Part 2…Our year in review…Photos of us…Busy preparing new itinerary, ready for tomorrow’s post…

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In July, we had a great evening at The Elephant Bar in Henderson, Nevada, with friends that live in Las Vegas.

New Year’s Day proved to be another good holiday. We stayed busy posting until later than usual and then spent the rest of the afternoon making future travel plans.

Why do we plan so far ahead? Our lifestyle gives us tremendous piece-of-mind knowing what’s coming down the road. Also, it gives us an opportunity for good prices for upcoming venues.

Tom standing next to the Giant Bamboo tree to gain a perspective of its massive size. The vegetation at Zoo Ave in Costa Rica was almost as interesting as the wildlife.

Although we’ll post the itinerary tomorrow, we’ve yet to book all of the vacation homes for the upcoming visits to various countries, but the cruises are already booked. Over the next few months, once we’re in Africa, we start booking vacation/holiday homes in these various locations.

As we’ve mentioned in the past, cruises are a driving force in our decisions to visit certain countries, although as shown, we don’t hesitate to fly when necessary.

I used repellent while at Zoo Ave in Costa Rica but still got a few mosquito bites.

Planning is a daunting task, and today, we’ll continue with the preparations for tomorrow’s post. We’re happy we’d committed to posting the itinerary. It motivated us to “get the show on the road” and finally decide for the future.  

By no means, our failure to get this done wasn’t due to any lack of enthusiasm on our part. Instead, it was based on the simple fact that we’ve been rather busy this past month with the cruise and socializing. 

We set up the tripod to take this photo of us in Costa Rica on October 31, 2017, the fifth anniversary of our world travels.

All along, we have intended to post a new itinerary around the first of the new year. We’ll have this accomplished by tomorrow as we joyfully share it with all of our worldwide readers.

As for yesterday, New Year’s night, we ate the remainder of the food purchases we’d made for sharing with Margaret and Con. By 7:30 pm, once again, we gathered in a big booth in the Prodeo Hotel’s dining room with food which included roasted chickens, coleslaw salad which I made in our room, olives, cheese, meat, and nuts.  It was another fine evening.

On formal night aboard Celebrity Infinity only weeks ago. My teeth were purple from the glass of red wine I’d just finished.

By 11:00 pm, we were sleeping, and although intermittently, I feel hangover-free and refreshed today, ready to tackle a new day in Buenos Aires. In a short time, once we’ll upload today’s post, and we’ll head to a local barbershop for Tom’s haircut, which opens after 12:00 pm.

He hasn’t had a haircut since October. He’s facing “hat hair” on the upcoming Antarctica cruise when we’ll both be wearing hats for several hours each day. This is less of an issue for me when a few swipes with the flat iron and I’m back to normal. 

We were with our wonderful new friends, Lisa and Barry, whom we hope to see in June in South Africa.

But for him, his hair tends to be spikey when either too short or too long. He’s thumbing through past posts right now to see how short he wants it cut today. We’ll post photos soon.

Tonight, we’ll walk to Serrano Plaza, our favorite area for dinner. There are many restaurants we’ve yet to try.  After eating in these past few nights, we’re looking forward to getting out again. Now that the holiday season is over, we expect to find more dining options.

On the ship’s deck as we sailed through the Chilean Fiords on the most recent cruise.

May your new year begin and end with considerable contentment and joy in all of your endeavors, whatever they may be. Happy day to all 

Photo from one year ago today, January 2, 2017:

Green/spring onions were being processed for wholesale distribution at a Penguin, Tasmania vegetable processing farm. For more details, please click here.

A visit to a local outdoor market in Palermo…Feria de Plaza Serrano…Culture galore…

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The Feria de Plaza Serrano outdoor market is open weekends and holidays from 10:00 am to 8:00 pm.

The area of Palermo couldn’t have been a better choice for us during this extended stay in Buenos Aires.  It’s safe to walk the streets day and night as long as one exercises a mindful watch and scrutinous eye for possible pickpockets and uneven pavement.

Tourists and locals visit the market.

There’s a lot to see and do.  Once the holidays are over, we’ll begin making a plan for sightseeing venues, that will be less busy once the holidays have ended.  In the interim, we content to walk the many streets surrounding our hotel offering a wide and expansive perspective of Argentinian culture.

Little English is spoken here and our choppy Spanish has served us well thus far.  Thank goodness we spent the 113 days in Atenas, Costa Rica where learning some Spanish words was vital to our existence. 

Many of the kiosks are offering locally handmade goods.

By no means are we adept at speaking Spanish but we are able to get a message across to some extent and will learn more during this month-long stay in Argentina. 

I’ve considered an online Spanish language course but hesitate when I realize how much time I spend online as it is.  I can’t picture myself sitting at my laptop an hour more each day. 

The displays were pretty and appealing.

Besides, my brain doesn’t seem to relish the thought of even more learning when each and every day consists of researching and educating ourselves in our travels.  We must save time for relaxation and of course, pleasure.

Speaking of pleasure, yesterday, Christmas Day proved to be a very good day after all.  We spent the entire day in the hotel lobby until it was time to mosey on up to our room for another “cheesy and meaty” dinner in the bathtub room.  By this point, we took the peculiar meal and location in our stride.  How quickly we adapt!

Only about four long blocks from our hotel, we’ll return to try the various restaurants.

After uploading the day’s post, Tom watched the remainder of the four Vikings football games he missed watching while on the cruise when he was unable to stream with the ship’s slow Wi-Fi signal. 

He used his earbuds listening to the games on his laptop while I busily and most happily spoke to family members on Skype while he occasionally interjected Christmas greetings and expressions of love.  We spoke to my three grandchildren; Maisie, Miles, and Madighan; son Greg and his dear wife, Camille. 

