’ve “toughed it out” which ultimately changed who we are, who we’ve become.

The beauty? It’s subjective. Kenya is its own right was beautiful; the Indian Ocean a short walk from our home in Diani Beach, the most pristine beaches we’ve ever seen; the plains; the Masai Mara; the Mara River; the acacia trees, flat on the top, an exquisite sight in the horizon; the wildlife; a gurgling hippo in the early dawn…it all was beautiful.

Few cars drive along the esplanade when most of the visitors are on foot, currently staying in resorts along Trinity Beach.

I use Kenya as an example. It would be easy to go on and on when many other countries hover in our minds contributing to the changes in who we’ve become. What about Jordan, UAE, Italy, Egypt, Iceland, and more?  But, that’s not our intent today. 

Today, I think of beauty…again, words from an old favorite song, “Love the one you’re with.” Those words convey so much to us;  love the moment, live in the moment, cherish our surroundings, cherish each other. We do this.

Hotels, resorts, and vacation homes line the esplanade along with several restaurants.

And, when we were on the boat from Green Island last week after visiting the Great Barrier Reef and we spoke to a few tourist couples, an Australian woman from the Gold Coast said, “Oh, we don’t like Cairns.” 

A few cars were parked in the convenient beachside car park.

Suddenly, I felt protective and blurted out in defense of our perceptions of beauty, “Cairns is lovely. We’ve loved every moment.”

There were plenty of shady spots for those preferring to stay out of the sun.

We have loved the beauty of the area in which we’ve lived for nearly three months; the tall fields with sugar cane growing along the roads, the endless sandy beaches, the cockatoos squawking overhead, the quaint shops along the various esplanades, the ever-changing skies, the Hawaii-like vegetation and of course, the relatively predictable weather, sunny and warm almost every single
day.

The annoyances that may frustrate a “vacation/holiday” traveler have been in essence insignificant to us; living without screens, the insects, the noisy curlews all night long; the steep driveway requiring an athletic event to take out the trash. We’ve easily managed it all here and comparably, in other countries.

The sand looks lumpy in this photo when in fact is fine and soft underfoot.

As we grow to admire the pleasing perspective of the beauty of those we love, both of us find the same ethereal beauty in our surroundings. Whether it’s a flower, a hummingbird, a koala, a sunrise, or an expanse of sea, it all matters, it all fits into our realm of beauty.

Now, as we wind down our stay in Queensland, Australia, we have no regrets. We saw everything we wanted to see. We did everything we wanted to do and we leave here fulfilled and appreciative for this beautiful place and its equally beautiful people.

It was quiet at Trinity Beach with only a few more visitors than we’ve noticed in the past.

The next step in our year’s long journey takes us to a remote island with bumpy roads, open markets, no TV with the news of the outside world, friendly people, and a lack of many of the conveniences we’ve enjoyed in Australia. Without fear, without apprehension, we continue on with open hearts, open minds, and an eye for beauty. Without a doubt, we’ve changed.

Photo from one year ago today, September 2, 2014:

It was one year ago today that we had the profoundly moving experience of visiting The Normandy American Cemetery and Memorial in Normandy, France.  The photos and stories continued over a few days.  Please click here to begin.

One week from today, we’re off to Sydney, then Fiji…Final preparations…A mixed bag of emotions and activities…

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Walkway along the pond in Trinity Beach area. There doesn’t appear to be as many vacation homes in this particular area as we’ve seen in other beach areas.

The final week before departing for a new location is a mixed bag of emotions and activities. Excitement over the upcoming new environment, a bit of apprehension over the quality of our seen-online-only-accommodations, and the hope and expectation that travel day will be seamless.

In the upcoming travel to the second largest island in the Fiji archipelago, we decided to break up the travel into two days when we were unable to arrange flights at reasonable hours. 

As it is, we’ll have to be up at 4 am next Tuesday morning, September 8th, to board the 6:30 am flight from Sydney to Savusavu, Vanua Levu. The alternative would have been to spend the night at the airport, simply not our style in our efforts to avoid stress and exhaustion when possible.

A manmade pond at a condo complex in Trinity Beach.

Today, we’re off to the Trinity Beach post office to purchase a large box in order to pack necessary food supplies to ship to Fiji where they do not carry these particular items. Once we bring the box back home to be packed and weighed, we’ll bring it back to the same post office for shipping.

We’re sending another box to ourselves to remain at our mailing service in Las Vegas, Nevada filled with tax receipts we must save, paper copies of our medical reports, and my Africa boots. When the time comes that we’ll need the boots, we’ll ask the mailing service to ship them to us wherever we may be at the time. 

We haven’t determined a “typical” style of houses in this area. Some are gated, such as in this photo but most are not.

Sending this box to the mailing service saves us around 3.6 kilos, 8 pounds, in excess baggage weight over these upcoming many flights. Sure, there will be an expense to ship this box but with five upcoming flights between now and January, we’d have paid over and over again for the same items.

I must admit, I failed to scan every receipt we needed to save, as I’d originally planned. At the beginning of our travels, I was all over this. But, as time marched on I began making a pile of receipts to be scanned never getting around to the time-consuming task. 

View or Yorkey’s Knob Beach and area.

Our portable scanner, which works well, requires multiple receipts to be placed inside a clear double sheet of plastic scanning numerous receipts at once. This became time consuming and bothersome.  Failing to stay on top of this task occasionally nagged at me. Normally, I’m all over this stuff. And the receipts piled up.

Finally, I let go of it nagging me and decided in the realm of things, it’s no big deal. All of the receipts, not organized by year, would only be necessary if, God forbid, we were audited. 

If not, we have all the records of purchases on our spreadsheet with copies on multiple clouds and on our external hard drive. Over these past years, I became tired of hauling around three years of receipts in our luggage. It looks like I either have to get on the ball and start scanning new receipts or accumulating them once again. We shall see. I haven’t decided yet.

The view of Double Island and Scout Island is a pleasant beginning to any day in Trinity Beach. 

After accessing the food we have left for meals for the next week, one more trip to the grocery store is necessary. We wanted to make easy meals as we always do during the last week before departing for a new location. We always plan to prepare easy meals for which there will be leftovers for two nights for a total of three nights.

