Handling issues and challenges on an ongoing basis…A very odd fact about “time” at the end of today’s post…

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Our cabana in the afternoon sun.

“Sightings on the Beach in Bali”

A young woman carrying a large basket on her head, a young boy playing on the beach and a driver on a motorbike, all commonly seen on the beach in Bali.

Getting online and staying online is an ongoing source of frustration here in Bali. On Sundays, when no staff is around we get a decent signal 90% of the day. When the staff is on duty six days a week they hang around next door in an area designated for their use while they stay on site for their workday.

If there are no guests staying in that villa, they hang around inside and outdoors the villa next door all day using their phones for email and Facebook. Some have SIM cards on their phones, others use the villa’s signal. There’s a huge data tower between the two houses but the signal is not sufficient for everyone to be online simultaneously.

The general service to the area is poor, but with as many as seven users online at any given time between the two houses, let alone the activity from other users in the general area, we can’t get online many times during the day.

The narrow road we walked with Gede to his family home.

As a result, we attempt to do research and planning a little at a time. When applying online for visas this past week, we often found ourselves kicked off in the middle of preparing an online form, unable to save our work, and having to start all over again. What easily could have been a 30 minute process proved to take four or five hours each day.

As I prepare today’s post, I’m doing so in LiveWriter, an offline program,  when I can’t trust work being saved writing in Blogger.com. Although Blogger automatically saves edits, if the connection disappears midstream, the work is lost, had it not been able to save it in the interim.

WiFi has been a major issue in many areas in which we’ve traveled. We accept that our choice to live in more remote areas is definitely a contributing factor. And, without a doubt, we can  handle a “slow” service. It’s the “no” service factor that provides the greatest degree of frustration.

An electric generating plant along the highway.

Of course, we’ve tried other options including buying a SIM card for our own device. This also only works intermittently with a relatively poor signal as well. It isn’t entirely due to the two villa’s sharing the pole between the two villas and two routers…it’s the signal to the area in general which has to travel across a 1.5 mile, 2.78 km, stretch of sea to Java, Indonesia as described here from Wikipedia:

“Java is an island of Indonesia. With a population of over 141 million (the island itself) or 145 million (the administrative region) as of 2015 Census released in December 2015, Java is home to 56.7 percent of the Indonesian population, and is the most populous island on Earth. The Indonesian capital city, Jakarta, is located on western Java.

Much of Indonesian history took place on Java. It was the center of powerful Hindu-Buddhist empires, the Islamic sultanates, and the core of the colonial Dutch East Indies. Java was also the center of the Indonesian struggle for independence during the 1930s and 1940s. Java dominates Indonesia politically, economically and culturally.”

There are no regulations regarding burning garbage in Bali.  This is a common scene.

As shown above, Java is “the most populous island on Earth” which is the reason we have no interest in taking the ferry across the bay to see it. We hear the traffic is worse than on this island.  That’s just too many people for us!

As a result, the wifi signal coming across the ocean from Java is impeded by distance and also by the necessity of traveling across the sea. We just have to live with it. 

We only expect it to get worse when other guests are arriving to the villa next doors in a few days and when again we return in September when both villas will be fully occupied during those two months.

Kids are heading to school wearing required uniforms, required for all age groups.

Otherwise, we had a pleasant Sunday with clear weather at 92C, 33C, a fascinating high tide and more interesting action on the beach. We were able to complete the online application for the visa for Cambodia and now must wait five business days (beginning tomorrow, Monday in the US) to receive the actual visas via email.

Other than the necessity of booking our favorite hotel today in Sydney, Holiday Inn Old Sydney the Rocks, for our next cruise, a “back-to-back” (two cruises, one after the other) for 33 days departing on October 31st, we anticipate another quiet and low stress day in paradise.

Driving over a river on the road to Negara.

This cruise will commence on the exact date of our four year anniversary of beginning our worldwide travels. It will be a day to celebrate as we embark on our longest cruise to date.

Sure, the wifi issues are annoying and cumbersome. But, it appears there’s nothing we can do about it. We’re locked in for our return and refuse to let the issues prevent us from further enjoying our otherwise ideal time in Bali.

We hope no annoyances prevent YOU from enjoying your day!  Be well.


Photo from one year ago today, June 6, 2015:

There was no post one year ago on this date due the fact that while we went to bed before midnight it was June 5, 2015. At midnight, it became June 6, 2015.  At 2:00 am, we crossed the International Dateline and it became June 7, 2015.  We slept through the two hours it was June 6, 2015. Funny, eh? 

Here’s the post from two years ago with two fun videos while in Madeira, Portugal when we purchase fresh caught tuna from the traveling fish guy. Oddly, this morning, the two Ketuts brought home fresh caught tuna for tonight’s dinner. Another coincidence!

Its a new day…Problem solved!…Enough about technology!

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Fisherman huts located close to the sea where many spend their days after fishing in the early morning and late night hours.

“Sightings on the Beach in Bali”

The young white horse and the boy return for a swim in the river.

Yesterday’s late posting was predicated by the fact that we were unable to get online for several hours to upload it. There was no signal at all. A few days ago, Gede had contacted the service provider located across the bay in Java, the Indonesian mainland, requesting a user name and password be designated for each of these two villas.

When we arrived almost three weeks ago we were concerned over the fact that no user name and password were required to log on. As a result, we continually used Hotspot Shield, the pay-for VPN (a virtual private network) we’ve had these past years to provide us with an added layer of security.  

A paddy field during the harvest season.

Using a VPN has a tendency to slow down web browsing by about 25%, but was necessary under these circumstances. Foolish us, when last week we were concerned that six local teenage boys were sitting on the beach in front of our house for hours wondering why they were there as they continually faced the house, looking our way.

Now, we get it. They were on their phones using our unsecured wifi connection. Why we didn’t think of this slays me. Instead, we assumed they were “casing the joint” as we stayed on alert until they left after dark. Surely, other locals were aware of this easy-to-use network. It’s no wonder we couldn’t get online.

The lush greenery of future fields to be harvested by hand with power lines impeding the view.

When we started out yesterday morning, I was able to write the post but unable to upload a single photo. We realized Gede had made the call having no idea when the new user name and password for our exclusive use would be made available. 

