Just A Change of 'Sea-nery'

You might say it was just a change of 'sea-nery'. 

In reality, it was so much more.  But that's the way with travel sometimes. A trip gives you far more than you expected from it!

Sunset - Ko Olina, O'ahu 

When last I wrote, we were heading off on our first big trip, the first real vacation that we'd taken in several years.  

Flight time: Hour 20 - island of O'ahu comes into view

Our destination although a familiar one, is now halfway around the world from us. I can honestly say that as I told you about the trip in my last writings I wondered if we were out of our minds taking it.  While the call to visit a favorite spot on earth was strong, as was the desire to see longtime 'same time, next year' friends, I questioned our stamina for such an undertaking after such a long dry spell.  

I am here to tell you -- now that we've been back a week -- just how glad we are that we went!  They say that travel feeds the soul, and this trip did just that for us. I didn't realize how close to empty we were running until we were actually refueling on the fabled white sand beaches of Hawaii.

The Journey

From our expat home in Greece's rural Peloponnese, the travel time was 38 hours to Kapolei a city on O'ahu, one of seven inhabited islands in Hawaii. Our return trip was 40 hours. Three flights going and three coming back. 

Wheels up, feet up aboard British Airways A380

We used airline miles and flew Business Class on all but one of the six flight segments. With 20+ hours spent in airplanes, having seats that converted into beds for the longest leg of the trip made it much easier on these two boomers.

Outbound the flight schedule required an overnight in London and coming back an overnight in San Francisco. Staying at airport hotels lengthened the trip, but it also gave us a chance to stretch our legs and break up the journey.

A New Look at an Longtime Favorite

Hawaii became the 50th state in the United States back in 1959.  Yet, in many ways it feels like such an autonomous tropical island that on at least two occasions we got a good laugh when we overheard fellow visitors asking residents, about how something was done on the island and then explaining to them how it is done 'back in the States'. 

KoOlina,mixed use development on O'ahu's west side

It had been five years since our last visit and we wondered if perhaps we'd 'outgrown' Ko Olina, which in Hawaiian means, 'place of joy'. We wondered if it might have lost some of its magic. It didn't take long after arriving at the mixed-use development (homes, shops, and tourist accommodations) for us to know it still held us in its charms. 

Wood sculpture honoring native fishermen of yesteryear

Back in the days before Greece, when it was our annual winter destination from the Pacific Northwest, I think we had begun to take Hawaii a bit for granted. It was close, warm, convenient and of course, a beautiful destination.  Having not visited for a while, this trip had us seeing it through new eyes. We paid more attention to its pride in its Pacific Islander heritage and culture, its stunning beauty and the commitment of its residents to 'malama ka 'aina' caring for and protecting the land.

Our go-to coffee spot amid lush gardens

One thing life in Greece has taught us to do is to slow our pace. We approached our timeshare life this time with that attitude. We took daily strolls through the palm-tree shaded grounds on a path bordering the sea. We sipped coffee without hurry amid the lush tropical gardens - the vivid greenery and colors being something we miss in Greece. We found ourselves taking more of a 'live in the moment' approach to enjoying the resort.   

A drive in the countryside is rejuvenating

Our outings by car took us through miles of sugar cane and pineapple fields to reach favorite beaches, towns and resorts on the island's North Shore and further west to its vast undeveloped Kaena Point.  

Moana magic in Hawaii

The sea, moana, as it is called in Hawaiian, simply mesmerized us with its shades of blue, turquoise, and greens.  Stunning colors, not completely unlike those of the Mediterranean, but yet so differently seductive that we often found ourselves gobsmacked by the views.  And what a treat to walk on those white granulated sugar beaches so totally unlike the stone carpeted beaches in our area of Greece.  

Old favorites; Places and People

Costco one of my happy places

While beach times were magnificent, I have to tell you that the trips we took to the Kapolei Costco were equally exciting for those of us expats who miss shopping at that big box store. (Greece doesn't have Costco.)  Shopping in some of our favorite locally owned retail and grocery stores, many that opened their doors decades ago on the island, has always been a treat and this trip was no exception. 

Fish burger and onion rings were shared by two

Hawaii is a food lovers paradise, especially when you have been away from it for some time.  We stuffed ourselves with ono grindz, good Hawaiian food. We left the healthy Mediterranean Diet behind and junked out on junk food -- Hawaiian potato chips, tortilla chips and dips that we don't get in Greece. We cooked meals at home by barbequing steaks, halibut and mahi mahi fish, along with pounds of asparagus during our two-week stay.

