Ageing Nomads on a Budget

Puerto Morelos   July - September 2022 After being in Mexico  just over one week we did wonder why it had taken us so long to travel to this side of the world! We were staying in the very laid-back town of Puerto Morelos on the Caribbean coast just south of Cancun. Puerto Morelos has managed to retain its village feel well away from the hustle and bustle of nearby Cancún and Playa del Carmen.  This seaside town lies on the Carribbean coastline where visitors can enjoy a more relaxing atmosphere, beautiful beaches and excellent snorkelling. Our accommodation was located on Niños Heroes and just a few minutes stroll to the beach of white, powdery sand with amazing snorkelling right from the shore over coral rocks and the most species of soft coral we have ever seen.   We have enjoyed some of the best snorkels ever, in what could only be described as like floating in a crowded aquarium.   One good thing about snorkelling f rom the shore is that boats goin...

Isla Mujeres September 2022 During our three-month stay in Puerto Morelos, we decided to arrange a three-night stay on Isla Mujeres , one of the smaller Caribbean islands and a short ferry journey from our nearest city, Cancun.   The return journeys were easy and comfortable despite involving two mini-bus journeys, two short taxi rides and a ferry crossing. Good to experience a bit more of Mexican life. As you would imagine, the island beaches are of white powdery sand and the sea beautiful turquoise blue. An idyllic location. But on this occasion, the beaches were not the highlight of our stay.  Elaine had seen adverts for long full day trips from Puerto Morelos to swim with whale sharks and was getting more interested each day!   Then when planning our trip to the island we realised that’s where they were to be seen from the end of May to mid-September and she decided to go for it. We booked a room for three nights at a small hotel just a short stroll from th...

Shark Bay & Geraldton May 2022 During our extended stay in Western Australia, we rented an apartment in Rockingham, just south of Perth.  During one of our regular visits to our daughter and family in Kalgoorlie, the Covid pandemic was just beginning.   Lockdowns were being introduced throughout the world and borders closed.  We decided Western Australia was the safest place for us to settle and we stayed for three years.  It was a sensible decision and we continue to enjoy approximately five months of the year there. In May, 2022 we decided to make a road trip to the Shark Bay World Heritage area, about 500 miles north, b ooking an apartment in the quiet, sleepy town of Denham.  To break up the long journey, we stayed a couple of nights in Geraldton. One of our favourite places just outside Denham was Little Lagoon, a wonderful stretch of clear, calm water just five kilometres from Denham. We made several visits to Monkey Mia Conservation Park about 2...

Ferguson Valley & Wellington National Park November 2021 We have recently enjoyed a mini-break to visit another small area of Western Australia and decided to explore the area around the Wellington National Park, a couple of hours or so south of Perth. For our base, we booked three nights at an Airbnb property in the town of Collie. The highlights of our trip were: Seeing the Wellington Dam  with the world’s largest Dam Mural, measuring 8,000 sq. metres.  The dam is the second largest in Western Australia and holds 185 billion litres when full. Enjoying morning coffee with the King , sitting on our collapsible chairs with our flasks in his majestic presence. The giant  King Jarrah Tree , 36 metres high and approximately 500 years old, rules over the forests of the Wellington National Park. The King has survived bushfires, storms, lightning and insect attack. Strolling along the Harvey Dam Wildflower Trail  with spectacular views across lakes, the waters of the Ha...

Bali, Indonesia February/March 2020 Fortunately, when we left the Philippines for Bali, we were declared 'fit to fly' at Manila Airport where they took our temperature at check-in due to the early days of the Coronavirus outbreak.   On arrival in Bali, everyone passed a thermal imaging camera and were given a form to fill in.  Passport details, address in Bali, etc.  You then had to tick one of two boxes.  Are you 1. "Healthy" or 2. "Unhealthy"!  Who is going to tick "Unhealthy"?? We were met at the airport and driven straight to our accommodation - Merpati Studios in Sanur.  Lovely accommodation in a very quiet residential area.   The first few days were spent exploring the beaches here in Sanur.  They've made it very easy by constructing a 5.5 km walkway all along the coastline: We were not expecting to snorkel from the beaches after reading up on the Internet. You needed to go out on guided boat trips to experience good snorkelling, e...