Nights in Madeira…Breathtaking!…A new day…whew….Hello, Madeira!…

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This is the nighttime view from our veranda! Tom said it looks like Las Vegas with all the lights. Not quite. These street lights stay on all night on the entire island.  This must be quite the view from a ship. Soon, we’ll take another nighttime photo when the stars are shining bright, but last night was cloudy.

This morning I awoke to a new day after a 12-day illness. I reminded myself of a goofy little dog we adored for 12 years who passed away five years ago, Ben. 

Each time we gave him a bath we washed his often troublesome “poopy butt,” a common affliction of little dogs after which he’d run around the house as fast as he could, excited to be free of his tangled butt. He was happy.

Last night, our living room. The lights cast a cozy glow.

This morning I awoke with a desire to run around the house like Ben, happy to be feeling better from the recent illness, not from being free of a tangled butt. Finally, the splitting headache and heaviness in my head are almost gone along with the glassy eyes, dizziness, and general feeling of malaise. Yeah!

Of course, the tendency is to go wild doing everything we’ve missed since we arrived in Madeira 11 days ago. But, I’ll be wise and gradually increase my level of activity building back my strength and stamina, sorely missing after days of being sick.

This morning’s view of the sea with white caps as the wind whistled through the hills.

Last night, we’d intended to dine out only for me to change my mind at the last minute when I couldn’t muster enough energy to go out. We ended up making a meal of scrambled eggs with Portuguese sausage, onions, mushrooms, and cheese with a side of green beans and salad. 

Late this afternoon, we’ll head to Ribeira Brava to walk along the boardwalk, peer into the windows of the shops and later try another restaurant. We’re both excited to get out, see the local “flavor,” take photos, and experience more delicious Portuguese food.

A freighter passing by.

Over the past several days, we’ve been planning our future travels when all of our reservations run out on May 15, 2015, a year from now. It’s hard to believe that with all of the advance planning that we’re less than a year away from the end of our bookings.

Now is the time to begin booking well into 2016 when many of the great vacation homes getting booked well in advance. Many have asked why we don’t “wing it” and wait until closer to our travel dates. The answer is clear to us.

What appeared to be a pleasure boat pulling a smaller boat.

We’ve learned that the best-priced vacation homes get booked well in advance. If we waited, we may end up paying more than we’d prefer or unable to find what we’d like for the quality we’d like at an affordable price. As it’s turned out, the planning well in advance has worked out well barring a few locations that weren’t necessarily ideal.

Our bedroom is above these heavy sliding doors with its own small veranda.

Hopefully, today or tomorrow we’ll wrap up the beginning of our planning beyond May 15, 2015, which we’ll share with you as each booking occurs. We’ve spent hours of discussions and researching our options as to where we’d like to go next. 

Gladiolus on the veranda a few days ago.

We take these decisions seriously to ensure we will be making the correct choices, now well-armed with experience and, most of all, knowing what appeals to each of us, the most. We feel confident we’re making the right decisions after many months of research.

Tomorrow, we’ll be back with photos of today’s outing. See you then!

This morning, the gladiolus in full bloom. 

                                    _________________________________________________

Photo from approximately one year ago today, May 27, 2013:

With no story or photos posted on May 27, 2013, here is a photo of one of the jeweled (real jewels!) chandeliers in the Sheikh Zayed Mosque that we visited on May 29, 2013, for which we posted photos on May 30th. More will follow in days to come. No link is available for this date.

‘The view of the ocean…Changes by the hour…We’ll never tire of this…

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The sunset can only be seen in its entirety behind a nearby hill. Last night, we were able to see a mere touch of it with the pink color on these clouds.  Breathtaking!

Interesting fact about Madeira:

“Christopher Columbus came to the Madeira Archipelago in 1478, marrying Filipa Moniz, the daughter of Bartolomeu Perestrelo, the first governor of Porto Santo. She died shortly after giving birth to their son. Their house has been made into a small museum in Porto Santo.”

We will continue to add more “interesting facts about Madeira” from time to time. Porto Santo is one of only two inhabited islands in the Madeira Archipelago, which we hope to visit this summer.

The beginnings of the partial sunset view.

As we lounge most of the day while I await recovery from the illness, we only need to lift our eyes from the task of the moment and there it is, the view. 

Throughout the day the view changes as fluffy white clouds roll in, at times tinged with gray, all laced within the bright blue of a cloudless sky begging to appear and rule the horizon. 

The pink clouds were quite a vision.

An island, in the sometimes rough waters of the Atlantic Ocean has a rapidly changing climate. We’ve excitedly observed these changes over this past week  each time we’ve looked up from the task of the moment whether it’s washing dishes, researching for the future or writing to you here.

Waffle like clouds fill the sky.

Several times each day we open the heavy glass doors in order to savor the views of the changing scenery before us, at times the hills shrouded in shadows from the ominous clouds or sheathed in sunlight when it clears. 

It’s interesting to watch the progression of the clouds as they cast shadows on the island and the ocean.

Its difficult to distinguish the ocean from the sky, the blues melding into one huge mass of color. At times, white caps are clearly visible in the sea and at others, its as calm as glass. 

We only know too well about the rough seas of the Atlantic Ocean when we made the crossing last April with 50 foot, 15.24 meters swells lasting for three full days.

The billowing smoke to the right was from an outdoor grill.

In a little over three months, on August 31, 2014, we’ll again make the crossing when we sail from Harwich, UK to Iceland to Boston, MA, USA where we’ll stay for three days visiting family. 

With a lack of trepidation, we anticipate this next crossing with a sense of excitement and enthusiasm to once again be at sea which has proven to be one of our favorite elements of our travels. 

The gray clouds cast a shadow on the sea.

Of course, cruising is most enjoyable when we can avoid the common occurrences of becoming ill with Norovirus, which neither of us has ever had or a respiratory infection which we both caught last May on Royal Caribbean Mariner of the Sea.

As for my recent illness, I haven’t quite turned the corner. But, I’m grateful it isn’t nearly as bad as the bout a year ago while we were in Dubai, UAE for two weeks.  