Time spent with same time, next year friends

We spent time with old friends - some who've known us for multiple decades. Others that we have met because of our timeshare life. One of the things we miss in expat life is spending time with those friends we used to see regularly. As I've written before, we don't often have friends traveling the distance to see us in Greece. So when a trip we take gives us the opportunity for get-togethers, walks, talks, giggles it is a double bonus. 

A Change of 'Sea-nery' 

We've missed palm trees

Our change of 'sea-nery' trip not only improved our moods and outlook on life but also bolstered our confidence in our being mentally and physically able to still travel.  We again proved to ourselves that we are not 'too old' to set off into the world.  Sure, the flights were long, and we walked like stiff-legged Lego-people up the jet-aways after arrivals.  We were more than ready for each flight to end. Once we reached our destinations we suffered 'jet lag' but it wasn't as debilitating as we had expected it to be. 

Menehune - mythical dwarf people who live deep in Hawaii forests

Not everything went smoothly. We did have a couple of those 'turned around' moments when we found ourselves heading in the wrong direction, as evidenced in our attempt to catch the correct underground train in SeaTac airport and again in our attempt to drive out of the rental car facility in Honolulu. Had either of those been filmed it would have made a great comedy reality show. 

A change of sea-nery - just what we needed!

Our time spent in Hawaii was far too short for the distance we had traveled; we concluded just a week after we got there. We spent two weeks at our timeshare property on O'ahu's west side and two nights in a hotel on its iconic Waikiki Beach. 'Next time' we said, 'we will stay longer. . .but maybe before we return, we need to set our travel sights out a bit further'. There are a lot of islands out there still calling out to be explored before we get 'too old'. I'll tell you more about that at some future date.

In the meantime, I'll leave you with the words of Frederick Buechner who sums up my thoughts on life and travel well. We thank you for the time you've spent with us today!  And we wonder if you've had a recent change of 'sea-nery' that served you well beyond being a good trip? Tell us about it in the comments or shoot us an email. We love hearing of your travels! 

Cyber-attack, Curmudgeons, Critters and Covid

Our trip began with a cyberattack so we probably shouldn't have been surprised that it ended with Covid.

Such was the start and end of our trip to America.  A trip that will go down in our travel memories as one of 'those' (roll of the eyes) trips. The kind that had a mind of its own and no amount of planning could have anticipated its unexpected twists and turns.

Not this trip to Manson!

Admittedly, the challenges could have been far worse. On the flip side, it could have been far more pleasant as well. We know that you travelers among us can probably relate to 'those' trips; the kind that adds little or nothing to life's happiness quotient. 

The Scout now describes ours as one in which 'our expectations were low, and they were met or exceeded.'  

On the home stretch: heading to Seattle

As expats living most of the year in Greece, but with a home base in the Pacific Northwest, our travel back to the States isn't what we think of as a vacation or holiday. House repairs/projects and health appointments are scheduled months in advance of our return and then we fit the good times in around them. 

Our calendar was filled with 'must do' items and interspersed with the 'want to do' fun things. We'd find a balance between them, or so we thought as we set forth. . .

The Cyber Attack

Seattle, Washington

Our US gateway airport is SeaTac, just outside Seattle, Washington.  Our noon arrival some 24 hours after we'd left Kalamata, was on a warm mid-August Sunday - a time when the airport is normally pleasantly empty and getting through baggage claim and immigration is a snap.

That is unless you arrive the day after a cyber-attack on SeaTac brought down its internet systems, disrupting travel for thousands. 

Luggage carousels sat idle at SeaTac thanks to a cyber attack

Surprisingly the airport's international terminal was indeed empty. Very empty.  Our British Airways flight was the only arrival. While we hadn't been caught up in the initial cyber strike, we got a dose of its continuing fallout. Those impacts made headline news for days as travel disruptions and inconveniences continued.

The Scout waits at SeaTac for our luggage

Even with just one arriving flight, the wait for checked luggage was very long. A wait so long, I called the rental car company to assure them we would still be picking up the car sometime that afternoon. 

Those who've made that trip between Europe and Seattle know how brain- and body-numbing it can be. We'd entered a new degree of numb by the time the bags arrived - but we were among the lucky ones because they did arrive!   

Aftermath of cyber-attack took days to clear up

A month later SeaTac was still dealing with the hackers. In mid-September the low-life criminals demanded six million in bitcoin be paid to them in exchange for the information stolen from the airport.  I am happy to report that SeaTac hasn't given in to the demands and the FBI continues to investigate.