For this upcoming week, we decided on pizza with a green salad for Tuesday, Wednesday, and Thursday and tuna salad, mushroom, onion, bacon burger patties with a green salad on Friday, Saturday, and Sunday. We often make meals to last for two or three nights. It not only saves money but also saves considerable time in the kitchen. 

Often, when making meals for leftovers with all the chopping and dicing done in advance, we do the cooking separately each night to ensure it’s most fresh. In the case of pizza and the above tuna salad, we’ll make these all at once, cooking the mushrooms, onions, and bacon burgers and salads fresh each night.

Large house on the shore of the pond in Trinity Beach. 

Many vacation rentals have tiny kitchens and the less time spent in the kitchen the better as in this house which has minimal counter space in a relatively large kitchen. 

The same scenario will be the case in Fiji, a tiny galley kitchen. It was only in the fabulous house in Madeira, Portugal that we had a lot of counter space, making cooking enjoyable and easy.

The almost 90 days we’ve spent in Trinity Beach has been pleasant and in part task-related in getting our medical and dental exams and tests completed with good results. 

A car rental shop is located in the heart of Trinity Beach which may not be busy with the car rental shops at the nearby airport in Cairns, a 25-minute drive from this location.  Should a visitor rent a car from here, they’d have to arrange transportation back to the airport. However, if a tourist is staying in a nearby hotel on the beach, a few day rental may be perfect from this location.

We’ve found this amount of time (under 90 days) are perfect for familiarizing ourselves with an area, its people, and its culture. We’ve seen considerable sites and have literally visited every beach in the area. 

We’ve been to the closest bigger city, Cairns, many times, visiting many of its most popular tourist attractions.  We visited the popular Port Douglas and meandered many of its tourist attractions.

We’ve come to know the people at Woolie’s, the pharmacy, the farm stand, and the butcher on a first name basis. We’ve frequently seen interesting birds and learned to tune out the noisy curlews at night, now able to leave the narrow window with a screen open for fresh air while we sleep.

Red Cross Road leads to the hospital and medical facilities in Cairns with many restaurants nearby including this Flying Monkey located on Highway 1 which travels through the city.

Now, we’re on a fast path of becoming organized with careful packing to keep the baggage costs under control and packing a separate carry on bag for the overnight in Sydney to avoid opening the three larger checked bags.

It’s all good. We’re content, not anxious. That’s not to say that Tom won’t become “overly grumpy” on travel day as I continue in my annoying “overly bubbly” state of mind.

Happy Sunday or Monday to all of you!

                                                  Photo from one year ago today, August 31, 2014:

No photos were posted on this date one year ago as we made our way via a private car to the port in Harwich, England to the pier to board our ship to Boston, Royal Caribbean’s Brilliance of the Seas for a 14-day cruise.  Instead, we posted the ship’s itinerary which is shown below. We’d intended to post later in the day but time got away from us not posting again until the next morning. For details from the day of departure, please click here.

DAY DATE PORT ARRIVE   DEPART
Sun Aug 31 London (Harwich), England 5:00 pm
Mon Sep 1 Paris (Le Havre), France 7:00 am 9:00 pm
Tue Sep 2 Portland, England 7:00 am 4:00 pm
Wed Sep 3 Cork (Cobh), Ireland 10:00 am 4:30 pm
Thu Sep 4 At Sea
Fri Sep 5 Klaksvik, Faroe Islands 9:00 am 6:00 pm
Sat Sep 6 At Sea
Sun Sep 7 Reykjavik, Iceland Noon
Mon Sep 8 Reykjavik, Iceland 5:00 pm
Tue Sep 9 At Sea
Wed Sep 10 At Sea
Thu Sep 11 At Sea
Fri Sep 12 At Sea
Sat Sep 13 At Sea
Sun Sep 14 Boston, MA 6:00 am

What we love about the Australia people…Friends we’ve made throughout the world…Year ago link to expenses for 15 nights in London…

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We’re always fascinated with these puffy flowers, often found in tropical climates.

There are so many aspects to living in Australia that we find endearing, humorous, and pleasantly surprised that it would take days to write about them all.

Instead, today, we’re sharing some of those thoughts and perspectives. Sure, our opinions are tainted with our long-established Americanized views (some of which are wafting away as we travel the world) but, after traveling to countless countries we’re beginning to feel we’re acquiring an ability to make a fair observation.

This creature was in the living room with us.  We scooped it up in the dustpan putting it outside on the grass. Immediately, it ran back toward the open door to the house. Picking it up a second time, Tom took it out to the rainforest in the back yard. We’d expected to see more insects in the house in Australia and although we’ve seen quite a few, there hasn’t been nearly as many as there were in Kenya and South Africa. As we were warned, flies are rampantly preventing us from keeping the doors open. There are no screens in the house other than two small windows, one in the living room and another in the bedroom.

And for those of you out there that always hover on the side of being “politically correct,” which we strive to accomplish in a subtle manner, we may seem to be generalizing and stereotyping an entire continent and culture.

We can’t help it. Australians are simply unique in many wonderful ways! To say everyone falls into the wonderfulness category would be foolhardy since every country has some less than desirable types. Thus, we don’t include them in this category. 

Sunrise, this morning, which ultimately brought a sunny day.

However, there is a common thread that appears to run through the Australian people that we’ve observed over and over again, everywhere we go, in literally everything we do. 

Australians are fun, friendly, generous, and considerate people. Their manners are impeccable. They laugh easily and find a way to bring humor into many situations and yet remain sensitive, often easily showing emotions in times of worry, compassion, and sorrow.

When we spent 18 days on the cruise on our way to Australia with over 1400 Australians on board, we had the most fun we’d ever had on a cruise, day after day, night after night. 

Limes grow in the yard ready for picking.  Guacamole, here we come, using pork rinds for dipping.

Early on in that cruise, Tom and I both noticed our feet were swollen, a condition neither of us normally experienced. It was due to sitting with people all day long, drinking our iced tea (and other beverages for Tom) while engaged in lively conversations, often laughing our butts off, hardly moving from our seats. 

