Part 2…A long ago story to tell about technology…Tom’s story…

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Tom asleep on the locomotive, early 90’s, while deadheading (being transported to another location while not on duty).
“Sightings on the Beach in Bali”
Buffalo swimming in the river next to the villa.

Using the Internet stretched far beyond shopping and playing games. For both of us, it became an integral part of our work and daily lives. Did it essentially save time? In many ways, it did especially in relation to our careers. 

However, the distractions and diversions of the increasingly interesting online data kept us online longer than either of us ever intended when over time our brains became like sponges hungry for more and more learning and mental stimulation. 

Image result for keypunch card photo
Keypunch card/hickey card used in the railroad as early as the 1950s.

Now, as we travel the world we not only “need” it for research for travel arrangements, banking, and financial matters, but also as a means of communicating with family and friends on a consistent basis. 

At any given moment, time differences provided, we can say hello to any of our family members and friends.  Often, we’re engaged in lengthy “chats” through the private chat module in Facebook, let alone utilizing face time and voice on Skype, all without incurring any cost. 

With a Skype private online phone number in our home state of Nevada at a cost of only US $5, IDR 66,738 a month, we can call phones anywhere in the world for slightly over US $.02, IDR 267, a minute.  By adding a SIM card to one of our unlocked phones, we can easily make local phone calls on the go when we don’t have access to the Internet. Technology.

Tom’s story begins in the 1960s when he was about 10 years old.  His dad, an employee of John Deere had built a new building in Bloomington, Minnesota.  All employees and their families were invited for a tour of the facilities and an “open house” party.

Image result for hanging chad photo
“Hanging chad.”

When Tom entered the massive room filled with floor-to-ceiling Univac machines, tapes behind glass, and teletype machines, he was in awe. Later, when he was 13 years old in the fall of 1966, during the student council election, again, he was intrigued by computer technology when keypunch cards were used for voting. 

Ironically, at that student body election, 34 years prior to the 2000 US election in Florida, there were no “hanging chads.”  Hummm…Working at the railroad, beginning in 1970, his exposure to computer technology increased over his 42.5 years on the job. 

From the use of keypunch cards fed into a teletype machine entered by clerks for system-wide information for all train activities, staff, shippers, classifications, and destinations, to the eventual use of sophisticated computer systems, overall the railroad was on the cutting edge of modern technology.

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Old photo railroad mainframe computer, circa the 1960s.

One hot summer afternoon in Minnesota with temperatures in the high 90F’s, high 30C’s, he entered the computer office surprised it was air conditioned. He commented to the clerks, “You guys have it rough in this air-conditioned comfort!”

A clerk replied, “The railroad didn’t put in air conditioning for our benefit. It’s to keep the computers cool from the heat and humidity.”

In 1975, the railroad opened their flagship state-of-the-art computerized Hump/Classification yard, unlike any other in the USA at a cost of US $45,000,000, IDR 600,637,500,000. 

Of course, in this day and age, many of the bugs hadn’t been worked out. As a result, one night in January 1975, Tom and two co-workers were inside the cab of a locomotive, a 100-ton boxcar loaded with steel misrouted into the wrong track, the track in which we were situated. We had no advance warning.

Upon impact, the three of them were knocked off their seats and thrown about the cab of the locomotive. Tom incurred a serious back injury keeping him off work for four and a half months, still persisting to this day.

Yardmaster or Switch Tender workstation, through present day.

In the late 1970s, the company installed PCs to be used by many office personnel. At that time, he was a Yard Master using those computers to issue work to train crews. Over a period of several years, those of us using the computers were trained and retrained in their use as systems were upgraded.

As time progressed, Tom and his co-workers found themselves using more and more sophisticated computer systems on an individual basis and less by office clerks. Hands-on use escalated exponentially as technology moved in the millennium. 

In the last 10 plus years of his career on the railroad, there were no longer engineers on some locomotives when many employees have been required to wear heavy remote control computers attached to an uncomfortable vest. This made Tom and his co-worker’s jobs remaining years until retirement in 2012, painful and uncomfortable. Retirement couldn’t come soon enough.

Remote control operators box (RCO). Required vest not shown.

Amid all of his required work exposure to computers, he went kicking and screaming into the new era of home computing.  I encouraged him to look at home PCs as a device for entertainment and a phenomenal source of information. 

As a history buff, Ancestry.com aficionado, an avid fan of Facebook,  a news junkie (especially now when we have no TV), and a madman with the stock market, over the years he embraced the concept and now he can hardly put it down.

Besides, as we travel the world, as long as we have a decent Internet connection (not necessarily here in Bali) he can continue to watch for a fee, the Minnesota Viking football games on the NFL’s Game Pass, an app only available to watch live to users outside North America. He’s not complaining about that!

As for learning to install and/or use software, repair computers, or the general technical aspects of computing, Tom is oblivious, not because he’s incapable, he’s just not interested. 

He’d prefer computers to work like a TV, turn to it to find what you’re looking for.  He wonders why it’s often so complicated leaving all of that to me which  I find interesting, the nerd that I am.

Have you ever thought the same thing?

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

Our ship pulled into Sydney Harbour for this fabulous view of the Harbour Bridge. For more photos and details of our arrival, please click here.

Part 1…A long ago story to tell…Beginning in 1972 – Jess’s story…Tom’s story follows…

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Beautiful colors and scenery at high tide.
“Sightings on the Beach in Bali”
Today, dozens of school kids walked along the beach while on the equivalent of a field trip to celebrate the end of the school year. In the next few days school will be out for a one month holiday. When they return, they’ll enter the next grade as they continue their studies. Wearing school uniforms is required with a color change on different days of the week.
The kids were happy and playful as they chatted with one another on their field trip.

In 1972, as a young mom, I got my first “corporate job” working in a small real estate investment firm in Edina, Minnesota. I’d be hired as an assistant to the president of the company. Within a few months, I became property manager and a few months later I received my real estate license to begin working in the process of acquisition and sale of both residential and commercial real estate. I was 24 years old and was excited to have landed a career.

One day, when the owner was leaving, he asked me to enter the day’s transactions on the computer system. I’d often wondered about the room with the locked door, filled with floor-to-ceiling machines with endless reels of tape, as daunting and untouchable.

“I have no idea how to use that,”  I said in a panic.

“Don’t worry,” he said, “I’ll show you!”

The colors and shadows change in the constant daylight sunshine.

Thirty minutes later he left me with handwritten notes as to how to operate the complicated computer system.  I was the only person remaining in the office. I nervously stared at an extra-wide keyboard with the documents at my side, knowing I had to enter the vital information. 

As a poor typist (still today), I began picking away at the keys frequently referring to the handwritten instructions hoping I wouldn’t make an error. Making corrections in those days wasn’t as easy as it is today. 

My knees were knocking, my heart was pounding. But soon, I realized it wasn’t from fear but excitement. After I’d entered the information, I noticed a file folder labeled “Computer Entry” noting numerous files had yet to be entered. Immediately called home to tell my then-husband to make dinner, put the kids to bed, and expect me home at a very late hour. I was hooked.

This breathtaking view never ceases to amaze us.

At 6:00 am I pulled my car into the driveway, exhausted with bloodshot eyes but excited beyond belief. I was anxious to shower and dress, make the kids breakfast and head back to work to see how my boss reacted to my self-imposed additional project. As soon as the babysitter arrived at 8:00 am, I was out the door, alert and surprisingly awake.

