What we’re missing so far in Australia…Guess we need to accept and adapt…

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The seafood is offered by the kilo (2.2) pounds in AUD. As a result, these prices are not bad. For example AUD $20 is USD $15.51.

Every country has its nuances and its lifestyle commensurate with centuries of history and tradition. We try as much as we can to adapt to these differences that we find wherever we may travel.

As our long term readers know we’ve sacrificed many aspects of our lives in order to have the joy of traveling the world, few of which we ever find difficult to change after a few weeks have passed.

These sacrifices may include many items of which we become glaringly aware the first few weeks in a new location. Here in Australia, a few items stand out that may take some getting used to such as a lack of international news on TV (we’re news junkies). 

At first glance, these also look pricey when in reality, they are lower priced than we paid in many countries, especially in Hawaii. All the fish is wild-caught.

We like to stay abreast of international news, which keeps us in touch with the outside world as well as keeping us aware of where we shouldn’t travel due to intense political unrest.

On a lesser scale, Australians don’t drink much coffee. We can’t find an electric or appropriate stove top coffee pot. Arriving here last Thursday, we’ve scoured several stores, (no less than five) to discover that Australians don’t brew coffee as we know it, in a pot with or without a filter.

They do use a few pricey apparatus such as the French press machine which we did find at a pricey kitchen store for US $54.31, AUD $70, which based on its small size would be cumbersome when we each may drink three cups in the morning. Pressing for this amount of coffee would not be worth using the small press.

Some of the fish products are pre battered.  If we use a batter, we’ll make it using coconut or almond flour both of which I’d been able to purchase at the Woolworth’s grocery store.
We both like our coffee hot and this style of coffee making leaves it greatly cooled by the time it’s served. We used such a press in Morocco but found it made the coffee too strong and subsequently cold.  Neither of us wanted to spend that amount of money on a device we didn’t like using. Even K-mart didn’t have many possibilities. They didn’t have a coffee machine section nor could the rep suggest where we’d find such a thing.

We could send for a coffee maker from Amazon.com but, by the time we receive it after paying high shipping costs, we’ll be used to living without it and nearly be ready to move along. At the grocery store, there was a small coffee section with bags of beans, none of which works for us. We’ve decided not to drink coffee in Australia and may encounter the same scenario in other locations in the South Pacific.

As I scurried about K-mart, looking for an electric coffee machine, Tom reminded me to stop asking for an electric coffee pot. He assumed such questions and ancillary comments would make me appear as the “ugly American.” I stopped asking now that I understand that primarily, Australians drink tea. When we saw many Aussies drinking coffee on the ship, we assumed this was a popular morning beverage.

Next time, we shop for groceries, I’ll be purchasing some of this fresh fish from this local fish market located in the mall.

Since I like tea, giving up coffee won’t be too difficult for me. Although most mornings I like to drink coffee, I usually have tea at 4 pm each day, not unlike the British way. Maybe it’s harder for Tom, who doesn’t like tea as an alternative. For some reason, I can’t seem to get the coffee out of my head. Perhaps it due to the fact that we have one bag of delicious Kauai coffee with us and no way to brew it.

On the ship to Australia, I never had coffee when it was made too strong for my liking. Tom drank it using half decaf, half regular, adding real sugar and fake cream (no real cream was available). 

At least now he won’t be consuming six teaspoons of granulated sugar each day, hardly befitting our way of eating a low carb, starch-free, grain-free, and sugar-free diet. The lack of coffee for me is only psychological since I haven’t had a cup since we were in Hawaii, 24 days ago. “They,” say it takes three weeks to “break a habit.”

Speaking of “cruise food.” Tom has already lost all the weight he gained on the ship. In reality, he didn’t go overboard (no pun intended) eating starchy, sugary, carb-laden foods. He never had an ice cream cone and had few desserts. Instead, he ordered margaritas and Mai Tai’s which were included in his drink package. 

An indoor farmer’s market in the mall.

I didn’t gain an ounce and as a matter of fact lost a few pounds although I had a substantially large breakfast each morning along with a cup of homemade hollandaise sauce served with each dinner to keep my fat consumption at high levels which is a requirement of my diet, referred to as LCHF (low carb, high fat with moderate protein).

Cooking again has been good. Last night, we made organic burgers (no grass-fed ground beef available so far) with avocados, homemade ketchup, sautéed mushrooms, onions, organic sliced tomatoes topped with fine cheeses, and some of the best “streaky” bacon we’ve had in a long time. 

We haven’t seen bacon referred to as “streaky” bacon since living in Kenya, almost two years ago. Streaky or not, the deli is the only area in the grocery store the bacon can be purchased. There is none of the expected pre-packaged bacon. The streaky deli bacon is smoky flavored and delicious.

Yesterday’s grocery shopping trip worked out well. With only a tiny space in the freezer, we can’t purchase meat other than that which we’ll consume in a few days, another challenge and change from what we’ve done in the past.

Although I don’t eat fruit, this red dragon fruit certainly looks appealing.  Here again, prices are per kilo (2.2 pounds). 


Today returned to the Telstra phone store. The SIM card we purchased wouldn’t work on either of our hot spots devices. Much to my delight and surprised when they couldn’t get our devices to work, they gave us a loaner to use while here in Trinity Beach. 

