Raining in buckets!…Touch of cabin fever?…Unreal video of another steep road…

Posted by worldwide-admin on with 0 Comment
Steep road to the house in Savusavu!

With our lifestyle geared toward making events less stressful when its within our control keeps us at “home” on rainy days. As of today, we’ve been in Savusavu for 15 days and its rained for 13 days.

My dish towels have been hanging outside on the ropes of the railing for days, partially drying during short dry periods and then becoming soaked a short time later. There’s not a single spot indoors to hang them.

These dish towels have been hanging outside for days unable to dry with the constant rain. We can’t throw them into the laundry when they’d be covered in ants by morning.  When necessary, I place the dirty towels in a bag in the freezer overnight.

Shalote will take the soaked towels along with our dirty laundry to the mysterious washer and dryer she and Usi use to do the laundry. I saw a clothesline in an obscure location on this five-acre property. I longingly think of those stand-up racks we’ve used in various countries throughout the world where we did our own wash, hanging the clothes to dry. This way I wouldn’t have this daily dish towel issue. 

We’d love to get out, me more than Tom. If we hardly ever went out and about, he’d be content. Somehow, he manages to entertain himself constantly reading online; looking for future cruises, airfares, and car rentals; listening to his favorite Minnesota podcast, Garage Logic (three hours daily); checking stock prices and financial matters; and, spending time spewing a variety of opines on Facebook, Cruise Critic and a few other choice newsy sites he fancies.

If we sat outside in the rain we’d be protected by the overhang. But, the mozzies are in full force during this rainy period.

I, on the other hand, prefer to be out exploring and taking photos. Good grief, I prepare a daily post and need photos! The great part is the enjoyment I derive from taking the photos and from posting them along with the story of an outing. It’s an indescribable pleasure. 

Fortunately, we’ve gone out during short dry periods able to take the many photos we’ve shared to date with still a stash in “inventory.” Our goal is to have no less than five or six days of yet un-posted photos on hand in the event of inclement weather. 

Tiny purple flowers with a tiny bee on the flower on the left.

At times, our photos may appear to be repeated, but we do not post repeats unless we mention in the caption they’ve been previously posted. Of course, there always will be the repeated “year ago” photo at the bottom of each post.

I’ll admit from time to time I have no choice but to wander about the yard looking for new photo ops to post over the next days if for whatever reason we haven’t been able to go anywhere of significance. 

Flowers are blooming with this excessive amount of rain.

Here in Fiji, with the slow wifi, we’re limited on how many photos will upload without taking hours. Once I start a post I usually stick with it until it’s online except for the time the photos take to load during which I usually chop and dice for the evening’s meal. Not one to sit and stare at the computer I can’t otherwise use, I find other ways to make use of the time.

Most days, it takes the entire morning to write, edit, and upload photos. Our post may not be editorially perfect by any means, but, we do make the effort. After it’s online Tom also proofreads it, often finding errors I missed after which I immediately return to the editing page to make the corrections.   

Another house in the area, down the hill from us.

Tom, whose grammar may be a result of growing up “in the hood” is actually an excellent proofreader. He waits to listen to his podcasts until after I’ve posted, offering considerable assistance in researching and fact-checking many aspects of each post. It truly is a team effort requiring our combined attention each morning.

The remainder of my days at “home,” referring to the afternoons, I spend searching for future locations and vacation rentals, working on the financials and our spreadsheet, and communicating with friends and family. I don’t spend more than 10 minutes daily on Facebook or other social media, preferring to spend time up and out of this chair when possible. 

Bougainvillea isn’t as prolific here as they were in Kenya.

With our limited way of eating, it’s always challenging coming up with new ways to prepare our food, creating and/or following new recipes I’ve found online at the zillions of low carb sites, many requiring tweaking here and there to make them suitably free of sugar, grains, and starch.

Last night, instead of plain steamed green beans with butter, I created a recipe for stir-fried, cooked in ghee and coconut oil, Asian seasoned green beans infused with bacon I’d first pre-cooked in the microwave. 

Baby palm fronds growing up on the sides of a larger frond.

We seldom have plain meat, veg, and salad.  In most cases, I make a “dish,” of some sort or other put together with a variety of ingredients making dining more interesting and varied. This requires a lot of work and time, of which I have had plenty, especially on these rainy days.

Thank goodness, we aren’t typical travelers on a two-week vacation/holiday to Fiji. We’d be sorely disappointed with the daily rain. Who wants to walk through a rainforest or visit a waterfall in the pouring rain? Maybe 20 year olds.  

The sun almost peeked out a few days ago.

It would be dangerous for us to walk from the house to the steep driveway in the rain, especially when we read online in a review for this property that a younger visitor had fallen on the road.  Why take a chance? The views easily make up for the potential risks so we’re not complaining, instead of being careful and appreciating the lovely home and location.

We can’t imagine driving in the rain on the steep driveway to the house as shown in the video we posted above.  There’s no doubt that the skies will eventually clear for many days in a row before too long. We had this same rainy early on in Trinity Beach with resulting sunny skies day after day when the rains finally died down.

These unusual flowers are blooming below the veranda.

Luckily, with the house on a hill with a solid tin roof, we’re not suffering any ill effects of the rain inside the house. So what about the soaked dish towels and being stuck indoors!

In our old lives, we wouldn’t have been doing much more when it rained with wild thunder and lightning, knocking out the power, a blizzard leaving snowdrifts taller than the tops of our heads, and with record temperatures in Minnesota dropping to -60F, -51C, with an estimated lowest record wind chill of -100F, -73C. 

We saw the same variety of beautiful yellow flowers in Trinity Beach.  As much as we’d like to post names of every flower posted, many we simply don’t recall and, are unable to use data to look to find them online.

Tom always says Minneapolis is as cold as Moscow. He spent 42 years working in that weather and remembers it well. A bit of rain in a tropical climate, even over a period of weeks is unimportant to us.

We hope our readers continue to enjoy our posts with the photos we do have available during this rainy spell. As soon as it clears we’ll be out and about, taking photos of this beautiful country. 

Instead of fussing over the weather, we find ourselves grateful for our lives, for good health, for being together, and for having this opportunity to stretch our wings and fly…and fly…and fly…

Photo from one year ago today, September 23, 2014:

One year ago, we posted our total expenses for six nights in Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada as we prepared to board the ship to Hawaii the next day.  For more details and the listed expenses, please click here.

Hot…hot..hot…and humid…Visit to the village to meet with customs officer…Busy productive day!

Posted by worldwide-admin on with 0 Comment
The main street in Savusavu is always a flurry of activity with more locals shopping than tourists. 

When packing the box in Australia to be shipped to Fiji, we couldn’t help but be concerned that we’d have trouble getting it through customs when there are many restrictions on food items that may be brought into this country.

With no known venomous insects, snakes, and flies in Fiji, certain types of food may potentially be carriers of eggs and larvae. Of course, we carefully perused the list of prohibited items not noticing any specific comments regarding any restrictions on anything that could be construed as nut flours, coconut, extracts, and ground flax meal.

We included several non-food items in the box: the camera tripod, a measuring cup and spoons, a spatula, and one bottle each of shampoo and conditioner, none of which were restricted.

This is the market where the local people shop. It doesn’t work for us when it mostly includes packaged food whereby we purchase most fresh items. However, I’ve checked it a few times for specific ingredients with little luck.

