Part 1…An inquiry from an old friend and long time reader…

Tall three story house and a stone yard in the neighborhood.

When I visited Facebook this morning for a quick peek of what’s going on with family and friends, I noticed a private message from my dear friend Cathy in Minnesota. We’ve stayed in touch now and then as we have with many of our treasured friends so appreciating the occasional back and forth communication.

Cathy wrote:
“So this is my question for you two. Honestly have you ever gone someplace and after about a couple of weeks wish the stay was shorter? With your back hurting the way it does sometimes do you wish you were closer to a doctor. I just know how painful back problems are from experience.  I read your blog everyday.”

Single story apartment building in the neighborhood.

When I saw Cathy’s private message in Facebook it inspired me to write an answer to her questions in today’s and tomorrow’s posts as honestly and forthright as possible, never with the intention of complaining or diminishing the lovely property in which we’re staying. Today is about our response to the our current situation, not so much about the property itself.

In these many past posts I’ve been fully aware that every few days, I’ve whined about my condition for a few reasons; one, to explain why we aren’t out exploring and taking many photos; two, we promised early on we’d always “tell it like it is.” It bothered me to mention it as much as I have and I imagine some readers may have thought, “Enough already!” We understand this.

But, many thoughts come to mind when we’re telling it like it is, good or not-so-good, mainly prompted by my following statement.

Carved markers in a local cemetery.

Isn’t it disappointing when you thought you’ve been reading a memoir, only to find out later that the author embellished the story to make it appear to be more interesting? What about hearing that a favorite reality type show has scripted dialogue when at the time you enjoyed what appeared to be real and genuine conversation?

When we started these posts on March 15, 2012, never knowing how long we’d last, we decided to always tell it truthfully without embellishment or “fluff” to make it more interesting. Today’s post is #1474. Many have been mundane. Others have been exciting.

And even, during quiet times when our readership may decline for a period, we continue to stay on the path of our reality, as we see it, as we feel it, knowing that in times to come it will become more exciting and the readership kicks back up to exciting numbers.

Close up of markers at a local cemetery.

This is our lives. We don’t make it up as we go. We live it. We share it in as close to “real time” as possible, usually no more than one day later (except for posting lengthy tours over a period of days/weeks as we’d done for the recent Mekong River cruise).

We’ve often commented when we’ve noticed celebrities/politicians and public figures contradicting themselves, how it’s hard to remember falsehoods one has told. But, the truth is always easy to recall.

To quote Abraham Lincoln, “No man has a good enough memory to be a successful liar.”So true.

Low tide on a local beach.

The dilemma we always face is never devaluing the quality of a property and the often phenomenal customer service and care we’ve received from property owners and managers, as is the case here in Phuket. 

The owner has been prompted in responding to any of our needs. The property is impeccably maintained, the amenities are of good quality and the twice weekly four-person cleaning staff has been a godsend. Even the WiFi has been exceptional, something we may appreciate more than others.

Thus, in response to my friend Cathy’s inquiry, we share a few facts we’ve brushed over in prior posts, mainly to keep the complaining under control. in response to the first part of her question; “Honestly, have you ever gone someplace and after about a couple of weeks wish the stay was shorter?”

Statues outside a gated property.

The answer is relatively easy in regard to our current situation, a resounding “yes.” But, this affirmative answer is totally predicated by my current health condition. We have lived in many locations with what many would consider unbearable heat and humidity with nary a complaint from either of us.

We spend three months each in Kenya and South Africa sitting outdoors all day in some of the worst heat and humidity of our lives never giving the weather conditions much of a thought other than when we had to go indoors during storms. It is very hot in Bali but there, too we spent most of our time outdoors until my injury. 

It was a scorcher in Dubai, at times in Italy, in Marrakech and the list goes on and on. Somehow, here in Phuket, being in pain has made the heat inside the house unbearable for me. 

Seating configuration since we moved the two side chairs to the bedroom in order to stay cool.

The air con in the living area, dining room and kitchen doesn’t work well due to the vaulted ceilings.  There’s no breeze this far from the sea. The limited number of outlets makes it difficult to property position the two floor fans. Extension cords aren’t used much in many countries as they are in the US. 

Yesterday, we gave up trying to spend our days in the living room where the heat is unbearable. Tom moved the two relatively comfortable side chairs from the living room to the bedroom. Adding lots of pillows to my chair has made it all the more comfortable. The ceiling in the master bedroom is lower. The air-con works great. 

When I become uncomfortable sitting, I walk around the house  for a bit or move to the bed for a few minutes to lay on my side to work out the kinks. At the moment this plan is a good work around. Before we leave Tom will return the furniture to its original location.  

Fishing on the shallow beach at low tide.

When the cleaning/house management staff arrived this morning while I was preparing this post, we inquired as to having the air con in the living room fixed so we won’t be trapped in the bedroom around the clock. Promptly Pon, the English speaking staff member, contacted the air con company who will come out today to see if it’s fixable. If so, we won’t be trapped in the bedroom for the next three weeks. This would be an ideal solution.

Tomorrow, we’ll be back with what transpired with the air con repair and also the answer to the second part of Cathy’s question “With your back hurting the way it does sometimes do you wish you were closer to a doctor?”

Cathy, thanks for your thoughtful inquiry. We both appreciate your kindness and your friendship.

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

During our past visits, the kangaroos ran off.  On this particular occasion, they watched us for a while and then ran off. For more photos, please click here.

Another comment from a reader in the Southwest, USA…Wow!…How’d we get so lucky?

A coconut stand. Neither of us care for the liquid, but the meat is delicious.

This morning at 3 am (when I often wake up for no reason whatsoever), I checked my phone as I often do hoping that reading will lull me back to sleep. With no cell contract or a SIM card for Thailand, I use the house’s WiFi connection to log on. 

This isn’t always possible at every vacation home, especially when the signal is poor, but here in Rawai, Phuket we have a relatively good signal with few interruptions. Posting each day has been so much easier than in Bali and, on the Mekong River cruise, which was by far the worst signal we’ve experienced on a ship to date.

As is the case in most tourist locations, there’s a variety of ethnic restaurants.

Most of us have a routine when we check our phones, don’t we? We take a peek at email, Facebook, news or any other active apps we may frequently use. Then, if we choose to stay online, we settle on an app where we may spend hours keeping us entertained and engaged. 

Gosh, I wonder what we did with our free time decades ago, before technology took over our lives to some extent. Don’t get me wrong, I have no qualms about being online during quiet times. 

What else would we do if we’ve already been out and about perusing the area having taken enough photos for the time being? It’s not as if I can spend half the day in the kitchen cooking a great meal for dinner guests. Nor, can Tom head down to the basement to work on his latest fix-it project.

Phuket consists of hundreds of islands, most unpopulated.

On Sundays, there’s no newspaper to read which used to occupy several hours of the day after making a big breakfast for us or for family stopping by. Is there an upcoming trip to Home Depot on the  day’s agenda to buy more flowers for the one remaining sparse garden in the yard?  Hardly.

