Day #217 in lockdown in Mumbai, India hotel…Fireworks last night!…Will we ever cruise again?…

Posted by worldwide-admin on with 2 Comments
Rasnesh, our driver, took this photo of us in front of the Vuadomo Waterfall. We were hot and sweaty, but the long trek was worth it!

Today’s photos are from the post on this date in 2015 while living in Savusavu, Vanua Levu, Fiji, continuing our past two posts from our visit to the Vuodomo Waterfalls. For more from this date, please click here.

Last night, while watching The Walking Dead, around 10:00 pm, we heard several loud blasts. Jumping up, Tom looked out the window, not expecting to see much from our poor view of an industrial/construction area. But, we were surprised when he saw a distant flash of fireworks.

Vuadomo Waterfall was more significant than it appears in these photos.

Indian people, predominantly Hindu, celebrate several holidays with fireworks. We’re a little surprised fireworks are allowed based on air pollution in India. But the devout Hindu citizens continue to incorporate the light show celebrating several holidays.

Yesterday was Dussera, described as follows:

“Dussehra or Vijayadashami is an important Hindu festival that signifies the victory of good over evil. This annual festival is celebrated with great enthusiasm and zeal by Hindus worldwide on the tenth day of the Navratras, which falls on the tenth day of Ashwin or Kartik months as per the Hindu calendar.”

We didn’t see any other tourists walking to or from the falls.

Soon, on November 14, the five-day celebration of Dawali will commence, which is one of the most important celebrations in the Hindu faith. At that time, we’ll share more information on this sacred celebration. We’ve been living in many countries throughout the world when these holidays have been celebrated, and we certainly appreciate the enthusiasm and dedication exhibited by the Hindu devotees during these celebratory periods.

On another note, over the past week, both Tom and I have stumbled across numerous articles about the cruise industry and what to expect for the future. For us, our cruising days may be over when we consider the primary reason we enjoyed cruising so much was the opportunity to socialize.

An orchid was growing in the rainforest.

Sure, we enjoyed the ambiance, seeing many ports of call, the festive activities. However, everything will be different from now on, eliminating our desire to continue to cruise during times of COVID-19. If this virus and the extreme precautions are eliminated, we will consider cruising once again.

Yesterday, the CDC issued this warning at this link:

“CDC typically posts travel health notices for countries and other international destinations, not transportation, such as ships. Because of the unprecedented nature of the novel coronavirus pandemic and the increased risk of transmission of COVID-19 on cruise ships, the US government is advising US travelers to defer all cruise travel.”

The creek on the return walk.

Here is a list of some of the precautions cruise lines will strictly adhere to on future cruises from this site:

  • Passengers are to be tested for COVID-19 between five days and 24 hours before sailing. Those testing positive would not be allowed to cruise.  OK, this makes sense.
  • Passengers to wear cloth face coverings or masks on ships in accordance with CDC recommendations. This would require passengers to wear masks at all times during the cruise. The thought of wearing a mask non-stop for one or two weeks or longer, other than in our cabin, is unappealing.
  • Cruise lines only allow indoor excursions during port stops if physical distancing, use of masks, and other recommended protective measures can be implemented. What about the cramped vans and buses transporting passengers from the ship to the point of interest? From what we’ve read so far, self-arranged tours will no longer be allowed. Only those costly tours offered through the ship will be possible. If a passenger goes off on their own, they won’t be allowed to return to the ship and will forfeit the balance of the cruise.
  • Cruise lines to modify onboard facilities so passengers can remain socially distanced in accordance with CDC recommendations (at least six-foot separation). This includes during dining and priority club free drink periods, which was our primary means of socializing.
  • Daily temperature checks for all passengers. Fine, we don’t mind this.
  • Tima and Rasnesh, long-time friends, after many hikes with tourists to the waterfall.

As you can see, these requirements eliminate all of our reasons for cruising. Instead, we’ll continue to enjoy possible future holiday homes in locations we find desirable, on or near the ocean, and in cultural and wildlife-rich areas. Only time will tell when we can pick up where we left off, with the thought in mind that cruising may not be a part of our means of transportation from one part of the world to another or a means of meeting new people along the way. Disappointing, for sure.

Stay healthy.

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

There was no post one year ago on this date due to a poor WiFi signal on the ship.

Day #189 in lockdown in Mumbai, India hotel…Food photos from a Celebrity cruise, Vancouver to Honolulu in 2014…

Posted by worldwide-admin on with 0 Comment
There was no charge for a piece (or two) of this lovely strawberry cake offered on the cruise. But, none for me with my way of eating. Even Tom passed on this cake.

Today’s photos are from the post on this date in 2014, while we were on a cruise from Vancouver to Honolulu. For more on this date, please click here.

My mouth was watering when I reviewed today’s photos from a cruise to Hawaii, where we ended up staying for a total of eight months on four of the most popular islands: Oahu, Maui, Big Island, and Kauai.

All of these desserts in the Al Bacio Bar are included in the fare., no purchase is necessary.  However, there is a charge for specialty coffees also available in this area. Oddly, Tom wasn’t interested in anything in this case.

In many ways, it seems like yesterday, especially when we spent the Christmas holidays with the kids and grandkids on the Big Island and, the last four months in Kauai, making many new friends and exploring the life cycle of the Laysan Albatross, which during those months, became a daily source of tremendous joy and wonder.

