Costa Rica’s devastation from tropical cyclone Nate with photos….

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Although a few trees were lost on the grounds of the villa after Hurricane Nate, the many beautiful plants such as this Bromeliad and other flowers have survived, flourishing in the sun that’s finally appeared for a few hours each morning.

“Sightings from the Veranda in Costa Rica”

A heartbreaking 11 souls perished in Costa Rica during Tropical Cyclone Nate over this past week.  Also, on October 6, the hurricane caused at least 38 deaths: 16 in Nicaragua, 7 in Panama, 3 in Honduras, and 1 in El Salvador.

From this site:
“Hurricane Nate was a tropical cyclone that impacted the Gulf Coast of the United States in October 2017. The fourteenth named storm and the ninth hurricane of the 2017 Atlantic hurricane season, Nate, originated from a broad area of low pressure over the southwestern Caribbean on October 3rd.

A red alert was issued in neighboring Costa Rica for the Central Valley, Pacific coast, and Huetar Norte Region, while the Caribbean coast was under yellow warning. In the canton of Oreamuno, Cartago Province, a bridge and part of a riverside house succumbed to the forces of a swollen river. Flooding throughout the country has been described as the worst in recent years and led to at least 11 deaths, with two people missing. Approximately 11,300 residents were being housed in shelters. President Luis Guillermo Solís declared a national day of mourning on October 6th.”

We are located in the Central Valley, as mentioned above.  We spent days hunkered down, indoors and safe high on a hill from the ravages of the storm. So many of our friends/readers and family members contacted us to ensure we were safe, which we were. 

Other than the inconvenience of a few power outages, we stayed safely indoors, frequently peering out the glass walls of this house as the storm moved through over several days. Our only concern for our safety during the storm was the possibility of landslides throughout the valley.  Fortunately, our immediate location was spared.  Never in our travels have we experienced such non-stop heavy rains with howling winds. 

With the utmost of respect and condolences for the people of Costa Rica today, we share the photos from the CR Post, dated October 5, 2017. We pray for those who lost their lives and their families and for those who were injured and lost their homes.

With the rainy season continuing, we must admit we do miss entire days of sunshine. But, rather than focus on bad weather, we’ve become passionate about bird watching, more than anywhere in our past travels. There were too many photos from the CR Post to publish today, but we’ve included as many as possible.  (Wi-Fi limitations affect how many photos we can post).

Many times each day, we’re dashing from one spot on the veranda to another as we are beckoned by the call of a bird we may not have heard in past days.  We’ve found we have an automatic alarm clock, a yellow-breasted Social Flycatcher who descends on the veranda railing outside our bedroom door and makes so much noise we’re awakened every morning around 5:15. 

Of course, now we’re obsessed with spotting another Toucan when the owners of this property, Bev and Sam, and our neighbor Charlie both have stated they’ve yet to see one in the yard. Humm…safari luck. More of that yet to come!

May you have a safe day!

Photo from one year ago today, October 9, 2016:

A fisherman on the beach in Bali after pulling in his nets, most likely filled with squid.  For more photos, please click here.

Tom’s haircut in Costa Rica…

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Tom before his haircut on Friday.

“Sightings from the Veranda in Costa Rica”

Yesterday, this pair of Inca Doves landed on the veranda railing and posed for our liking. These pretty birds mate for life and spending considerable time preening one another’s gorgeous feathers that appear to be small scales.

Tom often calculates when he’ll need his next haircut based on the date of the following cruise rather than the length of his hair. It makes me laugh. Of course, he prefers to look “tidy” when we are around other people. In the same way, I always do my nails and pedicure before cruising.

He was seated in a chair moments after we arrived.

In this particular case, with slightly over six weeks until we board the ship, his timing may have been off slightly.  He won’t need another haircut for another three months. His haircut in Costa Rica was a paltry US $6.97 (CRC 4000), including a 25% tip.

In Spanish, we explained what number adapter to use on the electric clippers.

As we’ve traveled the world over this past five years (anniversary upcoming on October 31st), we’ve found his haircut appointment to be a thing of great amusement for us anyway. From his first haircut in Placencia Belize in early 2013, where he sat under a tree, as shown in the photo below:

In  Placencia Belize, the barbershop was outdoors when Tom had his first haircut outside the US in 2013. The cost of this haircut was US $12.50 (CRC 7172). See the full story here.

Another haircut we easily recall was in November 2015 in Savusavu, Fiji, as shown in this photo below, including the cost:

In Savusavu Fiji, Tom explained his haircut preference to Kumar, who listened intently to ensure he got it right. The cost of this haircut excluding the tip was US $1.85 (CRC 1061.41), but Tom added an almost 50% tip at US $.93 (CRC 533.59) for a total of US $2.78 (CRC 1505). Tipping is not expected or required in Fiji, but Kumar was thrilled over the tiny tip. Click here for this post.

From time to time, I look down at my toes and long for a professional pedicure. However, I’ve found bending and stretching to do my own is not only cost-effective but also good for one’s flexibility.  Hopefully, I’ll be able to continue to do my own pedicures for a very long time.

