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

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Tourist information at the police station.

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

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

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

The local courthouse has few cases.

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Have a fabulous new day in your life!

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

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

Abundance is in the eye of the beholder…

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

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

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

Cows munching on greenery along the road.

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Will you find abundance in your life today?

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

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

Patience prevailed on a challenging day!…

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Photo from one year ago, October 7, 2014:

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

Differences of life in the islands…Are we as happy here as compared to Hawaii?

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We stopped on a bridge for this photo.
How can it be that is has been one year ago that we arrived in Hawaii, precisely Waikiki Beach, where we stayed for 11 nights in a less than desirable condo?

After Waikiki, we lived on three more islands in the Hawaiian chain over a period of almost eight months, which seems so far behind us as now we live on yet another island, this time in Vanua Levu, Fiji while enjoying its unique charms, unlike Hawaii in innumerable ways.

The weather may be similar. The tropical plants and flowers may be familiar and the ocean views still draw our eyes countless times a day. But, it’s different…rugged…less populated…less modern.

Here in Fiji, we find ourselves entrenched in the life of the locals, surrounded by their cultures, their lifestyles, their language, and grasping at snippets of what life may be life for them, as opposed to the life we lived in Hawaii.

Rock formations, a tiny island, as shown on the beach at low tide.

In Hawaii, we rarely met a citizen of native Hawaiian descent. The reality over these past centuries has been the immigration of people from Polynesian and Asian countries and other countries worldwide. Hawaii became similar to the “melting pot” of many cultures in many big cities.

In addition, many have moved from the US mainland to live in Hawaii to escape from the hustle and bustle of daily life, only to discover that the island paradise, a traveler’s dream of island living, has traffic, commotion, lines at the Walmart and Costco stores and the hassle one experience in many larger cities.

Yes, there are the quaint little shops, malls, and farmer’s markets, but prices are set for the tourist trade that locals have no choice but to incorporate into their own bulging budgets. It’s expensive to live in Hawaii, more than we’ve seen anywhere in the world to date.

In essence, the “new” and continually growing population of Hawaii leaves a resident with many of the stresses they’d hope to leave behind. However, they have the opportunity to partake in some of the most exquisite scenery to be found anywhere in the world that takes one’s breath away on a daily basis. 

If that’s enough to keep a “transplant” happy along with the friendly nature of others who have moved to Hawaii, then a wonderful life is to be had. The ideal weather, the flowers blooming year-round, the excitement of erupting volcanoes, and the availability of almost anything one could want or need, makes Hawaii an ideal home for many who’ve moved to its resounding shores.

In Fiji, it’s an entirely different scenario. Most of the locals, as described in yesterday’s post, have lived in the Fijian Islands for generations resulting in the majority of the population.

Also, like Mario, our landlord from Germany, and his wife, Tatyana, many have traveled from foreign lands in hopes of living a more simple life but found themselves engaged in property ownership and management of vacation rentals when their ultimate desire to stay active and fulfilled overruled their desire for the “simple life.”

But, life isn’t so simple in Fiji, certainly not on this more remote second largest island and especially so for the new resident used to abundance and availability in their homeland. 

New photo of the Blue Lagoon. 

There isn’t a fast-food restaurant or big box type store to be found. If I needed to buy a mascara, I’d be hard-pressed to find any brand other than Maybelline with only one or two since discontinued options.

We scoured every one of the tiny markets, housewares, and hardware stores in the village hoping to find parchment paper and the egg turner. Fijian people don’t use parchment paper for baking. They grease the pan and then scrub, scrub, scrub to get it clean, exactly what we’re now doing.

The streets in Hawaii were filled with newer cars, imported or purchased locally. In Fiji, the vehicles on the roads are mostly trucks, mostly older, mostly four-wheel drive to accommodate the rough roads, steep inclines, and muddy driveways in rainy weather.

Oddly, we observed many homeless people living on the beaches and on the streets in Hawaii. We haven’t seen one here.

Oh, I could go on and on. But, why compare any further? I only do so to compare the differences we’re experiencing as world travelers sharing our ongoing story having spent eight months in the Hawaiian Islands and now with a total of four months in the Fijian Islands.  

Now as time has quickly passed, we’re down to three months, two more in Vanua Levu and one month upcoming in the mainland of Viti Levu. We’ll be boarding Celebrity Solstice on January 5, 2016.

Viewing spot for Namale Resort guests at the edge of this unusual rock formation.  More on Namale soon.

Were we happier in Hawaii than we are in Fiji? Socially, yes. Thanks to friend Richard, we became engaged in a large circle of friends, either from the US mainland or other cities of the major populace. Everything we could possibly need was at our fingertips. 

Although it was a glorious experience living in, particularly Kauai (for four months), there’s something about Fiji that extends the sense of our desired world travel adventure. 

We assume it lies in the simplicity, the slow pace (even including the fact that the phone company didn’t show yesterday to fix the signal), the charm of the local people, and the scratching to find what we need or want.

We learn when we struggle, not when life is easy and good. When we recall the experiences in our travels, only two years ago, that stick with us the most, it was when we were batting off the flies and mosquitoes, sleeping inside mosquito netting with only a slow-moving overhead fan to cool us in the heat and humidity that lingers at night.   