As glamorous as many assume our lives may be, there are simple realities of living this life of travel that have included a tremendous amount of sacrifice. But, wouldn’t anyone desiring a expand their horizons to experience an alternate lifestyle find themselves making sacrifices of one sort or another? An athlete? A mountain climber? An app developer? 

We’re no different. We gave up some things to acquire others.As many of our loyal readers know, we have no regrets. We never question our decision, regardless of how hard it may become at times. 

A local resort, The Villa.

Perhaps, recently has been one of those hard times as I continue to slowly recover, seemingly one millimeter at a time. We just haven’t been able to get out to do much lately.

The combination of the bumpy roads in the less-than-stellar rental car, my difficulty of getting in and out of the very low-to-the-floor passenger seat and the continuing discomfort while riding simply makes getting out not much fun.

Instead, our days consist of posting here (easily keeping me busy for half a day), sitting at the kitchen table chopping and dicing (Tom brings everything to me and puts it all away helping to make the meal at dinnertime) and watching a movie and/or a few favorite shows on my laptop while staying cool in the bedroom. 

Modest living quarters in the area, nestled in the trees.

Frequently, I get up from a sitting position to move about, but at this point, I’m finding that resting while by alternating the ice and heat packs seems to be the most beneficial.

Oddly, we’re cheerful and optimistic as we could be under these restrictive circumstances. But, isn’t that how life is? Don’t we all have periods of time when we aren’t feeling 100%, or recovering from a surgery or illness where we aren’t quite able to conduct our preferred daily routines interspersed with a wide array of activities? 

Certainly, under these circumstances most of us carry on, hopeful for the future, diligent in our efforts to get back to “normal” (whatever normal may be) while striving to maintain a positive attitude. 

There are many gated houses in our area, as in the case for our villa.

Then, there’s those special moments that make us smile or laugh, whether its the action or words from a loved one, an unexpected windfall or as simple as a colorful bird landing on a branch outside the window. Day brighteners. Hope perpetrators. Fodder for happiness. 

To make a long story short, during the night when I saw this message on my phone posted as a comment at the end of yesterday’s post, my heart did a flip flop at 3:00 am as it had also done the prior day when a reader from Minnesota expressed the same interest in meeting us. It read:

“Jessica and Tom,
I am a loyal reader (every morning) who would love to meet up with you when you are in Nevada next year (we live in Arizona). I’ll keep reading if and when such a meeting is planned for your loyal readers in the Southwest. Sounds like your back continues to improve, and very happy to read that. All the best to you two for continued “happy trails.”

Small cabins for rent in the area.

As soon as Tom awoke this morning, I read the message to him, as I’d done the prior day and again, he too, felt the same as me, grateful, appreciative and lucky to have reader/friends all over the world who travel along with us, through the good times and adventures and through the mundane times, (such a now), where exciting activities are hardly on the agenda.

Not only are we humbled by the world around us as we travel. Not only are we in awe of the culture we experience in each country we visit. Not only do we feel fortunate for the fine people we are honored to meet along the way. But, we feel so lucky to have our readers travel with us on this journey and we look forward to meeting more of you soon.

In August, 2014 our dear friend/reader Liz from Bristol, England, whom we’d never met took a train for a three hour round trip to meet us in South Kensington. (For the story of Liz’s visit, please click here). It was a day we’ll both always treasure, a friendship we’ll never forget.

Life is good.  We hope yours is as well.

Photo from one year ago today, August 9, 2015:

A mailman on a motorbike in Trinity Beach stopped to chat with us! For more photos, please click here.

Sharing an interesting email from a loyal reader in Minnesota, USA…

A furniture store with a shrine in the parking lot.

In yesterday’s post we mentioned, we’d received an email from a long time reader in Minnesota.  Shortly after we left Minnesota, a local publication wrote a story about our upcoming travels: Please click here to read the article.

From the publication of that article in our home town of Chanhassen, Minnesota, we gleaned a number of new readers, many who’ve continued to follow us to this day often writing to say hello and sharing precious morsels of local news along with their own personal stories and tidbits of information. 

Whenever hearing from readers anywhere in the world, it means so much to us. When communicating with readers from our own former small town, it adds a layer of heartwarming memories we’ll always treasure as is the case when most of us are reminded of favorite places we’ve lived throughout our lives.

From what we’ve seen so far, Thai architecture isn’t as distinct in local shops and buildings, although prevalent in the temples.

Over these past years we’ve been contacted by book publishers and a variety of publications inquiring as to our interest in further promoting our story. At this point, we have no interest in becoming “celebrities,” working the book signing circuit, being on talk shows, etc. That would totally change the nature of our experiences.

Others traveling the world in a similar manner; having no worldly possessions, no home to return to, no storage facility with “stuff,” and no plans to settle anywhere in the near future is becoming more and more common in today’s world as more and more people retire.

At various times we’ve heard from other retired couples (one as recently as a week ago) who’d made a decision to leave everything behind to travel for a designated period of time, later to settle in a location they find appealing where they’ll buy, build or rent a home after they’ve fulfilled their dream of world travel. 

Mom and Pop type grocers are found on almost every block.

Often, for Americans, they may choose warm climates such as Arizona or Florida or prefer states with no income tax (Federal tax still applies) such as Alaska, Florida, Nevada, South Dakota, Texas, Washington and Wyoming. 
 
We surely understand why others eventually lose interest in continuing to travel over the long haul.  It’s not easy, especially as people age, with more and more medical issues cropping up over time.   Plus, some may find the nuances of continually traveling cumbersome and difficult over an extended period.

Certainly, we’re not exempt from these realities and undoubtedly at some point, we’ll have to make big changes. We have no delusions about this fact and have emotionally and financially prepared ourselves for this eventuality. However, at this point, we’ve only enhanced our desire to continue on, health providing.

Thai massage is known throughout the world for its healing benefits.  Unfortunately, message hasn’t been beneficial to my current condition.

Anyway, after getting off track here, I return to the email we received from a loyal long time reader that joined us after reading the above mentioned newspaper article. Over these years, she’s written to us a few times much to our pleasure. 

With such communication, meaning so much to us, we easily remember hearing from her and her husband, as we do for most readers who’ve taken the time to contact us.

Preferring to be anonymous, we avoid mentioning her name as she requested. (Many readers who comment online prefer anonymity). Here’s what our loyal reader wrote a few days ago after which I requested and received her permission to post a portion of her email message:

Public building in the background.  We weren’t able to read the sign written in the Thai language.

“Today’s post (see this link) gave me a nudge to connect with you. Several weeks ago, my husband and I drove past Grizzly’s, the restaurant near where you will be staying when you visit Minnesota next year. It reminded me of your writings about abandoning the RV idea and securing a location to stay when you will be back in Minnesota. 