As soon as I walked in the door of the office, he was standing there, obviously waiting for me. He shook my hand as a wide smile spread across his face, “Well, kid,” he said, “You have an even brighter future ahead of you than I thought. I’m impressed.”

Less than 18 months later, I owned my own real estate company, was the youngest broker in the State of Minnesota, and on my way to an interesting and illustrious career as a business owner. 

Each day, we’ve rescued many grasshoppers who are drowning in the pool.  Once we take them out, they dry off for a while and then fly off.  Some appear dead but often come to life after a while.

Unfortunately, the cost of filling a room with computers was outrageous at that time and beyond my reach as a fledgling company. I knew in time it would change, as other technology had been changing in the ’70s and later in the ’80s and ’90s. My first microwave was US $800, IDR 10,640,000. Our first VCR was US $1200, IDR 15,960,000 and it went on and on.

Divorced during this period, my kids and I glommed on to anything to do with technology; movies and video games especially at arcades where we could play pinball machines, more fascinated with the technology than the game itself.

Our first at-home video game, Pong, was pricey when purchasing the complete Atari set.  \My kids and I spent hours together and with each other, staring at the rounded-faced TV screen as we bounced the imaginary ball back and forth. It was all just the beginning. 

This grasshopper was lethargic after I rescued him/her from the pool but soon flew away.

A decade passed as more and more technology became available. In the 1980s I had my first personal DOS-operated IBM computer, more fascinated than ever over the ability to keep valuable records for the business.

It was in 1991, the year Tom and I met, that I purchased my first modem which was the size of a large word processing machine (which I also had) along with a new 100mhz personal computer. 

My friend Brian, married to my dear friend Lisa, was a nerd like me.  \He gave me a phone number I could call telling me to be patient, using the phone handset attached to the modem to gain access to the Internet. I had purchased a designated phone line for this sole purpose. 

Over the past few days, we’ve seen the highest tides since our arrival.

I’d often dial that phone number over and over for many hours in the middle of the night, attempting to “get in.” When I’d finally gain access, I’d often be “kicked off” in minutes. I devoured the “library type” information that popped up on the screen, in awe of how this whole thing worked. I was obsessed, to say the least.

As my and Tom’s relationship developed, eventually, he became interested along with me in an online  BETA game, called Netplay. This was one of the first online interactive multiuser games on the Internet. It took eight hours online to download the game which we did overnight. When updates occurred, it required an all-new eight-hour download.

As the technology improved, we purchased a second 500 MHz PC, giving Tom my older PC, again downloading the game. Subsequently, we installed another designated phone line, spending hours (in our off time) playing that game. We lost an entire summer in 1992 playing that game in the breakfast room at our individual desks/workstations.

The view directly in front of our villa as the tide rapidly washes closer to the edge of the infinity pool. Logs and ocean debris often accompany the incoming tide which later disappears as the tide rolls back out to sea.

The game required the user to snail mail the company, then Broderbund Software, a headshot photo of the player which they scanned on one of the first scanners that were the size of a ping pong table. A week later an avatar popped up in the game with each of our faces atop a cartoon-like character. Wow, this was impressive! We couldn’t help but show it to anyone who came to visit. For the era, it was hard to believe. Today, it’s commonplace.

The game was simple although advanced for its day and age, a place where one’s avatar could play a variety of card games. We choose to play poker in any of a few poker “rooms” which included green felt tables, chairs for eight players, and a picture on the wall of dogs playing cards.  \We were able to communicate with one another via word balloons.  \We were totally hooked.

In a short period, we embraced the Internet, even going as far as in 1997 when each of us purchased new 1998 model cars all online, choosing all the options, negotiating the pricing while awaiting the email notifying us the cars had arrived at the dealership ready for pickup. It was fascinating to both of us.

A praying mantis on the glass door.

I was one of Norwest’s Bank’s (no longer named) first online BILLPAY customers in the early 90s when all the kinks had yet to be worked out. I had no fear of the technology and we continue to use this service today, which is vital to our world travels.

We’ll continue this story tomorrow as we moved into the next technological era, day by day, piece by piece, making every effort to stay abreast of the latest innovations. 

Today, we read about technological advancements online in computing, science, and medicine, finding it helps to keep us informed of what’s transpiring in the field and how and what will be available to us in the future to aid us in our ongoing travels and daily lives.

Tomorrow, we’ll be back with Tom’s introduction into the world of computing and how he’s adapted in the process. See you again soon!

Photo from one year ago today, June 10, 2015:

A passenger on the ship became ill and had to be airlifted off the shop.  He was wrapped in exterior covering over the basket with a paramedic holding onto him. Looked scary to us. For more on this story and photos, please click here.

Another excellent capture by Tom!…A video worth checking out!…A day in this life in Bali…

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Last night as we exited the bedroom to make our cheese plate, we spotted this huge Nursery Web Spider. Although their bite may be painful apparently its not life threatening.Tom was able to scoot it outside with the broom.  No screaming.  Just photos.

“Sightings on the Beach in Bali”

Tom’s video taken yesterday at high tide. It’s hard to believe how close the water comes to the villa.

Lounging in the comfy chaises facing the ocean, watching the activity on the beach is rather entertaining. Who knew there would be so much to see? 

We have dozens of photos backed up for future “Sightings on the Beach in Bali,” the heading we’ve been posting since three days after arriving in Bali. One might say, “Don’t they have anything better to do?” 

There’s not a whole lot more we need to do to entertain ourselves when several times a day our mouths are agape in awe of a new sighting, unlike others we’ve observed on beaches in the past.  Then again, maybe we didn’t pay as much attention as we do now.

Elaborate temple near the beach.

Our first beachfront location was in Belize (in Central America, formerly known as British Honduras) beginning in February 2013 when we spent over two months at the Laru Beya Beach Resort in Placencia, a peninsula village that required yet another harrowing four-hour drive from the capital city of Belize City.

There, we spent most of our days outdoors as we do now. By 7:00 am each morning, sometimes earlier, we’re situated in the chaise lounges facing the beach while I begin to sort through photos for the day’s post while Tom starts his day checking through Facebook and his email.

A mosque in the village.

Rarely, do I ever respond to emails or engage in “pleasure browsing” until after I’ve completed the day’s post. It’s so easy to get sidetracked. Instead, I focus on the post most often able to have it uploaded by 11:00 am. Then, for the next hour, I read and reply to dozens of email messages from readers, friends, and family.

By noon, having stayed undercover in the shade all morning, we’re both ready to tackle an hour working out in the pool. After the pool, we each spend no more than 20 minutes in the sun. Oddly, with this short period of sunning each day, we’re both as tan as we’ve ever been. 

South of the equator by eight degrees the sun is a scorcher in Bali. We prefer not to use sunscreen based on its awful chemical structure instead, staying in full shade for the remainder of the day.  We get a huge dose of Vitamin D in those paltry 20 minutes, a nice bit of a tan with the pleasure of being outdoors most of the day.

Entrance to Bali’s largest water park.

After drying off it’s time to get some work done, most recently booking flights and preparing applications for the four visas we’ll need over the next few months. We’re almost done with this tedious work, but with yesterday’s poor wifi signal we’re left to complete the online Cambodia visa today.

By 3:0 or 4:00 pm, we head in to shower and dress for dinner as skimpily as possible, again wearing swimsuits. Tom always wears a tee-shirt while dining which I’ve always considered thoughtful. Why is that?

Entrance to unknown compound.

