4/22/11 Yes, we are finally having some warm weather here at Park Sierra. Not as warm as usual, but much better than the past few weeks. It was great that it started in time for Stagecoach Daze, which is the major fundraiser, with the money going to the social part of the park called Sierra Oaks. It funds the various breakfasts, lunches and dinners as well as other special events which occur here all year long.
Before it started, Bill and Gisela Pollock were here, as I mentioned in my last post. Just before they left, last Monday they had us over for a delicious dinner in their lovely rig. Here is a picture of the 4 happy eaters:

They splurged and served beef tenderloin steaks, which had been grilled perfectly and were fork tender. We paired them with one of the delicious red wines we had bought the day before on the Madera wine trail.
The next day there was a big lunch picnic gathering at the pole barn for the unveiling of the newly refurbished stage coach. Many of the members had been working on repairing the stagecoach for months, and also building a new covering for it. The many woodpeckers here in the park had done quite a thorough job on it, and it was riddled with holes. Now the new covering structure has netting all around it to keep the critters out. Here is a picture of the new stagecoach:

Some people even dressed up for the occasion, such as our friends Ken & Carolyn Kimpton:

After some speeches recognizing people who were founding park members, they hooked up the stagecoach to a tow vehicle and a parade of golf carts and people formed behind it. Some park members acted as the "horses":

It was hauled down the hill to the spot near the clubhouse where the new enclosure was built for it, and now it is elegantly parked there for all to see as they enter our park.
Throughout the next few days a lot of entertainment was presented. After the first dinner, our neighbor, Jeanne Taylor, acted as the "bag lady" in this skit about 2 ladies trying to outdo each other at a bus stop. It was hilarious.

And here is a picture of Elaine with Rich and Mary Baumann, our across the street neighbors, at one of the meals:

Our Boomer friend, Betty Prange arrived after the first day and was able to join us for the Social Hour on Thursday. Here she is in between Mary & Dave Fountain:

Two other couples of gals are also park members here, and they have become our good friends. In this picture they are (left to right) Elleen and Glenda, Vicky & Jan.

There was also a casino night where we played poker all evening, although there were other options.

A prize was given at the end of the night for the person with the most money, but I only came in third. When I was whining about it on the way out of the clubhouse, the sheriff put me in jail:

Betty joined us for dinner on Saturday night, so here we are together at the table.

There were lots of raffle prizes, door prizes, and 50-50 drawings during all of the Stagecoach Daze events, but we didn't win any of them!!!! Oh well, the event made over $10,000 for Sierra Oaks, which is just wonderful.
Now I have to get ready for the Friday night social, and later Elaine and I are going over to Chukchansi Casino for a performance by Journey Unauthorized. They gave us free tickets, so of course, we will go. Hopefully, these free tickets won't cost us a lot as we pass by the gaming tables and the slot machines!

4/10/11 Hi from sunny Park Sierra, although it still isn't really very warm here yet. In fact, 2 days ago we woke up to about 2-3 inches of snow all over everything, with more big, wet flakes falling! Here is a picture of our rig and car on our lot:

From our living room slide we could see all the trees in the greenbelt next to us covered with snow.

Here is a picture of Elaine on our snowy patio:

But by mid afternoon, the sun was out and most of the snow had melted:

Two days before all this snow and cold, we had a Happy Hour gathering at our lot in honor of Gary & Cecile Thompson, who were giving up their lot at the park. It was so nice that people were sitting outside in their shirtsleeves! Here is a picture of June and Stan Dean, with our next-door neighbor Alan Rodely, and our friend Carolyn Kimpton:

And here is Elaine with Gary Thompson, and his neighbors Gloria and Marvin Taylor:

Our Boomer friends Bill and Gisela Pollock had arrived on Tuesday, and we advised them to go to Yosemite National Park on Wednesday because we had heard there was going to be a big change in the weather. Also, if there was a government shut down, the park would be closed. So they went on Wednesday and had a beautiful day there. We have been having fun social times with them ever since they arrived. Here is a picture of the 4 of us together at the Park Sierra social gathering on Friday:

Other good friends, Judy Farrow & Lou Stoetzer, and Mary & Dave Fountain shared our table with us:

Yesterday we went to two of the wineries on the Madera Wine Trail with Bill and Gisela. Our favorite is Birdstone, which has wonderful wines and a charming tasting room:

Additionally, the owners and winemakers, Kim and Tony Kirk, are warm and welcoming. We met them last year and shared a few glasses of wine at the Isle Hour winery event in Oakhurst last summer. It was great to see Kim again when we were at their winery yesterday. Here is a picture of the 4 of us with Kim at the tasting room:

Our second stop was at Chateau Lasgoity, where the wines were also good and we enjoyed chatting with the owner, John Lasgoity. He told us that he has established a connection with Chinese wine merchants and had an interesting visit to China last year where he observed a lot of their growing and wine making techniques. The Chinese now buy all his wine which is left over at the end of the season.
Bill and Gisela are having us over for dinner tomorrow and then leaving on Tuesday. Too bad they can't stay because the biggest event of the year at Park Sierra starts Wednesday. It is Stagecoach Daze, and it will be 4 days of meals, auctions, craft shows, craft classes, games, raffles, a casino night, a melodrama, and stagecoach rides. We will be helping with some of these events, and enjoying all of them, I'm sure.
In any spare time we have, we are still working on slimming down before our May cruises, and also getting our paperwork in order for future travels. I also managed to get our taxes done, and we got our shed cleaned up a bit. By the time we leave Park Sierra on May 4, it will be our longest stay here (5 weeks) since we became lot holders in 2002!!!

