Mastering cultural differences takes practice….Embarrassing outcome when I got it wrong…

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Here we are wearing saris standing at the foot of the steps at the Pulaki Temple in Singaraja. This isn’t the first time Tom’s worn a dress/skirt. Please see below. 

“Sightings on the Beach in Bali”

At quite a distance…a barge carrying coal, pulled by a tugboat.

On the return trip from Lovina to the villa, the second tourist attraction we visited was the Pulaki Temple as described on this website:

“Pulaki Temple or Pura Pulaki is a Hindu shrine located on the hill bank with a beautiful beach just in front of the temple located in the north part of Bali. It is one of the biggest Hindu temples in Bali situated in the coastal side west part of Singaraja town or 1-hour drive to the west from the town. This temple is set on flat land with a stone hill bank as a backdrop meanwhile the blue ocean is just in front of the temple. The holy group of monkeys is living around the temple and keeps the temple from the bad influences according to what the local people believe. These monkeys are coming from the Macaca fascicularis group or Long-Tailed Macaque. Pulaki Temple is one of the places appointed by Bali’s government as a tourist destination that you must visit when traveling to Bali in particular north part the island.”

Bat-like ears on this monkey.

We were the only tourists at the popular location during the entire visit. Our driver, Butu, escorted us through the temple having been there many times in the past with other tourists.  His English is limited, although he managed to communicate a few key aspects worthy of note. 

These two were sitting on a wall observing the activities of the others.

We were charged a nominal fee for the cost of the saris, IDR $50,000, US $3.69 (for both) which are required to be worn upon entering a Hindu temple. It was hot and humid but this level of dress wasn’t nearly as uncomfortable as it was when I wore the “abaya” and Tom wore a “thobe” when we visited the White Mosque in Abu Dhabi, UAE as shown in this photo below, coincidentally about three years ago in the latter part of May. Here’s the link to that post in 2013.

In 2013, we stayed in Dubai for two weeks in a high-rise vacation condo. Unfortunately, I was ill during our entire stay in Dubai with an awful virus and sinus infection, which developed during the prior Middle Eastern cruise.  It was during this time while I was still ill, that we visited the White Mosque in Abu Dhabi.  The temperature that day was at least 40C, 104F. The black silky fabric over my long pants was uncomfortable. Tom was OK in the cooler, lighter fabric of the white thobe.

The attendant at the Pulaki Temple dressed us, over our clothes, in the sari with the accompanying waistband.  Tom had a bit of difficulty walking with the long skirt reaching to the ground. 

Many of us have worn our share of long skirts and dresses, easily able to walk without tripping. I laughed when he mumbled under his breath about the tangled fabric around his legs, making walking up the steps difficult. 

Nice teeth!

We were both fascinated with the design of the temple, taking many photos we’ll share over the next few days.  I was particularly excited to take photos of the Long Tailed Macaque monkeys who were relatively tame but nonetheless wild animals. 

In many ways, they’re so much like us.

At night, the monkeys live in the forest behind the temple, visiting the temple during the day when they’re fed not only by the religious personnel but also by the tourists. They weren’t as pesky as we’d expected although on a few occasions they wrapped their arms around our legs. 

A baby hanging on for dear life!  Notice the little point atop the mom’s head.

We’d read stories online about tourists being bite by monkeys at temples although not a common occurrence.  In any case, it made sense to stay back a reasonable distance as we’ve learned in our travels after spending considerable time in the presence of wild animals. They are “wild” after all. =And, even tame animals, especially monkeys, can attack unprovoked.

This monkey had lost an eye.

Now on to the embarrassing part…

After we were satisfied we’d seen all we wanted to see and do at the Pulaki Temple we’d handed back our saris.  I asked for “toilet” a word commonly recognized the world over as opposed to asking for a “restroom” or “ladies or men’s room.” In many countries, the letters “WC” for “water closet” are posted at the appropriate locations.

This fellow checked us out as we entered the temple.

We were pointed in the direction of the water closet, a short distance from the entrance area to the temple requiring we walk over uneven terrain and a grassy yard without a path. An attendant followed us to collect the payment for using the WC of IDR $2000, US $.15 which Tom handed her promptly.

Opening the door to the WC, I was stunned. This was a first for me in all of our world travels to date, keeping in mind, that I try to avoid using public facilities as much as possible.  here was no toilet so to speak, only this similar porcelain lined hole in the floor as shown in this photo I found online:

Not our photo. (I never take the camera into a WC with me). Some of these squatting toilets are raised a little. The one I used at the temple was flush (no pun intended) with the floor as shown.

This isn’t a position I find required in our daily lives. And, at my age of 68, not one I can easily maneuver purely from lack of practice, although now I may start working on this particular stance.

Angry statues at Hindu temples are intended to keep “evil” and “bullies” away.

Recalling how well I mastered peeing in odd situations referred to as “checking the tire pressure” as our guide, Anderson described during our safari in the Maasai Mara in October 2103, I wondered how I’d manage this.

But, I ran into a few obstacles; one, I was wearing long pants; two, I couldn’t take the pants off without removing my shoes and the floor to the small enclosure was very wet. There was no way I was going to stand in bare feet on that floor. Plus, my pants would undoubtedly get wet as I removed them.

Cats are often depicted at temples.

As fit as I attempt to be, considering my precarious spinal condition, there was no way I could keep my pants on without getting them soaked from the floor while attempting to “check the tire pressure” which over the long drive and sipping on my iced tea definitely had become an urgent situation.

Holding onto a pole while thinking.

I challenge any of our dear female readers to undertake this position with your pants still on. If you can do this, I’d love to hear from you and how you accomplished it. Keeping in mind, there was no place to hold onto for support. Had there been, I may have been able to accomplish it.

We didn’t want to disturb the monks to discover what they were doing.  For more on Hinduism, please click this informative link.

Alas, “checking the tire pressure” resulted in my peeing all over my light tan pants. Oh, by the way, there was no light and no window in the little room. It was completely dark. I couldn’t even see “where” to aim, let alone be in an appropriate position while aiming.

Not wanting to draw attention to myself when I exited the WC, well aware my pants were entirely soaked, Tom walked back to the car close behind me. Luckily, I had a pair of shorts in the bag which I’d intended to change into at some point but never had. 

Looks like a teenager with that hairdo.