After a few days, we made a point of getting up and walking around a bit while the other of us held our seats and the ongoing delightful banter. The swelling dissipated in a few days while we continued having such an extraordinary time.

Tom, reaching up to pick a lime.

Living in Trinity Beach we didn’t have an opportunity to make new friends. The privacy of the house and the fact that we hadn’t gone out to meet people at social functions and various establishments was entirely our own fault.

By perusing menus at dozens of local restaurants, we realized it was too risky to dine in restaurants while here.  Although the options sounded tasty, many included sauces with ingredients I can’t have. 

Also, when foods are cooked in pans with gluten, sugar, or starch, my food could easily be contaminated if cooked in the same pans. Few restaurants throughout the world make this accommodation, although, we’ve been lucky on cruise ships and dining in some restaurants.

On a walk in the area on this narrow road.

Had we gone out to the pubs and casual dining, most assuredly, we’d have made new friends. I practically made friends while grocery shopping at Woolie’s (Woolworth’s) or the pharmacy where even the other shoppers often started up conversations, let alone the friendly staff.

Whether we were walking on the beach running into others doing the same, sitting on a bench in a park, or walking down the street, friendliness is the expected norm in Australia.

In our old lives, I walked almost every day, often in cold weather. Living in the same neighborhood for 26 years, I’d often encountered the same people on a regular walk. 

It’s hard to avoid taking more photos of these Flintstone’s character statues in a nearby yard.

A friendly nod or hello may have been in order, but a conversation was seldom to be had. The busy nature and fast pace of life in the US, often attributed to keeping people constantly on the move, seldom with time for idle chatter. We were no different. The pace of that life contributed to our desire to travel the world.

But, that life was our norm. We never questioned it. We had our own little neighborhood and circle of friends, rarely stepping outside that safe cocoon of people we knew and loved, still staying in touch with many of them today.

This is not to say that people haven’t been friendly in other countries. We had a phenomenal time we’ll always treasure with many new friends we made in South Africa, hopefully, to return someday to see them all; Okee Dokee, Louise and Dani, Dawn and Leon, Linda and Ken, Hettie and Piet, and Kathy and Donald. The list could easily continue on and on.

Most yards are left relatively wild in order to embrace the local vegetation. However, this neighboring home has a more manicured yard.

Also, as any of the readers who followed us through Kauai, Hawaii will recall, we made more friends than we can count, particularly our dear friends Richard and Elaine.

Richard proved to be the best social director in the world by virtue of a kind and loving nature that made him revel in bringing good people together. We easily recall countless great social events and ongoing connections with Pat and Brenda, Vicki and Jerry, Cathy and Rick, Bev and Sam, Alice and Trevor, Louise and Steve and Cheryl and Paul (who are from Minnesota). Here again, the list could easily continue on and on.

We miss Richard, frequently touching base by email, as we do with many of the other friends we’ve made in various countries and of course, those we’ve met and come to love, having met them here online; Liz and Dave, Staci and Glenn, Pat and Dan, Joanette, Jodi and countless more, too many to list.

(We apologize for not mentioning everyone’s name).

A funny-looking tree with a type of fuzz wrapped around the branches.

Of course, the closest to our hearts on the most recent Australian cruise from Honolulu, Hawaii to  Sydney, Australia was Reene and Geoff, a couple we hope to see again in our many future travels in Australia. We couldn’t have had a better time with them.

We could go nuts listing all the new friends we made on cruises and even some we’ve met online and will meet in person on an upcoming cruise next year, Staci and Glenn. Much to our delight, Laura and Michael, a fabulous couple we met on the cruise from London to Boston, one year ago, were considering visiting us in Bali in 2016.

As a result of all of our past experiences in making new friends, we never felt lonely not making many new friends in Australia. We’ve enjoyed countless conversations and banter with our landlords Sylvie and Andy, who, although aren’t native Australians, (Sylvie’s from France, Andy’s from the UK), they too possess that warm, friendly and considerate demeanor we’ve witnessed everywhere we go.

Although most homes in the area are well kept and maintained, occasionally we spot a house that could use a little fixing up.

When we shop in the stores, saying “Thank you” to the salesperson for their thoughtful assistance, they always respond, “No worries.” Each time we hear this adorable response (as opposed to “you’re welcome”), we chuckle over its endearing quality. 

Another of the expressions we’ve loved in Australia is “good on you” which indicates “good for you” when we’ve been asked where we’re from and we mention we’re traveling the world. They look into our eyes with an enormous smile on their faces saying, “Good on you.”

In eight days we’ll be flying to Sydney, staying overnight to head to Fiji early the next morning on September 8th. From what we hear the people of Fiji are equally friendly as are those in New Zealand, where we’ll be living in a little over four and a half months. 

The world is a big place and we’re often bombarded with all the bad news, the bad people, and the horrifying events. Amid all of the horror in the world, there are more loving people willing to make new friends, willing to extend their kindness, and willing to make an effort to make the world a better place. 

We continue to be in awe of having had the privilege of spending time in the friendly continent of Australia and similar locations all over the world.

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

Tom got a kick out of this car which appeared to be the “shortest” car we’d yet to see in Europe. We were quickly winding down our time in London and had listed all our expenses for 15 nights in South Kensington, dining out for all meals. Click here to see the total expenses.

Aging while living a life on the move…Check out these final Green Island photos…

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There were many seagulls in the area surrounding Green Island especially when the fish were fed by the staff.

Providing we take care to avoid injuries and happen to be fortunate enough to avoid natural disasters and risks in public or at our home at the time, our biggest enemy is aging. Of course, we’re all aging from the moment we’re born and in reality, aging appears to progress at a regular and consistent pace once we become adults. 

The green cast from the coral below created the water’s pretty color.

Recalling our own differences between ages 30 and 40, 50 and 60 and now that we’re both in the ’60s to ’70s decade, it all seems to have progressed similarly, unfortunately, all downhill.

All the exercise, healthy diets, and lifestyle changes can’t stop the progression, although it may slow it to a degree. Although, if one is lucky, the progression may not be as evident on them as on others for the sake of appearances. However, what’s going inside the body is another matter.