We easily recall that for three months we lived without a salon or living room, spending  16 hours a day outside on the veranda without screens, never without shoes on our feet, as poisonous insects crunched under our feet as we walked in the dark. We recall taking our shoes into the bed in case we had to go to the bathroom during the night. 

What did we learn in those scenarios? Possibly, the greatest lessons we’ve ever learned in our lives; that we can change, we can adapt, that we can accept and we can live “without.”

Now, the only thing missing is our ability to easily share this story with the readers of our ongoing personal growth and exploration, which is a good wifi signal. It’s definitely available here in Savusavu. It’s just not available to us right now. Hopefully, a resolution will be coming today. 

Once that’s resolved, we can sit back and truly relax, embracing that which is before us in its simplest forms; that our hearts and minds have become full with the reality that perhaps life isn’t meant to be so complicated.

The power’s been out for the past hour, which is expected to be down most of the day. Life in Fiji…

Photo from one year ago today, October 6, 2014:

Its hard for us to believe it was a year ago that we spent 11 days in Waikiki Beach, this view of the beach from our veranda. For more details, please click here.

An interesting question posed by a friend and reader…What do citizens of the world think of America?…More new sightseeing photos…

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We stopped along the drive on the Hibiscus Highway, a 70 mile stretch along some of the most exquisite scenery in the South Pacific, to check out the fisherman using nets to catch the day’s bounty.

A co-worker/friend of Tom’s from his 42 years on the railroad, apparently has been reading our posts. A few days ago, he posed a question in the comments section at the end of a post as follows:

“Jess & Tom: If possible, could you give your perspective of what the citizens of the world think of America. From the most uplifting conversations you’ve had to the most bizarre perspective, you’ve encountered. I know that in your writings you stay away from politics so if you prefer not to answer that’s fine. Rick”

I responded to Rick explaining that over the next several days, we’d respond to his query in the best way we can. We wrote back, his comment below, the following:

On a small island, it’s not unusual to spot abandoned boats, cars, and other vehicles when the cost to dispose of them otherwise could be prohibitive.

“Rick, great to hear from you. We do appreciate that you’re following along with us. It means so much to us both. You posed an interesting point that is definitely fodder for a post. How we’ll do this without imposing our personal political views will be tricky. But, we both feel it’s worth and try and worth a challenge we both would like to pursue. I assure you, Tom will be chiming in during the process. Our response will be online in the next week for sure. Warmest regards, Jess & Tom”

Rick, you are so right. We make a concerted effort to avoid expressing our political views in our posts. Based on the overall content of our site and the nature of our lives, politics don’t play a role of any consequence.

But, the essence of your question is not how we feel about politics in the US, which takes us off the hook in our response, but how America/Americans are perceived by the other citizens of the world.

The fishermen sell whole fish at a section of the Farmer’s Market. Without a good filet knife, it makes no sense for us to purchase an entire fish. Next time Mario fishes, he said he’d save some for us.

Overall, citizens of other countries’ perceptions are that America is still the land of endless opportunity and freedom. But others we’ve met have expressed their concerns for the political and financial climate in the USA. 

Their opinions are purely based on what they hear on the news and from vacations/holidays they take to the US often away from the trials and tribulations of daily life one rarely experiences when staying in a hotel or visiting with friends and family. 

For many, not all, it’s not unlike Americans traveling to Mexico, staying in a nice hotel and never leaving the area, for example, Cancun, a “metropolis of a sort” whereby a traveler never needs leave the area to see how people really live.

This boat was tied to a tree onshore.

We’ve found that perceptions of America are often predicated by their own country’s experiences with America in past wars, conflicts, and economic interaction as to whether their opinions are favorable or unfavorable.

Many countries we’ve visited have been a part of the old European empires. As these countries have gained their independence, including Fiji, our current location, the citizens maintain a negative perception based on the way their ancestors were treated over the generations.

We’ve found that America’s alliances with many of these formerly empire nations have “rubbed off” into the perceptions many citizens perception of the USA. Does this have an effect on us?

Enormous tree roots growing on the beach.

In a way, yes.  Often, their perceptions are tempered based on the fact that many US citizens bring dollars spent during travel into their countries providing jobs and revenue for their businesses. We see this in our daily lives as we are diligently fussed over and cared for by locals wherever we go. There has yet to be an exception to this.

However, the kindness and generosity of time and spirit don’t go unnoticed. We attribute this to the nature of the citizens ingrained in them once again over generations.

The most vehement attitude we’ve experienced over these past three years has been by other travelers. Let’s face it, we all carry certain opinions about citizens of various countries besides our own. These are often difficult to hide. Based on our lives of travel, we strive, every single day to avoid preconceived notions, perceptions, and stereotyping of a race, a country, or a group of people.

Ratnesh explained that there had been a fire on this boat and it has been on blocks in this spot for some time.

Those on vacation/holiday or a cruise may choose not to hold back their opinions. At times, we encounter a rare situation whereby they express many negative comments about the US, its citizens, its politics, and its lifestyle. Often, this occurs when on a cruise, mixed together with citizens of many countries.