With a maximum value of FJD $1000, US $463 allowable to avoid customs fees for a single box entering the country, we didn’t expect there to be much in the way of fees. But, having experienced custom inspections and resulting fees on previously shipped supplies to other countries, it was the roll of the dice.

Our new neighbors, the lovely couple we met a few days ago from the US, Judy and Chris, asked if they could share the ride with us to the village since they, too, had to go to the post office. Ratnesh was waiting for all of us shortly before 11 am.

We didn’t mind sharing the taxi, especially when we all agreed during the ride that once we parted at the post office, we were on our own having Ratnesh return us home separately at our leisure. Well, not entirely leisurely.  It was one hot and busy day. With the humidity at 100% and temps at a peak for Fiji, the air was thick with our clothes sticking to us.

It’s hard to believe that Western Union store still exists.

On the way to the post office, Tom jumped out at ATM to ensure we’d have plenty of cash for the post office, should we be charged a customs fee. A few blocks further down the main road in the village, we arrived at the post office. 

Expecting a tiny post office and photo op, we were surprised to find a good-sized facility, not necessarily photo-worthy. There were lines for purchasing stamps, mailing packages, and reloading phone SIM cards with a separate area for receiving international packages.

The customs guy is only available on weekdays from 11:00 am to 1:00 pm. We arrived at 11:30 to a fairly long slow line. With the packaging weighing 22 kilos, 49 pounds, and with food shopping on the agenda, we asked Ratnesh to wait for us so we could put the box in the trunk of his vehicle leaving it there while we took care of other shopping.

Next door to the bottle shop is another clothing store and a restaurant.

Unsure as to how long it would take to pick up the package, we planned to get it first to avoid having the groceries waiting in the car in the heat.  A to-do list for the day included another trip to the Vodafone store when I’d accidentally used all the credit by leaving the phone on after hanging up from Ratnesh on a prior call. Lesson learned.

As we waited in line for 25 minutes, Ratnesh explained we could buy data at the other window, avoiding another long line and wait at the outdoor Vodafone kiosk near the Farmer’s Market. With me having to do the “sell job” to the customs guy that we weren’t resellers and had shipped the products for our own personal use, Tom waited in the SIM card line to reload the phone card.  One more item ticked off the “to do” list.

Finally, it was my turn. The receipt Mario had dropped off in the morning stated they needed our tax ID number, there again assuming the multiple bags of food products were for resale. 

Tom has yet to purchase a bottle of alcohol in these past months since arriving in the South Pacific. He says he doesn’t have a taste for it now. In January, back onboard a ship, he’ll fire it up again, when the drink package is included in the price of the fare. Tom’s always been a lightweight drinker.

Having brought along passports and the doctor’s list of the foods I can consume which included many of the products in the box, I easily explained to the two customs officers that we weren’t a business selling food and that the products would go directly into our kitchen as prescribed in the attached “doctor’s list.” 

They opened the huge box, rifling through its contents looking for contraband or other non-allowable items.  This wasn’t easy to do as tightly as we’d packed it. After several minutes and a few questions, they taped up the box, stamped a form, and charged us the standard post office package pickup fee of FJD $4.50, USD $2.09. 

Within minutes, we were back on the road again to be dropped off at the Farmer’s Market to purchase produce, walk to the New World grocer, where Ratnesh would pick us up when we were done.

There’s a variety of clothing stores in the village, mostly to appeal to tourists.

Wandering around the huge Farmer’s Market we had a little trouble finding everything on our list but managed to find everything except celery which we later found at the grocery store; limp and a few days old. After a good wash and a soak in ice water, it revived nicely. We were never able to find celery in Belize or Kenya. 

We were surprised by the price of red bell peppers at FDJ $25, USD $11.59 per kilo at the Farmer’s Market, appearing to be the most expensive item in the market. Since a kilo is 2.2 pounds, it doesn’t seem to be quite as expensive by the pound. We paid FDJ $10, USD $4.63 for one large pepper, referred to as capsicum in Fiji, as well as in Australia where they were considerably less expensive.

Each week, I’ve been cooking a pan of diced roasted vegetables including red bell pepper, eggplant (aubergine), carrot, and onion, all well seasoned with whatever we have on hand, cooked in healthy ghee. Reheating a portion each night, goes well with any meal. Tom won’t eat this dish.

Another clothing store appealing more upscale based on its nice signage. However, once inside there more typical tourist type wear, tee shirts, shorts, dresses, and swimwear.

It’s not easy finding items at the three-row grocery store but, it was air-conditioned, making the task easier. With no fresh meat department, a tiny produce department and a single refrigerated dairy section the pickings are slim.

The only hard cheeses available are chunks of a local “Tasty” brand and “pizza cheese,” no specific mozzarella, cheddar, or Parmesan. There’s no grated cheese although they carry Crème Fraiche and Marscapone which is squeezed from small tinfoil packs. We purchased both of these as alternatives to cream cheese which we use in preparing some dishes.

For several recipes, we use homemade ketchup which I’m making today. The low carb recipe calls for onion and garlic powder. After searching four markets, these items were nowhere to be found. I wish I’d thought of this before we shipped the box. I’ll improvise using fresh garlic and onion, straining the ketchup when it’s done cooking using a small strainer I found in the cupboard.

It was impossible to avoid stepping inside the Hot Bread Kitchen when the smells wafting through the air as we walked by brought back memories of bread baking days.

What else do I have to do when there’s no housework required, other than clean up after cooking, hand washing kitchen towels, and my limited supply of underwear? I don’t mind these types of tasks which keep me busy for most afternoons on rainy days, such as today.

When the shopping at New World was completed, we called Ratnesh.  He’d taken another customer to the airport and would arrive in about 12 minutes. With no “trolleys” allowed outside the market, we stood outside in the heat with all of our produce and grocery items.

As we stood waiting, we couldn’t help but observe the hustle and bustle on a Monday in the little village of Savusavu. The storefronts, worn with unrestricted signage cluttering the exteriors, reminded us of many villages we’ve visited in our travels. 

It’s fun to look, not touch.

And yet, Savusavu is unique in its own special way. The colorful clothes of the locals, the friendly smiles and greetings of “bula!” by passersby and the general feeling of safety in this tiny community reminds us of how lucky we are to be traveling the world, experiencing even the simplest aspects of life in other lands.

As we become familiar faces to the locals in the markets, we begin to feel as if we’re fitting in and somehow belong here, at least for now. When I dashed across the street to another market in search of a few items, while Tom waited outside, I ran into Salote in the other market, used mostly by the locals. Giving her a warm hug when she spotted me, further added to a sense of belonging.

On the way home, we stopped at Fiji Meats purchasing enough meats to last for a week. Helen, the store owner, recognized and welcomed us while we asked her about her recent vacation/holiday when Louisa had handled our purchases while she was away for a week.

We walked up a steep flight of stairs to check out a few shops above lower-level shops. 

When we arrived home by 2 pm, Ratnesh carried the heavy box down the long walkway from the road to the house. We paid him well for the extra waiting time, FDJ $40, USD $18.54.  He said it was “too much.” We insisted. 

Back at home in the heat, we cranked up the fan in the living area, poured ourselves fresh glasses of iced tea and I busied myself for the remainder of the afternoon; putting away the groceries, washing and cutting veggies, making a big salad for dinner, and unpacking the big box. 

