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| Boats docked at the marina in Port Douglas. |
This morning while I was getting ready for the day, Tom hauled his laptop into the bathroom to read something to me. He read aloud a post he’d received from CruiseCritic this morning from a retired couple who’d sold everything they owned and are traveling the world for two years.
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| Train tracks ran along the edge of the marina. |
We couldn’t wipe the smiles off our faces when he came to the part that we’ll be on the same cruise with this couple from January 5 to January 19th from Sydney to Auckland. How fun will that be?
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| Tom has yet to have a single cocktail or beer since we arrived in Trinity Beach almost two months ago. If we do go out to dinner, he can’t drink since I am no longer his designated driver when the driver sits on the opposite side of the car that I’m used to, drives on the opposite side of the road that I’m used to and shifts with their left hand. I’m not that coordinated! |
To sit face to face with others living the same life as ours and discussing all the pluses and minuses should be enriching and enjoyable. As soon as we’re done uploading today, we’ll write to them and make a plan to stay in touch so we can connect while on the cruise.
With their two year-end time and our indefinite end time, there’s a difference for the long haul. But, having sold everything they own, house, cars, and stuff should create some interesting conversation. We’re curious as to what they’ll decide to do at the end of the two years. We’ll let you know what we find out.
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| Purple flowers in the park. |
We have no doubt that there are many retirees traveling indefinitely like us throughout the world but we’ve yet to encounter such a couple face to face on our past 11 cruises.
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| There are plenty of pubs and bars along the esplanade in Port Douglas and at other beaches. |
We’ve looked online and found many travelers without a home base with minimal stuff at varying stages and ages and have enjoyed reading their posts, lurking in the background such as the case with many of our worldwide readers.
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| Is this a cherry blossom tree? (This photo was taken through the windshield). |
In each case, we find similarities that are refreshing and interesting from another’s perspective. Also, there are many differences which mostly include a plan to settle down somewhere in the future.
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| We continue to spot these African Tulips in one tropical/humid climate after another, originally spotting them in Kenya two years ago. |
Of course, there are literally millions of ex-pats all over the world who have left their home country to live in another country, adopting an entirely new way of life.
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| Many juice bars and coffee shops lined the streets often filled with tourists. |
Many ex-pats buy homes and condos, rent houses or apartments, buy cars and furnishings Some even acquire work permits in order to get full or part-time jobs to supplement their income. A certain number of ex-pats go as far as to forfeit their home country citizenship to become citizens of their new country.
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| It wasn’t too difficult to find a parking spot. |
It’s highly unlikely that we’d ever settle down in another country (or anywhere for that matter) than the US. In essence, at this point, we can’t imagine that we’ll ever settle down anywhere until we’re on our last leg.
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| This boulevard was a clothing shoppers haven with numerous boutiques and shops. |
Even if an injury, surgery, or illness stops us for a period of time, our plan will be to take time to recover in a vacation home near medical care and once back on our feet, pick up where we left off.
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| Once beyond the shopping and dining areas, the streets were lined with vacation properties. |
Maybe “talk is cheap” or we don’t have a clue what we’ll be doing in several years. That could well be true. Four years ago, we’d never have imagined we’d be living in Trinity Beach, Australia, heading to the market and fitness center today and in a month from now heading to Fiji for four months where we’ll live on two separate islands.
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| Who takes a photo of sand? I couldn’t resist when the sand at the Four Mile Beach was the finest and softest sand we’d ever seen. It was almost as fine as powder. |
In a few months, on Halloween, it will be three years since we left Minnesota on October 31, 2012. In January, it will be three years since we left the US. Our family expected we’d give up after a year or two. And here we are, now planning well into 2017 and soon into 2018 and beyond
It all boils down to only a few aspects for us:
1. Are we happy? Yes!
2. Can we afford to continue? Yes!
3. Are we healthy enough to continue? Yes!
If and when any of the above changes to a “no” we’d have to make a dramatic change in our lives. As for questions #1 and #2, those two are entirely within our control. Number 3 is the challenge and the unknown.
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| Yep, there is a Target “Country” in Port Douglas. Target originated in Minnesota, USA, our former home state. |
For us, happiness is a choice we make by spending each and every day being grateful and in awe of our lives, in each other, and in the world around us. Keeping our relationship young, vibrant, and harmonious is a huge element of our happiness especially when we’re together constantly, attempting to never take one another for granted.
Then again, no relationship can ever be taken for granted when we heard this morning that Miss Piggy and Kermit the Frog are breaking up after 40 years!
Photo from one year ago today, August 5, 2014:
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| We took this photo of the Seine River from a bridge as we continued on our daily hikes through Paris. For more photos, please click here. |