Although there were a number of boats conducting tourist activities around the island, it wasn’t as crowded as we’d expected.

For most of us, as we age, our appearance becomes less and less important. Being alive and well becomes of the ultimate significance. We do our best to show the world a pleasant appearance, through whatever means suits us whether its’ a mustache, haircut, or close shave for men or makeup (or not) and certain hairstyles for women.

To a degree, most of us make some sort of effort whether it’s wearing a clean tee-shirt and pair of jeans or an entire put-together outfit that makes one appear to have stepped out of a magazine advertisement. 

The seagulls went wild when the fish were fed by the staff in order to give the visitors a show.  They explained they monitored the amounts they fed the fish to avoid them becoming complacent in their search for food. However, with these multiple daily feedings, complacency may have been unavoidable.

It’s all a matter of personal choice and who has a right to comment or complain about the decisions of others in this area? As we live in a world desperately attempting to love and accept each person, regardless of their appearance, we find we still have a long way to go.

Will the future bring “designer babies” with perfect features or will we all meld into a level of total acceptance finding beauty in all of our differences? When we lived amid wildlife in Africa, we observed even the most peculiar of animals with admiration regardless of their snarly looking faces, unwieldy tusks, and unkempt sprouts of coarse and wild hair. 

Few tourists spent time at the beaches at Green Island from what we observed during our half-day visit.

I speak of the ungainly warthog, which some may consider as one of the ugliest creatures in the wild.  And yet, when we saw those unruly faces, we felt admiration and warmth in our hearts, not over their looks but over their playful demeanor. Would that we could feel such admiration and attraction for one another regardless of our appearance.

As it relates to aging, the inevitability of it all becomes more evident to me as I approach 70 years old.  It was only yesterday I was in my 30’s and yet, here I am, happier than I’ve ever been wondering how long this amazing life will be able to continue with aging knocking at my door, the same aging knocking at your door.

A few of the beaches had lifeguards on duty and yet few visitors hung out at the beach.

This all came to my mind on Thursday as I completed three loads of laundry, spent hours in the kitchen making various foods for our way of eating, cleaning and dusting the house, never asking Tom for help while he sat outside on the veranda. 

He was happily content researching his family tree, never aware as to what was going on inside, other than when I asked him to put the freshly washed tight bottom sheet back on the mattress and walk the garbage down the steep hill to the bins. He’d have easily helped me with anything else on the agenda, had I asked.

Tom walking on the pier checking the sea for signs of life, carrying our huge unnecessary bag loaded with towels, ice tea, extra camera batteries, etc. We could easily have gotten by without the bag and its contents, putting everything we needed in our pockets. Since I no longer own a handbag, Tom usually carries my few items in his roomy pockets.

But, like him, I was happily content busying myself inside doing household tasks I’ve always seemed to find rewarding for some odd reason. 

As I did the work, periodically I checked my Fitbit device hooked to my shorts, wondering how many steps I was taking in my frenzy of activity. It was less than I’d anticipated in this relatively small house at a total of 5800 steps for the day, a far cry from my goal of 10,000 steps hardly reached most days in this life unless we’re out for a long walk.

There were hundreds of these birds in the visitor’s shopping area where there are scraps of food offered by tourists, not a good idea when “people food” can be harmful to birds.

For the first time, as I whizzed through my day, I began to wonder if I will be able to keep up this pace in 10 years. Will I still have the energy and ability to move relatively freely from one task after another? Will the bit of exercise I get and walks we take be enough to see me through these upcoming years to allow me to continue to perform these tasks.

Seagull amid flight in the breeze.

One could say since I’m five years older than Tom, that eventually he can do it all. As much as I’d like to think he could and would, it’s not likely he’ll be motivated to make the low carb, grain, starch, and sugar-free muffins or the delicious mushroom casserole we’ve been enjoying as a side dish recently.

Yesterday, with the house clean and laundry done (except for the daily one load of bath and kitchen towels), I found myself on a new reign of activity while I prepared two free-range chickens with vegetables (great leftovers for tonight) to begin to roast at 4:00 pm, baked a batch of our favorite macaroons, made a salad, cleaned fresh green beans and folded the one load of wash.

As we waited for the Rocket Reef (boat) to arrive at the pier to return us to Cairns, the seagulls gathered around us.

(We can’t purchase “take away” meals when none of the options are suitable for my way of eating. Dining out is challenging at best. Instead, we cook all of our meals, many simple meals prepared in short periods and others requiring more time and effort).

All of this type of activity is commenced after typically spending my entire morning preparing the daily post, often not finishing until close to noon. Don’t get me wrong…I love doing posts. 

This scene reminded us of the many ports we’ve visited over these past years.

To date, our daily post never feels as if it’s a chore. Then again, neither do the household tasks as long as good health continues and I’m able to continue to perform these daily tasks. Is it inevitable that one slows down in their 80s or even 90s?

We left friends behind 10 years older than I, still able to keep a pace comparable to mine. They remain an inspiration. Aging is not an illness or condition. It is a fact of life that faces every single one of us. How we choose to live through that process whether we have limitations or not, is truly our choice.

We couldn’t imagine what an eskie is when we read this sign.  Once home, we looked online to discover it’s a cooler or “chill box.”

Putting negative thoughts behind me after allowing them to fester for two days, today I awoke with a fresh perspective. No more worrying about my ability to be as active in 10 years as I am today. Instead, I choose to embrace the moment and the imminent future. 

Good grief, we’re on our way to Fiji in nine days! 

                                            Photo from one year ago today, August 29, 2014:

It was one year ago today that we posted this taxidermy kangaroo photo from our visit to the Natural History Museum in South Kensington, UK. Now, we can drive down the road to see live kangaroos. How ironic. For more museum photos as we wound down the time in the UK, please click here.

The Great Barrier Reef tours…Glass bottomed boat…Semi-submersible interior photo…Cost for the day…

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A semi-submersible boat with passengers in the lower deck checking out the underwater world of the Great Barrier Reef.

Once we arrived at the pier in Green Island, it was almost time to board the first of the two boating events, we’d booked, a tour in the glass-bottom boat. We’d both wondered what a tour in this type of boat would be like.  Our expectations were in check.