When we hadn’t been able to connect at all after waiting for over two hours, I called Gede, using the SIM card we placed in my phone last week. The reception was poor when he picked up. All I could understand is that he was at a doctor’s appointment with his wife (not urgent). At that point, we knew it was a waiting game until he showed up or called back.

A ride down a wide side street.

Dependable that he is, within an hour, we heard Gede’s motorbike come up the road and park in front of our villa. He’d been notified by email that our private user name and password were ready for our exclusive use. 

He’d also explained that he’d arranged a separate user name and password for the staff next door which enables all of us to be online at our discretion without lessening the quality of the signal. That was yet to be seen.

There’s plenty of spaces between most houses to accommodate motorbikes.

Getting our laptops and phones online was tricky, not as simple as entering the user name and password. Oddly, it requires we login each and every time we get online. But, who’s complaining? Once we figured it all out, during which time Gede stayed with us, we were confident the issue had been resolved. 

Now, the test was determining if our signal would be impacted by the use of the staff when they’re next door, four or five people using data on their phones all at once.

Information on many statues is hard to find online.

By the end of the day, we were satisfied with the connection, not complaining when we couldn’t get online around 4:00 pm or 5:00 pm when locals return from work and the system is overloaded for a few hours. 

We can live with this. We shower and change for dinner at 4 pm and dine at 5 pm (so the two Ketuts can go home early). By 7:00 pm, we’re looking forward to watching a couple of our downloaded shows which don’t require an Internet connection once downloaded. 

Buffalo calf on the side of the road.

By 9:00 pm, we’re back online able to conduct financial matters with a reasonably good connection. By 9:30 pm, I’m reading a book on my phone and fighting to stay awake until 10. Sound familiar? I imagine many of us throughout the world have a similar routine. Any comments? We’d love to hear from you!

This morning I was easily able to download the photos for today’s post in 10 minutes as opposed to taking two or three hours. Now we can spend more time in the pool or taking walks in the interesting and unusual neighborhood. We’re looking forward to sharing many of these photos in upcoming posts.

Desa Baluk, a small village in the Negara region, noted by a statue along the highway.

Yesterday, when we weren’t able to be online, Tom asked, “Are you bored?”  Thinking for a moment, I answered, “No, I’m never bored. I’ve got plenty going on in my brain to keep me entertained!” He laughed and wholeheartedly agreed.

As is the case on many tropical islands, papayas grow with little care, free for the picking.

Enough about technology for a few days. We don’t want to bore YOU!

We hope your day is varied and entertaining! 

Photo from one year ago today, May 20, 2015:

One year ago I shopped at this boutique in Kauai, Azure, which had a fairly good selection of women’s and men’s clothing. As it turned out most of which I purchased at that time had been washed so many times that recently I’ve given most of it the “heave-ho.” I purchased a few new items recently in New Zealand but have found shopping for clothing only once a year spending under IDR $2,714,000, US $200, doesn’t quite cut it. At this point, I’ll wait until we get back to the US in 2017 to update some items in my aging and worn wardrobe.  For details, please click here.

We’re here!…Late posting due to WiFi issues out to sea…

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The beaches of Australia are pristine and unspoiled, even during these warm summer months. (It’s summer in the Southern Hemisphere).

We would have been late posting even if the WiFi issues hadn’t occurred when everyone aboard the ship was indoors trying to get online at the same time.

With a busy morning of socializing over a late breakfast and not even having a moment available to see if we could get online, finally seven hours later than we usually begin posting, we had a connection.

Overall, this is unusual. During our past 11 cruises, we’ve managed a good signal while out to sea allowing us to post with a few photos. As it turns out we won’t be able to post more than five or six photos a day with the slow service we’re experiencing. 

Yesterday we’d decided to stay on the ship knowing we’ll be back in Melbourne on other upcoming cruises.

Otherwise, we’re having the time of our lives. Tom’s abscess continues to improve and although I’ve picked up a bit of a cough over the past three days, I’m feeling relatively good. I supposed after three days, I must be less contagious especially when I’m not sneezing at all or coughing in public and, not touching others while learning to use the “Howie Mandell handshake” of bumping elbows.

I’m able to entirely contain the cough by taking deep breaths when the urge arises and by washing my hands at least once an hour, hoping not to infect others. If it doesn’t get any worse, I’m good. I can’t seem to escape getting the cruise cough these days. Most likely it’s entirely due to our lack of exposure to germs on a day-to-day basis, except when we fly or cruise. 

The remnants of an old pier no longer used.

“They” (whoever they are) say a little exposure to germs is the best way to toughen the immune system. But, our quiet lives spent mostly just the two of us certainly keeps us free from much exposure to the germs of others. 

Tom’s already on antibiotics for his abscess so it’s unlikely he’ll get any type of bacterial infection from me or others.

Most illnesses on cruises and from flying on airplanes are viruses, not bacterial infections. Antibiotics don’t work for viruses unless it turns into a bacterial infection, for example, a strep throat, bronchitis, or a sinus infection.  Thank goodness, none of that so far.

Melbourne appears to be a lovely city, although considerably smaller than Sydney.

As for our good time, it’s unbelievable. With mostly Aussies, Kiwi’s (NZ) and Americans on this ship, we’re amazed by how many wonderful people we’ve met and interacted with up to this point of only three days since embarking. It’s astounding! 

In each venue we engage in pleasant and meaningful conversations ending in our having handed out dozens of business cards which will enable us to stay in touch after the cruise. 

How does this happen? Is it anything about us, we ask? Not necessarily. Although a genuine smile and a warm and sincere “hello” can go a long way in starting conversations. A cruise is no place for shyness, never an issue for either of us.

View of a major overpass in Melbourne.

This cruise appears to have about 20% of its passengers under age 40, about 3% children under 16 with the rest falling into the middle age and senior category.

We don’t necessarily spend time with only seniors. This morning we had a blast in the Café el Bacio with a group of six from Sydney, all in their 40’s with all of their children along who’d busied themselves with a variety of kid-friendly activities.  

Tonight, we’re having dinner with a fabulous Australian couple from the Gold Coast that is in our age range that we met a few nights ago at the Ensemble Bar. We clicked instantly and have gabbed with one another several times in between. Tonight, we’ll meet at the main dining room at 6:30 for dinner.

