Day 21…Circumnavigating the Australian continent…Dodged a bullet!

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Duty free alcohol is sold aboard the ship at good prices, but held until the last night of the cruise to prevent passengers from drinking their own alcohol to avoid buying drinks.

“Sighting on the Ship in Australia”

Painting in the art gallery aboard ship.

Two days ago we wrote about how thrilled we were to have avoided getting sick when so many passengers were coughing and sneezing throughout the ship. I spoke too soon. That evening, while at the 70’s music and dancing party in the Centrum, I started feeling an awful tickle in my throat causing me to cough.

By the time we got back to the cabin I knew I was in trouble when my throat became sore, and the tickle turned into all night hacking. Yesterday morning, I awoke feeling lethargic and awful. Throughout the day, it only worsened.

Preparing audio for this morning’s presentation.

By happy hour and dinner time with friends, I announced I was down with something asking everywhere to sit far from me. This was no bout of allergy as Tom’s sniffles may have been. This was a definitely some type of virus.

Instead of drinking wine and playing pool we returned to the cabin right after dinner while I fell into bed concerned I’d be sick for days. Unable to sleep with the worst sore throat I’d had in years, I soon began shivering. A fever had definitely set in.

This morning’s passengers in the Centrum during a “future cruises” presentation.

Not only was I covered by the duvet on the bed, but I added a fluffy white robe and my travel blanket while I finally shivered myself to sleep. The last thing I said to Tom before he nodded off was, “I think I’ll have to go to the ship’s doctor in the morning. This is bad, bad, bad.”

During the day, I’d taken a non drowsy antihistamine, an 8 hour Tylenol and 3 grams Vitamin C (spread throughout the day), hoping to reduce the symptoms. Exhausted, I finally fell asleep. There was another one hour time change resulting in one hour’s less sleep. Id figured I’d be spending the day in the cabin in quarantine if I visited the doctor and the time difference would have little effect.

Then, the weirdest thing happened. This morning, after a fitful night’s sleep, I awoke at 8:00 am (new time) and I am almost totally better. And I mean, better.  No sore throat, no hacking cough, only the slightest runny nose. What??? How did this happen?

Sale in the Centrum Shops when many items are priced at US $10, none of which has any value for us. The shops are open on sea days only.

I wish I could say I’d figured out some magic formula, but I did not. Is there really such a thing as a 36 hour virus? It certainly appeared to be more challenging than the common cold. 

I’m no wuss as many of our long term readers may be well aware. Often, medical care is sketchy in many areas in which we’ve lived and thus far, we’ve been able to treat any conditions on our own that may have arisen over these past years. That may not always be the case, but for now, it’s working. 

I’ve only been to a doctor twice in the past four years, once in Hawaii with what I thought was a UTI and again in Trinity Beach in 2015 when we both had physical exams to discover all was well for both of us, as we’d expected. 

Logo wear teddy bears.  We’ve only seen a few children on this cruise.

Even during the five months of excruciated back pain from the injury in Bali on June 1st, never once did we seek professional medical assistance. Now I’m completely recovered. Had we gone to a hospital or doctor, what would they have done anyway? Narcotics? No thanks. Surgery? No thanks. 

So, today, I’m cautiously optimistic, hoping I’ve indeed dodged a bullet and recovered in a short 36 hours. We’ll see how it goes over the next several days. With 13 nights remaining until the cruise ends, we can only hope we don’t catch any other viruses. 

Since we wash our hands obsessively, we’ve come to the conclusion that the cruise cough/virus syndrome most likely is airborne most likely a result of tight quarters especially in the elevators where escaping germs from coughing and sneezing is impossible.

The stairways are decorated with an array of artwork.

Today is another day at sea with passengers milling around looking for distraction and entertainment. We’re content in our two chairs and tiny table in the Latte tudes Café where once again, by a fluke, we found available seats.

For the first time ever, Tom had breakfast on his own this morning while I held our table in the café. I just didn’t feel like eating. If later in the day, I feel like something, we’ll head to the Windjammer or another dining venue for a bite. There’s no shortage of food around here.

Besides, don’t “they” say, “Feed a cold, starve a fever”  or is it, “Starve a cold, feed a fever?” Never mind. Eat when hungry. That works for me.

Happy day!

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

 In Savusavu, Fiji I sat on a bench waiting for Tom to return from the ATM after I’d purchased data from the Vodafone kiosk. He’s on the sidewalk across the street wearing a white shirt, carrying the Costco bag on his right shoulder. For more photos, please click here.

Time flies…Soon, we fly…Three days until we board the cruise…Regaining fitness and health…

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Beautiful arrangements of fresh blossoms in the hotel lobby.

It was a quick week. Tomorrow night, we leave for the airport at 9:45 pm using the hotel’s free shuttle already booked. As the week progressed, I had less and less anxiety about the red eye and the plan to pick it up in my stride. It’s only one day of being tired and out of sorts.

This morning, we’re doing a couple of washes in the hotel laundry room. The cost to do wash and dry two loads is IDR 200,000, US 15.33, pricey for a self serve laundry, but a lot less than we’d have paid to send it out. We will come on board with clean clothes, except for the few items we will wear in the coming days. 

As it turned out, on Tuesday we only ate breakfast included at the hotel as our only meal per day. The first day we arrived, Monday, we left the villa without eating anything planning to dine in the evening in the hotel restaurant.

Hotel pool.

The dinner was mediocre with my dietary restrictions and Tom’s fish and chips were good. In both cases, we left the table still hungry after the small portions. 

Instead, we decided to load on the buffet breakfast, order omelettes, bacon and some sides, enough to get us through the next 24 hours until we eat again. If we were hungry in the evening, we’d go have dinner.