The rep didn’t require me to pay a deposit or sign a form for the “loaner.” How unusual is that? He stated that he had no fear that I’d return it before we eventually leave.  Where in the world does this happen? We’re both in awe of the trust the rep exercised in letting us walk out the door with the pricey device.

That’s the nature of the Australian people; kind, friendly, and trusting. So, if we have a few inconveniences, they are more than balanced out by all the pluses of living in this wonderful country.

To sum up a few of the new sacrifices we’ve discovered for life in Australia:
1.  No morning coffee  (there are a few coffee shops but not something we’d spend money on each day).
2.  No purchasing protein beyond what we’ll use in a few days.
3.  No international news unless we watch news online.  With the poor wifi signal, this isn’t a good option.
4.  No screens on doors and windows.
5.  No grass-fed beef other than a few steaks offered at US $34.87, AUD $44.95 per kilo (2.2 pounds).  Mostly I’ll focus on the huge selection of wild-caught fish and free range chickens, having beef only occasionally.

This glorious life we live requires changing our needs and wants almost every few months, finding “workarounds” that suit us in the interim. Oh, one more workaround for Tom that he’s experienced many times in these past 32 months…he’s now driving on the opposite side of the road and shifting using his left hand (he’s right-handed).  

Now, my big challenge is walking up to the correct side of the car to open the passenger door and get in. In three months, I should be able to get this under control.

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

The fog rolled in while Tom stood on our veranda in Madeira, Portugal. It was quite a sight to see. For details from that date, please click here.

Reinventing ourselves in a new locale…Tolerance and patience for this new way of life…

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The rainy view of what is aptly named, Double Island, as seen from our veranda. 

It’s been raining every day since we arrived. We’ve heard this is unusual for this time of year. For now, we don’t mind. Let’s get the rain out of the way while we become acquainted with life in our little corner of the world.

This surf and dive shop were having what they referred to as a “Killa Surf Sale.” I giggled when Tom didn’t get it right away. It’s Australian lingo for a “killer of a sale.” 

It’s 2:00 pm and Tom is sitting outside under cover of the veranda roof, safe from the rain, listening to his favorite radio show. The wifi signal is better outdoors that inside the house.

As a matter of fact, today, we purchased a SIM card for one of our mobile hot spots at the local phone store.  We stopped by the phone store several days ago, but they required a passport in order to purchase the card which we failed to bring along. We had forgotten in our muddled state of mind that one must show a passport in order to purchase a new SIM card.

Peering out to the mall from inside the Telstar phone and tablet store where we purchased a SIM card for our hot spot device which we don’t yet have working. I’ll work on it later today and if it doesn’t get going, we’ll head back to the store tomorrow, bringing the hot spot and my laptop.

Once we have the hot spot working, which hasn’t transpired as yet, we can drive anywhere with navigation working on our phones. To explain that further, we have no cell service on our phones. Since the cost of calling the US is too high via the use of a cell phone with a SIM card, we’ll continue to use Skype and our Skype phone number for calls to family and friends.

This morning the service was fast and friendly at the Telstar store in the Smithfield Mall.

For local calls here in Australia, we’ll use our Skype phone number which is only US $1.25, AUD $1.61, per hour or by the minute proportionately.  As for the navigation working while we’re in the car, it goes like this:

1.  Turn on the hot spot until a signal is indicated.
2.  Connect the phone to the hot spot until the signal is indicated.
3.  Use MAPS on phone to set the desired trip location. Navigate as usual as one would with an active data account on the phone.

In our old lives, we rarely shopped at K-Mart but here is Australia, it made sense when we needed a few household items. We spent US $23.14, AUD $30 for four iced cube trays with lids, two jumbo iced tea pitchers, two pans for the oven and one microwave cover. Tomorrow, we’ll tell you what we couldn’t find anywhere!

This makes life considerably easier for us. In some countries we cannot purchase SIM cards, including in the US when we were in Hawaii. This is odd to us. Eventually, required cell contracts will disappear, allowing users to have access to local signals using online downloads and/or SIM cards. 

A cosmetic store in the mall carrying many popular US brands. Shops are similar to many in the US but aren’t necessarily familiar chain stores. Australia has many of its owns brands and providers.

In some ways, we’re impressed with how readily available technology is in Australia compared to other countries we visited. No, they don’t have high speed services where we’re located and the service is slow to say the least.  But, we’re in a mountainous ocean village which typically have poor signals this close to the ocean and with this type of terrain.

In some ways, service is tricky when Andy explained how when the Internet goes down at the shopping mall, business literally stops and the shops may close. Isn’t this the case in most countries anyway? We’re all subject to modern technology.

This appears to be a parasite type plant growing on a palm tree in the yard.

Its easy for us to recall how in Kenya, both the Internet and the power would go out almost daily. That experience made us more tolerant when these unforeseeable situations occur. With our own working hot spot we hope we’ll have better control of mapping our future exploration, even if we have to drive a distance to acquire a decent signal.

Tom’s water shoes were on the veranda. When he move them, what appeared to be a lizard took off out of sight, leaving behind this live tail that wiggled around for about 10 minutes.  Can’t imagine what this was.

Resting over these past four days, we’re finally headed to the grocery store to try to shop again today. We can’t wait to take photos of the abundance at the mall where the Woolworth’s market is located and also the mall as we walk through there once again to the Telstar store.

