Part 1…Churches are a integral part of sightseeing throughout the world…

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San Rafael Archangel Parish is located in Atenas, the center of town, across from the park.

“Sightings from the Veranda in Costa Rica”

A few workers stopped by to help Ulysses with a landscaping project.

As we’ve traveled the world over these past years, we inevitably continue to visit one church after another. It isn’t very likely to tour cities, towns, and villages without stopping to revel in the architecture and ambiance of churches of many denominations.

The Parochial school at the church.

Often churches are the only remaining historic buildings in many locations ravaged by wars and uprisings throughout the millennium, leaving this element of history one can hardly ignore.

Several parishioners were praying when we entered the church in Atenas.

Even those of a variety of faiths or no faith whatsoever can find themselves entranced by the beauty and significance of these historical buildings, especially when involved in a specific tour when traveling in a group, on one’s own, or as part of a tour during a port of call while cruising. 

Long view of the altar at San Rafael in Atenas Costa Rica.

We can’t say that any particular church we’ve visited had more of an impact on us than others throughout the world. We loved Sagrada Familia in Barcelona in May 2013 and its incredible history under construction for the past 100 years. See the photo below, along with our link here.

Sagrada Familia in Barcelona, Spain, has been under construction for the past 100+ years.
Then again, we were equally excited to see the church in Bampton, England, in August 2014, where the church scenes in Downton Abbey were filmed. 
Having loved the British TV series, it was quite a thrill to see the church where Mary and Matthew were married and eventually where he was buried in the church cemetery. See the photo below, along with our link here.
This is St. Mary’s church in Bampton, known as Church of St. Michael of All Angels, as shown in the TV series Downton Abbey, where Mary married Matthew, Edith was jilted at the altar, Matthew was buried.

Another unique religious structure, The White Mosque in Dubai in May 2013, left us breathless over its beauty and luxury. Here’s our link, including photos of us wearing the required clothing to enter, the thobe for Tom, and the abaya for me.

As we approached Sheikh Zayed Mosque. It was challenging to get a full shot of the mosque’s enormity based on its size and location. The link above will depict its entire range.

The opportunity to visit these churches and more, which we’ll continue in tomorrow’s post with links and photos, definitely has left us reeling over the powerful significance and purpose for the people of most countries. 

In other countries other than Costa Rica, we’ve never seen these glass coffins with Jesus. So we assume the representation in this manner is cultural.

At times, while chatting with cruise passengers, we may jokingly say, “If we never tour another church, we’ll have seen enough to last a lifetime.” But, we say this knowing full-well that day will never come. 

Beautiful wood ceilings in San Rafael in Atenas.

As we continue on our travels, we find ourselves drawn to these structures, not only as a tourist “attraction” and their often architectural beauty but for the powerful purpose they possess in the lives of the local people, which in many ways has shaped their lives and over time, ours as well.

Close view of the altar.

Please check back tomorrow for more churches we’ve explored in our travels, each with a remarkable story of its own and as an integral part of our ongoing world travels.

A crucifix on the grounds of San Rafael in Atenas.

Have a beautiful day, dear readers/friends!

Photo from one year ago today, September 28, 2016:

Traditional Hindu/Balinese decorations were used in creating the ambiance for dining on the cabana at the resort in Bali. For more details, please click here.

Visiting another town in Costa Rica…Naranjo…Chatting with friends on Skype…

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 Basilica Nuestra Senora de las Piedade is one of the most beautiful Catholic temples in Costa Rica, unique in its Renaissance style, was built between 1924 and 1928.

“Sightings from the Veranda in Costa Rica”

Colorful flowers are blooming throughout the villa’s grounds.  Ulysses takes excellent care to ensure everything is perfectly groomed.

Naranjo is the capital city of the canton of Naranjo in the province of Alajuela in Costa Rica. It is also the name of the district that includes the city. The district of Naranjo covers an area of 25.75 km² and has a population of 19,760.

We visited Naranjo last week when we had the rental car hoping to see this well-known Catholic church. Unfortunately, upon arrival, we discovered the church was temporarily closed due to renovation. So instead, we wandered around the center of town and the local park, observing yet another community filled with friendly people.

Many towns in Costa Rica have Central Parks such as this in Naranjo.

From this site: 
“The town of Naranjo, settled in 1830, was originally known as “Los Naranjos” (the Orange Groves) due to the abundance of orange trees in the surrounding area. Although the name has been shortened and the amount of orange trees lessened, this city of 35,000 has remained an important agricultural hub for Costa Rica.

Set at the base of the Espírito Santo Hills in Costa Rica’s gorgeous Central Valley, the area surrounding the town is stippled with farms growing all kinds of crops– plantains, corn, tapioca, coffee, rice, beans, sugar cane, tobacco, and beef, to name a few.

On a recent road trip, we visited the town of Naranjo to see this church, the Basilica de Naranjo.

The coffee plantations are perhaps the best represented, and plantation tours are becoming increasingly popular among tourists. This fertile area is drained by the Grande Colorado, Molino, Barranca, and El Espino rivers, and, at an elevation of 3,398 feet (1,036 meters), the temperature is a consistently cool 68° F (20° C).

Each year a large festival honoring of the Virgin de Lourdes brings in visitors from all over the country to Naranjo. Additionally, there is an attractive baroque-style church in town that is worth checking out.
Many local citizens travel on foot to get to around town when cars are expensive and bus service is limited.
CIn the Alajuela province’s capitalcity of the canton Naranjo  Naranjo is 27 miles (44 km) from San José. The town of Sarchí, renowned for its abundance of fine handicrafts, is 3 miles (5 km) west. The road north leads to Ciudad Quesada and the Northern Lowlands, and is one of the country’s most picturesque drives. Other popular destinations, including Monteverde, Arenal, and Guanacaste, can be reached from here as well.”
The warmth and friendliness of the people of Costa Rica are evident wherever we may travel. They often smile when walking past us and many often say, “hola or Buenos Dias”. 
Interesting architecture.
There’s no doubt in our minds that in many countries locals can determine that we’re Americans. I’m not sure if there’s an “American look” but we must have it since even before we speak, it’s often presumed. 
Speaking of friendliness, after spending nine weeks in the USA this past summer and after seeing many of my girlfriends, I couldn’t go back to our lives of world travel without staying more closely in touch.
The clock is the correct time.

