ForeverTravelers.com

After nearly two years of travel, visiting 70 countries on all 7 continents, we have found a place to call home. It’s been a wild ride but we would not change a single moment of it. We were lucky over the past few months to have our family and friends open their homes and lives to us as we were in limbo. We will be forever grateful for their generosity and support.

After a few months in a state of “unknown”, we are thrilled to living on the beach in South Florida. Here is how we got here…

Several weeks of looking for a job paid off and Robert accepted a position at a beach resort in South Florida. With no where to stay and no idea where we were going to live, we packed up our things. We started out in Wisconsin at my brother and sister-in-law’s house. After loading up a U-Haul with furniture they gifted to us, we drove our newly purchased car and the U-Haul south toward the Sunshine State. We made great time making it all the way to Orlando in 2 days. We squeezed as much as we could fit in the truck from our Orlando storage unit and made the final part of the drive to Fort Lauderdale. The entire trip was just over 1,500 miles.

It was such a relief to arrive at our final destination, not just for us but for our 15-year old shih tzu/terrier mix, Howie. I don’t think he could handle another hour in the front seat of the car. When he realized we were not going to drive any farther, he was so excited.

We spent the next 5 days in a hotel (not a nice one because it was during spring break, ugh!). We connected with a great real estate agent and started the hunt for the perfect place to live. I was determined to find something along A1A, near the beach, that accepted pets and had spots to park two cars. It was hard to find but we got lucky. Within in a few hours it being posted we found the perfect condo on the beach. Now we wake up every morning to beautiful sunrises over the water.

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Tomorrow I start my new position. My days of soaking up the sun have come to an end. The new chapter in our adventure begins.

It would be great to hear from you and would love to have visitors. We look forward to catching up with everyone soon!

On our journey from Malawi to Zambia our guide explained the accommodations for our next stop. Because of the large hippo and crocodile population where we would be camping, we were instructed to flash our flashlights to alert the park rangers when we wanted to leave the tent when it was dark. Apparently the hippos and crocs wander around the area where the campground is. The next question our guide asked was, “Does anyone want to upgrade to a private bungalow?” — um, yes we do.

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South Luangwa National Park is a world-class safari destination. We explored the park on two separate game drives – one morning and one afternoon into night. The animal life in Zambia is supposed to be fantastic and we were excited to get on our way.

Our game drives did not disappoint. Our morning drive was only delayed by a little “traffic” jam. We had to stop more than once for the elephants to cross our path. Not a bad way to start our day.

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Our time at South Luangwa came to an end and we had to make the long drive to Victoria Falls, Zimbabwe to end our tour. During the 3 days of driving we viewed quaint villages dotting the sides of the road. We were able to stop in a few to take in their markets and people.

Unfortunately, like all good things, our time in Africa had to end – as does our world tour. The Allen World Tour has come to an end as we fly back to the USA. The tour is over but our love and passion for travel continues. We will follow up from back in the USA and keep everyone informed about our next adventure – Getting a JOB!!!!!

The holidays and lack of internet in Africa have caused our blog posts to be a little behind. We are excited to share the remaining blogs from our trip to East Africa.

Leaving the island of Zanzibar behind us, we continued our journey through east Africa with a one-night stopover in Dar es Salaam. Located on the Indian Ocean coast, Dar es Salaam is the former capital of Tanzania and the largest city in the country. It isn’t much of a tourist city but interesting to see the day to day life of the people while passing through. Continuing southwest on the road toward to Malawi, we passed through many small villages. All along the roads local children and adults waved to us a we passed by.

Before making it to the border, we stopped at Mikumi National Park in Tanzania. We camped inside the park and did a long game drive the next morning. The landscape of the park is similar to the Serengeti National Park. From the very first 30 minutes of the drive we were up close and personal with a family of lions. We really enjoyed the visit to the park and the wide variety of animals that we saw.

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Leaving Tanzania behind us, we traveled toward the border of Malawi. Along the way we made a stop to the large amount of baobab tress. These trees are considered Africa’s “Tree of Life” and was used a such in the Disney movie “The Lion King.” The trees are enormous. It is really incredible when standing in a valley that is surrounded by the monstrous trees.

