Day #161 in lockdown in Mumbai, India hotel…Mad about this…Are you, too?

Day #161 in lockdown in Mumbai, India hotel…Mad about this…Are you, too?

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We’re still working on a few issues on our new site. Mainly, we’ve been getting many email messages from readers who fortunately had access to our email addresses. They can’t load our link. To them, it appears we are down. Obviously, for those of you seeing our new posts each day, this is not an issue. However, many readers need to empty their “cache” to bring up our same web address: www.worldwidewaftage.com.

Today’s photos are from this date in 2014, as we boarded yet another cruise. Please see this link here for more.

We spotted several popular attractions on our way through London to the Harwich pier, including this church.

This transpired because we changed our hosting company from Blogger to Hostinger, although our web address didn’t change. Those readers’ computers or devices are “remembering” the old link pointing to the former hosting company. I hope somehow those readers who don’t have access to our email can figure out that we haven’t stopped posting and are still here, hoping to be so for more years to come.

Otherwise, all is moving along well. As mentioned earlier, I am going back through each of our 3,000 posts and correcting errors. I started making corrections beginning on the post on March 15, 2012. But, as of today, I am only up to October 12, 2012, with lots more to go. It takes at least an hour to edit 20 posts. I will be at this for months to come.

Buckingham Palace.

Between walking, posting, editing, and handling other general business stuff, my days are full until finally in the late afternoon. We can take a break to start streaming a few shows and escape from our confinement reality.

There’s a harsh reality that’s been on my mind, especially after reading the text in the “year-ago post” mentioned below in this post.

Big Ben was to the right in this shot, but I could not get the photo in traffic.

It wasn’t that I’d suddenly and miraculously started feeling better after enough time had passed since I’d had open-heart surgery in February 2019, which at that point had only been 6½ months earlier. It was because I was finally off three heart medications with side effects that were stripping me of any possibility of a quality of life.

At the rate I was going at that point, we’d surely have had to return to the US, for me to sign up for Medicare to become the proverbial patient, frequently visiting the doctor with a plethora of chronic symptoms and given more medication to treat those symptoms, rather than look at how these three drugs were impacting my life.

Ferris Wheel in London is referred to as the “Eye.”

It wasn’t easy to stop taking these drugs, and I didn’t do so lightly. I spent hundreds of hours in research, determining the potential risks if I stopped them. After following strict guidelines on how to wean off of these three drugs, finally, on this date one year ago, I was free.

The change in my pain levels and lack of mobility dramatically impacted my state of mind and hopefulness. After I stopped the drugs, I no longer needed to be lying down most of the day, no longer felt listless and sleepy, and could bound about the house with the similar zing in my step before I had the dreadful surgery.

A quick shot was taken from the taxi of the Tower of London.

Although my legs tire easily while walking due to persistent vascular disease, I continue to work past it, hoping someday this will improve. Otherwise, in the interim, other than a typical ache or pain here and there, not uncommon at my age, I feel good. No doubt, certain positions precipitate a pain in my chest where my sternum was wired back together, such as when getting in or out of bed. I expect this discomfort to last indefinitely.

However, I’m mad. Sure, I may have been given extra years of life having had triple cardiac bypass surgery with three arteries 100% blocked (heredity), and for that, I am grateful. But, I didn’t feel bad before the surgery, other than a pain in my jaw which ultimately proved to be the warning sign of cardiovascular disease. Women, pay attention. This is a common symptom for women, whereby men may be more inclined to have arm or chest pain.

Not sure as to the name of this memorial as we zoomed past.

In any case, why am I mad? Simple answer, folks, which many of you will relate to….time is passing while in lockdown, chipping away at any possible time I have left on this earth. I am 72 years old, and now, I have spent five months in lockdown in this hotel in Mumbai, India. We could be looking at five, six, or seven more months trapped here.

Will we end up wasting an entire year of our lives, at this later point lost, sitting in a hotel room, when we could be out seeing more of the world, more than we have in the past many years of world travel? What a waste of precious time! I believe this bothers me more now than it would have if I’d been 20, 30, 40 years old. But at 72, one could easily be wasting 10% or more of their time left on this earth.

A memorial near Buckingham Palace. With WiFi restrictions, we’re unable to look up the names of these monuments.

This is not intended to diminish the sorrow for those and their family members directly impacted by the horrors of COVID-19. My heart breaks for all of these people, as well as those who’ve lost their jobs, financial security, and countless families with children unable to attend school who are missing a vital aspect of their growth and development.

On top of that, the sad scenarios worldwide of wars, looting, rioting, shootings and unjust, befallen upon citizens and peacekeepers from every faction of life. It’s heartbreaking. There’s war transpiring in India right now at the India/’Chinese border. We live in trying times.

At last, our ship, Royal Caribbean’s Brilliance of the Seas.

But, everything is relative. And a family stuck indoors without being able to go out to dinner, a movie, bowling, or sporting events, requiring their young children to wear masks and stay away from other people, has its own set of woes and frustrations. This can’t be good for their young emotional state, let alone that of their parents.

All we can do at this point is “our part” to avoid infecting others by social distancing, wearing masks, and making every attempt to stay safe and healthy until this scourge in human history eventually wafts away.

We always appreciate having a sofa in the cabin as opposed to lying on the bed when relaxing.