Only one package of coconut flour was damaged when the shampoo leaked and the coconut flour spilled mixed with shampoo over the exterior of most of the packages. It took an hour to wipe off each of the individual bags ensuring none of the shampoo had leaked inside. We only lost one bag of coconut flour.

Its not that hard to find a parking spot on the street even on busy days. Many locals travel on foot and by bus with the bus station in the center of town.

When done unpacking everything, I baked 20 low carbs (2 grams each) coconut macaroons to be savored at two cookies each in the evening after dinner as a treat. Placing four cookies in small bags to be frozen I take out one bag each afternoon to defrost. In five nights we’ll have consumed all 20 cookies. 

It’s no wonder we included 18 bags of unsweetened shredded organic coconut in the parcel.  One batch of 20 cookies uses one entire bag of unsweetened shredded coconut. As a result, the 18 bags we shipped will last the entire time we’re here. We’d done all of these silly calculations when we purchased the products in Australia.

With heavy rains again today, we’re staying put, the content we have almost everything we need for now including the necessity of a few “workarounds.” This, dear readers, in essence, is a part of what makes our lives of travel interesting to us and hopefully to some of YOU! 

                                            Photo from one year ago today, September 22, 2014:

View over the bay in Vancouver from the high rise condo.  In a matter of days, we’d board the ship to Hawaii.  For details, please click here.

A new day…A new dawn…Booking plans for the future…A challenging task in the South Pacific…

Posted by worldwide-admin on with 0 Comment
I talked Tom into posing in front of this beautiful palm frond. We hadn’t seen this type of frond since we’d been in Belize in early 2013, taking a similar photo of me at that time.

It was a fitful night after the hottest day and night we’ve had in a long time. The humidity was at 94% making otherwise moderate temperatures in the high 80F’s, 30C’s, feel somewhat uncomfortable.  

Lipstick plant, commonly seen in tropical climates.

With no AC, we cranked up the one ceiling fan in the main area of the house, stripped down to the skimpiest of clothing and distracted ourselves. When the wifi went out, we played Gin. Tom’s on a winning streak again. He beat me in Australia and is ahead already in Fiji. 

When the WiFI returned I spent a few hours searching for vacation homes in other parts of the South Pacific with little luck. I went as far as inquiring to a few properties both writing back explaining they weren’t interested in long term rentals during the peak season. 

Palm trees produce a variety of colorful seed pods in tropical climates.

Our open dates of December 3, 2016 to March 1, 2017, are considered peak season, not so much due to the Christmas season, as it is to it being summer in the southern hemisphere. Property owners can get higher rates for short term rentals than we’re willing to pay for the long term. 

Finding a house in any area in Australia is entirely out of the question. The prices are even higher than any of the surrounding islands. They’re some of the highest prices we’ve seen anywhere in the world. We’re lucky to have stayed in the great property in Trinity Beach at a reasonable rate to at least ensure we had the experience of living on the vast continent. 

The verandas for two of the units in the large house behind us.

It appears that now we’ll have no choice but to expand our horizons and find other locations in the South Pacific to fill this and the other gap, prior to our last cruise in Australia ending up in the US where we’ll be visiting family and then be back on to other adventures outside the US.

In communicating with another world traveler Tom met on cruise critic with plans to travel for a total of two years, she wrote “I find myself working on the booking details in the middle of the night.” We know that booking multiple locations, one after another is a daunting task, nothing we take lightly.

We can use this pool if we’d like, but with no lounge chairs on the edges, we have little interest.

Luckily, we’ve been able to gradually add new locations, mostly filling in various gaps from time to time.  It’s easy to recall before we left the US, when I worked on my laptop 12 hours a day for many months booking two years into the future. 

Planning even a single two week holiday/vacation is a huge task, ensuring visas, hotels, transfers and transportation are in order, even when using a travel agent. 

View from the veranda of the upper unit in the house behind us.

Only once, in these past years have we used a travel agent, when we booked the flights to Fiji with an agent in Trinity Beach when our connection was too slow to book online. We’ve become fairly adept at booking vacation homes as long as we have a good wifi connection which right now, holding our breath, is working well.

Over these next months in Savusavu, we’ll continue to conduct more research, hoping to fill this first gap. If we can accomplish filling the second gap from March 13, 2017, to April 22, 2017, it will be a bonus.

A type of rose at the end of the season.

Today is a busy day. Ratnesh is coming to pick us up at 11 am to take us to the ATM, then to the post office to pick up the package we shipped from Australia with supplies.

Then, we’re off to purchase more data for my phone (which I accidentally burned up leaving a call online), the farmer’s market, the grocery store and the meat market. Food shopping requires these three stops when there’s little choice of produce and only frozen meat at the tiny grocery store.

None of these berries are edible.

On Wednesday, Ratnesh will return to take us sightseeing and when done we’ll stop to pick up two cooked chickens at the meat market which we’ll reserve.  The chickens we purchased and cooked had little meat and were dry and tough.  The cooked chickens made fresh daily at the meat market, are moist, meaty, and delicious. 

Also, in this warm weather, it makes no sense to have the counter top oven on anymore than is absolutely necessary. If we purchase two cooked chickens each week, we only have to cook five more dinners.The less we cook, the less ants come to call.  Plain and simple.

These orange pods contain the seeds for future palm trees of this variety.

This morning Mario stopped by with the post office receipt for the package and to check on how well the wifi is working.  His care for his guests is beyond reproach. How fortunate we’ve been to have quality landlords in the majority of the vacation homes we’ve rented these past years.

Have a fabulous Sunday or Monday, depending on which side you’re located on the International Dateline! 

Photo from one year ago today, September 21, 2014:

The Sheraton Club Intrawest located in the Sheraton Vancouver Wall Centre was a great place to stay for six days while awaiting the upcoming cruise to Hawaii. For more details and photos, please click here.

More socializing…Improved technology…Back to research…Exterior views of our house in Savusavu…

Posted by worldwide-admin on with 0 Comment
This is the view of our house from the upper unit of the three-unit house higher up the hill.

When I began today’s post at 7:00 am, it was a sunny day. Putting on my swimsuit this morning, I decided to spend a half-hour in a particular spot on the veranda that appears on sunny days around 10:30 am. With my feet on the veranda railing while sitting in a chair it will almost be comparable to a chaise lounge.

Mario sent us a message that he received a notice that our package of supplies arrived at the post office.  Tomorrow between 11:00 am and 1:00 pm, the customs officer will be there and inspect the contents; baking pans, a muffin tin, a measuring cup, a peeler, coconut flour, unsweetened coconut flakes, ground flaxseed, almond flour, and various spices and extracts. 

The view from the top of the three-unit house behind our house. Mario and Tatiana had lived in this beautiful top unit up until a few days ago when they moved to the small house shown below to accommodate the couple we met from Nevada, Judy and Chris.

Hopefully, with the value of the contents well within the allowable shipping ranges, we shouldn’t have to pay any customs fees. It will be good to have these familiar items on hand to round out our diet to provide more variety.

Although I didn’t want to say this too soon, when everything could change in a moment, the wifi is working better today. Mario wrote to us last night explaining he’d seen the phone company (who supplies the Internet) working on the lines to this property. 

With the plugin router, Mario installed specifically for our use only, which I’ve had to monkey with on numerous occasions to reset, we finally have a strong signal. This afternoon, we can start researching locations to fill the two major gaps in our itinerary over the next 21 months.