In these past two months since we left the US,  I’ve had the opportunity to speak with four of my long-time girlfriends on Skype.  No words can express how enjoyable this has been. Yesterday, I talked to my dear friend Colleen, who worked for me 35 years ago in real estate.

We’ve stayed in close touch by email and Facebook these past years. In 2013, while on a cruise in the Caribbean, I visited her in person when she lived on the island of St. Thomas for many years. 
The municipal building is located across the street from Central Park in Naranjo.
I was always impressed how she’d left her life in Minnesota behind to live on the exotic island for decades, never knowing at the time, that we’d do something similar. Over those many years, we easily stayed in touch by phone and later by email. 
We’d hope to see the interior of the church but it was closed due to renovations. So instead, mass is held outdoors on the grounds of the basilica.
However, we hadn’t talked since we visited St. Thomas on April 17, 2013, when St. Thomas was a planned port of call during the cruise. Click here for our post from that date. She’s since moved to Florida. 
We talked about the many hurricanes she experienced over the years in St. Thomas and the worry and concern she shared with other Floridians over the recent devastating hurricanes. Fortunately, her current home weathered the storm well and all is fine and good for her.
This historic outdoor altar is where church services are held while the church is under construction.
Tom walked with me to the center of town where Colleen and I planned to meet and went back to the ship on his own. Later in the day, he met me at a nearby fountain and walked back to the boat.  It was beautiful to see her then and equally excellent to chat on the phone yesterday.
Typical roadside scene.

We promised to stay in touch by phone in the future providing we have a good enough Wi-Fi signal.  Recently, with other friends I’ve done the same, spending time every so often chatting on Skype or now, Facebook’s own free voice chat module. 

My sister Susan and I have been talking every week, Julie less often and other family members as their schedules allow. But, in today’s world, we’ve found talking on the phone is less of a priority to younger generations when social media and texting play such a more significant role. 

Cattle near the road on a small farm.
Today, we’re staying in. We haven’t been able to use the pool for many days due to heavy thunderstorms with lots of lightning throughout most of the day. Of course, it’s still the rainy season (aka green season) which continues from May to November but we’re making the best of it, never letting the rainy days get us down. 
We’re content. We hope you are too!

Photo from one year ago today, September 27, 2016:

We lounged in this (one of many) cabanas overlooking the sea at Puri Bagus Lovina, in Bali with iced tea in hand and books to read on our phones as we continued the five-day process at the nearby immigration office to extend our visas.  For more details, please click here.

Busy days, lazy nights…Simple life in Costa Rica, using all of our senses…

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Rapids in the Rio Grande River. We’d have stopped for a video or better shot, but there was no shoulder at any point on the single-lane bridge, and other vehicles were waiting to cross.

“Sightings from the Veranda in Costa Rica”

Another fire right before our eyes in the valley.  We have no idea what they’re burning.

It’s rather stunning that each day, especially on the days I’m busy cooking for a few days, I can quickly get in 10,000 steps on my FitBit. When I consider the fact, I am sitting for quite some time preparing each day’s post and mostly sitting after dinner when we watch our shows, for the remainder of the day, I’m moving about this large house like a person on a mission.

Chickens and roosters on the rocks in Roca Verde

Purposely, I create opportunities to walk more often to maintain some level of fitness. Yes, I’d love to be walking on the road each day, but as mentioned in a few past posts, the road is outrageously steep and challenging to navigate based on the villa’s location. It’s just not fun for us.

Winding roads as we make our way down the mountain.

We’ve heard that a few neighbors navigate these roads, and we wish them well and commend them for doing so. But, the few people we’ve seen walking the hill don’t appear to be any more fit than the rest of us.

One lane bridge over the Rio Grande River.

Instead, we stay active when staying in, swimming in the pool on sunny mornings and walking as much as possible when sightseeing. I’m hoping today would be a pool day. Unfortunately, as I complete today’s post at almost 11:00 am, the sky fills with dark, ominous-looking clouds.

A turtle pair is sitting on a mossy grass ledge in the pond.

Yesterday afternoon Ulysses, our living-on-the-premises gardener, stopped by to tell us that we could hear the sounds of monkeys. All along, we thought those sounds were dogs howling nearby.  However, when the sounds continued for hours, we often wondered.

Suddenly, as is typical here in the rainy Central Valley, the clouds quickly roll in.

As Ulysses spoke, I didn’t know the Spanish word for a monkey called “mono” (mow-no). But, I was able to determine he was telling us to listen to certain sounds. Then, he made the universal gesture for monkeys. Can you guess what that is?  Yep, it’s the “scratching on the sides of one’s torso” and making an “O” with one’s mouth while breathing in and out, heavily and noisily. 

On occasion, we encounter a horse farm or…a farm with horses.

We laughed and praised Ulysses for being so conveniently adept in his description. So now our ears are tuned to those sounds, added to the roosters, the mooing cows and bulls, the endless array of birds, and the occasional drum beats, which are commonly heard in this area as kids practice local school.

We stopped at a roadside market but didn’t find anything that works for us.  Too much sugar and flour.

As avid amateur photographers, we often get caught up in the visual aspects of our surroundings when there’s so much more. I think in terms of Tom’s blind brother Jerome who “reads” our posts daily on his talking computer, and how much videos with sound must mean to him. 

Koi pond in Zarcera filled with turtles and fish.

Each day Tom edits the post removing all the photos sending them to Jerome by email. Tom never misses a day. It means so much to us that Jerry can travel along with us vicariously enjoying the simple nuances of our day-to-day activities, whether they’re significant or not. 

The reasonably priced items are typical Costa Rica snacks.

When the circumstances are right, taking a video while we talk and it must mean so much more to Jerry. I will make a point of doing more videos in the future, but here in Atenas, there are fewer opportunities for videos than there will be in upcoming months…Antarctica and then Africa.

Tom is always on the prowl for something sweet for a treat but rarely finds anything that appeals to him.

In our upcoming 30-night back-to-back cruise from Fort Lauderdale to Buenos Aires, embarking in 58 days, we’ll be going through the Panama Canal again. Surprisingly, we’re as excited to do this another time as we’d been in the past.

Koi ponds are popular in many parts of the world.

We’ll be thrilled to see the newly built additional locks being built during our first time on a cruise on January 4, 2013. At that point, we were less experienced in taking photos and videos. This time, we’re certainly looking forward to doing so with a bit more ability.

These sleeves of cashews were especially appealing to us. However, I don’t eat cashews since they are higher in carbs and sugar than almonds, walnuts, and pecans.