I pray for all of us, our safety, personal freedoms, and our dedication to hope for the future. Be well

Photo from one year ago today, August 31, 2019:

Colorful buildings create a pretty scene on the narrow roads in small towns in Cornwall. For more photos, please click here.
Day #160 in lockdown in Mumbai, India hotel…The frightening reality…

Day #160 in lockdown in Mumbai, India hotel…The frightening reality…

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Today’s photos are from this date in 2014 while wrapping up our final day in South Kensington, London, England. You’ll find our total expenses for the 15-nights in a hotel below:

Here are our expenses for the 15 nights in London:

Hotel:              US $3,312.26, 1,995.40 pounds
Transportation:          455.29,    274.28
Tours:                        451.81     272.18
Groceries:                 240.34     144.79
Restaurants:              850.46    512.34

Grand Total:     US $5,310.16, 3,198.99 pounds
Daily Rate:         US $354.01, 213.27 pounds

Yesterday, we walked down this road toward Bobo’s Bubbles to do our final two loads of laundry.

Each hour, while walking, I listen to podcasts on my phone. At this point in time, I am not interested in much other than those podcasts that are educational and informational, often a variety of videos from immunologists from all over the world. I do so in an attempt to determine which countries we may possibly visit when we’re able to leave India.

Of course, leaving India is entirely predicated on how India is doing with COVID-19, their infection and death rates which at this point are increasing like a raging fire. Yesterday, by happenstance, I stumbled across this India generated video with a immunologist from Harvard, born in India and interviewed by an Indian news/podcaster.

Occasionally, we spotted a brick building mixed among the white buildings.

This video, found here at this link, This is not a conspiracy theory-type podcasts but a well researched and highly informative report on the statistics for COVID-19 for India and the projections by this highly qualified medical professional. The prospects for us leaving are not looking good.

In essence he’s stating that the reported cases in India, with a population of 1.3 billion, is only reporting 15% of the actual cases when many get the virus, don’t test, and subsequently don’t report their case. In reality, based on statistics gleaned from countries and researchers throughout the world, this could mean there are currently 200,000,000 to 500,000,000 cases in India.

This was the shortest (height) car either of us has ever seen. I can only imagine that getting out of it would require rolling out the door onto the street and then standing up.

This threw me for a loop. I can see why our hotel doesn’t want us to go outside. There is a very high percentage of contagion in Delhi and Mumbai, the two largest metropolises in the country. Opening the airports for international flights is highly unlikely anytime in the near future.

One might think, “Why would they be so cautious for flights leaving India?” The answer is logical. The international airlines are not about to send empty planes to India. To warrant the resumption of international flights it must be a two-way process. India is not about to allow international travelers into the country. It certainly makes sense when worldwide, so much of the virus has been brought into countries via flights from highly infected countries.

South Kensington consists of one pretty street after another with parking always at a premium.

Citizens of the US, regardless of where they’ve been, are on “no fly” lists all over the world and will continue to be so for an indefinite period. The prospect of us leaving India anytime soon is grim.

We accept the fact that if at any point, we cannot stand being here another week or month, most likely we can find a way to get on one of the repatriation flights for US citizens to return from India back to the US. Finding an affordable holiday home in a nice area in the US at this time is impractical and costly, far more than we’re paying here. Also, we’d need a rental car which is outrageously priced in the US for extended periods.

In London, there are no large trash bins for residents in which to place their garbage.  Instead, they place the bags on the sidewalk or street where they’re picked up a few times a week from what we’ve seen.

The alternative would be to find a hotel comparable to this hotel in the US which most likely will be more costly than here. Plus, the travel required to get to a location we’d prefer could result in numerous flights at numerous airports with added risk of contracting the virus. We’d simply be trading one confined location for another. The US is still in the #1 position of most cases of the virus in the world. We don’t want to go to the US due to my high risk status.

At least, here and now, we are as safe as we can possibly be. There hasn’t been a single case of the virus in this hotel. We don’t go out to grocery stores, pharmacies and other shopping. We can get most of what we need from Amazon India which items are sprayed with disinfectant when they arrive and are delivered to our room. We wait a few days to open any package.

Wildwood had a comfortable ambiance, but the food and service was mediocre. See the post here for food photos and prices.

Breakfast is included in our room rate and our dinners are never more than US $20, INR 1463, per night. There is nowhere in the world we’d be able to eat for this low cost. Besides, during these lockdown conditions throughout the world, we can’t justify paying more than what we’re paying now.

Complaining? No. Observing. Reality. Safe. Healthy. We’d OK

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Photo from one year ago today, August 30, 2019:

Look at the numbers of sailboats moored in this bay! For more photos, please click here.
Day #158 in lockdown in Mumbai, India Hotel…Cleaning up old posts…

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

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

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

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

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

This is referred to as a Football Fish.

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

More fish from rivers, lakes, and streams.

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

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

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

“Jaws!”

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

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

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

More marine life.

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Have a healthy and peaceful day!