By the time we boarded this cruise in 2014, we’d been on eight previous cruises since beginning our journey and had considerable experience ordering meals befitting Tom’s picky taste buds and my low carb/keto way of eating. It was hard for me to resist all the beautiful desserts, one of which is shown in today’s main photo. But, never once did I order or select any forbidden desserts, ice cream (or meals) when meandering the various food stations throughout the ship.

Oh, delicious! I ended up ordering a second serving of this fabulous Pistachio Duck Terrine.

With a former sweet tooth, such desserts were challenging to resist, but by this ninth cruise, I had my attraction to such items strictly under control and rarely ever gave it a thought. When others ordered gooey desserts at a shared table, either I ordered a fresh cup of tea, or if still hungry after a meal of tiny portions, I could call the cheese plate.

In every case, when ordering the cheese plate, asking for it to arrive without fruit or crackers, almost invariably, it would be placed in front of me with fruit and crackers. After a while, we laughed. I’d remove the items and proceed to enjoy the various imported cheeses.

Tom’s escargot was green due to the use of spinach in the buttery sauce. If I told him the green was spinach, he probably wouldn’t eat it. He did!

Eventually, I stopped ordering it since the cheese serving was way more than I should eat, and it was hard to resist when it was in front of me. I’ve always been a member of the “clean plate club.” Many can surely relate to that, perhaps a by-product of our upbringing when we were required to clean the plate due to the starving children worldwide. Gosh, if leaving untouched food on my plate would feed starving children, I would have never cleaned my plate.

For many travelers, cruising is all about the food. Honestly, right now, if we boarded a cruise ship, I’d run, not walk, to the buffet to partake in the many items I can eat; eggs Benedict (minus the English muffin), smoked salmon with capers, platters of chilled prawns, burgers (minus the bun), grilled fish, unlimited steamed veggies and one of the items I miss the most…a big green salad.

My dinner consisted of salmon and steamed vegetables, which was OK with adding a side dish of Hollandaise sauce. I prefer not to eat carrots since they are grown underground and high in sugar content.

We don’t order salads or raw vegetables here in India because the produce is washed in tap water which is unsafe to drink in India. Sure, the hotel probably washes it in purified water, but it most likely had been sprayed with tap water in processing for distribution to hotels and restaurants. It would only take a few bacteria spores to throw us into a bacterial infection which is all we’d need now.

We don’t worry about COVID-19 infecting our food that is served to our room twice a day. The cooks live in the hotel, as do the servers who deliver it to our room. Also, there’s no definitive research indicating the virus is contracted from food, although I’d imagine this is a possibility under certain circumstances.

Tom’s dinner of beef cheeks over parsnip puree, carrots, broccoli with demi-glace sauce which he found excellent.

That’s why we don’t order takeaway meals from the many restaurants in the area that will be delivered to the hotel, which is left at the guard gate for patrons to collect. It’s not worth the risk or the bother. Also, for my purposes, we’d have no idea as to ingredients used to prepare our meals, including toxic vegetable oils that we resist. All of our meals are designed with “real” butter instead of margarine and trans-fats used by many dining establishments throughout the world, not just in India.

Even looking at today’s photos of food I can eat makes my mouth water. Oh, well. Hopefully, this is just temporary. Every day, I think about a plate of home-made food in front of me, sitting at a table with a linen placemat and napkin, and a glass of red wine in a fine wine glass, instead of on a chair in a hotel room with the same meal night after night meal on my lap,

One of our dear readers wrote that lockdown feels like “house arrest,” and I agree, but in our case, it feels more like being a teenager and confined to our room for bad behavior. Except, that teenager could go to the kitchen, open the refrigerator filled with tasty options, and select what they found most appealing. Not the case now!

May your day be filled with taste-tempting, hearty, healthy, and delicious meals.

Photo from one year ago today, September 28, 2019:

This lamb, covered in dirt after it rained, on the farm in Devon, England, is half the size of the others. Renate and John, our property owners, explained she never grew to full size due to a genetic anomaly. For more photos, please click here.
Day #164 in lockdown in Mumbai, India hotel…Busy day today…

Day #164 in lockdown in Mumbai, India hotel…Busy day today…

Posted by worldwide-admin on with 0 Comment

We can often count on our routine to get us through another day, and in part, today won’t be much different. Add a few new tasks, and suddenly I feel busy, as we may have been in times before COVID-19.

Today’s photos were from this date in 2014 when our ship docked in England, enabling us to take a tour of Stonehenge. See this link for details.

DSC03382
Alternate view of Stonehenge.

I can’t wait for the busy days in the future once we leave India, including cooking, laundry, household tasks, and sightseeing. Heading out every two days to take photos added to our level of activity, and of course, weekly trips for shopping and other errands often occupied our days.

DSC03387
An additional rock had been discovered.

At this point, we realize and accept we may not be able to get back into South Africa until after the first of the year. Of course, if we ever get back to Marloth Park, we will easily spend an entire day fussing over the visiting wildlife, chopping carrots and apples for them, and later chopping and dicing vegetables for our meals. Gosh, I miss all of that.

DSC03394
Tom at Stonehenge.

But, as time passes, we can see other countries may be possible for us while we wait for the borders to open in S.A. At this point, it’s all about being able to fly out of India and head to a country close in or close to the African continent.

