It was a very good day…The beauty of Fiji is astounding…

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Ocean views never disappoint.

With Rasnesh scheduled to arrive at 1:00 pm, we were surprised when at 12:30 he called, saying he was already in the driveway.  We need to time our shopping to ensure we get to Helen’s, in ample time to pick up our meat after she returns from lunch and her daily trip to the bank. 

Usually, by 2:00 pm she’s back, flipping over the “closed” sign to “open” on the door of her tiny shop, Fiji Meats. We’ve learned our lesson in arriving too early for her return, having to go back home without meat, resulting in paying extra taxi fare for Ratnesh to later pick up our order to deliver to us, one of the nuances of not having one’s own transportation.

We asked him to wait a bit while we wrapped up a few things to get ready to head out the door to venture down the uneven path to the driveway on the steep hill where he waits. We’re never late.

Preferring not to leave him sitting there for a half hour, we packed up our shopping bags, putting on our shoes for the first time in eight days, the last time we’d gone out. 

With tropical storms almost daily and the desire to use the food we had on hand, we decided to shop Friday next week also, only two days before we depart. 

With most of the houses on the beach road overlooking the sea, most had long, steep driveways, none quite as steep as ours.

We’ll purchase two more roasted chickens for next Friday and Saturday nights, using any leftover salad ingredients or purchase new if necessary and then be on our way.  We’ve begun the process of winding down.  Yesterday, I folded all of my clothing in the cupboard which will take two minutes to place inside my solitary clothing suitcase.

Almost totally out of photos to share and with no particular points of interest we longed to see, we asked Rasnesh if he had time to drive along the beach in the opposite direction we’d traveled to the village each week. 

We’d asked him about that drive a few times in the past, but he dismissed it as “nothing new or interesting there” and we didn’t press.  Yesterday, I stated, “Let’s go to the left at the end of the steep driveway instead of to the right. We’d like to take some photos.” 

A bit surprised he smiled with a slight giggle, I’ve found endearing, not mocking us in any manner, but reveling in our desire to see scenery which we find exquisite and he may find repetitious and boring. After all, he’s lived in these breathtaking surroundings all of his life.

We weren’t disappointed. The drive along the beach was as enticing as any scenery we’d seen in these past three months. I continued to ask him to stop the car on no less than a dozen occasions, so I could get out to take photos. He readily stopped in a safe spot for me to exit while he and Tom engaged in idle chatter during my few minute absence. 

Although overcast, we were still thrilled to be out taking photos.

I couldn’t have been more thrilled, knowing I was taking ample photos to share over the next eight days until our departure.  Sure, we could have gone out and about, a lot more often. The bad weather, dark cloudy days, heat and humidity often left us with little interest in riding in the car.

Not wanting to press Rasnesh to use the AC made riding in the car sticky and uncomfortable on the most humid days, when the temperature was a moist 88F, 31C, with humidity hovering at 90% with no breeze. 

Its not something we’ve chosen to do when we don’t have to, although after these past three plus years, we’ve experienced it over and over again…the four hour drive (each way) from the airport in Belize City to Placencia in 90F, 32C with no AC, the many safari expeditions in both Kenya and South Africa on outrageously hot day and on and on, many times.

Long ago, we decided there’s no need to impress our readers with our resiliency in traveling on the roads in discomfort when we don’t have to do so. I have ants walking on my monitor as we speak and just swatted two off my left arm. We’re resilient enough. 

Again, today it’s a humid scorcher and my mug of warm coffee is preventing me from taking one more swig. The overhead and standing fans are operating at full speed. The occasional cool breeze wafting through the windows always inspires us to comment to one another as to how good it feels.

The beach along this area is mostly rocky.

When the long road ended at a resort we flipped around to head to the village for a trip to the pharmacy, the Vodafone store, the Farmers Market, the New World Market, finally ending at Fiji’s Meats located at the far end of the village, too far to walk. 

For the rest, we walk to each location along with all the other villagers who were busy with their own errands and shopping. Tom took off for the ATM while I visited the pharmacy. I’d had an idea to fill three prescriptions here when the pharmacist explained we didn’t need a local prescriptions and old US prescriptions or actual pill bottles would do.

My prescriptions from Minnesota were over three years old. He didn’t flinch, taking photos of each one with his phone. Asking how big a supply I preferred, hesitantly I suggested one year. He didn’t flinch.

In Australia, I was able to purchase six months of prescription meds and with what I had left on hand, with this new one year’s supply, it could possibly last for two more years. Since none of my meds are any type of controlled substances they can be readied filled. My three prescriptions are for the smallest possible doses for thyroid and hypertension (hereditary conditions).

The kindly pharmacist explained he’d order the smaller-than-usual doses and see what arrived within the week.  I may have to use my little blue pill cutter which has come in handy over these past years in the event he can’t get the small doses. Next Friday, they’ll be ready, giving him plenty of time to receive the order. Once we pick them up, we’ll happily share the prices.

The long steep driveways often lead to multiple properties.

Tom doesn’t take any prescription drugs since starting this way of eating. His mother Mary, who passed away at 98, didn’t either in her old age. He’s hoping for the same longevity and good health. My family’s medical history on my mother’s side is less forgiving with raging diabetes and heart disease.

Leaving the pharmacy, we walked across the road to Vodafone, made our usual data purchase of USD $69.61, FJD $150, (for 48 gigs) enough to get us through at least this next week. If we haven’t used it all by the time we leave, we’ll be able to use it during the 28 days on the next island. 

The Farmers Market was crowded on a Friday as we managed to work our way through the crowds to our favorite vendors. As we moved along, a lovely Fijian women, stopped me with a huge smile on her face.  Months ago, I’d asked her about avocados. At that time, she explained they weren’t in season. I was stunned she remembered that I’d asked!

We purchased two enormous avocados for USD $1.86, FJD $4 (for both) and now they’re resting on a pane of glass on the jalousie window in the kitchen while I’m hoping they’ll ripen in the next few days. 

I’m imaging a half of an avo filled with salmon salad made with chopped hard boiled eggs, diced celery, onions and our homemade dressing. That will be a refreshing treat for me while Tom has something else I’ll have prepared for him. 

As we approached the Farmers Market we couldn’t help but notice a band playing loud Fijian music. With the dense crowd hovering around the group we weren’t able to maneuver in position for a photo. Instead, I opted for a video when moments after we arrived the music ended and the group packed up their equipment. Not every moment is “safari luck” although, overall, it certainly feels as if it is!

Upon entering New World Market, looking forward to some AC while we shopped we were instantly aware their AC was out.  t was hotter in the market than it had been outdoors. 

There’s a wide variety of styles of homes in Fiji, no particular style standing out above the rest. Since most of these houses are built by foreigners, typically they reflect a certain aspect of the owner’s home country.

Luckily, we didn’t need much at the market as we wind down our time in Savusavu. Within ten minutes, I called Rasnesh to advise him we’d be ready to be picked up within five minutes, long enough to check out and pay for our few groceries.  Luckily, he was available, showing up outside exactly as we exited the store.