Mario brought this router that plugs into an outlet, providing us with a private connection not shared with other guests.  Since he’d purchased the device in Germany, his home country, he had to add an adapter to make it plug into the outlet.  The weight of the device using the adapter, made it keep falling out enough to lose the connection.  Tom placed this stack of books under it to hold it in place.  The signal goes to “limited” quite often, but overall it’s working.

Ratnesh, our driver, is having a family day today (Sunday) and with other taxi drivers refusing or unable to navigate the steep hill to the house, we have no choice but to stay home until tomorrow when we head out for sightseeing, the post office, and shopping. We haven’t shopped in a week and are down to the last of the produce. 

With our coffee supply running low, I’ve made tea these past few mornings leaving the remaining coffee for Tom who only drinks two small mugs each morning, using one tablespoon of grounds in the tiny one-person pot.

This is the newly built house Mario and Tatiana moved into in the past few days while guests occupy their house over the next six months.

Not having a car doesn’t really bother us. Surprisingly, having been in this position in more countries than not, we’ve become used to planning our trips to fulfill our needs and expectations. If we run out of something, we improvise, seldom making a trip for only a few items. 

We’d heard from Salote, one of our daily maids (they added Usi to Saturdays and Sundays), that a couple from Nevada was staying in the upper-level apartment of Mario’s three-unit property up the hill from our house. With a little social directing from Salote, we arranged a get together at their place yesterday morning.

When visiting Judy and Chris I spotted something in the ocean below.  See the next photo for a closer view.

Judy and Chris are our ages, retired, and have their primary residence in Carson City, Nevada. They also own a wonderful old house in Brittany, France which they visit several times each year. 

They, too, like us, live away from family and frequently travel. Both born in the UK they both still possess the charming British accents we’ve come to know and admire. Chris was a college geology professor and shared many interesting stories of his world travels on various geological research expeditions. 

It was fascinating spending time with both of them hearing their stories of trips to Africa together in their youth and the myriad adventures they experienced. The time flew by as we shared our stories and before we knew it, almost two hours had passed.

Returning home with a smile on our faces, we realized how fortunate we are to meet people in our travels.  Although tourists usually stay only a short time, as is the case for Judy and Chris, the encounters are pleasurable and memorable. 

These two guys were fishing in the fish abundant waters of the sea surrounding the island. Coincidentally, in this photo is Usi’s brother, Johnny, and his friend Siri.  She explained they had considerable success.

Last night’s dinner of leftover uncooked tough steaks was greatly improved over the prior night’s meal when I cut off every morsel of fat and grizzle and marinated chunks of meat all day in olive oil and spices. When it was time for dinner I cooked them quickly, medium rare, on the highest heat the stove would allow. 

With propane as the source of fuel for the four-burner stovetop, the burners don’t seem to get as hot as when the source is natural gas, requiring I start cooking sooner than I may have in the past. Most days, I prepare everything well in advance leaving the actual cooking for the last minute to ensure everything is hot and fresh. 

As I’ve prepared the post, the clouds have returned and the sun is no longer shining, typical for island living.  So it goes. I have other “fish to fry” today anyway. 

Enjoy the weekend!

Photo from one year ago today, September 20, 2014:

One year ago, we arrived in Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada after flying from Boston. This was the view from our luxury condo we’d booked for six nights while we’d wait for an upcoming cruise to Hawaii. For more details, please click here. 

A work in progress…Island living…

Posted by worldwide-admin on with 0 Comment
The lush green hills of Vanua Levu with a vast array of vegetation contribute to this island’s astounding beauty. 

The realities of living on a fairly remote island are frequently brought to the forefront. Don’t get me wrong, this isn’t comparable to living on an island, for example, on the upcoming returning US TV series, “Survivor.”

We don’t have to sleep on a palm frond on the ground, gather wood for the fire and forage, fish and hunt for our food. Big difference. Then again, we aren’t going to win $1 million for our efforts to attain comfort, nor would we want to make that type of effort, totally out of our league.

Often we stumble upon other blog writers who live on the various islands carrying heavy backpacks, sleeping in tents or hostels, showering at campgrounds, or bathing in the sea and eating what they can find offered on roadside stands at modest costs. That’s not us either.

Tom took this photo atop the steep cliff, he climbed.

When we look at our old lives with every convenience we could possibly need, we’re shocked we did as well as we do going from a life of abundance to a life of minimal amenities.

Sure, we’ve noticed the simple items we previously took for granted and certainly could use; a metal spatula to flip eggs (no such thing available in the village); a baking pan (we purchased a few cheap tinfoil pans); a large pot (if we ate pasta, which we don’t, a pot large enough to cook the noodles which would be useful for many of our dishes): a TV, (in order to watch the news); a more comfy bed (it feels as if we’re sleeping on a box spring and we just maybe); cream cheese, Parmesan cheese and pre-grated cheese (none of which is available in any of the stores); more than one ground coffee selection and the eventual arrival of our box of supplies we’d shipped two weeks ago from Australia supposed to arrive in under ten days.

There’s a lake on the perimeter of the property.

This list could go on and on including having a car, a washer, two chaise lounges by the pool, and stable working wifi. This morning I took out the dirty hand towels I’d placed into the freezer last night (to avoid ants) and washed them by hand, hanging them on the veranda railing to dry.

Today, the wifi is working. Yesterday afternoon, it wasn’t working for several hours due to an outage. This morning, I typed fast and furiously in hopes of getting this post done and uploaded before we lose the signal again out or it slows to a crawl with the busy online weekend activity. 

Atop the steep hill on Sewak’s property, we were taken by the views.

Am I complaining?  It sounds as if I am. But, compared to email, writing online cannot depict the “tone” in one’s voice or the “expression” on one’s face to grasp the full meaning of the words.  We’re surprisingly content. 

We’re finding “workarounds” for all of the above items and more: cooking in small batches due to lack of proper pans, flipping eggs with a butter knife; listening to podcasts on our phones to stay abreast of the news; grating chunks of cheese by hand (there a hand grater here), using the tiny fine blades for grating mozzarella to “look like” Parmesan cheese; and playing Gin when the power and wifi are out.

Only a few months ago, Sewak had this road excavating reaching high above his house.

With good lettuce, hard to find, and not a staple of Fijian cooking, we have no choice but to purchase whole cabbage for our nightly salads. As in many countries, few have shredded cabbage in a bag. Each day I slice the amount equivalent to one of those prepared bags of “coleslaw mix.” 

It’s a tedious process along with scraping off the skins of whole carrots (no working peeler here) and then dicing them into tiny pieces for the coleslaw. Unable to find any suitable dressings in most countries I also make a huge batch of salad dressing to last for several days.

Last night, for the first time in Fiji, we had steak for dinner, the very best quality the meat market offered. We’d purchased enough to last two nights, cooked fresh each night. It was tough with lots of grizzle, making chewing quite a challenge. 

Sewak explained it was only 10 years ago that electricity was brought into this area to fulfill the needs of a few homes.

Grass-fed meat can be tough at times. It was the kind of chewing where one ends up with a huge wad in their cheek, unable to get it, masticated enough to swallow, resulting in spitting out a ping pong sized clump into a paper towel. It reminded me of the overcooked steaks we ate as kids with the edges curled up from being overcooked under the broiler. Tom struggled with it last night. Me, not as much. 

