Guess what?…Nine days and counting…But, right now, life is good…Reading books?…

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Our photo was taken in December 2014, when our kids and grandkids came to visit us on the Big Island in Hawaii, at the observation point while Mount Kilauea was erupting. What an adventure!

We wouldn’t have complained if everything at the beginning of our visit to Mirador San Jose had been like it is now. We’ve had power for 36 hours. We have plenty of food to get us through until we depart in nine days when the little store stocked up on meat, and yesterday, we made enough purchases to round out what we need.

I feel like myself again now that I’m back on two pills a day of the antiarrhythmic drug Flecainide again. I know I will be able to get a prescription to hold me over until my ProgressiveRX order arrives at the end of the month. Yesterday, I called a CVS Pharmacy Minute Clinic. Their medical professionals will prescribe the above drug to fill the gap I was concerned about. Finally, I can stop thinking of this.

Based on the two visits I had to a highly qualified cardiologist in the past month, who continues to check on me on WhatsApp and who says surgery is not required immediately, I will wait until we get to South Africa so I can see my cardiologist there, whom I trust, and have another ultrasound to see if my situation is worsening. If it’s not, I’ll have a scan every six months. If it is, I’ll have to decide if I want to go through another open heart surgery.

But I am not worrying about that anymore. I let it go to continue enjoying our lives now that I feel so well again. The only side effect I’m experiencing from the drug is a little sleepiness about four hours after taking each of the two doses. I can live with this. This helps me sleep better at night, and after the morning dose, a nap is all that’s needed during the day—no big deal.

Today is an easy day. All I have to do is chop and dice for tonight’s dinner and make our little mid-day lunch of sliced ham and cheese rollups. Tom has watermelon with his snack, and I may have cooked broccoli on the side with mine. I haven’t been hungry for breakfast lately, but Tom continues to enjoy his buttered toast with strawberry jam, so we have our little lunch around 11:00. This holds us until dinner.

I continue to stay on my diet, motivated to help with my condition, and so far, I’ve lost 15 pounds and started noticing how better my clothes are beginning to fit. I still have ten more pounds to return to where I was when we first started traveling. These next ten pounds will be the most noticeable. But, as most know, losing the last ten pounds is challenging. Right now, my weight loss is at a snail’s pace, only at about one pound a week, if I’m lucky.

Overall, I am not hungry since I continue to keep my carbs at bay, although I’ve had to up them from 20 grams a day to about 40 grams a day to ensure I get full with lots of vegetables and strawberries. Calories do count whether we like it or not, regardless of how and what we eat. Based on my lowered level of exercise at this point, as I slowly improve my heart health, which is ultimately most important for me, the weekly loss is minimal to keep the Afib under control.

But I will persevere. If I only lose ½  pound a week for the next 20 weeks, I will reach my goal by April 24, 2024. As quickly as time flies, it won’t be long before I get there. Once I achieve my goal, I will adjust my intake to maintain what I’ve lost. Health concerns have been a massive motivator for me when I had little motivation in the past to keep me on track. My clothes fitting better and appearing less chunky didn’t help motivate me to reduce my food intake. Now, it’s somewhat easy.

We enjoy listening to various podcasts while working on our computers during the day, and when there’s a lull, we both get a kick out of playing fun games on our phones. Since neither of us reads many books these days after binge-reading in the early days of our world travels. I can’t seem to focus enough to get lost in a fiction book, although I will occasionally read a non-fiction book, most of which I received for free from Amazon Prime on the Kindle app on my phone.

When lost in a fiction book, the time passes way too quickly for my liking, and at this point in life, I’d prefer to eke out every possible moment of my day being present instead of being lost in a book. In the first three or four years of our world travels, I read over 300 books that are still on my Kindle App.

That’s it for today, dear readers.

Be well.

Photo from ten years ago today, December 5, 2013:

We encountered these two wildebeest as we rounded the corner from our house. Enormous, it was taller than a horse, much larger than any of the wildebeest we’d seen at the tail end of the Great Migration at the border of Kenya and Tanzania. For more photos, please click here.

Wait until you hear this one!…More whinging, whining, complaining…11 days and counting…

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This was Mont Blanc, a precious baby alpaca born before our eyes in New Plymouth, NZ, in 2016 while we lived on an alpaca farm. It is one of our favorite memories. Sadly, a few months later, he died due to his blue eyes, which indicated a genetic abnormality. We were so sad to see this unravel before us. For more, please click here.

I am sorry we’ve whinged so much since we arrived at Mirador San Jose on October 24. It’s been one thing after another. In our attempt to “tell it like it is,” our dear readers have had no choice but to listen to me complain day after day. The alternative would have been to smile and pretend nothing is wrong, painting an unrealistic representation of our challenges as we’ve traveled the world. We never intended to have it all be “fluff.”