Both the immigration office and the temple require visitors to wear long pants. I changed in the car while Butu and Tom waited outside. With the seat pulled forward all the way for Tom’s legs in the backseat, even getting changed wasn’t all that easy. At this point, I was hot and sweaty from both experiences.

I placed my pants on the floor in the backseat for the remaining one-hour drive back to the villa, hand washing them with laundry soap in the bathroom sink when we returned. Whew!

Watching and waiting for action.

Was I the first female tourist that had such an experience at that or other “squatting required” toilets? Probably not. Nor will I be the last.  Embarrassed?  Certainly not in front of Tom and I doubt Butu or the temple staff noticed me. I supposed it was a “foolish me” moment, one that I’ve already found myself chuckling about. 

However, it was a lesson learned about cultural differences. Guess I’d better start working on those deep knee squats…with pants on and pulled down of course. 


Photo from one year ago today, May 27, 2015:

Tom’s miniature lemon meringue pie for dessert on the first night aboard the cruise from Honolulu to Sydney. For more cruise photos, please click here.

An unusual event in the paddock!!…Check out these photos!…Correction from yesterday’s insurance post…

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Is that a smile on the face of the “stuck” alpaca? 

Correction from yesterday’s post:  The bereavement coverage in our policy with Healthcare International does include coverage for both of us to return to the US (or your home country) in the event of the death of an immediate family member. I had stated based on my incorrect assumption it would only include the actual relative of the deceased.  However, the policy provides for both of us to return to the US for the NZ $7502, US $5000, benefit. Any excess beyond that amount would be our responsibility.  Thanks to the staff at Healthcare International for reading our post and informing us of this correction.

Now, on to yesterday afternoon’s adventure in the paddock. It’s practical to state that I spend several hours each day observing the alpacas. With two patio chairs with footrests on the veranda and the often warm sun, it’s easy to become lost in watching the adorable antics of both the female adults and the adorable youngsters.

Growing so quickly, it’s becoming more difficult each day to decipher the difference between the one-year-old cria and those born shortly before we arrived. Those born since our arrival three weeks ago are getting tall seeming to nurse less and graze more.

The larger alpaca was getting annoyed with the situation and was making lots of noise. The others, always concerned for one another, looked on with concern over the tricky situation. The tan-colored baby of the stuck mom approached, wondering “What the heck?”

Males are kept in a separate paddock. We’ll soon be posting our amazing video of the mating process with is orchestrated by Trish and Neil when they decide the time is right. More on that later!

Late yesterday afternoon with the sliding doors wide open, I heard the sound of an alpaca cry. Grabbing the camera on my way out the door, I was shocked by the situation at hand. I wish I’d taken a video. However, I was more concerned they’d need help to become untangle and was preoccupied watching if they’d be able to resolve the tricky situation.

Tom came outside when I called him and he too was shocked by what we were watching, hoping they’d soon resolve the situation on their own. It appeared if they’d both lay down, they could untangle. 

Finally, to our great relief they untangled. Having taken two photos and knowing they were both safe, we couldn’t stop laughing over the peculiarity of the situation. Apparently, those long necks can be a hazard!

The young bulls always seem happy to see me. 

Once back inside and feeling relieved over the two alpacas seeming to be fine, I downloaded the two photos and laughed over and over again, especially with what appears to be a smile on the face of the alpaca caught on the bottom of their tangled bodies.

I hope Trish and Neil don’t think we’re awful finding humor in this situation. We only laughed after we saw they were fine. Having observed wildlife over many months in Africa, we often found wildlife getting into predicaments that elicit laughter from us humans, often reminding us of our own foibles.

Let’s face it, all of God’s creatures (including us) may find ourselves in tricky situations simply from living life.  We can only hope that somehow we can maneuver our way out of the situation with a positive result as in the case of the two adult alpacas managing to do so yesterday.

The lily pond in a stone basin.

We’ve stayed in most of this week. Tom’s been a bit under the weather with an intestinal thing with a fever since Sunday. He’s improving each day without the necessity of a doctor visit. 

Traveling the world with good health doesn’t make us exempt from occasional viruses or bacterial infections. It’s easy to pick something up when we out and about around people. 

We considered the possibility of a bacteria from something he ate at home. However, we’ve both eaten exactly the same meals and I’m feeling fine. We took special precautions during the past several days, including sleeping in separate bedrooms. 

These alpaca sculptures are also located at the “y” in the road, one road leading to our home and the other leading to Trish and Neil’s home.

We hear that a number of couples sleep in separate rooms when sleeping together impedes the quality of their sleep. That’s not us. We both tossed and turned all night sleeping in separate beds, hoping I wouldn’t “catch” whatever it is he’s had. So far, so good. We look forward to getting back to normal.

Today, we’ll forgo our usual shopping day since Tom’s not up to getting out yet and I have no interest in driving to the grocery store myself on the opposite side of the road. I’m an awful driver as it is. Plus, when we rented the car for three months, we didn’t pay the extra fees to include me as a driver. Tom’s hardly eating and we have enough on hand for several more days.

Back at you tomorrow with more…

Have a fabulous day wherever you may be!

Photo from one year ago today, February 11, 2015:

One year ago today, we’d driven by this nesting site many times not seeing any chicks. And yet, we returned once again to see this adorable chick safely under the shelter of her/his parent. This was the beginning of one of the most enjoyable wildlife observation experiences we had in our travels. Click here for more photos.

What are the benefits of our international health insurance?…

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On a cloudy day, beachgoers still took advantage of local beaches.

We’ve written about international health insurance in past posts. As we acquire more worldwide readers including an increased number of ex-pats and baby boomers retiring and deciding to travel long term, we felt it was time to review this once again, especially in light of yesterday’s annual premium payment.

We paid NZ $5855, US $3745 for the upcoming 12 month period. This insurance doesn’t cover us while in the US. I’m not quite certain, why not, but with little time spent in the US during these past 40 months, with only a few months to be spent in the US upcoming in the summer of 2017, we aren’t worried about it at this juncture.

We drove to Wairau stream to check out the scenery.

Tom will continue to be covered by the health insurance from his prior work until he turns 65 in December 2017. In the interim, we’ve both been covered by this annual ex-pat policy with Healthcare International.

What happened to Medicare for me when I turned 65 almost three years ago? Every US citizen is entitled to Plan A which covers hospitalization in part. See here for details.