Tonight, we have a comparable amount of steak left for dinner. Currently, it’s marinating in a marinade I made this morning. I suggested to Tom that I’d be happy to finish the steak over the next two nights and I’ll make something else for him. He refused. He insisted he’d eat it one more time. With the small freezer with little room for meat storage, we only keep enough to last for one week. It’s unlikely we’ll purchase steak again here in Fiji.

Fiji’s coral reef is second to none in the world and a favorite location for scuba divers.

We have enough frozen meat on hand to make Sunday and Monday’s meals and then, on Tuesday, we’ll shop again. Each week, I create a menu of our nightly meals followed by a grocery list on the app on my phone commensurate with the menu. This prevents shopping from being confusing and willy nilly at the time, especially with the limited products available in the shops.

Amid all of these relatively minor inconveniences, we’re happy to be here in Savusavu, Fiji.  Our workarounds are indeed “working.” The sense of pleasure we derive from figuring out ways to adapt continues to fuel our desires to continue to visit remote locations throughout the world in years to come.

With a 70% chance of rain today and 90% for tomorrow, it appears we’ll be staying put over the weekend. With dozens of new photos to share, plus a fun video we made, we certainly won’t be at a shortage of material until once again we get out to explore.

The ocean is always mesmerizing from every angle.

Have a fabulous weekend! We certainly will, rain or shine, tough steak and all!

                                         Photo from one year ago today, September 19, 2014:

It was one year ago we arrived in Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada to await an upcoming cruise in six days sailing to Hawaii. Finally, we were heading toward the US island where we’d see our kids and grandkids over the Christmas holiday. For more details, please click here.

An unexpected unique day…Plus, a tragic loss of life remembered in Boston one year ago…See ending photo below…

Posted by worldwide-admin on with 2 Comments
Yesterday, Tom took this stunning photo of the coral reef from the highest peak he climbed with Sewak.

With the wifi not working, yesterday at noon we ventured off the property for a walk. The steep rocky mountainous road prevented us from walking far but we’d noticed a short area, we could explore enabling me to take some photos.

Our landlord Mario has five properties on this land, two houses, one of which we’re living in, the other which he and his wife Tatiana occupy and three lovely apartments, all of which are occupied with tourists at this time. 

The house we’re in is secluded from all of the others and we’d have to walk around the back of the wraparound veranda to see the three-unit building tucked away in the trees further up the hill.

Sewak’s home of over 40 years includes a separate Hindu temple area and family shrine which he happily showed us. 

There’s a swimming pool with no chaises or lawn chairs and we doubt we’ll ever use it. Instead, we’ll grab a chair on the veranda moving it into the sun which hopefully soon appears. The sky is overcast again today with a scattering of blue mixed in between billowy clouds.

When it’s not pouring rain Tom spends a lot of time sitting on the veranda with his laptop in an attempt to get a better signal and to enjoy the ocean views. Two years ago, after living in Kenya for three months without a living room, spending 16 hours a day on the veranda without screens, he seems to have developed a habit of spending most of his days outdoors, weather permitting.

With the mozzies generally loving every morsel of my exposed flesh, I tend to stay indoors on humid buggy days. Seldom using repellent, recently the bites have been few as I continue to be convinced that taking daily doses of vitamin B1 is doing the trick.

The side yard at Sewak’s home.

We’d hope to do further sightseeing with Ratnesh this week. The rainy weather has prevented it. Today, he’s out of town so if the sun peeks out, we’ll be staying home anyway, waiting for the next sunny day. We’re scheduled to tour with him every Tuesday if the weather’s good and to shop when we’re done.

Vanua Levu is shaped like a thin triangle, 30 to 50 kilometers, 18 to 30 miles wide and 180 kilometers, 112 miles long. Most of the island is unpopulated with dense rainforests and is unique in its lack of tourist infrastructure. Its slow pace is typical of many secluded islands throughout the world. 

Living in exquisite surroundings can easily inspire one to slow down to reflect on the beauty as opposed to the usual hustle and bustle of city life. We’ve become good at this over these past three years of travel.

The hill we drove up, in Sewak’s truck toward the top.

Back to our walk, walking up from the house to the road requires several uneven steps, a stint on rocky gravel and maneuvering more rocky gravel that’s uphill. In the reviews for this property, we noted a comment made by a past tourist that they’d fallen on the road. We proceeded with caution, mostly Tom hangs on to support me, as he always manages to do with  the utmost of care. 

Of course, I had the camera in hand as I always when we leave the house, regardless of where we may live at the time. Assuming I’d at least find some vegetation as photo subjects, we teetered along, mindful of our steps in the process. 

First, we investigated Mario’s apartments and the pool area which I’d yet to see. (Tom had checked it out days ago). It appeared no one was around so we could peek in the windows. 

Some of my photos are slanted.  I was standing on a steep hill and didn’t properly adjust for the angle.

Although the apartments appeared lovely, we were thrilled we’d managed to book this private house as opposed to an apartment.  We can clomp around on the floors all we want and Tom can spew his disgusting expletives when he loses at a hand of Gin.  No one can hear us.

With a variety of pretty flowers blooming, we found ourselves wandering toward the single reachable neighbor’s house nearby. Not wanting to intrude, we trod carefully not getting too close to the house. Within moments, a man came running toward us. He seemed excited to see us immediately welcoming us indoors to visit with him.

With family roots in India, Sewak explained that he’d never lived in the country of his ancestors, but possesses a strong Indian accent speaking English, Hindi and Fijian.  Although a bit tricky to understand everything he says, we all became engaged in a delightful conversation while sitting in his clean but cluttered living room filled with stuffed animals and the relics of a lifetime.  

Recently, Sewak sold two acres of his land which is yet to be developed.

Sewak’s enthusiasm for visitors was evident. His wife whom he misses terribly has been in Australia visiting family for the past month soon to return. We look forward to meeting her as well. 

After about a 20 minute chat, Sewak insisted he take us up to the highest point of his six-acre property (he recently sold two acres) to see the views. Getting into his older well worn four-wheel drive truck, we embarked on the steepest drive of our lives!  It was hard to believe the truck could make it up the recently excavated dirt road. 

The wind was blowing requiring me to ask Tom to hold this perfect flower for my shot while we toured Sewak’s grounds.

Minutes later we were atop the hill with mind-blowing views of the scenery below. Once we reached the top, a steep climb was required to go a bit higher on root covered, rocky terrain. I let Tom, holding the camera and Sewak take that portion of the hike without me, while I waited with his dog, Badal, who’d run up the steep mountain with the greatest of ease barking alongside the truck the entire way.

We spent considerable time overlooking the scenery while Sewak explained the story of his land which he acquired in the 1970’s. With a natural spring running through his property he provides water not only for his house but, Mario’s property  as well, for which he’s never required him to pay. 

That’s the fresh-tasting water we’ve been drinking since our arrival. Without it, we’d be purchasing bottled water carrying it up the long walk from the car to the house. How fortunate we’ve been for this!

Close to the top of the hill overlooking the sea.

Before we left his house, he mentioned he was having trouble with getting online to be able to Skype his wife and family. I sat down at his computer  moments later I was able to get him online with Skype ready to go. He was very grateful but, then again, so were we.

After a few hours of pure pleasure, we profusely thanked Sewak for his friendliness, the tour and his time.  We’re always sensitive about cultural differences and proceed carefully with shows of affection and gratitude.  When a kiss and hug comes my way, my arms are open. Sewak offered me both as he generously pumped Tom’s hand. We’d made a new friend.