3/27/11 Finally, a partially sunny day here at Park Sierra with no rain!!! And the forecast is for gradually warming dry days in the week ahead, so we are now happier campers. Last Monday night was when we returned to Park Sierra, after spending the weekend at the Fremont Elks. Our intent was to work on cleaning up the backyard at the Santa Clara rental house, and cutting back some of the trees while we had free pickup by the city out in the street. But the weather was so bad, with freezing temps and constant heavy rain, that we couldn't do anything except inspect the place. The tenants might be moving in July, so we will tackle the mess then. The one positive weekend event was having some time to see Elaine's daughter Tarra, and her family who live in Fremont. Can't post any pictures because we hadn't received our camera back from Olympus repair yet. They all are doing fine and look happy and healthy.
Monday we stopped in Fresno to have some recall work done on the RV brakes, which should not have cost us any money. But when they took the wheels off and exposed the rotors, they were very badly cracked. This was probably caused by the sticking calipers which was what the recall was about, but of course, Workhorse won't pay for the damage to the rotors, just what it costs to fix the calipers. So $1189 later, the RV was fixed and we drove to Park Sierra. Our very nice neighbors, David & Brenda Neil, had a delicious dinner waiting for us. It was great to have some visiting time with them. Here is a picture of them on Ken's deck today:

There have been so many social events since we returned to the park that our weight loss program, which was going well in Sacramento, has now stalled. Today we were at a birthday party for Ken Kimpton down at their lot, and we also had dinner there one night too. Here is a picture of Carol Rodely, Carolyn Kimpton, Elaine & Brenda Neil on the Kimpton's deck:

Last night there was a tostada dinner for everyone in the park to celebrate the Volunteers, with homemade cake for dessert. Here is a picture of Elaine with Viv Rogers, our neighbor Jeanne Taylor, & Brenda:

Every Friday there is a big park Happy Hour with "heavy" appetizers so that usually is dinner. And Elaine cooked a big corned beef dinner for some friends this week too. Since it was raining almost every minute, these social events were certainly welcome because it got people out of their rigs where they had been trapped for weeks. And we have been having a wonderful time catching up with the news and doings of friends.
As the weather improves and we can be outside, there are rig projects and other chores on the lot we need to take care of. In mid-April, the main park fund raiser, called Stagecoach Daze, will be held for 4 days. There will be lots of activities and meals, and we will try to do something to help. Ken & Carolyn are handling the auction, so I suspect we will be working on that with them. This 5 1/2 week period of being here is probably the longest time we have ever been here, and we have been members since 2002!
One of our park members took some pictures of Coarsegold Creek, which runs through the park down near the bottom of the property which I will post below. In the summer this creek is nearly dry. Last week it was a raging torrent with a constant roar.
Here is an overview look from the hill above:

Here is the place where members usually drive across in their golf carts:

3/16/11 Two more weeks have gone by since my last post, but we have been VERY busy. Working on the rental house everyday keeps us busy from early morning until 5 or 6PM. Then we drive back to the RV, fix dinner, and try to catch up on other things such as e-mails or paperwork. Our sympathies go out to you people who still work every day!!! This is reminding us how great it usually is to be retired.
One big social event we have had during our time here was that my daughter Laura, my granddaughter Michaela, and Laura's new guy, Dennis, all drove down one Saturday for a visit. We fixed a nice dinner to have at the RV so we could sit and chat with them and get to know Dennis. He seems to be a great guy and Laura clearly is very enamored with him. We hope that they find much happiness together. It was also wonderful to have time to talk to Michaela and find out what is going on in her life. She is 15 and we feel like we barely know her because her Father would never let her have visits with us. He felt like we would corrupt her, I guess. So one of the big benefits of Laura's divorce is starting to have a better relationship with her. Here is a picture of me with the three of them:

The second social event was 2 nights ago when we drove over to Cal Expo RV park to see Laurie & Odel who are staying there a while so Odel can have a knee replacement at a local hospital. The renovations they had done in their RV look wonderful, and so do they! We had a drink and snacks and chatted a while, then walked over to Applebee's, which is not very far away. They like to eat there when they are on Weight Watchers because Applebee's puts the point counts in the menu for some of their dishes. The food was good and we enjoyed being with them, as always! Couldn't take a picture because my camera is still being repaired by Olympus.
Now that we have spent two weeks working very hard on the rental house, it is ready for new tenants. Last Friday night we put it on Craig's list, and on Saturday three sets of people had come to see it and we had 2 applications. Sunday 2 more couples came to see it. One of the applicants seem perfect and their information checks out so we agreed to rent to them. Tomorrow at 5:30PM they are meeting us at the house and we are collecting the deposit and giving them the keys. They wanted our house because it is large (4 bedrooms and very spacious) and near Zamora School, which some say is the best school in Woodland. They have 3 kids and one on the way and the oldest one is 6. So we hope they decide to stay in our house until ALL of the kids get through school!!!!
Friday we will be driving down to Fremont to stay at the Elks Club. The Santa Clara rental house is badly in need of some cutting back of trees and shrubs in the backyard so we will be doing that this weekend. Santa Clara has a "clean up campaign" every Spring which allows us to put any amount of anything out on the street and they haul it to the dump for free. And this is our weekend to do that. We will also be seeing Elaine's daughter, Tarra, and her family, who live in our Fremont house.
Some people are wondering when we will be returning to Park Sierra. Monday we will be driving back to our lot there, if all goes well in the Bay Area. We are looking forward to some much needed rest and socializing with friends!! Also, Stagecoach Days will be mid-April, and that is always a very fun event there.