After a lengthy chat, I spoke to son Richard in Henderson, Nevada, and sister Julie in Los Angeles, California.  A few days earlier I’d spoken to my other sister Susan to wish Merry Christmas, as well.

There’s Tom on the right carrying the yellow Costco bag.

Once I was off Skype Tom spoke to son TJ and family and;  daughter Tammy and grandson Vincent while I interjected love and warm wishes when he was done.  It was a perfect day and we were left reeling with warm fuzzies over spending the afternoon speaking with everyone.

By 6:00 pm we were back in our hotel room preparing our plates for the final peculiar dinner.  After dinner, we spent time responding to many email messages from our readers, family and friends and holiday wishes on Facebook.  

There’s plenty of dining establishments in the “feria.”

By 7:30, we were ready to hunker down for the night and get lost in mindless drivel…watching one of our favorite shows, season four of “Peaky Blinders.” Tonight, we’ll finish the season and find something else to entertain us over the next several nights, after returning from dinner.

Tonight, we’ll head out and find a restaurant for dinner and hopefully come up with a plan for New Year’s Eve in the process.  There are endless options in the neighborhood for that holiday as opposed to few options for Christmas Eve and Christmas Day. 

We visited the outdoor market on Christmas Eve in the late afternoon so it may not have been as busy as it is on a typical weekend day.

Finding a place for dinner on New Year’s Day may be tricky but we’ll figure it out this week. Toward the end of the week, we plan to head to a large market nearby to purchase a few items for my turmeric tea, now a favorite morning beverage along with a possible backup meal for New Year’s day. 

That’s it, folks.  We want to thank all of our readers for staying with us and continuing to read our daily posts.  We’re often astounded by the number of readers who visit us each day, often well into the thousands.  Go figure.  Your participation is truly a gift we unwrap and savor each and every day.  Thank you with all of our hearts.

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Photo from one year ago today, December 26, 2017:

One year ago in Penguin, Tasmania, this was our favorite photo of the day, a huge Billy Goat with quite the beard and defined facial markings.  For more details, please click here.

Another horrific event in the USA…Is it safe anywhere?…A

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Today’s flowers from the grounds of La Perla are a token of our sorrowful expression for the loss of life and injury of the victims in the Texas mass shooting.

“Sightings from the Veranda in Costa Rica”

A view across the valley to Atenas on a clear day.
As we post each day, we can’t ignore the horrific tragedies occurring throughout the world. Our goal is to attempt to adhere as closely as possible to travel-related topics in our day-to-day lives as we live from country to country.


However, we are deeply touched by the seemingly endless shocking events occurring throughout the world. In reality, such events become an integral aspect of our decisions about where we’ll travel in the future. 

Essentially, the observation and subsequent discussion of these types of events can’t be ignored, not by us, not by any citizens of the world. No, we won’t get into highly charged mentions of political affiliations that rise to the forefront when such events occur. 

Although Tom and I have distinct and passionate political opinions and views, we chose, many moons ago, not to express them here. This is not an arena for espousing our political perceptions. 

This is a site to share the lives of two very much in-love senior citizens who left everything behind, selling everything we owned, to embark upon a worldwide journey living in various countries along the way, experiencing other cultures, wildlife, nature, and history. There is no place for politics here.

Taking the political aspect out of such tragedies places them closer to our hearts with prayers and condolences for those who lost their lives and for the loved ones who are left to mourn and grieve their losses. Who among us can grasp the magnitude of such losses unless they’ve sadly fallen prey to such sorrow?

This week, as we have in many weeks, months, and years passed, stick close to the news hoping to glean a tidbit of information explaining how and why such horrors are perpetrated. 

Will knowing the “why” give any of the families and friends of victims peace? Momentarily, it may. But, moments later, the reality of their losses flood their minds, and they may never find life to be the same without their loved ones.

The concept that “time heals all wounds” may provide a modicum of comfort in the minds of family and friends, but when spoken by others, it sounds weak and meaningless. 

Even the frequently spoken words, “Sorry for your loss” bespeaks an easy “out” rather than a more thoughtful, “No words I can say can ease your loss. Our love and prayers are with you and your family”… or, in many other ways, one may express heartfelt concern and compassion. 

Yesterday’s loss of 26 lives and over 20 parishioners injured in Sutherland Springs, Texas, is another senseless event perpetrated by yet another angry and mentally deranged individual. Had it not been for the bravery of a local citizen shooting the attacker, more could have perished. 

As we continue in our world travels, as we mentioned in yesterday’s post, there is no country in the world safe from harm, not even our native country, the USA. We pray for the souls lost, their loved ones, and for peace in the world.

Be safe.  Be well.

Photo from one year ago today, November 6, 2016:

Check out this adorable honeydew melon mouse which was made during a fruit carving presentation aboard the ship. For more photos, please click here.

Off we go…Managua Nicaragua, here we come!

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The hotel’s exterior photo is the Real InterContinental Managua at Metrocentro Mall, where we’ll stay for two nights, arriving today and departing on Monday.

We’ve arrived at Costa Rica’s San Jose Santamaria International Airport (SJO). We have our boarding passes in hand with a relatively easy transition through immigration and security. With no bags to check, the check-in process is simple. 

In most countries, checking in online 24 hours in advance and printing a boarding pass is pointless. We gave up doing so long ago. Since we usually have bags to check, we receive boarding passes simultaneously as we studied the bags after only presenting our passports. No one ever asks us for printed proof of our tickets.

We’ve located our gate at the end of the long terminal. At the moment, we’re seated in a cafe a short distance from the entrance.  Tom didn’t order anything, and I’m sipping on a Chamomile tea.

The airport in Costa Rica is quite lovely, with good signage in both Spanish and English. The transition was smooth. By the way, the taxi fare from the villa was US $32 (CRC 18,217) with a tip. The taxi driver avoided the toll road, and we arrived 35 minutes later.