DSC03395
Me, at Stonehenge. It was raining, and we were fairly soaked.

It would have been possible to walk my goal of 10,000 steps a day simply by partaking in day-to-day activities in our old lives. It has taken several months for me to build the stamina that I lost after heart surgery. Still, finally, all these months later, I genuinely believe I will be able to go forward in a way similar to life before February 2019.

When I think back to a year ago, while we were in Falmouth, Cornwall, England, I had a terrible time walking to the local restaurant/pub, all uphill. Now, it would be considerably more manageable. For us, exercising has been an unexpected benefit of being in lockdown, basically forcing us to get moving instead of sitting all day.

DSC03396
Birds at Stonehenge.

Back to today’s photos. The June 2020 discoveries were made by archaeologists regarding the origination of these unusual rock formations as described here from this article:

“June 22, 2020: The mystery near and around Stonehenge keeps growing. According to an announcement from the University of Bradford, the latest revelation is the discovery of a ring of at least 20 prehistoric shafts about 2 miles from the famous Neolithic site of immense upright stones.

Image
‘Astonishing discovery’ near Stonehenge offers new insight into Neolithic ancestors. Research on the pits at Durrington was undertaken by a consortium of archaeologists as part of the Stonehenge Hidden Landscapes Project. #DurringtonPits @gaffney_v https://bit.ly/2Nig6UX

Archaeologists say the “astonishing” shafts in Durrington Walls date back to 2500 B.C. and form a circle more than 2 kilometers (1.2 miles) in diameter. Each measure up to 10 meters (33 feet) in diameter and 5 meters (16 feet) deep.

Researchers say there may have been more than 30 of the shafts at one time.

DSC03401
Alternate view.

“The area around Stonehenge is among the most studied archaeological landscapes on Earth, and, remarkably, the application of new technology can still lead to the discovery of such a massive prehistoric structure which, currently, is significantly larger than any comparative prehistoric monument that we know of in Britain, at least,” said Professor Vincent Gaffney of the University of Bradford.

DSC03398
View from the opposite side.

The research was conducted by a consortium of archaeologists as part of the Stonehenge Hidden Landscape Project. The University of Bradford was the lead institution, joined by Vienna’s Ludwig Boltzmann Institute for Archaeological Prospection and Virtual Archaeology; the Universities of Birmingham, St. Andrews and Warwick; the University of Wales Trinity Saint Davids; and the Scottish Universities Environmental Research Centre at the University of Glasgow.”

DSC03406
Large stone recovered from the area to illustrate the massive size of the stones.

This discovery doesn’t definitively explain how the rock formations were constructed. Still, it perhaps gives future scientists a little more information to add to their repertoire of data accumulated over the past few centuries. It will be interesting to see if more information rises to the surface in our lifetime.

DSC03411
Zoom in to read this text of the skeletal remains of a man found in Stonehenge.

In any case, we certainly enjoyed seeing the famous rock formations when we were allowed to walk on a paved pathway surrounding the area. For more on this, please see our post from September 3, 2014, here.

DSC03412
More skeletal remains were found in Stonehenge.

For today, I’m glad I had the above information to add to today’s post since I’m in somewhat of a rush to get to work on some tasks, details of which we’ll share later.

Have a pleasant day.

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

Entrance to the Church of St. Mylor in the sleepy town of Mylor, Cornwall. For more photos, please click here.

Moving cruises to future dates…Dealing with unknowns in time of Covid-19…

Posted by worldwide-admin on with 0 Comment
Dozens of school kids walked along the beach while on a field trip to celebrate the end of the school year in Sumbersari, Bali, for a one-month holiday. When they return to school, they’ll enter the next grade as they continue their studies. Wearing school uniforms is required with a color change on different days of the week.

Note: To all of our readers visiting our site via a smartphone, please click the “View web version” tab under the word “Home” at the bottom of the page to access the web version enabling you to access all of our archives on the right side of the page. We’ll be updating our site in a few months, making these extra steps unnecessary. Thank you. Today’s photos are from June 10, 2016, while living in Sumbersari, Bali. See the link here for more photos.

At present, we have four cruises booked from November 2020 from Lisbon, Portugal to Cape Town, South Africa, and three in and around Japan between February 2022 to May 2022. 

The final of the three cruises ends in Vancouver, Canada, at which time we’ll spend time in the US for a family visit, flying from state to state to visit everyone.

Beautiful colors and scenery at high tide from our vacation villa.

For now, we’re thinking in terms of the upcoming cruise from Lisbon, Portugal, to Cape Town, South Africa, which is scheduled to embark on November 10, 2020. Every few days, we check Amazara Cruise Line’s website to see if the cruise has been canceled based on Covid-19. After all, that’s only five months from now.

When we originally booked the Azamara cruise for 22 nights, we’d done so early enough to book it for a reasonable price for the unusual itinerary with ports of calls on the western coast of Africa, a route rarely taken by cruise ships. 

The kids were happy and playful as they chatted with one another on their field trip.

This cruise appealed to us with its unique ports of call and the resulting disembarkation in Cape Town, where we’d planned to spend a few days and then head to Marloth Park, with visa restrictions allowing us to stay for the remainder of 90 days less than those we spent in Cape Town. 

We’ve never visited Cape Town and decided this cruise would be an excellent opportunity to visit one of the most popular tourist locations as one of the “most beautiful cities” in the world. 