Maybe Ecuador itself is fine for many expats and residents. No doubt it is when many live here, enjoying nature, the sea, and, like us, the Galapagos Islands expedition, which we’d highly recommend, especially if you aren’t prone to seasickness and the altitude in Quito, which is the launching point for most Galapagos tours.

As we quickly approach the time we’ll be leaving Ecuador in 11 days, we are reminded of the challenges we’ve faced here, including power outages for extended periods. In Marloth Park, South Africa, load shedding was and continues to be a daily occurrence. But we knew when they were coming, and 95% of the time, they only lasted two hours.

Yesterday was the end of my rope, as they say…the last straw…the straw that broke the camel’s back. I threw my arms up in frustrated resignation and complained most of the day. We had no power for over 12 hours, two hours in the morning and ten more hours, well into the night, when we laid in bed in the dark, digital equipment dead, with no aircon in the humid heat.

The power was restored at 11:00 pm when, as a light sleeper, I was convinced I’d never sleep a wink if it didn’t come back on. There are no screens on the windows, and opening them wide made no sense for some more sticky, humid air. We lay there, talking in the dark, as we’d done downstairs, before heading upstairs.

Our only candles were tea lights, which hardly lit the room, and we sat in the living room, squeezing out the last bit of power on our phones to play a few mindless games to keep our minds occupied. Even my portable charger was out of juice, and of course, my laptop was dead, and we couldn’t stream anything anyway without WiiFi, which is also out each time the power is out.

Plus, we couldn’t stream anything to the TV monitor, which wouldn’t go on without power even if we used the external hard drive Rita and Gerhard gave me for my birthday a few years ago, loaded with 1000 movies. There was no way to watch them.

Technology is excellent, but power is more significant. Even making dinner without power was a pain, although, thank goodness, the stove is gas, or we wouldn’t have been able to eat. We ate by candlelight, usually romantic, but not in this case. Tom did the dishes in the dark.

Ugh! After fussing all day, I was wound up and had trouble falling asleep even after the power was restored. I didn’t nod off until after 1:00 am, feeling exhausted and unrested this morning. Later, I will take a short nap on the sofa to help recover.

We’ll see what today brings, hopefully, not more of the same. I am uploading today’s post earlier than usual, in the event the same power outage occurs.

Have a lovely Sunday, and be well.

Photo from ten years ago today, December 3, 2013:

These are African skimmers, and we were excited to get this shot of mom or dad feeding a baby. Look at those yellow eyes! For more photos, please click here.

Last night’s stunning sunset…12 days and counting…

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Sunsets don’t need an explanation.

The power just came back on after two hours. The sun is shining today, and it’s a little less humid.  The high will be 79F, 26C, a perfect weather day. But, at this point, we have no desire to use the pool. We tested the water, which was very cold and too cold for us. I have stopped using ice in my room-temperature water and have given up drinking anything but water throughout the day.

The Afib improved when I stopped guzzling ice-cold drinks all day. I’m not taking any chances plunging into an ice-cold pool. Apparently, the vagus nerve is instrumental in setting off bouts of Afib, and for some, including me, it’s considered a “trigger.”  Long ago, a doctor of Chinese Medicine who worked for me said drinking ice-cold beverages is bad for overall health. I never understood that until now.

For the past few days, I’ve been feeling really well. Taking one pill a day, as opposed to two, which is time-released, works for me. Besides occasionally getting sleepy, the side effects are diminishing each day. I can do this! Using the FDA-approved ECG on my Fitbit, my results have been perfect over the past few days. I simply perform the test on my Fitbit, refresh my program, and the results roll over to a free app I use from Stanford University’s Cardiology Department. From there, the result is analyzed by the app.

The app is called Qaly and can be downloaded to most devices. A more comprehensive use of the app includes a monthly fee of $30, whereby technicians at Stanford further read the results, providing a report. I tried the one-week free trial and then canceled it, since my results have been so good, I don’t require further analysis. If you are interested in more details on this, please write to the staff in the “contact details,” and they will provide more comprehensive details. This is useful for those with Afib.

The prevalence of Afib in the US is estimated to range from 2.7 to 6.1 million. I am not unique in having this issue. Many people never have surgery to correct it and can manage it with antiarrhythmic drugs and blood thinners, both of which I am taking. Untreated Afib can cause strokes if meds aren’t used.

Nonetheless, I look forward to our time in Nevada, leaving in only 12 days. I won’t be thinking about packing until a few days before we leave since we hardly unpacked our bags and with only a few trips back and forth to the two extra bedrooms where our suitcases are lying open, ready to receive the few items in the closets and cupboard. If we had to, we could pack in only a few hours, but as typical, we won’t be waiting until the last minute.