Why didn’t we just go with Part A for me?  Simple answer: It doesn’t provide coverage outside the US in most instances. Plus, monthly payment for Plan B is required at NZ $158, US $105.  See here for details. 

Most beaches in this area are rocky, but this popular location is preferred by many surfers and sunbathers.

As a result of this monthly expense, useless in our case, while traveling the world long term, we opted out of Part B by signing a waiver document explaining why we weren’t willing to pay. There are penalties for opting out which will result in a higher premium should we decide to activate it at some point. There again, we aren’t concerned about penalties at this point.

Plus, most Medicare recipients add a “supplemental policy” to cover some deductibles and ancillary costs, here again, an unnecessary expense for us considering none of these would apply to our out-of-the US needs. Had we included these, we’d have been paying as much “out of pocket” annually as we’re currently paying for our annual policy with Healthcare International.

Surfing and kayaking are popular in both New Zealand and Australia.

These drastic measures would not make any sense for those living in the US or US territories where Medicare would pay. Such action is only beneficial for those with very good health who don’t visit doctors frequently, take a lot of medication, and often have medical tests and treatments, since none of these are covered by our current policy.

If we visit a doctor, regardless of the reason, we pay out of pocket as we do for my few prescriptions. Such payments have proven to be approximately 25% of the cost for the same services in the US in most countries as we experienced in our 2015 medical exams and tests in Australia.

This is a first for us, spotting a tractor hauling a boat along the beach.

Our situation is unique and does not apply to most travelers nor to most Medicare recipients in the US. Even those US citizens embarking on a one-year trip outside the US are best to keep their existing insurance (including Medicare Part B and supplement) in place, adding emergency travel insurance as an adjunct.

Our policy with Healthcare International includes coverage for both of us for hospitalization with NZ $3014, US $2000 deductible per hospital stay, emergency evacuation, and bereavement expenses for travel in the event of death of an immediate family member only (sibling, child, parent) covering up to NZ $7536, US $5000 in travel expenses. 

We were intrigued by the stone roof on this oceanfront home.

This benefit is only available for those who are the physical relative of the deceased family member.  In other words, if one of Tom’s family members passes away, the benefit would cover his costs to return to the US, not mine, and so on.

Our decision to choose this type of policy was wrought with considerable research and consideration over an extended period. Each year we’ve researched other options but, to date, this plan makes the most sense for our needs and appears to be the most cost-effective.

  Many homes in New Zealand have metal roofs helping maintain warmth in the cooler winter season reducing heating costs. For the warmer sunny days, as we’ve experienced, it gets hot indoors requiring the opening of screen-less doors and windows.

Of course, when we soon file our taxes for 2015, we must provide “proof of insurance” to avoid paying penalties to the US government. I have a copy in our tax prep file which we’ll soon forward to our accountant along with other pertinent documents.

This can be confusing. Finally, we feel we have a handle on it although it took time to decipher the various options.  If any of our readers have questions, most of the links we’ve provided here will assist you. If you have questions we can answer please post a comment at the bottom of this post and we’ll be happy to answer to the best of our ability and/or provide you with resources to aid in your decision.

Energy efficiency is exercised by most residents in New Zealand from what we’ve seen thus far.

We realize this topic is dry and relatively boring especially for those who aren’t living outside the US for the long term.  For those in other countries, we can only suggest you contact your home insurance, your government-provided insurance, and Healthcare International or another such company. Most likely they’ll be able to assist you based on benefits you may currently have available.

We’re staying in today watching the political caucuses in New Hampshire, USA which is on TV during the day here based on the time difference, although it’s Wednesday here in lovely New Zealand.

Have a great day!

Photo from one year ago today, February 10, 2015:

One year ago, this albatross is sitting on an egg. Both the male and female sit on the nest, the other heading out to sea for food. For more details and map of our location while in Kauai, please click here.

Good luck or rightful circumstance?…Accepting old age…Choices we make…

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A rusty sailboat remains on the shore.

With only 29 days until we depart Savusavu to fly to the largest island of Viti Levu, in the Fiji chain of over 330 islands, we’ve started to feel as if time is flying faster now. 

The grocery store where we shop for a few items each week.

Living life in chunks of three months or more, or at times less, seems to have an effect of speeding up our sense of time, more than at any time in our lives. Perhaps, its as simple as old age creeping up on us interspersed with a lifetime of varied experiences that has a tendency to feel as if each day flies by way too quickly when little time is needed for thoughtful consideration of what comes next.

As one ages, generally, we know what’s next, barring any of life’s curve balls which often come hard and fast. In our youth, each day was a new challenge and we often felt we needed “good luck” to move through the paces.

We walked along a side street after spending time at the lagoon.

Now older, we realize that good luck is nice for fantasizing but pointless to expect. Our lives are what we make of them.  As much as we extol the virtues of “safari luck” much of it has occurred due to our efforts to be in the right place at the right time due to careful and diligent planning.

Did that unbelievable sunset photo magically appear for our photo taking?  Or, had we been watching for days to get the perfect shot?  Most often, it’s the latter. Serendipity is lovely. Coincidence is thought-provoking. None of it would transpire unless we made the effort to put ourselves in an advantageous position to grasp all of their benefits.

The reflection of the blue sky on the still water in the Savusavu lagoon.

The rest? Such as good health? Is that luck? Is it luck that the person who ate junk food all of their lives lived to the ripe age of 95, quietly passing in their sleep? Is it bad luck that someone like me who made a concerted effort all of my life to avoid illness and attain good health spent many years with illness and disability?

With my bad health reversed for over four years from a drastic change of diet, do I live on the precarious edge in anticipation of the “other shoe to drop?” I can’t. My newer, healthier self knows full well that stress can easily exacerbate any condition regardless of diet or lifestyle adaptation. It’s not luck. It’s a choice. And even then, with all my best efforts, it could change in a single minute.

A skinny nursing dog scrounging for food among the rocks.

As Tom walks this course with me varying only when dining out and aboard ship, he too knows the fragility of good health. For him, he’s developed a certain sense of confidence in the fact that good genes may play a role when his mother was 98 when she passed away in May 2008. I remind him he can’t count on his genes alone.  Lifestyle dictates the greater influence.

How do I know this? I’m no expert. But, it doesn’t take an expert to look around a roomful of seniors at a retirement community to see those enjoying life the most are active, conscientious about diet, and possessing a positive outlook on life. 