Ever since then I’ve been thinking about your upcoming stay. I know that you will be very busy with family and friends, but I’m wondering if you would have room in your schedule to set a time when area folks who have “followed you” might get a chance to meet you just to say hello.  Even though we’ve never met I feel like I know you having followed your great adventures since the beginning.

I smiled when you again referenced Garage Logic today.  I shared that my husband is also a huge fan of Joe and the gang and we have had many laughs while listening to the show and their topics of the day. One of the things we do each year on our visit to the State Fair is to get a comfortable spot at the Garage Logic broadcast booth and just hang out for a lengthy period of time listening and observing the goings on as they banter and put the show together. It is indeed great fun.”
We couldn’t stop smiling after reading her thoughtful email. We giggled with delight over the prospect of meeting some of our readers living in Minnesota who’d consider making the trip to get together with us as a group to share our mutual stories, experiences and dreams of world travel.
ATMs and Seven Eleven stores are commonly found along the highways.
What a marvelous idea! This had never entered our minds, but as the time approaches, we’ll certainly make several announcements here on our site with a date, time and location for the future get together.
We’d love to hear feedback from our readers as to any suggestions they may have as to a good central location in the Twin Cities.  Most likely, a Friday or Saturday evening at a local restaurant will be ideal for most, perhaps even the above mentioned Grizzly’s by our loyal reader whom we thank for her thoughtful suggestion.
Surely during the six week period we’ll spend in Minnesota, we’ll find an evening that works. We’ll be back in touch with a date for next June, 2017 since we’ll be leaving MN shortly after the US holiday, the “4th of July” to head to Nevada for the next visit with family.
After narrow two lane roads in Bali, these wider roads in Phuket are easier to maneuver, especially with less traffic than in Bali.
If any of our readers are living in and near Las Vegas or Henderson, Nevada we’d be thrilled to get together with those of you interested during our three week stint in the state from July 7 to August 1, 2017.
Of course, this applies to any of our readers living anywhere in the world we may be visiting at any given time.  How wonderful it would be to meet some of you!

That’s our story for today, dear readers. As we’ve said, please don’t hesitate to contact us to say hello, share a story or express a dream you may have of stepping outside the box for a new experience, whatever that may be.

Have a dreamy day!

Photo from one year ago today, August 8, 2015:

We could easily envision a croc coming up and over this hill from the ocean to Deadman’s Gully in Cairns, Australia. For details of such an incident, please click here.

Comments and email from our esteemed readers throughout the world…

There are plenty of areas in Phuket with more modern homes, a lot occupied by expats and tourists.

We love hearing from our readers. The feedback we receive means the world to us. Many write personal email, not intended to be posted and some write at the end of any given post to express their views, comments or make a suggestion regarding the current or a recent post.

Agreeing with us or not, we enjoy each and every comment and appreciate the time and effort the reader took to stop to say hello. We invite any of our “lurkers” to write as well. 

Across and down the street from our villa, a woman was washing her face outside near the road.  We wondered if perhaps she didn’t have running water.

As a lurker myself, seldom commenting on any sites I peruse, I certainly understand the hesitancy toward commenting. I’ve analyzed why I don’t say a word after reading a particular site for possibly years and can only come to the following conclusion. I’m not confrontational enough to oppose a view publicly, nor am I inclined to let my opinions be heard without specific inquiry. 

Oh, you may disagree with me based on my constant spewing what I (we), think of this and that.  But, that’s comparable to voicing one’s opinions in one’s “own house” as opposed to doing so in a public venue. 

There are many rental cottages and cabins such as this in the area.

I suppose since we don’t have a home of our own, this site in its own way becomes our “home” with all of our loyal readers as occupants with whom we freely share our day to day mumblings, significant or not. In its own way we are a family of sorts for which I am merely the “documenter” of its daily “goings on.”

This is not to say I’m not a person of considerable opinions. I am. Tom listens to them daily in one form or another. Oh, and he’s opinionated far beyond me for which those of whom engage with him on Facebook are well aware.

Modest huts and homes are prevalent in the area.

As far as I’m concerned my opinions are best left unsaid in “this house” or even on Facebook where I seldom opine about anything other than that which I may consider an interesting travel photo or experience or an appreciation of the photos and stories of others with a “like” or an applauding-type comment.

It’s not as if others are waiting in anticipation for my opinions on politics, world affairs and entertainment gossip (although I must admit I still check out what celebrities are up to in Hollywood). 

This is a restaurant on a quiet street near our villa.

Bottom line? What others think is up to them. What’s happening in our home country and in the world impacts all of us in one way or another. Unfortunately, my personal opinion on any of it has no bearing whatsoever on the outcome. It’s not as if we’re in a position to effect change other than in small ways we choose along the way in our world travels.

Of course, if I’m asked for an opinion in a public arena such as with other passengers on a cruise ship, I can spew it out as vigorously as anyone else. But, not everyone agrees on most topics, and I vehemently avoid confrontation. “Overly bubbly” types prefer to avoid conflict. 

As we drove further away from our area, we were surprised to find rows and rows of shops, rentals and restaurants.  Its much more built up in Phuket than we’d anticipated.

I must confess, I thoroughly and selfishly enjoy hearing comments from our readers, regardless of the topics.  Often, such comments are warm fuzzies we embrace with happy hearts. Where else do we get positive feedback other than from one another?  

Other comments we receive are observations, suggestions, opinions and the sharing of personal experiences all of which we devour with enthusiasm and appreciation even if we don’t agree. On a rare occasion, we receive a “hateful” comment for which we decided long ago doesn’t deserve a response from us or our readers. 

Many shops are multi-use such as this beauty salon and motorbike rental.

So, we ask, with a bit of trepidation over our own hesitancy to comment on the sites of others, please don’t hesitate to write a comment at the end of any of our daily posts or, if you’d prefer send a private email, none of which we’ll post without your specific permission. (Please click the link on the top right side on any given day’s post to contact either of us by email).

Many homes are gated, such as ours, which also includes a security system with CCTV.

We received such an email yesterday and anxiously await permission from the loyal reader to allow us to post a portion of her message to share with all of you for an interesting idea she offered for our upcoming visit to the US. Hopefully, we’ll be back with that soon!

Be well.

Photo from one year ago today, August 7, 2015:

One year ago, Tom was reading while soaking up the sun at the pool in Trinity Beach, Australia. For more photos, please click here.

Exploring the area on a sunny day…Humidity…Plans for Bali…

Motorbikes parked at the beach.

It rains a lot in the tropics and there are plenty of cloudy days. Since our arrival in Phuket over two weeks ago, at least 75% of the days have been cloudy with rain no less than 40% of the days and nights.

Many years ago (around 30) BT (before Tom) I vacationed in Thailand, staying in Phuket at two different resorts, one week each and if I recall, it was cloudy and rainy many of those days as well.  When the sun is shining, its a scorcher. 

Its so hot, people often walk with umbrellas to protect themselves from the heat of the sun as opposed to using umbrellas in the rain. Yesterday, we compared weather conditions for both Phuket and Bali which overall are quite similar. 