In our old lives, the only time we knew much about Managua, Nicaragua was the frequent mention of the city repeatedly in the news in 1986 regarding the Iran Contra affair. We won’t get into that here, but here’s a tidbit of information about the capital city:

“Managua, on the south shore of Lake Managua, is the capital city of Nicaragua. Its cathedral, a shell since a 1972 earthquake, is on the Plaza of the Revolution. Nearby is the tomb of Sandinista leader Carlos Fonseca. The 1935 National Palace of Culture houses the National Museum. Hilltop Parque Histórico Nacional Loma de Tiscapa is known for its crater lake and a huge statue of revolutionary Augusto Sandino.

Area: 210 mi²
Weather: 79°F (26°C), Wind SE at 5 mph (8 km/h), 84% Humidity
Local time: Friday 9:36 AM
Population: 2.206 million (2015)
Founded: 1819″

We’re looking forward to the hotel we selected Real InterContinental Managua at Metrocentro Mall, one of the best in the city, which may be found at this link at Hotels.com on our site. Then, of course, we’ll take photos of the hotel, restaurants, meals, and the places we visit while in Nicaragua. 

Most likely tonight, we’ll celebrate our anniversary at the hotel’s highly rated five-star restaurant, Factory Steak, and Lobster.  Although a bit pricey, it’s for a special occasion well deserving a memorable evening. 

Besides, dining in the hotel’s famous restaurant might ensure an avoidance of foods I can’t typically eat found in Central American restaurants, delicious, I’m sure, but made with grains, sugar, and starchy ingredients. 

I won’t have any trouble ordering a juicy steak (rare, please) and a lobster tail with gobs of butter, a vegetable, and a salad. We’re both looking forward to the meal. I tried making a dinner reservation from Costa Rica to no avail, but we’ll take care of it right away once we arrive.

You can be assured we’ll be returning with many new photos and descriptions of our mini-vacation in Managua, Nicaragua (with the intent of getting our passports stamped, allowing us to stay in Costa Rica for the remaining three-plus weeks and to celebrate our 5th world travel anniversary).

Have a lovely weekend. We’ll be back soon!

Photo from one year ago today, October 28, 2016:

At the Hilton Garden Inn Ngurah Airport, the hotel chef in Denpasar Bali made a special spicy sauce to go with my chicken skewers. It was delicious! For more photos, please click here.

Finally, we booked 32 nights in Buenos Aires…The details for making this cost effective booking transpire…

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Pool view at the Prodeo Hotel.

“Sightings from the Veranda in Costa Rica”

Cows resting in the pasture as seen from the veranda.

Note: Today, many of our photos are of a smaller size in an attempt to avoid blurring when I borrowed them from various sites.

Whenever we need to book a hotel, we use the link here on our site for Hotels.com. We receive a tiny commission using our own links (and we hope you will too). 

The commissions we earn are never enough to cover the cost of managing our site, but every little bit helps. If you can, please use our links which have identical pricing and features as if you went directly to the same sites from your choice of browser. We so much appreciate it!

Lounge at Prodeo Hotel in Buenos Aires, Argentina.

Whenever a traveler desires a 30-night or more booking, the inquiry from the Hotels.com link on our site will take you directly to “corporate rates.” If you choose, a representative will contact you by email after you’ve decided on the criteria for such an extended stay.

Within a day or so, you’ll start receiving lists of possible hotels that will accommodate your criteria including pricing, location, and amenities. We’ve used this feature only on two occasions since, in most cases, we stay in vacation/holiday homes. 

Staying in hotels for 30 nights or more isn’t our first choice of accommodation. However, most recently we stayed in the Minnesota at a hotel for 42-nights and will need to do so upcoming from December 23, 2017, to January 23, 2018, and again one more night after the Antarctica cruise on February 8, 2018.

We were overlooking the tub area in bath.

Finding a hotel that would accommodate both dates, 31-nights in December/January plus the one night in February with one reasonable price, would be the ideal scenario. In doing so, most importantly, we’re able to store our luggage for no additional cost while we’re off on the Antarctica cruise, the entire reason we chose a hotel as opposed to a vacation home.

Sure, we would have preferred a vacation home, able to cook our meals, having more space to maneuver, along with a greater sense of freedom and mobility. But, this particular instance, not unlike in Minnesota, provided us with features and amenities that make it all worthwhile.

Once we received the list of hotels, all of which included offers for better-than-average-pricing (and there were dozens), we narrowed it down to our top two based on price, location, and amenities, finally deciding on the Prodeo Hotel and Lounge after contacting both hotel managers.

Complimentary breakfast is included in the nightly rate, which, after inquiring, it was explained contains eggs, cheese, and meats which works for us when pastries and bread products don’t.

The staff at Hotels.com suggested that once we find hotels, we find it suitable to contact them directly via a listing link to make inquiries for any additional questions we may have. In our case, we asked the following questions:

Our few questions prior to booking this 31-plus-one-night stay:
  1. Does the complimentary breakfast include any eggs or meats?  I am gluten-free and cannot eat pastries or fruit.
  1. Can you store our luggage for 17 nights while we travel to Ushuaia for an Antarctica cruise? We’ll return on February 8th and stay one additional night.
  1. Do you have free Wi-Fi in the rooms? We are world travel writers and need to upload a story each day with photos using my husband’s laptops. This is very important. We will be providing free press during our stay during the 32-night period.
  1. Do you have self-service laundry on-site, or is there a laundromat nearby?
  1. What is the total rate with taxes? How much is the deposit to hold it? When is the balance due?
Dining room located in Prodeo Hotel.
Within an hour I received the following answers to my questions:
“Dear Jess,

Thank you very much for your interest in Prodeo Hotel + Lounge.