Candle holders? Not quite sure…

With a trip to K-Mart for a few pans and ice cube trays, we discovered a missing element of life in Australia that requires an adjustment we’re surprised to be making.

Tomorrow, we’ll share the important part of our daily lives that we’ll be missing in Australia that requires a huge sacrifice.

                                               Photo from one year ago today, June 15, 2014:

We were on our way to Funchal to renew the rental car, a task that won’t be required here in Australia where we were able to rent it for the full three months. For details and more photos from that trip, please click here.

Interior photos of our new home…Working around limitations…Taking time to physically adjust…

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The only workspace in the kitchen is near the sink. But, as long as I have room for the cutting board as shown, I can cook any meals.

Settling into a new home isn’t always as easy as it may appear. Both of us are a little out of sorts as we struggle to sleep through the night awakening several times during the night. Even our mealtimes are off. Tom seems to be hungry for a meal midday and then only picking at a little food at dinner, while I find myself needing to eat dinner two hours earlier than our usual 6:30 to 7 pm.

The kitchen, although spacious, has little storage space and a small refrigerator.

I suppose we can attribute this to a massive time zone difference. Let’s face it, we’re off by 20 hours (later) after spending eight months in Hawaii and sailing across the Pacific. Certainly, a part of this sluggish transition is a result of gradual time changes while on the cruise including the 24-hour jump over the International Dateline and then falling back four hours as we continued on. 

This dining table and chairs is where we dine.

The human body doesn’t automatically adjust according to the ship’s schedule posted in the program for the next day. It adjusts in its own time. To tell the truth, we don’t feel like doing much of anything.

Below this carved mirror, we keep all of our miscellaneous stuff on the sideboard.

A few days ago, we drove to the shopping center, only completing about 20% of our grocery list, getting enough to last for several days instead of the usual huge haul we do within a day or two of arrival in a new location. 

As much as we’d love to leave these doors open now, we’ll have to wait until it’s clear and sunny. At present, the mosquitos are in full force after the rains.

After aimlessly wandering around the store for 15 minutes trying to find the items on my list, I turned to Tom and said, “Let’s go. I can’t do this right now. My brain isn’t working well enough to search for the items on the list.”

He smiled from ear to ear, thrilled that I’d had enough. He, too, was feeling the same way. After 32 months of travel, I believe we’re suffering from an extreme case of jetlag. How peculiar. We thought we were exempt from this malady, that a positive attitude along with a passion to quickly fall into a routine, would avoid this fate.

This cozy seating area works well for us with two side tables and a coffee table. Unfortunately, there aren’t enough electrical outlets to enable us to use the table lamp when our adapter takes up all of the outlet space.

In the realm of things, it’s a mere inconvenience. We have all the time in the world. I suppose in reality we feel a certain commitment to getting out to take photos of our amazing surroundings. After all, we have readers worldwide looking forward to photos of our adventures in Australia. 

This morning we experienced a short period of the bright sun making it necessary to close the curtains for a few hours.

As we adjust, we’ll certainly be getting out frequently to scour the area and beyond for its wealth of treasures. Our brains are anxious to get out. Our bodies are lagging behind.

The master bedroom has ample room to store our luggage and clothing.

Our first order of business is to get back to the grocery store and shop.  s of tomorrow, we’ll run out of food. As for bottled water, we’ve decided to use what we have on hand purchased several days ago and to switch to tap water. 

The small wardrobe for storing our clothing.  To the right is one of two screen windows in the house.  The other is in the end of the dining room.

Nothing we’ve read online from reviews and qualified sites states that the water in Trinity Beach is toxic in any matter to visitors. Australia is very civilized except of course in the center, the Outback, where bottled water is a must. 

I took over the top two shelves and Tom has the bottom three.
We’re following all the guidelines available to readjustment to substantial time changes: getting up at former familiar times; opening windows and drapes to bring in the early morning light and toning down the light at night; attempting to eat at familiar times of the day and to move about as much as possible.
There are no closets available. As a result, we use this “wardrobe” for storing all of our clothing. It works.

I only experienced this once in my life after returning to the US from a three-week stay in Thailand about 30 years ago. Arriving there was fine requiring only one good night’s sleep to resolve. Returning back to the US took another three weeks to fully adjust to the 13 hour time difference.

The black lacquered bathroom sink requires frequent wiping to keep it clean. The two drawers are the only bathroom storage spots. We’ve made it work for us.

For today, we’ll stay put, finish our remaining food leaving us no alternative but to head back to the shopping mall tomorrow for groceries and a shortlist of household supplies. 

The toilet is located in a separate space.

This task, once completed, will surely be instrumental in getting us back into our routine of cooking and eating our meals on a regular basis and working our way back into the busy life filled with the joys of world travel.

Have a fabulous weekend, whether it’s Saturday or Sunday, wherever you may be.

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

The views from the house in Campanario, Madeira were always exquisite. For details from that date, please click here.

Settling in to our new home…Rainy days continue…

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The private swimming pool for our exclusive use.

After days of preparation to leave Hawaii, constant activities on the ship over 17 days and nights, 22 hour time changes and now getting settled into our new home in Trinity Beach, Australia, we’re particularly pleased to have slowed down the pace a little.

The side yard off the kitchen. 

Today, we’ll complete washing and drying the seven loads of laundry we created after unpacking. With all the germs on the ship and many passengers very sick, we’ve decided to wash just about everything we own. 