Not surprisingly, eating very low carb, neither of us has been hungry at any time during the remainder of the day and evening. We felt satisfied and comfortable never once thinking about eating or snacking. 

As we have mentioned in the past, eating a daily meal is considered an intermittent fast. If you like medical studies, there are countless studies about the benefits of fasting, at least for part of every day. 

Flowers blossom on the grounds of the hotel.

The old theory of eating every few hours will soon be discredited as a careless way to maintain health, weight and fitness. It did not work for most people with endemic type 2 diabetes and obesity prevails in virtually every part of the world.

Then again, what do I know except what seems to work for us as we continue to strive to maintain a level of health and fitness that hopefully will see us through many more years of world travel. Everybody has an opportunity to pick a health plan that works best for them.

None of this makes us exempt from illness, injuries and generally not feeling 100% every day.    Like many of you some days, we do not feel up to the challenge, energetic and ready to face the world. 

Artwork in the pool area.

After months of inactivity while recovering from the June 1 injury, I am struggling to regain my strength. Working out everyday at the hotel has been helpful, but like physical therapy, its a slow process. 

To expect outcomes overnight is not realistic. I will continue to exercise for the next two days, then every day on the upcoming cruise, adding to the time and difficulty of my routine somewhat every day. Hopefully by the end of the 33-night cruise, I’ll be back to my previous level of fitness and energy.

At that time, we will be ready to start again, to prepare meals that we have not had to make for more than three months, since we were in Phuket until September 1. In both locations in Tasmania, we will have home cleaners every two weeks, so we will not have to do more than clean, do laundry and cook. 

Balinese style abounds in the hotel, the Hilton Garden Inn Ngurah Rai Airport.

Tomorrow, we’ll be back with our final post from Bali including the total expenses for our the six nights at this hotel. At 12:10 am Sunday we’ll fly overnight to Sydney, arriving in the morning. 

Later in the day we’ll post again after we’ve hopefully taken a nap after the red eye flight. As a result, the post from Sydney on the 30th (29th for those in other parts of the world) will be posted late. Please keep an eye out. We’ll be back!

Have a beautiful day filled with sunshine!

Photo from one year ago today, October 28, 2015:

These Fijian women were sitting on the floor while one gave the other a massage while working at the farmers market in Savusavu, Fiji.  For more photos, please click here.

Sightseeing venue in Phuket…Visit to the Phuket Sea Shell Museum…A rare treasure

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Most sightseeing activities in Phuket revolve around the ocean in one way or another, including snorkeling, scuba diving, speed boating and visiting various islands all of which are out of the question for me.

The Phuket Sea Shell Museum is easy to spot from the highway.

Getting on and off boats and bouncing in rough waters is definitely not logical at this point as I continue to heal from the spinal injury of June 1 in Bali. Even the slightest movements can send me into a tailspin as I diligently avoid bending at the waist.

The entrance to the museum.

Yesterday, when I was feeling considerably better in the morning, I  mindlessly did a little more around the house only to find myself struggling from 4 pm well into the night. Today, I’ll proceed with more caution.

Based on what I’ve described, our readers can easily see how sightseeing has not been foremost in our minds with most of it requiring activities I don’t dare undertake at this time. 

How I ever got through the river cruise tours baffles me. I guess it was the case where many of us just “bite the bullet” and carry on when we have chronic pain or conditions. I have no doubt many of you have done the same on many occasions.

When I think back to the cruise, I realize some of what we may have done further exacerbated my condition extending the recovery time which I’m paying for now. In any case, this is the way it is for now.

When we were running low on photos of Phuket to post each day, we decided to embark on the easiest possible outing, a trip to the Phuket Sea Shell Museum as described here at this site:

“The Sea Shell Museum near Evason Resort in Rawai contains and displays valuable seashells from all over the world. Many are among the most sought-after by collectors and are from Phuket and Thai waters. It’s a perfect attraction to keep kids and adults entertained on a rainy day. 

The museum is very well put together and is located in the basement of the large building. It has four main exhibitions, all information in both English and Thai. The entry fee is reasonable.”

The entrance fee for both of us was US $11.50, THB 400. It certainly was worth this reasonable cost when we easily spent a few hours perusing the enormous displays, reputed to be one of the largest and most comprehensive seashell displays in the world. 

With rave reviews at TripAdvisor we knew we were in for a treat finding the collective opinions of many tourists generally as “spot on.” The only challenging aspect to the venue was walking down a few flights of stairs and standing on my feet for so long. 

We were the only tourists on site during the entire period we spent in the air conditioned facility. We thoroughly enjoyed chatting with one another as we perused the breathtaking displays as we shot many photos. Tom, with his good eye, often spotted photo ops I may have missed making the experience all the more meaningful.

I apologize for not explaining the source and technical descriptions of each type of the shells of the photos we’d taken.  Although there were detailed descriptions on signs near most of the shells, the time it would have taken to take double the photos would have been difficult when I knew I could only stand for so long. As a result, we haven’t included captions on the photos.

All of the displays were encased in clear glass making photo taking challenging when reflecting light made it nearly impossible for a good shot. None the less, we took over 100 photos saving the best to share here over the next few days.

Little did we know, as we wandered about the facility that only hours earlier 11 bombings had occurred in Thailand, two of which were nearby, especially when after the museum we headed to the Makro superstore to shop for the upcoming week. 

It was only after we’d returned home, put everything away and sat down to relax and read news on our laptops, did we see what had tragically transpired here in Thailand in the prior 24 hours. 

So far today, thank goodness, everything is quiet. Yesterday, (Sunday) three un-exploded bombs were found in shopping areas in Phuket. See the news story here.