Suddenly, huge clouds roll in to disappear from the island a short time later.

Desperately, trying to avoid taking antibiotics, I’ve been taking Tylenol for the fever and head pain while resting most of the day, only taking time out to cook an easy dinner. Tom has offered to get carryout food until I’m feeling better but I’m finding the moving about the kitchen has been good for me. 

Tom does everything else including waiting on me. Good care, good sleep and good food will surely aid in reducing my down time. I can hardly wait to feel well again.

A cloud cover over a part of our area presented an opening where the sun shone through on this point on the hill.

Soon, we’re leaving for a short stint to the local grocery store. Tom would gladly go without me but, an short outing will be a nice break after being cooped up these past several days.

Have a happy and safe Memorial Day weekend. Gee…I’ve almost forgot the taste of a brat.
                                               _____________________________________

Photo from one year ago today, May 24, 2013:

Shopping in Dubai, one of the richest cities in the world was indescribable. This fresh fish, flown in daily wasn’t as expensive as one might think in the exotic city. For details of the story on this date, please click here.

Anxious to go out…Troubles preventing it…

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Tom, standing outside the Pharmacia, where I’d purchased a few OTC items. I listed all the items in Portuguese on my phone. There were several patrons in the store, a few who spoke a little English while I  fumbled with Portuguese, who welcomed us to Campanario. Wow, friendly!

During the long and arduous trip from Morocco to Portugal, I began to feel horrible assuming it was due to a lack of sleep the night the previous night. Once we arrived in Madeira and after a fairly good first night’s sleep, I wondered why I still felt exhausted and lethargic.  

Inside the tunnel on the way to the Pharmacia.

As the days passed, the tiredness and exhaustion have continued and now almost a week later, I am sick with flu-like symptoms that I can’t seem to kick. No longer can I blame being tired after many good long night’s sleep.

The scenery is breathtaking with all the homes on the hills in varying shades of white and beige.

Yesterday, on our way to the Pharmacia, which is nearby requiring only one tunnel, we discussed how many times we’ve been sick; two for Tom, one a respiratory infection on the Middle Eastern cruise we took one year ago to date and the most recent flu in Morocco about one month ago. 

The closest church in our neighborhood.  Bells ring every 15 minutes, music to our ears.

I‘ve been sick three times; once on that same cruise where we ended up in Dubai, one year ago yesterday making me horribly ill with a raging sinus infection and respiratory thing lasting during the entire two weeks we were in Dubai finally succumbing to taking antibiotics, a Z-Pack. 

The second time was the intestinal thing I picked up eating salad the first few days in Morocco, again requiring the antibiotic Cipro after suffering it out for 10 days in an attempt to avoid another antibiotic.

The view down to the “rapido” known as the freeway. The roads here are in excellent condition although finding one’s way around is challenging.

Now, I’m sick again. Back in the US each of us could go for a few years without a single cold or flu. We ask ourselves how we could have prevented these illnesses. The food thing was easily prevented. The rest, not so much. We do everything we can to maintain good health. We still fall prey.

A neighbor standing on the roof of his house with laundry blowing in the breeze.

In each case of illnesses, we had been around massive numbers of people. Both of us are fanatics about washing our hands both out and about and at home. 

It appears that many residents plant terraced gardens on the hills.

We share this information with our readers not to elicit sympathy, although we do get tons of that (thanks to everyone for their good wishes during our illnesses). Instead, we do it more so to explain that at the moment, we aren’t out and about exploring the sights and posting amazing photos while we’re sick. Of course, we’re chomping at the bit to get out more than we have so far.

Tom asked me yesterday if I’d ever tire of the view. “Never!” I answered. When would one ever tire of a view of the hills and the sea?

At the moment, only short trips are possible while I’m still under the weather, preferring to be lying down as opposed to sitting in the car on the hilly winding roads. 

Notice how close the clouds are at the top of the hills.

In the interim, we have plenty of food. Somehow, we managed to make the pizzas yesterday with a fresh one left to bake for tonight’s dinner with a salad on the side.

A cloudy day in the nearby hills.

I wish I could say I’m on the mend. At this point, I feel as if I’m in the throes of the worst of whatever it is.  Hopefully soon, I’ll turn the corner, anxious to explore this gorgeous island sharing photos and details of our discoveries.  In the interim, we’ll continue to post new photos each day from our immediate surroundings and from any short trips.

Patience my friends…for the patient.

                                                  _____________________________________

Photo from one year ago today, May 22, 2013:

Coincidentally, it was one year ago today, that I wrote about being stricken with the illness that plagued Tom and other passengers while on the Middle Eastern cruise. Also on this date,  we posted a story about an article about how my health had changed from the change of diet. Unfortunately, no diet prevents one from catching viruses. This was the only photo we posted on that date, the photo I’d used for the article. For details and a link to that story,
please click here.

Nurturing…It’s an art form…A year ago…Sagrada Familia, Barcelona, Spain…

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These new photos posted yesterday, today, and tomorrow are from Wednesday’s unsuccessful search for insect repellent. When posting repeated photos, we always mention that they’re repeated. It isn’t often we are able to take a photo of a horse and buggy when many of the owners request money for photos.  We never pay for photos, other than for entrance into specific sightseeing venues.

Nurturing. It’s what we do for those we love. If they’ll accept it. When they’re sick or upset. Lost or unsure. We attempt it. If they refuse, we try again, hoping the end result will be different after the same behavior. Which isn’t usually how life works.

In the case of nurturing, a persistent caregiver will eventually win as will the recipient of the care who eventually sighs in grateful resignation allowing us to offer that loving helping hand. And suddenly, we get to work in an almost enthusiastic frenzy to be of assistance, dashing to and fro in endless tasks to reap the fruits of our good intentions: That the recipient is feeling better.

The Big Square was less busy with tourists than usual.

Without question, I am a nurturer. Can’t help it. As many of you read this, you see yourself. It’s sad when a loved one is ill. We’re anxious to help them get better.

