Day #158 in lockdown in Mumbai, India Hotel…Cleaning up old posts…

Day #158 in lockdown in Mumbai, India Hotel…Cleaning up old posts…

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Note; We hope everyone can find our site. I have no way to get a message to our readers who may be having trouble getting our usual link to load due to the necessity of emptying the cache on your browser. Your computer remembers our old hosting site, Blogger, and not our new hosting site, Hostinger, making it impossible for you to log in. If you clear your cache, the problem will be resolved, and no harm is done to your other settings. I have contacted our web developer to see if there is a way we can handle this on our end, but I don’t think there will be. We only hope you’ve found a way to find us. We still are at www.worldwidewaftage.com.

Enjoy our photos, yet again from South Kensington, London from this date in 2014, and found at this link. There are numerous food photos on this particular post from dining out in the area.

A prehistoric creature, at the Natural History Museum in South Kensington, London.

Since our new site went live, a few issues occurred that prompted me to make a tough decision to go back through every one of almost 3000 posts to correct any errors. There are 147 pages of 17-18 posts each. I will have to go through each post, one by one. I started yesterday from the first post on March 15, 2012, and have completed two of the 147 pages. I plan to do one page per day.

This is referred to as a Football Fish.

Another issue is that all old posts show a duplicate of the main photo at the top of each page. I’ve contacted our web developers today to see if they can correct this. Hopefully, soon this will be resolved. Please be patient with us as we work through this issue and a few other remaining issues.

More fish from rivers, lakes, and streams.

At this rate, if I do one page of 17 posts per day, I will complete the editing process in about five months. I finished this same process of correcting old posts about four years ago. However, with the recent transition to the new site, many lines and paragraph issues occurred. Also, in reviewing old posts, I’ve realized I’d missed many grammar and spelling errors in my past mission to correct the mistakes. Now, my goal is to correct everything. No doubt, it’s a daunting task which each day will take about an hour.

A lizard that puffs up the frill around the neck to scare off predators. This could not be very safe.

At first, I thought I’d do this each day before preparing each new post. But now, two days later, I realize I’d instead do it first thing in the morning. It’s not a pleasant task, like preparing a new post is for me. I’ve always been one to get the complex functions out of the way first thing in the morning, leaving me free to enjoy the remainder of the day’s tasks.

“Jaws!”

I was very disappointed to see how many errors there were in the old posts. I had no control over the line and paragraph spacing going wonky in the transition. But, the typos and grammar errors were all on me. It’s frustrating to face a 3,000 post string of errors when I think back over how hard I’d tried at the time to prepare each post correctly.

Komodo Dragons are found on the Indonesian islands of Komodo, Rinca, and Flores. We’ll be spending four months in Bali, Indonesia, in 2016, where tourists have spotted Komodo Dragons on occasion. Komodo Dragons are of the species of Monitor Lizards, two of which lived in our yard in Marloth Park, South Africa. Please see this link to see our photos when they made a rare appearance by the pool.

I do not doubt this new process; I’ll still miss a few corrections; Fortunately, WordPress, as opposed to Blogger. Is more aggressive in reminding writers to type correctly and avoid making errors. This is a tremendous help. I’ve been using the apps Gingerly and Grammarly the past few years, but even they have missed several mistakes I’d made.

More marine life.

I give myself a break on this because I realize I am preparing the equivalent of an essay 365 days a year, at times during challenging and stressful periods, comparable to those most recently. These scenarios are a breeding ground for making errors.

We saw a smaller version of similar crabs at the beach in Kenya which is on the eastern coast in Africa.  They moved so quickly. We couldn’t get a photo.

I laugh when texting family and friends over spellcheck changing words to unintelligible words and phrases, often leaving me in stitches. Then again, I usually type incorrectly since I’m slow when texting on my phone. I bet many of you relate to this laugh-worthy scenario.

Many of us lobster enthusiasts would appreciate a lobster of this size on a platter.

We love technology. But, technology is only as good as our skills to use it. I am not adept at web development, although I played a significant role in designing our new site. I am slow at typing, even after all these years of banging away on a keyboard. I pick away at a keyboard in a meager attempt to avoid typing errors. Even that hasn’t worked so well.

After many visits by Zebras in our yard in South Africa, seeing this lifelike rendition made me miss them.  Click this link to see Zebras that visited us in South Africa.

I am hoping to get done early enough today to watch an episode of The 100 on Netflix before 3:00 pm when Tom and I try to have time to start streaming a few shows together. We’ll see how it goes. Of course, whatever I do is interrupted by the necessity of walking every hour for at least ½ mile, .8 km,  to reach my daily goal of 5 miles, 8 km.