The ship holds 2850 passengers (crew of 1250) and we suspect it’s filled to capacity. Although a little larger than our preferred under 2000, it still feels cozy enough to have an opportunity to meet people, running into familiar faces on many other occasions.

After a great night’s sleep last night in the comfy bed, most likely we’ll be able to stay out a little later than last night. We’ve yet to attend the shows held nightly in the Solstice Theatre nor have we had time for a movie or down time in the cabin. We’re simply too busy for such events. 

A buoy marking the bay in Melbourne.

Having fun is having fun. Where and how we have it is irrelevant to us. It’s certainly no wonder why we love cruising, cruise cough or not. With our included beverage packages, Tom is drinking in moderation and we’re both continuing to enjoy the coffee bar as our primary socialization spot during the day. 

The specialty teas are a luxury for me and I can’t seem to drink enough. Tom continues to enjoy the Caramel Macchiato a few times a day which I doubt he’d have tried if it wasn’t included in the beverage package. 

Not that he’s a total tightwad but at US $6, AU $8.49 he’d probably have ordered a cocktail over a coffee drink. Without the beverage package, most likely, I’d have opted for the complimentary teas as opposed to the specialty teas rather than spending US $5.50, AU $7.79 for a small pot barely filling my mug.

Well, folks, that’s it for today. Tomorrow, we’ll be back with a special email we received from a reader we’d loved to share with his permission granted to do so. Our readers throughout the world are wafting along with us, nautical mile after nautical mile. 

We’re grateful for your friendship, support, and continuing attention! What a gift!

Photo from one year ago today, January 8, 2015:

The cloud obstructed moon over the Big Island, one year ago caught our attention for this “packman” type shot. For more details as we approached our last week on the island of Hawai’i’, please click here.

Trip to town…Nuances in a small village…

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A mooring spot for the locals.

Each Thursday Rasnesh picks us up to take us to go to the village to shop after we’ve completed and uploaded the day’s post.  In most cases, we’re done by 11:30 am.

Timing is everything.  We can’t choose just anytime to go when Rasnesh
takes off for lunch each day around noon and Helen is gone from the her store, Fiji Meats, usually between noon and 2 pm.   Fiji meats is always our last stop after the Vodafone kiosk (data), the Farmers Market and New World Market.

If we wait to go after 2 pm, the Farmers Market had thinned out for the day and its difficult to find items on our list.  Each week, we carefully plan the meals before shopping.  Although its often subject to change when we can’t find basic ingredients such as lettuce, which is never available at New World and is hard to find at the Farmers Market later in the day.

As a result, we’ve chosen 1 pm as our pick up time.  We usually arrive at the Vodafone Kiosk at about 1:20.  The time awaiting our turn varies.  Yesterday, we waited in the queue for at least 15 minutes with only two customers ahead of us.

A fishing boat we’ve often noticed on the road to the village.

Even our turn at the kiosk takes a good 15 minutes when the lovely rep we’ve come to know works quickly to upload the data onto our SIM cards.  Yesterday, we added a total of 48 gigs between our two dongles at a cost of FJD $150, USD $69.40, enough to last another week.

We always purchase data using a promo she provides of 8 gigs for FJD $25, USD $11.57 which is available via a scratch off card.  She enters each scratched off PIN into her phone to activate it.  Yesterday, we purchased six cards.  We could easily purchase the cards, take them home and load the data ourselves.  But, she does is quickly so we wait.  By the time we walked away from the kiosk, it was pushing 2 pm.

Upon entering the Farmers Market, we noticed many vendors had already left for the day.  The pickings were slim but we managed to find everything on our list.  The good looking green beans were long gone.  We settled for what we could get, a single somewhat withered batch for FJD $2, USD $.93.

Finding cabbage and cukes was easy.  We lucked out finding six small bunches of lettuce at a total cost of FJD $9, USD $4.15.  As we headed toward the door, the egg man still had a dozen or so of the 2 1/2 dozen eggs flats. We purchased one flat at FJD $12.50, USD $5.77; fresh, free range and antibiotic free brown eggs, always perfect upon cracking.

Yesterday, this cruise ship we often see from our veranda arrived into port. Passengers were brought into the village via tenders.  Displays of handicrafts were scattered throughout the village to accommodate the ship’s passengers as they shopped for trinkets.
With our yellow insulated Costco beach bag filled to the brim, which on ccasion a few Americans have noticed along the way, we headed to New World Market.  Rasnesh informed us he’d be getting a call around 2 pm to transport another customer, another 40 minute round trip.  There was no way we could avoid waiting for him to return.  As we walked from the Farmers Market to the New World, we saw Helen walking quickly rushing to get back in time for us.  It was a long walk back to her store from the center of the village.  We’d called her earlier in the day saying we’d be there between 2 and 2:30 pm to pick up our standing order.  After the long wait at the kiosk later for Rasnesh, there was no way we’d make it in time.

Arriving at the New World Market we were excited to find they had thick fresh cream, sour cream and cheese ensuring we’d be able to make our salad dressing and various dishes planned throughout the week.  They even had fresh mushrooms but we’d recently had our fill and had decided to take a break.

This boat off the back of the ship was most likely taking passengers snorkeling.

As always, we called Rasnesh as we entered the checkout line only to discover he wouldn’t be back to the village another 40 minutes.  We could either wait outside in the heat or stay inside the market air conditioned comfort,  We found an out-of-the-way spot to wait with our trolley and our purchased and bagged items.

Rasnesh finally arrived apologizing for the wait.  Since he’s the only driver in town that can make it up the steep hill to Mario’s properties, we had no choice but to wait for him. Last week, he’d sent a friend to pick us up when he couldn’t make it back in time.  The drive up the hill was a difficult when the unfamiliar driver struggled with a front wheel drive vehicle. We didn’t complain, although deciding we’d never use a another driver again.Once we arrived at Helen’s, she casually mentioned how she’s rushed to get back by 2 for us.  We apologized profusely for being late when the delays at the kiosk and the 40 minute wait for Rasnesh left us behind schedule.  What could we do?  As regular customers spending around FJD $150, USD $69 each week, she’s always happy to see us regardless of the time.  She understood. 
Leftover fireworks from Diwali celebration were on sale at the market.