The secret to being a good nurturer is not to hover. After the imminent tasks are completed it is imperative to sit back quietly busying oneself in other tasks evident to the recipient. Thus, the recipient becomes open to asking for more assistance as needed or as gently offered on obvious occasions.

It was odd to see less activities and vendors in the Big Square.

This is Tom and I when he is sick. More worried about my well being than his own. I’m not sick. Yet, anyway.  How many days does it take for the nurturer to catch the illness? Not sure. I tried to look it up online but the answers were vague.

Tom must be quite ill in order to allow me to nurture. He has his own nurturing tendencies but often lacks the skills to exercise them with ease, not unusual in the male populations.

A hotel in the Big Square.

Yesterday, the challenge was clear. His frequent rounds of snorting, wheezing, coughing as well as persistent sniffing pushed my irritation buttons. At times, I thought, ‘If that was me, I’d go hide away in the bedroom rather than subject him to such obvious suffering.” But then again, I’m kind of shy about gross bodily sounds.

Rather than comment about the constant noises, gently I provided fluids, aspirin, antihistamines and tender loving care, remaining across the room of course, at his beacon call. Careful to avoid touching him or his stuff, he held out his open mug for me to pour in the beverages and ice. I dropped the pills into his open hand. Again, I slept alone, finally getting a good night’s sleep with no new no-see-um bites. A miracle, indeed.

Vendors of discounted clothing often place their stock on a blanket on the ground, hoping takers will stop by for further negotiations.

However, nurturing wasn’t reserved exclusively for me. Midday, Madame Zahra, after a little concerned hovering of her own, grabbed a fluffy down comforter, a sheet, and pillows and made up a bed for him on the sofa in the far end of the salon.  He was far enough from me to avoid the spray of his fits of coughing and sneezing, close enough to know when I was needed.

When Madame and Oumaima arrived in the morning the language barrier presented an issue when I tried to describe that Tom was sick and slept in the yellow room. With flying hand signals coupled with my choppy French, I was able to explain that they shouldn’t clean the yellow room for several days to avoid getting sick themselves. Somehow they understood appreciating my efforts to explain. We appreciate them. More than we can say.

Tee shirts and women’s tops hanging in a shop in a souk.

Madame made us a perfect dinner, as always. We chose to eat at 5:30 instead of 6:30. We both needed to eat, after 24 hours without a morsel, not an uncommon occurrence without access to cooking our own meals.

Oh, I know protests are rampant at this mention about not eating more often. We only eat when we’re hungry. Period. It’s called, “Intermittent Fasting” which we’ve been doing since the beginning of our travels, except when cruising when we eat breakfast and dinner. Eating this way is not appropriate for everyone. It works for us. 

Stickers and signs for sale.

Email me if you’d like the names of reputable books quoting numerous studies of the benefits of eating less often, eating only when the body signals. If we’re hungry, we eat more often. The cavewoman/caveman didn’t have a fully stocked refrigerator of goodies. The human race was perpetuated. See, it all worked out. 

In any case, Tom appears to be feeling a little better today. He changed his shirt. He’s sitting up listening to his radio show from Minnesota, Garage Logic.

Perhaps, in one more day we’ll be able to go out again. I’m getting “riad” fever.
                                                ____________________________________

Photo from one year ago today, May 2, 2013:

A year ago today, we spent the day in Barcelona. Our first sight to see was the Sagrada Familia, the church that remains unfinished although the construction continues after over 100 years for which Antonio Gaudi is credited.

Tom is sick…No repellent anywhere…Two weeks and counting…A scary story from one year ago today…

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As mentioned on prior posts, most of the vendors don’t allow photos of their wares. All the photos of products in the souks have been taken while on the move, rarely stopping and never being able to focus the camera, often shooting without looking into the lens. As a result, many of our photos taken in the souk are blurry.

Tom is rarely ill. Yesterday morning, he awoke with a horrible sore throat. Within hours he was coughing, feverish, and feeling miserable. 

Having already told Adil that we’d be dining out, we had no option but to do just that. The thought of the long walk to a restaurant was daunting when one is so ill. On top of that, stubborn man that he is, Tom insisted that we find insect repellent for me by checking out every pharmacy in the Medina.

A less crowded spot in a souk.

Although I kept telling him to forget about the repellent, he insisted we continue to walk in one direction and then off to another to each of the four pharmacies we’ve seen in the Medina. I wasn’t sick, but even I didn’t want to walk that far in the heat.

With the necessity of me staying covered wearing BugsAway clothing to avoid being bit by sand flies, it was scorching in the sun in the Big Square, wearing the jeans, long sleeve shirt and heavy socks.   

Tom, not feeling well, led the way as I followed behind. Usually, we hold hands as he drags me through the crowds. We agreed that hand holding made no sense with his illness.

His constant sniffing, coughing, and wheezing were not only hard to hear but also somewhat annoying. His determination to find repellent was equally annoying. What were sandfly bites compared to his current state of health? We were quite a pair.

This was one of those situations where a couple could easily become snappy and irritable. Somehow we made the hour-long search tolerable except for the hard reality…insect repellent doesn’t exist in Marrakech. 

It’s not unusual to see popular clothing styles in the souks when many items are imported.

Finally, we gave up looking and began the long walk back toward the restaurant. Oh, that we could find a place for carryout food to bring back in order to avoid his constant coughing, sneezing, sighing, and moaning in the restaurant. We picked a table in the darkened back room. I felt so badly for him, wishing there was something that I could do.

Returning to the riad after dinner after endless “barksters” trying to get us to buy something, we were more than relieved to be back. We hunkered down, watched a few shows, and for the first time since we left the US, we slept in separate bedrooms in an attempt to keep me from catching it. Oh, please. I’d better not catch this illness!

It’s odd to see these blue jeans in the souk. Many of the locals wear this style.

He slept in the yellow room in a twin bed, leaving the master bedroom which was already set up to reduce the infestation of the sand flies. Feeling hot from wearing Tom’s long sleeve shirt to bed, I didn’t sleep more than three or four hours. 