We remain cautious in everything we do and everywhere we go during our remaining 18 days in Phuket never foolishly putting ourselves in public arenas that may be targeted.

You stay safe as well.

Photo from one year ago today, August 15, 2015:

There were several bodies of water along the edges of the rain forest we visited in Queensland, Australia. For more photos, please click here.

Part 2…An inquiry from an old friend and long time reader…Artwork in Phuket house…

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This is my favorite piece of Thai art. It’s quite large placed above the TV in the living room.

In yesterday’s post we answered the first question posed by longtime friend and reader, Cathy in Minnesota as shown in a statement as below which she’d asked in a private message in Facebook.

With Cathy’s permission I posted her questions as follows:

Cathy wrote:
“So this is my question for you two. Honestly, have you ever gone someplace and after about a couple of weeks wish the stay was shorter? With your back hurting the way it does sometimes do you wish you were closer to a doctor. I just know how painful back problems are from experience.  I read your blog every day.”

As a result, yesterday’s post addressed the first question in detail, particularly as it applies in our current location: “Honestly, have you ever gone someplace and after about a couple of weeks wish the stay was shorter?”

Some of the art work is lopsided on the wall, but we didn’t want to straighten them for fear they’d fall off.

Today, we’re addressing the second question in Cathy’s inquiry: “With your back hurting the way it does sometimes do you wish you were closer to a doctor.”

We chose to break up these two questions, especially since this second question requires a certain amount of comment and reflection that we wanted to share with our readers, many of whom are in our age bracket subsequently more likely to require medical care.

Our reality when we began our travels was the fact that I have a serious spinal condition that is exacerbated by inflammation triggered by certain foods and chemicals. By changing my diet five years ago this month, within a period of three months I was pain free although I still have the condition.

Plus, I was pre-diabetic within months of requiring medication when I started this way of eating and now my blood sugar is normal with these dietary changes. Two major problems were solved by a change in diet. 

Many of these works of art consist of design and texture.

It was these massive improvements in my health that inspired us to travel the world, when prior to the change in diet, the possibility of travel was very limited when I couldn’t sit on a plane for two hours. In these past 46 months, we’ve experienced as much as a 34 hour travel period and though tired at the end as anyone would be, I did fine, pain free.

In the early part of June, slightly over two months ago, I injured my spine in the swimming pool in Bali while walking backwards in a particular exercise feeling fine and pain free. I was using the pool each day as a form of exercise with no health club in the area. 

In June, I accidentally walked into the sharp stone edge where the end of the steps meets the main part of the pool. The second I did this, I knew I was in trouble.  The impact hit me from my neck down to my tailbone. It felt as if I’d been in a car accident.

There is a pair of these, each slightly different.

At first I didn’t say anything to Tom hoping the pain would subside. I didn’t want to worry him. But, by the next day I knew was in big trouble when the pain was awful running from my neck down to my tailbone. 

Having heard stories of horrible medical treatment in the remote area of Bali, I decided to wait it out knowing it could be months until the injury would heal. My arms and legs were working fine convincing me I hadn’t injured my spinal cord itself. 

In time, the pain reminded me of when about eight years ago I had a compression fracture, compounding the pain I already had at the time. It took several months to heal. 

Recently with a lack of good medical care nearby, I made the assumption that again I had a compression fracture which is a very common condition for seniors, even those with less precarious vertebrae than mine.

This style of Buddhist statue is commonly seen in Thailand.

This statement is from a document at the following site from American Family Physicians :

“Vertebral compression fractures affect approximately 25 percent of all postmenopausal women in the United States. The prevalence of this condition steadily increases with advancing age, reaching 40 percent in women 80 years of age. Women diagnosed with a compression fracture of the vertebra have a 15 percent higher mortality rate than those who do not experience fractures. Although less common in older men, compression fractures also are a major health concern in this group. Because the age group of those older than 65 years is now the fastest growing segment of the U.S. population, the incidence of this age-specific fracture is likely to increase.”

Based on the fact that there was no need for surgery, I self treated doing the best I could. What would a doctor do, when only in very rare cases, there’s an impingement on the spinal column (which I didn’t seem to have) during which surgery may be required. 

Rest, hot and cold packs, limited movement with no bending, not spending days laying in bed and the fractures would eventually heal without further incident. Many times I had read that the pain could last for three months or longer in typical cases. I guess I’m a typical case. Had I not experienced this type of injury in the past, I may have been more intent on having x-rays, MRI or CAT scan.

Plus, I determined, that if the fracture was spotted in a scan, what would a doctor do anyway?  Prescribe narcotic pain meds? Not only did I not want to take narcotics for such an extended period I didn’t want to be hauling narcotic meds in our luggage as we travel in a variety of countries. 

This larger statue is located in the kitchen and dining area.

I had one old bottle of painkillers in my luggage with 30 pills (I’d never used any of them) in case of an emergency. During this two plus months I used 10 of the pills when I couldn’t seem to get the pain under control, especially when we were in Singapore and then on the Mekong River cruise, going out on tours. 

Tylenol, Paracetamol, Aleve, Motrin and aspirin haven’t helped at all, even after trying them for weeks. I take nothing now, instead finding a new way to sit, stand and rest using the ice and heat packs to relieve more painful periods. It’s getting better, now only painful during the second half of the day when I may have sat too long, bent over too much or walked too far. It’s a balancing act.

Back to Cathy’s question, “With your back hurting the way it does sometimes do you wish you were closer to a doctor.” 

My answer is clear.  Had we been living in the US I may have gone for an x-ray or MRI, but the ultimate treatment would have been the same except with the addition of pain relieving medications I’d surely have been prescribed of one sort or another. 

Interesting rendition.