Back home by almost 4 pm, I spent the next few hours putting away the groceries and sorting and washing our produce.  In all, we spent a total of FJD $416, USD $192 for groceries plus the cost of the data.

Overall, we’ve spent no more than this amount on any given week, which for living on a island where all food products arrive by ferry, is reasonable.  We don’t purchase laundry products, most cleaning supplies (other than dish soap and toilet bowl cleaner) or toilet paper which are otherwise provided.  Based on expenditures to date we expect to be under our budgeted allowance for groceries while in Fiji by a few hundred dollars.

As compared to other shoppers throughout the world, we don’t purchase snacks, breads, baked goods, chips, ice cream, potatoes, rice or any type of packaged processed foods which cuts down on the grocery bill.

We were facing this candy display as we waited for Rasnesh.  Tom hasn’t purchased candy or junk food since he purchased fudge in Maui last year.

If we consumed those products, we could easily spend FJD $650, USD $300 per week.  Overall, prices are reasonable in Fiji but, we purchase some more expensive imported cheeses, butter and dairy products, mainly from New Zealand.

At 5:30 pm Junior stopped by to replace our only table lamp which had burned out the previous night.  We’ve used this lamp as opposed to the bright overhead lights when dining and watching our shows in the evening.

By 6:30 pm, we were at the table enjoying our meal of Helen’s roasted chicken, green beans, the last of the mushroom casserole, salad and a low carb homemade muffin slathered in that fabulous New Zealand butter.

A pretty yellow flower on the grounds.

As always, Tom did the dishes.  Unfortunate, a gecko fell into his hot dish water and died.  I scrubbed the table with hot soapy water and Tom washed the plastic placemats.  We’re still holding back on the ants.

In our old lives, I’d have jumped into the car leaving Tom behind driving a short distance to the grocery store.  I’d purchase food for the week, load the car and drive home.  In the house, the cable company provided all the data we could use and all the shows we wanted to watch on Demand or DVRs.  Our cellphone contracts provided calls and data as needed. 

There was no gecko poop in the house and ants rarely visited.  But, somehow we love this life, its nuances, its challenges and its never ending rewards and purpose.   Thanks to all of you for sharing this journey with us.

______________________________________

Photo from one year ago, November 13, 2014:

There were high surf warnings in Maui.  Not our photo but a good shot of an expert surfer.  For more details, please click here.

A day we’ll remember…Contact with the outside world…

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We can only imagine how frustrating it must be for sailors and tourists hesitating to partake in boating activities during this rainy period.

Yesterday was unlike any other day we’ve experienced in our travels. No, it wasn’t a typhoon or a hurricane, but it could have been. The winds whipped around this house shaking it on its stilts that hold up the ocean side of the house, the balance wedged into the steep hill. 

The rain came down as hard as we’ve ever seen, steadily, hour after hour. At one point Tom said, “Gee, I hope there’s not a landslide!” I hadn’t thought of that. Then, after he said it, I did think of how possible it could be living on the side of this mountain, after rain falling day after day with only a few exceptions since we arrived 39 days ago. 

(After today, we’ll stop writing about rain for a while unless, of course, if there’s a typhoon or we do in fact, float away. We’re tired of it too, as most of you are into reading about it. You’ll see it’s ended when we post sunny day photos).

On the last partially sunny day, we drove through Yaroi, a small village further down the road from Savusavu.

It was a good thing we shopped a day earlier, avoiding the worst of it. This morning, still cloudy and outrageously humid, the rain is stopped at the moment, for however long we don’t know. For the first time in days, we can see across the bay through a shroud of haze and humidity.

If the sun appeared today, we’d still have to stay put for a few days to let the roads dry, never expecting Rasnesh to make it up the steep incline on the dirt road which by now, is all mud. 

Houses of the local villagers lined the highway.

The house is still intact with only a little water seeping in through the jalousie windows which we kept closed during the worst of it, wiping it up throughout the day. This morning, we were able to open the windows again for fresh air and yet the windows remain covered in raindrops unable to evaporate in the humid air.

Four days ago, I did some hand washing, and today it’s still damp. This morning, when I grabbed my pill case to swallow a few prescriptions and vitamins, most of them had disintegrated into powdery dust. I salvaged what I could and replaced the rest. Now our pill cases will remain in the refrigerator which is already packed to its limits as shown in yesterday’s post.

School for special education.

Two years ago, we thought the humidity in Kenya was the worst we’d ever seen. The zippers on our luggage turned green from the humidity. Since that period, we’ve become smarter and regularly zip and unzip the bags at least every few weeks whenever we’ve lived in humid climates.

Yesterday, Junior, soaked through and through, stopped by to see if we were OK. That’s the kind of service we get here. And later than usual, Shalote came with fresh towels and sheets to change the bed. She, too, was soaking wet. I wondered how her slim, lithe body would manage walking in the strong winds.

Entrance to the school which didn’t appear to be in session.

Sure, we’re looking forward to getting out to see more of this island’s beauty and to take many more photos.  But, we’re easily maintaining an upbeat attitude keeping ourselves busy. 

This rainy period of time has given us the opportunity to investigate future travel options and slowly, we’re coming to a place where we’ll be able to pin down some decisions. Once we do, we’ll certainly share them here.

We weren’t able to determine if this old structure is occupied.

During food prep yesterday, I couldn’t seem to get my hands or the wood countertops dry no matter how many paper or cloth towels I used. By the end of the day, my fingertips were wrinkly comparable to spending a long period in water. 

Even the cloth furniture and our clothing felt damp. Thank goodness the temperatures remained cool enough to make the humidity a little more tolerable.

Most houses are on some type of raised structure in the event of inclement weather.

As for today, we continue to be housebound. With a 70% chance of rain hopefully dwindling over the next week, we’re content with the current situation knowing eventually, we’ll be able to get out and about. 

Tom’s been busy with his favorite pastimes; Ancentry.com, managing investments; connecting with his railroad cronies, family, and friends on Facebook; watching and reading US news; and listening to his favorite radio podcasts from Minnesota, KSTP 1500, “Garage Logic.” He used to wear earbuds when listening until recently when I’ve also enjoyed listening to the show.