Ah, the thrills that lie ahead of us somehow make the quiet times in Atenas Costa Rica all the more meaningful and peaceful. As we soon enter into our sixth year of world travel, it almost feels as if we’re beginning again by joyfully retracing our steps to a few favorite locations.

Costa Rica’s markets always seem to have an abundance of gorgeous local flowers for sale at great prices.

Today, we’re making another great meal, Low Carb Cheesy Corned Beef and Cabbage Casserole with enough for two night’s dinner with an additional pan to freeze for future meals. You know the drill, want the recipe? Email me…

May your day stimulate your senses and bring you joy!

Photo from one year ago today, September 26, 2016:

Grounds near our villa in Lovina Bali, where we stayed for four nights during the lengthy process of extending our visas. It turned out to be a delightful experience after all. For more details and photos, please click here.

Interesting article on the most dangerous countries in the world… How many have we visited?

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A turtle we spotted in a pond in Zarcera, Costa Rica.

“Sightings from the Veranda in Costa Rica”

Bottlebrush flowers blooming in the yard.

Business Insider online magazine/newspaper published an article this past June listing the 20 most dangerous countries for tourists in the world. I hadn’t stumbled across this story until this morning while reading the news on my phone when I awakened way too early to get up.

Information of this type is of considerable interest to us, and I was surprised we missed this particular article. Both of us are often on the lookout for information related to travel.

In May 2013, this boat came alongside our ship in the Gulf of Aden when two mercenaries boarded the vessel with “black boxes” and stayed on board for three days and nights protecting our ship from pirates. Here’s the link to that story with more photos.

Here’s the list of Business Insider 20 most dangerous countries from the least dangerous (#20) to the most dangerous (#1). We’ve been to those marked in red. More details may be found in the actual article listed here.
20.  The Republic of Congo
19.  Thailand (6 weeks)
18.  Jamaica
17.  South Africa (3 months)
16.  Guatemala
15.  Chad
14.  Bangladesh
13.  Mali
12.  Lebanon
11. the Philippines
10.  Ukraine
 9.   Honduras (cruise tour)
 8.   Kenya (3 months)
 7.   Egypt (cruise tour)
 6.   Venezuela
 5.   Nigeria
 4.   Pakistan
 3.   El Salvador
 2.   Yemen
 1.   Columbia (cruise tour)

The chaos in the streets in Egypt was comparable to what we’ve seen in movies. Often these types of areas are targets of attacks.

Although cruise tours may seem safer, and in many ways, they may be, we’ve often read stories of cruise passengers under attack at shopping centers, restaurants, public transportation, and on tour buses. 

As for the above listed six out of 20 which we visited and lived in, there is only one, South Africa, which we’ll visit (in this case a second time), where we’ll be living for many months beginning in February 2018. 

Not all areas of South Africa and these other countries are dangerous. Many remote locations have lower incidences of crime and terrorism. But, most tourists, generally staying only a short period, tend to prefer to visit the larger cities, where most crimes occur.

The stone wall at the property in Kenya not only inspired the goats to stop by to say hello but had broken bottle glass set into the mortar at the top of the wall to keep intruders out.  Here’s the link for this photo.

With primarily non-English speaking news on TV where we’ve lived over these past years, we can easily miss such an article as the above. However, whenever we begin research for future travels, we first investigate the political climate and crime rates and search the US Department of State Travel warnings.

Many of our readers have contacted us stating that they are in the process of changing their lives to travel the world and often ask us for advice and suggestions, which we’re always happy to provide. 

In many ways, our site is intended to be of assistance to both short and long-term travelers and those who’ve traveled in the past and dream of traveling in the future. 

Then, of course, we have those loyal readers who don’t necessarily care about traveling but enjoy seeing our photos and reading about what life is like “living in the world.” (We appreciate all of you, regardless of your motivation to visit us here).

We can’t stress more the importance of doing your research for those travelers considering future travel. And, as we all so well know, there isn’t any country in the world that is entirely safe, including our homeland, wherever that may be.

If seeing the Pyramids in Egypt is on your “bucket list,” you may decide to trade that dream for another, safer location. When we visited the Pyramids in 2013, even then, it was listed as unsafe and has become more so over the years. Without a doubt, we realized the risk when booking the cruise, which was further confirmed when we had a security guard on our bus with an Uzi in a holster beneath his black Hugo Boss suit coat.

Mohamed, our security guard, stayed with us the entire time we toured the pyramids. Here’s the link to that story with more photos.

Once we arrived at the pyramids, we felt fortunate when the above security guard, Mohamed, had taken a liking to us and suggested we stay close to him during the trek to the pyramids and back. 

We’d heard stories of horrifying tourist experiences at the pyramids but felt safer going on the cruise ship’s arranged tour, which many cruise passengers have experienced. Although, as mentioned above, these tours still may pose a serious risk.  

It was scorching and dusty. We wore our breathable and insect-resistant Africa clothing during this tour and others.  Here’s the link to this photo.

Please be careful when arranging private tours through local tour companies in any of the above countries. Reading reviews and doing extensive research is a must. Failure to do so may greatly increase the likelihood of danger, with many unscrupulous operators taking advantage of tourists.

We continue to strive to be safe and realize that we’ve taken certain risks in some cases. As the world becomes more and more dangerous, we’re seriously thinking twice before planning to visit many countries throughout the world. 

Our continuing goal to stay in more remote locations continues to provide us with a layer of safety that generally provides us with peace of mind. Only you can decide how much you’re willing to risk your safety to “step outside the box” in your world travels.

In each of our lives, wherever we may live or visit, we all have the opportunity to reach for our interpretation of “stepping outside the box,” whether it’s reading a book of a genre we’re never tried, tasting a new food we’ve previously avoided or in making the first step to meet someone new.

May your day present you with opportunities to try something new!

Photo from one year ago, September 25, 2016:

Private outdoor massage area at neighbor’s Piia and Thomas’ home in Sumbersari Bali, often used when a massage therapist visits the house several times a week. For more photos of this beautiful home, please click here.

How much do we pay for health insurance?… Technology issues… Patience prevails…

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Elephant topiary on the church’s grounds.

“Sightings from the Veranda in Costa Rica”

We can’t take our eyes off these adorable tiny birds.
Early this morning, we were sighting of a hummingbird partaking of our sugar water.

Regardless of how far away we may travel from the US, there’s no escaping the responsibility of paperwork required for life in general and more related to our lifestyle of world travel.