The colors and shadows change in the constant daylight sunshine.

When we booked this particular cruise two years ago, we hesitated a little over the price since Azamara’s smaller ships with 690 passengers are considerably higher than larger cruises, often with thousands of passengers. 

But, we were fortunate to lock in an excellent early booking price of IDR 950992, US $12,598 (for two). Now that same cruise is listed as IDR 1388819, US $18,398, a difference of INR 437828, US $5,800.

This breathtaking view never ceased to amaze us.

This is all well and good, but we are confident this original cruise will be canceled. As we approach July 7, 2020, when the final payment is due and, if the cruise line hasn’t yet canceled the cruise, to hold our best pricing, we’d have to pay the balance in full, less the INR 83036, US $1100 deposit we paid at the time of booking.

If they cancel after we’ve paid the balance in full, we could end up waiting three months or more to get a refund. We don’t want them holding our money for so long. On another note, if they cancel and we don’t ask for the money back, most likely, they’ll offer a 125% credit toward a future cruise. What happens next?

Each day, we’ve rescued many grasshoppers who were drowning in the pool. Once we take them out, they dry off for a while and then fly off.  Some appeared dead but often came to life in no time at all.

They’ll raise the price of the 2021 similar cruise (of 21 nights as opposed to 22 nights), and if using our 125% credit (if we chose not to get the money back), we will end up paying a higher price for the similar cruise.

However, if we move our booking for the November 2020 cruise to a similar cruise in 2021, our best booking price will roll over to the transferred booking. I hope this makes sense.

This grasshopper was lethargic after I rescued them from the pool but soon flew away.

The disadvantages of this cruise are the differences in some ports of call and the fact it arrives in Cape Town on December 22, 2021 (the day before Tom’s birthday), making arrival at Christmas time tricky. Last night, considering the time difference, we requested the change with our rep at Vacations-to-Go. We should be receiving a new confirmation for the 2021 booking ending in Cape Town by this evening. We’ll deal with that later.

So, here is a possible scenario for now. We leave India as soon as both borders open to fly to Marloth Park via Johannesburg and then on to Nelspruit with a one-hour drive to Marloth Park. We’ll spend three months there with additional travels in Africa to extend the visa by going in and out of South Africa.

The view, directly in front of our villa, as the tide rapidly washed closer to the edge of the infinity pool. Logs and ocean debris often accompany the incoming tide, which later disappears as the tide rolls back out to sea.

We’ll plan to work our way back to Lisbon, Portugal, for the eventual sailing in 2021 and then back to South Africa for another visit. At this point, with India and South Africa borders closed to international travel, we have no idea how long it will be between our first and second arrival in South Africa. We’ll figure it out as we go.

As for the remaining three cruises in 2022 in and around Japan, we’ll play it by ear and see what transpires over the next many months. These cruises are all on Celebrity with much higher passenger counts. Later, we’ll decide if they are safe in light of Covid-19.

A praying mantis on the glass door.

Thanks to many of our readers with suggestions for future posts after yesterday’s post asking for suggestions, shown here. We so appreciate your valued input, and many of you will see your offers in posts to come.

Hang in there, everyone! Hopefully, soon, these challenging times will pass.

Photo from one year ago today, June 10, 2019:

Happy on a hill, cows in Connemara, Ireland. For more photos, please click here.

Part 1…Musings over the peculiarity of life in a lockdown in a hotel room in Mumbai, India…

Posted by worldwide-admin on with 0 Comment
Elephant seals cuddled together in Gyrtviken, South Georgia Island, on our way to Antarctica.
See the link here.


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

Today’s photos are from our post one year ago today. Please click here for more.
As inquiries as to our well-being flood our inboxes, we can’t help but feel humbled and blessed to experience the outpouring of love and concern from our family and readers/friends throughout the world.
Mr. & Mrs. Hornbill was eating seeds off the veranda table. We weren’t able to put up the birdfeeder with monkeys nearby and placed the seeds on the table after they’d banged at the window with their beaks to remind us to feed them.  

Living in a hotel room which may prove to be for many more months to come, is rather peculiar, especially under these trying circumstances. Fortunately, based on our years of attempting and often succeeding at being resilient and resourceful, these circumstances are not unfamiliar territory for us.

Of course, being entrenched in a pandemic is new for all of us, including the complicated mechanics of protecting ourselves from contracting the virus, even here in our somewhat pristine environment.
 
At this point, no new guests are allowed to check in to the hotel. But, as India’s Prime Minister Modi and state officials have begun to lessen a number of lockdown restrictions and domestic travel is reinstated, we expect this business-friendly hotel will start booking business travelers.
Willie loves making eye contact when I talk to him. But, since his eyes are far apart, he tended to look at me by tilting his head using one eye.

From what we’ve observed thus far, it appears domestic travel will be instituted long before international travel, which could leave us in a precarious position with guests from all over the country beginning an influx into our otherwise safe surroundings.

Will we need to start wearing masks and gloves to go to dinner or sit in the lobby while our room is being cleaned? Or will we escalate our protection and ask for room service and never leave the room, even during the period when the room is being cleaned?  The cleaners wear masks and gloves now. What added protection might they need?
 