Beaches are still eye-catching on cloudy days.

Yesterday, I downloaded 10 books in “Kindle Unlimited” at Amazon.com (USD $10, FJD $21 a month for all the books one can read, never having more than 10 “checked out” in any given time). In 24 hours, I’ll breeze through two books especially when my computer was busy downloading movies and TV shows on Graboid.com preventing me from doing anything else at the same time. In one day, I used five gigs of data, more than the average person may use in a month.

These online resources provide us with entertainment, information, and contact with the outside world. With our newly purchased Vodafone Internet dongles, we have a great connection, easily able to enjoy our pastime activities.

Have a peaceful or action-packed weekend, whichever suits your desires!

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

A year ago today, we were settled into our new home in Maui, a beautiful condo overlooking the ocean with a pool and everything we could possibly need.  With the prospect of Hurricane Ana still looming, Tom decided he’d better check out the beach outside our condo before the deluge. For details, please click here.

Oh no, not again!…

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This popular “island with three trees” is mostly underwater at high tide.

Technology is vital to our way of life. It is imperative for us as a means of transportation or a place to live.  Without it, we can’t research. We can’t manage our finances. We can’t source entertainment. 

Unless, we were willing to do it the “old way” the way it was done in years past when travelers wrote letters or sent telegrams to homeowners in various countries asking if they could rent a room, apartment, or house for a long term holiday.

Cross atop a distant rock on the shore at low tide.

As time progressed, most travel arrangements were often made through travel agencies. But for those seeking a vacation home, one was basically on their own. It’s only been through the magic of the Internet that short term rentals of fully equipped properties have evolved into a major industry, allowing travelers such as us, the luxury of using technology to connect “us” with “them” all the way across the world.

No, we’d never have been interested in this degree of travel by researching the old ways, via letters and static riddled long-distance phone calls. No, thank you. Also, the means of transportation have vastly changed over the decades, making it possible to fly to at least within a day’s car ride to almost anywhere in the world, so to speak.

We drove by the runway our plane used when we arrived at the tiny airport in Savusavu.

Thus, when you read, day after day, our ongoing struggle with attaining a sound Internet connection, please know, it has a tremendous effect on us. Do we spend a small fortune to call our bank when we’re overcharged for getting cash or do we go online, send an email to receive an adjustment within hours? Then again, how would we know we were overcharged? By waiting up to three months to receive a bank statement via snail mail? 

The backside of the tiny Savusavu airport.

How would we get cash? Walk into any bank expecting them to hand over cash from our account in the US?  Hardly, we’d have to set up special communications between the banks after weeks of waiting to be able to get cash for daily living. Not the case today, with technology. Yesterday, Tom slipped his debit card into an ATM machine to walk away one minute later with FJD $600, USD $283, thanks to technology.

Without this, without technology, our hands would be tied.  This life we live requires constant diligence is researching the next phase of our journey, maybe not daily, and at times, not weekly.  However, everyday we handle some aspects of our upcoming travels.

A large  inflatable raft for use of guests of nearby resort.

Everyday, we look up exchange rates.  Everyday, we research numerous web pages to assist us in accurate representations in our posts.  Everyday, we post, uploading photos and stories we’d surely never write without technology .  Instead we’d be using a paper journal with my scratchy inept handwriting, nearly impossible to decipher.

No crocs are to be found in these waters in Fiji.

Photos would have been a nightmare to handle.  Would we carry scrapbooks or photo albums with us all over the world?  We take approximately 10,000 photos a year.  How much would it have cost to have them printed in those days?  Technology.  For us, the answer is clear.

Far across the bay as we drove on the highway.

When we continually mention issues with technology, we anticipate our readers may cringe upon noting the post’s topic and say, “Oh no, not again!”  For this, we apologize.  But, we made a promise when we started this life, documenting our daily lives as we go that we’ll always tell it like it is.  No fluff, no embellishment, no painting of an unrealistic picture of pure bliss.  Telling it like it is, isn’t always interesting and glamorous.

Yesterday, when we visited the village, we purchased two wifi dongles at the Vodafone store for FJD $88, USD $41.51 including 10 gigs each of data, the local cell phone and Internet provider.  When we returned home, we had a strong signal up until around 7 pm. 

Low tide presents some interesting islands.

Today is a holiday, Fiji Day, the celebration of the nation’s independence.  As a result, Fijians are home for the holiday weekend and getting online on their phones and making calls.  The already congested Internet was so poor this morning we had no signal at all.  Now, we’re back up, perhaps temporarily, hopefully long enough to upload this post.

We have no doubt that once the weekend ends, we’ll be online again with more ease, using the technology available to us, conducting necessary banking and checking credit card balances, making free Skype calls to family and friends, posting photos and stories and resuming the search for the next opening in our itinerary, as we continue on our journey.

We never tire of ocean views.

So, after today, we’ll put an end to our endless comments about wifi during the remainder of our time on this island of Vanua Levu.  If you don’t see a post on a particular day, please accept our apologies and know, baring any unforeseen incident, most likely, we were unable to post due to a lack of signal and we’ll be back as quickly as possible.

Thanks to all of our loyal readers and followers.  If you’d like to receive each day’s post in your email, please enter your email address in the box provided on the main portion of any day’s post.  You will not be contacted by us or any other entity by doing so. 

Have a fabulous weekend!

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Photo from one year ago today, October 10, 2014:

Waikiki Beach and Honolulu are a photographer’s dream as shown in our photo at sunset one year ago.  For more details and photos, please click here.

Living in a third world country has its ups and downs…

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Tourist information at the police station.

When a tourist is visiting a third-world country partaking in its historical beauty with the intention of expanding their personal horizons through exposure to a land far removed from their own reality, they have an opportunity to experience life from an entirely different perspective.

Although we’ve had a tendency to avoid visiting war-torn countries, we have been to many countries where armed guards were stationed at every corner and safety could easily be compromised in the blink of an eye.

We’ve had the experience of having our driver’s car searched upon entry to a strip mall’s parking lot. We’ve been frisked when we entered the market, the chemist and the phone store. 

The local courthouse has few cases.