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

While on a walk in the quaint town of Falmouth, Cornwall, England, we encountered these vegetables for sale in a front garden. We selected a zucchini and a small pumpkin. We left the money in a jar sitting on the table. For more photos, please click here.
Day #157 in lockdown in Mumbai, India hotel…A lovely meeting in London in 2014…Terror in our favorite place in the world…

Day #157 in lockdown in Mumbai, India hotel…A lovely meeting in London in 2014…Terror in our favorite place in the world…

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Today’s photos are from August 27, 2014, while in South Kensington, London from this link.

My lunch salad in the hotel dining room on a very small plate was US $10.77, 6.50 pounds.

Hello, again! Wow! I’m learning more and more each day about using WordPress and I’m liking it. No doubt, I could spend months learning every aspect of it. But, for what we do each day, it’s proving to be a relatively easy and enjoyable process with less system-generated errors than we previously experienced with Blogger.

I’m noticing most of our old posts, moved over from Blogger, are seriously impacted by inadequate paragraph spacing. I am contemplating going back over each of our almost 3,000 posts and correcting them, one by one. If I do 10 a day, I could finish in less than a year.

Liz’s vegetarian lunch in the hotel dining room.

No offense intended to Blogger. Good grief, they served our needs for over eight years since our first post on Match 15, 2012. (See the link here). Overall, it handled the massive size of our site without an annual hosting fee, whereas we now have to pay for hosting. With confidence and optimism, we signed up with Hostinger, a web hosting company for 48 months, hoping good health and mobility will keep us on the move and able to continue posting.

We continue with our plan of posting photos from years past and right now we are working our way through the 16 nights we spent in South Kensington, London in August 2014, thoroughly embracing English culture, art, and dining. The old notion that English food wasn’t palatable has changed dramatically over the decades.

How thoughtful of Liz for this useful set of organic products to prevent and treat insect bites, always my nemesis.

We found English food to be delicious, interesting, and often gourmet with a wide array of international flavors. We particularly enjoyed the popular local “Sunday roast” which generally consisted of meat, beef, pork, or lamb, falling off the bone with au jus, along with a plethora of various roasted vegetables. I skipped the potatoes and other starchy root vegetables and savored every Sunday’s treat, as did Tom.Liz’s husband Dave sent this bottle of beer for Tom.  Tonight, we’ll chill it on ice and he’ll drink a toast to Liz and Dave for their thoughtfulness.

It was a year ago we spent over two months in England and we never hesitated to partake of Sunday roast at local pubs and restaurants. A few times, we prepared our own Sunday roast, using selected pot roast cuts of beef, a meal we’ve always enjoyed with carrots, onions, whole portobello mushrooms with big chunks of fresh garlic and spices. What a treat!

My mouth is watering as I write this. We haven’t had a morsel of beef since we arrived in India seven months ago, five of which we’ve spent in lockdown, dining on the exact same meals over and over again. Not only do we miss an occasional glass of red wine or a cocktail, but also such simple meals as a bun-less burger, topped with crispy bacon, sliced tomato, and onion, lettuce with homemade sugar-free ketchup. We haven’t had a salad in months.

Tom’s Calzone at Bella Italia in the neighborhood.

And this reminds me to get on with the story about today’s photos when six years ago, we met a devoted reader and new friend Liz, who took a two-hour train ride from Bristol to South Kensington to meet with us at our hotel. Again, here’s the link to that post with today’s photos.

Not only was it utterly delightful to meet Liz on that date and share both lunch and dinner with her, later walking her to the train station in the dark, but the continuation of that friendship over the years since that time. Last year, in October, while staying in Wales for 11 days we had an opportunity to see Liz once again, this time with her husband Dave when we all dined at a fabulous restaurant along the river. More on that in October.

My dinner at Bella Italia of two small chicken breasts in a pot of red sauce with a side of grilled vegetables.

Please excuse today’s main photo for being blurred. Guess who took the photo? Speaking of photos, I’m chomping at the bit to be able to take and share new photos. Who knows how long it will be before its possible? It could be many months from now.

As for the above mention of “terror in our favorite place in the world,” we’re referring to yesterday’s fire in Marloth Park that totally destroyed three bush houses and damaged a fourth, supposedly from the cigarette of an installer of a thatched roof. High winds caused the fire to rage so quickly, nothing could be done quickly enough to save the bush houses. Due to the dry terrain during this time of year, there’s always a high risk of fires. We were always mindful when cooking outdoors to ensure safety. A fire could destroy the entire conservatory with horrific consequences.

Liz’s dinner of vegetarian cannelloni and a side salad.

Not much happening today. After a good night’s sleep last night, today I feel refreshed and more energized than I’ve felt in many days. Hopefulness prevails.

Be well.

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Photo from one year ago today, August 27, 2019:
                                     Sunrise over the bay in Falmouth, Cornwall, England. For more, please click here.

IMG_0904

Day # 151 in lockdown in Mumbai, India hotel…Never knew how hard this would be…Photos from St. Petersburg…

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Photo of a canal at the Peterhof Fountain Park and Garden in St. Petersburg, Russia. For more photos, please click here.

Unsure if this post will get online today or in the days to come, I’m spending less time posting photos, captions and text. I’m at a loss as to when our site will become “live” again, enabling our readers to continue to read new and old posts.

Real gold leaf was used in these buildings.
Based on the huge size of our site, getting it uploaded is proving to be a long and complicated process. Each day, the web developers ask me to be patient while trying to get the site back up, and I remain frustrated regardless of these reassurances. Had I known this would transpire, I don’t believe I would have been willing to make such a substantial change.
We toured many exquisite buildings such as this.