Also, I can’t wait to get a new laptop and finish with this fiasco I am having to use right now. We decided to go to Costco and buy the laptop rather than pay for shipping. We get in after midnight on December 15, when we’ll get some sleep, and then head to Costco in the morning for the laptop, food, and supplies, perhaps stopping for breakfast since we won’t have any food at the condo.

All we’ll bring with us for the morning is regular and decaf coffee and some powdered creamer in Ziplock bags (which we don’t usually use since real cream is better and healthier). We’ll be fine if we can have our coffee in the morning.

I am making roasted chicken breast for me and pork chops for Tom tonight. We are counting down the days that are left to figure out how long our food supply will last. Fortunately, the little store finally restocked their meat, fish, and chicken supply due to increased visitors to this area, and with that and Raphael, we’ll make it through easily.

We’ll give anything we have left to our lovely cleaner, Maria. She’s been so kind and helpful. She cleans for three hours each week for $20 and the tip we give her.

Enjoy your Saturday, wherever you may be, and know we are always thinking of all of you.

Be well.

Photo from ten years ago today, December 2, 2013:

Today, ten years ago, we awoke in Marloth Park for the first time. We didn’t realize, until we arrived in Marloth Park, that baby zebras have fluffy hair and short bodies until seeing one up close and personal. Too cute! For more photos, please click here.

An amazing encounter with Raphael..Again, it’s the simple things…

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Here is the produce we purchased from Raphael last evening. The total cost was US $12.50. I don’t know if this is a good price or not, but since we are grateful to be able to buy these, we are fine with the cost. There are three avocados behind the bag of strawberries and a giant zucchini to the right. We aren’t eating salads right now.

Last night, as we were preparing dinner of pork chops, rice, green beans, and cooked carrots for Tom and grilled fish (unknown type) and veggies for me, we heard Raphael’s honking horn. We couldn’t get outdoors quickly enough to find Raphael with a huge grin on his face while asking how we were in Spanish. We enthusiastically answered, “Bien. Como estas?”

Over the years of selling his fresh farm goods to the English-speaking locals in Mirador San Jose, he’s learned the English translation of all his fruits and vegetables, making selecting our preferences easy when we merely say the names of what we’d like to buy.

We don’t bother to ask prices for his bounties, nor do we attempt to explain why we aren’t interested in potatoes, beets, corn, and other starchy, sugary fruits and vegetables. When he suggests such items, we shake our heads, and he continues to let us know any new items he may have that he didn’t have last time. He comes by each Tuesday and Friday close to 5:00 pm.

I nearly jumped for joy when I spotted a container of blackberries and another with strawberries. With my way of eating, I can have berries in moderation, ½ cup per day. He let me choose those I wanted from the containers, as my mouth watered at the prospect of eating these fresh-from-farm berries.

The berries didn’t look as if they were washed. I’d picked fresh berries in the past and could tell. Since I will be eating them uncooked, we soaked and rinsed the two batches separately in bottled water, letting them sit for several hours. This morning, I put about a ½ cup of the blackberries in a bowl, which I promptly tasted. They were so tart, much to my delight, that I’d have to add a little of my sweetener to be able to eat them.

The fact they were tart indicated they weren’t genetically modified to be sweet, as are blackberries, blueberries, and strawberries in the US and other countries, to appeal to consumers who prefer fruits to be sweet. It was only when I was a kid, back in the 50s, that berries were so tart that my mother placed a bowl of sugar next to them, to which we added several teaspoons to the berries. Then, they tasted good.

Now, in the US and many other countries, when you buy berries, sugar is unnecessary when they are already so sweet they are hard to stop eating. Before I adopted a low-carb way of eating in 2011, I could easily and mindlessly eat a bowl of berries without any added sweetener, munching on them as if they were salty nuts, which also are hard to stop eating.

This morning, I had my usual bowl of two eggs cooked in a bowl with ½ avocado for breakfast. But this time, I added a small bowl of fresh, sweetened blackberries on the side. What a treat it was! For me, it was comparable to having a fine dessert.

As shown in the photo above, Tom will enjoy another watermelon while I munch on the berries until Raphael returns and hopefully has more berries in his truck.

We’ll repeat last night’s dinner tonight with pork chops (for Tom) and fish (for me), both of which are marinating in the refrigerator. But this time, we’ll add steamed buttered broccoli as our vegetable instead of green beans and carrots. Buying the pork chops and fish at the little nearby market in this gated community and buying fresh vegetables from Raphael makes shopping for food much more accessible than we initially anticipated.