With Tom’s 65th birthday fast approaching on December 23rd, it was time for him to waive Part B Medicare, which would result in an automatic deduction from Railroad Retirement for his monthly pension income if he didn’t handle it on time.

Pretty ceiling and chandeliers in the church.

Medicare doesn’t pay for medical care outside of the US (with a few exceptions, here and there) long ago; we purchased  “major medical” international insurance coverage through Healthcare International in the UK.

No more expensive annually than paying the required amount for Part B Medicare and a supplement, our plan doesn’t cover doctor visits. So in the past almost five years, we’ve spent very little for the few doctor office visits we’ve made, the most for physical exams and tests we had over two years ago in Trinity Beach, Australia.

Shrine on the grounds of Iglesia Catolica de Zarcero church in Zarcero Costa Rica.

In total, over this extended period, including the comprehensive exams in Australia for both of us, we haven’t spent more than US $2000 (CRC 1,150,510), averaging at US $400 (CRC 230,102) per year.

Our annual insurance payment to Healthcare International is US $4,000 (CRC 2,301,020) plus the average US $400 (CRC 230,102) for doctor visits, totals US $4400 (CRC 2,531,122) per year.

Faces in the shrubs.  Amazing.

The required payments for Medicare Part B plus a supplement plan, plus all the necessary co-pays, would ultimately be much higher than what we’re paying annually. But, of course, we hardly ever go to a doctor, reserving those for situations where we feel we have no alternative. Thus, it’s difficult to compare “apples to apples.”

As a result, Tom won’t be signing up for Medicare Part B, which required he contact Railroad Retirement (as opposed to Social Security) since he worked for the railroad for over 42 years.  Instead, Railroad retirement (and Medicare) require that the potential recipient complete a form requesting to waive Part B.  I’d done this almost five years ago when I was approaching 65.

More faces.

A few weeks ago, Tom called Railroad Retirement and requested the necessary documentation to sign to waive this option. Unfortunately, it took several weeks to arrive at our mailing service in Nevada, Maillink Plus.

When we receive snail mail at the mailing service, we’re sent an email message that snail mail has arrived. So we log into our account at their site and see who sent the mail but not its specific contents. At that point, we can request the mail be scanned at US $2 (CRC 1151) per page.

This spot may be used for weddings and other celebratory occasions.

Of course, receiving mail from governmental agencies may result in the necessity of having many pages scanned to get to the page(s) were looking for, as was the case here. 

Once the document is scanned (always within hours except for Sundays), we can view or print the copy (if we have access to a printer), which we do here in Costa Rica in this fine villa. Since the document required completion with a signature, printing it was a necessity. We also needed to print the cover letter, which included coding and secure ID numbers. Thus, we ended up with two pages to print.

Not every topiary was indicative of a specific animal or item but, it is still interesting.

Once Tom completed the form, the next step was to get the two pages back to Railroad Retirement. Unfortunately, they don’t accept email for such conditions. That means we’d have to pay for a taxi to go to a post office, pay the postage to the US and also plan it could take upwards of a month to arrive.

But not for us! Our mailing service will handle that for about another US $2 (CRC 1151), preparing an envelope with our return address and a stamp. Then, all we’d have to do is scan the two pages and email both of them to the mailing service. 

Colorful stonework on a wall near the entrance to the church.

This morning I printed the two pages, after which Tom filled out the form, handing them back to me to scan and email. Sound easy, eh? Not so much. For some goofy reason, the software I’d downloaded for the new Brother Scanner we’d purchased from Amazon and received while in Nevada wasn’t working.

The application I needed and had used extensively when I’d done tons of scanning while in Nevada had somehow disappeared from my laptop, nor could we find the actual installation disk I’d used at the time to install it. 

Rainy day view from the church entrance to the topiary.

Sure, I could go online to Brother and install what I needed to complete the process, but I was bound and determined to figure out a solution to avoid doing this. Furthermore, I’d yet to start today’s post and didn’t want to spend an hour fooling around with an install.

Patience was not high on my priority list, but a determination was often the case. After about an hour, I figured out a workaround and got the documents to scan and into my email. Finally, I prepared the email message to Maillink, which they’ll receive and process tomorrow (Monday), confirming that the task has been completed.

Painting of Jesus in the interior of the church.

Today, while Tom watches the Minnesota Vikings game, I’ll work on installing the software if we have a good enough signal for streaming the game and performing a download. We shall see.

Have a wonderful Sunday or Monday wherever you may be in the world.

Photo from one year ago today, September 24, 2016:

In Sumbersari Bali, we met neighbors who invited us for a visit. This is their infinity pool. For more photos of their lovely property, please click here.

A must share recipe after many inquiries…Non-foodies, please bear with us…New readers, why do we eat this way?

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The repeat photo is shown in yesterday’s post. After many inquiries, more details and the recipe is included here today. Food is a big part of our world travels, as we’re sure it is for most of you when traveling, whether homemade or dining in restaurants. We tripled the recipe below to result in four meals, freezing part of it.

“Sightings from the Veranda in Costa Rica

This is a Social Flycatcher, a different species from that which we presented in earlier posts. Thanks to new friend and neighbor Charlie, he named this species for us. Thanks, Charlie!

Many moons ago, Tom suggested I stop frequently mentioning food in our posts. But, based on my special diet, which has enabled me to be well enough to travel the world for this past almost five years, it’s somewhat difficult to stay mum on the topic.  

When I wrote about Tom’s comments, many readers immediately wrote to say it was fine to mention food, recipes, and meals. They wanted to see what we were eating. And, let’s face it, food is a part of our daily lives in one way or another.

Many of our readers continue to inquire about recipes we mention in posts when something sounds appealing to their tastes and desires. Such was the case and motivation for today’s post when we posted a photo of a meal we made on Wednesday with a photo we posted yesterday.

I often suggest readers contact me by email, and I’ll send them the recipe. In this particular case, we had dozens of inquiries which led us to decide we needed to post the recipe and photos once again and update the reasons for this way of eating with those who may not be aware, having started reading our posts since the last time we posted this information.

We continue to be looking for new and taste-tempting recipes that fulfill our mutual desire for good food, healthy and rich in taste and nutrients. It’s a constant challenge when we strive for variety to introduce new local foods we may encounter along the way. 