Beautiful fern inside yard.

We’ve yet to go and do the major grocery shopping instead of picking up enough bottled water and food to get us through the next several days. By Monday (it’s Saturday today), we’ll return to the nearby Smithfield Shopping Center, one of the most comprehensive malls we’ve seen in years.

This lime is growing in a pot on the veranda, almost ripe for the picking.

Before arriving in Australia we speculated that it may be hard to find certain ingredients and products we frequently use. Ha! There is as much abundance here in Trinity Beach, a cozy resort town, that we’ve seen in major cities throughout the world. We’re impressed and in awe, to say the least. 

Familiar Hibiscus found in most tropical climates.

The Aussies have it all figured out. In their relatively low population (23.6 million) continent compared to many other parts of the world, these resourceful people have adopted a modern-day lifestyle that can hardly be matched.

As for our new home, it has it all; working, albeit slow wifi, cable TV, modern kitchen appliances (no dishwasher), lovely décor, and a view that takes our breath away. Sure, some things are missing, one, in particular, that makes life particularly challenging for me…no screens on the windows.

Yellow Daffodils.

And, yes, at the moment, I have no less than a dozen mozzie bites, red, inflamed, and swollen. But, as of today I’m back to wearing repellent around the clock and have learned my lesson about not doing so, once and for all.  Tom, as always, is exempt from bites for whatever reason.

The gazebo by the pool.

The shower and bathroom are superior. There are powerful ceiling fans in each room and we have plenty of closet space. Oddly, there are no empty cupboards for storing food so where we’ll put grocery baffles me at the moment. Otherwise, the cupboards are filled with nice pots, pans, cooking utensils, and dishes.

Fence required to enclose the pool area.

The refrigerator and freezer are tiny making grocery shopping necessary two to three times per week. There are one miniature ice cube tray and we Americans like our ice. Soon, we’ll purchase a few more ice cube trays forfeiting much-needed freezer space. 

More Hibiscus.

There’s no coffee pot although there’s a teapot. In Hawaii, we had to purchase a teapot. Here, we’ll purchase a coffee pot, the cheapest we can find to use and leave behind in 85 days. 

Our exclusive use hot tub. 

The lovely owners, Sylvie and Andy rousted up a few good beach chairs for us and when the skies clear, we may venture down the steep steps to the pool or simply lounge on our veranda for the most amazing views we could imagine.

The comfortable bed, covers, and powerful ceiling fan have allowed us to sleep well these past two nights for which we’re very grateful. At the moment, Tom is sitting at the outdoor table and chairs enjoying his favorite US radio show, Garage Logic, and the views while I stay indoors away from the mosquitos. Once the cloudy skies are replaced by less humid sun, I’ll certainly be able to spend plenty of time outdoors as well.

Long vines hanging from the trees.  We’ve begun watching for wildlife which is abundant in the area.

Now, back to the piles of laundry. By next week, we’ll start venturing out to check out the beach and this beautiful area we’ve joyfully landed in here in Australia.

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

What a view, one year ago today, from our veranda in Madeira, Portugal.  Surely, we’ll have equally amazing views here in Trinity Beach over these next many months. For more photos, please click here.

Meeting a guest with an amazing story…Last full day on the ship…Emergency evacuation photos…

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Emergency evacuation helicopter approaching the ship to pick up the ailing passenger.

At the moment I’m sitting on the starboard side of the ship. A helicopter is due to arrive within a few minutes to drop a basket down to pick up an ill passenger that needs to get to Sydney quicker than this ship will by 4:30 am this coming morning. It’s sad to think that someone is so ill that they have to be evacuated off the ship under these circumstances. We can only hope for their recovery and health.

Helicopter preparing to pick up a passenger.

After 17 days at sea and loads of fun, we’re ready to move along to our next location, a flight from Sydney to Cairns and then a short drive to our new home in Trinity Beach Australia.

Approaching ship…

Actually, we anxious to get the upcoming travel day behind us as we expect a rather lengthy line at customs and immigration in Sydney from what we’ve been told by Australians can be slow and cumbersome. 

Passenger wrapped in the exterior covering over the basket with the paramedic holding the passenger.

Luckily, our scheduled flight isn’t until 1:30 pm. We expect to be “herded’ off the ship by 9:00 am, based on reports we’ve heard. We don’t like this part but we’re grateful we headed off to more adventures in our lives making the transit all the more tolerable.

Tonight, we took our two favorite passengers, Reene and Jeff to dinner at the Chop’s specialty restaurant to celebrate their 51st anniversary and Jeff’s birthday all of which occurred yesterday. It will be fun to spend our last night with this delightful couple with whom we’ve spent considerable time.

This morning we met another wonderful couple. Anne and Glenn Watkins. In a future post over the next several weeks, I may be posting a story about Anne’s adventure from the 1960s of traveling the world in a 30-foot sailboat, if time allows. It’s an amazing story we’re excited to post soon with details of her journey. 

We had so much to share, that it was necessary to postpone the story to a future date when we have more time to prepare the story. Now at 1:00 pm, we need to retire to our cabin to pack our bags to leave them outside the door for tonight’s planned luggage pickup, leaving only our carry on baggage with us overnight. 