Most likely physical therapy would have been prescribed once it healed, which is often postponed until after several months to avoid further injury. After years of experience with a variety of spine related physical therapy modalities, I feel confident once the pain is gone, I can begin walking more once again and incorporate light physical therapy type moves as I progress.

Once we arrived in Phuket I considered going to the local hospital for an x-ray but after reading many poor reviews about the local private hospitals, I decided against it. Finally, over the past few weeks, I’ve noticed a subtle improvement each day and feel confident that it will continue over time. 

Since the injury, I’ve managed the following:
1.  The four to five hour harrowing drive from Sumbersari, Bali to Denpasar Airport
2.  The flight from Denpasar to Singapore with considerable walking at both terminals
3.  The week in Singapore with several trips to immigration offices to acquire  the two visas
4.  The flight to Hanoi, the flight to Siem Reap, 18 days total touring Cambodia and Vietnam, including rides on non-motorized tuk tuk, motorized tuk tuk and a rickshaw along with many tours requiring lots of walking and stairs.
5.  Flight from Saigon (Ho Chi Minh City) with a layover in Bangkok, then another flight to Phuket.
6.  One hour van ride from Phuket Airport to vacation rental
7.  Lots of bouncing around in the less-than-stellar rental car over the past three weeks since our arrival.  Three weeks from today we depart Phuket.

This statue is located on the marble kitchen counter.

Over the next few months, we only have to get back to the airport in Phuket, with a layover in Singapore, then on to another flight back to Denpasar, an overnight in a hotel and then, the next day, the four to five hour harrowing drive to the villa. For sure, these next few months will be easier than the past two months.

I’m anticipating by the time we board the back-to-back cruise in Sydney, Australia after a seven hour flight from Denpasar (after one more four to five hour harrowing drive), on October 31st (our four year travel anniversary), I’ll be back to my “old self.” If not, we’ll carry on with our plans. I’ve proven to myself, I can do this.

Many people suffer with chronic conditions and maintain active and fulfilling lifestyles. Until such time as either of us cannot travel as such in the above listed points, we’ll continue to live life to the fullest, enjoying each and every day while dreaming and planning for the future.

May you do the same.

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

It seems we awaken every morning at 5 am.  Tom gets up and I read in bed until I fall back asleep, usually until 7:00 am. Up so early he has an opportunity to capture these amazing sunrises. For more photos, please click here.

Dealing with life’s everyday challenged while traveling the world…

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A billy goat tied to a tree.

Finally, Tom is on the mend. After considerable research, we speculate that the abscessed tooth he had pulled may have resulted in the gastrointestinal infection that began to plague him 48 hours after the extraction, lasting for almost a week.

He suffered from severe gastric symptoms, fever, chills, body aches, and weakness. He took over-the-counter medications to alleviate the fever every four to six hours for the first few days until the fever subsided, sleeping most of the day on the sofa in the living room.

A bubbling brook.

The simple fact is that pulling the tooth released bacteria from the abscess in his bloodstream and stomach, resulting in what appeared similar to the bacterial infection I had in Marrakesh, Morocco after eating raw vegetables in a restaurant the first day of our arrival. 

After traveling for 17 months at that point, I should have known better. Now, we’re more cautious than ever in less developed countries. I had waited three weeks before succumbing to a three-day dose of Cipro which we’d brought along for exactly this reason.

Recently, we read a study that discovered the depth of the intellect of horses and their innate ability to connect with humans, even reacting to expressions on a human face.

Within hours I began to feel relief. In Tom’s case, we didn’t want him to take antibiotics a third time since his first dose for the abscess was in November, the second in January, on two occasions when the abscess flared up. Thus, he waited.

It wasn’t until he started feeling better yesterday that we conducted research to make the connection to the abscessed tooth extraction and the gastric. Had we suspected this earlier, calling the dentist to inquire, most likely he’d have recommended antibiotics, which we didn’t want Tom to take once again unless it continued for more than a week.

A creek we encountered on a drive.

Its in these types of scenarios that not having a “regular” doctor and dentist puts us in a tough position. In our old lives, if we were sick for more than five days we’d make an appointment to see the doctor often having tests and leaving with a few prescriptions. 

We don’t have this luxury now, 40 months after leaving Minnesota. For those family members and friends who are reading today…please don’t worry…if one of us exhibits life-threatening symptoms, we’ll immediately find our way to an urgent care facility or hospital. 

Even on cloudy days, the countryside has a special charm.

It may seem as if we’re often sick as we share the details of our daily lives. Most likely it’s no more than most of our readers. The difference is that few document each virus, infection, injury, and days of being under the weather. Most likely, twice a year we experience a malady of one sort or another.

After considerable discussion, we’ve come to the conclusion that moving from one location, one country to another, we have little time to build an immunity to local viruses than those who live in one location occasionally traveling who seem to build an immunity.

Stopping to admire cloud-covered Mount Taranaki.

On cruises, passengers are exposed to a variety of illnesses from living in tight quarters for a few weeks.  Luckily, we’ve never had Norovirus even during periods when there’s been an outbreak.

Although on four of our past cruises either one or both of us has developed the common “cruise cough,” the worst of which was on the cruise from Hawaii to Sydney with horrible symptoms lasting three weeks after the cruise ended. By far, that was the worst illness either of us has experienced since we left the US. 

Horses we encounter are animated and friendly.  Check out the cute pink spot on his nose.

When the ship disembarked we were so sick with a fever and a cough neither of us hardly recalls the time we spent picking up the rental car at the Cairns airport and finding the house in Trinity Beach.

We caught this awful virus toward the end of the cruise when a woman coughed on me in the elevator which, once my symptoms manifested, Tom was infected developing into the same whirlwind of awful symptoms.  

