2013 - The Year in Review

    After we left Fiji for the Solomon Islands we seemed to drop out of the wired world. There was no connectivity on the Bilikiki and, by the time we got back to Mana Island in Fiji, we were so far behind in our travel updates and so frustrated by the system restrictions that we put everything aside and took an extended hiatus. Now that the year’s end is upon us, I thought I’d try to get back on track. As well, this is partially an attempt to make up for the lack of personal commentary on our Christmas cards - the postal deadlines caught us unprepared because of our early visit to Atlanta.
    All in all, 2013 was a very good year. The only real downers were health issues that affected other family members. Doreen’s older brother, Roy, has slipped further into dementia and has lost the ability to live independently. At the same time, his wife has been battling cancer. I lost a third brother to cancer this year. Derm’s funeral mass was held on what would have been his 64th birthday. (We lost them all much too young - Ed at 51 and Aiden at 60.) I managed to get home for the wake and funeral but it was a short visit (only 40 hours between landing and takeoff) as we were already committed to being in Atlanta before the end of April.
    Doreen and I have managed to stay reasonably healthy, albeit with some of the usual aches and pains of aging. Doreen keeps busy with her gym workouts, her badminton and her quilting and other fabric crafts. I’m still going round-and-round on my roller skates as an addendum to a regular workout program. We manage to pass our annual physicals and eye exams so we keep on ‘keeping on’. Of course, it’s great to have an insurance plan and a national medical program to subsidize the costs of prescriptions and vitamin pills.
    It’s nice to have Stacy so close. We see her and Jim every few weeks - usually for Sunday brunch. They were here for dinner on Christmas Eve and we shared a Christmas dinner with Jim’s extended family. We also shared a weekend in cottage country when Travis and family visited the Mansworth’s on Charlestown Lake for the Labour Day weekend. That’s the first time we’ve all been together since Stacy’s wedding.
    We spent time with Travis, Wanda and our grandkids in Atlanta as well as on their visit to southern Ontario. In February, we did a sitting (they’re too old now to call it baby-sitting) stint as Travis and Wanda went to Aruba with friends. We were back in April/May for another session as Travis and Wanda spent 10 days in Ireland. That gave us an opportunity to experience May Day at the school and to see Julia’s gymnastics show and Jacob’s karate finale.
    We were back in Atlanta in October for our trip with Julia. We had promised our grandkids a special weekend trip anywhere they desired when they turned 10. Julia was very interested in Harry Potter and decided she wanted to return to Orlando for another visit. We had a wonderful long weekend with her as we explored Universal, the Magic Kingdom and Epcot. I know we’re somewhat biased (more than somewhat, probably) but she’s growing into a delightful young lady.
    Our final visit to Atlanta was for an early Christmas celebration. We drove to Buffalo, overnighted at Microtel (as we had in February) and flew Southwest (Buffalo to Baltimore/Baltimore to Atlanta and return). The travel gods must have decided to make up for our good fortune in one fell swoop. The Baltimore/Atlanta flight was cancelled due to weather in Baltimore and we were re-routed to Orlando to connect with a later flight to Atlanta. Both of our return flights were also weather delayed. So, a 25% success rate. At least our bags showed up on the carousel in the Buffalo airport! The direct flight with Delta in February was a much better idea.
    We were also fortunate enough to host visits from Doreen’s siblings. Her brother, Tom, was here for an overnight in January on his way to his annual mission trip to the Caribbean. Her sister, Bonnie, came for a visit in late September. She flew into Buffalo and then, a week later, we drove her back to Virginia Beach on our way to Atlanta. We also visited Virginia Beach in May on our way back from Atlanta.
    Our first trip of the year was a two-week jaunt to Cuba in February/March. We flew into Varadero and bussed to Jibacoa. Our friends from British Columbia, Laurie and Sandy, were already there. The weather wasn’t as nice as we’d hoped and this affected the snorkeling which was somewhat disappointing (not up to the usual standards, or at least that’s how it seemed). We did get a chance to renew acquaintances with some of the Cuban workers but it feels like it’s time for a change or a rest.
    Our major trip was to the South Pacific with a couple of weeks in Fiji and a 10-day live-aboard snorkel tour in the Solomon Islands. Our time in Fiji was split between Waya Island, Mana Island and the Raffles Hotel. You can read about it in some earlier blog postings. Our time on the ‘Bilikiki’ was magical - a great group of fellow snorkelers, a great crew and a wonderful opportunity to visit some small villages. The snorkeling was surpassed only by Raja Ampat and the other aspects of the trip (boat, amenities, interactions with crew, fellow ‘Wendy’s Wanderers’ and villagers) were as good as it gets. We made some wonderful memories.
    Back home, we’ve discovered two new (to us) restaurants. “Caz’s” has satisfied my years-long quest for a decent fish-and-chips spot. (Ches’s doesn’t do long-distance takeout.)
We first tried it in October when Bonnie was visiting and she also gave it a more-than-passing grade. We also found “Thai Coconut” as a replacement for the closed “Vietnam Pearl” to satisfy our taste for ‘pad Thai’ when we’re not in southeast Asia.
    2014 is shaping up to be another busy year. We’re joining Laurie and Sandy for two weeks in Akumal in early January and we’re spending some time in Hawaii in May/June where we’ll be joined by Travis and family. We’ll split the time between Maui (our favorite island) and Oahu. We’ll celebrate our anniversary in August with a snorkel live-aboard in Indonesia organized by our California travel guru, Wendy. We’ll be sailing in the Komodo National Park in the ‘Coral Triangle’. We’ll spend some time before and after the boat trip on the island of Bali which has quickly become our second-favorite island.
    We wish all of you a wonderful new year, full of happiness, health and fulfillment. (And great snorkeling!)