For our new readers, let me reiterate what the diet consists of on a simple basis:

  • Grain free
  • Sugar-free (no fruit except avocado and tomato)), no agave, no honey, etc.
  • Starch free – no potatoes of any type, no corn, no beans, no rice, no quinoa (or other gluten-free grains)
  • High fat
  • Moderate protein
  • Low carb – from 20 to 30 grams of carbohydrates per day

What is allowed on this way of eating:

  • Grass-fed meat, free-range chicken and eggs, and wild-caught fish (avoid farmed fish) when available
  • Butter, full-fat cream, hard natural cheeses, cream cheese in blocks, full-fat sour cream, and other full-fat dairy products in moderation (if you tolerate dairy)
  • Olive oil, coconut oil (unrefined, organic, high quality)
  • Nuts (in moderation), except cashews (high sugar), peanuts (not a nut but a bean), and nut flours, including almond flour, coconut flour, ground flaxseed, etc.
  • Vegetables, non-starchy (no corn, no potatoes), mostly green – unlimited quantities (easy on carrots and beets that contain a lot of natural sugar);  celery, cabbage, cauliflower, broccoli, green beans, zucchini, lettuce, kale, etc.

By following this strict eating method, I became totally pain-free after three months of eating this way, from a chronic spinal condition from which I suffered for decades. Since beginning this way of eating, the condition is held at bay, and we can continue to travel the world, albeit with caution to avoid injuring my spine.

Although I still have the condition, I experience no pain due to a lack of inflammation in my spine. This diet doesn’t make me (or anyone) exempt from other painful situations, conditions, or pain of injuries, such as in Bali in 2016 when I injured my back in the pool, bumping into a stone wall. It took five months to heal. But, for me, it works for this heredity condition. It may or may not work for you.

My elder sister (four years) has by lying in bed 24/7 for 12 years with the same condition. Lying in bed, unable to cook has made it impossible for her to eat this way of eating easily. It breaks my heart to know she’s in pain, but she has an amazing spirit and positive attitude. When we were in Las Vegas in July, I spent considerable time with her, staying in close touch since we left.

Following this way of eating isn’t easy. But, for me, the fear of pain keeps me on track. In the past six years since I began this diet, I haven’t put one morsel of food not included in this way of eating in my mouth…not a cookie, cracker, candy, taste of a dessert, ice cream, or french fry…not a bite.

Not everyone is motivated enough to do this. But as time goes on, more and more people have come to understand that the bill of goods sold to us by the government is not producing a world of healthy people. I won’t get into this.

Over these past years of eating this way, I’ve continually searched online for new main dish recipes.  I used to make low-carb desserts but gave up eating after dinner when none were worth the effort. I’ve rid myself of my sweet tooth, although I still have voyeuristic tendencies when walking past a bakery.

Generally, Tom follows me on this way of eating although lately he’s been eating fruit and he hasn’t suffered any ill effects, no weight gain, no illness. Everyone’s body is different. We all react differently to foods and substances in our environment. One must choose what works for them.

We took this photo before basting the “bakes” with egg white and parmesan cheese before baking. Then, we made them and placed them in the refrigerator, adding the egg white and parmesan before placing them in the oven.

Since we began posting in March 2012 and discussing this way of eating, many of our readers have inquired about how to commence on this eating this way. In each case, I suggested they read some books on the topic, which will lead them in the right direction. I am happy to send each reader inquiring a book list I put together that helped me on this path. 

Upon reading a book or two, they can decide along with their medical professional if this way of eating is suitable for them. This is not a “hit and miss” process. It’s a lifetime commitment to changing one’s diet. For most health will return, the weight will be lost, blood sugar will stabilize (work with a doctor on this), energy will increase, and more positive effects will become evident.

Anyway, after all the email inquires for yesterday’s mentioned recipe, here it is. Please keep in mind that we always make huge portions last for three or four meals, freezing part of each recipe for those days we don’t want to cook. 

This recipe is enough for two to three servings or more based on the preferred portion size. We liked it so much we each ate one of these huge portions per dinner. 

However, we only eat once a day (less Tom’s fruit in the morning) and may enjoy a little larger portion for our evening meal than others who eat three times a day plus snacks. (Our way of eating reduces appetite so much that it is the primary reason we only eat one meal a day). 

We don’t eat when we’re not hungry but, 24 hours (intermittent fasting) after my last meal, I’m always looking forward to dinner. Once dinner is over, I don’t put another morsel in my mouth. Tom may have a few pieces of hard natural cheese, such as a quality cheddar which we always keep on hand in case hunger pops up during the day.

Here’s the recipe, renamed after I found it online and after I’d made several changes to it to enhance its flavor, which proved worthwhile:

Jess’s Low Carb Chicken Bake – Grain Free
Prep time, 1 hour. Cook time, 40 minutes
It may be fully prepared in the morning, refrigerated, and cooked later for dinner
Yields 3 or 4 chicken bakes, based on size preference
Dough Ingredients
·   8 oz. shredded mozzarella
·   3 oz. cream cheese
·   1 egg (the dough mixes easier if it is room temperature)
·   1/3 cup almond flour
·   1/3 cup coconut flour

·   1/3 cup ground golden flaxseeds

Filling Ingredients:
·    2 cups chicken, shredded or cubed (for easy prep, use already cooked roasted chickens)
·    1/3 cup shredded parmesan cheese
·    1 cup shredded mozzarella cheese
·    1/4 cup bacon crumbles
·    3 T sour cream
·    3 T mayo
·    1 tsp garlic powder
·    1 tsp salt
Topping Ingredients
½ egg beaten white
Parmesan cheese, grated
Instructions
1.  Preheat oven to 350F, 178C.
2.  Put mozzarella cheese and 2 ounces of the cream cheese in a microwave-safe bowl. Microwave for one minute. Stir. Microwave 30 seconds. Stir. At this point, all the cheese should be melted. Microwave 30 more seconds until uniform and gloopy (it should look like cheese fondue at this point). Mix in the egg and baking mix. You will need to dump it onto wax paper and knead it by hand to incorporate the ingredients thoroughly, or you can do this in a food processor with the dough blade.
3.  Press or roll into a large rectangle on a piece of parchment paper. It helps to use wet hands or cover the top with the second piece of parchment. Cut the dough into 3 or 4 rectangles.
4.  Combine all the ingredients for the filling. Divide the filling between them. Gently pull the sides up and around the filling pressing the seams together to stay closed. Brush with the egg white and sprinkle with the parmesan.
5.  Bake on a pizza stone or baking sheet covered in nonstick foil or parchment paper for 40-50 minutes until golden brown.
Happy dining!
____________________________________________
Photo from one year ago today, September 22, 2016:
Sunset from the veranda in Bali.  For more photos, please click here.