After our brief stop to see the baobabs, we made it to the country line. The border crossing into Malawi is not easy. The process is manual for the passports and it took over 3 hours for our group and our truck to be cleared through the border. Once we finally made it through, we continued the drive to the northwest side of Lake Malawi. There we spent the night along the sandy beach with a beautiful view over the water.

Lake Malawi is also known as Lake Nyasa in Tanzania and Lago Niassa in Mozambique. It is the fourth largest fresh water lake in the world by volume. Lake Malawi is home to more species of fish than any other lake in the world, including over 700 species of cichlids.

There is very little industry or work available for the local people in Malawi. The lake supports the people through fishing, providing both a source of work and of food. Many of the other people in the surrounding area farm using the small pieces of land around their homes.

After our first night, we moved to a different resort along the southwest side of the lake. We stayed for two nights, camping along the beach. The next two days, we played beach volleyball, played cards and hang out with our group. It was such fun to relax and enjoy that beautiful spot.

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Even though we had a lot of time for fun, we also got a chance to go on a tour of the local village. During our three hour walk we visited a local’s home, the village school, the area hospital and the local market. The visit to the school was interesting, heart-wrenching and intense. Hundreds of children gathered around us from the moment we reached the school yard. All of the children wanted to hold hands with us and speak to us in English.

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Our tour of the village continued with a visit to the local hospital. We were greeted by one of the two doctors that tend to a population of over 200,000 people. The medical treatment is very limited to delivering babies and treating minor injuries. If a patient needs surgery, they will be transferred to the major hospital 90 kilometers away. The transport is provided by one ambulance that serves five different medical facilities in the region. The doctors are doing the best they can with limited resources. The majority of treatment is given to people suffering from malaria.

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We ended our tour of the village with a visit to the main street and local market. It was interesting to see the happenings of everyday life. Women were getting water from the local well and selling their fresh grown veggies in the market. The children who are too small to go to school, go to the market with their moms (notice the baby under the table of tomatoes).

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Our visit to Malawi was relaxing and fun while hanging out on the beach. It was also a close look into the lives of the Malawi people. It was a great opportunity to explore more of East Africa.

The last country on our journey is Zambia. We are off to explore the nature and wildlife of South Luangwa National Park, Zambia.

Leaving the Serengeti behind and traveling south on bumpy roads, we headed toward the historical town of Bagamayo. This city played an important role in the East African slave trade. While we only spent the night there, it was incredible to see some of the reminders that are left behind. Most noticeably are the Christian Churches spread through the area that were established by missionaries when slavery was abolished. The churches stick out in a landscape of primarily Islamic people.                   

After our overnight in Bagamayo, we drove to the large city of Dar es Salaam. The traffic was terrible but when we finally made it, we were able to secure tickets on the 12:30pm ferry to the island of Zanzibar. Local transportation in this area of the world are always an adventure. Our group appeared to be the only tourists on board with hundreds of locals. People were squeezed into every seat, ledge and available floor space to endure the two-hour boat trip to the island. Lucky for me the seas weren’t too rough and I didn’t get sea sick.                

Upon arrival at the ferry terminal all foreigners must pass through immigration. While Zanzibar is part of Tanzania, they operate almost independently. No additional visa is needed but it is mandatory to show your passport and vaccination card (for yellow fever) to be allowed to exit the terminal. Once we all made it through, a local guide met us for our transfer to the north part of the island. The drive was approximately 1.5 hours. The travel time was worth it as all the most beautiful beaches are located on the northern tip of the island. Everyone in our group was thrilled to spend a few days relaxing on the beach, swimming, shopping the markets and enjoying a few local beers.                                 

We jumped on the chance to go snorkeling at one of the very small island on the northeast coast. The water is super clear and the fish are abundant. The boat ride to get there was a bit rough because it was packed with too many people for a two-hour each way trip. We would recommend that anyone interested in doing a snorkel trip should find a company that takes no more than 20 people at a time. It would be a much better experience had we thought to inquire about that in the beginning. Nevertheless, we made the most of our time in the water and on the secluded beach.