We each spent the last few days of the cruise in the cabin (it was an 18-day cruise) in an attempt to avoid infecting others. Otherwise, this was one of the most enjoyable of our 12 cruises to date, making many new friends with whom we’ve continued to stay in touch.

Another creek we crossed on a drive.

Most recently with Tom’s abscessed tooth, we ask ourselves what we may have done differently once the symptoms manifested. We were living in a remote area of Fiji. We visited a dentist within days of the first symptoms, taking antibiotics as prescribed. 

His second bout of symptoms occurred on the day we boarded this last cruise from Sydney to Auckland. The only solution was another round of the same antibiotics. As required in the case of antibiotics he continued with the full course of the medication. 

Once we arrived in New Plymouth, within two weeks of arrival, we were in the dentist’s office when at that time, no new symptoms were present. We feel we did everything we could. Then, he developed the awful gastrointestinal infection plaguing him for almost a week. 

A winding country road.

Now, he’s able to eat again, is feeling well and life will continue on as always, always, stress-free, filled with simple daily pleasures and the comforts of living in the countryside in this beautiful country. Soon, we’ll head back out to tour more of this exquisite location, sharing new photos along the way.

We feel blessed and grateful for each and every day of our lives. But, no one “said” life of world travel would always be easy.  It’s not. And, it’s the times it’s not easy that make us appreciate greater periods of good health and simple pleasures. Overall, we were very fortunate during these last 40 months.

Thanks to all of our readers for sharing this journey with us during periods of both excitement and the mundane events of daily life.

Be well.

Photo from one year ago today, February 13, 2015:

Thousands of feral chickens populate the island of Kauai. It is speculated that Hurricane Iniki in 1991 blew away hundreds of chicken coops, letting them loose to proliferate. It’s quite a sight to see! For more Kauai photos, please click here.

How much did we spend out of pocket for all the medical?…Haircut problems for Tom…Figuring it all out, one way or another…

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Its amazing how quickly it grows.

Yesterday morning, we both had final appointments with Dr. Konny at Apple Tree Medical in the town of Smithfield near the shopping center. Tom had his physical and according to what Dr. Konny could determine, he’s in excellent health.

He had his blood tests which will arrive by email in a few days. Once those have arrived, we’re done with the doctor. After Tom’s appointment, he headed to the lab located in the medical clinic while she and I reviewed my newly arrive test results.

Much to our delight, all is well. I have a clean bill of health. I must admit now that it’s over that the pain I had in Kauai was not a bladder infection after all. After we arrived here in Australia it started up again. It just wasn’t symptomatic as a bladder infection. 

The justcuts store is located only a few doors from the pharmacy, making it easy to find.

Over a week ago I had a CAT scan in Cairns as the pain had continued for days. We never mentioned the CAT scan here when we felt we should wait until we had results. I was upset about having to have the scan not wanting to pay thousands of dollars for the expensive diagnostic test.

We almost fell over when we paid the bill after the test was completed. It was AUD $365, US $269. As a matter of fact, Dr. Natasha had called four different diagnostic centers while I was with her to find us the best price. I don’t ever recall our doctor making phone calls for “deals” for us! The difference in pricing at various clinics was as much as AUD $1000, USD $738. We couldn’t express enough gratitude!

Keeping in mind we have no insurance to cover this when our insurance only covers hospitalization (hospital stays, surgery, and inpatient services) this was the full price, not a co-pay. I can only imagine the out of pocket cost we’d have incurred for such a service in many other countries.

Tom was reading a book on his phone while awaiting his turn.

Waiting for the results was angst-ridden. I was more worried about how we’d manage if I needed surgery or had a dreaded disease while on the move. One can do a number on oneself imagining the difficulty in these circumstances. But, we both held firm to a relatively positive attitude, and the days passed quickly until we knew the results.

As a result of a surgery over 20 years ago, I had adhesions in the left groin area (guys, figure that out on your own. Girls get it!) and a possible bit of diverticulitis. The pain from this can come and go and for now, it’s at bay once again. Reducing fiber intake seems to reduce all the pain. So for now, I’m on a low fiber, low carb, grain-free, starch-free, sugar-free, chemical-free diet. Good grief. 

Knowing it’s nothing more serious and not impeding upon any internal organs, it’s not worrisome. Occasional discomfort, I can manage. Worrying is eliminated. What a relief! As for the additional food restrictions, it’s no problem for me. Currently, I’m having low fiber veggies such as mushrooms, onions, leaf lettuce (no more cabbage), and a few others.

Tom’s former haircut gone wild.

As for all the other tests including tests for colon cancer, everything is negative. Now we wait for Tom’s results and we’re home free (literally and figuratively). Later in the week, when we grocery shop we’ll make our dentist appointments with a dentist located by the mall with a beautiful office and modern technology for teeth cleaning.

In the interim, Dr. Konny wrote my prescriptions for six months (all the law in Australia allows) for the few prescriptions I’ve taken for years, having recently eliminated one more due to good health. After the doctor appointments, we dropped off the prescriptions which will be ready by Thursday. With these, I’ll have enough on hand to last for the next 16 months. 

After three doctor appointments for me, one for Tom, multiple blood tests, and the CAT scan we spent a total of USD $$1075, AUD $1458. All that remains is is the cost for the three, six-month prescriptions which surely won’t be over US $200, AUD $271.26. Unreal. In the US, we’d have spent thousands for all of these out of pocket services. Once Tom’s results come in, we’ll report here, anticipating all will be good.

In no time at all, he was done. I particularly watched how Byron cut along the ears and back with which I’d had trouble. I can’t wait to try it again.