Yeah!…Rental car day…Out and about at last…More museum photos including some unusual items…

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Juan Ramon was excited to show us this bottle with a marble inside.

“Sightings from the Veranda in Costa Rica”

Oranges growing in the yard. 

Soon, at 11:00 am, we’re picking up the rental car at the grocery store cafe. We’ll get most of the grocery shopping done, and then on Saturday, when we return the car, we’ll pick up a few more items to last until we rent the car again, nine days later.

This schedule is working well for us, leaving us stranded for only a part of each month. Also, we’re saving thousands of dollars in outrageous rental fees, insurance, and taxes while we’re continuing our strict budget during this period in Costa Rica.

A bucket and miscellaneous tools.

After today, we’ll have paid for the upcoming 30-night back-to-back cruises on which we’ll embark in 66 days.  Next month, we’ll pay the balance of the expensive Antarctica cruise at US $13,875 (CRC 8,003,794). 

A stone toilet for an outhouse.  Notice the corn cobs which were used in place of toilet paper.

At that point, we won’t have to pay for another cruise until January 1, 2019, for a cruise on March 24, 2019, which sails from Santiago, Chile, to San Diego, California. From there, we’ll spend some time visiting family in the US once again how the time flies! That’s only 19 months from now!

Push mowers.  We’ve yet to see a power mower being used in Atenas.

We’ll be jumping around a bit, but this schedule worked out best for us when we were determined to spend about a year in Africa beginning this upcoming February. 

Some heating equipment.

Shortly after we decide where we’ll travel after visiting the US in 2019, we’ll be posting a new itinerary. We continue to discuss our options, but the world is a huge place. At that point, we’ll have visited all seven continents and be returning to countries we’d yet to visit.

A small kiln is used for cooking.

Also, watching the world news on TV while in Costa Rica has convinced us it’s unlikely we’ll stay in many big cities where we’d be inclined to use public transportation, dine at outdoor cafes and tour popular tourist venues. The risks are higher in these areas than in more remote locations. 

Antique jugs and jars.

Every country has a “countryside” or outlying area packed with desirable vacation/holiday homes, and we have no concern over finding and booking extraordinary properties befitting our tastes and desires as we have over this past almost five years.

In the interim, we’re content in Atenas. We knew we’d be here during the rainy season, but there’s no way to avoid these types of situations when we’re traveling year-round. 

Coffee-making utensils.

With most of the rain occurring after 12:00 pm, we’ve managed to spend time in and around the pool as soon as we’ve uploaded the daily post. A day like today, which has started cloudy, almost always ensures we won’t see any sunshine today, putting a damper on the possibility of sightseeing.

Instead, we’ll shop for groceries, pick up a few items at the pharmacy and return to the villa. Putting away all the groceries is a time-consuming process when washing and preparing the produce can take upwards of an hour. I often wonder if it’s just me that takes so long. 

A potpourri of old tools and other items.

Do you spend an hour or more time prepping vegetables for the upcoming week? I’d love to hear from you.  I understand some shoppers may wash their vegetables as they use them. But, with dirt, excess leaves, and overgrown vegetation on many of the items, I can’t see the point of placing anything into the refrigerator until everything is washed, dried, and appropriately bagged.

Although we’ll still go to the Friday Atenas Farmers Market, we need to purchase enough produce today to last through the next four nights. With our way of eating, we go through tremendous amounts of fresh produce each week. 

An old-fashioned scale.

For example, for last night’s dinner alone, we used the following vegetables: onions, tomatoes, celery, cabbage, carrots, green beans, zucchini, bell peppers, and fresh garlic. This results in considerable time spent prepping the veggies upon returning from the market and subsequently chopping and dicing as needed for the specific meal—busy work.

With a taxi coming in 30 minutes to take us to Mercado Coopeatenas to get the car, I’m wrapping this up now. We’ll be back with more new photos again tomorrow. This week, regardless of the weather, we’ll get out and take new photos to share with all of you each day.

Have a pleasant day filled with happy surprises!

Photo from one year ago today, September 18, 2016:

Family gatherings on the beach in Sumbersari Bali amid the trash that rolls in with the tide along with trash left behind by locals and visitors.  Bali hasn’t yet embraced the concept of keeping its island and beaches less cluttered with garbage. However, a large portion of the beach trash is a result of that left at sea by others. For more details, please click here.

More photos…The museum at Puente Ferrocarril Rio Grande Atenas… Another power outage…

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Juan Ramon showed us a railroad calendar. As Tom went though the pages, month by month, he was excited to find this page with the Great Northern Railway (photo from 1964). In the background is the Mississippi River, the Hennepin Ave Bridge and behind it, the Great Northern Railroad Bridge.

“Sightings from the Veranda in Costa Rica”

In this photo, taken yesterday before the big storm, the mountains almost appear as a tidal wave.  Freaky.

Yesterday afternoon, about 30 minutes prior to our plan to walk down the steep road to a neighbor’s home who’d generously offered to take us with her to the restaurant where the rock and roll fiesta was being held from 4:00 to 7:00 pm, a downpour occurred of such magnitude that we decided not to go. 

The rain didn’t let up for hours.

Juan and his family in this old photo.

Not wanting to inconvenience her by asking her to come get us in the downpour, coupled with our lack of interest in getting soaked and the consideration that many others may have decided to stay home anyway, made staying in an easy decision.

Juan Ramon photo as he became in charge of managing the historic depot.

Moments after we notified the kindly neighbor that we wouldn’t be coming, the power went out during a close flash of lightning. This was around 3:00 pm. Unfortunately,  shortly before the power outage, I’d been using my laptop to watch a Netflix movie without using the power supply. 

The depot in the early 1900’s.

Subsequently, my battery was partially drained, leaving me with only a few hours of use remaining should the power not come back on. Again, I reminded myself of the recent hurricanes in the US and the thousands that continue to be without power, including thousands whose homes were uninhabitable due to the devastation from the storms. A short-term outage here in Costa Rica is nothing, comparatively.

The walls in this area were covered in old railroad photos.

My phone’s battery was half drained as well. Tom’s laptop was fully charged so if we were stuck in the dark all evening, we could use his laptop to watch a movie as opposed to sitting in the dark. There are only a few candles in the villa. All of our books are on our phones on Kindle apps.