3/2/11 Can't believe it has been two weeks since I last posted! Sorry for the delay. We have been moving fast and seeing lots of people since we got off the Explorer of the Seas. The day that we docked back in New Jersey was sunny and warm and quite a bit of the snow had melted. We got off the ship early because we had packed light and were taking our own luggage off. At the airport, we waited for our flight to Atlanta (with a subsequent flight from there to Phoenix) and we realized that every flight that was leaving was overbooked. This was probably because it was President's weekend and everyone had an extra day off. They were calling for volunteers to give up their seats. Finally, the gate agent called us up by name and said that if we allowed them (Delta) to change our flight so that we went through Minneapolis and then on to Phoenix, they would give us each a $400 voucher for future travel, a $7 lunch voucher, and put us in first class for the Minneapolis to Phoenix leg. We would be arriving only 1 1/2 hours later than planned. So we took it. Wow, it is neat to fly first class!!!
Back in Phoenix, we slept in the rig at the Elks Club, and then the next day had lunch with Joyce and Don Lipari, Elaine's former sister-in-law and her husband. After a nice meal with them and cheesecake and coffee in their new home in Mesa, we headed for Tucson, arriving just at dark. Once again we stayed in the yard of Elaine's Aunt Marion and spent the weekend having fun with her, and also Penny, Elaine's sister. We had no food in our rig because we had been away so Penny brought over some food, and Sunday Aunt Marion's friend Louise took all of us to a nearby casino for a delicious prime rib dinner.
Monday we left and headed for Yuma, where we stayed on the lot of Ron & Carol Leonard in the Foothills. Diane & Jim FisherBaker were also staying there, as were 2 of Carol's nieces. We had several enjoyable Happy Hours with them over the course of the next few days, had a delightful time and delicious dinner with Lee & Susie Blattner at their rig at the SKP park, got to see the new mobile home and lot that Diane and Jim had just purchased about 1/2 mile from Carol & Ron's, and had a quick visit at Dan & Jenny Shepherds casita. Sure wish I could be posting pictures of all these enjoyable events, but I still have not been able to get my camera repaired.
Our Yuma visit was also short because we needed to head back to CA to deal with some rental issues. We drove to Jojoba SKP park for a quick visit with Joe & Carla Calwell and Dick and Carole Schneider. Had intended to stay both Thursday and Friday but the weather forecast was for very cold temps and snow down to 500 feet starting Friday. We needed to get through the mountains surrounding Los Angeles before snow fell, so we decided to leave early Friday. That gave us Thursday with our friends, so we all went to a nearby BBQ restaurant for lunch and then to the Shadow Mountain Winery for an excellent wine tasting - and some buying as well. Nearly every one of their wines was excellent! That evening Joe and Carla had us all over to their 5th wheel for a delightful dinner of green chili stew, with lots of talking, drinking wine, laughing, and catching up on each others news. It was great.
Friday we left early and yes, beat the bad weather and made it over the mountains, although there was snow on the ground in the Tehachipi's. It took 2 days for us to drive up to Sacramento where we set up our rig on Ron & Carol's property. The weather was cold but sunny for the next few days. We made several visits to our property in Woodland to try to hurry along the moving process of our tenant, but it still took her until last night at 7PM to get totally out. We were happy that she left without necessitating the hiring of an eviction attorney. So today we had the locks changed and started cleaning up the big mess that she left us. Tomorrow we will be able to start painting. We are hoping to have this place fairly well cleaned up and ready to show to new prospective tenants within a few weeks. We will also have to drive down to the Santa Clara house for a few days mid-month to do some yard cutback and cleanup during the annual cleanup campaign that the city has every spring. It is a chance to get rid of huge amounts of stuff because the city picks it up off the street at no charge for 2 days. These rental issues are a lot of work but since we have no pensions, only rental income, and we like to eat, we periodically have to pay attention to business!!!

Blog Update From The Explorer
2/15/11
Today is the first of three straight sea days because the ship is heading back to New Jersey from the Caribbean. There is a special performance of the ice show for repeat cruisers, which we will attend in a few minutes. Every late afternoon and evening we have been enjoying the drinks and appetizers in the Concierge Lounge with the Boy Toys and other new friends.
And there have been four singing and dancing production shows which have been excellent. Mornings we have been spending a lot of time working out in the gym on the elliptical machines, and also doing some weights in an effort to get in better shape, as well as take off the “bread roll” we acquired on our India trip last Nov. The weather has been pretty good, and we especially enjoy the warmth, which we will perhaps be losing as we head north.
There were 6 port days in a row on this cruise, with the first one being Labadee, Haiti. This is really just a tropical peninsula with nice beaches and other amenities which is privately owned by Royal Caribbean. Roger and Martin arranged for the 5 of us (Jack was with us) to rent a cabana for the day in an area that had restricted entry. Here is a picture of us in the cabana:

It was a nice, shady place to hang out, with tables and a special buffet lunch served right behind it. Here is a picture of the gang at lunch:

About 20 yards in front of our cabana was a very nice beach with floating mats and snorkeling equipment we could use. And, it was such a nice sunny day that we enjoyed going in the water.
Unfortunately, there aren't any more pictures from the other places we have been because the new camera which I bought on the Adventure of the Seas in December, has already gone kaput. I will have to try getting Olympus to fix it once we return to the USA.
The other ports of call were Semana, Dominican Republic, St. Kitts, St. John's, Antigua, St. Thomas, and St. Maarten. Most of these places were repeat visits for us, so we either didn't get off the ship, or we just walked around a bit in the towns. Usually the only activities are going to the beach or shopping, unless you book an overpriced shore excursion from the ship. In Semana, we took the tender boat ashore, and then walked to a local outdoor restaurant Roger and Martin knew, where we ate plantains and drank local beer. It has actually been hot a couple of the days, especially yesterday in St. Maarten.
This cruise started in Bayonne, New Jersey on Feb. 6. We were lucky because there was decent enough weather that we were able to fly in there on Feb. 5 with only a 2 hour delay in our arrival. The day the ship sailed was a very clear and cool day, and we could see New York and the Statue of Liberty quite well across the harbor. Here is a picture of us with New York in the background.

There was also an interesting memorial right in the port at Bayonne called the Russian Teardrop. It is a big granite piece, split in the middle with a big metal teardrop there, and the names of all the victims of the 9/11 attack etched in the base. It was donated by Russia. This information was supplied by our shuttle bus driver, so I hope it is accurate.
If you ever have a cruise leaving from Bayonne, be prepared for a huge mess at the port. There is only one lane of traffic to get to the area where cars park and taxis and buses drop off passengers, and there is a huge backup. Also, you leave your luggage in a big tent area with the porters and then there is another long line just to get into the building where Royal Caribbean checks you in. Then you have to get on a shuttle bus which takes you about 150 yards to the entry to the ship. Not a very efficient way to check in thousands of people in a short period of time.
We will be disembarking from the ship on Friday morning and taking a shuttle to the airport. Our rig is at the Elks Lodge in Phoenix, where we hope to arrive in the evening. After a day or two in Tucson, visiting Elaine's sister and aunt, we will be heading back to California to deal with some rental problems.

1/25/11 Have been having warm and sunny weather here at Boomerville, which is the Boomer gathering at Quartzsite, AZ during the last 2 weeks of January. There are over 100 rigs here and we have been having nice social times with a lot of our RV friends. When we first arrived and went to the group Happy Hour, we were quite amazed at how many people we knew since we haven't been here for 3 or 4 years. We are parked right across from Mike & Marilyn Harrison, and Sam & Bob Fleckner, and right in front of Mick & Ann Mielike. Here is our rig parked in the desert:

Carole and Dick Schneider arrived last Saturday and are parked just down the row from us. Every day there are lots of activities, including a 9AM walk which we have been doing every day. Here is a picture of todays' walking group - at least the gang that made it all the way to the 2 1/2 mile marker. From left are Elaine, Jim Baker, Carole Schneider, and Linda and Sonny Kingsbury:

When we were first here, Escapees had a big Happy Hour which we attended and where we were able to reconnect with our good friends Lee & Susie Blattner:

Additionally, there were several Park Sierra neighbors at this event, and here is Elaine with Dave & Brenda Neal, and Val Jones:

Every year at this time hundreds of thousands of RVs come here because there is a gem and mineral show and a lot of other vendors who sell stuff here. But most of us come just to get together with all our RV friends who also attend. Here is a picture I took while we were on our walk. You can see all the white areas, which are RVs:

The Boomers donate items for a auction and the money goes to support the Care Center at Escapees headquarters in Livingston. It was held yesterday after Happy Hour and more than $2400 was raised!
Most evenings our little neighborhood has a campfire and we sit around a chat for a while, usually over a drink.