To address your concerns:
1. Our complimentary breakfast includes ham, cheese, and hard-boiled eggs. We can also provide you with gluten-free bread.
2. We can store your luggage in our deposit for free for the time required
3. We offer property-wide free wi-fi, thus you will be able to work from your room and from every common space of the hotel
4. Prodeo offers a laundry service for 10 USD per bag. There are also several laundries just a few blocks from the hotel
5. The final rate is US $80, (CRC 46,121) per night. The final price for 32 nights will be US $2,560, (CRC 1,475,878).  Since you are not Argentinian citizens no any other tax or fee will be charged. The deposit is 20% of the total price, while the total balance will be due at the check-in
If you have any other question or concern, please, do not hesitate to contact me.
Best regards
Alessandro
Operations Manager
alessandro@prodeohotels.com“
Pool area located in the hotel including an outdoor bar.
Firstly, I was impressed with Alessandro’s mastery of the English language, especially in writing. Secondly, we were thrilled with his answers, all of which made this particular hotel work for us in every way. Also, in a later email, he included a free shuttle to the airport. based on our long term stay
During our multiple email messages over the next few hours, we finalized the 20% deposit. Doing so required that Alessandro and I speak on the phone. (We used our Skype account with a clear connection at around two cents a minute). We never send credit card information via an email (not secure).
We paid the US $512, (CRC 295,176) and received an online receipt and booking confirmation. We couldn’t have been more thrilled to not only have this task accomplished but to have done so with this great pricing and terms.
Sure, in Buenos Aires there are hotels priced slightly lower. However, we were searching for a relatively well-rated property (4 stars), a good location and the above-stated amenities.  It couldn’t be more ideal for us.
A typical room in the hotel.
We don’t consider such an extended stay in this and other hotels as a “vacation/holiday.” For us, this is a stopping point along the way in our continuing world travels. The fact that we’ll have an opportunity to explore Buenos Aires, its sights, sound, smells, and tastes, is purely a bonus.During the 42-night stay in Minneapolis, our goal was to spend time with family, as was the case during the 25-night visit at son Richard’s home in Henderson, Nevada. Sightseeing wasn’t on our radar.

Now, here in Atenas, Costa Rica, I’m chomping at the bit to get out, but we’ve found the taxi service cost higher than in some other parts of the world. For instance, when we stopped at the health food store and MaxiPali for groceries for a total turnaround time of 75 minutes for taxi fare of US $15, (CRC 8648) and discovered the cost to go to Walmart in San Jose (35-minutes each way) at US $35, (CRC 20,178) plus tip, we decided we’ll rent a car every so often.

This way, when we have the rental car, we can make longer sightseeing trips, go to the dentist and explore on our own. We’ve scheduled a car for five days for the week of August 21st, Monday through Friday, which will be delivered to our door.

In the interim, we’ll continue to work on our taxes, financial, and business stuff and, hopefully, have that out of the way by the time we receive the car.  We’re just like you…at times we have business-related tasks that take priority over pleasure.

Instead, we spend our days working on the veranda, reveling in the sights and sounds of Atenas with the roosters crowing, the cows mooing, the birds singing and myriad other sounds we can’t reasonably determine as yet. A stop for a bit of sun and pool time is usually on the agenda as well.

The evenings? Purely delightful! We enjoy a fabulous meal with a few choice shows to watch on the giant HD TV in the comfortable and spacious screening room, all the while chatting, laughing, and treasuring this life we live.

May you treasure your today and always!

Photo from one year ago today, August 10, 2016:

This style of Buddhist statue is commonly seen in Thailand which was located in the vacation home we’d rented in Rawai, Phuket Thailand one year ago. For more photos, please click here.

We split up for an evening with family…Garden photos continue…

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Pretty flowers in deep pink.

We knew at some point it would make sense for Tom and me to split up to spend time with our respective families; Tom’s two children, Tammy and TJ, their significant others, and three of our six grandchildren. 

Pretty in pink.

My son Greg and his wife Camille, and three of my grandchildren live about 30 minutes away from Tom’s two kid’s homes. We knew at times we’d each spend days and/or evenings with our children and grandchildren, apart from one another.

Unusual pine tree.

It had been a long time since Tom and I had been apart for more than an hour. Many have classified us as “glued at the hip.” But, during this period in the US, it makes a lot more sense to split up for specific activities.

Bronze carousel horse in the garden.

Last night, Greg’s three kids each had soccer games at three different fields, two adjoining, and three at another area four miles away. Greg and I watched Maisie and Miles’ game while Camille was at the distant field watching Madighan’s game.

Butchart Gardens has many wide-open spaces on the sprawling property.

It reminded me of when my two sons, Greg and Richard, both played ball simultaneously in two different fields. As a single (divorced) mom, I’d run back and forth between the two fields to watch both of them play t-ball, softball, and baseball. 

Fluffy-looking small flowers.

That was a long time ago.  Richard recently turned 50, and Greg is fast approaching 48 how the time has flown. Being back in Minnesota, where all of our four children grew up, is a reminder of how the decades, not just the years, have brought us to today, living this nomadic lifestyle, visiting our family for but a glimpse of time. 

The nine weeks in the US will surely fly by in a flash. The first week will have passed by tomorrow, with five weeks remaining in Minnesota and three weeks upcoming in Nevada beginning on July 7th. 

Totem poles are commonly seen in Victoria, such as this in Butchart Garden.

Tom visited son TJ’s home with Sarah and two grandsons, Jayden and Nik. They ate burgers and chicken, played some “hoops,” and yakked the night away. Tammy visited for some time, and they all had a great evening.

More tulips.

Greg picked me up at the hotel after Tom dropped me off after we’d spent the afternoon with Tammy and son Vincent at his fifth grade “fun day” at a local park. The weather was fantastic, windy, and sunny, perfect for the kid’s activities, including a lengthy “shower” from a fire truck while the kids got soaked while squealing with delight in a grassy field.