Are we ever rejected due to our American status? I wish we could quote specific situations in response to Rick’s questions. However, when we’re privy to such negative comments, we tend to sit back and listen, rather than engage in a negative interaction, presenting ourselves as the “ugly American. At times, quiet and dignity are our best defense. 

For a specific example, which has a tendency to become politically charged, we find a certain area of the world having negative perceptions of US citizens based on the fact that generally, and I stress generally, we choose to speak only one language when many citizens of other parts of the world speak two or more languages, at times as high as five.

A creek running beneath the road we traveled to the sea.

On the flip side, many citizens of the world have a perception that moving to the US would solve all their problems, lighten their political frustrations, and open doors for great medical care, affordable housing, and living costs.

Later, when they travel to the US to find how expensive it can be, they may change their opinions as to the affordability of living in the US. For example, tipping is common in the US, albeit often expected in many service-related industries. 

We’ve found that tips we may offer, (out of habit) are either turned down or expressed as being too generous.  For example, here in Fiji, we will leave tips for our service staff and driver with recommendations from our landlord to avoid setting an unrealistic precedent. We’ve heard this over and over again. At times, we’ve been told, not to tip at all.

The marina is used by many part-time and year-round residents. From our veranda, we saw these sailboats wafting by.

Some citizens of the world have a perception that Americans are “rolling in dough.” This perception can result in our paying higher prices for products and services unless specific prices are posted. Neither of us is naïve enough to fall prey to these scenarios. Negotiation for services in one thing. Refusing to pay a certain price with an argument, is another. We tread carefully to avoid offending anyone or engaging in confrontation.

We must “qualify” today’s comments to a degree. Our observations may be skewed based on the fact that we rarely live in or near large cities. The perceptions of America/Americans in rural areas can be dramatically different than those in large metro areas. The only times we’re around crowds of citizens of the world is on cruise ships and in the hustle and bustle of tourist attractions.

No, America isn’t loved and revered everywhere we travel. However, overall we are treated with kindness and respect, whether or not we are making a purchase or benefitting the party in any manner. Generally, and I stress generally, we’re accepted wherever we may go.

Driving along the Hibiscus Highway is a worthwhile way to spend a day. More new photos tomorrow.

Rick, thank you for your inquiry and we hope in part we’ve answered your questions. If we haven’t, please feel free to email or comment further. We welcome your and other readers’ comments, questions, and opinions and always strive to answer them as promptly and comprehensively as possible.

Please don’t hesitate to request a specific topic you’d like to see us address in our posts.

Have a fabulous weekend as we roll further into October, the fall season in the Northern Hemisphere and spring in the Southern Hemisphere. 

Photo from one year ago today, October 3, 2014:

Once we arrived in Kona, it was necessary to take a “tender” to shore. Along the way, we spotted this cute little island. For more details of our time in Kona, Big Island, Hawaii, please click here.

Unbelievable rain…Day after day…Bad weather seems like a lifetime ago in Minnesota…

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These baby goats are less than a week old.  They seem to hang together constantly. Notice the bit of greenery in the mouth on the one of the left. 

During a short stint of sunshine, we managed to take these photos shown today a few days ago when we took a drive with Ratnesh. As soon as we see another sunny day, we’ll be back out taking more new photos to share here.
 
Who would have thought that it would rain 17 days of the past 20 days since we arrived on September 8th?  Had we expected this, we’d have taken greater advantage of those few sunny days and explored more than we have. Instead, we spent an enjoyable time in the village languishing over its easy pace, people watching, fresh food shopping, and relishing in its unique charm.

Then again, who knows about the weather and can predict when to venture out in good weather? With no news to watch without a TV, we have no idea how long this will last which could ultimately be months. It could conceivably rain for the balance of our time in the islands, as Fiji now heads into its rainy season. We’ve accepted this fate. Having experienced relatively good weather all over the world, we’ve little right to bemoan the facts of nature. 

The “kids” decided to check out the chickens during our visit to the egg farm.

Over these past weeks, we’ve waited to go on any long treks, hoping for sun. With most scenic spots requiring a bit of a hike, we take no risks in doing so in the rain when paved paths are nonexistent. 

We’ve never minded getting wet, having done so over and again while sightseeing. But, taking photos when it’s raining is a nuisance, resulting in less than ideal photos.

Early on, we disposed of a water protective cover for a prior camera, when its bulkiness and difficulty to use made it useless. We’ve chosen not to haul protective rain gear for ourselves or for the camera. We don’t even have an umbrella and our parkas with hoods aren’t intended as raincoats. We simply don’t have the room or weight availability in the luggage. 

The baby goat on the left appeared to have developed a leadership role at this early stage in their lives.

Also, I’m not a good enough photographer, nor do we have a good enough camera, to be able to take great shots on cloudy days although I continue to try. I frequently make adjustments in the settings, only to disappointment over rainy and cloudy day shots. When a better quality, lightweight, affordable camera hits the market and we’re in a location to make a purchase, we’ll upgrade. 

For now, our cameras are lasting about 18 months, becoming destroyed by the rampant humidity everywhere we travel. Spending $1000’s for a more suitable camera makes no sense, especially with the heavy equipment and lenses required to accompany it. For now, we have a camera, a case, a tripod, and three extra batteries with a charger. That’s working for us.