Tourists dining under thatched roofs drinking cocktails with umbrellas and pineapple slices.

We don’t remember feeling this hot in Bali although it was hot each day with high humidity similar to Phuket.  Islands typically have high levels of humidity but after a little research we discovered many inland countries/cities have levels of humidity in excess of what may be the case on a tropical island.

Our old fashioned thinking seems to more readily relate to the readings for humidity and actual temperature (than for dew point )which this morning at 9:45 am is a paltry 85F, 29C with the humidity is 92%.  Needless to say it will be another uncomfortable day with a 70% likelihood of thunderstorms.
In Bali, we were situated directly on the ocean with nearly constant breezes to cool the moisture on our skin. Here, living in a residential neighborhood, a kilometer to the beach, we feel nary a breeze except when storms seem to come from nowhere and wild winds waft through the air.
Fruit and fruit drink stands are popular in Phuket.
As much as we find this house to fulfill our needs and certainly having the most amazing customer service from its owner and support staff, in an odd way, we’re both looking forward to returning to Bali. 
Perhaps, we miss the sea or the two Katuks cooking our meals or chatting with Gede or as mentioned over the past several days, the lack of English speaking news channels, avoiding the constant barrage of bad news unless we search for it online. 
We can’t help but look forward to dining at the big square table for eight staring out at the sea as the buffalo walk along the beach on their way to or from the neighboring river.
There are many restaurants located near the beaches.

The only apprehension we’ve had, particularly Tom, has been the prospect of the required three days of four hour round trip drives to Lovina, Bali to renew our visas toward the end of the first of our two-month stay. 

These three separate visits are a requirement of the Indonesian government and there’s no way around it when staying in the country over 30 days. The fact that we’re so far away from the immigration office in Lovina while living in Sumbersari only adds to the difficulty.
Many tourists use money exchange facilities such as this. We’ve found it’s more economical to use ATMs for local currency.
As many of our regular readers are aware we never had ample time to apply for the Indonesian visa extensions while in Singapore or Vietnam last month. We’d considered breaking our own rule and mailing in our passports to VisaHQ or CIBT in the US by overnight mail while they process it for us in Washington, DC at the Indonesian embassy. 
Conceivably, we could have the visa extensions back by overnight mail within seven to ten days.  But, with my recent injury, we decided that in the event of an emergency situation that required us leave the country in a hurry, we couldn’t take the risk. Not that we expect this to happen as I continue to improve a little each day.
Many hostels and “rooms for rent” are seen along the highway. Many young tourists come to Phuket for water activities and stay in lower cost facilities.
So, we were back to “square one,” the three days of driving to Lovina with the required one day  required by the immigration department. This results in starting on a Monday, returning on Wednesday and returning the third time on a Friday to collect the passports and visa extensions.
Yesterday, I had a thought that I ran by Tom. Why don’t we go to Lovina and stay in a hotel both Monday and Tuesday nights, going to the immigration office on both Monday and Wednesday? We’ll have Gede drop us off on Monday and pick us up on Wednesday after the second trip to immigration and then have Gede return to Lovina on Friday on our behalf to pick up our passports and visa extensions.

Last time we had to get the visa extensions, Gede made the third trip without us when we’d authorized him in writing to do this on our behalf.  his avoided us making the third four hour round trip drive. By staying in a hotel, we’ll have only two hours to get to Lovina and another two hours to return to Sumbersari on Wednesday afternoon having completed the second trip to the immigration office.  Tom liked this idea.

Taking photos through the car’s windows and windscreen in tricky with some sort of worn film is covering the glass.

In checking prices on hotels in Lovina, Bali, rated at least four star we can easily stay at a very nice location for an outrageously low price under US $75, IDR 984,225, THB  2,631 per night plus the cost of a few meals and low cost taxi. 

It’s a plan!  We’re relieved to have made this logical decision which ultimately turns what may have been a stressful situation into a fun “holiday” within the framework of our time in Bali.  The extra transportation cost by avoiding the one day’s drive will cover at least one night’s hotel bill.  Hope this all makes sense.
Yesterday, when the sun made an appearance for a few hours, we took off on another drive in the area.  We can’t go too far for two reasons; one, I can’t sit for too long in the low seats in the less-than-stellar rental car, especially on bumpy roads; and two, the less-than-stellar rental car is old and could easily break down. 
Road construction is prevalent in most countries, slowing down the flow of traffic.
The car’s windows have some type of darkening film on the windows that is severely distorted, making driving difficult in busy traffic. Tom, an excellent driver, who never complains about conditions, hesitates to do much driving for all these reasons. I concur. 
And yet, considering these obstacles we were still able to take some photos we happily share here each day while we continue to explore as we can during our remaining 26 days on the island. 

It can’t always be perfect. We don’t expect it to be. We accept the limitations we currently have in our midst while continuing to make the very best of each and every day. We laugh, we smile, we find ways to entertain ourselves and each other. What more could we ask for?  Not a thing. Not a single thing.

Enjoy your weekend!

Photo from one year ago today, August 6, 2015:

Amazing sunrise over Trinity Beach, Australia, where we lived one year ago today. For more photos, please click here.

Creating our own good news…Planning for the future…

A fishing boat tied to tree at the beach.

In yesterday’s post our heads read, “Bad news keeps coming and coming… How do we handle the risks?”

After rethinking this negative heading and after watching more bad news on TV, we turned off the news and started thinking positive thoughts as to how we can reframe our thinking during this difficult period in our country, in our world’s history?

It’s easy to get caught up in all the negative press much of which is often over reported, over dramatized and over exaggerated to enhance viewership. How easily we can become entrapped into this cycle!

The way out? Don’t let it get inside our heads! This is not easy, but it’s doable, just like everything else we choose in our lives. We can find joy within the framework of our lives or we can allow ourselves to let outside influences have a profound effect on our daily lives.

The ocean is extremely shallow in this area.

I suppose in part, I’ve become engrossed in the negative news since our arrival in Phuket two weeks ago when we discovered we had English speaking news the TV which we’ve had on all day while we’ve stayed indoors as I continue to recover. That’s easy to do when one is housebound after an illness, injury or surgery.

Although I remain somewhat housebound, in an attempt to avoid the outrageously bumpy roads we must travel to get to the highway, yesterday we had no choice but to get out when our food supply had dwindled down to a completely empty refrigerator.

Tom could probably grocery shop without me, but it’s important for me to get out and besides getting out is uplifting. I’d brought along the camera hoping to take a few photos, but again it was cloudy and rainy. I never took a single shot.

A fisherman looking for a possible catch.

Once inside the huge market, Tom pushes the trolley as we both become engrossed in the shopping mode ending up having a good time selecting from the array of fresh, organic, non GMO foods, free range eggs, grass fed meats and wild caught fish.

During this outing, I started thinking of the last place we lived where we grocery shopped on a regular basis which was the three months we spent in New Zealand living on the alpaca farm from January 19 to April 15, 2016.