It’s been incredibly challenging because I am also dealing with the loss of my dear sister only days ago. Of course, continuing to be stuck in this hotel room isn’t making it any easier. Listen to me whinging (whining, complaining)!

One of the many beautiful gardens.

Little did I know how dependent I’ve become over the years of the comfortable routine of preparing a new post each morning for the past many years. My routine has been thoroughly out-of-kilter recently, so I decided I’d schedule a new post today, even if it may not be online anytime soon.

An elaborate fountain in a man-made pond.

Many readers/friends often ask how I manage to “make myself” prepare a new post 365 days a year. Oddly, it never felt as if it was a task or obligation. However, I’ve always made it a priority when we had plans for any particular morning.

More fountains with extensive detail.

We’d often planned to return from sightseeing or other outings in time to prepare a new post since I’ve never felt like doing it in an evening. Once 5:00 pm comes, I prefer to be off my computer and out of my head.
One of many towers in the park.

A nice dinner, great conversation, in regular times a glass of wine with a pleasant evening on a veranda overlooking our scene-of-the-moment has always been a priority, not only since we’ve been traveling but also in our old lives.

It was a beautiful sunny day, and the facility was packed with tourists.

Now, in this particularly odd situation, stuck in a hotel room for five months, we still partake in good conversation but are seriously lacking in the scenery, the wine, and the veranda.

Instead, we hide away, engrossed in a few good TV series on one of several streaming services we are using at this time. Right now, at night, we’re streaming Lucifer (just ok) and the engaging, The Man in the High Tower, free on Amazon Prime.

Another stunning fountain.
In the late afternoon, we watch mindless drivel, nothing of great importance. We watch the light, silly show, Schitt’s Creek, which is always good for a chuckle or two during dinner.

After posting each day, my recent viewing obsession for about an hour, I watch The 100 on Netflix. Tom doesn’t care for dystopian; sci-fi type shows, so I am on my own on this. I know I’ve mentioned this in the past, but if you like sci-fi (or not), this show is the best TV series of this type I’ve seen in years. I watch it with my laptop on my lap, using my earbuds to disturb Tom.

A couple dressed for the era, charging fees for photos.

Hopefully, our new site will be up and running soon. Today’s photos are from the Peterhof Fountain Park and Garden in St. Petersburg, Russia, one year ago.
Have a peaceful day!

Photo from one year ago today, August 21, 2019:

Beautiful house on the waterfront in Helsinki. For more photos, please click here. 
DSC02785

Day #147 in lockdown Mumbai, India hotel…Travel on the Eurostar from Paris to London…First live post tomorrow…

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The Eurostar train came into the station, which will travel under the English Channel to take us from Paris to London in 2014. Tom, my railroad guy, explained that the train is operated from either end, never having to turn around for the return trips. For more photos and the story, please click here.

Urgent note for today: My dear sister Susan passed away yesterday, and I have decided not to post on the new site today. I had little sleep for two nights, and my brain isn’t working at total capacity to learn an entirely new system today. Hopefully, tomorrow you’ll see our new site with a new post. Thank you!
Today’s photos are from the post from August 17, 2014, while in Paris, France. See the link here for more photos.

While we waited for the train.

Today, we’re sharing photos from our trip from Paris to London via the exciting Eurostar train, which travels under the English Channel. In years past, it was often referred to as the “Chunnel” but less so now as more and more travelers have used this good, efficient service, respecting its proper name.

It was an exciting mode of transportation for us first-timers when considering the engineering feat required to take six years to complete. It only takes 35 minutes for the train to travel through the under-the-ocean tunnel. 

The station while we were still in Paris.

The entire train ride, including considerable above-ground travel on an outdoor track, requires 2 hours 36 minutes plus waiting time at the station and disembarkation at the destination point. In total, it was about a four-hour undertaking.

Tom was finally smiling again when I told him we wouldn’t have to “walk” the bags down steep steps.

For 25 exciting facts about Eurostar, please click here for comprehensive information that may particularly appeal to train buffs and those considering experiencing not only this fast means of travel between these two countries but also in its novelty factor as a sightseeing adventure in itself.

We were taken from our seats which were more comprehensive than airplane seats. I had pictured a four-seat configuration with a table in front of us, which was not the case with our seats.

Once we arrived in London, we took a taxi, one of those traditional “black cabs” as follows: “As well as setting the tone for the general proportions of all black cabs since, the Austin FX3 is also the reason why all London taxis tend to be black. … In 1958, the FX3 design evolved into the FX4, which still serves as the basis for the modern TX4 models.

The scenery along the tracks was mostly limited to industrial areas, although we passed a few areas of the French countryside.

We found taxi fare to be often more than the cost of dining out at most restaurants we visited while in London, as also the case in Paris. So once again, we walked everywhere. 

A church steeple at a distance through the glare of the glass window.

Fortunately, by staying in the lovely area of South Kensington, it was an ideal location for walking with shops, restaurants, and museums less than 20 minutes from our excellent hotel, the historic Regency Hotel.

Cows. Not wildlife but, we enjoy seeing animals wherever we may be.