There was a support post down the center of the boat that sorely impeded viewing and photo-taking opportunities. I’d expected a single flat window running along the bottom of the boat over which we’d learn, watch and take photos.

The glass bottom boat wasn’t as conducive for watching and taking photos of marine life and coral.

With the equivalent of window panes trimmed in metal frames as shown in the above photo, when a fish swam within the frame of our window, it was lost in a second when it reached the “windowpane” of the person sitting next to us. Also, there were vertical posts supporting the structure between every two people further impeding the view.

Photos of the coral reef appear monotone.

As a result of this design, it was nearly impossible to take any decent photos. Of the group of possibly 40 tourists, a few were taking photos struggling for good shots, not unlike me. The glass appeared to be tinted a light green making everything in view a monotone color. This proved to also be the case on the semi-submersible submarine.

More coral reef from the glass bottom boat.

As for the semi-submersible aspect, it had an appearance comparared to an aluminum pontoon, such as an old fishing boat. Once on the deck of the boat, we walked down a short staircase, broken up with a landing, turning and then maneuvering a steeper almost ladder-like structure in the full interior.

The variety of life in the coral reef is beyond anything we’d seen.

Two tourists sit side by side on a pull-down aluminum seat until all 20 were in place. Tight quarters. The interior was no more than 1.22 meters, 4 feet wide. Very tight quarters. 

Marine life in the coral reef is unlike anything else in nature.

With babies crying, passengers trying to find seats where there were none, I felt like offering up my seat and getting out. Tom looked at me reassuringly that staying put was for the best. There was no way I could crawl out anyway. 

Although there were a few moments of passing massive schools of fish swimming, here again, it was nearly impossible to get good photos through the green tinted glass as the semi-submersible vehicle moved along the water.

This tiny space in the semi-submersible had seats for 20. As shown, it’s packed as tight as sardines.

The reason the boat is referred to as semi-submersible is due to the fact that the top deck of the aluminum boat is not underwater. A door is left open during the tour while a tour guide sits on the steps describing some of the fish passing by below.

If one suffers from claustrophobia, this boat may not be an ideal scenario, not as much from the submersion, as from the tight person-to-person contact of a total of 20 people jammed into very tight quarters. From what we’d read online at the company’s site, no more than 10 passengers would board the boat.

The fish have learned that these boats provide a government approved “feeding” of a marine based pellet to allow the visitors in the boats to see more fish.  As a result when they see the boats coming, they gather around for food.

We saw a number of fish, a few sea turtles, and a small section of the coral reef. Although photos taking wasn’t ideal, we were glad we had the experience and sighed a breath of fresh air when it was over. I doubt we’ll care to partake in either of these two types of boat tours again in our future travels.

Surely, snorkeling would have been a better alternative but, much to our surprise we only spotted a handful of snorkelers in the designated areas, although many tourists were swimming at the sandy beach, most without wetsuits.

Mostly, tourists used smartphones for photo taking.

After the back-to-back boat tours ended we wandered down the long pier to Green Island stopping frequently to peak over the edge of the pier to check for any signs of life. 

With no tinted glass to impede our view, we still weren’t able to get good photos being high above the water’s surface while standing on the pier. Also, as much as a sunny day was preferable, the brightness of the sun created a glare on the water.

With only a small amount of food offered to the fish from the boat, in an attempt to keep them interested in seeking their own sustenance, the fish quickly swam away.

At Green Island, we were surprised to find a beautiful visitor’s area shaded by trees, including a variety of shops, dining establishments, and scuba and snorkeling rental shops. Tables, chairs, and park benches lined the area creating comfortable seating for tourists to stop to relax. 

After taking our time walking through the tourist area, it was fast approaching time to return to the pier to board the departing 4:15 pm Rocket Reef boat to make our way back to the port in Cairn The return boat ride included a distant whale breaching sighting, here again too distant for any good photos. 

The boat to the left is the semi-submersible “submarine” we boarded to see the coral reef.

Including the two boat tours, the glass bottomed and semi-submersible, our total cost for the half day visit to Green Island was AUD $219, USD $157 plus AUD $12, USD $8.61 for parking. The parking area was approximately 10 minutes from the boat tour check-in building that had restrooms, seating, and beverages. 

Only credit cards with a chip are accepted in the pay machines in the car park at various points in the outdoor lot. Luckily, a few of our newer cards actually have chips and this worked well.

A boat, the Big Cat, remained docked at the pier in Green Island for visitors to use as a rest station and meeting point for other tours and events their company hosts.

Finding the Reef Fleet Terminal at Pier Point Road, for check-in was tricky if unfamiliar with the area as we were. With less than ideal directions from the website of the tour company, we easily spent extra time searching for the building. We’d suggest allowing no less than an extra 30 minutes before the required check-in time to find the terminal. 

In essence, we were smart to have booked the half day tour as opposed to the full day. We had the perfect amount of time at the site. If we’d booked the full day, we’d have an extra four hours. 

A view from the pier at the reef.  As the coral ends, there often a pristine sandy bottom.

I’d have enjoyed lounging on the sandy beach for a few hours but, Tom would have been sunburned.  In all of our travels, our first consideration is one another’s comfort and well being.

Had we known more about the experience we still would have booked the tour. There was no way we wouldn’t have gone to see a portion of the Great Barrier Reef when we were so close living in this area. Overall, it was a fine experience.

Another view of a small portion of the reef from the pier.

We’re fast losing interest in booking any large group tours if other options are available such as small groups we’ve joined with other cruise passengers we’ve met on cruises or at cruisecritic.com.

However, in our upcoming Mekong River cruise, there are days and days of land group tours with other passengers. These types of tours are unavoidable and there’s no doubt we’ll have a good time as we tour Cambodia and Vietnam.

As the boat left Green Island in the Great Barrier Reef.

With only 10 days remaining until we depart Australia, we now feel satisfied that we’ve experienced the area as much if not more than we intended. During this remaining period, we’ll visit a few parks and beaches, walking for exercise, and to further revel in the beauty of this nature-rich continent until we return again in the future on many upcoming cruises.