The two swimsuits I’ve been wearing are fast losing their elasticity although ideal when no one but the staff is around. Tom pulls up the back of my suit several times a day while I do my share of tugging and rearranging. I only have two relatively unused swimsuits left which I’m saving for upcoming cruises. 

I may have to order a few more swimsuits when these two soon become threadbare. I’d prefer not to have to purchase swimsuits online without trying them on but that’s necessary for this life. Sometime over the next four or five months, we’ll order a new shipment for which we’re now making the list which will include swimsuits and a few other clothing items we’ll need by that time.

Lifeboat used for training exercises in Negara.

Tom has five swim trunks he alternates which are holding up fairly well. Since guys don’t have much elasticity in their suits they seem to last longer. He’ll also need to replace a few pairs of swim trunks by the end of our second stay in Bali beginning in September. 

Unless we’re on an outing or a walk, we don’t wear street clothes or shoes. In Bali, shoes aren’t worn inside the house, a tradition we’ve always favored in our old lives. 

With only one load of laundry each week we only need to hand wash the swimsuits using laundry soap which, when purchased in Bali, comes in a stiff plastic bag to avoid the use of more plastic.  The bag is a bit tricky to handle, but the concept makes it worth the effort. Few grocery items in Bali are contained in typical plastic containers.

The owner’s residence next door also used as a vacation property which is similar to our villa but has three bedrooms as opposed to our four bedrooms and has a smaller pool. 

After we’ve finished dinner by 6:00 pm, discussed and planned the next day’s meal with the two Ketuts, we give them money in Indonesian rupiah for the necessary groceries, we head to our bedroom, turn on the AC and blissfully relax in cool comfort. By 7:00 pm, we’re ready to watch a few downloaded shows or a movie. 

By 10:00 pm, I’m drifting off while Tom’s busy checking the NYSE (stock market) which opens at 9:30 pm here and closes at 4:00 am, Tuesday through Saturday.  ‘m easily able to sleep while he’s busy clicking on his computer usually until 11:00 or midnight.

Restaurant on the beach.

It’s a simple existence, albeit the tasks we must accomplish in the process for future travels. While anticipating non-stop action for the upcoming two months when we leave here in three weeks, we’re quite content to lounge now.

Today, the staff is off. We have most of tonight’s dinner prepared and ready to be reheated. Other than the salad I’ve yet to toss with homemade dressing, there’s little food prep. Tom keeps our mugs filled with iced tea and we both keep our hearts filled with the joys of the moment and the joys that are yet to come.

May you find joy on a simple day!

Photo from one year ago today, June 5, 2015:

Tom, at the miniature golf course on the ship.  He won, much to my dismay. For photos of Bora Bora, please click here.

Unwanted Windows 10 update…Big trouble in Paradise…

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Today’s late posting and lack of detailed information in captions is a result of today’s poor signal.  It appears we may have these issues resolved.  More on this later.

Decorative clock in the center of a roundabout.

“Sightings on the Beach in Bali”

Shells and debris on the beach.

With the slow WiFi we’ve experienced over these past years of travel we hadn’t considered updating to the free Windows 10 upgrade from our usual Windows 8.1. Many online comments for potential issues have been a huge deterrent.

While living outside the US far from familiar PC repair shops it made no sense to take the risk. Imagine if here in this remote location in Bali if something went wrong with either of our laptops, we’d have quite a challenge on our hands.

Upgrading to Windows 10 could be disastrous, to say the least. Besides, we’ve had few issues since we purchased these two Acer Aspire V touch screen laptops at the end of 2014 when both of our older models bit the dust at about the same time.

Huge statue located in town near the main highway.

We’ve come to accept that every few years we must replace our laptops not only for newer, faster technology but as a result of wear and tear and constant humidity. They aren’t intended for these weather conditions and rough treatment our devices experience while we’re frequently on the move.

This morning, as usual, I booted up my fully charged and still plugged-in laptop while I was getting ready to start the day. At one point, I walked past it sitting on the desk in the bedroom noticing a white box on the screen, choosing to ignore it, not giving it much of a thought.

Elaborate design on building in Negara.

As it turned out, much to my later surprise, it was the Windows 10 upgrade that is soon losing its free status, starting up on its own. This had never happened nor had I solicited this response at any point, always saying “no” to the upgrade when occasionally it popped up.

I guess today was different for some reason and although I didn’t approve the install of the upgrade, it started on its own. This angered me. With the slow connection here, it was an accident waiting to happen. 

Ceremonial spot at the temple.

All I could envision, after reading considerable negative reviews about installing the Windows 10 upgrade is that I wouldn’t be able to post today, find all of our files and photos and that we’d lose all of our 30.7 gigs of downloaded shows we use to entertain us in the evenings.

Luckily, a few days ago, I backed up everything on the pay-for OneDrive cloud and also on our external hard drive. But, the thought of restoring all the downloaded apps I’ve accumulated over these past 18 months and getting to know a new operating system wasn’t anything I was interested in doing while here in Bali.

Old tree supported with bamboo.

Ironically, it was only yesterday, I started researching new laptop models to see of any improved technology over this past year or so that may appeal to our needs. We discussed our plan to replace these two machines when we arrive in the US next year, most likely making a purchase at Costco or elsewhere online.

Ironically, it was only after yesterday’s research that I mentioned to Tom, “There’s no point in upgrading to Windows 10 when we’re content with Windows 8.1, and next year we’ll replace these PCs.” Coincidence.

River bridge at a temple in Negara.

Alas, this morning Windows 10 was jammed down my unsolicited throat and starting downloading of its own volition. Go figure. Why did this happen? What could I, should I, have done to prevent it?  I guess going forward I won’t boot up my computer without it sitting in front of me so I can say “no.” 

At the end of July, the free version will no longer be offered and this will become less of an issue when surely I’d have to come up with a payment method to pay whatever fees MS will be charging. It’s not going to happen.

Hindu décor in the city.

So, once it started loading, I was stuck. It was too risky to try and stop it.  For almost three hours it ran slow and inconsistently attempting to grab at the weak WiFi signal to complete the process.

In the interim, Tom stayed offline although he had numerous tasks of his own to complete. At almost 10:00 am, almost three hours after the download started, several error messages appeared indicating a “system failure” and the inability of Windows 10 to complete the upgrade. Surely, it was a result of the slow Internet connection.

A decorative door at the archway at the temple in Negara.

In addition, on a few occasions, blue screens appeared indicating my computer was experiencing the possibility of a crash due to the failure. I had overseen this process by going in and out of the bedroom where I kept it plugged in hoping to complete the download without incident. 

Outside, it was so hot and humid I knew if there was trouble I needed to be inside in the bedroom in air-conditioned comfort. Possible computer crashes make me hot and sweaty.

School children heading home. Kids attend school six days a week and only have off one month during the summer (on this side of the equator) with many holidays off in between.

Luckily, after the half dozen or so scary blue screen threats and warnings, the system reverted to its former 8.1 version and it appears everything is working properly again at the moment. We’ll see how this transpires throughout the day as I, too, have multiple travel-related tasks to complete, once this is posted.

Tentatively, I forge ahead hopeful for a good outcome. In the meanwhile, the sun is out having burned off some of the hazy humidity, a balmy breeze has picked up and in a few minutes I can head outdoors to enjoy yet another “lazy day in Paradise.” Well, not quite that lazy!

We hope you have a pleasant day as well, lazy or otherwise!