The best of Octopus

    Octopus management has changed several times since we were there in 2006. The present couple have been there only seven months but they seem to be doing an outstanding job. There has always been a real connection between the resort and the nearby village of Naluwaki whose chief gave permission for the creation of the resort in the first place. Most of the people who work at the resort are from the village and some of them have been there since the first ground-breaking. Their kids are growing up and finding their own jobs at Octopus.
    This year we found an increased emphasis on incorporating the Fijian culture on an every-day basis and on special occasions. Friday afternoon was special as the school-aged children from the village come home for the weekend (they board during the week as four villages on Waya Island share one school). This happens in reverse on Sundays when the families show up at the resort after the church service and the kids are treated to snacks and play before they climb aboard the boats to take them back for another week of studies.
    You can see that it’s hard on both parents and children but they do put an emphasis on education. It gets even worse at the high school level because they have to go to one of the large mainland islands and only get home on school breaks.
    Friday night was dedicated to Fijian culture. The evening started with a presentation of Fijian dancing and singing–a couple of dances from the men, a couple from the women and a couple with both male and female dancers. This was not a professional dance presentation but a celebration of joy from the villagers. They really seem to enjoy life. The dancing ended with the Fijians enlisting the resort guests to join them in a round of ‘Bula’ dancing. (Bula seems to be the Fijian word for ‘hello’ and many other expressions - something like the Hawaiian ‘Aloha’.)
    The entertainment was followed by a dinner that featured Fijian dishes. Not sure what some of the dishes were but there was plenty of edible food even for someone as picky as me. It was a special evening. Of course, not everything was focused on Fiji. On Thursday night we were treated to a fireworks display, presumably in honor of the US guests.
    We did get a chance to catch up with two of our favorite people from the earlier visit. Mariomi has moved into a supervisory role but she was there when we checked in on Wednesday and we had a chance to talk to her the first two days. She was off on the weekend so we didn’t get to say good-bye. Tai Voli had been the leader when we had visited the village for the church service in 2006. He wasn’t around the first few days but he was front and center as he lead the dance parade on Friday night.
    We couldn’t do the church service this year as it coincides with check-out time but he showed up in the afternoon and insisted on carrying my bag to the boat which took us out to the Yasawa Flyer. It was a little disappointing that there was no farewell singing group. The resort has a tradition of welcoming arriving guests and serenading departing groups with a small ensemble on the beach. I think it doesn’t work on Sundays as the villagers focus on church and their departing children. Still, I missed it. I had my camcorder all set to take the movie.