Tomorrow, we’ll post a new story and wrap up a few more Great Barrier Reef photos. Have a wonderful day!

                                               Photo from one year ago, August 28, 2014:

As we wound down the time in London with only three days remaining, we had dinner after a visit to the Natural History Museum in South Kensington. For many museum photos, please click here.

We’re off to the Great Barrier Reef on a perfectly sunny day…

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We were shocked to see the reasonable price on this exquisite arrangement at only AUD $20, USD $14.20. Our daughter and family had sent us a similar bouquet sent to us in Hawaii, most likely at 10 times this price.

With bad weather heading to Queensland, we were concerned we’d go on yet another long boat ride only to be sitting drenched in our rain jackets. To date, we’ve had numerous less-than-successful boating excursions throughout the world.

On whale watching expeditions, we’d yet to see a whale within photo taking distance. On sunset cruises, its rained such as was the case one year ago on the Seine River in Paris.

There is a wide array of both common and less common fruits and vegetables at Rusty’s Market.

On other boat tours we’ve been disappointed with rough seas so bad we could easily have booked a ride on a roller coaster for an equal amount of rattling and commotion. Also, we seldom sighted the marine life we’ve anticipated during a boat tour, unable to take good photos as the boat rocked to and fro.

Hopefully, today’s excursion to Green Island in the Great Barrier Reef will prove to be more fulfilling and less about a crazy boat ride and more about the scenery that awaiting us. 

The sign is marked, “spray free, custard apples” priced at AUD $4.50, USD $3.19 per kilo (2.2 pounds)

With all the cruises we’ve taken with many more to come, it’s obvious we enjoy being on (as opposed to in) the ocean. In our past lives, we both were avid boaters owning boats for a majority of our adult lives.

As a single mom at 29 years old I purchased my first boat which I kept docked in St. Albans Bay on Lake Minnetonka in Minnesota USA. It was called the Tootsie Roll Boat due to it brown, orange and white colors. 

More traditional fruits and vegetables including corn, oranges, tomatoes, zucchini and cucumbers.

Tom purchased his first boat at 29, an Alumacraft fishing boat and later purchased a ski and fishing boat, a Fisher Sweet 16, when he was around 30 years old. 

Some of the vendor’s displays occupied huge areas in the market while others are as tiny as a card table.

As a result of our past experiences, we both generally have enjoyed being on the water and thus have booked some type of boating tour in most countries where we’ve been close to water.

What? Chocolate pudding fruit? Sounds interesting. Priced at AUD $3.50, USD $2.48 per kilo.

As a result of the past boat tours in our world travels, our expectations are in check, hoping for a good experience. Realizing that most of our upcoming photos of marine life in the Great Barrier Reef will be taken through glass we don’t expect perfect representations of what lies below. We’ll definitely do our best to take good photos.

Another equally affordable bouquet of locally grown flowers.

This morning we awakened to a bright sunny day adding to our mutual enthusiasm to finally see one of the world’s greatest treasures. In posts over the next few days, we’ll be included historic and geographical information on the Great Barrier Reef with facts nature lovers may find interesting.

Fresh flowers are scattered throughout the market, adding to a colorful visual.

Our beach bag is packed and we’re set to go other than a necessary stop along the way to the pier in Cairns to purchase bottled water. Much to our delight, we’ve been able to drink tap water in Trinity Beach without any intestinal problems. 

At only AUD $3, USD $2.31 each, a gorgeous bouquet could be put together for a reasonable price.

Its the container for our iced tea that we’re lacking that a large bottle of plain water will provide. Once in hand, we’ll add the packets of iced tea we’ve been hauling around the world with us and be set for beverages for the entire trip.

Today, we’re posting the final photos of our visit to Rusty’s Market and look forward to posting our photos and stories of our tour to Australia’s Great Barrier Reef. 

                                            Photo from one year ago today, August 26, 2014:

The Regency Hotel, Queen’s Gate, where we stayed for two weeks while in South Kensington, London, UK was under construction. Noise with a cluttered entrance at times didn’t bother us at all. What we found most inconvenient was their wifi policy charging huge daily fees for a poor connection. Later in our stay, we were able to get the hotel manager to waive all of our wifi fees for the 16 nights. For more details, please click here.

Exciting tour tomorrow…A must do in this area of Australia…Why we don’t snorkel…

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For those shoppers interested in having their fortune told, Rusty’s Markets has it all.

As our long term readers are well aware, we try to avoid some of the typical activities that drives floods of tourists to a particular area, often waiting in long queues  (“lines” is US speak) for hours at a time.

Orchids and other flowers are for sale at reasonable prices throughout Rusty’s Markets.

At times, visitors are scrambling for tickets to book dates and times that fit their short-stay schedules with the intent of getting one more attraction they’ve longed to see knocked off their endless “must do” list during a relatively short holiday. For most, this is the highlight of their trip.

Fresh greens appear to be a little higher priced than the grocery stores but mostly are organic.

We’ve observed there are many types of tourists which often include; those who are constantly busy seeing the sites, filling each day with a constant stream of activities and; others who perceive a holiday as a time to relax, unwind, read a book while occasionally visiting a point of interest.

These are the biggest fennel bulbs we’ve seen.

We fall somewhere in the middle of these two generalities.  Throw in the fact that we often stay in a location for months at a time, on certain days we’re in the middle and on other days, totally zoned out of our surroundings living in the comfortable familiar routine we enthusiastically embrace as a part of our daily lives.

Locally grown chestnuts and walnuts.  See photo below for prices.

Over these past few months while living in Australia writing each day, on numerous occasions we’ve mentioned a need to tighten our belts while here to play a little “catch up” for recent huge outlays of cash for future travels.  In doing so, we’ve accomplished two things. 

When figuring that a kilogram is 2.2 pounds, these prices for walnuts and chestnuts is a bargain at USD $9.33 (per kilo).

One, we’ve been able to comfortably “catch up” and two, we haven’t felt an sense of self imposed pressure to go sightseeing more than we’ve done thus far, visiting the equally enriching multitude of “free” things to see in this lovely area.  We haven’t been disappointed at all, thoroughly relishing in all that we’ve seen to date.