The stylist used scissors to fine-tune the cut.

While in Kauai, Hawaii, in 2015, I tried cutting Tom’s hair with the electric trimmer, but he wasn’t thrilled with the result. We laughed through the entire process, which undoubtedly contributed to my not-so-steady hand. I’m good at cutting my own hair but not so much for him. Based on the low cost in most countries, it makes no sense for him to have a botched job like my feeble attempt.

In no time at all, he was done, happy with the result.  She used a #6 adapter.

Yesterday, for the first time in many days, we could get some sun and tentatively use the pool.  When there’s a power outage, the timer for the pool shuts off and comes back on when the power is restored. In this case, it was off for ten hours resulting in the most ice-cold pool we’ve ever used. 

There was a steady stream of customers while we were there.

Tom dove into the pool while I walked in. The ice-cold water was too much for him, and he got out immediately. I walked in staying for only five minutes when a cloud cover made me shiver all the more. A short time later, Marian showed up with the maintenance guy, Julio, who reset the pool’s heating system so it would run during the day.

The salon is Aberto Pase Adelante, located next door to the Macrobiotica (health food) store. It’s owned by a Columbian family, many of whom work on-site.

Marian was here to go over some maintenance with Julio and to inspect the tree trimming process.  It’s always amazing to us to the high-level maintenance for this lovely property to keep it in pristine condition. We don’t have a complaint in the world.

We hope you have a complaint-free day!


Photo from one year ago today, October 8, 2016:

While in Sumbersari Bali, one year ago, at that point, we hadn’t seen such flooding since we lived in Minnesota many moons ago. We took this shot from the front of the villa. For more photos, please click here.

Rushing to get to the market today with a short lull in the tropical depression…

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Terraced farming in Costa Rica creates a lovely scene.

“Sightings from the Veranda in Costa Rica”

View from the veranda during the tropical depression.  The clouds were so slow they were ground level in the valley.

These past days have been stormier than we’ve seen anywhere in the world during this past almost five years of world travel. Rain, wind, and constant humidity surround us as we’ve been safely situated midway up a mountain.

Terraced farming on a steep hill.

Over the past days, several stories of loss of life in Costa Rica have swirled around the news.  When house cleaner Isabel arrived a few minutes ago, she explained in Spanish that a 19-year-old young man, a close family friend, had been killed in a landslide a short distance from here. Heartbreaking.  She showed me his photo on her phone.

It’s easy for us to sit back and feel safe in this higher elevation, but even so, there’s a certain risk of more landslides for hilly properties. So this morning, it appeared we’d have a reprieve when the sun came out, and we ran around opening the many sliding glass doors.

After weeks of rain and clouds, a blue sky is a welcomed sight.

Over the past few days, we’ve been able to smell mildew and note dampness on everything we touch. For example, when we had to print a document on the in-house printer, the few sheets of paper in the printer were literally damp. Luckily, we’d recently purchased a block of paper, tucking it away in a desk drawer.  We’ve never experienced such constant humidity.


Luckily, the temperature is cool enough to avoid being miserable without air conditioning. One of the many overhead fans provides us with all the cooling we need. 

Lush greenery is found everywhere in Costa Rica.

Tom continues to “exercise the zippers” on our luggage that have metal zippers. The few new pieces we purchased in the US have plastic zippers, which greatly benefit us when we often live in humid conditions.

We’re grateful there’s a lull in the storm so we can get out soon to grocery shop. We haven’t shopped for food in two weeks, and we’re down to the “bottom of the barrel.” We’re out of vegetables and many staples. 

Pretty blankets for sale along the road.

When we shopped at PriceSmart two weeks ago today, we’d purchased enough meat and chicken to last for a month. But, with only 47 days remaining until we fly to Florida for the cruise, it makes no sense to purchase large sizes of anything.

We haven’t purchased any fish here. With an increased risk of eating farmed or shore-caught fish, my current gastrointestinal condition prevents me from any enthusiasm for overeating fish or seafood of any type. Unfortunately, this may not change when we are on the 30-night cruise.

Views from a recent road trip.

As I continue to prepare this post, the sun is gone, dark and ominous clouds rolling in. We’d better hightail out of here to get to the market for food, or we’ll be eating only meat and cheese for dinner.

Julio and the workers are here clearing the big tree that came down yesterday due to the storm.  Photos will follow tomorrow. 

Have a safe day!

Photo from one year ago today, October 6, 2016:

Notice the buffalo in the rear of this photo when we cautiously wandered down the road where Tom had his buffalo experience. For more details, please click here.

Late post today due to power outage during Costa Rica “red alert” tropical depression…Tropical storm Nate hits Costa Rica…

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Although this area on the veranda where we sit most days has a roof over it, the cushions on the furniture are soaked after blowing around in the high winds.

“Sightings from the Veranda in Costa Rica”

Generally, pools have a system in place to avoid overflow due to heavy rains, which appears to be the case of the pool in the villa. But, unfortunately, it’s been raining non-stop for days!