Then the desert sky starts to get pink and we have spectacular sunsets. Here is one of them:

Friday is Elaine's 64th birthday and we will be having a little party for her around the campfire.
Before I end this, I want to put a picture here which we took on our drive across highway 58 near Boron. It shows how flimsy RVs can be when they are hit by another vehicle. This one was a 5th wheel. I think we are a little better protected in a motorhome.

1/17/11 Yesterday afternoon we returned to our RV at Park Sierra after driving back from Los Angeles. The family cruise on the Mariner, which went to 3 ports in Mexico, was a wonderful week with the family and we all also greatly enjoyed the warm weather. This was the last week the Mariner was doing this itinerary so it also became the week of the reunion cruise for those who were onboard in 2008 when the ship traveled Around the Horn from Florida to Los Angeles. So our friends Len & Letty, Rick & Denice, and Carol & Byron were on board with us. Here is a picture of Darran & Marielle with (left to right) Denice, Byron, Carol & Rick.

During the week there were two formal nights so everyone got dressed up and we had a formal picture taken. From left to right in front are Paige, Mary & Elaine. Back row: Marielle, Darran, Alonzo, Tarra, and Laura.

For those of you who don't know the family, Laura is Mary's daughter, and Paige is Laura's daughter. Darran is Elaine's son and Marielle is his fiancee; Tarra is Elaine's daughter and Alonzo is her husband. Mary's son, Thomas, and his partner, Robert, were unable to join us for this cruise.
It was fun just being on the ship with the family and one of the first things they did was get into the hot tub together:

After a day of cruising, we started three days of ports. The first one was Cabo San Lucas. There is no pier there so we had to be tendered in. Here is the picture we took in front of the marina:

After some exploring in town and also a little shopping, we ended up at an outdoor bar where David, the bartender made margaritas from fresh juices and good tequila and we all enjoyed them. One of the entertainers from the ship was there and he took this picture for us:

The next day we were in Mazatlan. Tarra and Alonzo went off on their own while the rest of us took a water taxi to Stone Island for a day at the beach.

There was a long row of beach palapa restaurants so we grabbed a table and chairs at Victor's, which had been recommended by Jack, one of our cruise buddies. It was a good choice, and we spent the day eating garlic and coconut shrimp, chips and salsa, drinking local beers, enjoying each other's company, and shopping (by the kids) from the beach vendors.

Port number 3 was Puerta Vallarta, one of our favorite Mexican cities. We caught the local bus right outside the port gate and got off in the old downtown area. Here is the family at one of the sculptures along the malecon, which is the scenic beach walk.

The cathedral was nearby, so we walked over to check out the inside. The outside tower has a very different looking top - a replica of the crown worn by Emperor Maximillian.

A few blocks away was the Rio Cuale market on an island in the middle of the river. The kids bought a few Mexican handicrafts to bring back as gifts to their friends and families. We just enjoyed the sunny day and the warmth.

There was a nice outdoor restaurant alongside the river so we gathered there for a drink before having lunch at a small local restaurant in town.

Then Elaine and I did the walk along the malecon and enjoyed not only the permanent sculptures, but also the sand sculptures made by some of the locals.

The next two days were sea days so we all rested and enjoyed being together, especially at dinner. The kids enjoyed the food, the entertainment, and hung out by the pool. Of course, the weather got cooler as we traveled north again. Sunday morning the ship docked back in San Pedro and we took them to the airport. Now it is back to "real life" for everyone.
Our fridge got fixed today, and it is cooling nicely, so we have finished packing up the RV and will start heading for Quartzsite and the Boomer gathering in the morning. Hopefully, the heavy fog we had today will have disappeared by departure time.

1/3/11 Happy New Year Everybody! It has already been a good year and we hope it continues for us and all of you too. We attended the New Year's Eve celebration in the clubhouse here at Park Sierra. There was finger food which was brought by everyone, and a band which played a variety of music for listening and dancing. We shared a table with our good friends Glenda & Elleen, Ken & Carolyn, and Polly & Ernie. This being the home park of lots of fairly elderly people who often go to bed early, the event took place between 6 and 9. We were still getting used to this new time zone, so we were happy with this arrangement.
Today we returned from taking our RV to Manteca Trailer to have the bedroom slideout repaired. It was making loud screeching noises every time we opened or closed it, and underneath the outside part we were getting some scratches. We drove up there yesterday, in the rain, and got set up on their lot so we could have an early morning appointment today. We had fears that they would have to take the whole thing off to fix it, but they were able to adjust it and lube it from the inside and now it works well. They charge $132 per hour for labor (Yikes) but it only took an hour and minimal parts. Now we just have to leave our RV parked here at Park Sierra while we are cruising with our kids next week, and when the cooling unit for the fridge arrives, it will be installed. Then we can drive down to AZ for the last two weeks of January and attend the Boomer gathering at Quartzsite.
Yes, the long-awaited family cruise will be starting next Sunday. Elaine and I will drive down in our car on Saturday and stay overnight at a motel near the port where we can also leave our cars during the week we will be gone. Darran and Marielle will be bringing Laura and Paige with them from San Diego because they are flying in the night before. Tarra and Alonzo will fly into LAX Sunday morning. Now we just have to hope that the weather cooperates! Our next blog post will probably be a report about this event.