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In the evenings, we indulged in the hotel buffet featuring local Zanzibar dishes followed by watching the breathtaking sunsets.

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Our time on the north side of the island came to an end and our guide arrived again to pick us up. We had one more day in Zanzibar but were moving hotels to one in the in city, Zanzibar City. On the way back to the center of the island, we stopped at a fruit and spice plantation. For hundreds of years, Zanzibar has been known to the world as one of the “Spice Islands.” The climate is perfect to grow exotic spices which are then exported around the world. The most exported product is clove. A guided walk through the plantation gave us a chance to see the plants growing as well as taste many of them fresh from the plant, including black pepper, nutmeg and cinnamon. The most popularly grown fruits are jackfruit and coconut. At the end of our walk, fresh coconuts were cut open and given to us to enjoy.

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Later that afternoon after checking in to our hotel, the guide collected us again for a tour of the historic district of the city. The neighborhood within the city known as Stone Town in recognized an UNESCO World Heritage Site. Stone Town was founded by the Sultan of Oman to be used as a trading port both for spices and slaves that were sold to Europe and the Middle East. The presence of the Islamic culture remains very prevalent on the island of Zanzibar.

Our tour started with lunch at a local restaurant. Followed by a walk through the historic district. Most interesting was the former slave market which is now a museum. When it was in use, it was an open-air market. Today, there are several areas that can be visited including the cathedral that was built when slavery was abolished, a memorial to the people who were enslaved, a museum and the slave holding rooms underground. It was a very emotional experience to be in the place where such crimes against humanity occurred.                           

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Next stop on our walk was the city market. Anything people want to buy can be found there. The meat stalls were very interesting as well as extremely smelly. Seafood is the main source of protein on the island. We saw a wide variety of offerings most interesting was a stingray that was being cut up to sell by the piece.                          

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Following our guide out of the market and into the narrow streets and alleyways of Stone Town, we were treated to many unique people and shops. I enjoyed seeing all the different ways the shopkeepers would displays their wares.                 

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Toward the end of our tour, we stopped at the sight of Freddie Mercury’s birthplace. He is well known for being the lead singer of Queen as well as said to have one of the best voices of all time. The people of Zanzibar are quite proud that he was born there.                

Just before being picked up by our driver, we made a short visit to the Old Fort of Zanzibar. Built by the Omani Arabs after defeating the Portuguese in 1699. It is the only Arab fort in East Africa.Today the fort is used as a venue for festivals and pubic events.

After our very hot walk through Stone Town, we had some time to relax and cool off at our beachside hotel. The next day we took the ferry back toTanzania mainland to continue our overland tour.                                

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Our adventure tour through Tanzania continues with game drives in Mikumi National Park.

Our next stop was a bucket list item for both of us – Serengeti National Park.  The park is internationally renowned for its game viewing and of course the wildebeest migration.  The drive from Arusha was long (6 hours) but as soon as we crossed into the Serengeti we were rewarded with fantastic game sightings.  Most exciting to us (and to most people on a safari) were the big cats.

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Within about 5 miles of the park entrance we stopped for a family of cheetah that were right on the side of the road. Shortly after this stop we found a pride of lions with their meal – poor zebra.  

Camping in the park is an experience in itself.  The campsite has no walls or fences to keep the campers in or more importantly the big animals out. So needless to say, when we got up to go to the restroom at 2:00 AM and shined the light around, we were greeted with the glowing eyes of a hyena. We realized we really didn’t need to walk to the restroom after all. Okay, I know what you’re thinking – are you just not drinking any water? Yes we are.  But, life is about choices – restroom 50 meters, tree 2 meters – our decision was not that hard. 

On the first morning we arose to 30+ elephants roaming though the campsite. It was truly a lifetime meaningful moment.  Our second and third  days of  game drives brought more fantastic wildlife viewing opportunities including the elusive leopard and many more lions, gazelles, hyenas, impalas, thousands of migrating wildebeest and much more. The Serengeti is truly an amazing place.       