However, one thing we’ve yet to do has gently nagged at us day after day knowing in our hearts and minds at some point, we’d sign up to visit…the Great Barrier Reef.

A shopper at Rusty’s Markets can stop for a Thai massage while shopping.

From Cairns,  a short 25 minute drive from our house to the port, followed by a 45 minute boat ride and we’ll arrive at the world’s largest coral reef.  How could we not?  For tomorrow, Wednesday, we booked a half day tour of the Great Barrier Reef consisting of several activities that fully meet our preferred types of activities.

These red peppers, called Capsicums in Australia are only USD $1.08 each, a fair price.

Bear with us, dear readers, once again we’ll reiterate…we don’t snorkel, never plan to snorkel and spend little if any time, swimming in the ocean.  Its not our “thing.” 

A few of our Facebook friends have nagged us to “give it a try.” Even our grown kids, most of whom snorkel have given us a certain amount of heat that we don’t engage in this activity, especially based on our world travel and exposure to some of the best coral reefs and beaches in the world.


We didn’t recognize these cassava.  From online research we discovered these can be dangerous to one’s health since some imported varieties contain dangerous levels of cyanide.  Read here for details.

Why don’t we snorkel?  There are several reasons, important to us, that deters us from interest in this activity which include:

1.  Tom sunburns easily. Since beginning our travels, neither of us has) had a single sunburn when we’ve exercised great caution.  We seldom spend more than 20 minutes on each side to ensure an adequate safe dose of Vitamin D.  He can’t stand the feel of sunscreen on his skin.  It makes him cringe.  Sure, he could wear a wetsuit, available for rental for reasonable fees.  He doesn’t want to. 


Tom pointed out this sign. 

2.  We both have vision correction.  Tom’s has a complicated correction making rental goggles unlikely to provide him with a good view without his glasses.  I have mono vision, different correction in each eye wearing contacts to see. They can’t be worn in water. Neither of us would have a good experience based on this fact alone.


An whole fried fish.

3.  Photo taking:  We don’t want to purchase an underwater camera at this point. As picky as I am over equipment, I’d require many accessories to have a good experience with a camera such as a “Go Pro.” We haven’t an inch of space for one more piece of equipment in our carry on bags.  When we noticed our kids huge bag of “Go Pro” equipment, we knew it wasn’t for us.  Bottom line:  If we can’t take photos its just not as much fun for us.  Plain and simple. 

When we visited Highclere Castle (Downton Abbey) in the UK last year, I was  disappointed to be unable to take interior photos although we decided to visit anyway taking many photos of the exterior.  We always check every venue before booking to ensure we’ll be allowed to take photos. 

We found one store that carries grass fed meat.  If we’d had room in the freezer, we’d have purchased a few items.  Instead, we buy our grass fed meat at a great little shop, Smithfield Choice Cuts. 

Our journey revolves around our ability to document our experiences in photos.  Although I’m certainly not a professional, I see myself as more of a photographer than any other skills I may possess. 

It would have been fun to purchase these truffles for sale at Fetish for Food but based on our remaining short period in Australia, we had to pass.

Sure, I have a lot to learn about photography and eventually will purchase and learn to use a higher quality professional camera when technology advances to make them lighter in weight.  Would a photographer visit a site where she/he wasn’t allowed to take photos?  Hardly. 

These sarongs looked appealing but not room in bags and I’ve never been good at making these work.

4.  Health reasons:  We both have difficulty with our right shoulders.  Most people would have had surgery by now to correct them.  Instead, we’ve found ways with our diet and utilizing caution to keep the pain at bay. 

Kiffler potatoes, so says the sign when its actually “Kipfler.”

Currently, neither of us are experiencing any pain.  This could easily change by a sudden motion.  In addition, although I no longer have back pain due to a strict anti-inflammation way of eating, my spine remains comparable to a house of cards.  Any sudden or startled motion could result in a disaster, putting a fast end to our travels.  Our insurance plan excluded any injury to my spine in our health insurance policy.  Why would we take the risk? 

Clothing racks are scattered about Rusty’s Markets.

It’s for these reasons we don’t zip lines or participate in certain activities potentially putting our current good health at risk.  Snorkeling which I’d done years ago, can easily result in being startled and requires an amount of jumping in and out of boats, at times in countries with less precautionary measures, we opted out of snorkeling.

Rows of handmade jewelry lines a wall.

Why visit the Great Barrier Reef if we don’t snorkel?  Here again, because we want to.  We’ll be able to tour the Great Barrier Reef in a glass bottom boat and we hope to go on the mini submarine that will give us another perspective, all the while taking photos. 

We’ll also enjoy the boat ride each way meeting people and listening to the marine biologist on board the boat.  With many more activities in the Green Island in the Great Barrier Reef area, we’ll surely have a good time.  We always do.

Various vegetables for cooking Asian food.

We chose to live our lives with a sense of reality.  Who are we kidding?  We have some issues we carefully protect. Who doesn’t? Ultimately, continuing on in our travels, having all of the extraordinary experiences we’ve had and will continue to have is more important to us than a few activities we choose not to do from time to time. 

Now, I have to get back to searching for a cruise to Antarctica to fulfill our dream of standing on an ice floe with Emperor Penguins.  Life is good whether we snorkel or not.

(Tomorrow, a new post will be uploaded with photos before we depart for the Great Barrier Reef).

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Photo from one year ago today, August 25, 2014:



Tom was smiling while we relaxed while we dined in London, a restaurant we found on foot.  For more details of our lengthy walks in South Kensington, please click here.

Two weeks and counting…Preparations have begun…Another unusual item in photos…Pandan aka Fragrant Screw Pine…

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Pandan leaves from the Pandan Plant are used to make these beautiful fragrant bouquets. As quoted from the owner’s written material: “The leaves are used in Southeast Asian cooking as well in making the “flowers” which act a repellent to roaches. In addition, Pandan leaves are said to possess medicinal benefits containing tannin, glycosides, and alkaloids. The scents emitting from the flowers last a week and may be used as a freshener in cars, homes, or washrooms.”