12/29/10 It is rainy, windy, and cold here at Park Sierra and we are wishing we were back in the Caribbean again! We have only been back a few days and are already out of sorts and complaining about the weather. Time to make a resolution that we will absolutely NOT spend any time here next winter!! Maybe the fact that Elaine is still suffering from a cold she picked up on the cruise, and I am still suffering from a knee injury that started on the ship, is contributing to our dark moods. The fact that our fridge has gone wacko and we now need a new cooling unit (which will cost $900 installed) hasn't helped. Our friends Curt and Viv have loaned us a small electric fridge to use until Jan. 17 when our repair will take place. They have also fed us 2 delicious meals, and Ken and Carolyn have fed us one meal, so we aren't starving - and we have enjoyed their company. It was lucky that this happened when we had been away, because we didn't have a bunch of food that got spoiled.
The last 2 islands that we visited, Curacao and Aruba, were both very colorful and interesting. And because they are so close to Venezuela, the weather was very warm. On Aruba, we took a local bus with our new friends Jeff and Dorothy and went down to the beaches in the hotel zone. It rained a little bit while we were sitting in a beach bar trying out the local beer. When we returned to the ship, we were amazed at all the water that was in the streets. They had a huge downpour there, and it was only a mile or two from where we were. Tropical weather, I guess.
Friday, the day we docked back in Puerto Rico, we got off the ship in record time. Such a difference from when the Adventure of the Seas disembarked. So we had a long wait at the airport, then another layover of several hours in Miami. Lorraine and Steve, other new friends, were flying with us, so we enjoyed a nice Christmas dinner together in the Mexican restaurant in the terminal. Because of the layovers, and the time zone differences, it was a very long travel day by the time we landed at LAX, rented a car, and drove to Darran's apartment in San Diego. Had intended to stay there a few days but the weather wasn't very nice and Darran was in New York, so we drove back to Park Sierra the next day (Christmas Day). After watching all the travel difficulties on TV, we have resolved never to travel at this time of the year again. We were just lucky that we had no delays or cancellations, probably because we were traveling in warm weather areas.
I have not managed to organize my time efficiently and so have still not written a holiday greeting to all our friends and family to send out. It will have to be a Happy New Year greeting, I guess. Our New Year's Eve will be spent celebrating here in the clubhouse with our Park Sierra friends. We are hoping that all of you have a Happy New Year celebration and a wonderful year in 2011. I will also be organizing and posting some pictures in the next few weeks, to go with our travel experiences of the last few months.

12/20/10
Hello from the southern Caribbean, where we are having our first sea day. Tomorrow we will be in Curacao and the day after that, Aruba. The weather down here is warm and sunny and we have been enjoying it, especially after watching the snow storms in Europe and the heavy rain in CA on TV. Yesterday we were in Grenada and we did a shore excursion which involved a fairly convoluted drive on the island to a river where we had a river tubing adventure. It was interesting to see the homes and the topography of the island. In 1983 our government was invited here to drive out the Cuban communists who were taking over, and in 2004 this island was almost totally destroyed by Hurricane Ivan. It has taken a lot of work to get things going again, and there are not only a lot of houses still standing with missing roofs and walls, but lots of new and colorful homes which look much more substantial. I'm sure their building codes have improved. This island is called the Spice Island because they grow lots of things like nutmeg, mace, cinnamon, vanilla, ginger and cacao here.
The river tubing adventure was fun. The tubes had a rubber flooring tied into them which turned out to be a very good thing because there were lots of areas where we were scraping our butts on rocks and the flooring offered good protection. There were about 10 young men who were stationed in the river along the route who made sure that we did not end up on the big rocks, and who often spun us around and splashed us as they propelled us on our way. Because it was such a nice temperature out, we were never cold either. They have this type of excursion on some of the other islands as well, and there are also at least 3 islands where zip-line adventures in the canopy are available.
Today there was a delicious brunch offered in the dining room, so we have just waddled back from that. Later there is going to be a special gathering for Captain's Club members offering gourmet treats and cocktails, So sea days on this ship are seeming like gluttonous events. We do think that having a brunch like this is so much smarter than the usual midnight buffets, because so many more people attend and it is a much better time to be eating. There were even 2 chocolate fountains, one white and one dark.
Our usual holiday greeting e-mail will be late this year because we don't fly back to CA until Friday. Then we have to pick up our car at Darran's, in San Diego, and head back to our RV at Park Sierra. So look for our Holiday letter sometime between Christmas and New Year's. We are wishing you all a wonderful holiday season and a very Happy New Year.

12/15/10
Hello Blog Readers from the island of St. Kitts. Today was the 3rd day of this 11 day cruise on the Celebrity Millennium. The cruise started in San Juan, which was a most delightful place. Too bad getting off the Adventure of the Seas on Sunday morning was so difficult due to delays by immigration. It used up some of our sightseeing time there. We did manage to make it down to Old San Juan and enjoyed it immensely. Next time we will stay longer because we can see that we could have such fun exploring more of the island. Monday afternoon we boarded this ship and by Tuesday we were docked in St. Croix. We did some walking around in town and a little beach combing, then worked out in the gym on the ship. Today we did the same here in St. Kitts. The last time we were here we hired a taxi and explored the whole island, so didn't need to do much today. The weather has been sunny and about 80 degrees, so we are having a very tropical experience. In a few minutes we are attending a special Elegant Tea, for Elite members here on board. They have been treating us well, the food is really abundant and delicious, and we are enjoying everything.

12/8/10
Hi from the middle of the Atlantic. I just finished the India travelogues so here is the last one. Enjoy!