Two years ago we were living in Kenya when the horrific attack on a mall in Nairobi occurred. Although we were many hours drive away, our family and friends expressed concern as to our presence in a relatively high-risk environment. We have no regrets for the experiences of living in that and other countries.

But, that’s easy for us to say when our three months living in Kenya passed safely for us. We’ve visited war-torn countries, countries of political unrest, countries with riots in the streets, all with high risks of carjacking, bombings, and gunfire.

What constitutes a third world country? In some older references, it’s stated that a third world county is a “nonaligned nation, often developing nations” based on associations to other industrialized nations. Today, the definitions are vague. The term is used less often. But, the concept seems to revolve around economics and growth.

In those respects, Fiji, especially Vanua Levu is a third world country. The word “industrialization” is far removed from a description of this nation as a whole. 

There are no factory workers, no factories, no rail lines, and most modern products are shipped into the country via containers on ships, including household goods, furniture, cars, most clothing, technological equipment, and all packaged food products. 
 
From the perspective of a tourist, typically staying in a modern hotel, many of these aspects are less apparent.  They dine in the quaint local restaurants, shop in the locally owned shops, visit the typical tourist spots and come away with a perspective of comfort, luxury and abundance, much of which is provided by the hotel or resort and its tour relations.  

Hotels and resorts in their efforts to build their own economic wealth often provide an “all-inclusive” environment, often keeping tourists utilizing their amenities rather than seek outside local resources to enhance their vacation/holiday. 

Yes, they employ the local people surely adding a benefit to the nation’s economic growth as well as enhancing the quality of life for its employees. For visitors who stay for extended periods, such as us, don’t have the luxury of these pre-arranged price-included services and amenities. 

But, the “real” Fiji is its natural beauty, its warm and welcoming people, its exquisite ocean views, and its simplicity in that “less is more.” With a “less is more” mentality comes challenges often far removed from the reality of life in many other lands.

For us, for now, we live here.  Three months is a short period compared to a lifetime for the locals and their generations-long passed. But, three months is long enough to acquire the “flavor” of both the good and, the not so good, which connotes an aspect of living in this lovely nation with power outages, slow arrival of products, slow snail mail, poor wifi signals, and less advanced medical care.

The city provides housing for the police department and their families.

In these past five days as we’ve mentioned, we’ve experienced an eight-hour power outage and five days without a wifi signal. Instead, we’ve had no choice but to use a phone for a weak signal and for receiving email for which we’re very grateful. For the long haul, more is needed. 

To date, this hasn’t occurred as we continue to wait patiently as Mario scrambles to discover a possible viable solution. We appreciate his diligent efforts.

Soon, we’re headed to the village for shopping which is one of our favorite activities of living in a less modern environment. Shopping in Savusavu is both rewarding and enriching and we love every moment of wandering through the local shops, talking and smiling with the locals, and extending our heartfelt “bula” along with theirs.

A portion of the barracks provided for the police force employees.

With clouds overhead, we doubt we’ll do any sightseeing today.  Shopping is our second priority when we’ve consumed almost every morsel we’ve had on hand. Ratnesh is picking us up at 11:00 am for today’s list of priorities to include:

1.  Stop at ATM for cash
2.  Visit both digital data stores
3.  Visit the pharmacy for a pair of reading specs (mine broke, which I use at night after removing my contacts)
4.  Shop at the Farmers Market for produce for a long list
5.  Shop at the grocery stores with a shortlist
6.  Stop at the meat market to pick up the chickens Helen is holding for us and to purchase more streaky bacon and ground grass-fed beef and pork.

In essence, living in a so called “third world” country for a period of time fulfills exactly the types of experiences we find to be ultimately rewarding and memorable. With that, the challenges become a part of normal, everyday life. We continue to accept these challenges while seeking solutions that may, in the long run, make it just a little easier.

Have a fabulous new day in your life!

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

A huge banyan tree in Waikiki, commonly seen in the Hawaiian Islands. For more details, please click here.

Abundance is in the eye of the beholder…

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Ratnesh explained that before dark all the goats return to this abandoned house where they sleep at night. 

They say that “beauty is in the eye of the beholder.” In our lives, we find that “abundance is in the eye of the beholder” is a more befitting observation we’ve found as we travel the world, especially in the hearts and minds of the local people. This has, without a doubt, rubbed off on us as we discover less and less becomes more and more appealing.

As we traveled along the road with Ratnesh he takes us to special places he knows we’ll find appealing. He’s quickly learned what appeals to us, not the usual tourist spots, but that which other tourists may find mundane and hardly photo-worthy.

Cows munching on greenery along the road.

Our tastes are simple, often wrapped around the sightings that so well bespeak the lifestyle and work of the people of Fiji, a few cows grazing near the road; a flock of chickens wandering about with chicks in tow, rooster-dad watching for danger; a herd of goats, knowing exactly where to return as darkness falls.

Our minds wander to who these people are, whose lives depend on these animals for sustenance, for income, and for an opportunity to live a life comparable to the unencumbered lives so many freely live here on this quiet island. 

These goats were on the shoulder of the road, free to roam.

Abundance is in the eye of the beholder. Over these past years on the move, we, too, have filled our hearts with a sense of abundance that doesn’t include flat-screen TVs, DVRs, central air conditioning, or closets filled with clothes.

We ask only for a clean, comfortable temporary home, working plumbing, power, and blessed be WiFi, so we can share our story as it unfolds each day, in itself providing us with a sense of abundance with thoughts of how many citizens of the world have read our posts, some once, others over and over again. For us, that’s abundance.

Hopefully, motorists kept a watchful eye when driving past them.

Is it well deserved?  Perhaps not, at times as we waft through the mundane of daily lives, without a single exciting adventure or photo to share. And at other times, perhaps yes, when we have an exciting story we can’t wait to spill, a jaw-dropping experience we’d only imagined in our dreams.

I write this post on October 7th at 5:30 pm, rapidly stroking the keys, hoping to upload a few photos tonight, all for an early upload in the morning. We don’t choose to alter the consistency of our posting, when we’ve diligently exercised every effort to be on time each and every day, except at times on long travel days.

There were several moms, kids, and a few dominant males in the group, always watching for potential dangers.