When we return to Manta on November 22 to return the car and visit the cardiologist, we will shop at MegaMaxi, the huge Walmart-like store in the shopping center, recommended by the locals at Kokomo’s last Wednesday night.

Be well.

Photo from ten years ago today, November 11, 2013:

On our first cruise and venture outside the US on January 3, 2013, on the Celebrity Century, an “Old Hollywood” style ship, sailing through the breathtaking Panama Canal. This cruise line and particular ship may remain our favorite, even after many additional cruises. Our all-time favorite bartender is shown on the far right, Juan. What a guy! For more photos, please click here.

This is my reality…Hopefully dining out tonight at Kokomo….

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A pelican on the hunt for food. Notice the fish he’s already caught.

Note: Sorry, there aren’t any new photos today. Here are a few from Galapagos, only weeks ago.

The weeks are starting to fly by. We make the best of it while enjoying good meals with available food items. Going out to dinner every Wednesday night at Kokomo has certainly added to our enjoyment. And with the suggestions from some of our readers, particularly Marylin, we are streaming some good shows. More suggestions are welcome for newer shows. We watched all the older shows in lockdown in India in a hotel for ten months.

We listen to many podcasts on various topics and services during the day, which helps as background noise. Even while preparing a post, I can pay attention to the majority of a podcast. It’s great entertainment. No, there aren’t any easy-to-access drive-by sites to visit from here, although we looked at every possible tourist venue within a two-hour drive.

Locals have told us not to drive the highway at night in the dark. Like many other countries, crimes are committed on the highways at night. We decided long ago not to go in the dark on the N4 from the airport in Nelspruit, South Africa, to Marloth Park. We were warned about this by many residents in Marloth Park, and now, the same warning is here in Ecuador.

A stork in Galapagos.

So here is my reality, which I write with considerable angst and frustration. I had to stop the walking schedule for now. It was causing me to be in Afib constantly and only stopped at night two hours after I took the single 100 mg. dose of Flecainide but started up again 12 hours later, shortly after I awoke.

Today, I am not walking any more steps than I must. In desperation, I took a second dose of the drug a few minutes ago, which worked for me about ten days ago for several days, but I knew I’d run out if I took two a day until I could get more. We visited three pharmacies, and none of them carried this antiarrhythmic drug. After considerable online research, it appears this drug isn’t available in Ecuador.

My only option is to see a cardiologist in Manta to help figure out what I need. With this much Afib, I may also require a blood thinner to prevent strokes. I don’t like taking so much medication, especially those with awful side effects. But, right now, I feel I have no choice at this location. This constant Afib has to stop.

Today, we have an appointment with a highly-reviewed cardiologist in Manta at 3:00 pm. We’ll leave here at 1:15 pm to ensure we arrive on time. They don’t speak English but communicate with me via WhatsApp, using its translator. I tried calling their phone number, but when no English was spoken, they immediately sent me a WhatsApp request, inquiring how they could help and how soon we needed an appointment.

A fur seal in the Galapagos.

Based on my racing heart, when they suggested 3:00 pm today, I was all over it. We don’t like going so late in the day, but we’re not being picky about the time at this point.

As mentioned above, I will not do the walking schedule today. I will ask the doctor if the walking schedule is OK during my appointment and go from there. I will report back tomorrow as to what transpires today.

We need groceries but won’t have time to shop after the appointment. We must figure something out from here until we return the car to Manta two weeks from today.

Be well.

Photo from ten years ago today, November 8, 2013:

After days of rain last night, this ugly thing came for a visit only inches from Tom’s bare feet. We’d always heard that insects with red coloration indicated it is poisonous. This millipede is toxic to insects that it consumes, only leaving an itchy streak on a human if it walks over bare skin. No thanks. Tom picked it up with the dustpan and brush, tossing it well into the yard. For more photos, please click here.

Sad news from Marloth Park…The impact of power outages…

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Red hibiscus are commonly found in this area.

Louise wrote to me yesterday to share the sad news of the loss of Nyala Nina, Norman’s partner, and Noah and Natalie’s mother, had her baby a few weeks ago. Sadly, the little one, a female, had an injured leg within a few days of her birth. Dr. Peet darted her, but the injury was so intense she had to be euthanized. This news saddened everyone in Marloth Park, as we are now. The gestation period for a nyala is 220 days. It will be a long time until she has another offspring.

On another note: The power was out for two hours. Maria, our weekly cleaner, is here, and the bedding is stuck in the washer, unable to complete the cycle due to the outage. There is no way it will be done before she leaves around 11. Making the bed is a challenge since the bed is so low and close to the floor. There are other sheets, but today, we decided to wash the mattress cover since it smelled dusty and moldy. So we must wait to remake the bed when the bedding is done.