Photo from one year ago today, May 19, 2015:

One year ago we wrote about the movie, The Descendants, filmed in Kauai with scenes from this pool at the famed St. Regis Hotel which was a short walk from our condo. For more details, please click here.

Busy day in town…Lots of shopping…New camera…New clothing purchase…

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Kitty-corner crosswalks are legal in many locations in New Zealand.

Walking the busy downtown New Plymouth streets lined with a variety of shops and restaurants is as enjoyable as it is in any big city. 

Although the names of the stores are unfamiliar to us when New Zealand favors its own locals brands and vendors, the inclusion of a 15% VAT (value-added tax) makes prices on certain goods and services high.

With no particular items in mind to purchase, we found a “pay for” parking spot on the street where there’s one meter on each block. The shopper enters a credit card for an extra fee of NZ $.50, US $.34 or pays cash without the extra fee for an hourly fee of NZ $2, US $1.35. We purchased one hour on the meter.

We could have parked in a ramp, but we easily found a spot on the street with metered parking.

Each parking spot is numbered and upon purchasing the ticket, it’s necessary to enter the spot number.  A receipt is printed, but unnecessary to post in the car’s window. The meter records the spot number, the amount paid and the time the fee was paid. 

When and if a meter reader or officer checks the meter for the block, she/he can determine who hasn’t paid for parking in which spots. It’s a logical system, similar to many systems and services firmly and efficiently in place in New Zealand, which appears to us as a highly well-run country.

Knowing we had one hour to walk up and down the hilly often steep streets we decided to stop at an optimist shop for Tom to purchase new nose pads for his glasses which had become loose over these past years of travel. 

We both perused the shoes in this store.  With no room in our luggage for more shoes and none to toss at this time, we couldn’t buy a thing.

(With neither of us having had an ophthalmology appointment since leaving the US long ago, when we return next year we’ll each have an eye exam and purchase new glasses for Tom and contacts lens for me). 

To walk out the door of the optical shop with the new pads at no charge, having never made a purchase in their location, we couldn’t wipe the smile off our faces or thank the staff member more who so graciously had served us. That’s NZ for ya! 

As we continued along the steep uphill shop-lined street, I noticed a clothing store that appealed to me.  Needing to toss some old clothes, I’ve planned to make a few purchases while here since it’s been a year since I purchased any clothing. 

This Dick Smith electronics store is going out of business. It was interesting to check out the merchandise and prices, although we had no particular needs at this time, other than cameras which they didn’t have in stock.

Buying clothing in other countries is a problem for me, especially when it comes to pants. I’m 5’8″, 173 cm tall with a long inseam making purchasing pants long enough a challenge. Women in most countries are much shorter than I, making it nearly impossible for me to find pants to fit in both size and length.

While Tom sat on a park bench on the boulevard reading a book on his phone, I was able to try on the only two pairs of longish pants they had in the otherwise well-stocked store. One was too short but the other not only fit perfectly but were actually long enough.

The price with the included VAT tax made me cringe a little at NZ $169.90, US $114.60 but when I purchased my last pair of long pants (white) in Honolulu last May (click this link for that post) they were a similar price at an upscale department store at the mall. 

Tom doesn’t like to shop surprising me when he seems to enjoy walking in the town.

A moment later I was out the door with my purchase. In my old life, a purchase such as this may have elicited a little rush of excitement having found something that fit. In this life, I feel no particular joy in buying clothes when all purchases require “tossing” older items in order to make room in my single suitcase. 

Also, in my old life, a trip with a friend to a good sale was indeed a fun outing. Now, with no girlfriends to shop with, I’ve totally lost interest in buying clothing other than the bare essentials.

With a half-hour left on our meter, we continued up the steep hill. Tom mentioned he’d noticed a camera store when he’d dropped me off at the pharmacy before we parked the car. He pointed across the street to the location of the camera shop, Plymouth Photographics.

This is the store where I purchased the pair of black pants.

With no intention of making a purchase, preferring just to “look” we wandered into the store checking out the various digital, lightweight. cameras. Still looking forward to technology to move forward to a more sophisticated lightweight camera in years to come, if we made a purchase, weight must still be the number one consideration, not only in regard to my shoulder but also in the weight of our bags.

Taking anywhere from 10,000 to 20,000 photos a year, depending on our location, consideration of my bad right shoulder has to be first. What point would there be in a heavier camera, however, advanced it my be, if I’m unable to hold it up for often hours in a single day?

My shoulder hurt so badly after returning from safari after taking over 300 photos a day I had to wear a sling for days to let it rest. Sure, surgery would most likely resolve this occasional issue but I have literally no interest in having surgery unless it’s a life-threatening emergency. The shoulder is onlyh painful when taking too many photos or performing tasks or activities that may cause discomfort.

Within 20 minutes, we were out the door with a new Canon digital camera in the box. Why did we need another camera? The camera we currently have has deteriorated from humidity, a by-product of living in very humid locations such as in Hawaii (8 months) and Fiji (four months). 

A women’s and men’s clothing store with a sale with nothing of particular interest to either of us.

Extreme humidity destroys cameras. It’s a simple reality of our lives of travels that every 18 to 24 months, we must purchase a new camera. This has prompted us to purchase what we need…lightweight, relatively inexpensive digital cameras.

At a cost of NZ $599 (including NZ $78.18 VAT tax), US $404 ($52.60 VAT), we realized we may have paid a little less had we ordered it online but adding the cost of shipping, customs fees, and taxes ultimately wouldn’t have resulted in a better price. 

We walked out the door with the Canon Power Shot, SX 60 HS, a model with which I’m familiar (a newer model of our old camera) resulting in no learning curve which will easily work with my current software, uses the same battery (of which we’ll now have four) using the same battery charger we currently have. It was a no-brainer.

There are a few familiar chain fast-food restaurants in New Plymouth such as this Domino’s Pizza.

With 10 minutes left on the meter, we rushed back to the car, bags in hand, items in the trunk. We were ready to grocery shop at Pak n Save and New World. By 3:00 pm we were back home where I spent the next few hours putting everything away, washing produce, and making dinner, keeping me in the kitchen almost until dinnertime.

Today, I’ll begin setting up the new camera, stripping the old camera of accessories we can use on the new camera, and of course, taking a walk to look for those birds in Trish and Neil’s yard that we’ve heard so much about. Then, we’ll stop by to see the newest offspring in the pregnant mom’s paddock.

Hopefully, tomorrow we’ll be back with photos taken using the new camera on yet another beautiful sunny day as summer winds down in New Zealand and temperatures cool accordingly.

May YOU have a beautiful day!

Photo from one year ago today, March 4, 2015:

In Kauai last year, we spotted this African Tulip Tree with the pod that blooms into these gorgeous flowers. For more photos, please click here.

Figuring out and settling in…Life in a new country…Expenses to date…Wonderful year-ago photos!

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Tom whistled to attract the attention of this baby alpaca.

Not only must we get comfortable and familiar with a new home in each new country but we must learn how to use a variety of household appliances and equipment that may be entirely different than we’ve used in the past.

Whether its running a washer or dishwasher, firing up an oven (referred to as a “hob”) or making coffee (no electric coffee maker) using with whatever is available, it all requires stopping and taking the time to learn something new.  Actually, we never mind any of these types of learning experiences.


Baby alpaca nursing under this proud mom.  Note another baby to the left.