At 12:30 am the power went out as Tropical Storm Nate made itself known to Costa Rica. It had been escalating over several days with heavy rains that prevented us from going out to shop.

We’d hoped to head out today, but it wasn’t possible with most stores closed due to power outages, mudslides, heavy rain, and relentless winds. As Tropical Storm Nate (soon to be Hurricane Nate) wreaks havoc in the Caribbean, Costa Rica quickly falls into the path of this storm.

This separate plunge pool becomes one with the main pool as the water level rose due to the pouring rain.

After the power went out, I awoke, aware the ceiling fan had stopped working and barely returned to sleep. Tom was the same, tossing and turning all night, often getting out of bed to check to make sure nothing was leaking into the house.

With this property newly remodeled in the past few years, everything seemed to be in order other than water leaking into the laundry room from an impossible-to-reach high window.

Fallen tree in the yard as a result of the storm.  We went outside with a golf umbrella to get this photo.

This morning Marian (property manager) called on my phone (loaded with a local SIM card) to see how we’re doing. After she and her husband AaD have lived here for 10 years, she explained they’d never seen a storm like this. They lived across the valley and had been without power since 9:30 last night. So at least our power outage hadn’t occurred until after we’d both gone to bed last night.

As always, during power outages, our biggest concern is the safety of our food in the refrigerator and freezer. But, lately, Tom had been storing extra ice in a large plastic bag at the bottom of the freezer. So, this morning, we loaded the large cooler with ice and the items in the fridge of the most concern. But, unfortunately, everything in the freezer was still frozen solid.

The tree behind this smaller tree toppled during the continuing tropical depression. We heard it fall earlier today.

Of course, our second most significant concern is being unable to post here. Luckily, I still had 60% of my phone’s battery left and would have been able to post a short blurb explaining the power outage and our inability to post.

As Tom and I sat in the living room chatting over recent worldwide events (a common source of conversation between us), the power came back on. Quickly we got to work taking care of the food, the wet pool towels we’d brought in from the veranda, the towels we’d used to mop up the floor in the laundry room, and our bath towels.

This photo can’t possibly illustrate how fast the rainwater is running down the slope of the driveway.

Generally, to save on wear and tear and costs for the owner, we use bath towels three times, leaving them to hang in the bathroom to dry for the next day’s use. However, recently, with the humidity at 90 to 100%, they wouldn’t dry. So, as a result, we’ve been washing them every day over these past few days.

The storm is expected to continue over the weekend. With shops closed, roads closed, and many mudslides, we’ll have to make do with the food we have on hand until it settles down enough for the shops to re-open.

A fallen banana tree also as a result of the storm.

For now, we’re hunkered down, safe indoors, and grateful we have power for the moment. However, it won’t surprise us if we have another outage over these next several days. So, if you don’t see us here at our usual time, please know we are thinking of you and be back online as soon as possible.

Have a dry, safe day filled with sunshine!


Photo from one year ago today, October 4, 2016:

A pig, pink and dirty, we encountered on a walk in Sumbersari, Bali. For more photos, please click here.

Considerable planning for the upcoming year…Health issue improving…

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We had mozzarella balls stuffed meatballs with a sugar-free Italian seasoned tomato sauce with mushrooms for three nights, topped with grated mozzarella cheese and Parmesan cheese. There’s also one ball inside each meatball, along with one on each top. On the side, steamed veggies and salad.
“Sightings from the Veranda in Costa Rica”
A new visitor to the tree by the veranda. It’s a Rufous-naped Wren, a common bird species in Costa Rica.

The thought of spending a year in Africa beginning in February 2018 can be daunting considering the number of supplies we’ll need to bring with us, many of which cannot be found locally or shipped.

Also, there’s a risk of theft of imported packages and also the possibility of lengthy delays. We learned this when we spent almost a year in Africa in 2013/2014 when shipments took months instead of weeks to arrive, including requesting upgraded shipping.

Many streets in business districts are one way, and it’s tricky to spot the warning sign that says, “Do Not Enter,” No Play Paso in Spanish.

I take three low-dose prescriptions, none of which are available over the counter here in Costa Rica (as mentioned in an earlier post) with the brand or generics names for the dosages I need. Also, Costa Rica doesn’t allow the import of any prescriptions, supplements, or over-the-counter medications.  

Many countries throughout the world have McDonald’s.  We never eat there.

Subsequently, I recently placed an order for the maximum supply allowable in one specific order (a six-month supply) from ProgressiveRx. I’m awaiting the package’s arrival at our mailing service.

We couldn’t determine what type of store this may be.

This morning I placed an order for contact lenses, enough to last until we returned to the US in 2019. A few days ago, we ordered Tom enough Crystal Light Ice Tea to last for the next six months, enough to get him to South Africa, after which he’ll order more to be shipped. 

Many apartment buildings throughout the area are similar to that one might find in other countries.

I gave up drinking Crystal Light when my gastrointestinal issues escalated, only drinking plain water.  As I continue to improve, I’ve been drinking a morning beverage which I hadn’t been able to do for months over these past several days.