With expensive laundry service in both cities, we found laundromats within walking distance and waited while our clothes washed and dried. We waited until we had accumulated enough dirty laundry to warrant the walk with a rolling bag to the distance laundromats in both cities.

Within seconds of entering the tunnel, I took this shot of blackness, resulting in only the reflections of the seats in the glass.

If we were to have our laundry done by the hotel in Mumbai, our monthly laundry bill would easily top US $300, INR 22456. As mentioned, we hand wash our clothing every few days and only have jeans washed and dry by the hotel. Instead of wearing jeans, I’ve been wearing yoga pants each day which are easy to wash in the shower and hang to dry.

Within seconds of departing the tunnel. We were now in the UK.

As for comparing sightseeing between London and Paris, we both found Paris to be more exciting with better photo ops. Although we had many wonderful experiences in London, most of which we accomplished on foot.

We arrived in London at the St. Pancras station.

Would we return to either city? Probably not. We saw exactly what we wanted to see, and with it still fresh in our minds, it’s unlikely we’ll return for anything other than a short layover that may be required.

After exiting the train station, we had to walk a distance to the next street and around the corner to flag a taxi. No taxis were allowed to stop at the main entrance.

Hopefully, tomorrow, all will go well when our new site goes “live.” If we run into any problems, please check here for any issues that might impede the process.

There are lots of double-decker buses in London.

Have a good day!

Photo from one year ago today, August 17, 2019:

View over Tallinn, Estonia, as a port of call from the Baltic cruise, from a scenic overlook. For more, please click here.
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Day #146 in lockdown Mumbai, India hotel…One day and counting to new site going “live”…Final expenses for Paris at end of post…..

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Of course, we had to end with a repeat photo of the Eiffel Tower. It seems to have a personality of its own, offering varying views based on weather, crowds, and time of day.

Note: To all of our readers visiting our site via a smartphone, please click the “View web version” tab under the word “Home” at the bottom of the page to access the web version enabling you to access all of our archives on the right side of the page. We’ll be updating our site shortly, making these extra steps unnecessary. Thank you. 

Today’s photos are from the post from August 16, 2014, while in Paris, France. See the link here for more photos.
Wow! The architecture was breathtaking.

Today’s post was prepared in record time after a fitful night’s sleep totaling no more than three hours combined. There’s no doubt in my mind that failure to have a good night’s sleep impeded my memory and ability to function mentally.

Hand-made pasta in the window of a local restaurant/deli.

Subsequently, I accidentally prepared tomorrow’s post instead of today’s, which I’m grateful to have done and can copy and post on our new site tomorrow morning (I hope without issues).

But, this fact left me facing preparing another post for today. Sure, I could have posted a notice stating “no post today.” But, in my desire for consistency and diligence, I didn’t want to do that.

There’s a pharmacy every few blocks.

What kept me awake most of the night was a sorrowful reality that my dear sister Susan’s life may be coming to an end in the next few days. I was back and forth on the phone during the night with my sister Julie and now, as we speak, she and our niece Kely, Susan’s daughter, along with Susan’s dear ex-husband Tom, are at her side.

I am so grateful she is not alone and has beloved family members at her side. She’s currently in a coma and highly sedated. The end is near. I’ve called several times to have the phone put up to her ear to tell her I love her and that although I can’t be with her, my love and my heart are right beside her.

We were able to flag down a taxi as we stood at this corner after dining at La Fontaine de Mars on Tuesday.

Sleep was elusive between the phone calls and texts, interspersed with crazy dreams, and this morning from 4:00 am on, I lay quietly in bed, preferring not to get up and awaken Tom. He hasn’t been sleeping well, and I didn’t want to awaken him.

With almost 13,000 restaurants listed on Trip Advisor in Paris, it’s tricky deciding on where to dine.

By 8:00 am, he awoke, and I got up, showered, dressed, and commenced on my first walk of the day. Sure, it would have been easy to forgo a day of walking, but one full day of laying around or sitting in a chair, hardly moving about, was certainly more harmful than continuing to maintain my walking schedule.

At this point, as I prepare the second post of the day when it’s already close to 1:00 pm, and I soon have to head out to work on the second half of the day’s walking goal.

Most of these perfect-looking fruit has been imported to Paris, as is the case in many other cities worldwide.

Lately, I’ve been hiding away after uploading the post, watching the Netflix TV series, “The 100.” If ever there’s been a day I’d like to hide away in a compelling series, this is it. 

Beautiful fruit for sale along the boulevard. 

With my error in preparing tomorrow’s post, if tonight proves to be another sleepless night, tomorrow I will be equipped with a completed post to upload to our new WordPress site. I can only hope it goes well.

Please, if you don’t see the new post, bear with me, as I’ll continue to work on it to get it uploaded by the end of the day, if at all possible. Fortunately, our web developer will be available if I have questions along the way.

In the city of Paris, we never saw a single freestanding home. All the housing consists of apartment buildings such as this. We’ve found living in apartments such as these unappealing to us. We’re glad we stayed in Paris for this shorter period than our usual two to three months.  Apartments such as these are costly

So that’s it for today, folks, along with the final expenses for our 15-nights in Paris, is somewhat of a lackluster format. I had no energy to make it look better. But, surely, you get the drift here as shown below in the Euro exchange rate back in 2014:

         Hotel:                 US $3352, EU 2511 
         Train & Taxi fare: US $211,   EU  158 
         Tours:                 US $644,   EU  483 
         Dining & Snacks:  US $1438, EU 1077
         Airfare & Bags:     US $959,   EU  719 
         Total:                   US 6604,  EU 4948
         Average Daily:      US $413,  EU  310

Carved door to a city business center. 