We arrived in Bali on April 30th after a cruise.  One month later I was injured, somewhere around June 1st.  Here we are over two months later, while I’m still focusing on recovering. 

How we ever managed all the tours on the Mekong River cruise baffles me when now I gingerly maneuver through each day desperately avoiding bending, twisting and sitting too long. I continue to feel confident that my limited level of activity is contributing toward my attaining a full recovery in months to come.

Close to the shore, this fisherman may be looking for squid.  Fried calamari is a popular dish in Thailand, especially for tourists. These circles are fishing pools.

In time, light exercise and more walking will be appropriate but for now, easy movement combined with rest seems to be most effective. I suppose all the activity on the river cruise may have been detrimental to my condition when there were days that my Fitbit showed over 10,000 steps. 

For now, I stay under 3000 steps a day frequently getting up and down engaging in light household activities that don’t include any bending or lifting. It would be great to get outside to walk the neighborhood, but the ruts in the road are so many and so deep, even the most surefooted of walkers is taking a risk.  Falling would not be good.

Back to yesterday, when we returned from shopping Tom put all the refrigerator items away while I sat at the dining table cutting veggies for our salad and side dishes. 

Island across the bay where numerous boats stop to enjoy the sandy beach.

We purchased two roasted chickens, deliciously seasoned with cinnamon and lemon grass (a Thai thing), one for each of two nights. Adding a huge salad and two side vegetables, fresh green beans and asparagus, rounds out the meal. 

As I chopped, I was thinking about getting my thoughts outside of this news related state of mind.It was time to turn off the TV and start planning again.  Tom loaded his favorite radio podcast on his computer, Garage Logic (from KSTP 1500, Minneapolis, Minnesota), that often has us howling with laughter.

We were able to tune out the limited discussions of negative news to make a point of listening to the endless chatter that easily elicits rounds of hearty laughter from both of us. 

A short time later, sitting at my computer, (the day’s post was uploaded hours earlier) the research began and the first thing I tackled was booking tickets for the Sydney Opera House for March 19, 2017. It’s a good thing we’d booked tickets now. Based on leftover available dates there wouldn’t have been tickets remaining if we waited any longer.

The water is barely ankle deep at low tide.

The tickets and great seats we chose are for a Sunday at 5:00 pm. The day of the week was irrelevant to us. Us retirees find days of the week for activities less significant as when we were working when Fridays or Saturday nights were preferred for most social events. It doesn’t matter now.

Let’s face it, opera is not Tom’s first choice of entertainment although I’ve always been a  huge fan. However, the idea of spending a few hours at the famous opera house is an experience neither of us wanted to miss during the 40 days we’ll spend in Sydney from March 13 to April 22, 2017, while awaiting the 24-night cruise from Sydney to Seattle.

Its this very cruise on April 22, 2017, in exactly 8 months 17 days, that will take us back toward the US. After an Alaskan cruise ending on May 26, 2017 we” fly to Minnesota where we’ll stay seeing family and friends for six weeks. Later we’ll be heading to Nevada to see more family for another three weeks. Then, we’ll be off “for the world” once again!

Phuket consists of hundreds of smaller islands.  For more information, please click here.

The simple process of booking the tickets for the Sydney Opera House reminded me of how much the future holds, especially seeing family and friends for a total of nine weeks and then, the journey continues on.

We can choose to create positive news in our lives, news that can take us away if only for awhile to live life to the fullest in the best way we can.  

Now, we’re back to researching for the future! May you find ways to incorporate good news into your daily lives!

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

Boats docked at the marina in Port Douglas, Australia. For more photos, please click here.

Bad news keeps coming and coming…How do we handle the risks?

Overall, the neighborhood in which we’re living has newer single family homes.  However, the area contains a number of modest living and working environments such as this we pass on the way to our villa.

It’s hard not to watch the news on TV when we have English speaking news here in Phuket. From terrorism to plane crashes to political hoopla, the negative keeps coming and coming.

One might think it’s easy to isolate ourselves from world affairs while living outside of our home country. But, even without TVs in many countries, we can’t get away from it when we have several news apps on our laptops that keep popping up the latest “horror of the day, week or month.”

One might also think, “shut it off” and live our lives of travel embracing our new surroundings from location to location. However, we weren’t oblivious back “then” (while living in the US) and we aren’t oblivious “now.”

Over the past few years, we’ve lived in close proximity to chickens and crowing roosters. Now, as we prepare today’s post, we can hear roosters crowing, a sound we’ve come to ignore, even while sleeping. The breed of chickens in Thailand is different than we’ve seen in the past.

In other words, one can “run but can’t hide” from the realities facing our world from one corner of the world to another. We won’t get into all the issues here and now. Most of our readers are savvy, not only reading our daily drivel, but also paying close attention to what’s happening in their homeland and throughout the world.  They know. We all know.

Over these past years we’ve raved about Emirates Airlines safety record and yet yesterday they had a frightening crash luckily handled by competent pilots saving the lives of 300 passengers but sadly with the loss of life of one firefighter. Nothing ever stays the same. Do we think twice about traveling on Emirates in the future?

Driving down the dirt road from our villa toward the highway.

Before we lock in any flights we check airline safety records at sites such as this and others.  No matter how often we check and how safe a record may be for any given airline, it only takes one disaster to end the lives of hundreds of passengers.  \There’s no guarantee.

It’s the same with terrorism. No place is exempt from an a devastating occurrence. Sure, many parts of the world aren’t safe at any time. But, those countries, cities, and small towns which may seem safe become just as vulnerable after a single incident. 

Once on the main highway, the roads are good with relatively light traffic during most times of the day.

One cannot predict where that may be although some locations are glaringly obvious at this time, those that we see on the news over and over again as more and more lives are lost. 

Can we avoid visiting those vulnerable locations? We try. Then again, we hear of natural disasters over which no one can predict the devastation often destroying hundreds of lives, families and homes. We have no means of determining where those locations may be.

Many old Thai style buildings line the highway.

Now, living on the island of Phuket, we’re remain aware of the 2004 tsunami, where hundreds of thousands of lives were lost in 14 countries as indicated below from this site:

“The 2004 Indian Ocean earthquake occurred at 00:58:53 UTC on 26 December with the epicentre off the west coast of Sumatra, Indonesia. The shock had a moment magnitude of 9.1–9.3 and a maximum Mercalli intensity of IX (Violent). The undersea megathrust earthquake was caused when the Indian Plate was subducted by the Burma Plate and triggered a series of devastating tsunamis along the coasts of most landmasses bordering the Indian Ocean, killing 230,000 people in 14 countries, and inundating coastal communities with waves up to 30 metres (100 ft) high. It was one of the deadliest natural disasters in recorded history. Indonesia was the hardest-hit country, followed by Sri Lanka, India, and Thailand.”

Its been a full week since we grocery shopped. As soon as we upload today’s post, we’ll be heading back to this Costco-like store for the next week’s groceries. 