In the evening after the soccer games, we headed back to Greg’s home to plan for Tom to pick me up whenever he was done at TJ’s. I’d eaten a very late lunch, another Chipotle salad we picked up on the way back to the hotel, so dinner wasn’t necessary for me. For anyone to prepare a meal for me is often inconvenient and not worth the effort.

Garden keepers are preparing a pond for the upcoming celebration of Canada’s 150th year.

They all had dinner, after which we headed outdoors for a bonfire and idle chatter. The “Minnesota State Bird, the lowly mosquito made their usual appearance, and we swatted them of while huddling close to the fire and citronella candles.

Commemorating Canada’s 150-year celebration.

It was an enjoyable spending time with our respective families. Of course, in the future, we’ll enjoy plenty of activities with both Tom and me in attendance simultaneously.

I know I’d promised we wouldn’t spend a lot of time writing about family and friend activities. I apologize for not being able to resist sharing our daily events. Now that we’re here, I see how impossible it would have been to write about other topics when we’re so entrenched with the people we love and have missed for the past four years and seven months.

More plantings were commemorating Canada’s 150 years.

Many of you will skip over these posts, and we fully understand. Some of you will read them with the same interest you’ve expressed over reading about many of our less exciting and more mundane days and nights of this life we lead.

A few spring tulips remain in bloom in the late season at Butchart Gardens in Victoria, British Columbia.

But, the time will fly quickly for all of us, and in a mere 60 days, we’ll be on our way to Costa Rica, settling into the fabulous villa and beginning the search for those colorful frogs, birds, and other wildlife that populate that magical country. From there…it’s excitement all the way!

Carpe diem!

Photo from one year ago today, June 1, 2016:

An interesting-looking restaurant on the beach in Lovina, Bali, traveled to work on our visa extensions for Indonesia. For more details, please click here.

Late posting from Vancouver, British Columbia…Travel day behind us…

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Tom’s photo of this unreal scene of sailboats in Seattle.  Wow!

It’s 5:30 pm Monday. After dropping off our bags after the three-hour drive from Seattle to Vancouver, we took off on foot in the rain in the same manner typical for Vancouver residents, hoofing it to the next location.

We were searching for a pharmacy and a vitamin store to replenish my fast-dwindling supply of probiotics and supplements, now that I’m totally committed to treating my condition with a more natural approach as opposed to traditional medicine.

Ships in the harbor in Seattle.

Getting off the ship to meet the 9:00 am SUV driver at pickup location #2 at the Port of Seattle was relatively seamless. Our disembarking #4 allowed us easy and quick access to the baggage area, where we quickly found our awaiting checked bags.

Since we weren’t flying, we’d actually filled the yellow Costco bag with our recently washed and folded laundry we’d had done on the ship. With a plan to do more laundry in Vancouver, we’d be in good shape clothes-wise for the upcoming Alaskan cruise, which boards in less than 48 hours.

Last photo of RC Explorer of the Seas on which we had an exceptional cruise.

In Vancouver, there are several hotels with the word “Pinnacle” in their name. Due to my error when ordering the driver, I’d accidentally selected the wrong “Pinnacle,” and our driver ended up delivering us to a hotel we’d hadn’t booked.

With the help of a staff member at the wrong Pinnacle, we were given a map with directions to the 20-minutes-away correct Marriot Pinnacle Downtown. Apparently, they’d encountered this situation in the past.

Lopsided photo of the Seattle Space Needle from the SUV as we maneuvered through traffic on Monday morning.

By 1:00 pm, we reached our hotel, checked in after being given two upgrades, including a large corner junior suite and free WiFi in the room that usually requires a US $7.95 a night charge. We couldn’t have been more thrilled.

We’d booked the two nights using “free” credits we’d accumulated on the Hotels.com link on our site. The only out-of-pocket expense we’d bear for the hotel would be meals and tips.

Tom managed this better shot of the Seattle Space Needle when there was an opening between skyscrapers.

Tom moaned a little when he had to reach into his wallet for US cash to pay the bellman for delivering our bags to the room. After almost two years in and out of Australia, where tips aren’t tendered or expected when employees are paid a “livable wage,” it wasn’t easy for him to accept the huge tips paid for services in North America.

As per the agreement for the driver that delivered us from Seattle to Vancouver, a 20% tip was added to the bill. At the cost of US, $550 for the three-hour ride, another $110 was tacked on. George was an excellent driver, and we could hardly flinch over the excess fee.

Zooming along the freeway in Seattle.

After speaking with the concierge, we concluded that doing our laundry at a laundromat in Vancouver would not be an option. The only such facility would have resulted in close to $100 in taxi fares for the distant location.

We investigated the cost of having the laundry done at the hotel, but that is $8.50 per shirt, more than what we paid for shirts I purchased at the Gap Outlet store in Lahaina, Maui. 

Cloudy and rainy with fog rolling in.

We decided to do our laundry in Vancouver and wait to have it done on the upcoming cruise. As Captain’s Club Elite members on Celebrity, we’re each allowed one 20 item bag of laundry at no cost. That works for us. 

Most likely, we’ll be bringing dirty laundry to Minnesota to wash in the laundry facilities located in our hotel. The availability of laundry facilities will be a big plus for us during the six-week stay.

Fluffy clouds rolling through the hills and forests in Seattle.

After we were situated in our hotel room and deciding not to unpack other than clothes for the next two days, we took off for the pharmacy and supplement stores, each of which we huge distances apart.

Preferring not to spend more money for transportation after sitting so long in the SUV, an umbrella and a very long walk was in order. My Fitbit easily surpassed 10,000 steps today. 

Desperately needing new shoes offering some support (which I’ll purchase in the US soon), the walking uphill in the rain for a few hours wasn’t particularly enjoyable. I hadn’t even brought the camera along, figuring I needed my hands to be free to hold the umbrella in the fierce winds and rain.