Bougainvillea in the front garden of the holiday home.

Being located on the ocean, all fabrics have that musty smell. In a way, it makes us rethink choosing holiday homes situated on the ocean. The humidity is palpable. Everything feels wet, even our clean clothes, when we put them on. The question is…will we wash and dry everything before we go or wait and see where we go next and do it there?

In the next 30 days, we will know where we are going from here. Flying out of here is tricky. Manta, the closest city, doesn’t have many options. We don’t want to fly back to Quito, and the next biggest airport is Guayaquil, a three-hour drive from here. Plus, we have to figure out where we’ll be able to drop off the final rental car.

Pink bougainvillea n the front garden.

Time will tell. At this point, we continue to research our options, but now, with the power outages, the time to do so is limited. I still spend several hours posting each day, and with limited cooking supplies, it seems to take longer to prepare meals.

Also, now that I have increased my daily indoor “stepping/walking,” every 15 minutes, that takes up a considerable amount of time each day. I have found it easier to walk every 15 minutes rather than attempt to get it done in one or two fell swoops. My legs aren’t ready for that yet. It may take several weeks before I can walk a longer distance over an extended period.

This is where we have to drop off the garbage. Recycling is not done here.

We are looking forward to going out for dinner tomorrow night. I translated the menu and found one more item I can eat: chicken kabobs. I don’t know how they are made or the sauces used, but I will figure something out. Otherwise, there were no other options besides the plain, dry hamburger patties I had last week.

The lot next door is for sale. We have no idea as to the asking price.

It’s still morning here, and the day is young. We have plenty to do to keep us busy, making the days fly by in a blur. Two months from now, we will be on our way to the yet-to-be-determined location.

Two birds on the beach.

Of course, we will report back as soon as we know more. Oddly, we aren’t worried about this, knowing full well that we will figure something out that works for us. Since the pandemic, we don’t plan as far ahead as we used to years ago. With the ongoing possibility of lock-downs in some locations, we aren’t willing to risk losing more money.

Maria managed to get the bedding on the bed before she left and, once again, did a fantastic job. We certainly appreciate having a weekly cleaner, making our days easier, and spending less time washing floors and dusting.

Today will be a quiet day. With the power back on, hopefully, for the remainder of the day, we can continue with research while every 15 minutes, I start walking again.

Be well.

Photos from ten years ago today, November 7, 2013:

In Diani Beach, Kenya…hand washing our underwear and placing it in the kitchen window seems to dry it more quickly than hanging it anywhere else inside. I no longer use the clothesline. The last time I walked out back to hang a few items in the tall grass, I was stung on my thigh, resulting in a very painful huge welt that eventually turned into a huge black bruise, lasting for weeks. For more photos, please click here.

The walking continues…Hopeful for the future…Football day!…

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The watermelon was a little mushy and made it difficult to get all the seeds out. Tom ate the small seeds.

For the first time in years, Tom wanted to eat watermelon. When Raphael stopped by with his packed vegetable truck on Friday for the second time in a week, Tom spotted a watermelon and said, “Let’s get that also!”

Over the past few days, I’ve asked Tom if he wanted me to cut it into bite-sized pieces. Each time he said, “No thanks.” Finally, today, with a bit of prodding from me, he said, “Yes.” He never wants to make “work” for me, but good grief, I am happy to cut it up for him. I’m much better at this than he is, and besides, I try to remove all the seeds, which I always did for him and my kids decades ago until they came out with seedless watermelons.

Although I am still busy with the walking and will continue to walk day after day, it won’t take me too long to cut it up. Unfortunately, I don’t have a container to put it in, but I will use two of the larger pots with lids and get it all cut up today. After I just took a break to cut the entire watermelon, we noticed that the seeds were different from those in watermelons in the US.

I hadn’t cut a watermelon in almost 12 years. Tom had joined me in the low-carb way of eating long before we left the US and hadn’t eaten any fruit since then. During that time, he lost 40 pounds and got off seven drugs a day, when this way of eating helped his irritable bowel syndrome symptoms dissipate entirely.

Recently, he’s lost a lot of weight and is at his lowest and been enjoying a few foods he’s missed over the years, for example, two pieces of toast with butter and strawberry jam for breakfast and now a watermelon snack. We’ll see if this combination causes any gastrointestinal issues, and if not, he can continue to enjoy these foods. Otherwise, the only other food with carbs that he eats daily is white rice with dinner, and that doesn’t bother him at all.