With the AC now on in his vehicle, the cooling effect was profound, especially for me sitting in the front seat while Tom happily languished in the backseat with nary a complaint. I always ride in the front seat on photo taking days, insisting he do so on other days.

We were off for the final stop, Fiji Meats. The “open” sign was posted on the door. Expressing multiple “bulas” between the three of us, she packed our hot chickens, mince beef and pork, chicken breasts along with two packages of sliced ham. 

She wasn’t able to get any streaky bacon this week so we opted for the sliced ham instead in order to make the last batch of Tom’s crust free breakfast quiche which is usually made using cooked streaky bacon.  I cook it and then freeze it in squares of three to ensure its fresh each morning.

When he uses the last of the three, he takes out another pack of three leaving it in the refrigerator to thaw overnight. Today, I’ll make enough to last through next Saturday, a total of seven pieces as well as one more batch of our favorite side dish, a tasty mushroom casserole to accompany any type of meat we may be having along with a salad, sliced cucumber and another hot veggie.

We hope all of our readers in the US had a fulfilling and filling Thanksgiving day! Wishing a great day to all of our worldwide readers!

Photo from one year ago today, November 28, 2014:

Skeleton of a humpback whale at the Whalers Village in Kaanapali Beach, Maui. For more photos, please click here.

Storm subsides…Happy Thanksgiving to all in the US…Finding happiness throughout the world…

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Behind this fence and a short drive to the beach is the location of Jean-Michel Cousteu Resort, another upscale all inclusive resort in Savusavu.

It always feels a little odd when its a holiday and we don’t celebrate.  Not that we mind.  We don’t.  Now that the stormy weather has subsided, we’ve scheduled getting out today with Rasnesh who’ll pick us up at 1 pm. 

We spent a lifetime making holidays special and although we always wish the very best to our family, friends and worldwide readers, we’re content that we’ve made this choice. 

Today, Thanksgiving in the US, we’ll dine on Helen’s roasted chickens with veggies and salad.  We don’t celebrate this holiday or any others as we travel the world.  It hasn’t seemed to work well to do so when many holidays are only celebrated in the US. 

This morning, in speaking with one of my sisters, she wondered how we can be happy without a sense of “community” or belonging to an area, participating in local activities, volunteering, attending functions, cultural events and dining out, all the activities many retired seniors often do with enthusiasm and passion.


View of Nawi Island in the village.

When we live in an area that offers social functions, a sense of “belonging” we jump on board happy to participate and feel included.  This has only been practical in a few locations in which we’ve lived to date; Marloth Park, South Africa and Kauai, Hawaii where collectively we spent seven months engaged in memorable social lives.

Living this life, we haul our happiness with us.  No social life?  No problem.  We find pleasure and entertainment being together.  A few days ago, with no transportation and an all day power outage, we kept ourselves busy and entertained, enjoying each other’s companionship.

After all, hanging out with one’s best friend never gets boring. Add the playful aspect of “being in love” and lots of laughter, day by day, we find ourselves enjoying whatever we may do.

Sure, we love to go to museums, cultural centers and visit local points of interest.  Here in Savusavu, there are no museums, no cultural centers and few major points of interest we haven’t already visited.  When a trip to the dentist becomes an “interesting” activity we know we’re easy to please.

Dining out is a huge activity for most travelers.  We have the reality of my way of eating that has enabled me to travel the world pain free and in good health.  Would I trade dining out for my ability to walk?  Hardly. 


View from the hill above our house.

It amazes me that Tom has so readily adapted to my diet and easily accepts that we don’t eat out more often.  He never complains.  And, if he suggests we dine out, I’d be happy to go.  I can always order a piece of fish or a steak and a salad without the sauces and starchy sides.

But, he too has his limitations.  He doesn’t like spicy food.  That’s not to say I don’t season our food.  I do.  Over the years I’ve learned which spices he’ll tolerate and which he will not.  As a result, our meals are well seasoned and flavorful, just not with curry or Moroccan type spices common in many parts of the world.

Add these two peculiarities for us two travelers and dining out in remote locations become extremely challenging and often not worth the bother.  After we spent a month in Paris and London, dining out for 31 days in a row, we discovered how we could adapt and do well in the right location with a wide variety of food types.

Over the next year we’ll be on four cruises, totaling 61 days where we’ll be essentially dining out for every meal.  With the accommodations made by the various chefs, we’re easily able to fulfill our needs and expectations, often to a point whereby the meals are highly enjoyable and suitable for both of us.

In more remote areas, there are fewer options of dining out on less seasoned, sugary and starchy meals, as has been the case here in Fiji.  Two months from now, we’ll be living in New Zealand for three months.  Dining out there will be relatively easy and from time to time, we will.


Water tank servicing this area.

Also, we face the facts of our budget.  Often dining out in many locations can be pricey.  In order for us to continue traveling without money worries, we must consider the budget and its limitations.  Our average daily cost for cooking our meals is USD $27, FJD $58. 

If we were to dine out, the cost will generally be twice that amount at the very least including beverages, tax and tip.  In more populated areas, we’d easily spend three times that amount. 

Every month, we pay off our credit cards in full, leaving room for the huge amounts of rents and cruise fares we’re required to pay well into the future.  If we were to dine out twice a week, we’d see those balances climb which could easily impact the price range of the properties we choose which, in the long run, is more important to us than dining out, especially with our limitations.

In my old life, I was a “foodie” loving to cook and entertain.  This is our new life.
Today, the Thanksgiving holiday in the US, we’ll continue to be thankful as always, as we dine on Helen’s chickens, content as ever.

Happy Thanksgiving to all who celebrate in the US and to the rest of the world…have a glorious day!

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Photo from one year ago today, November 27, 2014:

A year ago today, we visited the Whalers Village Museum.  These are whaling ship’s masthead rings that held the sailors to the mast.  For more museum photos, please click here.

Is worldwide travel safe at this time?

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Flowers blooming in the yard here in the Korovesi neighborhood, here in Savusavu.

After yesterday’s warnings from the US State Department, and today’s world news, we carefully consider where we’re traveling over the next few years.  This travel warning was issued on November 24, 2015 includes the following:

“The State Department alerts U.S. citizens to possible risks of travel due to increased terrorist threats. Current information suggests that ISIL (aka Da’esh), al-Qa’ida, Boko Haram, and other terrorist groups continue to plan terrorist attacks in multiple regions.  These attacks may employ a wide variety of tactics, using conventional and non-conventional weapons and targeting both official and private interests.  This Travel Alert expires on February 24, 2016.