Train arriving at the station in late 1800’s or early 1900’s.

I knew my laptop wouldn’t make it through one entire movie so I used our portable hard drive, plugged it into my laptop and downloaded several shows and movies. This way I could transfer them to Tom’s laptop where we could watch them there if need be.

In 1926, a tragic derailment resulted in the death of 14 passengers and crew.

At this point, Tom decided to take a nap, a rare occurrence for him. He laid down on the comfy bed and in minutes, was sound asleep. I wandered about the house, looking for something to read.

Many photos of the 1926 derailments lined the walls of the museum.

Although some vacation/holiday homes have somewhat of a “library” along with puzzles and games,  this particular property had only one paperback book, a military-type thriller in the desk drawer. I picked it up and began reading.

Axel and wheels of an old cart as shown in above old photo. Not all items in the museum were related to the railroad.

I hadn’t read a paper book in years. Even in our old lives, years ago I began reading books online, long before it was popular to do so. I loved the technology and simplicity of always having my “book” with me wherever I might be. Now, due to weight and space restrictions, neither of us ever carries a paper book.

The museum was a hodgepodge of antique items, including these tools and handmade masks.

The book kept me busy for the half hour Tom dozed. He awoke with a start asking if the power had returned. With not much to do and with it still pouring rain, we walked around the house, staring out in the sheer wonder of how it can rain so much day after day. Thank goodness for the usually sunny mornings.

By 4:30, we decided we may as well make dinner since it’s usually dark by 6:00 pm, hopefully only opening the refrigerator a few times until the power came back on. We busied ourselves in the kitchen.  Luckily, I’d already done most of the prep for the meal earlier in the day. 

When planning to go out to the music fest we figured it would be best to have a meal ready to cook in the event the food at the restaurant wasn’t suitable for my way of eating. 

Railroad switch locks.

We had Asian burger patties ready to cook (luckily the range runs on propane gas); a salad made and ready for dressing; vegetables to throw into a pot of water on the stove.  Dinner would be easy to prepare without electricity.

As for keeping the refrigerated food cold, Tom had been saving ice in the bottom bin of the freezer in a large plastic bag. He had enough ice to keep the refrigerated products cold overnight, if necessary.  If the power didn’t come back on the next day, we could begin eating everything in the freezer. We had a plan. 

Old seats from a passenger train.

By 5:15 we were seated at the dining room table with our plates of food in front of us, while we watched an episode of Master Chef. If the power didn’t come back on overnight, we had it covered.

Just about the time we’d finished our meal and the show ended, the lights flashed when the power came back on. We looked at each other, smiled and jumped up starting to clear the table. As always, Tom washed the dishes while I busied myself with other cleanup tasks.

Tom wrote in the guestbook as he often does as we travel the world.

By the time darkness fell, we made our way to the screening room, selecting a few shows on Netflix to watch until bedtime. Sure, we were disappointed not to go out with our neighbor but we do have other social plans on the horizon.

As for today’s photos, enjoy these museum treasures that Juan Ramon excitedly shared with us as we toured through the dusty old museum on the grounds of the railway depot. He was delightful and we appreciated every moment he spent with us.

Soon, Tom will watch the Minnesota Vikings game on the app on his laptop with the HDMI cord plugged into the huge flat screen TV while I prepare tonight’s meal. It’s a typical Sunday in the life of retirees.

Gee…I just might get back into that paper book!

Photo from one year ago today, September 17, 2016:

What a lovely family in their colorful holiday clothing as they walk to a local shrine with their offerings. Gede, our house man in Bali, stopped by for a visit with his wife and two daughters.  hey have since added a son to their family after we left almost a year ago.  For more details please click here.

Part 2… A journey to yesteryear in Costa Rica… A railroad depot and freight house… Puente Ferrocarril Rio Grande Atenas… Culture and history…

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No, thanks. We had no interest in walking on this bridge at Puente Ferrocarril Rio Grande Atenas.

“Sightings from the Veranda in Costa Rica”

Inca Doves can mate for life and typically spend considerable time preening one another during the mating season. Tom took this great photo from the veranda.

After we toured the locomotive and the museum (photos coming soon) with Juan Ramon, he enthusiastically encouraged us to make the walk down the railroad tracks to the abandoned bridge at the end of the tracks.

A railroad high stand switch was used to switch the train from one track to another.

It has been raining every day for these past weeks since we arrived, and the ground was muddy and slippery in spots. Luckily, we were both wearing our water shoes which we could easily wash with the garden hose when we returned to the villa.

Several houses line the railroad tracks.

With the issue of ruining our shoes out of the way, I contemplated whether this long walk over rough terrain would work for me. At the same time, I continue to recuperate after all these months, having yet to restore my previous level of fitness and stamina. 

There was no road accessible by car to reach the houses along the railroad track.

Hesitating to go at all and realizing how long Tom and Juan Ramon would be gone, I decided “what the heck,” and I began the trek along with them. At a few points, as shown in a photo in yesterday’s post, they stopped to wait for me. 

Although difficult to see in these photos, the river runs under the bridge.

Tom stuck close to me at other points, holding my hand as we navigated the more difficult spots. The trek was much further than anticipated, although some TripAdvisor reviewers mentioned it in their comments. I knew that the more walks we do like this, the stronger I’ll become.

Walking on the bridge didn’t appeal to us.

Finally, after stopping from time to time to take photos, we made it to the bridge. Oddly, Juan Ramon and I communicated a little while I explained that our world travels in my choppy Spanish. He asked me to name some of the countries we’ve visited and seemed most intrigued with those in Africa, as is often the case.

We didn’t see any reason to walk on the old rickety bridge, so we went as far as we could without doing so.

He told me about his family and his years of working on the railroad.  He was particularly fascinated with Tom’s 42½  years spent working for Burlington Northern Santa Fe railroad in Minneapolis, Minnesota, USA. He kept this in mind as we toured the property and museum, knowing Tom was a highly experienced railroad man.

At a few points, we could see the Rio Grande River.

Moving on to more current events of today, we finally reached out to make social contacts in Atenas. A few weeks ago, I joined an Atenas ex-pat group on Facebook, spending a few minutes each day lurking without commenting.

Although the ground was pretty level as we walked toward the bridge, walking was precarious at times. It has been raining daily, and some spots on the dirt path were slippery and muddy. At many points, we had to walk in the center of the track. 