Overhead signs at the border crossing from the US into Canada. The border agent checked our passports, asking us numerous questions, and finally, let us be on our way.

The last time we were in Vancouver was in September 2014 for six nights; it rained each day except for one.  Nothing has changed since that visit. The beautiful city is shrouded in clouds and rain for most of the year. It’s nice to see all the locals out and about embracing their weather conditions, but for the long haul, it’s not for us.

Tonight at 6:00 pm, our reader Sheila will meet us at the hotel for a visit. It will be fun to meet her, and I appreciate her efforts in coming downtown to meet us. Within an hour, Sheila arrives to meet us.  


I need to get the show on the road and freshen up for the evening after being seriously soaked in the rain. We’re meeting Sheila in the highly-rated bar/restaurant located in the hotel lobby, where we’ll chat and have dinner together.

Have a lovely evening, and we’ll be back at our usual time tomorrow!


Photo from one year ago today, May 15, 2016:

Rambut Siwi Hindu Temple (Pura Rambut Siwi) in Negara, the largest of three traditional temples located in each town in Indonesia. For more details, please click here.

Settled in to hotel…Simple pleasures…Cultural experience…

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Beautiful couple, our hosts and owners, Francoise and Egon from Holland, who spend nearly half the year in their houses in Bali. Thank you Françoise and Egon for this extraordinary experience.

Over the next several days we’ll continue to share Bali photos we’d yet to post including today and tomorrow’s photos from our last day in Sumbersari when we dined at a charming local restaurant with our hosts , Francoise and Egon and next door neighbor, Peoni, who joined us as our translator when no one at the local spot speaks any English and there are no menus.

Simple pleasure can easily be taken for granted. As much as we loved the time we spent in the Sumbersari villa, we have no trouble transitioning to air conditioned comfort and high speed Internet. 

For the first time in two months, I’m wearing street clothes instead of a swimsuit while sipping a cup of hot tea made available in our hotel room with an electric pot and supplies as needed. A midday cup of English Breakfast tea and I’m in heaven.

At the restaurant, we selected the fish we wanted in that cooler.    Pioni and I chose cooked crab.  Tom and Egon chose the chicken fried rice and Francoise chose a grilled fish.    More photos are coming tomorrow.

The four or five hour harrowing drive was actually the easiest of the four trips we made back and forth from Denpasar/Kuta in the past six months with two stays at the distant villa separated by two months visiting Singapore, Vietnam, Cambodia and Thailand.

As it turned out Butu’s excellent driving skills and a bit of luck brought us to the door of the Hilton Garden Inn Ngurah Rai Airport in less than four hours, a record for our four trips. Upon arrival at the hotel entrance, security opened massive metallic doors and inspected our vehicle with a mirror sweep of the underside of the vehicle.

The little crabs got weighed.

After that inspection, our baggage with us went through a security screening comparable to that at the airport. We checked in with our six nights already paid in full for US $50, IDR 651,775 a night including a full breakfast. This is not a typical $50 a night hotel!

This hotel is comparable to the Holiday Inn, the Rocks Old Sydney hotel in Sydney which is as of today is going for US $335, IDR 4,365,048 a night. In April, we’d be able to get a better rate at US $188, IDR 2,449,639. Our upcoming booking on October 30th was priced at US $225, IDR 2,931,749. What’s the deal?

A bin of local coconut.    I don’t care for Balinese coconut.    The flesh is soft and mushy while I prefer the hard and crunchy meat found in Hawaiian coconuts.

When we arrive at the Sydney hotel on Sunday we’ll see if we can get a comparable price to the rate we had in April while awaiting another cruise embarking in Sydney. We have three other upcoming cruises departing from Sydney for which this hotel would be ideal for overnight stays in order to reduce the risk of flight delays.

At the end of the long ride to Kuta, we were both exhausted; Tom even more than me. I have seldom seen him as tired as he was last night. We both knew we had to stay awake at least until 10:00 to avoid an early alarm clock. 

A large group was seated in this area, at the table while sitting on the floor. We selected a regular table and chairs.

Alas, our plans were dashed when I was wide awake at 3:40 am, never able to fall back to sleep. Lately, I’ve awakened around this time. Most nights I’m able to read for a while and go back to sleep. No such luck last night and no nap today, hopefully ensuring I’ll do better tonight.

After we settled into our room, not unpacking more than toiletries and digital equipment, I decided to check out the exercise facility in the hotel. I was pleasantly surprised to find a cool, well equipped room with all the equipment I could possibly need or want.

This is the only sign on the restaurant. We’d previously walked the beach to this restaurant, but found no one around. We were thrilled for the experience on our last day in Sumbersari.

Now 90% recovered from the June 1st injury and after a long hiatus from working out, I’ve decided I need to begin again. It isn’t always possible to find health clubs and/or exercise facilities in many areas in which we’ve lived. 

Walking isn’t enough for me which I’d resorted to exclusively when there hasn’t been a health club within reasonable driving distance for over a year. It’s worth a 30 minute drive, but not an hour or more.

Our next door neighbor in Bali, Pioni, from Java, Indonesia, who joined us for her delightful companionship and expert translation skills. With my food restrictions, we’d never have been able to visit this restaurant on our own.

Yesterday, when I started out on the exercise bike I was shocked to realize how much strength I’d lost these almost five months of little activity other than occasional casual walks in the neighborhood. 

Sitting in a chaise lounge or cabana during the day, not cooking, cleaning and shopping, I literally became a slug.

It was only at night when dining or when we were situated on the living room sofa that my feet were flat on the floor. Sure, I did  a ton of walking on and off the grounds of the villa all day, in an attempt to increase the “steps” count on FitBit.

Seated at our table looking out to the sea on a cloudy rainy day.

Beginning yesterday, I made a plan to work out each day regaining strength and agility. Once we board the cruise, I will continue with a daily workout eventually building my strength and stamina sufficiently to be able to do HIIT (high intensity interval training) once again. 