To make the coffee drink, I use a ½ mug of brewed coffee with a ½ cup of organic cocoa, 3T. Unsweetened coconut cream, 1 tsp. Organic cinnamon,½ tsp organic powdered turmeric with a dash of fresh ground pepper (pepper enhances the bioavailability of turmeric) with a few drops of liquid Stevia. This drink tastes extraordinary and has no ill effects on my stomach.

A Lexus dealership in San Jose.  Cars are more expensive here than in the US.

Based on the lack of any negative effects of this morning beverage (after many months without drinking coffee), I’ll have to make sure I have all these ingredients on hand when we board the cruise on November 23rd. It will be inconvenient to bring the coconut cream, which I can replace with real cream, which should be available on the ship.

We were surprised to see this store in Costa Rica.

With our priority status as Elite Members on Celebrity Cruises, I’ll be able to order bottles of quality bottled water during the free happy hour to drink in the evening and throughout the day. I won’t be drinking wine or any alcoholic beverages on cruises or any time in the future. After years of not drinking alcohol, it’s simply too hard on my digestive tract.

There are numerous warehouse-type stores throughout the country of Costa Rica. This is the front entrance to PriceSmart. There’s a Pricesmart store opening near Atenas on October 6th we’ll visit soon.

Since I begrudgingly started taking daily 20 mg Prilosec (Omeprazole) about five weeks ago, my ulcers (resulting from having had Helicobacter Pylori for 18 months) have improved tremendously, finally able to eat without pain or experience burning pain when I don’t eat. I can’t tell you how excited I am as I continue to improve a little each day!

Small shops line the highway.

There are numerous other products we’ll be ordering over this next month, including clothing for Antarctica to be shipped to our hotel in Florida, where we’ll stay one night on November 22nd. The next day, we’ll board the chip.

A typical scene along the highway to San Jose, the capital city.

For now, with the vast storms we’re experiencing, we’re still staying put. Tomorrow, we have to head to town to make several stops, take photos and hopefully get Tom a much-needed haircut.  We’ll see how it goes.

Enjoy your day!

Photo from one year ago today, October 4, 2016:

View from the second-story veranda of a villa that was owned by our landlord in Sumbersari Bali. For more photos and details, please click here.

What type of security have we experienced at hotels as we’ve traveled the world?…A little bird’s story…

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This is the lounge on the veranda where the hummingbird landed after flying into the glass wall behind it. See the story below for more photos.

“Sightings from the Veranda in Costa Rica”

The pretty little hummingbird was stunned after hitting the glass wall and landed on the round chaise lounge.

Yesterday, another rainy day, we stayed indoors watching the news with our thoughts constantly on the horrific shootings in Las Vegas.  Heartbreaking, frightening, and beyond belief, the events and stories surrounding the attack continue to wrench one’s heart.

Having family living in Las Vegas, including son Richard and sister Susan and family, and Tom’s nephew John and family coupled with the fact we’re residents of the state of Nevada, made us feel a special affinity as the details rolled out.

We were impressed with how first responders, medical professionals, and private citizens rallied to assist, resulting in many heroic events. No doubt, thousands of lives may have been saved by their selfless, efficient, and fast responses.

Tom noticed the red coloring on their chin.

We discussed security measures at hotels we’ve encountered throughout the day in our world travels that may have been instrumental in preventing this particular type of attack as perpetrated by this heinous human being. 

We concluded that in only one hotel over these past five years of world travel, we have seen security that may have been instrumental in preventing this particular type of attack.  Although, the shooter may have arranged a different location from which to exact this attack.

When we stayed in Denpasar Bali, close to the airport on three separate occasions at the Hilton Garden Inn Bali Ngurah Rai Airport, we were surprised to note that no one was allowed entry into the hotel lobby without going through security, both the walk-through scanner and the scanner for all bags and belongings. 

Spreading their wings to see if flying was possible.

Here’s one of our links from the Bali hotel. The security station is located to the right and not shown in these photos.  (Most security guards don’t allow photos taken of the scanning equipment).

At first, we thought the scanners were a little off-putting, based on the inconvenience, comparable to security at an airport. After discussing it, we realized it would make sense at all hotels and hadn’t given it another thought until the news broke on the events in Las Vegas a few days ago, on October 1st.

Regardless of any potential security measures, there are endless means of bringing harm to others, even excluding the use of weaponry. I won’t go on a rant about “gun control,” one way or another, since we prefer to keep our political views from imposing upon this travel-related site.

Soon, an attempt to fly may be possible.

Questions remain as to the “why” this attack occurred. But, as mentioned in yesterday’s post, the answer may never be found.  We all wait, watching the news hoping an answer comes forward, giving us some sense of relief that it wasn’t premeditated “murder” from what may have been enacted by a “sane” person. But, would a sane person perform such an outrageous act?

Can it be justified by some form of mental illness or a brain tumor?  Or do we long to hear it due to an affiliation with a radical group either inside or outside the US?  As above, most likely, we’ll never know. But if we do, will we discover a sense of relief to know the “why”? Most likely, we won’t. The deed is done. The horror remains.