Next week, we’ll return to the travel agency, Flight Centre, at the Smithfield Mall where we’ve booked several upcoming flights with rep Helen in and out of Australia and Fiji. At that point, we’ll prepay for our baggage for these flights with both Qantas Airlines and Fiji Airways.

In order to prepay our baggage fees with tougher restrictions with Fiji Airways than Qantas, it’s important we don’t overestimate the weight of our bags. With our handy travel scale that also doubles for weighing ourselves, Tom first weighs himself while I note the readout and then he weighs himself again, holding the bag.

These handmade Pandan Plant bouquets were being made as we watched the gifted crafts woman, proud of her handiwork. The smell was exquisite.

Generally, each of our checked bags weighs under 23 kilograms, 50.7 pounds, we weren’t charged an additional fee. However, we’ll have to pay for our third bag carrying our shoes, my boots, and a wide variety of supplies which often weighs another 23 kilos.  For that extra bag, we’re often charged an outrageous fee, varies by the airline.

An instruction sheet at the Pandan table.  Interesting.

In reviewing the items in that third bag, we don’t see how we can reduce its weight. If we’d be able to replace the items elsewhere, we would. But, many can’t be found on tropical islands or at remote locations. 

What a gorgeous orchid, one amongst many offered for sale at Rusty’s Markets.

This third bag contains various power cords, power adapters suitable for many countries, power strips, a portable scanner, emergency medical and dental supplies, a few month’s supply of toiletries, a few bottles of vitamins, probiotics, business cards, and shoes, all of our shoes, with five pairs for each of us. 

We stopped to sniff the wide array of organic soaps scented with essential oils.  The smells were intoxicating and I was tempted to buy a few.  Tom reminded me that we’ll easily spot items such as this in the open markets in Fiji.  I agreed.

Recently, I rummaged through that bag, removing every last unnecessary items, any we may be able to find at a local store. While here in abundant Australia we’ve been able to restock a few items we won’t be able to find until we return to Australia next year.

A diner made from an older caravan/travel trailer selling Thai foods. Tom scoured the menus wondering what-the-heck he’s going to eat when we get to Thailand in about a year.

Feeling concerned about the weight of my one large bag, especially when I’d purchased a few items both here and which arrived in a shipped box from the US a few weeks, it was time to pack and weigh my bag.

Hot food must be popular when these bunches of chilies (note spelling above) are offered for sale.

Last week, I took all my clothes out of the cupboard, neatly folding them, tossing no less than 3.6 kilos, 8 pounds of old and worn items none of which are in good enough condition to donate. This pile easily compensates for the new items. 

Yesterday, I did a “trial run” on the weight of my bag, packing every single item except what I was wearing, later removing what I’d need over the next few weeks. Tom weighed my bag and it came in at almost 20 kilos, 44 pounds. When the time comes, I won’t have any trouble rounding it out up to the allowance.

A refrigerator case of vegetarian-only baked goods and meal.

Tom has yet to do his bag, but he will before we head back to the travel agency at the end of next week to prepay the baggage fees.  Sure, we could do this ourselves online, but Helen, the rep, has a better wifi connection and can do it more quickly. We expect the fees to run at least AUD $800, USD $584, an amount we’re prepared to pay for the five upcoming flights.

Many readers still prefer to read a “real book.”

We always recall the excess weight baggage fees we paid when we had zillions of bags at the airports in Dubai, Venice and Istanbul. Having since greatly reduced the load, we’ve been able to get by with only paying for the third checked bag, usually running at about AUD $343, USD $250.

Screen printed tee shirts or night shirts in longer lengths.

As we often say, “It’s the nature of the beast,” a reality we faced long ago. From time to time, we hear stories of world travelers managing with carry-on bags only. We admire their ability to do so. But, most of those travelers are eventually return to a home base where they can repack in order to continue on.

After we’d toured the main area of the under-cover market, we wandered the perimeters finding more products for sale.

Our needs aren’t quite as sparse as those of most travelers. When checking out my relatively small amount of clothing, all that I own, I’m pleased for having reduced it to this level. Tom has an equal amount of clothing in his bag.

The shops continued on the street side of Rusty’s Markets.

We have less clothing and bags than the average traveler on a two week holiday/vacation from what we’ve seen of other travelers on cruises, at hotels and at airports. We willingly pay the extra fees understanding that it’s our choice to remain well equipped, spending little time shopping in each locale for items we’d have difficulty finding.

Gerbera Daisies, a favorite from the old life.  We don’t purchase flowers these days.

In the next few days we’ll head to the mall to grocery shop for the second to last time and to search for a cardboard box to use for the food items we’re accumulating to ship a few days before departing for Fiji. In many cases, as we travel the world we don’t need to ship food items with health food grocers readily available in most countries. 

Although we don’t eat fruit, we’d never seen this champagne honeydew melon in our travels.

In contacting Mario, the manager of the property we’re renting, he explained that there are no health food stores in Savusavu, Vanua Levu which we further confirmed researching online. We sent him a list of the items we use and he explained what is available and what is not. 

Mario explained that organic unrefined coconut oil is available at every shop, but ground flax meal is not. We’ll be lucky to be able to replace a bottle of vitamin C while on this remote island.

We could smell the sweet scent of these tangelos as we walked by this display.

My health club membership expired yesterday making no sense to sign up for another month. I’ll do some resistance exercises at home in the interim also planning a few walks in local parks and reserves. Walking down and back up the long and steep driveway to the trash bins is a high intensity interval training (HIIT) exercise in itself which we do every few days.

There are tons of bananas and other fruit available at Rusty’s Markets in Cairns.

Today, we’re sharing another batch of some of the remaining photos from Rusty’s Markets. We’re still reeling over the fulfilling experience while I continue to savor appetizer plates of the products we purchased from Fetish for Food. Tom? Not so much with his picky taste buds.

We plan to do a little more exploring this week as we wind down our time in Trinity Beach, sharing more photos over the next few weeks. As always, on the day of our departure on September 7th, we’ll be posting the total expenses for our three-month stay in the Cairns area.

                                             Photo from one year ago today, August 24, 2014:

Our last shot of Oxford, England as we prepared to leave the area. For more Oxford photos, please click here.