Have a good day. Stay safe.

Photo from one year ago today, August 16, 2019:
There was no post one year ago today due to sightseeing in St. Petersburg. We’ll be back with more year-ago photos soon.

Day #145 in lockdown Mumbai, India hotel…Two days and counting until our new site is “live.”…Winding down photos and time spent in Paris.

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When we finally had a relatively straightforward night, we got this shot from the balcony in our hotel room in Paris in 2014.

Note: To all of our readers visiting our site via a smartphone, please click the “View web version” tab under the word “Home” at the bottom of the page to access the web version enabling you to access all of our archives on the right side of the page. We’ll be updating our site shortly, making these extra steps unnecessary. Thank you. 

Today’s photos are from the post from August 15, 2014, while in Paris, France. See the link here for more photos.
Many historical buildings line the boulevards.

It was wonderful sharing our photos of Paris during our 16 days in the City of Light. Tomorrow, we’ll wrap up the last of those photos and share our total expenses, as we then move on to the next 16 days spent in London, after traveling on the Eurostar from Paris.

As we walked down a side street.

On Monday morning, our new website using WordPress instead of Blogger will go live before noon. It will be an entirely new learning curve for me after spending over eight years using Blogger.

As the proverbial food voyeur, I’ve always reveled in looking at pastries, especially in Paris.

After going through the instructions from our web developer, it appears to be more complicated than using Blogger. However, while continuing in the lockdown, this seems to be the best time for me to learn to use it with few distractions other than my hourly walks.

Good thing I can’t eat any of this. We’d have spent a fortune, and I’d have gained so much weight I wouldn’t fit into my clothing. As it turned out, we each lost a few pounds while in Paris.

No doubt, I am a little apprehensive about getting the first post uploaded. As a result, Monday’s post may be uploaded later than usual and may not include many photos while I spend most of my time on a learning curve. Surely, from there, I’ll learn more and more each day.

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We’ve often tried to stay close to the water in our travels, such as the River Seine, which is within walking distance from our hotel. In London, we’ll be within walking distance of the Thames River.

If, for any reason, I am unable to get the first post uploaded on Monday, please check back later in the day or on Tuesday while I continue to work on accomplishing it.

Renovations on an archway over the River Seine.

We’re just about ready to wrap up the photos from our time in Paris in 2014, which, coincidentally, will be completed tomorrow (Sunday for us), leaving Monday’s post content up in the air for the new site.

A street view of the restaurant we visited on Tuesday night that we’d yet to post.

We’ll make sure we don’t miss posting any crucial photos from our trip to Eurostar (aka, the Chunnel) from Paris to  London in 2014. It was quite a fantastic experience. We’re anxious to share once again, especially for our new readers who may not have seen it the first time around.

We loved this scene as the sky became blue.

Otherwise, all is quiet here. With the monsoon season occurring now, it rains almost every day, sometimes torrential, with accompanying thunder and lightning. We see endless news stories about floods throughout India and nearby Mumbai.

A bee was inside this flower, working on the nectar in the pistil.

Part of the ceiling at the end of a corridor that I walk daily is crumbling, and the carpeting is wet. The hotel’s maintenance staff is repairing this issue using powerful fans to dry the carpet, flooring, and ceiling above. Based on the almost constant rain, it’s hard to imagine they can repair the source of the water leaking into the building from an outdoor overhang. 

This was the window in a tailor shop we spotted on one of our long days of walking.

Right now, the entire country of India and the city of Mumbai are wrapped up in managing COVID-19 which is raging like wildfire. Yesterday showed the highest number of new cases in one day in India at 65,609, more than anywhere in the world. 

These “hop-on, hop-off”  tourist buses are a good way for those who prefer not to walk to see many of the city’s sights. We’d intended to do a three-day pass, but with the rain on and off almost every day, we never booked it, fearful we’d pay and then be stuck inside the bus.

Yesterday, there were 990 new deaths, the third-highest in the world after the US and Brazil. Since the onset of the virus, the total number of deaths in India is 49,134, in the fourth-highest position in the world after the US, Brazil, and Mexico.

Dogs are allowed in restaurants in Paris.  This well-behaved guy was next to us one evening during dinner.

India is locked down as tight as possible, but many aren’t observing the laws by social distancing and mask-wearing, as seen in many other countries throughout the world. When will this ever end? 

A rose growing near the entrance to a bridge.

In the interim, we continue to maintain a positive frame of mind while focusing on staying healthy and fit.


May all of you stay healthy and fit!

Photo from one year ago today, August 15, 2019:

“The Gefion Fountain is a large fountain on the harbor front in Copenhagen, Denmark. It features a large-scale group of animal figures being driven by the Norse goddess Gefjon. It is located in Nordre Toldbod area next to Kastellet and immediately south of Langelinie.” For more photos, please click here.