We often wonder who owns these boats?  Are they ex-pats, living in Fiji or visitors stopping for supplies after being out to sea?

Sure, in old age the skin may sag, the faces become lined with a lifetime of expression and sunlight, and the teeth yellowed if they’re still their own. But, the smiles are still the same, the love and hope in their hearts are still the same, and the desire to live every moment of life to the fullest remains constant, however much time is left.

Do we all naturally come to some peaceful acceptance that at some point, we’ll no longer be on the earth?  Yes, to those of us who find a spiritual path along the way which we particularly hang onto as the time nears, giving us hope that when “the fat lady sings” (please, excuse the expression), we’ll see the white light as the doors open to welcome us inside.

Some of the sailboats are in pristine condition.

For us, these thoughts and realities mean one thing…live to the fullest. And if that means working in a soup kitchen to feed the poor, delivering meals to the informed, or taking photos to share the treasures of this bountiful earth with others, we all have a privilege of making choices befitting who we are and who’ll we’ll eventually become. 

For those unable to reach out, perhaps sitting in a chair day after day, watching the latest talk show, old reruns on TV, or listening to the radio, unable to go out without help or not at all, they too are deserving of life’s bounty, if only in recalling and if possible, sharing those times of their lives that held meaning and purpose.

View across the Savusavu Harbour to Nawii Island where property is currently under construction.

Who are we to judge anyone’s choices? We live in a world of “political correctness” to the point of ad nauseam leaving us bereft of what we can and can’t express in our next breath when all that’s really required is dignity and respect ingrained into our beings, not all this rhetoric about “who’s right and who’s wrong.” 

We, Tom and I, are judged by others on occasion for our lifestyle…how could we possibly leave family behind to fulfill our own dreams? We could spend hours “defending” our choices. But, we choose not to do so. We simply chose a powerful overriding sense of adventure that we somehow had to fulfill…while we can.

View of Nawii Island across the harbor.

No luck is involved here. No good fortune was required for us to live this life on the move. It was earned. It was nurtured. We sacrificed a lot to achieve it, none of which we regret. It all revolved around choices and a desire for happiness and fulfillment in our older years that when we “stepped outside the box” was staring us in the face. We merely followed the path.

We can’t and don’t judge those who choose to spend their retirement sitting on a barstool in a local pub gabbing with old friends or hovering over the next episode of Dr. Phil. We all have the privilege of defining who we are through our daily lives and actions. 

If happiness is on the menu, choose it at your own discretion when, in doing so, there’s a price to pay. Hand over your cash or credit card without regret, knowing every moment was well worth every last penny spent.

Photo from one year ago today, November 7, 2014:

Every afternoon the sea turtles swam to the shore outside our condo in Maui. To see a video we shot of the turtles and more, please click here.

Sleep…elusive?…Are we willing to change?…

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These are so beautiful.

For those lucky people whose head hits the pillow for a straight seven or eight hours of blissful sleep, this post is not for you.

Please read on for the rest of us who thrash and turn fitful most nights, awakening many times, often sleeping no more than four to six hours or even less.

Note the moth or butterfly on the flower in the center of the photo.

Sleeping well became an issue for me many moons ago. In the days when I used to drink alcohol, a few glasses of red wine could easily put me to sleep but cause me to bolt awake during the night, heart racing, unable to sleep. 

When I decided to stop drinking all alcohol quite some time ago for health reasons, I was left with a bad habit, an inability to sleep through the night without waking numerous times or, in more recent years, awakening too early in the morning. 

I believe this is a papaya tree growing in the yard.

Knowing I’ll feel exhausted if I arise at 4:00 am, I struggle to fall back to sleep, if only for an additional hour. On occasion, I do fall back to sleep, but only after I’ve read a book on my phone for an hour or so.

Tom has been plagued with a similar issue, awakening around 4:00 am. He hasn’t had a drink since our last cruise ended on June 11th, when he’s been unable to find his favorite at any of the stores. Thus, our current sleep issues have nothing to do with a few cocktails, which can easily impede good sleep.

These red flowers with a white bloom appear to be in the poinsettia family.

We’ve read considerable information about poor sleeping habits, referred to as “sleep hygiene.” Give me a break! It’s hard to relate to sleep as hygiene! But, we can relate to sleep as a habit, one that we do have the power to change if we’re willing to go through the necessary steps repeatedly. 

Sleep “Hygiene” Tips

The promotion of regular sleep is known as sleep hygiene. The following is a list of sleep hygiene tips that can be used to improve sleep.

The CDC and the National Sleep Foundation recommendations:

  • Go to bed at the same time each night and rise at the same time each morning.
  • Make sure your bedroom is a quiet, dark, and relaxing environment, neither too hot nor too cold.
  • Make sure your bed is comfortable and use it only for sleeping and not other activities, such as reading, watching TV, or listening to music. Remove all TVs, computers, and other “gadgets” from the bedroom.
  • Avoid large meals before bedtime.

This is not to say we believe everything we read online. However, the above mantra is repeated time and again.

Looking up the names of plants and flowers uses lots of data. Thus, many of the plants and flowers we post remain nameless for now.

Item #5 is missing from the above: No overthinking and worrying in bed.

One of the most significant factors for us in our travels is the lack of a comfortable bed and bedding. Overall, most vacation homes don’t have comfortable beds. Plus, it’s hard not to think that other people have slept in this bed over often years and used this same bedding pulled close to their heads and faces.

These same thoughts can plague us when staying in hotels, where in many cases, many more travelers have slept in that bed and used that bedding than in a vacation home. Most of us try to avoid thinking about this reality by assuming that everything is washed and clean. We’ve had to let such thoughts waft away long ago.

These plants are often found in tropical climates.

Now in Fiji, the bed is outrageously uncomfortable. It’s a single odd-shaped mattress with little padding, lots of springs, all sitting atop a wood futon-type bed frame. The bedding doesn’t fit properly, causing it to bunch during the night. Of course, we’re very grateful that Mario immediately replaced the mattress when it was infested with ants on which we slept the first night.

In the village, we don’t see any household goods or bedding stores. The owners of vacation homes in more remote locations such as this make do with what’s available locally. We appreciate what we have. After all, we live in a sleepy little village on a relatively low population island in the middle of the ocean, far removed from many conveniences.