Again tonight, we’ve roasting two large chicken breasts in the oven with the skin, which we’ll remove at dinner, with carrots and mushrooms in the pan. Plus, tonight, I’m adding fresh green beans for him and grilled eggplant (aubergine) for me. We aren’t eating any salads while here since we’re concerned about tap water, which the farmers are using to rinse off the vegetables. We aren’t taking any chances.

I miss having a big salad each night with my meal since all I have with my protein source is vegetables, which aren’t very filling. Each evening, I am a little hungry after dinner, but since I am slowly losing weight, as desired, that hunger usually subsides quickly. I don’t think of food for the remainder ot the evening. Thus, for most dinners, I have two vegetables and whatever meat we’re having.

For breakfast, I’ve had steamed vegetables, new or leftover from the prior evening’s dinner, and half of an avocado with an egg dropped into the pit’s hole. Then I cook it in the microwave for a few minutes (covered with a paper towel). This is a healthy and delicious way to start the day.

If I get hungry at midday, I’ll have some sliced sugar-free deli ham or chicken with one slice of cheddar cheese in the shape of a sandwich without the bread. Tom may have this with me from time to time. I don’t usually eat anything during the day between breakfast and dinner, but now that I am trying to lose a few pounds, I have found having a light snack during the day helps me eat less at dinner.

It isn’t a lot of food in a day, but my metabolism has been slow since I had heart surgery, something I’ve read online from other patients. But now, with daily walking and cutting back on the volume of food, I feel confident I can finally lose these few extra pounds. I must be diligent since I won’t lose more than a pound or two weekly. Of course, we have our scale with us, which we use for weighing our luggage and ourselves.

With nine weeks until we leave Ecuador, I should have lost all the weight I wanted by then. I read repeatedly that dropping as little as 10% of one’s body weight can significantly help those with Afib. This, in itself, is enough motivation for me, coupled with the walking. I can already feel the improvement in my heart and my legs.

That’s it for today, folks. As soon as I get this post uploaded, Tom will use my laptop to stream the Minnesota Vikings game, scheduled for 1:00 pm, since his Chromebook doesn’t have an HDMI outlet.

Happy day to all.

Photo from ten years ago today, November 5, 2013:

There were no photos posted on this date ten years ago. Instead, it was a story about how I started eating a low-carb diet to improve my health that Dr. David Perlmutter posted on his website. See the post here.

Houses in the gated community…

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This is a Travelers Palm (Ravenala madagascariensis). We encountered a few of these in Mirador San Jose.

Yesterday, when we drove to the little store, we drove around the neighborhood looking for photo ops. Other than the flat-roofed houses and dry vegetation of unsold lots, there weren’t many photo ops. Eventually, the balance of the lots will be sold, but it could be a long time when this location is far from shopping and entertainment.

Most of the people we’ve met here are French Canadian, as mentioned and as described below:

“The inhabitants of the French colony of Canada (modern-day Quebec) called themselves the Canadiens and came mostly from northwestern France. The early inhabitants of Acadia, or Acadians (Acadiens), came mostly but not exclusively from the southwestern regions of France.”

We love the look of this wooden house, which we posted earlier, in the gated community with a Traveler’s Palm in the front.

From what we’ve heard from locals, the company promoted the development of this gated community via seminars and video presentations that primarily took place in Canada, appealing to those on the brink of retirement. Word of mouth spread., builders stepped in, and many of the lots were sold.

On Wednesday night at Kokomo, we met one of those builders, a friendly French Canadian who was proud of the houses he’d built. We are living in such a house, and it seems well-built. The ravages wrecked by the sea air are the ultimate source of wear and tear in these and other oceanfront and other nearby houses.

There’s a soccer field and tennis courts in Mirador San Jose, but we’ve yet to see anyone using these.

Most of the houses are stucco, but after decades in the real estate business, I observed that stucco is not exempt from wear and tear from moisture from humid environments. Nor is wood. Even in Marloth Park, South Africa, far from the sea but near a river and especially humid during the summer months, stucco houses eventually show wear and evidence of mold.

We’ve observed that the brick houses in Marloth Park seem to endure during the hot and humid times of the years, and the house’s exteriors seem to last the longest, even over many new siding materials that claim to resist moisture. Many homes being built there are brick and blend well with the bush environment.

“In a completely brick-built house the interior walls are actively absorbing the air humidity. Bricks can easily absorb humidity, as they have a surface that is more diffusion-open than other materials. As opposed to other materials, humidity doesn’t harm bricks.”

A Christmas tree-like pine is growing in the neighborhood.

But in Ecuador, brick may not be affordable, and lower-quality brick can cause problems down the road. Of course, it’s at the discretion of each buyer and their builder which type of exterior they may choose to use and that which is most affordable. Appearance is also a factor, and brick may not appeal to the buyer in many cases, depending on the style of the house.