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After the Serengeti we spent a cold night on top (approximately at 7900 feet above sea level) of the Ngorongoro Crater in preparation for our crater game drive the next day. The crater was formed when a large volcano exploded and then collapsed on itself 2 to 3 million years ago.  The crater is 610 meters deep and it’s floor covers 260 square kilometers (about 100square miles).  The natural enclosure of the crater walls allow for fantastic game viewing all year round, and our day was no exception.

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Although these two fantastic game parks were our main reason for picking this itinerary for this overland tour, we still have some great stops left. Next we are “On the road to Zanzibar”.

After leaving Tahiti, we flew direct to San Francisco. I’m sure you’re thinking, “that has to be a really expensive flight.” For most airlines that is true but we were lucky to find a new airline (a division of Air France) called French Bee. They offer direct flight for a fraction of the price. If you are wanting to go to Tahiti, French Bee is definitely the way to go.

My Mom and Stepdad picked us up in San Francisco and took us back to their house in Sacramento. We spent a few weeks there  prior to Thanksgiving. During that time, we had several visitors. First were Jerome and Renee from Litchfield, IL (my hometown). They came for a long weekend. We had a blast visiting the wineries in the Apple Hill area. We even got to be “wine pourers” at Medrona Vinyards special event that same weekend.

One evening during the week, Jeff and Socorro came for dinner. We enjoyed visiting with them and talking about our travel adventures.

The following weekend, my brother Michael and sister-in-law, Laura came for a visit. It was great to see them and send time playing competitive games. The first day we all went to Napa Valley for some wine tasting. They are members of the Frog’s Leap Wine Club, so we started out there. They offer a very nice tasting experience and have beautiful gardens to enjoy a stroll. Since it is autumn the vines and trees were right in the midst of changing colors. The yellow, red and orange leaves were a delight to the eyes.

Robert and Laura teamed up for a game of Hand and Foot. They killed the other two teams. We also played taboo with girls against boys. The girls won! After wrapping up our last game of cards (Missy and Mike won!) on Monday mid-day, Mike insisted he have In-n-Out Burger before he could leave the west coast. He believes the visit isn’t complete until he has one of their famous burgers.

 

During the weekend Mike and Laura were visiting, the “Camp Fire” in Butte county California was burning out of control. The town of Paradise is 90 miles north from Sacramento. The smoke was heavy and the wind blew it straight toward Sacramento.

As the smoke covered everything and the air quality index skyrocketed. Mike and Laura flew back home Monday afternoon just before the smoke became extremely bad. Robert had a very bad reaction to it, keeping him in bed with flu like symptoms for the next 3 days. By Thursday, we decided to go to Lake Tahoe up in the mountains for fresh air. South Lake Tahoe is now built up into a great ski town with lots of shops and restaurants at the bottom of the Heavenly Ski Resort Gondola. We stayed at the Hard Rock Hotel and enjoyed the live music at the restaurants.

We ended up staying two nights before taking a flight out early to Seattle. Once out of the smoke and air quality index over 280, Robert immediately felt better. The fire continued for about 2 weeks before being under control. We are praying for all of the people who have lost their homes and family members in the terrible fire.

After a delayed flight, we made it to Robert’s mom’s house at 2:00am. Luckily we rented a car so she did not have to come and get us. It was an unexpected visit but we always enjoy seeing her. She even took us to our favorite west coast retail store, Fred Meyer.

 

Monday before Thanksgiving we made the 6 hour drive from Seattle to LaGrande, OR. It is Robert’s hometown and where his father and stepmom live. There was no snow or ice on the roads which made the drive through the mountains much easier.

I have been told that when making this drive, one must stop in Yakima, WA for a visit to the Miner’s Drive-in. It is a famous hamburger restaurant that has been around forever. They serve incredibly large burgers. I have been once before several years ago. We stopped there for lunch and it was just as I remembered. 

 

 

We stopped at Columbia Crest Winery for a tasting along our way. It is located along Horse Heaven Hills, a beautiful but sparse landscape in Eastern Washington.