We were very happy with the level of medical care and service at Apple Tree Medical. If traveling to this area, one can rest assured they’d be in good hands with this clinic and with these fine doctors, including Drs. Natasha and Dr. Konny.

After the doctor’s office, the stop at the pharmacy, and Tom purchasing a battery for his watch which was a bit pricey at AUD $19.95, USD $14.71, we headed to JustCuts for Tom’s much-needed haircut. Why wasn’t I cutting his hair with our recently purchased hair clippers with the zillion attachments?

Simple answer. When we plugged it into our electrical adapter the noise was earsplitting and it quickly became overheated, approaching burnout. Apparently, these clippers won’t work in some countries but certainly not in Australia. My US purchased flat iron which uses more powers works without a problem. I offered to give him a scissors cut but he refused.

The bottom edge at the back had been tricky for me.  Now, I know how to do it.

The male pharmacist suggested we try his favorite haircutters, JustCuts, located a few doors from the pharmacy in the mall. Walking into the clean, modern, well-equipped hair cutting establishment made us feel we were in good hands. The stylist, Byron, a local guy did a fabulous job giving me tips for when I am able to cut Tom’s hair again. 

After a perfect cut along with an affordable price of US $14.71, AUD $23 we were thrilled. Hopefully, in Fiji, the hair clippers will work. If not, we’ll have to find a new haircutter before we head back to Sydney in January to board the cruise to New Zealand.

After all of our stops after the doctor’s visit including a trip into the grocery store for a few items, we were on our way, out to breakfast. Unfortunately, breakfast was over at the few restaurants we visited and it was too early for lunch.  With rain pelting down and preferring to avoid walking on the beach in the rain, we decided to head back home and go out to eat another day.

When we returned home, I collected all of our medical information and scanned every medical report saving it on our hard drive and the cloud we use, OneDrive, for which we pay a small monthly fee. We have almost one terabyte of data to save in a cloud and thus it requires a small fee for this amount of storage. We use the portable hard drive and the cloud for safekeeping in case our hard drive is ever stolen although I keep it in my possession at all times when we travel. 

Byron was a friendly and competent stylist suggesting a number of areas we plan to visit in the near future.

Tom’s test results will arrive by email by Friday. If all is well, he’ll have no further need to return to the doctor.  Once we receive them, they too will be stored on the hard drive and cloud. 

We’d received a DVD of my CAT scan which we plan to store at our box at the mailing service, along with accumulated receipts and our expired second passports which we no longer need but that I’d like to save as keepsakes. We’ll put together a small package of these items and send them to Nevada before we leave in September. More later on why we no longer need second passports but did when we originally began to travel in 2012.

That’s all the news for today, folks. Thanks for traveling along with us. We hope you enjoy reading the costs we bear along the way. We post them with the intent of informing travelers as to possible costs they may incur in their travels. If any of our readers have specific questions about any travel-related expenses we may not have included, please comment or send an email and we’ll happily respond.

Have a wonderful day!

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

A natural rock formation we discovered on a drive in Madeira. For more photos of that day’s road trip, please click here.

Results from doctor appointments…Tom’s appointment is next…Cruise updates…

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Nothing is as beautiful as a sunny day at the beach.

Alive and well after three years without having a physical exam, I am relieved most of it is over. Aside from a few remaining tests that we expect to be fine, I am thrilled its almost over and all is well.

A huge contemporary house near the beach.

On Monday, Tom begins the process, with his first appointment at the clinic. When all is said and done, including all tests the cost will be under US $800, AUD $1031 for both of us, not bad considering all is paid out of pocket when we only have major medical/hospitalization insurance.

Actually, our fixed monthly budget included a monthly estimate for medical of US $50, AUD $68 which we’ve never used except for the trip to urgent care in Kauai. When all is said and done all of these appointments and expenses are covered by that estimate, almost to the penny.

A contemporary house at Holloways Beach.

With continued good health, we plan to wait for another check-up in three years from wherever we may be at the time. Most likely, it won’t be in the US when we’re there in the summer of 2017. 

Another large home at Holloways Beach.

Costs of medical care are approximately four times higher in the US (out of pocket) as compared to what we’ve paid in Australia. There are good medical facilities in most areas of the world where we’ll be living in the next three years so we have no concern at this point.

Yesterday, when we arrived for my 3:00 pm appointment at Apple Tree Medical in Smithfield, I was disappointed to discover my last physician Dr. Natasha was out sick. Instead, I met with Dr. Konny Komlovari whom I found to be equally competent, warm, and friendly. Their onsite lab makes blood tests easy to arrange and process.

A small park at Holloway’s Beach.

Next month, we’ll make our dental appointments leaving all of this medical stuff behind. Thanks to all of our readers who encouraged us to get all of these done and out of the way. It was good advice.

As for the three cruises we reserved over the weekend, last night at 10 pm we spoke to our new rep at Vacationstogo.com, Brooklyn Earnhardt, who is highly experienced and capable. We both felt comfortable and assured that she’ll do a great job for us for these three cruises and all future bookings.

Double Island makes us curious as to what it would be like to visit.  Here are details of visiting Double Island.

We’d gone ahead and reserved the three cruises with Royal Caribbean over the weekend. Now, we’re in the process of transferring them over to our new agent, Brooklyn which can be done within 60 days of booking with the cruise line. 

In transferring the cruises to VTG we are able to use our own agent and agency for receiving various cabin credits that the cruise line itself may not offer. Plus, they receive their usual commissions. This type of loyalty is important to us. Relationship building is vital to our success in booking various aspects of our travels.

Tom looking out the sea undercover at the beach.