Will staff and cooks still sleep here at night as they do now, which provides us with an added layer of protection? Will our food be safe if they start returning to their homes at night when the lockdown potentially changes on May 3rd?
Suckling baby kudu and her mom.

All of this is up in the air right now. They don’t know the answers to these questions. Nor do we. Our current safety from the virus is predicated by our lives in this hotel, and until international flights re-open, not only here but worldwide, we have nowhere else to go.

I freely admit I am considerably more concerned about getting the virus than Tom is. Then again, he tends to worry a lot less than I do under certain circumstances. He worries about the small things. I only worry about the big stuff.
 
If we were in a holiday home, it would be much easier in many ways. If we chose to keep ourselves in lockdown long term, we could make that decision easier by receiving food and supplies from online retailers. 
Sunset over the Crocodile River from the veranda at Ngwenya Lodge.

We could cook our meals, tend to tasks around the house, and live a somewhat everyday life while we waited for such time as we felt it was safe to venture outside, see friends, and interact with others.

Here, although for the moment, it’s been safe, going forward is questionable. Once we can fly out of here, the situation at the airports will be frightening, filled with potentially infected individuals who may not even know they are carrying the dreaded virus.

Blooming Bird of Paradise.

Still, we remain assured we made the right decision not to return to the US. With today’s number of cases in the US at 1,010,507 and 56,803 deaths compared to India’s 9,451 cases and 939 deaths, it feels safer to us here in a hotel than we’d be in the US.

As for our hope to return to South Africa, as of today, with 4,973 cases and 90 deaths, we’d feel safer there as well. Of course, we realize all of these numbers could be inaccurate, but it’s all we have to go by at this point.

A majestic waterbuck.

So, we wait. And, oddly, while we wait, we are both OK, both sleeping well, both learning as much as we can, with neither of us exhibiting any signs of stress. We have hope, determination, and faith, all of which will see us through, however long it takes.

Be safe. Be strong. Be hopeful.

Photo from one year ago today, April 28, 2019:

Parade of elephants crossing the bone dry river before the rains. For more on this story, please click here.

Poll response from many of our readers…

Posted by worldwide-admin on with 0 Comment
Although this video isn’t relevant to the cruise photos below, this video was from rough seas as we sailed through the Chilean Fjords in December 2017. See that post here.

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

White sand beaches on the island of Vanuatu in April 2017. See the post here.

Today’s photos are from a 24-night cruise on this date in 2017, on Royal Caribbean Explorer of the Seas from Sydney to Seattle, while visiting the islands of Vanuatu and Isle of Pines, New Caledonia. See the post here.
Here we go! I know many of you are anxious to hear the results of yesterday’s poll as to whether or not they are interested in COVID-19 news on our daily posts. And the response was overwhelming.

These tropical island musicians and dancers greeted us in Noumea, New Caledonia.

It could take months to respond to all the wonderful email messages I received in the past 24-hours. I will respond to the messages in which readers wrote a message included with their yes or no responses. 

I will personally respond to several messages each day, but it could be quite a while until I get to you. Please know we are reading every message and taking your responses to heart.

She was writing in the sand. Sweet.

Most readers wrote “yes” or “no,” and to the best of my ability, I ticked them off as they flooded my inbox, keeping fairly accurate records. But, it was in the first hundred responses that a pattern came to light.

As it turned out, 55% said no, 40% said yes, and about 5% said they wouldn’t mind one way or another. But, the consensus was apparent in the “no” responses. 

The coral reef in the Isle of Pines was exquisite.

Many mentioned they read our posts to escape from the constant news on TV, podcasts, and online. Thus, our site is a respite from the bombardment of COVID-19 news, which can be discouraging and disheartening.

We understand and respect your opinions and will continue to post as we have in the past. Thus, our response going forward will be like most of you requested; information about our current situation, whether during this period of the lockdown or once we’re on the move again, when we can continue with our world travels.

View toward our tender boats waiting at the pier to return us to the ship.

Thank you to all who have responded. Having compiled a great sampling of our readers, responding to the yes or no inquiry is no longer necessary. However, please feel free to write, and I will respond as quickly as possible.

As primarily a travel site, of course, we’ll continue to post information on our (and your) ability to travel going forward. Many of our readers and friends have been communicating with us by email, sending data back and forth. We’ll continue with this communication.

Me, at the beach in the Isle of Pines.

Thanks to many of you who’ve mentioned they don’t mind seeing our previously posted photos again. As you are all aware, new photos are not an option at this point.

Some readers were concerned we would start getting “political” here. We will not. Although a few of our comments may have led some to believe we’re espousing a particular political viewpoint. That is not our intention. In the future, we will make a more concerted effort to keep such inferences in check.

Tom on the beach in Isle of Pines, New Caledonia.

As for what’s happening today… Like most of you, not much! Our daily lives are relatively repetitious, aside from our communication with all of you and family and friends. 

We spend part of each day researching future travel plans and discovering when airports will be re-opening, enabling us to leave India. With little hope for South Africa allowing incoming international flights over the next several months, we’re trying to find other countries that will be opening their borders once the airport re-opens in Mumbai. So far, no luck.

The pier where we waited to reboard the tenders to return to the ship.

If we can find an appropriate country that will allow us to enter, which is a reasonable distance to Africa, we’ll wait it out there. Perhaps, a tropical island? Looking at today’s photos made us think how nice it might be for some sun and sand!

Keep the faith!