We saw Rhinos in the wild in Kenya. Some of the displays of Rhino were taxidermy.  There was a sign stating that the horns had been removed and replaced with man-materials. Please click here for a few of our Rhino photos from Kenya.

Through all this recent sadness over the loss of my sister and the stress of getting this site up and running, I’ve never missed a day of walking. Knowing this may be beneficial for my heart is my sole motivator. Consistency is important.

Ah, my heart did a flip flop when Tom spotted this warthog.  The first time either of us had ever seen a warthog was in October 2013, in the Masai Mara, Kenya, while on safari.  Of course, later in South Africa, we joyfully saw them each day.  Click here for the first time we saw a live warthog (scroll down the page).

Have a healthy and peaceful day!

Photo from one year ago today, August 28, 2019:

While on a walk in the quaint town of Falmouth, Cornwall, England, we encountered these vegetables for sale in a front garden. We selected a zucchini and a small pumpkin. We left the money in a jar sitting on the table. For more photos, please click here.

Kindness and the ugly American…More museum photos…

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An antique turnip cleaner.

“Fascinating Fact of the Day About Ireland”

“Only about 9% of people in Ireland have natural red hair, contrary to popular belief.”

Traveling can be frustrating at times. Service may be slow, venues may be booked incorrectly, plans may be changed over which we have no control, food isn’t hot or tasting as anticipated, or there’s the complaint consisting of “there’s a fly in my soup.” 

Blue ribbons on display for events with Connemara Ponies.

Notoriously, airline and cruise lines tend, based on the millions of passengers they serve each year, to make endless mistakes both human and technologically impacting travelers, leaving them in the wake of confusion and frustration.

These same issues may be prevalent in our “hometown” even when not traveling. Based on the fact we have no home, our perspective is slightly different.  Perhaps, in some ways and some situations, our expectations may be higher.

A wagon filled with peat, a common product used for fuel in Ireland.

Tourism is the lifeblood of many towns, villages, regions, states, and countries. Without tourists, the bulk of an area’s revenue and thousands (if not millions) of jobs would be lost.

The reality remains, not all employees and companies place enough importance and emphasis on the value of the customer and the vital role they play in keeping their business alive and flourishing.

A variety of antique items.

In the process of these inconveniences, we, as the recipients of human or computer error, have a decision we can make as to how we respond to the situation.  

We can choose to enact volatile behavior and uncooperativeness to those we encounter in the process. Or, we can choose to remain calm, although confident and assertive, tossing in a healthy dose of kindness.

A 100-year-old saddle.

The perception of the “ugly American” does exist throughout the world. And even as Americans, in a discriminatory manner, we may hypothesize on what appears to be stereotypical behavior of people from certain countries.

On a few occasions, I will admit that we’ve entertained such comments in a group of friends, stating that people from this country generally react in a certain way. And, no doubt, cultural differences can play a role in these behaviors, acceptable in their country but perhaps not so much in our own or others.

Parts of horse harness.

But, our perceptions, right or wrong, may often change when we encounter those who are kind, friendly, and easy-going regardless of the circumstances that impact their travel. They look on the bright side reacting accordingly.  

It’s not always easy to be diplomatic and kind, and by no means are we examples of perfection in these areas. Still, somehow, we try to remember the words “ugly American” and simply…make every effort to be kind and play a role, however small, in dispelling this perception.

A two-wheeled buggy was used over 100 years ago.

It’s easy in Ireland. Everyone is amiable and kind. We’ve yet to encounter a single individual who has treated us in any manner short of being a long-lost friend, who they revere and hold in the highest esteem.

For this, we are in awe and ultimately very grateful. For this reason alone, we know we are in the right place, exactly where we should be at this time in our world travels. We still have challenges to face with my health and ongoing recovery.  

One of the first types of marine radios.

But, this welcoming place has made a living in Ireland for three months all the more meaningful and memorable.  

Be well. Be happy.

Photo from one year ago today, June 23, 2018:

An adult hippo needs to resurface every 3 to 5 minutes to breathe. For more photos from Kruger National Park, please click here.

Visit to a museum…Connemara Ponies and more…First non-stop transatlantic flight…

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View from the second story of the museum.

“Fascinating Fact of the Day About Ireland”
“Ireland
has mounds of dirt known as “fairy forts” Legend has it that those who disturb one of these mounds will be riddled with bad luck. These mounds are ancient dwellings from the Iron Age.”

A few days ago, we decided to take advantage of our shopping trip to Clifden and visit the Station House Museum, which was listed as an essential place to tour while in Connemara.