Fortunately, neither of us have any type of emotional reaction to endless days of bad weather. After all, we lived in the frozen tundra of Minnesota; Tom, for all of his life; me for over 40 years.   

Mom goat often referred to as a nanny or doe, hung back, waiting for kids to return to nurse.

Although some Minnesotans (and elsewhere) suffer from SAD (seasonal affective disorder) during the long winter months, neither of us has suffered from weather or seasonal disorders other than annoyance over being stuck in traffic, being snowed in, and having the responsibility of clearing the road and walkways in front of our former house. Those days are long since past. 

I easily recall Tom returning home from working on the railroad after a 12-hour shift with two or more long hours of round trip driving time in inclement weather having to haul out the snowblower to spend another two hours walking back and forth in the road in blizzard type and frigid conditions to clear a path on the road and steps. 

When he was done with the dreadful job, he’d come inside, pulling off his bulky outerwear, his mustache, and eyebrows covered in ice, with nary a complaint. I’d look at that mustache and my heart would flip flop with love and compassion for a job well done, feeling helpless that my poor spinal condition prevented me from being any help. 

This “kid” hung close to his mom.

Instead, I stayed indoors, baking anything that smelled like cinnamon, butter, and vanilla hoping he’d get out of his soaked clothes to sit down with a cup of hot coffee and a plate of a buttery confection to ease his frozen and weary state. 

As romantic as that may sound, that weather was highly instrumental in our decision to get out of that climate, that frozen-tundra lifestyle of short, humid summers with the chill of winter grasping at our shivery existence often as early as September. 

We easily recall the Halloween blizzard in 1991, the year we met when Tom tried to get to me after his work shift ended, having to turn around on the freeway to return to his home when cars were piled up on the freeway, skidding out of control. All Minnesotans (and others from frigid climates) have stories to tell of snow-related situations they easily recall from years past.

The colors of vegetation in Fiji center around the reds and pinks as in this feathery flower.

Early this morning, awakened by the sound of the rain pounding on the tin roof, at 4:00 am I got out of bed figuring this might be a good time to download a few of our favorite shows on Graboid. Alas, there was no signal at all. The constant rain appears to have an impact on the wifi in Fiji, one we must accept as a fact of life.

Heading back to bed, I began reading the mystery novel on my phone, finally drifting off again at 6 am just about the time Tom was getting up. I managed to sleep for another hour feeling refreshed and ready for a new rainy day.

It’s not snow. It’s not cold. We’re comfortable. We’re content. And, most of all, we feel fortunate for another day to begin.

Happy day to each of you!

Photo from one year ago today, September 28, 2014:

One year ago today, we posted this video of water swishing in the pool during rough seas as we made our way across the Pacific Ocean to Hawaii on the Celebrity Solstice, a ship we’ll be sailing on again in a little over three months. For more details, please click here.

Part 2…Booked two new vacation homes…Filling an 88 day gap in the itinerary…

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The views from the property referred to as Anchorage Waterfront (no relation to Alaska).

We varied from one of our usual criteria in selecting the second property, which is referred to as an apartment.  We’ve always preferred houses, doubles, or condos. 

We’d yet to book a so-called apartment, although we’ve booked several condos. Based on the fact that each of the small number of units is privately owned, it’s comparable to what we’d refer to as a “condo” in the US. The booking is a first floor unit with two bedrooms and two baths, making it particularly appealing to us.

Thus, going forward, I will refer to it as a condo to ensure our readers are aware of the fact that it’s not a single owner apartment building as one may find in many locations throughout the world. 

The living and dining room, although dated décor-wise, will fulfill our needs.

The decision to move halfway through the stay in Tasmania didn’t come without careful thought. Moving isn’t the easiest thing to do.  But this time, it will be different. Between the two locations, we don’t have to worry about the weight of our bags. We can put the less organized luggage into the rental car since we’ll be unpacking later in the day when we arrive at the second property under five hours later.

Here’s the link to the second location we booked in Tasmania.

We’ll pack our big insulated Costco beach bag with ice being able to bring along all perishable food while placing the nonperishable items in a cardboard box. We’ll be certain to rent a car with ample space for an extra box.

The drive across Tasmania in itself will be fun. When we first arrive in Hobart we’ll drive to Penguin from the Hobart International Airport, a 3 hour, 25-minute drive. When we drive to the second house 44 days later, as shown here today which is located beyond Hobart, the drive will be 4 hours 15 minutes.

A fully equipped kitchen. We can’t see the refrigerator but it can’t be much smaller than we’ve had in other locations.

We discovered the following about Huonville from this site:

“Huonville sits on the banks of the tranquil Huon River and is surrounded by fruit orchards, farmland, and the peaks of the Tasmanian Wilderness World Heritage Area. The town makes an ideal base for exploring Tasmania’s far south.

Set low in the beautiful Huon Valley, Huonville is wrapped in scenery and close to some of Tasmania’s most amazing natural places. With the Hartz Mountains nearby, it’s easy to see what inspires the local creative community and nature lovers alike.