Add figuring out the Satellite TV, sound and video system in this surprisingly modern house in a rural area near New Plymouth, New Zealand or simply how to hang clothes outside on the pulley type clothesline with the limited supply of clothespins all becomes part of the settling in process. 

Then again, we’re not the typical tourist staying only a week or two with limited needs compared to those of a long term stay.  Most tourists don’t do much cooking and laundry during a short stay.

Baby alpaca referred to as “cria” of which many were born in the past weeks.  Many more will be giving birth over the next month.  We’ll return with more photos, especially once we have a few sunny days.

Then, of course there’s figuring out a working wifi system and bearing the cost for the NZ hot spot we purchased yesterday at NZD $199, US $128, (useless to us once we leave) plus another NZD $270 US $173 for data, enough to last only one to two weeks.

Yesterday alone, we used NZD $45, US $29 of data.  This could become pricey over the long haul.  We hope Internet service will soon becomes available at the house as we continue to incur these unexpected expenses.

The car rental was affordable after careful online research months ago.  For the full three months, the rental fees under a single contract was NZD $2848, US $1817, at a monthly rate of NZD $949, US $609.  Sure, its an older car but it drives well, looks fine with has no apparent body damage other than a few scratches we documented with the rental guy.  

Sunset last night and gas grill we’ll use tonight to cook prime rib.

As for the cost of groceries, we’d yet to address here, we’re pleasantly surprised.  The first time we shop in each new locale, the cost is often higher for our initial purchases when its necessary to purchase household goods such as paper products, laundry soap and cooking supplies such as spices, coconut and olive oil.

After shopping at the Kiwi Meat Market yesterday, we’d purchased enough meat to last over a week including a huge prime rib (tonight’s dinner on the grill), four packs of streaky bacon, one large package lamb chops, several slabs baby back ribs and several pounds/kilos of beef and pork mince for a total of only NZD $80, US $51.  All the meat is grass fed except for the pork which Tom eats when I have lamb.

This huge 1.177 kilo, 2.6 pound boneless grass fed prime rib is tonight’s dinner to be cooked on the grill with a side of mushroom casserole, baby asparagus and romaine lettuce salad with homemade dressing. Check out this great price of NZD $17.64, US $11.34!

With the balance spent at the New World market, including organic veggies for sale in the market from local farms, and…the cost of the meat, we spent a grand total of US $326, NZD $508.  With staples now in our household stock, our next shopping trip will most likely be half this amount.

This morning, I tried to walk closer to the alpacas for photos but after the rain, walking through the dense grass didn’t make sense.  Once it dries out a bit, we’re surely head closer for better photos.  All day, by looking out several windows we can easily see them.  I’ve started calling to them in my “warthog calling voice” as they pick up their heads from grazing to look at me.

This morning, when Tom hung the first load of laundry they started walking toward him.  They’re fenced in but may climb over the fence during the day returning later to stay close to the herd.  Apparently, none of them wander away, not to return.  There are dozens of alpaca on this 35 acre farm.

Photo taken last night shortly before dark of four alpacas who’d wandered to a distant hill.  They seem to return to the herd on their own.  We’ll discover more of their habits as we learn from the owners and observing them daily. 

We’re staying in today, getting caught up on email from our readers, handling banking and financial matters, finishing our laundry and preparing our dinner, all tasks we both enjoy. 

Whether we’re out and about or staying in with tasks to accomplish, we’re equally content.  As we settle in we find our new location truly becomes “home” as we conduct our daily lives, just like YOU, enjoying the many trivialities of the day.

_________________________________________


Photo from one year ago today, January 21, 2015:

Ironically, yesterday we received email from Vicki and Jerry with whom we only spent one afternoon on the beach at Hanalei and yet they remain friends for life.  I love this photo of, get this, “Tom and Jerry!”  They became fast friends in only one afternoon.  Click here for details.
 
I couldn’t resist posting two year-ago photos today when this photo included dear Vicki.  Unfortunately, they were getting ready to leave Kauai and we never got to spend time with them again. To Vicki and Jerry:  “Hello, you two!  We think of you often and hope our paths will cross someday! Thanks for continuing to reads our daily posts.”
 

Part 2…It was a Bollywood night at the Uprising!…Health concerns while cruising…

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 Our video of the Bollywood dancers on Saturday night at the Uprising Beach Resort.

Our new friends and neighbors, the honeymoon couple from Minnesota and Wisconsin, stopped by to take us up on our offer of borrowing one of our two wifi dongles. We’d offered several days ago when they weren’t able to get online at their vacation rental house after trying for several days. 

With over 16 gigs left on Tom’s device, it was unlikely we’d use the balance before leaving Fiji.  With our upcoming cruise in three weeks and five other cruises circumventing Australia, it would have been nice to be able to use the balance of the data on the devices when the ship docks in Fiji on a few occasions. Unfortunately, the data on the SIM cards expires 60 days from topping it off.

The Bollywood dancers prepared for their performance.

With wifi expensive and metered on most cruise ships (a few ships are offering an unlimited package), it would have saved us metered data time while in Fiji ports. Long ago, we decided to stay on the ship when in ports we’ve visited in the past, unless there’s a particular venue we missed on a prior visit. 

Yesterday, we checked in for the upcoming cruise on January 5th. Always a time-consuming process, requiring that both passports and a credit card be available during the online check-in, we worked our way through “pages” of inquiries. With no printer (our portable printer died) we’re unable to print the copies they request for check-in at the pier.

A band performed before and after the dancers.

Over these past years of travel, we’ve learned that paper copies of transport documents simply aren’t necessary other than for passports and visas. For the greatest ease, we take a photo of our “tickets” on my phone, bringing up the photo as needed when we check-in. 

There’s never been a single occasion where this has been a problem. The days of finding a printer at the hotel or an “office supply” store in a small remote village are long in the past. 

This method also applies to flights, trains, tour venues, and cruises. We even used the photo of our tickets when boarding the Eurostar (the Chunnel) when we traveled from Paris to London in August 2014.

The locals perform their routine on Saturday nights.

It’s hard to imagine we’ll be aboard a cruise in three weeks. It will have been seven months since our last cruise ended in Sydney when we immediately flew to Cairns, picked up a rental car, and drove to Trinity Beach where we lived for three months. 

Our biggest concern when cruising has been avoiding the “cruise cough” which can spoil a number of days of cruising. Of the 11 cruises on which we’ve sailed to date, we’ve ended up with the cough three or four times.  Preferring not to whine here, we haven’t made a big deal. But this time, we’re determined to avoid any illness. 

Regardless of a passenger’s immune system, it’s easy to fall prey to one of the many cruise-related illnesses including the dreaded Norovirus which fortunately we’ve never contracted. Fanatics about washing our hands, not shaking hands, and steering clear of others who appear sick, we still have become ill.

There was a post blocking part of our view but I didn’t want to obstruct anyone else’s view by standing.