The week of Thanksgiving at the Allens was fun and full of family games. There was a large group of 14 to celebrate the holiday. We made traditional Thanksgiving dishes. Cherlyne (Robert’s stepmom) makes a mean pecan pie! Robert cut the turkey and I got a chance to cook with David (Robert’s dad) which I look forward to each year. He is a wonderful cook and teaches me little trick each time we visit.

Today we are off to the airport. We are taking two overnight flights to reach Nairobi, Kenya. There will be joining another Nomad Adventure Tour through Tanzania, Malawi, Zambia and Zimbabwe. This trip is bitter sweet as it marks the last of our Allen World Tour. After 30 days in Africa we will return back to the USA to start a new chapter in our lives. We will continue our blog as we travel through Africa and into whatever comes next!

The sun was shining and the air was warm as we said goodbye to our home of 34 days. Disembarkation in Papeete, Tahiti was the easiest one we have ever experienced. Within in a few minutes we had picked up our luggage and were on the shuttle bound to the airport. Our friends Gill and John had rented a car and as luck would have it, they had booked the same exact beach lodge as we did. What are the odds?

The four of us packed our luggage and ourselves into a tiny car and made the drive to the other side of the island. Our lodge consisted of three bungalows on the black sand beach. It was incredibly beautiful. We spent the next 3 days touring around the island and soaking up the sun.

After 3 days, John and Gill had to go home. After spending so much time together and becoming great friends, we were so sad to see them go. We helped them pack the car and waved as they pulled out of the drive.

After Gill and John left, we still had 10 days on the islands. We enjoyed the pool, the beach and playing cards on our deck. There is nothing like sitting in the shade, taking in the smell of the ocean and listening as the waves roll in.

When the time came for us to check out of the Surf Beach Paradise Lodge, our host took us into the city of Papeete to drop us off but once we got there, we couldn’t find the address for our Airbnb. Come to find out the address was listed wrong and it was actually on the island of Moorea.

So, we had to buy ferry tickets and take the 25 minute ride to the other island. The ferry tickets were $30 per person roundtrip. The taxi fares are quite expensive ranging between $35 – $50 per ride. With that in mind, after two transfers and the ferry ride we made it to our booked house. Unfortunately the house was terrible. Sometimes, things don’t go as planned. We made an unexpected move to another Airbnb. Our second accommodation on Moorea was in a studio attached to a local’s house. Our host, Laurence drove in her personal car to pick us up and take us to the accommodation – Afareaitu. The couple we stayed with were very nice and really helped us have a great stay. Their four-legged kids were sweet as can be.

Moorea has a low population with the people living along the coast. Outside of the cruise port area, it is very rural. Near the port, tours are available to go to swim with sharks and rays. We did that on the cruise, so during our stay on Moorea we relaxed, read books, played it he water and challenged each other in card games. Watching sunrise and sunset was wonderful.

Our highlight of Moorea was a two mile hike up into the mountains to a beautiful waterfall. The hike took us through a neighborhood,  past a farm and onto a very narrow path through the forest. It was very humid so we were very hot when we reached the falls. I was eager for a swim in the cool water. We were lucky to be the only ones at the secluded spot.

After 4 days we decided to head back to Tahiti and spend a few days at one of the big beach resorts. We were able to book a condo in the Tahiti Pearl Beach Resort complex. The resort was located on the infamous Matavi Bay. The same bay visited by many famous captains like Captain Cook and Captain Bligh when they explored the pacific.

One of the nights during our stay, there was a performance by a local dance group. We enjoyed the traditional music and Robert even got a chance to try out some of the moves.

After 2 weeks on the islands, it was time for us to get on a plane as well. We really enjoyed seeing French Polynesia. However, overall it is very expensive and similar in beauty to Hawaii or the Caribbean. We did not find the locals to be very friendly and as a tourist it is not easy to get around. Should we go to French Polynesia again, it would be on a cruise.

A parahi (goodbye in Tahitian)! We are anxious to see our families and celebrate American Thanksgiving in the USA.  We will spend a few weeks in the US before our final leg of our adventure in Africa.