For those who enjoy fine produce, the surrounding area produces smoked and fresh salmon, honey, mushrooms, apples, apricots, plums, cherries, pears, wines, and cider– a veritable foodie’s paradise. There’s even a museum dedicated to the Huon Valley’s famous apple growing story, one that continues today.

Take a wander along the main street and Wilmot Road and find shops that sell a range of first and second-hand treasures from old books and bric-a-brac to new cakes and crafts.

The Huon River and nearby D’Entrecasteaux Channel are attractions in themselves and are popular for fishing and boating, high-speed jet boat rides, or maybe just a quiet walk along the foreshore. Huonville is the last major town before heading into Tasmania’s south, so stop, take a look around and stock up for the journey or stay for a longer taste of the Huon.

Huonville is a 40-min drive (38 km) south of Hobart.”

The master bedroom with views of the Huon River with an ensuite bathroom plus a second bath.

A part of the enjoyment of the move will be the scenic drive across the entire island. Another aspect we love about these two locations is the first is located in Penguin Beach and the second, located directly on the Huon River each with amazing views of the water. 

Apparently, there’s a pontoon boat on the property for which we’ll find out details later. How fun would that be, cruising the Huon River in a pontoon, reminiscent of years past when we had a pontoon while living on a lake?

It’s not that we’re trying to relive our past lake life. We both prefer close proximity to water; a river, a lake, or an ocean. I’m a Pisces, not that horoscopes mean that much to me, but I’ve always been drawn to views of the water, having grown up by the sea in California and having a pool in our yard. 

This is the second bedroom in the property. Although we always share a bedroom, it’s nice to have a second bedroom to store our luggage.

Tom and I both owned boats as adults, long before we met and eventually married, another commonality alighting our otherwise mismatched connection. As a single mom in the 70’s and 80’s I owned a twin-screw Chris Craft cabin cruiser often taking my kids, my sister Julie and friends to Lord Fletcher’s on Lake Minnetonka as well as other popular points of interest on the massive lake.

I was able to dock the boat in a choice spot at the pier, maneuvering the boat easily into a fairly tight spot, tying all the lines using crochet knots. In those days, it was uncommon to see a woman maneuvering a good-sized boat on her own. At the time, I even shocked myself with my independence and skill. 

The Huon River will be another ideal location in Tasmania, located in the southern end of Tasmania while Penguin is located in the north.

The property has a pool and possibly a few chaise lounges. 

The Huon River heads out to sea in the south, another ideal placement for our visit to this beautiful island. At this point, I’m amazed we even found these two properties while dealing with an on and off wifi connection, the outrageous heat on the days we found them, and the speedy and generous response from the two owners, more than willing to work with us.

Yesterday afternoon, I busied myself logging all the information into our spreadsheet in a few separate worksheets; one; the “travel Itinerary” basic expense page estimating the total costs for each of these bookings including rent, rental car, transportation to and from, fuel, dining out, groceries, entertainment and miscellaneous and, two; the financial end on the rentals on the “Deposits Paid” tab including total rents (in US $), deposits paid, date paid, balances due and the dates the balances are due.

Once we arrive in Tasmania, we’ll share more details about the island, the properties, the locations, the cost of living again on the island, its people, its customs, and more.

The dock in front of the property. Gee…maybe there are a few fishing rods we can borrow!

It’s one more cog in the wheel of our continuing world travels. Now, with only one gap to fill for March 13, 2017, to April 22, 2017, prior to sailing to the US for a short stay to visit family and friends, arriving in May 2017, we can sit back and relax knowing a substantial portion of planning for the next 20 months is almost complete.

In these next 12 months, we’ll begin to map out plans for the second half of 2017, hopefully stretching out well into 2018 and beyond. It’s a continuous task that fortunately, we both find to be pleasurable, providing us with a sense of satisfaction, accomplishment, and, of course, excitement!

Thanks for sharing the ongoing journey with us!

Photo from one year ago, September 25, 2014:

There were no photos posted on this date after a long and annoying boarding process to get on the ship in Vancouver, the longest we’d experienced to date. Due to all the delays, we had no time or WiFi access early enough in the day to post other than a short blurb. No sooner we were in our cabins, it was time for the muster drill, and then, our 8:00 pm dinner reservation. Rough waters commenced no more than an hour out to sea.  More on that is upcoming. Please click here for details.

A new day…A new dawn…Booking plans for the future…A challenging task in the South Pacific…

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I talked Tom into posing in front of this beautiful palm frond. We hadn’t seen this type of frond since we’d been in Belize in early 2013, taking a similar photo of me at that time.

It was a fitful night after the hottest day and night we’ve had in a long time. The humidity was at 94% making otherwise moderate temperatures in the high 80F’s, 30C’s, feel somewhat uncomfortable.  

Lipstick plant, commonly seen in tropical climates.

With no AC, we cranked up the one ceiling fan in the main area of the house, stripped down to the skimpiest of clothing and distracted ourselves. When the wifi went out, we played Gin. Tom’s on a winning streak again. He beat me in Australia and is ahead already in Fiji. 