In yesterday’s post, we mentioned sharing a little info on our itinerary for these three new cruises which we’re summarizing here. Soon, as we’ve mentioned we’ll include our new updated itinerary

1.  Sydney to Perth: October 31, 2016, 16 days

2.  Perth to Sydney:  November 16, 2016 (back to back above the same cruise, same cabin number) 17 days

The above 33-day back-to-back cruise circles the entire continent of Australia, with multiple ports of call enabling us to see considerable sites along the way.

3.  Sydney to Seattle:  September 22, 2017, 24 days, crossing back over the International Dateline, arriving in the US on May 15, 2017

During these above three cruises, we’ll visit such new cities as:

  • Brisbane, Australia
  • Darwin, Australia
  • Benoa, Bali
  • Geraldton, Australia
  • Perth, Australia
  • Esperance, Australia
  • Adelaide, Australia
  • Melbourne, Australia
  • Dunedin (Port Chalmers) New Zealand
  • Akaroa, New Zealand
  • Wellington, New Zealand
  • Picton, New Zealand
  • Il Des Pines, New Calendonia (we missed visiting this port on our recent cruise due to rough seas)
  • Noumea, New Calendonia
  • Mystery Island, Vanuatu
  • Cross the International Dateline (getting our lost day back)

The last of the three cruises breezes through Hawaii on the way to Seattle, Washington, USA, stopping at Kona (Big Island, Hawaii), Lahaina (Maui), and Honolulu (Oahu). By that time, it will have been almost two years since we lived in Hawaii. 

Park at the beach with a covered area.

Besides these three above new cruises we booked in the past few days, we previously booked three other cruises in Australia, details of which we’ve shared online in past posts. A few of the ports of call are repeated on these other cruises but here are some of the highlights of the new locations we’ll have yet to see:

  • Hobart, Tasmania
  • Tauranga, New Zealand
  • Bay of Islands, New Zealand
  • Auckland, New Zealand (where we stay for 90 days in a nearby village)
  • Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia
  • Singapore, Republic of Singapore
  • Lifou, New Caledonia
  • Lautoka, Fiji

These 23 ports of call plus some repeats of others we’ll have previously visited  (not listed here today) are all new to us in our world travels. This gives us an additional opportunity to see as much as we wanted to see in the South Pacific in almost two years including this relatively short period of time of 97 days aboard ship on these six cruises.  

This house near the beach could be anywhere in the world, utilizing the benefits of solar power.

During these periods we’ll be housed, fed, and entertained aboard the various ships with the opportunity to socialize each and every day. By the time we head to Seattle, we’ll feel confident we’ve thoroughly scoured the South Pacific to our liking.

Over the next year, we’ll be deciding on how much time we’ll spend during our relatively short visit to the US in 2017 and begin booking vacation homes and cruises for our next foray to an upcoming new continent. 

As always, we’re excited as to our future choices while we’re thoroughly “loving the one we’re with!”

Happy Monday or Tuesday to all!

                                                Photo from one year ago today, July 14, 2014:

Colorful steps at an elementary school in Campanario, Madeira, Portugal, one year ago today. For details and more photos, please click here.

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Horses and a peacock in the front yard.

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

A special day with some very special creatures, both human and animal…Stories coming soon…Doctor appointments?

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This adorable Kookaburra posed for me in the yard while sitting on the fence next to the rain gauge. These birds are much larger than appears in this photo.

No grass grows under our feet here in Australia. It seems that we’re out exploring every few days, more than we’ve done in other countries.

There’s so much to see here compared to many of the remote areas we’ve lived around the world. We’ve always stated here that sightseeing on occasion was befitting our lifestyle, but not doing so quite as often as we’ve done so in Australia.

After a while she/he relocated to the roof, looking down for a possible morsel of food. They are known to snatch food off of plates when cooking on the “barbie.” More on Kookaburras will be coming in a few days with our wildlife posts.

Who goes sightseeing, several times a week in their everyday life? And part of our lives is simply the “every day” not necessarily filled with typical tourist activities. However, we’ve found plenty to see several times a week, sharing it here with our readers.

While in Australia we’ve made a choice to avoid spending money on tourist attractions when possible when we’ve been busy pre-paying for vacation rentals and cruises as much as two years in advance. Tom is on one of his cruise booking frenzies and I don’t moderate what he chooses for us. 

Growing like crazy in the yard are these common Yellow Allamanda.

All I do is document the booked cruises in our master excel spreadsheet in a manner in which my brain is able to decipher dates and dollars. It’s from these calculations that we determine how much we can spend on “extras.”  At the moment, it’s limited. 

We’ve yet to dine out when groceries have been very affordable. If we can dine at home for US $30, AUD $40.28 a day as opposed to spending US $60, AUD $80.56, in a restaurant, it’s a no-brainer, especially when much of the food in restaurants these days have few items I can order.

Bottlebrush blooming in the yard.

We’ve been able to find a wide array of activities we can do without cost other than for gas to and fro. Also, writing stories and posting photos for a variety of tourist attractions in many countries with our vast and growing worldwide readership, we find our entrance is often hosted by the venue’s management, as in the case for any “journalist.”

As was the case yesterday, when we were provided an extraordinary experience at the Cairns Tropical Zoo.  Over the next few days, we’ll be preparing the story and hundreds of photos to present in a two-day story of our appreciated and educational tour, meeting many interesting and endearing Australian animals, we’ve never seen in our travels.

We drove up the mountain behind the market to Kuranda. When we began the steep and winding trek it was sunny. By the time we arrived at the first overlook, it was cloudy and rain began to fall. We turned back with a plan to return to see the village at the top on a sunny day.

Hold tight, dear readers. In the next week, our two posts about the zoo will be online with many details and some photos that make me swoon, recalling “meeting” the loved and well-cared-for animals in this magical place.