We’ll have to be careful in packing anything over three ounces that will be appropriate for tomorrow’s flight. An hour ago since writing the above comment regarding immigration, the captain announced that immigration will in fact be boarding the ship at 6 am tomorrow morning which will speed up the process of getting into Australia.  We’re thrilled with this news.

With little time today, we’re off now to pack. Tomorrow, we’ll be back with our final bill on board the ship including all of our expenses, the cruise fare, and miscellaneous additional gratuities.

Back at you soon from Australia!

                                               Photo from one year ago today, June 10, 2014:

The view from our veranda in Madeira never failed to inspire us.For more photos and details, please click here.

Only two days until Sydney…Tomorrow’s a packing day…Figuring out time differences…

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This didn’t look fun to us but we commend the performers for their skill and bravery.

Please bear with us with our comments about dates may not match based on your location. At the moment we’ll be 15 hours later from we’ll be living near Cairn’s, Australia and for example, Minnesota with a 17 hour time difference for Los Angeles and Nevada.

We took these photos from the seventh deck where our cabin is located.

No doubt this is tricky. However, in each case, we’ll figure it out. Once we arrive, we’ll email our family members with suggested times for calls. If it takes us staying up late or getting up early for calls, we’re happy to do so.

Now, as the time of the cruise winds down we’re actually looking forward to the next step in our journey and getting the tough parts behind us; going through customs and immigration both requiring lengthy lines. Our documents are in order and we have no purchases to declare, neither of which will greatly reduce our waiting time.

The aerial acrobats were practicing for tonight’s entertainment.

At this point in most cruises, we never feel sad that the cruise is ending and the “holiday” is over. As always, we’re anticipating the next leg with enthusiasm and a sense of adventure.

My stomach lurched when she jumped off the ledge.
Have we loved this cruise? Overall, we have. The passengers we’ve met have made this a memorable cruise enabling us to meet many lovely people with whom we’ll hopefully stay connected for years to come. While we were seated today for the past three hours in the Schooner Bar attempting to prepare today’s post, we’ve been distracted by many interesting people who’ve stopped by to visit. 
They were practicing today when yesterday’s rough seas made it impossible.

After posting from this very same spot day after day, we’ve become “fixtures” that have elicited a certain degree of curiosity, inspiring a number of passengers who, we’d yet to meet to stop by asking what we possibly can be doing sitting in this exact spot day after day, feverishly typing away.

Today, we’ve become so wrapped up in an interesting conversation with a couple from India, we couldn’t pull ourselves away long enough to get back to the post.  We apologize for the delay. Then again, our readers certainly understand how easy it is to get distracted when among interesting people.

Passengers were gathered at the railing on many decks.

Now, with an upcoming seminar, I’ll have to pick up the pace and wrap up here s a bit early for today. Tom has already left for the cabin to drop off his computer while I wrap it up here with a plan to meet me at 2:00 pm. Most likely wherever you may be our time zones won’t coincide. 

At this point, four performers were hanging above the Centrum.

We’ll continue to try to figure out the time difference as we go along, being more specific as we pin down our exact location in the next few days. It appears there are several times zones in Australia.

Have a great Monday or Tuesday depending on where you are on the map in this massive world of ours.

                                                Photo from one year ago today, June 9, 2014:

The terraced gardens in the mountains and hills of Madeira was always a sight to behold. For details of that post, please click here.

Rough seas…Port of call, Isle of Pines, New Caledonia has been cancelled…

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The dance staff is practicing for tonight’s aerial show.

We were looking forward to the Isles of Pines, New Caledonia where we were scheduled to anchor this morning to take the lifeboats, as tenders, to the shore. With rough seas with high winds and 25 foot swells, there was no way the captain would put the passengers at risk.

View from Fiji as we pulled away.

As a result, he made the call not to stop at today’s planned port. Of course, we appreciate his concern for the safety of the passengers and will find ways to keep ourselves busy on the next three days out to sea.

After all, we’re using cruise ships as a means of transportation and we’d rather spend a quiet day at sea than fight the crowd and commotion at an airport any sooner than required. 

Calm seas a few days ago. Not so much today.

On Thursday, (Wednesday for many of our readers on the opposite side of the International Dateline) we will disembark the ship for our flight to Cairns at 1:30 pm, arriving at 4:30 pm.

We were particularly interested in New Caledonia. Who visits that relatively obscure island in the South Pacific.  In reviewing our upcoming four cruises over the next 21 months, we’ve noticed we’ll return to New Caledonia, hoping to see it at the time.

A calm day out by the pool.

In the interim, we continue to enjoy our cruise mates during meals, and at other times as we visit many areas on the ship. Whether working out, lounging in the Centrum watching afternoon live entertainment, or in the “That’s Entertainment Theatre” watching movies, more live entertainment, or seminars, it’s easy to stay busy.

More practice by the aerial staff. The show is tonight.

Spending little time in the cabin, we aren’t ever bored. Then again, that’s just us. We have no trouble finding ways to be entertained even if we simply resort to a good book on our phones or idle time online. 

The wifi signal is actually very good in the public areas with few interruptions, although the signal is very poor in the cabin. As a result, we seldom attempt to get online in the cabin, getting kicked off every couple of minutes when we actually are able to connect.

The cables are hooked up and ready to go.

Although we’ve encountered a number of passengers with complaints ranging from quality of service, the ship’s design, the lack of refrigerators in some cabins, (we have one, thank goodness, which keeps our ice buckets chilled overnight), the quality of the food and the options. Also, many have complained about the loud “current” music playing in the bars and other venues.