Our cruise continued from Pitcairn Island bound for French Polynesia.  Our cruise had four sea days and the weather finally turned nice.

During these days the housekeeping staff created the Maasdam Zoo, where there were literally hundreds of towel animals all over the deck. It was so fun!

FAKARAVA – FRENCH POLYNESIA

Our first stop in French Polynesia was the island of Fakarava.  This small atoll was the perfect place to start or trip through paradise.  The ship’s tours were expensive and not exactly what we wanted so we set off on foot with Gillian and John to do our first “Baguette and Beer” excursion.  The excursion name should be trademarked. We stopped by the local market bought a six pack of beer and a baguette and set off to find a perfect place to relax and enjoy the day.

Sunglasses – Check            Beer – Check            Shark – What the heck??????

RANGIORA – FRENCH POLYNESIA

Our second stop, was just as breathtaking – we opted for the same tour as the first and the Beer and Baguette Excursion was underway.

BORA BORA- FRENCH POLYNESIA

Our third stop was on the Island of Bora Bora.  Missy and I,  emboldened by our shore shark encounters, ventured into shark territory to see what we could see.

MOOREA- FRENCH POLYNESIA

Moorea is only 11 miles from our final destination of Tahiti.  Missy and I planned on going back to Moorea after the cruise for a few days so we really wanted to take an excursion.  We found another shark excursion and were ready to dive back in.

TAHITI- FRENCH POLYNESIA (the departure point)

Papeete, Tahiti was our final stop on our 34 day cruise.  We were sad to see our days on the Maasdam come to an end.  We did, however,  have 2 more weeks to look forward to in French Polynesia.

 

 

 

April 28, 1789 Fletcher Christian (Master’s Mate) and a group of crew mates took control of the ship, H.M.S. Bounty. That moment went down in history as one of the most famous maritime stories of all time. Since then, much has been written about that event and all of the men that were involved. Most widely known is the novel, Mutiny of the Bounty by Charles Nordhoff and James Norman Hall published in 1939.

During the mutiny, Captain William Bligh and 18 others were cast off on a launch. They sailed 6,400 kilometers in 47 days on a 7 meter long open boat arriving in Batavia (present day Jakarta) where they could find passage back to England. Fletcher Christian and the remaining crew set sail back to Tahiti and left soon after for a location where they would not be discovered.  Using charts and intuition, they found the island of Pitcairn which was mismarked on the maps. This allowed the mutineers safety from being found. It was not until 1808 that an American whaling ship was drawn to the island by smoke from a cooking fire. By then, all but one of the mutineers had passed away. The Tahitian wives and children of the mutineers remained.

In route from Easter Island to French Polynesia, our ship had the opportunity to sail through the waters at Pitcairn Island. In preparation for our visit, lectures were offered on board about the history and current life of the inhabitants of the famous island. Robert and I went one step further and both read books that would give us a better insight into the intrigue that surrounds Pitcarin. Robert read the novel, Mutiny of the Bounty. I read The Bounty: The True Story of the Mutiny on the Bounty by Caroline Alexander. Since the true events of what motivated the mutiny and how it happened varies greatly from the novel, we had some very lively discussions. If you are interested in real life swashbuckling tales and mystery, get yourself one or both of these books.

Today, the descendants of the Bounty mutineers live on the very remote island of Pitcarin. There are 30 – 40 residents at any one time. They live very isolated from the rest of the world with no airport and delivery ships come no more than 10 times per year. It is nearly impossible to set foot on the island. The passengers of our ship are some of the very few people in the world that ever have a chance to see the island and it’s only town, Adamstown. The town was named after the last living member of the Mutineers of the Bounty, John Adams.

We were very excited to have a chance to see a place that is so famous (or infamous).

Our trip through the Pacific Ocean will come to an end as we visit several French Polynesian Islands, ending in Tahiti. The local people (mostly the women) living near Matavi Bay on the large island of Tahiti have long been thought to be the inspiration for the Mutiny on the Bounty.