In any case, most of the houses in Mirador San Jose are stucco with flat roofs. However, each house appears to have its own unique design, which was suited to the desires of the owners when the houses were initially built. Here is the link to the development for Mirador San Jose.

Another Christmas tree-like pine is growing in the neighborhood. Most of the houses in this gated community have flat roofs, except for the above wood house.

Of course, the more we interact with the locals at dinner on Wednesday nights, the more we’ll discover. We’re certainly no experts on what is transpiring in this gated community. Nor will we be by the time we leave here in a few months. We are always curious about our surroundings and share our perceptions here with all of you, whether accurate or not. As we learn more, we’ll share more.

Be well.

Photo from ten years ago today, November 4, 2013:

The Regency Hotel London, in South Kensington, England, where we’ll stay for 15 nights before boarding our ship at the port in Harwich, a three-hour drive from London. For more photos, please click here.

Not much sightseeing while here…

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Tom, when we were in Florida about six months ago.

Note: Sorry, but we don’t have new photos to share. It’s been raining, and we haven’t gone out.

In researching this area, I came across this page on TripAdvisor listing the points of interest to tourists who may be staying in or around Manta, Ecuador, an hour’s drive from here. Based on the remote location of this holiday home, there really isn’t anything nearby that we can experience from the car.

Although I started exercising a few days ago, it’s still too early for me to expect to be able to walk long distances. Only time will tell, and it could be weeks before I am strong enough to tackle any such tours. Actually, in reviewing the activities listed on the above site, we aren’t interested in any of these since, in 2017, we visited Manta while on a cruise. At that time, we toured some of the events listed.

Instead, we’re staying put at this house until we head back to Manta in less than three weeks to return the rental car for another and buy groceries at the Walmart-type store Mega-Maxi, the locals told us about on Wednesday night. It will be interesting to shop at this big store.

As we’ve run out of some foodstuffs in the past few days and with the need to keep purchasing water, we’ve been going to the tiny market here in Mirador San Jose, owned by a friendly French Canadian, Gilles. Thank goodness, we got plenty of cash at the ATM in Manta when we were last there on October 26 and shopped at a market downtown that didn’t work for us.

Me, on the same date, while in Florida.

The locals said they enjoy shopping at Mega-Maxi, where we will find everything we want to round out our meals and supplies. We’ll still buy some produce from Raphael, the local vegetable guy, when he stops by every Tuesday. The question is, can we go another 19 days without going to a supermarket? Right now, in the freezer, we have enough meat to last for six dinners and multiple cans of wild-caught tuna, with which we can make tuna salad with rice and vegetables on the side, making it a total of eight days.

With leftover ribs for Tom and seafood for me, for this evening, we have enough food to last for nine more dinners, taking us through November 15, considering we’ll be dining out every Wednesday. You may ask, why don’t we go to Manta now? The answer is simple. We don’t feel like sitting in the car for over two hours round trip to the grocery shop any more often than we have to. Doing so on the day we return the rental car and get a new car is an ideal scenario.

Next week, we’ll return to Puerta Cayo, a tiny town with a meat market, Carnisariato San Isidro. It will be interesting to check out what they have and see if we can purchase enough to last until November 22. The little shop in this gated community has only a few meat options. We already tried the filet mignon, but it was very tough.

We laugh now over how we grumbled a little to each other while in Marloth Park that we had to drive 20 minutes to the Spar Market in Komatipoort. We’ll appreciate that short distance all the more when we return. Plus, their selections were vast, and we seldom left with items we couldn’t find.

But we have truly settled in and feel more comfortable here as we roll into an easy routine. It will be especially lovely when the sun comes out, and we can use the pool. It’s been raining off and on most days. We’ve had one sunny day so far. The house itself is fine, and the extra exercise I am getting going up and down the stairs to the bedrooms several times each day.

Each day is a new challenge as I continue rebuilding my fitness and health. Today is only day three, but I have already developed a routine to get me up and moving every 15 minutes. I start when I get out of bed and continue until 5:00 pm, when I stop to make dinner.

In time, I will lengthen the fast-walking period, hopefully enabling me to walk long distances eventually. Right now, the number of steps I am doing is working, and I am not going into Afib at the current pace. If I walked too hard and fast, I know I’d run into an Afib event. I remember, only so well, when my grandson Miles and I were leaving Target Field after the Minnesota Twins baseball game, and trying to keep up with the crowd’s pace left me in Afib for hours that night.

It’s a dual purpose: the exercise improves my heart health and also my ability to walk longer distances. This is a huge motivator. I realize now that I am active again how much I was stationary each day, fearful of triggering an episode. Most likely, being stationary exacerbated my condition. I am hopeful but prepared for potential setbacks that won’t deter me.