When the WiFI returned I spent a few hours searching for vacation homes in other parts of the South Pacific with little luck. I went as far as inquiring to a few properties both writing back explaining they weren’t interested in long term rentals during the peak season. 

Palm trees produce a variety of colorful seed pods in tropical climates.

Our open dates of December 3, 2016 to March 1, 2017, are considered peak season, not so much due to the Christmas season, as it is to it being summer in the southern hemisphere. Property owners can get higher rates for short term rentals than we’re willing to pay for the long term. 

Finding a house in any area in Australia is entirely out of the question. The prices are even higher than any of the surrounding islands. They’re some of the highest prices we’ve seen anywhere in the world. We’re lucky to have stayed in the great property in Trinity Beach at a reasonable rate to at least ensure we had the experience of living on the vast continent. 

The verandas for two of the units in the large house behind us.

It appears that now we’ll have no choice but to expand our horizons and find other locations in the South Pacific to fill this and the other gap, prior to our last cruise in Australia ending up in the US where we’ll be visiting family and then be back on to other adventures outside the US.

In communicating with another world traveler Tom met on cruise critic with plans to travel for a total of two years, she wrote “I find myself working on the booking details in the middle of the night.” We know that booking multiple locations, one after another is a daunting task, nothing we take lightly.

We can use this pool if we’d like, but with no lounge chairs on the edges, we have little interest.

Luckily, we’ve been able to gradually add new locations, mostly filling in various gaps from time to time.  It’s easy to recall before we left the US, when I worked on my laptop 12 hours a day for many months booking two years into the future. 

Planning even a single two week holiday/vacation is a huge task, ensuring visas, hotels, transfers and transportation are in order, even when using a travel agent. 

View from the veranda of the upper unit in the house behind us.

Only once, in these past years have we used a travel agent, when we booked the flights to Fiji with an agent in Trinity Beach when our connection was too slow to book online. We’ve become fairly adept at booking vacation homes as long as we have a good wifi connection which right now, holding our breath, is working well.

Over these next months in Savusavu, we’ll continue to conduct more research, hoping to fill this first gap. If we can accomplish filling the second gap from March 13, 2017, to April 22, 2017, it will be a bonus.

A type of rose at the end of the season.

Today is a busy day. Ratnesh is coming to pick us up at 11 am to take us to the ATM, then to the post office to pick up the package we shipped from Australia with supplies.

Then, we’re off to purchase more data for my phone (which I accidentally burned up leaving a call online), the farmer’s market, the grocery store and the meat market. Food shopping requires these three stops when there’s little choice of produce and only frozen meat at the tiny grocery store.

None of these berries are edible.

On Wednesday, Ratnesh will return to take us sightseeing and when done we’ll stop to pick up two cooked chickens at the meat market which we’ll reserve.  The chickens we purchased and cooked had little meat and were dry and tough.  The cooked chickens made fresh daily at the meat market, are moist, meaty, and delicious. 

Also, in this warm weather, it makes no sense to have the counter top oven on anymore than is absolutely necessary. If we purchase two cooked chickens each week, we only have to cook five more dinners.The less we cook, the less ants come to call.  Plain and simple.

These orange pods contain the seeds for future palm trees of this variety.

This morning Mario stopped by with the post office receipt for the package and to check on how well the wifi is working.  His care for his guests is beyond reproach. How fortunate we’ve been to have quality landlords in the majority of the vacation homes we’ve rented these past years.

Have a fabulous Sunday or Monday, depending on which side you’re located on the International Dateline! 

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

The Sheraton Club Intrawest located in the Sheraton Vancouver Wall Centre was a great place to stay for six days while awaiting the upcoming cruise to Hawaii. For more details and photos, please click here.

Changing our daily routine with household help and no washer…

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Tom and Rashnesh sitting in the front while I took photos from the back seat with the window open. I have to get used to asking Rashnesh to stop for photos when over this past year with a rental car Tom always had a keen sense when to stop.

In some past locations, we’ve had daily maid service five days a week or more depending on the work schedule of the staff. The countries where we had this unnecessary but appreciated perk were Belize, Kenya, South Africa, Morocco, and now Fiji.

In Boveglio, Italy and Madeira, Portugal we hired a weekly cleaning person and of course, during certain periods we spent in hotels, on ships and in short term vacation rentals we didn’t have to clean, other than tidy up after ourselves. We had no maid or cleaning service during the eight months we spent on four islands in Hawaii when the cost was too high at around USD $100 per hour. 

I’ve always had mixed feelings about having cleaning help.  When there isn’t a helper available Tom joins me daily in making the bed and tidying up. In a perfect world, we’d have cleaning help weekly. Everyday is another story. 

The long dirt road, very steep in parts, requires a four-wheel-drive vehicle.

There’s plenty for us to clean daily  when we don’t have help in keeping a bathroom spotless, making the bed, sweeping the floor, cleaning up after meal prep, washing dishes and doing laundry. In the above mentioned five countries, we didn’t do our own laundry. 

We’ve done our dishes in every country except Morocco, where the staff also cooked and served our meals.  During that period I felt like to a slug, hardly moving about except to trek up and down the steep steps to the bedroom and almost daily walks in the souk.

Beachfront property in any country is always the most appealing.