Shortly after this photo, they flew away so quickly Tom couldn’t get a photo. But, he saw them fly to the nearby tree and then back to the feeder for another “sip” of our homemade nectar.  Whew!

Today, the news reverts to some of the other horrible events globally, including the aftereffects of Hurricane Maria that ravaged Puerto Rico. How will the ravage born by this natural disaster ever reconcile? Lives lost, homes lost, and an entire country reeling, wondering how they’ll ever put their lives back together—sad stories.

Also, today, we share several photos Tom took yesterday afternoon of a precious little hummingbird that had flown into the glass wall after hovering not far from the bird feeder we keep well-stocked with sugar water. The poor little thing was stunned but miraculously survived and flew away a short time later. Great photos, Honey! They brought a smile to my face on an otherwise sad day.

May your day bring you wonders, however small, putting smiles back on your faces!

Photo from one year ago today, October 3, 2016:

The front of the property is located at the end of the road, resulting in no passing traffic. Last year this villa was priced at EU 249,000, US $279,017, IDR 3,616,896,723 CRC 159,388,461. For more details, please click here.

Sorrowful day in Las Vegas Nevada…Our home state of residency…

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These appear similar to Begonias in the US which thrive in shady areas.
“Sightings from the Veranda in Costa Rica”
Colorful sky at sunset.

At 12:30 am, I awoke with a start, wondering why I was awakening at this odd hour. Most nights, I don’t awake until after 4:00 am, often staying awake for the remainder of the day.

I try to avoid taking a Tylenol PM, Melatonin, or any other over-the-counter sleep aid when sleep often alludes me, a common scenario for many seniors as well as the younger population.

Keeping my phone on the bed with the earpiece plugged in seems to help put me back to sleep. But, at the same time, I listen to various podcasts that aren’t necessarily stimulating and overly interesting.

Lime tree in the yard.

Yes, I know the many comments made by sleep experts that taking your phone or tablet to bed is a cause for one’s inability to get a good night’s sleep. But, how many of you, as you read this, are guilty of the same behavior?

However, last night was unique. I awoke four or five times during the night, finally giving up at the 4:00 am awakening to check the news on my phone. I was shocked at what I found, knowing I’d never fall back to sleep realizing the horror that occurred at a concert last night at the Mandalay Resort and Casino in Las Vegas, Nevada.

Eldest son Richard lives in Las Vegas and was on the strip last night for a pre-season hockey game for the new Vegas Golden Knight’s.  After the game, he ended up at New York-New York Hotel and Casino, which was only a block away from the attack at Mandalay Bay.  He left one hour before the attack.  

Pretty flowers in the yard.

It was a relief to see his comments on Facebook this morning that he was safe. So grateful he is fine, we couldn’t help but feel grief and sorrow for those who lost their lives and were injured and, of course, their family and friends. The trauma of this experience will remain with the thousand attending the concert for the remainder of their lives. Survivor’s guilt? Why did I survive and not others?

There’s no doubt that many of those attending the country music concert were visitors from all over the world. Las Vegas is one of the most popular places to visit globally, attracting over 42 million tourists a year.

Plants flourish in humid and rainy climates.

Here’s an article from the Las Vegas Sun with tourism stats for 2016:

“By Thomas Moore (contact)
Published Tuesday, March 14, 2017, | 1:29 p.m.
Updated Wednesday, March 15, 2017, | 9:45 a.m.
A record number of tourists visited Southern Nevada last year and spent a record amount of money, according to a report that economic analyst Jeremy Aguero presented today to the board of the Las Vegas Convention and Visitors Authority.
Some 42.9 million people visited Southern Nevada last year, spending $35.5 billion — 16.3 percent more than in 2015 when they left behind $30.5 billion, Aguero said. Per person, Las Vegas visitors spent an average of $827, up from $721 in 2015.
Convention attendees made up 14.7 percent of all visitors to Southern Nevada last year, up 7.1 percent from 2015.
The presentation highlighted the impact of tourism on the local economy. Among the report’s findings:
• One in four people in Southern Nevada is directly employed in the tourism industry.
• Tourism wages and salaries total $11 billion, or 26.2 percent of the $41.9 billion earned by Southern Nevadans.”

To continue this article, please click here.

As soon as I noticed Tom stirring, I told him what had transpired, and we both bolted out to bed to the TV room to turn on the one English-speaking news channel. Now, as I write this, we’re transfixed over the details of this horrific event. It will be hard to look away for days to come.

How does this happen?  Will we ever know what motived a 64-year-old to commit such a heinous act? Why did he feel so removed from a moral and purposeful life to inflict such savagery on others, let alone people he didn’t know…strangers…innocents…? Most likely, we’ll never know.

Purple Petunia.

We continue to soothe our sadness with the stories of first responders and good Samaritans who immediately took action to assist those who fell prey to this attack. It is good in this crazy world. There is hope that the human spirit strives for goodness, kindness, and the well-being of our future.

We can only watch the details with heavy hearts and pray for those who lost their lives and heal the hundreds injured. Peace? At what cost? Is it even possible?