India Travelogue #10
11/21/10 to 11/26/10
We had enjoyed the little hotel right on the waters of Allepey but it was time to head out of town in our van. Too bad three of our people were sick. First we stopped at a special Hindu temple, called Mannarsala Temple, which was the snake temple. It was made of wood and there were lots of people there. We were not allowed to take pictures inside. There were areas where people were lined up to pay money for special blessings (from 10 up to 20,001 rupees) and also an area where people put their kids on a scale and weigh them with rice, or bananas, gold or silver, and then donate that to the temple as a thank you for having the child, because this was a fertility temple. It seems amazing to us that in such a crowded country, with 1.2 billion people, and hard economic times due to too many people, they are so concerned with fertility!! But that is because there is no social security and people depend on their children to take care of them in their old age.
There were also areas where they could buy sweets to take home which were made by the priests, so the blessings could be spread around at home. And a place where they sold music, statues, etc. So it seemed like one big area of sucking money out of the faithful. Shanji told us it is the only temple where a woman is the high priestess. It is also unusual because it is made entirely of wood. We had to go barefoot, and we weren't allowed in the inner sanctum.
Next we stopped at the Krishnapuram palace, which was also made of wood and had beautifully manicured grounds. It was built for a maharaja about 250 years ago. There were a lot of collections of things in there: coins, swords, statues, etc. And it was a good example of how buildings were designed in those days to ensure nice breezes and open courtyards for resting and socializing in the court.
Kerala gets a lot more rain than the north and this is an unusual year, so it started in again. It rained pretty steadily the whole time we were driving and was raining hard by the time we reached the hotel, the Deshadan Cliff Resort in Verkala – a sister hotel to the one we stayed at in Munnar, up in the mountains. The hotel was nice with a beautiful pool right in the middle, and a nice little restaurant (open air) off to the side. The room was nice too and happily had more lights than the last 2 and also a TV with good English stations. At lunch at 3 in the restaurant, we watched the rain pour down and Shanji had arranged a birthday cake for Tom, who was 23 that day.
Verkala is a sacred town for the Hindus. It also sits on a 2 km long ragged coastline of red cliff. The shops, restaurants and hotels are all on the cliff, with lots of steps leading down to the beach area. It clearly is a place that has been adopted as a hangout for western young people who are staying around a while, and there are lots of good tourist restaurants and buying opportunities at the many stalls nearby.
Hooray – the next day was a bright, clear, sunny day. John drove us to the 2000 year old Janardhana Swamy temple where we walked around and Shanji explained more about Hinduism. This temple is on the top of a hill and as we walked up the steps we stopped at an area where a man was stationed to accept money from people as they entered, then he shot off a very loud firework which was supposed to drive away the evil spirits. Once again, we were not allowed in the inner sanctum, but there were lots of interesting areas around the main one. Then we drove to the beach area where priests were having consultations with people who had a loved one die recently, and who performed special rituals for them. To bathe in the sea here is considered holy, especially on the new moon of the Hindu calendar.
Verkala is the final resting place of the great social reformer, Sree Narayana Guru, so we went to his Ashram called the Sivagiri Mutt, took pictures of some of the people there for weddings, and also saw the guru's house and the temple built for him. Ghandi visited him once and stayed overnight so that is also a big deal for the faithful. He was in favor of treating the lower classes much better, and for fair treatment for everybody, including women.
The day was very warm and sunny so we enjoyed the fact that we had some down time by the pool.
Dinner was at 6 with the gang and we went to the Cafe Del Mar, on the cliff. The food was good, with lots of non-Indian choices that we haven't had for a while but it took a long time to arrive. We had a spinach salad and a pizza with gorgonzola, mozzarella, tomato sauce, chicken, and mushrooms. The crust was very good. As we were eating, it started pouring down rain again; this has been a very wet year!
Tuesday (11/23) we had to leave by 9 because we drove back to Kochi and it took about 5 hours.
Along the way we stopped to see two Asian elephants in a field. Elephants are still used for work here, and we have seen them carrying big loads as they walk along the roads. One of the towns had a replica of the Taj Mahal, and we had tea in a restaurant where we watched a two-foot long mud snake catch and eat a frog.
When we got to Fort Cochin we stopped at a big laundry place where they wash, dry and iron the clothes, all by hand. Shaji said that there are not enough people who want to do this kind of work anymore, so it is a dying occupation. I guess they are going to have to buy washing machines.
Late afternoon, we went to a Kathakali performance. It is an ancient dance form which is mostly dependent upon facial movements to communicate thoughts and feelings and mostly only found in the Cochin area. First we watched the guys put their very elaborate makeup on, then toured a museum showing some of the outfits they wear, then there was about a 45 minute performance. First they explained the facial expressions and the hand movements, then they had a little play/dance. There were guys with drums accompanying them and also some annoying chanting which might have been an explanation of what was happening on stage, if we could have understood it. It got to be a bit tedious, but happily it didn't last that long.
11/24/10 was the last day for this tour. We did a walk around Fort Cochin which included going to a big church nearby which is the 2nd oldest cathedral in India, and on the way stumbled on a street where lots of little girls were all dressed up and lining the street waiting for a procession of important people. Then we walked to the church where Vasco da Gama was originally buried. His home while he was there was across the street. Queen Elizabeth had also visited this church, and there is a commemorative plaque. Then we walked along the riverfront to see the big Chinese fishing nets, which require about 6 guys to work them. They are mostly a tourist attraction now, although there were stalls selling fish nearby. We all took the ferry to Mattancherry area where Jew Town is. There were very nice stalls there and it was very clean. There used to be a big Jewish community (from the 1500's) which was very well accepted but when Israel was created, most of them moved there. Today there are only 6 Jewish families. Most tourists go to see the beautiful synagogue with great handmade floor tiles from China and a nice chandelier from Belgium. Next we went to the former Maharajas palace. There were some kama sutra type frescoes in the basement and there is a copy of part of it in our room at the hotel! Elaine and I walked back from Jew Town to the hotel and it was interesting walking through the industrial area and places where they sell spices.
That evening we all walked to a really nice hotel and restaurant down by the water where we had a delicious departure dinner. Elaine had a calamari dish and french fries, I had coconut chicken, and we shared an eggplant and spring onion starter with peanut sauce. The food was all good and it was a fun last evening with everyone. Once again it rained heavily while we were eating so we were glad to be inside. No wonder it is so green here!
On Nov. 25 we got up early, said goodbye to Shaji who was a great tour leader and a delightful person. He arranged for a taxi to take us to the airport, which turned out to be an hour and a half drive due to people trying to get to work. The buses were absolutely packed, and none of them have side windows, which is so surprising because they get so much rain. It was the beginning of a day and a half of travel since we had to fly to Delhi, then wait nearly 10 hours for our flight to London and subsequent flight to Barcelona.
The new Delhi terminal is very nice but the system they use is stupid. You can't get into the airport building if you don't have a ticket, and when you do, you are in the area where the check-in counters are and only a couple of small stalls selling food. You can't go through security until you check in and you can't do that until about 2 hours before your flight. So all the good stores, food court, restaurants, etc. are on the other side of the security check area, and by the time you can go there, you don't have time to use them! We wanted to have a nice dinner at the airport but couldn't get back to the restaurants because flight check in for us wasn't until nearly midnight. When we went to check in, Elaine caught her hand in the luggage cart and smashed it pretty badly, including her wedding ring. The bathroom attendant helped her get it off with soap which was good because her fingers started to swell and it would have been a disaster if her ring was still on. Once we got through security, I got her some ice at McDonalds, in the food court, and once on the plane, she iced it the whole flight. Her hand stayed swollen for many days and eventually was very colorful, but probably nothing was broken. We arrived in Barcelona the next day at about noon and took a taxi to the Holiday Inn Express, which was a wonderful place to recuperate from the rigors of travel. We slept from 3PM until the next morning! The hotel is not in a tourist area, but there is a shopping and restaurant area within a block, and a metro stop 2 blocks away in the other direction. We had 24 hour free WiFi, and the daily included breakfast was huge and delicious. We highly recommend this hotel if you need a place to stay in Barcelona.