Photo from one year ago today, April 27, 2019:
There was no post one year ago today due to a power outage lasting throughout the day.

Third cruise in and around Japan…10 days and counting…

Posted by worldwide-admin on with 0 Comment
On our way to the alpaca farm in New Plymouth, New Zealand, on this date in 2016, we stopped at a few scenic overlooks in the rain. For more photos, please click here.

Saturday was yet another fun day and evening. Around 4:00 pm, we grilled New York steaks on the grill at Colleen’s home. I’d brought a salad and broiled the butterflied garlic shrimp under the broiler in her oven.

Colleen made potatoes, gravy, and garlic bread, and a fantastic dinner, sitting inside at two tables for the eight of us, away from bees on the patio.

After dinner and cleanup, we started yet another round of Buck Euchre, but we set up two tables this time, and most of us played for hours. There was endless laughter, teasing, and banter among all of us. 

This morning was relatively uneventful. I prepped everything for tonight’s dinner, which we’ll have some time during the football games. By 9:30, I was fading and headed back to our place to unwind and relax. Tom joined me around 11:00 pm, and by midnight we were fast asleep.

By 1:00 pm, Tom was settled in front of the TV to begin watching the NFL football playoffs. With little interest in teams other than the Minnesota Vikings, who now are out of the running, I kept busy doing laundry and other household chores.

Today is a good day for me to research our future travels. As we’ve lined up these three cruises in Japan, Southeast Asia, and the South Pacific, it gives us a point from which to backtrack for locations that appeal to us before the cruises in 2022.

This week will be busy. Tomorrow evening I meet with friend/reader Staci in Mesa for dinner. On Thursday, all the family is driving an hour to Tom’s niece (Mary and Eugene’s daughter) Laurie and her husband Craig’s home in Goodyear, Arizona, where we’ll all spend the day.

No doubt, in between, there will be more “happy hours” celebrations in the neighborhood as we wind down our time in Apache Junction. And, before we know it, we’ll be completing our packing to be on our way to India.

Here is the information on this third and final cruise in and around Japan. We’ll be back with more later.

12 nights departing April 24, 2022, on
Celebrity’s Celebrity Solstice
Brochure Inside $1,988
Our Inside $784
You Save 61%
Brochure Oceanview $2,248
Our Oceanview $914
You Save 59%
Brochure Balcony $2,548
Our Balcony $1,064
You Save 58%
Brochure Suite $6,848
Our Suite $3,274
You Save 52%
Date Port Arrive Depart
Sunday, April 24 Tokyo (Yokohama), Japan 7:00 pm
Monday, April 25 At Sea
Tuesday, April 26 Hakodate, Japan 7:00 am 4:00 pm
Wednesday, April 27 At Sea
Thursday, April 28 At Sea
Friday, April 29 Petropavlovsk, Kamchatka, Russia 8:00 am 7:00 pm
Saturday, April 30 Cross International Dateline (Cruising)
Sunday, May 1 At Sea
Monday, May 2 At Sea
Tuesday, May 3 At Sea
Wednesday, May 4 At Sea
Thursday, May 5 At Sea
Friday, May 6 Vancouver, BC, Canada 7:00 am 

It’s blissfully warm here today, in the 70s! It’s about time it warmed up!

Carpe diem!

Photo from one year ago today, January 19, 2019:

A rhino beetle we found on the veranda on Thursday. They are harmless to humans and don’t bite. They have a horn in the center of their foreheads comparable to a rhino. Thus the name “rhino” beetle. For more, please click here.

Another cruise booked in and around Japan…Great times at birthday party yesterday afternoon and evening!…More today!…

Posted by worldwide-admin on with 0 Comment
One year ago today, we visited Kruger National Park to see this elephant family crossing the road with a few babies protected by the parade. For more photos, please click here.

As we’ve decided on future cruises, we’ve decided that three cruises in and around Japan make sense. The prices are good for these highly coveted ports of call, and after spending 28 days living in the country plus three cruises, we feel we’ll have scoured Japan as well as possible.

Subsequently, we’ll be in the area of Southeast Asia from February 27, 2022, until May 6, 2022, for a total of 68 nights. We love that we will have time to explore Japan and gain a more expansive perspective of the country and its culture.

Tomorrow, we’ll share the details of the third and final cruise in and around Japan. At this point, we don’t have plans as to where we’ll go when the cruises end other than to visit family in the US, (as mentioned in yesterday’s post) when the third cruise ends in Vancouver, British Columbia.

As for yesterday’s events, we headed to Mary and Eugene’s house at around 3:15 pm to find no less than 20 local residents in attendance. As the day progressed, more and more people arrived.

The decibel level was ear-splitting but festive and fun. Eugene appreciated the attendance be so many of their friends. Word got out through the neighborhood and by evening’s end, there was well over 25 well-wishers. 

“Any cause for a party” is the motto around here and we jumped right into it shortly after arriving in Apache Junction over a month ago. I’ve been carefully monitoring my wine intake, and after a few glasses, I switch to sparkling water which takes me into the late evening.

After most of the guests departed, we wandered across the street to Margie’s house to play more Buck Euchre. It was Tom and me, Kevin and Margie who lasted well after midnight playing the fun game. 

We didn’t get to sleep until after 1:30 am but managed to get in a total of six hours leaving us both feeling okay. Today, the festivities begin again around 3:00 pm, when we dine at Colleen and Gene’s for steak and shrimp. 