Photo from one year ago today, October 2, 2016:

Upon closer inspection, we’ve been thrilled to see the intricate beauty of a red dragonfly that visits each day. For more photos, please click here.

A new month brings a new perspective…Hello October!…

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Cactus plants are scattered throughout Costa Rica, growing prolifically in the tropical climate.

“Sightings from the Veranda in Costa Rica”

Low-lying morning clouds as seen from the veranda.

It’s hard to believe it’s October 1st today. Where did the time go? Finally, on the last day of this month, we’ll joyfully celebrate our fifth anniversary of traveling the world. We left Minnesota on Halloween 2012.

In 53 days, we’ll sail away from Fort Lauderdale, Florida, on a 30-night cruise to South America as we begin making our way toward Buenos Aires, Argentina. Then in 114 days from today, we’re off toward Ushuaia, Argentina, to embark on the Antarctica cruise.

Costa Rica is clever in using waste products as an alternative to expensive resources.

We’ve hardly given much thought to the fact we’ll be spending 30-nights in a lovely hotel in Buenos Aires beginning on December 23rd (Tom’s 65th birthday). In our old lives, that leg itself would have been considered the “trip of a lifetime.” 

From there, in roughly 132 days from today, we’ll arrive in the somewhat remote area of Mpumalanga/Nelspruit to make our way to Marloth Park, South Africa, a 90-minute drive from the airport where we’ll be renting a car for the many months we’ll spend in the country. 

Old tires are used as a retaining wall.

There are no words to express our enthusiasm for what is upcoming in the future. However, it’s hard, if not impossible, to temper one’s excitement when contemplating what the future holds.

It’s not as if we constantly talk about these adventures. On the contrary, we’ve always made a concerted effort to live in the moment, relishing in our current surroundings. It’s not hard to do in Costa Rica with the easy flow of life in this beautiful and friendly country.

The dirt-covered road after a rainstorm. The rain has been outrageous during the “green season” over these past months and is expected to continue through October.

There’s no denying that we’ve limited ourselves by not having a full-time car rental while we’re here.  Taxi fare is cheap in town but gets pricey when going sightseeing in distant locations. 

The cost of partial day tours in Costa generally runs over US $100 (CRC 57,232) per person plus the cost of getting to and from the tour pickup and drop-off locations. At this point, with a considerable outlay of funds for the upcoming adventures, we’ve had to curtail our spending.

An old shack along the mountain road.

Even the US, $162.50 (CRC 93,001) for the five-day rental car, is too expensive for us at this point. Moreover, the monthly cost, close to US $1,000 (CRC 572,315), doesn’t fit into the budget.

We’ll need to buy the cost of clothing for the Antarctica cruise (which we’ll ship to our mailing service in Nevada to hold for us for our next “cold weather” expedition) is expensive. We’ve considered renting the clothing, but we’ve discovered it’s more cost-effective and time-saving to purchase the necessary items after considerable research. 

We’ll make the necessary purchases online and have all the items shipped to our mailing service and then shipped in one package to the hotel in Fort Lauderdale. From there, we’ll board the 30-night South America cruise without any baggage constraints.  

A shriveled banana blossom, parts of which is used in cooking in certain parts of the world.

When the 30-night South America cruise ends in Buenos Aires, we’ll begin our month-long stay at the hotel. When we fly to Ushuaia from Buenos Aires to board the cruise to Antarctica, we’ll leave most of our baggage behind at the Buenos Aires hotel, which has agreed to hold until Antarctica cruise ends. There is a strict baggage weight restriction on the flights to Ushuaia and back.

We’d decided to begin making the clothing purchases this month to ensure everything arrives on time and have the cumbersome task behind us. At one time, shopping online would have been fun, but I’ve lost interest in shopping altogether other than for groceries. Likewise, Tom never enjoyed shopping of any type, let alone online. So we’ll get it done.

A cloudy mountain scene.

Today, after a hugely stormy night and equally cloudy day with rain on the horizon, we’re hunkered down. Soon, Tom will watch the Minnesota Vikings football game. At the same time, I’ll head to the kitchen to start preparing today’s meal consisting of baby back ribs, an egg and bacon quiche, roasted vegetables, and salad, often checking back and forth to see how the game is going.

Have a happy day!

Photo from one year ago today, October 1, 2016:

A man of the beach collecting miscellaneous items from the beach placing them in this cart attached to his motorbike. For more Bali photos, please click here.

Top 30 places to travel, according to whom?… Where do we recommend when asked?…

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Tom’s burger and fries at Donde Bocha Antogeria in Atenas. I ate the little side cup of guacamole.

“Sightings from the Veranda in Costa Rica”

This morning’s visitor, a large centipede. It doesn’t appear to be venomous. Tom scooped it up and put it outdoors in the garden.

After posting our story on September 25th, about the top 20 most dangerous countries in the world to vacation, (click here for our story) we received a few email messages inquiring on the more positive side; what do we consider the top countries in the world to visit?

Such an article was recently posted online by US News & World Report listing the following 30 best places in the world to visit. They used the following to compile this list:  “…U.S. News (click here for their article) used expert opinions, user votes, and current trends to compile this list.” 