Looking back, it’s been  almost 14 months since I worked out regularly. It certainly hasn’t been from a lack of motivation. I’ve always enjoyed the process of getting myself to the gym for a good workout. 

Before we left the US, I’d worked out most of my adult life. It’s been sketchy since we left. I can promise myself all I want but, when there’s no facility, I have a hard time making myself workout at “home” without the necessary equipment. 

During our almost four months in Bali we checked out this view daily hoping for a clear shot of these mountains.  Most days the smoke and fog from Java obstructed the view.  Ironically, on our last day, the fog cleared for this mountain view.  Thank you, Bali!

Once the cruise ends, I hope to continue working out in both locations in Tasmania. There appear to be suitable locations close to each of the two vacant homes we’ll be renting for six weeks each. I’ll join with a day or two of our arrival.  Each offers a reasonably priced weekly plan without a contract.

From there, more cruises with excellent workout facilities and then our arrival in the US where health clubs are readily available. From there, we’re off to Costa Rica. Later, we’ll research that possibility. 

We’re comfortable, content, cool and finally able to catch up on much needed research which can only be accomplished with a good Wi-Fi connection. For the moment, this is all we need or want.

Hope your day brings you everything you need or want!

Photo from one year ago today, October 25, 2015:

Handmade raft for fishing, which Ratnesh explained is safer than a boat when there’s no chance of being stranded or sinking. For more photos of our Fiji visit to Vuodomo Falls, please click here.

We made it to Lovina…Two hour harrowing drive…Dangerous experience…

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Last evening view from the beach at Puri Bagus at sunset.

Last night seen from the beach at Puri Bagus at sundown. Finding gas stations is not so simple in the remote area of Bali. As it turned out, we had to drive to Lovina in the village of Gilimanuk to find a place to buy fuel.

Crossing over a river.

It would have been very inconvenient to run out of gasoline. Thanks to the “safari luck” we did it on the fumes long after the warning light illuminated. Turning around, in less than 15 minutes, we were back on track to our destination.

Beautiful ocean view along the motorway.

For some ridiculous reason I expected the two hour drive to be less stressful with Tom driving than the drive from Denpasar to the villa with a driver, the four hour harrowing drive. I was kidding myself.

Ocean view on the drive to Lovina.

At the end of May, we made the same trip when we first had to travel to Lovina to get our first visa extension. Now, we’re here once again for our second and final visa extension requiring three separate trips to the immigration office on a Monday, Wednesday and Friday of any given week in order to complete the cumbersome application process.

Tom is an excellent driver. I’ve said this many times in the past. But, even the best driver has no control over the action of other crazy and reckless drivers. No less than on four occasions, we had “close calls” when motorbikes, trucks and cars were passing with little regard for other vehicles on the narrow two lane road.

Indoor seating area in the villa.

Finally, with a sigh of relief we entered the outskirts of the heavily trafficked town of Lovina with masses of fast moving vehicles comparable to that in wild-ride Denpasar. It took another 35 minutes to reach our destination, the immigration office.

The queen sized bed was comfortable for a good night’s sleep.

With documents in hand, we picked a number from the automated machine. It was 11:20 am. At noon each day, the office closes for lunch reopening at 1:30 pm. If we didn’t get called in time, we’d have to leave and return later.

In no time at all we were called to the counter to begin the process. The kindly English speaking officer handed us applications to be completed and reminded us that we’d have to wear long pants when we returned later in the day.

Tom showered in our outdoor shower.  I opted for the indoor shower.

Oh, good grief! We forgot about wearing long pants to government offices in Indonesian as a requirement. Neither of us had brought along a single pair of long pants. When we were packing Tom suggested we bring our Africa insect repellent long pants knowing we’d be dining outdoors and I dismissed the idea. Had I agreed we wouldn’t have had to figure this out.

There are many shady spots for guest’s use offering protection from the hot sun.

Neither of us remembered from our multiple trips in May that long pants were required. A lot has transpired in these past four months that could easily have contributed to this fact slipping our minds. In our usual way, we don’t do any blaming, instead spending our time considering our options.

As we walked toward the beach.

Since we had to return later with the completed application, we had a little time to find a place to purchase pants. First, we decided to find our hotel, Puri Bagus, located within a kilometer of the immigration office, where we’d complete the application, make a few more required copies and see if they had a gift shop selling clothing.

The veranda view.

Once again, we were in luck when I remembered that Gede told us to look for a very bumpy road, two left turns from the immigration office. The tiny one lane road leading to the hotel was unmarked with no signs indicating the hotel nearby. Luckily, we quickly found the bumpy road making our way to the end to the exquisite Puri Bagus. We were shocked we found the correct road.

Grounds near our villa.  The Hindu/Balinese influence is always present, creating inviting surroundings.

The Puri Bagus Lovina, is gorgeous, more than we expected. The service is impeccable, the ambiance over-the-top. In no time at all, we were in our private thatched roof villa and at works on the forms.  Once completed, we quickly headed to the hotel’s gift shop hoping again, luck might be on our side.

Table and chairs on our private veranda.

Alas, no more than minutes after we entered the small shop we were in the try-on rooms hoping that we’d find long pants to get us through the three upcoming trips to the immigration. The women’s pants were awful, definitely not anything I’d ever wear again with the length too short and the legs way too wide. 

The ocean view from our private villa’s veranda.

Finally, we both found with the exact same pair of men’s pant, a beige linen, mine sized at an XS and Tom’s, a large. I’d never worn men’s pant before, but these with a drawstring fit, although still a little short for me. 

The enticing grounds are neatly trimmed and maintained enticing grounds are neatly trimmed and maintained.