Later in the early evening, Mario stopped by with a new router exclusively for our use. Sitting on the floor by the electrical outlet for over an hour, he manipulated the device hoping to get it working. While he was working on the device, Sewak appeared at the door, carrying a handful of white radishes, the first of his crop in his recently planted garden. 

Badal, Sewak’s dog, bounded up the steep hill with ease.

As a vegetarian, typical for the people of India, he’d planted an extensive garden, kindly offering to share its bounty with us during our stay. We couldn’t have been more appreciative. We washed and cut a large radish and had it with dinner, leaving enough for tonight and again tomorrow.

He and Tom talked on the veranda while Mario and I stayed indoors as he worked on the router. By the time darkness fell, the device was working, albeit in and out (I had to reset it again this morning) and both he and Sewak left at the same time leaving us to our dinner and the evening.

In less than 10 minutes, we’d reheated the leftover grass-fed taco meat, took out the previously diced tomatoes, onions, olives, grated cheese, and lettuce, reheated my roasted veggies, placed my laptop on the end of the kitchen table playing season 4, episode 2, of the popular British TV show, Doc Martin, while we dined.

It was a good day.

Photo from one year ago today, September 18, 2014:

One year ago today when we visited my father’s gravesite in Boston, we posted the story about his tragic death when I was 12 years ago. This is his wedding photo from his marriage to my mother in 1942. He had an exemption for going off to fight in World War II when his company was commissioned by the US government to manufacture ammunition. My sisters and I inherited the entrepreneurial spirit from him, each of us having our own businesses for most of our working careers. For details from that post, please click here.

A drive up a mountain for a view like none other…Nawi Island…

Posted by worldwide-admin on with 4 Comments
Nawi Island is being built as a residential location.  Click here for details.

As Ratnesh drove up the bumpy, steep dirt road, the anticipation to see what he had planned for us was exciting. The closer and closer we neared the top of the peak, we knew we were in for a treat.

Pulling close to the edge of the cliff, we jumped out of the car, camera in my hand, ready to check out the overlook of the village and the sea. Little did either of us expect the magnitude of the beauty that lie before us, one of the most exquisite scenes we’ve ever seen. 

No doubt, as we’ve traveled the world these past years we’ve witnessed many postcard quality scenes of mountains, oceans, land, vegetation and wildlife, all treasures bestowed upon us by whatever higher power you may believe (or not). 

The view of Nawi Island was more interesting than we’d expected and we felt fortunate to see it from high above the village.

The beauty of it all can’t simply be happenstance. Random occurrences aren’t necessarily a feast for the eyes.  We ask ourselves, “How did we get so lucky to fall witness to so much of the world’s beauty?” 

Then again, when we lived on a lake in Minnesota, watching a blue heron catch and swallow a large fish or watch a color bursting sunset we were equally in awe. It’s all a matter of perception and one’s desire and ability to revel in the magic surrounding us. 

Need I say we couldn’t stop spewing words of appreciation to Ratnesh for taking us to this spot?  He told us he doesn’t bring all of his customers to this overlook when many are more interested in diving, dining and shopping. He couldn’t stop smiling when he saw the degree of pleasure we both derived from taking in the view.

Note the coral reef near the islands.

In thinking back we wonder how we found this island. Why did we choose the longer stay here in Fiji on this smaller island of Vanua Levu as opposed to the more populated island of Viti Levu? We often feel drawn to a fairly remote location for the lack of traffic, long lines, crime, and commotion. 

Plus, we love the quiet, the privacy and the locals appreciative for visitors to their area, kind in ways we’d never expect or take for granted. So is the case here in the little village of Savusavu, on the smaller island of Vanua Levu.

Smaller islands dot the bay.

With no news on the TV in the background, we’re adapting to the quiet, the continual sounds of roosters, goats, cows, sheep and birds, who’ve yet to partake in any of the sunflower seeds I placed on the railing of the veranda. Memories of “Birdie” in Kauai come to mind, who came to nibble on nuts when I called him, bringing along his female partner feeding her first from his beak.

We look forward to sunny days to enhance these types of views.

Each location offers its own unique memories. The more countries we visit, the more memories flood our brains and, like our luggage we carry them with us, to be reopened for a moment of bliss as we recall something wonderful

And yet, we embrace the moment and that which lies before us, as we did when we stood on the overlook beholding one of the most heart-stopping views we’ve seen to date; an overlook created by nature, unspoiled with but a tinge of humanity’s presence in its wake.

What a view!

The sun has peeked out for bit so I hand washed kitchen towels and hung them on the rope railing on the veranda to dry using peculiar plastic clothespins we’d purchased at the market. In the heavy humidity, we’ll be surprised if they dry by dark.

Yesterday, I cooked three day’s meals.  We’ve found cooking for several days the best option when ants only appear during and after food prep. Reheating in the microwave the next day without additional prep time keeps them under control at least for the two remaining days of leftovers. 

Clouds wafted in but the view remained stunning.
As I write this on the offline Windows Live Writer the power is out again and getting online isn’t an option, I hope before too long, we’ll be back up allowing me to upload it for all of you to see. We expect the wifi and the
power to be out on many occasions during our stay here and have learned to take it in our stride.
Ratnesh is quite a guy!  We feel lucky to have him as our driver! If planning a trip to Savusavu and would like a fair, friendly and knowledgeable driver, he can be reached at 011+679+88+923-1494.


With many more photos to share we’ll be back tomorrow, especially now that the power has returned and wifi has been restored. Sunshine, power, WiFi mind blowing views, and each other. What more could we ask for

Photo from one year ago today, September 16, 2014:

One year ago, the hotel in Boston sent this wine, fruit and cheese plate and bottled water to our room after we’d done a review on our site. We ate the cheese but not the fruit. Totally unexpected, but appreciated. For details, please click here.

Cooking in the boiling waters of the Savusavu Hot Springs?…Couldn’t get there fast enough….Videos and photos…

Posted by worldwide-admin on with 2 Comments
Here’s yesterday’s video of the boiling hot springs in Savusavu, Fiji. The locals cook in these springs!

Yesterday morning when Shalote (Fijian version of Charlotte) stopped by to clean the house I asked her to tell me about her favorite place on the island.

When she described the Savusavu Hot Springs I nearly jumped for joy anxious to visit the site as soon as possible. She explained that the locals bring vegetables to cook in the boiling water of the springs, placing them into bags that can withstand the boiling water. This fascinated us!

The sign at the entrance to the Savusavu Hot Springs area.

As soon as driver Ratnesh arrived at noon to take us into town, we asked him to take us directly to the hot springs to see what this was all about. I was tempted to bring along some carrots to try our hand at cooking in the springs!

With little geological information online other than this technical PDF document posted from the Geothermal Institute at the University of Auckland, NZ, we only found a few short blurbs.

The main area of the hot springs didn’t occupy a large space. Please see the above video for more detail.

We were stymied over why so little has been written about this natural phenomenon and its unique use by residents of the village with its population near 5000. No doubt, in centuries past, locals took advantage of this ready source of cooking their root vegetables when no other resources but the fire was used in cooking.

While focusing on the uniqueness of the hot springs, a hotel was built opposite the area often attracting visitors from all over the world:

“Savusavu is famous for its hot springs located mostly opposite the Hot Springs Hotel – although at low tide you can see the steam from numerous smaller outlets all along the foreshore. In the late 19th century, these hot springs for a period of two months turned into 12 – 18 m tall geysers.”