Again, thanks to our reader, Gary, for spurring me on to do this rather than whining about my limitations.

Be well.

Photo from ten years ago today, November 3, 2013:

The Indian Ocean in Kenya has clean, white sand beaches, only cluttered with seaweed coming ashore during the rising and falling of the tides. For more photos, please click here.

Finally, we’re beginning to have a social life!…Fun time out last night with photos!…

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Some of the patrons at the table behind Tom warmly greeted us and chatted for a bit before the remainder of their group of eight arrived.

Last evening, when we headed to Kokomo for the second time in a week, we anticipated it would be closed again after we’d stopped by on Saturday evening, and no one was there. We’d heard that it was open on both Wednesdays and Saturdays, but that Wednesday was $5 burger night.

As it turned out, much to our delight, the lights were on, and the door opened. There stood Sylvie, Igor’s property manager, greeting us and inviting us to a table. She doesn’t speak English, but we were able to communicate. Our Google Fi doesn’t work around here, so there was no way we could use Google Translate when the restaurant had no WiFi signal for guests.

When we arrived at Kokomo restaurant a few minutes after 5:00 pm, we were the only patrons there. By the time we left at 7:30 pm, every table was full. I didn’t take many photos of the patrons, preferring not to intrude on their dinner.

Looking at the menu, it is mostly in French since many of the locals are French Canadians who speak English, French, and a little Spanish. Following is a copy of the menu. I took a photo of it so that before we go next time, I can translate it and figure out something else to order than the burger patty I ordered without sides. All of the items are in US dollars.

We noticed locals eating salad, but most had been here for many years and may have built up an immunity to the tap water used in washing raw vegetables at local establishments. After my awful experience of eating a salad in Morocco in 2014, I learned my lesson then, and I don’t eat raw vegetables in countries where it may not be safe.

There wasn’t a typical sit-at-bar, but the tables were close enough for some friendly banter.

Tom had the $5 burger and fries, but after seeing so many people order the lasagna and club sandwich next Wednesday, he’ll order something else. Tom had a large-sized beer, and I drank something out of character for me: a Coke Zero. I couldn’t get down one more bottle of water after all the water I’d been drinking lately. I won’t make diet cola a habit, but it tastes good, and I am not drinking wine for a while.

Tom was able to find a beer he liked, Pilsner.

As it turned out, the restaurant was fully packed by 6:00 pm. Every table was filled, and another couple, Doris and John, sat with us while we chatted on and on, having a great time. Many others stopped by our table to welcome us to Mirador San Jose. Finally, we had the blissful feeling of being able to have a social life here.

Next Wednesday, we’ll head back to Kokomo, but this time, we’ll know some people and feel all the more welcome. In the interim, I will translate the menu and see what else I can order that will work for me. If not, I can always have a bite to eat before we go out. No big deal. It’s only food. It’s the social interaction we so much appreciate.

Shortly after we arrived, locals were coming for Wednesday’s $5 hamburger night. It’s the only night the restaurant is open at this time. Soon, “snowbirds” will come, and perhaps the restaurant will be open more often.

Yesterday, I had a perfect first day of renewing my health. I did the indoor stepping as planned for over eight hours. Also, I found a video on my Fitbit with a gentle yoga class, which I will do again today and every day going forward to regain some flexibility. Yesterday was a perfect “diet” day for me. I ate plenty of vegetables (except at dinner), protein, and moderate fat but less food in general, hoping to shed those pesky ten pounds I’ve been hanging onto for the past few years. I am logging my food intake into the free app Chronometer, which helps me stay on track.

When I started thinking about how long I have been inactive, I realized it all happened when we got COVID-19 and after that, over 18 months ago. Basically, since then, I have been relatively inactive when the COVID-19 symptoms lingered, and then the Afib escalated, which started the day I tested positive. I genuinely believe that COVID-19 began this entire mess since, before that time, I never had Afib, nor did I have so much trouble walking.

Colorful glass blocks were built into a wall.

This morning, we did laundry and prepped the food for tonight’s dinner: ribs, rice, and green beans for Tom and sauteed seafood mix, green beans, and avocado for me. It will be a lovely dinner and evening for sure. Soon, we’ll head to the little store in this gated community for more water and a few odds and ends. It’s like a Quick and Easy with a limited inventory but carries a few things we need occasionally.

Be well.

Photo from ten years ago today, November 2, 2013:

I love this look on Tom’s face as he’s learning how to handle the python at the resort in Diani Beach, Kenya. Like an infant, the python’s head must be held up to avoid injuring it. For more photos, please click here.