Also, easily able to hear him coughing and choking in the other room, I was frequently awakened by his sounds, all the while worrying about him. He doesn’t do “sick” very well, as is the case with most men (no gender discrimination intended).

The stands in the Big Square. On a relatively quiet mid-week late afternoon, the vendors waited for customers.

The rooster living next door didn’t start crowing quite as early this morning so I managed to sneak in extra 45 minutes of sleep until the pigeons began their usual wing-flapping into the open courtyard, cooing all the while.  Rooster crowing, wings flapping, cooing, rooster crowing, wings, flapping, call to prayer, rooster crowing…I lumbered out of bed more exhausted than when I went to bed last night. Tom was still sleeping.

Sadly, he’s feeling no better today but he’s not worse which is encouraging. Hopefully, in a few days, he’ll be on the mend.

These dried fruits and nuts create an eye-appealing display. Most of the nuts are unsalted. On the right is a tray of essential oils, quality undetermined.

Of course, we’ll dine in tonight continuing to do so until he returns to health. As for the repellent, forget about it! I’ll buy it when we get to Madeira where hopefully more products will be available. In the interim, the long sleeve bug repellent shirts, jeans, and socks with be my daily attire, heat, and all. Getting more bites on my hands is unavoidable. I have to live with this.

Two weeks from today, we’ll be leaving Morocco, ready to embrace our new home for the next two and a half months. OK. We’ll be ready.

______________________________________________

Photo from one year ago today, May 1, 2013:

Not our photo. It was this type of knife that was slipped onto one of our plastic trays as they went through security in Barcelona. We were on a back-to-back cruise and had to get off the ship to later re-board. Of course, security pounced all over us, assuming it was our knife. Very scary situation. For details of Part 1 of the story, please click here.

Much to do…Retirement isn’t a free lunch….Photos from dinner in the souk…

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A complimentary bowl of spicy olives is served when dining at Arabe restaurant.
There’s never a day that passes that doesn’t require tasks related to our travels. In reality, it’s comparable to a full time job. Fortunately, we don’t mind doing most of the tasks. Although, it’s easy to lie in bed early in the morning thinking about everything that must be handled, we try not to make ourselves crazy or worried with the responsibility of accomplishing them.
The overlook to the shops below from Terrasse des Espices Restaurant.

Let’s face it. There’s no free lunch. We all have many tasks in our daily lives continuing well into retirement, if not until the end of our lives should we be so fortunate to be able to continue to do our own tasks. 

For most of our readers, daily household tasks and maintenance preoccupy a good portion of each day. Add the responsibility of handling medical insurance, medications, health appointments, paying bills, grocery, and other shopping, visiting family and friends who are ill or in nursing homes, and entertaining family and friends, it is exhausting.

Complimentary bread sticks are provided at Arabe restaurant.  The price of cocktails is high in Morocco, as much as US $10 per cocktail. As a result, Tom doesn’t bother to drink any alcohol. With us dining out three or four times per week, him not drinking could easily be saving us over US $100 per week.

Although we have eliminated some of the above items from our “to do” list, since we no longer have a home, we have other tasks to perform that replace them, mostly wrapped around our continuing travels.

In other words, being retired is not being “retired’ from anything other than going to an outside job each day. The perception that many younger still working people may have is that life is free and easy. Ha! It’s hardly the case.

A pigeon we spotted while dining on the rooftop.  Their cooing sounds permeate the air in the riad each day, along with the crowing rooster who crows every 5 or 10 minutes.

Although at times I consider myself in the retired category, I am far from retired. I work half or more of each day with our website, writing, editing, taking photos, and generally being continually aware of the creation of the inspiration for the next story. That’s hardly retired. The fact that I enjoy doing so is incidental.

Add the financial management, record keeping and the daily task of handling of the budget, logging each penny spent, my days are full, leaving a little time for playing Gin with Tom, watching a few shows and of course, getting out to explore.

This is the usual crowd we must maneuver each time we go out to dine, get cash from an ATM, roam around the Big Square, or to exit the Medina in order flag get a taxi. 

This morning I spent an hour placing our few pills into our pill cases. Tom’s case holds two weeks of pills. Mine holds four weeks. The end result is that I have to do pills every two weeks. Now, this should be an easy task. I take a few prescriptions and Tom takes one. Adding the few vitamins and probiotics we have left and it seems that it shouldn’t take so long.

But, as time has moved on, we’ve used all of our US prescriptions and are now into the one year’s supply of the those we’ve purchased from ProgressiveRX, a reputable online pharmacy company. (They don’t take insurance).  Each pill they dispense is individually wrapped in foil requiring a huge amount of time to get each pill out of the right wrapping.

As we dined at Le Jardin, Mr. Turtle stopped by, hanging out for “crumb patrol.” Of course, we complied with his request for vegetable tidbits from our plates as he stared up at us, which he savored with delight, quickly snapping them up. He rested between bites at my feet.

Today, I unwrapped over 100 pills for the six weeks total of pills I placed collectively in the little cases. As I’ve aged, good grief, I’ve noticed my fingers are not as adept as they may have been 40 years ago. Small handiwork is not my forte. 

Also, several years ago I had surgery on my right thumb and it’s basically useless. Try unwrapping those tight little tin foil packs when right-handed and the right thumb doesn’t work. What a time consuming ordeal.

Mr. Turtle and his companion, another male, scour the floor of the restaurant all day, as customers come and go. The staff feeds them their usual diet of fresh greens but they particularly seem to like the cooked vegetables from our plates.

After performing this task this morning, I thought, “Why don’t I unwrap them all and put them in the plastic bottles I saved from the old pills?”  Simple reason. As we are stopped by airport or cruise security, we’ll fare better with them in the labeled foil packs than in the white plastic bottles I saved that I plan to toss before we leave Morocco.

This morning, I performed the pill task earlier than usual after being awakened at 5:00 am by the crowing rooster next door. He’s obviously going nuts now that its spring, continuing to crow throughout the day, until dark. 

Fresh produce is offered for sale at Le Jardin including these pretty oranges.