Implementing a few new protective actions, we’ve emphatically decided on the following:

1.  Twice-daily mouth rinsing with pure organic unrefined coconut oil for at least 10 minutes on each occasion.
2.  Twice-daily mouth rinsing for 5 minutes with hydrogen peroxide (kills bacteria and happens to whiten teeth).
3.  Under no circumstances touch another guest; not a hand, not a shoulder, not a hug. When hearing a sensitive type of story from a guest, it’s easy for women to reach over and touch her hand in a supportive manner, especially me. Many people aren’t offended by the kind and caring touch of another. Men are less inclined to do this.  I know these simple acts have been instrumental in our previous illnesses when in most cases I’ve become ill first, then Tom.
4.  Washing hands immediately before and after eating and using offered sanitizer at every possible opportunity.
5.  Using a linen napkin wrapped around our hands when serving ourselves in buffet restaurants, immediately tossing the napkin after serving, taking a new napkin to use with the meal.
6.  Carrying hand sanitizers. We have several packets of these we carry with us throughout the ship that cleans both surfaces and hands. I have no concern over the dry skin using these frequently can cause. A swipe of coconut oil on my hands totally reduces any dryness. As a matter of fact, I’ve been using coconut oil as a face and body lotion both mornings and nights and am thrilled with the results.

The couples were in sync while dancing the traditional Bollywood type performance.

Hopefully, these amped-up proactive measures will serve us well.

Yesterday, we decided on a long walk to the neighboring market we’d yet to visit located in a gas station on the Hibiscus Highway. At our relatively leisurely pace on the rock-covered roads, we estimated we’d be gone for over an hour. With an overcast sky, the walking was easier than on a sunny day.

Over the past three days, it’s been cloudy for most of the day, making walking a little easier. The mozzies aren’t as bad here during the day as they were in Savusavu.

Many of the guests joined in the dancing. Neither of us likes to participate “on stage” during performances of any type. It’s never us on the stage!

When we dined outdoors on Saturday night at the Uprising Beach Resort, only a few swipes of repellent kept me free from bites. The only bites I’ve received have been while hanging the laundry outside especially on these cloudy days. Learning my lesson, I now use repellent on laundry days.

As for the walk, we checked out the merchandise in two tiny markets finding little we use when all the meats were of unknown origin and frozen and with no produce other than potatoes and onions.

Leaving the area of the markets we spotted a vegetable stand across the highway. Could we possibly find lettuce, a product difficult to find in Fiji? Alas, we were in luck. We purchased six small bunches of lettuce, a few carrots, and a bunch of green onions for a total of FJD $10, USD $4.69. 

Another view of the astounding sunset on Saturday night at the Uprising Beach Resort.

Tom only had FJD $20 bills in his wallet. The kindly vendor had no change suggesting we take the produce and return when we have a $10 bill. When we head out tomorrow for the roasted chickens at the Arts Village, we’ll get change and stop to pay her on the return drive.

The ants are under control. There are no cockroaches running across the polished wood floors. We have plenty to keep us busy at home today and we’re as content as we can be. 

May your day be filled with contentment and ease.


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

TJ is the king of video, rather than taking still photos. He does a great job. The scenery on the many drives we took together on the Big Island was outstanding. For more details, please click here.

Quite a day in the neighborhood…”Looking up”…

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This seaweed was offered for sale at the Farmers Market for FJD $5, USD $2.32 for a kilo (2.2 pounds). We didn’t purchase this.

Where do I begin? Yesterday, was quite a day. First off, it was the hottest day we’ve had in Fiji to date. It wasn’t only the temperature, which hovered around 90F, 32.2C, it was the humidity that also hovered around 90% on an otherwise sunny day.

In order to dry off after showering, we used the fan in the bedroom to get the sticky moisture off our skin. With no AC in the house, by the time we headed out the door at 1:00 pm for our weekly shopping trip to the village we were sweaty and sticky.

In our old lives, we often suffered from such humidity amid the worst of Minnesota’s summer heat, especially before and after a bad storm when the power was knocked out, often for days at a time. Once we got the generator going, the first to power up was the refrigerator and the AC.

Since the onset of our travels over three years ago, we’ve either didn’t have access to AC or didn’t use it during the day. If we had AC, to avoid high electrical costs for the owners of the properties, we seldom used it. There were AC units built into the wall in the bedrooms of only a few houses we’ve rented along the way.

Are we used to the heat? If we didn’t get used to it in Kenya, we never would. To a degree (no pun intended) we finally were able to tolerate it without complaint, accepting it as a part of our new lives. 

Yesterday, I sat on a bench waiting for Tom to return from the ATM after I’d purchased data from the Vodafone kiosk. He’s on the sidewalk across the street wearing a white shirt, carrying the Costco bag on his right shoulder.

Living in Kenya was two years ago and yet today, this much later, we still feel the brunt of the heat and humidity although not as badly as in the beginning. It’s kind of like hunger, thirst, or the need for sleep, it’s constant. I suppose the tolerance comes when one makes a decision not to notice it or discuss it as often.

Without a particular plan in place, long ago, we decided to be as tough and resilient as possible, which over time has escalated bit by bit. We’re not totally mindless of physical discomforts, but we continue to strive toward that ultimate goal which may in fact never occur. After all, we are human. 

And, when Tom didn’t complain for days about his abscessed tooth and the resulting discomfort, knowing it was the weekend and there was nothing we could do or… When over the past several days, I was suffering severe pain in my neck from bending my head down for days working on my dysfunctional computer, I, too, kept it to myself until finally the ice pack came out of the freezer and I had no choice but to explain.

Of course, we each prefer to provide love, care, and support to one another during periods of discomfort or pain. But, we’ve found that our own tolerance level can be exacerbated by quietly figuring it out on our own for at least a short period of time.

With the ice pack as my giveaway, I told Tom the issues with my computer which appeared ready to crash, and the resulting “pain in the neck” over the past several days.

My neck joins in with the horrible spinal condition I’ve had for 25 years for which the pain in my back has been remedied by a diet in reducing inflammation. But, the neck, with overuse, seems oblivious to the diet, and every six months or so I find myself hardly able to move my head for a few days.  

The sunny day’s heat in Savusavu was one of the hottest and most humid to date. It felt great to enter the New World Market, which is located across the street at the furthest corner.

My solution to the neck pain is clear; stop looking down…ice often for 20 minutes every few hours…and much to my dislike, take Aleve (after eating) for a few days. This morning I’m greatly improved after ramping up my usual treatment plan.

Yesterday, when we headed out with Ratnesh, I was uncomfortable, in pain, and feeling the heat and humidity more than ever. 

“Let’s get this shopping over as quickly as possible,” I told Tom and also Ratnesh particularly with the intent of alerting him that it wouldn’t be a good day to leave us waiting outside New World market in the heat while he took another distant fare, leaving us to wait for 40 minutes. He readily agreed to pick us up within minutes of our call.

Luckily, the shopping zipped along quickly and easily with no queue at the Vodafone store; the vegetables we wanted were readily available in the Farmers Market; New World grocery had 90% of the items on our list, and Helen at Fiji Meats had returned from the bank and our meats and roasted chicken were packed in minutes.

A mere 75 minutes after we left we were back home. The AC in Ratws34wnesh’s car helped cool us off for a while and although still uncomfortable, we unpacked the groceries and I started the time-consuming process of washing the many bags of vegetables. 

With no pesticides or preservatives used in growing produce in Fiji, cleaning produce is a laborious process ensuring each and every bug is removed and the dirt is carefully washed away. With only 24 inches (.61 meters) of kitchen counter space to work with, the task is particularly challenging.

Yesterday morning, we posted an early photo of Sewak’s garden. In the afternoon, they brought us a bag of produce. Today, I’ll roast some of these for tonight’s dinner.

In many countries produce is sprayed with water and preservatives. When purchased it looks bright and fresh. In most countries we visit, produce isn’t washed arriving at the market straight from the fields, dirt, bugs, bug eaten leaves and all. 