Day #144 in lockdown Mumbai, India hotel…Dining in Paris…Lots of food photos..

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La Fontaine de Mars restaurant is located in an upscale neighborhood from what we observed.

Note: To all of our readers visiting our site via a smartphone, please click the “View web version” tab under the word, “Home” at the bottom of the page to access the web version enabling you to access all of our archives on the right side of the page. We’ll be updating our site shortly, making these extra steps unnecessary. Thank you. Today’s photos are from the post from August 14, 2014, while in Paris, France. See the link here for more photos.

 Tom wasn’t his usual smiley self while waiting for La Fontaine de Mars to open for our 7:30 reservation. Us old-timers always arrive too early. Why is that?

No doubt, if I could have ordered anything that appealed to me on the menu in French restaurants, my dining experience would have been considerably more exciting and interesting. 

The staff was busy preparing for the evening’s usual totally booked tourist crowd, often Americans, from what we read online.

At that time in 2014, I wasn’t drinking wine and missed the opportunity to try a wide array of French wines. Also with my way of eating, required for my health, we never ordered a loaf of French bread, croissants, desserts, or pastries although it was tempting at times

This tiny room where we dined had seating for 16. The restaurant appeared to be a converted house with three of four rooms such as this on the second level, which we read was preferable to dining on the loud, busy main floor. However, some may prefer a more lively pace while dining.

With Tom’s sensitive taste buds and aversion to many spices and flavors, he didn’t take advantage of most French offerings. Then again, for us, during our world travels, dining out was never an important element.

This is the menu with prices in Euros. US $10 converts to EU $8.46 based on today’s rates.

We’ve found shopping for local fresh vegetables, meats, and cheeses, made cooking for ourselves a worthwhile undertaking, contributing to a wide array of meals we joyfully prepared and savored at our holiday home in any country.

The opposite side of the room in which we dined at La Fontaine de Mars. (I didn’t use the flash to avoid disturbing other diners).

Rarely, did we encounter difficulty in finding quality foods befitting our way of cooking and dining “at home.” The location where we had the most difficulty was while living in Diani Beach, Kenya for three months in 2013, where there were limited options for protein sources and the lack of availability of many cooking ingredients in the small Nakumatt Market.

My filet mignon on a bed of spinach. I moved over the steak and piled the sauce on the spinach.  My way of eating encourages eating lots of fat excluding trans fat, and vegetable oils but includes animal fat, butter, coconut and olive oil, avocadoes, and nuts.

Also, the fact that the tiny galley kitchen couldn’t fit the two of us at once, cooking wasn’t as much fun as usual. We often dined out when many of the local upscale resorts had beautiful restaurants and fabulous, continental cuisine at affordable prices.

Tom’s filet mignon with fries and butter for the breadbasket His steak was very small.

We’d been advised to avoid the local restaurants on the main road, due to security risks and the possibility of becoming sick when our digestive systems weren’t adapted to certain risks.

By the time I remembered to take this photo, I’d already consumed half of this server of Bearnaise sauce.

Subsequently, only a year later we were in Paris with the opportunity to savor many exquisite dishes and yet, we were somewhat impeded by our own self-imposed issues. 

Our bill which converted to US $85.11 at today’s rates.

That didn’t mean we didn’t enjoy the French restaurants. We did. We dined out every morning and evening since we stayed in a hotel without cooking facilities, often trying new restaurants, most within walking distance of our boutique hotel near the Eiffel Tower.

View from the upper level of La Fontaine de Mars from the steps to the upper level.

On a few occasions, we returned for a second visit to a particular restaurant when we found ourselves craving a repeat of a prior meal. Each time we selected a new restaurant, we perused reviews at TripAdvisor to ensure each location was rated high for quality, freshness, cleanliness, and service.

View of the back of Tom’s head and the busy first level which many diners prefer or where latecomers are seated. No reservations were held beyond 15 minutes of their scheduled time.

Although we dined at a few upscale restaurants, overall, we sought those in the middle range, to keep costs down. It was expensive in Paris for meals, hotels, transportation, tours, and services.  

Another restaurant we visited in Paris, Bistrotters. Tom, as usual, was first in line, waiting for the restaurant to open at 7 pm.

In a few days, we’ll share our total expenses for the 16 nights in Paris, (not 15 as previously mentioned in error), providing a clear perspective of what one may expect for a mid-range experience in the city of lights (which most likely will be higher considering we were there six years ago).

Based on the lighting in Bistrotters, it was tough to get a good shot of the menu. Enlarging this photo will enable easier reading.

That’s all for today folks. After uploading this post, I’ll be studying two videos provided by our web developer on how to post and manipulate our new site which as it turns out will be going “live” on Monday morning, our time, allowing us the day to work out any kinks or issues throughout the day. 

Tom enjoyed his first course of grilled chorizo.

Our web address will remain the same: www.worldwidewaftage.com and there will be nothing for you to do other than spend less than a minute familiarizing yourself with our new easy-to-use format. 

The waiter was surprised when I ordered the foie gras based on my food restrictions. He felt it may be too fatty without bread or crackers. I found it to be extraordinary, the best foie gras I’ve ever had. That morning, I looked up a few recipes and if I can find duck liver anywhere, I think that once we’re situated again in a few months, I may attempt to make this.