Looming in our minds has been the car and flight we still need to book for leaving here in 27 days which invariably proves to be a lengthy process when making every effort to get a good deal. We postponed booking these two items as we considered the possibility of leaving a few days earlier. Now, that we’ve re-framed our thinking, we’re content to stay until our departure date of the 15th of May.

In addition, we still have four more family members to book for Hawaii as we continue to watch rates on a daily basis. We plan to have their bookings completed by the first week of May.

Notice the two buds growing behind the flower.  Photo taken from a tree in Le Jardin a restaurant we’ve found that stays open at all hours.

Yesterday, we created a detailed spreadsheet listing all the places we’d like to visit in the next year including prices and details of possible cruises and the flights to travel to those locations, the cost of rent, rental cars, and other expenses. As a result, we created a budget for the next year. It feels great to have accomplished this task.

When realizing that the cost of our “wish list” was more than we’re comfortable spending, we knew that the next step in the process was to whittle it down to an acceptable level. That it itself is a time-consuming process.  However, that business-related part of me still enjoys creating and updating spreadsheets. Good thing. It’s definitely not within Tom’s skill set or desire to learn.

A hand-carved head on display at Le Jardin.

Assigning tasks to each of us helps to avoid redundancy. At the moment, Tom is researching future travels while I document his research. This works well for us. I’m researching the remaining flights for our family, while Tom keeps checking our booked cruises for rate changes. (If prices drop, we get the benefit of the lowered price, if done so prior to 90 days before sailing).

As a result of the division of tasks, neither of us, ever feels there is an imbalance in responsibility, very important in keeping peace when together around the clock. Resentment over the balance of responsibility is often a source of disharmony in relationships which has never been an issue for us.

As I shot this photo of this parakeet in a cage at Le Jardin, she shook her tail feathers.

Without a doubt, I spend more time “working” each day as I write and post photos. But, the fact that it is a pleasant task, doesn’t make it feel as if it’s work.

As much as life for retirees may seem like a walk in the park, most of yours and our days are filled with tasks and responsibilities, none of which we can easily ignore or postpone.

This guy refused to awaken from his nap while I took these photos.

Maybe next time our hard-working, still working, family members or friends comment about the “easy” lives of retirement, they can ask us how we spend our days. Then, perhaps, they may realize it is not as simple or easy as it appears. Sadly, they eventually find out how difficult it is when we get so old that we can no longer perform our own tasks, and they have to take over.

It’s for all of the reasons we must grab at every moment we can, finding joy, pleasure and meaning in our lives.  And, it’s for this very reason, that we find ourselves in Morocco in spring of 2014, living life to the fullest, the best way that we can.
                                              ______________________________________

Photo from one year ago today, April 18, 2013:

Photo Tom took from our balcony at sunrise, as our ship made it’s way to Sam Juan, Puerto Rico where it spent the day. For details of this date, please click here.

A treacherous but breathtaking drive through the High Atlas Mountains…Motion sickness got me!

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This is a video (not ours) of the mountainous road we traveled yesterday while returning to Marrakech. The winding roads continued for over six hours.
Yesterday, on the return trip from the Atlas Mountains back to Marrakech, I was seated in the back seat on the right, preferring to have the advantage of better shots of the scenery. In Morocco, a former French colony, drivers, are seated on the left and they drive on the right side of the road, compared to the US and Canada.
Kasbah along the mountain drive.