Why prepare a post the evening before its expected upload date? Today, Thursday, the WiFi to the area will be shut down in order to bring in a new line to our house to ensure we’ll have a viable connection during our remaining two months in Savusavu. We appreciate this greatly, Mario’s willingness to go to these lengths.

We’ve waited patiently for days. I’ve read six books in the past five days, my speed-reading ability learned decades ago, coming into play when I’ve been unable to be online, devouring page after page on the tiny screen on my phone. 

My fingers tire of “turning” the pages in the Kindle app long before my eyes tire of the printed words and at times, the stories are less than perfect, ranging from fluffy romance novels to gripping international intrigue and espionage. My tastes are varied. It’s the “page-turner” aspect I hunger for, hopefully well written. If not good after the first few pages, I permanently remove it from my phone. Garbage, I can’t read.

They munched and began the easy climb up this hill to their “home” as shown above in the main photo.

With a US $10, FJD $21.52 monthly fee with Amazon, I can read up to 10 books at any given time, returning each as I finish to grab another in its place after it’s returned online. How have I managed to download these books with a bad connection? 

Magically, using the Vodaphone SIM on Tom’s phone to connect to my phone which has worked for downloading books, although patience is of the utmost importance as I often wait as long as 20 minutes to download one book.

Hopefully, by late in the day, this waiting game will be over and we can go back to our usual lives of research, watching movies, and ease of use, taking this month-long focus on a bad signal well into oblivion. If not, I don’t know what we’ll do. 

Hurriedly, I wrap things up now, knowing by 9:30 the tech is scheduled to arrive to begin the work. As evident, he didn’t arrive yesterday to upgrade the lines. I called the phone company three times asking when a tech would arrive. 

This baby goat, no more than a few weeks old, was crying when it couldn’t easily get down the hill to join the others.

Finally, Mario received a call from the phone company’s tech guy asking him to pick up the tech guy in town to bring him here. The truck broke down and he had no transportation to make the appointment. 

I wonder how would he make the repairs today without his truck and equipment? But we shall see. I’d like to be optimistic. Surely, if and when this job is completed, a sense of abundance will once again prevail.

Will you find abundance in your life today?

Photo from one year ago today, October 8, 2014:

The sunset in Hawaii was always worth checking out each night as we walked to a restaurant for dinner. We didn’t cook any meals in the tiny condo, finding it too confining. For more details and a sunset video, please click here.

Patience prevailed on a challenging day!…

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Ratnesh stopped along the highway to show us this lily pond.

We realize all of our readers must be tired of hearing about our wifi issues. Hopefully, by the end of today, we’re hoping to have working Internet. Right now, as I’ve done over the past several days, I’m using “Internet sharing” off of the Vodaphone Fiji SIM card installed in Tom’s phone in order to upload our posts.

The SIM card expires tomorrow and we still have 28 unused gigs we’ll lose when the data is only usable for 30 days. The signal was too weak to use much of the 30 gigs we purchased when we arrived. Tomorrow, we’ll “top off” the card with less data than the original purchase. 

Using wifi in this manner results in the slowest connection I’ve experienced since 1991 when it took hours to connect to the Internet via a landline. Yesterday, it took 30 minutes to load each of a few photos.

In late 1991, in the early Internet days, Tom and I each had a desktop computer. We’d play one of the first games offered online, Netplay. It took eight hours to download the game and it required a re-install many times when it would crash. We’d leave the computers on all night attempting to re-install it, often finding it wasn’t done in the morning.

On Monday, the phone company was supposed to come here to resolve our issues. Their truck broke down.  Then they were scheduled again for Tuesday. Alas, at 9:00 am yesterday, the power went out. There’s no way the phone company could work on providing us service without power.

Badal stops by every night while we’re having dinner. We give him something good to eat, the usual meat off of our plates. This photo was taken a few days ago when oddly, he arrived earlier than usual, just before sunset, enabling me to take a photo. 

We didn’t realize the power had gone out until about 30 minutes later when we tried to turn on the overhead fan and it wouldn’t start.  Checking a few outlets, we realized what had happened.  A short time later, Junior popped in to tell us the power would be out most of the day.  They were working on the lines.

Oh.  No power and no wifi. That makes for a fun-filled day. We thought about calling Ratnesh for a day’s outing, but if the power returned, the phone company could arrive and we needed to be here.

Quickly, we dimmed the brightness settings on our laptops and phones to a point of being barely readable, checking how much time we had left on the batteries on each, planning our day accordingly, mixed amongst playing Gin, playing games, reading a book on our laptops and phones. 

We couldn’t open the refrigerator to start preparing the salad for dinner, not wanting any of the coolness to escape, although we did so a few times for iced tea and ice.

We began planning the evening should the power not return before dark.  We had a delicious leftover entrée we could easily heat in a pan on the stove with some side dishes already made to accompany. When the power was out a week ago Shalote had brought us candles and matches so we could easily light the gas stove to reheat the meal. At 4:00 pm, I made my tea, as usual, heating the water in a pot on the stove as opposed to using the electric teapot.

If we left enough juice on my computer we could watch one or two videos we’d saved from Graboid. If we left enough juice on our phones we could read after dinner after watching a few videos.

At certain points, we discussed how the roads could have been anywhere in the world such as in this photo.

By 2 pm, we were almost out of juice, phones down to 20%, laptops not lagging far behind. If the power didn’t return it would be Gin only by candlelight, no books, no games, no mindless drivel. My laptop and Tom’s phone were nearly depleted of power from using his phone to prepare and upload the post which hogs data and energy.

Being together 24/7 doesn’t leave us hours of idle chatter over the events of our day to share with one another.  Although, throughout the day, we somehow found ourselves chatting over endless topics we may not have discussed most recently.

At 4:00 pm, Junior stopped by again to let us know if the power returned before 4:30 the phone company would still come out to work on the signal. Otherwise, they’d come out first thing today. 

Well, 4:30 came and went…no power. At 5 pm, almost to the minute when the electric company employee’s shift ends, the power returned. We still had no wifi, other than the weak signal returning on Tom’s phone as it began to recharge. 

We’ve learned to keep all of our electronics fully charged at all times for this very purpose. Had we not done so, we’d have run out of juice much earlier and those hours of solitaire on our laptops, whiled the time away, sort of.