None of these items have been an issue for us. We’d gladly go on another cruise on this ship. We’ve loved the small size of this ship at a maximum of 2076 with only about 1800 on board at present. 

More practice over the Centrum.

A few guests have mentioned that the ship is missing certain amenities that may be available on larger ships, such a ziplines, bowling alleys, ice rinks, bumper cars, and more. 

We wonder based on the demographics of this passenger list, mostly over 60 years old, how many would have actually used such amenities. We like to basics never missing a single amenity as long as we have a balcony cabin with the fridge, storage space for clothing, shoes, and toiletries, reasonably good food and good service, and a movie theatre all of which we’ve had through every nautical mile.

Beautiful sea and mountain view in Fiji.

We’ve never seen one person on the rock climbing wall as many times as we’ve walked past it as we walked the deck. Actually, many ships on which we’ve cruised, have never seen a person on the rock climbing wall. I think many cruise ships add these amenities to attract passengers when in fact many are seldom used once on board.

We’ve yet to try a specialty restaurant with little interest in doing so. At the cost of US $60 a couple and our satisfaction with the food in the dining room we’ve had no interest.

Once we arrive in Australia in three days, we’ll begin to post all expenditures in both US (USD) dollars and Australian dollars (AUD) for the benefit of our fast-growing Australian readership which will rapidly grow as we spend more time on the continent.

The bow of the ship on a sunny day.

That’s it for today, folks. We’ll be back with updates on the rough seas as they appear to escalate.

Have a great Sunday, which is Monday to us here on the opposite side of the International Dateline. We’re still in awe of that!

                                                Photo from one year ago today, June 8, 2014:

It was a year ago today we took this photo from our veranda in Madeira, Portugal on a steep stairway in the neighborhood with handrails. For details from that date, please click here.

It’s June 6th for us today!…How unusual!…Unbelievable entertainment!…Totally unexpected…

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As soon as our ship docked at the pier in the port of Suva, Fiji, the marching band began to play welcoming us.
Note:  For all of our non-Australian readers, please note that many English words are spelled differently in Australia. In respect to their use of the English language, any information we provide from other sites will contain the Australian spelling which we will not change to the Americanized version.
 Last night we crossed the International Dateline and it’s now June 6th. Plus, there was an additional two-hour time change occurring overnight. When we awoke this morning the time difference was 22 hours.
As a result, sleeping last night was a bit confusing. We went to bed around midnight when it was about to become 10:00 pm. As it turned out I didn’t get much sleep, although Tom did well for seven hours.
We just docked at the pier in Suva, Fiji in a highly industrial area. We’d considered taking a private tour but after checking online to mixed reviews regarding safety and possible scams with taxi drivers, we decided to go out on foot. 
We appreciate the welcome reception.
Once the ship arrived at the pier, it was evident that going out on foot wasn’t a good option with nothing but industrial buildings in the area and the falling rain. Living on two different islands in Fiji starting in a little over three months, we decided to save the sightseeing until we’re here which will be more sensible and sensible.
 Yesterday, we attended a live show with the world-renowned performer, Danny Elliott from Australia. After missing his first show a few nights ago when we were having fun at our dinner table, we were anxious to see what all the hoopla was all about.
We’ve never seen such a reception at a port. It makes us feel good about our upcoming time in Fiji.

As we mentioned in the past, from time to time, when we find that a venue, an artist or performer, a restaurant or hotel is exceptional, we like to highlight them in a post, as we’re doing today for performer Danny Elliott.

After watching the hour-long matinee, we are convinced the hoopla was warranted for this fine performer. He ran out of CDs during his first show. 

We were glad we hadn’t decided to go on a ship sponsored tour.

As a result with our now growing Australian readership, we decided to post the links to Danny’s website enabling our readers to easily find where they can read more about him, watch a video and order his CDs. (We are in no manner involved in the sale of any of his products).

More band players, standing in the rain.

Please click here for a free video of highlights of Danny’s performances.

Please click here for the link to Danny’s website where CDs may be purchased.

“Danny Elliott was awarded the 31st “Mo” Award for the “Peter Allen Australian Variety Entertainer of the Year”. This is the premier award for various artists in Australia and is proudly sitting alongside Danny’s other “Mo” Awards for Versatile Variety and Vocal Instrumental Performer received in previous years. Danny has also been recognized by the “ACE” Awards and has received two gongs for versatile variety performers.

Watching Danny Elliott play one instrument after another during his high-impact performances, it’s not hard to believe that his natural talent for music has been evident from a very early age.

Last night, we attended an invitation-only party on the 9th deck by the indoor pool.

When a pre-school teacher discovered a distinct aptitude for music in four-year-old Danny his parents quickly helped the budding musician explore his creative impulses with piano lessons. Then taking up the flute at just eight years old, Danny has spent years expanding his musical expertise and now plays more than 12 instruments.

Danny first performed for an audience as a teenager at a local talent quest. His unique ability impressed the organizers and the young musician quickly became a favorite mainstay on the talent quest circuit. Leaving high school to focus on his promising music career, Danny spent time developing his repertoire and was soon being booked by local clubs for his acclaimed solo show.

Passengers sitting around the pool enjoying the party.