Charlie ordered this plate of beef nachos. There was a bottom layer of tortilla chips. I could have had this without the chips and dressing which would have been meat and lettuce which wasn’t very appealing to me.

Their list follows below (those marked in red indicate those we’ve visited and/or lived in these locations during our past almost five years of world travels): 

  1. Rome 
  2. Sydney
  3. Porto (Portugal)
  4. London
  5. Paris
  6. New York City
  7. Florence
  8. Prague
  9. Barcelona
  10. Dubai
  11. Amalfi Coast
  12. Santorini
  13. Oahu, Hawaii
  14. Grand Canyon
  15. Bali
  16. Serengeti National Park
  17. Vancouver
  18. Breckenridge
  19. Phuket
  20. San Sebastian
  21. Tahiti
  22. Yosemite
  23. Costa Rica
  24. The British Virgin Islands
  25. Park City, Utah
  26. Great Barrier Reef
  27. Machu Picchu
  28. Banff
  29. Jackson Hole
  30. St. Lucia

People we meet and our readers often ask our opinions on favorite places to visit in the world based on our travels thus far. We’ve even had an opportunity to speak to some of our readers on Skype when they are contemplating a vacation/holiday and aren’t sure where to go. We would like feedback from us on the topic.

This is a tough question to answer. It’s comparable to asking a person what books they prefer to read, their favorite movies and which foods they prefer to eat. It’s highly subjective. 

Our personal preferences for choosing travel locations and bookings are varied based on affordability, personal interests, and long-held beliefs and desires to see certain parts of the world.

This is the outdoor restaurant, Donde Bocha Antogeria, we visited with neighbor Charlie for lunch.

Also, there’s a vast difference in staying in a hotel or resort for a two-week vacation as opposed to “living” in a country for an extended period. Even if the property is exceptional, living as if we were locals is entirely different from tourists’ attention and amenities at a hotel or resort.

We’re basically “on our own,” fending for ourselves for transportation, meals, and entertainment.  In a resort or hotel, a typically readily available concierge or front desk staff usually takes care of everything, if one so chooses.

Tom liked Imperial beer made in Costa Rica.

During a one or two-week vacation in a country, the traveler’s perspective may be entirely different from what we experience over three months. Their goal is generally to pack in as many tours, shopping and dining experiences as possible. 

Often tourists bring along an extra empty piece of luggage to contain their purchases. We often see this on cruises where many focus their attention on shopping and dining at each port of call.  This surely must be fun for those who find it enhances their experiences.

For us, such an objective is far removed from our reality. Although we may wander through shopping areas in certain ports of call, we rarely make any purchases more for photo ops and sharing the experience with our readers than to purchase anything. 

After lunch, when Charlie took off to shop, we visited the Central Market in downtown Atenas.

As for dining out during ports of call or in countries in which we’re living, it’s a two-pronged consideration; one, frequent dining out is costly and two, most mid-range restaurants can’t accommodate my way of eating. 

People often ask how we can possibly enjoy ourselves without dining and shopping in many countries. Here again, our objectives aren’t the same as most travelers.  

One of our major interests is in shopping for quality food to create healthful and suitable homemade meals at our temporary home utilizing the flavor and availability of locally grown produce and sources of protein. In essence, this has become a hobby for us as we’ve traveled the world. 

Inside the Central Market, there are many casual dining spots.

Although we’ve dined out regularly in many countries s we will upcoming in Buenos Aires where we’ll be living in a hotel for a month and then beginning February in South Africa; we’ll dine out frequently since most of the food is organic and centers around delicious roasted meats and vegetables.

Here in Costa Rica, dining out isn’t a priority when most meals include tremendous amounts of starch. Believe me, if I didn’t have to eat as I do for health, I’d be all over the tortillas and flour/corn-based products.  Tom, a picky eater, doesn’t care much for ethnic foods, tortillas or even guacamole.

Recently as shown in today’s photos, we went to lunch with our neighbor Charlie who lives a few doors from us. We visited a traditional Costa Rica restaurant in Atenas. After carefully perusing the menu, the only items I could eat was the guacamole with nothing to dip into it and the pico de gallo, not necessarily meal worthy. 

Produce is for sale all week in this market as opposed to the Friday Feria Market where we prefer to make our selections.  It appeared many items were imported.

I didn’t order a thing except for a glass of water, especially when the language barrier prevented me from inquiring if their kitchen is technically “gluten-free” meaning separate prep and cooking areas free from any contamination from grains, starches, and sugar. That’s not possible here in Costa Rica unless one is dining at a pricey high-end establishment of which there are none in Atenas.

Surely in San Jose, a 40-minute drive, there are possibilities but it just hasn’t been worth making the long drive to eat an overpriced meal. When we head to Managua, Nicaragua in 28 days, we’ll dine in upscale restaurants and hotels which can usually accommodate my requirements.

Thus, it’s easy to see how our preferences for “where are the best places in the world to travel,” are considerably different from that which the average traveler may find appealing. None the less, it’s fascinating to hear about the preferences of others.

A larger produce seller in the Central Market.