The taxi driver just didn't understand my excitement

Late arriving luggage seemed a hallmark of our trip. Those same two checked bags didn't make it on to our Kalamata flight before it left London on our return to Greece in September. We arrived on a late Saturday night and the bags arrived the next day. They were delivered by taxi to our village.  Because we have no house numbers or street names, we met the taxi at the beach cafe near our house to pick up those bags.

The Crank and The Curmudgeon 

                                      Crank - an annoying, ill-tempered person                           

                         Curmudgeon - ill-tempered person, often stubborn and grouchy.

The fence saga that I wrote about while in the states really did end up being a saga. Suffice to say the planned three-day project sucked up three weeks of our month in the States. Its price doubled, sucking up a few thousand more dollars than it should have. 

We worked on the fence as well to get it done by the time we left

While our 'concerned neighbor' (that I likened to Gladys Kravitz, in my last piece), will likely continue in her role as the roaming neighborhood crank, she will meet her match should she focus again on our place. An unintended consequence of her meddling was my transformation from once-good-intentioned-neighbor to curmudgeon:

Should the crank resurface the curmudgeon is ready

Shakespeare, I believe, describes the new me well!

Critters

HiHo Silver was away for a week

A few weeks into our stay in America we got a message from our house/kitty sitter in Greece asking about a warning light that had come on in 'Hi Ho Silver,' our Toyota RAV. that she was driving in our absence. 

Believing that electrical wires might have gotten damp in a storm, she took the car to the local repair shop and after three days of test driving and checking, they couldn't find the source of the problem but pronounced it safe to drive until we could get to the dealership in Kalamata.  The headlights and brakes worked, even if nothing else on the dashboard did: no speedometer, no gas gauge no temperature indicator. 

The car went to the dealership a week ago. It took the mechanics but a minute to diagnose the problem - one all too common in rural areas: 

'Rats!' they said, showing us an air filter full of dark brown droppings the size of grains of rice. 

The rat did it!   (Photo credit: Axleaddict.com 2008)

 'Leave the car - it could take days to isolate the damage and order parts,' they added.  

We rented a car from company run by a FB friend of mine. It pays to have FB friends especially when you tell them you have no idea when you'll return their car.  Living here, he understood our problem.

Happily, I report that within four days the wires eaten by the little critters were located and replaced.  'Hi Ho ' is home again with moth balls and critter repellant lining the engine. 

Covid: The Climax

It is Covid!

So why not end the fun fest with Covid?  It seemed a fitting climax. 

We give little thought to Covid these days. Seldom do we see anyone, especially travelers, wearing masks. I no longer pack them when we travel. But Covid is still out there. Our house sitter reported that it had struck her down two days after her return to New Mexico.

 Although it knocked us flat for a couple of days, in reality it was no worse than those colds and flu we used to get. And my new motto is: it could have been worse! 

Now three weeks later we are back in the saddle at our Stone House on the Hill. Our area is gearing up for olive harvest which will kick off the end of October.  

Thanks for your time. Good travel wishes to you and yours.  And how have your trips gone this year?  Have you had one of 'those' trips as well?  Tell us about it in the comments or shoot us an email. Always good to hear from you~

 

Southeast Asia ~ A Coming of Age

The fact is that a lot of years had passed since we were last in Malaysia. 

In our minds, our return visit last month was far overdue.  That was one reason we chose its capital, Kuala Lumpur, as the starting and ending point of our recently completed Southeast Asian adventure.  

Downtown Kuala Lumpur was a happening place

Kuala Lumpur, or KL as it is often called, is 55 kilometers, or 35-miles, from its KLIA, the Kuala Lumpur International Airport.  Our visit required four such rides; two at each end of the trip. Time and distance provided us ample time to visit with our cab drivers, all of whom spoke English well.  

At some point during each ride, the conversation invariably went something like: 

Chatting with our cab drivers - Oh My GAWD!

'So, your first time in KL?' asked the driver.

'No, we were here before. . .' one of us would answer, pausing, then adding, '. . .about forty years ago.'

At which point each of the cabbies -- who ranged in age from 40 to 56 -- nearly drove into the freeway barrier as his head snapped from focusing on the road to the rear-view mirror to get a good look at the talking fossils in the back seat.

The best verbal response was from the 56-year-old who exclaimed, 'Oh. My G-A-W-D! I was 15 then!!' 

Each of the conversations ended with the driver telling us about his elderly parents who were in our age range but were still 'getting around' and how good it was that we were still traveling. 

Coming of Age

Street scene 2023 Kuala Lumpur

We have aged, and hopefully grown a bit as well, since our first visit to Malaysia's capital city. But our changes pale in comparison with the changes to this cultural, financial and economic center of Malaysia.  