Blog Update 12/4/10
Hello from Gran Canaria Island which is one of the 7 Canary Islands off the coast of Africa. Our ship is here for the afternoon and evening and we are looking forward to exploring the town of Las Palmas, and possibly doing some shopping. The Canary Islands have had duty free tax status since 1852 which has greatly stimulated trade and thousands of cargo ships call in here every year.
So far we have mostly enjoyed the ports of call on this cruise. Toulon, in the Provence region of France was first but we didn't get off the ship. The main part of town was too far away, it was too cold and ugly out, and there isn't that much to do there. But the next time we are here we will definitely either rent a car or take a taxi to Le Castellet, a medieval village perched on a hilltop overlooking the wineries of the Bandol region. There are narrow cobblestone streets with houses dating back to the 17th and 18th centuries and there is an 11th century castle and a 12th century church. The original entrance gate still stands along with 6 guardtowers and most of the original town walls.
Our second port, Ajaccio, Corsica was an easy town to walk into because our ship docked within blocks of the main streets, and the weather was warmer, at least in the morning. It has a nice walk overlooking the water and seashore, past an old fort and moat, where several burros and goats are now grazing. The so-called tourist attractions focus on the fact that Napoleon was born and raised here and the house he lived in, and that of his uncle, are now museums. The streets are so clean and the buildings interesting and well kept. Of course, the place is also loaded with coffee shops and tourist crap shops. We enjoyed walking around and made it back to the ship for a late lunch at just the right time – before the rain came in.
On the British Airways flight from LAX to London, I sat next to an Iberian Airways pilot who was from Palma de Mallorca in the Balearic Islands, our third stop. She told us we would enjoy her home town and we LOVED it! What an absolutely gorgeous setting, with a huge number of yachts and boats in nicely arranged marinas near where we docked. There was an gorgeous promenade along the water leading all the way to the main part of the city and the cathedral, which is the second largest Gothic cathedral in Europe. It towers over the city above the Arabic walls which protected the city, and was easily seen from our ship 3 miles away. It also helped that we were having a warm and sunny day. Many Europeans come here as a resort destination because of the beaches and sunny weather. Jack, Elaine and I took the city bus in (1.25 Euro compared to the ship's shuttle price of $6), and then walked back after exploring the main part of the city. The streets and buildings are beautifully restored and meticulously kept, with impressive artistic touches everywhere, such as sculptures, statutes, parks, and artistic streetlights. Across the street from the docking area and up some stairs we found where the crew goes to shop and do internet in an area called Puerto Pi. It was an impressive area and totally local – not dolled up for tourists. Finding free WiFi in these areas is always a treat because it costs $.65 a minute on the ship. Luckily, because we are diamond plus status on the ship, we got coupons for 45 free minutes each, but we still try to find free WiFi in the ports.
The fourth port was Cartagena, Spain which is in the southern part of the Costa del Sol. We have been here before and always enjoy it as it is a very manageable town to walk in with clean streets, beautiful buildings, and good shopping. The free WiFi here is right in the Tourist Information office on the main street. By now we were getting tired of wearing the same outfit all the time, because we only brought one set of clothes for cold weather. So we found a shop where we had discovered some great deals last time, and bought new sweaters and scarves. The sun was out today and it was starting to warm up already, something we knew would happen as soon as we bought more warm clothes!
Yesterday was our first sea day, and we always enjoy the relaxed pace of those. We have been working out in the gym everyday, trying to get back in shape and also work off some of the calories we are taking in. A lot of those calories are coming between 5 and 8:30PM each day when we hang out in the Diamond Plus lounge with Jack, and some other new friends we have made there. Elaine and Jack have a running argument over who likes the free drinks more. It is held up in a lounge called the 19th hole, which is on the 14th deck with panoramic windows and we enjoy watching as the ship leaves port, or as the sun sets over the sea. The nightly live entertainment in the theater has been pretty good, as well. Such an enjoyable contrast to the hectic touring days in India.
Speaking of India, I am aware that I have not finished posting the travelogues from the adventure. I am posting Travelogue #9 today, right after this update, and I will finish writing the last travelogue on the next sea day, which is Dec. 6.