At the time on US and world news, we heard more about the loss of life in Phuket, Thailand which remained in our minds all these years, than we did about the other 13 countries. And yet, in four weeks from today, we head back to Indonesia to live directly on the ocean, a matter of meters from the sea to the veranda, a country that also fell prey to loss of thousands of lives. Do we worry?

We ask ourselves the question, “If we lived in a senior community in seemingly safe Arizona or Florida in the USA where many seniors move to escape cold weather, would we be any safer?” 

Buddhism is the primary religion in Thailand. Many shrines such as this are found at local businesses such as this at a gas station.

The answer is clear. No country, no state, no city and no small town or village in the world is safe. For us, the real question becomes, “Do we allow ourselves to be filled with fear and worry while living amid the most exciting and interesting times of our lives?”

Lots of exposed power lines along the highway in Phuket. We’ve been concerned we’d lose power here and have experienced a few surges but, so far so good.

We can allow the “bad news” orientated media to rule the quality of our lives or, we can chose to find fulfillment and joy within the framework of the lives we’ve chosen for ourselves. We opt for the later.

As we look to the future and the countries we plan to visit, we consider many factors.  Like Life itself, there’s no guarantee. We chose to live in the moment and for now, the moment is looking good. 

May all of your moments look good as well.

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

St. Mary’s by the Sea in Port Douglas was originally a Catholic church, is now multi-denominational performing services for a variety religions. For more details, please click here.

More new Phuket photos…Reunification Palace in Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon), Vietnam…

Tuk tuks come in all shapes, sizes and colors in Thailand and are commonly used by tourists and locals as opposed to a more expensive car or van taxis.

Some vacation homes don’t have items we may need for preparing meals. We fully understand this when most tourists stay less than a week seldom preparing meals other than a light breakfast or a sandwich and a bag of chips for lunch.

Colorful water toys with a variety of beach equipment and gear at a shop near the beach.

Today, I wrote to the owner asking if a staff member could deliver a can opener, making it possible for us to make homemade ketchup to use with tonight’s dinner of lettuce wrapped bacon cheeseburgers, salad and veggies. We just received a reply and a can opener will be delivered soon.

We have all the ingredients, but needed the opener for a can of tomato sauce used in making the ketchup. (Store bought brands of ketchup are loaded with sugar and our recipe is not). 

Pillars at entrance to the pier.

If it was affordable to eat out every day it wouldn’t be much fun in this heat and humidity to be getting dressed to head out for dinner each evening. At this point, we shower in the morning, put on our swimsuits which we wear all day through dinner, rinsing them out at night before going to bed. 

Many types of boats are moored in Chalong Bay.

This way, we have almost no laundry other than the sweaty tee shirts, shorts and underwear we’ve worn when heading out. The thought of getting changed into street clothes to go to dinner isn’t particularly appealing right now. 

High speed and luxury boats anchored at the shoreline.

Once a week, using a washer we found in an outdoor closet, we do a small load hanging it indoors to dry on the rack with most items taking a few days to dry in the humidity. The house cleaners replace all the bath towels, hand towels and bedding twice a week, so there’s no need for us to wash anything more than our few personal items.

View of Chalong Bay in Phuket.

Overall, living in this house in Rawai, Phuket is relatively easy. Surely, if I was fully recovered, it would be considerably easier. Not feeling 100% makes the hot and humid weather more noticeable and the simplest of household tasks more challenging. Also it’s had a huge impact on my desire to get out sightseeing. Hopefully, soon, this will change as I continue to recover.

Back view of the popular lighthouse from Chalong Beach in Phuket.

We’re now at a point where we’ve almost completed posting the photos and stories of the tours we attended during the cruise/tour to Cambodia and Vietnam from July 8, 2016, to July 22, 2016. 

The Reunification Palace in Ho Chi Minh City.

Tomorrow, we’ll include some remaining photos not necessarily related to one another, but worthy of sharing with our readers who’d like one final peek at the amazing cruise/tour that included a total of seven nights in three luxury hotels and seven nights aboard the Viking Mekong. (In addition to the three nights we’d booked on our own in Hanoi before the cruise/tour began).

Meeting room in the palace.

Today, we’ve included photos of one of the final tours we attended in Saigon/Ho Chi Minh City (either name is acceptable to use). On July 21st we boarded the bus for the tour of the former Presidential Palace, now known and the Reunification Palace. 

View from upper level of palace toward the congested street.

Had I been looking for sites to visit in Saigon, this venue may not have been on my radar. But once inside the huge building, we were both fascinated. Tom, of course, as a history buff, always seems to enjoy visiting historical buildings where my interest may lie in the opportunity to take photos when possible.

The ambassador’s/dignitary’s room (pre 1975).

The Reunification Palace provided such an opportunity and thus, we couldn’t resist posting this last round of photos from this historic site. From this site, we gleaned the following information where those of you interested can find more details:

Tourists gathered at each of the room’s entryways.

“The iconic Reunification Palace made its name in global history when in 1975 a tank belonging to the North Vietnamese Army crashed through its main gate – thus signifying the end of the Vietnam War.

View through second story decorative stone pillars to the gardens below.

The palace is like a time capsule frozen in 1975 with two of the original tanks used in the capture of the palace parked in the grounds. Originally the site of the Nordom Palace also known as the Governor’s Palace its first role was as a home and workplace for the then French Governor of Cochinchina.

The Reunification Palace is a landmark not to be missed by any tourist visiting Ho Chi Minh City.Surrounded by lush tropical gardens, the palace hides secret rooms, antique furniture and a command bunker within its eerie corridors. The Reunification Palace is still in use to host occasions including APEC summits and national events of significant importance.

Reunification Palace Highlights                

Desks in the lowest level bunker.

The Reunification Palace is a five-story building with the basement housing a warren of tunnels, a war room and telecommunications centre.The war command room still has maps on its walls and period telecommunications equipment on display, whilst adjoining basement rooms feature war propaganda materials.

 Other areas of interest are the third floor featuring a card playing room, a fourth floor which once had a casino and was used for entertaining guests and a rooftop terrace with a heliport.

Old computer systems in bunker.

The Reunification Palace entered the world history books in 1975 when a Vietnamese Air Force pilot (who was also a communist spy) flew an aircraft over the palace with an attempt to bomb it. Although no real damage was caused this was a significant step towards the fall of Saigon and the ending of the Vietnamese War.

Communication equipment in bunker.

On 30th April in 1975 at 10:45 a North Vietnamese Army Tank rammed the main gates and entered the palace grounds before hanging its flag on the balcony to declare victory for the communist party and thus ending the Vietnam War. 

More radio equipment in bunker.

Meanwhile staff escaped from the rooftop minutes before the palace was overrun, known as Operation Frequent Wind this was part of history’s biggest ever helicopter evacuation and included the departure of General Thieu.”

We’ll be back with more tomorrow. Please stop by! Have a great day!

Photo from one year ago today, August 2, 2015:

In Port Douglas, we visited the Four Mile Beach. For more photos, please click here.