2006 Redux

    What’s that comment about ‘you can’t go home again’. We got up early Wednesday morning for our pick-up and the ride to Denaru Marina. We took the Yasawa Flyer up to Waya Island where we’re staying at Octopus Resort for the next few days. We spent a week here in 2006 and really loved it. The second time around some of the magic is gone. This was especially noticeable on the boat ride where a succession of stops at isolated, beautiful, tropical islands elicited hardly a second look.
    Octopus itself has undergone some changes in the intervening years - some good, some less welcomed. The back-packer tents are gone and, though they do still have some dorms, the back-packer vibe is severely reduced. They have built some new bures and bungalows mainly designed to cater to an upscale clientele. As well, they have made a conscious effort to attract more of the family holiday trade from Australia and New Zealand. Since it was school break time in Australia, there were lots of families (and lots of young kids). You don’t seem to get as much socializing (understandable) in those circumstances.
    The beach is still gorgeous, even if a bit hard to walk as you keep sinking in the golden sand - a nice problem to have. The snorkeling is still very good with lots of fish and coral and even a sea snake. We did try the manta ray snorkel trip on Saturday morning but the seas have been running heavy for the past two days with extreme high and low tides. As a result, the visibility in the channel was very poor. As well, our timing was off - no mantas while we were in the water (at least none that we could see).
    We were back aboard the boat and getting ready to leave when the first manta showed up. Doreen got so excited, she rushed into her gear and jumped into the water without her camera. When that problem was solved, she found her mask constantly filling up with water. Finally giving into frustration, she climbed back on board and discovered she’d tried to put her mask on over her sunglasses! At least her camera got a picture of the manta as the guide took it and dove down to get close enough. Not our most memorable snorkel.

Bula from Fiji

    Talk about a travel day. We rolled out of bed on Sunday morning at 4 am and headed to the Toronto airport to begin our trip to the South Pacific. We landed at the airport in Nadi at 2 pm on Monday afternoon (that’s 6 am on Tuesday, July 2 in Fiji). That’s what time zones and the International Date Line will do to you.
    The first leg of the trip we flew Air Canada from Toronto to Las Vegas. Not a bad trip - 3150 km in 4 hours 20 minutes - except that Air Canada was so busy patting themselves on the back for being voted ‘best international carrier in North America’ they forgot to feed their passengers. I know the airlines are cutting back but no breakfast on a 4 ½ hour flight leaving at 7 am is a bit much. At least we got some orange juice.
    The United flight from Las Vegas to Los Angeles was noteworthy only for the pilot’s announcement that the seat belt sign would be turned off for the five minutes between reaching altitude and beginning our descent. A 45 minute flight - blink and you miss it. Unfortunately, things began to bog down in Los Angeles. We knew going in that there would be a long delay because there is only the one late night flight to Fiji. We had discussed renting a car for the day but ultimately decided there wasn’t enough time to go anywhere meaningful.
    Doreen had gotten mixed reviews on Fiji Airlines (recently re-named from Air Pacific), particularly with respect to their reliability and the quality of their food. Initial impressions took a negative trend when we couldn’t even find their counter - seems they don’t have a full-time presence at LAX. They finally opened up at 6 o’clock and we were able to get rid of our big bags. I don’t think I’ve ever been in a check-out line that moved so slowly. I don’t know if it was the airline personnel or the customers - it seemed to be a combination of both - but the whole thing dragged on and on.
    The flight was scheduled to leave at 11:30 and boarding was to commence at 10:30. Fat chance. We kept getting the ‘thank you for your patience’ routine as boarding was continually pushed back by 10 minute intervals. Something about a security problem with the plane at one time, a maintenance issue at another time. Of course, the crew didn’t show up until almost 11:15 and I doubt we could have left without them.
    At any rate, we finally got off the ground only an hour late and things started to look up. We were flying in a 747 and, though the seats were narrow and we seemed to have a very large crowd in the waiting area, we had an empty seat between us so we were quite comfortable. As soon as we were settled into the flight, they served a meal (doesn’t everybody eat at 1:30 am) and it was quite good. Can’t say the same for the egg/cheese biscuit we got for breakfast but maybe it was the hour. The legroom was comfortable and I managed to get a few hours of sleep.
    A long wait for our luggage was offset by a quick transit through customs and immigration. We decided to stretch our legs by walking down the road and across the highway where we’re staying at Raffles Hotel for the night before we catch the Yasawa Flyer tomorrow morning. We’ll be in and out of here four times over the next few weeks as we bounce between Waya Island, the Solomons and Mana Island.

Here we go again!