But his real break came when 23-year-old Danny was signed to play aboard the world-famous cruise ship, the QEII. Infamous for its cultured, demanding audience, Danny’s unique ability to play successive instruments in a single show drew standing ovations from the tough crowds and glowing reviews from the ship’s entertainment director.”

Once again, we’re seated in the Schooner Bar with friends, Reene and Jeff at our side. The guys are chatting while I’m busy writing. Today will be a low key day, hanging out with new friends, attending shows, and playing trivia games. 

A ferry boat going to other nearby islands.

In five days, we’ll disembark to continue our years-long journey to everywhere. Please stop back for more with many new photos yet to share.

It’s Saturday here. Happy day to those of you where it’s Friday!

Today, we’re posting two “year ago” photos, one for June 5th which we missed entirely, and the other for today, our June 6th. Confusing.

                                                                  June 5, 2014 photo:

     
View of the house we rented in Madeira, Portugal which we loved for the two and a half months we spent on the island. We took this shot when we walked the neighborhood’s steep hills.  For details from that date, please click here.

  June 6, 2014 photo:

Having the opportunity to purchase this entire tuna from the fish truck that drove past our house in Madeira was a memorable event.We shared the fish with Gina, our friend and property manager, and Judite, our cleaning person. Please click here for details.

Out to sea today…Another time change tonight…Festivities continue…Questions about our future stay in Fiji…

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The pilot boat. A pilot boards the ship to assist in getting the ship away from the pier, a common occurrence in most ports.

Last night, we took an evening off the usual dinnertime festivities and ordered room service which proved to be a bad decision with my dietary restrictions. We were both a bit tired from the 22 hour time change, deciding to lay low one evening and catch up on a few shows we’d previously downloaded in Kauai. We plugged the HDMI cord into the TV in our cabin with no trouble watching a few favorites instead of watching on the small laptop screen.

The seemingly good plan to lounge in our cabin was challenging in regard to the food and delivery times. We placed the order in the afternoon, asking for my prearranged dinner that was logged into the main restaurant’s system. It shouldn’t have been an issue.

The police department marching band.

But, it was.  We’d requested the food be delivered at 6:30 pm making the assumption the food wouldn’t arrive until 7:00 pm. How wrong we were. The meals didn’t arrive until 8:30, two hours later than requested, mainly due to a miscommunication between my food and the restaurant. 

Annoying? Yes. In the realm of things, it was no big deal to me, but Tom got a little “overly grumpy” mostly over worrying about me, not himself. That wasn’t necessary. I didn’t care one way or another. It’s just food and as much as I like talking and writing about food, long ago I gave up the significance as to “when” I eat, as long as the “what” I eat is correct.

The port at Suva, Fiji.

Last night around 5:00 pm as the ship pulled away from the pier in Fiji to head back out to sea, while we watched the band playing once again as a final goodbye to our ship, a sense of comfort washed over us. It seems as if Fiji will be a very friendly place that appreciates tourism more than many other island countries.

Tom was waving at the Fijians on the pier as our ship pulled away.

During this cruise, when Australians have asked where we’ll be living in the South Pacific, we’ve noticed a number of negative responses to our upcoming four months on two islands in Fiji. Many made negative comments as to safety in the islands of Fiji. None of those who commented had stayed in the Fijian island more than a week at most.

A tug boat pulling into the pier area.

Staying in a hotel is very different from living in a location for the long haul. Able to cook our own meals, doing no shopping other than groceries provides a very different perspective. 

Police department employees hanging around the pier as the festivities wound down.

Once settled in, generally, we feel safe and at ease. Even in Kenya with armed guards at every intersection and shop, once we were settled into the vacation home, we were able to relax and enjoy our time there which was a full three months. 

The police bus to pick up the band players.

We’re certain that Fiji will be no different in that we’ll adapt to the way of life available to us on the two islands. Lack of air conditioning in hot weather, no TVs in some locations, and lots of insects, poisonous and not, have all become familiar to us. We’ll manage as we always have and will continue to do so as we continue in our world travels.

No, it’s not always ideal  If we wanted a semblance of perfection we’d have chosen a different path at this time in our lives, moving into a condo somewhere in the US in a warm climate with a relatively predictable life. 

As we pulled away from the pier heading out to sea.

That’s not to say anything negative about that life of leisure and familiar creature comforts one may acquire living in a nice condo in their home country. For most retires that type of life fulfills all of their needs and goals. 

Puffy clouds in the mountains, a familiar sight.

For many reasons we chose a different path that few would desire or attempt to tackle with the endless nuances and adjustments necessary to make it work and, most of all, to be happy. Isn’t that what it’s all about? Being happy?

And, we are happy living this peculiar life on the move never doubting for a moment, that we did the right thing.

Finally, we made our way out to sea.

Tonight, we’ll be back in the main dining room sitting at a shared table with at this point, a few people we may have already met and those we haven’t. In either case, it’s all rather fun.

A person standing on the reef far from the shore.

It’s Sunday here now on June 7th, June 6th for many of our readers. Whatever day it may be we continue to wish each and every one of our readers, the very best. Thank you for traveling along with us.

Photo from one year ago today, June 7, 2014:

Dense fog rolled in once we returned home from the trip to Funchal to pick up our box of supplies.  For details from that date, please click here.

We goofed!…Not crossing International Dateline until tonight…Dreading the end of the cruise?