The architecture was interesting and seemingly designed and constructed in the familiar manner of Morocco.
With nothing and no one blocking my view, I’d intended to take a video and many photos on the long way down the mountain. My good intentions were foiled when no more than 30 minutes into the seven hours into the drive from the hotel, for the first time in our travels I developed motion sickness, unlike any case I’ve ever had in my life.
The greenery against the clay rocks is breathtaking.
We were curious as to the lives of the Berber people living in many small villages in the mountains.
After eight cruises in 2013, the unbelievable 50 foot, 15.23 meters waves for three days on the Norwegian Epic while crossing the Atlantic Ocean beginning on April 20th, neither of us ever had a tinge of motion sickness. Never once did I get sick while driving through the mountainous roads we in Tuscany, Italy last summer.
 A reception area near the entrance to a Kasbah.
If Italy’s roads were winding, the roads in the Atlas Mountains were that much worse, especially with the length of the drive. It Italy, we drove a short 25 minutes each way in order to do errands. Never once did I get motion sickness in our travels until yesterday.
A housing area in a village along the road.
Not the case yesterday, when I made an awful mistake. During the beginning of the less scenic part of the winding roads, I read a chapter in a book on the Kindle app on my phone. Big mistake. It was with this cocky attitude of being invincible that I ate raw vegetables when first arriving in Morocco, ending up sick for weeks. 
Along a modern highway in Ouarzazate. Actually, all the highways were modern and maintained in most of the towns and villages along the long drive.
Yesterday, with that same laissez-faire attitude that, in a short time I put down the phone, in a state of self disdain, knowing I’d crossed the motion sickness barrier and most likely, would be ill for the remainder of the hours-long drive down the mountains. So true it was!
At times, we were surprised to see the modern buildings.
For over five full hours, every hairpin turn, every winding curve, every passing maneuver, exacerbated my desire to tell Mohamed to stop the vehicle so I could puke on the side of the road. I tried everything: sitting up straight, looking forward as opposed to the side of the road, leaning my seat back, all to no avail.
Many of the older buildings in Ouizazate were relatively maintained. In all of the construction we’ve seen, nothing appears to vary greatly from the traditional Moroccan architecture.
I knew that once my equilibrium was gone, the only way to recover was to get out of the mountains onto straight roads. I kept asking Tom the time. It crawled, as compared to the competent fast pace Mohamed navigated the treacherous roads.
These are the walls of a double wall protected ClubMed in Ouarzazate.
At one point Tom said, “Don’t start that!” What??? I wasn’t “starting this on purpose!” My state of motion sickness wasn’t something I could turn off. It wasn’t psychological!  I quickly reminded him, “This is like when you get an intestinal response from eating bread. You can’t will it away” But, I wasn’t about to be angry. I needed to focus on keeping from puking in the car, my only mission on the rest of the way down.
An entrance to a Kasbar.
How badly I wanted to take more photos. In a few spots, I managed to take a few shots quickly looking forward in order to regain my focus.
These are not unlike apartments and condos that may line any highway in any country with only a few design differences.
After the first hour, I realized another possible contributing factor; I had eaten breakfast at the hotel; a two-egg omelet, and three triangles of Laughing Cow cheese since I was still hungry from the previous night’s sparse dinner of tough meat and overcooked zucchini and carrots. Surely, a full stomach contributed to my awful state of dizziness and nausea.
We wondered if all of this housing development had stopped due to economic conditions.
The time slowly ticked by. When we finally reached level roads, I straightened in my seat, looking ahead. During the last 30 minutes into Marrakech, I began to recover.
We also wondered as to the expenses and the sources of income for the people living in these developments.
Adil met us at the drop off point outside the Medina which Mohamed had arranged. He was delighted to help us with our bags. At that point, I wasn’t capable of carrying my handbag, let alone anything else for the long walk back to Dar Aicha.  
The colors in the terrain and the structures blended so well that at times it was easy to miss the structures.
My legs were stiff after sitting in one spot in my seat in the SUV without stopping for a bathroom break during the last six hours which neither of us needed (I was too sick to even take a sip of water during the entire drive). The return walk to Dar Aicha further helped alleviate the remnants of the motion sickness.
One of the few photos I took as we navigated the winding mountain roads on the return drive to Marrakech.
By the time we reached our riad, I was fast on my way to feeling well, especially when we saw the smiling faces of Madame Zahra and Oumaima happy to see us, as we were them. 
These exquisite rock formations appeared as if they’d been carved by hand.  Only Mother Nature and millions of years contributed to this amazing scenery.
Neither of us felt like traveling in a petite taxi to go out to dinner, and without giving ample notice to Madame and Oumaima to shop and prepare dinner, we both agreed we’d forgo dinner to snack on nuts and cheese. Food was the last thing on my mind.
There was one picturesque scene after another.
By 6:00 pm we were unpacked and ready for a relaxing evening. I finished yesterday’s post, uploaded it by 7:00 pm and we were psyched to watch what proved to be an excellent movie that we’d previously downloaded on Graboid,  “August: Osage County.”
From time to time, a small hotel popped up on the mountain drive
With many more photos from our short trip yet to post, we’re staying in today. Spring Break, in many countries, started yesterday and the souk will be packed today and tomorrow, most likely continuing over the next week.  We’ll attempt an outing.
On a few occasions, we saw motor homes navigating the mountain roads.
Have a wonderful weekend as spring attempts to peek out from an awful winter for many of our worldwide readers. Stay tuned for more.
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Photo from one year ago today, April 12, 2013:
Blurry photo of us taken by a tablemate on the Carnival Liberty as we were having dinner at a “sharing” table in the main dining area. For details of that date, please click here.

The trials and tribulations of taking prescribed medication while traveling the world….

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The comments here today are in no manner intended to be any form of medical advice. We are not medical professionals. Please see your medical professional for advice and consultation.
Decorative doors in Morocco are common. Some believe symbols and a beautiful door may drive away evil spirits.
Where do I begin? Here we go, me doing my best to describe a situation that easily may become a dilemma for seniors or those taking medications while traveling. No matter how hard I’ve tried I am plagued with hereditary health issues. Since I was 16 years old, I exercised, watched what I ate, stayed slim (except for a few short periods which I later remedied), and lived a healthy lifestyle. 
I was motivated by fear, watching family members fall prey to diabetes with subsequent amputation and untimely death, morbid obesity, heart and arterial disease, thyroid disease, and the painful condition I changed a few years ago by changing to my restrictive diet.
With my efforts all these years, I have no alternative but to take a few medications, one for high blood pressure. But, let’s face it, millions of seniors over 65 take medications for this and other conditions. It’s not unique.
These doors have similarities that many who designed the riads found particularly appealing.
Over the years, I’ve read how to reduce the necessity for medications for hypertension and have made huge efforts to eliminate the need for the medications to no avail. Invariably, the symptoms stayed steady and I was merely kidding myself that I could function without them. 

Luckily, almost three years ago, I stumbled across a doctor who steered me in the direction of this strict anti-inflammation diet that I’ll follow for the remainder of my life, that that has changed the quality of my life, now living pain-free (except for the occasional pain in the bum right shoulder which I’ll gladly live with). Without this change, we’d never have been able to travel for a two-week vacation, let alone travel the world for years.

In some of the narrow alleys, we could only take photos from an angle as shown.

After the first six months on the restrictive diet, all of my lipids dramatically improved from bad to normal. But, the high blood pressure, entrenched deep within my genes, remained. I have no choice but to take medication, most likely for the remainder of my life.

As described in this site many times in the past, taking medication while on a vacation/holiday is not necessarily an issue. It’s imperative to bring more medication than you’ll need in the event of delays, with the medication in it’s original labeled bottles along with copies of your prescriptions in the event you are questioned. Only once have we been questioned about non-prescription and prescription medications except in Belize. Long story.  Here’s the link.

Two interesting doors..
We’ve posted many times as to how we decided to purchase our few medications through a reputable online pharmacy, a year’s supply at a time, to be shipped to us wherever we may be. When down to a remaining four months of a drug, we place our order.

Alas, an order of a few months ago that we received in South Africa via snail mail, had a problem. Before sending the medication, they contacted me by email, explaining the dilemma. The pharmacy company, ProgressiveRX was unable to correctly fill the blood pressure medication.

The drug in question is Lisinopril with Hydrochlorothiazide.  The pharmacy company only had the drug Lisinopril by itself without the Hydrochlorothiazide, a diuretic used to reduce fluid in the body and subsequently in the blood vessels (simplification). They didn’t have access to the combination drug or the two drugs separately. The combination of these two medications, available in a single pill was the only drug that worked for me after trying many combinations years ago. 

We also noticed exceptional doors while we were living in Tuscany last summer.