New beach photos of Phuket!…Shopping for shoes in Vietnam…Good deals!…

We arrived at the pier and main entrance area to Chalong Beach.  Here’s information about this bay from this site: “Chalong’s muddy East Coast shoreline makes it rather unsuitable for swimming, but it’s an ideal and natural spot for yacht mooring. As well as the Boat Lagoon, Yacht Haven and Royal Phuket Marina, Chalong is a center of intense boating activity. Early mornings and late afternoons are the busiest times at Chalong, when diving and day trip groups are bundled on and off boats. The Ao Chalong Yacht Club, which organizes regular sailing races, makes its base here, and its bar is a favorite spot for sailors to swap yarns and party.  Challenge’s most noticeable feature is its 720-metre long, seven-meter wide jetty, which replaced the rickety old wooden pier in 2001. A parking area and a number of restaurants, shops, tourist information kiosks and open-air waiting areas have been built to serve the many visitors passing through. There’s also a one-stop customs, immigration and harbor master service to assist visiting vessels, as well as a new marine rescue centre.”

It’s been hot in Phuket, much more so than it was in Bali.  In an attempt to avoid using air con, by mid afternoon we begin to fade a little, feeling we need an escape from the heat and humidity for a while.

Tour information and sales building surrounded the area, a popular tourist location. Life jackets are ready on the sidewalk for the next tour group.

With the master bedroom’s ceiling lower than the ceilings in the main living areas, it’s more economical to use the AC in the bedroom. By 3:00 pm each day we’ve been turning on the overhead fan and AC in the bedroom to spend 90 minutes watching mindless drivel on my laptop while we cool off before heading to the kitchen to make dinner.

Tourists dining, shopping and staying undercover while awaiting their boat tours.

Not only does this cool us down before we begin preparing dinner in the hot kitchen (too many mozzies to eat outdoors) but it gives me a chance to get into a prone position for a while to straighten my spine. Sitting and standing for extended periods seems to have a negative effect. 

Entrance area for tourists to access the tour boats.

In Bali, we did the same, even prior to the injury, to take a break from being so hot. Having dinner at 5:00 pm is definitely early, but eating only one meal a day makes dining at the early hour more appealing. While on cruise ships, we tend to dine after 7:00 pm since we’ll have had another meal earlier in the day.

Tourists preparing to load the boats.

Each morning when it’s cooler, we do all the meal prep. Now, instead of leaning over the short countertops, I use the cutting board while seated at the dining room table as Tom brings me everything needed for the meal and then putting everything back into the fridge. Bending over, pulling food out of the refrigerator is impossible at this time.

Under usual circumstances we’d have walked this pier.  I wasn’t ready for such a long walk.

Once I’ve washed the veggies in a large bowl of bottled water, I dry and chop them as needed for the upcoming meal. This may include as many as 10 items when each night we have salad with lettuce, carrots, tomatoes, onions and celery plus a cooked vegetable or two on the side, plus whatever veg may be included in the main course.

Another pier in Chalong Bay.

Having everything prepped keeps the actual cooking time down to about 30 minutes preparing the main course, to tossing the salad with homemade dressing, to cooking the side vegetables. By the time we sit down to eat, we’re both hot and sweaty.

No motorized vehicles are allowed on the pier.

Note:  Bali is located 957 km from the equator at 8 degrees south, while Phuket is 872 km from the equator at 8 degrees north, making it hotter in Phuket than Bali.

Photos from Vietnam continue from this point in today’s post

Tom had worn this pair of tennis shoes since we began our journey over 45 months ago. It took them falling apart to this degree to get him to purchase a new pair. It was less about  being frugal and more about his lack of interest in shopping. Thank goodness, he gave these the heave ho at the shoe store. 

I don’t know if we could live long term in such a hot climate only using AC at night. No doubt, the majority of the world’s population that live in hot climates don’t have access to AC and many are without electricity and running water as we’ve seen in our worldwide travels.

Tom’s new tennis shoes, most likely knockoffs. At that point he had no choice but to make a purchase after checking out three stores in Saigon. I negotiated these down to VDN 300,000, US $13.45.  Surprisingly, the quality seemed good, but if they only last a while, no big deal at this price.

None of our vacation home landlords have prohibited us from using the available units located throughout the houses we rent.  That’s why they’re available, for example, in each room of this lovely house in Phuket. 

The shoe stores appeared to have all knock-offs.  Kong advised us to negotiate.

But, due to a sense of responsibility for our energy consumption, we try to use air con as little as possible in the same manner we frugally use other sources of power and utilities as we travel the world. 

On our last day in Saigon, on a bus tour with the cruise passengers, we stopped at the lacquer factory.  Since we have no home there was no point in making a purchase although many passengers did so.  These are popular items travelers often bring or ship home after visiting Southeast Asia.

Yesterday, after we uploaded the post we decided to head to the beach for photos on the sunny day. Also, the idea of being in the AC in the less-than-stellar rental car was somewhat appealing. 

Although reasonably priced and nice looking I had no interest in buying jewelry.

By 12:30 pm we were out the door returning a few hours later in time for our 3:00 pm bedroom cool down. We enjoyed the drive more than we’d anticipated. Once we were off the bumpy road and on the highway, the drive was tolerable for me although there was a fair amount of traffic for a Sunday afternoon. 

The craftsmanship appeared to be of high quality if one could use such décor in their homes.

Tom stayed cheerful amid the wild traffic with tuk-tuks, motorbikes and cars running amok and helpful as always after we parked the car and walked at the beach taking photos as he carefully hung onto me. After many weeks of lessened activity, he’s assuming I’m not as steady on my feet as I’d been before the injury.

Interesting use of color and design.

Tourists were everywhere at the beach, shopping, eating and spending money at a variety of shops, venues and tours. More than once we were approached by boat ride “sellers” asking if we wanted to go out on a boat.  I doubt we’ll be able to do so while in Phuket as I continue to exercise great caution in everything I do. Bouncing on a boat would hardly be suitable at this point. 

We wondered if these pretty plates were suitable for serving food or merely decorative. One never knows when purchasing products such as this, if lead based paints are used in production. 

In any case, we thoroughly enjoyed the time out and about. In a few days, we’ll head out again to explore other beaches and points of interest in the area as we’ll continue to share new photos during our remaining month in Thailand.

Pretty colors.

Continuing on, as we wind down to the final stories from the Cambodia and Vietnam cruise/tour, we have a few fun shopping photos to share.

Have an pleasant last day in July or first day in August depending on which side of the International Dateline you reside!


Photo from one year ago today, August 1, 2015:

This was the first time since we’d arrived Queensland that we saw this many sunbathers at a beach in Australia. The sun was very strong resulting in the use of rental umbrellas and many beach-goers staying in the shade. For more photos, please click here.

Scenes from a rainy day in Phuket…Story and visit to a location of a romantic movie viewed aboard the Viking Mekong River Cruise…

Kong encouraged kissing in front of the Huynh Thuy Le Ancient House, where the movie, The Lover, was filmed in Sa Dec, Vietnam in 1992. We had no trouble cooperating!