Authorities believe the likelihood of terror attacks will continue as members of ISIL/Da’esh return from Syria and Iraq.  Additionally, there is a continuing threat from unaffiliated persons planning attacks inspired by major terrorist organizations but conducted on an individual basis.  Extremists have targeted large sporting events, theatres, open markets, and aviation services.  In the past year, there have been multiple attacks in France, Nigeria, Denmark, Turkey, and Mali.  ISIL/Da’esh has claimed responsibility for the bombing of a Russian airliner in Egypt. 
U.S. citizens should exercise vigilance when in public places or using transportation.  Be aware of immediate surroundings and avoid large crowds or crowded places.  Exercise particular caution during the holiday season and at holiday festivals or events.  U.S. citizens should monitor media and local information sources and factor updated information into personal travel plans and activities.  Persons with specific safety concerns should contact local law enforcement authorities who are responsible for the safety and security of all visitors to their host country.  U.S. citizens should:
  • Follow the instructions of local authorities.  Monitor media and local information sources and factor updated information into personal travel plans and activities.  
  • Be prepared for additional security screening and unexpected disruptions.
  • Stay in touch with your family members and ensure they know how to reach you in the event of an emergency.
  • Register in our Smart Traveler Enrollment Program (STEP).”


As we’ve mentioned in the past, we don’t take these warnings lightly.  If we were simply on a two week vacation/holiday traveling to a less vulnerable location, it could be of less concerning.  With the world in front of us, we can’t help but proceed with caution.

As we consider countries we visited a mere two years ago:  Egypt, Jordan, Turkey, Kenya, the Red Sea, the Gulf of Aden, UAE, we realize had conditions been as they are now, we may never have visited those countries or sailed along these seas.

Looking back, we’re grateful for the experiences, knowing the likelihood of us ever returning is slim to none.  As we waited for six and a half hours at the airport in Istanbul, sitting in crowded areas, we couldn’t help but consider the risks may be high in such a busy area. 

The night before our ship docked in Izmir Turkey on June 12th and 13th, 2013, we’d found this letter sitting on our bed upon returning to our cabin after dinner:

The letter we discovered on the bed in our cabin on June 11, 2013.

As we rode on the packed tour bus in Turkey on the long drive to visit the ruins of Ephesus in Turkey we couldn’t avoid feeling aware that the risks existed in this country, along with others in the upcoming itinerary. 

The day after we visited the Pyramids in Egypt, the State Department issued a warning for American citizens traveling to Egypt.  Luckily, during our tour of the Pyramid, our trusty armed guard, Mohamed, who’d traveled with us on the bus, stay close at our side as shown in this photo below:

Mohammed, who carried a foldable Uzi in holster under his black suit.  Oddly, he took a liking to us and stayed close to us during our tour of the Pyramids.


By reading world news daily, we feel we’re abreast of areas of concern worldwide as we continue to book locations far into the future.  Long ago we followed warnings from the US Department of State, realizing that no where on earth is exempt from risk. 

It was only 15 months ago we spent two weeks living in Paris, often walking the city streets for hours each day. Parisian citizens and tourists are now wrought with worry and fear over recent horrific attacks.

We remain mindful and on alert as we continue on our journey, hoping and praying for safety and good fortune to continue to travel along with us.

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

One year ago today, we posted this photo of Spam options available at the Kihei, Maui grocery store where we shopped each week.  For more details, please click here.
 

Making it through a “powerless” day…

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It appears that breadfruit trees continue to produce fruit all year long.

If we had a home of our own and, if the power was out for eight hours, we could easily busy ourselves if we didn’t have a generator (which we did in our old lives). We could go to a movie, out for lunch or visit family or friends. We could go for a walk in the neighborhood. 

We could wash windows, clean the gutters, or mow the lawn. We could make a trip to Home Depot, Walgreens, and the mall to purchase the items on the list we’d been accumulating. This time of year, we could have gone Christmas shopping and by the time we returned home, the power could be back on.

But here in Fiji, we can’t go for a walk on the impossibly steep, deeply rutted dirt road or, work around the house or, go to a movie. There’s no movie theatre here. Plus, the power was down in the entire town. There was nothing to do. 

We began the day OK. I finished and uploaded the post before the power had gone out, just to be safe. Good thing. The dongle wouldn’t work with the power out in the village when Vodafone had also been shut down. We had no Internet connection.

We hadn’t seen these pretty flowers until this morning.

I couldn’t cook as I often do when it made no sense to open the fridge. As a matter of fact, we never opened the refrigerator or freezer once during the outage after placing a huge bag of ice in a bowl in the refrigerated section to keep the items cold. It worked. Everything was still cold eight hours later, including the items in the freezer all of which were still frozen.

We’d used two insulated bags, one within the other, to keep ice handy for our iced tea and kept our iced tea pitcher on the counter all day. It was a good plan.

We’d arranged for Rasnesh to pick us up for a drive but it rained and we weren’t able to see across the bay. It wasn’t a good day for photos. We canceled by 10:00 am to free him for other customers. 

Luckily, it wasn’t quite as hot as it had been over the past week. We did fine without the two fans. By late afternoon, the heat escalated and we sighed with relief as the power returned.

The ferry passing this morning.

For some odd reason, neither of us was in the mood for reading books on our phones. Getting up so early to ensure we could post before the outage, by 10 am, it felt as if it was midday. We decided to watch two movies on my laptop which has a good battery that can last through three full length movies without a charge.

With many windows in the house and the need to keep the curtains opened for a possible breeze, it was hard to see the screen on the laptop especially since I’d turned down the brightness level down to less than 40% to save on battery life. 

We managed to watch Transporter Refueled (mediocre), Edge (also mediocre), and an episode of Grey’s Anatomy.  Using approximately four hours of battery life, I was surprised to find 50% power remaining after watching the shows. 

Once it hit 2 pm, we began to play games on our phones, play Gin (Tom won but I’m ahead one game in the Fiji tally) and the time moved more quickly.  At 4:33 pm the power returned as we quickly plugged everything back in. 

These colorful plants continue to thrive.

Tom busily prepared to watch the Minnesota Vikings football game on his laptop while I began to put together the various dishes for dinner. With everyone in the area online as soon as the power returned, the signal was poor taking him extra time to get through the game. 

By 7:15 we sat down to dinner which would have been earlier but we couldn’t get the portable oven to work.  Tom worked on the plugs for a while and finally, it fired up. He wasn’t finished watching the game but, had decided to wait until I went to bed to read at 9:30 pm, to finished the last quarter. They lost. He was disappointed.

Surprisingly, for a very inactive day, we slept well. Cooling strong winds and rains washed over the area all night and sleeping was easier than ever. Both of us up and ready to start the day by 6:00 am this morning, again, we’ll stay in on another rainy day. 

Happy to have power again and with all of the kitchen appliances working well, we’re good. Hope all of you are the same as those of our readers in the US prepare for the Thanksgiving holiday.

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

Golfing is a huge sport for tourists in the Hawaii Islands with many award-winning golf courses available on the four largest islands; Oahu, Maui, Big Island (Hawai’i), and Kauai. For more golf course photos in Maui, please click here.

Fiji time…Fiji life…Subject to change on a moment’s notice…Great service continues…

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A drive along the highway on a sunny day makes all the difference in the world in our desire to get out.