Yesterday afternoon, I stuck my neck out and wrote the following post on Facebook:
“Hello, we’re world travelers staying in Atenas for almost four months in Roca Verde. We’d love to meet some of you. Any suggestions on where and when we could hang out and have an opportunity to make some friends would be appreciated. On October 31st, it will be five years since we sold everything we own and started this journey. We don’t own a home, have an apartment or condo anywhere, or have storage anywhere. We’d love to hear about your travel experiences and more about Atenas. Please message me or click my email on our blog at www.worldwidewaftage.com”

A least half of the way, we walked on the gravel on the tracks when the dirt path ended. The railroad ties were a combination of wood, concrete, and steel.

We’d heard ex-pats in Costa Rica were as friendly as the locals. After receiving 12 comments following my post, we already have plans for tonight to go with a neighbor living in our gated community of Roca Verda to an event in town, a rock and roll festival, and a barbecue at a local restaurant. Next week on Wednesday, we’ll attend a luncheon, mainly a women’s group, but the men come along and sit at a separate table.

At 3:30 today, we’ll walk down the steep road to Barb’s home and ride with her to the event. We’ll explain we’ll arrange a taxi to take us home so she doesn’t have to give a thought as to when we’d like to go or stay. Easy peasy. 

This house on stilts along the tracks appeared to be occupied.

Then, we received a few email messages for more plans for next week when we’ll have a car again. How fun is this! Tom and I both shook our heads, wondering why we hadn’t done this sooner.  After all, we’ve already been here for over six weeks.

We have no doubt we’ll have a good time as we often do with other retirees, many of us who’ve stepped outside the box to live a different life from what they knew living in their native country. It’s always interesting to hear “why” others have chosen this path.

We’ll be back tomorrow with the story of what we discovered when spending the late afternoon and evening with ex-pats from several countries. Of course, we’ll be taking photos to share here.

Have a fabulous Saturday! 

Photo from one year ago today, September 16, 2016:

Locals fishing along the shore in Sumbersari Bali as seen from our villa’s veranda, one year ago today.  For more photos, please click here.

Part 1… A journey to yesteryear in Costa Rica… A railroad depot and freight house… Puente Ferrocarril Rio Grande Atenas… Culture and history…

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The blue locomotive at the train depot, Puente Ferrocarril Rio Grande Atenas, with a dual cab.

“Sightings from the Veranda in Costa Rica”

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

Tom and I frequently accommodate each other’s interests when we decide on where we’ll go sightseeing. Sometimes, it’s botanical gardens which I particularly love, and at other times, it’s a military museum.

Tom was walking toward the depot and museum.

Undoubtedly we are stereotypical for our genders with many of our interests besides our mutual passion for wildlife; for me, the flowers and quaint shops; for him, military tanks and railroad history and memorabilia.

Signage at the depot.

Over these past years of world travel, we’ve found we can easily cross over to each other’s interests with little hesitation. I no longer roll my eyes when he stops to read every word on historical signs posted at various locations. He’ll freely pause to show me an unusual flower.

Juan Ramon’s home is located across the tracks. 

We share endless interests in wildlife and nature, which have proven to be in abundance in many countries. Based on our transportation limitations and mountainous location in Costa Rica, birds have proven to be of our most significant interest as we spend hours each day watching and listening for varied species. 

Dog at the train depot, Puente Ferrocarril Rio Grande Atenas.

As shown in our many bird photos, Costa Rica doesn’t disappoint its colorful and varied wildlife and vegetation. Both of us are thoroughly enjoying each day, including the bird sounds and songs, including the nearly constant crowing of roosters.

Locomotive drive wheels on display at the depot.

As for sightseeing, we continue to get out several times every other week when we have the five-day car rental, which is upcoming again on Monday. In the interim, we’ll continue to share photos and stories from our recent sightseeing expeditions and outings when we last had the car.

Control stands inside the locomotive cab.

We’d read about Puente Ferrocarril Rio Grande Atenas at the TripAdvisor site with many rave reviews. Those less interested in railroad history wrote some wishy-washy reviews. In contrast, others reveled in the fascinating history and museum, leaving us smiling hours after exploring several areas of this exciting spot.

Engine compartment.

We parked the car and walked the short distance to the depot.  There were only a few visitors on-site who may have been from some news agency when we noted they had sophisticated camera equipment set up and were taking photos. Shortly after we arrived, they left. 

The opposite side of the engine compartment.

Moments later, Juan Ramon came out of a single-story house located on the property to greet us, warmly shaking our hands.  He spoke no English, but somehow we were able was able to understand he’d been managing the property for the past 10 years since the trains stopped running and he moved his family into the tiny house.

Inside the cab of the locomotive.

A warm and friendly man, Juan Ramon couldn’t have been more thrilled to share the treasures of the location, including allowing us to tour the blue locomotive (Tom gave me a shove to get me up the metal ladder while I hung on tightly on the grab-irons), the roadbed/right-of-way to the railroad bridge and considerable time in the museum.

In railroad jargon, an overly zealous train enthusiast is often referred to as a “former,” implying they “foam at the mouth” when around anything railroad, whether its modern-day train and railroad equipment or memorabilia. 

The opposite side of the locomotive cab.

Tom’s no foamer.  He’s more interested in the local history and culture of the railroad in the country we’re visiting at any given time than in railroad equipment itself. Based on the extent of photo ops at train stations and depots, I’ve learned to find it all rather interesting as well.

Tomorrow, we’ll share photos from the long hike to the railroad bridge, a hike we’d hesitated to embark upon when some reviewers mentioned how far it was from the depot and the rigor of the walk along the tracks, now overgrown with vegetation (as shown in the photo below) when unused over the past 10 years. 

Tom and Juan Ramon were waiting for me to catch up on the long hike.

But, our wonderful and thoughtful host, Juan Ramon, who lives at the depot and oversees its operation and visitors, insisted on walking the long distance to the bridge with us. Although there’s no fee to visit the facility, we left Juan Ramon a generous tip for the time he spent with us, especially when the facility wasn’t opened to the public that day. 

Please check back for more with many photos from the adjoining museum, there again, presented to us by our generous host, Juan Ramon.

Photo from one year ago today, September 15, 2016:

This duck seemed perfectly content in our pool in Bali until realizing it could be tricky getting out, so she swam to the steps as shown and walked out. Animals are amazing!  For more photos, please click here.