This is a separate miniature boiling hot spring. The boiling water is hard to see in these photos.

Ratnesh, having lived on this island all of his life, didn’t hesitate when we mentioned we wanted to see the Savusavu Hot Springs. A 15-minute drive to the village with a few turns brought us directly to the designated spot, a relatively small area with the above-shown signs upon entrance to the area which was no larger than a good-sized vacant lot suitable for building a house.

We drove to what appeared to be somewhat of a residential area where the hot springs are located which is walking distance to the center of town and Savusavu Bay. A short distance from the car we followed an unpaved pebbly path to an open area where the active hot springs are located.

Obviously, there’s no bathing in these hot springs. The water is definitely boiling, literally bubbling and steaming, comparable to a roaring boil one would have in a pot on the stove. Contemplating what lies beneath the surface, we found ourselves in awe of the unusual scene.

The above video will give a clearer perspective of the boiling water from the hot springs.

Throughout our travels, we’ve seen many geysers and hot springs, especially a year ago in Iceland, known for being a “geothermal hotbed.” Driving along the mountainous roads in Iceland, there was spout after spout of steam spewing from the earth.

The fascinating aspect of this type of geothermal activity indicates a tremendous amount of geological activity below the surface. Other than the above-mentioned highly technical report we haven’t been able to find much more on this topic for the hot springs in Savusavu.

Taking the above-posted video was a concern. With the weak wifi signal to the house with the hotspot/SIM card signal slower yet, we wondered if we’d be able to upload the video on YouTube to share with our readers.  Hopefully, what we’ve posted today will be watchable to readers throughout the world. 

At the top of this hill is the Hot Springs Hotel, a popular spot for tourists.

After our time at the hot springs, Ratnesh drove us to see one of the most magnificent views we’ve ever seen which we’ll share over the next few days with many breathtaking photos (No braggadocio intended. The photo taking wasn’t created “breathtaking.” It was the scenery)!

Later, we spent a few hours in the village, taking more photos while we wandered up and down the main boulevard, also walking along what appeared to be an “esplanade” comparable to those we walked in Australia.  We investigated shop after shop looking for items could use. 

The sky cleared for a while while we were in the village. Today, it’s pouring rain again.

So far, we can’t find a metal “turner” used for flipping eggs or other foods cooking in a pan. Nor, can we find a “scraper” for scraping a bowl to remove food around the edges. Hopefully, soon the package will arrive from Australia. I think I may have included those items in the box of supplies.

Perhaps, one day over these remaining 81 days, we’ll find an appropriate bag or container and cook some vegetables in the hot springs!

Photo from one year ago today, September 15, 2014:
Our last day at sea, we arrived in Boston for a three-day stay to visit my 95-year-old uncle and a cousin. For more details, please click here.

Changing our daily routine with household help and no washer…

Posted by worldwide-admin on with 0 Comment
Tom and Rashnesh sitting in the front while I took photos from the back seat with the window open. I have to get used to asking Rashnesh to stop for photos when over this past year with a rental car Tom always had a keen sense when to stop.

In some past locations, we’ve had daily maid service five days a week or more depending on the work schedule of the staff. The countries where we had this unnecessary but appreciated perk were Belize, Kenya, South Africa, Morocco, and now Fiji.

In Boveglio, Italy and Madeira, Portugal we hired a weekly cleaning person and of course, during certain periods we spent in hotels, on ships and in short term vacation rentals we didn’t have to clean, other than tidy up after ourselves. We had no maid or cleaning service during the eight months we spent on four islands in Hawaii when the cost was too high at around USD $100 per hour. 

I’ve always had mixed feelings about having cleaning help.  When there isn’t a helper available Tom joins me daily in making the bed and tidying up. In a perfect world, we’d have cleaning help weekly. Everyday is another story. 

The long dirt road, very steep in parts, requires a four-wheel-drive vehicle.

There’s plenty for us to clean daily  when we don’t have help in keeping a bathroom spotless, making the bed, sweeping the floor, cleaning up after meal prep, washing dishes and doing laundry. In the above mentioned five countries, we didn’t do our own laundry. 

We’ve done our dishes in every country except Morocco, where the staff also cooked and served our meals.  During that period I felt like to a slug, hardly moving about except to trek up and down the steep steps to the bedroom and almost daily walks in the souk.

Beachfront property in any country is always the most appealing.

In Savusavu, Fiji we have the lovely Charlotta, a Fijian woman in her 40’s, hard-working, kind, and generous. She arrives at 9 am on weekdays, taking the weekends off. She does our laundry every few days, returning it the next day, neatly folded, separating mine, from Tom’s. 

It’s not a thorough cleaning each day when I noticed some remaining gecko poop on the floor after she’d left.  Its comparable to the type of cleaning one would get when staying in a hotel for an extended period; bed made daily, sheets changed bi-weekly, bathroom cleaned and the trash removed with only a comprehensive dusting and floor washing periodically.

The beach along the road to the village.  The second time we visited the village there was a sun. Hopefully, today will be the same when in a short while, we’ll be heading out again.

When we’ve had a maid, we’re still fairly meticulous, sweeping the floor daily with my oddball aversion to pieces of things on the floor. On Friday, I asked Charlotta for a broom when I’d noticed a dustpan and brush under the kitchen sink. 

This weekend while she was off, I swept the floor both days, making my usual mess while chopping and dicing on the tiny kitchen counter. We made the bed, cleaned the bathroom, emptied the trash, and wiped down the glass coffee table with window cleaner.

Photo taken from the veranda on the side of the house showing one of the sets of steps to walk from the distant driveway to the house.

In humid climates, everything feels dirty, especially if not cleaned frequently. Also, the continuous stream of ants keeps us both on our toes in an attempt to maintain a spotless and food residue-free space.

Overall, it’s a benefit having household help, but, the biggest challenge is not having access to a washing machine. With our limited amount of underwear and clothing and, our tendency to wear the same items over and over with the intent of wearing them out for eventual disposal, not having a washer is challenging.  

The most difficult aspect of not having a washer is the dirty kitchen towels. When I cook, I go through many towels preferring cloth towels to paper towels. With all the ants in tropical climates, I can’t place a single damp towel or towel with food bits into the hamper. Otherwise, it will be covered with ants in a few hours. 

This was the first grocer we visited which had few items on our list.

The only solution is to either bag up the towels to place them in the refrigerator or hand wash them. Due to a lack of space in the fridge that option doesn’t work. All of this is typical for life on a tropical island. 

We share this information, not as a means of complaining. It’s not bad having some tasks to perform to keep us on our feet and moving around as opposed to sitting, especially on rainy days when we don’t go out. Many of these types of tasks are necessary for most vacation homes and more so in tropical climates with or without daily household help.

The day we arrived we shopped at this tiny grocer that didn’t have much of a selection for our needs. But, they still had Christmas decorations from last year.  Now we shop at the New World IGA that, although small, has more products we use.

We had this same issue in Australia with kitchen towels. If we tossed them in the laundry basket after dinner, there would be hundreds of ants in the basket in the morning. I finally figured out to put the dirty dish towels into the washer to be washed the following day, rather than starting laundry outside at night in the dark carport.