I never got around to making the butterflied garlic butter broiled shrimp last night and decided to save it for today’s big meal for the eight of us. I have no doubt, at some point, we’ll play cards again today rotating players so those of us interested are able to have a turn.

Most of the group of us have been up past 1:30 am for the past four nights. I bowed out a few nights, knowing I needed to get some sleep. But the rest are a little raggedy from staying up so many late nights in a row.

At our place, we continue to work on setting up items and sorting and organizing supplies we’ve received in the past few weeks. This morning Tom installed a glass screen protector onto my phone. 

When we recently purchased the two Google world phones, Tom had installed a similar screen protector on his phone. But, since I’d bought a phone case that closes, I didn’t think I’d need one. As time has gone on and yet to scratch the screen, I decided it would be best to add the extra protection.

As mentioned above, here is the information on the above-mentioned second cruise in Japan. Our costs are slightly different based on our cabin selections, but we’ll post those costs after we sail on each of the cruises:

14 nights departing April 10, 2022, on
Celebrity’s Celebrity Solstice
Brochure Inside $4,998
Our Inside $2,269
You Save 55%
Brochure Oceanview $5,698
Our Oceanview $2,609
You Save 54%
Brochure Balcony $6,798
Our Balcony $2,999
You Save 56%
Brochure Suite $13,698
Our Suite $6,799
You Save 50%
Date Port Arrive Depart
Sunday, April 10 Tokyo (Yokohama), Japan 6:00 pm
Monday, April 11 Shimizu, Japan 7:00 am 5:00 pm
Tuesday, April 12 At Sea
Wednesday, April 13 Kobe, Japan 7:00 am 9:00 pm
Thursday, April 14 Kochi, Japan 8:00 am 6:00 pm
Friday, April 15 Hiroshima, Japan 9:00 am 6:00 pm
Saturday, April 16 At Sea
Sunday, April 17 Nagasaki, Japan 7:00 am 5:00 pm
Monday, April 18 Busan, South Korea 7:00 am 5:00 pm
Tuesday, April 19 At Sea
Wednesday, April 20 Hakodate, Japan 8:00 am 7:00 pm
Thursday, April 21 Aomori, Japan 7:00 am 6:00 pm
Friday, April 22 At Sea
Saturday, April 23 Tokyo (Yokohama), Japan 8:30am
Sunday, April 24 Tokyo (Yokohama), Japan Disembark

That’s it for today, folks! Gee…we are only 11 days from departure, looking forward to the next leg of our journey.

Have a fantastic weekend!

Photo from one year ago today, January 18, 2019:

The baby elephant is at play with family members. For more photos from Kruger, please click here.

In our world, two years is not a long time, New cruise booking…A year ago birthday party…A birthday party today…

Posted by worldwide-admin on with 0 Comment
Ken set up the camera on a timer to take this photo of all 10 of us! Fantastic! For more photos, please click here.

Two years may seem like a long time away, but in our lives, two years fly by in a blur. The past seven years have passed so quickly. We can hardly believe it. When we now recalled two years ago, we were in Argentina six days away from flying to Ushuaia, Argentina, to board Ponant’s Le’boreal to sail to Antarctica.

So now, as we book cruises well into the future, we realize how quickly that time will come up, and we’ll be on our way from Singapore to Japan. Recently we booked three cruises around Japan in 2022 that ultimately will provide us with excellent experiences in this part of the world.

Today, we’re sharing details of the first three cruises that sail on February 27, 2022, 25 months from now. This cruise has four ports of call in Vietnam, with three ports we hadn’t visited in the past. The only city we’ve seen in the past is Hanoi, and we loved it so much, we won’t mind returning.

The other three locations in Vietnam and those in the balance of the itinerary listed below are new to us, and we’re excited to be able to see these locations.

After today’s posted cruise ends, we’ll have a total of 28 days to spend in Japan. What an excellent opportunity to experience this exciting country! In the future, we’ll search for a holiday home that we can book for this period, hopefully in the countryside away from the crowds, smog, and traffic. From there, we’ll board a back-to-back cruise around Japan and Korea ending in Vancouver, at which point, we’ll visit the family in the US once again. By then, it will be April, and we may avoid too much bad weather in Minnesota. We have no idea how long we’ll be in the USA at that time. We’ll figure it out in the future.

Here is the information on the first of the three cruises. For ease, I copied and pasted it, which often causes issues. Please excuse the formatting.

      14 nights departing February 27, 2022, on
Celebrity’s Celebrity Solstice
Brochure Inside $3,698
Our Inside $1,619
You Save 56%
Brochure Oceanview $4,298
Our Oceanview $1,919
You Save 55%
Brochure Balcony $4,898
Our Balcony $2,079
You Save 58%
Brochure Suite $10,598
Our Suite $5,149
You Save 51%

 

Date Port Arrive Depart
Sunday, February 27 Singapore 6:00 pm
Monday, February 28 At Sea
Tuesday, March 1 Ho Chi Minh City (Phu My), Vietnam 7:00 am 6:00 pm
Wednesday, March 2 At Sea
Thursday, March 3 Chan May, Vietnam 7:00 am 5:00 pm
Friday, March 4 Hanoi (Halong Bay), Vietnam 10:00 am
Saturday, March 5 Hanoi (Halong Bay), Vietnam 1:00 pm
Sunday, March 6 At Sea
Monday, March 7 At Sea
Tuesday, March 8 Taipei (Keelung), Taiwan 6:00 am 6:00 pm
Wednesday, March 9 At Sea
Thursday, March 10 At Sea
Friday, March 11 Kyoto, Japan 7:00 am 5:00 pm
Saturday, March 12 Shimizu, Japan Noon 8:00 pm
Sunday, March 13 Tokyo (Yokohama), Japan 7:00 am

As for today’s birthday party, it’s brother-in-law Eugene’s 82nd birthday. At 3:00 pm, we’ll all be getting together at his and Mary’s home along with several neighbors to partake in the celebration of this special man.