Overall, we love this fact. Yesterday, with bags and bags of dirty, bug covered vegetables in front of me, the heat and humidity at the peak of the day, and my inability to “look down” into the sink, I decided to only do what I could, finishing the rest today.

Tom offered to do it. Since I’ve always handled this task, I knew his frustration level and the time it would take wouldn’t be worth the angst it would cause him (and me).  Luckily, earlier in the day, I’d made dinner’s side dishes; salad and mushroom casserole. With the roasted chickens we’d picked up at Helen’s, dinner would be easy.

Before tackling the task, Tom poured me a fresh mug of iced tea while I changed into one of my cool long sleep shirts. As I cleaned the veggies with my head up, never looking down, I thought about the problems with my laptop. I’m a big user. I usually download no less than 40 gigs of movies and shows a week utilizing many added downloaded apps. None of this should be an issue.

The simple fact is that Windows 8.1 touchscreen is an unstable operating system, plain and simple. After reading about upgrading to Windows 10, we decided against it when it still has numerous bugs yet to be resolved. “Love the one your with,” so I say. Next time we purchase we’ll have few options but for now, we do.

The facts were clear. I had to “refresh” my computer which would remove all my downloaded apps from various websites but would save all of my files and photos (all of which are backed up on a cloud and external hard drive). It would be a time-consuming fix, putting everything back in order and hopefully starting fresh. I started the process after I cleaned the bulk of the veggies.

Tom’s midday snack includes streaky bacon and slices of Haloumi cheese sautéed in ghee.

Sweating like crazy, still “looking up,” hair in a bundle, wearing my “pajamas,” I cringed when I heard voices along the side of the house approaching our veranda. Sewak and his wife, Lita, whom we’d yet to meet, who’d been visiting family in Australia, stopped by for a visit with Badal, our friendly nightly visitor, wagging his tail as they approached.

“Oh my goodness,” I whispered to Tom under my breath, “We have company.” There was nothing I could do but greet them in my nightshirt, sweat pouring down my temples and still “looking up.”

They’d brought along a bag of produce from their garden; white eggplant, tomatoes, and zucchini. They also offered us a bag of leftover sweets from Diwala, the Indian holiday celebration for which we posted a story last week. I sadly stated I can’t eat sweets or grains but was grateful for the kind offer. Tom grabbed the bag out of my hands saying, “I’ll eat that!” 

Offering them cold glasses of iced tea, they sat on the sofa and chatted for about an hour. Never mentioning my neck problem or discomfort, I cringed when I had to attend to my laptop a few times that required my attention as the “refresh” process continued. I apologized for the few moments I took my eyes away to attend to a few required clicks.

Then I cringed again when Sewak mentioned they were having trouble getting Skype to work on their ancient laptop which I’d fixed a few months ago. But, not unlike many seniors in today’s world and especially with technology relatively new to Fiji, they didn’t have a clue what to do when they couldn’t seem to be able to call their daughter.

Of course, I offered to fix their computer today at 1:00 pm. Hopefully, by then, the pelting rain will have stopped and I’ll be able to “look down” long enough to walk the treacherous path to their house and to be able to get their laptop working properly. If necessary, we’ll bundle up in our hooded jackets to make our way up the steep walk up the hill to their home.

My laptop is back in business, happily humming along with its “fix” along with the hours I spent late yesterday putting it all back in order. In the heat, I stacked two-bed pillows on my lap to raise it high enough that I only had to divert my eyes, not my neck downwards.

Today, again hot and humid the two pillows are still on my lap and after a fairly restful night, things are finally “looking up.”

Photo from one year ago today, November 20, 2014:

Maui never disappointed with mostly sunny days, perfect warm weather, and gorgeous views. For more details on this date one year ago, please click here.

Working through the ups and downs of living in remote areas…

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This is actually a dine in restaurant in the strip mall with two tiny tables for diners and minimal cooking space for the cook.

There’s an app I downloaded, Live Writer from Microsoft that enables me to write the post offline and upload it later to Blogger to post online. I’ve used this app many times over these past three years when there was no wifi signal and/or no electricity that obliterated the signal. I can prepare the post offline and upload it later once we’re back online.

Last night, after dinner, we had no signal. Luckily, after dinner, we watch a few shows to keep us entertained throughout the evening. Neither of us has ever enjoyed reading in the evening before going to bed. Once we retire for the night, reading a book on the Kindle app on our phones helps lull us to sleep. 
 
Often, if we awake during the night, unable to fall back to sleep, we may read a little more, once again able to fall back to sleep. Some mornings I awaken with the phone still in my hand or under my pillow. Oh, I know about radiation from the phone. Perhaps without service, our phones emit less of a signal. Who knows? 

Savusavu’s version of a strip mall.

One can only be cautious about so many things in life, leaving the rest to chance and good fortune. We only use the phone for short local calls, reducing the time the phone is spent next to our heads.

With no lamps or lighting other than the bright overhead light in the bedroom, reading a hardcover book is out of the question. Also, we’ve never had an interest in hauling physical books with us. Often we speak to other travelers our age who still prefer a paper book in hand. We get this. But, this lifestyle dictates that we read on our phones which I was doing long before leaving for our travels, many moons ago.

I recall watching the entire first season of “Glee” on my phone while working out on the elliptical at the health club on my phone, listening with earbuds, loving every moment. Surely, young people of today watch movies and TV shows on their phones without giving it a thought. Certainly, us older types aren’t exempt from participating in this type of pastime, freely using available technology.

This restaurant seems huge in comparison to the two table spot in another photo.

When we awoke at 6:30 this morning, still with no wifi signal, I expected the only way I’d be able to post today would be by using Live Writer and hoping for a blip of a signal long enough to upload it at some point.

When we first arrived in Fiji and the signal was bad, I was able to use the SIM card signal on Tom’s phone as a hot spot connection in order to upload the post.  Hopefully, today I’ll be able to do the same if we can’t get back online. As we’ve mentioned the signal on Tom’s phone is too weak to do much online.

There’s no question that not being able to be online is a huge factor in our level of satisfaction in where we’re living. We were lucky to be able to lock up the two vacation homes in Tasmania last week during a period we could get enough of a signal to research possibilities.

The bus depot in the village.

With one more gap to fill and research for the future, we’re at a loss without service, not only in that it impedes posting, a daily objective but, it prevents us from continuing our research, an ongoing process, we both find great pleasure in accomplishing, the search, the negotiations, the final contract and hopefully, the end result.

We feel bad for Mario. He’s quite the property owner/manager possessing a high degree of dedication and determination to provide the very best for his clients. His hands are tied. He’s worked steadily with the phone company to get the service working properly in this area. Obviously, some of his efforts have been in vain. We had better wifi service in Africa, living in the bush.

Burning garbage and refuse is allowed on the island.  Fortunately, there aren’t as many fires burning as there was in Kenya.

With the SIM card, we purchased on Tom’s phone, he can stay busy listening to the radio stream and his favorite, Garage Logic, from Minnesota. If I can get this post online today, I’ll be happy. At 1:00 pm today, Ratnesh is picking us up for sightseeing and shopping.

Today’s sunny skies make us excited that it may continue throughout the day. We’ve been disappointed that we haven’t been able to upload more amazing Fiji photos since our arrival. After all, we are in a beautiful place. 

We find these African tulips in most tropical countries.