What was I to do?  Find a doctor to write a separate prescription for the required 12.5 mg dose of Hydrochlorothiazide and then take the two pills together?  Worrying about running out entirely, I advised them to send the 10 mg. Lisinopril by itself and I’d figure out the rest. I didn’t want to go to a doctor’s office in Africa unless it was an emergency with fears of communicable diseases in such a place.

Taking my copy of the prescription to a pharmacy in South Africa provided no options. hey didn’t carry the drug or a reliable equivalent. Knowing that I’d run out of my old supply in the first few weeks in Morocco, I realized I’d have no choice but to try taking the Lisinopril by itself and see what happens. Within three or four days, I could feel that my blood pressure was high. Many do not feel any symptoms from hypertension making it important to have it checked from time to time.

A serious kitty nap at the base of a tree.

I know many of you will write to me suggesting I don’t self treat. Medical care in many countries is sketchy at best, especially with the language barrier. That’s why we have emergency evacuation insurance. 

In fairness to medical professions in every country, surely, there are fine doctors in most countries. Finding one’s way to them is tricky, can be costly and time-consuming. We didn’t determine this dilemma to be a medical emergency at this point.

With Spring Break on the horizon, yesterday the souks weren’t as busy as usual.

Taking a copy of the prescription with me as we wandered through the souks and Big Square on several occasions we stopped at a few pharmacies, none of which could understand the dilemma. Alas, on Monday, before we started our sightseeing tour, Samir directed Mohamed to take us to a certain pharmacy, outside of the Medina.

The pharmacist spoke excellent English. We left her with a copy of the prescription and a short time later she called Samir, explaining she could supply the separate drug, Hydrochlorothiazide in 25 mg pills which I could cut in half and add it to the Lisinopril dose each day. 

(Oddly, I had packed a pill cutter. We’d never used a pill cutter until our precious dog Willie was diagnosed with cancer in 2011 for which we were giving him Morphine, cutting the stronger doses in half over the few weeks until he left us.  If you’re a dog lover, you may enjoy reading the first blog I’d ever written, during his last days of life, written from his perspective. Please click here for the link. Please scroll through the archives to read from the beginning. Get out your hanky).

Occasionally, we’ve seen a modern-looking spa-type store in the souk, often selling the popular Argan oil, thought to be highly effective in treating the skin and hair.

We ordered a year’s supply to supplement our year’s supply of the Lisinopril and we’re good until we’re in Hawaii next March. Today, Samir dropped off the prescription order for which we reimbursed him. Heartfelt thanks to Samir for his assistance in this situation.

The entire cost for the years supply was US $33.20, MAD $270. I can only imagine the cost of this drug in the US for a year’s supply, perhaps as much as 10 times more. (I could drag out the soapbox for that discussion but I won’t at this time)!

Had she only been able to get the combined drug, I’d have no use for the year’s supply of Lisinopril for which we’d already paid the online pharmacy. Luckily, it all worked out well. 

The rooftops in Morocco are also similar to those in Tuscany.

An interesting fact that we’ve discovered in many countries including Morocco, is that pharmacies don’t necessarily require a prescription for many drugs. However, this could make replacing a drug one accidentally left at a home time consuming and frustrating. Also, some narcotic drugs (none of which we take) may be acquired in some countries without prescriptions which ultimately could result in an arrest if one didn’t have an accompanying verifiable prescription on hand. 

I ask myself, “What could we have done differently to avoid this situation?” Not much, really. Now, feeling like myself again after the addition of the second drug and the recovery from the recent illness, we feel we did the right thing.

The last archway we enter on our long trek to Pepenero.

Traveling long term has its challenges. We don’t have all the answers since we, like many of you, learn as we go. Hopefully, today, if one of our readers gleans a morsel of information from us sharing this story, our efforts are well spent.

Tonight, we’re dining in after a fabulous dinner yesterday at our favorite, PepeNero. OK, we’ll admit it, we’re already doing repeat restaurants. But then again, Madame Zahra’s amazing dinners are surely repeats that we can’t resist.

Tomorrow, we’ll share photos of artifacts from the interior of our riad that we’ve found rather interesting.  Hopefully, you will too!
                                                ______________________________________

Photo from one year ago today, March 27, 2013:

Our veranda in Belize was located at the left edge of this sidewalk.  We couldn’t have been closer to the Caribbean Sea than we were.  For the post from that date, please click here.

First outing in days…New photos…On the mend….

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This building, a short walk from PepeNero, attracted our attention. We approached the guard, asking if we could go inside and take a look around. He shook his head, “No, Madame. This is the palace of the king.” We walked away laughing at our “faux pas.”

How did I get so lucky that many wrote to us offering various solutions for my ill health? My sister researched online and found a nearby English speaking doctor in a clinic, a short cab ride away. A dear friend offered to have her doctor call me on Skype for an online appointment.

If one loves cats, Marrakech is the place to visit.
These three cats were enjoying the balmy day next to one another.
The stray cats are fed and cared for by the locals.  We’ve yet to see one that looked unhealthy or underfed.

Many of our friends sent well wishes by email and some posted online. Thanks to everyone for your kindness and concern. A few chastised me for not seeing a doctor, saying so with the most caring of intentions.

Aubergine is popular in Morocco, used extensively in cooking. It’s actually a fruit but is extremely low in carbs and sugar, which enables me to eat it. It is in the eggplant family with a taste and texture almost identical to eggplant. We’ve never seen aubergine in any other country.

As I write this I’m halfway through the six pill dose of Cipro and today, I’m almost completely better, only a little weak from all the lying around. “They,” say that one begins to lose muscle mass within 18 hours of lying in bed (or on a sofa). It takes time to rebuild one’s energy and sense of well being.

This was the first shoe store of this type that we’ve seen in the souk. Most of the shoes follow a similar style, colorful with low heels, mostly made of cloth and plastic as opposed to leather.

Yesterday, we went out to lunch, back to our favorite new restaurant, PepeNero, where we had a fabulous lunch. The long walk was challenging for the first time out in days but, Tom managed to walk at my slower pace. By the time we returned home, I felt refreshed from the good food, the sunshine, and the fresh air.