Yesterday, when the power hadn’t gone off by 9 am, when it was scheduled for 8 am, we were wondering what was going on. I’d hurried through completing the post and automatically scheduled it to go live at our usual time or thereabouts. There was a possibility we wouldn’t be able to get online during the outage.

As the two fans continued to whir we were optimistic, hoping they’d changed their minds on doing the necessary electrical work in Savusavu. Determined to figure it out one way or another, I searched online and found the power company’s scheduled maintenance.

Our power wasn’t scheduled to go out until today, not yesterday and the hours of the outage have lessened from 8:00 am to 6:00 pm to 8:30 am to 4:30 pm, not quite so bad. In any case, we had an extra day to make ice in our four trays, half of which we’ll put into the refrigerator to keep those items cool and the other half, for our iced tea.

When we discovered this, we decided to call Ratnesh to see if he’d taken us sightseeing for the entire afternoon.  That way, we’d be in AC comfort in the heat and humidity and enjoy being out in the countryside and not dealing with the “no power” situation.

A nursing pig with six piglets.

It’s been pouring rain since the middle of the night and soon, if it doesn’t stop, I’ll call to tell him we don’t want to go in the rain. Our photos don’t come out well and its just not fun for us to be riding in the rain for hours. 

Activities on this side of the island are primarily geared toward the scuba diver and those who sail. Since we engage in neither, sightseeing has been at a minimum. 

Also, it rained or been cloudy approximately 60% of the time since our arrival. Without a car of our own, with the steep road requiring a four-wheel drive, we haven’t been out nearly as much as we had in Trinity Beach, Australia or other locations. 

With Ratnesh often busy with other guests, the pickings have been slim. Other taxi drivers refuse to tackle the drive on the uneven dirt road up this mountain. We don’t blame them. Its quite a challenge and could easily damage a non-four wheel drive vehicle. 

There are numerous shacks such as this along the highway which may have been homes decades ago.

The one time Rasnesh couldn’t pick us up and sent another driver to collect us, it took 20 minutes for the driver to maneuver his way up the hill, backing up and trying over and over again. He was very frustrated but we stayed supportive and calm.  We haven’t wanted to repeat that experience.

Midday yesterday, I started making Tom’s usual snack of bacon and sautéed Hamouli cheese as shown in a photo a few days ago.  He has this snack most days, never seeming to tire of the same thing over and again. 

With the power still on, no problem. While the bacon cooked in the microwave, I had the stove going with a pan of ghee heated to the perfect temperature to brown the cheese. Suddenly, the gas stove was off.  It ran out of gas. 

With Junior off over the weekend, we contacted Mario. He was out for a few hours. No sooner than he returned, he brought us a small propane tank to hold us over until Monday when he could bring us a larger tank. He’s been “Johnny on the spot” whenever we’ve had an issue responding as quickly as possible. Mario is a problem solver and we’d been thrilled with the great service here.

Of course, we won’t hesitate to provide a good review when we leave. Although, there have been challenges, Mario has never failed to address them promptly and efficiently. For those seeking a stay in an affordable vacation home, able to cook their own meals and enjoy a beautiful and peaceful setting this property is ideal. 

The lushness of the bright green hills have been enhanced by the frequent rains.

Sure, there may be issues staying in an affordable property, those one may not experience staying in a hotel. If luxury is desired for a honeymoon or special celebration a hotel would be more desirable. But, for the traveler seeking a quiet respite from the hustle and bustle and an affordable location, this is ideal. 

Most hotels in Savusavu are at least USD $200, FJD $431 per night with others considerably higher. One can stay here in this resort for half this amount or less, as we negotiated for our long term stay.

At times, we hesitate to quote our rental amount when due to the long term commitment, we often negotiate a lower price the owner would never consider for a one or two week stay. However, on the last day of a stay in each location, we post our expenses by category. That post will be available on December 6th, the day we leave for Viti Levu, a mere 13 days from today.

Hopefully, the rain will stop and our noon pick up scheduled with Ratnesh for today will still be on. If not, we’ll call him and cancel by 9 or 10 pm, freeing him up for other fares. Once again, we’ll play it by ear, a common occurrence when living on a tropical island.

I’m uploading today’s post early today at 8:50 am, Fiji time. Speaking of Fiji time, we still have power.  Hmmm…

Happy day!

Photo from one year ago today, November 23, 2014:

While living in Maui, we could walk outside our condo to the shore to watch the sea turtles when they visited most late afternoons. For more details, please click here.

Waiting for the power to go out soon…Spending money of what?…A heartbreaking event in Marloth Park…

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While our driver, Okee Dokee was away for part of December, 2013, we rented this pink car.  Parked in the driveway of our vacation home in Marloth Park it didn’t deter the “visitors” from stopping by each day.  Warthogs were my favorite visitors especially when two moms (the second mom and one other baby is not shown here in this photo) and seven baby warthogs came to call every day.  For more details, please click here.

With “Fiji time” the power could go out sooner or later.  One never knows.  The scheduled shut down is expected at 8 am, ending at 6 pm.  We’re as prepared as we can be. 

We have plenty of ice to soon place into plastic bags which will go inside two insulated bags and extra ice to place in the refrigerator hoping to keep those items cool after the fridge portion was out of commission for 24 hours a few days ago.

I slept fitfully.  After “refreshing” my Windows 8.1 laptop a few days ago, there were over 300 updates that came through from Microsoft which took hours to upload.  When I saw the message come up as I began to shut down last night, I decided I’d better let them run rather than wait until today when they’d use up power once the electricity is out. 

Wanting to ensure they uploaded correctly, I wasn’t able to fall asleep until it was done and I could shut it off.  My “shut down” is still having issues which requires two restarts. 

I’ve tried everything to correct it but it won’t resolve, even with software fixes I downloaded in the past few days specifically for this problem.  I guess I’ll live with it when everything else is running smoothly now after the refresh.  Before we know it, as always, we’ll end up purchasing new laptops when traveling as we do seems to have an impact on their survival.

As the prices have reduced considerably for touchscreen technology which we both like to use, we don’t flinch at the prospect of purchasing new equipment every few years, especially as the features and technology continues to change. 

Photo from our yard in December, 2013.  Hundreds of these beautiful impalas are being culled in Marloth Patk at this time.

We don’t flinch at the cost for replacement supplies including cameras, laptops, Internet devices, and other digital equipment when we don’t spend money on gardening, household maintenance, clothes shopping, dining out and other “living in one place” related expenses.

At the present we have items accumulating at our mailing service with supplies we need to replenish to arrive in our next shipment in New Zealand sometime in January. 

These items include any digital equipment we’d like to replace (still deciding), underwear, a few favorite toiletry items we can’t find outside the US; tee shirts; liquid sweetener for my coffee, hot tea and muffins; Crystal Light ice tea packets (enough to last for a year) and a few other items that surely will come to mind over the next month as we accumulate the upcoming shipment.