We arrived at the Station House Museum a little too early and left wandering about town until it opened 30 minutes later. The entrance fee is Euro 3, US $3.42 per person.

Keep in mind that Connemara, although with a small population of around 32,000, is a vast area covering many miles. We can quickly drive for almost two hours and still be within the region. 

Located in County Galway, it’s a point of interest for many tourists visiting Ireland for its scenery, history, people, and cozy country feel with sheep, horses, donkeys, and cattle easily spotted on the narrow, winding roads, often only wide enough for one car to pass. For “city” people, this is a unique experience.

Replica of the biplane made the first nonstop transatlantic flight by two British pilots from St. Johns Newfoundland to Clifden.

For us and our world travel experience, it’s another exciting place to live with several worthwhile sites in the area. Less interested in long, all-day road trips, we strive to find the venues that appeal to us within a reasonable driving distance. Museums are often top on the list.

What an excellent way to learn about a community, its culture, and its people. Such was the case when a few days ago, we visited the Station House Museum located close to downtown Clifden. In this small town, we’ve found shopping to be enjoyable, with its friendly, often Irish-speaking population who’ve learned English over the generations.

A saddle from the early 1900s.

We arrived at 10:00 am as advertised online, but when we arrived promptly, we found a note on the door stating they wouldn’t be open until 10:30. No worries. We busied ourselves walking around while we waited for the opening.

The Station House Museum is small but packed with historical facts and memorabilia that we found refreshing and enlightening. Here’s some information we found online about the museum:

Replica of Connemara Pony and cart.

From this site: “Located in a former train shed, this small, absorbing museum has displays on the local ponies and pivotal aspects of Clifden’s history, including the Galway to Clifden Connemara Railway (in service from 1895 to 1935) and Guglielmo Marconi’s transatlantic wireless station at Derrigimlagh, which was also the site of the crash landing of John Alcock and Arthur Brown’s first nonstop transatlantic aeroplane crossing in 1919.”

Additionally, we discovered the following information from this site:

“An international library of Connemara pony stud books and journals is available for research by enthusiasts. A video of the ponies in their native habitat filmed nearly forty years ago is shown daily. The ground floor is dedicated to Ireland’s native pony breed, the Connemara.
One hundred years ago, British aviators “John Alcock and Arthur Brown, as shown in these statues, made the first nonstop transatlantic flight in June 1919.  They flew a modified First World War Vickers Vimy bomber from St. John’s, Newfoundland, to Clifden, Connemara, County Galway, Ireland.[The Secretary of State for Air, Winston Churchill, presented them with the Daily Mail prize for the first crossing of the Atlantic Ocean by aeroplane in “less than 72 consecutive hours”.A small amount of mail was carried on the flight, making it the first transatlantic airmail flight. The two aviators were awarded the honor of Knight Commander of the Most Excellent Order of the British Empire (KBE) a week later by King George V at Windsor Castle.”

The high roofed interior, with tall shedding windows on either side, is the backdrop for montage panels of photographs and documents. These are well supported by memorabilia and artifacts.

A sign is posted near the statues.

All the latter have an intimate association with breeders and ponies from the Western Seaboard throughout the last two centuries.”

A buggy from yesteryear.
An upper gallery takes visitors step by step through the region’s rich history, D’Arcy early in the nineteenth century, to the building and life of the Galway to Clifden railway line (1895 – 1935).

A photographic exhibition of the Marconi Wireless Station at Derrygimla (1905 – 1925) and lifesize figures of Alcock and Brown who landed on this site after their historic flight (1919) complement the interesting range of exhibits.”

Replica of Connemara farmhouse with donkeys pulling a cart.  We see many donkeys in this area.

Nearby, only a few steps away from the museum, is the popular Clifden Station House Hotel with two restaurants and a pub serving tourists and locals. After reviewing their menu, surely during our time here, we’ll try the restaurant, most likely for lunch rather than dinner. 

(We’re avoiding driving long distances at night with a high risk of accidents on the narrow winding roads, especially after a few drinks).

A variety of winning ribbons for Connemara Ponies.

As shown in our photos, we found plenty of interesting information and artifacts in the museum and learned more about this appealing area, country, and its people.

We’re staying in over the weekend, but we have plenty of new photos to share after another outing yesterday. A special thanks to all of our new readers for stopping by. From whence you come…we have no idea but, we’re happy to see you here. We have no access to your email or personal information, but we can see we’ve had new visitors.

May your weekend be filled with awe and wonder!

Photo from one year ago today, June 22, 2018:

This male was “standing watch” so the others could relax and nod off. For more photos, please click here.