We could imagine how beautiful this expansive view will be when we return on a sunny day.

In the interim, we continue to drive to more and more special locations searching for the scene that swoops in and captures our hearts and well as our camera.

Today, with much encouragement from responses from many readers, I have a medical “check-up” at the local doctor clinic. Feeling well, I don’t know what to “complain about” but a check and blood tests are in order. 

The mountain and ocean view reminds us of Kauai, Hawaii.

When my appointment and tests results are completed, we’ll schedule Tom’s similar appointment and then we’ll be done, except for the soon to be booked dentist appointments which we’ll schedule shortly before departing Trinity Beach in two months. Then, we can be off to Fiji, where medical care will be limited and perhaps uncertain.

This afternoon after the doctor’s appointment I’ll get back to work on the zoo stories and choosing our favorite of the many photos. 

The sections of land always create such an interesting view both from the air and overlook at higher elevations.

Yesterday, we had a tremendous response from our old friends in Kauai and our readers in regard to the story of the Laysan Albatross chicks fledging and Bob Waid’s fabulous photos. Thank you for sharing that meaningful event with us.

Have a wonderful day!

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

One year ago today, we booked and posted the cruise information for Royal Caribbean’s Explorer of the Seas for next April with its itinerary mostly traveling part of the perimeter of Australia and New Zealand. Unfortunately, recently the cruise line canceled the entire cruise when the ship had been reserved for a private event. We found a replacement cruise and our deposit was transferred over. With Australia as huge as the US, cruising is the best way to see as much as possible.  Please click this link for details.

Turning the corner?…Time to get busy…New photos…One year ago, a photo of our fabulous final meal in Marrakech…

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The chicks were born in early February and will fledge in the next month or so. It’s been amazing to watch their fluff fall away as their feathers suitable for flying grow in.

It’s only a subtle change after 10 days of being ill. I didn’t lay in bed often during the day over this period doing so for only short stints. I showered and dressed every morning, doing laundry as needed, and preparing our meals. It felt good to move about rather than lounging all day long.

Never hesitating to post I scrambled for good new photos to share. I never dreaded posting during this period. The words may not have flowed as easily as on better days but, they came nonetheless, and as long as I could roust up new photos, I was content. Bear with me over the lack of creativity during this time.

An un-banded Albatross out for a walk. It’s impossible to determine the albatross’s gender without a DNA test. There are no obvious markings or physical definitions. Since both parents equally share in sitting on the nest and the care and feeding of the chick, perhaps nature has made them visibly indistinguishable. 

Now, on day three of the second round of antibiotics, yesterday I noticed a slight improvement, enough to inspire me to get out. Needing more probiotics and anxious to see how the Laysan Albatross chicks were progressing, I asked Tom to drive me to the nearby neighborhood to see them, take photos and then head to the grocery store for the six items on the grocery app on my Windows phone.

All of the chicks now have both fluffy and new feathers, as shown in this napping chick.

As soon as we got into the car, it started to rain. In the two minutes it took to drive to the albatross, most of them were tucked inside their own proliferating new feathers as shelter from the downpour. We were able to get these few shots although it was difficult to do so with their heads tucked away.

Tom is absolutely the most patient photo spotter on the planet. He backs up six inches, moves forward nine inches, and repeatedly backs up to provide me with the perfect angle for a shot. Never complaining. Never once. Without his patience and perseverance, we’d miss so much. 

This banded albatross appeared to be a parent when she or he was hovering near a chick.

As the sun began to wane with a decent sunset appearing on the horizon, at 6:30 pm, we wandered across the street to gather with the crowds at the overlook that both walk and drive to this location to take photos and gawk at the impending beauty.

This chick has been a favorite of ours with his nest fairly close to the road and her/him often checking out the scenery.

As it turned out the sunset wasn’t as profound as we’d expected. We returned home at 7:10 for a quiet restful evening. Again today, the improvement is still small but enough to give me hope that I’ll be feeling better soon.

Our plan for today was for both of us to head to Lihue to return the rental car and pick up another car we’d reserved. Originally, we’d intended to leave Kauai on the 15th to spend the remaining nine nights until the cruise in Honolulu. After our unimpressive 11 nights in Waikiki, once we got settled in Kauai we decided to stay here until the 23rd, spending only one night in Honolulu.

Here are two chicks approximately six feet apart although they look closer in this photo. Here again, they are tucked away napping during the wind and rain. The parents lay one egg and thus these two are not related or, perhaps in some way, they are.

As a result, when we were unable to extend the remaining nine days over the phone and a trip to Lihue was necessary today on the 15th.

Tom will return the car without me with no necessity for me to be sitting in the car for two hours for the round trip to the airport and back. Tom loaded his favorite podcasts on his phone for the drive and the time will fly quickly for him.

By the time we left the area, the sun was shining and we spotted this typical lawn mowing scenario. A Cattle Egret hovers near the mower hoping for morsels the process may unsettle. This always makes us laugh.

With a little catching up on departure tasks such as paying in advance for our luggage on the upcoming flight to Honolulu and logging a few receipts on our spreadsheet, I’ll make good use of the time.

Yesterday, we took enough photos to share over the weekend. Hopefully, by Monday, we can escalate our activity level and visit a few remaining sites before departing Kauai. Have a wonderful Friday and upcoming weekend!

                                               Photo from one year ago today, May 15, 2014:

A year ago, Madame Zahra had lovingly made our last meal at Dar Aicha, the lovely riad in which we lived for the prior two and a half months. With utmost respect, we didn’t take photos of the household staff.  Saying goodbye to Madame was tearful and emotional for her and me. With a total language barrier somehow we managed to communicate with one another during the entire period.  For details of that final day, please click here.