Another item that kept my mind spinning overnight was an article I stumbled upon last night about the culling of 487 wildlife in Marloth Park due to a lack of adequate vegetation in the “veld” (the bush) to sustain the animals.  We can only imagine the heartbreak of our friends and other residents in Marloth Park as they await this sorrowful process to be end.

Here’s an article from a local newspaper in Mpumalanga, South Africa:

“Culling in Marloth Park, Mpumalanga, resumed on Monday night after recent attempts to have the game captured and relocated failed.

The majority of residents say they are happy possible inconveniences to residents and disruption to animals are being kept to a minimum. The operations are carried out after 6pm to restrict exposure to both residents and holiday goers, Lowvelder reported.

“The poor state of Marloth Park’s veld is sufficient reason for property owners to realise that there is no other option than to cull the animals. However, most of these concerns have been put to rest since the culling is taking place at night,” a property owner remarked.

The planned total of animals to be culled is 487 for impala, eight for wildebeest and 10 for warthog.

Time is an issue, as the permit to conduct this is only valid for 30 days. In addition, only 35 animals can be culled at a time, this being the quota the abattoir can handle a day.

The office of the provincial State Veterinary Services confirmed that carcasses had been transported to the Morrisdale Abattoir, which is located out of the red-line area on the Jeppe’s Reef road.

The former contract holder of culling in Marloth Park, Jasper Aitcheson, said: “Since Marloth Park is situated within the red-line area, the threat of TB is high and strict protocols need to be followed.”

An animal is shot in the head and bled out before attempting to transport the carcass to the abattoir. The feet and head are checked at the abattoir, and depending on ailments, a strict protocol will be followed, as per health regulations. After this, the meat is cut off the bone. The feet, head, intestines as well as the bones are to be sent back to Marloth Park, where it is taken to the so-called Vultures Restaurant in Lionspruit for scavengers to consume it.”

Photo take from our second floor veranda in Marloth Park.  The thought of giraffes being culled in heartbreaking.  Note the full cheeks from munching on the trees.  Now with vegetation at a minimum culling was the chosen option.

My heart especially hurts for the 10 warthogs who especially became our friends and frequent visitors while we spent three months living in the amazing wildlife reserve.  Upon reading further I discovered that even giraffes would be included in this sad event. 

I realize culling is a part of life required to leave food sources for those that remain.  But, it’s sad nonetheless.  Today, I’ll write to several of our friends in the park. Many of the animals have become an integral part of living in Marloth Park and the loss will be dearly felt.

All of God’s creatures, both human and animal, are treasured gifts to our planet and as world events unfold the loss of human life remains heartbreaking. For those of us deeply connected to the animal kingdom we only add the sorrow of loss of wildlife as well, to our already aching hearts.

The inconvenience we experience without power for one day is nothing.  The loss of food in our refrigerator is nothing.  A remedied toothache or aching neck is nothing. 

We strive to continually remain grateful and fulfilled for the gift of each day we’ve been given, for each experience we gather along the way, both past and present, as we continue on in this journey.

Two weeks from today, we’ll fly in the little plane once again to make our way to 28 more days on the main island of Fiji, viti Luvu.  Beyond that, a new adventure begins as we make our way to New Zealand, Singapore, Bali, Vietnam, Cambodia, Thailand and many more over the next 12 months.

All of our love to our friends in Marloth Park and throughout the world!

__________________________________________

 

Photo from one year ago today, November 22, 2014:

One year ago while living in Maalea Beach, Maui, we took a few videos of professional coconut tree trimmers climbing up coconut palms to remove excess leaves and coconuts to prevent injury to the residents below.  For photos and details, please click here.

Another challenging day in paradise…More challenges to come tomorrow…

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We drove through the village of Urata.

Our refrigerator died overnight. Luckily, it wasn’t the freezer that was packed with meat. Just the refrigerated portion. Two days ago, we purchased groceries and roasted chickens, much of which has now gone into the garbage having spoiled overnight. We can’t take a chance with any of it. 

We put everything we could in the freezer, packing the tiny space as tight as possible. Some items couldn’t be frozen and joined the rest into the garbage.

Upon arising yesterday, I commented to Tom that the fridge didn’t seem cold. It had been so hot and humid these past days we thought we may have overloaded the small fridge with the addition of the hot roasted chickens and piles of room temperature vegetables which may have caused it to cool down.

We kept checking the butter. As the day wore on, we knew it wasn’t going to get cold when eventually the butter was as soft as if it was sitting out. We didn’t have a thermometer or means of checking the temperature.

It appeared that the residents of Urata are into fishing as a primary source of income.

Around noon, we contacted Mario and within minutes Junior arrived to check it out. With the freezer working full speed, Junior adjusted some settings and said he’d check back by 2:00 pm at which point, we all agreed something had to be done to keep our food from spoiling.

By 4:00 pm, a serviceman was here much to our surprise.  At Fiji time, it could have been days. By this point, we’d begun tossing food, leaving items we knew would be safe to eat such as butter, cheese and sour cream.  Earlier, we’d already placed all the hard cheeses into the freezer, squeezing to make room.

He asked us to remove every item from the freezer which as tight as it was packed was a task in itself.  With Junior’s help we got it all removed and temporarily stored it in the insulated Costco bag.

We’d had no choice but to toss the recently made jar of our salad dressing and the remaining opened mayonnaise. Luckily, we still had unopened mayo and sour cream to use to make another batch.

The service guy got the fridge working again and waited along with Mario and Junior long enough to ensure it was working. The refrigerator was new when we arrived almost three months ago and shouldn’t be having problems this early. By 5:30, we were back in business, although cautiously optimistic. Today, it’s working again.

Although citizens of Fiji are often poor, living off the land and sea, they never fail to observe and appreciate the beauty surrounding them.

Having tossed our chicken dinner along with the mushroom casserole I’d made to go with it, we had few options for dinner this late in the day with everything frozen. We decided to take out a small portion of leftover cooked taco meat adding an extra package of beef mince for a meal of taco meat topped with pizza cheese, a side of cabbage salad which I chilled before dinner in the freezer in baggies, bacon and onion green beans and muffins. 

The dinner was fine although taco salad without tomatoes and lettuce, neither of which we had on hand made it less enjoyable than usual. We only purchase tomatoes when we’re having certain meals. Lately, quality lettuce hasn’t been unavailable. Cabbage has been our go-to salad vegetable in all of our travels since it keeps well for many days in the fridge but cabbage used for taco salad didn’t quite fit the bill.

My concern until the fridge was working again was a back-up plan. I’m the queen of back-up plans, not hysterical, not panicky, just desiring a plan. Mario managed to get the repair guy to agree to bring us a small hotel-sized refrigerator from his shop by dinnertime if he couldn’t get the fridge working again until we’d get a new fridge on Monday.

But, the day’s events didn’t end there. When Junior arrived around noon, he informed us there’d be an entire power shut down in Savusavu on Sunday (tomorrow) from 8 am to 6 pm. All businesses will be closed including all restaurants, markets, and shops. 

Handmade fishing and transporting rafts in Urata.