The city looked much like the photo above during our first visit in the early 1980's. But those old storefronts are fast being replaced with towering skyscrapers offering condominiums, offices and retail space.  The photo below was taken from our hotel room.

Kuala Lumpur from our hotel window

Back when we first visited KL it had a population of 1.1 million. Today's population is 8.6 million. Its population density and urban spread is evidenced by towering buildings of living accommodations that began to fill the skyline miles before we reached the city's center.

Residential high rises outside city center

What we found most interesting is that even with all the change, we were as taken with this new modern high-density version of the city as we were with the old charmer, we explored decades ago.  Maybe that is because it still retains many of its historical buildings which were a pleasant contrast to the ubiquitous high-rise structures.

A heritage building in KL

The Old and the New 

Entry display at one mall

Shopping malls abound in the heart of town. Our first stay was at the JW Marriott Hotel, which was part of a high-end shopping mall, and also across the street from yet another high-end mall.  We could log our day's footstep goal with a single trip through one of the multi-storied malls.

Coffee at one mall allowed us to watch video ads across the street

We were bedazzled with jewelry displays, clothing, and cars. There's definitely another world out there! I had no more than said, 'Can you imagine these places at Christmas?' when we saw this photo:

Christmas must be something else!

Each of the three nights we spent at the JW, we were treated to a car show outside the front door in the valet parking area. This purple car won out for the color, but each day we found some breathtakingly expensive car parked just outside the door.

Outside our hotel in valet parking

We had one additional night and a full day in KL on our return leg of our journey. We chose to experience a bit of history and stayed in the heritage wing of its Majestic Hotel, located in another part of the city. The hotel, with a tall sleek conference hotel wing to one side, was originally built in 1932, just across the street from its heritage train station. It simply oozed with charm. . .the music playing as we stood in line to check in was Glenn Miller's 'Moonlight Serenade'.

Hotel Majestic, since 1932.

We sipped cappuccinos while others had High Tea in the old wing's lobby. We could have sat in the Orchid Room but will save that for 'next time'. 

Orchid Room - Majestic

Happy Hour was held in the stately old bar where you could play a game of billiards or watch financial news on a flat screen television. The air was tinged with cigar smoke - just adding that perfect old gentlemen's club touch to the setting. 

Happy Hour at the Majestic Hotel

The Southeast Asian Adventure

For those who missed the last post outlining this adventure, a brief recap: 

KL was the first stop on a journey that would take us to Malaysia, Thailand, Cambodia, Viet Nam and Singapore.  We flew from Athens to KL via Istanbul on Turkish Airlines. We were reminded that it is a long haul to get to SE Asia no matter from which direction you fly. It was an hour and a half to Istanbul then 10.5 hours to Kuala Lumpur.  

Most of our journey was completed aboard Oceania's Nautica cruise ship.  We boarded that ship in Bangkok, Thailand after a brief stay there.  And that is where our tale begins next time when we will be: Bangkok Bound.

Thanks for the time you've spent with us today and thanks to those of you who sent us travel suggestions and recommendations. All were appreciated! 

Kalo Mina! ~ July in Greece

 Kalo Mina, we call out in greeting, Good (New) Month! 

A summer sunset in Greece

July has arrived in Greece. The cicadas are filling the air with their surround-sound sizzling summer song. The sound they make reminds us of those huge oscillating irrigation sprinklers used to water thirsty fields in Washington State or the sound of electricity running through high voltage wires leading from the Columbia River on a hot summer's day.

The cicadas song is definitely the sound of summer in our slice of Greece but it also serves to remind us of the sounds we knew in our 'other world'. This is our fifth summer spent as American expats living in the rural part of the Peloponnese; transplants from the U.S. Pacific Northwest.

Stoupa Beach - summertime!

Temperatures in Greece are soaring - with the thermometer climbing to 90F /32C. Humidity is just under 70%.  This is the type of weather that gets us up early so that outdoor olive grove and garden chores are completed by mid-morning, and errands are completed before noon. 

Afternoons - at least for locals - are spent indoors trying to stay cool. Tourists on foot, bike and in rental cars, head to the beaches to bake themselves into various shades of red and brown.

Last summer's fire got a bit close to us

Sadly, summer has become a time of wild fires, warnings and alerts have been coming fast and furiously in recent days. Now, reports of fires.  They remind us via social media that the level of heat and a brisk breeze is a dire combination. Greece has taken a proactive approach to firefighting this summer.  Firefighters from neighboring European Union countries have already arrived in Greece and are stationed throughout the country on the ready to fight any outbreaks that happen over the weekend.