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Sunset over Tahiti.

All I can say is that we’re having such a good time, we didn’t pay enough attention to our itinerary over these past 12 days simply due to every moment being filled with pleasurable activities. 

As a result, yesterday’s post was inaccurate in stating that we were crossing the International Dateline last night when in fact, we’ll cross it tonight. With a two-hour time change to boot, we’ll be setting our clocks ahead by 22 hours, jumping into Saturday when for many of our readers it will be Friday.

As the ship pulled away from the pier in Tahiti, the sky darkened with remnants of sunset.

Yesterday at 2:00 pm I attended a classical piano concert that was performed by a highly acclaimed pianist from the Philippines while Tom was relaxing in the cabin filling out the required immigration forms before entry into Australia. 

At 3:00 pm, he attended “The Shed” while I worked out and later read a book on my phone on our veranda. At 5:00 pm, we met at the bar on the ninth deck and later returned to the cabin to change for dinner. 

Shoreline in Bora Bora.

By 6:30, we were seated at the Centrum bar mingling with people we’ve met over these past days, engaging in conversation and laughter. By 7:00 pm, we were seated at a table for 10 in the Romeo & Juliet Dining Room chatting with some familiar and some new tablemates.

Life aboard a ship is easy. As Tom says, “I don’t have to make the bed, do dishes or take out the trash.” Although I don’t mind daily household tasks, this definitely is an easy way of life for both of us.

Tom standing on the miniature golf. He clobbered me.

We’ve spoken to passengers who’ve spent as much as 90 days aboard a ship loving every aspect of the experience. Perhaps someday we’ll take a long cruise. For now, this 18 or shall I say 17 days has been glorious this far.

After another fine dinner with excellent food and friendly people, we went to the live evening show. The performer was an Australian magician although neither of us particularly cares to watch magicians. But, the energy in the packed theatre made the show worthwhile and we left with smiles on our faces. 

The scenery along the shore in Bora Bora.

A 70’s disco show was being performed in the Centrum at 10:00 pm. We watched for a while as the singers and dancers performed while passengers danced. By 11:00 pm were back at our cabin, never falling asleep until after midnight. By 6:00 am this morning we were both up and about, a little tired but anxious to begin another day.

Tomorrow will be Saturday for us and we’ll only have five days left until we disembark in Sydney on June 11th.  In our old life, as the cruise time would have begun to wind down, we’d have been disappointed and filled with angst to return to the “real world” however pleasant that may have been.

There are numerous small islands in the South Pacific.  We find ourselves curious as to what it would be like to stay on such a small island. 

We’d have dreaded the pile of mail, the unpacking, the laundry, and the spoiled food in the refrigerator. We’d have dreaded the return to responsibilities and mundane tasks. However, in a few days, most of that dread would dissipate and we’d settle into our daily lives and activities.

Instead, excitedly we’ll exit the ship, go through immigration, grab a taxi to the airport, board the Qantas Airline flight to Cairns for the short (to us) three-hour flight, get our luggage, pick up the rental car to drive 22 minutes to the house in Trinity Beach.

Once we arrive, the owners will be awaiting us to familiarize us with the workings of the property. How excited we are! There’s no mail to collect and sort through since we’ve already reviewed the few pieces we’ve received online in the past weeks from our mailing service. We receive no junk email. 

More small islands on a cloudy stretch in the South Pacific.

As for the responsibilities, we’ve paid off all of the credit cards while we were on the ship using our Hotspot Shield for privacy and security. We’re paid up for future rentals well into July. We already paid the doctor bill from my one incident in Kauai at $311. 

We don’t owe a dime on any other bills.  With no utility, cable, or cell phone bills, mortgage payments, property taxes, car payments or insurance (other than health and our hauled belongings, paid once a year) life seems easier than in years past.

Once we unpack and settle in, we’ll head out to dinner. The next day we’ll grocery shop together. Tom always shops with me the first time in a new location based on the huge amount we need to purchase. He does all the heavy lifting, my own personal “pack mule” as he calls himself.

Another island in the South Pacific.

These tasks aren’t tasks to us. We feel like kids “playing house” as we learn the area, its nuances, and the names of stores and products we’ll typically use in our daily lives.

Later in the day, we’ll check out the health club and most likely I’ll sign up for the three-month membership.  I’ve already communicated with the health club confident it will be a good match for me. By the end of that weekend, we’ll be totally settled and able to embrace living in the beautiful resort town of Trinity Beach, Australia.

Another cute towel pet sitting atop our bed when we return to the cabin at the end of the evening. Our fabulous cabin attendant Jill grabbed my sunglasses to top off this cute rabbit.

Dreading the end of the cruise? Not us. We’ll continue to cherish each remaining day on this wonderfully social cruise. If our minds wander to the task of disembarking we can easily toss those thoughts aside knowing the process should be easy and stress-free.

We’ve learned the nuances of exiting a ship with low stress. Even occasionally “overly grumpy” Tom (on travel days only) is beginning to trust the process and go with the flow.

One more day at sea and we’ll reach Fiji, where we’ll be living in a little over three months. We’ll see what the day brings. Please check back. 

                                                  Photo from one year ago today, June 4, 2014:

This scene of the view from the veranda in Campanario, Madeira took our breath away. Every day provided a new and intriguing view of the mountains and hills. For details from that date, please click here.