India Travelogue #9
Thursday 11/18/10
The Greenwoods Resort near Periyar had a great breakfast buffet and we enjoyed it thoroughly before boarding the van again to head up to one of the tea plantations. There was a guide there who showed us the plants and told us a lot about the tea before taking us through the processing plant. Pictures were not allowed inside, but we were able to see the big trays where they spread the leaves out to dry, then chop them up in a big machine, put the crushed bits through mesh to sort the sizes, then put the crushed tea in a revolving tank with warm air running through to dry it. It was very noisy inside the processing plant so we were taken outside to a little outdoor kitchen where he showed us the proper way to make tea, and served us 2 different kinds.
Next we stopped at a very large catholic church (St. Francis) which was made of a bluish colored stone and architecturally interesting. Kerala has a large percentage of Christians although there are also Muslims and Hindus here too. Shanji says they all are pretty accepting of each other and live together happily as neighbors. We have seen LOTS of churches since we have been here, and Sunday is pretty much a holiday with a lot of the businesses closed. In the north, where there aren't many Christians Sunday is not a day that everyone has off from work.
The third stop was at a cattle market which takes place only a couple of times a month. The van pulled off to the side of the road and let us out to take pictures. Below us, in a field, were hundreds of cattle, most with colored paint on their horns or colored dots or numbers painted on them. I guess that helped identify who was the owner or seller. On the road, where our van was stopped, there were big cargo trucks and also smaller individually owned trucks which were being loaded with cattle. And wow, did they cram them in there! By the time the trucks were loaded and driving off, you couldn't have stuffed a piece of paper in with them. Also, the cattle seemed so pathetically thin! If they were on their way to market, there wasn't much meat on them. Probably this could only happen in the south of India because the Hindus revere cows and would never do this to them, but in the south, the Christians are in the majority, and they eat beef.
A bit further along the road we stopped next to a rubber tree field and Shaji explained the whole process. They cut a groove into the bark of the tree and the liquid latex comes out and is collected in a little cup attached to the tree trunk. They cement a sheet of plastic around the trunk and over the cut area and the cup, to keep rain water from getting in there. They have to reopen the groove each morning and then collect the latex each afternoon or evening, so this process demands regular labor. The trees last a long time, and the plantation owners are doing very well financially. We passed some of their houses and they are always big, behind walls, with nice courtyards, and colorfully painted.
Arriving at the Whispering Palms hotel near Karakoram, there was a very nice buffet lunch waiting for us, with lots of food choices so the ones having problems with India food could eat something else. Shaji had managed to get the use of the houseboats that the hotel owned, so some of our people stayed in those and the rest of us had nice rooms in the hotel. In the late afternoon Shaji arranged for ice and some appetizers to be put on the smaller boat and we all brought the booze we had purchased earlier, and we had a happy hour boat ride out on part of the Backwaters. It was great to be out on the water for sunset, and to see the houses, rice paddies, coconut trees along the banks. As it started to get dark and we headed back towards the resort, the engine crapped out. They couldn't get it going again, so eventually they brought the other boat and towed us back. There was some entertainment of a drum and flute before the dinner buffet, which was another delicious meal which even included lobster. While we were waiting for dinner, a big busload of Indian people arrived, got checked in, and then had a separate dinner in another room. Shaji pointed out that it is good to see that it is not just foreigners who are interested in touring India – they are finally becoming affluent enough to travel in their own country and stay in these same nice hotels. The next day, at the swimming pool, we chatted with a young woman who was obviously Indian but who said she now lives in New Jersey and is scheduled to be an American citizen by next year. She is studying nursing. She was on a vacation with her family, who still lived in Kerala. This was a theme we encountered all over Kerala: get educated, learn a skill and English, and emigrate to an English-speaking country for better opportunities. There were billboards all over advocating this, and Shaji said the schools are packed with people planning to do this. It is part of the reason why Kerala is one of the more affluent states.
The next day (the 19th) we didn't have to leave until about 11, and we were traveling to Allepey by boat, so all we had to do was go to the lakeshore. The boat was not one of the houseboats but it was covered, which we appreciated because the sun was hot. Shaji took us to a small building on one of the banks where they serve seafood and toddy. Toddy is a palm alcohol drink and Shaji explained how the men have to climb the trees and attach a container to capture the juice of the flower, after they cut into it. Later they have to go back and collect it, so they climb the trees twice a day. The juice ferments very fast and is sweeter when it is fresher, becoming quite potent and bitter after only about 6 hours. We tasted the fresh stuff and it was good. The local people drink it when it has fermented longer because they want more of a “kick” from it. It is cheap and they can afford it. Apparently these little Toddy huts become quite the gathering places for the local villagers and Shaji said all the gossip gets spread around there.
The rest of the ride we were passing locals in small wooden canoes who had been out fishing or collecting mussels, or some of the big houseboats. The houseboats are of varying sizes, some of them with 2 to 4 bedrooms, a kitchen and living room on them and the crew does all the cooking. The outside walls and roof are woven reeds and some are very fanciful looking. Shaji said there are now about 500 of these boats in this area and they are so popular in the Nov-Jan high season that they cost between $500 and $1000 a night! They are very comfy and most also have a diesel generator and TV. They travel slowly down all the waterways, which are called the Kerala Backwaters. People have houses along these waterways, there are towns, businesses and even a “bus” boat route for the locals to get around. The rice paddies are located in fields behind the dikes that have been built up to keep the river water from getting in.
Our hotel in Allepey was beautiful and right on the water with manicured landscaping and an open-air restaurant. Lunch was ready when we got there and the food was good. There were only 12 rooms at this hotel and we were using 7 of them, so the staff really catered to us, including fixing special foods requested by Shaji. The rooms had open air bathrooms, which we also had at our last hotel. There were only outside walls and no ceilings. This hotel also had a spa area and one of the included activities was to get an Ayurvedic massage. Elaine and I went in for ours after a swim in the pool. This was the first massage we had allowed since about 31 years ago when we stayed at The Spa hotel in Palm Springs. These ladies really covered us with oil and had us slipping and sliding all over the table. Also, there was no concession for modesty – we were naked the whole time. It was an interesting and educational experience, but I don't think I would ever repeat it. The oil did some nice things to my skin, however it took lots of washings to get it out of my hair!
As soon as we cleaned up after the massage, our group left for a boat trip through the nearby waterways in a big wooden boat which is usually used for hauling lumber, I suspect. Shaji wanted to show us the life along the waterways and also get us to a special spot for sunset pictures. By the time we got there, it was starting to rain. He had brought along a lot of umbrellas so we didn't get soaked on the way back. This was the only hotel we stayed in which had mosquito nets over the beds and although the bugs weren't too bad, there were some and we were glad to have the nets.
The next day (Nov. 20th) we took another boat across the river and Shaji lead us on a walk through the village which was spread out over there. He explained everything about what the people had to do to live there, all about the rice paddies, which were actually lower than the river, how they collect and prepare the mussels. We saw many houses which had water in their courtyards so the people had to wade to get into their houses, which were thankfully built up a few steps. Some guys also showed us their makeshift gym, which had weight lifting equipment in an area protected by tarps, and they encouraged Elaine to try the machines.
Later that afternoon some of us went in the van into the main town of Allepey, which was much bigger than we had expected. We went to the liquor store, which is where several men behind a protective screen sell booze to people through little windows. There is always a long line of men, and when Elaine and I got at the end of the line, the guys quickly hustled us right into the back where we got to look at the goods and make our selections. We don't know if we got this special treatment because we were the only women, or because we were foreigners. India wine isn't really that good, and it is fairly expensive (by California standards), and we quickly learned to buy Grover wine. I tried some of the Indian whisky and that was perfectly fine, and the Indian rum is very good.
Anna and Shaji visited an orphanage for teenagers while the rest of us went down to look at the beach. It was starting to get overcast and dark, with rain threatening, so we just stayed a few minutes but there were quite a few locals doing things on the beach, which had nice sand. There were food stalls there too. And another big sign was up about learning English and emigrating. By the time we picked the others up, it was raining, and by the time we got back to the hotel there was so much water on the ground that we had to wade to our rooms. Usually there isn't this much rain at this time of the year, although it always has more than the north. We took our booze to the open air restaurant and we all sat there and talked until dinner was ready. A young Indian couple was there, visiting from Delhi, so we chatted with them. She was an investment banker and he was in computers and they clearly were from affluent families. They told us they had been married for 9 months and that theirs was not an arranged marriage. They said that more of the young professionals in the large cities are marrying for love and not doing what is usually done. But Shaji said that there is also about a 40% divorce rate among love marriages and hardly any divorces among arranged marriages. Perhaps it is because there is such a stigma about divorce, and arranged marriages get more family support.
That night for dinner, Shaji had arranged for us to have some of the mussels we had seen all the local people collecting. They were delicious and we ate several helpings of them with no problems, but Jasmine and Peter were both sick overnight and the next day.