Today, I’m cooking enough Asian burger mix to make dinner for a few days, freezing any leftovers after tonight’s meal. The freezer, if left closed, should make it through the day without defrosting during the 10 hours. At 5:00 pm tomorrow, we take out more of the burger mix from the freezer for Sunday’s dinner. 

With the power supposedly returning by 6:00 pm making dinner should be fine. If not, I’m making a meal we can reheat on the gas stove lighting it with a match.

With no power, nowhere to go on Sunday (Rasnesh spends most of his day at church and with family) we have no choice but to stay put. In this scorching heat, without power, we won’t be able to use the fans. Even today, with the use of the overhead and standing fans, the heat and humidity is very uncomfortable.

With the mosquitoes on a frenzy after days of rain and humidity, its nearly impossible to sit outdoors right now. unless covered in DEET. We’ll remain indoors during the 10 hours power outage frequently showering to stay cool. Also, the ants have returned after the rains and with today’s cooking, we’ll be busy tonight washing everything to keep them under control.

The lush jungles surrounded every area are a constant reminder of the beauty Fiji offers its people.

No doubt, our laptop and phone batteries will die halfway through the day, even if we manage to darken our screens. I guess we’ll be playing Gin for the better part of the day.

Last night around 7:15 pm, the power went out for 20 minutes while we were watching an episode of the UK mini-series “Banished” (worth watching) on my laptop. We continued to watch the show in the dark.  I’d wondered if when the power is out the dongles will still work for Internet access. We tested it and, to our surprised discovery, that at least without power, the dongles may work.

However, if you don’t see us here tomorrow with the entire city’s electricity down, which may have an effect on Vodafone towers, you’ll know we couldn’t get online to post and we’ll be back the following day.

Whoever said living in Paradise doesn’t have its ups and downs, hasn’t stayed in Paradise for very long. We tend to look at it this way: We have our health, we have a roof over our heads, we have food and water and most of all we have each other. Our goal for tomorrow…staying cool, keeping our food safe, and no whining.

There it is folks. Back at you soon.

Photo from one year ago today, November 21, 2014:

The beauty of the Maui we know and love isn’t always only the sea and sand. The countryside and mountains create a picturesque scene. For more details and Maui photos, please click here.

Quite a day in the neighborhood…”Looking up”…

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This seaweed was offered for sale at the Farmers Market for FJD $5, USD $2.32 for a kilo (2.2 pounds). We didn’t purchase this.

Where do I begin? Yesterday, was quite a day. First off, it was the hottest day we’ve had in Fiji to date. It wasn’t only the temperature, which hovered around 90F, 32.2C, it was the humidity that also hovered around 90% on an otherwise sunny day.

In order to dry off after showering, we used the fan in the bedroom to get the sticky moisture off our skin. With no AC in the house, by the time we headed out the door at 1:00 pm for our weekly shopping trip to the village we were sweaty and sticky.

In our old lives, we often suffered from such humidity amid the worst of Minnesota’s summer heat, especially before and after a bad storm when the power was knocked out, often for days at a time. Once we got the generator going, the first to power up was the refrigerator and the AC.

Since the onset of our travels over three years ago, we’ve either didn’t have access to AC or didn’t use it during the day. If we had AC, to avoid high electrical costs for the owners of the properties, we seldom used it. There were AC units built into the wall in the bedrooms of only a few houses we’ve rented along the way.

Are we used to the heat? If we didn’t get used to it in Kenya, we never would. To a degree (no pun intended) we finally were able to tolerate it without complaint, accepting it as a part of our new lives. 

Yesterday, I sat on a bench waiting for Tom to return from the ATM after I’d purchased data from the Vodafone kiosk. He’s on the sidewalk across the street wearing a white shirt, carrying the Costco bag on his right shoulder.

Living in Kenya was two years ago and yet today, this much later, we still feel the brunt of the heat and humidity although not as badly as in the beginning. It’s kind of like hunger, thirst, or the need for sleep, it’s constant. I suppose the tolerance comes when one makes a decision not to notice it or discuss it as often.

Without a particular plan in place, long ago, we decided to be as tough and resilient as possible, which over time has escalated bit by bit. We’re not totally mindless of physical discomforts, but we continue to strive toward that ultimate goal which may in fact never occur. After all, we are human. 

And, when Tom didn’t complain for days about his abscessed tooth and the resulting discomfort, knowing it was the weekend and there was nothing we could do or… When over the past several days, I was suffering severe pain in my neck from bending my head down for days working on my dysfunctional computer, I, too, kept it to myself until finally the ice pack came out of the freezer and I had no choice but to explain.

Of course, we each prefer to provide love, care, and support to one another during periods of discomfort or pain. But, we’ve found that our own tolerance level can be exacerbated by quietly figuring it out on our own for at least a short period of time.

With the ice pack as my giveaway, I told Tom the issues with my computer which appeared ready to crash, and the resulting “pain in the neck” over the past several days.

My neck joins in with the horrible spinal condition I’ve had for 25 years for which the pain in my back has been remedied by a diet in reducing inflammation. But, the neck, with overuse, seems oblivious to the diet, and every six months or so I find myself hardly able to move my head for a few days.  

The sunny day’s heat in Savusavu was one of the hottest and most humid to date. It felt great to enter the New World Market, which is located across the street at the furthest corner.

My solution to the neck pain is clear; stop looking down…ice often for 20 minutes every few hours…and much to my dislike, take Aleve (after eating) for a few days. This morning I’m greatly improved after ramping up my usual treatment plan.

Yesterday, when we headed out with Ratnesh, I was uncomfortable, in pain, and feeling the heat and humidity more than ever. 

“Let’s get this shopping over as quickly as possible,” I told Tom and also Ratnesh particularly with the intent of alerting him that it wouldn’t be a good day to leave us waiting outside New World market in the heat while he took another distant fare, leaving us to wait for 40 minutes. He readily agreed to pick us up within minutes of our call.

Luckily, the shopping zipped along quickly and easily with no queue at the Vodafone store; the vegetables we wanted were readily available in the Farmers Market; New World grocery had 90% of the items on our list, and Helen at Fiji Meats had returned from the bank and our meats and roasted chicken were packed in minutes.

A mere 75 minutes after we left we were back home. The AC in Ratws34wnesh’s car helped cool us off for a while and although still uncomfortable, we unpacked the groceries and I started the time-consuming process of washing the many bags of vegetables. 

With no pesticides or preservatives used in growing produce in Fiji, cleaning produce is a laborious process ensuring each and every bug is removed and the dirt is carefully washed away. With only 24 inches (.61 meters) of kitchen counter space to work with, the task is particularly challenging.

Yesterday morning, we posted an early photo of Sewak’s garden. In the afternoon, they brought us a bag of produce. Today, I’ll roast some of these for tonight’s dinner.

In many countries produce is sprayed with water and preservatives. When purchased it looks bright and fresh. In most countries we visit, produce isn’t washed arriving at the market straight from the fields, dirt, bugs, bug eaten leaves and all. 