In Savusavu, Fiji we have the lovely Charlotta, a Fijian woman in her 40’s, hard-working, kind, and generous. She arrives at 9 am on weekdays, taking the weekends off. She does our laundry every few days, returning it the next day, neatly folded, separating mine, from Tom’s. 

It’s not a thorough cleaning each day when I noticed some remaining gecko poop on the floor after she’d left.  Its comparable to the type of cleaning one would get when staying in a hotel for an extended period; bed made daily, sheets changed bi-weekly, bathroom cleaned and the trash removed with only a comprehensive dusting and floor washing periodically.

The beach along the road to the village.  The second time we visited the village there was a sun. Hopefully, today will be the same when in a short while, we’ll be heading out again.

When we’ve had a maid, we’re still fairly meticulous, sweeping the floor daily with my oddball aversion to pieces of things on the floor. On Friday, I asked Charlotta for a broom when I’d noticed a dustpan and brush under the kitchen sink. 

This weekend while she was off, I swept the floor both days, making my usual mess while chopping and dicing on the tiny kitchen counter. We made the bed, cleaned the bathroom, emptied the trash, and wiped down the glass coffee table with window cleaner.

Photo taken from the veranda on the side of the house showing one of the sets of steps to walk from the distant driveway to the house.

In humid climates, everything feels dirty, especially if not cleaned frequently. Also, the continuous stream of ants keeps us both on our toes in an attempt to maintain a spotless and food residue-free space.

Overall, it’s a benefit having household help, but, the biggest challenge is not having access to a washing machine. With our limited amount of underwear and clothing and, our tendency to wear the same items over and over with the intent of wearing them out for eventual disposal, not having a washer is challenging.  

The most difficult aspect of not having a washer is the dirty kitchen towels. When I cook, I go through many towels preferring cloth towels to paper towels. With all the ants in tropical climates, I can’t place a single damp towel or towel with food bits into the hamper. Otherwise, it will be covered with ants in a few hours. 

This was the first grocer we visited which had few items on our list.

The only solution is to either bag up the towels to place them in the refrigerator or hand wash them. Due to a lack of space in the fridge that option doesn’t work. All of this is typical for life on a tropical island. 

We share this information, not as a means of complaining. It’s not bad having some tasks to perform to keep us on our feet and moving around as opposed to sitting, especially on rainy days when we don’t go out. Many of these types of tasks are necessary for most vacation homes and more so in tropical climates with or without daily household help.

The day we arrived we shopped at this tiny grocer that didn’t have much of a selection for our needs. But, they still had Christmas decorations from last year.  Now we shop at the New World IGA that, although small, has more products we use.

We had this same issue in Australia with kitchen towels. If we tossed them in the laundry basket after dinner, there would be hundreds of ants in the basket in the morning. I finally figured out to put the dirty dish towels into the washer to be washed the following day, rather than starting laundry outside at night in the dark carport.

With no washer here in which to store them, each night after dinner, I’ve been filling the kitchen sink with hot water soapy water tossing in the few dirty kitchen towels, making sure to rinse them and find a spot to hang them overnight. 

Grocery stores have liquor departments. Prices seem reasonable but Tom has yet to make a purchase.

There are no hooks or hangers in this house and the solitary towel bar in the bathroom holds our still damp bath towels. The humidity slows down the drying process considerably often taking a few days to dry a towel.

In the realm of things, many of these nuances are insignificant. However, many of our readers have inquired as to how we manage to adapt to our new surroundings when amenities we may have had available at other location are not present at a new location.

Power lines crisscross the landscape. While here, most likely we won’t be using the Inpaint app to remove powers lines from photos when uploading photos in itself seem to take twice as long as usual.

We’ve often thought of our old lives and how annoyed we’d be at the cable company when our cable went out, a storm knocked out the power or our washer quit working (when within a day or two we’d have it repaired or a new one in place). We laugh when we recall our frustration over a dishwasher not working. We’ve only had a dishwasher in Hawaii and Portugal.

In our old lives, if we had a trail of ants in the kitchen, I’d freaked out, dashing to the store to purchase whatever was necessary to kill them. This morning, there were dozens of ants on the kitchen counter. I grabbed a hot soapy paper towel and wiped them into oblivion with nary a thought.

Another portion of the road on the way back from the village.

With the recent continuing cloudy skies with rain predicted again for today, we’re heading to the village for the afternoon where we’ll take photos. With the rough muddy roads, it makes no sense to embark on a long drive to explore further than the village. Once it’s sunny for a few days, we’ll head out.

Now that we no longer feeling rushed since a phone is working with a SIM card installed, we can take our time to wander the quaint village and call Rashnesh when we’re ready to go. 

Flowers blooming along the road to the house.

If he’s busy with other customers, we’ll gladly wait.  We’re bringing two insulated bags for the groceries. We decided to have him drive us to our final destination, the meat market, after fetching us from the grocery store.  (We shop at the farmer’s market first since the produce is already sitting out unrefrigerated). This way, we’ll have no concern that meat will spoil if he’s delayed in picking us up after the grocery store.