    Re-reading that previous post from Amed, I realize how depressed we were feeling as we wound down our last trip. We were just going through the motions in Bali and counting the days until we got home. We didn’t really appreciate our subsequent time in Singapore or our return to Hong Kong. Both cities had some special moments (Jurong Bird Park and the ‘Big Buddha’ in particular) but also a lot of ‘blah’ (our fault, not the cities).
    Since then we’ve had short trips to British Columbia, Newfoundland and Cuba to catch up with friends and family and several visits to Atlanta to spend time with the grandkids (and son, and daughter-in-law). Now, we feel rejuvenated and we’re gearing up for another snorkel live-aboard with the crew from California.
    We almost passed on this excursion to the Solomon Islands as the initial announcement came during our darkest time in Bali. We were lucky that we recovered our wanderlust while there were still openings available. We have ten days aboard the ‘Bilikiki’ touring and snorkeling through the Solomon Islands. I have a new camera (Canon PowerShot SX240) and waterproof casing and a new waterproof camcorder (DXG Sportster) which should get a good workout. I’ll try to post a few pictures along the way.
    We’ll stop in Fiji on the way to and from the Solomons. On the way out, we’re spending a few days at Octopus Resort on Waya Island - we enjoyed our time there back in 2006. On the way back, we’ll have a few days on Mana Island (only a day trip there in 2006). We really enjoyed the snorkeling in both places at that time. It will be interesting to see how we feel this year after our experiences in Palau and Raja Ampat and coming on the heels of the Solomons.
    I’m not sure how much blogging I’ll be able to do. Hopefully, Fiji won’t be a problem but I’m pretty sure there won’t be any Wi-fi on the boat while we’re wandering around in the Solomon Sea. We have an over-night at a hotel in Honiara but I have no idea how the Internet connections are on Guadalcanal. We’ll see.
    We’ve already committed ourselves for 2014. We’ll be joining Wendy (our California travel guru) on another snorkel live-aboard in Indonesia. This one starts out from Bali and sails through the Komodo National Park area of the ‘Coral Triangle’. It will also feature a land excursion to see Komodo dragons in their natural habitat. Should be a great way to celebrate our 48th wedding anniversary.
    Time to get packing! 

An end in Amed

    After the quick visit to the medical clinic in Ubud, the driver, Salit, took us on to the eastern area of Bali. We stopped for lunch along the way at the Temple Café in Candidasa. It was a nice drive with stunning sea views but I was in no shape to enjoy it. The whole coast is called Amed but we actually stayed at the Coral View Villas in the village of Lipah
    For the first time we ran into a mosquito problem and Doreen’s face took a beating (or a biting, if you prefer) the first two nights. When the manager asked how things were going, she unloaded about the mosquitos and he subsequently sprayed the room. Afterwards, while cleaning up, Doreen counted upwards of 40 dead mosquitos in our room. For the rest of our stay we saw only two or three. Doreen was convinced the room hadn’t been used in a while and they hadn’t fumigated it before our arrival. She was not happy.
    When the doctor phoned on Saturday night with the results of the blood test, it was a great relief. But it was too late to save this trip. We had started in Pulah Weh with a major setback and, despite some good/great moments since, there had been a series of minor aggravations all along the way. We finally ran out of steam in Amed and now we’re just killing days until we fly home.
    We saw the spiritual side of Bali last year and I’ll always treasure that. This year we saw the tourist side of Bali and it isn’t nearly as attractive. Australians dominated in the Legian area, Germans in Pemuteran and French in Munduk and Amed. We’ve seen very few Americans and only one Canadian (the lady from Montreal via Texas). It’s been different. And, at our age, we’ve found that we don’t do different as well as we did in the past.
    The beach in Amed is a black sand, pebbly beach again. The hotel does not have any beach property as the whole coastline is crowded with boats belonging to the local fishermen. Not a beach for walking. Besides, Doreen’s foot is still bothering her and she finds it difficult even walking on the roads. There was some good snorkeling just to the right of Coral View Villas and we did three trips out there and one in Jemuluk Bay. Better than Pulah Weh and off-the-beach in Pemuteran but a far cry from Menjangan Island.
    The resort has a lovely, little, palm-tree lined pool but the emphasis is on little. They have so many trees surrounding the pool they can fit only four lounges. And the trees effectively screen the area so there was no place to get any consistent sun. A lovely setting but it grew increasingly boring. Enough already. I wanna go home.