As we’ve mentioned in the past, I’m not a skilled enough photographer to be able to take great photos on cloudy days and certainly not during rainstorms. But Tom begs to differ with me when we go back to review the photos of the Gardens of Versailles in August 2014 all taken during a rainstorm with the camera in a plastic bag in an attempt to keep it dry. 

Taking those photos in Versailles was quite a task which later we laughed over but now, with two more months on this island, I see no reason to go through that type of challenge when we can expect some sunny days. Also, why risk ruining the camera? There certainly aren’t any replacement options here on Vanua Levu.  Shipping rates are through the roof to this far away location making replacing any equipment too costly.

We’ve stopped taking the time to remove power lines from our photos.  They’re a fact of life in most areas.

We’re having snail mail sent to us from our mailing service in Nevada, three envelopes opened and stuffed into one letter-sized envelope, a few containing replacement credit cards that include the “chip technology.” The cost for priority mail for this single envelope was US $26, FJD $57. For FED EX with a three to five-day delivery, it was USD $114, FJD $248, an amount we just weren’t willing to pay for a single envelope. Hopefully, it will arrive in the next month or so.

So this morning, we’d experienced a modicum of frustration over the wifi issues. Otherwise, we’re quite fine.  Sure, there are a few annoying items with the rain, the ants, the lack of areas nearby suitable for walks, the uncomfortable bed, the limited products at the grocery store, and the tiny coffee pot. But, we don’t want to mislead our readers in claiming that everything is always rosy. In our old lives, there were frustrations of daily life as well, as there always is.

But there are many wonderful aspects we treasure. We think of Mario, the great owner looking out for us, the friendly support staff, the joy of visiting the various markets, the constants sounds of birds singing, the beautiful views, and the exquisite vegetation. We’ve learned to “Love, the One You’re With!” 

Nawi Island is across from the village.

This morning I called Helen, the owner of the tiny meat market in the village, Fiji Meats, asking her to hold two cooked chickens for us, which we now order weekly.  She recognized my voice and with warmth and enthusiasm in hers, she took our order with a heartfelt “vinaka” (thank you). It’s that kindness and familiarity that makes everything OK.

As I finish this post, Junior stopped by. He and Mario went up on the roof and reset the main switch to the Internet. We’re back on! Now, we can post, pay our bills online for the month of October (it’s the 1st here today), say hello to friends and family, and continue the search, the ongoing search for the next leg of our journey. As for today, we can now settle back and enjoy the moment, heading out on a sunny day!

Have a fabulous day!

Photo from one year ago today, October 1, 2014:
Although we had an upcoming almost two weeks to live in Honolulu/Waikiki, we got off the ship to wander about the downtown area of Honolulu. For more details, please click here.

More socializing…Improved technology…Back to research…Exterior views of our house in Savusavu…

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This is the view of our house from the upper unit of the three-unit house higher up the hill.

When I began today’s post at 7:00 am, it was a sunny day. Putting on my swimsuit this morning, I decided to spend a half-hour in a particular spot on the veranda that appears on sunny days around 10:30 am. With my feet on the veranda railing while sitting in a chair it will almost be comparable to a chaise lounge.

Mario sent us a message that he received a notice that our package of supplies arrived at the post office.  Tomorrow between 11:00 am and 1:00 pm, the customs officer will be there and inspect the contents; baking pans, a muffin tin, a measuring cup, a peeler, coconut flour, unsweetened coconut flakes, ground flaxseed, almond flour, and various spices and extracts. 

The view from the top of the three-unit house behind our house. Mario and Tatiana had lived in this beautiful top unit up until a few days ago when they moved to the small house shown below to accommodate the couple we met from Nevada, Judy and Chris.

Hopefully, with the value of the contents well within the allowable shipping ranges, we shouldn’t have to pay any customs fees. It will be good to have these familiar items on hand to round out our diet to provide more variety.

Although I didn’t want to say this too soon, when everything could change in a moment, the wifi is working better today. Mario wrote to us last night explaining he’d seen the phone company (who supplies the Internet) working on the lines to this property. 

With the plugin router, Mario installed specifically for our use only, which I’ve had to monkey with on numerous occasions to reset, we finally have a strong signal. This afternoon, we can start researching locations to fill the two major gaps in our itinerary over the next 21 months.

Mario brought this router that plugs into an outlet, providing us with a private connection not shared with other guests.  Since he’d purchased the device in Germany, his home country, he had to add an adapter to make it plug into the outlet.  The weight of the device using the adapter, made it keep falling out enough to lose the connection.  Tom placed this stack of books under it to hold it in place.  The signal goes to “limited” quite often, but overall it’s working.

Ratnesh, our driver, is having a family day today (Sunday) and with other taxi drivers refusing or unable to navigate the steep hill to the house, we have no choice but to stay home until tomorrow when we head out for sightseeing, the post office, and shopping. We haven’t shopped in a week and are down to the last of the produce. 

With our coffee supply running low, I’ve made tea these past few mornings leaving the remaining coffee for Tom who only drinks two small mugs each morning, using one tablespoon of grounds in the tiny one-person pot.

This is the newly built house Mario and Tatiana moved into in the past few days while guests occupy their house over the next six months.

Not having a car doesn’t really bother us. Surprisingly, having been in this position in more countries than not, we’ve become used to planning our trips to fulfill our needs and expectations. If we run out of something, we improvise, seldom making a trip for only a few items. 

We’d heard from Salote, one of our daily maids (they added Usi to Saturdays and Sundays), that a couple from Nevada was staying in the upper-level apartment of Mario’s three-unit property up the hill from our house. With a little social directing from Salote, we arranged a get together at their place yesterday morning.

When visiting Judy and Chris I spotted something in the ocean below.  See the next photo for a closer view.

Judy and Chris are our ages, retired, and have their primary residence in Carson City, Nevada. They also own a wonderful old house in Brittany, France which they visit several times each year. 

They, too, like us, live away from family and frequently travel. Both born in the UK they both still possess the charming British accents we’ve come to know and admire. Chris was a college geology professor and shared many interesting stories of his world travels on various geological research expeditions. 

It was fascinating spending time with both of them hearing their stories of trips to Africa together in their youth and the myriad adventures they experienced. The time flew by as we shared our stories and before we knew it, almost two hours had passed.

Returning home with a smile on our faces, we realized how fortunate we are to meet people in our travels.  Although tourists usually stay only a short time, as is the case for Judy and Chris, the encounters are pleasurable and memorable. 

These two guys were fishing in the fish abundant waters of the sea surrounding the island. Coincidentally, in this photo is Usi’s brother, Johnny, and his friend Siri.  She explained they had considerable success.

Last night’s dinner of leftover uncooked tough steaks was greatly improved over the prior night’s meal when I cut off every morsel of fat and grizzle and marinated chunks of meat all day in olive oil and spices. When it was time for dinner I cooked them quickly, medium rare, on the highest heat the stove would allow. 

With propane as the source of fuel for the four-burner stovetop, the burners don’t seem to get as hot as when the source is natural gas, requiring I start cooking sooner than I may have in the past. Most days, I prepare everything well in advance leaving the actual cooking for the last minute to ensure everything is hot and fresh. 

As I’ve prepared the post, the clouds have returned and the sun is no longer shining, typical for island living.  So it goes. I have other “fish to fry” today anyway. 

Enjoy the weekend!

Photo from one year ago today, September 20, 2014:

One year ago, we arrived in Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada after flying from Boston. This was the view from our luxury condo we’d booked for six nights while we’d wait for an upcoming cruise to Hawaii. For more details, please click here.