Then again, we never slept well in Kauai, where we had the best bed and bedding of any vacation home in our travels. The roosters awoke Tom each day, and I couldn’t wait to get up to see “Birdie” and his wife stop by for a song and a visit, nuts provided.

These gorgeous red flowers are growing in the shade beneath our veranda overhang.

Poor sleep is all about us. If exhausted enough, they can sleep in a chair, on the floor, or in an airplane.  It’s the tricks our minds play on us that generally keep us awake, and although we don’t worry and overthink our lives while in bed, we do think about one thing, why we aren’t sleeping?

In itself, it’s this contemplation about lack of sleep that becomes the nemesis, the driving force behind the middle-of-the-night angst and discomfort, noticing every bunched bottom sheet, every stabbing spring in the mattress, every sound in the background. It’s us. Entirely.

Are we willing to make the necessary changes to break the bad habit? For both of us, it’s the reading on our phones when we’re in bed and avoiding thoughts about our inability to sleep. I’ve tried several nights to no avail, surely not trying long enough to affect a change. We aren’t “willing” to do the work. 

Bananas continue to thrive in the rains.

We’re entirely “capable” of making the necessary changes. With all of the adaptation, we must exercise in each new country. We don’t seem to have the “willingness” to do what is necessary in this regard, such as stop reading books on our phones while in bed and stop thinking about “not sleeping.”

For many of us, it’s not unlike going on a diet to lose weight. We’re capable. We aren’t willing.

Photo from one year ago, October 18, 2014:

A Hawaiian Tree Snail, the size of the palm of a hand, was attached to a wall by the pool in the condo in Maui. For more details as we settled into our new home, please click here.

Poolside health benefits…Does sunlight really improve health?…One year ago today…Versailles…

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Tom was reading while soaking up the sun.

One of the major attracting points of a certain number of the properties we chose to rent throughout the world is the availability of a swimming pool. We don’t select a pool as a filter when searching for properties to rent, although, we certainly pay attention when a pool is available. 

When we booked this lovely property in Trinity Beach, we were thrilled there was a pool. We imagined lounging by the pool for a requisite one-hour maximum almost every sunny day after we uploaded the day’s post. 

This is the second of the uneven stone steps leading down to the pool.

Should you decide to undertake to acquire your Vitamin D3 from the sun, please read this article and begin very slowly to avoid burning if you have no base tan. For some fair-skinned individuals as little as a few minutes on each side is all that is possible in the beginning to avoid burning. Also, please check with your doctor if you currently have skin cancer or any other medical condition that may be impacted by time in direct sunlight.

Here’s the link to an excellent article with accompanying research on the benefits of getting Vitamin D from the sun. When we can acquire nutrients from natural resources we’re inspired and we’ll undertake considerable research in order to formulate an opinion as to the validity of the research.

Here’s a link about the benefits of Vitamin D3 from the world-renowned Mayo Clinic. In reading this and other reports we easily realized we may not receive any Vitamin D from foods, especially when neither of us eats any processed foods fortified with Vitamin D.

The steep wooden steps from the yard down to the pool.

Also, there’s a calculator on this site, developed by scientists (as is all of this article), to help you determine what is best for you based on your location, skin type, and times of the day.

Once we become convinced that a natural resource may have a benefit for us, we may adopt its use. So is the case of Vitamin D3. When we had to reduce our luggage weight load, that included disposing of several bottles of Vitamin D3 supplements. Without this supplement, we were convinced we needed to acquire the vital nutrient directly from the sun.

Also, we carried several tubes of sunscreens with us which neither of us liked using. We ditched those as well with a plan to stay out of the sun beyond a maximum of one hour per day. With enough of a tan base to protect us from sunburn and covered with clothing when we visit various outdoor sites on sunny days, we have little concern. 

There’s an outdoor kitchen under the gazebo.  However, after 4:00 pm, the no-see-ums arrive on the biting frenzy making “cooking on the Barbie” not as appealing as one might think.

After extensive research, we became convinced that short regular stints in the sun with 60% of our skin exposed for 20 minutes on each side without the use of sunscreen would benefit us both greatly in many ways. 

Over these past three years living in warm climates, we’ve worked our way up to 30 minutes without our skin turning pink. However, the proximity to the equator has a bearing on how long we stay in the sun in each new location. 

When we first arrived in Australia, we tried 10 minutes on each side and now we’ve worked our way up to a maximum of 20 minutes on each side, most often staying out only for a total of 40 minutes due to the heat of the sun. We’ve never been sunburned over these past three years even with Tom’s light Irish skin. 

The pool has a waterfall which isn’t in use at this time.

Anyway, once we arrived in Trinity Beach and moved into this desirable vacation property we discovered that getting down to the pool required a trek down a steep staircase with a splinter inducing single-sided wood handrail. Plus, at that time, there were no chaise lounges by the pool.

With as kind and helpful as our hosts have been, we didn’t want to ask for chaise lounges by the pool.  Apparently, they read our mention of this in a prior post ending up purchasing two fabulous cushioned chaise lounges several weeks ago for which we’re very grateful.

Fruit growing on this tree situated in the pool area.

In the interim, before the chaises, we managed to use the chairs on our veranda, using the cushions on the ground to lay on our stomachs and sitting in the chairs facing the sun at noon. This worked but was relatively uncomfortable.

The next challenge, once the chaise lounges were situated by the pool, was getting used to safely maneuvering the steps down to the pool area and then two smaller sets of uneven stone steps.

This interesting tree by the pool has a look comparable to a bottle cleaner.

Tom, of course, can walk on a bed of nails without tripping. I, on the other hand, can easily stumble on uneven surfaces from the instability of my spinal condition. Tom is dependable and sturdy support when I’m walking in such conditions, never faltering in adding a strong arm and hand to guide the way.

After all, we did make it down the treacherous Queen’s Bath in Kauai (read our Part 1 here and Part 2 here) without falling when we’d read that many younger hikers were injured in the process. By far, it was the most dangerous trek we’ve made in our travels.

View to the house above.

Once down by the pool and situated in the chaise lounges laying atop the comfortable cushions, we set the timer on my phone to ensure we don’t overstay in the sun. 