It’s funny how this life has changed us. It made us tougher, more resilient, and above all, more tolerant. Sure, on occasion, we’ve grumbled, especially when there are bugs in the bed. But, the rest?  Nah, it’s all good.

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

The sun peeking through the cloud while we lounged on our balcony of the ship, soon to arrive in Boston. It was a glorious cruise. For more details, please click here.

Torrential rains and gecko poop…Living on a tropical island minus the grass hut…The simple life…

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These colorful flowers are growing close to the house.

It rained so hard, we had to yell to speak. While watching an episode of a favorite show, we had to turn the volume up to the maximum. The roof of this free-standing house is made of tile and the pounding rain made an earsplitting sound. We laughed as we walked about in wonder as to how it could rain so hard and make such noise.

We hadn’t seen rain like this since we began our travels. The closest was a few storms in Kenya two years ago. Luckily, the house is high on a hill with no water making its way inside during these downpours. We were able to keep the jalousie windows open during the storm to continue to feel the cooling breezes.

View from the veranda.

The weather in the Fijian Islands is fairly consistent making it an ideal holiday/vacation destination. Right now, we’re at the tail end of the low precipitation season. As long as we and others don’t lose power and resources, we don’t mind the rain.

Last night, the geckos must have sought shelter indoors from the pelting rain when this morning there was no less than 20 white dots of gecko poop scattered on the glass coffee table and floor. Walking around with a damp rag we cleaned up the powdery white residue.

A strip of beach on the way to the village.

Tom worked his way along the house using the ant repellent stick resembling a piece of chalk, scraping it along the baseboards and the kitchen countertops where the wood meets the wall. 

Each time I prepare food, I scrub the counters with hot soapy water before starting and after completing to keep the ants under control. It’s all a part of life in the tropics and we’ve easily gotten into the routine of taking measures to keep our house feeling clean and as free of insects as possible.

Ah, once again, we are able to observe the morphology of a bunch of bananas on this blooming pod, as we’d observed while in Madeira 16 months ago.

It’s a part of living in the tropics. Adapting to the environment in each country we visit is vastly different than our old lives.  Where we are now in Vanua Levu, Fiji, we are in one of the most remote areas we’ve visited to date. And yet, we feel at ease. Experience is a powerful teacher.

With the limited sites to see other than the beautiful natural terrain and vegetation, the fact that we don’t scuba dive or snorkel, our activities will be somewhat limited while living on the island. 

A common monarch butterfly.

With only 14 items listed in TripAdvisor for “things to do” in Savusavu, we anticipate that four will be on our agenda. All other activities appear to revolve around scuba diving. 

But, without scuba diving on our “to do” list, we are happy to be here, living this stress-free life with no traffic, no lines, extraordinary safety (according to the locals) and a level of simplicity we find particularly appealing. 

This is truly the place one would envision “living on a tropical island,” minus the grass hut, instead, living in a modest house overlooking the sea with electricity, running water, wifi (albeit rather slow), and a modicum of creature comforts. The enjoyment level is entirely up to us and so far, with a few glitches behind us, we’re comfortable and feeling stress-free.

A bloom, seen from the veranda.

Of course, I’m concerned we’ll have enough material to share during the simplicity of this life. However, with our weekly trips with Rashnesh to explore the island, taking no less than 100 photos on each occasion, we should be able to hold the interest of many of our loyal readers. Please stay with us sharing your stories, thoughts, and comments along the way.  If you’ve been to Savusavu, please comment and share your experiences.

Twice weekly, we’ll visit the village taking photos along the way. As yet, we hadn’t taken many photos in town, preoccupied with finding the items we needed to round out our stay: food, data, and a few household items. 

Now with a transportation and shopping routine in place, we’ll be able to focus on taking more interesting photos in the village while researching local stories to share.

Lush vegetation and flowers surround the property.

Kenya was the only other country without a TV. With no world news in the background, the sound of TV has been replaced by other sounds causing us to stop to listen several times each hour; the cows mooing, the lamb and goats baahing, the roosters crowing, the birds singing, the geckos chirping and the pleasant sounds of the gentle breeze through the trees. 

During the night, we hear rustling in the trees outside the bedroom window. Mario explained that flying foxes carry on a night. Gosh, how will we get a photo of that?

Perhaps being isolated from world news will prove to be good for us when we both are affected by the horror occurring in many areas of the world. Daily, we both check online, WiFi permitting, to get the highlights researching further if we have a strong enough signal. 

We spotted these same types of enormous palm fronds when we lived in Belize many moons ago.

Our awareness of what’s transpiring throughout the world is important to us as we continue to book vacation homes in various countries. There’s no country that’s free of strife, even in the US with natural disasters and frequent acts of violence. At this point, minimizing our risks by staying away from war-torn countries makes the most sense.

Today, we’re sharing a few outdoor photos we took on sunny days during the week.  We’ll be heading out tomorrow, weather permitting, hoping to be able to take many more photos to share in the upcoming days.

Have a wonderful Saturday or Sunday, wherever you may be!

Photo from one year ago today, September 13, 2014:

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Photo of the indoor pool on the ship we sailed across the ocean, Royal Caribbean’s Brilliance of the Seas as we worked our way toward Boston. For details, please click here.