We’re always happy to share our perceptions of top places to visit in the world but encourage those inquiring that our preferences may vary considerably from that which appeals to them.

Most of us prefer a location of beauty, great scenery, good weather and reasonable prices with interesting culture and possibly wildlife. Many have virtually no interest in wildlife which has greatly influenced our choices.

That’s it for today, folks! Have a fabulous weekend wherever you may be!

Photo from one year ago today, September 30, 2016:

Tom spotted this local woman carrying straw on her head moments after we returned to Sumbersari after the five-day visa extension process in Lovina Bali. It felt good to be back “home” for the final leg of our stay in Indonesia. Click here for more details.

Part 2…Churches as a integral part of sightseeing throughout the world…

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Here’s a video we posted from our veranda in Boveglio Tuscany, Italy, of the church bells
ringing across the way at the SS. Jacopo e Ginese Catholic church.   See our link here.

“Sightings from the Veranda in Costa Rica”

This morning’s view from the veranda at 5:30 am.

It’s interesting to watch our readership ebb and flow depending on the topics we cover in a particular day’s story and photos. Yesterday’s church story and photos showed a sharp decline in hits which surprised us.

But, true to our word, we’re completing Part 2 today with photos of other breathtaking and historical churches we’ve seen throughout the world. With too many such church photos to post in only two days, we’ll end this segment and move along tomorrow to another story with new images.

A scene on the interior of the S. Maria Assunta Catholic Church in Benabbio, Italy, in June 2103. See our link here.

However, we share another batch of church photos from our world travels over these past years for our historical and quaint building enthusiasts. Based on the number of passengers we’ve observed attending historical buildings tours on cruises, there are more historical building enthusiasts than we can imagine.

Undoubtedly, there comes the point for those who frequently travel, that the lure of historical buildings eventually wafts away, and they become more attracted to other tourist attractions. 

Gerry, Nicole, and Tom outside a quaint little church n Mykonos, Greece, in June 2013.  See our link here.

A few years ago, we thought we’d reached such a plateau. Still, now after considerable time away from countries known for their hundreds of years of history with architectural acumen, our interest is renewed. Once again, we’re finding churches and old buildings of great interest. 

Many of these photos were taken a few years ago since we’ve spent less time in countries specifically known for their historical buildings during the past two years. Of course, we’ve lived on many islands with outstanding temples and palaces, but most of these were found in Europe.

Busy preparations surrounded the Igreja De Campanario church in Campanario Madeira on July 2014 as workers rushed to get the decorations in place for Saturday’s religious festivities. See our link here.

Sometime in the next several years, we plan to return to Europe. Although we visited and lived in a few of Europe’s countries, one could spend a lifetime exploring all the treasures found in European countries. We’ve traveled very little in eastern and central Europe and not at all in Scandinavia.  We look forward to seeing more in the future.

The world is a vast place. At times, we meet people who start rattling off places they’ve traveled, including many we’ve yet to see. But, living this life isn’t a marathon. 

Here we are wearing saris standing at the foot of the steps at the Pulaki Temple (Monkey Temple) in Singaraja Bali in May 2016. See our link here. 

We don’t have any particular time frames in mind to accomplish a specific goal of what we’ll see in the future. For us, such an objective would diminish the sense of freedom we feel in our singular aim to “do it our way,” not by some preconceived notion of “how” one “should” travel the world.

Of course, we always have some locations booked well into the future. However, with added experience, we’ve found we don’t need to book two years in advance at this place and time. We did so in the beginning, more out of a desire to feel “secure” in knowing where we’d be in the future. 

St. Mary Cathedral in New Plymouth, New Zealand, on its last day before being closed permanently due to its lack of safety during earthquakes. See our link here.

Now, all these years later, we’re confident enough to “wing it” from time to time. At this point, we have no idea where we’ll be living in Marloth Park in 4½ months and feel confident we won’t be living in a tent in the bush. 

Wisdom and peace of mind come from experience. We still have so much to learn and will never reach a point in our world travels where we feel or assume we know how to do it all. It’s a fluid experience that continues to grow and change along with the changes that occur wherever we may travel. 

The Wai’oli hui’ai Church in Hanalei Kauai, Hawaii, which the congregation built in 1841. See our link here.

There’s nothing static about world travel. The risks fluctuate. Our response to experiences changes. Conditions in countries can change in a moment. Our interests can change “on a dime.” 

However, we know that our desire and passion for continuing on this journey hasn’t changed, our desire and passion for living this life together haven’t changed and, our desire and passion for sharing it all with you haven’t changed.

St. Mere Eglise Church with the Paratrooper Memorial in Normandy, France, appears on the left of the church in this photo.  See our link here.

Be well.  Be safe.

Photo from one year ago today, September 29, 2016:

Tom and I both ordered the surf and turf platter at Puri Bagus in Lovina Bali.  He gave me his prawns, squid, and veggies while I passed him my fries, flatbread, and onion rings, requested on a separate plate. The steak was a tenderloin, cooked to perfection and the most tender we’d had in a long while.  For more food photos, please click here.