Each day’s new post will be in plain view along with recent posts, archives, and advertising, easy to access using cell phones, laptops, computers, and tablets. No longer will cell phone users need to follow the special instructions at the top of each of our recent posts.

This plate provides a better perspective of the size of my portion of foie gras. In the middle were pickled tomatoes and a salad, both of which contained sugar in the dressing which I opted not to eat after taking a taste. The coarse salt and the cayenne pepper on the right of the plate were the perfect accompaniment.

Happy day to all!

Photo from one year ago today, August 14, 2019:

A port of call on the Baltic cruise enabled us to tour the city of Copenhagen, noticing many colorful buildings. For more photos from this city, please click here.

Day #143 in lockdown Mumbai, India hotel…More photos from Paris in 2014…Part 3, finalLe Louvre, a memorable visit…

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Venus de Milo by Alexandros of Antioch, also known as Aphrodite of Milos. It was amazing we got this shot free of onlookers when hundreds of visitors were crowded around the statue also trying to take photos.

Note: To all of our readers visiting our site via a smartphone, please click the “View web version” tab under the word “Home” at the bottom of the page to access the web version enabling you to access all of our archives on the right side of the page. We’ll be updating our site shortly, making these extra steps unnecessary. Thank you. 

Today’s photos are from the post from August 13, 2014, while in Paris, France. See the link here for more photos.
Waiting for a second opportunity to capture another photo without people was pointless. 

With hundreds of tourists crowded around the above Venus de Milo statue at Le Louvre in Paris in August 2014, I decided to hover by the statue to await an opportunity, however short, to capture a photo without any tourists in sight.

Many of the statues were spiritual.

Tom waited patiently while I continued to walk around the historic and famous statue waiting for the perfect moment. Although the light from the window behind my shot impeded the quality of the photo, I was thrilled even with the one person crouching on the ground in the left center of the photo. 

Artemis, the Moon Mistress.

With that one flaw, I avoided the necessity of editing the photo in any manner, which I rarely take time to do anyway, especially when, under usual circumstances, we have thousands of photos to handle in any one month.

Scary skeleton statue.

Gosh, I wish I had that problem now! I can’t find a single photo op in my field of vision at this time during the COVID-19 lockdown while in a hotel in Mumbai, India, on day #143. When that ever changes is up for grabs with nary a word on the news as to when we may get out of here.

One can only imagine the skill required for the detail in this sculpture.

Today, it was announced that India is interested in acquiring millions of doses of Russia’s vaccine, which has yet to go to stage 3 human trials. This is the vital stage of testing, which is imperative in ensuring the safety and efficacy of the vaccine.

This painting is entitled, The Fish Market After 1621 by Frans Snyder.

We realize that down the road. Travelers may be required to have proof of vaccination to cross borders, fly on planes, trains, public transportation, embark on cruises or participate in any public group activities. 

Tom in front of a statue of a hunter in the center courtyard.

This may be the future-facing all of us. We’ve decided we won’t take a vaccine until its safety and efficacy have been proven through millions of doses or when or if it’s mandatory for us to leave India or enter or exit another country in the future.

Another exquisite statue in the courtyard under the glass pyramid.

We accept and understand the fears and refusal many have over the use of vaccines. But, years ago, in 2012, when we prepared to leave the US, we visited a travel clinic to have approximately 18 injections/vaccines for various illnesses. 

Of course, there were many expensive shops on the way to the exit.

Since that time, while in South Africa, we had the necessary boosters to continue our original vaccines. We felt this was an essential byproduct of choosing to travel the world. 

Once we exited the Louvre, it didn’t take long to find a taxi.

From now on, if a COVID-19 vaccine proves safe and worthwhile after millions of doses have been tendered, I imagine we’ll jump on the bandwagon. We don’t feel confident COVID-19 is going away anytime soon. And, with our still-burning desire to continue to travel, we may have no choice.

We spotted this view from the window of the taxi while we were driving back to our hotel.

With the US having the highest number of COVID-19 cases and deaths in the world, even when and if we stopped traveling, we may need to protect ourselves there as well.


Yes, we realize that at some point, we won’t be able to continue to travel. We’ve accepted the reality that we may have no choice but to return to the US as we become older when we become less and less able to continue with the rigors and challenges of traveling. We have no delusions about this.

It wasn’t long before we spotted the famous landmark, the Eiffel Tower, a short walk from our hotel, which has been an excellent location for our time in Paris.

However, if our health is good, we could at least stay in vacation/holiday homes in various parts of the US (or the world) for perhaps three to six months at a time, continuing to enjoy a life of exploration and adventure, rather than feeling stuck in one location. 

We have no interest in ever owning a home again. We don’t ever want to “outfit” a house with furniture and “stuff.” That’s not us, and I can’t imagine it will ever be.

Ah, there it is.  The Eiffel Tower has been my favorite sight to see in Paris.

For now, we remain firmly in place, in this pleasant hotel environment, although highly repetitious in our meals and activities, waiting to “see how it goes” over the next several months.

We’re not stressed. We’re not unhappy. We get along famously. And, above all, we are grateful to be safe.

You stay safe, too.

Photo from one year ago today, August 13, 2019:
There was no post one year ago today while out touring at a port of call on the Baltic cruise—more tomorrow.