Summer's Mid-Day Nap

With the heat and humidity climbing  and our ambition correspondingly dropping, summer here is a time to perfect the mid-day nap. This Greek equivalent of a siesta usually takes place between 2 pm and 5 pm. 

The Summer Nap - our cats love it!

Called  'these ores ths laikis isikhias' in Greek, its literal translation is, 'the hours of popular quiet'. It is taken so seriously that police can cite those who violate the quiet. It is a time for a mid-day meal, rest and quiet. Prompted by the intense heat, often times the mid-day meal is eaten as late as 4 p.m. and the nap times can extend to 6:30pm. 

Laborers stop work and resume in the cooler evening hours.  Many retail outlets close during  nap hours, opening in the evening and staying open as late as 11 p.m. or midnight.  Restaurant diners don't arrive for meals until  8 p.m. or later.

The Summer After Covid 

We have a fine dining restaurant in the village now

I will admit we worried about a number of our friends and their businesses as the year-long Covid lock-down pretty much stretched into a two year lockdown, but I am happy to report that not only have all of our retail stores and restaurants in this part of the Mani re-opened, but we have also added new businesses to the line up as well.

Medikon opens in Ag. Nikolaos. Photo: Medikon

In our village of Agios Nikolaos, we've had a fine dining/cocktail lounge open at the harbor in place of a long-time traditional Greek eatery. While we miss that menu and the folks who ran that place, the new restaurant has ratcheted up our dining options.  I might add, it is also run by a couple from Athens whose family is here and run a traditional beach taverna just down the road.

Gelato in Agios Dimitrios

And in Agios Dimitrios, the small hamlet literally at the foot of 'our' hill, a cafe has opened. This is BIG news as it is the only eatery or retail business in the village! A mom-and-two-daughter team from Kalamata has quickly turned it into a popular drink and snack destination.

Laid Back Locals

An early morning coffee klatch on the beach!

We were officially called 'locals' this week when a village businessman we often see having coffee at the same places we go to, labeled us as such. He said because we see each other enough to recognize each other - and he was born and raised here - then, we are considered, locals.  So being 'locals' our summer mornings are spent as locals do -having a coffee at one of the many tavernas and cafes in the village.  A group of lady friends met for coffee a few weeks ago and you can tell from the photo we are locals: as we are hovering in the shade and there so early the tourists haven't taken over the beach chairs in the background. 

Although 'meeting for coffee and conversation' here is much like anywhere, we expats always take a moment to marvel at our surroundings. 'Can you believe we are meeting for coffee on a beach, walking distance from home and can run our feet through the sand while visiting?' one of us will invariably ask of the other.

Summer Travels

It is a joy to once again be able to travel this summer - with limited required mask wearing and no need to show Covid vaccination cards.  It almost feels like 'normal'. We just returned from a 10-day outing which began in Athens and then involved island hopping.  We were reminded again by the languages we heard spoken, of Greece's world-wide appeal as a tourist destination.

Tourists, 'selfies' and Athens sights from our hotel

Despite airport chaos -- cancelled flights, delayed flights, lost luggage, enormous lines -- in major airports across the European Union and England, travelers keep on traveling.  

In the cool of the night - temperatures drop to the 70's

We are still waiting for those residency permits of ours to be renewed - now in month three of our countdown -- so we are required to stay within Greece for our travels this summer. Road trips (gasoline is just under $10 a gallon) and ferry trips are making this 'renewal lockdown' really quite tolerable.  We plan a return to the States in August/September.  At least the flights are booked, but with the continuing and increasing aviation chaos, we are braced for our flights to be cancelled -- hopefully soon enough to come up with a Plan B.

EasyJet, RyanAir, and British Air employees are all planning a series of strikes during the next two months.  Each strikes on a different set of days to make it real nasty and confusing. We are booked on British Air - they are to notify travelers by 14 days prior to departure. We will deal with that when we need to. In the meantime, we will enjoy the summer, naps, coffees and an occasional road trip.

TravelnWrite is on the Gold List!

We were most pleased to be notified this week of having made the Gold List of Boomer Travel blogs for 2022 by the folks at Getting on Travel. Check out some of the blogs on this list - it will be great for armchair getaways and might even prompt you to pack your bags!

Safe travels to you and yours~ hope to see you back here soon!

Linking this week with:

 Through My Lens

Travel Tuesday

Our World Tuesday

My Corner of the World Wednesday

Wordless Wednesday

Friendship Friday Blog Hop