To entertain ourselves we both read the books on our phones as the time quickly passes. Before we know it, we’re flipping over, and then, we’re done. To say that these short stints are therapeutic in other ways is minimizing the powerful effect of the sun on health, mood, and energy levels. 

Jittery camera (no doubt) when attempting to get close enough to take this photo. Later, when we were ready to leave the pool area, hoping it would be gone, we realized it was dead. Hahaha. We laughed.

We all know how beneficial a little sunshine and getting outdoors is for all of us, let alone gleaning the Vitamin D3 benefits we grasp as often as we can. We find ourselves feeling grateful to Mother Nature for this beneficial effect which she has perfectly provided for us.

Have a sunny weekend!

                                                Photo from one year ago today, August 7, 2014:

Without umbrellas and only lightly hooded jackets we stood outside in the pouring rain for the tour of the 90 minutes tour of the Gardens of Versailles. We had to keep the camera inside my jacket to avoid it getting wetter than it did. We were soaked all the way to our underwear but somehow didn’t care, neither of us ever complaining. For more details and amazing photos of Versailles, please click here.

Part 2…A military day…Australia’s and other country’s involvement in the world wars…New story with military photos…New itinerary tomorrow!

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At one point I poked the lens of the camera through a hole in a chain-link gate at The Australian Armour & the Artillery Museum to take this photo of the grounds surrounding the building.

We realize that many of our readers have little interest in photos of military vehicles and equipment. We’ll finish posting these photos today and be off to a new and different topic tomorrow.

Australian M113A1 Fire Support Vehicle (Saladin Turret)

As a matter of fact, tomorrow we’ll be posting our new itinerary that includes the next almost two years. Here we are again, with two years ahead of us, well planned with only a few gaps to fill.

The interior of the above Australian Fire Support Vehicle.

Early on, we’d be worried about filling gaps but now with more experience, we have no need to scramble to fill them. As long as they’re filled one year out we’ll still be able to find great options.

French Panhard AML 245 Light Armoured Car, Model 60 Variant.

Over these past few years, we sense an increase in world travel as more and more seniors retire deciding that travel is a great way to kick off the first few years of their newly found freedom. We see this in “sold out” bookings for vacation homes, cruises, and various modes of transportation.

We could see the Skyrail Rainforest Cableway from the armour building. The roundtrip cost for two is US $111.20, AUD $150, not an event or expense that is important to us at this time as we continue to layout considerable sums for future bookings.

Many of our readers anticipated that our interest in traveling would wane after a few years. But, here we are fast approaching the end of our third year and entry into our fourth. It’s hard for us to believe we’ve continued on for this long and have already seen so much of the world.

Interior of a tank with a rotating turret.

As we fast approach having all of our medical exams and tests out of the way we have an even greater degree of enthusiasm realizing that for now, we can feel at ease that poor health won’t stop us. 

Another tank painted in camouflage.

Sure, health issues or injuries can arise in a flash.  We’ll never take good health for granted. Even if we broke a leg we’d be down and out for a period of time, perhaps looking for a new place to reside, possibly losing huge deposits and making many changes in the itinerary.

We wonder about the soldier who wore these boots in this Vietcong and North Vietnam display.
More in the Vietcong and Vietnam equipment.

This possibility is highly instrumental in our caution in avoiding to partake in activities that may be beyond our fitness and skill levels. I have to remind myself at times that it was only four years ago I could hardly walk based on the degree of pain I was experiencing due to an advanced degenerative spinal condition.

A US Patton tank.

It was my change in diet that virtually eliminated the pain due to inflammation that gave me a new lease on life three months after I began this way of eating. Here again, we never take the benefits that I’ve derived from eating a very strict diet from which I never waiver, nor will I.

USA M1 Stuart Light Tank MK111.

Yesterday, by coincidence, there was a PUBMED research document posted on my Facebook that espouses the many benefits of a ketogenic diet including the massive reduction in inflammation, among improvements in Alzheimer’s Disease, seizure disorders, and Parkinson’s Disease. If any of you would like to see this document, please email me and I’ll send it to you. 

British Valentine Infantry Tank. In the background is a poster of the movie with Brad Pitt, Fury. Several months ago, we watched this excellent movie.
The interior of a British FV433 SPG.

Although I’ve read hundreds of scientific studies confirming the value of this diet since the day I began, it’s always important to read new and evolving studies and information. 

German half-track.

In time, this way of eating will become more mainstream. The public and the scientific community are slow to accept “different” modalities from that which they’ve believed for decades, i.e., that a “low fat” diet is good for health. I won’t get on my soapbox on that topic. 

Interior of an above German tank.

I consume about 100 grams of healthy fats each day and remain in good health and fitness. If you want more information on this, please write to me and I’ll send you a reading list from some of the top medical researchers in the world. 

A variety of hand grenades.

Today is Show Day, a public holiday in the Cairns area only, not the entire state of Queensland. Some businesses and all government buildings are closed while many employees are off work to celebrate this special “state fair” type event. 

More hand grenades.

Of course, many enjoy having a day off without attending the carnival and craft markets that represent the special day. With our aversion to crowds and traffic (more Tom than me), we’ll stay away from the hustle and bustle, either staying put today while I work on updating the itinerary with all the new cruises or heading out in the opposite direction away from the traffic. 

German tank.
Whatever we decide to do, we’ll find ourselves content with a great Friday night dinner planned of fresh Barramundi, sautéed scallops, homemade crab salad, steamed veggies, and a salad. Life is good.

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

A week or so ago, I mentioned we hadn’t seen any whales.  I should have been more specific in saying we have seen whales up close as in the case of this small Tropical Whale while on a whale-watching expedition in Madeira. And, in Hawaii, we spotted many Humpback Whales while viewing from our yard in the Big Island (Hawai’i). But, we’ve yet to have one of those amazing boating experiences where a whale breaches close to the boat and we’re able to take photos.  Perhaps someday. This photo was taken by the onboard professional photographer, Claudio who gave me permission to use his photos when the boat was so crowded I could hardly get a shot. For more, please click here for Part 2 of whale watching photos in Madeira. 

Doctor appointments and medical tests…Funny things in our neighborhood…

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Mailbox in front of a house down the road from us.

We’re still busy with my medical appointments and tests. Our reader’s input encouraged us to make doctor appointments for each of us. We decided to do one of us at a time since mine is a bit more comprehensive than Tom’s. 

A sign in front of the house that is currently for sale.