Overall, we love this fact. Yesterday, with bags and bags of dirty, bug covered vegetables in front of me, the heat and humidity at the peak of the day, and my inability to “look down” into the sink, I decided to only do what I could, finishing the rest today.

Tom offered to do it. Since I’ve always handled this task, I knew his frustration level and the time it would take wouldn’t be worth the angst it would cause him (and me).  Luckily, earlier in the day, I’d made dinner’s side dishes; salad and mushroom casserole. With the roasted chickens we’d picked up at Helen’s, dinner would be easy.

Before tackling the task, Tom poured me a fresh mug of iced tea while I changed into one of my cool long sleep shirts. As I cleaned the veggies with my head up, never looking down, I thought about the problems with my laptop. I’m a big user. I usually download no less than 40 gigs of movies and shows a week utilizing many added downloaded apps. None of this should be an issue.

The simple fact is that Windows 8.1 touchscreen is an unstable operating system, plain and simple. After reading about upgrading to Windows 10, we decided against it when it still has numerous bugs yet to be resolved. “Love the one your with,” so I say. Next time we purchase we’ll have few options but for now, we do.

The facts were clear. I had to “refresh” my computer which would remove all my downloaded apps from various websites but would save all of my files and photos (all of which are backed up on a cloud and external hard drive). It would be a time-consuming fix, putting everything back in order and hopefully starting fresh. I started the process after I cleaned the bulk of the veggies.

Tom’s midday snack includes streaky bacon and slices of Haloumi cheese sautéed in ghee.

Sweating like crazy, still “looking up,” hair in a bundle, wearing my “pajamas,” I cringed when I heard voices along the side of the house approaching our veranda. Sewak and his wife, Lita, whom we’d yet to meet, who’d been visiting family in Australia, stopped by for a visit with Badal, our friendly nightly visitor, wagging his tail as they approached.

“Oh my goodness,” I whispered to Tom under my breath, “We have company.” There was nothing I could do but greet them in my nightshirt, sweat pouring down my temples and still “looking up.”

They’d brought along a bag of produce from their garden; white eggplant, tomatoes, and zucchini. They also offered us a bag of leftover sweets from Diwala, the Indian holiday celebration for which we posted a story last week. I sadly stated I can’t eat sweets or grains but was grateful for the kind offer. Tom grabbed the bag out of my hands saying, “I’ll eat that!” 

Offering them cold glasses of iced tea, they sat on the sofa and chatted for about an hour. Never mentioning my neck problem or discomfort, I cringed when I had to attend to my laptop a few times that required my attention as the “refresh” process continued. I apologized for the few moments I took my eyes away to attend to a few required clicks.

Then I cringed again when Sewak mentioned they were having trouble getting Skype to work on their ancient laptop which I’d fixed a few months ago. But, not unlike many seniors in today’s world and especially with technology relatively new to Fiji, they didn’t have a clue what to do when they couldn’t seem to be able to call their daughter.

Of course, I offered to fix their computer today at 1:00 pm. Hopefully, by then, the pelting rain will have stopped and I’ll be able to “look down” long enough to walk the treacherous path to their house and to be able to get their laptop working properly. If necessary, we’ll bundle up in our hooded jackets to make our way up the steep walk up the hill to their home.

My laptop is back in business, happily humming along with its “fix” along with the hours I spent late yesterday putting it all back in order. In the heat, I stacked two-bed pillows on my lap to raise it high enough that I only had to divert my eyes, not my neck downwards.

Today, again hot and humid the two pillows are still on my lap and after a fairly restful night, things are finally “looking up.”

Photo from one year ago today, November 20, 2014:

Maui never disappointed with mostly sunny days, perfect warm weather, and gorgeous views. For more details on this date one year ago, please click here.

The nuances of managing our site…

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The bright blue sea usually indicates a coral reef of which there are many in Fiji.

Having the daily responsibility of keeping a website fresh and packed with information can be a daunting task.  Never interested in learning web design and HTML, I’ve preferred to pay attention to the “content” aspect of our blog as opposed to its design, hoping it’s an easy appealing place for our worldwide readers to visit.

Over the past years, our web developers,  Smitten Blog Designs, have done a great job for us and we’ve been thrilled with their great service and ingenuity. If you’re considering a website or blog, they’re happy to assist and continue to answer questions long after the design is established and the site is live.

Brooke, our web person at Smitten Blog Designs has suggested we move over to WordPress, another blog management site, that although it may cost a little more, is easier to manipulate, correct errors, and manage day-to-day postings with photos.  (FYI, we don’t use the help of our web developer when posting each day, only when we have design changes we’d like to make).

Currently, we’re using Blogger and over these past 44 months of posting, we’ve found it tricky and frustrating at times, especially in regard to posting photos and especially in line, paragraph, and photo spacing. 
Our readers may notice that at times we have too many spaces between paragraphs and photos which is entirely a Blogger related issue. Add in a poor Internet connection and I can spend hours attempting to edit a single post.

The hard part for us is letting go of our stats and losing a few readers.  Our web address will always be www.worldwidewaftage.com. Moving to WordPress won’t change that. If you’ve bookmarked our site, it will still take you wherever we may be by using our web address regardless of which blog editing software we may use.

Sewak, our neighbor, planted this garden a few months ago.

Since the onset of our posts in 2012, there are statistics that only we have access to located in the operational “dashboard” of the editing area of the site. If we move to WordPress, those stats will start all over again from zero.  

Losing the stats and beginning again is purely psychological for us. It would have no bearing on the site itself or its readership, only in the pleasure we’ve had in watching our readership grow to over 354,000 readers. 

Each day, we watch the stats, hoping to learn which topics and photos appeal most to our readers. If we move to WordPress the stats will begin anew and we’ll continue to be able to observe the daily activity as we’ve done in the past. All archives (previous posts) and comments will remain intact.

In the realm of things, our readership is minuscule compared to the millions of hits many other sites receive in a year. Even a single YouTube video can receive millions of hits in a matter of minutes. Then again, there are millions of blogs that only receive a few hundred hits per year.

An old shed on the property further up the hill.

When we started and as we continue today, we never expected to make money from our site. To date, we’ve never made enough to cover even our blog design and maintenance expenses. 

Some may assume, we’ve earned enough revenue from our advertisers to pay for our travels. Not the case. We don’t ever expect that to occur, nor do we experience any frustration over not earning enough to offset our travel expenses. This was started as a “labor of love” and continues in that context yet today.

Sure, it would be great to earn enough from our advertisers to cover the costs of the blog itself. The only way this is possible is to substantially increase our readership and for our readers to use the links provided on our site. Doing so simply takes the reader to the main site of the advertiser. Prices and features are the same. The difference is, we may receive a tiny commission if a reader makes a purchase.

We can use your help in increasing our readership by forwarding the link to our site, www.worldwidewaftage.com to your email contacts to those who enjoy travel and of course, “armchair” readers which comprise a huge majority of our readers. 