With no washer here in which to store them, each night after dinner, I’ve been filling the kitchen sink with hot water soapy water tossing in the few dirty kitchen towels, making sure to rinse them and find a spot to hang them overnight. 

Grocery stores have liquor departments. Prices seem reasonable but Tom has yet to make a purchase.

There are no hooks or hangers in this house and the solitary towel bar in the bathroom holds our still damp bath towels. The humidity slows down the drying process considerably often taking a few days to dry a towel.

In the realm of things, many of these nuances are insignificant. However, many of our readers have inquired as to how we manage to adapt to our new surroundings when amenities we may have had available at other location are not present at a new location.

Power lines crisscross the landscape. While here, most likely we won’t be using the Inpaint app to remove powers lines from photos when uploading photos in itself seem to take twice as long as usual.

We’ve often thought of our old lives and how annoyed we’d be at the cable company when our cable went out, a storm knocked out the power or our washer quit working (when within a day or two we’d have it repaired or a new one in place). We laugh when we recall our frustration over a dishwasher not working. We’ve only had a dishwasher in Hawaii and Portugal.

In our old lives, if we had a trail of ants in the kitchen, I’d freaked out, dashing to the store to purchase whatever was necessary to kill them. This morning, there were dozens of ants on the kitchen counter. I grabbed a hot soapy paper towel and wiped them into oblivion with nary a thought.

Another portion of the road on the way back from the village.

With the recent continuing cloudy skies with rain predicted again for today, we’re heading to the village for the afternoon where we’ll take photos. With the rough muddy roads, it makes no sense to embark on a long drive to explore further than the village. Once it’s sunny for a few days, we’ll head out.

Now that we no longer feeling rushed since a phone is working with a SIM card installed, we can take our time to wander the quaint village and call Rashnesh when we’re ready to go. 

Flowers blooming along the road to the house.

If he’s busy with other customers, we’ll gladly wait.  We’re bringing two insulated bags for the groceries. We decided to have him drive us to our final destination, the meat market, after fetching us from the grocery store.  (We shop at the farmer’s market first since the produce is already sitting out unrefrigerated). This way, we’ll have no concern that meat will spoil if he’s delayed in picking us up after the grocery store.

It’s funny how this life has changed us. It made us tougher, more resilient, and above all, more tolerant. Sure, on occasion, we’ve grumbled, especially when there are bugs in the bed. But, the rest?  Nah, it’s all good.

Photo from one year ago today, September 14, 2014:

The sun peeking through the cloud while we lounged on our balcony of the ship, soon to arrive in Boston. It was a glorious cruise. For more details, please click here.

Torrential rains and gecko poop…Living on a tropical island minus the grass hut…The simple life…

Posted by worldwide-admin on with 0 Comment
These colorful flowers are growing close to the house.

It rained so hard, we had to yell to speak. While watching an episode of a favorite show, we had to turn the volume up to the maximum. The roof of this free-standing house is made of tile and the pounding rain made an earsplitting sound. We laughed as we walked about in wonder as to how it could rain so hard and make such noise.

We hadn’t seen rain like this since we began our travels. The closest was a few storms in Kenya two years ago. Luckily, the house is high on a hill with no water making its way inside during these downpours. We were able to keep the jalousie windows open during the storm to continue to feel the cooling breezes.

View from the veranda.

The weather in the Fijian Islands is fairly consistent making it an ideal holiday/vacation destination. Right now, we’re at the tail end of the low precipitation season. As long as we and others don’t lose power and resources, we don’t mind the rain.

Last night, the geckos must have sought shelter indoors from the pelting rain when this morning there was no less than 20 white dots of gecko poop scattered on the glass coffee table and floor. Walking around with a damp rag we cleaned up the powdery white residue.

A strip of beach on the way to the village.

Tom worked his way along the house using the ant repellent stick resembling a piece of chalk, scraping it along the baseboards and the kitchen countertops where the wood meets the wall. 

Each time I prepare food, I scrub the counters with hot soapy water before starting and after completing to keep the ants under control. It’s all a part of life in the tropics and we’ve easily gotten into the routine of taking measures to keep our house feeling clean and as free of insects as possible.

Ah, once again, we are able to observe the morphology of a bunch of bananas on this blooming pod, as we’d observed while in Madeira 16 months ago.

It’s a part of living in the tropics. Adapting to the environment in each country we visit is vastly different than our old lives.  Where we are now in Vanua Levu, Fiji, we are in one of the most remote areas we’ve visited to date. And yet, we feel at ease. Experience is a powerful teacher.

With the limited sites to see other than the beautiful natural terrain and vegetation, the fact that we don’t scuba dive or snorkel, our activities will be somewhat limited while living on the island. 

A common monarch butterfly.

With only 14 items listed in TripAdvisor for “things to do” in Savusavu, we anticipate that four will be on our agenda. All other activities appear to revolve around scuba diving. 

But, without scuba diving on our “to do” list, we are happy to be here, living this stress-free life with no traffic, no lines, extraordinary safety (according to the locals) and a level of simplicity we find particularly appealing. 

This is truly the place one would envision “living on a tropical island,” minus the grass hut, instead, living in a modest house overlooking the sea with electricity, running water, wifi (albeit rather slow), and a modicum of creature comforts. The enjoyment level is entirely up to us and so far, with a few glitches behind us, we’re comfortable and feeling stress-free.

A bloom, seen from the veranda.

Of course, I’m concerned we’ll have enough material to share during the simplicity of this life. However, with our weekly trips with Rashnesh to explore the island, taking no less than 100 photos on each occasion, we should be able to hold the interest of many of our loyal readers. Please stay with us sharing your stories, thoughts, and comments along the way.  If you’ve been to Savusavu, please comment and share your experiences.

Twice weekly, we’ll visit the village taking photos along the way. As yet, we hadn’t taken many photos in town, preoccupied with finding the items we needed to round out our stay: food, data, and a few household items. 

Now with a transportation and shopping routine in place, we’ll be able to focus on taking more interesting photos in the village while researching local stories to share.

Lush vegetation and flowers surround the property.

Kenya was the only other country without a TV. With no world news in the background, the sound of TV has been replaced by other sounds causing us to stop to listen several times each hour; the cows mooing, the lamb and goats baahing, the roosters crowing, the birds singing, the geckos chirping and the pleasant sounds of the gentle breeze through the trees. 

During the night, we hear rustling in the trees outside the bedroom window. Mario explained that flying foxes carry on a night. Gosh, how will we get a photo of that?

Perhaps being isolated from world news will prove to be good for us when we both are affected by the horror occurring in many areas of the world. Daily, we both check online, WiFi permitting, to get the highlights researching further if we have a strong enough signal. 

We spotted these same types of enormous palm fronds when we lived in Belize many moons ago.

Our awareness of what’s transpiring throughout the world is important to us as we continue to book vacation homes in various countries. There’s no country that’s free of strife, even in the US with natural disasters and frequent acts of violence. At this point, minimizing our risks by staying away from war-torn countries makes the most sense.

Today, we’re sharing a few outdoor photos we took on sunny days during the week.  We’ll be heading out tomorrow, weather permitting, hoping to be able to take many more photos to share in the upcoming days.

Have a wonderful Saturday or Sunday, wherever you may be!

Photo from one year ago today, September 13, 2014:

DSC03621
Photo of the indoor pool on the ship we sailed across the ocean, Royal Caribbean’s Brilliance of the Seas as we worked our way toward Boston. For details, please click here.