It’s common to see women holding hands as they walk through the souk or men kissing one another, a friendly acceptable show of affection among friends and relatives. However, men and women do not touch one another in public. Tom hangs on to me since I am always so busy taking photos and not watching my step. Yesterday, feeling a little weak on our first outing in days, I only took a few photos, especially needing to pay attention to where I was walking. The narrow roads are uneven, filled with potholes, grates, and tripping hazards.

Today, the wheels are in motion again as we begin to lock up plans for sightseeing at long last. Honestly, I now know, after getting sick the second day here, that I dragged my feet in wanting to get out at all. Something wasn’t right and I knew it. Arriving on March 1st, I guess I’ve been ill for almost three weeks, forcing myself to do everything we actually did.

Taking a new way back home, we spotted this colorful olive and pickled vegetable area with one display after another of appealing items. Our meals at home include many olives commonly used in Moroccan cooking.

As soon as we hear from Samir today, we’ll start booking our plans. Finally, I feel excited. Tom, of course, has been my usual “go with the flow” guy supportive of whatever I’ve needed. That doesn’t mean that I “run the show.” We both share in decisions. 

This kindly vendor allowed me to take a photo of his beautiful display.  Most Muslim people do not allow photographs of themselves, which we respect when taking photos.  As a result, he covered his face as I took this shot.

It’s raining today, which unfortunately will keep us indoors. Everything is outdoors and it makes no sense to be getting wet while recovering. However, we don’t feel trapped when staying in. 

We’ll easily entertain ourselves researching future travels, playing Gin, reading, chatting, and watching world news on either of the two English speaking news channels, BBC and Bloomberg. Also, we spend time chatting with friends and family on Facebook or via email, never feeling alone or bored. 

After all, life isn’t always exciting, a fact that makes the exciting times all the more meaningful. However, going forward, a little excitement is exactly what the doctor ordered!

Desperate times, desperate measures…Couldn’t wait until Friday…

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Sorry, but this is the only photo we have for today. It’s important for travelers to be reminded not to walk or step onto any grates, manhole covers, or the like when walking in a foreign country. Many years ago, a friend fell into a grate which resulted in a compound leg fracture requiring a US $25,000 fee for an air ambulance ride back to the US from Mexico. That was 30 years ago. Imagine how much it would be in today’s dollars! They had to borrow from family and friend’s credit cards to pay the fee in advance! As a result, both Tom and I do not step on grates or manhole covers which are everywhere in the souk, the Medina, and the streets of Morocco. We ask our readers to consider taking this same precaution, even at home. 

Last night, we became very worried. The illness had escalated. I could hardly walk across the room or pick up my head from the pillow.

Without a morsel of food in 24 hours, unable to eat, we asked that Madame Zahra makes two, three-egg omelets with cheese with unseasoned meatballs with no veggies and no seasonings. For Tom, she added, “chips” (French fries) and bread. An innocuous seasoning-free meal.

When Tom didn’t like his omelet saying something tasted “funny” and with so little of the food suitable for me, I ate both omelets. It wasn’t hunger as much as it was needed. Never in my life, did I eat six eggs in one sitting until last night. My body must have been craving the protein, especially when I gobbled up my share of the meatballs.

The thought of one more bite of Moroccan spices turned my stomach. Somehow, after becoming ill a few days after arriving in Morocco, I now associate the spices with the illness.

Feeling hot and cold all day, left me sweating by 10:00 pm last night and I went to bed with the room spinning.  As I lay there alone (Tom was still downstairs) I realized that Friday was too long a wait to take the Cipro. My plan of letting this illness work itself out had failed. I couldn’t take another day.

I called to Tom from the upstairs railing down to the courtyard below for him to bring me some iced water. I dug out the full bottle of Cipro from the pill bag, holding a large oval-shaped white pill in my hand, praying a three to five-day dose would help. When Tom handed me the ice water, I chugged it down. He tucked me in bed under the comfy covers.

Being ill and lying around for days, I’d already read all of the books on the Kindle app on my phone except for a few non-fiction scientific books I had started and yet to finish. There’s nothing like scientific research to lull one off to sleep. An hour later, the phone fell out of my hand startling me awake. It was 11:45, one hour and 45 minutes after I’d taken the pill.

This may sound utterly ridiculous, but I felt slightly better. The lightheadedness was improved and although my mouth was terribly dry, the feeling of toxic fluids running through my system was greatly reduced. Many may call this a placebo effect. This was no placebo. This was Cipro running through my system sucking up a raging infection. 

No longer did I think about having malaria. I was on the mend. I smiled from ear to ear, easily falling back to sleep and not awakening until almost 8:00 am this morning. Now, I won’t say I’m 100% better, but, I’m 50% better, a sizable improvement.

After this morning’s dose, I still have four more doses to take if I’m going with the three-day regime which the instructions indicate is acceptable if the symptoms have subsided after twice-daily dosing for a total of six pills.  At this point, at noon on Wednesday, I’m fairly confident I will return to good health by the last dose on Friday morning. 

Today, desperately needing to move about, we’re heading out for lunch to the same restaurant we visited last week PepeNero. Ah, who cares about trying something new? I surely could use a perfectly cooked piece of salmon and a few sautéed vegetables. Tom’s chomping at the bit for a Moroccan seasoning-free meal.

Don’t get me wrong, I do like Moroccan seasonings. But, with my illness and our unfamiliar taste buds, the spicy flavors become redundant after so many weeks. Most tourists enjoy the flavors for one or two weeks during their holidays. For the long term, it’s an acquired taste that neither of us has achieved at this point nor do we expect that we will be going forward. 

The long walk to PepeNero today is a bit intimidating. We’ll take it slow, stopping from time to time to take photos. The fresh air and sunlight will do us both good after being cooped up for the past four days.

Soon, we’ll reschedule our sightseeing trip and our upcoming out of town stay for mid-April. For now, I need to get back to doing the taxes and feeling well. Whew! We continue on, dear readers. We continue on…