Tom’s fit him well for now anyway, not necessarily at the end of the upcoming 33 night cruise after eating all that food. The cost of the two pairs of pants and a top I purchased, we spent a total of IDR 839,000, US $64.39. We didn’t complain. We avoided the necessity of heading further into the town with much worse traffic to go shopping which neither of us enjoys anyway.

These cabanas are available for any guests’ use.

By 1:30 pm, we were back at the immigration office wearing the long pants much to the pleasure of the immigration officer who joked and laughed with us. By 2:30 pm, we were out the door, anxious to get out of the warm clothing on a very hot day and relax a bit at our hotel before heading to the bar and dinner in the evening.

The sandy beach at the resort.

By 6:00 pm, we were taking sunset and other photos throughout the resort feeling refreshed, rested and excited not to have to return to immigration until Wednesday at 9 am for round two of three. 

View to the pool from the pathway along the beach.

After a few drinks in the oceanfront bar and later a fabulous gourmet meal in the resort’s main dining room while entertained by soothing local music, we were able to unwind and revel in the luxurious surroundings. Soon, we’ll share photos of our beautifully presented meals in this fine establishment.

Footbridge we walked over on our way to the bar.

Today, I’m meeting the Puri Bagus Lovina manager for a comprehensive tour with many more photos and stories to share while Tom stays behind for some research we’re conducting, easier here with a better WiFi connection than in Sumbersari. We’ll be back with much more each day as we continue our stay in Lovina.

Have a beautiful day!

Photo from one year ago, September 27, 2015:

This duck’s unusual crown caught our attention one year ago. He seemed proud of his facial characteristics. For more photos, please click here.

The end of our trip to the southern coast of Kauai…A sunset like none other…A year ago, human and animal came to say their goodbyes…

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A little strip of clouds added to the view of the setting sun in Poipu Beach, Kauai.

After we spent time at Spouting Horn as described in yesterday’s post, it was time to head to our hotel, the Sheraton Kauai in Poipu Beach. With valet parking only, we took our few bags out of the car on our own and headed to the registration desk.

The sunset started like this, bright and relatively clear.

With only one guest in front of me at the desk, we expected, we’d be checked in quickly. Their computers were down. Well, up and down. After 20 minutes it was finally my turn. Tom waited in chairs with the bags while I handled the check-in, our usual procedure.

Then, it progresses to this point, giving us hope the cloud would provide an amazing view.

Again with their computers up and down, the wait was annoying, but, I stayed calm and friendly, especially since I was asking for a free upgrade to an ocean view room. Another 20 minutes later, key cards in hand we were headed to our upgraded partial ocean view room on the VIP level (whatever that is).

It was getting more interesting by the second, not the minute. Note the streak at the bottom right.

When we realized we had to cross the street to get to our room, I was tempted to go back and ask to be closer to the main pool and the ocean. I decided to forgo this option realizing it would be another wasted 20 minutes. 

Off we went on an at least 10-minute walk to our room, frustrated as we crawled around tarps scattered all over the walkway floors. There was construction occurring in almost every area. This stuff usually doesn’t bother us.  But, at $300 a night, it would have been worth a mention when we checked in and perhaps provide us with a quieter area.

Here’s the link to our review in TripAdvisor.

When it progressed to this point, we knew we were in for a treat.

As always, we chose not to complain. Low stress is a part of our motto. The room did have a nice view overlooking the pool and the ocean at a distance. The king-sized bed was comfortable and the décor and furnishings were of high quality and tasteful. The over-sized bathroom was well appointed with amenities including two fluffy robes hanging in the closet. We were content.

After spending a bit of time relaxing and making a reservation for dinner at the popular Merriman’s Fish House Restaurant located in a new nearby center, Kakui’ula Village, a shopping mall in Poipu Beach that would appeal to avid shoppers.

As darkness fell, it presented this view.

Leaving the hotel for dinner before sunset, we wandered over to a lookout area to take the sunset photos we’re sharing today. Other guests were equally enthused snapping photos with their cell phones. It’s amazing how quickly the sun makes its final descent, quickly changing if one so much as looks away.

Eyes peeled at the display on the camera, I stood in place, careful attempting to avoid making a single movement to ensure a clear shot of the breathtaking scene before us. We couldn’t have been more excited to add yet another sunset photo to the dozens we’ve accumulated over the past few years of travel.

View from our fourth-floor lanai.

The only available dinner reservation at Merriman’s was for 7:30 which can be a problem for me. Since I exercise what is called “intermittent fasting,” I only eat one meal a day during which I am never hungry based on my high fat, moderate protein diet which kills my appetite for 24-hour increments. 

When we arrived at Merriman’s Fish House at 6:45, we asked if we could get in earlier. They were booked although, downstairs on the lower level, they had a casual burger and pizza restaurant. We decided to give it a try when the kindly hostess called to discover they did in fact have an available table.

Here’s the link to the review we posted on Merriman’s Pizza and Burger Restaurant at TripAdvisor for details.

With little sun remaining by the time we got to our room, we decided to spend an hour by this uncrowded smaller pool in the area of our distant room.  Oddly, we had to walk to the main pool to get beach towels. That made no sense.

For those of you who don’t click posted links, the food was mediocre but the service was impeccable. The chef made a good effort to accommodate my way of eating which included a tiny salad, plain burger on the side, and an extra order of avocado. Tom had a burger and fries. Our dinner was under $50 with a tip. 

Back at the hotel by 9:00 pm, we settled in for a good night’s sleep and an early morning exit with a plan to head to Costco and Walmart in Lihue. More on that tomorrow.

Thanks, dear readers, for stopping by. It means the world to us.

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

Louise and Danie came to pick up after our overnight at the Crocodile River Safari Lodge. As we approached our home, we spotted these giraffes, necks in a tangled mess. We all howled with laughter and joy for this scene. It was getting to be time to say goodbye to our human and animal friends as departure day loomed. For more friends that came to say goodbye including Clive and the returning Mr. Frog, please click here.