Once my appointments are completed, we’ll get to work on his. The clinic, Apple Tree Medical is located a short distance down the road near the Smithfield shopping center, less than 10 minutes from our home. 

The young, highly competent Dr. Natasha Cress was thorough and took a tremendous amount of time with me answering many questions, pleased that I’d brought along a comprehensive list on an app on my phone. 

Statue of a horse, a cart, and a man in front of the house.

Why would we be any less detail orientated when it comes to our health than we are when preparing a post or planning a new location? The same detailed procedures and doctor will be used for Tom’s upcoming appointments.

Interesting vegetation growing in the yard.  Notice Fred Flintstone on the left in the photo. Wait, more is coming.

This morning at 8 am, we headed back to the clinic for my blood tests on an empty stomach. With one remaining appointment for me with the doctor on Monday at 3 pm, we’ll be back here with the costs. I can’t wait to share how much less expensive medical care is here in Australia as compared to the US.

In Australia, they have their own form of Medicare, which provides insurance for all citizens generally without a co-pay. When charging us for appointments and tests they’ve only charged us what their Medicare would have paid making it very affordable.

Fairly large statues of Barney Rubble and Fred Flintstone.  Brings back memories!

With our medical insurance only covering “major medical” (hospitalization), we’re responsible for paying for outpatient tests and appointments at the time of service. Once everything is completed, we’ll both have peace of mind and be ready to continue on in the more remote locations awaiting us in the months to come. 

Even Dino from the Flintstones was there. This statue is most likely as tall as an adult human.

Of course, after not having medical exams or tests for three years, we have a little concern that everything will be fine. However, if feeling well is an indicator all should be fine. We never take good health for granted, knowing that it all can change in a moment, feeling well or not. 

A different house on the same side of the street with pretty landscaping.

As we all are well aware, once we reach a certain age the likelihood of issues only escalates no matter how hard we may try to maintain a good level of health through lifestyle; exercise, low or well-managed stress, good sleep, healthy foods, and good relationships, all of which are vital to our well being.

Horses and a peacock in the front yard.

Continuing on, we’re still working on the Cairns Tropical Zoo stories and will upload them in the next several days. In the interim, we continue to drive and visit some of the many points of interest in this magical place. 

A peacock with another bird we couldn’t identify. Could it be some type of turkey?

On a whim, we drove down the road from our house and discovered these sights in the neighbor’s yard. One can never know what fun little treasures lurk only a short distance away. Enjoy our goofy photos!

The mailman coming down the road.  It appears most letter mail is delivered on a motorcycle.

It’s cloudy and rainy today. Most likely we’ll stay put handling some accounting, laundry, cooking, and completing the future posts. Whatever we chose to do each day, in or out, we find ourselves cherishing every moment of this life we’ve been given.

Another horse in the front yard of the second house. Even on cloudy and rainy days such as this, we easily find ways to entertain ourselves from the car.

Have a wild and wonderful Wednesday on that side of the International Dateline and a terrific Thursday on this side of the world!

                                                Photo from one year ago today, July 9, 2014:

This is our second house in Fiji on the main island that we booked one year ago today. Our first location in Fiji in on the smaller island, Vanua Levu. For details on this booking, please click here.

Sitting too much?…How about walking in the mall on a rainy day?…More photos from exploring…

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We spotted this beautiful cove at the end of the boulevard in Trinity Beach.

Tom says he never planned to include walking as a part of his retirement. What did he plan to do? Sit in a chair waiting to grow old for the anticipated eventuality? That’s what some retirees choose to do when health-wise when they could be more mobile. 

Unfortunately, many seniors have health conditions, making mobility unlikely if not impossible and my heart breaks for them. Having the ability to freely move about has a tremendous bearing on our general good health and state of mind. We commend the many people we know and love who aren’t able to be mobile and yet maintain a positive attitude.

Sitting puts a fast end to our mobility and our mortality. The maximum amount of sitting I allow myself most days is during the time it takes for me to write and post here each day and to handle the necessary aspects of our travels online.  For the remainder of the daylight hours, I try to stay on the move as much as possible. 

A long stretch of unoccupied sandy beach.

Although after dinner, during which we sit, we do gravitate toward the sofa to watch a recorded program or two on my laptop using the HDMI hooked to the flat-screen TV. I can’t imagine having the inclination to be running about the house each evening after dinner. After watching for two hours, we lay down in bed for seven or eight more hours.

Ouch! Writing this down makes me realize how much time we actually do spend not on our feet. Long ago, I read that standing and moving around once an hour is helpful which I desperately try to do. But, even then, it’s easy to get lost in the distraction of the moment while seated.

Harvard Medical School issued this report on the dangers of sitting for people of all ages including those in the workplace. Oh, that I recall sitting at a desk most of my working life, sitting in the car, sitting watching a movie. 

This dome-type vacation rental reminded us of dome homes from decades ago. 

Aside from a large faction of the working population that busted their “you-know-whats” engaged in a career of hard working manual labor, most of us sat in a chair at work or spent the better part of each day gravitating back to a spot where there was a place to sit.

If we look back at early man/woman, they seldom sat, instead, spending most of their time on their feet working for shelter, warmth, safety, food, and water. Perhaps humans weren’t intended to sit other than around the fire at night for dining and warmth.

A lone explorer on the secluded beach.

However, when we see animals in the wild most of them sit from time to time, to relax, nap, and scour their surroundings. So, let’s assume that sitting to some degree must be acceptable for the health and well-being of humans as well. As we’ve observed wildlife these past years of travel, we’ve seen that they are like us in many ways or…we’re like them. They were here before us.

After all, most of us have an adequate built-in cushion for sitting which seems to shrink as we age for some odd reason. Who knows? Maybe it shrinks as a reminder that we need to get up and move around instead of sitting in an attempt to maintain a certain degree of health and fitness.

I’m no expert. All I know is that when I’m active I feel better, my muscles move more freely, my sense of health and well-being escalates and my spirits rise beyond my usual “overly bubbly,” if that’s at all possible.

The beaches are seldom populated this time of year with the risk of stingers and crocs.

Tom, on the other hand, loves sitting. He always says he spent enough time outside moving about in 20 degrees below zero to last a lifetime. I’m not so sure about that.