Yesterday afternoon, and well into the evening, we all met at Colleen and Gene’s home to play the card game Buck Euchre. I hadn’t played in years and fumbled through the first game, but I was thoroughly enjoying it by the second and even won, much to my delight.

Most likely, with all the guests at today’s party, the celebration won’t include card playing until much later in the evening when it’s back to the eight of us. It will be another fun social time.

Ironically, one year ago today, we hosted and celebrated our friend Rita’s birthday at our house in the bush. Great memories were made that day too.

Thus, the socialization continues as we’ve begun preparing for our upcoming departure. Yesterday, I set up Tom’s new Samsung Chromebook, and it appears all is going well for him. He loves not dealing with Windows 10.

May every one of our readers enjoy a festive weekend!

Photo from one year ago today, January 17, 2019:

One year ago today, we celebrated our friends Rita’s birthday at our bush home in Marloth Park. The boys from left to right are Danie, Leon, Tom, Gerhard, and Ken, toasting a good evening. For more photos, please click here.

Nassau, Bahamas…Final day of the cruise…USA, we’re almost there…

Posted by worldwide-admin on with 0 Comment
The stunning view from the ship as we approached Nassau, Bahamas.

Today, our ship is docked in Nassau, Bahamas. We’ve both been here many times and have little interest in getting off the ship. At this point, we’re busy online making arrangements for the time we’ll spend in the US, including time spent with family and friends.

View of hotels along the beach in Nassau, Bahamas.

With many family members to see in Minnesota, Nevada, and Arizona, the two months in the US will surely pass in a breeze. Plus, with the upcoming Thanksgiving and Christmas holidays, we’re trying to figure out what will work for everyone while we’re there.

The world-famous Atlantis Hotel.

Today is packing day. This morning I managed to pack all of my clothing, leaving the same outfit to wear tonight to dinner and again tomorrow on travel day. All I have gone to fill are the toiletries. 

We’ll leave what items we’ll need tomorrow morning since our bags will be taken away tonight. Each cabin is given a number as to when the passengers will be called to disembark the ship.

Today, over 13,000 cruise passengers are in port in Nassau, Bahamas.

We were assigned #27, which may be a little too late for our 11:30 flight. Tom visited the customer service desk requesting a lower number ending up with #1. The reality is that we’ll either wait on the ship to disembark, or we’ll spend more time staying at the airport.

At least while we’re at the airport, we’ll have access to WiFi whereby the ship turns off their WiFi first thing in the morning on departure day. After breakfast in the buffet in the morning, we’ll depart the ship, pick up our bags using a porter, and head to the Fort Lauderdale airport via a taxi.

A peninsula near the port of Nassau.

The ship offers a shuttle service to the airport, but their cost is higher than a taxi. Thus we’ll go on our own as always. We’ll probably arrive two hours before our flight but can easily busy ourselves while we wait.

A small dock ready for the arrival of a boat.

Once we arrive in Minneapolis around 7:00 pm, we’ll collect the rental car and head to a grocery store to purchase a few items before heading to our friend Karen’s home in Eden Prairie, where we’ll stay while in Minnesota. 

We’ll have a whole level of Karen’s spacious home for ourselves, and no doubt, we’ll be comfortable and at ease, settling in within a day. We insisted that Karen does not fuss over meals for us, nor will we ask our kids to worry about meals for us.

“Conveniently, there’s only one cruise ship terminal in Nassau. It’s called “Prince George Wharf,” located on the northern side of the island. From there, it’s relatively easy to access every beach on the island.”

We’ll either pick up something for dinner at Costco or another takeaway restaurant or dine at one of the many conveniently located restaurants in the area. I can’t wait to get my hands on some Mexican food we’ve both missed over the past years of world travel.

As for the remainder of today? We’ll finish packing and continue working on our plans for India, where we’ll stay for two months. We’re currently looking into an almost two-month country tour beginning after the upcoming Maharajas Express train expedition. It’s pretty exciting. We’ll share more details later once we’ve booked the tour.

Nassau Harbour Lighthouse.

Tomorrow, while at the airport, we plan to do Friday’s post, which will include our final bill for this cruise and all of its ancillary costs. Please check back.

Thanks, dear readers, for hanging in there with us during these relatively mundane periods of mindless drivel over happily cruising along!

Photo from one year ago today, November 7, 2018:
It’s a rarity for us to see impalas in the garden, but several stopped by to partake of pellets. No doubt, they are hungry this time of year, put aside their apprehension of humans, and came to call. This adorable girl was chewing pellets when I shot this photo. Too cute for words! For more photos, please click here.