The view from higher up the hill from our house.

Posting our link on your Facebook page is another great way to increase our readership. Many “stay-at-home” seniors and others, unable to get out, read our daily posts. As a continuing story, many get a kick out of reading the latest, as we do in reading other blogs.

Instead, we’ve used this valuable platform to reach out to friends, family, and all the wonderful people who’ve visited us online to share our story of two senior citizens traveling the world, without a home, without a car, without storage somewhere, and with only three pieces of luggage and a few carry on bags.

The feedback we continue to receive from our readers on a daily basis via email and comments on the site has nourished our souls and spurred us on when at times, we’ve experienced angst and frustration, especially on travel days.

We’ve gleaned a substantial amount of comfort after any experience, knowing we’ll be able to share the story the next day with people who care, people who take their precious time to sit down with a cup of coffee or tea to read our endless ramblings and to see our photos. We are very grateful for each and every visitor that stops by our site.

View of the color changes in the sea from atop a hill in our area.

Our web address, as mentioned above, will always be available at www.worldwidewaftage.com regardless of which blog editing software we use, Blogger or WordPress. Should we decide to switch, it won’t be until after the first of the year and everything will remain the same for our readers

In case you’ve may have wondered, each day after we’ve uploaded a new post, if you enter www.worldwidewaftage.com you will be taken to the newest post we’ve done today. Yesterday’s post will have a different address along with our address, which will include words from the heading to differentiate it from the over 1200 posts we have done to date.

You can always reference past posts from the link of “previous posts” as we mentioned a few days ago by clicking on the little black arrow to get to an older post. Also, it’s easy to search for a particular post using the “search” box on the page.

A natural spring is located on Sewak’s property providing water for all of the neighbors in Korovesi. He shares the unfiltered water at no cost to the neighbors other than the expense to bring it to their properties and store it in tanks. We began drinking the pure water the day we arrived with no ill effects.  This isn’t always possible in many countries.

In the past few days, our web designer Brooke has added a feature for translation and updated the look of our advertisers.  For now, we’re staying put since making such a change would require time spent on our part. 

With only 17 days remaining until we depart Savusavu, Vanua Levu to head to the bigger island of Pacific Harbour, Viti Levu, we’ll keep our time free to prepare for the upcoming move.

Have a meaningful day filled with thoughts that bring you peace and comfort!

Photo from one year ago today, November 19, 2014:

Tom got a kick out of this old Ford “woody” that was on display at the Maui Tropical Plantation. For more photos from the tour of this facility, please click here.

Staying abreast of the news…You can run but you can’t hide…Out and about on a cloudy day…

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The Montfort Technical Institute in Savusavu assists poor children academically and economically to gain skills to prepare them for a productive adulthood.

While living in most vacation homes, in the mornings after showering and dressing for the day, we pour our coffee and sit down to work on our laptops; me, preparing the day’s post; and Tom, conducting research for future travels, communicating with friends and family and checking out what’s new at Ancestry.com, a favorite pastime.

The entrance to the Montfort Technical Institute.

Once comfortably situated, we’d turn on the TV, when we’ve had one, to check on the day’s news, during which I’d often find inspiration for the day’s story. With no TV here in Fiji, we’ve spent the past almost three months reading news online which as far as we’re concerned, is often “spun” to appear one way or another.

Online news is not much different than TV news. It too may be slanted to appeal to the provider’s and the viewer’s political and social preferences. It’s difficult to ascertain what is fact and what is exaggerated (or minimized) as truth or fiction. I suppose it’s the same for viewers all over the world.

We passed the small village of Jerusalemi.

Whether we have a TV or not, we stay well abreast of what’s transpiring throughout the world with or without “spin.” In some countries even the modest local news programs gives us a fair perspective of events occurring in the US and other countries, enough to inspire us to investigate anything that we’d like to further explore.

Many of our family and friends may think we’ve been out of touch with world affairs when in many ways we’re more aware now than we were in our old lives when the hustle and bustle of daily life kept us from watching much news. Although, Tom avidly read the Minneapolis StarTribune newspaper for years. 

Instead of suburbs small groupings of homes are in a specific area, often designated as a village.

I never took the time to read the newspaper but Tom kept me informed as to world events. It was only after we connected almost 25 years ago, that I became interested in politics, financial markets and world affairs when he often discussed these hot topics.

For a period of time after we left Minnesota, Tom subscribed to the newspaper’s online edition but, later lost interest when Minnesota news became less interesting to him the further and further away we traveled. 

As a Minnesota transplant in the late 60’s, I was less connected to Minneapolis with no childhood experiences and memories. My personal memories revolved around the life I built in Minnesota as a single mom with two sons, making it on my own, at times stressful and angst-ridden and at other times, fulfilling and successful. I guess that’s how life is anyway, isn’t it?

This area is a chicken farm with cages for the chickens.  Not all chickens in Fiji are free-range. Although they aren’t injected with drugs or fed chemicals, they may eat grains. There’s no way to be 100% certain that eggs we purchase are from free range chickens when crates aren’t labeled at the farmers market.  So far, I’ve suffered no ill effects from consuming the unknown eggs sources.

As we live on a remote island in Fiji, where peacefulness and an easy pace is the order of the day, where police officers have plenty of time to drink coffee and commiserate with their people, where crime is almost non-existent, we languish in this simple life. Since we arrived, we haven’t heard a single siren of any sort.

But, the realities of news throughout the world is never far from our range of vision. It’s easy to become wrapped up in what’s transpiring in our home state, home country and other parts of the world.

I always had a perception that living on a remote island would keep one free from the strife and horrors throughout the world but the simple saying, “You can run but you can’t hide” is more true than I ever imagined.

Savusavu has an industrial district mainly consisting of lumber yards

The very thing that makes our world travel possible…the Internet…proves to be the very thing that keeps us feeling concerned over what’s happening in the world. 

Many would think that we sit back in idle contemplation of our next photo taking opportunity, our next sightseeing expedition, our upcoming location and the locations we’re yet to see in the future.

Undoubtedly, those aspects of our lives are the forefront of our minds and will always be so as we continue to travel the world. But now, we think in terms of where it is safe to travel, how we’ll reduce the risks with wars and strife surrounding us throughout the world.  Some countries previously on our “wish list’ have now been eliminated.

A lumberyard in the industrial area of Savusavu.

No, we don’t attempt to avoid exposure to the news. No, we aren’t free of the same concerns many citizens of the world experience as they live their daily lives, listening to, watching and reading news. 

For now, the amazing Fijian people have inspired us. Few have TV’s and access to world news. Their passion for life is astounding. We try, if only for a little while, to embrace their joie de vivre, living in the moment, treasuring everything in front of us; the beauty of a country one imagines only in a dream of a tropical island. 

For us, for now, we call it home.

Photo from one year ago today, November 18, 2014:

The old Wailuku Courthouse, built in 1907, is located on the US National Register of Historic Buildings. We visited this quaint town of Wailuku one year ago today. Please click here for details.