Yesterday, after two weeks of clouds and rain, we needed to walk some more, although in the past week we’ve done quite a bit of walking at beaches and parks in the area. But, being moderately active one day doesn’t necessarily carry over to the next day.

The Lime Tree restaurant in Trinity Beach is rated as #2 or 16 restaurants on TripAdvisor. Soon, we’ll make a reservation and give it a try.

As much as I know Tom doesn’t like to go for walks, I suggested that we return to the local Smithfield Mall for a few items to supplement our grocery shopping of a few days ago. We needed to buy lettuce and coffee and, I wanted to try the low carb, sugar-free, goat’s milk yogurt I heard was readily available in the market (which, by the way, is fabulous!)

Instead of telling Tom, we should walk in the mall, he gladly agreed to take me to the store for the few grocery items and to stop at a vitamin store for some B1 which is known to help some against getting sandfly bites. (Oh, we won’t get into that. No complaining on my part over the 50 bites on my knees for which no natural non-DEET repellent works. Why they bit my knees, I’ll never know).

Kangaroos are accepted as a part of everyday life in Australia, not unlike our former reaction to squirrels and geese when we lived in Minnesota.

To accomplish both of these tasks, it made sense to walk through the very long mall which when walking up and back requires a good 30 minutes of brisk walking. Tom brought along his phone with his Kindle books so he could “sit” while I meandered a few shops along the way. 

Walking in our new neighborhood is unlikely. The hugely steep driveway is impossible to safely navigate on foot for anyone over 30 years old. It’s a knee injury waiting to happen. 

Tom is highly adept at driving a stick shift with his left hand and yet he surprises me each time we go up and down as he easily maneuvers the underpowered little red car that chugs along especially going up the hill. 

Even active kangaroos take time to sit in the shade when the sun peeked out for a few hours.

The hill is so steep, I’d have hesitated to drive it even with an automatic transmission if I’d had to.  (With no parking allowed on the street at the end of the driveway, we’ve had to drive to take walks, which we’ve done each day this week).

“Good on you, Tom Lyman,” I say, using a common Australian expression that we hear everywhere we go, which apparently means “good for you!” Easily, I could repeat this adorable expression for his willingness to walk with me as we wander about the world, attempting to get off our butts as often as possible, hopefully lengthening our time on this planet with a certain level of good health and fitness.

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

This worm on the organic lettuce in Madeira, Portugal practically picked up his head to look at me before I tossed the leaf over the veranda into the vegetation below. For more details, please click here.

Another afternoon of exploration…

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The water, the mountains, a blue sky.  What more could we ask for, here in Trinity Beach, our home for three months?  Lovely.

With plenty of photos backlogged from our exploration of a few days ago, we decided to head out another day when curiosity got the best of us. An odd scenario we experience living in this house is that the garbage bins for both recycling and garbage are located at the bottom of a very long, very steep hill from the house to the street.

The waterway continued through many neighborhoods in this lovely Trinity Beach location.

With the panoramic views, we have from the yard, this steep incline is to be expected. The steepness of the driveway is such that walking down the long-distance carrying trash makes no sense as one would need to consider their balance on the steep decline. 

For a 20-year-old this may be fun and challenging. For us old-timers, caution is more important than this type of needless trek.  s a result, each time we have garbage, we have to drive down the hill.

In doing so, already in the car, we may as well drive somewhere and check out the exquisite area in which we’re living. Soon, we’ll be planning a road trip as there’s much to see within a day’s drive that we’d like to experience in our time here.

Yesterday, the sun was finally shining so we were especially interested in getting out.  As a matter of fact, with the sun shining again today, we plan to spend our 20 to 30 minutes soaking up Vitamin D, a vital nutrient especially for seniors that cannot be derived from food to any great degree. Since carrying lots of vitamins is prohibitive in our lifestyle and having difficultly finding them in some locations, any source from which we can glean Vitamin D becomes vital to our health.

As we always state, we happen to be living in Australia, enjoying the culture, the way of life, the nuances.  Close to the beaches, parks, and wildlife, if we never left the area of a one-hour radius, we’d be content.  But, we feel a certain responsibility to our worldwide readers to share that which is beyond the scope of our immediate area. 

Thus, we’ll visit some of the sites in Queensland during our three months here. Yesterday, as we drove through the gorgeous neighborhood where the Bluewater Marina is located, seeing all the lovely homes, many new and many being built, we marveled over how we have no interest in living a life in a house, with a car, utility bills to pay and a lawn to mow. 

We felt no sense of desire or the coveting of such a life. We had that life. Now, we don’t. And, we love this peculiar life on the move. We do enjoy reveling in the lovely properties, imagining what they’d be like inside their doors with no interest in our lives, whatsoever. 

Most homes along the waterway have this same type of dock to their boats. It’s winter here now and the docks stay in the water year-round, not like in our old lives where we had to remove the dock during the winter to avoid its destruction from the ice on the lake.

Our interest in continuing on in our travels has only escalated instead of waning over these past 32 months. A few weeks ago, we realized that I’d misstated how many continents we visited since the onset of our travels.  Tom pointed this out to me after I’d posted that we’ve been to six of the seven continents, the only exception at this point is Antarctica.

Of course, we have much exploring ahead of us down the road and further exploration of the continents we’ll eventually revisit. Health providing, we have all the time in the world. We feel no sense of urgency. 

What will be, will be.  The only control we have is over our ability to continuing to travel is the efforts we exercise (literally and figuratively) to maintain a good level of health and fitness through being active, engaged, having a positive outlook, and eating a healthy diet of foods in their natural state; lots of fresh leafy greens and non-starchy vegetables, grass-fed meats, wild-caught fish, free-range chicken and organic cheeses, eggs and raw nuts.

And yes, there are days that we’re lazy, don’t walk much and spend the better part of the day doing a “bunch of nothing.”  Then again, who in our age group is always active?  Who in any age group is always active, even if they are sitting at a desk at work, standing on their feet performing a repetitive type job or simply sitting reading a good book?

Living a good life encompasses many avenues of passion we each choose that provides us with the greatest joy and meaning. Finding that passion is the greatest challenge. We’ve found ours and this discovery alone had led us on this path.

Continue with us on this journey. In many ways, it’s just begun. We have so much yet to discover and learn
Photo from one year ago today, June 19, 2014:

The beautiful mountains and hills of Madeira were breathtaking to us each and every day. For details from that post, please click here.