To the mountains of Munduk

    A lot less threatening, and a lot greener than the mountains of Mordor. We left Pemuteran on Sunday morning with a driver to take us to Munduk, a small village in the mountains of northern Bali. We stopped along the way to see the monkey temple at Pura Pulaki and, again, at Melanting Temple. Both are fairly small temple complexes but interesting. Pura Pulaki was crawling with monkeys and the worshippers had a difficult time protecting their offerings from these foragers. We spent a short while watching one monkey try to strip a coconut while simultaneously avoiding the assaults of his fellow simians.
     At Melanting Temple we were approached by an old lady who wished to sprinkle us a blessing before we entered the complex. That was a first for us. Usually we’ve just had to wear the sarong. The further we walked into the complex, the more elaborate it got. In the innermost courtyard Doreen was approached by a lady who asked to have her picture taken. She was pleased with the result and Doreen soon found herself in a group of four women and one man. It was a special moment for her.
    We stopped at a supermarket in Saririt to stock up on some essentials before the final drive to Munduk as we weren’t sure what we’d be able to find in the way of ‘goodies’ in the village. We needn’t have bothered. I’m absolutely stunned by the number of small ‘corner stores’ that exist in these Balinese villages. I don’t know how they all survive and make a profit since it seems every second or third house contains a store. Incidentally, I even found one that had plastic ‘water jugs’ so I’m back to boiling water and making tea. (And it cost me about $3 - a lot less than that Austin House kettle.)
    We checked in at Aditya Home Stay. Nice people. The view is outstanding! Hope my panorama works out. Unfortunately we’re back to twin beds and little storage space. The bathroom has an interesting floor with little beach rocks cemented into the floor in a criss-cross pattern (not all of them securely anchored). Makes for a different sensation during a nighttime visit. :)
    We had come to this area to do some hiking so we set off Monday morning to visit two nearby waterfalls. You are encouraged to hire local guides and we had done so for our other hikes which were longer and involved more complex trails. The waterfalls were a short hike and we were told you could do it without a guide. At the time, I believed that. I no longer do.
    We set off with high hopes and a map furnished by Aditya. We actually found the first section of the trail with no problem but, as we ventured further into the forest, things quickly began to go south. You couldn’t tell the trail from the road to someone’s house and people lived in the most unlikeliest of places - and rode their motorbikes to them. We met a couple from Texas (she was originally from Montreal) who were attempting the same trek. Their map was actually worse than ours and it became a case of the blind leading the blind.
    We could hear the waterfall. We could see it through the trees. We just couldn’t find a path that would take us to it. I’m convinced the lack of signed trails is an attempt to ensure that  the guides don’t run out of business. Eventually we found ourselves on a section of the trail that the map indicated would take us to the upper falls so we abandoned the lower ones. It still wasn’t a smooth hike but we finally found ourselves at the foot of Melanting Falls. It was actually worth the trouble.
    Unfortunately, Doreen lost her focus for a moment as we reached the waterfall and  slipped on a bamboo log, jamming her foot so that she found walking on uneven ground painful. So much for our hiking plans. On the way back, we ran into the guide we’d hired, explained the problem and cancelled our hike to the lake the next day. We left the rice field trip open for Wednesday for the moment. Doreen’s foot worsened as the day progressed so it looked like a good decision on our part.
    It looked even better the next morning. I had gone to bed that night feeling fine (Doreen had even tried to convince me to do the lake hike on my own so as not to hang up the guide) but that soon changed. Suddenly I was burning up with fever while my inner core was so cold that I was shivering hard enough to shake the bed and my teeth were chattering. I alternated between fever and freezing all night and got very little sleep. I spent the next day virtually in bed with no energy and little appetite.
    I felt better on Wednesday morning and the guide, Made, and I set out to tour the rice fields we could see from our balcony. Doreen’s foot wouldn’t let her attempt it. Because of my energy level we did only the rice fields and didn’t attempt the hike to the banyan tree which is long and steep. The hike seemed to drain the last of my energy and I spent the next two days drifting in and out of wakefulness. The folks at Aditya Home Stay were wonderfully supportive.
    When we left there on Thursday, we had the driver take us to the medical clinic in Ubud for a consultation. We were afraid I had contracted malaria during our time on Pulah Weh. After a discussion with the doctor and some preliminary prodding, she suggested it was more likely dengue and ordered blood work to be sure. In the meantime she prescribed three sets of medication to fight a mild infection in my throat, to boost my immune system and to fight the fever. When she phoned with the test results on Saturday night it was a relief to learn that it was only the throat infection and not dengue or malaria. For that, the medications were already working. We did, however, lose the best part of a week.