Beach view. Seldom have we’ve seen people on the beaches.

We didn’t complain to Mario or Junior. We didn’t complain to one another in an effort to keep each other’s spirits up.  In these cases, it’s always comforting to know if the power will return before dark. But, one never does.

This isn’t comparable to living in one’s home when the power is out at night. We’d have gone down to the basement with an enormous flashlight, gathered our trusty Coleman battery and gas lanterns, and been set for the night. We’d even have had the opportunity to power up the generator we had for such occasions, returning the refrigerator to full operation along with many lights and other appliances.

During the day, we could have cleaned cupboards, rearranged dresser drawers, and busied ourselves in certain household tasks. In this life, we have no basement with lanterns or battery or gas operated devices to light the night. We had no shelves to rearrange and we don’t have a dresser with drawers, just a few shelves in a closet without hanging space. 

We had two tall skinny candles without candle holders and a book of matches. We’d do the “melt some wax into a plate and set the candle into it” thing and we’d have light.

This is the life we’ve chosen. And, sometimes, it’s not convenient. And sometimes, it’s annoying. And yes, sometimes we do complain. After all, simply because we’ve changed the roof over our heads, and the country in which we’re living, we’re still human and subject to frustrations, just like everyone else.

It was a beautiful day to be out. Hopefully, tomorrow’s outing will be equally sunny when today is overcast and windy.

We’re still us and although we’re more tolerant than in our old lives, our feathers do get ruffled from time to time.

So, while the power was out, I went on an ant killing rampage. Using the remaining hot water and soap, I washed everything where I saw a single ant, the exterior of the refrigerator, the cabinet door fronts, the wood countertops, the stovetop where they were marching in a straight line looking for a sloppy morsel I may have left behind. 

By 5:00 pm, on the nose, the power returned. The fact that we still had no wifi was incidental at that point.  We’d be able to enjoy our evening, have a nice dinner, watch our two remaining shows, an episode of Shark Tank and another episode of season two of Scandal (without a good wifi signal we haven’t been able to download movies and TV shows).

As always, Badal, Sewak’s dog, arrived at our door at 6:30 pm for a bite to eat which we freely offered and, we had a lovely meal, smiling and giggling over the excitement of the returned power, being together and our good fortune, good health and a roof over our heads.

Today, we wait even more patiently for the phone company to fix our issues but for now, with power, we’re fine. Funny how that works, isn’t it?

Photo from one year ago, October 7, 2014:

Sunset photo we took standing on the shore of Waikiki Beach, one year ago. For more details, please click here.

Most perfect day yet…Minus one amenity…

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Ratnesh showing us the rock formation by the sea.

We awoke this morning to both of our phones displaying a time of 7:30 am. When we got up and checked our computers, the time showed 6:30 am. For the first time since we arrived almost one month ago, it is by far the clearest day we’ve seen to date and yet when looking outside it appeared to be 7:30, not 6:30.

Soon, we discovered, the Internet wasn’t working most likely having a bearing on the clocks on our phones, with the laptops “remembering” the times we’d previously set. I suppose that makes sense.

This morning’s view across the bay.

A few days ago Junior brought us a single chaise lounge, which we’ll take turns using, and now at almost 9 am, I’m hoping that after I wrap up today’s post, the sun will still be out and available in the corner of the veranda where I’ll sit to soak up a much-needed dose of vitamin D, long since ignored and forgotten over all of these rainy days.

We drove into an area by the beach with a massive rock formation.

This house is situated on a huge U-shaped bay. Right now I need only pick up my head to see the other side of the bay as shown in this photo I took a few minutes ago. What a view! At some point soon, we expect simultaneous sunny days and working wifi enabling us to sit outdoors facing the ocean while posting.

We found coral in the tiny pool of water.

How am I writing now when the Internet is down? I’m hooked up to the weak signal from the SIM card on Tom’s phone. Our position on this mountain prevents a clear signal.  However, Blogger doesn’t require a strong signal to open a draft page when no photos are involved.  The writing part is doable on its own. 

The bubbles around the coral led us to believe it is alive.

Although our photos are small files they require a certain amount of bandwidth to upload to the Internet. Right now, using Tom’s SIM, I can only upload one photo at a time, requiring no less than 10 minutes each to complete.

It’s interesting how plants and trees grow from rocks and continue to thrive.

What I have done is post one photo at a time while keeping busying busy preparing tonight’s meal in short spurts in between the uploads. Sitting and watching a slow upload is comparable to watching paint dry.

As Ratnesh held this shell in his hand, the creature therein began to emerge.

At the moment, Mario (Junior is off today) is attempting to resolve the problem by re-establishing a connection to the router in our house which requires numerous settings he updates on his phone. We feel badly having to take his time but, we can’t be online without this device working properly. Otherwise, we’re sharing the connection with all of the other renters in the other building.

When the signal in out for the area, there’s nothing that can be done but wait until it returns whenever that may be. In the interim, being able to post with this weak signal from Tom’s phone will alleviate some of our concerns over getting something posted.

Ratnesh pointed to small shrimp, crustaceans, and a variety of sea creatures living in tiny shells.

We often think of our most avid readers who explain they enjoy that cup or coffee, tea or glass of wine when they sit down to check out what’s going on in our part of the world on yet another day. Although we may not have anything of great interest to share on a particular day, we feel compelled to post something with a few new photos.

A water hole in the rock formation with coral.

I know how disappointed I feel when finding a favorite blog that hasn’t posted anything recently. We’re all creatures of habit to some degree and consistency often provides us with a sense of comfort. Well, whether we have interesting news or not, we definitely fall into the consistency category of blog writers.

We have many more new photos to post but couldn’t resist sharing a few of this morning’s clear day photos of our views.

For tomorrow, hopefully back online with a full signal, we’ll have a post about the lifestyles and routines of the locals. We’ve interviewed several local citizens from generations of history on this small island of Vanua Levu. 

What they’ve shared with us is both interesting and awe-inspiring. Please check back tomorrow for the story and many more new photos.

Photo from one year ago today, October 4, 2014:

When our ship docked in Hilo, we took a taxi for a tour of the city which included a stop at this same park we’d visited on another occasion when our kids came to visit months later. For details of that date, please click here.