As I continue to improve a little each day after spending more time resting and less time bending and walking, I’m anxious to get out to take photos.  Traveling on the bumpy road from the house in the less-than-stellar rental car is an athletic event in itself, requiring me to hang on for dear life even if my stability weren’t at risk.

There are numerous open air type markets and shops along the highway.  I was having a hard time in the rain taking good photos with the window open.  Thus, the rear view mirror was in the photos.

It has nothing to do with Tom’s driving skills. He’s as careful as he can be driving the old car on the rough roads. Once we reach the main highway the roads improve tremendously although seeing out the scratchy windows is its own challenge. 

We feel badly that we’ve yet to post many local photos hoping that today, after posting, if there’s a little sunshine, we just might give it a try and make an effort to find our way to the beach to take some photos to share.

A church or temple along the highway.

In the interim, we only have a few photos from our last trip, our on a rainy day that hardly meet the standards of what we prefer to post. Surely, our long term readers understand the dilemma and for those of our newer readers, please bear with us…better, is yet to come.

Finally, I’m beginning to feel hopeful that this injury is temporary. Given another month of recovering and I expect to be as good as I was before the occurrence around June 1st in Bali. No words can describe how excited I am to return to my “old self” being able to do the simplest of tasks without Tom’s help. 

Watch out!  There’s a tire in the road!

Oh, don’t get me wrong. He’s been amazing, never once complaining about waiting on me; pouring my coffee, iced tea, setting my computer on my lap atop the stack of pillows I use to keep the screen at eye level and so much more. I’ve appreciated every bit of assistance saying thank you each and every time. 

Not once in these past two months since the injury has he been “overly grumpy” regarding my situation. That’s not to say he doesn’t do a minute or two of “overly grumpy” for some other often peculiar reason, having absolutely nothing to do with me. 

Yikes! The less-than-stellar rental car’s windshield wipes don’t work well.

I must admit I haven’t been my usual “overly bubbly” self during these months of pain and discomfort.  Despite my optimism, it did kick in when Tom was having angst when he was unable to find a gas station while worrying about running out of gas. 

Ms O.B., kicked in with cheerful encouragement and optimism while he fussed while driving in the rain, terrified of running out of gas and barely able to see out the windows of the less-than-stellar rental car. Some things never change. For him, grumpiness seems to revolve around driving, traffic and transportation.

Lots of tuk-tuks and motorbikes were on the highway in the rain.
Hopefully, tomorrow, we’ll be back with new photos of Rawai Beach in Phuket. We’re hoping to head out shortly now that we have a sunny day.
Kong suggested we’d find a “happy room” (restroom) down this passageway between the house and the building next door.

In the interim, as we wind down the final few photos from the Vietnam and Cambodia cruise/tour, we’re particularly excited to share today’s story about a movie we watched during the cruise.

Interesting design in the 121 year old Huynh Thuy Le Ancient House house in Sa Dec. See here for more details.

There was a meeting/video room on the lowest level in the Viking Mekong  where the cruise staff held meetings, cocktail parties on rainy days, evenings and conducted a variety of lectures and seminars, most of which we attended.

Each room contained original furnishings.

The seating was relatively comfortable with rows of similarly heavily padded sofas and chairs grouped together. I was able to sit for extended periods amid a bit of squirming and repositioning once I maneuvered down the steep stairway.

We were offered hot tea and a rest while inside the house.

With no elevators on the boat we had a series of three stairways, some steeper than others, to navigate during the cruise which never kept us from attending any activities on other levels, such as the two levels up to the sundeck where the nightly cocktail party was held. Our cabin was located on the same level as the dining hall and disembarking ramp which proved helpful with my injury.

View of the street and the river from inside the house.

We’d read some online reviews for this cruise/tour where a few passengers complained about the stairs aboard the ship. During the cruise, we came to the conclusion that this cruise/tour may not be ideal for those with mobility issues which was my case due to the injury. 

Ornate ceiling and lighting fixture design.

We had no other place to be during this period and had no choice but to continue on. Had we a permanent residence we may have decided to forego the cruise and stayed “home” to recuperate, perhaps losing the entire cruise fare. But, that’s wasn’t us. The small ship and three hotels were our “home” during that 17 day period.

Over a period of several days, Kong mentioned a movie he suggested we watch that was to be held after dinner on July 18th at 8:45 pm the following day we’d be visiting the location in Sea Dec, Vietnam where the movie had been filmed and was the basis of the story. 

Elaborate Buddhist shrine in the house.

This concept, particularly appealed to us when we usually make an attempt to watch a movie made in a country in which we’re living at a particular time such as when we watched (as an example) such films as “Casablanca” while living in Morocco in 2014 and “The Descendants” while living in Kauai, Hawaii in 2015.  (Please click links as included here).

Watching a highly acclaimed Academy Award nominated movie made in Vietnam was especially appealing when we’d be able to experience the actual location where the movie was made in Sa Dec, Vietnam the following day. Watching the movie which was inspired by a true story at the location of the house, made the tour all the more exciting. 

Bedroom in the house with some updating. The house is used as a B &B for certain events explaining the flat screen TV.

Kong had warned the passengers that the movie, The Lover, was “racy” with explicit sex scenes. None of that phased us a bit. We’ve always enjoyed a well done sexy movie and this would be no exception.

By 8:45 pm, we made our way down the steps to the meeting room on the lowest level of the ship. After yet another big meal, I wondered if we’d be able to stay awake for the two hour movie but as it turned out, neither of us dozed for a moment during the movie. 

Artistic design on dining table.

However, the “packed house” dwindled down throughout the movie to a total of eight of us by the end. As passengers exited as the scenes became racier, we heard some grumbling over the movie being “too explicit,” “too racy for public viewing” as many couples got up to leave during the viewing. We looked at each other giggling as the room almost completed cleared out.  This made for interesting conversation the next day.

Table décor in main living room, most likely a modern day addition.

The movie, beautifully filmed in 1992, included excellent acting by its equally beautiful and exceptional Asian actors, cinematography (for which it won awards), an appealing musical score and an interesting story line. Yes, it was racy which may have been daring for Vietnam at the time but the sexy scenes were done tastefully.

The next day, we embarked on an action packed tour as we’ve described in past posts with photos, a portion of the tour to Sa Dec included the tour of the historical aristocratic home for which the story, The Lover, was inspired.

A popular tourist attraction, Huynh Thuy Le Ancient House  is easily visible from the main road in Sa Dec.

Visiting the historic aristocratic house left us feeling happy we’d watched the movie in it entirety the previous evening. Enjoy today’s photos from that visit.  We’ll be back with more tomorrow!

Have a restful and pleasant weekend!

Photo from one year ago today, July 30, 2015:

Many of the restaurants in Port Douglas, Australia (Queensland) are huge and elaborate attracting the most finicky of diners and tourists. For more details, please click here.